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Lies, Damned Lies, And PTC Statistics
The folks at the Parents Television Council have released a new study filled with the sort of statistics that are designed to make people who read it realise that broadcast network television has become a cess pool of dirty language and just plain evil, and that it is all the fault of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals' decision July 2010 decision which declared the FCC's regulations on "fleeting expletives" to be unconstitutional. The PTC's report was "cleverly" called Habitat For Profanity (a play on the name of the organization Habitat For Humanity).
Now long term readers will know that I have little or no sympathy for the PTC. We might agree on one thing a year – this year what we agree on is that No Ordinary Family is a show that people who want more shows for family audiences, including younger kids, should be watching – but my general opinion of the organization is that when they say they want to protect "the children" they define "children" as anyone who is still above ground. I used to write a weekly piece on this blog looking at the latest from the PTC including their weekly rants against shows, their campaigns to pressure advertisers to toe their line on content, and the spewing of their various writers about the supposed evils of TV. They still do that stuff, but I think I burned out in writing about those people. However sometimes they put out something that is so irritating and just wrong-headed that I have to react. This report is one of those things. The organization has started with a conclusion – that the Second Circuit Court's decision has led to a sudden increase in the use of profanity on TV – and is using the statistics they want that will "prove" their position.
Here is part of PTC president Tim Winter's statement at the release of the report:
"After the Second Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the FCC's congressionally-mandated authority to enforce the broadcast decency law, industry and media pundits predicted a sharp increase in the amount of profanity on television. Sadly, they were correct.
Our analysis of the first two weeks of this still-new fall television season shows a disturbing trend that shocked even us. Profanity is far more frequent and the profanity itself is far harsher than just five years ago. Even worse, the most egregious language is being aired during the timeslots when children are most likely to be in the audience. In 2010, 111 f-words were used during family hour compared with 10 in 2005.
Is this a coincidence? Is it an aberration? Or is this exactly the path that broadcasters and the 'creative community' in Hollywood set out when they began launching their legal attacks against the broadcast decency law?
While broadcasters continue to claim that they can regulate themselves, this type of increase in profane words aired on scripted programming - not on live broadcasts that are the subject of ongoing judicial review – suggests otherwise. Are we to expect a 69 percent increase in TV profanity every five years?"
The study counted the number of incidents in the first two weeks of the 2005-06 season (except for ABC which started their season a week later) and the first two weeks of the 2010-11 season. The PTC press release includes the following summary of the study's findings:
Use of profanity increased 69.3% from 2005-2010
Use of the bleeped or muted f-word increased from 11 incidents in 2005 to 276 incidents in 2010, an increase of 2409%
Use of the bleeped or muted s-word increased from 11 incidents in 2005 to 95 incidents in 2010, an increase of 763%
During the "family hour" (my quotation marks) incidents of the f-word increased from 10 in 2005 to 111 in 2010; use of the s-word increased from 11 in 2005 to 42 in 2010
FOX showed the greatest increase in the use of profanity from 2005 to 2010 with a 269% increase.
Sounds ominous doesn't it? And the PTC even provides a handy-dandy chart of the various incidents of profanity to show the exact profanities that The PTC objects to. And for me this is part of where the whole thing breaks down because of the words that the PTC considers "profane." Maybe they are profane by the most strict definitions but quite frankly I think most of these are absurd. I've taken the PTC's figures and reorganized them in a way that is more logical.
%Δ
Mild Non-Sexual Profanity
Possible Sexual or Scatological Context
Other Breasts
Other Genitals
Bleeped Fuck
2409.09%
Euph. Fuck
Bleeped Shit
Euph. Shit
Total minus Bleeped Words
So there you have the PTC's data and their methodology, and now a couple of things about my groupings. I grouped "Crap" "Screw" and "Suck" in the Possible Sexual or Scatological Context category on the grounds that these words can be used in a context that has nothing to do with (respectively) feces, sexual intercourse, or fellatio. Indeed Wiktionary defines "suck" in the context that it is commonly used as "To be inferior or objectionable: a general term of disparagement, sometimes used with at to indicate a particular area of deficiency," while "crap" is defined as "Something of poor quality," or "Something that is rubbish; nonsense."
The whole question of euphemisms and other words for bodily parts is another area worthy of some exploration. Does someone saying "poop" when confronted with feces qualify as a euphemism for "shit?" How about when a woman refers to her "vajayjay" in the style of Oprah Winfrey on her afternoon talk show and is that wrong? How about calling someone a "real dick?" Are you referring to other genitals or do you just not like people named Richard (I joke here, but a lot of "nannybots" on comments boards will censor the name Dick)? The inclusion of most of the words on this list is quite frankly an absurd attempt to turn the clock back to the 1960s as they were seen on TV.
What is of not of course is the increase in the two bleeped words. The reasons for that can be summed up with two words: Reality Television. If you'll notice, the majority of incidents in which the bleeped words were heard (or rather not heard, and not seen either) occurred in the first two hours of primetime, which as it happens is also the time period when most reality shows air. In both 2005 and 2010 there was only one reality show on in primetime; in 2005 it was ABC's The Bachelor, while in 2010 it was NBC's The Apprentice. On those shows the words are used in conversation – often angry conversation, but conversation nonetheless – the way that most people use these words. In other words my view of the matter is that they are not being inserted gratuitously by the producers but are included because there is no way to exclude them from the conversation and retain the sense of what was being said. TV producers have made obvious efforts to keep viewers from hearing the words or even lip reading the words. And yet the PTC is complaining about words that they not only don't hear but in most cases don't see because the networks have blurred or pixelated the lips of the people saying them.
Scripted programming generally doesn't include bleeped expletives because the writers and show runners wouldn't dream of including the words that would have to be bleeped in the first place. They would use euphemisms if they had to use the words at all. But again we have to note that most of the words that the PTC lists as profanity are either not considered objectionable by most people (including the PTC in the case of "damn" and "hell" and a couple of the others since they refer to them as "mild profanity" in reviews).
The thing about this whole report that makes me wonder about the PTC and question their methodology is the number of references, both in the report and in Winter's statement in the press release, to the Second Circuit's ruling on the constitutionality of the FCC's regulation of broadcasting. Winter specifically mentions that "...industry and media pundits predicted a sharp increase in the amount of profanity on television. Sadly, they were correct." This seems to be a deliberate effort on the part of the PTC to link the "increase" in profanity to the Second Circuit Court decision. And that is something that this study really doesn't do. If you want to show the "impact" of the Court's decision you either offer a comparison between the first two weeks of the 2009-10 season or the 2010-11 seasons – one immediately before the decision and one immediately after the decision – or you show the year by year figures for each year between 2005 and 2010. If you took the latter course, and if the PTC is right about the impact of the decision you would see a relatively stable number of incidents for the period 2005-2009 and a sudden jump with the 2010 season. The thing is that I am convinced that you wouldn't see that; I'm convinced that what you'd see is an increase over time on a fairly stable basis. Is that good? If you believe that a bleeped expletive is as bad as hearing the actual word because you can imply what the word is, then no it isn't good. But the fact is that the broadcast networks are not violating the law; in fact they are obeying the law because they are not airing the actual words. It's not a loophole, it's the law. and certainly the "blame" for this cannot be laid at the feet of the Second Circuit Court and their decision no matter how much the PTC would like it to be the true.
Labels: Censorship, PTC
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Nothing starts the morning off right like a good old-fashioned cup of Joe, just the way you like it – piping out and ready to roll.
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Nick108 - Electronic Production - 2 WAY STREETS I LOVE TO MEET by Nick108 2 way streets I love to meet but one ways can have a nice day else where. Notice the riff very similar to the previous one. Yes its exactly the same just a different mode of music. Enjoy on a 2 way street.


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text:
Gonzales Cantata: A moment of profound American shame gets set to music
Tim Treanor of DC Theatre Scene
Melissa Dunphy's The Gonzales Cantata, which will begin its run on In Series' website November 3, is an opera with a unique libretto – transcripts of the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearings on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' December 7, 2006 decision to fire seven United States Attorneys. Though it may be strange to hear the words of the Hon. Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah) set to music, the story behind the hearings is stranger still.
Any understanding of this bizarre chapter in American history must begin with the understanding that the post of United States Attorney is a political position, and those who are appointed serve at the pleasure of the President. It is customary for every United States Attorney to offer a resignation at the beginning of a four-year Presidential term, and those offers are usually accepted.
So on its face, the decision to replace seven attorneys in political positions should not be controversial. But anyone with common sense recognizes that United States Attorneys occupy unusually sensitive positions. Like the ordinary at-will American employee, U.S. Attorneys can be fired for any reason – except the wrong reason, such as because of race, or because they are investigating wrongdoing by some political heavyweight.
The Bush Administration was already taking in water when news of the firings broke. The U.S. military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan were proceeding badly. The Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina was catastrophically inept. News that the United States was torturing foreign prisoners – using legal justifications developed by Gonzales' team when he was White House Counsel – was out, and Congress was not happy. The attacks of September 11, 2001 on the United States had permitted Bush to pursue his vision of a "unitary executive" – one who was largely unfettered by Congress. By December of 2006, when we learned of the firings, Congress was prepared to put some fetters in place.
Still, there was a case to be made for the firings. For example, Kevin V. Ryan, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, was the subject of some extremely negative evaluations from experienced trial attorneys who had resigned from the office during his tenure. The U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, David Iglesias, was fired largely for his unwillingness to seek an indictment against State Senator Manny Aragon, a Democrat, on fraud and conspiracy charges. Aragon eventually pled guilty to three felony fraud counts. Margaret Chiara, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, ran an office notorious for palace intrigue, although it is unclear what responsibility she bore for it. Arizona U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton had several policy differences with the Department of Justice, including whether witness interviews on Native American reservations should be recorded and whether he should seek the death penalty in specific criminal cases.
But although the Justice Department made some early attempts to explain the firings on the merits, it soon became apparent that the process by which the Department arrived at its decision was irredeemably corrupted. Gonzales himself was a devastatingly bad witness on his own behalf.
Documents released subsequent to the firings show that the action was under contemplation nearly two years before they took place – and that at the epicenter of the firings was the political maven Karl Rove. Colin Newman, a staffer in the White House Counsel's office (then headed by Gonzales) wrote an e-mail in which he said "Karl Rove stopped by to ask you (roughly quoting) 'how we planned to proceed regarding U.S. Attorneys, whether we were going to allow all to stay, request resignations from all and accept only some of them or selectively replace them, etc.'" The e-mail eventually found its way into the inbox of Kyle Sampson, chief of staff to Attorney General John Ashcroft. A few weeks later Sampson had a new boss – Alberto Gonzales.
In a Los Angeles Times article which came out about four months after the firings, David Serrano described what happened next:
"D. Kyle Sampson, chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales, came up with a checklist. He rated each of the prosecutors with criteria that appeared to value political allegiance as much as job performance.
"He recommended retaining 'strong U.S. attorneys who have … exhibited loyalty to the president and attorney general.' He suggested 'removing weak U.S. attorneys who have … chafed against administration initiatives.'"
This revelation threw considerable shade on White House Press Secretary Tony Snow's previous assertion that the removal was the idea of Harriet Miers, Gonzales' beleaguered successor as White House Counsel. According to Snow, Miers had wanted to remove all 93 U.S. Attorneys, but the Justice Department had rejected her idea. Bush had once, briefly and catastrophically, proposed Miers for the Supreme Court seat now held by Samuel Alito, but by the end of January 2007 she herself had been removed.
Gonzales delegated the task of identifying the US Attorneys to get the ax to Sampson and Monica Goodling. Goodling was a curious choice. She was a 1999 graduate of Regent University (f/k/a Christian Broadcasting Network University) School of Law, and had never actually worked as a lawyer. She worked as an RNC opposition researcher in 2000, and then joined the Justice Department's press office. From there, she joined DoJ's Executive Office, which reviews personnel matters among its many functions. Eventually, she became the White House liaison. (She now works for a public relations firm).
Notwithstanding Sampson's recommendation, the removed attorneys were neither weak nor opponents of Bush or DoJ initiatives. For example, Carol Lam, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, was a recognized expert in prosecuting healthcare fraud and secured an indictment against Alvardo Hospital Medical Center and its owner, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, for kickbacks. Tenet eventually settled by paying $21 million and selling the hospital. The Bush Administration, citing some Republican Members of Congress, accused Lam of not enforcing immigration restrictions, but in fact she secured a significant conviction against the Golden State Fence Company for hiring illegal immigrants – ironically, to build fencing across the U.S.-Mexican border. (One of her accusers was Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, later convicted of accepting bribes for securing Federal contracts). Lam is now Senior Vice-President and Deputy General Counsel for Qualcomm, and has been mentioned for vacancies on the Supreme Court in a Democratic Administration.
Several of the other Gonzales firings were similarly inexplicable. Gonzales had no explanation for the firing of Nevada U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden. The firing enraged Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada, who said "I'm calling on the President of the United States and the attorney general to restore Dan Bogden's reputation….Everyone in Nevada thought Dan had done a superb job….I believe a very good man was wronged and a process was flawed." At the time of his firing, Bogden was investigating Nevada's Republican governor for bribery. Eventually, President Obama reappointed him to the position, and he served for eight additional years.
John McKay, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, had successfully prosecuted terrorist Ahmed Ressam and developed, at the request of DoJ, a nationwide law enforcement computer system. According to Sampson, his dismissal came about in part because he pressed a more aggressive investigation into the murder of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Wales. However, Gonzales had previously promised Wales' family that his murder investigation would receive "top priority". The real reason McKay was fired may have been his refusal to convene a Grand Jury to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2004 gubernatorial race, which a Democrat had won. McKay is now a partner in a Seattle law firm and a member of the law school faculty at Seattle University.
Goodling, who exercised such an outsize influence on the firing of these attorneys, was of no help to the Justice Department during the Senate hearings. At first, she refused to appear, citing her 5th-Amendment right against self-incrimination. Granted immunity, she said, "I do acknowledge that I may have gone too far in asking political questions of applicants for career positions, and I may have taken inappropriate political considerations into account on some occasions. And I regret those mistakes."
Gonzales' defense of the firings was almost – excuse the term – operatically inept. He largely attempted to evade responsibility for the Department's actions, professing ignorance about some key events and having no memory about others. Gonzales' efforts were hampered because in roughly the same time frame, he was trying to defend the Administration's torture policies. In that effort, he made some mind-boggling claims – including, in an astonishing exchange with Sen. Arlen Specter (R.-Pa.), that the Constitution does not guarantee the right of habeas corpus. Article one, section 9, says that the right of habeas corpus will not be suspended except in cases of war or invasion, Gonzales conceded, but nowhere does it say that the right exists in the first place.
On August 26, 2007, Gonzales announced his resignation. Subsequent investigations by the Inspector General and a Special Prosecutor were critical of the way that Gonzales ran the Department, but did not recommend criminal proceedings.
One of the reasons the Department of Justice was brought so quickly to account – and The Gonzales Cantata makes this clear – is that Republican Senators had no tolerance for Gonzales' conduct, and that of his associates. Specter, Hatch (who, by coincidence, has an excellent singing voice in real life) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R.-Iowa) are unyielding in cross-examining Gonzales, as are Senators Diane Feinstein (D. -Cal), Ben Cardin (D.-Md.) and Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D.-Vt).
It is unclear whether our current Senate would be capable of such bipartisan outrage at what was clearly an abuse of power. Notably, our current Chief Executive has complained bitterly that the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has not charged, and the Attorney General has not indicted, his political enemies. If their replacements return such indictments, will both parties have an interest in challenging their propriety?
The stakes have been raised because Trump has recently signed an Executive Order which would transform two hundred thousand high-ranking civil service positions into the excepted service – so that civil servants in positions like, for example, Dr. Fauci's could be removed without cause. If that happens, there are not enough operas in the world to do the ensuing calamity justice.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This week has been an interesting one. With some good days and some definitely not so good days.
Nikki started the week with me in Poole on her way back from Devon. Partly just so I would feed her I'm sure… She is still in full-on thesis writing mode. Not long left now.
When she left on Tuesday I sent her away with the basis of all of her meals for the next week (admittedly some of them were ready meals that she had bought) but some of them were nice healthy home cooked meals for her to just heat up. Like this salmon, veg and grains meal.
With the odd bit of sunshine at the start of the week, I forced myself to go out into the garden and tackle some of the plants that are looking a little overgrown. I managed to cut down about half of the giant bamboo that I need to take down before my back started hurting too much!
*excuse the odd squinting, but look it's almost twice my height!
So on Thursday I was due to catch up with a friend in town which got me out of the house, otherwise I think I would have been cooped up for a while. Unfortunately, we received bad news, our grandad that everyone thought was getting better tricked us all one last time and passed away on Thursday morning.
This came as quite a shock to us all as they had moved him to the local hospital and were talking about moving him on from there as he was getting better. We are just taking things as they come and giving my father all the support we are able to.
I have also been willing spring to get here by sewing up a summer dress in some of the brightest fabric I own!
What have you done this week? Has it been a good week or would you rather that it hadn't happened?
Thank you, yes thankfully it was all very peacefull.
Lol yes I have very strong memories of hacking away at the random bambo forest in the middle of a normal "forest" at my uncles place in france when I was much younger. It makes a wonderful barrier in larger properties but can take over far too easily in small gardens!
So sorry to hear your news about Grandad. I'm sure you can all contribute a lovely memory story when you get together as a family.
Well done tackling the garden – you deserved the Perry and crochet night after that effort.
Thank you 🙂 I'm sure there will be many stories.


text:
North Mankato, Minn. (January 28, 2022) – The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, a veteran expert and thought leader in the virtual learning space, today launched a Black History Month package of fresh and engaging virtual and interactive real-world expeditions for students that cover significant historical, cultural and societal events.
CILC's 10 virtual fieldtrips transcend other well-intentioned, but often one-dimensional and overly simplified narratives of African American historical figures by providing students with a detailed look at the encounters, achievements, and heroism of everyday African Americans throughout history. In addition to the Civil Rights Era, the fieldtrips cover everything from the American Revolution and its relationship to enslaved African Americans to the impacts of sharecropping and homesteading for Black farmers and western communities to the struggle for racial equality in the military during World War II. These "trips" also examine the meaning of race, the history of jazz, and the myths and misconceptions of Africa.
"These interactive, virtual learning programs break down the walls of the classroom and transport students back into history to witness the generations of African Americans who both struggled and triumphed throughout our country's history, while also bringing to light current situations that many Black individuals still experience today," said Glenn Morris, CILC's executive director. …Read More
Categories Newsline
ALBANY – The Dougherty County School System is launching a new technology initiative for its students, teachers, and staff as part of a collaboration with Apple and educational non-profit Ed Farm. The initiative will allow DCSS to expand and enhance its educational technology ecosystem districtwide.
The initiative will put the district on the leading edge of technology by equipping all DCSS students, teachers and staff with Apple products, services and instructional supports. As part of this, the district will also launch DoCo Codes, a learning initiative designed to prepare students for the careers of tomorrow through the use of advanced technology.
"When it comes to innovation, the Dougherty County School System embraces it, encourages it and rewards it, and so to work alongside Apple, a world leader in technological innovation, is impactful for us and our students in a multitude of ways," Superintendent Kenneth Dyer said. "It's more than just technology. This collaboration embeds a full-time Apple Professional Learning Specialist in our community to build capacity among our teachers, instructional coaches and others."…Read More
Kansas' Shawnee Mission School District Initiates New Partnership with Discovery Education Supporting Elementary Science Instruction
SILVER SPRING, MD (Wednesday, January 19, 2022)— Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) in Johnson County, Kansas has initiated a new partnership with Discovery Education supporting science education. Through this collaboration, educators in all 34 SMSD elementary schools have now joined their peers nationwide in integrating Discovery Education's award-winning suite of flexible digital resources into science instruction. Discovery Education's digital resources connect students to their inner curiosity in new ways, and provide educators innovative opportunities to design and deliver engaging learning experiences every day. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.
SMSD is the third largest school district in Kansas with more than 27,000 students and 3,400 employees. The district has been consistently ranked among the finest school districts nationwide for its high student performance, and serves a diverse student population from 14 cities within northeast Johnson County, Kansas, which is 10 miles from downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
SMSD seeks to ensure all students construct their own foundation for success in life's endeavors through relevant, personalized learning experiences orchestrated by talented, compassionate educators. To help students build a strong foundation of knowledge in the sciences, the school system sought a suite of digital resources they could easily integrate into instruction in either the classroom or the remote environment. Those resources are:…Read More
3 tips for maximizing the impact of professional learning
It's one thing to attend a professional learning or instructional coaching session—but taking what you've learned and putting it into action is another. Most often, it's the experiences built upon collaboration, reflection, and active change that make the biggest difference.
My time as a classroom educator helped me realize a passion for helping fellow teachers learn and grow. It inspired a mission to transform professional learning into something that's focused on teacher collaboration, learning and follow-through.
With this in mind, I compiled the following tips for getting the most out of professional learning and coaching sessions.…Read More
Categories District Management, eSchool Media, Featured on eSchool News, Professional Development, Teaching & Learning
Vivi raises US$20m to further accelerate overseas expansion, sets target for 1m classrooms within five years
Vivi, a leading Australia-based visual learning, collaboration, and administration platform for education, is pleased to announce it has successfully completed a capital raise of US$20m (A$26.5m) with New York-based education investor, Quad Partners.
The investment will help Vivi further accelerate overseas expansion, particularly in the US where its team has expanded from two to 18. The funding will allow the company to introduce a series of teacher efficiency features that will further
cement Vivi as a major component of the technological infrastructure of schools and districts. With its technology in over 40,000 classrooms around the world, the investment will expedite Vivi expanding into one million learning spaces within
five years.
One of the company's co-founders, US-based Simon Holland, led the oversubscribed raise with investors immediately buying into Vivi's vision.…Read More
Capstone and Buncee Invite Classrooms to Help Share Holiday Cheer "Holiday Hugs" Program To Bring Messages and Books to Patients at Children's Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – December 3, 2021 – Capstone, an innovative publisher and education technology provider of children's content for schools and home, and Buncee, its newly acquired creation and collaboration tool for students and educators, are inviting students to help create kind and supportive Holiday Hugs messages to children in the hospital this holiday season. Capstone has pledged to donate one book for every five Holiday Hugs ecards created which will be gifted to patients at Children's Minnesota pediatric health system.
Holiday Hugs encourages students and educators to create fun, interactive holiday ecards with thoughtful messages or even silly jokes for children spending their holidays in the hospital. Classrooms add their ecards to the official Holiday Hugs online board, which will be shared with patients at Children's Minnesota. The more Holiday Hugs created by December 15, 2021, the more books Capstone will donate to Children's Minnesota, up to 500 books.
"We hope Holiday Hugs helps make the Holidays shine a little brighter for kids in the hospital and shows them that they have a community who cares and is rallying behind them. Capstone would love to reach our goal of 500 books to donate to Children's Minnesota, so we hope that sparks students to create more Holiday Hugs," said Scott Sustacek, Capstone President.…Read More
New ManagedMethods Report Reveals 30% of K-12 School Districts Lack Cloud Application Security
BOULDER, Colo.—November 16, 2021— ManagedMethods, the leading Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cybersecurity, student safety, and compliance platform for education, today announced new research that found gaps in the cybersecurity strategies of district administrators when protecting their cloud collaboration and storage applications. The research findings were released in a special report, What You Don't Know Can Hurt You: New Survey Identifies Gaps in K-12 Cloud Security, commissioned by ManagedMethods and administered by the EdWeek Research Center.
The report reveals 30% of district administrators with at least a medium level of influence on technology decisions do not have a security platform to protect cloud applications. In total, half of respondents either did not have a platform in place or did not know if a platform had been implemented in their district.
"School districts have long led the charge into cloud technology by embracing Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud applications. This new research tells us that some district administrators are unaware of the cybersecurity, safety, and privacy risks that come with using them," said Charlie Sander, Chief Executive Officer at ManagedMethods. "Technology leaders need to know their cloud environments may be vulnerable, and that it's their responsibility to secure them."…Read More
How wireless screen sharing helps schools cut cords
Technology has become central to day-to-day processes inside schools, whether it's the classroom, common areas, staff rooms or lunch areas. In fact, 95 percent of teachers report that they use technology regularly, highlighting just how prevalent and inseparable it is from modern methods and styles of educating.
However, in this post-pandemic and technology-abundant era, teachers are faced with the challenge of facilitating collaboration amongst students–something that was lacking from the remote scene–while still being mindful of health concerns and guidelines. One potential solution that satisfies the need for collaboration while simplifying complex technology is wireless screen sharing.
Wireless screen sharing: The convenient, touchless solution …Read More
Categories COVID-19 Update, eSchool Media, Featured on eSchool News, IT Management
Arkansas' Corning School District Enters New Age of Digital Science Instruction Through Partnership with Discovery Education
SILVER SPRING, MD (Tuesday, November 9, 2021)—Arkansas' Corning School District (CSD) is entering a new age of digital teaching and learning through a partnership with Discovery Education. Through this new collaboration, educators districtwide have begun integrating Discovery Education's award-winning suite of digital resources into science instruction for all students in grades 3-8 as well as grade 10. With these exciting new resources, CSD's students are connecting to their inner curiosity in new ways through engaging digital learning experiences investigating the mysteries of the universe. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.
Located in northeastern Arkansas, the Corning School District provides comprehensive education for approximately 900 prekindergarten through grade 12 students and is accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education and AdvancED. With a graduation rate in the top 1% of Arkansas school districts, CSD prides itself on preparing students for success beyond graduation.
To support CSD's continuing efforts to prepare students for college and career success, the school system sought to enhance their science curriculum. Following a careful review process, CSD selected two resources from Discovery Education for use. Those resources are: …Read More
11 facts about K-12 IT leadership
Broadband access and the ever-growing equity gap are among K-12 IT leaders' top concerns, according to CoSN's annual IT Leadership Survey.
The survey, released in collaboration with the Ed-Fi Alliance and other partners, is based on a national survey of nearly 400 school systems and provides a nuanced look at the challenges K-12 IT leadership has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We were proud to once again work alongside the CoSN team in developing this report," said Sean Casey, manager of strategic partnerships at the Ed-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit devoted to helping school districts and states achieve data interoperability. "At Ed-Fi, our goal is to define data standards to solve problems shared by all educators and to arm the learning community with useful information, as found in this report, for conscientious decision-making that leads to better outcomes for learners everywhere."…Read More
Categories Ancillary
Whitepapers and Resources
Collaborative Mental Health Efforts
Hazel Health
Benchmarking Toolkit for 2022
Why Career Exploration Should Begin in Middle School—and How to Make It Happen
Stride Learning Solutions
Guide: Understand how Federal Funding can support K-12 technology investments
An emerging threat to educational transformations
Charter Communications (Spectrum Enterprise)
Key considerations for a network edge refresh on campus
Leveraging online resources to support students' learning and teacher effectiveness
How to Simplify Vaccine Management Compliance
Creating a Paperless Future in K-12 Schools
Why closing the digital divide helps students far beyond the classroom


AMC has released the first full trailer for their latest BBC co-production, a follow-up to the hugely successful 2016 John le Carré adaptation The Night Manager. This time the same producers at The Ink Factory (including le Carré and his sons Simon and Stephen Cornwell) chose to tackle the author's 1983 tome The Little Drummer Girl, and they brought on the great Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) to direct. The imagery in this trailer is as haunting and awesome as I expected from him! The Little Drummer Girl follows Charlie, a naive young English actress recruited by Israeli Intelligence into the "theater of the real"– to infiltrate a Palestinian terror organization. She soon finds herself seduced by both sides and caught in the middle. Florence Pugh (King Lear) stars as Charlie, Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies) plays Becker, the enigmatic stranger who seduces, recruits, and eventually handles her, and Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water) plays a ruthlessly clever, masterfully manipulative, somewhat Smiley-like Mossad spymaster, Kurtz. The miniseries will air on AMC over three consecutive nights in two-hour episodes, premiering November 19 at 9 PM ET/PT. Additional episodes will air at 9 ET/PT on November 20 and November 21. It's expected to play on BBC in the UK around the same time.


Saint Joseph High School is a 21st Century learning environment built to the standards of Saint Joseph's tradition of excellence. The School's new location in downtown South Bend (on the site of the former Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center) will enable them to reach a more diverse group of students and families who seek an outstanding Catholic education. Their new school supports academic excellence, giving students and teachers a state-of-the-art learning environment for innovative teaching, collaborative work and focused learning. Smart classrooms feature the best in current learning technologies and offer flexible support for the technologies of the future.


text:
package com.jukta.rule.core.predicate;

import org.junit.Test;

import java.math.BigDecimal;

import static junit.framework.TestCase.assertEquals;

public class BigDecimalComparatorTest {
    @Test
    public void compare() {
        assertEquals(0, new BigDecimalComparator().compare(new BigDecimal(1.1),new BigDecimal(1.1)));
        assertEquals(-1, new BigDecimalComparator().compare(new BigDecimal(1.0),new BigDecimal(1.2)));
        assertEquals(1, new BigDecimalComparator().compare(new BigDecimal(1.0),new BigDecimal(-1.2)));
        assertEquals(1, new BigDecimalComparator().compare(new BigDecimal(1.2),new BigDecimal(1.1)));
    }

    @Test
    public void compareWithEpsilon() {
        BigDecimal epsilon = BigDecimal.valueOf(0.01d);
        assertEquals(0, new BigDecimalComparator(epsilon).compare(new BigDecimal(1.101),new BigDecimal(1.102)));
        assertEquals(0, new BigDecimalComparator(epsilon).compare(new BigDecimal(1.102),new BigDecimal(1.101)));
        assertEquals(-1, new BigDecimalComparator(epsilon).compare(new BigDecimal(1.0),new BigDecimal(1.2)));
        assertEquals(1, new BigDecimalComparator(epsilon).compare(new BigDecimal(1.2),new BigDecimal(1.1)));
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Doesn't appear that the official MLS account of Columbus Crew SC has announced it yet, but there appears to be a number of roster moves made yesterday. Patrick Guldan over at Massive Report, uh, reported that the outlet cut a few guys.
And here, I had just put together my team budget summary. Goodness. Turns out, now that the dust has settled, the changes don't really impact the overall salary spend.
There is one player that is a bit of a surprise though (at least for me, and perhaps many youth USMNT watchers) - Romain Gall.
Players Cut:
Romain Gall (1.5 yrs with team)
Sergio Campbell (1 yr with team)
Kyle Parker (2016 draft pick)
Vincent Cicciarelli (2016 draft pick)
Gall was (is?) a rising star in the US National Team system. When Gregg Berhalter got him in August 2014 through a weighted allocation process (sigh) it was seen as a right place, right time masterstroke. A year on now tho, it's all come apart and I'm not sure how much Gall had to do with it.
Things with Gall reached a boil back in May 2015 when USMNT U20 Head Coach Tab Ramos left him off the roster due to lack of playing time in MLS. At the time, it was seen as a shot lobbed in the direction of Gregg Berhalter and company.
"Now they're just constantly losing fitness, and when we call them into the U-20 national camp they come in and I feel they can't handle the training. With the fitness coach, we can't do double sessions when we come in every day, because if we do double sessions by the third day these guys are dead and won't be able to play on the weekends." - Tab Ramos
Not sure how it plays now that Crew SC made it to the MLS Cup final. It does raise a bunch of questions about development of talented players (of which Gall is/was).
Gall scored in three of his last four games with the Austin Aztex (USL) in over half his apps with the U20 Men's national team. Not sure what's next for him. My advice? Get out of MLS.
Written By Larry W Johnson II on Tuesday, February 09, 2016


text:
Petter Wallace
Hunting Great New Music – so you don't have to
19 Refreshing New Albums
juli 15, 2019 / pewalla
It's time to renew the playlist, this time with as many as 19 new albums, ranging from the sweetest pop to the saddest blues. I believe that you, as a regular listener to my blog list, enjoy variety as much as I do, and are equally bored by the same crappy copycat music from (mostly) Swedish music producers – or radio stations playing the same 80s music again and again and again, especially when there is so much interesting music being created out there that is rarely played.
Here is the complete, official blog list
Here are tracks from this blog entry only….
The Cactus Blossoms – Easy Way – Americana
A duo from Minnesota, sounding like the Everly Brothers seasoned with more than a pinch of Americana. Easy Way is their second album.
zalagasper – Stiri – R&B
You have already been introduced to the two lovebirds from Slovenia, they competed in this year's ESC final, where they clearly didn't belong, with their lounge-like R&B. Their EP, Stiri, shows off more of their truly laid-back music.
zalagasper
Spöket i köket – Chateau de Garage – Folk
The ghost in the kitchen (yes, that's what it means) is 10-man band with members from Sweden, Denmark and Belgium, playing – and playing with – European folk music, with guts and humour. So much fun!
Spöket i köket
Julia Biel – Julia Biel – Pop/Jazz
Another great Billie Holiday-inspired singer, merging pop and jazz effortlessly. If you have enjoyed Hailey Tuck and Madeleine Peyroux, you are bound to like Biel.
Julia Biel
ISÁK – Ealan – Folk/Rock
The Sámi-Norwegian band ISÁK fuses traditional joik with rock and pop. The vocalist Ella Marie, who became a household name in Norway last year when winning the country's most popular music contest, Stjernekamp, has a rare, powerful voice, permeating all tracks on their mighty first album.
ISÁK
Fly Sonata – Fly Sonata – R&B/Soul
Another fusion band is debuting Fly Sonata from the south of England, labelling themselves as future soul outfit, and there is definitely a lot of soul in there, but also so many other music influences. The result is fluid, lovely and a great listening experience.
Fly Sonata
Finn Andrews – One Piece at a Time – Pop
One Piece at a Time is the first solo album from English Finn Andrews, formerly lead singer of The Veils. This is song writing at its very best, soul-gripping melodies elevated by Andrews' vulnerable, but controlled voice. Outstanding.
Photo: Matt Holyoak
Rymden – Reflections & Odysseys – Jazz
Nordic jazz, much of it a bit challenging for the average music listener, but some of the tracks are eerily beautiful, primarily because of pianist Bugge Wesseltoft's sensitive contribution.
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Signs – Blues
Great contemporary blues band from Florida, led by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, deviating refreshingly from the traditional three-chord blues, and still creating believable blues.
Tedeschi Trucks Band Photo: Shervin Lainez
Salvador Sobral – Paris, Lisboa – Jazz/Pop
Sobral won ESC last year, we were many that couldn't believe his low-key jazzy music could receive such a merit. But Salvardor Sobral does his own thing and doesn't care for commercial success. Some of the songs on his first album since the win is a bit quirky and introvert, but I can't stop enjoying every minute of his music and respect his giving the music industry the finger.
Salvador Sobral Photo: AFP
Robert Ellis – Texas Piano Man – Country/Rock
Another continuous favourite of mine is Robert Ellis. I saw him perform live a few years ago, and got even more fond of his deeply personal, evocative, country music then. His new album is filled with his witty but also painful fabulations about contemporary life, mostly his own.
Robert Ellis Photo: Paul Penton
Gilbert O'Sullivan – Gilbert O'Sullivan – Pop
Some of the best pop music made in the 70s came out of Gilbert O'Sullivan's head, but after the three absolutely brilliant first albums, O'Sullivan's fame started to wane. Like McCartney, he has lost some of his knack of the great melodies, but he has continued to record and perform, and his latest album presents an artist that wants to stay where he is – and was. Most of the time that works fine.
AURORA – A Different Kind of Human Part 2 – Pop
One of the most talented singer-songwriters right now is AURORA. Her third album is out, and it might be her best yet. She has created a music style of haunting drums, broad harmonies and energetic refrains that stick in your mind.
Aurora Photo: Bent René Synnevåg
Maria Due – The Colour White – Pop/Folk
AURORA is not alone among Norwegian female singer-songwriters, the "Singing Psycologist" as the press has labelled her, Maria Due, has released her third studio album, The Colour White. The title track is among the best recently produced songs in my view, self-confidently written and performed by Due
Maria Due Photo: Private
Dido – Still on my Mind – Pop
Another female artist who won't lie down is Dido, a pop sensation in the late 1990s. Now she's is back with one of her best releases yet, even though (or maybe because) she hasn't changed her formula very much. Her voice is still her greatest asset and very much at the forefront of every track, and the lyrics are emotional and personal.
Glen Hansard – This Wild Willing – Pop
Glen Hansard's voice has been described as "whispery growl", an acquired taste, perfect if you're into Tom Waits and Nick Cave. I am into them, but only partially, and the same goes for Hansard. Still, when he's good he is more than great, and some of the best tracks on This Wild Willing, are just that.
The Leisure Society – Arrivals & Departures – Pop
I didn't expect a relationship break-up album from the boys in The Leisure Society, but that's what we got with Arrivals & Departures. And with a lot of the humour of previous albums departed, replaced by more poignant and bitter lyrics. Still, this is an album worth listening to, their pop tunes are as good as before, and even though the playfulness in the lyrics are subdued, the melodies are genuinely The Leisure Society.
The Leisure Society
Sara Bareilles – Amidst the Chaos – Pop
The Waitress musical, written by Sarah Bareilles, became a great Broadway success, but it is a pop artist and singer-songwriter we first got to know her. Amidst the Chaos takes her back to these roots, and her very clever and imaginative songwriting is brilliantly performed, a bit soulless and polished, perhaps, but Bareilles knows her craft and never ceases to surprise.
Jenny Lewis – On the Line – Pop/Rock
I was sad to see the wonderful band Rilo Kiley break up a few years back. There was a plus, though, the break-up became the start of the vocalist Jenny Lewis' solo career. On the Line is her third album, and a very mature one it is, both in the material itself and in the arrangements. A long list of infamous contributors have added to the result, not that she couldn't have managed without Ringo Starr, Back and Ryan Adams and their likes. Jenny Lewis has been through a lot, read all about it in her lyrics, but she is defiant and there is definitely light than darkness on this album
Out the playlist window go: Paul Weller, Death Cab for Cutie, Boz Scaggs, noonday underground, Willie Nelson, Delgres, Mariza, Falkevik, Alexandra Streliski, AURORA's second album, Robyn, Honey Hahs, The Jayhawks, A Star is Born soundtrack and Madeleine Peyroux.
← Needles in Haystacks
Simply Beautiful. And Beatifully Simple. →
Most Enjoyable Albums of 2020 desember 21, 2020
End of Summer november 25, 2020
Come Together oktober 4, 2020
Caro Emerald club des belugas Eliza Doolittle Emilie Nicolas hjerte jacob jones John Grant Jonathan Wilson josephine oniyama josh ritter Kacey Musgraves kiwanuka mark edwards martha wainwright noisettes Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation Paul McCartney Rilo Kiley Saint Motel sally ellyson steve curtis


text:
Carphone and Dixons confirm merger; Nokia retires 5,000 Indian workers
> Samsung apologised to employees who contracted cancer while working in its factories, and pledged to honour a third-party decision on compensation payments. Article
> UK retailers Dixons and Carphone Warehouse confirmed they are merging, in a £3.8 billion (€4.6 billion/$6.3 billion) deal that could boost the "Internet of things" sector. Article
> WeDo Technologies, specialists in business assurance and fraud management, announced an expansion into the retail, energy, finance, and healthcare industries. Release
> Nokia said about 5,000 workers at its factory in Chennai, India, accepted a voluntary retirement plan after the company failed to resolve a tax dispute in the country. Article
> Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges told shareholders that the company is not in any talks about a potential merger. Article
And finally...after the "right to be forgotten" ruling by a European court, Google receives a flurry of requests to remove data from individuals with compromising details searchable online. Article
Another looming 5G challenge: Getting customers to upgrade
Moving subscribers to 5G networks will help carriers manage network traffic, but they can't do it until customers buy 5G-ready smartphones.
by Martha DeGrasse May 16, 2018 12:00pm
Dornan: Is eSIM a threat to telco operators?—Industry Voices
The adoption of consumer eSIM services/devices remains low, despite major hype.
by Anthony Dornan Apr 30, 2018 5:30pm


text:
Here are the best and worst US Army recruitment campaigns
Eric Milzarski
Updated January 03, 2023 07:10:15
Most soldiers have a valid reason for joining the military: family, patriotism, better opportunities — chances are they made their mind up long ago. For those who joined during a "huh, that sounds like a good idea!" moment, they probably got the idea after seeing a television commercial or billboard — complete with noteworthy slogans.
While this list is compiled fairly loosely, it still illustrates a range from complete sh*tshow to absolutely iconic.
These are the best and worst US Army recruitment campaigns
Army of One (2001 to 2006)
Oh boy. There's no contest on which slogan goes to the very bottom.
Not only did it invoke the sense of individuality over teamwork, but all of the quotes that went on the posters just came off as pretentious.
But it did give us the video game Army of Two, which was a fun game. So there's that.
Look Sharp, Be Sharp, Go Army! (1950 to early 70's)
This slogan was plastered on billboards around the country. But during the draft, the second slogan was kind of…mean: "Your future, your decision…choose ARMY."
Not really your decision if you're drafted, huh?
Maybe this was meant to be a warning before the draft chose for you?
Join the people who've joined the Army (mid 70's)
Because of slogans like "Today's Army Wants to Join You" (whaaaat?) and because of the rumors that there was beer in the barracks and loose rules and things like that, "…it was perceived by a great many Americans that the Army would be an undisciplined Army," said Secretary of the Army Bo Callaway.
This campaign was very short lived before the Army reverted back to the next entry on our list because of a kickback scandal involving the ad agency. It was fairly basic in just giving the facts. It was created out of the fear of soldiers drinking in the barracks…which totally never happens…
Today's Army Wants to Join You (early 70's to 1980)
After the Vietnam War came to an end, the Army had a bit of an image problem. Drafting men to fight in an era of hippies took its toll when it came time to transition into an all-volunteer Army.
So the Army loosened many of its restrictions to try to appeal to the more free lifestyle of the youth counter-culture. It was a twist on the classic "I Want You for U.S. Army" poster with the added intensive that the Army would "care more about how you think than how you cut your hair."
I mean, it was effective. So it lands firmly in the middle of the list.
The recruiter isn't lying, per se…
Army Strong (2006 to Present)
After the blunder that was "Army of One," they decided to strip down the advertisements to just show all the cool things you can do in the Army.
Nothing but the bare bones of soldiers doing awesome things. No lies being spread. No sense of individuality trumping your unit. Just "Look how cool this sh*t is!" Plus it gave us a catchy theme song that gets stuck in everyone's head after a battalion run.
(The only down side is that the other branches definitely use this slogan against the Army.)
Be All You Can Be (1980 to 2001)
The Cold War still had not thawed when they came up with this scheme but then it seemed to fit with everything 80's and 90's — so it stuck.
The emphasis was more on using cool promises to get lost high schoolers to join after graduation. I hate to break it to the kid below, but are a lot of steps before you can become a pilot.
I Want YOU for US Army (WWI to WWII)
You can't beat the classics.
The original James M. Flagg poster turned countless heads across the country during the first World War. Even after the armistice, the posters stuck around.
The iconic poster made its round again to bring the Greatest Generation back into the fray. It has since been imitated, referenced, and adapted, even if it was also a reference to the British "Your Country Needs YOU" campaign.


text:
package org.waveprotocol.wave.model.operation.testing;

import org.junit.Ignore;
import org.waveprotocol.wave.model.document.operation.Attributes;
import org.waveprotocol.wave.model.document.operation.BufferedDocOp;
import org.waveprotocol.wave.model.document.operation.impl.AnnotationBoundaryMapImpl;
import org.waveprotocol.wave.model.document.operation.impl.AttributesImpl;
import org.waveprotocol.wave.model.document.operation.impl.AttributesUpdateImpl;
import org.waveprotocol.wave.model.document.operation.impl.DocOpBuffer;

@Ignore
public class TestOperations {

  // The test case for the message-based implementation should also use this.
  public static BufferedDocOp getBasicTestOp() {
    DocOpBuffer b = new DocOpBuffer();

    // The operation starts with characters/deleteCharacters of various lengths
    // and case, mixed with some retains and nested element start/end with
    // different mixes of attributes.
    b.characters("hello");
    b.characters("z");
    b.retain(1);
    b.deleteCharacters("ab");
    b.characters("world");
    b.retain(2);
    b.deleteCharacters("cd");
    b.elementStart("a", Attributes.EMPTY_MAP);
    b.characters("hEllo");
    b.elementStart("b", new AttributesImpl("a", "1"));
    b.characters("world");
    b.elementStart("B", new AttributesImpl("A", "1", "b", "abc12"));
    b.elementEnd();
    // A non-ASCII Unicode character.
    b.characters("\u2603");
    b.elementEnd();
    b.elementEnd();
    b.deleteElementStart("a", new AttributesImpl("a", "2", "c", ""));
    b.deleteCharacters("asdf");
    b.deleteElementEnd();

    // Now some replaceAttributes with different size and case.
    b.replaceAttributes(new AttributesImpl("a", "b"), new AttributesImpl("b", "c", "c", "d"));
    b.replaceAttributes(Attributes.EMPTY_MAP, new AttributesImpl("Aa", "aA"));
    b.replaceAttributes(new AttributesImpl("B", "A"), new AttributesImpl());
    // Try both a fresh empty AttributesImpl() instance and the preallocated
    // EMPTY_MAP.
    b.replaceAttributes(new AttributesImpl(), Attributes.EMPTY_MAP);
    // Now we add similar cases for annotation boundaries.  Since consecutive annotation
    // boundaries would make the operation ill-formed, we interleave them with further
    // updateAttributes tests.
    b.annotationBoundary(AnnotationBoundaryMapImpl.builder().build());
    b.updateAttributes(new AttributesUpdateImpl());
    b.annotationBoundary(AnnotationBoundaryMapImpl.builder()
        .updateValues("b", "XZ", "yz", "f-", null, null,
            "g-", "a", null, "k-", "b", "", "r", "", "2")
        .build());
    b.updateAttributes(new AttributesUpdateImpl("a", null, "1"));
    b.annotationBoundary(AnnotationBoundaryMapImpl.builder()
        .initializationEnd("b", "g-", "k-", "r")
        .updateValues("e", "166", null, "f-", null, null)
        .build());
    b.updateAttributes(new AttributesUpdateImpl("P", null, "", ":wq", "ZZ", null));
    b.annotationBoundary(AnnotationBoundaryMapImpl.builder()
        .initializationEnd("e", "f-")
        .build());

    return b.finish();
  }
}


text:
Q: ItemUpdated vs FieldUpdated I have a user request where a Document Library with Content Approval turned on, wants the name of the person who approved the document.  So I created an "Approver" column and want to create an Event Receiver to capture the users name that is approving the document and write it out to the "Approver" column.  Should I use ItemUpdated or FieldUpdated ?
Bismarck

A: You want the ItemUpdated event on the SPItemEventReceiver which occur after the ListItem (ie content) has been updated.
The FieldUpdated on the SPListEventReceiver happens after someone made a change to the field like made it required not when the content changes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Home/Our People / PAUL C. ROSENTHAL
PAUL C. ROSENTHAL
PAUL C. ROSENTHAL Partner
Clients depend on me to design the right strategy to prevail where law, politics, economics and public relations converge.
prosenthal@kelleydrye.com
University of California, Davis School of Law, J.D., 1975
University of California, Berkeley, A.B., 1972, Phi Beta Kappa
District of Columbia, 1976
California, 1976
Trade Remedies (AD, CVD, Safeguards)
Paul Rosenthal co-chairs the firm's Government Relations and Public Policy practice. Paul is a member of the firm's Executive Committee, and previously served as managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office. Paul is well-respected for his knowledge of both international trade and government relations. Strong advocacy, informed by extensive experience, has provided Paul's clients with excellent results. He serves as both a strategic advisor and hands-on advocate for his clients' interests, which often involve a complex mix of legal, economic and political challenges.
Paul has assisted clients from a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, technology, food and healthcare, to name only a few. He has appeared, and succeeded, before all of the U.S. trade agencies and reviewing courts, participating in hundreds of agency and court proceedings. Paul has represented clients in disputes involving the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as well as in multilateral and bilateral negotiations. Paul's government relations practice involves trade and non-trade issues before Congress and the Executive Branch. Of particular note, Paul acts as general counsel or Washington counsel to several international and national trade associations, and previously served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs for more than five years.
In his fourth decade of practice, Paul is among the premier lawyers practicing in international trade law in Washington, D.C., across the country and on a global scale. A testament to his dedication, intellect, advocacy skills—and sense of humor—many of Paul's clients have been with him for decades.
Paul holds prominent rankings in Chambers International, Washingtonian Magazine, The Legal 500 U.S., The Best Lawyers in America©, the Legal Times, International Who's Who in Trade & Customs Lawyers, Law & Politics Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon 500's Leading Lawyers in America. He was selected for inclusion among the elite Band 1 lawyers listed in Chambers for International Trade and, according to a market source, is "probably the best of the petitioner lawyers" he knows. Paul delivers multi-dimensional solutions and representation that is not only intelligent, but also consistently effectual.
Served as lead counsel to brief and/or argue hundreds of cases before agencies and reviewing courts.
Represented a wide variety of industrial and agricultural interests in multilateral negotiations including the Uruguay Round and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Doha Round negotiations, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the U.S./EU Free Trade Agreement, as well as legislation to implement various trade agreements.
Represented the worldwide chocolate and cocoa industry in connection with its efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in its supply chain.
Represented the U.S. auto industry in its dispute concerning access to the Japanese market.
Represented a machine tool client in a Section 232 (National Defense) voluntary restraint agreement.
Represented U.S. exporters of beef, pork, pasta and dairy products in successful General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)/WTO dispute settlement proceedings involving unfair subsidies, quotas and phytosanitary restrictions.
Represented numerous U.S. producers in successful antidumping and countervailing duty cases involving a range of products, including flat-panel displays, forklift trucks, transfer presses, foundry products, a wide variety of steel products, PET resin, polyester fiber, pork, pasta, garlic, honey, canned pineapples and indigo.
Represented the U.S. lamb, specialty steel and carbon steel industries in successful "escape clause" proceedings.
Represented the U.S. juice manufacturing industry in connection with the first pre-importation judicial review involving customs issues at the Court of International Trade.
Represented numerous food and industrial clients on customs issues, including valuation, drawback, marking and classification matters.
Represented chemical manufacturing clients in generalized system of preference (GSP) proceedings before the U.S. Trade Representative's office.
Represented U.S. food exporters in trade cases in Mexico and South Africa.
Represented a large pharmaceutical company in connection with enforcing its rights under the WTO's agreement on the trade-related aspects of intellectual property.
Represented U.S. exporters in matters involving market access issues in Europe, Korea and China.
Represented clients in connection with Buy America requirements in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), as well as other legislation.
Represented clients on major policy initiatives in the areas of appropriations, healthcare, agriculture, labor, trade and tax. Serves as general counsel to the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association, Municipal Casting Association, and several other international and national trade associations and industry coalitions.
Serves as Chair of the advisory board of the University of Iowa Institute for Vision Research.
Serves on the advisory board of the Robert T. Matsui Center, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
Recipient of the "Burton Award" for legal writing, 2018.
Selected as one of Washingtonian Magazine's "Top Lawyers."
Ranked as one of the leading practitioners in the International Trade area by Chambers USA, Chambers Global and The Legal 500 U.S.
The Best Lawyers in America© (Woodward/White, Inc.), International Trade and Finance Law.
Selected as a "Leading Lawyer in International Trade" by Legal Times.
Listed as a top attorney in the International Trade area in the International Who's Who in Trade & Customs Lawyers and Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers.
Listed in Lawdragon 500: Leading Lawyers in America.
U.S. Court of International Trade Advisory Committee, former member
Practicing Law Institute, former member
University of California - Davis School of Law, J.D., 1975
University of California - Berkeley, A.B., 1972, Phi Beta Kappa
Webinar | Seminar
2021 Biden Administration Regulatory and Policy Outlook for Manufacturers
The Federal Relief Package: Is Your Business Small, Medium, Large, Essential and/or Critical and What Do Those Terms Mean for You and Your Employees
December 3, 2020 | Client Advisories
Sweeping CBP Action Threatens Border Detentions for Billions of Dollars of Cotton-Containing Goods From China
John Foote, Paul Rosenthal, Robert Slack, Jennifer McCadney, Julia Kuelzow
November 6, 2020 | Client Advisories
2020 Election Analysis
Paul Rosenthal
March 20, 2020 | Client Advisories
COVID-19 Washington Update: March 20, 2020
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On Friday, April 19th, the Connecticut-based melodic death metal band Archaic Decapitator will release a new five-song EP entitled The Apothecary. It follows their well-received 2016 EP, Light of a Different Sun, which featured performances by session drummer extraordinaire Kevin Talley. But while Kevin Talley isn't featured on this new EP, Archaic Decapitator have enlisted another tremendously talented skins-man in Gary Marotta from Xenosis, and new rhythm guitarist Chris Ridley has also joined the band as a permanent member.
Those two round out a group that also includes vocalist Kyle Quintin (Fires in the Distance, ex-Formless), lead guitarist Yegor Savonin (Fires in the Distance), and bassist/backing-vocalist Craig Breitsprecher (Fires in the Distance, ex-Formless).
Today, through a lyric video, we present a second single from the EP, "Cruelty of the Host Star", a song that vividly reveals the dynamism of The Apothecary as the band accent their bracing rush of melodic death metal with progressive flourishes, elements of black metal and thrash, and even a few symphonic touches.
The song is a high-voltage experience that manages to be both cold-blooded and almost deliriously ebullient. It delivers the savagery we expect from death metal, but it's such an exhilarating thrill-ride that it's bound to leave you smiling.
The band combine racing, ravaging riffs and battering drumwork with start-stop rhythmic jolts and darting, dancing leads. The exultant energy of the song is enhanced by rapidly flickering keyboards and fanfare-like bursts of melody, as well as a head-swirling solo that becomes a dual-guitar extravaganza. There's plenty of ferocious energy in the vocals, too, with a vicious array of savage snarls, scalding shrieks, and guttural roars assaulting the ears.
The EP is recommended for fans of such groups as Dark Tranquillity, Dimension Zero, Hypocrisy, Naglfar, Kalmah, Insomnium, Old Man's Child, and The Black Dahlia Murder. The striking cover art was created by Caelen Stokkermans, who handled the imagery found throughout Misery Index's 2019 lyric video for "The Choir Invisible", as well as last year's Soreption album cover art.
The Apothecary is available for pre-order now, via the link below, and after that we'll give you the track list, our premiere of "Cruelty of the Host Star", and a stream of the EP's first single, "Skyward". Enjoy!


Recently, there has been several stories published on LENR in more mainstream outlets. The stories tend to broadly focus on Andrea Rossi's E-cat, but also make mention of others working in the field. I plan to write a series of posts on these recent articles analyzing what stands out to me in the articles.
Popular Science – Can Andrea Rossi's Infinite-Energy Black Box Power The World–Or Just Scam It?
When I first heard the story of Andrea Rossi, I found it baffling that anybody took him seriously. Everything about him—his patently phony website, his clumsy demonstrations, his history as a convicted scam artist—screamed fraud. I wanted to know: How could someone with no real credentials and a history of deceit fool a small army of researchers?
As I walked back to the train station, I recalled something Ugo Bardi had said, that cold fusion was a "clash of absolutes." The description could easily apply to the attitudes of scientists on both sides of the divide. Each believes the other is wrong; each believes the empirical evidence is on his side. In this rigid context, Rossi's erratic behavior had a shrewd logic to it. The only thing that kept him in the game was his canny ability to straddle the intersection of science and belief.
To my astonishment, after three days of asking every cold-fusion researcher in the house, I couldn't find a single person willing to call Rossi a con man. The consensus was that he had something, even if he didn't understand why it worked or how to control it. The more I learned, the more confused I became. Could Rossi actually have something real? The only way to know for sure was to go to Italy.
Personally, I feel a certain amount of admiration for Rossi for the attention that he has brought to LENR, the dreams he expresses for the future, his faith in God, and his ability to generate buzz. He also forges ahead guided by his philosophies despite all the controversy and negative things that are said about him. That said, it's difficult to follow his process and not come away without having some red cautionary flags come up. He often seems to say things that contradict what happens, but communicates in a way that is often vague, terse, and invites incorrect interpretations of the things he says. He has noted himself in the past that he has an internal conflict with his optimism and the need to make cautious statements. I find myself having roughly the same opinion of the scientific researchers in the field, which is to say: he has something, but can it be controlled and delivered to a commercial product in the way he says it will? I hope so!
I asked Celani why he thought NI had invited him to the conference. He stopped what he was doing and looked around the chaos of his lab, as if searching for the answer among all the defunct LENR cells he'd built to replicate various experiments dating back to the early days of cold fusion, experiments that helped push the field, watt by watt, closer to legitimacy. "I don't know," Celani said, and burst into laughter.
What is interesting to me, it that the writer doesn't comment on the humility in Celani's response and reaction to that question. In my experience, this is often the mark of someone of great capability but also the recognition of personal limitations. He shies away from personal attention-seeking and praise and will let others draw their conclusions about him and his work without spin.
At the very end of the article, Mr. Featherstone reviews, briefly, the state of the art with respect to theory (citing Hagelstein and Widom-Larsen). Notably missing is Robert Godes' CECR hypothesis, which bears some resemblance to both. Over all, the writer does manage to maintain some objectivity despite missing aspects of interpersonal nuance of the people he is interacting with, and it is good to see coverage going out to a broader audience.
The article of Featherweight on Popular Science is honest and sincere.
He believed what he wrote, so I appreciate the journalist and the article. Of course the mass media like Popular Science need to see plants in operation to have a precise idea.
Of course he has since corrected the above to say Featherstone, but I suspect the real opinion was expressed best as originally written. This just emphasizes the intrigue of the man of Andrea Rossi, which inspires so much speculation.
This entry was posted in Andrea Rossi, Francesco Celani. Bookmark the permalink.
This is trully a situation and scenario that would create interest in human character.


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Class BeaconsList

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io.upnext.beaconcontrol.sdk.internal.model.BeaconsList

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public class BeaconsList
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Zina graduated from the University of Manchester in 2008 and joined Revive Dental Care as an associate dentist in August 2009.
She provides all aspects of general dentistry to her patients, and has a particular interest in restorative and cosmetic dentistry including implants and teeth whitening. Zina is also an accredited dentist in Inman Aligner which is a solution for crowded or protruding front teeth. Earlier in her career, to gain more experience, Zina spent a year shadowing a senior dentist with a special interest in restorative dentistry.
She enjoys interacting with her patients and gets great pleasure when patients complete their treatment and see the improvement in their dental health. Treating nervous patients is particularly rewarding, and so is seeing them transformed into confident patients who are keen to look after their dental health and are happy to visit the dentist.
Outside work, Zina loves spending quality family time with her husband and daughters and as a family, they enjoy making the most of the stunning countryside in the North West, walking and visiting historic places.


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Proceedings at Automotive News Europe's Congress, Prague
In Prague, the European auto industry is gathered at Automotive News Europe's 5th Annual Congress event. The speakers are drawn from the OEMs and large suppliers and the event serves as a useful guide to the key issues currently being discussed at all levels in the automotive industry. Managing editor Dave Leggett is attending for just-auto and has filed this quick-fire summary of the proceedings on the first day.
In Prague, the European auto industry is gathered at Automotive News Europe's 5th Annual Congress event. The speakers are drawn from the OEMs and large suppliers and the event serves as a useful guide to the key issues currently being discussed at all levels in the automotive industry.
Managing editor Dave Leggett is attending for just-auto and has filed this quick-fire summary of the proceedings on the first day.
Michael J. Burns, president, General Motors Europe
Main theme of address:
Talked about GM's strategy of striking alliances with other automakers in preference to outright purchase, concentrating on the alliance with Fiat.
Main points:
Three factors underpin the strategy: (1) the need for a global sales footprint; (2) building multi-brand strategies; (3) exploiting scale economies.
GM is concentrating on growing presence in high-growth emerging markets such as China, Korea, Brazil and Russia.
Examples of alliance strategies: Chevrolet YGM-1 developed with Suzuki. A car for the Asian market produced in Japan. In the US, the Dumax diesel engine produced by Isuzu and fitted to the Silverado heavy-duty pick-up. In Europe, cooperation with Suzuki spawned Opel/Vauxhall Agila minicar. Also Chevy Borego concept – a sports truck designed by GM and running on a Subaru chassis.
'Preferred partner approach' means management actively engaged on capital efficiency and focussing on business results.
Fiat/GM powertrain JV is producing aggressive shared powertrain convergence:
Fiat families
GM families
Examples of additional areas of Fiat/GM cooperation: shared parts warehousing in Argentina has cut costs by 40 percent. In 2002, a GM facility in Thailand will assemble the Alfa Romeo 156.
Also, Fiat and GM plan to develop 'joint architecture' for the premium brands of Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Saab. A new technical centre in Sweden has been set-up to achieve this. Burns stressed that the joint architecture would not lead to any fuzzing of the brands – 'no compromise on that'. It's not platform sharing; more flexible and allows for different vehicle dimensions. Cadillac won't be joining the premium club though.
Burns talks to Testore 3-4 times per week – an indication of how closely they liase.
Sales in Russia are looking up (Saab and Opel). Dave Herman is doing a 'great job'.
Saab will have 4WD in the 'not too distant future'.
GM's problems in the European marketplace will 'take time to fix', but there's a 'good team' working on it.
Jose Maria Alapont, VP Europe, Middle East & Africa, Delphi Automotive Systems
The tier one supplier perspective.
Consolidation in the supplier industry has led to the decline of the total number of global Tier 1 companies from 800 in 1999 to a future level of 30. Tier 2s are also on a shrinking trend from 10,000 in 1999 to 800 in the future. As carmakers have become global, so they have developed key relationships with global programme suppliers and modularisation has increased auto supplier industry concentration. Demands on Tier 1s have changed as they have to increasingly manage Tier 2s and 3s.
Systems integration and modularity is an irresistible force. Delphi produced 34 million module units in 2000.
'Supplied-in-line-sequence' is becoming more important, with direct EDI links to the customer.
In terms of advanced technology, Alapont dwelt on the need for OEM/supplier cooperation. R&D in electronics is expensive; it can account for up to 15 percent of the eventual revenue. The upstream view is essential for the OEM to get the right product for the end-user.
Mobile multi-media: will grow from US$9 billion sales to US$42 billion by 2010.
The diesel share of the European car market will expand to at least 40 percent over the next five years. At present, the market is constrained by capacity factors (especially diesel injectors).
Look for 'steer-by-wire' (yikes!) in 2004/5.
Consumers' perception may be the problem with that technology.
42 volt is coming within the next 24 months. Duality of voltage may be part of the offering to start with but the weight of demands on the electrics is driving this. 12v is suffering big time.
Delphi has exited some $7 billion of business it doesn't need. Another $4 billion needs to be 'strengthened or exited' = $11 billion restructuring in total.
Frederick Saint-Geours, MD Peugeot and member of PSA board
How well Peugeot is performing.
Mr S-G gave a very upbeat market assessment. Peugeot global sales have grown from 1,203,000 unit sales in 1997 to a forecasted 1,800,000 units in 2001.
Redefining the marque has gone hand-in-hand with a vast product renewal plan that began in 1994. The marque signature has been developed too: 'the drive of your life'. It's about styling and aesthetics, dynamism and know-how, reliability and innovation.
On the product side, 1997 saw the 406 coupe. In 1998, the 206 arrived (now being produced at 3,500 units per day). In 2000, Peugeot brought out the 607 and the 206 coupe cabrio (described as the 'perfect illustration of driving pleasure'). On the engine side, Peugeot now has high-pressure diesel injection engines (HDi), the HDi particle filter and the high pressure direct injection petrol engine (HPi). All of this is underpinned by a policy of raising quality standards and maintaining a competitive pricing policy.
For the future, Peugeot is looking to maintain its innovation, growth and profitability (yesterday evening, PSA won the PWC shareholder return for European auto vehicle manufacturer award over both one and three year periods). A lot is riding on the 307 in the 'M1' (lower medium or 'C' segment) part of the market. More diesel engines too (looking to do 9,000 per day jointly with Ford by 2005).
On product, Peugeot is moving from seven to three generic platforms; the 2004 objective is to have 85 percent of vehicles in the group produced on the three main platforms. In terms of rollout, it is planned to introduce 25 new models between 2001 and 2004.
'Concerned' about the effects of the reform of Block Exemption in Europe. Direct control of around 25 percent of sales is fine.
Still looking to do a small car with another maker- eg Toyota.
Looking too to raise its share of the German new car market from just over 3 percent now to 5 percent by 2004.
Juan Jose Diaz Ruiz
Executive VP sales and marketing, Fiat Auto SpA
JJDR is a firm conference favourite having addressed in past years for his previous employers who include Ford, Audi and Toyota. If he speaks next year will it he be representing Fiat? Like an in-demand footballer, who can say with certainty? However, he seems happy at Fiat and gave an upbeat assessment of the Italian maker and its brands strategy.
Getting the basics right at Fiat; the Fiat brand strategy
The European market is changing with consumers becoming much more demanding. Fiat has had to change from a company with a predominantly mono cultured and manufacturing-led culture to one with a multi-culture – multi-brand, multi-products and multi-markets outlook. The only constant now is 'change' and Fiat is aiming for three strong brands and 'satisfied and loyal customers'. The starting point is the need for three distinct brand identities, three different brand visions and three clear brand missions.
The brands in a nutshell: Fiat embodies 'youth, form and energy'. It is being moved upmarket and away from its small car (segments A and B) reliance and into a greater presence in segments C and D. The Fiat Stilo (Bravo/a replacement) due in September 2001 has some very ambitious (in my view) targets attached to it. Volume will be up but it is planned that the transaction price will be up by around 30 percent on the predecessor too. It looks like a nice car, but I do not see how the market will wear that. Good luck Fiat.
The Alfa Romeo brand is about sporting passion, driving enthusiasm and elegance of design. Its products are increasingly targeted at young executives and professionals.
The Lancia brand is being repositioned above that as a luxury brand, with cars that have Italian style, exclusivity and are overtly luxurious. They will occupy a 'new luxury' segment that is being re-defined by the likes of Jaguar, Bentley and Maybach. 'Il Granturismo'. Lancia sales growth stands at 22 percent in 2000.
From a group perspective, the linear line is Fiat products for when you are young, Alfa when you are a little older and Lancia when you are hugely successful in middle age and beyond. Fiat is concentrating on 'loyalty' (1 percent loyalty = 16 million euros!). Fiat is becoming a process-oriented organisation, able to react to new market wants. A lot of time and effort is being spent with the dealers.
On info-mobility, we were shown a video about Fiat's 'connect' product. It puts the driver in contact with operators (800 at a central base) who can advise on traffic etc. The woman in the video would surely have crashed from looking at the console screen!
Between 2001 and 2005, Fiat is planning to rollout 19 new models. Globally, much weight was put on the success of the Palio range. It is sales leader in Latin America and 2001 sees the car introduced in India (Sept. 2001) and China (Oct. 2001). The Palio family is forecast to hit 450,000 sales this year.
Work with GM is on 'common architecture' and it is planned that brand identities will be protected. Fiat is working on monospace model variants in many segments of the market; in the main segments the vehicles will be more conventional than the Multipla, which is 'still growing'. For Lancia, much rides on the 'Thesis' model.
No plans to enter US market.
Dr Takis Athanasopoulos, Executive VP and COO, Toyota Motor Europe marketing and engineering
JJDR's successor at Toyota began with an overview of conditions in Europe. The market is down by over three percent in the first five months of the year and Toyota is also facing adverse exchange rates (yen versus the euro and yen versus sterling) as well as the 10 percent import duty to the EU. But in spite of this, Toyota is 'doing well' in Europe. It has just had its best-ever May (295,000 units). The Yaris is only part of the explanation in terms of product, with other models like Avensis, RAV-4 and Celica also performing well. Toyota's European market share is 3.7 percent and rising; 800,000 annual sales and a five percent share are planned for 2005.
On the production side, annual output is being increased at the Yaris plant in Valenciennes, France, from 150,000 to 180,000 by 2003. Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK is increasing production from 170,000 units annually to 220,000 by 2002. Design, as well as manufacturing, is being increasingly devolved to local regions too. European Design Development (ED2) is in Nice.
In global terms, Japan leads its home market with 42.3 percent share and in the US is moving towards 10 percent share. But Europe is a strategic focus, where it is felt that Toyota needs to be stronger and more profitable – at the moment, European operations are losing money, due to their heavy investment and unfavourable exchange rates. By 2003, Toyota is looking for European activity to be profitable. One key development, in addition to stronger core models, is better diesel engine options. 1.4-litre and two-litre common rail diesels in the Corolla and Avensis will make a 'big difference'.
The Yaris is broadening the appeal of Toyota products to younger buyers. Toyota is also investing in its distribution network in the formerly volume-constrained markets of Italy, France and Spain. In Finland, Norway, Iceland and Greece, Toyota is market leader. Toyota believes that its focus on the customer's wants will naturally take it to the top in markets where there is no dominant national player. It's about giving the 'best vehicle purchase and ownership experience'.
Relishes F1 involvement.
Toyota will invest more in hybrid technology in segments besides the Prius – including trucks. The target is to be making and selling 300,000 hybrid units per annum by 2005 (10x today's level).
Fuel cell hybrids will be out by 2003.
Toyota is still talking to Bmw about diesel engines for the Mini. An assembly plant in central/eastern Europe looks likely on the basis of the response to that question.
Vratislav Kulhanek, chairman of the board of management, Skoda Auto
Main theme:
Skoda's history and its revival
Stemming from the involvement of Volkswagen in 1989 (100 percent ownership only being confirmed as recently as May 2000), Skoda's revival encompassed three main phases – (1) product/quality improvements; (2) product range enhancements; (3) brand image.
In the first phase, Skoda worked hard on quality and also on developing a good quality local supplier base. It now has modular production processes. Phase 2 got into gear with the launch in 1996 of the Octavia, which took Skoda into a new segment of the vehicle market. It was a major image breaker and the model's success led to a big increase in Skoda production volume (90,000 annual output of Octavia was planned, but it has worked out at closer to 160,000 p.a.). In 1991 Skoda output totalled 172,000 units; by 2000 it was 435,000 units.
The Fabia built on the success of the Octavia and exports have risen strongly (82 percent of production is for export). But Skoda still has a commanding 52.6 percent share of the local market (2000 full year).
The Skoda brand image is based on 'top quality and value for money'. In the future, Skoda wants to move the brand towards association with elegant design too. The value for money label should not be confused with cheapness, however.
It was argued that internal studies show that there is very little cannibalisation of other VW marques by Skoda ('single digit percentage').
Employees of Skoda employed in manufacturing in the Czech Republic are between four and seven times cheaper than their Wolfsburg counterparts.
The 'Montreux' upper class sedan (Passat platform) will not be called Montreux and is 'not going too far with brand stretch'.
Skoda is looking at setting up an SKD assembly operation in Russia next year – probably involving the Octavia. Prospective sites are being evaluated now.
Hans-Olov Olsson, president and CEO, Volvo Car Corporation
The change in brand image of Volvo over the past decade ('revolvolution').
Volvo's brand image has changed over the last 10 years – more sporty, more active and emotional – but it has not lost its identity; the traditional Volvo values remain. The sporty Volvo S60 introduced last year illustrates that. Volvo products are now grouped into three distinct types: entry (S/V40 and next generation small Volvos); core (S60, V70, XC) and luxury (S80, V70).
An SUV building on the Adventure Concept will hit the market in 2002. Volvo also has a new diesel engine that Mr Olsson seemed excited about. The new Volvo design centre is in Barcelona.
In a Ford PAG context, Volvo is the biggest volume player and will play a big part in the new PAG distribution process, which will see two or three brands sold at the same dealer point (though separately). Brands will be kept apart and exclusive in visible areas, with the cost savings at the back end.
VCC has worked to reduce the number of its suppliers from around 375 in the 1980s to 175 now. Single sourcing and modularisation has brought this about.
SUV will be a 'true Volvo'.
Dealers will stay central to VCC distribution.
'There are cars. And there are Volvo cars.'
Dr Robert Büchelhofer, Board member with responsibility for sales and marketing, Volkswagen AG
The power of brands.
The rapid development of the 'infotainment society' is having a profound impact on the automotive industry. In particular, space and time are becoming luxury goods.
For a car-making group like VW, it is essential that the brands have personalities that provoke emotion and fascination. There must be transparency and distinction. The group has nine brands to cover most segments of the vehicle market.
At the core are the group values shared by all brands – quality, safety, environmental awareness and social competence. Building on that base are the distinctive brand values associated with each brand.
Bentley: powerful, sports, British heritage. Being revitalised – Le Mans.
Volkswagen: human, sympathetic, leading – 'Golf generation'.
Audi: advanced technology and sports.
Seat: happiness, Mediterranean, 'Auto emocion'.
Skoda: top quality, value-for-money, functional.
VW commercial vehicles: individual transport solutions for business.
The vehicle market is becoming more and more fragmented (1987, nine segments, now 30+) and the brands focus the manufacturer response. The brands must be allied to a manufacturing strategy that protects model differentiation in spite of modular production techniques. Brand cannibalisation within the VW Group is 'low'.
The Internet is having profound effects on purchasing behaviour and also connectivity wants within the car – dynamic navigation, e-mail on the way to work, locality information, reserve parking spaces. 'My mobile office' links the PC with PDA and WAP. VW believes that it is important.
Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden and Autostadt develop the manufacturer's interaction with the consumer via the dynamic brand. Compelling stuff: see your car being made, participate in the process. Develop emotional tie to brand and to car purchase. Disney are, apparently, regular visitors to Autostadt.
There are 'no plans' to spin-off a VW version of Ford's PAG. The VW brand is 'strong enough' to add the super luxury D1, which is clearly a VW and not, say, an Audi. There was a robust defence of the differentiation of the D1 and Audi A8.
What about VW's poor share price and low market capitalisation? A 'mystery' down to the analysts.
Impact of India on Automotive Sector - Thematic Research
Emerging Economies within the Automotive Industry - Thematic Research
Brexit's Impact on United Kingdom (UK) Automotive Market - Thematic Research
North America (NAFTA) Car Manufacturing Market Summary, Competitive Analysis and Forecast, 2017-2026
Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd
General Motors Europe Limited
The future of Toyota and Lexus under new CEO Sato
The changing North America production landscape
What can we expect from the US auto market in 2023?


Relive the best moments from Mobile World Congress 2018.
The retail themes of 2017 are extending into this year, with merchants still closing physical stores, shop formats remaining in flux, and mobile-based shopping becoming ever more widespread.
Are you ready for the interactive shopping revolution?
Discover how the combination of the robot Pepper and Ingenico solutions offers customers a seamless experience throughout the entire purchasing journey.