Even though web-to-print software is often looked upon as a need of the printer looking forward to sell his products online, it is not meant for the printers to use it themselves, firsthand. It’s their customers who are to use the web-to-print software to design their desired products. There are three parties typically involved around the web-to-print software whose perspective you need to understand to able to succeed in the web-to-print industry.

What does the customer want?

Customers don’t care about technicality behind the software as long as it works for them. Most of the bulk orders come from companies ordering their marketing merchandise, so their employees just care about the product, their business requirements, promotions, and other priorities. All in all, they want their work/order process to be easy, cost-effective, convenient, and timely.

What is your role as printer?

As a printer, you are responsible for ensuring that your customers are getting all that they are looking for. You need to create more differentiation in the market and be efficient in all terms.

What does the software provider want?

Pretty much obvious, their job is to sell as many software as they want. They are selling their product to the printer so they emphasis on all the features their software has to offer. Printers often get carried away by the lure of features and lose focus on what their customers really want.

If you also plan to plunge into web-to-print business, it’s important for you to know whether or not your customer is able to use the software as best as they should. When you are set to invest on web-to-print software for your store, you need to be in the customer’s shoes to decide what works best for them. For that, you will first need to understand web-to-print from customer’s point of view. In the rest of the blog we have tried to cover the aspects you need to look at to understand customer needs better.

What are the Customer challenges that need to be taken care of?

To find the solution to any problem, you need to figure out the glitch first. Try to understand what problems your customers are facing. Don’t guess problems and blindly launch the solution for it. Customers’ feedback can be useful in figuring out the shortcomings. Try to involve your employees and close family and friends to point out where you are lacking or what might be done to make the work easier. Make sure that every day functions are easy enough for your customers, which includes the ease of ordering and tracking order history even when it’s a personalized item.

Is the software user friendly?

Now the most important point, how easy is your software to use? Would your customers be able to design their products without going through a manual or a set of instructions? Don’t get hundreds of features into your product designing tool without checking if your customers even want or can use those features. Designing a product shouldn’t be posed as a challenge in front of them. It should be easy, fun, and interesting at the same time.

Customers are the ultimate source of your income, hence it doesn’t matter how you find the web-to-print software or how the vendor advertises it. The only thing you need to keep in mind while you invest in your web-to-print software is the requirements and capabilities of your potential customers.

Recently, I read one of those "Research Shows" articles online which claim that eating disorders have mysterious, undetermined, biochemical causes. The piece was rife with misinformation and unsubstantiated claims, including the following:

"… Unlike a neurological disorder, which generally can be pinpointed to a specific lesion on the brain, an eating disorder likely involves abnormal activity distributed across brain systems. With increased recognition that mental disorders are brain disorders, more researchers are using tools from both modern neuroscience and modern psychology to better understand eating disorders. "

As a point of fact, the conjecture that eating disorders are caused by chemical imbalances or abnormal cerebral activity is quite easy to refute. I will only touch on the lack of evidence for these claims, and then turn to the actual underlying problem.

1.) There is NO biochemical evidence, in 2 decades of research, that has ever indicated eating disorders are caused by chemical imbalances, genetic mutations, pathogens, or any other neurological abnormality;

2.) Neither SSSI nor psychotropic drugs (different forms of antidepressants) have ever been shown to have any effect on eating disorders whatsoever;

3.) Anti-depressants don't even help depressed people, eating disordered or not. A 2000 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry following Prozac and Selexor showed that of psychiatric patients who were prescribed medication, 24% responded well to herbal remedy St. John's Wort; 25% to Zoloft, and 30% to a placebo. Thus, a sugar pill was shown to be more helpful than the drugs.

The question of "chemical imbalance" is a bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario. Since it is understood that addictions feed endorphins, the "pleasure center" of the brain, it is possible that the addictive effect of the binge, developed into a habit, has altered the brain chemistry. When re-learning to eat, the bulimic has to fight very real cravings and essentially "re-wire" her brain. In no way, however, does this indicate that the bulimic behavior was caused by chemical abnormalities. Rather, as in a drug addict's case, it points to a chemical dependency that has been caused by the behavior (and not the other way around).

Furthermore, if psychiatrists are so certain that eating disorders are 'diseases', why is diagnosis made purely based on symptoms? What diagnostic tests are used to determine the brain activity that is supposedly so abnormal? Cat Scan? MRI? Blood test? Biopsy? Tissue samples? No. Absolutely nothing. If these eating disorders are just "illnesses", why do the people who carry them feel guilty about their behavior? Would they feel guilty if they had chicken pox, or cancer? Or could it be, just perhaps, that they know, deep down inside, that they are doing something wrong, even if they are not quite sure of the reasons for their compulsion?

Knowing that I am a biblical counselor and have written a book on the biblical answer to food addiction, the administrator of the forum where this particular article was posted asked me to write an article on God's view of eating disorders. Let me say from the outset that God's view of eating disorders is the same as His view of all other addictions: He calls it sin. Sin is action, words, or thoughts that go against God's will and character. An addiction is a life-dominating sin .

Re-labeling 'sin' as 'disease' or 'illness' is an attempt to remove personal responsibility for the behavior. Harold Hughes, the Iowa congressman who championed health coverage for alcoholism treatment, admitted that the aggressive campaign to get alcoholism labeled as 'disease' by the American Psychiatric Association was nothing more than an attempt to get health insurance companies to pay for the treatment and thus keep foundering hospitals afloat. (It worked, by the way. More than half of health insurance expenses now go to 'mental health' care.) Those who see their bondage to drugs, alcohol or food as a 'disease' fatalistically tend to believe that they are "never recovered; always in recovery ". By contrast, if we realize that this behavior is rebellion against God, in Whose image we are made, and call it what it is – sin – we may have great hope! We already know what the answer is – repentance.

Anorexia and bulimia are spiritual diseases masquerading as physical ones. In fact, for this reason, I believe the term "recovery" is slightly inaccurate and therefore I try to avoid using it. Recover has a connotation of the convalescence and passive improvement typical of physical diseases. What I hope to teach you is how to repent , so that God will restore you. Since the Bible speaks of overcoming sin, we may also use that term here. To all who are in Him, Christ promises victory, and that is our ultimate goal.

Addictions are, in fact, learned behaviors , which can be unlearned . Hopefully, we all agree that self-destructive behavior is sin. I have seen 1 Corinthians 6:19, "do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" taken out of context and used to argue against everything from piercings to eating chips, but I don't think it's a stretch to apply it to eating disorders. The Bible always mentions "gluttony" in a negative light (see Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 23:21; Matthew 11:19; Titus 1:12). In 1 Corinthians 6:20, Paul goes on to say, "Therefore honor God with your bodies." Later in the same letter he says, "But whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31). Does bulimic behavior honor or glorify God? Does it manifest self-control?
Ask yourself honestly: do I consider my behavior (binging, purging, starving or eating to excess) sinful? If so, are you really okay with continuing on in it? Biblical counselor and author Martha Peace puts the issue succinctly: "Bulimia is wrong for two reasons: First, it can cause serious medical problems such as damage to your esophagus and your teeth. Second, it is a sin because overeating is gluttony, throwing up is a lack of self-control, and wanting to be thin so badly that you are willing to sin is idolatry. "

In 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 Paul gives us a laundry list of what types of people, who, if they continue on in their sinful lifestyle of choice, will not inherit the Kingdom of God. He completes his litany of life-dominating sins by reminding the Corinthians, "And such were some of you." He is talking about the Christians who, before believing on Christ and turning from their sinful way of life, were controlled by things like alcohol, greed, and homosexuality. "Were" is past tense. They left this lifestyle behind. If God commands us to repent, and Scripture tells us that if we are in Christ sin no longer has the power to control us, then it must be possible to "put off" an addiction and "put on" freedom. God does not demand something from us we are incapable of giving, and perfect holiness has already been achieved by His children by Christ's death on the Cross. We are therefore exhorted in Philippians 3:16 to "live up to what we have already attained". This includes repenting of the idolatrous sins of anorexia and bulimia.

Let us have a different scenic view from over the property!

The aerial concept is not new, but it is a creative and attractive factor in the stream of the photography landscape. Basically, it implies the meaning as "taken from the sky". And, when it is attached to the real estate, then no doubt, the worth of your property will increase dramatically.

Generally, the aerial view is captured from the rooftop of a high-reaching building, an airplane, a surveillance tower, or a hot air balloon. Indeed, it is an art that is not easily understood by every person. A well-experienced and competent person, who know the precise know-how about the aerial real estate photography, will execute it efficiently. If you intend to buy your property, then the aerial snapshots will enhance the value.

What will Property Aerial Photography Cover?

The real estate aerial photography encloses some of the significant terminologies and the views.

• Covers the area around the property
• Showcases the terrace extensively
• Displays the Fine Edges of the Windows and the Doors
• Reveals the Architecture Details
• Can include the pool and / or the spectacular view
• May incorporate the yard, like-the golf court, the tennis court, etc.
• Features the view of the back side, if it is near the water body.

Suppose your property has the heart-throb exterior with the pet house and the beautiful landscape. Imagine how aesthetically it will look from the sky!

Key Factors about Real Estate Aerial Photography

What is the best time to take the aerial view?

This query may create the little bit chaos. Generally, the dawn and the evening times are chosen. They are the times when the sun bids Hi and Bye to the world. The colors and the hues are the most appealing. Moreover, the longer shadows will create the lasting effect and the depth to the photographs.

Which type of equipment is best suited?

Before making the choice for the equipment, it is quite necessary to decide how the photos will be used. Either, it is for the magazine or in the newspaper. Make it clear earlier. Then, pick the right instrument. If you are meant to execute the HDR real estate photography, then choose accordingly.

What about the Drones?

Drones are the exciting and the compelling elements of the latest technology for the real estate campaign. The drone real estate photography is the favorable way to inspect the roof and other parts of the house. Actually, the drones are embedded with the high-resolution camera that can take the brilliant photos and the videos. But, remember, the drones can be used with respect to the certain terms and conditions.

It will be very beneficial for you if the buyer will agree for your land by viewing the aerial photos or the videos. Therefore, it is recommended to accomplish the aerial photo shoot or the session by the professional photographer.

No, it’s not.

Now it’s possible that you didn’t want to hear that brief and definite answer. However, this negative response is not a vague bias. There are specific adverse effects that marijuana has on your aura and on your soul, and this affects your spiritual development. You won’t generally hear about these insights, because the people speaking about this topic, whether in favor or against, generally lack the subtle energy sensitivity to describe what happens to your energy field when you put marijuana in your body.

Of course, it is possible that you agree with these conclusions about the inadvisability of smoking this substance, but it’s important to clarify exactly why marijuana is a problem, because otherwise, the argument about it can get sidetracked. For example…

One of the reasons often given for avoiding marijuana is the argument that it is illegal, — at least at the time of this writing — and therefore, it must be a bad substance. There are historical reasons for marijuana’s illegality, having mostly to do with the economics of hemp.

As is well known, hemp is an inexpensive replacement for paper, for oil, and for many other products. In other words, legal hemp would be an economic competitor in various industries. It is for that reason that various large industries seek to demonize marijuana, so that public opinion will continue to believe that marijuana and hemp must be kept illegal.

Yet another reason claimed by those who hold negative views about marijuana is that it is not as safe as alcohol. The spiritual problems with alcohol can be detected through subtle energy sensing, and there are unfortunate similarities between alcohol and marijuana, especially in how they both adversely affect the aura and the soul. In spite of the obvious differences in how people drinking and smoking behave, the basic issue remains the same…

Marijuana and alcohol interfere with the connection between the body and the soul, and both substances, in their own way, create a dissociated condition that interferes with spiritual growth and well-being.

There are various arguments that marijuana proponents make to support their choice, and they are all based upon beliefs that seem, at first, to be acceptable. However, the essential problem with marijuana is that it creates a split between the body and the soul. This is something that can be detected with subtle sensing, and so those who have not developed this sensing ability will probably entertain doubt about these assertions. I am not the only energy-sensitive person who detects these issues, and so I am going to describe them as I sense them, and you can reach your own conclusions.

Marijuana proponents say that smokers tend to be peaceful, in contrast to alcohol drinkers. Though this can be observed easily enough, it still doesn’t validate the use of a substance that creates an energetically fragmented condition in the aura. I observe that the fragmented aura condition of marijuana smokers keeps them seemingly peaceful, but at a price. The fuzzy aura condition of smokers keeps them from fully feeling their emotions, and when you understand this, it reveals a different, and somewhat less happy explanation regarding their preferred emotional suppression method.

When people have emotions or thoughts that are troubling, they tend to want to leave their body so that they won’t have to feel their discomforts. People wanting to not feel their feelings have some popular choices. They can drink alcohol, they can eat sugar and junk food, they can space out in front of the television — which is known to induce a quasi-meditative alpha state — or they can smoke marijuana. All of these choices create a fragmented energy field, in which the clarity of the aura is compromised.

The alleged peacefulness of smokers is their convenient excuse. They may feel more peaceful than they would if they weren’t smoking, but unfortunately, they are not transcending their pain in any useful way. Their escape from emotional discomfort is temporary. This means that they can’t really address the pain, and that leads to a problem. If you can’t address something, because you don’t feel it anymore, then you have to keep pushing the denied emotions down, so that they are out of your conscious awareness.

This may explain the notion that marijuana is not physically addictive, but is psychologically addictive. After all, if you need to keep smoking in order to not feel what you don’t want to feel, then that may well be a psychological addiction.

The popular expression with marijuana smokers that smoking helps them “take the edge off” is a euphemism that hides the emotional pain they seek to avoid. And to be fair, it is reasonable to acknowledge that emotional pain can be frightening, and that confronting it takes a great deal of courage and determination. However, smoking isn’t going to build courage and determination.

This is because the focus required for determination is associated with a strongly linked soul and personality within a coherent aura — and marijuana interferes with that.

Ideally, the body, the emotions, the mind, and the soul are all united in a coherent energy field — your healthy aura. Uniting these aspects within yourself is key to being aligned with your true self, so that you can do the things that you came to this lifetime to do. Anything that muddies the clarity of your aura is slowing your progress on all levels. It is better to be clear in your perception– even if this involves challenging realizations — so that you can confront your emerging feelings and thoughts, rather than hide in a fragmented, diffused understanding of yourself.

You could imagine your soul as the eternal divine essence of your being. Your soul carries the spark of the creator, and so your soul is your connection to higher spiritual awareness. Ideally, your body, heart, mind, personality, and soul link as one, with the soul being your cosmic cohering energy presence — the divine glue that holds you together.

When your divine soul is integrated with your body, you become more conscious about how you treat your body. When your soul is able to shine into your emotions and mind, you can achieve a unified level of consciousness that lets you confront issues. You can move in a positive direction in your life. Marijuana disrupts this unity, and creates a muddy aura that short-circuits your spiritual empowerment.

Another concern with this substance is that it mimics spiritual experiences, but actually interferes with spiritual realization. To understand how that happens, imagine the spectrum of consciousness as a range of vibrations. At the lowest part of the awareness scale, there is low, unaware consciousness. At the highest level of the awareness scale, there is cosmic consciousness, or divine consciousness.

Now suppose that a person is stuck in a narrow, exclusively earth-bound level of perception. Such a person might find that marijuana helps them feel and see beyond their narrow material range of perceptions. And that seems impressive, at first. It even seems to suggest that marijuana might be a consciousness expanding substance.

The problem, however, is that marijuana can, in a limited way, seem to help those who are stuck in a narrow materialistic perspective. It seems, at first, to give them a more expanded view of the universe. However, this benefit is limited by marijuana’s intrinsically lesser quality of vibration. When a substance keeps you at an intermediate level of consciousness, then try as you might, you will be chemically limited from attaining higher states of spiritual realization.

The so-called consciousness-expanding benefits of marijuana are only somewhat broader than the narrow materialistic worldview of the uptight, tense person. This means that when a person who feels rigid or stuck smokes, they get a temporarily expanded sense of things, and this impresses them. They believe they have a found a solution that frees them from limitation.

Unfortunately, marijuana has only raised their consciousness somewhat. Especially troubling is that the marijuana, though seeming to raise the consciousness a bit, keeps the smoker at a level of awareness that is only somewhat expanded beyond the lower materialistic range. To understand this, imagine that there is a range of consciousness between one and ten. One represents limited, stuck consciousness. Ten represents cosmic consciousness.

A person stuck at level one or two could go to level three or four with the help of marijuana. They might be impressed by this shift. As they would argue, their consciousness has been expanded, they feel more creative, and they have a broader sense of reality.

It seems like a convincing validation, until you realize that the marijuana is keeping them from going above level four. And this is the problem with marijuana that smokers would rather not consider.

In addition, the marijuana inhibits their ability to heal their own problems — their level one and two problems, so to speak. These are the energy blocks that they were trying to escape. However, unaddressed problems stay stuck. Your ability to honestly sense your own energy blocks is a vital element in your self healing.

You are a spiritual being — your soul is made from the eternal cosmic essence of the creator.

You incarnated to bring your eternal soul into the experience of this lifetime. To receive the light of your soul, you need to create a fit physical vehicle that can be in harmony with your soul. In spite of the claims of marijuana proponents, marijuana cannot provide you with assistance if you want to progress spiritually.

The popular claim that marijuana generates peacefulness is based on a limited definition of what peace is — peace is not merely the absence of strife or violence. This limited definition of peace leads people to pay a spiritual price that isn’t worth the alleged benefits — your soul alignment is worth more than any temporary peace. And when you realize that this so-called peace is just a dissociated condition that ultimately inhibits your well-being, you may be empowered to re-examine this topic with a deeper understanding

If there were no other options for attaining inner peace, or for dealing with your emotions, then the beliefs of marijuana proponents might be convincing, but there are, in fact, many options:

– Learning to feel your feelings is a powerful teaching that builds strength in many levels of your being. It’s not always easy, and often not fun, but when you gently breathe through your feelings you discover that you are stronger than your fears.

– Learning to question your automatic self-talk lets you get out of the mental and emotional loops that can trap you in negativity. Learning to talk to yourself in an empowering way puts you, metaphorically, in the driver’s seat of your life, rather than in the back seat with your subconscious patterns in control of the steering wheel.

– Learning to move and exercise, by whatever means you choose, gives you an option to raise your vibration every day, so that your feelings and thoughts don’t sink down to the lowest levels of your problems.

– Learning to meditate, visualize, concentrate, and create a coherent aura helps you discover your true spiritual identity as a multidimensional being. Spiritual practices empower you to live in alignment with your true divine identity, so that you are less affected by the negative influences from the media, from other people, and from the world in general. You observe the world with a deeper wisdom that expresses your true self.

One spiritual concern with marijuana use is that it causes users to get stuck in an intermediate spiritual dimension known as the astral plane. These intermediate dimensions of consciousness, though not bad in themselves, are the levels of illusion. Although ideally the astral dimensions are levels of consciousness in which you can invent and create, such dimensions are only safe for you if you are also aligned with higher levels of divine consciousness. Without this higher divine alignment, the astral plane is merely the plane of illusion.

This is important to you if spiritual awareness is your goal. I don’t pretend that this article will change the minds of those who are committed to using marijuana, although I do hope that any user will consider the options to using a spiritually negative substance.

But what if you are undecided about this topic, and spiritual awakening is important to you? Have you let yourself be impressed with the glamorous images presented in the media, in which creative people or celebrities are associated with marijuana use? It is to you that this article is specifically written, because glamorous images are only superficial descriptions of a false reality — that is, they are not real.

False images are reflections of the astral plane — the dimension of illusion. And when millions of people hold false images, the effect can be powerful. Fortunately, even powerful false images can be seen for what they are — fake realities that only interfere with spiritual awareness. When you have real spiritual experiences that integrate you, uniting your body, heart, mind, and soul with your spiritual potential, then you build clarity in your consciousness. You learn to recognize fake realities as superficial images with no spiritual core.

Spiritual realization is something that you develop over time. It is not something you can put on like a coat, or take like a pill, and for this reason, you want to develop your spiritual awareness as a daily practice. In the same way that you can build physical muscles through exercise, you can build spiritual strength through cultivating your awareness. One of the benefits of a regular spiritual practice is that your alignment with your soul wisdom grows. And this lets you see illusions as the deceptions that they really are.

When you don’t have a spiritual means of connecting with your soul, you can be easily influenced by the powerful distorted energy fields of millions of people who are trapped in fake illusions. And marijuana doesn’t help you grow or evolve beyond that, because it gives the illusion of expanded consciousness, while trapping you at a merely intermediate level of consciousness. It claims to take you beyond the average state of human consciousness, and then leaves you at a muddy, intermediate level.

And the energy at that intermediate level, I notice, is sticky. That might sound a bit strange, but the aura quality of marijuana smokers is sticky, fuzzy, and open to entities. That is the opposite of the brightness and clarity associated with those who are in alignment with their divine soul.

But no matter where you are in your spiritual development, whether you are smoking or not, you can always make the choice to move in a healthier direction each day. In the same way that the public is moving towards the realization that healthy food is better than junk food, and in the same way that the public is moving towards the understanding that exercise makes you feel more alive, so too are people becoming aware that anything that interferes with their soul development is to be avoided.

If you’re already moving in the direction of seeking healthy food choices and exploring exercise, then you are able to appreciate how negative substances can interfere with your vibration. When you consider how a seemingly popular substance, marijuana, can lower your spiritual vibration, it invites you to make some new healthy choices. Anything that disrupts your body-soul unity is worth avoiding. It’s time to tune in to your true divine essence, and make some healthy decisions for yourself.

Your essence is made of divine substance. If you want to feel your aliveness, then realize that your emotions, your thoughts, and your body all need to be aligned with your soul — so that you can be truly alive on all levels. And that may mean, at times, that you will feel emotions or thoughts that you don’t enjoy. However, you can learn to breathe through your challenges. You can learn to stabilize and integrate your mind-body-spirit energy. You can learn to bring the divine light of your soul — and the cosmic intelligence of the universe — into your life.

And when you align in this way, you get a sense of what it means to be in tune with the cosmos. You can feel in alignment with the eternal vibration of the creator, humming within you. You are in alignment with the truth of your being, which is a spiritual vibration that is alive in the deepest sense of the word. It is the higher consciousness that is capable of knowing its true infinite nature.

And you want to be aligned with that infinite universal consciousness, because it is who you are — you are one with the source of all reality. Breathe it into your being. It is the true elixir that you can partake of every day. Let every breath unite you with the aliveness that wants to vibrate joyously within your every cell. Welcome to this moment.

Many Blessings,

Joel Bruce Wallach

Founder, Cosmic Living – spiritual instruction – tele-classes and home-study mp3’s

I am pretty tough on the left wing in my approach to incarceration reform, because the fight against “mass incarceration” usually takes on a socialistic, victim-oriented approach. I will try to even things up a bit. Even though I am a lonely conservative prison reform advocate, I will now take the right wing to task on the issues of criminal punishment and incarceration. Before doing so, I’d like to point out that the liberal versus conservative balancing act is not evenly arrayed on the issue of what to do with convicted criminals. Many folks who are liberal on other issues support conservatives on law and order issues. You will recall that the Congressional Black Caucus initially supported super-tough penalties for crack cocaine. Many of the opponents of mass incarceration are from the left end of the left wing. Many law and order advocates are otherwise considered to be liberal. This is why opposition to mass incarceration has to expand to the right, in the conservative direction, and at least take up the entire moderate center before it will succeed. It cannot remain solely on the pages of left-wing websites, especially those with other agendas, and have any chance of success.

The primary mistake made by law & order interests, including most conservatives, is that we tried to pile on more prison time, mandatory sentences and three-strikes legislation in a failed effort to attack the supply of illegal drugs. Unfortunately, drug dealers were always found to occupy the market niches created and street promotions facilitated by incarceration. The supply of illegal drugs never stopped. And of course, it was illegal private enterprise running circles around the government, just as private enterprise usually does in other areas of life. The right accepted the failed experiment of incarceration, moving towards a bigger, more expensive government, without fully exploring what the Founders did to combat crime or punish criminals.

Those who look back in time to tried and true solutions did not look back far enough into our history. We accepted the bloated incarceration paradigm, which is not what the Founders intended. In truth, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt – all the presidents carved into Mt. Rushmore – favored judicial corporal punishment of citizens, as mandated in the Bible, Deuteronomy 25:1-3. (How Washington & Jefferson punished their slaves is another matter.) Ours was supposed to be the Land of the Free.

We passed legislation to increase the number of crimes and prosecutorial power, to the end that our prisons became overcrowded, we built more prisons, and then they became overcrowded, etc. Federal courts were required to police prisons and keep them from cruel and unusual punishments. It’s not “judicial activism” when federal judges have to enforce the U.S. Constitution.

Within conservative ranks, the social conservative law and order crowd completely dominated the libertarians who said illegal drugs should be legalized. For years, not one state stepped forward to give this a chance, nor did the federal government much loosen its grip on all 50 states in this regard. The laboratory of federalism and states’ rights had little room to experiment in the face of the all-powerful federal government.

While addressing the death penalty, victims’ rights and new crimes, abolishing parole in the federal system, and adding years to sentences, crime rates started to decline… but there was no let-up in the pressure to incarcerate for 20 years. Some wrongly calculated the benefit of incapacitation, though I have to admit my own uncertainty as to that calculation. It is very likely that much less than half the crime rate decrease is due to additional incarceration.

In the end, everything was focused on the very debatable societal value of sending massive numbers to prison. We conservatives little noticed that things were definitely not like this when the Founders wrote the United States Constitution. In our times, the problem of crime was attacked vigorously, at great expense, with a blunt crimogenic instrument not able to rehabilitate offenders or deter crimes, making the problem worse. The net results were a massive increase in government expense, control and bureaucracy and creation of what may be the largest group of full-ride welfare recipients in the history of the world, most of whom do not work because of restrictive laws inhibiting prison industries. These were not the goals we conservatives are supposed to seek.

When the proper tools are not used to fix something, the results often disappoint.

Recently, I attended a lecture by Anthony Grasst, a very astute MBA who runs a mortgage division of MetLife. It was gratifying to hear words of wisdom that offered another view of our economy besides the doom and gloom one hears on the radio waves or sees on the tube.

Graast explained that the job losses after the dot.com boom / bust and 9/11 was, if not worse than we are having now, at least comparable.

According to E-commerce News, 2001 went into the record books as the most devastating year in terms of Internet jobs lost.

In an article released in 2002, "For the year (2001), 100,925 positions were cut – about 250 percent higher than the 41,515 cut during all of 2000, when the dot-com shakeout began in earnest."

Figures were much higher than that according to ComputerWorld.com, spanning many sectors and totaling over 2 million job cuts for 2001.

True numbers are often fleeting. Certainly hundreds of thousands lost jobs from the dot.com debacle, and probably millions. Post 9/11 job losses were also staggering. Our current recession passed that benchmark for total job losses in November 2008. Still, many forget we had these two recent large downturns in employment: the dot.com bust and 9/11. We recovered.

There is no doubt we experienced a double whammy. As our national economy began to recover from the dot.com bubble burst, 9/11 sent us right back down the tube. Yet we recovered.

In fact, the financial losses from these two events may have been even worse than our current crisis, with many experiencing greater losses because the stock market affected more real wealth in much greater fashion than today.

According to Wikipedia: "Several communication companies, burdened with unredeemable debts from their expansion projects, sold their assets for cash or filed for bankruptcy. WorldCom, the largest of these, was found to have used illegal accounting practices to overstate its profits by billions of dollars. The company stock crashed when these irregularities were revealed, and within days it filed the second largest corporate bankruptcy in US history. Other examples include NorthPoint Communications, Global Crossing, JDS Uniphase, XO Communications, and Covad Communications. Demand for the new high -speed infrastructure never materialized, and it became dark fiber, impacting companies such as Nortel, Cisco and Corning, whose stock plunged from a high of $ 113 to a low of $ 1. " It was only internet and tech related companies that caused national financial pain. Who can forget Enron?

The financial losses from 9/11, hurricanes Gustav and Katrina, and other disasters during the Bush administration, as well as the true costs of the war in Iraq, have some comparisons to our dismal condition today. While the press appropriately covered these disasters, the overplay and total consuming coverage of today's crisis makes those pale in comparison.

For those trying to buy homes, money is tight. However, according to Grasst, liquidity is changing. True liquidity right now is not as tight as the press would have you believe. Stated Grasst, "The money supply has increased by 20% over the last few months, but takes 6-9 months to show in the market."
The message Grasst related in his lecture was that financing is available; you just have to have a job, pay your bills, and you can't lie. What a concept. Other sources of money have become available from companies like MetLife, which came into the credit and mortgage business in 2007, after all the bad loans had already been made. Other revamped sources are the loans from the USDA that has revised its rules, making their loans a great alternative. Most local and Inland Northwest banks for the most part did not make the kind of questionable loans that put other banks in jeopardy, according to Jack Dyck VP and Regional Sales Manager for Mountain West Bank in Sandpoint.

Our problem, it seems, is that we have become a society that expects instant gratification; we demand results that occur instantaneously. The Great Depression lasted at least six years, from 1931 to 1937. While one can argue that the stock market is responding to President Obama's policies and actions, only those born yesterday would not reason that these problems and issues were years in the making. How sad we as adults and intelligent Americans, so educated to instant gratification, now believe that in just sixty days in office, one man can fix what we as a nation took years to bring to fruition.

Grasst pointed out that according to the press, our banks and financial institutions are broken, much like the Great Depression. The Great Depression had four years of banks going broke. We have had one. The stock market lost 90% of its value during the Great Depression. Currently our losses are at 40-50%. In both cases, stocks were extremely overvalued. Remember when the stock market first broke 7,000, then 10,000. As a younger investor fresh out of business school, I didn't think I would ever see 10,000. After all, the market had hovered between 500 and 1,000 from the late 1950s to the mid 1980s. Then, for ten years it was between 2,000 and 3,500. The remarkable run up to 14,000 points took place in a little over ten short years. (See this historical chart) One could say the same happened to home values. Too much, too fast? This is the opinion of many economists.

Job losses hurt, but a more important factor is consumer spending. While seven or eight percent unemployment is caustic, keep in mind we still have 92% employed: consumer confidence is key.
Grasst states, "Changing the sentiment of the public, and in my business of real estate, the most important thing we can do is to educate buyers. We are close to the bottom when it comes to home prices. Has gas begun to go back up? "

"Recently, about two months ago, we were informed we have been in a recession for over a year. Were the pundits a little bit behind on that info?"

So, where is the bottom? Yahoo Education posts the United States population growing at an annual rate of .92%, though other sources quote .88% annually, with Wikipedia putting the number closer to 1%. With a current population of over 306 million, this increases our population by 3 million every year. This puts US housing needs well above our current levels of construction.

Chris Kaucnik, former marketing director of the National Association of REALTORS®, on February 11, 2009 wrote, "The average number of months for inventories to fully shift during this 56 year period is 35. Optimistically, we could be entering the downward curve of the bell beginning in the second quarter of 2009, especially with some added government incentives. " See this article published by RIS Media written by Chris Kaucnik, currently director of marketing for Home Warranty of America, Inc.

Current numbers in North Idaho around Sandpoint back up the premise that our inventory is low, or at least at normal levels. According to the Selkirk Association of REALTORS®, closed sales of homes, condos, and townhomes for 2004 was 1,241 units, 1,190 units in 2005, 920 in 2006, 936 in 2007, and 605 in 2008. Certainly there is strong evidence for up to 1,000 homes a year to be available for our market's growth. We currently have 1,097 residences for sale. Are we oversupplied? It doesn't take a statistician to divine we currently have a one-year supply of housing. Last year, in spite of declines in pricing coupled with low interest rates, we saw a substantial decline in sales. We all know the reasons. How long can a downturn last for an area that is touted as the next Lake Tahoe? Predictions make sense for having a better year than 2008. (The Selkirk Association of REALTORS® deems these numbers reliable, but not infallible.)

Unemployment is another great concern. Spokane just hit 9.6%, (Reported by the Spokesman Review on February 24, 2009) so our local figure, basically matching current national levels at 7.8% is a bright spot. (Figure taken from the February Newsletter of the Idaho Department of Labor) This is due in large part to our manufacturing base. While many think of Sandpoint as a tourist economy, tourism-based employment is actually in fourth position, behind manufacturing employment (See this Bonner County Profile published by the Idaho Department of Labor)

With such a diverse employment picture, coupled with our continued success as a tourist destination, the needs for more homes available outweigh the bleak national picture. To date, our units sold for this same time period year over year is the same at 79 sold. However, our market is already ahead of last year figures by $ 3,000,000, and the average sold price is up by almost $ 54,000 per home. Even the median sold price has increased by $ 35,000. Any way you look at it, thus far we are ahead of 2008.

This brings up another great worry for potential buyers of real estate in the Bonner County area of ​​North Idaho; that is the concern that if they buy now, they could be upside down in their purchase very quickly. Many of our buyers are coming to North Idaho from parts of Arizona and California; places that have seen declines of up to fifty percent. According to the OFHEO's Home Price Index, the United States saw a decline in home values ​​of 4.5% for 2008. Washington State declined 3.7%, Idaho lost 1.76%, Spokane at 1.26%, and the closest community to Sandpoint that was measured, Coeur d'Alene, went down 4.45%. Our own numbers showed a decline of 4.4% for 2008. With predictions taken into account, many economists are predicting this trend will change in the Inland Northwest by the end of the year. The most consistent economist giving analysis about North Idaho has been Jeff Thredgold, CSP and self-described economic futurist who puts out quarterly info for Zion's Bank. His prediction for Idaho is a turnaround by the latter half of 2009. (Read his Winter Predictions)

Still, even if North Idaho housing values ​​decrease by a couple of points, many REALTORS® point out homes are at the best price levels in years.

Another factor comes into play. Interest rates are at an all-time low. (See this news report from CBS) Tony Grasst points out, "Every one percent saved on interest rates translates to a 10% savings in value. So, when the Fed gets out of the mortgage business in June, we will probably see interest rates go up. We have artificially low rates currently. " Just Google the keywords 'Artificially low interest rates' and you can find zillions of articles on the web. Will rates go up? Probably. So, if buyers are buying homes at reduced prices, with incredibly low interest rates, does this mean it is the right time to buy? These indicators arguably point to a favorable yes. Does this mean it will be a bad time to buy after June? Interest rates historically begin to rise slowly. So, towards the last two quarters of the year, prices and interest rates will still be at historic lows. This suggests 2009 to be one of the best years to buy a home this decade.

Checking today's interest rates, buyers can expect to get a rate between 4.85% and 5.17%. If we believe some of the predictions for next year, interest rates could be between 6.5 – 7%. Certainly the Fed doesn't have much room to move rates down with the Federal Discount Rate at ½% and the Federal Funds current target rate of 0 – ¼%. Can you say, "Less than zero?" If rates do approach 7% by 2010, the real cost of buying a home could be 20-25% higher than today, even if the selling price remains the same. Put into perspective, a $ 300,000 loan at 4.85% for thirty years will have a total payout of $ 569,000 and a monthly payment of $ 1583.00. Change the rate to 6.85% and the total payout changes to $ 707,000 and the monthly payment to $ 1965.00. In real terms the amount paid to the bank would be $ 138,000 higher. Could you put a child through college for that additional amount? Even in a smaller, but still significant way, paying an additional $ 382.00 a month could put many buyers out of the market.

In conclusion, what is the truth about the economy? Numbers seem to be skewed for the highest possible drama by politicians and the national and local media. Looking closer, while times are disconcerting to some and devastating to others, the truth seems to be a more mixed bag. Certainly, we have been here before, and not so long ago. Locally, we are faring considerably better than other parts of the world. What is our job and commitment to our community? Personally, I believe it is our task to cut through the maligned figures and malaise, give out real numbers, and continue to work towards making our community what it is: the best place to live in the world.

Women Food and God by Geneen Roth has shone a spotlight on compulsive and binge eating. The author’s premise is that “how we eat is how we live.” She says that our eating behavior expresses our emotions, life approach, and even how we view God. The latter connection is what drew me to the book. This review is written as information if you are seeking a Godly solution to healing binge eating.

Now I must say upfront that I approached the book with a certain expectation; I suffered from compulsive eating for over 20 years, eventually reaching 240 pounds. But through the power of God, I learned to manage my emotions and restored a right relationship with food. I ultimately ended up losing 85 pounds and have kept that weight off for several years. My healing would not have been possible without a personal relationship with God. Through the person of Jesus Christ, I came to know God as my Redeemer, Healer, Strength, Wisdom, Joy, and Comfort.

So it was the God who loves me that I was hoping to see in Women Food and God. The book started off promising – it affirmed the importance of refraining from self-condemnation. This is an important key to healing. Condemnation makes you feel ashamed, frustrated, and depressed. The bible tells us that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. God is always about restoration, not condemnation (Romans 8:1).

I also found value in a startling conversation in the book; a woman revealed that she compulsively overate because food was her only source of comfort from emotional pain. That is a core issue of healing binge eating; because the woman believed as truth that food was her only comfort, she defiantly told Ms. Roth that she would not deprive herself of it.

However, I cannot recommend Women Food and God for those seeking a Godly solution to overcoming binge eating for one reason: On page 16, Ms. Roth says “It doesn’t matter if you believe in one God, many gods, or no god.” This contradicts the bible: “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).

As Christians, we are told to gird our waists with truth. In ancient times, the waist/stomach area was viewed as the seat of the emotions. So we are to secure our emotions with the truth. We believe there is only one God and we use the bible as our source of truth.

I chose not to continue reading Women Food and God because by Ms. Roth’s statement, she says that you can take God out of the picture and her methods would still work. If that is the case, then what role does God play in her book? Is it God as he defines himself or is it god however the reader defines him? From personal experience, I found that having a stable view of God’s love as expressed in the bible, knowing that he has a future and a hope for me, and believing that I could trust him in my healing was vital to my success.

Again, this review was written to help you make a more informed decision about the book before purchase. I urge everyone to please use spiritual discernment regarding your ultimate buying decision.

Last week I attended a workshop on protesting unemployment claims put on by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). When you have been in Human Resources for a long time, it’s hard to believe you can learn something new about unemployment. After all like you, we have the same preconceived ideas about IDES.

They are:

They favor the employees

They believe employees are always right

They always grant unemployment, regardless of the circumstance

I have to say, after a three hour workshop, I have a new respect for IDES and learned a few things that will help me and my clients with them in the future.

What did I learn?

They are not determining whether or not someone should have been dismissed

They are making determinations based on “unemployment laws”

Employers as a general rule either provide not enough information or the wrong type of information

They make a determination based on the last incident

While this is what is done in Illinois, I would suggest you talk to your state office to determine if they follow the same rules. Better yet, attend a workshop in your city.

This also got me thinking about what other things do I have preconceived ideas about that may be wrong (in whole or part)?

We typically only see or experience one side of a situation – do those around us also have misconceptions of our actions?

Just like IDES what we need to do is – communicate. Show others what you see, hear and experience to get their understanding.

Share misconceptions of you or your business that you have encountered and how you overcame it.

I was given this one by a friend of my oldest son jordan. The book is called "The View From Saturday" by EL Konigsburg. I felt that this book by a very prolific author, stood out because of the simplicity of the prose and the complexity of the novel's structure.

The emerging popularity of academic sport sets the scene in this novel about love and friendship.

In this Newbery Medal award winner, four sixth grade children, Ethan Potter, Noah Gershom, Julian Singh, and Nadia Diamondstein, create a group they call "The Souls". The main characters in the book are sixth grade students, their teacher Eva Marie Olinski and several senior citizens. The story takes place in Epiphany Middle School in upstate New York.

The novel takes on an interesting format. It alternates between first person narrative and third person. Each member of the Souls tells their first person slice of life after answering a question during Bowl Day.

The academic bowl is coming up, and their teacher, Mrs. Olinski, chooses them to represent their school, Epiphany.

As it turns out, the Epiphany team beats even the seventh and eight graders in the Academic Bowl, and in the end, becomes the state champion.

I'm not really giving away the story here, the beauty of this book is in the writing and the portrayal of each child as well as the grownups; especially the paraplegic Mrs. Olinski.

I recommend it for 10 to 12 year olds. Those 13 and up might find it too slanted towards the younger crowd but might enjoy the story just the same.

The book is 160 pages, which makes it a short read for most junior high / middle school children. I would recommend it for boys and girls. The style is varied and the characters are solid and grounded though most are given to flights of fancy.

James Joyce’s famous short story, “Clay,” was published in 1914 in his collection of short stories titled, Dubliners.

Like literally every other short story ever published, “Clay” makes a strong old view value statement early on and then shows a new view reversal of that old view at the end. Let me demonstrate a three-step method that helps you analyze any short story using those concepts and that will help you get started writing literary essays:

#1- EARLY ON, STRONG STATEMENT: At the beginning of a short story, a strong value statement, an old view, is given by or about the main character, asserting an evaluation or describing some characteristic, goal, or desire.

The very first sentence identifies a goal or desire of the main character:

The matron had given her leave to go out as soon as the women’s tea was over and Maria looked forward to her evening out.

In the description of Maria’s getting ready to go out for the evening, as she’s preparing and serving tea for the women of the Dublin by Lamplight laundry, two strong old view value statements are made about two important characteristics of Maria,

• Maria, you are a veritable peace-maker!
• Mamma is mamma but Maria is my proper mother.

Because of the strength of the first old view value statement, we are given expectations of finding out how Maria was a strong-willed, clever, resourceful peace-maker, one who could bring peace to any troubled situation. And we expect from the second one to find out how she was Joe’s proper mother in all the idealistic ways that the phrase suggests.

#2-IN MIDDLE, SUPPORTING/UNDERCUTTING: In the middle of a short story, the old view is supported or undercut with descriptions, conflicts, and resolutions that set up the new view at the end.

DESCRIPTION: Many descriptions occur throughout the story that undercut the old views, so we’ll have to zero in on those with the clearest impact on the old view – new view relationship in the story.

In the beginning of the story, there’s a mixture of short descriptions of Maria’s character, her past, her plan for her trip to Joe’s house that evening, her relationship to Joe and Alphy as their nursing maid and nanny, how Joe and Alphy got Maria her the job at the laundry, Joe and Alphy’s presently strained relationship, the happenings at tea time, and Maria’s thoughts while dressing to get ready for her evening out.

During the tea-time meal, Lizzie Fleming said Maria was sure to get the ring and, though Fleming had said that for so many Hallow Eves, Maria had to laugh and say she didn’t want any ring or man either; and when she laughed her grey-green eyes sparkled with disappointed shyness and the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin.

Since Lizzie had said, Maria was sure to get the ring… for so many Hallow Eves, it is plain that Lizzie had long wanted for Maria to get the ring, get a man, and get married. So did Maria. Though Maria says she didn’t want any ring or man either, her laughing with disappointed shyness says otherwise. She always wanted to be a proper mother, to raise her own family, but she never quite got the chance of getting married, which would have made that possible.

And what’s up with the description of Maria’s laughing and the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin, which occurs again two sentences later, as well as at Joe’s house, when she’s being blindfolded to play another fortunetelling game? It must be important, though it’s not clear how. Maybe it just emphasizes her disappointed shyness about her relationships with men and her feelings about wanting to get married.

Right after Lizzie Fleming’s prediction, Then Ginger Mooney lifted her mug of tea and proposed Maria’s health while all the other women clattered with their mugs on the table, and said she was sorry she hadn’t a sup of porter to drink it in.

This description is important to bear in mind at the end of the story. I’ll bring it up in my discussion about the story’s ending, later.

CONFLICT: In the beginning, it was clear that Maria was always sent for when the women quarreled.

RESOLUTION: Why? Because she talked always soothingly: ‘Yes, my dear,’ and No, my dear.’ It was Maria’s soothing niceness, her way of passive peacemaking, which always resolved conflicts at the Dublin by Lamplight, not any cleverness of persuasion or strength of personality that earned her the status of veritable peace-maker.

CONFLICT: In the middle of the story, when Maria went to a downtown pastry shop on Henry Street, the stylish young lady behind the counter, who was evidently a little annoyed by her, asked her was it wedding-cake she wanted to buy. That made Maria blush and smile at the young lady; but the young lady took it all very seriously.

RESOLUTION: Maria’s solution to the little conflict-she blushed and smiled. Her soothing didn’t really solve the conflict, but it did smooth it over. More passive niceness.

CONFLICT: Near the end of the story, the girls couldn’t find a nutcracker for Maria and Joe got upset about it.

RESOLUTION: Maria nicely said she didn’t like nuts and they weren’t to bother about her. Again, passive soothing, not solving.

CONFLICT: When Joe and his wife tried to push beer and wine on her, Maria tried to refuse.

RESOLUTION: … but Joe insisted. So Maria let him have his way.

Once again, Maria solved a conflict by being nice and passively giving in to others, just smoothing things over.

CONFLICT: Maria thought she would put in a good word for Alphy. But Joe cried that God might strike him stone dead if ever he spoke a word to his brother again.

RESOLUTION: Instead of being a proper mother and a peace-maker with her ‘children,’ Joe and Alphy, Maria said she was sorry she had mentioned the matter. As she noted earlier in thinking about the Joe-Alphy conflict, but such was life, and Maria certainly was too passive and not peace-maker enough to resolve the situation.

#3-AT END, A NEW VIEW REVERSAL. At the end of a short story, a new view reverse of the old view is usually revealed.

When Maria gets to Joe’s, there’s another Irish fortune-telling game (called Puicíní: “poocheeny”). In the game, a blindfolded person is seated in front of a table on which several saucers are placed. The saucers are shuffled, and the blindfolded, seated person then chooses one by touch. The contents of the chosen saucer supposedly foretell the person’s life during the following year: water meant travel, a prayer book meant the priesthood or a nunnery, and a ring meant marriage.

In being blindfolded to play this game, Maria laughed and laughed again till the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin-more evidence of the disappointed shyness we saw earlier. At first, her hand touched a soft wet substance with her fingers… Somebody said something about the garden… Mrs. Donnelly said… that was no play… Maria understood that it was wrong that time and so she had to do it over again: and this time she got the prayer-book.

As just one happening of the evening, just a game, the incident seems innocent enough. But what is soft and wet and comes from the garden? Clay, which is the title of the story. And clay is soft and passive and moldable by whatever pressures it. Doesn’t that describe Maria?

Where’s the strong veritable peace-maker or the proper mother who molds others, who directs and guides and blesses her children through thick and thin? This incident is a strong undercutting of those old views and reminds us of her indecision in buying cakes downtown and chatting with the stout gentleman on the tram, where all she could do was favor him with demure nods and hems.

And she gets the prayerbook in the game, not the ring. That’s appropriate for Maria because, as Joyce shows us time and again, she truly can’t handle much of anything else.

The strongest suggestion of Maria never getting a man and never, therefore, having the chance to be a proper mother, is when she sings a song at Joe’s request at the very end. The song brings to mind Maria’s life compared to the life of the woman whose words she is singing. The song was, “I Dreamed that I Dwelt,” and two lines in the song remind us of the women at tea time: And of all who assembled within those walls, That I was the hope and the pride.

You’ll recall that at tea time Ginger Mooney lifted her mug of tea and proposed Maria’s health while all the other women clattered with their mugs on the table.

That kind of clattering with their mugs on the table is probably also very like how those in the song would express That I was the hope and the pride, when they assembled within those walls. Where else would they assemble to express such hope and pride except in a banquet hall? Feasts and banquets would be the natural setting, and the rich feasters would, no doubt, toast the rich woman Of a high ancestral name with clattering and banging their mugs on the table, just as the poor, unwed mothers of the laundry did at tea time for their nice, poor friend, Maria.

The song was about a woman with riches and a high ancestral name. And the woman in the song felt That you loved me still the same, referring to some rich man, no doubt. Of course, that was the exact opposite or reverse of practically penniless Maria, who, blushing very much as she began singing, was very much aware that she was very poor, worked in a laundry for unwed mothers, and couldn’t even handle a common conversation with a common man on a tram without losing her wits and her plum cake.

At the story’s end, Joyce suggests once again that Maria is, in fact, the new view reverse of a strong-willed peace-maker with persuasive powers for solving conflicts, which the women of the laundry believed she was. As to being my proper mother, Maria’s letting Joe manipulate her so many times-past and present-actually show that she had not even been a strong substitute mother, let alone a “proper mother.”

The fact is, Maria’s entire character-as developed more fully in the middle and end of the story-is the new view reverse of the two strong character descriptions given at the beginning. Maria is actually as weak and passive and moldable and non-propagating (not giving of life, as a proper mother would be) as the title of the story suggests: She was lifeless, passive, moldable clay. Perfect fit.

Based on our discussion, here are some sample thesis statements to give you a few ideas for writing a strong essay on Joyce’s short story, “Clay:”

• Joyce’s story “Clay” shows us the theme that, ‘Anyone who gives up too many personal choices to others can become sterile, unproductive, and incapable of controlling their own lives.’
• Joyce shows with Maria in his story “Clay” that society may think we are one way, when we are, ironically, exactly the opposite.
• James Joyce’s “Clay” provides ample evidence in little conflicts throughout the story that Maria lacks the strength others think she has as a peace-maker and a proper mother, especially at the end.
• The short story “Clay,” by James Joyce, uses imagery in descriptions at the beginning, middle, and end to hint of Maria’s true character of weak, moldable clay, not strength.
• “Clay” by James Joyce uses symbolism in the story’s title, in the holiday games, and in the song at the end to show that Maria is weak, not strong, and that she’s not what she’s labeled as being by her friends.