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Sorority Sisters and The Politics of Respectability!
Reflecting on Essence at 20 Years!
Sorority Sisters brought back deep wounded issues for me. Issues of respectability that sat center stage after my honorary membership in Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc., was rescinded, May 1, 2012 after 12 years as a member, over some tweets that I made.
Watching the Social Media craze around VH1's new reality show. I remembered like yesterday my telephone conversation with the national president of Delta, (at the time) Cynthia McIntyre-Bulter when she informed me that I was no longer a member of Delta Sigma Theta.
When I asked, "What about Soror Rose McKinney, who was the focus of my tweets and how she spoke to me over the phone?" Cynthia didn't bother to answer my question, she kept the focus on my behavior and replied, "There were some past national presidents that were livid. It was the vulgarity of it all."
She sent a message to me loud and clear, how I was treated in private by another sorority sister did not carry the weight of my public response to her treatment. Respectability was more important than hurt feelings. It reminded me of a deeply rooted philosophy in the African-American community "Black folks don't air our dirty laundry in public." The women on Sorority Sisters not only aired their dirty laundry, they broke all the written and unwritten rules of protocol. With decorum at the top of the list, that is, how you act in public reflects the entire sisterhood.
At Delta National Convention
I was proud to be a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. I was inducted as a honorary member on my life time achievement to help improve the human condition. All my work as an AIDS Activist was being recognized by the sorority and this made me feel proud.
As a black woman, it was one of the highest honors you could receive from women of your own race. In all four of the black sororities, the list of honorary members reads like a who's who in black America. To be included amongst such distinction, because of the work that I had done and continue to do, and then excluded over my behavior, hurt as deeply as the love I felt being inducted into the sisterhood.
I will recap quickly, but you can watch the video. Rose McKinney the executive director called and asked me to take pictures off my website that had been up for 3 years, of me and other honorary members wearing our ceremonial robs. Our robes are not private, but the national office reserves the right to publish. I agreed right away to take them down. Rose asked me when, I told her that I just gotten off a airplane to go speak and didn't have my computer with me. I promised to take them down as soon as I could. She however, continued to push me on that point. And when I couldn't give her an exact time she then started hollering at me to take them down NOW. I hung up on her. I was not going to allow her to disrespect me when I had been nothing but respectful to her. And she then called me back to back to back and when I didn't answer, she then texted and told me again to take the pictures down, of which I had already agreed. I was so hurt by this lack of respect and her badgering me like I was a child. I vented on Twitter.
So I just hung up the telephone on the National Executive Director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Nobody disrespects me!!
She was talking to me like I was a bitch on the street and not an honorary member, WOW
She would have NEVER talked to Ruby Dee this way. I guess I'm not big enough as a honorary member.
When I was asked into Delta I thought it was the best thing ever. But in recent yrs. I hv gotten treated with so much disrespect from national.
My feelings are so hurt. Sisterhood shouldn't hurt!!! #DST she really was talkin to me like I was 5 yrs. old.
I then tweeted, after I received tons of tweets and private messages from soror's that I shouldn't be talking about this matter publicly.
Don't NO One else DM me about what's appropriate or not appropriate for me Tweet about Delta. I do what the fuck I want to
I'm a grown ass woman and NO one is paying my bills but me. Where were you last wk when I was sick with $10.38 in the bank.
That night Cynthia McIntyre-Bulter called me after receiving emails and calls about my tweets from other members of Delta sigma Theta. She and I had a heart to heart and I believed the issue to be resolved. I agreed to remove the tweets, which I did. Also, by the time I spoke with Cynthia that night, the pictures had been removed from my website.
In our conversation that night, I felt like I was being admonished, so the last thing I asked Cynthia, "Soror, am I being put out of Delta over this?" She said, "No one is putting you out of Delta," with a chuckle. "I'm going to ask that you don't tweet about it anyone or talk about it in public." I complied with her request.
Fourteen months later, I received a called from Cynthia informing me that my membership had been rescind because of my tweets. Later that day I made a video explaining that my membership had been rescinded. Once it went viral, all hell broke loose. To date, there have been over 84,000 views and people still have an opinion, one way or the other. In the following two years, if I even mention my relationship with Delta on Social Media, I am "put in my place" by Delta's quickly. They still feel me being vocal bout my personal experience is talking about Delta business.
Just like Sorority Sisters I was the talk of Twitter. Soror's took sides. On the private Facebook pages Delta's asked questions like, Did they know what type of woman she was before we inducted her into our sisterhood ? Duh, everyone knows that I curse like a sailor, even in my speaking engagements. But cursing was fine when I was promoting Delta's HIV/ADS service projects and speaking all over the country for them changing and impacting lives.
Delta's who I thought were friends, unfollowed me on Twitter and stopped talking to me altogether. The national leadership totally cut me off as if I were dead. I felt isolated and thrown anyway.
Ironically, Shanna McCormick, one of the Delta's on the VH1 show Sorority Sisters, who I was friends with prior to her becoming a Delta attacked me on Twitter. Our history goes back to when she was the chair of Keep A Child Alive on her college campus, I was a featured speaker. After that, she and I remained friends. While she was pledging Delta, she looked to me for encouragement, which I gladly gave.
But one night on Twitter our friendship halted that quickly. She told me that, "I embarrassed Delta by making the video." She went on a rant that hurt me deeply. Now, two years later she's on a reality show that makes my tweets look like small potatoes in the area of respectability, compared to the drama on Sorority Sisters. *blank stare*
The night Sorority Sisters aired #BlackTwitter had a lot to say. Members of the Divine Nine (black sorority's and fraternities) had even more to say. The verdict, Sorority Sister's is both an embarrassment and misrepresentation of black sorority life.
I saw the Divine Nine at it's best that night. Before the show had ended, they had tweeted the names of all the sponsors of Sorority Sisters and went to work. By the next day, Honda, Carmex, SelmaMovie, Coco Cola, Crayola, and JBL had withdrawn their sponsorship from the show. I commend them for their activism. It shows what African-Americans can do when we come together around an issue.
Many high profile people in the Divine Nine have spoken against Sorority Sisters. Interestingly, K. Michelle a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, also a cast member of Love and Hip Hop another reality show on VH1 expressed her outrage over Sorority Sisters. She argues, when you represent your organization, there is a standard of behavior. This is true, women are screened by this standard prior to acceptance, as well as, their service to the community. While K. Michelle wants to compartmentalize, Love and Hip Hop is no better than Sorority Sisters, but no one will dare say it because she has taken the respectability position when it comes to the sorority.
The fact of the matter, there is code that all Delta's should live by while wearing or not wearing their symbols. Looking back, I often wonder why they asked me to be a member knowing my reputation of candor and transparency. While I met the criteria as an honorary member in all aspects of my life, I do curse like a sailor publicly thereby breaking a code of decorum. And then I ask, why did Delta allow me to speak at Delta events talking shit to college students and women alike breaking that same code? What benefit did Delta have with their association with me and when did I become collateral damage that needed to be dealt with?
Yes, Respectability Politics among African-Americans, extends beyond sorority life. It is a way of life informed by the belief that African-Americans already have to work twice as hard to get where we want to be, we don't need any more strikes against us. This means we are to never give White America a reason to think less of us. This has been the main critique against some of these reality shows that feature African-Americans; black people are acting like fools for the whole world to see.
We can see recently how Respectability Politics played itself out in the Ferguson case, that people are divided around justice for Michael Brown because it was alleged that he was involved in a robbery just minutes before he was gunned down. As if to say, demanding justice for an unarmed teenager is ok just as long as he meets the standard of respectability.
Just last week Delta Sigma Theta Sorority asked it's members to not wear paraphernalia while protesting. Ironically, protesting in the woman's suffrage march in Washington, D. C. was one of the first acts of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 1913. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority also asked its member to not display sorority symbols in protest, but rescinded after Zeta Phi Beta Sorority encouraged their members to be proud Zeta's, while protesting for justice.
The Politics of Respectability dates back to Post Reconstruction. This paradigm influenced the standard of the nine black fraternities and sororities in this country. Especially the sororities. After slavery, black people spent a lot of time trying to prove to white America that they were not only equals to them, but they could also be good Americans. How blacks dressed to how they worshiped was scrutinized by other blacks. Historian Tera W. Hunter outlines that very point in her book , To Joy My Freedom, a study on black washer women in Atlanta in 1896 during the Atlanta Exposition.
While Respectability Politics has flourished among the black middle and upper class, it has not been accepted by all blacks, both then and now. Trying to be better white people was unappealing to some. Many in the late 19th and early 20th century held onto black culture through worship and how they dressed. Harvard Professor, Evelyn Higginbotham argues in her book on Black Baptist women, Righteous Discontent, that Respectability Politics created tension among middle class and poor blacks in the late 1800's. In recent times, there was some backlash when Bill Cosby wrote his respectability book, Come On People. Nikki Giovanni also an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta articulates Respectability Politics about Cosby best. You can watch HERE
I out line these issues in my book, The Politics of Respectability which addresses Respectability Politics in my own life from my mother to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. By the first generation of college educated blacks in the late 1800's, uplift through education and morality was a prominent theme among African-Americans. Black middle class church women led the Respectability movement. Mary Church Terrell the president of the National Association of Colored Women and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority articulates respectability this way, "I must not neglect to mention another duty which the association owes the race...The duty of setting a high moral standard and living up to it develops us in a particular way. " Respectability Politics seems to have a permanent pace in black America 134 years later.
So here we are in 2014 with Respectability Politics center stage once again. Black greeks ask, "How dare Mona Scott Young, (a black woman and creator of Sorority Sister's) and VH1 air such buffoonery?" How dare she discredit who we are and what we are about; scholarship and service. (BTW, she is also the creator of Love and Hip Hop and Basketball Wives.)
Non greeks are asking why didn't black greeks lead the protest against other reality shows they portray black people negatively? Did it only matter because black sororities were the target? Do you only care how black elites are portrayed or do we all matter? Will you now extend the boycott of sponsors and Mona Scott Young to the other shows on VH1 that degrade black people?
I'm sure that Sorority Sisters would have met our approval had there had been no vulgarity; if no one had called another a bitch? Or if the women had acted like grown women, instead of the college rivalry we do see among theses four sororities on college campuses. Yet at the same time, I think it's easy to boycott the bad, but do we really support the good? I remember a reality show on BET called Harlem Heights. It was a wonderful show following the lives of four black millennia's, one of them was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. The show was canceled after the first season. I wonder what would have happened if all of her soror's would have tuned in. I know that I supported her. Or, at the other end, if the cast would have acted like the casts on other reality shows would it still be airing?
I think we must also ask questions such as, who are these women on the show? Aren't they a part of the Divine Nine? Aren't they sorority sisters? Delta Sigma Theta had five women on the show and the other sororities Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sigma Gamma Rho and Zeta Phi Beta had one each. Others are supposed to be added as the season goes. Don't we all matter in the same way?
Do we punish them for airing their dirty laundry in pubic while doing it in the name of their individual sororities, like I was punished for airing the sororities dirty laundry in public or do we try to understand who they are?
In the era of reality shows, did these women see this as a good thing? That is, showing who they really are in public. I have found that transparency scares people, especially when it has a moral value assigned to it. The fact of the matter, we all know women like the ones on Sorority Sisters in each of the black sororities and some even in their own chapters.
If this is true, is shame actually driving the protest. Is shame the elephant in the room that makes us uncomfortable with women being who they are, instead of who they out to be? Well, the cat is out of the bag, you can pretend all day long, but there are "common" ordinary women in black sororities? I argue in my book that we are all shaped by our social location. One that is established long before we enter into sisterhood. I know that I was. My mother cursed like a sailor, and her habit became my habit and 27 years of education didn't altar that behavior one bit. Who we are should be enough.
While I saw the chaos and disrespect of each other on Sorority Sisters, I also saw a single mother, struggling to get on her feet so that her daughter could come live with her; a women who achieved a personal goal of 70 pound weight lost, two entrepreneurs, a woman following a dream to be a dancer and another a professional photographer. I wonder if anyone else saw that, or were they blinded by the vulgarity of it all? Truth be told, these women are us and I will bet that there are some black women who can relate to each of them.
What really struck me was the tears of two women. I heard one say that things are so bad for her, that most day's she's trying to figure out where her next meal is coming from. I sure understand that. For real, for real. Another woman is dealing with issues of self-esteem, having grown up in a home where the expectation for her was to be nothing and do nothing. I know what thats like; having low self worth and over compensating to get approval. Our social location informs our behavior and our decisions.
At a Delta Convention with other honorary members
Now, I watched Sorority Sisters on YouTube after the fact. I don't have cable and when I did, I didn't watch reality shows. I half watched one season of Atlanta Housewives because a good friend was an associate producer . I watched an episode of Basketball Wives because a friend insisted, and was appalled when one woman hit another over the head with a bottle. And I half watched the first season of Housewives of Beverly Hills. I decided then that I cannot participate in the madness of people hurting each other, either emotionally or physically. This is not what it means to be human.
Honestly, I found Sorority Sister's like most reality shows, it was entertaining in the way reality shows are made of, lots of drama. The show received 1.3 million views. Vh1 says it was the number one non-sport show among women in that time slot. People watched the dog and pony show and tons of people are waiting on next week, I can bet my life on it.
The day I was inducted into Delta!
The cast of Sorority Sisters are in fact members of these sororities and they were taught the same thing as their other sisters. Everyone's protocol book is a how to be a proper lady. Women in black sororities do see themselves as "different" as "other" as "better" and truth be told, while we show solidarity in public, in private we are taught that even our sorority is better then the others. That we have qualities they do not.
These values are embedded in each member, including the women on Sorority Sisters. So what went all wrong? Basically, people are who they are. There are women who would have never considered to do this show, and then there are those who did. The fact of the matter, while our sororities reach for conformity, we are not a monolithic people, we come in all shapes and sizes. physically, emotionally and mentally, Sorority Sisters only verified that fact.
I wonder then if the "commonness" of these women on the show is the real issue? Or maybe, the problem is, being "common" and showing that you are "common" for the world to see are two very different things.
At the end of the day, Mona Scott Young had an idea for a show. These are the women that were chosen and each of them belong to the Divine Nine, just like I once did. I continue to go back to this quote that I put in my book from Delta Sigma Theta's past national president Lillian P. Benbow-1971-1975. I think it speaks volumes.
"When I look at you, I see myself. If my eyes are unable to see you my sister, it is because my own vision is blurred. And if that be so, then it is I who need you either because I do not understand who you are, my sister, or because I need you to help me understand who I am."
The day I was kicked out of Delta!
I wonder what disciplinary action will be taken against these women for showing their ass in public, especially the women of Delta Sigma Theta. I mean, I did get kicked out because of my tweets, which is mild in comparison to this reality show. I mean it was the vulgarity of it all that cause an uproar over Sorority Sisters.
Labels: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Bill Cosby, Delta Sigma Theta, Divine Nine, Ferguson, Michael Brown, Nikki Goivanni, Sorority Sisters, The Politics of Respectability, VH1 Sorority Sisters
This time 20 years ago, I was the talk of Black America. My cover story in the December issue of Essence magazine had hit the new stands. Essence had dared to put a woman on the cover of their magazine that was not a celebrity or a super model, but a typical young black women, living with AIDS.
I was every young black woman who thought that she was doing everything right in her dating life. Despite of the fact that I had grown up in a physically, emotionally and sexually abusive household, I had managed to escape, drugs and alcohol. I had gone to college. I had a professional career.
I had done everything I thought to do as a young woman living in the 80's. I never had a one night. I never had sex on the first date, but I was in search of the right man to live my fairy tail life, for the rest of my life. You know, a career, a husband, a house and 2.5 kids, that's two kids and a dog. With dating came sex. There were very few virgins in the 80's. This was the era of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing and Diana Ross, "Love Hangover." Sexually Transmitted diseases were not on the radar. The first cases of AIDS were primarily white, gay and male. Even as late as 1987 Cosmopolitan magazine told women if they only had "heterosexual sex," they could not get HIV. For the most part, the rule for young women of my generation was to not get pregnant out of wedlock and embarrass your mother. We saw "protection" as birth control pills.
Until 1991 when Magic Johnson announced that he was infected with HIV most of us in Black America only saw HIV/AIDS through the eyes of our gay relative on one end and our drug addict cousin on the other. Or the television version, white, gay, male that looked like death was knocking at their door. Even then, we thought Magic was an exception to the rule. Many dismissed him as a "special case." Rich, good looking, and famous, we concluded that he probably had enough sex for a hundred men, thats how he became infected. Since most of us don't have that kind of sex, HIV was out of our reach, so we thought.
Then came me and the Essence cover story. I had only been speaking for about six months when Susan Taylor asked me to be on the cover and tell my story. At the time, I had been infected with HIV since 1983, but I didn't learn about my status until I donated blood December 1986.
So when I appeared on the cover of Essence, I had actually known my HIV status for 7 years. But for the most part I had basically kept my status a secret. Other than the men I dated, those first seven years I only told 5 people. When I made a transition to AIDS in 1992, I started to disclose to my friends. Then on a fluke, about a year later or should I say in God's purpose and plan, I started speaking locally in Chicago high schools. Then I met Susan. It all happened so quickly. I had no idea the impact my story would have on the lives of others or on me; or that it would place me in the national arena and change my life forever.
In retrospect, it was our density, mine and Essence magazine. Even among Essence staff there was a debate over my cover story. It was pure audacity at the time. I thank God for His perfect plan and for giving both me and Susan Taylor the, editor and chief of Essence the courage to follow that little voice inside of us, that said "this feels right. "For years women have told me the impact my story had on their life. Women still bring that magazine to speaking engagements for autographs.
There were other controversies around the cover story. Many AIDS Activist were angry with me because of the title., "Im Young, I'm Young free, I'm Dying of AIDS." Declaring that I was dying on the cover of a national magazine they said, made HIV/AIDS dark and hopeless. But honestly, AIDS was that dark back then and to give some pep talk contrary to the current situation would have been a lie. I was proud and not deterred by criticism.
Twenty years later, my Essence cover story has become one of the most iconic articles of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and I humbled.
I am equally thankful that I lived to see the 20th anniversary of this cover story. I thank God for my doctor who never gave up on me when medications barley kept you alive. She was always looking for next; And no matter how complicated the next treatment was or how sick it made me I did it.
I am also grateful for the continued relationship with Essence magazine. You can check out the 20th anniversary feature story on me in the December 2014 issue. You can also watch my video interview with Essence HERE
If you missed the December issue featuring me at the newsstands, you can read it HERE
Foot Note: In Celebration of the 20th anniversary... RLT Collection is 20% off! Coupon Code RLT20 And take a peak at the 20 Collection that I designed in honor. Fab Bracelet designs all in red. SHOP HERE
Labels: 20 Collection, AIDS Awareness, Essence Magazine, Living With HIV/AIDS, Purpose, Rae Lewis-Thornton, Red Bracelets, RLT Collection, RLT20


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Editorial Workflow
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Submitted: 18 Oct 2017
Revised: 15 Nov 2017
Accepted: 18 Nov 2017
First published online: 20 Nov 2017
Articles by Isbill J
Articles by Kandiah J
Articles by Khubchandani J
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CC-BY © 2018 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided theoriginal work is properly cited.
Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study
Health Promotion Perspectives, 8(1), 33-40; DOI:10.15171/hpp.2018.04
Jonathan Isbill1, Jayanthi Kandiah2, Jagdish Khubchandani2 ,*
1 Honors College, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA
2 College of Health,Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA
Email: jkhubchandan@bsu.edu
© 2018 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies has increase din the United States, but little is known about consumers' perceptions of use of such therapies.The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, perceptions, and predictors of spice use for health promotion among adults in the Midwestern US.Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, adults in the Midwestern US (n = 703) completed valid and reliable survey which was pilot tested with a small convenience sample of adults(n = 38). The study variables included demographic profile, spice use behavior, perceptions about efficacy of spices, and willingness to use spices. Data were analyzed using SPSS to compute descriptive (e.g. percent and frequencies) and inferential statistics (i.e. logistic regression analyses).Results: Almost half of the participants were interested in learning about health benefits of spices (48%), indicated friends and family members as sources of information on spices (50%),and were willing to use spices as CAM therapies (51%). Most (>50%) of the participants were familiar with or had used eight out of the 10 listed spices. The majority of participants (54%)were currently using one or more spices on a daily basis and believed that ginger (64%), garlic(58%), and cinnamon (56%) could promote good health and wellness. In logistic regression analysis, age, gender (odds ratios [OR] = 1.44 and OR = 1.56), income (OR = 1.77), health status(OR = 2.01), and recommendations from healthcare providers (OR = 5.31 and OR = 3.96) were significant predictors of current spice use and willingness to use spices.Conclusion: Individuals in our study did not use many ethnic spices and were unaware of potential health benefits of spices. Greater awareness of ethnic spices for disease prevention and health promotion are needed in this population.
Keywords: Consumer Behavior, Spices, Complementary Therapies, Diet
Citation: Isbill J, Kandiah J, Khubchandani J. Use of ethnic spices by adults in the United States: An exploratory study. Health Promot Perspect. 2018;8(1):33-40. doi: 10.15171/hpp.2018.04.
Globally, spices are a group of botanicals known best for their role in cooking and are frequently employed as dietary supplements to enhance health and wellness.1 Many of these spices are used in disease management within the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).1-3 Preclinical and clinical research results have suggested a strong correlation between usage of certain ethnic spices and positive health benefits against several common illnesses and diseases while reducing health risks, improving metabolism, and providing relief from numerous disease related symptoms.2-5 Spices and herbs have been found to possess anti-diabetic, anti-lithogenic, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, as well as other positive health benefits such as reduction of body fat, reduced sodium intake, and enhancing metabolism.3-9
Spices have been used for various purposes and explored for their utility for hundreds of years in various parts of the world, but the interest in spices has grown in the Western world only during recent times.9-12 The United States Department of Agriculture reports that the consumption of spices in the United States has climbed exponentially over the course of the last half-century, with spices such as ginger and chili pepper being used more frequently than ever before.10-12 In the United States, health promotion through CAM is also of growing interest.12-14 It has been suggested that more than one-third of all adults currently use some form of CAM. According to the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 5%-10% of adults in the United States utilize botanical supplements such as spices, for health benefits.13-15 In addition to the adult population use, spices have also been explored in pediatric populations. For example, more than a tenth of the infants and children have used spices, primarily to remedy minor ailments such as fussiness or stomach complications, and cough and cold. Such increased usage could in part be due to lack of side effects from spices, greater availability than traditional medicines, and consideration of known health benefits of spices.12-16
As more Americans are considering the use of spices and herbs for medicinal and therapeutic use, especially to remedy various chronic conditions, reduce disease symptoms, and aid in treatment and management of common health problems, it is prudent to examine consumers' perceptions about spices and their utility and predictors of spice usage.12-16 Although a handful of studies in the United States have observed the use of herbs and spices, they have several limitations.17-21 First, the studies are from small convenience samples of individuals. Second, most studies use few itemized questions to examine spice usage without estimating perceptions and predictors of spice usage. Third, studies frequently inquire about CAM usage and do not examine usage of various CAM products such as spices. In addition, the few studies that we found in a comprehensive literature review focused on special groups in the United States such as registered dietitians and dietetics students. Finally, none of the studies looked at general adult population in the Midwestern US. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, perceptions, and predictors of spice use for health promotion among adults in the Midwestern US.
Sample population and procedures
A snowball sampling procedure was utilized to recruit a convenience sample of adults in the Midwestern US. The sample was invited to take the valid and reliable survey created for this study. An a-priori power analysis was conducted to determine the sample size, we found that with a conservative 95% confidence level, and 5% margin of error, 354 adult participants would be needed to make inferences to the total population of adults in the Midwestern US (approximately, 45 million adults).22,23
The inclusion criteria were that participants had to be at least 18 years of age, English speaking, and living in the Midwestern US. A recruiting e-mail communication informed participants about the study purpose and overview of the research and approximate time commitment for completion of the survey. Participants in the community and in social networks were sent a link with the informed consent information and the study survey. Participants were also asked to share the survey link with friends, family members, and community acquaintances in the Midwestern US. Preceding the survey distribution, the study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board for research involving human subjects.
Instrument and measures
Based on a comprehensive literature review and available questionnaires, a 39-item survey was designed to ensure face validity. The survey was reviewed by experts (n = 5) on survey design and consumer sciences to ensure content validity.22,23Based on expert suggestions, changes in format and content were included in the final survey. In addition to the demographic and background information items on the survey, a major component of the study survey was the multi-item Consumers Usage of Ethnic Spices Survey (CUES). The CUES was developed and adapted based on revision of a previous survey that explored the familiarity of spices in registered dietitians and dietetic students.18-20 CUES has three subscales and the subscale reliabilities were assessed from the final sample of study participants. The first subscale assessed individuals' usage and familiarity with spices (10 item scale, internal reliability from final sample of respondents α = 0.81). The second subscale assessed individuals' perceptions about various spices in promoting good health and wellness (10 item scale, internal reliability from final sample of respondents α = 0.90). The final subscale of CUES assessed consumers' perceptions of the efficacy of various spices in preventing 12 disease types (internal reliability from final sample of respondents α = 0.63).
Stability-reliability of the survey instrument items was assessed by collecting data from a convenience sample of adults in the Midwestern US. A random-sample of 50 adults was invited to participate in reliability testing. These individuals were asked to complete the survey twice within a period of 7 days. Kappa statistics (percentage agreement = ĸ) were used for items on the subscales as they were all categorical variables.22,23 A total of 38 completed matched pairs of surveys from individuals were used for reliability testing. The stability reliability coefficients for the various CUES subscale items were found to be acceptable and ranged from 0.63 to 0.90.
Survey data were entered into the computer and analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows statistical package (Chicago, version 24). Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used to describe the participants in terms of their demographic and background characteristics and responses to the questions about usage of spices and perceived efficacy of spice use. To assess participants' current usage of spices and willingness to use spices in the future, we conducted univariate logistic regression analysis to compute odds of spice usage in various groups (with 95% confidence intervals). The outcomes were categorized as binary variables (yes vs. no) for current daily use of spices and intent to use spices in future and demographic characteristics served as independent predictor variables. Statistical significance was established a-prior at P ≤ 0.05.
Background characteristics and spice usage
A final sample of 703 eligible individuals completed the survey (this response was almost twice the number required in power analysis, i.e. n = 354). The majority of the respondents were females (77%), Whites (88%), above the age of 25 years (52%), and earned more than $35 000 per year (Table 1). In relation to health status, majority of the respondents were in excellent or very good health status (62%) and satisfied with current health status (66%). Majority of the participants cooked at home 4 or more times and went out to eat less than 3 times per week (74% and 81% respectively). Almost half of the participants indicated friends and family members as sources of information on spices (50%), were interested in learning about health benefits of spices (48%), and were willing to use spices as CAM treatment (51%). Participants were asked about their familiarity with and usage of spices (Table 2). Majority of the participants were familiar with or had used 8 out of the 10 listed spices. Black pepper and garlic were the 2 most commonly used spices on a daily basis. The majority of participants (n = 380, 54%) were currently using one or more spices on a daily basis. Participants had the least familiarity and usage of curry leaves (79%) and fenugreek (59%).
Table 1. Demographic and background characteristics of participants
Variable No. (%)
Male 161 (23)
Female 542 (77)
White 626 (88)
Non-White 77 (12)
Age (y)
18-24 331 (47)
≥ 55 108 (15)
Annual income ($)
≤34 999 197 (28)
35 000-74 999 249 (34)
≥75 000 254 (35)
Full time 297 (42)
Part time 183 (26)
Unemployed 223 (32)
≤High school graduate 189 (27)
<Bachelors 169 (24)
≥Bachelors 148 (21)
≥Graduate degree 188 (27)
Current health status
Excellent/ Very good 433 (62)
Good 220 (31)
≥Fair/ Poor 48 (7)
Satisfaction with current health status
Very satisfied/satisfied/somewhat satisfied 463 (66)
Neutral 65 (9)
Very dissatisfied/dissatisfied/ somewhat dissatisfied 175 (25)
<1 time per week 14 (2)
1-3 times per week 168 (24)
≥4 times per week 520 (74)
Eating out of home
<1 time per week 160 (23)
Source of information about spices
Friends/ Family 352 (50)
Internet 309 (44)
Magazines 139 (20)
Television 102 (15)
Physician 70 (10)
Registered Dietitian 44 (6)
Other 94 (13)
Interest in learning about health benefits of spices
Very interested/interested 339 (48)
Neutral 106 (15)
Very disinterested/disinterested 251 (36)
Willingness to use spices as CAM
Very willing/willing 360 (51)
Very unwilling/unwilling 230 (33)
Ever met with a registered dietitian 136 (19)
Ever encouraged by a health professional to consume spices 100 (14)
N = 703 (numbers may not add up to 100% due to missing values or rounding off).
Table 2. Spice use and familiarity in study participants
Spice No. (%)
Use daily 400 (57)
Know about/ Used at least once 282 (40)
Never used/ Don't know about 17 (2)
Never used/ Don't know about 9 (1)
Use daily 83 (12)
Use daily 57 (8)
Never used/ Don't know about 96 (14)
Use daily 8 (1)
Never used/ Don't know about 546 (78)
Perceived efficacy of spices
Participants were asked about their opinion of the effectiveness of spices in promoting health and wellness and the majority believed that ginger (64%), garlic (58%), and cinnamon (56%) could promote good health and wellness. Participants were least likely to believe that curry leaves (15%) and fenugreek (11%) could be effective in health promotion (Table 3). Additionally, study participants were given specific disease options and asked about the efficacy of various spices in prevention or reduction of disease conditions (Table 4). The vast majority of the participants did not believe that fenugreek (53%), curry leaves (52%), or cilantro (50%) had any role in preventing or reducing specific diseases. On the contrary, majority of the participants listed 7 out of 10 spices as effective in preventing a specific disease with ginger (72%), garlic (68%), and cinnamon (67%) listed as effective by more than two-thirds of the participants.
Table 3. Perceived efficacy of spices in promoting health and wellness
Spice Effective n (% Agreement)
Ginger 450 (64)
Garlic 404 (58)
Cinnamon 392 (56)
Chili pepper 300 (43)
Turmeric 251 (36)
Cilantro 168 (24)
Cloves 163 (23)
Black pepper 163 (23)
Curry leaves 108 (15)
Fenugreek 76 (11)
N = 703 (% = indicates individuals who believe that a certain spice can promote health and wellness).
Table 4. Consumer perception of efficacy of spices in preventing/reducing diseases
Spice None
% Cancer
% Cold/Flu
% CVD
% Diabetes
% GI Dis
% HIV/AIDS
% MSD
% Obesity
% Oral
% ND/ MI
% Kid Dis
% Res Dis
Ginger 28 12 23 13 9 31 5 13 11 12 9 9 12
Garlic 32 11 24 20 11 9 5 9 11 9 8 8 11
Cinnamon 33 10 20 15 20 12 5 9 17 14 12 9 10
Chili pepper 38 8 18 12 6 8 3 12 16 4 6 6 11
Turmeric 41 15 10 13 9 10 5 16 12 7 9 8 8
Cloves 45 5 11 8 6 9 3 7 7 14 5 6 10
Black pepper 49 4 11 8 5 7 2 7 8 3 7 5 8
Cilantro 50 4 8 7 5 9 2 6 8 8 5 6 7
Curry Leaves 52 7 7 8 5 8 4 5 8 5 7 6 7
Fenugreek 53 7 5 6 6 6 3 6 7 5 5 6 4
N = 703 (% = indicates individuals who believe that a certain spice can prevent or reduce diseases listed in table columns). Abbreviation: CVD= Cardiovascular disease; GI Dis= Gastrointestinal diseases; MSD= Musculoskeletal disease; ND/MI= Neurological dysfunction/mental disorders Kid Dis= Kidney diseases; Res Dis= Respiratory diseases; None= indicates that participants believed a certain spice has no use in preventing disease.
Predictors of spice usage
Several demographic and health related variables were significant predictors of current spice use and willingness to use spices in the future (Table 5). Females (odds ratio [OR] = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.26-2.80), those who were older than 55 years (OR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.47-2.45) individuals with annual income more than $75 000 (OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.10-2.25), graduate degree holders (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.10-1.49), those who had ever met a registered dietitian (OR = 4.05, 95% CI = 2.90-6.03), and those who were encouraged by a health professional to consume spices (OR = 5.31, 95% CI = 3.06-7.02) were statistically significantly more likely to report usage of spices on a daily basis compared to their counterparts. Those who ate out of home more and did not have interest in learning about health benefits of spices were statistically significantly less likely to currently use spices on a daily basis (Table 5).
Table 5. Predictors of current use or future use of spices
Variable OR (95% CI) Current Use OR (95% CI) Future Use
Male 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
Female 1.44 (1.26-2.80)* 1.56 (1.17-2.25)*
White 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
Non-White 1.17 (0.98-1.24) 1.35 (0.81-1.71)
18-24 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
25-54 1.80 (1.35-2.34)* 1.32 (0.96-1.80)
≥55 1.92 (1.47-2.45)* 1.89 (1.36-2.16)*
≤34 999 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
35 000-74 999 1.27 (0.98-1.44) 1.02 (0.72-1.18)
≥75 000 1.71 (1.10-2.25)* 1.80 (0.93-2.01)
Full time 1.22 (0.95-1.76) 1.17 (0.90-1.71)
Part time 1.13 (0.86-1.68) 1.08 (0.81-1.62)
Unemployed 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
≤High school graduate 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
<Bachelors 1.10 (0.81-1.35) 1.03 (0.72-1.21)
≥Bachelors 1.17 (0.89-1.40) 1.11 (0.81-1.35)
≥Graduate degree 1.27 (1.10-1.49)* 1.25 (1.06-1.44)*
Good 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
Excellent/ very good 1.44 (0.90-1.99) 1.53 (0.93-2.01)
≥Fair/poor 0.98 (0.81-1.17) 2.01 (1.17-3.80)*
Neutral 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
Very dissatisfied/dissatisfied/ somewhat dissatisfied 0.90 (0.72-1.08) 3.00 (2.07-4.05)*
Very satisfied/satisfied/ somewhat satisfied 1.37 (0.89-1.79) 2.70 (1.80-3.33)*
<1 time per week 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
1-3 times per week 1.22 (0.98-1.53) 1.17 (0.93-1.30)
≥ 4 times per week 1.89 (1.35-2.43)* 1.70 (1.26-2.34)*
< 1 time per week 1 (Ref) 1 (Ref)
1-3 times per week 0.79 (0.57-0.88)* 0.81 (0.63-1.26)
Very disinterested/disinterested 0.63 (0.54-0.81)* 0.72 (0.44-1.02)
Very interested/interested 2.29 (1.89-2.87)* 6.30 (4.14-8.01)*
Ever met with a registered dietitian (Yes vs. No) 4.05 (2.90-6.03)* 3.60 (2.01-4.05)*
Ever encouraged by a health professional to consume spices (Yes vs. No) 5.31 (3.06-7.02)* 3.96 (2.07-4.41)*
N = 703, * indicates P < 0.05; Ref = indicates the reference or comparison group. OR= Odds ratios indicating probability of an outcome (i.e. current use or future use); 95% CI = confidence intervals for odds; Current use = individuals who use any spice on daily basis; Future use = individuals willing to consume spices as CAM in the future.
In relation to future spice use, females (OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.17-2.25), individuals older than 55 years (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.36-2.16), those with a graduate degree (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.06-1.44), individuals reporting current health status as fair or poor (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.17-3.80), those who were dissatisfied with current health status (OR = 3.00, 95% CI = 2.07-4.05), those who cooked at home four or more times (OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.26-2.34), those with an interest in knowing about health benefits of spices (OR = 6.30, 95% CI = 4.14-8.01), individuals who had ever met a registered dietitian (OR = 3.60, 95% CI = 2.01-4.05), and those who were ever encouraged by a health professional to consume spices (OR = 3.96, 95% CI = 2.07-4.41) were statistically significantly more likely to be willing to use spices in the future compared to their counterparts. However, individuals who were eating out of home more than four times a week and those who were disinterested in knowing about health benefits of spices were less likely to be willing to use spices in the future.
Ethnic spices have long been studied in various regions around the world as medicinal agents, for culinary use, and as health promotion supplements.1-3 Yet there exists a lack of understanding about usage and perceptions of common ethnic spices in the United States.17-21 With increasing prevalence of spice usage in the United States as a form of CAM, this study explored consumers' perceptions and predictors of spice usage in a unique population (adults in the Midwestern US). Several unique findings of this study warrant attention. Majority of the participants reported using a spice on a daily basis, were interested in learning more about the health benefits of spices, and were willing to use spices as CAM. This is interesting given that our sample mostly consisted of people from Midwestern US and may not have the exposure to or cultural diversity in available food items. Along the Western and Eastern regions of the United States, there is greater ethnic and cultural diversity when compared to the Midwestern regions. Furthermore, those with higher income and more education levels had a greater propensity to use spices, which speaks of awareness and affordability that might be low in the Midwestern US. Most of the participants were familiar with and believed in the efficacy of few spices in health promotion and disease prevention. The common spices in this category were garlic, cinnamon, ginger, and chili pepper. This finding is in agreement with studies of US based registered dietitians and dietetic students who reported greater benefits of and familiarity with these few spices, especially as it relates to prevention and reduction of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gastrointestinal diseases.18-20In addition, these are widely known spices as there is ample evidence from studies to show the utility and health benefits of these commonly used spices.24-26 Participants were least likely to use or be familiar with fenugreek and curry leaves, which are highly utilized in many Asian and Middle-Eastern cuisines, these cuisines may not be as common in the Midwestern US. This lack of awareness about many spices could also be in part because less than a fifth of study participants saw a registered dietitian or received advice to consume spices from a health professional, highlighting the role of such professionals in advancing the use of CAM approaches.18-20Results of this study also revealed that consumers received most of their information about spices from friends, family, and the internet, sources that may not be credible.
The most interesting and unique finding of this study is the predictors of current usage and future use willingness. Females, more educated, older, those who make higher incomes, and individuals who cook at home more often were significantly more likely to use or willing to use spices. This is logical as women are commonly responsible as primary providers of meals for family and may have better knowledge, those with higher incomes may be more able to afford spices, and those with higher education could possibly know more about health benefits of spices. However, some predictors of spice usage need additional research. For example, those with poor health status were less likely to report current usage of spices, but two times more likely to be willing to use spices compared to those with good health. It could be possible that those currently using spices are in good health and those who have poor health may be willing to use spices for health benefits. There is evidence in published literature to show that individuals with severe chronic illness might be willing to participate in research, experiment with therapies, and look for any possible solutions in the hope of finding treatment of existing disease conditions.13,21,27This can also be related to another finding of our study where those who are dissatisfied with their health are significantly more likely to be willing to consume spices in the future. Given the rising prevalence of chronic diseases in US population and the fact that most individuals who have a chronic disease often have multiple health issues, spices can certainly play a major role in preventing diseases and promoting good health as a CAM approach.24-26,According to a study conducted with Oregonian dietitians, 80% of them believed that food supplements can play an effective role in preventing and treating chronic diseases; dietitians can therefore, serve as advocates for use of spices as a CAM approach along with other supplements.28 Our study has profound implications for future research and health promotion practice. Overall, as majority of participants shared interest in learning about the health benefits of spices, there are avenues for providing knowledge. Evidence-based strategies and resources could be integrated in both culinary, nutrition and allied health courses throughout all phases of educational advancement (e.g. high school, university, etc). Additionally, community garden initiatives, local farmers, and health care professionals could also provide educational opportunities to increase consumers' awareness of the health benefits of spices and utility as CAM.17-21 While reasonable evidence exists for the efficacy of spices, further research is needed on the various benefits of spices- such studies should be conducted in larger community and clinic based samples. Some spices could more likely be used or known to consumers because of widespread and consistent evidence about their efficacy in disease prevention and health promotion. Registered dietitians and nutritionists have a key role in research and education related to spices and their uses.28-30 In addition, they can serve as credible resource persons for information and prescription. In fact, a study of Californian dietitians, most of the dietitians (greater than two-thirds) believed that a dietitian should be proficient in discussing about dietary supplements with clients and be able to inform the public.29 Studies have shown that more Americans suffer from chronic conditions now. As many ethnic spices have potential to aid in not just one, but also multiple chronic disease treatments, the use of ethnic spices could help prevent many co-morbidities simultaneously without precipitation of any side effects.
The results of our study should be viewed in light of several potential limitations.22,23First, the results may be impacted by all the traditional limitations of survey research (i.e., self-reported data, selection bias, recall bias, and inability to establish cause and effect relationships). In addition, participants could have given socially desirable responses to study questions. The questionnaire was monothematic in nature and mostly closed format in nature, this could be a threat to internal validity. Our sample was limited to adults in the Midwestern US and cannot be generalized to adults across the United States. However, in spite of these factors, we observed high reliability and validity of the instrument in our unique sample, have the largest sample report to date for general population in the United States, and we also explored various predictors of spice usage, making our study unique.
This study was an attempt to assess perceptions about and the predictors of spice usage in a sample of adults in the Midwestern US. Individuals in our study did not use many ethnic spices and were unaware of potential health benefits of spices. Greater awareness and marketing of such ethnic spices as complementary and alternative options for disease prevention and health promotion are needed in this population. Given the spice use predictors we found, the information can be used to reach out to individuals who are less likely to use spices and may find it beneficial to use spices for health promotion.
Ethical approval
The study protocol and procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research at Ball State University, USA.
We declare no conflicts of interest.
JI and JayK contributed to the conception and design of the study and the writing and editing of the manuscript. JK analyzed and interpreted the data and wrote the results. JayK and JK provided critical revision of the article. JI, JayK, and JK have approved this submission. All authors contributed equally to the work of the manuscript.
The authors did not receive any funding for this study.
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© 2011-2021 Tabriz University of Medical Sciences; unless otherwise stated. This Platinum Open Access journal is a title of TUOMS PRESS; an imprint of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.
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text:
Indigenous Library and Information Studies
in a Canadian context
Online Materials
Embedding Indigenous materials into the Ontario secondary curriculum: Beyond "First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies"
Inspired by Debbie Reese's website American Indians in Children's Literature and Olivia Slykhuis' experience as a high school teacher, this website will provide modern Canadian Indigenous resources and suggestions for ways to integrate them into the Ontario secondary school curriculum, particularly English and History courses. While the Ontario government introduced new Indigenous curriculum in 2019, the PC government elected to cancel other curriculum revisions aimed at weaving Indigenous contexts into other courses, which would impact far more students. This site will provide entries for each resource including a brief blurb, review, notes on reading level and content warnings, and related materials and suggestions for integration into courses based on curriculum expectations. Resources will also be explored for Land Acknowledgement statements for areas around the GTA, including sources specific to the Peoples on whose traditional lands the specific school might be located.
Website : https://indigenizingontariocurriculum.wordpress.com/
Olivia Sylkhuis:
Olivia holds an MA in English literature and a Bachelor of Education degree, and has previously taught high school English. She is a student in the University of Alberta's online MLIS program, and currently works in an Ontario public library and in a brand new Makerspace. Her research interests include using the public library as a space to engage marginalized community members, including teens. She lives in Guelph, Ontario, on the traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of the Anishinaabek Peoples.


At Penn National, we had the winner on top in 5 straight races, including a $54.80 horse on top and the $446.40 Exacta in the 6th race. The $2 Pick 3s paid: $619.40 (races 4-6), $956.40 (races 5-7), and $855.20 (races 6-8). We also had a reverse Exacta in the 1st race that paid $53.40.


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It's a remarkable record, one to which I expect to return throughout the year. Being that it was released on SACD in Europe and in digital form globally on November 24, Hidden even made at least one Best of 2017 tally that I'm aware of, and quite possibly more. Here in the U.S., though, the CD will be issued on January 12. So I'm treating Hidden as a 2018 release that I happened to hear in advance, as is often the case… and one that I'm sure I'll be remembering at the end of this year.
Album review: Bent Knee, "Say So"
My brief review of Say So, the much-anticipated third album by Boston prog-rock-only-not-like-that sextet Bent Knee, is live on the Globe website and out in print today, too. The band already put on its record-release concert last night in Somerville; keep an eye out, because it might be playing near you soon.
I'm convinced that this unique and talented group, who I profiled in January, has big, big things ahead, and I'm grateful to have been introduced early enough to help spread the word.
A very, very brief post this Friday evening, simply to call attention to my review of Hopelessness, the surprising, seductive, and harsh new album released today by Anohni – best known as the lead singer of Antony and the Johnsons, and recently in the news for an Oscar-related snub.
The new release, a politically charged protest album that ditches this remarkable vocalist's characteristic chamber-pop backing in favor of boldface electronic soundscapes by Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke, is worth taking the time to hear, and I'm glad to have had some time to ponder and some space in which to elaborate.
My review of the new second LP by Marlborough death-metal quintet Abnormality is in today's Globe. No surprise that I'd dig a record so efficiently brutal; still, it was fun to play Mechanisms of Omniscience enough times repeatedly one day, interspersed with dips into the band's back catalog (a demo, an EP, and an impressive debut LP) to work out why and then put it into words. And it was also pretty satisfying to file a review that included no reference at all to gender.
Right now, Abnormality - who I first wrote about back in December for a Globe round-up of acts to watch in 2016 - is on the road with Soulfly and Suffocation, playing Revolution in Amityville, NY, on Friday night and Fete Ballroom in Providence, RI, on Saturday. On Sunday the tour hits the Mill City Ballroom in Lowell, MA, expanding into a full-day event. Since I can't make it to any of those shows, I've got my fingers crossed that the band will hit Boston proper, soon and hard.
Best of Boston Music 2015.
You could argue no masterpieces are resurrected by this illuminating recital, but you'd be missing the point. Belogurov, playing on a mellow 1873 Chickering, artfully surveys piano works by Boston's best-known promulgators of the Romantic lineage: eminences Foote, Paine, and Chadwick, alongside forgotten figures like Ethelbert Nevin and Arthur Whiting. Of especially keen interest is the Rhapsody in E minor by Margaret Ruthven Lang, the first woman to have a composition played by the Boston Symphony — and who attended BSO concerts beyond her 100th birthday.
Eminent already among stoner-metal circles, the trio of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nicholas DiSalvo, bassist Jack Donovan, and drummer Matthew Couto took their collective game to the next level on their third full-length LP. Mind you, Elder can still noodle a colossal riff into mass hypnosis. But here, the group leavened its Sleep-ier tendencies with pinwheeling guitar slaloms, arresting dynamic shifts, shimmering krautrock grooves, and other proggy flourishes.
Simple, even severe methods plus intense focus produce transfixing results on this latest self-released disc from a performer, composer, and sound artist who's also one of the local scene's hardiest organizers. His three pieces here have a Rothko-like quality: Elongated, uninflected violin strokes lap against pealing electronic tones like subtly contrasting color planes, conjuring ripples and shimmers as they lap and fuse.
Following up on its brutal, brilliant 2014 debut LP, "The Departure of Consciousness," sludge-metal quintet Fórn greeted the end of 2015 with an EP well suited to the end of days. The band's penchant for pitch-black, downtuned anthems of obsessive dread remains intact with "Dolor" and "Saudade" — each around 11 minutes and split into two parts — but equally evident is a surprising knack for anguished beauty, which makes these haunted ruminations feel oddly humane.
Ten albums without which 2015 would have been less rich, and more.
Today - Friday, December 11 - the Boston Globe posted lists of the best albums of 2015 as selected by six critics: staffers James Reed, Sarah Rodman, and Jeremy Eichler, plus regular contributors Julian Benbow, Jon Garelick, and Siddhartha Mitter. Those lists will all be in this Sunday's print edition, too.
Last year, I was able to slip a list of my own into print, in the context of my then-extant monthly series "Newer Music" With that column now discontinued, a listing of the records that moved me most in 2015 migrates to the one place over which I retain complete control.
10 albums without which 2015 would have been less rich.
Another one from last Friday…this actually shared a page with my Scorpions feature story, which made for a rather interesting impression on folks who mostly knew me for my work in The New York Times, which was about 99.99999995 percent about classical/concert music.
Which tells me something that I already knew about the sub-optimal circulation achieved by the Time Out New York website during the decade-plus that I wrote about metal there on a regular basis. Interviews with Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), Frank Mullen (Suffocation), Randy Blythe (Lamb of God), Carley Coma (Candiria), and plenty more… it's as if they never happened.
Penetration makes all the difference. What a metal-worthy observation.
Anyway, at roughly 195 words my review of the amazing new Iron Maiden double set – a deluxe-edition copy of which I allowed myself the pleasure of purchasing with cash currency at a brick-and-mortar store today – really only scratches the surface. At that length, all you really hope to do is attract attention and pique interest enough to encourage a reader to investigate further.
If I'd had a few more lines, I like to think I would have written that the album sort of feels like two regular-length albums; that it's superbly paced and agreeably produced; that certain motifs here quite strongly recall specific songs from the initial albums Iron Maiden made with Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith back on board, Brave New World and Dance of Death; and that The Book of Souls, for its girth, is a more consistently strong album than its two worthy studio predecessors, A Matter of Life and Death and The Final Frontier.
Since I did not write any of that, I'll recommend strongly that you read the detailed, insightful, and convincing examination and analysis that Adrien Begrand wrote for PopMatters.
Next year's world tour can't come soon enough.
Proclaimed "the Neil deGrasse Tyson of the avant-garde saxophone world" in a concert review by some wag who used to write for The New York Times, Colin Stetson has made a beautiful new record with his Arcade Fire colleague and touring mate Sarah Neufeld. You can hear one track via the Soundcloud clip embedded above, and if gorgeous, evocative, contemplative, and creative pan-genre instrumental music holds any appear for you, then you should definitely try to hear the rest.
Easily the best new metal album I've heard this year. Anyone with a taste for adventurous extreme music is urged to investigate; for anyone already into bands like Deathspell Omega and Gorguts, this is a welcome necessity. Also worth your time: The Mother of Virtues, a dense, dark recent release from NYC death-metal band Pyrrhon, which shares its rhythm section with Imperial Triumphant.


text:
The Budget for Suffolk
The council has a statutory duty to set a budget each year which enables it to deliver its duties and obligations in a sustainable and responsible manner.
Budget for 2021-2022
The Council is in the process of setting its Budget for 2021-22. On 21 December 2020, it published details of its proposed 2021-22 Budget, which will be considered by the Council's Scrutiny Committee on 7 January 2021, papers can by found via this link. The Council's Cabinet is then due to meet on 26 January 2021 to recommend the 2021-22 Budget to full Council, which is set to approve it along with the associated Council Tax and Social Care Precept rates on 11 February 2021.
The Council welcomes the views of residents and businesses on its 2021-22 Budget. If you would like to provide your views, the survey can be found by clicking the following link.
The survey runs from 21 December 2020 to 11 January 2021.
On Thursday 13 February 2020, the Council approved, for 2020-21, a net revenue budget of £556.4 million and a capital programme of £118.6 million.
The 2020-21 Budget has been designed to enable the Council to continue to manage the financial challenges that face the public sector and local government. In particular, the 2020-21 Budget recognises £16.5 million of inflation and £26.8 million of cost pressures in 2020-21. Cost pressures includes £6.6 million to manage additional demand as the cost of providing adult care continues to rise, and £14.2 million to fund the cost of services for Children in Care (CiC) and educational placements for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
In addition to the cost pressures known at the time of budget setting, the 2020-21 Budget re-establishes a corporate contingency to enable the Council to manage cost pressures that emerge after that point, such as the higher than expected increase to the National Living Wage from 1 April 2020 announced by the Government on 31 December 2019. To manage these pressures, various mitigating actions are planned, in particular £11.5 million of savings resulting from the delivery of the Council's Transformation Programmes.
Further details of the contents of the 2020-2021 Budget and 2020-2023 Capital Programme, and the process for setting it, are available:
Budget message from Councillor Matthew Hicks, Leader of Suffolk County Council (PDF, 34KB)
2020-2021 Budget and 2020-2023 Capital Programme: a comprehensive overview of the council's finances for period from 2020-2021, to 2022-2023, including details of its spending plans, service pressures, savings programmes, income targets and investment in assets.
2020-2021 Business Plan (PDF, 2.88MB): an outline of the council's aims and ambitions for the year ahead, and its reflections on the past year. This includes summaries of the key financial information that underpins the 2020-2021 Budget and 2020-2023 Capital Programme, linking these to the council's wider priorities.
As part of its 2020-2021 Budget and 2020-2023 Capital Programme, the council agreed the Council Tax that it will levy on its residents in 2020-2021.
Council accounts
Suffolk 2020 Fund


text:
VoiceComputer for Dragon
The world's only global speech interface
Simple-Accessibility
The Intag Chrome Extension
The VoiceComputer add-on for Dragon
The VoiceComputer Lite add-on for Dragon
Learn Dragon as you work!
Tips and techniques for correctly installing Dragon
Achieve great recognition accuracy with Dragon
Best microphones for Dragon
Voice Macros / Dragon Scripting
Fixing Dragon problems in 6 Steps
Dragon-training-and-support
Who-benefits-most-from-Dragon-in-a-corporate-or-government-environment?
Who Benefits most from Dragon and VoiceComputer?
In an enterprise environment, it isn't practical or sane to "instantly" provide speech recognition to everyone at once. Instead, you must choose who will benefit most, tempered with judgement regarding who should be the leaders in adopting the new technology.
First, deploy speech recognition in the obvious cases where a person has physical problems using the keyboard. Take the initiative and ASK those who use a keyboard more than a few minutes per day -- in a large organization, you will find good corporate citizens who haven't complained that their hand/arm/wrist/elbow hurts every time they have to use the keyboard. These people may be eventually lost to disability leave, at great expense to your enterprise, if you don't help them.
At least one Information Services person needs to use speech recognition. They may tell you that they don't write much-- turn off their e-mail and see how many minutes go by before they complain that they can't respond! One simply can't support this technology well unless one uses it some of the time.
Next, deploy to the computer-literate personnel who have to produce documentation but who have no clerical support for doing so. Among these you will find persons with poor typing skills. Often these people have excellent verbal skills. These people know their limitations -- an open invitation to "see" speech recognition will bring these non-typists out in force. The economic benefits can be great: a 10 wpm "non-typist" writing 2 pages per day spends about an hour at the keyboard. If this time is cut to 15 minutes per day with NaturallySpeaking, a computer upgrade, and about 2 hours of training, you'll have a return on investment so great that you'll have to tone down the numbers to make it believable. (If you are in a company with perfect management, you won't have any such cases because no one has been allowed to be so inefficient 🙂 )
Use the above persons to help establish vocabularies, identify phrases common to your organization, etc. If using the Professional products, exporting vocabularies from these users to other new users with similar vocabulary needs will reduce the time the new users spend on adding words and phrases. At this stage, consider concentrating efforts on a particular group within a company where vocabulary needs are similar. Decide whether a custom vocabulary for the company/division would be worthwhile.
Next, address those that produce lots of documentation per day by handwriting and then passing off the typing to another person. Some of these people have few computer skills -- do not underestimate the need for time to learn basic computer skills.
By the time the above cases are handled, most organizations will have a set of people who WANT the technology on their desk. Take care of these people next.
Persons doing data entry often benefit from having macros, commands, and other shortcuts built so they can efficiently use speech input. Plan on a slower roll-out of the technology with these persons, making sure that a couple of persons are productive before deploying it to a whole group.
Learn to distribute vocabulary and commands using the Data Distribution tool, presuming you have the Professional or Medical or Legal versions of NaturallySpeaking. The Preferred Edition lacks features for sharing macros/commands/vocabularies and is not recommended for enterprise deployments.
Last, handle the 100+ wpm typists without physical problems, persons who don't write more than a few words per day, etc. The economics of speech recognition aren't great for these persons -- yet.
Watch out for those who don't talk clearly. Hire a local speech/drama teacher to spend an hour or two teaching better speech habits. If funds are really limited, find a struggling actor -- they work cheaply 🙂 If you are planning a roll-out of this technology and you are REALLY smart, you'll have that instruction done before the rumor mill tells people that their computers will start listening.
Also avoid those who think that once the microphone is attached to their system, the company will be able to hear EVERYTHING that they say in their office. Those who think the company is spying on them are not good candidates for speech recognition.
Remember, you aren't in the business of deploying speech recognition -- keep your own business needs in mind. If you sell Christmas trees, don't try to roll this out during December. If you are an accounting firm, March/April is not a good time to deploy this!
Copyright Larry Allen
Be pain-free at your PC
Computer Control, by Voice!
The idea behind VoiceComputer was to build the ultimate desktop experience. We re-invented/re-engineered computer control to take the repetitive out of repetitive stress, the stress out of repetitive computing.
Now you use voice control instead of your mouse or touchpad or use your voice in conjunction with your mouse/touchpad.
We make accessibility simple and productive.
VoiceTeach LLC
Pain-free at your PC!
Compute-by-numbers: Simple. Accessible. Complete speech control.
VoiceComputer
The VoiceComputer Lite add-on
info@voicecomputer.com
© 2018 VoiceTeach LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Who does VoiceTeach, LLC serve?
VoiceTeach, LLC has three principal specializations:
Hands-Free Productivity
Dragon's core mission is great dictation accuracy. VoiceComputer's core mission is home and workplace accessibility. That is why we deliver a new world of accessibility, productivity, and ease-of-use. With half a dozen U.S. Patents & Pending Patents, VoiceComputer has reinvented speech computing.
VoiceComputer enables our users to return-to-work and school despite physical challenges that range in severity from RSI and carpal tunnel to quadriplegia and other severe physical challenges. VoiceComputer's unprecedented voice access and control of your computer and applications will completely change what you can do with Dragon.
VoiceComputer delivers a whole new world of accessibility. Accessibility that delivers the highest possible productivity and ease-of-use so that for the first time ever, your company's or agency's Intranet sites, Citrix and legacy applications are accessible to your employees without expensive and time-consuming customization.
The Bottom Line: What Results Can I Expect When I Select VoiceTeach, LLC?
Many VoiceTeach, LLC training clients achieve complete hands-free operation of their computers within hour of training. Others strike a balance between speech and manual input for their own optimum control, productivity, and efficiency. Whether that balance is at 50%, 70%, or 100% voice input. VoiceTeach, LLC enables high productivity, reliable operation, and complete satisfaction with the training services that we provide.
What does a typical VoiceTeach training look like?
By using VoiceComputer in combination with Dragon, our training clients get to take advantage of the full VoiceComputer hands-free system.
In the first hour of training, our trainers provide a full introduction to Intag – the easiest to use and most powerful speech recognition technology.
My Intags
For users with proprietary applications like Citrix, that are not compatible out-of-the-box with speech, our trainers provide customization. With My Intags, your hard-to-control applications can be customized quickly and easily without the need to create and memorize hundreds of commands.
The VoiceComputer Tutorial Program
Our trainers also provide personalized lessons that incorporate the VoiceComputer Tutorial System which is available to our clients even when we are not. The Tutorial System provides more than 40 hours of lessons and demos and dozens of cheat sheets and At-a-Glance guides that teach you how to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking and help you remember commands. Our Tutorial Program is the first help, demonstration, and tutorial program that is always just a speech command away and will bring you the information you need, when you need it, without blocking your work with unnecessary windows.
Dozens of Other Hands Free Features
Our trainers also utilize a full suite of hands free tools included in VoiceComputer. These features include the VoiceComputer Microphone, commands for fast and easy desktop control, voice copying, voice mousing, and thousands of custom productivity commands.
Why do you need VoiceTeach, LLC?
Our training is designed and personalized to cultivate success. Our mission and passion is to make hands-free computing a reality and we will commit to each client fully to ensure our mission is accomplished.
Since its introduction to the market roughly 20 years ago, speech technology accuracy and ease of dictation has greatly improved. But even now, it is still a tool that requires, at a minimum, basic training and support crafted specifically to the needs of the individual user. While it is the case that some people succeed in their own, they are often the exceptions. Millions of speech software packages have been sold, but how many users give up within weeks of installation. This is largely due to the reality that the applications most workers use today are not fully accessible with speech recognition or require too many complicated commands to be genuinely useful. VoiceTeach's training and support services make the difference that enables you to succeed. The support starts with careful evaluation and user support. We then determine what hardware is needed and proceed to proper installation and initialization of the speech package. This then concludes with personalized training, thorough documentation, and continued support.


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Authors: Ke, F., Shute, V., Clark, K.M., Erlebacher, G.
This book represents a four-year research and development project. It presents a phenomenological examination and explanation of a functional design framework for games in education. It furnishes a rich description of the experiences and perceptions of performing interdisciplinary collaborative design among experts of very diverse fields, such as learning systems design, architectural design, assessment design, mathematics education, and scientific computing.
Fenfeng Ke is an Associate Professor of the Educational Psychology and Learning Systems for Florida State University. Her current research focuses on game-based learning, immersive learning, computer supported collaborative learning, and inclusive design of e-learning. She earned her Ph.D. in Instructional Systems from Pennsylvania State University in 2006.
Valerie Shute is the Mack and Effie Campbell Tyner endowed professor of education at Florida State University. Before coming to FSU in 2007, she was a principal research scientist at Educational Testing Service (2001-2007) where she was involved with basic and applied research projects related to assessment, cognitive diagnosis, and learning from advanced instructional systems and where she generally honed her psychometric skills. Prior to ETS, she worked in industry for two years, and before that, she was employed at the Air Force Research Lab in San Antonio, Texas (1986-1999). She earned a Ph.D. in cognitive/educational psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (1984), and held a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Learning Research and Development Center.
Kathleen M. Clark is an Associate Professor in the School of Teacher Education at Florida State University. Her research focuses on the ways in which prospective and in-service mathematics teachers use history of mathematics in teaching, the ways in which the study of history of mathematics informs teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching, and the impact of primary historical sources in undergraduate mathematics education. Dr. Clark earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, with a specialization in Mathematics Education, from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2006. Prior to her doctoral work, she taught high school mathematics in a variety of contexts (1987-2001) and spent one year on Capitol Hill as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow (2001-2002).
Gordon Erlebacher is currently Professor and Chair in the Department of Scientific Computing at Florida State University. His current research revolves around deep learning and its uses in both supervised and unsupervised contexts. Prior to joining FSU in 1996 to become part of the newly created School of Computational Science, he spent 13 years at NASA Langley Research Center and at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering working in the fields of visualization, and flow simulations. He earned his Ph.D. in Plasma Physics at Columbia University in 1983.