text:
Response to Boston Globe op ed on Polanski
The Boston Globe published an op ed piece on Roman Polanski. Following is my response which was published as a comment-
Graff concludes her essay with a "bring him home". The 'him' of course being Roman Polanski.https://dankprofessor.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/on-roman-polanski/
But if she knew anything about Polanski she would know that Polanski did not and does not have a home except for one period of time. That time being when he was married to Sharon Tate. Whatever home he had then was terminated
when the so-called Manson family killed Sharon Tate, killed Sharon and Roman's baby to be and killed two dear friends of Roman who he had asked to stay with Sharon while he was in London. So his respite with a domestic life ended. Before that he lived in France and before that in Poland where he witnessed the mass murders of the Holocaust and lost his mother to the Nazi murderers.
Nothing to do with his 1977 illegal sex with a child of 13 you say. Please, welcome to never never land. Terror hurts and is long lasting, nine years is nothing. But all too many want to know nothing about Polanski; they don't want to know about him so they can engage in a guilt free stoning. Maybe after the stoning if they say oh my God what have I done, maybe then they might feel guilt. But now before the stoning, before justice occurs maybe they might learn a little bit about survival guilt. Yes, this is the sort of guilt that Polanski suffered from-
tortuous guilt, if only I had not gone to London, I should have been able to do something,
I should have been with them. I should have died. To find out about Polanski rent the last film he made prior to the 1977 rape; the film is THE TENANT, made in 76, directed by Polanski,
and starring Polanski, starring him because the film was about surivior guilt and madness; it was about him. See my post on this if you care to understand-
And no I am not a celebrity and not a part of any elite and I am not an apologist for Polanski. All I ask is that people do not embrace revenge under the guise of justice, and that they open their eyes- wide open. Maybe once they hav e done this, they will understand how truly devastating the consequences were of the Manson murders.
Home, Polanski's only home or escape if you will has been thru his movies which, of course, have been horror movies most of the time and that is what we are dealing with people- horror.
Daily Iowan gets it right
The dankprofessor is in awe re the Daily Iowan's editorial of February 26 on the response of the UI administration to the UI sexual harassment problem. Following are the two key paragraphs from said editorial
But the nature of this particular resource (sexual harassmnt training) is foundationally suspect. It lends itself more to calming the ripples of an upset image and hand-hidden gossip caused by the accusations, and subsequent suicides, of Arthur Miller and Mark Weiger, and not the more latent problem of harassment itself. As a reaction to general publicity of sexual harassment, the university is setting up this "training" program, which changes neither the effectiveness nor application of existing policy but merely draws attention to the problem and some of its potential solutions. The program is disingenuous because all it manages to accomplish is a heightened atmosphere of what could be called paranoia, in the sense that the main thrust of the university is to scrub away the blemishes left by the "scandals" themselves and not the root causes: ignorance and disrespect.
Students need ready options for this kind of education, but the tactic of pure "brochure-ism" is not working. A forum of discussion and support could provide the groundwork for a solid system for counteracting harassment, involving all tiers of academic society. In fact, this might resolve into a culture of safety instead of one of apparent vanity. Reiterating and drawing attention to policy will not affect its success. We need a more efficient method of creating a safe, educational environment, not merely reactive measures of highlighting previously existing programs while ignoring their faults.
Writing out University of Iowa buffoonery
In terms of the recent faculty sexual harassment cases and faculty suicides at the University of Iowa, the dankprofessor believes it would be fair to state that things are not going well at UI. But such is not the view of the UI administration.
UI officials are now touting progress in their fight against faculty sexual harassment and suicide. UI Provost Wallace Loh says that "extraordinary progress'" is occurring at UI since the university has put 4,800 faculty and staff and teaching assistants thru their sexual harassment education program. Note that the program is now called education and not training. So in one foul swoop the UI administration is now playing both a numbers game and a name game. Their stated goal is for 17,800 faculty, staff and TAs to become educated in the ins and outs of sexual harassment.
To argue that so-called educational progress is reflected in these numbers is ludicrous. Such would be similar to arguing that police training in "cultural sensitivity" means that more police are more sensitive on the beat. Outcomes and program numbers are not one in the same, whether it be on the beat or in the classroom.
I have no doubt that the vast majority of faculty and staff and TAs who have gone thru said education or training or indoctrination believe that such does not reflect so-called progress but are more likely to believe it is simply an attempt to avoid the University of Iowa becoming involved in legal entanglements.
The dankprofessor believes that UI communications studies professor Steve Duck who recently completed the UI program got it right when
he said the program is an ineffective public relations move and …many faculty members want to know what (President) Mason will do if another accusation arises.
"Sally Mason's requirement that all faculty take a mandatory course, which I passed at a level that won me a badge and a free plastic cup, was an ineffective response that does little more than attract bad publicity," Duck said.
"In fact most faculty, TAs and students have a greater deal of common sense than she recognizes, and her required course doesn't solve the problem either," he said.
Handing out a badge and a cup to those who complete this so-called education is downright insulting and patronizing. Such "gestures" show how little regard, show how little respect the UI administrators have for faculty and students.
What a simple world it would be if we could solve harassment and suicide problems through some pseudo education and the awarding of a badge and a cup. Or to put it in more blunt terms- the aforementioned represents a form of pablum designed for the simple-minded.
Obviously, the major problem at UI is that the UI President Sally Mason and her administrator underlings do not take these problems seriously. If they took the problems seriously they would stop treating their faculty as children who they order around while playing mindless word games.
THE problem at UI and at many other universities is essentially one of authoritarianism. Authoritarians love to give out rewards to those who obey them; obedience is always their game. However, when the authoritarians also embrace buffoonery over and over again, one ends up with a bad comedy with no one taking anything seriously. Obviously, the University of Iowa needs some new script writers who will write out these clowns and replace them with persons engaging each other on the serious problems of the day.
Saving lives at the University of Iowa
The Chronicle of Higher Education has published a major story today on the suicides of two University of Iowa professors who were charged with sexual harassment and then committed suicide. The two cases were unrelated to each other. Both professors committed suicide days after the sexual harassment charges became public. Professor Mark Weiger committed suicide three months after the suicide of Professor Arthur Miller.
The CHE reported that after Professor Miller was banished from his classroom by the University that UI President, Sally Mason
"issued a statement saying she would not tolerate the kind of conduct Mr. Miller had been accused of. She also said the case had prompted her to make sexual-harassment -awareness training mandatory for all professors. And while she said that "every person is entitled to the presumption of innocence," she then went on to "applaud the courage of the student victims in coming forward" to charge Mr. Miller.
President Mason declined to answer questions about her statement, but Ms. (Dean) Maxson defends it, saying the president had to take a tough stand because Mr. Miller had been "accused of a very serious infraction of behavioral and legal rules." To the professor, his wife, and some of his colleagues, however, it felt like the president was pronouncing him guilty before he had even had a chance to defend himself.
Of course, in the dankprofessor's opinion, President Sally Mason was pronouncing Professor Miller guilty. She not only suspended him from the classroom, but ordered that all faculty go thru sexual harassment training as well as applauding the courage of student victims coming forward.
Maybe Mason should have drawn on some of her own courage to publicly call for the adherence of to the principle of the presumption of innocence. But such was not the case. And three months later when Professor Weiger's situation became public, Weiger knew what to expect and obviously could not deal with this kind of public degradation.
What boggles the mind of the dankprofessor is that President Mason instead of calling for mandating suicide prevention training after these two suicides, she mandates sexual harassment training. Certainly this gives insight into the values of the President. Sexual harassment trumps suicide in her hierarchy of values. The lethality of suicide simply is not as weighty as the effects of being sexually harassed.
In the CHE article, the UI administration stated that UI stays neutral in these sorts of cases. I guess neutrality means giving short shrift to having any sort of reaching out to the charged professors that would help them psychologically get thru these travails. I guess this would be considered to be coddling the sexual predator professor. Of course, one does not coddle the guilty, only the innocent. And it is obvious that the UI administration did not honor the presumption of innocence.
Helping those who are held to be victimized is expected. The UI is not neutral in such matters, they attempt to psychologically help the student victim but not the professor who they de facto treat as an offender.
For example, in December the Daily Iowan reported on the programs that were being implemented at the UI to help student victims of sexual misconduct-
To establish one point of contact for victims, the UI hired Monique DiCarlo from the Women's Resource Action Center to act as the school's coordinator for sexual-misconduct response.
Each school would also establish new victim-advocate positions. DiCarlo will assign a victim-advocate to each sexual-assault report.
"Having an advocate on hand at all times is crucial for any victim," said Cathlene Argento, a Women's Resource and Action Center volunteer. "It's great that victims can form a relationship with someone to help them through that event in their lives."
The mother of the alleged UI sexual-assault victim complained in a letter to UI President Sally Mason that she felt there were too few UI officials looking out for her daughter.
Parrott said the UI will now strongly encourage victims to take their sexual-assault allegations to the police as well as the UI.
Employing the rhetoric of Cathlene Agento, the Women's Resources and Action Center volunteer, wouldn't it be great if faculty and others so charged be able to "…form a relationship with someone to help them through that event in their lives." And if such a policy had been applied to the charged faculty at UI during the past year, maybe, just maybe, two faculty lives could have been saved.
Shame on the University of Iowa
The Daily Iowan, the student newspaper of the University of Iowa, reported on Monday that new policy recommendations relating to sexual assault and sexual harassment have been unveiled by all three University of Iowa campuses and have been forwarded to the Board of Regents for their consideration at tomorrow's meeting of the Board.
UI representative Steve Parrott said there are key elements to the UI's new policy that will change the way officials handle all cases.
The elements that peaked the dankprofessor's attention follow.
To establish one point of contact for victims, the UI hired Monique DiCarlo from the Women's Resource Action Center to act as the school's coordinator for sexual-misconduct response.
Each school would also establish new victim-advocate positions. DiCarlo will assign a victim-advocate to each sexual-assault report.
"Having an advocate on hand at all times is crucial for any victim," said Cathlene Argento, a Women's Resource and Action Center volunteer. "It's great that victims can form a relationship with someone to help them through that event in their lives."
The mother of the alleged UI sexual-assault victim complained in a letter to UI President Sally Mason that she felt there were too few UI officials looking out for her daughter.
Parrott said the UI will now strongly encourage victims to take their sexual-assault allegations to the police as well as the UI.
Now the dankprofessor is not adverse to universities developing resources for alleged victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment. But given that there have been two recent suicides at the University of Iowa by faculty members charged with sexual harassment, one would hope that there would be some consideration given to the well being and rights of those charged with sexual offenses on campus.
Employing the rhetoric of Cathlene Agento, the Women's Resources and Action Center volunteer, wouldn't it be great that faculty and others so charged be able to "…form a relationship with someone to help them through that event in their lives." And if such a policy had been applied to charged faculty at UI during the past year, maybe, just maybe, two faculty lives could have been saved.
The fact that the UI ignored these recent events in the promulgation of these policies is indicative of an utter callousness of the UI administration. Maybe the callousness is part and parcel of an avoidance and denial syndrome by the UI administration. Or might it represent a revenge mentality that has been prevalent among too many campus feminists in the area of sexual harassment.
Of course, in the larger society and criminal justice system, it is the desire for revenge particularly at in the context of a police state mentality that has led to the implementation of due process which puts restraints on police and civilians seeking quick "justice". Due process protections are not put forth to facilitate efficient police work; due process reflects barriers which police should have to handle with care.
At the University of Iowa, and I expect many others Americans universities, the response to due process concerns reflects a feeling that universities may end up coddling male sex offenders, and rather the coddling should be directed toward their student victims (always the victims not the alleged victims). But in the dankprofessor's opinion these policies may help to save the lives of accused faculty. If this is considered to be coddling, the dankprofessor believes that such is a necessary coddling.
Shame on the University of Iowa administration for its callousness and avoidance and denial.
Faculty sexual harassment training trumps suicide prevention training at UI
Presented below is a copy of an email from the University of Iowa Crisis Center which was distributed on campus on December 1 announcing that suicide prevention training is being offered to interested UI students. The dankprofessor notes that no suicide prevention training is being offered to UI faculty.
And it becomes particularly noteworthy that after the suicide of Professor Arthur Miller last August the university mandated sexual harassment training for all faculty. No suicide prevention training for faculty then or now. Such represents the priorities of the administration of the University of Iowa. Shame on the University of Iowa administration for viewing sexual harassment by faculty as meriting more intervention than for faculty killing themselves!
From: Crisis Center [firstname.lastname@example.com]
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 1:40 PM
Subject: [NonAcadStudorg] Suicide Prevention Training on Campus
The Crisis Center is providing free training on suicide prevention to interested students. The trainings cover four basic aspects of suicide prevention:
1. Recognizing the warning signs of suicide
2. Asking someone if they are suicidal
3. Persuading someone who is suicidal to get help
4. Referring a suicidal person to appropriate resources
There are two upcoming training dates:
Thursday, December 4, 6:00-8:00pm in 104 EPB
Tuesday, December 9, 6:00-8:00pm in 104 EPB
SPACE IS LIMITED, SO REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. To register, email Sarah Benson Witry at email@example.com with the session you want to attend.
This training is meant for people who have no prior education in this topic, although anyone is welcome. The training will not make attendees "experts" on suicide, but will help them intervene in situations where someone may be considering suicide. The trainer is certified in suicide prevention training, but is not a licensed professional.
If you are thinking about suicide, please seek help. The following is a short list of possible resources:
University Counseling Service (for students): 335-7294
Faculty & Staff Services (for staff/faculty): 335-2085
Crisis Center Crisis Line (24-hours): 351-0140
Distribution of this message was approved by the VP for Student Services. Neither your name nor e-mail address was released to the sender. The policy and guidelines for the UI Mass Mail service, including information on how to filter messages, are available at: http://cs.its.uiowa.edu/email/massmail.
Suicide and its aftermath
After the suicide this past August of University of Iowa political science professor Arthur Miller, the President of UI mandated sexual harassment training for all faculty. In a sexually obsessed culture, such is to be expected. What President Sally Mason should have considered is the mandating of suicide prevention training and the creation of campus suicide prevention hotlines. If the University of Iowa had such a program in place, maybe the recent suicide of Professor Mark Weiger could have been prevented.
Of course, we will never know what could have been, but what we do know is that the University of Iowa administration valued suicide prevention training as having lesser value than sexual harassment training.
As reported by The Daily Iowan of November 19:
While more than 50 universities have received a federal grant to set up suicide-prevention training, the University of Iowa likely won't apply for the funding because of a lack of time and resources.
The UI considered the grant in past years but hasn't applied because of the extensive time commitment in the proposal process, said Sam Cochran, the director of University Counseling Service.
"We struggle to fulfill student demand for appointments on a daily basis," he said. "That grant-proposal process would require a part-time or full-time position to [handle], which just can't happen right now. Our priority is serving the students lining up at our door."
Such is the case of the University of Iowa even though "…suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students in the United States. Ten percent of college students report having seriously considered killing themselves, according to the American College Health Association."
No data or attention is given to the prevention of suicide by suicide prevention programs for university faculty.
The fact that the UI administration response to a faculty suicide was to order faculty sexual harassment training is surreal. Someone at the UI needs to try to get the University of Iowa beyond its present sexual myopia. In the dankprofessor's opinion, a good starting point would be the resignation of UI President Sally Mason.
Rooting out the problem at the University of Iowa
I greatly appreciated the UI professor's willingness to have his/her comments published anonymously
in the dankprofessor post- Shame and suicide at the University of Iowa.
The professor noted that the Weiger sexual harassment suit may have represented a situation of hostile environment sexual harassment. The Inside Higher Ed article presented this case in the following manner-
A former student and teaching assistant's lawsuit, filed in federal court against Weiger and the university, charged that he had a romantic relationship with another student, engaged in repeated classroom banter and touching of an inappropriate nature, and created a sexually hostile environment
The dankprofessor speculates that the suit against Mark Weiger evolved out of a consensual student professor relationship that ended up being framed as sexual harassment and most likely as hostile environment sexual harassment. Such may have occurred in the context of sexual jealousy and rivalry as experienced by a spurned student. Such escalation and conflation is more likely to occur in a culture where reputation is of paramount importance. And according to the UI professor this represented the dominant culture at the University of Iowa.
Approximately one year ago on November 24, 2007 I published a post entitled "Fear and Loathing at the University of Iowa" which was on the consensual relationships policy at UI. A review of this policy demonstrates that UI did not simply ban these relationships, but viewed them in totally demeaning and dehumanizing terms. A professor who was very sensitive concerning his public status and reputation could very well have been psychologically traumatized by having himself publicly presented as a sexual predator/harasser.
And if one takes the policy statements of UI seriously, ultimately there is little differentiation in terms of the seriousness of the charge of sexual harassment versus the seriousness of being charged with violation of the consensual relationship policy; in both instances the professor so charged de facto becomes a sexual predator.
UI President Sally Mason in a recent communication to students and faculty stated that now is not the time to speculate as to the causes of the recent campus suicides. The dankprofessor holds that this is an example of the UI President engaging in avoidance and denial.
Solving the sexual harassment problem via video
The following comment in the Iowa City Press-Citizen on the University of Iowa recent sexual harassment problems caught the dankprofessor's attention.
guyinic1 wrote:
It's a sad day when faculty need to have any interactions with students videotaped but if that is what it takes, then so be it. And maybe departments should provide a conference room adjacent to the department offices so that everyone can see the interaction of the student and teacher. Again, this is so sad that a student can't just stop by a teacher's room and chat!
I also think that the policy needs to be very explicit not only with faculty but also students, telling them that if any sort of accusation is made, it will be investigated publically and since it is a public investigation, they will be named and will also be subject to laws regarding slander and liable if their allegations are false. College students who make allegations are not children, they are adults and I'm tired of them hiding behind the excuse of being intimidated by a person in authority. Too much is at stake here for both the accusors and the accused!
The dankprofessor admits that he has never given consideration to the possibility of having video cameras in faculty offices and even in classrooms since classrooms are often the scene of hostile environment harassment.
Such may represent an effective way of controlling/preventing sexual harassment events from occurring. Of course, videotaping will not eliminate sexual harassment, but would likely lead to a decrease of these suits.
No matter that there will no longer be privacy regarding student prof interactions. Privacy rights and other rights become irrelevant if institutions are to have effective
control of students and professors. And control becomes key as universities are gradually transformed into quasi police states. If control mechanisms are not implemented we could end up with a complete abolition of university campuses which would be replaced, of course, by online education.
Shame and suicide at the University of Iowa
I have had communications from some UI faculty as to the situation of the recent faculty suicides in the context of sexual harassment charges. I present below one of those communications and I do so without any name attached which is at the request of the writer.
I think that it can't be dumb coincidence that the UI should have an epidemic of suicidal professors within a single semester. It defies plausibility. And on the rule that if one person asks a question, ten people have the same question, then presumably there are a lot more people in the same situation we simply don't know about. So what about the University of Iowa in particular makes it epidemically miserable, when virtually all universities have comparable anti- harassment and anti-fraternization policies?
I have an hypothesis to which I think I can lend a certain amount of evidence and plausibility. It's a perception that the UI (being an Upper Midwestern institution heavily servicing angst-ridden Germanic populations) is more of a shame culture than a guilt culture, although of course we have formal "guilt culture" institutional mechanisms of social control such as policies, procedures, investigations, and sanctions. People here will be influenced much more by self-policing (shame, fear of social stigma, etc.) long before they will be influenced by fear of formal reprisals, and will tend to police their actions to a greater extent than any policy actually stipulates – for instance, if it's wrong to harass, then we will interpret it as wrong to talk about sex at all; or, if it is wrong to go out on a date, we will ban conversations in coffee shops; etc. and so forth. The result will be a culture in which almost any informal interaction (even of the innocent sort) between students and faculty will be so massively stigmatized that it is unlikely that any such interactions can occur without all parties (both concerned and unconcerned) believing they are inappropriate, and pro-actively signaling avoidance and/or disapproval.
I think I can lend plausibility to this. If you look at the first comment on the "Inside Higher Ed" article, you will see that it came from a student of the University of Iowa probably circa the 80s (it references a certain Professor Forell, who was head of the department of religious studies). It shows that a certain complex of attitudes about fraternization – a sense of its obvious impropriety combined with smug self-satisfaction about this prudery – was an element of the culture long predating the institution of formal mechanisms of social control. (And is it a coincidence that the UI has the first formal mechanism of this kind ever imposed in US higher education? No – what you appear to have is a perfect storm of Upper Midwestern shame culture/repression of sexuality combined with the elements you have everywhere else too, like fear of sexual harassment lawsuits and the usual neo-feminist academic Puritanism). The difference is that we have the usual academic Puritanism, but in the context of a shame culture. When do the people involved kill themselves? When they are outed – exposed to massive social shame – before any institutional finding of wrong-doing has actually been made. No one is afraid of what the institution may do to them formally, at least not to the extent of suicide. They are afraid of social stigma.
And the Weiger situation is doubly bad. If you look at the Inside Higher Ed article's summary of the lawsuit, apparently a major part of the aggrieved student's strategy to show hostile environment sexual harassment is that some sexual banter happened and that there was a consensual relationship between Weiger (who was single) and a student. It is not clear that the student is claiming actual, personal harassment, as opposed to having to endure an environment where fraternization could occur. Surely these aren't the same thing.
University of Iowa avoidance and denial in faculty suicides
The University of Iowa is attempting to come up with some new ideas as to how to prevent faculty suicides which occur in the context of sexual harassment charges lodged against faculty members.
One idea that is being emphasized is the involvement of the UI Ombudsman Office. The following was reported on the Ombuds Blog–
A UI professor accused of sexual harassment apparently committed suicide Wednesday afternoon, prompting university officials to reiterate the availability of resources to avoid such incidents. UI spokesperson Steve Parrott said faculty accused of misconduct can go to the Office of the Ombudsperson and have confidential conversations to determine how to protect their reputation and resolve the problem. Coincidentally, the UI Ombuds Office made a presentation to the Graduate Student Senate the same afternoon as the professor's death.
The dankprofessor considers this proposal to be surreal and leads to avoidance and denial when it comes to basic and elementary steps that UI could have taken and can still take in cases such as that of Professor Mark Weiger.
Simply stated the UI can do the same things they do for professors that they already do for students and others who allege sexual harassment. In the case of the accuser, the accuser's identity is confidential and is shielded from public view. If such was applied to the accused, the reputation of the accused is protected and the accused is not subject to a public stigmatization. Such does not mean that the accused cannot be suspended with pay. But what this does mean is that the university attempts to minimize punishment without trial and honor the presumption of innocence.
As a result of the Duke University lacrosse team fiasco, university administrations throughout the nation know of the possible dangerous consequences of the rush to judgment. By not rushing to judgment and protecting the confidentiality of the accused, universities such as the University of Iowa could save lives. But universities such as UI are unlikely to implement these sorts of polices. The dankprofessor asks why is this the case.
Victims and victimization at the University of Iowa
The University of Iowa student newspaper the Daily Iowan reported on the campus reaction on the suicide of Professor Weiger. One of the more bizarre and insensitive reactions was by Karla Miller, director of the Rape-Victim Advocacy Program.
Karla Miller…declined to comment specifically about Weiger, but she said after such apparent suicides, it could emotionally affect the victim who reported the harassment.
"It would be only natural to wonder why an individual would do this," she said. "Unfortunately, what can happen is the response that some people make is to blame the victims, and that's inappropriate.
"The victims are never to blame."
A right-on response to this comment was by the False Rape Society blog; their letter to the editor of the Daily Iowan follows-
In your story, "Accused U. Iowa music professor victim of apparent suicide" (Nov. 13), you report on the tragic death of Professor Mark Weiger from an apparent suicide following an accusation of sexual harassment. One of the persons you interviewed properly noted that "sexual-harassment lawsuits frequently result from false accusations."
However, you also quote Karla Miller, the director of the Rape-Victim Advocacy Program, who refused to speak about Prof. Weiger specifically but used the occasion of his tragic death to implicitly assume the guilt of every person accused of sexual harassment. Specifically, she said that the suicide of a person so accused "could emotionally affect the victim who reported the harassment." She makes sure to add that after such a suicide, "some people . . . blame the victims, and that's inappropriate. The victims are never to blame."
Did you get that? Before a single scrap of evidence is admitted at trial, the person who reported the sex offense is declared the "victim" who is "never" to blame for a tragedy such as Prof. Weiger's suicide — the facts, the evidence, and due process itself be damned. While Ms. Miller's comments were not directed specifically at Prof. Weiger, it is difficult to see how he could not be included in her rush to judgment that improperly assumes the guilt of every person accused of a sex offense.
The dankprofessor gets it. The dankprofessor also gets the fact that the sexual harassment training ordered by UI in response to these so-called harassment suicide cases probably does not communicate anything about due process and presumption of innocence. And if such material is included in their training, it apparently has had no effect on Karla Miller. Unquestionably Miller is in need of some training, and it is in the areas of sensitivity and legal due process training.
Suicide and sexual harassment at the University of Iowa
Inside Higher Education reports that University of Iowa music professor Mark Weiger has killed himself one week after he was accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit.
A former student and teaching assistant's lawsuit, filed in federal court against Weiger and the university, charged that he had a romantic relationship with another student, engaged in repeated classroom banter and touching of an inappropriate nature, and created a sexually hostile environment. According to the suit, the university conducted its own investigation of the situation last year, found Weiger had violated policies against sexual harassment, and then resolved the issue "informally." He was found in his car, dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, with the garage door at his home closed. Authorities said he left a note.
This was not the first suicide by a UI professor who had been accused of sexual harassment. "This past August UI professor Arthur H. Miller "was arrested on bribery charges and accused of telling female students that he would give them higher grades if they let him fondle their breasts. In one case, he is alleged to have grabbed and sucked on a student's breast and then sent her an e-mail telling her that she had earned an A+. He then shot himself in a local park".
Michael W. O'Hara, president of the Faculty Senate at Iowa and a professor of psychology, called the two deaths "a horrible coincidence." He added that "sometimes in the great big wide world, events converge that are totally coincidental yet you begin to wonder if there is a pattern, and my view is that this is like having our 500-year flood. It seems inexplicable but it happened."
When Miller was arrested in August the university announced that all faculty members would undergo sexual harassment training. Such appeared to be a rather draconian move by the university targeting all professors in the context of only one professor being involved in the Miller sexual harassment case.
What concerned and perplexed the dankprofessor occurred when the University of Iowa did not order mandatory suicide prevention training for all of the UI faculty after Miller's suicide. Now that another professor has committed suicide in the context of a sexual harassment charges, the University of Iowa administration remains silent as to the need of suicide prevention training for its faculty.
If the UI administration is truly concerned about the well being of its faculty and believes that sexual harassment training will diminish that problem for its faculty, I think it is fair to ask why the administration does not order suicide prevention training for its faculty which ideally would function to diminish a problem that is a much more lethal problem than sexual harassment
However the university did do something as a consequence of the Weiger suicide when "Sally Mason, president of the university, on Thursday issued a statement expressing condolences to Weiger's family and friends, and letting people know of the availability of counseling services. She also urged people "to refrain from speculation about this event, but to support all who need assistance."
But the dankprofessor must ask why would President Mason assume that faculty have the ability to determine which faculty are in need of assistance? Advocates of mandatory sexual harassment training argue that those trained become skilled in determining when sexual harassment has occurred or is likely to occur and therefore the trained are more likely to report to the appropriate campus authorities the existence of sexual harassers and potential sexual harassers.
Obviously, there is a double standard here, and it is the dankprofessor's opinion that the double standard is related to the fact that sexual harassment involves sex and and American universities are well known for being sexphobic and then, of course, there is the money issue. Faculty mandated sexual harassment training functions to diminish the probability of sexual harassment lawsuits being successfully promulgated against universities, at least such is the belief of many university administrators.
And, of course, such does not mean that sexual harassment training is effective in diminishing sexual harassment on campus. The dankprofessor believes that almost all faculty and university administrators know this. And almost all academics know this and go along with the myth that sexual harassment training functions to prevent or diminish sexual harassment on campus. And when a faculty member refuses to go along with this charade, and attempts to undermine the notion that sexual harassment training is effective, he or she is threatened with sanctions, as in the case of UCI professor Alexander McPherson.
Unfortunately, most universities have become money making playgrounds for those associated with the sexual harassment industry, including sexual harassment chasing lawyers.
For most universities in both good and bad economic times, universities are predominantly interested in saving money rather than in spending money to save faculty lives.
So the end result in most American universities is that faculty problems relating to matters such as suicide receive only incidental attention, e.g., condolences are sent to the family of the suicide victim. And as far as sexual harassment is concerned, the response of sexual harassment training is a money draining charade. The dankprofessor is suggesting that this is not simply his opinion, but is the opinion of 99.9% of those who are knowledgeable about said training. Such of course excludes those people and organizations that profit from the sexual harassment industry.
- August 2017 (1)
- July 2015 (2)
- June 2015 (1)
- April 2011 (4)
- March 2011 (7)
- January 2011 (1)
- December 2010 (1)
- November 2010 (2)
- October 2010 (6)
- September 2010 (3)
- August 2010 (2)
- July 2010 (2)
- 2008
- abstinence
- academic freedom
- Anita Bryant
- anti-semitism
- art
- assassination
- attractive professors
- attractive students
- awards
- Barack Obama
- Barnard College
- bathrooms
- bicycling
- blog introduction
- blogs
- brain sex
- Brigham Young University
- Canada
- celebrities
- censorship
- Charlie Sheen
- child pornography
- civility
- Clemson University
- coercing women
- Colorado College
- con artists
- Concordia University
- conference sex
- consensual relationships
- corporate dating bans
- couples
- csu sacramento
- D'souza blog
- Dalhousie University
- Daphne Patai
- dating
- David Cass
- David Lettterman
- Debra Tate
- dental
- Duke University
- East Georgia College
- East Surrey College
- Emma Thompson
- ethics
- exhibitionism
- false rape charges
- fear
- feminism
- film
- flamenco
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- fobidden love
- Francine Prose
- fraternities
- fraternization
- futurist
- Gabrielle Giffords
- gay history
- gay marriage
- gay rights
- gender
- Gonzaga University
- grading
- Harvard University
- Heather Mac Donald
- hiatus
- higher education
- Hofstra University
- homosexual
- hooker
- hooking-up
- hugging
- Hugh Hefner
- Indiana University
- Iowa State University
- Islamic law
- Israel
- ivory tower romance
- Jared Loughner
- Jerzy Kosinski
- Jewish Journal
- John Bonnell
- John McCain
- Julian Assange
- just words
- Korea
- Larry Craig
- Laura Bush
- Laura Kipnis
- lesbian
- Lethbridge College
- lisa chavez
- litigation
- Louisiana Tech
- love
- Mark Bourrie
- Marquette University
- masturbation
- Michelle Obama
- Middlebury College
- Moscow State University
- Northwestern University
- nudity
- Oberlin College
- obituary
- office romance
- Ohio State University
- orgasm
- Otero University
- outing students
- Oxford College
- Pasadena City College
- passion
- Philip Roth
- poets
- political correctness
- political violence
- pornography
- Princeton University
- privacy
- Proposition 8
- prostitution
- public sex
- racism
- rape
- recusal
- reviews
- Rice University
- Roger Ebert
- Roman Polanski
- sadomasochism
- Sarah Palin
- Saudi Arabia
- Seattle university
- secrecy
- Senator Craig
- Senator McCain
- sex
- sex offenders
- sex toys
- sex work
- sex workers
- sexbots
- sexual harassment
- sexual identity
- sexual policing
- sexual politics
- sexual rights
- shame
- Sharon Tate
- Sharon Warner
- Smith College
- Southern Illinois University
- speech
- St. John's University
- student professor dating
- student slavery
- student-prof dating
- suicide
- Sweden
- Taiwan
- tenure
- the closet
- The Tenant
- theatre
- transmen
- trophy wives
- Tucson
- UC Berkeley
- UC Irvine
- UC San Diego
- UC Santa Barbara
- Uncategorized
- United Kingdom
- University of Bristol
- University of Calgary
- university of charleston
- University of Chicago
- University of Connecticut
- University of Georgia
- University of Hawaii
- University of Iowa
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of New Hampshire
- University of New Mexico
- university of pennsylvania
- University of Southern Maine
- University of Sussex
- University of Texas Houston
- University of the Philippines
- University of Toronto
- victimization
- violence
- voyeurism
- Warwick University
- Washington University
- William & Mary College
- William Buckley
- workplace
- Yale University
RSSEntries RSS
Comments RSS


text:
serious about seduction
We are fortunate indeed to have none other than Rachel Avro as our interviewee Girl of the Month for August. Rachel is a long time friend of SLC and it is our pleasure to have her on board. (Interview by Naught Windstorm, interview location pictures by Kay Windstorm and main photoset Laura Demonista).
Naught: Hi Rachel, welcome to the SLC office!
Rachel: Hi Naught, thank you for having me 🙂
Naught: How did you find out about SL in the first place?
Rachel: I was at the start of my transition to female. One of the girls in my support group mentioned second life to me, then I started to come in and was hooked. That was in 2007.
Naught: What did you do in SL in those early days?
Rachel: The early days I was at the transgender center in SL, and then I became an exotic dancer in several clubs.
Naught: How did you get started in SL porn Rachel?
Rachel: I was an escort at strip club, and one of the other dancers had started in SL porn. They shot a scene for a movie in the club, and I was cast as an extra, the next day I was asked if I wanted to be in more porn related shoots.
Naught: What has been the highlight of your porn career so far?
Rachel: The highlight of my porn career is not the movies, but a select few people that have become my dearest of friends.
Naught: What else do you do in SL, aside from your porn work? Any other hobbies?
Rachel: I am a passionate photographer but also love to model, my secret passion is to go ballroom dancing or to jazz clubs.
Naught: What has been the biggest influence on your development as a porn star?
Rachel: The biggest influence in my development as a porn star has been the directors and stars i have worked with. Naming a few….. Louise and Serenity, Isa Cheviot, my sister Alexa Topaz, Dillion, and my dear friend Mitzy Broadway.
Naught: Have you got any big pieces of work lined up at the moment? If so can you tell us what's involved?
Rachel: I have just finished being in an Mitzy Broadway production and she is one of the best and brightness film makers I know, but more than that is she is a dear friend. I have a major movie coming out with Dillion. I just finished a movie with my dear sister Alexa Topaz which will be one of the hottest movies of the year.
Naught: Is there anything you haven't achieved yet that you'd really like to do?
Rachel: Yes I would love to write and direct a film.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What a way to earn your school's first softball championship: 14 wins, 0 losses.
The McKinney Boyd Lady Broncos put the finishing touches on perfection last Friday with an 18-1 trouncing of North Garland. The perfect season was no surprise to third-year Boyd Coach Maureen "Moe" Fritz. She saw it coming months ago.
"Oh, definitely," she said. "My ultimate goal was to go 14-0 because this program has never done that before."
Before coming to Boyd, Fritz won two state titles in six seasons at Keller High. "I know what it takes because I've been there a few times," she said.
Update: On Friday, the Lady Broncos continued their winning streak, defeating Richardson 22-0 in a one-game bi-district playoff game. The team next heads to an area round playoff game.
Said Boyd High Principal Rick McDaniel, "We're extremely proud of them and all that they've accomplished."
"This year has been a culmination of a lot of years of hard work," he said.
When asked what stands out about the Lady Broncos, Fritz picked one word: "Consistency."
"That's the biggest thing you can ask for a team, is to play consistently," she said. "They've done that, defensively and offensively. … And that's led to our success."
McDaniel notes something else.
"One of the things that impresses me the most is our girls win with class," the principal said. "It's obvious to me that Coach Fritz has taught them to always respect your opponent and to never try to demean your opponent."
The Lady Broncos (26-5-1, overall) haven't lost since a 5-0 setback to Stony Point on March 3. Since then, Boyd has thumped opponents by an average of eight runs per game.
Boyd's nearest district threat, Rowlett, finished just behind the Lady Broncos with a 12-2 mark. (Both losses were to Boyd.)
Fritz said the Lady Broncos showed no nerves last Friday against North Garland with their perfect season on the line. It was that 13th win over Garland on April 17, a 1-0 squeaker, that nearly ruined the sweet run.
"I think the girls had nerves with Garland at home because it was the last home game," Fritz said. "It was Senior Night, it was Teacher Appreciation, and their teachers were out there."
Her players agree.
"It was very nerve-wracking," said junior centerfielder Miranda "Mo" McDonald.
With six freshmen, five sophomores, one junior and one senior, this squad is set to excel for years, though tougher competition looms. In 2013, the Lady Broncos move to the new District 10-5A, where behemoths Allen, Plano East, Plano West and Plano await.
"It will be competition every week," Fritz said. "I'm excited about it."
Fritz said offense is this team's strength.
"The kids have learned to run the bases well," she said. "They take advantage of any and everything, which is huge.
"Our hitting, we've played the short game, the long game - the long ball. We do it all and we can mix it up," she said.
Fritz cited McDonald, Jill Nichlas, Maddy VonHagel and Sam Stockford as big offensive contributors.
"Mo McDonald is just tearing up stats in our district, all year long," Fritz said. "She's hitting over .500, close to .600. … She has, I think, 38-plus steals. Jill Nichlas is behind her with 25-28 steals, something like that."
The Lady Broncos' defense is a force to be reckoned with as well, the coach says.
"We have a strong defensive team, outfielders that will dive or lay out for balls," Fritz said. "And our infielders are pretty strong. I have a freshman third baseman, McKenna Henry, who is going to be an excellent player, a D-1 player, at the end of her years here at Boyd.
"Jill Nichlas, our shortstop, she has range that is awesome to watch, when she grabs one up the middle and throws the kid out at [first base.]"
First baseman Stockford is Boyd's lone senior.
"It's been fun, being my senior year, and [our team] just being better than everybody," Stockford said.
Boyd has three freshmen starting pitchers, including Erin Riding, the No. 1 starter.
"She has gone in the bigger games," Fritz said, "the tougher games, and she has done really well."
Said Riding: "I love being a part of this program because we work together so well. I know that they always have my back when there's a ball hit in play."
What will Fritz carry from this season, no matter how it ends?
"I finally feel like it's my team," she said. "They all know how I run offense, how I run defense. It's my program now and all the kids are mine."
The Lady Broncos made the playoffs for the first time last year, advancing to the Area (second) round. This team's goal, Fritz said, is to win state.
About the author: Rick Atkinson is a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot and commercial airline pilot who lives in McKinney with his wife of 23 years, Debbie. He is a freelance writer and cartoonist.


text:
Chronicles From the Holy CityBook - 2012
"Neither Jewish nor Arab, Delisle explores Jerusalem and is able to observe this strange world with candidness and humor...But most of all, those stories convey what life in East Jerusalem is about for an expatriate."--Haaretz
"Engaging...[ Delisle] highlights the very complex lives of Israelis, Palestinians, and foreign residents."--Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Guy Delisle expertly lays the groundwork for a cultural road map of contemporary Jerusalem, utilizing the classic stranger in a strange land point of view that made his other books, Pyongyang, Shenzhen, and Burma Chronicles required reading for understanding what daily life is like in cities few are able to travel to. In Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City , Delisle explores the complexities of a city that represents so much to so many. He eloquently examines the impact of the conflict on the lives of people on both sides of the wall while drolly recounting the quotidian: checkpoints, traffic jams, and holidays.
When observing the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim populations that call Jerusalem home, Delisle's drawn line is both sensitive and fair, assuming nothing and drawing everything. Jerusalem showcases once more Delisle's mastery of the travelogue.
From the critics
Community Activity
CommentAdd a Comment
I was lucky enough to live in Jerusalem for a few years and so much of my experience was perfectly captured in this graphic novel! Such a great read.
I have to say that I didn't really know too much about the city of Jerusalem before I read this adult non-fiction graphic novel….and I certainly know more now! Very pleasurable read by Guy Delisle, and I highly recommend it. Fascinating and informative stuff. (submitted by SF)
I own this book, it's the only one of his books that I do own, and I think it's absolutely fascinating! He really gets to the heart of what's going on in Israel!
A full year in Jerusalem with 2 kids who can talk (and a busy wife) for this trip. Another good volume in his stranger-in-a-strange-land series. Recommended.
I totally agree with the praises below: this book is great. It is funny, so well done, full of information, moving, interesting. Bravo!
Jerusalem is French Canadian comic book artist Guy Delisle's best work. This graphic novel is wonderfully insightful, educational, and entertaining.
Another great living abroad comic by Delisle. It's brain candy that miraculously makes you smarter too. Eat it up!
Simple drawings that covey his surroundings effectively. The sarcasm that he uses to make fun of the country and himself never misses a beat. It's also great to learn about a country that may not make sense to most. Guy Deslisle can do no harm.
Guy Delisle is so talented! Love his art and sense of humour. A must read for all of those interested in the middle east, it will give you a better understanding of the culture and place.
A very honest portrayal of a very complex place. I highly recommend this book.
I've lived in Jerusalem for several years and found Delisle's view very accurate and insightful.
Age SuitabilityAdd Age Suitability
SummaryAdd a Summary
There are no summaries for this title yet.
NoticesAdd Notices
There are no notices for this title yet.
QuotesAdd a Quote
There are no quotes for this title yet.


text:
Perhaps you would like to be in my little black block. My name is Sabrina and I like to put you in my little black book, and let you be one of my favorite gents here at West Midland escorts. I have rather a few gents that I like look after here at West Midland escorts, but I can always found room for one more special one. Would you like to be that special one, just give me a call here at the agency?
I am sure that you and I can get together, and have some fun together tonight. Now, the only problem that I have is that I don't know what you call fun, but I sort of have an idea of what sort of fun that you would like to have. If you are not sure what you would like to do tonight, I can always come up with some ideas for you if you like. I have lots of exciting ideas for us to do tonight.
If you are not into having a good time in an adult sort of way, I can think of many other things that we can do. You see, I am one of those girls who like to play and have lots of fun in many different ways. One of the best ways that I know to have fun, is to dress up. Would you like to see me dressed up? The gents that I normally date at West Midland escorts seem to like to see me dressed up, and I am more than happy to show you as well.
I can understand that you may not want to stay inside if it is lovely evening. That is not a problem for me. We could go out somewhere and perhaps go for a drive. Let me know what sort of car that you have and I will make sure that these long legs of mine will fit into the backseat. I am more than happy to sit in the front seat of your car for a little while, but then I think that I would prefer the backseat. Funny enough a lot of the girls at West Midland escorts seem to prefer being backseat drivers if you know what I mean.
Are you interested in setting up a date with me? If you just happen to want to be in my little black book, you really do need to get in there first. That is not going to happen unless we meet up, I would like to invite you to check out our West Midland escorts website. Once you have done that, you will know a little bit more about us hot girls at West Midland escort services. After that, you can just give me a call at the escort agency in West Midland. As I work as an outcall escort, I will be outside your door before you know it, and you and I can have a really good time. First though, I would need to put your name in my little black book.


text:
Publication Details
Chronic poverty and development policy
David Hulme
Andrew Shepherd
Special issue of World Development (Vol. 31 Issue 3, March 2003)
View article abstracts via Elsevier - Science Direct. Note that you will only be able to view full documents if you or your institution is subscribed to the on-line journal.
Chronic Poverty and Development Policy: An Introduction
David Hulme
Conceptualizing Chronic Poverty
David Hulme and Andrew Shepherd
Assessing the Extent and Nature of Chronic Poverty in Low Income Countries: Issues and Evidence
Andrew Mckay and David Lawson
Do Monetary and Nonmonetary Indicators Tell the Same Story About Chronic Poverty? A Study of Vietnam in the 1990s
Bob Baulch and Edoardo Masset
Staying Secure, Staying Poor: The "Faustian Bargain"
Geof Wood
Chronic Poverty in South Africa: Incidence, Causes and Policies
Michael Aliber
Chronic Poverty in India: Incidence, Causes and Policies
Aasha Kapur Mehta and Amita Shah
Drivers of Escape and Descent: Changing Household Fortunes in Rural Bangladesh
Binayak Sen
Enduring Poverty and the Conditions of Childhood: Lifecourse and Intergenerational Poverty Transmissions
Caroline Harper, Rachel Marcus and Karen Moore
Old Age Poverty in Developing Countries: Contributions and Dependence in Later Life
Armando Barrientos, Mark Gorman and Amanda Heslop
Including Disabled People in Poverty Reduction Work: "Nothing About Us, Without Us"
Rebecca Yeo and Karen Moore
Livelihoods and Chronic Poverty in Semi-Arid Zimbabwe
Kate Bird and Andrew Shepherd
Vulnerability and Chronic Poverty in Rural Sichuan
Neil McCulloch and Michele Calandrino
Enduring Disorder and Persistent Poverty: A Review of the Linkages Between War and Chronic Poverty
Jonathan Goodhand
Programs for the Poorest: Learning from the IGVGD Program in Bangladesh
Imran Matin and David Hulme
Publication Type(s)
Journal Article
policy social relations disability lifecycle old age livelihoods childhood poverty risk spatial analysis


text:
Open Windows
It's summertime! Sunshine, fresh fruit, and lots of bugs all serve as daily reminders of the season. The heat and humidity are perhaps the most noticeable effects, though. Our family has chosen to use the AC as little as possible – meaning we've used it for less than ten days this whole year. I didn't think we'd do this well, but we have and I'm very pleased.
I'm originally from the South, so AC has always been a big part of my life. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized what I was missing by choosing AC over open windows. Last night I noticed that the sounds of Nature were missing. Singing birds, the wind in the trees, barking dogs, talking people (and noisy cars) had become my background noise over the past few months. When those sounds are gone I feel so disconnected from what's happening outside. I'm looking forward to the time when it cools down enough to open the windows again.


text:
The VUT students of the MSc Engineering Management course took the oportunity to get introduced in the working field and methods of the AIT – Austrian Institute of Technology.
Therefore, the studens visited their headquarter in the Tech Gate Vienna, located in the 22nd district of Vienna. We got an indtroduction of current projects and already acomplished reference projects of the AIT. Not only the theoretical part was covered in this excursion, we even had the chance to walk through the whole testing area of this Technology Campus e.g. the various car battery testing stations such as heating chambers, real life scenario and fire safety tests.
Not only the working fielt of the AIT impressed us a lot, but also the main building itself with it's great energy efficient layout.
In the end the visit was a full sucess and we got an great overview of the AIT.


text:
Kaleb Wilcox at Topeka Bible Church in Topeka, Kansas (now at Willow Creek in Northfield) brings us this deliciously simply, yet awesome stage design. (originally from Mar 2012)
They needed a design that could easily fill a lot of vertical and horizontal wall space but didn't take up too much real estate on the stage. Using the vertical wood slats that are already part of the wood panel walls of their stage, they bent strips of Coroplast and wedged them horizontally between the slats. After affixing each piece with a small nail on each side, they were very secure. The curve of the Coroplast gave some depth and dimension to the back wall and no frames or supports were needed! It took approximately 15 4'x8 sheets of Coroplast and cost $215.
The set was lit with 8 ADJ Mega Tri Bars, 4 ADJ Mega Bars, 8 Elation Opti Tri Pars, and 2 Elation Platinum 5Rs.


text:
Get a Quote
Stratford Removals
Most famous as the epicentre of the 2012 Olympics and for its huge shopping complex, Stratford has benefitted immensely from regeneration carried out over the past 15 years. It was originally an area of London that was in decline and now it's full of new-build properties, three stations, the impressive Westfield mall and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Britannia Ryans are located Just 7 miles from Stratford in North London, so we are ideally placed for home removals across London. We are a family-owned removal company and have been providing residents of Stratford with removals and storage services for over 30 years. If you are moving to or from Stratford, contact Britannia Ryans today.
Moving to Stratford
Being located in Zone 2 and with extremely short journey times into Central London, property prices in Stratford are high. Furthermore, property is in high demand.
First-time buyers looking to secure a property in Stratford should have a minimum budget of £225,000 for a flat. Both one and two-bedroom apartments vary in price dependent on location and finish. Apartments in the sought-after Glasshouse Gardens see prices upwards of £700,000. Family properties in E15 tend to be three-bedroom terraces which fetch prices around £500,000. Bump this up to £550,000 for four bedrooms.
Like many areas in London, there is a huge rental market in Stratford. The majority is comprised of one and two-bedroom flats, with a sprinkling of terraced homes. Due to the variety of properties, from cosy one-bed flats in converted houses to luxury penthouses, renting can vary between £850 PCM and £4500 PCM.
Schools in Stratford
Stratford has a number of primary schools, many of which are ranked 'good'. Park Primary is a popular choice with parents, as is Colegrove, Manor, Ranelagh, Maryland, and Portway.
Most children then move on to one of the three comprehensive schools in the area. The newest is The East London Science Free School which opened in 2013 and is for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. St Bonaventure's is a boys only school for those aged 11 to 18 and St Angela's Ursuline is the female counterpart.
As an alternative, Stratford has two new all-through state schools. Chobham Academy is a co-ed school for children aged three to 18, whereas School 21 is for boys and girls aged four to 18 and is ranked as 'outstanding' by Ofsted.
Stratford Transport Links
If you want to live in London and be well connected, it doesn't get much better than Stratford. Stratford International station is on the high-speed Southeastern train line to St Pancras and the DLR to Canary Wharf. Stratford underground station is a station on both the Central and Jubilee lines. It also provides Overground and DLR services.
Outside Westfield shopping centre is a Stratford bus station. These call throughout the area and head on to destinations in South East London, Essex, North London and Central London.
Contact Information
1 Orbital Business Park
Argon Road
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 8:00am-5:30pm
Saturday 8:00am-12:00pm
Sunday and bank holiday by appointment


text:
Latest News Headlines
Eleven ESTA Proposed Standards in Public Review
Eleven documents are available for public review at no cost on the ESTA website at http://tsp.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. In order of comment due date and then alpha-numeric designation, the documents are:
BSR E1.6-1, Entertainment Technology – Powered Hoist Systems, establishes requirements for the design, manufacture, installation, inspection, and maintenance of powered hoist systems for lifting and suspension of loads for performance, presentation, and theatrical production. This standard does not apply to the structure to which the hoist is attached, attachment of loads to the load carrying device, systems for flying people, welded link chain hoists, and manually powered hoists. Comments are due before February 20, 2018.
BSR E1.46, Standard for the Prevention of Falls from Theatrical Stages and Raised Performance Platforms, offers guidance appropriate for theatrical venues on preventing falls from stages into orchestra pits, open stage lifts, and similar openings in stage floors. Comments are due before March 13, 2018.
The following nine documents all have comment due dates of April 9, 2018; comments must be submitted before April 10.
BSR E1.11, Entertainment Technology - USITT DMX512-A - Asynchronous Serial Digital Data Transmission Standard for Controlling Lighting Equipment and Accessories, describes a protocol for transmitting digital data over an EIA-485-A datalink for the purpose of controlling entertainment lighting equipment and accessories, such as dimmers, robotic luminaires, color changers, and motion effects wheels.The protocol is not intended to be used to control equipment where injury to people or damage to property could result from a message error. The existing E1.11 standard is being considered for reaffirmation without any substantive changes.
BSR ES1.19, Safety Requirements for Special Event Structures, is one part of a larger suite of ES1 standards relating to special event safety being developed. This draft standard covers any temporary structure used for special events (e.g., concerts, award shows, dramatic plays) not otherwise addressed by existing standards, codes, or legislation. The purpose of this document is to identify design, fabrication, operation and use, inspection and maintenance requirements for the structures included in its scope.
BSR E1.30-11, EPI 33 - ACN Root Layer Protocol Operation on TCP, is part of the E1.30 suite of standards documents that specify how conforming implementations are to operate in a particular environment or situation in order to guarantee interoperability. This part of E1.30, EPI 33, is an interoperability profile that specifies the operation and formats for the ACN Root Layer Protocol operating on TCP.
BSR E1.33 - 201x, Entertainment Technology - (RDMnet) -- Message Transport and Device Management of ANSI E1.20 (RDM) over IP Networks, describes a method of implementing ANSI E1.20 Remote Device Management messaging over an IP-based network. BSR E1.37-7 (also in public review) is closely tied to this document.
BSR E1.37-4, Remote Device Management over DMX512 Networks – File Transfer Control with Firmware Upload Capabilities, is part of the E1.37 project. It provides developers of RDM responder hardware with a standard means of implementing firmware upload using the basic communication structure provided by the ANSI E1.20 RDM standard. The design approach is intended to facilitate data transfers to responders that may be built using processors with very limited memory resources as well as devices that can support the largest possible [RDM] packet.
BSR E1.37-7, Additional Message Sets for ANSI E1.20 (RDM) - Gateway & Splitter Messages, provides additional Get/Set Parameter Messages for use with the ANSI E1.20 Remote Device Management protocol. This document contains messages relating to configuring managed splitters, proxy devices, and RDMnet Devices. It is closely tied to E1.33.
BSR E1.42 - 20xx, Entertainment Technology - Design, Installation, and Use of Orchestra Pit Lifts, covers the design, construction, operation, inspection, testing, maintenance, alteration and repair of permanently installed orchestra pit lifts and their associated parts, rooms, spaces, enclosures and hoistways, where located in a theatre or a similar place of public entertainment.
BSR E1.56, Entertainment Technology - Rigging Support Points, provides guidance for the design, fabrication, installation, and testing of permanent and temporary rigging points and rigging lugs and their connection to existing building and venue structures.
BSR E1.60, Guidelines for the Use of Raked Stages in Live Performance Environments, is intended to provide guidance for the use of raked stages in live performance environments. The standard intends to define a rake, and to offer guidance for production elements to mitigate the risks for the protection of actors and technicians.
13th February 2018
news archive
search stories
© 1999 - 2020 Entertainment Technology Press Limited News Stories


text:
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published on line, including world wide health, ezine articles, article base, healthblogs, selfgrowth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com
Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bio science, ISSN 0975-6299.
Recipe contributed by eat well and lose weight by better Holmesd and Gardens (more than 500 delicious satisfying recipes), published by Houghton Miffin Harcourt. You can view its website at www.hmhbooks.com.
Per serving; 435g clal, 13g fat(2g sat. fat), 55mg chol., 49 mg sodium, 54g carb., 22g sugar, 9g fiber, 26g pro.
Weight Loss the Easy Ways
Andrea Albright Featured on Health and Fitness Jan. 2015
will Personally Coach You How to Get There The Easy Way
If You Are Looking For a SoulMate
Celebrity Patti Stanger Will Coach You To Get Him/Her
and Keep Him/Her for Good,The Simple Way
Super foods Library, Eat Yourself Healthy With The Best of the Best Nature Has to Offer
Back to Obesity's Complications http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca/p/obesitys-complications.html
Back to Kyle J. Norton Home page http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca


text:
Email Headers for AOL Users
Every day, millions of emails are broadcast across the internet. Whether you receive a dozen or hundreds of emails, do you know where these emails are coming from? Can you stop some of the junk email that finds its way into your mailbox? Taking advantage of AOL email search and similar email header tools can help you to manage your inbox better.
Email Header 101
Before you attempt an AOL user lookup, it is important to understand what encompasses an email header. Basically, an email header is information that is part of every email. It includes the details about who sent the email, when the message was sent, how it arrived to its destination, and who received it.
However, you cannot always take the header information at face value. Spammers can falsify some of the information to make it more difficult to trace the email's origins using AOL email search. For example, spammers and scammers can make the header look as though the email was sent from a different account.
How to View the AOL Email Header
Viewing an email header in AOL is very easy to do, and once you have this information, it will actually make it easier to perform an AOL member search. All you need to do is open the email message. At the top you should see the words "Sent from the Internet." Click on "Details" and you will be able to see the full email header.
Understanding What You Are Reading
When you display the header, you will see a lot of information. In some cases, you may see "Received" listed multiple times, which indicates through which servers the email passed.
To see where the email originated from, you will want to look from the first source, which will be the furthest down the list. When you read this last "Received" tag, you will see the ISP domain of the server and the real IP address of the sender, which shows up as the X-Originating-IP. The X-Mailer tag will tell you what email client was used to send the email.
Determining Spam
One of the main reasons to conduct an AOL email lookup is to help you identify spam. In its least offensive form, spam simply clutters up your mailbox with unwanted advertising. However, if spammers are trying to hide their identity from you, chances are they have a much more sinister purpose, and the email could contain viruses, Trojans, spyware, or other nasty computer malware designed to steal your information and make your life miserable.
Thankfully, you can use an AOL member search based upon the information in the email's header to help weed out spammers and report them.
One of the first things to analyze is the return path. Look at the email address to which replies would be sent. Does it look like a real email address, or just a random jumble of letters and numbers? Next, look at the received tags, reading from the bottom up. The received tags should contain the information on how the email was transmitted. If this information is missing, the information included seems to have gaps in it, or there are places where the "sent" and "received" do not line up properly, a spammer could have tried to forge information. If this is the case, chances are that the spammer also used the same ISP you have, or else their spam message would not have transmitted appropriately.
You can also look further at the header for your AOL email lookup. Look at the Message-ID field. The ID should include the name of the server and a unique string. The ID should match the same server from where the purported email address stems. For example, if you are receiving an email from an AOL account, the Message-ID should also indicate an AOL server. However, if the email address states AOL but the server indicates Yahoo, then this email header may be forged.
Being able to recognize spam will make it easier for you to keep your computer safe. Empower yourself with this knowledge to keep spammers and scammers away from your personal information and serenity.


text:
44 teams to participate in LEGO robotics event Jan. 25 at WKU
- Author: Tuesday, January 21st, 2014
About 400 children on 44 teams will gather at WKU's Diddle Arena on Saturday (Jan. 25) for the Kentucky FIRST LEGO League's State Robotics Competition.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. and will conclude with an award ceremony at approximately 5:30 p.m.
The theme of this year's event is "Nature's Fury™," which calls for teams of 9 to 14 year olds to research and explore the topic of natural disasters. Teams will discover what can be done when intense natural events meet the places people live, work and play. Through hands-on experience and working in teams, children have a chance to explore a real-world issue to gain an appreciation for and interest in science and technology.
The FLL competition is judged in four areas: project presentation; robot performance; technical design and programming of the robot; and teamwork, with a consideration of the FLL Core Values. The highest honor will go to the team that best exemplifies the spirit and values of the program.
Sponsors include the Ogden College of Science and Engineering, Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, SKyTeach, The Center for Gifted Studies, Trace Die Cast, Inc., Control Systems Design and Automation, Inc., Bluegrass Supply Chain Services, Design Builders, Dunham's Sporting Goods, Hilton Garden Inn, Courtyard Marriott, Penn Station East Coast Subs, Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau, and various departments in Ogden College at WKU.
Contact: John Inman, (270) 745-3048.
Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.


text:
The Asaga bracelet carries with it the energy of Pegasus Asaga. (The charm is not included in the bracelet but is included to help you pick up the energy that is in the bracelet itself)
Divine Mother has come to offer two lines of healing crystal bracelets and earrings to us. These items carry with them the energy of Divine Mother, and extremely healing on a very deep level.
Whenever I face my most difficult challenges, I count on these to help carry me through, energetically, with the full support and love of Divine Mother herself.
A portion of all sales will be donated to the Carla and Ross Reiki Scholarship fund. more on the scholarship here
It is with great joy and gratitude to both Linda Dunn, our Reiki Master artist, and Isabel Henn, Reiki Master channeler of Divine Mother and artist, that this line of healing jewelry is made possible.
Here are the photos, descriptions, and prices of the jewelry for you:
Made in the US by Linda Dunn and designed by Isabel Henn and Divine Mother
Made in Germany by Isabel Henn, and designed by herself and Divine Mother


text:
Blog Archives
Cone Handle Shots Drill
I love this drill because it works on several components of improvement all at once:
Ball Handling: Force your players out of their comfort zone and to dribble lower and quicker each time, that is the only way to improve
Footwork: Creating space and finishing with the least amount of dribbles
Finishing Through/Over/Around the Defense: This drill consists of a multiple of different types of shots and finishes that are great to add to your players' repertoire.
Dribble Moves to Jump Shots
Player starts dribbling and makes a move at each of the cones, once the reach the other sideline quick change direction, take one dribble and pass to coach and cut to the wing. On the catch back, player has option to shoot jumper, one dribble pull-up or finish at the rim.
Advanced Players: Add a defender closing out once the coach passes back.
Cone Moves:
-Inside Out
-Inside Out Crossover
-Between the Legs
-Inside Out Between the Legs
-Backdribble to cross-over
Full-Court Cone Dribbling
Perform a dribble move at each cone until half-court, then sprint dribble to next cone, make a strong move, finish through contact…Repeat going back.
Moves at back-court cones:
-Inside Out Crossover
-Between the legs
-Inside Out Between Legs
-Behind the bag
-Reverse dribble (at cone)
Moves at the Rim:
-Pull up jumpers
-Strong side rim finishes (both hands) -Change direction finishes (both hands) -Lane floaters
-Step back jumpers
-Step back cross-overs
-Hop thru finishes
Full-Court Dribbling Drill
21 (with a coach)
21 is a fun drill to incorporate into your workouts to make them competitive, without using contact.
Goal is to reach 21 pts using a normal scoring system. (3's=3, Jumpers=2, Lay-ups=1)
Start by putting 5 minutes on the clock. If they do not reach 21 at the end of time, give them one minute to rest and start over. (Time can be adjusted to make it easier/harder).
Enjoy the games this weekend and as always…
Keep bouncin…


text:
Girls & Couples Getaways
You just want a place to relax, catch up, taste some great wine, and eat some really, really great food. Maybe go for an evening stroll or a morning hike/run. You've found the right spot.
We're not a party place (the Napa police dept has a zero tolerance approach on loud partiers in our residential neighborhood). But we are the perfect spot for girls or couples groups who want a comfy spot with a relaxed vibe, walking distance to more than 50 world class restaurants and bistros, and dozens of wine tasting salons.
Throw in a couple of day spas (all walking distance), an outlet mall just 10 minutes away (everything from Coach, Ralph Lauren Polo and Ann Taylor to Brooks Brothers, Barney New York and Michael Kors).
Or spend an enjoyable spa day at the mudbaths in Calistoga, just a quick drive north, and be back in time for dinner at Morimoto: Napa, or Coles Chop House.
You could stay for days… weeks even… and never run out of fun things to do.
Or, just sit back in your featherbed, enjoy the fireplace and do nothing. That's fun, too.


text:
PENCE PERSPECTIVES – August 2013
Bottom Line Up Front:
In our December Newsletter, we predicted the outcome of the Fiscal Cliff debate and the fact that certain components of the COMPRESSION holding down the US stock market and economy were beginning to fall off (see chart one). In April, at the annual luncheon, we discussed the fact that markets would most likely be volatile but positive and that the bond market would be volatile and negative (see chart two). These things have come to pass. We also think these trends will continue for the remainder of the year. The fundamentals of the US economy will continue to improve slowly and steadily, more like a slowly moving freight train than an airplane trying to take off. For the next several months, every breath of any member of the FED takes will be analyzed to the molecule in order to divine the amount of reduction in Quantitative Easing (QE) to come and when. As we get later in the year, congressional hyperbole over the debt ceiling will b egin once again to become louder. The key thing to remember is that these two issues affect market volatility in the short term but they do not derail the recovery in the long run. It is basically this: The economy is getting better. The FED will probably not reduce its asset purchases of $85 billion or raise interest rates until they are sure that ultra low rates have done their job. The FED will risk inflation before they will risk the recovery. We expect the general direction of the stock market to be up and the general direction of the bond market to be flat to down. So that is what to expect for the next several months.
The way we see it:
At the April Luncheon, we talked about increasing market volatility mainly caused by whether or not the FED will end its massive asset purchase program quicker than it should. In June, we saw a -7.5 percent market correction from all time market highs, only to witness a complete recovery in July. For the next several months market volatility is going to be more frequent. We need to embrace it, manage it, and not be a victim of it. When you turn off all the noise, there are four big indicators to look at:
Industrial production, employment, disposable income, and real retail sales (see chart three). These four elements are evidence of a slow but consistent economic recovery that is translating into more positive consumer sentiment (see chart four), which hit a six-year high in July. It is now a positive rather than a negative feedback loop.
Big Knowable Themes:
The big knowable themes that we are paying attention to for the future are: (1) Industrial re-revolution in US economy due to shale revolution (cheap energy) along with skilled labor, easy access to raw materials and an abundance of capital. (2) Housing market recovery, (3) e-commerce retail sales growth, and (4) emerging markets along with a do-over across central banks. Those are the headlines we follow. As many of you like to have more detail on our outlook, we will be publishing separate short opinion papers (under the title Pence Papers) on each of these issues in the near future and posting them on our website at pencewealthmanagement.com.
For our clients with Strategic Asset Management (SAM) accounts where we manage with full discretion, depending on your individual situation and account, we will continue to tactically reduce bond positions and increase equity positions. We will continue to buy shares of companies that we believe are undervalued as the opportunity arises. We will continue to focus on portfolios that generate positive cash flow so that it may be reinvested to take advantage of future growth.
For our clients who hold brokerage accounts, if you are interested in a similar fee-based strategy please contact your advisor.
If you are not yet a client, and are interested in learning more about our services, please contact Susan Herman (949) 660-8777 ext 100 or email@example.com to schedule an appointment.
I strongly encourage you to attend our annual client luncheon next year on May, 3rd 2014. It is at this annual event where I lay out our key thoughts for the entire year and those clients and potential clients who attend always find it rewarding and informative. If you would like to receive an invitation please email firstname.lastname@example.com. As Pence Wealth Management embraces the digital age, we encourage you to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and check our daily blog on our website PenceWealthManagement.com/blog. For our clients, friends and prospective clients we wish to remind you that, once again, we have been recognized by Barron's Magazine as one of the top Financial Advisors in the Nation (Barron's criteria: based on assets under management, revenues generated by the advisor and quality of their practices).
We are accepting new clients, and the greatest compliment or gratitude that you can show us is the referral of a friend or family member. If you would like a hard copy version of this newsletter to pass on, please contact Anne Godfrey firstname.lastname@example.com or (949) 660-8777 ext 116.
We appreciate your trust and the opportunity to be of service.
All the best,
E. Dryden Pence III, CPM®
LPL Registered Principal – Pence Wealth Management