When I first studied counseling skills, the course ended with our group of students and teachers going on a weekend retreat. While there we each had to create and share our personal coat of arms. Each was topped with a single word to represent our deepest value or belief. My word was COURAGE.
I'm no warrior: I'm a theatre artist, not a martial artist! But I choose to be a risk taker, an avid pursuer of opportunity, and a believer that things in this world, and in our relationships, can be changed for the better. Like most adults I've been burned a few times, but I believe that we can rise like a phoenix from the ashes of setback, failure, embarrassment and pain.
When do you feel afraid, anxious, nervous, full of worry or doubt?
For me, it tends to show up just before I enter a situation for the first time, when I'm not sure what to expect. On reflection, that's a lifelong pattern; I was often the 'new kid' at school. These days, I frequently find myself about to coach executives from unfamiliar industries. I feel it also when I'm standing outside a networking event and there are no familiar faces around. And, despite being passionate and excited about performing, it even shows up just before I step on to a stage to deliver a new presentation or for the opening night of a play.
I'm a high extrovert, a veteran coach, a seasoned performer, yet pinballing around inside my head I still hear questions like: "What if it goes wrong?", "What if I can't?", "What if they don't like me?", "What if I look foolish?".
What helps me get past those voices? How do I summon up courage? How do you?
I REMEMBER I HAVE DONE SIMILAR THINGS BEFORE and that I have often succeeded, sometimes failed, but always learned something. Recently, a friend asked me to step in at the last moment to debate in front of an audience at a corporate event. I would be partnered with a very senior executive I'd never met to tackle a topic I didn't choose, with very limited prep time. The voices in my head instantly clamoured to say no. But I summoned my courage. I decided I had a number of related skills, it would be a chance to try a presenting style I hadn't tackled for years, and if I lost the debate (and a bit of dignity) it would at least remind me how to be gracious! My response was to laugh and say, "OK, how bad could it be? I'll help you out".
If you struggle to acknowledge fear, it may help to try out 'socially acceptable synonyms': "I feel a little anxious about…", "I could really use your help around…", "Your support on… would be welcome", "I'm conscious I feel worried worried about…", "May I share some concerns I feel about…?".
I see courage as a decision, a choice, an exercise of free will. We elect to bring our courage into the arena with us, rather than running away from the arena. We choose to be courageous afterweighing thoughts, feelings, odds and outcomes, and knowing there is risk involved. When we recognise our fear, we exercise courage to empower us to some deliberate act – doing or saying something… Or we may need courage to enable an act of self-control so we purposely do or say nothing. But courage is never present in indecision, timidity or passivity.
What is important enough to push you beyond your boundary of fear? How do you summon courage. Does courage need to show up more in your professional life? What conversations are you avoiding due to fear or anxiety?
My colleagues and I have recently refined and begun working with our own Dramatic Difference model for High Performance Dialogue (our "C4 High Performance Dialogue Model"). Courage is the third C in that model. Our C4 Model is supported by practical, experiential learning toolkits inspired by our work with and study of researchers and thought leaders such as George Kohlrieser, Judith E. Glaser, Viola Spolin, Daniel Kahneman, Daniel Goleman, Amy Cuddy, Angela Duckworth, Martin Seligmann, David Rock and others.
We've tested the tools, techniques, materials and methods with thousands of executives over the past 25 years and we love them. They work! They help us distil courage and use it in the laboratory of real life.
Yes, C4 is explosive: it can blow up a mountain, or be used in an amount so tiny that it just blows the lock out of a closed door. It is pliable and moulds to any shape. To us, C4 represents disruptive, creative conversations.
C4 is also a protein crucial to tolerance and antibodies in the immune system. So to us, in dialogue, it represents psychological safety, inclusion, and crucial conversations.
And C4 is a vertebra in the human spine that is crucial to our movement in all directions – forwards, backwards and sideways. It is also vitally important in our breathing mechanism. To us it represents both presence and agility in dialogue.
We welcome your stories of courage, and your comments on this blog.


text:
Do you want to stay up to date of all the news about Illinois? Turn on push notifications and don't miss anything!
Jashyah Moore Found Safe In New York City After Being Missing For A Month
14-11-2021 15:47 via chicagodefender.com
Photo: Essex County City HallJashyah Moore, a 14-year-old Black girl from East Orange, New Jersey was found safe Thursday (November 11) after being missing for more than a month.
According to reports, Jashyah was found in New York City, though officials have not yet released details of how she was found or her disappearance.
The teen's mother publicly pleaded for help two weeks after after Jashyah vanished from a visit to a nearby corner store on October 14. Now, Jashyah's family is
One Of Ahmaud Arbery's Convicted Killers Is Filing For A New Trial
One of the men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery has filed for a new trial, after saying the state failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Earlier this month, attorneys for Travis McMichael filed a routine motion for a new trial shortly after the gunman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The motion suggests state prosecutors didn't prove McMichael's "guilt" for pulling the trigger of a shotgun February 2
Florida Teacher Drags 7-Year-Old Black Girl Off The Bus, Leaving Bruises [Watch]
A Florida mother is planning to sue her daughter's school district after the 7-year-old –– who has special needs –– reported being bullied by a teacher.
Witnesses confirmed that on September 29, 2021, an unidentified white teacher at the Airbase K-8 Center School in Homestead, pulled Amaria Clark off her school bus, dragging her down the steps, before falsely accused of stealing a cellphone in front of a crowd. The teacher grabbed Amaria so force
What Retirement Among Black Congress Members Means For The Future
The Congressional Black Caucus will be experiencing some major changes in the upcoming midterm election cycle.
At least seven members of the lawmaker group former more than 50 years ago will not be returning to office after this session. A wave of retirements, campaigns for other offices, and the passing of a longtime member provides an opportunity for new membership –– and leaders –- to rise.
"The CBC is very much in a transitional phase right now aft
Twitter Drags Mitch McConnell After Suggesting Black People Aren't American
Twitter is letting Mitch McConnell have it after the Republican leader made a comment suggesting Black people aren't fully American.
While speaking to reporters Thursday (January 20), McConnell answered a question asking his thoughts on the concern many Black voters have after two key pieces of federal voting rights legislation failed in the Senate this week.
"Well, the concern is misplaced because if you look at the statistics, African American voters are voting
21-01-2022 20:53 via chicagoreader.com
The Scary of Sixty-First is an ambitious film, and while it doesn't always hit its mark, it remains admirable in its attempts. Noelle (Madeline Quinn) and Addie (Betsey Brown) seemingly strike gold during an apartment hunt by landing a swank duplex on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is, of course, too good to be true. But the drawbacks are much more sinister than shitty plumbing, noisy neighbors, or an asshole super. It turns out the property used to belong to the infamous and recen
Let's get into it, revelers, there's a lot of stuff to do both online and off in the next few days!FRI 1/21Fish (and visitors) are said to go bad after three days, but Fillet of Solo has been keeping it fresh for 25 years. Originally created by Sharon Evans for Live Bait Theater, the annual celebration of storytelling has been produced by Lifeline for the past several iterations. They're going virtual for a second time this year, bringing performers and storytelling collective
Gonzalo Calzada's ghost story Nocturna is broken up into two distinct films: Side A, the more linear narrative, and Side B, an abstracted addendum that parallels the events of Side A. Narratively, Nocturna tells the story of elderly Ulises (Pepe Soriano) who lives a life bordering on reclusive, his only companion being his wife Dalia (Marilú Marini), who imposes a constant fear that the building association is going to forcibly remove them from their apartment due to their age and
Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare's Cicada isn't sure what it wants to be. Is it a cinematic narrative or a heart-wrenching documentary? The story of a partnership, or a classic character study? A tale of love overcoming obstacles, or of opposing identities colliding? When Ben and Sam's lives—and traumas—intersect, it creates a cacophony much like the song of the cicadas: a scream we can witness but cannot quite understand. But cowriters and costars Fifer and Sheldo
At the after-party of a 15-year high school reunion, a famous alumnus is murdered and his classmates are all suspects. Tiffany Haddish stars as the detective trying (not very hard) to find out whodunit. The rest of the cast is filled out by a murderers' row of SNL and SNL-adjacent comedy vets, none breaking a sweat. Each episode threatens to focus on a different character and send up a separate film genre, but aside from the painful parody musical featured in episode three, I wasn't
Art houses live
In an article for the Chicago Tribune published on November 26, 1972, film critic Gene Siskel (after whom, ironically, the institution would later be named) announced the pending commencement of a new film center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, set to open on January 3 of the coming year. "This article," he wrote, "is dedicated to the hundreds of persons who have stopped me in movie theaters, dinner parties, baseball games, and lecture halls and complained
Black female friendships are taking over the small screen
Ever since Bernadine, Gloria, Savannah, and Robin laughed together, cried together, and fussed at each other in the name of friendship in theaters around the world, many have exalted the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale as the blueprint for showing Black women's friendships on-screen. Waiting to Exhale followed four African American women experiencing the ups and downs of love and romance in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on the 1992 novel by Terry McMillan, the film has also stood the test of time i
HBCU Virtual Fair Helps College Students Find Schools and Money
Even with the pandemic raging across the country, thousands of high school students are still trying to figure out where to continue their education after graduation. We know how hard it is to gather in person — so an HBCU Virtual Fair based in Atlanta is bringing the opportunity to connect with colleges and universities, right into their homes.
Real Times Media National News Director Mark Hayes sits down with Oliver Hunter to get the details on the event and to tell us about a
Extremism Expert Eric Ward on Dr. King's Practice of Non-Violence
According to a poll conducted by the Washington Post, one in three Americans says violence against the government can be justified. As the nation commemorated the anniversary of the Jan 6th insurrection, the question of whether the nation is in the midst of a civil war is a relevant one.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., once said, "it is no longer a choice between violence and non-violence in this world; it's nonviolence or nonexistence. That is where we are today."
Voting Rights Bills Dead After Senate Fails To Change Filibuster Rules
The voting rights of millions of Americans were left vulnerable Wednesday evening (January 19) after a Senate vote failed to change the filibuster rule to get key legislation passed.
The 52-48 vote came after Senate Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema sided with every Republican to vote against changing the filibuster rules. According to reports, Republicans erupted in applause after the vote was complete.
The rule they wanted to change would allow for a talking filibust
Federal Trial Of Three Former Officers In George Floyd's Murder Begins
The federal trial of the three former Minneapolis police officers who participated in the murder of George Floyd began Thursday (January 20) with jury selection.
Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao each face state and federal charges for their role in the May 25, 2020 murder of Floyd who was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store. Each of the former officers face state aiding and abetting a murder and manslaughter charges, while the federal prosecutors
Tiffany Haddish Shares An Update On Her Plans To Become A Parent
Tiffany Haddish has a lot of love to give, and plans to become a parent are in full swing. In a recent interview with E!'s Daily Pop, the "Night School" actress, who was placed in foster care as a child, opened up about her plans for parenthood, sharing:
"I just went to Africa. I was just in Eritrea, and people were trying to give me their kids. I was like, 'Hold up now, I gotta get the paperwork right now. I can't just be taking kids with
Client Sends Racist Email After Finding Out Business Owner Is Black
A Portland, Oregon business owner shared the racist email she received from a customer who demanded a refund once they found out they supported a Black owned business.
The business owner, TikTok user @royaltysonestopshop, started Royalty's One Stop Shop with the mission of making people feel "pretty and safe" with her fashionable self-defense items. One customer, however, no longer wanted to be a part of that mission once they found out a Black woman was beh
Chloe Bailey Slams Critics Who Compare Her To Sister Halle
Both Chloe and Halle Bailey have seen success in their respective, solo careers. Chloe has been going hard, slaying performances and promoting her single "Have Mercy", while Halle recently wrapped filming of the live-action version of The Little Mermaid in which she stars as Ariel. But like most sisters, the "Ungodly Hour" singers are constantly being compared to each other, and big sister Chloe has had enough.
During an interview for the digital cover
Tennessee Lawmaker Proposes Self-Defense Law Named After Kyle Rittenhouse
A Tennessee lawmaker proposed a new self-defense law that would reimburse accused killers if a court determines they acted in self-defense and a jury acquits them of the charges.
The bill is named "Kyle's Law" –– named after Kyle Rittenhouse, the acquitted gunman who fired on protesters, killing two of them and injuring another, back in August 2020 following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, Jr. in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
"I'm trying to
Hollywood creative Cassandra Butcher talks breaking color barriers with Beyoncé & John Singleton friendship
Hollywood creative director Cassandra Butcher shares how she always knew she'd work in television, how she broke color barriers with Beyoncé while filming 'The Fighting Temptations,' and how amazing her friendship was with the Academy-Award nominated director, John Singleton.
Cassandra is the CMO of BRON Studios (Bombshell, Judas and the Black Messiah) and Co-Creative Director of BRON Life. She also oversees BRON's creative, publicity and media Awards strategy which
Dr. Anthony Harris on Keeping Kids Safe in Schools Amid a Surge in COVID Cases
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected America's schoolchildren in numerous ways. From remote learning and the loss of personal and social interaction to the current disruptions of in-person learning due to the Omicron variant, students are feeling the effects of losing precious in-person time in school.
With the recent CPS and CTU fight regarding resuming in-person learning and safety protocols, parents have grown increasingly frustrated. Struggling to balance children's need to return
Building 63rd House
On August 5, 1966, near Marquette Park, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was attacked while leading a protest to demand housing desegregation. Several blocks away from this spot stands 3055 W. 63rd, a formerly abandoned post office that turned 100 years old in 2020. This is the location where Blue Tin Production (a worker-run apparel manufacturing cooperative) is now building 63rd House, a hybrid organization headquarters for Blue Tin and community center for the greater neighborhoods of
Chicago Americana outfit Dogs at Large flirt with the comforts of lo-fi sounds
Since the mid-2010s, Chicago multi-instrumentalist Sam Pirruccello (aided by a shifting group of collaborators) has been releasing languid, Americana-inflected indie rock as Dogs at Large. In 1975, Pirruccello's father, Bo, and Bo's brother Frank (Pirruccello's uncle) cofounded the delightful country-rock band Ouray, and the music of Dogs at Large has a noticeable twang too. Dogs at Large's sixth album, My Epiphone (which they self-released in December 2020), began as a
Chicago rapper Vic Spencer sticks to his ideals on Spencer for Higher 4
Chicago rapper Vic Spencer has built a catalog worthy of a book-length exposition, but for the time being I'll restrict myself to a handful of observations about December's Spencer for Higher 4 (Old Fart Luggage). One: UK rapper-producer Sonnyjim, who had a hand in every beat on the album, employs sumptuous sonics that help even Spencer's most petulant turns go down easy and give his voluble verses a lived-in resplendence. Two: Spencer sometimes sounds like he's dragging
The post Thin appeared first on Chicago Reader.
Local members, local food
Since 2009, the Dill Pickle Food Co-op has offered locally owned products, healthy food options, and specialty items that can't be found in any other grocery store. This full-service independent grocery co-op builds a dynamic and evolving local community with a more sustainable world. The Dill Pickle meets community needs and strengthens area diversity through products, services, and education. We are also a member-owned and financed grocery cooperative located in the Logan Square neighbo
Journalism and Police Accountability: Perspectives from the Chicago Reader and the Chicago Torture Justice Center
Reader co-publisher Karen Hawkins, former Reader reporter John Conroy, Aislinn Pulley, co-executive director of the Chicago Torture Justice Center, and Mark Clements, an activist and police torture survivor discussed the role of journalism in uncovering police violence.You can watch the entire program here:
Co-sponsored by the Chicago Reader, this Newberry program was held in connection with The Chicago Reader at 50, on view in the Newberry exhibition galleries through March 5, 2022.The p
Netflix's "Don't Look Up" tells Society's Unspoken Truth
Comedy and a threat to humanity glossed over with consistent questioning on whether what experts say is true. That sums up Netflix's science fiction movie, "Don't Look Up." Two Michigan State scientists, Dr. Randy Mindy (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) complete a group study among colleagues and realized a large comet is headed towards Earth. It is guaranteed to hit the planet and kill everyone.
Dr. Mindy and Dibiasky alert the pub
Come winter, come market
The cold outside might make you think that farmers' market season is over, but there are plenty of ways to purchase locally grown and regionally-created food year round. Here are a few upcoming possibilities. Plant Chicago in Back of the Yards offers year-round indoor markets, usually scheduled biweekly, with a limited number of vendors inside their building (which was originally a Chicago firehouse). The next event features local makers Bee-utiful Honey and Soap Junkii, among others
Follow @NewsIllinois_ on Twitter!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Sylvie Gaudin, née le   à Boulogne-Billancourt, et morte le  à Paris, est un maître-verrier français. Elle est connue pour les vitraux originaux qu'elle a exécutés en France jusqu'à sa mort précoce, au zénith de son art.

Biographie
Quatrième d'une lignée de maîtres-verriers, Sylvie Gaudin est respectivement la fille, la petite-fille et l'arrière-petite fille de Pierre Gaudin, Ernest Jean Gaudin, et Félix Gaudin.

Elle a effectué ses études à l'Académie Julian à Paris à partir de 1969 puis à l'École supérieure d'arts graphiques. En 1973, son père Pierre meurt et Sylvie reprend l'atelier de la rue de la Grande-Chaumière (Paris,  arr.), dans le quartier du Montparnasse.

Restauratrice de vitraux anciens, elle exécute également les cartons d'artistes. C'est elle qui restaure et replace en 1977 dans la nouvelle église Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen (provenant de l'ancienne église Saint-Vincent, démolie par les bombardements).

Son œuvre originale est facilement reconnaissable, marquée par une fluidité de lignes contemporaines intégrant les éléments figuratifs ou symboliques avec des grisailles maîtrisant parfaitement les jeux de contrastes.

Œuvre
Liste non exhaustive

Cathédrales
 (50), Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Coutances : fenêtres hautes du transept sud (1992-1993)
 (60), Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais : baies du triforium et du bas-côté nord (1986-1990)
 (76), Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen : baies des chapelles Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul (1981)

Églises
 (10), Église Saint-Félix, à Polisy : fenêtres du bas-côté sud (1994-1995)
 (10), Église Sainte-Maure, à Sainte-Maure : baie axiale du chœur (1985)
 (56), Église Saint-Joseph, à Pontivy : onze baies figurées (vers 1992) .
 (50), Église Notre-Dame de Portbail.
 (75), Église Saint-Gervais, à Paris, 4 : fenêtres des chapelles sud du chœur.
 (76), Collégiale Notre-Dame d'Écouis, à Écouis : onze baies figurées (1994, réalisé par M. Blanc-Garin de 1996 à 1999)  cf. fiche MH
 (76), Collégiale Notre-Dame-du-Grand-Andely, aux Andelys : compléments à la verrière sur l'histoire de Noé [baie 124] (1994) cf. fiche MH
 (77), Collégiale Notre-Dame de Melun, à Melun : saints Michel, Nicolas, Barthélemy et Vincent, baies figuratives (1986) cf. fiche MH

Chapelle
 (22), Chapelle Saint-Éloi, à Saint-Nicolas-du-Pélem : vitraux

Restaurations
Vitraux des églises de Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen (1977), de Saint-Martail de Cazenac à Beynac-et-Cazenac (1989)

Bibliographie
 Sylvie Gaudin, The little sisters, [exposition] Salle Capitulaire de la Cathédrale de Coutances, 6/, Coutances : Musée Quesnel-Morinière, 1990

Liens externes
 Vitraux d'Écouis

Notes et références

Maître verrier français
Peintre français de vitraux
Naissance en juin 1950
Naissance à Boulogne-Billancourt
Élève de l'École supérieure d'arts graphiques Penninghen
Artiste contemporain français
Artiste ayant travaillé à la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen
Décès dans le 5e arrondissement de Paris
Décès en mai 1994
Décès à 43 ans

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
A Realist's Ideal Pursuit
He, Kai
Griffith University Author(s)
It is no exaggeration to say that Yan Xuetong's Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power is a path-breaking project that integrates ancient Chinese philosophy, Pre-Qin history, and contemporary International Relations (IR) theory. Although Yan has not introduced a new grand theory of IR in the book per se, he has paved a fresh theoretical and intellectual path to reforming current, western-philosophy-and-history-based IR theory. If scholars follow Yan's guidance and approach as laid out in the book, it will be no surprise to see developed more than one new IR theory. The book is translated from Yan's research on ...
View more >It is no exaggeration to say that Yan Xuetong's Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power is a path-breaking project that integrates ancient Chinese philosophy, Pre-Qin history, and contemporary International Relations (IR) theory. Although Yan has not introduced a new grand theory of IR in the book per se, he has paved a fresh theoretical and intellectual path to reforming current, western-philosophy-and-history-based IR theory. If scholars follow Yan's guidance and approach as laid out in the book, it will be no surprise to see developed more than one new IR theory. The book is translated from Yan's research on pre-Qin international political philosophy and its implications for the rise of China. It consists of three parts: Yan's three articles on pre-Qin philosophical masters' writings on international politics;1 three critical reviews of Yan's articles by three brilliant Chinese scholars, as well as Yan's responses to his critics; and three useful appendixes giving background information on Yan's research. The book raises three major arguments in the book. They are: (i) norms and morality determine the stability of interstate order, and the hierarchical relation among states is conducive to world peace; (ii) humane authority is a superior model for great powers compared to hegemony and tyranny in international politics; and (iii) political power is the most important element of power compared to economic, military, and soft power. It is obvious that each of these arguments poses fundamental challenges to the major canons of contemporary IR theory. In this review article, I first discuss the three significant contributions of Yan's book to the studies of ancient Chinese philosophy, IR theory, and China's foreign policy. I then raise certain questions after a reading of the book. My questions and critiques focus on the definitions of certain key concepts, such as morality and humane authority, the utility of ancient philosophy in advancing IR theory, and the implications for the study of China's foreign policy. I conclude that Yan's book represents an ideal pursuit by a realist. Yan's emphases on morality, norm, humane authority, and political power may turn out as brilliant rhetorically, but as unrealistic in reality. One of the key problems lies in the operationalization of these key concepts in real world politics. Yan's idea of comparing and contrasting Chinese philosophy, Western philosophy, and contemporary IR theory is very creative. Merely focusing on ideational differences in ancient Chinese philosophy, however, is not sufficient to advance contemporary IR theory. Although searching the philosophical and cultural roots of China's foreign policy behaviour is a promising research enterprise, some of Yan's arguments and suggestions about China's foreign policy are normative in nature with difficulties in their practical and empirical verifications.
View less >
Chinese Journal of International Politics
https://doi.org/10.1093/cjip/por016
Publication URI


Real Maine Weddings - Planning Day #4: Venues!
What a whirlwind of a day we had in York as we traveled between all of our wedding venues!
We began with a 10 am meeting at the beautiful Union Bluff Meeting House. We met up with Christine and Melanie from Real Maine Weddings, Amber from Sweetest Thing Weddings, and Darlene from Union Bluff. Shane's Wedding Photography was there to capture the moments of us being serious and silly.
The Union Bluff's ballroom and view are stunning! We felt like we were planning a second wedding. We were able to choose from different food stations that will change throughout the Welcome Party. Darlene was incredibly helpful in our decision-making. Our friends and family are going to love celebrating the beginning of the wedding weekend. We know they won't leave hungry or thirsty, the Union Bluff is going to knock their socks-off!
Next, we went over to the Stage Neck Inn. As Justin and I drove down the road to the inn, the beauty and reality hit us. We will be married at this unbelievable place. We met Dawn, who kindly showed us around the grounds. The ceremony site is breathtaking as you can look out over the rocky coastline. We are hoping for great weather! The cocktail hour will be full of yummy hors d'oeuvres and drinks for all to enjoy as they watch the sunset in the harbor. The Stage Neck Inn has just been remodeled and is amazing. We are so lucky to share our first moments as husband and wife at the Stage Neck Inn.
Third, we traveled right down the street to Foster's Clambakes and Catering. We met with Kevin, Beth, Jenna, Cheryl, and Cherie. We had a big meeting in Foster's deciding on food options, lighting, decorations, set-up, and layout specifics. This team of incredible vendors is going to transform Foster's into a venue that feels vintage nautical with a romantic twist. I'm honestly so excited to eat too, I will not be skipping out on dinner! Cherie is also a designer and the owner of Salty Girl and the Long Dog. She is creating amazing driftwood accents including table number sailboats, an arch, and signs for our day. Her work is incredible and it's easy to see how much she loves doing it! Justin and I are beginning to put all of the pieces into the big picture. We are anxious to see everything together on the big day!
Less than a mile down the road was our rehearsal dinner site, the Dockside Restaurant. Talk about great views! We met with Phil and discussed an awesome menu for the rehearsal dinner. Then we discussed centerpieces with the brilliant Autumn from Flour! She easily dreamt up nautical ideas for the rehearsal centerpieces. It was great to talk to her about her process of floral design. We were able to walk outside along the docks and enjoy the beautiful day. I could have spent the rest of the day there laying by the water and soaking up the sun. The pictures we took of the grounds around the Dockside were stunning. We live in such a beautiful place with beautiful people!
Thank you so much to all of the vendors that are coming together to make our day/ days possible at these gorgeous venues.


text:
Index Investing and the Factor Evolution
Every financial website displays key barometers to track global stock performance around the world at a glance—in the form of stock indexes. With the development of indexes came new ways to trade the market, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Patrick O'Connor, our head of global ETFs, offers this brief history of index investing and the evolution of factor-based investing which has led to today's strategic beta ETF offerings.
I like to think of the evolution of index investing in Darwinian terms, from the conception of the first stock index to today's exciting and innovative new products in this space. In 1896, Charles Dow, the editor of the Wall Street Journal and co-founder of Dow Jones & Company, developed the first stock index: the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). It was more or less a mechanism to track what Charles Dow thought about a basket of hand-picked stocks. Only one company from his original list of 12 remains a DJIA component today with the same name. (Hint: You may own one of its appliances.)
Nearly a century later in the early 1990s, the first exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were introduced in the United States, and today more than $2 trillion in assets are in these vehicles in the United States alone.1
When I first started working in portfolio management in 1999, ETFs were not as ubiquitous as they are today, and it was still very expensive to assemble a basket of stocks as an individual investor. US equities were fairly easy to access, but a basket of international equities or commodities was not. A market-cap weighting offered some benefits; it allowed us to invest in areas we couldn't get to, but also came with challenges and risks.
ETFs represented the next step in product packaging, but they still tracked a cap-weighted index. However, ETFs did make cap-weighted index investing much more popular, and indexes proliferated. In 2003, factor-based, or strategic beta, investing was first introduced in ETF form. The concept of strategic beta (which some call smart beta) wasn't actually new; it had been used in institutional portfolios for quite some time. But only in more recent times could retail investors more widely access these types of investing strategies.
The Factor Evolution
One can think of a factor as a DNA marker of stock behavior; it is a primary characteristic of an investment that explains a stock's behavior over long periods of time. Just as your DNA determines whether you'll have blue or brown eyes, factors explain how stocks have tended to move in response to market developments. Our understanding of factors dates back several decades, beginning with Benjamin Graham and David Dodd in the 1930s, who first identified how higher-quality companies tended to perform well, and how stocks with lower price/book and price/earnings ratios2 tended to outperform growth-oriented stocks. Since then, many others have contributed to the understanding of factors.
We have found four factors used to understand stock performance to be the most relevant DNA markers: quality, value, momentum and volatility. Let's take a closer look at the factors and how we measure them.
(High) Quality: As Graham and Dodd identified, quality is a key driver of stock performance. We think the best measure of company quality seeks to identify those with multiple characteristics, including profitability, strength of balance sheet and efficient use of assets.
(Attractive) Value: By investing in attractively valued stocks, investors seek to benefit from potential upside from low-priced stocks. In measuring value, we think it's important to identify those with attractive forward and trailing valuation ratios (price/earnings, price/book, price/cash flow) and dividend yield.
(Strong) Momentum: Many investors seek out stocks with strong momentum in order to avoid value traps, viewed as companies that are trading at low multiples but offer little in the way of future potential. We measure momentum by looking for companies that exhibit six- to 12-month relative price strength.
(Low) Volatility: Some investors look to low-volatility stocks to defend against potential market downturns. Stocks that demonstrate lower-than-average variability of returns are often considered "low-volatility" stocks.
Stocks can be grouped based on the primary factors they share. Some factors have provided investors with positive returns above and beyond market indexes over the long term—called a "return premium"—while other factors have been more closely associated with stock risk.
Some investors may be inclined to choose one or two factors for investments, but this approach can also come with ups and downs.
Quality, value, momentum or low-volatility stocks by themselves have moved in and out of favor as the economic cycle has swayed back and forth. Momentum, for example, was the top-performing factor in 2007 when equity markets were strong, but it was the worst performer in 2008 when the global financial crisis hit.3 These swings in performance can be unsettling to many investors, causing them to sell and potentially miss out on rebounding performance.
So let's consider the options for investing in strategic beta ETFs. You could invest in individual factors, an approach that would offer the opportunity to capture potential risk premiums. Some investors also use them to gain specific factor tilts within a portfolio. But, as mentioned, factors move in and out of favor, and it could be difficult to predict which will be in favor next. And, the ups and downs of individual factor performance could cause investors to sell and miss out on rebounding performance. Finally, buying and selling individual factor investments can increase costs.
Let's look at another possibility. An investor could invest in a multi-factor portfolio that's diversified equally across all factors, an approach with some potential advantages:
It could be used as a core holding, with diversification across factors
There's no need to attempt to time factors
It can offer lower transaction costs
However, this approach doesn't consider the relative importance of each factor in driving long-term stock performance.
Now let's look at a third option. A multi-factor, strategically weighted portfolio offers several attributes:
It considers the role of each factor in driving long-term investment returns
It allows a manager to target portfolio exposures
Strategic diversification may provide an attractive core holding
The first strategic beta ETFs tracked single-factor indexes. These portfolios were useful as far as they went, but they didn't offer the diversification that many investors are seeking today. Then about two years ago, the first equal-weighted multi-factor ETFs were introduced. These portfolios offered factor diversification, but didn't take into account the relative importance of individual factors. The newest breed of multi-factor strategic beta ETFs weight factors strategically in order to seek better investment outcomes than equal-weighted multi-factor ETFs. We think these ETFs represent an important step in the evolution of strategic beta investing.
At Franklin Templeton, we believe factor weightings should be rooted in economic rationale, best represented by quality and value. Exposure to momentum may help identify investment trends and avoid value traps, while exposure to volatility may help provide defense against market downturns.
While there is certainly more to explore, we think this is an interesting time in the ETF space and that strategic beta solutions will likely continue to grow and evolve.
Patrick O'Connor's comments, opinions and analyses expressed herein are for informational purposes only and should not be considered individual investment advice or recommendations to invest in any security or to adopt any investment strategy. Because market and economic conditions are subject to rapid change, comments, opinions and analyses are rendered as of the date of the posting and may change without notice. The material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region, market, industry, investment or strategy.
To get insights from Franklin Templeton Investments delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the Beyond Bulls & Bears blog.
For timely investing tidbits, follow us on Twitter @LibertyShares and on LinkedIn.
All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal. Special risks are associated with foreign investing, including currency fluctuations, economic instability and political developments; investments in emerging markets involve heightened risks related to the same factors. To the extent the funds focus on particular countries, regions, industries, sectors or types of investment from time to time, they may be subject to greater risks of adverse developments in such areas of focus than funds that invests in a wider variety of countries, regions, industries, sectors or investments. Performance of the funds may vary significantly from the performance of an index, as a result of transactions costs, expenses and other factors. The funds' risk considerations are discussed in the prospectus. ETFs trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETFs' net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns.
To obtain a summary prospectus and/or prospectus, which contains this and other information, talk to your financial advisor or visit libertyshares.com. Please carefully read a prospectus before you invest or send money.
1. Source: Investment Company Institute, as of May 2016.
2. The price-to-earnings ratio, or P/E ratio, is an equity valuation multiple defined as market price per share divided by annual earnings per share. For an index, the P/E ratio is the weighted average of the P/E ratios of all the stocks in the index. For an individual company, the price-to-book (P/B) ratio is the current share price divided by a company's book value (or net worth) per share. For an index, the P/B ratio is the weighted average of the price/book ratios of all the stocks in the index.
3. Quality is represented by the MSCI ACWI Quality Index; Value is represented by the MSCI ACWI Value Index; Momentum is represented by the MSCI ACWI Momentum Index; Minimum Volatility is represented by the MSCI ACWI Minimum Volatility Index. Indexes are unmanaged, and one cannot invest directly in an index. They do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges. Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future performance. Index returns reflect reinvestment of dividends and are adjusted for withholding taxes. See www.franklintempletondatasources.com for additional data provider information.
Posted in Fixed Income, LibertySharesTagged ETFs, LibertyShares, Patrick O'Connor, Strategic Beta
Link to Patrick O'Connor's articles
Head of Global ETFs


text:
Two surnames in Cornwall: a study in contrasts
bwdeacon surnames June 9, 2020 1 Minute
The next two requests for information on the history of surnames in Cornwall bring together a starkly contrasting pair. One is fairly common; the other relatively rare. One was present early in east Cornwall before dispersing more widely; the other arrived late and remained mainly restricted to a small district. One has its origin in a first name; the other in a placename (maybe).
The first name is Elliott, with all its numerous spelling variants. This is usually supposed to have evolved from a pet form of the Old French name Elias, perhaps incorporating some Old English first names on its way. It was a name in the main confined to east Cornwall in the 1500s.
However, numbers gradually expanded and by 1861 Elliotts were present in most parts of Cornwall, although still favouring south east Cornwall between Liskeard and Saltash.
In contrast, Cadwell was not recorded in Cornwall until 1737 when a John Cadwell was buried at Redruth. It then ramified in the Camborne-Redruth district, where most Cadwells were still located in 1861. The surname dictionaries suggest it may have an origin in Coldwell, a name for a landscape feature. Yet, in Cornwall, the spelling Caldwell doesn't appear until later, the first a burial at Mylor in 1798. Caldwell looks more likely to have been a spelling offshoot of Cadwell rather than the reverse. According to Reaney's Dictionary of English Surnames there is a place in Devon called Cadwell. This may be the origin of our Cadwells, although the initial occurrences in the west might imply an origin from anywhere and not just Devon, as people were attracted to this precociously early industrial region. Or did this name spring from Cardell, found to the north and east of Redruth from the 1500s?
If you have a surname you're interested in that hasn't been covered in my book or in previous blogs do suggest it. For those that have been suggested but have been covered before I'll be posting some hitherto unpublished maps – and all free of charge!
Previous Post The state of Cornish towns in 1600: Part 1
Next Post The state of Cornish towns in 1600: Part 2


Writing for and about business leadership.
As they make their way through the office, some CIOs experience awkward interactions when colleagues lobby to move ahead with this or that IT initiative. Apart from their awkwardness, these incidents are symptoms of a broken (or missing) process for deciding the IT project roadmap. No IT leader should have to endure the lobbying that ensues when this process is absent or broken. And no business unit leader should have to be that lobbyist, vying with peers for IT investment dollars outside of a formal project selection structure. Ideally, the IT project roadmap documents the collection of projects which business leaders have decided together to invest in.
a fully-visible, objective and fair process for planning IT investment with input from business stakeholders, to which all parties have agreed in advance: no more free-for-all.
Advocating for and implementing a framework like this is typically the role of the CIO, with the support of the IT PMO, if any. Some leaders prefer to rely on an external partner to initiate the framework and hand it off to internal resources once it's operational.
This approach was successful at a mid-sized firm whose CIO was wise enough to recognize how a lack of structure created stress and inefficiency. He realized business unit leaders would welcome a formalized, inclusive approach to project selection. Because that firm had an established figure for next year's IT budget, he sought to identify a group of projects to fit within that number. Other companies calculate their IT budgets by totaling the costs of individual selected projects; this framework will work for either the top-down or bottom-up budgeting scenario.
An inclusive method for selecting projects calls for business unit leaders to evaluate project ideas together against criteria that the leaders have already endorsed. Project ideas progress through these criteria in succession: ideas that meet the first criterion are accepted into the IT project portfolio, those that are filtered out are assessed against the next criterion. Accepted projects are then arranged on a time scale to form the IT project roadmap. Targeting start and end dates helps ensure timing requirements like regulatory deadlines or business events are met, helps balance the load on any resource or group, and provides a basis for impact analysis as IT priorities change throughout the year. Ideally, this exercise would be timed to provide meaningful annual budget input, not only for IT's budget but also business units' budgets, since they also may need to commit resources to IT projects.
As with any significant organizational change, support from senior management is crucial. The advantages listed above can help secure sponsorship. CEOs and other senior leaders may want to modify selection criteria, stakeholder representation, or other aspects of this framework before they endorse it. CIOs and other proponents of the framework can tailor the steps below to fit the cultures of their own organizations.
A description of benefits, where "benefits" is defined broadly enough to include avoidance of risk (including compliance risk). Include estimated cost savings here as well.
Review participation. With sponsors, determine who will participate in IT roadmap development. Participants should be senior decision-makers from each business unit. If delegates are permitted, they must be fully empowered to represent their business units for the exercise to have meaning. Consider how line-of-business versus staff functions might participate differently.
Will this project secure our compliance? Depending on the line of business, compliance obligations may include SOX, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, GAMP, or other international, government, or industry regulations. The project ideas that pass this filter are given the highest priority, since a business will want to stay in compliance with the regulations which govern it.
Will this project ensure continued support of our IT assets? Applications and infrastructure already present in the firm's IT landscape should be maintained on versions new enough that vendors continue to support these products. Outdated technology represents a technical risk to an enterprise: it's difficult to address issues with unsupported technology, and harder still to know how much it'll cost to resolve issues when they occur. In addition, some regulatory bodies require being under warranty as a condition of compliance.
Will this project result in all-new opportunities or new lines of business endorsed by the CEO? This criterion is listed in third position (because ideally, staying compliant and current should be a given). In truth, any project that would help secure a big contract (for example) could disrupt the IT project roadmap at any time of year. This reality underscores the importance of having a roadmap ready, as the basis for analyzing impacts of new priorities to project budgets, timelines, and resources.
Do a majority of business executives across the board agree that the project idea has merit? This is the first criterion that's subjective, but it's targeting project ideas that deliver value for multiple business units. For example, operations, sales, and marketing could all agree that better integration of a recently-acquired subsidiary delivers value for the enterprise as a whole. To resolve ambiguity, when more projects pass this filter than can be accommodated by the budget, you can score and rank the projects based on costs versus benefit, drawing the line where total costs consume the desired budget.
Kick off IT project roadmap planning. Hold the initial meeting with all participants. Review the benefits of having a roadmap. Help participants to understand their roles. Describe the process this team will undertake to determine which project ideas will move forward.
Review the criteria. Review the drafted criteria with the team. Discuss and modify the drafted criteria to arrive at consensus on final criteria. Consensus is critical for the team's support of the process.
Review project ideas and select projects. It's helpful prework to create a table of project idea information so the team can easily analyze, score, rank, and select the projects together. The result of this activity is the IT project portfolio, with costs, durations, resource needs, and benefits forecast for each project.
Arrange selected projects on a timeline. A Gantt chart is helpful to show durations and timing relationships between projects. This exercise helps the team to sequence projects to balance the load on key resources and groups, and to ensure regulatory deadlines and other external business events are accommodated. The result of this activity is the IT project roadmap, with all project start and end times forecast, factoring in resource balancing, as well as external events.
IT is increasingly important to growing revenue, managing operating costs, and staying nimble and compliant. As IT becomes increasingly central to business, it's critical to engage business stakeholders in selecting IT investments. Following a framework that's endorsed by senior management, an IT project roadmap developed by an inclusive forum of business leaders has far-reaching value. And won't it be nice to walk to the break room knowing you won't fall prey to a colleague lobbying for a pet project?


It's the combination that you want with V6 and four wheel drive. Our Mercury Mariner was the fanciest one built in 2006. Leather and a sunroof too! An easy drive from Lynchburg and Centerville. Google Showen Motors.


Google's outgoing social network Google+ will start to disappear from next week, as the company prepares for the site's eventual closure in April.
The tech giant will start by no longer accepting new Google+ account creations "as early as February 4", Google announced, before closing the doors on the service to all users by April 2.
Members have been urged to download and save any content on the social network before the cut off date.
"On April 2, your Google+ account and any Google+ pages you created will be shut down and we will begin deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts," Google said.
Google first announced plans to close Google+ in October, after a flaw discovered earlier in the year had exposed the personal information of up to 500,000 people.
It had originally set a closure date of August 2019, but decided to move it forward to April following the emergence of a second bug on the platform.
Google+ is also used as a sign-in button on some third-party websites – this will cease to function in the coming weeks, though in some cases it will be replaced by a standard Google Account button.
However, the site will live on for business users using Google+ for G Suite.
Google+ first launched in June 2011, but struggled to compete against Facebook in the social media sector.


Meet Kadine James, 3D Tech Lead and Head of Partnerships at Hobs Studio.
Meet Sophie Thompson, Founder and Director at Hackney Arts.
Meet Dr Catherine Holloway, Academic Director at UCL and Co-founder at GDI Hub.


text:
KORO (channel 28) is a television station in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language Univision network. It is owned by Entravision Communications alongside low-power, Class A UniMás affiliate KCRP-CD (channel 41). The two stations share studios on North Mesquite Street in Downtown Corpus Christi; KORO's transmitter is located between Petronila and Robstown.

History
In 1972, two groups filed applications for channel 28 in Corpus Christi with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Both sought to build and operate a Spanish-language television station. One group, U-Anchor Broadcasting, was a subsidiary of an Amarillo-based firm, while the other, Telecorpus, consisted mostly of local stockholders, with notable Spanish International Network (SIN) executives—including Emilio Nicolas Sr. and Danny Villanueva—on its board. At the time, there was only one full-time Spanish-language TV station in the state of Texas, KWEX-TV in San Antonio. The FCC heard the mutually exclusive Telecorpus and U-Anchor applications in 1974, with the FCC giving the nod—and the construction permit—to Telecorpus in November.

Two and a half years passed before KORO was built and began broadcasting. Technical and legal delays, including a dispute over whether the local cable system could import the signals of Mexican television stations, pushed back the launch. However, concrete steps were taken during the course of 1976 to put the station into service after the FCC denied the cable company's proposal. These included negotiating for studio space and purchasing equipment. Three banks turned down the company for loans before a fourth was willing to lend.

KORO began broadcasting April 19, 1977, having missed its intended start date by three days due to a lightning strike on a microwave dish. The station originally broadcast from the 600 Building downtown, but the studios moved to the present Mesquite Street facility in 1982, a long-delayed move. The station's only live local newscast aired at 5 p.m. until 1997, when a 10 p.m. newscast began production.

Citing consolidation and the expense of the eventual conversion to digital television, Telecorpus sold KORO to Entravision in 1998.

Technical information

Subchannels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Analog-to-digital conversion
KORO shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 28, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 27, using virtual channel 28.

References

External links

Television channels and stations established in 1977
1977 establishments in Texas
Univision network affiliates
Ion Mystery affiliates
Laff (TV network) affiliates
Comet (TV network) affiliates
ORO
ORO
Entravision Communications stations


text:
TIMES.VG
BVI, Caribbeanand International News
BVI News Online
New Zealand Will Give Free Coronavirus Vaccines To Residents, Neighboring Nations
If the vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, the immunization campaign is expected to begin with border officers and other essential workers at the beginning of 2021.
New Zealand has advance purchased two new coronavirus vaccines from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax, giving the small island country the ability to vaccinate its 5 million residents.
Government officials also announced Thursday they will go a step further and provide free doses to its population as well as neighboring nations Tokelau, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu, should they want them.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during a news conference that the effort would be the country's largest immunization rollout ever.
"Never before has the entire globe sought to vaccinate the entire population at the same time," Ardern said. "This will be a sustained rollout over months not weeks but our pre-purchase agreements means New Zealand is well positioned to get on with it as soon as it is proven safe to do so."
The University of Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines will add to New Zealand's previously agreed upon purchases of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Janssen Pharmaceutica. The new agreements secures access to 7.6 million doses from AstraZeneca – enough for 3.8 million people, and 10.72 million doses from Novavax– enough for 5.36 million people, according to the government. Both vaccines require two doses.
Ardern said, "Our approach allows for the possibility for some vaccines to be more suited to certain population groups or for deployment in different areas. "
If the vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, the vaccination process is expected to begin early next year with border-control personnel and later other essential workers, with the general population getting the vaccines in the second half of the year.
Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Megan Woods said the variety ensures "no-one misses out, even if it means we've purchased more than we need. It's an investment worth making."
Ardern said New Zealand is also working with Australia to support vaccination across the wider Pacific.
New Zealand has kept community spread of the virus low by keeping its borders closed — a choice that has decimated its vital tourism industry.
Government officials reminded the public that the start of COVID-19 vaccines doesn't mean a quick lifting of the nation's border lockdown.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins called the country's borders the first line of defense against imported cases.
He said, "To make any decisions around borders we need to be confident that the New Zealand population is sufficiently protected."
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the U.S. is also taking steps to ensure all Americans have access to the COVID-19 vaccines at no cost once it becomes widely available.
#COVID #COVID-19 #Pfizer #BioNTech #AstraZeneca
VIP Admninistration Hits The Road Ahead Of Mid-Term
Weeks ahead of its mid-term, the Hon. Andrew Fahie-led administration has kicked off a series of community meetings In the midst of a pandemic, criticisms over the handling of t...
Evangelicals fall for Lie; A story of Donald Trump
The biggest failure of the modern Evangelical Church- especially the American Evangelical Church- is the failure to preach truth to power.
VI backs UN ECLAC agenda on regional social development
Minister of Health and Social Development Hon Carvin Malone (AL) has affirmed the Virgin Islands' support for advancing of regional social development at the fourth 'United Nati...
'We are going to fight' until marijuana bill is assented
Virgin Islands (VI) Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie says his administration intends to fight the hold-up of the Cannabis Licensing Act until it is assented to.
Roundabout collision slows Road Town traffic
Sometime around 4:45 pm today, January 16, 2021, a two-car collision around the Wickhams Cay roundabout in uptown Road Town, slowed evening traffic in the area.
Miss Universe 2020/21 - Contestant (British Virgin Islands - Shabree Frett)
Miss Universe British Virgin Islands organization held a private sashing ceremony on Sunday, 13th December 2020 at the Coconut Lounge where Shabree Lanesha Frett was crowned Mis...
China on Saturday finished a five-day construction project on a 1,500-room hospital as clusters of COVID-19 spread in Beijing and the surrounding provinces. China recently hit a...
COVID-19: Prime Minister suspends quarantine-free travel in the UK from Monday
Prime Minister Boris Johnsons suspends quarantine-free travel in the UK from Monday with arrivals needing proof of a negative Covid test before setting off.
Sharing a collection before joining the millions deleting WhatsApp
It looks like 2020 was just a light promo for 2021...
Rankin arrives but Jaspert remains! First time 2 Governors in VI!
The new United Kingdom appointed Governor of the Virgin Islands, Mr John J. Rankin, CMG has arrived; however, the territory is not yet rid of controversial outgoing Governor, Au...
The White House published a list with 700 items of Trump's administration accomplishments -comparing to the 21 accomplished items President Obama published after 8 years in offi...
BVI needs a COVID czar | Is gov't aware of damage being caused?
Former legislator and chairman of the National Democratic Party (NDP) Myron Walwyn, has said he believes the government should hire a COVID-19 czar which will allow for better m...
Dior Chez Moi Pop-Up Shop Opens in SoHo
The House of Dior's new pop-up shop in New York City's SoHo district showcases Dior Chez Moi, the brand's first limited loungewear collection.
Storeage Designs New Retail Store for B+Tube Cosmetics in China to Appeal to Gen Z
Confidence comes from within, but makeup can help tease it out. Teenagers know this better than anyone, and digitally oriented Gen Z is pioneering new uses of beauty products to...
Dustin Higgs, a 48-year-old Black man, was executed by lethal injection at the federal penitentiary in Terre-Haute in Indiana hours after the US Supreme Court rejected a stay of...
Parler Chief, Family In Hiding After Receiving Death Threats: Court Document
Parler, a platform widely embraced by Trump supporters, had earlier launched an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon after the tech giant discontinued its services following last we...
James Murdoch, son of Fox News mogul Rupert Murdoch, said news outlets that promoted 'lies' are to blame for US Capitol riot
James Murdoch, who broke with the family empire last year, said, without naming Fox News, that certain news outlets had "unleashed insidious forces."
Voters want to stop the second impeachment and would rather see the punishment of Big Tech
Voters want Speaker Pelosi to stop the second impeachment of President Trump and would rather see the punishment of Big Tech for censoring the President, according to a leaked i...
How Biden Plans to Tackle the $1.6 Trillion Student Loan Debt
More than 43 million Americans owe a collective $1.6 trillion in federal student loans. WSJ's Josh Mitchell explains how President-elect Joe Biden plans to help borrowers tackle...
Subscribe also to our WhatsApp channel:
TImes.VG is a non-profit, private and self-funded, commonly-created News and info-sharing platform that enables everybody to share valuable content such as local and global news updates. The news are written by different contributors, all of them volunteers.
©2021 TIMES.VG Contact UsAbout


Home Bills	Should Members of Congress Not be Exempt From American Health Care Act Waivers?
This bill would eliminate an exemption contained in the American Health Care Act that would've allowed members of Congress and their staffers to be exempted from state waivers of Obamacare requirements like the essential health benefits mandate if the AHCA were to become law.
Members of Congress and their staffs.
This legislation has the support of 80 cosponsors in the House, all of whom are Republicans.
Of Note: House Republicans were widely criticized when it was revealed that an exception had been inserted into the American Health Care Act. During the debate surrounding Obamacare, Republicans successfully moved to require members of Congress and their staffs to obtain health insurance through the exchanges available to the rest of Americans.


The token swap will start toward the middle of July. The VeChain market price has been sliding in the past.Get Gladius Token price, charts, News, History, Prediction and other info.Genesis Vision is the platform for the private trust management market,. Gladius Token (CURRENCY:GLA) traded up 0.5% against the US dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 17:00 PM ET on July 30th.
More people that want to use Gladius for DDOS protection, higher the price goes.Read Suzuki Gladius SFV650 review and check the mileage, shades, interior images, specs, key features.All the information you need on Gladius Token (GLA) in one place. IGN India is operated by Fork Media Ltd under license from IGN Entertainment and its.
RSA SecurID tokens are as simple to use as entering a password, but much more secure.
Are you thinking about adding Gladius Token (GLA) to your cryptocurrency portfolio.Gladius Token (CURRENCY:GLA) traded 3.2% lower against the US dollar during the 24 hour period ending at 21:00 PM ET on July 30th.
The exchange rate and a bonus are not guaranteed and may vary for different purchasers depending on the price of the purchased INS tokens,.Due to the high banking rates prevailing in the country, people are.Gladius Token (CURRENCY:GLA) traded 6.6% higher against the U.S. dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 12:00 PM Eastern on June 25th.Gladius Token (CURRENCY:GLA) traded down 3.8% against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 7:00 AM E.T. on June 20th.Get Gladius Token price, charts, and other cryptocurrency info.
Track its current price, market cap, BTC to USD exchange rate, coins in circulation and more. The.Get Gladius Token (GLA) latest price, charts, market cap, and info.Get price, charts, news, exchanges and detailed analysis for Gladius Token (GLA).
Data care group is among top Token Machine and Token System Manufacturers in Bangalore,India.Token machine is an electronic device which is.
BitIndia is the most convenient and secure way to buy, sell and secure cryptocurrencies in India.
Gladius Token Past Hour Trading Prices, Gladius Token price Over the Past Hour, Gladius Token Cryptocurrency Market Volume Over the Past Hour, view the Gladius Token.Manager tokens,. the price of GVT will be determined by demand.


LOUIS, MO. May 24, 2018 –ACCESS Academies is thrilled to welcome Pat Erb and Anja Schmelter to the Board of Directors. They will be introduced to organizational supporters at the ACCESS Academies Celebration Dinner on June 6th at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis.
Pat Erb, most recently Director of Marketing at Nestle Purina Pet Care, has led marketing strategy, product innovation and communication for multiple key business units for over 25 years. She received her Master of Science in Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Service from Saint Louis University and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.
Anja Schmelter is the outgoing Director of Admissions at St. Louis University High School where, for the last eight years, she has led marketing and admissions efforts helping attract diverse and talented students from across the St. Louis region. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Notre Dame and her Master of Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
As board members, they will join current leadership to oversee the strategic growth of the organization, including the addition of a new academy at Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School in East St. Louis opening this fall, and enhancing our Graduate Support Program to provide mentoring, advocacy, counseling, and support through college for our graduates, the majority of which are first-generation collegians.
Since 2005, ACCESS has partnered with schools serving high-poverty populations to propel low-income, first-generation students from middle school, through high school, and into college and career success. Our academies offer over 35 extended day enrichment programs, and a Summer Academy program, and are currently located in Most Holy Trinity Catholic School & Academy, St. Cecilia School & Academy, and St. Louis Catholic Academy. Moreover, ACCESS partners with over 20 area private, college-preparatory high schools to provide high school tuition assistance, work-study programs, guidance counseling, ACT test prep and testing, and college application and essay services for our Academy graduates.
To date, ACCESS has positively impacted more than 1,100 students in the St. Louis region. Ninety-eight percent of our graduates have been accepted to private, college-prep high schools; 99 percent graduate high school on-time; and 96 percent are accepted to colleges, universities, or other post-secondary institutions.
For more information regarding this release, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for ACCESS Academies, by calling (573) 268-0639 or emailing Julie.Linder@ACCESSacademies.org.


Cut potatoes into quarters lengthwise, and then chop into large chunks, discarding peel if desired.
Place all ingredients in a stockpot and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until hot.


text:
var request = require('request'),
    cheerio = require('cheerio'),
    config = require('./config.json'),
    log4js = require('log4js'),
    jar = request.jar();

var userid = 31120110480,
    term = 1130,
    loginURL = 'https://erp.bits-pilani.ac.in:4431/psp/hcsprod/?cmd=login&languageCd=ENG',
    gradeBookURL = 'https://erp.bits-pilani.ac.in:4431/psc/hcsprod/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/SA_LEARNER_SERVICES.SSR_SSENRL_GRADE.GBL?ACAD_CAREER=0001&EMPLID='+ userid + '&INSTITUTION=BITS&STRM=' + term,
    facebookURL = 'https://graph.facebook.com/',
    postedToGroup = false,

    // Edit the message as required.
    messageString = 'ARC has uploaded the grades of Semester 1, 2014-15 onto \
                    the ERP server. Click below to check your grades.\n\n\
                    Sent via ERP Result Notifier',
    mailSent = false,
    // User Agent string.
    ua = 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; WOW64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/39.0.2171.95 Safari/537.36',
    ssl = 'SSLv3_method',
    $ = '',

    // Interval handle for the login function until it is successful.
    // Possible in the event of a network/server failure.
    loginInterval = '',
    handle = '',
    email = require('emailjs'),
    mailServer = email.server.connect({
        user: config.gmail_username,
        password: config.gmail_password,
        host: config.smtpServer,
        ssl: true
    }),

    mailMessage = {
        from: "ERP Result Notifier<" + config.gmail_username + ">",
        subject: "Semester 1, 2014-15 Grades",
        to: config.destination_email
    };

// Configure logger
log4js.configure({
    appenders: [
        {
            type: 'file',
            filename: "./log",
            category: 'info',
            maxLogSize: 2048000,
            backups: 10
        }
    ]
});

var logger = log4js.getLogger('info');

// Send a pre-defined email to destination_email when the results are out.
var sendMail = function() {

    // Prevent duplicate feedback.
    if(mailSent){
        return;
    }
    // Edit the email text as required.
    mailMessage.text = "Grades Updated.";

    mailServer.send(mailMessage, function(err, message) {
        if (err) {
            logger.error(err);
            logger.error("Error sending mail");
            return;
        }

        mailSent = true;
        logger.info("Mail sent successfully");
    });
};

var postToFacebook = function() {

    // Prevent duplicate feedback.
    if(postedToGroup){
        return;
    }

    facebookURL += config.group_id + '/feed?access_token=' + config.access_token
                + '&message=' + messageString + '&link=' + loginURL;

    request.post({
        url: facebookURL,
    }, function(e, r, data) {
        if (e) {
            logger.error("Request Failed", e);
            return;
        }

        data = JSON.parse(data);

        if (data.hasOwnProperty('id')) {
            logger.info("Successfully posted to facebook group");
            postedToGroup = true;
        } else {
            logger.error("Error posting to group");
        }
    });
};

var login = function() {

    logger.info("Logging in...");
    request.post({

        url: loginURL,
        jar: jar,
        form: {
            userid: config.username,
            pwd: config.password
        },
        headers: {
            'User-Agent': ua
        },
        secureProtocol: ssl

    }, function(e, r, body) {
        if (e) {
            logger.error("Login Request Failed", e);

            // Retry after every 5 seconds until login succeeds.
            if(!loginInterval){

                logger.info("Setting login interval");
                loginInterval = setInterval(login, 5000);
            }

            return;
        }

        // Clear login interval.
        clearInterval(loginInterval);

        if(body.indexOf('errorCode') >= 0){

            logger.info("Invalid User ID/Password combination");
            return;
        }

        logger.info("Login Successful");
        handle = setInterval(checkGrade, config.interval);
    });
};

var checkGrade = function() {
    logger.info("Checking for grades...");
    request.post({
        url: gradeBookURL,
        jar: jar,
        headers: {
            'User-Agent': ua
        },
        secureProtocol: ssl
    }, function(e, r, body) {

        if (e) {
            logger.error("gradeCheck Request Failed", e);
            return;
        }

        if(body.indexOf('Sign-in') >= 0){

            // Possible in the event of a network failure.
            logger.error("Session Cookies have expired, logging in...");

            // Clear checkGrade interval
            logger.info("Clearing existing checkGrade interval");
            clearInterval(handle);

            // Session cookies have expired, re-login.
            login();
            return;
        }

        $ = cheerio.load(body);

        // GPA Element
        var gpa = $("#STATS_ENRL\\$12").text().trim();

        if (gpa.length) {
            if (parseInt(gpa) > 0) {

                postToFacebook();
                sendMail();

                logger.info(gpa);
                logger.info("Result Declared");

                clearInterval(handle);
            }
        } else {
            logger.info("Not available yet");
        }
    });
};

login();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Ford reverses out of Mahindra car-making joint venture in India
January 1, 2021 Evelyn
Ford had been expected to terminate its India business after struggling in the world's fourth-biggest car market.
Ford Motor Co. is reversing plans to cede most of its Indian operations to Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., deciding to pull out of a proposed joint venture and continue its standalone business in the country.
The companies agreed to terminate the venture after reassessing in part due to the global coronavirus pandemic, they said Thursday. The decision ends a deal reached more than a year ago under which Ford was expected to fold its local operations, including two factories, into a JV that would be majority-controlled by Mahindra, a leading Indian manufacturer of sport utility vehicles.
The future of Ford's business in India is unclear as it has struggled for more than two decades to grow in the world's fourth-largest auto market. "The company is actively evaluating its businesses around the world, including in India," Ford said a statement.
The U.S. carmaker took a $799 million impairment charge in 2019 in anticipation of the asset transfer to Mahindra to account for what it called "fair value less cost to sell." A spokesman said Thursday the termination of the deal won't affect that valuation.
"There will be no impact on the impairment that we recorded previously," said T.R. Reid, the spokesman.
The automakers had said they would cooperate to develop an electric car for emerging markets and work together to introduce three new models to be sold under the Ford brand in India, starting with a midsize SUV.
Ford didn't specify what would become of those projects. Mahindra said in its own statement the venture's termination wouldn't affect its product plans. "Mahindra is accelerating its efforts to establish leadership in electric SUVs," it said.
The decision came as a Dec. 31 deadline loomed for formalizing the planned partnership. Jim Farley, who became the U.S. automaker's chief executive officer in October, said in 2019 that the JV with Mahindra could allow Ford to double its revenue from India.
Source: Thanks AlJazeera.com
← How did we get four weeks' annual leave – and are we due a rise?
Singapore Airlines resumes UK flights to Australia →


Greetings; my name is Carlton Collier and I am the SAPIS II here at Bedford Academy. As a Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialist my role is to help students with pro social development, and teen social issues. I believe that one of the best ways to help students deal with different forms of negative forms of peer pressure is to offer them positive alternatives, as well as build up their self esteem.
I will be helping students with there community service projects here in the school as well as events that would take place out of the school. Teaching students the value of service is a very important step towards helping them to become good citizens and feel connected to a community. I look forward to working with the students and parents of Bedford Academy.


by Mawlana Ilyas Attar al-Qadri.
Akhbar ke barey mein Sawal Jawab - (Bangla translation) is a popular book containing numerous Questions and Answers relating to different aspects of receiving news and information.
All provided answers are based upon Qur'an and Sunnah. Click on image below for sample pages.
More Dawat e Islami Urdu Books.
*Dimensions : 21 x 13.5cm.


text:
Participation Platform
Advanced surveys
We started project in Molins de Rei
by Equipo Civiciti | Apr 23, 2018 | News | 0 comments
It is about the "Participatory Budgeting of neighborhood 2018-2019".
The City Council of Molins de Rei has relied on Civiciti to develop its participatory budgets. The amount allocated by the city council for the inhabitants to decide amounts to 500,000 euros. The actions to which it will be allocated will take place in the field of public roads; lighting, playgrounds, accessibility, green areas and remodeling of public space.
Since April 16 and until Thursday, May 3, the proposal phase is open, where neighbors can present their ideas for actions in urban planning and public roads. From June 25 to July 3 the votes will be held to decide which are carried out.
Voting will be done with the Civiciti platform, which has already been released with the selection of the Trajectòria Premi of Radi Molins de Rei. The system will incorporate the proposals of the neighbors directly. Each neighbor who makes a proposal will have a profile in Civiciti so that their contributions will be accompanied by their name. In the voting phase, the system will be linked to the municipal register and will allow voting only to the neighbors of each neighborhood.
Between July 11 and 18, the winning proposals will be announced and will be executed between September 1, 2018 and September 1, 2019.
Civiciti extends its Work from Home policy until April 10th
Civiciti extends its Work from Home Policy to all its employees as a preventive measure against COVID-19
High turnout rate in the Consular Elections of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin
How the Non Resident Nepali Association increased voter turnout by 57%
How Civiciti helped Ryanair reach it's first collective agreement with 60% member participation
We are a multidisciplinary team. We work to encourage participation and transparency.
ACCESS TO THE PLATFORM


How to grow your career?
Everyone wants to grow in one's career and it is full of sheer hard work, luck and what not.
You need to be up to date at an international level. You need to move at the speed the world does.
Do let me know if you liked a few.
I used to laugh at marketing automation tools but surely they are the best things which happened to all modern marketers these days!
It makes you consistent in your marketing activities and consistency is the key in achieving success in marketing campaigns.
Should you get a ".com" domain for your corporate website?
Get the ".com" domain for your organisation. As your organisation will grow, you will want it more than anything.
Organisations have tweeked their brand names just to get a ".com" domain and it is a boom for all aspiring global organisations.


An ecumenical spiritual retreat led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis at the Vatican ended yesterday with Pope Francis kissing the feet of South Sudan's political leaders. The unprecedented two-day retreat was organised in an effort to support the country's fragile peace deal.
The pope's unprecedented act of humbleness aimed to encourage the leaders in strengthening the African country's faltering peace process.
"To the three of you who have signed the peace agreement, I ask you as a brother: stay in peace", Pope Francis said. "I am asking you with my heart. Let us go forward. There will be many problems but they will not overcome us. Go ahead, go forward, and resolve the problems. You have begun a process. May it end well."
The military overthrow of Sudan's longtime president has raised concerns about whether the upheaval will destabilize neighboring South Sudan's fragile efforts at peace after five years of civil war.


text:
require 'spec_helper'

describe 'values_at' do
  describe 'signature validation' do
    it { is_expected.not_to eq(nil) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params.and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{wrong number of arguments}i) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([]).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{wrong number of arguments}i) }
    it {
      pending('Current implementation ignores parameters after the first two.')
      is_expected.to run.with_params([], 0, 1).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{wrong number of arguments}i)
    }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params('', 1).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Requires array}i) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params({}, 1).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Requires array}i) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params(true, 1).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Requires array}i) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params(1, 1).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Requires array}i) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], 'two').and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Unknown format of given index}) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], []).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{provide at least one positive index}) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], '-1-1').and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Unknown format of given index}) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], '2-1').and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Stop index in given indices range is smaller than the start index}) }
  end

  context 'when requesting a single item' do
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], -1).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Unknown format of given index}) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], 0).and_return([0]) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], 1).and_return([1]) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], [1]).and_return([1]) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], '1').and_return([1]) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], '1-1').and_return([1]) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], 2).and_return([2]) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], 3).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{index exceeds array size}) }
  end

  context 'when requesting a single item using UTF8 and double byte characters' do
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params(['ẩ', 'β', 'с', 'ď'], 0).and_return(['ẩ']) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params(['文', '字', 'の', '値'], 2).and_return(['の']) }
  end

  context 'when requesting multiple items' do
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], [1, -1]).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{Unknown format of given index}) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], [0, 2]).and_return([0, 2]) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], ['0-2', 1, 2]).and_return([0, 1, 2, 1, 2]) }
    it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], [3, 2]).and_raise_error(Puppet::ParseError, %r{index exceeds array size}) }

    describe 'different range syntaxes' do
      it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], '0-2').and_return([0, 1, 2]) }
      it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], '0..2').and_return([0, 1, 2]) }
      it { is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], '0...2').and_return([0, 1]) }
      it {
        pending('fix this bounds check')
        is_expected.to run.with_params([0, 1, 2], '0...3').and_return([0, 1, 2])
      }
    end
  end
end


The U.S. ag attache in Canada says after several years of declining, cattle and hog numbers appear to have reached their lowest point and modest expansion should begin in 2012 -- although due to the relatively strong Canadian dollar, the outlook remains weak for beef and pork exports in the year ahead.
"Due to relatively good supplies of barley, wheat and canola, Canada continues to maintain a feed cost advantage, resulting in lower exports of livestock to the U.S.," says the attache.
The attache estimates beef herd expansion of around 1% in total cattle inventories in 2012 based on increased numbers of beef heifers retained for replacement and a substantial drop in cow slaughter. "Although beef production will go up in 2012, supplies remain tight and the market will rely on imports to fill the gap," adds the attache, noting in 2011, Canada imported 13% more beef than in 2010, while exports declined by an estimated 21%.
The attache says hog herd liquidation has ceased and farmers are looking to consolidate their operations. The attache expects 2012 exports of live hogs to be similar to the current year and slaughter will be up just slightly in 2012 after a small decline in 2011. "Given fairly similar weights, pork production will show a modest increase in 2012, after some reduction in 2011," it adds.
The attache says because of relatively weak pork demand, it exports pork imports in 2012 to be similar to the current year, which are expected to be 6.5% higher than 2010. Regarding pork exports, the attache expects no growth for the third straight year. "In 2011, gains in some export Asian markets, including Korea and Russia have been counterbalanced by reduced volumes in some other Asian markets, United States and Australia," it adds.


hi, how to remove CausesValidation from next and prev buttons?
Hope this helps. I've forwarded this matter to our dev team and they will introduce an improvement for this behavior in the upcoming releases.


text:
GS Speaker Spotlight: Q&A with Dr. Yang Jianli (GS'10)
Category: Posts
On: China
Speaker(s): Yang Jianli
Dr. Yang Jianli, Chinese dissident, former political prisoner, Tiananmen Square massacre survivor and President of Citizen Power Initiatives for China, speaks at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.
Interviewed by Hilary Miller.
Please introduce yourself, your organization, and your human rights work.
My name is Yang Jianli, and I am a human rights scholar and activist. I am a survivor of the Tiananmen massacre, and a former political prisoner of China. I run Citizen Power Initiatives for China, an NGO based in Washington D.C. that advances human rights and democracy in China. We are committed to empowering citizens of China to engage in rights-defending activities and advance the peaceful transition to democracy. And, we also act as a spokesperson for the democracy movement inside China.
Our flagship project is an interfaith, interethnic leadership conference. I founded this conference in 2000 with the idea of bringing all of the ethnic, religious, and regional groups directly involved with China. By ethnic groups I mean the majority Han, Tibetians, Uyghurs, and Mongolians. Religious groups include Christians, Muslims, Buhddists, and Falun Gong practitioners. Also, regional groups involve people from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. So, the conference was the first time in history that all of these groups came together voluntarily, without any political coercion, to promote mutual understanding and reduce the hatred among and between them and also to come up with concerted actions to fight for their common future. This year, we are going to have the 15th annual meeting, but this one will be virtual, for the obvious reason.
We also have an online publication, Yibao, which started in 2001 and is widely-read by Chinese readers both inside and outside of China.
We are researching China's surveillance system and securitization of religion. Another research topic is looking into exactly what happened in the first two months of the coronavirus outbreak in China by focusing on each and every branch of the governmental system so that we find out who is principally responsible for allowing the controllable outbreak to become a global pandemic.
Could you give our readers an overview of China's authoritarian censorship and surveillance in the context of the coronavirus outbreak?
First, it is important to know that the situation in China was bad before the onset of the virus, especially after President Xi Jinping took power in 2002. He cracked down on civil society and the space for free speech. And, within the party, the officials were told to be absolutely loyal to Xi and never question his policies, crippling their ability to govern. So, there's no incentive either in government or in society to blow the whistle on anything that is wrong. This creates the perfect storm for a pandemic.
So, when the coronavirus broke out, no one in the government would dare suggest against Xi Jinping's will that he must act immediately and urgently. This public health crisis actually exposed the bankruptcy of this governing system under Xi Jinping's leadership. The people all reacted strongly to the government's response to the outbreak. The symbolic death of Dr. Li Wenliang, the courageous whistleblower, unleashed the people's anger towards the government. And, the desire for free speech was unprecedentedly high and, in the beginning of the outbreak, people hoped that maybe the government would learn a lesson from this episode. At first, the government tried to calm people's emotions by promising to conduct an investigation into the silencing of Dr. Li Wenliang. Yet, at the same time, they intensified control and censorship of information and continued to round up citizen journalists who dared to document and report the true situation in the epicenter of Wuhan, or other places in China. Now, we are seeing that the government's policy of censoring Dr. Li Wenliang and other whistleblowers is accelerating months after the initial outbreak. So, the pandemic has only given the government incentive to further tighten its grip on the whole society and repress whoever dares to offer different narratives than those sanctioned by the government.
Could you elaborate on what you and Initiatives for China have been doing to speak out against censorship and surveillance in China? How have you brought the issue to light through your human rights work?
First, we remain in touch with the people on the ground in China to get accurate and truthful information about what is going on. At the same time, we are providing that information to the people back in China through direct communication, social media platforms, our publication, and our participation in various TV shows. Otherwise, people in China would not be aware of what is going on. Second, in order to educate the international community about what is happening in China and its mishandling of the coronavirus, we have been publishing articles.
So, our process is to first find out the truth and document cases. Then, we write about and publish our findings as a way to advocate to the international community to come together to hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for this global pandemic and its economic consequences. All of the information we have found points to the fact that Xi Jinping, the Chinese dictator, is principally responsible for allowing this outbreak to become a global pandemic, plunging the entire world into total catastrophe.
Eventually, we will come up with a comprehensive research report. In the meantime, we will keep writing and publishing to let the international community know what the CPP has done. And, we are not only concerned with this outbreak but are also looking beyond into other very important issues. For example, everybody is talking about global supply chains. Since the crisis hit, every country, including the U.S., acts as if it is at the mercy of the CCP for goods like personal protective equipment. This is a lesson for the international community to realize the danger of relying too heavily on relationships with a country like China, especially when this type of crisis takes place.
Another important issue relates to China and globalization. If China is the largest, strongest dictatorship that is bringing harm to the world and poses a threat to the interests of the international community, especially democracies, then how do we talk about China in the globalization conversation? In my view, democracies should be the leaders that forge a different type of globalization.
How exactly should democracies confront China? What do you think they should do?
Democracies should understand the nature of the CCP and the threat it poses to everyone. They should come together to confront China collectively, not separately, as what has been done in the past. Because China is very good at "divide and conquer" I have been advocating for collective action by democracies.
One concrete action democracies can take is rethinking the trade relationship with China, or rethinking whether we should rely on China for things used on a daily basis for supplies. If we continue that kind of relationship, then we will find ourselves being at the mercy of China and having to compromise our principles when it comes to security, the democratic way of life, and other universal values.
A second action is confronting China collectively, like I mentioned before, because China is not going away. I advocate for democracies coming together on human rights issues. For example, last year, when we commemorated the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I advocated for a "Human Rights NATO." A Human Rights NATO would work when democracies come together to form a treaty-based international organization like NATO and confront China, or Russia, or any other world dictators on human rights issues. This organizational body would put human rights at the center of its international dealings with China. And, when one small country in the alliance is targeted by China or other dictators, all of the others would come to its defense in diplomatic and economic terms.
In the context of the Coronavirus pandemic, how do you think democracies should respond to China's outsized influence in the WHO and other U.N. agencies? What course of action should they take?
I think democracies should learn a lesson from China's aggression in all international organizations. They have been very aggressive in taking important leadership positions in global organizations and contribute a lot of money. I'm surprised that democracies allow China to exert so much influence in these forums. Democracies must be more alert to how much China is contributing financially to groups like WHO.
Also, China has been taking advantage of the division of democracies. We know that there's a lot of quarrels and disputes, whether it be America versus Europe, or others. This really brings harm to democracies with regards to our standing up against China, which is why I advocate for democracies to come together and decide whether we will accept China as a model for other dictators and China gradually becoming a leader in global governance.
Finally, to combat China on the global stage, democracies must develop a foreign policy that puts human rights at the center. Human rights should be held as principles in shaping their relationship with China. They need to affirm that promoting freedom and democracy for the Chinese people is in our national interest as well as theirs and ensure that their foreign policy is consistent with moral principle and pragmatic necessity. The policy should make sure government policies, programs, and actions are integrated with and strengthen human rights and democratic values in China.
How can human rights activists or civil society actors help with your cause? What are ways they can join in the fight against China's authoritarian governance, censorship, and surveillance?
The civil society and human rights community is working very hard to help people who currently live under various dictatorships. What activists need to first understand is that China is a major supporter of world dictators. This is why China has become the focus of our work and other organizations. Defenders of human rights should pressure democratic governments and work with elected officials and parliaments to come up with the right policy towards China. Another powerful advocacy tool is publications. Disseminating the truth and facts is crucial to letting the world know that the Chinese people desire freedom and democracy.
Prev12th Geneva Summit: In the News
GS Speaker Spotlight: Q&A with Shaparak Shajarizadeh (GS'20)Next