text:
Enhancing Global Leadership Education through English Language Learning Partnerships
Caitlin G. Bletscher, PhD, Jasser Alharbi, MS, Deborah Kellermann, MA
DOI: 10.12806/V16/I3/A4
Within the field of leadership studies, an increase in awareness of societal globalization has occurred. Due to this increase of globalization, booming informational technology, international trade and technology, rise in market competition (Goldsmith, Greenberg,Robertons & Hu-Chan, 2003), and the increase of diversity within domestic and business environments (Jokinen, 2005), it has become necessary to critically analyze our previous understandings of leadership development and education. When considering the varying obstacles faced with leaders in the past versus the present context, we can conclude "while thinking globally may have been an option for the leader of the past, it will be a requirement for the leader of the future" (Goldsmith, et al., 2003, p. 15).
Global Leadership Education. Global leadership education stems from fields of international business management, intercultural communication, global human resources, international studies, and leadership studies (Mendenhall, Osland, Bird, Oddou, & Maznevski, 2013). Although most leadership educators can attest to the importance of developing leaders for the demands of our increasingly globalized world, many are at a loss of how to best equip students. Despite today's "culturally complicated campuses" (p. 46), where our undergraduate students are presented with constant opportunities for intercultural experiences, they are solely engaging in ethnocentric experiences and are usually ill-equipped to act in effective, impactful, and meaningful ways (Bennett & Salonen, 2007). Many times, educators address leadership across cultures in the content of the course itself, but less frequently introduce it through application (Bennett & Salonen, 2007).
Global leadership is foundationally relational. Global competence is more than simply holding general knowledge of the culture, but is more centered on 'relational knowledge' (Baumgratz, 1995). This type of knowledge involves the individual's home environment, their objective knowledge, and personal perception. Within the realm of global interactions, becoming self-aware of who you are and how you respond within these situations is of the utmost importance in leadership development (Goldsmith, et al., 2003).
According to Brown, Whitaker, & Brungardt (2012), a core learning objective of successful global leadership education curriculum is to understand and have a commitment to cultural sensitivity and inclusion, which is "the foundation of interpersonal relationships as it relates to diversity" (p. 217). Such global leadership allows one to reflect on cultural values, beliefs, and perceptions (Brown, et al., 2012). It becomes essential, therefore, to include the opportunity for students to examine the many characteristics of various cultures and how they influence society, systems, politics, and relationships. Such opportunities to interact and engage with others who come from different cultures present the opportunity to develop further self- awareness of attitudes which foster decision-making and action (Brown, et al., 2012).
Leadership Education and English Language Learners. In 2004, an estimated 2 million students worldwide studied outside of their home countries, a number that is suggestedto increase to over 8 million by 2025 (Altbach, 2004). Over the past decade, American universities specifically have experienced a significant increase in the number of students who have less fluency in the English language and require further academic assistance and resources in orderto be successful (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & Levy, 2008). Such English Language Learners (ELLs) are "those students who are not yet proficient in English and who require instructional supportin order to fully access academic content in their classes" (Ballantyne, et al., 2008, p. 2).
A study by the University of South Australia concluded that the way educators use formal and informal curriculum has the potential to encourage and reward successful intercultural engagement between home and international university students (Leask, 2009). Simply bringing intercultural students together in class doesn't necessarily result in meaningful interaction or relationships, valuable perspectives, or increase intercultural communication competency (Leask, 2009). In order to truly gain value from the diverse inclusion of international or ELL students, the efforts and coordination of educators is required to 'internationalize' the curriculum in both formal and informal classroom settings (Leask, 2009).
Sharma and Jung's (1986) study examined the amount of interactions between American and international students among four universities. The study concluded that these cross-cultural interactions were significantly related to acceptance of cultural pluralism, support of internationalism, a cosmopolitan world outlook, and worldmindedness. Other programs that provided opportunities for international students to engage with international students at Purdue University (Stohl, 1986) and University of Kentucky (Wilson, 1993) suggested that similar programs yielded students that were more accepting of diversity, developed a sense of importance of and desire for travel abroad, felt a greater sense of responsibility for foreign visitors (Stohl, 1986), gained substantive knowledge of differing culture, and increased their understanding of the dimensions of a global perspective (Wilson, 1993).
Despite the growing numbers of cross-cultural students, there still remains a sincere lack of literature (if not almost entirely nonexistent) to better understand the leadershipdevelopment or education of ELLs in US universities. The benefits of engaging leadership students in intercultural experiences and the value of diverse perspectives are currently left untapped. It becomes the responsibility, therefore, of leadership educators and researchers to take advantage of these existing trends by engaging both ELLs and leadership students in order to address the many opportunities and challenges that exist in working among intercultural teams in a global environment.
Description of the Application
Taking the relational, personal, and experiential nature of global leadership into account, the purpose of this study was to develop a sustainable partnership between an undergraduate Global Leadership course and an on-campus English Language Learning (ELL) institute in order to guide students' intercultural interactions into impactful, relational experiences that enhance self-awareness and intercultural communication competence.
Methods. We conducted a co-curricular, participatory global leadership workshop for undergraduate students enrolled in a Global Leadership course (n=5) and participants from an ELL institute (n=13) at a Land-grant university in the southeast region of the United States. The mid-day, two-hour long workshop was conducted during the middle of the week, towards theend of the spring 2016 semester. The demographics of the Global Leadership students included both male (n=2) and female (n=3) students in their third and fourth years. Four of the five students were from rural southeast regions of the United States, while one was an international student from Japan (who had never interacted with the language institute). The ELL demographics included male (n=7) and female (n=6) participants, ranging in language fluency, with a majority of participants from the Middle East.
The three educators who conducted the workshop included the Instructor of the Global Leadership course, Instructor of the institute's Business English course, and a bridging partner with the language institute. This final individual was not only a volunteer conversation partnerof the ELL institute, but was also a graduate student in the department that housed the Global Leadership course.
At the conclusion of the workshop, satisfaction surveys were distributed in order for us to best evaluate the objectives of the workshop, gain insight from participants, and providefurther recommendations for similar formal or informal workshops in the future. The one-page survey consisted of six open-ended questions and four Likert style questions. The six open-ended questions underwent a thematic analysis, which revealed patterns of reoccurring themes. The four Likert style questions were analyzed through descriptive statistics, including frequencies and descriptive statistics.
Description of the Workshop. The workshop addressed the following constructs, in accordance with previous global leadership literature: comparative (cross-cultural) leadership (Mendenhall, Osland, Oddou, Maznevski, Stevens, & Stahl, 2013); identification of personal values (Stanford-Blair & Dickmann, 2005); intercultural communication competence (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014); inclusiveness in intercultural groups (Goldsmith, et al., 2003); and engagement in constructive dialogue in global issues (Brown, et al., 2012). Through these core constructs, we sought to achieve the following objectives: (1) develop intercultural relationships and enhance intercultural communication, (2) personally define dimensions of global leadership, gain an enhanced global perspective of international issues, and (4) identify team strategies for addressing challenges in global
Goal One was achieved through the interactive, relational dynamics of the workshop, as well as the experiential learning activities. Goal Two was achieved through twoexercises. Participants first self-selected into small groups of mixed participants in accordance to which international leadership quote they most identified with. Next, participants drew their responses and discussed what leadership looks like in our organizations, community, and globally – first individually (one group of Global Leadership students and one group of ELL students), then collectively (two groups of mixed student participants). Goal Three was achieved through a Case Study analysis and group discussion based on a current international issue of water security in New Dehli that addressed concepts of ethics, values, and community leadership. Goal Four was achieved through a mixed team building activity, accompanied by a short, informative lecture on adaptive leadership. Following this final exercise included a discussion for personal application of utilizing adaptive leadership to address challenges in our organizations, communities, and world. For more information on the curriculum content and pedagogical approaches used, please contact the authors.
Thematic Analysis. Following thematic analysis of the open-ended questions on the workshop survey, alongside ELL reflection papers, the following themes, competencies, and deeper understandings emerged upon completion of the global leadership workshop: an understanding of the other is essential in establishing relationships; how to develop effective intercultural teams; development of intercultural relationships now and in the future; enhanced essential leadership skills (effective communication and adaptive leadership); and the many dimensions of global leadership.
The first identified theme that emerged from the data was an understanding of the other was an essential prerequisite in creating and establishing intercultural relationships. Instead of "…judg[ing] other cultures and people without knowing their circumstances" (ELI1), participants felt, upon completion of the workshop, that it was important to understand others' differing perspectives and opinions. Multiple students addressed their acknowledgement, understanding, and value of the importance of differing perspectives upon completion of the global leadership workshop. One ELL student even voiced the unknown commonalities shared with global leadership students, despite differing perspectives; "surprisingly, we had many points in common regarding global leadership, but also could add different perspectives" (ELI8). Multiple students conveyed the fact that, despite differences of values, opinions, and beliefs, the other can still be an effective leader.
Secondly, upon completion of the workshop, participants voiced an increased understanding, confidence, and noted creativity in how to effectively interact with and lead intercultural teams. Specifically, a majority of participants discussed the necessity of identifying the strengths of the team, as well as valuing their individual contribution, skills, characteristics, personality, and roles. When considering effective intercultural teams, both strengths and weaknesses must be considered; "I realized how important it is to work in groups because if a member has a flaw, others will help him resolving that flaw" (ELI5). One student acknowledged the power of collective work versus the work solely of individual; "working in teams is better than working individually" (ELI5).
Thirdly, due to their participation in the workshop, multiple students voiced their development of intercultural relationships with other participants, as well as expressed interest in developing relationships with others from differing cultures and backgrounds in the future. Drawing from the literature, recognizing that global leadership is relational at the core, the development of relationships and future desire for further intercultural relationships is a significant objective participants perceived to have met in this study. Such relationships allowed for the "confidence" to work with and engage with others from different cultures in the future.
"I consider that this workshop was really helpful for the development of our relationship skills, because we were been able to work in teams with people we did not even know. I'm definitely more confident now in starting relationships with people from other cultures in the future" (ELI1).
An additional theme that emerged from the data included the necessity of harnessing leadership skills such as effective communication and adaptive leadership to develop global solutions and address intercultural challenges. Multiple students acknowledged how effective communication is necessary for successful intercultural groups and teams; "…working alone not always gives good results, I learned that communicating and trying to find a solution is better than just making problems" (ELI2). As aforementioned, during the workshop, adaptive leadership theory (Northouse, 2015) concepts and application were addressed, due to the necessity of global leaders to maintain a flexibility of self, others, and circumstances (Tyler, 1987). Several participants suggested an enhanced understanding of this flexibility; one student noted that the effective "… global leader has to apply adaptive leadership to address challenges because each country has a different culture and paradigm" (ELI7). Participants took the theoretical elements of adaptive leadership and provided personal responses to the theory that allowed participants to apply the concept to their experience in the workshop, as well as future real-world scenarios. For example, one participant acknowledged that leaders "…use these differences [in team members] to achieve the team's collective common goal whiledynamically adapting to any new changes to the situations and taking all feedback and using it to reach the goal" (ELI3).
Lastly, the final theme that emerged from the data included the multifaceteddimensions of global leadership, achieving Goal Two of this study. Students drew from the workshop exercise and voiced the dimensions of the leader in one's organization, community, and world previously unknown to participants. Students were able to "… describe the essential characteristics of leadership in a company and leadership in a community. [Students] never thought about this perspective, there are similarities, but a lot of differences" (ELI6).
Descriptive Statistics. The one-page survey consisted of 4 Likert style questions, ranging in responses from very well (1) to not very well (4), that were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The four questions provided insight into the evaluation of the original objectives of the workshop. The following Table 1-1 demonstrates the frequencies, means, and descriptive statistics of the Global Leadership and ELL students upon completion of the workshop.
These results concluded that leadership students perceived to have effectivelydeveloped the following capacities more than ELL students: personally define global leadership (M=1.00), discuss global issues (M=1.00), and understand and apply adaptive leadership to address challenges in their lives (M=1.00). However, ELL students perceived to have effectively developed intercultural relationships (M=1.58) upon conclusion of the workshop more than leadership students (M=2.50). The least developed capacity between student groups was intercultural relationships by leadership students (M=2.50). The least developed capacity among both groups was the understanding and application of adaptive leadership in order to address life challenges (M=1.93).
Discussion and Recommendations
Results of the open-ended responses on the workshop satisfaction survey as well as the ELL reflections confirmed that participants left the workshop with an understanding of the other in their development and valuing of intercultural relationships, how to effectively interact and communicate in intercultural teams, an enhanced understanding of adaptability in global contexts, and an overall increased confidence to exercise effective global leadership. Specifically, ELL students voiced their gratitude for the experience, promoting not only their increased understanding of global leadership, but also the novelty of interacting with American students:
"As an English language student, it is very important to have as many opportunities to interact with native speakers as we can. The Global Leadership workshop was a great opportunity to have such interaction; in addition, it allowed us to understand and exchange different perspectives regarding Global Leadership, which is a very important subject" (ELI8)
Ultimately, the workshop provided participants with the opportunity to explore, discuss, and develop global leadership capacities with the hopes to confidently practice such competencies in the future. "At some point in the future, some situation will remind me of one of the activities we today had, and it will be extremely helpful to win through the situation" (ELI10).
Although results in this study have suggested that the workshop successful, the satisfaction survey provided further insight into possible recommendations for future global leadership workshop initiatives. In considering future global leadership curriculum, thefollowing recommendations were voiced by participants:
Allow for ample, lengthy time for discussion;
Provide a fairly equal distribution of global leadership students to ELL students to provide balanced conversation;
Take extra care to thoroughly explain through activities, steps, and context of activitiesto ensure adequate understanding by ELLs; and
Provide experiential exercises that allow both groups to truly experience global leadership
The second recommendation voiced by participants ("Provide a fairly equal distribution of global leadership students to ELL students to provide balanced conversation") can be clearly drawn from the study's sample. Due to the fact that there was more than double the amount of participants from the ELL institute (n=13) versus those from the Global Leadership course (n=5), significant limitations arise. Moreover, due to the overall small sample size, the results of this study cannot be generalized or transferred to similar populations; therefore, this study must be treated as a pilot study for future leadership education research. When addressing the quantitative data, due to the small sample size of each group of participants in the study, no further statistical analysis can be generated beyond the presentation of the frequencies alone. Future research would benefit from a larger sample size that took into account equal numbers of group sizes to maintain balanced responses. When analyzing the qualitative data, it is important to note that the authors were surprised to see, despite the unequal sizes of participant groups, that similar themes emerged across both student groups. Ultimately, however, the results of this study should be viewed as a pilot study for future research among ELL students at the university level, as well as provide tangible recommendation for instructors to develop innovative partnerships for global leadership education.
Additionally, when considering the study's sample, further limitations exist due to the demographics of the sample. As previously identified, three of the four Global Leadership students in the study were from the rural, southeastern region of the United States, while the remaining student was an international student from Japan. These specific demographics may have impacted the relationships formed with the ELL students, potentially differently than alternative demographics. Therefore, as aforementioned, the results of this study are not generalizable to similar populations and must be acknowledged as its own separate study.
From the descriptive statistics results, further recommendations for future global leadership workshops can be drawn. First, it is important to both address and further explore how American students perceive meaningful intercultural relationships, considering that the ELL students perceived a heightened development of intercultural relationships. Secondly, it is important to further elaborate on any leadership theory or concepts used in the workshop to ELL students. This becomes further voiced in an ELL student reflection: "the various concepts of leadership, like global and adaptive… it was unclear" (ELI8). It is possible that unfamiliar concepts may have been confusing or not entirely understood by ELLs, especially considering that leadership students have been academically immersed in leadership theory. Ultimately, however, the global leadership workshop objectives proved to be successfully met, since all participants (n=18) perceived to have developed all measured capacities well (M=1.79).
Participants left the workshop with an understanding of the other in their development and valuing of intercultural relationships, how to effectively interact and communicate in intercultural teams, and an overall increased confidence to exercise effective global leadership; "What I gained from the workshop is confident, I knew that I have to be sure that what I'm doing is good, but at the end it refers to the leader" (ELI4).
This pilot study presents a framework for an innovative and collaborative approach to global leadership education. In order to successfully guide today's leadership students to approach intercultural situations with critical depth of thought, self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication tools, they must have the opportunity to apply the material in a relational, tangible context. Such opportunities for relational, cross-cultural interactions have the potential for beneficial global experiences without going abroad. Similar to aforementioned research that engaged American and international students in academic programming, leadership educators should be "encouraged to develop programs that offer cross-cultural experiences on campus, as well as overseas" (Wilson, 1993, p. 24). Additionally, if universities have a lack of ELL students on campus, future research should be conducted in order to understand how similar curriculum could potentially create experiential, relational global learning opportunities with diverse members of the community.
Global leadership educators must address leadership development through an innovative, multi-dimensional approach of examination, education, experience, and exposure (Cohen, 2010) in order to truly facilitate effective intercultural interactions. Such university experiences proved to reach beyond the classroom, providing students with "an experience for life" (ELI2). By engaging in similar programs, we can begin to develop leaders with global mindsets, beginning to see our globalized, interdependent world in a relational and personal way.
Altbach, P. G. (2004). Higher education crosses borders: Can the United States remain thetop destination for foreign students? Change: The magazine of higher learning, 36(2), 18-25.
Ballantyne, K. G., Sanderman, A. R., & Levy, J. (2008). Educating English Language Learners: Building teacher capacity. Washington, D.C.: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instructional Education Programs, No. ED-03-CO- 0036.
Baumgratz, G. (1995). Language, culture, and global competence. European Journal of Education, 30(4), 437-448.
Bennett, J. M., & Salonen, R. (2007). Intercultural communication and the new American campus. Magazine of Higher Learning, 39(2), 46-50.
Brown, L. M., Whitaker, B. L., & Brungardt, C. L. (2012). A proposed framework for global leadership education: Learning objectives and curricula. Journal of Leadership Education, 11(2), 214-222.
Cohen, S. L. (2010). Effective global leadership requires a global mindset. Industrial and Commercial Training, 42(1), 3-10.
Goldsmith, M., Greenberg, C. L., Robertson, A., & Hu-Chan, M. (2003). Global leadership: The next generation. Pearson Education, Inc.: Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Jokinen, T. (2005). Global leadership competencies: A review and discussion. Journal of European Industrial Training, 29(3), 199-216.
Leask, B. (2009). Using formal and informal curricula to improve interactions between homeand international students. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(2), 205-221.
Mendenhall, M. E., Osland, J., Bird, A., Oddou, G. R., Maznevski, M. L., Stevens, M., & Stahl, K. (2013). Global leadership: Research, practice, and development (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences: Global leadership strategies for the 21st century (9th ed.). Burlington, MA: Butterworth- Heinemann.
Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing, Inc.
Sharma, M. P., & Jung, L. B. (1986). How cross-cultural participation affects the international attitudes of U.S. students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 10, 377-387.
Stanford-Blair, N. & Dickmann, M. H. (2005). Leading coherently: Reflections from leaders around the world. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Stohl, C. (1986). The A.M.I.G.O. Project. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 10, 235-254.
Tyler, L. (1987). Intercultural interacting. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press.
Wilson, A. H. (1993). Conversation partners: Helping students gain a global perspectivethrough cross-cultural experiences. Theory into Practice, 32(1), 21-26.
Dr. Caitlin Bletscher has devoted her professional career to assisting internationally disadvantaged populations develop leadership capacity, as well as teaching global leadershipand citizenship, intercultural communication, and global issues in agricultural and natural resource sciences. She's currently housed in the Center for Transformational Learning and Leadershipat Washington State University. caitlin.bletscher@wsu.edu
Jasser Alharbi is a lecturer in the College of Food and Agricultural Sciences at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. He graduated with his MS from the University of Florida in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication. Jasser33@hotmail.com
Deborah Kellermann has been teaching English and ESL at various colleges and universities for over thirty–five years. Her true passion is teaching international students English and American culture. Her greatest accomplishments include helping those students obtain their life goals through learning English. d.s.kellermann@unf.edu


Landing Sites is a research trajectory in which body and space are set into relation of each other.
Cocky Eek explores and develops wearable interfaces to create new sensory relationships in which our inner landscape converges with the landscape that surrounds us. The interfaces will stage us in our contemporary perception in which we are part of and separate from our environment.
Landing Sites took place at two dynamic inter-tidal sites in the Netherlands. In the winter she started her research as an artist in residence of the Satellietgroep on the ephemeral landscape of the Zandmotor. Based on the concept of "building with nature", the Zandmotor was created in 2011 as a defense against coastal erosion. This experimental solution uses the natural movement of the tides, wind, waves and currents to replenish the beaches of South Holland. Almost as an vanishing land art intervention, the Zandmotor is expected to disappear within 15 years. Landing Sites has continued her second stage at the dynamic so called "walking dunes" located at pole 18 during the Oerol festival at Terschelling Island. At this specific coastal area, the research was accessible for a broader audience who were gently lifted by her gustily winds and catched by new terrain.
concept Cocky Eek | research Cocky Eek, Matthijs Munnik, Geartsje van der Zee | dramaturge advice Boukje Schweigman| production Linda Witpaard | crew Rachel Schuit, Hannegijs Jonker, Ben Terwell, Florencia Resnik, Anne van Rij, Eefje Aerts, Theun Karelse | Landing Sites is a co-production of Schweigman&, Oerol and Satellietgroep, financially supported by Stroom Den Haag.


There's nothing more relaxing than a cat at rest.
Of this inspiring book – now through August 14!
Donate a million meals to the ASPCA with just a tweet!
These bags will bring a smile to your face!!
Visit her blog to learn how you can jazz up your refrigerator too!
Are you looking for a creative project to share with your kids?
She's in the mood to share the recipe!
Must visit her blog to read about!
Thank you for hosting a wonderful party! It's been a while since I've visited, excited to check out what everyone is sharing. The features are wonderful, loving that tote and those pine cone magnets are darling!
Thanks for the party, I love those pine cone magnets, so cute!
Aren't they sweet? I've been eyeing them all week!
Thank you so very much for featuring my Antique Map Chest! It was certainly an adventure and I hope that my decoupage journey is an inspiration to others who want to give it a try. What a great party! Thanks for hosting and have a great week!
Thanks so much Carolyn! There are SO many beautiful decorative napkins out there – it's truly amazing what you can do with them!
Thanks for sharing your talents with us at Inspire Me Monday – have an amazing week!
Thanks for hosting! My post is actually about making a Flipagram so my title is deceiving. The name of the Flipagram I created is America Through My Eyes. I think I need a lesson on naming my posts! Have a great week!
Love the cat pic, of course. And those pine cone magnets … I have a ton of pine cones I was collecting – great idea.
Thanks so much for featuring my Glory Art scripture cards, and for hosting. There's always so much inspiration to look at.
Love all the features but the bow tote takes my vote!
Isn't that tote great? I love her work – it makes me smile!
You're welcome Michelle – have an amazing week and thanks for sharing your creative talents with us!
My pleasure – thanks for joining us this week!
Such a gorgeous kitty! The pie looks delicious! Thanks for hosting, happy Monday to you!
Happy Monday to you too Lisa!
I like that Morris the cat. It's too funny!
Thanks for the tunes and have a fun week!
That Peach Crumb Cake sounds perfect for an August afternoon!
Second time I have seen Billy Joel today. My hubby is a huge fan!
Have a great week. I miss chatting via Twitter!
Tweet me any time – you'll make my day!
I love Billy Joel too!
Thank you so much for hosting and for featuring my Bow Tote Bags!
You're welcome Beverly – I love your totes – your creations always make me smile!
I love this link up! Thank you so much for sharing it at the #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup!


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US Says Afghanistan's Ex-President Vowed To Fight Till Death, But Fled: Report
HomeWorldUS Says Afghanistan's Ex-President Vowed To Fight Till Death, But Fled: Report
Antony Blinken said that the US State Department was reviewing everything including the actions taken by the US administration to learn "every possible" lesson from the last 20 years, reported Dawn.
WorldAsian News InternationalUpdated: November 01, 2021 2:43 pm IST
The Taliban took over Kabul on August 15 this year following which ex-President Ashraf Ghani fled
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had promised to fight to the death if the Taliban did not go along, he fled the country instead, local media reported.
Citing an interview to "CBS Face The Nation" talk-show, Dawn reported that Mr Blinken spoke to Mr Ghani on the night of August 14 and emphasised him on accepting to transfer the power to a Taliban-led government in Kabul which would have included all the aspects of the Afghan society.
In response, Mr Ghani assured of the same, however, he would be ready to fight to the death if the Taliban do not go along.
"And the very next day, he fled Afghanistan. So, I was engaged with President Ghani over many weeks, many months," Dawn quoted Blinken as saying.
Mr Blinken also said that the US State Department was reviewing everything including the actions taken by the US administration to learn "every possible" lesson from the last 20 years, reported Dawn.
The Taliban had taken over Kabul on August 15 this year following which former President Ashraf Ghani had fled the nation.
Ashraf GhaniAfghanistanAntony Blinken

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A 31 year old Concordia man was booked into jail for operating a vehicle on the highway without a valid license.
Dakota R. Smith, 25, of Bolivar was booked into jail on a warrant for a probation violation.
Justin L. Robinson, 27, of Springfield was booked into jail on a warrant for failure to appear.
Brandi S. Fine, 26, of Bolivar was booked into jail on a warrant for distributing and manufacturing a controlled substance.
A 30 year old Pleasant Hope man was booked into jail for domestic assault, endangering welfare of a child and failure to appear.


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The Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Jordy Cummings
Chuck Berry perfected simple but sophisticated working-class art.
Chuck Berry performing during "Chuck Berry's Bandstand" in 1965. Missouri History Museum / Flickr
Imagine, if you will, aliens, gray ones, with those big eyes, traveling through the universe and finding a capsule in the sky, representing the people from the Planet Earth, a peaceful place (or so it looks from space).
On the capsule, the aliens find a recording — it is "Johnny B. Goode," the 1958 ur-narrative of rock music, Horatio Alger as channeled through the experience of southern working-class youth. "He never learned to read or write so well," sings Chuck Berry, who died on Saturday at ninety years old, "but he could play his guitar just like-a-ringin' a bell."
A sort of rock folk tale, young Johnny can't do much except play guitar. Perhaps he'd sit by the train tracks and strum along with the implicit music of a train chugging by, and the engineers would gather from near and far to hear this country boy play. Seeing this, poignantly, his mother reminds him that some day his name would be in lights, but as far as we know, he's just playing for the engineers down by the tracks, quite likely "on the wrong side," as they say.
As we sit and ponder our fates, socialism or barbarism or all that, no matter which we way go, Johnny will still be playing his hollow-bodied Gibson in a billion years. Like Johnny's mama, NASA's Voyager Interstellar Record Commission chose this song to be amongst those that would be representative of our species, and this was back in 1986, well before the days of unlimited data and eight-hour playlists.
Carl Sagan personally wrote a letter to Berry, thanking him for his service in "this world," and there is something so appropriate and so materialist about Sagan's sentiment here. Berry's music in general, and this song among a few in particular, is where rock music became aware of itself as form — it became not just what disc jockeys and record shop keepers labeled a hodgepodge of genres, it was when the basic form of a "rock aesthetic" first came into existence.
In "Rock & Roll Music," over a rhythm equally Caribbean and Nashville, Berry basically explicates the form, the importance of the back beat (the drummer playing "on the twos"), and declares victory over modern jazz. "Roll Over Beethoven" ups the ante even more: after a brash guitar riff, Berry throws shade at Ludwig Van, while celebrating the very existence of what he clearly seemed to be aware that he'd invented — after all "if she's got a dime, the music will never stop." Rock music may not have been reducible to a commodity, but it was certainly a hot commodity, in a changing culture, starting to loosen its belt after years of McCarthyite conformism.
In many ways, rock music was initially a creature of radio, at a time when a lot of what had been on the radio for decades had migrated to the world of television, hence more space for music, and more powerful airwaves and better hi-fi receivers. DJs in big cities — black, Jewish, Italian, Irish, working-class — played a variety of styles, Hank Williams and then the Moonglows, followed by T-Bone Walker and then perhaps something from Cuba.
It all seemed to make sense together in a configurational sense, and some artists, whether by osmosis or intent, absorbed all of these different forms, down to minute detail, like tube amplification of hollow-bodied electric guitars, percussive upright bass, rhythm provided by a second guitar or piano, and drummers with an ear for polyrhythms.
Most of the founders, with the exception perhaps of Elvis Presley, a spectacularly talented vocalist who never understood his own art, were journeymen. Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Bo Diddley — all performed for years before they suddenly were in Hollywood movies and on American Bandstand. These figures, from the Midwest and the South, black men and "hillbilly'" white men, were not the archetypal figures that gray-flannelled America wanted as models for their kids.
Of all of these founding fathers (and for better or worse, they were mostly fathers), Chuck Berry was probably the most influential in the broadest sense. No Chuck Berry? No punk rock, no doom metal, no intensive sonic development based on a 1/4/5 chord pattern.
Just as the separation of the direct producers from the means of production set in motion the conditions of possibility for the primitive accumulation of capital and the development of the capitalist mode of production, Berry's primitive accumulation of rhythm and blues, Chicago jump blues, country music, vaudeville and folk, and whatever else hit the airwaves of St Louis to create a form that transcended and preserved all of these forms.
He was, in hindsight, the first truly serious rock music artist.
Long a fixture at nightclubs in St Louis, playing to interracial audiences, he signed to the legendary Chess Records in Chicago, home of the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Demoing a country song (Berry extensively performed what was then called "Hillbilly music"), he rewrote "Ida Mae" as "Maybellene" and began a string of hits from the summer of 1955 onwards, gaining even broader attention with "Roll Over Beethoven" in the summer of 1956, often touring alongside Carl Perkins, the originator of "Blue Suede Shoes."
Keenly aware of being one of the few black artists, along with Little Richard, to have made the still mostly white "rock music" milieu, even early in his career, Berry wrote the slyly autobiographical "Brown Eyed Handsome Man."
A series of good-humored doggerel was taken as Berry boasting of his appeal to non-black women, but to complicate things, none of the women referred to in the song are specifically referred to as white, and, in turn, the key verse has a young woman ruminating over whether to marry a "lawyer or a doctor." Her mother tells her to marry someone like his own father, "a brown-eyed handsome man."
And indeed, as the lyrics travel, over Berry and pianist Johnnie Johnson's floating shuffle, they move from the courthouse in an American city all the way to India and back, and then back in time — even Venus De Milo lost her arms fighting for a "Brown Eyed Handsome Man."
It would seem that Berry is at once making an existential observation with implicit politics, like mid-sixties Dylan. Brown-eyed handsome men like him were still nothing but objects, whether sexual or otherwise; indeed the song ends with a "brown-eyed handsome man" hitting a home run.
Songs like this, or "No Particular Place to Go" or "You Never Can Tell," marked Berry apart from early rock music songwriters in that they were observational and impressionistic, not just words thrown together to fit the rhythm. It was for this reason, likely, that Berry retained such an iconic status, canonized by Robert Christgau and Lester Bangs, compared with Shakespeare by Bob Dylan, worshipped by John Lennon.
For better or worse, Berry was the original archetypal rock and roller, and he survived it all. There is no doubt that from the beginning of his career, when he was charged with statutory rape, and for the subsequent half century, Berry embodied the toxic masculinity as well as artistic adventurousness that constituted the worst of the rock aesthetic.
Berry's lawyers, going back to when he was originally charged, often pointed out that his lifestyle, such as it was, was no different from the many white musicians that he toured alongside — indeed, Jerry Lee Lewis had married his pre-teen cousin! Berry may have done some heinous things, but there is no doubt that he was also subject to police repression as a successful black musician.
Yet there is often, whether for David Bowie or anyone else, a focus on artists' terrible qualities when they die, as satirized in the Onion headline "Man Always Gets Little Rush Out Of Telling People John Lennon Beat Wife." Berry's art was historically specific, as was his behavior, yet the targeting of black artists, by both the police and the public, for the same types of things that their white contemporaries were given passes is as important for us to keep in mind as the behavior itself. It is simplistic to say that art "transcends" this kind of behavior, but it would be apropos to say that Berry was the bearer of the world in which he was thrust into and only partially understood, but perhaps better then most.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Berry had to keep touring or licensing his name to restaurants and theme parks to make a living. Berry was not in the game to make friends — when the Beach Boys rewrote a number of Chuck Berry songs without giving him songwriting credit, Berry pioneered rock and roll litigiousness. When Berry played for the hippies, he ran a tight ship and was a tough negotiator on his own and his band's behalf. When filmmaker Taylor Bickford and Keith Richards put together an "all-star tribute concert," as were common in the '80s, to be filmed, Berry was notoriously surly, and a number of stories circulate about him and Keith Richards getting into fistfights.
The most important thing about Chuck Berry, beyond his catalog of songs is the fact that without him, more than any of his contemporaries, rock music as we know it would not have developed. Sonically speaking, as a guitarist, he invented a hybrid of rhythm and lead playing that was at once economical, even minimalist as it was original. To Bo Diddley's invention of a sludgy sound that would beget heavy metal, Berry invented a sound and style of songwriting that not only gave rise, notably to Jagger/Richards and Lennon/McCartney, but perhaps even more so to proto-punk and punk music.
Notably the same band, the MC5, that brought Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra–styled free improvisation to rock music also extensively covered or modeled the basis of their songs on Chuck Berry's songs. Of course, they were also explicit revolutionary socialists.
There was something in Berry's perfection of simple but sophisticated working-class art that was as intrinsic a component in moving toward an avant-garde perspective as was One-Dimensional Man and Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
There is no cult of Chuck Berry; there doesn't need to be. Warts and all, he was the real deal. Life still is confusing when everyone is in pursuit of a Brown Eyed Handsome Man.
Originally published at Red Wedge.
Republished from Red Wedge .
Jordy Cummings completed his PhD at York University in September 2017 and was a member of CUPE 3903 for nine years. He is a cultural critic, writer, and labor activist living in Toronto and member of the Red Wedge Editorial Collective.
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text:
package com.wind.camera;

import android.hardware.Camera;
import android.media.MediaRecorder;
import android.util.Log;

import com.yixia.videoeditor.adapter.UtilityAdapter;

import com.wind.camera.model.MediaObject.MediaPart;

/**
 * 视频录制:边录制边底层处理视频(旋转和裁剪)
 */
public class MediaRecorderNative extends MediaRecorderBase implements MediaRecorder.OnErrorListener {

    /**
     * 视频后缀
     */
    private static final String VIDEO_SUFFIX = ".ts";

    /**
     * 开始录制
     */
    @Override
    public MediaPart startRecord() {
        //防止没有初始化的情况
        if (!UtilityAdapter.isInitialized()) {
            UtilityAdapter.initFilterParser();
        }

        MediaPart result = null;

        if (mMediaObject != null) {

            mRecording = true;
            result = mMediaObject.buildMediaPart(mCameraId, VIDEO_SUFFIX);
            String cmd = String.format("filename = \"%s\"; ", result.mediaPath);
            //如果需要定制非480x480的视频,可以启用以下代码,其他vf参数参考ffmpeg的文档:
            if (mCameraId == Camera.CameraInfo.CAMERA_FACING_BACK) {
                cmd += String.format("addcmd = %s; ", " -vf \"transpose=1,scale=" +SMALL_VIDEO_HEIGHT  + ":" + SMALL_VIDEO_WIDTH  +"\" " //+ ":0:0\" "
                        +getBitrateCrfSize(mediaRecorderConfig,"",true)
                        +getBitrateVelocity(mediaRecorderConfig,"",true)
                        +getBitrateModeCommand(mediaRecorderConfig,"",true));

            } else {
                cmd += String.format("addcmd = %s; ", " -vf \"transpose=2,scale=" + SMALL_VIDEO_WIDTH + ":" + SMALL_VIDEO_HEIGHT + "\" " //":0:0\" "
                        +getBitrateCrfSize(mediaRecorderConfig,"",true)
                        +getBitrateVelocity(mediaRecorderConfig,"",true)
                        +getBitrateModeCommand(mediaRecorderConfig,"",true));
            }

            UtilityAdapter.FilterParserAction(cmd , UtilityAdapter.PARSERACTION_START);
            if (mAudioRecorder == null && result != null) {
                mAudioRecorder = new AudioRecorder(this);
                mAudioRecorder.start();
            }
        }
        return result;
    }

    /**
     * 停止录制
     */
    @Override
    public void stopRecord() {
        UtilityAdapter.FilterParserAction("", UtilityAdapter.PARSERACTION_STOP);
        super.stopRecord();
    }

    /**
     * 数据回调
     */
    @Override
    public void onPreviewFrame(byte[] data, Camera camera) {
        if (mRecording) {
            UtilityAdapter.RenderDataYuv(data);
        }
        super.onPreviewFrame(data, camera);
    }

    /**
     * 预览成功,设置视频输入输出参数
     */
    @Override
    protected void onStartPreviewSuccess() {
        if (mCameraId == Camera.CameraInfo.CAMERA_FACING_BACK) {
            UtilityAdapter.RenderInputSettings(mSupportedPreviewWidth, SMALL_VIDEO_WIDTH, 0, UtilityAdapter.FLIPTYPE_NORMAL);
        } else {
            UtilityAdapter.RenderInputSettings(mSupportedPreviewWidth, SMALL_VIDEO_WIDTH, 180, UtilityAdapter.FLIPTYPE_HORIZONTAL);
        }
        UtilityAdapter.RenderOutputSettings(SMALL_VIDEO_WIDTH, SMALL_VIDEO_HEIGHT, mFrameRate, UtilityAdapter.OUTPUTFORMAT_YUV | UtilityAdapter.OUTPUTFORMAT_MASK_MP4/*| UtilityAdapter.OUTPUTFORMAT_MASK_HARDWARE_ACC*/);
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(MediaRecorder mr, int what, int extra) {
        try {
            if (mr != null)
                mr.reset();
        } catch (IllegalStateException e) {
            Log.w("Yixia", "stopRecord", e);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            Log.w("Yixia", "stopRecord", e);
        }
        if (mOnErrorListener != null)
            mOnErrorListener.onVideoError(what, extra);
    }

    /**
     * 接收音频数据,传递到底层
     */
    @Override
    public void receiveAudioData(byte[] sampleBuffer, int len) {
        if (mRecording && len > 0) {
            UtilityAdapter.RenderDataPcm(sampleBuffer);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I going to bet the Chumph saves his boy on this one should he take office.
The Justice Department's watchdog has launched a sweeping review of conduct by the FBI director and other department officials before the presidential election, following calls from Congress and members of the public.
Top advisers to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton have blamed FBI Director James Comey, in part, for her loss in November. Now, federal investigators say they will examine whether public statements by Comey in July, October and November 2016 ran afoul of policies that caution officials not to influence the outcome of an election and to avoid making derogatory comments about people who haven't been formally charged with wrongdoing.
Comey has previously told friends and employees that he had few good choices in the investigation into Clinton's handling of classified information on her private email server.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz said he would not "substitute" his judgment on the declination to prosecute Clinton for that of prosecutors and the FBI. And he said the review could expand based on what his investigators encounter along the way.
Allegations that Justice Department and FBI staffers improperly leaked details about investigations before the election.
Allegations that the deputy director of the FBI and the chief congressional liaison at the Justice Department should have recused themselves from the Clinton investigation.
How the FBI release of information about an old investigation of Bill Clinton's last-minute presidential pardons happened only days before the election and how an FBI Twitter account came to publicize the documents.
Not the type of association the Trump campaign managers want…But the type Trump has courted.
A photoshopped image…But not far from the truth. Apparently former Aryan Nation Leader Kreis displayed a "Vote for Trump" sign throughout his trial.
A South Carolina jury was apparently unswayed a neo-Nazi's "vote for Trump" sign and convicted the former Ku Klux Klan leader of sexually abusing two girls.
August Kreis III was found guilty Thursday of one count of criminal sexual conduct involving a minor child and two counts of committing lewd acts on a child, reportedThe State.
Three young women testified during a three-day trial that Kreis repeatedly molested two girls who were between the ages of 10 and 14 years old.
The 61-year-old Kreis, a onetime Aryan Nation leader and Christian Identity pastor, held up a sign throughout the trial expressing his support for Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
Circuit Court Judge Douet "Jack" Earley instructed jurors to ignore the sign and focus instead on the evidence.
Trump, the real estate tycoon and reality TV star, holds a four-point lead in South Carolina — which will be the first southern state to hold a presidential primary next year.
The GOP candidate has drawn support from many of the most influential white supremacists in the U.S., including Kreis — whose activity and influence has waned with his arrest and diabetes-related health problems.
The white supremacist, who is perhaps best known for an explosive appearance two decades ago on "The Jerry Springer Show," spouted off hateful remarks and expressed support for his preferred candidate just before sentencing.
Kreis was sentenced to 50 years in prison, and he told the judge he wanted to remain in jail for the rest of his life — which he almost certainly will.
As a kid, I remember these guys goose stepping around in Arlington, Va. Rockwell's house was across a side street from the parking lot of the local Sears and Roebucks in North Arlington. They would parade around in their uniforms with their Nazi Flags trying very hard to look military. They generally had sense enough to leave the paying customers alone, but would sometimes put flyers on the windshield of cars in the lot.
This is another example of why Anonymous just going after the KKK isn't enough. The guys often belong to multiple hate groups and drift from one to another. In Kreis' case he started as an American Nazi, moved to Aryan Nations where he was their leader, dabbled in the racist Skinheads, created the Christian Identity racist "religion", and finally wound up back "home" in the KKK. No telling how many little girls this scumbag raped along the way.


A Bronx man is being charged in the death of his daughter after she drowned in an overflowing bathtub last month.
Investigators say 1-year-old Leslie Castellano was left unattended for 15 minutes in the tub with her 3-year-old brother. They say the father, Daniel Castellano, walked away while the tub was being filled with water.
On May 7, a neighbor who lives underneath Castellano noticed water starting to pour through her ceiling. She says she went upstairs to inform Castellano, who then went into the bathroom to find his daughter underwater and unconscious.
Castellano ran, with his daughter in his arms, to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, where she remained in critical condition until her death on May 23.
Castellano is now being charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
He was released after arraignment, promising the judge he would appear for every upcoming court date. His next scheduled date is July 15.


text:
ROTARY POSTERS
You are here: Home / News / Storms Effecting Alabama and Surrounding states
Storms Effecting Alabama and Surrounding states
28 April 2011 By: Amy RiddleIn: News
Last night Alabama was forever changed by a horrific tornado and severe thunderstorms that devastated our beautiful state. Watching the videos, seeing the pictures, and reading stories of families effected by the storms in northern Alabama will forever change us all. Many people lost their lives leaving behind grieving mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, friends, husbands, wives, and so on. Our prayers go out to all those who survived the storm and to those who lost their lives. God Bless.
https://www.durdenoutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DUR-Footer-Logo.png 0 0 Amy Riddle https://www.durdenoutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DUR-Footer-Logo.png Amy Riddle2011-04-28 21:46:342011-04-28 21:46:34Storms Effecting Alabama and Surrounding states
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Digital Lighthouse in Eufaula, AL ALDOT Traffic Count in Alabama


text:
Biografia
Si è iscritto al corso di laurea in Scienze biologiche, ma non ha terminato gli studi. Il suo primo romanzo, intitolato Branchie, è stato pubblicato da Ediesse nel 1994, per essere poi acquisito da Einaudi nel 1997. Il libro racconta la storia paradossale di un ragazzo romano malato di tumore che si trova catapultato suo malgrado in India, dove è costretto a vivere una serie di sgradevoli e stravaganti avventure. Nel 1999, dal libro è stato tratto il film con Gianluca Grignani e Valentina Cervi dal titolo omonimo, Branchie, diretto da Francesco Ranieri Martinotti e sceneggiato insieme a Fulvio Ottaviano; nonostante l'ingente budget, la pellicola si è rivelata un insuccesso.

Nel 1995 Ammaniti ha pubblicato, con il padre Massimo, psicologo dell'età evolutiva, il saggio Nel nome del figlio, edito da Arnoldo Mondadori Editore.
Nel 1996 ha recitato insieme alla sorella nel film a basso budget Cresceranno i carciofi a Mimongo di Fulvio Ottaviano.

Ha partecipato nel 1996 all'antologia Gioventù cannibale, curata da Daniele Brolli e pubblicata da Einaudi, con un racconto scritto a quattro mani con Luisa Brancaccio. Sempre nel 1996 ha pubblicato per Mondadori Fango, raccolta di racconti che contiene, tra gli altri, i testi Vivere e morire al Prenestino e L'ultimo capodanno dell'umanità; da quest'ultimo è stato tratto nel 1998 il film di Marco Risi L'ultimo capodanno, alla sceneggiatura del quale collaborò lo stesso Ammaniti. Diventa uno dei principali rappresentanti del gruppo di scrittori definiti Cannibali.

Nel 1999 è uscito il romanzo Ti prendo e ti porto via, sempre per Mondadori. La notorietà a livello nazionale giunge per Ammaniti nel 2001, quando pubblica il romanzo Io non ho paura, Premio Viareggio Narrativa, trasposto due anni dopo nell'omonimo film di Gabriele Salvatores, per cui riceve il Premio Flaiano per la sceneggiatura. Nel 2004 ha scritto il soggetto per il film Il siero della vanità, diretto da Alex Infascelli. Dal 17 settembre 2005 è sposato con l'attrice Lorenza Indovina.

Nel 2006 è stato pubblicato il romanzo Come Dio comanda, edito da Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, accolto con favore dal pubblico, ma con alterni giudizi dalla critica, nonostante nel 2007 il romanzo si aggiudichi il premio Strega; il libro è stato inoltre adattato per il grande schermo, nuovamente da Salvatores, nel film Come dio comanda (2008).

Nel 2009 ha pubblicato il romanzo Che la festa cominci edito da Einaudi, per il quale ha ottenuto una candidatura al premio Alabarda d'oro 2010. Ha una rubrica su xL. Nel 2010 ha pubblicato il suo sesto romanzo dal titolo Io e te.

Nel 2012 Niccolò Ammaniti ha pubblicato la raccolta di racconti Il momento è delicato, il cui titolo deriva dalla frase che gli venne rivolta da un editore per comunicargli il rifiuto della pubblicazione della raccolta di racconti Fango.

Nel 2015 pubblica il suo settimo romanzo dal titolo Anna.

Nel maggio del 2017 Sky Italia annuncia la realizzazione di una nuova serie TV chiamata Il miracolo incentrata sulle conseguenze della lacrimazione di una statua della Madonna in un piccolo centro, che lo stesso Ammaniti ha già scritto e che lo vedrà anche nei panni di regista al pari di Lucio Pellegrini e Francesco Munzi.

Nel 2021 esce su Sky Italia la serie televisiva Anna, basata sull'omonimo romanzo del 2015.

Il 17 gennaio 2023, a distanza di otto anni dal precedente, esce il suo nuovo ed atteso romanzo La vita intima.

Premi e riconoscimenti
Il 17 gennaio 2017 l'Università degli Studi di Foggia gli conferisce una Laurea honoris causa in Filologia, Lettere e Storia.

Premi cinematografici
Ciak d'oro
2003 - Migliore sceneggiatura per Io non ho paura

Opere

Libri
 Branchie, Roma, Ediesse, 1994. ISBN 88-230-0135-8; Torino, Einaudi, 1997. ISBN 88-06-14354-9.
 Fango, Milano, Mondadori, 1996. ISBN 88-04-40667-4. raccolta di racconti finalista al Premio Bergamo
 Ti prendo e ti porto via, Milano, Mondadori, 1999. ISBN 88-04-46824-6.
 Io non ho paura, Torino, Einaudi, 2001. ISBN 88-06-14210-0.
 Come Dio comanda, Milano, Mondadori, 2006. ISBN 88-04-50279-7.
 Che la festa cominci, Torino, Einaudi, 2009. ISBN 978-88-06-19101-6.
 Io e te, Torino, Einaudi, 2010. ISBN 978-88-06-20680-2.
 Il momento è delicato, Torino, Einaudi, 2012. ISBN 978-88-06-21240-7. [raccolta di racconti]
 Anna, Torino, Einaudi, 2015. ISBN 978-88-06-22775-3.
 La vita intima, Torino, Einaudi, 2023. ISBN 978-88-06-25515-2

Racconti in antologie
 La figlia di Siva, nella raccolta collettiva La giungla sotto l'asfalto, Roma, Ediesse, 1993.
 Seratina, scritto con Luisa Brancaccio, nella raccolta collettiva Gioventù cannibale, Torino, Einaudi, 1996. ISBN 88-06-14268-2.
 Alba tragica, nella raccolta collettiva Tutti i denti del mostro sono perfetti, Milano, Mondadori, 1997. ISBN 88-04-43806-1.
 Enchanted Music & Light Records, scritto con Jaime D'Alessandro, nella raccolta collettiva Il fagiano Jonathan Livingston. Manifesto contro la new age, Roma, Minimum Fax, 1998. ISBN 88-86568-53-3.
 L'amico di Jeffrey Dahmer è l'amico mio, nella raccolta collettiva Italia odia, Milano, Mondadori, 2000.
 Fa un po' male, in "MicroMega", n. 3, luglio-settembre 2002.
 Sei il mio tesoro, nella raccolta collettiva Crimini, Torino, Einaudi, 2005. ISBN 88-06-17576-9.
 Giochiamo? Due racconti letti dagli autori, con Antonio Manzini, con 2 CD, Milano, Mondadori, 2008. ISBN 978-88-04-58405-6.

Film
 The Good Life, su DVD per Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore, Milano, 2014. ISBN 978-88-07-74125-8.

Altro
 Nel nome del figlio. L'adolescenza raccontata da un padre e da un figlio, con Massimo Ammaniti, Milano, Mondadori, 1995. ISBN 88-04-39339-4.
 Anche il sole fa schifo. Radiodramma, Roma, Rai-Eri, 1997. ISBN 88-397-0987-8.
 Il libro italiano dei morti, in "Rolling Stone Italia", n. 15-40, gennaio 2005-febbraio 2007, [soggetto de Il siero della vanità di Alex Infascelli (2004)].
Il miracolo - serie TV (2018) - ideatore, sceneggiatore e showrunner

Trasposizioni cinematografiche e televisive
 L'ultimo capodanno, regia di Marco Risi (1998)
 Branchie, regia di Francesco Ranieri Martinotti (1999)
 Io non ho paura, regia di Gabriele Salvatores (2003)
 Come Dio comanda, regia di Gabriele Salvatores (2008)
 Io e te, regia di Bernardo Bertolucci (2012)
 Anna – serie TV (2021)

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Autori horror
Ciak d'oro per la migliore sceneggiatura
Registi televisivi italiani
Studenti della Sapienza - Università di Roma
Vincitori del Premio Flaiano di cinematografia
Vincitori del Premio Strega
Vincitori del Premio Viareggio per la narrativa

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


2003-04 Upper Deck Triple Dimensions Reflections Carmelo Anthony Rookie Card #17.
Carmelo Anthony 2003-04 Triple Dimensions Reflections Rookie Card #17.
In 2003-04, Upper Deck produced a set called Triple Dimensions. The "Reflections" subset was inserted into packs and featured the rookie cards of players from the 2003 NBA Draft.
This is the 2003-04 Triple Dimensions Carmelo Anthony Reflections rookie card.
It is card #17 of the set.
You can see the complete 2003-04 Triple Dimensions checklist here.
1992-93 Topps Stadium Club Michael Jordan Basketball Trading Card.
1986-87 Fleer Buck Williams Basketball Trading Card.


text:
Home Auto What You Need to Know About the New NYS SLEEP Act
What You Need to Know About the New NYS SLEEP Act
April 27, 2022 Auto,
Beginning April 1, 2022, new legislation took effect in New York State intended to curb motorists and repair shops from illegally modifying the exhaust on vehicles and motorcycles to be excessively loud. The SLEEP Act – which stands for Stop Loud and Excessive Exhaust Pollution – was signed into law by NYS Governor Kathy Hochul on October 29, 2021, increasing the maximum fines and penalties motorists and repair shops face for violations related to loud exhausts.
The bill amends existing vehicle and traffic law to increase fines and create stricter regulations for motorists and mechanics who may be modifying a vehicle or motorcycle's exhaust from its original stock equipment. Continue reading to educate yourself on the specifics of New York's new SLEEP Act.
What Does the SLEEP Act Change?
The SLEEP Act aims to reduce noise and emission pollution on the roads of New York State. As of April 1, 2022, the maximum fines for installing illegally loud exhausts in New York was raised to $1,000—an $850 increase from the previous maximum fines for illegal exhausts of $150. Fines could be assessed in the event that an illegal exhaust modification is made, such as the addition of a cut-out, bypass, or similar device.
Another change as a result of the SLEEP Act is motorcycle inspection stations are now tasked with ensuring mufflers and exhausts have not been illegally modified before certifying an inspection. Furthermore, the new bill states that inspection stations that willfully violate the legislation and install illegal vehicle equipment three times within 18 months can risk losing their certificate inspection stations or operator certificate.
With the enactment of the new legislation, New Yorkers can expect to hear less vehicles on the road that have been modified to sound louder. The bill also may benefit the environment by reducing the emissions of harmful pollutants that illegal exhausts may not filter.
What Do I Do if I Have a Modified Exhaust?
If you have a modified exhaust on your vehicle or motorcycle, you may be wondering what the new law means for you. The SLEEP Act does not affect legal exhausts—only exhausts that have been illegally modified or added.
If you are unsure whether or not your exhaust is legal, have it checked out by a certified inspection station to be sure. If your muffler or exhaust is deemed illegal, install a legal system before further operating your motor vehicle. With the new bill now in effect, correcting an illegal exhaust before you are ticketed will save you money from the increased fine.
Your exhaust is responsible for more than just expelling fumes from your engine. In fact, an exhaust, specifically the catalytic converter in an exhaust, plays an important role in reducing pollutants in the emissions of your motor vehicle. A catalytic converter is an exhaust emissions control device that burns off the most harmful pollutants in engine fumes into less harmful fumes before expelling it into the environment.
Tags # Auto
Labels: Auto


View an expansive collection of LPD Doors composite external doors right here at Leader Doors. Effectively utilising modern technology to create superbly durable doors, these products are specifically designed for use as external doors.
Quickly rising in popularity, LPD Doors catalogue of external composite doors are a new type of doors that use a combination of tough materials to create an incredibly durable door. This makes them perfect for usage as external doors as they have a much higher resistance to weathering & general wear & tear. This selection of exterior doors that we have gathered have been tried & tested as reliable, luxurious doors that come in a wide variety of styles such as elegant satin glass, beautiful chartwell & many other variations.


Now we study another interesting issue called Mining Closed Sequential Patterns.
what is closed sequential patterns, similar to closed frequent item sets?
s prime and this s prime and s have the same support.
closed pattern means for the same support, you will find the longest one.
okay, for example, let's look at this example.
abcd with support 20 and the abcde with support of 15.
for support 20, abcd is a longest one.
there is no longer 1 and 15 which is a super sequence of abcde.
one way is you first mine all the sequential patterns.
you can knock it down, then you'll get set of closed sequential patterns.
what we want is directly mine closed sequential patterns.
This will reduce a number of redundant patterns to be generated in the middle.
so there's a one interesting property like this.
s is closed if and only if two projected database have the same size.
f the project database and another sequence is af.
then this actually means af is closed.
so you will be able to develop two kinds of pruning.
you can prune it, another is backward superpattern pruning, so you probably see.
So with this spirit we can develop an efficient algorithm called CloSpan.
I'm not going to discuss very detailed.
But details you can read this paper, it gives you all the detail on the CloSpan.


text:
Alexandria area sports schedule for Friday, Dec. 17
Alexandria area basketball, dance and wrestling scheduled for Friday, Dec. 17, 2021.
Pixel-Shot - stock.adobe.com
Alexandria vs. St. Cloud Tech, 7:15 p.m.
Brandon-Evansville at Kimball Tournament, 7 p.m.
WCA at Morris Area, 7:30 p.m.
Parkers Prairie vs. Browerville-Eagle Valley, 7:15 p.m.
Minnewaska at Montevideo, 7:30 p.m.
Osakis vs. LPGE, 7 p.m.
WCA at Morris Area, 6 p.m.
Parkers Prairie at Swanville, 7:15 p.m.
Minnewaska vs. Montevideo, 7:30 p.m.
Ashby vs. CGB, 7 p.m.
Alexandria at Willmar Invite, 6 p.m.
WCA-A-B-E, B-H-V-Parkers Prairie, Minnewaska at Cass Lake-Bena Invite, 10 a.m.


According to the Hadith tradition, once the people of Medina complained to prophet Muhammad on the lack of water and rain fall and their hardships in consequence. At the moment prophet was at the Masjid e Nabavi, he rose and emerged from the mosque and offered "Salat ul-Istisqaa" at this approximate location. As he prayed the clouds started to gather and rain fell.
The facade and the main entrance to the mosque. The word "Ghamama" means cloud in arabic. It is situated near abi Bakr Mosque. Initially a small mosque was built here by first caliph Umer ibn Khattab it was was later renovated by Sultan Abdul Majeed Al Uthmani and recently by King Fahad bin Abdul Azeez Al Saud. This Masjid is in right front corner of Masjid Al Nabavi some 300 meters away from current gate to courtyard of the Masjid.


text:
Q: Will I get Halo 5 when it comes out if I get The Master Chief Collection? I recently bought Halo Master Chief Collection and I was wondering will I "unlock" Halo 5 once it comes out because that's kind of the main reason I bought it

A: Halo: Master Chief Collection does not come with Halo 5. It did, however, come with access the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta, which ran from December 29 to January 18.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I've been dealing with Magic White for almost 30 years. Although there is no shortage of comapanies offering products that may be somewhat similar, the people at Magic White are in a group of their own when it comes to the quality, reliability and effectiveness of service and pricing. I wouldn't deal with anybody else. Thank you for being here, for us, always.
We have been using Magic White as our ware washing supplier for over fifteen years. The need for services comes at the oddest hours and we can depend on Magic White to be there to take care of our dish washers and glass washers. Operating high volume pubs is not an easy task and with Magic White as our supplier partner there in one less job to take care of. Their produts and service is unmatched as far as the Firkin Group of Pubs is concerned. We would highly recommend them to any restaurant operator.
We have been with Magic White for six months now and it has been an excellent transition. We were having major service issues with one of their larger competitors and Magic White came in and told us what they could do for us and when it would happen and that's exactly what they did. Their installation crew and equipment arrived on time and the change over was done professionally as planned. Since the change over their service, equipment and chemicals have been exceptional with absolutely no problems and all of our staff is very pleased with the quality of our current ware washing program. All of Magic White's staff has been very professional and friendly, it is a pleasure to be able to deal with a company that still has high quality equipment and excellent service. I look forward to many years of partnership with Magic White as our ware-washing service provider.
The Drake Hotel is a cultural, entertainment and hospitality landmark in Toronto. In the Six years since our opening, Drake has come to be known as an energetic hub for visual & performance art as well as dining and hospitality, thus providing one of Canada's most unique and sought after hotel and culinary experiences. Our decision to use Magic White for our ware washing and sanitation equiptment and services has proven to be a wise one. They have surpassed our expectations and continue to be a valuable business associate that strives to ensure that we meet all Health Code Standards. They understand our business and take full responsibility ensuring that we never face any interruptions to our operation by putting our customer's health first.
Magic white provides reliable equipment, quick service and quality products. We can rest assured that they will always be there; I recommend them highly to any size of operation.
In the restaurant business, the one thing you need from your chemical supplier is service – immediate response at odd hours. We have used other competitors. We are extremely happy with Magic White and are pleased to have them as a supplier.
Cindy Simpson — Director of Operations, Imago Restaurants Inc.


Grievances are covered by respective CBA of tenure-track and non-tenure-track units. Complaints other than contractual CBA grievances should be referred to the Chair, who will consult as the Chair deems necessary with appropriate individuals, officials and/or committees. The Chair is the final departmental authority in dealing with grievances not covered by CBA, but the complaining faculty member has the right to take the grievance to the appropriate higher authority of the College or University. Resolution of disputes resulting from joint authorship is governed by appropriate University policy.


At CooperVision, our strength comes from our employees all across the globe. We realise that having this rich background of culture and experience helps us better serve our contact lens wearers and eye care practitioners everywhere.
How so? Different cultures provide important voices, so we listen when others speak. We understand that a diverse workforce brings us closer together in a common goal: providing the best contact lenses we can make.
We're a global company. We recognise that we become stronger by listening to the voices of different nationalities and creeds and taking their ideas to heart every day.
Our diversity adds to our company's strength and helps us serve you better.


Brazilian Rosewood has more of a crystalline or glassy appearance, often exhibiting ornate grain patterns, which provide a feast for the eye. Indian Rosewood has straight grains and no pattern. It is currently illegal to export Brazilian Rosewood for the use of guitar building; hence, making it a rare commodity and more sought after. Some guitar makers such as Fleta, Simplicio, and Friederich insist that Indian Rosewood is the ideal choice. Neither is really superior over the other in terms of sound.


Prentice Place Lofts are affordable apartments near Belleview Station, at Belleview and I 25 in Greenwood Village CO, 80111. We are also proud to be located in a great school district, and surrounded by excellent shopping. Prentice Place Lofts puts everything at your fingertips.


text:
itbusinessedge > Blogs > IT Unmasked > IBM Extends Hybrid Storage Reach
IBM Extends Hybrid Storage Reach
By Mike Vizard, Posted November 7, 2016
IBM has been building out a portfolio of software-defined storage offerings that blur the line between on premise and cloud storage.
Study Shows that Hybrid Storage Plays a Crucial Role in Mitigating Virtualization Issues
When it comes to storage in or out of the cloud, the issue is no longer so much where data is located as much as how easy it is to manage. Data is often still going to wind up in both places. The challenge is figuring out what data belongs where at any given moment in time.
To address that issue, IBM has been steadily building out a portfolio of software-defined storage offerings that make it simpler to blur the line between on premise and cloud storage. To that end, IBM -- via enhancements to the IBM Spectrum Storage Suite of software -- is now making it possible to extend block storage running on premise into a variety of public clouds. In addition, IBM Spectrum Scale software makes it possible to share file and object storage across a hybrid cloud as well.
At the same time, IBM is adding 7 TB and 15 TB Flash options to its on-premise storage, which means IBM can now deliver as much as 32 PB of Flash storage across four racks.
Chris Saul, portfolio marketing manager for IBM, says that, in general, IBM sees a day soon when the management of storage is all automated. Instead of managing individual storage systems, Saul says, IT administrators will focus more on defining how specific classes of data are managed. As both the volume of data continues to increase alongside the number of places it can be stored, IT organizations will be forced to rethink data storage altogether, says Saul.
"It will be less about data management and more about setting the polices," says Saul.
Regardless of where and how and IT organizations wind up storing data, the one thing that is for certain is that the more active that data is, the closer it needs to be to the application invoking it.


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text:
Ioannis Ikonomou is the one of the world's most exceptional polyglots. Illustration: Martin O'Neill for New Statesman
The man who speaks 32 languages - and counting
When Ioannis Ikonomou arrived in Brussels as an interpreter, the EU had 12 official languages. He learnt them all - then kept going.
By Xan Rice
Follow @@xanrice
One Sunday evening in January, in a high-rise apartment in the upmarket European Quarter of Brussels, Ioannis Ikonomou, who is Greek, was anxiously watching the television news. The left-wing Syriza party, which had pledged to end austerity, was poised to win the election, pushing Greece towards confrontation with its international creditors.
He was, however, more worried about the showing of the far-right Golden Dawn, which he detests. "I'm the opposite of Odysseus," said Ikonomou, who looks younger than his 50 years, with close-cropped hair, a soul patch and a jawline beard. "He wanted to go home but I am always trying to open myself up to the world."
Ikonomou achieves this aim in two ways. First, by travelling widely and frequently, and second, and more importantly, by using his remarkable linguistic skills. During his summer holiday in Athens last year he spoke Greek to his relatives and Bengali while eating at the restaurants run by Bangladeshi immigrants near Omonoia Square.
He then celebrated his birthday by visiting Israel for three weeks. In Jerusalem he chatted to Jewish Israelis in Hebrew, and in Ramallah to Palestinians in Arabic. He spent last Christmas in Colombia, talking Spanish in the slums and nightclubs. His next trip, he told me, was to Taiwan, to improve his already fluent Mandarin.
Had he visited Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Albania, Iran, or Kurdistan, he could have addressed the local people there in their mother tongues. There are also the languages Ikonomou uses daily in his job as a translator at the European Commission. Among the more than 2,000 full-time linguists in Brussels, only a few can operate from eight or more of the 24 official EU languages. Ikonomou works from 21 of them – Estonian, Maltese and Irish are his exceptions. In all, he speaks 32 living languages – and has studied many ancient ones, from Old Church Slavic to Sogdian. (Reading the hieroglyphics in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo is, for him, "the closest thing possible to a mental orgasm".)
The list keeps growing. Ikonomou told me he was interested in Korean culture and was thinking of studying the language. Perhaps Japanese, too. Neither would be easy, even for him: the more different a new tongue is from those you already know, the harder it is, he explained. But that is little deterrent to one who describes Mandarin as the "Everest of languages" because of its complexity; and then adds that his favourite pastime is reading Chinese books, making small, neat pencil notes in the margin as he goes. Restless curiosity is his defining characteristic. "The thing that killed the cat is very important to me," he said, sipping sage tea with honey in his apartment. "If I am not learning, I am not happy."
Polyglots have been subjects of marvel for thousands of years. Cleopatra was said to speak nine languages. The 17th-century poet John Milton knew ten and the lexicographer Noah Webster at least 20. The explorer Richard Francis Burton reportedly learned 29 languages, at least one of them while lying down: his knowledge of Somali supposedly came from prostitutes. Perhaps best-known of all was the man who Byron described as "a monster of languages", the Vatican cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, whose story is told in Michael Erard's fascinating book Babel No More.
Born in Bologna in 1774, Mezzofanti started school at the age of three and studied Latin, ancient Greek and French. At 12 he entered a seminary, where he learned Hebrew, Arabic, Coptic and German. Around the time he was ordained in his twenties, Bologna's hospitals overflowed with casualties as Napoleon's army battled troops from the linguistically diverse Austrian empire. A priest's services were in demand, and Mezzofanti's in particular because of his exceptional ability to absorb new languages. The thin, pale confessor claimed to be able to learn a foreign tongue in 14 days. One of his methods was to ask a speaker repeatedly to recite the Lord's Prayer in his or her mother tongue, allowing him to absorb its rhythms and sounds.
Charles William Russell, an Irish priest who knew Mezzofanti and wrote a biography of him, estimated that the Italian had "mastered" 30 languages, with lesser knowledge of another 42. Even if the standards of mastery were lower in previous centuries than today – scholars spent much more time reading and translating than on the significantly harder task of communicating with people – it was an extraordinary achievement. (Ikonomou's definition of "knowing" a language is "being comfortable reading a newspaper, following a soap opera and news bulletin; understanding what is said by a native speaker; and being able to hold a conversation".)
How did Mezzofanti, and others like him, do it? Was it something innate, or the result of strong motivation and determination, or a bit of both? In his book, Erard conducted a survey of polyglots, most of whom spoke at least six languages, and found that while many believed they had a special talent, they also thought they were more driven than the average person. (Among Erard's other observations: there are more male polyglots than female, and, among their ranks, there is a disproportionate number of gay and left-handed people.)
Yet scientific studies have yet to show conclusively that talented language learners are born, not made. As Vivian Cook, professor of applied linguistics at Newcastle University, points out, there are parts of India and Africa where switching between three or four languages a day is common.
"We think of this thing [polyglotism] as a feat and an unusual thing to do," Cook told me. "But it does not seem to be a matter of intelligence. It's motivation – you have to be a certain type of person to do this."
Like Mezzofanti, Ikonomou's obsession started early. For the few years when he understood only one language (Greek) he lived in the Mediterranean city of Heraklion, in Crete. The archaeological site of Knossos was a few miles away, and because Ikonomou's parents were friendly with the guards, he spent many weekends there, mingling with the foreign tourists.
"I listened to the Germans, Dutch, Italians, and thought: 'What they hell are they talking about?' These were not languages to me, just sounds."
When he was five his family moved to Athens and he started English lessons. The following summer he returned to Crete to stay with his grandparents. A British couple walked past him on the street one afternoon talking about visiting a fish taverna in the evening. Without having to think, he understood that they would be eating seafood for dinner. To the young boy it seemed like a miracle; it was a turning point.
From a German woman in Crete he started learning his third tongue: in the mornings he read textbooks on the beach while the other children played, and when they took a siesta he took classes with Frau Rosi. "I was a nerd," Ikonomou said.
Back at school in the capital he heard a rumour that Italian would soon be offered as a subject. By the time he realised it was false, he had worked through a "teach yourself Italian" guide. At the start of secondary school he could speak four languages.
Number five was Russian, after he discovered a translated version of Anna Karenina and decided he needed to read the original. "Also, at that time, it was cool to be a communist," Ikonomou said. An interest in Islam led him to pursue Arabic. What he most wanted to learn was Turkish, which was not offered by language schools. "Turks were meant to be our enemies. But my family was very pacifist and I, too, hated this hatred," he said. His mother found a Turkish political refugee who agreed to teach him.
At university in Thessaloniki, where he read classical languages, he became a vegetarian, frequented a Hare Krishna ashram and listened to the music of Egypt's Umm Kulthum, "the greatest singer the Arab world ever produced". His parents "started to freak out". But he also studied intensely, for his degree and for his own amusement, adding Persian, Hebrew, Serbo-Croat and Sanskrit to his list of languages. In the university holidays, while completing his compulsory military service in the tank division of the Greek army, he made use of his sentry duties and long toilet breaks to learn classical Armenian. "Thankfully the Turks did not attack at that time," he said.
Postgraduate work at Columbia University and Harvard followed, and Ikonomou might have stayed in academia, had he not seen an advertisement placed by the European Parliament, which was looking for interpreters (who deal with oral communication) and translators (who work with the written word). The jobs paid well. Although he had no experience he was awarded a scholarship to study interpretation at a university in Spain. "So I decided to prostitute myself and go to Tenerife," he said.
The European Commission's interpretation service is the biggest operation of its kind in the world, facilitating roughly 10,000 meetings a year. The director of interpretation is Brian Fox, a genial man who was raised in Newcastle and moved to Belgium to become an interpreter in 1976, when the EU had nine member states. Now there are 28 but closer integration has done little to improve the average European's proficiency in languages.
A Eurobarometer survey in 2012 found that just 54 per cent of EU citizens could hold a conversation in at least one additional tongue. The UK fared third worst in terms of people speaking a second language, with 61 per cent of the population monolingual (only Hungary and Italy ranked lower). Fox, who speaks six languages, said the first is often the hardest.
"It's like going to the gym," he told me when I met him in his office. "Once you've got one language, the next is easier."
A typical member of his staff can interpret four languages into her or his mother tongue. "You have to know the language inside out. You are either right immediately or wrong for ever."
A few interpreters can work from eight languages. Fox smiled when I mentioned Ikonomou. "He is a phenomenon. Outstanding – even among us."
When Ikonomou arrived in Brussels in 1996 the EU had 12 official languages. He decided to learn them all. On his own, he improved his Dutch, Portuguese and Norwegian. The European Commission sent him to Sweden to study, and after he spent a summer in Helsinki speaking Finnish he had achieved his goal. I asked if a few months was how long it took him to achieve fluency. Sometimes it was a shorter period and sometimes longer, he replied: the thought of keeping track seemed not to have occurred to him.
"I don't look at my watch. It's like when you have sex: you enjoy it rather than looking at the time," he said.
The work could be thrilling, such as when he was interpreting the words of European leaders such as Germany's former chancellor Helmut Kohl and Tony Blair. But after six years he needed a change, so he applied for a translation job. (Fox said that only "a few handfuls" of people have switched between the two departments in the past 20 years.) After initially being posted to Luxembourg, which he disliked – "a rich village, very boring" – Ikonomou, who is gay, was transferred back to Brussels, where he married his Polish husband.
All along he kept acquiring languages by using his wide range of linguistic skills to pick the best method: for example, using a Russian self-study course to learn Ethiopia's official language, Amharic; a Spanish one for Quechua; and a Czech method for Assyro-Babylonian. Technology was also making it simpler to become fluent. "When I was an undergrad, I craved the opportunity to learn Kurdish or Hindi, but it was hard to find someone who knew that language [and could teach me]," he said. "Twenty or 30 years ago you could say: I cannot learn Japanese. But now there are no excuses – all you need is determination."
Satellite television was the first transformative learning aid. Richard Simcott, a co-founder of the annual Polyglot Conference – "bring[ing] together the community's most respected polyglots" – told me that he uses foreign channels to help maintain his French, German, Serbian and Albanian, some of the more than 40 languages he has studied. (Simcott, who grew up in Chester and now lives in Macedonia, said he uses about 25 of them regularly.)
The internet, with its countless language-learning websites, apps and podcasts, has been of even greater advantage. Duolingo, a free language-learning platform, has more than 100 million registered users. When we spoke, Simcott was using italki.com, a site that connects freelance tutors and pupils, to learn Indonesian and Slovenian from teachers in those countries. One of his most useful tools is the Euronews mobile app, which has news broadcasts in 13 languages.
If you consider that cheap air travel has made it more affordable to immerse yourself in a foreign country, it could be argued that this should be a golden age for language learning. "Today, everything is at your fingertips," Simcott said. "I don't know how people did it before."
Ikonomou has been learning languages since the age of five. Photo: Ezequiel Scagnetti.
Multilingualism can be a lonely hobby, especially for someone like Ikonomou, who has no interest in conferences or internet communities for polyglots. He said he has never met anybody who can speak more than 20 languages. "I would be happy to, but it's not important to me. I'm not in competition with anyone."
He seems more amused by his limitations than his brilliance. When we talked about mastering a language, he used the idiom "under my knee", which is the correct one – if you're talking Dutch. He caught himself immediately and laughed. "I am not a machine. I do not speak languages perfectly. I have a Greek accent!" he said.
Ikonomou's secret, if he has one, is making languages part of his daily routine. It helps that his job requires that. His work on the seventh floor of a drab building in the Brussels suburbs can be exciting, such as when he was translating documents on the official EU position on Ukraine during the Kyiv protests in 2014. But mostly it is more mundane policy translation. Even so, it's a job he takes seriously. He was recently tasked with translating into Greek a complicated EU ruling on the rights of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Europe to play outside. His choice of wording would determine if the refugee children – of whom there are many in Greece – would get to exercise in the open air, or merely outside the rooms in which they sleep.
"That's a big responsibility, so I am proud of what I do," he said.
At night, after dinner, Ikonomou practises his languages ("It's use it or lose it") or studies new ones. This involves reading extensively; his living room is filled with scores of dictionaries, textbooks and novels. He also watches a lot of foreign television, from Russian talk shows to Turkish movies, and converses with people on the internet.
I asked him to recommend a method for someone learning a new language. He described a three-stage process that requires 15 minutes of study, six or seven days a week. First, you would assimilate the basic grammar, vocabulary and alphabet by using online aids, such as YouTube video tutorials and textbooks and CDs. (Linguaphone, Teach Yourself, Colloquial and Assimil are among his favourite "traditional" methods.)
The second step he called "taking the plunge". Here you start to read newspapers on the web and watch news broadcasts. At first, you may understand only 10 per cent of what is being said.
"Don't give up. Read, listen. Talk to people on Skype," he said. "Expose yourself to language. You need self-discipline and persistence if there's no private teacher. By being in constant contact with language, you tame it, like a wild horse, and become the master of that horse."
The third and final step is achieving basic fluency, which requires going "far beyond the grammar and syntax and irregular verbs that are only 20 or 30 per cent of language". At this point you eat the country's food, watch its television programmes and films, listen to its music and read its literature. Learning about the history of the nation and language will also help. If possible, you should travel to the country. "Make friends with people who do not speak a word of English," Ikonomou said.
And keep up those friendships. It was 10.30pm when I left his apartment but he was not ready to go to sleep. Mexican taxi drivers, Chinese students and friends he had met on his travels were logged on to Facebook, ready to chat.
Xan Rice is the features editor of the NS
Xan Rice is Features Editor at the New Statesman.
This article appears in the 30 July 2015 issue of the New Statesman, Summer Double
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