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Alastair Leithead
Award-winning journalist, BBC foreign correspondent and Virtual Reality film maker
Africa's Population Explosion
August 13, 2017 January 18, 2019 1 minute readby admin
Africa's population is expected to double by 2050 – to two and a half billion people.On a continent where nearly two thirds of the population are already under 25, this vast new baby boom could do one of two things.
It will either provide a huge workforce to transform African economies and lift millions out of poverty, or it will create an even bigger migration problem, and lead many more young people into the hands of radical extremists.
In a series of special reports, the BBC's Africa Correspondent Alastair Leithead reports from Kenya and Niger, Ethiopia and Nigeria – which set to become the world's third most populated country in the next 30 years, and where many rural people are now moving into towns.
The city that
won't stop growing
How can Lagos cope with its spiralling population?
How Africa's population boom is changing our world
Africa's population is expected to double by 2050, reaching 2.5 billion people.
See how the world's highest birth rates and rapid urbanisation mean that Africa is shaping the future of our world
TV Documentary
Counting Babies in Niger
Women in Niger have more children, on average, than anywhere else in the world. The government of Niger can't support such a fast growing population and wants traditions to change
Lagos: The megacity set to triple by 2050
On a continent where nearly two-thirds of the population are already under 25, this vast new baby boom could do one of two things – either provide a huge workforce to transform African economies and lift millions out of poverty, or create an even bigger migration problem, and lead many more young people into the hands of radical extremists.
The BBC is reporting this week from Kenya, Niger, Ethiopia and Nigeria – which is set to become the world's third most populous country in the next 30 years, and where many rural people are now moving into urban areas, especially the commercial capital, Lagos.
Can Ethiopia create enough jobs for its growing population?
Ethiopia is undergoing an industrial revolution as more jobs are being created for the country's growing population.
But are manufacturing and education the answer?
How Niger is trying to slow the world's highest birth rate
Women in Niger have an average of more than seven children each – the highest birth rate in the world.
A "husband school" is one way of trying to reduce this.
Can these super-crops feed Africa?
Africa's population is set to boom over the next few decades – reaching 2.5 billion people by 2050.
Scientists in Kenya are trying to find ways of growing enough food for everyone.
The African Orphan Crops Consortium has identified 101 traditional plants ripe for improvement and is using a DNA sequencing machine to speed up traditional cross-breeding.
It makes the plants more fruitful, drought resistance and disease tolerant.
Tags: / Category: Africa
Copyright © 2018 — Alastair Leithead


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This recipe combines Martha Stewart's pie crust recipe, pumpkin pie filling from a Heidi Swanson recipe on http://www.101cookbooks.com, and my own addition of a hazelnut chunk and chocolate layer on the bottom of the pie. This was an excellent way to round out our Thanksgiving meal. For the pie crust, I employed the help of my food processor to mix the dough–it worked very nicely, but you can make the dough with a pastry blender or even a fork. Though this is the crust I used, feel free to buy a pre-made crust or use any recipe you like. Martha's recipe has always given me excellent results.
Makes enough dough for two crusts, or a top and bottom crust for one pie.
Put flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor, and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and run the processor until the dough looks grainy–the butter and flour are completely combined. As you pulse, add the ice water little by little. The dough should stick together now and not be grainy–the water should be enough to bind everything together. Form the dough into two equally-sized balls with your hands. Store one for later use. Refrigerate the dough you will use for the pumpkin pie until you are ready to put together the pie. What you don't want is for the dough to get warm…the butter should not melt. Bad!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts in a small baking dish, and toast for about 10 minutes.
Set aside the hazelnuts. Prepare the pie filling. Mix the brown sugar, spices, salt, and arrowroot in a large mixing bowl. Once combined, add pumpkin puree and vanilla. Then, add eggs and coconut milk.
It is easiest to use an electric mixer, but a whisk will also work.
Next, roll out the dough on a floured work surface.
Next, place the crust in a pie pan. Trim the edges. I used the excess to make a few tiny pies with leftover pie filling.
Next, add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips to the bottom of the crust. Lightly chop the hazelnuts first if you like.
Next, pour the pie filling over the crust. I had a bit left over, which I used to make tiny pies in small ramekins (see pictures that follow).
Bake the pie for about 40 minutes, then check. Stick a knife in the center, and if it comes out clean, the pie is done. The pie may take up to 50 minutes, but my oven seems to cook things faster. My small pies had to come out after about 30 minutes.
I made one small pie with just the filling, and the other with crust on top and bottom. Yum! Though I did not serve the pie with whipped cream, that would make an excellent addition. Not Cool Whip for god's sake…real whipped cream! This pie is excellent with a cup of strong coffee.
wow ,this pie sounds incredible!


Armstrong vinyl flooring is one particular of the most resilient and very best identified of all the vinyl flooring created currently. It is a bit of a chore but time spent right here will reward you with a boat that will definitely look much better plus have a longer life. The construction of a horse trailer floor is significant, but for additional reasons than you may possibly consider. So, in view of all these quite compelling factors we shield our boat by painting it to coat it fully against these assaults. Following my wife and I scraped off all the decals, we applied a degreaser, steel wool, sandpaper and lots of elbow grease to get the old fence rails back to the bare aluminum finish.
But if you are seeking for an Armstrong vinyl flooring which will add a new dimension to any area in your household then why not think about their Natural Fusion collection. As far as basement flooring suggestions go for carpeting, let oneself go wild if you have ensured the suitable protection. When the all-aluminum horse trailer came on the market in the 1970s, pioneered by Featherlite Trailers, it had a massive advantage over steel as a manufacturing material.
Just about every one particular of the items found in the Balterio laminate flooring range comes with a water resistant core created from HDF as effectively as possessing a warranty that lasts in between 10 and 30 years (for residential properties) and 12 years (for industrial properties). They are light enough to carry on prime of trucks and SUV's, eliminating the require for a boat trailer. It was the plywood utilised on plywood boats of the 1950s and a lot are still sailing.
Steel trailer supporters like to point out that steel has a reputation of becoming a single of the toughest prevalent alloys, when aluminum is a lot more typically known for its use as foil or pop can material. The heavy rods employed in this kind of fishing are mounted on the stern of the boat, so a deeper boat with a sturdy transom is needed. The greatest way to obtain low-cost laminate flooring that is excellent top quality is to shop around at discount flooring retailers.
On the other hand, some articles on the Net have talked about the problems with owning an aluminum horse trailer. When you like the look of wood but require some durability, laminates make a choice alternative as a basement flooring concept due to numerous causes. This particular laminate flooring comes with either a 20 year warranty when installed in a residential property or a 10 year warranty when installed in a industrial a single. Those bubble trailers can be tiny like the one I showed or they can be quite large with lots of room. The most well-liked variety in the Armstrong vinyl flooring collection is named Destinations.


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DAY 1 – Arrival in Quito.
On arrival in Quito you will be met by a representative of World Discovery outside immigration and customs. You will then be taken by private car direct to your hotel. Recommended flight from London: KLM from London Heathrow via Amsterdam (see below). If you are travelling from a country other than the UK we would be happy to give you guidance on your flight options.
DAYS 2 AND 3 – Quito.
Two days at leisure in Quito, Ecuador's elegant capital, located high in the Andes at 2,850m/9,115ft. There is a wide choice of optional excursions which we can prebook for you. The best introduction to this UNESCO World Heritage city is the Quito and the Middle of the World tour, which combines a guided walk through the old city with a visit to the Equatorial Monument to the north of the city. Side trips from Quito include visits to the colourful Otavalo Market, famous for its traditional weavings, wood carving and leather goods, or to the Bellavista Cloud Forest, a paradise for birdwatchers.
If you want to spend longer on the mainland and explore other regions of Ecuador, we would be happy to suggest itineraries to show you the best of this wonderful destination. You may wish to travel through the scenic 'Avenue of the Volcanoes' to the colonial city of Cuenca, take a journey on the world-famous 'Devil's Nose Railway' or visit the vast Amazon Rainforest. Please ask for details.
DAY 4 – Fly to the Galápagos Islands. Embark on the Isabela II.
The above fortnightly cycle means that each cruise operates every other week.
DAYS 5 to 7 (or 5 to 9) – Cruising in the Galápagos.
Enjoy your cruise experience in these unique islands aboard one of our favourite Galápagos cruise ships.
DAY 8 or 10 – Return to Quito.
Today you will fly back east to mainland Ecuador for leisure time and overnight in Quito.
DAY 9 or 11 – Depart.
Private transfer to Quito Airport for your departure flight.
KLM also operate flights from several regional airports in the UK to connect with the Amsterdam/Quito flights. Other options (with generally longer flight timings, but sometimes lower fares) are LAN Airlines via Madrid, or several airlines connecting via the USA.
* Your departure date will depend on the start of the selected Galápagos cruise and the number of nights you wish to spend in Ecuador prior to joining the cruise.
** Supplements will be applicable during the Easter, Christmas and New Year periods.
Single Room Supplements on request (very limited availability on the Isabela II).
Scheduled domestic flights from Quito to the Galápagos Islands (and v,v.), including local airport taxes.
Hotel and cruise accommodation as listed above in twin-bedded or double rooms/cabins with private facilities.
Full breakfast each day. Lunches and dinners are also included during the Isabela II cruise.
Private transfers in Quito. Shared transfers in the Galápagos Islands.
The services of an English-speaking naturalist during your Galápagos Cruise.
Snorkelling equipment during the Galápagos Cruise.
Optional sightseeing. It is recommended that the optional excursions in Quito are booked prior to arrival in Ecuador. Please ask for up to date prices.
Galápagos National Park Entrance Fee of US$100 (subject to change). This must be paid direct in cash on arrival in the Galapagos.
Galápagos Transit Control Card - US$10. This must be paid direct in cash at Quito Airport prior to flying to the the Galapagos Islands.
A deposit of £500 per person is required at the time of booking. The balance of the price for your Galápagos holiday must be paid at least 3 months before your departure date.


this for the first time.
input COS changes state, or perhaps after the CT has completed?
failed to get the encode to stop at any time other than when the Tx unkeys.
bench and on the hill, you're 220MHz stuff is next in the queue :-D!


Digital advertising signs may be coming to Glendale for the first time as the City Council started to pave the way this week to let the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria to use the high-tech displays.
The council gave a first reading on Tuesday of an proposed amendment of the city's zoning overlay for major commercial developments.
The overlay zone applies to developments with at least one million square feet of commercial or retail space, which currently is only the Americana and Glendale Galleria.
The amendment would not only provide a framework to install digital advertising signs, but it would also allow, for the first time, signs that advertise businesses not on the premises, such as promotions for Las Vegas hotels.
It would also permit new types of signs such as banners, marquee signs and signage in public rights of way, which would be used to display directions and guidance for pedestrians.
Councilman Frank Quintero said he's seen firsthand how digital signs can have a positive effect on a downtown area while traveling abroad.
"I'm very much in favor of digital signs," he said. "In between commercial messages, quite often they'll display digital art that is quite breathtaking. It's very exciting, add a lot of color and excitement to downtown."
Digital signs use an electronic display to cycle through multiple billboard-type images and can show digital art and public service announcements too.
Because they can cycle through multiple advertisements, digital signs generate more revenue than traditional static billboards.
One point of contention is the ordinance's requirement that any development that installs digital signage must negotiate a revenue-sharing agreement with the city, which would aim to take a 12% to 15% cut, according to Community Development Director Hassan Haghani.
Rick Lemmo, community relations vice president at Caruso Affiliated, which owns the Americana at Brand, told the council that the company would have to reevaluate its plans for digital signage at that level of revenue sharing.
"We have no idea what [the] cost is going to be, no idea what investment is required," he said.
However, David Cuthill, representing the Glendale Galleria, said the indoor shopping mall is ready to move forward under the revenue-sharing terms outlined at the meeting.
The ordinance must return to the council for a second reading before taking effect.


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There Are No Children Here
Preface Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Epilogue A Note on Reporting Methods
All Themes Family, Love, and Care Violence and Growing Up Persistence, Luck, and Success Justice and the Law
All Characters LaJoe Rivers Lafeyette Rivers Pharoah Rivers Terence Rivers Paul Rivers Alex Kotlowitz Rickey Calvin "Bird Leg" Robinson Craig Davis Rochelle James Howard Leonard "Porkchop" Anderson Dawn Jimmie Lee Lelia Mae Anderson Audrey Natcone Anne Rhodes Charles Alonzo Campbell
All Symbols Pharoah's Stutter
Instant downloads of all 1020 LitChart PDFs (including There Are No Children Here).
Alex Kotlowitz
A Note on Reporting Methods
Family, Love, and Care
Violence and Growing Up
Persistence, Luck, and Success
LaJoe Rivers
Lafeyette Rivers
Pharoah Rivers
Terence Rivers
Paul Rivers
Calvin "Bird Leg" Robinson
Craig Davis
James Howard
Leonard "Porkchop" Anderson
Jimmie Lee
Lelia Mae Anderson
Audrey Natcone
Anne Rhodes
Alonzo Campbell
Pharoah's Stutter
There Are No Children Here Study Guide
Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Alex Kotlowitz's There Are No Children Here. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
There Are No Children Here: Introduction
A concise biography of Alex Kotlowitz plus historical and literary context for There Are No Children Here.
There Are No Children Here: Plot Summary
A quick-reference summary: There Are No Children Here on a single page.
There Are No Children Here: Detailed Summary & Analysis
In-depth summary and analysis of every Chapter of There Are No Children Here. Visual theme-tracking, too.
There Are No Children Here: Themes
Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of There Are No Children Here's themes.
There Are No Children Here: Quotes
There Are No Children Here's important quotes, sortable by theme, character, or Chapter.
There Are No Children Here: Characters
Description, analysis, and timelines for There Are No Children Here's characters.
There Are No Children Here: Symbols
Explanations of There Are No Children Here's symbols, and tracking of where they appear.
There Are No Children Here: Theme Wheel
An interactive data visualization of There Are No Children Here's plot and themes.
Brief Biography of Alex Kotlowitz
Raised in New York City, Alex Kotlowitz attended Wesleyan University, Connecticut, where he discovered his passion for reporting on issues of urban life and social policy, in particular race and poverty in America. Throughout his career, Kotlowitz has shown a commitment to delving deep into people's life stories to give voice to the powerless and illustrate larger societal problems. As a Wall Street Journal staff writer from 1984 to 1993, Kotlowitz began writing about the difficulties that children face in poor, urban environments. This led him to publish There Are No Children Here in 1992, which became a national bestseller and won many awards. In 1998, he published his second book, The Other Side of the River: A Story of Two Towns, a Death and America's Dilemma, which explores racial inequality in the United States through a mysterious death in a small town. In addition to the written word, Kotlowitz also uses film and radio to share his reporting—pursuits that have earned him multiple awards. He currently lives with his family just outside of Chicago, Illinois.
Get the entire There Are No Children Here LitChart as a printable PDF.
Historical Context of There Are No Children Here
The end of the 1980s marked the end of the Cold War, in which the Eastern Bloc (in particular, the Soviet Union) and the Western Bloc (in particular, the United States) opposed each other in an ideological war centered on the two blocs' antagonistic attitudes toward communism. Ronald Reagan, president from 1981 to 1989, is considered by some to have played an important role in bringing an end to the Cold War. In the United States, however, Reagan gave birth to a new kind of war: the War on Drugs. To fight the problem of drug abuse, he focused on criminalization instead of prevention or rehabilitation, signing a bill that established a mandatory minimum sentence for even non-violent drug offenses. However, this policy largely failed to reduce the availability of drugs and, because of differences in sentencing for crack and powder cocaine, proved disproportionately harmful to minorities, especially the African-American population. This led to a phenomenon of mass incarceration of minorities. In parallel, in the 1970s and 1980s, the country experienced urban decay. As white and, later, black middle-class families left city centers to live in safer, more peaceful suburbs, many inner-city urban areas became isolated and impoverished. These phenomena generated feelings of alienation and injustice among inner-city dwellers.
Other Books Related to There Are No Children Here
Alex Kotlowitz's second book, The Other Side of the River (1998), focuses more specifically on race than There Are No Children Here. It uses two neighboring yet racially opposed Michigan towns as an illustration of a problem that affects the country as a whole: the conflict of narratives and the difficulty of fostering communication and empathy between whites and blacks in the US. Published one year later, The Freedom Writers Diary (1999), written by Erin Gruwell and her group of students, provides a more optimistic view of race relations. Giving a voice to adolescents whose life experiences are rarely publicized, the book recounts the true story of a group of high school students who live in a violent, gang-filled neighborhood in Los Angeles but find and hope and strength through education. Focusing more specifically on the black community, Ta-Nehisi Coates's autobiography, Between the World and Me (2015), examines structural foundations for racial discrimination in the US. He uses his own experience of growing up in a violent neighborhood in Baltimore to reflect on the vulnerability of African Americans, who are constantly threatened by abusive police and the dangers in the street.
Key Facts about There Are No Children Here
Full Title: There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America
When Written: 1985-1990
Where Written: Chicago, Illinois
When Published: 1991
Literary Period: Post-Modernism
Genre: Non-Fiction, Essay, Biographical writing
Setting: The Henry Horner Homes, a public housing complex on the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois
Climax: Horner residents learn that Craig Davis has been shot by a police officer at the same time as Pharoah finishes second in his school's spelling bee
Antagonist: While gangs are strongly responsible for the climate of violence at Henry Horner, the police is also at times seen as an oppressive, potentially brutal force. More generally, negative factors impacting people's lives at Horner are poverty, drug trafficking and abuse, and lack of help from institutions.
Point of View: Third-person omniscient
Extra Credit for There Are No Children Here
Zoology. At Wesleyan University, Alex Kotlowitz initially wanted to study zoology before realizing that his true calling was journalism.
The Interrupters. Alex Kotlowitz's movie The Interrupters, released in 2011, expands on themes broached in There Are No Children Here by focusing on the issue of gang violence from a more optimistic angle of social policy and activism. It follows a group of social leaders who use their own experience with gang life to stop (or "interrupt") violence in inner-city neighborhoods.
Legros, Christine. "There Are No Children Here." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 30 Jul 2018. Web. 11 Dec 2018.
Legros, Christine. "There Are No Children Here." LitCharts LLC, July 30, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/there-are-no-children-here.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Movie review: 'Maleficent'
(Rated PG; directed by Robert Stromberg; stars Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning; run time: 97 minutes.)
'Sleeping Beauty' remake casts witch as villain-hero
By Ted Giese
In "Maleficent," the "imagineers" at Disney have worked to re-imagine "Sleeping Beauty" (1959), the cartoon based in part on two folktales: the older "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood" by Charles Perrault and the newer, simpler "Brier Rose"by the Brothers Grimm.
"The conclusion of 'Maleficent' is not as satisfying as its opening; the film starts out wide awake but slowly falls asleep," writes reviewer Rev. Ted Giese. (Jon Furniss / Invision for / AP Images)
The familiar fairy tale has become a family favorite for many. The likewise-loved Disney cartoon "Sleeping Beauty"gave the villain a name: Maleficent — a mash-up of Latin words meaning "harmful, with evil intent." Think of the English words malefactor, maladjusted, malfeasance. Maleficent in Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" is clearly intended to be evil, with animators giving her "devil horns." Is this still the case in Disney's new movie?
With this modern "live action" adaption of the folktale, the film begins by saying it will tell the viewer a story, and the viewer is to see how well he knows it. From the outset, it is plain that director Robert Stromberg is employed to retell the story in a way that recasts the characters, shifting the focus from the folktale's general narrative onto the villain, thereby providing an origin story for the character Maleficent.
As in the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, where the wicked witch is made into a misunderstood hero, here Stromberg takes Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) away from pure villainy to godmotherhood.
Retaining the Perrault language of "christenings" and "godmothers" missing from the Brothers Grimm's Brier Rose, the film "Maleficent" mixes in Christian terminology and ideas. Screenwriter Linda Woolverton, through the cinematic rehabilitation of the title character, brings in another Christian theme absent from the original fairy tales: forgiveness. Woolverton banks on the hope that, somewhere in the North American psyche, people still understand that evil needs to be overthrown by love and forgiveness, and that repentance plays a key part in this.
Overall, while the film provides moments of forgiveness between characters, it only flirts with repentance in the end. Maleficent is praised for both her villainous and heroic sides. The movie begins by saying the only thing that could bring two neighboring countries together would either be a great hero or a great villain. The movie ends saying that it wasn't having one or the other that brought the two countries together; rather, it was having one person who embodied both these things that brought them together.
Lutheran viewers of "Maleficent" may begin to see something that starts to look like simul justus et peccator — a Latin phrase used by Luther meaning "at once a saint and a sinner."On the one hand, Maleficent plots and carries out revenge on Aurora's father, King Stefan (Sharlto Copley), by cursing Aurora (Elle Fanning). On the other hand, Maleficent shows love and acts as a godmother to the same girl she cursed.
There is a point in the film where Aurora stops calling Maleficent her fairy godmother and simply starts calling her godmother. This is one of the reasons that Maleficent is portrayed as both villain and hero, one who is simultaneously an evil sinner and justified. The question might then be asked, "How is she justified within the story? Is this classic justification from a biblical perspective or is it pop-American justification?"
Maleficent's justification is not purely external in nature. It is not applied to her as the waters of baptism are applied in the Christian sacrament. Screenwriter Woolverton provides reasons and justification for Maleficent's vengeance, but what's missing for Christian viewers is sorrow over the character's evil actions. Yes, there are moments of regret, and even one scene where Maleficent tries to take back her curse, but by the end of the film viewers are left with a sort of "all's well that ends well" or an "ends justify the means" conclusion.
Maleficent is, therefore, in the narrative of the film, justified in her actions because of what was done to her — standard revenge-film stuff. Christian viewers may want to ask, "Are personal evil deeds permissible providing something evil is being avenged?" St. Paul writes, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Rom. 12:19).
Where Disney's cartoon "Sleeping Beauty" had its central focus on the unfolding drama of Princess Aurora's misfortune and its reversal, the curse and the breaking of it take a back seat in "Maleficent." The foreground drama owes a greater debt to English playwright William Congreve's line, "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned," which is regularly paraphrased as "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
In Disney's "Sleeping Beauty," Maleficent is scorned because she isn't invited to the christening. This awkward situation is compounded in the new film because, as a young fairy, Maleficent had fallen in love with the future king Stefan, a young orphaned thief, who stole her heart with "true love's kiss." Stefan betrays this love when he drugs her and steals something else from her, cutting off her fairy wings in exchange for his personal self-advancement — the chance to become king.
Viewers quickly see that Maleficent is not the only character being reinvented in the movie. King Stefan also has undergone a dramatic change. He, like Maleficent, is dragged from the background of the folktale into the foreground. But Woolverton's spotlight on King Stefan is not as kind as her spotlight on Maleficent. Along with almost all the other male characters, he is shown to be untrustworthy and treacherous. The male characters in this movie are either greedy or cowardly and provide no strong male role models for children.
Which leads to the last and maybe the first question concerning this film: For whom is it made? Is it a children's movie? Woolverton wrote the screenplays for Disney's "The Lion King" (1994) and the more recent "Alice in Wonderland" (2010). "Maleficent" is more like the latter and is a little too dark for sensitive children, with its images of cruelty that aren't addressed well. Fairy tales as a genre do regularly deal with cruel content, yet they also balance it by providing a strong moral compass.
Relativism and revisionism don't often provide the same sort of strong moral compass generally expected from the classical fairy tale. Does this mean folktales are off limits for creative re-imaginings? No, but it's more challenging to be creative with a story people already know and even love than it is to be creative with new material.
In the hands of a more accomplished director, "Maleficent" could have been a very interesting film, but the whole thing gets away on Stromberg. The film's conclusion is not as satisfying as its opening; it starts out wide awake but slowly falls asleep, and no amount of passion or love from the creative team behind "Maleficent" can provide a kiss capable of waking it back up again.
Even with some very enchanting moments, this sleeping beauty has missed the mark and likewise missed its wake-up call.
The Rev. Ted Giese is associate pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; a contributor to The Canadian Lutheran and Reporter; and movie reviewer for the "Issues, Etc." radio program.
Tags maleficent Movie Review ted giese
Great Expectations Newsletter - May 2014
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Lynne Shelton says:
I agree with the derisive treatment of any male in the film, it did smack of feminism to the extreme. It did however show another kind of love. Most fairy tales offer only romantic love as true love. This shows motherly love. They did play up the evil side of Maleficent, but she did have a good side as well. We humans, especially Christians, try to be good but sometimes our evil side makes an appearance. Thank you for your analogy, lots to think about, and debate.
Thanks for the review. It was insightful and helped me put a finger on that which alluded me. It is easier to see what is visible and not see what is just out of sight. Even though I didn't like the way King Stephen acted I know power can corrupt. Yet I knew there was something but I couldn't put my finger on it. That's because it wasn't there, that balance of character. King Stephen was stereotype, like the prince in Cinderella. Like so many films today they start out good but finish poorly. They start telling a wonderful story then forget the ending. They start to fly but don't know how to land which can be injurious at best. So let me end on a happy note… 'God's not Dead.'
Nancy Johnsen says:
"Godly sorrow [heart-felt penitence] leads to life." (epistle to the Romans)
"Turn from your wickedness and live." (book of Ezekiel)
I don't think I've seen a movie yet that deals with this essential experience of the human condition, that is the ability to respond to God's love and goodness with a truly penitent heart. The audience is still too immature for that since penitence involves a certain depth of self-knowledge and an ability to admit one's own failings and need to turn one's life around. Human frailty is universal, yet all these movies today avoid that completely, turning to super heroes or characters with outrageous powers, like Maleficent to distract us from our troubled souls. The phrase that has been haunting me today is from an old hymn "…whose souls condemned and dying were precious in his sight." I'm really off topic, but without a good father-figure, this movie will not portray true redemption, since the Gospel is essentially about what a Father will do to save his lost children. "I'm not evil, just misunderstood." makes Maleficent sound like she is trying to rationalize or justify her evil behavior, instead of admitting that how she reacted to the person who wronged her was wrong.
Mari-jo Judd says:
I believe you're attacking this movie due to the fact that the main character is wearing horns and that you believe she's doing evil I can understand that. However, today way to many of the children's games that go along with the high-tech game sets that make everything look like it's a real person. The new games appear that you're really shooting humans. it's no wonder we have school shootings, shootings anywhere. It's evil. To teach our children evil, I doubt will come from this one movie. Parents in their homes are where children learn right from wrong…good from bad. Please don't stand on your soap boxes or pulpits and think one time in less than a two-hour movie is going to turn children evil! No. If that's the case there hasn't been any type of home training. Evil comes from children who are subjected to horrible things in their everyday. Gangs, child molesting, child pornography abuse of any kind that is evil. That's where children learn, not in watching a movie. Of course, films are rated. A family that cares and loves their children will adhere to that. Thank you.
Rev. John Hohe says:
First of all, thank you for your review and insights. I did not know what to expect being dragged by my daughter and wife to see this movie. I came away very impressed with the movie. I do not expect any movie to give a perfect Lutheran theological perspective. So instead of being overly critical I applaud many of the concepts of love, forgiveness, etc. that were presented. And while many would like to SEE more regret from Maleficent I think many of her actions may be construed as "fruits of repentance".
Frankly there seems to be for many in the evangelical camp a desire to probe and discern if "the sinner is really sorry" as if a sinner needs to pass OUR judgment in order to be saved. As a Lutheran I thank God that His forgiveness won for me at the cross also forgives my IMPERFECT repentance and empowers fruits of repentance also tend to fall short.
As with any movie talk it over with the children and youth and together glean that which is good in the movie.


In previous posts I described how to use Xrm.WebApi methods to perform CRUD operations and use "execute" method to call Actions. This part is dedicated to functions.
As you can see difference between unbound actions and unbound function – value of "operationType" property that is equal to 1.
Again, difference between requests for entity-bound action and entity-bound function – value for operationType that is equal to "1" for functions.
Again, difference only in operationType property.


text:
Pearly Black
Voice
Singer/Voice Teacher
"What a gorgeous voice!" Margaret Throsby ABC FM
Pearly Black, a singer of unusual breadth and versatility, has been described as an "unholy cross between Nick Cave and Shirley Bassey" (Spencer P. Jones). With a glorious rich warm tone, her voice is the perfect blend of power and sensuality.
Pearly sees singing as a precious gift bringing connection and beauty to us all. This connection is her inspiration to sing and to teach.
Sophisticated, soulful & daring "
Pearly is a much sought after singing teacher, with many years of teaching experience in both private studio and tertiary music institutions. In 2018 she was fortunate to take a Masters degree in Vocal Pedagogy (with distinction) at The Qld Conservatorium.
QCGU's vocal pedagogy post graduate courses are world renowned for being at the leading edge of voice science. Therefore Pearly's naturally perceptive, empathic teaching style is founded in the most current, evidence-based vocological knowledge available today.
Pearly is currently available in person by appointment, either on The Gold Coast or Brisbane. If you are not in SE Qld, Pearly can help you with a lesson over Skype, Facetime or your video call platform of choice. Send a message via the contact button below.
Current Projects & Events
Creative Development "Salt Water City"
Pearly was successful in this year's HOTA Creative Development Programme and is about to head into the cave of creation with collaborator Riannon McLean. Hugely exciting project!
The Bardo, Epicurus & The Banshee
'The Bardo, Epicurus and The Banshee' will deliver wonderful singing, thoughtful vignettes and hilarity in the face of the inevitable.
Heart Axis - Pearly Black Solo Album
Pearly's long awaited first record release as a solo artist is filled with an eclectic mix of fascinating songs and dazzling performances by many of Melbourne's most talented and beloved musicians. Available now as CD or digital download, either direct via our Contact form or through iTunes.
If you are interested in working with Pearly, either as a performer or as a singing teacher, just send a message!


SmartVM's VGA Extender via CAT5 broadcasts VGA video locally and remotely up to 950 feet away from a computer using inexpensive CAT5/CAT5e/CAT6 UTP or STP cable. It includes local and remote unit. The local unit connects to your PC and allows you to connect a local monitor next to the PC, and the remote receiver unit connects to remote monitor. This extender kit provides equalization and video signal gain adjustment. The kit includes local & remote, power supplies and one 3ft HD15M/M cable.
Why not buy this SmartVM X-VGA-950 Video Extender with Local Access, 950 ft today?


AXA Investment Managers is looking to increase fintech exposure with the launch of cross-border fund. Managed by Vincent Vinatier, Luxembourg-domiciled fund has been launched on the back of successful fundraising in Japan where the strategy has seen inflows of nearly $1bn.
It is registered and available to professional investors in the UK, Austria, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Portugal and Liechtenstein.
This article was first pubished by InvestmentEurope.


Understanding and respecting the role of patients' cultural backgrounds, ethnicity, and race is essential to effective clinician–patient communication, especially for advance care planning (ACP; Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2015). ACP has been defined as "a process that supports adults at any age stage of health in understanding and sharing their personal values, life goals, and preferences regarding future medical care" (Sudore et al., 2017, p. 821). During this process, individuals are encouraged to discuss their values and preferences for end-of-life (EOL) care with other family members and/or friends and health care providers and to complete advance directives, such as a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC). The living will specifies the individual's preferences for life support treatments, whereas the DPAHC designates a health care proxy (or proxies) to make medical decisions on the patient's behalf if the patient is unable. Because ACP interventions have been shown to direct care consistent with patients' preferences and reduce psychological distress among family members, there is growing interest in promoting ACP (Sudore et al., 2017). Previous studies, however, have reported less positive attitudes toward ACP and lower rates of advance directive completion among Black/African American, Hispanic, and Asian individuals than among their White peers (IOM, 2015; Kwak & Haley, 2005; Muni, Engelberg, Treece, Dotolo, & Curtis, 2011). These findings have been attributed to cultural factors, such as aversion to direct communication about serious illnesses; poor prognosis; and distrust of the medical care system across various racial/ethnic groups (Bowman, 2004; Carrese & Rhodes, 1995; Kwak & Haley, 2005).
Of racial/ethnic groups in the United States, the 567 federally recognized tribal entities (Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2018) of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals are among the least studied populations with respect to ACP practices. American Indian individuals live in widely different regional locations and have varying cultural and religious values, beliefs, and attitudes. Nonetheless, the literature suggests that basic tenets of ACP (i.e., exercising autonomy and control over one's health care by planning in advance) may be at odds with traditional American Indian perspectives, which contributes to lower ACP among American Indian individuals than their White peers (Carrese & Rhodes, 1995, 2000; Colclough & Brown, 2014a,b; Dennis & Washington, 2018). Four qualitative studies have identified several indigenous beliefs among American Indian individuals that suggest reasons for negative attitudes toward advance directives (Carrese & Rhodes, 1995, 2000; Colclough & Brown, 2014a; Dennis & Washington, 2018). These beliefs include a cultural emphasis on focus on the present moment; a belief in the power of words, which can lead to an avoidance of negative discourse; views of death as a natural event; and prioritization of family and community over individuals, such that death or caregiving at EOL need not be pre-arranged. Nevertheless, a survey of tribal health directors of the Indian Health Service found that 58% of respondents identified a need for ACP in their communities (Michalek, Mahoney, Gilbert, & Kaur, 2005). Although another survey of 2,533 adults in South Dakota found no significant difference in the rate of ACP between American Indian and non–American Indian individuals, the study sample included only 71 American Indian individuals, with no multivariate analysis results provided (Schrader, Nelson, & Eidsness, 2009).
Such qualitative and descriptive findings have helped increase awareness of important cultural values, beliefs, and practices regarding communication about EOL issues as well as limited availability of ACP and palliative care services in American Indian communities. Nevertheless, a need exists for further examination of ACP practices among American Indian individuals and of factors that may influence those practices. The current researchers therefore conducted an atheoretical cross-sectional survey of 636 older adults (200 American Indian and 436 non-Hispanic White individuals) from two Midwestern states to explore associations between individual factors and ACP in American Indian individuals.
Researchers began the survey with a convenience sample of 755 rural and urban adults in two states, Minnesota and South Dakota. Following approval from the Institutional Review Board at the University of South Dakota, data were collected from January through May 2013. To be included, participants had to be 50 years or older, as rates of morbidity and mortality are higher at an earlier age in American Indian individuals compared to rates of the majority population (Goins & Pilkerton, 2010; Hayward & Heron, 1999). Participants also had to be free of cognitive impairment as assessed by the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (Pfeiffer, 1975). Efforts were made to recruit American Indian individuals who self-identified as American Indian from off-reservation locations including American Indian churches, social service agencies, and three sun dance pow wows. Recruitment sites included local churches, social service centers, senior housing facilities, senior centers, food pantries, and sun dance pow wows.
Prior to administering the survey, trained interviewers (S.R. and others) explained the study's purpose and procedures, the scope of questions that would be asked, confidentiality regarding data, and the study's benefits and risks. American Indian college students served as trained interviewers for American Indian participants. All participants gave informed written consent prior to completing the self-administered survey, during which trained interviewers were available for assistance; five participants needed help with the survey. The survey took approximately 30 minutes to complete, and respondents received $10 cash for participation. For analysis, non–American Indian/non-White individuals (n = 11) were excluded, and in the final models, only surveys with no missing values on all variables of interest were included, leaving a final sample of 636 participants (436 White older adults, 200 American Indian older adults).
Demographic and Background Characteristics. Participants provided their age (years), gender (0 = male, 1 = female), race (0 = White, 1 = American Indian), marital status (0 = not married, 1 = married), and educational attainment (1 = less than high school, 2 = high school graduate, 3 = college or above).
Overall Health Needs and Insurance. Serious chronic conditions and depression have been associated with ACP (Rao, Anderson, Lin, & Laux, 2014). Participants were therefore asked whether they had any of 10 specific diseases (e.g., arthritis, stroke, heart problems, diabetes, cancer), using a list of diseases adopted from the Older Americans Resources and Services Questionnaire (Fillenbaum & Smyer, 1981) and summing numbers of yes responses as a score (range = 0 to 10). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (yes/no; α = 0.81; Sheikh & Yesavage, 1986). Scores ranged from 0 (no depressive symptoms) to 15 (severe depressive symptoms). A single additional item addressed health insurance coverage (0 = no, 1 = yes).
Major Stressors. Three of the 31 items on the Elders Life Stress Inventory (α = 0.75; Aldwin, 1990) were used to ask participants whether they had experienced any major personal injury or illness, death of a spouse, or institutionalization of a spouse. It has been suggested that these events may motivate individuals to complete advance directives (Carr & Khodyakov, 2007).
Religious Beliefs and Practice. Participants were asked to provide their religious affiliations as follows: Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Native American spiritual practice, Other, or None. Participants also rated their religious/spiritual beliefs' importance as not at all important, somewhat important, or very important. Scores on the Intrinsic Religiosity Subscale (three items) from the Duke University Religion Index (α= 0.84; Koenig, Parkerson, & Meador, 1997) were summed to assess religious belief and experience. Scores on each item ranged from 1 to 5, with higher scores reflecting greater religiosity.
Advance Care Planning. Researchers asked participants three questions about ACP behavior that were developed for, pilot tested, and used in previous studies with caregivers of individuals with dementia and Parkinson's disease (Kwak, De Larwelle, Valuch, & Kesler, 2016). Questions included: (a) "Have you made plans about the types of medical treatment you want or do not want if you become seriously ill in the future?"; (b) "Have you made any legal arrangements for someone to make decisions about your medical care if you become unable to make those decisions for yourself? These arrangements are sometimes called a durable power of attorney for health care or health care proxy"; and (c) "Do you have a living will or advance directive? These documents are written instructions about the type of medical treatment you would want to receive if you were unable to make decisions yourself." Response options were yes (1) or no (0).
To examine the sample's characteristics and the study variables, descriptive analysis was used. Logistic regression models were then conducted to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of having a DPAHC and a living will for American Indian individuals in comparison with their White counterparts, while controlling for study variables described above. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata, Release 14.
The mean age of participants was 68.01 years (SD = 11.44 years); 63.5% of participants were female, 46.5% were married, 52.5% were high school graduates, and 84.1% had an annual income <$60,000 (Table 1). Most had health insurance (83.5%) and identified themselves as Protestant (51.3%). Forty-five percent reported having experienced a major personal injury or illness; 24.5% reported having experienced death of a spouse; and 13.5% reported having experienced institutionalization of a spouse. The mean number of chronic medical conditions was 2.19 (SD = 1.61), and mean scores for depression and religiosity were 2.09 on the Geriatric Depression Scale (SD = 2.50) and 1.67 on the Duke University Religion Index (SD = 0.91), respectively.
With respect to the two groups, American Indian individuals were considerably younger than their White peers (mean 60.32 years vs. 71.54 years, p < 0.001); fewer American Indian individuals were married (35% vs. 51.8%, p < 0.001); and fewer had health insurance (62% vs. 93.4%, p < 0.001). More White individuals than American Indian individuals were female (68.1% vs. 53.5%, p < 0.001). A greater percentage of American Indian than White individuals had a college education or above (50% vs. 33.5%, p < 0.001), had income less than $20,000 per year (42.5% vs. 32.8%, p < 0.05), and had experienced death (29.6% vs. 22.3%, p < 0.05) or institutionalization (21.5% vs. 9.9%, p < 0.001) of a spouse. Among American Indian individuals, 45% reported their religion as Native American spiritual practices and 16.5% identified as Protestant, whereas among White individuals, 11% and 67.2% reported practicing Native American spiritual practices and being Protestant, respectively (p < 0.001). American Indian individuals scored higher on the Duke University Religion Index than White individuals (1.79 vs. 1.61, p < 0.05).
Most (57.4%) participants said they had made a plan for EOL care and had completed a DPAHC (50.6%) and a living will (50.3%) (Table 1). However, univariate results showed that American Indian individuals were significantly less likely to have engaged in ACP than their White peers: American Indian individuals were less likely to have made a plan about EOL care (43.5% vs. 63.8%), completed a DPAHC (32.5% vs. 58.9%), or completed a living will (29% vs. 60.1%; p < 0.001).
Results of logistic regression for having an EOL plan and completing a DPAHC and a living will are shown in Table 2. Having an EOL plan was associated with being older (OR = 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.02, 1.06]), having some or more college education (OR = 1.99, 95% CI [1.01, 3.95]), and having a greater number of chronic conditions (OR = 1.24, 95% CI [1.11, 1.39]). In the model for completing a DPAHC, being American Indian (OR = 0.57, 95% CI [0.36, 0.90]) and being older (OR = 1.05, 95% CI [1.03, 1.07]) were associated with completing a DPAHC. Respondents with more depressive symptoms were less likely to complete a DPAHC (OR = 0.92, 95% CI [0.86, 1.00]), whereas respondents with more chronic conditions were more likely to have completed a DPAHC (OR = 1.20, 95% CI [1.08, 1.35]). In the model for living will, being American Indian (OR = 0.50, 95% CI [0.32, 0.80]) and being older (OR = 1.06, 95% CI [1.04, 1.09]) were associated with completing a living will. Having some college education or more was associated with completing a living will (OR = 2.15, 95% CI [1.05, 4.40]), as was the number of chronic conditions (OR = 1.14, 95% CI [1.01, 1.27]).
Past studies of ACP in American Indian individuals, mostly qualitative and descriptive, have reported that American Indian individuals are less likely to engage in ACP due to cultural differences and health disparities. In the current study, researchers explored individual characteristics associated with ACP in a sample of American Indian older adults and their White peers. Having an EOL plan was broadly defined as whether respondents had made plans about types of medical treatment if they were to become seriously ill in the future. Researchers found that although the unadjusted rate for EOL planning was lower among American Indian than White individuals (43.5% vs. 63.8%), American Indian individuals were as likely to plan for EOL care as their White peers when controlling for group differences in other individual characteristics, including age, gender, marital status, education, income, and insurance status, as well as spiritual and religious practices. For American Indian individuals, the available literature suggests the importance of cultural, religious, and spiritual belief systems for EOL communication, such as views of death as a natural part of a continuum of spiritual existence, just as life is also part of this continuum (Palmer & Palmer, 2006), and norms that lead one to avoid direct references to EOL and focus on the present moment (Carrese & Rhodes, 1995, 2000). Researchers attempted to test the role of culture by including Native American spiritual practices and items from the Duke University Religion Index in the multivariate model as proxies for American Indian cultural and spiritual beliefs and practices. However, these factors were not significantly associated with EOL care planning; instead, the significant correlates in the current sample were older age, having some or more college education, and having a greater number of chronic conditions.
The ACP literature (IOM, 2015) has consistently documented that older adults with health problems and higher educational levels are more likely to engage in ACP because they may have more opportunities to learn and think about EOL care planning via encounters with health care providers as well as family members or friends at EOL. In addition, in the past decade, community-based educational interventions and campaigns have been undertaken to promote EOL discussions, improve public awareness of EOL care choices, and document preferences in the general population as well as in racial/ethnic minority groups (Huang et al., 2016). A recent qualitative study of Ojibwe older adults (Dennis & Washington, 2018) suggests that American Indian older adults may be more open to discussing ACP than in the past. Therefore, factors such as age, health status, and exposure to EOL topics and discussion opportunities may have an influence as great as that of cultural norms on whether older adults plan for their future EOL care informally.
Regarding formal ACP, however, the current results support the findings of prior descriptive research that suggest lower likelihood of completing advance directives among American Indian than non–American Indian individuals. For example, a survey of older adults in South Dakota (Schrader et al., 2009) reported advance directive completion rates of 25% for American Indian individuals and 34% for non–American Indian individuals. In the current study, unadjusted completion rates for DPAHCs and living wills were 33% and 29% for American Indian individuals, whereas for non-American Indian individuals, they were 59% and 60%, respectively. After controlling for other individual characteristics, the odds of American Indian individuals completing two forms of advance directives (DPAHCs and living wills) were approximately one half the odds of their White peers. This racial difference in formal ACP even after controlling for spiritual and religious practices might be explained in part by disparities in availability of and access to information and resources for ACP. Persistent disparities in health and health care experienced by American Indian individuals are well documented. American Indian individuals experience higher rates of death and disease than their counterparts, compounded by geographic isolation, poverty, high rates of non-insurance, and significant barriers to obtaining care (Office of Minority Health, 2017). The literature suggests that American Indian individuals at EOL seek care at later stages of disease and consequently experience lower rates of survival, in part due to disparities and lack of options for palliative care (Kitzes, 2002; Marr, Neale, Wolfe, & Kitzes, 2012). Hospice services, ACP, bereavement support, and other palliative services are often unavailable to tribal members, patients, and families living in rural areas (Domer & Kaur, 2008; Michalek et al., 2005; Robinson et al., 2009). Varying requirements in state laws for advance directives (e.g., regarding who can serve as health care agents and limitations on their authority) and problems with forms, such as poor readability and lack of clarity, may create even greater barriers to American Indian individuals' completion of advance directives (IOM, 2015).
Findings of the current study should be interpreted with some limitations in mind. This was a cross-sectional survey with a convenience sample of non-Hispanic White and American Indian older adults from two Midwestern states. The geographically constrained, non-representative sample and self-administered nature of the survey (which required participants to be able to read, write, and participate in a survey) may have led the American Indian subsample in the study to be more educated and healthier than the general American Indian population. These characteristics prohibit causal inference and generalizability. In addition, American Indian populations are extremely heterogeneous, and their EOL care planning may vary significantly by tribe and region. Because the data did not include information on tribal membership, researchers could not examine tribal or regional differences. Subsequent research with more representative samples of American Indian older adults across diverse tribes and regions will provide a fuller picture of ACP practices. Furthermore, the instruments used to measure religious beliefs and practices were not specific enough to adequately capture the complexity of the spiritual and religious dimensions of American Indian cultural traditions and their relevance in EOL care planning. Spiritual beliefs represent only one of many aspects of American Indian culture. Dual spirituality, the practice of incorporating traditional beliefs into Western religious values (e.g., some form of Christianity), is also common among American Indian individuals. Despite its extensive use with diverse populations, the Duke University Religion Index was originally designed to measure religiosity in Western religions (e.g., Christianity, Judaism, Islam), not American Indian tribes. Finally, it is possible that using a self-report survey might have led participants to provide socially desirable responses, such as with regard to ACP; these responses might have resulted in an overestimation of ACP, as actual completion of advance directives was not verified.
The current findings suggest that although participation in formal ACP is lower for American Indian individuals than for their White peers, American Indian individuals may be likely to consider and plan for EOL care if efforts are made to develop and deliver culturally sensitive ACP support and palliative care programs and services. Nurses can play an important role in bridging cultural differences and reducing disparities in American Indian communities. As key members of health care teams, nurses can facilitate communication and trust between patients, families, and health care teams in ways deeply grounded in an understanding of indigenous health belief systems, traditional healing practices, and decision-making, combined with high standards for quality palliative care. Barriers to culturally sensitive communication or conversations about EOL include American Indian individuals' discomfort talking about EOL issues; providers' lack of knowledge about patients' cultural beliefs, values, and practices; and lack of training on communication for providers (Baile, Lenzi, Parker, Buckman, & Cohen, 2002; Periyakoil, Neri, & Kraemer, 2015; Weiner & Cole, 2004). Nurses can develop culturally sensitive training curricula that address how to explore preferences of patients and families, including whom patients want to be present in discussions about EOL and how they want to receive information (Baldridge, n.d.; Marr et al., 2012). Training curricula should also emphasize how to build patients' and families' trust by communicating with care, respect, and hope in EOL discussions. Such trusted relationships between patients and providers are fundamental to sharing sensitive information about EOL wishes; and health care professionals who are culturally competent and invested in the patient, family, and community are more likely to be thought trustworthy by minority patients such as American Indian individuals (Baldridge, n.d.). In addition, efforts to increase access to culturally sensitive palliative services should be made in collaboration with tribal leadership, program staff, and local communities, as well as national entities (Finke, Bowannie, & Kitzes, 2004; Hampton, 2005). The Fort Defiance Home-Based Care Program, in which the completion rate of advance directives is three times higher than the national average, is a good example of such an effort (Baldridge, n.d.). This program has succeeded in addressing access and cultural barriers by providing culturally sensitive verbal and visual information and training native home care staff members about answering difficult questions in a culturally acceptable manner.
The current study's findings contribute to the literature on ACP among American Indian individuals by exploring associations between various individual characteristics and ACP practices among this population This study adds to knowledge of racial and ethnic differences in ACP within a group that has received limited attention in comparison with other minority groups. The differences found in completion rates of advance directives, despite EOL planning and discussions comparable to those for the general population, suggest the importance of culturally competent education efforts to promote ACP in American Indian communities.
Aldwin, C.M. (1990). The elders life stress inventory: Egocentric and nonegocentric stress. In Stephens, M.A.P., Crowther, J.H., Hobfoll, S.E. & Tennenbaum, D.L. (Eds.), Stress and coping in later-life families (pp. 49–69). New York, NY: Hemisphere.
Bureau of Indian Affairs. (2018). Indian entities recognized and eligible to receive services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. Federal Register, 83, 4235–4241.
Domer, T. & Kaur, J.S. (2008). Palliative practice in Indian health. South Dakota Medicine, Spec No., 36–40.
Institute of Medicine. (2015). Dying in America: Improving quality and honoring individual preferences near the end of life. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Palmer, R.C. & Palmer, M.L. (2006). Ojibwe beliefs and rituals in end-of-life care. In Puchalski, C.M. (Ed.), A time for listening and caring: Spirituality and the care of the chronically ill and dying (pp. 215–225). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Sheikh, J.I. & Yesavage, J.A. (1986). Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): Recent evidence and development of a shorter version. In Brink, T.L. (Ed.), Clinical gerontology: A guide to assessment and intervention (pp. 165–173). New York, NY: Haworth Press.
Dr. Kwak is Associate Professor, School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas; Dr. Cho is Associate Professor, Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Dr. Lee is Associate Professor, School of Social Work, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California; Dr. Noh is Associate Professor, School of Social Work, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and Dr. Roh is Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The authors thank Katharine O'Connell-Valuch (Center for Aging and Translational Research, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) for assistance with proofreading and formatting of the manuscript. Editorial support with manuscript development was provided by the Cain Center for Nursing Research and the Center for Transdisciplinary Collaborative Research in Self-management Science (P30, NR015335) at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. The data used in the study were collected with support from the University of South Dakota's Internal Grants for New Faculty Research and Creative Activity, awarded to Dr. Roh.
Address correspondence to Jung Kwak, PhD, MSW, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, 1610 Red River Street, Mail Code: D0100, Austin, TX 78701; e-mail: jkwak@nursing.utexas.edu.


A few months ago we picked up a gorgeous copy of Nigel Slater's 2009 cookbook, Tender. It was late winter and we were desperate to start our little garden. As we perused our favorite little bookshop this book stood out amongst the others with its gorgeous cover and tag line of a cook and his vegetable patch. This cookbook incorporates everything I love about a good book. Beautiful photographs, gorgeous fonts, stories, recipes and really helpful advice about both the garden and cooking. If you've ever watched Nigel Slater on television you will know that he is a very calm cook. He makes everything look easy and utilizes the "I used what I had" philosophy. At our house we seem to do that a lot too, especially when Wednesday hits and I realize everything I bought on Saturday has quickly disappeared.
As summer wraps into fall we are still taking advantage of cooking outside. Salmon is one of those fish dinners that can easily make the summer to fall transition depending on how and what you serve it with. We cooked the salmon on the grill until the skin was super crispy. Do you love crispy salmon skin as much as we do? It really adds a great texture to the basic salmon. The star, though, of this recipe, was Slater's lemon salad. The most simple idea ever- but yet one that adds so much to this staple of our summer recipe collection. A combination of superfine sugar, olive oil, flat-leaf parsley, capers and lemons (which had been sliced super thin with much of the white piths removed- side note- we love how pretty these lemon slices looked whole, but we either need to refine our pith removal skills or segment the lemon next time), was allowed to sit in a bowl for a few minutes and then spooned onto a warm plate along with the salmon. The addition of the olive oil and capers made the salmon much more decadent than it already was on its own. It is one of our favorite recipes from this book. We can't wait to try out his recipe for pumpkin pangrattato with rosemary and orange later this week. Do you have a favorite Nigel Slater recipe? We can truly say we haven't come across one yet that we did not enjoy.


Back training following an extended break from athletics due to health issues, hurdler Jack Green admits a return to his very best is firmly in his thoughts having rediscovered his love for the sport.
Green enjoyed a year to remember in 2011, becoming the European under-23 champion over 400m hurdles and also reaching a senior World Championship semi-final in South Korea.
In 2012, he was part of a Great Britain 4x400m relay team that finished an agonising fourth at the Olympics while his individual campaign in the 400m hurdles ended in disappointment in the semis.
Green cut his season short in July of last year with news later emerging that he had decided to take a break from athletics in order to deal with his recovery from depression.
Last week the 23-year-old began a new chapter across the pond in the United States, back on the track and training again, this time alongside new coach Loren Seagrave.
And with a support network firmly around him, Green is confident he can be back challenging the world's best.
"Before my break, athletics was the given path in many ways," he said. "Obviously I was making my own decisions but it was a case of 'oh, I've achieved this and I have done that so I have to go down this particular route'.
"I am a runner, I couldn't change that. It's what I do. Now I have had a year without running I know I want to be here – it's what I have chosen.


Cousin episode of "You Can Do It" and "I Can Do This"
Here's "052 I Did It." It's the sister episode to "040 I Can Do This" You can search "Confidence and Personal Development" for more episodes in this category.
Here's "051 New Day Affirmations." You can search "Morning Start" for more episodes in this category.
Sign up for premium access at AffirmationPodPremium.com, then download the app at AffirmationPodApp.com, go to "Settings" and tap on "Premium Sign In" to login.


How many masons does it take to change a lightbulb?
2 to complain that the light doesn't work.
3 to do a study on light in this Lodge.
2 to check out the types of lights the Knights of Columbus use.
3 to argue about it.
5 to plan a fund-raising dinner to raise money for the bulb.
1 to borrow a ladder, donate the bulb and install it.
1 to order the brass memorial plate and have it inscribed.
It was from a man who was down on his luck and was asking God for help. The letter asked for $50 to get his family through the next week.
The postman, being a Mason, took the letter to Lodge that evening, read it, and asked for donations for the unfortunate fellow. The Masons, wanting to help, took up a collection, and received twentny five dollars from the brethren. The Secretary placed the cash in a Lodge envelope, and gave it to the postman to deliver the following day, which he did.
"What′s going on?" he asks a spectator watching from the side–lines.
The other replies "It′s a match between the Masons and the Knights of Columbus."
"What′s the score?" asks the first man.
"I don't know, it′s a secret."
While visiting a newly initiated brother at home one day, the new brother′s wife took me to one side and said her husband had started behaving very strange since joining.
I asked in what way?
She said that he locks himself in the toilet for hours on end mumbling to himself with his little blue book.
Later that evening I turned the talk to lodge, and asked him how he was getting on.
Oh fine was his reply.
I asked him about his behavior and if there was anything wrong.
So why read the book there?
He said he had replied to the Visitors Toast.
Come inside my Brother you′ve had enough of Hell.
Some few years back, just after the introduction of Random Breath Testing, the Police officers of a small township had to show the community that the RBT was working. They decided to stake out the local Masonic Hall, then as the night wore on, eventually a mason slowly came down the stairs and got into his car.
The moment he started the engine the two officers approached him and asked him to "blow into the bag". He did of course but to the amazement of the officers proved negative. Fearing a faulty bag tried again, with the same results. Sure of a possible conviction they then escorted him to the Police station to do a blood test, with it also proving negative.
Being upset with this they then asked him what had gone on and what he had done that evening, to which he answered, "The Grand Master was there, the Grand Secretary was there, the Grand Stewards were there and we all had a great time, as to my job I was the Grand Decoy".
A man had been convicted of murder and was about to be hanged. Just before the sentence was executed, the hangman asked the man if he had any last words. "Yes" came his reply, "I hate Masons!" "Why do you hate Masons?" asked the hangman. "The man I killed was a Mason," explained the murderer, "the sheriff who hunted me down was a Mason, the Prosecutor who tried my case was a Mason, the Judge who presided at the trial was a Mason, and all of the men on the jury who found me guilty and said I should be hanged were Masons!" "Is that all?" asked the hangman, " "Yes" replied the convicted murder. "Then you will advance one step with your left foot."
A Mason was having trouble with his ritual, and was telling a fellow mason in a pub one day, and his friend said I know a bloke down the road who sells Parrots who know the ritual and prompt you when you have any trouble.
So the next day off he went to the shop, and the man said "yes I have three", he pulled a curtain across and there were 3 parrots, one with a master mason′s apron on, one with a masters apron, and one with a grand lodge apron on.
The man said "how much is the one with the masters apron on."
"$2000.00 and he knows all the ritual including the inner workings, and will always prompt you when you get stuck."
"No", he said "to expensive", "what about the one with the MM apron on."
"Well, that one is $1,000.00 and he knows all the ritual, but not the inner workings, but will always prompt you when you learning it."
"No to much, what about the one with the grand lodge apron on."
"You can have him for $10.00."
"Why so cheap, he must know all the ritual and the inner workings?"
"Oh yes, he knows all the ritual, but when you make a mistake all he does is sit there and go, tut! tut! tut!!
"OK," said the WM, "I′ve always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I hate to fly. So my wish is for you to build a bridge so I can drive to Hawaii."
"I can′t do that!!!" exclaimed the Genie. "Don′t you know that′s impossible? No Genie could do that. It′s too far, the water is too deep, it′s just totally beyond anybody′s power. You will have to make another wish."
It seems a Jewish family had rented an apartment that sat directly under the Masonic Temple, and at least once a month they would always hear this stomping from above.
One day Izzy told his wife he was going to drill a hole in the ceiling and see what those Masons were up to. After doing so, one evening he heard some stomping coming from above, so he got his ladder, climbed up and decided to take a peek.
After a few moments, he flew down the ladder and ran in and told his wife to pack all their belongs and "Let's get out of here and fast !!!"
The older you are, the more you understand.


Welcome to Gourmet Belly. Join us as we eat our way around the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Australia and beyond. We hope you can share our passion for food as we review some of our favourite culinary discoveries.
Look out for our quest for the best Pork Belly, Yum Cha and Sushi amongst many others.


I've spent a good deal of my studio time in the last few weeks creating pieces for CHA so I'm pleased to also get a few class samples completed. Here's a couple of pieces which will be the subject of my first Friendly Plastic class for the year. How delicate the dandelions look on the silver piece above - they add just enough interest without overpowering the Friendly Plastic underneath. These pieces are protected with a resin coating making them very durable so as a bonus you'll also get a mini resin tutorial in this class.
I love combining unusual colours together and this second sample is a good example of how contrasting colours work together. The copper packs a real punch when it's combined with shades of blue and green. This piece also has a second unexpected colour combination in the silver patterned overlay and the copper bezel. Combining different coloured metals is always interesting.
If you're interested in learning how to create these pieces take a look at my current class schedule for further details and give Stamp Antics a call to make a booking.
hi mylene ...i linked your works on my blog...come to see them...buy!!!
Thanks for the feature Felicity Rose. I've just stopped by to have a look at your blog. You've highlighted some lovely pieces of jewellery. And I love your felted Valentine's keyring.... such a sweet idea!


Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Waluigi playable. This video shows the mod Waluigi made by Mizumi (https://goo.gl/MNyhuD). Mizumi received help from SunSpirit, Mastaklo, Proaj and TheRealHeroOfWinds.
▪ Developer: Bandai Namco, Sora Ltd.


Now that I've completed my mani it looks like these red hot lips are kissing Superman! Oh I wish..... Well if I can't have Superman here's the next best thing, Hot Lips Nail Foil from Sparkly Nails. The foil has different sizes of pouty red lips edged in silver. These foils are excellent for a beginner because you don't have to ensure full coverage of the foil over your nail. Apply the special nail adhesive over your mani and wait for the glue to become transparent. Then place the foil on top of your nail and gently rub with your finger, hoof stick or cotton bud and in seconds the design is transferred to your nail. Apply top coat to seal and you're done!
The 'Hot Lips' Nail Foil currently costs £2.29 for 1m, lip smacking good value when you think of how many manis or accent nails you can can create. Available at Sparkly Nails who have an huge range of nail art items; they offer a loyalty and an affiliate scheme, go sign up, I have, you may as well save as you spend!


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Posted inPlanning
Why we need a betterment levy in NSW: better late than never
by Patrick Fensham and Tim Sneesby 17 December 2020 Updated 22 December 2020
The NSW Productivity Commission in November released its final report on the Review of Infrastructure Contributions in NSW (PC Review). It controversially ruled out capturing a share of windfall gains made from rezonings or the granting of additional development, even though this is widely used in voluntary planning agreements (VPAs) and state infrastructure contributions (SIC).
Value uplift is community property
Planning controls ration access to development rights for the benefit and amenity of the community, and enable those with access to them to gain the value of social infrastructure, amenity, access to city services and jobs, etc.
The increase in land value associated with changes to planning controls – also known as planning gain, 'betterment' or a 'windfall gain' – represents the value of the rights granted to property owners that allow for development to take place, which are, until then 'owned' by the community (see the orange segment in the below graph).
No less a source than the minister for planning and public places in NSW concurred with this view when he said in a Committee for Sydney webinar that, "in our system, like in most planning systems around the world, the state has effectively nationalised most development rights".
Planning decisions are made in the public interest and the value of land is strongly shaped by planning decisions (see an article by Mike Brown, Rolling the dice on planning at Star casino and its giant proposal for a very Sydney example). Therefore, the value uplift that planning decisions generate is an unearned windfall gain to the developer granted on behalf of the public.
Estimating the value of planning approval graph. Source SGS Economics & Planning
Given that the value uplift associated with the granting of additional development rights through planning decisions is conceptually community property, the community has a legitimate claim to this value. To this extent, value capture is not just a valuable funding mechanism, but fundamental to equity and placing the public interest at the forefront of planning.
The capture of this windfall gain has typically been described as a betterment levy; more recently it's been conceptualised as a development licence fee or sale of community development rights.
Value capture has the potential to significantly increase infrastructure funding in NSW, by up to $8 billion a year, dwarfing the $1.3 billion raised in all other state and local contributions. Some politicians believe "governments have either been negligent or incompetent in not seizing this opportunity".
Local communities often complain that the current infrastructure funding arrangement can result in the costs of growth being borne by existing residents, while the benefits accrue to few landowners in the form of windfall gains.
Arguably this disparity has been one factor that has led to community pushback against "overdevelopment" and a reduced social licence for new development in existing urban areas.
A robust value capture mechanism could reduce the tax burden on households paying for new infrastructure and dramatically reduce the "honeypot" incentives for industry to "capture" the planning system. It could put an end to an array of political scandals regarding government overpaying for land (Western Sydney Airport and Parramatta) and political resignations which have claimed the scalps of more than a dozen former MPs in NSW (here and here).
Sensible and overdue reforms
The NSW Productivity Commission Review recommended a number of sensible and overdue reforms and is likely to be much better received than the heavily criticised Green Paper (see Juliet Grant's article, Lazy economics uses planning as a scapegoat and Professor Peter Phibbs's Hacking a government report, here). These included a development of infrastructure contributions plans prior to rezoning, delaying the payment of infrastructure contributions until later in the development process, a direct land contribution and others.
An earlier draft of the NSW PC Review asked valid questions about the role of value capture in planning, particularly in the context of planning agreements and a betterment levy.
And the review makes some promising remarks that a betterment levy could help "defray costs of state investment" and align with "beneficiary pays principles" which are "central to an efficient contributions system".
Further, the Productivity Commission highlight that the "ad hoc and inefficient" approach to state infrastructure contributions (SICs) has led to an "inequitable transfer of wealth from taxpayers to certain property owners".
Ultimately though, in relation to value capture, the recommendations suggest a series of quasi-value capture approaches (we would include the fixed three per cent of construction costs levy, the modest per dwelling special infrastructure contribution for state infrastructure and the per dwelling new transport infrastructure zone charge in this category) without truly addressing the problem of the unearned increment and converting this into value for funding community infrastructure.
Value capture from increased zoning too readily dismissed
Notwithstanding some good analysis and recommendations, the PC Review too readily dismissed a funding mechanism that has broad support from the economics and planning disciplines and – judging from the submissions into the PC Review – basically all local governments, academics, NSW Government agencies, community organisations and infrastructure experts. A TS Eliot phase comes to mind: "We had the experience but missed the meaning."
The PC Review made a number of arguments to dismiss the ideas of a betterment levy or development licence fee. These are unpacked below.
Value capture is not a bribe
In the absence of a transparent and comprehensive value capture system Voluntary Planning Agreements (VPAs) are currently a means for negotiating such contributions in NSW.
The PC Review quotes the concerns of one developer lobbyist that value capture in VPAs can lead to planning decisions being bought and merit being ignored. This perception that councils are simply selling floorspace or selling decisions is intuitive but is not borne out in the evidence.
Value capture simply means councils are putting a price on additional floorspace (equivalent to the marginal increase in land value associated with that floorspace), which would otherwise be given away for free. In the same way that as a nation we don't give rights to minerals under the ground away for free, we shouldn't give rights to development above the ground away for free.
The counterfactual isn't "no value capture, no approval", it is no value capture with approvals. The use of discretion and the ability to exceed existing planning controls is a long-established practice of the NSW planning system and there is no empirical evidence offered to suggest that value capture and planning agreements encourage ad hoc planning, including development application exceedances and spot rezonings.
Ultimately, industry makes these decisions – councils don't invite industry to exceed their planning controls.
In fact, a mechanism for clear value capture contributions creates transparency and certainty in the community that planning decisions aren't being "made behind closed doors".
Development proposals in NSW go through a rigorous and independent assessment process, including independent local and state planning panels which eliminates the possibility of decisions being 'bought'. In this regard, the PC Review recommendations to increase public scrutiny and transparency of Voluntary Planning Agreements (VPAs) is fully supported.
In any case a comprehensive and transparent mechanism for value capture would be a routine part of the development process, based on pre-scheduled rates or a clear formula, and quite separate to the approvals process.
The SGS Economics and Planning submission suggested that funds received from a development licence fee could be centrally collected by Treasury with a share redistributed back to councils, possibly based on relative growth levels.
Value capture through VPAs is not simply a cash grab
The PC Review suggests that value capture negotiated through VPAs is a cash grab to fill council coffers for recurrent revenue, with no evidence.
The issue of substance here isn't related to value capture. The issue is that contributions received by councils from VPAs (or from any other future value capture mechanism) should be used to fund explicitly identified council priorities for example in community infrastructure strategies and/or capital works programs.
In relation to contributions received through VPAs these should be subject to clear state guidelines to ensure transparency in the rate or formula used to calculate value, clear separation in the approvals and VPA processes, and up-front and transparent infrastructure planning.
Far from a cash grab, by not capturing value uplift, a perverse outcome has seen the government paying twice for infrastructure in some areas. For example, in North-West Sydney a new train line and significant upzoning has proceeded – significantly increasing land values – at the same time local contributions were artificially capped; despite a significant component of the costs within these plans being land acquisition.
So as the land values rose from government's investment in infrastructure and upzoning, the government paid more to fund the difference between the contributions cap and the total amount.
Rather than paying twice for infrastructure it would seem more sensible for the government to actually extract a return on the community's behalf through a value capture mechanism for the value it is creating (see here). It is not difficult to imagine the artificial capping of SIC rates as recommended by the PC Review creating a similar scenario.
Value capture underpins strategic planning by lowering the economic payoffs from planning decisions
The PC Review states that value capture in VPAs can create outcomes that are inconsistent with the "broader strategic land use plan for an area…[which] can undermine community confidence in the integrity of the planning system and leave developers facing uncertain negotiations with councils".
This argument assumes that developers didn't exceed existing controls before value capture VPAs were introduced; and secondly, it doesn't understand that a properly functioning value capture system reduces the incentive for developers to capture the system.
Value capture lowers the economic payoffs to private landowners from planning decisions. It flattens speculative land price inflation. In this way, value capture actually underpins a strategic plan-led system.
By supporting strategic planning (land use and infrastructure coordination), value capture reduces the diversion of resources from identified growth areas and hence limits what economists – including the Productivity Commission – term "coordination failure".
If there is a genuine desire to reduce ad hoc proposals undermining strategic planning and give the community confidence regarding exceedances, then the PC Review should have examined the cause and not the symptoms – the cause being the discretionary nature of the NSW planning system.
Removing value capture from VPAs won't stop developers seeking exceedance to existing controls – that would continue but with no shared value for the community.
Value capture does not mean planning controls will be overcooked or undercooked
The PC Review suggests that value capture provides governments an "incentive to create economic rent" by "additional zoning restrictions or delays in land release" without a reference to the vast empirical evidence, or even looking over the fence at the ACT – which has a 75 per cent betterment levy on any development intensification and upzonings (through its Lease Variation Charge) – and their highly coordinated land use and infrastructure planning.
Value capture does not suppress development potential. Councils are required to accommodate dwelling and employment targets set by the NSW government.
The review and updating of planning controls is done regularly by local government through the preparation of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary studies to ensure dwelling and employment targets can be met. The community is involved throughout the preparation of these changes and is comfortable with the certainty that the LEP provides.
Industry is welcome to provide evidence to support an exceedance but should not be the sole beneficiary of any uplift in value on the site as it sits beyond what was previously accepted by the community.
As mentioned above, the receipt of value capture contributions, if the mechanism sat outside VPAs, could be centralised with Treasury. This would put to bed any perception that the creation of value is linked to either the rezoning or approval process.
A way forward
Lastly, the PC Review makes an argument that a betterment levy failed in the past in Sydney because powerful landowners applied political pressure.
Certainly it has been said that policy capture is the only form of capture that has prevailed in Sydney planning history.
A former NSW planning minister suggested that some lobbyists "generalise the private ambitions of their small band of members to give the appearance of a broader philosophical and whole-of-industry view. In reality, it is a small band of speculators trying to hustle the government into making policy decisions that suited them".
A standard percentage rate per dollar of betterment (value uplift), which would vary by location, could apply across the state. This approach automatically adjusts to local market conditions and ensures that the levy or development licence fee does not reduce the feasibility of a site for development.
It also means that SICs (or other) quasi value capture contributions could be abolished, meaning that developers would not encounter unanticipated contributions that render their approved development infeasible, especially in marginal cases where value gains from redevelopment are low.
Developers would never overpay for a site and indeed, the more a developer (or the government) overpays the greater funds that are raised for infrastructure contributions.
The PC Review dismisses a betterment levy or development licence fee because it claims it would be difficult to calculate or implement (how to measure the value uplift) despite the ACT doing it with success for 50 years.
As in many parts of the ACT, betterment levies can be pre-calculated based on typical betterment values in different local precincts where redevelopment is desired in the planning scheme.
The Valuer General's property valuations provide the starting point for the calculation of this variable rate. An easily accessible schedule of rates a square metre applying to floorspace associated with new development rights would be available.
Such an approach would further reduce uncertainty in areas where development is desired in the planning scheme and reduce the number of times individual assessments of betterment are required.
Confidence in the planning system and its focus on the public interest is at the core of upfront, evidence-based planning.
If the PC Review doesn't see a role for a betterment levy – either in VPAs or revamped SIC– then a value capture policy relating to changes in zoning and development standards should be implemented statewide, outside of and additive to the local infrastructure development contributions system, and constituted as a development licence fee.
Like the ACT system, the funds could be collected by Treasury and recycled back to the areas in question.
Patrick Fensham is Principal and Partner and National Manager of Urban Policy and Governance at SGS Economics and Planning.
Tim Sneesby is a manager of strategic planning at a Sydney council, a recipient of the Planning Institute of Australia's National Young Planner of the Year award. His views are his own.
Time to capture the value
In "Spinifex"
Fast-tracking development in NSW: genuine reform or rent-seeker give-away?
Festival of Urbanism: Patrick Fensham on affordability and value capture
In "Conferences"
Tagged: communities, infrastructure, planning, Productivity Commission, value capture


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