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DOMESTIC FOCUS
Andrew Stone In Blog
Better Ways Champions, Thea Ramirez
Thea Ramirez has never been one to take the easy route. She is an incredibly dedicated CEO, wife and mom of three kids who balances the hundreds of daily tasks involved with running her successful non profit organization. After talking to me today, she had to prepare a dish for a potluck event at her kids' school that afternoon, get on a weekly stand-up call with her tech development team and then meet with donors, to give you just a snapshot of a normal afternoon for her.
"I am a clinical social worker by training and originally had my sights on becoming a counselor" Thea tells me, but quickly realized this wasn't her calling, finding a job as a director of a private licensed infant adoption agency. This would set her on a path to founding Adoption-Share, the non profit organization that created the Family-Match program.
It was the Family-Match program that connected Ramirez with Hopeland when we worked together on a screening of Instant Family in New York. Ensuring every child has a safe, loving family is a cornerstone of both organizations.
Adoption-Share
Thea's early experiences in adoption fueled a passion to create an organization that is really upsetting the apple cart, first in private infant adoption and now in foster care.
"I had gone into private infant adoption thinking this was going to be amazing, it's going to be helping families and kids but actually found it to be an industry with a lot of money changing hands, a lot of attorneys coming to hospital rooms and giving out checks". "It just felt wrong", said Ramirez, explaining that she felt called to action by a feeling that it wasn't enough to just leave that job behind but that she had to do something to truly help – "that something became Adoption-Share."
"I launched the organization right after having my second child," Thea remarked, "there's no better time when you're not sleeping anyways, so I maximized the hours between 1am and 6am for the first six months and did everything to get it off the ground."
What needed to change?
I asked Thea to paint us a picture of what needed to change. "In the early days, when I was just starting out, I knew I needed a way to cut around the industry-like arm of the private infant adoption agency that really demanded families go to a brick and mortar organization; pay thousands of dollars; and then get a number and wait in line."
"What made it worse is that these families would think they were in a line, but you're not in a line, you're in a pool and that pool is not objective, it's very subjective. In some cases you're chosen not necessarily even by an expectant parent you're chosen by what is in the best interest of the agency and how they can best optimize their pool of financial dollars."
Adoption-Share ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange
On the other hand, Adoption-Share says as long as you have a home study and you've been licensed by a child placement agency that's licensed in your state you should be able to work with any licensed agency in the country. It was this realization that led to the creation of an online network to provide a way to allow home study approved families to work directly with licensed child placement agencies.
Was there a special moment that told you it could work, I asked Thea? "I think that the kicker for us was when we had two active duty parents in the Air Force who had just completed their home study and were both deployed, get matched on our network while serving overseas. 42 days after coming home stateside from their deployment they were holding their son for the first time in a hospital room!"
Great moments like these generated a lot of publicity for the organization, they were featured on CNN and invited to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. "What we were doing was unheard of, people were finalizing an adoption through our online network within eight months of starting their home study process."
Creation of Family-Match
"The publicity that grew with the success of our online network for private infant adoption resulted in child welfare leaders approaching our team. They wanted to find out if they could leverage our solution for private infant adoption to help children in foster care with a goal of adoption get matched with a permanent, loving family through adoption.
We quickly realized that though a completely different process, the barriers keeping children from achieving permanency through adoption in the foster care system mimicked what we had seen in the private infant adoption community. Families are being corralled into pools whereby they are visible only to the placement workers from their own agencies. This fragmentation of an entire population of waiting resource families is where we saw an opportunity for the biggest improvement. You literally have families in every state across this country waiting longer to adopt kids from foster care than the kids are waiting to be adopted. For decades we have misdiagnosed the issue as having a lack of demand when truthfully what we have, and what we are helping correct through our Family-Match Program, is solving what is fundamentally a connection problem."
Family-Match is solving the connection problem by helping workers more efficiently and appropriately connect waiting children with waiting families. Designed as a centralized repository or common platform for an entire state, Family-Match leverages its proprietary compatibility assessments authored by former senior researchers from eHarmony to help ensure that to the extent possible matches made on Family-Match are matches that can last a lifetime. By using algorithms and digital technology to place children with the best families who are going to provide the stable, loving home a child needs Adoption-Share has really changed the way we leverage data for child welfare.
"Family-Match is operating currently in the Commonwealth of Virginia and in the State of Florida with plans to hopefully roll out in Tennessee as well. About eight other states have reached out to find out how to start the process."
Adoption Awareness Month
This interview was timed to coincide with Adoption Awareness Month and Ramirez told me that Adoption-Share wants to use November to highlight the waiting families, families that are approved and licensed, families who have gone through the arduous process of becoming home study approved and yet their homes are sitting empty. "We should be putting those people up on billboards and interviewing them on the news."
If you're inspired by Adoption Awareness Month then "there are ways that people can step up and help. It could mean becoming a respite family, someone who can give another foster parentor adoptive parent a date night or a weekend off from fostering".
"There needs to be an army of people that are just willing and licensed and safe to take in kids to give people the respite that they need. And then there's other ways: offering to transport kids, mentoring, you know, there's so many ways that people can help". You can find out more about the need to mobilize American families to support vulnerable children here.
A Reason to be hopeful?
Is there a reason to be hopeful I asked at the end of our interview. "Absolutely! I would not be doing this without that as the very beacon we are all running towards. There has not been a more solvable problem that can be achieved in our lifetime. We know mathematically that the numbers are there. There are over 120,000 kids in this country that have a goal of adoption and we know that the number of willing and interested families is over 200,000.
"Ensuring every child with a goal of adoption knows the warm embrace of a forever family is something that can be achieved." Indeed, for those reading with a desire to learn more- Thea is eager to tell you how. For more information go to adoption-share.com
Hopeland Advocates for Change During Foster Care Awareness Month
May is Foster Care Awareness Month and it could not come at a more important time. Foster families across the country are stepping up for some of the most vulnerable children in our society. Nonetheless, the foster care system is in crisis as the number of children in need of care is rising year after year. We need better solutions to give these young people the future they deserve.
Foster care is a temporary living arrangement for youth whose parents are unable, unwilling, or unfit to care for their children. This situation can be caused by a wide variety of factors but the annual U.S. Government AFCARS report tells us the major reasons for foster care are neglect, parental drug abuse, and physical abuse – amongst others such as housing scarcity, parental incarceration, and alcohol and sexual abuse.
In the U.S. we have rightly moved on from orphanages. The question remains however, how much better for youth is foster care if many of those placed in care bounce from home to home and many are never reunited with their family or placed into an adoptive family that can give them the love, and the stability, that they need.
This lack of stability only worsens as the number of children entering foster care continues to increase. At the end of 2017 there were 442,995 children in foster care – a number that has increased every year since 2010. If we are to achieve a world in which every child has the safe, loving family they deserve then this number needs to reduce, not increase.
The most significant factor in this increase is the number of children entering the foster care system due to the opioid crisis. Every year since 2015 (when this was first measured) the number of children needing foster care because of parental drug abuse has increased. The latest figures show 36% of children entering foster care in 2017 came from a situation with parental drug abuse. With no clear solutions from government this number will likely only continue to increase.
Of course this factor only adds to the instability of foster care and a lack of permanence for our most vulnerable youth – something they need more than anything. This instability also means too often governments struggle to retain enough foster parents to give the youth in their system the care they need.
By reducing the number of children entering foster care, particularly by tackling the impacts of the opioid crisis, and increasing the number of foster families available to provide support we can improve the lot for these children who need our help the most. That is what Hopeland is working to achieve.
There is a reason to be hopeful, however. In NYC, where Hopeland is based, the Administration for Children's Services has overseen a dramatic decline in the number of children in foster care from 16,854 in 2007 to 8,732 now. That means thousands of NYC children now have a permanent home to call their own that will allow them to be their best and thrive.
Hopeland will continue to advocate for policies that will achieve this success nationwide. We believe working towards systemic change is the only viable solution – simply stepping in when the problem is at its worst is neither sufficient, nor sustainable. Together we need to tackle these issues at root to ensure a better future for every vulnerable child. Follow us on social media throughout May to learn more about this important issue and what we can do.
Better Ways Champions, Peter Kamau
Hopeland's Campaign Director interviews Peter Kamau in the first of our Better Ways Champions series
Peter Kamau jumps out from the crowd in most rooms he stands in with his infectious personality and ear-to-ear smile. When you meet him you might not expect to find out that from the age of three to 18 he lived with his five siblings in an orphanage in Kenya.
"I may come across as well established with a success in the advocacy work that I am doing," Peter tells me, "but the reality is that I'm an exception and not the norm, the norm is that hundreds and thousands of children in orphanages and those that aged out of the system are struggling or have lost hope for life out there."
Kamau founded the organization Child in Family Focus and is part of the advisory team at the Kenya Society of Care Leavers – pushed by his desire to help those who found themselves in the same difficult place that he and his siblings were.
A Childhood Spent in an Orphanage: A Dream Which Never Came True
"The loss of my mother when I was six weeks old and my daddy a year later left me together with my five elder siblings in need of care and protection." Tragically losing his mother in a building collapse and then his father soon after left Peter and his five elder siblings in need of care and support. It wasn't immediately forthcoming, however.
Peter Kamau spent his youth in an orphanage – now he is working to end the practice
The Children's Court ordered that his two eldest brothers be placed in a reformatory for boys in conflict with the law and his two eldest sisters in a similar institution for girls, even though none had any behavioral problems or action against them. Meanwhile Peter and his youngest sister were placed in a home for children with disabilities. "After losing our parents we were separated from each other for two years in very inappropriate facilities," Kamau recalled, "contact with our siblings during these years was a dream which never came true."
It would take a further two years for the six siblings to be reunited in one orphanage and even then the housing of children according to their ages meant that "interactions with my brothers and sisters was limited to weekends and field visits and on occasions during mealtimes."
Sadly Peter says that this "separation and limited interaction with my elder siblings is still felt today – there is no tight bond with my siblings and it can take over six months before we check on each other. Our eldest brother's suicide in the year 2007 was a wakeup call for me and my remaining siblings to look out for each other often."
Aside from this Peter feels his years in the orphanage were a "bittersweet experience with a share of highs and lows," yes he had peers to play with and engage in mischief but he tells me "a lot of this mischief was so that we could get attention, as any attention was better than none." Being one of thirty children cared for by two house mothers who worked in shifts meant it was very hard to get the attention, love, and care as well as guidance that is needed for a happy and healthy childhood.
"We never lacked material things, the biggest lack was love and attachment from consistent caring adults."
The Inspiration to Work for Change: Family is the Most Important Source of Love
Knowing what children growing up in orphanages really need is the love and care of a family inspired Peter to turn down a career in communications and instead return to work for nine years in the orphanage that he had lived in.
Peter uses his communications skills to spread the message that safe loving families are what children need most
Peter remembered being a child in the orphanage and the impact that seeing his friends being introduced to foster and adoptive families had on him, "I kept hoping that I would be next, every time visitors came to the orphanage to visit or bring donations was an opportunity to be at my best behavior so that I could increase my chances of being loved and taken into a family."
In spite of what he knew about the needs of the children separated from their families he says that "a lot of the referrals that we got were from the chiefs and leaders in the communities for children who had one or both parents still alive." Poverty, not the loss of their parents was the primary cause for them to be in an orphanage.
"Family is the most important source of love, it is the most important source of attention" knowing that these children had families who could be caring for them compels Kamau to continue his work.
Peter's Connection to Hopeland
Hopeland is a proud member of ReThink Orphanages, a global coalition aiming to change the way we care and bring awareness to the damaging reality of orphanages. This is how we came into contact with Peter who plays a starring role in the documentary film 'The Love You Give'. You can watch and share the film here.
Peter sharing his experience of being raised in an orphanage, and the work he is doing now, at the screening of 'The Love You Give'
I asked Peter whether being involved in this project inspired him? "Definitely" he beamed back. "Because I got a platform where I could get the message to a bigger audience in the interest of vulnerable children.'' What do you hope people watching the film will gain? "I believe that it will bring forth mindset changes that will give them a better understanding of the issue of orphanages and voluntourism."
By having the chance to work with Kamau it became clear that his work and Hopeland's has a lot in common. While Hopeland is a global non-profit finding better ways to keep children in families, Kamau tells me that Child in Family Focus has a similar mission "to uphold every child's right to family based care and see a Kenya where Family Based Care for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children is the norm rather than a privilege."
"What Hopeland and Child in Family Focus is doing as well as other organizations is a much needed job that is aimed at making a world of difference to children, it continues to be an inspiration for me."
What Needs to Change: Would I Want this for my Child?
"We have the wrong perception," Kamau preaches towards the end of our interview: "that orphanages have more to offer than children's families."
How can this be the case, I asked him? As he says in 'The Love You Give', poverty is an incredible push factor for separating children from families in Kenya and around the world. "It is not only material poverty," he says, "sometimes it is a poverty of the mind of thinking this is the right thing to do." It is Kamau's mission, which he shares with Hopeland and the whole ReThink Orphanages coalition, to change this thinking.
Kamau is aware that the problem is especially pervasive however, "Kenya has laws that allow children to benefit from alternative family care such as foster care, guardianship, and adoptions. However, many unscrupulous orphanage managers and directors retain children in their facilities to attract donations and volunteers, in effect perpetuating harm on the children, perpetuating more separation of children from their families, and also perpetuating the mushrooming of these facilities."
I had to ask him: what would he say to those still donating to orphanages? "I commend the donors for their generosity and commitment to care for vulnerable children", Kamau begins. However, "I respectfully ask them to pause for a moment and take a retrospective look at individual children that have gone through the orphanages that they fund: can these children be accounted for as leading successful lives? The benchmark should be – would I want this for my child?"
Peter Kamau with Hopeland's Co-Founder, Deborra-lee Furness. Hopeland will continue to work with Peter and those working to bring an end to orphanages
"A reason to be hopeful," Kamau says, "is first and foremost there is momentum, there is a shift in the way people care for children. Many different countries are engaging in care reform efforts."
Peter is a man of faith, in fact as soon as our interview ended he was hosting a fellowship group at his house, and he tells me that he takes hope from scripture, specifically Proverb 23:18 which says There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
"Even for the children growing up in the system today there is hope and it will not be cut off and thanks to organizations like Child in Family Focus, Hopeland, and Better Care Network, amongst others there is surely light at the end of the tunnel for these children, and not an oncoming train."
Nicholas Evans In Blog
You Can Be Part of the Solution
Have you ever had a situation that challenged everything you thought you knew? I had one of those when I met a young girl called Hannah in Liverpool, England.
I had just started working after completing my Bachelor's Degree as a 22 year old drug treatment counselor. In this role one of my major, and most difficult, tasks was running police cell sweeps assessing the needs of children who had come into contact with the Police.
Hannah told me she had an older boyfriend. When I asked her a little more, however, it became clear that in fact it was a series of older men she was being passed between. After a comprehensive assessment it became clear that although Hannah was 16, due to some severe trauma she had suffered she had a mental age of 10 – and yet she was being trafficked, exploited, and raped by a series of men on a daily basis through the children's home that should have been providing her care.
CEO Nick Evans Speaking at Hopeland's 2018 Gala
I came across many disturbing cases in this job but Hannah's case particularly upset me. I knew I had to try to do something about it and so I raised it with my superiors. Having done so they immediately told me to drop it. Clearly there was no appetite to help Hannah. This attitude would never sit right with me so I raised it again, and again, and again, and always got the same response. I should drop this now or my young career would be ruined.
This episode taught me some uncomfortable, but important truths:
When children are out of sight, they are out of mind;
Children raised in less fortunate circumstances are much more likely to be trafficked or abused and need our help;
We must always challenge existing practices when they are wrong;
Powerful and haunting experiences like this one are what has led us to create Hopeland: children need someone to step up and fight for them so that they can have the safe, loving family they deserve.
I'm so pleased with the progress Hopeland has already made and I'm excited to share with you Hopeland's 2018 achievements:
Hopeland's first campaign 'All Children Count' has now received support from the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, who has called for $1billion of extra funding to ensure all children are counted. The UN Foundation's Global Mom's Challenge also recognized our FAMILY campaign and called on its supporters to get behind our work.
Hopeland has also been at the forefront of several important partnerships this year, including ReThink Orphanages, Destination Family, and work with The Share Trust. I am also proud that my incredible Co-Founder, Deborra-lee Furness, again hosted the Global Citizen Festival with her husband Hugh Jackman in Central Park. Our new video featuring Deborra-lee also debuted at the Festival. I was also proud to see Deborra-lee recognized for her work at this year's Tribeca Film Festival Disruptor Awards.
Global Citizen Festival 2018
Our important advocacy work continued as we have connected the Australian and UK Government's experts on Modern Slavery as we further develop our FAMILY campaign which has the goal of testing the impact of direct cash transfers and support services on female-led households in preventing family separation, increasing education, and reducing violence.
Hopeland also held its first ever Hackathon at the Boston Consulting Group's NYC offices and partnered with Paramount Pictures on its new movie Instant Family which explores the reality of adopting and foster care in America.
All this progress makes me so proud to be the CEO of Hopeland and I am so excited for 2019. I'm sure, though, that you are wondering what happened to Hannah.
The story ended with me sat in a community center in Liverpool with an investigator interviewing one of the men involved in the ring that they had exposed. In spite of the threats to my career I persevered. Working hard to do what was right taught me this:
Just because you didn't cause the problem doesn't mean you can't be a part of the solution.
By being part of Hopeland's family you are being part of the solution!
How Being Thankful Can Empower Families
Hopeland is proud to announce that in partnership with Thankful we will be a leading organization in the #Thankful4Women campaign.
The spirit behind the campaign is that the mere act of being thankful has the power to increase attention, mood, energy, and many other important aspects of our lives. If we stopped more often to be thankful for what we have our world would be a happier, more peaceful place.
We all have a lot to be thankful for and we at Hopeland are especially thankful for the many inspirational and impactful women in our lives – that's why we're part of this campaign! We believe that by empowering women and girls they will strengthen their families and allow them to grow.
Check out some of the beautiful posts people from all corners of the globe have already posted here!
Take a moment to be #Thankful4 an amazing woman or girl by:
Letting us know about them on social media by posting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook
Tag the person you're thankful for as well as @OurHopeland and @Thankfulorg
Don't forget to use the hashtag #Thankful4Women so we can celebrate them together!
Encourage your friends to share and post their own messages!
Check out our pinned Instagram story for a template that you can use!
We're thankful for our amazing Co-Founder Deborra-lee Furness and the many other women who are fighting for justice. Thankfulness is a virtue we can all appreciate the strength of; it encourages us to practice gratefulness and truly value the sweet and tender things in life – like a safe, loving, family.
We hope you will join this incredible campaign!
UN Secretary General Wants to Make Sure All Children are Counted
All children count but not all children are counted. In 2016, Hopeland rallied a campaign with these words and, in partnership with over 160 different organizations, pleaded that the United Nations reconsider its approach to counting the numbers of vulnerable children in the world. You can read more about the campaign and why it is important here.
By putting pressure on the UN, Hopeland and its partner organizations successfully prompted new methods of collecting data that ensured that vulnerable children, no matter their circumstances, were accounted for. This meant street children, children in unregistered orphanages, refugee children and any child that would otherwise remain invisible should now be considered when monitoring the SDGs.
But now we need to keep applying that same pressure.
Just last year the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, called for a huge increase in funding so that all countries can meet the targets and provide adequate data to show that they are doing this for every person in their countries. His 2018 report, just released, however shows that there is much more work to do. We need to raise our voices for all the children, even those the global community isn't listening too, so we can hold global leaders accountable and ensure they follow through on their commitments.
Mr. Guterres says in the foreword of the annual report "in some areas, progress is insufficient to meet the Agenda's goals and targets by 2030." Sadly, he adds that "this is especially true for the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups."
Specifically regarding the results of the 'All Children Count' campaign the Secretary General says that "Today's technology makes it possible to collate the data we need to keep the promise to leave no one behind" but yet we have not seen enough progress to be confident that all children will be counted by 2030.
Guterres says we need to "inject a sense of urgency", Hopeland couldn't agree more and supports his call for more "political leadership, resources, and commitment to use the tools now available."
You can be sure that we will keep the pressure on – because nothing can be more important than making sure that all children are counted, not just those who are easiest to find.
– Andrew Stone
Addressing Family Separation
As a father of two young children I've found the images of children separated from their parents at our U.S. southern border particularly painful to see, as I know parents all over the world have too.
Hopeland was created expressly to advocate for the innate value a safe, loving family can provide a child and to find better ways to keep children in families. It must be clear to anyone looking at these images that there has to be better ways to care for these children.
When millions of children live without families around the world, it is our responsibility to fight for these children, ensuring that they too can one day have a family to call their own. That's why our first campaign was aimed to ensure 'All Children Count' – because it doesn't matter what a child's upbringing is; she will always deserve nothing less than an environment where she can be loved, and nurtured.
The more than 2,000 children who have been separated from their parents couldn't be any further from their loving family and seeing the distressing images reminds me why I come in every day to work hard so that all children can have the upbringing that will let them thrive.
Anyone looking at the images of children sleeping on thin mattresses, under foil blankets, in hastily adapted facilities can imagine the distress this causes to the children. Heartbreakingly, the trauma this has caused for these children will be carried with them, likely, for the rest of their lives.
Even for the 500 children that have now been reunited with their parents the damage can be lasting. 60 years of undisputed brain science tells us that even a limited period of separation from a child's parents can have serious developmental consequences. This 2015 study by Berens & Nelson confirms that as little as three months is needed to cause long term impacts; every three months in an institution causes one month of developmental loss. This can lead to impaired brain, social-emotional, and psychological development.
The same study also tells us that institutionalization can cause decreased weight, height, and head circumference for the children affected.
These developmental problems extend into adulthood too. The research of Sonugo-Barke et al established that an institutionalized child carries with them the scars of this trauma into adulthood. Low educational achievement, higher unemployment, and mental health problems are all seen amongst adults who had spent part of their childhoods separated from their families.
These facts alone show the impact of the parent-child separation policy and why it is imperative even after the policy has been rescinded to ensure the speedy reunification of the children affected with their parents.
I know the impact that this has had on everyone who has seen the images. As a parent, and the CEO of Hopeland, I've found it difficult to put into words the way this crisis has made me feel. The simple truth, however, that I want everyone to know is the damage that this separation will have on the children involved and therefore how important reuniting these children with their families is.
– Nicholas Evans
The Power of Focusing on the One
As Hopeland grows and our impact increases, I have had a nagging feeling that I want to express to the many faithful people who diligently, and without fanfare, invest in children. I struggled to find the words to do so until I stumbled across this powerful saying of Dag Hammarskjold, former Secretary-General of the United Nations: "It is more important to give yourself completely to one individual than to labor diligently for the salvation of the masses."
I feel anyone committed to the welfare of children should take away one thing from this: the best and most noble thing you can do is to provide steadfast, faithful love to draw out the best in a child. With a committed, patient focus we truly give the best of ourselves and as a result bring out the best in a child.
Hammarskjold says to me that the people that are the real champions are people like my friends Phil and Helena who have committed themselves to a young boy who had spent too long in the foster system and desperately needed a consistent, loving care giver to tell him how precious he was.
I feel thankful to have those people around me as they point to a 'true north', they help ensure our direction of travel is always for the benefit of the one, thereby ensuring that our campaigns positively impact the many.
This work must always connect and benefit the one, the child who lacks a loving family, the refugee who could be separated from their family, the child in foster care who may be able to be returned to their parent when they recover from the drug addiction or may need to be tenderly and patiently supported as a better alternative situation is found for them.
When we lose the focus on the one, we lose what this work is about.
Hammarskjold also reminds us that by focusing on the one, we can then build this work to benefit the many. After 15 years as a practitioner working in the toughest and most deprived districts of England, I have found that by remembering the one we can scale this work to impact the masses. However, if we lose that focus on the individual, our work drifts and drags into an ethereal place that ultimately falls short of the goal, which is a child knowing that they are precious to a loving parent.
As Hopeland's work continues to gain recognition and appreciation, I hope that we'll never lose sight of who this is for:
the One.
Andrew Stone In Blog, Events
Deborra-lee Furness: Disruptor
What happens when you're unafraid and willing to lift the voices of vulnerable children around the world?
Well, add some passion, charm, and a genuine desire to ensure that children have safe loving families, as well as a few secret ingredients and you have our Co-Founder: Deborra-lee Furness, who was honored earlier this week at the 2018 Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards.
The 'Disruptor Awards' honor those who are unafraid to go against the grain to fight for the causes they believe in. This year's honorees included 11-year old March for Our Lives activist, Naomi Wadler, influential music journalist and late night TV drummer, Questlove renowned HBO Documentary film director and female activist, Sheila Nevins and our very own Deborra-lee.
"There are 157 million orphans in the world and of these numbers 80% have at least one living parent. We're going to the root of the cause and getting creative with solutions that will derail negative trajectories." she said as she walked to the stage to accept her award – a bright red hammer, meant to symbolize the unabashed confidence each of the disruptors exhibit when standing for their causes.
"We are working on prevention, reunification, and mobilization because we believe every single child deserves to belong in a loving family and have the opportunity to pursue their dreams." she continued.
You can also watch this video of Deborra-lee on the red carpet after accepting her award. She jokes: "I used to be disruptive as a child, I got detention, and now they're giving awards for it!", but we all know that she really deserves this award and are so proud of her and her amazing work!
You can find more about the Disruptor Awards here.
The World Needs Better Solutions for Children in Orphanages
On March 8th, the world collectively recognized women who empower and strengthen one another by celebrating their social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.
For Hopeland, this recognition lasts year-round and is an integral part of our identity; which is why we've developed the FAMILY Campaign. As part of FAMILY, Hopeland will provide financial support to some of the most impoverished women in the world, truly empowering them to make decisions that are best for their families.
But why is such a campaign needed?
Often the poorest women in the world face difficult choices about whether they can keep their children with them at home. Sadly many women face such hardship that they are forced into an incredible bind where they truly believe their children are better off in an orphanage than at home.
Unfortunately, the fact that more than 80% of children in orphanages have at least one living parent is testimony to the fact that this is happening every day.
This means children in orphanages quite often aren't "orphans" at all – and it absolutely stings to think about how detrimental institutionalized care is for the growth of the child:
For every three months spent in an orphanage a child loses one month of brain development.
Children in orphanages are often exploited for tourist dollars. This is disgusting, especially when you consider that orphanage tourism can lead to children developing attachments to strangers they'll never see again – perpetuating feelings of abandonment
In many cases, children living in orphanages are being denied basic supplies of food, education, and safety
If poverty is causing family separation and putting children at risk of abuse, trafficking, and violence then we can all agree that something must be done.
There is not enough awareness of the reality of orphanages and that solutions do exist.
Hopeland is working to prevent children from being placed in orphanages in the first place, to reunite the 80% of children in orphanages who have living parents, and to mobilize families around the world to care for those who truly have no one.
Together we can follow through on the commitments made on International Women's Day and ensure that even the poorest children in the world have a safe, loving family, not a life of despair and abuse in an orphanage – all thanks to the fierce and powerful mothers that we – and you – have supported.
admin In Blog
Finding Better Ways to Tackle Family Separation Globally
There are an estimated 25 million children growing up without their families around the world, including 8 million in institutions, 12 million on the streets, and 5 million trafficked or unaccompanied minor refugees. The reality is that most of these children, even those in orphanages have living parents.
Imagine the hardship you would have to go through before you felt that it was better for your child to be separated from you than living in your loving care and you will know the importance of helping the poorest mothers in the world.
Sadly there are many reasons why this heart-wrenching separation happens but some of the major factors are poverty, forced displacement, and lack of education. This month Hopeland is bringing specific attention to these issues because we are committed to working with others to advocate for children suffering without the loving care of their family.
We know from research by UNICEF that children make up nearly half of the 900 million people worldwide living in extreme poverty. Even those children who are not yet separated from their families are at daily risk of becoming the next child who will grow up alone. We at Hopeland can't accept even one more child facing that situation.
There are many ways that vulnerable children around the world can be helped – for example a child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5. By tackling the causes of poverty, not just the symptoms, we can make it easier for families to stay together, making lives for children around the world safer.
The All Children Count campaign shows how Hopeland can partner with other organizations to change thinking. Our campaigns help children and families across the world and here in the US – you can read more about our FAMILY campaign and how together we can find better ways to keep children in families. This month, if you can imagine how painful it would be for your child to grow up without your love and support, please take time to support Hopeland by sharing our story.
Hopeland Featured at the United Nations on World Children's Day
Hopeland's CEO Speaks at the European Parliament
Michelle on You Can Be Part of the Solution
fatid on Finding Better Ways to Tackle Family Separation Globally
Mohammad Ullah Mirdha on You Can Be Part of the Solution
Patricia Vallejo Arenaz on How Being Thankful Can Empower Families
Phyllis Kerr on Addressing Family Separation
Contact Hopeland
16 West 22nd Street, 10th Floor
information@ourhopeland.org
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© 2020 Hopeland. Hopeland is a 501c3 organization. All rights reserved.


text:
Media Relations >
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cardeation capital
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New $30 Million Venture Capital Fund to Spur Innovation in Heart Disease and Stroke Care
Wendy Zellner
zellnerwl@upmc.edu
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Contact UPMC at
Go to Find a Doctor to search for a UPMC doctor.
American Heart Association and co-investors Philips and UPMC to fund pioneering health care products and solutions for patients, scientists and providers through Cardeation Capital venture capital fund
DALLAS – With cardiovascular disease on the rise and costs heading to $1 trillion in the U.S., groundbreaking developments in diagnostics, treatments and care are urgently needed. To assure that effective innovations are rapidly introduced into the health care system to benefit patients, and with evidence to demonstrate their impact, the American Heart Association, together with Philips and UPMC, today announced the launch of Cardeation Capital, a $30 million collaborative venture capital fund designed to spur health care innovation in heart disease and stroke care. Managed by Aphelion Capital, each of the three organizations has committed $10 million to the fund to bring products and solutions to market that address critical areas of health care delivery and health management.
Cardeation Capital will invest in emerging health care companies that can measurably impact the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and stroke and their risk factors, including diabetes. Aphelion Capital, a leading health care and medical technology venture capital firm, brings substantial medical and health system knowledge and extensive networks to enhance returns for the fund and the entrepreneurs in whom the fund invests over the long term.
The American Heart Association – the world's leading voluntary health organization devoted to fighting cardiovascular disease – is committed to forming strategic partnerships and values the power of collaboration to advance its mission. By combining emerging technologies with groundbreaking science, Cardeation Capital is just one example of how the Association is accelerating innovation in health care.
Through this novel venture fund, the American Heart Association and its co-investors will work closely together to identify and fund best-in-class health care technology companies with scalable products and services. Entrepreneurs and emerging companies who are interested in submitting their innovative products and solutions to improve the quality of health care delivery can submit directly to Aphelion Capital.
"Cardiovascular disease costs are projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2035," said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. "New approaches are urgently needed to increase prevention and treatment strategies to reverse the trend for those already suffering from heart diseases, as well as prevent populations from ever getting heart disease. Through Cardeation Capital, we expect to deliver better outcomes and improve the quality of health care delivery for the people who are counting on us the most."
Richard Wilmot, head of Health Technology Ventures, Philips, added: "At Philips, our goal is to improve the lives of 3 billion people a year by 2025. To achieve this ambition, we co-create solutions with health care providers, invest in startups, and partner with other industry players. Together with the American Heart Association and UPMC, through the Cardeation Capital venture capital fund, we will invest in innovative health care products, services and solutions that have the potential to improve the lives of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes patients."
According to Tal Heppenstall, president of UPMC Enterprises, the commercialization arm of UPMC: "As one of the largest integrated health systems in the United States, UPMC is making significant investments in the disruptive technologies needed to dramatically improve the quality and effectiveness of health care. We expect that Cardeation Capital, working closely with our world-renowned clinicians at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, will play a critical role in this strategy for the benefit of our patients."
Ned Scheetz, founder and managing partner of Aphelion Capital, said his organization is committed to investing in low capital-intensive entrepreneurial opportunities that will improve health care quality while reducing costs in our health care system. "Through Cardeation Capital, we aim to strategically invest in a collaborative manner that will leverage the collective knowledge and experience of these top-in-field global organizations. We look forward to working closely with our partners to address today's real-world issues associated with health care delivery."
Visit www.aphelioncapital.net for more information.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Surrounded by majestic mountains from all sides, Queenstown is located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu on New Zealand's South Island. There is a clear division between each of the four seasons. Summer has blue skies and sunshine. Autumn hosts a riot of brilliant colors. Winter is cool and refreshing with the mountains covered in snow. Spring sees the return of blossoming flowers. Queenstown is often called New Zealand's "Adventure Capital". Queenstown's Kawarau Bridge is famous for being the birthplace of bungee jumping. Other than the extraordinary opportunity to go skiing and snowboarding in the winter, you can try bungee jumping, skydiving, canyon swinging, jetskiing, horseback riding and long-distance hiking in this natural paradise. Each and every one of these activities is sure to give you an adrenaline rush!


Retirement Myth #4: Physical fitness is less helpful (and possible) as we age.
While leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel, on March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest by would-be-assassin John Hinckley Jr. Quick medical attention saved Reagan's life. About eight months later, I watched on TV as he talked to reporters about his rehab.
Reagan was showing off his biceps, which, due to prescribed resistance training (pumping iron), had grown dramatically. Our 40th president was nearing his 71st birthday.
Rowe says that physical activity (including some form of aerobic like a brisk walk) is "the single most important thing an older person can do to remain healthy." It even negates other risk factors.
Hmm. Maybe I have my answer to yesterday's dilemma (see Retirement Myth #3). A half order of Dyer's onion rings=two more miles on the bicycle, exactly.


Getting the bathroom of your dreams couldn't be easier than with RSF Bathroom Designs.
Whether you are seeking inspiration or remodelling your bathroom, our experts will answer your questions, help you select the right product from our extensive range, and provide a full bespoke design and consultation service.
You can view our products in person and truly get a sense of what will work in your own home by visiting our fully operational showroom – one of the South East's largest. See below for our contact details and location.
Get in touch with us using our contact form, and one of our highly experienced team will be happy to answer your questions or discuss your project.
"Luxury brands at competitive prices with outstanding service from start to finish"


text:
New Food & Drink
Venetian Republic: Recipes and Stories from the Shores of the Adriatic, the Dalmatian Coast and the Greek Islands by Nino Zoccali
Part culinary journey, part cookbook, rich and evocative recipes and stories from one of Australia's most awarded chefs and restaurateurs. The food of the Venetian Republic is diverse: Prosecco and snapper risotto, Croatian roast lamb shoulder with olive oil potatoes, the sweet and sour red mullet of Cr ete, zabaglione from Corfu, or Dubrovnik's ricotta and rose liqueur crepes. These are recipes steeped in history; dishes from the days when Venice was a world power. How did this small city state rule the waters of the Mediterranean, enjoying unrivalled wealth and prestige? How could this serene, safe-haven city of canals come to play a defining role in shaping the cuisine, culture and architecture of her Mediterranean neighbours? Yet, for a thousand years, the ships and merchants of the Republic dominated salt, silk and spice trade routes. To tell this history, respected writer, chef and restaurateur Nino Zoccali focuses on the four key regions of the Republic: Venice and the lagoon islands; the surrounding Veneto; the Croatian coast; and the Greek Islands. Nino Zoccali's love of the floating city began many years ago when, just 21, he visited Venice for the first time. Executive chef and proprietor of Sydney's The Restaurant Pendolino and La Rosa The Strand, Nino is also an international olive oil expert and writes regularly for esteemed lifestyle, food and wine publications. He is the author of Pasta Artigiana, also published by Murdoch Books. ...Show more
Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World ( Rene Redzepi ) by Jeff Gordinier
A food critic chronicles four years spent traveling with René Redzepi, the renowned chef of Noma, in search of the most tantalizing flavors the world has to offer. "Gordinier takes us into the fabulously obsessive realm of the world's most fascinating chef--and he does it with the voice of a poet."--Ruth Reichl, author of Save Me the Plums Hungry is a book about not only the hunger for food, but for risk, for reinvention, for creative breakthroughs, and for connection. Feeling stuck in his work and home life, writer Jeff Gordinier happened into a fateful meeting with Danish chef René Redzepi, whose restaurant, Noma, has been called the best in the world. A restless perfectionist, Redzepi was at the top of his game but was looking to tear it all down, to shutter his restaurant and set out for new places, flavors, and recipes. This is the story of the subsequent four years of globe-trotting culinary adventure, with Gordinier joining Redzepi as his Sancho Panza. In the jungle of the Yucatán peninsula, Redzepi and his comrades go off-road in search of the perfect taco. In Sydney, they forage for sea rocket and sandpaper figs in suburban parks and on surf-lashed beaches. On a boat in the Arctic Circle, a lone fisherman guides them to what may or may not be his secret cache of the world's finest sea urchins. And back in Copenhagen, the quiet canal-lined city where Redzepi started it all, he plans the resurrection of his restaurant on the unlikely site of a garbage-filled lot. Along the way, readers meet Redzepi's merry band of friends and collaborators, including acclaimed chefs such as Danny Bowien, Kylie Kwong, Rosio Sánchez, David Chang, and Enrique Olvera. Hungry is a memoir, a travelogue, a portrait of a chef, and a chronicle of the moment when daredevil cooking became the most exciting and groundbreaking form of artistry. Praise for Hungry "In Hungry, Gordinier invokes such playful and lush prose that the scents of mole, chiles and even lingonberry juice waft off the page."--Time "This wonderful book is really about the adventures of two men: a great chef and a great journalist. Hungry is a feast for the senses, filled with complex passion and joy, bursting with life. Not only did Jeff Gordinier make me want to jump on the next flight (to Mexico, Copenhagen, Sydney) in search of the perfect meal, but he also reminded me to stop and savor the ride."- Dani Shapiro, author of Inheritance ...Show more
Pardiz: A Persian Food Journey by Manuela Darling-Gansser
Pardiz is a personal journey into Manuela Darling-Gansser's "paradise past". Having lived in Iran for the first nine years of her life, she returned as an adult to reconnect with the country she remembered so fondly. This book is a celebration of that time; a compilation of memories, stories and beautif ul recipes that underline the depth and broad appeal of this great and enduring food culture. In Pardiz, what Darling-Gansser does is show how seamlessly Persian food fits with trends of today: flourishing food markets; the primacy of local ingredients; the health-giving aspects of vegetable-centric dishes; and the joys of a shared table. The latter is a theme in her book - and in her life. In her choice of recipes, she gives a sense of the diversity of Persian food - whether it is served in a restaurant, eaten at home, prepared for a picnic, or enjoyed on the street, the setting can determine what is served. Ultimately, she focuses on recipes that are not too complicated or time consuming - recognising the great virtue that is simplicity. And encouraging readers to embrace the sociability that goes with the food as much as the food itself. ...Show more
The Two Good Cook Book: Recipes, Stories, Community (HB) by Rob Caslick (Compiled by); Thomas Keneally (As told to); Liane Moriarty (As told to); Two Good Co., Staff (Editor); Charlotte Wood (As told to); Markus Zusak (As told to); Zoe Young (Illustrator)
This beautiful book is about food, community and bringing people together around the table to eat and talk. It includes essays on food memories and the power of food from four of Australia's finest contemporary authors - Charlotte Wood, Markus Zusak, Liane Moriarty and Thomas Keneally - paintings by art ist Zoe Young, and more than 60 recipes by leading Australian and international chefs for simple nutritious family meals and celebratory feasts. From an organic soup kitchen in Kings Cross, social enterprise Two Good has expanded to sell restaurant quality salads and soups designed by some of Australia's leading chefs, delivered in distinctive glass jars. With every meal sold another is donated to a woman in a safe house. Two Good also provides training and employment pathways for domestic violence survivors. Words by Liane Moriarty, Thomas Keneally, Charlotte Wood, Markus Zusak. Recipes by Neil Perry, Maggie Beer, Ben Shewry, Nigella Lawson, Peter Gilmore, Yotam Ottolenghi, Skye Gyngell, Greg Doyle, Colin Fassnidge, Kylie Kwong, Pasi Petanen, Jackie Middleton, Danielle Alvarez, Chris Manfield, Analiese Gregory, Sarah Wilson, George Calombaris, Mitch Orr, Mat Lindsay, Hetty McKinnon, Matt Wilkinson, Jacqui Challinor, Mike McEnearney, Hamish Ingham, O'Tama Carey, Jonathan Barthelmess, Matt Moran. ...Show more
Good Food Guide 2020 by Myffy Rigby (Editor)
The most prestigious food guide in Australia. The 2020 edition of this acclaimed national guide - the home of the hats - reviews 500 restaurants around Australia and awards the best eateries from Darwin to Hobart, Melbourne to Perth, and Sydney to Brisbane. The Age Good Food Guide was launched in 1979 a nd The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide followed five years later. With the addition of The Brisbane Times, The Canberra Times and WA Today, the Good Food Guide is Australia's most trusted restaurant guide, compiled and edited by respected, independent critics. Reviewers arrive unannounced, pay for their own meals and are stringent judges, looking at service, ambiance, the X factor and, of course, the food. Hats are awarded to the best of the best. To achieve a hat is a pinnacle of a chef's career and a restaurant's history, and the term 'hatted' has become part of the Australian lexicon. ...Show more
Week Light: Super-Fast Meals to Make You Feel Good by Donna Hay
Australia's bestselling cookbook author and most trusted home cook, Donna Hay, returns with a beautiful new cookbook that you'll want to use every night of the week. 'There are endless arguments out there for bringing more vegetables to your table - your own wellbeing, your budget, our environment, the list goes on. Whatever your personal reason, there's one that I think is universal - FLAVOUR. Gone are the days where a sad salad or soft steamed carrots were our only options. These recipes use vegetables in a whole new way, adding so much life to your weekly routine. Who knew broccoli (in my mind the superfood of all vegetables) could make such a delicious pizza base, flat-bread or tart shell? Often for lunch, or even a snack, I'll bake my super-green falafels in the oven and my studio team love them. As for my boys? Their current weeknight request is my crunchy raw pad thai - so yum. Inside Week Light, you'll find all these ideas and so much more. It's essentially my week in food, in a book - super-quick, family-friendly, fuss-free meals made REAL. Vegetables are at the forefront of nearly every recipe, with a few meat options thrown in, and there are lots of my all-time classics re-worked to include more goodness. This book is about using food to refuel and re-energise, while nurturing ourselves with flavour. Happy cooking!' ...Show more
Rick Stein's Secret France (HB) by Rick Stein
Category: Food & Wine
Real French home cooking with all the recipes from Rick's new BBC Two series. Over fifty years ago Rick Stein first set foot in France. Now, he returns to the food and cooking he loves the most ... and makes us fall in love with French food all over again. Rick's meandering quest through the byways and back roads of rural France sees him pick up inspiration from Normandy to Provence. With characteristic passion and joie de vivre, Rick serves up incredible recipes- chicken stuffed with mushrooms and Comte, grilled bream with aioli from the Languedoc coast, a duck liver parfait bursting with flavour, and a recipe for the most perfect raspberry tart plus much, much more. Simple fare, wonderful ingredients, all perfectly assembled; Rick finds the true essence of a food so universally loved, and far easier to recreate than you think. ...Show more
Only in Tokyo: Two Chefs, 24 Hours, the Ultimate Food City by Michael Ryan; Luke Burgess
Category: Travel Guides
Join intrepid chefs Michael Ryan and Luke Burgess on the best sort of culinary adventure - one that could happen only in Tokyo. From daybreak to late night, discover the creative people and compelling stories behind the restaurants, bars and tea houses of the world's most exciting food destina tion. This is a book as much for people travelling to the city as it is for those with an appreciation of its special magic. ...Show more
Menus That Made History: 100 Iconic Menus That Capture the History of Food by Alex Johnson; Vincent Franklin
'An absolutely riveting book - reading it makes you intelligent, full of brilliant anecdotes - and very hungry indeed.' - Richard Curtis 'This brilliantly conceived and well-researched book is a source of real delight.' - Dr Annie Gray, BBC Radio 4's The Kitchen Cabinet 'Superbly written, a complete joy to read, and just about the perfect present for anyone even vaguely interested in food.' - Mark Diacono 'A gastronomic delight. You can savour it a course at a time, or you may consume the whole banquet in one sitting. It's delicious either way - utterly scrumptious, in fact!' - Mike Leigh This fascinating miscellany of menus from around the world will educate as well as entertain, delighting both avid foodies and the general reader. Each menu provides an insight into its particular historical moment - from the typical food on offer in a nineteenth-century workhouse to the opulence of George IV's gargantuan coronation dinner. Some menus are linked with a specific and unforgettable event such as The Hindenburg's last flight menu or the variety of meals on offer for First, Second and Third Class passengers on board RMS Titanic, while others give an insight into sport, such as the 1963 FA Cup Final Dinner or transport and travel with the luxury lunch on board the Orient Express. Also included are literary occasions like Charles' Dickens 1868 dinner at Delmonicos in New York as well as the purely fictional and fantastical fare of Ratty's picnic in The Wind in the Willows. p.p1 {{margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Baskerville; min-height: 14.0px}} p.p2 {{margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; line-height: 12.1px; font: 10.5px Baskerville; color: #446384}} p.p3 {{margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; line-height: 10.1px; font: 10.5px Baskerville; color: #446384}} span.s1 {{font: 12.0px Baskerville; color: #000000}} span.s2 {{color: #000000}} span.s3 {{font: 7.0px Baskerville}} span.s4 {{font: 10.0px Baskerville}} span.s5 {{font: 10.0px Baskerville; color: #000000}} span.s6 {{font: 7.0px Baskerville; color: #000000}} ...Show more
Cooking with the Oldest Foods on Earth: Australian Native Food Recipes and Sources by John Newton
Native produce business is booming and it's about to enter a new phase — Australian native ingredients are beginning to turn up in growers' markets and even local supermarkets. From Warrigal greens and saltbush, to kangaroo and yabbies — John Newton will inspire you to grab some and take it home. This short companion book to the award-winning The Oldest Foods on Earth shows you how to cook with Australian ingredients, where to find them and how to grow them. Organised by ingredient, each chapter includes a brief history, a practical guide, and recipes for you to make in your very own kitchen. It promises to broaden Australians' culinary horizons in every way. ...Show more
Australia's First Families of Wine by Richard Allen; Kimbal Baker
Australia's First Families of Wine celebrates eleven of Australia's most iconic and important wine families and the vineyards and businesses they have built. With more than 5,000 hectares under vine, the families operate in sixteen wine-growing regions around Australia. They make many of Australia's mo st distinctive wines and all are household names- Brown Brothers, Tahbilk, Campbells, Yalumba, Henschke, d'Arenberg, Jim Barry, Taylors, McWilliam's, Tyrell's and Howard Park. Australia's First Families of Wine showcases the colourful histories of these spectacular vineyards and historic buildings, exploring the wine industry's transformation into an export-earning powerhouse and detailing the challenges of taking old family businesses into the 21st century. ...Show more
VEG Jamie Oliver by Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver is back with brilliantly easy, flavour-packed, and accessible veg recipes. From simple suppers and family favourites to weekend dishes for sharing with friends, this book is packed full of phenomenal food - pure and simple. Whether it's embracing a meat-free day or two each week, living a vegetarian lifestyle, or just wanting to try some brilliant new flavour combinations, this book ticks all the boxes. Sharing simple tips and tricks that will excite the taste buds, this book will also give people the confidence to up their veg intake and widen their recipe repertoire, safe in that knowledge that it'll taste absolutely delicious. A book for everyone, this is the perfect moment for Jamie to inspire every kind of cook with his super-tasty, brilliantly simple, but inventive veg dishes. 'It's all about celebrating really good, tasty food that just happens to be meat-free' Jamie Oliver ...Show more
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One of Europe's least-visited capital cities will surprise the keen drinker with its eclectic range of up-and-coming bars to visit. Nights out in Minsk are cheap, fun, lively and diverse. Stick to the city centre here with this list of superb joints in which to drink, chat, eat and party the night away in the Belarusian capital.
While it might sound like a restaurant, this is more of a cool hangout for beer drinkers. It's a famous bar in Minsk, which gets busy on weekends. Locals and visitors alike, drink, eat and mingle across U Ratushy's two floors. Live music is also played in front of a lively crowd in a busy and cosy venue. U Ratushy is perfectly located in the city centre, not far from the River Svislach.
Graffiti is a trendy bar and restaurant which attracts good crowds at the weekend. It's not located centrally but easily reachable by public transport and worth the trip. Inside, there are live DJs and music, the style of which varies from night to night. Indeed, the venue has hosted rock'n'roll nights, rap evenings and '90s-style dance parties. Rock bands typically play gigs here and create a lively atmosphere. There is cheap beer, a good range of alcoholic drinks and the staff is welcoming and friendly. There is often a cover charge for big shows.
As cosy and quirky a venue as you can find in the Belarusian capital, ID Bar does its best to lure you in with great cocktails and hearty food. If you happen to visit on a themed night, such as Halloween, be ready for a huge party with locals dressing up in style. Work your way through ID Bar's range of cocktails, party with the locals and enjoy relaxing in a beautifully designed venue with a unique vibe.
To make up for the fact that Minsk's original and much-loved Drozhi United Irish Pub is now closed, 'Clever' has stepped in to fill the void. Despite almost being a play on the Irish word 'Clover', the venue is actually a clever representation of an Irish Pub. You might feel like you have been warped to the emerald isle here on the streets of Minsk. Inside, you can expect a wooden decor with plenty of green colour. Football scarves adorn the walls, good pub grub is served and there is Guinness on tap. There are special events held here, including a St. Patrick's Day celebration, and don't be surprised to see the regulars dancing on the bar and partying in style.
Live rock music, late-night drinking, happy staff and a vibrant atmosphere are what TNT Rock Club is all about. This consistently busy venue is one of the coolest hangouts in Belarus. With a large range of spirits behind the bar and late opening hours on weekends, you won't go thirsty here. The bands that play here also love to hang around for a post-gig drink, so it's a very sociable bar to mingle and meet new people.
Let your hair down, sip exquisite cocktails and feel at home in the cosy Embargo Bar. Embargo is situated in central Minsk and attracts all sorts of characters. Top-notch bartenders can serve up well-prepared cocktails, the food menu is vast with some great local soups and ice cold beers are standard. It's a splendid venue to let your hair down after a busy working week.
Staramiescki Pivavar is a bar for the beer lovers who visit and live in Minsk. It has a great selection of home brewed beer which can be hard to find in Belarus. As well as the frothy beers on tap, there are large helpings on the food menu – even the starters are large. Staff are friendly and welcoming and they understand a better level of English than most venues in the city. The menu isn't in English, but if it's good beer you want, just ask the bar staff who will tell you exactly what each draft beer tastes like.
This bar, Insomnia, is the place that 'never sleeps', at least until 5 a.m. that is. It is located in an intriguing building which used to have a different little shop in every window, dating back to the 18th century. These days, it has been transformed into a truly warm and cosy venue with some extraordinary little features. There is a good cocktail menu, a decent choice of beers and some local food options, including the famous draniki (Belarusian potato pancakes).
Cherdak is a central bar in Minsk with a relaxing and soulful vibe to it. It is a strictly no smoking venue with great cocktails. The cocktails are served in jars and cups. The direct translation into English means "attic" and so this is an upstairs venue with good music, comfortable seating and a pleasant ambience. The food menu features delicious pub grub such as burgers, chicken nuggets and salads. Cherdak is open until 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.


text:
package cmd

import (
	"fmt"
	"os"

	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
	"github.com/spf13/viper"
)

var (
	cfgFile               string
	sgUrl                 *string
	sgAdminPort           *int
	mockDataStore         *bool
	statsdEndpoint        *string
	statsdPrefix          *string
	statsdEnabled         *bool
	testSessionID         *string
	numChannels           *int
	numDocs               *int
	docSizeBytes          *int
	batchSize             *int
	attachSizeBytes       *int
	compressionEnabled    *bool
	expvarProgressEnabled *bool
	logLevelStr           *string
)

// This represents the base command when called without any subcommands
var RootCmd = &cobra.Command{
	Use:   "sgload",
	Short: "Sync Gateway Load Generator",
	Long:  `Generate a load against Sync Gateway`,

	// Uncomment if bare command is needed
	// Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
	// 	log.Printf("hello")
	// },
}

//Execute adds all child commands to the root command sets flags appropriately.
// This is called by main.main(). It only needs to happen once to the rootCmd
func Execute() {
	if err := RootCmd.Execute(); err != nil {
		fmt.Println(err)
		os.Exit(-1)
	}
}

func init() {
	cobra.OnInitialize(initConfig)
	// Here you will define your flags and configuration settings
	// Cobra supports Persistent Flags which if defined here will be global for your application

	sgUrl = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().String(
		"sg-url",
		"http://localhost:4984/db/",
		"The public Sync Gateway URL including port and database and trailing slash, eg: http://localhost:4984/db/",
	)

	sgAdminPort = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Int(
		"sg-admin-port",
		4985,
		"The Sync Gateway admin port.  NOTE: if SG is not on the same box you will need to setup SSH port forwarding, VPN, or configure SG to allow access",
	)

	mockDataStore = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Bool(
		"mockdatastore",
		false,
		"Add this flag to use the Mock DataStore rather than hitting a real sync gateway instance",
	)

	statsdEndpoint = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().String(
		"statsdendpoint",
		"localhost:8125",
		"The statds endpoint to push stats to via UDP.  If non-existent, will not break anything.",
	)

	statsdPrefix = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().String(
		"statsdprefix",
		"",
		"The statds prefix to use, for example an api token for a hosted statsd service.",
	)

	statsdEnabled = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Bool(
		"statsdenabled",
		false,
		"Add this flag to push stats to statsdendpoint",
	)

	testSessionID = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().String(
		"testsessionid",
		"",
		"A unique identifier for this test session, used for generating channel names.  If omitted, a UUID will be auto-generated",
	)

	numChannels = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Int(
		"numchannels",
		100,
		"The number of unique channels that docs will be distributed to.  Must be less than or equal to total number of docs.  If less than, then multiple docs will be assigned to the same channel.  If equal to, then each doc will get its own channel",
	)

	// NOTE: could also be numDocsPerWriter and total docs would be numWriters * numDocsPerWriter
	numDocs = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Int(
		"numdocs",
		1000,
		"The number of total docs that will be written.  Will be evenly distributed among writers",
	)

	// NOTE: could also just point to a sample doc or doc templates
	docSizeBytes = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Int(
		"docsizebytes",
		1024,
		"The size of each doc, in bytes, that will be pushed up to sync gateway",
	)

	batchSize = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Int(
		"batchsize",
		1,
		"The batch size that will be used for writing docs via bulk_docs endpoint",
	)

	attachSizeBytes = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Int(
		"attachsizebytes",
		0,
		"The size of the attachment to add in bytes (creates/updates).  Only takes effect if batchsize == 1",
	)

	compressionEnabled = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Bool(
		"compressionenabled",
		false,
		"Whether gzip compression is enabled",
	)

	expvarProgressEnabled = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().Bool(
		"expvarprogressenabled",
		false,
		"Publish progress stats to expvars",
	)

	logLevelStr = RootCmd.PersistentFlags().String(
		"loglevel",
		"info",
		"Will show all levels up to and including this log level.  Values: critical, error, warn, info, debug",
	)

	RootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&cfgFile, "config", "", "config file (default is $HOME/.sgload.yaml)")

	// Cobra also supports local flags which will only run when this action is called directly
	RootCmd.Flags().BoolP("toggle", "t", false, "Help message for toggle")

}

// Read in config file and ENV variables if set.
func initConfig() {
	if cfgFile != "" { // enable ability to specify config file via flag
		viper.SetConfigFile(cfgFile)
	}

	viper.SetConfigName(".sgload") // name of config file (without extension)
	viper.AddConfigPath("$HOME")   // adding home directory as first search path
	viper.AutomaticEnv()           // read in environment variables that match

	// If a config file is found, read it in.
	if err := viper.ReadInConfig(); err == nil {
		fmt.Println("Using config file:", viper.ConfigFileUsed())
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>

    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, width=device-width" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/jquery.mobile.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main.css" />

    <input type="hidden" id="sub_test"/>

Test Gamepad

Gamepad_basic

GamePad_connected

GamePadButton_basic

GamepadEvent_gamepadconnected

GamepadEvent_gamepaddisconnected

Test Purpose:

Verifies the Gamepad is supported.

Expected Result:

Test passes if all sub-tests pass.


The effect of a communication protocol implementation on nurse/physician collaboration and communication.
This study examined the effect on physician/nurse collaboration and communication of the implementation of the SBAR protocol, used as nurses reported patient changes to physicians, in a Midwestern community hospital ICU. The design was a two-phased descriptive design. Data were collected through two surveys, one of which addressed collaboration and the other which addressed communication factors. The surveys were administered to ICU nurses (n = 28) and physicians (n = 30) three times. The study also explored attitudes regarding the efficacy of SBAR and interdisciplinary collaboration through interviews with a representative sample of physicians (n = 10) and nurses (n = 10). The collaboration and communication scores analyses, which employed a significance level of (p = .05) and repeated measures ANOV A, established the following key findings: (a) Nurses perceived that nurse-physician collaboration had significantly improved between Time 1 and Time 3; (b) physicians did not perceive that nurse-physician collaboration had significantly improved; (c) at Time 1, the physicians scored significantly higher than the nurses on communication elements of openness and understanding; and (d) the nurses perceived that understanding had significantly improved between Time I and Time 2 and between Time I and Time 3. Interview data generally confirmed the survey findings. Nurses affirmed that SBAR should be taught to all new nurses, but both nurses and physicians perceived the Recommendation statement as overly assertive. Several implications arose from this study: (a) Nurses wanted more collaboration with physicians and perceived that SBAR increased collaboration and improved understanding; (b) physicians did not voice wanting improved collaboration and perceived that SBAR had not changed either collaboration or communication; and (c) authors of SBAR might study the effectiveness of the Recommendation statement.
Gerard, Jacqueline Carter 1948-, "The effect of a communication protocol implementation on nurse/physician collaboration and communication." (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 487.


The Quadro sets from the NOVA and CELINE series provide the integrated solution for your energy-efficient office – and greater quality of life in the workplace thanks to the SymbiLogic technology from ESYLUX.
With our demand-driven light management concept, we exploit the full potential of modern lighting with the light systems of the Quadro sets and provide the best light for people.
As an automation specialist, ESYLUX builds on many years of development experience and relevant expertise – not least in the area of sensors. The light systems of the Quadro sets are impressive example of this.
The light systems of the NOVA and CELINE Quadro sets with integrated SymbiLogic technology not only meet every standard, they go beyond the minimum requirements. They ensure that people receive the best light in the workplace: with biological effect, the highest energy efficiency and a convenient, individual control system.
The CELINE Quadro set includes four full-surface system lights, a separate ESYLUX SmartDriver, a separate presence detector and cabling.
The NOVA Quadro set contains four ceiling lights with integrated sensors and built-in ESYLUX SmartDriver – including cabling.
The Quadro sets are a light system for intelligent workplace illumination with SymbiLogic – and yet they have a cost/benefit ratio far ahead of the competition! They are all based on a combination of a controller unit (ESYLUX SmartDriver), presence and light sensors as well as four LED panel lights for modular suspended ceiling systems – one of the most common ceiling types in offices, educational institutions and medical facilities.
The ESYLUX SmartDriver contains the power supply for all system lights, which is why they can be connected to it simply through plug-and-play – a significant time saving! Not only are all the necessary cables included in the delivery, with the Quadro sets, customers receive the complete solution with just one item number, which makes it possible to modernise office spaces in the easiest possible way. However, to satisfy various requirements optimally in practice, all components in the sets are also available individually.
The Quadro sets can be fully scaled. Up to 20 sets can be combined or one set can be expanded with up to 4 x 25 DALI-capable standard lights from the ESYLUX range. It is also possible to use a combination of the two extension options, and this is often advisable. Customers who choose a Bluetooth or KNX control system for use in larger rooms only need a correspondingly equipped set to control or configure the entire system.
An optimal indoor lighting system is based on the dynamic progression of natural daylight, on the interaction between the sun and the sky. Brightness and light colour change over the course of the day, and the illuminance always considerably exceeds the standard required minimum. This additional light quality has far-reaching consequences: It increases vitality and the ability to concentrate, while also helping people to make fewer mistakes. It simply makes people feel better and more productive.
The SymbiLogic technology we have developed allows for a perfect combination of the best light for people with the advantages of an intelligent control system. It generates biologically effective light with a progression that has been optimised specifically for use in office spaces. In the morning, a dynamic increase of brightness and the proportion of blue light bring about a refreshing activation. At midday, both values are lowered again slightly, simply to provide a subsequent gain in momentum and specifically to counteract the typical afternoon energy slump. In this way, SymbiLogic also helps people master difficult phases and promotes their wellbeing over the entire course of the day.
In interaction with presence and light sensor technology, the intelligent SymbiLogic light management also ensures the greatest possible energy efficiency: It switches the lighting on or off depending on human presence and daylight, achieving the highest level of innovation in its biodynamic brightness levels with its use of daylight. Because, unlike traditional constant lighting control, the adaptive constant light control is based on a target value that is constantly changing. This allows SymbiLogic to transfer a proven technological principle to the most modern form of indoor lighting.
The result is an ideal symbiosis. From nature, people have learned what light is best for them, while nature benefits from the implementation of a resource-efficient, sustainable lighting solution. Thus our SymbiLogic technology promotes a more balanced relationship between people and nature and continuously supplies the user with the most suitable light for them inside the building.
The light systems in the Quadro sets can control more than just themselves. With the DALI switch from ESYLUX, a recessed-mounted module can be integrated into the system which can also switch conventional consumers on/off based on presence detection. This means that it is also possible, for example, to switch air-conditioning and ventilation systems on and off in an energy-efficient manner.
Multiple options are available for the operation and configuration of the Quadro set lighting systems by the operator: In the basic version, manual switching, an override for brightness and light colour and the deselection of individual scenes are possible with a simple 230-V button. Installed buttons that have already been installed can therefore be used seamlessly, but DALI buttons can also be used as an alternative. The ESYLUX universal remote control is always available for controlling and configuring the system. It allows for the configuration of scenes and numerous additional parameters. It can also be used to control specific lights and light channels individually.
Additionally, ESYLUX has developed designs that can also be controlled with the ESY-App via Bluetooth. The basic configuration can then also be carried out and individual lights/channels can be controlled via the app. This allows the user convenient and easy operation directly via smartphone or tablet.
Alternatively we offer Quadro sets in which the ESYLUX SmartDriver has a built-in KNX module. These variants can be seamlessly integrated into a KNX building automation system without a separate gateway having to be installed. The controller can then be addressed directly and the whole system can be conveniently controlled and read out from a central point. This is the world's first KNX-compatible lighting!
Ceiling systems often have different grid sizes, and the preferences of the building users are not always aligned. This makes it all the more important that ESYLUX provides its Quadro sets in additional variants. With the CELINE linear luminaires, we offer another design variant that offers additional flexibility at the design stage.


text:
Practical Solidarity
HomeAbout The Social ReviewPractical Solidarity
About The Social Review
We must construct an understanding of solidarity in which the goal is nothing less than emancipation from structural oppression and bigotry. Solidarity cannot simply be a process, it must be a direction. Our solidarity must contain room for self-criticism. It must not be a paranoid solidarity but a self-reflective one.
On the 26th June 2019, The Social Review took the unusual step to release a joint statement condemning Chris Williamson's brief reinstatement into the party. In that statement, we committed to taking our ethical responsibilities within the party more seriously. This is our incomplete attempt to begin to do this. You will find below useful links, draft motions and petitions. We asked for your ideas and we are still seeking these. They can be sent to editors@thesocialreview.co.uk
Ally JLM Membership: http://jewishlabour.nationbuilder.com/affiliate
Socialists Against Antisemitism: http://www.saasuk.org
Labour's No Place For Antisemitism Page: https://labour.org.uk/no-place-for-antisemitism/
The Past Didn't Go Anywhere by April Rosenblum. This is a pamphlet published in 2007 and now used by a lot of Jewish left groups as part of their political education.
Jews For Racial and Economic Justice which looks at how antisemitism compares to other forms of racism, and how to discuss its specificity while acknowledging how it interacts with colonialism, anti-black racism, Islamophobia etc.
"That's funny – You don't look antisemitic" by Steve Cohen. It's from the 1980s but has a lot of useful lessons for now.
Socialists of Colour: https://twitter.com/socofcolour
1987 Caucus: https://twitter.com/1987Caucus
Ex-Labour GRT Campaign: https://twitter.com/LabourGRT
Tool to Challenge Anti-Gypsyism in Politics: https://www.gypsy-traveller.org/campaigns/challenging-anti-gypsy-language-in-politics/
Labour Campaign for Trans Rights: https://twitter.com/Labour_Trans
Theme By AncoraThemes © 2018. Content © 2018 The Social Review. All rights reserved.


May 15, 2015 - Bombardier Business Aircraft has confirmed this week that current economic conditions and geopolitical issues in some market regions, such as Latin America, China and Russia, have impacted order intake levels industry-wide. As a result, Bombardier Business Aircraft will reduce its production rate for Global 5000 and Global 6000 aircraft.
Approximately 1,750 employees, up to 1,000 in the Montréal region, up to 480 in Toronto and up to 280 in Belfast will be progressively impacted at various stages of the Global 5000 and Global 6000 production cycle.
Reductions will begin in June 2015 and continue progressively through the first quarter of 2016. Bombardier will communicate with affected employees over the coming months and work to mitigate the impact as much as possible.
"We have seen an industry-wide softness in demand recently in certain international markets and are taking steps to adjust our production accordingly. We fully understand the impact this will have on our affected employees and their families and we will do everything possible to support them," said Éric Martel, President, Bombardier Business Aircraft.
"Bombardier constantly monitors the market and adjusts to trends and opportunities. Despite this short-term softness in international markets, we are well positioned to be the market share leader in the segments where we compete," Martel added.
In the latest U.S.-based General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) aircraft deliveries shipment and billing results, Bombardier is once again the industry leader in unit deliveries in the first quarter of 2015. In the segments where it competes, Bombardier has been the delivery unit leader for 10 consecutive years.


Microsart® @media are plates pre-filled with different agar media types, sterile-packaged and ready to use together with Microsart® @filter filtration units. With Microsart® @filter and Microsart® @media there's no forceps, no forces just a "Magic Lid" that does the trick!
Using an integrated adhesive ring in the lid, the filtration membrane is effortlessly fixed and positioned correctly on the agar plate. With a turn, it's locked, then just incubate and count as usual. A well-conceived system no one else can offer you. Because real heroes deserve only the best.


Refill your longlasting Colocolo Home Lint Roller.
The Colocolo Multihome sticky roller is the perfect solution for removing lint, dust and pet hair. Unlike most home lint cleaners, the Colocolo Home maintains its powerful adhesive and doesn't lose stick over time.


by Editorial staff on 03 Luglio 2018 .
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Early Seamaster 300 information and references?
Does anyone know what Omega bracelet number this is?
145.012 one owner, what do you think?
Which Omega is midsized and nice for a ladies wrist?
1970s omega deville.... Real deal or fake?
Omega Seamaster Cal 601 Manual Winding - Legit?
What tools used to set a crystal for a 176.005?
Any Info on 2867 Vintage Seamaster?
Is never resetting your chronograph harmful?
1968 De Ville Chrongraph 145.017 - is this legit?
Need advice, Speedmaster still being serviced.
Is this omega real or fake?
Risky Seamaster De Ville, honest though?
Any idea how much these Omega's are worth?
1970's Omega Constellation - Is it fake?
Does my Vintage Omega look better on leather or nato?


The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Games > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [Mafia] Goon Fights Rebirth - Canuckle Sandwiches all around.
In July of 2014 a wrestling company arose that changed the face of wrestling.
Goon Fights was born competing with WWE it shot straight to the top of the worlds eye.
Then, in October of that very year, disaster struck.
The world economy tanked and the wrestling business took a hit when the entire McMahon family was arrested for insider trading.
People slowly trickled away from events until wrestling was a thing of the past entirely.
Now, it is the beginning of 2016 and Capitalistpig, the Color Commentator for Goon Fights got a 50 million dollar inheritance and decided to use it to revive Goon Fights and bring back wrestling.
It's going to be an uphill battle as he could only get some of the previous roster involved, he found a great many new goons willing to take up the mantle, talented youngsters and Goon Fight alumni.
People still need to be re-convinced though, Goon Fights won't be able to just rely on its former prestige if it is going to redefine wrestling once again.
Welcome once again to Goon Fights!
This time around I bought TEW 2013 which is a large improvement over the previous version I used.
I used assets from The tew 2013 Mod "The Fall" by WrestleManiac as a base for the game world database (which is about a similar thing to what I described but back in the early 200's is when the economy tanks and wrestling takes a hit) I also used some real wrestlers from TheWho87's Real World updates to fill things in.
I set the game to start creating new workers as time goes on and put in a bunch of names of forums mafia players as potential newly created workers, so periodically new goons will debut randomly and New wrestling companies will rise from the ashes of all the old ones as well.
To start though, it will Just be Goon Fights and its pre set roster as the only wrestling company.
So without delay lets check out the layout in tew 2013!
So lets take a look at the stories the game created for us.
Yep, good ol' Gay Mysterio showin' off the muscles in a magazine.
Not much has changed here as Cpig bought the old title belts from the previous owner so they are the originals.
The Tag team and women's championship are currently disabled however until we get enough wrestlers to start a tag and a women's division.
Capitalistpig - Heel - Authority Figure Cpig is taking a more active role in Goon Fights as the owner acts much like Vince MacMahon used to in his shows.
Grandicap - Heel - Color Commentator , always talks about the glory days of Goon Fights and compares every new wrestler to classic heroes like Hal Incandenza and Merk.
And every year on a sunday in august we hold a larger two hour event called Scummerslam, our prestigious big season ender show.
Also a new larger event ##vote VIOLENCE, runs every March towards the end of the month.
I'm doing this in real time like last time so shows will be every monday for now and in august you can anticipate Scummerslam.
Goon Fights Live! Tomorrow Monday January 4th at 9PM EST.
Welcome, to Goon Fights Reborn.
Live from Zephyrhills City Hall in Zephyrhills, FL Ittttsssssssssss GOON FIGHTS REBORN!!
SSV: Welcome ladies and gentlemen once again to GOON FIGHTS! I am your announcer Sir Samuel Vinington JR. Joining me at the announce table is a Goon Fights Alumni, Grandicap!
Grandi: Hey there Sam, It's good to be here, you know when Cpig told me Goon Fights was back it was one of the most exciting things in the world Sam!
SSV: Indeed it was I was such a fan in 2014 and Cpig called me because he knew of my extensive announcing experience with Magical Pnoy Wrestling.
Grandi: Only problem is all these newcomers, noone could ever live up to the likes of such Superstars as Hal Incandenza or Mills.
SSV: Well speaking of Cpig there he comes! let's go to the ring.
Capitalistpig's theme music hits and he comes swaggering down to the ring like some kinda hot shot.
"WELCOME GOON FIGHTS FANS it's back on!"
the 13 fans in attendance stand up and applaud in this less than packed arena.
Cpig acts as if the applause is that of 30 thousand screaming fans and drinks it all in.
"I bought the company and here we are! You all may know that the world had thought wrestling was a thing of the past, well NO MORE I SAY!"
The fans begin to clap again.
One of them leaves to go to the bathroom.
"Today you will see the first chapter in the rebirth of the premiere wrestling company!"
"We have old faces and new faces and now it's time , without further delay LET THE SHOW BEGIN!"
Note: Apparently the way I normally use the "work th crowd" notes in the booker isn't working in the universe because everyon is so drat entertaining.
A loud obnoxious whistle sounds and up on the projector JakeP can be seen in his referee's uniform backstage.
"Is this thing on? HELLO! I am Jake P and I am here to destroy my competition tonight and advance in the tournament for the Mafia World Championship."
"You better get ready CCKEANE because I am coming for you and I have a little HELP heheheeh."
Note: drat Jakep with the mic skills to pay the bills.
Note: Next week apparently there is no need to work the crowd.
Eccoraven comes down to the ring and snatches the microphone out of the ring announcer's hand.
"STOP IT CUT THE MUSIC!"
"CCKEANE YOU HAVE DEFIED ME FOR THE LAST TIME."
"Tonight in your match with jakep I'll be there, standing, watching."
"DO you even know who you are dealing with keane? What did you have? Super freinds? HAH what a joke. I WAS A CHAMPION!"
he drops the microphone to the ground and they exit.
Note: Welp, scripts forever for ecco apparently.
SSV: Thanks folks we'll see you next week folks!
Each week after the show post I will also post a "Week in review" wherin I post all the news stories and emails I get in the week following the show.
Here is week 1 in the Goon Fights Reborn universe!
Pmush being annoyed because apparently pmush thinks the jump from midcard to main event should just be something that happens overnight.
I gave pmush a week off to think about it.
And here is all of the news articles!
Keane and BK both have a nerves issue apparently?
And thats it till next week!
Okay, yeah just put me in whenever yeah.
I'll wrestle whoever, man, I have no horse in this race.
Perhaps someday I will face an adequate challenge, something to inspire me to greatness, but if that is not possible I am more than happy being the challenge that inspires others and gives their life meaning.
I'm just noble like that, I suppose.
The sky, she is a thing of beauty. To soar gracefully through the air, that is my privilege, the gift that I have earned from her. It is a wonder that few may ever know.
Wrestling... it too can be a beautiful thing. But to far too many, it is ugly. These people, they seek to drag each other to the dirt, grunting and groaning as they try to pull others down to their base level. And these people... I would not dignify them with the name 'wrestlers'... they call themselves champions, boasting of their so-called feats, fighting. They are ignorant of true wrestling. But I shall teach them.
There is only one title that matters to me, and that is the title I hold, unsullied by the scum of the earth. I am the King of the Skies, and I shall protect my queen from all of the mud-wallowers who would defile her. I claim no name, but I am known to many here as the Lord of High Altitude Technical Stunts... The Lord of H.A.T.S, if you will. Should you seek my crown you are welcome to try, but you will soon find yourself plummeting back into the filth where you belong!
Jobber? What the hell is that?
More like I got jobbed out of my rightful place in the Main Event.
Its because you got boned by the random stat variance system when the game started, you are a really great wrestler and are entertaining but you lack star quality.
With the right pushes at the right time once we get more wrestlers in our roster you could be a star some day.
I will be King of the Mountain!
More like Duke of the molehill imo.
I spent the intervening years in the Japanese circuit, and grew a little too attached to my Weird Japanese Gimmick.
Midcard? Do these people not recognize the virtuosity of my performances? The sheer quality of entertainment that I bring, opium-like, to the masses? I will not stand for this outrage and will fight until I am finally recognized as a true topcard contender!
The new opening theme for Goon Fights Live!
I noticed Jake wasn't donning his referee attire in that video.
I wasn't even in the video at all!
I, for one,am glad that your face was no where to be seen.
It'd drive down ratings immensely.
Listen buddy, I don't think you want to get in the ring with me. You'll get the axe after I cut you down like a tree.
Well I'm sure you have very powerful forearms but I doubt very much they came from activities such as chopping wood.
I just want everyone to know that Gay Mysterio groped me in the ring! That's why I lost!
Hey, we were the only match that had action. We just lacked heat. Everyone else lacked heat and action.
I'm the hottest of all properties. But we're still in the first half of the hero's journey. I haven't even bested the threshold guardian yet! But don't you worry, you haven't seen enough of Meinberg! Next time, he'll be bringing some serious heat to this stadium and showing what's what to all the young fools in attendance.
And get that camera out of my damned face!


This Secure iPad Holder by Innovative is compatible with all 100mm VESA mounts, so with this protective enclosure you can attach your tablet to the arm or mount of your choice. It keeps your iPad accessible yet safe, and home button access can be blocked if desired. It also includes a security lock and key.