text:
To download this release in PDF format, please click here.
• Coming Up
Game No. 22
Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at Long Beach State 49ers
at LBSU's Walter Pyramid - Long Beach, Calif.
Radio: AM 1290 KZSB in Santa Barbara
On-Line Audio: UCSBgauchos.com
On-Line Video: ESPN3
Tickets: UCSBgauchos.com
Game No. 23
Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. Cal State Northridge Matadors
at UCSB's Thunderdome - Santa Barbara, Calif.
Radio: AM 1290 KZSB in Santa Barbara
On-Line Audio: UCSBgauchos.com
Livestats: UCSBgauchos.com
On-Line Video: BigWest.tv
• On The Radio
All UC Santa Barbara basketball games are broadcast live in Santa Barbara on AM 1290 KZSB and will stream live online at UCSBgauchos.com and NewsPress.com. Gerry Fall is in his 10th year as the play-by-play voice of the Gauchos. Former Los Angeles Lakers and UCSB star Don Ford and Santa Barbara News-Press legend Mark Patton handle the color commentary.
• Talk'n Gauchos
UCSB Athletics' weekly radio show, Talk'n Gauchos, airs every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. on AM 1290 KZSB. The show is broadcast live from The Beachside Café, located on Goleta Beach and it features UCSB coaches and athletes. Hosted by Gerry Fall, the voice of the Gauchos.
• Tickets Available
Great seats are available for all Gaucho home games. For more information drop by the Ticket Office in the ICA Building on campus, call 805-893-UCSB (8272) or online by clicking here.
• The Gaucho Record
UCSB enters the week with its fourth three-game winning streak of the season. The Gauchos are 15-6 overall and 6-2 in the Big West Conference, one-half game behind front-running UC Irvine. They will try to extend their winning streak to four at rival Long Beach State on Thursday, Feb. 13. Last weekend, Santa Barbara played just one game, traveling to Hawaii, where it came from nine behind to win going away, 75-64. The win was UCSB's third conference road win of the season.
• ESPN2, ESPNU Opts To Air Pair Of Gauchos Games
As part of its agreement with the Big West Conference, ESPN selects its late-season games from among any on the schedule and the network has opted for a pair of UCSB contests as its "Wild Card" games this year. The Gauchos' Saturday, Mar. 1 game at UC Davis, originally scheduled for 7:00 p.m., has been moved to 5:00 p.m. to accommodate ESPN2 and their Mar. 6 home game against Hawaii, originally scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off, has been moved to 6:00 p.m. and will air on ESPNU.
• UCSB Moves To No. 10 In Mid-Major Poll
Winners of three straight and six of their last seven, the Gauchos have jumped into the top-10 of the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top-25. Following its win at Hawaii last week, UCSB moved from No. 11 to No. 10 in the poll. It marks the first time the program has been ranked in the top-10 of the poll since December of 2007 when it had a 10-1 record and was ranked No. 6. The Gauchos are joined in the poll by fellow Big West Conference member UC Irvine, which is ranked 21st. Wichita State, which is ranked No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, is ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Major Top-25. Gonzaga is No. 2.
• Gauchos Among National Leaders
UCSB and its players are ranked among the national leaders in several statistical categories. As a team, the Gauchos are 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50-to-1) and assists per game (16.4 per game), 13th in fewest turnovers (230), and 33rd in three-point field goal percentage (38.6%). Among individuals, Alan Williams is seventh in scoring (23.1 points per game), third in rebounding (11.4 per game), third in defensive rebounds per ame (7.84), 24th in offensive rebounds per game (3.58), 23rd in double-doubles (10), 36th in field goal percentage (55.7%) and 46th in blocked shots (2.37 per game). Kyle Boswell is eighth in three-point field goal percentage (45.6%) and 48th in three-point field goals per game (2.71 per game). Zalmico Harmon is sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.82-to-1) and 54th in assists per game (5.1 per game).
• Possible Starters - Quick Fact
G 3 Zalmico Harmon - Has produced 25 assists and just two turnovers in the last five games...10 points at Hawaii was sixth double-figure scoring game.
G 35 Taran Brown- Scored 13 points in 22 minutes at Hawaii...Has now scored in double-figures twice in the last three games.
F 21 Mitch Brewe - Collected eight rebounds in just 14 minutes at Hawaii...Tied career-high with two blocked shots against the Rainbow Warriors.
F 15 Alan Williams - Leads Big West in scoring (23.1 ppg) and rebounding (11.4 rpg)...Has 20 or more points in five straight and 15 of 19.
G 24 Michael Bryson - Scored 18 at Hawaii, his highest total since he had 21 on Dec. 15 at USD...Scored in double-figures in three of four, five of seven.
• Probable Reserves - Quick Fact
G 1 Eric Childress - Tallied eight points vs. UC Davis, his highest total in a Big West Conference game.
G 4 Aamahd Walker - Returned for a brief stints vs. UC Irvine and UC Davis...Had missed the previous five games with a sprained ankle.
G 10 Kyle Boswell - Did not make a three-pointer at Hawaii, a season-first...Has exactly 200 career three-pointers and is third UCSB player to hit that mark.
F 31 John Green - Played in two games upon returning from foot injury and then fractured his wrist in practice and will miss the remainder of the season.
F 34 Shawn Moore - Returned for three-minute stint at Hawaii after missing four games with a shoulder injury.
F 44 Sam Beeler - Logged six minutes at Hawaii...Tied his career-high with three blocked shots in the win over UC Davis, all in the first half.
• The Opposition
UCSB has played Long Beach State more than it has played any other opponent. The Gauchos and 49ers have met 117 times with Long Beach holding a 61-56 advantage. The Gauchos won the first game between the schools this season, winning 64-51 at the Thunderdome on Jan. 16. The 49ers won both games last year, winning 77-70 at the Thunderdome and 57-55 at the Pyramid. The teams have met in three of the last four league tournament title games with the Gauchos winning twice. Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge have played 47 times with the Gauchos winning 32 times. On Jan. 18, UCSB won 79-69 at the Matadome, The teams split a pair of games last season with each team winning on the others' home court. The Matadors won 75-69 in Santa Barbara while the Gauchos won in the San Fernando Valley, 83-74. UCSB has won five of the last six games in the series.
• The Gauchos On The Road
The Gauchos are 6-4 in true road games this season and 8-4 overall in games away from home. When they lost 74-72 at Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 25 it ended a streak of four-straight wins away from home, but they got back on the winning track with a decisive 75-64 win at Hawaii on Feb. 6. Including the win over UH, they have won five of their last six games away from the Thunderdome, defeating Western Illinois at Logan, Utah on Dec. 21, Seattle on the road on Dec. 30, Cal State Northridge on Jan. 18 and UC Riverside on Jan. 23. The eight wins away from home are five more than UCSB won all of last season.
• 21-Game Start The Best Since 2007-08
UCSB has won 15 of its first 21 games this season. The last time the Gauchos had a better record after 21 games was in 2007-08 when they opened the season at 16-5 en route to a school record 23 wins. Also, they have easily surpassed their win total from 2012-13 when they finished with an 11-20 record.
• Williams Continues To Climb Scoring List
Alan Williams scored 16 points in UCSB's Jan. 18 win at Cal State Northridge, becoming the 26th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000 point mark. That same night, he moved from 26th to 25th on the all-time list, passing B.J. Bunton (1,003). On Feb.6 Williams scored 20 points in the Gauchos' win at Hawaii and he enters Thursday's game at Long Beach State with 1,126 in his career, 22nd all-time. His next targets on the list are Idris Jones (1,130), Eric McArthur (1,134) and Raymond Tutt (1,141).
• Williams Becomes Sixth Gaucho To 700 Rebounds
Alan Williams has been on a rebounding binge in recent games. In UCSB's Feb. 1 win over UC Davis, he became the first Gaucho in more than 24 years to record 20 or more points and 20 or more rebounds in a game as he finished with 27 and 20. In the Feb. 6 win at Hawaii, Williams had 20 points and 17 rebounds. With 37 rebounds in the last two games, he is now averaging 11.4 per game, a figure that ranks him third in the nation. In addition, he now has 712 career boards and is the sixth UCSB player to exceed 700 in his career. Williams needs 12 rebounds to move past Chris Devine and into fifth all-time.
• Alan Williams Is First Gaucho With 20/20 In 24 Years
Alan Williams had 27 points and 20 rebounds in the Feb. 1 over UC Davis and in doing so, he became the first UCSB player to have 20 or more points and 20 or more rebounds in the same game since Eric McArthur had 28 points and 21 rebounds in a Jan. 29, 1990 overtime win over Cal State Fullerton. In fact, Williams' 20/20 performance was the first in regulation by a Gaucho since McArthur had 24 points and 20 rebounds in a Dec. 9, 1989 game against Loyola Marymount.
• Boswell Becomes Third Gaucho To Hit 200 Three-Pointers
Senior Kyle Boswell made three three-point baskets in the Gauchos' win over UC Davis and in doing so, became the third player in school history to make 200 career threes. While he did not make a three-pointer in the win at Hawaii, Boswell has exactly 200 and ranks third all-time. He joins James Powell (221) and Mark Hull (217) in the exclusive group and if he can remain healthy, could ultimately move into the top spot.
• More Milestone Monitoring
With five blocked shots at Hawaii, Alan Williams now has 149 in his career, fourth on the school's all-time list. He needs six to move past Doug Muse into third. His 46 blocks this season are tied for 10th on the all-time single-season list. Kyle Boswell has 57 three-pointers this season and now has 200 in his career. He is third all-time and needs 22 to become the school's all-time leader. Also, Boswell needs 98 points to surpass 1,000 in his career. He would be the 27th UCSB player to do so. Zalmico Harmon has 107 assists through 21 games and needs 21 to move into all-time single season list.
• A Magic Number
UCSB has allowed fewer than 70 points 14 times in 2013-14 and has gone 14-0 in those games. The Gauchos have held six of their last seven opponents under 70.
• Playing The Percentages
UCSB is shooting 47.7% from the field overall and allowing opponents to shoot just 39.6%. In their last game, the Gauchos limited Hawaii to a season-low 36.8% shooting. The Rainbow Warriors were the 10th opponent to shoot below 40.0% against UCSB and Santa Barbara is a perfect 10-0 in those games.
• A Rebounding Rebound
The Gauchos have an average rebound margin of +2.2 per game, a figure that ranks fourth in the Big West Conference. In recent games, however, the margin is even greater. In its last nine games, UCSB has outrebounded seven of its opponents and its average margin is +7.0 per game. In fact, in Big West games only, the Gauchos are second in the category at +5.8 per game.
• That 80's Show
The Gauchos have scored 80 or more points six times this season, including two of the last three games. They scored a season-high 86 points in a Nov. 12 win at UNLV and are a perfect 6-0 when they eclipse 80 points. Last year UCSB scored 80 or more points five times in 31 games
• Marginalizing
UCSB has been involved in a number of one-sided games this season and, in fact, has been on the winning side of most. The Gauchos have been involved in 11 games that were decided by 10 or more points and they have a record of 10-1 in those games. Santa Barbara has won its last three games in a row, all by at least 11 points. Also, of its six Big West wins, five have come by double-digits. Finally, seven of the Gauchos last eight wins were by 10 or more points.
• The "Other" Williams
Junior forward Alan Williams continues to lead the Big West in scoring (23.1 ppg) and rebounding (11.4 rpg). He ranks seventh and third nationally in those categories. In the last four games, Williams is averaging 24.7 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. He has scored 20 or more points in five consecutive games and 15 times this season. He has been in double-figures in all 19 games in which he has played this season and he's scored 25 or more seven times. Williams has 10 double-doubles on the season, including each of the last three games. he has 27 double-doubles in his career. In the Gauchos' Feb. 1 win over UC Davis, he had 27 points and a caerer-high 20 rebounds to become the first UCSB player in 24 years to record a 20/20 game or, for that matter, a 20-rebound game. He also had a career-high four assists in the win over the Aggies. On Jan. 18 at Cal State Northridge, Williams became the 26th UCSB player to score 1,000 points in a career and now ranks 22nd with 1,126. On Nov. 29 he set a career-high and tied the school record for points in a game when he poured in 39 against South Dakota State. Williams tied a record also held by Orlando Johnson (currently with the Indiana Pacers) and Scott Fisher (currently an assistant coach at Hawaii). In that same game, he tied Greg Somogyi's school record with eight blocked shots. When he had 33 points and 15 rebounds on Jan. 11 vs. Cal Poly it marked the second time in his career that he had at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game. Last season, he had 32 points and 16 rebounds in a win at Cal State Northridge and in doing so, he became the first Gaucho since 1990 to produce such a game. Williams had five blocked shots in the Feb. 6 win at Hawaii, equaling his second highest total of the season. He now has 46 on the year, tied for tenth most in a single-season, and he has 149 in his career, fourth on UCSB's all-time list. He's had at least one blocked shot in 18 of his 19 games and two or more 13 times. Williams is a four-time Big West Player of the Week this season and he's earned the honor six times in the last two seasons. He was a First Team All-Big West selection in 2012-13 and was named Preseason All-Big West by the league's media and virtually every publication this season. Williams was also selected to the Lou Henson Preseason Mid-Major All-American Team and CollegeSportsMadness.com selected him Big West Player of the Year.
•He's The Bos
Kyle Boswell, the reigning Big West Sixth Man of the Year, started the first five games of this season and averaged 9.6 points per game over that span. Boswell has come off the bench in the last 16 games, averaging 12.2 per game. Overall, he is averaging 11.3 points per game. He scored a season-low two points, both on free throws, in the Gauchos' Feb. 6 game at Hawaii. In that g game, Boswell attempted just two field goals, half of his previous season-low. On Feb. 1 vs. UC Davis, he made three three-point baskets and scored 15 points, his highest total since he scored 19 at Seattle on Dec. 30. Also, the three three-pointers gives Boswell 200 in his career and he is one of just three Gauchos to hit that mark. He needs 22 to become the school's all-time three-point field goal leader. He has 57 threes this season and he's made at least one three in 20 of 21 games. He has hit two or more 11 times and five or more four times. On Dec 30 at Seattle Boswell scored 19 points on 7-of-9 from the field overall and a blazing 5-of-6 from three-point territory. In December he was named to the Basketball Travelers Classic All-Tournament team as the Gauchos won two out of three games. In the second game of the tourney, he tied career-highs with 27 points and seven three-point baskets in an overtime loss to Utah State. On Jan. 18 at Cal State Northridge, Boswell set a career-high with eight assists. Against the Matadors he also set season-highs in free throws with nine and free throw attempts with 10. Boswell is second on the team in assists at 3.2 per game and he's had four or more 10 times.
• The Life Of Bryson
Michael Bryson had 18 points, three rebounds, two blocked shots, one assist and a steal in the Feb. 6 win at Hawaii. It was the 12th time this season that Bryson has scored in double-figures and it was his highest point total since he had a season-high 21 on Dec. 15 at San Digo. He also tied his season-high with 12 field goal attempts against the Rainbow Warriors. He enters the week ranked third on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game and third in rebounding at 4.4 per game. He is also second in three-point baskets with 37 and after going without a three on Jan. 30 vs. UC Irvine, he had a pair on Feb. 1 vs. UC Davis and three more on Feb. 6 at Hawaii. A two-time Big West Player of the Week this season, Bryson scored a season-high 21 points and made a season-high five threes on Dec. 15 at the University of San Diego. His personal best for points and three-pointers came in the Gauchos' game against Pacific at last year's Big West Tournament when he set a school record for points by a freshman with 29 and tied a freshman record with seven threes. On Dec. 3 at UCLA, Bryson collected the first double-double of his career with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He also set a personal standard with five assists against the Bruins. Since seeing his average slip to 10.1 per game after the Big West opener against Cal Poly, he has averaged 13.0 points per game in the last six.
• Taran It Up
Taran Brown made three three-point baskets and scored 13 points in UCSB's Feb. 6 win at Hawaii. Since scoring in double-figures just one time over a nine-game span, Brown has done it twice in the last three games and he's bumped his scoring average back to 7.8 points per game. On Jan. 30 vs. UC Irvine, he had 16 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 from outside the three-point arc. He also tied his season-high with four assists and added six rebounds against the Anteaters. Brown scored a career-high 23 on Nov. 21 at Colorado. In that same game, he made a career-high seven three-point baskets (in 10 attempts). Five of his eight double-figures scoring efforts came during a six-game span in late-November and early-December. His 31 three-point baskets rank third behind Kyle Boswell and Michael Bryson. After a stretch in which he made 10-of-43 three-point attempts, 23.3%, he has made nine of his last 16, 56.2%. Last season, Brown set a UCSB freshman record for three-point baskets with 58. He had a season-high eight rebounds in the opener against Hawaii-Pacific, but he has had seven in three other games and five or more 10 times.
• Harmonizing
Junior Zalmico Harmon continues to lead the Big West in assists at 5.1 per game and he is also first in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.82-to-1. In fact, Harmon ranks sixth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. In UCSB's Jan. 25 game at Cal State Fullerton, he tied his career-high with 10 assists and he didn't commit a turnover. Harmon also had 10 assists in the Gauchos' Dec. 6 win over Cal. In the last five games, he has had 25 assists and a mere two turnover.s Harmon has had five or more assists 10 times this season, including nine times in the last 15 games and he's had at least four in 16 of 21 games and 14 of the last 17. Harmon is averaging 7.3 points per game. He had 10 points and made 4-of-5 shots in the Feb. 6 win at Hawaii. He had a season-high 14 on Nov. 29 vs. South Dakota State and 13 on Dec. 30 at Seattle. Overall he has scored 10 or more six times. For the season, Harmon has 28 turnovers in 648 minutes, an average of one turnover every 23.1 minutes. Harmon is fourth on the team with 14 threes and he tied his high with 3-of-4 on Jan. 23 at UCR. Finally, he leads the team in minutes played, is second to Alan Williams in average minutes per game (30.9) and he is the only player to play-in and start all 21 games.
• E-Commerce
Freshman Eric Childress is averaging 5.2 points, 3.21assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. He had six points, three rebounds and two assists on Feb. 6 at Hawaii. One game earlier, against UC Davis, he had eight points. The eight points were the most Childress had scored since he tied his career-high with 10 (all on free throws) on Dec. 30 at Seattle. He also had a career-high 10 on Nov. 21 at Colorado. On Jan. 23 at UC Riverside, Childress set a career-high with seven assists. He has also had six assists three times, once each against Colorado, South Dakota State and The Master's College. In the last 14 games Childress is averaging 6.5 points and 3.5 assists per game. Finally, his 22 steals on the season are the 11th highest total by a UCSB freshman.
• Something's Brewing
Mitch Brewe is averaging 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds overall. His rebounding average is at its highest point all season and and in the last 10 games, he has been even better. Over the most recent 10-game span, Brewe has scored 57 points, 5.7 per game, and collected 48 rebounds, 4.8 per game. On Jan. 4 vs. the Master's College, he had his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Two games later, Brewe set a career-high with 12 points in a win over Long Beach State. Also, on Jan. 23, he had 11 points at UC Riverside, making 4-of-6 shots from the field overall. In the last game, at Hawaii, he had just two points, but he added eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Brewe has slso started to develop as a real threat from outside. He has made six three-point baskets in 11 attempts and he was 2-for-2 in wins over The Master's College and Long Beach State. Overall, his 51.7% shooting from the field is second on the team to Alan Williams among players with 40 or more attempts. Brewe missed the first three games of the season with a knee injury, but he's played in the last 18 and made 15 starts.
• Sam He Is
Sam Beeler is averaging 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He has totaled just five points in the last five games, attempting only five shots over that span. The scoring respite comes on the heels of a 10-point effort on Jan. 18 at Cal State Northridge in which Beeler made all four of his field goal attempts. While he had just two points on Feb. 1 vs. UC Davis, he did tie his career-high with three blocked shots and he added three rebounds. His 14 total blocks rank Beeler fourth on the team behind Alan Williams, Taran Brown and Michael Bryson. Beeler scored a season-high14 points on Nov. 16 vs. Utah State. He had five or more rebounds in each of the first three games this season, including a career-high seven on Nov. 12 at UNLV and he's had three or more boards 10 times. Finally, as a freshman, he hit just 11-of-32 from the line, 34.4%, but this season he is 21-of-32, 65.6%.


text:
Las Vegas South Premium Outlets® | SIMON® is located near I-15 and the Blue Diamond exit, on Las Vegas Blvd.
This popular indoor center is located at the south end of the strip. Featuring 130 stores including Adidas, Calvin Klein, Coach, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger and many more, all at savings of 25% to 65% every day.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kristen Stewart reportedly admitted that she was prompted to cheat due to "her own insecurities".
The actress recently publicly apologised for cheating on her beau Robert Pattinson with her Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders.
Robert has several friendships with gorgeous high-profile celebrities such as singer Katy Perry and his Remember Me co-star Emilie de Ravin.
Kristen is said to have been extremely jealous of his tightknit relationships with other women.
"Kristen's admitted her own insecurities may have pushed her to cheat," a source told the US edition of OK! magazine.
Robert is struggling with his own anxieties, as the actor is reportedly awake at night wondering if Kristen made other transgressions during their relationship.
"He totally trusted her, so this has really rocked his world," the insider explained. "Rob's now started to question everything. He's looking back at all of the other men in her life and wondering who she might have been with.
"She swore Rupert was her only mistake, but Rob just doesn't believe her. He's going nuts trying to come to terms with all this."
2012Simply Swirls


text:
A Skylit Kitchen With Views of the Garden
1 of 5
2 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
Like most rooms in this lovely Pacific Palisades ranch house, the kitchen looks out on nature—specifically, the "fairy garden and creek" in the backyard. White open shelves, a long white countertop, and plenty of light from both the glass walls and the overhead skylight make this a wonderfully open and airy space.
The owner, Shiva, is a former actress and holistic activist, and she favors natural elements and colors in her decor. Wood and clay bowls line the shelves, while natural striped linen (perhaps from a vintage flour sack?) cover the backs of the island chairs.
Read More: Shiva's Eclectic Modern Romantic Ranch
(Images: Marcia Prentice)
Originally published Feb 29, 2012


text:
Scrolling HTML Basics, Part II: Scrolling Algorithm - www.docjavascript.com
Devising A Scrolling Algorithm
Our scrolling algorithm is very similar to the one we introduced in column 13, Scrolling JavaScript Banners. The trick we used in the previous column, we'll use again in this column: keep rotating the already-displayed sections out of the top of the page, to the bottom of the scrolling page. In the previous column, where we had hard-coded headlines, we kept duplicating the top message and concatenating it to the bottom message. In this column, though, the feed is coming from an external HTML file. The scrolling algorithm manipulates two identical layers that load the same HTML source file, thus creating the scrolling effect. The following diagram explains this algorithm. We have two pages,
firstPage and
secondPage. The pages are changing relative positions every cycle. During the first part of the cycle, the
firstPage is in the
upperPage position, while the
secondPage is in the
lowerPage position. They switch positions at the second part of the cycle: the
secondPage is in the
upperPage position, while the
firstPage is in the
lowerPage position. The canvas is the window through which the scrolling text is shown. Here is the diagram:
Produced by Yehuda Shiran and Tomer Shiran
Created: December 7, 1998
Revised: December 7, 1998
URL: http://www.webreference.com/js/column31/algorithm.html


text:
Is Agile Stifling Introverts?
- Share
- |
Read later
Reading List
For years Agile has been encouraging teams to work together collaboratively in open spaces and encouraging developers to pair program, but lately these types of practices have been coming under fire.
Back in January, The New Yorker published a piece on brain storming called Groupthink.
Brainstorming seems like an ideal technique, a feel-good way to boost productivity. But there is a problem with brainstorming. It doesn't work.
Citing various studies the article concludes:
Brainstorming didn't unleash the potential of the group, but rather made each individual less creative. Although the findings did nothing to hurt brainstorming's popularity, numerous follow-up studies have come to the same conclusion. Keith Sawyer, a psychologist at Washington University, has summarized the science: "Decades of research have consistently shown that brainstorming groups think of far fewer ideas than the same number of people who work alone and later pool their ideas."
Of course, brainstorming is not an integral Agile technique and may not be used at all in many Agile teams, but what about team rooms, group-work, and pair programming?
Susan Cain, recently gave a very popular TED Talk titled, The Power of Introverts". Her talk and the accompanying blog post took aim at our bias for extroverts and group-work:
Solitude, as Cain says, is a key to creativity. Darwin took long walks in the woods and turned down dinner invitations, Dr. Seuss wrote alone, and was afraid of meeting the kids who read his books for fear they would be disappointed at how quiet he was. Steve Wozniak claimed he never would have become such an expert if he left the house. Of course, collaboration is good (witness Woz and Steve Jobs), but there is a transcendent power of solitude.
And the things we're learning from psychology affirm this. We can't be in a group of people without instinctively mirroring each other, and groups follow the most charistmatic person, even though there is no correlation between being a good speaker and having great ideas. (Hesitant, then full laughter from the TED crowd.)
She closes her to talk with a call to action:
"End the madness of constant group-work." (The audience applauds.) Offices need chatty conversations, and great spaces to make serendipitous interactions. But we need much more privacy, and more autonomy. The same is true - more true - for schools. Yes, teach kids to work together, but also how to work alone.
In a sign that she's right that change is coming, almost the entire auditorium, introvert and extrovert alike rises to give a standing ovation.
Jon Evans wrote about office spaces and pair programming recently in his Tech Crunch article: Pair Programming Considered Harmful?
Legendary development shops like San Francisco's Pivotal Labs and Toronto's Xtreme Labs(1) have adopted a 100 percent pair programming mindset, with considerable success.
Great! Problem solved, right?
…Not so fast.
"Research strongly suggests that people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption ... What distinguished programmers at the top-performing companies wasn't greater experience or better pay. It was how much privacy, personal workspace and freedom from interruption they enjoyed," says a New York Times article castigating "the new groupthink." It also quotes Steve Wozniak:
"Work alone… Not on a committee. Not on a team."
Open-plan offices, in particular, seem an impressively terrible idea. "Open plan layouts create massive distraction, damaging productivity," according to a recent analysis by the U.K.'s Channel 4. See also the related Hacker News commentary, which includes gems like "Most modern office layouts seem to be designed to screw with people's fight or flight instincts all day," and "I'm a quiet type, and I often need time alone to think and write code and documentation. The 'rah rah' social types railroaded us ... I am becoming bitter and resentful."
Jon also sums up evidence that pairing can be good for creativity:
Working alone is good for creativity - but being paired with someone who thinks differently from you can lead to more creativity yet.
And concludes:
The true answer is that there is no one answer; that what works best is a dynamic combination of solitary, pair, and group work, depending on the context, using your best judgement. Paired programming definitely has its place. (Betteridge's Law strikes again!) In some cases that place may even be "much of most days." But insisting on 100 percent pairing is mindless dogma, and like all mindless dogma, ultimately counterproductive.
Another article addressing how social media caters to extroverts, blames the tech companies behind social media:
Blame Mark Zuckerberg. When Facebook went public at the beginning of February, its doe-eyed CEO released a letter to investors describing it not as a company, but as some sort of religious sect, which would make Zuckerberg, its leader, a kind of social missionary. Facebook, he wrote, "was built to accomplish a social mission—to make the world more open and connected."
Zuckerberg famously champions workplaces with open floor plans and glass walls as a metaphor for the world as he dreams it. This is one example of how the free-for-all nature of social media is seeping into real life-and it's a problem for those of us who liked the walls where they were.
I guess there aren't many introverts working at Facebook.
Is Agile to blame for popularizing some of these ideas? Has Agile been stifling introverts and creativity all these years? If so, then what? Is it time to go back to the cubicles?
Rate this Article
Hello stranger!You need to Register an InfoQ account or Login or login to post comments. But there's so much more behind being registered.
Get the most out of the InfoQ experience.
Tell us what you think
An office with a door
Dean Schulze
The worst environment I've worked in was an open room with 7 developers in it. It was very hard to get anything done. It was cheap for the company to set up, but very unproductive.
The resonance of a capable team, or the diversity of opinion?
Ethar Alali
Also, creativity is a wholly separate yardstick to personality and it can be present in areas which are not traditionally associated with a popular perception of creativity.
However, controversially perhaps, a lot of agile proponents are really more like craftspeople than engineers. Indeed, there is a strong movement here in the UK towards craftsmanship and it certainly can't be classes in the same rigorous domain as true engineering.
The thing that probably defines whether or not the individual will be stifled by this is their personality. On example measure, the Myers-Briggs scale, focused quite heavily on introversion and extroversion in combination with three other dimensions and it is often seen that particular types of individual (the INTP and INTJ types) tend to be much more scientifically minded and have a greater predisposition to engineering and unconventional thinking. According to Wiki, Charles Darwin, who was mentioned in the above, is regarded as having been an INTP, together with Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein and they are inherently introverts.
Pairing will require two individuals possessing the same key dimensions pertinent to the role AND the technical skillset to 'resonate' to get a better creative result. However, what sometimes ensues is a categorical waste as an individual may choose to back down or not challenge the more charismatic and skilled individual they are pairing with. Often resulting in code which the introvert was very sure would be inadequate, but didn't have the 'social standing' to assert. We all know an introverted technical individual who was so above the technical leagues of others that pairing with them was be a futile exercise, because you simply couldn't get what they were doing and the constant questioning of that individual when you have nothing to add slows them down, wasting the resources of both of the pair.
However, those metaphorical 'super-humans' can't do it on their own, simply because of the amount of work in enterprises these days.
Here I the UK, the number of developers of that caliber is incredibly low. So the likelihood of finding individuals who are alike enough and with the same level of skill is low. This means you have to do agile with the teams you have and this will most likely exclude both the super smart and the not so smart from the productive range. In any case, a capable team is much more than the sum of its parts, it is just trying to cultivate the proverbial first rate team not a team of first-raters.
Re: The resonance of a capable team, or the diversity of opinion?
Dean Schulze
Pair programming depends a great deal on the individuals. I've know programmers who no one wants to work with. We were all very glad that they kept to themselves. I've also know programmers that I would enjoy pair programming with and would probably form a very productive team with.
The XP geniuses pretend that everyone should pair program, unfortunately.
Why are we creating software?
Horia Slușanschi
This focus on value to the customer may require some "sacrifices". It requires collaboration & invention. Sometimes we can solve some problems in isolation, to the relief of introverts. However, we must mistake-proof our code-creation process, so various forms of verification have been devised - like pair work, reviews, inspections, automated testing, etc. There are benefits and drawbacks to each.
In my opinion, it's more important to be able (and willing) to adapt your habits over time than to attempt to find a "perfect" structure or approach. Use common rooms when the Teams are best served by that structure. Provide retreat rooms to allow for uninterrupted focus and flow. Seek a balance that works for your specific situation, then inspect and adapt to maintain optimum results - with delight for customers and joy in work for people.
I always thought agile stuff was designed for introverts
jonny cundall
There are lots of examples where the meetings are set up to help people express themselves who would otherwise have difficulties. I'd much rather bring up impediments in a standup, where everyone takes their turn, than have to shout over people's desks or send some terrible group email. And retrospectives, which for me are the absolute cornerstone of any agile process, when done right are specifically designed to prevent them being railroaded by the dominant, extrovert personalities in the group.
What was it again that Brooks said?
Wilfred Springer
There is no substitute for the dreariness of labor and the loneliness of thought.
He must have borrowed part of that from Bernard Brauch, but I think I like it better this way. You need time alone for conceptual integrity, and interaction with fellow programmers to prevent premature optimization.
Re: I always thought agile stuff was designed for introverts
Amin El-assaad
I am an introvert as well and I have found a tremendous comfort inn using agile methodology. Probably a balance is required in everything we do. There must be a consIderatIon to the number of Introverts and extroverts In a team intreverts would need that extra amount of attention and continuous trust from their managers to promote them and be an active members of the team so we can enjoy their special qualities for a wonderful output
I agree!
raj n
There are a lot of good and valid comments here.
Ethar Alali
Amin is right. Given particular job roles in a wider team, particular personality types are required in different job roles. Aside from the hard skills, the assertive personalities are for business interactions, leaders for program and product management etc. Remember, those extroverts can sell certain ideas to business that will get you the buy in to 'do' agile in the first place. You wouldn't be able to get all round criticality (for those who know about De Bono's hats) when assessing ideas without the emphasis that certain types of personality place on these particular 'colours of thought'.
As for premature optimisation, this is where I don't fully agree with the way agile is conducted a lot of the time. There are certain things that you can see are going to cause problems way before they happen. You can often mitigate these risks by 'defensive programming' techniques to stop it before it becomes an issue. So, in the case of, say performance, if you now it takes 20 minutes to do something optimally, but 10 minutes to do it 'agile' but certainly will cost you two hours once the system is further down the line (for whatever reason), I would rather choose to spend the 20 minutes as the agile method could potentially introduced a much bigger amount of waste (which is counter to the lean principles that quite rightly seem to go in tandem). Pragmatism again.
Early testing is good, thumbs up. Automated testing is good, thumbs up etc. But none of these are actually exclusively 'agile', so I would echo raj n's reference because all agile did was change the focus to these best practise routines when unfortunately, devs in ye olden days refused to work the process as it was always seen as bureaucratic because it didn't involve writing code immediately.
But that is another argument for another thread I am sure.
Susan Cain and the wrong question
Mark Levison
But the deeper issue that many are missing is the focus. Agile doesn't optimize for the output of a single individual. Agile optimizes for the output of a team, what matters is how well we work together and whether we produce a great product. Not whether the individual is more productive.
Mark Levison
Certified Scrum Trainer | Agile Pain Relief Consulting
Re: Susan Cain and the wrong question
Ke Wa


text:
Secretary of State Rokita Introduces Voter's Bill of Rights
Contact: Heather Sewell
Poster to hang in polling places
Indianapolis, IN -- Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita today introduced posters, in both English and Spanish, of the Indiana Voter's Bill of Rights. Rokita sent the posters to each county to be displayed in polling places on Primary Election Day this Tuesday. Rokita also sent copies of the posters to counties where there are no primaries for display in public places as well as to the state political parties. The text of the Voter's Bill of Rights was approved by the Indiana Election Commission in March of this year.
"I am happy to present the English and Spanish versions of the Voter's Bill of Rights to Hoosier voters. It is a top priority of my office to safeguard every vote," said Secretary Rokita. "This Voter's Bill of Rights is a plain language document about accessibility and accountability; it provides accessibility for all of our fellow Hoosiers by letting them clearly know their rights and accountability for criminals who would commit fraud and deny Hoosier voters their rights. Because the right to vote is so dear and the principles are so important, I have provided Voter's Bill of Rights posters to be placed at polls throughout the state and have provided the document to TV and radio stations and newspapers."
Rokita thanked the state senators and representatives who were responsible for legislation regarding the Voter's Bill of Rights. Rokita thanked Senators Sue Landske, Billie Breaux, Becky Skillman, Allie Craycraft, and Mike Young and Representatives Tom Kromkowski, Kathy Richardson, Duane Cheney, Bob Behning and Mae Dickinson for their work in bringing the Bill of Rights to Hoosiers.
Rokita also thanked the Indiana Election Commission members for their approval of the text of the document. "I commend the leadership and courage of the bi-partisan Indiana Election Commission for adopting this unique document by a unanimous vote in March," said Rokita. "As election officials, we are charged with both defending the rights of eligible voters to cast ballots and protecting the election process from those that would misuse the system. The Voter's Bill of Rights is an important tool that all Hoosiers can use to carry out this mission."
Rokita was also joined with members of different voting communities who support and welcome the Voter's Bill of Rights to polling places in their communities. Representatives included members of Indiana's Hispanic and African American communities and the League of Women Voters.
A copy of the Voter's Bill of Rights is attached and is available at the Secretary of State's website: http://www.in.gov/sos. For more information, please contact Secretary Rokita's office at 317.232.6584.


text:
Hi guest ·
Log in
Log in to check your private messages
Education reform
Goto page
iWindsurf Community Forum Index
Politics, Off-Topic, Opinions
View previous topic
View next topic
Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 11172
Location: Berkeley, California
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:22 pm
Post subject:
Techno--thought you'd like it. There are, of course, a number of different things behind the problems with education in this country. The one alluded to here by Friedman is that we have become an entertainment nation. Kids often don't want to work. That is a separate issue from poverty--although they do sometimes co-vary. But the idea that we need to be entertained at all times, from electronic media, and advertising will pay for it all, is magical thinking at its worst.
Back to top
Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 3137
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 10:12 am
Post subject:
from the Aspen Education Group:
Narcissistic and Entitled to Everything! Does Gen Y Have Too Much Self-Esteem?
No one looks the way I do.
I have noticed that its true.
No one walks the way I walk.
No one talks the way I talk.
No one plays the way I play.
No one says the things I say.
I am special.
I am me.
Gen Y people born between 1978 and 1997 grew up singing that nursery song. Today many parents and psychologists wonder if songs like that were not big mistakes.
In the 1980s world of child rearing, the catchword was self-esteem. Unconditional love and being valued just because youre you! was the prevailing philosophy. In practice, it involved constantly praising children, not criticizing them under any circumstances, emphasizing feelings, and not recognizing one childs achievements as superior to anothers. At the end of a season, every player won a trophy. Instead of just one student of the month, schools named dozens. Teachers inflated grades from kindergarten through college: C became the new F. No one ever had to
repeat a grade because staying behind caused poor self-esteem.
While technology has offered some fantastic elements to our world, I also think we are heading down a dangerous path with too many self absorbed individuals that have no clue as to how much their "games" and entitlement mentality are negatively effecting their relationships and opportunities.
Back to top
Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 11172
Location: Berkeley, California
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:49 pm
Post subject:
Back in the proper thread. There is always room for innovation in education because different kids learn in different ways, and at different rates. From the Waldorf methods to the Montessori, and so forth. But then there is fakery. Here is only one of a number of readily available articles about the false promise--and failing math grades, that need to be given to George Bush's so-called Texas miracle in education. Too bad that most people who believe in markets as their gods won't bother to read it.
By Jason Stanford
Theres a reason hundreds of parents and kids held a protest outside the New York City headquarters of the standardized testing company Pearson last year, and it wasnt just because of the infamous Pineapple test question. Theres a reason that a Florida school board member with a bachelors degree and two masters degrees made national news when he flunked his states 10th-grade math test. Theres a reason teachers in Seattle are refusing to administer the Washington state standardized test. Something is very amiss when standardized tests fail to make the grade, and as much as Id love to, I cant blame it on what George W. Bush did as president.
Its actually what George W. Bush did as Texas governor.
Bushs education adviser Sandy Kress, a Democratic lawyer from Dallas with some school board experience, convinced him that the soft bigotry of low expectations was holding back minority students in failing schools. His solution: if Texas made all schools give the same tests, the state could direct resources where they would do the most good, and eventually African-American and Hispanic kids would catch up to the white kids. It was a great theory, and initially the scores rose.
Bush called it the Texas Miracle. And once the Texas governor ascended to the Oval Office, Kress lobbied Sen. Ted Kennedy to add bipartisan legitimacy to the plan as Bushs top Democratic supporter for the No Child Left Behind law, which promised to spread the Texas Miracle to the other 49 states. The law projected victory by 2014 in getting all students to meet or exceed the states proficient level of academic achievement on the state assessments.
Education researchers worried that making test scores the single indicator of success was about as smart as Enron making the stock price the only measure of prosperity. Education researchers saw parallels with the bankrupt energy corporation in how schools would off-shore the kids likely to fail tests by holding them back grade levels. Texas started to lose 70,000 kids a year, most dropping out before they had to take the 10th-grade tests that would count against the school. Almost a third of kids in Texas who started high school never finished.
Scores on the Texas test rose, but SAT scores for prospective college students dropped.
Researchers discovered that the Texas tests designed by Pearson primarily measured test-taking ability. Apologists cherry-picked National Assessment of Educational Progress scores to show progress, but overall Texas lost ground to the rest of the country, found Dr. Julian V. Heilig, an education researcher at the University of Texas. But by then it was too late. The Texas Miracle, mirage or not, was the law of the land.
The reason why were seeing, well, what were seeing, after ten years of No Child Left Behind is the fact that we didnt close the gaps, the fact that our graduation rates havent gone anywhere, our dropout rates havent improved, because Texas never did that in the 1990s, said Heilig. Over the last ten years now that we have Texas-style accountability and policy in the whole United States, the reason why it didnt deliver is because it never delivered in Texas.
By the time Kress had become a lawyer-lobbyist for testing giant Pearson, Texas was seeing the beginnings of an uprising against the dogma of accountability-by-assessment. Parents complained about teaching to the test. Teachers began to complain openly about being forced to take time out of music or art to drill for the upcoming math test, and superintendents began to count up the days testing took out of the 180-day school year.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry made high-stakes testing an issue during his 2006 re-election, but the political class saw that accountability scored high in opinion polls. Perry appointed a committee to study the problem to death. He assigned Kress for the job to protect the status quo, but teachers and education researchers pushed the 2009 legislature to the brink of killing the standardized testing. When the state House and Senate passed a bill that would cut at the backbone of high-stakes testing, Perry threatened to veto unless the legislation doubled down on accountability. Kids in elementary school and middle school would be required to pass testsor else. To get out of high school theyd have to pass not two, but 15 tests. Pearson got a new $468-million contract to write and administer all these new tests.
In a world of Astroturf politics and manufactured outrage, the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR test, sparked a sincere grassroots rebellion. By the time Perrys own education chief, Robert Scott, called high-stakes testing a perversion of accountability, Texas legislators knew they had to dial it back.
Its too soon to say whether a near-unanimity of opposition to high-stakes testing from school boards, superintendents, parents and education researchers will succeed against Perry and Pearson, but theres a better chance than ever that the false education doctrine that Bush started in Texas and then spread across the country will finally meet its end in the same building where it started.
Back to top
Joined: 24 Dec 2013
Posts: 1102
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:39 pm
Post subject:
"By imposing standards on students minds we are, in effect, depriving them of their fundamental intellectual freedom by applying one standard set of knowledge. Standardized tests oversimplify knowledge and do not test higher-order thinking skills. State standards are externally imposed on local teachers.
These mandatory assessments cannot work unless teachers understand and accept the philosophical underpinnings of standards. One-size-fits-all standards either dumb down instruction to the lowest common denominator or condemn low-ability students to frequent failure"
Focus on strengths says me.
Back to top
Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 11172
Location: Berkeley, California
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 10:02 pm
Post subject:
Frederick--I don't think that it is that simple. In fact, there is testing, or more properly evaluation, that goes on every day in a classroom. It is an
with testing, to the point where it determines teacher salary or even retention, that has led to a system that has narrowed curriculum and resulted in teaching to the test and cheating. Read Diane Ravitch, or spend time in a classroom.
Back to top
Joined: 24 Dec 2013
Posts: 1102
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:37 am
Post subject:
Imagine waking up one day and having everyone you encounter understand the ways in which you are unique and extraordinary. What if everyone viewed the things you did as needed contributions, and rather than looking for what is wrong with you, people pointed out what is right with you? If that happened, you would be supercharged. You would feel free and released from the burden of having to defend yourself. You would be psyched to jump out of bed and get to work. You would feel, well, strong. Wouldn't it be nice if just one day of your life could be like that?
The Strengths Movement in Schools is about just that. Developing strengths in kids is about getting everyone: the students, teachers and parents to change their thinking in order to
experience the sense of purpose and fulfillment that comes from living life from your strengths rather than your weaknesses. Teaching young people to focus on what interests, engages and energizes them is the best gift we can give children. It is what every child deserves.
Simply put, strengths are the things that we do that make us feel energized and alive when we do them. Every single person has strengths. Children's innate strengths are like live wires connecting their unique inner qualities to their promise as adults. Those wires have life's most potent energy flowing through them, and we as adults have the power to amp up or damper down the energy flow. When the energy is turned up and strengths are developed to their fullest, people's passions light up. Life becomes meaningful and enjoyable even in the face of conflict. Strengths are what push people to that place. They are the things that keep our curiosity engaged, that step out ahead of us and beg us to follow. They are what we would do if money, prestige, and responsibility were inconsequential. Our strengths speak to us with a persistent, urging voice that begs for us to take notice, to unleash them, and in doing so, we put our best selves forward -- not just in school, but on the job and in our relationships with others.
Jennifer Fox
Back to top
Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 11172
Location: Berkeley, California
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 11:22 am
Post subject:
Nice post, but where does it fit into the religion of privatizing education so corporations can make money?
Back to top
Joined: 24 Dec 2013
Posts: 1102
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 12:03 pm
Post subject:
Gilda Radner
Back to top
Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 11172
Location: Berkeley, California
Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:15 pm
Post subject:
This is a very interesting op ed piece from someone who was a "Teach for America" member, and is now studying at Harvard.
Jonathan Hasak
February 21, 2014 | Updated: February 21, 2014 4:46pm
Four minutes separate Oakland Technical High School from Children's Hospital. In the bustling Temescal District, high school students and hospital employees head out for lunch. As they brush past each other on Telegraph Avenue, in front of help-wanted signs and dilapidated storefronts, it may not occur to them, but together they could be a solution to a mutual problem: matching workers to available jobs.
Beyond the arguments typically dominating the education reform debate is the simple fact that students are not being set up to participate in today's changing economy. The 9 million jobs that have disappeared since the 2007-09 recession have given rise to a do-it-yourself economy that encourages entrepreneurship but also casts doubt on the value of a high school diploma. While 83 percent of Oakland Tech seniors graduated in 2012, less than half of all Oakland graduates enroll in college at a time when youth unemployment is already at a historical national high.
Rather than providing students skills that have real currency in today's labor market and preparing them for gainful employment, accountability provisions in the federal No Child Left Behind Act and Race to the Top funding program have focused on increasing short-term gains that measure success or failure of schools. With a hyper focus on basic reading and math skills that has yet to lead to high academic performance, isn't it time to purge these reforms?
The failure to connect the habits and attitudes valued by employers to what is taught in the classroom has led to an unsurprising result: Oakland Tech graduates enter a workforce lacking the essential skills and knowledge that employers require. Insisting on a one-size-fit-all expectation that students attend four-year colleges has only led to the frustration of 5.8 million young adults who are now neither in school nor working, according to a recent report by Opportunity Next. A better route would instead build on students' skills, interests and creativities.
Yet the solution to rebuilding the economy is right in front of these students - right there in neighborhoods such as Temescal and in cities like Oakland, where four minutes is apparently all it takes for an employer like Children's Hospital Oakland, which currently seeks 62 employees, and Oakland Tech, which graduated 341 students last year, to see past each other. Four minutes to see right past entry-level positions for nurses and EMTs - jobs that open the door to the middle class - and right past the thawing of student potential.
With 3.4 million jobs a year in the United States going unfilled because of a lack of qualified candidates, it is imperative that we align education reform with business interest. The widening job skills gap affecting Oakland Tech's student body not only produces inequality of opportunity but also slows economic growth - and prompted California to budget $250 million last summer for a Career Pathways Trust Fund. But why stop there?
Borrowing from successful international systems such as those in Finland and Germany, high schools could provide alternative pathways for students to acquire work and social skills - an "innovation path" that would compel students to take ownership of their learning. The business community could help by developing employability standards that would measure work readiness and embed them into the Common Core state standards the state's public schools have already embraced.
By exposing future employees to the skills valued in work environments through internships, summer jobs and apprenticeships, employers could also reduce job training and turnover costs. Local governments should further incentivize employers to hire or offer internships by allowing them to deduct the costs of employing recent graduates from their taxable gross receipts.
With economic mobility stagnating for all Americans, in part because of challenges public schools face, community partners and civic leaders need to begin demanding better integration from employers like Children's Hospital and public schools like Oakland Tech. And they must ultimately help an employer and a student see each other. At the intersection of education and business is a cost-effective solution to our job skills crisis, and the potential to build what President Obama has called ladders into the middle class - ladders that are indispensable for America regaining its competitive advantage in a knowledge-based, global economy.
What our country needs now is collaboration between business and education leaders to help make the pathway from school to career clearer and more efficient - more platforms, such as ConnectED, which is building successful partnerships in California high schools between students and industry professionals.
Oakland deserves similar cross-sector initiatives. Initiatives that make those four minutes a matter of distance and not a missed opportunity.
What you can do
Host job-shadow days for high school students.
Talk to your school board about increasing the number of employer partners in the school district to provide students with work-based opportunities.
Call your congressional representative and ask him or her to increase funding for community colleges.
Ask your boss to provide summer jobs or internships for high school students.
Invite business leaders to come into classrooms and share their stories.
Hold mock interviews in schools and give feedback to students.
Jonathan Hasak was a Teach For America corps member, taught in the Oakland Unified School District, and is studying at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he is focusing on resolving the jobs skills crisis. To comment, go to
Back to top
Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 11172
Location: Berkeley, California
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 10:04 am
Post subject:
Insightful article in today's Chronicle:
Can charity hurt public schools? That's the question raised by the $120 million donation to Bay Area schools from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife.
As we say thank you to the generous couple, their previous foray into public school philanthropy should also give San Francisco pause. According to an investigative report in the New Yorker magazine, most of Zuckerberg's $100 million donation to public schools in Newark, N.J., went to fad-peddling consultants, administration and union negotiations.
Four years later, the results are in: Test scores and graduation rates hardly have budged. The district is facing recriminations, deficits and layoffs, unable to support the programs and new schools it built with Zuckerberg's one-time gift.
His largesse is part of a larger trend: As taxpayer support for schools has declined, parents, corporations and wealthy individuals have stepped into the breach. San Francisco Unified School District will keep taking the gifts, from ordinary parents on up to big-dollar donors like Zuckerberg or Salesforce.com, which this year pitched in $1.5 million to buy tablet computers. The district would be crazy not to. But San Francisco educators and parents need to ask what policies should be in place to ensure the money is spent effectively and equitably.
Philanthropy skews education policies to reflect the untested agendas of big donors. While no one yet knows how the $120 million will be spent, Zuckerberg made charter schools and merit pay the centerpieces of his failed donation in Newark.
Among educators, these measures are very divisive. Studies show that charter schools are not out-performing traditional ones.
Bonuses may incentivize Facebook engineers, but an authoritative 2012 study from the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University found that teachers offered bonuses did not improve test scores any more than teachers who just drew a salary. It seems teachers are not mainly motivated by money, a fact Silicon Valley investors may find bewildering.
Thus while wealthy capitalists like Zuckerberg talk a lot about getting measurable results, so far their pet education programs aren't producing any.
There are other problems with depending on philanthropy. My recent investigation for San Francisco Public Press found elementary school PTA budgets had jumped 800 percent over 10 years, with money concentrated at a small number of affluent schools that could stave off budget cuts. During a KQED Forum on our report, Carol Kocivar - immediate past president of the California State PTA - pointed out that when parents fund basics like teachers, it creates an expectation that they will continue to do so - and lets the state get away with avoiding its responsibilities, especially to poor kids.
What are the solutions? San Francisco Unified needs to establish a degree of accountability, transparency and equity for private money in public schools.
Over the long run, California taxpayers - including high-bracket ones like Zuckerberg - need to collectively renew their commitment to public education, which could start with the repeal of Proposition 13, the property tax cap that undermined what used to be one of the best public school systems in the country. This will make donations less necessary - and limit the power of the wealthy to shape education policy.
Jeremy Adam Smith is the author of "Rad Dad: Dispatches From the Frontiers of Fatherhood."
It seems to escape the ken of retired petroleum executives as well. Some people are motivated by things other than money. Who knew?
Back to top
Display posts from previous:
All Posts
1 Day
7 Days
2 Weeks
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
1 Year
Oldest First
Newest First
iWindsurf Community Forum Index
Politics, Off-Topic, Opinions
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page
Jump to:
Select a forum
Windsurfing Discussion
Regional Discussion: Places, Sessions, Events, Access, Associations
Southwest USA, Hawaii, Mexico
Northwest USA & Canada
Eastern and Central USA & Canada
Europe, Caribbean & S. America, Australia & NZ, Africa, Asia
Industry News & Promotions
Politics, Off-Topic, Opinions
Lost and Found
Self-Help Forum
WeatherFlow Labs
post new topics in this forum
reply to topics in this forum
edit your posts in this forum
delete your posts in this forum
vote in polls in this forum
attach files in this forum
download files in this forum
Log in
© Copyright 1999-2007
WeatherFlow, Inc
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Ad Marketplace
Powered by
© 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


text:
Home > Eyeglasses > Ermenegildo Zegna > EZ5051 (001)
New Releases
Size and availability
Low prices
Low prices
EZ5051/001 Eyewear
The term "visual aid" is unsuitable for EZ5051. This is an accessory that ushers in a new you, emphasizing your clear view on fashion. Would another colour not be a better match for your favourite outfit? Check also the other styles of EZ5051in our 2017, and 2018 Ermenegildo Zegna range.
The frame is specially designed for men. Sporting clear lines, New School Cool meets traditional quality. Eyewear is in. Full rim is extremely popular, because you feel that you get more eyeglass for your money. It is not just about their resilience, but also about the visibility of material and design, which are of the highest quality. Round eyeglasses are extremely prestigious. A fact John Lennon was aware of, being rarely seen without them. Harry Potter would also not be the same without his characteristic eyeglasses. Due to its shape the EZ5051 will be a long-time companion, because round eyeglasses never really go out of fashion. Plastic frames like these combine durability and are comfortable to wear. The EZ5051 is a very snug fit on the ears and nose. Black eyeglasses are a must-have. They can be combined with anything and refine any style. Whether at your desk, in a club or at a fashion show - black always fits.
With the help of our digital dispensing optician, your prescription lenses can be configured according to your own requirements. Anti-reflective and cleaning coatings, antistatic and lotus effect are included as standard for plastic lenses.
Even if this Ermenegildo Zegna is presently not in stock, it is worth ordering now, because the current price can't be beaten. If you buy at Edel-Optics you get the best price, because "in the sale" is our standard.
New Releases


text:
Host communities support platform set to endorse government-led national resilience planJan 9, 2014
Amman - The Host Communities Support Platform (HCSP), chaired by the Minister of Planning, H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Saif convened a meeting on Thursday 9th January 2014 to endorse the Government's National Resilience Plan (NRP). The NRP provides a strategic framework for Jordan's response to the impact of the Syria crisis, with a focus on supporting Jordanian host communities in the most affected areas of the Kingdom.
The High Level Platform, established by the Government of Jordan last September, comprises Government line ministries, leading members of the International Community, the United Nations, and key development partners. The purpose of the HCSP is to support the Government as it responds to a variety of challenges brought on by the crisis.
Ahead of the HCSP meeting, H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Saif, remarked "The Government has been systematic and considered in its approach to the impact of the crisis. In September last year it commissioned the Needs Assessment Review (NAR) to obtain the first comprehensive resilience based reading of the gravity of impact across all the majors sectors, and in November it launched an intensive and participatory planning process led by key line ministries that has now resulted in the production of the National Resilience Plan".
The NRP seeks to address three major areas of stress identified in the Needs Assessment Review:
- the accumulating fiscal burden the crisis is incurring at the national level;
- the strain on local Jordanian services' ability to cope, such as in education, health, water, sanitation and solid waste management;
- the social and economic consequences facing Jordanian local communities that are 'hosting' nearly 600,000 refugees.
Following on from the NAR, the Government, supported by the HCSP Secretariat, donor community, NGOs and a team of multidisciplinary UN experts carried out the formulation of a three-year programme of priority investments to address the major challenges presented by the crisis.
H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Saif, went on to praise the robust engagement of international partners in supporting the preparation of the NRP, underscoring their vital role ahead in implementation and, critically, assistance in financing the NRP.
The NRP contains a US$2.4 billion programme of priority interventions across the eight major sectors of education, energy, health, housing, livelihoods and employment, municipal services, water and sanitation and social protection. In addition to the fiscal support required to compensate for the increased cost of subsidies and security support on the budget, of US$758 million and US$965.3 million respectively.
The NRP will then be presented by H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Saif at the Kuwait High-level Pledging Conference for the Syria crisis on 15th January 2014.Contact information
Issam Majali, Director, Media and Communications Unit, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation
Mobile: +962 79 885 1856
e-mail : email@example.com
TeleFax : +962 6 462 9308


text:
Kennedy to Sotto: 'This is a clear case of plagiarism'
By Miguel Syjuco – Long is the saga of Sottogate, yet allegations against Senator Tito Sotto continue. Now 4 US copyright holders have spoken out, including the president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights: RFK's daughter, Kerry Kennedy. All this began again the Read more »


text:
Greek police detain Turks after arms seizure
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Counterterrorism police detained 12 people during raids in Greece on Tuesday following the arrest of six men suspected of ferrying explosives and weapons across the Aegean Sea to Turkey.
The suspects taken into custody during the raids were detained during house searches in Athens and Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki.
The raids were ordered after the arms were seized on a 7-meter (23-foot) speedboat between the Greek islands of Oinousses and Chios, near the Turkish coast, where four men were arrested, according to a coastguard statement. Two men were arrested on Chios later Tuesday. The vessel was carrying two anti-tank shells, unspecified quantities of improvised explosive devices, bullets, four hand grenades and two pistols.
A senior police official identified the six arrested men as three Greeks and three Turkish nationals. He said police are investigating whether the Turks are involved in militant activities in Turkey.
Greece has repeatedly denied Turkish media reports that it shelters militants. A small number of Turkish leftwing activists live in Greece, where they have requested political asylum.
The police official, who asked not to be identified as the investigation is ongoing, said counterterrorism police in central Athens have detained eight men for questioning in connection with the case — six Turks, a Bulgarian and a Belgian national — and a German woman. He said three Turks are being questioned in the northern city of Thessaloniki, while a separate operation was under way in the southern town of Corinth.
The official said the speedboat appeared to have been headed for Turkey, although it was unclear where it had sailed from.


text:
I don't know how many Conky users play CC, but I guess sharing my script with the world won't hurt anybody. So, here it is.
Python script that does the heavy lifting:
- Code: Select all
## check-conquerclub.py -- A command line util to check for ready Conquer Club games by Nikola Skoric
## Based on check-gmail.py by Baishampayan Ghose
# ======================================================================
# Copyright (C) 2006 Baishampayan Ghose <firstname.lastname@example.com>
# Modified 2009 Nikola Skoric <firstname.lastname@example.com>
# Time-stamp: Wed Nov 18 18:12:26 CET 2009
# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as
# published by the Free Software Foundation.
# ======================================================================
import sys
import urllib # For BasicHTTPAuthentication
import feedparser # For parsing the feed
import re
uname = sys.argv[1]
_URL = "http://www.conquerclub.com/rss.php?username=" + uname
def auth():
'''The method to do HTTPBasicAuthentication'''
opener = urllib.FancyURLopener()
f = opener.open(_URL)
feed = f.read()
return feed
def readfeed(feed):
'''Parse the Atom feed and print a summary'''
atom = feedparser.parse(feed)
p = re.compile('Game (\d+) Round (\d+) - (\w+) \((\d{2}hrs \d{2}min) \d{2}sec remaining\)')
times = []
for entry in atom.entries:
#print entry.title
m = p.match(entry.title)
if m:
if m.group(3) == 'READY':
if len(times) > 0:
p = re.compile('(\d{2})hrs (\d{2})min')
m = p.match(times[0])
time = m.group(1) + ":" + m.group(2)
if len(times) > 1:
print "%s games ready." % len(times)
print "One game ready."
print "(%s remaining)." % time
print "No games ready."
if __name__ == "__main__":
f = auth() # Do auth and then get the feed
readfeed(f) # Let the feed be chewed by feedparser
This python script can be used as shell script like this:
$ python /path/to/script/check-conquerclub.py username
or it can be used in .conkyrc.
This is a line from my .conkyrc:
- Code: Select all
${color slate grey}CC: ${color }${execpi 300 python ~/bin/check-conquerclub.py dijxtra}
If you use Conky but are not familiar with such concepts like "shell script" or "writing .conkyrc", here is what you have to do to make this work:
0. I assume you have working conky (for that, you obviously need GNU/Linux system)
1. install python if you don't have it (it's on every sane GNU/Linux system by default)
2. install python-feedparser library if you don't have it (on Ubuntu you do it by typing "sudo apt-get install python-feedparser" in the shell or by using synaptic)
3. copy/paste the python code into file check-conquerclub.py
4. put check-conquerclub.py file somewhere (I propose $HOME/bin)
5. put the sample .conkyrc code I provided at the end of your .conkyrc
6. edit the line to fit your needs:
6.1. instead of "~/bin/check-conquerclub.py" put path to your check-conquerclub.py file
6.2. instead of "dijxtra" put your username
6.3. change "CC: " to "ConquerClub: " or "Risk: " or whatever you see fit
6.4. change the color property to your liking
And that's about it.
If you have questions or need help, just post in this thread and send me a PM reminding me to check this thread out since I won't be checking this thread regularly since I doubt there will be much (if any) replies
dijxtra aka Nikola Škorić


text:
An army base located in Victoria, Australia. Similiar to Ancient Sparta, men born, raised and trained in the base are taught to show no mercy, take no prisoners and become the best and most ruthless soldiers in the world. Living a Packapunyal lifestyle is like living a Spartan one, just with guns. The name is derived from an the aboriginal language, meaning "Valley of the Winds"
"I was born in Puckapunyal"; I'm the tuffest son of a bitch around.
by Rednut909 September 28, 2009