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Idealism has given young people unattainable expectations within a land of the financially enslaved, where unhappiness is enhanced at a push-button rate
Verbal head scratching has for many months dominated the media, as our influencers and opinion writers try to come to terms with what really happened for the Labour Party at last Summers General Election.
Of course, the perplexity doesn't stop there. Somewhere in an office near the Palace of Westminster, a Conservative Party which looks rudderless and without any sincere intention, is desperate to emulate a link with our Nation's young people; one which appeareances tell them only Jeremy Corbyn could invent.
That people of any age can be intoxicated by drink, drugs, or by the romanticism of the political ideal that everybody should be treated in a same-size-fits-all category is nothing new. Joining a group to further the interests of ourselves is after all hardly something new. Yet the motivation for doing so for each of us will never be exactly the same.
Sadly, politics in the UK has been without real substance for a long time. Policy is made reactively in a very focused way. It does little more than address the effects of issues, rather than going any great distance towards tackling the causes themselves.
Against such a backdrop as this, it has become very easy for politicians to make hollow promises. Corbyn's soon rescinded promise over scrapping tuition fees for university students was clearly one such gesture. But a population which has been conditioned to believe that we can trust in our leaders and political parties without question simply doesn't look beyond the words as they are heard – whether it considers itself to be left, right, leave or remain.
Labour's vote winning stunt is pertinent not because it is political or because it appears to have worked as it was intended. It is illustrative of the complexity of this real problem because it highlights the presence of many questions that politicians should not only be asking – but also answering. Questions about why the various experiences of the politically disenfranchised are now being so well exemplified by the experience of the young.
Higher Education is just one area affecting real lives which has seen its value overturned, whilst giving the surface deep appearance and sense of even greater opportunity being presented to all.
Young people are being actively encouraged to commit themselves to lifetime borrowing to take a wide range of degrees which themselves are increasingly considered by industry to be worthless in terms of the skills that they teach. The students themselves understandably believing that they will automatically find themselves within a glittering career just as soon as they leave full time education.
The commercialisation of the higher education sector has added to the problem considerably. The priority of what at one time would have been arguably some of the best academic tuition available in the world, having now been shifted from the quality of teaching itself, to the accumulation of profit and nothing else. The recent cases of outrageous pay for university leaders is all you will need to read.
Whichever way you look at it, the emphasis is about money. And the experience of education is just where this process begins.
Having been sold the faulty bill of goods which a degree education for many has now become, the opportunities to secure work which will enable young people to quickly move on without a need to go home to their parents is increasingly hard to find.
Profiteering in the housing market has made entry level purchases and tenancies impossible for many. Property prices being exponentially inflated beyond even their realistic ball-park level, with values now being pitched at the ground in the next town and probably way beyond.
The work which is available to many graduates offers career prospects way below what a degree level entrant had been taught to expect when they made their academic choice.
With the attainment of all degrees being deliberately sold to everyone as an academic elixir which will make a graduate in some way better than anyone else, it is little wonder that many see some occupations as simply being beneath them, not only as a job title itself, but in terms of the tasks they will now accept even as they are being on-the-job trained.
Effortless attainment has become the expectation of the next generation. It is backed up by an instant response culture of a click-button-world. And with media saturation reaching the point where we can perceive almost anyone as being accessible to us on our phones or in our own front room, it is little wonder that every young person who is prepared to do what they are told, expects that life will instantly reward them by appointing them as a rock star, MP or CEO.
The young and therefore all of us have been failed by the creation and propogation of a land of unattainable expectation. A fallacious future based on hollow promises, so that politicians can bathe in the glory of transient electoral and policy wins which add up to little more than pyrrhic victories.
For an entire population, a value set which reflects a practical, obtainable and satisfactory level of reality has now been denied. Aspiration has now been usurped by the need for glory and this is a prize you can only win if you make it big financially too.
Generations of politicians are responsible for this perfect storm. They represent all parties, and even those who are today continuing to perpetuate this evolution of chaos, would not recognise a pathway which for many others is already beginning to feel like doom.
The impractical idealism and romanticism of the left has created the illusion for some that a utopia exists where each of us can be equal whilst becoming a king or queen over all. This has been no less devastating than the unleashing of unregulated markets under the increasingly influential neoliberalism of the right, which demonstrates that it really is only those who have unfettred access to money who have any perceived form of real power. Very few of us believe in or have faith in the ability for us all to experience something beneficial in-between.
If government continues to do nothing to resolve this problem, we remain on target to become a Nation lost.
Yet resolution is not just as simple as the exchange of a few simple ideas.
After all, any person who would just like to live a simple lifestyle, without money, is in a position where they simply cannot.
image thanks to unknown
Education is currently failing the UK because the system we have in place today is based on the flawed idea that Equality is about sameness. True Equality comes with acceptance of the real differences that exist between us and in giving each and every one of us the best shot possible…
Equality is one of the greatest aims for any Country to have, whilst perhaps one of the most misinterpreted and therefore destructive concepts that that the UK has embraced.
Negative forms of discrimination have made many thinkers believe that the solution comes in the form of their positive counterparts. Yet the point has been severely missed that prejudicial forms of discrimination always relate to a form of favouritism or bias as a flipside on the other, and that this inevitable partnership necessarily follows wherever a form of positive discrimination may be used.
Just as racism and colour prejudice, sexism, discrimination against the elderly or disabled have and arguably in some cases continue to been a problem for many, giving special treatment or creating favourable circumstances for specific or what some prefer to call 'underrepresented groups' can be equally destructive and in some cases will actually affect many more, through little more than a legitimised form of disadvantage which many are simply too afraid to even talk about.
Social engineering is nothing new. But the silent subjugation which hides beneath the velvet glove of political correctness and an often misguided war for equalities is something entirely different. It now risks the identity of culture which has been at the heart of British life for many generations and which arguably kept us at the forefront of world industry, science and learning well in to the 20th Century.
Of all the parts of life where we should be getting the fight for the equality of opportunity 'right', Education is probably the most essential, because of the key role that it plays for individuals, communities, industries and therefore the evolution of our entire culture – en-masse.
But at some point, somebody somewhere confused practicality with idealism. They exchanged the reality that being fair to everyone by giving them the educational opportunities that most fit individual need will give us all the best start in life, with the idealist view that putting everyone in the same environment and using the same forms of education, would somehow lead to everyone turning out the same.
It doesn't. And the reason it doesn't is because the only difference that should matter when it comes to education is that whatever the circumstances or how we are physically perceived by others, we are all different and we all learn differently.
So no matter what background we come from; whether we are rich or poor; black or white; male or female; able bodied or disabled, we all accumulate knowledge in different ways and will only achieve the very best that we as individuals can, if diversity within educational opportunities matches the diversity that exists with learning ability and indeed counters the factors which are external to learning but upon which learning and the ability to learn have been for too long so foolishly placed.
Whilst 'dumbing-down' or developing an educational standard based upon little more than 'the lowest common denominator' fills those who abhor anything even perceptively elitist in nature with complete joy, lowering academic standards for the more-academically-inclined simply reduces the numbers of those who would otherwise excel and therefore contribute differently and arguably more greatly to our society as a whole.
However, the real tragedy in all this is based upon all those who are not academically attuned at school age. Many who are unequipped to rise to such theoretical standard, perhaps because of nothing more than circumstances in their lives. Many, who just need their learning to be more practically and vocationally inclined – perhaps only at that time.
We all lose from the approach that has been adopted, as what is in effect manifest ignorance of those whose ability lies not with their heads but with their hands, is or has created a lost generation which unwittingly and in most cases unwillingly lend themselves to many of the welfare, benefits and crime statistics that so many of us know to be so wrong, but have to accept as being just the way that it is.
The lack of foresight and basic understanding of our fellow man that has led these socialist agendas which have pursued this ideology of everyone being the same, are not only destroying the lives and future chances of individuals who could make a considerable contribution to our society – were they given the fullest opportunity to do so; they are contributing to the creation an entire sub-culture of socially disadvantaged, socially inept and socially immobile people who are blighted by the media propagated caricatures that have been landed upon them by the same libertarian and quixotic idealists who inadvertently put those same people there.
Glorification of celebrity, fame, sensationalism and money have led many of us to forget that the very basic forms of all occupations are about us; about life; about putting food on the table; about being healthy; about being happy; about getting us where we need to go. Our values have somehow gone wrong and we have forgotten that every job or occupation is important and that we should all value them as such for the contribution that they make in our lives and the value that they bring to our society.
The ironies of this saga do not stop there. If we continue to flat-line the contribution that we make to the opportunities we give to the up-and-coming generations in the form of free education, the best opportunities really will be left as the preserve of the financially rich who can arguably afford a tailored level of education for their children which simply becomes unavailable anywhere else. If you are of those who think that Politics is skewed in favour of a privately educated elite right now, look what could soon begin to follow in the not too distant future.
Both socialism and liberalism as they exist are flawed. They are little more than idealistic philosophies that make no allowance for the realities of cause and effect, and if we don't address this failure to address the need for balance in every aspect of life and policy that Government touches soon, the results simply do not bear thinking about.
The role that education plays in all our lives and how it reaches and extends into all parts of our culture, make it probably the very best place to start in addressing what could easily be called the regressive steps that the drive for ill-considered forms of equality have so far engineered.
Every part of the education system needs reform, which will only be controversial for those who continue to put their own ideas first, above the needs and requirements of others. Perhaps we could:
Reintroduce Grammar Schools in every District: The pathway of education for children to which so many parents aspire, Grammar Schools offer a benchmark in education and discipline that it has become unfashionable to appreciate vocally. This social anathema should be dispelled for the foolishness that it is and the opportunity should exist for all academically able children to gain a place at a Grammar School if they can attain the examination standards required and do not have alternative means to access a like-for-like education.
Reintroduce the 11+: With Numeracy and Literacy Skills at a low point, we simply must return to an acceptable level of basic education at this key age so that children are equipped to engage fully during adolescence in our increasingly information-based age, and employers can be sure that young people can not only understand, but also be understood. (Please follow this link for an insight on the 11+.)
Reintroduce real and vocationally based Apprenticeships at 14: Probably the most vital step that needs to be taken is to recognise that not all children are academically inclined and that the system today is failing too many young people because it has not nurtured them in a way which fits their learning processes. In simple terms, children are usually 'head or hands' and therefore more theoretically or practically able in their learning processes. In isolation, neither of these qualities is a sign of intelligence, yet children who simply aren't academically able to make the best of the school environment are all too often considered disruptive and can of course be an unnecessary distraction for those who are suited to school learning. As we grow older, we can all appreciate how little we knew but how much we thought we knew when we were in our teens and providing a stewarded environment from 14 for young people who are better suited to life outside the academic environment would give them the opportunity to take guided steps into the adult world, whilst earning an appropriate level of pay and giving a staffing option to commerce and industry that could make a significant difference to business. Either subsidising roles or supporting complimentary training courses at Tertiary Colleges could still deliver a saving in real terms, whilst providing an investment in the individual, taking them off the streets, whilst supporting British industry with a potentially parallel vocational route to age 21 that would more than adequately make up in time-served experience and the hands-on accumulation of skills for life what academically biased young people gain via a complete route of full-time education.
Reintroduce National Service: With a break or shorter form of Apprenticeship, those young people taking the vocational route could perhaps choose to finish their training in the Armed Services from 18-21, with the option being there as a requirement to attend for all young people not being in education or Apprenticed vocational training between those ages. Those 'finishing' training could bring skills from industry that the armed services need at a time that a pool of such experience could be highly beneficial. Either way and however those young people came to join, there is no question that a military grounding would provide a sense of value and self-worth for people who might otherwise never receive it. Such a pathway could open the door either to an extended military career or to the motivation and direction to move forward and make the best of the other opportunities that are on offer to those who value themselves and what they will inevitably gain to do it.
Return to more challenging forms of Exams at 16 and 18: The earlier part of this Coalition Government saw a series of attempts by Education Secretary Michael Gove to reform exams and return to the former O' Level and A 'Level or Baccalaureate standards. It's a desperate shame that he was prevented from doing so as the realities of the flaws in our Education system would quickly become evident and would perhaps highlight just how severely our children are being failed by a system which is currently geared to treating everyone as if they were exactly the same; a system that is benchmarked for its quality not by aspiration, but by the rule of the lowest common denominator. Life is by its very nature challenging and the exams that we take at 16 and 18 should genuinely represent the milestones that they are, rather than just being something that we do. If degrees are to again have the meaning to industry that they once had, it necessarily follows that these checkpoints of the educational pathway should be high on expectation too.
Restructure the way that Higher Education is funded: The Government cannot afford to fund the number of places within Higher Education that the drive to give everyone a degree has required. The fallout from this has of course been the creation of Tuition Fees which in themselves are creating lifetimes of debt for students who may have been a great deal happier taking other routes to learning. The fragility of funding streams has driven many Higher Education establishments to behave more and more like businesses as their focus moves from providing the best education for students to ensuring the survival of the organisations – and the jobs that they provide. This does not contribute to society on a wider level and the focus needs to return to providing the best Degrees possible and not necessarily the ones that generate the best fees from providing them. Bringing the return of value to pre-University level and parallel vocational forms of education would counter much of this, but as with areas such as the NHS and Local Government, there has to be a recognition of the need for overall change as part of a new bigger and reforming picture. This could realistically mean the loss of University Status or even closure for some institutions. But what was really wrong with polytechnics anyway.
Refocus on exam-based scholarship entry opportunities to all private schools for children whose families would otherwise be unable to afford them: Whilst some would happily see the demise of private schools in much the same way as Grammars have all but disappeared, Private Schools should always have their place, if nothing more than to allow those who can afford to pay the choice to do so. However, such institutions should also be available to children who would thrive with the support of such an environment and the schools themselves should be required to make a certain number of places available through exam-based scholarships each year for children who have the academic ability to meet the standards of each specific school, but would otherwise be held back by lack of financial resources.
Stop bringing the blame-claim-culture into schools and let teachers get on with educating: Parents do have a role to play too and I will not be alone in remembering the absolute horror which our parents would experience upon learning that we had been in trouble or had been reprimanded for being disruptive in school. The balance has changed and there is now an unwritten expectation that all children are perfect and that they can never be at fault. The complaints culture and accompanying insinuation that a complaint is just a step away from a claim is paralysing disciplinary standards with the creation of fear on the part of Teachers to act against unruly children who only 30 years ago would have had a string of detentions or worse from the school, along with a right good rollocking from their parents just as soon as they returned home.
Introduce standard educational apps on all electronic devices which will be used by children: Technology and the influence that it has upon us all is marching ahead at a hellish pace. Children are already using tablet computers before they can do many other things. We are currently missing the opportunity to work with manufacturers and potential sponsors to utilise these devices which immediately make fascinated children a captive audience. The development of standard apps which can be used to develop reading, language and other skills for the benefit of children and that of the education system which will very soon follow could be immeasurable. There is no doubt that Government should be working closely with manufacturers and Companies such as Google, to develop acclimatised software which is included within the operating platform of the machines at the point of sale and makes the very best of the learning opportunity which is literally presented for them there at hand.
Education by its very nature is supposed to assist the evolution of people, rather than becoming a tool which does little more than help a society to regress. Great ideas will not help all people if they are not developed with the needs of every single person in mind and education is currently failing in the UK because the system we have in place today is based on the flawed idea that Equality is about sameness.
It's time that we stopped trying to force people to change in ways that they simply cannot be changed; accept the good that exists in the real differences between us, and start giving each and every one of our children and young people their very best shot.
Source of top Image unknown
Labour's 'jobs guarantee' for the unemployed: Politicians should guarantee their own jobs by giving industry the policies and systems that work for business so that business itself can start working for us all.
Tackling unemployment should be an issue for any Government. But Labour's attempt at generating meaningful headlines with meaningless content will do little to reassure either business or the unemployed about what the post 2015 future may hold. It will also do little to enhance Labour's kudos on matters of care for the elderly if they are planning even more 'Brownite' onslaughts upon the pension funds of those who are already working.
Subsidising low-paid jobs does little to incentivise those who have not already taken them, but does a great deal for companies who need and profit from a low-skilled workforce; staff who require minimum induction or ongoing training alongside next-to-no supervision; all packaged neatly within a low-risk environment.
People should not be fooled either by the idea that cash-strapped charities would immediately benefit from having unskilled staff delivering services which may currently be undertaken by experienced volunteers, when such staff themselves would in all likelihood require supervision at much greater cost.
Perhaps I will not be alone in seeing the irony that the only businesses which can therefore profitably gain from the implementation of these ideas are primarily the big retailers, who are already targeting such groups for their shop-floor staff pools and don't actually need Government money to help them do so.
The retail fat-cats must surely be laughing themselves all the way to the bank as they thank the gods of democracy in anticipation of the delivery of such idiocy made manifest in political form.
Getting people of all ages into work isn't just about job creation. It is about empowering business, education and developing skills based upon the strengths of the individual, rather than devaluing the future of a whole generation on the basis of the weaknesses of groups.
If Westminster politicians were to adopt a more reasoned and practical approach, they might conclude that tackling employment issues tomorrow might be better served by tackling the causes of unemployment today. They might also conclude that the unemployed and disenfranchised young people of today, may well become the long-term unemployed and unemployable of tomorrow. Can it really be that difficult to see how many of these issues actually roll into one when you think ahead?
As Education Secretary, Michael Gove has impressed many with his fervour to return a world-class British system of education for school-age children. But will that really go far enough if it actually happens?
Children are always different and will always react differently to education. Some work best with their heads, whilst some will always work better practically and 'with their hands'. Any system of schooling which therefore doesn't recognise that difference and more importantly cater for it, is going to fail many of those who might otherwise go on to succeed – especially when that difference may just have been a simple issue of age and time at individual level.
Returning to a fully parallel and universal system of academic and vocational education from the age of 14 would be akin to pushing the first domino in a whole run of social issues concerning us now and for the future – however 'un-PC' they may be.
Removing red tape and legislation that currently prevent businesses of all sizes from employing teenagers at realistic wages during realistic hours and within the real-world employment environment, could give non-academically inclined children the real hope of attaining like-for-like qualifications through the timed-served, rather than the academic route.
Creation of the 'apprenticeship-degree' would bolster the competitiveness of British Industry and business of all sizes which themselves would then be able to draw upon an affordable pool of trainees, making investment in their future entirely more feasible; whilst taking Young People off the streets, giving them value in themselves, money in their pockets and taking them away from crime which the Country can already ill-afford to tackle.
Savings to Government from no longer filling what are arguably wasted places in schools could be significant, even if some funds were then redirected to tertiary and higher education colleges which support the vocational route for many of what would be the mile-stoned route to that real and vocationally-based degree. And let's face it, degrees need to regain the value that the one-size-fits-all mentality of the last Government did much to destroy, whilst giving all those who actually want to work the opportunity to do so.
Getting the unemployed who want to work into work will always be a job done better by employers. Politicians should guarantee their own jobs by giving industry the policies and systems that work for business so that business itself can start working for us all.
Businesses are not inherently academic, so why are degrees becoming the prerequisite skill?
Latest news suggests that without more degree level education based skills, the UK will experience an exodus of jobs overseas to emerging economies. But when we already have students doing degrees just for the sake of doing them and a basic education system which sees school-leavers failing to possess even basic literacy and numeracy skills, should we really be thinking about pushing more through a university education as the immediate priority?
Like it or not, many young people are neither cut out nor ready for an academic pathway from or even during secondary education. Simply creating more courses to include a wider selection of students is hardly the answer and is fast leading to the existence of meaningless degrees, which won't help business, and don't help the students themselves who these days will have had to sell their soul to get it.
One of the greater injustices of recent political times is the idea propagated by New Labour during the 1997-2010 period of Government that everyone could be the same and do the same things. Such socialist ideology permeates itself by changing – or rather levelling systems throughout society to treat everyone the same under the ideal that to do so is providing 'equal opportunities'. However, as we are all different – and often in ways that cannot be seen with the naked eye – this method is not only obtuse in the extreme, it has contributed to the creation of a society where younger generations are becoming lazy and without ambition. When you add to this the burden of taxation which is placed upon higher wage earners for daring to do well and the resentment they experience if they do so, neither do you leave in place any real motivation to be any different or encourage the social mobility that the same idealist meddlers suggest to be a milestone of progress.
The good behind many ideas, policies and concepts is often lost when change is enacted simply for the sake of change and this is no less so within education as elsewhere. Whilst the technology age has altered the requirements for skills throughout the industries, the historic format of leaving school at 14 and becoming 'apprenticed' was a much better way to foster learning in those who were more 'hands than head' at the time, and could as such provide lessons in forming the basis of a very radical and effective way to change the way that we develop our National skills base for business and industry.
Why not:
- Remove the burdens of red tape which govern the working environment for younger people.
- Develop an effective subsidy allocation and training scheme to assist participant businesses to replace unused school places, 'young to work' schemes and unemployment benefits.
- Give business a cost-effective motivation to support vocational or 'on-the-job' training for 14-21 year olds who in that time, may well have attained the equivalent of academic training in parallel skills and real-world experience, which may in fact have far more use to companies than 'green' graduates who refuse to stuff envelopes because they have a degree.
Business can only get the best from employees if they have been nurtured within a system which allows and encourages them to be their best – in whatever way that may be. Even the suggestion that you must have a degree level education to make an effective contribution is not only short sighted; it fails to recognise that a true acceptance of diversity goes way beyond embracing race, impairment, sexuality, location or social group and that each pathway to learning can be highly beneficial to society with real opportunities put in place to appreciate it.
Equality in Education has been destroyed by the idea that all can make the best of the same opportunities
I seem to have the phrase 'cause and effect' branded in my thought processes right now as I look at all of the problems with Government and no less so when recently reading yet more bad news about struggling school pupils failing to catch up. But is anybody really surprised?
One of the greatest problems with modern government and law-making is that once an issue has been addressed, the people who have been put in place to deal with that issue then have nothing to do – unless of course they create something else to justify their existence. Have a good look at every area of life where some kind of policy has been created or exists and you might just begin to see what I mean.
The problem with this process is that whilst you can easily see that some things do benefit from being revised from their original form to meet a need which was not originally considered or indeed, to bring that a policy or law up-to-date to meet or to be applicable to contemporary need, the rise of the bureaucrat and 'professional' politician has led to unnecessary meddling and the creation of having laws for laws sake. This is particularly evident in matters such as education.
The value of education has been appreciated for a long time but the system we have probably began the headlong descent that we are now experiencing when the concept of real apprenticeships was lost and the school leaving age was raised to 16 in 1972. Speak to what some might call 'old school' educators and they will tell you that children were either 'heads or hands'; the inference being that they were academic or practically inclined. Would you hear a teacher say the same in a similar conversation today? No.
The 1997-2010 New Labour project oversaw much of the destructive push towards blanket qualification levels which now seem to be the accepted way to enhance an evolving society. Put simply, the approach of such meddlers is to work on the basis that the easiest way to improve education is to make the education fit the population, rather than encourage the population to meet the demands of the time. Now is that real equality or just a twisted view of it which is taking our once highly educated and envied Nation backwards?
Everyone is different for many reasons, not least because of their genetics, demographics and social conditioning. It is therefore sheer folly to believe that by applying the one-size-fits-all mentality that you will create a perfect and fully functioning society by making everyone equal 'by default'. We currently see high levels of youth unemployment and dissatisfaction with the system (Something apparently highlighted by the August 2011 Riots), but again no real attempts to address the causes of these problems being made by the very people who could genuinely make a difference.
There are many young people who don't want to be in 'school' and others who just don't get the benefit from a dumbed-down degree system where 3 years of undergraduate study provides what could be a lifelong debt and a qualification that industry views as useless, all against the backdrop of a Government that cannot afford to provide such diversions in the first place. The balance has been lost and somebody needs to get this all back where it should be so that each and every individual can follow a route to a career which gives them the best opportunities to realise all that they can achieve based on what they are capable of doing; not what some idealist in London thinks it right that they should do.
Rather than scratching heads about the escalating problems created by the decline in standards in education, why not get back to a basic appreciation of the fact that everyone has something unique to offer and that in itself requires real diversity of opportunities and not one which is offered by an encyclopaedic exam syllabus. Put 14 year-olds who have no academic inclination – or don't recognise one at that age – into real 7-year vocational apprenticeships in industry and SME's where time and application give them the career footing that they would otherwise never achieve?
Why not begin to rebuild the 'time-served' bank of talent and experience that no amount of schoolroom activity can provide our dwindling industries and hungry-for-help businesses with, in a cost effective way which reduces the burden on the State and will probably address all manner of other issues hurting society at the same time such as youth crime?
I can almost hear the 'it won't work because…' right now. What – because of employment laws or other legislation? – That's exactly the point and the very reason we are getting into more and more of a mess isn't it?
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Introduction: We've embarked on a big project - the Center for Social Innovation - and have been learning lots along the way. We've decided to share our experience here in the hopes that our lessons will be of some benefit to others. Please reach out if you are thinking about a similar project for your community and we'd be happy to chat - firstname.lastname@example.com
From speaking with some non-profit folks in Austin who had built their own facilities, we learned of a program that incentivized new private sector investment in economically distressed communities. New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) were created by the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000 (the Act). The Act authorized the sale of tax credits to tax credit investors (typically banks) who purchase the credits for somewhere around eighty-five cents on the dollar. The purchaser can use the credits to offset their taxable income (avoid paying taxes on a $1 of income by buying a credit at a 15% discount) and the proceeds from the purchase of the credits are awarded to qualifying projects that fit the impact-oriented development criteria of the program.
The real thrust of the program is that it exists to spur new investment. As such, the program is only appropriate for projects that would not be possible without the additional equity provided by the program. Springdale General fit squarely within the New Market Tax Credit requirements. It was located in the right area, served the right tenants and with the help of NMTC's would achieve a core goal of the program - providing affordable office space to non-profit and creative communities while improving a brownfield site and creating jobs.
We decided to pursue a New Market Tax Credit award and hired a consultant to shepherd us through what was a time consuming and complex transaction. I would advise against pursuing NMTC's without a consultant with a successful track record. The likelihood of success would be extraordinarily low and you would waste a huge number of hours along the way.
What followed was roughly 6 months of multiple conference calls a week with a team of highly specialized lawyers and accountants from all over the country that we would never meet. This process is not for the faint of heart or the disorganized. A strong legal and financial background is helpful as well. The final outcome is the creation of a series of entities that facilitates the payment of the proceeds from the sale of the tax credits to the project in the form of a debt instrument. This structure will ultimately be collapsed (i.e. these entities and debt obligations will wind-up) at the end of the 7 year compliance period.
And of course the practical impact is that the project receives what amounts to an interest-only loan that is forgiven at the end of its seven year term.
This short post can only scratch the surface of the New Market Tax Credits and the nearly infinite permutations the deal structure can accommodate. If you have a project that you think might be a fit, please reach out, we'd be happy to help: email@example.com.
Matt McDonnell is a Partner at Notley Ventures, a micro private equity firm focused on the intersection of profit and social impact. He previously served as COO of Famigo, an early childhood EdTech company, and a sailing instructor at Outward Bound. He holds an MBA from the College of Charleston, a JD from the University of Texas School of Law, and has been a contributor to Ed Surge and Venture Beat.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Two candidates are running for a 12th Delegate District seat.
Incumbent Steve Westfall, a Republican from Ripley, is defending his seat against Missy Morris, a Democrat from Ripley.
The 12th Delegate District encompasses part of Jackson County. The election is Nov. 6.
Each candidate was asked to submit a statement consisting of approximately 300 words. The statements have been edited for spelling, grammar, and newspaper style but not for content.
• Steve Westfall, Republican, Ripley, Jackson County
I'm proud to be running for re-election to the House of Delegates to represent Jackson County. My campaign is all about showing off the progress that we have made in the capitol over the last few years. Unemployment has dropped dramatically, and our economy is doing remarkably well. We were nearly half a billion dollars in the red, and now our state has a historic budget surplus to the tune of more than 100 million dollars.
Just recently, the governor announced that we intend to give teachers and public employees another 5 percent pay increase, and PEIA is stabilized and funded with this additional revenue. The Republican majority promised to create jobs and improve the fiscal situation in our state. We've done just that, and we plan to continue moving in the right direction.
I sponsored a bill that increased school safety because education has always been a priority of mine in the House. Our children deserve a West Virginia they can take pride in. Job growth and economic recovery are always at the forefront, a good job solves a lot of problems. Many West Virginians still struggle day-to-day. This is no secret. I will fight to build a secure future for our children and grandchildren.
The opioid epidemic has ravaged West Virginia. While there is no easy solution, we must be tough on drug dealers and have sympathy for the addicted — we need additional funding for long-term addiction recovery. I'm for increased criminal penalties on those pushing poison into our communities.
West Virginia has its share of issues still at hand, but we are undoubtedly moving in the right direction. Our historic budget surplus is driven largely by personal income tax collection – more West Virginians are working and wages are rising. Let's keep moving in a positive direction.
• Missy Morris, Democrat, Ripley, Jackson County
I grew up in Jackson County and have been blessed with a successful small business in Ripley and Ravenswood. My commitment to Jackson County and West Virginia is strong. I see my success as being rooted in the quality teachers that prepared me.
The current Legislature, however, doesn't appreciate that investment in education is a springboard to our economic future. I stood on the picket line with teachers when many of our local representatives wouldn't support pay raises. Teachers got a 5 percent increase, which is a step in the right direction, but more is needed to ensure salaries remain competitive. I support fully funding PEIA, increasing teacher and service personnel pay, and investing in classrooms to support a 21st Century curriculum.
I will support legislation that creates new and affordable technical college programs because students who don't plan on attending a four-year college should have the opportunity to earn a good wage. We must expand and invest in these programs to promote workforce development and create jobs so our young people can live and work here.
I promise to always protect health care. Most of our representatives voted to cut senior care to balance the budget on the backs of seniors. I will work for a long-term solution for PEIA so all state employees can count on their health care. Under my watch, no one with a pre-existing condition will be denied coverage.
As we think forward, we can't forget our past. Veterans have been left to fend for themselves, and I will go to Charleston and fight to give them what they deserve. We must do better by those that have taken care of us.
When you think about the future of our state and community, I ask you to consider these priorities when you vote in November. We are at a crossroads. If you think we can do better and believe that education is a solid foundation for West Virginia's success, then cast your vote for change. Vote Missy Morris for House of Delegates.


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NoodleTools will be at Booth 637 in the AASL exhibit hall.
Meet the team and pick up new posters!
Don't miss NoodleTools' Co-Founder Debbie Abilock on three important topics:
Friction: Teaching Slow Thinking and Intentionality in Research
Wed, Nov 13, 2013. 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (full-day preconference workshop)
Debbie Abilock, Tasha Bergson-Michelson, and Jole Seroff
Most online research is fast, intuitive, and emotional, but at key points slower, more deliberative, and logical thinking is possible.
What Do I Do If? Intellectual Freedom Dilemmas in School Libraries
Fri, Nov 15, 2013. 10:15 – 11:30 AM
Debbie Abilock, Helen R. Adams, Annalisa Keuler, Christine Eldred, Karyn Storts-Brinks, and Dee Venuto
The principles of intellectual freedom may be crystal clear, but often the situations school librarians face in applying them are not. Resources and discussion for real-life, gray-area dilemmas involving self-censorship, viewpoint discrimination in Internet filtering, etc.
Confronting the Data Dragon: Helping Students Become Data Savvy
Sat, Nov 16, 2013. 8:00 – 9:15 AM
Debbie Abilock and Kristin Fontichiaro
The digital world gives scientists, politicians, educators, policy makers, citizens, and students unprecedented access to raw data. But access is not knowledge, and display is not understanding.


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We are a small Dachshund Kennel located in the north of germany. Our puppies are raised inside the house and in the family. For further informations visit our website and don�t hesitate to write us if you have questions.
Kennel from Czech republic. We are concerned with the miniature and kaninchendachshund breeding. Our target is to breed not only beautiful and work successful dogs, but mainly healthy, temperamentally
well-balanced and friendly individuals.
I am very happy we managed to fulfill our plans and our dogs are successful on the show as well as they are great pets. This is the best reward for us.
Small Belgian breeder of miniature wire-haired dachshund. Our dogs are living in house with us.
Petit élevage de teckels standard poil long noir et feu, bien équilibrés, travail et beauté. Pas de chenil.
Welcome to the pages of website SOZVEZDIE UDACHI Kennel! Bernese Mountain Dog, Entlebucher Mountain Dog, smooth miniature dachshund. News, articles, photos, puppies.Bernese Mountain Dog Entlebuch Cattle Dog
We are a little hobby-kennel in Estonia.
Rauhhaar dachshunds all size.
Fokker van dwerg en kaninchen langhaar, ruwhaar en kortharige teckel in Aalter.
Small and familiar kennel, Miniature longhaired and smoothaired in Madrid, Spain.
I am a Breeder of wirehaired miniature- and kaninchen dachshund, located in West-Germany. Visit my side and look at my dogs. Maybe your next dachshund comes from Germany from my loving home rearing.


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The Guild of Thieves was the second adventure from Magnetic Scrolls, after the success of their debut game The Pawn. As with its predecessor, Guild is an illustrated text entry adventure set in the fantasy land of Kerovnia.
The plot behind the game is uncomplicated - steal as many items of worth as you can from the island to satisfy the Guild that you deserve to become a fully paid-up card-carrying member. Of course, it isn't actually that simple to get a full score. Points are awarded for getting and depositing valuable items. The maximum score achievable is 501, but the player can finish the game with less.
Guild uses the same text adventure system employed in The Pawn. Using native 68000 code (which is emulated on non-68000 machines), the text parser allows for fairly complex commands, and the 16-bit illustrated versions give the player access to a series of extra drop-down menus - Files, Text, Specials, Goodies. These options allow the player to save their progress, restore, turn graphics on or off, etc.
All disc versions have pictures (with the exception of the Sinclair Spectrum +3 and the Apple II) and the 16-bit graphics are of a very high standard. Magnetic scrolls included drawn bitmaps, as opposed to scans (as employed by Level 9 for Knight Orc).
Guild was published on a wide range of formats - Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, IBM PC, Commodore 64 (disk only), Amstrad CPC (disk only), Amstrad PCW, Sinclair Spectrum +3 (disk only), Apple II (disk only), Apple Macintosh, Atari XL/LE (disk only), Acorn Archimedes.
The C64 version involves a fair amount of disk swapping whenever pictures were loaded. Also, when the player revisited an illustrated location, a small reduced colour cameo of the illustration would be shown in the top right corner of the screen.
A follow up issue of What Burglar was available direct from Magnetic Scrolls. As far as I am aware, Rainbird weren't involved in sending these out to respondees.


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Why Water testing and analysis?
Water (H2O) is a polar inorganic compound that is at room temperature a tasteless and odorless liquid, nearly colorless with a hint of blue.
This simplest hydrogen chalcogenide is by far the most studied chemical compound and is described as the "universal solvent" for its ability to dissolve many substances.
This allows it to be the "solvent of life". We all need water to survive, importance of safe drinking water in the human body covers the amount and why you need water daily
Water chemistry analyses are carried out to identify and quantify the chemical components and properties of water samples.
The type and sensitivity of the analysis depends on the purpose of the analysis and the anticipated use of the water.
Chemical water analysis is carried out on water used in industrial processes, on waste-water stream, on rivers and stream, on rainfall and on the sea.
In all cases the results of the analysis provides information that can be used to make decisions or to provide re-assurance that conditions are as expected.
The analytical parameters selected are chosen to be appropriate for the decision making process or to establish acceptable normality.
Water chemistry analysis is often the groundwork of studies of water quality, pollution, hydrology and geothermal waters.
Our Analytical methods can detect and measure Calcium, Chloride, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Sodium, Conductivity, Hardness, Nitrate, pH, Sulfate, and Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solid, Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Call +2347064228825 or 09050071209 for your sample analysis


text:
1A.Raponi et al. (>10)
Icarus (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2018.02.001]
INAF-IAPS Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, Rome I-00133, Italy
Copyright Elsevier
Occator Crater on dwarf planet Ceres hosts the so-called faculae, several areas with material 5 to 10 times the albedo of the average Ceres surface: Cerealia Facula, the brightest and largest, and several smaller faculae, Vinalia Faculae, located on the crater floor. The mineralogy of the whole crater is analyzed in this work. Spectral analysis is performed from data of the VIR instrument on board the Dawn spacecraft. We analyse spectral parameters of all main absorption bands, photometry, and continuum slope. Because most of the absorption features are located in a spectral range affected by thermal emission, we developed a procedure for thermal removal. Moreover, quantitative modeling of the measured spectra is performed with a radiative transfer model in order to retrieve abundance and grain size of the identified minerals. Unlike the average Ceres surface that contains a dark component, Mg–Ca-carbonate, Mg-phyllosilicates, and NH4-phyllosilicates, the faculae contain mainly Na-carbonate, Al-phyllosilicates, and NH4-chloride. The present work establishes unambiguously the presence of NH4-chloride thanks to the high-spatial resolution data. Vinalia and Cerealia Faculae show significant differences in the concentrations of these minerals, which have been analyzed. Moreover, heterogeneities are also found within Cerealia Facula that might reflect different deposition events of bright material. An interesting contrast in grain size is found between the center (10–60 µm) and the crater floor/peripheral part of the faculae (100–130 µm), pointing to different cooling time of the grains, respectively faster and slower, and thus to different times of emplacement. This implies the faculae formation is more recent than the crater impact event, consistent with other observations reported in this special issue. For some ejecta, we derived larger concentrations of minerals producing the absorption bands, and smaller grains with respect to the surrounding terrain. This may be related to heterogeneities in the material pre-existent to the impact event.
Mineralogy of Occator crater on Ceres and insight into its evolution from the properties of carbonates, phyllosilicates, and chlorides
1A.Raponi et al. (>10)


text:
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text:
- Healthcare
Cisco and Pure Storage Announce Epic Infrastructure Solution
The shift from paper to electronic health records (EHRs) has brought fundamental change to healthcare operations. Boosted by the 2009Read More
- Healthcare
See Healthcare Innovations at HIMSS17
If you are one of the 40,000+ Health IT professionals planning to attend HIMSS17, you already know that few industriesRead More
- Healthcare
Seeing Security in a New Light
The most dangerous threats to your organization are the ones you can't see or stop. Cybercrime is on the rise—andRead More
- Healthcare
Capture the value of digital transformation in healthcare
Healthcare providers across the globe are recognizing the need for digital technology in their hospitals and practices. But with ever-tighteningRead More
- Healthcare
Bairnsdale Regional Health Service: Enhancing Accessibility of Regional Care
The practical reality of regional and remote communities in Australia is that they have been consistently disadvantaged in accessing specialistRead More
- Healthcare
Empowering Healthcare Innovation at the Toronto Innovation Centre
There has never been a better time to innovate together, and a tour of the Toronto Innovation Centre will proveRead More
- Healthcare
Four ways to overcome telemedicine hesitation
It's 2017 and we're still waiting for the flying car (well, one we can afford). However, one futuristic visionRead More
- Healthcare
Join Cisco at HIMSS17
We are looking forward to participating in the HIMSS17 Annual Conference & Exhibition from February 20-22 in Orlando, FL. IfRead More
- Healthcare
Amid ACA Uncertainty, One Surefire Strategy for Healthcare Organizations
A few years ago, I spent a week in the hospital after having surgery. As I recovered, the days fellRead More
- Healthcare
Protecting Clinical Devices – the Achilles Heel of Healthcare
Everyday, hackers and cybercriminals are infiltrating networks. And they are especially interested in healthcare. That's because stolen medical records areRead More


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Wednesday, November 27, 2019 -
Cornelius, Cornelius Room
11:00am to 11:30am
Cornelius, Cornelius Room
Engage your preschoolers with books, activities, stories and songs that encourage language and pre-reading skill development in order to help them grow into successful readers.
Other Info
Storytime is on a first come basis. Available to the first 20 Preschoolers and their caregivers. No registration is needed.


text:
We are comprehensive cloud management for modern enterprises, services providers, and the public sector.
Everything you need to manage and allocate costs, optimize spending, and save money.
Unified secure configuration, activity monitoring, and IAM tracking for the public cloud.
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Built to optimize the best features of the major cloud providers in a single pane of glass.
With an integrated ecosystem carefully chosen for your success.
Our technology partners amplify the advantages of the cloud.
Comprehensive management and automation of cost, security, compliance, inventory, and utilization for the modern enterprise.
A full suite of modules and tools to support the unique business needs of MSPs, CSPs and resellers, from custom invoicing to analytics and reporting.
Unified cloud management for federal, state, local, and higher education institutions.
Know what you have and ensure the right sizes of the right resources to eliminate waste.
Track assets, manage inventory, and pinpoint changes—complete governance in one unified solution.
CloudCheckr provides critical CPU, network, memory, and usage statistics for EC2, RDS, ElastiCache, DynamoDB, Azure VMs and their associated services.
Drill down into individual resources or view your entire deployment in one of our dashboard, summary, or Heat Map views.
Identify rightsizing and rebalancing opportunities across all of your cloud services.
Instant visibility and automation to keep your cloud resources optimized and provide the exact insight needed to manage any cloud deployment.
Hundreds of best practices to identify idle and underutilized resources, unused reserved resources, EC2 Reserved Instance mismatches and more.
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Download the CloudCheckr Spot Management datasheet.
Choosing the right cloud services is a balance between performance, efficiency and cost savings. CloudCheckr helps turn complexity into clarity by proactively optimizing across clouds to rightsize your fleet and lower costs.
Download the Reserved Instances whitepaper to learn more.


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** Upcoming EU Update – 1:00am GMT 13/10/11 **
Posted by RIFT TEAM on 12 October 2011
Categories: Game Updates, Hot Fixes.
Good evening!
The EU shards will be coming down to receive 1.5 Hotfix #5 at 1:00am GMT, 13/10/11. The estimated downtime is ** 60 minutes **.
Patch notes will be updated!
I'll be back during the downtime with status updates.
EDIT: 1:00am GMT: EU shards are coming down for this update now!
EDIT: 1:50am GMT: EU shards are returning shortly as Locked, pending final checks.
EDIT: 1:55am GMT: We're looking at going slightly over ETA on the EU update – estimating 2:15am GMT for completion!
EDIT: 2:06am GMT: EU shards are now unlocked!


text:
6 Herman Miller Eames Soft Pad Management Chairs
1969 Charles & Ray Eames Design
Similar in design to the aluminum group series of chairs, the soft pad group offers the same aesthetic with the addition of plush, individually upholstered cushions to the seat and back.
2"-thick upholstered foam cushions
Upholstered in vintage black leather
4-star base on 1/2" glides, fixed seat height, and swivel mechanism
We have other chairs in the Soft Pad and Aluminum Group family.
For more information on this item contact:
If you do not receive an email response, please call
7-Day 100% Moneyback Guarantee!
If you are not completely satisfied with your product,
return the item and receive a full refund.
Please contact us after receiving the item and do not accept if the package looks damaged.
For large pieces we recommend a blanket wrap service. To schedule a pickup please visit the link below or contact us for recommendations.
Metro Retro uses the following condition ratings:
Mint: The piece looks like it came right off a showroom floor. Original finish, with original luster and no wear or flaking. There are no nicks, gouges, or scratches.
Excellent: Nearly perfect with minor blemishes. Piece may be refinished. We will note if the piece has been refinished or needs reupholstering.
Very Good: Showing some signs of age. Superficial surface scratches and blemishes are more visible than if in excellent condition. Finish may have minor flaking but the piece is otherwise acceptable. Cleaning or polishing will improve appearance.
Good: Definite signs of age and use. Visible scratches and stains but piece will be usable without being refinished. May need repairs.
Poor: Major signs of age and wear. Will need to be refinished and/or repaired.
8.25% tax on orders from Texas


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This is a pretty standard end of the season release. It captures many of the late season acquisitions, but it also misses the many of the post deadline deals. It seemed like this year, there were many significant post waiver deadline deals, so you can't really blame the set for missing those. They have to draw the line somewhere, or risk being released long after the season is over.
The set features 300 cards, and many of the normal inserts and parallels. A Jumbo box features 10 packs of 50 cards each, with three guaranteed hits.
This box contained:
448 Base (100% of set)
1 Base Black Parallel
7 Base Gold Parallels
3 Base Rainbow Foil Parallels
10 Base VAR SP
5 All Rookie Cup Reprints
1 MLB Network
5 Untouchables
5 1987 Topps
5 Salute
1 Bronze Rediscover 2006 Topps Bubacks Doug Davis
1 Bronze Rediscover 2014 Topps Brett Lawrie
1 Silver Rediscover 1984 Topps Bob Brenly
1 Blue Rediscover 2006 Topps Update Ben Broussard
1 All-Star Stiches Brandon Kintzler
1 Hank Aaron Award Derek Jeter
1 1987 Topps Autograph Ian Happ


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1) Mutual friends as well as
2) Searching friends by existing city.
Find People On Facebook By Location
The first one was excellent-- at any time you meet a beginner, you can head over to Facebook and also find out which friends you currently share. It made life so intriguing.
The 2nd one was a should for taking a trip. If I was heading from Madison to Milwaukee or Chicago for the weekend break, the first thing I would certainly do was head over to Facebook and also see which of my friends were residing in my destination city.
After that Facebook got rid of the alternative. Then they added an additional means to do it via the My Buddies tab. Then they took that away. After that you might do it by searching for the city and also choosing "friends" Then that one went. [sigh]
I surrendered. Facebook plainly didn't want me to know which of my friends were in Madison as well as which were in Green Bay. So I returned to mass messages and word-of-mouth, not understanding why this needed to be so challenging.
However good news: there's a new way to search for friends by city on Facebook and it is very easy!
When you login to Facebook, at the extremely leading of the page, you will see a search bar.
It's where you look for friends, pages you like, cities, apps and also anything else you wish to locate within Facebook.
The thing most individuals do not recognize however is that this search bar operates even more like a genuine search device than they realize. If you type in a person, a city or a web page, it will certainly show you that person, that city or that page. But you really can make your searches substantially a lot more comprehensive.
If you type in "my friends in Jakarta" [place the name of any city], it will simply provide you a checklist of your friends in Jakarta, Indonesia.
If you enter "ice cream places in Jakarta" it will certainly list every one of the ice cream shops in Jakarta.
And so on.
It's worth noting that as soon as you have actually entered in your search, Facebook will certainly show you results based upon just what they consider to be "top" discovers for you. To make sure that may indicate they will only show you ice cream shops in Jakarta whose page you like on Facebook. Or they may reveal you posts from your friends that have discussed ice cream shops in Jakarta. (Keep in mind this will certainly not transform existing personal privacy filters. You still won't see any content from people who haven't made their web content readily available to you.).
However check out the device bar at top and also you will see that you have various choices for how to look.
Poke around in there and see exactly what else you locate. If you simply desire a list of pages for ice cream shops in Jakarta, click "Pages" If you wish to see one of the most current posts, click on "Latest" "Individuals" possibly will not get you far for this search, however when you are looking for which of your friends reside in a particular city, this will be the tab for you.
Hope this was practical. Have any other questions about social media sites you want to have discussed? Leave a comment or contact me on Facebook or Twitter. I'll do my finest to address your pushing social media concerns.


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Bloomsbury, £7.99, ISBN 978-1-4088-5790-8
Fantasy, 2017
A Court of Wings and Ruin is the third book in Sarah J Maas's young adult series revolving around Feyre, our human turned the most powerful fae in the galaxy (or so it seems), and it closes up a main story arc that ran in the previous two books. Therefore, this is not a book to jump into when you are unfamiliar with the series. If you wish to know the background details of the main characters and all, you can refer to my reviews of the previous two books in the series. Do note that this review references some events that took place in the previous two books, so you should avert your eyes if you wish to read those books in the future and don't want to spoil yourself in any way.
So, here we are. After a series of betrayals by the end of the previous book, Feyre has to pretend to sever her mate bond with Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court and her husband, in order to pretend to be good with Tamlin again. In fact, she starts setting in motions a chain of events that will compromise Tamlin's standing in the eyes of his men as well as to drive a wedge between Tamlin and his second-in-command Lucien, while trying to glean whatever information she can get from the enemies to send to Rhysand via their telepathic bond. But eventually, the vile and cruel emissaries of King Hybern pushes her cool to breaking point, and she kills them before having to flee with Lucien back to Rhysand's side. They all have to go to war, but it is going to be tough trying to get all the High Lords to come together when she and Rhysand have burned some bridges with a couple of them. What will happen next?
This is supposed to the closure of a major arc, but A Court of Wings and Ruin feels strangely lackadaisical for a story of this nature. Things are gripping and even fun when Feyre is committing all kinds of sabotage in Tamlin's court – it's nice to see a heroine being this wicked, heh – but the party doesn't last long. Once Feyre is back among Rhysand and his entourage, these people basically talk and talk and talk. I've mentioned in my reviews of the previous books in this series that the author really loves having her characters go into long expositional monologues with one another, and here it is no different. But they are supposed to be going to war! Where is the sense of urgency? No, these people would rather exchange quips and wisecracks in Buffy-speak when they are not sharing their stories.
The author does this because this book is not the end of a trilogy. What, you think the author and the publisher will kill off a moneymaking franchise just like that? Oh, come on. There is a teaser after the last page of the story, advertising more books to come, so it's no wonder that there are so many life stories coming out even at this late stage of the arc. After all, the author is setting up future books here, so here's that bisexual lady who likes girls to share with everyone her tragic back story, even if that story serves no purpose to advance the plot. Buy her book, y'all… provided that the author and the publisher have the fortitude to put out a mainstream young adult fantasy story with a bisexual heroine who likes the ladies, that is. My money is on that story being a digital exclusive instead. In the meantime, ooh, this one likes that one, that one has the hots for this one, so buy that one's book, this one's book, and so forth, people.
What? War? Oh yes, that part happens in the late third or so of the book. Things pick up a lot during those chapters, but even then, because the author is already committed to extending the series, the plot armors are in full force. No one in the core cast of characters dies. Many potentially complicated obstacles to victory have resolved themselves off-screen by this point, making the victory feel a little less well-earned than it should be, while all the problematic characters are redeemed, even Tamlin. Seriously, the author couldn't have made her intentions clearer – she may as well call me up to scream at me to keep buying her books by the way this story played out.
Also, do note that there is a strong sex negative tone to this story, in case you are not keen on this kind of thing. All the women that pose a competition to Feyre are portrayed as evil and slutty, that slutty part being highlighted several times as if actually liking sex is a sin for women. Women can only enjoy sex and still lay claim to virtue if their sex partner is their "true love". Also, Tamlin's betrayal is said to be due to Ianthe's influence, and yes, Ianthe is a SLUT who LIKES TO HAVE LOTS OF SEX, as the author reminds me again and again in the entire series. I know, I know, slut shaming is basically the foundation of both young adult and new adult stories, as it sells for reasons that I don't want to speculate on (I'll end up a sad panda if I do) but still, it is never fun to read about it.
At any rate, A Court of Wings and Ruin is still on the readable side of things, but it is a disappointment following the excellent second book. It is especially disappointing how the author seems to stop trying too hard to sell me a good story and instead focuses on setting up the next few books in the series. Rhysand is practically a extra in this story, and his love story with Feyre has no development at all, but that's okay, the author wants me to be happy that there are more books to come and, oh, buy the coloring book as well, fam. I'm not joking about the coloring book, no matter how much I wish I am.


text:
Corruption takes centre stage in national politics2 min read . Updated: 06 Mar 2018, 01:41 AM IST
Centre, opposition spar over PNB fraud, Karti Chidambaram as second half of budget session begins
Centre, opposition spar over PNB fraud, Karti Chidambaram as second half of budget session begins
New Delhi: The first day of the second half of the budget session on Monday witnessed fresh disruption after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition parties levelled charges of corruption against each other.
Consequently, both the Houses were adjourned after repeated slogan shouting by opposition parties over the Rs12,636 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud allegedly involving jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.
Even as the Congress-led opposition tried to corner the centre on the PNB fraud, treasury bench members sought a detailed discussion on the alleged role of Karti Chidambaram, son of former union minister P. Chidambaram, in the INX Media case.
In Lok Sabha, opposition parties including the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) demanded a discussion on various banking frauds. Opposition MPs entered the well of the house demanding a reply from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Separately, leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government and the PM had "failed" and banks are without money while the likes of Nirav Modi were absconding.
"So many bank scams have happened, the government should on its own or PM Modi should come to Parliament and issue a statement on how one after another bank scams of hundreds of crores (of rupees) are taking place in the country," Azad told reporters later.
While the Congress party accused the NDA of indulging in vendetta politics against Chidambaram and his son Karti, the government claimed the fraud took place during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and that the non-performing assets (NPA) or bad loans were an inherited legacy.
"I will only make one observation. When such issues are raised, what is important is that the nature of evidence available against the offender must speak for itself and not the alibi of vendetta. The law is taking its course," said union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad while talking to media.
The political blame game is likely to escalate over the next few days, especially with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) set to produce Karti Chidambaram before the special CBI court in New Delhi on Tuesday.
"Karti Chidambaram has been stonewalling and has not cooperated in the least with the CBI investigators and the investigation process. We are now waiting to see what turn the court proceedings take tomorrow (Tuesday)," said a senior official familiar with the matter.
At the same time, the Enforcement Director (ED) on Monday was granted a day's custody of former INX Media director Peter Mukerjea to question him.
Karti Chidambaram moved the Supreme Court on Monday seeking quashing of summons issued against him by the ED in relation to the INX Media case. A bench headed by chief justice Dipak Misra said the matter would be taken up for hearing on Tuesday.
Analysts linked the anti-corruption protests with rising political temperatures in the run-up to the general election due next year.
"What you see in Parliament right now is the beginning of the election pitch for 2019 specifically on the anti-corruption plank. That is one space the BJP will not want to give up on. In a sense, the turning point in this narrative has come with the bank fraud allegations and the opposition would want to create a perception amongst people that the defrauding of public money has taken place," said Manisha Priyam, a New Delhi-based political analyst.
"Plus, it is no coincidence that the regional parties are raising their pitch right now and are calling for a political understanding. Both INC and BJP are going to trade charges around corruption," she added.


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November 3, 2014
10th Tee Campaign relaunched!
A few Dimensioneers missed their opportunity to get the 10th anniversary shirt. Well Teespring has reopened the campaign! If we can get 8 more orders, a new batch of shirts will be made!
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Hello friends! It has been a while. I am still here, just have had a LOT going on these past few weeks. You may or may not have seen on Instagram a little bit of an update. You can check it out here, or wait till I write a more detailed update soon!
Welcome back to Foodie Friday! I am so glad to have had time to actually cook a little this week! I am linking up with my fav Foodie Friday gals, Farrah from Fairyburger and Annmarie from the Fit Foodie Mama for some Old Recipe Revival recipes!
It is no question that I love me some roasted veggies! It took me a long time to realize just how simple it actually was. For some reason, I had in my head for years that it was a challenging process! One day I finally got the chance to try it out and I have not stopped roasting them since! No more steamed veggies for me! Haha
I also did not realize how amazing Brussels sprouts were until a few years ago! I have made them several different ways. A few that we still make are spicy Brussels, holiday Brussels (perfect for the upcoming holidays), and smashed Brussels.
As much as I love all those recipes, I have been craving some more back to basic Brussels! So I pulled back to just a few simple ingredients, and these came out perfect!
- 1 lb whole Brussels Sprouts
- About 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- Spices to taste- Himalayan salt, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning.
- Parchment paper
- Pre-heat oven to 425* F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rinse off Brussels sprouts and slice them in half vertically.
- Place Brussels on the baking sheet.
- Drizzle avocado oil over the Brussels and add spices to taste.
- Toss gently with hands until fully coated with oil and spices.
- Roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the Brussels are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Enjoy while hot!
- Side note- I tend to make a double batch to use for lunches or toss into some eggs for a quick meal.
Make sure you check out the amazing ladies and their awesome mouthwatering recipes!!
- Farrah | blog | instagram | pinterest | twitter | bloglovin'
- Annmarie | blog | facebook | instagram | pinterest | twitter | bloglovin'
- Esther | blog | facebook | instagram | pinterest | twitter | bloglovin'
Do you have an awesome recipe you'd love to share? Link up with us on Fridays for our weekly Foodie Friday posts! (Co-hosted by Annmarie, Farrah + Esther )
- Please link back to the co-hosts, and comment/share at least a couple other Foodie Friday posts! Don't just leave your link and run away! :O
- Please only link up recipe posts! 🙂Join us next week for some Pinterest curiosity recipes.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!
May you be filled with joy and wellness!


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Virginia Woolf once observed that the challenge of every writer or speaker was not to change the world but merely provide each reader or audience member with one provocative thought to write down, put upon their mantel and mull over. One life-changing thought is quite enough for any of us to take in on any given day.
As a true believer in bibliotherapy, audiotherapy and cinematherapy, I'm often asked who/what are some of my favorite writers, books, music, movies and so I'm delighted to send you to my favorite "Enquire Within" resource which seamlessly and artfully combines all my secret Rx for frazzled nerves—Jesse Kornbluth's brilliant cultural concierge service known as HeadButler.com (@headbutler).
Full disclosure: Jesse's been a friend for the last 20 years, but that doesn't mean his writing doesn't regularly dazzle me with peacock green admiration on a weekly basis, especially after all these years. Reading Jesse's blog is as close to having a private tutorial by an Oxford or Cambridge don as I'm ever going to get ("don" – an esteemed British university professor, preferably "Oxbridge" as over-the-pond academic insiders call their ivory towers.)
But I've got Jesse K. and HeadButler and my personal professor/curator always sends fascinating new-to-me historical, social and cultural missives which I delight in following to coax the muse for a happy hour or two of homework. That's because JK doesn't just drop the whole story in my lap. I have to click. I have to follow the clues to be creatively rewarded. What's a writer's favorite part of writing? Research! Jesse encourages me to consider the wealth of usually overlooked "Great Old Stuff" books, films, music, history that I've forgotten or don't know and wow! now I do and you will too, as well as thank me for sending you to a writer's writer for the high-brow low down.
One of his recent posts was about the Victorian writer Anna Sewell's masterpiece—Black Beauty—or "Black Beauty, his grooms and companions; the autobiography of a horse 'Translated from the original equine'" published in 1877 and for the last 140 years, considered a children's book about horses, particularly for girls.
However, Anna Sewell, who was invalid for most of her life, only began writing her one and only book at the age of 51, inspired by her love for her family's pony "Bess" and passionately distressed over animal cruelty. Anna dictated the story to her mother (the Victorian "juvenile" writer Mary Wright Sewell) from her bed over five years and died just five months after it was published. Black Beauty became an immediate publishing phenomenon and international bestseller (it's now sold over 50 million copies in 50 different languages). While considered a children's "classic", Anna wrote it to reveal the truth about the inner life of animals—their loves, losses, joys and suffering—as well as their poignant, unbreakable connection to our own lives, particularly for the adults who were in charge of their destinies—the grooms, stable hands and the hansom cab drivers holding the reins and snapping the whips. Perhaps she did realize before she died that she'd written more than a successful book—Black Beauty—inspired an international animal welfare movement that changed the treatment of horses—but writers rarely understand the emotional impact of their words. They just hope that somebody out there thinks one of their thoughts worth putting on the mantel for mulling over.
Jesse also has included with this post the most beautiful clip of the best cinematic version of Black Beauty ever, the 1994 American version by the amazing Caroline Thompson in her directorial debut (her screenwriting credits include Edward Scissorhands, The Secret Garden, The Addams Family and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey) with the compelling voice of Alan Cummings as "Black Beauty". (This is after all, an autobiography of a horse) and Head Butler included convenient links for both the book and movie.
Spoiler alert: I cried at the clip and then watched another 6 times. Then I cried some more and ordered the movie. But they were good tears, tears of relief, after the heightened emotional tension we're all feeling again this week. Sometimes in the "new normal" in which we live, we just need to be reminded of an old-fashioned story with a happy ending. That we are spiritually connected to one another and to the animals we share our lives with and this kingdom of Earth. If you've ever loved an animal and been loved by them in return, then you know what real love, grown up love is supposed to be and feel like. I certainly know what movie I'm watching this week and what book I'm eager to read again, especially since I've learned there is no such thing as a children's book, only books for grown-ups old enough to be told the truth. Also, I don't believe in coincidences but I do believe in mystical chains of chance. Those of you who have read last week's blog about "Gleaning" will be able to read "Between the Lines" with me.
And Ludwig Wittenstein? (1889-1951), the illustrious Austrian born, British intellectual's intellectual considered "arguably" one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century, who spent his entire life pondering the connection between "logic" and metaphysics (yet still only published one book, one article, one book review and a children's dictionary). To discover that Ludwig Wittenstein was reading Anna Sewell's Black Beauty as he was dying? This I did not know and it feels like a marvelous mystery waiting to be explored.
So here's to a provocative connection worth mantel mulling as well as mystical connections worth pondering over a good bottle of wine. Be still my beating heart… And boundless thanks to Head Butler for, once again, putting me on the case.
Blessings to you and yours and may you discover something wonderful this week that's new-to-you! Please share it and let me know.


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HR Compliance Audit
HR Advisors' Human Resource Compliance Audit will provide you and your management team with an unbiased outside appraisal of your current HR function, and in view of the frequently changing legal requirements, an audit can identify problem areas before they become costly or embarrassing to you.
A business should run like a clockwork. Our Vice President, Ed Peterson stresses the priorities business owners should focus on.
HR Compliance Audit Process
An HR compliance audit provides you with a road map to intelligently plan your future needs.
The process includes the following:
- Ask questions pertaining to all written documents and review as necessary.
- Evaluate any files, forms and organization charts that are in place.
- Interviews with key management personnel to learn management philosophy and current HR practices.
- Prepare written analysis of the HR function and identify requirements for meeting compliance, including identification of key action items and the timeline.
After the audit, an HR Advisors' consultant can assist in developing the following vital tools if necessary, as well as responding to other HR situations and issues as they arise.
This is a sampling of tools that may be developed depending upon needs and requirements :
- A policy and procedures manual (Employee Handbook) that is comprised of company guidelines and directives. It will prepare management to handle a majority of employee related issues. While the emphasis is placed upon clarity, equity and consistency of practices, the policies will be written to encourage the use of judgment and discretion in their application.
- An equitable and competitive Compensation Program that can help motivate employees to achieve and maintain high performance and productivity levels.
- Job Analysis and Job Descriptions for correct employee classifications (exempt vs non-exempt), pay differentials and overtime/shift premiums.
- Performance Reviews and Promotion Procedures
- Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (mandatory requirements)
- New Hire Orientation Program
- Rules, Regulations and Discipline Procedures
- Hiring Processes
- Termination Process
- Health and Safety Program
- An Injury and Illness Prevention Program
Major issues that, by law, should be addressed are:
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Equal Pay
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Immigration Reform & Control Act (IRCA)
- Employee Polygraph Protection Act
- Consumer Credit Protection Act
- National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
- Worker's Compensation
- Injury/Illness Prevention Plans
- Jury/Witness Duty Leave
- Military Duty Leave
- Pregnancy Disability Leave
- Sexual Harassment
- New State and Federal Laws
The final audit report contains the following:
- Executive Summary
- Audit Observations and Recommendations
- Recommended Action Plan
We can also be engaged to work with the company on a longer term basis to respond to the recommended action plan and/or other HR matters.
For more information on our Human Resources Compliance Audit, please contact us.


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What Are Your Goals
Each marketing platform yields different results. Knowing the results you are looking for is the first step in deciding the type of content you should create.
Email List
Newsletter or email blasts may be used to drive traffic and sales. Consider a landscaper who sends out an email blast the morning while a storm is raging outside. His goal is to be top-of-mind for his customers. His email may discuss puddling in your yard and how decorative stone can help alleviate the problem in the future or he may discuss post-storm clean-up. His goal to be top-of-mind is likely to lead to calls that in turn lead to sales. A manufacturing firm may use their email blasts to educate their customers about their latest product or technique and encourage their audience to attend the next trade show to learn more.
Blog Content
In addition to driving traffic and sales, your goal in creating blog content could include education. Blog content gives you the opportunity to illustrate the benefits of your product or service and overcome objections. In this case, consider the karate studio that helps parents learn more about parenting models. They create content that educates their customers while also helping them overcome the objection that their hyperactive child should not learn to fight and kick. They may already be fighting with their siblings at home. With a series of blog posts the dojo can help a parent see how the discipline of karate can help this child take better control over their actions.
Social Media Goals
But what are your goals with your social media campaigns? Except in very specific cases, such as an ecommerce site or an app, making a direct sale through social media is very difficult. However, social media has important benefits for both B2C and B2B customers.
Build Trust
First and foremost social media can help to build trust in your company. By creating a social media presence that tells the story of your company you are creating transparency. The customer sees not only what your company has to offer, but how you handle customer service, how you respond to reviews and how you treat your employees. By highlighting these areas of your company through social media you are creating a story of what your company stands for.
Engaging Your Customer
Although some audiences engage better than others, almost every industry, whether it is B2C or B2B can build some form of engagement with their customers. By creating personas for your audience you can create content that attracts each individual persona. The content for a potential hire will be different from the content you create for a customer who is going to walk through your door and buy a finished product and that may be different still from the content you create for the small business owners you hope to attract as strategic partners, but together these posts help you share your story and your brand and attract engagement in the form of likes, comments and shares.
Creating Evangelists
One of the most important things to consider when creating content is how you make your audience feel. By creating content that offers real education, you may be solving a problem they have been struggling with and in turn relieving stress. By creating content showing your employees having fun or receiving recognition, you may help a potential employee feel empowered enough to apply to your firm. But where you can create true evangelism in your audience is by inspiring them to be more and do better. Consider the sports performance company that shares their young athlete's success. Their audience may share the content to help congratulate the young athlete, but they may also share it to show what can be done with hardwork and perseverance. Or consider the factory who shares their journey to reduce product loss and employee injury by implementing a new safety program that runs through every phase of the business. By sharing their journey, they become the expert and attract both employees and potential customers for their end product.


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Christmas with my parents is always full of good company, food all day long, cheesy movies, and r&r. We're constantly in the kitchen together.
Every time I'm home, I'm reinspired by my mother. To her, everything is always possible.
We snacked most of the day, enjoying the fireplace and snuggled up in blankets.
We had an epic dinner with beef roast, mushroom potpourri, crab, fresh salad made with ingredients from the garden, rosemary carrots, porcini mushroom ravioli, tiramisu and cheesecake!
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!


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Are you looking for a fun and informative way
to grow your email list?
Quizzes are one of the most popular ways to build your email list. Most of the quizzes I see are fun, slightly silly quizzes about where we should be living or what color is our personality. However, there are many opportunities for you to use a quiz to build your email list and to provide customized information to your prospect based on their answers to your quiz. I can help you set up a quiz and connect it to your email service so that you have a unique tool for lead generation and list building.
Quizzes can be very simple 1-category quizzes (like the one below) or very complex quizzes with many different answers. I can advise you what would work for you and your business.
Click on the button below and take my very quick 3 question quiz. You will receive customized information focusing on how to build your list using quizzes.
Meet Andrea Cinnamond
Andrea Cinnamond is a creative online business strategist and implementation specialist (she makes things happen). She is a trained business coach, technical virtual assistant and a certified online business manager. She loves nothing more than creating beautiful projects for her clients such as training and coaching programs, websites, telesummits, 30 Day Facebook challenges, virtual teleseminars and teleseminar series, custom journal and many other cool things that can be offered online or in-person.
When she is not playing around on her computer, this ex high-tech scientist is raising three children (an 12-year old daughter and twin 10-year old boys) and their cat Amesbury in the historic Back Bay of Boston.


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I have lived in Tennessee my whole life. My dad is from Butterfly Gap and my mom was raised in Maryville, both in Blount County. I am number seven of eight children and have so many nieces and nephews that I'm not sure of the number.
I enjoy music - "Beatles Rule!" - and reading a good book. A few years ago, I started riding a bike or taking a long walk every other day to help reduce stress and stay healthy.
I have worked in the realty, lease, and cabin rental business for nearly fourteen years, first as a personal assistant and then as an Affiliate Broker. I'm looking forward to starting a new adventure with Cyndie and Warren at Why The Smokies, L.L.C.
Editor's Note: We are so lucky to have Cindy, or "Bo" as we call her, join us. She is an amazing organizer and as our "Chief Administrative Officer", she allows us to move to a new level of organization and customer service. Welcome aboard!