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Meanwhile at the Podcast is a show about pop culture, entertainment, and fandom. Your hosts George (formerly of The George and Tony Entertainment Show), Rodney (the graphic artist otherwise known as Art Nerrd), Kristin and Rich (the married team supreme formerly of Comic Logic Books and Artwork) share opinions and comments about movies, TV, comics, prose, music, theater, and the creative arts along with relatable slice of life anecdotes.
83. The Golden Girls Of The Enough Wicker Podcast
Hi, everybody. Picture it! We are joined this week by Lauren and Sarah, the hosts of the Enough Wicker podcast. Their weekly show takes a scholarly look at the Golden Girls, episode by episode. So travel down the road and back again and invite everyone you know to the party we're throwing because this is going to be better than a St. Olaf story!
Listen to the Enough Wicker podcast on the platform of your choice
Visit enoughwicker.com for all your Golden Girls scholarly needs
How to Start Watching The Golden Girls: A Starter Kit
Instagram: @enoughwicker Twitter: @enoughwicker
Plus, delve even deeper into the Golden Girls online fandom:
Jim Colucci's Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai
Matt Browning's forthcoming Golden Girls Reference Guide
The Golden Girls Fashion Corner
Feeling Magenta: A Colorful Tribute to The Golden Girls
Heck Yes Y'All
Wicker Good Memes
Golden Girls Posters
Golden Girls Obsession
Connect with Meanwhile At The Podcast on social media. Share the show, subscribe so you don't miss an episode, and rate us on your podcast apps. Those much coveted five stars go a long way. Thank you for listening. Stay safe out there. Wash your hands, wear your masks, and practice physical distancing. We want you and your families to remain healthy.
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Surfing Safari by The Beach Boys
A show about pop culture, entertainment, fandom, and the fun stories of everyday life as told by your hosts George (formerly of the George and Tony Entertainment Show), Rodney (the Art Nerrd), Kristin and Rich (the married team supreme formerly of Comic Logic Books and Artwork).


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Assiniboine Community College Students' Association
Karleigh Paul, Executive Director
Karleigh has been working for the Students' Association since January of 2016; previously in the roles of Marketing & Communications Coordinator and Events & Marketing Coordinator. Now the Executive Director, Karleigh spends her time managing the organization and as a liaison with the Students' Association Council.
A proud Assiniboine Alumni, Karleigh holds a diploma in Interactive Media Arts, with a specialization in Media Communications. During her time as a student at the college, Karleigh competed for the Cougars Varsity Volleyball team and was involved on the Students' Association Council. In her graduating year she was the Valedictorian and received the Pat Josephson Memorial Award. She also holds a Liberal Arts Certificate from the University of Regina, where she competed as a pentathlete on the (also Cougars) track & field team. Previous to the ACCSA, Karleigh worked as a Program Coordinator for the Manitoba 4-H Council where she fell in love with the non-profit/not-for-profit industry.
Outside of work Karleigh spends her time being a super-parent.
The best way to contact Karleigh is by email paulk7121@assiniboine.net or phone 204-725-8700 ext. 6644.
Karley Woods, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Karley Woods is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the ACCSA. As a ACC Alumni who graduated in June of 2022, she holds a diploma with distinction in Interactive Media Arts with a specialization in design and development.
Karley manages the Students' Association website as well as the ACCSA's social media content. She creates content such as graphics, posters and organizes campaigns for the ACCSA.
Karley's prior experience includes working in finance as a Client Advisor with Royal Bank of Canada, Technology and Academic Assistant for the University of British Columbia and Customer Service with Dufresne Furniture & Appliances where she won a Foundation of Excellence Award for Guest Advocacy.
Contact the Marketing & Communications Coordinator at woodsk2@assiniboine.net
Alyshia Kelbert, Student Development Coordinator
Alyshia Kelbert is the Student Development Coordinator of the ACCSA. As an ACC Alumni who graduated in June of 2017, Alyshia holds a diploma in Social Service Work. Alyshia has also completed her levels 101 & 102 of the American Sign Language Course at the college as well.
Alyshia's main role is to be a student advocate and ensure that students know their rights and responsibilities here at ACC. She will also help out in other areas as well such as: being the staff liaison for the satellite and rotational campuses, leadership, hosting orientations, helping with events, and more!
After graduation, Alyshia has held positions with In Company of Friends as a Coordinator, At AFM as a Residential Care Worker, and at the Brandon Friendship Centre as the Coordinator of the Brandon Access Exchange Service.
Alyshia loved her time at ACC and she is looking forward to making other students experiences as great as hers were!
Contact the Student Development Coordinator at kelbera@assiniboine.net or 204-725-8700 ext. 6645.
Ginnut Gafrin, Office and Services Administrator
Ginnut Gafrin is the Office and Services Administrator for the Students' Association. Ginnut holds a diploma in Business Accounting from Fanshawe College as well as a Master's Degree in Social Sciences from Rajshahi University in Bangladesh.
Ginnut has direct experience supporting staff and students in high traffic environments, with great attention to detail and accuracy. Her additional experiences have allowed her to further develop her experience in accounting. In addition to this, Ginnut has learned how positive experiences can influence customer relationships. This knowledge has resulted in positive customer experiences for those she has helped.
Contact the Office and Services Administrator at gafring@assiniboine.net
Nicole Wruth, Marketing Assistant
Nicole grew up in rural Manitoba, and since then has traveled and worked around Manitoba and the world. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Bachelor of Education, and has taught in the public school system for six years. She is very excited to be pursuing a new career in Media and Communications here at ACC. She enjoys the outdoors, reading, dance, laughing and all things creative.
Geneva Corpuz, Events Assistant
Geneva is a 2nd year Business Administration student specializing in Marketing. She's an international student from the Philippines. She moved to Canada in 2021. It's been a fun and fruitful experience for her to be able to learn and adapt to a new culture.
Besides being a full-time student, Geneva is also employed with another job which she enjoys so much. She believes that having jobs while studying is a stressful thing to do but it'll help her learn and gain experience for future endeavors. She's hoping to be a successful Marketer in the future.
Shaneel Sewram, Student Assistant
Shaneel is a Business Administration student who is originally from South Africa, and holds a Bachelors degree in Pharmacy from the University of Kwazulu Natal. Shaneel is looking to pursue a degree in Business Administration at Brandon University in the near future. Shaneel works with our Office and Services Administrator as a part-time Student Assistant to assist the students of Assiniboine Community College.
Hector Malaver, Intramural Assistant
Hector is a 2nd year Agribusiness student originally from Colombia, where he is a multichampion black belt in karate both in Colombia and internationally. Hector has also spent time in Montreal, where he learned his third language of French.
In addition to this, Hector was part of the Cougars Team for soccer and futsal, which helped give him thorough knowledge of sports organization to help students have a fun, energized and healthy distraction from their studies.

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Die Bristol Scout war ein britisches Militärflugzeug im Ersten Weltkrieg; aufgrund ihrer geringen Größe war sie auch als Bristol Baby bekannt.

Entwicklungsgeschichte
Nachdem ein zuvor in Auftrag gegebenes Projekt storniert worden war, übernahmen die Bristol-Konstrukteure Frank Barnwell und Harry Busteed 1913 den vorliegenden Entwurf, um ihn zu einem anderen Flugzeug umzugestalten. Barnwell vervollständigte den angefangenen Rumpf und verband ihn mit einem einstieligen Doppeldecker-Tragwerk und einem geänderten Leitwerk. Das Flugzeug, genannt Bristol Scout-A, wurde mit einem 7-Zylinder-Gnôme-Umlaufmotor am 23. Februar 1914 erprobt und danach zur Verbesserung der Flugeigenschaften mit längeren Tragflächen versehen. Die Maschine wurde im März auf dem Londoner Messegelände der Öffentlichkeit vorgestellt. Sie nahm am Flugwettbewerb London–Paris–London teil, musste aber im Kanal notwassern, da sie unzureichend betankt worden war.

Bristol Scout A und B
Im Sommer 1914 wurden zwei weitere Maschinen gebaut, die als Scout A und B an die Squadrons 3 und 5 des Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in Frankreich gingen. Nach ersten Einsatzerfahrungen schlossen sich weitere Aufträge an.

Die Scout besaß neben ihrer Geschwindigkeit von über 150 km/h alle Eigenschaften eines Jagdeinsitzers, es stand jedoch noch keine zweckmäßige Bewaffnung zur Verfügung. Anfangs führten britischen Piloten ein Lee-Enfield-Gewehr, eine Mauser-C96-Pistole und fünf an der rechten Seite des Rumpfes befestigte Gewehrgranaten mit. Die Scout B mit der Seriennummer 648 wurde auf beiden Seiten mit je einem seitwärts am Propeller vorbei nach vorn feuernden Gewehr bewaffnet.

Bristol Scout C

Von der verbesserten Bristol 1 Scout C entstanden zwischen November 1914 und März 1916 insgesamt 161 Maschinen, davon waren 22 RFC-Exemplare und die des RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service = Marinefliegertruppe) mit einem 80-PS-Gnome-Motor ausgestattet, die übrigen Flugzeuge gingen mangels Verfügbarkeit dieses Motors mit einem ebenfalls 80 PS leistenden Le-Rhóne-Triebwerk an das RFC.

Bei den beiden Bristol Scout C mit den Seriennummern 1609 und 1611 ließ Captain Lanoe Hawker, der die No. 6 Squadron des Royal Flying Corps führte, nach diesem Vorbild jeweils seitlich an der linken Seite des Rumpfes ein Lewis-MG anbringen. Als Hawker die Scout 1611 flog, gelang es ihm am 25. Juli 1915, zwei deutsche Flugzeuge abzuschießen und am 25. Juli 1915 ein drittes zwischen Passchendaele und Zillebeke zur Landung zu zwingen, wofür er als erster britischer Jagdflieger mit dem Victoria-Kreuz ausgezeichnet wurde.

Eine Anzahl weiterer Scout C des RNAS wurden ebenfalls mit Lewis-MGs ausgerüstet, zum Teil am Rumpf, zum Teil über der oberen Tragfläche montiert. Beim Flugzeug 5303 wurde ein MG so angebracht, dass es durch den Propellerkreis schoss, wobei nach dem Vorbild der französischen Morane-Saulnier N Ablenkbleche an den Propellerblättern angebracht waren. Weitere Maschinen der Marineflieger wurden mit Fliegerpfeilen oder vier Kleinbomben bewaffnet, um damit gegnerische Luftschiffe anzugreifen. Zwei Flugzeuge wurden an Bord des Flugzeugträgers HMS Vindex mitgeführt, wobei auch erfolgreiche Flugversuche mit einem Porte-Baby-Flugboot als Trägerflugzeug unternommen wurden, um die Reichweite der Scouts als Abfangjäger gegen Zeppeline zu erhöhen.

Insgesamt wurden 161 Scout C geliefert.

Bristol Scout D
Als Scout D firmierten die Bristol 2, 3, 4 und 5. Diese ab November 1915 eingeführten Varianten waren mit einem geänderten Kühlungs- und Tanksystem, anderer Motoraufhängung, modifizierter Verstrebung und bei späteren Ausführungen mit einem größeren Heckruder ausgerüstet.

Es entstanden 130 Bristol 3, 60 Bristol 4 und drei Bristol 5, letztere mit dem 110 PS leistenden 9-Zylinder-Clerget-Motor. 80 Maschinen wurden an das RNAS, 130 an das RFC geliefert. Später wurden dann einige Scouts mit synchronisierten Vickers-MG ausgestattet. Als Luftschiffjäger erhielten die Scouts zusätzlich 48 Rankin-Flugpfeile als Abwurfmunition.

Die Bristol Scout, die an der Westfront, in Mazedonien und vom Australian Flying Corps in Ägypten eingesetzt worden waren, wurden ab Mai 1916 von der Front zurückgezogen; die letzten Maschinen blieben jedoch bis Frühjahr 1917 im Kriegseinsatz, bis auch sie an Trainingseinheiten abgegeben wurden. Je eine Scout wurde an die australischen und die US-Fliegertruppe als Schulflugzeug geliefert. Die Flugzeuge waren leicht zu fliegen und daher bei den Piloten sehr beliebt.

Insgesamt wurden 210 Scout D geliefert.

Verbleib
Eine Original-Scout ist heute nicht mehr erhalten. Es existieren jedoch einige originalgetreue Nachbauten, wie zum Beispiel die Bristol Scout D im britischen Fleet-Air-Arm-Museum in Ilchester. In Sywell (Northampton) wurde über einen Zeitraum von sieben Jahren eine flugfähige Scout C unter Verwendung von Originalteilen aufgebaut. Die Maschine, die Markierungen einer Scout des No 2 Wing von 1916 trägt, flog zum ersten Mal am 9. Juli 2015 vom Flugfeld Bicester. Dies ist derzeit (2015) die einzige flugfähige Bristol Scout.

Varianten
Neben den genannten Serientypen wurden weitere Versuchstypen gebaut:
 Vom Bristol Scout S.S.A., einem bewaffneten Kampfeinsitzer, wurde ein Flugzeug gebaut und an die französischen Behörden geliefert.
 Die G.B.1 wurde als einsitziges schnelles Sportflugzeug konzipiert, aber nicht hergestellt.
 Die S.2A war eine zweisitzige Schulflugzeug-Version des Scout D. Hiervon wurden zwei hergestellt.
 Von der Scout F wurden drei Prototypen als bewaffnete Jäger gebaut. Sie kam jedoch zu spät für den Einsatz.

Militärische Nutzer

 Australian Flying Corps

 Griechische Marine

 Royal Flying Corps
 Royal Naval Air Service

Technische Daten Bristol 3 Scout D

Siehe auch
Liste von Flugzeugtypen

Einzelnachweise

Literatur
 J. M. Bruce: The Bristol Scouts. (Windsock Datafile No.44) Albatros Publications, Berkhamsted 1994, ISBN 0-948414-59-6.
 Kenneth Munson: Kampfflugzeuge 1914–18. Orell-Füssli-Verlag, Zürich 1968.
 Heinz Nowarra: Die Entwicklung der Flugzeuge 1914–1918. München 1958.

Weblinks

 Militaryfactory Bristol Scout (engl.)
 TheAerodrome.com's Bristol Scout (engl.)

Jagdflugzeug (bis 1919)
Einmotoriges Flugzeug mit Kolbenmotor
Flugzeugtyp des Ersten Weltkrieges (Vereinigtes Königreich)
Aufklärungsflugzeug
Scout
Erstflug 1914

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Bright and beautiful florals are an essential part of any wedding, especially during the spring! Wow your guests with gorgeous floral details they will never forget.
Hillary and Chris skipped out on all the usual traditions for their DIY vintage wedding, and we are loving it!
With romantic roses and a touch of pink, this couple's rustic theme mixed with classic country elegance set the perfect stage for a love that is sure to bloom.
Abigail and James took advantage of the snowy weather on their wedding day!
Check out Glenna and Hunter's vintage-inspired wedding! Their special day looks nothing short of magical.
You do not want to miss this winter wonderland wedding! Erika and Ross's wedding at BANQ is absolutely jaw-dropping.
Abbey and Steven's wedding is an absolute dream! The Virginian was the perfect place for this chic pink and gold celebration!
This outdoor purple wedding is bright, beautiful, and packed full of wedding inspiration!
Merlot is a gorgeous, romantic color that is perfect for your color palette! These designs, by Southern Knot Weddings & Floral Design, will convince you to include merlot in your wedding!
Jen and Meghan's wedding is giving us total quintessential rustic vibes, and we are loving it!


What Will Occur Following Your Performance on the Field Sobriety Tests?
Interviewer: What happens immediately after the field sobriety tests? Is the person usually arrested right after that?
Brian Sloan: Usually, it's the cherry on top. The portable breath test is usually given at the end, after all the field sobriety tests are done. I imagine this is so the officer can say, "Well, the results proves impairment," at least to the officer.
They can justify a failure on the field tests because this wasn't just a balance issue, this wasn't just someone with allergies but this does have to do with alcohol.
I think the reason is if they gave the portable breath test device at the beginning of the investigation, the person would find out the number or find out that they tested positive and, at that point, they would probably stop cooperating.
Interviewer: Will you see the readout on the preliminary breath test? Do they put that in the police report or they just put positive or not positive?
Brian Sloan: They do put the result in the police reports. They will put it in the admin per se implied consent, which is what they fill out to suspend someone's license, under suspicion of DUI.
There's no proof, though. The officer can write in there that the portable breath test showed a 0.123 blood-alcohol content, but there's no picture taken, there's nothing recorded on the device. The officer can basically make it up if he wanted to.
What I've been seeing more frequently, especially in the last couple of months, is how different the supposed portable breath test device result was from the actual blood test results. It used to be for years, that they were pretty close. Lately, they have been way off, both in being way too low and in being way too high or at least being way different from what the blood test results come back as.
Interviewer: Does that help you defend a person, to show that the device was not functioning properly?
Brian Sloan: It's usually not a safe area to even try to bring in the portable breath test results. I swear I came across a case but I've been looking for it for years. I cannot seem to find it again. It said that defense counsel is allowed bring up a portable breath test result to show a difference between the actual blood test results and the portable breath test results.
The reason why the portable breath tests are not considered reliable is they do not go through the same monthly and quarterly testing procedures, to ensure its accuracy as a blood test or as an Intoxilyzer breath-testing device. Even if as defense counsel, I wanted to bring in the portable breath test, all the prosecutor has to comment on is that these are not considered reliable.
They do not go through the testing. It is just an estimate. It's really only helpful for the officer to determine whether there was alcohol in his system or not.
Why Is It A Mistake To Plead Guilty Or Attempt To Defend Yourself?
What Common Misconceptions Do People Have About Their DUI Case?
Home > Arizona DUI Defense > General Information > What Will Occur Following Your Performance on the Field Sobriety Tests?


Situated on historic Le Fleur's Bluff, the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum face the historical city center of Jackson, MS.
The museums share a public entrance, support spaces, an auditorium, museum store, curatorial suite and large archival / collections storage spaces which can be subdivided if needed. Both the Civil Rights and the Mississippi History Museums each have dedicated galleries, administrative, meeting, and auxiliary spaces.


From the days when we were busy celebrating summer to the busy days back at school or at work: September's beauty lies in all the great things we can get done.
This entry was posted in Sundries and tagged RBR Enchanted Calendar, free printable, News, RBR, Rouge Bunny Rouge on August 24, 2017 by Rouge Bunny Rouge.
When it comes to contouring and shaping the skin, there are so many over-done looks that I find make it difficult to either re-create or simply bother with due to lack of time. This can make the whole idea of contouring quite overwhelming! With the new launch of Rouge Bunny Rouge's new Natural Defining and Contouring Liquid SHADOW PLAY, there is no more guesswork required to create a soft yet shaped look that feels and looks natural.
This entry was posted in Collection, Make-up Tutorials and tagged Natural Defining and Contouring Liquid, News, Pro Library, RBR, Beauty, Rouge Bunny Rouge, Make-Up on August 18, 2017 by Rouge Bunny Rouge.
To subtly highlight the surreal nature of the Enchanted Garden in the Raw Umber look, our designers have used an experimental photography technique.
This entry was posted in Looks, Sundries and tagged Raw Umber, POET AND PAINTER, News, summer look, RBR, Rouge Bunny Rouge on August 10, 2017 by Rouge Bunny Rouge.
Are you a muse? Are you an artist? – Discover the background of our latest beauty chapter POET & PAINTER.
This entry was posted in Looks and tagged Natural Defining & Contouring Liquid SHADOW PLAY, Long-lasting Eye Shadow Palette RAW GARDEN 'Loess', Raw Umber, POET AND PAINTER, News, summer look, RBR, Chatoyant, Rouge Bunny Rouge on August 2, 2017 by Rouge Bunny Rouge.


How Do I Renew My Exclaimer Software Maintenance Agreement?
Speak to us on sales@exclaimer.com or, if you've been dealing directly with a certain member of the Exclaimer staff, ask them to help get your renewal processed – we're happy to help.
Yes. The 3-year SMA deal offers a 20% saving year-on-year and avoids the admin chore of renewing: it saves time, effort and expenditure.
The advantages – update protection, upgrade protection, remote technical support via GoToAssist, telephone, email, VOIP, etc. – are covered best on the Exclaimer Software Maintenance Agreement overview page.
How Do I Apply My Renewed SMA License?
After purchasing your renewal, you will be sent a new license by email. Instructions on how to apply your license are attached to that email, but can also be found in the resources section for the relevant product on this site.
Yes. You're free to renew your SMA guarantee before it runs out or step up to a 3-year SMA at any time – we'll simply start your new SMA from the date your current contract expires.
How Do I Know If It's Expired?
The software should display its supported status on the 'Licensing' tab – but feel free to contact us on help@exclaimer.com at any time if you need assistance.


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2022 Ford Edge vs. 2022 Porsche Macan
For people who love a medium sized SUV but are not interested in the third row of seats, the 2022 Ford Edge is the perfect choice. With this SUV, you get a great looking car that offers creature comforts to anyone fortunate enough to get behind the wheel. The 2022 Ford Edge has a raised profile, which gives the driver a commanding view of the road ahead. The premium materials that deck out its cabin mean that the interior of this car is a pretty comfortable place to be. With the Porsche Macan, you get a well styled medium-sized SUV that also looks great. Porsche hover decided to skimp on tech features, making many of them optional. This somewhat takes away from this superb vehicle.
The 2022 Ford Edge has been retouched for 2022 and features an attractive grille as well as a sporty stance. You will love the interior which is super-ergonomic and you will find that all the buttons and knobs are exactly where you would expect them to be. The trunk space is super generous and this means that you can pack plenty of suitcases for that family road trip. Speaking of road trips, the 2022 Ford Edge has a comfortable cabin and even the tallest passenger will not have a problem fitting in the rear seat. The Macan has an equally spacious cabin and while the interior is pretty well done (it is a Porsche after all), the conservative design doesn't look good.
If you go for the bse model of the 2022 Ford Edge, you will find that you still get plenty of features. The infotainment system is intuitive and very easy to use. You are going to love other tech features such as smartphone connectivity, USB charging ports and much more.With safety features, you get lane departure warning, blindspot monitoring and a lot more. You are also going to love the audio system that produces clear and crisp sound. You can however upgrade to more premium audio systems if you opt to do that. The Porsche Macan has surprisingly few tech features in its base model. This is surprising as the Porsche Macan is not a cheap car.
The 2022 Ford Edge is powered by a turbocharged 2l engine that packs a hefty punch. This makes the edge a great car to ride. Even when packed with people and luggage, the 2022 Ford Edge never feels underpowered. You will be thrilled by the fact that rides in the 2022 Ford Edge are super quiet. This is due to the excellent insulation that shields the cabin from ambient sounds. The Macan also offers a pretty good ride and handles very well.
If you look at the two vehicles in terms of standard tech features, ride dynamics and functionality, the 2022 Ford Edge Is a clear winner.
Ready to Schedule Your 2022 Ford Edge Test Drive Today?
If you are in the market for a new 2022 Ford Edge, we welcome you to Whitecourt Ford. We offer an extensive selection of the latest 2022 Ford models for you to choose from. Schedule your appointment today and test drive your favorite cars, SUVs, and trucks.
4144 Kepler St ,Whitecourt, AB T7S 0A3


Heartstoppers has been bringing Halloween spooks and fun to the Sacramento region since 2007, always with the intention of giving back to the community. In partnership with the Cordova Community Council Foundation, Heartstoppers engages dozens of local youth volunteers each year. Students are exposed to creative arts education in animatronics, sound, lighting, art, theatre training (utilizing even out-of-state professional trainers), art development, construction, painting, costume and make-up design, and the volunteers gain valuable experience while having fun.
Tickets are $20, or $15 for children 12 and under. For those who don't have the guts to wait in line and enjoy the anticipation, Fancy Pants tickets for $30 ($25 for 12 & under) are available. For those wanting a truly unique and even more thrilling experience, they can pay $50 for a private tour via antique wheelchair with the guarantee of extra "attention" in the attractions. Only three of those tours are booked per night.


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Johnson tells Northern Ireland businesses to 'bin' customs forms
Boris Johnson has told Northern Ireland businesses they can put customs declarations forms "in the bin" because there will be "no barriers of any kind" to trade crossing the Irish Sea.
The Prime Minister has suggested Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay had been wrong to say goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK would face checks as a result of the Brexit deal struck with the European Union.
Mr Barclay previously told MPs that "some information" and "minimal targeted interventions" would be required on goods travelling between the two areas of the UK, due to Northern Ireland remaining aligned with Dublin and Brussels' trading rules for agricultural products and manufactured items as part of the exit terms.
But in a personal intervention, the PM told Conservative supporters and Northern Ireland business figures that the Secretary of State's advice was not correct.
Update… https://t.co/tg2oEeA8Tw
— Manufacturing NI (@ManufacturingNI) November 8, 2019
The Tory leader, in a video shared by Manufacturing NI on Twitter, said there would be "no forms, no checks, no barriers of any kind" as a result of his Withdrawal Agreement.
Mr Johnson was asked by Irwin Armstrong, owner of CIGA Healthcare, whether he could "go back to my company in the morning and tell my staff we will not be filling in any customs declarations for good leaving Northern Ireland to go to GB?".
The PM replied: "You can."
He added: "If somebody asks you to do that, tell them to ring up the Prime Minister and I will direct them to throw that form in the bin.
"You'll be alright," Mr Johnson assured. "There will be no forms, no checks, no barriers of any kind. You will have unfettered access."
Northern Irish businessman Irwin Armstrong (Niall Carson/PA)
While on the election campaign trail on Friday, Mr Johnson clarified further when he told reporters: "Northern Ireland and the rest of GB are part of the UK customs territory and there can be no checks between goods operating in one customs territory.
"We're the UK. We will not be instituting such checks."
Mr Armstrong, whose company makes small shipments to pharmacies in the rest of the UK worth no more than £100 each, said he was not sure if the former London mayor was being "absolutely serious in his answer".
The businessman told the PA news agency: "I want to believe him, but is he just being bombastic and being Boris?
"I don't know Boris Johnson well enough, whether it's just what you say on a campaign trail or whether he is absolutely serious."
The PM also faced criticism after he praised his Brexit deal as a "great deal" for Northern Ireland because it keeps "access to the single market" – despite wanting to pull the rest of the UK out.
Mr Johnson told a room full of Tory supporters on Thursday: "Northern Ireland has got a great deal.
"You keep free movement, you keep access to the single market but you also have, as it says in the deal, unfettered access to GB."
The Liberal Democrats criticised the PM following the comments for wanting to treat the region differently to the rest of the UK.
His divorce deal with the EU will see Britain leave the single market and customs union but with Northern Ireland following different rules to prevent a hard border.
Tom Brake, the Lib Dems' Brexit spokesman, said: "The single market and freedom of movement are a great deal – even Boris Johnson recognises this.
"So why isn't he keeping them for the whole of the UK as part of the many benefits of EU membership?
"It is clear that the best deal for the UK is the one we have now – in the EU," said the anti-Brexit politician.
Asked about his comments on Friday by broadcasters while in Sutton-inn-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, the PM said: "I'm not going to hide it from you that Northern Ireland has a good deal but so does the the whole of the UK."


-- An access policy is written in relation to some set of trust domains. If a trust policy is going to be useful, then the domains it specifies must match the domains in the access policy.  This is not so much of an issue if access policies are typically written for some well-known set of domains ("untrusted", "trusted third party", "manufacturer", etc.), but when access policies are written in terms of arbitrary trust domains, then the trust policies need to be closely matched to them.
-- As Paddy noticed, the Nokia submission doesn't say anyting about trust domain ambiguity. There is nothing in the model that prevents trust policies from assigning more than one domain to a given application. Nokia's own implementation discourages trust policies that are ambiguous, but for a standard specification we will need to extend the specified algorithms to include multiple trust domains and combining rules.
The Nokia proposal makes the distinction between trust and access policies explicit, and I would argue that this is gives maximum flexibility to policy specification, but we will still have to work through the cases where they interact.
I also want to note that the Nokia submission separates the trust manager from the access manager for purposes of the specification but is not intended to say anything about implementation. In the security model there are two separate computations, for trust domain and for access, so the abstract specification provides two boxes to put these in. In practice these are likely to share implementation.
I'd like to introduce a proposal to merge NOKIA's submission into Policy Framework doc. Below I try to point out how would this changes impact the current document. It would be good to discuss it in today's call and see what editorial changes are required and if these changes are going to bring major improvements to the security framework.
-- Need to define two types of policies: trust policies and access policies..
-- First, a trust domain needs to be assigned to the web content (see attached pic - "Trust domain request.png"). This request comes from the access requester ("content engine" in the NOKIA doc), ie, the browser or widget engine.
-- To determine the trust domain subject attributes may be used.
-- The PDP (Policy Decision Point) assigns the trust domain based on the trust policy. In NOKIA's input there is a separate Trust Manager that takes care of trust policies and assigning a trust domain to the web content. In this proposal there is no separate Trust Manager. The PDP manages both trust and access policies.
-- The PEP (Policy Enforcement Point) assigns the trust domain to the web content and sends it back to the access requester. (In NOKIA's input document when access to an API is requested the "content engine"
-- For installed content such as widgets, the trust domain request may also be carried out by the installer, which stores the trust domain in the application registry where it can be retrieved by the widget engine.
-- To determine if the access is allowed or denied resource and environment attributes may be used.
-- The PDP assigns the access based on the access policy.
Where do these changes impact the document?
-- Currently the whole document refers to Security Policies --> We would need to differentiate between Trust and Access Policies.
-- Layer model (section 2.2): currently two layers - JS API Access Control Layer and Device Capability Access Control Layer. We would need to add a third layer - Trust Domain Access Control Layer.
-- Main changes to the Logical Model (Section 2.3). This section would need to be changed altogether. Include two dataflows for trust domain and access requests. The elements of both dataflows are very similar.
-- Section 2.4 defined access control policy structure. Another section would need to be defined for trust domain policy structure. Subject attributes make no sense in access control policies; these need to be included in the trust domain policies.
-- In the current document policies and policy sets can be nested. This concept may not make so much sense in this proposal.
-- Current section 2.5 Rule Processing works only for access policies. A new section on rule processing would need to be defined for trust domain policies.
-- Section 3.7 (Subject Match): the whole concept of subject match as it is now only makes sense in the case of trust policies.
-- Section 3.19 (Effect): the effects define in the current document only apply to access policies. For trust policies the effect would be a string with the name of the assigned trust domain.
-- Section 3.20 (Query): this section needs to be modified. We need to differentiate trust domain and access queries.
-- The definition of two types of policies involves major changes into the current security model and a whole new model needs to be defined for Trust policies. With the current security model, it is already possible to write a policy following a trust model approach.
-- Replace DAP security framework term.
-- Divide the document into two: one covering the logical model (up to Section 3 in the current document) and another one for the actual definition of the security model (from section 3). I believe this was already agreed during last week's call.
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text:
Longos (griechisch Λόγγος, in lateinischer Form: Longus) war ein griechischer Schriftsteller der Antike. Er ist der Autor des berühmten Hirten- und Liebesromans Daphnis und Chloe und der Zweiten Sophistik zuzuordnen.

Leben
Über sein Leben ist uns gar nichts bekannt. Alle Spekulationen zu seiner Herkunft fußen auf seinem einzigen Werk, dem Roman Daphnis und Chloe, das auf der Insel Lesbos handelt. Daher wurde er manchmal "Longos von Lesbos" genannt. Die Herkunft ist jedoch durch nichts zu beweisen, die Bezeichnung ist also veraltet. Gleichwohl scheint Longos die Topographie von Lesbos gut gekannt zu haben, wie aus den Entfernungsangaben und Beschreibungen in seinem Roman hervorgeht.

Auch die Lebenszeit des Longos lässt sich nur aus seinem Roman erschließen, dessen Abfassungszeit aufgrund stilistischer und inhaltlicher Besonderheiten sowie aufgrund einiger Realien heute allgemein in das Ende des 2. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. gesetzt wird.

Name
Der Name Longos war in der Antike häufig und ist auch durch Inschriften aus Lesbos belegt. Obwohl der Name Longos für den Autor von Daphnis und Chloe heute allgemein anerkannt ist, gab es Zweifel an seiner Echtheit. Wir besitzen nämlich nur zwei Handschriften, in denen der Roman überliefert ist. Der Codex Vaticanus bietet die folgende Überschrift des ersten Buches des Romans: ΛΟΓΓΟΥ ΠΟΙΜΕΝΙΚΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΚΑΤΑ ΔΑΦΝΙΝ ΚΑΙ ΧΛΟΗΝ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΣ, also: "Des Longos Hirtengeschichten über Daphnis und Chloe, erstes Buch". Der Codex Florentinus bietet statt ΛΟΓΓΟΥ als Angabe des Autors ΛΟΓΟΥ, also "des Logos". Da jedoch auch der Codex Olomucensis, der ein Exzerpt des Romans enthält, den Autor als Longos bezeichnet, wird es sich im Codex Florentinus um einen Abschreibfehler handeln.

Werk
Longos vermischt in seinem Roman Elemente des antiken Liebes- und Abenteuerromans mit Motiven der Bukolik und entwickelt dabei eine eigene Art der Poesie in Prosa. Dabei legt der Autor seinem Erzähler einen Stil in den Mund, der in seiner Schlichtheit den Protagonisten, den einfachen Hirten, entspricht. Diesen verfeinert er aber durch virtuose Rhythmisierung und zahlreiche Endreime.

Daphnis und Chloe werden als Säuglinge von ihren reichen Eltern ausgesetzt und von Hirten aufgefunden. Zu Beginn der Handlung ist er 15 Jahre alt, sie 13. Beide wachsen gemeinsam in gegenseitiger und unverdächtiger Zuneigung auf. Die Entwicklung dieser Zuneigung zur Liebe ist das Hauptthema des Romans. Der Liebesgott Eros fungiert bei Longos zugleich als Antriebsquelle der Dichtung, und darum ist der Roman auch ihm geweiht. Die Entführungen durch Piraten und andere Antagonisten, die sonst ein handlungstreibendes Element der antiken Romane darstellen, sind bei Longos zwar vorhanden, doch führen sie nicht zu ausgedehnten Irrfahrten, sondern bestärken unser Liebespaar auf seiner inneren Reise zum Erreichen der wahren Liebe. Schließlich werden die reichen Eltern gefunden, und das Liebespaar darf glücklich heiraten. Dennoch geben Daphnis und Chloe das schlichte Hirtenleben nicht auf.

Laaths Geschichte der Weltliteratur beschreibt das Werk als dem "allgemeinen Zuschnitt antiker Romane auf kunstvolle und durchaus poetische Weise" entsprechend, über dessen Geschehen ein märchenhafter Glanz schwebt, der im Walten des Eros "die lieblich verklärte, aber auch geheimnisvolle Weite des beglückendes Gottes" verkündet. Auch Goethe habe dieses literarische Werk geschätzt.

Ausgaben und Übersetzungen
Die maßgebliche textkritische Ausgabe ist die von Michael D. Reeve (Teubner Leipzig 1982). Die als klassisch geltende Übersetzung ins Deutsche ist die von Friedrich Jacobs (Stuttgart 1832). Eine weit verbreitete und oft neu aufgelegte Übersetzung ist die von Otto Schönberger (Sammlung Tusculum, zuerst Berlin 1960). In der Collection Budé erschien 1987 die Ausgabe mit französischer Übersetzung von J.-R. Vieillefond. In der Loeb Classical Library erschien 2009 die Ausgabe mit englischer Übersetzung von Jeffrey Henderson. Die deutsche Übersetzung, die auch die Reime und den Rhythmus nachahmt, ist die von Ondřej Cikán und Georg Danek (Wien, Prag 2018).

Literatur

 John R. Morgan: Longus. In: K. De Temmerman / E. van Emde Boas (Hg.), Characterization in Ancient Greek Literature. Brill, Leiden 2018, 608–627.
 Zu weiterer Literatur siehe die Literaturangaben im Artikel zum Roman Daphnis und Chloe.

Weblinks

 Longos im Internet Archive

Anmerkungen

Literatur (Altgriechisch)
Autor
Literatur der Antike
Grieche (Antike)
Geboren im 2. Jahrhundert
Gestorben im 2. oder 3. Jahrhundert
Mann


text:
Leadership Development 101: Leading Through Effective Communication
by Sarah Greesonbach
ADP's Amy Leschke-Kahle and Rob Lewis explore how leaders today are leading through effective communication that is human, habitual and empathetic.
Is there anything more urgent in today's business world than the need for decisive leadership and leading through effective communication?
In the wake of all of the disruption of 2020, businesses across categories are struggling to manage all the change. Some are facing drastic losses and laying off or furloughing a large number of employees, and some are facing the opposite problem as they struggle to manage the new rapid demand for their products and services.
But no matter which situation an organization finds itself in, the need for effective leadership is always there. COVID-19 and civil unrest have created a dramatic shift in the way many leaders work with their teams, and this requires organizations everywhere to reexamine the definition of effective leadership.
In an effort to understand today's best practices for leading through effective communication, we connected with Amy Leschke-Kahle, VP of Performance Acceleration at The Marcus Buckingham Company (an ADP company), and Rob Lewis, Vice President of Talent Solutions at ADP. The conversation revealed three critical attributes of effective leadership.
1. Today's Leadership Is... Human
In an attempt to improve leadership development within an organization, well-intentioned leaders often overcomplicate the process. It's all too easy to want to create a program for everything, but effective leadership can be as simple as paying attention to employees. Leadership development that focuses on leaders talking to their team about the actual work quickly, frequently and with a light touch can go a long way to supporting and sustaining those employees.
"In the leadership development space, we can sometimes glom onto shiny object syndrome, where we're distracted by the one perfect way to do leadership," says Leschke-Kahle. "But the reality is there's no one perfect model for this. It's an individual thing, and it comes down to paying close attention to your team members and the people you work with. If you can say, 'I see you, I know you,' you're going to be an effective leader."
This is a mindset shift that must happen at the executive level in order to create a culture of attention and weave it into the fabric of the organization. And when habitualized leadership skills are developed that provide team members with the attention they need, engagement can increase very quickly. In fact, Leschke-Kahle says she has seen engagement increase as much as two to three times within a 12-week period as a result of frequent, light-touch attention.
"Being a manager doesn't mean you have to tell people how they're broken. Rather, you can focus on their strengths as opportunities to be accelerated."
- Amy Leschke-Kahle, VP of Performance Acceleration at The Marcus Buckingham Company
2. Today's Leadership Is... Habitual
It's also important to embrace the fact that leading through effective communication is not a one-time activity. Leadership and performance acceleration must be baked into the habitual, everyday work that moves your team toward its goals, incorporated seamlessly into the stride of work.
For example, committing to something as simple as weekly five-minute conversations with your team is an achievable and sustainable goal most leaders can commit to following through with.
"The big question leaders must ask themselves is, 'How do you make performance management part of the daily work you do?'" says Lewis. "Not just a separate HR process but something that naturally flows with the work leaders are doing on a daily basis. For really good managers, this feels like business as usual, but many managers aren't aware of what a simple process it can be to operationalize these leadership strategies and frequent check-ins into daily life."
The value of habitual leadership practices is compounded over time, especially when you have the technological capabilities to track that data. After all, as Leschke-Kahle says, benchmarks provide context, but every business is unique. Your best benchmark is your own organization over time.
"As a team member, you feel the difference in the frequency of checking in, but from a practitioner perspective, you can actually see it," says Leschke-Kahle. "You can look at the data and see what's happening in engagement week over week, quarter over quarter, and here's the relationship between how 'all in' employees are and their attention to their work. From a leadership perspective, that's very powerful data to have."
3. Today's Leadership Is... Empathetic
The most important thing today's leaders can do is remember that success in both business and leadership are about the people involved. Empathy and paying close attention to the needs, desires and performance of individuals is the most important thing to focus on and is the heart of leading through effective communication. The challenge comes when you try to bring this empathetic and individualistic approach at scale, and that's where technology plays an important role.
"Leadership is not a hierarchical thing — it's a one-on-one thing," says Leschke-Kahle. "When we as leaders pursue the highest performance, productivity and engagement from our teams, we need to remember that what we're really after is what we call 'emotional precursors to extraordinary work,' and that comes from having really frequent attention from your most important person at work — your team leader."
Part of being empathetic is learning how to speak life into your employees rather than criticism.
"Being a manager doesn't mean you have to tell people how they're broken," continues Leschke-Kahle. "Rather, you can focus on their strengths as opportunities to be accelerated. Then you can hyper-focus on the things your people need in order to do their best work. Leaders can step away from the over-complicated, over-programmed practices from the past in favor of these simple, baked-in practices that build real engagement, productivity and connection."
And part of that is taking your limited resources — time and attention — and investing them in your employees.
"You've got to double down on the thing that makes the biggest difference, and the thing that makes the biggest difference is focused attention from your leadership team," says Leschke-Kahle.
As the world of business grows more complex every year, the secret to leading through effective communication is actually quite simple. It boils down to finding ways to give team members human, habitual and empathetic attention and finding ways to do it at scale. When organizations commit to developing leadership skills, employees will likely feel more engaged, productive and loyal. Organizations that ritualize frequent, light-touch attention from leaders can empower employees to access their most productive, most innovative and highest-quality work.
Related article: Focus on These Five "Rights" to Quickly Drive Higher Levels of Engagement
Learn more about how to drive performance through strengths-based engagement.
This article originally appeared in Spark Powered by ADP.
TAGS: Trends and Innovation Small Business HR Multinational Business Articles Midsized Business Large Business


If you're going to work out in your home, you want the real deal. This recumbent exercise bike features a seat with added cushioning that easily adjusts so you'll find the perfect fit. Start pedaling to find the right resistance for your workout. Instantly increase or decrease the resistance with the easy turn knob conveniently located on the bike frame. It's easy to track your progress with the large LCD window that displays your speed, time, distance, calories and RPM. And the StepThru frame makes getting on and off your bike much easier than a traditional bike frame. Hop aboard for your health.
Assembled Weight: Approx. 58 lbs.
Difficult to adjust the seat, have to undo bolts on the bottom and try to hold the seat in place while resetting the bolts; pedals are not really large enough for wider feet; display panel does not work properly, very difficult to adjust mode and reset.
Not mafe for short people. I have to put a pillow behind my back ti reach the peddles comfortably. It needs at least one or two more holes to adjust the seat.
I received this recumbent bike 3 weeks ago and my son put it together for me while I was at work. It seemed very small! Im not that tall, but my knees almost hit the handle bars when I would use it making it uncomfortable to ride. Also seemed too lightweight. I wont be sending it back because of having to dismantle this thing and ship it back. But very dissatisfied and disappointed!


NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Video of a young black girl leaving her New Orleans area Catholic school in tears after being told her hair extensions violated school policy is prompting thousands of social media comments — many expressing puzzlement or outrage.
Some accuse Christ the King Middle School of racism, including social activist Shaun King on Twitter and rapper T.I. on Instagram.
A statement from the Archdiocese of New Orleans school superintendent says the school told families of the policy over the summer. Fennidy's post says there are practical reasons for the hair extensions. The family told WWL-TV they are considering a discrimination lawsuit.


Computer Vision aims at modeling the world from digital images acquired using video or infrared cameras, and other imaging sensors. We will focus on images acquired using digital cameras. We will introduce basic processing techniques and discuss their field of applicability.
Ex cathedra lectures and programming exercises using matlab.
R. Szeliski, Computer Vision: Computer Vision: Algorithms and Applications, 2010.
A. Zisserman and R. Hartley, Multiple View Geometry in Computer Vision, Cambridge University Press, 2003.


text:
THE JUSTUS SCROLLS
Thoughts from the book intended for use in the shaping of lives, comfort for those in need, and nourishment for those who hunger for the presence of the Son.
LEAVE IT ALL ON THE ICE
To my mind, the most compelling moment of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, is not the performance, or the medals, or the cheers. It isn't even in the incredible stories of the years of hard work these athletes did, nor the agonizing strain it took to get there. Over and over again, regardless that the medal was bronze, silver or gold, regardless if there was a medal at all, in their interviews with the media, you heard them say, "I left it all on the ice."
Think of it. The countless hours poured into training, the injuries, the logistics of training, the diets, the food and weight management, miles ran, gym workouts, weights lifted, intense, unwavering focus, the determination. How many falls were there? How many failures? Mistakes? How many ripped and torn, how many strained and sprained muscles? How many bruises? How many doctor's visits? How much demand on time? What sacrifices made? How many goals not attained? Train! Train! Train! Little or none of the goodies we all take for granted: Sleeping in, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, "recreational" drugs, late night hours, TV, movies, computer games, expensive toys, the "pleasure" of dissipation, the obsession to be comfortable and enjoy ourselves.
They left it all on the ice.
The beaming smiles and tears of joy at the end of an outstanding performance tells you that there aren't many moments in life like that. What a feeling! What ecstasy! What an orgasm of the spirit!
They earned the right and the privilege to say that. This did not come by doing nothing with one's life. You know something? I want that. When I step off the ice from this life into the next, I want to look Jesus in the eye and say without shame, without holding back, in total, utter genuineness, with rock-solid credibility, "Lord, I did it. I left it all on the ice."
Jesus was able to say that. Paul said it. Others have said it. I want to earn that privilege, too. God grant each and every believer, disciple and follower of Jesus Christ the incredible joy and pride in saying, "I left it ALL on the ice!"
Posted by Paul at 6:46 AM
Click IMAGE to Return to
JUSTUS website.
Screamed bloody murder on my first day in school, did two paper-routes, bicycle-lawn-mower repairman, soda-jerk, radar operator, missile launcher, camp director, student, pastor, seminar lecturer, educator, counselor, writer and author, Ceriously Serebral theologian, football freak, husband, dad, philosopher and seminal thinker who loves Jesus, and who desires nothing more than to serve him and those he loves.


text:
All posts by jhennenfent
By day, UGA PhD student studying digital culture. Most likely still on the internet at night. Weightlifter, wine enthusiast, dog mom. I'm a bad feminist. [thoughts my own] Memberships: ICA, AEJMC, AoIR
Your odds of dying while taking a selfie? 1 in 4 billion
September 23, 2015 jhennenfent	1 Comment
A lot of my research lately has centered around trying to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between feminisms, technology, and the media studies concept of a moral panic (see, Hall, Critcher, Jefferson, Clarke, and Roberts [1978], "Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State, and Law and Order). I typically use images as epicenters to understand these things and how they are all interlaced. So naturally, because I don't live under a rock and basically do live on the internet, I saw this Mashable article and have also been fielding many comments, texts, tweets, and emails from friends/colleagues over the last 24~ish hours.
Mashable claims, in a hyper sensational manner, that more people have been killed by selfies this year than by sharks. Technically, and quantitatively, they're not wrong. But culturally, and conceptually, they couldn't be further from the actual circumstances.
The 12th selfie-related death happened recently when an elderly tourist fell down the steps at the Taj Mahal, while trying to snap a self-portrait. So, here's what Mashable first gets wrong: This man didn't die from a selfie. He presumably died from something along the lines of blunt force trauma from falling down stairs. But by claiming this man – and 11 other individuals – tragically died while taking selfies, Mashable perpetuates a discourse that's culturally prominent in today's media. And, that discourse is one of exclusion, sexism, and policing bodies/actions.
Originally (and in now different ways, still are), selfies were criticized for being narcissistic, as were the (mainly) girls and women who were taking them. It became an inherently cyclical way of thinking: women are narcissistic because they take selfies, and selfies are narcissistic because women take them. Ann Burns has a fantastic Foucauldian analysis of the selfie, in which she argues selfie criticism exists as a means to policing bodies and "teaching" what actions and images are acceptable to post to social media.
My reaction to this Mashable piece was a combination of Burns's work and my recent work on moral panics. Media use fear to police bodies and actions. And because the general experiences of most media consumers are not the experiences being reported on, media must use certain metaphors and lines of thinking to make the story understood and resonate. In the case of this Mashable article, they use a "stock of meaning" of the shark attack, which prompts one to think of the movie Jaws, hear the iconic music, and consider devastating bloodshed. Ergo, shark –> sharks are dangerous –> compare to selfie –> selfies are dangerous.
"More people have died from selfies this year than shark attacks," is a sensational headline. It privileges the idea that those who take selfies take unnecessary risks and put themselves in danger. Jill Walker Rettberg posted a fantastic analysis of this piece earlier, using a capitalist/tourism/global economy lens, and it is absolutely worth a read. While the Russian
government may have posted a guide to safe selfies earlier this year and tourism agencies actually encourage "daredevil selfies," there is something oddly perverse happening now in which image-based actions are simultaneously being encouraged, policed, and criticized. There is something I don't yet have an answer to.
While all these deaths are tragic and could have been prevented, it is also worth remembering that no amount of social media likes is worth a life. Earlier this year, my friend sent me an article that read, "Selfie Causes Colorado Plane Crash." And I texted back – False. Stupidity Causes Colorado Plane Crash. Be smart, and use "common sense." My critique here is one that focuses on how media discuss these issues, not on the individual people and their actions. It is upsetting that media can't – or won't – disentangle these concepts.
(Added: Forbes actually critiques this piece in a blistering fashion – and reveals your odds of dying from taking a selfie are actually about 1 in 4 billion)
academiaacademiccultural studiesimagesmashableselfiesocial mediastuart hall
Why You Should Care about the Nicki Minaj/Taylor Swift Feud
July 23, 2015 jhennenfent	2 Comments
Hint: It's not just about Bad Blood.
Obligatory song pun aside, a lot is at stake in the issues raised by Nicki Minaj on Twitter last night after Taylor Swift felt personally attacked by the rapper's tweets.
TL;DR: Minaj's "Anaconda" music video was snubbed for the VMA Video of the Year award, which shattered previous YouTube and Vevo records. She was the record holder for the majority of the VMA judging period (7/31/14 to 7/1/2015) until Swift came along and released the "Bad Blood" music video at the end of May 2015.
Minaj was eloquent in her social commentary on the music industry. First, rap has always been considered as lesser than white pop, and nothing demonstrates this more than when Macklemore won Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar at the Grammys in 2014. Second, female rappers occupy an even lower music strata. Black women's bodies are privileged in the music industry (see Miley Cyrus's cringe-worthy VMA performance with Robin Thicke), but their minds and words are dismissed with a flagrant disregard for their lived experiences.
And Minaj was then quick to point out the double standard of a music artist's rights.
I don't think I need to provide any further examples of how the music industry, including the VMAs and the Grammys, are racist.
So now let's chat about feminism, since Taylor Swift seemed so keen to bring it up last night. This isn't the first time she's thrown the female solidarity red card out when she feels like she's being attacked (see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler). This seems to be her go-to response. Not to mention, it's incredibly ironic that a woman who earned her way into the nominations for Video of the Year got there with a song and video that's all about tearing another woman down.
Clearly, Taylor missed the complete point of 2013's viral hashtag, #solidarityisforwhitewomen.
Feminism is about so much more than all women co-existing in peace and harmony, Taylor. Nicki was speaking her mind about the racism that's rampant in the music industry. She was making completely valid point about how black women's bodies are only used for specific purposes and not celebrated. What white women do with black women's bodies dance moves, however, are always celebrated – once again, see Miley's VMA performance or the horrific twerking in T.Swift's own "Shake it Off." Taylor responded to Minaj's macro-criticisms by interpreting them on a micro-scale – something white people in general are prone to do when racism enters the conversation. "It's not me! I love everyone! It's everybody else!" Or, in Taylor's case, she adds, "It's the men!" Swift essentially epitomizes White Girl Feminism.
She swung at the ball and completely missed. White people – and I include myself in this, because years ago, before Women's Studies classes and being in Mass Media Studies graduate program, I was this way too – go on the defensive when racism is brought up. Why? We are taught racism is bad, and some people feel by acknowledging our white privilege, that makes us bad. On the contrary. Acknowledging white privilege makes you a better, strong ally, as long as you are willing to listen and understand the issues. You're only "bad" (and that's such an oversimplication) if you don't recognize the inequality that persists in the world and still live with colorblinders on.
So if Taylor really wanted to participate in "solidarity," she could have used the moment as a platform to support Nicki's points and recognize the problematic industry she is a part of. The fact is, we're all living in a problematic world. In the case of Taylor, it's okay to live in a problematic world, like what you do, and still be a supportive ally. Look at the great work Matt McGorry is doing to check his privilege, critique the media industry he is a part of, and use it for the better.
Personally, as a digital culture scholar, my research intersects at the corner of visual culture and feminist theory. So today, in the fallout of the Twitter War, I've been intrigued by the way Nicki and Taylor have been visually represented by the mass media.
A couple of notable examples:
They proceed to get even more disturbing.
This particular frame is disconcerting, to say the least. Nicki's chest-shoulder-head/taken straight-on approach is indicative of a mug shot, while white Taylor gloats and prances on, free.
This may be the most disturbing one of all. The juxtaposition of Taylor mimicking a gun next to Nicki, who is holding her side like one would keep pressure on a wound is perplexing, to say the least. In the wake of the murders of Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and many, many others, this set up is racist and horrific.
Overall, Nicki is blamed, attributed with crazy eyes, "resting bitch face," and in a way that is generally concomitant to the stereotypical "angry black woman" archetype. Meanwhile, Taylor emerges as the innocent little doe, the angel of White Girl Feminism. How dare Nicki attack Taylor, who is largely viewed as America's sweetheart? "A picture is worth a thousand words," is a cliché, but it's also a very powerful statement.
There is an image, and then there is what it represents. The quickest way I can explain this is through a powerful quote by a scholar I immensely respect, W.J.T Mitchell. He states, when summing up work done by Roland Barthes, "When people scoff at the idea of a magical relation between a picture and what it represents, ask them to take a photograph of their mother and cut out the eyes" (What do Pictures Want? 2005, p. 9). Essentially, there is a belief that whatever is done to an image is somehow also done to what it stands for.
So by representing Nicki as the "angry black woman," mass media attempt to re-present her and repackage her as an angry black woman. By representing her with crazy eyes, she is dismissed as crazy. By belittling her through an image, she herself is belittled. By having Taylor Swift point a gun at her…well, you get it.
Gender, race, class, religion, able-bodiedness, etc. etc. coalesce at interstices of media systems. Through today's portrayal of Nicki Minaj, the mass media continue to Other her and make her less of a person, all because she is female. Furthermore, she is less of a female because she is a black female. This is exactly why intersectionality is crucial when being a critical consumer of media and in understanding systems of oppression.
Personally, I'm just hoping to see Kanye West steal the stage again if Taylor wins.
courtesy of top-img.com
Nicki, we see what you were going for. Stay strong, and your fans love you.
courtesy of The Honesty Hour
AnacondaBad Bloodfeminismmedia studiesMTVNicki MinajSolidarity if for White WomenTaylor SwiftTwittervisual cultureVMAs
Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?
July 13, 2015 jhennenfent	Leave a comment
My brilliant fellow Grady grad, Felicia Harris, recently wrote a wonderful post about her academic journey, and she's inspired me (and I've finally given myself permission) to do the same.
My old cubicle. Such great memories at GMOA!
A year ago at this time, I was in my final days of working as a bus operator/trainer for UGA's Campus Transit System and working as a PR intern for the Georgia Museum of Art. I had a plan – I was entering my final year of my Master's program in Mass Media Studies, and I was going to move to Atlanta when I graduated to practice PR. I knew I wanted a Ph.D., but I thought that was still several years away.
But as that Fall semester began, other things began to chip away at that plan. After working on a conference paper with my adviser, the wonderful Elli Lester Roushanzamir, and taking a class that introduced me to WJT Mitchell and image theory, I knew my plans had changed. Then, one week in January 2015 confirmed that – I had been accepted in the PhD program at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and that conference paper had been accepted for presentation at the 2015 International Communication Association Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
That spring semester flew by. I wrote, edited, edited, edited some more, and then finally successfully defended my master's thesis (with the help of my brilliant committee, Elli Lester Roushanzamir, Carolina Acosta-Alzuru, and Valerie Boyd). I came to learn myself just as I came to learn the theories of dramaturgy, digital literacy, and the social media phenomenon I dub "identity bending." I got a tattoo as my present for these accomplishments. The quote "love the questions themselves" is forever marked on my left wrist as a reminder to the excitement I felt that week in January (those words are from Rainer Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" – be still with all that's unresolved in your heart, and learn to love the questions themselves).
And then, I was off to Puerto Rico. I had never traveled alone, flown alone, booked a hotel alone, hailed a cab, etc. etc. I didn't just step out of my comfort zone. I zoomed out of it, 500 mph across on ocean on a Boeing 757.
View from my balcony, San Juan, Puerto Rico
There, I presented original research entitled "Fear and Selfie-Loathing in America: Intersections of Image Theory, Feminist Theory, and Arm's Length Self-Portraits," and was awarded Top Student Paper, Popular Communication Division. I had the privilege to speak on a panel entitled Theorizing Digital Media's Visual Imagery: Aesthetics, Abilities, and Motivations with brilliant scholars from Brigham Young, Annenberg Pennsylvania, the Queensland University of Technology, and Hebrew University-Jerusalem.
So what's next?
In August, I begin my PhD at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, as well as my journey into my becoming a "Triple Dawg" (I've earned a Bachelors and a Masters from UGA). Broadly, I call myself a digital imagery scholar, as I'm fascinated by things such as selfies and memes. The paper I'm currently working on to submit to a conference early next year is about Slender Man and the feminization of digital spaces. After that, I already know another selfie paper is in the works. Memes and selfies have already evolved and changed so much just in the year since I began researching them, which makes it such an intriguing field. The way we visually represent society says so much about ideological norms and values. Images are never innocent, and they are never silent. They are screaming a thousand things, demanding to be studied, looked at, revered. They sit amidst a rocky terrain of gender, race, class, politics, religion, history, popular culture, and current events, not just in their content, but in their production.
Those who know me know that I view the academic and the personal as inextricably linked. As I came to learn theories, I came to learn myself. James Carey pushed me into the swimming pool. Stuart Hall encouraged me to think boldly. W.J.T. Mitchell showed me the world. bell hooks inspired me to roar.
I used to never believe I could be here. This was one of the best things I ever gave myself permission to do.
academiaacademiccultural studiesDigital Mediagrad schoolgraduate schoolICA15PhDselfiesUGA
media, research, selfie
From Duck Face to Kylie Jenner: Selfie Standards of Beauty
A few months ago, my best friend sent me a link to an article: "NTSB: Selfies Led to Fatal Colorado Plane Crash."
And I texted back: False. Stupidity Led to Fatal Colorado Plane Crash.
Framing strikes again.
There is a fine line between the desire to document and sheer stupidity, but there shouldn't have to be. In theory, common sense should be more common, but it's as one of my professors once said: Everyone assumes common sense is an equal playing field, where we all have equal and similar stocks of meaning. And for some, the stock of meaning is apparently one of doing whatever it takes to look like a celebrity.
Lately, the biggest selfie fad blowing up social media is one shrouded in idiocy (along with complex societal constructions): The Kylie Jenner Challenge.
If you're not familiar, the Kylie Jenner Challenge involves sucking as hard and long as you can on a shot glass, water bottle, etc., to temporarily augment one's lips and mimic Kylie Jenner's recently, permanently plumped, pouty mouth. Jenner's new look took the internet and tabloid spheres by storm a few weeks ago, and now, the #KylieJennerChallenge has gone viral.
I'm not going to pretend what these teens are doing isn't idiotic. It is. But the reason that this hashtag has taken off isn't necessarily because these girls succeed in looking like Kim Kardashian's little sister. But the medium of the selfie is once again taking the flack with articles saying, "No surprise selfies are causing teens to want to look perfect as well" (ABC Action News). It's not the selfie causing teens to want to look perfect. It's unrealistic standards of Western beauty.
American culture is obsessed with celebrities, and with the development of social media we have all become micro-celebrities in our own right. We are the star of our own lives, constantly putting on performances on social media to appear a certain way. We even fuel the fire of rumors and gossip that way – case and point, last weekend, I ran into an old ex from years ago (it did not end well), and later, he posted a FB status that inevitably stirred up interest among old acquaintances. My cell phone immediately started blowing up with texts: "Did you run into So-and-So? What happened?"
Mirco-celebrity. In our own right. Even when we don't want it.
That's what the Kylie Jenner Challenge does. Not only does it play on our culture's obsessions with actual models, actors, rappers, etc., it inspires individuals to be the celebrity at the center of their own network. By mimicking a celebrity, one becomes a (small) celebrity themselves. Young girls are so obsessed with Jenner's unrealistic standards of beauty that they're willing to permanently harm their own bodies to temporarily achieve such status. Yes, the selfie is the way they join the conversation, but the selfie is not to blame. I would point the finger at unrealistic body standards, celebrity-obsessed culture, and teenager stupidity (which we've all done in high school) before blaming the medium of the selfie.
But as I mentioned, these teens really aren't succeeding with emulating Jenner's look. If anything, the reason the challenge has become such a craze is because of how badly it has gone. Instead of touting their newly inflated lips, teens are posting pictures of their faces and chins covered in bruises. They've become micro-celebrities because of their distress – a concept that makes a lot of sense when you think about tabloids and shows like TMZ.
In mirco-celebrity culture, even failures are celebrated. Instead of achieving Jenner's look, the conversation is really more about how impossible it is to do so. These teens are posting pictures of their bruised and bloodied faces and laughing at themselves. I'm not saying that makes it better; I'm saying it's a fascinating look into what we value in celebrities and what we value in ourselves. Idealized (and unrealistic) versions of celebrity bodies promote others to try to look that way, even when it's impossible.
The Kylie Jenner Challenge is just the latest mold of beauty standards in our digital culture. The one that has prevailed the longest is arguably the Duck Face, which has been frequently hailed as "stupid" and "attention seeking." However, instead of thinking about what Duck Face is, we should think about what Duck Face does (same with the #KylieJennerChallenge). It narrows the face, makes the lips appear fuller, the eyes wider, the cheekbones more prominent. It temporarily molds the face to adhere to American standards of beauty, the standards frequently put forth by celebrities. We fetishize macro-celebrities for that look, but as soon as a micro-celebrity joins in, the sexist discourse surrounding the selfie rears its head once more.
From the duck face to the #KylieJennerChallenge, all these facial expressions and experiments are the result of feminine control. Girls are constantly bombarded with unrealistic images and told to look a certain way, but as soon as they try to achieve it, they are criticized.
That being said, girls, please stop being stupid and put down the shot glasses. Even Kylie Jenner didn't achieve that look naturally. Take all the selfies you'd like, but leave the shot glasses alone. I promise you're beautiful just the way you are.
CelebrityDigital MediaDuck FaceDuckfacefeminismHollywoodKylie JennerKylieJennerChallengeKylieJennerChallengeGoneWrongmedia studiespop cultureselfieTabloid
Why I Dropped Everything And Started Teaching Kendrick Lamar's New Album
"Literacy in the 21st century means bringing all different kinds of "text" into the classroom – including hip-hop."
When Kendrick Lamar released his sophomore album, To Pimp A Butterfly (2015), I was in the middle of teaching a unit on Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye (1970). My freshmen students were grappling with some big ideas and some really complex language. Framing the unit as an "Anti-Oppression" study, we took special efforts to define and explore the kinds of institutional and internalized racism that manifest in the lives of Morrison's African-American characters, particularly the 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove and her mother, Pauline. We posed questions about oppression and the media – and after looking at the Dick & Jane primers that serve as precursors to each chapter, considered the influence of a "master narrative" that always privileges whiteness.
Set in the 1940s, the Breedlove family lives in poverty. Their only escape is the silver screen, a place where they idolize the glamorous stars of the film industry. Given the historical context…


Dec. 30, 2018 12:43 PM PT1:43 PM MT2:43 PM CT3:43 PM ET20:43 GMT4:43 1:43 PM MST2:43 PM CST3:43 PM EST2:43 PM CT0:43 UAE (+1)15:43 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 43 yards on 11 carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 42-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He added five receptions for 52 yards.
Dec. 23, 2018 12:20 PM PT1:20 PM MT2:20 PM CT3:20 PM ET20:20 GMT4:20 1:20 PM MST2:20 PM CST3:20 PM EST2:20 PM CT0:20 UAE (+1)15:20 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 23 yards on six carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 17-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He added four receptions for 31 yards.
Dec. 16, 2018 12:49 PM PT1:49 PM MT2:49 PM CT3:49 PM ET20:49 GMT4:49 1:49 PM MST2:49 PM CST3:49 PM EST2:49 PM CT0:49 UAE (+1)15:49 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for six yards on one carry Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 41-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He added three receptions for 28 yards.
Dec. 9, 2018 2:36 PM PT3:36 PM MT4:36 PM CT5:36 PM ET22:36 GMT6:36 3:36 PM MST4:36 PM CST5:36 PM EST4:36 PM CT2:36 UAE (+1)17:36 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 24 yards on six carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 34-33 win over the New England Patriots. He added one reception for 55 yards and one touchdown.
Dec. 2, 2018 12:35 PM PT1:35 PM MT2:35 PM CT3:35 PM ET20:35 GMT4:35 1:35 PM MST2:35 PM CST3:35 PM EST2:35 PM CT0:35 UAE (+1)15:35 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 31 yards on seven carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 21-17 win over the Buffalo Bills. He added two receptions for 13 yards and one touchdown.
Nov. 26, 2018 8:26 AM PT9:26 AM MT10:26 AM CT11:26 AM ET16:26 GMT0:26 9:26 AM MST10:26 AM CST11:26 AM EST10:26 AM CT20:26 UAE11:26 ETNaN:� - It appears Drake will be able to play in Miami's Week 13 game against the Bills despite being slowed by a shoulder injury.
Analysis: Drake, who briefly left Miami's Week 12 loss to the Colts, was limited in Wednesday's practice.
Nov. 25, 2018 3:39 PM PT4:39 PM MT5:39 PM CT6:39 PM ET23:39 GMT7:39 4:39 PM MST5:39 PM CST6:39 PM EST5:39 PM CT3:39 UAE (+1)18:39 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 32 yards and one touchdown on eight carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He added five receptions for 64 yards and one touchdown.
Analysis: Drake briefly left the game in the fourth quarter after apparently aggravating a shoulder injury that he was dealing with before Miami's Week 11 bye. Even if he's able to play next week against Buffalo, he's only worth considering in PPR leagues with Frank Gore continuing to churn out rushing yards on a consistent basis.
Nov. 11, 2018 3:46 PM PT4:46 PM MT5:46 PM CT6:46 PM ET23:46 GMT7:46 4:46 PM MST5:46 PM CST6:46 PM EST5:46 PM CT3:46 UAE (+1)18:46 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 27 yards on eight carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 31-12 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He added two receptions for 11 yards.
Analysis: Drake briefly left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and mostly gave way to a more effective Frank Gore after returning in the second half. Gore is becoming the Dolphins' back to own for fantasy purposes, though Drake still has some added value in PPR formats.
Nov. 4, 2018 12:59 PM PT1:59 PM MT2:59 PM CT3:59 PM ET20:59 GMT4:59 1:59 PM MST2:59 PM CST3:59 PM EST2:59 PM CT0:59 UAE (+1)15:59 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for nine yards on three carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 13-6 win over the New York Jets. He added four receptions for 26 yards.
Oct. 25, 2018 8:02 PM PT9:02 PM MT10:02 PM CT11:02 PM ET3:02 GMT11:02 8:02 PM MST9:02 PM CST10:02 PM EST10:02 PM CT7:02 UAE (+1)23:02 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 58 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries Thursday in the Miami Dolphins' 42-23 loss to the Houston Texans. He added two receptions for 37 yards and one touchdown.
Oct. 21, 2018 12:41 PM PT1:41 PM MT2:41 PM CT3:41 PM ET19:41 GMT3:41 12:41 PM MST1:41 PM CST2:41 PM EST2:41 PM CT23:41 UAE15:41 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 72 yards and one touchdown on six carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 32-21 loss to the Detroit Lions. He added four receptions for 15 yards.
Oct. 14, 2018 12:57 PM PT1:57 PM MT2:57 PM CT3:57 PM ET19:57 GMT3:57 12:57 PM MST1:57 PM CST2:57 PM EST2:57 PM CT23:57 UAE15:57 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 57 yards on 13 carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 31-28 win over the Chicago Bears. He added four receptions for 21 yards and fumbled once.
Oct. 7, 2018 1:01 PM PT2:01 PM MT3:01 PM CT4:01 PM ET20:01 GMT4:01 1:01 PM MST2:01 PM CST3:01 PM EST3:01 PM CT0:01 UAE (+1)16:01 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 46 yards on six carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 27-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He added seven receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown.
Sep. 30, 2018 12:15 PM PT1:15 PM MT2:15 PM CT3:15 PM ET19:15 GMT3:15 12:15 PM MST1:15 PM CST2:15 PM EST2:15 PM CT23:15 UAE15:15 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for three yards on three carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 38-7 loss to the New England Patriots. He added one reception for 13 yards.
Sep. 23, 2018 1:18 PM PT2:18 PM MT3:18 PM CT4:18 PM ET20:18 GMT4:18 1:18 PM MST2:18 PM CST3:18 PM EST3:18 PM CT0:18 UAE (+1)16:18 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for three yards on five carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 28-20 win over the Oakland Raiders. He added two receptions for seven yards.
Sep. 16, 2018 12:51 PM PT1:51 PM MT2:51 PM CT3:51 PM ET19:51 GMT3:51 12:51 PM MST1:51 PM CST2:51 PM EST2:51 PM CT23:51 UAE15:51 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 53 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 20-12 win over the New York Jets. He added four receptions for 17 yards.
Sep. 9, 2018 4:42 PM PT5:42 PM MT6:42 PM CT7:42 PM ET23:42 GMT7:42 4:42 PM MST5:42 PM CST6:42 PM EST6:42 PM CT3:42 UAE (+1)19:42 ETNaN:� - Kenyan Drake ran for 48 yards on 14 carries Sunday in the Miami Dolphins' 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans. He added three receptions for 18 yards.


March 2019 – FD Allen Group Inc.
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Join IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch at its work party in Congleton as part of the Congleton Station project. Volunteers are meeting at 10am to work until approximately 12.30pm. Work will include vegetation clearance and litter picking to help improve the environment around Congleton Railway Station, the Macclesfield Canal Towpath and Hightown. All tools will be provided, please wear old clothes and stout shoes and take waterproofs in case of rain.
Please note the regular work party will now be on the 4th Thursday of each month.


Building trust and skills helps merging companies exceed their value-creation target by 30 percent.
Two companies in the food and beverages sector were entering a merger of equals prompted by shareholders who wanted to grow the business globally. Fierce competitors, the two companies had very different cultures: One was hierarchical, the other entrepreneurial.
The board member responsible for integration recognized that the clash of cultures would need to be managed carefully to minimize disruption and establish a constructive working environment. So he asked McKinsey to help make the merger happen and prepare leaders for the integration process and their roles in the new organization.
Integrating the activities of two separate companies while maintaining business momentum creates huge pressures and uncertainties. At such a challenging time, introducing a leadership-development program might seem an unnecessary burden. In this case, though, it soon became apparent that the advantages would outweigh the drawbacks.
By making an early investment in learning, the new organization could begin to break down the barriers between the former adversaries, establish a shared culture of collaboration, and extract value from the merger more quickly. Leaders would play a crucial role: By modeling the values of cooperation, mutual respect, and business focus, they would set a clear example for the rest of the organization to follow.
The leadership development program ran for the full duration of the merger process, from the signing of the agreement to the closure of the integration office 2 years later. The executive board took part in regular trust-building sessions and merger roundtables, while the top 400 executives worked on aligning strategy. The integration managers developed their skills through workshops, and the 30 integration groups focused on team learning.
While reconciling the cultures of the two organizations was a constant theme, the focus of the program changed as the deal progressed. At the beginning, when inexperience was an issue, a merger "boot camp" provided intensive skills training for those directly involved in managing the integration. Later sessions addressed the companies' legacy of hostility through activities designed to build empathy and help former competitors work closely together as colleagues.
Although the immediate goal was to smooth the way for the merger and maximize the value it captured, the program also had a more enduring purpose. By building broad expertise in M&A , it would equip the organization to undertake further deals as the industry consolidated over time.
The leadership development program quickly succeeded in building capabilities and trust, helping hundreds of participants to develop the mind-set and skills to manage the hectic integration period effectively. As a result, cost savings and growth opportunities both exceeded expectations. The value in cost savings, increased productivity, and new efficiencies unlocked by the merger was 30 percent higher than the stretch target set by the integration office and board.
There were unforeseen spin-off benefits, too. Board meetings became more productive once teams began to submit standard briefing documents with concise summaries of problems and proposed solutions. Because board members had all the information at their fingertips, it took them half as long to reach decisions.
The program has provided the client with a cadre of leaders skilled at managing not just integration but major organizational change in general—an asset that positions it well to meet its growth aspirations in years to come.


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Stoker (2013)
Author: Brett Gallman
Submitted by: Brett Gallman Date : 2013-03-24 19:46
{_BLOCK_.MAIN.PAGE_ADMIN}
Written by: Wentworth Miller
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, and Matthew Goode
Reviewed by: Brett Gallman
"Sometimes you need to do something bad to stop you from doing something worse."
I'm not one to bemoan the shape of modern horror, mostly because the genre has been in pretty good shape over the past decade-plus. However, I can't help but think that we could use more genre auteurs with authentic, distinctive voices; for the better part of that recent time period, most of them have come from overseas. South Korea's Park Chan-wook has emerged as a most distinguished provocateur with an elegant blend of violence, eroticism, and mystery that has gone on to define—or at least shade—much of his country's output during the oughts. His latest effort, Stoker, brings him to America, a move that brings the typical fear surrounding Hollywood's tendency to swallow unique voices. However, those fears can quickly and easily be dismissed: Stoker might fashion itself after Hitchcock and De Palma, but it's unmistakably delivered in Chan-wook's voice.
His subjects are the bizarre, almost ethereally gothic Stokers, a prominent New England family. Patriarch Richard (Dermot Mulroney) has recently perished in a car accident, leaving his daughter India (Mia Wasikowska) alone with her mother, Evelyn (Nicole Kidman). Shortly after the funeral, India's mysterious Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) arrives at the family home and decides to move in. Evelyn is somewhat disturbingly taken for him, but Charlie's affections are even more disturbing since he his heart is settled on his own niece.
Stoker might take its starting point from Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, but it takes that film's concept and thoroughly perverts it into unseemly schlock. It almost feels like a fan-fic conceit: what if Teresa Wright's "Little Charlie" was a troubled young woman on the verge of an explosive sexual awakening. And, worse yet, what if her genetics insisted that she might not automatically recoil in horror at her salacious, sinister uncle? That's the framework of Wentworth Miller's script, which unspools delightfully when guided by Chan-wook's hand. At heart, it's lurid, trashy junk, full of incestual overtones and some frankly obvious plot twists, but it's a joy to watch its director elevate the material into a compelling look at dueling psychoses. If every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, then the Stokers are almost gleefully fucked up: Charlie is a shrewd cad, a devil in a dapper suit, while Evelyn is catatonically resigned to her guilt and shame.
And then there's India, the distant, obviously strange girl operating at the center of this familial psychodrama. India almost seems to live in a fantasy land (Chan-wook may be darkly riffing on Wasikowska's appearance in Burton's Alice in Wonderland) where her father always hides the same birthday present (a new pair of shoes) for her to find each year. When he dies, that world is shattered, but Wasikowska economically relates that India has always been a little off. Her trick as a performer is slowly revealing just how darkly odd she is—or potentially could be. Without spoiling too much, it's fair to say that Stoker presents a battle for India's mind, soul, and body. I may have oversold the screenplay's predictability—some elements are a bit routine, but there are some genuine shocks as well. Chan-wook and Miller turn to the Psycho playbook about midway through, at which point the focus of the film seems to shift (it's even marked by a scene in a shower) and this dainty, affected girl has powerfully transformed through the combined powers of sex and violence.
Few directors could deliver such a maelstrom with elegance, but Chan-wook does so with breathtaking precision. The performances are knowingly mannered in a way that calls attention to the film's general weirdness right off the bat; there's never a sense that we're dealing with anything but a strange family whose enigmatic uncle is harboring some terrible secrets and intentions. All of this is so obviously sketched that you almost expect a profound rug-pull with Charlie, but he doles out an ample amount of seediness in due time. Chan-wook isn't interested in merely trudging through these motions, though; instead, he exquisitely tip-toes about before blowing through them with incredible panache. Every moment—from moody establishing shots to the gripping climax—is visually arresting and swells with import. Even an obligatory flashback scene that reveals Charlie's past and the circumstances surrounding his brother's death feels immediate and intense, whereas most movies would grind to a halt during such requisite reveals. Miller's script is clever enough, but it takes on a certain, oddball energy in Chan-wook's measured, assured hands.
Stoker also crafts a villain that would do Hitchcock proud. Goode is certainly channeling Joseph Cotten as Charlie, the overly congenial uncle whose suave façade hides an underlying malevolence. This Charlie seems to delight in allowing cracks in that façade; he treats his interactions with Evelyn and India as a delicate dance that finds him edging around his intentions but not completely concealing them either. Watching the waltz between he and India is particularly fascinating, as the two continually seem to shift roles—this is a unique cat and mouse dance where both participants switch places at various points. India is also playing a most awkward game of hard-to-get that finds her horrified and intrigued at her uncle's advances towards both herself and her mother, and Wasikowska brilliantly plays off of Goode's disturbingly cocksure demeanor in a turn that requires an equal mix of vulnerability, pathos, and aggressiveness. Caught between it all is a reserved, understated performance from Kidman that's marked by an overbearing sadness—there's a sense that this woman considers herself a failure as a wife and mother, so she throws herself into these shocking proceedings with wild abandon.
Chan-wook's singular, authoritative voice unifies Stoker into a transcendent work of Gothic splendor. Uniquely beautiful and hypnotic despite the ugly menace brooding beneath its surface, the film is the stunningly refined work of a master. Calling feels like a disservice—it simply smolders with an subtly intense sense of passion that feels like it should be at odds with Chan-wook's precise, icy approach. Instead, the two blend together in dazzling fashion: this is a sexy, visceral, and dangerous work of art. It's a film that dares to tantalize its perversities before indulging and reveling in them. There's nothing juvenile about its provocations though; Chan-wook is too meticulous to engage in such emptiness, so one observes a fascinating sublimity in its meticulously crafted portrait of madness. We all go a little mad sometimes, but few do so in such a gorgeously haunting fashion. Buy it!
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