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Incapacity Benefit
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department's risk register for the decision to rollout nationwide the incapacity benefits migration programme. [107231]
Chris Grayling: The Department has no plans to publish any risk registers regarding its operations. The phased approach to incapacity benefit migration was itself a risk mitigation prior to implementing the change nationally. There is no specific risk register now that migration is part of day to day operations.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the median length of waiting time was for callers to the jobseeker's allowance advice lines in the latest period for which figures are available. [108615]
Chris Grayling: It is not possible to obtain the median figure as requested, as this would require a full list of every individual instance rather than the aggregated
23 May 2012 : Column 730W
figures our Management Information system presents. All figures routinely reported within the DWP represent mean, rather than median, averages.
The relevant mean figures are as follows:
First contact (jobseekers allowance new claims—April 2012—operational month (7 April to 4 May 05)
Average wait time to answer: 2 minutes, 45 seconds
Please note, these figures will also include calls relating to IS new claims.
JSA inquiries (jobseekers allowance existing claims)—April 2012—operational month ( 7 April to 4 May)
Please note that figures for April will have been significantly impacted by both increased seasonal demand at the start of the new business year and condensed demand following bank holidays and so do not necessarily provide representative figures of call centre staff performance under the conditions encountered during the majority of the operational year.
All figures represent wait time from customer entry into the relevant queue excluding any time spent progressing through any messaging presented prior to the queue being reached. Figures for both service lines will include all calls received including inappropriate/misdirected contact.
Mr Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the length of time waited by the top 85 percentile of callers to the jobseeker's allowance advice lines was in the latest period for which figures are available. [108616]
Chris Grayling: I can advise that the top 85 percentile is not available. The telephony platform would not capture wait times by individual in order for us to calculate the wait time for that or indeed any proportion of the total.
Pension Funds: Overseas Investment
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what pension fund overseas investment was as (a) equities and (b) debt instruments in each of the last 30 years; how much investment there was in each year; and what proportion it was of total UK investment in each year. [108309]
Steve Webb: Information for the period requested is not available. Information from 2006 onwards is published by the Office for National Statistics, and is set out in the table.
Pension fund investment—assets acquired
£ million
Overseas equities
Overseas debt instruments
Total investment by pension funds
Overseas as a proportion of total (%)
Notes: 1. The table shows the cash value of assets acquired by self-administered pension funds in each year. A self-administered pension scheme is defined as an occupational pension scheme with units invested in one or more managed schemes or unit trusts. The data relate to the self-administered pension and superannuation funds of the private sector and to the funded, self-administered schemes of local authorities and employees previously employed in the nationalised industries. Insurer-provided pensions are excluded from the figures. 2. Overseas equities consist of overseas ordinary and preference shares and overseas mutual fund holdings—although note that mutual fund holdings could also consist of bond holdings. Overseas debt instruments consist of overseas corporate and Government bonds and holdings of overseas loans and mortgages. 3. Total investment figure is for long-term investment by self-administered pension funds only and excludes cash and other short-term holdings such as money market funds, which amount to roughly around £40 to £45 billion a year. Source: Office for National Statistics, Investment by Insurance Companies, Pension Funds and Trusts: 4th Quarter 2011, available to download at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Pension+funding
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the overseas earnings were of pension funds (a) in dividends, (b) in interest, (c) in total and (d) as a proportion of total UK earnings in each of the last 30 years. [108310]
Steve Webb: The data required to answer this question are not available. Information about total investment income received by self-administered pension funds from 2006 onwards is published by the Office for National Statistics, and is set out in the table:
Pension fund investment income
Rents, receivable from properties
Dividends received from investment
Interest earned on investments
Total investment income
Note: The table shows the cash value of investment income earned by self-administered pension funds in each year. A self-administered pension scheme is defined as an occupational pension scheme with units invested in one or more managed schemes or unit trusts. Source: Office for National Statistics, Investment by Insurance Companies, Pension Funds and Trusts: 4th Quarter 2011, available to download at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Pension+funding
Pensioners: Income
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average single pensioner weekly incomes were of (a) male and (b) female pensioners in today's prices in each of the last 30 years. [108300]
Steve Webb: The following table provides the median single pensioner net weekly equivalised incomes, Before and After Housing Costs, by gender in 2009-10 prices for all available years.
Net median weekly income by gender
(£ per week, 2009-10 prices)
Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs
Source Year Male Female Male Female
Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Pensioners' Income Series (PI) data sourced from the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) and the Family Resources Survey (FRS). 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost and an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 3. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 4. The reference period for FRS-based PI figures is the financial year. FRS-based estimates are not available before 1994-95. FES-based PI data are based on calendar years. Data are presented for available years. The years presented correspond to publications that have correct data and where we have spent the time in ensuring income definitions, etc. are consistent. 5. Weekly incomes have been rounded to the nearest pound. 6. Older data is sourced from the FES. The two surveys have different response rates and response profiles, and there are some definitional differences in the data that are collected. Because of these differences, direct comparisons between results from the FES and FRS should not normally be made. 7. FES-sourced figures are for the United Kingdom and FRS-sourced figures are for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom from 2002-03. 8. It was announced in May that the 2009-10 results will be revised when the 2010-11 results come out. See the DWP PI website for further information. Source: Pensioners' Incomes Series 2009-10
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether an assessment by the social services department of a local authority that a person with a disability requires care and support will be sufficient evidence of eligibility for the personal independence payment. [108864]
Maria Miller: Within the personal independence payment we intend to move away from the blanket exemptions and automatic entitlement provisions that exist within disability living allowance and treat every claimant as an individual. As such, entitlement to the personal independence payment will not be based upon individuals' specific health conditions or impairments nor on what existing entitlement to other benefits or support they may have, including social care support. The assessment for the new benefit will instead focus on the extent to which claimants' health condition or impairment affect their day to day lives, by assessing ability to carry out key everyday activities. This will ensure that priority in the benefit goes to those people who face the greatest barriers to living independent lives.
While the fact that claimants have entitlement to social care or other support will not be a factor in whether they are entitled to the personal independence payment, we do want to ensure that our assessments are based on the best and most appropriate evidence. Evidence
is likely to come from a range of sources and individuals will be able to provide us with the evidence they consider relevant and to tell us which other professionals may be able to advise us on their circumstances, for example, GP, nurse, hospital consultant or social worker. Reports produced as part of assessments for other support may form a useful part of this evidence mix.
This suite of information and evidence will allow for a far more personalised approach to be undertaken both on overall entitlement to the benefit and on whether a face-to-face consultation is needed with the individual as part of the assessment. Such an approach will allow for more informed decisions to be made, taking full account of how the health condition or impairment impacts upon the individual.
Social Security Benefits: Data Protection
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many private businesses and public bodies have access to information held by his Department relating to individuals' employment history and working age benefit claims; and for what reasons each body has access in each case. [109030]
Chris Grayling: The Department lawfully allows specific organisations to access personal data for a wide range of statutory purposes. This access may be required, for example, by the Department's data processors, organisations working with individuals to assist them into employment, or other data controllers, such as local authorities to assist with the assessment of housing benefit.
A wide range of private and public organisations is provided with information for such purposes and compiling a single list of the uses made by each of them could be done only at disproportionate cost.
The Department has provided further detail of the ways in which personal information is used, in an explanatory leaflet 'DWP and your personal information' in its published Privacy Policy which is available on the Department's internet pages at the following address:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/privacy-policy/#DPA
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department's risk register on the introduction of universal credit. [108244]
Chris Grayling: There are no plans to publish the Department's risk register on the introduction of universal credit.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average number of hours was worked per week by people employed in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each Scottish constituency in May (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [109202]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated May 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the average number of hours worked per week was of people employed in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each Scottish constituency in May (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. (109202)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics on Average Hours Worked, for regions and constituencies from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Estimates for the UK have also been provided from this source for consistency. However, these UK estimates will therefore differ from those in the National Labour Market Statistics Bulletin which are produced from the Labour Force Survey.
Table 1 shows the mean actual number of hours worked per worker per week for the geographies requested for the 12 month APS periods ending September 2010 and September 2011, the latest period for which figures are available. Data for 2012 are currently not available.
As with any sample survey, estimates from APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
Mean hours worked per worker per week (1) by UK, Scotland and Westminster parliamentary constituencies in Scotland
12 months ending:
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch
Edinburgh North and Leith
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.
Linlithgow and East Falkirk
North Ayrshire and Arran
North East Fife
Ochil and South Perthshire
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
(1) Average actual hours worked per week in main and second job including paid and unpaid overtime. Source: Annual Population Survey
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools he expects to convert to academy status in 2012. [106884]
Mr Gibb: 2,160 applications to convert to academies had been received up until 1 May 2012. 1,450 of these schools have already converted to academy status. The academy conversion programme is a demand-led programme with conversion numbers dependent on schools submitting applications. I cannot therefore advise how many schools will convert to academies in 2012.
Academies: Primary Education
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance is given to officials in his Department on the information to be provided in writing when they are advising primary schools on possible conversion to academy status. [108804]
Mr Gibb: No guidance is given to departmental officials about what information should be provided in writing to schools that are considering conversion to academy status. Officials communicate with these schools in person, on the phone, and in writing. In addition, primary schools can access written information available on the Department's website including details about academy status and the process for becoming an academy, a description of the role of a sponsor and case studies of open academies. The website is available here
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/primary
Adoption: Reading (Berkshire)
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were in foster care awaiting adoption in Reading West constituency in each of the last three years. [106662]
Tim Loughton: The information requested for Reading borough council can be found in the tables. Information at constituency level is not available.
The decision that a looked after child should be placed for adoption is made by their local authority but the local authority cannot actually place the child with prospective adopters without either a placement order or parental consent (depending on the individual circumstances of the case).
Information about the decision that a child should be placed for adoption has only been collected for all looked after children, for whom a decision was made, since 2009. Previously, this information was collected only for children who had been adopted. Consequently, the number of children waiting for adoption can only be provided for the last three years.
Looked after children for whom the decision was made that they shou ld be placed for adoption while placed In foster care, who were adopted, had the decision that they should be placed for adoption reversed or who were still waiting to be adopted at 31 March (1, 2, 3, 4) . Years ending 31 March 2009 to 2011. Coverage: Reading
Year in which the decision was made that the child should be placed for adoption
Year in which the child was adopted, for whom the decision was reversed or was waiting to be adopted Number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption Number of children adopted in year ending 31 March Number for whom decision reversed in year ending 31 March Number awaiting adoption at 31 March (5) Number awaiting adoption who were placed for adoption at 31 March (6)
n/a = Not applicable x = Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Consequently, the figures may not add up. For confidentiality purposes, numbers from one to five inclusive have been replaced by a cross (x). Where any number is shown as zero (0), the original figure submitted was zero (0). (2) Only children looked after in a foster care placement when the decision was made that they should be placed tor adoption have been counted. (3 )For children living with the family intending to adopt them (ie placed for adoption), it is tor the prospective adopters to apply to court for an adoption order. (4 )Children waiting to be placed for adoption may either bewailing for a placement order to be made by the court or be in (he process of being matched with prospective adopters. (5) The number of children at 31 March awaiting adoption is calculated as the total number of children in foster care for whom the decision was made that they should be placed for adoption, minus the total number of children who were adopted or for whom the decision was reversed. The number includes children who have been placed for adoption, but for whom an adaption order has not yet been made, as well as children who have not yet been placed. (6) The number awaiting adoption who were placed for adoption at 31 March is a subset of all children who were awaiting adoption at 31 March, and indicates that the child is living with his/her prospective adopters but an adoption order is not yet in place. Source: SSDA 903
Information on adopted children can be found in the Statistical First Release "Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011", which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
Apprentices: West Midlands
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many apprentice starts there were for 16 to 18 year- olds in (a) Redditch constituency and (b) the West Midlands in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [107047]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts aged under 19 in Redditch parliamentary constituency, the West Midlands region and England for academic years 2009/10 to 2010/11, the latest full year for which final data are available.
Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by learners aged under 19 by geography, 2009/10 to 2010/11
2009/10 full year 2010/11 full year
Redditch constituency
England total
Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred except for England total which are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. These figure includes a small number of under 16-year-olds. 3. Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. The England total includes some postcodes which are not known. Geographic information is based on boundaries of regions as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by age is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
Children and Young Persons Act 1933
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if the Government will consider reviewing Section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and its use for tackling and preventing child neglect. [109036]
Tim Loughton: The earlier that help is given to vulnerable children and families, the more chance there is of turning lives around and protecting children from harm. The Government's vision is for a child centred system which includes providing effective help when a problem arises at any stage in a child's life.
Section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 makes it an offence to assault, ill-treat, neglect, abandon or expose a child in a manner that is likely to cause unnecessary suffering to the child or injury to his health. Section 1 specifies that this includes any mental derangement. It does not therefore focus solely on a child's physical needs.
Concerns about a child's welfare may arise in many different contexts and the nature of these concerns will vary greatly from case to case. What is important is that action is taken quickly so that a problem does not escalate.
Understanding families and the experiences of children within them can be complex and signs of low level abuse and neglect may be misleading. Professionals working in universal services—health, education, police and early years—have a responsibility to identify the early signs of abuse and neglect, to share that information and work together to provide children with the help they need.
Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are being neglected. Under section 47 local authorities have a duty to make inquiries when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child in their area is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm.
Revisions we are proposing to make to the statutory guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' (2010) will continue to set out the processes to be followed when there are concerns about a child's safety and welfare. These concerns may be serious enough to justify initiating action in the family court. The threshold criteria set out in section 31 of the Children Act 1989 are used by judges when deciding whether a child has suffered significant harm and should be the subject of a statutory care or supervision order.
However, statutory guidance itself is not sufficient to effect the change needed. We are helping children's services, police and the NHS to work together and focus on early identification before problems escalate. We are also working with Ofsted to make sure their inspections look at whether children are getting the help they need. We are undertaking a number of reforms to strengthen
social work practice. This includes improving the social work degree and developing further the skills of existing social workers in critical areas such as child protection. We have advertised for and intend to appoint a Chief Social Worker, who will work with the new College of Social Work and the newly designated Principal Child and Family Social Workers in local authorities to drive improvement and raise standards. The Department has also commissioned Action for Children and the University of Stirling to produce training materials to help equip the work force to respond effectively to children who are likely to be, or have been, neglected. These materials will be published soon.
Children in Care: Missing Persons
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who went missing from care in the last year for which figures are available. [106451]
Tim Loughton: The information requested is contained in the following table.
The Department collects information from local authorities on looked after children who are missing for more than 24 hours from their agreed placement and whose whereabouts are either known or unknown to social services.
For completeness, the table also contains information on the total number of children looked after at any time during the year ending 31 March 2011.
Looked after children who went missing from their agreed placement during the year ending 31 March 2011 (1,2) . Coverage: England
Total number of children looked after at any time during the year
Children looked after who went missing during the year(3,4,5)
(1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. (3) Figures include looked after children who were missing from care for a period of more than 24 hours. (4) Children who went missing more than once during the year have been counted once. (5) Figures include children who are absent from their agreed placement including those cases where (a) the young person is in a refuge for children at risk, or (b) the whereabouts of the young person is known to social services (not in refuge), or (c) the whereabouts of the young person is unknown. Source: SSDA903
Children: Poverty
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of children were living in poverty in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne North constituency, (b) the north east and (c) England in the latest period for which figures are available. [106482]
Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household
income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
The sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide estimates at local authority level. However, figures at a regional level for England and the north east are available. Three survey years have been combined because single year estimates are not considered to be sufficiently reliable.
Statistics covering 2007/08 to 2009/10 are the most recent available.
The following table shows the proportion and number of children living in relative poverty before housing costs (BHC) for 2007/08 to 2009/10 in England and the north east.
Table 1: Number and proportion of children living in relative poverty (BHC) in England and the north east, 2007/08 to 2009/10
Region Number (million) Proportion (%)
Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) available at http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai_arc This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on a before housing cost rather than an after housing cost basis. For before housing costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for after housing costs they are. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for these HBAI figures is the financial year. 6. Numbers of households with children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand children. 7. Proportions of households with children have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 8. This measure is defined as: - Relative poverty: households with children with equivalised incomes below 60% of contemporary median household income before housing costs (BHC). 9. The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty. Source: Households Below Average Income 1994/95 to 2009/10, DWP
Departmental Staff: Political Affiliation
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) grants and (b) contracts his Department has awarded to companies or organisations run by individuals who previously held an elected position as a member of the (i) Conservative party and (ii) Liberal Democrat party since May 2010; what the (A) value and (B) nature was of these contracts; and whether they were publicly advertised. [107142]
Tim Loughton: We hold details of organisations that receive a grant from or were awarded a contract by the Department, but we do not hold any further detail
about individuals within those organisations to know whether they were employed by or held an elected position of the Conservative party or the Liberal Democrat party. To provide this information would incur disproportionate costs to this Department.
With regard to grants, within the Department we have a stated aim, endorsed by our former permanent secretary, of competing all grants that the Department gives. Depending on the subject matter of each grant, we advertise on Contracts Finder
http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
relevant trade websites or publications or on the Funding Central website
http://www.fundingcentral.org.uk/Default.aspx
With regard to contracts, it is the Department's policy to advertise all suitable contracts in either Contracts Finder (link as above), the Official Journal of the European Union
http://ted.europa.eu/TED/main/HomePage.do
or other publications relevant to the subject matter of the contract.
A suitable contract is one with a value over £20,000 and where the goods or services are not available via an existing framework agreement. Contracts with a value below £20,000 and which are not available from a framework agreement are competitively tendered by selecting suitable organisations to bid based on objective criteria.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received
from the Information Commissioner's Office on the use of private e-mails and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [106412]
Tim Loughton: In December 2011 the Department received a report from the Information Commissioner on the findings of its good practice visit in October 2011, which included consideration of the use of personal e-mail and the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Information Commissioner published those findings on 15 December 2011.
The Information Commissioner and his staff regularly make representations to departmental officials in the course of relevant Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act casework.
Free School Meals: Durham
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in North West Durham constituency are registered for free school meals. [108854]
Mr Gibb: Information on the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is shown in the tables.
Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals as at January 2011 is published in the Statistical First Release 'Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2011' available at:
Maintained nursery, state-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools, and pupil referral units (1, 2, 3, 4) , number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (5, 6, 7) , January 2011, England
Maintained nursery and state-funded primary schools (1, 2) State-funded secondary schools (1, 3)
Number on roll (5, 6) Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (5, 6) Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free meals Number on roll (5, 6) Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (5, 6) Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free meals
North West Durham constituency
Special schools (4) Pupil referral units
Number on roll (5, 6) Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (5, 6) Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free meals
(1 )Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3 )Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies. (4 )Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools, excludes general hospital schools. (5 )Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations, includes boarders. In Pupil Referral Units includes pupils registered with other providers and further education colleges. (6 )Pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between 5 and 15. (7 )Includes maintained nursery, state-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools, and Pupil Referral Units. Excludes pupils in alternative provision as full and part-time status is not collected. (8 )Not applicable. No schools of this type. Note: National totals have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: School Census
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent to which local authorities are fulfilling their duty to identify home-schooled children who are not receiving a suitable education. [108258]
Mr Gibb: The Department has not recently undertaken an assessment of how local authorities are fulfilling their statutory duty to identify those children of compulsory school age who are not receiving a suitable education at home. However, the Department plans to review its statutory guidance on children missing education for local authorities later in the autumn.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many items of equipment valued at £10,000 or more his Department lost in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [108923]
Tim Loughton: There are no recorded losses from the Department for items of equipment valued at £10,000 or more in the years 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Departmental Staff
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent employees his Department employed in May 2010; and how many it employed at the latest period for which figures are available. [108164]
Tim Loughton: The Department employed 2,622 or 2,504.1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees on the 31 May 2010. A more detailed breakdown covering how the Department and its arms length bodies have changed since March 2010 is as follows.
March 2010 March 2012 April 2012
Headcount FTE Headcount FTE Headcount FTE
Total group
DFE Total
DFE plus Executive Agencies
DFE Core
NDPBs
Non-Ministerial Departments
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent employees have (a) left and (b) been recruited to his Department in the last two years. [108179]
Tim Loughton: 111 people joined and 750 left the Department between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2012.
Primary Education: Birmingham
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many vacant primary school places there were in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and (b) Birmingham city council area in each of the last five years for which information is available. [108731]
Mr Gibb: The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of unfilled places in maintained primary schools (except special schools) via an annual survey. The following table shows the number of unfilled places in maintained primary schools and academies in Birmingham between 2007 and 2011, which are the most recent data available. The number of unfilled places are reported at local authority level and not broken down by constituency.
Unfilled places in maintained primary schools in Birmingham (including academies)
(1) Number of places relate to the position as at January (2) Number of places relate to the position as at May Source: Surplus Places Survey and School Capacity Collection
Schools: Admissions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) on how many occasions a direction to admit was sought from the Education Funding Agency for each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available; [106506]
(2) for how many children a direction to admit was sought from the Education Funding Agency in each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available; [106507]
(3) for how many children a direction to admit was granted in each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available; [106508]
(4) what the Education Funding Agency's average response time was to requests for direction to admit, timed from the moment that local authorities first made a request for a direction to admit in the latest period for which figures are available. [106509]
Mr Gibb: The Secretary of State has powers to direct admission to an academy if a local authority makes a complaint and the academy is found to have breached the terms of its Funding Agreement or the Admissions Code. Such requests are considered by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), which took over this responsibility from the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) on 1 April 2012.
Since the start of the academic year 2011/12 the YPLA and EFA have received a total of 14 requests from local authorities to direct admission to an academy. All have been resolved without the need for the Secretary of State to issue a direction order.
The number of requests to direct admission broken down by local authority is set out in the following table. Each case is treated on a case by case basis. In all cases, the Department and the EFA will work with the relevant local authority and schools to ensure that the child is in school as quickly as possible.
Requests to direct admission to an academy by local authority
Local authority Number of requests sought Number of children
Buckinghamshire county council
Doncaster council
Hillingdon council
Kent county council
Norfolk county council
Stoke-on-Trent city council
Warwickshire county council
Total (2011/12 academic year)
The Department does not collect figures on the number of children admitted to maintained schools as the result of directions issued by local authorities. Local authorities only direct a school to take a child as a last resort
preferring instead to work with their schools, through the locally agreed Fair Access Protocol. This ensures, in the vast majority of cases, that children are placed in school quickly. All local authorities are required to have and operate a Fair Access Protocol, with which all schools and academies in their area are required to participate.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure non-maintained schools do not disadvantage maintained schools by engaging in unfair admissions practices. [108667]
Mr Gibb: The School Admissions Code, which came into force on 1 February 2012, sets out a national framework that ensures that all state-funded school places, including places in academies and free schools, are awarded in a fair and open way. It is the responsibility of every admission authority to ensure that the admission arrangements they determine are compliant with the Code. Other non-maintained schools such as non-maintained special schools and independent schools are free to set their own admissions arrangements.
Schools: Shropshire
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of oral and written representations from Shropshire head teachers highlighting the effects on school infrastructure of Shropshire receiving less than the national average level for school funding. [109085]
Mr Gibb: The Under-Secretary of State for Education, my noble Friend, Lord Hill of Oareford, recently met my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) and a headteacher from Shropshire to discuss the future of school funding.
As the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), set out in his statement to the House on 26 March 2012, Official Report, columns 88-89WS, we will introduce a new national funding formula during the next spending period. This will ensure that funding is distributed across the country fairly and transparently. It is important that the components of a new national formula are right and introduce change at a pace which schools can manage.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many trade union representatives in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies had (i) part-time; and (ii) full-time paid facility time arrangements in 2011-12; [107341]
(2) how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in 2011-12; and at what cost to the public purse; [107342]
(3) how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies for trade union (i) duties and (ii) activities in 2011-12; [107343]
(4) if he will place in the Library copies of the facility time agreements between trade unions and (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies; [107344]
(5) how many trade union representatives in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-department public bodies have faced disciplinary action for abusing paid facility time or public resources in each of the last five years; [107345]
(6) how many meetings have taken place between (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies and trade union representatives utilising paid facility time in each of the last five years to discuss (i) collective bargaining, (ii) redundancies, (iii) negotiations relating to employment, pay and conditions and (iv) other trade union and industrial relations duties; and what the dates and times were of each meeting; [107346]
(7) on how many occasions trade union representatives from (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have utilised paid facility time to represent an employee at a meeting or other industrial relations matter in each of the last five years. [107347]
Tim Loughton: In 2011-2012 the Department had three full-time and 30 part-time trade union representatives. A minimum of 396 days were used as paid facility time, 293 for duties and 103 for activities at a total cost of £220,000.
In CAFCASS (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) there were the equivalent of 5.5 full-time officials with a total of 1,270 days facility time used at a cost of £500,000.
The Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) has two-part time officials. Additional information in relation to the cost and number of days spent on facilities time is not held centrally.
A copy of the facilities agreements for the Department for Education, CAFCASS and the OCC have been placed in the House Libraries.
Fewer than five trade union representatives in the Department and its non-departmental public bodies have faced disciplinary action for the misuse of facility time in the last five years.
Included in the following table are the details of formal meetings between the Department and the trade unions. The table documents the minimum number of meetings held; additional meetings have taken place on a formal and informal basis but this information is not held centrally. This information covers the period 2011-12. Information for earlier years is not available. Information as supplied by CAFCASS and OCC is also included.
The Department and its non-departmental public bodies do not collect information detailing the amount of facility time used to represent an employee at a meeting. All information contained here is in relation to the Department for Education, CAFCASS and the Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) only. Information relating to NDPBs that were abolished with effect from 31 March 2012 is not available.
Meetings held between Department for Education and trade unions 2011-12
Date Time Meeting type
Meetings held between CAFCASS and trade union 2011-12
12 operational meetings and 10 national meetings. Further details are not available.
Meetings held between Office for the Children's Commissioner and trade unions
Approximately six meetings were held. Further details are not available.
Courts: Enforcement
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the potential saving to the Exchequer of privatising the court enforcement service. [109031]
Mr Djanogly: The policy and commercial strategy, in relation to possible future plans to work with a commercial partner to deliver criminal compliance and enforcement functions within HM Courts and Tribunals Service, is still under development. Any associated benefits and savings resulting from the implementation of such a policy are still subject to review and approval and would not be fully determined and validated until the commercial process has concluded.
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are employed by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on court enforcement in each region. [109032]
Mr Djanogly: The number of enforcement staff in each of the HM Courts and Tribunals Service regions are as set out in the following table:
Region Number of enforcement staff
Family Courts: Worcestershire
Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the waiting times for Family Court hearings in child protection cases in Worcestershire. [109022]
Mr Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) are working with system partners (Department for Education, CAFCASS (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service), local authorities) to improve family performance across the board, particularly in relation to the 'public law' cases that deal with child protection issues. This work includes assessing waiting times at courts, and working to ensure that all courts have sufficient capacity to ensure that public law cases can progress in a timely manner.
To improve court capacity, HMCTS has allocated an extra 4,000 county court sitting days across England and Wales in this financial year, which represents an overall increase of 8,000 days compared with 2009-10. Of the 4,000 extra days released, 680 have been allocated to the Midlands region, and 31 of these have been allocated for use at Worcester county court. This represents an increase to Worcester's dedicated family sitting day allocation of just over 20%. HMCTS has also ring-fenced the sitting days allocated for family cases in the magistrates courts to ensure that they are used as intended. HMCTS are monitoring the effect that these extra days are having on the timely progression of cases, and have developed regional action plans to ensure that local performance is improved, and that any local barriers to performance improvement are tackled.
The progression of child protection cases is managed within a judicially led framework known as the Public Law Outline (PLO). The PLO specifies that the first
hearing should take place within six days from issue, and then a case management conference should be held within 45 days from issue. There are no targets for when issue resolution and final hearings should take place, but the PLO is clear that these should be at a pace that is consistent with the child's individual needs and circumstances. It must be noted however that all parties— legal representatives, local authority representatives, CAFCASS guardians, parents—must be available to attend that hearing in order for it to be effective. Waiting times for court hearings are therefore dependent not only on court capacity, but on the availability of the parties and other agencies to attend the dates offered. Public law hearings can often be up to five days, which will obviously affect the parties' ability to attend at short notice. In some cases the court will need to arrange an urgent hearing, for example to consider an application for an emergency protection order. In such cases the court will make all efforts to ensure that an emergency hearing takes place immediately. The HMCTS action plans outlined above also include a range of activities to improve adherence to the PLO, and to liaise with CAFCASS or local authorities on how attendance for hearings can be improved.
The independent Family Justice Review, chaired by David Norgrove, put forward recommendations to improve the progression and timeliness of public law cases. The Government response, published in February this year, set out the range of actions that the Government would take to address the shortcomings identified by the review, and take its recommendations forward. One such recommendation is the establishment of a dedicated Family Justice Board, which will have the key responsibility for improving performance nationally. This national board will be supported by a network of local Family Justice Boards based around local courts and local authorities. These local boards are currently being established and will tackle local performance issues, and ensure open communication lines between courts and local child protection agencies.
While the Government do not collect statistics on how long parties wait for hearings at particular courts, we do measure how long it takes for child protection cases to be completed. In Worcestershire, overall average case duration for care and supervision applications for October to December 2011, the latest period available, is as follows:
Worcester county court: 70 weeks (revised since the provisional figure of 68 was published on 29 March 2012).
Worcestershire Family Proceedings Courts: 44 weeks
The national average for care and supervision case duration currently stands at 55 weeks, and all local case durations can be found on the Open Justice website:
http://open.justice.gov.uk/courts/care-proceedings/
The Government are committed to reducing this average both nationally and at all local courts, and intend to legislate for a six month time limit in child protection cases. In the meantime all agencies have been tasked, under the stewardship of the Family Justice Board, with improving their performance and reducing case duration significantly in advance of the time limit being implemented.
Fraud: Direct Mail
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to make redress more readily accessible for victims of mail scams. [106810]
Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
I am of course aware of the damage and harm that mail scams can have on victims and their families, and the Government recognise the need for a concerted effort to stop them. That is why the National Fraud Authority (NFA), the Metropolitan Police Service and other agencies have worked together to target this matter. They have engaged with partners, involving officials in my Department and with Royal Mail, to tackle scams and stop scam mail from getting into the postal system in the first place and sever the link between the fraudster and possible victims. A direct result of this was the recent seizure by the Metropolitan Police Service of a large consignment of scam mail.
I believe it is important that the greatest effort is applied where it will have the greatest impact. This is by confronting and preventing the mail from getting into the postal system in the first place, and by doing so stopping this type of mail from getting anywhere near its intended victims. This needs to be intelligence-led and based on effective evidence. Where mass marketed scams originate from overseas, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Office of Fair Trading work closely with overseas counterparts to tackle the worst perpetrators.
I am therefore confident that the Department working with appropriate bodies and the industry, is doing all it can to stop scams getting into the postal system, to ensure that consumers have access to effective advice and victims have access to support.
In addition Action Fraud, the UK's fraud reporting centre, offers a service to all victims and potential victims of mail scams to report instances of fraud. The crime and information reports collected are sent directly to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau based at the City of London police. The data is used to inform our picture of fraud and better target resources for preventative and investigative purposes.
www.actionfraud.police.uk
Legal Aid Scheme
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of his Department's total procurement expenditure was spent on legal aid providers in (a) the fourth quarter of 2010-11, (b) the first quarter of 2011-12 and (c) the second quarter of 2011-12. [107821]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The proportion of Ministry of Justice (MOJ) spent on legal aid providers in (a) the fourth quarter of 2010-11 (b) the first quarter of 2011-12 and (c) the second quarter of 2011-12 is as shown in the following table:
Quarter Proportion represented as a percentage (%)
January to March 11 (fourth quarter of 2010-11)
April to June 13 (first quarter of 2011-12)
July to September 11 (second quarter of 2011-12)
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many items of equipment valued at £10,000 or more his Department lost in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [108932]
Mr Djanogly: In 2010-11, the Department lost four items of equipment worth more than £10,000. No items of equipment of this value were lost in 2011-12.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 2 April 2012 with regard to Mr M Lawless. [109013]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I have written to the right hon. Member today.
Parc Prison
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to improve pastoral support for prisoners at Parc Prison, Bridgend; and if he will make a statement. [109028]
Mr Blunt: We wish to ensure that prisoners from all religious faiths are given the opportunity and facilities to practice their religion. All prisons have multi-faith chaplaincy teams to facilitate this and to provide pastoral support to prisoners and staff.
At HMP and YOI Parc, the chaplaincy provides pastoral support to anyone who needs it, regardless of faith background. The support available meets the needs of the prison population and there are no immediate plans to change the existing arrangements.
Prisons: Video Recordings
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the powers used by HM Prison Ranby to request video footage from the West Retford Hotel in 2011 and 2012. [106534]
Mr Blunt: The use of third-party overt CCTV in the course of administering disciplinary proceedings is not in breach of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and no further action is necessary.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2012, Official Report, column 180W, on alternatives to prison: Greater Manchester, (1) whether his Department keeps records of payments made to meet defendants' costs from central funds in private prosecutions; [108845]
(2) how much has been paid from central funds to meet defendants' costs in private prosecutions in (a) total and (b) cases brought by the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals in each of the last five financial years. [108846]
Mr Djanogly: The Department keeps records of payments made to meet defendant's costs from central funds, but departmental accounting systems do not identify centrally payments where the prosecution had been brought (a) privately or (b) by the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals.


text:
module FDIC
  module BankFind
    class HistoryEvent < Record

      field :fdic_id, :id
      field(:legal_name, :legalName, &:strip)
      field :certificate_number, :certNumber

      date_field :effective_date, :orgEffDate
      field :event_description, :eventDescription
      field :change_code, :changeCode
      field :change_description, :changeDesc

      field :trust_power, :trustPower
      field :trust_power_check, :trustPowerCheck

      field :city
      field :state

      field :primary_regulatory_agency_check, :primaryRegulatoryAgencyCheck
      field :primary_regulatory_agency, :primaryRegulatoryAgency
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Let science light the way! Spend the day learning about the science of light with hands-on activities and demonstrations that are sure to sparkle. Experiment with long exposure photography, play with shadows, use diffraction to break light into a dazzling display, catch a glow-show in the theater, and see how light can be used to create art in the dark! The possibility for experimentation is endless at Science in the Dark. Free with paid admission.


Heane also had another 10 offences taken into consideration in Cheshire and one in Suffolk and admitted being in possession of a firearm when prohibited for five years.
Bryan, 25, of Glenhills Boulevard, had an additional seven burglaries taken into consideration.
The pair stole thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and a large quantity of cash during these burglaries, along with three shotguns and cartridges from one property.
The shotguns were recovered when police found a crashed and abandoned Jaguar in Kent which belonged to Bryan.
The vehicle carried Bryan's fingerprints and DNA matching that of Heane.
Evidence gathered by detectives across the various police forces quickly linked a number of these burglaries to the men.
Both men had been circulated as wanted prior to their arrests in February this year.
Heane was detained in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Bryan in Leicester.
Detective Constable Mark Hughes, investigating officer in the case, said: "Lee Heane and Matthew Bryan are prolific criminals who travelled around the country causing untold misery for their numerous victims.
"Although we took the lead for this inquiry in Suffolk, I am grateful for the support given to us by colleagues across the other counties concerned to help bring these men to justice.
"Having your home burgled is one of the most intrusive crimes you can suffer and I hope the sentences given out today will bring some comfort to the victims.


text:
import { Component, OnInit, OnChanges } from '@angular/core';
import { StudentService } from '../services/student/student.service';
import { QuizService } from '../services/quiz/quiz.service';
import {ActivatedRoute} from '@angular/router';

import { Student } from '../models/student.model';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-update-profile',
  templateUrl: './update-profile.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./update-profile.component.css']
})
export class UpdateProfileComponent implements OnInit {
  isEditName: boolean = false;
  isEditEmail: boolean = false;
  name: string = '';
  student: any = {
    courses: new Array()
  };
  studentId: number;
  editStudent: Student = new Student();
  quizzes: any = new Array();

  constructor(private _studentService: StudentService, private _route:ActivatedRoute, private _quizService: QuizService) {
  }

  editName() {
    this.editStudent.name = this.student.name;
    this.updateStudent();
  }

  ngOnInit() {
    this.studentId = this._route.snapshot.params['userId'];
    this.getStudent();
    this.getQuizMarks();
    this.mapCourses();
  }

  editEmail() {
    this.editStudent.email = this.student.email;
    this.updateStudent();
  }

  clickEditName() {
    this.isEditName = true;
  }

  clickEditEmail() {
    this.isEditEmail = true;
  }

  getStudent() {
    this._studentService.getStudent(this.studentId).subscribe(student => {
      console.log(student);
      this.student = student;
      this.student.email = 'kashifroshen7@gmail.com';
      this.mapCourses();
    });
  }

  updateStudent() {
    this._studentService.updateStudent(this.studentId,this.editStudent).subscribe(student => {
      this.student = student;
      this.updateStudent = null;
      this.togglePencil();

    });
  }

  private togglePencil() {
    if (this.isEditName === true) {
      this.isEditName = false;
    } else {
      this.isEditEmail = false;
    }
  }

  private getQuizMarks() {
   this._studentService.getStudentMarks(this.studentId).subscribe(studentMarks => {
     console.log(studentMarks,"ge");
      this.mapQuizzes(studentMarks);
   });
  }

  private mapCourses() {
    this.student.courses.forEach(course => {
      let i = 0;
      this.student.courses[i] = course.name;
      i++;
    });
  }

  private mapQuizzes(studentMarks: any) {
    let quiz: any = {
      course:'',
      quiz:'',
      mark:0
    };
    studentMarks.forEach(studentMark => {
      console.log(studentMark.marks);
      quiz.course = studentMark.quiz.course.name;
      quiz.quiz = studentMark.quiz.name;
      quiz.mark = studentMark.marks;
      console.log(quiz);

      this.quizzes.push(quiz);
    });
  }
}


As a springboard to a music career, winning The Horn's Battle of the Bands wil probably do 2Days2Late no harm at all.
The four man punk-pop band saw off competition from three other acts to win the showpiece event at the St Albans music pub.
And they will be back there later this month headlining a special Battle of the Band winners show, joined by the runners-up Atlas, Sarah Lappert Band and Timeless Lizards.
In the meantime they have just recorded their debut EP We're Not Famous, featuring their popular single Tinder, and there is talk about a tour next year although nothing is written in stone just yet.
2Days2Late - there is nothing particularly significant about the name, it was just a phrase that came into their mind - comprise former Beaumont student Will Turner on bass, lead vocalist Ryan Adams from Borehamwood, guitarist James Deans from Welwyn Garden City and drummer Chris Osborne from Hemel Hempstead.
They are all in their early twenties and came together after Will and James hooked up in late 2014 on the website Join My Band. They started jamming and then decided they ought to put a band together.
The band, influenced by the likes of Green Day, Blink 182 and My Chemical Romance, had already played at The Horn when they decided to take part in the 2016 Battle of the Bands.
What they hadn't got was much in the way of original material but in a matter of months they had come up with a full set list. Their days of performing covers are now largely over.
Their prizes included £750 and a day in a Camden recording studio and while they are all still working in other jobs - Will has just left college and will be working full-time - they are building a growing local fan base and are hoping to continue making their way on the London circuit having already played at Proud and Fiddler's Elbow in Camden.
The next chance to catch 2Days2Late at The Horn is on Saturday, August 27.


In December of last year, The Doppelgangaz introduced themselves to our pages with At Night, a lyrically on-point single that left the Whole Wide World--or at least the slice of it that frequents the Booth—fiending for a repeat performance. Today, Matter ov Fact and EP finally return to give heads what they've been craving in the form of their latest promo single, presented here in its officially remixed version. EP sets a disquieting mood on the production tip, layering dissonant synth ambiance and quavering vocal samples over a thumping, boom-bap rhythm section. He and Matter match the beat's intensity where flow is concerned, but address topics humorously out of sync with the joint's mood, from a woman who can "smoke a hookah with her cooca," to their culinary preferences (Roti is fine, but veal is apparently a no-go). Demigodz vet Apathy grabs the mic to support his "favorite group from the freshman class" on the back. This left-of-center underground banger isn't currently attached to a larger project, but we in the Booth will keep you posted on The Doppelgangaz' plans.


text:
package com.aspose.wizards.maven;

import com.aspose.utils.AsposeJavaAPI;
import com.aspose.utils.execution.CallBackHandler;
import com.intellij.openapi.progress.ProgressIndicator;
import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;

import java.util.ResourceBundle;

/**
 * Created by Adeel Ilyas on 9/9/2015.
 */
public class DownloadExamplesCallback implements CallBackHandler {
    private AsposeJavaAPI asposeJavaAPI;

    DownloadExamplesCallback(AsposeJavaAPI asposeJavaAPI) {
        this.asposeJavaAPI=asposeJavaAPI;
    }
    @Override
    public boolean executeTask(@NotNull ProgressIndicator progressIndicator) {

        progressIndicator.setIndeterminate(true);
        progressIndicator.setText(ResourceBundle.getBundle("Bundle").getString("AsposeManager.downloadExamplesMessage"));

        return asposeJavaAPI.downloadExamples(progressIndicator);
    }
}


Redline Executive has an excellent track record of assisting Venture Capital funds. We know that our VC clients are investing in technology start-ups with high growth potential. Typically our private equity clients are looking for knowledgeable interim managers who can help deliver key strategic initiatives within a specific timescale. We source leaders who provide a precise set of skills and knowledge to enhance and fortify an unbalanced management team. They will often execute or accelerate a project, or build from scratch a new team, division or even business strategy.
Redline Executive is engaged by Venture Capital and Private Equity clients to help them install experienced, results-oriented senior executives in their portfolio companies, specifically those within the high-technology sector.
The UK is undergoing significant challenges from this dynamic economic environment with increased levels of regulation being applied. Therefore it is imperative the right people are in the right positions within a PE-backed business to ensure the investment and increase the return and to capitalise on growth potential. It is therefore more essential than at any other time, that the right leadership team are in place to ensure the successful growth of the funded business and to maximise the return on investment in the target timescale.
For both our Private Equity and Venture Capital businesses we help identify, attract, select and secure talented professionals for a variety of senior positions across their technology oriented portfolio including senior operational/management positions, through to CEO, CFO, COO, CMO, Partners and Chairmen.
Redline Executive's PE & VC search division works closely with a varied list of clients, from incubators and accelerators, early-stage investors and development capital companies, through to mid-market buy-ins, leveraged buy-outs and global private equity funds.


text:
April Showers: Quick Bite
Today on Museum Quick Bites we're kicking off the month of April with a stroll along Gustave Caillebotte's, Paris Street; Rainy Day (Rue de Paris, Temps de Pluie; 1877). This snapshot of late 19th century Paris, captures a busy intersection in the newly modernized City of Light. Considered radical at the time for its seemingly asymmetrical arrangement and cropped figures, Caillebotte's painting is filled with delightful details.
Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte, Art Institute of Chicago
So let's dig in! Starting with the upper right close-up (see below) and moving clockwise, zoom in and note the woman's fur-trimmed coat and delicate veil. How the cropped figure of a man on the far right is about to graze the couple's umbrella. The play of light on the watery cobblestones, and how one man tiptoes across the puddles. The umbrellas add depth and a touch of playfulness to the scene. Notice how the carriage driver appears to pop out of one umbrella? And a pair of legs sprout from beneath another? Despite the gloom, this drizzly scene has a bustling, energetic vibe.
Close-ups of Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte, Art Institute of Chicago
Fun Arty Fact #1: Paris's Haussmann apartment buildings were designed by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann (1809-1891), a controversial city planner, nicknamed "the Demolisher".
A devout Bonapartist, Haussmann was hired by Napoléon III to modernize Paris. He razed the city's medieval buildings and narrow streets, and repaved Paris with wide, tree-lined boulevards and his iconic apartments. Strictly standardized, the Haussmann buildings were constructed to be no more than five stories high, with roofs pitched at a precise 45 degrees, and balconies tricked out in wrought iron.
Georges-Eugène Haussmann, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Wikimedia Commons
Artist Background: Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) was born in Paris, the eldest child from his father, Martial's third marriage. Raised in a wealthy family, Gustave's father was a judge and owner of the family's textile manufacturing company. As a child, Gustave learned to paint, but in school, he studied engineering and law. Shortly after receiving his law license, he was drafted into the military and fought in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).
Left: Gustave Caillebotte (c1878), Wikimedia Commons
Right: Raboteurs de parquet (1875) by Gustave Caillebotte, Musée d'Orsay
After the war, Gustave decided to pursue an artistic career and in 1873, enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts. The following year, he attended the first Impressionist Exhibition in Paris and subsequently befriended several of the artists. Independently wealthy, Gustave became a patron for many Impressionist artists by paying their rents and buying their art. He also helped organize and finance subsequent exhibitions. Gustave debuted his painting, Raboteurs de Parquet (Floor Scrapers; 1875) at the 2nd Impressionist Exhibition in 1876, after the judges from the Salon rejected it for being too vulgar. Paris Street; Rainy Day, made its debut in 1877 at the 3rd Impressionist Exhibition.
Left: Jeune homme à la fenêtre (1876) by Gustave Caillebotte, Wikimedia Commons
Upper Right: Skiffs (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte, National Gallery of Art
Lower Right: Vue de toits (Effet de neige; 1878) by Gustave Caillebotte, Musée d'Orsay
After several years, Gustave's interest in art began to wane. He continued to paint, but other hobbies such as yacht building and racing, stamp collecting, and gardening occupied more of his time. In 1894, at age 45, Gustave died from a stroke while tending his garden. His art collection, predominantly made up of paintings from his Impressionist pals, was bequeathed to and reluctantly accepted by the French government. Apparently, Jean-Léon Gérôme and his fellow sticklers at the Salon were quite put out with the Impressionists and their rebellious artistic style. They tried and failed to prevent the French state from accepting Gustave's collection. Fortunate for us, government officials agreed to take Gustave's generous donation and to this day these now famous works of art are on display at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
If you'd like to view more of Gustave's work, click on this Gustave Caillebotte link, courtesy of WikiArt. If you'd like to learn more about the rebellious Impressionists and their impact on the art world, click on this Museum Bites: Coloring Outside the Lines link.
Self-Portrait (c1892) by Gustave Caillebotte, Musée d'Orsay
Fun Arty Fact #2: The intersection featured in Caillebotte's, Paris Street; Rainy Day is a real place. Located in the 8th arrondissement, the Place de Dublin is just a short walk from the Saint Lazare metro station.
Place de Dublin, Photo by Tangopaso, Wikimedia Commons
That wraps up our ramble through Gustave Caillebotte's, Paris Street; Rainy Day. If you're ever in Chicago, I highly recommend you check out Caillebotte's masterpiece which is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. Measuring 7' by 10' the almost life-size scene does not disappoint! I'll be back next week with more Museum Quick Bites. In the meantime, be safe, be kind, and take care 🙂
Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte on display at the Art Institute of Chicago
Cover photo (cropped) by Anrita1705, courtesy of Pixabay.
Architectural Digest: How Georges-Eugène Haussmann's Architecture Defined Paris (2018)
Art Institute of Chicago: Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte
Art Institute of Chicago: Gustave Caillebotte
Britannica: Georges-Eugène Haussman
Britannica: Gustave Caillebotte
Brooklyn Museum: Gustave Caillebotte
Khan Academy: Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte
Museum Bites: Coloring Outside the Lines
My Modern Net: How Haussmann Architecture Transformed All of Paris with Modern Buildings (2019)
My Modern Net: Paris Street; Rainy Day (1877) by Gustave Caillebotte
The Art Story: Gustave Caillebotte
WikiArt: Gustave Caillebotte
Wikimedia Commons: Gustave Caillebotte
1800s, Architecture, Art Institute of Chicago, Boulevard, France, Franco-Prussian War, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, Gustave Caillebotte, Impressionism, Musée d'Orsay, Museum Bites, Painting, Paris, Quick Bites
Silver Streak: Quick Bite
Penelope: Quick Bite

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Silvermine Golf Club is available for all of your golf outing needs. Courses are available on Monday throughout the golfing season and are booked through the club's pro shop.
Silvermine is unique giving you a choice of two course options; Option 1: a par 65 course which uses our executive nine & the front nine of our main course and Option 2: A par 70 course which utilizes our entire main course.
Food and beverage is available through our clubhouse dining facility with many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For this season's available dates and fee information please call Stuart Waack, Head Golf Professional at 846-2552 to discuss the details and needs for your tournament.


text:
SERIES Identifier: MS Thr 398
Add to My Request List
VII. Programs
Alexandre Sakharoff and Clotilde Sakharoff papers
There are no restrictions on physical access to this material. Collection is open for research.
4.5 linear feet (9 boxes and 1 folder)
Arranged chronologically.
Programs from the performances of the Sakharoffs in French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and German. One program contains 6 color reproductions. Also included is a program fragment of descriptions of dances.
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.ois:HOU
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Houghton Library's Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library's collections.
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
Houghton_Library@harvard.edu
VII. Programs. Alexandre Sakharoff and Clotilde Sakharoff papers, MS Thr 398. Houghton Library.
VII. Programs. Alexandre Sakharoff and Clotilde Sakharoff papers, MS Thr 398. Houghton Library. https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/c/hou01561c00103/catalog Accessed January 29, 2023.
To request materials for use in the Houghton Library reading room, go to the HOLLIS catalog record and click on the Request Item button . Please be sure to include the full Item Identifier in your request.


text:
Dumetella carolinensisgray catbird(Also: grey catbird)
By Tanya Dewey and Terri Pinkoski
Gray catbirds are native to the Nearctic region. They breed in north, central and eastern United States (from Oregon to New Mexico, to along the East coast), and south-central and western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba). During the winter they live in the extreme southeastern United States, along the east coast of Mexico, and in the Caribbean Islands. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
Gray catbirds live in dense thickets of shrubs and vines within woodlands, and are occasionally found in residential areas. They are also found around some forest edges and clearings, along roadsides, fencerows, abandoned farmland and streamsides. They prefer areas without many conifer trees. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995; National Geographic Society, 1999)
Gray catbirds are medium-sized birds with a dark gray body, a black cap and black tail feathers. They have a chestnut patch underneath the tail coverts. Eastern populations are generally darker grey than western populations. Gray catbirds have short rounded wings and long rounded tail feathers, a short black bill, black eyes, and black feet and legs. They range from 21 to 24 cm long, and weigh 23 to 56 grams.
Gray catbirds are monomorphic, meaning that males and females look alike. Chicks are covered in brown or dark grey down. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995; National Geographic Society, 1999)
23 to 56 g
0.81 to 1.97 oz
8.27 to 9.45 in
Gray catbirds are monogamous. Breeding pairs form soon after the catbirds arrive on the breeding grounds in the spring. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
Gray catbirds breed between April and early August. They usually raise two broods per season. The female builds a bulky, open nest that is low to the ground (within 2 m). The nests are made from twigs, scraps, and paper bits. The female then lays 1 to 5 (usually 3 or 4) turquoise-colored eggs (about 17 mm by 24 mm). The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 14 days. The young are altricial when they hatch, and the parents shade them in the nest by perching on the rim with their wings spread and breast feathers fluffed. The male and female both feed young, whose diet usually consists only of small invertebrates. The young depart from the nest 10 to 11 days after hatching, and the parents will continue to feed them for up to 12 days. The young birds can breed for the first time the next summer. (Bird Neighbors: Catbird, 2000; Cimprich and Moore, 1995; National Geographic Society, 1999)
Gray catbirds breed during the spring and summer. They usually raise two broods per season.
Gray catbirds breed between April and early August.
12 (high) days
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Gray catbirds are born altricial, which means they cannot take care of themselves. Both males and females feed the young, who only eat small invertebrates. Parents shade the young from the sun by perching on the rim of the nest with their wings spread and breast feathers fluffed. The young fledge 10 to 11 days after hatching. The parents continue to feed them for up to 12 days longer. (Bird Neighbors: Catbird, 2000; Cimprich and Moore, 1995; National Geographic Society, 1999)
The oldest reported gray catbird lived for ten years and eleven months. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
10.9 (high) years
Average lifespan
Bird Banding Laboratory
Gray catbird are diurnal and migratory. Breeding pairs are territorial during the breeding season and in winter. During the breeding season, males defend a small territory around their nest. They rarely return to the same breeding site in successive years. During winter, males and females defend separate territories. Gray catbirds flock together in groups of 10 to 15 during migration.
Gray catbirds tends to fly low and for short distances from perch to perch. They prefer not to fly over wide, open spaces. (Bird Neighbors: Catbird, 2000; Cimprich and Moore, 1995; National Geographic Society, 1999)
Range territory size
0.002 to 0.0041 km^2
We have no information about the home range size of gray catbirds at this time.
Gray catbirds communicate visually, by how they hold their head or how their feathers are positioned. They also communicate by way of calls and songs. Gray catbirds are known for their "mew"-like song, which is reminiscent of the "mew" made by a cat. However, these skilled vocalists can make more than 100 different types of sounds, including whistles, harsh chatters and squeaks. They can even mimic other birds, tree frogs and other mechanical sounds that they hear. Part of this ability comes form the unusual structure of their syrinx, which allows both sides of the syrinx to operate independently. This means that gray catbirds can sing with two voices at once. Gray catbirds are also known to sing in duet. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
Other Communication Modes
mimicry
Gray catbirds mostly forage in treetops and on the ground. They are omnivores, consuming primarily insects and fruits. Insects in their diet include ants, beetles, flies, caterpillars and moths, including gypsy moths, spiders, and aphids. Gray catbirds eat small fruits from a number of different plants, including plants in the following genera: Myrica, Sassafras, Prunus, Cordea, and Trema. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
Snakes, rats, foxes, domestic cats, squirrels and chipmunks, raccoons, blue jays, American crows and common grackles prey on catbird eggs and chicks. Adult catbirds are sometimes hunted by raptors such as red-tailed hawks, Cooper's hawks, and peregrine falcons.
Gray catbirds respond aggressively towards predators. They flash their wings and tails at predators and make "quirt" and "mew" calls. They may even attack and peck at predators that come near the nest. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
snakes (Serpentes)
brown rats (Rattus norvegicus)
red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)
domestic cats (Felis silvestris)
squirrels and chipmunks (Sciuridae)
blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata)
American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula)
red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis)
Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperii)
peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus)
Gray catbirds are important predators of insects, and may be especially important at controlling infestations of gypsy moth larvae. They also provide food for their predators. They are hosts for a number of body parasites, including lice, hippoboscid flies and ticks.
Gray catbird nests are often parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds. However, they are one of the few bird species that is able to learn to recognize cowbird eggs, and to eject them from the nest. Even when brown-headed cowbird eggs are not ejected, brown-headed cowbird chicks rarely survive to fledge from gray catbird nests. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
Gray catbirds eat insects, which are often pests to humans. They may particularly important in controlling damaging species of moth and butterfly larvae, such as gypsy moth caterpillars. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
controls pest population
Gray catbirds are sometimes considered a pest because they eat fruit such as blueberries and raspberries. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
Negative Impacts
crop pest
Gray catbirds may benefit from human activity. They commonly make their homes in the kinds of scrubby, dense habitats that are created by deforestation and regrowth. However, their habitat has also been destroyed by clearing fields for agriculture. Gray catbirds are considered to be a common bird species, but they seem to have become less common recently. There are about 10,000,000 gray catbirds in the world. They are protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act. (Cimprich and Moore, 1995)
Kari Kirschbaum (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Terri Pinkoski (author), University of Alberta, Cindy Paszkowski (editor), University of Alberta.
to jointly display, usually with sounds in a highly coordinated fashion, at the same time as one other individual of the same species, often a mate
imitates a communication signal or appearance of another kind of organism
Bird Neighbors: Catbird, 2000. "Northern Michigan Birding Website" (On-line). Accessed November 20, 2000 at www.northbirding.com/idtraining/guide/ch5sec3.htm#CATBIRD.
Cimprich, D., F. Moore. 1995. Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis). A Poole, F Gill, eds. The Birds of North America No. 167. Washington, D.C.: The Academy of Natural Sciences and Philadelphia, PA: The American Ornithologists' Union.
National Geographic Society, 1999. Field Guide to the Birds of North America (third edition). Washington, DC.: National Geographic Society.
Order Passeriformes perching birds
Passeriformes: pictures (2832) Passeriformes: specimens (20) Passeriformes: sounds (455)
Family Mimidae mockingbirds and thrashers
Mimidae: pictures (46) Mimidae: sounds (13)
Genus Dumetella catbirds
Dumetella: pictures (8) Dumetella: sounds (1)
Species Dumetella carolinensis gray catbird
Dumetella carolinensis: information (1) Dumetella carolinensis: pictures (8) Dumetella carolinensis: sounds (1)
To cite this page: Pinkoski, T. 2001. "Dumetella carolinensis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 22, 2022 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dumetella_carolinensis/


text:
package org.olat.presentation.portfolio;

import org.olat.lms.portfolio.EPFrontendManager;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.UserRequest;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.components.form.flexible.FormItem;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.components.form.flexible.FormItemContainer;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.components.form.flexible.elements.SingleSelection;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.components.form.flexible.impl.Form;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.components.form.flexible.impl.FormBasicController;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.components.form.flexible.impl.FormEvent;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.control.Controller;
import org.olat.presentation.framework.core.control.WindowControl;
import org.olat.system.event.Event;
import org.olat.system.spring.CoreSpringFactory;

/**
 * Description:

 * switch between artefact-preview and the table view mode, sends an event on changes, persist setting in user-properties
 *

 * Initial Date: 16.11.2010

 *
 * @author Roman Haag, roman.haag@frentix.com, http://www.frentix.com
 */
public class EPViewModeController extends FormBasicController {

    public static final String VIEWMODE_TABLE = "table";
    public static final String VIEWMODE_DETAILS = "details";
    public static final String VIEWMODE_CONTEXT_ARTEFACTPOOL = "artefact";
    public static final String VIEWMODE_CONTEXT_MAP = "map";
    public static final String VIEWMODE_CHANGED_EVENT_CMD = "viewModeChangedEventCommand";
    private SingleSelection viewRadio;
    private final EPFrontendManager ePFMgr;
    private String userPrefsMode;
    private final String context;

    public EPViewModeController(final UserRequest ureq, final WindowControl wControl, final Form rootForm, final String context) {
        super(ureq, wControl, FormBasicController.LAYOUT_DEFAULT, null, rootForm);
        this.context = context;
        ePFMgr = (EPFrontendManager) CoreSpringFactory.getBean(EPFrontendManager.class);
        userPrefsMode = ePFMgr.getUsersPreferedArtefactViewMode(getIdentity(), context);

        initForm(ureq);
    }

    public EPViewModeController(final UserRequest ureq, final WindowControl wControl, final String context) {
        super(ureq, wControl);
        this.context = context;

        ePFMgr = (EPFrontendManager) CoreSpringFactory.getBean(EPFrontendManager.class);
        userPrefsMode = ePFMgr.getUsersPreferedArtefactViewMode(getIdentity(), context);

        initForm(ureq);
    }

    /**
     * org.olat.presentation.framework.control.Controller, org.olat.presentation.framework.UserRequest)
     */
    @SuppressWarnings("unused")
    @Override
    protected void initForm(final FormItemContainer formLayout, final Controller listener, final UserRequest ureq) {
        final String[] theKeys = new String[] { VIEWMODE_TABLE, VIEWMODE_DETAILS };
        final String[] theValues = new String[] { translate("view.mode.table"), translate("view.mode.details") };

        viewRadio = uifactory.addRadiosHorizontal("view.mode", formLayout, theKeys, theValues);
		viewRadio.addActionListener(this, FormEvent.ONCLICK);
        if (userPrefsMode != null) {
            viewRadio.select(userPrefsMode, true);
        } else {
            viewRadio.select(VIEWMODE_DETAILS, true);
        }
    }

    /**
     * org.olat.presentation.framework.components.form.flexible.FormItem, org.olat.presentation.framework.components.form.flexible.impl.FormEvent)
     */
    @SuppressWarnings("unused")
    @Override
    protected void formInnerEvent(final UserRequest ureq, final FormItem source, final FormEvent event) {
        if (source == viewRadio) {
            if (!viewRadio.getSelectedKey().equals(userPrefsMode)) {
                final String newUserPrefsMode = viewRadio.getSelectedKey();
                ePFMgr.setUsersPreferedArtefactViewMode(getIdentity(), newUserPrefsMode, context);
                userPrefsMode = newUserPrefsMode;
                fireEvent(ureq, new Event(VIEWMODE_CHANGED_EVENT_CMD));
            }
        }
    }

    /**
	 */
    @SuppressWarnings("unused")
    @Override
    protected void formOK(final UserRequest ureq) {
        // nothing to persist, see formInnerEvent
    }

    /**
	 */
    @Override
    protected void doDispose() {
        // nothing
    }

}


text:
This Magnificent Sculpture Inside A Forest Looks Exactly Like A 'Chandelier' Made Out Of Rain!
This wonderful museum at Borgo Alsugana, Italy, brings out the best of the Alpine setting —with artwork made entirely out of local materials like stones, leaves, and twigs.
By Srikanth Krishna
Chandeliers are indeed a thing of beauty. Now imagine them hanging in the middle of an Italian forest. Wait, that's not all. It gets better -- it is actually made out of thousands of drops of rain, reports Travel And Leisure.
Of course, it is not an actual chandelier but the sculpture manages to hover around in an open-air museum that showcases over 30 work of art made out of things found inside the forest. This wonderful museum in Borgo Alsugana brings out the best of the Alpine setting —with artwork made entirely out of local materials like stones, leaves, and twigs.
John Grade's Official Website
But it is indeed artist John Garde's artwork that has stolen all the limelight. His latest piece, titled Reservoir, involves forest rainfall with a huge net structure suspended amongst the trees and it is made up of 5,000 droplets.
"I became most interested in the way rain falls through this grove of trees, the canopy delaying the droplet's journey to the ground as well as how quiet and sheltered the forest was during a heavy rain," John told Colossal. "I wanted to make a sculpture that responded to the rain directly as well as a sculpture that responded to people."
"I am probably most happy when out in the natural world so one of the primary things I aim to do with installations is drawing focus to aspects of what I love most about being in nature," John later spoke to Bored Panda as well. "So with Reservoir, I hoped to illuminate the subtle grandeur of the way rain filters down through the tree canopy."
John added that he wanted the sculpture to perfectly blend with nature and that it was inspired completely by the beauty of the forest. He added that his artwork will also help understand the patterns of rainfall and help in collecting the water. John was initially worried that birds might get caught in the sculpture or it might hurt them, but thanks to the netting, the shine of the droplet parts repel birds from flying into the sculpture.
John mentioned how his dream-sculpture took shape. "I came up with the idea for the project by spending long periods of time simply sitting and walking through the forest at Arte Sella sculpture park and thinking through exactly why it felt so good to be there. The quiet sounds of rainfall on the forest floor were my initial point of inspiration."
Now if you are still expecting more from John's work, don't worry, it gets better. John had earlier collaborated with Italian dance artist Andrea Rampazzo to choreograph an interactive performance in which four dancers move around the sculpture. They pull and release each tree line to create varied movements in the artwork. Sounds brilliant, doesn't it?
We can't wait to see what other sculptures that John might take up in the future, but one thing is certain -- it is going to be bigger, better and even more magnificent than the Reservoir. Now if you are interested in checking out more of his work -- you can follow him on Instagram and on his website.