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Lagarde: Future Of Asian Finance, Ensuring Stability And Continued Prosperity – Speech
By Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
(Jakarta, Indonesia) — Good morning. Selamat Pagi. I would like to express my appreciation to Governor Martowardojo for the kind introduction.
I am pleased that you could join us today for this conference on The Future of Asia's Finance.
This is a timely topic, particularly in light of recent events. "These are times that try men's souls." That famous statement was written in the 18th century by Thomas Paine. Less well known was what followed: "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value."
These are words nearly 250 years old that remind us of the true worth of our well-being in trying times. Indeed, financial markets in a few short weeks have underlined the value that we all attach to financial stability—and what we must do to preserve it.
The markets also have demonstrated how much Asia is at the core of the global economy. This is testimony to the extraordinary gains of the past generation. Some Asian countries have taken their places among the advanced economies. Some have achieved emerging market status and are reaching higher. Others are still climbing the ladder of development. Together they have become a key source of global growth.
You have given the world new vitality, and now you are facing renewed volatility. So let me speak for a moment to the current situation.
This region knows from bitter experience where turmoil can lead. In recent years you used the experience of the Asian Crisis to weather the Global Financial Crisis and the 2013 Taper Tantrum. By putting in place strong macroeconomic policies and strengthening your financial systems, you withstood instability.
Now you are feeling the impact of China's rebalancing, Japan's continued slow growth, and falling commodities prices. You are facing the prospect of higher U.S. interest rates. My message today is that there is reason for continued confidence in the region. Your governments fully understand what needs to be done and are ready to take further action if needed. Of course, policies need to be tailored to different countries' circumstances, but they should include:
• strengthening defenses with prudent fiscal policy;
• reining in excessive credit growth;
• allowing the exchange rate to act as a shock absorber;
• maintaining adequate foreign exchange reserves;
• and building up regulatory and supervisory oversight of the financial sector.
At this conference, we are focusing on the financial sector issues that are essential to this policy mix.
So allow me to take a few minutes to highlight some of the key challenges that will be crucial to address if Asia is to create the financial systems that can help ensure stability and fuel the next stage of its success story. I have grouped these challenges as four I's: innovation, integration, infrastructure and inclusion.
Innovation—Sustaining Asia's Growth Momentum for the Next Generation
Let us begin with innovation. Asia's financial sector already has supported extraordinary levels of growth and itself has been transformed by the region's rapid rise. But finance needs to follow the example of Asian manufacturing, which has continually evolved toward higher value-added products and more cost-effective processes.
What we are talking about is financial deepening within countries. And that means a shift away from traditional banking practices focused on deposit taking and commercial lending to corporations. Deeper markets can help Asia benefit from new trade opportunities, boost the productivity of growing labor forces in some countries, and support the aging in others.
For consumers, new financial services can provide home mortgages, auto financing, insurance products and pensions—as has occurred in a country like Singapore. For business, innovation means risk capital for start-ups and equity financing for expanding companies. It means expanding the role of bond and stock markets, and enabling institutional investors to provide long-term financing.
Let me be clear: I am not calling for risky financing. Deeper financial systems can provide a shield against volatility, but they must also be well-regulated financial systems. That means remaining vigilant to new sources of systemic risk such as shadow banking.
Integration—Creating Financial Market Synergy
What about deepening of financial interactions among countries? That is where financial integration—the second "i"—comes into play.
Asia has made great strides in creating regional trade linkages that have spurred economic vitality. The region has placed itself at the center of global value chains.
Now the time has come to inject the same vitality into regional financial linkages—to overcome a legacy of fragmented markets and build more synergy among financial institutions and capital markets.
Take the example of ASEAN. This region has a combined population of 600 million people and a GDP equal to $2.5 trillion. Intra-regional trade has grown rapidly, bringing benefits to emerging market and frontier economies alike.
Greater financial integration can advance this process by creating larger and more liquid capital markets that reduce the cost of capital. It can advance intra-regional trade. The proposed ASEAN Economic Community is an important step with its call for harmonized regulations and greater policy coordination. We look forward to watching how this initiative develops.
Infrastructure—Building the Future
Infrastructure represents the third "i". It is key to Asia's future. For frontier economies, improved roads, railways, and ports, and new supplies of water and electricity will be building blocks of development. For the emerging markets, livable cities with proper public transport and advanced IT networks can help avoid the "middle income trap."
The Asian Development Bank estimates that Asia's infrastructure needs will be $8.3 trillion over the next decade. This requires substantial government funding, so the first step is more and better-targeted public investment. In other words, efficient infrastructure spending. That calls for strengthened fiscal policies—something the IMF can assist with—including careful planning, effective spending controls and improved mobilization of tax revenue.
But public money is not enough. Infrastructure also requires capital markets to provide new sources of private financing—including risk capital from infrastructure funds that can be sold to long-term investors. It requires credit insurance.
That said, private investment—and this does not apply to infrastructure alone—also must be built on the foundation of an attractive business environment. That means improved governance—well-designed and transparent regulations and an intolerance of corruption. This can strengthen the expectation that risk and return will be able to achieve the right balance.
Inclusion—Enabling the Next Miracle
Innovation, integration and infrastructure—these address big picture issues. The fourth "i"—inclusion—represents the human side of development.
For all of the region's progress, nearly 350 million Asians still live in poverty. Most have no bank accounts. Many businesses have difficulty accessing bank loans and investment capital. Many live in the emerging markets, but are not part of that prosperity.
Financial inclusion is not just a matter of products or regulations. It directly improves livelihoods and reduces poverty. It is the provision of services and the creation of opportunities where there is inequality—inequality of income and gender, education and health. Low levels of financial inclusion in many countries are an obstacle to Asia's continued success. There are exceptions: Korea has reached virtually 100 percent access to banking for its adult population.
But there is also a business case for promoting financial inclusion. At this conference we will be discussing some of our research on financial deepening and inclusion, and will preview research that we will soon release on the subject. This research shows that greater access to financial services can lead to higher growth, and can be instrumental in advancing financial sector stability. There are some risks, as my colleagues will highlight in their presentation, but the benefits are far more important.
I would add that increasing the access of women to financial services has tremendous economic and social benefits. It is shown to stimulate growth. Moreover—and we have yet another paper coming out on this topic—ensuring that more women have leadership roles in finance could also support financial stability. I would also note that Islamic Finance has the potential to broaden access to finance and deepen the investment pool for long term projects.
I am very impressed with inclusion initiatives that we are seeing across Asia—for example, the government's commitment to a rapid expansion of financial services to the wider population here in Indonesia, and India's nationwide program to expand access to bank accounts with biometric identification cards.
Allow me to sum up briefly. Asia's future development presents a complex set of issues in which the financial sector plays a crucial role. They are crucially connected to Asia's stable economic progress.
It falls to us to work together to ensure this stability and progress. I hope the knowledge and discussion we share today can deepen our understanding and help us make more effective decisions. Once it is issued, I hope you will find our book on The Future of Asian Finance helpful in further examining these issues. I also promise you that the IMF will bring all of its expertise to bear in this endeavor through our policy advice, research, technical assistance and training.
I am told that in Bahasa Indonesia the phrase "gotong royong" is very commonly used—referring to a community coming together for the benefit of all.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the spirit in which we need to work together to maintain stability and to ensure Asia's continued success.
Thank you. Terima Kasih.


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From north to south, the main changes in the digital channels of the Earth. All this, waiting for the shutdown that promises vitality.
The terrestrial digital revolution will be gradual but inevitable. In fact, the change has already begun and June remains the prime month for news reporting. There have been some changes in the past few days, More than a few actually, with changes in number that affected many television sets for Italians. Of course, the changes do not affect all devices uniformly. As for the general changes, it will be a question of televisions and the ability to adapt to the new system, which is aimed at the general modernization of the entire system of domestic television use.
This time, however, he changes internally. In northern Italy, for example, Mux Videogruppo Piemonte changed the numbering with Top Planet, which slipped to channel 119 formerly occupied by Supercinema 2. The latter, in turn Decreases to LCN 199. Meanwhile, back in Piedmont, the Mux GRP Television change has been recorded, which will require resetting the channels.
Read also >>> DVB-T2 Digital TV: Possible postponement gives Italians more time
Digital Earth, changes of the week
But it was not only northern Italy that modernized the composition of its canals. Changes are also in Sicily, as reported by everyeye.it, as it is Mux Retecapri C that changes its position, following the expected HD transition of La TR3 (1440x1080p resolution). In Mux concerned, on a national scale, Rochannel Diaspora has been added to LCN 828With HbbTV service activated. Here too, resetting channels is the best solution to avoid having to go crazy searching for your show in a sea of channels.
Read also >>> Digital Earth, little time to comply: Millions of Italians are at risk
After all, the discontinuation problem will also come true soon, which will bring the digital land of the Italians to DVB-T2. In recent days there has been talk of a possible postponement of the conditions for the start of the final transition to the new resolution. This is because the current deadline is September 2021 It can cause some problems for families. At least 1.4 million of them, who could not use the new service properly. Just a guess though. It is better not to do a lot of calculations.
"Internet trailblazer. Travelaholic. Passionate social media evangelist. Tv advocate."

subset: commoncrawl


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text: November Event: Navigating The Private Elementary School Admissions Process October 20, 2014October 20, 2014 admin Beyond The Brochure RSVP to Christina at firstname.lastname@example.com. Hope to see you there! Please follow and like us: admin Christina Simon: Los Angeles, California, United States I'm the mom of a daughter (12th grade) and a son (9th grade) who attend Viewpoint School in Calabasas. I live in Coldwater Canyon with my family and a rescue pit bull, Piper. Contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Official websites use .mil
Secure .mil websites use HTTPS
Maintenance Worker Brian Serafin and Lead Ranger Rich Egger prepare a load of tires for recycling.
Ranger Kyle Kraynak searches through dumped debris and household goods for owner's identification or information.
A 'Dump and Run' organ was found along a remote roadway.
A stack of discarded tires found in a lake access parking lot.
With more than 15,000 acres of land and water surface, and numerous developed and undeveloped recreation sites, Shenango Lake is a regionally popular and enjoyable destination. Hundreds of thousands of people enjoy quality outdoor activities such as camping, ATV riding, boating, hunting, fishing, bird watching and sightseeing. Unfortunately, these valuable assets can also harbor liabilities. As anyone working on a recreation site can attest, there are a few visitors who don't appreciate or respect our lakes, rivers, fields and forests. At times, our areas can attract the wrong type of attention and become illegal dumping targets.
Shenango rangers diligently work to combat such activity with regular patrols as do our four jurisdictional police departments. Considering the remote nature of the many roadways and access points, it's quite challenging to fully counteract this type of 'dump and run' violation. The Law Enforcement Cooperative Agreements with its contracted additional police patrols are suspended for the season, so the dumping problems have accelerated in the past few months.
In an average year, we retrieve hundreds of tires around the Shenango Lake area. We typically work with our partners, the Shenango River Watchers, each spring to properly recycle large pile of accumulated tires; however, in the last two months we picked up an additional 83 tires. Those tires were taken to a local municipal center for disposal. The next day, another 15 tires were found neatly stacked in one of our many lake parking areas.
At least one active law enforcement investigation is pending, and we have shared this problem on our Facebook page to help raise public awareness and to receive possible tips.


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Photorefractive properties and optical uniformity of crystals LiNbO3 (6,0 wt. % K2O)
N.A. Teplyakova, N.V. Sidorov, M N. Palatnikov
Tananaev Institute of Chemistry – Subdivision of the Federal Research Centre «Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences», Apatity, Russia
DOI: 10.26456/pcascnn/2019.11.241
Abstract: Comparative researches were carried out for lithium niobate crystals with congruent and stoichiometric composition with a different genesis. It was shown that it is possible to obtain LiNbO3 crystals close in composition to stoichiometric, grown from a congruent melt with the addition of a 6.0 wt.% K2O flux. Such crystals are far superior to optical uniformity and photoelectric parameters of congruent crystals.
Keywords: single crystal, lithium niobate, photoelectric field, band gap, IR absorption spectrum, stretching vibrations of OH-groups.
Bibliography link:
Teplyakova, N.A. Photorefractive properties and optical uniformity of crystals LiNbO3 (6,0 wt. % K2O) / N.A. Teplyakova, N.V. Sidorov, M N. Palatnikov // Physical and chemical aspects of the study of clusters, nanostructures and nanomaterials: Interuniversity collection of proceedings / Ed. by V.M. Samsonov, N.Yu. Sdobnyakov. – Tver: TSU, 2019. – I. 11. – P. 241-248.
Full text (in Russian): download PDF file


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Restricting the use of plastics is a global trend
Europe has called for a ban on all disposable plastic cutlery, including cups, plates, knives, forks and spoons.The Independent reported. In the future, these products will have to be made from compostable or bioderived materials. The ban stipulates that the use of other non-substitute plastics used in EU countries should be reduced by 2025.
In France alone, only a paltry 1% of the 4.73 billion plastic cups thrown away each year are recycled. This plastic waste can end up in the ocean and harm the aquatic environment. And people are increasingly concerned that the plastic cutlery they are using could be harmful to their health by releasing toxins that come into contact with hot drinks or food.
Several cities and regions in the United States, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, have enacted laws banning or restricting the use of plastic bags. The impact has been significant, with bag use falling by 76 per cent in Wales, 71 per cent in Northern Ireland and 80 per cent in Scotland a year after the charge was introduced.
A growing number of countries and cities around the world are also imposing bans or restrictions on the use of plastic products, including straws, coffee capsules and disposable cutlery.In the future, banning the use of disposable plastic products will gradually become a trend.
Greenwood Dalian Industrial Co., Ltd can provide Wooden tableware is a perfect substitute for plastic tableware. We are leading manufacturer of wooden
catering disposables for 20 years ,the whole factory about 6000 square meters,and employees over 100.


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Included were presentations on wells, collector wells, infiltration galleries and horizontal directional drilling. The first half of the conference covered issues related to supply economics for users, including considerations of yield and quality. The format then turned to real-life case studies of technology applications and site-specific design criteria. (Look for an article based on the conference's water treatment seminar in the next issue of National Driller.)
Much of America's urban and industrial development has taken place in river valleys, in the same places where alluvial aquifers occur adjacent to rivers. While vertical wells frequently have been the tool to tap into these alluvial aquifers, other techniques are available to develop this resource. These techniques include collector wells, infiltration galleries and horizontal wells. America's population is expected to reach 380 million by 2050. Water needs for drinking supplies, industrial use, cooling and irrigation continue to increase. Many rivers are stressed. Many traditional aquifers already are developed. There still is considerable scope for the imaginative use of alluvial aquifers for additional water resources development.
Using groundwater under the influence of surface water is a recognized technique for accessing water from the hydrologic system. Water from lakes, reservoirs and rivers can be abstracted by inducing recharge to alluvial aquifers beneath or adjacent to surface water. Non-turbid water drawn from a geologic environment is less expensive to treat than surface water. Selecting the technology for alluvial aquifer development is an important aspect of the growing water management strategy of conjunctive use. Using alluvial aquifers rather than dams and diversions also has the potential to reduce the economic costs and the environmental consequences associated with direct river engineering.


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In the context of climate change, the vine (Vitis vinifera) will have to cope with increasing water stress. How will it respond to more intense and frequent drought episodes? Will the grape varieties be equal in the face of lack of water? Despite the fact that the vine is adapted to environments experiencing seasonal droughts, studies differ as to its response to drought. A team from INRA and Bordeaux Science Agro, in collaboration with the SOLEIL Synchrotron, has examined the physiological and hydraulic mechanisms that govern the resistance and resilience of the vascular system of the vine in the face of water stress.
By studying the regulation of transpiration (via stomata whose closure is the first response to water stress) of two grape varieties (including Syrah and Grenache) and two rootstocks, researchers have shown that these vines adopt the same behavior in the face of water stress. In addition, scientists analyzed the vulnerability to embolism3 of five grape varieties and three rootstocks (including two species Vitis vinifera and Vitis riparia), and for some, their ability to recover from a drought episode. Their work has highlighted a change in vulnerability to drought during the season. This marked ontogeny4 effect allows the vines studied to be more resistant after August4 when droughts are more frequent and intense.
Researchers therefore defined water stress thresholds for five grape varieties and three rootstocks and compared their data to the more than 15-year-old drought events in two of the world's largest wine-growing regions: Saint Emilion and the Napa Valley in California. For the first time, they showed that the safety margin for drought remained positive, albeit weak, in July. The vines never reached their breaking point during the droughts of the beginning of the century. Two strategies explain this behavior: a good resistance of the vessels of the stem to the vascular embolism and a greater vulnerability of the leaves to the drying which play the role of fuse. These results can be used by winegrowers to pilot the vineyards of tomorrow and in particular to adapt water management.


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A special bonus to all members of Project Pokemon: You all get a small preview of the NDS Save File Converter v2.5, that can convert between the following formats: Minimum System Requirements: -.Net Framwork 2.0 -Windows (Vista or 7 prefered, XP may or may not work) Screenshot(s): Credits: -evandixon, for making this tool -Matt140 for making the ARDSi/Media Edition convertion code, without which, I could not have the kind of ARDS MAX support I have now -Shuny at http://www.shunyweb.info/ for having the original save converter that inspired me to make this tool Official Site and Download Changelog: v2.5 -Added simple batch conversion (advanced options possibly comming soon) -Added plugin function, so 3rd party developers can add their own save file formats -Lots of internal changes v2.1 Beta: -Remembers Open/Save dialog locations separately (unfortunately, only for the current session) -Improved stability of reading game names of multi-save save files (ex Mario.1.sav, Other Game Name.7.sav) v2.0 Beta: Rewrote program to be more efficient, and hopefully faster; added new look; added new supported features for save formats: save formats are no longer limited to one or all sizes, a range is now supported. Example: the M3i Zero use a RAW 512KB save file, but some games need a 1MB save file. If you find any errors in suppoted save formats, please report them to email@example.com. GBA Save conversion comming soon, If you wish to speed the process of GBA Conversion, email your GBA Save files to email@example.com v1.9: Added beta Action Replay DS MAX file support, and ability to save game names if there is an NDS ROM with the same filename as the save, and ability to send me the game names to go in a future database v1.8 Delta: Fixed a small bug v1.8 Gamma: Because I forgot to add a crucial file in the beta, and because I have been slightly modifing it, here is a new version. v1.8 Beta: Because of so many problems in 1.8 Alpha that are fixed in the Beta, the feature described in Alpha's changelog is being postponed. v1.8 Alpha: Allowed size change of any format (very helpful for Action Replay saves); Started Working on a system to automatically load the Game name if a rom with the same name exists in the same directory. This feature will be visible during the Beta version. v1.7: Added RAW 1MB support v1.6.1: Fixed crashing when converting from ARDS ME/ARDSi format v1.6: Major Updates -Removed Plugin system, can no longer create custom plugins to extend functionability, but now works faster. Data folder no longer needed. -Fixed bug showing conversion complete message twice -Added beta auto-detect size, as well as 128KB RAW size. -Added extended support for Action Replay DSi/ME, being able to enter game info (Credit to Matt140 for writing the conversion tool, to evandixon only for packaging it within this program) V1.5.2: Raw Save to DeSmuME conversion works now. V1.5.1: Fixed bug in G6 DS Real / M3 DS Real (*.0) support V1.5: Fixed potentially fatal error, packaged with support for G6 DS Real / M3 DS Real (*.0) V1.4: Modified program to add save file formats from the list files, AND search the relative dorectory for them. I also packaged support for DeSmuME *.dsv files. Credit to Inferno™ for providing Save File V1.3 - Many new fixes: Now Easier for others to add on to, it now converts all saves to raw, THEN to the format specified by the user. It also has separate files containing a list of formats, so I can now control the display order on the form. I also packaged the newest version of the ARDSMEDUC-SAV program. V1.1 - Only updated bug in program that allows repeated Save Formats ---------------------- Download Mirror 1 Another Mirror is attached Offline NDS Save .zip
I have been forced to update my DSi, because of the DSi Shop channel. The question I was wondering is the Firmware writer says it will update the firmware and make it compatible with the DSi again. This is my video showing that it still won't work on V1.4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9sfc5Y3FnI Firmware Writer: About how long do you think it would take till the AceKard2 team, Cyclo DS team, SC team, and M3 Team will take to get it working on the DSi again? And no, I'm not pissed at all, I'm just wondering.
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🔼The name Bezek: Summary
- Meaning
- Scattering, Flash Of Lightning
- Etymology
- From the verb בזק (bazaq), to scatter.
🔼The name Bezek in the Bible
Bezek is a town in Canaan. It's mentioned twice in the Bible, first during a scene in which the men of Judah and those of Simeon go on a rampage to conquer the lands promised to them. At Bezek they defeat 10,000 men (Judges 1:4) and torture the king Adoni-bezek. After that they go to Jerusalem, rough it up and leave it again. Had they known that Jerusalem would one day be the capital of Israel, they might have stuck around.
Much later, the newly anointed king Saul is drawn into battle with Nahash the Ammonite and musters his army at Bezek (1 Samuel 11:8).
🔼Etymology of the name Bezek
The name Bezek comes from the unused Hebrew root בזק (bzq), possibly meaning to scatter:
The unused Hebrew verb בזק (bazaq) probably meant to scatter (it does so in Aramaic). Noun בזק (bazaq) probably describes a lightning bolt — but this in reference to its zig-zag nature rather than its heat, illumination or thunderous noise.
🔼Bezek meaning
For a meaning of the name Bezek, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Scattering and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has Flash Of Lightning.


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Hi, Dr. Hill,
This is another Fall Line plant, but it was growing in sand (no visible clay) in full sun on a private, back woods road. It had two main branches, each arched in a graceful curve. The small leaflets are a dull green and slightly lighter dull green on the bottom side. There are small hairs on the upper leaf surfaces and each leaflet has a tiny pinpoint at the tip. It reminds me of Amorpha app. Tiny vertical spikes of legumes (about 1/2-inch when measuring the main body of the legume) grew alongside the leaf base on the stem.
Thank you.
Hi Diane,
this is a very nice native plant, a subshrub, called Indigofera caroliniana, the Carolina indigo. It is closely related to the commercial Indigo once grown in the Carolinas as a crop. The image shown here shows the fruits which are quite distinctive, especially because they are on an axis that stands straight up.
Steve Hill, Ph.D., Botanist, SCNPS


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Factbox - U.S. companies react on impact of Trump trade tariffs
(Reuters) - China and the United States plunged deeper into a trade war on Tuesday after Beijing added $60 billion (£45.88 billion) of U.S. products to its tariff list, retaliating to U.S. President Donald Trump's planned levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
The tit-for-tat measures are the latest escalation in an increasingly protracted trade dispute between the world's two largest economies.
The U.S. administration will begin to levy new tariffs of 10 percent on about $200 billion of Chinese products on Sept. 24, with the tariffs to go up to 25 percent by the end of 2018.
The following are comments made by U.S. companies after the Trump administration said on July 10 https://reut.rs/2m6Yu0r that it would slap tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports.
For a factbox on comments by U.S. companies on tariffs, click here https://reut.rs/2N2pn5x.
** Walmart Inc (WMT.N) warned that it may raise prices of products if the Trump administration imposes a tariff on Chinese imports. The company said the tariff would impact prices of everything from food products to beverages and personal care items.
** Target Corp (TGT.N) said it was "deeply troubled" and strongly opposed any consideration to add tariffs on basic imported consumer goods. The company also said the administration's tariff policies are already forcing major vendors across product categories to raise prices.
** Chipmaker Micron Technology Inc (MU.O) said U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods would weigh on its financial results for as much as a year.
** Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (HPE.N) said it was disappointed with the latest outcome on the tariffs. The company said it relies on complex global supply chains and is bound to face various challenges arising from these tariffs.
** Fitness tracker maker Fitbit (FIT.N) said it appreciated the administration's time and effort to listen to industry and consumer concerns, after the United States spared the company's fitness trackers from the latest round of tariffs on Chinese goods.
** Apple Inc (AAPL.O), whose Watch and other consumer gadgets were left out of the latest tariff list, had previously expressed concerns over tariffs, saying the U.S. will be hardest hit, and that will result in lower U.S. growth and competitiveness and higher prices for U.S. consumers
** Home Depot Inc (HD.N) said it would continue working to offset impact on its customers.
** Dell Technologies (DVMT.N) said the proposed tariffs will increase costs of vital parts and components for its U.S. services and manufacturing operations.
Dell added that the tariffs on desktops/servers, computer parts, network switches could result in "serious damage" to the company and its employees.
** Intel Corp (INTC.O) said proposed tariffs would negatively affect U.S. businesses and "stifle advancements" in telecom infrastructure, including next generation technologies like 5G.
The company said the tariffs will raise costs for U.S.-based technology companies that manufacture ICT products such as desktop computers, laptops and servers.
** Agilent Technologies (A.N) said the increased duties would financially impede its U.S. operations and its end customers in the U.S. and abroad. It added that substantial tariff increases will limit its ability to reinvest in U.S. operations, affecting employees engaged in R&D, design, other support operations.
Agilent also said it does not believe the goods it imports are specifically covered by the "Made in China 2025" industrial policy.
** Office Depot (ODP.O) said the tariff proposal, which covers non-household seating and furniture it sells, would lead to immense supply chain disruptions and a likely loss of jobs. Office Depot also said the tariffs would impact small- and medium-sized U.S. companies.
** Newell Brands' (NWL.N) units, including Goody Products and Rubbermaid Commercial Products, said tariffs on items ranging from elastic hair bands to art supplies would hurt American consumers since the tariff prices will be paid by the company and consumers.
They also said consumer goods targeted under tariffs do not come under the scope of "Made in China 2025" programme.
** Mattel Inc (MAT.O) said the proposed tariff on products such as high chairs and bath seats will result in higher prices as China supplies vast majority of these products with no alternative readily available.
Mattel also said additional tariffs could lead to job losses as the toymaking industry is already suffering from Babies 'R' Us/Toys 'R' Us closures.
** Whirlpool Corp (WHR.N) said proposed tariffs on components from China would increase costs and create supply chain problem for U.S. manufacturers, putting them at a competitive disadvantage.
The company said the administration should remove "critical components" such as parts of refrigerators and mixers from the proposed list and add finished products such as dishwashers to mitigate negative impact on U.S. manufacturing.
** Carrier Transicold, a unit of Carrier Corp/United Technologies Corp (UTX.N), said it was concerned the proposed 10 percent additional duty on various industrial components will reduce its global competitiveness and undercut its U.S. operations.
Carrier asked USTR to exclude items including parts for refrigerators, freezers and other refrigerating or freezing equipment from the proposed tariffs.
Source: U.S. government website (https://bit.ly/2wNSe2G), company statements
(Compiled by Arjun Panchadar and Arunima Banerjee in Bengaluru; editing by Patrick Graham and Anil D'Silva)


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Due to consistent client portfolio growth, we currently have two openings within our tax firm, one for a professional with 3 to 5 years of experience and the other for a senior tax consultant with over 5 years of experience. Further experience in accounting is a major advantage. You will be involved in complex, challenging and interesting tax and accounting matters for major international and local clients.
Who we are:
What we are seeking:
What we are offering:
Please send your resume and letter of intent (explaining why you chose to be part of our team and what motivates you in your legal career) to firstname.lastname@example.com. Please use the subject line Tax.
Due to high number of applications received, only selected candidates will be contacted for interviews.


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A progressive mingling with Tea Partiers? Guilty! I gritted what teeth I have left and headed for a local TP rally in honor of National School Choice Week, mainly because the featured speaker was going to be the individual who gave the party its national voice, Dick Armey. The event was scheduled for the evening of Groundhog Day, February 2nd.
Groundhog day was a little odd since the dates for National School Choice Week were actually January 22-28. The National School Choice Week website was still up post-event and I noticed the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) icon prominently displayed at the bottom of the page as a supporter. My guess is that ALEC's support extended to major bucks.
The rally was held in a Chateau-like structure located in a public park. I felt like I should have arrived by ski-lift. Instead I wound my way around the park and backed my pickup into a space about a half-block away from the host building. The lot was already filling up 30 minutes before the official opening.
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I had no sooner weaved my way to a stop when a scruffy, somewhat ill-kempt fellow approached my Dakota. He reminded me of those aggressive car salesmen that grab your door handle the minute you stop your engine. I rolled the window down as he greeting me and handed me a single sheet of paper with the heading 'Preschools Are Using a Marxist's Theories to Manufacture Collectivists'. I had no idea. The piece was written by one Chuck Roger with a snooty accent aigu over the 'e'. Seems Ghuck is convinced our kids are being ruined by a long-dead psychologist named Lev Vygotsky, 77 years removed from this earth.
The other subject matter on the page displayed a website that listed 24 things that government schools dare not teach. Examples 1, 2 and 3 were staring back at me. The first 'thing' the schools DARE NOT TEACH was that all men were endowed with certain unalienable rights (I've compressed a bit). The second 'thing' the schools DARE NOT TEACH was that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men and finally, schools DARE NOT TEACH the meaning of liberty.
I'd like to give you the address of the website so you can read the entirety of these first 3 of these forbidden fruits and the remaining 21, but I DARE NOT!
I quickly thanked this poor wretch and headed in a fast walk to the Chateau.
When I took one step inside the door I felt an immediate thump on my lapel. A lady had affixed a decal on my sports coat like the one with your name on it at gatherings where most of the attendees are strangers. I never bothered to write my name. Upon returning home, I discovered that for the night I had been a human billboard featuring the words 'SCHOOL CHOICE is the RIGHT choice. So, for this one night, I was a decal-wearing school choicer.
The decal was far from the only school choice propaganda of the night. Tables lined the entire length of one wall, all stacked high with assorted literature, mostly glossy, colorful and expensive.
I quickly skipped over the dessert table, loaded with every high-fat cookie imaginable and its frosted first cousins. And these people want to repeal health care?
The first table piece I ran into was a cryptic single-page in black, white and orange that had Speak/Act in giant letters. The page referred repeatedly to the website of South Carolinians for Responsible Government. SCRG is most obsessed with Superintendent pay and further down the table, SCRG literature headlined Top Ten Overpaid Non-teaching "Educators" named names and showed pictures. Note to SCRG. If you're competing with the private sector, you're going to have to pay a fairly high wage to get good people. The average hospital CEO makes $450,000 as of last year. The top Superintendents listed don't make half that, some far less.
The piece also described how far below the national average the district's SAT scores were and how lousy GPA's were and criticized shortfalls in graduation rates.
Let's get something else straight. If a child comes from an impoverished background, teachers can have no more than a 15% impact on that youngster's future. There are many other factors involved in the success or failure of these young people. That's why many private schools cherry-pick the best students, giving an artificial picture of their SAT, GPA and graduation numbers. Given the odds, it's extraordinary what public school teachers still manage to do for those unfortunate socio-economically challenged students.
Still further down, SCRG also offered a ten-page mini-tome breaking down the costs to the state and locals of every school district in South Carolina, plus a boatload of every educational expenditure extant. The distorted explanation of teacher job losses was painful to read. If there are fewer teachers, it's because they leave of their own accord. Firings? Maybe a few. Ignored is the fact that over the past two years public schools have lost over $750 million in state funding. Lemme see – what page was that on? Thousands of teachers were laid off, with salary freezes in the offing for those who remained.
In August of 2011, The South Carolina Superintendent of Education Mick Zais and his fellow birdbrain, Governor Nikki Haley, refused to go after $144 million in federal money from the federal Education Jobs Fund. It was money for school districts impacted by the economy and forced to lay off teachers. No other state, red or blue, was that ignorant or insensitive to the lives of school employees. Zais said the money would result in unwanted 'federal intrusion'.
But the piece de resistance of the table top displays was a glossy, 33-page, full-color booklet with pictures of every member of the state General Assembly and their contact information. At least 500 copies had to be printed given the crowd estimates of 350-400.
And the final item, rather nice T-shirts (you can guess the screenprints) weren't cheap either.
I've got a call in to a printer friend of mine. I'll share his estimates in part two of my school choice visit. You'll also hear what Armey and his sycophants had to say about your horrible public (government) schools after I sat down with three little kids.
Raised rural & small town, then lived in N.Y., Chicago & LA. Widely traveled. Returned from world wandering to pursue media life of anchorman/reporter and major, medium and small market talk radio. Highly active in politics. Once worked as orderly & security in Mens Lock Ward for the Criminally Insane at a state institution. Much more rational population than current Teapublicans. Great concern for country run by and for the extreme wealthy. The inhumane current running through this country has no precedent in modern history.
Follow me on Twitter @demwriter


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- The Turkish lira, on a steady downward slide for the majority of this year, held roughly flat throughout the trading day on Tuesday.
- President Donald Trump had previously held back on the sanctions, despite numerous warnings from his administration and Congress ever since Turkish President Recep Erdogan purchased Russia's S-400 missile defense system.
- U.S. sanctions could have been a massive blow for the country of 82 million, but according to analysts and the response of Turkish markets, these won't be.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Turkish markets were largely unmoved on Tuesday following the news of U.S. sanctions on Turkey for its purchase of a Russian missile system against NATO opposition.
The Turkish lira, on a steady downward slide for the majority of this year, held roughly flat at around 7.84 to the dollar throughout the trading day on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump had previously held back on the sanctions, designed under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), despite numerous warnings from his administration and Congress ever since Turkish President Recep Erdogan brokered a deal in 2017 with Russian President Vladimir Putin for its S-400 missile system, reportedly worth $2.5 billion. Turkey began receiving the missile parts in 2019 — resulting in its exclusion from America's F-35 program with NATO allies — and reportedly tested the system last October.
"Markets probably understand the sanctions for what they are: symbolic with minor if any impact on financial or real sectors," Erik Meyersson, senior economist at Handelsbanken Macro Research, told CNBC. That's because out of all the penalties available under CAATSA, the ones applied on Monday were particularly light.
The sanctions ban all U.S. export licenses and authorizations to Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries and impose asset freezes and visa restrictions on the organization's president and other senior officers.
Money Report
'It's about time'
"It's obviously a nuisance for the institution and individuals targeted. But in broader terms, I see rather limited negative spillovers onto the financial and real sectors," Meyersson said.
Still, Turkish government officials roundly condemned the move. "No country's sanctions will sway Turkey's determined stance. We condemn this decision and call on the US to step back from this mistake as soon as possible," Vice President Fuat Oktay said via Twitter.
The announcement received bipartisan praise among U.S. lawmakers, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) saying: "It's about time. I'm glad to see Congress do what the Administration would not – and show President Erdogan that we will not back down when it comes to protecting our security and that of our faithful NATO allies."
The statement alluded to Trump's seeming unwillingness to sanction Turkey in the past, owing, many believe, to a warm relationship between the two leaders. For the administration's part, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote in a statement Monday: "Turkey is a valued ally and an important regional security partner for the United States, and we seek to continue our decades-long history of productive defense-sector cooperation by removing the obstacle of Turkey's S-400 possession as soon as possible."
Designed to spare Turkish markets?
Turkey's economy is deep in recession after several years of a falling currency, double-digit inflation, and rising employment even before the pandemic hit. The U.S. sanctions could have been a massive blow for the country of 82 million, but according to analysts and the response of Turkish markets, they won't be.
"Compared to the sanctions options which could have been chosen — say Iran sanctions are a 10, and Russia 3 out of 10, these were something less than 0.5," Tim Ash, senior emerging markets strategist at Bluebay Asset Management, wrote in an email note.
"Message seems to be that these were specifically designed by the Trump administration to limit the hit to the Turkish economy and markets."
Handelsbanken's Meyersson agreed. "The sanctions happened now because Congress basically forced Trump's hands," he said.
The timing is important: just weeks ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration as president. Biden has called Erdogan an "autocrat" and suggested a harder line on the country for its controversial foreign policy moves. But the softness of these sanctions could set the stage for reconciliation as well, Ash said.
"The good news for the market is that they are out of the way, and it clears some of the page for Biden to re-write the script of U.S.-Turkey relations when he takes office," he wrote.
As a NATO ally with the second-largest military in the transatlantic alliance and highly strategic air bases that host thousands of U.S. troops and weapons, Turkey is a very important partner — and could be a very difficult adversary. It should be a priority, Ash said, for the U.S. to pull Erdogan back into the Western fold and away from Russian and Chinese orbits. How easy that will be given Erdogan's growing closeness with U.S. adversaries and increasingly aggressive foreign policy, however, in addition to Biden's own agenda, is yet to be seen.
—CNBC's Amanda Macias contributed to this report.


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Our Middle School Decision
Next year, after six years at our neighborhood elementary school, Longfellow Elementary, our daughter will be attending middle school at a private school, the Polytechnic School.
It may seem self-absorbed to be writing such a long (really long) blog post about why we made this decision. Maybe it is. But people have been asking me for months, and it turns out people have been asking our friends for months "what David and Kristin are doing for middle school."
Why would anyone would care what we do or why? For the past 10 years, we've been deeply involved in public education in our community. Seven years ago, my husband and I co-founded with friends the Pasadena Education Network (PEN) to promote parent participation in and family enrollment in our public schools. In addition, I've served on local committees, donated my facilitation services, and worked professionally through a variety of foundations to support our District and others like it across the country.As a result of our involvement, we know plenty of people are genuinely interested in our perspective on this decision. We're not naïve though. We also know there are people who will choose to judge us for this decision. I decided I'd rather that both those groups have the story straight from us. So here it is.
From the time we started Kindergarten at Longfellow people would ask us, "But what will you do about middle school?" We always answered, "We'll do the same thing we did for elementary. We'll assume the best of our public schools. We'll visit our neighborhood middle school and several other public middle schools. We'll visit private schools if we feel the need. Then we'll make a decision that is best for our family." This is what PEN recommends all families do, and that's what we did over the last two years with PEN's help.
We've been visiting most of our public middle schools off and on for two years now. The changes at our public middle schools over the last two to three years as a result of the Excellent Middle Schools initiative are remarkable. Literally every six months, I could see more progress – addition of an advisory period, advanced math options, the start of a foreign language program, new extra-curricular options, and a rise in test scores corresponding to the efforts.
As we visited, David and I both felt that this time around, we also needed to consider private schools. As a family we weren't willing to consider religiously-affiliated schools nor single-sex schools, so the remaining list was pretty short. In addition, after initial visits to our public middle schools, we concluded that we weren't interested in the more moderately priced private schools because we didn't feel the marginal differences were worth the expense.
So we visited Poly, which starts its middle school in 6th grade and where I spent two years as the Director of Technology in the mid 90's, and we visited Flintridge Prep, which starts in 7th grade and where David's brother graduated from high school. While I was at Poly, I was always particularly impressed with the middle school because it is a model of exactly what our public middle schools are working towards – a middle school program intentionally structured for that unique developmental stage of a child's life. When we returned to visit Poly this year, we found that model alive and thriving with block schedules, opportunities for project-based learning, advisory groups, exposure to the full range of arts, and community service projects among other things.
Having visited 4 of our 7 public middle schools, we applied via public school open enrollment to two public schools and applied to Poly. We didn't get into either of the other two public schools and we were waitlisted at Poly. We decided we would attend our neighborhood middle school, which was the public school our daughter and we preferred anyway, unless we got off the waitlist. Late last week, we got the call there was a spot for us at Poly and we enrolled.
Our daughter was so excited when we told her she'd gotten in to Poly that she was literally bouncing. David and I are very excited for her too. Our excitement however is tempered by the difficulty of this decision – not so much on a personal level but on a philosophical level in terms of what it says about the lack of support for public education in our society.
We don't think our public middle schools are bad. In fact we think they are improving dramatically every year. We don't think private schools are perfect, and we do not think all private schools are of equal quality. Our assessment focused on what we wanted for our daughter in middle school, what she wanted, and external factors at play at the moment in time we needed to make this decision.
- Even though our assessment of the state of the middle schools is very similar to our assessment of the elementary schools seven years ago, key factors in our decision were different at middle school.
In California, 800 is the test score that indicates a school has made it. When we first visited Longfellow when our daughter was three, the school hadn't yet reached 700. Still we could tell there were fabulous teachers and a visionary principal. We figured we could make up for everything else ourselves – take her to an outside theater class, music, whatever she needed. We would pitch in along with other parents to a school that was clearly on the rise. And we were right. Longfellow has spent two years over 800, and among other highlights now has an amazing orchestra, a garden, and strong parent support.
When we visited public middle schools, we again saw fabulous teachers and impressive principal leaders pretty much everywhere we went. In fact, we really didn't see discernible differences among the core program at the public middle schools we visited. We did see some differences around the level of student interest in academics and extra-curriculars, student social culture, and the level of parent involvement and support.
The challenge is that unlike at elementary school, we don't feel we can make up for the gaps we do see, nor that the best parent involvement can make up for those gaps either. Class size is one example. Our daughter has 35 kids in her 5th grade class right now, and that can work when you have an amazing teacher with them all day like we do now. But when that teacher is teaching four or five classes of 35 – 40 seventh graders a day? Grading 140+ papers every time a paper is assigned? Foreign language is another example. The couple of elementary dual-language immersion programs in our district launched too late for us to take advantage of them and we struggled and didn't find alternatives to teach our daughter a foreign language before age 12 which is when research says is the best time to learn. Our public middle schools have just begun to offer Spanish, and it sounded like we could maybe get a semester or two of Spanish as an elective. At one school it sounded an awful lot like the Spanish teacher didn't really speak Spanish and it was more of a Spanish culture class.
Another thing that's different about this transition is that our daughter's needs and interests are clearer, and she was involved with the decision-making. She visited all the schools with us and talked with us about what she wanted and what she saw. For example, our daughter has been doing musical theater year round since she was five, and the performing options and student involvement in performing were next to zero at our neighborhood middle school and only marginally better at others that we visited. Middle school is precisely the time when we wanted our kid to be able to explore her interests AT school so that she could find friends at a time when peers become very influential. We felt we would struggle to find outlets for our daughter's particular interests at the schools we were considering and would have to continue to support them outside of school instead.
- In our opinion, the gap between what our public schools and even the high-end private schools offer at elementary school is very minor; at middle school the gap is far wider.
Last year, in a single week my husband and I visited our neighborhood public middle school and then that weekend we took our daughter to the Flintridge Open House.
We came away from that juxtaposition fundamentally depressed. We were viscerally saddened by the chasm between the two schools and by the fact that our society could ever let there be such a huge difference between the education you get if you can pay top dollar for it, and the education you get if you can't. Further visits to more public middle schools and Poly itself simply confirmed that initial assessment and deep disillusionment.
At the public middle schools we mostly saw classrooms that were full of more students than the room seemed designed to hold. Kids were engaged and working, but the rooms felt packed and sometimes claustrophobic. Our daughter noted immediately as we visited one of the private schools, "Look there are only 16 desks in the room!"
Our public middle schools offer extra-curriculars, sports, and instrumental music in particular seems to be thriving. The options seem to vary by school and the longevity and support for them seems inconsistent and often dependent on parents. Given our interest in theater, we noted that at one school a theater club was starting after school and hoped for a performance the next year. At another they were adding a drama elective this year. In contrast, both private schools had two first-class performing spaces on campus, dedicated drama instructors, and multiple performing options for middle schoolers every year.
As I mentioned above, our public middle schools have begun offering foreign language – only Spanish and only for a semester or two across all three years. Both private schools we visited offered several languages at middle school and students would take 2-3 years of a language before even getting to high school.
Our public middle school had to pull a rabbit out of a hat to hire back a librarian after the previous one had been part of the budget cuts. At both private schools we visited, we saw brand new libraries, with rooms of new computers all with subscriptions to online databases for research. The librarians had been there for years developing the program and their connections to the students.
These are simply examples of some of the things most relevant to what our family cares about at middle school. Foreign language, theater and a student culture that supports performing, class size (especially as it supports teaching writing skills), and 21st century libraries matter to us.
- Our timing stinks.
We are making this decision in a year where we happen to be on the bleeding edge of PEN families. We just don't have that many connections to families at our school that are moving on to the same public school or public school at all. Our daughter's closest three friends are going to three different schools – two to private, and one to public after they got into the 6-12 public school only available via lottery. Even within her slightly bigger circle of friends at her elementary school, they are mostly scattering to a variety of public and private schools. Our discomfort with this confirms part of what PEN does and why. When you are connected to other families, it's easier to take a leap of faith together and then pitch in to contribute what you can. I fully expect that families we know a year or two behind us may make different decisions as a result.
- There's a HUGE amount of uncertainty in public education in this particular year.
Our Superintendent, one of the best I've ever met, just resigned. We have no way of knowing who will be leading and hiring for middle and high schools next year. The school board is divided and a runoff election in April will likely determine the future for the next 6-8 years since that board will hire the next Superintendent. (Vote Tom Selinske April 19!). The state budget is in total meltdown and schools are waiting on a special election that may or may not happen in June to learn just how much they have to cut next year and how that will impact class sizes and the ongoing work of improving the programs. That's just too much uncertainty for us at this particular moment in time.
- Our community, our state, and our nation are not stepping up to the plate to properly support and resource public education.
Our local parcel tax failed last year after receiving 54% of the vote but needing over 66% to pass. Try explaining that to a 9 year old. "I don't understand mommy. How did they win if we got more votes?" Though improving greatly, much of our community still holds outdated perceptions about our public schools and the level of support needed from the community isn't there yet.
Even once the state budget situation for next year is certain, it's not getting better anytime soon. Our state has allowed itself to slide from a leader in education to the target of jokes for our lack of investment in education.
At the national level, people seem to prefer fighting over unions, teacher pay, charter schools, and the like over really working together to support and resource a collaborative transformation of education as we know it. In my humble opinion, it isn't that public education has gotten any worse since I was a student, it's that the world has completely transformed in those 20+ years and we haven't yet figured out how to work together to help education catch up.
Any one of those three is enough to give you pause, all three together add up to a crippling lack of resources and support right now.
We are keenly aware that we are one of the fortunate few who have many options. We are keenly aware that we are repeating a history in this community that David himself lived through. He was bussed to two different elementary schools as part of the desegregation order, went to a private middle school, and back to a public high school. Our "liberal guilt" is nothing compared to what it feels like for families who don't have options or what it feels like to teachers and administrators who do amazing things in the face of devastating cuts in resources. Our own sadness is nothing compared to the loss of economic and human potential we as a society face if we can't come together to support public education so that every child gets a first-class experience.
We expect to re-examine all options again at the high school transition. We also expect to remain involved in and supporters of PEN and of public education in our own community and beyond. We hope that our openness about our decision and our reasons provides an opportunity for conversation with us and not about us.
I welcome your questions and conversation here.
PS. If you are interested in education issues, you might be interested in this recent post Education Needs Remodeling not "Fixing"
23 thoughts on "Our Middle School Decision"
Wow, Kristin. It is very clear that you've put a huge amount of thought into this, and in the end, you are doing what you think will be the best for your daughter. I similarly agonized with the public/private decision this year; I am the product of excellent public school myself and was hoping that my kids would have a similar experience.
However, that was not the reality of the situation, and in the end, we did what we felt was right for our kids. They are thriving, with interests that they never would have developed had we stuck with the public school plan. I think it is a very personal decision, and one where you need to trust your gut. I'm sure next year will be terrific!-
Thanks Hollee. Appreciate it.
And I still owe you a blog post!
This is a courageous and thoughtful post, Kristin. Thank you for all you have done to move our community as far as you have in support of public education. And I know the story isn't over yet. We are just beginning a new chapter.
Thanks Kim. It is definitely a new chapter. In some ways the process has reignited my commitment to public education and figuring out the best way I can make a difference.
Kristin (and David): Thank you for your courageous post and decision. You remind me of Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" (titled way before motherhood got remodeled, but apropos despite the outdated title.) http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trsorbonnespeech.html
While that reference may seem a bit over the top when discussing middle school, if you live in Pasadena, you get it. And the critics and "I told you so-ers" are also over the top. Moving forward.
Peace and blessings,
Thanks Clif – I love that quote from Roosevelt!
Thank you for your honesty. I truly appreciate your thoughtful and heartfelt interpretation of the current state of public education, and PUSD in particular. This must have been an extremely difficult decision for you, in light of the fact that you have spent so much time advocating for public education.
However, in the end you are, first and foremost, an advocate for your child. You have listened and responded to your child's needs in this present moment and, as parents, that is the very best we can do.
I understand your feelings of sadness for those who do not have the same options and for the public educators facing seemingly insurmountable odds, but at this moment your child needs you elsewhere. Your contributions to public education are not diminished by your choice, nor does it preclude continued belief in the potential for excellence in our public schools.
Let go of any guilt you might be inclined toward as this surely will keep you from living fully in the present for yourself and your family. Know that your middle school decision has been made, and now you can move on to taking care of the next thing that needs your attention. A legion of families will continue to work toward the goal of making our public schools a better place for our students, our future. Thank you for everything you have done, and will continue to do, for public education.-
Wow thanks so much Melissa. I really appreciate your support and telling me what I need to hear – let go of feeling lousy and move on. : ) Kristin
Hi Kristin, I understand that personal decisions regarding our children are frought with complications and difficulty and I completely respect any personal decision a parent needs to make. I wonder if publicly posting your reasons for leaving the district might make others feel justified in taking their children out of public school because they can locate the cause in the schools (and your blog) rather than in their own fears and anxieties. We are definitely experiencing difficult times in our schools and it will take a lot from all of us to keep them afloat. I hope we can make it happen. Thanks, Mary
Hi Mary –
First, thanks for your thoughts. As a founding family of PEN, we felt it was a big deal to chose a private school at this stage in our child's education. That's why we felt compelled to publish our rationale for others to read, and take the risk that some might take offense in such rationale no matter what we said. We knew people would hear about our decision and either they could interpret it through rumor or assumptions or we could share the whole thing ourselves. We preferred the latter and feel sharing makes it less likely for people to misinterpret our decision as a reason to avoid doing their own real analysis or as a reason to believe "all public schools are bad, all private schools are good."
We helped found PEN because we realized everyone we knew was having conversations at their own kitchen table, often informed by little more than rumor, and we felt the community would benefit from connecting people for that conversation instead. Same is true here. We could have done this quietly, but we feel the community always benefits from more open conversations about public education. Because like you, we also hope that together we can all make it happen.
I heard about your private school decision yesterday, and felt a bit shell-shocked. It was not just because of your news, though, but also because of what's been going on during the past couple of days in state government. It's so much to take in, when you feel like everyone appears to be giving up on quality education for our kids. This is not directed at you personally, because I know that is not your intention. I've seen and heard what great work PEN has done in your school district and how it's an invaluable resource to your community. Good luck and enjoy your new adventure at Poly!
Hi Pam!
Great to hear from you! We were a bit shell-shocked too. We had every reason to hope that by the time we got to middle school we wouldn't feel the need to even consider this option. And our district has moved mountains at the middle schools over the years. As you point out, it's really the stuff happening over the last couple of years at the state level – and the local level with our parcel tax failing – that we didn't and couldn't have anticipated. It's frustrating because especially as resources dwindle, parents spend more and more time and energy trying to shore up their own school and often have little time and energy left for the bigger fight we need to tackle – the one at the local, state and national levels that insists on increasing resources and decreasing divisive politics around education.
Hi Kristin. Would you mind writing an op-ed based on your story for the LATimes and StarNews? Given your history, I think this would be a good catalyst for the public discourse that is very much going to need to happen surrounding the level of priority we as a society place on funding educational resources. I'm not sure your blog is a place that can happen. I dont think the focus needs to be as personal as you've made it here, however, I do think the component of this story that makes it critically important for people to hear is the fact that you came at this decision with probably more education-related knowledge and activism than virtually anyone else in our community. If that cannot be a wakeup call for our society, nothing can.
Hi Mike –
I hadn't thought about it but that is a good idea to write an op-ed. As you note, it would need to be much less personal while still making the point that we had every reason NOT to make this decision, and if it would do some good catalyzing conversation it would be worth it. On a related note, I'm noodling a follow up post because one of the things my husband and I have found very interesting is that the handful of emails I've gotten offline about the post all included a message that we just shouldn't have talked about it, or at least not so publicly. That talking about it does more harm by being so discouraging. Our interpretation of getting that feedback is actually that it reinforces how much we need the conversation and lack the public discourse tools to have it productively.
I'll think about an op-ed, if you have any other thoughts about what would be most compelling in such a piece, please feel free to share. I'm curious – how are you connected to this issue? Sounds like you are here in our community? Kids in school? Share your story. : )
Hi Kristin.
I have been mulling over whether to respond because I think its impossible to talk about doing something to improve public education without implying that there is currently something lacking. But highlighting its flaws might clearly also lead people to question their dedication to it. I'm guessing this is one of the reasons some people were less than happy with your candor. If it were impossible for things to get better or there were nothing to improve then I would have to admit talking about it in a negative light is counter-productive, however, if something can and needs to change, then understanding what that is is the first step. As long as we succumb to the belief that political will is lacking, we will be doomed to silence and its consequences. I read a Frederick Douglass quote recently that said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand."
The primary compelling aspect, which I previously mentioned, is simply your circumstance. The fact that you have been such an advocate for public schools–meaning you fully understand the consequences of such decisions–and the fact that you have an insight into public schools on a level few other people have, makes your decision all the more important in the barometric sense.
But you are right that your circumstance is not the only issue here. The other reason your post matters is that you were able to offer a candid and concrete list of ways in which public schools fail to provide the resources that many people would consider a prerequisite for quality education and, more importantly, what role that played your decision-making process. Granted, resources are not the only way in which public and private schools differ, but they are the primary difference as it applies to the question of funding priorities, which, in my opinion, is the thing we most need to discuss as a society, especially right now.
For most of our voting populace, the connection between funding levels and school resources is simply too abstract. Most voters dont know their local superintendent's name, let alone understand how their district prioritizes funding decisions. Even then, setting funding policy at the state level is procedurally disconnected from district-level funding-related policy decisions. I think many people would lament hearing about the thousands of pink slips issued by LAUSD but would have no idea how their behavior results in or could possibly avoid such a situation (even though it does and can). The widespread voter's remorse that happened after the measure CC fiasco showed us that the same disconnect exists, surprisingly, on even local issues.
To be sure, changing any of that would be a quite complex task, but the first step on the road to anything different is for people to be able to internalize the current state of our schools, and more importantly, be clear on how that differs from what we think it should be, and why. I think your post, as much as your candor may not be appreciated by all, forces us to accept that there are people who believe we are clearly depriving a large portion of our kids from the education that we know they deserve, and provides one view on how we are doing that. It also forces us to accept that, as a result, parents need to and will make decisions that may be better for their own kids now but are worse for public education and thus eventually worse for society overall. It also makes clear that they make those decisions based partially on just those differences you so clearly outline. In other words, those differences, from your point of view, I think is the other thing that the public needs to understand because that will help to remove some of the abstraction that obscures the real impact of our voting decisions. And it is through those decisions, after all, the way in which we as a society are responsible for the state of our schools.
To be sure, I don't intend to imply that there are not other, very real factors in the public-vs-private decision. I think its absolutely appropriate to debate the validity of comparing Poly with a PUSD middle school, or even how important resources are independent of other factors in a school, however, those are quite complex topics and not relevant for why something like an op-ed would be useful right now (even though I have strong opinions on those topics).
And btw, yes, I am a public school parent. But to be honest, my concerns for public education extend much further than our own district. The problems we are going to have over the next couple of years are not specific to our district, even though we are going to have no choice but to solve some of them ourselves.
There is admittedly going to be an increased incentive in the coming years to abandon our district (and any public district for that matter), however, this is not going to solve any of society's problems, and, I believe, will eventually make them worse. So we need to figure out how to address that issue in spite of that incentive and the decisions it effects.
Sorry for the verbosity..-
Mike –
I realized I intended to post in response to this comment and never did! So just a quick and heartfelt thank you for putting all your thoughts here. I find them very thought-provoking, and found myself nodding in agreement with your observation that if things were impossible, then being negative is counterproductive but if it is possible, then candor is the first step. I do still believe it's possible. And I subscribe to Jim Collins Good to Great mantra that real change requires "Confronting the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)." Both are necessary.
I am having flashbacks reading your article. The most depressing part is that it was 25 years ago that our family was making the same choices for exactly the same reasons, and yes, with the heavy burden of "liberal guilt". How could so much time have passed and we find ourselves in the same place with the disparities between public and private education? The answer to that question could fill volumes but the short answer is money and priorities. Quality public education needs to become a priority in California like it once was. Sadly, until we get through this difficult economic cycle the changes cannot be made at the state or local level even if fresh priorities are set. There needs to be a long term vision and continuing efforts at all levels. You can't wait for that to happen when every year is important for your own child.
What we chose for our three children was based on the individual child and their interests. For the oldest, your friend, the public schools were working primarily because there was a continuing peer group at each school. When I worked on the Court Appointed Committee to Rewrite Pasadena's Plan for Integration one of the primary goals was that children that started in school together could stay together through the years. With all the school programs for choice, charters, magnets and private the peer group has been lost.
You experienced that as we did for our two younger children. We also found the lack of "extra-curricular" programs to be a deciding factor. For one it was a junior high sports program and for the other it was art, music and dance. Like you we wanted those activities in the schools as they had been when we went through the public schools.
Feel confident that you made the right decision for your daughter. The guilt eventually fades when the results are validated. I couldn't be more pleased with the results from our decisions decades ago. I do have one warning, however. We fully intended to return to public high school for both children after the middle years in private school. When that time arrived their peer groups had a strong influence as did a genuine loyalty to the new school. As is appropriate, the extent to which the child is a player in the decision making continues to grow with age.
I believe that it is the things considered "extras" that keep students engaged in their education. Creative arts, languages, and sports all enhance the learning experience and brain development in different ways. Sometimes it is the only thing that keeps kids going to school! So how do we make a complete education available again? Keep your good ideas coming!
P.S. I really appreciated Mike's comments.-
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments Wendy – and sharing the generational perspective. We asked ourselves that same question "How could so much time have passed and we find ourselves in the same place with the same disparities between public and private education?" And our hope was that in starting the Pasadena Education Network, we would contribute what we could to accelerating progress in such a way as to get us to a different place by the time we started secondary. What saddens me is that our decision is not a commentary on our schools in Pasadena – we have seen mountains moved over the last 10 years and believe strongly in the progress the schools and District has made and continues to make. It is more a commentary as you note – on the money and priorities at the community, state and national level. I would also add one thing to your list – politics. Local, state and national politics also get in the way of progress. You can't hire the best people and sustain intitiatives long enough for results with a divisive local board of education. You can't have honest conversations about state funding of education if certain options – like taxes, or Prop 13, or allocating funds based on student needs – are off the table. And we can't have a national dialogue about education if people have simply retreated into their corners (Dem vs Rep, or Choice/Acctability vs Community/Collaboration) and won't entertain discussion of anything in the middle.
Personally I would like to see us (locally and otherwise) get out of the mindset of "fixing" and start in earnest to talk about our vision for education in the 21st century and a renewed commitment to public education that delivers it to all students. Then we can discuss the conditions that vision would require. "Fixing" mindset always sets up divisiveness whereas starting with what we all want sets us up to collaborate.
I have been tangentially aware of your work supporting public education over the years and I recall being on a discussion panel that you organized maybe ten years ago on this topic. I recently learned about your decision to send your child to private school. I find it discouraging, while at the same time understandable and predictable. I also understand your daughter's excited anticipation in attending a place like Poly. It would indeed be odd if she did not notice the difference.
Forgive me for singling you out here. None of this is probably new to you, but you have built a following and a strong reputation as a public school advocate, which I applaud. That means, of course, your personal decision also has wider implications for the community. As you know, it is a well established tradition in this district for the social and political leadership to abandon the public schools, and your example unfortunately reinforces and amplifies that. This is what I find most discouraging and demoralizing, both as a PUSD teacher and parent.
Regardless of your more global outlook on the state budget and priorities, the middle school your child might have attended will now miss your involvement as an active and constructive parent, as well as the ADA dollars. Many outstanding kids have successfully navigated their middle school years in PUSD, in spite of a yawning gap in relative funding between public and private schools. That gap will always be there to one degree or another. How else will a place like Poly or Flintridge Prep (or whatever) stay attractive to those with enough disposable income?
To whom much is given, much is also expected.-
Hello Eric –
Of course I remember you, from the panel 10 years ago, and from hearing about you off and on in your teaching role, and of course I have Laura's book on my shelf. I've been out of town but wanted to reply to your comments.
I have to say I agree with most of what you shared. I find it discouraging that I and others I know have made decisions recently to either use private secondary schools or even move out of Pasadena. I too find it discouraging and demoralizing when social and political leadership abandons our public schools – a history that goes back decades. And I agree that the middle school we might have attended will miss our involvement and our ADA dollars and that both of those resources are no small thing to our schools.
If I'm honest with myself (and I try to be), I've often felt as you seem to as we went through elementary. I found myself disappointed and angry and unforgiving with families we lost along the way to other options. To be frank, I still have a lot of trouble understanding a decision not to use our public elementary schools for anything other than religious reasons. There are just too many good elementary schools. That said, I'm forced to see the other side now.
Expecting parents to make a school decision based on anything other than their child's and family's best interests is unrealistic and unreasonable. To turn it back on me – or any individual family – as some moral failing of ours when we make a different decision is to ignore the realities and the feedback these decisions provide to the schools and the community – and the opportunity for a deeper conversation about why we haven't been able to overcome this historic dynamic.
Over the years when my husband and I shared with others at benefits or social functions that our daughter is at our neighborhood elementary school, we regularly got an "Oh, that's so admirable of you!" reaction, as if we had made a questionable decision for our child because we wanted to serve a larger purpose. That was not the case. We chose her school because it was best for her and our family – a great free education, half block from our house. We believed in and wanted to support public education, but we would not have made that decision if we felt it wasn't in her best interests. And we made that clear to anyone who assumed otherwise.
Our elementary schools have improved much more dramatically in the past 10 years than our secondary schools. Because of that, a decision to go to a public elementary school when you have other options is decidedly not a self-sacrificial, altruistic decision, it is a wise one.
At elementary, PUSD has tipped the scales of that family calculus.
Six years ago, our family had every reason to hope that similar improvements in secondary would work in our family's favor by the time we reached middle school. In our opinion, it hasn't happened.
Despite the spoken emphasis on secondary the last four years, PUSD hasn't had the District leadership in place to lead that charge. I believe our middle schools made such progress in part thanks to a strong cadre of principals who worked together. I have not seen the same level of school site leadership and collaboration at the high school level yet – which to be fair is far more difficult without the right District leadership in secondary. And made even harder with the state budget cuts and failure of the parcel tax.
That doesn't mean kids can't get a good education in our secondary schools today – as you point out, many have (like my husband) and many do today. It means our secondary schools haven't improved enough to fundamentally shift family decisions writ large.
It would have been far easier for us personally to decide on a public middle school. We went into the decision with a belief system that predisposed us to see all the good in public schools and minimize the not so good elements. We WANTED to believe. Many in our shoes go in with the opposite set of beliefs and need to have negative assumptions disproven.
Our middle and high schools don't have to match a place like Poly. As you point out, by definition they never will. They do have to close the gap between the two enough to shift the family calculus if we want our entire community to be part of the promise of public education. Scolding those who make a different decision as failing in their social responsibility shuts down conversation and simply continues the historic us vs. them dynamic that got us here in the first place.
Finally, I do want to thank you for commenting here. I really do believe that open conversation is part of the solution and appreciate your willingness to be frank in sharing your own perspective.
Hi Kristin. This may seem like an odd question (and apologies for putting you on the spot), but given your decision and what you've said about the reasons for it, is it even possible for you to continue to justify the existence of public education? I am not trying to be facetious here, but given your historical priorities, it seems like you being 'forced to see the other side' might have more implications than just where your child goes to school. Would you mind talking about that? Sorry, but I am truly interested in understanding this dilemma. 🙂
Mike –
I definitely take your question in the spirit it is intended. My immediate answer is a resounding yes, I not only can justify public education, I believe deeply in it as a foundation for our social and economic prosperity as a country. That said, let me noodle on your question a bit more. Certainly our recent experiences have caused me to reexamine many of my beliefs about what it takes to make change in public education and the communities within which they sit.
never thought i'd be posting a comment from this guy on education (since i usually disagree with him wholeheartedly) but this is exactly the kind of discussion we need to have. Maybe now is your chance to run with this Kristin. 🙂
"Here is another simple idea that our children understand but that we adults seem to have lost sight of: fair is fair. It is simply unfair to send some children to good quality private schools for $25,000 or more and then maintain that $7,000 — California's average per-pupil spending — is anywhere close to adequate to educate the rest. In Los Angeles, 84% of our students are Black or Latino and 76% qualify for free or reduced lunches. They deserve the same educational opportunities as their peers. The educational futures of these children must not be determined by their economic status or zip code."
– mayor antonio villaraigosa


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March 11-April 16, 2016.
Karla Griffin, Stephanie Norris and Barbara Reimer
Opening Reception: Friday, March 11 at 8PM
Panel Discussion: Saturday, March 12 at 4PM
Presented in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Prairie Light Photography Festival
What does "resolution" mean to the photograph in the context of a digital domain? How does an artwork inscribe a space for a social/political contemplation relative to the relentless procession of images that pervade social media and our globally connected mobile devices? This three-person exhibition began with a PAVED Arts workshop, whereby participants referred back to the 19th Century and assembled a rudimentary box camera. In effect, this exhibition presents the work of three Saskatoon-based artists with extremely distinct photographic practices, extending the conversation that brought them together, one that articulates a certain ambivalence of old and new photographic technique deployed in our contemporary information age.
Figure 9.12 Dots appear as a continuous line when the human eye can no longer differentiate between the spaces and the dots.
A collaborative billboard project by Karla Griffin, Stephanie Norris and Barbara Reimer.
Resolution is curated by David LaRiviere
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday, Noon – 6 pm; Saturdays Noon – 4pm
PAVED Arts acknowledges the support of our members, volunteers and partners, and of our principal funders: Canada Council for the Arts, Saskatchewan Arts Board, SaskCulture, SaskLotteries, and the City of Saskatoon.
Media inquiries contact: David LaRiviere, Artistic Director, tel. (306) 652-5502 ext.1, or artist(at)pavedarts(dot)ca
Free admission to the public with barrier-free accessibility.


text:
HAVE you been hospitalized before? If yes, have you noticed the meals they served? Aside from the bland taste of food they serve, did you notice that they include gelatin as dessert?
Gelatin commonly known to Filipinos as "gulaman" contains glycine, part of amino acids in gelatin which also contains anti-inflammatory properties which accelerate wound healing and improve the quality of your sleep.
Hospitals that serve gelatin are giving their patients enough calories since many patients situated in hospital cannot eat anything better except for gelatin or Jello.
Anyone who is recovering from some disease needs something easy to digest, such as liquids and gelatin.
Gelatin stimulates the secretion of gastric acid and restores a healthy mucosal lining of the stomach, which in turn improves the gut integrity and digestive strength. This is very important as low stomach acid and impaired gut barrier are the two most prevalent digestive issues in the modern world. In addition to this, gelatin promotes healthy bowel movements and good intestinal transit by absorbing water and keeping fluids in the digestive tract.
According to a recent study, the consumption of gelatin helps people sleep better. The people who participated in the study report better cognitive function and less daytime drowsiness as well.
Processed gelatin or gulaman contains sugar but it all depends on how much sugar you want to add in case you want to make your own. But in overall, gelatin or gulaman as our refreshments has many health benefits:
* Gelatin contains large amounts of protein and it is a great way to add more protein in your daily diet. As a matter of fact, a tablespoon of gelatin provides up to six grams of protein.
* Gelatin attaches to water and allows the food move through the digestive system much easily, which in turn improves digestion.
* Adding gelatin to your daily diet can help heal the lining of your stomach and digestive tract. It also heals food intolerances and certain allergies.
* Due to its amino acid content which is crucial in preventing degeneration of cartilage in joints, gelatin promotes bone and joint health.
* Gelatin stimulates the elimination of toxins from the body as glycine, an amino acid found in gelatin, helps the liver remove toxins from the system.
* Gelatin contains keratin, a strong protein which is naturally found in the hair, nails, teeth, and skin. Therefore, gelatin promotes hair, nail, and teeth health.
* Gelatin improves the elasticity of your skin as it is made up of collagen. Regular consumption of gelatin helps you look much healthier and younger than any other collagen facial cream.
* Gelatin promotes accelerated wound healing as glycine, the aforementioned amino acid, acts as potent anti-inflammatory agent.
Here's a homemade recipe for a less sugar jelly or gulaman:
1 cup green tea
Honey or stevia
3 Tbsp unflavored gelatin
1 cup orange juice
1 cup grape juice or fresh strawberries
* Cook the green tea and add honey or stevia, to your preference. Then, stir in the unflavored gelatin and let it dissolve.
* Remove from heat and allow it to cool off. Add the orange juice and grape juice
* Transfer the mixture into a container and keep it refrigerated for at least three hours.


text:
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