text:
The Curator as Canary or Crony
By Julia Halperin • 10/20/10 1:54am
The return to the Museum of Modern Art of Laura Hoptman is a triumphant homecoming and something of a shock to the art world. She begins her job as a curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture Nov. 1, nearly a decade after her original departure. Ms. Hoptman, 48, has come under fire in the past for promoting artwork by her friends, but she also has a reputation among some as a canary in the coal mine of contemporary art. That's why the usually trend-shy institution says it is bringing her back: So she can spot stars before they become famous, or too expensive to acquire.
"Not that many people," said Ann Temkin, the museum's chief curator of painting and sculpture, "can be buying art at the present moment that 10, 20 or 50 years later turns out to have been exactly the right thing to buy." She called Ms. Hoptman's acquisitions record "marvelous."
"I have had a reputation as kind of a picker," Ms. Hoptman said, "but that's less interesting to me than being able to put together shows that are interesting and relevant to a larger audience."
Ms. Hoptman served an assistant curator in MoMA's Department of Drawings from 1995 to 2001. She went on to run the contemporary art department at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, where she organized the 2004-2005 Carnegie International. (Ms. Hoptman credits the massive contemporary art survey–and the three years she spent traveling to prepare for it–for her international perspective.) She is now leaving her job as a senior curator at the New Museum. There, she curated "Brion Gysin: Dream Machine," among other shows.
The curator initially made her name contributing to MoMA's "Projects" series, exhibitions organized by associate curators spotlighting individual emerging artists. Some of her choices, including the figurative painters John Currin, Elizabeth Peyton and Luc Tuymans, were gutsy for the time, and each of those artists would go on to art-world superstardom. All of them were in their 30s at this point, and far from unknown within the art world, of course. Indeed, one critic of Ms. Hoptman noted that she had more of a talent for spotting a good scene than for spotting good art. But, as Ms. Temkin said, "To be able to select artists who are on the cusp of being recognized as really major figures is a difficult thing to do."
Ms. Hoptman's role in "Projects" also stirred colleagues and art professionals to question her tendency to promote work by her friends, such as Ms. Peyton and Mr. Tuymans. These criticisms followed her to the New Museum, where she mounted a retrospective by Ms. Peyton–who was admittedly, by then, internationally known–and featured work by friend Jeremy Deller. Both artists also show at Gavin Brown Enterprises, where Ms. Hoptman's husband, painter Verne Dawson, also shows, a relationship that did not go unnoticed.
In artist William Powhida's infamous cartoon in the Brooklyn Rail, "How the New Museum Committed Suicide with Banality," Mr. Dawson is caricatured, saying, "Gavin really believes in my art. It has nothing to do with my wife being a curator at the New Museum." Mr. Powhida told The Observer he drew the cartoon to stress "just how closely connected the art world seems to be."
To be specific, Ms. Hoptman has been professionally linked one way or another to 10 of the 29 artists currently represented by Gavin Brown gallery. A 2002-2003 drawing show she curated at MoMA included work by Franz Ackermann, Ms. Peyton and Laura Owens, all of whom had been shown by Brown. The 2004-2005 Carnegie International, which she organized, included work by Nick Relph, Oliver Payne and Peter Doig, all of whom were and are represented by Brown. Two of the five "Projects" shows she curated at MoMA included artists now represented by the gallery (Rirkrit Tiravanija and Ms. Peyton). Four Gavin Brown artists–Urs Fischer, Jeremy Deller, Steven Shearer and Ms. Peyton–were shown at the New Museum while she was curator, although she only curated two of those shows.
Professor Steven Dubin, a professor of arts administration at Columbia University, who stressed that he doesn't know Ms. Hoptman, said, "It seems to me that a professional in any field doesn't want there to be even a whiff of suspicion… It's hard for me to imagine that there would be multiple opportunities to show the same person over and over again. When someone has an established name, like Elizabeth Peyton, it's not that they're wanting for places to show."
"It's not a question of bias," said Lynn Zelevansky, the director of Carnegie Museum of Art, who calls herself one of Ms. Hoptman's closest friends. "It's a superficial reading of who she is and what she's done. These are the people Laura came up with. These people were her crowd as she was developing. She is in no way limited by that."
Ms. Hoptman acknowledged that friendships inevitably evolve between curators and artists if they work together frequently. She maintained, however, that her passion for many of her friends' work preceded any professional association. "Elizabeth Peyton was my friend when I was a student–and not girlfriends, I was her friend because I liked her work," she said. "We didn't go out shopping. I challenge anyone in contemporary art to say that Elizabeth Peyton or Jeremy Deller are not worth being looked at seriously on the merits of their art, whether they show at Gavin Brown or John Brown."
Robert Storr, former chief curator of painting and sculpture at MoMA, worked with Ms. Hoptman during her first stint at the museum and said he stood behind her selections for the "Projects" series. (A MoMA colleague had reported her for conflicts of interest.) "The notion that critics and curators should not be familiar with artists is absurd, and if strictly applied, counterproductive," he said in an email. "What you must not do is favor artists because they are friends. Only the logic of ones' choices, the logic of one's writing reveals that, and often only over time."
A curator of a rival institution said that Ms. Hoptman's hiring is bound to create some stress in the ranks at MoMA, if only because, under director Glenn Lowry, the fiefdoms of individual curators aren't as clearly delineated as in the past, or as they are at some other museums, plus it appears she'll have more say in what is purchased.
"I think she adds a kind of gravitas, a kind of seriousness," said Ms. Zelevansky. "Not that people like Ann Temkin and Kathy Halbreich are not serious, but they are not contemporary people in the same way as Laura is. She's always up on the most current stuff."
When asked to articulate the differences between MoMA and the New Museum, Ms. Hoptman stressed the role of acquisitions. "The Museum of Modern Art is a collecting institution as well as an exhibiting institution." She also called her new position "a dream." "MoMA is the greatest collection of Modern art in the world, and in my opinion, the greatest museum in the world."
editorial@observer.com
Filed Under: Home, Entertainment, The Curator


Two years ago, inspired by the work of Harvey and Daniels, we began to experiment with a different approach to parent education, Community Inquiry Circles (CICs) . Our purpose? To engage our diverse, and somewhat transient parent community with the Core of JIS.
An inquiry circle is a learning strategy that allows a group of people to engage with concepts of interest, by inviting curiosity and the exploration of questions. It provides learners with choice about what to learn and a venue to construct knowledge based on what they already know and what they want to learn more about, as they share with others the joy of exploring a question of interest.
Appropriately, our first ever CIC session was led by Kath Murdoch, an inquiry teaching expert who has been supporting the application of contemporary teaching practices at our school. That first session sought to explore the question "How can I help my child learn how to learn?" Kath's expertise set the stage for future CIC sessions, generating great enthusiasm and propagating the word around the community about the useful, engaging and productive nature of these sessions.
The power of modelling our pedagogical approach is by far one of the most salient points to share. Parents comment on how engaging the CICs are and how much they are learning from those who facilitate and those who join as learners. Facilitators reflect on their growth as leaders, teachers and learners by way of preparing, reflecting in action, and responding to adult learners in real time.
We can spend a lot of time writing articles for our bulletin, pointing parents to research, and presenting our views on teaching and learning, but the real value of why we teach the way we teach is communicated when we actually engage our parents, colleagues and ourselves as learners, thus modelling our beliefs and practices. Involving our parent and teaching community in the act of constructing new meaning has been a powerful tool to strengthen our core. The feedback we gather at each session indicates to us that we are on the right track. Yet we know that we are also not there yet. Perfection is not the aim. The journey is.
For those of you who might be interested in exploring this approach, please read below, and do let me know what you think.
How are the Community Inquiry Circles structured? How do they differ from presentations to parents?
Those who facilitate each CIC structure the session in a similar way to how we encourage our teachers to teach, by approaching the session through an inquiry lens. Kath Murdoch's inquiry cycle has provided a flexible framework to support the work of our facilitators as they prepare the sessions. But in a nutshell, the sessions are more workshop based, than lecture based. Time is spent on tuning in to the learners in the group, to who they are, and to what they already know. The rest of the session demands the active participation in learning engagements, dialogue, researching and sharing that learning with others in the room. As facilitators, we prepare, knowing that less is more, and that the art will be in the facilitation of the conversation generated by the activities we have chosen.
How do CIC Topics get selected?
At the beginning of each year, we ask parents and teachers what questions they feel are worth pursuing as a community of learners. We do this via a survey but also by ending each CIC with an invitation to share further questions the group is interested in pursuing in future gatherings. Teachers and leaders also propose questions based on their sense of what might be important for our current community of parents. The intent here is to generate questions that are of interest to different segments of the community and varied in nature, so that choice and voice, two important elements of our program, remain as the cornerstone of this approach.
how does physical activity enhance cognition and learning?
what do we know about language acquisition?
how can we support our struggling readers?
How often do CICs take place?
When we first started this journey, we offered one CIC a month. The sessions have become so popular, they are now held every two weeks on average. Visiting authors and/or other consultants the school brings to work with our teachers and students also have the opportunity to engage with parents during our regularly scheduled CICs.
Who facilitates the Community Inquiry Circles?
Once the topics/questions are organized, the table containing the inquiries generated by parents and educators is shared with our faculty. Volunteer facilitators are sought and others encouraged to co-facilitate sessions. As the success of our approach gets noticed by many, the number of those interested in facilitating has increased, with some even adding their own questions to the pool being considered.
This sounds great! I want to try it here with our active parent body. Thanks for the ideas Elsa.


text:
#ifndef TENSORFLOW_KERNELS_OPS_TESTUTIL_H_
#define TENSORFLOW_KERNELS_OPS_TESTUTIL_H_

#include <memory>
#include <vector>

#include <gtest/gtest.h>
#include "tensorflow/core/common_runtime/device.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/common_runtime/device_factory.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/framework/allocator.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/framework/device_base.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/framework/graph.pb.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/framework/op_kernel.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/framework/tensor_testutil.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/framework/types.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/framework/types.pb.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/lib/core/status_test_util.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/lib/gtl/array_slice.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/lib/gtl/inlined_vector.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/lib/gtl/stl_util.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/platform/logging.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/platform/port.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/public/env.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/public/session_options.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/public/status.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/public/tensor.h"
#include "tensorflow/core/util/tensor_slice_reader_cache.h"

namespace tensorflow {

namespace test {

// Return a NodeDef with the specified name/op/inputs.
NodeDef Node(const string& name, const string& op,
             const std::vector<string>& inputs);

}  // namespace test

// Helpful functions to test operators.
//
// This class will eventually be replaced / heavily modified
// to use the BrainClient interface.
class OpsTestBase : public ::testing::Test {
 public:
  OpsTestBase() : device_type_(DEVICE_CPU) {
    device_.reset(
        DeviceFactory::NewDevice("CPU", {}, "/job:a/replica:0/task:0"));
    CHECK(device_.get()) << "Could not create CPU device";
  }

  ~OpsTestBase() override {
    gtl::STLDeleteElements(&tensors_);
    context_.reset(nullptr);
  }

  void set_node_def(const NodeDef& node_def) { node_def_.CopyFrom(node_def); }

  // Clients can manipulate the underlying NodeDef via this accessor.
  NodeDef* node_def() { return &node_def_; }

  // Initializes an operator that takes in 'input_types' as input
  // and output types as output.
  //
  // Returns the status of initialization.
  Status InitOp() {
    Status status;
    kernel_ = CreateOpKernel(device_type_, device_.get(), allocator(),
                             node_def_, &status);
    if (kernel_ != nullptr) input_types_ = kernel_->input_types();
    return status;
  }

  // Adds an input for every element described by the shape.
  // 'input_mapping' maps an index (0...NumElements(shape)) to a
  // value.
  //
  // TODO(vrv): Replace with something like a BrainClient Feed.
  template <typename T>
  void AddInput(const TensorShape& shape, std::function<T(int)> input_mapping) {
    CHECK_GT(input_types_.size(), inputs_.size())
        << "Adding more inputs than types; perhaps you need to call MakeOp";
    bool is_ref = IsRefType(input_types_[inputs_.size()]);
    Tensor* input = new Tensor(device_->GetAllocator(AllocatorAttributes()),
                               DataTypeToEnum<T>::v(), shape);
    test::FillFn(input, input_mapping);
    tensors_.push_back(input);
    if (is_ref) {
      CHECK_EQ(RemoveRefType(input_types_[inputs_.size()]),
               DataTypeToEnum<T>::v());
      inputs_.push_back({&lock_for_refs_, input});
    } else {
      CHECK_EQ(input_types_[inputs_.size()], DataTypeToEnum<T>::v());
      inputs_.push_back({nullptr, input});
    }
  }

  // Like AddInput but takes in an explicit arrayslice of data.
  template <typename T>
  void AddInputFromArray(const TensorShape& shape,
                         const gtl::ArraySlice<T>& data) {
    CHECK_GT(input_types_.size(), inputs_.size())
        << "Adding more inputs than types; perhaps you need to call MakeOp";
    bool is_ref = IsRefType(input_types_[inputs_.size()]);
    Tensor* input = new Tensor(device_->GetAllocator(AllocatorAttributes()),
                               DataTypeToEnum<T>::v(), shape);
    test::FillValues<T>(input, data);
    tensors_.push_back(input);
    if (is_ref) {
      CHECK_EQ(RemoveRefType(input_types_[inputs_.size()]),
               DataTypeToEnum<T>::v());
      inputs_.push_back({&lock_for_refs_, input});
    } else {
      CHECK_EQ(input_types_[inputs_.size()], DataTypeToEnum<T>::v());
      inputs_.push_back({nullptr, input});
    }
  }

  // Runs an operation producing 'num_outputs' outputs.
  //
  // Returns the context's status after running the operation.
  Status RunOpKernel() {
    OpKernelContext::Params params;
    params.device = device_.get();
    params.frame_iter = FrameAndIter(0, 0);
    params.inputs = &inputs_;
    params.op_kernel = kernel_.get();
    params.output_alloc_attr = [this, &params](int index) {
      AllocatorAttributes attr;
      const bool on_host =
          (kernel_->output_memory_types()[index] == HOST_MEMORY);
      attr.set_on_host(on_host);
      return attr;
    };
    checkpoint::TensorSliceReaderCacheWrapper slice_reader_cache_wrapper;
    params.slice_reader_cache = &slice_reader_cache_wrapper;

    context_.reset(new OpKernelContext(params));
    device_->Compute(kernel_.get(), context_.get());
    return context_->status();
  }

  // Returns the tensor input for 'input_index'.
  //
  // REQUIRES: 0 <= input_index < context_->num_inputs()
  const Tensor& GetInput(int input_index) const {
    CHECK_LT(input_index, context_->num_inputs());
    CHECK(!IsRefType(context_->input_dtype(input_index)));
    return context_->input(input_index);
  }

  TensorValue mutable_input(int input_index) {
    CHECK_LT(input_index, inputs_.size());
    return inputs_[input_index];
  }
  // Returns the tensor output for 'output_index'.
  //
  // REQUIRES: 0 <= output_index < context_->num_outputs()
  Tensor* GetOutput(int output_index) {
    CHECK_LT(output_index, context_->num_outputs());
    return context_->mutable_output(output_index);
  }

  Allocator* allocator() {
    return device_->GetAllocator(AllocatorAttributes());
  }

  const DataTypeVector& output_types() const { return kernel_->output_types(); }

 protected:
  std::unique_ptr<Device> device_;

  std::unique_ptr<OpKernel> kernel_;
  NodeDef node_def_;
  DataTypeVector input_types_;
  DeviceType device_type_;

  mutex lock_for_refs_;  // Used as the Mutex for inputs added as refs

  gtl::InlinedVector<TensorValue, 4> inputs_;
  // Owns Tensors.
  std::vector<Tensor*> tensors_;

  std::unique_ptr<OpKernelContext> context_;

 private:
  TF_DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(OpsTestBase);
};

}  // namespace tensorflow

#endif  // TENSORFLOW_KERNELS_OPS_TESTUTIL_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The music of ANUGAMA
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About Open Sky Music
Music to invoke the sacred.
We are making and publishing music to bring the healing and regenerative spirit of love in the form of music to as many people as want to be touched by it. We invite you to enter the realms of passion, joy, ecstasy. openness and silence. Our intention is to provide a service that reflects excellence, abundance and well-being; and supports your expansion into spirit.
Your privacy on the internet is important to us. We have developed this privacy policy to explain the type of information we collect, what we do with it and how you can correct or change the information.
Open Sky Music collects personally identifying information from users: personal data (such as names, addresses and e-mail addresses). Personal data is collected when users provide personal data to us, for example in registering for electronic newsletters, requesting catalogs or other services. We also collect your credit card information, address and billing information so we may process your order and charge your account for products that you purchase. None of that information will be shared with any third parties whatsoever.
All personal information is stored in our secure databases. Access to that information is strictly controlled and limited to certain individuals within Open Sky Music.
Open Sky Music.com also uses "cookies" to collect information. A cookie is a small data file that most major Web sites write to your hard drive for record keeping purposes when you visit them. Cookies allow Open Sky Music to measure activity on the Site and to improve your user experience. Cookies are also used by Open Sky Music to make improvements and updates based on which areas are popular and which are not. Open Sky Music does not use cookies to retrieve information from your computer that was not originally sent in a cookie. Except for personal information voluntarily provided by you. Open Sky Music does not use information transferred through cookies for any promotional or marketing purposes, nor is that information shared with any third parties whatsoever. Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. If you'd prefer, you can set yours to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. However, it is possible that some parts of the Site, such as the shopping area will not function properly if you do so.
Open Sky Music.com contains links to other sites. If you visit these sites, please look for their privacy policy and review it before submitting any personal information to them.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Rajiv Parikh, an attorney with Genova Burns and chief counsel for Gov. Phil Murphy's transition team, testifies Friday in Trenton.
There is no one-size-fits-all equal employment opportunity policy in the private sector, nor is there a uniform policy for all state agencies.
This and other issues have been uncovered in the ongoing hearings in Trenton by a joint legislative committee that is looking into accusations of sexual assault against a former member of Gov. Phil Murphy's transition team.
Rajiv Parikh, a lawyer at Genova Burns who served as the chief counsel for Murphy's transition team in 2017, was the only person testifying Friday at the sixth hearing of the committee.
He emphasized the point about the EEO policies, and shared some insight into how the state views transition team operations and funding.
The hearing focused on the ongoing questions surrounding the hiring of Al Alvarez, accused of sexual assault by current New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Financing Agency chief of staff Katie Brennan. Alvarez has now twice been cleared by two separate county prosecutor's offices in the past 13 months.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office recently declined to pursue charges in the Alvarez-Brennan case, following in the steps of the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, which originally handled the investigation in 2017.
Rajiv Parikh at the committee hearing.
Parikh said that, in his role as counsel, he had no way of knowing how Alvarez was hired by the transition team, even though he played a role in conducting public records searches of potential hires.
Alvarez eventually became chief of staff in the Schools Development Authority, but resigned last October, prior to the publishing of a story in the Wall Street Journal detailing the alleged assault.
The case is one of interest for lawyers and businesses, as the human resources issue that has played out in offices around the state is being viewed through the lens of the political sphere, where there appear to be fewer protections, based on Parikh's testimony Friday.
In an eight-page opening statement, Parikh suggested policies and laws that could prevent the Alvarez-Brennan conflict from being repeated in the future.
The Gubernatorial Transition Act be amended so that state EEO laws and policy are applicable to individuals working on the transition.
Each gubernatorial transition team be provided with a full-time, civil service-based human resources professional to serve as the transition's EEO officer.
The committee should consider if both major party candidates should be provided funding for transition activity to commence at a designated point in advance of election day, so processes, structure and operations can be established ahead of time.
The cost of running the transition team has also been brought up in previous testimony, and, in fact, many of the paid transition members were paid by the state Democratic Committee, rather than by the pool of money provided by the state.
This, according to Parikh, played a role in the limited ability to screen applicants that were passed on to state agencies as potential hires.
The most thorough checks were done on the cabinet members, Parikh said, and those are costly background checks done by the New Jersey State Police.
In his testimony, Parikh also highlighted that transition employees, though paid by state money, aren't covered by equal opportunity laws and policies.
State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) was surprised by that point, and said it was an important one to bring up.
"What about the part of the EEO policy that says this policy covers any applicants for positions in the state government or anyone doing business with the state of New Jersey?" Weinberg asked.
Parikh said that the policy does not cover anything more than the application process — ensuring that an applicant receives fair treatment in their pursuit of a job, but nothing beyond that. And the law governing transition committees specifically says that transition employees are not state employees, so any protections afforded to state employees does not apply.
The only state laws that apply to transition team members are rules regarding participating in the retirement system and conflict-of-interest laws, Parikh said.
But Parikh also emphasized that he is not an employment lawyer and cannot opine in depth on the topic.


text:
Remembering those who passed: Yom Hazikaron
My son thinking in the map of the communities destroyed at Yad V Shem.
In 2005, I took my children and parents to Israel for a family wedding and a three-generational trip. We hired a private guide, as my Dad had a heart condition, and I wanted the trip to be as easy as possible for him. It was wonderful in that sense. Our tour guide knew all the downhill paths for my Dad to walk.
Although my daughter was in college at the time, my son was just in eighth grade. I was a little concerned about taking him to Yad V Shem and Mt. Herzl. But we went because it was important.
At Yad V Shem, the Holocaust Memorial, my son was uncomfortable, especially when we went through the memorial for the children who perished. But the map of Europe and the destroyed communities felt more comfortable. He walked through that section with my Dad. They stopped at Bialystok, where my Dad's family had lived before coming to the US. And my Dad told him some stories. My son sat and thought about what he had seen.
After that it was to Mount Herzl. To see all the graves of young men and women who died fighting for Israel was difficult. My son asked a question, "Why are there some stones with no names, or no dates on them?"
These are the graves of people who came over from Europe, who survived the camps. The first thing they did upon arriving in Israel was to fight for survival again for the independence of the state of Israel. Unfortunately, many of them no one knew their name or their date of birth. Just the day they died. This is what the guide told my son.
We continued walking through the cemetery to the graves of famous people, when I realized my son was missing. I did not want to go yelling through a cemetery, but I was concerned. So we all split up looking for him.
Then I saw him putting stones on a grave. This is a Jewish tradition. We do not leave flowers, we leave stones as remembrances.. This is an old tradition, and I am not sure why. But I think perhaps as we return to dust, we become part of the ground. I could be wrong.
In any case, there he was putting stones on the graves of soldiers.
"What are you doing? Why did you leave us?" I demanded.
"Mom," he said. "I am putting stones on all the graves of people with no names. I wanted to make sure someone remembered them. I wanted them to know someone loved them."
My heart; my son. I still cry for these unnamed soldiers. And I still cry remembering the love in my son.
Yom HaZikaron. We will always remember.
Tags: birthday memories, grandparents, grief, Israel, parenting, travel, Veterans, Yom Hazikaron
Categories Holocaust, Memories, Parenting, Travel, Uncategorized
Ballroom Dancing: Relaxation, Reflection and Exercise
Dancing the Fox Trot is the most difficult for me. It is not because of the tempo or the moves. I think Rumba and Cha Cha are more intricate. East and West Coast Swing are quicker. Tango and Waltz are more elegant. The problem with Fox Trot is the music. The music breaks my heart.
My husband and I have been taking ballroom dance lessons for almost ten years. We are finally at the point where I feel comfortable dancing in public and believe we know what we are doing. When the right music plays, I sway with the beat.
We move to the dance floor and just relax into the music and the enjoyment of dance. As we are dancing, usually I forget everything going on and just focus on the mood of the dance. At the same time, we realize that we are getting our exercise for the day, as every part of our body is involved in the dance.
Recently we were on a cruise and danced every night. The dance band was marvelous. There were five or six other couples who also enjoyed ballroom dancing. It was wonderful fun. We danced every dance in our repertoire: Tango, Rumba, Cha Cha, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Waltz, Two-step, and Fox Trot.
My parents dancing at a cousin's wedding in Israel.
But I often mess up the Fox Trot. I get distracted, off beat, or forget a step. My reason: the music — those classic American songbook songs — make me tear up. If I hear Begin the Beguine, by Cole Porter, I see my parents swaying. I hear the words, Embraceable You, by the Gershwin brothers, and I only see my parents dancing. Add Summertime by George Gershwin, and that is my final straw. My Dad loved Gershwin music. I grew up listening to Porgy and Bess and Rhapsody in Blue. When a band plays any of his songs, and a few other composers as well, I sometimes find it almost impossible to dance.
My parents loved to dance. My Dad would put out his arm and sing the words, "When Frances Dances with me, Golly Gee. Oh How Happy I'll be." (He changed the words a bit.) Sometimes they would dance. And sometimes we would all laugh, because my Dad could not sing well at all. But that melody I know. It was my Dad's anthem for my Mom and how he loved her. (The Francis in the song was a guy. But since my Mom's name was Frances, it worked just dandy.)
In the summertime, they would go out on Saturday nights to one of the big hotels in the Catskills for a show and dance. We knew where they went because they would bring home those little viewers on a keychain. When looking in the eye piece, we could see our parents in their 'fancy' clothes. I knew they probably had an excellent time away from us, and dancing arm in arm, and cheek to cheek.
Family events were another big dancing time. They did not like the wild music at the bar and bat mitzvahs, or the line dances. But when the band played ballroom music, my parents always danced. They loved going to weddings, not just for the emotions of the event, but because there was always great dance music.
Dancing swing at our nephew's wedding.
My husband also loves weddings for the music. He dances with me. But when I get tired, he dances with our daughter, all of our nieces, my sister-in-law. Any woman who wants to dance can have a turn with my partner. Just be aware, he is a very enthusiastic dancer!
When my parents passed away just nine months apart, I could barely dance. It seemed wrong to be on a dance floor trying to do something fun. I should just be grieving, not dancing. I stopped dancing the Fox Trot. I honestly could not listen to that music without bursting into tears.
But slowly my attitude changed. My parents loved to dance. They would be so happy to know that I was dancing. And each dance is a memory of them. "When we are out together dancing cheek to cheek, I'm in heaven," thinking that my parents are dancing with each other Cheek to Cheek (by Irving Berlin) as well.
These wonderful songs deserve to be heard and danced to by people who love to dance. As I twirl about the floor with my husband, in our not so totally graceful moves, my mind sees my parents dancing at family events, or even in our living room, always smiling and laughing.
When my Dad died, we placed a photo of the two of them dancing with him so they could always be together. And whenever I dance the Fox Trot, I feel them next to me…dancing forever cheek to cheek in a wonderful embrace.
I hope we have passed the love of dancing to our children. I know my daughter loves it. She has taken lessons as well. I do not think she understands the memories of the music. But she holds the beat and the rhythm of the songs when she dances. And I know that wherever my parents are they are as happy as can be, knowing the love of dancing continues.
And for me, ballroom dancing brings me relaxation, reflection and exercise, the perfect combination for a hobby to share with my husband.
Music lyrics:
http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/g/georgegershwin8836/embraceableyou299722.html
http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/c/coleporter5950/beginthebeguine235309.html
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/g/george_gershwin/summertime.html
http://www.sheetmusicbackinprint.com/popular/whenfrancis.html
Tags: ballroom dance, catskills, Catskills memories, entertainment, Fox trot, grief, Music, parents
Categories Ballroom Dancing, Catskills, Memories, Parenting, Travel
Speaking Yiddish Always Brings Me Holocaust Memories
My maternal grandparents were from Poland and Galicia. They came to the United States in the 1920s. Met and married when Grandma was 19, Grandpa was 29. At home they spoke to each other only in Yiddish, although both learned to speak excellent English. And Grandma was a ferocious reader in several languages.
When I stayed with them, they spoke Yiddish to me as well. As a young child I could respond and easily speak to them. But that ended when my parents realized that my siblings and I spoke and understood Yiddish. They had been using it as a secret language to discuss finances and personal matters. So the order went out…stop speaking Yiddish to the children. My Mother, in later years, would tell me that she regretted making that demand.
But Yiddish connected me to my grandparents. And I studied German in high school and Hebrew in college. Then I spent a year in Israel at Hebrew University. While there I spent so much time with my great uncle and great aunts, who spoke Yiddish at home. So my Yiddish slowly improved, and I became more fluent.
The kneeling sailor is speaking to my Mom;behind her my Uncle; behind him my Grandma.
My Grandma's family was lucky. She went to Europe in 1931 with my Mom and Uncle and stayed for six months. When she returned to the US in 1932, she told my grandfather that they had to get everyone out. And she started the process. She was able to get visas for her father and sister. They made my great aunt younger than her real age, so she could come in on her father's passport. Her brothers and their wives were not as fortunate. But they did survive the war.
My great aunt Tova, my great Grandparents Gimple and Chava. The man driving is an Uncle. And the horses and cart they bought with the money my grandparents sent. They all perished.
My Grandpa's family was not fortunate at all. They all perished. My grandparents did send his parents money and visa to come to the US. But they could not believe what would happen. They took the money and bought a horse and cart. They did not want to leave their other children and grandchildren. And my grandparents could not get everyone visas.
My mother used to tell me that every morning after work, when he found out that his entire family was murdered, my grandfather would sit in the kitchen and cry. He was a baker…up all night. But before he went to sleep for the day, he cried for all he lost.
In the meantime, my grandparents thrived in the US. They had two children, five grandchildren; two businesses, both a bakery in New Jersey and a bungalow colony in the Catskills.
Grandma wrote to her brother in Israel often. When I went as a college sophomore, I spent a year of college at Hebrew University. I had a cousin who was my age, and my great uncle and aunts (one uncle had died in the 1950s.) I met a few other relatives who had survived the Shoah. But no one ever spoke to me about it. I was young. But my Hebrew and Yiddish were improving rapidly.
Then when I was a junior in college, I took my Grandma to Israel with me during winter break. She had not seen her brother in 42 years. We spent a month together. A month I will never, ever forget.
The phone calls at the hotel would be in Hebrew. Someone would call and speak to me. "I understand the Tova S. is here," they would say. "Yes," I would respond. They would then ask genealogy. Who were her parents? Where did she live? When all the right answers were given, I would hear. Yes. She is my mother's or father's or someone's cousin. And they would set up an appointment to meet with us: to see my Grandma.
And the holocaust became real to me. Each person in Yiddish told my Grandma their story of how they survived the Shoah. And who had died during that horrible time. If I did not understand a word, Grandma would translate. Sometimes they would tell me the word in Hebrew. Day after day, week after week, I heard so many stories.
But then came the worst of all. Rafael came. I knew him and his wife and daughter. His mother and my great grandfather were siblings. Rafael and his wife had never spoken to me about their experiences. But when Rafael saw my Grandma, it was an outburst of pain and crying from both of them. Rafael was my Grandma's first cousin. His sister, Tova Malcha, had been my Grandma's best friend. And Tova Malcha had not survived. When Rafael and Grandma met their memories overflowed. Not only on death, but on the lives they had left behind.
At that moment, at that time, my Yiddish was at its best. I understood all.
After Rafael left, I asked Grandma why no one had ever told me these stories? Why I had not met all these people who kept showing up? Why Uncle had only introduced me to a few of the relatives when I spent my year there?
There was no answer.
When we returned to the US, my Grandpa was so happy to see Grandma. "Never leave me again," he said. He did not come with us, because he refused to ever leave the United States.
She never left him again, till she died.
And I never speak Yiddish or hear Yiddish without the images and sounds of that month in Israel and the Shoah ever present in my mind.
Tags: grandparents, grief, Holocaust, Israel, Shoah, Yiddish
Categories Holocaust, Memories, Uncategorized, Yiddish
Focusing on the positive in times of sorrow
I sit in a courtroom called up for jury duty. It is a strange day. April 14. Snow is falling. Tonight begins Passover. It is Monday morning.
Last Wednesday night, I chaired an interfaith event for National Council of Jewish Women, Kansas City Section. Women and men of many faiths came together to learn about divorce in Judaism, Islam and Catholicism. It was an interesting debate, and indicative of Johnson County, Kansas. Peaceful discussions.
On Saturday night I went with my family to the Jewish Community Center in Overland park to see a production of "To Kill A Mockingbird." We saw how bigotry and racism led to the death of innocence. The sold out audience was riveted by the presentation. Was this show an indication of what would come?
Sunday, an act of evil disrupted the peaceful world of Overland Park and Johnson County, Kansas. A demented, bigoted man entered the parameters of the Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom, a retirement center, and murdered three innocent people. A grandfather and grandson, a woman, none of them Jewish. But they were participating in events at the places where Jews gather. I cannot understand these acts.
But I refuse to focus on the hatred this individual embodied. I chose to focus on all the love.
I chose to focus on the women and men to came together to learn about interfaith issues. I chose to focus on the sold out performance of "To Kill a Mockingbird." I chose to focus on the outpouring of love to my family from all over the country and the world from family and friends, Jewish and non-Jewish.
Phone calls, emails, Facebook posts, text messages. Tears and anguish from both Jewish and Non-Jewish friends. All saying we love you! All saying we are shocked. And all who live here know how good the Jewish Community is.
I should have been preparing for Passover last night. But we were all in shock. We had planned to celebrate my niece and nephew's birthdays. And we did. Because we were going to focus on the good.
Overland Park is a wonderful spot to live, to raise children, to feel part of a community.
The Jewish Community Center is part of my life. I served as a board member for nine years. I am on the advisory board. My children grew up there. They went to the preschool, to the day school to the camps. My husband and I exercise there several times a week. We attend shows and presentations.
Hatred such as this man's invades the soul. But I refuse to let it make me fearful. Sad, yes. I will always think of those who died and their families. But I plan to focus on the love.
As I sat in the courtroom, I knew I would be excused. Passover is tonight. I have a holiday to celebrate and I will. I have family and friends to be with, a community of love. And I will be embraced.
Tags: grief, Jewish Community Center shootings, Kansas, Overland Park
The Joy of Jerry
Silly Uncle Jerry…as soon as my daughter could string three words together, this became her name for my sister's husband. Silly Uncle Jerry could make her laugh by just entering the room. She anticipated that he would do something silly.
His booming baritone voice would vibrate through the room. Singing songs from Broadway shows, quoting lines from old movies, making references to obscure topics…that was Silly Uncle Jerry's usual behavior. He used his wonderful voice for years volunteering to read books for the blind on a local New York radio station.
When he read books to the children they were entranced by the different voices he used. One time when they were stranded in an airport for hours, my brother-in-law pulled out a bunch of books to read to his own children, soon he had an audience of dozens of children and parents also stranded. He just kept reading.
Jerry in a calm Hawaiian shirt.
Jerry's bright Hawaiian shirts echoed his bright and cheerful inside spirit. He had dozens of designs and colors to wear for any occasion. There really was no time that he was not comfortable in a Hawaiian shirt. (Okay, he did wear a suit to his wedding and all the bar/bat mitzvot.)
It was Silly Uncle Jerry who sat on the floor with my daughter and took a corner of her blankie and held it the way she did. It was Silly Uncle Jerry who called her Larabee, and would say, in the tone of a Maxwell Smart character, "Larabee….Get me the Chief!"
As more children arrived, including two of Silly Uncle Jerry and my sister, he became the ringleader for fun and excitement. Raining in the Catskills with nothing to do? Wait, let's put on swimsuits and run around in the rain. Wait, that is not enough, let's play follow the leader in the rain. Four little children under the age of eight running around in the rain with a giant bear of an Uncle having a great time!
Jerry and the children in Follow the leader.
But then the leader, one of the little boys, decided he had to go potty….so he ran over to the woods, pulled down his suit and pees….and the other two did the same thing. My daughter ran away and screamed as she came up to the porch and into the house. Silly Uncle Jerry fell to the ground laughing hysterically. It was perfect. But he got up and set a new follow the leader rule…"No Urinating when being the leader!" My daughter went back outside.
Jumping for joy in the rain.
It was Silly Uncle Jerry's love of comic books that made him send comic books to my children for their birthdays. I wonder if he knew that reading comic books is what got his nephew to finally read. Eventually my son read manga and then regular books. Now he is studying computer animation. All this started with an uncle's love of comic books.
When my daughter decided to go to New Jersey for college at Drew University, I knew she would be safe as my siblings and parents all lived no more than an hour away.
When she and a friend got stuck without a ride, after a program away from the university, in a horrible rain storm — the busses and trains stopped running — it was Silly Uncle Jerry to the rescue. He picked them up, drove them back to school and then home, skirting flooded and closed roads and spending hours to help. In the meantime, my sister was at home dealing with a flooded basement.
It was Jerry who could lighten up the spirit of a room, when people were feeling blue. He could make his eyes bulge out and run through a Marx Brothers' or Laurel and Hardy routine.
Silly Uncle Jerry was not just family funny, he was a professionally funny man. Part of an improv comedy troupe, the Lunatic Fringe, he was perfect because of his quick thinking and tremendous sense of humor. Every once in a while Uncle Jerry and his comedy group would perform in Madison, NJ, area. My daughter would meet up with my sister, have dinner with them and then go to the show. She tried to see as many performances that Silly Uncle Jerry was in that she possibly could. He was in shows all around the New Jersey and New York City area, appearing in regional theater, like the Garage Theater, and off Broadway.
That was they way Silly Uncle Jerry lived. He was a big bear of a man, with a heart as big. He would do anything for his children and his nieces and nephews. His family and friends made his life complete. Most of all he loved to make life fun for his wife and children and sisters.
But it was he who left us way too young. And left a hole in the fabric of the joy of the world. April 18, he would have been 54.
We miss him.
But the joy of Jerry stayed with those who will always love him and the memory of him. Whenever I see someone in a Hawaiian shirt, I think of Jerry. And, in his memory, we — his family and friends — wear brightly colored Hawaiian shirts on his birthday to keep him with us on that day! And for a few hours he is here with us.
Lunatic Fringe: https://sites.google.com/site/lunaticfringeimprov/home
Garage Theater: http://www.garagetheatre.org/
Tags: catskills, grief, memories, New Jersey
Categories Catskills, Memories, New Jersey, Uncategorized
My mother was a weather witch. Whenever she came to visit, the weather would go berserk. Often my neighbors would call to find out exactly when Mom would arrive, to plan for snow.
So it was not surprising that my Mom died during one of the worst snow storms ever in New York City, over 27 inches of snow in less than 24 hours. Everything shut down. The day of her funeral, her coffin was placed in front of a window. As my niece stated, " I know Grandma is in heaven," a great, giant, massive clump of snow fell off the roof and on the ground outside the window. Lovely torrents of snow arched upward. Mom was there … heading to heaven.
My mother had the mind of a vault. Any information that went in stayed there. She remembered everything. So when Mom suffered her first TIAs, mini strokes, we were very concerned. My sister and Dad took her to a neurologist. Mom scored a 100 percent on the test. The doctor said something like, "I believe you when you tell me that your Mom's memory is not as good, but if this is bad, your Mom was very high functioning."
And that is true.
My mother was the glue that held people together. She taught school for 30 years. And the group of teachers who retired would often get together. My Mom would make the plans. After she died, the meetings basically ended. One of the group, Pat, told me, "It was your Mom who would call us all and tell us when we were meeting and where. Without her, we just don't have anyone organizing."
It is true, all my organizing skills come from my Mom.
My mother was the kindest person. Another teacher told this story at a memorial for my mother: "The first day I taught at the school, I was worried. Where would I sit during lunch? Would the other teachers welcome me? I was black and Cuban. I don't know why I worried. I entered the lunchroom, and it became quiet. Frances turned around, "Oh there you are. I have saved a seat for you next to me." And I sat there that day, and the next day and the next day. And I realized I did not have to worry where I was going to sit. I was going to sit with Frances and her friends for the rest of the years I taught."
And she did sit with them for over 20 years.
My mother was a great friend. Her two best friends, Wini, who she knew since kindergarten, and Judy, who she met in 8th grade, are still alive. It is difficult sometimes to think of them without thinking of my mother. They shared so many memories and adventures together. After my Mom died, Wini and Judy were there for my Dad during the nine months he lived. They still call me to keep in touch and to send love to my brother and sister. Their love for my mom continues. She was also a great friend to mine and my siblings' friends. She opened her home to them, always making them welcome.
She was a warm and loving hostess.
My mother was an excellent teacher. Two stories. Many years ago, when my grandfather was ill and staying with my parents, a young immigrant named Selma came to stay with Papa, while Mom and Dad went to work. My mother gave Selma homework every day. Not cleaning or cooking, rather her work was learning to read and write English. And when my mom got home from school, she would work with Selma on her studies. Second story. Several weeks before she died, I had to take my Mom to the emergency room. An intern came over. This young doctor said, "Mrs. Rosenberg. Oh my, you were my fourth grade teacher! You were the best teacher ever. When I found out I was going to have you, I was so afraid, because you were so strict. But you were the best. I am a doctor today, because you encouraged me."
And it was true. My Mom touched the lives of hundreds of children.
My mother was the best grandmother. Every one of her grandchildren can tell you stories about staying with her and learning from her. She made each child feel loved. As my father said, for both of them, they did not divide their hearts of love with each child or grandchild, their hearts got larger.
They both had very strong and large hearts filled with love.
My mother had a wonderful sense of humor. Mom loved people and spread joy quietly wherever she went. She had a wonderful way to make people feel comfortable and an easy way to laugh. A story, after my Mom's TIAs she lost the ability to sequence things. So cooking, cleaning and laundry became difficult. One day she asked me. "Ellen, Dad says my memory is not as good. What do you think? " I answered: "Well Mom, do you cook anymore, or does Liz (their helper) cook? Do you do laundry anymore or does Liz do the laundry? Do you clean any more or does the service clean? My Mom got very quiet and then said, "Well you know Ellen, I never liked doing any of those things anyway!:
And that is true. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry were not high on my mother's to do list. Teaching, visiting, talking, loving were her charms.
December 27, 2010, my Mom left us on Earth forever. But she is forever in my heart and the hearts of all her children, grandchildren and the many people she loved.
Tags: death of Mom, grief
Categories Memories, New Jersey
My Dad was A Proud Veteran
My Dad was a proud veteran. He instilled a love of country and duty in my children. And my children loved him. I know that my son adored my Dad. But I guess until this past Veteran's Day I did not realize how great that love was and remains.
My Dad died in 2011, ten days after my son's 21st birthday. On his birthday, Dad called. I did not hear the phone call. But my son called me immediately after to tell me that Grandpa called to wish him a happy birthday and to say he loved him and would always love him.
My Dad was in the hospital. Very ill. When he hung up, he turned to my sister and said, "No more treatments, no more food, and I am not talking to you anymore." Those might not be the exact words. I wasn't there. I was in Kansas. Dad was in a hospital in New Jersey. But both my sister and brother agreed that he stopped talking and eating, and refused all treatment.
Did I tell you my Dad was very stubborn?
But in this case, he was right, because he made his own choice. And he passed away 10 days later.
It was very difficult. I had plane reservations for that morning. But it was too late. The phone call came at 12:30 am. My brother calling. I did not want to answer the phone. But I had to face the reality…losing my Dad nine months after losing my Mom. My grief was overwhelming.
I flew home to New Jersey, where my brother met me at the airport. His words were in a way helpful. "Dad saved us from making very difficult decisions," he said. And he was right. Because we might have fought with him to do the one thing he never wanted…putting in a feeding tube.
Dad was strong willed.
My father was the recipient of both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Even though he died on a Saturday, the funeral home was able to contact the military. At my father's funeral were two soldiers. At the cemetery they removed the flag covering his casket with great ceremony as they folded it. While the commanding soldier delivered the flag to my brother, saying the scripted, but heartfelt, words of the military, the other soldier disappeared. A few minutes later, I knew why. From a far came the sound of a soldier playing taps. I still cry thinking of how proud my Dad was of serving his country. And how the grateful nation return his respect with the tribute of a bugle.
The flag from Dad's funeral. His favorite Korea Veteran cap.
We kept the flag in the room where we sat shiva. It seemed right that it be with us. As it seemed right that my brother now has the flag.
So what does this have to do with my son?
Well first off, my brother and sister agreed that we would give my son my Dad's newest tallit as a 21st birthday gift. My Dad had three tallisim (prayer shawls). One from his bar mitzvah, one from his wedding, and then the beautiful one my Mom gave him when he became president of his synagogue. In Jewish tradition, you bury the tallit with the owner. But at the funeral home, the director told us, "Keep this one. Use it for a huppah (wedding canopy)for his grandchildren. Burying two is enough."
My son was very quiet when I gave him the tallit. He held it for a while, then stroked the velvet case. I cried because I could see the emotion in that gesture. Now he wears Dad's tallit when he goes to synagogue. My sister recently said to me that this Dad's most personal item….his tallit. That is true. My Dad was proud to wear his tallit. Proud to be Jewish. As he was proud to be a veteran.
What does Veteran's Day and Memorial Day have to do with this story? So much. My Dad served as a forward observer/radio man in the Korean War. As he told my children, "There were no cell phones then. Someone had to go in front of the front line to lay the radio wires. That was me."
My Dad explaining the Korean War.
So when they built a Korean War Veteran's Memorial near my home, I helped fund it by buying a inscribed stone in honor of my Dad. One Thanksgiving, when my parents were visiting, I took them and my children to the Memorial, where Dad told them all about the war… He started to cry….even after over 55 years, the trauma of Korea still was fresh for him.
After my father died, in October 2011, I started going to the Memorial on Veteran's Day and Memorial Day, to say hi to my Dad. I cannot visit his grave, as he is buried in New Jersey. But this year, I could not go on Veteran's Day. I was out of town. It bothered me that I could not make this important visit.
A few days after we got home, I had lunch with my son and his girlfriend. I asked if I could take their photo to send to my daughter. They said yes. But then my son started making funny faces.
"Why are you doing that?" I asked annoyed.
"I am channeling Grandpa," he said. "He would have done worse. He would have also made bunny ears."
I smiled. But what he said next made me cry.
"I went to the Korean War Memorial on Veterans' Day," he said. "I went there because I wanted to pay my respects and honor his memory," he told me later.
When I told him that I went twice a year. And I really appreciate his going for me. He looked at me astonished and said he did not go for me. "I never knew you went there to do that every year," he said. No he went there just to say hi to his grandfather.
There are no words….but love.
My Dad always said that with each child and grandchild your heart does not divide more, it gets bigger. My Dad had the biggest heart, something he gave to his grandchildren.
So each year on Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, I will continue to honor my father by visiting the Korean War Veteran's Memorial. I will think of him and of all the veterans who served with pride.
Tags: death of Dad, grief, Memorial Day, son, veteran of Korean War, Veterans' Day
Categories Kansas, Memories, New Jersey, Parenting, Veterans


My name is Sue French. I am a member of one of the Headway West Sussex's groups. I want to wish you all the very best for your final preparations and I look forward to meeting you on the ride on 2nd July. I am sure that you will all look splendid in your lycra!
I would like to say a few words about our local Headway group and just what it means to me and the many friends that I have made there. I know now that I am not alone. There is life after brain injury. The local Headway facilitator holds it all together, leads our groups, organises meetings and encourages a bond of friendship and togetherness from shared adversity. I know now that it not just me, and it is lovely to be with like-minded people. We are all the same. There are times when we struggle with our confidence, concentration, attention, but we are able to give ourselves a boost, have a laugh and relax together. The volunteers are tremendous and we are provided with support from a psychologist. We have various different talks upon memory, stress, dealing with loud noise etc. We laugh at the fact that we forget names, we do not feel sorry for ourselves, we all have "post its" around our houses and we are "all in the same boat". However, Headway West Sussex gives us a boost when we most need it so that we can look forward to life and dealing with day to day problems, situations. When we have someone come to visit to talk to us about a brain injury related issue, I nod in agreement and I look around the room and I see everyone else nodding as well; I find that tremendously reassuring.
I see it as, literally, a life saver that I have had the tremendous benefit and support from Headway West Sussex. I cannot imagine life without it. I usually look forward to our monthly group meetings, and we meet up in between, as little groups. I have made some great friends, and I am sure these will be friends for life.
We really appreciate all you are doing. Headway West Sussex really does need every single penny, to keep these centres open, so that we can continue to have our group meetings and have this vital support to enable us to lead a good life.
Thank you so much for everything that you are doing to raise much need funds for Headway West Sussex, all the very best and have a great ride!


I recently came across this article by the Huffington Post.
To sum up the article, a Phoenix, AZ man who brought his kitten into a local animal shelter to be treated. The vet on staff told the man, who is a recovering drug addict, that it was going to be $400 to treat his kitten. They refused to take payment over the phone from his mother, or treat the cat & while she wired money to them/him. The animal shelter told him that if he signed over the car to them, they'd treat it and put it into foster care. They didn't. Instead, the very same day the kitten was put down.
The shelter is stating it's reasons for putting the cat down were: the gentleman's lack of funds, lack of veterinarians on staff to treat her, and a serious cut on her leg. The thing is, had he had the money to pay for the treatment, the kitten would have been fine, AND would have been treated right at the same place...so it appears to me that their main reasoning for putting the kitten down was simply because he didn't have the money and they didn't want to deal with it.
It makes me so sad. I know there is tons of over crowding in shelters around the U.S., and a serious lack of funds...but come on! There had to be something they could have done for him. He was a responsible pet owner. He had hand fed the cat when it was just 4 days old. He described the cat as having helped him stay off drugs for over a year, which is the longest he's ever gone. He truly cared about that kitten.
The animal shelter's response is that this is no reason to pull funding, & if people do, it's only going to make cases like this happen more...that's BS if you ask me. Come up with programs to help... this man may have had no $, but I would lay money that he would have done anything to save his kitten... PLUS, his mother was offering to give them money!!!!


Jews have never made up as much as 1 percent of Mississippi's population. Yet despite their small numbers, Jews have had a significant impact on life in the state.
Jews have lived in Mississippi since the eighteenth century, though the first significant Jewish community was not established until the 1800s in Natchez. The first Jewish religious service was reportedly held in Natchez in 1800. The state's oldest congregations are B'nai Israel, formed in Natchez in 1840, and Anshe Chesed, formed in Vicksburg in 1841.
During the nineteenth century, Jewish immigrants from the German states and Alsace settled in Mississippi. Late in that century and early in the next they were joined by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, many of whom initially worked as traveling peddlers. Since most Jews had been legally prevented from owning land in Europe, they had no experience with farming, and most had supported themselves through business ownership. When they came to the United States, they drew on this entrepreneurial experience and became involved in commerce, traveling from town to town to sell supplies to farmers and their families.
After these peddlers, most of them young single men, saved enough money, they opened stores in the towns through which they had traveled. As Mississippi and the rest of the South began to move toward a capitalist, commercial economy in the wake of the Civil War, merchants played an essential role in linking southern farmers to the national market. In towns throughout Mississippi main streets were dominated by Jewish merchants. The most notable success was Stein Mart, now a national department store chain, which had its roots in a dry goods store founded by Russian Jewish immigrant Sam Stein in 1908 in Greenville.
This economic role brought great opportunity as well as real challenges. Since laws prevented Jewish merchants from opening their stores on Sunday, most had no choice but to work on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. It was also very difficult to follow Jewish dietary restrictions in the absence of a ready supply of kosher meat. Mississippi Jews adapted their traditional religious practices to fit their new environment.
For the most part, Jews have enjoyed acceptance in Mississippi, in part because they quickly assimilated to southern culture. While remaining faithful to their unique religion and culture, southern Jews have worked to lessen the barriers and differences between themselves and their Gentile neighbors. Many Jews have held positions of civic leadership, including serving as mayors of Natchez, Meridian, Vicksburg, and Rolling Fork. They have embraced the cultural values of the South, for better or worse. More than two hundred Mississippi Jews fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and even Jews who had not even been in the United States at the time of the war later celebrated Confederate Memorial Day. Many embraced the symbolism and mythology of the Old South. Jane Wexler, a Jewish woman whose mother was one of the founders of the Natchez Pilgrimage organization, was the queen of the Pilgrimage in 1932. During the civil rights movement many Jews shared the prejudices of their white non-Jewish neighbors, although others, inspired by Jewish values, spoke out in favor of racial equality and integration.
Indeed, anti-Semitism was most pronounced during the struggle over civil rights. In 1967 the Ku Klux Klan bombed Jackson's Temple Beth Israel and the home of its rabbi, Perry Nussbaum, who supported integration. Several months later the Klan bombed Temple Beth Israel in Meridian. The incidents galvanized much of the local non-Jewish community to denounce these violent acts.
Although Mississippi Jews worked hard to fit in, they also sought to maintain their distinct identity. Jewish parents encouraged their children to marry other Jews, a difficult task in towns with only a few Jewish families. As a result, Mississippi Jews built statewide and regional social networks to ensure that their children had access to Jewish peers. Utica's Henry S. Jacobs Camp, founded in 1970, has become one of the most significant Jewish experiences for young Jews in Mississippi and the surrounding areas.
Mississippi's Jewish population has declined from more than four thousand in 1968 to perhaps fifteen hundred after the turn of the twenty-first century. The children of the Jewish merchants who settled in Mississippi attended college, became professionals, and had little interest in taking over the family business. The decline of Mississippi's rural economy and the rise of national retail chains have also pushed Mississippi Jews to such booming Sunbelt cities as Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston. The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, with branches in Utica and Natchez, was created in 1986 to ensure that the legacy of Mississippi Jews lives on even if their numbers continue to decline.


text:
National teaching standards for Kuwait
Research 24 Apr 2013 3 minute read
ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Lawrence Ingvarson has been assisting Kuwait to develop a national teaching standards framework.
The project is part of a broader World Bank education technical assistance mission project to develop National Education Standards for Kuwait. The World Bank project includes the development of a national curriculum, learning standards, school environment standards and leadership standards as well as teaching standards.
The National Teaching Standards Writing Group first came together for five days in November 2012. It consists of teachers, teacher educators and members of the national teachers' association. Dr Ingvarson guided the Writing Group through the process of preparing the first draft set of standards. After leading two more writing workshops in February and March 2013, the Writing Group has completed a draft ready for consultation and validation.
The validation process will involve distribution of the draft standards to a wide range of educators at all levels of the Kuwait education system during April and May 2013, together with a set of guidelines and questions to assist discussion and evaluation of the draft framework. A national survey and focus group meeting with major stakeholders will also be part of the validation process. It is expected that a final draft of the framework will be completed in June 2013.
As part of the project, Dr Ingvarson has worked closely with members of the National Center for Education (NCED) and the Ministry of Education. Discussions have focused on key policy decisions in relation to the purposes for the standards. These include using the standards for purposes such as:
Accreditation of teacher education programs;
Registration of new teachers for full entry to the profession; and
Advanced certification of teachers.
Dr Ingvarson has advised that each of these purposes must be based on a valid and professionally respected set of standards for good teaching if, together, they are to be effective in assuring teacher quality. Consideration is also being given to whether Kuwait should establish an independent body with legislated responsibility to carry out these functions.
Special attention was given to making sure that the standards developed by the Writing Group were assessable; that is, that they were written in such a way that they indicated what kind of evidence might be gathered to show that a teacher had met the standards. At this stage, the standards only indicate what teachers should know and be able to do. Methods for gathering evidence about a teacher's performance and methods for assessing whether that performance meets the standards will need to be established before the standards are fully developed.
The present set of teaching standards is applicable to all teachers. In later versions of the framework, the standards will be elaborated for different specialist fields of teaching in Kuwait.
Lawrence Ingvarson
Dr Lawrence Ingvarson is a Principal Research Fellow in ACER's Teaching and Learning research program.
Building capacity for Bhutan's learning assessment
Piloting a new approach to analyse learning assessment systems
Assessments to support quality teaching and learning


text:
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Making the CAIS
Everything Flows from Relationships
By Jim Power, Principal of Upper Canada College
Growth mindsets, 21st-century learning skills, cross-cultural competencies – these are among the important topics vigorously promoted in schools these days. But it's important to remember something that has been true since Plato first wrote about his cave: schools are, at their deepest core, about the fundamental and pivotal relationship between student and teacher.
When I was a kid, the adult in the front of the class made the weather for me. I'm not proud of this, but I have to confess that I "rewarded" teachers I connected with by giving them my best effort. And, foolish as it now seems, I "punished" teachers who didn't seem to care about me, or the subject matter, by putting in a perfunctory effort. If they were only going through the motions, well then by golly, so would I! (As a matter of fact, I so severely "punished" my high school chemistry teacher that I almost sent myself to summer school!)
As I leave Upper Canada College after 12 years as principal (and prepare for a new position in the U.S. that will put me closer to my university-aged kids) I remind myself of the importance of relationships. There is a line in the UCC school hymn that describes the Almighty as being "slow to chide and swift to bless." I applaud our Higher Power for this good habit. Knowing when to chide and when to bless is a key insight, because Lord knows (and we should too), that if you were so inclined, you could "chide" all day long – in every school you care to name!
Adolescents need to be blessed, swiftly and meaningfully, on a regular basis. They need to be encouraged, acknowledged, and occasionally even celebrated, because those years can be scary and unsettling ones. The stormy seas of physical, mental, and emotional changes kids sometimes swim in can rob them of the kind of quiet self-assurance they'll need to eventually join a workplace, or a school club, or even a conversation.
Photo: Jim Power's high school graduation photograph, 1976, back in the era when he "rewarded" and "punished" his high school teachers.
By Helen-Kay Davy, Principal of Havergal College
Technology makes things more convenient and speeds up our access to information. But it can also limit what we discover, understand and believe.
In our desire to educate our students – to give them the tools to navigate complex, sometimes contradictory systems – shouldn't we be seeking technology that opens doors rather than closes them, technology...
Read more about Keeping an Open Mind
When the Strength of Our Community was Tested
by Erin Corbett, Head of School at River Valley School
Sometimes it takes extreme circumstances to appreciate what simple words like "community" and "learning" really mean.
River Valley School, located in the old and historic part of Calgary, was severely damaged during the catastrophic flooding of late June 2013...
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The Power and Benefits of Mentorship
by Eileen Daunt, Head of School at Bayview Glen
Mentoring is part of how we all function and flourish, from our first interactions with our parents, and then on to our relationships with friends, teachers, colleagues and those we work for. At Bayview Glen, we believe in the life-long value of mentorship and have developed a comprehensive mentorship program for all our students ...
Read more about The Power and Benefits of Mentorship
Mining the Creativity and Critical Thinking in Our Students
by Claire Sumerlus, Head of School at Robbins Hebrew Academy
RHA is a community of thinkers. In fact, our very vision is to produce generations of original minds who lead their lives with courage and compassion.
Our entire curriculum is based on a pedagogy designed to achieve exactly that ...
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The Benefits of Live-Time Assessment
by Martin Jones, Middle School Principal and Craig Davis, Senior School Principal at Mulgrave School
Following on the work of John Hattie and others, Mulgrave has recently been focusing on efforts to improve teacher feedback, as well as student expectations and target-setting, in order to improve student learning.
Our initiative, Live-Time Assessment, involves openly sharing key assessment results and feedback with both students and parents soon after the assessment takes place ...
Read more about The Benefits of Live-Time Assessment
Who We Are is as Important as What We Do
by Dr. Josep L. González, head of School at TFS – Canada's International School
In the midst of developing our new strategic plan for TFS – Canada's International School, I was struck by how we often talk about what we do but seldom about who we are. This sort of fundamental insight is particularly relevant for TFS because we are in a unique position, geographically, intellectually and academically ...
Read more about Who We Are is as Important as What We Do
Admissions – Not Just a Process
by Katherine Nikidis, Principal at Trafalgar School for Girls
Sometimes one size does not fit all. The concept doesn't work well for clothing and it doesn't work for standardized admissions tests. I also think that it doesn't truly work for Trafalgar School for Girls.
At Trafalgar we have been thinking about how best to assess, accept and nurture students so that they thrive within our school ...
Read more about Admissions – Not Just a Process
Perhaps It's Something in the Water
by Dr. Glenn Zederayko, Head of School at Glenlyon Norfolk School
Every school encourages a caring and community-minded experience for its students, but that doesn't fully explain what makes Glenlyon Norfolk – located on the western edge of the country, in Victoria – such a special place.
Perhaps it's something in the water. Or, more precisely, perhaps it's the fact that we are situated at the boundary of land and ocean, with the world there at our doorstep ...
Read more about Perhaps It's Something in the Water
Building Canada's World School for Boys
by Dr. Tom Matthews, Headmaster at St. George's School
St. George's School is halfway through its ten-year strategic plan, One Boy at a Time. By any measure, it's a big and bold plan. We are positioning St. George's to be a world leader in the education of boys. We started with the basics, which for us meant recommitting to being deliberately and proactively a boy's school. In this era – when some single-gender schools remain so for reasons of tradition, and while others are considering or have already become co-ed – that in itself is a major commitment ...
Read more about Building Canada's World School for Boys
Keeping Our Focus
by Laurence Kutler, Head of School at Talmud Torah | Herzliah
What will our students remember ten years from now? I think it's safe to say they won't remember individual tests and assignments – those numbers and data that sometimes are in danger of consuming all our energies and focus.
I do think they will remember the humanity of our school, the warmth of the teachers and staff, the nurturing community that we focus on creating at Talmud Torah | Herzliah ...
Read more about Keeping Our Focus
Singing Our Light
by Allan Hardy, Principal at Greenwood College School
At Greenwood, we believe strongly that students should be provided with multiple opportunities to challenge their minds, their bodies and their spirits. And now we have a spectacular artwork that demonstrates these beliefs.
"Singing the Light," by Toronto artist Sarah Hall, is 60 feet high by 18 feet wide and continuously spans five floors of our school. The central tree that stretches the length of the piece, together with the birds that come to rest within the piece and then fly off on their own, are allegories for the school community ...
Read more about Singing Our Light
Our Students are Masterworks
by Ted Spear, Ph.D., Head at Island Pacific School
At Island Pacific School we believe that when kids are given a strong foundation and the right kinds of support, they can achieve truly remarkable things.
This belief is put into practice in our Masterworks program. Small by design – IPS has a total of about 65 students spread across Grades 6 to 9 – our school has created an intellectually creative challenge for our graduating students ...
Read more about Our Students are Masterworks
Neuchâtel Junior College Celebrates 60 Years
Neuchâtel Junior College - Bill Boyer, Head of School.
"We have many of the same concerns as other CAIS schools," says Neuchâtel's Head of School, Bill Boyer, "and that includes refreshing our facilities, fundraising, and ensuring a compelling education inside – and especially outside – the classroom."
"What is unique about our school is that we renew our entire student body every year. We offer Grade 12 only, and so each and every year we see a new group of students. That has its challenges and its pleasures."...
Read more about Neuchâtel Junior College Celebrates 60 Years
Leveraging Our Power
redactor-temporary
by Martha Perry, Principal at St. Clement's School
As the product of a girls' school, I believe strongly in the presence and the nurturing of women in leadership. It is a comfort to know that CAIS believes in this as well.
Over the last four years, a module on Women and Leadership – first started by Kathy Nikidis, past Head of Miss Edgar's and Miss Cramp's School – has been included at the CAIS Leadership Institute. It has been important in fostering conversations among female colleagues about research, candid experiences, and considerations of next steps ...
Read more about Leveraging Our Power
Keeping a Stiff Upper Lip or Digging Deep?
by Stuart Grainger, Headmaster at Trinity College School
The start of an academic year brings a new energy to those of us in education – students, staff and faculty alike. A fresh beginning provides another opportunity to set short-term and long-term goals, another chance to sharpen habits and routines and, ultimately, the ability to make our lives and communities better ...
Read more about Keeping a Stiff Upper Lip or Digging Deep?
The Importance of a Blank Page, and Some Deep Thinking
by Graham Hookey, Head of School at Kempenfelt Bay School
Since 1984 I have written a weekly column for local newspapers in the communities in which I have lived. My purposes are quite simple. First, I feel that discussions surrounding education and parenting (the main thrusts of my writing) are both necessary and helpful. I throw ideas up in the air, share the insights and research of others, and then hope some of it settles in such a way that it's helpful to parents as they take on the ever-challenging role of raising children ...
Read more about The Importance of a Blank Page, and Some Deep Thinking
Happiness is the Truth!
As schools begin the new academic year, CAIS wants to wish Rodger Wright a relaxing, fulfilling – and happy – retirement.
After 33 years as Headmaster – at Trinity College and Collingwood School – Rodger Wright retired in June. But he did not go without a song ...
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Can You Fly?
By Jason B. Rogers, Headmaster at Rundle College
When I was five years old, if someone had asked me this, I probably would have answered, "I might not be able to fly now! But I'm about to take off!"
I remember donning my Superman costume and running in circles in my backyard attempting to get a little bit of lift. My younger brother, who so often was the innocent bystander in need of rescue, often sat by awaiting my triumphant arrival ...
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Finding the Magic
By Paul G. Kitchen, Head of School at Rothesay Netherwood School
In 1965 I was a new grade 9 boarding student beginning what I thought would be a grand adventure. Both of my brothers had spent five years at boarding school, so I didn't ask any questions. When I was going into grade 9, it just seemed that it was my turn. Little did I know that my turn would end up lasting 46 years ...
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The Business and Joys of Education are Unlike Any Other
By Blayne Addley, Headmaster at Halifax Grammar School
The Halifax Grammar School is currently designing a new campus. It's being brought to life founded on the core principals of collaboration and group-work, and will celebrate liberal arts education, which I strongly believe will help develop the best and brightest opportunities for our current and future students ...
Read more about The Business and Joys of Education are Unlike Any Other
The Story of Keisha (or, never underestimate the impact you can have on the life of a child)
By Dorothy Byers, Head of School at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School
Human beings are socialized creatures: we need social interaction to thrive. Working in education enables the development of deep relationships with the children, parents, and adults with whom we work. The impact of these relationships may take years to understand or come to fruition. Let me share one that is profoundly impactful in my life ...
Read more about The Story of Keisha (or, never underestimate the impact you can have on the life of a child)
Perhaps We See Some Revolutions Only in Retrospect
By Geoff Dowd, Principal of Trafalgar School for Girls
My undergraduate readings in education during the early 1970s created a fair degree of internal cognitive dissonance: they included Ivan Illich urging us to de-school society and Neil Postman disparaging systems that focused too much on how to make a living, rather than live a life. Taught by professors long removed from school classrooms (if they were ever there), I seemed to learn more about why education was not working...
Read more about Perhaps We See Some Revolutions Only in Retrospect
Growth mindsets, 21st-century learning skills, cross-cultural competencies – these are among the important topics vigorously promoted in schools these days. But it's important to remember something that has been true since Plato first wrote about his cave: schools are, at their deepest core, about the fundamental and pivotal relationship between student and teacher...
Read more about Everything Flows from Relationships
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Jacob moved carefully, wary of the many improbably perched ornaments that decorated the house.
"Over here," called Angela, her voice seemingly distant. It was no real help, but the corridor had only one way out that didn't seem to be covered in years of dust. Jacob stepped into the brightest room in the house, a window letting in the rays of dusk.
"See? He's still alive," said Angela. The kitten in her hand looked bedraggled, but it was breathing, its tiny chest rising and falling rythmically.
"Just barely. How'd you find him?" Jacob asked, examining the kitten with the practised care of a professional.
"Oh, right. Well…" Jacob said, backpeddaling. Angela was a sentimental one.
"I figured you were a vet," Angela began.
"Ha ha. Anyway, you should know what do with him." Angela finished, hopefully.
"Oh… can't I keep him? I mean, her?" Angela asked, almost pleading.
"It's not like I have anything else to do, other than maybe start looking for a job again…" Angela looked at the kitten, its eyes tightly shut like all babies, peacefully asleep. Its starkly white fur glowed orange at the edges in the dusk light.
"I'll call her Snow," she said.
Is this your fiction? cute… i was reminded of someone I knew. is it a followup to something?


text:
<?php

namespace Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Command;

use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputInterface;
use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputOption;
use Symfony\Component\Console\Output\OutputInterface;
use Symfony\Component\Console\Style\SymfonyStyle;

/**
 * Clear and Warmup the cache.
 *
 * @author Francis Besset <francis.besset@gmail.com>
 * @author Fabien Potencier <fabien@symfony.com>
 */
class CacheClearCommand extends ContainerAwareCommand
{
    /**
     * {@inheritdoc}
     */
    protected function configure()
    {
        $this
            ->setName('cache:clear')
            ->setDefinition(array(
                new InputOption('no-warmup', '', InputOption::VALUE_NONE, 'Noop. Will be deprecated in 4.1 to be removed in 5.0.'),
            ))
            ->setDescription('Clears the cache')
            ->setHelp(<<<'EOF'
The <info>%command.name%</info> command clears the application cache for a given environment
and debug mode:

  <info>php %command.full_name% --env=dev</info>
  <info>php %command.full_name% --env=prod --no-debug</info>
EOF
            )
        ;
    }

    /**
     * {@inheritdoc}
     */
    protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output)
    {
        $io = new SymfonyStyle($input, $output);

        $cacheDir = $this->getContainer()->getParameter('kernel.cache_dir');
        $filesystem = $this->getContainer()->get('filesystem');

        if (!is_writable($cacheDir)) {
            throw new \RuntimeException(sprintf('Unable to write in the "%s" directory', $cacheDir));
        }

        $kernel = $this->getContainer()->get('kernel');
        $io->comment(sprintf('Clearing the cache for the <info>%s</info> environment with debug <info>%s</info>', $kernel->getEnvironment(), var_export($kernel->isDebug(), true)));
        $this->getContainer()->get('cache_clearer')->clear($cacheDir);

        if ($output->isVerbose()) {
            $io->comment('Removing old cache directory...');
        }

        $filesystem->remove($cacheDir);

        if ($output->isVerbose()) {
            $io->comment('Finished');
        }

        $io->success(sprintf('Cache for the "%s" environment (debug=%s) was successfully cleared.', $kernel->getEnvironment(), var_export($kernel->isDebug(), true)));
    }
}


text:
ICAP at ICASA 2019: Leading HIV Response Data, Design and Delivery to Achieve an AIDS-Free Africa
Dec 20, 2019 | News
ICAP's Founder and Global Director, Wafaa El-Sadr, speaks at a plenary session during ICASA 2019
At the 20th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), the central theme focused on achieving an AIDS Free Africa through innovation, community and political leadership. Held in Kigali from December 2-7, nearly 10,000 delegates from across the world attended the conference for an opportunity to learn about the latest research, clinical advancements, and policies moving forward global efforts towards HIV epidemic control—particularly in Africa.
Throughout the week, ICAP organized and participated in several satellite sessions and led or co-authored more than 25 scientific posters. At a plenary session, ICAP's Founder and Global Director, Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, presented on integrating HIV care with emerging infections, comorbidities, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
"We must focus on the health needs of the people we serve," noted Wafaa El-Sadr "This compels us to seek the most effective ways to deliver the services they need—in an integrated manner and at the highest quality. It is time to move from small pilot programs to the scale-up of NCD/HIV integration in order to confront these two epidemics."
ICAP also organized three satellite sessions to showcase its work on general and key population surveys; HIV drug resistance survey implementation; and differentiated service delivery and advanced HIV disease.
The session on general and key population surveys highlighted the unique differences between general and key population surveys but also emphasized their synergies as they both provide critical data on the current HIV epidemic and can suggest how to better prioritize HIV prevention, treatment and delivery services.
"How do we know the effectiveness of HIV interventions? How do we know if medication given to people with HIV are being well-taken?" asked Hon. Diane Gashumba, MD, MMed, Minister of Health, Rwanda, "This is where population surveys come in and why they are important. Population-based surveys provide information that can be generalized so we know which categories of people we need more focus on and whether we need to adjust our policies."
"PHIA data, bio behavioral survey data and program data are essential for understanding where we are in addressing the epidemic," says Ambassador-at-Large Deborah L. Birx, MD, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, "but it can't be analyzed in a vacuum. Data must be triangulated from multiple sources to build a fuller picture of the epidemic."
Esteemed panelists during this session also discussed the importance of how general and key population surveys influence community-led HIV programs, future HIV program planning, and defining the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets.
Another satellite session organized by ICAP and Rwanda Biomedical Center shared learnings from HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) survey implementations, focusing on country-level experiences and evidence for policy decisions.
Chaired by ICAP's Senior Technical Director, Jessica Justman, MD, speakers shared lessons learned from carrying out standardized and nationally representative HIVDR surveys, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), in Eswatini, Rwanda, Lesotho and Switzerland along with the latest policy recommendations for surveillance, programmatic responses, and treatment guidelines to address and control rising levels of drug-resistant HIV.
ICAP's HIV Coverage, Quality and Impact Network (CQUIN) brings countries together to share innovations in differentiated service delivery (DSD) and work towards sustainable, high quality HIV programs. At ICASA, the CQUIN network convened DSD implementers from ministries of health, organizations of people living with HIV, implementing partners, and donors. Their participation in an interactive satellite session called attention to the importance of DSD for advanced HIV disease. Their experiences also focused on the importance of sharing innovations and global best practices for DSD.
"Differentiated service delivery is key in addressing the individual needs of people and communities. There is a need to take a public health approach to ending HIV in order to reach everyone" said Peter Preko, MBChB, MPH, CQUIN Project Director, "Not only is it important to increase coverage but it is equally important to ensure the quality of services."
ICAP staff participated in several other meetings during ICASA. Fatima Tsiouris, MS, ICAP's Deputy Director of Training, who provided an update on the latest progress in closing key gaps in mother-to-child-transmission of HIV at The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) meeting on 'START FREE, STAY FREE, AIDS FREE: Meeting the 2020 HIV Targets for Children, Adolescents and Young Women: remaining roadblocks and potential game-changers.'
At a session led by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ICAP's Nandita Sugandhi, MD, discussed challenges that clinical implementing partners face in shifting to new and improved HIV treatment regimens as well as what opportunities exist to engage with local and global implementers to support the transition to TLD, a new line of antiretroviral treatment.
At the ICASA exhibition space, conference attendees learned about ICAP's latest work and global presence at its exciting exhibition booth. Elsewhere in the exhibition hall, ICAP team members and partner organizations disseminated research findings and programmatic results during poster presentations throughout the week.
The full overview of ICAP's participation at the ICASA 2019 conference can be found online here. The ICASA 2019 website also includes some links to video recordings and may be updated in the coming weeks with additional resources, such as slides and abstract excerpts.
To view more scenes from ICAP at ICASA 2019, visit ICAP's photo gallery here.
To explore the latest ICAP research, click "Publications" on the Tools & Resources section of ICAP's website.


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