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Fayetteville City Council recap: Dec. 6, 2022
By Todd Gill · Tuesday, Dec 6, 2022
(Flyer photo, File)
Changes to water and sewer rates.
Extending a sunset provision for short-term rentals.
A permit for a cluster home development on Oak Bailey Drive.
Razing a structure on Coach Road.
Abolishing the city's PEG Advisory Board.
Creating a graffiti abatement program.
Three rezoning requests.
Creating a childcare assistance program with ARPA funds.
A subrecipient agreement with the Fayetteville Public Library for ARPA funds.
Approving six ARPA nonprofit assistance applications.
Approving two property condemnations.
» Download the agenda
A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council began at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 inside City Hall in Room 219. The meeting is also available on Zoom and is broadcast live on the city's YouTube channel.
Listed below are the items up for approval and links to PDF documents with detailed information on each item of business.
Present: Sonia Harvey, D'Andre Jones, Mark Kinion*, Mike Wiederkehr, Mayor Lioneld Jordan, Sloan Scroggin, Sarah Bunch*, Teresa Turk, Holly Hertzberg
Absent: None
* Bunch arrived after the first item of Old Business, and Kinion arrived after the third item of Old Business.
» View current attendance records
City Council Meeting Presentations, Reports and Discussion Items
1. Monthly Financial Report
Consent items are approved in a single, all-inclusive vote unless an item is pulled by a council member at the beginning of the meeting.
1. Approval of the Nov. 15, 2022 City Council Meeting Minutes.
– Pass 6-0
2. North America Fire Equipment Company, Inc. (Details): A resolution to approve the purchase of lifesaving bailout system firefighting equipment for the Fire Department from North America Fire Equipment Company, Inc., pursuant to an NPPGOV cooperative purchasing contract in the amount of $82,915.58 plus any applicable tax and shipping charges.
3. Interlocal Agreement for Continuation of Ambulance Services (Details): A resolution to approve an Interlocal Agreement for continuation of ambulance services through the Washington County Regional Ambulance Authority, and to authorize the ambulance authority to operate Central Emergency Medical Service as the exclusive emergency and non-emergency ambulance service within the cities.
4. Industrial Precast, Inc., Mission Boulevard Trail (Details): A resolution to authorize the purchase of retaining wall blocks from Industrial Precast, Inc., pursuant to Resolution No. 323-21, in the amount of $88,217.05 for the Mission Boulevard Trail, and to approve a budget adjustment – Trail Improvement Bond Project.
5. Premier Lighting Group, Mission Boulevard Trail (Details): A resolution to authorize the purchase of 90 light poles and fixtures from Premier Lighting Group, pursuant to Resolution No. 328-21, in the amount of $318,549.38 for the Mission Boulevard Trail, and to approve a budget adjustment – Trail Improvement Bond Project.
6. Energy Savings Performance Contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. Change Order 1 (Details): A resolution to approve Change Order No. 1 to the energy savings performance contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. in the amount of $407,185.00 for the installation of solar panel on the Town Center Roof, and to approve a budget adjustment, contingent on approval of the repayment contract with Advertising and Promotion Commission.
7. Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission Solar Contract (Details): A resolution to authorize Mayor Jordan to sign a contract with the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission for the repayment of solar array installation costs at the Fayetteville Town Center, and to authorize a change order to the city's energy savings performance contract with Johnson Controls, Inc.
8. Certified Local Government Grant Application, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (Details): A resolution to authorize an application for a Certified Local Government Grant in the amount of $20,370.00 through the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program for a historic context statement for the University Heights and Haskell Heights neighborhoods and Historic District Commission training with a city match of $5,000.00, and to approve a budget adjustment contingent upon approval of the grant.
9. Increased Utility Costs (Details): A resolution to approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $180,000.00 for increased utility costs.
10. South Cato Springs Holdings, LLC Economic Development Project Contract (Details): A resolution to authorize Mayor Jordan to sign an economic development project contract with South Cato Springs Holdings, LLC; to accept and approve an economic impact analysis of the project from the Arkansas Economic Development Institute; to approve the use of $3,480,000.00 of economic development and street funds for the project; to authorize Mayor Jordan to sign a grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and accept a $3,000,000.00 community project fund award; and to approve a budget adjustment.
11. CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc. Amendment No. 14 (Details): A resolution to approve Amendment No. 14 to the agreement for operations, maintenance and management services between the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas and CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc. in the amount of $8,012,791.00 for services in 2023, and to approve a project contingency in the amount of $380,735.55.
12. Olsson, Inc. Amendment No. 1 (Details): A resolution to approve Amendment No. 1 to the professional engineering services agreement with Olsson, Inc. in the amount of $7,500.00 for additional engineering services related to the Markham Elevated Water Storage Tank Rehabilitation Project.
13. Franklin Evarts Water Damage Claim (Details): A resolution pursuant to §39.10(c)(4) of the Fayetteville City Code to authorize the mayor to pay the amount of $5,682.50 to Franklin Evarts for water main break damage at 11 W. South Street.
14. William Bradley Water Damage Claim (Details): A resolution pursuant to §39.10(c)(4) of the Fayetteville City Code to authorize the mayor to pay the amount of $20,598.34 to A Clean Cut Lawn Care on behalf of William Bradley for water main break damage at 1738 W. Pratt Drive.
15. City of Greenland Sewer Easement (Details): A resolution to approve the conveyance of easements to the City of Greenland across portions of City of Fayetteville property located west of Drake Field for the installation of sewer lines.
16. American Rescue Plan Act Revenue Loss (Details): A resolution to approve reimbursement to the city's General Fund of the remaining calculated American Rescue Plan grant to offset revenue loss incurred in 2021 in the amount of $5,095,114.00, and to approve a budget adjustment.
17. Garver, LLC Task Order No. 5 Wildlife Fence Rehabilitation Project (Details): A resolution to approve Task Order No. 5 with Garver, LLC in the amount of $54,000.00 for design, bidding and construction phase services associated with the Wildlife Fence Rehabilitation Project at Drake Field, to approve a project contingency in the amount of $5,400.00, and to approve a budget adjustment.
18. Terra Firma Project, LLC (Details): A resolution to approve a thirty (30) year ground lease agreement with Terra Firma Project, LLC for airport property located on the east side of Drake Field off of Taxiway E for the construction of a 100' x 100' hangar, with an option to extend the ground lease for an additional ten (10) year term.
19. City of Johnson Rezoning East of South Ball Street (Details): A resolution to approve the City of Johnson's rezoning of that property described in rezoning petition #2022-21 for approximately 10 acres located east of South Ball Street from A, Agricultural to LI, Light Industrial.
20. Amend the Rules of Order and Procedure (Details): A resolution to amend the Rules of Order and Procedure of the Fayetteville City Council concerning public comments.
1. An Ordinance to Amend §51.136 Monthly Water Rates and §51.137 Monthly Sewer Rates to Change Water and Sewer Rates: (Details)
An ordinance to amend §51.136 Monthly Water Rates and §51.137 Monthly Sewer Rates to change water and sewer rates as recommended by the cost of service study conducted by Black & Veatch.
– Tabled 6-0 until March 7, 2023
This ordinance would make the recommended changes to the city's water and sewer rates as discussed in the public hearing on tonight's agenda.
The changes would apply to water and sewer customers who live outside the city limits. Rates would stay the same for those whose addresses are inside the city limits.
July 19 Discussion:
Paul Becker, the city's chief financial officer, asked that the ordinance be tabled to allow time to meet with Farmington city leaders to negotiate a new contract. He requested the item be held until Dec. 6.
Mayor Jordan said he would also like to table the item to allow time to make some changes to the recommendations.
Dec. 6 Discussion:
Paul Becker, the city's chief financial officer, asked that the ordinance be tabled to allow more time to negotiate with Farmington city leaders on a new contract. He requested the item be held until March 7, 2023.
2. Amend §118.01 Applicability, §151.01 Definitions and §163.18 Short-term Rentals (Details)
An ordinance to amend §118.01 applicability of the Fayetteville City Code, and § 151.01 Definitions and §163.18 Short-term Rentals of the Unified Development Code to remove the conditional use permit requirement for Type 2 short-term rentals, and to repeal the sunset provision.
This item would remove a rule that requires owners of short-term rentals to get a permit from the Planning Commission before they can begin operating. They would still have to get a business license and a safety inspection to operate legally in Fayetteville.
City staff last month said after working with the new regulations for over 15 months, some adjustments can be made to streamline the approval process.
» See our Sept. 13 story for more on this topic
Oct. 4 Discussion:
Scroggin asked how many permits have been revoked. Staff said zero. Scroggin said that's concerning to him because he's heard some severe complaints from neighbors of short-term rentals that possibly should've led to an STR owner losing their permit. He said he's not sure he can support removing the permit requirement altogether.
"We have to start removing some of the bad actors," said Scroggin.
Harvey said she'd like some more time to consider the proposal. City staff said they'd be fine with leaving the item of the first reading for now.
The council agreed to hold the item on the first reading. The discussion will continue on Oct. 18.
Oct. 18 Discussion:
Staff reminded the council that the city's short-term rental ordinance is set to expire in December under the sunset provision.
During public comment, three residents spoke against removing the requirement for a conditional use permit.
One said they're opposed to doing anything that would make it easier for people to operate a short-term rental in the city, especially out-of-town investors who are just trying to profit from day-to-day rentals in established neighborhoods.
"If somebody has $400,000 to buy a house should have to come here and live in it," they said.
Another resident agreed, and said obtaining a the permit should remain a part of the process.
"It's the only way for neighbors to have a voice on an issue that directly affects them," they said.
Councilmember Kinion said he'd like to leave the ordinance on the second reading to gather more input from residents.
Councilmember Turk agreed, and said she'd like to find out more about the estimated 300 short-term rentals that are operating without a permit, so the city can have a better idea of how many STR units there are considering the ordinance has an overall cap on how many are allowed.
Councilmember Scroggin said residents need a say in whether short-term rentals should be allowed in their neighborhoods, but he's unsure about adding a neighborhood or street density cap since that could create monopolies. Councilmember Hertzberg agreed.
Councilmember Wiederkehr said maybe the council should extend the sunset clause while working on fine-tuning the ordinance instead of allowing it to expire. He also said he'd like to consider reducing the citywide density cap from 2% to 1% of all residential units in the city.
The council agreed to leave the ordinance on the second reading. The discussion will continue on Nov. 1.
Nov. 1 Discussion:
Staff would like to make some amendments to the ordinance in response to questions and requests from council members. Staff have also requested the item be tabled until Nov. 15 in order to make those changes and bring them back for consideration.
Kinion suggested forwarding the proposal to the council's Ordinance Review Committee to fine-tune it before voting.
The council voted 8-0 to table the ordinance to Dec. 6 and forward it to the Ordinance Review Committee.
Tonight's business is focused solely on extending the sunset provision until the end of 2023 to allow enough time for the ordinance as a whole to be adjusted and amended. See tonight's ordinance amendment is here.
The council amended the ordinance to included the new sunset clause by a vote of 6-0. After the vote, Turk said she would prefer to shorten the extension to six months instead of a year, which would be June 30, 2023. City Attorney Kit Williams said the council wouldn't have to wait an entire year if the ordinance is amended before then. Turk said she thinks extending it a full year takes the heat off the council to act quickly. Turk's amendment failed with Wiederkehr, Scroggin, Bunch, Hertzberg and Jordan voting against.
There was no public comment.
The council passed the ordinance with the new sunset clause 7-0 with an emergency clause to ensure the law doesn't lapse later this month. More changes will be discussed at the next meeting on Dec. 20.
3. Appeal CUP 22-039 (2992 N. Oak Bailey Dr./Oak Bailey Cluster Development) (Details Page 1, 2, 3)
A resolution to grant the appeal of council members Sarah Bunch, Teresa Turk, and Sloan Scroggin to deny conditional use permit CUP 2022-039 for a cluster housing development for property located at 2992 N. Oak Bailey Drive in Ward 3, and to deny a variance to § 164.22(d) of the Unified Development Code to exceed the maximum number of dwelling units permitted.
This item would undo the Planning Commission's decision to approve a conditional use permit for a cluster home development on Oak Bailey Drive. It was brought forward by neighbors in the surrounding area, who claim that the decision did not adequately consider compatibility with adjacent properties.
The applicant said if the council wants to hold the item until mid-November, that would give them some time to meet with the neighbors and show them their plans in hopes that it would help alleviate some of their concerns.
During public comment, 10 people spoke against the permit and three people who are the developers spoke in favor. Those against the development mentioned concerns about potential water runoff, increased traffic and increased density if the property is developed as planned.
The council voted 7-0 to table the resolution until Nov. 15. Jones was absent during the vote to table.
Nov. 15 Discussion:
A group of residents submitted a list of conditions they would like to see placed on the project if the permit is approved. See that list here.
Eleven residents spoke against the permit, citing concerns about traffic congestion, pedestrian safety and drainage issues if the property is developed as planned.
Scroggin said the area needs some improvements, but it also needs added density. He said he hopes to be able to implement some of the conditions the residents have proposed.
"I look forward to voting for this, but it's not there yet," Scroggin said.
Bunch said she's not interested in tacking on conditions tonight, considering some of the information presented has only been available for a few hours.
"I think it's close, but seeing that we have had no time to look over it all, I don't think it's very wise to try and put something together tonight," said Bunch.
The council voted 8-0 to table the resolution until Dec. 6.
The council amended the resolution 6-0 to include 10 conditions the developer has agreed to after talking with the neighbors, including reducing the density allowance. At this point, if the resolution passes, the project can continue, but with a few added conditions.
Four neighbors spoke and said while they appreciate the conditions that were approved, they still have more requests, including reducing the density allowance even further and adding an ADA-accessible sidewalk.
Scroggin said the area seems too steep to make a sidewalk ADA-accessible. He also said the amended density allowance for 18 homes shouldn't be reduced any further.
Turk said she's still concerned about the flooding that occurs on some of the neighbors' properties and she's worried that increasing density in the area could make things worse.
Wiederkehr said while he was initially hesitant, he's happy to see the neighbors and developers work together to get closer to something that everyone is happy with.
The council passed the amended resolution 7-0, which allows the developer to continue with the project, but with the 10 added conditions.
1. Raze and Removal of Structure at 3301 S. Coach Road (Details)
A resolution to order the razing and removal of a dilapidated and unsafe structure on property owned by Kevin Roy Calhoun located at 3301 S. Coach Road in the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and to approve a budget adjustment in the amount of $17,500.00.
– Tabled 8-0 until Dec. 20
City staff said a formal case was opened for this property on June 29, and that the property has faced corrective action from code violations on three separate occasions, and has a history of non-compliance with city code for over a decade. Besides grass and vehicle violations, staff said the structure has now deteriorated past the point of repair.
Staff said the home has been vacant for at least six years.
Several councilmembers said they were worried about the safety of anyone who enters the home.
Bunch suggested tabling the item for two weeks before authorizing the raze and removal of the structure. The council agreed, and voted 8-0 to table the resolution until Dec. 20.
1. Repeal Article IX – PEG Advisory Board of Chapter 33 (Details)
An ordinance to repeal Article IX – PEG Advisory Board of Chapter 33 Departments, Boards, Commissions, and Authorities of the Fayetteville Code.
This proposal would abolish the city's PEG Advisory Board. City staff said there has been no business to address or discuss for five years and that the board has not been functional since 2017 when it was known as the Telecommunications Board. With years of no businesses to attend to and a lack of agenda items, staff said the board has difficulty reaching a quorum and filling vacant positions. Your Media, the city's third-party provider of public access services, provides quarterly and annual video reports on the state of the public access operation that are publicly available to view. City staff said those reports should be sufficient.
The council advanced the ordinance to the third reading, and voted 8-0 to approve it.
2. Amend §130.39 Graffiti (Details)
An ordinance to amend §130.39 Graffiti in the Fayetteville Code to create a graffiti abatement program.
– Tabled 8-0 until Jan. 3
This proposal from Councilmember Turk would establish a program that allows city staff to remove graffiti from private property as long as the owner does not want the graffiti, similar to a program already in place in Springdale.
Turk said she frequently bikes the trails and often notices graffiti. She said she wanted to open up the conversation about how to handle graffiti on private property since the city is not allowed to clean up graffiti unless it's on public property.
Turk said she likes the language the city attorney drafted except for the sentence that allows a leaseholder or tenant of a property to sign off on the cleaning, and that the owner should probably have the final say.
Harvey said she'd like to table the ordinance to allow time for the Arts Council to discuss the proposal at their next meeting. The council agreed, and tabled the item until Jan. 3, 2023.
3. RZN 22-046 (822 N. Garland Ave.) (Details)
An ordinance to rezone that property described in rezoning petition RZN 22-046 located at 822 N. Garland Ave. in ward 2 for approximately 0.10 acres from RMF-40, Residential Multi-family, 40 units per acre to CS, Community Services.
The property is just north of the University of Arkansas campus, and is currently developed with a single-family home. The applicant has not submitted any specific development plans but indicates that the request would allow for additional density, and more flexible setback requirements to use the site more efficiently, according to city documents.
Both city planning staff and the Planning Commission recommend approval of the request.
4. VAC 22-023 (680 N. Samara Circle Rare Bird Builders) (Details)
An ordinance to approve VAC 22-023 for property located at 680 N. Samara Circle in Ward 4 to vacate a portion of a utility easement.
The property is near the University of Arkansas campus at the end of Samara Circle. It is currently developed with a single-family home. The applicant proposes to vacate a portion of an existing utility easement.
City planning staff recommend approval of the request. The Planning Commission does not hear these types of requests.
5. RZN 22-048 (1657 N. Vandeventer Ave., Osborne) (Details)
An ordinance to rezone that property described in rezoning petition RZN 22-048 located at 1657 N. Vandeventer Ave. in Ward 2 for approximately 0.67 acres from RSF-4, Residential Single Family, 4 units per acre to RMF-24, Residential Multi-family, 24 units per acre.
– Left on the first reading
The property contains two parcels southwest of the intersection of Sycamore Street and Vandeventer Avenue. It is largely covered by tree canopy and currently developed with one single-family home. The northern portion of the property is fairly steep with a grade in excess of 30%, and most of the property is located within the Hillside/Hilltop Overlay District.
Robert Rhoads, an attorney representing the applicant, said the plan is to build up to nine townhomes on the property.
Turk said she drove through the neighborhood today and suggested the council tour the area because Vandeventer is a narrow street.
Scroggin moved to go to the second reading. Jones seconded. The motion passed 7-1 (Turk voted no). Hertzberg said she'd like to hold the item on the second reading to allow time for a tour of the area. The council agreed. The discussion will continue on Dec. 20.
6. RZN 22-045 (west of North Box Avenue) (Details)
An ordinance to rezone that property described in rezoning petition RZN 22-045 located west of North Box Avenue in Ward 3 for approximately 1.81 acres from RSF-4, Residential Single-family, 4 units per acre to RI-12, Residential Intermediate, 12 units per acre.
The properties are located roughly 500 feet north of the intersection of Box Avenue and Mission Boulevard, and are currently developed with two single-family homes.
Staff said the applicant has requested the item be held for two weeks.
Four neighbors spoke and said they don't want additional density on their street.
The council left the ordinance on the first reading. The discussion will continue on Dec. 20.
7. American Rescue Plan Act Childcare Assistance Program (Details)
A resolution to authorize the establishment of a childcare assistance program utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funds in the amount of $500,000.00 to provide assistance with childcare expenses for low- to moderate-income families facing financial challenges due to Covid-19, and to approve a budget adjustment.
This proposal would create a program to help with childcare expenses for low- to moderate-income families that are facing financial challenges due to the pandemic.
From city staff:
"Studies conducted at the University of Oregon documented that lower-income families were more uncertain than higher-income families about their ability to return to pre-pandemic child care arrangements as the economy reopens, with almost half of the lower-income households reporting that they either couldn't return or were uncertain they could, compared with only a quarter of higher-income households."
The program would be administered by the Community Resources Department, who would perform program outreach to the community, process applications, and assess eligibility of program applicants. Community Resources staff would maintain documentation on program participation and processing of monthly payment of childcare assistance to Fayetteville licensed childcare facilities. Community Resources staff would also perform monitoring procedures to ensure program compliance and perform required reporting, according to city documents.
City Clerk Kara Paxton spoke in favor of the resolution and said childcare assistance would be a big help to many families.
The council voted 8-0 to approve the resolution.
8. Fayetteville Public Library Subrecipient Agreement (Details)
A resolution to authorize Mayor Jordan to sign a subrecipient agreement with the Fayetteville Public Library to implement a job skill workforce training program utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funds in the amount of $1,258,579.00, and to approve a budget adjustment.
The Fayetteville Public Library has requested ARPA funds from the city's recent award to implement a job skill training program for impacted residents in the accommodation and food services, construction, and information technology sectors. The proposal was developed in collaboration with the city's Department of Economic Vitality.
The council voted 7-0 to approve the resolution. Kinion was not present for the vote.
9. American Rescue Plan Act Nonprofit Assistance Applications (Details)
A resolution to approve six American Rescue Plan Act nonprofit assistance applications in the total amount of $324,890.75 to provide economic assistance to nonprofit organizations utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The council earlier this year approved the creation of an economic assistance program to distribute some of the city's American Rescue Plan Act funds to nonprofit organizations that experienced negative economic impact directly related to the pandemic.
This proposal would award ARPA funds to the following organizations:
Mount Sequoyah Center, Inc. – $16,107.63
Clinton House Museum – $39,018.16
Symphony of Northwest Arkansas – $19,313.50
Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society – $10,925.00
Fayetteville Public Library Foundation – $89,016.00
St. James Missionary Baptist Church – $150,510.46
Details about the organizations and their requests can be found here.
A representative from Symphony of Northwest Arkansas spoke in favor of the resolution.
10. Mhoon Family Trust Condemnation (Details)
A resolution to authorize the City Attorney to seek condemnation and possession of certain lands owned by the Mhoon Family Trust needed for the West Transmission Water Main Project.
City staff said the property is needed so that a 48-inch water line can be built. The project, staff said, has been identified in the city's water master plans for many years, and that the route was designed to be as unobtrusive as possible to impacted properties, staying close to property lines whenever possible. Construction planned to begin in late 2024.
City documents indicate the owners of the 2.7-acre easement have been sent many letters since 2017, and that staff have spoken with real estate agents and appraised the property over the course of several years without any meaningful negotiations with the owners. For this reason, staff recommends that the City Attorney file for order of possession of the easement, and that the city pay the owners $131,800, which is the value of a recent appraisal.
11. White Rock Investments, LLC Condemnation (Details)
A resolution to authorize the City Attorney to seek condemnation and possession of certain lands owned by White Rock Investments, LLC needed for the Leverett Avenue Sidewalk Project.
The city has plans for sidewalk improvements on Leverett Avenue between Sycamore Street and Hazel Street. City documents indicated that right-of-way and easement acquisition began in January, and that staff have successfully negotiated with all but one of the eight property owners for the land needed to build the sidewalk.
Staff said they will continue to negotiate with the property owner to avoid condemnation if possible, but have requested a condemnation order in case those negotiations are unsuccessful. If condemned, the owner would be paid $11,640, which is an estimate based on the appraised values of the properties.
This meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
TAGGED City Council recaps


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As an Old Boy of Hertford Grammar or Richard Hale School, and as a member of the Richard Hale Association, you are encouraged to support our affiliated clubs and societies.
Each one supports a different interest, helps Old Boys to remain in contact and, usually(!), maintains the Old Hertfordian winning tradition!
Please contact the President of the Association if you want to start your own Old Hertfordian club or society.


The late Patrick White is the only Australian to date to have won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1963, White's A Cheery Soul, said to be his favourite of his own works, was staged for the first time by the Union Theatre Repertory Company in Melbourne. More than half a century later, this highly acclaimed piece – now considered an Australian classic – is closing Sydney Theatre Company's 2018 season, with a brand new production by STC Artistic Director, Kip Williams.
In A Cheery Soul, White tells a story set in 1959 in the fictional Australian suburb of Sarsaparilla, which has a highly conservative, Christian and conformist community. Miss Docker (Sarah Peirse) is a 60-year-old woman facing the prospect of homelessness. Enter middle-aged couple Mr and Mrs Custance (Anthony Taufa and Anita Hegh). Mr Custance is a bank teller, the archetypal household breadwinner, and Mrs Custance is a housewife. They're childless and live a comfortable suburban life. But Mrs Custance feels compelled to prove her altruistic nature by offering Miss Docker the verandah room in the couple's home.
Moments after Miss Docker's arrival at the Custance home, with furniture in tow, it becomes clear she will quickly upheave the harmonious household. While she's a well-intentioned person defined by an indomitable spirit and possesses a relentless determination to help people, she speaks frankly to a fault and easily alienates those around her (to use White's words, Miss Docker embodies "the destructive power of good".) It's not long before the Custances decide they can take no more and book Miss Docker into the Sundown Home for old people.
But there, too, the same qualities that caused the Custances to reject Miss Docker become a barrier between her and the other residents. On one occasion, she finds that a group has snuck out of the home to attend Bible class without her. Later, her forthright criticism of Reverend Wakeman's (Brandon McClelland) weekly sermons becomes his unravelling and Miss Docker even finds herself deliberately excluded from the funeral of a man to whom she had provided care in his final days.
While Miss Docker finds herself ostracised as a result of her own insensitive behaviour, that collective shunning is also demonstrative of a hypocritical and repressed community that has no interest in wrestling with the truths highlighted by her words. What values do the members of this community actually live by? As the piece progresses, White's sharp and dark satirical text exposes the township of Sarsaparilla as speciously 'good'.
With Williams at the helm, A Cheery Soul has returned to life in a vibrant filmic and beautifully-performed production that is both poignant and provocative, challenging us all to consider whether we practise what we preach. Williams succeeds in ensuring that the surreal feel of the world into which we are drawn escalates as it does in White's text. Williams, video and sound designer David Bergman and set designer Elizabeth Gadsby have meaningfully incorporated live video content into proceedings as a way of attempting to catch glimpses of characters' genuine but suppressed responses. Gadsby's realisation of 1950s suburbia conjures a sense of a place where the picture perfect aesthetics belie the reality. Similarly, Alice Babidge's costumes reflect the period and incorporate humour wonderfully (notably in depicting the residents of the Sundown Home for old people).
Leading the cast, Peirse delivers one of the standout performances of the year as the doggedly determined do-gooder. It's a tough ask playing a person so infuriating as to temper our judgment of those who cast her aside, but who also evokes our sympathy because of the treatment she receives from everyone with whom she interacts. Peirse is perfect in her characterisation of a woman longing to be loved but tone deaf when it comes to understanding her traits that repel. She reinforces here that she's one of the finest performers today on Australian stages.
Hegh's Mrs Custance presents just as the character reads in White's text; desperate to be a model wife and good citizen, she is constantly anxious and acutely self-aware. Taufa convinces as a stereotypical 1950s suburban husband, McClelland's Reverend Wakeman is palpably exasperated by his inarticulate nature, and Nikki Shiels lends strong support in a number of roles, but particularly as the devoted Mrs Wakeman. This is a cast (also including Emma Harvie, Jay James-Moody, Tara Morice, Monica Sayers, Shari Sebbens and Bruce Spence) of the highest calibre. Collectively, this ensemble assumes over 40 guises in two-and-a-half hours.
While we would like to think we have moved beyond the rife hypocrisies of suburban Australia, A Cheery Soul remains a pertinent cautionary tale about what can happen to those who fall through the cracks and, in this case, our treatment of the elderly. It's a reminder that everyone needs to feel they are loved and to feel they belong.


MMR Magazine (Musical Merchandise Review) presented us with an award to commemorate our 140 year anniversary. The award was presented to our new US distributor KHS America during the recent Summer NAMM Show 2015. A big thanks to our friends at MMR. Here's to the next 140 years!


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Q: How to rewrite anonymous functions? I'm new to programming and Python particularly Python3. Using an online tutorial I'm trying to understand the use of 'lambda'. Therefore, I would like to rewrite the following code and use other named functions, list comprehension, dict comprehension or generator. However struggle with the syntax. I'm not able to rewrite the lambdas.
Original function:
import functools as ft
import itertools as it
import os
import re
import requests
import tempfile
def foo(los, n=None):
    n = n or len(los)
    h = it.takewhile(lambda p: p[0] < n, enumerate(los))
    s = sorted(h, key=lambda p: p[1])
    g = it.groupby(s, lambda p: p[1])
    return dict(it.starmap(lambda k, vs: (k, sum(map(lambda i: 1, vs))), g))

alist=[1,2,3,1,1,7,8,9,9]

print(foo(alist))

{1: 3, 2: 1, 3: 1, 7: 1, 8: 1, 9: 2}

My adjustment:
def smaller_then_ten(e):
    return e[0] < len(e)

def foo(los, n=None):
    n = n or len(los)
    h = it.takewhile(smaller_then_n, enumerate(los))
    s = sorted(h)
    g = it.groupby(s)
    return dict(it.starmap(lambda k, vs: (k, sum(map(lambda i: 1, vs))), g))

alist=[1,2,3,1,1,7,8,9,9]

print(foo(alist))

A: You can rewrite it like this...
For:
lambda args: expression_with_args

a function would look like:
def func_name(args):
    return expression_with_args

E.g.
lambda p: p[0] < n

becomes:
def compare_func(p, n):
    return p[0] < n

to use it as a function for key, which takes only one argument it has to be modified a little to save the value of n:
compare_func = ft.partial(compare_func, n=n)

E.g.
lambda p: p[1]

becomes:
def get_first(p):
    return p[1]

E.g.
lambda k, vs: (k, sum(map(lambda i: 1, vs)))

becomes:
def as_one(i):
    return 1

def get_tuple(k, vs):
    vs_with_ones = map(as_one, vs)
    vs_sum = sum(vs_with_ones)
    return (k, vs_sum)

Finally:
def foo(los, n=None):
    n = n or len(los)
    compare_func = ft.partial(compare_func, n=n)
    h = it.takewhile(compare_func, enumerate(los))
    s = sorted(h, key=get_first)
    g = it.groupby(s, get_first)
    return dict(it.starmap(get_tuple, g))

A: Your first problem is a simple typo. Your defined your "smaller than" function as smaller_then_ten but called it as smaller_then_n. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you meant to call it smaller_than_len. Next is that your function smaller_then_ten doesn't take your variable n into account at all, it only uses the length of the input list. What you really want is a function that accepts an upper bound and returns a function which checks the first element of the list against it. Something like this.
def smaller_than_len(n):
    def f(e):
        return e[0] < n
    return f

def foo(los, n=None):
    n = n or len(los)
    h = it.takewhile(smaller_than_len(n), enumerate(los))
    ...

Your final problem is that you removed the key argument from the sorted and groupby functions. Since you said that you didn't want to use lambdas for your adjustment, you can replace them with a new function named "key_func".
def smaller_than_len(n):
    def f(e):
        return e[0] < n
    return f

def key_func(e):
    return e[1]

def foo(los, n=None):
    n = n or len(los)
    h = it.takewhile(smaller_than_len(n), enumerate(los))
    s = sorted(h, key=key_func)
    g = it.groupby(s, key=key_func)
    return dict(it.starmap(lambda k, vs: (k, sum(map(lambda i: 1, vs))), g))

Now your function should work correctly.

A: The thing to remember is a function is defined (via def or lambda) in a certain environment or scope.  In your example function, the lambdas are defined inside of foo() and therefore have access to foo's local variables (like n).  When smaller_then_ten is defined outside of foo, it doesn't have access to the variable n.  Kwarrtz and Nikita each showed ways to solve that issue.  However, the easiest way is to define the new function in the same environment that the lambdas where in, like so:
def foo(los, n=None):
    def smaller_than_n(tpl):
        return tpl[0] < n

    def item1(tpl):
        return tpl[1]

    def const1(i):
        return 1

    def count(key, values):
        return key, sum(map(const1, values))

    n = n or len(los)
    h = it.takewhile(smaller_than_n, enumerate(los))
    s = sorted(h, key=item1)
    g = it.groupby(s, key=item1)
    return dict(it.starmap(count, g))

As you are learning Python, get familiar with the standard library.  It is a great resource.  To pique your interest: the first two lines of foo() could be replaced by itertools.islice, item1() could be replaced by operator.itemgetter, and the whole foo function could be replaced by collections.Counter.

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text:
Get A Short History of Nearly Everything from Amazon.com
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Part 1, Chapter 1
Part 3, Chapter 10
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A Short History of Nearly Everything - Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis
This Study Guide consists of approximately 59 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of A Short History of Nearly Everything.
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis
Protons are so small that the dot in a printed letter i contains 5,000 million of them. The Big Bang, which is believed to be the origin of the universe, occurred when all existing matter was squeezed into a dot smaller than one proton. This space, so tiny it has no dimensions at all, is called a singularity. It's meaningless to discuss time and space in relation to singularities, for time didn't exist prior to the Big Bang, and neither did space.
In a single blinding pulse that lasted less than a minute, the universe expanded a million billion miles wide, and is still growing. Although there is some disagreement as to when this occurred, the general consensus among cosmologists is approximately 13.7 billion years ago. Georges Lemaitre, a Belgian priest, first proposed the Big Bang Theory in the 1920s, but...
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Our Director of Operations, Ashley Hughes joined the Karen Brown Team in 2006 as the Marketing Director. Ashley is the "Wizard behind the curtain" and makes our world go round. Her main duties include preserving Karen's sanity, managing transactions and assisting clients in every aspect of a sale. She is a talented graphic artist and is also responsible for all marketing matters of our business. Ashley is a stickler to details and is genuinely supportive, always looking out for the best interest of our clients and our Team. She also is a Licensed Realtor and has vast experience in dealing with the many facets of buying and selling real estate. Married with two adorable children, Ashley has been a resident of Northern Virginia for over 30 years. Occasionally, she receives a day off, at which time she enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the outdoors and watching sporting events.


NBC's Matt Lauer is the highest-paid host in broadcast news, according to Variety.
The "Today Show" host has an annual salary of $25 million per year.
CNN's Anderson Cooper clocks in as the highest-paid anchor or host in cable news, earning $12 million.
Coming in second in the broadcast news category are NBC's Megyn Kelly and ABC's Robin Roberts as the second and third highest-paced broadcast news hosts.
Kelly is preparing for the Sept. 25 launch of "Megyn Kelly Today," which will serve as the third hour of Lauer's "Today Show."
Roberts, a former ESPN anchor, has been co-anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America" since 2005.
Her co-anchor, George Stephanopoulos, places fourth on Variety's list, earning $15 million per year. The former senior adviser to President Clinton also anchors the ABC Sunday morning political affairs program, "This Week."
No other cable news hosts made the top 20 in the category of "Reality/News/Host."
Overall, syndicated talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, host of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," finished No. 1, earning $50 million per year.
Judy Sheindlin, the presiding judge on the nationally syndicated "Judge Judy," was second overall, taking home $47 million annually.
Other notables include ABC's Kelly Ripa at $22 million per year — fifth place overall — CBS "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel at $15 million per year — making it a tie for ninth — and Alec Baldwin on ABC's "Match Game" at $3 million.


Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment is the all-in-one treatment that includes a color-changing capsule within the formula to cover blemishes and restore the look of the skin's strength, health, and vitality. It provides SPF 30 protection from UV light, and it forms a dust barrier to protect the skin from the environment while enhancing the skin's viability. It restores the strength of the skin with the resurrection plants, houttuynia cordata and yarrow. It's infused with sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium to help improve the skin's moisture levels and restore fatigued skin for a healthy appearance.
After cleansing skin, apply a moderate amount; the cream will change from green-to-beige to correct any redness.


This is huge! While digging through the 9/11 archive i found this footage.The west side of WTC7 is burning with the South Tower standing in the background.
There goes the theory that debris from the collapsing South Tower caused the fires in Building 7.


Jessica Deahr's international performance career has quickly developed into one of the country's fastest-rising choreography catalogues.
Earning a BA in Sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University, Ms. Deahr has toured Europe, the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Mexico, Eastern and Western Caribbean, Canada, the U.S. and South Korea as a dancer and aerial artist. A first-generation student of James Morrow's concert hip hop "fusion" technique, Jess danced for both Morrow as well as Joel Hall Dance Company under the artistic direction of Joell Hall while "gigging" for print, film, and stage projects ranging from Google & McDonalds to the BBC & the Betty Ford Foundation.
Creatively in 2015-2016, Ms. Deahr's choreography and direction has been seen across the country in museums, public installations, fashion shows, commercial and independent films for clients including Uniqlo and the World Wildlife Fund, and for peer theatre/dance companies including Visceral Dance Chicago. Heading into her 5th season as Artistic Director of Chicago Dance Crash and choreographer of their primary Season of premier works, Huffington Post describes her work by saying "Deahr's versatility isn't at all an end in itself; it seems more to be her way of discovering an artistic expression that can go more places, because it's been more places."
Described by the Chicago Tribune as "…brash, funky, bright and street friendly in style," Jessica's movement invention and teaching style pulls inspiration from ballet, breaking, hip hop, capoeira regional, and a touch of the old school jazz forms that nurtured her. After traveling the world, she currently calls Chicago home.


text:
La Croix percée de Pluneret est située au croisement de la «Route de Tormor», de la «Rue de la croix percée» et de la D17, à  Pluneret dans le Morbihan

Historique

La croix percée de Pluneret fait l'objet d'une inscription au titre des monuments historiques depuis le .

Architecture
La croix de granit est de petite dimension.
Le fût court est édifié sur un socle en granit.
Le centre de la croix est évidé en forme de losange.

Références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Monuments historiques du Morbihan
 Pluneret

Liens externes
 Pluneret : La croix percée
 TOPIC TOPOS : Croix-Percée, Pluneret

Pluneret
Pluneret
Pluneret
Monument historique inscrit en 1937
Édifice religieux du XVIe siècle en Bretagne

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Delilah is so funny. Wherever she wants to sleep on the couch she makes herself a bed. Here is a little video of her carefully making her bed.
Here she is sleeping in her comfy bed.
what a cute, quirky personality trait. But I totally understand, my blankets and bed have to be perfect before I can sleep in it too.


Pick up from OR International, Johannebsurg or your hotel, by our representative and after a short briefing head east to Mpumalanga region. After check in and fresheshening up at your lodge, enter the Kruger National Park and spend the afternoon game viewing in an open safari vehicle. Return to the lodge for dinner and and overnight.
We rise before the sun with your packed breakfast and embark on a full day safari in open safari vehicle in search of the big 5 – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. These are known to be the 5 most dangerous animals to hunt, but we get to view them up close from the safety of an open safari vehicle. While looking for wildlife we visit waterholes, lookout points and beautiful picnic spots, stopping at regular intervals so you can stretch your legs and enjoy some refreshments. After lunch (own account) at a nearby restaurant return to the park for a game viewing. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Early breakfast, check-out and transfer to Johannesburg with comfortable stops enroute. Arrive in Johannesburg around 17h00.
Experience South Africa after AFROPUNK from the City of Gold, to the Kruger National Park, ending in the Mother City – Cape Town.


text:
Home General News Kerala kids initiated into world of letters
Kerala kids initiated into world of letters
Nikhil Linga
(IANS) Thousands of children were initiated into the world of letters, a tradition in Kerala on Vijaya Dashami, at functions held in temples, churches, clubs and media organizations here on Tuesday.
Earlier, this was basically a Hindu event as it takes place on Vijaya Dashami when thousands of elders both men and women help the tiny tots to write their first letter. But now, this has turned into more of an educational event than a religious one.
A mad rush was witnessed at the temples, clubs and media organizations, from early Tuesday morning onwards where parents mostly dressed in traditional Kerala attire, queued up with their children.
The child is made to sit on the lap of a 'teacher' who holds their hand to help them write Malayalam letters on a plate of rice.
While the Hindu children write "Hari Sree Ganapathaye Namaha", Christians write "Sree Yesu Mishihaye Namaha".
At the famed Mother of God Church, Vettukad, children belonging to various religions stand in a queue, waiting for their turn to sit on the lap of the priests to write their first letters.
And at most places, using a gold ring, the 'teacher' writes a Malayalam word on the child's tongue.
Everything gets over in a matter of minutes and the final act is when the parents hand over an offering to the 'teacher' for their services rendered.
As always, the biggest crowd was witnessed at the Thunachan Paramabu near Thrissur which is considered as the home of Malayalam litterateur Thunchathu Ezhuthachan.
Another place where crowds gather is the famed Panachikkadu Temple dedicated to the Goddess Saraswati, situated in Panachikkad, Kottayam.
The day also saw candidates from all political parties turning 'teachers' to help the children write their first letters, including three candidates from the three major political parties fighting a tight poll battle at the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly by-election in the capital city.
The other prominent faces who turned a 'teacher' for the day included veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, former diplomat T.P. Sreenivasan and eminent oncologist V.P. Gangadharan.
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Nikhil Linga is an Indian Author and Writer who was born on 26 February 2001. Nikhil Linga was also known for his debut book MLP Hacked which gives you a piece of clear information on how mobile phones and computers can be hacked and how can we secure them.


We had a big weekend, recording lead vocals for five songs and backup vocals for another four songs. Maggie's Hill cabin is a historic site just east of Edmonton.
The cabin was built by a Metis settler in 1891 and provides a blissful location for creative work. My producer Everett LaRoi and I were joined by his sister Renee, as well as Alice Kos and Karen von Klitzing who both provided backup vox for the record.
This entry was posted in commentary, recording, Self-Released Album and tagged EP, Maggie's Hill, Selkirk Range. Bookmark the permalink.


Wall Street Dental represents at Dental Day YXE!
Welcome Dr. Caesar Chow who has joined the Wall Street Dental team! Dr. Chow had been practicing in the Vancouver area for 8 years before coming to Saskatoon. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan and is a class mate of Dr.Hodgson. Dr.Chow is a general dentist with a specific interest in oral surgery.
Keara is here! Sarah back in October!
We are thrilled to have Keara, a dental hygienist, at Wall Street Dental, filling in for Sarah's maternity leave. And we are so lucky to have them BOTH when Sarah is back in October. Welcome Keara!
Beat the winter blues and brighten that smile! Call to make your appointment for in-office teeth whitening in the month of January for a 25% discount! Get whiter teeth in one sitting!!
Good luck Sarah! Welcome LaDawn!
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Down by the edge of the lake a crowd of people were standing. They were watching a little boat that was slowly coming toward shore. In the boat were Jesus and some of his friends. Flap, flap, went the sails in the wind. Splash, splash, went the waves against the side of the boat, as the boat came closer and closer to shore.
In the crowd of people who were waiting was a man named Jairus. Jairus was a rich and important man, but now he was sad and troubled. At home his only child, a little girl just twelve years old, lay very sick. Nothing they could do made her any better.
Once before in this very town a little boy had been sick. The boy's father had gone to find Jesus. And Jesus had made the little boy well.
Jairus remembered this. So when his little girl was sick he too hurried to find Jesus. He watched the little boat anxiously. Flap, flap, went the sails. Splash, splash, went the waves. But the little boat seemed to move so slowly. "Perhaps Jesus will be too late to help my little girl," thought Jairus sadly.
But at last the boat landed, and Jesus stepped out. Jairus hurried right down to the water's edge. There he knelt before Jesus.
Jesus was tired. He had a long hard day. But when he heard that a little girl needed him he forgot he was tired and he started with Jairus toward his home.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry," the father kept saying in his heart. He was so afraid it would be too late when they got there.
But it was hard to hurry. There were such crowds of people in the streets that wanted to see Jesus, their Friend, that everyone had to go slowly.
Poor Jairus! It was too late after all! How sad he felt! But what was Jesus saying to him?
The anxious father looked at Jesus' kind face. He remembered how he had helped so many people. And he believed that somehow Jesus would help them in their trouble.
When they came to the house Jesus asked to be taken to the little girl's room. He took with him the little girl's father and mother and three of his helpers, Peter, James and John. He would not allow anyone else in the room.
Jesus went over to the bed where the little girl lay, so white and still. He took her hand in his.
The little girl's eyes opened. The color came back to her cheeks. She sat up and looked in surprise at the kind Friend who was leaning over her.
Jesus turned to the father and mother. "Give her something to eat," he said; for he knew that was all she needed now.
Jesus went on his way, but he left behind him a happy little girl and a thankful father and mother. Jesus, their Friend, had helped them in their trouble.


text:
Incident at the Chequers Roundabout 16/8/2011
Incident at the Chequers Roundabout 16/8/2011 16 August 2011 at 21:41 A 16 tonne Norbert-Dentressangle lorry struck a side of the Chequers pub in Houghton Regis this evening just after 5pm. The lorry apparently lost control and ended up going the wrong way around the roundabout out of Sundon Rd. Damage was caused to the left of the frontage of the building. A witness said there were several loud bangs and crashes, and when she looked round there were 5 or 6 cars involved. Surrounding roads were closed for over 3 hours. Roads started to reopen around 20:10. There were no fatalities, some bruising and minor injuries. Five people were taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital for treatment. The driver of the lorry was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge by air ambulance that alighted on the green by the side of Parkside Drive. Three people were described as walking wounded and two others had neck or back injury. A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance


text:
Alabama Athletics Heads into New Academic Year Coming Off Strong Classroom Showing in 2016-17
Ben George Published: August 24, 2017
As The University of Alabama begins its 2017-18 academic year on Wednesday, the Crimson Tide's Athletics Department is coming off another extraordinary season in the classroom.
The success Alabama's student-athletes enjoyed during 2016-17 continued to enhance the Tide's well-established tradition of excellence in the classroom. On a department-wide basis, Alabama's more than 550 student-athletes averaged better than a 3.25 grade point average, including 61 who maintain a career GPA of 4.0. Seven UA teams posted cumulative GPAs above 3.5 for the year, marking the seventh year in a row that at least five teams have met that standard, while 14 of 17 programs earned GPAs better than 3.0 for the academic year.
More than 150 student-athletes earned their degrees during the 2016-17 academic year, including the winter, spring and summer graduations. The latest numbers reveal that Alabama graduates 71 percent of its student-athletes while the general student population graduates at a rate of 67 percent.
Alabama's success on the football field over the past decade has coincided with its success in the classroom. The 2016 squad featured 22 players who already had degrees in hand going into the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Since the 2008 season, Alabama has had 130 degrees earned (graduate and undergraduate) by players who were still suiting up for the Crimson Tide after having graduated. Since the 2010 season, Alabama has seen an impressive 14 players earn a master's degree before stepping foot on the field. In 2016, the Crimson Tide was tied for second among all bowl teams with a total of 22 players who earned their degrees prior to the start of postseason play. Three of the 22 earned their master's degrees during the 2016 season.
Alabama Athletics' phenomenal success in the classroom in recent years has perhaps been best demonstrated by the staggering numbers the Tide has put up when it comes to the CoSIDA Academic All-America program.
In 2016-17, Alabama Athletics once again led the nation in First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, totaling seven. The Tide also garnered three second-team accolades to tally 10 honors over the past season, giving Alabama double-digit Academic All-Americans for the fourth year in a row.
The Tide had more student-athletes earn first-team recognition than all but three other NCAA Division I schools had combined first, second and third team honors in 2016-17. Alabama and Minnesota (11) were the only schools to earn double-digit Academic All-America honors during the academic year, with the Gophers earning three first-team, three second-team and five third-team certificates.
In the spring, Alabama became the first school in history to have four student-athletes earn a place on the men's Academic All-America At-Large team in the same year, with all four coming from the Tide's swimming and diving program and all four – Connor Oslin, Anton McKee, Pavel Romanov and Luke Kaliszak – earning first-team recognition. It was Oslin's and McKee's third Academic All-America honor, the second for Romanov and the first for Kaliszak.
Alabama also led the nation in overall at-large honors with six with gymnasts Mackenzie Brannan and Keely McNeer earning first-team honors on the women's side of the slate. It was Brannan's second Academic All-America nod and McNeer's first.
Alex Gholston was named a First Team Track and Field Academic All-American for the second year in a row, marking the fifth year in a row the women's track and field/cross country program has had a student-athlete earn a place on that prestigious list.
The Tide softball team had two players earn Academic All-America honors this season, with Sydney Littlejohn earning her second nod while Chandler Dare made the list for the first time. Both women earned a place on the second team. Alabama softball student-athletes have earned 23 Academic All-America awards over the Tide's 21-year history, including at least one award winner every year since 2008.
Volleyball's Krystal Rivers became Alabama's first Academic All-American of 2016-17, earning second-team recognition in the fall. It was her second such nod and marked the third season in a row that at least one Tide volleyball student-athlete has earned the honor.
McKee also extended Alabama's streak of Academic All-Americans of the Year when he earned his second-consecutive honor in 2017, marking the eighth year in a row that a Crimson Tide student-athlete has earned that designation for their respective sport. Overall, an Alabama student-athlete has earned Academic All-American of the Year 11 times since 2004.
With four huge Academic All-America classes in a row, Alabama has made a significant jump in the national rankings over that span, moving from 13th all-time in NCAA Division I following the 2012-13 academic year to fifth following 2014-15. The Crimson Tide remains first in the SEC and fifth all-time with 159 honors following the 2016-17 season. Alabama has also made a significant jump when it comes to honors since 2000 sitting in third place with 123, close behind second-place Notre Dame. The Tide is ranked first among Division I schools since 2010 with 77 and third since 2000 with 123.
Alabama Athletics also celebrated another NCAA Top 10 Award honoree when softball standout Haylie McCleney received the accolade during the NCAA Honors and Delegates Celebration in January 2017. It was Alabama's 14th honor overall and its NCAA-best 11th since 2002. Over the past decade, Crimson Tide student-athletes lead the nation in NCAA Top 10 Awards with seven with Stanford and Georgia tied for second with four.
After a school-record seven student-athletes earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships in 2014, Alabama has added nine more over the last three years, including four in 2016-17 with Rivers, Oslin, McNeer and McKee all earning the prestigious scholarship. The Tide's 2016-17 tally gives UA a six-year total of 29 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. In 2016-17, the Crimson Tide was the only Division I school to have two student-athletes earn men's NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships for the winter period and the only school to earn three postgraduate scholarships, men and women combined, during the winter.
On a conference level, McKee earned the league's top honor, taking home the men's 2016-17 Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, earning a $15,000 postgraduate scholarship in the process. McKee is the first UA swimmer, to earn the conference's highest academic accolade. With McKee's honor, Alabama has the most in the award's 32-year history with 11. The Crimson Tide has earned eight honors since 2000, the most in the SEC over that span. McKee's win also puts Alabama in first place when it comes to the men's side of the slate with six.
Additionally, three Crimson Tide students were named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for their respective sports during the 2016-17 academic year. Oslin (men's swimming and diving) won his second such honor in a row, while Rivers became the first in league history to earn both SEC Volleyball Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the same season, while Danielle Spielmann earned women's tennis' sixth honor in the past seven years. Over the past six years, Alabama student-athletes have earned this award 31 times.
Alabama was also prolific when it came to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, earning the accolade 372 times during the 2016-17 academic year. The Crimson Tide had 78, 65 and 127 student-athletes named to the SEC Fall, Winter and Spring Academic Honor Rolls and 102 named to the First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
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text:
Democracy as We Know It Is Inherently Flawed and Needs Fixing
The most developed form of democracy thus far is the practice of regular multi-party "free and fair" elections. But elections are mostly contested around individuals, the very antithesis of democracy.
No "free and fair" elections have ever led to governments with a majority of popular vote anywhere. Photo: Reuters
Harbans Mukhia
Democracy evolved as an integral part of the world's project of "modernity", even as some of its early forms had been practiced in different civilisations of the ancient world. The "modern" democracy evolved as part of a package of the individual's rights in opposition to the absolute, divine right of the medieval monarch legitimised by theology.
A new economic regime, centred on the factory in lieu of land which released human labour from being tied to the land and made it mobile, was another facet of evolving individual freedoms, which took centuries and varied enormously from region to region and time to time. But it ended up becoming a universal aspiration. This is democracy in brief.
The most developed form of democracy thus far is the practice of regular multi-party "free and fair" elections which has come to be accepted as its sine qua non. The underlying assumption is that each person exercises her franchise by her individual will and the majority of such "wills" exercised in favour of one of competing parties gives it the right to rule over the entire population on behalf of the "majority".
Also read: Is India's Democracy Really in Decline?
Simple. But that is also one of its major flaws. To begin with, 50% + 1 vote is not weighty enough to give it such dominance over its rival with 50% – 1 vote as to give it the monopoly of state power until the next round. But even this majority of 50% + 1 is an extreme rarity in the world around us. Most elected majorities have been brought in place through most of the history of the franchise around the "democratic" world by a small or large minority of those who actually cast their vote.
For instance, the BJP's own majority in the 2014 elections was the making of 31% of the votes cast, which makes it about 20-22% of the total electorate or about 14% of the populace – 69% or an overwhelming majority did not favour it. In 2019 again, a bigger majority for the BJP has been elected by under 38% – 62% did not elect it. But this has been true throughout the past 67 years of the elections since independence.
BJP supporters at a rally. Credit: Reuters
The Congress under Rajiv Gandhi touched the highest ever score of MPs in 1984, yet without 50% + 1 vote. Indeed, perhaps barring the first two or three elections in South Africa where universal franchise was still very new and the African National Congress won power by a majority of votes (which ultimately gave them a Jacob Zuma), no "free and fair" elections have ever led to governments with a majority of popular vote anywhere.
In the universal role model of democracy, the US, Donald Trump has been elected president by 2.5 million fewer votes than his main competitor, Hillary Clinton. The French Constitution requires the president to be elected by 50% +1 vote, but the rule is not binding on the rest of the government.
Also read: Democracy Flourishes in the Space 'Between the Note and the Word'
Indeed, the rule is not binding on any of the elected representatives, members of parliament or any other body anywhere where such democracy is practiced. How does this then square with democracy's claim to be the rule of the majority, much less the rule of the "people"? And "free and fair" elections come at the end of enormous manipulations and incessant falsehoods of every sort which distort genuinely free and fair electoral choices.
US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, US. Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
Another problem: "Modernity" creates its self-image by announcing a definitive break from its medieval past which it equates with religion, religiosity and superstition, collectively characterised by it as the Dark Age. The basic claim of medieval Christian or Islamic theology was the monopoly of the single Truth; written in it was universal validity and its inevitable ultimate universal triumph over all "falsehoods".
Much as the rationality of "modernity" denounces the superstitions of the Dark Age, it has unreservedly imbibed the assumption of the single Truth of democracy from theology and therefore the inevitability of its ultimate universal triumph. In the process of achieving it by the use of persuasion or force, it reinforces the theological logic in a new garb. Theology too was not averse to using an immense amount of violence, besides persuasion, to conquer the world.
If democracy asserts the equality of human beings on the principle of individual freedoms, its practice through the single medium of elections eliminates all other anterior egalitarian assertions through history whether in religious or non-religious forms. Paradoxically, if theology had legitimised the divine right of rulers, the underlying principle of monotheism, forcefully articulated in human history several times through Christianity, Islam and Sikhism, is the notion of social equality, even if its descent into practice did not coincide with the theory.
Marxian socialism too asserted the same principle, though it largely failed in practice. But the aspiration for social equality has kept erupting repeatedly in different civilisations and different times, its failures notwithstanding. By substituting elections as the single expression of the assertion of equality, democracy has put an end to the great diversity of humanity's endeavours to realise its dream.
Yet, what is the alternative to it? Well, that is truly hard to visualise. Ironically, if democracy had challenged the unbridled power and authority of one ruler and created a structure for its percolation down to the last voter, the working of the structure has practically reinvested all power and authority in one individual at the head of government. Elections are mostly contested around individuals, the very antithesis of democracy.
Clearly, evolving structures ensuring decentralisation of power is the fundamental premise of a genuine departure from autocracy, whether medieval or modern. But then evolution is a long historical process and even our present-day democracy took over three or four centuries to arrive at its present state; perhaps before the present century comes to a close, humanity might devise some new modes to overcome its present flaws.
Harbans Mukhia taught history at Jawaharlal Nehru University.


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text:
General Motors is trying to crash the driverless car party
Chris Neiger,
President of General Motors Dan Ammann speaks during a news conference about shaping the future of transportation in Beijing, China, March 21, 2016.
Reuters/Jason Lee
Let's be clear about one thing: General Motors is ahead of many carmakers in the driverless car space. Nearly every automaker has an autonomous driving game plan, but GM's has tried to take an aggressive approach. Navigant Research recently put GM in the leadership category for driverless cars, along with rivals Ford, BMW, Audi, and Daimler.
The trouble is, the automakers aren't just competing against themselves.
Alphabet's Google is clearly a leader in driverless car technology and strategy. The tech giant has already logged over 1 million self-driving miles, has been testing autonomous cars since 2009, and has created its own driverless car prototype that's currently cruising down California and Texas roads.
General Motors is, well, still trying to get its semi-autonomous driving system, Super Cruise, up and running. The automaker announced back in January that it's delaying the release of Super Cruise until 2017 (previously set for this year).
But why compare two very different companies? Detroit is not Silicon Valley, after all. Because whether GM likes it or not, Google is effectively forcing the automotive industry further into the self-driving space -- and it's still unclear whether it will be able to keep up.
GM in the passenger seat
At an event toward the end of last year, GM made it clear that it intends to not just compete, but lead, in the self-driving space.
"No one has solved all the technical challenges or claimed outright leadership. We see this as a tremendous opportunity to lead," GM's product development chief, Mark Reuss, said.
The company announced at the event that it would roll out a fleet of self-driving Chevrolet Volts (the company's gas-electric hybrid sedan) on its own campus this year, moving its employees around the grounds as it undergoes massive renovations.
GM's also talked about launching driverless cars for a luxury apartment condo in New York City and its own car-sharing service.
GM's CEO Mary Barra has thrown around words like "disruptor" when referring to the the company's position in the autonomous car space. But the problem is that even with all the company's current driverless car tech plans, and the upcoming release of its semi-autonomous Super Cruise feature, GM still doesn't come close to Google's pursuits.
Yes, there is a clear leader
File photograph shows the rear of a Lexus SUV equipped with Google self-driving sensors during a media preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Mountain View, California Sept. 29, 2015.
Reuters/Elijah Nouvelage
Despite what GM wants to believe, there is a clear leader in the self-driving space. Google has more than six years of autonomous car research experience, has a total of 48 autonomous cars, and has spent an estimated $60 million on its autonomous efforts so far.
While GM talks about carting its employees around the backroads of its campus, Google's actually out on the main roads of California, Nevada, Washington, and Texas smacking into municipal buses (you can't win 'em all). The point is that Google has real-world experience in self-driving autos. And the company is so confident in its technology that it wants to remove gas petals and steering wheels from future autonomous cars.
GM's nowhere near out of the self-driving car race. In fact, the company's reps sat alongside Google when talking to the U.S. government about expanding self-driving car laws.
But I don't think the automaker has any particular advantage in the space. GM may believe that building its own autos gives it the upper hand in the space, but that argument begins to break down when you look Tesla.
Not only did Tesla jump into the automotive market just a few years ago (and now has the best-selling luxury sedan in the U.S.), but it's also aggressively pursuing its own self-driving technologies. The electric-car maker has proven a new, unknown, tech company can step into the automotive market and make electric cars even better better (and a heck of a lot more fashionable) than the automakers ever did. And the same could be true of driverless autos as well.
Google has its sights set on driverless cars, and while I think it could take longer to reach a self-driving utopia that some believe is right around the corner, the company is making autonomous cars a reality more than any other company. GM may be a leader among the carmakers, but I think it's clear that automakers are no longer in control of where their industry is headed.
The author(s) may have a position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon and Netflix.
Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Chris Neiger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Ford, and Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool recommends BMW and General Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Read the original article on The Motley Fool. Copyright 2016. Follow The Motley Fool on Twitter.
More: The Motley Fool General Motors Google driverless cars
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