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Participants will be asked to take an online survey prior to the workshop to learn what their character strengths are. Visit www.viacharacter.org and register to take the free assessment.
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text:
← Career Events in the Coming Week
Career Events in the Coming Week →
by Dafydd Townley
The second presidential election debate this year in St Louis provided one of the most acrimonious encounters between the two contenders. While many expected Hillary Clinton to provide the coup de grace that would end her opponent's campaign, it was Donald Trump that provided all of the fireworks. Trump managed to answer questions about his 'locker-room' video and sexual impropriety clearly and turn the focus onto Clinton and her husband. The Republican Party candidate charged that there had been 'nobody in the history of politics in this nation that's been so abusive to women' as former president Bill Clinton, and that Hillary Clinton would be in prison over her national security failure surrounding emails on her private server. Trump, while not taking an advantage in the race to the White House, certainly managed to assure supporters that the race was not over.
The Presidential debates have been influential throughout their history. The debates were first held in the 1960 election that saw Senator John F Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon spar over the issues of the day. Kennedy had argued throughout his campaign that the Eisenhower Administration had been negligent and allowed the Soviet Union to create a 'missile gap' between itself and the US. American influence throughout the world during the Cold War was at risk said Kennedy. In the first debate, the then relatively unknown Kennedy showed an air of charm and sophistication that won over the minds of the American public. Nixon, recently recovered from a stay in hospital, dabbed the sweat from his brow and upper lip under the hot studio lights, and the image lasted long in the public's mind. Those that had listened to the debate on the radio however believed that Nixon had won, but style won over substance. Despite Nixon rallying well in the subsequent debates Kennedy's tanned good looks, in comparison to those of a fatigued and underweight Nixon proved to be a decisive factor. Kennedy and his advisors later attributed winning the election by a majority of just 0.17% of the popular vote down to his mastery of the television.
Despite the success of the debates in taking television to a new forum, the event has never been a required one – Lyndon Johnson never enjoyed the medium of television and therefore refused to take part during the 1964 election. Nixon never trusted the media after what he felt was an unfair portrayal in the 1960 debates and avoided any televised debate in both the 1968 and 1972 elections. The next election that had a televised debate was in 1976 contested between incumbent President Gerald R Ford and Democrat candidate Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia. Ford had been advised by his staff not to take part in the events. Despite being intelligent and experienced in politics, Ford was an uninspiring speaker. Ford had become Vice President because of the resignation of Spiro Agnew, and then President through the resignation of Richard Nixon because of the Watergate affair. Ford felt that the debates would show the American public that he deserved to be there on merit, not just by chance.
The debates initially proved less of a turning point than those of the Kennedy-Nixon era. That is until the second debate. When asked a question about American-Soviet relations Ford produced an answer that would irrevocably damage his chances of staying in the White House. In the height of the Cold War, with the Eastern half of Europe firmly under the yoke of Soviet-directed communism Ford said 'there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration.'[1] Despite being given the chance to correct himself Ford remained committed to his answer. Such a basic error was to be costly to the Ford campaign. Despite a late Ford rally Carter, with an unassailable lead in the polls thanks to Ford's mistake, was duly elected the 39th President of the United States.
The current debates seem to be less about policy and more about mudslinging, and judging on the second debate's explosive encounter it suits Trump more. Trump is comfortable with the television cameras thanks to his work on the Apprentice, and slicker with his adlibs. Despite Clinton's attempt to move the debate onto policies and audience-led questions she failed to lead him into making a Ford-like basic error. Clinton will need to make sure that in an election that is proving to be unlike any other, she avoids similar errors. Whether the debates prove to be anything other than car-crash television remains to be seen.
[1] Second Debate Transcript, October 6, 1976, found at Commission on Presidential Debates (http://debates.org/index.php?page=october-6-1976-debate-transcript) Accessed October 10, 2016
This entry was posted in American History, Cold War History, International History, News, US Election 2016 (blog posts). Bookmark the permalink.
2 Responses to Thoughts From the Second Debate
Mr.Concerned says:
I am not an American citizen. l have however (like record numbers of people from around the world ) been following the presidential campaign as I am concerned about the outcome. Please allow me to express my opinion as a citizen of the world.
It is a sad state of affairs that the best options for President of the United States of America are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Surely there must be better. You are a proud nation…and as history shows capable of so much good. Are you the same nation that was once so revered? Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."???
Frankly,I am truly embarrassed for your nation.
I sit in solemn reflection on how sad it is indeed how your nation has lost its way,its values ,its beliefs.
What kind of world our descendants will face!
It astounds me that you have allowed Hillary Clinton,(who has jeopardized your national security and is truly a party to evil incarnate) to remain unpunished for her crimes..and that you,as a nation of immigrants allow Donald Trump's racist sexist self to continue to run.
My prayers are with you America.
readinghistory says:
Thank you for your comments, I will pass them on to the US Election team as I know they will be interested to hear them.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Fennel is a delicious, healthy vegetable that tastes a bit like anise. It is used as a vegetable and spice. In early days it was used in a completely another way. In horse stables and dog shelters, a powder of this plant was used to prevent fleas from spreading. Fennel Powder is a natural repellent.
This plant is considered a medicine since ancient times. Both in ancient Indian and Roman history, this medicinal vegetable is described as a remedy against eye diseases. One would see sharply after regularly eating parts of this plant. Contemporary scientific research is starting to confirm this. Glaucoma has decreased in animals by eating fennel, according to scientists. Research in humans is rarely done on this field.
Fennel works well against flatulence. The ancient Romans knew this too. In general, it is true that it brings the intestines to rest. For this purpose, you drink tea or eat it as a vegetable. It is also possible to make a syrup of the seeds. It works as an appetite stimulant.
This vegetable contains anethol, which is a phytoestrogen. ´Phyto´ means it origins from a plant. Through this bio-identical hormone the production of milk and the production of breast tissue in women is encouraged. Anethol has more medicinal properties. It combats the presence of cancerous tumors, at least according to research on animals. Scientists believe that this is because anethol prevents the activation of the inflammatory molecule NF-kappaB. Also, anethol helps the liver when it is overloaded with toxins. This is clearly shown in any case from research on animals.
The seeds of this vegetable have a refreshing taste. Essential oils of fennel are used worldwide to create a natural mouthwash and to enrich toothpaste. Fennel tea is an ideal mouth refreshing tea. You just chew on seeds to get a fresh mouth. In countries like India, it is used to chew after dinner.
Fennel may be eaten raw. It's nice when you cut it into small cubes and make a mixed vegetable salad. Put some green shoots on your sandwich. Due to its mild anise flavor, it is an ideal, healthy food for kids. It makes them more easily familiar with the habit of eating fresh vegetables.
You can drink a tea of the seeds which is for sale at a health food store. Fennel is an easy vegetable to cook. Like any vegetable that you can eat raw, you do not have to prepare fennel long to make it tender. 3 to 5 minutes boiling is enough to create a great side dish. Fennel can be stir-fried in vegetable mix. It is a versatile vegetable that gives a fresh touch to any dish. Enjoy your medicine!


text:
Q: Checking a field of an object in a PriorityQueue I need to use a PriorityQueue to have sorted FIFO elements. The queue will contain a Message objects each one of which will have a double timestamp as well as an int counter which keeps track of how many acknowledgments have been received for that message.
There are two types of messages - ones with the data and ones with acknowledgment. Only messages with data are to be put in a queue. I am writing a comparator which will be used to sort the queue. I will be popping only head of the queue only if it has received all acknowledgments.
The problem is that, as an acknowledgment message comes in, I need to increment the acknowledgment counter of a message for which this acknowledgment was received. For this, I need to find the message by checking a particular field of each message in queue (the sending time).
How can this be done? I thought of following:
Get an iterator and then iterate over the queue checking the particular field of each object.
This seems like brutal method to me though. Is there any better way? Can we access an object in a queue like this?

NOTE: I need to use the PriorityQueue because the functionality I am implementing (total ordered multicast in distributed system using Lamport's logical clock) needs to have an ordered queue. I can not deliver the message at the head of the queue to the application thread if it is not acknowledged by each node. Also, I cannot deliver the message which is not at the head of the queue even if it has received all acknowledgments.

A: First: Yes, we can access a PriorityQueue that way, since it's implementing the Iterable-interface.
When you think of performance issues, you could log-down the complexity by using some kind of pivot (see Quicksort).
If you find it somehow stupid: The most good solutions are somehow stupid, but mostly work fine.

A: It sounds to me like you're using the wrong type of data structure. If you are receiving messages from a Queue (i.e. JMS or similar) then why not read the message off the queue and store the data into a more appropriate data structure like a Map (e.g. HashMap) or database if you require persistence.
When you receive the acknowledgements you can look-up the corresponding object in your Map and update the count. A map may have faster random access if that is what you require.
If you increment the acknowledgement count and it reaches the threshold of "I've now received all my acknowledgements" then you can push the message onto a new Queue for further processing if that is what you desire.
Some food for thought. Hopefully I have interpreted your question correctly.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Labor calls for royal commission into veteran suicide
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has renewed his efforts in support of a royal commission into veteran suicide. "This isn't a political decision. This is not a partisan decision. This should be embraced," he said. Labor voted against a proposed bill to establish a national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention, and said an independent royal commission would better serve the interests of victims and their families.


text:
The 24th Polish Film Awards took place on 6 June 2022 at the Polish Theatre in Warsaw, Poland. The ceremony honored the best in Polish cinema of 2021, presented by the Polish Film Academy. It was hosted by actor Maciej Stuhr.

Winners and nominees
The nominations were announced on 16 April 2022. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().

Films with multiple awards and nominations

References

External links

Polish Film Awards ceremonies
Polish Film Awards
Polish Film Awards

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
\section{Introduction}

Over the last few years  we have undertaken a systematic survey of extragalactic radio sources
(de Koff et al. 1996; Martel et al. 1998a,b ; McCarthy et al. 1997)
 in the  3CR Catalogue (Bennett 1962a,b; Spinrad et al. 1985) using  WFPC2 on  HST. These
data allow us to investigate the relationships between the radio and optical morphologies in a
complete sample of powerful radio galaxies.
Imaging of nearby Seyfert galaxies with HST, such as Mrk 3, Mrk 6, Mrk 573, NGC 1068, NGC 2992 and NGC 4151,
(Capetti et al., 1995a, 1995b, 1996, 1997; Winge et al. 1997;  Allen et al. 1998,1999; Axon et al, 1998)
has shown an intimate connection between the radio structure and the extended NLR (ENLR).
These studies show that the interaction of the radio jet with the ISM is the main  source of UV photons
that ionize the ENLR in Seyfert galaxies.
We wish to investigate whether this scenario is also applicable to the high-power radio sources
and in particular the radio galaxy 3C 299.

This galaxy is a FR II and one of the most asymmetric double-lobed radio AGNs (Liu et al. 1992)
not only because of the significantly different distance between the nucleus and each
of the  lobes but also in terms of lobe flux and lobe length. The  radio morphology consists of
a compact radio-core and two lobes separated by 11$''$ at PA $\sim$ 63$^o$.
The NE lobe is larger ($\sim$ 1.5$''$) and brighter (441.6 mJy at 8.4 Ghz,
Akujor et al. 1995) than the SW lobe ($\sim$ 0.7$''$ and 20.1 mJy).
The core does not appear to be located at the geometrical center of the lobes; it is 3$''$ nearer
the NE lobe (Liu et al 1991). For some time, due to this large asymmetry,
the NE lobe itself was believed  to
be the central component of a compact steep-spectrum source
(CSS). But when the SW component was found by Laing (1981), and the central
component by Liu \& Pooley (1991) and van Breugel et al (1992), the true
picture of 3C 299 as a double-lobed radio AGN fully emerged.

At optical wavelengths this galaxy appears to be a low-redshift analogue of
the high redshift  (z$>$1) radio
galaxies studied by McCarthy et al. (1995) since its optical
continuum emission is elongated and aligned with the radio source axis. The emission
lines have a complex morphology and kinematics, with the [OIII]$\lambda$5007 line
offset from the continuum peak (McCarthy et al. 1996).

In this paper we discuss the complex morphology of 3C 299  shown by the
high spatial HST resolution images  and we compare it  with the radio data.
We investigate the physical conditions of the ENLR through ground-based
long-slit spectroscopy data and show that the ionization parameter is
roughly constant throughout the ENLR.

We conclude by showing that a simple mechanism to provide the required
ionizing photons are shocks triggered by the interaction of the radio jet
with the local ISM (Capetti et al. 1995a, 1995b), as in the case of the
lower redshift Seyfert galaxies.

\section{Observations and data analysis}

The HST/WFPC2  observations of 3C 299 were taken as part of  the
3CR Snapshot Survey (PI: W. B. Sparks) which was  conducted in cycles 4 to 7,
in the F555W and F702W broad bands  as well as narrow emission line bands.
(de Koff et al. 1996; Martel et al. 1998a,b;  McCarthy et al. 1997).
The 3C 299 images were obtained with the WFPC2/PC and the F702W filter
in May 1995 and the F555W filter in September 1996. Narrow-band images
with the WFPC2/WF2 and the FR680N ramp filter were taken in August 1995.
Table 1 shows the observation log.

At a redshift of z=0.367 , the galaxy
is at a distance of 1.3 Gpc with a projected linear scale of 4.7 kpcs/arcsec (assuming
$H_{0}$=65 km sec${^{-1}}$ Mpc${^{-1}}$ and $q_{0}=0.5$).
The WFPC2/PC scale is 0$''$.0455/pixel and for the  WFPC2/WF2 the scale is 0$''$.0996/pixel,
and  therefore, the physical scales for the images are 213 parsecs/pixel for the PC mode and
471 parsecs/pixel for the WF2 mode.

The reduction procedure for the F702W filter data, which is close to Cousins
R filter, is fully discussed in Martel et al. (1998b). This reduction includes the
standard WFPC2 pipeline processing and  cosmic-ray removal.
The data reduction was carried out using IRAF and the STSDAS package.
At the redshift of 3C 299, the F702W data includes the
 H$\beta$ and [OIII] emission lines. The F555W filter data,
which is  closer to Johnson V, was reduced in the same way
and then registered  and added to produce one final image with higher
S/N. Due to the redshift the F555W image includes the flux from the emission lines of
[OII], [NeIII], H$\delta$ and H$\gamma$.
In what follows we will define F702W as R, and F555W as V.
The FR680N is a narrow-band ramp filter, which given the redshift of the galaxy and its
position on the CCD, produces an
[OIII] $\lambda$5007 image. These images were reduced as described above
and the final image was re-scaled to the resolution of the  WFPC2/PC.

The F702W and F555W filter data were flux-calibrated using values for the
inverse sensitivities (PHOTFLAM) of 1.866 x 10$^{-18}$ ergs cm$^{-2}$
\AA$^{-1}$ DN$^{-1}$, 3.491410 x 10$^{-18}$ cm$^{-2}$ \AA$^{-1}$ DN$^{-1}$,
and zero-points for the Vega system of  of M$_{Photzpt}$=-21.85,
M$_{Photzpt}$=-21.07 respectively. Non-rotated images were used for these flux calibrations.
The FR680N filter was calibrated using the ramp filter calculator
(Biretta et al, 1996).
An approximate coordinate frame for the WFPC2 data is provided by the image
header information, based on the HST guide stars.
The accuracy at the coordinates is approximately 1$''$ (Biretta et al. 1996).

Images obtained with different filters were registered to a common frame
using cross-correlation of the brighter elliptical structures.
To derive the spatial shift between the broad-band filters images and the
FR680N image, we used the filamentary NE structure, since this structure
is well defined and bright in both  filters.
The sky background in each image was determined through the statistical
analysis of a 3-sigma clipping of the average background value
in several regions in each of the images.

To compare with radio data, we used the observations from
Leahy (1997), obtained  with MERLIN at 1534 MHz and posted on the DRAGN's
Web site maintained by Leahy, Bridle, \& Strom R., at the Jodrell
Bank Observatory.

\section{Results}

The optical broad-band images possess a complex morphology (Fig. 1).
The V and R images show a central elliptical structure,
with two bright cusps separated by an absorption lane, $\sim$ 0$''$.3 x 1$''$.4
(i.e. 1.2 x 5.7 kpcs).
To the NE, separated by 1.4 arcsec, there is an extended filamentary structure.
This region shows a shell-like structure with  bright, sharp
but resolved filaments enclosing what appears to be a bubble of lower
intensity emission.

We found that the elliptical is well fitted by an $r^{1/4}$
surface brightness  profile.
From the isophotal fitting, the position of the nucleus is found to be
hidden behind the central absorption lane.
From the V-R map, we derive values for the color index. The
elliptical galaxy has a color index of  1.0 $<$ (V-R) $<$ 1.33,
which is compatible with the values from R\"onnbach et al. (1996) for the
stellar population of a elliptical galaxy at the redshift of 3C 299.
The faint region between the brighter cusps has 1.53 $<$ (V-R) $<$ 2.0 and
these values are also compatible with a stellar population reddened by a dust
lane.

The FR680N filter shows a rather different picture, since the data is
dominated by emission in the [OIII]$\lambda$5007 line. The image (Fig. 2)
shows a bi-conical structure of ionized oxygen, bright and large to the NE
and  faint and small to the SW. The NE cone has a full opening angle of 45
 degrees, from PA 30$^o$ to PA 75$^o$.
The geometry and the brightness intensity (in comparison with the broad-band filters data)
 of this structure in the [OIII]$\lambda$5007 emission-line data indicates that
this flux came from the  extended NLR (ENLR). This is consistent with the
previous studies of McCarthy et al. (1995, 1996).
The shape of the NE bright lobe in this data is the
same as  that in the broad-band filters. Since there is almost no continuum
 emission (as the elliptical galaxy profile vanished) in the NE bright lobe, the
broad-band filter morphology is dominated by the line-emission, therefore
we used it to register the broad-band data to the narrow-band data.

Using a bi-dimensional cross-correlation technique (CROSSCOR task in IRAF/STSDAS)
we find that the center of the bi-conical  structure coincides with the
geometric center of the elliptical  galaxy. Fig 3 shows the superposition
of the [OIII] data over the R data; note that the NE structure coincides
with the  line emission. If we make the obvious assumption that
the center (nucleus) of the elliptical galaxy is coincident with the radio core,
it follows  that the radio axis (PA 63$^o$) is reasonably well aligned
with the emission-line region (PA 52$^o$). Furthermore
the NE radio lobe is clearly related to the ENLR in the [OIII] image and with the
large filamentary shell-like structure that is seen in the broad-band filters
(Fig. 4a,b).

We derived values for the physical conditions of the emitting gas by
analyzing and measuring line-emission ratios of the optical spectrum of
McCarthy et. al. (1996), taken with the Lick 3 m telescope.
The 2$''$ slit was positioned along the  radio source axis (P.A. $\sim$ 70$^o$),
thus crossing the  ENLR and covering a wavelength range from 4600  to 7400 \AA.
The McCarthy et al. data shows that
the peak of the [OIII] and  H$\beta$ lines are offset from the continuum (see
Fig 5 for a plot of this spectrum in the range from 6300 to 7400 \AA).
Therefore the maximum of the line emission lies outside the nucleus
and towards the ENLR. The high excitation line HeII $\lambda$ 4686 is present
and shows a similar behavior with  extensions towards the ENLR.

One interesting point is to understand what
dominates the flux in the broad-band images at the ENLR. For the F555W data the
[OII]$\lambda$3727 and the [NeIII]$\lambda$3869 are present, and there is no observable continuum
in the ENLR spectrum. Since the [NeIII]$\lambda$3869 emission is
low ($<$30\%) compared to the [OII]$\lambda$3727 and also
the [OII]$\lambda$3727/[NeIII]$\lambda$3869 ratio is quite constant over the entire ENLR,
it is possible to use the broad-band F555W image  as a good estimator of the [OII]$\lambda$3727 emission.
We used  this image, to derive  surface brightness profiles and to determine  the
behavior of the [OIII]/[OII] ratio as an estimate of the spatial behavior of the  ionizing parameter ($U$).
In Fig. 6 we show the [OIII] and [OII]  intensities as a function of distance from  the nucleus
along the NE radio jet, as well as a plot of the [OIII]/[OII] ratio. The [OII] flux profile includes the
contribution from  the stellar population of the elliptical galaxy to a distance of
 about 1 arcsec from the nucleus, where the $r^{1/4}$ profile vanishes. Therefore, from 1$''$ to 3$''$.2, the
measured flux arises  only from ENLR emission lines.

The low amount of contamination of [NeIII] emission in the  [OII] data does not affect the validity of
the [OIII]/[OII] ratio. Models such of  Dopita el al. 1995, show that the [NeIII] emission follows  the trend of the [OIII]
emission as the effect of the precursor become more important. Sophisticated photoionization  models such as
those at Binnette et al. (1996)  show  a relation between the [NeIII] and [OIII] emission. Therefore, the
properties of the
[OIII]/[OII] as the tracer of the ionization parameter $U$ are not affected by the low amount of [NeIII] emission.

The typical error for the [OIII] plot is $\sigma = \pm$ 0.7 for a reference flux
of 4 $DN$ calculated with the Extend Exposure Time Calculator (Biretta et al. 1996)
and taking into account two pixel binning. For the [OII] plot, $\sigma = \pm$ 0.3
for a 2 $DN$ flux and 8 pixel binning to match the spatial resolution of the upper plot
(WF to PC resolution). The errors of the [OIII]/[OII] plot are a combination of the
errors of the two upper plots and for example, a reference flux of 5 $DN$  has a
maximum  error of $\sigma = \pm$ 0.9, calculated as the large departure
from the combination of fluxes and errors of the [OIII] and [OII] profiles.

\section{Discussion}

Our optical data shows that there is a close morphological relationship between the [OIII] ENLR and the radio emission of
the NE lobe. Is is interesting to investigate the possible physical scenario for this close relationship.
Taylor et al. (1992) proposed that fast bowshocks resulting from the interaction of the radio jet  and the ISM
were the source of ionizing photons of the emission-line gas.
 Capetti et al. (1995a, 1995b, 1996, 1997) and  Winge et al. (1997) were the first to show that this mechanism
best explains the optical  emission in the NLR
 in nearby Seyfert galaxies (Mrk 3, Mrk 6, Mrk 573, NGC 1068, NGC 4151 and NGC 7319).
 Recently,  this work has been confirmed by Aoki et al. (1999) and Kukula et al. (1999).

Dopita \& Sutherland (1995a,b) have modeled in detail the ionization
of the ENLR by  shocks. In one  scenario which has been shown to work
for  Seyfert galaxies, the radio jet interacts
with the local interstellar medium and shocks the gas. In this scenario, the hot postshock plasma
gas produces photons that can diffuse upstream and downstream of the jet. Photons
diffusing upstream can encounter the preshocked gas and produce an extensive
precursor HII region, while those traveling downstream will influence the ionization
 and temperature structure of the recombination of the shock.

This scenario appears very attractive in explaining the morphology of the radio and optical data in 3C 299.
To check the validity of this interpretation, we derived values for the physical conditions of the
 emitting gas by measuring and analyzing the line-emission ratios from the optical spectrum of
 McCarthy et. al. (1996).
In Table 2 we list the spatial behavior of the He II $\lambda$ 4686/H$\beta$ and
 [OIII] $\lambda$5007/H$\beta$ ratios derived from that  spectrum.
Figure 7 is the plot of the measure line-ratio at 3.6$''$ (from the nucleus) over the
models of Dopita et al. (1995a), it is clear that the model which includes
a high-speed shock ($\sim$ 400 km/sec) plus a precursor HII region
photoionization (produced by photons traveling upstream from the shock)
fits the observations rather well over the entire ENLR. The values of
Table 2 are also fairly constant (within the errors) showing that
physical conditions are similar over the jet path.

Another way to check the shock  scenario is to explore the spatial behavior
of the ionization  condition
of the gas by estimating  the ionization parameter $U$. This parameter
is defined as $U=Q/4\pi r^{2}cN_{e}$, where Q is the rate at which ionizing photons
are emitted from a point source towards a gas cloud with electron density $N_{e}$
and  distance $r$  from the ionizing source.
If we consider the galactic nucleus to be the ionizing source, as the distance from the
nucleus increases for
a constant $N_{e}$, the parameter U will decrease and change the
ionization condition of the gas. This change will be reflected in
the values of the  emission-line ratios (eg. [OIII]/[OII]). However, this
parameter will have a very different behavior  if the density changes
or if there is another source of ionizing photons (such as shocks produced
by the radio jet) or a combination of both (from the nucleus and
local).

The two brighter peaks in the  flux profiles  of both [OIII] and [OII],
 at 1.7$''$ and 2.4$''$ from the nucleus arise from the bright filaments
of the shell-like structure. Note that both profiles have a similar shape. The [OIII]/[OII]
line ratio is rather high  from 1.6$''$ to 2.6$''$
at the position of these filaments. As noted above this line ratio is
strongly dependent on the ionization parameter $U$. If there is no local
source of ionizing photons, due to
geometrical dilution of the ionizing radiation field we expect
$U \sim N^{-1}_{e}r^{-2}$. To produce a constant value for $U$ the
electron density should also follow an $r^{-2}$ law.

Wellman et al. (1996) using radio data for 14 radio-galaxies and 8 radio-loud quasars
obtained an estimate of the lobe magnetic field and the lobe speed propagation. From
these parameters, they derived
an estimate for the ambient gas density in the vicinity of the radio lobe, for the
galaxies in their sample using the equation for ram pressure
confinement. They found that the ambient gas density can be fitted  with a modified King
density profile.
In particular in our region of interest, within the inner 11 $h^{-1}$ kpc, the
density still falls in the flat part of the density distribution, as the core radius of
this King profile is 50 (or 100 depending on the model) $h^{-1}$ kpc.
From these, it seems extremely unlikely that the ambient density can vary as $r^{-2}$,
as would be required to keep the ionization parameter constant
in the case that the only source of ionizing photons is the nuclear source.
We therefore exclude that ionization by the nuclear source alone can be responsible
for the observed ionization of the
ENLR lobe.

Similar physical properties of the ENLR, namely a rather constant value for $U$, has been
reported for some nearby Seyfert 2 galaxies. Capetti et al (1995a), Kukula et al. (1999) show a similar
result for Mrk 3, where the radio jets and the optical emissions are very
 closely associated.
 In Mrk 6, Capetti et al. (1995b)  show that there
 is also evidence for a transverse ionization structure to the south where the
 radio jet and the emission lines are co-spatial. In the case of Mrk 573
(Capetti et al. 1996), the
ratio [OIII]/[OII] indicates that the ionization parameter actually increases with
radius.
These examples provide  strong evidence for the scenario where  line-emitting gas in the ENLR is
compressed by shocks and causes the line emission to be highly enhanced in the
region in which this interaction occurs.
We can also compare  3C 299 to NGC 1068, one of the
closest Seyfert 2 galaxies with a bright radio source and a prominent
radio jet which terminates in a extended radio-lobe. For NGC 1068, Capetti et al.
(1997) found
that the geometrical dilution model of the nuclear radiation field cannot
explain the high excitation core formed by the brightest knots of the NLR.
 An increase (3-4 higher) of the ionization parameter is also observed at a
distance of
$\sim$4$''$ from the nucleus, where the radio outflow changes its morphology
 from jet-like to lobe-like. This could be easily explained if there is a
density increase where the jet enters the lobe, presumably due to the compression
of the backflowing radio cocoon at the jet working surface.

In the case of 3C 299, morphology arguments i.e.  the extent and filamentary nature of the ENLR,
 the structure of the ENLR and its association to the radio-lobe, as well as physical arguments,
 i.e. the value of the emission-line ratios
 HeII$\lambda$4686/H$\beta$ and [OIII]$\lambda$5007/H$\beta$
 compared to the models of Dopita et al. (1995a) and the constant value for the ionization parameter $U$, which
 does not follow the dilution of the ionizing radiation field for a central source
of UV photons, strongly support the same scenario, namely that the ENLR is a product of the
 interaction of the radio-lobe with the ISM gas.

In contrast to the nearby galaxies, 3C 299 has an intermediate redshift (z=0.367),
and its ENLR is considerably larger ($\sim$ 12 Kpcs).
Best et al. (1996,1998,1999), have carried out deep spectroscopic observations of
a number of powerful radio galaxies with redshift $z \sim 1$  and
show  that the passage of the radio jet induces shocks through the host galaxy
and plays a key role in producing the emission-line gas properties of these objects.
Thus the physical connection between the radio jet and the  ENLR
appears to be at work not only for nearby galaxies, but also for those
at higher redshifts. This could provide an explanation for the ``alignment effect''
found by McCarthy et al. (1987), for  high-redshift radio galaxies.

\section{Summary}

We have shown  that the elliptical galaxy 3C 299, has a prominent dust lane
and bi-conical extended emission line morphology that is similar to those of
some lower redshift Seyfert galaxies.

We found that the NE radio radio-lobe  lies within  the
shell-like structure of the ENLR, suggesting a physical connection between the jet and the ENLR.
We tested the scenario where the radio jet  compresses and shocks the interstellar gas
thus producing the observed  morphology.  From the spectra of McCarthy et al. (1996) we compared the
line ratio behavior of the ENLR with the models of Dopita et al. (1995a).
From these models we found that the observed spectrum is compatible with gas
shocked by the radio jet plus ionization from a precursor HII region, produced by
the ionizing photons on the preshocked gas.
We also investigated the spatial behavior of the ionizing parameter $U$, by determining
the  [OIII]/[OII] line-ratio which is
sensitive to the change of the ionization parameter, and we traced its behavior over
the ENLR along the radio jet direction. We found that the [OIII]/[OII] ratio does not
follow a simple  dilution model, but rather that it is approximately constant
over a large area (3 $''$ from the nucleus, $\sim$ 12 kpcs ) thus requiring a
local source of ionization, and we found that shock models driven by the radio jet,
provide the necessary ionizing flux.

Therefore, because of morphology arguments (the NE lobe is locate at the ENLR),
physical arguments (the emission-line ratios are consistent with a shock plus
an HII precursor region) and the constant value of the ionization parameter (which
does not follow the dilution of the ionizing radiation field for a central
source of photons), we conclude that the ENLR of 3C 299 is the result  of the
interaction of the radio jet with the ISM gas.

\acknowledgments

C.F. acknowledges the support from the STScI visitor program. The Fundacion
Antorchas (Argentina) provided partial financial support of this work. We are very
grateful to Mark G. Allen for providing us
the emission-line diagnostic models for a shock plus an HII region precursor.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
I have a lot of conversations with people that go like this:
Other person: "So, you think that museums should let visitors control the museum experience?"
Me: "Sort of."
Other person: "But doesn't that erode museums' authority?"
Me: "No."
One of the primary fears museum professionals (and all professionals) have about entering new relationships with audiences is the fear of losing control. For hundreds of years, we've owned the content and the message. While we may grudgingly acknowledge the fact that visitors create their own versions of the message around subsets of the content, we don't consciously empower visitors to redistribute their own substandard, non-authoritative messages. So when people like me start advocating for the creation of tools and opportunities by which visitors can share their stories, reaggregate the artifacts, even rate and review each others' creations, museum professionals of all stripes get concerned. If the museum isn't in control, how can it thrive?
We have to change the framing of this conversation. There is a difference between control and expertise. In these conversations, people often say, "don't expert voices matter?" and my emphatic response is YES. Content expertise matters. Content control shouldn't.
Museums should feel protective of the expertise reflected in their staff, exhibits, programs, and collections. In most museums, the professional experience of the staff--to preserve objects, to design exhibits, to deliver programs--is not based on content control. It's based on creation and delivery of experiences. And in a world where visitors want to create, remix, and interpret content messages on their own, museums can assume a new role of authority as "platforms" for those creations and recombinations.
The problem arises when expertise creates a feeling of entitlement to control the entire visitor experience. Power is attractive. Being in control is pleasant. It lets you be the only expert with a voice. But if our expertise is real, then we don't need to rule content messages with an iron fist. As Ian Rogers has said, "losers wish for scarcity. Winners leverage scale."
Single voices represented on single labels is not scalable. I believe we need to develop museum "platforms" that allow us to harness, prioritize, and present the diversity of voices around a given object, exhibit, or idea. This does not mean we are giving all the power to visitors. We will grant them a few opportunities--to create their own messages, to prioritize the messages that resonate best for them personally--in the context of a larger overall platform. The platform is what's important. It's a framework that museums can (and should) control, and there's power in platform management.
When you think of a platform for user-generated content, you may not think of that platform as having power. But the companies that run YouTube, Flickr, and other major Web 2.0 sites have lots of power. There are four main powers that platforms have:
the power to set the rules of behavior
the power to preserve and exploit user-generated content
the power to promote and feature preferred content
the power to define the types of interaction available to users
These powers constitute a set of controls which constitutes a real and valuable authority. Let's take a look at each one and how it might be applied in museums.
1. The power to set the rules of behavior.
User-generated content sites control user and community behavior, both implicitly through the tools that are and aren't offered, and explicitly through community management. Every Web 2.0 site has rules about acceptable content and ways that users can engage with each other--consider this article about the complicated and often highly subjective (read: powerful) Flickr community guidelines. These rules are not uniform, and their differences often influence the makeup of users who feel welcome and choose to engage.
When it comes to museums, comparable rules can guarantee that the museum remains a safe, welcoming place for visitors of all kinds. There are some "rules" already in place--like the rule that you have to pay to enter--that may have great effect on the types of users who engage in museums and the behavior they display within. Museums should consider, as Web 2.0 community managers do, what behaviors and visitors they want to support and which rules will make those people feel most at home in the institution.
2. The power to use and exploit user-generated content.
Platforms also have the power to set rules related to preservation and ownership of the content on them--often with quite strict IP statutes that favor the platform over users. Every time you post a photo on Flickr, you give its owner, Yahoo!, the right to use that photo however they see fit. The same is true on YouTube, and on sites like Facebook, which are "walled gardens," you can't even easily export your user-generated content (friends, events, updates) outside of Facebook itself.
Again, these rules reflect platform control, and when the control is too heavy-handed, users get annoyed and stay away. Museums will always need to retain some powers to manage the preservation of objects, to wield IP controls properly, and to manage the digital reproduction and dissemination of content. There are many models as well for what we do with user-generated content in the museum. There are some emerging case studies for this. The Smithsonian American Art Museum's current Ghosts of a Chance game is accessioning player-generated objects into a temporary part of their collection database, with clear rules about what happens to the objects at the end of the game (they are the responsibility of a sub-contractor). In the same way that Web 2.0 sites display a range of respect for user-retained intellectual property, museums can navigate and create their own rules--and related powers--for content developed by visitors on site.
3. The power to promote and feature preferred content.
When you go onto a user-generated content site like YouTube, you don't just see a jumble of videos. One of the greatest powers retained by these platforms is the power to feature content that reflects the values of the platform. These values may skew towards promoting content with the most popularity/views, the newest content, or content that is unique in some way. The choice of what to display on the front page is not just about design. There have been huge user-protests of both YouTube and Digg for perceived bias in the "featured content" algorithms that vault some content to the top. And while some sites strive for transparency, most find ways to feature the kind of content and behavior that they want to see modeled for other users.
This may be the most important platform power when it comes to museums because it is the one that allows the platform to present its values and model preferred behavior. And many museums are far from assuming this power. Most museum projects that allow visitors to create content only allow for the most basic of prioritization. Consider video kiosks where visitors can create their own short clips (a pet peeve of mine). Many museum video kiosks will feature clips from famous people but do nothing to prioritize and prominently display high-quality visitor submissions. The kiosks are organized by recency, not content value--and so new visitors walking up are not given a model for the kind of content the museum would most like to receive.
When museums do assume this power, it is often in a zero-transparency way that doesn't model behavior for users. When I spoke with Kate Roberts about MN150, the Minnesota History Center exhibition based on visitor-generated nominations, she explained that after the nomination period was over, they entirely shut down visitor engagement in the selection process. It just felt too messy to do anything but lock the staff in a room and sort through the nominations. When the exhibition opened a year later, visitors could see which nominations were valued and featured, but they couldn't get this information in an early feedback loop that would have allowed them to improve their nominations during the submission process.
4. The power to define available interactions.
This power is so basic that it is often forgotten. On YouTube, you can share videos. On Craigslist, you can buy and sell stuff. On LibraryThing, you can tag and talk about books. Each Web 2.0 platform has a limited feature set and focuses on one or two basic actions that users can take. Museums don't need to offer every kind of interaction under the sun--we just have to pick the few interactions that most support the kind of behavior and content creation that we value. Again, there's a lot of power in the decision of whether visitors will be allowed to contact each other, rate artifacts, or make their own exhibits. As long as you create a platform that is consistent in its values and the interactions provided, you will be able to control the experience as you open up content authority.
There are real opportunities here for museums to retain authority related to values, experiences, and community behavior. The power of the platform may not let you dictate every message that floats through your doors. But with good, thoughtful design, it can ensure that those messages enhance the overall museum experience.
Labels: Core Museum 2.0 Ideas, participatory museum, usercontent, web2.0
13 comments, add yours!:
Alyssa Gardina said...
What a great post - I think the most significant thing that museums could do with video kiosks (see point 3) is add the ability for users to rate the videos. That adds another level of user interaction that could be called upon to select videos for the front page.
I think it's hard for museums to give up control, but it's happening little by little. While some of us still fight for more interactive and user-generated exhibits, we're starting blogs and Flickr pages in an attempt to get our visitors and audiences involved. It's a process, but we're moving forward!
Nina, this is great! Something I've been trying to figure out how to articulate myself. I've been reading lots of Ira Shor, Friere, McLaren,etc, lately, and this really speaks to encouraging critical thinking and critical pedagogy in museums. I'll post more when I've digested. And will probably link this, if thats cool?
Nina Simon said...
Sarah,
Please do link to it! I'd love to hear more about how you see this connecting to some of the theory around free-choice learning... I hadn't been thinking in that direction.
Wonderful post, Nina, and I've already used your content authority/platform authority distinction with a client, with credit of course. (Shameless cribbing by consultants? I'm shocked!) But if I'm one of those museum people you mention in that little dialogue, then I wasn't representing my question well. It's not "But doesn't that erode museums' authority?", as if that were a scary prospect. I hope it will in some ways, and your nuanced distinction here between control and expertise help us see how that will happen. The difference boils down to whether the museum's content expertise is a tool used by the museum for its own purposes or a tool made available to visitors to use for their own purposes (purposes defined only loosely by the museum, via the four powers you enumerate). I think we agree that the latter is a healthy and long-overdue alternative to the former.
But in some ways I think you're underplaying the conflict here. The people who hold power in many museums are academically trained subject-matter experts who tend to see the public function of museums as some form of knowledge transfer, whether they call that education, learning, or some more experiential-sounding variant. And they're backed up in that worldview by other powerful constituencies, especially museum educators. So even if they do see themselves as belonging to a profession whose job is the "creation and delivery of experiences," as you say (which I doubt, in many cases), the purpose of those experiences is pre-ordained: it's some kind of (pleasurable, free choice, affective, transformative, insert-buzzword-du-jour) learning. If you believe this, then you will insist that the museum has an unavoidable responsibility to at least guide, if not control outright, the content or story that gets told around its objects. Otherwise the audience collectively creates the stories (plural), some of which are wrong and others simply (in the museum's view) unedifying.
You don't have to be one of the old-guard, object-based museum directors in Jim Cuno's book Whose Muse? to acknowledge that museums' purposes and audiences' purposes can easily be at odds here. Certainly the traditional educational agenda I'm talking about is hard to reconcile with the four powers you endorse under the heading of platform control. Imagine if Flickr or YouTube had an overriding goal of conveying a certain kind of internally-housed, expert knowledge or interpretation about the photos and videos they aggregate, or if LibraryThing strived to pass on its own knowledge of, or standards for, literature. Sure, there are editorial reviews on Amazon along with the user reviews, and various forms of expert opinion or influence are in evidence on many 2.0 platforms, a few examples of which you mention here. But those sites aren't nonprofits funded by foundations and government programs interested in educational or other individual or civic 'improvement' outcomes, as museums are, and their success isn't evaluated on that basis. Bottom line: this kind of change is going to be more complex and contested than many people think, because it's really an ends question rather than a means question.
But all this is parallel to my intended question about what museums may surrender as they shift to the platform model: not just authority but vision. What I'm worried about is that museum people will see this shift as an excuse to give up completely on being unique self-creations, intuitive, subjective, idiosyncratic, and not necessarily fully explicable on rational grounds. From curmudgeonly collector Albert Barnes to Wonka-like sculptor Bob Cassilly, there has always been a tradition of museum or exhibition as 'installation art,' as a kind of framing and interpreting artwork in which other artifacts are arrayed. But this has become rarer in the era of professionalization and best practices and the resulting sameness one feels in new exhibits and museums around the country.
Can a platform be visionary in the same sense—I mean, after the platform's own novelty as a mechanism wears off? Can museums do and be both? Surely the answer is yes, but it's not going to be easy to envision or pull off. Your beloved Click! show in Brooklyn is not the answer, I think. Let's talk about what might be.
Great comment. You really articulate the core underlying issues here.
I'm ok with museums that want to tell their own stories. I assume that those museums will continue to exist and thrive. I am narrowly focused on museums that claim (however disingenuously) that they want to be a "town square" for social engagement. At the Science Center World Congress in June, representatives from science centers worldwide pledged to make science centers "safe spaces for difficult conversations." If they indeed want to do that, and if museums want to engage with visitors in "community"--two huge ifs--we have to find some genuine ways to do so. I see the platform model as one that can allow some museums to transition from paying lip service to the "town square" to really living it.
Whether a storyteller or a platform, every good museum needs vision. My fear is that some of these community initiatives will be branded as failures because, as you point out, they are often used as excuses to avoid strong visionary leadership. If we just "put it out there" for visitors as a new fad, we fail, and museums might start to think that being safe spaces for any kind of conversations was just a load of hooey.
So I think all kinds of museums need vision--those that are becoming participatory platforms and those that are storytellers. Because even in the traditional world, the idiosyncratic shining stars are few and far between. They are almost as fringe as I am, and they don't have a big Web hype machine helping push their ideas out there. I feel more allied with those kinds of museum leaders (Adam Lerner of the Belmar Lab of Art and Ideas comes to mind) than with those who are half-heartedly doing "2.0". And I think those visionaries do exist in participatory platform design--the creators of the Living Library come to mind as a prime example.
To quote Ian Rogers, the goal hasn't changed: we all want to make something great. Whether we do that by designing great experiences or great platforms, we succeed. I just happen to be more interested in the platform side of things.
hey nina
i am getting around to blogging a response/conversation-continuance over at F&N when I get a moment.
i'm not sure it has to be an either storyteller OR participatory platform choice for museums. some are going to find that the by offering a platform in the digital space allows them to be even more auteur-ish/storyteller-ish in the galleries themselves.
libraries have far better positioned themselves as 'platforms' in recent years - and as a result have really become 'the town square'. the role and purpose of collections in libraries versus museums is a defining factor here. the reorganisation of human resources in libraries has made many things possible that museums will find hard to do whilst pursuing other core elements of their mission/s.
anyway, a more complex response and extension of the conversation will (eventually) appear on F&N
Hi Nina
A response of sorts has exited my keyboard over at F&N.
I hope the conversation continues!
Nina-
I think you hit this one on the head! Very interesting!
We should talk about a project idea that I have.
Dottie
Shin Yu Pai said...
Thanks for providing this background reading for the social technologies class. I am struck by your discussion of power as it relates to social technologies - you are talking about the ability to bring diverse (subaltern) voices and a polyvocal (postmodern) approach to the museum environment through the rethinking and redistribution of power through the careful use and controls of social tools.
In reading the brief passage about visitor-generated video clips, I thought of the oral history studio at the Experience Music Project. Within a larger exhibition of musicians and "experts" speaking on various aspects of their musical experiences (on individual computer and listening stations), the EMP has a small recording room set aside where visitors can enter and record their own oral history experiences based on a few prompts that are presented to them by the EMP. The staff then screens these submissions and features the stronger interviews in the gallery alongside the "famous people."
Jill Hardy said...
Nina, this really resonates after visiting the Denver Art Museum and experiencing all the different ways the museum allowed for participatory learning and contribution. And it all happened with somewhat conventional techniques. Crazy, fancy, bells and whistles not required!
The DAM introduced tons of places to sit, desks and chairs, books to peruse, notebooks to draw in, overhead projectors for slide shows, Rolodex trays to read and contribute to, and music to listen to. All pretty simple techniques that are genius for allowing visitors to interact with each other, with objects, and with the museum itself.
Nicole Robert said...
Thank you for the interesting discussion, and for this preface to our class discussion today. I think that museums can still fulfill the role of education, and still put out a mission-based message, while inviting visitors to be greater participants. I rarely hear people acknowledge that even in a traditional museum setting, where content is delivered from the museum to the visitor, visitors are already making choices about what they think, what they agree with, whether they will be influenced by the content, how they understood the content, how the content is related (or unrelated) to their lives. What these platforms give museums is a window into this process that is already occuring, and some control over how that conversation happens.
automotive hand tools said...
very interesting to post ... undoubtedly for me the most imporant points are 3 to 4 ....
Steven C. Hendricks
blagger said...
Hi Nina,
I have a special question: have you ever heard that kind of democracy
in museums where visitors create self-guides for themselves (and
publish them)? It means that there are no control in the content, but
it can give ideas to families (what to do with their kids). Maybe my
question is not understandable, that is why I tell you my example. Me
and my friends have a (Hungarian) blog for parents, and there I have
just began publishing printable museum education worksheets.The idea
is that I think that in many families there are this kind of
worksheets, and it would be great to collect them. As my daughter
grows I know that I will create some more, and I think it is good to
share.(Here, in Hungary there is no enough money for museum projects.)
I have looked for such civil projects but I could not find any. That
is why I ask you, you are the expert in the topic.
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The perfect singlet shape, the Greta has a scoop neck front and back, with a generous length. Versatile piece to layer up as little or much as you like.
The style is semi-fitted, being shaped in at the waist and then flares over the hips. Runs true to size.


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Cholera Flipcharts
This is a module created to improve preparedness for and response of communities in countries at risk of a cholera epidemic.
Can Mobile Phone Surveys Replace House-To-House Data Collection?
This brief describes an effort to use interactive voice recognition to assess media exposure and behaviors in Ghana.
Use of an Interactive Voice Response System to Deliver Refresher Training in Senegal: Findings from Pilot Implementation and Assessment
The USAD-funded CapacityPlus project, led by IntraHealth International, developed, deployed, and assessed an innovative mLearning system that used a combination of IVR and SMS text messaging to deliver refresher training to family planning providers in Senegal, focusing on management of contraceptive side effects and counseling to dispel misconceptions.
SBC Training Reference Material
This is reference material to be used during Social Behavior Change for Health training for health personnel.
Facilitator's Guide for SBC Training
This is the guide to be used by facilitators during Social Behavior Change for SBC training of health personnel.
How to Manage a Facebook Page
This material is a guide to those who would like to learn how to manage their facebook page. This was developed as part of the program of guidance in social/digital media management for health personnel. It is part of a larger program to enhance the capacity of service providers and other health personnel.
How to See DHS Data for Health
This material was developed as part of a capacity development program for service providers. The guide aims to teach health personnel how to perform data analysis for planning Social and Behavior Change (SBC) programs and activities.
How to Use Digital Media for Message Dissemination
This material was developed as a how-to guide for health personnel on to use digital media for message dissemination to reach their intended audience. It is part of a capacity development program for service providers in improving their skills in social and behavior change.


text:
Partnership schools legislation creates more confusion
Wednesday, 8 November 2017, 3:46 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party
The latest decision by the Government to continue with the Education (Public Good not Profit from Charter Schools) Bill will add to the confusion about the future of these schools for the families and students who care deeply about them, National Party Education Spokesperson Nikki Kaye says.
"This legislation would wipe out Vanguard Military School, for example, which plays a hugely positive role in the lives of hundreds of our children. It is delivering fantastic results, and the new Government is putting that at risk by putting the ideological views of the unions before the needs of students and parents," says Ms Kaye.
"Is this legislation another mistake by the Leader of the House and Education Minister Chris Hipkins? Why would you progress legislation to get rid of only one partnership school when you've promised to review all partnership schools?
"I am concerned that the Government may try and amend this legislation to get rid of all partnership schools prior to Christmas. This would be at odds with their commitment over the weekend to review all schools.
"There are legitimate questions about whether this review is a sham as the Minister gives the appearance of having a closed mind given his previous careless comments.
"The way the Minister can clear this up is by answering some basic questions about the review. We have no details about who is doing the review, the potential costs of the review, when it will be completed by, or what the requirements and options could be if the partnership school model goes and schools are required to convert to state integrated or special character schools.
"These schools have legally binding contracts. If the Minister is not careful with the process that he and the Ministry undertake they may end up costing the taxpayer in compensation payments or court processes," Ms Kaye says.
"The new Government has already had numerous positions on partnership schools, from repealing the legislation to negotiating on a case-by-case basis to reviewing the schools – and this latest move just adds to the confusion for parents and students.
"The Prime Minister said today that she wanted New Zealand to become a kinder more caring nation. Closing these schools when they deliver such fantastic benefits to our children is not a caring and kind thing to do."
Find more from New Zealand National Party on InfoPages.


Last night (June 21), the County held a Public Meeting at the Central Library unveiling its Bike Trail Extension Feasibility Study on linking the existing segments of the ALCO Heritage trail along the Mohawk River to Riverside Park and the Stockade neighborhood. Currently, the riverbank trail ends at River Street, along the East Front Street neighborhood. The meeting was hosted by Ray Gillen, who is the head of County Economic Development and Planning and the chair of Metroplex, and by Gregg Urspring, a representative of the engineering firm performing the Study.
OPTION 1: Under the CSX Bridge: Trail would run under the existing CSX/Amtrak Bridge, with two alternative alighnments (a steeper one with an 11% slope and one with an 8% slope). It would require placing fill against the existing bridge abutmenmt, out to the first pier; constructing a protective cover over the trail where it runs under the bridge; removal is likely to be needed during winter months due to ice floes.
OPTION 2: Front Street Path: It would start at the "Riverside Park Walkway", cross Union College property (with an Agreement already in place), run through Front St. Park, then along a sidewalk on Front St. and through either CSX railroad or vacant property to the existing ALCO Heritage Trail.
There was no final attempt to reach a consensus at the Meeting between Options 1 and 2. More thoughtful evaluation will be possible when the Study is online. At this point, I personally am leaning toward Option 2, given the significant problems raised by placing a segment of the trail under the bridge, with worries about floods and ice floes, and seasonal closings. I still want a chance to read the Study before coming to a final conclusion.
See Stephen Williams' report on last night's meeting here in the Gazette.
Here are images from the Study slideshow that help illustrate the points above.
Readers of this website know that I am an avid user and strong admirer of Riverside Park (as a mellow and beautiful experience and a photography subject, in fair weather and foul). From the first declarations that Riverside Park would be getting a shared use path — one path for both pedestrians and bicyclists, going in both directions — I have voiced and posted concerns that increased numbers of bicycles, many going at fast speeds, would ruin the Riverside Park experience, for many current users, by creating a "scared use" path. The response from Bike Schenectady proponents has consistently been that they will assure that a shared-use path meets engineering requirements, not that the shared-use notion might be abandoned.
Therefore, acknowledgment in the Feasibility Study and at the Public Meeting that there must be strong consideration to having separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists, in order for a Bike-Ped Trail to be safe and workable, is a positive outcome.
Note that Option Two in the Feasibility Study shows that trail proponents realize we can have a successful Trail without the need to hug the riverbank wherever possible.
As further information or insights arrive, I will update or follow-up this posting.
USERS Walking and biking trails serve the greatest diversity of users: pedestrians, including those with fitness and balance limitations; cyclists, particularly those using road bikes; scooters; skateboards; rollerbladers; wheelchairs; and electronic mobility devices used by persons who need assistance to be mobile. People of all ages walk, run, ride, and roll to enjoy the environment, socialize, exercise, and access other parts of the community. Since user speeds can vary substantially, this trail type requires extra courtesy in sharing the trail.
Jessie Malecki born and living on North St. over 90 years; five houses away from the park.


High Quality music and sound!
Enjoyed the game very much! You've got my vote for game of the week!
I can't believe this, is this for real? How the **** is "fckn" better than *******?!
A bit too short for a five star, but it certainly had the potential.
The graphics, engine, gameplay and sfx are great, the music is superb.
Not bad at all, well polished.
Simplicity was kind of the point. It's just a short promotional game. I may do something more with it, but I don't have time at the moment for such a large project.
Nice game, but where's the boss ? .. shouldn't there be a boss ?
Wait, is there a boss on the harder difficulties ?
Thanks. I couldn't really think of a good boss to put in. It couldn't really be a zombie since they're pretty stupid.
There is a giant horde at the end.


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Only 5% deposit required with Help to Buy! The Baxter has a living/dining area with views of the rear garden. With three bedrooms and helpful storage space, there's space for everyone.
The Baxter - Plot 89
Our development benefits from superb transport links including the M74, M73 and the M8 which makes travel to Glasgow and beyond a breeze.
The local train station at Bargeddie, and nearby Coatbridge Sunnyside can whisk you into Glasgow Queen Street station in just 22 minutes, as well as offering an excellent service to the rest of Scotland's central belt.
There is a good range of local shops within easy reach of our development, and The Glasgow Fort and The Faraday Retail Park each have an extensive selection of shops, restaurants and supermarkets.
Barrbridge Leisure Centre, the Showcase Complex and the Time Capsule in Coatbridge offer a fantastic variety of leisure facilities for a great family day out for all ages.
For those who love the outdoors, you're spoilt for choice with Drumpellier Country Park as well as Strathclyde Country Park located close-by.
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Proud to support great local causes in Bargeddie!
Local Christmas Lunch receives funding boost
We recently provided £500 of funding towards creating a Christmas Lunch event for elderly community groups across the local area of Bargeddie and Coatbridge West who make use of community facilities offered by The Safety Zone.
This year's Christmas lunch will be held at The Georgian Hotel in Coatbridge, and it is designed to offer elderly members of the community the opportunity to make new friends and connections at what can be a very challenging time of the year.
Commenting on the support it has received from Taylor Wimpey, Councillor Caroline Stephen, said: "Thanks to Taylor Wimpey's kind donation, which has helped to boost our fundraising hugely, we will be able to create a fabulous Christmas lunch for around 140 of our older people in the local community. This event is a great way for us to tackle loneliness and isolation at this time of year, and last year's successful event and positive feedback has encouraged me to create an even bigger event this year. I am still looking for further donations and would encourage other local businesses to get in touch with me."
Kirsty McGill, Head of Sales at Taylor Wimpey West Scotland said: "We are proud to be able to support Councillor Stephen with funding towards this popular Christmas Lunch, and we hope this year's event is as successful as previous get togethers. The work we do is a lot more than just building high-quality homes. Being able to work with local businesses and organisations that surround our developments like Burnside View in Bargeddie means a great deal to us."
Family keep move local with Taylor Wimpey and take an easy step up the ladder
While the McKechnie family craved more space to grow into and they wanted to replace their old new-build property with a larger model, they also wanted to make sure that meant their move would have as little impact as possible on their family life in Coatbridge.
A visit to Burnside was the answer to their perfect family move – a larger home with space for everyone, all within easy reach of the clubs and activities for their children.
It was a win-win situation as Gillian McKechnie, a full-time foster carer explains: "Our girls are nine years old and we just needed more space for everyone. The girls' old bedrooms were just too small so we wanted to find a property that would give everyone the space we all needed. But, staying local was also really important for us. We wanted the girls to be able to go to the same school, have the same classes and continue their out-of-school activities.
"Coatbridge is a fantastic location for us, and we didn't want to change that – just our old house. It is ideal for getting access to the motorway for Robert to get to work, and we have everything that we need around us. It is really central and home for us.
"We fell in love with the layout and space in the four bedroom detached Hume and its position on the development, so we decided to go for it. The girls absolutely adore having their own Jack and Jill en suite between their bedrooms, and they take great pride in showing it off to our friends and family when they come to visit."
Buying another new home was also an important decision for the family as Gillian adds: "I really like a new-build house. You also know they will be built to a very high standard, and the various warranties and guarantees gives you peace of mind too. We're also a very busy family, so being able to move-in and have no DIY or maintenance is really important to us too. And we love the fact that no-one has used anything before us!"
The family used Taylor Wimpey's Easymover scheme, which helped them to get on the move as Robert, a workshop controller, adds: "We found Easymover really easy to use and it helped us to find a buyer for our old house really quickly. The estate agent that we chose from those provided by Taylor Wimpey was very proactive and they had viewings for us within a few days. Our old house sold within one weekend, and the team at Taylor Wimpey made the whole process really stress-free for us."
Getting to know the neighbours and being part of a new community has so far been really good fun as Gillian adds: "We are really enjoying life here. There's a really sociable group of neighbours and we have already had a few get togethers, which is lovely. And, the children are starting to go out to play in the street, which is great especially as the lighter nights are coming in. It's brilliant to see everyone getting on so well and our little community growing."
We Give Funding To St Andrews High School For Eco Art Project
As part of our ongoing commitment to working in partnership with local communities, we have recently provided £500 of funding to St Andrews High School in Coatbridge. The funding will go towards materials and support for an environmental art project in school.
Around 16 S4 pupils are taking part in the project, which will see them create an awareness of video of the devastating effects that plastic is having on the environment. The intention is for the video to be played in school and shared on social media. The pupils will also create an appeal to collect plastic bottles, which they will then use to make large pieces of artwork to be displayed around their school.
Commenting on the support it has received from Taylor Wimpey West Scotland, Chris Shaw, Principal Teacher of Attainment from St Andrews High School said: "We are extremely grateful for the support that we have received from Taylor Wimpey and we can't thank them enough for their generous donation. In order for our pupils to be able to complete this project, we need to supply a range of materials such as plywood sheets, paint, and brushes.
"This boost and support from Taylor Wimpey will mean we can create some impressive pieces of artwork, and I am really looking forward to seeing how our pupils can transform useless plastic bottles into interesting and hopefully useful structures.
"On behalf of everyone at St Andrews High School, I would like to say a huge thank you to the team at Taylor Wimpey."
Audrey Ross, Sales and Marketing Director at Taylor Wimpey West Scotland said: "We are proud to be able to support St Andrews High School with funding towards its eco art project, and we are really looking forward to seeing how this project evolves. The work we do is a lot more than just building high-quality homes. Being able to work with local businesses and organisations that surround our developments like Burnside View in Bargeddie means a great deal to us, and it's great to know that we are helping to make a difference to the lives of people in local communities."
Our donation to St Andrews High School in Coatbridge is one of the many contributions being made by the housebuilder towards community facilities and infrastructure in the wider area.
We Lend A Hand In Community Clean-up in Bargeddie
As part of our commitment to the local community of Bargeddie, five members of the local West Scotland team joined in the local effort to clean-up The Luggie Walkway, which runs nearby from our Burnside View sales information centre to the Kirkwood Sports Barn. As well as a helping hand at the event, we also donated £500 to the project, which aims to rejuvenate the walkway.
The team really enjoyed rolling their sleeves up and getting being part of a great community effort as Audrey Ross, Sales and Marketing Director adds: "Every year we build new homes and communities that people want to live in, and we're passionate about playing our part in the local communities around our developments.
"The Kirkwood Community Council initiative to clean-up The Luggie Walkway was an opportunity for members of our team to give their personal time to support a great local initiative that eventually everyone will benefit from. Hopefully our cash boost will also go some way to providing some additional planting for the area when the time is right to enhance the area further."
The local community regularly uses the walkway but it has become neglected over the years. Through the support from the community and various organisations working together, its transformation is now underway as Richard O'Hara, Chairman of the Kirkwood Community Council adds: "We're grateful of the support that we've received from everyone for this event. There was a tremendous effort across both days, and we've certainly made a real difference to the appearance of some of the pathway already.
"Overall, it's a large area that we need to tackle and we may need a series of events to finally achieve our ambition to completely clear the path, but it's great to get our campaign off to such a positive start with everyone who got involved, including the team at Taylor Wimpey West Scotland."
We Give Lesson in Safety to Local School Children in Bargeddie
We recently gave the local children of Bargeddie Primary School in the village of Bargeddie near Coatbridge some reminders about health and safety.
With construction of new homes at the local Burnside View development in full swing, Taylor Wimpey West Scotland was keen to promote the dangers associated with playing near any construction site and to take the opportunity to raise awareness of the children's need to be extra vigilant as the building of its new homes progresses.
Being proactive with local schools has proven an effective deterrent in the past as Brian Henderson, Production Director for Taylor Wimpey West Scotland explains: "Health and safety in and around our construction areas is of vital importance to Taylor Wimpey. Taking this type of proactive approach with local schools allows us to reinforce just how important it is for children to stay away from building sites, and it gives us the chance to remind the children that building sites are not playgrounds!"
Gillian Brady, Headteacher at Bargeddie Primary School adds: "I was delighted to welcome the team from Taylor Wimpey into our school to highlight the dangers associated with children playing near any construction site. It was the ideal opportunity for them to reinforce their safety message ahead of the school holidays when many of our pupils will be enjoying their time away from the classroom.
"It's great that Taylor Wimpey understands the importance of our children's safety, and has created such an interactive and proactive approach to appeal to our pupils."
We Offer Our Support For Community Clean-up In Bargeddie
As part of our commitment to the local community of Bargeddie, we have provided a £500 boost to the fundraising efforts of the Kirkwood Community Council's Community clean-up of The Luggie Walkway on 2 and 3 June 2018.
As well as this generous cash boost, up to eight members of our team will roll-up their sleeves to join the local community event that aims clear up and rejuvenate the walkway, which runs nearby from our Burnside View sales information centre to the Kirkwood Sports Barn.
The Kirkwood Community Council is encouraging as many people as possible to join them from 10am each day to help with the clean-up. Volunteers will be provided with the appropriate safety equipment to complete the tasks of litter picking, grass clearing and general tidying of the area. There will also be some entertainment throughout the day to ensure it is a fun day for everyone.
It is great to be able to lend this offer of support to such a great community effort as Audrey Ross, Sales and Marketing Director adds: "Every year we build new homes and communities that people want to live in, and we're passionate about playing our part in the local communities around our developments.
"The Kirkwood Community Council initiative to clean-up The Luggie Walkway gives members of our team the chance to offer their personal time to support to this event, and our cash boost will go some way to providing some additional planting for the area."
The local community regularly uses the walkway but it has become neglected over the years. With support from the community and various organisations working together, it is hoped the event will make a real improvement to the area as Richard O'Hara, Chairman of the Kirkwood Community Council adds: "We're grateful of this generous offer from Taylor Wimpey, and indeed the other companies and organisations that are throwing their support behind this event.
"It is a significant area that we hope to tackle, and we may need a series of events to finally achieve our ambition to completely clear the path but it's great to get our campaign off to such a positive start with Taylor Wimpey West Scotland.
"I'd like to encourage as many members of the public to give us their support to lend a hand for as much or as little time as they can manage across the weekend of 2 and 3 June.
"We'll be meeting at the Kirkwood Sports Barn at 10am each day, I hope as many people as possible can join us. And as they old saying goes – many hands make light work."
We Lead STEM Sessions at Bargeddie Primary in North Lanarkshire
As part of Bargeddie Primary School's focus on STEM subjects – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths – our West Scotland team took the opportunity to lead a series of practical sessions in school to outline the important part these subjects play within the housebuilding industry.
Using the four key subjects as the pillars of their task, the children were asked to build a model house in their groups. The children had a variety of materials to choose from, and each completed model was judged against set criteria that included whether it was the strongest, tallest, coolest looking, best functioning, cheapest as well as the overall best design.
The STEM subjects contribute across a number of disciplines in the housebuilding industry. With the construction of new homes now underway at our local Burnside View development in Bargeddie, STEM week was a great opportunity for us to give the children an insight into the industry and highlight the relevance of these subjects in real life.
Errin Hendry-Giles, Technical Management Trainee for Taylor Wimpey West Scotland led the sessions as she explains: "When you consider the importance of the STEM subjects across a number of areas of our business, it's crucial that we play our role in inspiring children to enjoy these subjects in order to futureproof our industry.
"Without Science we can't explore new technology, design or investigate soils or materials. Technology is the cornerstone for creating new energy efficient homes to help us reduce the carbon footprint of each household and creating places where people want to live. Engineering is also a key part of designing and constructing our new homes. Finally, Maths makes it possible to be able to work out our costs and make sound business decisions.
"Our project to build a house from a range of fun materials against set criteria certainly got the children thinking and using these subjects in real-time to create some great models. With a number of learning outcomes across each of the core subjects, we were able to help the children reach the conclusion that all four STEM subjects are important because they help us to solve problems at work, school and everyday life."
Lynn Logan, class teacher who organised STEM week at Bargeddie Primary School, adds: "The STEM sessions provided by the team from Taylor Wimpey West Scotland were a fun and engaging way to bring each of the four subjects to life. Our children have enjoyed learning more about the housebuilding industry and Taylor Wimpey's insight into the importance of STEM reminds us how crucial learning in these subject areas is for the future of many industries. "
Help to Buy (Scotland)
The Government backed Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme is available here. The scheme is open to both first time buyers and home movers alike, and means you'll need just 5% deposit to buy a new home.
With Help to Buy the Government will lend you up to 15% of the value of your new build home via an equity loan. You will need to secure up to a 80% mortgage and put down a 5% deposit. You'll own 100% of your home from day one.
Help to Buy – Terms and conditions apply. Applicants should seek independent financial advice, and get information and guidance on applying for a Help to Buy (Scotland) at https://www.mygov.scot/help-to-buy/.
Easymover
Easymover is available here, which means you could provisionally reserve a new Taylor Wimpey home at this development - even if you haven't sold your existing property.
And that's not all. With easymover, we'll make your house move as stress free as possible. We'll liaise with your estate agent on your behalf, we'll pay their fees and we'll manage the whole house selling process - making your life so much easier! Take a look at our easymover page for more information.
Terms and conditions apply to the Easymover scheme.
Armed forces discount
Looking for an armed forces discount? At this development, members of the armed forces could get a discount of up to £500 for every £25,000 spent on a new home. If you think you could be eligible, why not find out more about our armed forces discount today?
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Request a viewing when it suits you, with our fast, simple and convenient online booking form. Alternatively you can call us on 01236807451.
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This development is managed by the West Scotland Taylor Wimpey regional office


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