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Space Sculpting
by Alice York • October 2, 2019
As Principal and Founder of Robbins Architecture, Celeste Robbins blends high design with livable space, creating modern architecture that feels like home. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBIN SUBAR
Hearing Celeste Robbins describe the childhood forts she would construct out of blankets and safety pins—or the time growing up she tried to convince her father to bring the garden hose inside to create an eye-catching water feature—one thing is abundantly clear.
She was born with the instincts and eye of an architect.
Fast-forward to 1995 and the founding of Robbins Architecture, the realization of a lifetime of ingenuity, dedication, and innate talent. From its inception, the modern architecture firm (where Robbins serves as principal and founder) has received numerous accolades. Its first new construction, a Jackson Hole retreat, was featured in Architectural Digest, and since then they have received multiple AIA Awards and have had multiple media features in print and on TV, and taken on projects throughout Chicago and across the country.
Celeste Robbins
Robbins Architecture focuses on residential suburban, ground-up builds, but has also tackled large renovations—including projects in downtown Chicago and New York City. She counts the Barcelona Pavilion, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, as one of her biggest influences, which can be seen in the serenity and conscious use of materials she brings to her structural designs.
She first started the Chicago chapter of her architectural career at Perkins+Will, where she was part of the competition for the redesign of Navy Pier in the mid-'90s. When her oldest son was born 24 years ago, she knew she needed more flexibility, and decided to venture out on her own. Robbins had early success working independently. "I'm still doing work to this day for those clients—they're old friends at this point," she says.
This structurally suspended stair floats in this two story entry hall in a mountain home designed by Robbins Architecture.
Before the Ohio native returned to the Midwest and set the foundation for what would become Robbins Architecture, she graduated from Cornell University. It was there she developed what would become the guiding principle for her future career.
"I learned what defines architecture as an art form—a built space should have meaning and be a form of expression. Using light, proportion, and materiality, I discovered how basic design principles can sculpt spaces," she shares. "I've held onto this sentiment ever since."
While the homes Robbins designs are decidedly works of art, creating warm, livable spaces is her mission.
"Though they photograph well, this work is not just about the picture. Architecture is more than a moment in time. It's orchestrating an experience between movement and space," she explains. "We treat each home as a sanctuary and carefully craft each space, continuing to edit until the solution has beauty that is so clear it looks effortless."
Another driving force for Robbins in her designs is the connection to nature. By making use of the prominent windows inherent in modern design, Robbins and her team create framed and purposeful views with a thoughtful connection to the outdoors.
Large sliding glass door pockets into the wall for easy access to the backyard. A long banquet adds a cozy hang out space to this bright and open kitchen with metallic pendant lights by Tom Dixon.
"My feeling is that nature doesn't get it wrong," she says. "It has an intrinsic beauty that you can count on to bring warmth and serenity to a home."
This attention to detail is a thread that runs throughout her entire process, starting with that initial meeting with new clients in what they call the Pre-design Phase. Here, Robbins assesses the clients' wants and their aesthetic.
"This is the information gathering stage. It's a lot of conversation. I don't think there's a formula—each family, each client, lives differently, so we listen to and learn before we start the design process," Robbins says. "We always present multiple options to give clients something to compare. We want them to be part of the process—it's a collaboration and options encourage conversation. Together we discover the solution that fits their unique dream."
Though Robbins now has nine architects working alongside her—and is proud to say that half of those are female in what is a notoriously male-dominated field—she remains personally involved in every project they take on. This dedication and hardworking ethos can be traced back to her first foray into the uncertain waters of entrepreneurship.
"I carried Robbins Architecture for eight years on my own," she says. "I would put the kids to bed and work late into the night. It was tough, but I loved every minute of it."
This experience has translated to how she leads her company.
"I was able to do this profession and raise my kids, so I want to support people in the office who are trying to do the same. I try to provide flexibility, whether that's working from home or being able to go to school visits or carline pickups. I want to allow for real life."
Her designs reflect a similar family-oriented attitude: "I use my perspective as a parent to design in a way that keeps family connected, that allows them to overlap in their space."
For Robbins, family is her two kids and her husband of 25 years, the owner of an accounting firm. "Our kids have grown up with two people who have their own businesses and are passionate about what they do," she shares. "Our son and daughter have grown up seeing that our professions are an extension of ourselves, not just a job. We each think of our businesses as integral parts of what fulfills us in life."
Though work and family are their greatest joys and biggest priorities, it is travel that captures Robbins' imagination most: "I love to see and experience new places. After soaking up all the visuals, I come back completely inspired and ready to create."
It is unsurprising, then, to learn that the firm specializes in destination homes.
"We do a lot of second homes: Jackson Hole, Aspen, Wisconsin, Idaho, and are now doing our third lake house in Michigan. We work closely with our clients to help them select a site and a contractor in an unfamiliar location—we have learned to roll into a new community and sniff out who to work with there," she says. "If you have an architect out of state, that relationship and collaboration can be less intimate. We pride ourselves on staying connected and facilitating every step. Even after projects are completed, our clients still stop by our office."
As Robbins says, "While our work is modern and edited, we create spaces that have the warmth and livability that make a home."
To learn more, visit robbins-architecture.com or find her at @robbinsarchitecture on Instagram.
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Here are some of our popular classes. We also offer dance performances and trainings for corporate events.
Children between 5 to 12 years of age can also join our KIDS HIPHOP DANCE COURSE. We create a fun learning environment to improve their coordination skills and interact with others of their age group. No dance background required. Dancing to hand-picked energetic music, we guarantee they'll have a ball of a time!
I really enjoyed my first lesson of Urban Groove class and look forward to going for it every week now!
I attend Christine's K-Pop Cover class and I really enjoy her style of teaching. She is always smiling and full of energy, which makes her classes very fun!
I love the vibe of Christine's K-Pop Cover class. She makes us feel welcome, which gives us a comfortable learning environment.
EV Dance is one of Singapore's leading dance companies, established in 2009 and aiming to provide local and international opportunities for diverse and engaging artistic experiences for our children, communities, artists and audiences.


Sustainability is proving to be much harder than companies anticipated. Here's a solution.
iPoint-systems gmbh develops software and provides services for environmental and social product compliance, and sustainability. iPoint's solutions enable automated and secure exchange of relevant information across the entire value chain and product life cycle – from product concept through production and the use phase to recycling and reuse. In particular, iPoint's software and services support companies in meeting and staying one step ahead of voluntary goals and targets, mandatory regulations, and requirements, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), REACH, RoHS, WEEE, ELV, Conflict Minerals- and Modern Slavery-related laws, as well as other emerging developments in the compliance and sustainability arena.
iPoint-systems was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Reutlingen, Germany. It has more than 150 employees at 15 locations around the globe, with a clientele of tens of thousands of companies from various industries, including automotive, electronics, aerospace, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, medical devices, and apparel.
Joerg Walden, iPoint-systems gmbh CEO/Founder, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.
In the early years, the automotive industry was iPoint's main focus. The first solution was the 'Automotive Agent' – a standalone tool that monitors websites, extracts data, and integrates them into internal systems. The Automotive Agent was very successful from the start. After just six months the first few employees were hired, and within the very first year, iPoint was able to increase revenue by 173 percent. In less than five years, iPoint became the market leader in web portal integration with the Automotive Agent.
The year 2003 marked the first customer installation of the ELV/IMDS solution 'iPoint iMDS'. Here iPoint also managed to become market leader in less than five years, this time for IMDS in-house solutions for automotive suppliers. In the following years, iPoint continuously developed and enhanced this solution, today known as 'Compliance Agent'. For example, further functional aspects like sustainability and environmental protection were implemented, leading to an impressive customer base within a short amount of time. In 2007, iPoint was able to perform the first installation of the iPoint Compliance Agent for a major automotive OEM. In less than five years iPoint became the market leader in the automotive industry with this IMDS / RRR solution.
The global economy crisis in 2008/2009 brought many customer projects to a halt. Needless to say that iPoint felt the impact. Subsequently, two decisive measures were instigated: Firstly, tapping into further industry sectors, and secondly, expanding the product portfolio by acquiring the KERP Center of Excellence Electronics and Environment (today operating under the name of 'iPoint-Austria'), in order to become the first provider of a comprehensive platform for compliance and sustainability.
2009 also brought us a prestigious award: We were honored as one of Germany's 50 Customer Champions, an award recognizing companies which inspire and delight customers and demonstrate excellent customer relationship management. This approach, which continues to be a vital part of iPoint's strategy, is backed by results from our regularly conducted Customer Satisfaction Surveys, which reveal that the majority of our customers believe that collaboration with iPoint is backed by high levels of trust.
3. Sustainable Expansion: 2012 ff.
iPoint's journey from an automotive-focused integration expert to a cross-industry compliance and sustainability partner also manifests itself in other awards the company received over the years. Thereby, pioneer spirit and innovational strength – along with sustainability, integration, and agility the core elements of the brand iPoint today – have played a vital role in the company from the start.
In 2012, iPoint reached an important milestone with a new solution to support companies' social sustainability efforts: the iPoint Conflict Minerals Platform (iPCMP). Launched in September 2012 in cooperation with the AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group), 47,000 companies from more than 100 countries are using this solution today to meet legal requirements in the area of Conflict Minerals compliance. With this solution, iPoint achieved a market-leading position in less than three years. In view of the ever-evolving regulations focusing on human trafficking and slavery in global supply chains, we also expanded our portfolio in the area of social compliance, and launched a new tool, 'eLRT' (electronic Labor Rights Template), in November 2016.
Since 2012, iPoint has been developing SustainHub, a universal compliance and sustainability platform – first as part of a research project funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Programme, since 2015 as a Cloud solution now used by over 45,000 companies worldwide. Depending on their requirements, companies can select different applications, for example: the Conflict Minerals app for collecting, aggregating and reporting Conflict Minerals-related data across the entire supply chain, or the Material Compliance app for managing data concerning substance-related regulations.
In recent years, iPoint has continued the expansion of the iPoint Group and its solutions portfolio to realize its vision of building an integrated digital platform for the Circular Economy. For example, in 2017, iPoint integrated the ifu Institute for Environmental IT Hamburg, an industry leader in Life Cycle Assessment and Material Flow Cost Accounting, and co-founded iPoint BiS in Stuttgart, a provider of EHS & Sustainability solutions. In 2018, iPoint co-founded CircularTree, a Berlin- and Melbourne-based startup aimed at leveraging Blockchain technology to make the world a better, more sustainable place by supporting companies to achieve sustainable and highly efficient supply chains and product life cycles.
Placing sustainability at the forefront of everything that we do, we at iPoint are driven by the question of how today's solutions can contribute to securing a sustainable world for future generations. Our vision: We want to be the best in implementing product sustainability. We want to be the company best known for supporting our customers on their journey to sustainability.
iPoint does not only support and accompany other organizations on their way to sustainability. We also strive to embed sustainability into our own corporate strategy, organizational culture, and everyday operations. Applying principles of responsible management, supporting and respecting the protection of human rights, upholding employee rights, as well as implementing environmental protection, are therefore integral elements of iPoint's corporate strategy, policies, and procedures.
Joerg Waldenis the CEO and founder of iPoint-systems. He draws on 30 years of technology industry leadership, software development expertise, and executive management experience. At iPoint, Joerg is responsible for the business strategy, product strategy, and innovation management. Since its founding in 2001 as a small automotive-focused company, he has transformed iPoint into a multinational, globally operating market leader with a clientele of tens of thousands of companies from various industry sectors.
Mr. Walden holds a civil engineering degree in automation from Reutlingen University.


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Florida Matters Newsmaker: Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis
Tim Redman
Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis
The Florida Orchestra has begun its 48th season, and the orchestra has a new music director.
This week on Florida Matters (Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 a.m.), we feature a newsmaker special with Michael Francis, who has gained a reputation as an international conductor, having been at the helm of major orchestras across North America, Asia and Europe.
Miss the broadcast? Listen to the full show here.
The complete schedule for the Florida Orchestra is available at this link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nh6bLfbTx4
Florida MattersFlorida OrchestraThe Florida OrchestramusicMichael Francis
Lottie Watts is our Florida Mattersproducer, and she also covers health and health policy for.
Carson Cooper
Carson Cooper has become a favorite of WUSF listeners as the host of "Morning Edition" on WUSF 89.7 since he took the job in 2000. Carson has worked in Tampa Bay radio for three decades.
See stories by Carson Cooper

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How much maximum heap space does a Play Framework App use per default I am deploying a Play Framework 2.4 Application as a Docker Container on AWS. I have to specify a Hard/Soft Memory Limit for the Container.
I do not know what limit to choose and wanted to set it to the maximum amount of heap space the App might be using.
Researching I only found discussions and instructions on how to change the maximum heap space of a Play App, but I couldn't figure out to what it is set per default.

A: If you don't set explicitly then it is defined by JVM.
Usually it is 1/4 of your phisical memory.
You can check for sure using instructions from here:
How is the default java heap size determined?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Counting down 2014's biggest Chicago sports stories: No. 7
By David Just Dec 23, 2014, 12:19pm CST
Share All sharing options for: Counting down 2014's biggest Chicago sports stories: No. 7
The Sun-Times is counting down the 10 biggest Chicago sports stories of the 2014 calendar year one day at a time.
No. 7: Jon Lester signs with Cubs
The eighth item on our list, White Sox phenom Jose Abreu, was a portrait of the future on the South Side.
So it's only natural that No. 7 offer a glimpse of the future on the North Side.
The Cubs' signing of Jon Lester – for six years and $155 million — signaled the official transition from a rebuilding process to win-now mode.
"This definitely propels us into Plan A, which is kind of neat. It's a big day for us moving forward," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said at the Winter Meetings when the deal was struck. "It's not often you get to win the lottery. We won the baseball lottery so far this year. It's up to us now to put it in effect.
"It's all theory right now. We've got to make it real. But you need pieces like this to make it real."
Lester is a three-time All-Star with two World Series rings. He needs only to win one more to become a Cubs legend.
He went 16-11 with a career-best 2.46 ERA and 220 strikeouts last season with the Red Sox and A's. Lester is 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA in nine big-league seasons.
Lester, now the second-highest paid pitcher in baseball, was the centerpiece of a busy Cubs offseason that included the additions of Jason Hammel, Miguel Montero and infielder Tommy LaStella. Coupled with the infusion of minor-league talent from the best farm system in baseball, Cubs fans have reason to be excited.
It's hard not to draw comparisons to the Cubs' 2006 offseason, which is nothing but a cautionary tale at this point. The Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136 million blockbuster deal that similarly signaled a seismic shift.
The Cubs, as they are now, were coming off a last place finish in the National League Central. In addition to signing Soriano, general manager Jim Hendry re-signed Aramis Ramirez, Kerry Wood, Wade Miller and Henry Blanco. He also added Mark DeRosa and traded for reliever Neal Cotts.
The comparisons end right there, for now.
The Cubs won division titles in 2007 and 2008. Will they do the same in 2015 now that Lester is on board?
Las Vegas seems to think so. The Cubs' World Series odds have gone from 50-to-1 all the way to 10-to-1 this offseason.
That alone deemed Lester worthy of a spot in our top 10.
The countdown continues with No. 6 on Wednesday. Could the Chicago Bears make their debut in the countdown?
The list so far:
1. Revealed Dec. 31
7. Jon Lester signs with Cubs
8. Jose Abreu takes Major League Baseball by storm, wins AL Rookie of the Year
9. Blackhawks' playoff run reaches Western Conference Finals; Kane, Toews sign 8-year extensions
10. National Labor Relations Board says Northwestern football players are employees, orders union election


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Artemida (Greek: Αρτέμιδα) is a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Volos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 28.791 km2. Population 4,145 (2011). The seat of the municipality was in Ano Lechonia.

References

Populated places in Pelion
Populated places in Magnesia (regional unit)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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You are here: Home / Arts & Culture / Functional Form: Potter refines, shares his craft
Functional Form: Potter refines, shares his craft
August 26, 2010 by Kelsi Williamson
George Holland understands the old adage, "form follows function." Perhaps more importantly, this professional potter has refined the saying into a perfect synthesis between aesthetics and purpose.
For forty years, Holland has worked professionally with ceramics all over the United States and in Mexico. Holland now resides with his wife, Wanda, just south of Abilene in Buffalo Gap. Together the two own and manage Buffalo Gap Pottery and Gallery.
A glance through Holland's gallery reveals more than a few pretty vases and bowls. The techniques used to create each of Holland's pieces range from traditional firing and glazing to horsehair raku.
Kenny Jones, associate professor of art, has visited Holland's gallery several times with his ceramics classes in the past five years.
"[Holland's] work is marvelous," Jones said. "He's exactly the type of resource we like to find and acknowledge."
Holland begins the ceramic process by first forming a pottery piece on a potter's wheel. This technique, known as "throwing," is done when the clay is wet and easy to mold. Pieces such as large buffalo-stamped mugs, spherical pots and Holland's famous egg-cooker take shape in this beginning step.
While an experienced potter can make throwing look easy, Jones said throwing can be the most challenging aspect of pottery if a creation begins with too many expectations.
"Clay can be very humbling. It seems to have a mind of its own," Jones said. "If you can be open to the process, it seems to go better."
The pottery forms are then fired in one of Holland's two kilns, or pottery ovens. The kiln can reach temperatures well above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and therefore sets in place the final shape of a piece.
Once removed from the kiln and cooled, detail is added to each piece. For traditional pieces, Wanda Holland paints with silica to add color or pattern. Silica is one of the base ingredients for the glazes that whole pieces are often dipped in to change their overall color. These colors often don't reach their actual pigment until after a second firing, which also leaves a permanent glossy coating.
In raku pottery, a second kiln firing provides the necessary heat to add finishing touches, such as horsehair or flame imprints. For horsehair raku, Holland singes singular pieces of the animal's hair to a pot heated somewhere between 1,000 and 1,050 degrees. This leaves behind a beautiful and twisted carbon imprint.
With the smell of a forgotten hair straightener in the air, Holland must move quickly to create the intricate design around a simple, round pot.
There doesn't seem to be one part of the ceramic process Holland does not enjoy.
"I'm kind of excited about all of it," Holland said. "There's a bit of chemistry, art, and design involved."
Jones agrees with Holland and says that ceramics is very much a collaboration between science and art.
"As you begin to work, you're aware that your materials have very specific properties. There's kind of an intriguing scientific or mysterious component to it," Jones said.
This excitement between the processes used translates into the original forms Holland creates and has become known around Texas and across the country.
"We make things that are beautiful and functional," he says.
About six years ago, a customer asked Holland if he had anything that would make a poached egg. Holland began
experimenting with design and materials until he developed a small, shallow pot with a hollow handle. Rinse it with water, add an egg and the lid, and after a couple zaps in the microwave, a perfect poached egg emerges. The cooker can also make fluffy omelets, oatmeal, and steamed veggies within a few minutes.
Holland said he has since sold between 8,000 and 10,000 egg cookers and has also developed an apple cooker along with a few other cookware pieces. The national TV series "Texas Country Reporter" featured Holland's work in a 2008 broadcast.
While it is a challenge for him to make something that works, Holland said he enjoys the challenge because he gets to see what he created at the end of the day, when the beautiful and functional finally come together.
Buffalo Gap Pottery & Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day except Wednesdays, when it is closed. It is located at 534 Vine St. in Buffalo Gap.
Filed Under: Arts & Culture
Other Arts & Culture:
Book Review: "American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey Into The Business Of Punishment" by Shane Bauer
Media Review: "The Shallows: What The Internet is Doing to Our Brains" by Nick Carr and Jeff Orlowski's "The Social Dilemma"
Book Review: "Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved" by Kate Bowler
About Kelsi Williamson


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Q: Delphi 10.2.3: Where is in Delphi the function VarType ()? I am trying to convert Delphi2005 code to Delphi Tokyo 10.2.3 code.
The function VarType is no longer recognized.
I need the function VarType to determine the basic type of a variant variable. In general I find, according to many postings, that it should be in the unit System.Variants.  However, if I search e.g. in:
http://docs.embarcadero.com/products/rad_studio/delphiAndcpp2009/HelpUpdate2/EN/html/delphivclwin32/!!FUNCTIONS_System.html
It is not in this unit. Furthermore, I cannot find the unit variants, only a unit variant.
However, using the unit variant I get a runtime error:

Record, object or class type necessary

. So this doesn't work.
if (System.Variant.VarType(Value)  and varTypeMask) =
   System.Variant.varString  then  // VarType(Value) unbekannt
begin
  TByte8Array(PRecFORMULA3(PBuf).Value)[0] := 0;
end;

Anyway I don't find VarType in System.variant. Does variants not exist anymore?
Can anyone help me?

A: The documentation you linked to is quite old.  It is for Delphi 2009, which predates the introduction of Unit Scope Names.  But even in that old documentation, VarType() is documented as being in the Variants unit (not in the Variant unit, which does not exist).
Unit Scope Names, like System, were added to RTL/VCL unit names in XE2 (thus, the Variants unit became System.Variants).
Embarcadero's newer DocWiki, which replaces the old Docs site, clearly shows that the VarType() function is indeed located in the System.Variants unit.
Make sure that either:

*

*you have System.Variants in your uses clause:
uses
  ..., System.Variants;

*you have System in your project's list of Unit Scope Names, and then you can use Variants in your uses clause:
uses
  ..., Variants;

Either way, you can then use VarType() as expected, without having to fully qualify it:
if (VarType(Value) and varTypeMask) = varString then
begin
  TByte8Array(PRecFORMULA3(PBuf).Value)[0] := 0;
end;


Kiran Mantagi is the Technical Product Manager for Flexera's Application Readiness product line - AdminStudio and Workflow Manager. He has over 7 years of experience in the area of application compatibility, virtualization and deployment. A long history with AdminStudio, he previously has served as a QA Manager for the product.


text:
Maritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Rise of BNWAS adds to concerns over alarm fatigue
Beeps, buzzes and flashing lights are an increasingly common soundtrack for life on the bridge of any modern vessel. Although intended to make operations safer and provide a backup to human judgment, bridge navigational watch alarm systems (BNWAS) have added to concerns about alert overload and response fatigue among mariners.
Initially for larger vessels in global service, International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements for BNWAS went into effect under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention in 2011. More recently, U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter M rules added similar requirements for operators of vessels with overnight accommodations and alternating watches when pulling, pushing or hauling, known as pilothouse alerter systems.
But all that technology is making some wonder if it is a case of the law of diminishing returns. At the very least, there seem to be doubts about how mariners are reacting.
"Regarding bridge navigational watch alarm systems, it is unlikely that the towing industry has much data regarding their usage at this point in time," Brian Bailey, director of safety and environmental stewardship for the American Waterways Operators (AWO), told Professional Mariner in November. That's mostly because under Subchapter M, existing towing vessels more than 65 feet in length are not required to have pilothouse alerter equipment until at least five years after the issuance of the vessel's first certificate of inspection (COI).
However, Bailey said the frequent sounding of BNWAS alarms — designed to signal attention lapses in the wheelhouse — contribute to alarm fatigue among mariners keeping watch, especially when the notifications are misleading or false.
"A modern wheelhouse is already a highly technical location on board the vessel, with many sounds, all with the potential to distract the pilot from his main task at hand," he said. "So many alarms, denoting differing risks, problems or conditions, can be confusing and not easily decipherable."
As a result, Bailey said the AWO plans to monitor this issue as more data becomes available from its member companies.
"Alarm fatigue is a serious concern for watch-standing mariners," said Capt. Tamara Burback, assistant professor in the Marine Transportation Department at California Maritime Academy. "Coupled with the normal fatigue of daily operations and feeling disconnected from loved ones, alarm fatigue presents a risk that the entire industry should take seriously."
Unfortunately, with so many electronic systems on the bridge, there is often at least one piece of equipment that is emitting a persistent alarm, Burback said. Usually the most that a vessel operator can do is put in a service request for the next port of call, and in the meantime either learn to live with the alarm or continue to silence it. However, if the alarm does not reflect a major equipment malfunction, it may not be prioritized as highly as other vessel repairs, which means the problem tends to persist, she said.
Nor is there any particular culprit. According to Burback, there is no single piece of bridge equipment that emits more false or non-emergency alarms than other equipment, though attention has often focused on the GMDSS console and more recently ECDIS, water ingress systems, depth sounder, speed log and BNWAS.
"If false alarms are not addressed in a timely manner or are deemed necessary even though they are frequent and unactionable, mariners may be tempted to minimize the volume of the alarm or even shut the equipment off," Burback said.
The Shipowners' Club, a London-based protection and indemnity (P&I) insurer, recently teamed up with the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, to conduct a survey on the ways in which alarms affect mariners and ship operations. Almost half of the respondents were masters, followed in frequency by second officers and chief officers. They hailed from vessels ranging from dredgers to pleasure craft, but the top three categories were LPG/LNG transporters, passenger vessels and general cargo vessels.
Capt. Larry Sullivan makes an adjustment to the Furuno BNWAS unit on the tugboat Emily Anne McAllister in 2013. Although not required for towing vessels at the time, BNWAS had been added to the wheelhouse during the boat's five-year overhaul.
Dom Yanchunas photo
As to whether false alarms represented a problem, nearly 90 percent said yes. A majority also indicated that they found it difficult to determine when alarms were false and when they were not. Respondents also said it was difficult to distinguish between different types of alarms.
Professor Polly Dalton at Royal Holloway said research has identified a phenomenon known as the "cry wolf effect," which suggests that as the rate of false alarms increases, the less likely a person is to respond. "The general advice is to reduce false alarms as far as possible, but this must be balanced against the risk of the system failing to generate an alert when one is necessary, so these are complex issues," she said.
Burback said fatigue is dangerous in all forms because "it mutes our sensitivity to what may potentially be the only early warning signs of an impending danger or catastrophe." Thus, when mariners are told to "just ignore that one," or that a specific piece of bridge equipment "has always alarmed," they will likely continue to pass along that information and little will be done to solve the problem. Once alarms become something to be continually ignored, it makes sense that the risk of ignoring serious alarms increases, she said.
According to Bill Haynes, deep-sea product manager at Furuno USA, alarm fatigue should be examined as two separate topics: BNWAS, and then bridge alarms and nuisance alarms. "Both make noise and could cause distractions, but they are different as far as what they are designed to accomplish," he said.
Before BNWAS, an operator alone on the bridge could fall asleep or become incapacitated due to a health issue and nobody aboard the vessel would know or be alerted until it was too late. Haynes said a quick Internet search reveals dozens of incidents involving operators who fell asleep, or incidents that occurred while BNWAS was shut off.
"There is really no disputing that BNWAS has saved lives and property worldwide," he said. "Crew fatigue or health-related incapacitation is a reality of life at sea. BNWAS helps prevent disasters from occurring as a result."
Haynes said there are many ways to make sure that BNWAS does not become a nuisance, adding that many vessel managers have found functionally appropriate ways of ensuring that their BNWAS correctly monitors operator activity. For example, infrared motion sensors can monitor the bridge and reset the timer whenever movement is detected. Radars, ECDIS and operator-initiated steering systems also can send reset signals to BNWAS when operated to further decrease false alarms and bridge distractions.
"If none of these operator-initiated actions are detected, then — and only then — the BNWAS first sounds an alert on the bridge," he said. "If it is not reset within a reasonable amount of time, alarms are sounded in crew quarters and spaces."
Haynes said nuisance alarms occur when the source of the alarm is either not understood or when something like a sensor is broken. One good example of a misunderstood alarm is the ECDIS safety contour alarm, which is an alarm required by recently adopted performance standards (IEC 61174-4). If a vessel using ECDIS with an electronic navigation chart (ENC) happens to be in waters with a depth shallower than the value set in the safety contour box, then an alarm will sound. Haynes said in many instances that has created a huge distraction for bridge teams, as they didn't know where to go to correct the issue — though it is described in operator guides and manuals.
The solution often can be very simple: refreshed training and familiarization. Eventually, with support and education, operators began understanding the purpose of these alarms, and ECDIS became a more useful tool instead of a nuisance and distraction, Haynes said.
"It remains our strong recommendation to any shipping company that fits a new system like a radar, ECDIS or other mandatory bridge equipment to demand and schedule appropriate operator familiarization training so that the bridge team understands operation, including alarms, before the vessel gets underway," he said.
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A column from the Christian Research Journal, Fall 1988, page 5.
The Editor of the Christian Research Journal is Elliot Miller.
The "local church" movement may be experiencing its most severe crisis since it was imported to America from China in the early 1960s. Led by Witness Lee, former co-worker with the popular Watchman Nee (d. 1972), the movement has often experienced controversy and conflict with other Christian groups. But a growing dissatisfaction with the practices of Lee and his son Phillip Lee has given rise to unprecedented dissent within the movement, from Taiwan, to Europe, to America.
A 20-page pamphlet, Reconsideration of the Vision, has helped to fan the flames of dissent. Since its January 1988 publication in Chinese (since translated into English), much has happened in the movement. The pamphlet, anonymously published and widely circulated to many local church congregations in Taiwan and the US, alleges that a "Mr. X," identified by people close to the church as Witness Lee, has engaged in questionable business practices, and states that he "arranged to have his eldest son as president" of a firm that went bankrupt. "Many saints were pressured to give their life savings to this business." When the firm went bankrupt, Lee asked one of his co-workers to persuade the investors "to consider the investment as a donation and not seek to be reimbursed," it states. "Many were stumbled at this and left the churches, and others who continued to demand reimbursement were ignored by Mr. X."
It also suggests that "Mr. X" may no longer be a"true apostle," and calls for the "saints" in the local churches to obey the Scriptures, not man. It accuses "Mr. X" of departing from the teachings of the Bible, as well as those of Watchman Nee. For example, it accuses him of teaching that every age is only allowed to have one spiritual leader -- with himself being that leader for today. It also questions "Mr. X's" behavior in several areas, accusing him of being "puffed up," of not disciplining his seriously erring "second son" (identified by former church members as Phillip Lee), of improperly insulting co-workers and elders, and of seeking to replace older and more spiritually mature leaders who might call him to accountability with "arrogant" but loyal younger followers.
The "local church" teaches that there should only be one church in each city, and that the movement spearheaded by Witness Lee is God's last days "recovery" of the church which will precede Christ's second coming. The church's teachings on such doctrines as God, Christ, man, and the church have been called into question by many Christian authors, including Walter Martinand the Christian Research Institute (The New Cults, 1980). (Martin does not accuse them of being a non-Christian cult, however.) Lee has used the courts to remove at least two books critical of him from publication, including The God-Men (1981), by Neil T. Duddy and the SCP (i.e., the Spiritual Counterfeits Project in Berkeley, California).
Referring to opposing books that were written against the sect, the pamphlet Reconsideration of the Vision states: "Although they did not state the truth in its entirety, many of their observations regarding Mr. X were accurate and not fabricated from their imaginations. Due to the fact that the points in question were deleted from the written publications of Mr. X's ministry, verifications cannot be made. However, numerous cassettes and videos bear witness to the observations of the so-called opposers. During the lawsuit [against SCP] the saints were warned and pressured to keep silent, and many voluntarily kept silent for the sake of the Lord's Recovery. On some occasions when outsiders sought to interview saints, only special ones were selected who were 'safe' to be interviewed."
The effects of the controversy have been far-reaching. Former elder Robert Smith says that several congregations around the world have doubts about their continuing association with the Living Stream Ministry office (the publishing and ministry arm of the worldwide movement, which is run by Phillip Lee and which represents the authority of Witness Lee). At least one congregation, The Church in Rosemead (California), has broken ties altogether. The extent of disaffection varies widely. Some are not yet willing to abandon Lee, but they do believe he has erred in some respects and needs to be restored. Others believe Lee has erred in practice to such an extent that he should no longer be personally followed; and yet they continue to adhere to his doctrines and call for a reformation within "the Lord's Recovery." Still others have broken with Lee's teachings as well as his leadership. Many in this latter category are now attending churches outside of the movement.
William Freeman, a former leader of the movement in America, has broken with The Church in Seattle, where he was an elder, and moved to Arizona. Freeman figured prominently in the legal action filed against the SCP. According to Smith, Freeman has suffered some disillusionment and is presently neither entirely in nor entirely out of the sect.
The Church in Anaheim, which for years had been the leading church in the movement (with Lee residing in that city), has been one of the churches hardest hit by the controversy. "We've obviously been having some difficulties," said John Ingals, a leading elder at the church. However, Ingals said the church has not achieved a complete break with Lee. He would not elaborate on many specific problems facing the congregation.
According to a transcript of a meeting at the church on August 28, an elder told members that "we dissassociate ourselves from those practices and" conduct found in the Living Stream Ministry office, and that the office has "no authority over this church." Further, the elder said, "We do not want the elders of any other churches to be telling us what to do. I feel very sorry that we have let this kind of thing happen here in Anaheim."
Tapes of a stormy October 9 meeting at the same church reveal that the root of the church's grievance with Lee (as well as that of other churches, such as The Church in Stuttgart [West Germany]) is Lee's longterm failure to deal with the "sinful" behavior of his son Phillip. It is contended that "gross immorality" and other sins were committed by Phillip Lee over a ten-year period, with Witness Lee's knowledge, and that Lee and his co-workers tolerated and covered up this behavior. Not only this, dissenters maintain, Lee and his associates have more recently identified Phillip with Witness Lee's own ministry (as the one who would carry it on), and promoted him to a place of unofficial but effective authority over the churches. Phillip Lee was reportedly in Taiwan, and could not be reached for comment.
Christians Criticizing Christians - Can It Be Biblical?
From the Viewpoint column of the Christian Research Journal, Fall 1992, page 39. The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is Elliot Miller.
Mike Warnke, whose lucrative career careened through four marriages and more than one affair, says God will judge Cornerstone magazine for printing a report disproving his ex-satanic high priest "testimony" and exposing his moral lapses. Healing movement televangelist Benny Hinn says God will attack CRI president Hank Hanegraaff and his family because he criticizes Hinn and his Faith movement colleagues. Lauren Stratford's supporters charge Bob and Gretchen Passantino as agents of Satan because we published evidence that Stratford's best-selling testimony of satanic ritual abuse was false.
When it comes to Christians criticizing Christians, the battle lines are drawn. But are the lines biblical? Is it wrong to publicly evaluate the teachings of a Christian pastor, expose the immorality of a Christian leader, or tell the truth about a popular Christian media figure?
Evangelicals warn people about the false teachings and practices of the cults, which claim compatibility with Christianity and yet deny cardinal Christian doctrine. Our standard is truth and our judge is Scripture. Yet when apologists turn to false teachings within the Christian church, some evangelicals apply a different standard. Frequently heard objections include, "Jesus said it's wrong to judge," and, "Criticism is unloving and divisive." Christians who voice these protests fail their own test -- they criticize and judge other Christians for criticizing and judging other Christians. Furthermore, these critics fail to understand that without such scrutiny, Christians are misled into heresy and duped by those whose public ministries promote false teachings and/or hide private immoral behavior. Careful, biblical criticism expresses true Christian love and affords essential safeguards to faith.
Good discernment and moral accountability should be practiced among believers. The Old Testament establishes this pattern. Instructions concerning false prophets in Deuteronomy 13:1-5 assume the prophet arises from the congregation of Israel. People are admonished to banish idolatry from their families: "If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend..." (v. 6). Deuteronomy 13 instructs the Israelites how to practice good discernment within their communities: "You must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly." If the community is idolatrous, it must be dealt with publicly (v. 14). Psalm 50:18 states that one who sees a crime and doesn't report it has moral culpability.
The New Testament continues the theme of good discernment within the believing community, most notably when the Bereans test Paul's teachings (Acts 17:11) and the Thessalonians are commanded to test all things (1 Thess. 5:21-22). Judgment is not excluded, but unrighteous judgment is. Jesus declared: "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment" (John 7:24).
Jesus expelled the money changers from the temple, denounced the Pharisees and scribes, and rebuked the teachers of the Law. He reprimanded Peter in front of the other disciples (Matt. 16:22-23). Paul followed Jesus' example, naming false teachers in the church (2 Tim. 2:14-19) and openly criticizing Peter (Gal. 2:11, 14).
When immorality occurs in the church (Titus 1:15-16), the Bible says to deal with it truthfully and constructively. The procedure for public leaders caught in false teaching or immorality is for them to be rebuked publicly "so that the others may take warning" (1 Tim. 5:20). A congregation member who sins privately against another Christian is not to be exposed publicly unless he (or she) persists in sin, in which case he is to be rebuked before the church and we are to "treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector" (Matt. 18:15-17). Paul followed this procedure concerning the Christian who persisted in sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5:3-12), and affirmed that judgment belongs to the church.
Christian leaders are accountable to God's people, whom the leaders serve, and should be "above reproach," "respectable," and "able to teach" (1 Tim. 3:2). A Christian leader who is a false teacher or immoral should be rebuked to encourage reform (Titus 1:13), and cannot separate his ministry from his life, expecting God to bless his preaching while privately he sins; he is "disqualified for every good work" (vv. 15-16).
Telling the truth about false teaching or immorality in the church corresponds with the ethics and truth which are to characterize the church. The church is the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" (Matt. 5:13-14) only if characterized by truthfulness (v. 11) and righteousness (v. 16). The Christian leader has an obligation to "hold firmly the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it" (Titus 1:9). No Christian is happy when false teaching or immorality arises, but we cannot neglect responsibility for doctrinal and moral accountability.
Christians sometimes are uncomfortable with criticism within the church because they assume that public criticism, since it is painful, is also destructive. On the contrary, the "pain" of biblically conducted confrontation produces individual growth (1 Tim. 4:16), encourages others to Christian maturity (1 Tim. 5:19-20), promotes church strength (Eph. 4:15), and preserves the church's reputation in the world (1 Pet. 2:12).
"In the future I may refer back to more items during this time period. For now I would like to move on. I will touch a few items during the so-called 1980's turmoil.
I remember when the ten points from the brothers in Anaheim first came out. It seemed to me that what they expressed was exactly what was going on at that time. The churches were becoming ministry churches. But then an attack was made on those brothers and their ten points were declared to be ten bullets directed at the heart of Bro. Lee with the intention of destroying his ministry.
As this was stressed more and more and I really did not hear any of the other side, my sentiments began to change. Being in the Mid-west and not really knowing what was going on, only through second hand reports, eventually I felt to stand with what the brothers were saying about an attack on Bro. Lee. Yet, there was always a hidden reserve.
When I later read what and how John Ingalls and John So wrote about this time I realized there had been a smear campaign.
However, there are two specific events in which I was personally involved that I will relate here.
First was concerning a letter that was written to John Ingalls by some of the older co-workers.
One day Titus Chu called a brother, who now serves in Toledo, and me into his study. When we entered we found him reading a letter. He handed it to us and asked us to read it. I was really troubled by the language and tone of the letter. It was a letter to John Ingalls addressing his attack on Bro. Lee.
After we finished reading the letter we were asked what we thought about it. Quickly I spoke up and said it was unfair. It had taken some of John's speaking and twisted it, some of his lines were rearranged to say something he never said. I said it looked like something from someone who had done an understudy of The Godman. The other brother fully agreed.
Titus gave us a copy of the letter and asked us to go back and make it decent and civil.
When we finished the rewriting we went back to Titus's study. He read the revised latter and felt much better.
At that point he made a phone call. He had asked us to remain in the room while he spoke on the phone. Up to this point we had no idea who had written that letter. We just knew it was one or more older brothers in the recovery. We were shocked when we heard, "Benson, concerning that letter you drafted related to John Ingalls . . .".
It is disgusting to think that Benson would use other brothers as his surrogate by having them sign a letter that he drafted. Of course Titus bears responsibility in this too, since he knowingly sent out a letter written by someone else. I must wonder though, if Benson had something to say to John Ingalls why didn't he say it himself? John actually did try to address his concerns with Benson, only to be shut down. Benson had the opportunity to say something to John if he wanted to, so why didn't he do it then?
This brings some other questions to mind. I remember hearing that Titus was perhaps viewed suspiciously long before the time that WL passed away. Did Benson knowingly take advantage of this by giving Titus an opportunity to demonstrate loyalty to Lee? If so, then Titus was a just pawn for Benson during the late 80's and perhaps remained so for at least 15 years until his eventual excommunication.
Another question is why Benson saw John Ingalls as such a threat. John was critical of the ministry office (which Benson had been promoting), but this was supposedly an issue that WL was addressing himself. From what I know about WL, no one would be able to interject themselves in WL's affairs unless he had asked them to be involved. To that extent, maybe Benson was one of the 'spies' that WL said that he had.
This would explain why Benson was behind the scenes orchestrating things, and drafting letters that would appear to be written by someone else. What deceptiveness! It really says a lot about brothers like Benson, who elected to run around in the shadows rather than to address these matters in an appropriate forum.
If my memory serves me correctly, was it not Benson that stated that "God" gave him a dream that someday he would lead a large religious movement, or something along those lines. Perhaps this is what motivated him all these years - good or bad. But of course they only see life, regardless of what tree it comes from. We life you death.
Have you read about Benson's "dream," and what he did to the sisters in Texas at the same time Lee went after sisters in Anaheim?
I have read both. His behavior speaks for itself. I like to think that people have good intentions, but in the case of Benson it would be hard for anyone to make that claim.
When John and the late Ken Unger tried to seek fellowship with Benson and Ray, it was regarding Philip Lee. They didn't want to hear a word. By akk indication, they already knew Philip's behavior and didn't want to make an issue about it.
Years later.....when I met and saw John in 2010, he mentioned two brothers he'd like to resume fellowship with are Benson and Ron.
This 'dream' that Benson had is something that he shared with at least one person. In other words, his own ambitions weren't something that he kept to himself, and he probably couldn't have done that even if he wanted to. If we presume that Benson's actions were motivated mainly by this dream of his, then it explains a lot of the shenanigans that went on over the years. You have to also wonder how much of what he did wasn't even endorsed by WL.
There is an aspect to this that is a bit more intriguing, however. If I might generalize, I think it would be safe to assume that WL knew Benson to be ambitious, but he allowed it since Benson was one of his main promoters of the ministry office and Philip Lee. Titus Chu on the other hand, is not someone I see as primarily concerned with promoting WL, even back in the day. As a leader of a whole region, it would follow that Titus had his own ambitions. It seems that while WL may have never been particular fond of him, nonetheless, Titus was tolerated and WL. I am not aware of any attempt by WL to oust Titus. Thus both Benson and Titus are LC figures whom we might call 'ambitious', and more importantly they both had something to lose. That's not to say there is anything inherently wrong with being ambitious, but it's interesting to note two ambitious LC figures who were allowed to exist in the LC environment.
Now, consider someone like John Ingalls, who I can't find a shred of evidence to suggest that he was ambitious. Did he promote WL at one point in time? Yes. Was he a well-known LC figure at one point in time? Yes. Despite his profile, it would seem that his only true ambition was to support WL's ministry according to his convictions. After he became disillusioned with WL, he had nothing to lose by speaking out, since he was not seeking to be WL's successor.
I know that at one point, LSM accused Titus of having some discussion about who would succeed WL. I don't know if that is true or not, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was. The blendeds, although they vehemently deny it, also have been the main ones to speak of who was WL's successor. After all, it was the blendeds (and probably mainly Benson) who coined the name "brother We". What kind of nonsense is that? All of the blendeds, and probably Titus too, had something to lose by speaking out about WL. Why? Because they had their own ambitions. Isn't this ironic that in the LC, those who have certain ambitions might be the least likely to speak out? This is more or less common sense (just think of politics), but it needs to be made know that the 'ambition' boogeyman is not at all what it is claimed to be by LC leaders. It actually is quite the opposite. It is all a game of smoke and mirrors being played by LC leaders. Sadly, there is a great amount of darkness and deception involved.
Just examine his life. Where was the ambition other than to minister Christ? Not at Westmoreland. Not in the local churches. Not since leaving around 1990has there been any indication of an ambitious brother desiring to raise up or to have his own ministry.
I'll say now as I've said before the ambition story is one used to explain why such a well loved and respected brother left the local churches. Some type of an angle had to be used to explain. To just give the brother grace and say he choose to leave wasn't good enough.
It could have been at the suggestion of Benson and Ray since they're ambitious, that John's leaving was due to ambition.
Benson shared with me that when he was in high school he had received a special call from the Lord. One evening he went out to a golf course and lay on a green as he prayed. The Lord showed him that he would head a world-wide religious organization. He also shared with me that he had had a desire to reform the Southern Baptist Convention. When he read the The Normal Christian Church Life by Watchman Nee and then heard Witness Lee, he was clear that this was what his call was all about.
According to Don, it seems at some point early on, Benson believed the LC to be his calling, and he saw himself as an eventual leader. It is interesting that he would see his goal as heading a world-wide religious organization. I guess after all these years, Benson accomplished his goal. But that's about all he has accomplished.
Shortly after we arrived in Houston, Benson announced that there would be a meeting of any brothers who felt the burden to be in the lead of the church. All of the men except for Don Looper and myself attended the first meeting. Don and I had fellowshipped that this was surely not the way of the New Testament and we could not see any New Testament examples where someone put themselves forward as the leader. Did not the Lord declare in Matthew 23:11-12, "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled: and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted"?
The church in Dallas continued to grow under Benson Phillips' leadership... Now, only the elders plus Bob Bynum set the direction of the church. We always had general prayer and then we went over Benson Phillips' "to do" list. At the end of the elders' time together, Bob Bynum and I would be given the opportunity to bring up something.
Decisions made in advance, that's what we know as fellowship.
The "fellowship" part is when they tell you what the decision was.
Even from a young age, I quickly learned that in the LC, a 'fellowship' meeting is where the masses are made aware of a pre-made decision.
I must admit that I was always troubled by the fact that there was no such opportunity for the rank and file to provide their own input. Eventually, I stopped going to such 'fellowship' meetings all together. It was a complete waste of time, and I couldn't see the need for a meeting if a decision was made already. I supposed they wanted to make it seem like there was some mutuality, but it's not hard to see what was really going on.
We know now that this is a practice that has happened in the LC right from the very get-go. Apparently, it's a practice that stems from leaders like Benson who were unable to let anyone else be involved in the decision making process.
Most leaders in the LC's had a way of twisting this around: "I am your humble servant, I have come here to tell you what to do ..."
What a farce! The only thing done in mutuality is showing up.


Robert B. Cialdini PhD grew up easily persuaded by people. He constantly found himself with things he didn't want, from magazine subscriptions to tickets to events he had no interest in attending. It was because of this that he had such an interest in the subject of compliance and why, as an experimental social psychologist, he began his research in this field.
Robert noticed that there were certain patterns of behavior that would make people comply with your requests. These compliance techniques are quite sneaky and are deeply rooted in our upbringing. An example would be listening to someone in a place of authority – Where most of the time the advice is sound and well founded, the danger comes when the authority figure is wrong and we don't question it.
To gain even more understanding of the different tactics used, Robert would go as far as answering ads for encyclopedia sales organizations. This allowed Robert a first-hand view of how these tactics were employed.
Using a number of sometimes hilarious stories, Robert clearly lays out the 6 'Weapons of Influence' that are used to get people to do what you want them to. Each weapon – consistency, reciprocation, social proof, authority, liking and scarcity – is laid out in easy to follow chapters, making the book not only a great read, but also a valuable reference guide.
Here's one of the most fascinating "weapons", how to harness it and – perhaps as importantly – how to resist it.
Beware the good advice of someone in a position of authority.
"…precisely because, once a legitimate authority has given an order, subordinates stop thinking in the situation and start reacting".
Consider the serious problem that can arise when a doctor make an error in judgment and the people around him blindly and unquestioningly follow his direction. For what can often be a serious issue with dramatic ramifications, Cialdini shares one of his more humorous stories about a doctor who gives an order for ear drops to be administered into a patients 'right ear'… but abbreviates the order to read 'R ear'. Combine a nurse unquestioningly following the doctors' authority with doctors' notoriously illegible cursive, and you can easily imagine where the ear drops ended up.
Using titles, clothing and accessories helps get what you want.
Think about the things that people in authority tend to have: A title, certain clothing and accessories. Let's look at a police officer. They have the title, they wear a uniform, have a gun, drive a police car. All of these things unconsciously affect your judgment when being asked to do something. The very presence of these "authority badges" encourage us to respond complacently, before the officer has even had to say a word.
In the same vein then, think about how you speak to a VP level executive verses someone at the manager level. VP's typically dress in suits, are clean cut and, as a result, their requests carry much more authority when asking you to do something.
It works the same when calling on prospective clients. Make sure you dress the part when speaking with clients so they give you the proper respect, and you get the sale.
Of course the police officer example above is a no-brainer but consider this question. If you came to a traffic light that was green and there was a car in front of you blocking your way, would your decision to honk at the change if it was an older economy car or a new luxury car?
We automatically give the more 'successful' person in the luxury car more respect than the 'less successful' person in the older economy car.
So what can we do to determine if we should be listening to these people in authority? Most of the time these authority types are looking out for our best interests. But what if what they are asking of you has nothing to do with the authority they have?
Cialdini sites an interesting study that was done in Texas. In the study the researcher dressed up in a nice business suit and illegally crossed the road while someone else counted the number of people who followed him. Then the same person dressed up in a work shirt and trousers and crossed illegally at the same spot. This of course was repeated a number of times.
3.5 times the amount of people followed the business man's lead vs. the same man dressed up in the work shirt.
Technically, the gentleman's clothes have no bearing on his abilities to cross the street. However, due to his perceived authority, 3.5 times the people follow his actions.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is a fascinating book on how to use the different tools of influence to get what you want and how not to fall prey to them. While the book won't make you an expert in the art of persuasion – just as a great sales book won't make you a stellar salesperson – it will give you some great ideas to try; ideas that do promise to help you get what you want. The real fun lies in trying out the different tactics in your daily life. Just make sure your intentions are noble.


World champion para-swimmer, post-grad student and activist Mary Fisher doesn't ever seem to stop moving. Alex Braae rang her up to find out why.
I interviewed Mary Fisher during the last election campaign. It was a winter night in Wellington, and a few dozen people had turned up to one of the Central Library's meeting rooms to grill candidates about what they were going to do about disability issues. She set the tone for the forum, speaking before the Q and A about the difficulties she had faced in school as her sight began to desert her.
The interview we did last year was brief. I just needed to get a few radio soundbites, and it was clear Mary Fisher had a lot more to say. So when we both had a bit more time to talk, I got in touch again to see what she was up to now. The conversation started with a question about disability issues she's working to address.
Mary Fisher: Coming up to the last election, it was really interesting following the Access Matters campaign, which is trying to get cross-party support for new access legislation. There's currently a motley collection of old legislation, which is there to provide a very basic level of access, but by no means does it help the whole of the disabled population, which in New Zealand is 24%. We're looking at getting people's stories out – their direct access needs.
For me personally, a recent example was roadworks signage at head height, and there was nothing at ground level my cane could pick up. So updated health and safety laws would mean there was something on the ground for my or another blind person's head picked it up. It's about collecting stories to disseminate so people realise how broad an issue this is.
I saw on Twitter that you went along to the Ōtaki Summer Camp for activists. Are their other issues you're passionate about as well?
Well being a swimmer, I really enjoy swimming in places that aren't the pool, even though it doesn't happen all that often. I'm a supporter of the freshwater rescue plan, which has seven steps to enable the recovery of New Zealand's waterways. For so many things, across both the access and water issues, having a proactive and early intervention approach is so much cheaper and easier for everyone, than if you're cleaning everything up afterwards. Or if you've got a lake that can't survive as an ecosystem, or a person that's had so many bad interactions with society because of access needs that haven't been picked up on early, or wasn't supported – both of those systems would be better off with an early intervention and caring approach to society.
And just today, [we presented] a petition to Parliament about the Hit and Run campaign. We were just there to say these villagers, people who work in the Defence Force, the New Zealand public, deserve to have an open and transparent inquiry. It's interesting for me to have gone away representing New Zealand, and you're a tiny athlete governed by these big sports structures, and you hear all these great things about New Zealand. And then you find out things like that in high levels of Defence Force or government organisations, something's gone really wrong, and it has to be made right. We can learn from the past.
I've always felt 'career' is a weird word for politics and activism but is this something you could see yourself pursuing as a life's work?
I think I could envision myself helping out on research with different projects, or trying to be a voice for communities who might not otherwise get attention to their issue.
There's always controversy when athletes put opinions out there, does that worry you?
Sometimes I feel a bit conflicted and weird, because sportspeople in New Zealand, their opinions are given higher value than other members of the public. It was really interesting when I came back from London suddenly people wanted to know my opinion on all sorts of things that I did have opinions on before, but nobody was really interested in it, so that was a big learning curve. I feel like athletes – and everyone – should be able to participate in aspects of politics they feel strongly about, or issues that they have lived experience in and can contribute positively to.
What about issues within New Zealand sports, are there things you think need to be addressed?
That's a tricky one. Even though I've been a little cog somewhere in the sport system for quite a while, sports aren't necessarily one of my major interests. So when I'm doing a quiz and people say Mary, you can do the sports questions, but I'm actually really terrible. I don't really have the bug of keeping up with every single sports result.
But I think the big things is equality of men's and women's sport, and para and Olympic sport, and just that kids are given equal opportunities no matter how and where they grow up. At the moment there are some Council programmes which are looking to involve athletes in decile one to three schools, and I think that's a great initiative. It's bringing people who have worked really hard at something and help them make it happen. We've all grown up with different types of privilege and different circumstances, but to succeed in sport you have to overcome challenges, so it's nice to bring that back to schools.
So in terms of swimming, what is coming up for you?
The big thing is the Pan-Pacific champs in Cairns – it's the big pinnacle competition for para-swimmers. A handful of us have Commonwealth Games events as well – I don't. For me I just really need to make a decision on whether this is something I want to do long term.
Why were your classifications excluded from the Commonwealth Games?
So the host country gets to choose which specific events are included, so obviously they're going to go with ones where they've got a significant number of athletes, or really strong athletes. It makes sense to not have every single paralympic event included, because it would be a massive programme, but I would like to see it extended. I'm pretty gutted. It was a reality I was aware about for a while, and I'm looking forward to supporting the others.
You say you've got a decision to make – what is influencing your thinking on it?
I've had this summer to take a bit of a break, after our pinnacle competition which last year was in December. I had this amazing couple of weeks in the South Island where I walked the Kepler track with some friends, then did a tiki tour down through Wanaka, and then to Stewart Island, which was so incredible. It was wonderful to have the freedom to do that, compared to between London (2012) and Rio (2016) when I was just fully training. It's been good for me, since Rio I've found the right balance. I set a World Record last year with slightly less time in the water, and just being smarter with not only swimming training, but how I was planning and living my life. I'm still training at the moment but just over the next couple of months seeing how those different areas of my life will move and balance each other out.
Is it too early to say about Tokyo in 2020?
Yeah, I'm still in that decision making phase, and just enjoying training at the moment. You can be totally mentally and physically prepared and train 100% in those areas, but to do well at a Paralympic Games you have to have this third component, the spirit of really wanting to win and do better than you ever have before. After two big Paralympic campaigns, I'm just not sure that's 100% at the moment. That's the main decision for me.
You say you're enjoying training. Have there been times you really haven't enjoyed swimming?
Totally. I think all elite athletes have those times when it feels very undulating. That might just be an internal thing, for me sometimes it's been the squad, or things outside the water definitely have an impact. Like anyone, parts of your life that are unrelated to other parts of your life can suddenly have an impact. But I'm really finding living in Wellington is great for being able to access other things, and getting around independently. I felt a bit stuck on the North Shore while training for Rio. It's wonderful to be back in Wellington, and be around friends and family and arts and activities and theatres, it's cool.
You sound like you're kind of a renaissance woman of New Zealand sport.
Yeah, I was talking to one of the other Paralympians recently, and both of us since Rio have been training and racing consistently, but it feels like we only see other athletes when we're at the gym or doing our sport. And before Rio it was the complete opposite, any human you interact with is in the sports arena. And now we have our home lives, and she works with animals, and I've got a bit of stuff with uni, and disability issues, other campaigns, and other hobbies like music, so we live very diverse lives compared to when we're preparing for Rio.
Do para-sport events work better when they're completely their own thing, or should they be part of events like the Olympics?
I think the system now, when Paralympics directly follow the Olympics, is good. People are becoming more aware they're totally parallel, and the athletes do the same amount of work, and the rewards and funding and media attention is totally as deserved between Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
We love these sort of stats in New Zealand – this country won the per-capita medal tally at the last Paralympics. There was a big funding boost for Paralympics NZ afterwards; have you seen the effects of that?
Sometimes as an athlete, you see the direct funding if you're in a high performance because you get support for certain things. I'm hoping it's now more accessible to other people. Since London I've been lucky enough to have my needs met because I've performed to the standard they require. But before London it was really difficult to have a balance of doing enough training, and having the funds to support you to grow as an athlete. So I haven't seen too many changes personally, but I think as an organisation, and as the social capital of Paralympic sport becomes more widely accepted, that funding is helping with that.
Who was the racism march really for?


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Women win first ever VL at BUCS Regatta
The squad returned this week from a packed weekend of racing at BUCS Regatta in Nottingham, where the women's squad were victorious for the first time ever in the Victor Ludorum, sharing the honours with Newcastle University.
The weekend started off strong, where the men defended the BUCS Championship Eights title despite having 10 athletes away in Seattle, USA racing in the Windermere Cup. To top this off, a dominant performance secured the Intermediate Eights category- the fifth time in a row that BROOKES|Rowing has won both titles.
Highlights of Day 1 for the women included winning the intermediate women's pairs, and finishing fourth in a close sprint for the bronze medal with the University of London. Mary Wilson and Immie Mackie, both final year students at Brookes, claimed silver behind Nottingham University in the lightweight women's double sculls.
Despite the top eight athletes racing in the Windermere Cup the same day, the men defended the Championship Eights title they have won for the last four years consecutively in style, dominating the race from start to finish and finishing almost four seconds ahead of the University of London. The Intermediate crews followed up this result with a gold and bronze.
Day 2 saw the women take the lead in the Victor Ludorum, with a win for Beth Meakin in the WInt1x spearheading a solid day which included a silver medal in the Championship Women's Eights and a bronze in the Intermediate eights.
The Men were spread across a number of events, with a bronze medal for the Championship 4+ following great results in the Intermediate category where Brookes claimed a gold and a bronze, which followed an impressive final sprint to the line beating the university of London by just 0.09 seconds. In a stacked field, the championship 4- finished in a very credible 4th place, narrowly missing out on the medals.
The final day saw the women pushing for a win in the Victor Ludorum, where it remained close throughout the day between Brookes and Newcastle. The women started strong, with a convincing win in the Women's Lightweight Quad. The championship 4+ won a silver medal behind a strong Cambridge University crew, and the coxless four won bronze- both results adding to the women's points tally.
The end result following the racing was the Brookes and Newcastle had the exact same number of points, therefore sharing the Victor Ludorum. This is the first time the women's Victor Ludorum has ever been shared between two universities.
One of the most exciting races of the day was the Men's Championship quads, where the lead changed a number of times throughout the race. This included Brookes leading for a period, who in the end won a hard fought bronze medal. In the championship 2-, Brookes finished fourth and sixth, and won both gold and silver in the intermediate event.
This rounds up a successful weekend for the club, who have been racing in Belgium at Ghent Regatta this weekend.


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From picnics to pools, coronavirus experts rate the risk of popular Bay Area activities
Hiking? Going out for coffee? How about a picnic? If you're itching to get out of the house, make sure you understand the associated dangers of contracting COVID-19.
After months of sitting at home, mindlessly scrolling through the Netflix home screen while in isolation, Bay Area residents are now hankering to get back out into the world.
In a rush to reopen the economy, several counties in the region are loosening restrictions that were put in place in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which means people can once again dine at restaurants in the Mission, plan a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe, or spend the day at the neighborhood pool.
But with the virus still spreading — and health experts warning that we may be moving too quickly — how do you determine what's safe?
"Don't be stupid," said Dr. George Rutherford, head of the division of infectious disease and epidemiology at UCSF.
What that means is taking the familiar safety precautions when leaving the house: Wear a mask, wash your hands, don't touch your face, avoid crowded spaces and maintain physical distance.
Resuming normal routines will require even more consideration, though, no matter how badly you need a haircut.
"The virus doesn't listen to the radio, read the newspaper or watch CNN," Rutherford said. "This is us trying to talk our way out of biological phenomena with an organism whose only purpose is to reproduce."
The Bay Area as a whole is reporting as many new cases each week now as in the early days of the outbreak, reversing several weeks of declining numbers. The only difference is government leaders are now letting people who are too restless to shelter in place to assess their own personal risk.
"The virus is as infectious as it was three months ago," said Dr. Grant Colfax, the Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. "What has changed is our behavior."
While the safest option remains staying home until a vaccine or effective treatment option is developed for COVID-19, for those who feel the need to venture out during the pandemic, The Chronicle asked infectious disease experts to rate the risks of some popular Bay Area activities based on a scale of 1 (lowest risk) to 5 (highest risk).
"You're going to need to look out for yourself," Rutherford said.
Crowds socially distance at Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2020. (Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle | San Francisco Chronicle)
Picnicking with friends
Drawing hordes of sunbathers and picnickers on sunny days, Dolores Park is so popular that city officials chalked physical distancing circles in the grass. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, whose district includes Dolores Park, called the scene "pretty concerning."
The experts agree.
While the risk of transmission is far less outdoors than inside, these kinds of gatherings should be avoided. But if you can't resist an afternoon with friends, in addition to following basic coronavirus safety precautions, you should avoid sharing food, utensils and drinks; and avoid touching shared surfaces.
"There's nothing magical about your friends if they've gotten infected," Rutherford said.
(l-r) Parker Higgins, of San Francisco, grabs a cup of coffee while showing off his Casio watch and bronze sparkly nail polish while eating at brunch spot St. Francis Fountain in San Francisco, California, on Sunday, April 23, 2017. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle | San Francisco Chronicle)
Grabbing an espresso at a cafe
Want to savor a cappuccino at a European-style cafe?
"Sit outside," said Rutherford.
Virus transmission risk is lower outdoors, but it's still a risk.
In a busy neighborhood, there's a chance that people will walk by on the sidewalk without masks. You may also come into contact with contaminated surfaces before they are properly sanitized, such as tables, menus and utensils.
The risk also increases significantly the longer you are stationary next to another person, especially if they are talking. One study found that normal speech can release thousands of droplets that can remain suspended in the air for eight to 14 minutes.
It's up to you to weigh the risk versus the reward for that afternoon jolt of caffeine.
BLVD hotels have taken steps to protect guests with a "cold fogging" of an ethanol and hydrogen peroxide solution. Plexiglass has been installed at the check-in desk, bar and sundry shop. A sticker is affixed to the door showing that the room is clean. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS) (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times | San Francisco Chronicle)
Staying at a hotel
Experts advise against traveling for leisure during the pandemic. But if it is necessary, find a hotel that clearly discloses its cleaning practices and provides a buffer period between guests staying in the same room.
Even if the hotel you are staying at is thoroughly cleaned, there is a chance of coming into contact with other people in the lobby or hallways. Housekeeping could also be an issue, with people outside of your bubble entering your room and touching shared surfaces.
Experts also recommend carrying your own cleaning supplies and wiping frequently used surfaces, including light switches, doorknobs, faucets and the television remote.
Alternately, taking a car trip to a nearby destination like Yosemite or Lake Tahoe would be considered a low-risk activity if you could camp and not have to stay at a hotel.
The bottom line is "the more people travel, the more they're putting themselves and others at risk," said Dr. John Swartzberg, professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley. "It's this risk-benefit equation. When you travel from an area where there's a few more cases of SARS-CoV-2, you potentially can transmit the infection to communities that have been doing quite well."
Hadar Aviran swims laps in the newly-renovated Balboa Park swimming pool in San Francisco, Calif. on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. The 25-meter pool was upgraded through the 2012 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks bond. (Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2019 | San Francisco Chronicle)
Swimming at the neighborhood public pool
Swimming in pools is generally considered safe, especially if they are outdoors. The risk comes once you're out of the water.
"How crowded is the deck and locker room? How many people are congregating around the stairs?" Rutherford said. "If you're standing around in waist-deep water with a cocktail in your hand around hundreds of other people that's a different issue."
Your best bet for swimming is in a private backyard pool.
"The coronavirus doesn't survive in chlorinated water," said Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Even better, find an uncrowded spot near a lake or ocean with plenty of sunshine and wind, where you can easily maintain proper physical distancing.
Thomas Linder, Estate Host, brings wine to guests at the Alpha Omega Winery in Napa on June 8, 2020 in Saint Helena, Calif. Alpha Omega Winery is following a new set of guidelines to protect guests during the COVID-19 crisis, including requiring reservations and waiting in a parking lot to receive a text message when their table is ready. (Kate Munsch / Special To The Chronicle | San Francisco Chronicle)
Going out for dinner and a drink
Many restaurants, bars and wineries around the Bay Area are opening for both outdoor and indoor sit-down dining.
Standing in line at a popular restaurant with a group of other people for a few moments rates as a moderate risk. Sitting down for a long meal or going wine tasting with friends could be far more dangerous, depending on the layout of the venue.
"If you want to go to a restaurant, I'd either go very early or late, and miss the crowd," Rutherford said. "I would want to sit outside. I would want the server to wear a mask."
Experts also advise keeping your mask on unless you're imbibing.
According to the CDC, the coronavirus can't be spread through food. But the virus can live on a surface — say, a bar top, an iPad or a door handle — and be transmitted if a person touches a contaminated surface and then their nose, mouth or eyes.
With eight year old Ari Kaufman leading the way, Ryan Loften takes some students for a ride near Phoenix Lake Thursday December 12, 2013 in Ross, Calif. Ryan Loften is a master at getting kids of any age to learn to ride a bike. His popular Mt. Tam Bikes Camp he has taught dozens of kids to ride a bike and perfect their mountain biking skills. (Brant Ward / The Chronicle 2013 | San Francisco Chronicle)
Running, hiking or cycling
Fresh air and physical activity are important. With more space between people, the risk goes down. But it's important to give other individuals from outside your household a wide berth. Also, carry a mask you can put on as soon as you're within 30 feet of another person, especially if you hit a narrow part of the trail.
Passing someone for a few seconds is not a cause to worry, assuming they are not sick, asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic.
"We're going to have to trust others to be responsible enough to cut down on the risk of transmitting it to other people," said Rutherford.
A free cardio zumba dance class was offered by Fitness SF at the new rooftop Salesforce Park on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018 in San Francisco, Calif. (Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle | San Francisco Chronicle)
Attending a group Zumba class
We know that indoor group exercise in a confined space should be avoided. In March, 112 people in South Korea were infected with the virus after attending a Zumba class.
But what about outdoors?
Whether you're dancing, roller-skating or strength training with others in Golden Gate Park — or even grooving with neighbors at a porch concert down the block — physical exercise can induce heavy breathing, which is likely to increase the release of respiratory droplets.
As most people do not wear masks while doing cardio work, physical distancing is crucial to lowering the risk of transmission. Experts suggest doubling the recommended 6-foot radius.
Stylist Neck Gunes (R) blow dries his customer Jennifer Nardelli's hair while wearing a face mask and shield at Saint Germain Hair Salon in Washington, DC, on May 29, 2020, as the District's phase 1 reopening plan begins. - Friday marks the beginning of phase one for the District of Columbia following the stay at home orders from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) (Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images | San Francisco Chronicle)
Getting a haircut at a salon
The risk of going to a hair salon or barbershop varies by circumstance: How many people are in the room? How large is the space? How long will you be there?
Reopening California
California hotels are starting to open up, but is it safe to stay in one?
Vote: Activities you'll resume as the Bay Area reopens
Reopening: See what's open, what's still shut down by county
Despite the basic hygiene requirements, the risk primarily comes from the extended face-to-face contact with a potentially asymptomatic barber or stylist. There's no way to practice safe physical distancing while cutting someone's hair.
To help minimize the risk, experts suggest avoiding conversation; sanitizing your hands before and after sitting down; and wearing a face covering correctly over your nose and mouth.
"Be sure to wear your mask and be sure the barber wears his or hers, too," said Rutherford.
Editor's note: This story has been amended since it first posted to clarify that the risk ratings shown apply generally, not to specific locations.
Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com


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