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Tag: WXN
All Topics Wisdom Mentoring
Become a More Effective Leader with Wisdom Mentoring
By Rachel Aldridge
Meet Rachel!
Rachel Aldridge participated in our 2018 Wisdom Mentoring Program. Here's her story:
"My top takeaways and highlights from the program was the insights section, where you learnt more about the type of person you are; not only how you can use the strengths identified to further your career, but also what areas to focus on improving in order to achieve your goals. I have become a more effective leader with this course by becoming more assertive in my direction and actions. I have become clearer in my communication, and in my expectations of others in my team.
The mentorship aspect of the program I found was really great to have a person that was impartial to the things we talked about, so they could give their honest thoughts and advise without being affected by the outcome. It was really great getting another person's unbiased experiences, to give you another perspective on things. My mentor was able to give me very useful advice on problems I was facing in my role. We were able to talk freely, and in confidence about all aspects of my job. The feedback I received from my mentor was very valuable. I have noticed that I adjusted my leadership style after speaking, and working through problems with my mentor. I have been able to take my mentor's advice and implement their suggestions in my leadership style, which I believe has improved the type of leader I am becoming."
The Wisdom Mentoring Program matches women with influential mentors, who can help them make their ambitions a reality. Join the community of over 1000 women who have already taken their careers to the next level through this unique development opportunity.
Learn more about Wisdom Mentoring!
About Rachel:
Rachel Aldridge is the Manager, Canadian Value Chain for Husky Energy.
Posted in All Topics, Wisdom MentoringTagged Mentor, Mentoring, mentoring matters, mentorship, wisdom mentoring, women empowering women, Women Mentoring, women mentoring women, WXN
My mentor brought a new perspective on the challenges I was facing
By Chelsey Goossens
Meet Chelsey!
Chelsey Goossens – Controller and Interim VP of Finance/Chief Financial Officer for W.I. Woodtone Industries Inc, participated in our 2018 Wisdom Mentoring Program. Here's her story:
"My top takeaways from this program was a new sense of self. I always knew I had accomplished a lot, but my mentor really brought that out of me and improved my self-confidence. My mentor brought a new perspective on the challenges I was facing and gave me coping mechanisms for dealing with stressful situations so that I didn't end up reacting without thinking through the situation first, and learning how to pick and win my battles. I got matched with a mentor who took this process very seriously and did not just give me the minimum requirements of this program. We talked or video conferenced every two weeks for one hour, and have continued our relationship since the program ended, albeit at a lesser frequency. I felt like she became my champion because she took the time to really get to know me and advocate for me. Another takeaway was meeting other great women facing similar challenges in the classroom sessions and gaining their different perspectives as well. A lot of us were facing the same challenges, while others did not in their industry. I gained a few women in my network that I feel confident reaching out to in a time of needed guidance.
Mentoring to me is sharing the experience you have with someone else in hopes that they can achieve their goals and become a better person, whether personally or professionally. A mentor can share where they went wrong and how they overcame an issue, or how they succeeded, but ultimately they have to care about their mentee and the relationship has to be built on trust. You need to be able to share anything with your mentor and not feel judged for feeling or reacting a certain way."
About Chelsey:
Chelsey Goossens is currently the Controller and Interim VP of Finance/Chief Financial Officer for W.I. Woodtone Industries Inc., a prefinished building materials manufacturer based in the Fraser Valley, BC and Washington State. She has been with Woodtone since 2011, transitioning from the role of Accountant to Controller in March 2018, and assuming interim VP of Finance/Chief Financial Officer duties since November 2018. Prior to this, Chelsey held the role of Accountant/Controller for an Edmonton-based roofing contractor for five years. Chelsey has numerous certifications, including a CPA, CGA Designation, ACCA (UK) designation, Bachelor of Commerce Degree, Diploma and Certificate in Accounting, and is actively pursuing an MBA Degree. In 2017, Chelsey completed the CPABC's Controller Program and in 2018 Catalyst Training's Front-Line Leadership Program. She has also had the distinct privilege of being selected and participating as a mentee in the WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women Mentorship Program in 2018. Chelsey is an avid hockey fan, spending most of her free time watching games, doing yoga, traveling, and spending quality time with her family, friends, fiancé and their five pets.
http://www.woodtone.com/
Posted in All Topics, Wisdom MentoringTagged confidence, Mentoring, mentoring matters, mentoring monday, new perspective, self-confidence, sense of self, wisdom, wisdom mentoring, women empowering women, women mentoring women, WXN
All Topics Company News
August 3, 2017 May 4, 2018
Top Leadership Takeaways From Lainey Lui
By Women's Executive Network
If we had to sum up our cocktail event last month with Lainey Lui in three words, they would be: inspiring, insightful, and candid. The successful founder of LaineyGossip.com held nothing back as she gave a rare, behind-the-curtain look at a day in her life. Although celebrities like Brad and Angelina were name-checked at the event, it was the gossip maven's reflections on building a successful, female-driven business that took centre stage.
Find our three top leadership takeaways from Lainey Lui below, along with the event's signature drink recipe and a ticket giveaway for our next Speaker Series.
Passion Is Key
It would be an understatement to say Lainey Lui has a lot on the go, but she wouldn't have it any other way. The Co-host of CTV's The Social, Senior Correspondent for eTalk, and founder and scribe of LaineyGossip.comembraces her jam-packed schedule because she truly enjoys what she is doing. Her dedication and passion for her work is infectious. "I have the luxury and the privilege of doing several jobs that I love." – Lainey Lui
In addition to her hard work and passion, Lainey credits her success to female mentors who guided and supported her. As a result, she has made it her mission to help other women rise to the top and reach their career goals. "There are many women who have given me opportunities, so I take it very seriously to give opportunities to other women. LaineyGossip.com features nine female voices, these voices are diverse and through a number of different backgrounds." – Lainey Lui
Be Vulnerable and Seek Allies
Lainey speaks openly about the struggles she has overcome and relatable challenges that she continues to face as a female entrepreneur. Even with millions of views per month, she shares that some still question the value of her gossip site (we direct those that have this view to Lainey's fascinating Ted Talk about gossip's role in society) and fail to take her seriously as a business owner. To work through these challenges, Lainey wants women to start having more serious discussions about their work struggles and lean on each other for solutions, encouragement, and community. "As many challenges that I may have or you may have, I hope that we all have some allies and that these allies are woman." – Lainey Lui
Peachy Sangria Recipe + Speaker Series Ticket Giveaway
The signature cocktail at our Lainey Lui event was a refreshing, "Peachy Sangria" made with fresh peaches and blueberries. Enjoy the recipe below from our event host 2nd Floor Events. What's your favourite summer drink? Tweet us at @WXN with your answer for the chance to WIN two free tickets to our next Cocktail Speaker Series event!
Ingredients (per glass)
4 oz. Dry White Wine
1 oz. Peach Schnapps
0.5 oz. Cherry Brandy
1 oz. Soda
Fresh Peaches
In a large bowl, put fresh peaches and oranges together with Peach Schnapps and Cherry Brandy. Leave this covered in the fridge overnight to allow liquors to soak into fruit. Fill wine glass with ice and soaked fruit (2-3 pieces of fruit per glass). Pour in wine and liquors, and top with soda. Garnish glasses with fresh raspberries and blueberries for colour and enjoy!
Posted in All Topics, Company NewsTagged Candid, Cocktail Event, Insightful, inspiring, LaineyGossip, leadership, WXN
July 7, 2017 May 4, 2018
Talent Talks with WXN & Boyden – Dr. Catherine Zahn – President & CEO, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
By Brian G. Bachand
CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH (@CAMHnews) President & CEO, Dr. Catherine Zahn (@CatherineZahn), is at the core of healthcare leadership in Canada. Not immune to feeling discrimination along her own path, Catherine is a strong advocate for mentorship and inclusion, challenges the status quo, and envisions a future where leadership reflects the populations they serve. Her support in the advancement of women in healthcare is reflected in the conscious steps she takes towards removing these barriers. Boyden's Brian G. Bachand sat down with Catherine to talk career drivers, leadership, and the diversity challenges that continue to face us today.
BOYDEN: How have your personal passions guided and impacted you throughout your career?
CATHERINE: I've had a passion for helping people that dates back to my first job as a nurse's aide. I find that being a caregiver has been a crucial factor for my success in healthcare leadership. Down the line, the transition into leadership roles was rather intuitive. As a neurologist, I could only help a handful of patients a day however, in a leadership position in neurology, neuroscience or mental health I can create the conditions that support others to help so many more. It becomes very engaging to find that you have the strength and wherewithal to do that. Although I'm in a leadership role, in my heart I'm a physician.
BOYDEN: How do you feel that translates into your leadership style?
CATHERINE: I hope to be known for how I mentor people into leadership positions. I use skills that other mentors have taught me. One of my favourite mentors once told me that to accomplish something as a leader, you have to be able to describe your vision and you have to speak to values that are greater than your own self interest. I've since added to that message – to know your own values and principles and never go off-brand. If you lead from principles and base them on your values and vision, your decisions will be unassailable.
BOYDEN: Talent engagement is critical to achieving success. How do you achieve that?
CATHERINE: My ideal team is a group of people who are able to take risks and have a bias towards action, yet at the same time, work interdependent as a team. So I seek people who are highly adept or have great potential. I try to make my expectations clear. When it comes to team development, I try to be aware of where people are at in their career trajectory. I strongly believe if you're able to maintain your curiosity of the world, you maintain your creativity, so I try to mentor people with that in mind. I'm open to the possibility that my team members have skills and experiences that I don't have – and I appreciate receiving mentorship from them.
BOYDEN: There is more attention to diversity today but we are still far from where we should be. From your observations, what does diversity look like within healthcare?
CATHERINE: There are groups of individuals in our society that don't benefit from the miracles of modern science and this I know from experience. It's important to appreciate the issue of intersectionality too. Being a woman who is a member of another disadvantaged population – for example someone with African-Caribbean heritage, or a member of the LGBTQ community – can have a much more difficult experience. I'm learning to be alert to that and work with members of these communities to correct it.
BOYDEN: How does diversity, gender or otherwise, fit within your hiring strategy?
CATHERINE: I am in favour of setting targets and making it a priority as we want our staff and leadership to reflect the population that we serve. We are not there but it is very much in my consciousness as I strive to understand how to make our diverse organization equitable and inclusive. I'm extremely vocal in environments where we hear "We can't just hire for diversity, we want the best people." I counter with: "If you want the best people, why would you eliminate most of the population from consideration?"
BOYDEN: What, in your view, are the key obstacles preventing greater representation of women in these critical roles?
CATHERINE: I think we talk about change incorrectly – we start out by saying change is so hard and in doing so we make people resistant. This influences the idea that there is an option not to change and that's not the case. We can be inspired by change. In today's world, what's intriguing to me about women in leadership is that it's clearly not about lack of skilled, experienced and competent people – after all, women are a visible majority. It's always about maintaining power. People make assumptions about you based on your sex and have schemas about gender so, in short, the obstacle is sexism. The argument that you can't find a woman who is strong enough or smart enough – or who wants to do the job – is simply bogus.
BOYDEN: What advice would you give someone striving to lead?
CATHERINE: Make your big vision simple and clear and talk about how it challenges the status quo. Be sure to home in on those characteristics that are valued in leadership. To me, the most important leadership characteristics are self-awareness and self-control; good communication skills; and curiosity. Communication is so important. You must be able to present yourself intelligently, listen to people, and make meaningful and logical connections in your responses. Some of this you're born with, some of it you learn.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Talent Talks with WXN & Boyden is a feature series highlighting leadership, talent and diversity discussions with top leaders of today. The series focuses on topics and themes with a purpose to inspire women and our diverse community to lead. Talent Talks also appears on the Boyden website.
Brian G. Bachand, Partner is part of Boyden's Toronto team. A global leader in executive search for over 70 years, Boyden is committed to excellence in leadership and values diversity as an essential force towards achieving this commitment.
Twitter: @BbachandG @BoydenCanada
Posted in All Topics, Women LeadershipTagged Achieving Success, Boyden, CAMH, Diversity, Dr. Catherine Zahn, Leadership Style, Personal Passions, WXN
All Topics Company News Women Leadership
Talent Talks with WXN & Boyden with Alayne Metrick – President, St. Michael's Hospital Foundation
Alayne Metrick – President, St. Michael's Hospital Foundation
MICHAEL'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION President, Alayne Metrick, sees passion as a driver in professional success. A strong advocate for mentorship and celebrating team success, Alayne has been at the helm of hospital foundations for over three decades, leading successful campaigns through inspirational engagement. Reflecting on the industry talent gender shift and trends on the horizon, Boyden's Brian G. Bachand sat down with Alayne to talk leadership, diversity, team drivers and advice to the next generation of leaders.
BOYDEN: As a leader in fundraising and corporate development, how has your alignment with mission-based organizations guided your career?
ALAYNE: You have to really believe in the mission and the good you are doing. You feel the sincere difference with every gift brought in and with every accomplishment that the institution achieves. People are in the hospital field because they want to save and change lives, and you feel part of that. It's not like there is the organization and then there is you—it's like we are one.
BOYDEN: How does that translate into your leadership style?
ALAYNE: I have two expressions I use: 1) how you do business really matters and 2) nobody has to give us time or money. You're not in it for a transaction—you're in it for a relationship. So creating an environment where people want to give you time actually determines how you do business.
BOYDEN: Your team is a collection of leadership, administration, and clinical leaders and practitioners yet you have had great success in campaign participation across all levels. How do you motivate and inspire?
ALAYNE: Acknowledging everyone's part in a campaign's success is important because no one person can do it alone. It's about creating excitement and bringing people in. When you bring people into the strategy, they're part of it and they understand the complexity. Everyone's job is different, but we're all fundraisers and it takes all of us to get the job done. As a leader, you are the number one cheerleader. It's your job to think, give constructive criticism and motivate the team towards a successful outcome.
BOYDEN: What role does mentoring play?
ALAYNE: Everyone has their gifts. It gives you a great sense of pride to see where people go that you have mentored and worked with. For instance, an individual who worked with me for 17 years recently became the president of a foundation and she is doing a terrific job. I'm grateful that many of the people I have worked with are stellar and that's what a team is about—they may have strengths that you don't have and can give you advice. It's a great sense of accomplishment to see people do the job well.
BOYDEN: What does diversity look like in the healthcare industry?
ALAYNE: What's interesting now in our profession is that about 80% of the people are women. When I started, about 65% of people in the field were men. Today, we have more female leaders than men—these are all great things. But that is a creating another challenge—we are now not attracting men who are starting out in their career. I believe it's because traditionally the salaries were lower unless you were in the top jobs and I think we need to balance that.
BOYDEN: Reflecting on your career, what has been the greatest change compared to when you started out?
ALAYNE: One is how competitive the marketplace has become in terms of talent. There is a whole lot more professionalism in the field as donor expectations have changed and the deliverables are different. People are jumping around from place to place more than ever and training has fallen to the wayside. There needs to be more of an emphasis on that.
ALAYNE: Number one, you have to work hard. You have to be on it. It is your opportunity to go for it and you need to love what you do, but also have some balance in your life. Secondly, seek out people who are out there who can give you advice on how to get there. And, finally, realize it's not going to be perfect.
Posted in All Topics, Company News, Women LeadershipTagged Alayne Metrick, Boyden, Brian G. Bachand, leadership, St. Michael's Hospital Foundation, Talent Talks, WXN
June 7, 2017 May 4, 2018
Talent Talks with WXN & Boyden With Kyle J. Winters – CANFAR
Kyle J Winters – President & COO, Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research
CANADIAN FOUNDATION FOR AIDS RESEARCH President & COO, Kyle J. Winters, is mission-driven, translating individual experience into inspirational, authentic strategy. Having spent three decades in some of Canada's leading not-for-profit institutions as an institutional ambassador and leader in fund development, Kyle is now driving forward CANFAR's mission raise awareness and fund research into all aspects of HIV infection and AIDS. Boyden's Brian G. Bachand sat down with Kyle to talk leadership, team drivers and the value in amplifying individual voice.
BOYDEN: How has leading mission-based organizations influenced your leadership style?
KYLE: Every mission-based organization has 1,000+ stories behind it. There are 75,000 people right now in Canada who are living with HIV. I've spent time speaking to people who are affected by HIV and AIDS, who have lost loved ones, as well as researchers, funders and supporters. I've focused on understanding how the mission has affected individuals and capturing that to lead forward. My style is to listen more and be humble enough to understand that sometimes I don't get it right the first time. We work as a team to ensure that we are able to communicate not as one singular voice but as a choir and that each of us has a perspective.
BOYDEN: You've spent nearly three decades in the NFP sector. What have you observed as changes and advancements towards diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
KYLE: Diversity used to be reflected in organizations by slapping on a rainbow sticker and thinking they're covered. At times, it even meant diversity happened in June only [for Pride month]. Now, there is a calibre of institutions and organizations that realize diversity is an economic and societal driver by stating that different and disparate voices actually lead us to a better place.
BOYDEN: What can we do to help one another succeed towards true inclusion?
KYLE: It comes from caring that is true and honest. It cannot be "I care about diversity because I think everybody else cares." Understanding that the potential influence of diverse perspectives can produce output is an intelligent perspective and position to take.
BOYDEN: How do you innovate and stay ahead of the game?
KYLE: It comes back to diversity. The three words that I love to hear are, "Have you considered?" I know then that there is going to be a fresh perspective that I haven't considered yet. It takes an idea to a new level—innovative, advanced and enhanced societal inclusion. I rely on the input of my team and challenge them to ensure we're ahead of the curve.
BOYDEN: How do you inspire and build trust within your team?
KYLE: One example is our weekly reflections. I'll throw out a new idea and each person has the opportunity to reflect and contribute to the conversation. One week it might be to turn to someone else at the table and compliment them on something they do that makes the world a better place. Another week it will be brainstorm how we can solve a particular challenge by leaning on individual strengths.
BOYDEN: How much does diversity fit within CANFAR's mission and leadership team?
KYLE: Every person on our team is expected to demonstrate leadership on a daily basis, so diversity here is very democratic. I can best describe it as an intersection of moving pieces represented by a robust blend of culture, thought, age, gender and sexual orientation. We support and elevate each other. For example, our entire team is marching in Pride Toronto. This is not due to sexual orientation—we're marching together because we are part of the community and celebrate diversity.
BOYDEN: Any perspectives on how Canadian NFPs can innovate together?
KYLE: Organizations that share views and values have great potential to collaborate. The not-for-profit landscape in Canada could afford much more structure and formal collaboration. At CANFAR, we see ourselves as a piece of a puzzle and there are pieces out there that are complimentary. Collaborating would mean fewer pieces for that puzzle to come together and our donors would applaud that.
BOYDEN: How would you define the differentiators that have contributed to your success?
KYLE: Taking time to enjoy life. As a leader, I want others to understand that while I am rigorous about what I do and enjoy the good work accomplished, I also enjoy my life. I tend to laugh often and find joy at work.
KYLE: Any time my work is acknowledged, I share that recognition with all those who contributed. There's a team of people working with me, volunteers who support us and thousands of donors. So don't keep the spotlight for yourself—recognizing all of the people who contribute to the success shows true leadership.
Posted in All Topics, Company NewsTagged Boyden, CANFAR, Diversity & Inclusion, Innovate, Kyle J Winters, Talent Talks, WXN
All Topics Company News Diversity
May 23, 2017 May 4, 2018
Talent Talks with WXN & Boyden Featuring Maureen Jensen – Chair & CEO, Ontario Securities Commission
By Jessa Chupik and Joanna Goncalves
Maureen Jensen – Chair & CEO, Ontario Securities Commission
by Jessa Chupik & Joanna Goncalves
THE ONTARIO SECURITIES COMMISSION Chair & CEO, Maureen Jensen, has taken on the challenge of regulating capital markets participants in an era erupting with disruptive technologies. She has navigated her career by rising through the ranks in mining, followed by a move into capital markets regulators. Now at the helm of the OSC, Maureen is driving diversity in the boardroom. Boyden's Jessa Chupik and Joanna Goncalves sat down with Maureen to talk leadership and the power of diversity.
BOYDEN: How has your career path shaped your leadership style?
MAUREEN: I am very practical, which comes from my science background, and believe in staying informed. I surround myself with incredibly smart people who are intellectually curious. I lead by weighing their opinions, gathering information and then moving forward with an informed decision.
BOYDEN: How are you navigating the OSC through this disruptive time for industries?
MAUREEN: The financial services industry is in the midst of disruption. Our rule framework is based on face-to-face interaction with people. Now consumers increasingly prefer digital methods to getting things done. It's not surprising to me that people who prefer to arrange a ride with an app or order products online, also would rather invest through a robo-advisor. Dealers want to deliver these faster, mobile services, but the current framework doesn't always mesh with these emerging business models. This is one of those fundamental changes that has to take place, and we need to balance it so that investor protections are in place. We're working directly with the FinTech community, specifically through our OSC LaunchPad program, to ensure that regulation is in step with innovation.
BOYDEN: OSC is well represented with a diverse management team and more than 50% women on its board. How does diversity, gender or otherwise, fit the OSC's mission?
MAUREEN: Our mission is about fair, efficient markets and strong investor protection. To be able to balance so many interests, it's important to understand different aspects of the business, consumer protection and the capital markets. The diversity initiative was started by our previous chair, Howard Wetston, who looked at this as a fairness issue. This was not about window dressing—this was about having different conversations at the boardroom table.
BOYDEN: Is one woman enough to add a diverse perspective in the boardroom?
MAUREEN: I know a lot of powerful women directors who have been the single voice. In that role, they widely advocate for what they think is the right thing, but their opinion is then perceived as the woman's view instead of a board member's view. As soon as you have two or more women, it becomes less about gender. It is about realizing equality amongst board members.
BOYDEN: What do you see as the tangible benefits of having a more diverse leadership team?
MAUREEN: Gender balance at a board level is critical for governance. Having different viewpoints at the table helps ensure you don't end up with groupthink, which is a detrimental practice for any corporation, public or private. We need diversity to have well-managed companies, which is vital to our economy and vital to Canada's future.
BOYDEN: Since the introduction of "Comply or Explain," we have seen some incremental improvement in terms of the representation of women in executive officer and board roles within publicly listed companies. Are you satisfied with the progress so far?
MAUREEN: "Comply or Explain," along with other proposed federal and provincial targets, are starting to move the needle, but progress is slow. While many of Canada's largest companies understand the value and are making meaningful improvements in this area, there remain many public companies in Canada that really don't see this as anything more than the securities commission meddling in their affairs. That is really quite unfortunate.
BOYDEN: What are the obstacles preventing greater representation of women in these critical roles?
MAUREEN: There are four things. Firstly is the low turnover on Canadian boards and that is the same globally. Secondly, there is a mind-set that collegiality trumps strong viewpoints and due process. The third thing is recruitment processes have typically looked at a very narrow group of people within small networks. Lastly, our view of leadership in Canada at the senior company level has always been so narrow, which makes the whole board pool quite small.
MAUREEN: Take some risks. If you want to serve on a board, understand how a board works. Every person has something special about their past and career they can bring to the discussion—it's important to understand the unique value you bring. When it comes to rising in a company, nothing beats hard work, but that doesn't necessarily mean people are going to recognize that. It's important to know what drives you, make it visible and to surround yourself with people who will empower you for the value you bring.
Talent Talks with WXN & Boyden is a feature series highlighting leadership, talent and diversity discussions with top leaders of today. The series focuses on topics and themes with a purpose to inspire women and our diverse community to lead. Talent Talks also appears on Boyden website.
Interviewers – Jessa Chupik & Joanna Goncalves
Jessa Chupik, Principal, Social Impact / Higher Education Practice, and Joanna Goncalves, National Director of Marketing and Client Experience, are part of Boyden's Toronto team. A global leader in executive search for over 70 years, Boyden is committed to excellence in leadership and values diversity as an essential force towards achieving this commitment.
Twitter: @humanehr @Joanna_mbg @BoydenCanada
Posted in All Topics, Company News, DiversityTagged Board Governance, Boyden, Diversity & Inclusion, Maureen Jensen, Ontario Securities Commission, Talent Talks, WXN


These videos and instructions were extremely helpful teaching me to paint tiles with my limited artistic ability (I am trying to catch up with all the previous DF sets).
Yeah, it's been there a while.
I think it has been there a while, but I never clicked on it.
How long have I missed this new Tutorials menu?


Columbus, Kan. ? In February 2015, three years into the supply-side economics experiment that would upend a once steady Midwestern economy, a hole appeared in Kansas' finances.
Today, the state's budget hole is $345 million and threatens the foundation of this state, which was supposed to be the setting for a grand economic expansion but now more closely resembles a battleground, with accusations flying over how to get the state's finances in order.
The yawning deficits were caused by huge tax cuts, championed by Brownback and the Republican-dominated Legislature, that were supposed to set the economy roaring. They didn't.
"We're going to continue to grow the economy," Brownback has said in response to questions about each new revenue shortfall.
His opponents in the Legislature say Brownback's mantra has failed the state and carries a stern lesson in theory versus reality to other states contemplating the same free-market ideas.
Revenue from income tax collections plummeted 22 percent. A separate repeal of taxes on partnerships and limited liability companies meant the surrender of 30 percent of state revenue.
A projection issued Nov. 11 puts Kansas in a bind next fiscal year, when state revenue estimators project receipts to amount to $5.5 billion, down 7.4 percent from this year's estimate.
Tired of the bleating horn of bad news, in September Brownback silenced a quarterly economic evaluation of the state that counted employment, unemployment, personal income and energy production, and consistently illustrated the state's plunging revenues. He had done so before, in August 2015, when he ordered a halt to a semiannual economic report.
"A lot of people were confused" by the reports, said Nicole Randall, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Brownback's ultraconservative allies in the Legislature paid the price for their loyalty in the August primaries — when moderate Republicans won while running against Brownback and for increases in school funding — and again on election day, when Democrats picked up 12 seats in the House.
Conservative groups supporting Brownback responded by pushing five Supreme Court justices into brutal, expensive retention races to keep their seats. The targeted justices were retained by voters and are expected to rule on the adequacy and fairness of the public education system in a landmark case, Gannon v. Kansas, filed by four of the state's poorest school districts.
Should the Supreme Court rule against the state and the adequacy of its $6 billion yearly expenditures on education, it will force Kansas to pay $500 million or more for school upgrades across the state, including in economically depressed areas.
Here in the state's southeast corner, the poorest area in Kansas, coal mines died and gave way to paper mills, which shuttered as American business went paperless. Today, nearly 30 percent of families with children in the region receive food stamps. In Pittsburg, the largest city in the area, with about 20,000 residents, the downtown is pocked by shuttered storefronts.
He has been told that next year summer's pre-K program will be cut. Jameson knows what to expect next fall.
Jameson has tried to keep the cuts away from the classroom. He let one teacher's assistant go, and has been unable to send his teachers to professional development conferences — admittedly smaller cuts, but ones he said would compound over time.
"In the long run, teachers won't have that energy if you don't provide professional development, and they'll go elsewhere," Jameson said.
Public education in Kansas is coming apart at the seams, and Jameson can no longer recommend to others what is his family's vocation.
"It was hard. I wanted her to make the best choice for her," Jameson said. "I was always proud of Kansas education. I can't be as strong about that conviction anymore.
Other than sunny repetitions of Brownback's mantra that the economy will indeed reverse course once his economic experiment has a chance to work, there are no short-term plans to save the state.


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text:
Q: error while inserting date in my table using sql plus i created the table with the below schema
Name                                      Null?    Type
 ----------------------------------------- -------- ----------------------------
 FLIGHT_NUMBER                                      VARCHAR2(255)
 LEGNUMBER                                          NUMBER(38)
 DAY                                                DATE
 SEATNUMBER                                NOT NULL NUMBER(38)
 CUSTOMERNAME                                       VARCHAR2(255)
 CUSTOMER_PHONE                                     NUMBER(38)

when i tried to insert the value
 insert into table seat_registration
  2  values('11',1,2017/10/10,10,'joshua',1100);

it shows

ERROR at line 2:
  ORA-00932: inconsistent datatypes: expected DATE got NUMBER

A: You need to wrap dates in single quotes.  I would recommend using standard formats with the date keyword:
insert into seat_registration
    values ('11', 1, date '2017-10-10', 10, 'joshua', 1100);

I would also recommend listing the columns:
insert into seat_registration(flight_number, leg_number, day, seat_number, customer_name, customer_phone)
    values ('11', 1, date '2017-10-10', 10, 'joshua', 1100);

A: This should be the query for insertion.
    insert into seat_registration(flight_number, leg_number, day, seat_number, customer_name, customer_phone)
values ('11', '1', '2017-10-10', '10', 'joshua', 1100);

A: date always write in '' quote in query and remove table keyword from query
insert into seat_registration values('11',1,'2017/10/10',10,'joshua',1100);

write date in '2017/10/10' instead of this 2017/10/10

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
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This article is a facsimile of an earlier publication on The Basketball Writers (TBW), which recently closed its doors.
Innovation is never easy. It requires an understanding of what has already been done, a willingness to possibly fail and a vision for something new. The game of basketball is not rocket science, nor do the X's and O's innovations that take place have massively important consequences.
But understanding the changes and new concepts in a game can help coaches stay ahead of the curve and run some pretty sweet sets.
Today, we look at three such tweaks to how an offense is run for players with elite skill sets. Such innovations are propelling teams to consistent success, while others provide an "ace in the hole" for whenever a quick bucket is needed. Basketball junkies will fall in love with some of these the same way I have.
Inverted Elbow Ball Screen
AAU culture lets more elite players have the ball in their hands, regardless of size. Big men have now learned to handle the ball, and some even become adept outside shooters that fall in love with the three-point line. Because of these insane skills that break traditional positional stereotypes, coaches at the highest levels now must become creative with utilizing such diverse talents.
We've seen bigs that can certainly handle the rock and score on all three levels. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis are chief among them, but the likes of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Al Horford have evolved their games to keep up with those trendy youngsters. There are plenty of All-Stars that stand over 6'10", guard opposing posts and create their own shot on any level.
To best utilize those practices, some teams have included a playbook wrinkle this season that inverts traditional ball screens. Instead of a guard as the ball handler and a big as the screener, they put the ball in the hands of a dynamic big man and have a shooter set a screen near the elbow. It's mighty hard to stop:
The reason this has become so unstoppable is due to the shooting prowess of the screeners.
All the teams that run variations of an inverted pick-and-roll have an elite 3-point sniper that garners extra attention. The Philadelphia 76ers have JJ Redick, the Utah Jazz use Kyle Korver, and the Detroit Pistons have added Wayne Ellington to their roster.
A legitimate threat is necessary due to the attention they receive before even setting a screen.
These shooters get hugged or face-guarded once the big catches at the elbow. Defenses are so used to seeing dribble-handoffs between bigs and shooters that they cheat the action, bear-hugging the shooter and preventing him from getting a catch. The shooter's job is elementary at that point: barrel into the opposing big man, and there will be no help on the other side.
JJ Redick may be the league's most feared catch-and-shoot threat. When he feels that he's being hugged, the Sixers call this play, and the result has been a Joel Embiid dunk more times than not. Embiid is in the top-twenty percent leaguewide pick-and-roll ball handler efficiency, according to Synergy Sports.
The Sixers only break out this play call once a game at most and have multiple ways of getting to the action, but it certainly does its job in freezing the defense and producing a quality look. It also keeps the defense honest for the rest of the game.
Watch Redick on these plays and notice how little help his defender can give. That's why Embiid gets so open:
The obvious counter to such a play is to simply sag off the big man, instructing his defender to protect the basket and meet Embiid on the other side. But as we mentioned, the diversity of skill sets allows these bigs to shoot rhythm 3-pointers when unguarded.
When actions occur on an empty side, where no defender is in the corner to bluff at the big, skilled posts have all day to get their feet underneath them and take an open jumper:
Most coaches would probably rather give this up than anything else, but it's still not a great option to allow an uncontested 3-pointer to an All-NBA player. Switching does little to negate the post threats these bigs possess, and the action occurs so quickly that it's difficult to flood the lane with helpers. There's truly no great way to stop this attack.
Inverted ball screens are not necessarily a new concept, but they are being used more frequently and effectively.
New Concept: "Free"
We've been seeing unique movements pop up to get shooters open all season.
One such action is the faking of a back screen that turns into a down screen, freeing a scorer up for a dribble-handoff. Credit Army-West Point assistant coach Zak Boisvert for his video edit on the action, of which he has dubbed "Pinch". What Boisvert calls "Pinch" I have been dubbing "free" due to how it frees up a scorer to receive a handoff.
Such an action is difficult to guard because there is no high-side defender that can switch and take away the ensuing handoff. If the handoff is switched, then an elite shooter or ball handler like James Harden gets to go one-on-one with a post defender. That usually ends as expected.
Going underneath the handoff isn't an option, either. Great shooters that come off the handoff will comfortably pull-up. For a player like Harden or any elite shooter, that's a defensive death sentence.
The Rockets score in almost every way imaginable from this type of set:
As a decoy action, the Rockets run this as a designed play out of a sideline inbound situation. The free screener, usually a guard, sets up a few feet back from Harden as the inbounder. Back screens are a frequent action at all levels from sideline inbounds, as are shuffle screens for the inbounder to cut towards the basket.
The defense is obligated to guard the positioning as if it's a shuffle screen coming, preventing them from helping when the angle suddenly is switched. Here, Harden sprints into a handoff for 3:
The Utah Jazz have run this action for shooters Kyle Korver and Joe Ingles too. Defenses have not yet figured out the perfect counter, and with a massive handoff machine in Rudy Gobert, the Jazz execute "free" nearly every time:
Any postseason series involving the Houston Rockets will see this action become a focal point of the scouting report. (Likely the Jazz, too.)
I'm eager to see what counters teams will throw at the action to deny dribble handoffs. Will they begin to jump switch and play the screener on the high side? Will teams pressure the big so he cannot execute the handoff in scoring range? The playoffs are the time to focus on the individual plays and take away what teams do well.
Mike D'Antoni's genius will certainly be tested come April and May.
NBA Concept: "HANDOFF overrun"
As Boisvert points out, the credit for popularizing the "Free" action belongs to Mike D'Antoni and the Houston Rockets. They have been running "free" all season for James Harden, as well as for the sharpshooting Eric Gordon. The NBA is a copycat league, after all.
The creative credit that belongs with Quin Snyder comes for another variation of a dribble handoff that gets executed with a shooter. I have been calling it "overrunning the handoff", for its combination of dribble handoffs and re-screen concepts.
Kyle Korver has been terrorizing defenses for years with his three-point prowess. Again, this appears to be a designed call from the bench against teams that start to hug Korver. When they hug--or deny--him from dribble handoffs, the Jazz need a way to get the ball to him.
They instruct Korver to overrun the handoff knowing he won't be able to execute, then turn around and run back to where he came:
Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors do an outstanding job flipping their positioning to get a wide base, allowing Korver to run through the handoff. Once he does that, he can either catch-and-shoot or penetrate off the bounce. It's a nifty counter for teams to have up their sleeve when shooters get denied, as it lends itself to the same principles of flipping a ball screen against ice coverage.
Many of the concepts or actions that work will soon be integrated into multiple team's attacks.
The Utah Jazz are one group that stays on the forefront of innovation with their playbook, making them a fun watch for coaches. Regardless of how you watch the game, you can find beauty in the complex chess matches that take place within the game. Some of these concepts are high-level maneuvers and could make a massive impact in a postseason series.
Adam Spinella
Head Boys Basketball Coach, Boys' Latin School (MD).
Master's in Sports Management, Georgetown University
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text:
A few minutes with Morgan Uceny
Morgan Uceny, 25, runs the 1500 and 800 and trains with Terrence Mahon's group in Mammoth Lakes, CA. A former basketball player (she's pretty tall, even sitting down), she went on to place fourth in the 1500 and sixth in the 800 at the the 2008 Olympic Trials. This year she won the USA Indoor Championships with a 4:19.46, among other distinctions. Her personal bests are 4:02.10 and 1:58.67. If 2008 was the breakout year for American women in the 1500, then 2010 has been the year for American women to make big gains in the 800. Uceny has been among those leading the charge.
What do you think of the Caster Semenya controversy?
It's obviously a tough question. I don't think there's a right answer for that. It's just a really tough situation. I think there's some unfairness in the playing field. I haven't ever seen anyone make the progression that she has. So it just seems like something else is going on that's unfair for the rest of the playing field. No one knows what's going on. There's no information, so that just makes it more frustrating for the everybody involved.
How do you deal with the stress of traveling to all those races on the European circuit — things like logistics, jet lag, nutrition — how do you keep all that from impacting your performance?
Some people are terrible with traveling. I happen to be lucky. I don't get jetlagged; I can adapt to the new timezone overnight. It doesn't really stress me out. Now I'm usually traveling with my coach or also with my teammates. That really helps alleviate the stress, because I'm with a group — if you don't really know where you're going, someone else does. So it's really not that bad anymore.
Do you get a chance to enjoy the places that your visiting, or are you just flying through them and running and that's it?
Switzerland's one of my favorite countries. But when we were in Zurich we were near the airport and didn't really have a way to get into town. So I didn't really get to see anything, which was frustrating. But in other places I've had a couple days where I could take a day trip. I was in Italy two years ago and went to Venice for the day. So, it's better in some places than others. But I think you do need to make an effort to get out of the hotel and see what's around you. That just makes you enjoy the experience that much more.
In the past few years it seems like the paces set for the the Grand Prix races have been set up to be very fast. Was that the case again this year?
Yes, it's still the case. I had maybe one unpaced race at Gateshead, the 1500. And, honestly, it's great to get out there and know that you're going to have a fast pace. So it's a good opportunity to run fast. But I think our sport is relying too much on pacers these days. I think we need to have more races without pacers. It's more exciting when you just have a race. It's not just people lined up, trying to run a certain time.
Is European racing as rough and tumble as they say it is?
Yes and no. If you look at the American runners, people are aggressive. But it is different in Europe. People will be, like, pushing your hip. Or there's all this jockeying going on.
Sometimes it looks like the American runners are just trying to stay out of the way, whereas the European and African runners seem to be, as you say, almost trying to guide people. I imagine it's kind of a shock the first time you experience it.
Right. When you get into those races you can kind of tell who's in control. It's kind of distracting, though, meaning it takes your mind off the pain. You're watching your space and making sure someone's not trying to cut you off. It's kind of like a game when you're out there.
Do you think that to race middle distances you have to have an exceptionally high pain threshold? It's an unusual level of pain compared to something like the marathon.
But, see, with the marathon — that's pain for a long time. The 1500 is even different from running the 800. It's painful, but you're running the first couple laps and thinking, "Oh, this is okay." Then it starts slowly creeping in, the lactic acid. By the end, it's really painful. It's a little different for each event. But our workouts are usually harder, so you're callousing yourself to those pain levels. It's always painful, but at the end of the day it's worth it when you have a good performance.
What do you do for fun?
Living in Mammoth Lakes, CA — it's one of these beautiful outdoor towns. We'll go on little hikes, or fishing or paddleboating. Or maybe we'll just all sit around and play board games or card games. It's sort of like we're all living senior citizen lifestyles sometimes. "We're gonna play Uno tonight? I'm so excited!" Alistair Cragg and I got a 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle and we thought, "This is going to take us so long. It'll be great to have something to distract us…" And it was done in four days.
What you do then is flip the puzzle over and do it upside down.
[Laughs and looks incredulous]
Have you ever tried snowshoe running?
I haven't.
It's really hard.
It's like walking, right?
Yes. I respect snowshoe racers.
[Looks incredulous again] They race?
Yeah. It's really big in New Hampshire.
I feel like your hip flexors would be so stressed. What distances to they do? All distances?
The national championships are usually 10K and 5K.
Have you done it?
I ran in snowshoes a couple of times and it wasn't for me.
Just enough to earn their respect. Anyone who does that…
I already feel slow enough. I didn't need that.
[Laughs]
Filed under: elites, inspiration, olympics, racing, training |	Leave a comment »
Houston Hopefuls go all Hollywood on us
Okay, not really. No battles for movie rights yet. But I will be appearing with some of these amazing runners on Wednesday, October 20th on The Runners Round Table podcast. The tentative list includes: Julie Wankowski, Tammy Lifka, Jaymee Marty, Jen Hitchings and Lori Kingsley. To listen in, register at TalkShoe.com ahead of time. The show number is: 34812
More info here: RRT 103: Houston Hopefuls
Filed under: elites, inspiration, olympics, resources |	2 Comments »


CareClinic's pain tracking functionality is one of the most used features of the app. It is helpful for those suffering from Chronic Pain and those that have been injured and need to report their pain to their care provider, whether it is a physiotherapist or a chiropractor.
CareClinic can help you manage pain from within the mobile apps for iOS/iPhone or for Android, along with the web. Here's how to get started tracking your pain, viewing your logs and reports and making adjustments in discovering triggers.
If you need to track Pain in a more detailed manner, CareClinic enables you to add your own variables by clicking "Add Custom Value". If you felt pain on your left knee, you would enter it as such as enter the name of the unit, so in our case we will go with "pain level" and click add.
After you have made the post you will be presented with your entries graphically as shown below. These graphs could then be printed for your care team. Keep in mind all charts and logs can also be shared electronically with your careteam which can include family and friends.
You can alternatively also view your progress on a calendar, which can include other items such as your adherence to medicine, your journal entries, symptoms and more. The "Journal Daily Values" filter and "Adherence Filter" provides you with the following information.
Some features we havent mentioned are the fact that you can also upload photos when you are tracking your pain if need be. You may additionally record symptoms and medication adherence as well as part of your care plan. If you would like to begin sign up here, or contact us if you have questions.
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Welcome to Ep. 18 Cause of Action! Today Bobby speaks with Tyler Miles regarding his campaign for San Antonio Student of the Year. Shaun White wins Gold and someone from his past already wants to tarnish it. Deranged Truck Stop Caller is back. Kids aren't mini adults. NEXT WEEK: Teen Suicide Interview with Dylan and Jennie.


Director of Nursing Julie Smith: "It is important that we undertake these training exercises on a regular basis, as you never know when an incident or accident could occur."
Leighton Hospital was on full alert yesterday (Thursday) for a major incident training exercise as staff dealt with casualties contaminated by a dangerous chemical following a mock train crash.
Areas of the Crewe hospital were sealed off, as they would be in a real emergency of such gravity, as the first 'casualties' arrived.
The scene resembled something you might expect to see on the set of the BBC's Casualty programme, as mask-wearing medics and security guards contained contaminated patients and kept them away from others in the hospital.
And although, thankfully, this was just a training exercise, it was as realistic as it could have been.
The nursing staff in outpatients, where the casualties were first taken, were greeted by a number of coughing and spluttering walking-wounded.
Face masks and protective clothing were quickly donned by staff and the patients were isolated away from hospital employees and other patients as it quickly became clear to the medics they were dealing with contaminated casualties.
Cheshire Police, Cheshire Fire and Rescue and North West Ambulance were also involved in the training exercise and, in the hospital's 'incident room', Leighton staff were in constant contact with these emergency services, as they would be in the event of a real-life major incident of this type.
And, as well as the problems posed by the 'contamination' itself, the nursing staff found themselves dealing with a few very difficult 'patients'.
The volunteers drafted in to play the casualties certainly took their roles seriously and appeared genuinely traumatised by their ordeal.
One woman was getting almost hysterical at one stage, demanding more and more information from nursing staff about the chemical they had been exposed to, saying she was reading all sorts of horror stories on Facebook about the incident.
It soon became clear to any observer that treating the medical condition is just one part of the medics' job under such circumstances. The nurses also had to calm and reassure the 'patients', who were showing signs of anxiety, fear and, in some cases, anger.
One patient collapsed in the toilets and medics rushed into the confined space, resuscitated him and then whisked him away on a trolley round the outside of the building to A&E.
Security guards kept the contaminated patients away from others in the hospital as they made their way around the outside to contamination tents which had been set up outside A&E.
Cheshire Firefighters and other medics in full protection clothing took charge of the casualties who were then taken into the tents, stripped (they kept swimming costumes on), hosed down and de-contaminated.
They were then taken straight into the Emergency Department to be checked out.
Police and security guards then had to deal with one patient who refused to go into the decontamination tent.
Such was the attention to detail there was even a mock press conference afterwards. The Chronicle had been asked to help out here and I fired questions at Julie Smith, director of nursing and quality, after she had issued a short statement for the cameras.
Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust says it has learned a lot about how prepared it is for a major emergency following a live training exercise at Leighton hospital.
The exercise, which took place yesterday morning, was designed to test the response and plans the hospital has in place in case a major incident was to occur locally.
The mock incident was centred around the aftermath of a train accident in Crewe, which resulted in a number of casualties arriving at Leighton Hospital having come into contact with a chemical powder the train was carrying.
"The exercise was developed in partnership with a number of our local emergencies services, and this external input was crucial in ensuring that the event was as realistic as possible," said Mrs Smith.
The mock incident took place in the Crewe hospital building in full view of genuine patients waiting for their appointments.
As would have happened had the incident been real, the genuine patients were given an alternative route to book in for their appointments. They were all given leaflets explaining that a live major incident training exercise was underway – and boards were dotted around the hospital and in the car parks informing visitor and patients, in case they became concerned at seeing contamination tents, firefighters and police at the site.
The leaflet made it clear it was a training exercise adding: "As a hospital, our priority is to keep patients and visitors safe at all times. Taking part in training exercises such as this ensures that our staff are prepared in the event of a real incident occurring in the future.
A spokesman for the hospital later issued a thank you to patients for their co-operation.
Throughout the exercise the medics were assessed by observers, and a cameraman filmed every detail. That recording can now be used by hospital bosses to scrutinise the emergency procedures in place and, possibly, as a training video for the future.


There are a number of foundries in UAE that cast metals such as aluminium, cast iron, bronze, brass, steel, magnesium, and zinc, to name a few. The foundries produce metals in various sizes, shapes and quantities. Foundries produce everything from a tiny piece of jewellery to a large metal body. Foundries in UAE have been growing in number due to the high demand for metal parts as well as jewellery. The foundries should comply with the local rules and regulation. They should employ only trained personnel as metal casting can be complicated. They should follow all the safety standards to eliminate the risk of hazards.


Since the launch of iPhone 4S and iOS 5 Siri has been the hosted discussed features introduced. This is the reason iPhone hackers community from day one of release are working on Siri Port for iPhone 4, iPad 2 and iPod Touch 4 and they had successfully demonstrated Siri Port. Due to tremendous demand Apple might have considered expanding the Siri support for older devices as well as iPhone 4S sales could have already reached climax therefore Siri could even result in iPhone 4 increased sale. JailbreakNation has reported that one of their source who works close to Apple have confirmed that Apple is working on Siri port for iPhone 4 in first phase which will be later expanded on other devices.
Although most of the tech geeks still think that Apple might not release Siri for rest all devices as its the only distinguishing feature Apple released with iPhone 4S however after receiving this report a new business model be comes apparent that Apple plans to sell as many iPhone 4S as they can before releasing Siri for all older devices but this scheme might hurt loyal Apple users who had already paid the price in form of iPhone 4S even though it has additional processing power and camera. It still not necessary that Apple releases Siri for older devices as these tests might end duping as a bad job however still it generate a ray of home that one day we may see Siri officially working on iPhone 4, iPad 2 and iPod Touch 4.
Lastly we had already reported that whats keeping iPhone hacker community away from Siri port release, we hope they find some way out using some kind of Jailbreak mod.


The Browns are taking a chance that Florida wide receiver Antonio Callaway will stay out of trouble.
Quinn Nordin became the first Michigan kicker to make two 50-yard field goals in the same game, one of them in a quick go-ahead spurt after halftime, and the 11th-ranked Wolverines won 33-17 Saturday to hand 17th-ranked Florida its first season-opening loss in nearly three decades.
The year-round climate produces so much high school talent out of Florida that Miami, Florida State, and Florida all consistently put powerhouse football and baseball teams on the field.
The Oklahoma City Thunder announced the hiring Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan to fill slot left open by the firing of Scott Brooks.
What a difference a few years makes. In 2009, looking to add a new dimension to their offense the Philadelphia Eagles signed convicted dog-fighting honcho Mike Vick. Almost six years later, the same team has agreed to terms with another mobile quarterback: Tim Tebow.


By the time this week is over, there may be nobody left to run the Commonwealth of Virginia.
As Governor Ralph Northam continuers to defy the ample calls for his resignation over a medical school yearbook photo in which he was either dressed in blackface or KKK robes, accusations of sexual assault have surfaced against his Lieutenant Governor, Justin Fairfax.
Northam's reticence to resign has royally riled the democratic party, but Fairfax's filthy, forced philandering has been actively ignored by those same liberals.
Herring's statement was well written, but certainly does not absolve him of wrongdoing.
Otherwise, it is a matter of "when", not "if", they will be outed as the bigots that they are.


text:
Is the AGO a religious organisation?
The AGO (American Guild of Organists). As an adult and a Conservatory-trained organist, I found church organists to be unlike any other musicians I ever encountered or worked with. What a piece of work they are.
Hola a todos. Can I write about the elitist clique known as the AGO without raising my blood pressure? Well, I'll try. I've been meaning to write this article for some time based on my negative life experiences with organists.
Well I honestly don't have anything positive to say about the American Guild of Organists. They should more accurately be called the US Guild of Organists since they are mainly about the US and Canada, both of which are in North America. North America includes México. And there are three Americas: North America, Central America and South America. They (the AGO) appear to have no chapters south of the dis-United States border. Again the US is in North America. But the US arrogantly stole the name of the entire hemisphere "America" as its name and the word "Americans" as the name of its people. US Americans/USians is more accurate. Because in reality, anyone living in the Americas is an American, not just US Americans.
The AGO is a US national organisation (based in New York City) of academic, church, and concert organists. The AGO is geographically divided into seven regions and 298 chapters. In recent years, they added international chapters in Kenya, Finland, Barbados, and Shanghai. And the European chapter is the oldest international chapter. Their governing body and system of governance is of an elitist style and rather hoity-toity. They're big on the word "Councillors." Such as this:
The National Council is the main governing body of the American Guild of Organists. The four National Officers, three National Councillors with committees in portfolio, and the Chair of the Board of Regional Councillors (selected by the seven Regional Councillors from among their number) are members of the National Council. The Executive Director is a non-voting member of the National Council.
Oh, so they have three National Councillors with committees in portfolio, Dahling? Well good lord! Can they make it any more complicated and pretentious? All of that for a conservative organisation — of people who believe in a Floating Cloud Being — that seems to do little or nothing to help organists who are not part of their clique or to help the dying organ field? They seem to be more about structure and wasting time with (useless?) committees than they are about actually helping people, except for their "celebrity" organists. They are another essentially useless organisation that most people have never even heard of.
The National Officers of the Guild consist of a President, a Vice President/Councillor of Competitions and New Music, a Secretary/Councillor for Communications, a Treasurer/Councillor for Finance and Development, and a Chaplain. The Chaplain is an honorary national officer and not a member of the National Council.
They need a "chaplain" do they, in a supposedly secular organist organisation? WTF?
Oddly, for me I had a far better experience with church organists before I trained in pipe organ than after I trained. My fondest memories of church organists are as a child and growing up in High School with local church organists who were very nice to me and welcomed me to play the organ in their church, in part perhaps, because they knew I was the piano accompanist for the High School Chorus and the pianist for the local Rotary Club, as well as the church organist and I guess they had heard me play somewhere. In hindsight, I seemed to have had a good musical reputation in the area but I was unaware of that. Well, I knew it to a degree I guess because I was always busy with something musically and someone asking me to do something such as accompany them or to play for some Liturgy, but I didn't walk around with my nose in the air. And I can't stand people who do! Although I had not studied organ at that time. I was working on achieving a good piano technique first at the recommendation of my piano instructor — who helped get me into the Conservatory where I trained — who was also Organist-Choirmaster at the local Episcopal/Anglican parish. One of the local church organists in town had me fill in for her on occasion and that was a thrill because that church (it was Presbyterian) had recently installed a new, large pipe organ up in the back of the Nave. I thoroughly enjoyed playing there. It was a beautiful pipe organ. The local Baptist Church — which oddly observed the Liturgical Year; I'd never known a Baptist Church to follow the Liturgical Year and my dad told me they were a member of the Southern Baptist Convention but they surely didn't act like it when it came to their music (I guess they could have been called High Church Baptist, if there is such a thing) — but they also had a nice pipe organ. Their organist knew of me from the High School Chorus so she welcomed me to play the pipe organ there on occasion. I also served as piano accompanist for one of that church's choral ensembles one Summer. The organist left the key to the organ in the church office for me. I never met her in person, unfortunately. She also served as organist for funerals and on occasion asked me to fill in for her at some funerals. She was well-trained and played beautifully. I stood outside the church one Summer evening while she was practising the organ when the windows were open. Lovely sounding pipe organ, and I later enjoyed playing that organ, that had I heard from outside through the windows.
After I trained in organ — I minored in organ for three years — at the Conservatory, I dealt with nothing but difficult organists. I learned to approach them with "kid gloves" from bad experiences with previous organists. Over time, I began to lose patience with church organists but I tried not to let that show. I kept asking myself: What is wrong with church organists? Why do they act the (belligerent) way they do towards me? I haven't done anything to them. They are unlike any other musicians I've ever dealt with. They are such assholes to me. Why? Thinking back on it, even most of the organ majors in the Conservatory were difficult to be friends with for some reason. I never knew why. They were not like most of the other students or like the many musicians that I accompanied. It was almost as if they thought they were better than others, and I can't stand people like that. They were stand-offish and quite conservative. That seems to be part of "the church organist" stereotype. I only got to know one of the organ major students as a friend (sort of) and she was — like many, if not, most females — an emotional mess most of the time. Similar to my experiences with other females as friends. Although most females don't seem to know that about themselves.
A bit about my experience with females: They're so emotionally-driven and "drippy with love," and their overuse of the word "love." They're also prone to crying on a whim over the most trivial things. Guys don't behave like that. Then some females turn the waterworks off the moment they get their way. They're very manipulative. I've asked female relatives about that and they seem oblivious and or in denial to their erratic, unpredictable moods. With most females, you never know what mood or moods she's going to be in at any given moment. I've found that to be true with female friends as well. A female can change her mood like a light switch minute by minute and are completely oblivious to it, and it's often connected with her female plumbing and hormones. Most guys know exactly what I'm talking about. They refer to "the bitch." The females pretend not to know what I'm talking about. It's the females who choose denial about themselves. Not all, but I'd say most. And another thing: Why does a female require that her guy always hold her hand in public? Is she that damn insecure in their relationship or does she see him as "daddy" and needs for him to protect little dainty her like daddy did and hold her hand crossing the street? And why does she walk one-half step behind the guy — often with her hand latched on to his arm like it's a leash — as if not his equal? When she goes to kiss her guy, why does she put one foot up behind her and stand on the other? Isn't that intended to "be dainty?" Damn odd. I once asked a PhD level psychologist about this and his experience in psychotherapy with females. All he would say was, "Oh they're different" and he didn't say it in a positive manner or facial expression as he rolled his eyes, comparing them to guys. Part of the reason I brought this up is because most of the difficult organists I've dealt with have been females.
After graduation from the Conservatory and when I no longer had a church job (by choice), no one would allow me to use the church organ to practise even when I offered to pay the church, including churches whose organist I knew to be a member of the local chapter of the AGO. I mostly got silence as a response from them. How's that a way to treat your fellow organist and a fellow musician? And do you all pretend to be Christians since you're organists in Christian churches? That's who I contacted. Yet your behaviour towards another organist does not demonstrate your supposed Christian beliefs and of your living the life of Jesus. I don't think Jesus would ignore another organist and outcast him and essentially tell him to "Fuck Off." That's not the way Jesus worked from what we know about his life from learned theologians. I suggest that most of you organists are Christian frauds, like most of the fake-Christians in the pews. Christian in name only. People call themselves anything these days, but that doesn't make it so.
I remember having this accompanying job where I accompanied a singer. He performed in a church on one occasion and I played their organ. Well, when I met with the organist before the Mass, she launched into this lecture of what I should and should not do on "her" organ. I thought to myself: Another fucking piece of work. Having received that lecture many times, in a resigned manner I calmly responded to her by saying, "Yeeeeeeeees. I'm well aware of all that. I trained in organ at the Conservatory where I studied." I wanted to tell her to piss off. As Our Rose said in the British comedy Keeping Up Appearances, "Some women can be bitches." After this organist heard me say, "at the Conservatory where I studied" that seemed to shut this woman up. Sigh. I swear, I've had enough of these people! What dreadful people many/most? church organists are. They are a special breed of assholes quite frankly and I still don't understand why. Why do they act like such disgruntled, miserable people? It's not my problem that they hate their church job and the salary is low and or they have problems with the clergy who often know little or nothing about music yet too often dictate to the Organist-Choirmaster what s/he will do with the music.
I resigned from one of my positions as Organist-Choirmaster for that reason. The priest and I butted heads. It was an Anglo-Catholic (High Anglican) parish, and after awhile the priest started telling me what settings of the Mass he wanted to use. They were not settings I felt were appropriate for High Church. They were rather Low Church. I was also using Anglican Chants for the psalm settings and he wanted to change that to these simple little ditties he found somewhere, that, once again, were not High Church and they were awful musically-speaking. I thought: You want to use that? I wanted to use the time-honoured settings used by the local Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys. It was not like the parishioners didn't like my repertoire selections. No, this problem was with the Rector. The parishioners were very nice and kind to me, and appreciative of my playing. Every Sunday I had members of the parish come up to me during coffee hour and tell me how much they enjoyed the music and how joyful it was — which I very much appreciated; that was so nice of them and I could tell that they were sincere — and that was my intent. I did a lot of improvisations and interludes between verses of the hymns to keep them interesting rather than the same thing every verse, so it wasn't the parishioners who didn't like my Anglican Cathedral music. It was the priest who knew nothing about music, as usual, who wanted to change the music and use settings which were closer to a guitar Mass settings, without the guitars.
Sigh. And they at the AGO expect to promote the organ and the art of organ playing with their cold, chip-on-both-shoulders, belligerent and off-putting attitude that so many (if not most) organists have?
After I no longer had a church job and at that point was not interested in having one because I got tired of having every Sunday morning and other times of the week tied up with church. When I approached church organists, I told them a little bit about my background including my training. That was intended to let them know something about me and that I was well-trained (although I didn't say that; that was to be assumed by them reading my background) and I was not going to "break their organ" or change their precious presets or toe pistons. Mi amigo/My friend asked: Do you think that your Conservatory training was intimidating to the organists that you contacted? Probably. It shouldn't be, but it may have been in the context that the organist thought that I was trying to "come in through the back door" to steal his or her church job when I had no interest in a church job, but they didn't know that. When I was teaching, I found that some people were intimidated by my Conservatory training. A relative who knows nothing about music read my music bio. She said she was intimidated by the language "Conservatory-trained." She was also intimidated by my Orchestra Chorus experience where I listed that I performed in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with Norman Scribner's Choral Arts Society of Washington and Dr Paul Traver's University of Maryland Chorus with the National Symphony Orchestra and guest international orchestras, as well as in San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall with Margaret Hillis's/Vance George's San Francisco Symphony Chorus. I thought: What am I supposed to do? Lie about where I trained despite that expensive tuition and lie about my performance experience just because someone feels intimidated by it? That's their problem. Or not list it at all? But by not saying anything, that can give the impression that one is trying to hide something. I think other musicians experience this. I suspect that's one of the reasons why one of my piano professors referred to herself by her first and last name only rather than "Dr" (she has a DMA – Doctor of Musical Arts), but perhaps she found that people were intimidated by her Doctorate degree. I know of a Choral Director with a DMA but he also refers to himself using his first and last name only. I think many (if not most) church organists felt threatened that I was trying to take their job. Are church organists really that insecure in their positions? Perhaps so. And there aren't that many organists looking for church jobs to cause church organists to feel so threatened.
Organist Diane Bish has had her share of experiences with difficult organists. She has said, "Organists can be touchy." Diane is being far, far too kind. I wish she had really told us what she thought about them in no uncertain terms. I'm sure she ran into some real pieces of work when she and or her producer (Mary Roman) were trying to schedule a taping of her superb programme The Joy of Music in various parishes and Cathedral Churches.
At the Conservatory where I trained as a piano major, and voice and pipe organ double minors (3 years as opposed to the required 2 years), my organ professor asked me if I would consider being an organ major, to change my major from piano to organ. I was flattered by his suggestion and his confidence in me as an organist. But I thought about it and talked with my parents about it, and decided to remain a piano major, which I think disappointed my professor.
Many church organists seem to live under the illusion that they personally own the organ in their church so it's very difficult, if not impossible, to get them to slide their posterior off the organ bench. They are very immaturely possessive of "their" organ. Even when dealing with a trained organist, the church organist's approach can be that s/he is going to "break the organ" or change his/her presets, which I always assured them I would not do in my introductory letters asking if I might use "their" organ for practise time.
I suspect that Diane Bish is not like the pieces of work organists I'm speaking negatively about. I think she would welcome anyone to play the organ. The same goes for Paul Jacobs at The Juilliard School. I've never had the pleasure of meeting him but he seems like the nicest guy, but to my knowledge he's not a church organist. He's busy at Juilliard. Also Benjamin Straley (former Organist at Washington National Cathedral in the District of Columbia) and Thomas Sheehan (current Organist at WNC). None of them are your typical, uptight, stuffy church organists. They are four superb organists who come to mind who I sense from them would gladly give another organist the opportunity and thrill of playing the parish or cathedral church organ. People like that are the genuine artists among us and secure with themselves. It's the insecure and immature people who act difficult, probably because they're concerned that another organist will "show them up" as the expression goes. Well, I was never interested in "showing anybody up." That was never my intent and it never crossed my mind. I just wanted to work on some mostly French organ repertoire to consider giving an organ performance. I wanted to perform the Widor Toccata, Jehan Alain's Litanies, some organ works by Herbert Howells, and others. But, that was not going to happen because of the difficult assholes of the AGO.
I mentioned Diane Bish up above. I guess that caused a coronary arrest for some people reading this. I know some people don't like Diane, are critical of her and or don't like her playing. As far as I'm concerned: Diane, Mary Roman (her producer) and her production crew did an excellent job on The Joy of Music. The main criticism of Diane is that she was too flashy in her performance attire and or didn't play things as they were written in the score. I was there for her music and her artistry. I couldn't care less what she wore. Only the shallow and superficial people are obsessed with that type of thing. As for her not honouring the wishes of the composer in the score, I watched all of her programmes many times and I only noticed two occasions where, in a couple of measures of a piece, she didn't play it according to the authentic edition score that I have. What pieces do I have in mind? One piece was the last couple of measures of the Dubois Sortie-Toccata, as I remember. The other was the Widor Toccata where — from what I could see from the camera angle — she didn't hold that awkward top C in the left hand thumb down on the upper manual at the end of that piece each time she played it. That top C in the left hand thumb is awkward which may be why she didn't look like she was holding it down (her LH thumb was sticking up) because the organist has to lean way over to the right to feel comfortable playing that. And the LH is on an upper manual to begin with which makes it a bit more uncomfortable depending upon how one is sitting and the height of the organ bench. Also, the length of one's arms can play a factor here too. So, assuming she wasn't holding the top C down, did anyone notice but me? I don't think so. I suspect if one didn't have the score and had never played the piece, one wouldn't have known of these slight changes she made, and I don't know why she made them, but a couple of measures in a piece that aren't exactly per the score doesn't stop me from enjoying her playing. She studied with Jehan Alain's sister (Marie-Claire Alain) in Amsterdam, so maybe the slight changes Diane made really came from Ms Alain? I don't know. It doesn't really concern me. Having played the Dubois, I knew that it didn't quite end the way Diane ended it, but that was her thing. Well-trained musicians — and Diane is obviously well-trained — try to be as faithful to the wishes of the composer and honour the score as closely as possible. I'm not going to nitpick Diane over a couple of measures in one or two pieces, and people who do so need to find a new hobby such as maybe flower arranging or they need to find something to polish to take their mind off of Diane and nitpicking her playing. If you don't like her playing, there's a solution to that: Watch somebody else, until you find something wrong with them to nitpick them to death, you useless trash. I've had it up to here with the self-appointed, know-it-all classical music armchair critics — who ruin classical music for a lot of people — who have nothing else to do in their pathetic lives than to sit around nitpicking classical music performances to death. And one often gets the impression that these arm chair critics have never studied music or any instrument, yet they consider themselves an "expert." Why not give us a link to your performance of the piece to show us all how it's supposed to be played, according to omnipotent you! Ugh. I can't stand these trash.
When I served as Organist-Choirmaster in Anglican parishes, I welcomed anyone to play the organ, although no one ever approached me to ask to play it. The instrument didn't belong to me, so who was I to say who could play it and who couldn't? No one is going to break it and one meets with a guest organist first to begin with and can get a feel for the person.
So, is the AGO a religious organisation? Some organists have speculated about this. It seems like the AGO is a religious organisation of sorts. At least a semi-religious group. Because some or most of their membership are organists in churches, temples and synagogues? I was a member for awhile — really got nothing out of it; it seemed like a rather elitist organisation with the usual local "celebrity" organists as members and none of them willing to allow another organist/non-celebrity to use their organ for practise purposes. Most of the church organists I contacted via letter did not have the courtesy to respond to my enquiry. How nice and "Christian." I remember seeing bible verses in their monthly newsletter which I found a turn-off. That's when I began asking: Is the AGO a religious organisation? What are bible verses doing in a newsletter of an allegedly secular organisation? And I remember that the style of their newsletter looked more like the style of a Protestant church bulletin, especially the font they were using. It looked very conservative.
At that time (this was some years ago) — and I suspect it's much worse now — there were very few, if any, organist church jobs anywhere where one would want to work. No church had a nice organ where there was an opening for church organist. And the salary was rather low, even by AGO guidelines. And since AGO organists don't encourage other organists in any way, shape or form to keep their artistry up at the organ to performance level — you can't perform if you don't have an instrument to practise on! — there's no wonder that the organ field is slowly dying.
One local church organist — another major piece of work — gave me permission to practise on the church organ. He seemed like a nice guy until we met. I specified in my written request to him that I was going to do some personal recording. It was nothing commercial. Well, when I arrived at the church this asshole got bent out of shape because I had brought mi amigo/my friend with me who was going to run the small recording device I brought. "Who's he?" the organist asked. "You didn't tell me you were bringing anyone." I said: Well it didn't occur to me that I needed to since he's with me. What's the problem with one extra person who will be quietly sitting there turning the recording device on and off? This church organist went off on me in rage. I didn't put up with his nonsense. We got into a major argument and being sick of church organists and their nasty attitude, I let him have it verbally. I wasn't putting up with his nonsense. I couldn't understand his "logic." I said, "Well he's here. Can you 'approve him' now?" He said: That's not the point and he launched into another tirade. Insanity. I hadn't expected anything like this and after awhile I left and never returned. All of that dysfunction simply because I didn't tell him that another person would be with me. Loco./Crazy. I think any sane, rationale and reasonable person would have said: Oh, it doesn't matter. It's nice to meet your friend and enjoy your recording session. (That's what I would have said to anybody).
If you don't have an organ at home — and everybody can afford to have an organ at home or in a small apartment, correct? (sarcasm intended) or a church job, one can forget organ performance. It ain't going to happen because the members of the AGO Cult are not going to help you in any way, shape or form. Period. They don't want you to threaten their church job, which is how most church organists seem to view a request to use the church organ for practise purposes. And often the clergy hold the same views. Many clergy are anti-music. They have no interest in the music in their church. That's especially the case with (Roman) Catholics. And many, if not most, parishioners in Catholic churches have no interest in the music either. To them it's all about "The Spoken Word." I had sensed that from Catholics from my limited musical experience with them, but it was confirmed during the years that I watched the Masses from La Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris. Many of the viewers of their Liturgies online were very outspoken that they had no interest in the music of the Mass. Some were really quite disrespectful in their comments on U-toob of the choristers and organists. From what I observed, I sensed that the clergy at Notre-Dame had a bit more respect for the music than your average podunk Catholic Church. That might have been because they did have a Choir School at Notre-Dame before the fire, although oddly it was rare that any Choir sang for their Masses. Don't try to figure that out. It was usually a quartet or octet that sang for their Masses. Whereas in the Anglican Communion, the Choir School (the few that there are today) provide the Choir (parish or Cathedral Choir) for the major Liturgy each week on Domingo/Sunday as well as for Evensong. But that's not the way it worked at Notre-Dame, which I found quite odd. I thought that maybe KTO-TV was not uploading the Festive Choral Mass to their U-toob channel. But one of the former choristers at Notre-Dame made a statement saying that the only time the Full Choir sang at Notre-Dame was for Navidad/Christmas and they all looked forward to that. So with a Choir School the only time the Full Choir sang in the Cathedral was approximately once a year. Loco./Crazy. That's what one expects with a parish or Cathedral Church without a Choir School. Their Children's Choir was consistently the best. They sang with perfect intonation and excellent diction. The Adult Choir usually did not sing with perfect intonation. And with them, one also heard heavy-vibrato used in Renaissance music. That's unheard of! When this was pointed out to one of the choristers, he said "You are correct. Vibrato should not be used in Renaissance music." But nothing was done about it. Then what did we hear the next week in Renaissance music? Heavy-vibrato, as if they were trying to emulate an Opera Chorus. It sounded awful. On the odd occasion, they would sing Renaissance music without noticeable vibrato — it seemed to depend upon which choristers were there/on-call — and on those occasions the Renaissance pieces were quite beautiful. The male Choirmaster for the adults seemed to let the adult choristers sing anyway they wanted. So if someone was studying opera in the Choir School, they used their "opera voice" in the Choir rather than — the way it's supposed to be done — their "choral voice." By using their "opera voice" the choral ensemble did not sing with perfect intonation, one of the foundations of choral excellence. So I gave up on Notre-Dame because of their inconsistent choral standards, and I knew they were not about to change regardless of what anyone said about them. I realised that unfortunately a consistent level of choral excellence did not exist at Notre-Dame, which I found surprising for such a world-renowned Cathedral Church.
Except for occasional wobbling in the tenor section, here (below) is an excellent performance of the Kyrie eleison, a setting by Louis Vierne, sung by the Full Choir of Men, Women, Boys and Girls. (If I were the Choirmaster I would have said to the tenor section: No noticeable vibrato, please, tenors. Perfect intonation cannot be achieved with noticeable vibrato in any voice part, SATB). This was sung for a special memorial service in the Nave. That's why the Full Choir was there, on this rare occasion. You'll notice the two organists in Notre-Dame. The Grand Orgue — up in the back of the Nave — was played by one of the three Titulaire Organists and the Choir Orgue was played by one of the three Choir Organists. Go to 14.44 in the video to hear the Vierne. Although I'd advise to start from the beginning to hear that glorious High Church organ improvisation, watch the very High Church procession complete with incense as it should be, followed by the processional hymn (The Doxology; I've not heard The Doxology used as a processional hymn before but it works well) complete with descant sung by the Boys and Girls of the Cathedral Choir. Despite my problems with the music at Notre-Dame, they did have the best High Church Liturgy I have seen anywhere.
As for these AGO people: They are such good, warm and friendly "Christians" aren't they? (Sarcasm intended) Christian in name-only is more like it. So they essentially say to an organist enquiring about practising on the church organ: Piss Off. Go away. The clergy might be interested in allowing you to practise on the church's organ if one is a paying-member — meaning a tithing member — of their Christian cult, their church. If not, their bottom line: Bug off. They're not interested.
Few churches are replacing their ageing organs with new installations. Some major city parishes are getting new organs (pipe or digital), but many churches are now succumbing to the fundamentalist Praise Band fad. Catering to the lowest common denomination. And it's, in part, because of this mentality, that the public see pipe organs and organs in general as some outdated creature of the past. One of the churches that I grew up in no longer has an organ. They've gone to Praise Bands and casio-style keyboards with hand-clapping and fundamentalist-style "praise Jesus" arms in the air. Disgusting.
One can thank the AGO for this since — as I see it — they are directly responsible for the organ's demise because of their elitist approach. Most are certainly not at all activists for the organ or for the promotion of time-honoured organ music or for the organ and — as I've made quite clear up above — they don't encourage others to play the organ in the church.
I think of the AGO as a cult really. Of course the AGO would disagree and or live in denial about that, but the truth hurts, doesn't it? And do they ever wonder why their membership is so pathetically low? Ultimately, they are directly responsible for their own demise. Chau.—el barrio rosa
This entry was posted in Blog, Posts, Uncategorized and tagged is the ago a religious organisation? on March 11, 2020 by el barrio rosa.
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During 2010, Isolux Corsán became a formal signatory to the United Nations Global Pact. This marked its recognition of the Group's determination to accept a voluntary commitment to implement the 10 principles governing this compact's mission with the Group.
Since then the Group undertakes to present an annual progress report describing the efforts made to carry out the Principles signed as part of its commitment to responsibility and public transparency and in accordance with the Global Compact's Progress Policy: .
Eliminate of all forms of forced and compulsory labour.
Eliminate of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Renewal of the Group's Commitment to the United Nations Global Compact, through a document signed by our CEO.
Promotion of a greater number of training programmes.
Promotion of diversity Integration policies.
Development of corporate tools which facilitate communication and global management.
Performance of projects with great environmental challenges: construction of 1,191 km of transmission lines in the heart of the Amazon forest, protecting the area's natural resources.
Furthering R&D&I, with projects in key areas for today's society such as purification of wastewaters and occupational risk prevention.