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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The distance between Point B which is North Dighton, Massachusetts, site of Mount Hope Hospital from around the 1915 to around 1951, and Point A is 4,356 miles. That is the distance traveled by this baby spoon given to the parents of a baby girl named Nancy on the occasion of her birth at that hospital in 1942. The tiny spoon was kept carefully by the parents. Then the child herself kept it as she grew up to become a college professor and to travel far from little North Dighton.
Apparently the spoon went along, too, not leaving its owner for many years.
As readers know, on October 17, 2013 this blog published a post about Mount Hope Hospital, a pivotal part of the Mount Hope Company town in N. Dighton, Massachusetts.
Presbyterian missionaries working with a gypsy group in Goias, Brazil were shown a spoon by them engraved in English with a child's name and that of a hospital: Mount Hope Hospital. The birth date and how much the infant weighed were also engraved on the spoon. The world shrunk with the Internet. The missionaries, Leonor and Reginaldo Goulart, googled Mount Hope Hospital. Up came my post !
The blog shared my e-mail address and they wrote to me, to my utter surprise. The hunt began with cooperation from the I'M FROM TAUNTON Facebook page and myself. The Dighton Historical Society was also very interested. Their oldest volunteer is 95 years young and was born at Mount Hope Hospital herself. Questions abounded until the son of the spoon's lady messaged that he was connecting with the owner, his mother, currently in Brazil ! Connections are trying to be made with the missionaries, the Goularts and with the spoon's owner to reunite them.
Silver baby spoons have long been a gift source for newborns, especially on the occasion of christening ceremonies. The city of Taunton where I grew up, so closely adjacent to N. Dighton as to be siblings, contained two famous silver companies: Reed and Barton and E.B. Rogers. For years area residents purchased their silver pieces from one of them. We shall see who was the creative originator.
The story is more poignant as Mount Hope Hospital is only a memory now. The tiny hospital of 15 beds was funded and run by the Mount Hope Finishing Company in North Dighton and that little town was a true company town. Check out my posts on the subject: very interesting and nostalgic.
Learning more about silver baby spoons, it is an historical fact that back to medieval times, babies were fed with silver spoons. This occurred, of course in wealthier families as it was noted that those children fed with silver spoons did not succumb to the Plague. It is now known that silver is bactericidal and often a component of bactericidal ointments and such originating in World War II.
For the present I still remain a sort of go-between from my home in Amelia, Florida to Brazil. Each day I learn a little bit more about the story myself. This is the kind of experience historical bloggers like myself dream about and it is still hard to believe. The Internet can be a misused power or it can do good. Maybe this little blog is the blog that could….that did…..and that will.
More to come on this sweet mystery, from whence came the spoon?
and their mission website which has been translated.
The world is small, since I went to school with the woman who had the spoon. I checked my reunion data sheet and I gave the address information to my sister Sandy. It shows are closely connected we all are. Glad I could offer something to this mystery.


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In 1977 my family and I spent six months traveling through Europe in a VW camper; six weeks of that time was spent driving 3,800 miles through the Soviet Union, from Finland to the Black Sea.
It was an amazing adventure that left indelible memories. Now, with the help of our journals, photos, and audio tapes made at the time, I've written a memoir about that unforgettable experience.
If you've forgotten (or never knew) what it was like to live with MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) or if you suddenly find yourself missing the iron curtain, join us as we struggle with the Soviet bureaucracy, come face to face with the KGB, steal toilet paper, smuggle a diamond, and say Nyet! to the border guards.
Camping with the Communists: The Adventures of an American Family in the Soviet Union, is, as one reader wrote: "smart, compelling, personal, deep, funny." Below, you'll find the preface and first chapter. If you want more—and I hope you will—you can find it in local bookstores, on Amazon.com, or as an e-book at most online retailers.
Camping with the Communists: The Adventures of an American Family in the Soviet Union
By Karen Gilden
Read Chapters one and three below.
BEGINNINGS (Chapter 1)
Question to Radio Armenia: "What is the definition of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR?"
Answer: "The Supreme Soviet is a collective organ of Soviet authority, consisting of two types of people: those who are absolutely incapable of anything, and those who are capable of absolutely everything." [1]
THE MOSCOW AIR is smoggy, humid, and hot, but it doesn't matter; we have much to discuss and the park is quiet. There are few people about and no one follows us. Here, our Russian hosts assure us, we can speak freely. They take comfort in this because they have many questions.
It is August, 1977, and five of us stroll along the park's graveled path, the crunch of pebbles providing a baseline for our conversation. The questions spill out—what do we do at home? How do we live and what is America really like? What is President Carter thinking, with his neutron bomb? How do I come to speak Russian? Where else will our journey take us? And how did we come to be here, in the USSR, traveling on our own?
It is Ilya who asks that question. A fit-looking man in his fifties, he is a translator for a popular Soviet magazine, Literaturnaya Gazeta, and much of our conversation earlier today was about English idioms and the problems of translation.
The "how?" question makes us smile because it is one we've heard throughout our long journey. How did we—a half-time secretary, a railroad clerk, and our eleven-year-old daughter—manage a six-month trip through Europe and the Soviet Union? Of course, we must be rich! Or perhaps we are academics on sabbatical? Or maybe we secretly work for the CIA? We have heard all those assumptions. But Ilya didn't assume, he just asked. "How?"
"Oh, well," I say, laughing. "It was just an idea that grew. We planned and saved—and here we are!"
"Ah," says Ilya, and after a pause, "You know, we too can have thousands of ideas, but they all die within us."
The Soviet Union was a locked society in 1977 and Ilya wasn't the only person we met who felt trapped and hopeless. Indeed, they were trapped. The totalitarian regime, led then by Leonid Breshnev, was corrupt, mismanaged, criminal, and cruel, but it was successful in at least two things: propaganda and the destruction of optimism. Even we, who carried permission to leave the Soviet Union in our pockets, found the country oppressive, and occasionally frightening. The stifling air in Moscow that day was the physical embodiment of the emotionally gray and omnipresent constraint that weighed on us, week after week.
Nevertheless, we continued to celebrate the idea that had taken us to Moscow and beyond. Ideas, we had learned, deserve our attention, and good ideas—the ones that inspire us—require care and food and water to see them through the seedling stage and into the garden. How do we encourage those ideas or prevent them, as Ilya said, from dying within us? And just how did we come to be traveling through the USSR in a Volkswagen camper-van in 1977?
As I write this, scientists at Yale, Stanford, and elsewhere are studying intentional thought. They are telling us that our bodies respond to how we think, and that visualization and intention can influence future actions. I'm aware that athletes use visualization to improve their techniques, and that sadness and anxiety can impair our immune system. Our thoughts, we are learning, have power.
None of this was known to me in the early 1970s when I found myself on hands and knees scrubbing our kitchen floor. We were living in Eugene, Oregon then, still new to the state after a move from California's Bay Area. We loved Oregon and Eugene, and we had settled in quickly. So I was not unhappy that day, but I was disenchanted with the life I saw stretching before me. The feminist revolution was gaining ground, and like other women of my generation I was encouraged by news of growing opportunities, but felt restrained by my 1950s conditioning. It was confusing. I loved my husband and small daughter and had no interest in pursuing a life without them. But still, was this all there was?
It came to me then, sitting back on my heels and admiring my work, that Life—it was capitalized in my thoughts—was not going to hand me roses or wealth or adventure. Life was not a generous uncle. If I wanted Life to be exciting I was going to have to make it so myself.
This idea now seems embarrassingly mundane, but I was young and it hit me hard. I thought—well, I'm not sure what I thought. I only knew that I'd had an epiphany—and that something, somehow, was going to change.
Over the next few months I found myself observing my life, looking for cracks in its generally smooth surface, an opening to push through some chance for change—an idea, a place, a serendipitous moment. My one year in college had left me unprepared for a career, so I would have to look elsewhere for whatever it was I wanted.
An avid reader, I had been captivated by Russia since reading an abridged version of War and Peace in high school. The landscape, the culture: it was familiar yet strange and exotic. I felt I had been there, that I knew Sonia and the samovars and the sleds and the snow. Later I read other Russian novels, seeking them out under the dome of my hometown's old Carnegie library. As an adult I remained fascinated, and as my library of books about Russia and the Soviet Union grew, I found myself wanting more.
That yearning led me to the Russian language itself and the finer points I suspected I was missing in translations. Wouldn't it be wonderful, I thought, to read Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in the original? What I might do with that skill, besides entertain myself, remained a mystery, but with my new-found belief that only I could create my life, the idea of studying Russian became more and more intriguing. We lived in Eugene, home of the University of Oregon. The U of O had a Russian and East European Studies program. I wouldn't even have to commute.
Ideas, as we shall see, are funny things. They make perfect sense to one person and sound alarming or unrealistic to another. That was what I found when I broached Ray on the subject of returning to school. Like me he was a college dropout, but he was solidly employed and had no interest in returning to school. My sudden ambition worried him. What if I found a world that excluded him? Couples grow together or they grow apart. It was not an unreasonable fear.
Seeing his concern I temporarily put the idea aside, but gently brought it out for airing whenever the time seemed right. And when I did start classes two years later Ray was incredibly supportive. My employer had agreed to let me work half days, so I spent mornings in the office as a secretary, and afternoons on campus. Returning to school as an older student (I was 33) was uncommon in 1974, and my classmates, with one exception, were much younger than I—a situation I found slightly intimidating. My Russian teacher, a brilliant but eccentric man, read 17 or 20 languages (he could never remember for sure) and could speak half that number. Our Russian language classes were two hours a day, four days a week.
It was soon clear that I was no natural at languages. Dr. B had the nasty habit of returning our daily quizzes to us in "best first" order, and it was quickly obvious who the star pupils were—not me. I spent hours every night on my Russian homework, memorizing verbs, writing exercises. Why was it so difficult? Dr. B was sympathetic. He kept telling me one day it would "click" and become obvious and easy. It never did.
Many of my other courses focused on contemporary life in the Soviet Union, and soon I was immersed in the dissident movement and press. This was the era of Sakharov and Solzhenitzyn; of Sinyavsky and samizdat. Andrew Amalrik's thought-provoking book, Will the Soviet Union Survive Until 1984? seemed like science fiction. I read everything I could and my interest in the country continued to grow. It was an exciting time to be studying Russian.
During my first year back at school we watched as several close friends made major changes in their lives. One, a political science professor, moved with his wife and three young children to New Zealand for a sabbatical year. Another couple, having both earned their Ph.Ds, gave up on Oregon's rain and moved to San Diego. We envied their exciting changes and wished we had similar plans. After all, I was now 34 and Ray was 37 and oh my God, life was passing us by!
Not for long, though. One idea, one opening door, inevitably leads to another, and one day, browsing in a local bookshop, I spotted a paperback with an intriguing title: Europe With Two Kids and a Van. The book described a lengthy camping trip through several European countries. Wow, I thought, what a great idea.
"Look!" I said excitedly to Ray, waving the book at him. "Let's do this!"
He looked at it skeptically. "You're crazy," he said. "We can't do that. Where would we get the money? It's impossible."
I bought the book anyway.
He was right, of course. We had jobs, but almost nothing in savings. We had a ten-year-old daughter in school. We had house payments and car payments and other bills. We had a dog and two cats. We had responsibilities. We were stuck.
No, we weren't.
You always have a choice, I said. Achieving a goal is just a matter of priorities, I insisted. We just need to reset ours, I declared. Life, I protested, was not meant to consist of working and buying. I do not want, I added, to reach my deathbed only to say, "how boring."
I was annoyingly preachy and overly confident. I'm surprised I wasn't also divorced.
I insisted Ray read the book—nagged really—and when he put it off I read parts of it aloud to him. In the meantime I found a second book: I left European Camping and Caravaning lying around in obvious places. I talked up the idea to our daughter, who was reluctant to leave her friends for more than a day. And "just for fun" I started ordering travel brochures from European tourist offices (this was, of course, long before the Internet). I was convinced that somehow every obstacle could be overcome if we all wanted this badly enough.
If Ray thought he was being manipulated he didn't complain, and though he often told me I was nuts he agreed to at least talk about a trip to Europe. We knew that under his union rules he was eligible for up to a year's leave of absence. I was prepared to quit my job if I had to; the pay was higher than average but I had no emotional investment in it. The hard part, discussed endlessly, was how to pay for the kind of trip we wanted. Then, a few months into our discussions I added a new twist—my Russian studies should be put to use—we could visit the Soviet Union! It was the pure adventure of this idea that finally excited Ray.
THE BORDER (Chapter 3)
Comrade Rabinowitz, why weren't you present at the last meeting of the Communist Party?
No one told me that it would be the last one. If I had known that, I would have come with my whole family . . .
IT'S RAINING HARD when we leave our campground and drive to the Finnish-Soviet border. First stop, a guard house with two Finnish guards, who examine and stamp our passports without comment and open the gate for us. Then a second gate, with two more guards. Then a drive across a plowed and empty stretch of land, and in the distance tall wire fences and wooden towers guarding the Soviet border. Then two Soviet soldiers in heavy coats, who examine our passports and wave us on. Soon we're in a line of three cars. The wait begins.
Crossing borders can be a tedious and somewhat nerve-wracking experience. Innocent you may be, but the presence of sullen guards waving machine guns can leave you shaking in your shoes. In this case we were entering a country that had imbued our childhood with anxiousness. This was the enemy from whom we hid under school desks during drills; who threatened to bury us; who had me believing—riding a San Francisco city bus in October, 1962—that my life might end before I reached home. The Soviet Union was the evil enigma whose existence had dominated U.S. foreign policy through eight presidencies.
Yet here we were with our eleven-year-old daughter, waiting in line at a border crossing, trying to be patient, wondering what to expect, but confident we would get through it. We watch as the cars ahead of us are searched, as the driver and passengers get out, enter and leave the building, pace, wait.
Directly ahead of us is a single woman in a car with French plates. We watch as the guards examine the car, poking long metal rods into every crevice and hole they can find. Suddenly the woman starts yelling. Non! Non! The guards insist, Da! Da! There is much hubbub, other guards come out of the building, mill around, discuss. The woman lets go a torrent of angry French. The Soviets, it appears, are preparing to slit her car seats with a knife. She threatens to turn around and go back to Finland. This bothers them not at all, but her defiance and firmness does defeat them (a powerful lesson for us) and she climbs into the car, seats intact, and drives off. We're next.
We quickly realize that having our daughter with us will be an advantage. Families, it appears, are less threatening to the state than individuals, and children are highly regarded. Her presence doesn't halt the ridiculous search that takes place, but it does make the guards a little more friendly. They actually permit her to wander around the guard post while our car is searched.
"What is this?" says a young soldier, holding a slim blue paperback with a Russian title. He has been examining all our books.
"It's a textbook," I say. "I'm a student of Russian language and I'm reading it, but it's difficult." We had decided it would be best if officials didn't know I spoke some Russian, but in this case I'm found out.
"It's about Russia?" he asks, flipping through the pages.
"Yes, it's a history."
He leans against the bus and begins to read. During most of our time at the border crossing he stands and reads his own country's history and I know that it differs dramatically from what he was taught. I long to ask what he thinks but am reluctant to bring his attention back to us, so I leave him alone.
Other guards search the bus with their long wires, probing any hole the frame offers while ignoring our baggage, camera bags, even the cupboards of the bus, though they open the doors and briefly peer in. They are looking for black market rubles, Bibles, or other "illegal" literature; drugs maybe. One carefully examines our fruit and takes away a small houseplant I'd been babying. We are there about two hours and though it is stressful and tiresome, all goes smoothly. Finally, we are told to move on, but our passports haven't been returned. I ask one of the female guards about it and she shrugs, looking at me with what I can only describe as hatred, which shakes me deeply. Is this what it's going to be like? I wonder.
At last, our belongings are re-stowed, our passports are returned, and we're on the road.
"Look, Jennifer," says Ray, "there's a Russian cow! And a Russian dog!" "And a Russian house," I chime in. Thus do we convince ourselves that we've actually done this, that we're driving east along a bumpy two-lane road into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—on our own without a tour or even a guide, toward an adventure few Americans have experienced. I marvel at our accomplishment, knowing that only determination and the power of an idea has brought us here.
Before long we're stopped by a group of young boys who dash out of the shrubbery and hold hands across the road. They want chewing gum. We dig into our supply and hand it out. This happens again, and then again. Between chewing-gum stops we are twice passed by cars honking their horns while a grinning and slightly menacing passenger leans out the window and waves ruble bills at us. Who would dare buy black-market rubles this close to the border? I wonder, as we wave them off. Later a taxi stops us and again the driver wants to sell rubles. When we say no, he asks if we have anything to sell. No again. So he wishes us a safe journey, gets back in his taxi and drives off. All this is fun and fascinating; it's exciting to be heading into this hidden world so unlike our own.
We are well prepared too. In addition to our passports, visas, and international driver's licenses, we carry a camping card, an auto insurance card, a signed customs declaration (which states that we have no guns, Bibles, anti-Soviet tapes, films, or publications; no drugs, diamonds, lottery tickets, pornography, or live pigeons—who knew?); two signed currency certificates, a form pledging that we will not leave or sell our car, an official hand-written itinerary, four tourist cards—one for each type of overnight stay (camping, hotel, cabin, motel); 117 prepaid housing coupons, one for each overnight times three; and about 145 prepaid five-liter gasoline coupons.
We are told to keep strict records of any currency exchanges and to plan on showing receipts for all purchases when leaving the country. As we roll away from the Intourist office in Vyborg, near the Finnish border, we have about 275 pieces of paper to keep track of. We've only driven a few miles and already we are tightly enmeshed in the incomprehensible Soviet bureaucracy.
Northern Russia is flat and green, part of a wide plain marked by lakes and forests known as the taiga. Lake Ladoga, the largest in Europe at 107,000 square miles, lies just 60 miles east of Vyborg. If we were in any other country at least one of us would say, "Lets go see that big lake," but since there is no approved route to Lake Ladoga our only option is to keep going. There are no mountains here, only a water-rich, wooded plain that rolls for miles toward the Ural mountains, the geographic boundary dividing east from west. From the Finnish border to Moscow we will see a rise of only 400 feet.
But despite the sameness of the northern scenery, boredom is never a threat. The panorama that rolls past our windows is filled with people, and it is there we find the variety, texture, and character missing in the landscape.
Our immediate impression is of shabbiness and hardship, a view that gains validity with each day of travel. The powerful country that has kept us cowering turns out to be a kind of Potemkin's village —a grandiose false front hiding a peasant's reality.
Before long we pass a wooden tower beside the road. I look back and see an officer leaning out the tower window, a phone to his ear as he follows our car with his eyes. So now we know they are keeping track of us.
It takes only a few hours of driving to realize our van is a major source of curiosity, and we try to accustom ourselves to being on the receiving end of constant, overt stares. People stop work to turn to watch us go past. Sometimes they run across fields to get a better view, so apparently strange is our vehicle. Passengers in passing cars turn and stare while we in turn examine the few Russian cars we see: mostly Zhigulis—Russian Fiats—and the slightly sleeker, slightly larger Volgas. Most look well used.
We make good time until we near Leningrad, where we confront what will become the greatest traffic impediment throughout our long trip: slow trucks. They resemble WWII army trucks or dump trucks; almost all have a single open bed. In my memory they are brown, but our photos show the cabs as pale blue; it is the rear of the truck that is brown. Our days will be spent following these underpowered trucks, sometimes dodging what drops off them, seeking to pass and finally passing, only to come up behind another slow truck.
Our first overnight stay is at a campground in Repino, 27 miles (44km) north of Leningrad. Our American's Tourist Manual for the USSR (which makes everything sound much better than it is) tells us that Repino is known for its seaside resorts, which we never see, that 8,000 people live here, and that it was once a Finnish city, Kuokkala. The nearer we come to Repino the more nervous I am. The roads are not marked well; what if we can't find the campground? What if we can't work through the anticipated red tape? Will my two years of Russian be sufficient to the task?
My worry, of course, is wasted. We easily find the campground, drive past the two old men in street clothes guarding the gate, check in with the administration office, show our camping cards, hand over our passports, and are directed to a site.
The Repino campground was a good place to begin, for it was one of the worst we saw. The field was weedy and bumpy—we had a hard time finding a level parking spot. Overhead lights would shine all night and two uniformed policemen patrolled. And, according to other campers, four or five plainclothes policemen were also on site.
When we climbed out of the van to explore we found a bufe (buffet) that would be replicated in nearly every campground. It might stand alone or be connected to a larger cafe, but inevitably its contents were never-changing: a table or two surrounded by ubiquitous white plastic chairs, and a refrigerated cabinet holding cheese on bread, fatty sausage on bread, caviar (but rarely), kefir, champagne, wine, beer. Sometimes there would be vodka, sometimes Pepsi Cola—the only U.S. import we found. Sometimes there were two varieties of cheese or sausage, and sometimes eggs. But mostly it was a depressing and limited collection of tired cheese and greasy sausage.
We bought a couple of beers for later and headed to the restrooms to check the facilities. Alas, they also were tired and depressing and unclean, with "squat" toilets and dirty floors. Anyone wearing long pants had to roll them up before entering, and then perform a jiggling little dance to keep the flies away. This was our first experience with squat toilets, a good indication of how naive we still were.
My first question on arrival at any campground was always "Are there hot showers?" and in this case there were. But when Jennifer and I peered in we decided we'd pass. Ray bravely walked down during the posted evening hours and showered, while an old, toothless man shoveled coal into a boiler.
"The water," Ray said, "barely dribbled out." The next day, as Jennifer and I were heading to the toilets, we passed a Polish man exiting who muttered, "Primitive. Very primitive!"
Our fellow campers were a wonderful source of information, always ready to share experiences and recommend or steer us away from restaurants or places to see. And since routes and campgrounds were limited—especially for westerners—we often crossed paths. We soon came to rely on a network of camper gossip for news about experiences other campers were having (run-ins with the police, for example), and how good or bad the next campground on our itinerary might be. In Repino we were quickly warned off the water, which was "Very bad, it will make you sick." Fortunately, we had filled the van's water tank in Finland. We also had water purification tablets that we used throughout our Soviet journey.
The Repino campground housed visitors from Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, West Germany, Sweden, Norway, Holland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, and America. We were happy to meet other Americans, but disappointed to learn they were there only to see the Hermitage Museum, and would return to Finland in two days.
Soviet citizens were also camping in Repino, but they were separated from the foreigners. This wasn't always the case, but it happened frequently. Even when it was the rule, the Russians and other Soviets managed to find their way into "foreigner" territory to talk and ask questions. And we were just as eager to meet and talk with them.
After we settled in Ray insisted we walk into town, though I would have been happy to stay safely in the campground. Repino wasn't a pretty place, but we found everything worth seeing. We stumbled onto a wooden shelter that turned out to be a beer stand, and the bartender immediately asked Ray, who was wearing jeans, to exchange pants with him. His pleas continued throughout our hour-long stay but there was nothing we could do. We had been warned again and again not to sell things or deal in black market rubles, and at this point we were determined not to do so.
There were three or four other customers, all men, and we were soon engaged in conversation, with me working to translate, answering their questions and asking our own, and laughing at joint misunderstandings. Every traveler has had many such conversations; they could almost be scripted: where do you live, what is your job, how much money do you make, how much did your car (or house) cost, what is it like in America? And, of course, our fellow beer drinkers wondered why we were visiting and how long we would stay. Our questions, in turn, were similar. Generally, such conversations, if they go on long enough, veer into other areas of life, often politics, but in the Soviet Union people did not openly speak about their ideas or beliefs. Fear or habit kept them silent.
At some point the bartender gave me a tomato, a customer bought Jennifer ice cream, and a wizened little man, whom I liked greatly, pulled a small dried fish out of his pocket and gave it to me. I wasn't much of a fish eater then and I stood there looking and feeling dumb, with no idea what to do. I also wondered how long it had been in his pocket. Another man laughed, took it from me, broke off the head and tail, peeled off the skin, and gave it back. I ate it and it was good.
This generosity was typical of Russians, and we would find it everywhere. We surely appeared wealthy to them, and to us they looked poor. But no matter what we did or said, gifts were thrust upon us throughout the trip, from precious black pepper wadded in newsprint to an electric samovar from someone's sideboard. We had brought small gifts to give away: gum, pens, cigarettes, small notebooks, postcards, etc., but they were soon gone and we had little to give in return. We were frequently embarrassed because no matter how often we said "No, thank you," our pleas went unheard.


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Reconnecting graduates
'Vigil of Prayer and Remembrance' to be held
"Lifelong learning keeps our alumni connected to Harvard. From the launch of HarvardX, our alumni have been asking how they can participate," said HAA President Catherine A. Gellert '93, explaining the launch of HarvardX for Alumni. One example of Harvard's expansion of the HarvardX platform is the Rita E. and Gustave Hauser Digital Teaching & Learning Studio, which serves both as a high-tech production facility and as a training ground for faculty (photos 1, 2).
Photos courtesy of HarvardX
Alumni Association, HarvardX launch experimental online learning program
By Michael Patrick Rutter Harvard Correspondent
In "Gone Tomorrow," a novel steeped in academic life, Professor P.F. Kluge writes: "In some ways the goals of teaching and writing are the same. You hope to connect to someone else, to make them care about what you care about. So that the things which matter, the things that matter to you, matter to them."
The desire to rekindle close intellectual bonds is fueling an experimental endeavor called HarvardX for Alumni. Jointly run by HarvardX and the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA), HAA1x is an opportunity for all University graduates to be part of an exclusive, online learning experience.
"Lifelong learning keeps our alumni connected to Harvard. From the launch of HarvardX, our alumni have been asking how they can participate," said HAA President Catherine A. Gellert '93. "With the launch of HarvardX for Alumni, we will be able to connect all our alumni to the exciting things happening in Harvard's classrooms — and with the marvel of technology, meet everybody's schedule and interests."
The inspiration to develop a prototype HarvardX program for alumni stems from summertime "blue sky" conversations begun by Robert Lue, faculty director for HarvardX, to spur innovative thinking. Serving as a test bed is a core aspect of HarvardX, a University-wide initiative dedicated to enhancing residential learning, advancing research, and expanding access to knowledge.
"We always knew that we could do something special with HarvardX and alumni. As an alum myself, Harvard has played an essential role in my life," said Lue. "But others who are far away or have busy lives … how could they come back beyond just reunions and special events? How could we, in essence, bring Harvard to them wherever they are?"
Slated to begin on March 22 and wrap up in the early summer, HAA1x will offer alumni a "greatest hits" sampling of the intellectual riches and dynamic voices of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and bring alumni up to date on the latest innovations in teaching and learning.
With topics ranging from Greek classics to poetry to neuroscience, Lue will play the role of a modern Alistair Cooke, setting up each new segment, released biweekly, and weaving together broad themes. Participants will be able to pick and choose based on what they find particularly appealing, or take a deep dive into the entirety of the program.
Since the experience seeks to capture the spirit of Harvard, some footage is campus-based or incorporates iconic elements such as the John Harvard statue, the scientific instrumentation lab, or objects from the museums. In addition to exclusive video content created for HAA1x — all sharing an elegant, uncluttered look and feel — existing HarvardX course videos and content will be interwoven, showcasing innovations from annotation tools to interactive timelines to animations.
Setting the program apart from many other MOOCs, or massive open online courses, the virtual-learning components will be bolstered by local Harvard clubs and shared-interest groups worldwide, and may include live chats with faculty.
"We have already seen firsthand how HarvardX can provide an incredible platform for alumni to connect with the intellectual life at Harvard," said Donald Guiney '78, president of the Harvard Club of the United Kingdom.
This past fall, a group of U.K. members decided to experience the ChinaX course together, meeting weekly during the semester. Upon visiting the U.K. club, course co-instructor William Kirby, T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies and Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration, said that almost every member knew the words to the "dynasty song," a mnemonic sing-along created to help ChinaX students memorize the order of the Chinese ruling dynasties.
Upon hearing the tale, Kirby's other half in the endeavor, Peter Bol, vice provost for advances in learning and the Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, said he was surprised and gratified to learn how alumni had come together as a literal chorus.
"We hope our engagement experiment for HarvardX for Alumni will allow alumni to further grow and evolve their personal networks with fellow alumni, even from different Harvard Schools, forming new professional and personal partnerships," said Lue.
In addition to promoting group learning about everything from the slow reading of epic poems to the action potentials of neurons to the theory of relativity, the HarvardX and HAA partnership has an underlying aspiration to cultivate and nurture connections to Harvard at large, as well as to deepen connections to Schools and departments.
"Given all that our alumni do for Harvard, we are very pleased to be able to give them this sort of exclusive access to Harvard, a place that has been their home physically and intellectually," said Philip Lovejoy, deputy executive director of the HAA. "At the same time, we at the HAA are excited about how this experiment will help us learn about how alumni wish to interact, and will provide guidance for what we do in the future."
HarvardX for Alumni trailer


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Hey there and HAPPY THANKSGIVING (if you're American)!!
It's been a long day (but a very, very good one). I forgot to turn off my alarms for school, so one woke me up at nine o'clock this morning, after I ended up staying up until like two chopping sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner and reading Emma for homework.
Despite how tired I was though, I was Very Awake at that point, so I grabbed my laptop and managed to get in 2.5k before heading downstairs for a late breakfast.
During the Rest & Digest period between dinner and dessert, I played cell phone games with my dad with football on in the background and somehow managed to get in another 1.5k.
Around nine, everyone said goodbye, we packed up all of the leftovers, and my family headed home. And now I'm finishing up my writing for the day, with another 500 words, which brings me to 41,552 words overall currently.
I'm going to try to get in one last 500 in an effort to reach my goal for the day of 42k, but I'm really sleepy from all that food, so we'll see.
Family and friends I wouldn't trade for the world (including a chubby little beagle curled up on the chair beside me).
All the amazing people involved in Ch1Con these days. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would grow into what it's becoming. I'm so overjoyed to see my little baby conference all growed up.
My amazing critique partners, who always know exactly what to say (whether it's to threaten me with increasingly cruel and unusual punishments until I fix something in a MS or to reassure me my writing really isn't That Bad when something doesn't work out the way I want it to).
Also, my non-critique partner writing friends, who are so supportive and smart and sarcastic and kind and lovely and exactly the sort of people who prove the true reason you shouldn't make friends on the internet is because friends on the internet live far too far away.
I know I say it every year, but: You. I don't know what I would do without you and your beautiful face, dear reader. This blog is going on four years old now (today's post is my 476th one published on here) and that is absolutely mind-boggling. I started this blog when I was a senior in high school; now I'm a senior in college. And through all the changes, through all the ups and downs, you (at least metaphorically–because let's be real, this could be the first post you've ever read–but NO MATTER) have been there.
Wonderful post, and fantastic insights!!
Ch1Con 2017 Blog Tour: Interview with Ariel Kalati and Emma Rose Ryan!
Twisted Blog Tour: Excerpt from Emma's Story!
Enter your email address to follow this blog, receive notifications of new posts by email, and make Julia's day!


The Maripé shoe factory has been active in the Brenta Riviera area since the mid '40s. Its founder, Panizzolo Egisto was able to set the roots of a company that under his son Roberto's guidance has flourished to the point of becoming one of the major industries in the area. With the arrival of Roberto's children we are now in the third generation.
The passion for work and the aspiration to continually grow professionally are common traits in our family. These principles lead us both in the creative and in the production phases.
Thanks to endless stylistic research, the use of natural materials and the meticulous attention to detail, Maripé products are very feminine and suitable for any occasion, and become irreplaceable in the wardrobe of a lady that is in step with the times.
Maripé shoes are unique and must-have products as a result of the design, the quality of the materials used and the matchless Made in Italy touch.
The Maripé brand is currently distributed in all the major nations of the world.


Not every divorce case has to be a war of endless litigation. We encourage our clients to have goals for settling their case and to always weigh the costs and benefits of litigation. An agreed divorce can be a way to save money, and still get a great result in your case. Our Forney office has a family law team with the experience to help you get through this process quickly and without the expense and stress of protracted domestic litigation.
It's a divorce case where the parties agree to all issues amongst themselves without a judge or jury deciding the issues for them. It's is similar to mediation in that it leaves the parties in control of the outcome of their case.
How does a Kaufman County Agreed Divorce case work?
No lawyer can represent both parties in a divorce case, but that does not mean we can not agree on the terms of the final decree. Our family law team will help you define the issues that need to be settled and help take your settlement ideas and turn them into an enforceable divorce decree.
In an agreed divorce the parties must agree on everything, from furniture to child support to possession of the dog and ownership of vehicles. If not, then an agreed divorce becomes a regular contested divorce. We have a process to help you reach an agreement quickly and amicably.
First, we need to identify all the assets and liabilities of the marital estate. Our office can provide you with forms to help prepare an inventory. A proper list gives both parties a complete and transparent view of what there is to divide.
What did you own before the marriage? Did you receive any gifts or inheritance? Make a list of these assets will be defined as separate property, and not part of the community estate. Most other assets will be part of the community estate. The community estate requires a fair and equitable distribution among the parties. Separate property, however, is not considered in this distribution as it is not part of the community estate.
Then we must determine what your debts are; mortgages, credit cards, etc. You will need to reach an agreement for who gets what, and who will be responsible for what debt. There are severe limitations on forcing a spouse to pay a joint debt, and nothing in a divorce decree will change your agreement with credit card company or bank.
Do you have children? If so, your lawyer and your spouse will need to reach a complete agreement on every issue involving the children- custody, visitation, insurance, and maintenance to name a few.
Finally, our agreed divorce team will help you draft the agreement and settle issues that arise during the process of reaching a complete agreement.


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Design, Transportation
Sydney's Goods Line Project Shows Long-Range Planning
Posted on April 8, 2014 January 27, 2019 by Glenn Meyers
An old and unused urban rail line in Sydney, Australia is being converted into an appealing public space that will start with pedestrian walkways and bicycle network showcasing a number of elevated spaces and public platforms that will be used for various forms of public entertainment.
According to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, which oversees the project, the final product will open up a pedestrian and cycle network from Railway Square through Ultimo to Darling Harbour.
The Goods Line will create a new urban hub and connect more than 80,000 tertiary students, locals and visitors to the many major attractions of Sydney's much-loved Darling Harbour.
The corridor will feature a series of elevated spaces or platforms which can be used for a variety of public entertainment, recreation, study and other activities.
It will further connect arts, education and cultural institutions along Sydney's Cultural Ribbon.
The unique design, created by ASPECT Studios and Choi Ropiha Fighera, captures and interprets the original heritage corridor, state significant rail underbridge and signal box.
It will be a great new public space for pop-up events, invigorating and bringing new activity into the precinct.
The Goods Line North is the upcoming stage of a larger project. The next stage will be to redesign The Goods Line South, which runs from Ultimo Road underbridge through to Railway Square. In total, the northern and southern sections will be approximately 500 metres long.
The Goods Line North is approximately 250 metres long and extends from Ultimo Rail underbridge to the Powerhouse Museum, running parallel to Harris Street.
The construction contract for The Goods Line North has been awarded to Gartner Rose through a competitive tender process.
Work on The Goods Line North will begin in March 2014 and is expected to be completed in November 2014 to coincide with the opening of the UTS Frank Gehry designed Dr Chau Chak Wing Business School.
Transport for NSW is conducting a feasibility study on a further extension of The Goods Line through to Mortuary Station and Redfern.
We look forward to reporting on progress.
Source: Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority
Glenn Meyers
Writer, documentary producer, and director. Meyers is a contributor to CleanTechnica, and founder of Green Streets MediaTrain, a communications connection and eLearning hub. As an independent producer, he's been involved in the development, production and distribution of television and distance learning programs for both the education industry and corporate sector. He also is an avid gardener and loves sustainable innovation.
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Ryan Seacrest is a dork. I was also impressed with his stage presence; I was sure he would be swallowed up — the giant, swirling flames behind him did nothing to quell my concerns — but he held his own, oozing confidence throughout. And in the event that America makes the egregious error of sending her home tomorrow night, at least she has a standing invitation to sing with Perry. But the music industry is a ruthless one, and competitors can often benefit from a little harsh reality. Lauren Alaina fans are in an uproar -- worried she might get cut from " American Idol " tonight It's not all about the judges. But after her shouting spat with Minaj became public last summer, she has looked over it.
Retrieved December 13, Archived from the original on June 10, The six signs you're not getting enough sleep and increasing your risk All four albums he's released have cracked the Top 10, with 's Clear as Day topping the charts. Retrieved May 12, She opted to collaborate with her band members rather than her previous producers and collaborators.
Description: I love Aerosmith and No Doubt. Cote De Pablo 3. It Was Always About the Stars". Luke , who produced some of Clarkson's hits, stated that "She has powerful lungs.


The hits just keep on coming, but not in the radio sense that the Zellots think about. Judy Pasternak, who won a prestigious enviro reporting award this year for her four-part series on the poisonous legacy of uranium mining on Navajo land, is leaving the LAT Washington bureau after 24 years at the paper to write her book and do a Stanford fellowship (at the Bill Lane Center for the Study of the North American West.) Here's a link to some other prizes she has won. As I noted in April (second item) she got a contract to write "Yellow Dirt," based on the Navajo stories, for Free Press. Pasternak says she volunteered after realizing "It's time. I just don't want to be there anymore."


Grown in the highlands of Cauca near the town of Santander de Quilichao, this coffee sings with flavors of milk chocolate and fruit. Complex floral and caramel aromatics, exciting bright fruity acidity, and a beautiful creamy body make this one of our favorite in-house coffees. Our friends at Fondo Paez have a highly democratically organized cooperative model that addresses the specific needs of each of their 23 communities. Encouraging individual community autonomy while functioning as a single cooperative producer is a challenge throughout the coffee producing world, but Fondo Paez is an exemplary organization of productivity and democracy.
Great complex flavor profile that produces a deliciously smooth cup of coffee. Superior quality coffee at a great price! I will continue to get my coffee here as Sweetwater cannot be beat.
One of the best Colombian origins you can get.


This section of trail is perhaps the Bartram Trail's best part. An outstanding ridge walk, perfect for backpacking or day hiking, the graded trail traverses a rarely visited ridge and spectacular summits. Descriptions of the following trails are included: Bartram Trail and Whiteside Mountain National Recreation Trail. This hike combines easy access, masterful design, gradual grade, and backcountry character. Section 2 of the Bartram Trail is a well- kept secret in the Highlands Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest. On this less- visited trail, hikers can enjoy relative solitude.
One of North Carolina's best trails, Highlands Area is located near Highlands, NC. Trails' printable online topo maps offer shaded and un-shaded reliefs, and aerial photos too. Use topographic maps to find elevation, print high resolution maps, save a PNG, or just learn the topography around Highlands Area. You can also get free latitude and longitude coordinates from the topographical map and set your GPS. Premium members can download or print any topo and cover more terrain when you map your Highlands Area route ahead of time.


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Home General Ring's security system finally available for pre-order after lawsuit-induced delay
Ring's security system finally available for pre-order after lawsuit-induced delay
Ring, the company named after its video doorbell system (review), first announced a home security system back in October.
However, sales were quickly halted by a lawsuit from ADT …
The Verge explains.
Earlier this year, ADT filed a lawsuit against Ring, alleging that the company misused proprietary information that it received when it acquired another home device maker, Zonoff, when that company went under earlier this year. Ring hired around 75 employees from the defunct company, including its CEO, Mike Harris. In its lawsuit, ADT — which invested $36 million in Zonoff — alleges that Harris and Ring used Zonoff's Z1 software in its devices, software that rightfully belongs to ADT. Ring claims that the software was included in their deal.
The Verge now reports that the system has gone on pre-order today, with shipping scheduled for next month. Part of the settlement appears to have been a rebranding, so what was originally Ring Protect is now Ring Alarm.
The starting price is unchanged, at $199. That only gets you a single door/window sensor, and a single motion sensor, but that will be enough for some apartments, and you can add others for $20 and $30 each respectively. Other extras include a keypad ($50), smoke/CO detector ($40), flood/freeze sensor ($35) and a dome siren ($30).
No contract is required, but you can add monitoring for $10/month or $100/year if desired. Unfortunately, there's no HomeKit support, as yet anyway.
Previous articleRing's New $199 'Ring Alarm' Security System Now Available for Pre-Order
Next articleApple Watch Series 3 with LTE now works with C-Spire, other regional carriers
iOS 13 will block developers from accessing the 'Notes' section of the Contacts app – 9to5Mac
Hands-on iOS 13 QuickPath swipe keyboard on iPhone – 9to5Mac
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Apple's $1000 monitor stand is a massive PR fail – 9to5Mac


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Tag: sabaa tahir
Our 10 Most-Anticipated YA Books of the Spring & Summer
March 2, 2016 April 25, 2016 Leave a comment
Maybe I'm alone in this, but it seems like every year, right around January – March, I hit a book rut. There isn't much new coming out that grabs my attention, and I end up attempting to decide what older books on my to-read list I feel like tackling. It has a tendency to leave me feeling like I'm reading "leftovers;" the stuff I was never super excited about but just mildly interested in, and it's usually kind of depressing.
But good news, fellow book-lovers! March is here and there are all sorts of exciting new releases coming out this spring and summer to look forward to. Here's a list of some of my most anticipated spring & summer YA book releases. Click through the titles to read more about each book on Goodreads, and get a peek at the current release date since some of these may be subject to change.
The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Curse #3) by Marie Rutkoski | March 29, 2016
This book series has been steadily building toward its third and final installment, which readers can finally dig into at the end of the month! Early reviews have been promising, and I'm excited to see how all the strategy and manipulation finally plays out for Kestrel and Arin.
When We Collided by Emery Lord | April 5
I always enjoy Emery Lord's contemporary fiction, which tends to lean into comedic territory. When We Collided sounds like it might be a bit heavier than Lord's past work, but I'm intrigued by the mysterious blurb and am excited to see Lord branch out a bit with her writing style.
The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater | April 26
Another series finale, this is perhaps my most-anticipated book of the spring. Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle series has not missed a beat since page one of the first book, and she has built such a lovely world full of unique characters and atmospheric writing. I can't wait to see how this ends, and how on earth Stiefvater addresses the Gansey situation!
The Rose and the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn #2) by Renee Adieh | April 26
The Wrath and the Dawn was my annual winter book rut-breaker last year around this time, so of course I'm excited for the follow-up! Adieh set up such an interesting world that I'm excited to return to it. I'm a little worried about how magic is going to be handled in book 2 since it felt a little awkward in the first, but I'm optimistic that the magic plotline will smooth out now that the bones of the story have been set up.
The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson | May 3
Morgan Matson is one of those authors who can really do no wrong as far as I'm concerned, so I can't wait to read her next book! It doesn't even really matter what it's about – Matson handles teenage characters, relationships, and quirks so wonderfully that the plot details are just icing on the cake. Plus the cover is full of cute dogs! They know how to win me over.
Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins (and many more) | May 17
I have mixed feelings about these short story compilation books. On the one hand, it's a nice way to get a nice little story from a favorite author without having to wait for them to write an entire book. On the other, I usually find myself wishing for a book more along the lines of Let It Snow, which features three short-ish stories instead of a dozen extremely short stories. It just gives me more time to settle in. However, that won't stop me from devouring this immediately – I'm especially looking forward to reading the short story by Ms. Perkins herself. Give us a new full length book soon, Stephanie!
The Last Star (The Fifth Wave #3) by Rick Yancey | May 24
I promise this is the last final book from a series on this list! But c'mon…The Fifth Wave series is full of action and twists and tension and suspense and, well, ALIENS! What's not to love? I'm intrigued to see how a world that was in such disarray at the end of book 2 finds resolution…or does it?
The Darkest Magic (Spirits & Thieves #2) by Morgan Rhodes | June 28
Last year I read The Book of Spirits & Thieves with zero context of Falling Kingdoms, its companion series. The story still managed to hook me, and that's with some of my biggest book red flags: a map and a list of characters in front, a heavy reliance on magic for plot momentum, and a relationship to a book series I've never read. I've since dabbled into Falling Kingdoms and have no doubt Rhodes will keep me hooked with this book!
P.S. I Like You by Kasie West | July 26
Whether Kasie West is tackling sci-fi dystopia or contemporary romance, she does it with style. Her contemporary styles are usually light and adorable while still having depth and wit. P.S. I Like You sounds like it should fit right in, and with a mysterious secret admirer plot line, I fully expect to be hooked from the first sentence.
A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir | August 30
An Ember in the Ashes was one of my favorite books of 2015 – and probably my #1 favorite non-contemporary book of the year. The alternate universe spin on the Roman empire, the alternating perspectives between two amazing and conflicted characters, the unflinching ability to put those characters in the worst of situations without ever making the reader completely hopeless…it just all works, and the ambiguous ending makes me oh-so-glad another book is happening!
My most-anticipated books are part of series I enjoy or from my favorite authors, so I'm sure I missed lots of great ones that I just don't know about! Let us know in the comments what YA books you're most looking forward to this spring and summer!
Book Review: 'An Ember in the Ashes' by Sabaa Tahir
May 10, 2015 May 6, 2016 Leave a comment
Fresh off the heels of the lovely The Wrath and the Dawn, which you'll see my review for soon, I was lucky enough to pick up another fantastic, epic story – Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes. With elements of fantasy, dystopia, romance, and plenty of action, the scope of this story is just huge, but I'll do my best to give you an idea of what you can look forward to with this book.
There are two main perspectives in An Ember In The Ashes. First we meet Laia, a Scholar girl whose brother is taken by a group of Masks. The Masks are vicious, highly trained militia tasked with maintaining the power of the oppressive Martial Empire, and they are prepared for this role at Blackcliff, a school nestled in the heart of Scholar lands. Our other main character is Elias, who is nearing the end of his Mask training at Blackcliff. As graduation draws closer, he begins to question whether he can really live the life of a cruel, unfeeling Mask. To make matters more complicated, upon graduation Elias is required to compete in a horrible series of trials that will determine the next Martial Empire. When Laia takes on a Resistance mission to become a slave at Blackcliff in order to gather valuable intel in exchange for breaking her brother out of prison, she is thrown into an unfamiliar world where Elias becomes one of the few friendly faces.
And lest you think this is elaborate setup for an instalove story, take heart. Laia and Elias's interactions are brief (but impactful), with most of the book focusing on their individual stories. Laia's got it pretty rough, because she's not just a slave – she's the personal slave for Blackcliff's commandant, who is possibly the most horrible woman ever to exist, fictional or otherwise. She takes pleasure in hurting others, and her lack of empathy is astounding. In any other environment, this woman would definitely be a serial killer. Laia is too busy just trying to stay alive (not to mention avoid being raped by the Masks-in-training who can assault her without consequence) to gather the intel she needs to save her brother. Meanwhile Elias is being forced to participate in horrible competitions that force him to kill his friends to keep himself alive, and he's competing against his lifelong best friend, Helene, which understandably puts a strain on their relationship.
So basically, everything sucks for these two. And yet, An Ember in the Ashes is not unrelentingly depressing, because Laia and Elias are still good, and they bring out the good in others. You can understand why they feel a connection to each other and how that plays into the larger plot. Their character growth is believable and rewarding, and despite their weaknesses they are characters you want to root for. The story itself is so intricate – Tahir does an exceptional job of building this world and weaving together small plot threads into larger ones to make the book feel robust and fulfilling. There are a lot of pieces that only get a little attention here – they're relevant to the story, but there's a definite feeling that they can play a larger role should this book become a series.
I certainly hope it does. While An Ember in the Ashes could stand alone, there is just so much fantastic setup that it would be a shame to leave this world and these characters after one book. Despite having a high page count, not one second of this story drags, and even when I reached the ending I was wishing for more. I could find little things to nitpick here and there, but no book is perfect, and this one is exceptional so I don't want to take away from that. Just read it now and thank me later, okay?
TDQ Tags TDQblogger002
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Kali O'Rourke
Kali usually ends up watching movies and TV shows when she should be writing, which means she can and will beat you at any pop culture trivia game. When not found reading or wishing it was Halloween, she dreams about one day creating a TV show that ruins people's lives (in a good way).
Mallory Walker
I spend too much time reading and watching TV. The phrase "What is the meaning of this?!" always cracks me up. Puppies, Diet Coke and the '90s make me happy. I mean really, who doesn't love the days of Marky Mark?
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Summer 2021 GCSE Results and Appeals Process
Deciding to Appeal
Stage 1 Appeal: College Review
Stage 2: Appeal to Exam Board
Time Scales
10 August to 7 September: priority appeals window
10 August to end October: majority of non-priority appeals take place
On 4 January 2021, the Government announced that it was no longer fair for the Summer 2021 examination series for GCSEs to go ahead due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The government set out its policy regarding providers submitting students' grades, in a letter dated 23 February 2021 (Letter from Gavin Williamson to Ofqual (publishing.service.gov.uk)).
This year's GCSE grades or Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs) are based on teachers' assessments of the standard at which students were performing and are based on the student's demonstrated knowledge and skills.
Teachers decided on an overall grade based on selected evidence and completed assessments (as verified by the College). They did this objectively – so, if a student was performing consistently at a grade 4 standard in a subject at GCSE Level, they would have been awarded a grade 4. It is important to say that much like with exams in normal years, the grades issued by teachers have not taken account of a student's potential. They are a snapshot of the standard a student was performing at based on a wide range of evidence.
Once a grade was determined by your teacher, it was reviewed by a team in the Organisation to ensure grades were determined consistently, in line with the 'Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs) Policy' (ref BAC-C-09). These results were then reviewed by the exam boards who designed each course, before awarding the final grades.
Full details of the guidance for students and parents issued by Ofqual and the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) are available here on the JCQ website.
If you have a concern about a grade that you have been awarded, you can appeal. To help you decide whether to appeal, you can request that the college shares with you the following information:
the Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs) Policy (ref BAC-0C-09)
the sources of evidence used to determine your grade along with any grades/marks associated with them
details of any special circumstances that have been considered in determining your grade, e.g. access arrangements, mitigating circumstances such as illness
You can do this by submitting a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR). To do this please complete and submit the DSAR form or email quality@bacoll.ac.uk with your name, student number, date of birth and post code. Ensure you include the GCSE subject(s) your DSAR relates to and the information you would like us to provide.
If you believe an error has been made in determining your grade, you will have a right to appeal. There are two stages to the appeals process:
If you don't think you have been issued with the correct grade, you can appeal to the college, who will review whether we have:
made an administrative error, e.g. we submitted an incorrect grade; we used an incorrect assessment mark when determining your grade.
did not apply a procedure correctly, e.g. they did not follow our Centre Policy, did not undertake internal quality assurance, did not take account of access arrangements or mitigating circumstances, such as illness.
To make an appeal, please complete and submit the GCSE appeal form and include evidence of the error made. Please see the Time Scales section below for submission dates.
If you still don't think you have the correct grade after the college review is complete, you can ask the college to appeal to the exam board, who will review whether:
the college made an unreasonable exercise of academic judgement in the choice of evidence from which they determined your grade and/or in the determination of your grade from that evidence.
the college did not apply a procedure correctly, e.g. they did not follow their Centre Policy, did not undertake internal quality assurance, did not take account of access arrangements or mitigating circumstances, such as illness.
the exam board made an administrative error, e.g. they changed your grade during the processing of grades.
At both stages of the process you will need to submit your appeal to the college and give us your written consent to conduct the appeal or submit it to the exam board on your behalf. It's important to remember that your grade can go down, up or stay the same through either stage of the process. Please see the Time Scales section below for submission dates.
If you have a place at university or college that is dependent on your appeal, you should tell the university or college you are hoping to go to so they can decide how to handle your offer. You should also tell the college so we can ask the exam board to prioritise your appeal. The timelines for priority and non-priority appeals will be as follows:
10 August to 16 August: student requests centre review
10 August to 20 August: centre conducts centre review
11 August to 23 August: centre submits appeal to exam board
10 August to 3 September: student requests centre review
10 August to 10 September: centre conducts centre review
11 August to 17 September: centre submits appeal to exam board
Certificates, when received from the awarding body, will be issued to candidates by the College immediately.
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In a bid to accommodate its expanding business, Avtrade which specialises in sale and lease of aircraft components, started building work on a new storage, distribution and office building on the former Stonegate Farm site near Sayers Common in January 2013.
Building work is currently ongoing but the company continues to grow and is already in need of extra space.
Mid Sussex District Council has now granted planning permission for an extension to the new warehouse building, which will enable them to store a much greater number of large parts on the site.
The new development, designed by Crowther Associates Architects LLP, will comprise a single storey warehouse, two new two-storey office buildings, a small staff house and parking for 226 cars.
The new extension will add a further 18 metres in length to the single storey warehouse and create much needed extra floorspace.
Raised grass mounds and careful landscaping will ensure the development retains a rural feel that is in keeping with the surrounding area.
Avtrade is a local success story, a Mid Sussex business that has continued to grow and develop during difficult economic conditions.
The company was founded in Fulking in 1985, and at the time employed just three members of staff.
Today Avtrade employs 170 people at its headquarters at Aviation Business Park in Albourne.
More than 40 jobs will be created by the move to Sayers Common and the new buildings will have room to accommodate a further 200 employees should the business continue to grow.
"Mid Sussex District Council is a strong supporter of the local economy and it's exciting to see a company in our area growing to such an extent that they need bigger premises to accommodate the business," said councillor Gary Marsh, cabinet member for Economic Development.
"I was delighted when our Planning Committee granted Avtrade planning permission for their new office and warehouse complex last year and it is excellent news that we have now approved plans for a further extension.
Avtrade chief executive Graeme Brooks said: "We are delighted with the cooperation we have received from Mid Sussex District Council in allowing for the development on the former Stonegate site.
"These new premises will allow for the continued expansion of our thriving aviation component business and further employment opportunities.
"Our regional centre in Crawley is ideally situated to reach out to businesses across the South of England and London, and is supported by outstanding professional networks."


Kurt Dyer-led jazz trio, Phonic Flight Trio feature Kurt Dyer, saxophonist Shaun O'Kane and guitarist Simon Koziarski. Their music spans jazz, blues, soul, funk, Afrobeat, rocksteady and bossa nova. A wonderful mix of styles with a focus on the groove, to keep the listener intrigued and delighted in equal measure.


text:
The Functionally Pro-China Biden Administration
Investor's Uyghur Comments Are Even Worse Than You've Heard
Glenn Youngkin Triggers a Mask Meltdown in Virginia
Joe Biden Is in over His Head
Fauci Team Cared More about 'International Harmony' Than the Truth
By Jim Geraghty
About Jim Geraghty
Follow Jim Geraghty on Twitter
Reporters look on as President Joe Biden speaks virtually with Chinese leader Xi Jinping from the White House in Washington, D.C., November 15, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
On the menu today: Josh Rogin reveals that the Biden administration is trying to water down a congressional effort to restrict Chinese imports made with Uyghur slave labor; President Biden nominates a strategic adviser to the U.S.–China Heartland Association to be the chair of the U.S. Export–Import Bank; and Beijing is developing plans for state-run Chinese firms to move in and mine Afghanistan's lithium deposits. Are you starting to notice a pattern here?
So Much for Being Tough on China
Josh Rogin delivers an unnerving scoop in the Washington Post:
Administration sources confirmed that in an October call between Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the other co-sponsor, Sherman made it clear that the administration prefers a more targeted and deliberative approach to determining which [Chinese] goods are the products of forced labor. She also told Merkley that getting allied buy-in was critical and more effective than unilateral action.
"To be clear, the Department of State is not opposing this amendment," a State Department spokesman told me. "We share the Congress' concerns about forced labor in Xinjiang."
In other words, while the administration supports the legislation in public, they are asking Democrats to essentially water it down in private. Sherman's specific criticism relates to a part of the bill that would require a presumption that all products coming from Xinjiang are tainted by forced labor unless the importer can prove otherwise. This happens to be the exact provision corporations are also objecting to. Maybe it's a coincidence.
"It isn't partisan or in any way controversial for the U.S. to be unequivocally, resoundingly opposed to genocide and slave labor," Merkley told me. "The Senate passed this legislation in July, and it's time to get it over the finish line."
Watering down congressional efforts to punish China for the Uyghur genocide is not what Joe Biden promised when he was running for office, or when he took office. Through most of 2020, Biden insisted that he was the tough one on China and that the Trump administration only offered "a colossal gap between tough talk and weak action."
Biden, at a Democratic debate on February 25, 2020, said: "I had spent more time with Xi Jinping than any other world leader by the time we left office. This is a guy who doesn't have a democratic bone in his body. This is a guy who is a thug who in fact, has a million Uyghurs in reconstruction camps, meaning concentration camps."
Biden, writing in Foreign Affairs last spring, said: "Companies must act to ensure that their tools and platforms are not empowering the surveillance state, gutting privacy, facilitating repression in China and elsewhere. . . . The United States does need to get tough with China."
Biden, speaking at the U.S. State Department on February 4, said: "We'll also take on directly the challenges posed by our prosperity, security, and democratic values by our most serious competitor, China. We'll confront China's economic abuses; counter its aggressive, coercive action; to push back on China's attack on human rights, intellectual property, and global governance."
And yet, month by month, the Biden administration is proving more and more reticent to confront the Chinese government in substantive and consequential ways. The investigation into the origins of COVID-19 is effectively dropped, and Biden didn't mention China's refusal to cooperate with the WHO's separate investigation in his teleconference summit with Xi Jinping.
Biden did not mention China, the Uyghurs, Hong Kong, or the origins of COVID-19 in his address to the United Nations.
Commerce secretary Gina Raimondo told the Wall Street Journal in September that she thinks "robust commercial engagement will help to mitigate any potential tensions" with China. Biden rescinded Trump's executive orders targeting TikTok, the popular app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
In defending his decision to withdraw all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan, Biden kept insisting that China wanted the U.S. to keep its troops in that country and that Beijing saw Afghanistan as a quagmire tying up limited American military resources. But now that U.S. forces are out, China is dramatically expanding its economic ties and diplomatic in leverage in Afghanistan — developing plans for state-run Chinese firms to move in and mine Afghanistan's lithium deposits.
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Does the Chinese government look upset that the U.S. no longer has any presence in Afghanistan?
Elsewhere, Biden nominated Reta Jo Lewis to run the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Senator Marco Rubio contends that, "Reta Jo Lewis is currently a strategic advisor for the U.S.-China Heartland Association, which is a conduit for the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) United Front Work Department (UFWD), which aims to influence key Americans at the subnational level and ultimately undermine America's national interests."
As I noted yesterday, even the proposed diplomatic boycott of the Olympics is moot, because the Chinese government announced that U.S. politicians were not invited before Biden could even officially announce the decision.
It's not that the Biden administration is doing nothing — an upcoming "democracy summit" invited Taiwan but not China, there have been prohibitions on U.S. investment in particular Chinese companies, and a dozen Chinese companies have been blacklisted for helping the Chinese army with quantum computing.
But these are small-ball gestures while the Chinese government sends 18 fighter jets plus five nuclear-capable H-6 bombers into Taiwanese air-defense zone at one time, Beijing wipes out the last of Hong Kong's opposition, and the Genocide Games go on with full U.S. corporate sponsorship. We're attempting minor and symbolic moves while Xi Jinping is attempting big and consequential ones to maximize his leverage over the rest of the world.
It is fair to wonder how much of the administration's heart is in the effort to confront Beijing. Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, has made it clear that he doesn't think his job includes pressing China about the use of slave labor, declaring last month: "That's not my lane here. My job is to be the climate guy."
Like most worthwhile endeavors, standing up to an increasingly aggressive and extraordinarily economically powerful authoritarian regime requires accepting short-term pain for long-term gain. The benefits of a tougher stance against Beijing will only manifest in the far future, and our children will be the biggest beneficiaries, living in a world where the United States continues to set the standards of behavior and values on the world stage, instead of Xi Jinping or his successors. (Recall the "Chinese professor" ad from 2010.)
The costs of a more confrontational approach are clear in the here and now, particularly economically. Just ask Ray Dalio. The benefits of a conciliatory approach are similarly clear [insert cash register sound effect here] and the costs will be paid by people besides American policymakers — the Uyghurs, the citizens of Hong Kong, the Taiwanese, tennis star Peng Shuai. . . .
When Xi and Biden held their teleconference in November, Xi called Biden "old friend," and the president thanked him — sending White House aides scrambling to insist that Biden doesn't see Xi as an old friend.
Around here, a lot of conservative critics of Joe Biden would point to Hunter Biden's dealings with some powerful Chinese businessmen as an explanation for the administration's reluctance to take a harder line: The work done by his consulting firm, Rosemont Seneca; his meetings with the top executives of China's sovereign wealth fund; his relationship with Jonathan Li and Li's Chinese private-equity fund; and his connections to Chinese energy tycoon Ye Jianming, who gifted him "a 2.8-carat diamond worth anywhere from $10,000 to $80,000. (None of those Hunter Biden connections and deals are from the infamous laptop; all of that was detailed in The New Yorker magazine before the laptop story broke.) And no doubt, all of this stinks to high heaven.
But the "old friend" comment is a reminder that Biden has been dealing with Chinese leaders for decades, and Biden's perspective regarding China was likely set in mental cement when the country was widely perceived among U.S. political and economic elites as an American "partner in prosperity." In a 2012 speech alongside then-vice president Xi, Biden declared that, "I believe that a rising China is a positive development — not only for China but also for the United States and the world. It will fuel economic growth and prosperity, and a rising China will bring to the fore a new partner with whom we can have help meeting the global challenges we all face."
In the first months of his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden contended that the notion of China as a threat was wildly overstated.
Back in May 2019, Biden declared: "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man. They can't even figure out how to deal with the fact that they have this great division between the China Sea and the mountains in the east, I mean in the west. They can't figure out how they are going to deal with the corruption that exists within the system. I mean, you know, they're not bad folks, folks. But guess what, they're not competition for us (emphasis added)." Then, a few days later, Biden said, "What are we doing? We're walking around with our heads down, 'Woe is me.' No other nation can catch us, including China. I got criticized for saying that. I've spent as much time with [Chinese President] Xi Jinping as any world leader has."
Biden and his officials say they see a rising threat from Beijing, but they don't really act like it. At least in public, Biden gets a lot angrier at unvaccinated Americans, his predecessor's border-enforcement policies, and Fox News' Peter Doocy than he does at China's leaders or any of their actions.
ADDENDUM: Just breaking, right before I send this off to the editors:
The U.S. economy created far fewer jobs than expected in November, before a new Covid threat created a scare that growth could slow into the winter, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by just 210,000 for the month, though the unemployment rate fell sharply to 4.2 percent, even though the labor force participation rate increased for the month to 61.8 percent, its highest level since March 2020.
The Dow Jones estimate was for 573,000 new jobs and a jobless level of 4.5 percent.
The U.S. has roughly 10.4 million open jobs.
Jim Geraghty is the senior political correspondent of National Review. @jimgeraghty
Free Press as Weapon against Tyranny	Free Press as Weapon against Tyranny
What America Owes the Afghans We Left Behind	What America Owes the Afghans We Left Behind


text:
CARLOS CHURRI LEE
DAMIAN BOGGIO
EUGENE IRIKURA
FRANCESCO CIESCHI
Ivo Ambrosi
KYOUNGSIK HA
SHUWEI HSU
SIMON LEE
(in alphabetical order)
(Seoul / Buenos Aires)
Carlos LEE is one of the most popular DJ in Korea & Asia since his coming back(middle of 2009) from Bs.As., where he had been living for more than 5 years, full of MILONGUERO & TANGUERO. He studied tango history at "CETBA" & "Academia Nacional del Tango" for 3 years. In addition, he used to play music at the milonga "Lujos", known as Maipu 444 on Sun., very very traditional milonga in Bs.As.(2007). Since 2010, he's been running a Tango Club "Ataniche" in Seoul. Also, he has been playing music for uncountable Local & International Tango Festival.
Felix Wu
(Taiwan/Guanzhou)
Felix Wu is from Taiwan. He is now living in Guangzhou, China, and is the teacher, organizer, and DJ of Tan-tango. Since his first encounter with Tango, he always has a deep passion to Tango music. He has played numerous occasions in milongas in the UK and in Guangzhou. For his DJ, he especially focuses on: the variety of good tango music from different orchestras; selection of music in tandas and its inner logic; the flow and structure of the music in a whole milonga. He always aims at creating good atmosphere, and he is very pleased to have the chance to share his music ideas with people in Taiwan tango marathon 2017.
Frank Jin
(BeiJING)
Frank Jin has been in touch with tango music and culture since 2007. He devoted himself in DJing since 2009 in Beijing. In 2014 he moved to Buenos Aires and shared his music in famous porteñas milongas and practicas including Villa Malcom, De Querusa, Sunderland, Club Fulgor, Club Oliverio, Maldita. Besides Beijing and Buenos Aires, he has also presented his music for numerous tango events in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Taipei, Seoul, Singapore, HCMC, Istanbul, Berlin, Paris, Osaka, Pusan and so on. He has worked intensively in the famous Austrian-Argentinan music company TangoTunes, specialising in cataloguing, classification, transferring and restoration of old tango records, and additionally, he owns hundreds of exclusive transfers as well as numerous academic achievements. Frank's ultimate goal is to keep the tango spirit alive with the optimal sound quality and authentic music selection.
LUCA LAMBERTI
(ITALY)
Luca Lamberti is a well known tango DJ, teacher, and dancer in the European tango circuit. Luca has been around to the UK, France, Germany, Finland,Sweden, Turkey, Lebanon, Denmark, Bulgaria, Italy spreading his unique spiritual approach to tango. Dancing since 2000 and studying with key tango world figures such as Naveira, Parilla, and Inza. Luca has been the organizer of Tangocamp Italy since 2009 and a key figure in the other 3 tango camp festivals.
One of the most highly respected DJs in Taiwan and North America and was constantly invited to festivals and marathons around the countries in Asia and North America. He has developed a delicate sensitivity toward what makes a Milonga goes well. He deejays regularly in all local Milongas in Taipei now.
Lung-Kuei's smooth, thoughtful approach to tango music has delighted many tanguera/o, and earned him a place on the deejay roster of some of the most notable milongas in both Asia and North America.
For more on Lung-Kuei and his DJ Calendar, please visit his website: www.lungkuei.com
Martín Herrera
(Italy / BUENOS AIRES)
Martín Herrera is graduated by the National Institute of Art of the University of Buenos Aires in "Folklore and Tango". He was organizing and DJing in one of the most important Milongas of Buenos Aires, the "Milonga10", since 2008 to 2013. In this period he also collaborated in the organization of events and on-live concert in "Torquato Tasso Cultural Center", "Almagro Tango Club", and Djing in other milongas like "Viva la Pepa", "De Querusa", "GNC". Since 2013 he has worked as a DJ in different milongas and events in Europe, especially in Rome (Italy).
Mercury Park
(SEOUL)
Mercury is one of the most popular DJ in Korea & Asia.He started to dj in Seoul since 2003 and has been djing tango music for uncountable local milongas & international tango festivals since 2003.Besides, he's a DJ teacher and milonga organizer since 2011.
Recently, he has been hosting his own milonga every Sunday at Tango O Nada.
Richard Lai
(Hong Kong)
Richard is a traditional DJ in Hong Kong. He started tango in 2003 and began DJing in 2007. Being an active dancer himself, he understands what dancers want and knows well how to read the dance floor and interacts with them. To share his knowledge and passion in tango music, he has played music in milongas in Hong Kong and across China, and conducts tango DJ workshop on a regular basis. He has been invited to DJ in festivals and marathons in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Singapore.
Yuko Amano
(Tokyo)
Yuko Amano is from Tokyo, where at the age of 12 she started listening to tangos and collecting vinyls and CDs. A tango DJ for over 10 years, She DJs frequently in leading milongas in Tokyo and at tango festivals. Outside Japan, she has DJed in Singapore,Taipei and London. A member of the longest-established tango discomania association in Japan.
She can create protean atomospheres flexibly which is suitable for various occasions....
We will see you on the dance floor soon!
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text:
NASA Announces Media Teleconference About Satellite Re-Entry
Filed under Earth, Earth Science, NASA HQ, US
http://images.spaceref.com/news/2001/05.11.01.uars.1.jpg
NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 9, to discuss the anticipated re-entry of the agency's decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). Re-entry is expected late this month or early October.
The teleconference participants are:
— Paul Hertz, chief scientist, NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington
— Nick Johnson, chief scientist, NASA's Orbital Debris Program, Johnson Space Center, Houston
— U.S. Air Force Maj. Michael W. Duncan, deputy chief, space situational awareness, U.S. Strategic Command, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
To participate in the teleconference, reporters must contact the NASA Headquarters newsroom at 202-358-1600 no later than 9 a.m. Friday for the call-in number and passcode.
UARS was launched Sept. 12, 1991, aboard space shuttle mission STS-48 and deployed on Sept. 15, 1991. It was the first multi-instrumented satellite to observe numerous chemical components of the atmosphere for better understanding of photochemistry. UARS data marked the beginning of many long-term records for key chemicals in the atmosphere. The satellite also provided key data on the amount of light that comes from the sun at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths. UARS ceased its productive scientific life in 2005.
For live audio streaming of the teleconference, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio
For more information about UARS, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/uars


The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) has released January 2019 Post Basic Nursing online licensing examination results, which have been approved by the 14th Governing Board.
Students, who sat for the January exams, can now access the results online.
Candidates are therefore requested to visit the regional offices of the Nursing and Midwifery Council across the country from tomorrow , Wednesday April 3, 2019, to obtain result-checking scratch cards at the cost of GH¢10 to access their results on the website.
Two hundred and fifty candidates sat for the online licensing examination, with six absentees.
Out of the 250 candidates who sat for the examination 94% passed.
The number of candidates from the various Post Basic Nursing Training schools, who sat for the online licensing examination, are Critical Care Nursing, 68, Ophthalmic Nursing, 59, Peri-Operative Nursing, 75 and Public Health Nursing, 48.
According to the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Felix Nyante, those who did not pass the online licensing examination would be required to join the next batch of candidates to sit for the exams in July, 2019.
Mr. Nyante disclosed that for the first time in the history of the Council, it has developed an online results-checking system which will allow the nursing and midwifery candidates for the licensing examinations to check their results using its online web portal as part of the digitization agenda of the government.
He said that the online results-checking is part of the online licensing examination project, NICHE 261, which was initiated in 2016.
The council, together with a consortium comprising CINOP Global and Advisory Services and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), initiated the NICHE 261 project to strengthen the capacity of the council to conduct credible examinations through advanced ICT solutions.
NUFFIC, through the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, provided financial support for the project.


attributed to him a ferocity and vulgar indifference and recklessness in relation to the affairs in Kansas, which is refuted by every confidential letter which he has written to me, and which is not in conformity to the truth.
Let those who asperse him settle around him as neighbors, and if their houses were burned down and assistance were required, he would be the first man to render them assistance, and he would conquer them by his kindness, by his justice, by his good sense, and by generosity.
There was never a better illustration of his [Atchison's] character than the conduct he displayed in the expected tragedy at Lawrence. I know the fact, and I state it on my authority, as a truth not to be disputed, (because I have his letters in my drawer,) that, when that controversy arose, General Atchison was absolutely called upon to attend General Robinson's command, and he went, with a positive pledge on the part of those with whom he was associated that he should rather be the Mentor than the leader; and he has written to me that but for his mediatorial offices, the houses of the people of Lawrence would have been burnt and the streets drenched in blood.
Butler spoke in early March, before the sack of Lawrence. He refers here to the Wakarusa War, where Atchison did help calm the proslavery forces bent on the town's ruin. He neglects that Atchison also acted as a leader and organizer of those forces. Nor does it matter much to him, if he knew, that Atchison defended seeking peace on the grounds that the free state leadership had outmaneuvered the proslavery side and would win the public relations war if bloodshed ensued just then. Bourbon Dave boldly stood up to his allies and told them that they had lost this round.
All of that made the latter-day calumniators of Atchison who wanted him "immolated on the altar of fanatical vengeance" into vile ingrates. The people of Lawrence and their friends in the Senate ought to thank Atchison; he saved their people and their town from the ravages of his own men. We should hope for neighbors of such quality.


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