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IMPORTANT! ESA Regs 29 & 35: What must be done ~ Welfare maze is overwhelming GPs and failing patients who are left 'in limbo'
Posted on February 9, 2013 June 3, 2013
For some months now our campaign has been encouraging GPs and patients to avail themselves of ESA Reguations 29 and 35 as a means to protect sick and/or disabled people who are at risk of avoidable harm by being inappropriately found 'fit-for-work' or capable of work-related activity and thus placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) with all of its attendant sanctions for failure to comply.
We have been lobbying hard for the BMA to publicise these regulations among doctors but our efforts have thus far proved fruitless.
We have encountered a number of obstacles which too complex to go into in detail in this post but here are some points:
GPs are in a contractual relationship whereby they are obliged to provide information to the DWP but only when asked to do so. The ESA 113 form utilised is wholly inadequate and gives less than one side of A4 for the GP to state significant diagnoses, investigations and treatment.
The position of the Local Medical Committees (local GPs' associations) is that there must be charges for any additional appeal letters. They have a duty to protect their members from being forced to carry out unpaid work and a corresponding increase in GPs' workloads.
The position of claimants is that they are being forced into abject poverty on the basis of erroneous judgments as to their fitness for work by the operation of the DWP-Atos Work Capability Assessments. The BMA's membership voted overwhelmingly in June for leadership to demand that the WCA 'end with immediate effect to be replaced by a rigorous and safe system that does not cause avoidable harm' .
The doctor's regulatory body, the General Medical Council (GMC) maintains that it has no say in how the WCA operates and is not their regulator, yet it has granted DWP-Atos Assessment Centres 'Approved Medical Status' in full cognisance of the fact that the 'systems and policies' which underpin the WCA's operation have irrefutably been shown to be gravely harmful to tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of patients. The GMC's own publication 'Good Medical Practice' (which outlines the ethical principles upon which doctors must conduct themselves) states that:
'… a doctor must (overriding duty or principle) take prompt action if he feels that "patient safety is or may be seriously compromised by inadequate… policies or systems.'
ESA Regulations 29 & 35 deal with flagging up a substantial risk of harm to patients if they were to be found 'fit for work' or to have 'limited capability for work' and placed in the Work-Related Activity Group (WRAG). However, only the DWP is aware that these regulations can be applied. The vast majority of GPs remain ignorant of them, at grave cost to their patients and indeed, risk to their very lives.
The BMA represents the views of all doctors, including decision makers such as DWP Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bill Gunnyeon and includes doctors working for Atos. They are not immune from these duties placed upon doctors.
GPs are still required by the DWP to complete 'Fit Notes' and provide Sick Notes. Does this not make a mockery of the BMA's statement that a GP must not be involved in the decision as to whether someone is fit for work?
DWP-Atos consistently get it wrong. Additional medical information is almost never requested from the GP at the time of assessment of afterwards.
They admit as much in their statement after the death of Mr. Brian McArdle R.I.P.:
The Department for Work and Pensions said:
"Our sympathy goes out to Mr McArdle's family during what is obviously a very difficult time.
"Through employment and support allowance (ESA), we help people move from benefits and back into work if they are capable of doing so, while giving unconditional support to those who need it.
"A decision on whether someone is well enough to work is taken following a thorough face-to-face assessment, and after consideration of all the supporting medical evidence from the claimant's GP or medical specialist.
"We encourage people to provide as much medical evidence as possible when they apply for ESA. Often, people found fit for work only provide the necessary evidence when they ask for a reconsideration or an appeal."
Atos Healthcare said:
"Our sympathies are with the friends and family of Mr McArdle.
"Although we cannot comment on individual cases, our trained doctors, nurses and physio-therapists strictly follow the guidelines given to them by the Government when conducting assessments, which form a single, although important, part of the process."
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/atos-killed-my-dad-says-boy-1411100
In this maelstrom of conflicting interests between the ethical versus contractual considerations confronting the BMA and the medical profession and those of us as sick and/or disabled people being systematically abused and deprived of their fundamental human rights by the Condem government and the DWP-AtoS régime:
Our campaign demands and asserts that the conundrum be resolved in a manner that reconciles all of the above – the most ethical solution must be one that causes the least harm to patients.
The BMA's current position is unsustainable and they must convene a top-level meeting with us without any further ado.
When is someone in the medical establishment going to take a moral and ethical lead?
Patients are dying while the chaos described in the article below is permitted to endure.
In the meantime, pending resolution of these matters, we strongly advise all sick and/or disabled people who have good cause to believe that their lives, health and well-being would placed at substantial risk of harm were they to be found fit-for-work or placed in the WRAG to encourage their GPs to use our letters invoking Regulations 29 and 35 as a template.
It is important to remember that whether or not your GP agrees to invoke these regulations involves a judgment of complex clinical risk management. Any information which you can provide them as to why you think you would be placed at risk is likely to be helpful to them in making their judgment. We believe that in a very substantial number of cases it will likely be a clear-cut decision owing to the nature of the particular illness(es) and impairments presented by the individual patient in question.
Under no circumstances would we condone any inappropriate acts or behaviour on the part of patients to coerce their doctor into invoking these regulations against the GPs clinical and ethical judgment.
From the practitioner's point of view, we have found that the use of this template has proven to be of great assistance in reducing time spent filling out forms, digging out medical records and writing additional letters of support. In a great many cases the costly and stressful need for a Tribunal hearing to take place at all has been avoided as the DWP Decision Makers have re-instated benefits upon receipt of the declaration.
We believe that the mass up-take and dissemination of the regulations provides the solution to the current disastrous and dangerous situation as described to the Scottish Parliament's Welfare Reform Committee below.
John McArdle
By EDDIE BARNES Published on Sunday 3 February 2013 13:18
THOUSANDS of vulnerable claimants are losing out on benefits because GPs are not filling in forms correctly, Scotland on Sunday has learned.
The massive reform process – currently reassessing the sickness benefit claims of thousands of people in Scotland and the UK – has already attracted widespread controversy, with some claiming they are being forced to look for jobs when they cannot work.
New details emerging suggest that a dysfunctional system is to blame, with benefits being wrongly withdrawn purely because forms have not been completed.
Atos, the company supervising the assessments, has suggested that thousands of people are being called in for a review of their benefits because GPs have not sent back forms setting out their medical history as requested. If they had, their benefits might have been left unaltered.
Critics of the government's welfare reform programme have told MSPs that the welfare system is "broken" and have called for a better approach to helping people on benefits, who are missing out because of an overly complex system.
There is also evidence that when people appeal the loss of their benefits, some GPs are charging up to £100 for a medical report because it falls outside their contract.
There are also accusations that Atos, acting on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, has failed to engage properly with GPs, leading to erroneous decisions being made.
Others claim the views of medical professionals with knowledge of people's cases – such as psychiatrists and specialist staff – are not being considered before claimants are assessed.
The row revolves around Britain's 1.5 million claimants of incapacity benefit, who are having their claims reassessed as the UK government seeks to trim the welfare budget.
Figures last week showed that a third are being adjudged capable of working, while a further 41 per cent have been deemed too unwell but told to consider a return to the labour market at a later date.
Evidence presented to Holyrood's welfare reform committee has now pointed out a series of bureaucratic errors in the process.
It is understood that when considering a person's benefits eligibility, Atos asks for GP reports in 15 per cent of cases as it seeks evidence on whether to allow the benefit to continue.
MSPs have been told that, in as many as half of these cases, requests do not get answered.
Benefits may be getting slashed as a result.
Scotland on Sunday understands that, in cases where people appeal a reduction in their benefits, two-thirds are successful thanks to the submission of evidence from GPs that had not been retrieved at the start.
The result, it is claimed, is a massive cost to the taxpayer, with appeals costing an estimated £60 million.
Welfare rights groups also claim many people are likely to be falling through the net.
Even if they appeal, it is understood that the process takes around six months to be heard, adding to the stress on people already suffering from physical or mental problems.
Labour MSP Michael McMahon, convener of Holyrood's welfare reform committee, said last night:
"It is shocking that some of our most vulnerable are being left in limbo as sets of papers are sent to and from Atos and GPs."
"We know how much pressure GPs are under, but it simply is unacceptable for disabled Scots to lose their benefits because lengthy forms haven't been completed.
"For GPs to then get paid to write a letter when the decision to axe benefits is appealed shows how broken the system is."
The committee heard evidence that when people request GP support in an appeal, they are sometimes being charged by the family doctor.
Sarah Flavell, of Gordon Rural Action, told MSPs:
"In a particular instance, the GP just said 'I haven't got time to do it,' and then said that the report would cost £96. If we did not have that report, perhaps we would not have been successful in the appeal."
But GPs say the problem is that they are struggling to meet the extra workload.
One GP in the Springburn area of Glasgow, Dr Georgina Brown, told MSPs that requests for claimant letters were taking up 12 per cent of her consulting time.
She also revealed that there is a patchwork system:
"Some practices have stopped doing letters altogether because they do not have the resources. Of the six practices in the health centre that I work in, three of us do letters and the other three have had to stop because they cannot manage."
She said GPs were aware of the problems but that:
"there has to be a point at which they put their own health first and get home before eight o'clock at night".
Others blamed the DWP and Atos, saying they were failing to contact GPs properly at the start of the process.
A spokeswoman for the British Medical Association said that GPs would provide letters when requested by the DWP or Atos, but a request from patients or solicitors for support during appeals was a "private request" not covered in their contract.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said:
"We have worked hard to reduce the workload on Scottish GPs in order that they can focus on improving outcomes for patients, and we are keen to protect necessary time for GPs to be involved in these vital reforms.
"DWP does not currently publish information on assessments, and if they can tell us about where there are problems in gathering the necessary information from GPs, including where the absence of evidence is affecting individuals' entitlement to benefits, then we can work with them and health boards to find ways to make the system work better."
An Atos Healthcare spokesman said: "We contact GPs asking for further medical evidence only when we believe that this may avert the need for a face-to-face assessment."
Employment minister Mark Hoban said last week: "Getting the Work Capability Assessment right first time is my absolute priority, and I am committed to continually improving the process."
Scotland on Sunday
Next PostNext Post Judge rules against Council Tax Challenge by Single Mum plunged into abject poverty in Haringey
Humanity2012 February 9, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Thick Servile Britain just Wake Up
Draw a Line in the Sand Not have Heads in their Sand
Boadacia! February 9, 2013 at 1:33 pm
Amazing what a bunch of fascist torturers can achieve in twisting and fiddling the laws to suit them. I have a feeling it is going to be a wonderful summer, especially when those that actually voted for these excuses for humans, realise they are turkeys voting for more Christmases!
jay February 9, 2013 at 2:16 pm
Don't worry folks Hoban's absolute priority is getting the WCA right first time.
He then follows up with being committed to continually improving the process.
If you get it right first time there would be no need to improve it would there?
You would get more sense from a Dalek.
Doesn't he realise he's too late, it doesn't work. I suppose if you support Atos and deny disability it's also easy to deny that people are suffering and have died too.
Having said that it's time for the General Medical Council (GMC) to withdraw from granting DWP-Atos Assessment Centres 'Approved Medical Status.'
They must be aware that they are breaking their own duty and principles that a doctor
must take prompt action if he feels that "patient safety is or may be seriously compromised by inadequate… policies or systems" as mentioned in section 4 above.
It's their responsibility to help and protect us. Time for immediate action
jeffery davies February 9, 2013 at 3:53 pm
oh well more of the same as doctors cant make their minds up about atos dwp who together lie to take your benefits away from you .thers no such morals at atos its come in bend a arm leg ftwork goodbye but then you never now till wks later monies stop ops atos lies again and gets a bonus for it also jeff3
DNA sequence No. 94586556571465686 (your new official ID) February 9, 2013 at 5:02 pm
GP's are only interested in the filthy lucre, AtoS its all about the money, DWP staff get a bonus if they cut the benefits bill, Jobecentre plus staff data match your benefit data with bank acc data provided by banks who do this so the Gov don't prosecute them for billions of pounds of PPI fraud they have committed, Jobcentre plus rake in millions every year from raiding the bank accounts of claimants who have not declared their savings because if they did they wouldn't get any benefits, the whole system is designed to oppress the people take their money from them, deny them benefits.
There are a lot of business and professional people making a whole lot of lolly out of the misery the disabled are going through. The whole WCA, Atos, BMA, GMC, GOV, DWP, JCP, war on claimants/disabled and sick stinks to high heaven.
Justin Thyme February 10, 2013 at 9:17 am
and the labour party said …. erm ….. ???
Andrew Healey February 10, 2013 at 6:19 pm
Hello again, sorry I've not posted for a while but since my journey to my appeal in November 2012 I have really not been well, even my grand daughter who normally types for me hasn't been able to get much sense out of me. Here's a brief summary of the appeal I turned up a hour early as they had given me two times. Two days before I had stopped taking my Morphine so they would have some idea of the pain and the problems it causes with mobility. This they bollocked me for, but what really surprised me was what they said, even before I had sat down " right you can go now we will let you know by post" I had all my reports with me bang up to date I had no representation just me. I had to take some Morphine at 3.28am that morning just enough, by the time I got into the room it was wearing off. The D.W.P had put me in the W.R.A.G, it had taken almost twelve month for the appeal to be heard, I did all my own research, joined the Benefits and Work website which allowed me to download numerous pages of help. Then I received the paperwork from AtoS. The report from my doctor astounded me not even one full line it read, Lower back pain since 1990, that date was wrong, I had it from the end of the 70s I worked with it for almost 30 years,also C.O.P.D 2008, that was it. No mention of the Heart problems, or the Arthritis throughout my body, or the emphysema or the other half dozen problems I have, many of which I had while working full time. I have been a patient at that surgery over 40 years, although for nearly 35 years they never saw me I always considered myself fit and healthy. The other surprise was what the AtoS doctor ( I say doctor with apprehension) had written, Three lines ( 1) I am able to advise that the claimed level of disability is consistent with the evidence before me (2) I advise that a return to work is unlikely for at least two years (3) The ESA50, 113 and medical evidence indicates that the client is unlikely to return to work in the longer term. Now the evidence this doctor had before him was medical reports my doctor had received from hospital, plus more I had talked my surgery's administrator into copying for me. Plus a five page letter I had typed in 2007 explaining in detail how each of my disabilities affected me, this I sent in with my original claim in 2007, plus a three page letter typed in 2012 explaining the up to date disabilities. They held my appeal on a Friday morning, the following Tuesday I received the result, the appeal had been allowed they placed me in the W.R.S.G. now get this. For two years… I have multi degenerative diseases, I have to take copious amounts of Morphine just to be able to stand up, by the time I have taken three steps the pain in my lower spine, legs and feet is starting to flare up, by the time I have got into the kitchen to say make a brew I'm out of breath, and as soon as I start using my hands trying to pick up a cup or fill the kettle my fingers start to twist with the Arthritis. Because of the trouble I have breathing I start to panic and my Heart starts pounding not good. I am fighting this pain 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I do not want to be like this , there is nothing I would like better than getting back to work earning a decent wage doing something I like. The last 16 months have been one long fight just to keep my disability benefit, something I've paid for with well over 30 years of hard graft. The fight will start again in April this year. To anyone going through this debacle I would say gather as much evidence as possible spend time listing your disabilities and how they affect you, swamp them with paperwork and FIGHT. This NAZI scum are wrong and another U turn is inevitable. Never give up the fight because that is what life is now for us disabled, we have learned to fight the pain we are use to fighting. P.S nice Tshirt Thanks Black Triangle it fits fine.
GEOFF REYNOLDS February 12, 2013 at 10:58 am
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/bill_gunnyeon_dwp_chief_medical
It does not take much imagination to realize who were responsible for taking the benefits from the disabled, please view the site above…..
jay February 12, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Excellent work Geoff.
I note some of the words used:
Dr Bill Gunnyeon, the Department for Work and Pensions Chief Medical Adviser, is pleased to invite you to attend an evening update for key stakeholders
Key stakeholders = One who has a share or an interest, as in an enterprise
Two of the worlds leaders on the "good work is good for you" movement,Professors Dame Carol Black and Sir Mansel Aylward.
The UK movement is going gang busters.
Gangbusters = Extremely successful: an experiment yielding gangbuster results; a profitable, gangbusters quarter.
These words stand out: share, interest, enterprise, profitable.
In other words making money out of those suffering from ill health. They all belong in 1930's Nazi Germany.
IMPORTANT: How to Gain Exemption from DWP/Atos 'Fit for Work' & WRAG decisions by Applying ESA Regulations 29 and 35 NEW CAMPAIGN BY BLACK TRIANGLE & DPAC | Black Triangle Campaign March 1, 2013 at 2:12 pm
[…] UPDATE: IMPORTANT! ESA Regs 29 & 35: What must be done ~ Welfare maze is overwhelming GPs and failing pa… Posted on February 9, 2013 : […]
Jock March 9, 2013 at 1:42 pm
Gave a copy of the Black Trangle letter to my GP.He looked at it and said it was a good idea.I suggested he make some copies of it for himself and the rest of the GP,s in the practice,[mostly a family practice]He then went on to say.He would have to let the BMA look at it before signing,but in the meantime he gave me a pretty good supporting letter.
Phoned him up a week later to see if he has had the okay to sign the draft letter,stating i fall under Reg29-Reg35.Witch he knows i do incidently.Still no word back says they only meet about once a month,and he will let me know.Fear the BMA will take the easy option.Dont get involved and dont sign.In effect still deal with DWP-ATOS,and hand out unfit for work notes and fit for work notes for your patients.What a bloody mess this system is in.
Why can't we find out more about Atos mental function champions? | Kate Belgrave April 30, 2013 at 9:10 pm
[…] For several months now, I've been trying to get the DWP to explain how it quantifies the performance of mental function champions. Mental function champions are the individuals whom Malcolm Harrington suggested that Atos add to the work capability assessment process to "spread best practice amongst Atos healthcare professionals in mental, intellectual and cognitive disabilities." The role was created as a concession to the many serious concerns that people have raised about the appalling effects of the Employment and Support Allowance work capability assessment on people with mental health illnesses (I wrote a long article about that, the experiences of people I've interviewed and attended WCAs with and concerns about WCA descriptors and outcomes here. There's a good anlysis of concerns around regulations 29 and 35 here). […]
Essential information for ESA claims, assessments and appeals | kittysjones May 13, 2013 at 3:04 am
[…] Circumstances – Regulations 25 and 31 Recommended – The Black Triangle Campaign: Important Update: Regs 25 & 31: What must be done The new Work Capability Assessment 2013: DWP […]
Employment Support Allowance claim update: Exceptional Circumstances – Regulations 25 and 31 | kittysjones May 13, 2013 at 3:46 am
[…] information: The Black Triangle Campaign: ESA Regs 25 & 31: What must be done ~ Welfare maze is overwhelming GPs and failing patients wh…Employment and Support Allowance: 2013 Regulations in full Explanatory memorandum to all benefits […]
great ape heart project June 3, 2013 at 2:58 pm
I create a comment whenever I like a article on a website or if I have something
to add to the discussion. Usually it's a result of the passion displayed in the article I looked at. And after this article IMPORTANT! ESA Regs 29 & 35: What must be done ~ Welfare maze is overwhelming GPs and failing patients who are left 'in limbo' | Black Triangle Campaign. I was excited enough to post a thought 🙂 I actually do have 2 questions for you if it's
okay. Could it be just me or do a few of these responses come across
like coming from brain dead visitors? 😛 And, if you are posting at other places,
I would like to keep up with you. Could you make a list all of all
your communal pages like your twitter feed, Facebook page
or linkedin profile?
ireallymeanthis July 17, 2013 at 3:05 pm
Traps, contradictions and catch-22s abound in this labyrinth of perpetual misery.
No wonder some choose to end it all.
I'd never do that, though. I'd rather die fighting rather than quietly sinking into destution and despair.
Though I can't get around very much, i need to have hope. Even though Labour look like they'll continue would continue with these csame cruel policies.
Last line above; my obvious mistake should have been-
"…Labour look like they'll continue with the same cruel policies"
BMA GPs Local Medical Committees leaders plan campaign to encourage GPs to 'just say no' to benefit requests | Black Triangle Campaign August 23, 2013 at 7:41 pm
[…] IMPORTANT! ESA Regs 29 & 35: What must be done ~ Welfare maze is overwhelming GPs and failing pa… Posted on February 9, 2013 […]
PAUL October 23, 2013 at 1:03 pm
just to thank everyone for their support this year.. i have won my tribunal!
now i can relax a little after a year of terror.
Boadacia Iceni October 23, 2013 at 1:39 pm
So, now we all realise that if one is born with any sort of disability or becomes ill after a lifetime of slavery, you can look forward to constant harassment and cringeworthy detrimental propaganda by the privileged of all these disgusting lying political parties, and media, who the ignorant vote in power.
Time for a change, do we think?
Stepping Razor Sound Plate October 23, 2013 at 2:46 pm
`Yellow Alert` Yellow Alert` A good answer for any questions. Now who is nuts !! `Yellow alert` Yellow Alert` Soon to be Amber Alert`


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The Islamic State of Iran could potentially announce a state-backed cryptocurrency today at the annual Electronic Banking and Payment Systems Conference, which is being held in Tehran, from January 29, reports Al Jazeera.
The step is being taken to work an alternative route around the US sanctions that are crippling Iran's economy with many believing that the Iranian cryptocurrency might help it achieve this motive.
The Conference theme this year "blockchain revolution" is pretty relevant to the announcement.
The volatile Donald Trump is at the head of the sanctions imposed on Iran back in 2018 over what he described as "malign activities" being pursued by the Islamic state.
This was the single biggest blow Iran's economy since Iranian traders could no longer engage in foreign trade and were unable to make and receive cross-border payments.
Many believe that the reason behind the development of a state-backed cryptocurrency is to allow Iran to continue foreign trade activities and transactions as the SWIFT ban prohibits dealings in fiat currencies.
In its article, Al Jazeera states that the state-backed cryptocurrency would possibly be rolled out in two phases.
First, the foundations for crypto Rial would be laid, which would help to facilitate monetary transactions between the country's banks and Iranian financial and non-financial institutions alike, currently involved in the crypto trade.
Second and supposedly coming at a later stage, is a system for the general Iranian public to trade in local goods and services.
Iran's cryptocurrency might even pave the way for an international payment network, based on the basics of blockchains, which could be touted as an alternative to SWIFT.
However, for initial use, all pointers indicate a domestic use for the digital currency at this point in time.


text:
Tag Archives: University of Lincoln
DevXS
Posted in Critical Education, New Media
Tagged Critical Education, Critical Pedagogy, DevXS, Further Education, Higher Education, Learning Landscapes, Mike Neary, Radical Computing for Students, University of Lincoln
Situationism
DevXS is a FREE developer marathon spread across three days, where students from across the UK and beyond are encouraged to team up and build cool things that contribute to university life. All you need to do is get here! If you are not a student, it would be great if you could pass this email onto relevant people in your organisation.
Please note we actively encourage you to speak to computer science tutors, who are also welcome to attend as long as they bring along some students! Tutors might be able to organise a team of you to attend (e.g. travelling by minibus etc). If you think you might have difficulty getting here, please contact us on hello@devxs.org, and we might be able to help.
Tell others about it by printing off a poster and putting it somewhere visible where others can see it!
See: http://devxs.org/assets
DevXS is about students sharing their ideas, mashing up data and building prototypes that improve, challenge and positively disrupt the research, teaching and learning landscapes of further and higher education.
We're going to award prizes to the best ideas, prototypes and collaborations and there are going to be developers from universities around the country hanging around to help you out.
So if you are a student (undergraduate or postgraduate) or a tutor, please register for this event as soon as possible, places are limited and it is a fantastic opportunity to improve your CV and work with some of the best young developers in the country! You may even get the chance to speak to recruiters from industry.
The event will take place at the University of Lincoln on the weekend of 11-13 November, 2011. We will provide free accommodation on the night of the 11th (twin rooms) and then a relaxation zone on the 12th (bring your sleeping bag!). There will also be free food and refreshments!
Register now before it is too late: http://devxs.org/register
For more information about the event, please see: http://devxs.org/
ΔΔΔΔΔΔΔ
Mr Mahendra Mahey
Project Manager DevCSI
UKOLN,
University of Bath,
Tel: ++44 (0) 1225 384594
Fax: ++44 (0) 1225 386256
Mobile: ++44 (0) 07581069575
Email: m.mahey@ukoln.ac.uk
skypeID: mr_mahendra_mahey
http://devcsi.ukoln.ac.uk/
http://cerify.ukoln.ac.uk/
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk
New Issue of 'Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor'
Posted in Academic Stuff, Critical and Radical Pedagogy, Critical Education, Critical Education Policy Studies, Education, Education Activism, Higher Education, Industrial Action, Neoliberalism, Schools, Trade unions
Tagged Adam Renner, Alex Alexandrou, Antonio Gramsci, Becky Wright, Cindy Rottman, Critical Pedagogy, Duygun Gokturk, E. Wayne Ross, Education, Education and Human Rights, Education as a Public Good, Heidi Katherine Pitzer, Higher Education, Howard Stvenson, Human Rights, Jeff Garsed, Jill Pinkney Pastrana, Jim Rovira, John Williamson, Journal for Academic Labor, Leah Schweitzer, Marisa Huerta, Merryn Hutchings, Michael Neary, Neoliberalism, Neoliberalism and Education, Paul Orlowski, Schools, Schools Workforce, Social Justice Education, Stephen Petrina, Teacher unions, Unions and Education, University of Lincoln, Wayne Ross, Workplace
Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor has just published its latest issue at: http://m1.cust.educ.ubc.ca/journal/index.php/workplace.
We invite you to review the Table of Contents here and then visit our web site to review articles and items of interest.
We would like to thank Professor Howard Stevenson (University of Lincoln, UK) for his tremendous work as section editor for this issue.
Thanks for the continuing interest in our work.
Stephen Petrina
E. Wayne Ross
Co-Editors, Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor
wayne.ross@ubc.ca
No 17 (2010): Working In, and Against, the Neo-Liberal State: Global Perspectives on K-12 Teacher Unions
http://m1.cust.educ.ubc.ca/journal/index.php/workplace/issue/view/8
Working In, and Against, the Neo-Liberal State: Global Perspectives on K-12 Teacher Unions: Special Issue Introduction
Howard Stevenson
Terminating the Teaching Profession: Neoliberal Reform, Resistance and the Assault on Teachers in Chile
Jill Pinkney Pastrana
Social Justice Teacher Unionism in a Canadian Context: Linking Local and Global efforts
Cindy Rottman
Australian Education Unionism in the Age of Neoliberalism: Education as a Public Good, Not a Private Benefit
Jeff Garsed, John Williamson
"What's Best for Kids" vs. Teacher Unions: How Teach For America Blames Teacher Unions for the Problems of Urban Schools
Heidi Katherine Pitzer
Gramsci, Embryonic Organic Intellectuals, and Scottish Teacher Learning Representatives: Alternatives to Neoliberal Approaches to Professional Development in the K-12 Sector
Alex Alexandrou
Pedagogy of Liminality? The Case of Turkish Teachers' Union Egitim-Sen
Duygun Gokturk
Review of Industrial Relations in Education: Transforming the School Workforce
Merryn Hutchings
A Portrait of Authenticity: A Review of Carl Mirra's (2010) The Admirable Radical: Staughton Lynd and Cold War Dissent, 1945-1970. Kent, OH: Kent
Adam Renner
Review of Union Learning Representatives: Challenges and Opportunities
Review of How the University Works: Higher Education and the Low-Wage Nation
Marisa Huerta
Review of Academic Repression: Reflections from the Academic-Industrial Complex
Leah Schweitzer
The Sociopathology of Everyday Business: A Review of The University Against Itself: The NYU Strike and the Future of the Academic Workplace
Jim Rovira
Review of The Rich World and the Impoverishment of Education: Diminishing Democracy, Equity and Workers' Rights
Paul Orlowski
Technology and (Human) Rights: A Review of Human Rights in the Global Information Society
Review of The Developing World and State Education: Neoliberal Depredation and Egalitarian Alternatives
Steven L. Strauss
Connecting Teacher Unions and Teacher Union Research
AERA Teachers' Work/Teacher Unions SIG
'I believe in the afterlife.
It starts tomorrow,
When I go to work'
Cold Hands & Quarter Moon, 'Human Herbs' at: http://www.myspace.com/coldhandsmusic (recording) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h7tUq0HjIk (live)
Posted in Conferences, Critical Education Policy Studies
Tagged Antonia Darder, Capitalism, Cath Lambert, CERD, Commercialisation of Higher Education, Critical Pedagogy, Dennis Hayes, Elisabeth Simbuerger, Ellen Meiksins Wood, EMMTEC, Fred Moten, Higher Education, Humanism, Institute of Ideas, Joyce Canaan, liberal-humanism, Manifesto Club, Michael Neary, Mike Neary, Pat Ainley, Patrick Ainley, Paulo Freire, Postmodern world, Postmodernism, Radical Pedagogy, Radicalising Higher Education, Robert Hutchins, Ron Barnett, Slavoj Zizek, Stefano Harnet, Terence Karran, The University of Utopia, Thomas More, Universities, University of Lincoln, Utopia
Radicalising Higher Education
2nd Annual Research Conference
The Centre for Educational Research and Development of the University of Lincoln
Thursday, 4th June, 2009
EMMTEC Conference Centre, Brayford Pool, University of Lincoln, LN6 7TS
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
Professor Ron Barnett, Institute of Education: "The Utopian University: Challenges and Prospects"
Professor Antonia Darder, University of Illinois: "Breaking Silence: A Study into the Pervasiveness of Oppression"
THEMATIC WORKSHOPS
Patrick Ainley, Joyce Canaan: "The Student Experience"
Stefano Harney, Fred Moten: "Academic Labour"
Cath Lambert, Mike Neary, Elisabeth Simbuerger: "Teaching in Public"
Dennis Hayes, Terence Karran: "Academic Freedom"
What is the Conference About?
Thomas More's Utopia (1516) sets out, for the first time, the paradox of the modern (new) world: the possibility of abundance (freedom) in a society of scarcity (non-freedom); and the dangers that are inherent in this paradoxical situation for the development of the emergent capitalist society.
More suggests the universality of education as a way of resolving this paradox. For the humanist More, the highest pleasures are those of the mind, and true happiness depends on their realization. On More's fantasy island, Utopia is a universal school for all its citizens, where all civic life is education. Citizens attend public lectures in the morning, participate in lively discussions during meal-times, and, in the evening, receive formal supervision from scholars. (Meiksins Wood, 1997).
In 1953, with the publication of The University of Utopia, the educational philosopher Robert Hutchins extended More's allegory to a liberal humanist reappraisal of higher education. Anticipating the vocationalist critique of contemporary higher education, Hutchins wrote 'The object of the educational system, taken as a whole, is not to produce hands for industry or to teach the young how to make a living. It is to produce responsible citizens' (p.3). Hutchins's views have been repeated and endorsed in the increasing volume of critical literature on the commercialisation of higher education.
However this critical literature has struggled to provide any convincing alternatives to 'academic capitalism' (Slaughter and Leslie, 1997). This absence of any radical alternative, occurs not because of a lack of imagination, but by virtue of the nature of liberal-humanism itself. For Zizek (2002) liberal humanism 'precludes any serious questioning of the way in which this liberal democratic order is complicit in the phenomena it officially condemns, and, of course, any serious attempt to imagine a different socio-political order' (167). What this amounts to, for Zizek, is 'a prohibition on thinking… the moment we question the liberal consensus we are accused of abandoning scientific objectivity and recourse to outdate ideological positions' (168).
The aim of this conference is to recover the freshness of More's critique, while going beyond Hutchins's liberal fundamentalism, in order to imagine some real radical futures for higher education. The conference addresses the problem of inventing a form of radicality that confronts the same paradox that emerged in Tudor England, and continues to undermine the progressive development of the postmodern world.
Why Come to the Conference?
The conference will be of interest to all staff in further and higher education who are concerned about the future direction and role of the changing university within the emerging global knowledge economy.
We look forward to welcoming you
Register online now at: http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/conferences/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Turns out, Ilo was right. The Greeks and Romans also credited the allium family (this includes onions, garlic, shallots, leeks and scallions) with voice benefitting effects. Nero was said to have eaten a plate of leeks a day for this purpose while Aristotle credited the clear voice of the partridge to a diet with leeks. Maybe Uncle Ilo and these guys talked. In Chinese medicine onions and the alliums in general are thought to be pungent in nature. They break things up, "dispersing" being the commonly used term. Onions break up and help disperse phlegm. This is of great benefit to anyone with "a frog in their throat".
In a small glass jar layer chopped/sliced onion with brown sugar. Cover and after a couple of days on the counter a syrup will form from the moisture in the onions. You drain the syrup from the jar and refrigerate. Take a tablespoon to help relieve hoarseness or a cough.
This type of preparation may have some risk, however. There is a slight chance that leaving the onion on the counter will encourage the growth of bacteria. This is a similar warning given to people infusing olive oil with garlic or lemon peels.
There are a couple of work-arounds though. If you have a juicer, you can juice an onion or two and mix this with honey (preferable because you get all the benefits of honey) or a simple syrup. If you juice you may want to make some extra and save it in the freezer in an ice cube tray so you can pop out a cube whenever you need it. Traditionally you can actually use the pulp as a poultice over your sinuses on the face or on your chest or back for congestion and cough. Think mustard plaster. You have to be careful, though. Like the mustard plaster this can be irritating and if you're sensitive can leave a rash. Onions near the eyes can also cause tearing. Perhaps you should save the onion pulp for meatloaf or veggie burgers.
No juicer? No problem! Chop unions and simmer in enough water to cover the onions to make a strong onion tea - about 10 minutes or so. Strain the liquid (reserving the pulp for some other purpose). Take the liquid and add an equal amount of sugar and heat slowly to make a simple syrup. Refrigerate.
Next posts will outline some variations on this theme and some really great alcohol infusions you can make at home!
Ok maybe you're one of the very health aware people who knew that January is National Glaucoma Month and you've been doing all kinds of good things for your eyes all month. More likely, you're among the many who have been looking at glowing screens way too long and have dry, red and irritated eyes.
Raisins, like other berries, benefit the Liver, fish tends to build yin while the sour flavor of the vinegar also has a Liver affinity. The sour flavor also astringes which balances the dispersing nature of the onions. The onions, by their dispersing nature, help keep things from being too heavy.
Saute the onions in a frying pan that you can find the lid to. Season with salt while cooking. You want to cook the onions slowly here - cook till soft, but not brown. Add the raisins and mix. Then play the fish on top of the onions, season with a little salt, add vinegar/wine and water and cover. Don't leave the kitchen because the fish will cook in a few minutes. It's basically steaming which preserves the Yin. Before serving add a few nuts, cilantro and citrus zest.
Happy January and happy second season of Dryness! Yes, traditionally in Chinese medicine Fall is the season of dryness, but having been to China, I now realize that's because they don't have the drying radiator heat so prevalent in the US Northeast.
Dry sinuses, dry eyes, dry skin - it all seems to get worse in the winter. So, it's really important to nourish the Yin during the winter. Soup is the perfect food for this time of year. It's warm to support the body during the coldness of the season, yet still brings fluids to the party.
Soup is extremely versatile, allowing you to customize for your specific needs. If you're a little blood deficient, you can have soups with meat or red or black beans, if you have hypertension, celery or tomato soup would be an excellent choice.
For general dryness though, pear and apple soups are great. Asian pears particularly help moisten the Lung and the Lung in Chinese medicine also governs the skin. Dry hacking cough, dry nose, itchy skin - pears are your friend. You can of course eat pears or cook them in some other way, but making them into a soup adds moisture and gives you the option of adding some embellishments.
For those of you liking detailed recipes, Allrecipes has an interesting pear/apple soup. My version is a little more specific to supporting the Lung/Kidney, and perhaps a bit more free form.
Combine ingredients in a saucepan bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pears are tender.
Allow to cool a bit especially if you're using a conventional blender to process in the next step.
Lemon and/or orange zest makes a great garnish.
The addition of the aromatics here helps "disperse" the Lung - they help the lung function better. The coconut cream nourishes the Kidney (important during the winter)and generates fluids, while at the same time supports Yang (the functional aspect of the body).
Depending upon your goals and taste you can play with the ingredients - concerned about some phlegm - up the ginger and other spices and reduce the coconut milk and honey. More concerned about dry skin - up the coconut milk. Hate cardamon - leave it out! Facing January is difficult enough. Have enough soup and you may even be able to use your Hello Kitty humidifier less often!


text:
Q: I get an array "Type mismatch" in Excel and VBA I get "Type mismatch" when trying to copy a simple one column into an array and back into another column. Here's my code (just the relevant bit):
Sub CopyRangesViaArrays()

 'Declaring variables
 Dim srcWkb As Workbook
 Dim destWkb As Workbook

 Dim srcYears() As Double
 Dim destYears As Range

 Dim L As Long

 Set srcWkb = Workbooks("Arrivals.xlsx")
 Set destWkb = Workbooks("OvernightStays.xlsm")

 L = srcWkb.Worksheets.Count
 z = 0

 'Looping through src Workbook sheets
 For C = 1 To L
    ReDim srcYears(26, 0)
    srcYears = srcWkb.Worksheets(C).Range("A3:A28")

    Set destYears = destWkb.Worksheets(10).Range("A2").Offset(z, 0)
    destYears.Value = srcYears
    z = z + 26
 Next C

As you probably see, I'm also having trouble with offsetting the destination range by the number of years taken into an array (there are 43 Sheets so there will be 43 different srcRanges taken up into an array and written to the destRange).
Many thanks!
EDIT:
I've also tried this as per instructions
Dim srcYears As Range
Dim destYears As Range

Breaks at this line:
destYears.Resize(26, 1).Value = srcYears.Value

I tried omitting the last .Value from the problematic line - still nothing.

A: If you do Dim srcYears() As Variant, then your code will work. I am not certain about why you can't declare it as a strongly typed array (e.g., As Double) but I'm guessing that a range's .Value, which can be represented as an array, cannot be handled this way, because the .Value array is not necessarily of that data type, and will not be coerced to that type by an assignment.  My guess is that a Range.Value is always of type Variant, because a range can contain string, numeric, or error values.
You can assign directly from one range to another:
 Dim srcYears as Range

 For C = 1 To L
    '## not needed: ReDim srcYears(26, 0)
    Set srcYears = srcWkb.Worksheets(C).Range("A3:A28")

    Set destYears = destWkb.Worksheets(10).Range("A2").Offset(z, 0)
    '## resize the destination range to ensure it _
        accommodates the source Range, then assign directly.
    destYears.Resize(26,1).Value = srcYears.Value
    z = z + 26
 Next C

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The property may be located at 100 Linda View Ct. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123.
The sale shall commence at 4:45 p.m. on June 4, 2015, at the front entrance to the Second Judicial District Court House, at 400 Lomas NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. The property will be sold "As Is" to the highest bidder for cash. The property will be sold subject to any and all unpaid taxes and to any liens and assessments not otherwise foreclosed upon herein. Interested bidders should undertake to make their own determination as to the status of title.
For purposes of this sale, "cash" shall mean (1) cash on hand, (2) other immediately available funds, including, but not limited to, bank cashiers' checks, or (3) an irrevocable letter of credit payable at site issued by a financial institution acceptable to and in a form acceptable to the Special Master in an amount not less than the bid amount, delivered to and approved by the Special Master prior to sale.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the proceeds of sale will be applied as follows: first, to all costs and expenses of sale, including the Special Master's fee and costs; second, to the judgment awarded to Plaintiff in the amount of $53,593.75, plus interest from August 21, 2013, at the rate of 5.125% per annum; plus attorney fees including (GRT) in the amount of $5,473.40 and costs incurred by Plaintiff in the amount of $712.47 and expenses of $187.25, plus interest from April 14, 2015, at the rate of 8.75% per annum; third, in such manner as the Court may determine by order entered after the sale.


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Susan Brownell Anthony was the leader in the American Anti Slavery Society and later turned her life's devotion to women's suffrage.
Anthony was born near Adams, Massachusetts on February 15, 1820, to a liberal Quaker abolitionist family. She receiving a good education and learned to read and write at the age of three. The family moved from Massachusetts to Battensville, New York, in 1826 where she continued her education and by the time she was 16 had become a teacher herself. In 1839 she took a position in a Quaker seminary in New Rochelle, New York. From 1846 to 1849 she taught at a female academy in upstate New York. Afterward, she left teaching and moved to the family farm in Rochester, New York.
There she met many leading abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass, Parker Pillsbury, and Wendell Phillips and became involved in the anti-slavery movement. Soon the temperance movement enlisted her sympathy and then, after meeting Amelia Bloomer and through her Elizabeth Cady Stanton, so did that of woman suffrage. During the Civil War, she focused on abolition and was the principal New York agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.
After the war, however, she returned to her women's suffrage movement activities and for 45 years she traveled throughout the United States by stagecoach, wagon, carriage, and trains making 75-100 speeches a year. Though she was key to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, she would not live to see implemented. She died 14 years before it was passed.
On March 13, 1906, Anthony passed away from pneumonia and heart failure. She was buried at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York.


President Obama launched several new initiatives in 2010 aimed at improving STEM education.
Results from the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment, released in late 2010, showed the United States continuing to fare in the middle of the pack in terms of math and science achievement; U.S. students ranked 25th out of 65 industrialized countries in average math scores on the exam, and 17th in science.
But even before the new PISA figures came out, federal officials had ramped up their efforts to boost science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
Building on the "Educate to Innovate" initiative he launched in November 2009, President Obama on Jan. 6 announced the creation of several new partnerships to help attract, develop, reward, and retain outstanding STEM teachers. Later in the year, he announced a grant program that challenged students to design their own video games, and he set a goal of recruiting 10,000 new STEM teachers in the next two years. The White House also hosted its first-ever science fair in October to showcase the work of exemplary students.
An Oct. 6 summit revealed the need for more computer-science teachers in particular, as it was revealed that fewer than 65 percent of K-12 schools in the United States offer even an introductory-level computer science course, never mind rigorous training. Educators also debated the merits of introducing national engineering standards into K-12 education this past year, with some believing this was a good idea but others saying there are too many curriculum standards as it is.


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The status quo of the UK supermarket field has been shattered in recent years by the arrival and rise of the German chains such as Lidl and Aldi. Both of these retailers offer bargain priced whiskies under traditional sounding yet ultimately meanginless names.
The Glen Orchy branding is exclusively available in Lidl and has been highly praised by some including Jim Murray and receiving a couple of professional awards in 2014. In the recession era many of us have come to appreciate value and Glen Orchy ticks that box retailing for just over £13. I particularly appreciate they've stuck the age on this whereas many would just shy away from pronouncing such a feature. Yes, it is just 5 years old, or remember the youngest component of the blend, but it could be younger at 3 years old and by stating the age you can rule out such juvenille characteristics.
I enjoy visiting family and friends when the opportunity arrives and an added bonus (when not driving) is checking out what they have in their spirits cupboards. There can be some surprises and very often bottles I wouldn't purchase for myself but appreciate the opportunity to experience. This Glen Orchy being a prime example as I'm snowed under with bottles currently.
There is an above average presentation that matches the 5 year old statement. The bottle shape is very similar to Glenfiddich thereby the appearance is already distinctive and suggests something a little more interesting than your staple bottle shaped blend. The blend has been produced by the mysterious Clydesdale Scotch Whisky Company however put in the Glasgow postcode and you'll see White & Mackay are responsible for this.
Things may change with the latest takeover of White & Mackay with a new vision and much needed investment on the agenda. Yet you can safely speculate currently that Glen Orchy will not have the grain whisky of Invergordon distillery to any degree as the key word on the label is malt. This does help avoid the harsh nature of some rival cheap blends, but there is some young malt in here so take your choice from Dalmore, Fettercairn, Tamnavulin and one of my least favourites in the form of Jura. For the price with a 100% Scotch malt blend made just from barley is impressive.
Nose: a very summery presentation with lemongrass, buttercups, hay bales, apples and vanilla cheesecake. Young and inoffensive.
Taste: it does need time to open up and a dash of water helps this transformation. Given patience grapefruit and lemons arrive first before a buttery oily texture lashes around the mouth and a subtle finish with coffee beans and black pepper.
Funnily enough I'd take this over the staple White & Mackay blend any day of the week. It is far more palatable and a good introduction to whisky as a whole and the art of blending. A safe bet certainly and one you shouldn't ignore with some misguided malt snobbery.
Date 1st November 2018 : I have today been on a "budget whisky spree" buying whiskies from Lidl, Aldi, ASDA and other supermarkets – either their own private label whiskies or distillry-brands on sale.
The "Glen Orchy" was on my shopping list for the very same reason : It has been reviewed positively across various sites as "bang for your buck" and "great value for money".
Today I paid GBP 15,49 at Lidl in Aberdeen.
I have to say that I don't agree fully with all the positive vibes being spread about this whisky!!!
When I pour it in the glass, I find the nose to be kind of "moldy", and in the mouth I cannot help to add the words "chemical'ish" and "alcoholic" to the tasting notes.
There is so much great whisky out there when you go for the bargains: I bought Ardmore Legacy reduced for £20, Highland Park, 12 yo, Viking Honour for £25, Auchentoshan's American Oak for £21.
Compared to these I can safely say : I will never buy "Glen Orchy" again just to save myself 6-7 quid.


text:
Image: AP Photo/Eric Risberg
This is how Facebook plans to make Messenger the focal point of your phone
You're going to hear a lot more about chatbots over the next few months.
Apr 13th 2016, 10:25 AM 15,397 17
BACK IN 2013, FACEBOOK had a plan to become more than just a site and an app. It wanted to be the centre focus of your phone.
For that, it launched Facebook Home, a launcher for Android that replaced the traditional home screen with Facebook content. It also teamed up with HTC to launch HTC First, a phone that came preloaded with Home, to help push this forward.
Both were failures. Facebook Home only appealed to the small group of power users out there while the First was said to have sold less than 15,000 units that year. It was back to the drawing board for Facebook.
Skip to the present day and it has learnt a few lessons from that experience. Last night at F8, Facebook's developer conference, it announced the integration of chatbots with Messenger.
This news had been coming for a while – Microsoft also announced similar news with Skype a few weeks ago and so has messaging app Kik and the workplace chat platform Slack – but it is a significant attempt to take over people's phones by creating a platform (chatbots) within a platform (apps).
Facebook tried taking over a phone from the inside out before with Home and HTC First. It didn't go so well. Source: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Make the conversation flow
To explain chatbots, it's best to think of them as similar to those those 'choose your own adventure' stories that were around during the 80s and 90s.
A bot will ask you specific questions – some of them will offer pre-selected answers – and replying will give you customised results.
The ultimate aim is to make it feel like you're talking to a real person, making the conversation flow between you and the bot, and get you to the relevant info or action (ordering flowers, requesting articles or talk with businesses for example) faster. Some are describing chatbots as the new apps which only highlights the major role they could play
There's a good reason why Facebook pushed Messenger as a standalone app so hard in 2014. It needed a platform for this to work so if you can't take over a phone, why not get them to go deeper into an app?
If you can get people to chat through Messenger itself and remove their dependency of an app, phone or email, that would be a significant boost for Facebook and turn it from a fun distraction into something very serious.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talking about Messenger at its developer conference F8. Source: AP Photo/Eric Risberg
So what type of bots can you start using?
For now, only a small few. Irish users likely have access to just five like CNN and the weather service Hi Poncho, and to be honest, they're a bit hit and miss.
The same can be said of Microsoft's offering on Skype but it's important to remember that this is very early days for both services.
To start off, CNN begins by offering three options: top stories, stories for you (based on your interests) and Ask CNN (typing in a keyword like technology).
The interaction is straight to the point although story selection could do with a bit of fine-tuning as it doesn't exactly offer relevant or timely stories for specific categories.
Hi Poncho is where things get a little creative and show off the potential of bots. Playing the character of a raincoat-wearing cat, Hi Poncho tells you what the weather is going to be like.
For Irish users, that goes as far as telling you it's cloudy and cold outside (US users can get weather alerts), but how it begins – Poncho is asleep and you have to wake him up by talking to him – shows there is much scope for humour here.
The final one tested was the closest to a 'choose your own adventure' story. Probable Cause uses a mixture of photos and text to tell a murder story, which you move along by responding to your partner.
It's simple but you can see the potential for it to create games and similar experiences through that format.
And that's the keyword to take away from this: potential. This is, quite literally, day one for chatbots on Messenger so don't expect them to be useful from the word go. Instead see it as the necessary first step needed for a new way of interaction.
We don't know what form it will eventually take, but since companies like Facebook and Microsoft are in it for the long haul, you may as well get yourself accustomed to it.
Oh, and sponsored messages will be a thing too, but you can block them.
Read: Mark Zuckerberg had a dig at Trump for his talk of "building walls" >
Read: Soon you'll be able to control your Android phone without using your fingers >
Quinton O'Reilly
#CHATBOTS
#POTENTIAL
#SO CHATTY


Cultural and institutional differences among nations may result in differences in the ratios of marginal costs of goods in autarchy and thus be the basis of specialization and comparative advantage, as long as these differences are not eliminated by trade. We provide an evolutionary model of endogenous preferences and institutions under autarchy, trade and factor mobility in which multiple asymptotically stable cultural-institutional conventions may exist, among which transitions may occur as a result of decentralized and un-coordinated actions of employers or employees. We show that: i) specialization and trade may arise and enhance welfare even when the countries are identical other than their cultural-institutional equilibria; ii) trade liberalization does not lead to convergence, it reinforces the cultural-institutional differences upon which comparative advantage is based and may thus impede even Pareto-improving cultural-institutional transitions; and iii) by contrast, greater mobility of factors of production favors decentralized transitions to a superior cultural-institutional convention by reducing the minimum number of cultural or institutional innovators necessary to induce a transition.
Belloc, Marianna and Bowles, Samuel, "International Trade, Factor Mobility and the Persistence of Cultural-Institutional Diversity" (2009). Economics Department Working Paper Series. 10.


Beginning on Thursday, July 26th like every year, The First People's Festival starts its activities at The Guild with the opening of the exhibition devoted to Sonny Assu (Liǥwilda'xw from the Kwakwaka'wakw Nations) hailing from British Columbia. On their end, the Ashukan Cultural Space, in partnership with the Festival, also presents an exhibition starting on August 8th about Nico Williams, an Anishinaabe artist who creates contemporary geometric sculptures with beadwork.
The Festival's inaugural evening will be held on Tuesday, August 7th at 7p.m., in the auditorium at the Grande Bibliothèque, with the screening of short films as a scoop, through which the audience will discover the best of emerging Aboriginal filmmaking, in a 5 -minute anthology: 'Rae' by Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs - Canada 2017; 'Shaman' by Echo Henoche; Kirano (Ourselves) by the Comité Empreintes - Canada 2017; 'Never Stop Riding' by Peter Mungkuri, Alec Baker, Jimmy Pompey - Australia 2017; Survivre au temps by Eden Mallina Awashish - Canada 2017; 'Mud' by Shaandiin Tome - United States 2018; 'Thunderbird Strike' by Elizabeth LaPensee - United States 2017; and 'Troubles' by Erik Papatie- Canada 2017.
The film programming presented at Concordia University will offer feature-length documentary films, and fiction that are milestones in the life and issues of First Nations. Some characters are colorful and show unique life itineraries: Mohawk Dirt Mccomber in the eponym film by Ryan White and Joanne Storkan (Dirt McComber, Last of Mohicans USA 2018) or the young Lakota of On a Knife Edge by Jeremy Williams (USA 2017). Also note: When They Awake by P.J Marcellino and Hermon Farahi (Canada 2017), Sweet Country by Warwick Thornton (Australia 2017), Nada queda sino nuestra ternura by Sébastien Jallade (Peru 2017), Wiñaypacha by Oscar Catacora (Peru 2017), Ukamau y ké Andrés Ramírez (Ecuador 2017), Joey and the Leitis by Hina Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson (Tonga 2018), Ara Pyau - The Guarani Spring by Carlos Eduardo Magalhães (Brazil 2018), The Selva Negra of Saul Kak and Charles Fairbanks (Mexico - United States 2016) or Ex-Pajé (Ex-Shaman) of Luiz Bolognesi (Brazil 2018).
Major events await the public on the Place des Festivals, where The First People's Festival begins its outdoor activities on August 8th with the Don Amero concert at 8:30 p.m., on the Quebecor stage. This will be followed by the screening of the film 'When They Awake' at 9:15 p.m. This documentary presents a generation of Aboriginal musicians engaged in cultural and political resurgence.
On Thursday, August 9th, at 8:30 p.m., a concert by The Jerry Cans with music inspired by their hometown, Iqaluit (Nunavut), located in the Canadian Arctic. With a unique blend of Inuit traditional songs and Inuktitut rock, The Jerry Cans brings a distinct Nordic sound. The opening act will be by Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards winner, singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer, from Nunavik.
On the Place du Makusham (aka Place des Festivals), a theatrical performance: Ioskeha and Tawiscara:The Great Game of Creation will unfold Friday, August 10th and Sunday, August 12th at 8:30 p.m. This is an interactive theatre act, a dive into the cosmovision of Indigenous people from here, with the Northern Voice's drums from Wemotaci. It is an act of ritual and processional theater in which two great heroes, the Enemy Twins from the stories in the Indigenous tradition, twin enemies who preside in their titanic clash at the creation of the world, reappear in the heart of Montreal. The choreographer and stage director Pierre-Paul Savoie and the puppeteer Jocelyn Sioui direct this production whose scenography and staging are renewed in 2018.
On Saturday, August 11th at 9 p.m., still on the Quebecor stage, Nikamotan Mtl concert, second edition of the Nomadic Music show, in collaboration with the First People's Festival. This year, the show takes on Hip-Hop, Electro sounds and styles, with the cream of the crop of Indigenous and Indie music. On stage there will be: Iskwe, Chances group, Anachnid, Annie Sama, Wolf Castle, Violent Ground and Sacred Wolf Singers.
Dedicated to hospitality and friendship, a true celebration of contemporary Montreal with more than 1,200 artists from diverse cultural communities is back for the seventh year: the NuestroAmericana Parade of Friendship with Montreal and the First Nations, is held under the emblematic figure of Atahensic, the woman who has fallen from the sky; the grandmother of humanity.
From August 8th to 12th, the Place des Festivals is transfigured by a Studio 703 scenography, imbued with the First People's cosmovision, inspired by contemporary Aboriginal artists who translate in their own way the territory's rich spiritual and artistic heritage. A visual and luminous decor has been specially designed for The First People's Festival, including a multimedia creation by Caroline Monnet and Sébastien Aubin of the AM Collective.
The large central tipi evokes the vertical axis that unites the sky, the earth and the underwater world. At the top, a flock of geese is reminiscent of the birds that brought Atahensic, the sky woman, to the first day of the world. At ground level the turtle represents the marine world and its shell, the earth crust it carries on its back.
The Longhouse is a traditional Iroquois architecture, so it is very typical of Montreal. Tipis are a form of textile architecture that evokes the meadows and taiga. The deer in the fountains refer to the animal world and the nourishing forest; the streams of water represent the soul that gives life to creation.
A food kiosk will allow festival-goers to enjoy first-class cuisine inspired by First Nations traditions at a competitive price. Craftsmen will be on site to offer their handmade products.
These types of interactive activities in the public space, elaborate a liturgy for the present times, through the parade, the scenography of the Makusham Square and the ritual theatre, thus connecting the city with its deepest identity. This identity is now reappearing in new forms, thanks to the collaboration of artists of all origins who share in the sources and renewal of Aboriginal culture. The festivities thus touch on our strong collective wish to live.
The 28th First People's Festival will close on August 15th at 7 p.m. at the Grande Bibliothèque, with the screening of The Circle of Nations 2: Women. This collective feature film by RICAA focuses on the theme of women from here and elsewhere and proposes contemporary perspectives on the issues of identity, territory and femininity brought by Aboriginal filmmakers from Canada, Bolivia and Chile, Panama and Peru. It is a Wapikoni Mobile and RICAA production, in collaboration with OXFAM-Quebec, McGill University, Escuela de Cine and Comunicación Mapuce del Ayja Rewe Budi, CIASE.
Also note that well-known Aboriginal film personalities will be in town to give the APTN Master Classes at the Ashukan Cultural Space. Daniel Brière: producing an Aboriginal film with special effects (Tuesday, August 14 at 10am), Kim O'bomsawin: on the production and scripting of documentary films (Tuesday, August 14 at 14:30), Brittany LeBorgne: on acting in television and cinema (Wednesday, August 15 at 10am) and Wahiakeron Gilbert: on Indigenous actors and languages in cinema (Wednesday, August 15 at 14:30). An academic conference, Indigenous perspectives on the Americas, and a roundtable, Indigenous women: which cinema? will also be in the programming.
The First People's Festival faithfully mirrors the current realities of Indigenous art. It is a space where we can plunge into this multidisciplinary and polymorphous effervescence where everyone is welcome.


Karen Banks-Lubicz's Home, 1029 Garden St.
discuss the plot, characters and motives in the story.
MOST of us even read the book!
Topanga Canyon is home to two couples on a collision course. Los Angeles liberals Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher lead an ordered sushi-and-recycling existence in a newly gated hilltop community: he a sensitive nature writer, she an obsessive realtor. Mexican illegals Candido and America Rincon desperately cling to their vision of the American Dream as they fight off starvation in a makeshift camp deep in the ravine. From the moment a freak accident brings Candido and Delaney into intimate contact, these four and their opposing worlds gradually intersect in what becomes a tragicomedy of error and misunderstanding.