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STEP-FAR Seminar with Dr. Arne Kildegaard
(Join us for lunch - There will be Sambusas!)
HHH Room 215
Please join us for a STEP-FAR Fall seminar with Dr. Arne Kildegaard.
About Dr. Kildegaard:
Professor of Economics and Management,
University of Minnesota, Morris
Guest Researcher, Energy Systems Analysis,
Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Denmark
Ph.D., University of Texas
M.A., University of Chicago
B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Economics of Renewable Energy Systems
Andrew Fang, PhD Candidate
12:00-1:00 PM
About the STEP-FAR Seminar Series
STEP FAR (Science Technology and Environmental Policy Feedback and Research) is designed for students, staff, faculty, and fellows to get together in an informal setting to discuss their projects, research-in-progress, opportunities, and a variety of other issues related to science, technology, environment, energy, and policy. It is a bi-weekly seminar taking place throughout the academic year. Learn more about STEP-FAR.
Big Data Challenges (and Opportunities) of Next Generation Sustainability Management
(there will be pizza!)
Please join us for a STEP-FAR Fall seminar with Dr. Tim M. Smith.
From energy management to supply chain and marketing operations, identifying where and when to engage in sustainability requires unprecedented visibility and understanding of market, operational, and natural/social system dynamics. Particularly facing large firms with global production and distribution networks, finding CO2, water and material efficiencies - and managing exposure risks - requires looking beyond annual, national, or company-wide averages to high-resolution big data solutions. In the context of industrial energy management and food chain strategic sourcing, Dr. Smith will illustrate firm-specific spatial and temporal variability of sustainability performance and introduce new pathways for sensing and analytics technologies across facility, companies and value chain networks.
About Dr. Smith:
Dr. Timothy M. Smith is director of the NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise at the Institute on the Environment; and professor of sustainable systems management at the University of Minnesota. His work focuses on policy and market adoption of technologies that enhance environmental performance, public and private governance of sustainability, and sustainability systems modeling in decision making. Dr. Smith has held the rotating chair in sustainable entrepreneurship at Wageningen University, Netherlands, served on the faculty at INCAE Business School in Costa Rica, and teaches international business at the Carlson School of Management. He is a former AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow and has advised the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Research Council's Committee on Certification of Sustainable Products and Services, and numerous companies and organizations on supply chain sustainability and product-based policies.
Dr. Yingling Fan
Dr. Charles Weiss
Taxing Emissions in [Un]Congested Power Systems
Please join us for our first STEP-FAR seminar of the semester with Vivek Bhandari.
This presentation is a part of Bhandari's PhD thesis. His talk will explore the use of emission taxes to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and their effect on power systems in terms of emission savings, generator revenue, load revenue and governmental revenue. The context will be the electricity sector in the United States. Bhandari will conclude that, due to power system constraints, emission tax may not reduce emission, and may just impose a tax burden on no one else but load.
Andrew Fang
STEP area hosts Minneapolis' first Vertical Farming Design Workshop
On September 24-25, the STEP area hosted an interdisciplinary design workshop on Urban Farming.
The workshop brought together architects, hydroponic growers, engineers, marketing professionals, and entrepreneurs, as well as University of Minnesota students. Divided in three teams, the participants developed a model and business plan for a Food Hub and Vertical Farm sited in Richfield, Minnesota. On Friday, each team presented their plan to a panel of judges, and a winning team was chosen.
"There were moments where I thought that we had no consensus, but at the end we were able to develop a model and present it in a way that awarded us the first place in the competition," Mauricio Leon, participating STEP student said.
"The workshop was an amazing opportunity to meet people and put skills in to practice. What made it really interesting was the seriousness and passion with which we took the challenge. Urban agriculture is a concept that is already gaining territory in developed nations that want to maximize space and be more self-sufficient. The United States is only starting, but I think urban agriculture is likely to going to gain much more attention in the future years."
The event was organized in partnership with the Minnesota Sustainable Development Group (MNSDG), the Association for Vertical Farming and Blue Planet Consulting, and included a keynote lecture by STEP professor Anu Ramaswami.
The winning concept will be featured on Agritecture.com. See more in Murphy News Service and Minnesota Daily.
Happiness is a Good Risk Assessment
Please join us for our first STEP-FAR seminar of the semester with Professor Peter Calow.
This presentation will explore the connection between risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis as an important basis for managing risks.The context will be chemical legislation in Europe (that is up and running) and TSCA in the US (that is under revision) but the aim will be to establish broader principles for the better use of science advice in public policy. An important conclusion will be the need for improving the relevance of what we do through more effective interaction with stakeholders.
Dr. Gabe Chan
Vivek Bhandari
Life in the Arctic: Welcome Reception Keynote by Will Steger
Cowles Auditorium
Humphrey School of Public Affairs
The Humphrey School of Public Affairs M.S. in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (MS–STEP) and International Fellows programs invite you to join us and welcome the 2015-16 cohorts of Hubert H. Humphrey Fulbright International Fellows, the Government of India MPA Fellows, and the International Visiting Scholars.
Will Steger, world-renowned polar explorer, educator, photographer, writer and lecturer will present a retrospective of a life in the Arctic regions of the world. He has logged thousands of miles of travel by dogsled and has become a voice calling for understanding and the preservation of the Arctic. The presentation "Eyewitness to Global Warming," is his vivid account of the changes that he has witnessed firsthand, caused by global warming pollutants, in Arctic regions over four decades of polar exploration. Steger shares stunning photographs from his expeditions along with compelling data and satellite imagery to document the deterioration in the polar ice caps. While the issue is critical, and the presentation is dramatic, Steger's message is one of hope and empowerment.
PIRE Workshop on Urban Infrastructure Transformations in China, India and the US
On August 23-24, the PIRE program hosted a workshop at the National Academy of Engineering in Washington DC. The focus of the workshop was on "Urban Infrastructure Transformations in China, India and the US: Connecting Local Priorities with Global Carbon Targets." STEP students and faculty were joined by policy experts from the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, ICLEI, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Department of State, and the World Bank.
The Partnership for International Research and Education (PIRE) project is a part of the Center's Sustainable Cities Initiative. This interdisciplinary education program was developed that explores how the intersection of engineered infrastructures with social and natural systems shapes urban sustainability outcomes pertaining to resource management, environmental pollution, climate change, and public health.
Humphrey Students and Faculty Join Network of Nine Universities at Workshop in Georgia
Last week a number of Humphrey faculty, staff, and students participated in a week-long interdisciplinary course and workshop hosted at Georgia Institute of Technology. The workshop was a part of our new network aimed at building environmentally sustainable, healthy, and livable cities.
The course was co-led by Dr. Nisha Botchwey from Georgia Tech and Dr. Anu Ramaswami from the University of Minnesota. Students learned how to design interdisciplinary environmental studies, share best practices to work together across disciplines, explore the use of models, experiments, quasi-experiments, and case studies to address the overarching policy challenge of developing sustainable cities.
Humphrey Faculty/Staff
Anu Ramaswami
Jerry Zhao
Jason Cao
Yingling Fan
Luke Hollenkamp
Brianna Menning
Ajay Nagpure
Mauricio Leon
Jill Rook
Victoria Fiorentino
Halston Sleets
Peter Nixon
Olivia Yang
Yunlei Qi
Kate Gurke
Shai Fogelson
Dana Boyer
Kangkang Tong
STEP Area Leads a $12M Research Network to Build Health, Sustainable, and Livable Cities
The University of Minnesota has received a $12 million dollar award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to bring together a unique network of scientists, industry leaders, and policy partners committed to building better cities of the future.
The project is directed by Anu Ramaswami, professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, with co-directors Patricia Culligan at Columbia University and Armistead Russell at Georgia Institute of Technology. The network will connect across nine research universities, major metropolitan cities in the U.S. and India, as well as infrastructure firms, and policy groups. The project includes 25 faculty members across the nine universities, and will involve more than 40 graduate students conducting research in cross-university interdisciplinary teams.
The network is the first of its size to focus on ways to reimagine infrastructure—energy grids, road networks, green spaces, and food and water systems—to create cities that are highly functional, promote the health of residents and the environment, and have that intangible "vibe" called livability, that makes cities desirable places to live and work.
Estimates indicate that by 2050, three billion more people will live in cities, resulting in two-thirds of the world's population inhabiting urban areas. A majority of the future infrastructure required to accommodate that growth has yet to be built, or will need to be rehabilitated from existing systems. With business-as-usual trajectories, such growth will continue to exert tremendous pressure on water, energy, and land resources, creating traffic congestion, air pollution, and urban inequity that already affects the health of millions of urban residents today.
"We have to think in new ways about a city's physical infrastructure to develop sustainable solutions," says Professor Anu Ramaswami, of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, who is lead investigator and director for the project. "Understanding that these systems are interconnected, serves as a foundation for this work. For example, urban farms wouldn't work very well without thinking about water, energy, and transportation infrastructure, as well as people, markets, and policies."
Funded by the NSF's Sustainability Research Network (SRN) program, the project, titled "Integrated Urban Infrastructure Solutions for Environmentally Sustainable, Healthy, and Livable Cities," will focus on a new movement gaining momentum in cities around the world toward "distributed," or more local, infrastructure. Until now, development trends have resulted in very large infrastructure systems—large power grids, large roadway networks, complex systems that pipe water from distant rivers, and supply food from faraway states and countries. Emerging trends suggest cities may be better off building more local systems—urban farms, local solar generation, bike share systems, and more. This network will try to identify the best mix of local and large to achieve urban sustainability, health and livability goals, by examining infrastructure in diverse cities in the U.S. and India. The team will also explore the public attitudes and policies that can help achieve such urban transitions. Read more.
To learn more about the network visit: sustainablehealthycities.org.
We're Hiring a STEP Coordinator
We are looking for a STEP (Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy) Coordinator to assist with event planning, logistics, and communication. The STEP Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing planning, implementation, and all other aspects of STEP events and workshops, as well as events and workshops for projects associated with the STEP area. In addition to event coordination, the position assists with communications and marketing (including web and media skills) for the STEP area, and associated projects, and assist with basic office and project coordination skills.
Check out our job posting: https://goo.gl/EOyo1r
Meet Our PhD Student: Kangkang (KK) Tong
Q: What's your story?
I was born in a city where the Yangtze River runs through in China. Our family used to live on growing rice. My childhood experience living in a rural area drove me to choose environmental science as an undergraduate. After I gained my bachelor degree, I went to the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences to pursue a masters degree in ecology. After living in Beijing, one of the biggest cities in the world, for about four years, I decided to travel around a little bit, since I did not know what I should do for my rest of life. In the tradition of young people in China, I traveled to Tibet and then went to Nepal. I enjoyed hiking in the Mt. Everest area, and then I went to New Zealand. After travelling for about one year, I decided to come back to school and pursue my PhD degree, hoping to become a faculty member in the future.
Q: How did you end up in the PhD program at the Humphrey School?
When I pursued my master's degree I read Professor Anu Ramaswami's paper about urban greenhouse gas emission footprints. After I decided to come back to school, I emailed Professor Ramaswami to ask whether she would be my adviser. I enrolled in the Master of Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy program for my first year, since the PhD program did not exist. One year later, I applied to the PhD degree program at the Humphrey School.
Q: What projects are you currently working on?
My PhD program is largely supported by NSF-PIRE (Partnership for International Research and Education): Developing Low-Carbon Cities in the US, China, and India Through Integration Across Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Social Sciences, and Public Health. I'm working under this program and focus on studies of Chinese cities. My work is to explore the environmental impact of urban activities from the perspective of infrastructure. In addition to environmental impact, I'm also looking at financial data to explore how public finance systems work around Chinese urban infrastructure systems.
Q: Have you participated in any cool events or conferences since joining the PhD program?
Last year, I went to Australia for an industrial ecology conference. It was my first time attending an international conference and I presented my four Chinese cities paper in front of a number of experts. I was happy that everything went well and I had chance to meet scholars doing environmental research from other institutes.
This June, I worked as a volunteer for the Public Management Research Association Conference at the Humphrey School. I was really happy to participate in the sessions and to learn how scholars from public management/administration do research. As a PhD student, I had conversations with both junior and senior researchers about how to conduct research. Their suggestions on what I should do to prepare for my future career were very helpful. The real bridge between my environmental science background and public policy study has been forming gradually through listening to presentations and discussing issues with other researchers.
I also had the chance to be a student facilitator guiding conversations about climate change, at the World Wide Views on Climate Change event. The attendees' opinions on climate change will be integrated with citizens from other 130 cities and presented at the UN Climate Change conference in Pairs, France this December. This was my first time to listening to the public's voice on climate change and I really enjoyed it.
Q: Have you recently published any research?
During my master's study, I published three Chinese papers. I recently submitted a group paper on estimating the infrastructure based greenhouse gas footprint of four Chinese cities and I'm preparing to submit another paper about the Chinese five-year plan.
Q: What are your future research plans?
As I mentioned above, I've almost finished two projects and I'm doing another group project about city typology. In addition, I'll look at the financial data of urban infrastructure to understand how Chinese urban infrastructure systems are funded and what the influential factors are for deciding how much money is spent on these systems. The results can potentially shed some light on what we can do if we decide to fund a sustainable infrastructure. This discussion will be a part of my dissertation.
A Conversation with Former STEP Student Charlotte Wood
Charlotte Wood graduated from the Humphrey School this past December and is currently based in Washington, DC.
Q: What's your story?
I was born and raised in Rotorua, New Zealand. In 2008 I played with the NZ U17 & U20 women's soccer teams at their respective FIFA World Cups and subsequently accepted a scholarship offer to play soccer and study at Oklahoma State University. After a year as a microbiology major, I realized two things. First, I really did not enjoy working in a lab, and second, economics and political science were a lot more interesting than my high school teachers had led me to believe. As a result, I switched my academic focus to environmental science and policy which led me to the Humphrey School and then to Washington, D.C., where I live now.
Q: How did you end up at the Humphrey School?
I first heard about the Humphrey School from Tracy Boyer, my advisor at Oklahoma State and former Humphrey alum. After looking into what the Humphrey school offered, I visited as part of the diversity day's initiative and was immediately impressed by the sense of community and wide range of opportunities offered to students at Humphrey. The MS-STEP program was also a perfect fit for my background and future interests, as it allowed me to build off my science background and develop a complementary policy skill set.
Q: What did you study during your time here?
As an MS-STEP student, I studied a range of issues within the science policy arena. I came to the program with an interest in water issues, something I pursued in both class work and through a research assistantship with Professor Deb Swackhamer. While still being passionate about water resource policy (register to learn about the upcoming webinar I'm organizing here), I ended up taking course work or researching a range of issues including innovation policy, renewable energy, green chemistry, and global policy.
Q: Any advice for MS-STEP students?
Two things. First, get involved with the Boreas Leadership Program at the Institute on the Environment. The networking opportunities are great, the workshops incredibly helpful, and you actually have the opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and practice the skills you develop. Second, don't think you have to choose a specific focus. During my 1.5 years as a student I worked on issues from wind energy to green chemistry. I initially thought my ability to choose a focus was disadvantageous, but after entering the world of science policy I've learnt that a broader set of interests just sets you up for a different type of work.
Q: Do you have any fun memories of the STEP program that you'd like to share?
One of my favorite memories from my time as a STEP student was our 2014 STEP retreat where we stayed at a cabin for the weekend, hiked, cooked great food, cross country skied, and took some time to discuss what was and wasn't working for us in the STEP program. It was incredible that such a diverse group got on so well despite being crammed in a cabin for the weekend, but that's just what makes the STEP program so great.
Q: What are you doing now that you've graduated?
After graduating from Humphrey in December, I moved to the Washington, D.C. area and started working at the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) as the AGI/Schlumberger Fellow in Geoscience Communication. I primarily work with the Critical Issues Program, which aims to make it easier for decision makers to find, understand, and use geoscience information in the policy making process. There isn't really a typical day in my position as my fellowship has me working on creating new content at the AGI office, at Capitol Hill attending briefings, and at a myriad of science policy events and conferences throughout the DC area. As you can imagine, the networking skills from Humphrey have really come in handy.
When I'm not working, I'm really enjoying the novel experience of not having papers, projects, and research to worry about when I get home at night. Instead, I get to explore the fantastic bike trails (not as great as MSP, of course) in the DC area, work as a soccer coach with a local club, and cook delicious meals rather than subsisting off the regular West Bank rotation of Afro Deli, Hard Times, Keefer Court, Arcadia, and Republic. My fellowship with AGI runs until February 2016 and after that, who knows. Maybe it's time to head back home to New Zealand?
Professor Ramaswami Attends International Resource Panel in Vietnam
Professor Anu Ramaswami is currently in Hanoi, Vietnam as part of the 16th Meeting of the International Resource Panel (IRP) and its Steering Committee.
The IRP was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2007 to build and share the knowledge needed to improve our use of resources worldwide. The Panel's goal is to steer us away from over-consumption, waste and ecological harm towards a more prosperous and sustainable future.
The core objectives of this meeting are to review the progress in the preparation of on-going IRP assessment reports, examine new study proposals, and explore the policy-relevance of the Panel's new findings.
As one of the IRP's panel members, Professor Ramaswami is responsible for helping to develop the IRP program of work, and to highlight important research opportunities within her international, regional and national networks.
Meet STEP's New Faculty Member: Gabe Chan
We are very excited to welcome our new faculty member Gabe Chan! He agreed to let us interview him so that our Humphrey community can get to know him a little better before he arrives on campus this fall.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, California, the son of an immigrant artist from Taiwan and an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. I've had an interest in public affairs for as long as I can remember. When I was in kindergarten, my mom took me around our neighborhood to sell campaign posters for the Clinton 1992 campaign. I've also had an interest in science since the time when I could sit around all day and watch Bill Nye the Science Guy and Beakman's World. In college, I found the perfect opportunity to merge these two passions in climate change policy. For the last ten years, I've lived in Boston, Massachusetts, where I've soaked up all of the knowledge that I could on climate change science, policies, and energy technologies.
Q: How did you first get involved with science policy?
While I've always been interested in science and in policy, I only found a way to combine these interests in college. It sounds kind of hokey, but my passion for climate change mitigation really developed overnight one day in my sophomore year. I accidentally stumbled on a film screening of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, knowing virtually nothing about global climate change. After the screening, three professors held a panel discussion on the documentary and made the case that the science of climate change was compelling and that facing this challenge would be at least a lifetime of work. I pulled an all-nighter that evening and read everything that I could on the topic. While my thoughts on the issue have evolved over time through coursework in the natural sciences, experience interning at the U.S. Department of Energy, and starting my own research projects in this topic, I would probably be in a very different place had the theater been showing a different movie that night.
Q: What was your first impression of Humphrey?
In my first few hours on the Humphrey campus, I was taken by how warm and welcoming the faculty, staff, and students are. I got an immediate sense that morale at the school was super high and that I could fit right in. I was drawn to Humphrey for the friendliness and openness of the school's community. I'm excited to learn and teach in a place filled with such curious and excellent scholars who are also grounded and humble.
Q: Why did you decide to join the Humphrey Community?
Professionally, I decided to join the Humphrey community because of its strengths in the STEP (Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy) area. Humphrey's strong and integrated connections between science, technology, and environmental policy reflect both the way that these issues are intertwined in the real world and the type of interdisciplinary research that I want to do in my career. I'm also excited about the broader University of Minnesota campus and the wide array of other researchers and students that I'll get to meet and interact with as a member of the Humphrey community.
Q: How do you hope to connect with students?
Climate change, energy, and many other issues in science, technology, and environmental policy are at the forefront of some of the biggest sub-national, national, and international political debates. I hope to connect with students with experience and interest in these issues and who want to discuss and debate how scholarship and practice can have an impact.
Q: What research would you like to pursue at the Humphrey school?
I have two active research strands that I will continue to tackle at Humphrey. First, I am interested in the economics and policy of public energy innovation organizations, such as the U.S. National Laboratories. I am deeply curious about how policy shapes the direction and effectiveness of research and development within these organizations and how policy shapes the interactions between these public organizations and the private sector.
Second, I have several research projects forming around the issue of wind energy deployment in China. As the largest national greenhouse gas emitter, but also the largest market for many renewable energy sources, understanding how national and international policies can shape an energy transition in China is of global importance. Outside of these two research strands, I plan to develop new project ideas in other areas of energy technology innovation policy, including in collaboration with University of Minnesota faculty and graduate students.
Q: What do you do when you aren't working?
I love cooking and experimenting with new recipes, and I've gotten really into barbecuing in the last couple of years (which actually benefits from a good understanding of the science). I'm also into wine (reading, collecting, and of course drinking).
I'm a nerd at heart and am always up for a discussion of Game of Thrones (a parable about climate change: "winter is coming") or Star Wars (an exploration of the environmental consequences of large-scale technologies: see Alderaan). I'm also a diehard San Francisco Giants fan.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about living in Minneapolis (aside from the winters, of course)?
I'm excited for the beautiful lakes, bike paths, and craft beer scene.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself?
My door is always open. Come by and say hi.
Professor Ramaswai Participates in 2015 ICLEI World Congress
Professor Anu Ramaswami recently participated in the 2015 ICLEI World Congress. The theme of this year's Congress was, "Sustainable Solutions for an Urban Future." The event was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from April 8-12. Over 2,500 delegates from 249 local governments worldwide participated in the Congress.
Ramaswami was the keynote speaker at a training session hosted by the United National Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) aimed at building resilient and resource efficient cities.
ICLEI is a network of over 1,000 cities, towns, and metropolises around the world that are committed to a sustainable future.
Professor Elizabeth Wilson Receives Inaugural Andrew Carnegie Fellowship
Humphrey Professor Elizabeth Wilson has been selected as a 2015 Andrew Carnegie Fellow. Wilson is one of 32 members of the inaugural class of fellows who will each receive $200,000 to support their research.
Professor Wilson's research focuses on energy systems and new technologies. Her project through the Carnegie Fellowship is titled "Nuclear Futures in a Windy World: A Comparative Analysis Balancing Energy Security, Climate Change, and Economic Development." Read more.
Deborah Swackhamer Appointed to Boards of NAS and EPA
The following is re-posted from Humphrey School News.
Humphrey School Professor Deborah Swackhamer has been named chair of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC). The BOSC reviews the quality of ongoing science being conducted at the EPA by providing advice and recommendations to the EPA's Office of Research and Development. Swackhamer has also been appointed to the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST), which organizes and oversees studies of environmental pollution problems affecting human health, human impacts on the environment, and the assessment and management of related risks to human health and the environment.
Student Receives Funding for Collaborative on Sustainable Energy Systems
Photo Credit: Patrick O'Leary
Humphrey PhD student Vivek Bhandari has been awarded funding from the Institute for Advanced Study for his proposal on "Implementation and the Policy Paradox: Conversations around Combined Heat and Power." The project is a collaboration with Tim Smith from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and Laura Babcock from the School of Public Health.
Creating sustainable energy systems requires new technology, energy markets and regulatory frameworks. The University of Minnesota's $96 million project to construct a state of the art Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant provides a unique opportunity for facilitating conversations and collaborations to this end. This collaborative will use the project as a focal point to facilitate multiple vital interdisciplinary conversations on energy and critical infrastructure. These conversations will link technical knowledge with policy, economics and practice.
Each year the Institute for Advanced Study provides small grants to research/creative collaborative groups that are designed to promote, "synergistic interdisciplinary activity difficult within departmental structures" across the University of Minnesota.
Humphrey Students Participate in 2015 Sustainability Symposium
A number of Humphrey School students participated in this year's Sustainability Symposium held at UMN. The annual symposium, which is hosted by the Institute on the Environment, provides an opportunity for students from all disciplines to display their work and research related to sustainability.
Marta Monti (MPP) shared her research on institutional food waste while Tashi Gurung (MS-STEP) discussed the impact of campus community gardens. Vivek Bhandari (PhD) took home an award for Best Poster in the Art or Multimedia category for his video titled, "Myth-buster: Investigating myths about smart meters - a precursor to a sustainable power grid." The video was a collaboration between Bhandari, Sathish Jayaraman, Charlotte Woods, and Maria McClintock.
For more information on the symposium, check out the event Storify.
China: A Demographer's Dream
This week, we were pleased to host Professor Yu Xie from the University of Michigan as he presented on the China Family Panel Studies. In addition to rapid population growth, China has also experienced incredible changes in the areas of educational attainment, migration, health and well-being in recent decades. Dr. Xie sees this as a key time in China's history to document the changes from a mostly agrarian society to one of high urbanization.
Dr. Xie, along with other researchers in the U.S. and at Peking University in China, has undertaken the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), a nationwide survey of individuals, families and communities. This longitudinal survey is much more comprehensive than your average census and even includes interviews with children ages 9 and above. The research gained from this survey will continue to document and shape a contemporary China as it continues to grow and change.
Recognition for Delhi Air Pollution Studies
Navneet Baidwan (MPH)
Student Navneet Baidwan recently received two awards for her presentation at the 2015 Research Day at the School of Public Health. Baidwan received the Community Impact and Public Choice awards for her study, "Exploring the phenomenon of open burning of Municipal Solid Waste in three selected neighborhoods of Delhi." Her research explores the various infrastructural and socio-cultural factors that contribute to waste burning in three different Delhi neighborhoods. The study is a collaboration between the Humphrey School and the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.
Another Humphrey School study, which examines mortality and morbidity rates due to air pollution in Delhi between 1991 and 2010, was recently cited by the Huffington Post and the Times of India.
Institutional Food Waste and Composting at Humphrey
HHH 215
Marta Monti is a second year Master of Public Policy student that has spent her time at the Humphrey School studying and working on issues surrounding institutional food waste. In her research, she has explored food waste in the residential dining halls through a quantitative and qualitative study that has involved waste collection, categorization, and weighing, as well as interviews with students and staff.
Additionally, through her work with the Humphrey Food Policy Collaborative, Marta and others have been working diligently to introduce organics recycling collection to the Humphrey building. Her talk will highlight her research findings, as well as discuss the steps involved with institutionalizing compost collection in the Humphrey building.
This event is a part of the STEP-FAR seminar series. The events are designed for students, staff, faculty, and fellows to get together in an informal setting to discuss their projects, research-in-progress, opportunities, and a variety of other issues related to science, technology, environment, energy, and policy. It is a bi-weekly seminar taking place throughout the academic year. Learn more about STEP-FAR.
China Family Panel Studies: Introduction and Preliminary Findings
8:00 - 9:00 am
Reception in the Atrium
9:00 - 10:00 am
Presentation in Cowles Auditorium
The Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy invites you to join us on April 14 at the Humphrey School for a conversation with Professor Yu Xie from the University of Michigan.
Professor Xie will provide an introduction to the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) survey, as well as preliminary findings from the survey on income inequality, poverty, marriage and cohabitation, and child development.
The CFPS is a nearly nationwide, comprehensive, longitudinal social survey that is intended to serve the research needs on a large variety of social phenomena in contemporary China. Extensive information is collected through computer-assisted person-to-person interviews of all family members. The CFPS promises to provide to the academic community the most comprehensive and highest – quality survey data on contemporary China.
This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy, the Minnesota Population Center, and the National Science Foundation.
RSVP: http://goo.gl/O5UZ2i
Grand Rapids: America's Greenest City
Well, it's finally starting to feel like Spring semester and we're just halfway through our STEP-FAR Seminar Series. STEP FAR, which stands for Science Technology and Environmental Policy Feedback and Research, is a bi-weekly seminar designed for students, staff, faculty, and fellows to get together in an informal setting to discuss their projects, research-in-progress, opportunities, and a variety of other issues related to science, technology, environment, energy, and policy.
Last week, over 30 people came to hear Professor Kathy Quick discuss her research on how Grand Rapids has become a leader as a Green City. The City's Green Grand Rapids effort is intended to establish a green infrastructure. The initiative will "focus on quality of life and the physical development of community infrastructure as it relates to greening, connectivity, natural systems, the Grand River, recreation and public health."
Grand Rapids showcases the most LEED certified buildings in the country, and is working to restore the rapids to the Grand River, the City's namesake. These efforts have been undertaken collectively through citizen involvement with both the public and private sectors.
Professor Quick, who is also the co-academic adviser for the Center for Integrative Leadership, provided excellent detail on the planning process and challenges of the initiative.
Next up for the STEP FAR Series: Thursday, April 2nd, second year MS-STEP student Matt Prorok will be presenting on "The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impacts of Electric Vehicle Utilization in Minnesota." And in two weeks on April 16th, MPP student Marta Monti will be sharing about her research on food waste, which lines up nicely with the debut of composting here at the Humphrey School. Please join us!
International Urban Carbon Data and Findings of the IPCC on Human Settlements
Today, Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal spoke at the Humphrey School with faculty and students from across the university about cities, energy use, and climate change. Dr. Dhakal is currently serving as one of the Coordinating Lead Authors of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC for the Group III dealing with human settlements and climate change mitigation. His presentation is part of NSF RCN: Sustainable Cities- People and the Energy-Climate-Water Nexus, which includes scholars and researchers from Thailand, South Africa, Spain, and the US.
Photo Credit: IPCC Working Group III
Following Dr. Dhakal's presentation, the group discussed the challenges of governance related to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. Among those issues discussed were how widely policy recommendations can vary from country to country as well as between local, state, and national levels. Participants discussed the importance of considering system design, and green building techniques and mitigating GHG emissions in new cities, as well as retrofitting current cities as we experience increasing population growth and more of the population moves into metropolitan areas.
Dr. Dhakal was Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project, an international scientific program hosted by the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) in Japan (2006-2012) and a Senior Policy Researcher and the Project Manager of Urban Project of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) Japan (2001-2006). He is also a visiting Associate Professor to Graduate School of Environmental Studies of Nagoya University in Japan and a Guest Research Scholar to International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria since 2009.
Connecting STEM and the Humanities
In a recent post for the Minnesota Humanities Center, Humphrey Senior Fellow Steve Kelley notes that, "too many in higher education still treat the humanities and STEM as separate and unintegrated, but bright spots exist."
Kelley highlights the mutually important relationship between STEM subjects and the humanities, suggesting that both areas would benefit from the integration of cross-cutting concepts such as patterns, cause and effect, structure, and function. To read Kelley's full post visit the Minnesota Humanities Center blog.
Greening Grand Rapids: Building Collective Impact Through Collective Leadership
12:30 - 1:30pm
How did Grand Rapids, Michigan emerge as leader among green cities? Join us on March 26 to hear Professor Kathy Quick present her research and learn how independent actors and sectors shifted to a model of collective leadership to create "America's Greenest City."
This STEP-FAR series event is co-sponsored by the Center for Integrative Leadership and the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
The STEP-FAR seminar series is designed for students, staff, faculty, and fellows to get together in an informal setting to discuss their projects, research-in-progress, opportunities, and a variety of other issues related to science, technology, environment, energy, and policy. It is a bi-weekly seminar taking place throughout the academic year. Learn more about STEP-FAR.
How Does Climate Change Influence Where We Choose To Live - And Vice Versa?
Join us to hear internationally recognized Professor Shobhakar Dhakal speak on cities, energy use and climate change. Learn what we already know, what the gaps are and how we can take action.
Dr. Dhakal is a Professor at the Aisian Institute of Technology, as well as a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and explores the impacts of human settlement and urbanization on climate change mitigation.
MN STEM Network 2015 Conference
The Minnesota STEM Network is partnering with the Ignite Afterschool network for its 2015 conference. The conference will be held April 14-15 on the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus. Conference themes include 'Systems Building and Partnerships' and 'Integrating 21st Century Skills and STEM' into afterschool. Visit their website for more information. Keynote Presenters include:
Lisa Regalla, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Maker Education Initiative
Martin Storksdieck, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning, Oregon State University
What are STEP Students Reading?
Ever wondered what our STEP students are reading in class? This semester Humphrey Senior Fellow Steve Kelley is leading students in what has been cordially nicknamed the "STEP Book Club."
Every two weeks students read a new book that explores a current topic at the interface of science, technology, and public policy. The first half of the semester has included:
Social Psychology and Neuroscience
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
This Changes Everything
Water Availability and Management
David Sedlak
Mayors Agree to Move Forward Together on Advocacy for Legislative Change
Over 30 mayors and environmental policy leaders, representing some of Minnesota's key municipal leaders in climate protection and energy efficiency initiatives, met to discuss the benefits of regional collaboration on March 5. The challenge was to see if there was agreement on developing "voluntary and locally led platform to meet the challenge of climate change." There was consensus that moving forward advocacy for legislative change together would be most effective. Further, that integrating the technical expertise of the Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (CSTEP) would be very beneficial.
University to Host Mayors Round Table on Regional Energy and Climate Resilience
The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Mayors Round Table on Regional Energy and Climate Resilience will take place today on the University of Minnesota campus. Along with faculty from the University and the Great Plains Institute, the event will bring together Mayors and city officials from the metropolitan area to discuss our future energy and climate needs. Anu Ramaswami, Humphrey Professor and Director of the Center's Sustainable Cities Initiative, will participate in the event.
The event is sponsored by the Center for Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Humphrey School, the University of Minnesota, and the Great Plains Institute.
Professor Ramaswami Author on IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report
Humphrey Professor Anu Rmaswami was a contributing author to the Fifth Assessment Report released by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Ramaswami was lead author for Chapter 12, Human Settlements, Infrastructure and Spatial Planning, of the report from Working Group III, which is responsible for evaluating options related to the mitigation of climate change by limiting, preventing, or removing greenhouse gas emissions.
CSTEP Co-hosts 2015 Broadband Conference
U.S. Senatory Amy Klobuchar
The Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy recently co-hosted the event, Designing Your 21st Century Broadband Networks - Driving our Future!. The 2015 Broadband Conference was held on February 19. Aimed at the broadband community in Minnesota, the conference included panels on topics such as net neutrality, the role of the government in broadband coverage, and the future of broadband technologies.
Steve Kelley, Humphrey Senior Fellow and co-organizer of the event, moderated a panel on the wireless spectrum and first net. Noted speakers included former FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. A full agenda from the event can be found here.
Humphrey Fellow Steve Kelley moderating a
panel on the Wireless Spectrum/First Net
Other event co-hosts included the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, the Minnesota Cable Communications Association, Minnesota Cellular Providers – AT&T/Verizon, and the Minnesota High Tech Association.
Humphrey Professor and Alumna Inolved with India's 2015 Vibrant Gujarat Summit
Humphrey Alumna, Ms. Mamta Verma, led the organization of this year's Vibrant Gujarat - a high profile summit held in India January 11-13, 2015. Positioned more like Vibrant India,Vibrant Gujarat was inaugurated by India's Prime Minister Modi and attended by delegates from around the world, including UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon, US Secretary of State John Kerry, CEO's from several Indian and US Global Companies, and knowledge experts from academia and non-profit sectors. According to Matma Verma, "Vibrant Gujarat widely known as Davos-like global business networking platform of the East, is a gateway to discuss and deliberate issues that challenge the world today. Vibrant Gujarat 2015 has surpassed its own humble beginning in 2003 as a preferred investment destination to a Global Networking Summit to ideate, innovate and inspire Global issues."
Mamta Verma, who was appointed as the Commissionaire of Industries of Gujarat immediately upon her return to India after her program in Minnesota, had to dive right into organizing this immensely successful event which is designed to attract business partnerships as well as exchange knowledge on thematic topics with with Indian and global experts. Mamta Verma, who is a senior official of the Indian Administrative Service, had taken a 1 year sabbatical to get her MPA degree at the Humphrey School as a Government of India Fellow (2013-2014).
One of the thematic topics on PM Modi's national agenda is the development of 100 Smart Cities all over India to rejuvenate the economy by leapfrogging smart infrastructure provisions in the key urban sector. This topic was one of five themes highlighted during Vibrant Gujarat with Industry/Infrastructure partnerships as well as knowledge partnerships to advance the concept. Humphrey Professor Anu Ramaswami spoke at the Smart Cities Seminar during Vibrant Gujarat and offered insights and ideas to develop smart cities in a way that can help sustain the environment and enhance the human well-being and livability of cities. As Director of a leading US research Program on Sustainable Cities knowledge exchange between the projects she leads and Gujarat can immensely impact the development of smart and sustainable cities not only in India, but also the world.
Professor Deborah Swackhamer Named Fellow of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Humphrey School Professor Deborah Swackhamer has been named one of 20 inaugural fellows of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC).
SETAC fellows are chosen for their extensive contributions and long-term service to the field of environmental toxicology and chemistry through significant scientific and science policy contributions.
Read more about Professor Swackhamer's nomination.
Big Data Challenges (and Opportunities) of Next Ge...
STEP area hosts Minneapolis' first Vertical Farmin...
Life in the Arctic: Welcome Reception Keynote by W...
PIRE Workshop on Urban Infrastructure Transformati...
Humphrey Students and Faculty Join Network of Nine...
STEP Area Leads a $12M Research Network to Build H...
A Conversation with Former STEP Student Charlotte ...
Professor Ramaswami Attends International Resource...
Professor Ramaswai Participates in 2015 ICLEI Worl...
Professor Elizabeth Wilson Receives Inaugural Andr...
Student Receives Funding for Collaborative on Sust...
Humphrey Students Participate in 2015 Sustainabili...
China Family Panel Studies: Introduction and Preli...
International Urban Carbon Data and Findings of th...
Greening Grand Rapids: Building Collective Impact ...
How Does Climate Change Influence Where We Choose ...
Mayors Agree to Move Forward Together on Advocacy ...
University to Host Mayors Round Table on Regional ...
Professor Ramaswami Author on IPCC's Fifth Assessm...
Humphrey Professor and Alumna Inolved with India's...
Professor Deborah Swackhamer Named Fellow of the S...


text:
Growth And Development Of Prison Literature
By Nelda Powers
Prison literature has been defined as writing by authors who are confined against their own will. Confinement comes in different forms including house arrests, ordinary jails or real prisons. Prisoners have used their time behind bars to produce incredible memoirs, fiction, non-fiction, essays, plays and articles to the press. A broader view is work where the author is imprisoned, writing about his experiences or whose writing is inspired by life behind bars.
The earliest work by a prisoner was done by Boethius and was titled Consolation of Philosophy. It was written in 524 AD. It opened a genre of writing that has continued to grow over the years. Other writers have followed his footsteps including notable personalities like Martin Luther and Napoleon Bonaparte. Luther produced the German translation of the New Testament while under arrest. Bonaparte dictated his memoirs in the same condition. They became best sellers later in the nineteenth century.
Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the authors whose writing was informed by imprisonment. His four years in Siberia for joining an intellectual movement had significant impact on his writing career. He began arguing against socialist and nihilist points of view. His trademark themes were humility and suffering that were advocated at the time. This made his writing very complex and dark.
The nature of prisons does not allow writers to access decent writing materials. They use waste papers and their manuscripts have to be smuggled out in secrecy at a certain point. Writers who have penned about their experiences include William Sydney Porter who used the name O Henry to produce 14 stories. Ken Saro Wiwa wrote about a naive soldier living behind bars in a book entitled Sozaboy.
An amazing scenario happened in Iran when Dowlatabadi Mahmoud was imprisoned. This is where he wrote the book Missing Soluch which was 500 pages. The amazing thing was how Mahmoud managed to write the entire book without a pen or paper. It was all in his head. After he was released, he put it in paper over a 70 days period.
Amazing books have been written about experiences behind bars. They include the works by Ngugi wa Thiongo which he called Detained A Prisoners Diary. This book was released in 1981. Kalakuta Republic was written by a Nigerian author by the name Ambani Chris. It captures his accounts when he was imprisoned. Women writers have included Beatrice Saubin from Malysia, Bedell Precious from New York, Joan Henry writing from England, Nawal El Saadawi from Egypt, Madam Roland who wrote from Paris and Krystyna Wituska who came from Berlin.
Part of the writing that takes place in prisons is meant to pass time. Intellectuals who are imprisoned want to engage their minds. Organizations have supported prisoners to write by providing them with materials and publishing them. The aim is to offer them room for expression. Writers have used this kind of writing to fuel revolutions and keep alive debates over national issues.
Prison literature thrives on the experiences, philosophy and thoughts of imprisoned people. Prisoners are encouraged to write in order to overcome the trauma or as a therapeutic act of cleansing their minds of the horror behind bars. It allows them to reconcile with imprisonment.
You can visit hopeforeveryone.com for more helpful information about Growth And Development Of Prison Literature.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Let's work together to help your students or musicians become better players!
iClassical Academy is a world-class organization based in Europe dedicated to providing conservatory-level masterclasses to musicians around the globe.
Our Master Teachers have taught thousands of masterclasses collectively to young musicians everywhere, and we've captured their skills and expertise in video format to share with our students.
We offer four main instruments to our students: violin, cello, piano, and trumpet. These instruments have some of the most demanding repertoires out of all the classical instruments, and historically require the best teachers in the world to ensure that their music is performed as their composers intended.
Learn more about how iClassical Academy can help your students reach the next level of musical excellence!
for Violin, Cello, Piano and Trumpet.
Tips and tricks close to their eyes!
So far, tradition has always been to show online the filming of a masterclass as it is in the classroom or on the stage. We depart from this to give students a better experience. Masterclasses become tutorials with a separate performance of the student/assistant. The focus is entirely on the teaching part and the viewer at home.
We're happy to provide you with the institutional plans we have for schools, conservatories and orchestras.
"Useful tips to play difficult passages. Thank you!"
"I used and found the iClassical Masterclasses as good as some University courses. It's clear, simple and focuses on an aim"
"Every part of it is highly professional."
"THANK YOU to everyone who has created this wonderful site. Amazing for all us musicians out here."


Today I had to travel from Penn Brewery to Allentown for some co-working time with friends, and I was coming from the Strip District over Troy Hill to Liberty Bridge. When I rounded to corner to the bridge for Troy Hill the car in front of me slammed on his breaks. Just as I was about to shake my fist in the usual "You Jagoff" I saw the biggest moment of determination I have ever seen.
She was dawned in pink pants and a pink stripped shirt and a back pack, on a bike; an elderly woman riding with the best of them. I was very proud of her determination.
Then I thought about my own business and why I built it and my determination not to give it up. I mean short of writing the blog completely myself when everyone else gets busy, and the podcast, and the books, and the marketing and meeting. If I thought I was sitting on a dud I wouldn't work everyday at it. And February has been Troy Hill. Everyone including myself has battled with work and depression and personal struggles this month. And I happens every six months with BOLD is that I toss up my hands and yell "I give up!"
And then today I sat down and decided that I needed a schedule and to not give up and that I can do it and that everyone that wanted to have it succeed.
So I am halfway up the hill to reorganize and keep it going, to motivate and take it to the next level.
So where is my bike.


I've learned some interesting things through the observance of babies. As a creative, being a nanny does have its perks! Not only are babies funny and outrageously cute, but the habits of an infant can teach us a lot about our own discovery processes, even our creative natures.
Now, even though babies can't talk, I believe there is a fundamental question that they ask themselves during nearly every waking moment, and that is: What would happen if…?
What would happen if I threw this particular toy on the floor?
What would happen if I tossed a piece of food on the ground?
What would happen if I grabbed this long string coming out of the wall?
What would happen if I crawled over to this other room over here?
What would happen if I put this in my mouth?
The list goes on and on. We are all aware of it. At a certain age, babies are in constant discovery mode. They are like little detectives, or explorers, navigating an unknown world, marking new territory on their own life maps. Everything is exciting and bursting with possibility. If you think about it, babies probably have the most fun of anyone on this earth, because there is literally nothing that is old or familiar to them. Everything is new, even lint on the carpet!
We all carry this childlike, infant mischievousness in us, even into adulthood. Truly, it is our curiosity that calls us to adventure, that draws us to investigate new lands and ideas and possibilities. When I was in Ireland a few weeks ago, this sense of adventure and mystery was reawakened in me. See, it didn't matter that other people had already been to the Cliffs of Moher, had already charted the Irish Sea, had already inspected every nook and cranny of the Ring of Kerry. In this beautiful country, I was a child again, uncovering new sites and discovering things I'd never experienced before. One of the days, we were taken to some old castle ruins along the Ring of Kerry. And I didn't want to just look at it; I wanted to enter it and climb up into its recesses, to touch it and smell it and look out from every crack to take in the view. I was compelled to check out every secret room and crumbled wall. At every site, I felt the urge to climb as high as I could, to go as far as possible. Because who knows what could be waiting just around the corner, or on the highest point of the cliff? It's not the same as having a local or an expert tell you all about it. Sometimes, just like babies, we must discover the mysteries for ourselves. And sometimes, along the way, we discover something that no one else has.
Discovery is directly linked to creativity. We create to discover, just like the infant whose curiosity leads him into hands-on investigations, not classroom lectures. In our creating, we must constantly ask the what if questions and dare to act on them, like a baby who isn't afraid to unpack her own questions by risking interaction.
I wonder what would happen if I told this story in a different way?
I wonder what would happen if I brushed this color here?
I wonder what would happen if I waited a few more minutes before taking this shot?
I wonder what would happen if I combined this with this?
I wonder what would happen if I told that dangerous story? If I jotted that daring lyric?
What if I made something beautiful out of this chaotic mess?
Creative people, I urge you, GO THERE.
My friend Ray Hughes, a musician and international traveler and speaker, has said often that a storyteller is a guardian of memory. I think this definition can be applied to any kind of artist. Artists guard the memories of a culture, of the times, of people and events. Artists are record keepers, but not in the menial sense. Creative people who have broken beyond the restrictions of their fears are the ones who dare to ask what if? What if telling this story from this angle could change someone's life? What if this color on this canvas could brush healing into someone's heart? What if I take what I see, all the hurt and the pain and the horrible stories of human suffering, and made it into something that reminded people who they really are? What if I inserted hope into this dark mess? What if all these chaotic, flinging movements came together to form a beautiful story? A reflection of a people's soul. A piece of art that mirrored the fact that we're never alone.
Friends, this is why we create. We create to offer pockets of beauty, havens of safety where people can rediscover the curious and hopeful child within. We create to guard and preserve the memories that must not be forgotten, and to heal the ones that ache. We create to unite divided factions and to remind peoples of their identity. And we create to discover new ways of interacting with the world, with God, and with each other; we create to uncover uncharted territory, even that which has been claimed to have already been mapped out. We create to pave new roads on old soil.
What if one line of poetry possessed the power to infuse hope into a despairing heart? What if one song carried a note so poignant an entire region was set on fire to dream again?
Wow Denica! You have definitely breathed some new inspiration into me from this blog! You inspired me from the moment I met you and only wish that I had more time to get to know you before we both moved out of state. Anyways, thanks for your blog and inspiration. You are a great writer and I hope to put to action some of this stuff I have still locked in my brain: memories; ideas; hopes and dreams. Thank you!


During spring term, here at Padiham Green we have been busy promoting Reading. We enjoy opportunities where parents are invited into school to share books with their child. The children really enjoy sharing books with a special grown up especially at school.
In EYFS, we have introduced 'Reading Boats' where children can go and drift away with a story. The boats have been very popular with the children and provide a quiet cosy space for them to relax with a book.
Story stones are popular with our younger children to help them retell a known story. They also love engaging in role-play either the puppet show or re-enacting the story using character masks.
In the library, we have created a display 'Don't Judge a Book by its Cover'. Pupils wrapping up books and then writing the blurb for each book created this display. This unique way of creating a display has created a lot of interest with our pupils.
To end our spring term we celebrated World Book Day. Everyone dressed up including all members of staff. The children were keen to find out which characters our teachers had come as and which book they were from. This provided great interest from the children and some children even came in later in the week with some of the books. Lots of activities took place over the day including book bingo, an illustrator's workshop, decorating gingerbread men and much, much more.
We are looking forward to sharing more reading activities, which will be taking place in the summer term.


Do you even know what rights you are forfeiting when you blindly sign documents at a medical facility? What follows will hopefully give you greater background on the serious and significant rights you may lose by blindly signing documents which are unfamiliar to you and where you have no idea of their full meaning nor impact upon you and your family.
Do you know someone injured while receiving care in a nursing home or hospital?
If you or a loved one has been injured while receiving care in a nursing home or hospital, you know the frustration that accompanies such a situation. What you might not know is that you or the injured individual may have agreed to resolve, unknowingly and in advance of receiving services, to resolving future disputes with the faculty through arbitration.
Arbitration is an alternative method for resolving legal disputes. The fact is, arbitration can severely restrict your opportunity for fair and just compensation for your loss. In other words, it can be a really bad thing for your case.
There are a number of reasons why you, your family, and friends may want to avoid arbitration.
First, the hospital or nursing home will usually choose the arbitrator, essentially a lawyer or often a retired judge, to render a decision. An arbitrator may be biased in favor of the hospital or nursing home whereas in civil court the parties are heard before an impartial judge or jury.
Secondly, the reality is that most all arbitration proceedings are final, meaning there is no right to appeal. The arbitrator's decision is final. Without the right to appeal one's claim, the decision is solely within the hands of the arbitrator. Furthermore, arbitrators are not necessarily bound by legal precedent, which provides the arbitrator more discretion in making a decision. Another downfall to arbitration is the ability of the hospital or nursing home to select the site for the arbitration hearing. One might be forced to travel a long distance to pursue one's case, whereas traditional lawsuits can often be filed close to the plaintiff's home. Finally, hospitals and nursing homes likely draft all of the terms and conditions in the arbitration agreement. Don't leave it to their lawyers' imaginations to harm your case!
How or when did you agree to arbitration?
Most often hospital patients and nursing home residents may unknowingly agree to resolve their complaints over substandard care through arbitration when signing medical consent to treatment or medical records release forms. Usually, these consent forms are obtained before the individual even ever receives care. Yet, any document one signs may have a binding arbitration agreement hidden in the fine print.
Can hospitals and nursing homes enforce these arbitration agreements?
The law surrounding these arbitration agreements is conflicted. Generally, it depends on the law of the state in which the contract was made. In 2010, the Supreme Court of Illinois ruled in favor of upholding such arbitration clauses. In 2012, the United States Supreme Court approved of such agreements as well. This means simply that doctors, hospitals, and nursing homes can and will seek to aggressively have you forfeit your rights to a jury trial or even a bench trial for resolution of disputes.
What should you do about arbitration clauses?
If you or someone you know seeks care from a nursing home or hospital, be sure to read the fine print of any documents that a medical provider requires one to sign. Beware of ploys, unsolicited introductory letters or advertising gimmicks that entice one to sign on the dotted line for a free gift. If you have time, shop around. Most nursing homes and hospitals do not require binding arbitration agreements before providing their services. Too often individuals are made aware of these arbitration agreements only after they have signed them and substandard care has been provided. By that time many of your constitutional rights, such as trial by jury, have been waived! Also, in the case of a medical emergency, it is quite common in all the confusion and excitement of the moment, you will unknowingly be asked to sign off on your rights. CALL US Immediately before signing anything. Do not be misled when presenting with a medical emergency, that the hospital or medical facility can threaten to provide no services until you sign the document. Emergency services must normally be provided to the injured.
Contact Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C.
Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. handles many types of litigation including medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, auto/truck collisions and premises liability cases. For more information or to ask any questions you have about filing hospital or nursing home negligence lawsuits, please contact our injury lawyers by calling (800)-553-3125 or emailing us at [email protected].
See examples below of consents/letters NOT to sign.
Under federal law two or more parties may agree in writing for the settlement by arbitration of any dispute arising between them. Arbitration is a method for resolving disputes without involving the courts. It is frequently faster and less expensive than using the court system. In these arbitration proceedings, the dispute is heard by private individuals, called arbitrators, who are selected by the Resident and/or the Resident's Legal Representative and the Facility. The decision of the arbitrators binds both parties and is final. By agreeing to binding arbitration, both parties waive the right to trial before a judge or jury.
The following is an agreement to arbitrate any dispute that might arise between ____________________("Resident") and/or _____________________("Legal Representative") and ("Facility") ("Facility" includes the particular facility where the Resident resides, its parents, affiliates, and subsidiary companies, and insurers). The parties expressly agree and voluntarily enter into this binding Health Care Arbitration Agreement (the "Agreement"). The Resident and the Facility have entered into an Admission Agreement and acknowledge that such Admission Agreement constitutes the foundation of the relationship between them and all duties and obligations arising between them. The Resident and the Facility further acknowledge that said Admission Agreement evidences a transaction involving interstate commerce.
The parties agree that they shall submit to binding arbitration all disputes against each other and their representatives, affiliates, governing bodies, agents and employees arising out of or in any way related or connected to the Admission Agreement and all matters related thereto including matters involving the Resident's stay and care provided at the Facility, including but not limited to any disputes concerning alleged personal injury to the Resident caused by improper or inadequate care including allegations of medical malpractice; any disputes concerning whether any statutory provisions relating to the Resident's rights under Illinois law were violated; any disputes relating to the payment or non-payment for the Resident's care and stay at the Facility; and any other dispute under state or Federal law based on contract, tort, statute (including any deceptive trade practices and consumer protection statutes), warranty or any alleged breach, default, negligence, wantonness, fraud, misrepresentation or suppression of fact or inducement.
YOU CANNOT BE REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS AGREEMENT IN ORDER TO RECEIVE TREATMENT. BY SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT, YOUR RIGHT TO TRIAL BY A JURE OR A JUDGE IN A COURT WILL BE BARRED AS TO ANY DISPUTE RELATING TO INJURIES THAT MY RESULT FROM NEGLIGENCE DURING YOUR TREATMENT OR CARE, AND WILL BE REPLACED BY AN ARBITRATION PROCEDURE.
THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES THAT ANY CLAIMS WHICH MAY ARISE OUT OF YOUR HEALTH CARE WILL BE SUBMITTED TO A PANEL OF ARBITRATORS, RATHER THAN TO A COURT FOR DETERMINIATION. THIS AGREEMENT REQUIRES ALL PARTIES SIGNING IT TO ABIDE BY THE DECISION OF THE ARBITRATION PANEL.


BEIJING - With less than five months to go before the International Olympic Committee chooses the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics, sports officials and advisers have made their predictions about the race between Beijing and Almaty of Kazakhstan.
"I think it's 50-50 against Kazakhstan's Almaty," Wei Jizhong, a former Chinese Olympic Committee vice president who had also been the world volleyball chief for four years, told Xinhua.
"Both cities have the capability to host the Games. And the question is which city is more suitable for the 2022 Winter Games."
Almaty and Beijing are the only cities left in the bid race for the 2022 Games after Stockholm, Krakow, Lviv and Oslo all pulled out.
The IOC Evaluation Commission will visit Beijing from March 24 to 28 before a final decision is scheduled to be made at the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31.
According to China's Lu Shengrong, the former world badminton chief and IOC member for 1996-2001, experience is an advantage for Beijing where 2008 Summer Olympics was staged successfully.
"I am optimistic," Lu said. "Beijing has an advantage, or experience, that any other cities don't."
Lu stressed the "smoothest communication and cooperation between the host city and the IOC in the Olympic history" during Beijing's preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
"Our bid is in line with the IOC's 2020 Agenda," said Yang Yang, who is an IOC member and China's first ever winter Olympic gold winner.
As Yang said, the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee has paid high attention to complying with IOC's reforms.


Magic always comes with a price and someone needed to pay it on the latest episode of Once Upon A Time.
"The Price" kicked off with the remaining dwarves taking the Sneezy statue to the town line and debating which one of them would be the guinea pig to find out what this new curse does when people leave town. Snow, Charming and Regina attempted to stop them, but Grumpy insisted they didn't want to live in a town where Emma's the bad guy because she knows them all too well and she's usually the one saving them (fair point). Unfortunately, Dopey lasted about 10 seconds before he turned into a tree (yes, a tree).
Regina vowed to step up and be the savior, which seems like the logical choice since she has strong magic and she's on Team Hero now. The dwarves weren't convinced and neither was Regina after an encounter with the Dark Swan. Emma taunted Regina about how she learned from Regina's mistakes and her curse did not include a built-in savior, which was too bad because something was coming for them that required a savior.
That something turned out to be a fury, tasked with collecting a soul for the underworld (as always, we need to thank Belle for her time and research since no one else ever does). They figured out someone used magic in Camelot and didn't pay the price. Now that price was Robin's life after he was abducted (in front of his adorable son) and Regina found herself unable to stop the fury. So she turned to Emma for answers, but Dark Swan did not want to play that game and told Regina to do it herself.
Back in Camelot, Arthur introduced the group to Guinevere and they wanted to throw them a ball, but Hook wanted to get down to business and find Merlin. It turns out that he's trapped in a tree too (what's with the trees?) and needed the savior to free him. Regina used the dagger to stop Emma from stepping up and proclaimed herself the savior. Once they were alone, Emma conveyed how unimpressed she was with Regina using the dagger, but Regina reminded her it was the reason she gave it to her and they couldn't risk her using dark magic. Fair enough.
Unfortunately, Regina had a raging case of self-doubt. First, she didn't know how to dance so she planned on skipping the ball. Charming and Snow gave her some confidence and a quick dance lesson and after Snow shared a lovely mother-daughter moment with Emma, the ladies were introduced and the ball began. Regina relaxed and danced with Robin and then Percival, one of the knights, wanted to dance with her. But whoops, he knew she was the Evil Queen because she once destroyed his whole village and laughed about it (oh, Regina). He attempted to kill her, Hook stopped Emma from using her magic against him, but Charming ended up slaying him with his sword.
Robin took the sword meant for Regina and her magic wasn't enough to save him so she asked Emma to do it. Rumple appeared in Emma's mind to remind her someone would need to pay the price, but Emma insisted it didn't work that way because she's the savior (Side note: everyone handled Emma talking to a chair a little too well. Cry for help, guys). Emma used her magic to save Robin and then laid a major kiss on Hook. But once she was alone with the voice in her head, Rumple pointed out that she liked using the dark magic and that's why the true love's kiss didn't stop her skin from changing.
Back in Storybrooke, Regina took Emma's advice and ordered the fury to take her instead of Robin. It complied, but Snow, Charming, Grumpy and Arthur joined hands with her to beat it back (or maybe it took part of each of their lives? I don't really understand what happened). Robin woke up and pointed out that Regina found other believers, which was the cutest since his faith in her never wavered (But seriously, Hook should sit down with Robin and warn him that this kind of thing is going to happen a lot to the man in love with the woman tasked with saving the town).
Speaking of love, Hook paid a visit to Belle to inquire why a true love's kiss didn't work for her and Rumple. She told him about the time it did, or started to, until Rumple panicked and chose the magic over their love. She warned him that loving the Dark One sucked (in a much more poetic way, obviously) and that if Emma wanted the curse, the kiss wouldn't work. Of course that didn't stop the captain from seeking her out.
Emma was all too happy to whisk him back to her lair (which was more of a shiny new house than an actual lair). Hook pulled her in for a passionate kiss and Emma was all for it until Hook stopped and wanted to know why it didn't work. Emma didn't understand why everyone couldn't accept that this was who she was now. She still wanted Hook to stay and makeout some more (she's dark, not crazy). But he turned her down because he's still on Team Hero, even if she thinks she's not one any longer.
Elsewhere, Arthur and Guinevere reunited in Storybrooke and Arthur told her Excalibur was MIA. Back in Camelot, the two shared a moment and Guinevere expressed her concerns over their new guests. But Arthur remained determined to put the sword back together and that meant finding and defeating the Dark One. After she skulked outside Granny's and watched her friends and loved ones hanging out without her, Emma went back to her lair and got another visit from Rumple. Even though she accepted the darkness, he had a new mission for her. Excalibur was back in its rock in her basement dungeon and Rumple told her she needed to free it in order to end the dagger's control. But Emma couldn't pull the sword from the stone on her own – it came with a price she needed to be willing to pay.
After a strong season premiere, "The Price" proved to be an excellent follow-up episode. I've always enjoyed the parallel stories between present day and flashbacks and I appreciate the little moments we're getting in the middle of major crises. Hook and Belle's friendship, Henry meeting Violet in both lands and teaching her about music, Roland following his father's lead when they were gathering supplies, all the couples dancing and smiling at the ball, Regina turning Sneezy back into a person – all the things that make them feel like real people instead of chess pieces being moved around the board.
Next week, Emma tries again to get Hook on her side and Charming and Arthur set out on a mission in Camelot.


what's wavicles? I can't find this word in my dictionary.
This is a portmanteau word, made by "pushing" the two words wave and particle together.
It was suggested by some people that this new word could be used to describe these weird QM entities that seemed to sometimes behave like particles and sometimes behave like waves.
However the suggestion was not accepted by enough people to get it into the dictionaries.
Bohr mislead Q to become tiny point while Schrodinger mislead QM to become electron cloud following coordinate system,and the tramp mislead wavicles to become a toasted duck in 200000 V grid.
QM didn't exist when Bohr proposed his model of the atom. There is no shame there.
Aside from the Schrodinger equation being non-relativistic (as opposed to the Dirac equation which is what he should have used, if he had known about it at the time) there is nothing wrong with the Schrodinger equation.
You seem to have a misunderstanding... The particle and wave pictures of QM are equivalent. They both make the same successful predictions. It just happens that for some problems waves are easier to work with and for others particles are easier to use.
I never said Schrodinger equation is wrong, and I have developed it to G-s equation in the first thread. The tramp always consider the American captain is a hero, isn't it?
in men's eye, it will be a logic never to be made clear, while in the eye of cosmos, it's just one thing two forms.
If you believe the extrapolations of the canonical lambda-CDM model for cosmogenesis, then the answer is most definitely energy. The early universe was radiation dominated and mass appeared later once the temperature of the Universe had cooled (a sort of "condensation" phenomenon).
I'm not sure if we'll ever get an answer however.
Can zero bang........full of energy?
That isn't quite right. In the early micro-micro seconds of the BB the Universe was a soupy mess of all kinds of particles. The BB had quarks, protons, neutrons, photons, gluons, and their anti-particles to name a few, and probably with all sorts of stuff we don't yet know about. As I said before (I think it was this thread) you can't have energy without particles to carry it.
Of course, tramp likes soup although he is not willing to eat some nuts in the soup. The tramp is not astronomical but he is very intereted in astronomy. Why theory consider that there must be anti particle included in the beganing soup?
A high energy photon can "decay" into, say, an electron-positron pair. The higher the photon energy is the more massive the particles can be.
Now, there is a problem here: If all the photons from the BB did just this then there would be no predominance of matter over anti-matter. There are some hints in the kaon system.. there is a slight trend to create more matter than anti-matter. But we don't know if that is a big enough process to reduce the anti-matter in the early Universe.


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"Peppa Pig Celebrity Auction" Benefits Child Cancer Research and Support
Remy Pinson, eBay News Team
The Ty Louis Campbell Foundation and children's TV show "Peppa Pig" team up with eBay for Charity to benefit kids and families affected by childhood cancer.
eBay, the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation (TLC), and the Muddy Puddles Project have teamed up to bring you the "Peppa Pig Celebrity Auction," benefitting kids and families affected by childhood cancer.
Cindy Campbell's son, Tyler, was diagnosed with severe brain cancer just before his third birthday. "When children are diagnosed with cancer, it's not always as understood as adult cancer," said Ms. Campbell. "There are very few options out there for treatment, and sometimes there are a lot of issues with new treatment options."
Ty was hospitalized for two and a half years, undergoing treatment the entire time, before he passed away just after his 5th birthday.
According to Ms. Campbell, the unpredictability of child cancer as well as its case-by-case nature makes it difficult for large organizations and charities to pay attention to discovering treatments or researching solutions. "A lot of times it's up to the small nonprofits like ours, because we can focus on the small, important problems that others can't," she said.
The nonprofit Campbell refers to is her own organization, named for her son, the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation. "We were really overwhelmed by the support we received when Ty was in treatment for two and a half years; and, when the money started coming in, a 501(C)(3) felt like the best option to continue his legacy," she said.
She continued: "You go on social media, and you realize there are so many families in the same boat as you, and everyone is asking the same questions."
While Tyler was sick, he and his mother turned to TV to keep him engaged. Says Campbell: "TV was his lifeline. It's what kept him happy. Peppa Pig was one of his favorite shows. Peppa and George loved to jump in muddy puddles."
When asked towards the end of his life what he wanted to do most when he was healthy, Ty responded: "I want to jump in a muddy puddle."
The answer, says his mother, was undoubtedly a reference to his favorite TV show and the impact it had on his enthusiasm, resilience, and demeanor while he was ill. As word spread about Ty's ambition to jump in a muddy puddle, Peppa Pig was made aware and reached out about a collaboration.
Introduced to eBay for Charity some three years ago by a friend, Campbell was impressed by the platform's reach and ability to effectively raise both funds and awareness for different initiatives. The platform seemed a natural fit for an auction to raise money for TLC.
After working directly with the Peppa Pig creators, Ms. Campbell was able to create a one-of-a-kind eBay for Charity auction that her son would have loved. Best of all, celebrities who also have children that are fans of Peppa Pig show have graciously donated signed books, t-shirts and other memorabilia with 100% of proceeds going to TLC.
Campbell hopes that TLC continues to grow Ty's legacy and help those children and families affected by childhood cancer. "This should be a reminder to parents everywhere to remember to let kids be kids. Let kids be kids in Ty's honor," says Campbell.
"The Peppa Pig Celebrity Auction" ends on Monday, August 29th at 8:00am PST.
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Newman University nursing student is Miss Wichita 2023
Alexis Smith, who will graduate in May and compete for MIss Kansas in June; will use her position to advocate for victims of domestic abuse.
by PJ Griekspoor December 16, 2022 December 15, 2022
Nursing student Alexis Smith was recently crowned Miss Wichita 2023. She will compete for the Miss Kansas crown in June.
Newman University senior nursing student Alexis Smith is the new Miss Wichita 2023 and will compete for the Miss Kansas title in June. During her reign as Miss Wichita, Smith will advocate for victims of domestic abuse and violence. "It stems from my own personal experience with teen dating violence that has transitioned into my adulthood," she told the University newspaper. "I also have several family and friends that have been victimized. Now having been in the position of the victim and the bystander and becoming aware of the prevalence of this issue across the nation, I recognize that everyone needs awareness and educational knowledge on prevention, action and resources," she said.
Also a ventriloquist
For Smith's talent during the pageant she'll perform a ventriloquist act using two puppets. The performance entails her singing as well as performing. Outside the pageant, Smith says she will continue to use her puppets and ventriloquist act to help teach youth about developing healthy relationships. She added that her dream would be to become Miss America and travel across the nation, where she would use her social impact initiative to educate others about domestic violence and the work of the Miss America organization.
Getting to know her
Growing up in Wichita, Smith was a varsity cheerleader all four years at Northwest High and had the opportunity to cheer at both Kansas State University and Fort Hays State University before coming to Newman.Her mom and younger brother, Mason, now live in Texas. "Now that I am no longer on a team, I like to continue participating in tumbling for fun. I also enjoy volunteering as a cheerleading coach and doing yoga," she said. She is also a volunteer for the Wichita Family Crisis Center and recently helped with a wine tasting event that raised $15,000 to help victims and their children. She said her mother was her inspiration. "Growing up, I watched my mom as a single parent work her way through nursing school, while also providing the best quality of life she could for me. Her ambition, dedication, and love for nursing is one of the initial aspects that inspired me to go into nursing.
Future depends on pageant outcome
If Smith wins the Miss Kansas pageant or goes on to become Miss America, she will serve a year fulfilling those roles before launching her nursing career. If not, she plans to find a nursing position in Wichita and continue to compete in pageants. Since 2017, she's worked as a nurse technician in the Progressive Care unit at Ascension via Christi. She's enjoyed her time at Via Christi and could see herself staying there. "I get to provide patient-centered care; helping patients get up and back – or close to – their baseline after heart surgery," she said. "At the same time, I think where my heart is leaning is more toward women's healthcare.
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Tagged: Ascension Via Christi, Miss Wichita, newman university, Nursing
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Sholee's Sphere: Feed the monkeys!
We were passing through Putra Heights one day when we noticed a group of cars had parked on the roadside, next to a hillside. Thinking it was an accident, we just moved on until something brown, gray and furry caught our eyes. There were a big group of monkeys cavorting around, swinging from tree to tree, chasing each other! OMG! I have never seen so many monkeys roaming freely! I mean we usually see them in the zoo, confined to their cages. These people were either taking photos or feeding them.
When I actually noticed the surrounding area, the hillside is the remaining area which has not been developed. I immediately felt pity for the monkeys. Humans have actually destroyed their home and now this small hillside home of theirs will also be developed soon (I noticed there were some development works nearby). I wonder what will happen to them? I do hope the developer will make sure they do have a home before stealing theirs. It is such a pity!
Every time we passed by, we will visit them, bringing them some food. Even my kids enjoy the time we spent there. I just can't imagine what will happen to them in the future. A suggestion: The developer can actually create a mini zoo with a difference. I mean Sunway has a petting zoo so Putra Heights can opt for feeding the monkeys zoo! I do hope our kind ritual, of visiting and feeding the monkeys, can continue forever!


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Falkenhagen può riferirsi a:
 Falkenhagen (Mark) – comune tedesco
 Falkenhagen – frazione della città tedesca di Falkensee
 Falkenhagen – frazione della città tedesca di Pritzwalk
 Falkenhagen – località del comune tedesco di Nordwestuckermark

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Kostići este un sat din comuna Bijelo Polje, Muntenegru. Conform datelor de la recensământul din 2003, localitatea are 321 de locuitori (la recensământul din 1991 erau 391 de locuitori).

Demografie
În satul Kostići locuiesc 222 de persoane adulte, iar vârsta medie a populației este de 33,8 de ani (32,3 la bărbați și 35,6 la femei). În localitate sunt 85 de gospodării, iar numărul mediu de membri în gospodărie este de 3,78.

Populația localității este foarte eterogenă.

Referințe

Legături externe
 Kostići (Bijelo Polje) pe Wikimapia

Localități din comuna Bijelo Polje


The Cambridge group's leader, Peter de Bolla, will be joined by Gabriel Recchia, Paul Nulty, Ewan Jones, and John Regan from Cambridge. Members of the North American Concept Lab who will also be present include Cliff Siskin (leader) and Bill Warner, Bill Blake, Johei Igarashi, Mark Algee-Hewitt, and Helge Jordheim.
To provide a context of reception, Alan Liu will also briefly describe the ongoing work of the 4Humanities "WhatEvery1Says" topic modeling project, which is studying public discourse on the humanities. Because "humanities" as a concept has many of the properties of the kinds of data and topics studied by the Concept Lab, the WhatEvery1Says project can serve as one example of work at UCSB that might benefit from the Lab's research.
Taking its initial direction from Peter de Bolla's book, The Architecture of Concepts: The Historical Formation of Human Rights (Fordham UP, 2013), The Concept Lab(https://ccdkconceptlab.wordpress.com/) is an interdisciplinary project that has the aim of establishing a new field of enquiry, Distributional Concept Analysis, which is intended to complement and make contributions to the history of ideas, the philosophical and historical understanding of concepts, and digital humanities. It uses methodologies adapted and developed from computational enquiries into language and cognition in order to ascertain the architecture of conceptual forms. This will enable researchers in cultural and literary studies, historians and philosophers to understand through accurate and testable data how concepts are structured, their coherence and consistency over time, and their co-variance with context. The Lab's aim is to achieve three things: * to discern the structure or architecture of conceptual forms with respect to their ontological character from computationally driven analyses of complex lexical behaviour; * to track the emergence, alteration and decomposition of conceptual architectures over time and across discursive environments; * to formulate a new theory of concepts.


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Government International Politics
Policy Experts Push US to Get Stern on Russia
May 17, 2017 May 18, 2017 BRANDI BUCHMAN
NATO, North Korea, nuclear power, Russia, Sanctions, Vladimir Putin
WASHINGTON (CN) – Grappling with Russia's diplomatic slide on the world stage, experts told an independent U.S. committee on Wednesday to consider adopting tougher financial sanctions and increase the U.S. presence on the eastern flank of the Balkans.
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, met this morning to discuss restoring Russia's compliance with a variety of treaties that it has skirted since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
"We have to understand that Russia is no longer interested in cooperation to strengthen European security," said Michael Carpenter, a senior director at the Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.
"Our goal should be to bolster defense and deterrents and suspend compliance with NATO so long as Russia continues to violate its basic principles."
Candid in his assessment of Russia's use of force against other nations, Carpenter suggested that the U.S. employ brigade combat teams and consider all legal countermeasures available to counter Russian aggression.
"Just as Russia denies access to part of its territory, the U.S. should restrict Russian access to territory until Moscow returns to compliance," said Carpenter.
The policy expert also recommended that the U.S. immediately begin researching the development of intermediate range missiles that would match Russian capability.
"The U.S. should invest more resources in cyberdefense, and Congress should legislate a common set of defense standards," he said. "We are way behind the curve on this."
Against complaints about the disrespect Russian President Vladimir Putin shows the political independence of western democracies, there was little specific talk of Russia's meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
Though the committee members also did not tackle the recent firing of FBI Director James Comey, Carpenter did call for the appointment of a special prosecutor on the Russian investigation he led. The members made no mention of anonymous reports that emerged on Tuesday about President Donald Trump having pressured Comey to drop the Russia probe.
"We must appoint a special prosecutor to determine if there was collusion or cooperation between the Russian government and the Trump campaign representatives in the last election cycle," Carpenter said.
Stephen Rademaker, the former assistant secretary of state in charge of the Bureau of Arms Control, said the U.S. must find ways to "punish Russia" for skirting treaties.
"We must take steps to show that we're prepared for a response and if necessary to deploy our own missiles in correspondence to the ones that they're deploying," Rademaker said. "Those steps are perfectly appropriate and what we should be doing."
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Treaty, which Rademaker recommended terminating, once counted North Korea as a member as well.
Rademaker reminded the committee that, after it was pushed too hard, North Korea simply chose to opt out, leaving the world to contend with an increasingly aggressive authoritarian.
Though he did not draw a comparison between North Korea and Russia directly, Rademaker said the Kremlin's problem is that it sees security in Europe as a "zero-sum game."
"All countries in Europe are more secure to the extent that their neighbors are more secure," Rademaker said. "But Russia takes a different view and thinks its security has only been enhanced if its neighbor, like Ukraine, has its security diminished."
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