text:
\section{Introduction}
Mobile traffic has risen critically in recent years. In 2014 alone, global mobile data traffic grew 69\%, the number of mobile devices grew 7.2\% to 7.4 billion, and average smart phone usage grew 45\%, largely due to the spread of LTE \cite{_cisco_????}. As traffic has increased, it has become beneficial to  offload data to densely deployed pico or femto cells in heterogeneous networks (HetNets). Base stations (BSs) on such tiers, with smaller transmit powers and potentially different propagation characteristics, are cheaper and easier to install than macro BSs. In 2014, 46\% of mobile data traffic was offloaded to Wi-Fi or cellular femto cells, blunting some of the growth of cellular data traffic \cite{_cisco_????}. Optimizing user association and coordination for HetNets is an open and active research area\cite{yiakoumis_behop:_2014, andrews_overview_2014, jo_heterogeneous_2012, damnjanovic_survey_2011, ghosh_heterogeneous_2012,wang_load-aware_2014,ye_user_2013}. In addition, the uplink is considered increasingly important for anticipated applications, and uplink user association has recently been given attention\cite{smiljkovikj_analysis_2015,elshaer_downlink_2014, singh_joint_2015, boccardi_why_2015}.

\subsection{Background and Related Work}

Many of the benefits of dense networks may not be realized if enough users do not connect to the small-cell BSs.  In \cite{yiakoumis_behop:_2014}, it was observed through a test bed of a dense Wi-Fi network that clients often connected to a 2.4 GHz router because it delivered a higher Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio ($\mathtt{SINR}$), even when router load and resource differences between the bands often led to much higher performance in the 5 GHz band. Methods to increase capacity in heterogeneous networks, through biasing, blanking, and dynamic load balancing, are well studied \cite{andrews_overview_2014, jo_heterogeneous_2012, damnjanovic_survey_2011, ghosh_heterogeneous_2012}.

Static biasing causes user equipment (UE) to connect to small cells if the received power from those cells is within the bias limit of the received power from the macro base station, reducing load on the macro tier. Recent work has sought to dynamically adjust these biases in a distributed and real-time manner, further increasing load balancing gains \cite{wang_load-aware_2014,ye_user_2013}. Furthermore, large potential gains in the uplink have been shown through decoupling uplink user association from the downlink through both analysis and detailed simulations\cite{smiljkovikj_analysis_2015,elshaer_downlink_2014, singh_joint_2015, boccardi_why_2015}. In \cite{smiljkovikj_analysis_2015}, stochastic geometry analysis is used to show that decoupling leads to significant uplink gain and an increase in fairness. Similar gains are shown in \cite{elshaer_downlink_2014} using a ray tracing prediction model. A minimum path loss association is shown to be optimal for the uplink in \cite{singh_joint_2015}. In both \cite{singh_joint_2015} and \cite{boccardi_why_2015}, uplink/downlink decoupling with biasing for the downlink is discussed.

The existing analysis and simulation literature on biasing and decoupling uses single slope path loss models, though dual slope models have been shown to more closely match empirical results and to have significantly different characteristics in asymptotically dense networks \cite{erceg_urban/suburban_1992, hampton_urban_2006}. Multi-slope models more closely capture the relationship between the path loss and link distance in many cases. Some of these cases are summarized in \cite{zhang_downlink_2015}. Recent channel modeling activity in mmWave frequencies has also increased the interest in dual slope models because of significant blocking characteristics~\cite{rangan_millimeter-wave_2014, bai_coverage_2015, ghosh_millimeter-wave_2014}. Such models use different path loss exponents for line of sight (LOS) and non line of sight (NLOS) links. In \cite{zhang_downlink_2015}, coverage and capacity scaling is characterized with respect to the LOS path loss exponent. In~\cite{ding_performance_2015}, dual slope models are shown to affect coverage probability variation with density of the network. In~\cite{galiotto_effect_2014}, a similar effect is shown concerning area spectral efficiency and energy efficiency scaling with density. In this work, we extend the dual slope analysis to study user association techniques in heterogeneous networks.

\subsection{Contributions}
Static downlink biasing and pathloss based uplink association have been shown to boost throughput with single slope models~\cite{andrews_overview_2014, smiljkovikj_analysis_2015}. This paper develops insight on the performance of these techniques with dual slope models. We make the following observations, where we denote the path loss exponents below and beyond critical radius, and for single slope model  as $\alpha_0$, $\alpha_1$, and $\alpha$ respectively.
\begin{itemize}
\item Dual slope models lead to a much smaller gain from optimal downlink biasing compared to the single slope case, when $\alpha = \alpha_0$, though a higher overall rate. Dual slope models lead to steering of users to nearby small cells without biasing.
\item Biasing with both single and dual slope models increases the rate for the majority of users. However, with dual slope models the mismatch between bias for optimal median rate and that for optimal edge rate increases. This mismatch becomes more pronounced at moderate to high relative densities, where biasing for one leads to losses for the other.
\item Biasing rate gains for out-of-band small cells decrease as the relative density between the tiers increases. With single slope models, the gains are a much weaker negative function of the absolute densities of the tiers. With dual slope models, there is no such dependence on the absolute densities of the tiers.
\item The larger path loss exponent in a dual slope model determines biasing gain and the uplink/downlink decoupling gain. The larger path loss exponent is also much more significant than the smaller path loss exponent in determining the fraction of users associated to small cells.
\item Biasing optimally for the downlink captures most but not all of the gain from uplink/downlink decoupling. This trend is especially true with dual slope path loss models, as users are more likely to be associated with small cells with lesser (as compared to that for single slope) bias.\end{itemize}
Together, these observations underscore the importance of using dual or multi slope path loss models to analyze the performance of user association techniques.
\section{System Model}
A two-tier system is simulated, where the femto cells are out-of-band relative to the macro cells. UEs and BSs in each tier $i$ are placed according to a Poisson Point Processes (PPP) with density $\lambda_u$ and $\lambda_i$, respectively. A sample $p$ is drawn from a Poisson distribution with mean $\lambda$, and $p$ points from a 2-D uniform distribution are drawn on the grid $[-g, g]$. Users  associate  with BSs  according to a specified rule. Then, BS load, $\mathtt{SINR}$, and rate are calculated for the user at the origin. These values are measured over many experiments to generate distributions given each set of parameters. Without loss of generality, all measurements are made with respect to a fixed user at the origin. A full list of parameters is included in Table~\ref{tab:parameters}.

\index{commands!environments!table}%
\begin{table}
\caption [Simulation parameters and measurements.]{Simulation parameters and measurements.}
\label{tab:parameters}
\centering
\begin{tabular}{ | c | c |}
\hline
    \textbf{Parameter} & \textbf{Value}\\ \hline

    \hline
    Number of Tiers & 2 \\ \hline
    $\lambda_u$ & $200 \text{ UEs}/\text{km}^2$\\ \hline
    $\lambda_i$ & $10^{-1} \text{ to } 10^{2.5} \text{ BS}/\text{km}^2$\\ \hline
    $[-g, g]$   & $[-10, 10]$\\ \hline
    $h_{k,j}$   & iid exponential RV with $\mu = 1$\\ \hline
    $P_{t,i}$   & 46 dBm for Macro, 23 dBm for Femto\\ \hline
        $P_{t,u}$   & truncated channel inversion, maximum 20 dBm\\ \hline
    $\sigma^2$   & $-10$ dBm\\ \hline
    $\alpha$   & Single Slope Path Loss Exponent $2 \text{ and }3$\\ \hline

    $[\alpha_0$, $\alpha_1]$   & Path Loss Exponents $[2, 2], [2, 4], [3, 3],\text{ and }[3, 4]$\\ \hline
	$d_0$ & 100 m \\ \hline
    $R_c$   & 30 m \\ \hline
    $B_i$   & $0 \text{ dB}\text{ to } 12 \text{ dB}$ \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

\subsection{Propagation Model}
A Rayleigh Fading channel is used. A channel value $h_{k,j}$ between user $k$ and BS $j$ in tier $i$ is drawn from iid exponential distributions $ p_x (h_{k,j}, \lambda) = \lambda e^{-\lambda x} $, where $\lambda = 1$. Following~\cite{zhang_downlink_2015}, the received power with  single-slope model is
\begin{equation}
\label{eqn:singleslope}
P_r = h_{k,j} P_t K \left(\frac{x_j}{d_0}\right)^{-\alpha},
\end{equation}
where $K$ encapsulates parameters such as antenna heights and gains, $x_j$ is the distance from  BS $j$, and that with  dual slope path loss model is
\begin{equation}
\label{eqn:dualslope}
P_r=\left\{
\begin{array}{c l}
    h_{k,j} P_t K \left(\frac{x_j}{d_0}\right)^{-\alpha_0} & x \le R_c\\
    R_c^{\alpha_1 - \alpha_0} h_{k,j} P_t K \left(\frac{x_j}{d_0}\right)^{-\alpha_1} & x > R_c
\end{array}\right\},
\end{equation}
where $R_c$ is the critical radius, and  $R_c^{\alpha_1 - \alpha_0}$ factor is used for continuity purposes.
\subsection{Downlink User Association}
For downlink association, two techniques are analyzed: highest received power and highest biased received power based association.
\label{sec:userassociation}
\subsubsection{Highest Received Power}
 A user $k$ associates with the BS $j$ that maximizes the $\mathtt{SNR}$.
\begin{equation}
\label{eqn:highsinrdownlink}
\arg\max_{j} \{P_{r,{j}}  - \sigma^2 \},
\end{equation}
where $\sigma^2$ denotes the noise power. Note that such an association differs from association in real networks, where a UE can easily determine $\mathtt{SINR}$ from each BS using reference signals. $\mathtt{SNR}$ association is commonly used in simulation based studies due to intractability in computing $\mathtt{SINR}$ for all UEs \cite{smiljkovikj_analysis_2015, elshaer_downlink_2014}.
\subsubsection{Highest Biased Received Power}

A user $k$ is associated with the BS $j$ in tier $i$ that maximizes
\begin{equation}
\max_{j} \{P_{r,{j}}  + B_i- \sigma^2\ \} ,
\end{equation}
where $B_i$ is the bias for the tier $i$.
This work assumes that all BSs within a tier share the same bias value, but  this value can be tuned for any given network configuration.
\subsection{Uplink User Association}
The strategies compared for uplink association are: coupled with the downlink, and decoupled with highest received power at the BS.
\subsubsection{Coupled Association}
With this association, a user associates with the same BS on the uplink as in the downlink and selected based on one of the downlink association rules.

\subsubsection{Highest Received Power at the Base Station (Uplink Pathloss Association)}
\label{sec:uplinkSNR}
 A user $k$ is associated with the BS $j$  that maximizes uplink received power, i.e. the BS index is
\begin{equation}
\arg\max_{j} \{ P_{r,j}(dB) - \sigma^2\},
\end{equation}
where
\begin{equation*}
P_{r,j} = \begin{cases}
 h_{k,j}KP_{t,u} \left(\frac{x_j}{d_0}\right)^{-\alpha_0} &  x \le R_c\\
 R_c^{\alpha_1 - \alpha_0} h_{k,j} P_{t,u} K \left(\frac{x_j}{d_0}\right)^{-\alpha_1}  & x > R_c.
\end{cases}
\end{equation*}
 Truncated channel inversion is used in the uplink. $P_{t,u}$ is the UE transmit power and includes truncated channel inversion, i.e., $P_{t,u}$ inverts the path loss up to the maximum transmitted power. Note that $P_{t,u}$ does not depend on tier to which the user is connected. Thus, this association rule is the same as transmitting to the BS that receives the highest instantaneous SNR from the user.

\subsection{Simulation Setup}
\label{sec:performancemetrics}
For each parameter combination, measurements are collected and averaged over 2000 drops. For each drop, the BS locations, user locations, and the channel values are drawn from their respective distributions. The received power and $\mathtt{SINR}$ from BS $j$ in tier $i$ for each drop are computed as in (\ref{eqn:singleslope}) and (\ref{equation:finalSINRdownlink}). Note that in-cell interference is assumed to be perfectly nulled.
\begin{equation}
\label{equation:finalSINRdownlink}
\gamma_{downlink} = \frac{P_{r,{j}}}{\sum\limits_{l \neq j} P_{r,{l}} + \sigma^2}
\end{equation}
Full Channel State Information at the Transmitter (CSIT) is assumed with rate modulation. A user receives a downlink rate $r$ from BS $j$ in tier $i$, where

\begin{equation}
\label{eqn:model_rate}
r=
    \frac{1}{N_{j}} \log_2(1 + \gamma_{downlink}) \text{ bps/Hz}
\end{equation}
and  $N_{j}$ is the number of associated users. This rate calculation translates to a system with fair, orthogonal resource partitioning with BS load $N_{j}$. Uplink rate is calculated similarly, with no intra-cell interference.
\section{Downlink Biasing Simulation Results}

\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3.4in]
{OptimalBiasingGainMedianRate.eps}
\caption{Gain in downlink median rates with optimal biasing over no biasing for varying femto cell density and path loss exponents. Macro tier density is held constant at 1 BS/sq km.}
\label{fig:med50downlink}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3.4in]
{OptimalBiasingGain10Rate.eps}\caption{Gain in downlink edge rate with optimal biasing (for median rate) over no biasing for varying  femto cell density and path loss exponents. Macro tier density is held constant at 1 BS/sq km.}
\label{fig:med5downlink}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3.4in]
{OptimalBiasingGain90Rate.eps}
\caption{Gain in downlink peak rate with optimal biasing (for median rate) over no biasing for varying  femto cell density and path loss exponents. Macro tier density is held constant at 1 BS/sq km.}
\label{fig:med90downlink}
\end{figure}
\label{sec:biasing}
\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3.4in]{median_rate_downlink_both.eps}\caption{Optimal biasing gain for the median downlink user as the density of both tiers increases. Macro cell density is 10x less than the femto cell density. }
\label{fig:medianrawboth}
\end{figure}
In this section, the optimal biases are found as the bias values that maximize the median rate across drops for each parameter combination. The gain in median rate with optimal biasing over that with no biasing for various small cell densities and path loss exponents is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:med50downlink}. Dual slope path loss model leads to a higher rate for the median user. However, as can be seen in the figure, there is a smaller additional gain from biasing when dual slope models are used. Using a dual slope path loss leads to a steering of users to nearby small cells without biasing; the larger transmit power of the macro station experiences a larger path loss if the BS is past the critical distance $R_c$. For large relative densities (when a small cell is likely to be within $R_c$), less biasing is required.

Furthermore, with dual slope models the mismatch between the optimal bias for median rate and that for optimal edge ($10$th percentile) and peak ($90$th percentile) rate increases.
Figs.~\ref{fig:med5downlink}~and~\ref{fig:med90downlink} show the gain in rate with optimal biasing for the  edge  and peak rate respectively. Under the stated assumptions, the biasing gain for the edge and median user persists even for large relative density with the single slope models for $\alpha = 3$. Single slope models lead to biasing that is beneficial to even the peak rate user at very low densities -- the load balancing gains from biasing are larger than the loss due to a reduced signal strength. For the dual slope cases, however, the edge and median users see a smaller gain. The edge user sees a much smaller gain with dual slope models than it would if the biasing were optimized for the edge user rather than the median user. Similarly, the peak rate user realizes biasing losses at any practical relative density with dual slope models. These high-rate users are already connected to small cells, and so they receive fewer resources as more users connect to small cells due to biasing. These losses are exacerbated if biasing values are chosen to maximize the edge rate instead of the median rate. Since biasing and techniques are often used to improve the rate for edge users, this tradeoff may be acceptable for the peak rate user but not the edge user. In settings with a higher difference between LOS and NLOS propagation, such as mmWave networks, this tradeoff may no longer be beneficial, and static biasing is less useful. The load balancing effects of the large NLOS path loss exponent may capture most of the gain, and biasing must be carefully tailored to increase the rates of target users.

In~\cite{andrews_overview_2014}, bias factors are found to decrease with increasing small cell density for out-of-band small cells for single slope models. In this work, simulations show similar trends regarding optimal biases for dual slope models as well. Bias values are found to be negatively associated with relative density for out-of-band small cells, and biasing gains are also a function of the relative density of the tiers. Biasing gains do not strongly depend on absolute density of the small cells, just the relative density -- especially for the dual slope case. In Fig.~\ref{fig:medianrawboth}, the density of each tier increases while maintaining the relative density at a ratio of $10$ femto cells per macro cell, and the gains remain invariant for a large range of small cell density with dual slope models. There is a slight negative relationship, but it is much weaker than that in the relative density case. This result suggests that the number of small cells installed per macro BSs should be known for setting of the optimal biases.

Finally, the figures demonstrate an non-intuitive result: NLOS propagation characteristics determine system performance. The gain in downlink rates for all users with biasing, is nearly identical for the $[2,4]\text{ and }[3,4]$ cases, and the $[2,5]\text{ and }[3,5]$ cases, respectively. The same trends can be found in the uplink/downlink decoupling results in the next section. The NLOS path loss exponent seems to determine both the interference from other cells and to which tier the UE will connect, and so it is important to use multi-slope models. Further analytical studies are required to validate these observations.

\section{Uplink/Downlink Decoupling Simulation Results}
\label{sec:dudesection}
\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3.4in]{GainoverNoBias.eps}
\caption{Gain in median uplink rate for optimal downlink biasing when compared to downlink association without biasing. The macro tier density is held constant at 1 BS/sq km.}
\label{fig:withoutbiasing}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3.4in]
{GainoverOptimalBias.eps}\caption{Gain in median uplink rate due to decoupling when compared to downlink association with optimal downlink biasing. The macro tier density is held constant at 1 BS/sq km.}
\label{fig:withbiasing}
\end{figure}

In~\cite{singh_joint_2015} it is shown that with coupled association, biasing for load balancing in the downlink would also benefit the uplink, as  users are more likely to connect to closer, low-power BSs that also exhibit a smaller uplink path loss. However, it is shown that in \cite{singh_joint_2015,boccardi_why_2015}  that the decoupled uplink would still outperform optimal coupled association. In this work, these claims are further investigated in the context of dual slope model.
Fig.~\ref{fig:withoutbiasing} shows the gain in median uplink rate due to optimal downlink biasing over the no biasing case. Note that, as defined, optimal biasing only maximizes downlink median rate, rather than the joint downlink-uplink rate. Thus, optimal biasing that optimizes joint uplink and downlink capacity could yield further gains as shown in \cite{singh_joint_2015}. Fig.~\ref{fig:withbiasing} shows the gain in median user uplink rate from decoupling when compared to coupled association with optimal downlink biasing. The majority of the gain in uplink rate is captured by optimal biasing for the downlink, for both single slope and dual slope models. However, under our assumptions, decoupling still yields gains over optimal downlink biasing up to a relative density of 10 small cells per macro cell. This gain is seen to be lower for dual slope models.

These results can largely be explained by the fraction of users associated to the small cells in each of the cases. Figs.~\ref{fig:fractionassociatediff}~and~\ref{fig:fractionassociatediff_optimalbiasing} show the fraction of users that are connected to different BSs for the uplink than they are for the downlink, when path loss association is used for the uplink. Fig.~\ref{fig:fractionassociatediff} shows the case without downlink biasing, and Fig.~\ref{fig:fractionassociatediff_optimalbiasing} shows the case with downlink biasing. Downlink biasing reduces the number of users associated sub-optimally for the uplink by a factor of 2. The use of dual slope path loss models further reduces this number. These figures also show the effect of the larger, NLOS exponent, as discussed in the previous section. The larger path loss exponent largely determines the fraction of users associated to each tier.

\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3.4in]{FractionDifferentUplinkNoBiasing.eps}
\caption{Fraction of users associated differently for uplink and downlink when path loss association is used for the uplink and downlink $\mathtt{SNR}$ is used for the downlink. The macro tier density is held constant at 1 BS/sq km.}
\label{fig:fractionassociatediff}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=3.4in]{FractionDifferentUplinkOptimalBiasing.eps}
\caption{Fraction of users associated differently for uplink and downlink, when path loss association is used for the uplink and optimal downlink biasing is used for the downlink. The macro tier density is held constant at 1 BS/sq km.}
\label{fig:fractionassociatediff_optimalbiasing}
\end{figure}

\section{Conclusion}
This work demonstrates the importance of using dual slope path loss models to analyze user association schemes in heterogeneous networks. Dual slope models lead to lower biasing downlink rate gains and uplink/downlink decoupling uplink rate gains. For many practical relative densities between the macro and the small cell tier, it may not be beneficial to decouple uplink/downlink if biasing is already used for downlink load balancing. We also observe the large relative significance of the larger path loss exponent in biasing gain, uplink/downlink decoupling gain, and in the fraction of users associated to small cells. These results add to an increasing call to use dual or multi slope models instead of the idealized, single slope path loss model. Dual slope models better match real deployments and, as demonstrated in this paper, often lead to different results when analyzing techniques. Future work should analyze cases in which different tiers have different propagation characteristics, and when the small cells are in-band to the macro cells.

\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


This handmade beauty bar uses natural antioxidants to deliver ultra-moisturized skin. No dyes, lanolin, sulfates, or formaldehydes, and no added fragrance — only the scent of the bar's all natural ingredients: saponified oils (olive, soybean, palm, and shea butter), grape seed oil, and red wine.
(4 oz.) How To Use It: Use in the bath or shower to leave skin feeling silky.


Ships out from our facilities in 1-2 business days. Time in transit varies by destination; usually 2-5 business days.
Click the button below to add the Embrace Earthurn Biodegradable Urn - Autumn Leaves to your wish list.
Each cremation urn in the Biodegradable Embrace Earthurn collection is suitable for scattering, biodegradable burial or the temporary storage of cremated remains. No trees are cut down to produce these eco-friendly biodegradable urns. Since they are crafted by hand from natural and sustainable materials, each piece may vary slightly in size, shape and appearance. Earthurns are supplied with a water-soluble bag into which the cremated remains must be placed.
The Autumn Leaves urn is made from elegant black handmade paper inlaid with real leaves. Available in two sizes; the Standard holds 230 cubic inches while the Mini holds just 30 cubic inches of cremated remains. Figure 1 cubic inch of remains per pound of the individual's weight. Thus, a 175 lbs individual will require an urn with the capacity of at least 175 cubic inches.
These durable and attractive Earthurns are produced from the bark of the mulberry tree using an ancient technique that allows the bark of the tree to be harvested without destroying the tree. In fact, the tree continues to thrive and grow. The resulting textured paper is dried in the sun before being used to create the urns.
8.5W" x 8.5H" x 5"
4.25W" x 4.25H" x 2.5"


text:
namespace RestberryPiApi.HostedService
{
    internal class UiToggleTriggerConfiguration
    {
        public string EventName { get; internal set; }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Talent Agency News, Signings, Castings
Conventions, Conferences, Summits News
Online and Mobile video
Production and Post-Production Products and Services
Joe Walker, ACE Set For Keynote Conversation at EditFest LA 2019
EditFest LA, the day-long celebration of the art and craft of editing, is set for August 24, 2019 at Walt Disney Studios' Frank Wells Theater. EditFest brings the world's top editors to the stage to share their insights and experiences.
American Cinema Editors (ACE) Announces Date and Voting Timeline For The 70th Annual ACE Eddie Awards
Wednesday, May. 8, 2019
American Cinema Editors (ACE) announced today that the 70th Annual ACE Eddie Awards, recognizing outstanding editing in film and television, will be held Friday, January 17, 2020 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
Nominees Announced For The 69th Annual ACE Eddie Awards Recognizing Best Editing of 2018 In Film, Television and Documentaries
Monday, Jan. 7, 2019
American Cinema Editors (ACE), the honorary society of the world's top film editors, today announced nominations for the 69th Annual ACE Eddie Awards recognizing outstanding editing in 11 categories of fi
Winners Announced at 68th Annual ACE Eddie Awards Celebrating The Best Editing Of The Year In Film, TV and Documentaries
"Dunkirk" (edited by Lee Smith, ACE) and "I, Tonya" (edited by Tatiana S.
EditFest Los Angeles Unveils Five-Star Lineup
Tuesday, Jul. 25, 2017
EditFest, the popular day-long celebration of the art and craft of editing, returns to the Frank Wells Theater at Walt Disney Studios on August 12, 2017. Presented by American Cinema Editors (ACE), EditFest 2017 presents top-level film and television edi
Industry Association, Union, Guild News
Pietro Scalia, ACE Joins EditFest London
Tuesday, May. 23, 2017
American Cinema Editors (ACE) is proud to announce that Pietro Scalia, ACE, has joined the line-up for EditFest London on 24 June 2017 at BFI Southbank.
Motion Picture Editors Guild To Honor Lillian E. Benson, ACE, With Fellowship And Service Award
Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2017
The Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG), Local 700 IATSE, will honor member Lillian E. Benson, ACE, with its prestigious Fellowship and Service Award on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at a dinner at the Sheraton Universal Hotel.
Winners Announced For The 67th Annual ACE Eddie Awards Recognizing The Best Editing of the Year In Film, Television and Documentaries
Arrival" (edited by Joe Walker, ACE) and "La La Land" (edited by Tom Cross, ACE) won Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) and Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) respectively at the 67th Annual ACE Eddie Awards tonight where trophies were handed out recognizing the best editing of 2016 in ten catego
Veteran Editors Janet Ashikaga, ACE And Thelma Schoonmaker, ACE To Receive Career Achievement Honors At The 2017 Ace Eddie Awards
American Cinema Editors (ACE) will present veteran editors Janet Ashikaga, ACE and Thelma Schoonmaker, ACE with the organization's prestigious Career Achievement honors at the 67thAnnual ACE Eddie Awards on Friday, January 27, 2017
EditFest London Set For 25 June at BFI Southbank
Thursday, Mar. 31, 2016
American Cinema Editors' behind the scenes look at editing,
Michael Sagol
Henric Larsson
Proof Inc.
a WHITELABEL product
Ezra J. Stanley
Stefano Campello
GoDigital Media Group

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Been a long while since I did a post… but here's a little update with something I have extensively worked on at The Moving Picture Company in London: World War Z.
I was involved early on as a senior member of the MPC Crowd Team led by Marco Carboni that brought the zombie crowd shots of the Israel sequence to life. We started of doing a lot of crowd motion/look development and had to considerably push our proprietary ALICE crowd technology to achieve the more complex crowd shots that had dense masses of zombies swarming, climbing walls, crawling over eachother and physically interacting with eachother. It has been an exiting (sometimes exhausting;) ride prototyping and implementing new behaviours, systems and ragdoll simulations to achieve some interesting crowd work seen on the big screen 🙂 !
Over the last few months as a side project I have been playing around with a social media networks minded side project: iBark! Together with my friend @jelledeweerdt we created an android app that unifies your Facebook – Twitter – LinkedIn and lets you Share, Get and Send comments, All In One Place!
If you own an android device and this sounds like a tool for you make sure to head to the Google Play Store and give it a go! Any feedback would be very very welcome… feel free to comment here or drop a mail to team@ibark.it.
Quick shout to announce that a movie I worked on in Sydney over the past one and a half years has made its way into the theaters!
Just finished my Master Course in Bournemouth which wrapped up the end of August. It was a highly intense but super interesting year where I got to know some talented cg folks which I won't forget quickly. Time for a quick trip home and a short break after which a new episode will start working at Framestore london.
And Lars Van Der Bijl's demolition of The Tower Of Pisa project on which I helped out with the crowd sim and assisted on set.
Lately I was looking at rigging feathers on a wing in XSI and I decided to develop a small prototype tool for dealing with this.
Basically it started out as a procedural feather system which enables you to draw out a curve and attach it to your bone system (or extract from a mesh) and generate a desired amount of feathers onto that curve. For the generation you can provide your own feather you model up. On generation you can adjust a set of parameters the script will take into account as for example add in some randomness in scale variation or some offsets. After generation you have a set of custom controls to adjust your feathers as well as a flash interface that pops up to manage your feather distribution and individual placement. The idea is that you animate your bone chain and afterwards you can go in and adjust the exact feather placement and bake that in as animation too. This gives you a lot of control in tweaking your feathers.
The system is still a prototype having some pros and cons and probably still some bugs in there but it definitely was a very good exercise in scripting for rigging and putting the flash-xsi bridge I developed (more info soon) to a more advanced use. I will keep developing this as I think it might be useful for people who quickly want a wing feather setup for their character.
Feel free to leave any comments or ideas or drop me a line if you fancy to give it a try. I will upload the tool at a later stage.


You are visiting the placeholder page for Phillip Robinson. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Phillip Robinson. We created this page automatically in hopes Phillip Robinson would find it. If you are not Phillip Robinson, but are an alumni of Albia High School, register on this site for free now.


text:
Q: Convert Encode string value to PDF-417 barcode in Windows 8 application? I am trying to convert string value to PDF-417 barcode format using ZXing https://zxingnet.codeplex.com/ in Windows 8 application. Currently I am able to write only below code how can I put BitMatrix to image source.
        int width = 115;
        int Height = 65;

        PDF417Writer writer = new PDF417Writer();
        BitMatrix bitIMGNew = writer.encode(value, BarcodeFormat.PDF_417, width, Height);
        WriteableBitmap imgBitmap = bitIMGNew.ToBitmap();

How can I achieve this? Or Do I need to use any other dll?

A: To generate a PDF417 code from some content with ZXing.Net you should try the following snippet:
var writer = new BarcodeWriter
{
   Format = BarcodeFormat.PDF_417,
   Options = new EncodingOptions {Width = 115, Height = 65}
};
var imgBitmap = writer.Write(value);

imgBitmap is a instance of WriteableBitmap which is your image source in my opinion.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Building Democracy for All...
Topic 1. The Philosophical Foundations of the United States Political System...
Topic 2. The Development of the United States Government...
Topic 3. Institutions of United States Government...
Topic 4. The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens...
Topic 5. The Constitution, Amendments, and Supreme Court Decisions...
Topic 6. The Structure of Massachusetts State and Local Government...
Topic 7. Freedom of the Press and News/Media Literacy...
The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens
CoverIntroductionTable of Contents with Critical Media Literacy ConnectionsUpdates & Latest AdditionsLearning Pathway: Racial Justice and Black Lives MatterLearning Pathway: Influential WomenLearning Pathway: Student RightsLearning Pathway: Elections 2024, 2022, & 2020Learning Pathway: Current Events Learning Pathway: Critical Media LiteracyTeacher-Designed Learning PlansTopic 1. The Philosophical Foundations of the United States Political System1.1. The Government of Ancient Athens1.2. The Government of the Roman Republic1.3. Enlightenment Thinkers and Democratic Government1.4. British Influences on American Government1.5. Native American Influences on U.S. GovernmentTopic 2. The Development of the United States Government2.1. The Revolutionary Era and the Declaration of Independence2.2. The Articles of Confederation2.3. The Constitutional Convention2.4. Debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists2.5. Articles of the Constitution and the Bill of RightsTopic 3. Institutions of United States Government3.1. Branches of the Government and the Separation of Powers3.2. Checks and Balances Between the Branches of Government3.3. The Roles of the Congress, the President, and the Courts3.4. Elections and Nominations3.5. The Role of Political PartiesTopic 4. The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens4.1. Becoming a Citizen4.2. Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens and Non-Citizens4.3. Civic, Political, and Private Life4.4. Fundamental Principles and Values of American Political and Civic Life4.5. Voting and Citizen Participation in the Political Process4.6. Election Information4.7. Leadership and the Qualities of Political Leaders4.8. Cooperation Between Individuals and Elected Leaders4.9. Public Service as a Career4.10. Liberty in Conflict with Equality or Authority4.11. Political Courage and Those Who Affirmed or Denied Democratic Ideals4.12. The Role of Political Protest4.13. Public and Private Interest Groups, PACs, and Labor UnionsTopic 5. The Constitution, Amendments, and Supreme Court Decisions5.1. The Necessary and Proper Clause5.2. Amendments to the Constitution5.3. Constitutional Issues Related to the Civil War, Federal Power, and Individual Civil Rights5.4. Civil Rights and Equal Protection for Race, Gender, and Disability5.5. Marbury v. Madison and the Principle of Judicial Review5.6. Significant Supreme Court DecisionsTopic 6. The Structure of Massachusetts State and Local Government6.1. Functions of State and National Government6.2. United States and Massachusetts Constitutions6.3. Enumerated and Implied Powers6.4. Core Documents: The Protection of Individual Rights6.5. 10th Amendment to the Constitution6.6. Additional Provisions of the Massachusetts Constitution6.7. Responsibilities of Federal, State and Local Government6.8. Leadership Structure of the Massachusetts Government6.9. Tax-Supported Facilities and Services6.10. Components of Local GovernmentTopic 7. Freedom of the Press and News/Media Literacy7.1. Freedom of the Press7.2. Competing Information in a Free Press7.3. Writing the News: Different Formats and Their Functions7.4. Digital News and Social Media7.5. Evaluating Print and Online Media7.6. Analyzing Editorials, Editorial Cartoons, or Op-Ed CommentariesGlossaryIndex of Terms
Building Democracy for All
Civic, Political, and Private Life
Standard 4.3: Civic, Political, and Private Life
Distinguish among civic, political, and private life. (Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for History and Social Studies) [8.T4.3]
"Social distancing sign in Boston" by Mayor Marty Walsh is licensed under CC BY 4.0
FOCUS QUESTION: What are the Differences and Interconnections Among Civic, Political, and Private lives?
In America's democratic society, people engage in three different types of social life: Civic, Political, and Private.
Civic life is the "public life of the citizen concerned with the affairs of the community and nation as contrasted with private or personal life, which is devoted to the pursuit of private and personal interests" (Center for Civic Education, 2014, para. 2). How people act in relation to their town, city, or community is known as a person's "civic duty."
Political life is where individuals seek to influence and/or direct local, state, or national policies through interaction with the government. Political life "enables people to accomplish goals they could not realize as individuals" (Center for Civic Education, 2014, para. 4). One engages in political life by voting and actively participating in politics through individual and group actions and by becoming informed about key issues and pending decisions by government leaders.
Private life is the area of individual behavior and action that is removed from political and civic life, but in theory protected by both. Private life includes the concept of privacy which refers to the right of an individual to live one's life without interference from or control by people or governments. Individuals' right of privacy is highly contested in United States politics. It is at the center of the Roe v. Wade abortion decision and a woman's right to choice as a matter of personal control. Privacy concerns are also raised by the ways companies conducting online activities collect personal information about adults and children, often without one knowing about it (see Right to Privacy: Constitutional Rights & Privacy Laws).
What are the dimensions of civic, political, and private lives in the United States today? The modules for this standard explore this question by first examining whether the government can restrict personal freedoms (private life) in a public health emergency such as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Other modules examine women's political participation (political life) around the world and whether the United States should adopt Universal Basic Income (civic life) as a national policy.
Modules for this Standard Include:
INVESTIGATE: People's Lives and Government Responses to COVID-19
MEDIA LITERACY CONNECTIONS: COVID-19 Information Evaluation
UNCOVER: Women's Political Participation Around the World
MEDIA LITERACY CONNECTIONS: Women Political Leaders in the Media
ENGAGE: Should the U.S. Adopt Universal Basic Income (UBI) or Guaranteed Employment as National Policies?
1. INVESTIGATE: People's Lives and Government Responses to COVID-19
"Anti-Coronavirus Sign", 2020
by Lucbyhet is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
The U.S. response to the 2020 COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic revealed the interconnections and tensions that exist between civic, public, and private life in this country's democratic society. The coronavirus outbreak began in the United States in late January 2020 - the first confirmed case was January 21st; the first reported death was in early February. The disease spread quickly. A national emergency was declared on March 13. By the beginning of April, there were COVID-19 cases in all 50 states with hotspots centered in Washington state and New York City.
Governments at the national, state, and local level responded, although each had different powers to enact and enforce coronavirus policies. In an effort to limit the spread of the disease, the federal government issued recommendations for social distancing, wearing of masks, and closing of federal offices. Some state governments went further, closing public schools, colleges and non-essential businesses; shutting down parks, lakes and common spaces; and issuing stay-at-home orders for entire communities. Other states chose not to close businesses, restrict travel or issue stay-at-home orders. In every instance, local governments and their police departments were then expected to enforce COVID-19 rules, but lacked the resources to do so without high levels of public cooperation.
Unlike the United States, other nations in the world imposed much greater restrictions on people's freedoms in response to COVID-19. China locked down some 60 million people, many in isolation centers. India subsequently locked down 1.3 billion people, the largest quarantine in world history. In those nations, the national government used the pandemic to order draconian restrictions on people's private lives.
What are the government's powers to intervene in people's lives in a national emergency? The question impacts people's civic, political, and private lives. The federal government does have public health powers and could issue a national federal quarantine order as was done during the "Spanish Flu" pandemic of 1918-1919 (Legal Authorities for Isolation and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).
However, long-standing constitutional law gives the states and their governors greater legal authority to act in public health emergencies (The Police Power of the States to Control a Pandemic, Explained). The ruling precedent, set by the Supreme Court in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) is that the police power belongs to the states. Quarantine laws, Chief Justice John Marshall said, "form a portion of that immense mass of legislation which embraces everything within the territory of a State not surrendered to the General Government" (as cited in Bomboy, 2020, para. 7).
Individual citizens also have rights in such situations. Under the 14th Amendment, public health laws cannot be "arbitrary, oppressive and unreasonable" (Constitutional Powers and Issues During a Quarantine, 2020, para. 11). According to the Human Rights Watch (2020), restrictions on people's rights during an emergency must be "lawful, necessary and proportionate" (para. 14).
The COVID-19 pandemic blended civic, political, and private lives in unique ways. Government action is effective only if there are rules and people see it as their duty to obey them. People must believe it is everyone's civic responsibility to ensure health and safety for all. At the same time, people have a right, within reason, to make their own choices about their personal lives and private conduct. Politically, people will be more likely to accept restrictions of personal freedoms if they believe they will not lose their jobs or homes and they will have access to needed health care, unemployment funding and essential services during a pandemic. Learn more: Why There Is No National Lockdown.
Finding ways to bring individuals' civic, political, and private interests together is complicated by everyone's presumed right of privacy (see Patient Right to Privacy Called into Question During COVID-19 Pandemic). Although the right to privacy is not mentioned in the Constitution, the Supreme Court has interpreted several of the amendments to establish this right (Does the Constitution Protect the Right of Privacy?). Students in schools, however, do not have the same wide-ranging privacy rights as do adults in homes and communities (Students: Your Right to Privacy).
Does the increasing use of social media blur the line between people's private life and political life when encountering an event as unprecedented as COVID-19? How do you know? In what ways? As a nation, we are still debating how to effectively balance private and civic interests in a time of a pandemic, a process that has many political dimensions.
There has been an array of fake and false claims in the media about the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to very different responses by people throughout the country to government-based COVID-19 policies and recommendations (e.g., mask requirements, lockdown, social distancing).
Have you been able to distinguish fake news about COVID-19 from the truthful and reliable information and guidance? How do you think other students and community members did with evaluating news about COVID-19? The following activities are designed to explore these questions.
Activity 1: Counter False News About COVID-19
Activity 2: Evaluate Twitter Posts About COVID-19 in Regards to Civic, Political, and Private Life
Watch on YouTube https://edtechbooks.org/-dZjc
Suggested Learning Activities
Create an Infographic
What are examples of issues that influence the civic, political, and private lives of students?
Research and State Your View
Should individuals' rights be restricted during a national emergency to protect the broader public?
What restrictions should a government be allowed to impose on individuals and businesses during a national public health emergency, like a pandemic, or a natural disaster, like a hurricane or earthquake?
Online Resources for Civic, Political, and Private Life and the Right of Privacy
How Can Citizens Participate? Center for Civic Education
Recalling the Supreme Court's Historic Statement on Contraception and Privacy, National Constitution Center
Griswold v. Connecticut (1972) Supreme Court case held that a state's ban on contraceptives violated the right to privacy of married couples. The case included the concept people have a "zone of privacy."
Where Did the Right to Privacy Come From? ThoughtCo. (May 31, 2018)
2. UNCOVER: Women's Political Participation Around the World
New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote in 1893. Today, Vatican City is the only country where women cannot vote (Saudi Arabia began allowing women to vote in 2015).
Even with the right to vote, women's entry into positions of political leadership has been slow internationally. At the beginning of 2019, women were more than half of the lawmakers only in Rwanda (61.3%), Cuba (52.2%) and Bolivia (51.3%). According to the World Economic Forum, the United States ranked 75th on a "Women in Parliament" list with just 23.5% of female members of Congress (Thornton, 2019).
Consult Women's Power Index, an interactive map from the Council on Foreign Relations that identifies where women have power around the world and explore the interactive arcGIS StoryMap: Women in National Parliaments.
You can access a country-by-country breakdown of women's participation in electoral politics at this Gender Quotas Database.
Empowering Women Poster from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
"UNESCO's soft power"by UNESCO is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Internationally, 59 countries have elected a woman leader, beginning in 1960 with Sirimavo Bandaranaike who was chosen Prime Minister in Ceylon/Sri Lanka (All the Countries (59) That Had a Woman Leader Before the U.S.). Angela Merkel (Germany), Sahle-Work Zewde (Zimbabwe), Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand), Katrin Jakobsdottir (Iceland), and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia) were among the women leading countries in 2019 (Female Heads of State and Government in 2019).
In 2016 in Iceland, women held 30 of 63 seats in Parliament making it the most gender equal political system in the world without a quota system (The Tiny Nation of Iceland is Crushing the U.S. in Electing Female Politicians).
For a video of interest, check out Women Leaders of the Yukon First Nations (TEDWomen, 2020) that discusses the long history of women leaders among tribal peoples in northwestern Canada. Visit also the website of the Yukon Aboriginal Women's Council.
Gender Quotas and Gender Parity
There are 80 countries in the world that have quotas for women's electoral participation in government (The Washington Post, March 29, 2019). The word "quota" refers to "numerical targets that stipulate the number or percentage of women that must be included in a candidate list or the number of seats to be allocated to women in a legislature" (Women in National Governments Around the Globe, February 8, 2021, p. 4). Most quotas are set at 30% women, but they range from 20% to 40%.
Quotas function differently in different countries. In some places, quotas reserve seats for women in national legislatures. In other places, quotas reserve places for women on election ballots or ask political parties to voluntarily nominate women candidates for elected office.
There are examples where quotas have expanded women's political participation. India has reserved one-third of seats in the local governments for women since 1993; legislation is pending to extend that rule to all state legislatures and the lower house of the national parliament. A 1999 constitutional amendment in France mandated political parties "endorse an equal number of men and women candidates in municipal, legislative and European elections" (French Women in Politics, Lambert, 2001, para. 13). For more than two decades, Belgium has required political parties put equal numbers of women and men on election ballots. In 2014, Mexico began requiring gender parity among candidates for its national legislature.
Would you support gender quotas for local, state, or national elections in the United States? Would you favor voluntary quotas for political parties or gender parity mandated by law?
You can access a country-by-country breakdown of women's participation in electoral politics at Gender Quotas Database.
Impacts of Women's Political Leadership
"Do women leaders perform differently than men in similar positions?"
This research subject has taken on new immediacy in a time of a global pandemic and heightened international tensions. Exploring why women-led nations did better addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, a New York Times reporter suggested female leaders (like Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand and Angela Merkel of Germany) were more willing to consult a broader range of information sources than male leaders when deciding to implement virus testing, contract tracing, and social isolation measures (Taub, 2020). In the United States, however, that same report found both female and male Republican governors were slower to implement virus control shut-down measures than their Democrat peers, suggesting political party affiliation was a stronger influence than gender-based dispositions.
For additional information, go to ENGAGE: Can a Women Be Elected President or Vice-President in the United States?
Media coverage of women in political roles can vary greatly. Some women are in the news all the time; others are hardly ever mentioned. Those who appear regularly are often presented differently depending on the political lean of different media outlets. Social scientists have shown that the media cover women and men political leaders differently. Stories about women in politics more often mention their appearance, clothing, family, and instances of combative behavior, all in line with traditional gender stereotypes. Such gender bias hinders women and helps male leaders politically.
In these activities, you will examine how women political leaders are represented in the media, both in the United States and in different countries around the world.
Activity 1: Examine the Representation of Women Political Leaders in the Media
Activity 2: Evaluate the Media Portrayal of Women Leaders in Different Countries and Careers
Watch on YouTube https://edtechbooks.org/-vbx
State Your View
First, explore the arcGIS StoryMap: Women in National Parliaments.
Why is the proportion of women leaders around the world so small?
Given the small number of women leaders, what are the barriers to expanding women's political participation around the world? How can these barriers be overcome?
How Do We Get More Women in Politics? World Economic Forum
Construct a Timeline for Women's Suffrage
History of Women's Suffrage Timeline shows when women around the world were granted suffrage and given the right to stand for election
Visual timeline showing when women were granted suffrage around the world.
Online Resources on Women's Political Participation Around the World
Percentage of Women in National Parliaments
OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Interactive Data on women's political participation around the world (2015)
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, sometimes referred to as the "Leader of the Free World". She was named Time's Person of the Year in 2015.
Women Rising: Political Leadership in Africa, YouTube Video
Interview with Bharati Silwal-Giri, member of Nepali Congress Party and expert on gender, YouTube Video
Text of speech by Michelle Bachelet, UN Women Executive Director, on women's political participation worldwide
3. ENGAGE: Should the U.S. Adopt Universal Basic Income (UBI) or Guaranteed Employment as National Policies?
Universal basic income (UBI) refers to regular cash payments (with minimal or no requirements for receiving the money) made to a given population in order to increase people's income (International Monetary Fund). Debating Universal Basic Income from the Wharton Public Policy Initiative offers more information about this policy.
"money"by JCamargo | Public Domain
Guaranteed employment happens when the government becomes the employer for anyone who cannot otherwise find work. The idea is the economy will be better off when there is full employment when all workers are spending the money they earn purchasing goods and services from businesses and other providers (The Federal Job Guarantee: A Policy to Achieve Full Employment, Center on Budget and Policy Futures, 2018). Guaranteed employment was a centerpiece of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Economic Bill of Rights that set forth a "right to employment" as well as the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Direct Government Payments to People During the Pandemic
The economic dislocations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the direct government payments to individuals and families as well as the possibilities of universal basic income and guaranteed employment into the wider political dialog. By mid-April 2020, with more than 22 million people out of work, members of Congress including then Senator Kamala Harris and Representatives Maxine Waters, Ro Khanna, and Tim Ryan, among others, were calling for ongoing direct payments to unemployed workers. In his April 2020 Easter Sunday Address, Pope Francis called for governments to consider a universal basic wage. During summer 2020, one in five workers (more than 30 million individuals) were collecting unemployment benefits.
Beginning in April 2020, the federal government has provided 3 rounds of stimulus checks (direct payments to eligible individuals and couples) to provide emergency aid to those impacted by the pandemic, the most recent coming from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021. Under that plan, eligible individuals will receive a $1400 check, couples $2800, and there is an additional $1400 for each dependent child. The American Rescue Plan is huge initiative that will be spending $43,000 every second between March 2021 and when it expires at the end of 2022.
Included in the American Rescue Plan is the Child Tax Credit (CTC) that provides direct payments of at least $250 per child every month up to $3600 a year between July and December 2021. While these payments are more of a tax cut rather than a form of Universal Basic Income, they will impact some 39 million households (about 90 percent of all families with children in this country). You can learn more from the Advanced Child Tax Credit Payments from Internal Revenue Service. The Child Tax Credit was originally created as part of the 1997 Taxpayer Relief Act.
In 2022, with people facing rising inflation, California passed $9.5 billion legislation authorizing economic relief rebates to nearly all its citizens (every individual earning up to $250,000). Other states including Massachusetts began considering relief rebates, but for specific segments of the state's population: low-income workers, reenters, and seniors.
Under what economic circumstances, if any, you would support government relief payments or rebates to people? What groups would you include in your plan?
Different Versions of Universal Basic Income
Universal Basic Income gained renewed publicity during the early stages of the 2020 Presidential campaign when Democratic candidate and entrepreneur Andrew Yang proposed giving $1000 a month to every American over the age of 18. Yang, as well as both Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, among others, believe UBI will help address the growing problem of workers being displaced from their jobs by automation.
Other politicians regard UBI as a way to help the large numbers of Americans who are living at or near the poverty level and must work multiple jobs just to get by. The Census Bureau has reported that about 13 million workers in the U.S. have more than one job (Beckhusen, 2019).
There are UBI programs in existence right now. Alaska gives every resident a yearly check from the state's oil revenue called the Permanent Fund Dividend. In 2018, all residents received $1,600. Since February 2019, the city of Stockton, California paid 125 low-income residents $500 a month through its SEED (Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration) program ("Will 'Basic Income' Become the California Norm?"). The mayor of the city declared that "unconditional cash provides people the agency to make the right decisions for themselves and their families" (Tubbs, 2020, para. 8).
Beginning in November 2020, Chelsea Massachusetts, a majority Latino city across the Mystic River from Boston, will begin giving 2,074 families between $200 and $400 a month to use as those family members decide. The program, Chelsea Eats, which has funding from the Shah Family Foundation ($1 million), the city of Chelsea ($2.5 million), United Way of Massachusetts ($250,000) and Massachusetts General Hospital ($200,000) is scheduled to last for four to six months.
Guaranteed Jobs
As an alternative to UBI programs, 2020 Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has proposed a guaranteed government jobs program. Under his proposal, state and local governments would pay people to engage in public works projects related to areas of community need, such as construction of affordable housing, repair and replacement of aging infrastructure, and so on. Workers would be paid $15 an hour and receive paid family and medical leave. Since 2005, in India, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act has provided 100 days of guaranteed employment every year for adult members of rural households who cannot find a job.
Persistant and Pervasive Income Inequality
Income inequality remains a persistent social problem because the rich are so much richer than everyone else. "Income disparities are so pronounced that America's top 10 percent now average more than nine times as much income as the bottom 90 percent, according to data analyzed by UC Berkeley economist Emmanuel Saez," (as cited in Inequality.org, n.d., para. 3), while the top 1% average over 39 times more income than the bottom 90%. Providing people with a guaranteed income could make a huge difference for those struggling to survive on a monthly basis.
How much money does someone need for happiness and well-being?
Researchers have proposed $75,000 a year. Do you agree or disagree and why?
Envision a More Equitable Society
Universal Basic Income and Guaranteed Government Jobs are proposed as ways to create a more equitable society where everyone has an economic and social foundation for personally productive and meaningful lives.
What steps would you take to create a more equitable society for all?
Online Resources for Universal Basic Income and Guaranteed Employment
Why Everyone is Talking About Free Cash Handouts--An Explainer on Universal Basic Income, CNBC.com (June 27, 2019)
5 Characteristics of Basic Income, Basic Income Earth Network
Who Really Stands to Win from Universal Basic Income? The New Yorker (July 2, 2018)
Universal Basic Income Has Been Tried Before. It Didn't Work. The Heritage Foundation (October 9, 2018)
Standard 4.3 Conclusion
Civic life is where people exercise their responsibilities by being active members of their community and nation. Political life is where people actively participate in government at the local, state, and national level as voters, engaged community members who protest and lobby for change, and as candidates for and holders of political offices. Private life is where individuals conduct their own affairs in their own ways. INVESTIGATE looked at how the government's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted people's personal lives and freedoms. From the perspective of political life, UNCOVER examined women's political participation around the world. ENGAGE asked if the United States should adopt Universal Basic Income (UBI) or Guaranteed Employment as national economic, social and civic policies.
CC BY-NC-SA: This work is released under a CC BY-NC-SA license, which means that you are free to do with it as you please as long as you (1) properly attribute it, (2) do not use it for commercial gain, and (3) share any subsequent works under the same or a similar license.


text:
Brand Positioning Services
Keeping the Heritage Brand Alive: Brand Positioning Services
The challenges for a Brand with heritage.
In the UK over the last 10 years, there's been a shift in which brands command consumer love – with many historical brands losing ground.
Being a heritage brand is very much a double-edged sword! Whilst people know and respect you, alas, it doesn't always mean they are buying your products! You have to work hard to find the sweet spot that honours the heritage but expresses a relevant point of view.
Every 'old' brand holds so much more meaning to us because we connect with their story on a deeper level, and thus, they hold more value. That's why we fall in love with heritage brands.
Brands that have a legacy behind their name have the power to inspire their audience to dream by producing goods that transport us to another time and place. They can evoke powerful sentiments towards their products because they have become representative of a simpler way of life.
The most successful heritage brands still hold onto their original purpose.
In our fast-moving, price-conscious, problem-solving world, more traditional and much-loved brands must make themselves relevant to younger consumers, or suffer the consequences, as the 'new kids on the block' muscle in on their shelf space. Heritage is a strong foundation but brands need to modernise to avoid becoming obsolete.
The trick with most great brands that have reached the point where they are older than the customers that they serve, is to use history and origins to work out the brand position and then apply that position disruptively to the consumer world.
Brands built on fundamental beliefs can evolve with the times.
We are living in a golden age of 'challenger brands' – those agile, fast-moving brand start-ups that are shaking up the norms of FMCG. Challenger brands have an intuitive sense of customer trends and changing requirements – such as the demand for healthier or higher quality craft products.
It's therefore critical that FMCG companies with heritage apply some of the same thinking as challenger brands. There's an opportunity to re-invigorate and refresh their established heritage brand.
Be proud of your heritage – then innovate.
By embracing a brand's history, developing new formats and propositions – and crucially remaining true to their values – the future of brands with heritage is bright. It's possible to beat the market disrupters at their own game, they just need to get into the challenger mindset and use their heritage as a platform on which to innovate and reinvent themselves.
Yes, there's an opportunity for the heritage traditional recipe but tastes change and develop. We are now, more than ever before, exposed to a whole array of world foods and flavours. Consumers want choice, demand choice and have a choice.
If these strategies are executed correctly, challenger brands will struggle to compete with the real affection and emotional attachment that many heritage brands can proudly claim to have had with their customers over many decades.
Be nimble and adaptable.
Businesses must be careful not to get stuck in the past. New product development is the key; using the brand's heritage as a plus; a sign of knowledge and authority but bringing a "twist of modern", with contemporary flavour profiles and recipes.
Marketing a heritage brand is all about storytelling and engagement, if you have a story to tell allow your packaging to tell that tale. Avoid seismic shifts in your pack design; often small tweaks to packs are best as they allow consumers to get used to changes. Use enough recognisable cues and references within your pack design to comfort your brand's loyal consumers but be contemporary enough to engage with a new audience. It's a fine line, we know, but make things too contemporary and you may lose loyalty. Leave it as is, and market share will dwindle.
Build on your heritage to make it relevant and memorable and ensure that product innovation is a cornerstone. Be nimble and adaptable.
If you get it right, it's a big opportunity. Talk to us and find out how we can help you to make the most of your heritage.
Check out how Wow Me have helped Homepride reclaim it's rightful place at the heart of baking.
Wow Me Design is the Cheltenham-based brand development agency creating brands people want. We would love you to get in touch at hello@wowmedesign.com
We create memorable brand experiences for ambitious businesses
The highlights of Toy Fair 2023
We had a good look around London Toy Fair and spotted some interesting trends and themes appearing in the toy…
Single-use plastics - a time for change
You know how it is, you log onto LinkedIn, and an article pops up in your feed that catches your…
The trend of the Kidult – is there more to it than just child's play?
You may not have heard of the term "kidult", but we guarantee you won't have failed to notice the trend…
Brand positioning: the best start for your brand journey
When it comes to building your brand, there is one task that is crucial to success – Developing your Brand…


Great tour of the grounds and the Magnola Plantation house. Our bus guide, Alan, was first-rate; funny but also filled with information!
Tour was great. Enjoyed the tram ride and the gardens were stunning. Valerie made the bus ride fun!
This was a wonderful tour. There was the right mixture of walking, riding, touring the mansion and free time to explore. Highly recommend it!
Great guide! Loved the tram tour of the swamp and the walk around the gardens was wonderful. I never would have appreciated the gardens without the guide. The tour of the house was interesting but i would have preferred a longer tram ride. The transportation to and from the plantation made everything very smooth and relaxing!!
Such a great day out! Plantation is only half an hour from the pickup at the Charleston Visitor Centre. Tour started with a walk around the grounds with some fascinating facts, then a nature tour on board a little train with wheels, then finished with a tour of the house sadly cannot take any photos inside. When the flowers are in bloom it is very pretty, and lots of wildlife was spotted a few gators, a multitude of birds including an owl and you have about 25 minutes at the end of the house tour to grab lunch/check out the gift shop/have a look at the petting zoo!


text:
Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce (2017)
Chapter: Front Matter
Page i Share Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23472.
Building America's
Skilled Technical Workforce
Committee on the Supply Chain for Middle-Skill Jobs:
Education, Training, and Certification Pathways
Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy
Board on Higher Education and Workforce
Board on Science Education
Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences
A Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
www.nap.edu
Page ii Share Cite
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-1406910; Contract No. HHSH250200976014I/HHSH25034024T with the Health Resources & Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Contract No. HHSP233201400020B/HHSP23337006 with the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Contract No. DOL-OPS-15-P-00071 with the U.S. Department of Labor; and a grant from the Spencer Foundation; with additional support from the National Academy of Sciences W. K. Kellogg Foundation Fund. This study was also funded in part by a grant from JPMorgan Chase.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-44006-6
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-44006-8
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/23472
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017939638
Additional copies of this publication are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2017 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/23472.
Page iii Share Cite
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.national-academies.org.
Page iv Share Cite
Reports document the evidence-based consensus of an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and committee deliberations. Reports are peer reviewed and are approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Proceedings chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other convening event. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and have not been endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit nationalacademies.org/whatwedo.
Page v Share Cite
COMMITTEE ON THE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR MIDDLE-SKILL JOBS: EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND CERTIFICATION PATHWAYS
Jeff Bingaman (Chair), Former U.S. Senator, New Mexico
Thomas R. Bailey (Co-Chair), Director, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University
Katharine G. Frase (NAE) (Co-Chair), Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, IBM Public Sector (retired)
David S. C. Chu, President, Institute for Defense Analyses
Rita R. Colwell (NAS), Distinguished University Professor, Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland College Park, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
Gary Hoachlander, President, ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career
Harry J. Holzer, John LaFarge Jr. S.J. Professor of Public Policy, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
Francine Lawrence, Executive Vice President, American Federation of Teachers (retired)
Jennifer McNelly, President, 180 Skills, LLC
Elizabeth Mertz, Associate Professor, Preventive & Restorative Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco
Paul Osterman, Nanyang Technological University Professor of Human Resources and Management, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Annette Parker, President, South Central College
Susan K. Sclafani, Pearson Foundation (retired)
Mark Tomkins, President and CEO, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest
BOARD ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ECONOMIC POLICY POLICY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS
Gail Cohen, Board Director
Sujai Shivakumar, Study Director
Jeff Alstott, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow
Page vi Share Cite
David Allen Ammerman, Financial Officer
David Dierksheide, Program Officer
Fred Lestina, Senior Program Assistant
Erik Saari, Senior Program Assistant
BOARD ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE POLICY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS
Tom Rudin, Board Director
Heidi Schweingruber, Board Director
Margaret Hilton, Senior Program Officer
Ken Jarboe, Senior Program Officer
Page vii Share Cite
For the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, this project was overseen by the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP), a standing board established by the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and the Institute of Medicine in 1991. The mandate of the STEP Board is to advise federal, state, and local governments and inform the public about economic and related public policies to promote the creation, diffusion, and application of new scientific and technical knowledge to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the U.S. economy and foster economic prosperity for all Americans. The STEP Board and its committees marshal research and the expertise of scholars, industrial managers, investors, and former public officials in a wide range of policy areas that affect the speed and direction of scientific and technological changes and their contributions to the growth of the U.S. and global economies. Results are communicated through reports, conferences, workshops, briefings, and electronic media subject to the procedures of the National Academies to ensure their authoritativeness, independence, and objectivity. The members of the STEP Board and staff are listed below:
Richard K. Lester (Chair), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jeff Bingaman, Former U.S. Senator, New Mexico
Ellen R. Dulberger, Dulberger Enterprises, LLC
Alan M. Garber (NAM), Harvard University
Ralph E. Gomory (NAS/NAE), New York University
Michael Greenstone, The University of Chicago
Arati Prabhakar (NAE)
Luis M. Proenza, University of Akron
Kathryn L. Shaw, Stanford University
STEP Staff
Paul Beaton, Senior Program Officer
Sujai Shivakumar, Senior Program Officer and Study Director
Page viii Share Cite
Page ix Share Cite
Skilled technical occupations—defined as occupations that require a high level of knowledge in a technical domain but do not require a bachelor's degree for entry—are a key component of the U.S. economy. The United States needs a workforce with the right mix of skills to remain competitive while fostering greater innovation and boosting shared prosperity.
In response to globalization and advances in science and technology, American firms are demanding workers with greater proficiency in literacy and numeracy, as well as strong interpersonal, technical, and problem-solving skills. However, employer surveys and industry and government reports have raised concerns that the nation may not have an adequate supply of skilled technical workers to achieve its competitiveness and economic growth objectives. American policy makers therefore need to consider whether they are creating the conditions that will encourage citizens to prepare for technically oriented, skilled jobs. The implementation of the recently reauthorized Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 represents an opportunity for federal, state, and local policy makers to make the U.S. system for workforce development more demand-driven and accountable.
In response to the broader need for policy information and advice, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened the Committee on the Supply Chain for Middle Skilled Jobs to examine the coverage, effectiveness, flexibility, and coordination of the policies and various programs that prepare Americans for skilled technical jobs.1 To carry out this charge, the committee undertook a review of the salient academic and evaluation literature, commissioned a series of papers on key topics, convened a national symposium, and consulted numerous experts to gather evidence and incorporate diverse viewpoints to inform its deliberations.
This consensus report, which provides the committee's conclusions and action-oriented recommendations for improving the American system of
1 Although the committee's name includes the phrase "middle-skill," this report describes this workforce as "technically skilled," a term the committee determined to be a more appropriate designation (see Chapter 1).
Page x Share Cite
technical education, training, and certification, is a result of this broad-based effort. It is the committee's hope that this report will guide policy makers and administrators, educators, employers, labor organizations, and other stakeholders in preparing Americans for well-paid technically skilled jobs that meet local and national needs to support a robust economy.
This study reflects a collaborative effort across several boards and program offices of the National Academies: the Board on Higher Education and Workforce, the Board on Science Education, and National Academy of Engineering Program Office. The study was led by the Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP).
On behalf of the National Academies, the committee expresses its appreciation for the insights, experiences, and perspectives made available by the authors of the papers we commissioned and to the participants in the symposium and meetings we convened over the course of this study. We particularly recognize Margaret Polski for her assistance in preparing a draft of this report and in responding to the comments of reviewers. In addition, we thank Alicia Sasser Modestino for her valuable contributions to Chapter 2 of this report. We also recognize David Dierksheide, Fredric Lestina, and Erik Saari of the STEP staff, along with Rita Johnson, for their contributions to the report's preparation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF REVIEWERS
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Marilyn Barger, Hillsborough Community College; Crystal Bridgeman, Siemens Foundation; Ellis Cowling, North Carolina State University; Alicia Dowd, Pennsylvania State University; Miles Free, Precision Machined Products Association; Kevin Hollenbeck, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research; Melissa Kearney, University of Maryland; Livia Lam, Learning Policy Institute; Robert Lerman, American University; Daniel Marschall, AFL-CIO; Mary Alice McCarthy, New America Foundation; Darlene Miller, Permac Industries; Sanjay Rai, Montgomery College; Ursula Renolds, ETH Zürich;
Page xi Share Cite
James Stone, National Research Center for Career and Technical Education; Michelle Van Noy, Rutgers University; and Michael Wolf, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Cora Marrett, University of Wisconsin, and Robert Sproull, University of Massachusetts. Appointed by the National Academies, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
Jeff Bingaman Sujai Shivakumar
Page xii Share Cite
Page xiii Share Cite
1 THE SKILLED TECHNICAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE
1.1 Key Challenges for Developing a Skilled Technical Workforce
1.2 The Importance of Skills
1.3 Study Charge, Scope, and Approach
1.4 Defining the Workforce
1.5 Structure of the System for U.S. Skilled Technical Workforce Development
1.6 A Network-Centered Approach
1.7 Organization of This Report
2 LABOR MARKET PATTERNS AND TRENDS
2.1 The Supply of and Demand for Skilled Technical Workers
2.2 Local and Sectoral Trends in the Demand for and Supply of Technical Skills
2.3 Trends in Supply and Demand in Health Care
2.4 Trends in Supply and Demand in Manufacturing
2.5 International Perspectives: OECD Countries and Partners
2.6 Conclusions
3 THE PUBLIC POLICY CONTEXT
3.1 The Policy Agenda for the Skilled Technical Workforce
3.2 The Polycentric Policy Landscape
3.3 Federal-Level Policies and Programs
3.4 Federal Legislation Under Consideration
3.5 State-Level Policies
3.6 Current Policy Issues Related to Developing a Skilled Technical Workforce
Page xiv Share Cite
4 THE COMPLEX U.S. SYSTEM OF WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING
4.1 Education and Training as a Quasi-Public Good
4.2 The Primary Components of Workforce Development
4.3 Other Postsecondary Education and Training Programs
4.4 Funding for Skilled Technical Workforce Education and Training
5 CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING A SKILLED TECHNICAL WORKFORCE
5.1 The Return-on-Investment Calculus
5.2 Impediments to Better Training Outcomes
5.3 Challenges in Training and Transitioning the Skilled Technical Workforce
6 KEY LESSONS FOR PROGRAMS AND POLICIES
6.1 Linking Students to Skilled Technical Education and Training Opportunities and Improving Success Rates
6.2 Linking Secondary and Postsecondary Education and Training
6.3 Linking Training and Work
6.4 Employer-Based Training Programs
6.5 Improving Linkages through Better Data
6.6 Other Policy Initiatives
7 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A AGENDAS OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS
B BIOGRAPHIES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
C EXAMPLES OF SECTOR-SPECIFIC STRATEGIES
Page xv Share Cite
Boxes, Tables, and Figures
1-1 An Array of Skills and Competencies
1-2 Statement of Task
1-3 Papers Commissioned for This Study
1-4 Estimation Challenges
1-5 Building a Network of Solutions—An Example
3-1 Every Student Succeeds Act
3-2 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
3-3 What are the STEM Capabilities?
4-1 Apprenticeships: Challenges from Concept to Application
4-2 Working Definitions of Alternative Credentials
4-3 The Alliance for Employee Growth and Development, Inc.
5-1 Factors Affecting Unemployment Compensation for Ex-servicemembers (UCX) Applications
5-2 Workshop on "The Military as a Pathway to Skilled Technical Jobs"
6-1 Key Features of Wraparound Services
6-2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Report on Online Learning
6-3 Make It Real and Make It Fair
6-4 IBM's P-Tech Model
6-5 A National Academy Foundation (NAF) Academy: The Academy of Finance, Northeast High School, Florida
6-6 Community and Technical College–Employer Partnerships
6-7 The Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy
6-8 Apprenticeship Carolina
Page xvi Share Cite
6-9 Key Lessons from Foreign Apprenticeship Systems
6-10 Wisconsin AFL-CIO Regional Training Partnership
6-11 The Bison Gear Example
6-12 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Talent Management Principles
7-1 Summary of Selected Recommended Actions for Stakeholders
3-1 Federally Funded Employment and Training Programs by Agency, Fiscal Year 2009
3-2 State-Level Policy Making on Career and Technical Education in 2014
4-1 Percentages of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Concentrators from Different Demographic Groups
4-2 Community College Revenues by Source (2013-2014)
4-3 Participation in Job-Related Courses and Apprenticeship Programs in 2005
4-4 Percentage of Workers Aged 25-64 Participating in Employer-Led Training in the Previous 12 Months
5-1 The Nation's Report Card: Percentage of Students Who Performed at or above Proficient in Eight Subject Areas
5-2 Uniformed Armed Forces Strength Figures as of January 31, 2016
1-1 Likelihood of positive social and economic outcomes among highly literate adults
1-2 Skilled technical workers by major occupational group
1-3 Overview of the components of U.S. system for skilled technical workforce development
2-1 Change in demand for skills: Trends in routine and nonroutine tasks in occupations, United States, 1960-2009
2-2 Difference in migration rates of workers in most- and least-licensed occupations
2-3 Cities with higher information technology (IT) demand than IT supply
Page xvii Share Cite
2-4 The evolution of skills required in production occupations
2-5 Evolution of employment in occupational groups defined by level of education: Percentage change in the share of employment over all employed people relative to 1998, by occupational groups defined by workers' average level of education
3-1 Federal agencies participating in the policy-making landscape for the development of a skilled technical workforce
3-2 Annual federal funding for postsecondary education and training
4-1 Decision options at the secondary and postsecondary levels for skilled technical education and training
4-2 Number of degree-granting institutions with first-year undergraduates
4-3 Postsecondary enrollment in degree-granting institutions by age group in 2015 (projected)
4-4 Sources of revenue of all postsecondary institutions
5-1 Revenues per full-time equivalent (FTE) student, 2007-2008 and 2012-2013
5-2 Business areas most affected by the talent shortage
5-3 Age of uniformed active duty personnel in fiscal year 2014
6-1 Sector strategy concept
6-2 Apprenticeship starts by country in 2012
C-1 Arizona sector partnerships in 2013
Page xviii Share Cite
Page xix Share Cite
AACC American Association of Community Colleges
ACTE Association for Career and Technical Education
ASAP Accelerated Study in Associate Programs
ATD Association for Talent Development
ATE advanced technical education
BEA Bureau of Economic Analysis
BLS Bureau of Labor Statistics
CBO Congressional Budget Office
CPI Career Pathways Initiative
CPS Current Population Survey
CSW Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
CTE career and technical education
CUNY City University of New York
CWS Credentials for Work Survey
DoD U.S. Department of Defense
DOI U.S. Department of the Interior
DOL U.S. Department of Labor
ED U.S. Department of Education
ESSA Every Student Succeeds Act
FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid
FTE full-time equivalent
FY fiscal year
GAO Government Accountability Office
Page xx Share Cite
HEA Higher Education Act
IT information technology
JATC Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MOOC massive open online course
NAEP National Assessment of Educational Progress
NAF National Academy Foundation
NASDCTEc National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium
NCES National Center for Education Statistics
NGA National Governors Association
NMI National Manufacturing Institute
NSB National Science Board
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
PCAST President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
PIACC Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies
SHRM Society for Human Resource Management
SOC Standard Occupational Classification (System)
STEM science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
TAA Trade Adjustment Assistance Act
UCX Unemployment Compensation for Ex-servicemembers
USCM U.S. Conference of Mayors
USMAP United States Military Apprenticeship Program
VET vocational education and training
WIA Workforce Investment Act
WIOA Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
WLMIS workforce labor market information system
Next: Summary »
Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce Get This Book
Skilled technical occupations—defined as occupations that require a high level of knowledge in a technical domain but do not require a bachelor's degree for entry—are a key component of the U.S. economy. In response to globalization and advances in science and technology, American firms are demanding workers with greater proficiency in literacy and numeracy, as well as strong interpersonal, technical, and problem-solving skills. However, employer surveys and industry and government reports have raised concerns that the nation may not have an adequate supply of skilled technical workers to achieve its competitiveness and economic growth objectives.
In response to the broader need for policy information and advice, Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce examines the coverage, effectiveness, flexibility, and coordination of the policies and various programs that prepare Americans for skilled technical jobs. This report provides action-oriented recommendations for improving the American system of technical education, training, and certification.
Front Matter i–xx
1 The Skilled Technical Workforce Development Challenge 5–20
2 Labor Market Patterns and Trends 21–38
3 The Public Policy Context 39–62
4 The Complex U.S. System of Workforce Education and Training 63–92
5 Challenges in Developing a Skilled Technical Workforce 93–122
6 Key Lessons for Programs and Policies 123–160
7 Findings and Recommendations 161–190
References 191–214
Appendix A: Agendas of Committee Meetings 215–224
Appendix B: Biographies of Committee Members 225–234
Appendix C: Examples of Sector-Specific Strategies 235–238


This nourishing bowl of soba noodles with spicy miso prawns and broccoli is fresh, flavourful and filling. Soba noodles are either made entirely from buckwheat flour, which is gluten free, or from a combination of buckwheat and regular wheat flour. They are popular in Japanese dishes and often served in a hot broth. We've topped our soba noodles with spicy pan fried prawns and broccoli, and made a quick pickle, which is so easy to do but makes this soba noodle bowl a bit special. It's all tied together with a savoury miso dressing, with a hint of zesty lime and warming toasted sesame.
To make the quick pickled carrot and cabbage, toss the veg with the vinegar, sugar and salt and set aside while you cook.
Cook the noodles according to package instructions, about 5 mins, then set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for 2 mins until fragrant. Add the broccoli and stir fry for a few mins, then add the prawns and cook for a few mins until the prawns are pink and the broccoli is tender.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Divide the noodles between two bowls, top with prawns, broccoli and pickled veg, then drizzle ofer the dressing. Scatter over the toasted sesame seeds and serve with wedges of lime.


Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Many risk factors are associated with cardiovascular disease and most can be managed with lifestyle and medical interventions, but some cannot. The aging process and genetic factors (hereditary or family predisposition) are risk factors that cannot be changed. Until age 50, men are at greater risk of developing heart disease than women, though menopause increases a woman's risk, up to as much as three times the risk prior to menopause.
Many people with cardiovascular disease have elevated or high cholesterol levels.1 Low HDL cholesterol (known as the "good" cholesterol) and high LDL cholesterol (known as the "bad" cholesterol) are more specifically linked to cardiovascular disease than total cholesterol.2 A blood test, administered by most healthcare professionals, is used to determine cholesterol levels.
People with cardiovascular disease may not have any symptoms, and for many people, the first symptom of cardiovascular disease is a myocardial infarction ("heart attack"). For others with cardiovascular disease, they may experience difficulty in breathing during exertion or when lying down, fatigue, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting, depression, memory problems, confusion, frequent waking during sleep, chest pain, an awareness of the heartbeat, sensations of fluttering or pounding in the chest, swelling around the ankles, or a large abdomen.


Are you interested about learning more about this site and the author? Download a copy of our Media Kit.
Are you interested in learning more about this site and the author?
Download a copy of our Media Kit!
Also, feel free to get a copy of our Advertiser Kit if you are interested in advertising on this site!
Feel free to contact me if you ever have any problems downloading the Media Kit.