It would be a pity if this well-researched and nuanced biography of the greatest English composer of the second half of the twentieth century became known for the rather sensational medical revelations contained in the last chapter. Certainly, they gave me pause before I began reading the book.
Benjamin Britten (1913–76) was the towering musical figure of my childhood. One of my most treasured possessions is a small photograph showing me at the age of twelve with other boys from my school, our music master, Alan Fluck, the handsome Peter Pears, and the shyly sympathetic Britten, who is holding a plate with a piece of sponge cake. Britten had just heard our school orchestra and choir, myself as one of three 'picked boys' and Pears as the tenor soloist in a performance of Britten's cantata Saint Nicolas, written seven years previously for Pears's public school, Lancing College in Sussex. How our music master had lured these two stars to our humble grammar school I will never know: maybe it was because Pears was born in the same town. But the warmth and sympathy shown to us schoolboys overwhelmed me, as did the music. Before the concert I knew of Britten, already the white hope of English music, and I had probably heard The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra and the Serenade for Strings, Voice and Horn; but to have been involved in, and met the creator of, this irresistibly immediate and moving work, now somewhat of a rarity, launched an adolescent hero-worship of the man and the music, which, nearly sixty years later, has not vanished.
For the next decade, Britten produced a series of major works. I attended some of the premières via the generosity of the Prince and Princess of Hesse, who founded a scholarship grant for a group of young people to attend the Aldeburgh Festival, then at its zenith. Tickets were free or subsidised in return for program-selling, chair-stacking, or other simple chores. I had the privilege of attending a cocktail party given by 'Ben' in the Red House, where I had the temerity to ask him why he allowed Sviatoslav Richter and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to perform Brahms, a known pet hate of his. Britten's response was characteristic: Die Schöne Magelone was one of the few great song cycles written for a baritone, and one couldn't allow Die Schöne Müllerin, Winterreise, or Dichterliebe to be sung in anything but their original keys (that is, by a tenor). Britten openly discussed new operatic subjects, including Anna Karenina and King Lear. He showed the same warmth and empathy that had so touched me ten years previously. By this time I was also aware of my own homosexuality and was deeply sympathetic to Britten's own sexual nature and his left-wing pacifist tendencies. Kildea explores the latter with precision, plus Britten's need to belong to the cultural English élite. He offers a more detailed account of Britten's complex attitude toward homosexuality than was the case in previous biographies.
Britten's contribution to the transformation of musical life in England after World War II is chronicled in detail. Kildea cites not only his compositional mastery but also his own exacting standards as a performer. I can bear witness to the extraordinary nature of Britten's pianism and his unobtrusive but deeply sensitive conducting, including an unforgettable L'enfance du Christ in a wintery-cold Southwark Cathedral, a joyous Spring Symphony with the Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus in the Festival Hall, and, strangely given little mention by Kildea, the season of Bach weekends in Long Melford Church, where the absence of gut strings, the presence, when needed, of vibrato, and a totally personal undogmatic sense of tempi created the most 'authentic' Bach I can remember.
The presence of Pears at all of these occasions, and what has been revealed in their published correspondence, attest to the depth of their musical and emotional relationship. The colour of Pears's voice, his particular feeling for words, his highly personal technique (other tenors have complained that the position of the transition from chest and head voice gives rise to considerable difficulties in, say, the Pleiades monologue in Peter Grimes or the 'Dirge' in the Serenade): all these factors were a direct inspiration for Britten's vocal writing. Kildea is sensitive to this. But there are strong hints of major conflicts between Pears's independent life as a singer – with long periods away and possible fleeting liaisons – and Britten's need for companionship and reassurance. Some of this is conjecture on Kildea's part, but he creates a mood that undermines the more traditional view of the relationship as one of harmony and fruitfulness.
All this leads to the great shock of this book: the revelation that during the aortic valve replacement surgery that ultimately led to Britten's early death in 1976, tertiary syphilis was discovered as the underlying cause of cardiac insufficiency, syphilis that Kildea presumes to have been transmitted by Pears, though he displayed no symptoms of the disease as far as we know. That Britten had had a severe bout of sub-acute bacterial endocarditis at the end of the 1960s is not in dispute, but it is strange that no evidence of the syphilis surfaced during the tests undertaken at that time: we have only the word of the surgeon to give us the diagnosis. On one level, the discussion is academic, as the complications of replacement surgery could easily have followed without the 'adrenal spirochaete'. But Kildea seems to put in doubt the image of Pears, and throws a shadow over one of the great partnerships in European arts. As an ex-medical practitioner, I would like to see some more concrete evidence. Here I note that Britten's cardiologist, Michael Petch, in a letter to Opera magazine (April 2013), has disputed the claim and stated that 'Britten's heart problem was degenerative, not syphilitic'.
This episode leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste, but it should not deter one from enjoying and respecting Kildea's detailed and refreshing assessment of Britten's output, including much-needed reappraisals of the Spring Symphony, Cantata academica, Children's Crusade, the late song cycles, and Owen Wingrave, which I now feel compelled to re-examine: I worked on it as répétiteur when Covent Garden performed it in the early 1970s and found it difficult to like as much as the previous operas. The other important revaluation is that of Gloriana, which is finally being accorded the same importance as Peter Grimes and Billy Budd: the initial impulse behind its inception and the subsequent effects of its failure are treated most sympathetically.
As a listener, I was aware of a change in Britten's style during the late 1960s and attributed this to his encroaching illness – the music losing its drive, becoming static and austere, less 'spontaneous'. Kildea regards this as a process of deliberate change. He sees in the last works a re-blossoming, a return to the rich early palette, notably in Death in Venice and Phaedra, a work which belies its apparent economy of means and succeeds in creating a sensuous world worthy of the greatest vocal output. Indeed, this is one of the achievements of the book: Kildea makes us realise that Britten's creative mind did not succumb to the debilitating physical illness that so distressed him. Kilda describes the music in terms both precise in technical details and totally accessible to non-musicians.
Britten's life covered the transition from empire to postwar austerity and restructuring. Kildea conveys the non-musical context with an admirable lack of bias. At times one is frustrated by the lack of photographs of telling details in the text (Kennett Green's double portrait is one example). Similarly helpful would have been a chronological list of Britten's works and a complete discography, not only as a performer of his works but also as conductor, piano soloist, and accompanist.
Welcome as this year's centenary celebrations are, more welcome is the fact that the four decades since his death have seen no decrease in performances of his works – quite the contrary. Kildea's advocacy of some neglected works might lead to the rediscovery of yet more of the repertoire of this great artist, who wrote music with meaning for us all, whose language was always accessible, and for whom art had a central part to play in society, which this eminently readable book shows so admirably.
Jeffrey Tate has conducted in most of the world's great opera houses since the 1970s. He is a former principal conductor of the Royal Opera House, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. His Australian performances have included Wagner's Ring (1998) and Parsifal (2001) in Adelaide. Before turning to opera, Jeffrey Tate studied medicine at Cambridge University.


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Understanding Symmetry in Object-Oriented Languages
Liping Zhao, UMIST, U.K.
James O. Coplien, North Central College, U.S.A.
REFEREED
The success of symmetry applications in many scientific disciplines has motivated us to explore symmetry in software. Our exploration is based on an informal notion that symmetry is the possibility of making a change together with some aspect that is immune to this change. In this view, symmetry has a duality of change and constancy whereby some aspect of an object can be changed while leaving other key aspects invariant. This view of symmetry is a fundamental concept underpinning many symmetry principles in the physical sciences. We have found that we can explain some object-oriented language constructs using this notion of symmetry. This article explores symmetry in object-oriented languages and also provides other examples of symmetry outside of object-oriented programming to show that symmetry considerations broaden beyond object orientation to other areas of software design.
The success of symmetry applications in many scientific disciplines has motivated us to explore symmetry in software [7] [8] [31]. Our exploration is based on an informal notion that symmetry is the possibility of making a change while some aspect remains immune to this change. In this view, symmetry has a duality of change and constancy whereby some aspect of an object can be changed while leaving other key aspects invariant. This view of symmetry has underpinned many principles in the physical sciences. For example, one of the most important conservation laws is that of mass-energy. This law derives from the symmetry principle that physical laws are invariant with respect to time; that is, the amount of energy present before any physical interaction must equal the amount available after the interaction. We have found that this notion of symmetry also underpins some object-oriented language constructs.
This article presents our understanding of symmetry and its role in object-oriented languages. We believe a proper understanding of symmetry is important not only to software design, but also to software maintenance, testing and debugging, as recent research shows [9]. We shall also provide other examples of symmetry besides object-oriented programming to show that symmetry considerations broaden beyond object orientation to other areas of software design.
The formal notion of symmetry is beyond the scope of this article, but for the completeness, we briefly introduce it here. In mathematics, symmetry is studied under geometry and algebra. Geometric symmetry is a familiar concept in everyday life. It is based on rigid motion that leaves distances between points unchanged under some transformation. Such transformation includes reflection, rotation, translation, and their various combinations. In algebra [15], symmetry is characterised as a group of transformations that are closed, associative and invertible under a given law of composition. An object possesses symmetry if it remains unchanged under a group of transformations. The basic idea of symmetry is thus invariant change, i.e., change yet the same [21] [22] [28]. The informal notion of symmetry described above derives from this basic idea.
2	SYMMETRY IN OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES
In this section, we first give an overview of basic object-oriented notions and then discuss how these notions are related to symmetry and what benefits can be obtained from understanding this link.
Basic Object-Oriented Notions
Class is said to be the basic notion of object-oriented programming from which everything else derives [17]. A class is used to describe the structure and behaviour of all the objects generated from the class. Inheritance and subclassing are fundamental relations between pairs of class (and by extension, the transitive closure of these relations). A subclass describes additions (but not deletions) to its direct superclass; it is a convenient mechanism to avoid rewriting definitions that already appear in the superclass. Alternatively, inheritance is the sharing of properties between a class and its subclasses.
Subclasses and inheritance are the basis of subtyping [1] [5]. Subtyping is a relation on object types; an object type with more methods is a subtype of one with fewer methods. Consider two objects that share methods m1, m2, and m3, and one of the objects further has method m4. The type of the second object is a subtype of the one with fewer methods. A subtype provides all the behaviour of its supertype and may have extra behaviour. The subtyping relation is reflexive and transitive. Reflexive means that a type is a subtype of itself, whereas transitive means that if type C is a subtype of type B and B is a subtype of type A, then C is also a subtype of A. Subtyping has a subsumption rule, which states that if b is an object of B and B is a subtype of A, b is also an object of A. The subsumption rule has a practical importance in object-oriented programming and is known as the Liskov substitution principle (LSP) [14]:
If for each object o1 of type S there is an object o2 of type T such that for all programs P defined in terms of T, the behaviour of P is unchanged when o1 is substituted for o2, them S is a subtype of T.
Classification View of Classes
The class concept itself is interesting in its own right for its close ties to the theory of classification. Several researchers have explored this connection. For example, Wegner [27] presents a classification paradigm for object-oriented programming. He proposes to use equivalence relations as first-order classification mechanisms for classifying elements of a set into independent and disjoint classes. He defines three kinds of equivalence relations as the basis of type soundness and completeness, from which mathematical models of types can be developed.
Motschnig-Pitrik and Mylopoulos [18] study classes and instances from a cognitive science viewpoint. They share Hofstadter's [10] view that our thinking is grounded in our ability to classify, and that classification establishes relationships between classes and instances. They state that classification underlies cognition and serves as an organisational structure for human memory. Cardelli [5] states that classification is what makes object-oriented programming different from other programming paradigms. Object-oriented programming languages generally support two levels of classification, which organises objects into classes and classes into class hierarchies. Simons [23] believes that all the object-oriented concepts can be united in a single theoretical model and explained under a theory of classification. He demonstrates that the notion of class is a first-class mathematical concept. Rayside and Campbell [20] note many interesting similarities between the notion of class in object-oriented programming and the notion of species in Aristotelian logic. They suggest a new way of understanding object-oriented programming, from the viewpoint of biology and taxonomy.
In the following, we take the classification view of classes a step further by studying its link to the general idea of symmetry – the principle of invariance. We shall also explore symmetry in classification with subtyping.
Symmetry in Classes
As just mentioned, a class is a classification of objects. Such classification establishes the class-member invariance such that the description of the class is true for all the objects of the class. This view of class can be explained as symmetry [11]: A class enables the change of the objects, but the change must respect the structure and behaviour stipulated by the class. The structure and behaviour of a class can be enhanced through class invariants, preconditions and postconditions [17]. The benefit of symmetry in classes is thus that it constrains the change of objects and enforces the correctness of classes. From the compiler's viewpoint, symmetry improves the compilation optimisation. For example, in C++, since all the objects of a class are of the same size and the offsets of all members are the same, they can help the compiler to generate efficient code for member access, method lookup, and memory allocation.
This notion of class can be valuable to component-based software development. Components can be grouped into classes according to certain commonality, such as interface compatibility or behaviour compatibility. A class can then be used to generate all the components that have the same commonality and accommodate individual variations. The components of the same class thus provide the flexibility for change. When a requirement is changed in an application, a new component can be used to replace the old one so long the new component respects the defined commonality in the component class. Such substitutability is an important feature in component-based software development. It is also important to software maintenance and evolution where the replacement of old or erroneous components is a major concern.
More importantly, the link between symmetry and classification provides a basis for theoretic study of object-oriented software design. By applying symmetry principles, the aim of software design is to identify and preserve the maximum design invariants and support variations. This aim underlies design reuse. We can envisage such a design method that provides a collection of design templates. Design templates describe invariants and possible variations. Design is then about instantiation of these templates, composition of the instances and substitution of the instances. The general notions of classes and objects can be extended to design templates.
Symmetry in Subtyping
Inheritance has been largely related to generalisation or specialisation in the object-oriented programming [26]; only a few researchers relate it to classification [5] [23] [27]. In knowledge representation, Winograd [29] perceives inheritance hierarchy as a system of classification where each node in inheritance represents a class of objects, and an is-a-kind-of link connects a class to some superclass that properly contains it. Winograd states that applying classification is one of the basic modes of reasoning and classification, by its very nature, is hierarchical.
In object-oriented programming, the role of inheritance in classification is not as clear as that of classes. The lack of the clarity owes to the flexibility of the inheritance mechanism. Inheritance can be used to extend a class, restrict a class, or otherwise modify a class. This means that a subclass may not be properly contained within its superclass and the description of a superclass may not be true to all its subclasses. Hence inheritance does not always classify classes. However, when inheritance is used as subtyping, as described above, it can be viewed as classification of classes, in that it establishes the behaviour invariance between a subclass and its direct superclass such that the subclass behaves the same as its superclass. We wish to make clear that in practice, subtyping is only one of the many roles inheritance plays. Therefore, it is only under the subtyping relation that inheritance classifies classes.
Subtyping is related to symmetry: all the classes of a subtyping path may vary, but they must preserve and conform to a common behaviour. All the classes of a path through a subtyping structure can be said to conform to the same type.
The benefits of understanding subtyping in terms of symmetry are similar to those of classes. First, the subtyping invariants can act as type constraints on inheritance to impose (for example, at compile time) a uniform typing behaviour for all classes in an inheritance path. Subcontracting rules [17] are a way of specifying subtyping invariants. Second, the notion of subtyping can be applied to component-based software development to achieve the desired substitutability among the components. Finally, classes and subtyping are basic design mechanisms that support the change through the substitution and maintain the stability through the invariants.
Symmetry in Operator Overloading
One of the reasons for providing the operator-overloading feature in the C++ programming language at the time was that it "looked neat" ([25], p.78). Another reason was to prevent some operators from being member functions with full access to the class private members. There were also symmetry considerations for overloading operators [13]. For example, by overloading an operator, one can treat it as an arithmetic operator and supplies the left and right operands to this operator. However, strictly speaking, overloaded operators do not provide symmetry of left and right; they only create an illusion of it, because overloaded operators such as "+" and "*" are not commutative and do not therefore possess reflection symmetry. In addition, the invocation of the overloaded operator at run time has little or no symmetry because in simple object-oriented programming, the language chooses (at run time) from among implementations of a polymorphic operations based on the (dynamic) type of one of the objects involved in the operation. It is only statically that the overloaded operator looks symmetric with respect to its left and right operands.
However, we can imagine a historical symmetry exists that preserves the structure and uniformity of the arithmetic operators, familiar from common algebra. Hence the importance of the operator-overloading feature is that it provides symmetry between built-in data types and user-defined types.
Symmetry in Double Dispatch
Double dispatch is a mechanism that associates a method with two objects and implements multiple methods. Double dispatch can happen at compile time (static dispatch) or runtime (dynamic dispatch). Double dispatch is a way of supporting polymorphic method lookup that goes beyond the simple dynamic single-object type lookup of Smalltalk, Java or C++, but which recalls the more powerful but statically bound polymorphism of arithmetic operators in, say, FORTRAN.
Overloading is a simple form of polymorphism, a simple double dispatch. In the previous section, we showed its relation to symmetry.
Whereas opinions divide on whether or not double dispatch should be used in object-oriented programming, the recent development shows the importance of symmetry in double dispatch [2]. When two arguments of the multimethods have the same type or conform to the same type as in subtyping, a symmetric multimethod can be added to make the order of the two arguments insensitive. An obvious benefit of symmetric dispatch is that the client code does not need to remember the order of arguments. Such feature simplifies the use of multimethods.
Symmetry also appears in the equal method of the Java programming language. The contract of the equal method requires that any implementation of equal should be symmetric, so that a.equal(b) should always produce the same result as b.equal(a). The importance of this symmetry requirement is to simplify the coding and to constrain the behaviour of the code.
3 OTHER SYMMETRY EXAMPLES
The above section serves to illustrate symmetry in object-oriented languages. In this section, we give more examples of symmetry. Although some of the examples are tenuous visual or geometric symmetries, a good understanding of them is just as important.
Symmetry in Program Format
The simplest form of geometric symmetry in software is the format of programs. A well-formatted or indented program can be understood more easily than a poorly formatted or indented one. While there is no agreement on what a good formatting should be (e.g., there are endless arguments about whether open curly braces should be on a line by themselves or at the end of the line preceding the block), there is a basic symmetry pattern that underlies formatting. In [6], Coplien provides examples of different formatting styles and shows that reflection symmetry of up and down gives a "good shape" to programs. Two such examples are given in Figure 1. Although it may sound like a superficial or even trite finding, there is anecdotal evidence from projects in Bell Laboratories that consistent indentation style is a good indicator for low bug density in code.
Figure 1: Up-down Reflectional Symmetry in Code
Symmetry in Software Development Life Cycles
Raccoon [19] presents a chaos model for the life cycles of software development. The chaos model uses fractals to represent different phases of a life cycle such that the complete life cycle can be interpreted in terms of each phase, or conversely, each phase can be interpreted in terms of a complete life cycle. Fractals are a special kind of symmetry – the symmetry of self-similarities [16]. The purpose of using the principles of fractals as a metaphor in describing software development phases is, according to Raccoon, to bridge the gap in our understanding between one line of code and the entire project, because the software development processes are recursive, similar and scalable. Figure 2 shows the chaos model that combines a linear problem-solving loop with fractals to describe the complexity of software development. Raccoon explains that fractals imply a very specific scaling relationship in the recursion. The same expansion applies to each level. All levels of software development have the same value to the project as a whole. Each level is composed of all the levels below it and so each level repeats the structure of the next level down. Raccoon demonstrates that the chaos model has unified many facets of software development and can lead to a better understanding of software development. We find similar symmetry in more widespread life-cycle models such as Boehm's spiral model [4].
Figure 2: Fractal symmetry in Software Development Processes (after [19]).
Symmetries arise in many design problems. In the design of public transport systems [30], we note that the driver duty components are symmetric to their builders. A driver duty can be seen as a translation of its builder. Like the chaos model, the role of symmetry in here is also to preserve the similarity of the structure.
Symmetry in Search Algorithms
Symmetry has found to be most successful in assisting the search of solutions for combinatorial design problems in constraint programming [24]. Combinatorial problems are in general NP-complete. They are typically solved as constraint satisfaction problems by assignment search algorithms. Symmetries in these problems can lead to redundant search, where many symmetrically equivalent blind alleys are explored wastefully. Symmetries divide the set of possible assignments into equivalence classes. Each class contains either only solutions or no solutions. According to this feature, search algorithms can adopt various strategies to handle the symmetries. For example, if a search algorithm has found that an assignment will not lead to a solution, it will abandon search for the symmetric assignments to the assignment already considered. If, on the other hand, the search algorithm has found a solution from an assignment, it will also abandon search for the symmetric solutions. Smith [24] describes a symmetry breaking strategy that reduces symmetries by adding constraints during the search to ensure that any assignment symmetric to one already considered will not be explored.
4	CONCLUSION
The essence of symmetry is invariant change. This article explores this understanding of symmetry in object-oriented languages and the benefits of symmetry. In general, symmetry in software can be viewed as an invariant change that aims to preserve a specific property of a system, which is summarised as follows:
Structure. An example of structural preservation is the notion of class. A class stipulates a uniform structure for all the objects of the class.
Behaviour. An example of behavioural preservation is the notion of subtyping. Subtyping stipulates a uniform behaviour for all the classes along an inheritance path.
Regularity. Symmetry considerations in operator overloading and double dispatch have the effect of preserving certain regularity. It is also true to say that structural and behavioural preservation is also about protecting regularity.
Similarity. Similarity is a comparison between two things. When the two things are similar, their similarity is captured as something regular. The chaos design model exhibits such regularity.
Familiarity. When something is familiar, it has the similarity of something else. Preserving familiarity can be called historical symmetry, symmetry of the past and the present, primitive types and user defined types.
Uniformity. This is just a different way of seeing regularity.
In this article, we have illustrated these properties with the examples of classes, subtyping, program formatting, operator overloading, double dispatch and chaos design model. These properties are related – they are just different manifestations and effects of symmetry. They can be explained from one single viewpoint: they simplify the design and preserve the regularity. It is worth noting that this view of symmetry is consistent with those of gestalt psychology [12] and information theories [3] and has the importance in general human understanding, far beyond the software arena. We shall leave this further exploration of symmetry to another paper.
This paper has also used a search algorithm example to illustrate that the presence of symmetry is not always a good thing, as symmetry provides redundant information that can lead to redundant search. However, knowing such side effect is also to our advantage for we can reduce the search space by breaking symmetry. We have discussed symmetry breaking in software design elsewhere [7] [8] [31]. For now we conclude that symmetry is a powerful concept that can produce good effects on programming and software. However, good symmetry effects can only be obtained based on a good understanding of symmetry, for which we need a conscious effort.
5	ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Darius Zakrzewski has provided detailed and insightful comments on the paper. We are grateful to his continous support and encouragement to our symmetry work.\
[1]	Abadi, M. and Cardelli, L. A Theory of Objects. Springer, 1996.
[2]	Alexandrescu, A. Modern C++ Design. Addison-Wesley, 2001.
[3] Attneave, F. "Symmetry, Information, and Memory for Pattern". The American Journal of Psychology 68(2): 209-22, 1955.
[4]	Boehm, B. Software Engineering Economics. Prentice-Hall, 1981.
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[6] Coplien, J. "Space: The Final Frontier". C++ Report 10(3). New York: SIGS Publications, March 1998, 11-17.
[7]	Coplien, J. "The Future of Language: Symmetry or Broken Symmetry?" In Proceedings of VS Live 2001, San Francisco, California, January 2001.
[8]	Coplien, J.O. and Zhao, L. "Symmetry Breaking in Software Patterns". In Lecture Notes in Computer Science Series, LNCS 2177, Springer, October 2001.
[9]	Godefroid, P. and Prasad, S. "Symmetry and Reduced Symmetry" in Model Checking. Proceedings of CAV'2001 (13th Conference on Computer Aided Verification), Paris, July 2001.
[10] Hofstadter, D.R. Godel, Escher, and Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. Penguin Books, 1979.
[11] Jensen, W.B. "Classification, symmetry and the periodic table". In Symmetry: Unifying Human Understanding. I. Hargittai (ed), Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1986. ISBN 0-08-033986-7.
[12]	Koffka, K. Principles of Gestalt Psychology. London: Geo. Routledge & Son Ltd., 1935.
[13] Lippman, S. B. and Lajoie, J. C++ Primer. 3rd Ed. Addison-Wesley, 1998.
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[16] Mandelbrot, B.B. The Fractal Geometry of Nature. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York, 1983.
[17] Meyer, B. Object-Oriented Software Construction. 2nd Ed., NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1997.
[18]	Motschnig-Pitrik, R. and Mylopoulos, J. "Classes and Instances". International Journal of Intelligent and Cooperative Information Systems, 1(1): 61-92, 1992.
[19]	Raccoon, L.B.S. "The Chaos Model and the Chaos Life Cycle". Software Engineering Notes, 20(1): 55-66, January 1995.
[20]	Rayside, D. and Campbell, G.T. "An Aristotelian Understanding of Object-Oriented Programming". OOPSLA '00. 10/00 Minneapolis, MN, USA.
[21] Rosen, J. Symmetry in Science: An Introduction to the General Theory. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1995.
[22]	Rosen, J. "Symmetry at foundations of science". In Symmetry 2: Unifying Human Understanding. I. Hargittai (ed), Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1989. ISBN 0-08-037237-6.
[23] Simons, A.J.H. A Language with Class: the Theory of Classification Examplifed in an Object-Oriented Language, PhD Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1995.
[24]	Smith, B.M. "Reducing Symmetry in a Combinatorial Design Problem". University of Leeds, School of Computing, Research Report Series, Report 2001.01, January 2001.
[25] Stroustrup, B. The Design and Evolution of C++. Addison Wesley, 1994. ISBN 0-201-54330-3.
[26] Taivalsaari, A. "On the Notion of Inheritance". ACM Computing Surveys, 28(3): 438 – 479, September 1996.
[27]	Wegner, P. "The Object-Oriented Classification Paradigm". In Research Directions in Object-Oriented Programming, Shriver, B. and Wegner, P. (eds), The MIT Press, 1987.
[28]	Weyl, H. Symmetry. Princeton University Press, © 1952.
[29]	Winograd, T. "Frame Representations and The Declarative/Procedural Controversy". In Representation and Understanding: Studies in Cognitive Science, 185-210, Bobrow, D.G. and Collins, A.M. (eds), New York: Academic Press, 1975.
[30]	Zhao, L. and Foster, T. "Driver Duty Constructor: A Pattern for Public Transport Systems". The Journal of Object-Oriented Programming 12(2), May 1999, 45-51;77.
[31] Zhao, L. and Coplien, J.O. "Symmetry in Class and Type Hierarchy". In James Noble and John Potter, eds., Conferences in Research and Practice in Information Technology, 10. Australian Computer Society, January 2002, pp. 181-190.
Liping Zhao is a lecturer at the Department of Computation, UMIST, U.K. Her research interests include object-oriented design, software patterns and symmetry. She can be reached at liping@co.umist.ac.uk.
James O. Coplien is an associate professor at the Department of Computer Science, North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, a visiting professor at UMIST, and is the current Vloebergh Professor of Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is a well-known author of books and articles about object-oriented programming and patterns. He can be reached at JOCoplien@cs.com.
Cite this article as follows: Liping Zhao and James Coplien: "Understanding Symmetry in Object-Oriented Languages", in Journal of Object Technology, vol. 2, no. 5, September-October 2003, pp. 123-134. http://www.jot.fm/issues/issue_2003_09/article3

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Bob Hills is senior manager of the Interest Rate and Asset Pricing Team in the Bank of England's Monetary and Financial Conditions Division (since 2018). He previously managed the European Economics Team (2014-18) and the Capital Flows and Emerging Markets Team (2010-14). Between 2008 and 2010, he was seconded to the IMF, as adviser to the UK Executive Director. He originally joined the Bank of England in 1997, and has worked in a number of roles in the monetary policy and financial stability areas. He holds a BA from Oxford University and an MSc in Economics from LSE.


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Spectra analysis utilities

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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You are here: HomenextChapelsnextCounty DurhamnextE - GnextEast Stanley Primitive Methodist Chapel
East Stanley Primitive Methodist Chapel
Chester Road
Taken from the sales listing held in the Newcastle District Archives
Linda Robertson
What an Interesting article. My Gran attended this chapel and we held her funeral there. She was the most godly, beautiful person and my inspiration.
I also lived in Oxhill Chapel after it became a private house, it had a lovely atmosphere and we held Church fellowship groups there.
Alice Rowell was my Gran, she would be proud that her oldest Grandson, though a boy of 7 when she passed, now pastors a new Church in Consett for Stanley and Consett folk.
By Eileen Ridley (19/02/2021)
This is actually EAST Stanley PM chapel, on Chester Road. The chapel is now closed and the last I heard it was still up for sale
The following transcription is taken from the original notes made by Mrs Nightingale, without alteration to the text or grammar used. The original documents are held in the Newcastle Methodist District archive and are in very poor condition. Date written, unknown but prior to 1939 when the document was re-written with additions by GH Parbrook (14 Jan 1939).
Accession details: Nightingale J S (PM/CH/STANLEYPM/**)
THE STORY OF STANLEY PRIMITIVE METHODIST SOCIETY in the PAST
Mrs J S Nightingale, Stanley PM Church
When Primitive Methodism came to our town, it was a very different Stanley to that which we see today. It was largely fields, not even Joicey Square was there, only a few houses as compared with today. Tanfield and Harelaw Parish Churches were the only places of worship, except an upper room at Kip Hill, where the Wesleyans held worship. It is said that John Wesley preached in that room. In 1823 a Camp Meeting was held at Collierley Dykes, Dipton and amongst others attending were a man and woman from Shield Row W Anderson and Jane Luke. They were converted and Jane Luke opened her kitchen for services.
Mrs Luke encouraged and invited her neighbours and friends to come in and at last they were overcrowded and Betty Gilchrist offered her larger kitchen for worship, and this was accepted.
Betty became leader of the singing and also of the class. It was here that Will Harman and Mark Halliday met, also Mark Lowdon and the notable Tommy Fenwick. Betty had a day school in her kitchen. Mr J Raine of E[ast] Stanley remembers how the old lady gathered the children round like a Sunday School. The Alphabet and Figures were taught. It was meagre education and the days of dear bread. The Foggins of View Pit used to be members and sometimes Betty would send children a message to Mr Foggin and as a reward the child wold get the crusts from her toast. Then there was competition for the crusts. If the children behaved badly on the Sunday during service, to use a local phrase she walloped them on the Monday. In spite of great poverty and hard work these brave men and women carried the torch of Primitive Methodism in these early days. It is not a little striking that for 30 years services were carried on in the kitchens. Two popular hymns of that time were "The Union" and "Jacob's Ladder".
Members at last increased, the kitchen was not large enough. At the top o the row behind the fountain were 2 old houses they belonged to Mr Joicey, he was approached & gave them to us. The partition wall was knocked out, windows altered & fitted up. In 1853 in was opened out as our first PM Church at Stanley.
When we rose to the dignity of a church we wanted help for the singing so George Appleby played the fiddle and Bill Pearson was our first choir master. He was father of Bob Pearson who was at one time choir master of this church. Mr Cresswell was Super[intendent] of the Sunday School. Mr Miller joined up as a teacher – the members were very suspicious that he was a German, he believed in corporal punishment and carried a cane to keep order.
In this little church John Lowery the evangelist met with marvellous success. Robert Gray was one of the first converts who became a most acceptable local preacher. Another great revival took under John Dodgson. Great scenes were witnessed in this little church. Mr Beaney used to get so excited in prayer that he used to fall over the children and the other members used to prop hi up with their heads to get the children out. Tommy Fenwick, another mighty man in prayer and desperately earnest about getting people converted using quaint sayings with his eccentric ways, lives to be revered and talked about to this day. So great was their success in this unadorned little building that they were compelled to seek more commodious premises.
It is of interest to note here that John Coe, one of the founders of Tanfield Lea met in this church, also that Tommy Fenwick, Jane Luke and Robert Gray were among the founders of Oxhill Chapel.
In 1864 during the ministry of Moses Lupton and T Southern the present church was built. W Park cut the first sod and Mr Raine wheeled the first barrow load away. Mr Fawcett, grandfather of our GF was contractor for all joinery. Is it any wonder that the grandson should have become in our day the handy man he is. Mr Allan was the builder. Prominent members connected with us at this date were J Raine, Nichol Summerbell, Mark Halliday, W Proud Anderson, J Price, Nicholson, George and William Sanderson, The Johnson family, Matthew Richardson, W Burns, Ralph Surtees, W Park, James Wright. As our church at this time belonged to Shotley Bridge, we had not resident minister. Rev T Greenfield was always entertained at the house of Mrs Anderson. Rev Nation had his home with Mrs Surtees. Mr Nation was a humorous man; he used to say at a public meeting that there was a whole nation on the platform The Rev. T Parsons, a Zaccheus in stature, who sometimes had to stand on a box to be seen, was entertained by Mrs Johnson, mother of the late Batholomew Johnson.
In these days very peremptory treatment was meted out to offenders. If a local preacher missed an appointment he must drop a number in the Plan. One Sunday He[nry] Curry neglected Burnhope, and the Quarter Day asked the minister to see him and administer suitable counsel to him respecting his neglected appointment. There was no respect of persons so far as weather conditions. Ann Gray frequently neglected in the winter months, each time she was pulled up, and must give her reason. Tanfield Lea sent a request that Ann Gray be not planned again there. But this time Quarter Day thought Ann's excuse valid and said Tanfield Lea must take whoever was planned and no more said.
A Brother belonging to Causey had not paid his class money to the Circuit Steward nor forwarded it to Quarter Day, so they passed a resolution that he be informed by note that it must be paid forthwith. These were the good old days. The days that will never come again. But if this Spartan spirit frequently showed itself in our fathers treatment of their brethren surely it sprang out of a deep concern for the well being of their church, and an intense loyalty for Christ and his Kingdom.
In 1866 Stanley became head of a circuit of 12 places. The Shotley Bridge officials thought that we would soon want to be back to the Mother Circuit but with Rev A Latimer and J Welford at its head from the very start the Circuit went with a swing. The growth in finance and numbers was a wonder to all.
Stanley can have no conception what it owes to those devoted ministers. Mr Latimer's manse was not ready for him when he came so he stayed in the home of Mrs Halliday, and later the circuit presented [her] with a chair as an expression of thankfulness for lodging the superintendent minister. Mr Halliday was circuit steward at the time.
In 1869 Stanley asked permission to beg for an organ. We had only a one fiddle band and at the following quarter day they had got the money and asked to have a special opening day but that organ had evidently dwindled to a harmonium. We had raised £20 and the instrument had cost £17 10s. In December 1896 our present organ was erected and we had already raised £118 toward its cost, and at that time most of the stringed instruments were sold.
In 1871 we were very anxious to keep Mr Latimer beyond the time allowed as Stanley was busy with a bazaar and also because they were very much in love with Mr & Mrs Latimer. They approached the District Committee but the powers that be said No. Rev Ralph Shields was appointed Superintendent. About this time we had our Church licensed for marriages. At the Annual Trustees' meeting held 4 January 1890 it is recorded.. that the marriage licence be got for the Chapel. One half of the cost to be borne by Mr James Scott and Mr Matthew Richardson, the other half by Rev A Latimer. The first to be married were Joseph Chapman and the maid of the second preacher. They were presented with a bible and hymn book.
It is also notable that we collected our 1st supcriptions [sic] for African missions. The 1st missionaries went out in 1870. Withall our concentration and enthusiasm in making efforts for church building and other purposes we were not forgetful of others. Just at this time there was a case of distress in connection with a chapel in Blyth circuit and £6 was sent by Stanley Circuit. In 1869 too East Stanley appears on the circuit plan for week nights only. Of course in those days East Stanley meant Jacky's Pit for there were few if any houses between Beamish and Stanley. In this year also quarter day was deeply concerned about the spiritual life of our churches. They were faced with a decrease of 31 members. A resolution was passed that a society meeting be held at every church to urge upon the members to seek a revival of religion and a salvation of souls. Joseph Spoor said that he hated lukewarmness worse than the devil that was the feeling of many in that quarter day. They decided that the remedy was to get outside and bring the people in, so at every church it was arranged to have an open air meeting at 5 o.c. and out they went to exhort the people to "Turn to the Lord and seek salvation".
Evidently the efforts at evangelism were successful for in 1873 we had to apply for leave to enlarge Stanley Church and Quarter Day reports an increase of 114 members for which they give thanks to God. The stones for enlarging Stanley Church were quarried by our men to save expense. A man who went by the name of Cumberland Jack not a member but a clever workman (a drainer) was a valuable help to our men. He lodged with Margaret Rae of Joicey Square. W Price, W Park, J Newton, Messrs Raine, Richard, Anderson, Surtees, Summerbelt, the Johnson's, Sanderson's, Liddles, Foggins, Ned Ridley, W Noble Halliday and many others including men not in any way connected with our Church were a great help in getting stone. This was most laborious work the getting and carrying of the stones, but these mend worked early and late in their devotion and loyalty to reach their goal in extension, and it is to these brave men we owe the buildings in which we carry on work. 6/- money they had little, but what they lacked financially they made up for in downright hard work of the character we have mentioned.
I noticed an item of expenditure in our account book of that year. It was a pony 9s 10d. I couldn't think what it could mean. My husband jokingly suggested that it might have been bought for the use of either the society steward or the minister but out old friend Mr Wilson explained the matter. It appears that the stones were got from a quarry behind the Church and at first the men used to put a rope round their waists and drag them, but this was as we may well imagine very hard work and they got some old rails laid down and bought the pony to pull. When the poor old pony's work was finished it was sold again for £7 10s
In these days our denomination had no Sir Wm Hartley to create a Chapel Aid Association to assist struggling trusts and new ventures so that the money required was borrowed from the 10th Universal Building Society. Mr Joicey's donation was £40 and another £50 was raised by the tea and stone laying.
Not the least interesting were the methods adopted for providing the ways and means for the payments of items of expenditure which do not come into our balance sheet in these days. Of course there were pew rents always a source of income in these earlier years, and fruit banquets so numerous as to suggest out fathers vegetarian leanings. We had a boiler that proved a source of income. It was purchased in 1870 for £2 5s – even the Roman Catholics were indebted for the use of it. So frequent were its journeyings and sometimes so distant we are not surprised that in 1876 £2 12s 6d is paid for repairs. Xmas Day was a heyday in raising money. ½ lb of candles is a common item as were lamp glasses, and gallons of paraffin or parfine as it was called. In 1872 an account for gas fittings appears and parfine ends showing how the world was moving. What they did with pipe clay and bath brick we must leave the congregation to judge. It is evident that the trustees were much concerned for the safety of the worshippers in walking down the steps of the church as there is an item – 1 block of salt for the steps.
Lovefeasts and also cottage prayer meetings were very much in vogue. Also the Class meetings were held in the homes of our people. There is no doubt that these happy meetings helped to create the happy family spirit and would tempt neighbours to come in and enjoy fellowship. Open air services were regularly held before the evening services. Our fathers believed in fighting the Devil on his own ground. Ralph Surtees frequently used to pray to God to send a bombshell into the camp of the enemy. Matthew Richardson, one of our pioneers, conducted a memorable service in the day school at West Pelton. The spirit of God came down like a mighty rushing river and several of the roughest characters were so deeply stirred that they came jumping over desks and forms crying out for mercy. At this service in their young manhood Hamilton Staines, John Haddon, Joseph Wagott and a host of other young men and women began the new life.
Most Primitive Methodists have heard of the remarkable prayers of Tommy Fenwick. One story as to how he got the milk for the Sunday School treat from the unwilling farmer by his prayer is worthy of mention, although familiar. This man, Moore, had refused when Tommy dropped on to his knees and gave thanks to God for the wonderful harvest and increase of flocks, which had come to the farer that year. But Lord, he added, thou canst turn the tide. Thou canst send a lightning to fire the stack, locusts can eat every head off the corn and the cattle can get the foot and mouth disease. This was enough and the farmer cried out to Tommy, Houd thee tongue, and thou shalt have the milk and as much butter as thee wants for the teacakes.
When he first came amongst us and was being brought forward as a preacher, action was being taken in a certain quarterly meeting to keep him off the plan because of his limitations when a significant if not a providential thing happened. The Superintendent Minister who was in the chair, called upon Brother Fenwick to pray, meaning his colleague, Rev Ralph Fenwick, but Tommy Fenwick who was in the meeting, thinking that the call was to himself, knelt down and prayed with such wonderful effect that he settled once and for all any question as to his coming on the plan as a preacher.
When he was planned, it was always a great day with him. He generally wore a clerical coat and vest, the castaways of Mr Blythurst, the vicar of Harelaw. He was on very intimate terms with the vicar and once he asked to be allowed to preach in the church, which was agreed to on condition that he put the surplice on. "No, no!" said Tommy, if aw cannot preach without thee cloak aws not coming. He would give out his hymn with his book upside down, and say, Noo, ye all know where she is, Jesus the name high over all in hell etc.
What he read for his lesson was bits of passages he had committed to memory. When he got to his text his coat was off and he would say, ye talk texts, but this book is full of them from back to back, so we'll just take this one. God so loved the world etc. and yet we are told that people could not wait till the service was finished in their eagerness to get to the penitent form.
Neddy Bailey was another quaint man. He used to come to class in his pit clothes and often when speaking his experience would say Neddy Bailey dies daily. Can we be surprised that all this intense fellowship and evangelistic effort paved the way to revivals, in which our revered William Atkinson, Walton Armstrong among others were converted.
I must mention our Sunday Schools, for we owe a great debt to those [who] carried on work under great difficulty. From the days of Betty Gilchrist gathering the children round her until the present we have had a devoted band of Sunday School workers. At one time our staff of teachers was so low that there were only four young men to carry on the school. They were T Raine, Bart. Johnson, W Park and Jack Summerbell.
Not only the children but men and women also were taught to read in the Sunday School. Our dear old friend Mrs Carol tells how her husband and she were converted and the next night she said to her husband, We'll have to read a chapter every night Joe. He said but I can't read, Oh but I know some words, you spell and I'll tell those I know and perhaps we'll make out what the message is about. This went on for a little while, and Mr Carol said, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll go down to the Sunday School and learn to read there. The men who attended the Sunday School as scholars knew their places and Neddy Bailey once Sunday got his verse off, but unfortunately some one was missing that day and when his verse was read by the man before him he was nonplussed, and jumping up ran out into the field. Down on his knees prayed God to help him to read his word. No wonder our men were so keen to support progressive educational measures brought before the House of Commons, and we shall ever gratefully remember the late Alderman Curry Wood for in this connection than perhaps no other has rendered greater service not only in Stanley but in the whole of County Durham.
In 1884 the Circuit was divided, Burnopfield being head of the new circuit. Rev Mr Bowe remained at Stanley, Mr E Phillipson went to White-le-head. We had at that time 399 in our Stanley circuit. Today we have over 1000.
The circuit demonstration was always a popular occasion. One held shortly after the circuit division we have an account of. It was held in Bates' field East Stanley. Rev John Waite was minister at the time. Rev. Wm Batey gave a lecture on "Mistakes and Blunders in Life". Bros Walker and Gray were appointed to get up a marquee and fix it up in the field. Bro Waley's duty was to fix up the tables, Joe Wilson and Fred Lighton were to look after the water and boil it. Bro. Matthew Armstrong and Illey were to get the women to make the tea. The result of that effort was to pay off the Quarter Day deficiency and also a nice little sum off the house. At this time the Manse began to show signs of distress and had to be thoroughly overhauled and repaired.
One cannot but read with great satisfaction the place the women took in helping to build our Zion. I have already pointed out how we owe our beginning to 2 women opening their kitchens. The first to hear the gospel preached in Europe were a band of women who were holding a prayer meeting at the river side and they so helped to spread the wonderful story that it became known all over Europe. While it is not possible to mention the names of all these brave women of the past, there are a few who in honour should receive a tribute. Mrs Anderson, Summerbell, Armstrong (the mother of MG), the three Reay's, Armstrong (mother of Mrs Daglish), Buglass, Ridley, Brown (a motherly soul noted for her sick nursing) and later Mrs Rowe and Mrs Newton whose memories are revered by many for their devotion especially in connection with the sewing meetings. Still spared to us are Mrs Carol, Robinson, Sanderson, Thompson, Fawcett and Wilson.
And of the men we have already spoken of a number who were foremost in good works, James Price (excitable in prayer, equally great in service), the Johnson family played a great part Bart. Johnson and memory will ever be an ointment poured forth. We have perhaps only 7 survivors connected with the Church, from these now distant days, men who in their youth, found their Saviour and amidst sunshine and shadow in our church have loyally held on their way. These are Bill Hawes, Joseph Wilson, Matthew Armstrong, John Newton, E Small, T Raine, Thomas and Edward Fawcett. So I might pursue this wonderful story and bring it to our own times, but the company of redeemed souls who have been gathered into our church is so large that we cannot really enumerate them, who have taken up the unfinished tasks of their fathers, have rendered service of which they need not be ashamed.
By Richard Jennings (22/09/2020)
Eaglescliffe Primitive Methodist chapel
Easington Lane Primitive Methodist chapel
East Hedleyhope Primitive Methodist Chapel, Co Durham
East Thickley Primitive Methodist chapel
Ebchester Primitive Methodist chapel
Eggleston Primitive Methodist chapel
Eighton Banks Jubilee Avenue Primitive Methodist Chapel, County Durham
Eldon Lane Primitive Methodist Chapel
Evenwood Brookside Primitive Methodist chapel
Felling (High Felling) Primitive Methodist Chapel, Co. Durham
Forest 'Ebenezer' Primitive Methodist Chapel Teesdale Co. Durham
Frosterley Primitive Methodist Chapel, Weardale
Gallopong Green PM Chapel, Eighton Banks, County Durham
Garesfield Primitive Methodist chapel
Gateshead Bank Street Primitive Methodist chapel
Gateshead Durham Road Primitive Methodist Church
Gateshead Hedgefield Primitive Methodist chapel
Gateshead Nelson Street Primitive Methodist Chapel
Gateshead Primitive Methodist chapel
Gateshead Prince Consort Road Primitive Methodist chapel
Gateshead Sunderland Road Primitive Methodist chapel
Gateshead Swinburne Place Primitive Methodist chapel
Great Aycliffe Primitive Methodist chapel


The bed and breakfasts and guesthouse accommodation in St Mawes, Cornwall, are all very comfortable, clean and centrally located. You are sure to get a warm welcome in St Mawes wherever you stay. B&B's are best booked early in the season as they do fill up very quickly.
Gwel an Vala in Philleigh has been awarded a 5 star silver award from visit britain and is set in a quiet location on the edge of the village. The bed and breakfast is a short walk from the Roseland Inn and a short drive from St Mawes and other villages on the Roseland Peninsula.


Unlimited colors, unlimited sidebars, unlimited patterns – our theme includes a backend color picker in the theme options that allows you to change the color of any element throughout the entire theme. Just select the color picker and pick a new color or insert a hex or rgb number and the new color value will be implemented throughout the entire site. All font sizes, menus, dividers, separators, boxes, etc can be changed via theme options or within the shortcode itself.
Our theme allows you to create an unlimited number of sidebars from the Theme Options Panel. It allows you to assign a custom sidebar to every single page, archive or index. And you can always use the default ones as well.


Courtesy:- R Jagannathan / Swarajya Magazine.
It is time for India to export its old temples and faiths to the West. Saraswati ought to be the logical goddess of that haven of knowledge, the Ivy League institutions, and Laxmi to Wall Street, and Lord Shiva for the creative-destructive forces of the Silicon Valley.
If Hindu organisations want to expand their spiritual mind and market shares, the place to look at is the West, where the population is rapidly de-Christianising itself. This partially explains why evangelical organisations are targeting India, since they want to recoup market share losses in North America by looking at emerging markets like India.
What applies to fund managers abroad should apply to Indian spiritual wealth managers too. Our markets are there, and theirs here.
While Africa is already seeing a fierce battle for supremacy between Islam and Christianity, India is the next major target, being the largest potential market for these two Abrahamic religions. China may be a bigger market, and Christianity is even said to be the fastest-growing faith in Dragon country, but officially the market is closed to religions controlled from outside China.
But inside China it is another matter. According to some reports, there were 58 million Protestant Christians in China in 2010. Taken together, Protestants and Catholics between them could rise to 160 million by 2025 and 247 million by 2030, given the sheer pace of change, according to this report in The Telegraph. At some point, if China opens up formally to all religions, Buddhism and Hinduism could join the spiritual gold rush.
Unlike China, India is an open market, not only because we are a secular country that guarantees freedom of religion, but also because poverty makes millions of Indians vulnerable to below-the-line offers for faith-crossovers. This also means that Indians are the best targets for proselytisation that is backed by wealth and economic benefits, something that the rich churches of America and the Sheikhdoms of the Gulf can bring in plenty.
Cash won't work that well in China, not least because of the political control of the Communist party over all aspects of Chinese life.
However, China's real vulnerability to Christianity is the spiritual void created by formally atheistic Communism. But the country's disdain for God has run its course, and as the nation gets wealthier, the new generation of Chinese look for something more to give meaning to their lives.
In the West, both Europe and North America, the white population is no stranger to wealth and riches. But half a millennium of scientific progress and the rise of reason has meant that fewer Christians than ever before can literally believe in church dogmas, including virgin births and Jesus as the only saviour of humanity. Reason tells you that this can't be true.
There is now enough data to show how Christianity is on slippery ground in its stronghold: the US of A.
According to the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which describes itself as a non-partisan organisation "dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture and public policy," White Christians now constitute less than half of the population, with only 43 per cent answering to this description, compared to 81 per cent in 1976 (read the full PRRI report here). In the last 40 years, the number of White Christians has nearly halved – probably a faster rate of deracination than what has happened with Hindus in "secular" India.
Overall, Christians of all types – White, Black, Hispanic, Catholics – add up to around 68 per cent.
But here's the point: some 24 per cent of Americans see themselves as non-affiliated by religion. This is the immediate addressable market for Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism.
More interestingly, the existing Christian population affiliated to some church or the other is largely in the ageing demographic (above age 49). It is the younger population – the youth and those in early careers, and those in their prime or mid-careers – that is reporting larger numbers in non-religious affiliation.
In the 18-29 age group, 38 per cent reported that they were not identified with any religion, and in the 30-49 group, the number was 26 per cent.
These two demographics, if targeted by any new religion, could yield long-term adherents.
The 20 states "where no religious group comprises a greater share of residents than the religiously affiliated", could be the prime markets for Indic religions, if they make a determined and customised pitch to appeal to American sensibilities. Where they are less likely to succeed is with Afro-Americans, where radical Islam has a greater appeal. Indians with their subtle preference for fairness may also be less than likely to let go of their prejudices.
India has the entire complement of spiritual products, from new-age gurus like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, to more down-to-earth yoga gurus like Baba Ramdev, not to speak of more esoteric swamis and gurus with their own appeal. Plus, there is mainstream Hinduism linked to India's most famous temples, from Tirupati Balaji to Sabarimala's Ayyappa, to various popular gods like Rama, Krishna and Ganesha and Shiva. Temples in India are shackled by the state; in America, they could be real forces to reckon with if they focus on gaining devotees from the local population, especially in economically downbeat areas. Training White priests, like those of ISKCON, has to be a crucial element of this strategy of Hindu expansion.
Time for Indians to think of creating a Church of Sri Rama customised for the American sensibility? Jawaharlal Nehru wanted India to build the IITs and steel plants as the new temples of modern India. It is time for India to export its old temples and faiths to the West. Saraswati ought to be the logical goddess of that haven of knowledge, the Ivy League institutions, and Laxmi to Wall Street, and Lord Shiva for the creative-destructive forces of the Silicon Valley.
Or, for that matter, why would Jainism not be the preferred religion for vegans and PETA, or Buddhism for the atheists who want a spiritual route to rationality? And why not a dose of Indic-Abrahamic mix in the form of Sikhism to the most entrepreneurial classes of America?
India has a smorgasbord of spiritual offerings that meet every demographic of modern-day America. Let us get a move on.


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Travel back in time with this fascinating sticker book, jam-packed with information, maps and photographs taken during the First World War. Uncover the key events of the war, the military strategies that were employed on both sides and what life was like for soldiers in the trenches with over 100 stickers of photographs and artefacts to add to the pages. Includes internet links to recommended websites to find out more about the war. Published in association with Imperial War Museums.
For Age 7+. WARNING! Not suitable for children under 36 months because of small parts. Choking hazard.
Travel back in time with this fascinating sticker book, jam-packed with information, maps and photographs taken during the First World War. Uncover the key events of the war, the military strategies that were employed on both sides and what life was like for soldiers in the trenches with over 100 stickers of photographs and artefacts to add to the pages. Includes internet links to recommended websites to find out more about the war. Published in association with Imperial War Museums. For Age 7+. WARNING! Not suitable for children under 36 months because of small parts. Choking hazard.


text:
A to Z of comedians | How to put your CV on this website | who are we? | contact us | How to book comedians | How to write your own comedy biography
Christian Steel
Hackney Empire Finalist 2008
The Otherside Comedy Club Finalist 2008
Amused Moose Hot Starlets 2006/2007
Christian Steel, a graduate of London's Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, first began performing stand-up comedy in January 2006.
As an actor, he was offered the male lead in The Graduate in the West End opposite Jerry Hall, but turned it down to play Peter 'Geordie' Gardner in BBC's Second World War film "Night Flight" alongside Christopher Plummer & Edward Woodwood. He then went on to film Channel 4's "Shackleton" with Kenneth Branagh (HBO/CH4FILMS)- living on an ice breaker in the North Pole for five months and was guest star in Born&Bred (BBC 1) as Mr Manley along side James Bolam. He has also played the lead in "Hell in The Falklands" (Radio 4).
He has also performed with the Royal Shakespeare company in Coriolanus and The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Last year he took the show " The Jew, The Muslim, The Christian and The Geordie" to the Edinburgh Festival and got fab reviews and packed out everyday
"Christian Steel? his fast paced Geordie delivery was just outstanding, using a good combo of his own material and audience participation!" EDFRINGE.COM
Since starting stand up he has moved through the ranks fast and now performs at and headlines clubs all over Europe. He has gigged in Finland, Ireland and Germany. He was one of the Amused moose "HOT STARLETS" 2006/2007, The Otherside Comedy Club Finalist 2008 and Hackney Empire Finalist 2008.
He is currently writing and filming a number of pilots..........
"Pitchin" directed by Andrew Lee Potts (Prime Evil) which also features Jonny Vegas (Keychain productions) http://www.keychainproductions.co.uk/15.html "The sensitive Men"
And is completing writing a TV show in the ilk of "Heartbeat" called "The Matchmakers" and already has some big guns on board. Nick Renton ( Uncle Adolph, Jericho, Night Flight) is set to Direct it and Tim
Healey to star.
here are what a few people say about him.........
Christian opened for me last month in one of my midweek clubs and I am booking him to headline my weekend night next month. He is original, spontaneous and hilarious. - The Last Stand and The Howling Owl comedy clubs, April 2008
"Christian Steel was the perfect compare for National Theater Connections at the Theater Royal Newcastle. We were looking for a role-model in the arts for our young performers and we found that in Christian. His comedy had our1300 people audience energized and geared up for the performances throughout the weekend. The performers in the festival saw in him, another way of exploring acting through comedy - we think he may have inspired more than just a few!" Oh and one from the kids:"Christian was proper funny!" - Liam aged 17 Claire Newton, Regional Producer - NT Connections Newcastle '07
CHRISTIAN STEEL - "extremely enjoyable" 3weeks
"An opening set from miniature Geordie Christian Steel, complete with miniature guitar, launched the evening strongly." Newbury Today - Newbury Comedy festival '06.
"Christian's solid set ensured laughter filled the room" THE JOURNAL. The Newcastle Gateshead Comedy Festival.
"He has star Quality" Hils Jago - Amused Moose.
"Christian Steel, Very Skillful Northern comic " "Very classy and funny Northern stand up." Monkey Business Comedy Club.
"Christian was our headline act at a charity gig in aid of Harlington hospice. He donated his time to us. He was very funny and his little guitar was a great addition to the set! He was a very strong act and received well by our audience. Definitely worth seeing or booking!" Carla Maresca (Community Fund raising Coordinator), March 2007


At the point where Soimonovsky proezd meets Prechistenskaya Embankment we find a two-storeyed brick-red building covered in a profusion of ornamental detail in imitation of ancient Russian architecture. It's now the French Military Liaison Office, but was originally built as the Art Gallery of banker Ivan Tsvetkov.
Banker Ivan Tsvetkov was the owner of this pseudo-old-Russian building on the Prechistenskaya waterfront. Tittle-tattlers said he was just trying to copy what Tretyakov had done. Tsvetkov, too, was an art-lover and donated his entire collection to the city. Once he'd given it, the less wealthy Tsvetkov was left with just a few drawings and sketches – but he managed to build up a substantial collection once more. The facade ot Tsvetkov's Gallery – just like the Tretyakov Gallery, in fact – was designed by artist Viktor Vasnetsov. Tsvetkov put more than 600 works on display here, and also lived in the building himself.
During WW2 the building of Tsvetkov's former gallery was given to the French Military Commission, and was frequently visited by pilots from the legendary Normandy-Neman. Today the building houses the Military Section of the French Embassy. Few Muscovites today have ever heard that Tsvetkov once had an art gallery here. But war veterans of the Normandy-Neman gather at the premises every VE-Day on 8th May.
The facade of the former Tsvetkovsky Gallery has a profusion of memorial plaques, mostly commemorating pilots of the Normandy-Nemen Squadron, who died in WW2. These French air aces took to the air in Soviet-supplied fighters – the Yak-1, Yak-3, and Yak-9, against the Luftwaffe. Four of the pilots were decorated as Heroes of the USSR – one of whom received the award posthumously, the Commander of the Cherbourg Squadron, Marcel Lefevre.
In 1999 fighter pilots from the Normandy-Neman Squadron took part in NATO raids on Yugoslavia. In 2009 the Normandy-Neman Squadron was disbanded. The remaining members of the squadron and their aircraft were reallocated to service at the Reims Air Base.


This single-story, 10,213-square foot building serves as a union hall. Exterior walls have a combination of burnished concrete block at the base and corrugated metal siding. An EPDM roof was used with copper shingles in the corners as accents.
A sunscreen helps to control sunlight on the glazed exterior surfaces.
Interior gypsum walls have a finish that mimics the exterior's burnished block. An exposed metal ceiling deck links the interior to the exterior's corrugated metal. A 71,000-gallon underground tank meets stormwa-ter detention requirements rather than disturbing the landscape with a retention basin.
This office addition for an apparel manufacturer is organized around three interior avenues. Continuous light scoops facing north bring light deep into the building.


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Language classroom anxiety: A study of Malaysian and Chinese ESL university learners / Voviana Zulkifli
Zulkifli, Voviana (2006) Language classroom anxiety: A study of Malaysian and Chinese ESL university learners / Voviana Zulkifli. Masters thesis, Universiti Teknologi MARA.
TM_VOVIANA ZULKIFLI ED 06_5.PDF
Malaysia has taken the decision to use English as a medium of instruction at university level beginning in 2002 and much debate has surfaced since then. English has also increased in importance in the People's Republic of China (PRC) since the nation joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and implemented an Open Door Policy. This study investigates and compares perceived second language anxiety and attempts to identify whether there are any significant differences in the level of anxiety of male and female ESL university students at Stamford College, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, from the PRC and Malaysia. It also attempts to identify the factors that could contribute to language classroom anxiety. Although the study did not control for factors that may influence language apprehension, the results suggest that nearly half of the total number of respondents are anxious about learning the English language. English Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (ELCAS) with 32 items was constructed and used for the purpose of the study which was adapted and adopted from Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) of Horwitz et. al. 33 items (1986). Findings show that gender is of slight significance but nationality is an important variable in identifying the anxiety level with the various factors that may contribute to English language classroom anxiety.
Zulkifli, Voviana UNSPECIFIED
L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > Higher Education > Institutions of higher education > College teaching > Developmental studies programs. Remedial teaching
P Language and Literature > PL Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania > Malay language. General works. History
Second language anxiety; People's Republic of China (PRC); English language classroom anxiety.
Admin Pendigitan 2 PTAR


It's trunk show time! Join Bespoke Designs in Westport, Connecticut as they celebrate the wedding season on Saturday, January 26th from 11 AM-6PM. While at the event, guests will be get and up-close and personal peek into our 2019 collection. Don't forget to take advantage of our exclusive trunk show special: buy 75 or more invitations and receive 25 complimentary. The creative team at Bespoke Designs is just waiting to bring your wedding stationery vision to life. They hope to see you there!


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#ifndef WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase_h
#define WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase_h

#include "platform/Supplementable.h"

namespace blink {

class IDBFactory;
class WorkerGlobalScope;

class WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase final : public NoBaseWillBeGarbageCollectedFinalized<WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase>, public WillBeHeapSupplement<WorkerGlobalScope> {
    WILL_BE_USING_GARBAGE_COLLECTED_MIXIN(WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase);
public:
    virtual ~WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase();
    static WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase& from(WillBeHeapSupplementable<WorkerGlobalScope>&);

    static IDBFactory* indexedDB(WillBeHeapSupplementable<WorkerGlobalScope>&);

    virtual void trace(Visitor*);

private:
    WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase();

    IDBFactory* indexedDB();
    static const char* supplementName();

    PersistentWillBeMember<IDBFactory> m_idbFactory;
};

} // namespace blink

#endif // WorkerGlobalScopeIndexedDatabase_h


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Film, TV and recording sessions
Harmonica Tuition Cds
Steve Lockwood Albums
Private Harmonica Lessons
Lesson Pricing
Harmonica Lessons Inquiry
Harmonica Workshops – Public
Harmonica Workshops – Corporate
Harmonica Teaching
Email – General Inquiry
Live in Concert with Dave Lockwood, Ed Graham, Dave Stubbs and Mick Carpenter
Seven Wives
As part of the 'Old Riverport Jazz and Blues Festival', The Seven Wives in St Ives is very pleased to announce that, in his first St Ives gig for some time, internationally recognised 'Harmonica Wizard' Steve Lockwood, along with his band, will be showcasing the power and influence of his favourite and most versatile instrument, the harmonica.
Using traditional and avant-garde techniques, musician, composer, performer and harmonica teacher, Steve has an extensive repertoire encompassing many genres from early blues and jazz to soul, funk and contemporary dance, pop and rock music. He has entertained thousands in over 4000 concerts, has played with acts from Larry Adler to Screaming Lord Sutch, and has recorded more than 70 albums, some with The Royal Philharmonic and Prague Philharmonic Orchestras. Steve has composed and played music for film and television, and has appeared on a range of TV and radio channels. His latest collaborations have been with Tom Jones' band, Amy Wadge and Ed Sheeran. Originator of The Cambridge Harmonia Method, Steve is internationally recognised as a teacher of harmonica, and exclusively uses Lee Oskar Harmonicas.
Appearing with Steve this evening are four other consummate musicians, Ed Graham (piano, percussion, backing vocals) and Dave Lockwood (guitar), Dave Stubbs and Chippy Carpenter treating us to numbers from their set, the compilation of instrumental and vocal numbers features some of the musicians' favourite tunes, from jazz and blues through to country and rock 'n' roll. Ed combines meticulous piano grooves with foot percussion, backing vocals, and counterpoint harmonica, while Dave's guitar work includes soaring melodic solos and subtle supporting parts.
"My favourite harmonica player" Boo Hewerdine.
http://steve-lockwood.com
http://steve-lockwood.com/albums/live-at-the-bank/
Steve Lockwood has been playing for over 30 years, and he met Ed Graham 10 years ago when Ed knocked on his door to learn harmonica. Ed would often drop hints that he also played piano and eventually Steve invited him to join him on a gig. The result was electrifying and they have been playing together both as a duo and with larger ensembles, traveling around the UK doing gigs and harmonica workshops. One trip included Ed and Steve teaching 200 people at a conference in Monte Carlo. Ed not only plays meticulous piano grooves with a deft touch but also combines this with foot percussion and backing vocals, and he has been known to play counterpoint harmonica at the same time. It is like having several musicians in one incredible action-packed individual.
Dave Lockwood was introduced to the duo in 2015. It is not easy to join an established act, but Dave Lockwood amazed everybody with his tasteful, subtle touches in supporting parts, contrasted with soaring melodic solos over blues — how amazing a guitarist can be when he has talent, taste and startling technique! Steve, Ed and Dave are all experienced players and improvise with ease in any genre, from sophisticated jazz and tight funky grooves, to pop and country — the after-gig compliments are always shared out over the whole group.
Copyright © 2016 Steve Lockwood – All rights reserved


Macron, the French President says Europe needs to be able to defend itself against Russia and even the United States. The meeting of Defence Ministers from nine European countries takes place on Wednesday, discussion will begin as to how this army will operate. The recent action by the US President Trump to pull out of the Cold War-era nuclear treaty has prompted Macron to make these remarks. "We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army." said Macron.
The third annual Bermuda Strongman competition was held on Saturday afternoon of November the 3rd. Participants showcased the strength and determination over the five events set out by the judges, which decides the winners. The events are the Tire Flip, The Farmers Walk, Car Pull, Clean And Press Log and Atlas Ball Carry. The female student winner was Corinne Pelletier, for the male student winners there was a tie between Cameron Foote and Paulo Sousa. The returning champions for male and female categories, Jonathan Bath and Andrea Hinds retained their titles.


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Fergal O'Brien MRIA: Biomaterial Researcher
Professor O'Brien's research focuses on the development and application of natural polymer, biomaterial-based therapeutics for tissue engineering.
Fergal O'Brien MRIA, Tissue Engineering Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
My research at the Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) focuses on the development and application of natural polymer, biomaterial-based therapeutics for tissue engineering. I graduated in mechanical engineering from TCD in 1997 and then completed a PhD between the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and TCD in the area of bone mechanobiology. Following time as a Fulbright Scholar in the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School, I returned to RCSI in 2003, where I established the TERG after winning a Science Foundation Ireland President of Ireland Young Researcher Award.
The tissue engineering work at TERG has target applications in a number of areas, including bone, cartilage, skin, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neural tissues. A major focus of ongoing research is how to make these natural polymer and biomaterial-based scaffolds function for use as delivery systems for drugs and biomolecules such as nucleic acids (pDNA, siRNA and microRNA), in order to enhance their therapeutic potential.
I am also a principal investigator in the Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research (AMBER) Centre, which is funded by Science Foundation Ireland and by industry. AMBER research in my group includes the development of antimicrobial and electroconductive materials, and we also investigate the use of scaffolds as advanced 3D pathophysiology in vitro systems for drug development, and to further understand disease states in cancer, angiogenesis, immunology and infection. Significant research is also focused on 3D-printing and the development of novel bio-inks for tissue repair and as drug therapy delivery mechanisms. Receipt of a €3-million European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant in 2018 allows us to focus on regenerating large articular cartilage defects using a combination of next-generation gene-activated biomaterials with 3D-printing technologies. My team is also interested in the area of mechanobiology: studying the response of living cells to mechanical stimuli, and using biophysical stimuli (applied by bioreactors or controlled by modalities such as scaffold stiffness) to regulate and manipulate stem-cell differentiation. In this area of our research, we have been developing a 3D-tissue engineering-based model of craniosynostosis (the premature fusion of cranial sutures). We are undertaking this work in partnership with collaborators in Temple Street Children's Hospital, with the aim of identifying potential therapeutic targets for premature ossification.
I have overseen the transfer of a number of regenerative technologies from the lab bench to the bedside. The first product from our group to be commercialised and implemented for clinical use—a collagen-hydroxyapatite bone graft substitute—received regulatory approval in November 2015 and has been used clinically for maxillofacial repair in many patients. Another technology developed from our research, a multi-layered scaffold for the repair of small cartilage defects, is also being assessed in a human clinical trial. An additional AMBER technology is being prepared for clinical use in partnership with Integra LifeSciences, to facilitate the repair of large nerve defect. Another exciting project involving research on the nervous system, funded by the IRFU-Charitable Trust and AMBER, is currently investigating the development of a regenerative, therapeutic-delivery platform for spinal cord repair.
As director of research and innovation in RCSI, I serve as a member of the RCSI senior management team with responsibility for developing, devising and implementing the strategic plan for RCSI research and innovation in Ireland and overseas. This role also involves leading the RCSI Office of Research and Innovation, which supports researchers through the planning and coordination of funding proposals, administration of grant awards, drafting and approval of research contracts, and oversight of research institute infrastructures, industry engagements, and research commercialisation. As deputy director of the AMBER Centre, I serve as co-lead on the Materials for Health platform.
I was founding co-editor of the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials; am an editorial board member for eight journals; have published over 220 journal articles; and supervised over 40 doctoral students to completion. I have served as grant panellist for many agencies, including the European Research Council, Arthritis UK and the Fulbright Programme. I have organised numerous conferences and events and served as co-chair of the World Congress of Biomechanics in 2018, which brought over 4,000 delegates to Dublin. In addition to my Fulbright Scholarship, I have been the recipient of three prestigious European Research Council Awards and of a New Investigator Recognition Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society, and I have been Engineers Ireland Chartered Engineer of the Year. I am a fellow of Engineers Ireland, the European Alliance for Medical & Biological Engineering Science, and the Anatomical Society (from which I received the New Fellow of the Year award). In 2018 I received the Silver Medal from the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland (Section of Bioengineering) and was elected to the Royal Irish Academy.
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The RIA is governed by its President and Council who, in accordance with the founding Charter, are elected by the Members at a general meeting held in the spring of each year. The term of the current President, Dr Mary...
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If you missed last week's Discourse with Dr Larisa DeSantis, which took place at University College Cork, you can watch it back now.
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A few weeks ago, I was skeptical about the market. Equities did dip a bit, but for now, the skeptics have lost as Wall Street has continued moving up.
But being skeptical, and out of the market, are two different things. As you can see in the chart, I'm still in. Just worried.
I'm also worried about the oil stocks. I liked them a week or so ago, but now? Sell if you have oversize profits.
And finally, I'm worried about Conagra Foods (NYSE:CAG) (which I own). But at least this company is getting into an area where I'd buy more.
Back next week to see if I can relax just a bit.


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Category: Integrated Reporting
CDP, Cities and sustainability reporting, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), GRI Certified Training, Integrated Reporting, Integrated Reporting, ISOS Group, Sustainability Reporting
Sustainability Reporting Training Recap
April 4, 2016 Gwen White
Photo by Gwen White
Two weeks ago (March 15-18, I taught the Integrated Reporting <IR> Framework at the World Bank in Washington, DC, with Nancy Mancilla of the ISOS Group. The World Bank employees were great and helped make it an exciting and engaging session. It is always a great experience training with Nancy, who incorporates her substantial knowledge and experience into the trainings.
During the World Bank session, we covered the benefits of using the <IR> Framework and how in particular the framework works for public agencies. <IR> allows an organization to explain how it creates value over the short, medium, and long terms. It does not replace other reporting frameworks but is the next step for organizations to move beyond providing separate sustainability (i.e., economic, environmental, and social) and financial (i.e., assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses) metrics. It helps organizations tie together these metrics to see the big picture of their opportunities and risks; this involves reporting about its strategy, governance, performance and prospects in the context of its environment. To prepare this report, an organization must take an in-depth look at the inputs (e.g., raw materials, equipment, human resources) and outputs (e.g., finished products, waste, emissions) of its business model as it relates to risks and opportunities. For example, an organization's decision to invest in an energy efficient production facility affects its profits by reducing costs and the environment by reducing emissions. In an integrated report, the organization can explain how the interrelated effects of reducing its annual operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions reduce its risks. To illustrate, the risks associated with increases in future energy costs are lessened. Reducing these risks could increase an organization's opportunities to obtain future financing for other capital projects.
During the IR training, I shared my knowledge and experience with university, city, and airport sustainability reports in the <IR> context. In one of my examples, I discussed a city that invested in a more fuel-efficient transportation system that reduced costs, fuel usage, and carbon emissions. This investment has long-term consequences for reducing operating costs, carbon emissions, and human healthcare costs. It has the potential to affect how the city is perceived in terms of managing its financial and environmental impacts. This could in turn have consequences for the city's bond ratings. An <IR> report would discuss these issues as they relate to the city's costs, revenues, opportunities, and risks in the short, medium, and long terms.
Monika Kumar, Environmental Specialist with the Corporate Responsibility Program at the World Bank, and I were co-trainers at the GRI G4 sustainability reporting session at the National Geographic Headquarters March 16 and 17. Monika is an excellent trainer with a wealth of experience from her work preparing the World Bank's sustainability reports. We had a stimulating two days with a group of enthusiastic participants. These trainings provided participants with the opportunity to learn in detail about the GRI G4 framework with current examples of reporting companies. In addition to learning about the GRI principles and their application, we focused on the entire reporting process from planning to publishing the finished report. In this training, we also learned a great deal about our participants' sustainability reporting experiences. They shared their successes and challenges, which was quite useful to all. Interactive trainings such as this one make our training interesting and memorable.
On the final day of training, Monika Kumar and Stephen Donofrio presented on responding to the CDP questionnaires on climate impacts. This training helped participants understand how CDP relates to their organizations and how they could apply it to their business contexts. Stephen, Principal & Founder of Greenpoint Innovations LLC, was formerly Vice President of CDP North America (Carbon Disclosure Project), where he served as the Canada Manager and directed the region's investor disclosure program for climate, energy, water, forest-risk commodities. As a co-presenter, Monika discussed her experiences working on the CDP questionnaires for the World Bank. It was a well-done presentation!
If you missed the GRI and CDP trainings in March, you have another opportunity April 27 – 29, in New York City, hosted by International Flavors and Fragrances.
CDP, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), GRI Certified Training, Integrated Reporting, ISOS Group
Sustainability Reporting Training in Washington, DC
March 13, 2016 March 14, 2016 Gwen White
I will be teaching with the ISOS Group at two training sessions next week (March 15-18) in Washington DC. We will cover the Integrated Reporting <IR> Framework and GRI G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. The IR session is a private engagement at the World Bank, while the GRI G4 session is at the National Geographic Headquarters. In addition to the GRI G4 training, CDP certified training is being offered on March 18. Please join us.
By the way, if you are interested in attending a training in the future contact the ISOS Group. Customized private training sessions are also available.


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Home News Politics 2019: Adamawa government orders removal of Governor Dankwambo's campaign billboard
2019: Adamawa government orders removal of Governor Dankwambo's campaign billboard
The Adamawa State government has instructed the presidential campaign office of Gombe state governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, to remove his giant billboard in Yola because it was erected on a space allocated as a parking space for commercial tricycles known as "Keke Napep".
The notice was given to Mr Dankwambo via a letter from Adamawa State Urban Planning and Development Authority Yola dated July 12.
In the notice signed by the Director, Town Planning on behalf of the General Manager, the agency, said its decision is "in accordance with section 34 and 37 Adamawa State Urban and Regional Planning Law ADS Law No. 3 of 2010".
The letter acknowledged that the Dankwambo campaign organisation had submitted an application to the authority on July 9 requesting for approval to place the billboard.
The billboard is currently placed at a round about closed to Yola International Airport.
Giving further reasons for disapproving the request, the Urban Planning authority said "the site was already allocated to Keke NAPEP as parking space".
It also ask the Gombe governor "to remove the billboard within 24 hours or have it removed by the authority".
It also advised him to "look for another site for approval by the authority before posting" the billboard.
However, Mr Dankwambo who is aspiring to pick the ticket of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), however, alleged foul play on the matter.
Speaking through one of his political associates and a spokesperson for the campaign, Dahiru kera, Mr Dankwambo said the urban planning at first asked for a payment of one million as fees for the billboard.
''We were contacted through our contact by the task force that we must to pay one million naira on the billboard and its quite shocking that even after agreeing to pay the hefty sum as requested by the authority, they vehemently rejected it and said, they've reached a decision to dismount the billboard and the task force has been instructed to do that immediately," Mr Kera said.
He also lamented that a democratically elected government is working hard to undermine the rights of an individual to aspire and contest for an elective office.
"Nigeria belongs to all of us and Adamawa State is part of Nigeria and Dankwambo has the right like any other Nigerian to mount his billboard anywhere within the country.
"We therefore, strongly condemned this dastardly act and the undemocratic behaviour of the Adamawa State Government.
"It's good to note that destroying a billboard which is the last kick of a dying horse, isn't going to change anything, Nigerians are determined to vote out this fake government from power come 2019 and no amount of intimidation, browbeating, and scare tactics can change their position," Mr Kera said.
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Adamawa State Government
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Browbeating
Dahiru Kera
Gombe State Governor
Ibrahim Dankwambo
Keke NAPEP
Nigerians
Peoples Democratic Party
Yola
Yola International Airport