Project Lydia @ProjectLydiaNW Products Bring Joy!

Source: ProjectLydia.org

Robina Naigaga
Children: 9
Children in school: 5 (Ages 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22) Widow/co-wife: yes/yes

After the death of her husband, Robina Naigaga struggled to support herself and the nine children he left behind. Though her four oldest children have since then matured and now live on their own, Robina uses all of the money she earns in Project Lydia to feed her five remaining children, pay for their school fees, and buy basic necessities for their home. Robina hopes to someday save enough money to purchase iron sheets to repair her home.

Project Lydia @ProjectLydiaNW Products Bring Joy! http://t.co/IGJbRbXo7Q
— Boise Idaho News (@boisenews) October 16, 2013

Project Lydia Products Bring Joy
PROJECT LYDIA began in 2009 by missionaries, Cliff and Julie Pash and is an expansion of Advancing the Kingdom Ministries which serves Uganda, East Africa.

The project helps local widows and abandoned women overcome adversity and thrive in every area of their lives. PROJECT LYDIA teaches skills, provides a spiritual support system, and opens doors for the women to support their families. The women meet weekly to work on projects together which are sold around the world.

Projects include: recycled paper bead necklaces, baskets, and authentic Ugandan dolls with a story of a local woman of courage who also overcame adversity.

Many women lives have been transformed through PROJECT LYDIA as they gain resources to buy seed for their gardens, send their children to school, purchase medical care, and improve their housing.

PROJECT LYDIA addresses a critical need of many women around the world. Unfortunately, in developing countries many women are treated as possessions and children and wives are often left destitute and betrayed when the husband finds a new, younger wife. The Pash’s heart broke for the women and thus began PROJECT LYDIA.

Cliff and Julie Pash never had dreams of becoming missionaries or of going to Africa. The Pash’s owned a thriving business and enjoyed great success.

Life took quite a turn for the Pash’s and at the age of fifty, they answered a call God put in our hearts to serve in Uganda. The Pash’s gave away much of their earthly possessions and set out for a journey in East Africa to serve a network of Muslim villages with no electricity or running tap water.
The Pash’s were transformed as they saw the almighty God, creator of the universe at work, using them to change hearts and lives for His purposes. Thank you for being a part of PROJECT LYDIA.
Authentic Ugandan Dolls, Beaded Necklaces and Handmade Baskets are produced by the Ladies of Nawansega, most of whom are widows and abandoned wives.

Each Monday, these ladies gather to encourage each other, share with each other, pray for each other. They spend their day producing these products, some of which is sold in the United States through ATK International, Inc.

The small incomes alleviate the worst of the poverty and helps assist with school fees, clothing and food.

“Our God will give you the ability to create wealth, and by doing so, affirms His covenant!”

@ProjectLydiaNW highlights a deserving woman and family they helped in Uganda! http://t.co/LnNFlJTcPF #africa #charity #idaho #boise
— Michael Strickland (@MichaelStrickla) October 16, 2013

Record Shows Tom Dale Did Not Vote To Establish Nampa's Mercy Hospital Urban Renewal District

The story regarding formation of an urban renewal district around Nampa’s old Mercy Hospital has been filled with emotion and accusations.

Here is a deeper look at the record.

The Idaho Press Tribune published a questionnaire with Nampa Mayoral Candidate Bob Henry, on Friday, Oct 4. 2013. It included this exchange:

IPT:  SHOULD THE CITY HAVE MOVED FORWARD WITH THE OLD MERCY HOSPITAL PROJECT? HOW DID YOU VOTE OR HOW WOULD YOU HAVE VOTED ON THE MATTER?

Henry:  No. My vote was to not support the Old Mercy Hospital project. I stand by that decision.

Did Henry vote No? Did Nampa Mayor Tom Dale ever support an urban renewal district?

Further analysis is needed on this issue. On the vote which established the Mercy URD, Bob Henry voted YES to support establishment of the district. While it is true that Henry did vote NO in two earlier procedural votes to keep the ordinance alive and moving forward; on the critical vote which actually established the district, he changed his mind and voted YES.

The mayor's role in this process was to vote yes two times in order to keep the process moving forward. The first vote was to authorize the city attorney to draft the ordinance. After the second reading of the ordinance, the third reading was postponed until a second public hearing could be held.

After that public hearing on May 6, a vote was taken to move forward with the third reading of the ordinance. The Mayor voted yes - do the third reading. By Idaho State law, an ordinance doesn't become law until after the vote of city council following the third reading. After the third reading, Bob Henry changed his mind and voted YES to support establishment of the District. Voting in favor, Pam White, Martin Thorne, and Bob Henry. Opposed, Stephen Kren.

Mayor Dale did not have the opportunity to vote on establishing the district.

This information is all a matter of public record and can be found in Nampa City Council minutes.

Climate Change Event: Saturday, July 27 at 10:00 a.m. at Boise Farmers Market

Idaho farmers, wineries, restaurants, and elected officials highlight
the critical links between climate change and our food supply

(BOISE) — Idaho farmers and food producers from across the state will speak at the Boise Farmers Market about the impacts of extreme weather and drought on Idaho agriculture and the need for a plan to address climate change.

Growers, businesses, and concerned citizens will come together for “Producing Food, Reducing Carbon: An Event for People Who Grow and Eat Food,” encouraging Idahoans to act on climate and support President Obama’s initiatives to limit carbon emissions. 

Saturday’s event at the Boise Farmers Market will feature live music, speakers, opportunities to “act on climate,” and local farmers and artisan food producers selling their products at the market.  Learn more about the nationwide movement to act on climate change by visiting www.iwillact.us or by searching #ActOnClimate or #IWillAct on Twitter.

What:          Rally to spur citizen action and support of climate change action at the federal level, focusing on the impacts of climate change on Idaho’s food production.

Who:            Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb: Member of Idaho Senate Agriculture Committee

Janie Burns: Owner, Meadowlark Farm (Nampa)

Chance Requa: Owner, Requa Farms, Inc. (Twin Falls)

Greg Koenig: Owner, Koenig Distillery and Winery (Caldwell)

Dave Krick: Owner, Bittercreek Alehouse and Redfeather Lounge (Boise)

When:            Saturday, July 27, 2013, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. MDT

Where:        Boise Farmers Market, Corner of 11^th and Grove St., Boise

Building Communities and Embracing Diversity

In every county in Idaho, and all across America, I see young people tutoring and mentoring, building homes, caring for seniors, and feeding the hungry. I also see them using their entrepreneurial spirit to build companies, start non-profits, and drive our new economy. We live in a Brave New World in this age of social media. We stand at this magnificent moment with the ability to unleash the American imagination. A new generation of Americans shares our spirit.

 They want a future that belongs to them — a future that is for everyone.

We know there are some people who do understand the future, but too often as they gaze to the distance, they fail to know how, to make sure that it serves all of our people. And then there are others who fight tirelessly for the people, but who don’t see beyond the horizon. Today , I will share my work, experiences, and thoughts about how we can find  more common ground.

In a community that is truly balanced for literacy, how you teach is as important as what you teach. That's one of the conclusions my network of teachers, administrators, librarians and curriculum supervisors has reached. Like most educators today, we've been changing our practices to reflect new knowledge about learning and teaching. Our students are reading more, writing more, and learning through themes.

Yet we share a mixed bag of excitement and uneasiness — excitement about the learning taking place in our classrooms, homes, and libraries every day, and uneasiness about the public perception that schools are not as good as they used to be, especially when it comes to literacy instruction. We wonder: How can we maintain the good practices of the past without ignoring current evidence about how children learn? Have we gone too far in one direction? What we're searching for, then, is balance, and in that search, concerns common to all educators have surfaced.

Interesting Facts: Between 2000 and 2010, Idaho’s Latino population grew by 73 percent. Latinos promise to be very important to the future of the Idaho.

How do we better address the needs of underserved populations?

In this visually driven age, let's start by considering the needs of reluctant readers:

Although the ultimate goal of reading and writing is to construct meaning, what children know about words affects their ability to make meaning. When word knowledge is limited, as is often the case with struggling readers and writers, so much attention must be given to figuring out individual words that little energy is left for comprehending text and expressing ideas. We see how truly labor-intensive this process can be when we
observe the many pauses that punctuate students’ reading and writing as they struggle with words.

Skilled readers process print quickly and efficiently, so they can devote their full attention to meaning. Because they have well-developed sight vocabularies, they are able to rapidly and automatically identify many words. When skilled readers encounter an unknown word, they have little difficulty determining what it is. They are able to apply their knowledge of word analysis strategies and spelling patterns to read the word and follow up by cross-checking the results with the surrounding context.
___
Middle School teaching is one of my passions, and because struggling readers and writers in the intermediate grades have often experienced grade-level rather than developmentally appropriate instruction, and an emphasis on rote memorization rather than conceptualization for word learning, they frequently demonstrate inconsistencies in their knowledge of how words work. They may recall the spellings of certain more advanced words but have difficulty correctly representing basic vowel patterns, blends, or digraphs. These “holes” are significant and suggest an instructional situation in which the students did not have adequate time to build a solid foundation before instruction moved on to more abstract issues. Without a firm understanding of underlying concepts, the more complex aspects of spelling become difficult, if not impossible, for them to grasp.

How to Figure Out Who Posted a Forum on a Group Blog

Nothing is 'secure' on the internet. A lot of people have learned this the hard way. Users need to very careful about entering personal information. Such data can be used against you as well as for you.

And of course, the reverse side of this coin also applies to you.There are many broad, diversified, and sometimes controversial posts, blog entries, and comments on group blogs. What are some ways of figuring out who posts what?

For example, underneath a blog post, go to where it says the number of comments, for example "15 comments" (it's underlined) and a five-fingered hand will appear. Right click and click on "Inspect Element (Q)" and it will give you a javascript answer to the question: "who posted this entry?"

If someone else enters something after me, if will be a number equal to the number of comments entered. The answer will be in javascript. Simple to read for someone who knows even a modicum of programming.

If you cannot see "Inspect Element (Q)," there are a few scenarios that might explain this.


1. You're not running a Microsoft O/S or,
2. You don't have java running in your machine, or.
At this point I'm not sure which applies.

From top to bottom, your screen should read:
 
Back
Forward (greyed out)
Reload
_______
Bookmark this Page
Save Page as
_______
View Background Image
Select all
_______
View Page Source
View Page Info
________
Inspect Element (Q)


Another other possibility is that you're not signed on with administrative rights in your logon on your computer only. Or, you're using Internet Explorer but not Firefox or you've never installed developer tools when it was offered. Don't know which. Normally it's associated with Firefox as a given to choose, but not other things.

If any of the above are true, then click on Page Source and it will give you the "entire" applet that is running in the background and you'll have to 'deduce' which part is the part you're being controlled by. It can be huge, so be prepared to look at a lot of scripting.

Whomever, controls a website on the level of administrator rights allows only certain things to be seen and certain things to be done and seen. It is limited. Posters have a certain amount of control over their own postings but not over others.

For example, you can find out what happened to an entry from a previous version of the blog from either cache or archives. It's helpful if you can pull up a DOS prompt and work from that. Many articles posted on group blogs are limited, unless you access them at the server level. If you can see page info, the 4th item is "permissions" and it tells you what you can and can't do.

A domain such as http://youngpeoplespavilion.com is a .com (commercial) setup. It runs under DNA (Doman Name System rules).

1) Domain names are organized right to left, with general descriptors to the right, and specific descriptors to the left. It is like family surnames to the right, specific person names to the left. These descriptors are called "domains".
2) The "top level domains" (TLD, or parent domain) is to the far right of a domain name. Mid level domains (children and grandchildren) are in the middle. The machine name, often "www", is to the far left.
3) Levels of domains are separated by periods ("dots").

If www does not appear, it is assumed (World Wide Web). For example http://www.yahoo.com and yahoo. com both send you the same place. If you want to go to your email for to, ie. mail.yahoo.com and it sends you directly there without the www added.

In the Spotlight: BreAna Bailey Shows Class, Beauty and Spirit

There are some great professional models in here the west. But once in a while, a newcomer arises on the scene who shows as much talent and grace as any seasoned pro.

BreAna Bailey is one such person. I met this charming young woman a few years ago as she worked in her family business. Since then I have enjoyed her gentle manner, intelligence and righteous emphasis on church and high standards.

BreAna is a good role model for my young daughters, who always smile when they see her, too.  Her presence reminds me of this quote:

As we look at the history of this earth and at the history of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, it becomes obvious that women hold a special place in our Father’s plan for the eternal happiness and well-being of His children. - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

BreAna is one of those great individuals who has come to understand the value of focusing personally -- to become the best person that she can be. This approach adds to the quality of the lives of everyone she comes in contact with.

Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven (3 Nephi 12:16).

Best of luck to  BreAna as she heads to college. With such a bright person, we can expect a sparkling future.

See more of BreAna's photos at:

Bella Xpressions Photography

Idaho Delegation Encourages Public Comment On Gateway West Project EIS

From the desk of Michael Strickland
 
Members of the Idaho Congressional Delegation are calling for "strong public input" as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opens the public comment period on the agency's final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Gateway West Power Project.

The project is the result of plans by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power to better ship power throughout the West via the Gateway West Transmission Line, which would run through Wyoming and all of southern Idaho. Following an initial review of the EIS released last week, Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, along with Congressmen Mike Simpson and Raúl Labrador, released the following statement.

"A broad group of Idahoans – people most affected by the Gateway West power lines – worked in good faith and underwent a strenuous process to develop a route that everyone could agree on only to have their efforts disregarded by the BLM," noted Crapo, Risch, Simpson and Labrador. "We encourage Idahoans to let the agency know how they feel about this new plan through the many public hearings scheduled throughout Idaho."

A 60 day public comment period now begins with BLM expected to hold nine meetings throughout the state. For more information about the meetings in Idaho and Wyoming, please visit BLM’s website by clicking here.

Idaho meetings are planned as follows:
Boise, May 6,  4:00 to 7:00 PM, Boise Hotel and Conference Center
Kuna, May 7, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, Old Gym
Murphy, May 8,  4:00 to 7:00 PM, Owyhee County Museum
Melba, May 9,  4:00 to 7:00 PM, Melba High School
Twin Falls, May 13, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, Red Lion Canyon Springs Inn
Burley, May 14, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, Best Western Inn & Conference Center
American Falls, May 14, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, American Falls Intermediate School
Pocatello, May 15, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Ramada Inn
Montpelier, May 16, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, National OR/CA Trail Center