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OHSU team volunteers in Haiti They came to the hospital gate, and no one was turned away because they couldn't pay. Some people had traveled many hours, days even, seeking help. They had wounds of all kinds—gunshot wounds, burns, head traumas from car accidents— plus other critical conditions, ectopic pregnancies, infected diabetic feet, limbs requiring amputations, neglected or undiagnosed cancers, severe GI distress, and others. Hospital Bernard Mevs, in Port-au-Prince, is the only trauma and critical care hospital in Haiti, a country of 10 million people and one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. The hospital offers the country's only NICU and PICU. Outside, it was 90 degrees with 75 percent humidity. Inside, the ER's air conditioner didn't work. Supplies, diagnostics and labs came in limited quantities, and with intermittent electricity, the CT scanner was available only part of the day. Families did their own nursing: bringing the sick food, keeping them clean, changing their linens, helping them to the bathroom. People died there, but many more were saved. Babies were born, and people were treated and went home to their families. For seven days from March 31 to April 7, a 15-member team from OHSU worked side by side with Haitian staff and translators to provide care, each teaching and learning from the other. The OHSU members were there as volunteers on a medical mission run by Project Medishare, a nonprofit health care organization started by the University of Miami School of Medicine in partnership with Hospital Bernard Mevs's Haitian surgeons. The OHSU team came together via word of mouth, colleagues asking colleagues. They represented a variety of units: John Mayberry, MD '86, R 92, Trauma/General Surgeon, Professor of Surgery, who was the trip organizer, Tiffany Reinke, RN- 8C, Cardiac and Surgical ICU, Jenna Dullanty, RN- 8C, Cardiac and Surgical ICU, Becca Cooper, RN- 8C, Cardiac and Surgical ICU, Kit Bowden, RN- 8C, Cardiac and Surgical ICU, Casey Hursh, RN- 8C, Cardiac and Surgical ICU, Bethany Denison, RN- 8C, Cardiac and Surgical ICU, Jerusha Taylor, PharmD- Pharmacist, Carolyn Lynnes, RN- 7A, Trauma ICU, Kathy Conway, RN- 7A, Trauma ICU,Kim Dody, RN- Pediatric ICU, Diana Scolaro-Cook, RN- Pediatric ICU, Helen Thomas, EMT- Paramedic, ED, Rebecca Harrison, MD R'98, Hospitalist and Associate Professor of Medicine, and Deb Freysiner, CRNA- Anesthesia. The OHSU team worked in 12- to 14-hour shifts and slept in a compound right next to the hospital. They filled in wherever they were needed, even if it was outside their skill set. Dr. Harrison, a hospitalist, helped out in the ICU, doing post-op surgical care. She also cared for babies in the NICU and pitched in with physical therapy. It was her first medical mission abroad. "I wanted to go for several reasons," said Dr. Harrison. "I wanted to help, to serve, to see medicine in a different environment and to broaden my horizons. Working with limited resources really pushed the envelope in that regard." Because of limited supplies and diagnostics, the team was pressed into finding innovative solutions. "We called it MacGyvering," said Tiffany Reinke, RN, who worked in the hospital's ER, though she's an ICU nurse. "It was making do with what we had. For restraints, we MacGyvered with stretchy gauze. Sometimes for foleys, we'd hook up a foley bag to a garbage bag. For the little babies, we sometimes used a specimen cup for a urine container. All these little tricks made it work. I found it fun and different, and it gives you perspective. What little we could do made such a big difference." The new, challenging environment pulled the group together as a solid working unit. "We were a team of people working together and consulting with one another to figure out a problem," said Dr. Harrison. "It was awesome. We came together in a really powerful way. OHSU should be really proud of the group that went." During her time there, Dr. Harrison discovered how different Haitians are when it comes to pain relief and pain management. Despite the availability of narcotics, most Haitians preferred minor pain relief or none at all. "In about 100-plus hours on duty, I wrote three orders for IV narcotics. Their resilience was incredible," said Dr. Harrison. She also observed how realistic people were when it came to death and dying. "Haitians view death as very much a part of life," said Dr. Harrison. "There is acceptance of the limits of medical intervention. It was so different from the U.S., where we use all these health care dollars to desperately hold onto life. That was a big lesson." For Dr. Mayberry, who tries to volunteer in medical missions once or twice a year, the trip was his second to Haiti. "It's personally very gratifying to do it," he said. "And it's a challenge. You are the one at that moment. You have to do it. You just dive in. And you can give good care without all this fancy equipment. It gives you perspective on what is good care." "It changed me, very much," adds Dr. Harrison. "I realized that by doing this, you can be that change you want to see. One way is giving money and resources. And the other way is seeing it with your own eyes. Now I understand something I didn't before. The experience and the people there taught me a lot. I got a global picture of health care that is very different from our own. And I feel very, very grateful. I'll be back!"

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to announce new support for the Philippines and flood-hit Thailand as she shores up ties with key US allies, officials said Tuesday. After her Manila visit, Clinton will head later this week to Thailand, part of a renewed US focus on Asia. President Barack Obama is traveling separately to Australia, another longtime ally in the region. Officials accompanying Clinton, whose plane made a brief refueling stop in the US territory of Guam, said she would hold talks today with President Aquino and tour a warship at a time of high tension between Manila and Beijing over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea. The US recently provided the Philippines with a warship and Clinton will discuss offering a second one, the officials said. They said Clinton will also look for ways to step up cooperation at sea. Recent US military efforts with its former colony have focused on fighting Islamic militants the US was not seeking to stir up tensions in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea, where Beijing is locked in myriad disputes with countries including the Philippines and Vietnam. The Philippines has “what they feel are legitimate claims in the South China Sea and they are being contested by other countries,” the defense official said. “We’re very sensitive to making sure that this does not in any way alarm or provoke anybody else,” he said. But relations between the US and China have been uneasy, with Obama pressing President Hu Jintao during a weekend summit on a range of issues from intellectual property rights to the exchange rate, saying that the US wants to help build the emerging institutions of the fast-growing region that is vital both for the US economy and security. In a speech last week, Clinton said that the US was “updating” relationships with its five treaty-bound regional allies – the Philippines, Australia, Japan,, said that Clinton’s trip was timely in light of the tensions in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea, including over the Spratly Islands. “When you face China in the Spratlys, the most the Philippines can do is lean towards a stronger nation, which in our case is the US,” Rodriguez said. “Her visit underlines the enduring alliance and responsive strategic partnership between the Philippines and US and is the latest concrete manifestation of US action and reengagement in the most dynamic region in the world – the Asia Pacific,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said for his part. “The strategic partnership between the two countries also focuses on seizing opportunities for their mutual objective of growing their economies which is manifested in their cooperation under the Partnership for Growth,” he added. Protests Protests by militants greeted Clinton’s Manila visit which was also in observance of the 60th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). “The MDT continues to be invoked to justify US intervention in our country. There are no benefits from this. In the last 40 years, the MDT was used to justify US military bases in the Philippines, as well as Philippine involvement in US conflicts abroad. To this day, the MDT is being wrongly used to justify the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) even if the MDT predates the VFA by 48 years,” said Renato Reyes, secretary- general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan). “The US government wants us to be content with receiving US military junk. The MDT has not modernized our armed forces. If anything, the MDT and similar military agreements have made us dependent on the US,” Reyes said. “They have made us weak and unable to stand on our own,” he added. “How can we expect fair and equal treatment from the US, especially after what we learned from Wikileaks? In 2009, Secretary Clinton herself ordered US diplomats to spy on UN officials and other UN representatives, even ordering the gathering of biometric and IT-related information,” he said. “As revealed in Wikileaks, the US embassy in the Philippines undermined Philippine sovereignty on many issues. That’s the kind foreign policy that the US carries out even with its so-called ‘allies’.” Bayan said the VFA should also be scrapped as it has been used to justify not just brief visits but extended or even permanent stationing of US troops in the Philippines. “The Aquino government should stand for sovereignty and do away with mendicancy in its foreign relations,” Reyes said. “January 2012 will mark 10 years of US troops’ permanent illegal arrangement,” Reyes said. Bayan said that after more than a year in office, the Aquino administration has yet to make good its promise to make public the results of its review of the VFA. The Senate has passed a resolution calling for the renegotiation or termination of the VFA because of some questionable provisions. Labor groups also protested Clinton’s visit and demanded the abrogation of the MDT. “This treaty is based on the lie that the US is a real friend of the Philippines. It is the US, not the Philippines, which benefits the most from it. The Aquino government, which is so proud of welcoming Clinton, is far from scrapping this treaty and ending US supremacy over the country,” Kilusang Mayo Uno vice chairman Lito Ustarez said. He added that Clinton’s visit is proof of the Aquino administration’s commitment to preserve or even strengthen US hold over the country. “This has meant nonstop violations of our country’s sovereignty so we urge the Filipino workers and people to be critical of and fight US domination of our country. It is responsible not only for the dragging of the country into US-sponsored wars but for the country’s poverty,” he said. Anakpawis executive vice president Joel Maglunsod, for his part, said the MDT and the VFA have allowed the US to trample on the country’s sovereignty. The group also criticized US President Obama’s Partnership for Growth initiative, saying it would further open the Philippine economy to US control. “We have been opening up our economy for almost a century and what has it caused us? Nothing but a backward economy, destroyed hopes for national industrialization and a spectacularly high poverty rate,” Maglunsod said. Measly US aid For Sen. Francis Pangilinan, the Philippines has not received much from the US despite its long years of military cooperation with the superpower. “After 60 years of cooperation with the United States, and in 10 years of having implemented the Visiting Forces Agreement despite its lopsidedness, the Philippines has received only $507 million in military assistance from 2001 to 2011,” Pangilinan said. “Other countries have received far more for far less cooperation,” he said citing Pakistan. The senator said Pakistan, based on reports, received close to $20 billion in US aid from 2002 to 2010 despite the failure of its officials to track down Osama bin Laden. American commandos eventually killed bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan. (In fact, we’re getting only loose change from America, but we’re giving them a lot),” Pangilinan said. “We get bread crumbs relative to what their other allies and security partners have received, and our military is far from modernized,” Pangilinan added. “Luging-lugi tayo sa VFA (We’re the losers in VFA). This is why we have long been clamoring for its abrogation and review,” Pangilinan added. ,” he said. – Mayen Jaymalin, Rhodina Villanueva, Christina Mendez, Pia Lee-Brago

Five years ago -- during the height of the social media marketing revolution -- many experts predicted the end of earned media -- influence gained through non-paid channels. Fast-forward to today and earned media is more important - far more influential -- than ever before for brands -- large and small. As we enter the mobile-first age, media is a constant companion for consumers and consumers are increasingly seeking authentic and original sources for news and content. Earned media is what customers tweet about [such as: "The best new product ever"], and it often receives myriad retweets and favorites. In another valuable form, earned media is consumed through tried and true traditional sources such as newspapers, broadcast and magazines read each and every day. In 2015, social media networks will rapidly decrease the organic reach of a brand's content -- despite the number of fans, followers and engagement. Without an ad-buy, brands will become virtually invisible on these social platforms. Against this backdrop, earned media is and will remain a key channel to influence others - informing, educating and driving decisions. The concept of "earned" media -- however -- no longer just applies to traditional media outlets -- with a similar "active" approach required in effective social media engagement and content marketing. Five years ago, Facebook and Twitter were the new vehicles to promote brand stories. In 2015 both channels will become paid publishing platforms -- creating the age of Facebook Zero and Twitter Zero. Today, the organic reach of the branded-content published on these platforms will hit zero -- making "earned media" more essential than ever. In addition to driving influence, earned media activities can also help to drive business outcomes on behalf of our clients. But these days it has to work a little harder to make the "sale." For example, in 1994, it took seven touch points to convert a prospect into a sale. In 2014, it took up to 20 touch points. Today, media relations generates impactful touch points, significantly increasing word of mouth, which is the highest converter of sales/action. Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family are still the most influential, as 84 percent of global respondents across 58 countries to a Nielsen online survey said this source was the most trustworthy. Today's modern media relations, defined Multi-Platform Content is King. Video is the most valuable tool as people process video 60,000 times faster than text. Every media campaign today should focus on a strategic mix of traditional media, social media engagement and content [video, infographics] to drive influence, decisions and desired outcomes. In conclusion, the more the art of media relations changes -- the more it stays the same. Our industry also has become resourceful at mining and converting data into storytelling, and using multi-media content will create more impactful placements. While digital has provided challenges and opportunities for brands, one constant remains: Earned media is alive and well -- and driving influence one story at a time. Jennifer Risi is head of media relations and the Managing Director of the Media Influence Team at Ogilvy Public Relations. Follow her: @JenRisi. Follow Ogilvy: @OgilvyPR

Grants & Awards The aims of the Foundation are to provide grants to other charitable funds, authorities and institutions in Australia for the promotion of scientific, technical and medical education and research, with emphasis on specialised projects that may not attract widespread public financial support. Since its inception the Foundation has contributed over $800,000 towards a number of activities in accordance with its stated purpose. Grants have been made to: - The Australian Academy of Science - The Australian National University - The University of Sydney - The University of Melbourne - The Flinders University of South Australia - The former Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology - The 30th International Chemistry Olympiad - Melbourne Girls Grammar School - Ravenswood School for Girls - The King David School - Quantum Victoria - Ivanhoe Grammar School - In2science Several of the projects involved have achieved international acclaim and it has been stated that without the Foundation’s early support not all would have proceeded. By way of example, the work done by Doctors Richard Robson and Bernard Hoskins of the School of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne, on the design and synthesis of infinite lattices, funded initially by the Foundation over two years in 1989 and 1990, has achieved world-wide acknowledgement and acclaim. The Awardees wrote to the Trustees in 1992 stating, “The project, which we of course believe has great value, would quite simply have withered and died prematurely without your help.” In 1996 the Foundation established the Selby Research Award granted annually by the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne. A number of outstanding Awardees have already received grants used for travel or the purchase of major items of equipment required to further their research. In 2002 the Trustees created a similar Research Award at the University of Sydney. eight years of distinguished service as Dean of the Faculty. It is awarded on academic merit based on the recommendation of the Head of the Department of Genetics, Doris Selby Award is currently given to a Year 12 Biology student at Ravenswood School for Girls. The Award was established in 1991 by Doris’ brother Esmond, to encourage the pursuit of science at a tertiary level by recognising the distinguished career of his sister. Doris attended Ravenswood from 1917-1922, completed a Master of Science at Sydney University in1930 and subsequently a Degree in Medicine in 1936. In 2014 The Selby Scientific Foundation included the Award within the Foundation’s annual schedule of recipients.

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Coinstar said it will expand the presence of its redbox fully automated DVD rental kiosks at Kroger stores. Redbox DVD kiosks are currently available at more than 200 Kroger locations, and more than 2,600 Kroger-operated supermarkets and convenience stores will feature the redbox DVD kiosks within the next year, according to a Coinstar press statement yesterday. “This partnership with Coinstar will give our customers across the country access to new-re

Image still from Flowing Locks, 2007, HD single channel video by Hanna Raisin. Jokes and humour are serious business. According to Freud they can provide a stairway to the subconscious where all sorts of forbidden taboos posture nakedly, and can slip out in conversation wearing the socially acceptable clothes of 'just kidding'. But aside from providing this insight into the recesses of the mind, humour can also be a sharpened tool, used for political lampooning and cultural commentary. In the exhibition, 'Backflip: Feminism and Humour in Contemporary Art', curator Laura Castagnini shows how a collection of artworks, whose mission is wit and comic playfulness, can function as an arsenal to provoke and criticise. "Feminist humour is often disruptive in the way it seeks to destabilise the patriarchy and structures of sexism and oppression," Ms Castagnini says. "This disruption of the status quo often creates space for a viewer to rethink their position on the role of women and other feminist issues. Humour also entices people, and can be an effective strategy for engagement." Ms Castagnini is currently completing a Masters in Art History, researching the relationship between feminism and humour. Curating this exhibition at the Margaret Lawrence Gallery at the Victorian College of the Arts has allowed her to use gallery space to allow her insights to materialise before an audience. "Humour is a technique used by feminist artists in a range of ways. Some artworks use humour to mock their oppressors and others utilise the grotesque to disrupt ideas about femininity and social expectations." "Other artworks critique institutions of power and male privilege or parody the way women are represented in society," said Ms Castagnini. "I've tried to represent a wide variety of strategies in the exhibition." 'Flowing Locks', by Hannah Raisin is one of the audiovisual artworks on display. It is a performance piece with a young woman in a flesh-toned body suit, with holes cut at the armpits and crotch. The artist has fixed delicate strands of hair about 2 meters long to these holes in the suit. The artist dances and twirls elegantly, with hair streaming from her body. "This is a throwback to the 1970s hairy armpits," says Ms Castagnini. "This exhibition reflects feminist issues that are still relevant and Raisin's work demonstrates that body hair is still an issue that comes up for women today." This artwork, like so many in the exhibition, serves as a reminder that humour and light-hearted criticism is a valuable tool in the deconstruction of cultural practices. In this case, the social assumptions made about female body hair, beauty and femininity. Ms Castagnini has been mentored by Vikki McInnes, the director of the Margaret Lawrence Gallery at the VCA. Reflecting on the process of putting together the exhibition and the bitter contrast between the wit and comedy implicit in the show, and the stark oppressive world which feminism rails against, Ms McInnes says in the time she and ms Castagnini have been working together on the exhibition there have been some "decidedly unfunny moments in the cause for women both at home and abroad, with the gang rape and subsequent death of a young student in Delhi." Art is both the medium to communicate and absorb the variety of challenges that is in the sights of feminists, but the world of art presents problems and complications for female artists and curators. "We are both keenly aware that the high proportion of female-to-male artists in the student cohort is quickly inverted when one looks to career opportunities and commercial representation beyond art school," Ms McInnes says. The punchline of this exhibition is one of subversive provocation, prompting the reader to re-evaluate the world around them. But with a little cheekiness. Backflip was on show at the Margaret Lawrence Gallery through May. To find out what is currently showing go to:

On Friday, 225 community members gathered at the Maronite Center in Austintown to celebrate the retirement of Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr. Douglas, a Youngstown State University alumnus and limited service faculty member, officially retired from the Youngstown Municipal Court over the summer. “All of my longtime friends were there, and I was very thankful they were able to attend,” Douglas said. Delores Crawford, a member of the YSU Board of Trustees, said she grew up with Douglas on the South Side of Youngstown. Crawford said the dinner was very well attended. “We were all there to support him,” Crawford said. “It was a very nice evening.” Crawford said she was part of the planning committee, along with Douglas’ stepdaughter. “We celebrated his accomplishments,” Crawford said. “He deserves all we can do.” Douglas went to YSU on a basketball scholarship in 1958. He then left school to join the U.S. Army for three years, and later received his bachelor’s degree from YSU in 1966. He received his master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh in 1970, then earned his law degree from the University of Akron in 1978. Afterward, he worked for various agencies, including Mahoning County Job and Family Services. Douglas was also a member of various boards, such as Gateways to Better Living and the United Way. He served as president of the board of trustees for the Youngstown Community Health Center and the Northeast Ohio Adoption Services. Norma Marzano, a former bailiff, worked for Douglas for 10 years and retired in 2008. “He is a sweetheart, and everything he got he worked for,” Marzano said. “His father died when he was 4 years old, and his mother basically raised him. He genuinely cares about people. He really does. He probably was one of the fairest judges I’ve ever seen in my life.” John Spivey, Douglas’ most recent bailiff, said Douglas knew how to treat people with dignity. “He was fair and had compassion,” Spivey said. “He had an effect on people because of his social work background. … Just because he was in the court system, he was still a human being.” Spivey was attending Cleveland State University when he met Douglas. He had just lost his job at Forum Health, and Douglas encouraged him to finish his degree. “He’s all about higher education,” Spivey said. Douglas said one of his most rewarding accomplishments was redistricting in a voting rights lawsuit: Armour vs. State of Ohio. He also is proud of co-founding a radio station, WRBP. “I am also proud of becoming a judge at the end of my career,” he said. “I was retired and a vacancy came out, and I was fortunate enough to be sought after for the position.”

John Rae presenting at the MUHC’s first Bal Rouge, which raised $800,000 in August 2016John Rae, the super hospital’s quiet philanthropist Tracey Arial May 26, 2017 580 John Rae Which Montreal powerbroker convinced private investors to donate massively to the MUHC super hospital through years of political turmoil, fraudulent leadership and the pullout of key players? John Rae, a man unafraid to laugh at himself. “Nobody names their boys John anymore,” he said during a five-minute stand-up routine that helped raise $1.5 million for the new Shriners Hospital. “Happily the name John will not disappear entirely because it has been used over time to describe things. Excuse me; I want to go to the John. Are you going to wear long johns today?” Rae’s sense of humour doesn’t prevent him from achieving serious goals. He spent decades as a key executive of Power Corporation and still serves the company in an advisory role. In his spare time, the 71-year old fundraising strategist helped Jean Chretien win majority governments in 1993, 1997, and 2000 prior to his work for the MUHC. “I was privileged to work for a corporation that believed that officers should be involved in the community,” he said. The Humour Me Montreal’s comedy show in which Rae and three other major donors participated exemplifies the kinds of fundraisers that formed part of the super hospital campaign. The event took place on May 10, 2015, at Place des Art’s Théâtre Maisonneuve and raised funds specifically for the Shriners Hospital, the last building constructed in the project. The Shriners Hospital wasn’t initially proposed by the MUHC in 1998. At first, the hospital was supposed to include five public entities—the Royal Victoria, Montreal General, Montreal Children’s, Montreal Neurological and the Montreal Chest hospitals. Rae got involved in 2001. Then MUHC board chair David Culver asked him to lead the largest most ambitious campaign by the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) to date. Over the fifteen years of the project, Rae’s team raised $300 million for an innovative public private partnership (known as PPP) development plan. John Rae with the late David Culver (seated). “Mr. Culver wanted this campaign to reflect the Montreal of today and tomorrow, not of yesterday. David died in February 2017 at 92. His contribution should be highlighted.” “Mr. Culver wanted this campaign to reflect the Montreal of today and tomorrow, not of yesterday,” said Rae. “David died in February 2017 at 92. His contribution should be highlighted. In Montreal, our health infrastructure had been neglected so there had to be involvement of all three levels of government. The Federal Government was involved because it gave a lot of money to the research institute. Over time, everybody came together and there was a massive investment in the two teaching hospitals and in a lot of other institutions besides. The provincial government, through many administrations, stayed committed. These reinvestments in our health infrastructure will be beneficial for our citizens for many years to come.” Rae shared Culver’s vision and remained in charge of the capital campaign until 2015 when the super hospital opened. “As a volunteer, there were three important lessons I learned throughout the course of this campaign,” said Rae. “First, believe profoundly in what you’re doing. Second, give your money and your time before you ask others to give their money and their time and third is that none of these important projects take place without significant difficulty and with lots of twists and turns.” The project’s twists and turns began early. Rae started on a good note. The Quebec Government had just agreed to purchase the 17-hectare Glen property from Canadian Pacific Railway for $18 million and both parties agreed to pay to decontaminate the land. The MUHC was on track to meet its budgeted $1.2 million. However by the time the campaign ended, that figure grew to $1.8 billion. There were even points during the fifteen-year adventure when it seemed the hospital might not be built. “As we went through, from time to time, some difficulties, I used to like to remind myself of Winston Churchill’s quote, which was ‘make sure that when you’re going through hell you follow the most important principal never to stop.” Soon after the land purchase, downtown Montreal residents complained that they would no longer have local hospital service. That led to public consultations, reports and a lot of criticism. By 2004, the concerns became acute and the Quebec Government asked the MUHC to keep one of its sites downtown. That request removed the Montreal General Hospital from the project, leaving a development hole. Eventually the hole was filled by the Shriners Hospital-Canada, the only Canadian facility in a network of 22 privately-run children’s hospitals. That decision became tenuous twice. The board of the private hospital threatened to pull out of the project in 2006 when they heard that the MUHC-led decontamination of the property was incomplete. A year later, the board supported a motion that the Shriners move out of Montreal entirely. Rae encouraged the campaign to keep the Shriners here, which ultimately succeeded in July, 2007. The entire concept of a public private partnership came up for debate politically too, particularly in the early days of the project. Throughout it all, Rae continued to assure his investors that their funds were being properly handled. His task became easier in 2008 when the government reconfirmed the PPP status of the project. It became harder again when the government publicly questioned the role of private enterprise in the public hospital early in 2009. Then the situation stabilized when the government reconfirmed the PPP status later that same year. “A project of this dimension was unprecedented in Quebec. In major undertakings things get complicated, but I didn’t have to argue too hard about why the infrastructure needed to be built. The community had conviction that it was doing the right thing.” The most trying period for the McGill super hospital project came in 2011, when MUHC president Arthur Porter was accused of kickbacks and a year later, when he was charged with fraud. During that investigation, the public learned that the MUHC planned project deficit of $12 million had actually reached $115 million. As a frequent attendee and joint spokesman with Rae, Porters’ damaged reputation reflected badly on the hospital campaign. Ask Rae about that now, and he doesn’t want to focus on it. “It certainly created anxiety, but the project was more important than any incident,” he said. “We raised a lot of the money before we had a project that was confirmed. A project of this dimension was unprecedented in Quebec. In major undertakings things get complicated, but I didn’t have to argue too hard about why the infrastructure needed to be built. The community had conviction that it was doing the right thing.” The final few years of the campaign featured imaginative events. On February 4, 2012, for example, ten MUHC doctors performed in a “Dancing with the Stars” type event at Metropolis to raise $203,000. Fundraising stayed on track as construction finished at the site in late November 2014. Various hospitals then moved to the site throughout 2015, with the last one being the privately-funded Shriners. Rae’s participation in the May comedy night that year combined with similar efforts by the many non-profit organizations involved to ensure that the Shriners opened at the Glen on October 5. “Emphasize please that it’s not one person, it’s many who made this happen,” says Rae. “We live in a society that’s based on a real commitment to volunteer effort. The not-for-profit sector in Canada represents a great strength in our society. It’s been there from the beginning.” Social entrepreneur and journalist Tracey Arial specializes in writing nonfiction profiles about local leaders like Rae, who donate their time and energy on behalf of the public good. Read more of her work in The Suburban or on her blog at. Related

Educating undergraduate women for leadership in the 21st century. The Newcomb College Institute of Tulane University seeks two or more postdoctoral fellows in law and society. We seek applicants whose research takes an intersectional approach to law and society, reflecting how gender, race, class, disability, sexuality, ethnicity, community, immigration status, and national identities shape law and, in turn, how law shapes those identities. We will consider applicants beginning in the Fall of 2017 or Spring of 2018 for a single semester, a calendar year, or the 2017-2018 academic year for up to two years of support per person. We prefer a two-year appointment, but are open to shorter terms. The fellows will receive mentoring from senior faculty, participate in our interdisciplinary community focused on intersectionality, and mentor undergraduate student research assistants. We expect fellow to participate in brown bag seminars, receptions, and other programming, mentor one or more undergraduate research assistants, and help to organize a workshop in the fall of the second year of the fellowship. We especially invite applicants whose research and teaching interests focus on/contribute to increased understanding of law, intersectionality, and identity in New Orleans, Louisiana, and/or the Gulf Coast South, as well as those with a demonstrated commitment to building interdisciplinary community. Applicants should apply via Interfolio () and should include a: Questions may be addressed to Laura Wolford, Assistant Director of the Newcomb College Institute at lwolford@tulane.edu. Screening will begin June 15, 2017 and continue until the positions are filled. Tulane University is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action/persons with disabilities/veterans employer committed to excellence through diversity. Tulane will not discriminate against individuals with disabilities or veterans. All eligible candidates are encouraged to apply. Demonstrated research interests with an intersectional approach to law and society, reflecting how gender, race, class, disability, sexuality, ethnicity, community, immigration status, and national identities shape law and in turn, how law shapes those identities. Preference to applicants whose research and teaching interests focus on/contribute to increased understanding of law, intersectionality and identity in New Orleans, Louisiana, and/or the Gulf Coast South, as well as those with a demonstrated commitment to building an interdisciplinary community. The legacy of women-focused undergraduate education continues at Tulane University through the Newcomb College Institute. Under the leadership of Executive Director Sally Kenney, NCI consistently provides vibrant, intellectually rigorous programming on women's issues for the university community, while funding faculty and student research grants. Our mission is to: Cultivate lifelong leadership among undergraduate women at Tulane University Empower women by integrating teaching, research, and community engagement at Tulane University Preserve, document, produce, and disseminate knowledge about women Honor the memory of H. Sophie Newcomb and carry forward the work of Newcomb College by providing a woman-centered experience in a co-ed institution We propose to recruit scholars to work closely on a project with one of several faculty members at Tulane. Given this interdisciplinary group of scholars, a postdoctoral fellow could work on projects related to judging, sexual assault on campus, women in prison, the history of slavery in the Gulf Coast, the psychology of discrimination, law and personhood, women and development, activism, human rights, or another closely related project. Sally Kenney and Laura Rosanne Adderley will serve as lead mentors, with the support of a wider community of faculty on campus. Sally J. Kenney, Professor of Political Science and Executive Director of the Newcomb College Institute, conducts research on discrimination against women and minority men in the legal profession, focusing particularly on judges. She studies race and gender in judicial selection; state judicial elections; backlash against non-traditional judges and challenges to their objectivity; sexual assault on campus; women's leadership; women and girls in Kenya, and women's incarceration in Louisiana. Laura Rosanne Adderley, Associate Professor of History and director of the Africana Studies program, has projects on the history of the African Diaspora; the Atlantic Slave Trade; black enslavement in the Americas; Caribbean history; and African-American history. Laurie O'Brien is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. Trained in the areas of prejudice and stigma, her research explores how lay people perceive (and fail to perceive) prejudice. Saru Matambanadzo, Associate Professor of Law, has published on legal sex for transgendered persons, philosophy of legal education, legal personhood, and feminist legal theory. Lisa Molix, Associate Professor of Psychology, focuses on intergroup relations, health and well-being among marginalized populations, and the intersections among these areas. Tania Tetlow is the Felder-Fayard Early Career Associate Professor of Law. A former Assistant US Attorney with extensive experience with the Violence Against Women Act, she is the former Director of the Tulane Domestic Violence Clinic. Her research focuses on jury discrimination against the victims of crime by race and gender, making particular connections between the two. Just as juries historically acquitted those who committed violence against blacks (like Emmett Till) who broke the racial rules, so juries continue to put the victims of gender-based violence on trial for their obedience to gender rules. She argues that the "discriminatory acquittal" violates the Constitution, and works on procedural tools to prevent it. Gretchen Clum Heather Storer Catherine Burnette Izabela Steflja Geoff Dancy Nghana Lewis Zachary Lazar Laura Wolford Assistant Director of the Newcomb College Institute lwolford@tulane.edu Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118 504-865-5000 website@tulane.edu

VDTA’s Taut-Skinned Godfrey Hotel Metal and glass accentuate Chicago high-rise’s iconic form. Given the odds stacked against it, Godfrey Hotel’s 2014 opening in Chicago counts as a major victory—even if it took more than a decade to get there. Valerio Dewalt Train Associates (VDTA) signed on to the project in 2003, after being approached by a developer affiliated with a mid-market hospitality chain. Four years later, following a delay in financing, construction was finally underway. Then the recession hit, the original developer went under, and the building remained half-finished. The case languished in bankruptcy court until 2012, when Oxford Capital Group purchased the property. Fortunately, boutique hotel operator Oxford Hotels and Resorts hired VDTA to complete the project—with few changes to the original plans. “It’s interesting that through the course of the almost four years that this sat wrapped in tarps, it remained desirable,” said VDTA’s David Jennerjahn. “For the hotel operator, it was a really distinguishing architectural design.” Together with its cantilevered form, Godfrey hotel’s slick metal panel and glass facade combines function and aesthetics in an iconic package. The hotel appears as a series of three offset rectangular boxes, stacked vertically. “The building has a very symbolic form—what I would call a very muscular form—and none of that is arbitrary,” said VDTA’s Joe Valerio. The offsets serve two purposes. First, they express the building’s structure, which follows the staggered truss system developed in the 1960s by William LeMessurier, a noted structural engineer. As the name suggests, LeMessurier’s method involves staggering story-high steel trusses on alternating column lines, thus creating large clear span interiors. Though the staggered truss system is usually deployed to create buildings that “look like a cereal box,” said Valerio, VDTA approached their structural engineer with an alternative proposal. “We nonchalantly said, ‘There’s a lot of redundant strength there. [The volumes] should be able to cantilever out,'” he recalled. The structural engineer gave them the go-ahead, and Godfrey Hotel’s unique form was born. As an additional benefit, the stacked configuration allowed the architects to carve the interior spaces into a variety of room types and sizes, an idea they prized from the project’s beginning—and which Oxford Hotels and Resorts, in particular, embraced. - Facade Manufacturer Metl-Span (insulated metal panels), Oldcastle (punched windows, storefront), Pittco Architectural Metals (curtain wall) - Architects Valerio Dewalt Train Associates - Facade Installer All American Exterior Solutions (metal panels), Alliance Glazing Technologies (curtain wall) - Facade Consultant Curtainwall Design Consulting - Location Chicago, IL - Date of Completion 2014 - System insulated metal panel system with integrated aluminum punched windows, aluminum curtain wall system - Products Metl-Span insulated metal panel system, Reynobond aluminum composite panels, Pac-Clad corrugated perforated panels, Oldcastle aluminum punched windows and aluminum storefront, Pittco aluminum curtain wall, Nanawall moveable storefront, PPG Solarban 60 glazing Like the offsets, said Jennerjahn, the building’s skin performs a specific set of functions even as it “works toward the goal of creating a distinctive boutique hotel image.” On the north and south facades, an insulated metal panel system from Metl-Span attaches directly to the stud work, doing triple duty as weather barrier, vapor barrier, and insulation. Integrated punched windows nod to the River North neighborhood’s masonry fabric, while the panels’ taut surface avoids detracting attention from the building’s unique shape. Finally, said Jennerjahn, “using a metal skin on a metal frame building was another tie to an honest expression [of the structure].” The east and west facades are almost entirely transparent. “In 2003, no one had heard of LEED,” said Valerio. Noting the potential for solar gain, he explained, “If we were designing the building today, we wouldn’t have all-glass walls on the east and west elevations. We put them there because we wanted to take advantage of the views.” The glass also reveals the staggered truss system. Because the trusses run north-south, opening the building to the east and west was the only way to show them off. “That created other opportunities we did not even think of,” said Valerio. In some cases, he said, “the trusses really become a part of the room,” operating as built-in furniture. Despite the change in ownership and an eleven-year gap between conception and execution, Godfrey Hotel’s architectural design remained almost entirely unaltered. “There were some changes internally, but the exterior of the building and the expression of the building were very consistent,” observed Jennerjahn. Valerio agrees—and is humble enough to acknowledge the unusual serendipity of the situation. “Oxford fundamentally built the hotel exactly as we had designed it,” he said. “It was really just an amazing kind of dumb luck.” - The north and south and east and west facades are given contrasting material treatments. (Steve Hall) - The punched windows on the north and south facades reference the neighborhood’s existing masonry building stock. (Steve Hall) - The building envelope was designed to maximize views of the city. (Steve Hall) - Insulated metal panels do triple duty as insulation and moisture and vapor barriers. (Steve Hall) - A retractable glass roof covers the fourth-floor outdoor lounge in inclement weather. (Steve Hall) - The hotel’s interiors feature a restrained color pallette. (Steve Hall)

[tag: science] Costs per equivalent unit Supervisor Micro Production uses the weighed -average method in its process costing system. During January, the Delta Assembly Department completed its processing of 25,000 units and transferred them to the next department.The cost of beginning inventory and the costs added during January amounted to $599,780 in total. The ending inventory in January consisted of 3,000 units, which were %80 complete with repsect to materials and %60 complete with respect to labor and overhead. the costs per equivalent unit for the month were as follows: Materials Labor Overhead costs per equivalent unit $12.50 $3.20 $6.40 Required: 1- Compute the total cost per equivalent unit for the month. 2- Compute the equivalent units of materials , labor, and overhead in the ending inventory for the month. 3- Prepare the cost reconciliation portion of the department'sproduction report for Janunary. Solution Summary Solution contains calculations of number of equivalent units , total cost per equivalent unit and the cost reconciliation portion of the department's production report for the month.

Desperate to stop Savitar and save his friends, Barry turns to the speed force for answers; H.R. gives Jesse some advice. The Flash dives deep into the Speed Force as Barry decides he has to go save Wally and Jesse decides she wants to confront Savitar. It’s an interesting episode that goes deep into the mythos of the Speed Force as Barry explores it all and some interesting “fun” is put before us during the rescue mission. It’s interesting in that the episode really explores the Speed Force and what it’s like inside. That’s something that’s been touched upon before but this feels like something new. What’s particularly interesting is that it’s all to teach Barry a lesson, which feels like that’s the point of a lot of things that happens. If it’s not Team Flash fighting a villain, it’s something to teach Barry a lesson. That’s the big focus here too. It’s to give him a push and put him on the path to eventually face Savitar, something we know is the big build of the season. And if that’s not obvious then Jesse’s part of it all leads us to that point too. She decides it’s her turn to protect the city and confronts Savitar herself. This mainly leads to a revelation about the villain, the big point to all of that. It’s an interesting battle and gives Jesse some strength stepping up. That’s also emphasized in a statement of hers about fighting other villains. She’s experienced, we just haven’t seen it. This is a bridge episode as I’d describe it. It doesn’t stand on its own a whole lot, instead propelling a lot of plot points forward and adding some depth. It’s the episode where details that couldn’t be added to other episodes are fit in. It’s not bad, it’s just not great either. The Speed Force moments are interesting, but at their heart it’s something we’ve seen elsewhere. The fight with Savitar didn’t feel all that special either. The episode gets us from point A to point C, but it being point B, it’s not all that exciting. Overall Rating: 7.00

News Redundancies at Republic of Everyone November 1, 2012 11:51 by Robin Hicks 4 Sustainability specialist Republic of Everyone has made a number of redundancies. The do-good Sydney-based agency, which was launched in 2007 by ex-Belamyhayden MD Matt Perry and former Happy Soldiers creative Ben Peacock, told Mumbrella that the cuts were the first the agency has made in its five-year history. Republic of Everyone now has 18 staff. Among the agency’s recent hires was Dae Levine, the former acting CEO and communications chief of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, who was promoted to managing director in July. In response to questions from Mumbrella she issued a statement saying: Change is always hard but that fact is that Republic of Everyone is operating in a fast evolving and innovative market. Sustainability is a space that reinvents itself constantly. We need to keep reinventing our company to match. That’s what we’ve done, by taking the focus off some areas of our offering and moving it to others where we see the future laying. As market needs change, we need to be able to respond to those changes. Republic of Everyone is a strategically led creative communications company built to meet those needs. As a result we have reorganised the team to deliver on the opportunities ahead of us. We have had the chance to talk to those of our clients impacted by staff changes and they, along with we, are confident they will continue to get the best service from Republic of Everyone. In the almost five years that Republic of Everyone has been in operation, we have never had to make strategic decisions that have led to redundancies before. These were not easy decisions, but reflect the necessity of the changing conditions and the future market needs. The people whose roles have been made redundant are still a part of the Republic of Everyone family, and we will aim to look out for them in every way possible and hope to work with them in some capacity in the future. Republic of Everyone parted ways with aligned PR agency Killer Whale earlier this year, which closed following the exit of Robert Marson who moved to experiential marketing firm Liveworks. Among the agency’s more high profile campaigns was the Cate Blanchett-fronted Say Yes Australia campaign to back to carbon tax, an awareness campaign for Fairtrade, and a branded content project for charity Médecins Sans Frontières. The agency recently published a book on sustainability marketing called the Hero’s Handbook. Robin Hicks topics Ben Peacock, Dae Levine, Greenpeace, Matt Perry, Republic of Everyone Share Tweet Share Comments: 4 Add Comment Hmmmm! 1 Nov 12 What a shame…. all the best to everyone! Reply Fabfour 1 Nov 12 shame – they offer such great work. hope this doesn’t reflect the old challenge of making money out of NFP work! Reply j 2 Nov 12 I wish management people would stop mouthing these inane platitudes, trying to make good press out what is obviously a set back for all involved. Then, just to underline the cringe they feel compelled to add a dose of heart-felt sympathy and support to those axed. For goodness sake – try just try being open and honest with yourself and everyone else. Reply Ronnie 5 Nov 12 I’m with you J, for a company of supposed ‘ethics’, it is a weak company statement indeed. B’

Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department is taking to encourage staff to work from home; and how many staff do so on a regular basis. [21831] Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department is staffed entirely by secondees, predominantly from the National Assembly for Wales. We adopt the same approach to home working as does the Assembly; currently one member works regularly from home. Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many regulations his Department has been consulted by other Government Departments since June; what regulatory impact assessments have been made by his Department of the cost of UK Government regulations to business in Wales over the last 12 months; and what representations his Department has made to other Government Departments seeking to reduce the burden of regulations on small businesses in Wales. [21968] Mr. Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, and my Department is routinely consulted, about the impact of Government policies on business in Wales. The Wales Office has itself undertaken no regulatory impact assessments during the past 12 months. 17 Dec 2001 : Column: 95W Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which businesses were consulted by Steer Davies Gleave while they were compiling, on her behalf, the feasibility study for a ferry service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle; what questions were asked of the businesses; by what means Steer Davies Gleave advertised to businesses the fact that they were compiling the study; what fee was charged by Steer Davies Gleave; and when and where she will make the report available to the public. [17299] Mr. Foulkes [holding answer 22 November 2001]: The Scotland Office appointed Steer Davies Gleave to undertake a transport and economic appraisal of the Campbeltown-Ballycastle ferry in consultation with the Scottish and Northern Irish Executives and after a competitive tendering process. The fee paid to the consultants was £18,600. In the course of their work on this study, I understand that the consultants questioned a number of companies within the local areas of Kintyre and Moyle and beyond to assist them in evaluating the likely usage and benefits from a new ferry service. A copy of the final report will be placed in the Library of the House. Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what weight will be given to public opinion in Scotland in completing her consultation on MSP numbers; [23390] Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she plans to publish her consultation document of the number of Members of the Scottish Parliament. [23808] Mrs. Liddell: I expect to make an announcement shortly about the consultation on the size of the Scottish Parliament. Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Government give direct financial support to fund Scottish Executive officers working internationally under arrangements made with the Scotland Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. [23606] Mrs. Liddell: Scottish Executive officers working overseas are funded by the Scottish Executive. However, the full resources of the British embassies overseas are available to assist the executive as well as the other devolved Administrations. Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people outside the United Kingdom have signed up to the Friends of Scotland initiative since it was launched. [23605] 17 Dec 2001 : Column: 96W Mrs. Liddell: There is no requirement for people abroad to "sign up" to the Friends of Scotland initiative. I have contacted diplomatic missions to inform them of the initiative and to seek their assistance in taking it forward. Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scotland Office staff members are working full-time in the Friends of Scotland unit. [23602] Mrs. Liddell: Currently there are two full-time officials working on the Friends of Scotland initiative. Recruitment of further staff is under way and secondments from the private sector are being explored. Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many target overseas participants the Scotland Office has for the Friends of Scotland initiative in the first (a) six months and (b) 12 months of operation. [23601] Mrs. Liddell: The first meeting of the advisory committee will take place on Tuesday 18 December, at which the issues and targets will be discussed. Vera Baird: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has made to the state of Georgia, USA, regarding the proposed execution of British national Tracey Housel; and if he will make a statement. [23392] The Prime Minister: The Government are taking what steps we properly can. The Consul General in Atlanta has recently written to the Governor of Georgia underlining the Government's opposition to the death penalty and asking the Georgia authorities to commute Mr. Housel's sentence to a term of imprisonment. Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on contacts since 1 May 1997 between Ministers and the British/American project for the successor generations. [23184] The Prime Minister: The British/American project aims to strengthen the vital and longstanding relationship between the US and UK. As part of that process, it arranges meetings, including with Ministers, for young leaders from the business, economic, professional, cultural, artistic, governmental, academic, scientific, medical, military and social life of the two countries. Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if his undertaking that announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance in Parliament prevents (a) special advisers and (b) civil servants briefing the media before such an announcement. [23181] The Prime Minister: In their response to the report from the Public Administration Select Committee on the Ministerial Code, the Government made clear that when the House is sitting announcements of Government policy should be made, in the first instance, to Parliament. Contacts between civil servants, including special 17 Dec 2001 : Column: 97W advisers, and the media are conducted in accordance with the Guidance for the Government Information Service and the GICS Handbook. Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister whether the published review of waste policy being undertaken by the performance and innovation unit will constitute formal planning guidance to waste disposal authorities. [23186] The Prime Minister: No. The performance and innovation unit will look at the whole range of issues around delivery of the waste strategy, which will include planning issues. Any recommendations or conclusions which the PIU may draw will not constitute formal planning guidance but will inform future policy. Barbara Follett: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to create a Minister for retail. [23319] The Prime Minister: None. My hon. Friend the Minister for E-Commerce and Competitiveness is responsible for the retail sector. Additionally, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business champions the interests of small retailers and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty) is responsible for issues specific to food and drink retailing. Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Prime Minister how many times he has met Mr. Simon Best, deputy chairman of the BioIndustry Association; and what the purpose of each meeting was. [23243] The Prime Minister: I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations, it is not my practice to provide details of such meetings. Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance is provided to Government bodies in respect of the expenditure on funds on lobbying activities; and if he will make a statement. [23189] Mr. Leslie: All contacts with lobbyists are conducted in accordance with the guidance on contacts with lobbyists which is set out in the Directory of Civil Service Guidance, Volume 2. Copies of the Directory are in the Library of the House and on the Cabinet Office website. Any departmental expenditure will be conducted in accordance with the guidance on Government Accounting.

Working Landscapes: Acoma Pueblo Working Landscapes: Acoma Pueblo The Pueblo of Acoma, NM, continuously inhabited since the late 1300s, is one of the oldest urban settlements the United States. Located on a mesa seven thousand feet above sea level, the architecture can be traced back to the early 17th century where it stood isolated and defensible in its magnificent arid landscape. The ruins of the original village, destroyed in 1599 by Spanish soldiers, are known to exist beneath the present village and its mission of San Esteban del Rey. The earliest European contact with Acoma in the 16th century yielded descriptions of a rock mesa called Acuco. The Europeans reported seeing a "village of about 200 houses, from two to four stories high; with cornfields and cisterns on the summit; with cotton, deerskin and buffalo hide garments; with domesticated turkeys, quantities of turquoise, etc." (Leslie White, The Acoma Indians, Bureau of American Ethnology, Annual Report 47, 1929-30) The stepped houses, constructed from indigenous materials, were set in continuous rows facing slightly east of south. The village was razed in 1599 by canon fire following a clash between Spanish soldiers and the Acomas. The rebuilding of the village, circa 1640, was guided by Fray Juan Ramirez of Oaxaca. The new mission, begun in 1629, was built over the southern-most part of the original village. The buried archeology can occasionally be seen after heavy rains and wind. Although the exact location of the razed village has not been determined, the three-story stepped houses with kivas facing east of south are visible. The fields below are still dry farmed with crops of corn, beans and squash. Water cisterns, located on top of the mesa, are the only source of water. There is no electrical power. Thus, the 17th century village is still present today. The history of Acoma is told by stories that are passed from grandfathers to children through the use of the Keres language and is cherished as intimate knowledge. However, the written histories are always told through the outsider's point of view, usually beginning with the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. These written histories are built on values frequently foreign to the Acoma people. Conflicting viewpoints are similar to those that have arisen from outside interest in the Acoma settlement. With the establishment of the Acoma Historic Preservation Office, recognition of the multiple viewpoints about the Acoma culture has led to an effort to share their views with others in a way that doesn't compromise their beliefs. One of the earliest Pueblo churches in New Mexico, San Esteban is thought to be one of the largest, most architecturally perfect of the single-nave fortress churches. Begun in 1629, the 21,000 square foot mission complex, consisting of the church, convento (priest's living quarters), and campo santo (graveyard in front of church), took 14 years to complete. All materials - clays, stone, wood, nails, grasses, yucca, water and selenite - were carried by hand to the top of the 350 ft. high mesa. Sacred thirty-five foot long vigas (log roof beams) were transported from 30 miles away and, if dropped, were replaced by fresh ones. The lands of Acoma represent one of the few environments in the United States that retains its inseparable ties between the people and the land. All places in the Acoma landscape are identified by their significance to cultural memory. All attributes of the land are sacred to the people, having an existence that is not separate from its inhabitants. Those who violate this condition are censored and required to pay a penalty. For the Acoma people, their identity symbolises the cultural landscape, and its preservation is key to their existence. The Keres language also is rapidly being lost, and with it, a connection to the land that could ultimately sever the intimate ties that the people have with their culture. Acoma is a working landscape. Its people nourish the land, conserving it through ritual and an insider's knowledge of its resources. Rituals are performed in daily life to sustain a living relationship with the past. For example, the Field Chiefs, formerly War Chiefs, who have dwellings within the mission perform seasonally related agricultural rituals and pray for the world. As elders, they safeguard the land and activities of the old village and are joined by the citizens of Acoma in daily responsibilities that benefit the community as a whole. The tribal government has little authority here and must make requests to the Field Chiefs who oversee activities in this environment. Threat The authenticity of the site is underscored by the centuries-old dedication to land and to the integrity of the village and its mission. The motives for this dedication lie in the people's understanding of the living presence of their ancestors and their intimate bond with the land and its places. For the Acoma people, the making of a settlement is a continuing process, unchanged since the first encounter with the "place that was prepared." The act of building is an innate part of each person's life, a transformation of the land itself through dwelling with the land. Until twenty years ago, very few changes were introduced to the traditional methods of building. With increasing availability of funds generated in part by the Casino economy, many families are building additions to their old houses. Some are building entirely new structures, using modern materials and construction methods that not only are destroying the character of the village, but also contributing to the destruction of the old buildings made from materials found on Acoma lands. Historically, materials were extracted only after builders made appropriate communication with the lands for the removal of materials. 'Fast building' technology is replacing the 'soft technology' of stone and adobe. Recent restorations have shortened the life of some of the village's most fragile and cherished structures. Today, these houses may be considered structurally dangerous. If they are demolished, the village will lose some of its most representative structures. The increasing severance of language, place and tradition is eroding the interdependence of all three, resulting in a great loss to the Acoma cultural landscape. The Acoma people recognize this problem: the loss of the traditional language is a loss of cultural cohesiveness; the loss of traditional ways of using materials for dwelling will sever the physical connection between the people and the land. Once lost, these people/place connections are seldom restored. The fragility of the village itself poses a real and imminent possibility of a lost connection with the land. How to Help Over the past five years, a significant change has occurred in the relations of the Acoma people to the outside world. Formally protective of all aspects of tribal life, the Acomas have become cautiously open to outside assistance for the preservation of their National Monument. Nominating San Esteban Mission as a Save Americas Treasures site in 2000, and recognition in 2002 from The World Monuments Watch brought public attention to Acoma. Because of this recognition, the Acoma people have embraced preservation as a way of saving their cultural landscape. They now have a vision for the future as one of reclamation rather than one of loss. Public recognition that Acoma village and its mesa site is an endangered cultural landscape supports the Acoma belief of the interconnectedness of the environment, structures and the landscape. Learn More Contact Dennis Playdon: Architecture Department Temple University 2001 N. 13th Street Philadelphia PA 19122

Perennial.” And David Roberts, who once said of climate-change skeptics, “When we’ve finally gotten serious about global warming … we should have war crimes trials for these bastards—some sort of climate Nuremberg,” objected that Bridenstine is “a climate denier with no scientific credentials.” A little fact checking might have saved them some embarrassment. But before we get to that, an aside will be helpful. When they’re not saying the only people who can speak authoritatively about climate change are “climate scientists” (a term that shrinks or expands to include or exclude the right and wrong people), climate alarmists routinely write off engineers as not even scientists, let alone “climate scientists.” That’s how they justify ignoring the group of distinguished retired NASA engineers who call themselves The Right Climate Stuff team. By application of the principles of radiative heat transfer, TRCS members have concluded that human influence on climate is minimal and couldn’t become catastrophic even if we burned all the fossil fuels in the earth’s crust. So as you read on, keep in mind that to climate alarmists, engineers aren’t even scientists, let alone climate scientists. So if non-scientists aren’t qualified to lead NASA, engineers are excluded. Twenty people have been NASA administrator or acting administrator. Of those, twelve have been engineers. The second most common background? Administration—three (or four, if you include one whose master’s was in information systems), for each of whom the most advanced degree was a master’s in administration or management. Physicists come in second place—all two of them. Bridenstine’s most advanced degree? A master’s in business administration. So he has the same highest degree as three past NASA administrators. How many of NASA’s twenty past administrators have had degrees in (non-engineering) science? Three—all with Ph.D.’s, the two in physics plus one in chemistry. But climate alarmists also routinely dismiss physicists (like S. Fred Singer and Will Happer) and chemists as unqualified to address climate change because they’re not “climate scientists.” So apparently Nuccitelli and company wouldn’t have been satisfied with these three administrators, either. Five administrators had no degree higher than a bachelor’s—all in engineering. Among them are current Acting Administrator Robert M. Lightfoot Jr.; NASA’s first administrator, T. Keith Glennan (1958–1961); and its longest-serving, Daniel S. Goldin (1992–2001). Seven administrators’ highest earned degrees were doctorates (four in engineering, two in physics, and one in chemistry), seven were master’s (three in engineering, two in administration, and one each in information systems, systems management, and law), and five were bachelor’s (all in engineering). In short, Bridenstine—a former Navy Reserve pilot, former executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium, current member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and an avid backer of space exploration (NASA’s chief mission)—is equally well qualified as many past administrators to lead NASA, and better than some. Ah, but Bridenstine’s opponents have another beef. “Bridenstine is a climate denier!” Indeed, Nuccitelli quotes him as having “reeled off this string of climate myths on the House floor in 2013”: … global temperatures stopped rising 10 years ago. Global temperature changes, when they exist, correlate with Sun output and ocean cycles. During the Medieval Warm Period from 800 to 1300 A.D. … temperatures were warmer than today. But every one of those claims is either patently or arguably true. There was no statistically significant increase in global average temperature - between 1997 and 2011 according to HadCRUT4 data, - or from 1998 to early 2013 according to BBC Online, - or from the beginning of 1997 to August 2012 according to the UK Met office, - or for about 13 years leading up to late 2011 (i.e., from late 1998) according to Professor Richard Muller’s then-celebrated BEST data, - or from September 1996 to September 2014 according to RSS satellite data, - or for 18 years and 9 months from February 1997 through October 2015 according to RSS satellite data, - or from 2001 to early 2017, according to HadCRUT4 data, and I could cite more. Bridenstine’s claim in 2013 was well justified by the data—and remains so today. Does global temperature correlate with Sun and ocean cycles? In August 2016 Kenneth Richard listed 35 scientific publications that confirmed that ocean cycles and the Sun were the main climate drivers. Later that year, and updated in March of 2017, two climate scientists and a statistician published a paper concluding that after controlling for solar, volcanic, and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability, “there is no ‘record setting’ warming to be concerned about. In fact, there is no Natural Factor Adjusted Warming at all.” Other scientists contest this, but Bridenstine’s claim is at least arguably true. Was the Medieval Warm Period “warmer than today”? Hundreds of scientific studies have concluded that it was, the most recent being one in GeoResJ, the gist of which the authors summarize in The Spectator Australia, saying: After applying the latest big data technique to six 2,000 year-long proxy-temperature series we cannot confirm that recent warming is anything but natural—what might have occurred anyway, even if there was no industrial revolution. …. So Bridenstine is at least arguably right on that claim, too. Perhaps the NASA administrator with the broadest and deepest scientific credentials was Michael Griffin (1,377 days from 2005–2009, the sixth-longest reign of any administrator), with a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, an M.S. in electrical engineering, an M.S. in applied physics, an MBA, an M.S. in civil engineering, and partial completion of an M.S. in computer science before he took office. But in an interview with NPR in 2007, Griffin said that while he had “no doubt that … a trend of global warming exists” and that “recent findings … appear to have … pretty well nailed down the conclusion that much of that is manmade,” he couldn’t say whether manmade global warming was “a long-term concern or not,” because “To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth’s climate today is the optimal climate” and deciding that “right now is the best climate for all other human beings [is] a rather arrogant position,” adding, “I don’t think it’s within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change.” So Griffin wouldn’t have pleased Nuccitelli and company either. After initial objections, Bridenstine seems to have growing support, according to the Washington Post. He should. He’s well qualified for a position that has far more to do with management than with science—even the science of space exploration, NASA’s main mission, let alone climate change, a sidelight.

“Mom. Mom? Mom!” If you’ve done a stint as a parent or caregiver, you’re probably familiar with this frustration — the repeated interruption from young kids. But if you think about it, the dings and visual alerts from your emails are even more relentless. After all, kids grow up and stop interrupting their parents. Email just continues on. American white-collar workers spend 4.1 hours each day checking email, according to an Adobe email survey cited by The Washington Post. That’s a startling number — equal to 20.5 hours weekly, 1,000-plus hours annually and 47,000 hours during a working life. During that time you could learn two dozen languages or hike the Appalachian Trail 100 times, noted the newspaper. We’ve become so accustomed to checking email (not to mention Facebook, Twitter and other social media) that we respond automatically — conditioned like Pavlov’s dog. What to do? The best advice — because most of us can’t afford to disconnect altogether — is to check email less often. But that advice is hard for most of us to follow. So consider these ideas for taming the deluge of email: 1. Unsubscribe No, you can’t ignore messages from your boss, key team members and other critical work influencers. But do you really need to subscribe to sale alerts from your favorite retailers? Or updates on your social media activity? Ruthlessly unsubscribe, advises Monica Seeley, author of “Brilliant Email: How to Win Back Time and Increase Your Productivity,” speaking to The Huffington Post. Yes, unsubscribing takes time, but it saves time in the long run. One other idea: Establish an email account strictly for “junk” or “fun” emails and keep all alerts silent. Check that box only as time allows. 2. Install a productivity app Newton Mail, Notion, IFTTT (If This, Then That), SaneBox and Streak, are among the apps that allow you to prioritize and filter email, automatically respond and more. You can also find a variety of apps in Other InBox. But like a human subordinates, these helpers don’t succeed without your plentiful input. “You — the user — are in control,” Mark Hurst, a consultant and the author of “Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload,” told The Huffington Post. “The human is the most important part of the system — not the latest tool, not the latest feature. And as long as people abdicate that responsibility [of email management] to the technology, they will remain stressed and overloaded and anxious.” 3. Respond smart First, turn off audio and visual alerts for emails. Then set aside the time you will respond, said Gail Kinman, professor of occupational health psychology at the University of Bedfordshire, speaking to Inc. That sounds easy, but how do you make sure you don’t lose business by not immediately responding to an email from an important client — or your boss? Use email tools to automatically respond to messages and tell them when to expect a response, said Kinman. An example of such a message would be: “I have left the office for the day, but will return at 9 a.m. tomorrow and will respond as soon as possible after that time.” 4. Organize As we’ve said before, it’s a great idea to put your emails into batches such as what to reply to immediately, what to kill and what to set aside for later action. A productivity app can be helpful in compiling such batches. One caution – don’t use your email as a task list. It’s important to compile a true task list — one of a manageable size. 5. Triage So after you respond to the urgent emails, you’ll file messages that don’t need a response and flag those that need follow up, said Marsha Egan, CEO of InboxDetox.com and author of “Inbox Detox and the Habit of Email Excellence,” told Forbes. “Create folders within your inbox, sort the emails that need action, and then set a calendar alert to remind you when to revisit any deadline-oriented messages,” Egan told Forbes. Hint: That’s where productivity apps help. 6. Don’t delete Some keep email in their inbox for fear of losing it. The chance of losing it is minimal thanks to search features. Still, many filter it into different folders, boxes or pipelines (depending on what system you use) as a way to remain efficient. What about the pieces you don’t want? Archive them or even trash them, but don’t delete the trash, recommended Harvard Business Review. 7. Change your thinking Think of your physical mailbox — the one in which you get your physical mail. You don’t check it 20 times a day. You don’t let the day’s mail dictate your entire schedule. And you don’t take the mail out, look at it, and return it to the box. If you develop a similar attitude to your email inbox, you’ll reduce stress and boost productivity. Email is a fact of life, but start with these strategies to control it so it doesn’t control you. What tricks have you learned for taming the flood of email and other electronic interruptions? Share with us in comments below or on our Facebook page. Jim Gold contributed to this post.

Through tragedy and change, Columbus radio station CD101 has been rocking the alternative airwaves since 1990. “The reality is, the show must go on,” said Randy Malloy, general manager of CD101, referring to the death earlier this year of one of the station’s most loved and recognized personalities. John Andrew “Andyman” Davis was an on-air personality at CD101 from 1991 until July 18, 2010, when he drowned in a lake while vacationing with his family in Michigan. He was voted Columbus’ favorite DJ on multiple occasions, according to the CD101 website. Davis’ wife, Molly Davis, requested that officials forgo an autopsy on her husband, but he likely drowned after suffering a heart attack. “The sudden loss of Andy this summer, about four months ago, was obviously a great shock to everybody here at the radio station,” Malloy said. “We’re continuing on with the radio station normally, as he would have wanted to do, and as we must do.” Previous midday DJ Lesley James has taken Davis’ spot in the afternoon, and Brian Phillips has moved into James’ old spot. Nate Ellis has been promoted to the director of marketing and promotions in an attempt to replace Davis. “The thing about Andy Davis, the man, is that he was like the magnetic North of the Columbus music scene, meaning he had a gravitational pull and brought together so many bands,” said Joe Oestreich, member of the band Watershed. “Andy was a pro, but he wasn’t a jaded industry dude … and in the radio industry, you don’t see many people like that anymore.” More recently, CD101 has changed its frequency to 102.5, with WOSU purchasing the previous frequency of 101.1 for $5.7 million to provide an all-classical music station for Columbus. “We’ll be CD101 at 102.5. It’s a different call signal, but it’s the same attitude, the same people. We’ll still play the same music. We’ll still break alternative bands that haven’t been heard before,” Malloy said. But even with all the alterations, both on air and behind the scenes, Malloy is confident there won’t be any “drastic changes.” “The hope is it won’t change anything. We’re still us. Our philosophy is etched in stone. We’ve been doing this for about 20 years now, and CD101 will continue to be that entity,” Malloy said. Adam Horn, 23, disagrees. A Columbus resident who has listened to CD101 for about five years, he said he is upset that the station is playing more mainstream music and fewer local bands. “We play what fits with our audience. We play what sounds good. We have a team of people who listen to the music, that’s their jobs, so they listen to the music and evaluate what works,” Malloy said. “We definitely play a lot of independent bands and independent music, definitely more so than even close to anything else in this city.” Regardless of music choice, the station’s presence as a promoter for local charities hasn’t changed. Tonight at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, bands are joining for charity with the support of CD101. A third of the proceeds from ticket sales at the door, along with all proceed from merchandise sales, will go to the Andy Davis Memorial Fund. The rest will go to another of the station’s fundraising projects, called CD101 for the Kids Charities. “The radio station is helping to promote this, but Quinn Fallon, who was Andy’s business partner as well as the leading member of X-Rated Cowboys, has been the spearhead of this event,” Malloy said. “The local musicians have come together out of the love for Andy and for what he did for the local community musically. They are what is driving this.” In June 1999, Davis and Fallon began organizing annual benefit concerts, setting up bands to perform and raise money for central Ohio families in need. In 2003, they moved the charity performances to the LC Pavilion. “If someone was going to do this, I felt I owed it to (Davis) to do it right,” Fallon said. “I knew which bands Andy was fans of … and everybody was on board with the idea that we owed it to Andy to celebrate the things that were very important to him, to honor his legacy.” Fallon’s collection of bands for tonight’s performance is based on Davis’ musical taste. Andy “didn’t worry about cliques, he just liked what he liked, and so the cool thing about this show is it really honors Andy as a person and Andy’s taste in music — bringing together all these different bands,” Oestreich said. Fallon’s band X-Rated Cowboys will be playing along with Oestreich’s band, Watershed. Also performing are Howlin Maggie, The Toll, Willie Phoenix Band and Earwig. “The artists are the real heroes here,” Malloy said. “They are really doing the work.” Doors open at 6 p.m., and tickets are $20 at the LC Pavilion.

This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9, (MUP), 1983 Neville Howse, by Lafayette, 1920s National Library of Australia, nla.pic-an23449059 Sir Neville Reginald Howse (1863-1930), surgeon, soldier and politician, was born on 26 October 1863 at Stogursey, Somerset, England, son of Alfred Howse, surgeon, and his wife Lucy Elizabeth, née Conroy. He was educated at Fullard's House School, Taunton, and studied medicine at London Hospital (M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., 1886). Howse was a demonstrator in anatomy at the University of Durham when declining health caused him to migrate to New South Wales. Registered to practise on 11 December 1889 he set up at Newcastle but soon moved to Taree. In 1895 he visited England for postgraduate work in surgery, became F.R.C.S. in 1897, then bought a practice at Orange. On 17 January 1900 he was commissioned lieutenant in the New South Wales Medical Corps and sailed with the 2nd Contingent for South Africa. While with a mounted infantry brigade in the Orange Free State during the action of Vredefort on 24 July, Howse 'went out under a heavy crossfire and picked up a wounded man and carried him to a place of shelter'. For this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross on 4 June 1901. Howse had been promoted captain in October 1900. Later he was captured by the Boers but released as a non-combatant. After returning to Australia, he went back to South Africa as an honorary major in the Australian Army Medical Corps in February 1902, just as the war ended. Howse became widely known in Orange for his skill as a surgeon and was twice mayor. On 31 January 1905 he married Evelyn Gertrude Northcote Pilcher at Bathurst. He remained a major in the A.A.M.C. Reserve and in August 1914 was appointed principal medical officer to the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force to German New Guinea, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. On his own initiative drugs and medical equipment (including a unique dental arrangement) suitable for a tropical campaign were obtained and the troops were protected against typhoid and smallpox. The brief action in New Britain was completed without a single case of serious illness up to 15 October as a result of his thoroughness. The ambitious Howse returned alone just in time to join the Australian Imperial Force and sail with the first convoy as staff officer to Surgeon General (Sir) W. C. D. Williams, director of medical services. During the voyage he won the confidence of the commander of the A.I.F. Major General (Sir) W. T. Bridges and the friendship of Colonel (Sir) Brudenell White. In December Howse was appointed assistant director of medical services, 1st Australian Division, with the rank of colonel. He was gravely perturbed by the inadequacy and confusion of the Imperial forces' medical plan for the Gallipoli landing and obtained improvements in the arrangements for the evacuation of Australian wounded. When the perilous situation of the 1st Division at the landing made his plans impossible Howse took personal charge of the evacuation of the wounded men crowding the beach under increasing shell-fire, 'giving and disregarding orders in a manner quite shocking but strangely productive of results. Shells and bullets he completely disregarded', wrote White. 'To the wounded he was gentleness itself'. By 3 a.m. on 26 April the beach was clear but Howse continued to superintend evacuation to the ships for two more days. To Howse the medical service was no mere humane amenity for soldiers but a fundamental of fighting efficiency. So he strove to improve sanitation and food, to expedite the return of the wounded to units and, after Gallipoli, to combat venereal disease and to resist every attempt to lower the physical standard of the A.I.F. On Gallipoli he established the Anzac Medical Society which met regularly to disseminate knowledge among his officers. In July 1915 he was appointed C.B. and in September was given command of the medical services, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, as deputy director; from November he was director of medical services of the A.I.F. In this appointment, which he had been strongly urging, Howse could ensure the independence of the A.A.M.C. from the British medical authorities and give it the cohesion and leadership which it had lacked. When the infantry divisions went to France in 1916 Howse set up his headquarters with A.I.F. administrative headquarters in London. He retained control of the A.A.M.C. in Egypt and Palestine, made frequent visits to the A.I.F. in France and reported each month to the director general of medical services in Melbourne. If he had much to learn about the vast, complex organism of the army at war, he revealed a capacity to learn and grow with the magnitude of his task. Mistakes were made but Howse never lost the confidence of the commander of the A.I.F., Lieutenant-General Sir William Birdwood, nor of Brudenell White. Among his achievements were recognition by the army of the need for direct access by the director of medical services to the general officer commanding the A.I.F., and his acceptance by the War Office as chief medical officer of the A.I.F. He established clear policies for the A.A.M.C. in line with those of the Royal Army Medical Corps and preserved the independence of his corps. When Major General (Sir) John Monash ordered A.A.M.C. officers on his headquarters to wear the 3rd Division colour patch instead of their own, Howse forced Monash to withdraw the order; he won the same battle against Major General (Sir) Talbot Hobbs. In January 1917 he was promoted major general and appointed K.C.B. Howse gave evidence before the Dardanelles Commission in 1917. The arrangements for the wounded at the landing he characterized as 'so inadequate that they amounted to criminal negligence' on the part of the Imperial authorities. In the field, Howse had introduced surgical teams and had supported the work of Major A. W. Holmes à Court in developing resuscitation teams with each division. His reorganization of the field ambulances in two sections, rejected by the War Office in 1916, was readopted in the A.I.F. in September 1918. In October Howse went briefly to Australia to advise the minister of defence on A.I.F. affairs and on crippled returned soldiers. He returned to London in February 1919 to assist on the medical side of repatriation. He was mentioned in dispatches, and was appointed K.C.M.G. and knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 1919. Howse returned home in January 1920 but his resumption of private practice was short lived. He had been appointed chairman of a committee on the reorganization of the Army Medical Service which began work in 1921 but in July 1921 he was made D.G.M.S. as a regular major general stationed in Melbourne. From the day of his return he had spoken out in public on the achievement of the A.A.M.C. in maintaining the health of the A.I.F. and had insisted that the same must be done for all Australians in peacetime. As a regular officer could not campaign in public he resigned in November 1922 and was elected to the House of Representatives for the seat of Calare, which included Orange, as a member of the National Party. He was then reappointed D.G.M.S., on a part-time basis, until he entered the cabinet in 1925. He was a member of the Australian delegation to the fourth assembly of the League of Nations in 1923 and commissioned by the government to inquire into the medical examination of migrants to Australia and into the Spahlinger treatment of tuberculosis. From January 1925 to April 1927 Howse was minister for defence and health and minister in charge of repatriation. He accompanied the prime minister, S. M. (Viscount) Bruce to the Imperial Conference in 1926 but was taken ill and returned to Australia. He relinquished defence and health but remained in the cabinet as assistant minister without portfolio. Nevertheless he continued to administer repatriation and even acted as secretary to the cabinet. In February 1928 he again became minister for health and repatriation and also for home and territories. He was campaign manager for the 1929 election in which he lost his seat. In his brief parliamentary career he was recognized as champion of the returned servicemen and as a pioneer in public health. He spoke on the need for the Commonwealth to improve public health, on the treatment of cancer and venereal disease, maternity allowances and the welfare of returned servicemen. With the purchase of £100,000 worth of radium in 1928 Howse set up one of the world's first radium banks. The first conference of cancer organizations in Australia was inspired by him and he was responsible for the transfer of the Institute of Anatomy to Canberra. He helped to found the Federal Health Council in 1925 and the College of Surgeons of Australasia in 1928. Howse went to England for medical treatment in 1930. He died of cancer on 19 September 1930 and was buried in Kensal Green cemetery, London, survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters. Neville Howse was an Englishman who expressed the nascent Australian nationalism vigorously and directly. He was a pragmatist who nevertheless saw far ahead, a surgeon who had a flair for soldiering, an organizer who had deep insight into the essential relationship between the medical service and the force it served and who had the courage and persistence to establish policies not always understood by combatant officers. His confidence, good humour and diplomacy were matched by his shrewd appreciation of character. If his ambition carried him far, it was motivated by his recognition of human need in war and peace and sustained by confidence in his own capacity to help. His successes, in the words of another great D.G.M.S., Colonel R. M. Downes, 'made him one of the outstanding Australians of the Great War … one of the most remarkable and self-sacrificing medical administrators any military force has ever known'. Memorials to Howse are at the Orange sub-branch of the Returned Servicemen's League of Australia, in the Orange Base Hospital and in the Australian Institute of Anatomy. His portrait by James Quinn is in the Australian War Memorial and a painting of Howse winning the V.C., by William Dargie, is in the headquarters of the R.A.M.C., London. A. J. Hill, 'Howse, Sir Neville Reginald (1863–1930)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,, published first in hardcopy 1983, accessed online 20 September 2017. This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9, (MUP), 1983 Neville Howse, by Lafayette, 1920s National Library of Australia, nla.pic-an23449059 26 October 1863 Stogursey, Somerset, England 19 September 1930 England

UK Communication Minister Ed Vaizey has confirmed the terms of the £180 million scheme to help householders prevent 4G services interfering with television signals. The scheme was originally announced in February 2012. In a letter to UK comms regulator Ofcom – which ran a consultation on the issues for digital TV raised by the launch of 4G services – Vaizey. Vaizey. According to Vaizey,,” he said. Ilse Howling, Managing Director of UK DTT platform Freeview speaking June 26 at the Westminster eForum Keynote Seminar on ‘The future of free-to-air TV’ suggested that the future of the service was at risk should unfavourable decisions be made in terms of the reuse of UHF spectrum and called on the Government urgently to revise its 4G proposals on the levels of support being offered to consumers. Addressing the Future of Broadcasting Conference the following day, Vaizey refuted Howling’s suggestions that as many as 2.3 million homes risked losing their DTT service, countering that the real number was as little as four to five thousand homes. “We’re on top of the DTT interference issue,” he stated. “We’re working with Ofcom. It’s a very, very small number of consumers who will have to move platform,” he claimed.”. In response to the Minister’s revised proposals, Howling said that Freeview welcomed the Government’s announcement of additional support, describing this as “a clear omission in earlier proposals,” and noted that, should the costs for protecting people’s television services exceed the £180 million the Government has set aside, Ministers were committed to bearing the risk of any overspend. ,” she stated. “We also believe it would be in consumers’ interests for the Government and Ofcom to mandate a trial of 4G services in a limited area before proceeding to national roll out.” She confirmed that Freeview would continue to represent the interests of all its viewers and ensure that when the roll out of 4G mobile broadband begins next year they were not overly inconvenienced, nor have to bear a disproportionate cost.

April 15, 2013 Not in our town: A strategy for dealing with community conflicts Public lecture by Patrice O’Neill (Filmmaker and founder, Not In Our Town), with introductions by Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary; Tove Skarstein, Norwegian Ambassador to Hungary; and Zoltan Kovacs, Hungarian Minister of State for Social Inclusion. They tackle questions such as: What can ordinary people do about racial, ethnic and cultural tensions and violence in their neighborhoods? What can media, mayors, police, religious leaders and teachers do? What can the Not In Our Town model offer Hungarian communities that are experiencing tensions between their Roma and non-Roma populations? November 15, 2012 From Digital Terrestrial TV to Hybrid and Connected TV: Challenges from a regulatory perspective Public lecture by Joan Barata Mir (Professor of Communication Law and Vice Dean at the Blanquerna Communication and International Relations School, Universitat Ramon Llull, in Barcelona), who provided a broad reflection on how to regulate media an in the digital and convergent world - and the question if it is even possible to regulate them at all. June 21, 2012 How Content Gains Meaning and Value in the Era of Spreadable Media Public lecture by Henry Jenkins (Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, Cinematic Arts, and Education at the University of Southern California) about the shift that has been taking place in how media content circulates -- away from top-down corporate controlled distribution and into a still emerging hybrid system where everyday people play an increasingly central role in how media spreads. The lecture was hosted by the CMCS, the Open Society Archives, the Center for Media Research and Education at BME MOKK and the Open Society Institute. March 5, 2012 Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom Public lecture by Rebecca MacKinnon, Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and cofounder of Global Voices, about the themes she raises in her new book, Consent of the Networked. MacKinnon's main point was the pressing need for people to take responsibility for the future development of the Internet. At stake, she argued, are no less than civil liberties, privacy and even the character of democracy in the 21st century. Instead of engaging in sweeping arguments about whether the Internet is a force for political liberation or for alienation, we should address the more urgent question of how technology should be structured and governed to support the rights and liberties of all the world’s Internet users. MacKinnon was introduced by Kate Coyer, Director of the CMCS, and a Q&A session afterward was moderated by CEU Assistant Professor Youngmi Kim. January 23, 2012 Religion and Media in Russia Public lecture by Victor Khroul, Associate Professor at the Journalism Faculty of Moscow State University, who was at the CMCS for a three-month CEU Professorial Research Fellowship. In his lecture, Khroul asked: Can we understand religion without media, or media without religion? How do they interact in the public sphere as two social sub-systems? He placed these questions in the context of contemporary Russia and its challenges, problems and hopes. November 2, 2011 Democratization processes and Media Transitions After the Arab Spring Public lecture by Professor Joan Barata (Universitat Ramon Llull) about the historical, political and social backgrounds of the Arab Spring movements and the role that traditional and new media have been playing. Prof. Barata focused in particular on the challenges for the immediate future, which include the creation of a new communications landscape, the effective protection of freedom of expression and information, the role of state media, and the creation of new democratic regulatory authorities. April 4, 2011 New challenges to freedom of expression Public lecture by Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, sponsored by the CMCS and the Open Society Archive (OSA). La Rue talked about his work over the past 25 years as Special Rapporteur, as Presidential Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala, and as long-time human rights advocate, and provided a broad overview of global challenges to freedom of expression. March 10, 2011 The Political Communication of Regulatory Agencies: Between Legitimacy Management and New Governance Public lecture by Manuel Puppis, senior research and teaching associate and managing director of the division "Media & Politics," Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research (IPMZ), University of Zurich, Switzerland. February 16, 2011 Law and Disorder: Wikileaks and the Future of Information Freedom Public lecture by David McCraw, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of The New York Times Company, where he is responsible for newsroom legal affairs and serves as lead legal counsel for The Times’ freedom-of-information litigation. In this lecture, which was sponsored by the CMCS and the Open Society Archives (OSA) and introduced by CEU President and Rector John Shattuck, McCraw described in his lecture how The New York Times became involved in a partnership with Wikileaks and fellow news outlets to publish revelations that were contained in leaked collections of classified documents on both Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as an expansive collection of diplomatic cables. February 14, 2011 Civil Society Representation in Intergovernmental Organisations: The way inside OECD Public lecture by Anna Fielder, senior policy advisor to Consumer Focus (UK) and Trustee and Company Secretary of Privacy International, who has been a key player in the establishment of the Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC), which contributes constructively to the policy work of the OECD Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP). January 25, 2011 Mobile phones and security events in Israel: Facts and policy implications Public lecture by Amit Schejter, Associate professor of communications and co-director of the Institute for Information Policy at Pennsylvania State University October 26, 2010 Challenges of Internet Governance: New multistakeholder models for global policy development Public lecture by Wolfgang Kleinwaechter, Professor for International Communication Policy and Regulation, Department for Media and Information Studies, University of Aarhus; Chair of the Nomination Committee of ICANN; Member of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance. October 19, 2010 From Losing the News to Finding it Again: Some New Routes for News Bill Mitchell, Head of Entrepreneurial and International Programs at the Poynter Institute and a veteran journalist, discussed the future of news media and journalism. Mitchell was director of electronic publishing for the San Jose Mercury News, Detroit Bureau Chief for Time magazine, Assistant Managing Editor of the Detroit Free Press, and Washington correspondent for Knight Ridder newspapers, The discussion was moderated by Ellen Hume, Annenberg Fellow in Civic Media at the CMCS. October 19, 2010 Battle of Ideas / "Read all about it: Truth in demand" At this satellite event of the Battle of Ideas 2010 festival, sponsored by the CMCS and the Institute of Ideas, four experts discussed changes in journalism and the mass media in the age of digital media, citizen journalism and “pay-walls”: Eszter Babarczy, cultural historian and journalist; Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent; Ellen Hume, former journalist and Annenberg Fellow in Civic Media at the CMCS; and Eva Katona, freelance journalist and chief secretary of the Association of Hungarian Content Providers. June 7, 2010 Europe and the Global Information Society Revisited: Cyber Security in Europe Public presentation by Andrea Servida, Deputy Head of the Unit "Internet; Network and Information Security", Information Society and Media Directorate-General, European Commission. May 25, 2010 News Literacy in a Digital Age: Stony Brook University's innovative curriculum to develop the critical thinking skills of young news consumers A public lecture by Richard Hornik, Lecturer at Stony Brook University and Director of Southeast Asia Programs for the Independent Journalism Foundation. March 22, 2010 Book launch and public talk by Monroe E. Price on the occasion of the English-language publication of his memoir: Objects of Remembrance: A Memoir of American Opportunities and Viennese Dreams February 17, 2010 Reinventing Public Service Communication A public lecture by Associate Professor Petros Iosifidis (City University London). December 1, 2009 Do media matter rephrased: Media and political systems as determinants of media influence on public opinion A public lecture by Dr. Marina Popescu (University of Essex and MRC-Median Research Centre). November 24, 2009 Modern Russian Journalism and its Soviet heritage A public lecture by Prof. Alexander Altunyan (International University in Moscow). October 22, 2009 On the Horizon: Emerging Information and Communication Law and Policy Issues A public lecture by Prof. Sandra Braman (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee). March 25, 2009 Makeover television, audiences, and the reflexive self A Public Lecture by Katherine Sender, Associate Professor, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania (more information). Much has been written about reality television in general, and makeover shows in particular, but little attention has been paid to their audiences. Katherine Sender, whose forthcoming book, The Big Reveal: Makeover Television, Audiences, and the Promise of Transformation, will be published by New York University Press, talked about the study she has been undertaking of audience responses to four US makeover shows: The Biggest Loser, Queer Eye, Starting Over, and What Not to Wear. In the course of the study, preliminary findings of which were presented in 2007, over 1,500 survey responses were collected and more than 50 interviews conducted with viewers. Seder researches audiences' conceptions of the "inner" and "outer" self and the relations between these, and reviews how makeover shows encourage candidates to change in line with dominant social norms, while they interject commercial appeals into the processes of change. January 7, 2009 "Telepopulism: Media and Politics in Israel and the U.S." A Public Lecture by: Professor Yoram Peri, Head, The Chaim Herzog Institute, for Media, Politics and Society. Tel Aviv University (more information). In the first part of his lecture, Prof. Yoram Peri gave an interesting overview of the latest use of new social media in the election campaigns in the US and Israel. Using specific cases from the recent presidential elections campaign of Barack Obama, he focused on the impact of new communication technologies in creating a new, youth-oriented and youth-engaging "political class" in the US. Furthermore, he emphasized the differences between the use of such media tools in promoting populist speech in US and Israel, pointing out the less-innovative employment of new technologies in the Israeli political campaigns. Prof. Peri shared his views on the "Americanization" of elections throughout the world, and forecast the consequences of this great shift in the media. In the final part of his talk, Prof. Peri, having just returned from Israel, was able to give an up-to-date overview of the current situation of the Gaza Strip conflict and shared a brief analysis of the Israeli, Palestinian and international media coverage of the on-going conflict. November 10, 2008 "Complexity and the Future of the University" A Public Lecture by Dr. Linda Garcia, Director of the Communication, Culture and Technology Program, Georgetown University (more information). Chair: Dr. Liviu Matei CEU Academic Secretary and Deputy Chief Operating Officer Linda Garcia's talk addressed the increasing challenges that today's universities must meet in order to adapt to the complexity surrounding them, especially in a rapidly changing digital environment. To fulfill their mission of providing useful, up-to-date knowledge, which can be drawn upon by others to address today's thorny problems, universities must constantly regenerate themselves by promoting interdisciplinarity and expanding their inter-organizational ties. Read more... November 6, 2008 "Breaking news! - Why is news from the Middle-East often so different from reality?" A Public Lecture by Joris Luyendijk, international journalist, former Middle-East correspondent (more information). Between 1998 and 2003 Joris Luyendijk worked as Middle-East correspondent for various Dutch media. After returning to the Netherlands he spent three years analyzing why news about the Arab world and Israel is filtered, distorted, manipulated, biased and simplified. His conclusion: the problem is not only that journalists often fail to adhere to their methods and codes. It goes deeper: even when they follow their methods and codes by the letter, a fundamentally skewed picture emerges. Drawing on his own field experiences, Joris Luyendijk presented strong arguments for rethinking what news is, what we expect from it and what it can and should be. October 21, 2008 "Mobile TV and its implementation in Central and Eastern Europe" A public lecture by Dr. Claus Sattler, Executive Director "Broadcast Mobile Convergence Forum" (bmcoforum), Berlin (more information). Chair: Kristina Irion Department for Pubic Policy and Center for Media and Communication Studies, Central European University Professor Sattler presented recent developments in mobile TV in a comparative perspective and discussed challenges concerning business and policy aspects. From a business perspective, his presentation provided an overview on technology choices, business models and the state of implementation of Mobile TV applications, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe. The discussion subsequently turned to the regulatory conditions that would best facilitate mobile TV and the consequences of subordinating Mobile TV to the general broadcasting rules." (2008. 73 min., J. Richardson, D Media). A counter-documentary about activism in Romania that simultaneously questions the difference between making a film about politics and making a film politically. October 9, 2008 "Secrets and Spies: How the CIA has evaded the U.S. Freedom of Information Act" A Public Lecture by Martin Halstuk, Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University (more information). Discussant: Peter Molnar Senior Research Fellow, Center for Media and Communication Studies, Central European University Martin Halstuk discussed how the CIA, in violation of the FOIA and congressional authority, has withheld information of crucially important interest from the public and the government itself. A number of critics, including leading members of the U.S. Congress, have concluded that the attacks of 9/11 could have been averted had the CIA not been obsessed with secrecy.. September 25, 2008 "Developing Organized Networks: The Imaginary Example of Special Embassies" A Public Lecture by Andrew Gryf Paterson, Artist-organizer, cultural producer and researcher, Media Lab, Helsinki (more information). 'Special Embassy' is an imagined alternative to the ‘traditional embassy', both in conceptual and architectural-hardware terms. With the increase of global movement of people outside the sanction of the state, a reconfigured understanding of relations of 'embassy' and the represented collective appears. In a post-national, globalized social order, who represents the collective? What services can be offered to one another, between the sender and the receiver organizations? What non-state, i.e. autonomous, embassy architecture would be useful? Andrew spent a month as researcher-in-residence at the Kitchen Budapest media lab exploring these questions, researching the conceptual and historical elements of bilateral embassy missions and the history of diplomatic network relations, and considering how alternative 'special embassies' might work in relation to open source activism and networked and mobile platforms. Following his presentation, he opened up a discussion meant to explore what sort of services the 'Special Embassy' can and would offer. Read more... Archive (public lectures, 2005 - 2008)

Twenty years into his political career, Highland Park Mayor Daniel Pierce changed hats. After being state representative for the 58th District for two decades, Pierce shifted to local government when he was elected mayor in the spring of 1987. Twenty years into his political career, Highland Park Mayor Daniel Pierce changed hats. After being state representative for the 58th District for two decades, Pierce shifted to local government when he was elected mayor in the spring of 1987. ``Some people were surprised and asked why I wanted to go to the municipal level of government after being at the state level,`` says Pierce, 60. ``It`s a much different experience, but the move to mayor of my own hometown was very satisfactory and challenging. Being mayor puts you right in the heart of the community. And I like that.`` Born in Chicago, he lived in Glencoe before his family settled in Highland Park in 1944. He graduated from New Trier Township High School in 1946, got a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University in 1949 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1952. Then he served in the Air Force in the Korean War. On returning to Highland Park in 1957, he began practicing law in Chicago (he is a partner in a Loop law firm) and found he had a strong interest in politics. He soon hooked up with the Democrats of South Lake County. ``I found that one of the two major political parties in the state-the Democratic Party-was virtually inactive or dormant in Lake County,`` Pierce says. ``And that gave me an opportunity. They had no county candidates (for the 1958 county and state elections). So we organized a write-in ticket for the primary.`` Pierce ran for county treasurer on the write-in ticket and lost. Nevertheless, he escalated his party involvement in the next several years, serving as vice chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party and Deerfield Township. He won the state representative`s post in 1965 for the 58th District, which includes all of Highwood and Glencoe, most of Highland Park and Wheeling, and parts of Northbrook and Buffalo Grove. Some of the issues he concentrated on in Springfield were environmental matters, special education and handicapped services. He also was chairman of the House Revenue Committee. He decided to step down in 1985. ``It was getting a little stale doing the same job after 20 years,`` he says. ``I thought it was time to move on.`` When his term ended, Pierce concentrated on his job and family. He also took time to re-evaluate his political goals. About a year later, the topic of the Highland Park mayoral election was raised. ``I missed government, and here was a chance in my own hometown to be active in government-not so much politics as government, because (the mayor`s post) was nonpartisan,`` he recalls. In the spring of 1987, Pierce ran against the incumbent mayor, who was running for his fourth four-year term. Pierce waged his successful campaign on a ``back-to-basics`` platform for Highland Park. One of the needs he has addressed so far is downtown revitalization, which the town began in the late 1970s under Mayor Robert Buhai. ``There was a lot of emphasis on downtown because of legitimate concerns that it could become a decaying center like many other suburban downtown areas,`` he says. The revitalization ``looks very good. People like the ambiance of it. ``I decided that part of my job as mayor was to find a balance between downtown redevelopment and keeping Highland Park a first-class residential community. And that`s not an easy balance to find.`` Pierce takes the most pride in the installation of traffic signals in front of the city`s post office, 833 Central Ave. ``It was part of my campaign,`` he says. ``It was a very unsafe area. The traffic experts said a stoplight wouldn`t work, but after I was elected it went in, and it has been working perfectly. It should have been done years ago.`` Pierce also points proudly to his ability to work closely with the City Council`s six members (he is one of the few mayors in the city`s history who never served on the council) and city officials. With Pierce`s first year in office behind him, his colleagues seem to agree. ``He`s made an excellent transition,`` says Margie Weiss, a council member for seven years. ``It`s probably partly because he`s extremely knowledgeable and because of his background as a state legislator. But he`s also done a lot of homework and spent a lot of time learning how Highland Park works. He has an excellent grasp of all the different issues that have confronted us.`` ``Things are going well for his first year in office,`` says Al MacLeod, a council member for five years. ``We work with him, and he works with us. He is mayor, but he has just one vote. He doesn`t have the veto power, as some mayors do, which makes for a good working relationship with the council. We don`t always agree on things, but that`s the way we`re supposed to be.`` The job, a part-time position, pays $7,500 a year, and the mayor also functions as liquor commissioner. Pierce appears in City Hall three mornings a week and at City Council meetings twice a month. He spends Saturdays in meetings and Sundays at fundraisers.

Japanese car maker Honda has created a special test track to replicate the terrible conditions on the UK's roads, it was revealed today. The company has created a track complete with potholes and cracks at its Takasu test-facility in Hokkaido, because Japanese roads are too good to mimic the conditions in Britain. Honda has claimed British roads are more absorbent than surfaces used in the rest of Europe, leading to damage as water which has seeped in freezes in cold weather and expands. Agencies responsible for roads in the UK are said to be embarrassed by the move, which was revealed by the investigative news website Exaro. Honda, which is the world's eighth largest maker of cars and trucks, has built the track to ensure cars intended for the UK market are robust enough - and have enough sound-proofing. Poor road surfaces have often been blamed for hefty repair bills and last year local councils in Britain had to pay out nearly £23million in compensation to drivers whose cars have been damaged by potholes. But, Honda says, the main reason for building their four-and-a-quarter mile track - which is so realistic it even includes UK road signs - is to mimic the soft road surfaces of British roads. Source: Dailymail

PHOENIX — A Republican representative from Arizona has introduced a bill that seeks to protect the rights of religious business owners to refuse to facilitate acts that violate their faith. Senator Steve Yarbrough (R-Chandler) recently presented SB 1062 to the Senate Government and Environment Committee, which approved the legislation to move forward to the full Senate by a 4-2 vote. SB 1062 serves to provide clarification to the existing protections afforded to religious exercise, ensuring that the applicability of the protections includes “any individual, association, partnership, corporation, church, religious assembly or institution, estate, trust, foundation or other legal entity.” “Free exercise of religion is a fundamental right that applies in this state even if laws, rules or other government actions are facially neutral,” the proposed law outlines. It bars the state from substantially burdening an entity’s free exercise or religion unless there is a “compelling government interest” and the least restrictive means are used to further the interest. As the U.S. Supreme Court and federal circuit courts already use this standard to test the constitutionality of laws, the statute would simply ensure that the same protections are enforced by the state. Yarbrough said that he was prompted to propose the legislation after the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that a photographer in the state could not decline to shoot a same-sex ceremony, thus violating the Biblical command in 1 Timothy 5:22 to not be “partakers in other men’s sins.” The case is now on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, critics of the bill assert that the legislation wrongfully allows for the unlawful discrimination of minorities, dubbing it the “right to discriminate bill” and the “religious bigotry bill.” “[These bills] generally result from persons claiming that their religious beliefs entitle them to disregard civil-rights laws that protect against various discrimination including on the basis of religion, gender, marital status, national origin and sexual orientation,” Dan Pochoda, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) told the East Valley Tribune. Others assert that the legislation would allow businesses to refuse to serve non-Christians and homosexuals, as well as women who co-habitate or have sex outside of marriage. But Yarbrough said that the proposal would not change any existing laws. “Prohibited discrimination remains prohibited,” he told reporters. “In no way does this bill allow discrimination of any kind. … [A]ll this going crazy lighting their hair on fire is misplaced.” John Kredit, an attorney with the Pheonix-based Center for Arizona Policy, agreed. He told Christian News Network that SB 1023 simply echoes federal law and ensures that it is reinforced on a state level. “The federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act has been around since 1993,” he explained, “and none of these ‘sky is falling’ things have happened.” “Recent cases have brought to light areas that we are correcting,” Kredit stated. “We just want to ensure that a citizen does not surrender their religious rights in the workplace.” A special message from the publisher...

Note: This post, originally published June 13,. Musical Influences Leonard Cohen’s musical influences are varied and sometimes surprising. He includes, for example, among his early influences “Scottish Border ballads, the Spanish flamenco songs, the Portuguese fado.”1 The People’s Songbook At age 15, Cohen was introduced to “The People’s Songbook,” and through it to such songs as “Passing Through,” “The Partisan,” and “Beloved Comrade.” The song “Passing Through” is a song I learned when I was fifteen, from a very devoted socialist that I knew. That particular version of the song comes out of “The People’s Songbook” which was a song book developed out of the interest that the socialists had at one time in Folk Music, still have. It came out of the “Almanac Singers” who later became “The Weavers”, that’s the group that Pete Seeger was in – the book was edited by John Lomax. The book itself was very influential in interesting me in song and songwriting. I came across it when I was about fifteen.2 Country Music Leonard Cohen has frequently and unabashedly attested to his enjoyment of country music and the strong influence that genre has had on his own work. It is significant that Leonard Cohen has himself pointed out that “When I was 17, I was in a country music group called the Buckskin Boys. Writing came later, after music.”3 I’ve always loved country music. I lived in Nashville for a couple of years. Even in the dark periods of the seventies and the early eighties, I listened to a lot of country music because I felt that that’s where the emotion was, that’s where the lyric was, and that’s where real problems were being addressed. Country singers tend to be a little older. The audience tends to be a lot more loyal. So the singers and the writers can reveal themselves over a long period of time. You know that Johnny Cash is not going to be singing about anything frivolous, and you know that George Jones is not going to be presenting himself with any kind of bravado; you know that he is going to be telling the truth about himself in his song. When you have pop groups coming and going with tremendous rapidity, you can’t get the feel of the artist. 4 The musical values [of “urban folk music, country western”] are very sophisticated, not primitive as it’s usually taken to be. Very sophisticated and very, very minimal, but the emphasis is on the voice and the experience in the voice.5 [Country, eh, sometimes quite obscure feelings that make most pop music very, very kindergarten.6 [Europe has] this tradition of self revelation in popular music. We have it here – it’s called Country Western Music… I think that’s where the deeper and more complex subjects are treated.7 Sid Vicious Vs Frank Sinatra Similarly indicative of Cohen’s thoughtful, counterintuitive musical pathway is his preference for the Sid Vicious cover of “My Way” over Frank Sinatra’s: I never liked this song [“My Way”] except when Sid Vicious did it. Sung straight, it somehow deprives the appetite of a certain taste we’d like to have on our lips. When Sid Vicious did it, he provided that other side to the song; the certainty, the self-congratulation, the daily heroism of Sinatra’s version is completely exploded by this desperate, mad, humorous voice. I can’t go round in a raincoat and fedora looking over my life saying I did it my way — well, for 10 minutes in some American bar over a gin and tonic you might be able to get away with it. But Sid Vicious’s rendition takes in everybody; everybody is messed up like that, everybody is the mad hero of his own drama. It explodes the whole culture this self-presentation can take place in, so it completes the song for me.8 Pop Music On Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox Tellingly, Cohen has identified the “biggest influence on [his] music” as.9 Where The Good Songs Come From One of the most popular Leonard Cohen quotes is “I don’t know where the good songs come from or else I’d go there more often.”10 Well, if Mr Cohen hasn’t found the home of good songs, it isn’t for lack of looking. Consider his portfolio of referenced singers, songs, and lyric sources. Leonard Cohen has specifically endorsed such disparate tracks as “I Fall To Pieces” by Patsy Cline, “Je ne regrette rien” by Joaquín Rodrigo, “Tomorrow Never Knows,” by The Beatles, “Etude Op. 10, No. 1” by Chopin, “Black Lace” by Frankie Laine, “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People, and “Gums Bleed” by You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath.11 The list of musicians Cohen enjoys is equally long and varied, including Waylon Jennings, Beethoven, Pete Seeger, The Beatles, Chopin, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Josh White, Van Morrison, George Jones, Billy Joel, and King David. And, Cohen has derived lyrics from an especially extensive, eclectic group of sources, including the King James Bible, an Andrews Sisters song, a Yom Kippur prayer, poems by Federico García Lorca, and Whitman, a Scientology precept, and a Burger King commercial. I’m beginning to think that Mr Cohen, his protestations notwithstanding, has indeed discovered where good songs come from – and returns there quite often. Next in this series: Three Characteristics That Make A Song A Leonard Cohen Song: #3. Artistic Design – The Mystery & Practicality Of Songs ________________ - Conversations from a Room by Tom Chaffin. Canadian Forum: August/September 1983. [↩] - The Song Of Leonard Cohen – Portrait Of A Poet, A Friendship And A Film by Harry Rasky (1979) [↩] - Leonard Cohen: Cohen’s New Skin by Harvey Kubernik. Melody Maker:1 March 1975. [↩] - Aurora Online With Leonard Cohen by Marco Adria. Aurora: July, 1990 [↩] - Haute Dog by Mr. Bonzai (David Goggin). Music Smarts: July 10, 2010 (archived from 1988). [↩] - Tortoise-Shell Hero by Biba Kopf. New Musical Express, March 2, 1985. [↩] - Backstage Interview With Leonard Cohen with Ralph Benmergui. Toronto: Nov 9, 1988. The concert was broadcast live on CBC radio and rebroadcast on March 11, 1990 on The Entertainers. [↩] - Cohen’s Way by Mat Snow. The Guardian: February 1988. [↩] - Yakety Yak by Scott Cohen (1994) [↩] - This has been used in many interviews, including in a June 28, 2006 NPR interview [↩] - For information about these Leonard Cohen–endorsed songs and many others, see Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox. [↩]

With more than a decade of experience as a high school coach and teacher, Doug Lum knew plenty about having a lot on his plate. Then, he added another helping. Lum earned a Master of Education in Educational Administration online from Lamar University while he balanced coaching, teaching and helping his wife, Monica, raise their children, Shane and Abby. “There’s no other way I could have done it,” Lum said. “I got into the education field in 2002, so for 10 or 11 years of my career, people kept telling me, ‘Hey, you need to go pursue this.’ Without an online format, there’s no way that I could have had the time to go to class. I looked into the weekends, going once a month for eight hours. As a coach, there’s no way I could have done that consistently; it would have taken me 10 years to get done.” Instead, it took Lum 18 months to earn his graduate degree and a Program Certificate in Principal Education online, which helped him land his current job as assistant principal at Jourdanton Junior High, south of San Antonio. “People are like, ‘You did that in 18 months?’,” Lum said. “I say, ‘There’s no rest for the wicked. You’ve got to get after it. If you put your head down and work hard, you can get it done.'” A New Game Plan Lum, who grew up playing multiple sports in Poteet, Texas, originally wanted to become a sports journalist after majoring in communications with a concentration in technical writing at the University of Texas San Antonio. “I thought that would be cool,” Lum said. “That was my dream as a kid, to be a sports writer. I dabbled into it a little bit. Before I really pursued my degree, I did some radio and stuff like that, wrote for some small-town papers. I realized there was no money there, and you can’t survive.” So, Lum got an emergency certification and immediately went into teaching English and coaching basketball, football and track and field at Natalia ISD after graduating from UTSA. He also did a stint at McMullen County ISD, where he was the head coach of the boys’ varsity basketball team. Lum was then hired as the girls’ varsity basketball head coach at Jourdanton. “Everything was going good in the fall of 2013 when we were in the middle of basketball season, but my kids were getting older,” Lum said. “I finally bit the bullet. A friend of mine [Shane Wilton], who I coached with way back in Natalia, got his degree through Lamar University. He recommended it, and I started in with it in the spring of 2014. I just worked away at it. One year was pretty hard for me. I was still the girls’ head basketball coach, taking a full load and during hard courses.” Wilton also gave Lum a game plan to earn his degree while coaching and teaching. “He said, ‘Man, you can just do it. It’s inexpensive, and you set your own hours,'” Lum said. “He was also a basketball coach when he did it. He said, ‘Work on Wednesdays and Sundays.’ It was hard being a football fan and stuff like that, but I just had to keep the TV off until I got all of my work done.” A Tough Decision In addition to adding so much to his workload, the decision to leave coaching in May 2016 was even more difficult because Abby was about to be a senior on the basketball team, which meant he wouldn’t coach her during her final season of high school basketball. Shane is a student at Texas Tech University who is majoring in communications. “They were behind me 100 percent,” Lum said. “We all sat down as a family when the decision came to get out of the coaching aspect of it and into administration and talked about how this was the opportunity we were waiting for. It’s kind of nice for her, too, as a senior to not be the coach’s daughter.” Lum said he’s happy with the decision he made but that he absolutely misses coaching. “When I got here to this district, the girls’ basketball program was struggling,” he said. “I spent a lot of years building it. The last two years of my tenure, we won the district championship. They had not won district in like 15 years or something. We built it from not much to winning back-to-back district titles. Then, we had basically the entire team coming back this year. They’re going to have a really good season, but I had this opportunity arise. Sometimes you just have to do what’s best for your family.” Fortunately, he has a mentor at his new job who really knows the ropes. “Our assistant principal moved to our central office, so this job came open,” Lum said. “I interviewed with our principal [Robert Rutkowski], who has been the principal at our junior high — this is his 28th year. I couldn’t ask for a better first administrative job and getting to learn from somebody.” Laying the Foundation Lum said his Master of Education in Educational Administration helped give him some valuable insight to the most important part of his first administrative position. “I really liked the courses that focused on the human resources aspect of it, because I feel like you can learn the nuts and bolts as far as the curriculum and all of that stuff you need to know for this job, but dealing with people and managing people is really the important aspect of this job,” he said. Lum said if he can manage to earn a degree online with so many other things going on his life, anybody can make it work. “I would say that before you get into it that you correctly know how to budget your time,” he said. “That’s basically the toughest aspect of it. And to keep an open mind about it. The discussion forums, the online group discussions and the videos are probably the most helpful things you’re going to get out of the program because you get to pick other people’s brains, and then you realize most people out there are going through the same situations as you.” Lum said after he gets a year of experience as an assistant principal, he plans to go back and earn a Program Certificate in Superintendent Education online at Lamar University. “I’m proud of it,” Lum said. “People ask me where I got my master’s, and I say, ‘Lamar University. They have an extensive online program you can do. The flexibility really drew me to it.” Learn more about the Lamar University online M.Ed. in Educational Administration program. Have a question or concern about this article? Please contact us.

Creation Date 5-3-2009 Description Anderson Hall UF Plaque, FL. It is a historic building in Gainesville, Florida, in the northeastern section of the University of Florida campus. On June 27, 1979, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places #79000562. Built in 1913 and originally called Language Hall, Anderson Hall was designed as a multipurpose building, housing the classrooms and offices for the Departments of English, Language, History and Mathematics. It also housed the offices of the Registrar as well as Graduate Studies. The building was renamed in 1949 in honor of James Nesbitt Anderson, who was the first Dean of The graduate School in 1930 till he retired. It was designed in collegiate gothic style by architect William A. Edward. This plaque shows the date it was built and name of hall. Latitude, Longitude 29.651323, -82.342615 Keywords Taylor, George Lansing, Jr.; Lance Taylor; Photographers -- Florida --Jacksonville; Photograph collections -- Florida -- Jacksonville; College campuses; College building; Historic building; Historical markers; Plaque; University of Florida; Gainesville, FL

Accounting for Health: Economic Practices and Medical Knowledge, 1500–1970 Chris Sirrs How do countries know how much they are spending on health care? What proportion of this money comes from the public sector, and what proportion is private – for example investment in hospital facilities by private organisations, or out-of-pocket spending by households? Often, figures are banded around by the media, politicians and interest groups without much thought about how they are produced. Moreover, one country’s health spending is often compared to another with little appreciation of the fundamental differences between their health systems. For over fifty years, there have been various attempts by international organisations to produce a comparative basis for national health spending. Amid concerns about the rising costs of medical care under social security systems, in 1959 Laura Bodmer, an official in the International Labour Organisation penned The Cost of Medical Care, a ground-breaking report comparing health spending in 14 developed economies. Four years later, the health economist Brian Abel-Smith pioneered an ‘international language of health-service finance’ that could be used to classify and compare health spending. The OECD produced a health database for its member states from the 1980s. However, it is only comparatively recently that a ‘system of health accounts’ has been developed to systematically tabulate health expenditures worldwide, and even today, international health accounting is fraught with methodological difficulties: many countries have yet to produce national health accounts according to this agreed framework, meaning that the World Health Organisation is forced to provide ‘best estimates’. These issues are currently being studied by Chris Sirrs in his contribution to a new working group of historians organized by the Charité – Universitätsmedizin in Berlin. Part of a wider European Research Council-funded project on the use of paper technology in medicine, ‘Accounting for Health’ explores the history of economic and accounting practices in medicine, ranging from the household economy of early hospitals, to the recording of transactions in physicians’ notebooks and the administration of smallpox vaccination. The aim of the working group is to produce a new collective volume on health accounting, and Chris’s contribution to the volume will be distinctive insofar as it is international in scope, more recent in historical focus, and crosses the paper-digital divide (the WHO’s online Global Health Expenditure Database records the health spending of all 194 WHO member states). Fellow participants include: Barry Doyle, University of Huddersfield; Theodore Porter, University of California, Berkeley; Andrea Rusnock, University of Rhode Island; Michael Stolberg, University of Würtzburg; and Andrew Mendelsohn, Queen Mary, University of London. ‘Accounting for Health’ is organised by Axel C. Hüntelmann and Oliver Falk. Further meetings of the working group will be held in December 2016 and spring 2017. For further details please email: christopher.sirrs@lshtm.ac.uk. Back

(Adds Harley-Davidson case) WASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has barred legal settlements in federal investigations that include donating funds to community organizations or other third-party groups, rather than to those directly harmed by the wrongdoing, in a change that could affect banks and other corporations. Settlement payments must be directed to victims affected by the defendants’ actions and then to the federal government, according to a statement on Wednesday by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. It was the latest action by the Republican Trump administration to end policies put in place by former President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Such agreements were a feature of several U.S. settlements with banks in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Under over similar claims. change could affect other banks still under federal investigations over mortgage issues such as Credit Suisse Group AG, Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, Wells Fargo & Co, UBS Group AG and HSBC. Representatives for the banks could not be immediately reached for comment. Sessions, in a one-page memo dated on Monday, told the nation’s 94 U.S. attorney generals they could not make any agreements in civil or criminal cases “that directs or provides for a payment or loan to any non-governmental person or entity that is not a party to the dispute.” Sessions cited three exceptions to the new policy: payments or loans that directly aim to address harm such as to the environment or official corruption; legal or other professional services from the case; and restitution, forfeiture and other payments required by law. Sessions’ memo raises questions about whether the Justice Department will finalize a $12 million settlement against Harley-Davidson Inc announced in August. The company also agreed to stop selling illegal after-market devices that cause its motorcycles to emit too much pollution. As part of the settlement, Harley agreed to spend $3 million on an unrelated project to reduce air pollution, the Justice Department said in August. The new policy would likely have barred part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s diesel emissions settlement with Volkswagen AG, which requires the German automaker to invest $2 billion in zero emission vehicle efforts over 10 years. (Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York and; David Shepardson in Washington; Writng by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Bernard Orr)

The New Museum is New York’s only museum dedicated exclusively to emerging artists—mostly works created within the last decade. But for Surround Audience, the third iteration of the museum’s triennial exhibition, 10 years old is just too old. Assistant curator Sara O’Keeffe isn’t waiting for new trends to emerge and appear on gallery walls. She’s going out and finding them well before that. This month, the museum presents more than 50 young artists from over 25 countries. O’Keeffe, along with curator Lauren Cornell and artist Ryan Trecartin, searched the world for compelling work that addressed the show’s theme—how we’re documented, directed and, to some extent, defined by the unending stream of data that flows through our lives. Past triennials have focused on a specific age group to show how members of a generation share a vision. But here it’s less about age and more about technology, new media and the social and psychological changes they create. Artists selected are presenting sculpture, painting, photography, sound, dance, poetry, installation, video and even an avatar that address issues of identity, privacy, publicity, commoditization and the myriad ways new forms of communication impact today’s world. It all fits into what O’Keeffe describes as her “wholistic” approach to curating. In the past, she’s worked with artists and chefs to create salon-like experiences that involve both artists and audience equally. It’s not surprising that O’Keeffe sees art as something that spills beyond museums and galleries. She’s the daughter of two artists and art has informed every day of her life. Born in Ohio, O’Keeffe headed to the West Coast for college and her early curatorial work. Before long, the call of New York drew her to settle in Brooklyn and find her first museum gig at the Guggenheim in 2010. Last year, she started at the New Museum, helping select triennial artists and working with others who are creating new pieces. Almost a third of the 51 artists will be showing art commissioned specifically for the show. In most cases the art is so new it didn’t exist until shortly before the opening. In some performance pieces, it won’t exist until after the show starts. O’Keeffe’s role was to meet with artists, discuss plans and help them hone and realize their visions. “Digital technologies are collapsing the binaries between what’s online and what’s actually in the world,” she said, adding that it can be liberatory. But at the same time, “knowing we’re all so closely tracked when we’re online makes many of us frustrated.” For years we’ve seen social activism and performance art swimming in the same pool as movements around the world have been organized, promulgated and given voice through connected devices and networks. In Surround Audience, New Zealand artist Luke Willis Thompson’s performance responds to stop-and-frisk programs and asks the audience to walk in someone else’s shoes in an immediate, physical way. “Timeless Alex,” Eduardo Navarro’s sculpture/performance work based on an extinct Galapagos tortoise’s shell, addresses inhabiting other frameworks and psychologies. The curators hope Surround Audience captures a moment, a shared experience. “Art presents models for operating in the world we live in,” O’Keeffe said. “Many of the artists are activists who try to change the world through protesting and works they do.” Though the triennial bills itself as “predictive,” O’Keeffe admitted that we can’t know today which pieces will have been important. “We just put together a show of artists who’re grappling with concerns that we feel are urgent now. It’s for history to decide.” Surround Audience fills the Bowery’s New Museum and off-site locations with experimental new work by international artists from New York to New Zealand. Feb 25—May 24.

Sydney Ritter Mesa Legend Maricopa Community Colleges (MCCCD) has released a set of logos for each of the 10 MCCCD colleges. The series of logos have been created by a team of six graphic designers. The project has been a continual effort between the MCCCD team and the community surrounding the schools for two years ever since the idea was first proposed in 2015. According to the Director of Communications at MCCCD Matthew Hasson, MCCCD’s goal was to make all 10 of the MCCCD colleges to have their own uniquely individual logo for the school but to also be connected to each other as an MCCCD college. “This was a collaborative district-wide effort. Each college president and district leadership were a part of the development of the new logos,” he said. “The project focused on honoring the school’s’ individual identities and respective communities. The icons in each circle are each school’s original icon. School colors stayed the same. The circle and type treatment became the unifying element to create a family of logos.” Although the project has now been released to the public and for the colleges to start using, the initial start of the idea did not sit well with some of the surrounding community. Former Vice Mayor of Mesa Dennis Kavanaugh, whose district included MCC’s main campus, was very vocal about his concern in the “rebranding” process while in office. “In the end, [the logos] were pretty good. [The district] achieved their goal while keeping each college’s individuality,” he said. “I have to give credit to the chancellor and the governing board who decided to work on [the logos] and take our criticisms in a constructive way instead of digging their heels in and they ended up with an outcome that I think is beneficial to people in the communities and the colleges.” The project was proposed in 2015 and the team’s first designs to the city of Mesa, where Mesa Community College (MCC) has been rooted into the city for more than 50 years, did not take to the logos lightly. “We got some good reactionary responses from a number of the governing board members. They also provided input so that we knew what the district was trying to do and we supported them but the heritage of MCC and the other colleges was too important to leave behind,” Kavanaugh added. Along with the changing logos, MCCCD also was considering changing the names of the colleges entirely. MCC’s chairperson for the alumni advisory board, Arlen Sykes, added his own commentary to the process when he heard about the change. “Last year when we started talking about taking another step and making the school Maricopa Community College then Mesa my feeling was it did not give enough of the identity to the college,” he said. “Each [city] has it’s own identity, so each school has it’s own identity and I think this change that they did really did a really quality and creative job in being able to continue to have that identity but also show that affiliation to Maricopa Community Colleges.” The 10 new logos were released to the public on August 24. “Mesa Community College has a strong reputation for excellence in education. Our logo is the visual representation of that reputation. It is our signature. It instantly identifies who we are and what we stand for,” according to the MCC website. MCC alumnus and current interim president, Sasan Poureetezadi, is very pleased with the new modern logo that MCCCD has given. In an Intranet post to the MCC staff and faculty, the Director of Institutional Advancement Sonia Filan, explained that the new website is meant “to incorporate the updated logo and provide a more contemporary look.” “When we looked at updating the website, something we planned on the last year to coincide with the launch of the new logo. So with the new logo we also launched the new website because part of that is the logo is part of your brand so you want to insure the website reflects the logo,” Poureetezadi added. The launch of the website coincided with the start of the school year, on August 21.

Mary was born on 8 November 1950. She was born under the zodiac sign of Scorpio and she was born in Madison in South Dakota in the United States of America. It is known that her childhood was spent in Sioux Falls and for a short period of time she also lived in Denmark. Records suggest that Mary is quite fluent with Swedish along with English and Danish since an early age. The name of her mother is Dorothy Harum but the name of her father is not known. Apart from Mary, her parents had two more children and both were boys. The name of Mary’s brother is Michael Harum and David Harum. She went to Augustana Academy and she later enrolled at Augustana College to complete her education. Later, after completing her graduation, she started working for Washington High School and she worked there for two years. It is known that Mary also competed in several beauty competitions, for example, she competed in Miss South Dakota in 1970 and she won the competition. Next, she also competed in Miss America in 1971 and she was one of the semi-finalists in the beauty pageant. After leaving Washington High School, Mary started producing a show on KSFY – TV. She was also the anchor of the show. This was basically the start of her career. Later in 1976, she started working for KMTV. She hosted a show known as Doomsday. Later she started working in TV commercials and there shows. It is known that she tried to leave the TV industry but she had to return because of her financial needs. As per the information, Mary gained a lot of popularity because of her legs and she ended up insuring her legs for a sum of 1 Million Dollar each. As per the records, Mary got married in 1972 and she chose Terry Hart as her husband. She owned several properties with her husband and it is known that her husband was a well-known film producer. Two of her houses were located near the Yellowstone Club. The records suggest that Mary also owns a couple of more homes in California. In 1979, she called off her marriage with Terry Hart after 7 years of marriage and 10 years later she decided to get married to Burt Sugarman. Burt is also a television producer and he produced several famous shows. It is known that Mary had a child from her first marriage and the name of her son is Alec Jay. She had also been very actively participating in charity programs and it is known that she also helped in opening a Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Mary is known to be a spokeswoman for the famous Edit Sanford Breast Cancer Initiative. The annual salary of Mary is not known as the information is not available on public domain but as per the information, her net worth is over 10 Million American Dollars. Some of the sources suggest that her net worth is being understated by her.

MASPETH, Queens — Most homeowners have no idea what kind of hoses help supply their drinking water. In 2015, as part of the $25 million dollar Calamus Avenue Sewer project, in Maspeth, Queens, what were supposed to be temporary water hoses were installed underneath homes from 69th to 74th streets on Calamus Avenue. Resident Ben Geremia decided to call the manufacturer of the red hose. He was stunned when the customer service rep for HBD Thermoid told him the hose, the Valuflex GS 200, is not to be used as a drinking water hose. In an email, the company said “Any hose used for drinking water should be designated for potable water use (which means safe for drinking). We do not manufacture a potable water hose. “ “I certainly didn’t want to drink water from this," said Ben as he held up a section of the red hose. He complained to the site foreman from CAC Industries, the contractor on the sewer project. As a result, the red hoses were replaced with hoses certified as safe for drinking water. But that was only done for Ben’s home and others on his block. That was two years ago. The homes on the other blocks along Calamus Avenue did not have their red hoses replaced. Those homeowners didn’t even know about the substandard hoses supplying their drinking water until a few months ago. That’s when CAC began digging up the streets again for the next phase of the sewer project exposing the red hoses. Ben Geremia told homeowner Nan Chen, who lives two blocks away, what he’d learned two years ago. Chen, who is married with two young children, says “I’m afraid these hoses will leak out toxic chemicals.” Chen and other residents are angry that CAC left those hoses in the ground to supply their drinking water to their homes for up to two years after the same hoses were replaced on Geremia’s block. We contacted CAC, based in Long Island City, but no one got back to us. What a Shame! The NYC Department of Design and Construction, the DDC, is in charge of supervising public projects, including the Calamus Avenue Sewer project. Queens City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley complained to the DDC about the substandard hoses. “The commissioner assured me that those hoses were no longer going to be used," she said. The red hoses are now being replaced by copper pipes which are being put in place. The DDC has now changed its regulations as a result of the mistake in Maspeth. In a statement to PIX11, a spokesman says “The agency has added a new specification to its construction requirements that mandates that only hose manufactured for potable water be used in future projects.” The NYC Department of Environmental Protection says its recent tests show the water in those homes on Calamus Avenue is safe to drink. But Chen and other residents are still concerned. “Who knows if we got sick, years from now, who knows what would happen.” If you’ve got a story for me, send an email to whatashame@pix11.com or contact me on Facebook or Twitter.

First published in the Business Day online Amidst the political upheaval to which we have become accustomed Minister Pravin Gordhan delivered his 2017 budget speech. There will be plenty of debate around it, as there should be. But that is not where public scrutiny should stop: Provinces have been allocated 43,4% of state funds. Anyone who is interested in the use of public funds must extend their attention to provincial budgets, and particularly, provincial education department budgets, which are delivered between March and April. If previous years are anything to go by, much of the money allocated to provinces will be spent on education. Limpopo is good province to begin with. Last year, Limpopo’s education department tabled a budget of R27 billion, which was more than any other provincial education department, and only a small portion of this was spent on schools themselves. This is the money we should also be watching closely. Limpopo school spending Limpopo’s education department, which like its counterparts is responsible for individual school funding, divides its spending into two main categories. The first is personnel (salary) spending, which receives the lion’s share (ideally 80% of the provincial budget, but in practice in excess of 90%). The remaining amount is intended to procure goods and services, and to fund individual schools’ running costs, including textbooks, stationery, school equipment, basic supplies and services, and maintenance and repair costs. Due to the emphasis on staff salaries, last year, the Limpopo education department only made R981 million available to fund the day-to-day costs of running individual schools. This was R981 million from a total budget of R27 billion. In terms of established processes, the pot for school running costs is then divided between rich (ex-Model C) and poor (“no-fee” or quintile 1,2 or 3) schools. While the Limpopo education department controls how its budget is spent, there are some indirect guidelines: The Minister of Basic Education determines a minimum amount that each school should receive from its provincial education department. Generally, poor schools are entitled to about five times more money per learner than wealthy schools: In 2016, the wealthiest public schools were entitled to at least R204 per learner and the poorest public schools were entitled to a minimum amount of R1 117 per learner for the entire school year. Due to the decision to allocate only R981 million for day-to-day school expenses, Limpopo did not meet this paltry minimum. (Neither did KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.) Instead, poor schools in Limpopo subsisted on R964 per learner (including the significant costs of textbooks and stationery). This was R153 less than the minimum entitlement of each learner. Rural context Limpopo is also an important point of focus because it forces us out of urban-centered modes of thinking, where cheap and easy access to many resources and services is taken for granted. Poor schools in rural areas must regularly bear additional costs which the current funding model, provincial allocations to schools, and even current minimum prescribed amounts do not take into account properly. Limpopo comprises three former homelands, which were ignored by the Apartheid government. As a result, most poor Limpopo schools were built by enterprising communities, who nailed corrugated iron roofs to mud brick walls, donated old furniture, dug deep holes for toilets, and who could hardly prioritise fencing or security. The slow pace of state-led renovation and construction at a national and provincial levels has meant that the amateur structures continue to collapse, toilets regularly fill up and become unusable, and burglaries persist. As a result, Limpopo schools are forced to spend the funds which they receive from the province on extempore repairs to rickety classrooms, broken furniture or pit toilets, so that learners do not always have to go home when it rains, crowd classrooms or walk to bushes to relieve themselves. As the schools are usually unfenced, they often find themselves victims of break-ins and spending money, again in a makeshift fashion, to replace stolen equipment and food, and damaged infrastructure. At one school, in an attempt to alleviate the situation, members of the school governing body and teachers take turns to patrol the school at night. During the day, these bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived adults return to teach, work, or try to find work. Fundraising Although ex-Model C schools receive less money, they are permitted to charge fees (some charges as much as R40 000 per year) so that they can make up for any shortfall in the government allocation. By contrast, poor schools are not permitted to charge any fees. The only recourse to government underfunding available to poor schools is fundraising. However, fundraising has offered little respite to poor schools which are situated in isolated, economically arid regions. Schools cannot seek local patronage and often apply to larger companies for donations or enter competitions, but without social capital or luck, they very rarely succeed. In one case, a company ran a competition for schools with laptops as the prize. The school principal of a struggling primary school in Limpopo’s Sekhukhune District had every learner and teacher enter the competition. The school did not win. In many schools, principals use not only ingenuity, but also their own money when the state funds run out. A right to basic education The right to basic education is immediately realisable. It is not subject to progressive improvement and access, and certainly ought not to be subject to private patronage or chance. It is therefore constitutionally unacceptable that poor schools are consistently funded well below their actual needs, to the point where their situations deteriorate. In 2017/18, each learner at a poor school should receive at least R1,242 from its Provincial Education Department. It is unlikely that this amount will be sufficient given the needs and expenses of the schools, but that does not mean that it should not be met. The fact that this minimum amount has not been met in a number of provinces (despite constitutional obligations, benchmarks set at a national level, and massive funding) is a reason to dissect provincial budgets, and at least provincial education department budgets, with similar care and attention given to the national budget. Ramji is an attorney at SECTION27. Sephakgamela is a member of Basic Education For All (BEFA)

MA Urdu. Economics, Islamic Studies, History, Political Science Notice Are Available Karachi:21July:Dr Javed said it was beyond understanding about why the government was going to re-advertise the posts. He said, “The government could have appointed the people who are now working at acting vice chancellors at these two universities as their names have also been recommended by the search committee”. He said that the approach taken by the government was creating doubts among the academic circles. The LHC on April 27 directed the Punjab government to appoint vice chancellors at Punjab University, Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), University of Sargodha (UoS) and MNSUET Multan as per the recommendations of their respective search committees. The matter of appointments of vice chancellors at public universities in Punjab has become a controversial affair for the provincial government as the matter still lingers.Published in The Express Tribune,

CẦN THƠ – Thoresen Thai Agencies Public Limited is planning to invest in logistics services and ports in Cần Thơ City, according to the People’s Committee of the city. On May 8, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Cần Thơ City Trương Quang Hoài Nam met Sigmund Stromme, executive vice president for shipping and logistics at Thoresen Thai Agencies Public Limited from Thailand. The Thailand-based company is looking for business opportunities in the local seaport and logistics industry. Speaking at the meeting, Nam said Hoàng Diệu Port in Bình Thủy District and Cái Cui Port in Cái Răng District are both located in Cần Thơ. "Logistics is a key industry of the city," he said, adding that the Government had approved Cần Thơ City’s proposal to build a logistics hub for the Mekong Delta, which would cover 242ha in Cái Cui Port, Cái Răng District. The city has proposed to the Government the merger of three ports -- Tân Cảng Cái Cui, Vinaline Cái Cui and Cái Cui – to make it the largest port in the region with wharf length of some 1,200m. Site clearance for the logistics hub is underway and firms have visited the site to learn about investment opportunities. The city has also suggested merging ports and supporting expansion of business for companies providing logistics services at ports. Nam said Thoresen could buy stake in Viet Nam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) to join the port-merging project, build a new port at another site along the Hậu River or invest in the existing warehouse and transport system at Cái Cui Port. For his part, the executive vice president of Thoresen gave Nam an overview of the Thai company, saying the company had been operating in fertiliser production and shipping and logistics in southern Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province. Stromme expressed hope the company could partner with Cần Thơ City to improve port management and expand local shipping and logistics services with emphasis on container transit service to Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Singapore. Its investment in logistics services in this city is expected to promote cooperation in logistics activities with southern Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province and support the transport of cargo in the Mekong Delta region. Cần Thơ has a large potential to develop logistics because of its favourable location in terms of water and land transport, besides having many ports and warehouses, he said. After the meeting concluded, the two sides took a field trip to Cái Cui Port. — VNS

BY ESTHER J. CEPEDA, Washington Post Writers Group At some point, Latinos may be listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as black or white, Asian or Alaskan/Native American or Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. The teeth-gnashing over who is “Latino” or “Hispanic” — and whether those designations constitute their own racial classification on census forms — will, hopefully, be far behind us. No more being incorrectly referred to as “Latin” or “Spanish” — one referencing ancient Rome, the other, either a native of Spain or the language. Neither accurately describes, say, a U.S.-born citizen of Colombian descent. No more having to explain where your mom and dad are from, no more competition between Cubans and Dominicans or Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. Just any of the current U.S. Census racial classifications. There are those who fear such a future — one in which Latino identity isn’t codified in a census category that can be used to clonk non-Latinos over the head about potential voting power. But the rest of us will be fine with Latinos being filtered out into the other racial classifications. Oh, there will be some who rebel, preferring to make a political statement about their personal identity. But globalization and intermarriage rates herald a time of no longer focusing on ethnic labels. Consider: People magazine just named actress Lupita Nyong’o, who won an Academy Award for her role in “12 Years a Slave,” as this year’s “Most Beautiful Woman.” I only found out she is Mexican because my mother — the Mexican in our Mexican/Ecuadorean/American family — told me, with more than a hint of national pride. Nyong’o was born in Mexico City, raised in Kenya and now lives in Brooklyn. Yes, technically, here in the U.S., she is Latino — she even speaks Spanish. But when she’s out being a wonderful role model to young women and talking about self-acceptance of her skin color and hair texture, she’s really speaking about the African-American experience. And that’s great. Now take stand-up comedian Louis C.K. At the risk of offending the small slice of the population who fanatically prefers the term Caucasian, he’s white. Not widely known (and not that it should make any difference) is that though the comedian obviously gets most of his looks from his Irish mom, his father was born in Mexico and his father’s family still lives there. Louis C.K. himself has dual citizenship with Mexico. The color brown, so versatile, can go either way and it simply blends in as it gets mixed with the major races. My two cousins, like me, are U.S.-born, with parents each from Mexico and Ecuador. Look at our three families’ children, though, and you see three distinct races. My husband is white and so are my two sons. One cousin married a Filipina and has three sons who are, for all intents and purposes, Asian. My other cousin has two daughters who are African-American. We all love each other and aren’t hung up on what percentages are this or that or where we’re “really” from, or what the kids “really” are. In a few more years, as more and more Latinos intermarry with people of other races, their ancestral distinctions will become like the Irish and Italians — important personally, but not on a census form or for social standing. Not everyone agrees, of course. In a paper recently making the rounds among Latinos, Nicholas Vargas, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Dallas, argues that though some scholars predict Latinos in the U.S. may soon be classified as white, much like Eastern European immigrant groups in the early 20th century, he doubts it. Though “some groups may be able to move up or down the white-imposed racial hierarchy,” Vargas believes that Latinos are not always perceived as white by others and choose inaccurate racial labels depending on personal perception, and that “the recent and impending contentious debates over immigration and legality across the country may solidify even more the racial boundary between whites and Latina/os.” Maybe. Or maybe we should just hope the U.S. Census simplifies its labeling system. As for us, we should trust in the melting pot to do its historically excellent job of making such distinctions nothing more than background information. Esther J. Cepeda is a Nationally Syndicated Columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group and President of The EJC Agency: creative content & marketing/communications

- News - Sports - Business - Entertainment - Lifestyles - Opinion - Driveway - Impress Death of a child inspires musician A trip to Romania helped Andrew Christopher decide music was his life. The one-time drummer who had picked up the guitar took it with him to the Eastern European country, where he found himself singing for the children at a camp where he worked. That job, finished, he headed to England, tried busking — and found himself heading to New Zealand and Australia, guitar in hand, guitar case open for donations. Back in Canada for four years, many British Columbians know him as a member of Pardon My Striptease (PMS) but, this year, he took on a solo project. It’s what’s bringing him to Kamloops for a show on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at The Dirty Jersey. Going solo for a while was a way to deal with the emotions he was experiencing as his young daughter was treated for brain cancer. “Music seemed to be my only outlet,” Christopher said. “I quit my job that I was on leave from as a support worker with disabled adults and decided to focus all my energy and emotion on music. “PMS on its own wasn’t going to pay the bills so, for no other reason than money, I started playing more solo gigs and busking. “I realized then that I really had a passion for my own style of music, the songs that are too girly or mellow for PMS.” He recorded his songs with PMS guitarist Brendan Woodroof, was delighted with the results and is, as he put it, “running with it.” The recording is called Gone, the name of a song Christopher wrote about a youngster who had become friends with his daughter, Lilee-Jean, at B.C. Children’s Hospital. “We just received news that her friend Maddison was not going to make it,” Christopher said. “They were putting her up in Canucks Place to make her last few weeks comfortable. “LJ was sleeping in her crib right beside my bed at the hotel and the sadness for Maddison, and fear for Lilee-Jean consumed me entirely. “I wrote the song in silence, as odd as that sounds, to make sure I didn't wake LJ. “The next day I got to play it aloud and I broke down completely. “Music is an incredible thing and I just want to share mine with everyone.” Admission to the show is $5. For $10, you’ll also get a CD.

Rockets of Awesome Rockets of Awesome wants to make shopping for kids' clothing less time-consuming, stressful, and expensive. The company was founded by Rachel Blumenthal, who's the wife of Warby Parker's co-founder, Neil Blumenthal. Blumenthal previously founded baby registry site Cricket's Circle. According to Forbes, Rockets of Awesome has $7 million in funding. The company is trying to make shopping for kid's clothing easier at affordable prices — $12-$36 per piece of clothing, according to the website . "We knew as parents that parents are shopping so frequently for their kids. Unlike us who want a new pair of jeans or a new style, every single season we are buying a full new wardrobe, head-to-toe for our kids because literally nothing fits them,"Blumenthal said to Forbes. "It’s so much work, so much money, and so much effort. We figured if they are doing this big shop every season, why can’t we do that for them, why can’t we capture all their preferences and simplify their life and do it for them."' Here's how it works: p arents can fill out profiles to help generate 12 looks that suit their children's' styles and according to the company, clothing is sent once a season, so four times a year. Parents are only charged for the items they choose to keep; there isn't a membership fee. Should parents keep nothing, they aren't charged at all. The business, which operates on a subscription model, keeps moms from having to drag their kids to the store. "All parents are busy parents, whether you’re working or staying at home, and no one has the time to drag their kids to the store and sift through rocks of clothing," she said to Racked. Should this business target millennial moms, it would be in line with a trend already prevalent in retail: stores from Chick-fil-A to Starbucks have been trying to get a piece of that demographic's wallet share, as Business Insider's Hayley Peterson reported earlier this year.

Schools & departments Researchers whose primary University of Edinburgh affiliation is with the CIR Chair of Therapeutic Immunology Professor Debby Bogaert Scottish Senior Clinical Fellow and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases Professor David Dockrell Senior Clinical Fellow; Honorary Consultant Hepatologist Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow Chair of Inflammatory Cell Biology / Deputy Director of the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research / Postgraduate Director of the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research Chair of Tissue Repair and Regeneration / Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Clinical Science / Consultant Hepatologist

School choice supporters head to Austin for rally DALLAS - People who support using taxpayer money to pay for private and religious schools will take their cause to the state capitol Tuesday morning. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will appear at a rally as the legislature prepares to debate the issue. Thousands of students, parents and teachers are also expected to attend. The rally is all about supporting school choice and school vouchers. It’s a cause that’s been around for years, but this year supporters want lawmakers to finally allow taxpayer dollars for private school tuition. Buses from several Dallas and Fort Worth private schools left for Austin Tuesday morning. About 120 sophomores from Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep boarded buses in Pleasant Grove. “I’ve changed a lot since being here. Before I came here I never really thought about going to college or anything like that. But coming here has changed my outlook on everything,” said Emily Casanova, a student. The school’s founding president said vouchers make sense as a way to improve overall education in the state of Texas. “The money is to fund students to get an education so regardless of where that money goes as long as it goes to educating that student and giving them an opportunity to either go to college or vocational school, or whatever opportunity they really want to pursue, that’s where we should be spending our money,” said Kelby Woodard, Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep founding president. There is still considerable opposition to the concept of school vouchers. Many in public education believe redirecting taxpayer dollars from public schools to private schools will ultimately hurt students in lower income areas.

THE world of Shakespeare has entered the digital age thanks to a teacher and pupils at a Teesside school. Rachel Rowling, head of English at Egglescliffe School, and five pupils have teamed up with experts at Middlesbrough-based Amazing Interactives to produce a CD-Rom to make learning the Bard easier. The CD, based on the play Much Ado About Nothing, brings the characters and scenes alive and contains interactive games making it easier for pupils to understand. The CD-Rom was the idea of Miss Rowling and the characters are voiced by five pupils at the school - Olivia Paddison, 14, Kate Newman, 14, Connie Vaughan, 14, Stan Hodgson, 15, and Paul Simpson, 15, with the help of Tony Gears, head of drama. It has been sent to heads of English at all schools nationally on a 21-day free trial, with an option to buy it. Miss Rowling said: “Amazing Interactives did a similar thing with Of Mice and Men and asked me to review it. I said it was good but I didn’t think teachers who weren’t comfortable with ICT would be able to use it effectively. “I came up with ideas and provided educational guidance.” The pupils recorded the CD-Rom in four days. “They had to understand the play from scratch and understand each line spoken. For 14 and 15 year olds that’s really hard and they’ve done a brilliant job,” added Miss Rowling. Connie said: “I really enjoyed it, it was a lot of hard work to learn and record it. It was fun working with people from drama. I didn’t know them but we’ve become friends.” Kate said: “It was really interesting for me because everyone else had done Shakespeare before, but I had never really studied Shakespeare. I feel like I’ve learnt things from doing this.” Olivia added: “We didn’t realise how professional it would be - it doesn’t look like it’s been done by a school.” For more stories from this area, visit.

LITTLEFIELD, TX (KCBD) – From the railroad tracks to the farm fields, Littlefield has a rich history. The best place to learn about the town's history is in the town's museum, which is tucked inside the wall of one of the first houses built in Littlefield. Every town has a story, an Littlefield's story starts with the land. "Littlefield was named for George Littlefield. He purchased part of XIT ranch and called it Yellow House Ranch," said Jay Lee, Littlefield Lands Duggan House Museum. "Major Littlefield bought 300,000 plus acres and started to sell it off," said Wando Erickson, Acting Director, Littlefield Museum. Major George Littlefield sent his niece Sarah and her husband Arthur Duggan to West Texas from Austin to sell that land, and as the story is told, it was cheap; $1 an acre. Sarah took pride in her new home and planted all sorts of flowers, shrubs and trees, to showcase the value to potential buyers. "She planted all these things for community to know that this was good, excellent soil," said Erickson. The Duggan's created the town site from their home. One of the first in Littlefield, now home to the Littlefield Lands Duggan House Museum. In 1913, the Santa Fe Railway Depot was built. The first passenger train rolled through on July 4, 1914. The Major gave the Railroad the land. His land company built a school and a bank. The town officially became Littlefield in 1924. "Farming became prevalent in the late 30's, 40's and grew through the 50's," said Lee. The museum plays Waylon Jennings' hits all day and dedicated one room to their beloved hometown hero. "There is nothing digital in that room. We have acoustic tile with his signature on it. The room itself if a rendition of radio station where Waylon came for some of his recordings," said Lee. The star musician would occasionaly come back home and share his songs. The outside of the Duggan house has not changed. Volunteers with the museum vow to keep these pieces of history alive."If you don't preserve that history you lose the story," said Lee. The museum put together a cookbook and proceeds go straight to the museum. There are recipes from Littlefield and all across the South Plains, including some from Waylon Jennings himself.

plenty of places to turn for advice in managing wealth. There are rather fewer choices open to you if you want to discuss the best ways of giving your money away. There is, however, one organisation which over the last twenty years has been providing an informal space to do just that. The hundred or so members of the Network for Social Change meet twice yearly for residential long weekends, between them pledging close to a million pounds a year in donations for jointly-agreed projects. The Network, as it is known, also serves another role, in providing a supportive environment in which the ethical and practical implications of being rich can be discussed. The weekend ‘Conferences' are, members say, are intensely stimulating and rewarding. Attendance is not open to all, however. To become a member, you need to have several hundred thousand pounds in assets (the value of your home doesn't count), and to commit to giving away at least £3000 a year through the Network. Definitions of ‘social change' vary between members, but the Network typically supports initiatives in areas such as human rights, the environment, arts and health, and economic justice. The emphasis is on newer, less mainstream, projects which the Network can help become established. The Network was instrumental, for example, in establishing the debt relief campaign which later became Jubilee 2000. Peter Miller, a director of the transport technology business ItoWorld Ltd, has become active in the Network since he sold his stake in the successful transport business Acis last year. He talks of the benefits of discussing with others how money can best be used, and says he found his first encounter with the Network very straightforward. “It felt like something I was familiar with, and it was structured – it was clear what was expected of you,” he says. His own particular interests include environmental concerns, particularly linked to the social implications of transport. Some things which are worthwhile, he says, make money. The Network helps him support other ventures, those which don't make money “but which need to happen”. The Network does not accept unsolicited requests for help. Instead, members themselves put up proposals during the Conference weekend, which are normally subject to subsequent assessment by other Network members and discussed again at a second Conference. “We're looking for leverage, where a relatively small amount of money can have a ripple effect, and where there is some opportunity for replication,” says Prue Hardwick, a long-time Network member and current Treasurer for the group. There is a rule, she adds, that members don't only support their own pet projects. Whilst it is clear that some members choose to give significantly more than the £3000 minimum through the Network, the size of each member's donations is a private matter. “The Network has a dual function. It's about giving money away, but it also provides a forum for people who have money, where this can be safely and confidentially discussed,” Prue Hardwick says. “Issues can be discussed in Network which you can't discuss in a pub – or perhaps with family or friends.” The Network for Social Change brings together both entrepreneurs like Peter Miller who have made their money in business and those who have inherited wealth. Corin Stuart, for example, became rich from inherited family wealth by the time he was in his mid-twenties. Now thirty, he describes his first involvement with the Network as a “liberating” experience, in helping him reconcile his wealth with his beliefs. “I definitely had feelings of guilt and embarrassment. To be able to talk freely was quite a revelation,” he says. The Network's origin in the mid-1980s, in fact, was a newsletter circulated among inheritors tussling with issues such as these, and Network Conferences continue to make time for structured group discussions. One recent Conference session, for example, explored the implications for relationships of being single and having money. Another frequent topic for debate concerns wills, and in particular the amount of money which it is appropriate to leave for one's children. “People in Network tend to be articulate and to think quite deeply about things,” Prue Hardwick says. Those who attend include a mixture of single people, individuals in relationships who have come without their partners, and couples, with some children also being brought along. Although there are exceptions like Corin Stuart, the majority are in the 40+ age group, a reflection perhaps that some of the initial members are now twenty years older than when the Network started. Despite its evident success and the fact that about £10m has been donated since it first began, the Network for Social Change deliberately operates in a low-profile way, partly to protect its members' privacy. Potential new members are invited to make contact via its email address, thenetwork@gn.apc.org Return to my home page

In Japan, millions of consumers are using hand-held phones with a screen the size of a business card to communicate on the Internet. In Europe, by contrast, a buying frenzy for government licenses for so-called third-generation wireless mobile networks has nearly bankrupted the telecom industry. The U.S. can profit from both situations. But first the Federal Communications Commission has to make available frequency spectrums that are caught between broadcasters and the wireless industry. Since 1994, the FCC has been auctioning off parts of the broadcast spectrum, but the disputed upper band of the 700-megahertz spectrum is particularly suited for wireless carriers. Chairman Michael Powell has repeatedly delayed auctioning this part of the spectrum, most recently until January 2003. He needs to get the licenses sold, to push the wireless industry into global competitiveness and get a fair price for the taxpayers. In doing so, he should also not allow broadcasters to receive an undeserved windfall. Congress temporarily granted broadcasters the rights to extra spectrum in 1996, in return for developing digital high-definition television while still offering analog signals. They're supposed to relinquish their older spectrum holdings when 85% of U.S. households have a digital-ready television set; at the moment, that goal looks a long way off. But in the meantime, the broadcasters are allowed to cut their own deals to give up the part of the spectrum most valuable to wireless uses.

But often Indian professionals with impressive track records and pedigrees find themselves in a strange unfamiliar country, having to prove their mettle all over again. And that at the point when they should, logically speaking, have taken on the largest role within their home country. It’s no secret that Japanese and Korean firms typically have bosses from the head office, irrespective of the strength or weakness of local ops. Even some of European firms operate on the same principle. Ferrero Rocher for instance is run by an expat CEO as is L’Oréal, even as it has managed to carve out career paths for its best Indian talent. This isn’t a very publicly articulated grouse — most marketing folk like their jobs and/or need the money to pay for the beach house in Goa or the farmhouse in Kodaikanal. But BE decided to find just why the career paths in some companies end at CXO and seldom CEO for Indian talent. Especially when there’s ample evidence of some of the country’s biggest companies like Mondelez and Hindustan Unilever, faring very well, helmed by non-expats. Here’s what we found: It has a lot to do with the sector you are in: Technology companies are notoriously particular about expat leadership. LK Gupta, CMO, Cardekho (GirnarSoft Labs) who had a previous stint with LG observes, “The technical know-how is concentrated in the mother company. Be it LG, Samsung, Sony, or most car companies.” To the point where according to Gupta, the Indian heads are out of the loop on many aspects of technology, financials and transfer pricing even at the C-suite level. These companies are hierarchical, demand and expect loyalty, with personnel frequently spending their entire careers at the same firm. Gupta says wryly “We Indians are not like that.” Getting to the top is easier in FMCG companies that are marketing focused and easiest of all in the ad industry where expat talent is a significant presence only in Japanese and Korean run agencies. It’s about company and/or country culture: Many companies consider the first few years in a new market particular important from a corporate culture point of view. As Sachin Paranjape, partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India points out, “Foreign companies want to ensure consistency. If you have an Indian CEO right from Day One, it becomes difficult to control the culture.” Instead most companies have a foreign manager till localisation becomes important. Some of them however continue to have an expat head and that goes back to a strong country culture. Marketing consultant Ambi Parameswaran says “At L’Oréal, the board meetings are all in French. There have been enough people who have been successful and non-French but they are very fluent in the language.” However according to Mohit James, director HR, L’Oréal India, “At L’Oréal, we value multi-culturalism and diversity of experience in other markets and industries. So, while we have a Frenchman at the helm in India, we have an Indian in charge of the UK, South Africa, Indonesia etc.” 99% of its staff, including senior management in India is Indian. You can’t head a country unless you head out of it: To be truly able to master the curveballs that a market throws at a manager, perhaps the best proving ground is an entirely different market. This may also involve a stint in the head office to experience the country and corporate culture first hand. And the decision on whether one can or cannot take charge, depends on these experiences. Shripad Nadkarni, director – Fingerlix and angel investor recalls that during his stint at Johnson & Johnson, it was not uncommon for people to leave for assignments overseas and return to bigger roles within the country. Local insights and people may not necessarily deliver every time: India’s reputation precedes it as a hard market to “crack.” A senior ad man on condition of anonymity says “There used to be this thing about keeping the ‘goras’ at bay and it happened for too many years.” But now, many companies realise that that India along with China — a market with a sizable expat contingent — is too big and important to be left to its own devices. Besides, the famed local insights and cultural cues sometimes get in the way of effective, profitable strategy. Future Group's group president (food, FMCG, brands) Devendra Chawla points to Ferrero Rocher which has an Italian CEO Roberto Grasso: “Since they are selling a premium product, it’s perhaps best done by someone who understands chocolate.” Ferrero Rocher retails at a hefty Rs449 for a box of 16 in a market where the most popular price points hover between Rs10 and Rs30. A local CEO may have insisted on a product at Rs20. But as Chawla points out, “A CEO with experience of other markets realises that India has not seen such a product before and has the potential to accept it instead of trying to massify the brand. His belief may be more aligned to the needs of the global head office.” Diaper brand Mammy Poko Pants has become a Rs1,000 crore band in six years under the leadership of Yukihiro Kimura, its managing director. “That’s great success and to me personally, it’s doubtful whether another CEO could have been more successful than that,” he says.

It’s often been described, erroneously, as a comeback, what with music stores liberally stocking them these days. Vinyl records, actually, never really went away. Labels might have stopped reissuing them in the 1990s and early noughties, but new releases, and reissues, are coming thick and fast once more. While the culture in Malaysia may still be at novelty level, the situation in a metropolis like London, is entirely different. A recent trip there proved very fruitful to my “digging” ambitions. A simple Google search will reveal much more than a handful of music stores in the city, and many of them boast a vast vinyl section. There’s a piece of the pie for every kind of music lover, too, which is why some stores are genre-centric … dance, indie, etc. But I was after a broader spectrum of the music sphere, so, Music & Video Exchange proved to be a great bet, a store with two branches in London … one smack in the city, and the other in Greenwich. Walk into either one of the stores, and it’s immediately apparent that this is the handiwork of music and vinyl connoisseurs. Used records are separated by their price, and since I was armed with prior knowledge that the “bargain” section often contains gems, that’s where I remained … and unearthed most of the 1980s synth pop titles I was looking for … paying nothing more than £4 (RM23) per piece, and forking out as little as 50p (RM2.90) for a copy of Level 42’s Level Best: A Collection of Their Greatest Hits. Upton believes in catering to all listeners, saying that Music & Video Exchange even carries bad vinyl records, like easy listening music. So, what music is most sought after? Greenwich store owner, Jamie Upton, says that classic rock titles shift the fastest and in the largest quantities, too, name checking The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen and more. Casbah Records in Greenwich also observes a similar trend in listener taste, with its owner Graham Davis echoing Upton’s sentiments: “A copy of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours will only last a few days in the store,” he said of the once-highest-selling album released in 1977. Naturally, the range of titles reaches either end of the spectrum – good and “bad” records. “Easy listening music records could be described as ‘bad’ records, which we sell, of course,” Upton jested amusingly. Richard Clayderman, anyone? Record buyers make up a motley bunch, and Upton has noticed a slight shift in clientele. “We get tourists, students, middle-aged men and all kinds of people, but in the last five years, I’ve noticed more younger people,” he said, unwittingly describing a crowd that could easily encompass hipsters. Davis, likewise, observes a similarity in a younger buying audience. “We are situated between two universities (University of Greenwich and Greenwich Community College), so, a lot of younger people come into the store. We also have a lot of tourists, and there are also more people in Greenwich these days,” he said, citing the rapid development of the quaint, early-established district of the present London. His shop, of course, also profits from a steady stream of regulars. The last 10 years have seen remarkable growth in vinyl releases, and while this may bode well for the industry, casualties exist, too – like dance music. “We have always sold dance music, but that trend has fallen away in the last decade. I guess that’s because people are buying downloads of it instead of physical copies … it’s hard times for dance music now,” he said, attributing the genre’s decline in the vinyl format to pressing plants being occupied printing reissue titles of other genres. Owner of Casbah Records, Davis, tries his best to stock his store with the cream of the crop titles. Given that the CD market has shrunk, which Upton reckons has directly been the result of piracy, more albums and seven-inch singles are appearing on vinyl. He feels this has changed listening habits, too, but also reminded of an age-old culprit: “The economy in the country isn’t that great, either.” The scenario is very similar at Casbah Records, where Davis has observed records shifting quicker than CDs, and now more than ever, less familiar titles moving out fastest. “An Oasis or David Bowie title might have sold 25 copies each before, which is good, but that has changed,” he said, explaining that times can get hard for a newer and independent store like his, which specialises in new titles, with some used fare to boot. The bargain section at Music & Video Exchange is like heaven-on-earth for vinyl lovers, with titles coming in as low as 25p per piece. Conceding to some head-scratching himself, Upton, though, has managed to find some logic in seeing younger people buying Blondie and Grace Jones records. “Those artistes look great, and those records sound good, too.” For a store like Music & Video Exchange, its inventory comes from formerly avid music collectors. “These are older people who sell records because they are selling off their homes to move to smaller ones,” he said, citing space constraints as their usual reason. Space might be at a premium, but Casbah Records has decked out it’s floor elegantly. In the exchange and buying practice of Music & Video Exchange, nothing legal is refused. “Between here (Greenwich) and Nottinghill, we have 30 to 40 staff who are specialist buyers, and who pick out the best stuff for us to sell,” Upton added, intimating that his store sells “something for everyone”. With Casbah Records, it’s a straight up job of acquiring stock from major distributors and smaller labels. The opportunity to purchase from underground labels gives the store an added advantage of covering most musical bases. “We try to sell the best of everything, the cream of the crop, and we try to present that approach in an attractive way … to make the store interesting. We do the best we can to maintain good customer service,” explained Davis. And if there’s one thing that’s apparent with the record buying thrill in London, it’s knowledgeable staff who extend great service. Sure, you can always trust a Google search for info or recommendations, but educated store hands offer just that bit extra, making record buying a soulfully-satisfying experience. I should know … I returned home with 25 pieces of vinyl (finally completing my Nik Kershaw trilogy of albums) and just about the same number of CDs. Now, that’s shopping!

Increased workforce will allow the Center to expand innovative programs for the underserved Glendale, Calif. August 3, 2015 – The Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing, founded on the belief that technology innovation plays a vital role in enhancing wellbeing, today announced the receipt of a $330,000 grant from the Alhambra Services Corporation to increase the Front Porch Center’s staff. The gift will fund two new positions which will allow the Front Porch Center to expand innovative programs that support the health and wellbeing of older adults, especially among underserved communities. “This generous impact gift from the Alhambra Services Corporation comes at an exciting moment as the Center expands several innovations and technologies to support aging and independence to serve multiple populations and communities,” said Front Porch Center President Kari Olson. “The additional capacity will enable us to pilot and implement more solutions that will positively impact a greater number of people.” The Alhambra Services Corporation is a not-for-profit charitable organization established in 2011 to advance affordable housing and promote innovative initiatives and services in the greater community. The corporation was formed following the closure and sale of The Alhambra, a Front Porch retirement community to continue The Alhambra’s philanthropic not-for-profit heritage of meeting needs through its founding parent California Lutheran Homes and sustained through Front Porch. “Technology advancements have and are continuing to reshape all our lives,” said Mort Swales, board chair, Alhambra Services Corporation. “The Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing is a nationally-recognized innovation leader that has been instrumental in facilitating the development and application of technologies in senior services that is improving life of older adults. The Alhambra Services Corporation is proud to be able to help the Center in that ongoing journey by honoring a request that is consistent with our mission as well.” The Front Porch Center continues to explore the application of technology in conjunction with home- and community-based services through a growing network of collaborative partnerships. The Front Porch Center has developed a reputable track record of technology research, deployment, and engagement initiatives that leverage the value and resources of community partnerships. For example, in 2012, the Front Porch Center envisioned and launched in partnership with over 20 community organizations its Model eHealth Community for Aging (MeHCA) which has served more than 1,500 vulnerable seniors in the Los Angeles area since its inception with key partners such as St. Barnabas Senior Services. This work continues including the completion of a tele-mental health program and an emerging partnership to integrate technology into a senior wellness program. Earlier this year, the University of the Pacific was awarded a grant from the California Wellness Foundation to deploy a tele-dentistry demonstration initiative that will provide low-income seniors with first level dental care at Front Porch affordable housing communities and other senior-serving organizations. The Front Porch Center is supporting the pilot and tracking the results. “In order for the Center to scale and support the development of sustainable models that could be replicated in other communities and form new partnerships, additional staffing is necessary to build the capacity of the Center,” said Davis Park, Front Porch Center director. “We are grateful to the Alhambra Services Corporation in meeting that need.”. More information can be found at. For Immediate Release For more information contact: Mike Martinez, Senior Communications Director, communications@frontporch.net (818) 254-4248

So much for building a working relationship between the Athens-Clarke County Commission and the Clarke County Board of Education. After coming together for several local redistricting meetings, the commission and school board decided Tuesday to call it quits on the joint effort and go their separate ways. State law mandates local governments adjust their political districts every 10 years to reflect changes in the population. Since October, the two groups had been working toward a common district map that would apply to both bodies. Tuesday's meeting was supposed to be when the commission and school board selected a final map from the three proposals circulated during several public meetings last month. At the last minute, however, the school board announced it wanted to explore two different options -- either adding or subtracting a district from the current eight-member design. An odd number of members would keep the school board from having tie votes. While this may make the board's meetings easier, such a change could make elections more costly and lead to confusion among voters. With seven or nine members, the school board's districts would not be the same as the commission's eight regular districts. County Board of Elections Superintendent Dot Barrett warned commissioners and school board members that having different districts would increase costs because of the need for additional ballots and voting machines. Having voting precincts split along school and commission lines would also make it harder for voters to determine who their representatives are. School board members said they will further discuss their redistricting plans at the board's agenda-setting session tonight. Despite the breakdown in talks with the school board, the commission decided Tuesday to go ahead with its plans to adopt a newly drawn map. Commissioners voted to modify the county's eight regular districts and two superdistricts. In adopting the plan, commissioners opted not to pursue a proposal that would have eliminated the superdistricts in favor of having 10 regular districts. We are extremely disappointed in the school board's decision to abandon the joint redistricting process and go out on its own. The board now appears to be on the verge of making a substantial change without giving residents even one opportunity to discuss it publicly. The decision to add or subtract a seat on the school board should not be rushed or taken lightly. It requires thorough review and input from as many people as possible. None of this has taken place so far. It is difficult to understand why the school board has waited until the 11th hour to raise such a major issue. If the board believed this was such a pressing matter, why didn't it begin this discussion months ago? Until the school board can present compelling evidence that its work is significantly hindered by having eight members, we cannot support a plan that would saddle the county with two sets of local political districts. To move forward on such a plan without proving how the benefits outweigh the costs would show utter disregard for common sense and the best interest of county residents. Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Thursday, December 6, 2001.

THE BUZZ 2: Crowd Control How soaring park visitation could rescue public lands. Yellowstone crowds amass for one of nature’s displays. (Photo: NPS/Neal Herbert) JACKSON HOLE, WY – Increased visitation to national parks is straining federal public lands and infrastructure—but it’s also what will save them. That’s what former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell thinks. “If you haven’t had exposure, you’re not as likely to treasure a place like this,” Jewell told a Jackson Hole crowd Friday. But as residents know, exposure, for some parks, is far from a problem. Jackson bursts at the seams with summer visitors on their way to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. This summer is shaping up to be Yellowstone’s second busiest in history, closely following last year’s centennial, park spokesman Jonathan Shafer said. In 2016, Yellowstone saw a record-breaking 4.2 million visitors. In 2017, June visitation dropped 4.8 percent compared to last year, but NPS celebrated its 100th birthday last year, so millions of people made trips to celebrate, Shafer said. At this rate, Yellowstone is still well ahead of the previous three “normal” years. Meanwhile, Grand Teton National Park is bracing itself for the busiest day—not season, but single day—in history come August 21. On an average day in peak season, spokesperson Denise Germann said about 20 to 25 thousand people visit GTNP. The Great American Eclipse is expected to be a well above-average day. This peak visitation is all happening in a period of uncertainty for the National Parks Service and public lands as a whole. President Donald Trump’s proposed budget includes a 13 percent cut to NPS. Jewell’s successor, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, is neck-deep in a review of 27 national monuments to determine if they should shrink, remain intact or be abolished completely. Mother Jones reported that of the Interior’s new confirmed staff, 21 have some affiliation with resource extraction industries. Only three have conservation or even outdoor recreation backgrounds. Yellowstone was stretched for resources long before Trump took office, but a decreased budget will only put the park further behind. Approximately $632 million worth of repairs await attention, the largest of any park in the country. And while visitation skyrockets, the amount of staff the park employs remains relatively stagnant. The park has employed between 350 to 550 staff per year since 2000. In that same amount of time, visitation has increased from 2.8 million to 4.8 million. Accounting for such high visitation, Shafer said, has been a high priority for the park for some time now. “We did a complete study last year about visitation in Yellowstone,” Shafer said. The results of the study will likely be released this month. Shafer could not readily share the exact results, but said that a big consideration the park now faces is how to manage visitor expectations and encourage responsible stewardship. “We know all about all the different animals in the park. The least studied species in Yellowstone is the human,” Shafer said, borrowing a quote from park superintendent Den Wenk. So YNP brought on a team of social scientists to study humans in 2015. The better they understand human behavior in the park, the logic goes, the more equipped park staff can be to manage and mitigate human impact—impact like overcrowded campsites, unsafe wildlife interaction (who can forget the visitors who put a bison calf in their car to save it), and all-around wear and tear. Yellowstone, like many of its public land brethren, is a delicate ecosystem. The more people tread on its lands, the heavier the burden. Boardwalks intersect the park to keep visitors off of fragile thermal features. Signs warn visitors not to approach wildlife, for both human and animal safety. Locals know the saying: a fed bear is a dead bear. But it’s not easy for an organization to compel compliance or heed understanding from 4.8 million people. Still, Jewell says not visiting national parks in this day and age is equally harmful. People are less inclined to fight for something they know nothing about. Passing the torch Jewell is this year’s Teton Science School Spirit of Conservation award recipient, and was the keynote speaker at Friday’s 50th anniversary celebration. But just six months ago, she served the White House as Secretary of the Interior. Teton Science School executive director Chris Agnew listed her many accomplishments during her tenure in the White House: “She brought conservation into the 21st century, bridging conservation, education and access,” he said. “Under her leadership, NPS expanded to tell the whole story of America, including Harriet Tubman National Historic Park or Stonewall National Monument.” Locally, Jewell helped designate 640 acres of land, Antelope Flats, as part of Grand Teton National Park. Jewell also oversaw the designation of Bears Ears, which is now under review, as a national monument. Bears Ears, she said, is a perfect example of humans’ power to damage public lands, but also save them. “Bears Ears is under threat in part because we all have geo tags on our phones,” Jewell said. If somebody posts a picture to social media of a cultural site, or artifacts, without removing the geo tag, “everybody knows where that is. That is a very, very real threat.” But perhaps a bigger threat, she said, is to leave the area unprotected. As a federally protected land, Jewell said, “there are more people out there that you can educate on how to visit these places respectfully, that you can educate about the importance of leaving artifacts where they are for anthropology and archeology and future visitors of future generations.” Indeed, people across the country, and especially in the White House, are less likely to care about the value of public lands if they do not understand them. If she were still Interior Secretary, Jewell said her biggest priority would be to make to make sure that “Nick Mulvaney and the budget committees in the house and senate, and frankly American people broadly, understand that there is tremendous value in public service, public servants, public lands.” Public lands, she said, make the United States “unique among just about all nations because of the treasures that we have under our stewardship.” To land stewards and conservationists who feel disempowered, Jewell offers this: “Elected officials care about what their constituents say.” It might not feel like it, Jewell said, “but they do listen.” Also, money talks. The outdoor recreation industry, Jewell said, is “much bigger than people think”—bigger than automotive, bigger than pharmaceutical. According to Outdoor Industry Association’s “Outdoor Recreation Economy” report, outdoor recreation is an $887 billion industry. Consumers in Wyoming spend $5.6 billion per year. Wyoming’s congressional delegation, however, has continually tried to pawn off public lands in favor of oil and mineral extraction. Rep. Liz Cheney’s voting record consistently favors transferring federal land to state control, arguing that federal management hinders resource extraction and takes jobs away from Wyoming’s workforce. Meanwhile, OIA’s study reports that outdoor recreation in Wyoming creates more jobs (50,000) than oil and gas, mining and extraction combined (27,000). “There are industries in DC that are very narrow and very deep and very wealthy,” Jewell said. “They are speaking with money in a way that influences people on both sides of the table.” The job of the concerned conservationist, then, is to speak louder, and often. Take, for example, Outdoor Retailer. Salt Lake City has hosted the bi-annual trade show for more than 20 years, and gains approximately $45 million in visitor revenue in return. But last month, OR said goodbye to Salt Lake because of Utah’s public land policies, including multiple attempts to rescind Bears Ears. Starting in January, Denver will host Outdoor Retailer and reap all its benefits, and likely more (OR is predicting an economic impact of $110 million over the course of three shows). So keep visiting public lands, Jewell said. Learn responsible stewardship. Spend money where it counts. Show up. “If you’re not on the table, you’re on the menu.” PJH

Timeline: Quebec City in 1875-1900 1876 Quebec-Halifax Intercolonial Railway is completed. 1878 The telephone (invented by Alexander Bell in 1876) is introduced in Quebec City. 1879 Riots and pitched battle between French Canadian and Irish ship labourers in Champlain District. 1879 Quebec - Montreal - Ottawa Railway is completed. It goes further to the West the next year. 1880 O, Canada, the future Canadian anthem, composed by Calixa Lavallee and Adolph Routhier, is performed in Quebec City for the first time. 1880 Garrison Club is incorporated in Quebec City. The military join free, the civilian pay entrance fee. 1884 St Patrick's School opens on McMahon Street. 1885 Quebec's Legislative Assembly adopts Manufacturers' Law. The law limits work hours to 72,5 hours a week for men, 60 hours a week for women and children. Employers manage to find some loopholes. 1885 Public anger is fuelled among French Canadian as Metis Rebellion in the Canadian West is put down and its leader Louis Riel is hanged. 1892 The first wing of Chateau Frontenac, one of the most photographed buildings in the world, is built in Quebec City. 1897 The first car appears in Quebec City. It travels at 29 km/h down the St. Foy Road in third rear. 1899 The Boer War begins. The first Canadian contingent leaves for South Africa from Quebec. 1900 More than five thousand shoe workers of Quebec City go on strike. The conflict will last for nearly two months. Château Frontenac, built in 1893. Photo : © ProvinceQuebec See also:

Date: 25 August 2014 Press Release: Immediate The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU), one of the COSATU-affiliates, today held a Memorial Lecture in honour of our late Deputy President and COSATU Deputy President, Violet Seboni. The Memorial Lecture was delivered by Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel, at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg. The event was attended by over 400 trade unionists, members of the Seboni family, members of Violet Seboni’s church, COSATU National Office Bearers, and national leadership of SACTWU. The occasion was also used to announce a new SACTWU initiated fund in honour of Violet Seboni – the Violet Seboni Development Fund. According to SACTWU General Secretary Andre Kriel, “this R1m strong Fund will finance local projects in education and training, in empowerment of women, and in economic development, over the next five years”. The money was raised by SACTWU, Zenzeleni Clothing, the TCIA Clothing Group, the Bargaining Council for the Clothing Industry, the Independent Media Group, HCI and the SETA for our sector. Violet Seboni passed away tragically in a car accident near Ventersdorp on Friday 3 April 2009. She was on her way to deliver a general elections message at an ANC Women’s League event. She was born on 18 September 1965. Violet never knew her parents, was raised by her grandmother and later by her grandmother’s friend. After high school she went to look for work in the clothing industry. Violet was a single mother and a garment worker who raised her two daughters, Lesego and Lesedi, on the modest wages that millions of women across the world earn. These women work long hours to sew our clothes, make the caps we wear, the bed linen we sleep on, the towels we dry ourselves with, only to earn very little wages to feed and support their families. In 1999 Violet was elected as the first female Chairperson of SACTWU’s East Rand branch. In 2001 she was elected as Treasurer of SACTWU’s Gauteng region and then as a SACTWU Deputy President. In 2003 she was elected as COSATU Deputy President. She held these two latter positions until her death, and as her daughter, Lesego has said, ‘she died with her boots on’. Violet died during the 2009 general election campaign, whilst travelling to an election meeting of the ANC Women’s League in the North West Province. It is therefore appropriate that we celebrate her life during Women’s Month. In his lecture, the Minister noted that in twenty years after democracy we have made significant progress, but we still have many challenges to address. He highlighted some of our areas of progress. These include: solid institutions of democracy and important freedoms – “to speak, to assemble as citizens, to join trade unions and to strike when needed, to pray as we choose...We are able to approach the courts for justice when we are aggrieved. We have a free press, able to report on the matters of the nation”. Beyond the rights we have won, the Minister also highlighted socio-economic improvements post 1994. Including that: the economy is larger than it was under apartheid, with almost 6 million more people who are working today than in 1994; access to education has expanded greatly, with eight million learners now attending no-fee schools, and 9 million learners are receiving daily meals at school that are provided by government. Mini-bus taxis - which Violet used to get to work every day - are now being assembled in Springs and eThekwini. In the past these were imported. In Gauteng, in the last five years alone, 112 984 houses have been connected to electricity. The challenges facing South Africa, which Minister Patel highlighted, include amongst others: the triple-challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment; the problem of insecure and temporary employment; service delivery and inefficiencies in municipalities; and the practice of cartel behaviour and price fixing amongst companies in the private sector. “Since the adoption of the NGP, the economy has created an additional 1,4 million new jobs, mainly in the public sector, finance, transport and mining. Total employment is today over 15 million,” said Minister Patel. Violet Seboni would have taken a lead role to campaign against and address these challenges. We pay tribute to our heroine: straight talker, principled leader. Issued By Andre Kriel General Secretary SACTWU A full copy of Minister Patel’s Violet Seboni Memorial Lecture delivered today is available below: Violet Seboni Memorial lecture by Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Economic Development, 25 August 2014 at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg. Family of the late Violet Seboni Sidumo Dlamini and Themba Khumalo, Presidents of COSATU and SACTWU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and office bearers of Cosatu National Office Bearers of SACTWU Members of the Diepkloof Methodist Church Leaders of the Gauteng region Shop stewards Invited guests and members of affiliates A Memorial Lecture is an opportunity to pay tribute to someone who lived a life that was extraordinary; it is also a moment to reflect on the contemporary challenges that our society faces. Some people put their mark on history in ways that are large and widely-known, people like Shaka, Makana, Moshoeshoe, Mandela, Hani. Some make their mark mainly recognized by those they worked with directly who saw something unusual in the person. The English poet Thomas Gray wrote 260 years ago about a visit to a graveyard where many unknown ordinary people were buried and he remarked that in their lives they may have had much to offer but fate and circumstance prevented their talents from becoming known to others. He said: ‘Full many a flower was born to blush unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air” Violet Seboni falls in a different category: yes, I will concede that history did not bestow on her the role of a Nelson Mandela but no, neither was her life lived in the shadows unseen in society, her sweetness was not wasted in the desert air. She was an extraordinary leader of workers who by her actions made her mark on her organizations, Sactwu and Cosatu and her work in the Tripartite Alliance. She was gifted, strong, articulate and passionate about what she stood for, she was one of a team of shopfloor activists who together with so many others in her time was part of a powerful movement which changed society. The bare facts of her life is known to many in the audience today. She was born on 18 September 1965. On the same day, the spectacular celestial comet – the Ikeya-Seki – was seen in the skies above the earth. It was a rare sighting. The comet only comes into view from earth every few hundred years. The rest of the time, it is travelling on its very long journey through space. It was one of the brightest comets seen in our generation, an auspicious start to the turbulent life of the young girl. In December 2007, Violet and I were at the Polokwane Conference of the ANC. During the many days there we took walks across the grounds at the University where the Conference took place and I asked her about her family. While delegates debated policy and the developmental state, and cast their votes for a new ANC president, I listened to her story – of her parents she did not know, reared as she was by her grandmother and later by the family-friend of her grandmother, of her own children that she passionately loved. Violet went to primary school and later to Madibane High School in Diepkloof, where she developed a love for netball and a passion for activism. After high school, she became pregnant and her first daughter was born. She went to look for work in the clothing industry. Her story, of a single mother, a garment worker, is the story of many millions of women across the world who sew our clothes and the caps we wear and make the bedlinen we sleep on at night, the curtains that we use to create privacy in our bedrooms, the towels we use to dry ourselves, women who rely on the modest wages that they earn, to feed their families. Violet has two daughters Lesego and Lesedi who were the joy of her life. In 1999 she was elected as the first female chairperson of the East Rand branch of SACTWU. She brought a new energy to the branch at a time when there were many battles to save jobs and to fight for a living wage. We all recall seeing this young, strong woman who showed an organisational maturity beyond her years. Two years later that recognition of leadership qualities by her fellow shop stewards led to her election as treasurer of SACTWU’s Gauteng region and then to her assumption of duties as a SACTWU Deputy President and in 2003, as COSATU Deputy President, two positions she has held until her death, until, as her daughter Lesego said, she died with her boots on. She was a member of the national clothing wage negotiations team, an activist in the fight to defend the rights of workers in the Labour Relations Act and an internationalist who was once deported from Zimbabwe where she had been on a trade union mission. She led COSATU during stormy and difficult times, presiding over many complex moments of debates of the COSATU CEC and Congress and truly came into her own as a tough fighter but also one who prized the unity and internal democracy of the Federation. She was very close to many of leaders assembled here today. I remember how fondly she always spoke of Zwelinzima Vavi, her other General Secretary; of the respect she had for Sidumo Dlamini, her other President. At her funeral in April 2009, I spoke as her SACTWU General Secretary and said: “This talented, strong garment worker was dealt a hard hand by history but she drew on an inner strength that we will always remember. In a different world, Violet would have been given an easier life, completed a university degree – perhaps she would have been a partner in a law firm, perhaps together with her friends and comrades, Busi Msimango, Tshepo Makhene and Glacier Maduna, fighting human rights cases in the Constitutional Court. But destiny gave her a bigger job – it made her a clothing worker and a trade unionist and gave us her talent and her energy.” It is fitting that today, five years later, we have the Violet Seboni Memorial Lecture here at Constitution Hill. This venue was a prison and briefly a defense post for the old Boer Republic, it saw prisoners such as Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, activists in the defiance campaign and accused in the Treason Trial, white workers who went on strike in 1922 and activists who defied the states of emergency in the 1980s ; today it proudly houses our highest court, the Constitutional Court that protects the basic rights and freedoms of the South African people. She died during the 2009 general election campaign, whilst travelling to an election meeting of the ANC Women’s League in the North West province. So it is fitting therefore too that we celebrate her life in Women’s Month with this Memorial Lecture. Twenty years after democracy, where do we stand as a society? We have made very significant progress across a wide front and we have very serious challenges that we must still address. Let us look at some of these areas of progress first. We have solid institutions of democracy and important freedoms, to organize, 20 years ago and the growth rate is almost three times higher than it was in the last 20 years of apartheid. Access to education has expanded greatly with 8 million learners now attending no-fee schools and 9 million learners are getting daily meals at school, provided by government. Investment in improved health-care systems has seen many more clinics built, nurses and doctors employed and medication made available. The big crisis that is HIV is beginning to be contained through the world’s largest ARV programme, after years when we were in denial about the disease. Public transport systems are being improved. Here in Joburg, used every day to travel to work used to be imported in the past. In the last five years we worked closely with two investors and now the country assembles mini-bus taxis in Springs and eThekwini. We are manufacturing trains in factories in Koedoespoort near Pretoria and Nigel. What this shows is how government is taking a basic concept that many trade unions have fought for, the concept of localization, or local manufacturing, and making it real and concrete. Twenty years of democracy has seen a large expansion of electricity. Let me illustrate this by reminding ourselves that the first electricity was installed in a house in South Africa as long ago as 1890. Between that date and the dawn of our democracy, 5,2 million houses were connected to electricity. Since 1996, an additional 7,2 million homes were connected to electricity. In other words, we did more in less than 20 years of democracy than what was achieved in 104 years of colonialism and apartheid. Soweto was a dark city under apartheid, today electricity is generally installed throughout the township. In Gauteng, in the last five years alone 112 984 additional houses were connected to electricity. Jobs are a central concern of trade unions. Violet Seboni died during the first recession that the democracy experienced. It was caused by the financial crisis that started in the United States and rapidly spread across the world, becoming the biggest downturn in the global economy since the 1930s. We lost a large number of jobs during 2009, in what Cosatu aptly described as a ‘jobs bloodbath’, a phrase that Violet used often. Faced with this huge challenge, government developed an economic strategy in the form of the New Growth Path, which was adopted in October 2010, almost twenty months after the death of the remarkable woman whose life we are celebrating today. Since the adoption of the NGP, the economy has created an additional 1,4 million new jobs, mainly in the public sector, finance, transport and mining. Total employment is today over 15 million. The industry that Violet Seboni worked in has been buffeted by the harsh winds of globalization: · Increasing the tariff protection on 35 items of clothing to allow the companies to reorganize their factories · Providing new incentives for local producers through a competitiveness programme and loans from the Industrial Development Corporation, the IDC. Together, these were worth R5,1 billion · Creating a Training Layoff Fund that can be accessed by companies as an alternative to retrenchment, that has been used by 14 factories in the sector to save 1 500 jobs · Linking access to government incentives with full compliance with tax and labour laws · Taking action against illegal imports, with raids on warehouses, better inspections at the harbours and confiscation of about R1,8 billion worth of illegally imported goods from the industry in three years alone · Committing that all government agencies will only buy locally-produced clothing, textiles and footwear I have highlighted some of our success stories of what we have achieved during the period of the democracy, particularly in the past five years. But we have not completed all that we aim to do and the triple-challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment remains. Let me look at some of the challenges. While we celebrate the rise in jobs numbers, we are not expanding employment in the core productive parts of the economy such as manufacturing, mining and agriculture. And too many jobs are temporary jobs. It is for this reason that we say that we need to transform the economy by addressing its structural and systemic features. One area we are dealing with is the monopolies and cartels that fix prices among themselves, abuse their market dominance, over-charge billion and are now in discussion with them for a further compensation for the state and for transformation of the industry. In the next five years,. Violet’s life shows the huge talent among our people that can be tapped more effectively. So we are now working on a major revolution in skills development. We want young people who leave school to go to college for extra skills. Not everyone wants to enroll at a university so we are expanding FET colleges where young people can develop critical skills needed in the economy. South Africa needs more plumbers, welders, production technicians, nurses and teachers. Our job as government, as trade unions and as parents are to work together to create opportunities for young people to be able to reach their potential. In the period ahead, we will be focusing more on vocational and technical education and ensure we have more opportunities for young people to get that first job or to get an internship where they get their first experience in a workplace. The Youth Employment Accord that was signed in April last year will be a big part of our efforts to support young people to start their own companies, find their first job or gain their first work exposure. Sactwu has to be complimented. It has set aside R25 million to promote youth employment, skills development and empowerment and has assisted with placing 18 young people in internships in the industry. Infrastructure development is a further big structural feature we must address. In the past five years, we expanded the spending to build new infrastructure. In all, government invested about R1,1 trillion in new infrastructure, from schools, hospitals, to power stations, dams and transport systems. We will expand this further to ensure that we develop the capacity to generate much higher levels of electricity and expand the quantity of drinkable water. The challenges however at local level with water, sanitation, electricity, good quality clinics, remain very big. In too many cases are our people given poor services. on-going and that the next five years must be a period of radical transformation. In 2005, Violet Seboni addressed a meeting on trade policy and she recognised the importance of workers taking up their issues. She said: “It is therefore comrades, that I do not wish you good luck for today, since I do not really put my faith in good luck. Instead, I wish you good struggle, since a struggle it is. And we expect to see you all… at our demonstrations against job losses and poverty” Part of the struggle we wage is to build a more effective state, one that delivers. It means improving the skills of public servants but also the accountability of political leaders to local communities. I recently reread the speech that Violet was due to give when she travelled to North West on that fateful day in 2009 and I want to share her unuttered words with you. She said “The politics of the belly have destroyed many liberation movements in Africa.” By this she meant the tendency of leaders to focus on their own needs, on how they can benefit, at the expense of the people we serve. The fight against corruption is not only a moral issue. It is also about making sure that monies raised through taxes and other means are used to grow the economy, to create jobs, to provide education and health facilities, to provide basic grants to those in need, not to line the pockets of a small group of politically connected individuals. The other side of the coin of corruption is indifference to inequality – when we no longer care about the bellies of our people and many stay poor while some are very comfortable. Her final speech also said: Comrades, you can change but you must never sell your soul and principles. No matter what, the unity of the workers remains paramount. Any talk to divide the workers is a shame and worse if that is done by former worker leaders. She spoke of a period when there were efforts to divide Cosatu, after the removal of its then President Willie Madisha. Today, COSATU faces again challenges on its unity as it grapples with policy debates about the future of the country and the role of the Federation, the working of the alliance and the impact of government; as it deals with breaches of its founding principles and how to manage diversity of opinion and debate. Such debates and differences of opinion are not new. Neither are the fact that they are very passionately felt. This has been a feature of COSATU throughout its history, from the very first Congress that I attended. The manner in which COSATU resolves its current challenges will be critical to the impact that trade unions will have on public policy. A divided union movement, at war with itself and engaged mainly on massive competition between unions on the shop-floor, will dissipate its energy, its impact and effectiveness at a moment in our history when workers can ill afford it. Leadership is not found mainly in how articulate a leader is, how good and stirring the speeches are, how flowery the rhetoric, how biting the criticism of that which we do not like or extravagant the promises of what we will do in future. A key feature of leadership is wisdom and maturity: the ability to see the long-term needs of a movement beyond the hurts and slights of the moment and identify today, in these circumstances, what is required to achieve the best interests of those we lead and then to work tirelessly to that goal. COSATU has in the past had enormous stores of leadership, giants who led the organization and its affiliates, from shopfloor leaders to national leaders. That deep well of leadership has not dried up, absolutely not. Inside the Federation, there are people of wisdom and courage who can help it navigate the difficult moment and stay intact. We have experienced, strong, wise leaders such as Zwelinzima Vavi and Sidumo Dlamini who have the ability and skill to keep the Federation together, focused on fighting for the rights of workers. This talented leadership’s legacy cannot be a divided organization but instead it must be a strong COSATU, the parliament of workers, with many viewpoints but a common disciplined platform to fight for social justice. It is often said that those who die in a good cause live on in the struggles of those who continue. Sometimes we can take steps to recognize more visibly the contributions of those who are no longer with us, to keep alive their name much as the body has departed. As I bring this Memorial Lecture to a close, I am proud therefore to announce that SACTWU has set up a living memorial to the life of Violet Seboni. The union has raised R1 million to start a Violet Seboni Development Fund that will finance local projects in education and training, in empowerment of women, in economic development, over the next five years. The money has been raised by generous contributions from a number of sources. The donors include SACTWU, Zenzeleni Clothing, the TCIA Clothing Group, the Bargaining Council for the Clothing Industry, the Independent Media Group, HCI and the SETA for the sector. In my funeral oration to this extraordinary woman in 2009, I said “We remember that smile, the laughter, the voice that led us in song, the rough beautiful diamond, Violet, that you were. Many older people would have been proud to have achieved what you did in your 43 years on earth.” Those words still describe how we remember Violet Seboni. It is just sad that Violet was not here to enjoy her grandson, young Aklegang, who she would have proudly brought to union meetings and taken many pictures with. We have great memories of Violet Seboni! SACTWU ICT 2017.

Steve has three decades of C-level management and marketing experience in diverse industries including financial, franchise, sports and service-driven entities. He is a seasoned business development executive with deep knowledge in marketing human capital solutions to senior ranking executives and board members. His proficiency gained from working with all levels of positions within organizations has provided clients with multiple management and human resource solutions. Steve blends his business acumen with a sports industry skillset to the firm’s Sports Recruiting and Consulting practice. This includes playing and coaching tennis at the NCAA Division I level, ownership of an indoor tennis facility where he also served as general manager and head teaching pro, and the father of two NCAA student athletes. Before founding Snodgrass Partners, Steve was a co-managing principal for the executive search practice within DeFrain Mayer, a large regional human resources consulting firm. He gained a rare perspective on the executive search process through earlier roles as vice president of corporate communications for international franchisor ERA Real Estate and vice president at a full-service advertising and public relations agency. A four-year varsity tennis player at Kansas State University, Steve went on to coach the men’s and women’s team for seven years. As a young entrepreneur, Steve also designed, built and operated an indoor/outdoor racquet club and recreational facility in his late 20s. He remained the highest percentage owner of the club for 34 years and was instrumental in its sale in 2010. Steve earned his Bachelor of Science degree from K-State. He holds certificates in numerous leadership programs including the Strategic Alliance Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he has taught behavioral interviewing techniques and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey Leadership Center). Steve is a graduate of the Leadership Overland Park Class of 1991 and is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and Kansas City Society of Association Executives (KCSAE). Steve has four grown children – Carrie, Lance, Jeff and Kelsey – and five grandchildren. In addition to playing and coaching at the collegiate level, Steve also understands what it’s like to be the parent of a student athlete. Lance played soccer at Regis University where he remains the all-time leader in assists. He was inducted in the Regis Hall of Fame in 2016. Jeff was a kicker at Kansas State University under coaching legend Bill Snyder. He received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2006. Steve and wife, Bridget, live in Overland Park, Kansas. Phone: (913) 681.2200 ext. 2 Mobile: (913) 484.5106

Mark Makowiecki | July 21, 2016 ACL is calling on the NSW Government to allow parents to know if their child’s school teaches the so-called ‘Safe Schools’ program after the list of schools was mysteriously made secret in early July. ACL NSW Director Mark Makowiecki said the list was removed without explanation or consultation with parents. “The NSW Government has an obligation to work alongside parents, ensuring that the wellbeing of children is first and foremost,” Mr Makowiecki said. “Safe Schools has caused widespread concern in the community, particularly among parents who are upset that their children are being taught gender is just a social construct. “The ACL looks to the Baird Government to work with the Federal Government by implementing its directive to remove age-inappropriate sexualised material from minors as well as providing transparent information to parents. “We all passionately agree that bullying is never acceptable for any reason. This program however is about teaching contested gender ideologies, not about anti-bullying and that is why it should be removed. “The ACL calls on the NSW Government to clarify the reason why the list is now hidden,” he said. “Is it, as an Education Department spokesperson reportedly said, because of a ‘number of inaccuracies’ in the list or because schools were being ‘harassed’, as claimed by the Safe Schools Coalition of Australia. “ACL is unaware of any school being harassed because their name is listed on the website. “Parents wanting to find out if their school takes part in the controversial ‘safe schools’ program is not harassment; it’s being involved in their child’s education.” In June the ACL expressed concern that the age-inappropriate sexualised program was still being taught in NSW primary schools, despite the Federal Government’s concern with the material. Each day that passes new revelations about the full extent of the dangers of the program emerge. A poll in Fairfax Media shows low support for “Safe Schools” with almost 90 per cent of respondents saying the program should be removed. ENDS Media Contact: 02 6259 0431 Optional email code August 31, 2017 August 25, 2017 September 19, 2017 Never miss an update about the marriage debate or other key issues facing Australian Christians:

You are here Steeling the show ON a chilly day typical of Geneva's winter in November 2015, Phillips set the world record for the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction when the hammer came down on the Patek Philippe Ref 5016A "Only Watch". Including fees, the one of a kind timepiece sold for 7.3 million Swiss francs, or just over S$10 million. Though the Ref 5016A is one of the most complex wristwatches Patek Philippe has made, boasting a tourbillon, perpetual calendar and minute repeater, the specimen sold at auction was cased in the least expensive of metals - stainless steel. Platinum watch cases are the priciest due to the complexity of machining and cost of material, while gold is the most popular precious metal for its recognisable colour. Mere stainless steel is usually the metal of choice for sports or affordable watches. Ordinary steel tends to rust or stain with exposure to air and moisture, while the addition of chromium gives stainless steel its, well, stainless properties. The metal is also strong, biologically inert and relatively inexpensive, making it popular for applications as diverse as construction, surgical tools and kitchen sinks. For the same practical reasons, stainless steel is a popular material for watchcases. Being less flashy than gold also makes stainless steel a common choice. That is obvious in the numbers: over 50 per cent of the watches exported from Switzerland in 2015 were stainless steel. "Stainless steel watches prove to be something of a paradox in the world of luxury watch collecting," says Sam Hines, the international head of watches at Phillips. Last year, the New York-based auction house sold eight vintage Patek Philippe watches for over a million Singapore dollars - all of which were stainless steel. The price premium for stainless steel cases is common in the world of high-end vintage watches, particularly those with complicated movements. Being expensive and rare watches when new, such watches often have correspondingly expensive cases made of gold or platinum, making steel cases exceedingly rare, especially for top of the line watchmakers such as Patek Philippe. "During the 1940s through to the 1970s, first class watch manufacturers would not dream of using an inferior metal such as stainless steel," explains Mr Hines, "On very rare occasions, a patron might request a stainless steel case as a special order . . . during the Second World War, certain brands had to use stainless steel for their watch cases due to the scarcity of precious metal." "Many collectors aspire to vintage stainless steel due to the rarity of their production," says Mr Hines, leading to price premiums for stainless steel specimens that are staggering. "The Patek Philippe Ref 1518 (chronograph with perpetual calendar) was introduced in 1941 and can be found cased mainly in yellow or pink gold . . . 281 examples were made and four known examples in stainless steel were rumoured to have been made for the king of Iraq in the mid-1940s." "Today, a very good quality yellow gold example is worth US$500,000, while a prime pink gold example is worth US$1 million," notes Mr Hines, "A stainless steel 1518 is worth in excess of US$5 million." That being said, only exceptional vintage stainless steel watches are outrageously expensive. The vast majority of such watches are eminently affordable, even those from prominent makers. In that sphere, Mr Hines recommends a 1940s stainless steel Omega, which can be had for anywhere from several hundred dollars to the low thousands. The collectability of high-end, vintage steel watches has not gone unnoticed by today's watchmakers. In fact, the reverse is true in contemporary watchmaking. "While some brands have traditionally not dabbled or executed a core range in steel," says Matthew Green, the worldwide merchandising chief for luxury watches and jewellery at duty free retailer DFS Group, "we see more and more of the (new launches) going in this direction." And it's not just establishment watchmakers that are doing this. "Independent watchmakers have successfully expanded the idea of value in a different direction by producing one-off or rare pieces in steel while still maintaining their positioning, including H Moser and Laurent Ferrier," says Mr Green. "These pieces carry the value encompassed by the brands at a new, (more affordable) price point for today's consumer." Stainless steel is intrinsically an inexpensive material, which means steel watches are typically less expensive, all things being equal. This suits the straitened times, particularly with the luxury watch industry facing drooping demand. "Over the past two years, we have noticed the preference of our consumers gravitating towards stainless steel", says Mr Green, who oversees the DFS luxury watch division in 14 countries around the world, giving him a keen understanding of global trends. "Many watchmakers are actively responding to the increase in price-conscious consumers looking for a clear value proposition." "Many complications, such as an annual or perpetual calendar, traditionally offered in precious metals, are launching in stainless steel," notes Mr Green, making them more affordable than before. Another prominent example from the world of independent watchmaking is FP Journe, which took a nuanced approach. The watchmaker introduced a five-piece set of complicated watches, distinguished by their 38mm cases in stainless steel. Though individually cheaper than their precious metal equivalents, they are sold only as a set, raising the cost of entry. Stainless steel is in vogue not just for rare, complicated timepieces, but also for entry-level watches as watchmakers endeavour to make their wares more accessible. Vacheron Constantin, for instance, recently debuted the Quai de l'Ile in steel. Previously available only in gold, palladium or titanium, the Quai de l'Ile now can be had for half of what it cost before. But Mr Green cautions: "There is a fine line in expanding product offering to meet consumer demand while retaining brand value - it all comes down to the execution of the new products." - The writer is the founder of WatchesBySJX.com, Asia's leading online journal on mechanical watches.

Changed name to WSP Global Inc. after acquiring U.K. firm of the same name in mid-2012 MONTREAL—The engineering firm known as Genivar Inc. starts the year with a new name and stock symbol, WSP Global Inc. (WSP), as part of a previously announced reorganization. Genivar bought U.K.-based WSP Group PLC in mid-2012 for what was then the equivalent of $442-million in cash—a move that broadened the company’s base outside Canada and tripled its total revenue. A few months later, Genivar became one of the companies embroiled in Quebec’s Charbonneau judicial inquiry into corrupt practices in the construction industry but it continued to integrate the two businesses. The Quebec-based company announced this week. The company also announced an addition to its board of directors, Josee Perreault, a senior vice-president at Oakley Inc. sports brands. Perreault was credited with introducing the Oakley retail brand into Canada.