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February 20, 2021 1940, History, Personal, Scale Modelling1940, model aircraft, obsessions, scale models, the summer of 1940Heather Kavanagh
You might be aware of my 1940 aircraft obsession. 2020 was the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It had been arranged for me to take part in a display of models at the IPMS UK Scale Model World exhibition in Telford, but a certain pandemic virus put paid to that.
It didn't stop me building models, though. In fact, what with one personal thing and another, gluing together plastic aeroplane kits rather helped keep me more or less sane during the lockdowns.
Pilot and instructor compare notes after a training flight.
Various aircraft from my ever-growing collection of kits made their way to my workbench during the year. The rather sweet Airfix new tooling of the classic De Havilland Tiger Moth was improved by an after-market photo-etched set of rigging wires.
It is a tiny model, but exquisite. While not a perfect rendition, I am pleased with the final model. It joins my collection of RAF training aircraft, so of which can be seen in the background of the photos.
Potez 63-11, No. 156, 2 Escadrille, GR II/33, Athies-sous-Laon, winter 1939-40. Azur 1/72nd scale plastic construction kit with resin and photo etch brass details. Painted with ColourCoats enamels.
Having pretty much exhausted the single-engined single-seat fighters of the French air force of 1940, I made a start on the twin-engined types. The Potez 63-11 was an ungainly looking plane, designed for reconnaissance and fighter control. A crew of three was carried. The pilot sat high up in the fuselage, accompanied by his radio operator/rear gunner, while in splendid isolation in that huge greenhouse nose was the observer. The 63-11 was not a huge success, and most were lost or destroyed during the invasion of France in May and June 1940.
ANF Les Mureaux 117
The Potez 63-11 replaced the Mureaux 117 during the start of 1940. The 117 was the last of a long line of parasol wing monoplane reconnaissance aircraft that first entered French air force service in 1935.
An Italian Expeditionary Force was despatched to Belgium in September 1940, following Italy's declaration of war on Britain.
In September 1940, the Italian Air Force sent an expeditionary force of fighters and bombers to German-occupied Belgium. The big twin-engined Fiat BR.20M bombers were accompanied by the oddly antiquated Fiat CR.42 sesquiplane and Fiat G.50 monoplane fighters. While the bomber force was actually quite effective, attacking the port of Harwich a couple of times, the fighters were less so. Lack of communication equipment, and pilots ill-suited to the autumnal weather conditions took their toll. The Corpo Aereo Italiano soldiered on until May 1941 before being withdrawn to warmer Mediterranean climes.
Grumman Martlet MkI, Fleet Air Arm No 804 Squadron, Hatston NAS, Orkneys, October 1940. 1/72nd scale plastic construction kit by AZ Models.
Fairey Fulmar MkI, N1868, 7L, Fleet Air Arm No 808 Squadron, Wick, Scotland, August 1940. Airfix 1/72nd scale kit.
The Britmodeller forum held a group build to commemorate the Battle of Britain 80th anniversary. I entered the Italian aircraft shown earlier, plus two planes representing the Fleet Air Arm. The FAA was part of the Royal Navy. Nos 804 and 808 Squadrons were land-based during the Battle, and for a time came under Royal Air Force Fighter Command control. Because of that, both squadrons appear in the official Order of Battle alongside the more expected RAF fighter squadrons flying Hurricanes, Spitfires and Defiants.
Fokker D.XXI
The spring of 1940 saw the German army sweep across Western Europe, invading Belgium, France and Holland. As part of my obsession, I have collected aircraft representing all the countries that had offensive and defensive aircraft that took part at the time. The Fokker D.XXI was the main Dutch fighter at the time, and while desperately outnumbered by the invading forces gave a good account of themselves.
Junkers Ju52/3m, 3U+MT, 9./ZG 26, France, 1940.
ZG 26 was a Zerstörer (Destroyer) squadron flying Messerschmitt Bf110s. The Ju52 "Tante Ju" would have been one of the support aircraft on squadron strength to move personnel and equipment to new airfields. 1/72nd scale plastic model kit, Kovozády Prostejov boxing of a Heller moulding.
The Mureaux and the Ju52 were entries in another Britmodeller group build, celebrating the Heller classic kits. Both kits originally date from the 1970s, as did the next and final aircraft in this post.
De Havilland DH.89a Dragon Rapide
The De Havilland DH.89a Dragon Rapide was a smaller development of the DH.86 Express, a four-engined biplane. Both shared the same straight six-cylinder Gypsy Six engines, as well as some fuselage and wing components. With two engines developing 200hp each, the Rapide was capable of nearly 170mph and could carry six or eight passengers, depending on the cabin fittings.
Originally called the Dragon 6, the name was changed to Dragon Rapide, and eventually just to Rapide. The DH.89 was introduced in the summer of 1934, and proved popular with many small airlines in the UK and abroad. Flaps and a nose-fitted landing light were added to the aircraft, becoming the DH.89a. These features were gradually retrofitted to already-built Rapides over time.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Rapides in the UK continued civilian airline duties, but many were impressed into military service. De Havilland continued to build the type, and in military service it was christened Dominie—a Scottish word meaning "teacher"—and used for training, ferry and ambulance duties. 727 Rapides and Dominies of all types were built, and following the end of hostilities in 1945 many were sold on to form the backbone of resurgent civilian airlines across much of Europe and beyond. Eighteen Dominie/Rapide aircraft survive around the world, though not all are in airworthy condition.
G-ADBW was impressed into RAF service on 15 July 1940, and given the military serial Z7265. The aircraft had been one of a pair that had been supplied to Jersey Airways Ltd in 1935. All but one of the Jersey Airways' fleet of De Havilland aircraft had been flown back to the UK mainland from Jersey airport in June 1940—just before the Channel Islands had been occupied by German forces.
It does appear that G-ADBW, although painted in the standard camouflage colours befitting a training aircraft, didn't carry its military serial and continued to carry the civilian registration. The aircraft was used by an RAF flying school for navigational training. Sadly, barely a month after starting its military career, on 30 August, the plane was involved in an accident at Staverton. I think this refers to what is now Gloucestershire Airport, but which was an RAF training airfield in 1940. The records go quiet at this point, and I haven't been able to find out if the plane was salvaged and returned to service or not. The records do show it lingered until it was struck off charge on 17 November 1941. I wonder if it ended its days as an instructional airframe, or as a donor for parts.
Trying to educate and inform
I want to try and outline the events of 1940 via the medium of scale model aeroplanes, but I can't quite work out the structure that would work. Perhaps this particular blog isn't the correct medium, and I would be better off creating a whole new blog or web site to do what I want. In the meantime, posting here will remain sporadic. I am really trying hard not to be angry—one of the reasons I cleaned out all the angry posts and links last year—but there's just so much to be angry about these days. Enough. Thanks for reading. Comments are not turned on, but you can communicate with me through other means.
November 26, 2020 History, Linkshistory, life the universe and everything, London, YouTube linksHeather Kavanagh
I have a love-hate relationship with London. I love the concept, the idea, the history of the city. I hate having to actually visit the place. Too many people, too much noise, too much dirt. From where I live in the south-east of England, London forms an impenetrable lump of stuff that must be driven around in order to go almost anywhere else. Horrible place.
That's probably why I find various YouTube channels about the city fascinating. That's probably why I am providing links to them here. I hope this blog doesn't become a link farm!
The first is called Joolz Guides. A dapper chap in a bowler hat leads you on walks around London. Along the way, he points out interesting buildings, talks about events and people, and educates and entertains. I simply adore this kind of stuff. Joolz is just the kind of genial guide to a place that makes actually having to visit in real life worth all the effort.
The next is called Londonist. It does what it says on the tin. As well as the channel, they have a web site with lots of fun information. Like Joolz, the presentation is witty and knowledgeable. I particularly liked the Underground series.
Anyway, that's all for this post. Thanks for looking. More soon, I hope.
June 28, 2020 PersonalBilly-puss, cats, furry friend, photographyHeather Kavanagh
Billy-puss has been living with us now since the end of May 2016. It is hard to imagine the home without him now! He made himself at home pretty much as soon as we unlocked the front door returning from the Cats Protection homing shelter.
He still loves being groomed, having his ears scratched and butting heads. He also likes his tummy tickled, so it's pretty obvious he was handled by humans pretty much from birth. Billy likes to know where you are, and if you leave him alone in a room, he will come and find you. He just likes the company. As I type this, he's snoozing on the sofa, only a couple of metres away.
So, apologies Billy for forgetting your fourth coming home birthday party. I'm sure you'll forgive us, as our species has had quite a bit to deal with since March. Thank you for being here, and being a furry comforter when times have been a bit rough. We hope you'll want to stay with us for a good few years yet.
June 27, 2020 1940, History, Personal, Scale Modelling1940, blogging, life the universe and everything, site updates, time for a changeHeather Kavanagh
Hello there. It's been far too long since I posted anything worthwhile here. I've been over the reasons in previous posts, so I won't go over them again. So, what's new?
I have spent an afternoon patiently going through my entire blog deleting all the rants and random news stuff. Enough negativity from me! I have edited posts referencing my now long-defunct Facebook page. Change is afoot.
My plan is to continue posting updates on life, the universe and everything. I want to continue sharing my photography—when I get back to it!—as well as linking to the photography of others. Long-time readers will note a few model aircraft have appeared over the years, and I intend to expand on that. Let me explain.
2020 is the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the epic aerial battle that took place in the skies over southern England during the summer of 1940. The Battle, and how events from the 1920s transpired to reach that tipping point, is something I've been fascinated by for over 40 years. Starting out with an ambition to build models of the main aircraft flown by Britain and Germany during the Battle, things have since got slightly out of hand—I now plan to build examples of every plane that was operating during the whole of 1940, from all the countries involved at the time!
What I hope to do is post something about an aircraft, or a series of aircraft, with some explanatory text and images of the models. I have reached the conclusion that 1940 was a pivotal year in the Second World War, a year where many things were still in a state of flux, and the stage was being set for the rest of the conflict. The scope of my interests covers the Battle of Norway in the early spring, through the so-called Phoney War in France, through the invasions of Holland, Belgium and France, the Battle of France through to the armistice, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, and into the day and night Blitz over the British mainland.
Not being content with that, I hope to then cover the Mediterranean and North Africa theatre. So, I have my work cut out, and all the while I am still supposed to be building railway models for clients!
There remains unresolved the technical issues I have experienced with this site. I am unsure as to how to fix them, but I will soldier on with things for now. I will generally not be allowing comments on posts, so apologies for that if you like to express opinions. You can find me in other places to do that!
Thank you for you patience, and I hope to be back to blogging about life at Snaptophobic Towers soon.
GWR 3100 Class 2-6-2T
September 30, 2019 Links, Personal, Professional Modelmaker, Scale Modelling7mm scale, commission build, model building, model railways, professional model maker, scale model photography, ScaleSevenHeather Kavanagh
Later rebuilt and renumbered into the 4400 Class, the small class of 11 tank engines that formed the 3100 Class was designed and built between 1905 and 1906. They were among the last locomotives to be constructed at the GWR Wolverhampton works.
When he moved into the post of the Great Western's Chief Mechanical Engineer in 1902, George Jackson Churchward set about dragging the venerable railway company into the 20th century—kicking and screaming if necessary! His first act as CME was to design and commission three new types of locomotive, bringing the latest ideas together and setting the pattern for the GWR "look" henceforth.
One of the new designs used a wheel pattern of single axle pony trucks at front and rear, with three driven axles between them—2-6-2, using the Whyte arrangement designation— plus side tanks. A coned boiler with Belpaire firebox was also new, as well as the outside cylinders driving the wheels. The end result was a tidy, purposeful-looking prototype tank engine. After running on various parts of the network, it was decided to produce more of these engines, and the first would have small 4ft 1-1/2in diameter driving wheels in order to give it a wide route availability on the many small branch lines the served the deeper parts of Cornwall.
Eleven, including a prototype, were built. The embryonic "GWR house style" was there, but also odd choices, such as the tiny bunker. Numbered in the 3100 series, the class would eventually be joined by similar locos with 4ft 7-1/2in driving wheels, and they would all be renumbered into the 4400 Class, and subsequently know to enthusiasts as the Small Prairies.
After World War One, the class was subjected to various modifications. The bunkers were gradually enlarged, finally reaching the classic GWR "bustle". The cabs acquired steel roofs, and boilers were enlarged and superheated, until the classic GWR Prairie look was achieved.
Working their entire lives on the branch lines of Cornwall, these attractive little engines were finally scrapped in the early 1950s.
The model was constructed from a Malcolm Mitchell etched brass and nickel silver kit to 7mm scale (1/43rd) and ScaleSeven standards. The kit, billed as a 4400 Class, is still available through MM1 Models. Various parts had to be remodelled or scratchbuilt to more accurately represent the first iteration of the design. A new boiler front ring and smokebox was created, a new cab roof made, and various other modifications were made. Inevitably, some compromises crept in, such as adjustments to the brake rigging to suit the real thing's arrangement. Some areas, particularly the tops of the side tanks and cab fittings, have been open to some conjecture. Certainly, it seems the original builds of the class featured neat and tidy tank tops and all the washout plugs on the boiler cladding covered. Gradually, over their service lives, the locos acquired all the fiddly extras and clutter to replace the Edwardian simplicity and elegance of the original builds. The finished model was painted by Warren Haywood.
I have several more loco commissions to get through, including the Large Prairie cousin of this little engine. Once they're cleared through, I shall be concentrating on coaches and rolling stock commissions. Find out more about my work on my web site, and you can follow some of my antics on Twitter. The link can be found on the web site.
L&YR Class 5 2-4-2T
August 22, 2019 Links, Professional Modelmaker, Scale Modelling7mm scale, model building, model railways, modelling, professional model maker, scale model photographyHeather Kavanagh
The Aspinall Class 5 2-4-2T locomotives were introduced to the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway from 1889. Built at the company's Horwich works, the locos were used for passenger traffic, mainly commuter work, around the Manchester area for their entire working lives.
Various modifications and upgrades were done to the class over their lives. Boilers were improved, the bunkers extended for some lots, and some were fitted with apparatus that let them work as pull-and-push engines on trains. This was a system that let the driver operate the main controls remotely from a specially-designed cab at the end of the train, and avoided the need to run the loco round its train at terminus stations.
The Class 5s, reclassified as 2P when the L&Y was absorbed into the LMS in 1924, worked on until the 1950s. A few of the class survived into the 1960s, and one has been preserved in the National Collection and can be seen at the National Railway Museum in York.
The model was built as a commission. It is to a constant 1/43rd scale, 7mm to one foot, and features fully working inside motion within the frames. The basic kit was good, but needed some help in various areas. The finished model is shown in the LMS passenger livery that was used from about 1926 to 1945 or so.
If you're a regular reader, you will know I am a professional modelmaker. I take commissions to build railway subjects in the main. Once the current crop of loco builds are through the works, I shall be concentrating on passenger and non-passenger rolling stock, as I find building locos is a bit of a chore and doesn't give the level of satisfaction a good coach build does.
Considering the future
February 26, 2019 1940, Personal, Professional Modelmaker, Scale Modelling1940, 7mm scale, Battle of Britain, life, life the universe and everything, model building, model railways, modelling, professional model maker, scale model photography, we're all in this together - my arse, we're doomedHeather Kavanagh
I miss blogging regularly. I enjoyed the process of selecting images, writing the text, editing the thing, and hitting Publish. What went wrong?
Well, for one thing, this WordPress installation is on the blink. I should fix it, but I don't know how and really don't have the time or inclination. I keep hoping each update of the back office stuff will improve things, but it never does. It's been so long now I've forgotten what is actually broken and how to fix it if I try to make it work again.
So, I tend not to bother. And the blog languishes for lack of content.
Another thing has been the state of my mental health. Since that ruddy "B" thing, with the huge amount of commissioned work I foolishly took on and can't cope with, I've been on the way down quite severely. Some days over the past year or so I've found it hard to even function. The first step was to acknowledge I had a problem, and the next step was to roll with it and find coping mechanisms. I think it's under control, but occasionally it catches me off guard. There's no point my adding to the general screaming that's going on, even if it makes me feel better for a while. The blog, therefore, remains mute.
As a way of helping the mental health, I killed my Facebook account (again) at the end of 2018. I really don't miss it. No, really. You ought to try it.
I've been trying to deal with the modelling work backlog. I think it's beginning to make more sense again. Not a lot has been completed, but I have a lot on its way through the workshop.
This brute did emerge, finally in 2018. The model represents the preserved GWR Collett 2251 Class loco No 3205, with one of the tenders it runs with in preservation, but as it ran when new in 1946. All clear? Thought not! After a painful gestation, the model was finally shipped to its new home in Australia. While I like the finished model, I am very glad to see it go.
There are still umpteen commission builds being worked on and pending. I've closed my order book for another year in the vain hope I might get on top of things eventually.
Meanwhile, I cheer myself up by building plastic aeroplanes.
This thing is the Fairey Rotodyne. The prototype flew in the late 1950s, and was all set to take the world by storm until various mergers ended up with the project being scrapped. The model is built from an Airfix 1/72nd scale kit, the original moulds for which date to 1959. It really doesn't fit into my themed collection, but I built it to join into a group build on a modelling forum. It was a lot of fun at a time when I was feeling particularly low.
This bizarre little contraption is an Avro C.30 Rota, built in the UK under licence from Cierva. It's an autogyro, which works by having a free-spinning rotor that isn't powered by a motor. A small rotary engine at the front of the aircraft provided thrust, and the rotor could be spun up to provide lift for take-off. This 1/72nd scale model is from an RS Models kit, and represents the type used by the RAF for calibrating the RDF stations. Part of my ever-growing 1940 collection.
Another RS Models kit, this time of a Marcel Bloch MB-152. As part of my 1940 obsession I've been acquiring examples of planes flown by air forces other than Britain and Germany. I'm working slowly through my French collection, starting with the single-seat fighters that operated during the Battle of France between May and June 1940.
Morane-Saulnier MS.406C-1, a 1/72nd scale kit from Azur.
From HobbyBoss, this is a 1/72nd scale Dewoitine D.520C-1
Finally, this A Model 1/72nd kit is of a Curtiss Hawk H-75A-2. All the French planes here were flown by aces credited with shooting down multiple enemy aircraft during the Battle of France.
So, there you are. A quick update on life at Snaptophobic Towers. I might decide to update more often, I might not. I might decide to move the blog to another platform—again. I might not. Who can tell. Equally, it's entirely on the cards that a physical move of location from the lower right hand corner of Blighty to somewhere a bit more near the top might happen—but don't hold your breath.
Life must still go on
September 26, 2018 Links, Personal, Professional Modelmaker, Scale Modelling7mm scale, model building, model railways, modelling, professional model maker, scale model photography, self-promotionHeather Kavanagh
Despite the real world continuing to have a nervous breakdown, life here at Snaptophobic Towers must go on. After my little breakdown, I've been steadily getting back into the workbench swing, and have just completed a set of five 7mm scale coaches.
Although the build had its moments, I am very pleased with how these models turned out. The crimson and cream livery really suits these coaches. They represent British Railways standard coaches built in the early 1950s. A pair of BSK Brake Second Corridor coaches will top and tail a CK Composite Corridor and SK Second Corridor, with a BG Brake Guard which can be added as the mood suits.
The models are built from Easy-Build kits. Four had been partly built by the client, so I was tasked with completing them, with an additional kit added later. I've added a few details, but essentially the finished items are made from what came in the box.
I am a professional modelmaker, specialising in British railway subjects generally at 1/43rd scale (7mm to the foot). You can follow me on Twitter, and I also have a web site that gets some love occasionally. I'm not currently seeking new commissions, but I am always happy to discuss potential work.
Oh, hello
August 25, 2018 News & Comment, Personalblogging, comment, life, life the universe and everything, politics, rant, we're all in this together - my arse, we're doomed, work/life balanceHeather Kavanagh
It's been a long time, hasn't it? Well, you can probably guess why. Yes, that whole B thing, quite apart from anything else. Everything is now seen through the prism of Brexit. Everything. It absorbs life and light, just like a black hole.
What was the point of sitting here, keyboard warrior, blethering on about things over which I have absolutely no control whatsoever? So, I didn't.
At first, it was the world that was broken. Eventually, I thought, it would right itself. Except, instead, it seems to spiral further into complete insanity with every passing day. The world has now broken me. I only need to spend a few minutes looking around, or reading something about it, and I'm lost.
As a child of the Cold War, and having lived through the threat of thermonuclear annihilation during the 1970s and 1980s, I find myself seriously scared about the future. Just what does it have in store? Who knows, but it won't be much fun from what I can see.
Anyway, aside from western civilisation collapsing and economic and social apocalypse come next April, what's been going on?
I became overwhelmed with work. I just couldn't do it. I sat and looked at my piled-up commission work, at what was happening on the bench, and threw my hands up in despair. I needed time off to consider my life, so everything is now way behind schedule. Thankfully, I have supportive and accepting clients. I am slowly trying to rebuild my enthusiasm for getting things done. The order book is closed until at least next year, perhaps longer. It's a good job I don't have to rely on my work to pay the bills.
Best Beloved is not well. He's not really unwell, but he's not the man he was. I think the global insanity, and my mental ill health, isn't helping. We bumble on.
Billy-puss is the only real constant in life at present. He's the rock that helps me keep somewhat grounded in the maelstrom.
We are actively considering a move. Not just to the next street, or town. I'd like to move to another country, but I'm about three decades too late to make that work. I could claim an Irish citizenship, thanks to a maternal grandfather, but I worry about maintaining links for my work and suppliers post that bloody B thing again. We could move to Scotland, before they split from this idiot England at last. Next best thing, I think, will be to move as far north in England as we can, to get away from the armageddon that Brexshit is likely to cause down here in Kent as the ports get clogged and the motorways turn into lorry parks. We currently have sights set on County Durham. It looks like a nice place, and we liked it when we paid a flying visit earlier in the year. A move can't come soon enough for my liking. There's nothing down here that inspires me any more.
The broken WordPress installation for this blog is still something I need to sort out. As I haven't been posting here since the new year, there hasn't seemed to be any point. There are alternatives, if I feel it's worth the outlay, but good old inertia has a definite hold on me. I don't expect I'll bother sorting it out in the end.
So, there we are. Chaos and calamity reigns supreme, and it's hard to keep a level head when all around is collapsing so quickly there's no time to stop and think. I just keep trying to shuffle on regardless, though there seems to be less and less point to it all.
Don't worry. Utterly depressed though I am, killing myself to end it all isn't on the cards. That would be utterly pointless, and help no-one—least of all me! Something good will come out of all this, eventually. It has to.


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Abilene Public Radio
ACU Board of Trustees
Texas Health Care Workers On The State's COVID-19 Spike
By editor • Nov 20, 2020
Originally published on November 22, 2020 11:25 pm
NOEL KING, HOST:
The CDC has very simple advice for Americans this Thanksgiving - spend the holiday with people you live with. The U.S. keeps setting coronavirus records. We're now detecting around 200,000 cases every day.
This morning, we're going to look at Texas, where the average number of daily cases has increased more than 50% over the past two weeks. Dr. Philip Huang is the director of Dallas County Health and Human Services. He's on the county's public health committee.
PHILIP HUANG: These numbers are very serious. I mean, the thing is, you know, we've seen that we can impact this. We can slow it down. We know what to do. We just need to do it.
KING: But in Texas, like in a lot of states, public officials are divided over how to respond. Governor Greg Abbott has resisted strict-statewide measures. He has asked Texans to be personally responsible instead.
GREG ABBOTT: Shutdowns will not lead to the positive results that some people think.
MARTIN: Local officials have pushed to expand restrictions in their jurisdictions - close businesses or limit gatherings. But Governor Abbott has refused to let them go beyond his statewide measures, and he's been blocking them for months.
JOSEPH VARON: I mean, it's like a deja vu of what we went through.
KING: That's Dr. Joseph Varon. He's chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. We first talked to him in July when cases there were surging, and he says things are even worse now.
VARON: You have no idea how crazy things are. I mean, it's beyond ridiculous. The number of patients have increased. The severity of illness has increased.
MARTIN: Last week, the hospital reached capacity again. Today is Dr. Varon's 245th day in a row working with COVID-19 patients in the ICU, and he is getting ready for the situation to get worse.
VARON: I truly believe that the next six weeks are going to be probably the darkest weeks that Houston has had just because we're getting, also, an influx of patients, as we are a center of excellence for COVID. We're getting patients from El Paso, and we have been helping out by receiving some of those patients. At this time, we need people to just keep on fighting, you know? I know it's tiring. I mean, I'm exhausted, you can imagine. I mean, it is very tough.
KING: You heard him mention El Paso. More than a thousand people in that city are hospitalized with COVID right now. There are more infections in El Paso than there are in many states. Lizette Torres is a registered nurse at Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso. Good morning, Nurse Torres. Thanks for being with us.
LIZETTE TORRES: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
KING: I understand that you're at the hospital right now. What is it like there?
TORRES: I am. You know, you can just feel the tension as the nurses walk into their shift. We feel frustrated when we don't see our patients get any better. We don't feel like heroes. We're tired. We're working tirelessly. We leave our shifts thinking, surely, we have COVID. I mean, we go - we walk into our shifts facing the unknown. And we don't feel safe. We don't feel protected here at Del Sol Medical Center. We are short-staffed. We are in lack of personal protective equipment. And we're at maximum capacity.
KING: Why do you have a shortage of PPE in the hospital? I would think by this point - months into the pandemic, in a city where so many people are sick - you would have what you need. What's going on?
TORRES: I'm not too sure why we're lacking PPE at this moment. We're being obligated to use one N95 for 12 hours, which is an entire shift, when these masks should be discarded after one-time use. And it is not safe to be using the same mask for all our patients. It's not proper protection for our patients, neither for us. How are we going to go home, you know, and explain to our children, to our family members that we are going to have to quarantine and not see them because, surely, we got infected at the hospital? We're short staffed, and we're at maximum capacity, so it's frustrating to us.
KING: Let me ask you about maximum capacity. We heard Dr. Varon in Houston talking about receiving patients from El Paso because El Paso simply has too many. How many people are you turning away on a daily basis or on a weekly basis? How often is this happening?
TORRES: It's every day. So we've already set up the tents near the emergency rooms. And if patients come in that do not have COVID - if they're coming in for other emergencies and we don't have room for them, we tell them to go to the next nearby hospital. And if they don't have room, they have to go to the other one and so on and so forth. So we've - El Paso has broken its record for active cases every day for the past six weeks. I believe we've had - we've surpassed 800 COVID deaths in these eight months that we've been battling this virus. It's unfortunate that we've had to get more mobile morgues for the dead bodies, as well.
KING: It sounds like what you're saying - you said, if we don't have room here, then we send patients to other hospitals in the area. And if they don't have room - based on that series of ifs, what I'm hearing is you are sending people not just out of El Paso but pretty far from El Paso in some cases because you simply do not have enough beds.
TORRES: Correct. And we mainly need our community to support us in keeping each other safe. We're frustrated, and we see no end. There's a long way to go for us. And we're just trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But without the community and the city leaders supporting us with shutdowns or slowing down the cases and putting bigger measures, then it's hard to see that light.
KING: Let's talk about what support would look like. You're saying you're frustrated. You sound as though you're frustrated with local officials. If you could tell them there are one or two things that really need to happen here to make my job easier and to save lives, what would those one or two things be? What does the local government need to do?
TORRES: We want a shutdown. We want people to stay home and abide by the rules and listen to the warning signs. We're no longer the front-liners anymore. It is the people. We are the last line of defense now for the community. And we wish people can take the precautions more seriously.
KING: And we know that Texas's governor, as we said, has - he's resisted strict statewide measures. We heard Dr. Varon in Houston say he is preparing for what he calls the darkest weeks that Houston has ever had. Do you anticipate the same in El Paso?
TORRES: I do. I do.
KING: OK.
TORRES: We need more PPE. We need the people to care about the public health and join us in protecting each other.
KING: OK. Lizette Torres is a registered nurse in El Paso, Texas. Nurse Torres, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it.
TORRES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
© 2020 KACU 89.5

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Eleanor Roosevelt in 1957, at age 73. Photo by the Associated Press.
When Nina Roosevelt Gibson was born in 1942, her grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, were serving their third term as President and First Lady.
After Franklin died in office a few years later, Eleanor traveled the world as a diplomat, speaker, and activist. She was a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, the leader of the UN's Human Rights Commission, and the chief of the President's Commission on the Status of Women. She served on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, moderated two radio shows, hosted a TV news program, and wrote 16 books.
But she was never too busy for Nina.
"My grandmother was the most important person in my life," said Nina, who is a daughter of Franklin and Eleanor's youngest child, John, in an interview with PBS in 1999.
In her youth, Nina Roosevelt Gibson turned to her grandmother, Eleanor Roosevelt, for the support her parents couldn't provide. Eleanor died in 1962, at age 78. Nina, now 73, lives in Vail, Ariz. Photo from Arizona Public Media.


This video by Udacity.com is an excellent aid to understanding what UX is.
The video is presented in an animated form and breaks it down simply, allowing the viewer to understand the concept of UX clearly. It demonstrates that UX is comprised of design, accessibility, usability, system performance, marketing, and utility, rather than simply stating a vague definition.
The video also does a great job of distinguishing between UI (user interface) and UX (user experience,) using metaphors to highlight the difference and the way the two fields work together.
Moreover, it takes care to mention problems that developers face, ensuring that viewers have a multidimensional understanding of UX.


It is widely known that Permaroof UK Ltd offers trade flat roofing professionals the highest levels of customer service and support them in several valuable ways, from next day delivery to trade counter open days and EPDM launch packages.
But did you know that our support for DIY flat roofers is just as unerring. Permaroof UK wins awards for customer service and prides itself and the dedicated teams in the offices and the warehousing to the provision of excellence that matches and complements the quality of the flat roof supplies we stock.
Our advisors are always happy to assist in enquiries from DIY flat roofers, and do their utmost to help with product enquiries, questions about EPDM kits, sizing a roof project and much more. With combined decades of EPDM flat roofing experience, there is not much that they do not know.
In addition, next day delivery extends to our non-trade clients too for many of the products available.
What else do Permaroof do for DIY flat roofers?
DIY flat roofers can also enjoy an extensive library of resources to draw upon for every aspect of the project, from complete installation of a rubber roof, to how to perform an emergency repair, the application of liquid EPDM to the attachment of roof edging, we have a resource for every task. All our resources are free, and available to download in PDF format or view online.
Our headquarters in Derby has a purpose-built training centre, where trade or DIY flat roofers can participate in certificated, Firestone-approved training.
The one-day courses are reasonably-priced and intensive. They include classroom and practical activities, lunch and regular breaks with refreshments provided.
The introduction of the Permaroof-in-a-Box EPDM flat roof kits has changed the way DIY roofers are approaching the task of reroofing domestic buildings, including sheds and garage roofs.
An EPDM kit contains everything needed to complete the job, and they come in standard sizes to avoid wastage and make purchasing a kit simple.
Buy EPDM flat roof kits online today.
Finally, Permaroof has introduced an app for trade roofers to simplify the quotation process and automate kit list building for all sizes and types of flat roofing projects.
The Kit Builder App is available for free to use online, and quickly and easily (4 steps) can deliver a tailored kit list for any project, including trims and other accessories if required. It has proved extremely popular for our DIY flat roof customers, who are not generally experienced in quantity surveying for even small projects.
Try the Kit Builder App online today.
Permaroof leads the way for DIY flat roofers and provides a full range of services and support to help homeowner projects come to fruition on time, within budget and with a professional finish.


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One Direction Reportedly Disbanding To Focus On Solo Projects For A Year
Carl Williott | August 24, 2015 6:55 am
1D's "Drag Me Down" Video
Watch the One Direction dudes head into space.
One Direction is reportedly splitting up temporarily in the spring to allow the four remaining members to focus on solo projects. But think of this more as a conscious uncoupling and less of a breakup: The Sun reports that Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan decided that they'd forgo a tour for their forthcoming fifth album and would instead go on hiatus for about a year beginning in March.
"They fully deserve to have at least a year to work on their own projects. There is absolutely no bad blood between them and they are all 100 percent behind the decision," a source told the British paper, adding, "It is definitely not a split and they fully intend to get back together at some time in the future."
The four reportedly met in London over the weekend and came to the decision. The source said Zayn Malik's departure from the group in March didn't affect this decision, but still you had to think it was only a matter of time before the remaining 1D members saw that sweet solo freedom and would want to try it out for themselves. 1D is still a music juggernaut, of course, but since Malik left, he's been the source of plenty of online buzz over his solo material and speculation about which producers he's linking up with, without releasing any music. So that kind of individual attention has gotta be tempting to the current band-members.
For Directioners who were looking forward to the album five era, there's a kernel of good news: While they won't be touring this next album, it's expected to drop before the end of the year, so they'll still be committed to a host of performances and appearances to promote it before the spring split commences.
One Direction's team has yet to comment on the reports.
[via The Sun]
Do you think the 1D guys are making the right decision? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!
Tags: Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, One Direction, Zayn Malik


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Tag: Global Programs
Will Jarvis Chosen for American Society of Magazine Editors Internship Program
Junior Will Jarvis has been selected for the summer 2017 American Society of Magazine Editors internship program. He Will Work at Advertising Age in New York This Summer By Yue Tang Columbia, Mo. (May 3, 2017) — Missouri School of Journalism junior Will Jarvis has been selected for the summer 2017 American Society of Magazine … Continued
Junior Miranda Cowan Selected for National AAF Stickell Internship Program
Junior Miranda Cowan will serve a paid, 10-week internship at The Richards Group in Dallas this summer. She Will Serve a Paid, 10-Week Internship at The Richards Group in Dallas This Summer By Yue Tang Columbia, Mo. (March 23, 2017) — Missouri School of Journalism junior Miranda Cowan is one of 20 American Advertising Federation … Continued
Added On March 7, 2017
Missouri Journalism Senior Wins Prestigious OPC Foundation Award
Top-right, senior Uliana Pavlova receives her Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar award from Steve Swanson, OPC Foundation treasurer. At bottom, Pavlova addresses the audience at the Yale Club in New York City. Uliana Pavlova's Winning Essay Was Written During Her Study Abroad Experience in Brussels New York City (March 7, 2017) — Missouri School of … Continued
Four Journalism Students Selected for Mizzou '39
From top-left: Missouri Journalism seniors Brittney Frazier, Grace Gabel, Emily Russell and Lily Zacharias are among those named for this year's Mizzou '39 award. The Award Recognizes Seniors for Their Leadership, Service and Academic Achievements By Yue Tang Columbia, Mo. (March 6, 2017) — Four students studying strategic communication at the Missouri School of Journalism … Continued
Added On February 13, 2017
Journalism Students Document Mass Sea-Turtle Nesting on Costa Rica Trip
Stories on the Environment, People and Agriculture Are Filed During the 2-Week Field-Reporting Course Costa Rica (Feb. 13, 2017) — Timing was everything for nine students on the Missouri School of Journalism winter break field-reporting course in Costa Rica: They picked the right day to stake out the mass arrival of sea turtles on one … Continued
Added On January 3, 2017
Kristen Reesor Wins Radio Television Digital News Foundation Scholarship
Student Kristen Reesor is the 2016 winner of the Mike Reynolds Scholarship awarded by the Radio Television Digital News Foundation. The $1,000 Mike Reynolds Scholarship Award Will Help Offset College Expenses Columbia, Mo. (Jan. 3, 2017) — Radio-television journalism student Kristen Reesor is the 2016 winner of the Mike Reynolds Scholarship awarded by the Radio … Continued
Added On September 14, 2016
School to Host Open House During MU's Family Weekend
Presentations, Classes, Tours and More Will Be Available on Friday, Sept. 23 Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 14, 2016) — The Missouri School of Journalism will host an open house on Friday, Sept. 23, for students in journalism and their families. The event is held in conjunction with Family Weekend, sponsored by the University of Missouri. A variety … Continued
School Honors 54 Freshmen for Outstanding Academic Achievement
Benefits of the Walter Williams Scholars Program Include a Global Programs Scholarship and a Faculty Mentor By Renee Sospenzi Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 7, 2016) — The Missouri School of Journalism held its annual Walter Williams Scholars ceremony on Aug. 31 to recognize and honor the 2016 incoming class of high-ability freshmen who will study at … Continued
Missouri Students Document Life in South Africa
Trip Teaches the Power of Forgiveness and Perseverance By Kiara Ealy Columbia, Mo. (Aug. 30, 2016) — For the third year in a row, Missouri School of Journalism Professor Randall Smith, the Donald W. Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism, provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to experience and explore both the rich and painful … Continued
8 Missouri Journalism Graduate Students Attend White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
These Scholarship Recipients Received VIP Treatment, Including Personal Congratulations from President and Mrs. Obama Washington, D.C. (May 5, 2016) — Eight Missouri School of Journalism graduate students attended President Obama's last White House Correspondents' Association dinner on April 30. The lucky eight were honored guests as recipients of scholarships funded by the proceeds of the … Continued


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Bridging the gap: Linking biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments to real-world ecosystems
Biodiversity is changing across the globe and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments are a major tool to assess the consequences for ecosystem processes. We assessed the realism and reliability of such experiments by synthesizing experimental and real-world plant-community data.
Malte Jochum
PostDoc, iDiv & Leipzig University
Several decades of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research have shown that maintaining the planet's biodiversity is essential to enable high functionality of its ecosystems and, ultimately, ensure human well-being. However, most of our knowledge on how biodiversity affects the functioning of ecosystems originates from biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments, where (mostly) plant species richness is manipulated and ecosystem functions are measured in response. We don't know how well such experiments resemble real-world plant communities – at least in their community properties – and if differences between experimental and real-world communities affect the conclusions drawn from BEF experiments.
What do I have to do with all this? Well, I am a community ecologist generally interested in how global change impacts communities and ecosystem processes. In early 2017, we moved the family from Göttingen to Bern. As a synthesis Postdoc in The Jena Experiment, working with Markus Fischer and Pete Manning, I was keen to assess the context dependency of BEF relationships by linking the Jena Experiment to real-world ecosystems. The plan was to first compare experimental and real-world plant communities and afterwards exclude unrealistic experimental communities from experimental BEF relationships to see what happened.
The Jena Experiment, Jena, Germany, 2016. Link: http://jenaexperiment.uni-jena.de/ Photo credit: The Jena Experiment.
Several real-world projects with suitable vegetation data had already been identified as potential real-world counterparts to the Jena Experiment. As I was conveniently placed with the Synthesis group of the Biodiversity Exploratories in Bern, starting the comparison on joint Jena (experiment) and Exploratories (real-world) data seemed straightforward. Later, we added data from real-world sites close to Jena in the Saale river valley that Christiane Roscher had at hand (see photograph further down), and several invasion and succession sub-experiments of the Jena Experiment.
Biodiversity Exploratories grassland plot AEG09, Germany. Link: www.biodiversity-exploratories.de Photo credit: Magdon, P. (2020) Core 3 - Instrumentation and Remote Sensing, Biodiversity Exploratories, CC-BY-SA.
We wanted to base our comparison of plant communities on a variety of community properties: taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity indices, and plant functional traits. As such, we needed plant trait data – the TRY database had most of it. Obviously, getting the relevant data was only the first step. I spent several months developing an analytical approach allowing us to assess multidimensional overlap between experimental and real-world plant communities based on all these community properties. In the end, we used three different methods to assess overlap in multivariate PCA space – which was awesome and seemed a robust choice, but would later on cause a lot of work by having to repeat everything for each of these methods. We compared plant communities of the Jena Experiment to those of German real-world sites and found that while many experimental communities did not resemble those common in the real world, there was some overlap. Taking the second step, we removed unrealistic experimental communities and found that experimental BEF relationships were robust to this removal – and not only for plant aboveground biomass, but also for a range of other functions above- and below the ground. Obviously, our results depended on the overlap-calculation method and the variables entering the PCA. It took a while to get all this structured and later also to convince the reviewers who wanted to see all kinds of additional sensitivity analyses. As a result, the supporting information grew to a length of more than 90 pages at some stage. I was almost tempted to hide some random content somewhere down in page 85 or so and see if anyone would find it. Never did it, but should have.
Saale valley real-world site close to Jena. Photo credit: Christiane Roscher.
Once the German data was under control, I presented our results at the Ecology Across Borders meeting in Ghent in December 2017. After the talk, I was approached by Jane Catford, whom I had never met before, asking me why we had not included data from other biodiversity experiments, for example those from the famous Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in Minnesota, USA. I got in touch with Forest Isbell only days later. Together with David Tilman, we decided what experimental data to use: Cedar Creek's BioDIV (BigBio) experiment together with additional Cedar Creek experiments not manipulating species richness as real-world counterparts. Everyone was open to share their data and enthusiastic about the potential for a joint analysis of data from both countries. As a result, I suddenly had a whole new set of vegetation records that I needed functional trait data and phylogenetic information for. Jane Catford, Jeannine Cavender-Bares and Peter Reich had additional functional trait information for Cedar Creek plant species. A lot of data handling and aggregation later, we started seeing similar results to the German comparison. Not all experimental communities were realistic, but removing unrealistic ones did not majorly change BEF relationships.
Cedar Creek BioDIV experiment (BigBio, e120), Minnesota, USA. Link: https://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/ Photo credit: Forest Isbell.
By that time, we had decided to move back to Germany for a new Postdoc position at iDiv in Leipzig. We moved the family back across country borders, had our second child, and I took some parental leave. I first submitted the manuscript right before a long-ish field trip to the Canadian Rocky Mountains for the new Postdoc position. Several submissions, revisions, and one preprint publication in bioRxiv later (see timeline below), the results of all this work have now been published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, here.
Cedar Creek Fertilization experiments e001 and e002 (Field C), Minnesota, USA. Link: https://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/ Photo credit: Forest Isbell.
After receiving the final acceptance email from the editor, I cycled home and thought about how long it had taken to create and publish this paper. When I came home and hugged the kids, I realized that the now 5-year-old was 1.5 when I started to work on this analysis and the 1.5-year-old was nowhere on the horizon. It feels like an eternity ago that this work started. However, for me, all this only started three years ago, when we moved to Bern. Some experiments that our study is based on started in the early 80's, before I was even born. I was still at school when the Jena Experiment was initiated.
Timelines of synthesis work (upper timeline) vs. assembly of original data and running the study (lower timeline).
Why am I telling you this? Because it is important to remember that, when doing synthesis work in ecology, our work is based on that of countless others. Without the decade-long efforts by BEF pioneers, data owners, PhD students, technicians, gardeners, plot and data managers, and the will of several funding agencies to fund basic research on biodiversity loss, this data would never have been available. And without the joint effort of many coauthors with experimental and real-world backgrounds, without their knowledge on phylogenies, trait data, multivariate analyses, databases, and without the willingness of some to go back out to the field and compile additional data, this project would not have been possible. Together, we tackled plant-species synonyms, functional-trait imputation, phylogenetic uncertainty, vegetation-survey area differences between the projects, and many, many(!) sensitivity analyses. I am very grateful to have been allowed to work with these data and colleagues – I have learned a lot from this team and from getting this paper published. And I will remember that there are hundreds of faces hidden behind those data spreadsheets that just cannot convey all the sweat, tears, and blood of those who did the grunt work so that we could do ecological synthesis.
I would like to thank Pete Manning, Ana Asato, and Guillaume Patoine for feedback on an earlier version of this post.
Community ecologist, studying global-change impacts on multitrophic communities and ecosystem processes.


Sounds far-fetched, I know. You've probably never even seen a $5,000 chip, let alone owned one. But here are three horror stories about $5,000 chips, one told to me, one that I witnessed, and one fairly recent episode I read about in a 1999 issue of Gambling Today.
The first instance happened on what was supposed to be a jolly and carefree, fun-filled junket to a Caribbean Island Casino. The husband, who gambled, took along his wife, who didn't. She was just eager to soak up a little winter sunshine.
While strolling through the casino the wife spied a chip on the floor and picked it up. To her amazement and delight it turned out to be a $5,000 chip. Now grandiose thoughts danced in her brain, like how she would surprise her husband with extravagant gifts, etc. Her dream turned into a nightmare when she went to the cashier's cage and tried to cash the $5,000 chip. Immediately the shift boss and the casino manager closed in on her, asking her exactly where she got the chip.
She wasn't a junketeer gambler known to them, and no one had ever seen her at the tables. She told them that she had found it, but that didn't satisfy the casino bosses. Without going into all the nasty by-play, I'll just say that she and her husband fled the island paradise, threatened with arrest! Truth be told, they probably were lucky to get out in one piece.
Another episode concerning a $5,000 chip happened on my watch recently at Caesars in Atlantic City. I was at a $25-minimum blackjack table, as is my wont. Sitting next to me was a young guy, who couldn't have been much older than eighteen, by law the age requirement for gambling in a New Jersey casino.
He pushed a chip toward the dealer for change—a $5,000 chip. The dealer froze and stopped the action. He immediately summoned the pit boss, who asked the kid a few questions and then called over the shift manager. Meanwhile all action at the table stopped.
After the shift manager had interrogated the kid, an impressive casino executive appeared, probably an assistant casino manager. He asked the youth for his ID and then wanted to know where he got the $5,000 chip. Still no action at the table. The lad explained—claimed—that his father had given him the $5,000 chip.
After a short sotto-voce conference between the three Caesar stooges, they pushed the chip back to the kid and told him to have his father bring it in. Red-faced and crestfallen, the kid left the table, and at last—the game went forward.
I relate these two $5,000 chip episodes, which occurred thousands of miles apart, to alert you to the perils of accepting high-denomination chips. I wonder what happens to the schnook who stumbles upon a $10,000 or a $25,000 chip.
In 1998 an entirely new set of problems arose over the $5,000 chip, this time in Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas. It appears that some very enterprising counterfeiter successfully cloned the casino's $5,000 chocolate chip, panicking the management. Hamid Dastmalchi, winner of the 1992 World Series of Poker, tried to redeem the five-grand chips for $815,000, but was rebuffed at the cashier's cage. The explanation he was given was that, with counterfeit chips in circulation, Binion's would only cash big-money chips they could verify as having been bought or won at the casino.


They invited me to their house-warming party, though I'd never met them. They aren't even married.
tattoos. She introduced me to her partner – equally tattooed, equally smoking. In his free time he's a DJ at a seedy nightclub. He was offering guests Red Bulls with vodka. I helped myself to tiramisu and found a seat. At the end of the table sat a person of undefined gender, equipped with a massive German Shepherd dog. A seven-year-old girl with a coy look revealed her underwear as she pranced around and fluttered seductive eyelashes at the menfolk.
Everything contravened the norms and values I had deliberately adopted as a young man. Revulsion mushroomed in my heart. But I'm no longer young. In the meantime I've learned a thing or two. I've grown. I've experienced tolerance, sympathy, kindness, generosity, love. I want to love people, even people whose race, religion or lifestyle differs from mine. Yet deep in my soul the distinctive features of that crowd screamed at my conscience.
How can I leap over my own shadow? Am I willing to? How can I love such people whose very being grates against all the attitudes I adopted in my youth?
It's hard to change for everyone. I suspect by spending time, by accepting their invitation, you surprised them and that is a step towards 'acceptance' on each side. Though like you, I'd have been worried about the seductive behaviour of a child, there is so much more for a child to do and to learn at that age.


We cannot speak of the African diaspora and fail to acknowledge the ocean. Earlier this year, when we cast Ifa for the SF Bay Area, Olokun featured prominently. In one verse, Ifa reminded us of the time when Olokun's fortune was waning. In desperation, Olokun went to consult Ifa. The first awo said the situation was hopeless. Olokun went for a second opinion. The prognosis was just as dismal. Olokun sought a third opinion! This time, the awo recommended sacrifice for growth and to avoid naysayers. Olokun complied. As a result, all rivers flowed to the ocean to offer support. And, as you are well aware, it has been that way ever since.
May the sun never set on the Yoruba cultural empire! As the ocean expands over the earth and defies human comprehension, may Orisa Lifestyle continue to spread and sustain the mystery of African identity. Aboru aboye abosise.
So true. Alaafia! I greet all within the household. May the Name of Eledumare and all the nomenclatures that our Ancestors utilised be glorified. All praises to Eledumare. Yes the Diaspora is connected with OLOKUN particular those in the islands of the Caribbean. Here is a 2010 news clip of an ASE ODUN OLOKUN hosted by EGBE ONISIN ELEDUMARE.


This entry was posted in Announcements and tagged health, human resources on February 12, 2018 by Editorial Student.
This entry was posted in Announcements and tagged Counseling and Health, health on December 15, 2015 by Christopher Sampson.
This entry was posted in Announcements, Events and tagged health, Kress Center, Public Safety on December 2, 2015 by Christopher Sampson.
This entry was posted in Announcements and tagged health on November 24, 2015 by Christopher Sampson.
Chua Xiong, director of the Brown County Department of Public Health, will speak about public health issues and the Hmong community today (Nov 2) from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in MAC Hall Room 223. She is the first Hmong public health director in the state. The talk is sponsored by the Hmong Studies Center.
This entry was posted in Announcements, Events and tagged guest speaker, health, Hmong Studies Center on November 2, 2015 by Christopher Sampson.
This entry was posted in Leading & Learning and tagged After Thoughts, faculty, guest speaker, health, Nursing, Photos on October 8, 2015 by Sue Bodilly.
This entry was posted in Announcements, Events and tagged After Thoughts, faculty, health, Historical Perspectives Series, Nursing on October 6, 2015 by Christopher Sampson.


We, the Run for the Teacher Race Committee, want to THANK YOU for all of your support with the Lori Welch Benefit. Without the help of our volunteers, this amazing event would never have been possible. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day! This event had around 450 participants and we were able to raise over $20,000 to help the Welch family with medical and related expenses. WHAT A GENEROUS COMMUNITY WE ARE!


By Suzanne Price – Rep. Darrell Issa is not sweeping this criminal act under the rug. He'll continue with this investigation until it can be handled appropriately.
Barack Hussein Obama has been trying to invoke his "executive privilege" to prevent the documents from being provided to a congressional investigation. Why? What happened to Obama's promised transparency?
It eventually became known in February 2010 as "Operation Fast and Furious".
One of these guns, very recently was found in the possession of a Mexican drug lord, a 50 caliber 'Fast & Furious' rifle capable of taking down a helicopter was found in 'El Chapo's cache of weapons.
Some 6 years after the 'Fast and Furious' firearms went missing inside of Mexico.
As reported in September 2011, the Mexican government stated that an undisclosed number of guns found at about 170 crime scenes were linked to Fast and Furious. U.S. Representative.
These very same weapons are responsible for the death of our Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry.
Our nation has a Constitution which is the principle for the 'rule of law'.
We have a people that took an of Oath of Office to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
When any government official breaks our laws, they are not upholding their oath of office. Our laws are not for just for a few, they are for "all" peoples, at all levels of status.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told Breitbart News Wednesday that documents the Obama administration may be forced to produce regarding Operation Fast and Furious could implicate former Attorney General Eric Holder and his staff.
On Tuesday, a federal judge invalidated President Barack Obama's use of "executive privilege" to prevent the documents from being provided to a congressional investigation, saying that some of the material had already been cited by the administration in public.
The judge will hear more arguments before ordering the documents released.
Issa told Breitbart News that his continuing investigation into Fast and Furious could uncover possible criminality by former Attorney General Eric Holder and his staff, thereby providing a new incoming administration with the facts they would need to bring charges.
The next administration could well choose to deal with people's crimes, particularly the conspiracy to cover this up, to falsely mislead the American people.
There were a number of areas in which criminal activity could alleged, and as it stands right now the biggest question is that Eric Holder swore he didn't know about this a number of times. And some of that has been proved wrong.
If we're able to see that his hand-picked US Attorney Dennis Burke was involved in communicating to people in the justice department that would indicate a number of people testified falsely.
He stressed that he believes it is important to remember the Republican candidates are the ones most likely to pursue charges relating to Fast and Furious.
The .50 caliber rifle has a characteristic that the cartels choose it for–which led to the purchase of those rifles during Fast and Furious. To put it simply, a .50 caliber rifle can bring down a helicopter when that helicopter is over a scene. In 2015–and at least once before–helicopters were brought down in Mexico while trying to cover the scene and stop the fleeing of cartel members.
Fox News reported that 34 of the approximately 2,000-2,200 guns sold and smuggled during Fast and Furious were .50 caliber rifles. The one recovered from El Chapo's hideout is the second such .50 caliber rifle recovered with ties to Fast and Furious.
Edited by Scott W. Winchell, Denise Simon is the Senior Research Director at Stand Up America US.
"Because I would say, even you would admit, it was not the optimal response, at least to the American people, as far as all of us being on the same page," to Jon Stewart on the non-news shows he runs.
Sen. John McCain also weighed in disapprovingly on Fox News.
Pat Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, a State Department computer specialist killed in the attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya on the anniversary of Sept. 11, said Friday in an interview with the Daily Mail that President Barack Obama had been disrespectful in his most recent attempt to explain the incident.
Smith told the Daily Mail that she was offended by president's choice of wording.
How about going on a real news program, or better yet - have a press conference and come clean, or just resign!
Now we see the following report – explain this away Mr. Obama. Its at the very least "not optimal" – in fact, its probably the lowest thing your administration has done since the Fast and Furious debacle which is still hanging out there in a court.
Across 166 pages of internal State Department documents – released today by a pair of Republican congressmen pressing the Obama administration for more answers on the Benghazi terrorist attack – slain U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and the security officers assigned to protect him repeatedly sounded alarms to their superiors in Washington about the intensifying lawlessness and violence in Eastern Libya, where Stevens ultimately died.
By September 4, Stevens's aides were reporting back to Washington on the "strong Revolutionary and Islamist sentiment" in the city.
The documents also contain evidence that the State Department's denials of requests for enhanced security in Benghazi in the months leading up to 9/11 may have contributed to the ability of the attackers to plan their assault on the consulate and annex grounds without being detected.
The documents were released by two lawmakers who have been active in probing the Benghazi case, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT). In a letter to President Obama, dated October 19 and accompanied by the documents, the lawmakers faulted the administration both for providing inadequate security before 9/11, and for allegedly obfuscating the nature of the events on 9/11.
At the State Department briefing today, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland declined to comment on published reports alleging that an official working for the Central Intelligence agency had informed the Obama administration on September 12 that the Benghazi murders were an act of terrorism.
Is winning everything? Is Rubio the key to victory?
Is the Republican party now committing what a very large number of people in America think the Democrats committed in 2008? Nominating people for office that likely broke the rules, the "Natural-Born Rule"? SUA has very high regard for Marco Rubio, but now the questions are being asked…the vetting has begun.
The American Eagle - Is winning everything?
Vetting our candidates was not an issue to most back in 2008, but it certainly is now.
'Win at all cost', or 'get-mine' has been a common theme dating back throughout all of our politics.
There is still a great question about how Minnesota's Al Franken got elected, and the many historical Washington DC political scandals throughout our history including 'Watergate' the Tea-Pot Dome scandal and much more.
Then there was Florida in 2000 and 2004, the chads and the soldier-vote.
Americans are perhaps the most competitive people on earth – demonstrated across the board since our inception. It would be nice to say that we always play by the rules, but no one believes that is the case, especially now where so much money is concerned.
In baseball, we have witnessed the "physical enhancement' era that is still making news over Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. In football, we just witnessed the crazy New Orleans Saints "bounty" scandal, and people like Ron "Meta World Peace" Artest regularly use "cheap shots" in basketball.
That is just America in pro sports, what about Americans in finance, think Bernie Madoff and Jon Corzine's scandals, then there is the "birther" question. Did people hide all of Obama's records and commit fraud to 'win', or to keep winning?
In this era of the 24 hour news cycle, the rise of the 'citizen journalist', the demise of the reputation of the main stream media, and the extreme situation we are now in, are making people look, at last.
Bret Baier sure stepped into, and now Cindy Williams at the American Thinker has written a great article about this aspect of 'playing by the rules'.
Maybe now, for once, a true vetting process will be undertaken, by all of our media. Referring to eligibility questions he himself raised, Baier now says: "…this is obviously getting a lot of attention.. so, we think we should do a full piece on the show about it…" Its about time.
NBC never will, nor will CNN, but just maybe if Fox does it, they will also have to put their cards on the table, before ballots are cast…not just after.
Baier mentions there is much "confusion" – of course there is, because so many people and institutions actively tried to mislead the people, many swept it under the rug, some committed alleged fraud, many just looked the other way, but very few actually did the homework. To the true "Constitutional Scholar", there is no confusion.
When did it become admirable to be ignorant and arrogant about it, where knowledge is demagogued – the 'new' paradigm of virtues… to win at all cost!
Those conservatives who argue against "birthright citizenship" have just been thrown under the same bus as the "birthers" — whether or not they like it, or the GOP admits it.
The mainstream media, longtime foes against reform of the anchor baby practice, have been happy to help. And instead of quietly watching while a sizeable portion of the Republican party is run over, as in the case of the "birthers," we now have the GOP establishment lending the media a hand in brushing aside many immigration reform advocates — by pushing the selection of Senator Marco Rubio for the VP nomination.
Bret Baier - Is Rubio eligible, how about Obama?
The law lists several categories of people who are considered American citizens at birth. There are the people born inside the United States; no question there[.] … They're all natural born U.S. citizens[.] … Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Bobby Jindal are both eligible to run and become Vice President or President.
Bottom line… this is obviously getting a lot of attention.. so, we think we should do a full piece on the show about it… and maybe have a panel of constitutional scholars… and legal experts to discuss this. There is obviously a lot of confusion.. uncertainty and misinformation out there about this topic. And as I wrote in the blog.. there is vigorous legal debate about the term… so we need to talk about it… and we'll continue to report all sides [sic].
A needed admission, although still with no real authoritative sources listed.
What about all of the experts, conservative organizations, and Republicans who have argued for decades that more than birth on U.S. soil is required for citizenship?
Research into the subject reveals that the birthright issue concerns not only the legality of the parents' status, for even "birth tourists" are in the U.S. on legal passports. The root of the problem is the status of the parents' domicile (legal or illegal, permanent or temporary) and allegiance. The birthright practice also results in dual citizens who can remain so for life, unlike naturalized citizens, who are required to renounce past citizenships. Proposed legislation to require at least one citizen parent curtails the anchor baby problem but does not eliminate the dual citizenship issue.
"Birthers" argue that the dual citizenship of Obama disqualifies him from "natural born" eligibility. Another American Thinker column documented the lack of academia's serious attention to the interesting question.
Since 2008, the mainstream asserted that Obama was eligible for two reasons: he was born in Hawaii, and his mother was a citizen. Some argued that only U.S. birth was required, but hardly anyone (other than "birthers") noted the related fact that many conservatives had been lobbying for years to correct what they considered an incorrect application of the 14th — that more than birth on U.S. soil is needed, not for natural born citizenship necessarily, but citizenship, period. And if arguments against birthright citizenship are legitimate — why not the contention that questionable birthright citizenship, because of allegiance concerns, does not equal natural born citizenship? But a reasonable debate was never permitted, and the "birthers" were ridiculed as kooks.
Fast-forward to today, and the GOP's realization (thanks to those darned "birthers"!) that neither of VP favorite pick Rubio's parents were citizens when he was born.
So now the mainstream and GOP establishment argument is that born in the USA (regardless of circumstances) equals "born a citizen" equals "natural born" citizen.
Marco Rubio - Is he eligible?
Baier didn't mention the many conservatives who have long fought against the birthright practice, subtly helping the establishment kick them and their inconvenient assertions under the bus. Yet it was only eight years ago that Fox News noted the valid arguments in this article addressing the "presumed" (Justice Scalia's description) citizenship of Hamdi in the famous case of Hamdi v Rumsfeld.
Here's a partial list of prominent individuals who have argued against birthright citizenship: Judge Richard Posner, Edwin Meese, Professors Lino Graglia and Peter Schuck, Dr. Edward Erler, Dr. John Eastman, the Heritage Foundation, Representatives Ron Paul, Nathan Deal, Mark Foley, Gary Miller, and Tom Tancredo, and conservatives Ann Coulter, George Will, and Phyllis Schlafly. Rep. Lamar Smith, the current House Judiciary chairman, was a major participant in the 2005 congressional hearing on citizenship and also the signed the Center for American Unity Hamdi amicus brief in 2004 along with Tancredo. Even Harry Reid noted that more than birth in the U.S. is required for citizenship in his proposed 1993 legislation.
A recent Human Events article by Michael Zak asserts the same position as Baier's. No citizen parents are needed, and they can be here illegally. Even al-Awlaki could have run for president.
The Georgia Obama ballot challenge ruling and its likely consequences on citizenship arguments was discussed here, which we now see in action.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal - Eligible?
Baier's assertion places both Obama with his one citizen parent and Rubio with none on the same "natural born" bus — and that bus ran over not just "birthers" (who actually have been lying under there for quite a while), but also all of the Republicans who have been working for curtailment of the "jackpot" birthright practice as part of effective immigration reform. Because now it can no longer be denied (which "birthers" have been arguing all along) that birthright citizenship and presidential natural born eligibility are inextricably related.
To be fair — nothing much has been written about the status of Rubio's parents at his birth. WND published Rubio's father's naturalization papers (when Rubio was 4), but has it been determined whether Rubio's parents were here, prior to that, legally, and whether they traveled to and from Cuba? Why so many years to naturalize? Interesting questions all, and answers may alleviate some of the immigration reformist's concerns. But can they be discussed without fear of "birther" or "racist" labels?
The GOP wants to win on the "issues," but apparently minus the birthright citizenship issue. A Rubio ticket may appeal to Latino voters, but it may sap more of the enthusiasm of the conservative Tea Party base than the establishment realizes.
In the weeks ahead, we may see either the birthright citizenship opponents aligned with the "birthers" or all of them swept under the rug of verboten conversation — because neither of their arguments fits the current establishment narrative.


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text:
Justice Kennedy Demands We Be Good Little Nazis and Obey His Laws
Justice Anthony Kennedy said something so shocking that if a conservative justice had said it, there would be calls for his impeachment or a required psychiatric evaluation to test his sanity. Speaking at Harvard Law School, Justice Anthony Kennedy — author of the unconstitutional Obergefell 5-4 majority same-sex marriage opinion —
Gary DeMar 0 Read More
One More Reason to Like Ted Cruz: The Bushes Don't Like Him
If only former President George W. Bush had attacked the Democrats like he is now attacking Sen. Ted Cruz. It's typical of Republicans to eat their own, to save their harshest criticisms for those who stand up for the oath they took to uphold the Constitution and to wine and
Five Reasons Why It's Easy Being a Democrat
The media are describing the leadership resignation of John Boehner and the attempt to vote in a new Speaker of the House as "chaos among Republicans." One RINO Republican described what's going on with conservatives flexing (finally) their political muscles as a "banana republic." In a banana republic the opposition
Ted Cruz Shows that Liberals Hate Facts
Ted Cruz is the smartest guy running for President. He's the most tenacious as well. He's a bulldog with a mild manner. That's why liberals and RINOs hate him and fear him. I can't understand why he's not higher in the polls. He would do the best in one-on-one debates.
Ted Cruz Explains Why John Boehner Resigned and How He Made a Deal with Pelosi
There were cheers among conservatives over the news that John Boehner announced his resignation from Congress. But Rep. Boehner could do a lot of damage in 30 days if he follows his usual practice of giving into Obama and working with the Democrats. Instead of leading the House majority that
Liberal Lesbian Actress Ellen Page Fails to Stump Ted Cruz with Discrimination Question
Ellen Page decided she would try to sandbag Sen. Ted Cruz on the issue of same-sex sexuality. This was a big mistake. She was disguised to hide her identity. Was this approach wrong? If not, then why would undercover videos of Planned Parenthood practices be wrong? But I digress. Page
Interracial Marriage and Same-Sex Marriage: No Moral Equivalence
Race is not the same as a particular sexual practice. Identifying as "gay" does not mean that a new sex has been established. Contrary to Rachel Dolezal's delusion about race and Bruce Jenner's delusion about gender, people may want to identify as a particular race or a particular gender, but their
Rick Santorum is Not the Political Fighter We Need
Rick Santorum has thrown his hat into the presidential ring. I can't understand how a politician has been out of a political job for nearly 10 years can all of a sudden thing he's qualified to be president. Rick Santorum joined the Cruz Busters when the Texas Senator was trying
Ted Cruz and the Meaning of 'Natural Born Citizen'
There has been a great deal of informed and misinformed discussion on the topic of the meaning of 'natural born citizen.' This has all come into play, first, because of questions surrounding Barack Obama's citizenship, and, two, because of Ted Cruz's dual citizenship (Canada and the United States) and the fact
Liberal Reporter Proves High Priced College Education Makes People Ignorant
I've never understood why parents spend nearly $100,000 to send their children to high-priced universities. The best and brightest of these graduates have screwed up our nation, and yet there are tens of millions of Americans who believe that graduates from these over-priced and under-delivering schools will somehow save us.
Ted Cruz Gets Big Negative Endorsements from Gov. Jerry Brown and Planned Parenthood
California Gov. Jerry Brown and Planned Parenthood endorsed Ted Cruz for President by opposing him. Sen. Cruz should wear the opposition endorsements as badges as honor. He should speak of these negative endorsements every chance he gets. Instead of dancing around issues like so many Republicans do, Ted Cruz should
John McCain Using Obama Donors to Purge Arizona Tea Party
John McCain has got to go. He's up for reelection in 2016. The Tea Party needs to begin the process of ridding this political pariah from office. He's a menace to good government and constitutional fidelity. McCain's latest deed of political maleficence is working behind the scenes to lead a
Is It Time to Abandon the Republican Party?
We're hearing about third parties again. Mark Levin has said that "he's one inch away from leaving" the Republican Party. Matt Barber has written "I Am No Longer a Republican." In the second paragraph of his article (you can read it here on Godfather Politics), he writes: "Even before the
Sen. Ted Cruz Questions IRS over Breitbart News Audit
The IRS continues to go after conservative organizations. The IRS knows that it will be protected by the Obama administration. With "lost" emails, cover-ups, and collusion with Eric Holder's Department of Justice and with no criminal action coming from Congress, the IRS feels emboldened to continue its lawless actions against
We are Being Manipulated by the Redefinition of Everything
It's hard to believe how much things have changed in less than 20 years. There are several reasons for this. First, many conservatives have dropped out of the fight. It's not hard to understand why. Our two-party system does not give us many options. While there are differences between the
Racist Conservatives Pick Ted Cruz and Ben Carson in Presidential Straw Poll
Conservatives prove once again that they're racists. Look what they just did, positive proof that Republicans and conservatives are at heart racially motivated in their political decisions. No doubt the Democrats will pull the ubiquitous race card again by making up some story about why the poll results turned out
Why Wall Street Republicans Will Support Hillary Clinton in 2016
Everybody loves free stuff! So it's no wonder that the Wall Street Republicans love Obama and will love Hillary in 2016. Quantitative Easing has artificially boosted profits on Wall Street. Billions have been made with funny money, and it's all happened with a Democrat in the White House. Barack Obama
"Anti-Crist" Ted Cruz Takes on Political Establishment in Gridiron Event Speech
No, that's not a misspelling. "Anti-Crist" is Ted Cruz's description of himself. Brilliant. He called himself the "Anti-Crist" at the annual Gridiron Club event. Politico's Mike Allen said that Ted Cruz, "crushed his speech – even Dems said he knocked it out of the park." We need more "anti-Crists" like Ted Cruz


You'll need to obtain several pieces of information before you leave the scene. Exchange names, addresses, phone numbers, driver's license numbers, tag numbers, and insurance information with all drivers involved.
Be sure to get the names and addresses of any witnesses, if applicable, and full descriptions of all vehicles.


text:
Alarm Bell for Third-World Democracies
By John A. Peeler . John A. Peeler, professor of political science at Bucknell University, is author of "Latin American Democracies: Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela."
THE recent abortive coup in Venezuela highlights a critical challenge for world economic policy, if the recent resurgence of democracy in the world is to be durable. Not only in Latin America, but in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, nascent democracies have had to endure the excruciating strains of conventional austerity policies, usually under the direction of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The misery caused by those policies is a major contributor to political instability. But this i s defended as necessary to the long-run economic health of the countries involved.
There are kernels of truth in this claim. Populism, a policy of redistribution of resources in favor of the poor majority without adequate regard for the conditions for expanding production, has failed repeatedly in Latin America, bringing hyperinflation and stagnation. Stalinist central planning sought to direct the national economy from the center. But its collapse in the former communist states has been even more complete than the failure of populism in Latin America. What is left is a world in which mainstream capitalist economic policy seems the only game in town.
But this triumphal economics has its own myths that have pernicious effects. The most pervasive is the myth of "the long run" - the idea that a market unfettered by political interference will, "in the long run," work to the benefit of all. It is assumed that those who suffer from competition will catch up in the long run. But there is no way to confirm or deny this since the long run never seems to come.
A second myth is that economics is a "science." Few economists believe this. But there is still a priestly aura about consultations with economists. In today's complicated and rapidly changing world economy, economics is not a science with known, immutable laws; it is an arena for debate about choices.
A related myth is that the best economic policy is one not contaminated by politics. If economics were a science with immutable laws, it would be best to let those who understand those laws carry them out - minus ignorant politicians and citizens. This is the basic assumption of the IMF in the third world - that its economists know best what is good for a country and that any political interference with the economic prescription is harmful.
In reality IMF prescriptions, like other economic policies, are inherently political. They represent choices about the distribution of resources. To minimize barriers to trade and government intervention is just as political as the idea of central planning.
The free-trade, free-market, pro-privatization policies of the IMF are politically dominant in today's world. Third-world governments have no realistic choice but to adopt such policies, because not only the IMF, but the World Bank and the governments of the major economic powers demand them as signs of creditworthiness. Yet the short-term result is an impoverishment of third-world populations.
It is difficult for a democratic regime to sustain a massive deterioration in its standard of living. If people really have power over their government, as they should in a democracy, they won't sit back and take it. The warning signals were evident in Venezuela for two years, since the newly inaugurated Perez government adopted the IMF policy. Riots and repression are daily occurrences. The attempted coup itself was popular in the poor barrios because it seemed to offer a way out of an untenable situati on.
Yes, in the present international environment, President Carlos Andres Perez adopted the only response that has international support - a free-trade, free-market policy coupled with political repression of the majority. The only conceivable political justification for a democratic government acting that way would be that it is really acting in the interests of the majority. But again, that is a myth. There is no assurance that they will be better off in the long run.
Populism and revolution are alternatives to this economic crisis. But they are unviable without international economic support. If the Venezuelan plotters had come to power, they would have come to grief. They planned a nationalist, populist program, rejecting the IMF model and channeling resources to the poor, in order to cement a political base. In the context of the current international power structure, such a strategy would be doomed to isolation and failure. Similarly, a true social revolution that
sought to eliminate capitalism entirely would be strangled. No one would support it. Witness the fate of the moderate Nicaraguan revolution.
Third-world democracies cannot escape this dilemma on their own. They can only be released by a change in the conventional, global economic wisdom - mainly the economic policymakers and elites in New York, Washington, Zurich, Frankfurt, and Tokyo. There must be a recognition that if the economic risks of populism and social revolution are to be avoided, the world's economic leaders must make a political choice to promote the redistribution of resources in favor of the poor.
The Great Divergence
What America's flawed democracy could learn from China's one-party rule
Why don't politicians listen to public opinion on the economy?


text:
Q: How to prepend and merge txt files in python? I am trying to merge and prepend a new line to each txt file using Python. So the goal is to merge all 200 text files into one text file and a new line TEXT, to all 200 files as the first line of data for the text file. Should I prepend and then merge to make life easier?
I tried merging and prepending a new line to the existing txt file but when I open the result file, it deltes all the content in the file and adds a new line TEXT,. Anyway I can fix this?
import glob

read_files = glob.glob("*.txt")

with open("result.txt", "wb") as outfile:
    for f in read_files:

        with open(f, "r") as infile:
            outfile.write(infile.read())

            with open(f,"w+") as infile:
                infile.write("TEXT,"+infile.read())
                with open(f,"r+") as infile:
                    b=infile.read()
                    print b

Actual Result:
 TEXT,
Desired Result
 TEXT,
 ……………(JUST RANDOM DATA)

A: This should do what you want...or be pretty darn close...
import fileinput
import glob

# Creating a list of filenames
filenames = glob.glob("C:\\your_path_here\\*.txt")

# Open file3 in write mode
with open('consolidated.txt', 'a') as outfile:

    # Iterate through list
    for names in filenames:

        # Open each file in read mode
        with open(names) as infile:

            # read the data from file
            outfile.write(infile.read())
            outfile.write('\n\n' + 'TEXT' + '\n\n')

Final Results in Text File:
FName,LName,Address
Jim,Bentz,34 Holloway La.
George,Hororitz,76 Ridge Dr.
Eric,Schimtz,11 Main St.

TEXT

FName,LName,Address
Jim,Bentz,34 Holloway La.
George,Hororitz,76 Ridge Dr.
Eric,Schimtz,11 Main St.

TEXT

FName,LName,Address
Jim,Bentz,34 Holloway La.
George,Hororitz,76 Ridge Dr.
Eric,Schimtz,11 Main St.

TEXT

FName,LName,Address
Jim,Bentz,34 Holloway La.
George,Hororitz,76 Ridge Dr.
Eric,Schimtz,11 Main St.

TEXT

FName,LName,Address
Jim,Bentz,34 Holloway La.
George,Hororitz,76 Ridge Dr.
Eric,Schimtz,11 Main St.

TEXT

There are a few things to be aware of with these kinds of things.
The first step in writing to a file is create the file object by using the built-in Python command "open".
To create and write to a new file, use open with "w" option. The "w" option will delete any previous existing data in the file and write (new contents) to the file.  The "a" option will append to a file, rather than write (and overwrite) to a file.  The "r" option is used to read a file.  See the link below for more info.
https://www.tutorialsteacher.com/python/python-read-write-file

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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