Land For Good staff host mixers, workshops and training across the region, typically with local or regional partners. We are also frequent speakers, panel organizers or moderators at other local, regional and national events.
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Farm Credit East, Maine Farmland Trust, Maine Farms Realty, Southeast Land Trust of NH. Course is eligible for 3 hours of Continuing Education credits from NH and ME Real Estate Commission.
Addressing Land Access, 2015 BFRDP Project Directors Meeting, Reno NV, September 2015.
Non-farming landowner workshops, 15 in all six New England states.
Sponsor, Facilitator and Opening Remarks, Farmland Access and the Importance of Networks for Service Providers, Beginning Farmer Network of MA (BFN/MA) Fall Forum, Charlton MA, Nov. 2013.
Annual conference, Massachusetts Association of Agriculture Commissions 2009.


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HomenewsSample essay papersGreen Energy
Contemporary processes – like rapid exhaustion of fossil fuels supplies (first of all, oil and gas), the use of which is also related to serious pollution of environment (including thermal contamination, and threatening climatic consequences of increase of atmospheric carbonic acid's level), limitation of uranium supplies (energetic usage of which causes dangerous radio-active wastes) and indistinctness of both conditions and ecological consequences of the industrial use of thermonuclear energy �� makes the society pay greater attention to the searches of effective utilization possibilities and of ecologically friendly energy sources.
Growing requirements to environmental protection demand the new approach to energetics. Nowadays more and more scientists and engineers of the world are engaged in searches of new, nontraditional energy sources which would undertake at least a part of cares on providing humanity with energy. Nontraditional renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal and hydrothermal energy, energy of biomass and World ocean energy.
In fact, the use of just 0.0125 % of the Sun's energy could cover all the needs of world energetics, and the use 0.5 % of it �� all the long term needs. However, one of the most serious obstacles is low intensity of solar emission. So in order to make solar radiation accumulators annually collect the quantity of solar radiation, which would be enough for all humanity's necessities satisfaction, we need to place them on the territory of 130 000 km2 (Kreith 21-9).
A necessity to use the collectors of enormous sizes, in addition, causes considerable financial expenses. According to calculations, production of solar radiation accumulators in area of 1 km2 requires about 104 tons of aluminium. The world supplies of this metal are estimated in 1.17*109 tons (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��).
The greatest success in the area of solar energy usage was achieved by Loose Industries (USA). In December 1989 the solar-gas station of 80 MWe power was put into operation. Later, in 1994 in California 480 MWe of electric power were also put, thus, cost of 1 kWh of energy was only 7-8 cents. At night and in winter the energy is produced by gas, and in summer and in day-time �� by the Sun. Power-station in California showed that gas and sun are able to match each other effectively (Sherwood 48). So a conclusion is not surprising, that different types of liquid or gas fuel should accompany solar energy. The most credible variant is hydrogen (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��).
Fast development of the solar power engineering became possible due to the decline of photo-electric accumulators cost and to the increase of their efficiency index. Decrease of solar watt cost up to 50 cents will allow solar station to compete with other autonomous energy sources (Sherwood 50).
One of leaders in solar energy practical usage is Switzerland. In frames of �Solar-91�� Program about 2600 solar generators of 1-1000 kW and solar collector devices for getting thermal energy were built. Operation experience showed that the Sun is ready to cover energy demand of at least all dwellings buildings in the country (Kreith 21-18).
There also exist some other directions of solar energy usage. One of the large directions in solar energetics is the development of transport vehicles using solar energy; the concept of solar mobile appears (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��). Moreover, there's the direction of photosynthesizing ability of plants usage. In laboratory conditions photobiochemical systems, where the energy of quantum of light is used for the electrons transfer, are already created and successfully work. They are the prototypes of effective transformers using principles of natural photosynthesis (Kreith 19-1).
So far electric energy produced by the sun costs much more than the one got by traditional methods. However, scientists hope that experiments they carry out on the experimental stations will help to solve not only technical but also economical problems.
The supplies of wind energy are bigger, than the supplies of hydropower of all rivers of planet in more than one hundred times. Wind blows everywhere – on land and at the seaside. However, the important disadvantage of wind energy is its changeability in time, but it can be solved due to the location of wind machines (Ucar 466). If a few dozens of large wind machines are united, their average power will be permanent (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��). And, finally, it is possible to get mechanical energy directly from a windmill.
Due to the efforts of scientists and engineers the most various constructions of the modern wind settings are created.
The principle of all windmills' action is the same: a wind wheel with vanes is rotated under pressure of wind, passing a twisting moment through the transmission system to the billow of generator, producing electric power, aquatic pump. The more diameter of a wind wheel is, the greater is air stream it takes and the more energy is produces (Ucar 471).
According to the company Boeing prognoses in a current century the length of windmills' vanes will not exceed 60 meters, which will allow creating wind machines of traditional arrangement with the power of 7 MWe (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��). Today the largest of them are twice weaker. In the serious wind energetics it is possible to count, that 1 kWh price will go down to 10 cents, only at the conditions of mass building. Nowadays, wind engines cover only 0,001 of world need in energy (Kreith 19-31).
Eruption power of even comparatively small volcano is huge; it exceeds the power of the largest energy station created by man (�Future of Geothermal Energy�� 30). However, there's no talk about the direct use of volcanic eruptions energy, while people have no possibilities to control this rebellious element, and, fortunately, eruptions are rare enough events. But it is a display of energy hidden in the earth, when only the tiny part of this inexhaustible energy finds an output through the craters of volcanoes.
Iceland fully provides itself with tomatoes, apples and bananas using geothermal energy. The numerous hothouses of Iceland get energy from the heat of the earth; there are practically no other local energy sources in Iceland. But this country is very rich on thermal springs and famous geysers-fountains of hot water, which get out from under the earth with the exactness of chronometer. And although priority in the use of heat of earth sources belongs not to the Icelanders, the population of this Northern country intensively exploits an underground boiler. Reykjavik, which is inhabited by the half the country's population, gets heating only due to geothermal sources (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��).
But people get the energy from the earth not only for heating. Power-stations using thermal underground springs work for many years already. First of such power stations, a low-powered one, was built in 1904 years in a small Italian town Larderello, name after the French engineer Larderelli, who in 1827 years made a project of the use of numerous thermal springs in this district. Energy of the power-station grew gradually, all new aggregates entered into a line-up, the new sources of hot water were used, and in our days power of the station reached the imposing rate of 360 tsd of kilowatts (�Future of Geothermal Energy�� 41). In New Zealand there also exists such a power-station; its power is 160 tsd kW. In 120km from San Francisco, USA, the geothermal station produces electric power of 500tsd kW (Kreith 26-18).
INLAND WATER ENERGY
The enormous supplies of energy are hidden in the running water of inland waters. Historically, first people learned to use the energy of rivers. Advantages of the hydroelectric power stations are obvious: the constantly renewable nature energies, simplicity of exploitation, absence of environmental pollution. However, building of a dam for a large hydroelectric power station is a difficult task; in order to drive powerful hydro-turbines to the rotation, it is needed to collect the enormous supply of water (Kreith 27-1). Therefore at the beginning of the 20th century only few hydroelectric power stations were built.
For example, the state policy of Russia resulted in the fact that the system of powerful hydroelectric stations is developed in Russia even more than in any other country of the world; they give plenty of energy and become the centers of powerful industrial complexes developed around them. Energy setting on the Rance River (Brittany), consisting of 24 reversible turbine generators and having launch power of 240 MW, is one of the most powerful hydroelectric power stations in France, and fully supplies two cities with electricity (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��).
The basic indexes, allowing to estimate hydroenergetic potential of regions and potential power of the work of water on a territory, where building of a hydroelectric power station is planned, are river's rate of stream flow and presence of considerable overfalls of relief elevations (Kreith 4-2).
The hydroelectric power stations are the most economically advantageous energy source, but at the same time have a number of the serious disadvantages, related to the necessity of energy transporting on large distances (often the users of energy are located far from the rivers). While transporting electric power through the electricity transmission lines up to 30% of the energy gets lost and an ecologically dangerous electromagnetic radiation is created. In addition, deforestation has to be conducted in order to put those lines, which also affects ecology (Kreith 8-1).
By present moment, only a small part of hydroenergetic potential of the Earth serves people. Annually enormous streams of waters formed from rains and melting snow flow down in seas without being used. If we succeeded to hold them by dams, humanity would get the huge amount of energy additionally.
ENERGY OF THE WORLD OCEAN
The World ocean, making 71% of the planet's surface, hides different types of energy: tidal energy, energy of ocean currents, thermal energy, etc.
Tidal Energy. The most obvious method of the use of ocean energy is building of tidal power stations. Beacons and lighthouses, using energy of waves have already filled coast waters of Japan. For many years beacons, which are the whistles of coastguard in the USA, are operating due to wave vibrations. In the mouth of the river of Rance in France a tidal power station is working on tide flows of up to 13 meters with the power of 240 tsd kW and with an annual return of 540 tsd kWh (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��).
Energy of Ocean Currents. Kinetic energy of ocean currents is estimated in 1018 J. In 1974 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Administration in Miami reported, that oceanic propellers would be able to generate electricity, extracting energy from Gulf-stream, which carries its waters near the coast of Florida at a speed of 5 miles per hour (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��).
Thermal Energy of the Ocean. Great attention is now concentrated on ocean thermal energy conversion, which actually means obtainment of electric power due to the difference of temperatures between superficial and deep ocean waters, sucked in a pump at the use of such liquids as propane, freon or ammonium. There are energy supplies in surface water, which in 10 tsd times exceed world demand in it. According to J.Isaacs's estimations, modern technology will allow to create energy settings which would produce electricity in two times more than whole world's contemporary consumption (Kreith 26-15).
Energy of Oceanic Biomass. Ocean has favourable environment for living, which includes nutritives, salts and other minerals. In the middle of 1970s with the support of US Navy the first world ocean energetic farm was created on 40 feet depth, where the giant Californian brown algae were grown. Up to 50 % of their energy can be converted into natural methane. Ocean farms of brown algae of 100tsd acres area will be able to give enough energy to satisfy the needs of cities with the population of 50 thousand people (Kreith 25-37).
Internal Energy of Water Molecules. The hydrogen extracted from water can be burned as a fuel and used not only to set different transport in motion but also for the obtainment of electric power. The prospectivity of hydrogen energetics is in the fact, that the obtained hydrogen is comfortable to keep in the any state (compressed gas, condensated, and solid state) and is easily transported. One of the most perspective methods to get hydrogen is the electrolysis of water. In 60s the NASA specialists succeeded to carry out the process of electrolysis of water and so effectively collected hydrogen, that this hydrogen was used during the flights of the Apollo program. (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��)
Obtainment of Energy Due to Differences of Chemical Composition of Water. The enormous amount of salts is dissolved in the World ocean. Salinity can be used as an energy source. Researchers consider that in order to obtain plenty of energy it's possible to construct batteries, in which reactions between salty and unsalted water would take place.
Thus, at the modern rates of scientific and technical progress, substantial changes in ocean energy should happen in the nearest decades. Some of the offered ocean power settings can be realized, and become cost-effective.
ENERGY OF BIOMASS
In addition to abovementioned water-plants, biomass includes wastes of agrarian production and plant biomass, which becomes useless, as for example, the products of animals' vital functions (Kreith 24-1). In developing countries this type of energy resources makes on the average 20%. In a number of African countries the use of biomass for power aims is 60% of general energy consumption, in Asian countries – 40%, in a number of European countries, in Mideast and North Africa – up to 10%. The resource is especially important in the countries with tropical climate and in large cities, where the problem of liquidation and energetic utilization of wastes plays a significant role (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��).
For the last decade only three countries (the USA, Denmark and Sweden) led the production of electric power on settings using biomass of wastes to 400 MWe (Salo 31). And a power-plant projected in Finland, which operated on chicken dung, burned 120 tsd tons of chicken dung in heatings annually, producing 75 mln kWh of energy (Kreith 24-2).
Processing of biomass based on the processes of gasification and oil-fuels obtainments got considerable development. Since 1980 the annual production of ethanol attained, e.g. in Brazil, reached 10 mln liters (Kreith 2-36). The solution of garbage utilization problem is found in the use of solidphase digestion technology with the obtainment of biogas (Salo 33; Kreith 25-2).
A biogas can be with high efficiency transformed into other types of energy; its efficiency coefficient as a fuel in gas generators can make 83%. The production of biogas in some countries already occupied leading positions in power balance of agricultural production (�Renewables 2007: Global Status Report��).
During the existence of our civilization the change of traditional sources to new and more perfect took place for many times. Now the new and significant stage of earth energetics begins; and it should be built to care of already strongly damaged biosphere. Energetics accumulates very quickly, assimilates, and absorbs the all newest ideas, inventions, and achievements of science. So we should believe that we are on the way to the Era of Energetic Abundance, and that all obstacles, barriers and difficulties will be overcome. The alternative forms of energy possess endless supplies, but that is so with the condition, that we will develop effective and economic methods for their usage.

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Q: Kubernetes Google container engine. Configuring Spring Boot HTTPS I have configured Spring Boot to use HTTPS via application.properties.
server.port: 8443
server.ssl.key-store=keystore.jks
server.ssl.key-store-password=password

The JKS file is a self signed certificate in / with the web app jar
. My Kubernetes replication controller has the port 8443 configured for the docker image thats running the Spring Boot app.
I have a service configured for the replication controller exposing 8443.
When I go to LoadBalancer Ingress IP :8443 in the browser I get 'no data from server'
What is the correct way of configuring HTTPS load balancing a Spring Boot application on the Google container engine.
Cheers,
Ian

A: I have followed this guide and it`s working on my side. https://github.com/mkjelland/spring-boot-postgres-on-k8s-sample
Here you can find spring boot yaml https://github.com/mkjelland/spring-boot-postgres-on-k8s-sample/blob/master/specs/postgres.yml
Plese expose the resource with
kubectl expose deployment YOUR_DEPLOYMENT --type=LoadBalancer --port=8443

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home › Business news
Govt. expands support for jobs and workers
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has increased support for employers and workers hit by COVID-19 restrictions, including big changes to the job support scheme.
The job support scheme kicks in on 1 November 2020, after the existing furlough scheme winds down on 31 October 2020.
The first iteration of the job support scheme required employees to work at least a third of their regular hours and be paid at their usual rate.
For the remaining hours not worked, the Treasury and the employer would each pay for a third of the worker's wages up to the £697.92 a month cap.
Instead, employers will have to pay for a minimum of 20% of usual hours worked, and 5% of hours not worked.
The Government will now fund 62% of the wages for hours not worked, more than doubling the maximum payment to £1,541.75 a month.
The third and fourth taxable grants available through the self-employed income support scheme (SEISS) will also increase to £3,750.
Originally, the next SEISS grant was to be capped at £1,875 but the amount of profits covered has been raised from 20% to 40%.
Sunak said:
"I've always said we must be ready to adapt our financial support as the situation evolves, and that is what we are doing.
"These changes mean that our support will reach many more people and protect many more jobs."
Talk to us about coronavirus support.
Spring Statement 2019
Changes for 2018/19
A statement with few announcements
Third SEISS grant opens
Chancellor unveils £4.6bn support package
HMRC cracks down on misleading tax avoidance schemes
819,000 jobs lost in COVID-19 pandemic
335 City Road, London, EC1V 1LJ
Email: clive@landon-seamer.co.uk


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Dream-Sector Physics and Inception Space
[Image: A still from Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, courtesy of Warner Brothers].
An article I meant to link to the other week takes a look at the architectural design of Christopher Nolan's forthcoming film Inception. Being a longtime fan of Nolan's work, going back to his debut feature, Following (which I first saw at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 1999 and which, oddly enough, starred emerging architect Alex Haw, now of Cloud fame), I have to say that I am very much looking forward to seeing this movie.
Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times describes it as "Hollywood's first existential heist movie," offering us a preview of some of the film's sets and spaces in the process.
[Images: A rotating hall and fight scene from Inception, courtesy of Warner Brothers].
He specifically highlights the contributions of "special effects guru Chris Corbould (the man who built the Batmobile and has worked on a dozen James Bond films)," who helped to "put a premium on an old-school approach to movie magic" in the physical production of Inception:
Corbould's teams, for instance, built giant rotating hallways and a massive tilting nightclub set to film the startling Inception scenes when dream-sector physics take a sharp turn into chaos. One of the film's stars, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, spent long, bruising weeks learning to fight in a corridor that spun like a giant hamster wheel.
The idea of athletically training inside "giant rotating hallways" on a film set is pretty awesome; it comes with the implication that certain combat scenes are less demonstrations of a specific fighting style than the architectural revelation of a whole new type of geometry, an unprecedented way of filling, and thus dominating, space. On the other hand, of course, Boucher is quick to point out that it wasn't all analogue set construction and advanced balance-training:
Inception does have major computer effects: Several vivid sequences show a dream metropolis in churning calamity, a city skyline seems to fold in on itself as a dream begins to lose its shape and, unlike many Hollywood versions of dream surrealism, the scene has the look of a massive mechanical failure, not a morphing, liquid calamity. Nolan's dreams have the sharp edges of Escher, not the syrup drips of Dalí. Architecture is a major influence on the culture of the film too with dreams that are more like blueprints than poems. That speaks to Nolan's longtime interest in architecture. A key scene in Inception was filmed at the architecture school at University College London, where Nolan was an English major and also met his future wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas.
You can see one of those "massive mechanical failures" in the image, below, where we watch Paris rear up and crease back over on itself like some fine-tuned, mathematically exact introduction to a new, urban-scale baroque.
[Image: From Inception by Christopher Nolan, courtesy of Warner Brothers].
Dream-sector physics meets The Fold.
In any case, check out the trailer when you get a chance—while I try to work some media magic to score an interview for BLDGBLOG with Nolan and Corbould.
(It's interesting to note, meanwhile, in the context of this post's opening image, that Nolan grew up in Chicago—which, in tandem with that image, makes me wonder if some very, very minor part of Nolan's architectural and stylistic interest in Japonisme—i.e. Batman as ninja in a wood-paneled dojo—wasn't at least partially inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings scattered in and around the Chicago area; in fact, the set featured in that opening image could very well have been inspired by Wright's Imperial Hotel in Tokyo).
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on April 17, 2010 December 16, 2015 Categories BLDGBLOG
10 thoughts on "Dream-Sector Physics and Inception Space"
Urban Orienteer says:
Wow! I didn't even know this was in the pipeline. Thanks for the heads up.
Rossignol says:
This looks incredible. Exactly the kind of film people like Nolan should be making.
quantumdot says:
I didn't know about this before, but I'm definitely excited about this now. Sounds like a very interesting film, at least.
Walt Dangerfield says:
I'm reminded of the corridor fight scene in Oldboy, when the camera steps outside of the physical frame and peers through the fourth wall at the claustrophobic encounter.
Alexander Kramer says:
I had totally forgotten about this film. I am definitely stoked to see how this turns out. I think it will be a great theatrical event.
Uthor says:
The part where the city folds in on itself reminded me of the 1st person/overhead maps of NYC that I think I saw here. The ones where the near area is as if you are standing within the city and the distant areas fold up to become a street map.
Uthor, that's the great map project by BERG: Here & There.
Geoff, thanks. I posted those maps on another forum when this movie was brought up, but it took me forever to find. I didn't feel like going through the trouble a second time.
This movie did not disappoint. There was a whole lot of action and mind-bending going on.
Also, there was an element of multiple layers within one's psyche which created brilliant dreamscapes and subconscious-architecture.
I'm seeing it in IMAX in a few hours; can't wait.
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Q: Excel function that identifies consecutive values I have some data formatted like this
       A               B                C

     Phone           Name              Zip
1    111-222-3333    Steve Harvey      12345
2    111-222-3333    Steve Harvey      12354
3    222-333-4444    Barry Badgernaff  65423
4    222-333-4444    Barry Badgernaff  65432
5    333-444-5555    Jim Bob           36521
6    444-555-6666    Mickey Mouse      36541
7    666-777-8888    Donald Duck       39847
8    666-777-8888    Donald Duck       39874

What I'm looking to do is identify consecutive duplicate names. If there are duplicates, I want them ignored so I can filter them out
For example
       A               B                C        D

     Phone           Name              Zip     Result
1    111-222-3333    Steve Harvey      12345   Duplicate
2    111-222-3333    Steve Harvey      12354   Duplicate
3    222-333-4444    Barry Badgernaff  65423   Duplicate
4    222-333-4444    Barry Badgernaff  65432   Duplicate
5    333-444-5555    Jim Bob           36521   Not A Duplicate
6    444-555-6666    Mickey Mouse      36541   Not A Duplicate
7    666-777-8888    Donald Duck       39847   Duplicate
8    666-777-8888    Donald Duck       39874   Duplicate

What I've done is tried identifying these using =IF(B2=B1, "True", "False) but it slightly only does what I'm looking for and I end up getting false positives
What else can I try? I don't want to remove the data, just have a cell say if there are consecutive names in the data.

A: Your formula only checks the next row, but you should check the previous one as well.
Try this in B2 : =IF(OR(B2=B1, B2=B3), "True", "False")


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Tag Archives: history of education reform
Bush/Obama Ed Reform: It All Came Tumbling Down
Education Reform, on the other hand, was a Napoleon-Invades-Russia near-total victory followed by collapse—new teacher evaluation, curriculum, and testing systems were adopted across almost every state, implemented in almost every district, and promptly drove almost everybody crazy—suburban and urban parents and teachers alike—while promised results failed to appear. We are now, it appears, in the "gaunt, haunted French soldiers scrambling westward in blind fear across Poland" stage of the Napoleonic story of recent education reforms. Mass charter conversion, new multi-day online tests, new quantitative test-based teacher evaluation systems—states simply can't drop the reforms they adopted just a few years ago fast enough. More than a pendulum swing, it has become a panicked rout.
Spotted Toad, Waking From Meritocracy
Over a year ago, just after Toad's epic article hit, he suggested I write a "single coherent summary" of the education reform era–expand on the glorious extended analogy he uses above. Yeah. And I'd keep it under a thousand words, too.
And now, the denouement: It all disappeared. Better yet, it all disappeared because the public hated it.
NCLB/Race to the Top:
Just as the Bush/Obama era began with No Child Left Behind, the 2001 version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) so it ended with the 2015 version of the same law, Every Student Succeeds. All the accountability, controls, and demands that the Republican-controlled 2001 Congress put in, the Republican-controlled 2016 Congress took out. The Department of Education became little more than a bank, so far as K-12 was concerned, leaving states to make their own decisions again while giving them block grants to succeed.
I hope readers of the entire series understands this point, but I meander sometimes.
It's called the "Bush/Obama era" for a reason. It began with NCLB's critical failure: the mandate that all students test above average. While No Child Left Behind was unpopular with the very schools it was intended to fix, it might have survived in a toothless form were it not for the deeply flawed assumption at the heart of the policy. NCLB was built on the assumption that good schools would not have an achievement gap. Alas. All schools have an achievement gap. Therefore, all schools, including all the excellent public schools in the suburbs, failed to meet that criteria, and thus all schools were threatened with "program improvement" status and a variety of unattractive restriction.
It was this terminal and universal state of restriction that created both the necessity for the NCLB "waivers" and the power the Obama administration had to enforce a new round of reform demands without the messiness of Congressional approval. This gave SecEd Arne Duncan tremendous power to enforce states to commit to value added testing and Common Core adoption. From 2001-2015, the federal government had profound control over state education.
And again: the public hated the results. Education reformers got almost everything they could conceivably want to convince the public of the value of choice, accountability, and curriculum reform and their nirvana was so despised that every bit of these changes were ripped out and states were given control of their own destiny.
Common Core and Value Added Metric Evaluations
I devoted four articles to the Common Core meltdown, and if I do say so myself they kicked the crap out of Dana Goldstein's somewhat mealy-mouthed overview. VAM demanded its own thousand or so words.
Upshot: both rendered largely toothless.
Split in the Reform Movement
Much of the remaining story doesn't make sense without understanding that the bipartisan reform movement splintered. On the Democrat side, the reform movement began as "neoliberals", with moderates like Andrew Rotherham, but it's really impossible to do anything as a Democrat without running into headcounts by race. As the left side of education reform moved away from ex-Clinton policy wonks and towards ex-TFAers, the movement's whiteness became an issue. I'm not involved enough to know if the movement became progressive because the leaders became increasingly black and Hispanic or if the movement became progressive AND the leaders became increasingly black and Hispanic. Doesn't matter, I'm just pointing out I don't know which. But it most assuredly became really left of center.
Robert Pondiscio was, I think, the first person to point out that conservatives were being sidelined in education reform–describing in early 2016 actions that had been going on for a couple years. Making matters worse for conservative reformers (or reformers working for thinktanks funded by conservatives, at least), is that they were all never Trump or silent on the subject. Hillary Clinton was the friendliest Democrat teachers unions had seen in eight years, so they had no good options.
And then Trump won. So both sides of education reform were entirely out of power during the Trump administration, even though he appointed as SecEd reform moneybags Betsy Devos who never met a "government school" she didn't want to raze to the ground. (Note: Devos was useless in K-12, thankfully, but in all other purviews, she did much better than I expected.) Meanwhile, the education reform movement schism grew.
The progressive side was completely radicalized. Most black reform activists had concluded, as Andre Perry wrote, that the education reform movement was too white to do any good. Many felt sincerely that the obsessive focus on test scores and failure was hurting black kids. Many now openly working for black schools and empowerment: Chris Stewart, Derrell Bradford, and most notably, Howard Fuller ("I didn't get into this business to help white kids."). I say that not in criticism, but it's a huge shift from the marching orders that traditional reformers had, which was to expand suburban charters to get more white support.
Ironically, these progressive reformers have no institutional support. Teachers unions are back in the heart of the Democrats. So the progressives shat all over the conservatives but their own party is moving back hard against charters.
This split is, I think, permanent. As a result, education reform has been political crippled. The progressive reformers agree with the Dems and unions on everything except charters, so they will be taking a back seat. The conservative ed reformers, particularly those who have 20-30 years in (Hess, Petrilli) are among the few who understand what happened, and aren't sure what to do about it. The Republican party and non-education reform conservatives are completely clueless as to what happened, but that's because they get their talking points from The Big Book of Ed Reform Shibboleths, and there's no money for a new edition.
TFA was beautifully positioned to be wiped out by crossfire in the reform split. By 2012,it was targeted for being too much a puppet of the charter school movement, even while it was being feted as the solution to the lazy, union-fed teacher population. Possibly suspecting her charmed existence was ending, Wendy Kopp quit TFA in 2013 and appointed two co-directors. One was a McKinsey consultant who got hired into TFA management. One was a teacher who worked up the ladder. One was a Hispanic woman. One was a white guy. One quit within two years, saying that "we spend a lot of time maintaining alignment, and we often speak in a voice that reflects our daily compromises". One is still the director of TFA. Guess which one was more radical? (Hint: the resignation letter didn't mention racism.)
Following Kopp's departure, applications and cohort size cratered.
The organization recovered by emphasizing its diverse student body, but that may have further dimmed its appeal.
I suspected this back in 2014, when I wrote TFA Diversity and the Credibility Gap, about TFA's much touted diversity push–or, as I indelicately asked, "How the hell can Teach for America have recruited 1000 African Americans?" It's not that I don't think a thousand or more could pass the credential tests, but elite black candidates have far better options. I go through the numbers in the articles that give rise to skepticism–but I also point out ways that TFA could scout out candidates, and I suspect they took many of these steps.
The thing is, and here's another indelicate truth: you can focus on diversity or merit. Not both. Once TFA made diversity its brand, it seemed to become a lot less attractive to elite candidates.
Significantly, they no longer mention their application or cohort size. It's difficult even to find their previous announcements, all 404-ed. Moreover, as Rise and Fall of TFA points out, Arizona State University is now a top source of admits.
Stalled.
Enrollment population is still growing, but charter school growth is becoming polarized, and previously strong blue charter states are slowing or reversing.
2016: Massachussetts voters crushed a proposition to lift the charter cap.
In 2019, California enacted a new law allowing school districts to consider financial impact when reviewing charter school applications, a major defeat for choice advocates.
In 2020, New York reached its charter limit and Cuomo hadn't had any luck in getting the legislature to lift the cap.
In 2021, Newark charter schools, object of Mark Zuckerberg's largesse, applied for an expansion and the state slapped them down.
For all the talk about charters being separate from those pesky union-run public schools, they are just as likely to be closed during covid19 as public schools are, which makes sense. Most charters are in Democrat-run areas, and Dem run areas are more likely to demand CDC guidance, social distancing, and more likely to have non-white parents who are worried about returning to school. Once again, reformers are let down by reality.
Reform advocates will cite New Orleans as a major success, but the scores are still dismal for African American students, and the dropout rate is hard to track but pretty scary. Besides, go right ahead and say "Hey, the trick to fixing schools is to fire all the black teachers!" and see how far you get. Bottom line, if you think that kids are actually doing better, go buy a bridge in Manhattan.
I don't wish to overstate the case. Charters are private schools for free, and there will always be a market for them if parents are given a say. But eventually, the state is given a say, and charters turned out to be more expensive than anticipated.
New York, California, and New Jersey politics have seen a significant shift away from charters. According to Michael Petrilli, support for charters has declined in many states since 2016, but it's more popular where white parents can use charters to get away from non-white public schools (my interpretation, obviously, not his). Which…has a limited shelf life, because most white parents like their schools, and they won't like the diminished funding that comes along with white parents crafting their own private schools on the public dime. Probably. We'll see. I'm not spiking the football on charters.
Like charters, mostly stalled. Vouchers are popular in the South, where white parents support them for private schools. The Supreme Court has been very friendly, ruling that vouchers could be used for private religious schools.
But courts can't mandate vouchers, and for a fascinating look at how fast the public has switched, consider at Douglas County, Colorado.
2011: Voucher program established and instantly blocked by litigation by the ACLU, Citizens for Separation of Church and State (not unions, that I can see, but don't quote me).
2015: Colorado Supreme Court blocked the voucher program.
2017: The Supreme Court established that religious entities couldn't be denied public funds available to similar secular institutions in Trinity Lutheran and shortly thereafter ordered the Colorado Supreme Court to rethink its 2015 decision.
BUT! also in 2017: a head to head school board election, in which one slate CommUnity Matters, promised to undo all the reform changes of the previous six years and end the voucher program and give more support to teachers, while the other slate, Elevate Douglas County, promised to keep all the reform agenda. CommUnity Matters stomped Elevate Douglas County and the board rescinded the voucher program and all those lawsuits were for nothing.
Moral: Court decisions can't get you past the voters.
As with charters, I'm not spiking the football. But vouchers and charters take money away from public schools, and most voters like public schools.
The money folks
Bill Gates has found his education philanthropy very disappointing. School children and teachers everywhere have let him down.
Mark Zuckerberg, humbled by the lack of results in Newark, has decided to listen to his wife, do more small bore stuff, and focus on efforts close to home.
Eli Broad suspended the Broad Prize in 2014, giving no more money to "good" urban districts. Three years later, California's response to the leaked information about Broad's plan to double the number of charters in Los Angeles was so hostile the organization was forced to regroup and claim they weren't focusing on charters. No one believed them, and the anger may have led to California's decision to give districts more power to deny charter applications (see above). A year later, Broad retired. His successor pulled up stakes from California and paid Yale to give them digs–the pandemic followed. I'm not saying it was a cause, or anything.
Betsy DeVos learned that writing checks to people who want her approval and trying to make policy by winning the approval of people who don't need her money isn't at all the same thing.
The 2012 Chicago teachers won their strike and won big, despite the active opposition of liberal columnists and wonks, in addition to the usual criticism by education reformers or just conservatives. Obama probably would have supported mayor Rahm Emmanuel in fighting for what were clearly the Administration's priorities, but he was running for re-election and couldn't alienate teachers. Yet in the face of all that Democratic establishment support, and the near-complete support of the media, polls showed that over 60% of black and Hispanics, and nearly half of whites, supported the teachers. (I was fascinated by those polls because "an extremely overweight, frowsy, no-bullshit, way the hell left of center black woman virtually coldcocked a younger, relatively good-looking hard ass Democrat mayor who's best buds with the big O." Just as had been the case two years earlier, when black voters kicked out Michelle Rhee's boss so she'd have to be fired, the CTU strike showed the vast gap between the widely bipartisan establishment view of those greedy teachers and the ground view reality of the voters.
Unions lost a number of court cases, but it's hard to argue it hurt them much. Vergara was overturned. Janus, the victory that conservative have awaited for 30 years, led to a minor loss of union membership but certainly didn't yield the desired results. Almost immediately after the decision in 2018, a wave of red state teacher strikes proved successful. Unions have very little power in these states, and yet wild-cat unauthorized strikes were successful in winning pay increases. Why? Well, parents supported the teachers and it's a bit difficult to fire all the teachers in an illegal strike if there aren't any replacements waiting around.
Meanwhile, during the pandemic, conservatives have been shrieking about the corrupt union hold on public schools and how they are keeping the schools closed despite no covid19 risk. Now, this is also nonsense, but leave the details for another article. The larger point is this: it's two years past Janus and Republicans are still blaming unions for their money and their power and their chokehold on Democrat policy. Again, nonsense. But what the hell did Janus do, if they're still bitching?
The Tennessee Achievement School District, which took on all the state's lowest scoring schools to be fixed and sent on their way by miracle worker Chris Barbic, has crashed and burned. (Barbic got out before anyone noticed.) Mark Zuckerberg and Corey Booker's handpicked superintendent, Cami Anderson, was run out of town by an angry parent population. Joel Klein left his job running NYC schools after everyone learned that the great test score gains of the previous few years had been due to lowered cut scores. He then ran a Murdoch-owned education company Amplify that was a complete failure, and he's out of education now as well. Quick: what's the name of the next two NYC chancellors? You can't remember, can you? (Cathie Black and, when she flamed out after a few months, Dennis Walcott.) Then diBlasio won, and while Governor Cuomo jerked him around with Success Academy, New York City schools have rolled back a lot of the reform movement.
And it's no use blaming teachers unions money, either. Pro-charter Marshall Tuck outspent both Tonys, Torlakson and Thormond, for California superintendent and lost both times. In 2012, pro-union underdog Gloria Ritz beat Tony Bennett, literally the education reform idol, for state superintendent in Indiana, despite Bennett outspending her. Then Ritz lost to Republican Jennifer McCormack in 2016–but Jennifer, a special ed teacher, proved very union friendly, siding with the teachers time and again. Meanwhile, Bennett went to Florida to be state commissioner, and was fired in 2013.
It all really did come tumbling down.
Michelle Rhee has, last I checked, completely left education. Wendy Kopp doesn't have nearly the visibility; her Wikipedia entry ends in 2013. Most of the school "fixers" of the reform era have moved on: Cami Anderson, Christopher Cerf, Chris Barbic, Joel Klein, John King, Tony Bennett. They're consulting and think tanking, but not getting their hands dirty, and there's no new generation of "miracle workers" in part because the media has moved left and is much more suspicious of reform.
Reformers move on. They're movers and shakers. They got shit to do.
You know who's still in the same job?
Randi Weingarten. Michael Mulgrew. Until recently, Lily Eskalen Garcia.
Go back and look at all those glowing articles on TFA and Success Academy and other reform miracles, and see how many of those earnest purveyors of excellence are still teaching.
Now do the same thing for real teachers, the teachers that the cool people talk shit about.
Remember back in 2010 when the Los Angeles Times evaluated every teacher in LA Unified for their value add, humiliating teachers. Some of those teachers wrote in and protested the entire effort. One of them was Joan Lavery, who was found "less effective than average". A decade later, Joan's still teaching with a National Board Certification (which I'm not that impressed by, but hey, she's still here.) Irma Estrada of Gledhill Elementary got "most effective". She's still teaching, too. Rigobuerto Ruelas isn't teaching, despite a passion that kept him on the job nearly every day for 14 years, but that's because the LA Times reporting of his "low" achievement impact depressed him to the point of suicide. Yeah, low blow.
Teachers abide, is what I'm saying. A lot of them do, anyway. We just duck down and wait until you all move on.
And so, dear readers, I come to the end of my history. The pandemic was merely a Chinese whisper when I began, while now we have a vaccine but the schools are still closed. And everyone blames unions.
As I've said ad nauseum on Twitter, closures are supported by roughly half of non-white parents and about 1 in 4 white parents, meaning that in diverse school districts (translation: most large cities and almost all blue states), roughly half of parents don't want to open schools. Democrat governors complicate matters with absurd demands that districts follow CDC guidelines, which force them to act as if there's no vaccine and kids drop over dead the minute they are infected. Unions, being Democrat-run organizations, naturally oppose schools opening in the name of safety. That did them no good in Florida, Texas, or any other red state. They get what they want in blue states and blue cities because the people want the schools closed. It's that simple.
But meanwhile, all you folks licking your chops at the notion that this, finally, will be the end of public school dominance: remember your history. Don't get cocky.
Because at the end of the day, you're trying to kill what the public means when it says public education. The public might not take kindly to your efforts.
Peace out, peeps.
The History of Education Reform:
Bush/Obama Ed Reform: The Road to Glory
Bush/Obama Ed Reform: Zenith
Bush/Obama Ed Reform: Core Meltdown Came
Bush/Obama Ed Reform: Alex or Gloria?Common Core Assessments
Bush/Obama Ed Reform: Why Didn't They See Common Core Fail Coming?
Bush/Obama Ed Reform: Core Damage?
Bush/Obama Ed Reform: Victory over Value Add
(and this one)
5 Comments | tags: charters, Douglas County vouchers, education reform, history of education reform, Randi Weingarten, school governance, Tony Bennett, unions | posted in history, philosophy


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Review: X-Men deserve better than this sorry mess
'You start to feel bad for them as they obviously don't want to be there'
Matt Adcock reviews X-Men: Apocalypse (12A)
Since the dawn of civilization, we have had those walk among us who have incredible 'beyond human' powers. These mutants stem from an ancient godlike entity who could transfer his consciousness from body to body, assimilating the powers of those he takes over. His name is Apocalypse (Oscar 'The Force Awakens' Isaac), the first and most powerful mutant of Marvel's X-Men universe.
Virtually immortal and invincible, Apocalypse is awakened after thousands of years and immediately embarks on wiping out humanity. Only Raven / Mystique (Jennifer 'Hunger Games' Lawrence), Professor X (James 'Filth' McAvoy) and a team of young, inexperienced X-Men stand in his way.
Sounds good right? X-Men: Apocalypse is a return to the franchise of original director Bryan 'The Usual Suspects' Singer, it boasts a fantastic cast and serious budget, it is also the worst X-Men film to date. The plot is a horrible mess, which feels lightweight, muddled and overlong.
It's hard to watch such a revered franchise making such a huge misstep as a big fan of the X-Men films. The biggest (of many) problems is bad guy Apocalypse himself, he's a poorly realised villain who looks like he's wandered onto set from a cheap Power Rangers show. Isaac is a superb actor but he's totally hamstrung here by a terrible script and incomprehensible motivations. He's over powered too but his powers come and go – one minute he can wipe out a room of enemies with a single look but when facing the X-Men he obliges each with an unmemorable one-on-one battle.
Then there are Apocalypse's four disciples, made up of Magneto (the excellent Michael 'Steve Jobs' Fassbender who looks bored throughout), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Psylocke (Olivia Munn) and Angel (Ben 'EastEnders' Hardy). Their purpose is hard to fathom other than being there for forced and wasted fights against the X-Men, it gets to the point where you start to feel bad for them as they obviously don't want to be there.
The only bright spot was seeing Quicksilver (Evan 'Kick-Ass' Peters) reprising his speedy antics but even this isn't as fresh or as jaw-dropping as in Days of Future Past. I don't where the X-Men go from here but it would be tragic if Apocalypse was their last hurrah…


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What is it like to live in Peabody?
A Saturday morning game was well underway at James McVann-Louis O'Keefe Memorial Skating Rink in Peabody.	Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff
James Sullivan - Globe Correspondent
Situated on about 250 acres that feature classic New England orchards and hiking trails, Brooksby Farm has been owned and managed by the city of Peabody for decades. The farm store, specializing in fresh cider and other organic foods, is home base to rolling hills where families can pick their own fruit or cut down their own Christmas trees. It's a popular destination for people from across the North Shore and beyond, said operations manager JoAnne Roden, who has worked here since she was in high school.
"I like to call it the jewel of the city,'' she said of the farm. "We're in our own little world up here.''
Growing up in the Crow Village neighborhood near the city's southeast corner, where downtown Peabody was once dominated by leather tanneries, Roden was scarcely aware that there was another side to the city west of her stomping grounds. She still lives in a house that used to be her grandmother's. Next door, the home Roden grew up in is now occupied by her brother and his family, and Roden's sister lives in the house on the other side.
In 2009, Peabody was named one of Forbes magazine's "Most Livable Cities in America.'' Once recognized as a haven for Irish and Russian immigrants, as well as a sizable population of immigrants from the former Ottoman Empire, the city hosts an International Festival that attracts tens of thousands each September to celebrate its continuing diversity.
At one point or another, newcomers and lifelong residents alike have crossed paths at the farm.
"It's something I grew up with, so I wouldn't know any different,'' Roden said of the city's diversity. "It's a positive thing.''
The capacity of historic Smith Barn, one of the North Shore's most popular sites for wedding ceremonies and receptions. Operated by the Peabody Historical Society & Museum, the meticulously restored barn is set on a picturesque hilltop on the Felton-Smith Historic Site.
The estimated amount in dollars George Peabody, the city's namesake, granted to charitable organizations. Peabody (1795-1869), born in what was then known as South Danvers, overcame modest means to become a wealthy international financier. Known as the "father of modern philanthropy,'' he was a benefactor to numerous institutions, including the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Academy of Science (now the Peabody Essex Museum) in Salem, and the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
5 & 15
The number of national and state championships, respectively, Salem Country Club has hosted. Founded in 1895 and designed by architect Donald Ross, the golf course will be the home of the 2017 US Senior Open Championship on June 26-July 2.
The number of stores at Northshore Mall
New middle school
Upon completion of the new Higgins Middle School this year, the old one, a high school when it opened in 1964, was demolished. The new building, built at a cost of nearly $100 million, features state-of-the-art technology.
Some communities sacrifice a little bit of tranquility for the convenience of quick highway access and a full array of stores, but Peabody's location at the confluence of routes 1 and 128 and Interstate 95, with a dense cluster of commercial businesses along Route 114, means congestion can be an issue.
The George Peabody House Museum.	—Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff
Brooksby Farm.	—Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff
Boy Scouts from Pack 88 at Brooksby Farm.	—Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff
The Osborne-Salata House.	—Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff
The Soldiers and Sailors Civil War Monument.	—Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff
Peabody Institute Library.	—Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff
Downtown.	—Jonathan Wiggs/Globe staff
James Sullivan can be reached at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @sullivanjames.


The Stream Team: A new, improved Outpost Zero base – with vehicle!
The last time Massively OP's MJ checked on her Outpost Zero base after a break, things were pretty hunky-dory. Not so this time. The entire bottom portion of the base below the ridge — four floors and all her materials and equipment — were destroyed along with snippets of ceilings on the ridge. So she's been rebuilding. Lucky thing, so much extra construction earned her the rank to create vehicles! So join in live at 2:00 p.m. as MJ works to craft her first hover bike (which will be a boon to collecting resources from her newly created mining ooutposts!).


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Core capacities for the minister as missional leader in the formation of a missional congregational culture. Part 2: Capacities and conclusions.
Gert S Cordier and Professor Cornelius JP Niemandt Autumn 2015
ABSTRACT: This article describes the results of a research project for a PhD at the University of Pretoria, under supervision of Prof Nelus Niemandt. The research was done against the backdrop of huge paradigm shifts within society and missiology and within the context of the South-African Partnership of Missional Churches (SAPMC). The importance, role, and core capacities of the congregational minister towards the successful formation of a missional congregational culture were explored and identified. Part 1 (previous issue) described the importance and fourfold role of the minister as cultivator of a missional congregational culture, as identified by the research. This issue (Part 2) continues to describe the core capacities needed for the fulfillment of this fourfold role for the pastor as missional leader. It also describes the illustrative journey of a congregation within the SAPMC towards missional formation.
Journey towards Missional Formation
At the time of my[1] ordination as third pastor for the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) Randfontein-North[2] in 1995, the congregation was torn in two as result of a dispute between two previous congregational ministers. The fallout from this conflict was that negativity became part and parcel of congregational life, and members were constantly leaving. My job description was 'Gemeentebou' (English: 'Church Growth'). I was, therefore, expected to facilitate the process of rebuilding relationships and ministries, as well as to assist with several outreach-programs. I obtained a Magister Degree in Ministerial Practice[3] at the University of Stellenbosch in 1991, and was therefore deemed qualified for the challange.
The need for congregational change was widely accepted, and the desire for immediate results was communicated clearly by the lay leadership. The 'Gemeentebou' movement that was very popular at the time was deeply rooted in the Church Growth Movement of North-America, with (in South Africa) a strong focus on strategic planning and management. We embarked on a course to create a new congregational vision,[4] and by the end of 1997 vast organizational changes had been implemented in worship style, ministerial practices, and management. The results were positive. Internal relationships within the congregation improved; new members joined the congregation (mostly from other churches); a group of enthusiastic lay leaders had come to the fore; lay members were empowered to take responsibility for several aspects of ministry; and the congregation created several partnerships with missional organizations (these partnerships consisted mostly of the giving of financial support to missions far away). This model can best be described as 'attractional', and certainly was 'successful' in terms of management, finances, internal relationships, recruitment of new members, ministry, and a growing involvement with outreach programs.
Notwithstanding the 'success' of our chosen model, it became evident that the congregation (and the DRC as a whole) was struggling to find its calling within a new democratic South Africa. I many cases, members within the DRC viewed congregations as 'safe spaces', where things could remain more or less the same. Though quite a few of the previously advantaged South Africans did physically emigrate to Western countries, the majority emigrated emotionally inwards, and the DRC and its members tended to become disconnected from the larger surrounding community and its challenges. When the congregational leadership embarked on a new envisioning process in the early 2000's, I was exposed to the ideas of missional church by Prof Jurgens Hendriks at the University of Stellenbosch.[5] This introduction proved to be transformative in my own life, but also in the whole culture of the congregation.
This led to the formulation of a new vision in 2003: 'A Sent Community. Faithful. Obedient. Spirit driven'.[6] Soon afterwards, we were introduced to the South-African Partnership of Missional Churches (SAPMC), and became part of a new cluster for the Western region of Gauteng in August 2007. Although only four[7] of the initial ten congregations completed the three year journey, our congregation was transformed on all levels of congregational life. A new language was introduced, with concepts such as 'missio Dei', 'missional church', 'spiritual discernment', 'missional practices', 'spiritual formation', 'God-questions', 'bridge-communities', and more became part of the new language of the congregation. New practices and habits were formed, such as 'dwelling in the Word',[8] 'dwelling in the world', [9] 'plunging',[10] 'welcoming the stranger', and 'to experiment and learn'. These new practices and habits cultivated within congregational leadership the capacities to listen and to discern, to cross boundaries and to take risks for the sake of the kingdom; to focus, to learn, and to mentor. The style and focus of leadership was transformed from planning and management to spiritual discernment and formation, and lay leaders were empowered. Bible reading, Sunday worship, and cell groups shifted from a focus on information towards a focus on spiritual formation – in order to equip members and leaders for participation in the missio Dei in their daily lives and practices. Bridge-communities between members of the congregation and members from the surrounding communities were established, and became partners for the empowerment of disadvantaged communities.
After completion of the three year journey with the SAPMC in 2010, the congregational leadership remained committed to the idea of missional church. This choice for a missional identity for the congregation was confirmed with a new vision statement.[11] With a God-given focus on children within the congregation and community, new doors opened for inspiring partnerships between faith community, businesses, and the broader community. Within these partnerships inspiring work was done to create opportunities for kids of all races towards good education and a better quality of life, especially amongst the most disadvantaged communities. The empirical research on the core capacities necessary for the minister as missional leader, brought greater clarity on the role and capacities of missional leaders at all levels of congregational life, and enhanced the process of missional formation.
The journey thus far has been well worth the effort. The focus of the congregation has shifted from a focus on the life of the congregation towards a focus on God and his mission in our immediate context. The implication of this shift is that the division between church and community is becoming more and more of a dotted line.
Of course, some resistance does remain in the congregation. And there are always new challenges that await us, such as the broadening of the base of missional leadership and formation. All the more reason for a clear identification and understanding of the key role of the minister as missional leader and the core capacities needed to fulfill this role. These will be explored in the following part of this article.
Core Capacities for the Congregational Minister as Missional Leader
This article is based on the results of a research project done for a PhD under the supervision of Prof Nelus Niemandt at the University of Pretoria. As previously stated, the research was done against the backdrop of huge paradigm shift within society, the field of missiology, and within the context of the SAPMC.[12] Four different roles, or functions, for the minister as missional leader or cultivator of a missional congregational culture were identified and fully described in Part 1 of this article series: that of apostle; the minister as theologian and cultivator of language; a facilitator of adaptive change; and the minister as spiritual leader and mentor. The focus of Part 2 is to continue on from this and to describe the core capacities needed to fulfill this fourfold role of the minister as missional leader.
As mentioned in Part 1, twenty two respondents were interviewed in semi-structured interviews within a broader grounded theory model. Although different sections of the interview framework were intended to assist in the identification of the core capacities for missional formation, the following question – asked specifically towards the end of the interview – was directly put to all respondents: 'What, in your view, are the core capacities (i.e. knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits) necessary for a minister to successfully assist his/her congregation in the formation of a missional congregational culture and practice?' The results are categorized and elaborated upon according to the fourfold function (or role) of the missional congregational minister.
2.1. The Minister as Apostle
Describing the congregational minister as 'missional leader' first of all defines the pastors' calling and identity as participation in the missio Dei, which implies a lifestyle demonstrating the spirituality, values, and habits of being called and sent by God.[13] Sixty four percent of respondents identified the minister's own journey with God and his/her own missional or apostolic formation as the first and most fundamental capacity necessary for the his/her role in the missional formation of the congregation. One respondent put it this way:
What happens to the minister on this journey, is what will happen to the congregation…You cannot give something to somebody else if you haven't received it yourself. And I think it to be terribly true of this process. I would therefore argue the minister's own journey with God to be one of the most fundamental factors crucial for the journey. If the shift doesn't take place within the minister, you can try all the tricks in the book.[14]
Respondents identified different aspects of the building blocks (knowledge, skills, values, and habits) underlying this fundamental capacity.[15] The first building block is a grounded, clear, and internalized missional theology and calling. This involves more than mere intellectual acknowledgement of the missio Dei and missio ecclesia, but presupposes knowledge that is internalized, and leads towards a new discovery of the self and a personal missional calling. The second building block is spiritual formation and discipleship. Personal submission to Christ and a deepening relationship with God the Trinity is the point of departure for the minister as missional leader. Helland and Hjalmarson argued that a missional spirituality is imperative during transformation.[16] In the transformation to a missional church, the minister is first and foremost disciple and follower of Christ. Sensitivity for the movements of the Holy Spirit and the cultivation of personal spiritual practices and disciplines are nonnegotiable. It is a spirituality that carefully balances the reality of the world with the reality of inner life.[17] This echoes the statement by the World Council of Churches in the new mission affirmation Together towards life:
Authentic Christian witness is not only in what we do in mission but how we live out our mission. The church in mission can only be sustained by spiritualities deeply rooted in the Trinity's communion of love. Spirituality gives our lives their deepest meaning. It stimulates, motivates and gives dynamism to life's journey.[18]
Another important aspect is personal integrity and self-knowledge. Respondents refer to the importance of honesty (i.e. 'to be in touch with yourself'), integrity, accountability, and love as part and parcel of who the minister as disciple and missional leader is. These findings confirm the argument of Verstraeten for a self-awareness of leaders: leaders must learn to understand who they are and what they value.[19]
2.2. The Minister as Theologian and Cultivator of Language
As theologian, the minister as missional leader provides the theological foundation for the journey towards missional formation; while also always remaining a student, reflecting on the meaning of being missional. The minister also functions as a 'missional conscience', or 'custodian', constantly reminding the congregation of her missional identity and vocation. As the person primarily responsible for the preaching and interpersonal communication within the congregation, the minister is responsible for the establishment of missional language and dream in such a way that the congregation buys into it, and that it becomes part and parcel of the identity and self-understanding of the congregation.[20]
The above mentioned role supposes three different capacities closely related to one another.[21] First of all, a missional Biblical hermeneutic – the capacity to unlock the Biblical message hermeneutically from a missional perspective. The second capacity is a coherent missional language – the capacity to be able to create a new language to give expression to the missional identity of the congregation. Roxburgh argued the case for the importance of a missional language, because we all live inside a particular story that tells how the world works and how we ought to live in it.[22] Missional transformation is dependent on the ability of leaders to tell an alternative story, because stories shape and create the identity of congregations, communities, and cultures.[23] Lastly, the pastor needs good, energetic, and enthusiastic communication in order to be able to engage people – the capacity to communicate in such a way that the leadership and members of the congregation commit to the missional journey. Lay respondents use concepts such as 'selling' and 'buying' to stress the importance of communication skills that will convince people of and commit them to the missional journey.
2.3. The Minister as Facilitator of the Process of Adaptive Cultural Change
The minister as missional leader facilitates the complex process of adaptive cultural change within the congregation. The building of capacities that enable the minister to be a skilled cultivator of culture are therefore of key importance.[24] The importance of these capacities becomes evident when the church is seen as a complex organic system. Joubert argues:
The kingdom of God is a subversive, upside-down empire. It is a relationally driven, evolving environment in constant flux. It is complex, but not unintelligible or complicated…[25]
The empirical research underscores the importance of a cultivator of culture – the number of responses related to this category (almost fifty percent of all responses on core capacities) underlines the challenge of this transformation process. The capacities needed for this change together form a 'cluster' that will empower the minister on different levels for the complex journey of cultural change. [26]
The first cluster of capacities empowers the minister to handle complexity, uncertainty and change. This includes a deep conviction that missional formation is God's will for the congregation, combined with a commitment to succeed with this transformation. Gibbs listed attitudes that are indispensable to manage complexity and included intellectual curiosity, a mindset that crises are normal, the idea that tensions can be promising and a conviction that complexity is fun.[27] The research amongst congregations confirms this and found that leaders needs openness, teachability, and the ability to change; as well as the ability to handle conflict, resistance, and criticism in a mature way. This is enhanced by the minister's ability to persevere with patience.
The next cluster of capacities empowers the minister to transform and cultivate the congregational culture. This includes deep knowledge and understanding of existing cultures within the congregation, as well as the ability to understand and facilitate a process of adaptive change. This is undergirded by creativity and innovation – to be able to visualize and explore a new and alternative future. Innovation pushes leaders beyond the bounds of what can currently be envisioned and breaks the bonds of tradition to forge new solutions to complex problems.[28] Ministers must be able to maintain a balance between different groups, while also being able to integrate different interests and groups with one another. This boils down to 'transformation credibility' – the ability to earn the credibility to be trusted with the implementation of important changes.
The minister needs the capacity to cultivate missional practices and disciplines. This capacity to cultivate a missional or transformational spirituality includes the ability to cultivate and establish missional practices and habits, e.g. the practice of welcoming strangers. Welcoming strangers is the ability to enter into friendships and is thus dealing with the essence of human relationships. It creates opportunities to communicate the gospel to a world entangled in individualism. Ministers must also be able to cross boundaries[29] and to cultivate rituals of pilgrimage.[30]
Adaptive cultural change also entails the ability to experiment and take risks. Gibbs talks about the hunch that most risks are there not to be avoided but to be taken.[31] It is important to note that leadership empowerment must happen at all levels of the congregation to fully enable the journey of spiritual discernment and missional formation.[32]
2.4. The Minister as Spiritual Director and Mentor
We have already noted that 'spiritual leadership' involves two aspects closely related to one another: 1) The capacity to discern and to cultivate practices of discernment amongst congregational leaders and members. 2) The capacity to practice spiritual disciplines, and a focus on spiritual coaching and formation towards Biblical formation and discipleship.[33]
The research into missional congregations showed that the following capacities support discernment and the cultivation of practices of discernment: [34] First is the capacity to listen others into free speech. This refers to the skill of listening to others and articulating the insights. The second is the cultivation and facilitation of discerning processes in the congregation, which include the cultivation of four unique and related listening skills: to listen to God, to listen to the Word, to one another, and to the context.[35]
Spiritual leadership focuses on discipleship, spiritual coaching, and Biblical formation. This relates to the capacity to practice spiritual disciplines as part of a daily lifestyle, as well as the ability to teach it to others, and the capacity to identify the gifts of members and empower them to use those gifts towards the missional vocation of the congregation.[36]
Respondents accentuate that this new role implies the capacity to adopt a new style of authority. This implies the ability to lay down authority and the need to control, i.e. to 'let go', with the goal of cultivating an environment for lay ministry. Another issue is the ability to take up the new responsibility for the affirmation and empowerment of lay members for their new role within the faith community. A further ability is to integrate spiritual coaching and mentoring into every aspect of ministry: preaching and groups, as well as pastoral care.[37]
Considerable changes were reported within congregations on their journey towards missional formation. The SAPMC process itself brought about some of the leadership capacities described. Perhaps the most inspiring aspect are the changes pastors experienced within themselves. Pastors were asked: How did participation in the journey transform your own person and ministry? Responses reflected deep and substantial changes ministers experienced in their relationship with God, towards the changing context surrounding them, and towards their experience of ministry.
Respondents reflected on the deep and substantial changes regarding their personal journey with and experience of God. They report a sense of awe when reflecting on this. As one put it: 'Personally this journey surprise me again and again. I was rendered speechless and just could say 'wow'! … God just absolutely surprised us!' And someone else reflects: 'This changed me from a modernist explaining Scripture towards 'n travelling companion with God being able to listen; someone who don't have all the answers, but knows to expect God and knows that hope actually is in God.'
At the same time pastors reported that they had become much more aware of changes within their immediate context and were transformed from leaders with a desire to manage and control towards leaders able to embrace and handle uncertainty and change with hope and endurance. 'A control freak who had to embrace uncertainty. I can't tell you what shifts had to come within myself, my personality, and my journey with the Lord. The most important aspect of this journey is the ability of leaders to experience this as a journey on which God will bring you unto places you did not expect to be!' This ability to handle change and uncertainty leads towards a reduction in levels of anxiety and a revitalized hope and stamina towards the road forward. One facilitator reflects: 'He (the pastor) is kind of down and out. The congregation still is very fragile, but he himself has hope. And he has fire in his eyes!' And another: 'I think I am less nervous about things going wrong within the congregation. Former years I would take everything to bed, but I can honestly say that I am not that nervous anymore. Because I have learnt I am a very small gear within the coming of the Kingdom.'
Lastly respondents reported the experience of a new focus and passion within ministry. One respondent reflected on how the journey towards missional formation shifted his own focus towards the formation of the members of the congregation. 'It changed me towards somebody who for the first time realised the importance of habits towards your own journey with the Lord and towards your own formation of faith. And for the first time I understood: this actually is the journey on which we must accompany members of the congregation. … It is enormously fulfilling!' In some instances respondents reported that contact with the SAPMC journey actually kept them from resigning ministry. 'If it wasn't for that…, I think I would have left the church. … It had an unbelievable deep transformation in the whole of my theology and outlook on ministry, my own spirituality… I think it was kind of a second conversion… How many conversions do one have? But it was a conscious conversion, I think.'
The findings of this research pose considerable challenges for the training of ministers by the denominations involved. The DRC adopted a new policy document that reflects many of the issues raised in this research,[38] and recognized the importance of a re-imagined training of pastors. For example missional leadership is about understanding and describing God's preferred future – leadership development will thus need to give special attention to eschatology. In addition theological training ought to attend to a theological understanding of discernment and must include training regarding 'processes surrounding listening.' The work of Scharmer[39] may provide a new appreciation for listening and presencing skills. There is also a need for skills regarding the nature of cultural change.
Dwelling in the World
One of the discernment practices that support the interaction with the local community is Dwelling in the World. Roxburgh describes this as the development of new eyes for your neighborhood. It is to see again with fresh eyes, to wake up to the fresh and not-so-obvious ways God is present.[40] Keifert says it is the habit of asking: What in heaven's name is going on here? What is God up to in this place and time?[41] The DRC congregation Weltevreden starts many of the church leadership (church council) meetings by reading the local newspapers, and then sharing discussion in terms of two questions: What is God up to? What does God want to do? This practice has also been extended to small group meetings.
Welcoming strangers
Welcoming strangers has been described as the ability to enter into friendships and is thus dealing with the essence of human relationships. It creates opportunities to communicate the gospel to a world entangled in individualism. The DRC congregation Weltevreden[42] has implemented the following practice: There must always be a stranger in the core leadership team of the congregation. A stranger refers to a person who is a member of the congregation for less than a year. The idea is that such a stranger will make the leadership team aware of the experience of an outsider in the discernment processes of the leadership. The leadership team also invited non-Christians to participate in the yearly planning session of the congregational leadership, so as to be able to hear the voices of outsiders in regard to the witness, life and practice of the congregation.
This research confirmed the importance of leadership towards missional formation. Within the leadership team the role of the congregational minister is of key importance for missional renewal and transformation. The study identified a fourfold role for the minister as cultivator of a missional congregational culture. We found that the capacities to empower the minister for his or her role as apostle (or disciple), theologian and cultivator of language, facilitator of the process of adaptive cultural change, and as spiritual director or mentor, are of key importance; and may be regarded as core capacities necessary for a congregational minister to successfully facilitate the formation of a missional congregational culture and practice. These capacities differ radically from those applicable to the traditional ministry for which ministers in South Africa were mostly trained.
Part 1 of this paper is published under the title "Core Capacities for a Missional Leader in the Formation of a Missional Congregational Culture. Part 1: Role of a Minister." Journal of Missional Practice, Spring 2015.
[1] This is Gert Cordier.
[2] A large congregation with close to 1 800 members in Gauteng, South Africa.
[3] In Afrikaans: 'MTh Bedieningspraktyk'.
[4] The vision statement was formulated as: 'Christ visible in us, so that the world may believe' (Afrikaans: 'Christus sigbaar in ons, sodat die wêreld kan glo').
[5] D.L. Guder (ed.), Missional Church: A vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998); D.L. Guder, The Continuing Conversion of the Church, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000); E. Gibbs and E. Coffey, Church Next: Quantum Changes in Christian Ministry, (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001); and L. Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989).
[6] In Afrikaans: ''n Gestuurde Gemeenskap. Gelowig. Gehoorsaam. Geesdriftig.
[7] DRC Randfontein-Noord, DRC Witpoortjie, DRC Roodepoort-Noord, and DRC Horison.
[8] Dwelling in the Word is the practice of a repeated communal listening to a passage of Scripture over long periods of time in order to enable a Christian community that undertake their decisions and actions in line with the biblical meta-narrative. See a full description of Dwelling in the Word in M.J. Nel, "The influence of dwelling in the Word within the Southern African Partnership of Missional Churches", Verbum et Ecclesia 34(1), (2013) 7 pages. http://dx.doi. org/10.4102/ve.v34i1.778.
See also P. Keifert, We are here now. A new missional era, (Eagle: Allelon, 2006), 68-71.
[9] Dwelling in the World is a practice that focuses on the interactions – deliberate and spontaneous – of believers over a seven-day period with others (strangers and acquaintances). Its aim is to help believers discern that their everyday encounters with others are missional opportunities for conveying God's peace to those with whom they interact. See also Keifert, We are here now, 74-79. See also Roxburgh's description: Develop new eyes for your neighborhood in A.J. Roxburg, Missional. Joining God in the neighborhood, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011), 183.
[10] Plunging refers to the practice of deliberately crossing a congregation's cultural boundaries (which includes conceptual and geographical boundaries) to enter the world of those with whom members of the congregation do not ordinarily interact.
[11] The missional vocation of the congregation was formulated as: 'Sent together. To God's open doors. With a heart for children' (Afrikaans: 'Saam gestuur. Na God se oop deure. Met 'n hart vir kinders.').
[12] See Part 1 of this article in the previous issue for a description of the research design and methodology.
[13] G.S. Cordier, Kernkapasiteite van die predikant as missionale leier in die vorming van 'n missionale gemeentekultuur, Unpublished PhD Thesis, (University of Pretoria, 2014), 260.
[14] Cordier, Kernkapasiteite vir die predikant as missionale leier, 261.
[15] Cordier, Kernkapasiteite vir die predikant as missionale leier, 261–263.
[16] R. Helland and L.Hjalmarson, Missional Spirituality: Embodying God's Love from the Inside Out, (Downers Grove: IVP Books [Kindle edtion]), loc. 107.
[17] P. Nullens, "Leadership Spirituality as Participating in Christ, King, Prophet and Priest" in Leadership, Innovation and Spirituality eds. Patrick Nullens and Jack Barentsen (Leuven: Peeters, 2014), 103.
[18] World Council of Churches (WCC), Together towards Life Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes, ed. Jooseop Keum (Geneva: World Council of Churches Publications, 2013), 12.
[19] J. Verstraeten, "Spirituality as Source of Authentic and Innovative Leadership" in Leadership, Innovation and Spirituality eds. Patrick Nullens and Jack Barentsen (Leuven: Peeters, 2014), 91.
[22] Roxburg, Missional, 58.
[23] N.Niemandt, Nuwe leiers vir nuwe werklikhede, (Vereniging:CUM), 122-130.
[25] S. Joubert, "'Not by order, nor by dialogue: the metanoetic presence of the kingdom of God in a fluid new world and church," Acta Theologica 33(1) (2013), 125. See also Doornenbal, who states that complexity theory provides attractive ways of thinking about the church, in R. Doornenbal, Crossroads. An exploration of the emerging-missional conversation with a special focus on 'missional leadership' and its challenges for theological education, (Delft: Eburon, 2012), 154.
[27] E. Gibbs, LeadershipNext. Changing leaders in a changing culture, (Downers Grove:InterVarsity Press, 2005), 65.
[28] J. Barentsen, "Innovation and Spirituality: new faces of leadership" in Leadership, Innovation and Spirituality eds. Patrick Nullens and Jack Barentsen (Leuven: Peeters, 2014), 4.
[29] Roxburgh illustrates the crossing of boundaries by posing provocative questions such as: What if the period we are in is another one of those times when the boundary-breaking Spirit is pushing apart the settled, managed, and controlled ecclesiologies that came out of a specific period of European history with its nation-states and the emergence of its hegemony over the world? What if the great shifts of global populations, which have changed the face of continents, are all elements of this boundary-breaking work of the Spirit in our time? See A.J. Roxburgh, Missional, 114.
[31] Gibbs, LeadershipNext,65. See also A. Hirsch and T. Catchim, The permanent revolution. Apostolic imagination and practise for the 21st century church, (San Fracisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012), 162-165.
[35] See a full description of Dwelling in the Word in M.J. Nel, "The influence of dwelling in the Word within the Southern African Partnership of Missional Churches", Verbum et Ecclesia 34(1), (2013) 7 pages. http://dx.doi. org/10.4102/ve.v34i1.778
[38] DRC, "Framework document on the missional nature and calling of the DRC," NG Kerk, 2013. See
http://ngkerk.org.za/wp/index.php/english/documents/missional-nature-and-calling-of-the-dr-church/.
[39] C.O. Scharmer, Theory U. Leading from the future as it emerges. (San Francisco:Berrett-Koehler, 2009).
[40] Roxburgh, Missional, 183.
[41] Keifert, We are here now, 74.
[42] Prof. Nelus Niemandt is minister in the DRC congregation Weltevreden. See www.ngweltevreden.co.za
Gert S Cordier
Dr Gert S Cordier was born in Pinetown, South Africa and studied theology at the University of Stellenbosch and then the University of Pretoria, where he obtained a Philosophiae Doctor in Missiology in 2014. He is currently a research associate of the University of Pretoria. Dr Cordier is also facilitator within the South-African Partnership of Missional Churches and currently pastor of the Dutch Reformed Congregation Randfontein-North in the Gauteng, South Africa. With his wife Koekoes he has four children and two grandchildren.
Cornelius JP Niemandt
Professor Cornelius JP Niemandt is associate professor in Missiology and head of the Department of Science of Religion and Missiology in the Faculty of Theology of the University of Pretoria. His research focuses on missional ecclesiology and missional leadership, and he has published two books on these issues in Afrikaans.
He is presently also moderator of the General Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) in South Africa. He co-authored a ground-breaking report on missional ecclesiology for the denomination. Prof Niemandt has extensive experience as a pastor, and has ministered for more than 20 years in the DRC congregation Weltevreden, a congregation with more than 6000 members. The congregation has always been very active in the South African Partnership for Missional Churches.
Correspondence should be sent to Prof. Niemandt at nelus@pixie.co.za
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Surgical Changes in the Small Arms Inventory of Indian Armed Forces
March 18, 2019 ; By: Brig SK Chatterji (Retd)
The Indian Army's small arms inventory is in for a near-total makeover. Straddled with an unreliable INSAS (Indian Small Arm System) rifle and a World War II vintage machine carbine, it appears, the beginning of a new dawn is round the bend. Should the contracts ultimately go through, we could expect our boys to be striding through operations with a top of the shelf American, Russian, Israeli weapons either slung across their shoulders or at the ready for scoring a kill.
The personal weapon that a soldier grips when he is closing in with the enemy influences his confidence hugely. As he stealthily creeps ahead seeking contact with an adversary who can spring out of the shadows at any moment, he has only a fraction of a second to turn to the target and press the trigger. At that instant, his weapon cannot fail. Very often, he may not get a chance to give it another try. That's the critical area, where the current family of INSAS rifles failed to inspire confidence in the man who held the weapon in his hands.
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There were other reasons to seek a change, too. However, let's start the narrative from its earliest moorings when we attained independence. We were using the .303 bolt action rifles when we became a republic. It required manual loading after every round was fired. Deadly within its effective range, it had won innumerable victories for British troops in WW I and WW II. However, it was no match to the AK 47 that the Chinese troops wielded as they attacked Indian positions in swarms in 1962. The failure led to the 7.62 mm Self Loading Rifles being manufactured by Ishapore Rifle factory. The entire Army was gradually equipped with this weapon. However, it was bulky and heavy.
Further, the philosophy of small arms usage has changed over the years. Earlier, the objective of firing a rifle was to kill the enemy. However, the thought process that gradually gained ascendance was it would be better to injure an enemy since an injured soldier would strain the opponent's logistics more. The individual will need an evacuation chain and medical attention.
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The 5.56 INSAS rifles that were designed to replace the ageing 7.62 mm Self-Loading Rifles were not found to be very suitable even when they were initially brought into use. INSAS was to develop as a whole family of weapons to include machine guns. However, the only model that has so far been manufactured is the rifle. The history of the INSAS rifle also displays another marked discrepancy. Every weapon system that is newly introduced, undergoes refinement with user inputs providing the inputs for successive models. In the case of INSAS, such an attempt does not seem to have been the case. As a result, when our men faced terrorists in J&K, they found the weapon lacking. With the terrorist proving to be fast and elusive targets, in addition to being motivated to strike back even on being injured, the requirement was a weapon which was not just accurate and heavier in caliber to score a kill, but also unfailingly reliable. INSAS was prone to failures. Further, body armour came to be used more and more, rendering the smaller 5.56 caliber ineffective. Meanwhile, troops in J&K and Siachin preferred to use the AK 47 rather than the INSAS.
The army was at this stage toying with the idea of a weapon with a replaceable barrel. Incidentally, such a design is in use in the 7.62 mm Light Machine Gun. However, both barrels are of the same caliber and are used to replace each other when one gets too hot at rapid rates of fire. However, the army wanted a rifle with a barrel each of 5.56 and 7.62 mm calibers. The army issued an RFP for 65,678 multi-calibre rifles. The project was finally shelved with such a design not being compatible with the other qualitative requirements desired by the army.
The ARDE offered the Excalibur based on the basic design of INSAS. The model did not find favour with the army. The army informed in July 2016 that the Excalibur had failed to meet its requirements. However, in September 2016 the army decided to go in for 1,85,000 of 7.62 x 51mm assault rifles. In October another news that created a stir was the army's decision to induct Excalibur as an interim replacement till the right weapon is finally decided upon.
As on date, the INSAS replacement programme has finally crystallized. The army will be procuring 72,400 battle rifles produced by US manufacturer SIG Sauer, a New Hampshire based arms company. The deal is worth Rs 700 crore. SIG was the lowest bidder in a six-cornered contest. The entire consignment is to be manufactured in the USA and delivered within a year. These rifles will be the immediate replacement for INSAS under a fast track procurement programme. SIG 716, the model being procured is a sturdy killer using 7.62 mmX51mm ammunition. Its effective range is 500 meters and would make current body armour susceptible in protecting the wearer. A very advanced rifle, the weapon, it is appreciated, will primarily be provided primarily to battalions in an intense combat environment.
Of the total order of 72,400, the Navy gets 2,000, IAF 6,000, and the Army 64,400. These rifles will be the first bulk replacements of INSAS. Earlier this year, induction of new sniper rifles for infantry battalions in J&K had started with the induction of the .338 Lapua Magnum Scorpio TGT by Beretta and the .50 caliber M95 of Barrett. However, sniper rifles are a different class by themselves and are not the weapon for every infantryman.
The other major development in the procurement of small arms is the deal signed with Russian Kalashnikov for 7,50,000 of AK 203 rifles. The rifle has an effective range of 400 meters. The magazine has a capacity for 30 rounds. The rifle weighs 4 kg and is lighter and shorter than INSAS. It also has provisions for an under-barreled grenade launcher or a bayonet and can fire up to 600 bullets per minute. The rifle will be manufactured at a factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. The first 40,000 will be directly imported, while the balance will be manufactured in India. The rifle is likely to be utilised for meeting the requirements of not just the three services but the paramilitary and central police forces also. In fact, there is a huge market for small arms in India, with all our state police forces already crying for modernization of inventory. The CRPF, faced with anti-Naxal tasks prefers to do without INSAS, already.
It's been a long haul with inept handling at all levels that's pushed our men into combat without his having faith in the weapon he holds in his hands. Everywhere, our soldiers have encountered enemies better armed than them. Hopefully, the contracts we are entering into will run as per schedule and improve our combat efficiencies at the levels that it matters the most – the section, platoon, company and battalion levels.
Brig SK Chatterji (Retd)
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BharatShakti.in)
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package com.kevalpatel2106.smartlens.camera.config;

import android.hardware.Camera;
import android.support.annotation.IntDef;

import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;

/**
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 * Supported output image resolutions.
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 * @author {@link 'https://github.com/kevalpatel2106'}
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@SuppressWarnings("WeakerAccess")
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub