Sally J Morgan was born in Wales and grew up in Yorkshire and Swansea before studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. She moved to Wellington 20 years ago to work at Massey University’s School of Art and became a New Zealand citizen as soon as it was cleared. His novel, Toto Among the Murderers, set in the north of England in the 1970s, was long shortlisted for the Jan Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in 2021, and this year he won the British Portico Prize for Literature. .

Which writer do you turn to when you have writer’s block?

I often read poetry when I have writer’s block, I’m just trying to relax. Charles Simic is a favorite. I also watch paintings and films. They give me images to work from, and films in particular have a narrative structure – these things help me think about how I might develop new scenes in my writing. I particularly admire the Coen brothers and Wes Anderson.​​

What book had such an impact on you that you bought it for your friends?

by Elizabeth Smart The Assumption of Rascals and Rascals​. She is best known for Near Grand Central Station I sat and criedbut this one was written much later in his life and is grittier but so beautifully written.

When it comes to a memorable book, which is more important, a great plot or great characters? What examples can you give of the latter?

I love both of these things, but more than either; I like the quality of the writing. Books that fall between poetry and prose have always been my favorites. Carson McCullers The Ballad of the Sad Café (In fact, everything Carson McCullers) achieves everything I want from a book – great plot and characters, and amazing qualities in the language.

READ MORE:
* How I write: Dan Salmon finds that poetry opens him up to language
* 10 exhibitions not to miss in Canterbury in February
* Wellington author Sally J. Morgan wins Portico Award
* How I Write: Sally Duxfield

What books made you cry?

Alone in Berlin by German author Hans Fallada had a profound effect on me. It is a moving study of futility and despair in Nazi Germany. Its characters are complex and flawed, and the choices they have to make are devastating.

What book do you come back to over and over again to re-read?

i must have read Gormenghast​ by Mervyn Peake​ about 10 times – maybe more. It’s such a rich world to get lost in. I spent my late teens identifying with the teenage character, Fuschia, who spends a lot of time sulking in the attic.

Which authors would you like in your book club?

Carson McCullers,​ Sylvia Plath,​ Dylan Thomas,​ Jean Genet,​ ​​​​and Jeanette Winterson​. Can you imagine the arguments? I would probably put everything in place and then go look outside through the window.

Can you share a great piece of writing advice you’ve received?

When I was 19, British poetry critic Al Alvarez, told me to avoid being too lush in my images and to keep things understated and simple. He’s always on my mind as I try to find the right balance in my prose.

What advice do you give to writers just starting out?

Don’t try to impress – find what’s true and write about it in your own voice.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis’ willingness to work despite knee pain that has made walking nearly impossible shows other older adults they have wisdom and experience to offer younger generations, said a Vatican cardinal on Tuesday.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell offered the evaluation presenting Francis’ message for the World Day of Grandparents and Older Persons. In the message released on Tuesday, the 85-year-old pope urged older people to view old age as a blessing.

Francis is struggling to cope with strained ligaments in his right knee which have severely limited his mobility. Last week he was seen in public for the first time in a wheelchair. He recently said he couldn’t walk and had to rest his knee on doctors’ orders.

Farrell, 74, head of the Vatican’s lay office and trusted papal adviser, said Francis’s willingness to recognize and display his limitations while continuing to hold audiences could encourage others to continue contributing as that they are getting old.

“We must not hide the fact that with age comes a decrease in our ability to play an active role in the life of the world today,” the Irish-born American cardinal said. “He sends the message to all of us that we all need to keep going. We may have limits in old age, but we carry on and do our best.

In addition to heading the lay office, Farrell serves as a camerlengo, the pope-appointed official who leads the Vatican when a pope dies or retires until a conclave elects a new pontiff.

Francis’ mobility issues have raised questions about his ability to handle upcoming travel. He is due to travel to Congo and South Sudan in early July and to Canada later that month.

The Lebanese government confirmed this week that a papal visit scheduled for next month has been postponed due to Francis’ health.

Francis instituted the day honoring the elderly to convey his belief that younger generations should value the elderly as a resource and not treat them as part of modern “throwaway culture”.

The story continues

In his message, the pope noted that old age is a period of life that is not understood even “by those of us who are already living it.”

“Even though it eventually comes with time, no one prepares us for old age, and sometimes it seems to take us by surprise,” he wrote.

But Francis urged all of his contemporaries to accept their advanced age as a gift and not lament the diminishing strength or sense of purpose.

“In addition to old age and white hair, God continues to give us the gift of life and to keep us from being overcome by evil,” he said. “Getting old is not a condemnation, but a blessing!”

Francis concluded the message by noting that the war in Ukraine has brought another conflict to Europe as the generation that lived through World War II is dying out.

He prayed that all older people would be transformed into “craftsmen of the revolution of tenderness, so that together we can liberate the world from the specter of loneliness and the demon of war”.

After playing with other bands, brother duo Jerald Angelo and Tita Halaman finally decided to make music their own way with No Lore. It all starts with a painting by Tita Halaman, followed by her accompanying piece of poetry, which the duo later turns into aural bliss.

Tita Halaman (a visual artist whose works have been exhibited at Galerie Roberto and at the Salcedo auction) is known for her paintings with characters with dark, melancholy and chaotic faces, but also expressions of faith – and poetry – poems dramatic yet inspiring. Jerald, meanwhile, brings his experience as a brand specialist and multimedia artist. He has also worked with international musicians in Dubai through Dubai Opera, where he honed his skills in marketing, social media and motion graphics. With musical influences such as Oh Wonder, Of ​​Monsters and Men, The xx and all songs focused on male-female vocal harmony, it was obvious for the duo to make alt-pop the sound to match. to their view.

Listening to a Nore Lore song isn’t complete without admiring the painting each song is based on – much like walking through an art gallery or exhibit with headphones on. Their music videos are moving image extensions of the music and paintings – a visual representation of the fantasy and emotion in every song.

Their creative process progresses from the visual to the aural: Tita Halaman first creates a painting, then writes a free verse poem that accompanies it and turns it into verse with added words that will fit the alt-pop mold. “After that, I will try to invent melodies”, explains Tita Halaman. “And I’m going to record it – even the guitars – and then I’m going to send it to [Angelo].” Songwriting then proceeds from there – from recording to figuring out harmonies and post-production – and being a sibling duo makes the process easier because there’s no sugar coating. involved.

The siblings are no strangers to music, with Tita Halaman playing drums for multi-genre bands like Dissonance and The Soledads and Angelo playing bass for Green Apple Productions. But No Lore presented them with a new challenge.

“We sing! We both sing here, which is kind of weird for us,” says Tita Halaman, as they explained the differences between experiences with their bands and No Lore. The siblings also explore a host of skills that make up the DIY music-making experience, such as producing and using keyboards.

Being a duo helps communicate song ideas. “’Yung against, siguro, it’s dalawa lang kami. Kami lahat, like, ‘yung drums, keyboards, synths, beats,’” Angelo explained. They also don’t have the luxury of getting feedback from band members, with feedback coming mostly from musician friends and family members. It also means sessionists playing with them at live events – something they’re still figuring out.

No Lore signed with Manila-based label Off The Record in 2021, a move they say has helped them be heard by a wider audience. “It will help us focus more on the music,” the siblings said in unison. Being with the label also gave them the opportunity to work with Ang Bandang Shirley’s Ean Aguila for their latest release, the Filipino song “Paumanhin”.

Aguila was not only a friend and someone whom Tita Halaman looked up to, but also a helpful guide who provided extensive commentary on the song’s arrangement. Her experience with Ang Bandang Shirley also helped guide the band in creating the male and female vocal harmonies and even lent her talents by adding guitar and bass parts to the song.

“We learned a lot comparing our initial work with the improved na sine-send ni Ean sa amin versions,” Angelo said. Aguila’s input – added parts and variations – gave the duo some ideas on what they can do for their future songs.

“Paumanhin” is about how a person can be bound by their ideas of loyalty and love, but can be interpreted in different ways. At first glance, the song could be seen as a love song for people who can’t move on. On a deeper level, this song may be an interpretation of the current political climate.

“I actually composed ‘Paumanhin’ by reading online bardagulans or online debates,” admits Tita Halaman, explaining how people can be blind supporters of their chosen candidates. For example, they sing the lyrics “mga pangako di mo kayang tuparin,” talking about a significant other’s broken promises or a politician’s platform that didn’t come to fruition. In another instance, the duo sings “at ulit ulit kong ibabalik sa simula,” which can mean reminiscing about a better past or controlling a politician by reminding him why people voted for him. No Lore wanted to make art that captures the relevance of a historical moment and something that will serve as a reminder for future generations and elections.

The release of their first Filipino song was already in the works as a way for Tita Halaman to work on her weakness in language use. As the songwriter of the duo, she always struggled to write in Filipino. “Feeling ko ang corny ko,” she joked. Writing in Filipino was her way of getting out of her comfort zone. The approach to writing “Paumanhin” was also different for siblings. While Tita would already have the guitar parts for one song, this one was written together – with Tita providing the melody and Angelo doing the melodies on the piano with lyrics also written at the same time.

After releasing a string of singles, No Lore is gearing up to release an album titled “Never Not Moving” as well as release a book that will feature all of Tita Halaman’s paintings and poems. They plan to release more songs, with each song having a painting that will also serve as cover art.

Listen to “Paumanhin” here.

• New African American Creation Presents the convenience of an electrified lifestyle

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, California, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hyundai Motor America and its signature African-American marketing agency, Culture Brands, have launched a new campaign for the award-winning all-electric 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5. Building on the theme of OKAY Hyundai, the campaign, titled “Leading by Example”, showcases the convenience of an electrified lifestyle.

“We wanted an IONIQ 5 spot that exemplifies a limitless lifestyle,” said Angela Zepeda, CMO, Hyundai Motor America. “This latest creation shows how the IONIQ 5’s advanced features and technology make family fun possible without any emissions.”

The OKAY Hyundai marketing theme was first launched last fall and is designed to strengthen the connection between Hyundai and the African American community through the integration of cultural references and nuances into the creative message. “Leading by Example” brings the same approach to demonstrating an electrified lifestyle.

“Leading By Example” tells the story of Uncle Miles as he picks up his nephew Blake from school for a lads night. The IONIQ 5 is the hero of the trip, impressing all of Blake’s friends at school. Showcasing the super-fast charging capabilities of the IONIQ 5 and innovative Vehicle-to-Charge (V2L) charging technology, the two set off to pick up snacks as the vehicle charges from 10-80% in 18 minutes, before culminating in the vehicle powering an outdoor video game night.

The IONIQ 5 campaign was developed by Culture Brands under the direction of Eunique Jones Gibson, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Culture Brands. For the spot, Culture Brands hired the director Jenn Shaw and tinygiant, a female-owned and certified production company. The character of Blake is played by Marvin Winans IIIpastor’s grandson and gospel legend Marvin Winans.

“We continue to push for representation and dynamics that showcase the African-American lifestyle and relationships that are not highlighted in the media,” Gibson said. “The IONIQ 5 is an award-winning vehicle with sustainable and eco-friendly innovations. Thanks to Uncle Miles and Blake, we are reminded that there is hope for the future when we lead by example .”

The IONIQ 5 campaign, which includes video, radio, digital and influencer executions, will use a variety of media platforms to amplify messages and vehicle features such as range, comfort, spacious interior, styling and technology. There are 15, 30 and 60 second versions of the spot available for broadcast and digital channels.

Cultural marks
Culture Brands is an independent, minority-owned, women-owned agency that exists to celebrate, reflect, and authentically represent African Americans in media. Founded in 2017 by a 15-year advertising veteran Eunical Jones Gibson, we create culturally relevant and affirming campaigns and content that inspires African American audiences by ensuring they feel seen, heard and valued. At Culture Brands, we are constantly engaged in a two-way conversation with the African American community through our owned-and-operated media platforms and consumer brands such as award-winning brands Because of Them We Can®, Because of Them We Can Box (Just For Kids), #CultureTags® and Dream Village®. Culture Brands is headquartered just outside the nation’s capital at HyattsvilleMD. www.culturebrands.co

Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai Motor America is focused on “Progress for Humanity” and intelligent mobility solutions. Hyundai offers American consumers a range of technology-rich cars, SUV, and electrified vehicles. Our 820 dealerships sold more than 620,000 vehicles in the United States in 2020, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.

Please visit our media website at www.HyundaiNews.com

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SOURCEHyundai Motor America

Catherine Fisher, from Freeport, explores many themes in her poetry, but she often returns to one central question: how do we shape ourselves and the world around us?

Now working out of her studio at Fort Andross Mill in Brunswick, Fisher has found a new way to bring her poetry to life: through sustainable and ethical fashion.

Catherine Fisher Clothing, which launched last October, sells a range of Maine-made blouses, pants and jackets, each based on a piece of the founder’s written work.

“The poem comes first,” Fisher said. “The garment simply materializes, as it is like the physical embodiment of the poem.”

For example, “Latchkey”, a poem comparing forgotten parts of the soul to an abandoned house, inspired a reversible hemp and cotton jacket, with mattress ticking, corozo nut buttons and a hidden pocket with a hand painted house pattern. Two dark silhouettes on the back of a linen blouse represent the intimate themes of Fisher’s poem, “Half-Light.”

A former acupressor, baker and biographer, Fisher turned to poetry in 2016 while pursuing studies at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

“I turned 50 and got into it,” said Fisher, who came to Maine in 1994. “Doing this really helped me show off in a way that I didn’t not.

In 2018, she imagined an eye-catching line of clothing decorated with verses from her poems. Yet she quickly decided that a less literal translation would give each customer more freedom to interpret the garments.

“The most important element of all of this is the energy of the wearer,” said Fisher, who spent three and a half years building his company ahead of the October launch. “The wearer is the completion of the poem and the garment.”

Fisher is a believer in “slow fashion,” a philosophy that favors buying a few durable, high-quality pieces over lots of cheap items that will wear out quickly. She said her clothes, sewn by Golden Thread Designs in Scarborough, are eco-friendly and ethically sourced.

This dedication to sustainable practices doesn’t come cheap: pieces in the current collection range from $310 to nearly $500. Still, according to Fisher, who donates 10% of every sale to local and national charities related to the apparel theme, customers can appreciate knowing they’re not harming the environment or profiting from underground workers. -paid.

“It would be just plain awful to put on an item of clothing that you know was made by someone who was underpaid, made in poor condition, underaged – or made of materials that would never degrade,” Fisher said. “Because it’s such an artistic impulse, I want to be sure it’s definitely not part of the problem, but part of the solution.”

Falmouth entertainer and longtime Fisher friend Bessie Moulton admits the company’s high-end clothing isn’t for everyone. But for those, like Fisher, who are always on the lookout for new forms of self-expression, poetry-inspired clothing can be worth every penny.

“Clothes just don’t have to cover your whole body,” Moulton said. “It’s for self-expression. It’s like the art of carrying.

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Jacob Williamson grows, manufactures and sells hemp-based CBD products through his family’s Hens and Hemp farm. He went through the licensing process to be a hemp farmer when it became legal in 2019, but now he’s quitting the industry.

“We can’t keep up with the multi-million dollar cannabis industry coming to the state,” Williamson said. “So we’re just going to stop because it’s too much.”

Williamson represents a group of entrepreneurs concerned about the future of the commercial hemp industry in Virginia, due to what they say is the risk and increased regulation of the sale of these products.

Changes to the definition of industrial hemp
Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, introduced Senate Bill 591 which originally focused on banning cannabis products that can be easily mistaken for everyday candy bars, and which have the form of a “human, animal, vehicle or fruit”.

“It would restrict the use of products that are appealing to children through gummies,” Hanger told the committee.

The Virginia General Assembly has authorized farmers to grow industrial hemp starting in 2019.

Lawmakers passed an amended version of Hanger’s bill, which redefines marijuana as any cannabis product containing more than 0.3% THC or 0.25 milligrams of THC per serving. This includes some non-intoxicating CBD products. The bill, however, excludes industrial hemp that is owned by a person or company that holds a hemp grower’s license from the United States Department of Agriculture, as long as the THC level remains below 0.3%.

It is currently legal to possess, but not sell, marijuana in the state of Virginia.

The 0.3% THC threshold comes from the 2018 Federal Farm Bill. Anything above 0.3% THC is still federally defined as marijuana. In 2018, most marijuana used recreationally contained more than 15% THC, according to the National Institute for Drug Abuse.

Hemp advocates are upset because they say the bill will limit sales of products ranging from edibles to salves.

Hanger told a Roanoke Times reporter recently said lawmakers “kinda stirred up a wasp’s nest,” but there’s still time to work on the bill before the legislature resumes in late April.

Legal loophole “Delta-8”
Lawmakers want to crack down on the sale of Delta-8-THC, which has a similar chemical structure to the main psychoactive compound, or Delta-9, found in marijuana that gets users high. Delta-8 typically comes from hemp-derived CBD, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Many Delta-8, low-THC products are made in a lab because additional chemicals are needed to increase the amount of THC, according to the industry website Cannabis Tech.

The products thrill people but still fall into a legal loophole. And a few adverse reactions to Delta-8 products have been reported to the FDA.

“I recognize that there are plenty of legitimate companies with legitimate products that shouldn’t be driven out of the market,” Hanger said. “But I think the larger issue right now is public safety.”

The American Hemp Roundtable, a national hemp grower advocacy group, said in a press release that it supports the regulations for public safety, but the new regulations are too broad.

“SB591 advocates have provided no scientific basis or public safety rationale for these arbitrary restrictions,” the group said.

The Virginia Hemp Coalition is an industrial hemp advocacy and education group whose goal is to create new agricultural and manufacturing opportunities for hemp growers. The group has been involved in campaigns to change SB 591 and shared a petition that garnered nearly 4,000 signatures. The group also wants Congress to expand the THC threshold to 1% in the next Farm Bill.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issues hemp licenses and tests hemp plants for THC levels. THC levels increase as CBD levels increase in the cannabis plant. Growers run the risk of getting higher THC levels in their cannabis plants in order to get more CBD.

Henry Watkins, chief of staff to Sen. Adam Ebbins, D-Alexandria, said hemp growers could see a bit more regulatory oversight, more testing and enforcement.

“I think people who say it wasn’t applied before are actually saying ‘no one applied it to me before,'” Watkins said.

Crush the nascent market
Since 2019, many stores across Virginia have started selling a variety of CBD and low-THC products for various reasons and ailments.

People who want to buy THC marijuana in large quantities can easily find it, despite the risk of lawsuits. Some sellers offer delivery options and showcase product menus on social media.

Many people began operating in these spaces when possession of marijuana was decriminalized and in anticipation of the legal recreational market that many thought would be lit for 2024.

Both sides generally agreed that a legal recreational marijuana market would generate substantial tax revenue for Virginians, but the session ended without lawmakers adopting a framework for sales.

The bill passed in 2021 was due to be re-enacted in the 2022 session, but a House committee pursued the bill through the next session next year, removing the reenactment clause and likely the January 2024 start date for recreational sales. The only way to obtain marijuana legally is if it is grown or gifted, or if a person has a state-issued medical marijuana card.

Jay Rooks is co-owner of the N-fused cannabis shop in Richmond. The storefront sells everything from CBD gummies to THC flowers, the smokable parts of the plant. Rooks is part of what cannabis advocates call Virginia’s legacy market, or a group of sellers who have previously been incarcerated for selling marijuana.

“We’ve tried to stop people who have been deprived from moving forward with something that’s medically good for people,” Rooks said.

Rooks said he wasn’t afraid of the legal repercussions for his store, as he felt the gray area between decriminalizing marijuana and establishing the legal market would protect him.

“You can’t walk around scared,” he said. “If that happens, I know I can handle the repercussions.”

Rooks also said he was reassured that Senate Pro Tempore Speaker Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, co-owns a store in Norfolk that sells legal CBD products. Some products sold at the store exceeded the allowed THC threshold, according to a report published by Virginia Mercury. The dispensary could be affected by Hanger’s legislation.

Lucas, who co-sponsored 2021 legislation that decriminalizes simple possession of marijuana, voted for Hanger’s original bill but not the final amendment. She did not respond to repeated phone and email requests for comment on the bill.

Michael J. Massie, attorney and board member of the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, said there is no gray area for the sale of marijuana products.

“There is no provision that allows the legal sale of marijuana at this point,” he said. “You kind of put yourself in a very precarious position where you could be sued.”

David Treccariche sells lab-tested CBD products at his boutique Skooma dispensary in Charlottesville. Hanger’s bill was an “absolute death nail in the coffin” for the industry, he said.

Treccariche said he expects small business owners to be more involved in shaping cannabis policy.

“They are [Republicans] theoretically small business friendly, limited government, limited oversight, limited regulation,” Treccariche said. “He’s a Republican, he should make small business better.

Why would he shut me down?

Treccariche and Rooks say their stores have QR codes for consumer protection, with nutritional information and THC concentrations for their products.

“You can check them down to the calories,” Rooks said.

Marijuana lawyer Dylan Bishop, lobbyist for the Cannabis Business Association of Virginia, argued during a committee hearing that having a legal market allows consumers to verify the authenticity of a product.

The association does not believe that limiting the definition of hemp or cracking down on low THC levels in CBD products is the best solution. Instead, they suggested strict testing and labeling requirements that inform the consumer of any potential psychoactive effects.

The General Assembly will hold its resumed session on April 27. Hanger said he is open to suggestions for changes to his bill.

“Let’s regulate some things for safety,” Williamson said. “I can see that. However, they probably didn’t realize how much a small law could change for a bunch of farms.

By Josephine Walker
Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a program of the Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

A viral video supposedly telling the poignant tale of a little girl named “Alice”, who went missing for seven months before authorities found her in a strange log pile, has been circulating on social media since June 2021. One version posted on the Unknown Facts Facebook page has racked up over 2 million views:

This video does not tell a true story. It is a work of fiction illustrated with a series of unrelated photos.

The story appears to originate from the Creepy-World.com website in an article published in April 2021. A few months later, a video with the same title – “Girl Vanishes, 7 Months Later Hiker Tells Cops To Look Closer At Log Pile” – was shared on the Creepy World YouTube page.

One indication that this video is a work of fiction is that it is unnecessarily light on the details. For example, the law enforcement agency in this story is simply identified as “local police.” The story does not provide any details of where or when this happened, nor does it link to any reports of this girl’s alleged disappearance.

The great giveaway that this video is a work of fiction, however, is that the photos included are from a variety of independent sources, none of which has anything to do with a girl who was found in a log pile.

The photograph of this girl’s missing bicycle, for example, is from an April 2021 report on a damaged bicycle that was found by the side of the road in Lagrange, Indiana; and the photo of “Riverside,” the fictional town where this fabricated story is centered, actually shows a photo of Perrysburg, Ohio. The image of “hikers in search” comes from a 2017 story about a missing person in the Great Smoky Mountains. The image of a reporter talking about a “missing 11-year-old girl” is also real, but it has nothing to do with the video posted above. This comes from a 2017 news segment about 11-year-old Jenna Irmler, who disappeared after running away from her home. Irmler then returned home and was not found in a pile of logs.

The big reveal of this fictional story is that the girl was found inside a small cabin that had been disguised as a pile of logs. The photos in this article show two different ‘log pile’ cabins, but neither was the location where a missing girl was found.

The first set of photographs actually shows a wooden chapel in Germany designed by John Pawson, an architect. Pawson described this building on architecture website Archdaily.com in 2019:

When John Pawson was commissioned by the Siegfried and Elfriede Denzel Foundation to design a roadside chapel for a site in southwest Germany, he followed a long tradition of erecting chapels in as spiritual and architectural elements of the landscape. The Sieben Kapellen ou Sept Chapelles project aims to offer cyclists a series of places to take shelter, but also to stop and think. A file common to all seven chapels stipulated a wooden construction, with a cross nearby and seats.

On his first visit to the site, Pawson quickly formed the intention that people would experience the chapel as an object found at the point of transition between the forest and the open land, rather than a work of conventional architecture. The structure is thus framed as the simplest of gestures. From some points of view, its mass appears like a pile of logs stacked up to dry; others, the thoughtful placement of elements on a concrete plinth creates a more formal impression of a piece of sculpture.

Here is a video which presents some images (many of which are included in the fictional story) of this chapel “pile of logs”:

The other set shows a log cabin designed by architect Piet Hein Eek for Dutch musician Hans Liberg. This unique house, located in the Netherlands, can be seen in the video below:

In short, this viral video brings together a series of unrelated images that were taken in a wide variety of locations over a span of several years to create a fictional tale of a missing girl who was found in a log pile. .

Sources:

scary world. “## Girl goes missing, 7 months later a hiker tells the cops to take a closer look at the pile of logs.” CreepyWorld, http://www.creepy-world.com/2021/04/girl-vanishes-7-months-later-hiker.html. Accessed December 8, 2021.

“Brandon’s missing 11-year-old girl has been found alive.” WFTS, February 15, 2017, https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/11-year-old-girl-with-aspergers-syndrome-reported-missing-in-hillsborough-county.

“Police are looking for the owner of a mutilated bicycle found on the side of the road.” ABC57, https://www.abc57.com/news/damaged-bicycle-found-on-monday-with-no-bicyclist. Accessed December 8, 2021.

“It looks like a pile of logs, but inside is a musician’s secret lair. Tiny House for Us, July 9, 2015, https://tinyhousefor.us/alternative-dwellings/it-looks-like-a-pile-of-logs-but-inside-its-a-musicians-secret-lair/ .

“Wooden Chapel / John Pawson.” ArchDaily, March 14, 2019, https://www.archdaily.com/913153/wooden-chapel-john-pawson.

This Frani Halperin story was shared by the Colorado News Collaborative.

For decades, television and film westerns have depicted cowboys leading cattle through sagebrush country – territory portrayed as inhospitable and dotted with low-growing gray-green shrubs as far as the eye can see. Even today, a drive on a highway in the West makes it seem like it’s endless, monotonous terrain with little value – you know, “flyover country.”

But Gina Clingerman will not tolerate anyone who calls sagebrush habitat wasteland. “It’s a national treasure that people don’t realize is here.” Gina is the Project Manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Abandoned Mining Land Program in Wyoming. I walk with her on a very windy day through the hills of the southern state, about 100 miles north of the Colorado-Wyoming border, where a wildfire burned down over 14,000 acres of land last year. sagebrush steppe. , a landscape that she says is in danger.

Mugwort habitats are “being destroyed bit by bit,” she says. The ecosystem, which is found in 13 states west of the Mississippi, is now fragmented by roads and urbanization and is sliced ​​up by extractive industries like oil, gas, and mining. “Five acres over there… two acres here… It starts to add up over time. “

According to current estimates, nearly half of sagebrush ecosystems, the largest type of interconnected habitat in America, have been lost due to human activities, including devastating fires, which are increasing with droughts and warming temperatures due to them. to climate change. As the native mugwort becomes extinct, invasive species like cheatgrass are only too happy to take hold. Brought in by European settlers in the 1800s, cheatgrass is highly flammable and puts large areas of sagebrush at risk for forest fires, which, when burned, make room for more cheating. It is a vicious circle that is playing out more and more in the West.

Making the Greater Sage-Grouse larger
Gina estimates that the mugwort lost in the fire zone that we pass through near the small town of Hanna was probably 100 to 150 years old. But now, she says, they’re “dead.” Gone forever. ”This is an irreplaceable loss to the American antelope, mule deer, elk and other wildlife that depend on this ecosystem. The“ Sage Sea, ”as it is called, is not only a vital part of the heritage and culture of the West, it is also home to over 350 species of wildlife, some of which do not live anywhere else on Earth, such as the sage grouse, a species key to sagebrush habitat.

The destruction of mugwort habitat is also a loss of an asset in the fight against climate change due to the large amounts of carbon that plants store. Mugwort, which can grow from two to 12 feet tall, has roots that extend nearly 13 feet below the surface. The Resilient and Connected Lands mapping platform developed by The Nature Conservancy shows that 77 percent of Wyoming’s carbon is found in non-forest systems – its rangelands and grasslands – and stores 1.1 billion metric tons. Once a sagebrush ecosystem is devastated, it can take up to a hundred years for it to fully return, along with its carbon sequestration capabilities.

The BLM wants to restore these habitats, in large part due to declining numbers of Greater Sage-Grouse, birds known for their spectacular courtship dances in spring and whose populations have declined by 80% over the past 50 years. The birds hide from predators under the branches of the plant and survive by eating its leaves in winter. Gina says that just spreading seeds on the ground doesn’t really work for establishing plants, although they have tried. And so today, on that fall morning, among blackened groves of dead sagebrush on this charred hill by fire, I see little yellow cages about 12 inches high, inside of which Gina and his colleagues hand-planted seedlings, one by one. Unlike other plants, mugwort can be planted in the fall to take advantage of snowfall for rooting. From seed to stalk, it’s arduous and long, but they got help from a surprising source: inmates in the Wyoming Corrections System.

The Mugwort project in prisons
Levi George is incarcerated at Wyoming Honor Farm, a minimum security prison in Riverton, Wyoming. Every day, starting last April, he and three other inmates made seedling education the focal point of their day. Through a program called the Sagebrush in Prisons Project, they were able to grow mugwort plants from seeds.

“We mixed the dirt and soil and made sure the pH levels are where they need to be. And then, we do the seedlings, then throughout the year, we water them and we fertilize them. Levi explains, adding, “Right now the plants are acclimating to the weather outside, so they’ll be winter-ready when they plant them.” ”

Levi says he never grew a plant from seed and found the experience therapeutic. “It’s nice to see something grow from nothing. He adds that working with plants also offered him a refuge. “In prison, like everywhere, not everyone will get along. So being able to be away from everyone and be with the plants, feed them and watch them grow, for me, that was very calming.

The plants that the inmates grew in six months, which go into the burn area, are now about three inches in height. If they had been grown from seed in nature, it would have taken five years to reach the same height. In addition, seeds scattered on the ground have a survival rate of less than three percent compared to the 40 to 70 percent viability of seedlings. The idea of ​​the prison program is to give the mugwort restoration a boost and give inmates a fresh start.

The Sagebrush in Prisons program was launched by the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) in 2014 and is inspired by a program at Evergreen State College in Washington which demonstrated the need for quality programming in prisons . IAE was also aware of the need for native plants to restore land following forest fires. So they discussed with their BLM partners to find a way to bring the two concepts together, and the Sagebrush in Prisons project was born.

Stacy Moore, an environmental educator at the Institute, which deals with habitat restoration, research and environmental education, explains that the first prison they worked with was the Snake River Correctional Facility. in Ontario, Oregon. At first, prison officials were skeptical of devoting resources to growing a plant that most saw as “a weed that grows everywhere,” but its value to inmates soon became evident. . Staff told Stacy that not only were they convinced with the idea, but they also wanted to double production next year. “So that’s what we did, and the following year we went from one prison to five prisons. Then other prisons saw the benefits and raised their hands to get involved as well. The association now works with 11 prisons in Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and California.

Save natural habitats, save human lives
Stacy will be the first to say that if the only goal was to grow mugwort, the association could do it on its own. But the ability to benefit adults in custody far outweighed the constraints that working with prison populations presented, such as background checks, unplanned blockages and, most recently, restrictions related to COVID-19. “These inmates are going to be out in the community soon, they’re going to be your neighbors, they’re going to be the ones you stand in line at the grocery store. So we want to give them as many skills as possible before they are released.

The Institute brings in experts to each prison to teach inmates – and staff who also seem eager to learn – a range of topics related to mugwort ecosystems. At the end of the season, each participant receives a certificate that lists the skills they have acquired. Stacy says they believe the program enriches the lives of inmates – giving them education, horticultural skills, and helping them engage in prosocial behaviors.

The program is so popular with inmates that there are currently not enough places for anyone wishing to enroll. Perhaps this is because of the calming effect provided by the presence of mugwort. Stacy learns from prison officers that the program has helped reduce violence in the institutions after inmates worked with the factories. The inmates tell him they like the smell of mugwort (Artemisia tridentata) – which is not the same as culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) used in cooking. Some inmates say that feeding the seedlings lowered their blood pressure.

But the benefit can go beyond reducing tensions in a unit. Officers report that the program has helped inmates out of the chasm. One example is an Idaho inmate who was so depressed he didn’t want to come out. But after getting involved in the program, it not only boosted his morale, but he also became the core member of the team. Prison staff said the program “pulled him out of his shell and saved his life.”

The experience convinced Levi, who is due for release within days from Wyoming Honor Farm, to apply to work for the BLM. “I plan to continue working with them after I get released here and try to help other people who have been in my situation when they come out of it to have a starting point, as it is sometimes difficult for criminals to find a job.”

Studies show that programs like these reduce recidivism because inmates reenter society with tangible skills and feel valued. They also express how important it is to feel that they are giving back to the community. “It’s just knowing that you had a part of something that you bring to life that will hopefully support other life forms.” Levi said, trying to put into words what the program meant to him. “It’s a big problem.”

This is also a big problem for the newly planted mugwort. They will thrive with the help of the inmates, who nurtured the seedlings and, in the process, grew.

Frani Halperin is executive producer at H2O Radio.

We all need effective business planning to be successful. Unlike to-do lists, action plans focus on achieving a single goal. These are simply lists of all the tasks you will need to complete to achieve a goal. Action plans are useful for strategic planning because they give you a framework for thinking about how you are going to accomplish complex tasks.

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What is an action plan?

An action plan is a smart overview of activities that help you complete activities in a logical order, and it also helps you make sure you don’t miss any important milestones. With action plans, team members can easily see each task and quickly decide which tasks they can put on hold or prioritize. Action plans are essential to achieving your exact goals, as they will help keep you motivated and ensure that you are on track to achieve your goals on time.

Why your business needs an action plan

Planning actions has several benefits to help improve productivity and achieve goals. Some of the benefits that come with action plans include:

Help you monitor progress: action plans are great for tracking your progress. You have a start and end date with them and know how long a task will take to complete. Action plans can also help you make sure you’re on budget, save time, and determine adjustments to your time or resources.

Gather the team members: Action plans can bring team members together to achieve a common end goal. With it, you can delegate or prioritize tasks under a single vision and track tasks on time.

Inspire concentration: By creating a plan of action, you can help stay focused. Without a plan of action, you can engage in many activities without accomplishing anything to reach your goal. Your action plan helps ensure that your actions and decisions of your entire team are designed to achieve your specific goals.

Measure success: Since action plans prioritize tasks through a timeline, they are useful for measuring success. Because each task is presented as a stepping stone to a larger goal, it allows progress to be measured.

How to write a business action plan?

Action plans help you achieve your ultimate goal by identifying and scheduling a series of tasks that will help you achieve your goal. Here are five easy steps to writing an action plan.

1. Decide on a SMART goal

The key to having an effective action plan is to use SMART is a mnemonic acronym. Simply put, SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

Specific: you need to identify an ultimate goal, it will help you to set goals, focus and direct all your efforts towards an ultimate goal.

Measurable: you will need your yardstick to measure your performance on how well you achieved the goal.

Feasible: Your goal should be realistic within the time frame, budget, and effort that you invest.

Relevant: make sure the goal is very important to you. You will need to answer questions such as “Why are we doing this?” And “Why is this important to us?” “. This will clarify that the goal is aligned with the needs of your business.

Limited in time: everything has a start and an end as such, you need to have a specific start and deadline date for your action planning.

2. Create a timeline

Without a clear schedule, you risk languishing indefinitely in a series of tasks. You will need to assign a timeline and deadline for each task, this will help you monitor performance and identify obstacles that might need your attention to be rectified.

3. Complete the milestones

Your action plan includes a series of tasks that will need to be completed for your business goal to be successful. You must take each step of your action plan to successfully execute your action plan.

4. Monitor progress

Tracking progress will help you identify obstacles as well as skills. You should follow up against your action plan to make sure agreed actions are taking place, assess effectiveness, and decide what further actions, if any, are needed.

Example of a commercial action plan

A business action plan will help you explain how you are going to operate and manage your business. A simple example of a business action plan can be developed using this template:

Goal: How to run a successful bakery

Define tasks: define tasks in terms of items to be produced; develop a marketing strategy; determine prices; develop a financial plan.

Assign task owners: assign people to specific tasks.

Identify the resources needed: purchase equipment and supplies; determine staffing needs; budget.

Anticipate the obstacles to come: determine the competitive advantage over you; identify challenges for businesses.

Define the timeline: establish a timeline indicating when the activities should be completed.

Example of an emergency action plan

An emergency action plan helps deal with emergencies your business may face. Some examples of emergency response may include fires, hazardous material spills; natural disasters and others.

An example of a fire emergency response plan template should include:

Goal: Procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency.

Tasks: list the procedures for determining the type of escape and exit routes; use floor plans or workplace maps to clearly show emergency escape routes; procedures to be followed by remaining employees to operate critical plant operations prior to their evacuation, such as power supplies, water and other essential services; procedures for reporting all employees after the evacuation; identify employees performing rescue or medical duties.

Assign team members: Name or job title of the employee who can be contacted by employees who need more information about the plan or an explanation of their duties under the plan.

Example of a marketing action plan

A marketing action plan will help you develop and execute marketing strategies. With it, you can define your goals (increase sales, leverage the brand, run promotions, etc.), strategies, designate resources and other plans to track and measure the progress to execute your marketing campaign. .

Marketing action plans may differ in their goals, but standard items to have in your marketing action plan include:

Goal: To boost the sale of a product

Assign key performance indicators: these are metrics you can use to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing campaign and action plan.

Identify your target market: by identifying your target audience, you can frame your marketing messages according to the personality of your target.

Assign a deadline: This includes a major deadline as well as deadlines for key tasks throughout the project.

Identify the product: to sell your product, note the product in your marketing action plan.

Assign team members: Assign team members to a particular task.

Marketing budget: You will need to include a marketing budget for the successful execution of your marketing campaign.

Example of a project management action plan

A project management action plan can help you organize teams, track performance, and measure project execution. Think of a project as a collection of all the tasks involved in achieving a specific goal.

An example of a project management action plan:

Goal: Organization of events for the launch of a product

Assign tasks: assign the structure of the management team and staff for site preparation; marketing and promotion; media awareness; hire MCs and reserve talent; organize gift baskets; catering and decoration rental; send invitation cards etc.

Budget: Include all the resources and money necessary for the success of the project and prepare a cost estimate for each task and monitor the costs.

Assign team members: include workers who are part of the project.

Project risk: List and consider anything that could go wrong in your project. This will help you identify risks before embarking on a project, so that you can best prevent them.

Chronology: include the project timeline from the project start date to its end date.

Simple action plan template

You can use this simple action plan template for any situation:

Problem: (What challenges do you want to overcome)

Goal: (The ultimate goal you want to achieve to solve your problem)

Actions to be taken: Include the steps you plan to take to achieve your goals

Responsible: Assign staff members who will manage each step

Chronology: prepare a timeline for each step

Resources: include the resources you need to allocate for each step)

Potential obstacles: List the factors that can potentially hinder the completion of each step and how to avoid them)

Results: make a list of the desired results you want to see at each step

Image: Depositphotos

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