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Digital India abroad: India's foreign policy and digital rights
A report by
Anja Kovacs & Saikat Datta
Introduction #
Since the late 2000s, the subject of human rights in the context of the Internet has gained increasing prominence on the international agenda1. First introduced in the UN Human Rights Council in 2008, consideration within the UN system began in earnest with the Internet-focused 2011 report of the then UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Mr. Frank La Rue. This opened the way for a number of resolutions related to the Internet and human rights in the UN Human Rights Council. In more recent years, and especially since the Edward Snowden revelations on illegal espionage activities by US intelligence agency NSA, the UN General Assembly, too, has acknowledged the importance of human rights online and has touched on or addressed challenges in this regard in a growing number of resolutions. With the highest body of the UN system paying close attention as well, human rights on the Internet have formally become a part of the UN agenda (see Brown 2013 and 2014).
As the largest democracy and one of the largest Internet user bases in the world – facts that India takes, justifiable, pride in – it would be easy to expect India to play an active and even defining role in these debates. But has it indeed fulfilled this expectation? And what can be done to make India a stronger ally in the global debate on the Internet and human rights?
In this short paper, we will first outline India's contributions to the global Internet rights debate. We will then examine the drivers of its foreign policy on these matters. Finally, we will assess what strategies can be helpful for Internet rights advocates if they want to have India as a stronger ally on their side.
India and the Internet rights debate at the global level #
As a scan of the various Internet rights-related resolutions that have been passed at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) and the UN General Assembly (GA) in the past few years makes clear, India's voice in the debate on human rights and the Internet has been somewhat muted.
Importantly, India was one of the co-sponsors of the groundbreaking UN HRC Resolution 20⁄8, on the 'Promotion, Protection and Enjoyment of Human Rights on the Internet', in 2012 – the first ever resolution in the UN system to be specifically devoted to the subject of human rights and the Internet. But it did not join the more than seventy co-sponsors to support the amended version of the resolution, Resolution 26⁄13, two years later. In fact, when China, supported by others, sought to bring in an amendment to the resolution that would weaken it by leaving a loophole for online censorship counter to both the intent of the resolution and international standards, India didn't vote against it but merely abstained (Article 19 2014).
Moreover, despite disclosures based on top secret documentation revealing that India was the fifth-most targeted country for the NSA in addition to being used as a Special Collection Site to target other entities (Greenwald and Saxena 2013), India did not co-sponsor recent UN resolutions relating to privacy and surveillance in the digital age, be it at the Human Rights Council or at the General Assembly2. Nor did India co-sponsor various resolutions at the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly that touched on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association online3 or on the Internet-related human rights of specific groups, such as journalists4, women 5, human rights defenders 6 or civil society7.
This is not, however, to say that India hasn't been involved in important resolutions that touch on Internet-related human rights at all. Apart from Resolution 20⁄8, India also co-sponsored UN General Assembly (GA) Resolution 68⁄243, which for the first time noted the importance of respect for human rights when using ICTs in the context of international security. India has also been known to take an active role in the negotiations around the resolution for information and communication technologies for development, which is generally sponsored by the Group of 77 and China8.The latter resolution deals with a wide range of Internet rights-related issues, many touching on digital inclusion and social, cultural and economic technology-related rights.
Outside of the multilateral processes of the UN, India's record of support has been similarly uneven. For example, India reportedly declined to become a member of the Freedom Online Coalition, a partnership of 24 governments from the developing and developed world working to advance Internet freedom, despite having been invited explicitly by its initiators.
At the same time, however, India has acknowledged the importance of respecting human rights on the Internet in several multistakeholder Internet governance fora. For example, India mentioned freedom of expression and privacy and consumer rights as crucial Internet issues that need addressing today in its October 2013 submission to the UN CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation. This Working Group was tasked with bridging the gap between those who believe that multistakeholder approaches as they exist today serve Internet governance well, and those who seek greater government involvement. In that same submission, India also drew attention to the importance of multilingualization, and the affordability, reliability and quality of service, especially in developing countries9.
Similarly, in its submission to NETmundial, a global multistakeholder meeting to discuss the future of Internet governance, India stated that the 'same rights that people have offline must also be protected online', in addition to asking all stakeholders to commit to multilingualization and the 'development of locally relevant information, applications and services that will benefit developing countries and countries with economies in transition'10. The language on online and offline human rights in India's submission to the NETmundial was taken verbatim from UN HRC Resolution 20⁄8.
What a close examination, thus, reveals is a pattern in which India does voice support for the promotion and protection of human rights on the Internet, but generally shies away from expanding on the importance of civil and political rights, such as freedom of expression and privacy. Instead, where it goes in detail, its focus seems to be resolutely on economic, social and cultural rights. Why this divide?
Historical drivers of India's foreign policy #
It would be easy to surmise that it is India's domestic agenda that drives its reluctance to speak out on issues such as privacy and freedom of expression on the Internet. Research has shown that India's cybersecurity concerns have indeed emerged as a crucial factor in determining its global policy on Internet governance (Kovacs 2014). But as others have also pointed out, India's 'attempts to deal with some of the concerns relating to material of [the] Internet which it considers problematic and potentially a threat to security has been frequently criticised' from within the country11. It is by now fairly well-known that India is already experimenting and building its internal surveillance systems without putting the appropriate strong safeguards in place, such as strong horizontal privacy protections in law, and parliamentary and/or judicial oversight and audit mechanisms12. In fact, as the Hindustan Times reported, intelligence agencies have been insisting that any future Privacy Bill in India should not cover their activities (Sharma and Tikku 2013). Similarly, various provisions of India's Information Technology Act (Amended), 2008, have come under attack for their chilling effect on freedom of expression. India's Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments on the constitutionality of Section 66A and Section 79 of the IT Act in particular13. Section 66A criminalises a broad range of free speech online while Section 79 concerns Internet intermediaries' liability for speech acts of their users.
The rights and security-related challenges that India, like many other countries, is grappling with at home in the new context dictated by the Internet, thus might well affect its foreign policy. But an analysis of India's stances at international fora in general indicates that there is a rationale endemic to its foreign policy at play as well. Two linked aspects that have marked India's foreign policy for more than two decades now are of particular importance. The first is India's aspiration for greater global stature and recognition, exemplified by its pursuit of a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. The second is the pre-eminence in its foreign policy of not human rights or democracy — although India values both greatly – but of the principle of sovereignty.
The latter has not always been the case. When India gained independence, it soon became clear that the state would put its might behind a hope to create a new language of human rights that was international and not bound by considerations of sovereignty. Thus, for example, in 1952, India helped steer an agenda at the United Nations that protested the introduction of apartheid in South Africa and the violation of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms that this entailed14. India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was looking, it has been argued, for a pathway to create a new 'One World' that would adequately establish and reflect global human rights norms through the fledgling United Nations. Thus, Nehru has been said not to have been in favour of sovereignty that could block a global defence of human rights. Instead, he was described as a 'universalist' for whom 'national self-interest was not a narrow self-centred concept, but one in which there was no incompatibility with the interests of other nations' (Rao 2009).
While the position taken by Nehru continued to dominate India's foreign policy for several decades, a change began to emerge, however, in the early 1990s. Scholars like Dr. C. Raja Mohan, the head of Strategic Studies at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation (ORF) (and co-contributor to this volume) have mapped this significant change in India's foreign policy. C. Raja Mohan said: "In 1948, when the United Nations declaration for human rights was being drafted, Nehru was clearly for a greater internationalism. That changed post 1991 as India began to grapple with charges of human rights abuse while tackling the rising insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir. In many ways this single event has continued to leave a deep impact on India's foreign policy ever since15." The change, as Dr. C. Raja Mohan points out, has ensured a decisive shift away from the 'internationalism' and global standard for human rights to a new language of sovereignty. India's interventions are based on the principle that 'a call for human rights must not lead to interference in internal affairs'.
The pre-eminence of the principle of sovereignty in India's foreign policy received a further fill-up as its aspirations to be recognized as a global leader also became increasingly pronounced during the same period. If India was not to alienate, in this quest, any of its potential allies among the G77 countries, an emphasis on sovereignty, rather than human rights, made further strategic sense. India's strategic relationships with China, Russia, arguably Iran and also its neighbours in South Asia can be considered of particular importance in this respect. As the authors of an influential report on India's foreign policy have noted: "Our approaches to international law, international norms are overly inhibited by anxieties about the potential implications that our commitment to certain global norms may have for our options in the neighbourhood" (Khilnani 2012).
Impact on India's foreign policy as related to digital rights #
Where India's stances on matters related to the Internet are concerned, these two, linked tendencies of its foreign policy have had important consequences in two different ways.
First, they explain the contrast between India's relatively muted voice in many of the Internet rights related discussions that address civil and political rights on the one hand, and its much more active promotion of economic, cultural and social rights on the other. Advocacy with regards to the former in particular is often seen as a Western agenda; where digital rights are concerned, the announcement with much fanfare by then US Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton, in January 2010, that a fairly narrowly conceived 'Internet freedom' was to be an explicit objective of the US foreign policy agenda did little to disavow such perceptions. Now that India seeks to expand its influence in the international community, as before, its preoccupation with the principle of sovereignty precludes it from taking any position that could make it appear a handmaiden to an interventionist Western agenda16. In contrast, the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights has been high on the agenda of developing countries in particular for long, not in the least because they see these as tied so closely with the right to development. For many of India's strategically important partners, the promotion of development is more palatable than that of democracy, as it again avoids the need to comment on the political structure of other states, thus promoting the principles of non-interference and sovereignty17.
There is, however, a second, equally important though perhaps somewhat more circuitous way in which the driving forces of India's foreign policy affect the field of Internet rights – and this time one that is more specific to this area. They have also led India's foreign policy establishment to reject the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance, which it believes currently largely serves the interests of the US and its allies. Instead, India's diplomatic corps has been pushing proactively for a multilateral approach to Internet governance, with governments being the primary, and perhaps sole, arbiter of 'national interest'. The best-known illustration of this is India's proposal, introduced in the UN General Assembly in 2011, to constitute a UN Committee for Internet-Related Policies (CIRP)18. The proposal wanted to set up a 'UN-like body' to govern the Internet, a multilateral body that will consist of '50 member states of the United Nations, chosen/elected on the basis of equitable geographical representation'. It was meant to provide 'equitable representation of all UN Member states, in accordance with the established UN principles and practices'. Clearly, the emphasis was on giving a seat to governments at the high table, while other stakeholders were to be reduced to mere 'advisory roles'.
While this particular proposal failed to get much traction and thus seems to be off the table for now, the push for greater government control over Internet issues within the framework of the sovereign state continues to guide most of India's foreign policy on this matter. Thus, for example, in the first half of 2014, India negotiated UN GA Resolution A/RES/68/302 on the 'Modalities for the overall review by the General Assembly of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society' to its conclusion on behalf of the G77 and China19. Considered by many in civil society as a step backwards vis-à-vis the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) processes themselves, the resolution firmly enshrines the overall review as an 'intergovernmental negotiation process', which promises to take inputs from all other stakeholders but does not define, or even so much as outline, the process for doing so.
As the goal of greater control over Internet governance processes – inspired by the larger goals of asserting sovereignty and achieving greater recognition of India's status and leadership – has become such an important objective of India's foreign policy, it is now becoming increasingly clear that any support for human rights will, at least for now, have to be subservient to it.
This makes more intelligible, then, India's active involvement in resolutions such as resolution A/RES/69/204, discussed earlier, related to information and communications technology for development. Importantly, this resolution does not only highlight, in its operative part, a whole range of issues that are crucial for development in the era of ICTs, it also contains, in its introductory paragraphs, numerous references that support India's agenda regarding the global Internet governance architecture. In fact, when India made a statement in the UN GA Second Committee, where the resolution was under discussion, it explicitly highlighted the value it attached to both the development and Internet governance aspects of the resolution, stressing again, even in this context, its belief in multilateralism as the way forward for Internet governance as well as re-emphasizing the satisfaction it felt at the outcome of the negotiations for the modalities of the WSIS20. It also explains, for example, why India could not agree to the NETmundial outcome document, which, while paying considerable attention to human rights, also firmly embraced multistakeholder Internet governance but remained mute about multilateral options and involvement. In fact, officials from the Ministry of External Affairs who have attended the conference are believed to have questioned whether it is useful for India to attend such conferences at all. In India's foreign policy agenda, the promotion and protection of human rights for now remains subordinate to broader strategic goals.
Implications for advocacy regarding the Internet and human rights #
What are the implications of all this for human rights advocacy in the digital context?
Though India is likely to continue to be receptive to initiatives addressing economic, social and cultural rights in a wide range of fora, getting the country on board to actively support a broader rights agenda that also addresses issues such as privacy and freedom of expression online will need careful consideration and will likely not be effective unless India's strategic concerns are taken into account in any strategy (see also contributions by Sachdeva and by Pai & Singh in this volume).
For one thing, such a strategy might prefer to start by focusing more on regional (e.g. the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, SAARC) and cross-regional (e.g. BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) fora, where the risk of a rights agenda being seen as a Western one is smaller, rather than on the traditional UN processes. If we see a multiplication of policy institutions in the world today, it is precisely because rising powers like India are not convinced that the existing ones serve their strategic interests best. More than the UN, it is arguable institutions such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation where much of the initial alignment of the countries involved on issues such as cybersecurity happens. Rights advocacy will need to recognize this reality.
Perhaps as importantly, however, is that any strategy will have to take into account India's positions on the debate on the architecture of Internet governance – not by discarding multistakeholderism, which improves the chances that the voices of human rights defenders are heard, but by actively promoting a reform of the system so that it becomes genuinely reflective of the concerns of stakeholders around the world.
At the global level, a variety of measures to improve the inclusiveness, transparency and accountability of the multistakeholder system are required. Proposals could include the carving out of specific spaces and moments for multilateral decision making on specific issues (for example to find greater resolution to jurisdictional issues), embedded within a multistakeholder landscape. They could also involve greater involvement of organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in particular aspects of Internet governance (for example through collaborations with organisations such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN) with decision making requiring a rough consensus among all those involved. While such proposals today are easily dismissed, Internet rights advocates who are concerned with improving human rights records worldwide might have a stake in considering them more carefully. If India's concerns are not being taken more seriously soon, it is likely that India will look to bilateral fora to address its main Internet-related concerns, many of which, as mentioned, focus around cybersecurity. In bilateral fora, the possibilities for human rights advocates to influence outcomes generally are even smaller than they are in intergovernmental processes at the UN.
As importantly, however, Internet rights advocates will also need to pay attention to the national level. It is by developing stronger mechanisms within India for multistakeholder participation in policy making around the Internet, that domestic voices that promote and protect human rights have the greatest chance of being heard and of impacting related policies in the shorter term. While foreign policy is often remarkably disconnected from what happens within a country, a strong multistakeholder model within India could re-establish that connection. At the same time, as a consensus among Indian stakeholders on particular issues is being built, the Indian government will also have a far larger circle of ambassadors for its ideas than just its bureaucrats, as stakeholders from India participate in a considerably wider range of fora on a consistent basis than the government is able to do. A strong multistakeholder system within India thus also strengthens India's position in multistakeholder models of Internet governance as they currently exist at the global level.
The promotion and protection of human rights in the context of the Internet, the strengthening of multistakeholderism at the national level, and its reform at the global level are intimately intertwined.
List of references #
Article 19 (2014). 'UNHRC rejects attempts to dilute Internet freedoms'. Article 19, Statement, 26 June. Available at: https://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/37602/en/unhrc-rejects-attempts-to-dilute-Internet-freedoms.
Brown, D. (2013). 'UN Human Rights Council discusses surveillance and other Internet issues at 24th Session'. Access, 16 September. Available at: https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2013/09/16/un-human-rights-council-discusses-surveillance-and-other-Internet-issues-at.
Brown, D. (2014). 'Digital Rights and the UN: Recent and upcoming UN resolutions'. Access, 11 June. Available at: https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2014/06/11/Digital-rights-and-the-UN-recent-and-upcoming-UN-resolutions.
Greenwald, G. and S. Saxena (2013) 'India among top targets of spying by NSA', The Hindu, 23 September. Available at: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-among-top-targets-of-spying-by-nsa/article5157526.ece.
Khilnani, S., R. Kumar, P. Mehta, P. Menon, N. Nilekani, S. Raghavan, S. Saran, & S. Varadarajan (2012) Nonalignment 2.0: A foreign and strategic policy for India in the twenty first century, New Delhi: Government of India. Available at: http://www.cprindia.org/research/reports/nonalignment-20-foreign-and-strategic-policy-india-twenty-first-century.
Kovacs, A. (2014). 'Is reconciliation of multistakeholderism and multilateralism in Internet governance possible? India at NETmundial', Internet governance: Global South Perspective Series (2) "NETmundial: Reflections from Brazil, India and Kenya" (edited by L. Kaspar), pp. 17 – 24.
Rao, P.V. Narasimha (2009), 'Nehru and Non-Alignment'. Mainstream, 47(24). Available at: http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article1399.html.
Sharma, N. and A. Tikku (2013). 'Spy agencies, IB and RAW, put spanner in proposed privacy law', Hindustan Times, 2 November. Available at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/spy-agencies-ib-and-raw-put-spanner-in-proposed-privacy-law/article1-1146418.aspx.
The research on which this paper is based was made possible with the support from Global Partners Digital. ↩
See e.g. A/HRC/DEC/25/117, A/RES/68/167 and A/RES/69/166. ↩
See e.g. A/HRC/RES/21/16 and A/HRC/RES/24/5. ↩
See e.g. A/HRC/RES/21/12, A/RES/68/163 and A/RES/69/185. ↩
See e.g. A/HRC/RES/23/2 and A/RES/68/181. ↩
See e.g. A/HRC/RES/22/6 and again A/RES/68/181. ↩
See e.g. A/HRC/RES/24/21. ↩
For the most recent resolution on this topic, see A/RES/69/204. ↩
Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations Office (2013). 'Contribution to the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations Office'. UNCTAD, Geneva, 9 October. Available at: http://unctad.org/Sections/ un_cstd/docs/WGEC_IndiaMission.pdf. ↩
Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (2014). 'Government of India's initial submission to Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance, Brazil, April 23 – 24 , 2014'. NETmundial, Sao Paulo. Available at: http://content.netmundial.br/contribution/government-of-india-s-initial-submission-to-global-multistakeholder-meeting-on-the-future-of-Internet-governance-sau-paulo-brazil-april-23 – 24-2014/138. ↩
CCAOI (2014) A study on the Indian perspective on Internet governance, 16 April, p. 20. Available at: http://www.ccaoi.in/UI/links/topnews_detail.php?id=11. ↩
For an overview of India's surveillance initiatives, see SFLC.in (2014) India's surveillance state. Available at: http://sflc.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SFLC-FINALSURVEILLANCE-REPORT.pdf. ↩
For an analysis of section 66A of the Information Technology Act, see Kovacs, A. (2014) Regulating social media or reforming Section 66A? Our Recommendations to the Law Commission of India. Internet Democracy Project, New Delhi, August. Available at: http://internetdemocracy.in/reports/regulating-social-media-or-reforming-section-66a-our-recommendations-to-the-law-commission-of-india/. ↩
'Statement by Mrs. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Chairperson of the delegation of India, introducing the item on apartheid in the Ad Hoc Political Committee of the General Assembly', 12 November 1952. Available at: http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=4971. ↩
Personal interview, New Delhi, January 2015. ↩
For a recent example of an intervention in which India stresses the importance of sovereignty in the context of a human rights debate, though not specifically addressing digital rights, see Statement by Mr. Mayank Joshi, First Secretary, on Agenda Item 68: 'Promotion and Protection of Human Rights' (b) Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights an fundamental freedoms © Human rights situations and reports of special Rapporteurs and representatives at the Third Committee of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, 29 October, 2014. Available at: https://www.pminewyork.org/pages.php?id=2043. ↩
In fact, where Internet rights are concerned, India generally seems more involved with UN GA resolutions that come out of its First and Second Committees, rather than the Third Committee. It is the Third Committee, on social, humanitarian and cultural affairs, that is generally considered the natural home for human rights resolutions at the General Assembly. The First Committee deals with disarmament and international security, while the Second Committee covers economic and financial matters. ↩
'India's Proposal for a United Nations Committee for Internet-Related Policies (CIRP). Statement by Mr. Dushyant Singh, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, India, on Agenda Item 16: Information and Communications Technology for Development.' 66th Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, 26 October 2011. Available at: https://cdn.internetdemocracy.in/idp/assets/downloads/2014/07/India-UN-CIRP-Proposal-at-UNGA-2011.f1616343760.pdf. ↩
Statement by Ambassador Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Permanent Representative of India to UN, during Adoption of Resolution on Modalities for Overall Review of Implementation of Outcomes of the WSIS during 68th Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, 31 July 2014. Available at: https://www.pminewyork.org/pages.php?id=1956. ↩
Statement by Ambassador Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Permanent Representative of India to UN, on Agenda Item 16: Information and Communications Technologies for Development, at the Second Committee of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly, New York, 13 October 2014, https://www.pminewyork.org/pages.php?id=2016. ↩


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The Annotated American Gods (Hardcover)
Destined to be a treasure for the millions of fans who made American Gods an internationally bestselling phenomenon, this beautifully designed and illustrated collectible edition of Neil Gaiman's revered masterpiece features enlightening and incisive notes throughout by award-winning annotator and editor Leslie S. Klinger.
A perennial favorite of readers worldwide, American Gods tells the story of ex-con Shadow Moon, who emerges from prison and is recruited to be bodyguard, driver, and errand boy for the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday. So begins a dark and strange road trip full of fantastical adventures and a host of eccentric characters. For, beneath the placid surface of everyday life, a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and Shadow is standing squarely in its path.
This annotated volume of the Author's Preferred Text features analysis from Leslie S. Klinger. His trenchant commentary identifies gods and supernatural beings, elucidates key phrases, and shows how Gaiman built his award-winning novel, giving readers unparalleled insight into the story and into Gaiman's creative process and authorial decisions. Carefully chosen illustrations complement and illuminate the narrative.
About the Author
Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author and creator of many beloved books, graphic novels, short stories, film, television and theatre for all ages. He is the recipient of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, and many Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. Neil has adapted many of his works to television series, including Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett) and The Sandman. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and Professor in the Arts at Bard College. For a lot more about his work, please visit: https://www.neilgaiman.com/
Praise For…
"American Gods manages to reinvent, and reassert, the enduring importance of fantastic literature itself in this late age of the world. Dark fun, and nourishing to the soul." — Michael Chabon
"Provocative yet fun . . . Gaiman has applied his vast breadth of knowledge about all things mythological to a truly high concept." — Entertainment Weekly
"Gaiman returns to the fertile killing ground that nourished The Sandman: that peculiarly American crossroads where pop culture intersects with religion, violence and death." — Village Voice Literary Supplement
"Immensely rewarding . . . . Suffused with . . . powerful imagery and deftly painted characters . . . . A finely crafted novel of weight and significance [with] poetic descriptions, sharp-eyed criticism, and first-rate storytelling. There is much to enjoy, to admire, and to ponder in this unforgettable tale." — Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Pointed, occasionally comic, often scary, consistently moving and provocative . . . . American Gods is strewn with secrets and magical visions." — USA Today
"Mystery, satire, sex, horror, poetic prose-American Gods uses all these to keep the reader turning the pages." — Washington Post
"Original, engrossing, and endlessly inventive." — George R. R. Martin
American Gods is sexy, thrilling, dark, funny and poetic." — Teller, of Penn & Teller
"American Gods is like a fast run downhill through a maze -- both exhilarating and twisted." — Jane Lindskold, author of Changer and

subset: commoncrawl


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Apollo 15
Mission Insignia | |
Missing image Apollo-15-LOGO.jpg Apollo 15 insignia | |
Mission Statistics | |
Mission Name: | Apollo 15 |
Call Sign: | Command module: Endeavour Lunar module: Falcon |
Number of Crew: | 3 |
Launch: | July 26, 1971 13:34:00 UTC Kennedy Space Center LC 39A |
Lunar Landing: | July 30, 1971 22:16:29 UTC 26° 7' 55.99" N - 3° 38' 1.90" E Hadley Rille |
Lunar EVA length: | LM Stand Up: 33 min 7 s 1st: 6 h 32 min 42 s 2nd: 7 h 12 min 14 s 3rd: 4 h 49 min 50 s Total: 18 h 34 min 46 s |
CMP EVA: | 39 min 7 s |
Lunar Surface Time: | 66 h 54 min 53.9 s |
Lunar Sample Mass: | 77 kg (170 lbs) |
Splashdown: | August 7, 1971 20:45:53 UTC Template:Coor dm |
Duration: | 12 d 7 h 11 min 53 s |
Number of Lunar Orbits: | 74 |
Time in Lunar Orbit: | 145 h 12 min 41.68 s |
Mass: | CSM 30,370 kg; LM 16,430 kg |
Crew picture | |
Missing image Apollo_15_crew.jpg Apollo 15 crew portrait (L-R: Scott, Worden and Irwin) Apollo 15 crew portrait (L-R: Scott, Worden and Irwin) | |
Apollo 15 crew |
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fourth mission to land on the Moon. It was the first of what were termed J missions — long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been on previous missions.
Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin spent three days on the Moon and a total of 18½ hours outside the spacecraft on lunar extra-vehicular activity. The mission was the first not to land in a Lunar mare, instead landing near Hadley rille. The crew explored the area using the first Lunar Rover allowing them to travel much further from the Lunar Module lander than had previously been possible. They collected a total of 77 kg (170 lbs) lunar surface material.
At the same time Command Module Pilot Alfred Worden orbited the Moon, using a Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) to study the lunar surface and environment in great detail using a panoramic camera, gamma ray spectrometer, mapping camera, laser altimeter, mass spectrometer, and lunar sub-satellite that was launched at the end of the mission.
Contents |
Planning and training
The crew for Apollo 15 had previously served as the backup crew for Apollo 12. There had been a friendly rivalry between that prime and backup crew on that mission, with the prime being all Navy, and the backup all Air Force.
Originally Apollo 15 would have been an H mission, like Apollos 12, 13, 14. But on September 2, 1970, NASA announced it was cancelling what were to be the current incarnations of the Apollo 15 and Apollo 19 missions. To maximize the return from the remaining mission, Apollo 15 would now fly as a J mission and have the honor of carrying the first Lunar Rover.
One of the major changes in the training for 15 was the geology training. Although on previous flights the crews had been trained in field geology, for the first time 15 would make it a high priority. Scott and Irwin would train with Lee Silver, a Caltech geologist who on Earth was interested in the Precambrian. Silver had been suggested by Harrison Schmitt as an alternative to the classroom lecturers that NASA had previously used. Among other things, Silver had made important refinements to the methods for dating rocks using the decay of uranium into lead in the late 1950s.
At first Silver would take the prime and backup crews to various geological sites as if it was just a normal field geology lesson, but as the time of launch began to approach, these trips became more and more realistic. The crews would begin to wear mock-up of the backups they would carry and communicate using walkie-talkies to a CapCom in a tent (during a mission the Capsule Communicators, CapComs, were the only people who would normally speak to the crew). With the CapCom would be a group of geologists who did not know the area and would have to rely on the astronauts descriptions to interpret the area.
The decision to land at Hadley came in September 1970. The Site Selection Committees had narrowed the field down to two sites — Hadley Rille or the crater Marius, near which were a group of low, possibly volcanic, domes. Although not ultimately his decision, the commander of a mission always held great sway. To Dave Scott the choice was clear, with Hadley, being "exploration at its finest".
Command Module Pilot Al Worden also undertook geology training, but of a different kind. Working with an Egyptian, Farouk El-Baz, he would fly over areas in an airplane simulating the speed at which terrain would pass below him while in the CSM in orbit. He became quite adept at making observations as the object travelled below.
The Lunar Roving Vehicle, or the Rover, had been in development since May 1969, with the contract awarded to Boeing (who also were the lead contractors for the S-II second stage of the Saturn V). It could be folded into a space 5 ft by 20 in (1.5 m by 0.5 m). Unloaded it weighed 460 lbs (209 kg) and when carrying two astronauts and their equipment, 1500 lbs (700 kg). Each wheel was independently driven by 1/4-horsepower electric motor. Although it could be driven by either astronaut, the Commander always drove. Travelling at speeds up up to 6 to 8 mph (10 to 12 kph), it meant the for the first time the astronauts could travel far afield from their lander and still have enough time to do some serious science.
The Saturn V that launched Apollo 15 was designated SA-510, the tenth flight-ready model of the rocket. Apollo 15 used Command/Service Module CSM-112, which was given the callsign Endeavour, named after the HM Bark Endeavour and Lunar Module LM-10, callsign Falcon, named after the United States Air Force Academy mascot. If Apollo 15 had flown as an H mission it would with CSM-111 and LM-9. The CSM was used by the Apollo Soyuz Test Project and the Lunar Module was unused and is now on display at the Kennedy Space Center.
As the payload of the rocket was greater, changes were made to it launch trajectory and Saturn V itself. The rocket was launched in a more southerly direction (80–100 degrees azimuth) and the Earth parking orbit lowered to 166 km (90 nautical miles) above the Earth's surface. These two changes meant 1100 pounds (500 kg) more could be launched. The propellant reserves were reduced and the number of retrorockets on the S-IC first stage reduced from eight to four. The four outboard engines of the S-IC would be burned longer and the center engine would also burn longer before being shutdown (see Saturn V for more information on the launch sequence). Changes were made to the S-II second stage to stop pogo oscillations.
On the Lunar Module, the fuel and oxidizer tanks were enlarged on both the descent and ascent stages and the engine bell on the descent stage was extended. Batteries and solar cells were added for increased electrical power. In all this increased the weight of the Lunar Module to 36,000 pounds (16,330 kilograms), 4000 pounds (1800 kg) heavier than previous models.
Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center had many problems with the SIM bay. It was the first time it had flown and experienced problems from the start. Problems came from the fact the instruments were designed to operate in zero gravity, but had to be tested in the 1 gee on the surface of the Earth. As such things like the 7.5 m booms for the mass and gamma-ray spectrometers could only be tested using railings that tried to mimic the space environment, though never worked particularly well. When the technicians tried to integrate the entire bay into the rest of the spacecraft, data streams would not synchronize and lead investigators of the instruments would want to make last minute checks and changes. When it came time to test the operation of the gamma-ray spectrometer it was neccesary to stop ever engine within 10 miles (16 km) of the test site.
Once all the various components had been installed on the Saturn V, it was moved to the launch site, Launch Complex 39A. During late June and early July 1971, the rocket and Mobile Service Structure were struck by lightning at least four times. All was well however, with only minor damage suffered.
Outward journey
- The following is a brief overview of the Apollo 15 mission. For more in-depth information, see each the main article for each section.
Main article: Apollo 15, Outward journey
Launching at at 9:34:00 am EST on July 26, 1971, Apollo 15 would take four days to reach the Moon. After spending two hours in orbit around the Earth, the S-IVB third stage of the Saturn V was reignited to send them to the Moon.
During the retrieval of the LM from its stowed position below the CSM, a light came on the control panel that indicated the valves of the Service Propulsion System were open and the engine should be firing. A short was found in a switch that controlled on the redundant valves for the engine. New procedures were developed to deal with this. During their first inspection of the LM, Scott and Irwin found that the glass cover of a tapemeter had broken forcing them to clean up the glass shards least they breathe them in.
On the fourth day they entered into lunar orbit and prepared for lunar descent.
Solo operations
Main article: Apollo 15, solo operations
During the three day explorations of the Moon by Scott and Irwin, Worden had a busy schedule of observations. Apollo 15 was the first mission to carry the SIM bay, which contained a panoramic camera, gamma ray spectrometer, mapping camera, laser altimeter and mass spectrometer. Worden had to operate the shutter and lenses on the camera and turn on and off the various instruments. During the coast back to Earth, he would perform an EVA to retrieve film cassettes from the cameras.
Lunar surface
Main article: Apollo 15, Lunar surface
Apollo 15 was the first mission to perform three EVAs on the lunar surface. After landing, Scott removed the top hatch of the LM to perform a site survey and get a brief overview of the surrounding areas. The first EVA took the crew on the Rover to the base of Mount Hadley Delta. Back at the LM the crew started the deployment of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP). Scott had extreme difficulty drilling the holes for the heat-flow experiment, forcing him to have to come back the next day to complete the task.
The second EVA again to Scott and Irwin to the base of Mount Hadley Delta but they went up its slope. Here they found the Genesis Rock. Returning to the LM, Scott completed the heat flow holes and began on a core sample which once again was extremely difficult to drill. He was once again forced to leave it for the next day.
The difficulties with the core sample meant the cancellation of the traverse to the North Complex. The crew still travelled to the edge of Hadley Rille. Returning to the LM for the last time, Scott dropped a falcon feather and his geology hammer to show that in gravity fields, the mass of the object does not affect the rate at which is falls.
Return to Earth
Main article: Apollo 15, Return to Earth
After lifting off from the lunar surface, Falcon and Endeavour rendezvoused and docked. After transferring across the lunar samples and other equipment, Falcon was jettisoned. It would fire its rocket engine to cause it to impact the lunar surface.
Apollo 15 spent one more day in lunar orbit, continuing the observations of Worden. After releasing a subsatellite, they ignited their Service Propulsion system to put them on a trajectory back to Earth. The next day, Worden performed an EVA to retrieve the film cassettes from the SIM bay cameras.
The twelfth day in space was uneventful, with Mission Control holding a press conference where the astronauts were asked questions submitted by the news media. On their 13th and final day they prepared for reentry. During descent one of their parachutes failed, meaning they landed under only two.
The stamp controversy
After a highly successful mission, the reputation of the crew was tarnished somewhat by a deal they made with H. Walter Eiermann. Scott had carried 398 First-Day Covers in his spacesuit. Eiermann had said give each astronauts US$7000 in the form of savings accounts in return for the having the covers signed after they had returned from the Moon. He told them that he would not advertise or sell the covers until the end of the Apollo program.
Scott sent 100 of these covers to Eiermann, who was in Stuttgart, Germany. Eiermann then passed them onto a stamp dealer Herman E. Sieger. Seiger proceeded to sell the covers for an average price of US$1,500 in a public sale in Germany. On hearing this news, Scott contacted Eiermann and asked that the sale be stopped. The crew also decided against receiving any money from Eiermann. NASA took possession of the remaining 298 covers.
All three crewmembers were formally reprimanded and their official Efficiency Reports as military officers changed to reflect a formal finding of lack of judgment.
Other minor controversy centered around two timepieces, a watch and stopwatch, carried by Scott. He had agreed to evaluate the timepieces for the manufacturer at the request of a friend. Thinking they might be useful, particularly for the possible emergency timing of a manually controlled propulsion maneuver, Scott carried them on the mission but without prior authorization.
One final controversial event happened after the flight. The crew had contacted sculptor Paul Van Hoeydonck to create a small statuette so that they could personally commemorate those astronauts and cosmonauts who had lost their lives. The small aluminium was left on the Moon. They made an agreement with Van Hoeydonck that no replicas were to be made. After mentioning the statuette during their post-flight press conference, the National Air and Space Museum contacted the crew to see if they could get a replica made for the museum. The crew agreed as long as it was done with good taste and without publicity. Van Hoeydonck was contacted to make the replicas. In May 1972 Scott learned that Van Hoeydonck planned to make more replicas and sell them. Van Hoeydonck could not be presuaded not to and 950 replicas were sold for $750 apiece at the Waddell Gallery of New York.
Template:Multi-video start Template:Multi-video item Template:Multi-video item Template:Multi-video item Template:Multi-video item Template:Multi-video item Template:Multi-video item Template:Multi-video item Template:Multi-video end
- David Scott (flew on Gemini 8, Apollo 9, & Apollo 15), commander
- Alfred Worden (flew on Apollo 15), command module pilot
- James Irwin (flew on Apollo 15), lunar module pilot
Backup Crew
The backup crew trained to take the place of the prime crew in case of illness or death.
- Dick Gordon, commander
- Vance Brand, command module pilot
- Harrison Schmitt, lunar module pilot
Support Crew
The support crew were not trained to fly the mission but were able to stand in for astronauts in meetings and be involved in the minutiae of mission planning, while the prime and backup crews trained. They often also served as capcoms during the mission.
Mission Parameters
- Mass:
- Launch mass: 2,921,005 kg
- Total spacecraft: 46,782 kg
- CSM mass: 30,354 kg, of which CM was 5840 kg, SM 24,514 kg
- LM mass: 16,428 kg, of which ascent stage was 4971 kg, descent stage 11,457 kg
- Earth orbits: 3 before leaving for Moon, about one on return
- Lunar orbits: 74
Earth parking orbit
- Perigee: 169.5 km
- Apogee: 171.3 km
- Inclination: 29.679°
- Period: 87.84 min
Lunar orbit
- Perilune: 107.4 km
- Apolune: 314.8 km
- Inclination: 154°
- Period: 119 min
- Landing Site: 26.13222° N - 3.63386° E (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunar_sites.html) or
LM-CSM Docking
- Scott - Stand up EVA - LM upper hatch
- Start Stand Up EVA: July 31, 1971, 00:16:49 UTC
- End Stand Up EVA: July 31, 00:49:56 UTC
- Duration: 33 minutes, 07 seconds
- Scott and Irwin - EVA 1
- EVA 1 Start: July 31, 1971, 13:12:17 UTC
- EVA 1 End: July 31, 19:45:59 UTC
- Duration: 6 hours, 32 minutes, 42 seconds
- Scott and Irwin - EVA 2
- EVA 2 Start: August 1, 1971, 11:48:48 UTC
- EVA 2 End: August 1, 19:01:02 UTC
- Duration: 7 hours, 12 minutes, 14 seconds
- Scott and Irwin - EVA 3
- EVA 3 Start: August 2, 1971, 08:52:14 UTC
- EVA 3 End: August 2, 13:42:04 UTC
- Duration: 4 hours, 49 minutes, 50 seconds
- Worden - Transearth EVA 4
- EVA 4 Start: August 5, 1971, 15:31:12 UTC
- EVA 4 End: August 5, 16:10:19 UTC
- Duration: 39 minutes, 07 seconds
See also
- Chaikin, Andrew (1994). A Man On The Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts. Viking. ISBN 0670814466.
- Harland, David M. (1999). Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions. Springer/Praxis Publishing. ISBN 1852330996.
- NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (1972). Apollo 15 Preliminary Science Report. Scientific and Technical Office, NASA.
- Apollo 15 Flight Journal (http://history.nasa.gov/ap15fj/). Retrieved on June 17, 2005
- Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a15/a15.html). Retrieved on June 17, 2005
- Apollo By The Numbers: A Statistical Reference by Richard W. Orloff (NASA) (http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_08a_Summary.htm). Retrieved on June 17, 2005
- Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/ch20-6.html). Retrieved on June 17, 2005
- Apollo 15 (http://www.astronautix.com/flights/apollo15.htm) in the Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved on June 17, 2005
- Apollo Program Summary Report (http://history.nasa.gov/apsr/apsr.htm). Retrieved on June 17, 2005
- NSSDC Apollo 15 page (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo15info.html). Retrieved on June 17, 2005
- NASA (September 15, 1972). Articles Carried on Manned Space Flights (http://www.collectspace.com/resources/flown_a15_articlescarried.html). Press Release.
- Sieger Flown Moon Covers (http://www.spacephilatelics.com/suchap3-32.html). Retrieved on June 18, 2005
da:Apollo 15 de:Apollo 15 et:Apollo 15 it:Apollo 15 fr:Apollo 15 hu:Apollo-15 nl:Apollo 15 fi:Apollo 15 pt:Apollo 15


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According to the Hebrew site Kipa Israel agreed last Monday to pay 162 million shekels as reparation payments to Yemenite families for the abuses they suffered under the guise of health care.
According to Janglo.net
For the first time ever, the Israeli government has taken responsibility for the mysterious disappearance of up to 5,000 mostly Yemenite immigrant infants and toddlers in the state's early years and will pay the families compensation for their loss.
The scandal has been an open sore in the psyche of thousands of families from both Yemen and the Balkans, whose young children were forcibly taken from them when they fell ill in the tent camps set up to house the myriads of refugees that flooded the state in the late forties and early fifties.
Many times, the parents were not allowed to go see them in the hospital, and then they were told that the children had died and the authorities had buried them, instead of providing the families with the bodies. Eventually, the suspicion arose that the children had recovered but in an organized, secret initiative, they were given to better-off Ashkenazic families for adoption.
Some of the reparations money will go to families, where the children actually died but never received information about the death at the time. Larger sums of money will go to families whose children's fate is unknown.
For more about this crime see: Now That Solid Evidence Has Surfaced For The Yemenite Baby Kidnapping Scandal – Some Establishment Figures Are Looking To Cleanse the Name of Rabbi Uzi Meshullam, Z"L Who Was Sent To Prison During His Fight To Expose the Scandal


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Managing a capital budget can be tough in the best of times – let alone during a global pandemic.
Inaccurate forecasting of costs and timings are common ways a business can experience uncertainty and financial risk.
That's why renting instead of paying outright for capital items, like warehouse floor cleaners, can help free your cash and resources for other expenses.
Accountants and CFOs need steering
While accountants and CFOs might not be the primary owner of capex budgets, they are still significant stakeholders in the overall management and use of cash within a business.
That's why they need your knowledge as a warehouse or operations manager to help them maximise their capital budget.
And if you can talk to them in a language they understand, then you'll be in a better position to negotiate for the capital expenditure you need to manage your facility efficiently and improve productivity.
Consider renting equipment for greater financial certainty
If you don't think the number crunchers in your company are likely to agree to a large capital expense such as buying cleaning equipment outright, bring them the option of renting the machines you need to improve efficiency and productivity in your warehouse or logistics depot.
A fixed-term rental agreement provides certainty. You'll have fixed payment amounts that include scheduled servicing and operator training. You won't have to deal with getting machines repaired if they break down. At Conquest, we also provide operator training as part of our rental agreements. Your staff will be trained by the people who know the machines inside and out, and at your premises. Your staff will learn to use the equipment in the environment where they'll be cleaning.
By ticking the repairs, maintenance and training boxes, you're building a fantastic business case for your company's accountant or CFO. We've got their objections covered.
Fully tax-deductible rental payments
If you're not purchasing warehouse cleaning equipment outright, then being able to claim every rental payment as an expense is also a significant cost-saver in the long term.
Conquest has flexible options and an extensive range of cleaning machines to suit the needs of your warehouse. There's virtually no risk when it comes to hiring cleaning equipment from Conquest.
Need advice?
If you need some help putting together a business case that will steer your company's accountant or CFO in the right direction, we're here to help.
Talk to one of our friendly team members who will help you navigate the best way to maximise your EOFY opportunities and beyond.
Terms and Conditions
* This advice is of a general nature. Please speak to your tax professional for guidance tailored to your situation.


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Lion of Judah Size of canvas : 700 X 1000 mm Contact us for arrangement with payment: |
Hos_5:14 For I will be to Ephraim like a lion, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear in pieces and go away. I will carry off, and there will be no one to deliver. |
Home | About | Art Gallery | Achievements/Publications | Exhibitions | Links | Contact © 2023 Artofkleyn.co.za Images are copyright of the artists and may not be reproduced or used in any manner without permission |


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Chili Piper is advanced scheduling software. It helps business-to-business revenue teams increase productivity and conversion rates. Sales teams can better connect to leads, provide better customer service, and convert them into revenue.
Established in 2016, the Chili Piper company strives to invent better solutions to common problems. It has reinvented the meeting lifecycle. It automates all processes, so teams work smarter and get more out of your pipeline.
This article will discuss features and Chili Piper reviews to see whether or not this product is for you.
Chili Piper Overview
Chili Piper is a suite of automated scheduling tools. These tools help sales teams convert leads into qualified meetings.
One of their products allows prospective clients to book a meeting or initiate a phone conversation after submitting a web form. Chili Piper uses advanced rules to qualify and distribute the phone call to the right sales rep in real-time.
Chili Piper also helps revenue teams automate messages and other necessary actions before, during, and after meetings. It accompanies the sales team every step of the way, from capturing to scheduling, preparing, following up, and reporting.
It eliminates manual scheduling for consistent engagement and increased productivity. Chili Piper helps businesses grow by creating a hassle-free way to engage with consumers.
Who Should Use Chili Piper?
Chili Piper is built for sales teams that need to make fast conversions.
Minimizing the time it takes to capture leads and schedule meetings is crucial. And Chili Piper is well-equipped to reduce this time.
Who Uses Chili Piper?
Chili Piper's clients typically work in computer software and internet technology. Computer software companies make up 41% of Chili Piper's client base.
Some top-performing companies using it include:
- Spotify
- Square
- Twilio
- Intuit
- Gainsight
- Expedia
Chili Piper Pricing
While Chili Piper charges for its four products separately, they also offer a bundle.
Its products include Instant Booker, Concierge, Events, and Distro.
- Concierge qualifies and routes your leads to CTAs via web forms
- Instant Booker arranges team meetings with prospects
- Events automates in-person meetings
- Distro is a lead routing software
Concierge charges both user license fees and a platform fee.
User licenses = $30 a month
Spicy platform fee= $150 a month
Hot platform fee= $400 a month
Inferno platform fee= $1,000 a month
It is important to note that the Spicy platform doesn't include live phone and video call routing.
Instant Booker:
Spicy plan= $15 per user a month
Hot plan= $25 per user a month
Both of these plans include CRM integrations and advanced scheduling functions.
User licenses cost $20 a month, and the platform fee is $250 a month.
The Distro software costs $20 per user per month
The bundle:
Users can bundle the Concierge and Distro software for $40 per user and a $150platform fee per month.
Now let's discuss the features of each tool.
Chili Piper's features revolve around the sales process and scheduling meetings. Its features are divided into three primary categories: meetings, events, and inboxes.
Chili Piper boasts features that schedule client meetings. In fact, it offers a host of tools that makes this process faster.
The following tools create an outstanding scheduling process:
Instant Booker
The Instant Booker feature, a Chrome extension, allows fast and efficient meeting organization. Instant Booker enables users to schedule meetings with one simple click, eliminating the need for back and forth messages.
The process is simple. You send an email to your customer with available meeting time slots. With one click, the customer selects the preferred time slot and confirms the meeting.
The Concierge feature is an automated version of the Instant Booker. When you receive a qualified lead, Concierge automatically sends a form with suggested meeting times based on the sales rep's online calendar and timetable.
Thus, it turns leads into instant meetings. Chili Piper reviews say that this feature doubles converted leads.
Distro is a routing software that instantly assigns leads to sales reps. It includes round-robin assignment and lead-to-account matching. This routing function saves time and onboards leads faster.
Chili Piper users can choose all three of these features or a combination thereof.
The event app arranges in-person meetings and creates a unique booking link for each sales rep to avoid conflicting appointments. Alternatively,you can utilize a booking system similar to the Instant Booker.
The app seamlessly finds available meeting spaces for group meetings. It matches the number of attendees to the venue so you can organize meetings hassle-free. And it sends automated meeting reminders to all invitees.
Chili Piper will soon offer an inbox feature. This feature is an integrated email and chat system that will streamline client inquiries' replies. The inbox feature uses the @ function to transfer emails to the right person for the right response.
It will also offer:
- full email and conversation history
- text highlighting
- synchronization with all major email and messenger systems for full cross-border reach
Chili Piper uses the latest security measures to protect customer data. Their website has a section detailing the exact security systems in place.
Security measures like:
- secure OAuth connection between Chili Piper and connected calendar apps
- encryption of sensitive data at rest and in transit
- hosts data in separate,secure databases
- users privacy options
- users own their data
Chili Piper Reviews
Positive Chili Piper Reviews
It is very well suited for anyone looking for a scheduling tool that integrates directly with Salesforce and/or Marketo or other marketing automation platforms. Especially if you need to route to teams based on different regions or other criteria."
"The best part of Chili Piper is the booking links and meeting types. It is very easy to customize your meeting type for the needs of your team."
"Chili Piper is well suited to schedule prospects and/or clients with ease. Hyperlinking to emails or social media platforms such as LinkedIn provides more flexibility for both the sender and the person receiving the link. For example, if a prospect is not responsive to email, it could be sent via LinkedIn messaging."
"Chili Piper is being used across the whole organization. I use the tool to schedule calls with prospects on behalf of my account executives. It addresses calendar/scheduling for the entire organization. For example, customer success teams utilize it to meet with current clients to discuss customer complaints and/or positive feedback. Very easy to use."
"I appreciate how seamlessly Chili Piper integrates within Gmail & Google Calendar. It syncs with my calendar, so meetings are only scheduled when I am available and during my office hours. It's easy for clients to book meetings and, on the back end, the user dashboard is intuitive."
Negative Chili Piper Reviews
"The UI isn't always the most intuitive, but the awesome support team is great at jumping in to answer questions and help me clarify any workflows. I always end up with a great solution."
"No meeting templates or different snippets – invites are generic to the team. When rebooking and after selecting the meeting type, I have to edit the snippet in the actual invite."
"I think there are some features missing that can really help with routing. For one, I hope there is more options/flexibility in the queues. Ownership queues do not take different salesforce fields (customer status) into consideration."
"The lack of customization on the admin side. The fact that I can't order assigned meeting queues once they have been established just seems silly."
"As this software is newer and our business is quite complex, not all the features that we have required have been readily available. With that said, the Chili Piper product team has worked with us each time to develop the feature that we need."
"The need for support assistance to simply sign-in was obnoxious."
The conclusion from Chili Piper reviews
Chili Piper reviews reveal a decent software for companies.
Needless to say, the automated features save a lot of time and streamline the scheduling process. Not only do they save your sales team's time, but they also double the number of converted leads. The meeting and event organization apps are a welcome bonus.
Unfortunately, it lacks customization and flexibility, which makes it challenging to adapt this software to a complicated business. However, Chili Piper's mission is to invent solutions to meet your goals. So, its outstanding customer support team may be able to devise a solution specific to your needs.
What other people are saying
Whenever there's a review page, you always see positive opinions about that app. But, what about the negative opinions?
Let's see what others are saying:
Get an even better app to use
Staying organized has never been easier.
You can now manage your business and grow your brand with a single, powerful software that keeps all of your appointments in line, your clients organized and your business booming.
Trafft is perfect for business owners who need to streamline their booking experience both for their staff and their clients.
Trafft handles everything for you, even sending automated email or SMS reminders to your clients. No-shows? Not anymore!
The Trafft booking software adapts to different industries for a blissful online booking experience and employee management.
Want to know more? Check out Trafft's awesome features to see what you are missing.
If you enjoyed reading this article about Chili Piper reviews, you should read this one with Doodle alternatives.
We also wrote about a few related subjects like Booksy vs Vagaro, Calendly vs Setmore, Setmore vs Acuity, vcita alternatives, Setmore reviews, Simplybook.me reviews, and Calendly reviews.


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During a GameCenter CX and Iwata Asks crossover, Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata revealed that he joined the gaming world based on his faith in computers.
"You see, I believed computers were going to change the world," Iwata told GameCenter CX host Shinya Arino.
"My first interest was computers. At the time, there were no personal computers, so the very first computer I bought was a calculator — a calculator capable of programming. It only displayed numbers, but with a calculator that only displays numbers, I somehow made games and played them with friends."
While Iwata attended college, the Space Invaders boom took over, and Iwata's interest for making fun games grew. After graduation, Iwata took a job working at a small development company.
"The first company I worked for was HAL Laboratory," said Iwata. "It was a tiny company. When I began there, I was one of only five workers."
Eventually, Iwata learned of Nintendo's plans to release a game console. Although he had never programmed Famicom games, he approached and was hired by Nintendo.
"I told them, 'I think I could program Famicom games, so please let me program for the Famicom,'" Iwata said.
The full interview is available with English subtitles, thanks to the team over at SomethingAwful.


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The accumulation and classification of routine product cost data are very important and time-consuming tasks. Cost accumulation in general is the organized collection of cost data via a set of procedures or systems. Cost classification is the grouping of all manufacturing costs into various categories in order to meet the needs of management.
A figure indicating the total cost of production provides little useful information about a company's operations, since the volume of production (and therefore cost) varies from period to period. Thus, some common denominator, such as unit costs, must be available in order to compare various volumes and costs. Unit cost figures can be readily computed by dividing the total cost of goods manufactured by the number of units produced. Unit costs are stated in the same terms of measurement used for units of output, such as cost per ton, per gallon, per foot, per assembly, and so on.
A periodic cost accumulation system provides only limited product cost information during a period and requires quarterly or year-end adjustments to arrive at the cost of goods manufactured. In most cases, the additional ledger accounts needed are simply added to a financial accounting system. Periodic physical inventories are taken to adjust inventory accounts to arrive at the cost of goods manufactured. A periodic cost accumulation system is not considered a complete cost accumulation system since the costs of raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods can only be determined after physical inventories are taken. Because of this limitation, periodic cost accumulation systems are generally used only by small manufacturing companies.
A perpetual cost accumulation system is a vehicle for accumulating product cost data, through the three inventory accounts, that provide continuous information about raw materials, work-in-progress, finished goods, cost of goods manufactured, and cost of goods sold. Such cost systems are usually very extensive and are used by most medium and large manufacturing companies.
The first step in comprehending a periodic cost accumulation system is to understand the flow of costs as goods pass through the various stages of production. The flow of costs in a manufacturing company, under a periodic cost accumulation system, is shown in Figure. The cost of goods put into production (direct materials + direct labour + factory overhead) plus the cost of work-in-process inventory is subtracted from the cost of goods in process during the period. The cost of goods manufactured plus beginning finished goods inventory equals the cost of goods available for sale. When the ending finished goods inventory is deducted from this figure, the cost goods sold results. The total operating costs can now be computed by adding selling, general, and administrative expenses to the cost of goods sold.


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Discover Louis Vuitton Men's Fall Winter 2019.20 advertising campaign captured in Japan by fashion photography duo Inez & Vinoodh. In charge of styling was Christine Centenera, with art direction from Be Good Studios, and casting direction by Taka and Samuel Ellis Scheinman. Beauty is work of hair stylist Takuya Sugawara, and makeup artist Kanako Takase. Stars of the campaign are Eliot Moles le Bailly, Malick Bodian, Nat Gregory, Rio Thake, Takato Harashima, Trystin Valentino, and Wellington Grant.
This is part one of Louis Vuitton Men's FW19 campaign, stay tuned for part two captured by Japanese photographer Kenta Coboyashi.


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Wizz Air opens base at Kutaisi / 7 new routes
Wizz Air announced today, 17 February 2016, that it will open the base on David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport starting September 2016. An aircraft will be allocated Airbus A320 and will add seven new routes to Europe.
Wizz Air will launch new races twice a week from Kutaisi to Berlin Schönefeld, Munich Memmingen, Milan Bergamo, Dortmund, Larnaca and Sofia, while flights between Kutaisi and Thessaloniki will be performed three times a week. With these new destinations, the Wizz Air network from Georgia reaches 11 routes to eight countries. Prices start at 24.99 EUR.
Kutaisi, famous for its gardens and tree-lined streets, is Georgia's second-largest city. The ruins of the Bagrati cathedral, built in the 11th century, are the most important attraction. They are part of the UNESCO protected heritage. Wizz Air started operations in Kutaisi on 11 and carried more than 2012 passengers during this time.
Details on announcing the base were revealed by Dimitri Kumsishvili, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and Owain Jones, Chief Corporate Officer at Wizz Air at a press conference held today in Tbilisi.
Ruta | Day | It starts from | * Rates |
Kutaisi - Berlin | Monday Friday | 23 September 2016 | 39.99 EUR |
Kutaisi - Munchen Memmingen | Monday Friday | 23 September 2016 | 39.99 EUR |
Kutaisi - Milan Bergamo | Wednesday, Sunday | 25 September 2016 | 39.99 EUR |
Kutaisi - Dortmund | Wednesday, Sunday | September 25, 2016 | 39.99 EUR |
Kutaisi - Thessaloniki | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday | September 24, 2016 | 29.99 EUR |
Kutaisi - Larnaca | Thursday, Saturday | September 24, 2016 | 24.99 EUR |
Kutaisi - Sofia | Thursday, Saturday | September 24, 2016 | 29.99 EUR |
Owain Jones, Wizz Air Chief Corporate Officer "We are pleased to be involved in the economic development of Kutaisi, not only in terms of culture and tourism, but also of business and production. Wizz Air believes that investing in Georgia through an A320 aircraft and local crew will benefit the Georgia market and Wizz Air. We know the importance of accessible air transport for the economic development of a region, which was the indirect result of WIZZ operations on all bases. Opening a base here underscores our commitment to providing the people of Georgia with quality services at low prices to more and more cities across Europe. "
Dimitry Kumsishvili, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy & Sustainable Development of Georgia said: "Following a fruitful and extensive collaboration, we are proud to welcome the opening of Wizz Air, one of the largest low cost carriers in Europe, to Kutaisi International Airport, the first low cost airport in the region. We are confident that Kutaisi International Airport will be a successful and efficient base for Wizz Air operations that will support Georgia's tourism development and provide new opportunities for Georgians to travel to Europe at affordable prices. The Wizz Air base will create new job opportunities for industry professionals and will have a positive impact on the aviation industry as a whole. "
Recently, Wizz Air has been named by Air Transport World the most valuable airline of the year (Value Airline of the Year) for its success in 2015.


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Bio & Career
Trish Morrissey (born Dublin, now lives in the UK) works with photography, film and video. She has exhibited in solo and group shows nationally and internationally and her work is in major collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum and Michael Wilson Center for Photography. Recent projects include Ten People in a Suitcase for Touching from a Distance, Gösta Serlachius Fine Art Foundation, Mänttä, Finland (2015) (for which she was a shortlisted for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2015); and Face the Collections, a residency and exhibition with Bettina von Zwehl at Bohuslän Museum, Sweden (2016). Morrissey has been Artist in Residence at Hestercombe during 2017.
Photography books by Trish Morrissey
- 2017 A Certain Slant of Light, Somerset: Hestercombe Gallery
- 2009 Front, Bradford: Impressions Gallery
- 2004 Seven Years, Bradford: Impressions Gallery
Photography books with contribution by Trish Morrissey
- 2017 PYLOT magazine issue No.7 Autumn
- 2012 Exit Image and Culture, The Beauty Issue
- 2012 Photography and Ireland by Justin Carville, Exposures
- 2011 Sleek Art and Fashion, XX XY issue
- 2011 L'Insensé, British Photographers, Issue no.8
- 2010 Autofocus, The Self-Portrait in Contemporary Photography, by Susan Bright, London: Thames and Hudson
- 2009 Cabinet, issue No.34
- 2009 Portfolio, The catalogue of contemporary photography in Britain, Issue No. 49
- 2006 Vitamin Ph, Survey of International Contemporary Photography, London: Phaidon Press
- 2005 EV+A, (Catalogue), Limerick City Art Gallery and Gandon Editions, Cork
- 2005 The Photograph as Contemporary Art, Charlotte Cotton, London: Thames and Hudson
- 2004 EASTInternational Catalogue, Norwich School of Art and Design, Norwich, UK
- 2003 Schweppes Portrait Award catalogue, National Portrait Gallery, London
- 2003 Masquerade, ed. Kate Newton and Christine Rolph, Ffotogallery, Cardiff
- 2002 John Kobal Award catalogue, National Portrait Gallery, London
- 2000 Source, contemporary photography in Ireland and Britain, Issue 22
- 1999 Visionaire 29, Visionaire: New York
- 1996 Double Vie, Double Vue, Foundation Cartier Pour l'Art Contemporain, Paris
Awards and honours
- 2017 Hestercombe Gallery Artist in Residence
- 2017 Grants for the Arts, Arts Council of England
- 2015 Residency at Gallery of the Bohusläns Museum in Uddevalla, Sweden
- 2014 Residency at Gösta Serlachius Fine Art Foundation, Mänttä Finland
- 2012 Nuit Des Images, Musee de l"Elysee, Lausanne, Switzerland
- 2012 Celeste Prize Shortlist
- 2011 Nominated for Musee de l"Elysee/Lacoste prize
- 2010 Photographer's Gallery, London, Olympic 2012 Portrait Project
- 2009 Commission from Impressions Gallery, Bradford
- 2009 Culture Ireland travel grant
- 2009 Grants for the Arts Award, Arts Council
- 2009 The London Art Book Fair, Whitechapel Gallery
- 2007 Bursary from The National Media Museum , Bradford
- 2007 Artist in Residence, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- 2006 Prospective Sites, European Union Public Art Commission, Billboard Project, Austria
- 2005 Grants for the Arts, Arts Council of England
- 2005 Advanced Scholarship in Art and Design Research Grant Southampton Solent University Centre
- 2004 Commission from Impressions Gallery, York
- 2004 Grants for the Arts, Arts Council of England
- 2004 Research Grant, Southampton Institute Centre for Advanced Scholarship in Art and Design
Solo exhibitions
- 2017 Trish Morrissey: A Certain Slant of Light, Hestercombe Gallery, Somerset UK
- 2010 Trish Morrissey: Photographs and Video at Centre Contemporary Photography, Melbourne Australia
- 2009 Front, Impressions Gallery, Bradford
- 2007 Elaine Levy Project, Bruxelles, Belgium
- 2005 Seven Years, Yossi Milo Gallery, New York, USA
- 2005 New Works, (Impressions touring show) The Pump House Gallery, London and Gallery of Photography, Dublin
- 2004 New Works, Impressions Gallery, York
- 2004 New Works, (Impressions touring show) Gardner Arts Centre, University of Sussex
Group exhibitions
- 2016 Face the Collections, with Bettina Von Zwehl at Bohuslans Museum, Udevalla, Sweden
- 2015 NPG/Taylor Wessing Portrait prize, National Portrait Gallery, London
- 2015 Self:Image and Identity, Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK
- 2015 Touching from a Distance, Gösta Serlachius Fine Art Foundation, Mänttä, Finland
- 2015 Portraits from an Island, Goa International Festival of Photography, India
- 2015 The World in London, OCT, Shenzen, China
- 2014 Family Matters, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy
- 2013 Making it up:Photographic Fictions, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- 2013 Other Family Narratives, Visionas, Huesca, Spain
- 2013 Modern Families: Relatives and Relationships in Art, Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork, Ireland
- 2012 From Here to There: Subject Stagings Between Reality and Fiction, Austrian Cultural Forum, London
- 2012 Hijacked, Perth Institute for Contemporary Arts, Australia and Quad, Derby, UK
- 2012 The World in London Photographers' Gallery off-site project, Oxford Street and Victoria Park, London
- 2011 Alice in Wonderland, curated by Sheyi Bankale, Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger and Elina Heikka, LOGOMO, Turku, Finland
- 2010 Update UK: Photography in Britain since 2000, Photomonth, Krakow, Poland
- 2010 IDENTITÄT, Fotogalerie Wein, Austria
- 2009 Elaine Levy Project, Bruxelles, Belgium
- 2008 Claremorris Open, Ireland, selected by Lizzie Carey-Thomas, curator Tate Britain
- 2007 Alone Together, F-Stop, Leipzig Festival of Photography, Germany
- 2007 Elaine Levy Project, group show, Bruxelles, Belgium
- 2006 Family Photos, two person show with Richard Billingham. Gallerie Photo du Pole Image Haute-Normandie, Rouen, France
- 2006 EuropART, contemporary art from Europe, curated by Walter Seidl and Ursula Maria Probst, Billboard project, Vienna and Salzberg,
- 2006 Alone Together, Galerie Nouvelles Images, Den Haag, Netherlands
- 2005 ev +a, selected by Dan Cameron, Curator New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland,
- 2004 EAST International,selected by Neo Rauch and Gerd Lybke, Norwich Gallery, Norwich,
- 2003 Boundless, curated by Saskia Asser and Marga Rotteveel, Fotofest, Naarden, The Netherlands,
- 2003 Schweppes Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London
- 2002 Critical Dictionary, curated by Esther Windsor, Mirror Gallery, London
- 2002 John Kobal, 10 Years, National Portrait Gallery, London
- A Certain Slant of Light (2017)
"The photographs and films that form A certain slant of light were made during a year long residency at Hestercombe House, a stately home and gardens in Somerset, England. The project developed around my research into the lives of Elizabeth Maria Tyndale Warre (1790-1872) and The Hon Mrs Constance Portman (1854-1951), two women who at different times in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries ran this extensive country estate without the influence of men. 'Miss Warre of Hestercombe' and 'Mrs Portman' as they were known respectively were both eccentric in different ways. Miss Warre who never married, had a very personal take on fashions of the time and would cause a stir whenever she went out in her nineteenth century home made clothes and bonnets, with her hair tossed up any old how, fastened with a comb. She was a great beauty in her youth, but rebuffed all suitors and was a recluse from middle age, never leaving the estate. Mrs Portman became widowed early in her marriage and was devoutly religious. She forbade the house servants from looking her in they eye, looking out of the window, or going into the garden. She liked her lady's maid to stroke her feet with a feather to help induce sleep. Mrs Portman allowed the servants to listen to the gramophone on their afternoon off, but she chose the music. Crossing the disciplines of performance and photography I drew on extensive archive material such as photographs, drawings, newspaper clippings, letters and testamonies. Combining fact, fiction and fantasy, and playing all the roles myself, my films and photographs are based on my interpretation of the lives of these extraordinary women. I touch on a broad range of themes that span past and present, including class, gender and role-play, body and gesture, the language of photography, and the uncertain, ambiguous relationship between public and private, all performed in the English countryside."
- The Successful Realist (2017)
"The Successful Realist is a reprise of a project I made in 2011 when my daughter, Caitlin, was five years old. For that series she painted my face to represent various aspects of her world; a movie she had watched, a social event, or a vivid dream. Together, we then photographed the results of her artistry.That project was called The Failed Realist, which is what psychologists call the stage of child development between four and six years, when their verbal and visual skills are beyond their mark making abilities. This means that a child's desire to represent their world through drawing or painting is hampered by motor, graphic and cognitive obstacles that are subsequently overcome with age.Caitlin is now eleven and her fine motor skills have hugely improved. Almost a teenager, with growing independence, she has a totally different frame of reference to her five-year-old self. As before, I gave her completely free reign. Where previously it had been an endurance test; her clumsy brush skills poking and scratching my skin for up to an hour, this time she was an artist with a canvas, a successful realist. Some of the results from the second iteration of this process were obscure and witty (The Cyclops Twins), and others ghoulish (Clown Face). Some were influenced by her time online (Miranda Sings, Emoji(Love Eyes)), others express her generation's obsession with the world they are being left to fix (Life and Death)"
- Ten People in a Suitcase (2015)
"Ten People in a Suitcase came about as a response to the archive of over 30,000 photographs that are held by the Gösta Serlachius Fine Art Foundation in Mänttä, Finland. The town was originally built around a paper mill which was founded in 1868. Though the mill is still there, it is a pale shadow of its original glory, now producing mostly toilet paper. Mänttä currently has just over 6,000 inhabitants.Some of the pictures in the archive are of places and individuals of note, important people in the history of the mill and of the town. Most of the images however are of the ordinary folk of Mänttä, often anonymous, mostly engaged in ordinary, activities.I chose ten photographs as guides, recreating the scenes with myself as protagonist and narrator. Each character I chose to re-imagine had something about them that I recognised. I felt there was a part of me already within the photograph. It could have been the way the character stood,or the space they took up in the frame, a glint in the eye, or an authority in the angle of the hand. I felt a visceral connection to them.In order to create these new photographs, I had to imagine the events that led up to this moment in the character's lives, and in doing so, felt closer to the town itself. The photographs transcend mere re-enactments, they are embodiments of real individuals who are more than just their snap shot.My work often plays with the idea of photography as a language that can be translated and understood in different ways. I play with the tropes of certain genres of photography, and distort them to produce new meanings. Through performance, Ten People in a Suitcase is a study of how historic photographs function in the world by depicting the clash between historical and contemporary image making."
- Rosa, Irma and the Sandman (n.d.)
"Identical twins Rosa and Irma Bohlin, were born in 1915 in the Bohuslans region of Sweden. I discovered the beautiful intricate dolls and dolls' clothes made by them while I was on a study trip to the Bohuslans Museum in Udevalla. Seamstresses by profession, they made clothes only for women, and their own collection of dolls. The connection between the double/identical twin/ dolls and Freud's theory of the Uncanny is well known. Something causes a stir deep in the unconscious. Rosa and Irma shared a bedroom all their lives, dressed identically, bickered constantly and were never without each other. I am drawn to eccentricity, and my way of understanding is through performance and photography. Using the photographs of them in the museum collection as starting points I worked in and around my own home in Somerset, UK, building sets and finding props and clothes to set scenes reminiscent of Stenungsund, their home town. First I performed as Rosa, confident, smiley and positive, then as Irma who was shy and a little sad. For 'The Sandman' I recreated the studio of a local photographer from the early 20th century whose work is held at the museum and who had photographed Rosa and Irma many times. I posed with one of the twins' dolls (whose eyes were lost over time) to make a single photograph that encapsulates the darker side of childhood. The title comes from the German short story 'Der Sandmann', by E.T.A Hoffman (which was the basis for Freud's essay Das Unheimliche/The Uncanny). It is the tale of Nathanial, a man still traumatised by a childhood nightmare, where the Sandman comes to the house at night and plucks out the eyes of children."
- The Failed Realist (2011)
"Between the ages of four to six children are often more verbally than visually articulate. This means that what they wish to express through mark making is often beyond their physical skill. The psychologist Georges-Henri Luquet (1927/2001) called this The Failed Realist stage – the child's desire to represent his or her world is hampered by motor, cognitive and graphic obstacles that will be overcome with time, but for the moment, their interpretation is flawed. These drawings are uncorrupted by representational conventions. The Romantic artists thought this was a reflection of direct access to the expressive self and strove for a return to this innocence in their own painting. Later on, painters of the modernist movement, such as Picasso, Miro, and Klee saw the drawings of children with their mixed perspectives and exaggerated features as a pure way of seeing. Picasso famously said 'It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child'This photographic series was made in collaboration with my daughter when she was between the ages of four and five years. Face painting is a rainy day activity that we both enjoy. Once her motor skills evolved sufficiently well for her to control a paintbrush, she wanted to paint me rather than be painted. Instead of the usual motifs of butterfly, or flower, she would decide to paint something from her immediate experience – a movie she had just watched, a social event, a right of passage, or a vivid dream. Beyond the innocence of the child's intention, more sinister themes such as clowns, carnival and the grotesque are evoked by these mask like paintings."
- Front (2007)
Front deals with the notion of borders, boundaries and the edge, using the family group and the beach setting as metaphors. For this work, the artist travelled to beaches in the UK and around Melbourne. She approached families and groups of friends who had made temporary encampments, or marked out territories and asked if she could be part of their family temporarily. Morrissey then took over the role or position of a woman within that group – usually the mother figure. She asked to take her place, and to borrow her clothes. The woman then took over the artist's role and photographed her family using a 4×5 camera (which Morrissey had already carefully set up). While Morrissey, a stranger on the beach, nestled in with her loved ones. These highly performative photographs are shaped by chance encounters with strangers, and by what happens when physical and psychological boundaries are crossed. Ideas around the mythological creature the 'shape shifter' and the cuckoo are evoked. Each piece within the series is titled by the name of the woman who Morrissey replaced within the group.
- Seven Years (2004)
Seven Years aims to deconstruct the trope of family photography by meticulously mimicking it. In the series, the title of which refers to the age gap between the artist and her elder sister, Morrissey functions as director, author and actor, staging herself and her sibling in tightly controlled, fictional mis en scene based on the conventions of family snapshots.In order to construct images that appear to be authentic family photographs from the 1970s and 1980s, Morrissey uses period clothing and props, both her own and others, and the setting of her family's house in Dublin. They assume different characters and roles in each image, utilizing body language to reveal the subtext of psychological tensions inherent in all family relations. The resulting photographs isolate telling moments in which the unconscious leaks out from behind the façade of the face and into the minute gestures of the body.


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If you would like to make a blanket or two, please let me know. A simple blanket with one side fleece and the other flannel. Need both sizes in both boy and girl patterns.
Dear Colleen,
Thanks so much! I apologize for the delay in responding. We have been away, and out of email contact.
I am in awe of you, Devon, and the wonderful community of dress-makers and blanket-makers. I know how important a blankie is to a small child, and I can only imagine how important it becomes to a child who has very little.
I would love to send you a gift card for JoAnn Fabrics to help defray your costs! Please send me you address and I will take care of getting a gift card to you.
Also, when you get a chance - please send the directions for the blankets. (My sewing skills are atrocious, but then I figured, how tough can a blanket be? And the need is so great.)
Thanks so much.


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UNSW engineers have secured more than $2.7 million for five projects across various disciplines in the latest round of Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant funding. Many of the successful Engineering projects are cross-school collaborations, and all of them will work closely with industry partners throughout their projects.
Professor Klaus Regenauer-Lieb from the Faculty of Engineering received a $660,000 grant for thermodynamics inversion for mineral systems. This project aims to develop a new scientific approach to the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP). AusLAMP provides geophysical information aimed at unravelling the tectonic history of the Australian continent and its mineral potential.
Another large grant ($613,000) was awarded to Professor Jinhong Yuan from the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications to develop reliable communications channels for agricultural areas with difficult terrain. The project will contribute to the crucial communication infrastructures for smart farms, which will lead to higher agricultural productivity and national economy.
Chemical Engineering Scientia Professor Rose Amal received a $562,000 grant for a project that will enable the timely treatment of industrial waste water, as well as sewage treatment plant effluents using simple and cheap catalyst materials.
Scientia Professor David Waite was awarded a $498,000 grant for ammonia recovery from wastewater, using flow electrode-membrane systems. The outcome of the project is expected to minimise damage to, and develop solutions for restoration and remediation of soil, fresh and potable water, urban catchments and marine systems, and significantly improve the environmental impacts of ammonia.
Associate Professor Arnaud Castel received a $321,000 grant to explore the shrinkage, cracking, self-healing and corrosion in blended cement concrete. This project will lead to a significant improvement in the serviceability and durability of concrete structures in severe environments.
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham announced $26 million in ARC funding last week, supporting 66 research teams. UNSW secured $4.3 million, the largest share of funding among NSW universities, and second-largest in the nation behind the University of Queensland. Other successful UNSW researchers include:


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What in the world is happening with the Wisconsin election results?
It's been nearly two weeks since America cast its votes to elect its new President, but many people are claiming the election results so far are actually littered with fraudulent votes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, absentee votes were cast at an all-time high through mail-in ballots. In key battleground states like Wisconsin, many believe the election results are invalid because of the way these votes were handled.
Specifically, President Donald Trump and his campaign claim unregistered voters were sending in ballots thanks to a flaw in Wisconsin's main-in ballot system. For the 2020 election, officials in Wisconsin said you could identify yourself as "indefinitely confined" due to COVID-19 and request a mail-in ballot without extra ID.
Due to this provision, numerous lawsuits against the state of Wisconsin want votes thrown out that don't meet the proper mail-in ballot requirements. Let's look at all the claims being made about voter fraud influencing Wisconsin's election results.
Voting in a pandemic
Wisconsin, like many other states, saw an influx of mail-in ballots cast as people chose to stay at home rather than risk exposure to coronavirus. Due to the pandemic, Dane & Milwaukee counties encouraged people to register for absentee voting in the spring. Officials argued if you were sheltering in place due to the pandemic, you could qualify as "indefinitely confined".
Wisconsin's Republican Party took issue with these new rules, and ended up taking it to the state Supreme Court. The courts ended up ruling in the Republican's favor, claiming people were not "indefinitely confined" just for following the stay-at-home orders in place at the time. However, the state still allowed people to call themselves "indefinitely confined" with no evidence. However, they still required ID to get a ballot.
No ID? No problem
However, a Dane County clerk made the mistake of saying people could request an absentee ballot without any form of ID. Considering that's illegal, many Republicans were up in arms about the statement. The County Clerks' office tried to walk back, clarifying they meant people who were "indefinitely confined" didn't need ID to get a ballot.
Although the state Supreme Court ruled COVID-19 didn't automatically make someone "indefinitely confined", Dane County declared people who wanted to vote absentee still had to present ID no matter what. However, the county allowed people who wanted to vote from home because of the pandemic to do so, as long as they had valid ID when they registered.
Throwing out invalid votes
March wasn't the end of people doubting the validity of mail-in ballots. A new lawsuit against Wisconsin claimed ballots cast in Milwaukee, Dane, and Menominee Counties are invalid and need to be tossed out. Specifically referring to the influx of main-in ballots, the lawsuit claims election officials couldn't properly filter out fraudulent votes, and therefore tainted the Wisconsin election results.
"Election workers, overwhelmed by the sudden flood of mailed ballots, have less ability to carefully review them to screen out fraudulent ones, creating a substantial risk that fraudulent votes will be counted and vote-dilution disenfranchisement will occur." The lawsuit states there was voter fraud occurring in these specific counties, but doesn't provide any evidence to subsidize that claim.
If this lawsuit were to go through, it would lead to unprecedented results. Right now according to reports, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by a margin of 181k votes in Dane County, 183k votes in Milwaukee County, and just 1000 votes in Menominee County. If the lawsuit is successful, those counties would greatly affect the overall Wisconsin election results, giving the state to Trump.
Where do we go from here?
Right now, Wisconsin has until today, November 17th to finish counting votes. As of writing this, a few counties in Wisconsin were still canvassing votes to count, including Dane and Milwaukee counties. After all votes are counted, Donald Trump has until 5pm tomorrow to pay up and request a recount.
Once the votes are finished counting, we'll have a clearer picture of the situation in Wisconsin and how it affects the state's election results. We'll keep you updated as more information continues to come in.


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Plastic pollution in Africa: identifying policy gaps and opportunities
This is a first-of-its-kind report on the state and impacts of plastic pollution in Africa, combined with existing policy and legal frameworks to address the issue and recommendations on the policy options required to tackle the challenges – urgently, holistically and in a coordinated manner. This report is primarily aimed at policymakers and experts working in the plastic policy landscape in Africa. Case studies from various countries across the continent are used to illustrate examples of policy and legal frameworks at national level. The final section outlines the opportunities for policy and legal responses for African governments to tackle the issue across all the life cycle stages of plastic. At a global level, this report urges African governments to actively participate in negotiations towards a new global treaty to combat plastic pollution in order to offer perspectives and priorities from the African context.