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Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share three movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you're up to it one of each.For further details visit the series main page here.
This week's Thursday Movie Picks is orld War 1
My Boy Jack (2007)


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N°08 Limited Edition - Tour De France Sublimation
Technical specifications
8.5 cm
Hardness 55-57 HRC. European origin. The stainless steel used in OPINEL blades is a grade optimized to guarantee both high corrosion resistance and high mechanical performance. The blade offers excellent sharpness and high resistance to abrasion (wear) which allows it to withstand regular contact with hard materials, such as ceramics, before requiring re-sharpening. Stainless steel has the advantage of requiring no special maintenance under ordinary conditions of use, unlike carbon steel. Nevertheless, it can meet its limits when it is put in prolonged contact with an aggressive environment (acid, salt water, detergent ...).
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subset: commoncrawl


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Chevron hit with record judgment.
An Ecuadorian judge on Monday ordered Chevron Corp. to pay $8.6 billion to clean up oil pollution in the country's rain forest in what is believed to be the largest-ever judgment in an environmental case.
And if the U.S. oil giant doesn't publicly apologize in the next 15 days, the judge ordered the company to pay twice that amount.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
CRUDE - news from the decline of the fossil fuel age
23 comments:
- isaacschumann said...
I think it's a bad sign that Chevron's shares rose following the ruling, I read elsewhere in an AP story that Chevron does not plan to comply.(surprise!) I know little about international law, how likely are the Ecuadorean courts to force Chevron to pay? I fear this is merely theater, it is my understanding that oil extraction continues in the same fields to this day. - February 15, 2011 at 4:24 PM
One possible reason why Chevron will probably not comply:
http://theamazonpost.com/tag/steven-donziger - February 15, 2011 at 4:50 PM
- Werner Krauss said...
maybe it's only theater for a few days, but it is a great play anyway - on the world stage. For one day, it sounds like victory for those who normally never win. Shame on Texaco / Chevron. Everybody can see that they have blood on their hands. If they don't have to pay now, they will have to pay in hell. Sure, it was and is a complex story. But families suffered, ecosystems were destroyed, children died. That's a fact. And the oil industry never cared. Nobody ever cared except a few people. I hope it's a great day for the people of Ecuador, for those who raised their voices for them, and those who made the film. I wish it were a victory. - February 15, 2011 at 8:58 PM
Ecuador in the age of fossil fuels:
Population (1960): 4.44 million
Population (2010): 13.78 million
GDP per capita (1960): $230
GDP per capita (2007): $3,110
Life expectancy (1960): 55 yrs
Life expectancy (2010): 76 yrs
A dark age, indeed... - February 15, 2011 at 9:25 PM
- Hans von Storch said...
Rainer S - could you tell us where you have these numbers from? What about their uncertainty? - Hans
- February 15, 2011 at 9:28 PM
- Hans von Storch said...
Werner, your assertion "Shame on Texaco / Chevron. Everybody can see that they have blood on their hands. If they don't have to pay now, they will have to pay in hell. Sure, it was and is a complex story. But families suffered, ecosystems were destroyed, children died. That's a fact. And the oil industry never cared. Nobody ever cared except a few people." is presented as facts. How can you be that certain? How do you know? - They may have blood on their hands, but I can not see it.
- February 15, 2011 at 9:33 PM
Hans, all but one figure was taken from "Fischers Weltalmanach 2010" (p.11), quoting "World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision, UN Population Division 2009".
The table in the "Fischers"(pp. 11) is quite instructive. Don´t know whether it is avialable online .
The GDP figure for 1960 was taken from
Sorry, I did not have the opportunity yet to do all the error bars :-) - February 15, 2011 at 9:36 PM
- Hans von Storch said...
Thanks, Reiner S. Would you mind generating time series for the three different quantities? The GDP is without inflation, is it?
Are there other sources, say World Bank, which would support these numbers? (Maybe, the cited web-page is a front page of the oil industry?)
Are the poorest in 2010 as poor and as many as in 1960? - February 15, 2011 at 9:45 PM
@ Hans
Data acces ... a mystery ...
Raöph - February 15, 2011 at 10:06 PM
- Werner Krauss said...
œRainer S #3
some numbers about number of rich / poor?
some numbers about the Indian population in the Amazone?
Some facts why Texaco / Chevron is responsible for these numbers you present? - February 15, 2011 at 10:08 PM
- Werner Krauss said...
@ Hans #5
Watch the documentary http://www.crudethemovie.com/
Yes, it is biased. No, it is not science.
Read the newspapers. Have a look here:
Look for "Environmental damage in Ecuador" section in:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevron_Corporation - February 15, 2011 at 10:23 PM
- Hans von Storch said...
Werner, I appreciate your heiligen Zorn, but ... nothing better? That's the stuff to generate a story about Himalaya glaciers and their disappearance in 2035. Maybe true, maybe a spin of interested parties?
Can we substantiate the story, and understand the different facets of the story? Or is it just black/white?
How does an ethnologist deal with such a situation? - February 15, 2011 at 10:35 PM
- Werner Krauss said...
@Hans #11
oh boy, that's a big question!
No, it's not black and white, but it's Texaco / Chevron versus people living in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
As an anthropologist, I am interested in the clash of two universalist / global approaches: one exemplified by Texaco / Chevron who seek profit (oil) and control in Ecuador (and in many other foreign places); the other exemplified by tribal people / forest dwellers living in the exploitation area, and their alliance with Ecuadorian activists, American film makers, a global environmental movement, and superstars such as Sting, his wife or Bianca Jagger.
How do these global connections come into being? I assume that Texaco stands in a long line of conquering South America in the search for resources such as gold, oil or cocaine. How did they get access to this area, how did they get themselves established, what were the relations between governments of US and Ecuador, Texaco and Ecuador and so on - a long and complicated story, with the state of Ecuador as the successor of Texaco.
On the other hand, there is the perspective of tribal people and other forest dwellers. Not a success story, I guess (except for today, maybe!). What exactly are forest dwellers? I would look for ontological differences (compared to mine, for example). What kind of world do they inhabit? Listen to them. Make surveys of various kinds. How do the Texaco explorations look like from their perspective? Did they get any profit? What about pollution? How did the river change, the forest, the community? Cancer? Did they get offered jobs? Were they able to work for Texaco? What happened to their community when Texaco came? We have to find out.
We also should have an eye on their allies. How did the film director, the environmentalist groups (Amazon watch, for example) connect? Who are the brokers? What kind of language brings those completely different groups together? (from indigenous languages, Spanish to American, from oral traditions to literacy, from local imagery to global environmentalism). How did the community of forest dwellers change through these contacts?
We also should find out those guys from the forest who ended up on global rock festivals, in parliaments, maybe fully dressed in their traditional costumes? What did they experience on their journeys?
And we should listen again and again to their songs, their stories, and play with their children. Just spend time. If necessary, we should try to help them. Maybe they need money or have to go to the doctor or to sue Texaco / Chevron. You never know, but it's better to be prepared. I guess those kind of people are on the other end of Rainer S. Ecuadorian success story.
I guess that's how I would do it. Sounds like a great project, don't you think so? Give me a year or so for field work. I'll tell you more afterwards.
Similar field projects:
Kim Fortun (2001) Advocacy after Bhopal. Environmentalism, diaster, new global orders.
Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing (2005) Friction. An ethnography of global connection.
And some general remarks about prospects of contemporary anthropological fieldwork here in my book review essay:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1548-1425.2010.01300_2.x/full - February 16, 2011 at 12:11 AM
- Werner Krauss said...
Just re-read my yesterday's entry to find out whether I answered your question or not, Hans. It still makes me think...
It's not really comparable to the question of Himalayan glaciers. It's about unequal relationships, environmental pollution and justice in the age of fossil fuels. My statement is about these unequal relationships. It is not a yes / no story.
There is the jungle and the resources, both long lasting systems (très longue durée). There is the history of South America and Europe and North America - again, a long story (longue durée, the history of gold). And there is the short term exploitation of oil in the jungle and the subsequent conflicts, which in the moment resulted in a verdict against Texaco / Chevron.
These different time levels are interconnected, with gold, drugs and oil as the objects of desire and power.
Is science the arbiter? Can it tell the truth about this world of blood and unequal relationships? Both sides theoretically can make use of satellites, environmental assessments, health and human rights surveys etc. Maybe those guys from Texaco have some more means to pursue scientific objectivity (or bend it in their direction). Not even science stands above those historical relationships. Environmentalists showed up as allies and enabled access to the law, to science, to rights. In this case, they indeed seem to have changed the course of history. They give a voice to those who have no access to the media.
The victory of this activist / forest dweller - coalition was highly unlikely, and for sure it will not last. Texaco will find something to debunk an environmental assessment or whatever, or they will find other means to avoid too severe punishment. But they already put their bets on renewable energies, as much as I know.
It's important to remember the dark side of fossil fuel energies and to show respect for those who did not belong to the winners. Tribal people all over the world deserve a privileged place in the future oil museum, which should not only display the triumphs of the fossil fuel age. There was a price to pay, and some paid more than others.
Anyway, I wish the verdict against Texaco / Chevron were a milestone on the way to low carbon societies. No more crude. - February 16, 2011 at 10:42 AM
- isaacschumann said...
I honestly don't see how this is a turning point, oil companies get sued all the time, and it doesn't even look like chevron will pay. Furthermore, oil production indeed continues in Ecuador,(see below) do you think that oil revenues are now equitably distributed? Is this suddenly earth friendly exploration? The second largest producer in Ecuador after Petroecuador is a Chinese consortium.
I don't want to come off as a defender of oil Chevron, this is just the reality of the situation, we will not get off crude anytime soon. And I say this as someone who works for a small company(not a big evil corporation) doing sponsored research on producing biofuels and other chemicals from industrial and agricultural waste.
I care about this very much, I've made my career in alternatives to oil. IMO, this kind of theatre is a distraction; to me, a real victory would be internationally accepted norms for mitigating the harm from oil extraction and equitably distributing revenues.
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0806.htm - February 16, 2011 at 4:13 PM
- Werner Krauss said...
No objections, Isaac, guess you are right. I just wanted to raise interest in this case. Don't forget, environmentalists appear in skeptics' arguments mostly as over-sellers, alarmists or Himalaya-gate-ists. This case is good to think with, and it can help to adjust the moral compass.
- February 16, 2011 at 6:36 PM
- isaacschumann said...
Holding oil companies responsible is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But I would like to see more emphasis on better regulations, something for the WTO or the G20 maybe? I think advocacy orgs could play a role in this to in the meantime, preemptively holding them accountable by playing the role of watchdog, which I don't perceive is happening in many developing countries, (let alone developed ones for that matter).
A criticism I would make of some activists is that I hear an awful lot about the dangers of drilling in the arctic but very little about oil production in Nigeria, India or Latin America, where there is way more people to be harmed. (except for this, of course) But don't take what I say too seriously, I will cop to contrarian tendencies which I try, often unsuccessfully, to keep under control. So don't let me be a party pooper, this is definitely a good thing. - February 16, 2011 at 7:53 PM
- Werner Krauss said...
Oil as a power supply brought specific power relations into being. The fossil fuel age shaped and affected the relationships between people, between people and things, between people and their environment. Ralph S. above was right, too, when he listed the rising GDP etc - oil brought enormous wealth to many. But not for free, and not to all. From Texas to Saudi Arabia, from Nigeria to Ecuador: the story of oil is a bloody one.
Maybe it's time to bring back politics into the climate debate, which is a debate about energy, right? The quest for a low-carbon society comes too often disguised as a merely technological problem.
What do you think? - February 16, 2011 at 9:55 PM
Werner, don´t get me wrong - I basically do appreciate your commitment to alleviate the plight of people who are not benefiting from the use of natural ressources in their country.
What I took issue with was the use of this specific incident to drive home the message of "ceterum censeo fossils delendam est" - at least that was my first impression.
If have read to many non sequitur, OTOM articles in the media about climate, environmental and public health topics not be annoyed by such a combination.
To make it "worse" here is a take of Big Money/Big Oil/Big Something-or-Other on the Chevron-Ecuador-case:
(disclaimer: links posted do not necessarily convey the views of the poster)
Perhaps, in Nigeria even more so than in Ecuador, the basic problem might be bad government and the absence of a civil society. In some countries, windfall revenue from natural ressources appears to create net harm by hampering development and fostering corruption. Did this happen in coal-rich UK and Germany in the 19th century? I don´t think so.
And do we need to keep on carrying the White Man´s Burden by assisting them little brown people in stickick to their however ancient ways, by telling them how to sue, how to use modern (emotionalized) communication? - February 17, 2011 at 12:20 AM
"The quest for a low-carbon society comes too often disguised as a merely technological problem."
Whether we like it or not: in case AGW really turns out to be a severe problem, it will be tackled by some tech-fixes. After all, the whole of human history is one big tech-fix.
The chances of going low-carbon are ever diminishing anyway. A high price for crude drives exploration and tapping of ressources in remote places. A rising price for coal will re-activate production in high-cost regions (in early 2010, German black coal wasn´t even classified as "Reserves" - due to cost - but as "Ressources" only).
Shale gas offers new opportunities.
And if "we" (the west) don´t use them, China, India etc. surely will.
So we better research tech-fixes. IMHO, e.g. going Thorium makes much more sense than paying subsidies for old tech like windmills. - February 17, 2011 at 12:41 AM
- Werner Krauss said...
@Reiner S. #19
I agree with your statement:
"Perhaps, in Nigeria even more so than in Ecuador, the basic problem might be bad government and the absence of a civil society."
I have difficulties with this one:
"And do we need to keep on carrying the White Man´s Burden by assisting them little brown people in stickick to their however ancient ways, by telling them how to sue, how to use modern (emotionalized) communication?"
What kind of humor is this? There is something about the "white man's burden' argument, I agree. But you need a context where it fits. It's cynical only when together with "them little brown people" - or do I misunderstand you?
It's the problem of advocacy or activism. What do you do as an anthropologist in a situation like this? Say: "Oh my little brown informants got fucked up by oil industry and / or their corrupt government" and go to the next case?
I absolutely agree, those cases are of enormous complexity. There is no simple black or white, and there is no neutrality. But their are reasons to engage. You cannot kill environmentalists' or activists' arguments with a routinely played out 'white man's burden' argument. There is a real problem 'out there', with real people. - February 17, 2011 at 9:47 AM
- Werner Krauss said...
@Reiner S. #20
I agree concerning technological fixes. But each and every technology has its own sociology, geography and history, be it nuclear, coal, wind, oil or unknown yet. We have to buy into new technologies, no doubt. But we better take into account what we really buy into, the full cost. - February 17, 2011 at 9:54 AM
@Werner #21
You are right, my last remark in the post you are critizing was somewhat over the top, and it is not meant to be a "killer argument".
However, it is frustrating to see good causes being highjacked by lawyers or aloof NGOs which even care less about the people involved than my heartless self does.
Who can one trust? I stopped donating to every outfit that jumped some bandwaggon, AGW or other. - February 18, 2011 at 12:27 AM
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Integrated gearbox.
For the first time in the history of BMW Motorrad, the gearbox and clutch have been integrated in the engine housing on an opposed-twin engine gearbox. For the first time on an opposed-twin engine by BMW Motorrad, the cylinders are no longer screwed onto the crankshaft casing separately but are integrated directly. The two-part die-cast cylinder crankcase with a vertical parting line in the centre of the crankshaft is made of high-strength aluminium alloy. As a result, the two casing halves form a highly rigid bond made up of the cylinder and the bearing seat for the crankshaft. The cylinder with the water jacket has an open-deck construction. The bores are coated using the new electric arc spraying process via an electric arc with a low-wear and low-friction iron carbon alloy, as has previously been used in BMW car engines.


text: 31 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A woman wearing a breathing mask because of Bangkok's air pollution presents food to a monk in Bangkok. The Thai government has closed more than 400 schools for the rest of the week because of high levels of pollution in Bangkok. At one point Wednesday, Bangkok had the third highest level of air pollution in the world, only Delhi, India and Lahore, Pakistan were worst. The Thai government has suspended some government construction projects and ordered other projects to take dust abatement measures. Bangkok authorities have also sprayed water into the air in especially polluted intersections to control dust. Bangkok's AQI (Air Quality Index) Thursday morning was 180, which is considered unhealthy for all people. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ


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Zoomanity Group, the leader in Theme Parks and Zoo Management in the Philippines, welcomed 500 Travel & Tour Operators and the media at Zoocobia, Clark, Pampanga on May 26, 2015 to acknowledge them with their contributions and loyalty in bringing quality destination and education to patrons and clients of Zoomanity Group.
Zoomanity Group handles 5 theme parks; Zoobic Safari at Subic, Zambales, Zoocobia at Clark, Pampanga, Zoocolate Thrills at Loboc, Bohol, Residence Inn & Zoo at Tagaytay, and Paradizoo at Mendez, Cavite. The company is managing different hotels and restaurants too in the Philippines and abroad.
CEO Robert Yupangco, COO Del De Jesus and different Operations Managers under Zoomanity Group welcomed the media too who are helping the company in dissemination of information.
"Zoomanity Group likes to give back the blessings to our partners who are the travel & tour operators and the media. Without them, the ever increasing customers and clients who are visiting and patronizing the different theme parks under Zoomanity Group will not be possible. We are thankful and grateful and to acknowledge them, Zoomanity Group are doing events like these annually." said Engr. Grace Bondad Nicolas of TAG Media and Public Relations.
Zoocobia Theme Farm is a 5 hectares facility at Clark, Pampanga and a tourist destination. To visit the theme parks, please contact Grace at [email protected] and for more information, please visit http://www.zoomanity.com.ph


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I'm Darren Geraghty, a visual interaction designer from Ireland crafting user interfaces for software, websites and mobile devices. I specialise in the design of engaging, easy to use products which endeavor to humanise technology.
When I'm not busy turning pixels into products I'm usually writing, blogging, tweeting, chimping, collecting, dribbbling, pondering, or whistling from time to time.


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The Dance-Technology Zone is currently in an archived state. There are plans to create a new site that will be located at dancetechnology.org to combine material from the DTZ with the archives of the dance-tech list as well as new material. For more information, or to offer suggestions, contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com. - Scott Sutherland |
Though the number of creators using technology to enhance or extend their live performances is growing, those actively pursuing these avenues of investigation are sometimes separated by great distances. Our hope is to use the internet to bridge these gaps by creating a resource site with three main objectives. First, to promote research and present thoughtful inquiry into the ways in which the these new tools will effect both process and content. Second, to create an umbrella data service which will provide links to artists and events on (and off) the net. Third, to create a shared resource of practical information and know-how for artists, practitioners and educators who by necessity or choice, are fashioning these new technologies themselves.
DT&Z | Upcoming Events | Artist Links | Critical Theory | Bibliography | Roll Your Own


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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Archaeologists on the island of Crete have discovered what may be evidence of one of the world's first sea voyages by human ancestors, the Greek Culture Ministry said Monday
A ministry statement said experts from Greece and the U.S. have found rough axes and other tools thought to be between 130,000 and 700,000 years old close to shelters on the island's south coast.
Crete has been separated from the mainland for about five million years, so whoever made the tools must have traveled there by sea (a distance of at least 40 miles). That would upset the current view that human ancestors migrated to Europe from Africa by land alone.
"The results of the survey not only provide evidence of sea voyages in the Mediterranean tens of thousands of years earlier than we were aware of so far, but also change our understanding of early hominids' cognitive abilities," the ministry statement said.
The previous earliest evidence of open-sea travel in Greece dates back 11,000 years (worldwide, about 60,000 years — although considerably earlier dates have been proposed).
The tools were found during a survey of caves and rock shelters near the village of Plakias by archaeologists from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Culture Ministry.
Such rough stone implements are associated with Heidelberg Man and Homo Erectus, extinct precursors of the modern human race, which evolved from Africa about 200,000 years ago.
"Up to now we had no proof of Early Stone Age presence on Crete," said senior ministry archaeologist Maria Vlazaki, who was not involved in the survey. She said it was unclear where the hominids had sailed from, or whether the settlements were permanent.
"They may have come from Africa or from the east," she said. "Future study should help."
The team of archaeologists has applied for permission to conduct a more thorough excavation of the area, which Greek authorities are expected to approve later this year.


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The Pentagon continues to investigate the case of Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, accused of leaking sensitive intelligence. The military apparently missed signs that Teixeira was possibly stockpiling guns and preparing for a race war.
Last week Pentagon officials admitted that they only implemented one of six major recommendations to counter extremism in the ranks. And the recent guilty plea of an active dutyMarine who broke into the capital on Jan. 6, 2021, gives the impression that veterans and some military fill the ranks of extremist groups in America.
But those individual cases give the wrong overall impression, according to a new nationwide survey of veterans by the RAND Corporation, a nonpartisan think tank.
"We found that support for extremist groups and also extremist ideologies were lower than what we see in representative surveys of the general public," said Todd Helmus, a senior behavioral scientist at RAND.
Extremist groups recruiting from the military and the veterans community has been on the Pentagon's radar for years. In the wake of the Jan. 6 riots, significant numbers of veterans were charged, and many media reports suggested this was a nationwide phenomenon.
But the actual number of military members and veterans with extremist links turned out much lower than many expected, Helmus says. Still, the narrative had been established.
"Those initial reports spurred a lot of fear and concern," he said. "But no one's actually looked at the numbers."
Below the national average
RAND conducted a national survey of almost 1,000 veterans. One percent of veterans reported support for white supremacy, compared to nonveterans at 7%. Vets voiced support for the far-right Proud Boys at 4%, compared to nonveterans at 9%.
While the vast majority of deadly political violence in America comes from the far right, RAND also surveyed views about Antifa. About 10% of the general public said they support the far-left movement, while only 5.5% of veterans said they support Antifa.
Violent extremist groups do look to recruit veterans for their skill set, Brown says.
"Vets on average seem to be very resilient to those efforts. And so I think that some of the characteristics that draw you to serve your country will help protect against forces that would undermine your country," he said.
Brown and Helmus are not veterans, and said they were pleasantly surprised by the findings. Former U.S. Marine Joe Plenzler was not surprised.
"If veterans are overrepresented in the Jan. 6 mob, it's important to remember that they're also overrepresented in the halls of Congress. They're overrepresented in state legislatures, they're overrepresented in town councils," Plenzler says.
"I think when people put their hand in the air and swear to support and defend the constitution, that oath doesn't end when we leave the Department of Defense," he said. "That's something that the overwhelming majority of us carry with us till the time, you know, we step off this planet."
Plenzler is on the board of a group called We the Veterans. The group recruits vets to fill the nationwide shortage of election poll workers.
"We had a story from a Vietnam veteran in New Jersey. At his polling location a guy walked in with a Biden hat and another guy walked in with a red Make America Great Again hat. He told both of them, politely, to take them off and they did without incident," said Ellen Gustafson, who co-founded the group.
Gustafson says the Vietnam vet who asked the men to take off their partisan hats was wearing a 101st Airborne hat — which is not political, and that's the point.
"There's a lot of people in America who are looking at our military and veteran community as you know, 'woke'," Gustafson said. "And then in another media silo you could easily take away that our military is full of white supremacists. As a military spouse who lives in this community, I know that not to be true."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Nafplion is located in the prefecture of Argolida in the Peloponnese and is one of the most historical cities of Greece and the capital of Greece for many years. Nafplio has a rich history and this is evidenced by the many monuments of the ancient inhabitants as the Mycenaeans, Dorians and Romans. As soon as the visitor arrives in Nafplion Old Town is like a fairy is beautiful and traditional area with guesthouses, small hotels in Nafplion, rooms in the narrow streets of Old Town Nafplion and many cafes and restaurants bustling.
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Do not forget to climb the 857 steps to the Venetian castle Palamidi, which overlooks the city, an experience enjoyed by foreign visitors in Nafplio.


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Tears For Fears - The Seeds Of Love: Remastered - Mercury
The Seeds Of Love is the third studio album by Tears For Fears. The album was released in September 1989, entering the UK Album Chart at no.1 and would be certified Platinum by the BPI within three weeks. In the US, the album peaked at no.8, and was also certified Platinum. The album also reached the top ten in various other countries around the world. The album contained the Singles: Sowing the Seeds, Woman in Chains, Advice for the Young at Heart and Badman�s song, upon release it was seen (and still is) as one of the greatest albums of the 80�s. This Deluxe edition contains not only the original album, but a new 5.1 mix by Steven Wilson which was done in conjunction with Roland Orzabal, as well as all the relevant B-Sides, alternate mixes and around 60 minutes of previously unheard demos and live rehearsals. The set is housed in a shoe box style box (similar to the other 2 releases) with an extensive booklet, with new interviews by Super Deluxe editor Paul Sinclair with the band and other players on the album. It also contains the tour programme of the era as well.
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The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Original Soundtrack) - Decca
Relive the soundtrack from "The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners" VR zombie experience. The gripping complete collection brings to life the horrifying journey through walker-infested New Orleans. This 2-CD set features 56 Bayou-inspired songs and compositions by Michael David Peter & Joshua Mosely, with muddy re-imaginings of songs like "When The Levee Breaks", "In The Pines" and "When The Saints Go Marching In". Immerse and ask yourself: are you a saint or a sinner? �Also available on Red/Green/Clear Smoke colored 3LP with Alternative Cover


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"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."- John Dewey.
From the job market to tertiary education, from UPSR to A-Levels, Education in Malaysia focuses on bringing you the latest news and analysis on our nation's best bet on the future.
Monday, June 02, 2008
JPA Quota Revised
First of all, I'm not exactly elated or jumping for joy at this news, contrary to expectations. Why? I've said many times in this blog that I think that as long as JPA doesn't effectively bond the overseas JPA scholars to Malaysia, I would prefer to JPA overseas scholarship component to be scrapped altogether. It costs Malaysia a few hundred million ringgit a year without any guarantee of returns. Singapore, a far richer country than Malaysia, would never throw hard earned tax dollars at such a scheme which promises very low returns to investment. You can read my previous posts here and here.
So, even if the distribution of this scholarship has become more 'meritocratic' (which I think it will given the new ethnic quota), there is little reason to celebrate if one looks at how our tax dollars are spent in this regard.
That being said, I never thought that I'd see the day when there would be a policy change in such as sensitive area i.e. JPA overseas scholarships. This is a major shift in the thinking of the policy makers, even if it is in one small area of policymaking. For now, I want to avoid the political strategy behind this move (I'll save that for one of my Realpolitik podcasts and Malaysiakini writeu-ps).
If this is an indication that the government is willing to shift the way it make policy especially in the area of higher education and our public universities, then I would certain welcome it.
My underlying assumption here is that the changing of the ethnic quota parallels a move towards moving to a more meritocratic way of policymaking and of promotions and hiring practices, for example. One can argue that this may not necessarily be the case since it is possible that certain Bumis who have better results and so on might lose out to non-Bumis with poorer results. But I think history has shown that most of the time, it was largely qualified non-Bumis who were denied the JPA scholarships rather than the other way round (if not, why have a quota in the first place?).
Hence, there are good reasons to support this policy on meritocratic grounds. Since JPA overseas scholarships won't be abolished anytime soon, I think that this is the best situation one can hope for. (Of course, my preferred solution would be to abolish ethnic quotas completely and offer scholarships on a purely merit base system but this is politically infeasible)
In addition, there is a means tested component now for the JPA overseas scholarships. From what I understand, those scholars who have been shortlisted and whose parents earn less than RM1,500 a month would automatically be awarded the scholarship regardless of race. This is certainly in line with the component of the NEP which is supposed to help the poor in Malaysia, regardless of race. Again, I think that this is something positive.
But one has to recognize that there may be potential costs when one practices means testing. It's something which many people don't want to say because it is not politically correct. Which is if one shortlists top SPM scorers from low income families, the probability of these scholars getting into a top university in the UK or the US is lower than if a top scorer from a middle or upper middle income family were to have been selected.
Before you guys start throwing barbs at me, recognize that I'm stating a well known finding. I'm not saying that someone from a low income family cannot get into a top ranked US or UK university. What I'm saying that the proportion of students who get into these schools who come from middle and upper middle income families is usually higher. If you look at the top schools in the US, even some of the need blind ones and those with very generous financial aid schemes, you'll find that the middle and upper middle income kids form the largest proportion of students. There are many reasons for this - exposure, support from parents, networking effects - which I won't go into but it's something that we should recognize as one of the by products of 'means testing'. Of course, this doesn't mean that many of these kids can't get into a perfectly respectable university. It all depends on what you want the JPA to achieve and who you want it to reward.
I'm flagging this to show the complexity and consequences of different policy decisions. For example, Tony, in a much earlier post, suggested that instead of awarding JPA scholarships after SPM, we should award JPA scholarships after the students have applied to and gotten into a list of pre-approved top ranked universities. This would certainly be much more meritocratic and would award students based on a more explicitly laid out terms and conditions but again, it would be regressive in that it would probably be advantageous to those from middle or upper middle class families. Those who can afford to spend money on books to prepare a student for the SAT not to mention the expensive application process to many of these universities.
Being someone who likes more information rather than less, I think that many of these questions can be partly answered if more information were revealed to researchers, politicians, activists and the public at large. For example, I would love to see the grade distribution of those who obtained the JPA prior to this change in the quota and after the change in the quota. Did the standards for the non-Bumis fall after the quota was relaxed? Did the standards for the Bumis rise for the same reason? Did the means testing have anything to do with this?
What about the kinds of universities and courses which the respective JPA scholars were admitted to? What was the geographical distribution? How many got into top notch universities? Again, what was the correlation between the means tested students and the kinds of universities they got into?
I hope that I've illustrated the complexity involved in trying to evaluate the merits and demerits of such a policy change. The thing that I dislike about certain groups coming out to protest or to support such a policy change is that they only focus on the ethnicity quota issue without delving deeper into some of the other implications such as the poor return on investment, the implications of means testing, the kinds of schools which the scholars get into and the underlying rationale for the JPA (is it to reward good scholars who can get into top schools or those who come from lower income families?). I admit that I'm sometimes guilty of looking at things strictly from a racial lens but I do try not to. And I've certainly tried to in this particular instance.
20 comments:
- TummyBelly said...
Dear Bro Tony,
JPA Quota Revised ?!
Refer to
*** " Racist story in the STAR " ***
Yes ….same old stories again ! Shame on you !
Please be a bit brainy……"Otak udang" ,Ahmad Ikmal
If you do not really contribute to the country, how dare you think of or getting the profit which make by the country ?!
Don't always have the " take " attitude ! Contribute more instead.
10 % , 20 % , 50 % or even more percent scholarships to be given to other qualified Malaysians won't hurt anyone indeed.Moreover they are all Malaysians too . Importantly ,make sure everyone contribute back to the country later with their utmost and sincerity.
What makes you having such narrow and selfish thinking !?
Do you really contribute ?
Think ! Think ! Think ! Otak udang !!!!!!
Contribute first ……before you think of getting some benefits from the country.
The country won't grow without everyone effort and contribution.
Do you really contribute !!!!????
Bear in mind you little "Otak udang" ,Ahmad Ikmal .This country won't be getting better or richer if we are all having the same thinking like you .
Refer to the article
"….Ahmad Ikmal (the Otak Udang) said this meant that scholarships were being taken from the bumiputras to be given to the non-bumiputras ……."
For your information.
We are all bumiputras, difference is we have multi-color bumiputras .
We are all son of the soil from Malaysia.
Like quoted in the article mentioned:
" The quota for non-bumiputras has increased from 10% to 45% but the number of total scholarships has remained at 2,000.
Ahmad Ikmal said this meant that scholarships were being taken from the bumiputras to be given to the non-bumiputras……. "
Do you think so ?
No!!!!!!! No!!!!!!!!!!! No!!!!!!!!!!
Ask yourself, why the Public Service Department(PSD) unable to increase more scholarships ?
Is our country rich enough to increase more scholarships ?
If not ,why your country can not be rich then ?
Do you really contribute ?
Why ? ! Why ? ! Why ? ! Think ! Think ! Think !
Shame on you !
Here is the answer for Ahmad Ikmal(the Otak Udang) and those who are having the same narrow minds like him……….
***** If you want to see this country richer and stronger !
***** Please don't always think of getting from the country !!!!!
***** Contribute ! Contribute ! Contribute !…………
RAKYAT is Bumiputra. Bumiputra is Malaysian. - 6/03/2008 01:32:00 am
To Kian Ming, kudos. Not one mention that ignites racial sentiment. This is indeed an eye opening article and I had fun reading it (Eh, fun?) Yes fun, because I learned a lot from it :)
There are some very valuable points in there, and I dont know whether you write in for any newspapers columns or any editor's letters, etc, but you should! Get your ideas out to the masses and make a difference!
On another note, I do welcome thepostive change for the increase in quota for non-bumis. Our govt waking up, slowly, but we can expect more in the future too. - 6/03/2008 11:46:00 am
Nazri Aziz can come out with any percentages, but how do we know that the figures are true???
Is it part of the BN political ploy to stir up racial sentiment to gain Sympathy???
Unless PSD come out with a detail list, we just say listen for the time firstlah.... - 6/03/2008 01:48:00 pm
already UMNO as come out saying that it is unfair to Malays and many will not get the scholarships. Still the easiest thing to do is to abolish all the quota. And use a merit system. No more 55/45, 30/70 and such.
- 6/03/2008 02:11:00 pm
- Wee Loon ONG said...
I read with disgust the proclamation by UMNO youth education bureau that PSD scholarships for bumiputra were 'robbed' by non-bumi with the increase in quota for non-bumi without increasing the actual number of scholarship. Personally, I reckon 'quota' system should not be there in the first place, but well, we just have to live with this 'quota system' in this country for many years to come. Anyway, that's not what I would like to bring up here.
I am just wondering – everyone seems to be discussing so much about PSD scholarship, but there's also the 'more prestigious' MARA scholarship (for bumiputera) which has never been brought up in the public/ the press (probably due to racial sensitivity). My query is that, do we actually know the number of MARA scholarship awarded each year? There seems to be no data available on that. But from personal understanding (through mingling around with quite a number of MARA scholars), MARA scholarship ways exceeds the number of PSD scholarships. And also, is there any increase in the amount of MARA scholarship awarded over the past few years? And if so, are they parallel with the increase in PSD scholarship? Let's say, if there's an exponential increase in number of MARA scholarship and only a linear increase in PSD scholarship, bumiputera students still gets more and more government (i.e. tax-payers) scholarships even after the increase in quota for non-bumi for PSD scholarship. And that will be just another indirect means of misleading the public that the government scholarship is becoming more 'meritocratic' when there's no transparency regarding statistics on MARA scholarships.
Another auxiliary issues is that, aren't MARA scholarships also paid by tax-payers' money? And if indeed it is, then why isn't there anyone who complains about MARA scholars' not-coming back to serve the country upon graduation. Well, we are all well-aware of the heated discussion of PSD scholar not coming back issues, but from my encounter with the many MARA scholars overseas, I was told that their contracts do not require them to do so (and of course we can't blame the students as they are not contracted to return). I think it might actually shock the public (tax-payer) if they actually know the amount spent on MARA scholars, who are not obliged to serve the country upon graduation.
I know it might be 'sensitive' to question 'Malay supremacy' regarding their 'privilege' to be awarded MARA scholarships (which outnumber the amount of PSD scholarship in addition to the scholars not contracted to return and serve the country when they are also using the tax-payers money), but if Tony or Kian Ming could provide some official data for comparison of PSD and MARA scholarship (thus actual ratio of bumi vs non-bumi government scholar), that will be good.
Thanks - 6/03/2008 06:50:00 pm
kian ming, thanks for raising some issues i hadn't thought of before. personally, i suspect that this raised percentage for non-bumi (assuming it's for real - very skeptical of its application, or how long it will remain) might actually be better than not having any quota. reason: without a quota, all the little napoleans would probably make sure 99% go to malays.
- 6/04/2008 02:15:00 am
The new quota is a political ploy by UMNO to show that they are bending over backwards of course which back and how is it bending is a subject of contention. Secondly, they just want votes from the non-Bumis whom they know are seething with anger with brandishing of real and unreal racial undertones that Malay politicians with the likes of Dr M are so famous for. The flip flop policies of the UMNO government would only make us wonder for how long can they stomach this kind of policy and then bring it back to a discriminatory one for good measure. After all Bumis have never been known to be in a sharing mood and those politicians have made sure that this is exagerated for political votes, leverage and fervour. Already Dr M will be championing Malay rights when people are emmigrating to Mars and Jupiter and can't be bothered about some small peninsular on mother earth. Further, he will champion Malay rights to aliens too and say to them you must assimilate or end up locked up in the gallows. I wonder whether aliens would take kindly to it. Hopefully he doesn't confront one from Ripley's Alien with all the dripping saliva.
- 6/04/2008 03:30:00 am
well of course it's a political ploy. but that's beside the point isn't it. political parties will always have their own agenda, whatever that agenda is. the rakyat's job is don't let them get comfortable. keep forcing them to resort to this sort of political ploy.
- 6/04/2008 05:31:00 am
I think Kian Ming's article has hit the nail on the head - let's not politicise education, especially the awarding of one of the premiere scholarship schemes in the country.
Unfortunately, the barrage of comments that followed the article just reaffirms the government's stand that - as long as they keep as many different people from the different races happy, the scholarship programme is sound.
We need to realise that scholarships ARE NOT POLITICAL TOOLS.
But this dream will only come true when the rakyat stop using words like 'quota' and 'BN' and 'bumiputera' when discussing scholarships but replace these with words like 'achivements' and 'top student' and 'coming back home to serve'.
As Kian Ming rightly pointed out, while we are bickering over percentages, our scholars overseas are feeling the outcome of all this bickering - namely, they are NOT appreciated as the top students in the country, but just as political pawns and therefore feel no need to serve their bonds.
It is time we focus on the REAL issues - and to those who feel aggrieved that they have not received a JPA scholarship, let's not resort to racist name-calling - it serves no purpose whatsoever.
If you believe you truly deserve financial help, look for alternatives.
Because you ARE good enough. - 6/04/2008 10:35:00 am
The return of investment on these top of the top students are of paramount importance, or else we are losing them to the benefits of the advanced countries.
Here are some quick thought to ensure the return of these bright brains:
a) If JPA can't provide a position as they return to Malaysia, at least make conditions that they should work for Malaysian companies for certain numbers of years.
b) The government should consider long term plans to grooming these brains to PhD and give them the priority to be adsorb into the highier learning institutes as lecturers, researchers. This would ensure only top brains in our education systems that would ensure the quality and output of our universities.
c) Plans to establish integrated links between JPA and industrial has to boost up e.g join sponsor of the students. Maybe gornvernment 70%, industrial 30% etc. - 6/04/2008 10:51:00 am
system said...
b) The government should consider long term plans to grooming these brains to PhD and give them the priority to be adsorb into the highier learning institutes as lecturers, researchers.
This won't happen as the deadwood Deans and Heads of department of public highier learning institutes will reject the bright scholars and take in only the 'stupid' ones, else these the bright scholars will make the deadwoods looks like an idiot! - 6/04/2008 02:05:00 pm
I think the statement made by Mr Ikmal is not representative of "UMNO" as a whole. He might be speaking on his own behalf over here, it might not what the majority want. As far as I can see, I dont see other normal Malay folks having an uproar about the quota increase. We welcome it with open arms :)
It's great that slowly the govt are understanding the need to be more flexible when it comes to this. Of course I understand it is not the best thing that would make evryone happy as of yet, but I see it as a good start in the right direction. - 6/04/2008 04:50:00 pm
The recent Korean government undergraduate scholarship given to about seven students intending to pursue studies in Korea showed that even Malays can qualify in open competition with non Malays for scholarship
Time to pull of the crutches....There are Malays that can get scholarship on merit
Revert back to STPM!
Bring back real meaning of meritocracy - 6/05/2008 09:11:00 am
Why is our govt keep sending people to overseas? These people are the cream of the crop, some more!! Why not offer them scholarships to study locally...? Bring back the high standards of our local universities!! Why cant a good policy maker realize that??
- 6/05/2008 09:52:00 am
It is also time to ask those on JPA scholarships who did not get their degrees to pay back to the government. It costs at least RM500,000 (half a million) to send one person for his/her PhD in UK. Sadly, if you check our local universities, there are many who did not make it. They come back and still able to continue working as lecturers in the universities. In the first place, these people are not fit to be lecturers let alone given the scholarship to go overseas to enjoy themselves.
Tony and Kian Meng, please bring this up in the next Parliament session and ask JPA to make a new ruling that people who do not get their degrees should pay back the government. In this way, only those who truly want to work hard and capable will do justice to the scholarship.
Also, those who are on loans, they should also be given incentives to do well. If they get first class or distinction, they should be exempted from paying back their loans. - 6/05/2008 10:55:00 am
Why is our govt keep sending people to overseas? These people are the cream of the crop, some more!! Why not offer them scholarships to study locally...? Bring back the high standards of our local universities!! Why cant a good policy maker realize that??
To: Anonymous (6/05/2008 09:52:00 AM),
That's no different than a close-door policy. How can anyone truly progress without having a reality of the 'outside world'? That individual's idea would be stagnant. Poor cream. - 6/05/2008 09:55:00 pm
- Jerng said...
You thought you'd never see the day? :) Folks like you are always so pessimistic... but I guess that's what drives you to do what you do as activists.
- 6/05/2008 10:36:00 pm
"JPA Quota Revised". Thank to share this news with us. This is quite important new for some peoples.
- 6/06/2008 11:44:00 am
kian ming and tony, does this increasing of quota any effective?
can we take a market survey to see our people take up the scholarship or they still "escape" to better universities like NUS, Cambridge, Harvard on their own? - 6/06/2008 12:47:00 pm
Need to be careful, it could be just a 'spin' by UMNO minister. Do we have to swallow everything they say? We know from past experiences , we do it at our our folly.
Quota or no quota , who cares. Just give it to the one that deserves, if we are sincere about developing our country. Did you guys wondered , why not seen any Bumi candidate with straight A1 crying foul? Semua dapat, if not JPA, then MARA, Petronas, Khazanah, Sime Darby.
Did you also know that only 34 Indians out of the 2000 places were given PSD initially. Surprised yah , i bet. To verify please visit the following blog by Deputy Minister of Federal Territory, YB M Saravanan
http://msaravanan68.blogspot.com/2008/06/psd-scholarships-do-we-have-to-beg-year.html - 6/06/2008 05:54:00 pm


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When I'm working with my six- and seven-figure executive clients, I often notice certain resume hiccups that detract from their main message of value when communicating with hiring authorities. By making some easy and subtle yet powerful changes, executive search candidates can frequently accelerate their interactions with decision makers and expedite their searches.
Here are my top 10 suggestions.
Fix that email address. Nothing will date you faster than an email address that is associated with a company that peaked before the 21st century. Rather than using your prehistoric AOL or Yahoo address, create a Gmail account for your job search activities. Consider it part of the normal technology evolution process. You parted with your rotary phone, fax machine and Blackberry. You can let go of this, too.
List your cell phone rather than your home phone. This is another dinosaur. Even if you still have a home phone, isn't your cell phone the best way to reach you? You want to be available to recruiters and hiring managers quickly; it makes sense to give them the fastest way to contact you.
Eliminate subjective words and descriptions of personal attributes from your resume summary. These words do little to position your value to an employer. Nix words like "seasoned" or "veteran" (translation: old), "high energy" (translation: you sound insecure) and "accomplished" (you'd better be; you're a senior executive). Replace these with a synopsis of career highlights where you helped the companies you supported make money, save money, save time, grow the business or keep the business. Showcase tangible skills (e.g., turned around three companies, led 12 acquisitions, took $6 million of expenses out of the business, etc.) to validate your worth to an employer.
Step out of the 90s and update your resume format. Perhaps the last time you updated your resume, there were few design options. But Microsoft Word has come a long way. Use charts, graphics and color to convey your impact, just like you do in your executive role when you create reports to influence senior management, the board, investors, customers, etc. Decision makers respond well to these visual cues, too.
Get rid of scholarships and honors you earned as an undergraduate. You've been running a multimillion-dollar P&L and achieving incremental growth for your company for years. Is that President's Scholarship or summa cum laude distinction from 1988 really still relevant?
Stop getting caught up in semantics. Sometimes my executive clients feel uncomfortable taking credit for accomplishments that they directed but didn't carry out on their own. As a result, they fail to list some of their most outstanding accomplishments. Hiring managers understand that, in many cases, you had a team behind you to execute on a strategy, but if you feel clarification is necessary, try using language that shows your instrumental role in an initiative, such as, "Created the business transformation strategy that the team executed to reduce costs by $3 million," or, "Hired the C-level talent necessary to optimize the sales process and realize $5 million in new business in less than nine months."
De-bloat your resume. No one is interested in that third page. Three pages don't translate into "accomplished." Instead, they signal, "can't articulate what's most important," "can't let the past go," "insecure that recent accomplishments won't measure up", or "too old (or expensive) to have a place here." Dedicate most of your precious resume real estate to showcasing your last 10-15 years of employment; truncate earlier experiences to one or two accomplishments or simply a list of the early companies/positions to show career progression.
Get your LinkedIn on. Perhaps you were too busy in your last role to jump on the LinkedIn bandwagon, or maybe you thought having a presence there wasn't necessary. If you are in a job search, having a LinkedIn profile is imperative. Don't create a profile that merely lists the companies you worked for and your job titles. Make it rich with specific information about your key accomplishments, build out the skills section to make it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to find you, and link to media mentions or examples of your success where appropriate. Additionally, be sure to engage there. Monitor your feed, make new connections, join groups and comment or share other people's content to deepen relationships and build rapport with important influencers within your professional community.
Make sure the picture is recent. I've looked at people's LinkedIn pictures before a formal meeting with them and then barely recognized the person who showed up for the meeting. Don't make that mistake. Using a picture that is more than 10 years old or no longer looks like you is deceptive and can potentially damage the relationship you are trying to create before it has even started. A little bit of makeup (and yes, even a touch of Photoshop) are fine, but a picture of you taken before the Clinton administration is probably not.
Update your software. If you created your resume on an older version of Microsoft Word (anything before 2003), you risk the chance of sending your document to a decision maker and having it show up on their screen with compromised formatting. Get an updated version of Microsoft Word and then convert your final resume to a PDF to ensure formatting displays consistently from computer to computer.
Spend some time in the coming weeks making these subtle tweaks to your messaging, and watch the interest in your candidacy improve.


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Thought debtor prison ended in the 18th century? Think again.
Editor's note: America has a long history of treating the poor like criminals, from legislation banning the transportation of poor people across state lines to anti-vagrancy laws that could land you in jail if you didn't have a job or a home. We've come to rely on the criminal justice system to deal with the poor, even as more and more Americans fall into poverty. The following is part of a series that looks at the diverse ways poverty is criminalized in America, such as laws targeting the homeless, the surveillance of welfare recipients, the re-emergence of debtor's prisons, and extreme policing tactics like stop-and-frisk.
Kawana Young, a single mother of two kids, was arrested in Michigan after failing to pay money she owed as a result of minor traffic offenses. She was recently laid off from her job, and could not pay the fees she owed because she couldn't find another source of employment. So a judge sentenced her to three days in jail. In addition, Young was charged additional fees for being booked and for room and board for a place she did not want to be. In total, she has been jailed five times for being unable to pay her debts.
Debtor prisons seem to belong in America's past. But if you think the existence of prisons for people who can't afford to pay their debts in the past, think again. Young's ordeal, profiled in an American Civil Liberties Union report, began in 2005, after she was ticketed because she was driving without her license. It all came to a head in 2010, when Young was arrested because she did not pay off all of her debts from traffic violations. That arrest led to the judge ordering Young to jail due to her inability to pay off the money.
A 2010 report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lays out the breadth of this problem. Titled "In For a Penny: The Rise of America's New Debtor Prisons," the report examines how "day after day, indigent defendants are imprisoned for failing to pay legal debts they can never hope to manage. In many cases, poor men and women end up jailed or threatened with jail though they have no lawyer representing them."
Ethan Bronner, a reporter for the New York Times, profiled 31-year-old Gina Ray, who was fined $179 for a speeding ticket. Ray did not show up in court–she says the ticket had the wrong date on it–and her license was revoked. So the next time Ray got into trouble with the law was even worse. She was pulled over, and found to be driving without a license. "By then her fees added up to more than $1,500. Unable to pay, she was handed over to a private probation company and jailed — charged an additional fee for each day behind bars," wrote Bronner.
The phenomenon of debtor prison creates a two-tiered justice system. For poor people unable to pay up money they owe from traffic infractions or other debts, jail becomes home for longer.


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Today's landscape photography post has been written by talented landscape photographer – Derek Forss.
Weather in landscape photography has an influence over the outcome far more than many photographers are willing to take into consideration. 'It's the wrong type of snow' was an infamous gaff made several years ago by a British Rail employee, but looking out of my window in June the same could be true of a 'lovely' sunny day indeed is it the right type of sun?
Take a simple scenario involving our 'lovely' sunny day. Ever tried emulating those 'perfect' shots beautifully lit that adorn calendars and postcards. Easy, you think – then after you! For the shot to work you require a combination of events where no amount of photographic knowledge or superior camera will save you.
Understand How the Elements in a Landscape Interact
I am always keen to point out that Landscape Photography is about understanding how the elements interact with that landscape to produce a stunningly lit scene. It is also a matter of timing! One has to work with weather, not against it and whilst understanding the basics of photography is essential, in the end it is simply a question of being in the right place at the right time. I have never fully understood the boast of waiting hours, sometimes days, for a particular shot. What a waste of time! One is tempted to ask 'have you never heard of the weather forecast'? For most of my shots I waited 1/125 second.
The Weather Forecast on BBC has never recovered from the infamous 'hurricane' of 17 October 1987. Forecasting has certainly improved since then but presenters on BBC are constantly fighting against having to give the nations weather within a couple of minutes! This becomes a serious problem in an area like the Yorkshire Dales. In describing the progress of a weather front the forecaster might make a distinction between west and east of the Pennines as they themselves can influence the behaviour of the front, but the Dales are in the middle so which will be the right forecast for you?
Watch Local Weather
Watching the local forecast after the national helps to clarify matters, but the above scenario is often the reason why at times the local forecast appears to contradict the national. If one is serious about weather then like photography you need to have some additional knowledge of weather patterns. Most people watching a weather forecast are seeking an 'instant' answer, rather like using a compact camera or a computerised camera only on program. In both cases photographers need to be a little more informed, otherwise you end up with is a compromise and if it works, that is largely luck.
Luck Through Opportunism
None of my photographs are achieved through luck, but luck through opportunism does have a part to play. Throughout my work, but firmly in the background, is the traditional approach to photography – you know, f-stops, shutter-speeds, depth-of-field and so on. It is part of my soul but I am never aware of their presence, otherwise it is like asking a pianist to explain how he plays a complicated piece of music from memory! Next comes knowledge of subject – oh yes, it is a good idea to know on which side of the Pennines you are, because top of the list is weather. The mere presence of a landscape that you are trying to photograph is probably the reason why the sun won't come out from behind that cloud – even though it has been shining a mile down the road for the last hour – because a nearby hill is contributing its own very localised effect to the weather pattern. Discipline is also important in landscape photography and when exercising that requirement it is best achieved without anyone else in tow. Wherever possible before a shoot I will watch the weather forecast with an avidness similar to others watching 'Eastenders'. In doing so one builds-up a knowledge of weather behaviour, so when a weather presenter on BBC talks about low-pressure accompanied by strong winds, you have a clearer understanding than most how this could affect the appearance of a landscape for photography.
I won't make a move until I get the right signals from the BBC weather forecasters and through experience one can often predict quite successfully what will happen over the next few days, later one hopes to be confirmed by the experts. This is absolutely important if the subject that I am commissioned to photograph is hundreds of miles away from home. So when I step into my car it could be raining, but by the time I arrive at my goal, working with weather really means that the time taken to achieve success is closer to 1/125 second than several days!
Following that success I would not wish to give the impression that I then suddenly dash off to some other location (although occasionally the terms of a contract will mean that), or dissolve into the nearest hostelry. Having arrived at the right time one obviously capitalises on success and like any other photographer, look at the subject in greater depth – but wasting time by not understanding first one of the fundamental issues of landscape photography is not in my book.
If plans go pear-shaped then you are likely to end up with the wrong type of sun. Timing in landscape is its most critical element and sometimes the difference between success and failure can be less than five-minutes – no time to muck about with a tripod, better to lose that than the picture. The soothsayers pontificate about a landscape not running away, but the lighting that lifts the artistic interpretation above commonplace most certainly can! Much of our weather comes off the Atlantic Ocean and is the reason why the eastern side of the British Isles is often dryer than the west. But it is not as simple as that. A weather front from that direction is often preceded by high cirrus cloud. It is light and looks quite innocuous, but once in front of the sun it mutes the colour intensity radiating from the scene. Ideal possibly for garden photography where deep shadows are otherwise a curse on a strongly lit day, but for landscape you have indeed ended up with the 'wrong type of sun', and a very flat looking photograph.
The speed at which a weather front crosses the country will vary; it can also ground to a halt and even go back. High pressure ensuring dry weather in summer is not necessarily a good thing as it traps pollutants creating heat-haze. This is no good for the big view whereas an unstable air-stream courtesy of low pressure will present a much more exciting scenario of dramatic lighting and rainbows, particularly in winter. Coupled to this is the expectation of getting wet, even soaked to the skin. If you are prone to dashing back to the car at the merest hint of precipitation then I am sorry, landscape photography is not for you. Even I could make a case for meaningful photography from a lay-by (an interesting challenge in itself), but 'real' landscape photography is often miles from the nearest highway.
Equipment and Weather
I have avoided mentioning too much about equipment, because really it doesn't matter. If you understand the basics of photography and conduct some research first before making a long journey, then a compact camera costing £100 is just as affective as a digital camera costing £2,000 when working with weather.
When lecturing I am often asked about the amount of photographic equipment I take on a shoot, to which I reply 'as little as possible'. At times we get besotted by numbers, particularly in digital where it seems that the higher the number, the better it must be! If my work means a 15-mile hike I will often take just a standard lens or a zoom over the middle range. A fit person should be capable of hand-holding a camera at 1/125 second and by using basic photographic knowledge such as the hyperfocal distance, create reasonable depth-of-field. I therefore regard a tripod as effective as dragging a ball and chain across a landscape and have emptied my filters over Beachy Head as products of failure and deceit. I am not a religious person, but I do regard the British weather as my divine spirit provided that you remember that it won't wait for you. True, photographic equipment is not perfect, but nature is closer to that perception and a far better companion. Why make apologies when weather is so often the true answer and one that a non-photographic audience understands better than some funny work in camera or on a computer. When that audience recognises that your images are for 'real' and as close as you are likely to get, they will appreciate your honesty even if others think the system is flawed. 'Naïve' you think – better this way than trying to hoodwink an audience who in the end know a landscape much better than you and therefore realise what true artistic landscape photography is really all about.
See Derek's Photography at derekforss.com
Table of contents
Landscape Photography
- 5 Tips for Setting the Focus in Your Landscape Photography
- Time for Landscape – Weather and Landscape Photography


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This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.
When you're picking a restaurant or a hotel or a car you might want to buy, it has become so easy to go online, do research, compare and make the best choice. Not so when you're doing something far more important - like picking the right doctor. But in coming months, the government will be releasing more information about doctors.
In a first step, the Obama administration has now released detailed accounts of what the Medicare program pays out to individual doctors, records that had been closed for more than three decades. The data is from 2012, when $77 billion went to more than 880,000 health care providers under Medicare.
To understand how this and other information to come might empower patients, we turned to Charles Ornstein. He's a senior reporter at ProPublica - a non-profit investigative reporting news organization.
Charles, good morning.
CHARLES ORNSTEIN: Hi, David.
GREENE: So this data that's been released, what exactly does it show us?
ORNSTEIN: Well, this is a sort of a milestone moment. For the first time, we are able to see how much Medicare, which is a huge government program, is paying individual doctors and what services they're performing for patients who are in this program - the seniors and disabled patients who rely on Medicare for their health care.
GREENE: These records that we're getting, I mean they don't give us a full picture of a doctor's practice. So help me, as a patient and other patients, understand what exactly we can infer, what we can learn that we might not have been able to in the past.
ORNSTEIN: Well, just taking a step back, I mean think about it right now, when you're trying to pick a doctor, how do you do that?
GREENE: Mm-hmm.
ORNSTEIN: You look for a doctor that's near your house. You ask your friends and neighbors for recommendations. You may go to Yelp or Healthgrades to see what other people rate them. And if you're really, you know, adventurous, you may check to see if they've been disciplined by their medical board. But if you want to, sort of, see more than that, you want to see are they good doctor; there's been little you can do. So this begins - along with some other data - to tell you and to fill in those blanks. It can tell you whether your doctor's doing things that other doctors who are like him are not really doing. And once you begin to analyze it and look, for example, do every single one of a doctor's patients receive a particular test or procedure when only a quarter or 10 percent of another similar doctor's patients received that? I would then want to ask my doctor some questions.
GREENE: What you're talking about there, at least if I see a disparity, even if I don't necessarily understand what it means at the outset, I can start asking some questions.
ORNSTEIN: Exactly. We have some experience with this at ProPublica, where we took a look at the way that doctors prescribe drugs in Medicare's drug program. And what we found is huge, huge differences - differences in how doctors prescribe narcotics, differences in how doctors prescribe drugs that have been labeled dangerous for seniors. So when you actually begin comparing doctors to one another, that's where it gets really interesting.
GREENE: OK. So this data we're getting, it's going to tell us the types of procedures doctors are doing. It's also going to be telling us how much money doctors are receiving from Medicare. And that has been the focus of a lot of the early stories that have been coming out about this release.
ORNSTEIN: Right. Well, it should come as no surprise that some doctors make a lot of money.
ORNSTEIN: So I don't know that I'm blown away by this. And the Medicare program pays some doctors more than others. Now that could be a function of the fact that some doctors primarily treat Medicare patients and others have a more balanced mix of patients that come from private insurance plans, or Medicaid or pay out of their own pockets. So the money itself, in terms of raw numbers, doesn't really do much for me, but it does show why this is important for it to be released is this is a lot of public money and we deserve to know where it goes. But just seeing that a doctor makes a lot of money doesn't, to me, indicate that I should avoid that doctor or that I should suspect that doctor of doing something wrong.
GREENE: Charles Ornstein, you say there's going to be a lot of raw data here, how much Medicare money doctors are receiving, what sorts of procedures they're doing, but we're also expecting more information to be coming out from the government in the months ahead that could paint an even better picture of doctors, Right?
ORNSTEIN: Right. This is really exciting, that we're on the cusp of having just a flood of information. Beginning this fall, the government's going to be releasing data from every drug and medical device company on how much they pay physicians for things like speaking, and consulting, and research and meals. So you can see and begin to draw and looking at the drugs that doctors prescribed and who pays them in the types of procedures that they're doing and if they have relationships with makers of devices for those procedures, you can begin drawing connections. And I think the smart media outlets and other research groups that are able to connect these dots and make it in a way that's actually useful for consumers, that's where you're going to see consumer empowerment.
GREENE: Charles Ornstein from ProPublica, thanks very much, as always.
ORNSTEIN: Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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News this week of slightly unusual patent rights being granted for "a urinal-based games console", which does seem to be an actual invention rather than just a terrible misunderstanding of how a Wii-mote is used.
The MMOG potential is obvious, venues such as stadiums offering the potential for 10, 25, perhaps even 40 man raids, though the duration would need to be tweaked slightly to under a minute rather than 18 hours. As for a suitable IP for the game setting, well, there's only one option, isn't there?