I coach my clients to craft a life they love, and to reveal their innate gifts to become more amazing.
What's really important to me now?
What have I been tolerating that needs to change?
What dreams and ambitions have I neglected?
I would be delighted to introduce you to this inquiry process with a sample session. You will know very quickly if this process is for you, and how working with me can expand your capacity for joy and freedom, and move you toward the part of living that you've been wanting. If you are unsure of how to answer the above; lets talk. I'd love to assist you into finding your own answers and every word, even your name is completely confidential.
I am so happy you found us. I invite you to Become More Amazing as you journey forward into your most magnificent life. I'd be honored to be your Co-active Coach. As a retired professional, I've struggled with the meaning of success in both personal and professional environments and I find myself redefining even at this very chapter in my life, and it only gets better. In corporate America, I love being known as "an accomplished leader of large teams who produce results!" and I have a passion for excellence, customer intimacy and team building and yet, I want more. At the heart of my sense of happiness has always been my devotion to making a difference in the lives of others, and so after a long legacy of professional accomplishments, I have built a coaching practice centered on helping my clients achieve their own dreams and goals. I am committed to creating opportunities for my clients to reach their highest potential and to transform themselves and our world, as they become more amazing.
Proud mother of twin sons.
Grand-aunt to 2 lovely little ones, and love revisiting our universe through their experiences and eyes.
I meditate as a practice.
I have a thirst for continual learning.
Passionate about healthy living, nourishing nutrition through creative and tasty food prep!
Recently retired from a corporate career that satisfied by thirst for meeting and exceeding goals and my responsibilities included an international reach in many countries and developing economies globally. I do love a challenge!
Exploring Psalms 46:10 Be still and know that I am God (My "retirement" promise to myself).
I love to travel to anywhere, learning about new traditions and native cultures; their beliefs, influences and goals.
A treasured part of my role was leading 500+ creative individuals and teams to new levels of branding and profit for the 22 labels I managed. I have discovered that I am a lover of people.
I am a strong advocate for corporate & social responsibility.
Extensive working relationships with boards for over 20 years and love to contribute my experience where it's valued.
Passionate about community service and while living in St. Louis became the co-founder of Mission St. Louis, a successful non-profit that transforms the lives of impoverished families with programs that assist with home repair, felon rehabilitation, and supply inner city school children with high caliber reading programs.
I recently had the opportunity to rediscover my passion for serving others through the coaching process and am inspired to bring this powerful work to the lives of others.
Please note that I share my past experience simply to offer a point of reference about my personal path and where it's led me up to this point in my life, however, coaching is all about you, and what you wish to strive for in your own life! I'd love to invite you to dream big.
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Mike Krol strikes some Power Chords
Power Chords huh? Well, we don't think trading standards will be knocking round Mike Krol's door any time soon. The album is rife with them, m'lud. It's okay though – it's nice, unthreatening garage rock power chords, and nothing to be afraid of.
Power Chords is Krol's second record on Merge, following 2015's Turkey – which, very much to Krol's credit, weighs in at a mere 18 minutes. Sit up, you dweebs; that's proper rock and/or roll.
Krol lists his influences as The Strokes, Misfits, early Weezer, and The Ramones. Power Chords certainly leaves you in no doubt about the former. Krol's slightly-languid drawl and tendency towards chunky melodies disguised in fuzz recall the Institut Le Rosey's storied alumni at their best. To the extent that you'll suffer an earworm which a mental reflex will ascribe to Casablancas before you realise you've not listened to The Strokes for the best part of a decade. Listening to "An Ambulance" you half expect it to go into the pre-chorus of "Barely Legal" (ugh, 2001 – keep it).
Power Chords represents a more restrained affair than the rest of the works in Krol's oeuvre. If it was the Unicorns-like erratic wackiness of said works which appealed to your taste, perhaps you'll find Power Chords objectionable – though you'll still find a touch of it on "Wasted Memory". Meanwhile the Thermals-esque "The End" also has clear forebears in his earlier albums.
On the other hand, if you find yourself wishing Krol would stop dicking about and just do some straight up punk-tinged garage rock numbers, power in constraint and that sort of thing. you'll probably find numbers like "Little Drama" and "Nothing to Yell About" to your taste. There's a hint of a British odd couple in "I Wonder", which manages to sound like mid-90s Supergrass and late-90s Radiohead. "Blue and Pink" fulfils the Weezer quota.
Where does this leave us? It's not going to do anything to make Krol a more distinct name in many people's imaginations. As a well-executed, satisfying collection of fuzzy power pop, there's little with which to find fault. Certainly, there's more than sufficient evidence here of a man very interested in making records – which given the self-imposed stylistic constraints under which he operates is a crucial safeguard against the dreaded blandness. As his sound continues to mature, that's perhaps a risk he'll increasingly face.
For now though, we can appreciate an artist coming into his own. Even that happens to sound like a lot of other artists…
Released: 25th January 2019, Merge Records
Author Mansoor Iqbal
← A different kind of loss with Crane Like the Bird
Sunflower Bean come for us on King of the Dudes EP →

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Importing data from S3 to DynamoDB I am trying to import a JSON file which has been uploaded into S3 into DynamoDB
I followed the tutorial amazon has given
http://docs.aws.amazon.com/datapipeline/latest/DeveloperGuide/dp-importexport-ddb-console-start.html
But when i try to activate the pipeline the component TableLoadActivity fails and DDBDestinationTable says  CASCADE_FAILED
Both give the error
at org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.JobSubmitter.writeOldSplits(JobSubmitter.java:520) at org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.JobSubmitter.writeSplits(JobSubmitter.java:512) at org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.JobSubmitter.submitJobInternal(JobSubmitter.java:394) at org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.Job$10.run(Job.java:1285) at org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.Job$10.run(Job.java:1282) at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) at javax.security.auth.Subject.doAs(Subject.java:415) at org.apache.hadoop.security.UserGroupInformation.doAs(UserGroupInformation.java:1548) at org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.Job.submit(Job.java:1282) at org.apache.hadoop.mapred.JobClient$1.run(JobClient.java:562) at org.apache.hadoop.mapred.JobClient$1.run(JobClient.java:557) at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) at javax.security.auth.Subject.doAs(Subject.java:415) at org.apache.hadoop.security.UserGroupInformation.doAs(UserGroupInformation.java:1548) at org.apache.hadoop.mapred.JobClient.submitJobInternal(
Any help would be appreciated

A: I discovered that you have to select the inner folder, where 'manifest' is present.
This use to be the folder with the backup's date and time.
I received this error when I have selected the parent folder, that I gave my table name.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Excepting the Coen brothers' "True Grit" remake, or Disney's blockbusting, multidimensional sequel to "Tron," is there any film more anticipated this awards season than Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan"? Let's rephrase that, for the sake of brevity. Is there any non-Jeff Bridges film more anticipated this awards' season than "Black Swan"? Probably not.
Ever since the first trailer was released this summer, in advance of premieres in Venice and Toronto, "Black Swan" has been drumming up a whole mess of hype. And with good reason. In the wake of 2008's near-unanimously praised "The Wrestler," Aronofsky has carved out a space for himself as a filmmaker who can handle material with a more delicate touch than the whip-bang sensationalism of other of his films, such as "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Fountain." But "Black Swan" is far from delicate, despite dealing with waifish dancers working at a New York City ballet company. Though it has at its core the pressures sport impresses upon already-fractured psyches, any connections to "The Wrestler" end there. With "Black Swan," Aronofsky is back to whip-bang. And then some.
Though the trappings of the classic ballet are draped heavily over "Black Swan," most noticeably in the prevailing black-and-white mise-en-scène and the music (even the cellphone ringtones are scored with leitmotifs lifted from Tchaikovsky's music), what Aronofsky's film most fulsomely exhibits are its grand designs on transposing the sweepingly tragic scope of "Swan Lake" onto a modestly-budgeted psychodrama. And it doesn't fail, exactly.
Aronofsky's film — like "Persona," "Lost Highway," and "The Nutty Professor" before it — uses doubles, doppelgänger, and plenty of full-length dance studio mirrors to refract both his source material and Nina's slingshot into madness. Her pursuit of perfection is stymied by the timely arrival of Lily (Mina Kunis), a tattooed, cigarette-smoking, raven-haired vixen whose rollicking free-spiritedness poses an obvious threat to Nina's textbook approach to her own flawlessness. Where Nina is meticulous, Lily loses herself in her taps, hops, and other lissom gambols. It's your classic Salieri complex. Or at least the popular idea of the Salieri complex as articulated in Miloš Forman's "Amadeus." And so it follows that the effortlessness of Lily's grace gets under poor Nina's skin.
Don't expect some petty Kerrigan/Harding rivalry, though. It's a vertiginous descent into madness aspiring to Polanski, Argento, and Hitchcock. Aronofsky labours diligently to sketch the contours of Nina's anxieties. But it's only in the third reel, when Portman's drops all the bashfulness and lets her hysterical jealousy reach its fever pitch and Aronofsky sends her pirouetting into the mouth of madness, that "Black Swan" really finds it footing.
"Black Swan's" third reel is near revelatory: a hyperactive bound into psychosis that's as rollicking as it is spellbinding. Watching the film rocket off the rails is truly exhilarating, from Nina's delirious visions of her own physical transformation (shades of Cronenberg's "The Fly" here) to the frantic final dance number. "Black Swan's" white-knuckle dénouement is proof positive that Aronofskly can pull off the whip-bang with way more conviction than he can the delicate, dainty stuff. Which is why it's such a shame that he bothers spending the first 90 minutes of his film trying to convince himself (and his audience) otherwise.
This story "Friday Film: 'Black Swan'" was written by John Semley.


The purpose of this tutorial is to explain how to update your DNS (Domain Name Servers) settings at NetFirms.ca. If you have already purchased your domain name through NetFirms.ca, you will need to go to their site and make the changes necessary for your website to be visible. As our new hosting client, you will need to point your domain name to our servers.
Click on Domains at the top of the page and from the drop-down menu, click on Domain Manager to open the Domain Manager page.
Now click on the DNS tab to open the Name Servers panel for this domain name.
Enter the DNS settings and when you are done, click on the Modify button.
The panel will now show that the name servers were successfully updated and the new DNS settings are listed in the Name Server Information boxes.


text:
Police: Man was drunk when he fired gun, tried to set home on fire
Police say he had a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit.
Police: Man was drunk when he fired gun, tried to set home on fire Police say he had a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit. Check out this story on argusleader.com: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2018/10/30/police-man-drunk-when-he-fired-gun-tried-set-home-fire-sioux-falls/1819410002/
Katie Nelson, Sioux Falls Argus Leader Published 11:34 a.m. CT Oct. 30, 2018 | Updated 11:42 a.m. CT Oct. 30, 2018
A 15-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after police say she was hit by a car on purpose early Tuesday. Katie Nelson, Argus Leader
Fire crews standby near a standoff in the area of Pine Meadow Mobile Home Park in western Sioux Falls.(Photo: Trevor Mitchell / Argus Leader)Buy Photo
Police say a Sioux Falls man was intoxicated when he fired gunshots inside and tried to set his home on fire.
John Vela, 59, was charged with simple assault domestic, first-degree arson, commission of a felony while armed with a firearm, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, reckless discharge of a firearm and making terrorist threats.
Sioux Falls police spokesman Sam Clemens said Vela's wife called police after she received phone calls from her husband threatening to kill her. She could also hear gunshots in the background.
More Argus911: Girl, 15, injured in hit-and-run following fight in Sioux Falls
When police arrived at Vela's trailer in the 6800 block of West Pine Meadows Place around 4:30 p.m., they heard gunshots coming from the home, Clemens said.
Vela eventually chose to come out, and once inside, police found he had allegedly tried to burn the kitchen floor with gasoline and had fired 10 gunshots inside the house, Clemens said. No one was injured and Clemens said nothing outside the house was damaged by the gunfire.
When Vela was arrested, he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.214, nearly three times the legal limit, Clemens said.
Earlier: Man arrested for arson, assault after standoff with police
Read or Share this story: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2018/10/30/police-man-drunk-when-he-fired-gun-tried-set-home-fire-sioux-falls/1819410002/
How Tru Shrimp has Madison on the hook
Sen. John Thune: President Trump 'needs to tone down the rhetoric'


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DS.com
DS.net
XiongDeng.com
General Discussion (About Dorje Shugden)
dorjeshugden.com »
About Dorje Shugden »
General Discussion (Moderators: DharmaDefender, Big Uncle, Mana, wangzey, TheRedGaruda, Positive Change, tsangpakarpo, Galen, vajratruth, Rinchen, AshRao) »
An Interview with a DS Artist: His view on DS ban
Author Topic: An Interview with a DS Artist: His view on DS ban (Read 7302 times)
Re: An Interview with a DS Artist: His view on DS ban
This is special and unique paintings and murals. I believe with this kind of paintings and murals can create curiosity to public come to know more about Dorje Shudgen. Not many people know about the ban against Dorje Shudgen has been created a lot of sufferings to the practitioners. The ban bring no benefits to anybody but harms and against the concept of harmonious, humanity, peace, equanimity. I hope more people get to know about Dorje Shudgen and could voice it out the harms of the ban towards the practitioners.
dsiluvu
Quote from: Manisha Kudo on January 12, 2014, 03:28:01 PM
What a bold piece of art. I love it. It is true that the ban does not affect the Westerners much although they have heard about it. However once the matter involves politics, many people would shy away because it is an uneasy issue to handle and to be honest, most feel that politics are the games played by unscrupulous parties, no one is really "clean". Therefore, re-focusing Dorje Shugden to the field of arts and creative expressions may attract more people to ease into this beneficial practice and actually support the lifting of the ban.
Very well said Manisha... it is true that the Dorje Shugden ban is political, and no one really likes getting involve in politics especially if it is not directly happening to them or to their neighbourhood. And sometimes knowing too much politics can also have a negative side effect, it can also bring those who are lazy to investigate further to think forget about "Buddhism" altogether.
This is a very clever and smart way of spreading of Lord Protector Dorje Shugden practice to those who are not keen on politics but is rather interested with the benefits! Indeed it is a creative approach in making Dorje Shugden global, and it is far more peaceful and less intimidating for most people.
On the other hand it also tells me that many of the westerners are quite basic in their Buddhist practice and probably are not exposed enough about the ban. If they love their Guru, has that much Guru devotion like nerver2501, they would definitely FIGHT and VOICE out if they knew their GURU's life is literally at stake because of the ban and well it can in fact bring down their centre, their hard work, their people's effort in spreading the Dharma too which is what's been happening to so many centres all around the world that's being affected by this ridiculous ban and one centre is the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT). They are also affected with many hate websites and blogs written about them. Not to mentioned their Guru as well as Gangchen Rinpoche is on the top list of wanted and posted like enemies of HHDL which we all know is NOT TRUE. Their lives are in danger, including the current Trijang Rinpoches life and they are forced to have armed body guards around them all the time because they've received so many death treats.
When we start educating the west in this way and to point out the fact that they are also in fact very much involved because the ban threatens their very own spiritual practice and growth, then I am sure they can see why in does involves them, as it will shape their future as well. Hence we must skilfully always explain with logic because with logic, CTA's twisted campaigns and actions can be clearly and easily sniffed out!
We must work smart in bringing this injustice news to the western people's attention and social media like twitter and facebook seems to be a good tool to use.
dondrup
Never2501 said he doesn't practise much. This is not true! It may not be apparent to him, but his trust and reliance on his guru Lama Gangchen is already a complete and profound practice! His depiction of holy Buddha images in the form of Dorje Shugden murals skilfully plants seeds of enlightenment in the mindstream of any sentient being that sees these murals. That's the best form of giving Never2501 had given to others, the gift of Dharma.
His lack of awareness of the controversy and ban on Dorje Shugden can be overcome easily. Bear in mind he is a devoted student of Lama Ganchen, one of the greatest Tibetan lamas of this age. Furthermore, he was inspired by Dorje Shugden to draw these murals!
Thank You Never2501 for manifesting such awesome and breathtaking Dorje Shugden images!
Quote from: gbds3jewels on January 12, 2014, 04:38:30 PM
I think on a religion perspective many westerners like myself doesn't really care much about the ban. For example, in Australia I have my religious freedom and hence I'm not bothered with the ban. To me it's about what I feel comfortable practicing.
It is not so much the actual ban I think that will catch the westerners attention as oppose to the humanity aspect caused by the ban. The violence and animosity against the DS practitioners, now that can create a lot of support and awareness of this issue in the international community. I think the international community in general supports religious freedom globally.
Yes it is true that we Aussies have the liberty to practice our religion freely. We are not affected by the ban but the Tibetan community is affected and have been suppressed for years. The Lamas who are practicing Dorje Shugden are also being sidelined. Imagine if there are no ban being imposed, the Dorje Shugden practice would have spread even faster and wider and benefit more people. People have suffered from this ban and it opposed the Buddhism teaching of being compassionate and being kind, as promoted by the Dalai Lama throughout the world.
I must say that Never2501 has done a lot of justice to the world by painting this mural as it represents the freedom of religion and this mural will and have benefitted a lot of people by just viewing this DS image. Dharma seeds are being planted everyday!!! Thank you for your contribution and a step further in the liberation of the ban.
maricisun
It is great to know that the Italian artist has such strong guru devotion for his guru ~ Lama Gangchen. Even though he does not know much about DS but with his guru's blessings he painted Dorje Shugden which he likes so much.
Maybe more people can follow his modern muralism art all around the world to promote DS in a modern way to the newer generation.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful street drawings! I totally love it, and more so, I love the short and simple interview! What he said is straight to the point: trust the Guru and follow the Guru, because He is the one who transmit the knowledge.
I hope the artist can do more of these special kind of arts to increase the awareness of the sufferings of Dorje Shugden practitioners (especially practitioners in Tibetan community), and I also hope more artists will do street arts like these!
Wow! It's really neat to have Dorje Shugden depicted in this manner. It would be great if many more artists would come to depict Dorje Shugden in their own respective styles as long as it is respective of the subject matter. This would plant the seeds of Manjushri to so many people who would otherwise would have little to no contact with Manjushri. It would also spread the name of Dorje Shugden far and wide too. I love the fact that the audience of such art scene is basically worlds apart from those who practice Dorje Shugden and Buddhism. That means people would come in contact with the practice and controversy. Perhaps, someone would do something about the plight of the Dorje Shugden ban.
hope rainbow
"muralism", a new term for me I must admit, I understand it as an art that is between the graffiti culture and a more established sense of art ( I am assuming this from the "-ism" used here).
Thus, between a culture of non-conformism and anti-system and the culture of the establishment, of art galleries, and museums.
Now, I think this is interesting, because Dorje Shugden is an established Buddha, proven so, and yet he is made to venture in the realms of "non-conformism" and "anti-system" because of the ban enforced by the "system", while, eventually he will be recognized by all and will achieve the place he deserves, just as graffiti has made it into the world of recognized art forms, or "-ism's".
I love this painting of Dorje Shugden. It is modern and unconventional. To me it is not just a beautifully done piece of art but an expression of the freedom of religion. This artist has managed to depict an enlightened being in a style that is unique and totally out of the box which to me is synonymous to freedom of expression. He is bold and daring. And this is the right of every being: freedom to choose their religion and spiritual path.
pgdharma
Wow this painting is unique! This unique mural can create curiosity amongst the public to want to know more about Dorje Shugden and everyone who see this will be planted with the seed of Enlightenment. How powerful! Even though the artist does not have much knowledge in Buddhism yet he has such strong guru devotion with his Guru, Lama Gangchen and with his Guru's blessings he is able
Gabby Potter
I'm very glad and proud to know that there are actually Dorje Shugden practitioners out there who care about the ban and who are willing to do something about it. Most of us just sweet talk and there's no action, but this awesome guy here has proved his devotion and samaya through his actions. I rejoice!
grandmapele
Sounds like Tibetan Buddhism may one day change name if this trend continues and Tibetans themselves can no longer practice the pure form of Tibetan Buddhism from Guru Rinpoche and Je Tsongkhapa days. The pure form will be practiced outside Tibetan communities.
Is H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama clairvoyant or what? He has foreseen the degeneration of Tibetans, as can be seen on FB where the use of language was most foul, the loyalty was most blind and the mind most dull. To keep the purity of the religion it must be sent outside of Tibetans' reach and the Tibetans can degenerate quietly in exile, fighting amongst themselves with no land to call their own. Their political leaders have failed them, they must exit from the face of this earth, quietly. Adieu!


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Poverty Data
Life Amidst Poverty
May 11, 2015 | Andrea Fuller
Laura Fritz holds her daughter while filling out a form at the Jefferson Action Center, an assistance center in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. (AP Photo/Kristen Wyatt)
I have lived in poverty both as a child and as an adult, and I can say with full confidence that it is a life-crushing force. I hated it. "Poverty" is also one of the most misunderstood labels that gets slapped onto individuals without their approval—cast upon them simultaneously by both unseen and more visible forces of society.
Poverty is a word loaded with preconceived notions, common misperceptions, and seemingly innocuous assumptions. What the word does not do is delve below its surface meaning, into the reality of poverty—a world that no one wants to live in.
Poverty is exhausting. Poverty is despair and desperation-inducing. Poverty is soul, dream and hope crushing. Poverty is like being enclosed in a prison cell with no doors or windows. It feels claustrophobic, as if there is no way out. Only the most resilient do not give up. Still, there is no guarantee that life will get better—and those in poverty know this all too well. They either become hardened or submit to fate. You don't live life, you don't thrive—you survive. You wonder if you are predestined, like a caste in another country, to live out a life destitute of fulfillment—whether financial, professional or just having a better life.
These are the very thoughts that consumed me in times of poverty. And yet, I never stopped believing that there must be a way out. The "how" and the "why" of my situation—resounding questions that were never sated—eventually fell by the wayside as I pushed towards hope. The very thing that brought despair and darkness motivated me to dig out of that prison, to fight with everything within me, to find that light that must exist outside of the walls.
Resources and access to them are the most influential factors in the "making it or breaking it"
In America, there is this prevalent belief that if someone just pulls herself up by her bootstraps, she can succeed. And yet, as I have learned, it is entirely possible to work your ass off and still struggle. Whether I had boots or not, whether I was barefoot, in heels, what I really learned is that resources and access to them—a network of support, and awareness of available choices—are the most influential factors in the "making it or breaking it" of life in the US. So much of this became clear to me only later—when I had the opportunity to see outside of the tiny, claustrophobic room that I had been in for years.
Living in poverty need not be a death sentence. I decided when I was 5 years old that I wanted to secure a bachelor's degree before I was married (which I did). Throughout my childhood, I had a voracious appetite for knowledge: I was constantly hungry to learn more. In high school, I decided that upon graduation I would leave the state and my family to start a new life for myself, even though it was extremely hard and I worked three jobs at one point. In college, I knew that I wanted to live and work overseas, to expand my perspective and learn more about the world. And when life challenges blindsided me as an adult (now with two degrees under my belt), I continued to learn what my options were, what resources were available to me, and to fight hard to provide the best opportunities that I can for my own children, so that they may never see themselves as "living in poverty" or not having a shot at a better life.
Enduring poverty is not the end of hope or life. The key things needed to break down the walls that imprison those within poverty are: outside influences, support networks such as friends or family, awareness of other opportunities, and access to resources.
With this combination, a new life is possible.
The Conservative Approach to Poverty
Digging into the New Poverty Data
My Poverty, My Trauma
Words Matter When Talking Poverty
'People In Poverty Do Work': What Paul Ryan Misunderstands About Poverty
TAGS poverty Safety Net
Restoring Hope to Baltimore Requires Making College Affordable
May 7, 2015 | Sara Goldrick-Rab, Ph.D.
Kira Williams, 9, writes a message in chalk memorializing Freddie Gray during a celebration in the street the day of the announcement of charges against the police officers involved in Gray's arrest, Friday, May 1, 2015, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
"I've always wanted to go to college. I've wanted to be an orthodontist since I was seven," said 16-year-old Kayla, not realizing that because she grew up in West Baltimore the odds of her dreams coming true were very slim.
There's a long shadow cast over Baltimore's children. Like young people across America, they know that the ability to get a good-paying job depends on college. As teens, many of them finish high school, fill out college applications, and complete financial aid forms. But then they find out the truth: college is unaffordable.
There is a lot of talk about elite universities offering "no loans" promises and sending letters to low-income families across the country urging their children to apply. But that effort is relevant to a tiny few. Most people who attend college go to institutions that are far from free.
Despite massive public investment in financial aid, students from families like Kayla's who earn less than $20,000 a year are now required to pay at least $8,000 for a year of community college and more than $12,000 a year at a public university. That "net price" is what researchers like me have found to be the real bill that students and their families face after all grants (including the federal Pell and state and institutional grants) are subtracted from the sticker price of attending college. This price has gone up substantially over time, particularly since the Great Recession. It's climbed as real family income for most has fallen. Worse, it may well be under-stated.
College education is central to the American Dream. But the ladder people must climb to get there has eroded, and a critical rung fell off. After a semester or two, even the most talented students from the bottom half of the income distribution find that the price of college is more than they can afford. They have enough money to register for classes, but they cannot pay the bills long enough to graduate.
The young people of Baltimore know this. Researchers tracked a set of the city's children beginning in 1982, when the kids were in 1st grade. A decade and a half later, almost two-thirds enrolled in college. But by age 28, just 17 percent had earned an associates or bachelor's degree, with another 13 percent earning a certificate. Nearly half who grew up poor, ended up poor, especially if they were black.
The ladder people must climb to get to the American Dream has eroded, and a critical rung fell off.
It wasn't for lack of trying. Researchers like Stefanie DeLuca, who met Kayla while doing research on young people from Baltimore's highest poverty neighborhoods, confirm that a strong work ethic is omnipresent there. But enrolling in college exacerbates their poverty: working two or three jobs while also taking on federal and private loans takes a heavy toll. Growing numbers of undergraduates find themselves living without sufficient food or adequate housing even as they try and focus on school.
When college is unaffordable, hope is lost. Without degrees, young people are returning to the streets with debt, disillusioned and fearful for their futures.
Today colleges and state governments set most college prices. They are failing at this job. The opportunity to get a college education is distributed in highly inequitable ways. Rather than promoting mobility, the broken college financing system is ensuring that economic and racial inequality gets passed down – and worsened – from one generation to the next. Americans deserve better.
Last year, Republican Governor Bill Haslam began to restore hope in Tennessee by offering tuition-free community college. The predecessor to the Tennessee Promise, Knox Achieves, is proving effective at helping young people who would have otherwise never experienced even a 13th year of education earn college credits. Helping those students complete a 14th year, and attain a credential, may require more investment, along the lines of America's College Promise proposed by President Barack Obama.
The initiatives of Haslam and Obama were preceded by wisdom and a smart initiative in New York. In 1969, large numbers of African Americans and Puerto Ricans demanded that the City University of New York become a place that they could enter to pursue better lives. University administrators responded by instituting an open admissions policy to complement a very low price. An evaluation conducted over the next 30 years revealed that while the new policy did not wipe out disadvantages due to race or class (or high school academic record), it more than doubled the proportion of black women who would attain degrees. That finding is consistent with more recent studies that raise sharp questions about the contention that "college isn't for everyone."
National leaders need to provide hope to young adults in Baltimore and cities like it. Federal policy must change. Simply providing financial aid isn't getting the job done, as it requires too little from those who establish college costs. Instead, we need a national conversation about what it means to provide a high-quality 13th and 14th year of public education to everyone, and then we need to pay for it. New taxes are an option – but we can also simply stop spending where investments aren't pay off. Ending subsidies to for-profit universities is a good place to start.
There is much to do to provide hope, dignity, and a chance at a better life to America's poor urban youth. Part of the solution must include making college affordable.
All Eyes on Baltimore
Free college plan will help, not hurt, low-income students
Tethered to Hope
To Combat For-Profit Schools, Provide Free Community College
Life Before the Affordable Care Act
TAGS College Education
May 6, 2015 | Keegan Brown
Students wait outside Everest College, Tuesday, April, 28, 2015 in Industry, Calif., hoping to get their transcriptions and information on loan forgiveness and transferring credits to other schools. Corinthian Colleges shut down all of its remaining 28 ground campuses on Monday, April 27, displacing 16,000 students. (AP Photo/Christine Armario)
Although it is widely documented that for-profit colleges routinely prey on low-income students, these schools have proven adept at beating back regulations that would curb their abuses. To decrease the attractiveness of for-profit schools, and their power to exploit students with low incomes, progressives should rally around President Obama's proposal to provide free community college.
Over the last few years, for-profit colleges have come under fire from the Senate HELP committee, several federal agencies, and 37 state attorneys, with good reason. The for-profit education business model provides no incentive for schools to produce successful, educated college graduates. As a result, over half of the students who attend these schools fail to obtain a degree and struggle with mounting student loan debt. Those students fortunate enough to graduate have a hard time securing employment, as employers increasingly turn away candidates with degrees from for-profit schools.
For-profit colleges use a variety of unethical and sometimes illegal practices to persuade students to attend their schools. Some schools get leads on potential students through fake job postings on websites like craigslist or monster.com. Recent reports show a few top for-profit colleges utilize fake online health insurance and food stamp applications to collect information on potential students. Individuals who fall victim to phishing schemes like these are subsequently harassed with calls from for-profit schools until they speak with admissions representatives. Students report being called up to twenty times in a single morning, or as late as 11 p.m. When students finally succumb to the pressure and speak with a representative, they are subjected to recruitment tactics that are far more abusive.
An example of training materials for recruiters at a for-profit college
Admissions representatives at several large for-profit schools say management promotes a variety of exploitative practices to secure enrollment. These tactics include asking callers—many of whom are low-income or people of color—to imagine what they will buy when they make six-figures, or how their family will feel when they no longer rely on a minimum wage job. Many representatives go as far as telling callers how worthless they are with just a high school diploma. Many students who were actively recruited in this manner were unable to afford—or clearly incapable of completing—the program. Some students even struggled with a range of disabilities such as brain damage and learning disorders. In one particularly high profile case, a Corporal for the U.S. Marines was enrolled at a large for-profit college, but was so severely impaired by a traumatic brain injury that he could not remember what classes he was taking.
Students who enroll as a result of this kind of manipulation often sign themselves into financial ruin. However, as long as the students attend classes, the school turns a profit. The entire business model of for-profit schools relies on cheating victims out of their dollars and dreams, which ultimately increases their reliance on safety net programs.
In contrast, community college provides crucial alternatives for those most frequently victimized by for-profit schools—people with low-incomes and people of color. Students with low-incomes are disproportionately affected by social factors (financial instability, health issues, transportation issues) that discourage investing financial resources in brick-and-mortar schools, in deference to online education. For-profit schools take advantage of this instability, promising increased upward mobility coupled with the flexibility of online schooling. As a result, low-income students enroll in for-profit schools at nearly four times the rate of other students.
An example of student "profiles" targeted by recruiters at a for-profit college
By providing low-income students with the opportunity to attend community college at no cost, President Obama's plan virtually eliminates the consumer base of these profit-seeking colleges, ending their large-scale fraud. Under President Obama's plan, students receive full tuition funding if they are enrolled at least half-time at community college and are earning above a 2.5 GPA. The proposal is also beneficial because it permits students to receive Pell grants while they are at community college; this policy would help families afford living expenses while the primary caretaker focuses on school.
Obama's initiative encourages low-income, at-risk students to consider local community colleges before for-profit schools, thereby increasing their potential economic mobility and financial wellbeing. Current estimates suggest that as many as 9 million students would benefit from the initiative.
While Obama's proposal is not a blank check, it provides much more flexibility for students with low-incomes. More importantly, the plan could prevent millions of our country's most disadvantaged people from enrolling in schools that prove far better at exploiting students than educating them.
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TAGS College Education student debt
New York City Limits the Use of Credit Checks in Hiring
May 4, 2015 | Joe Valenti
In this Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, photo, perspective job seekers talk with employers during a job fair in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
One of the recurring—and troubling—themes of TalkPoverty posts has been the overwhelming number of misguided policies that kick people while they're down: from asset limits that tell poor people not to save, to employers' use of criminal records that make it hard for people to find a job even decades after an infraction.
In a rare moment of good news, New York City has decided to remove one of these barriers by limiting the use of credit checks for employment screening. Last month, the City Council voted overwhelmingly to pass the strongest measure in the country on this issue, joining ten states. This measure, which Mayor DeBlasio is expected to sign on Wednesday, is a major step forward to rein in a practice that does little for employers while filtering out good employees who run into financial trouble.
Nearly half of employers check credit histories for at least some positions, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. This means that before receiving a job offer, the employer has the ability to comb through your financial history to see if you've paid your bills on time, and can choose not to offer you a job if you haven't. Of course, if you're having trouble paying your bills—because of a job loss, an illness, an irregular work schedule, or other risks that working families face—being turned down for a job isn't going to make it easier to pay your bills or improve your credit. And so the cycle continues.
If you're having trouble paying your bills, being turned down for a job isn't going to make it easier to pay your bills or improve your credit.
Meanwhile, credit reporting itself has its limitations. Roughly one in five credit reports contains errors, according to an analysis by the Federal Trade Commission. And the information in credit reports only reflects part of a family's financial situation—the part that tends to reflect better on upper-income folks. Mortgage payments count toward a positive credit history—very significantly—but on-time rent payments don't. And when low-income families pay their regular bills on time—such as rent and utilities—this positive information generally doesn't go on credit reports, even though negative information such as late payments, nonpayments, and collections ultimately does get reported. So even when families are trying hard to pay bills on time, these bills don't count in the same way credit cards and loan payments do.
That's slowly starting to change. There are efforts underway to improve credit reporting to more accurately reflect credit risk and help more deserving borrowers get affordable loans, including a recent pilot where thousands of low-income families living in affordable housing were able to have their rental payments applied to their credit reports and scores. But in the meantime, families are needlessly hurt by a system that misuses financial information to make hiring decisions that hurt those who are already struggling.
To be sure, New York City's law does have some exceptions for jobs in government, law enforcement, certain finance and tech jobs, and jobs where the employee is in charge of major financial decisions. For these jobs, one can argue that the fears of theft cited when credit screening tools are pitched to companies are more legitimate. (When I worked at the Treasury Department, for example, a credit check was required.) But the City's new law goes well beyond other states where, for example, handling a certain amount of cash could be considered an exception. And it comes close to two bills introduced in the last Congress: one bill by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) limiting credit checks to jobs requiring a security clearance, and a bill by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) with added exemptions for some government and banking jobs.
The federal government has been catching on as well. Last fall, the US Department of Labor issued new guidance warning employers that the use of credit reports may be discriminatory. Policies designed to screen for people working in high-level positions shouldn't apply to most jobs, never mind that even Bernie Madoff probably had a stellar credit history for most of his career.
We should follow New York's example to keep credit reports where they belong—in the financial marketplace—and not as another barrier to hold people back from jobs and financial security because of past decisions or financial distress.
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TAGS Employment Jobs
Temporary Assistance Doesn't Help Impoverished Married Parents
May 1, 2015 | Shawn Fremstad
This Sept. 14, 2011 photo shows Thomas McDaniel, left, Brandi Wells, and her 10-month-old son Logan Tanner Wells on the porch of their apartment in Kingwood, W.Va. Wells, a single mom, is struggling to find a job and care for her 10-month-old son. (AP Photo/Vicki Smith)
Marital poverty is a serious, widespread, but mostly unacknowledged problem in the United States. Just over 9.3 million people in married-parent families live below our extremely low official poverty line. Another 6 million people live between the official poverty threshold and 130 percent of the poverty line, which is the income limit for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and only about $26,000 for a married couple with one child.
Despite these staggering numbers, there is widespread denial of the reality of marital poverty. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has gone so far to claim that being "married with kids versus unmarried with kids is the difference between living in poverty and not." It appears he is unaware there are more married parents living in poverty in his state than never married parents living in poverty.
We know from a vast body of research that poverty and related financial stressors are risk factors for marital conflict, domestic violence, and divorce. And notable recent research by Laura Tach and Kathryn Edin found that economic factors are a more important predictor of dissolution for married parents than for cohabiting ones.
The Temporary Assistance (TANF) program should be playing a central role in helping married families overcome the kinds of economic hardship and other factors that contribute to the high divorce rate among working class families. Under the Temporary Assistance program, states receive funds to provide means-tested, re-employment assistance and other services to struggling unemployed and underemployed parents with low incomes. One of the four purposes of Temporary Assistance is to "encourage the maintenance of two-parent families."
Despite this mandate, Temporary Assistance is failing struggling, married families. The extent of TANF's failure is shown in the chart below. Between 2000 and 2012, the number of married parents living in poverty increased 39 percent, but the already extremely low number of married parents being helped by TANF plummeted by 54 percent. In the majority of states today, fewer than 1000 married parents receive Temporary Assistance. In Louisiana, for example, over 50,000 married parents live in poverty, but only about 50 of them receive Temporary Assistance.
Where Temporary Assistance has failed, other better-designed programs have stepped up. In 2014, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helped 5.2 million low-income children who lived with both of their married parents, and another 1.2 million children who lived with both of their unmarried parents. Unlike Temporary Assistance, SNAP actually responded to the increase in married-parent unemployment and hardship during the Great Recession. Similarly, early evidence suggests that the Affordable Care Act—including Medicaid expansion and the Premium Tax Credit—has increased health insurance coverage among working-class married families.
How can we fix Temporary Assistance so that it doesn't effectively exclude millions of struggling, married parents from getting the temporary financial help – as well as employment and other services – that could make the difference between staying together and splitting up?
The first and arguably most important step is to acknowledge the extent of the problem of marital poverty and hardship in the United States, and the destructive impact it has on family life.
Then we need to look at models for reforming Temporary Assistance. Most notably, the original version of the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) that was evaluated in the mid-1990s reduced divorce among participating disadvantaged, two-parent families. The reductions in divorce were particularly large—70 percent—among black married couples. In addition, both MFIP and Milwaukee's New Hope Project increased rates of marriage among disadvantaged single mothers.
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These progressive demonstration projects ensured that low-income married- and cohabiting-couple families had an adequate income to support themselves while searching for work or addressing issues that limited their work capacity, including through transitional jobs, re-employment, and other services. Unlike the current Temporary Assistance program, these programs did not utilize unreasonably restrictive participation rates or harshly punitive measures that are mostly aimed at reducing the number of people who receive help; instead, these programs emphasized helping parents obtain and maintain stable employment, while meeting their basic needs.
Unfortunately, the current financial structure of Temporary Assistance and the federal law that governs it makes operating rigorously tested programs like the original MFIP or New Hope all but impossible for states. Fixing this should be at the top of the list of reforms that would help struggling, two-parent families. At the very least, the federal government should establish a national Temporary Assistance demonstration project for married and unmarried two-parent families based on the original MFIP program and New Hope. Of course, some policymakers would prefer to just talk about family values, but even in today's polarized political environment it should be possible to move forward on a concrete initiative like this one that actually values working-class families by helping them stay together.
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As Affordable Rent Disappears, Lawmakers Propose Slashing Funds that Could Help
How the Department of Labor Could Help Fix the Retirement Crisis
TAGS family Marriage TANF
© 2020 Center for American Progress


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Peter Kenneth Endorses Raila For Presidency, Open To Working With Him
By Richard Kamau / Friday, 20 Nov 2020 06:47AM / Leave a Comment / Tags: peter kenneth, Raila Odinga
Former presidential aspirant Peter Kenneth says ODM leader Raila Odinga is best suited to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022.
In an exclusive interview with the Star, the former Gatanga MP said the former prime minister has been at the centre of all struggles to make the country better.
"I think Raila has what it takes should he offer himself for the presidency. He has been involved in all the battles to make Kenya better, but I cannot speak for him," Kenneth said.
"I do not know what the handshake between him and the President entailed when it comes to 2022. Both of them have publicly said it's not time for politicking. Therefore, until it's quite clear he will be a candidate, it would not be right for us to discuss that candidature."
Peter Kenneth noted that he would be open to working with Raila having worked with him before.
"I have worked with Raila before in many instances. So why can't I work with him again?" he posed.
The former lawmaker mentioned that Raila may have lost in the last three elections but half of the country voted for him.
"It's also important for Kenyan to remember that despite the fact that the Hon Raila Odinga has lost elections; he has never lost a referendum. We have had only two and in both he was on the winning side," he said.
Peter Kenneth also spoke about his political ambition saying he is ready to serve Kenyans. He, however, played his cards close to his chest.
"Of course, I have something to offer Kenyans. I have always said that. And whenever I have been given an opportunity, I have been able to show I am able to offer something to make Kenya better," he told the Star.
On whether he is ready to take over as the Mt Kenya kingpin, Kenneth said: "I don't think it's a question of being ready. First, in a new dispensation, it's a question of ensuring the region is adequately represented at any negotiating table… I have what it takes to represent the region but that is not a priority now
"I believe if the opportunity is granted as first amongst equals, I should be on that list," he added.
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The X45Pro is the world's highest performance multi-purpose Music Player with the functions of DAC, CD Ripper, Network Streamer, Music Recorder and much more for the audiophiles, equipped with SABRE PRO Flagship ES9038PRO DAC chip supporting up to PCM 768Khz sample rate and native DSD512 and delivering an unprecedented Dynamic Range, and OPA627BP Precision High-Speed Operational Amplifier. To minimize electrical and idle noises, power source circuit for digital and analogue parts is designed isolatedly, and Toroidal Transformer and SMPS are completely shielded with aluminum. The X45Pro whole enclosure is precisely crafted with beautiful glass-sanding aluminum, which is fabricated by precision CNC machine. The overwhelming and various functions offered by our custom-designed software developed by in-house R&D team complete the X45Pro as a wonderful device for the audiophiles.
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"Flushed Away" Was the Best Animated Film of 2006
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 234 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux
Flushed Away (2006)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK (with USA)
Running time: 90 minutes; MPAA – PG for crude humor and some language
DIRECTORS: David Bowers and Sam Fell
WRITERS: Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, Chris Lloyd and Joe Keenan, and Will Davies; from a story by Sam Fell, Peter Lord and Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais
PRODUCERS: Peter Lord, David Sproxton, and Cecil Kramer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brad Blackbourn and Frank Passingham
EDITOR: John Venzon and Eric Dapkewicz
BAFTA nominee
ANIMATION/COMEDY/ACTION
Starring: (voices) Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, Shane Richie, and Jean Reno
The computer-animated feature film, Flushed Away, is the star child of two of the most successful animation studios of the last decade: DreamWorks Animation (Shrek) and Aardman Features (Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit). DreamWorks creates state-of-the-art computer animation. Aardman films are usually done with stop-motion animation, and their characters and sets are made of Plasticene (modeling clay) – called "claymation." Now, the two studios have created a film with a story and characters that are as inventive as the technical and artistic process that created it.
The story begins in London – specifically the Kensington Gardens house where Roddy St. James (Hugh Jackman) lives the pampered life of a pet mouse. Roddy gets an unwanted guest in the form of a rowdy sewer rat named Sid (Shane Richie), after he comes spewing out of the sink. Roddy tries to get rid of Sid by tricking him into taking a whirlpool bath in the toilet, but Sid pushes Roddy in and Roddy gets flushed away.
After a rough trip, Roddy discovers a metropolis in the sewers beneath London, made by industrious rodents out of discarded items. Roddy meets the spunky and resourceful Rita (Kate Winslet), captain of her own boat, the Jammy Dodger. Rita, however, is in the middle of a long-running feud with a local crime lord, the villainous Toad (Ian McKellen, superb as a villain prone to fits of melodrama and theatrics). Toad despises all rodents and has hatched a diabolical plot to destroy all of them during halftime of the World Cup. Roddy and Rita are determined to stop him, but to do that, they have to battle Toad's henchrats Spike (Andy Serkis) and Whitey (Bill Nighy), as well as Toad's cousin, Le Frog (Jean Reno), every step of the way.
There are animated films in which the composition in terms of what the viewer sees on screen is prettier – Pixar productions come to mind, but when it comes to pure comedy, I would be hard pressed to find a more successful 3D animated film than Flushed Away. Visually, Flushed Away is true to the signature style of Aardman, as seen in the Wallace and Gromit films and in Chicken Run, but I would be remiss in this review if I emphasized the technical side. Flushed Away is a funny film, a superb achievement in comedy as good as live action.
The strong screenwriting emphasizes wacky, scatological humor and funny characters. The humor isn't too crude for children; actually, it's the kind of humor that frequently shows up in children's entertainment: jokes and sight gags about bodily functions, taking a blow to the loins, and other light innuendo. This is a broad kind of humor, seemingly lowbrow but familiar to all regardless of age. Simply brilliant, the comedy writing is wry yet boisterous and both subtle and blunt. A blend of parody and slapstick, Flushed Away satirizes melodramatic, Hollywood action thrillers, and it still has time to be part romantic comedy.
It's not as if any one group of people should get credit for Flushed Away being such a fine flick. However, if the voice performers weren't so good, the excellent work of the directors, writers, animators, and computer guys would have been… flushed away. The vocal performances take this film to the next two levels by bringing the characters to life in such a way that they become more than just kiddie cartoons. Truthfully, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, and Ian McKellan, and Jean Reno are international movie stars and superb actors, and their supporting cast – Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, and Shane Richie – are fine character actors. Indeed, Serkis' comically inept little brute, Spike, and Nighy's Zen heavy, Whitey, are so funny and well done that the duo deserves its own flick. In the end, the actors give us the same great work they would in a live action movie, and that is the main reason why Flushed Away may be the year's best animated feature film.
2007 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: "Best Animated Feature Film" (David Bowers and Sam Fell)
Posted by Leroy Douresseaux at 8:49 AM
Labels: 2006, Andy Serkis, animated film, BAFTA nominee, Bill Nighy, DreamWorks Animation, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellan, international cinema, Jean Reno, Kate Winslet, Movie review, United Kingdom
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Through his earnestness and the creativity on display in the LEGO set,
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Review: "AVATAR: The Way of Water" is Indeed Too Long, But it is Never Boring
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 of 2023 (No. 1890) by Leroy Douresseaux Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Running time: 192 minutes (3 hours, 12 minu...
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Married couple Robert Sena and Isay Alvarez were part of the original cast of Miss Saigon which first premiered in London in 1989. Isay's tips for those interested in joining the auditions? "Number one, triple threat, e. Kailangan sumasayaw ka, kumakanta ka, umaarte ka. So medyo ang weakness ng mga Pinoy ay dance. Dapat ngayon pa lang bina-brush up niyo na yung mga dancing skills n'yo. And of course take voice lessons, very important yun."[/caption] West End is prepping up for the restaging of Miss Saigon next year, more than two decades after the musical first premiered in London in 1989. Producer Cameron Mackintosh has decided to go back where he discovered many of the original cast members and will be conducting the Manila auditions from November 19 to 22.
Then an 18-year-old girl, Lea Salonga brought prestige to the Philippines by landing the lead role Kim due to her remarkable talent as a stage actress.
Also part of the original cast were thirteen other Filipinos including Monique Wilson, Isay Alvarez, Robert Sena, Pinky Amador, and Leo Valdez. PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) had an interview last November 7 with Robert Sena and Isay Alvarez at The Manila Peninsula Hotel for the Sing @ Ning Search for the Ultimate Voice where they acted as judges. As part of the original cast of Miss Saigon, the couple encouraged Filipino performers to join the auditions. Robert said, "Actually, I'm telling the next generation to audition for that. Not only that they'll earn but also the experience to perform sa ibang bansa and a chance to study, as well. Makikita mo yung ibang perspective ng musical theater. Isay, on the other hand, did not hesitate to share some tips on how to make it to cast list. "Number one, triple threat, e kailangan sumasayaw ka, kumakanta ka, umaarte ka. So medyo ang weakness ng mga Pinoy ay dance. Dapat ngayon pa lang bina-brush up n'yo na yung mga dancing skills n'yo. And of course, take voice lessons, very important yun," she pointed out. She may have already been a seasoned theater actress in local plays before joiningMiss Saigon, but Isay still went through a lot of training when she was in London. She recalled, "Well, I used to dance before a lot. When we were there, I would take dance classes in between shows. Kasi yung mga kasabay namin are all graduates of performing arts so we have to level up with them. "And we would take voice lessons also."
Miss Saigon, written by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, is set in the city of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) during the Vietnam War.
A love story between a Vietnamese bar girl who fell in love with an American GI, the musical cast Asian theater actors to play the role of the Vietnamese characters. But for the musical's revival next year, the auditions will only be held in two cities around the world: London and Manila. PEP asked Robert and Isay how they feel about this. Robert answered matter-of-factly, "Alam mo, wala naman na silang nahanap sa ibang bansa na, e. Bumalik sila sa dati nilang… kung saan na-discover yung mga Pilipino na nag-perform na nagbigay ng prestige sa ating bansa." Isay added, "Kasi may nag-post ng tips ng Miss Saigon when they were looking for the person who will play Kim. Talagang they really went around the world. And they realized na all the finalists, may dugong Pinoy, e. So that's why they came here and now they're coming back here. And it would be very, very good for our performing artists also to be part of it." The couple admit people approach them to be mentored since they have actually established a performing arts school. Isay said, "Because we have Spotlight Artists Center, so there you can take voice lessons. I think you really have to prepare for it. Hindi puwedeng just because you have the talent. You have to know how to handle and audition, like pagharap mo sa kanila, baka siguro natunaw ka na. Ngayon pa lang, tunawin na natin!" Robert said there's a certain "mold" the producers are looking for.
"Meron talaga silang sound na hinahanap, look na hinahanap, acting na hinahanap, as well."
"So maybe because of years na ginawa ko siya, very familiar ako sa hinahanap nila," he said. More than the money they earned after performing in West End, the couple believe being a part of Miss Saigon brought a lot of pride to the country. Isay stated, I think it's the prestige na napakaganda ng naibigay sa amin, yung first batch of Filipinos who went there. "In the beginning, parang hindi nila alam na may Pilipinas pala. At hindi nila alam na merong mina ng talent dito sa atin." Robert added, "Ako rin, naniniwala. Marami pa diyan. Naku, umaapaw talaga ang talents ng Pinoy. "And I truly believe, someday, we will have our own identity na katulad ni Gangnam [Psy], similar to that. I believe in that. "It's just that, we have to find yung originality natin. "And the thing with Miss Saigon kasi, original siya, wala siyang pagkokopyahan, so yung talent mo, yun talaga. "Pero ang secret? Walang lalamya-lamya, yun talaga," he asserted. With the musical's restaging next year, Isay admitted, brings back fond memories. She said, "I would always say, best years ng buhay namin, dun sa London. "Naaalala ko kung pa'no ako niligawan ni Mr. Sena. Hahaha!" "At kung papaano kami naghanda papuntang London na parang probinsiyano na pupunta ng ano, alam mo yun? We really enjoyed our journey together, kaming mga original casts." Are they planning to watch the auditions? Isay replied, "May plano kaming mag-hello kina Cameron and to thank them for coming again to to the Philippines. Yun, gusto kong mangyari yun." Robert said, "Naniniwala akong may reunion kami, yeah.Exciting for Filipinos to do that again." "Kami, okay na kami, rest na kami. I'm happy for the next gen of this production talaga. They should do it. "Wala na yung parang makabayan ako dito. It's not that. You go there to study more." Isay also has a message to those who are aspiring to become the next Kim or even just a part of the cast. "Pero kasi yung iba, marami akong naririnig na they want to audition, but they haven't really started preparing really. We're just here, we can help you. We can give you tips," she said. If they don't make it through the auditions, should they be disappointed? Isay answered, "Ay, hindi talaga. Kasi kami, tumanda na siguro sa pag-o-auditions So, pag hindi ka natanggap, ibig sabihin, hindi ikaw yung hinahanap. Meron silang hinahanap na wala sa 'yo. "Maybe sa ibang productions, or maybe you should prepare more. "You should prepare more para dun sa role. Ganun lang yun."


text:
The Poorly Physician in a Huff
by Editors | Jan 7, 2009
Just over a year ago, we picked up on a post at the miserablist blog, Grist, by Professor Andrew Dessler, former scientific advisor to the Clinton administration. Dessler had compared the planet's 'suffering' from climate change to a child with cancer. 'Who are his parents going to take him to in order to determine the best course of treatment?', Dessler asked. Not to the 'quacks' (the 'sceptics'). Better take the child to the real doctors (the IPCC).
Expertise matters. Not everyone's opinion is equally valid. The list of skeptics on the EPW blog contains few bona fide climate specialists. In fact, the only criteria to get on the list, as far as I can tell, is having a PhD and some credential that makes you an academic. So Freeman Dyson makes lists. While I'm certain he's a smart guy, I would not take a sick child to him, and I won't take a sick planet to him either. In both cases, he simply does not have the relevant specialist knowledge. That also applies the large number of social scientists, computer programmers, engineers, etc., without any specialist knowledge on this problem. The bottom line is that the opinions of most of the skeptics on the list are simply not credible.
As Dessler discovered – after we told him – the IPCC is substantially comprised, not of climate scientists (aka 'doctors') but exactly the 'large number of social scientists, computer programmers, engineers, etc., without any specialist knowledge on this problem' that he accused the membership of the 'Inhofe 400' list of being. We surveyed the IPCC authors from WGI, WGII and WGIII hailing from the UK and USA, and found that Dessler's characterisation of the IPCC didn't stand up to scrutiny. If Dessler's claim had not been made by Dessler, but by some run-of-the-mill political hack, his mischaracterisation would be inconsequential. But Dessler cannot claim to have been unaware of what the IPCC is comprised: he's a climate science professor, and was an advisor to the Clinton administration. If he is was ignorant, he's employed well above his ablilty. If he wasn't ignorant, then he's a straightforward liar.
Dessler's shrill tones have not diminished during 2008. Following an article on the usually 'liberal' Huffington Post by Harold Ambler, Dessler writes today that Ambler's article was 'replete with gross factual errors about the science of climate change'.
Word is that this was an editorial slip-up on HuffPo's part; they don't typically provide a place for this kind of agitprop. The essay is gone from the site's portal pages and rumor has it The Huff herself may address the issue soon.
It is always interesting to discover 'liberals' acting illiberally. And it is when climate scepticism threatens environmentalism's influence over the liberal camp that liberals who have bought the green cause get really illiberal. Consider, for example, Bjorn Lomborg, who has never 'denied' global warming, climate change, nor that they represent serious problems which ought to be addressed, probably by government intervention. In spite of his rather mild (in comparison to many sceptics' claims) position, Lomborg was the subject of more vitriol from the alarmist propaganda machine than perhaps any other climate-sceptic/denier/realist figure. Why? Because he is – look at him – super liberal. As liberal qualifications go, you don't get much more liberal than a gay vegetarian Danish academic. (Denmark – for those who don't know, is perhaps the most liberal place on earth: it has a tax rate that would make many conservatives go into anaphylactic shock, it has a huge welfare state, and has the lowest income inequality in the world, not to mention one of the highest standards of living.) Whatever you want to call him, the word 'conservative' just doesn't really sum him up. And that is why he terrified the environmental movement. It's not because he challenged the science, it is because he threatened the political project. He offered a rational and pragmatic methodology to assess the world's problems that was consistent with liberal values. And in reply, the environmental movement went ballistic.
So let's get this straight, the substance of Harold Ambler's unremarkable essay is of little significance. What's got up Dessler's nose is that it was published on the liberal/left Huffington Post. To allow liberals to fall out of line on the climate issue would be to reveal the nebulous character of mainstream liberal thought – without the spectre of immenent catastophe, there's not much keeping it together. Hence, Dessler diminishes the essay as 'agitprop' and welcomes its removal from the 'portal pages'. Dessler's rhetoric does two things. First, it tells the reading liberal what to think and legitimises censoriousness. More importantly, second, it fires a shot across the bows of any liberal organ which dares to entertain a climate sceptic on its pages in much the same way as Martin Durkin's Great Global Warming Swindle (just 90 minutes of TV in a shedule jam-packed with environmentalism) drew furious comments about Channel 4 from the Great and the Good. It threatens to withdraw the moral authority loaned to liberals by climate science.
If Mahatma Ghandi were still alive and dared to express scepticism about the climate issue, 'liberals' reading the 'liberal media' would struggle to identify the difference between his views, and those of Ann Coulter.
stas peterson on January 7, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Mr. Dessler is a smart, educated man, who has adopted GAIAN religious dogma as his Science. He is therefor not intelligent. However, he is almost sane by comparison to Mr. Obama's choices for Administration scientific positions.
In comparison to Mr. Obama's designated Science Advisor, Mr. Holgren, a certifiable loon, with his absurd prediction of a US population of 22 million in 2000, due to the enormous famines, from resource exhaustion, that he predicted with fraud Dr. Erlich. Or Ms. Carol Browner, Mr. Obama's EPA designate, the proud card-carrying member of the organization Socialist International. She is a defiant crazy, and redistributionist masquerading as an Green. She has no academic credentials, and is the exact model of the the so-called "Watermelon"; a Green on the outside, Red inside. The protective Green coloration, hiding the true political aims. Her support for Lysenkoism is endemic.
piaggio on January 7, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Dessler doesn't know much about Freeman Dyson, who is a Cambridge BA in maths but not a PhD. His ScD is honorary.
Stevo on January 8, 2009 at 11:26 am
He also apparently doesn't know that Dyson was working on climate change science and the effects of CO2 twenty years before it became fashionable.
See the interview here:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JTSxubKfTBU
Cam H on January 12, 2009 at 9:38 pm
I feel the need to point out in response to comment #1 that the Socialist International is neither socialist or much of an international. The British Labour Party is one of its largest members. It's a very mainstream organization.
G.S. Williams on May 21, 2009 at 3:36 am
It's good to see that there are some Realists around who are knowlegable about Climate-science. It is urgently necessary to get all of the governments in the world to realise the falsehood of the IPCC's Pseudo-science. and prevent the Cand T etc from beilng enacted. As you've mentioned, the Poor will be poorer and the average Middle class will also be poorer.
We are in danger of a Catastrophic Global swindle, if the IPCC cannot be stopped.