text:
David Anderson
David Anderson's Blog
The BBC and the Arts In the Nations and Regions: Impartiality - and Equality?
I am a passionate supporter of a publicly-funded BBC. Along with the NHS, social care and the state education system, I regard it as one of the four vital pillars of public service on these islands - evidence that democracy works. If I ask questions, and challenge practice, it is because I want the BBC to survive and thrive at the centre of public life. It is a beacon of truths in a world of commercial interests. It provides a public space for debate that is vital for our democracy.
I was born in Northern Ireland, grew up in the industrial Midlands of England, and went to university in Scotland. For the last four years I have worked in Wales. I have lived in every nation of the United Kingdom.
The culture of any nation or region is an ecosystem, made up of a number of mutually dependent parts. As well as arts and cultural institutions, these also include the print and broadcast media, public and private funders, the education sector, the tourism industry and - last but not least - creative industries and individual professionals.
Also essential to all of this is the wider community, whose informed support and creative participation is the lifeblood of all cultural activity. A creative economy depends upon a creative society.
The nations and regions of the United Kingdom outside London - with the exception, arguably, of the central belt in Scotland - do not have all the elements that they need to ensure a thriving arts ecosystem.
Wales, for example, has very strong resources of talent and great national arts and cultural institutions. Through recent reports by Dai Smith on the role of the arts in education, and by Baroness Kay Andrews on the importance of cultural participation in overcoming barriers created by poverty, Wales has recognised the value of cultural education.
But, like much of the rest of the United Kingdom, we do not get our fair share of UK funding for our arts. Nor do we have the coverage from the UK media that its quality
deserves. This lack of recognition and publicity from the UK print and broadcasting media - with the credibility that comes with it - in turn makes it still harder for us to attract the private funding that we need so badly, to invest in our programmes and, for example, to provide match funding for Lottery bids.
Many of the key decisions that determine profile for the arts are made by publicly funded organisations based in London, such as the BBC and Visit Britain, which appear to have little knowledge or understanding of what is happening in the rest of the United Kingdom, and especially the devolved nations.
Funding of the arts, employment in the arts, public access to and participation in the arts, and control of the arts are also scandalously unequal. 71% of funding for the arts in the whole of the UK from trusts and foundations, corporate donors and private individuals goes to London institutions. The remaining 29% has to be shared out between all the other nations and regions.
We are in the second decade of the twenty first century, but we still retain the highly
centralised, nineteenth century, semi-colonial model that the arts should be concentrated in London, and that funding London is synonymous with serving the English regions and the nations of the UK. For Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland this undermines the principle, embedded in law, that culture is a devolved responsibility. It is a constitutional tension that remains unresolved.
All the evidence shows that concentration of power and funding in London is, in policy terms, a failure. Despite investment of over £1 billion annually of public and private funds in arts institutions in just three boroughs in Central London (Westminster, Southwark and Kensington and Chelsea), public participation levels in the arts in London are slightly lower than those across England as a whole.
Within England, the Arts Lottery has operated as a highly effective mechanism to take money from poorer communities and invest it in arts provision in Central London. Just five national performing arts organisations in London have received more (£315 million) from the Arts Lottery since 1995 than the 33 English local authority areas with lowest participation, representing 6 million people, which between them were awarded just £288 million over that period. Arts Lottery players of County Durham have contributed £34 million since 1995, but the area has received just £12 million.
The policies and practices of the media can exacerbate these divisions. Within the last year, both Melvyn Bragg and Tony Garnett (director of Cathy Come Home) have accused broadcasters of misrepresenting and sneering at working class people in TV dramas and documentaries. Recent research by the Open Society Foundations suggests that this perception is shared by many working class viewers themselves.
There is a challenge in all of this for the BBC, our publicly-funded UK national broadcaster. As funding for the arts from diverse public sources remains concentrated in one small area of England's capital city, and (as research by the Sutton Trust has shown) those employed in senior positions in broadcasting are recruited increasingly from men and women with privileged backgrounds, and the narrow circle of private support shrinks ever closer to central London, will the BBC's coverage of the arts shrink with it? And can this coverage now truly be described as impartial?
Within Wales, there is a much greater sense that culture in the broadest definition is a communal resource and belongs to everyone. At Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, 28% of visitors to our seven museums across South, West and North Wales are from social classes C2DE. At a typical London national museum such as the National Gallery the figure is around a third of this, at 10%.
The BBC is a hugely important part of the arts ecosystem in Wales. The BBC's investment in Roath Lock in Cardiff with its drama productions has given a massive boost to our creative economy, and has made Cardiff a hub for related creative industries. The BBC has also made Wales a centre for music programming. There is a wealth of artistic talent and arts production of an international standard in Wales, yet the BBC in Wales - unlike England and Scotland - does not have a Centre of Excellence in the arts. As a result coverage of the richness of artistic activity within Wales is very limited, and on Network BBC it is almost non-existent.
Why does the Tate's Turner Prize - widely perceived in the contemporary art world to be tired and outdated - continue to get blanket coverage on Network BBC, when the critically more highly regarded Artes Mundi Prize in Wales has never in 12 years had any Network coverage? Research by the BBC itself shows that this lack of impartiality in its coverage of the arts in the nations and regions of the UK is the norm rather than the exception.[1]
Even if it wins the vote on Scottish independence, Westminster has been revealed to have lost the hearts and minds of a substantial minority of its citizens in Scotland, the second largest nation in the United Kingdom. An article in the Guardian, published in early July, examined how the BBC was reporting on the referendum, and said that even a no vote should challenge the BBC 'to examine afresh how successfully it relates to constituent parts of the UK - and whether a more flexible, less monolithic notion of the future of the corporation ought to be embraced.'
Tony Hall, in a recent speech at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff, invited his audience to imagine Wales without the BBC. It is a fair challenge, but we existed long before the BBC with our languages and cultural identities. Some of us in Wales might ask him, in turn, to imagine a BBC that is not dominated by a London-centric perception of the world, and that better reflects the diversity of our nation's arts and cultures, our values and our debates. Without us - we who are outside London - not just the BBC but democracy itself will suffer, if we continue down the road we are on.
What are the solutions for the BBC? There should be a Centre of Excellence at BBC Wales, as there is in Scotland. We need devolved governance of the BBC in Wales through the BBC Trust, as recommended by the Silk Commission. This should be
underpinned by a separate extension to Charter agreement for Wales, and mechanisms to ensure fair representation of our arts on BBC Network. We need BBC Network to recognise that speakers of Welsh and other minority languages have a right to be heard in their own language on UK media. The BBC should monitor and publish annual data on its achievement of impartiality across the nations and regions. We need the Network BBC to be pro-active in overcoming a culture of inequality within the organisation.
And we need the BBC, with headquarters in London, to remember the importance of
geography, of the connections between culture and place. The nations and regions of the UK need the BBC to give us equality and parity of respect, and to free us to represent ourselves, in our own places and across the nations within the UK and abroad.
We want to commission London, not London (when it chooses) to commission us. Our nation's share of the BBC budget should be devlolved in full to Wales.
As Hugh McDiarmid said, "You cannot light a match on a crumbling wall."
Let's build a better and more solid one.
*This is a summary of a more detailed paper I wrote, which can be found here:
[1] Four Nations Impartiality Review Follow-up: An analysis of reporting devolution' – Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Cardiff University – March 2010: http://cardiff.ac.uk/jomec/research/researchgroups/journalismstudies/fundedprojects/followupaccuracyandimpartiality.html
Transforming Futures
Exactly one month ago to today, Amgueddfa Cymru launched two publications which set out how museums and other arts and heritage organisations can help achieve the essential goal of equity of opportunity for all children to develop their talents. In this blog, David Anderson, Director General of Amgueddfa Cymru, shares his views about both publications and why this work is important.
A few years ago, I was involved in a project run jointly with a children's charity to offer creative design projects for children in care. Their work was exhibited in the galleries of a museum. One girl made a quilt that I still vividly remember. On it she had sewn the words, "Why does he get everything and I get nothing?". I never learnt the story behind the words on that quilt, and perhaps it was too personal to share.
The earliest evidence of a child in Wales is the teeth of a girl aged 9 years, one of a group of Neanderthal humans whose remains had been washed into a cave in Pontnewydd, along with the bones of hyenas and other wild animals of that period. They have been dated to around 240,000 BC. Before her early death, this girl would have learnt her culture - making tools, cooking food, hunting, gathering flowers and burying her dead - from her parents and others in the group.
In a series he wrote and presented for Ulster Television in 1987-8 Professor John Blacking, the ethno-musicologist, said, "Every individual as a baby has thought in movement before thinking in words". Creativity is a movement of the body, he said. We are moved into thinking. For him, culture exists only in performance - for children as well as adults.
Not so long ago, children in Wales worked in workshops, factories and mines. They have always been makers of culture as well as recipients. Even today, children across the world make their own toys. Children in Western Asia still make carpets. The collections of museums are full of beautiful things made by children.
The extraordinarily fine Ardebil Carpet, that so awed and inspired William Morris, is believed by many to have been produced by the hands of children. The hardships endured by working children - in the past and today across the world - tell us what skills and creativity children are capable of, even under conditions of privation.
True creative cultural participation for children is not - or at least should not - be an option. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the right to participation in the cultural life of the community as one of the five fundamental rights. Who are we to deny that right to children?
In 1942, the Beveridge report identified squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and disease as five giant evils that Britain should slay, and the Post-War Labour Government set out to do this. But Beveridge should have added a sixth giant to his list: cultural exclusion. In our own time, Kay Andrews and Dai Smith have between them written a modern Beveridge report for the cultural lives of children in Wales.
Among their many key messages are that we should commit to provide:
(i) full ongoing creative participation - not just occasional access;
(ii) as a right - not just an option;
(iii) for every child - not just the few.
The cultural sector is Wales' second education sector. It compliments and enriches the school, college and higher education system. Each year, the seven museums of Amgueddfa Cymru alone serve approximately 250,000 schoolchildren and 750,000 children and adults in family groups. The creative, experiential learning that museums can offer has been shown time and again over the years to inspire children who, for the school system alone, are hard to reach.
Museums and other arts and heritage organisations have a vital role in inspiring, extending and developing each child's engagement with their cultural offer. But children's cultural lives are far wider than than can be found even in our national and local cultural institutions.
Every child has their own talents and potential. Is it bringing people together and making friends, identifying plants, writing a diary, caring for older people, dancing, diagnosing faults and repairing machines, bee-keeping, telling stories, taking photographs, designing electronic circuits, playing sport, to studying birds and animals, shaping metal, writing and performing music, exploring, making others laugh, seeing patterns others miss, testing water quality, sharing skills, carving in wood and stone, and a thousand other ways to make the world a better place? Any of these, and a mind that is always curious, critical and open to new ideas and experiences.
Some children want to become Billy Elliott and they should be supported in doing so . But most want to be something else.
The industrialist John Harvey-Jones said that everyone has talent; it is the job of the educator to help them to find it. And it is particularly the role of museums and other arts and cultural organisations to help children to find their talents in the sciences, arts and humanities, in a welcoming and social environment.
If we limit ourselves to telling children what we ourselves know, we do them, and future society, a great disservice. That would be not education but counter-education. Yet far too often - through a conservative and anti-intellectual mis-appropriation of our historic public purpose - it is counter-education that we offer.
These two publications on Transforming Futures set out these new agendas for museums and other arts and heritage organisations in achieving the essential goal of equity of opportunity for all children to develop their talents. Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales began work on them in 2012. But they very much compliment and support the recommendations of Kay Andrews' and Dai Smith's reports.
But whereas those reports were - quite rightly - principally concerned with national policy and infrastructure, the Transforming Futures publications are intended more to support cultural institutions on the ground. Among the recommendations of the Transforming Futures reports are proposals for:
(i) fundamental changes in the work of cultural institutions themselves
(ii) new research on effective practice by cultural organisations
(iii) a new code of ethics for cultural organisations with principles to guide our work.
Poverty and exclusion in Wales - and across the UK - is growing year by year. We have an ethical responsibility to respond.
It is our task to create something new: a National Cultural Service for Children. Like health, education, housing and every other universal service, children's cultural participation must be developed locally, if it is to be effective, but within a national framework.
We should not say we cannot afford it. When the Beveridge Report was completed in 1942, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer tried to prevent its publication, saying that it was unaffordable. Yet, a few years later, the post-War Attlee Government implemented the most radical programme of equality that Wales and the UK has ever seen.
But decade by decade, as the NHS has provided health services free at the point of delivery, and comprehensive schools have given every child free education, the giant of cultural exclusion has continued to stalk the nation unchallenged.
We can change this. So that no child should need to say, "Why does he get everything, and I get nothing?".
Happy Birthday Big Pit
Big Pit National Coal Museum celebrates 30 years as a major visitor attraction this year and we celebrated the occasion yesterday in the company of members of the local community who have supported the Museum, staff at Big Pit and the Minister for Culture & Sport John Griffiths who had a tour of the Museum.
Since opening in 1983 Big Pit has welcomed more than 3.5 million people who can go 300 feet underground to find out what life was like for men who worked there. In 1913, one in ten Welsh people were employed in the coal industry and many more were dependent on it for a living – by the end of the 20th century, only one deep mine remained in Wales.
Big Pit employed 1,300 people and produced around a quarter of a million tons of coal a year. The buildings are the same as they were when the mine closed in 1980, but now visitors descend the shaft with a real miner and see what life was like for the thousands of men who worked at the coal face.
The Museum is set in the unique Blaenafon industrial landscape, designated a World Heritage Site in 2000 and is an exciting and informative day out for visitors.
September has crept up on us already and autumn's well on its way!
It's been a successful summer across all of our sites, with nearly a quarter of a million visitors being welcomed over August alone across the seven museums. That's a great achievement and I hope our visitors have enjoyed their experience. We've got an exciting line up of exhibitions, events and activities now until Christmas across all seven museums including Peter Blake's exhibition of works inspired by Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood which will be on show at National Museum Cardiff from 23 November. The exhibition will launch a year-long festival in 2014 – Dylan Thomas 100 – which will mark the centenary of the birth of the poet Dylan Thomas.
Last week I was invited to Bologna in Italy to speak at a two-day final conference of the LEM project "The Learning Museum".
"The Learning Museum" is a network project funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme Grundtvig (2010-2013) which aims to establish a permanent network and web space for museums and adult educators to participate in a learning society and in a knowledge-based Europe.
Seventeen European countries and the United States of America are represented in LEM. Its aim is to create a network of museums and cultural heritage organizations, to ensure that museums play an active role with regard to lifelong learning, and to raise awareness among decision makers at national and European level.
The conference was intended as a meeting place to facilitate networking and develop further collaborations at European level and also an opportunity for participants to discuss the outcomes of the project and share the knowledge developed throughout the three years of its duration, as well as giving a chance to share experiences and exchange ideas with colleagues from all over Europe.
Some interesting ideas emerged. It was striking how many of these involved greater cooperation and consolidation in the face of the financial crisis common to almost all European countries. In the Netherlands, for example, there are two museums associations which will now merge. Central, regional and local government are being encouraged by the sector to coordinate their museum policies. Speakers from the Netherlands said that development of a vision for each museum, before governments decided on them, was essential.
To find out more about the LEM project and the LEM reports go to
Summer Season
Summer holidays means it's a really busy time for our sites and there's so much going on at all our museums – something for the whole family so if you've visiting one of our seven museums, I do hope you all enjoy a great experience over the next few weeks.
I spent last week up in north Wales and visited the National Eisteddfod in Denbigh for a few days. Amgueddfa Cymru has a stand at the Eisteddfod every year and it's a great to engage with people and tell them what our sites have to offer. There was a different theme every day of the week and when I was there on Monday the focus was Neanderthal Wales. The connection is that the Pontnewydd and Elwy Valley Caves are in Denbighshire and were the focus of museum excavations years ago. Then on Tuesday we celebrated the artist John Piper and explorer Charles Darwin both of whom were very inspired by Dyffryn Clwyd. It was good to enjoy the cultural festival, meet new people and see some of our heritage partners.
Whilst I was up in north Wales, I also had a chance to visit our National Slate Museum in Llanberis in Snowdonia where I joined Dafydd Roberts and the team there in welcoming Baroness Kay Andrews. Baroness Andrews, who grew up in Tredegar, has just stepped down as Chair of English Heritage, and has now been commissioned by the Welsh Government to write a report by January 2014 on how the cultural sector in Wales can work together more effectively to address poverty.
At Llanberis currently there's a new exhibition which showcases the life's work of artist Falcon Hildred, documenting the industrial landscapes and buildings of England and Wales. The exhibition, a partnership between the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust Limited, has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
I also went over to Wrexham for the opening of the exhibition of the Mold Gold Cape at Wrexham Museum. They certainly know their Bronze Age artefacts in the area and they've done a spectacular job of the exhibition. It's well worth going to see if you're in the area.
After a busy week which really tired me out, I have been relaxing by watching Ken Loach's film, The Spirit of '45. Perhaps relaxing is the wrong word to use in response to a powerfully argued and moving tribute to the achievements of the Attlee government, and footage of the slum conditions of pre-War Britain that shows why such changes were so necessary.
The famous Mold Gold Cape comes to Wales
I'm delighted that one of Europe's most important Bronze Age finds has arrived at National Museum Cardiff this week! The display of the Mold Gold Cape, on loan from the British Museum, was officially opened in a special event on Wednesday by the Minister for Culture & Sports, John Griffiths.
A highlight exhibit at the British Museum, the ceremonial gold cape, found in north Wales, was made around 3,700 years ago during the Early Bronze Age. It's one of the finest examples of prehistoric sheet and embossed-gold working in Europe. It's craftsmanship and materials reveal the wealth and significance of north east Wales at this time.
The cape was discovered by workmen near Mold in 1833, many years before the establishment of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. Having the Mold Gold Cape return to Wales from the British Museum offers a wonderful opportunity for local people and visitors to enjoy and find out more about their heritage and the early past.
The ancient artefact is in Cardiff until 4 August and then goes to Wrexham Museum from 7 August -14 September, as part of Spotlight Tours, a programme of loans organised through the British Museums' Partnership UK Scheme.
Working in partnership with other museums enables precious artefacts of Welsh origin like this to be more accessible to the people of Wales. The Mold Cape contributes significantly to our understanding of cultural expression and power relations in Early Bronze Age Europe, reflected both in life and in death.
There are activities and events related to the Mold Cape here all month so if you're in the Cardiff area, or in Wrexham next month, why not come and have a look at this unique artefact?
Supporting Kids in Museums
The launch of the 'Kids in Museums' manifesto with the Minister for Culture and Sport John Griffiths and Children's Commissioner Keith Towler took place at National Museum Cardiff this morning. It was a great event and good to see so many young people involved and supporting this project.
A few weeks ago Maria Miller, the English Culture Secretary, made a speech in which she justified the arts and culture on economic grounds. I was glad to hear John Griffiths challenge this reductionist and limited perspective, by emphasising the social and educational value of museums. We are the largest provider of learning outside the classroom in Wales, and play a key role in many communities across the nation.
Amgueddfa Cymru supports the Kids in Museums Manifesto which pledges to work towards putting the twenty points – from inviting teenagers to hang out at museums to creating a comfortable safe place for children and families – into practice. There is a Welsh language version of the manifesto, produced with support from the Welsh Government.
Something that's fast becoming a star attraction at National Museum Cardiff is a beautiful bronze sculpture of a galloping horse by the famous 19th century French Impressionist, Edgar Degas. The work, which has found a permanent home alongside other works here, has been accepted in lieu of inheritance tax from the estate of the artist, Lucian Freud, who died in 2011, and allocated permanently to Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum of Wales. The sculpture will be a major addition to our collection, of which we can all be proud.
Last weekend was particularly busy for National Museum Cardiff. We joined up with the BBC and a host of wildlife partners to host the 'Summer of Wildlife', a fun day of discovering more about our wildlife and we also supported the Welsh language festival Tafwyl in the grounds of Cardiff Castle with a chance for visitors to see the clogmaker from St Fagans and experience some of our natural history and art collections on our stand. Tafwyl Festival helps Welsh language thrive in the capital and we were more than happy to support this successful event.
At the end of May Amgueddfa Cymru had a very successful presence at both the Urdd Eisteddfod and the Hay Festival.
Over 5000 people attended our stand at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Boncath, north Pembrokeshire, where the focus was on the National Wool Museum, being just half an hour away from the Maes. John Griffiths, Minister for Culture and Sport visited the stand and Stephen Crabb MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire really got stuck into the knitting with the giant knitting needle! At the GwyddonLe science pavilion there was an opportunity to learn more about the archaeology of the Preseli Mountains and the Bluestones with Ken Brassil.
At the Hay Festival, we shared a stand with Cadw, the Royal Commission and the Historical Houses Association under the branding History Wales. We ran a number of activities for children during the week highlighting in particular the 30th birthday of Big Pit: National Coal Museum and craft work from St Fagans. The stand was extremely busy, and it was a great opportunity to work with partner organisations to promote Welsh History. John Griffiths, Minister for Culture and Sport, visited the stand to launch the latest edition of Big Pit's people's history magazine, Glo, which was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Big Pit as a museum.
Our new children's book 'Albie the Adventurer: Dinosaur in the Forest' was launched officially at the festival in an interactive session with children. The story is by Grace Todd, and is based on a workshop run for Foundation Phase children in the Clore Discovery Gallery at National Museum Cardiff, where Albie discovers the sights and sounds of the prehistoric forest! I'm sure the book will charm children and grown-ups alike!
One event which I really enjoyed a few weeks ago was the National Theatre Wales' production 'Praxis Makes Perfect'. It was an immersive gig imagining the life of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, the millionaire Italian communist who was at the heart of many of the most extraordinary events of the twentieth century. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the show will be going on tour to festivals this summer. I'd definitely recommend! And on the subject of things Italian, I have also been reading The Dark Philosophers by Gwyn Thomas, a Library of Wales publication, about a group of men who meet in an Italian café in an industrial community in the period around World War II. For me, Gwyn Thomas is a real discovery, a powerful writer with (is it just my imagination?) just a touch of Damon Runyon?
Time flies
It's May already and I must apologise for my lack of blog posts recently. It's been a busy time for Amgueddfa Cymru.
I'm delighted that we have ended the year with another set of strong visitor figures attracting 1,745,315 visitors, exceeding 1.7m visitors for the first time ever. In 2012, we celebrated 1.69 million visits as the highest total ever recorded since free entry was introduced in April 2001, and this year we had an extra 55,289 visitors compared to the previous year of year, up by 3.27%.
Amgueddfa Cymru has now achieved record visitor figures for two consecutive years and I am delighted that we've succeeded in breaking yet another record this year, which is testimony to the quality of the service delivered by the Museums and the true value of the Welsh Government's free entry policy.
It's been a challenging time for the organisation. The current financial climate poses unprecedented challenges for every public sector organisation in Wales and Amgueddfa Cymru is no exception. Amgueddfa Cymru is facing a reduced budget and must find £2.5m in savings over the next three years. We have recently undertaken a period of consultation with staff and partners regarding a proposed new structure for the organisation which will be announced shortly. I'm very grateful for the patience and cooperation of Amgueddfa Cymru staff during this difficult period.
The proposed changes will not affect the day-to-day operations of the seven national museums across Wales. In finding savings, we have given priority to sustaining services for users. Amgueddfa Cymru will continue to offer visitors quality experiences at each of its sites.
Since I last posted on my blog, a new Culture & Sports Minister has been appointed in the Welsh Government, John Griffiths AM whom I had the pleasure of meeting recently. I am very grateful for the support and work of the previous Heritage Minister Mr Huw Lewis over the past few years and I'm really looking forward to working with Mr Griffiths.
It seems like a long time ago now but I was in Chongqing in China at the beginning of March for the opening of our Amgueddfa Cymru exhibition Wales: Land of the Red Dragon at the China Three Gorges Museum. Promoting Wales as a contemporary nation through international work is one of our main priorities and this partnership is an excellent way to give the 30 million people living in the Chongqing region the chance to learn more about Wales' rich and unique assets in culture, history and the environment.
I recently bought a copy of E.P. Thompson's William Morris: From Romantic to Revolutionary. It is a few years since I last read anything by E.P. Thompson, and his Customs in Common has long been on my list of future reads. I found the postscript to the 1976 edition, in which he discusses Morris's place in the history of communism, moving because of the very personal way in which Thompson refers to his own thinking on this subject.
Realities of Devolution
Last week, I was delighted to attend the relaunch of the hugely successful Sharing Treasures by Huw Lewis, our Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage.
Under the initial scheme, local museums were able to apply for grants to put on exhibitions and raise gallery standards in order to be able to borrow national collections from Amgueddfa Cymru for display. Though we remain an integral partner, the scheme has now been extended to allow libraries and archives to also borrow items from the national collections. It also allows museums to apply for grants to develop touring exhibitions as well as apply for a grant more than once so that they can develop successful projects. Importantly, financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund has also been secured for 2012/13 to extend the parameters of the initiative. Many people attended, and we had an interesting day of discussions. I was asked to say a few words, and was glad that I was able to express how important I believe the scheme to be. We as national organizations do not own the national collections, but simply hold them in trust for the people of Wales. We have an ethical responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to them, and this scheme allows us to give more people the opportunity to engage with the national collections.
This ties in nicely with a meeting I attended yesterday - the AHRC Museum Ethics Network Workshop. This was the first of five such workshops, one of which will be held in Cardiff. Yesterday's was held at Leicester at the School of Museum Studies at the University. Many interesting presentations were given about the link between ethics and social justice, and the failure of some museum organisations in the UK to think of ethics in those terms. It opened up the prospect of UK museums rethinking their ethical frameworks with a view of putting more emphasis on public engagement. We are lucky to have such a resource as the School of Museum Studies in the UK. They provide intellectual rigour to museum practice that may otherwise not be addressed.
One other event I wanted to mention was the Great British Art Debate which took place on Saturday. It marked the end of a three-year programme which has involved four gallery organizations across England (Tate Britain, Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums, Norfolk Museum and Archaeology Service and Museums Sheffield) working together to explore questions about nationhood, regionalism and artistic identity today through a series of exhibitions and events. The speakers were almost all from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the English regions. Some speakers strongly challenged the basis for the project as a whole. Indeed, two Scottish speakers challenged the concept of Britishness and, by implication, the authenticity of the name of Tate Britain in the context and the reality of devolution. The speaker from Northern Ireland was equally critical, saying that English art institutions have collected very little art produced by Northern Irish artists who stayed in Belfast during the troubles. They prefer instead to collect work by international artists who may have briefly visited Northern Ireland during that time. Indeed, overall, the day questioned many of the premises on which the project was based. It left me with the sense that there was a growing separation within the cultural world between institutions based in London and the rest of the UK. This may well reflect the realities of devolution.
Chongqing and Wales
Yesterday, I returned from China having spent just under a week in Chongqing and Beijing. Though it wasn't my first visit to China, it was my first as Director General of Amgueddfa Cymru. My visit was timed to coincide with the First Minister's visit to China, and I was part of a small cultural delegation which included Rebecca Matthews, Director of the British Council in Wales. It was an excellent opportunity to meet old friends in China and to make new ones, cementing the growing relationship between both countries. Welsh Government staff and British Council staff had worked hard on the programme, and I am extremely grateful for their support in making all the arrangements.
Having hosted the successful Dazu Rock Carvings exhibition here in Cardiff earlier this year, much of my discussions in Chongqing focused on delivering an exhibition from Wales to China in 2013. There is a great deal of interest in China about Wales's culture and history, and it will be an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate our heritage internationally. Three staff members are going to Chongqing in early November to progress these discussions, and though plans are an early stage, there is a great deal of excitement about the proposed exhibition already.
I had a number of interesting meetings during my trip. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and there were discussions about exchanging not only objects but also sharing expertise through a series of staff exchanges. China is investing a great deal in Museums at present, and many new Museums are being built. There is therefore a need for more curators and conservators, and sharing skills with international partners is important in order to be able to achieve this.
Amgueddfa Cymru has a MoU with the Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing, and it was fantastic to be able to visit the museum. We presented as a gift to the museum a ceramic teapot by Walter Keeler, and the First Minister was present. We had a fascinating discussion over lunch with the Director and his staff, where we compared the history of Western socialism in the UK in the post war period with Chinese socialism.
During all of our meetings with senior politicians and officials in both Chongqing and Beijing, all hosts emphasised the importance of culture and education as a basis for a strong relationship between Wales and China. This provides a number of opportunities for Wales, but also provides a challenge in this economic climate as funding will be needed to meet expectations!
Inspiring our thinking
I have just returned from a very interesting trip to Stockholm, as part of our development of the Making History project at St Fagans. Along with other colleagues from Amgueddfa Cymru, we went over to look at museums that may offer some inspiration for the redevelopment. Our Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage - Huw Lewis - was in Stockholm at the same time, and joined us in looking at some of the museums.
At Skansen Museum we were met by John Brattmyhr (Director) and Kerstin Holm Soderkvist (Learning Officer). We learnt about how they'd gone about trying to seek more corporate sponsorship and also how they've expanded their catering facilities. This is a challenge we face at St Fagans! I was greatly impressed by the scale of the site, and the fact that they have more than 30 staff looking after the programme of events and educational services that are run at the museum.
We then went on to Vasa Museum. It has a huge impact when you see it for the first time, and has an interesting history. It is a ship that sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbour. It displays some of the personal possessions that were recovered as well as some of the skeletons. The way they are displayed allow for more very powerful personal stories to be told. They have even facially reconstructed some of the skeletons, which is particularly striking. To copy with the fact that they receive double their anticipated visitors, a new entrance is being build. A similar challenge once again for us at St Fagans!
From a personal perspective, I was grateful that my vegan diet was catered for without any problem. I thought that the dinner arranged by the British Embassy in an Italian restaurant might have proved particularly difficult but the chef cooked me a lovely vegan dish. I became vegan for health reasons rather than as a conscious decision, but I must admit that I feel so much better for it. And I'm trying some new and interesting dishes as a result!


text:
Fill your bathtub with warm water, drop in the Bath Bomb and lay back to enjoy its lovely color and gorgeous fragrance. Some LUSH Bath Bombs contain flower petals and others have secret surprises (if you prefer not to have these pieces floating in your tub, wrap the Bath Bomb in a recycled nylon before use). To make your experience even more memorable, combine your fragrant Bath Bomb with a Luxury Bath Melt.
Product Actions
This product does not contain animal products of any kind.
This product does not contain animal products of any kind.
Alluring apple and spice Bath Bomb
Transform your ordinary bath into something new and exciting. Whizz! Bang! Pop! Fizz! Our Fizzbanger Bath Bomb goes off in the bath water as if it were loaded with miniature fireworks. Experience an alluring symphony of crackling candy, and a potion of spectacular slow fizzing spectrum of swirling color. The scent changes right before your nose, pulling you in with a delectable blend of crisp apples and cinnamon that settles into a spicy cinnamon toffee. Smell familiar? That's Love perfume, from our Gorilla Exclusives.
- Ordinary is boring: Mix up your tub time with our mystifying potion.
- Bath time fireworks: Fizzbanger is a crackling cacophony of color and scent for a fizz-tastic bath experience.
- Hot stuff: Cinnamon has spicy, woody notes and is incredibly warming, perfect for your bath.
Customer Review
Fresh ingredients
= Natural ingredients = Safe syntheticsSodium Bicarbonate , Citric Acid , Popping Candy (Isomalt, Carbon Dioxide) , Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate) , Fragrance , Cinnamon Leaf Oil (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) , Petitgrain Oil (Citrus Aurantium amara) , Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata) , Sodium Laureth Sulfate , Lauryl Betaine , Oak Moss Extract (Evernia Prunastri) , *Citral , *Cinnamal , Coumarin , *Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool , Blue 1 , Yellow 10
- How to use
Customers who like this item also like:
- Reviews
- Questions & Answers
Questions & Answers
Do you have questions about this product?
Get answers from real customers and in-house experts with AnswerBox.
Q:What other lush products would pair nicely with this bath bomb?Asked on 1/13/2015 by lushks from Olathe, KS
2 answers
A:Hi there! Thanks for your question.
I would recommend using NEW! Solid Shampoo bar if you like the spicy smells. If you are looking for another bath bomb to pair it with I would try using Phoenix Rising!
Hope this helps :)Answered on 1/19/2015 by Anonymous
A:I have figured out that most bath bombs go great with the sunny side bubble bar.Answered on 1/18/2015 by Delovely the Dog from San Diego

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hard Knocks
TV14 Duration 2:17 :
August 28, 2012
As tension mounts to make the 53-man roster, HARD KNOCKS reviews the pivotal pre-season encounter with the Atlanta Falcons; the game recap will include exclusive NFL Films audio and video.
Lead your own post-game show each week when the pros answer fan questions.
LIKE us on Facebook and mix it up with Hard Knocks and Miami Dolphins fans.
Follow @HBO and use hashtag #HardKnocks to join the conversation on Twitter.


text:
Recently, Shelby's seen several moped wrecks.
One incident on Marion Street involved a driver who had been drinking but tested under the legal limit.
Another incident also occurred on Marion Street, this time near 3 Lakes Road.
Many readers responded to a recent post on The Star's Facebook page about the use of mopeds, calling them dangerous and arguing they should be outlawed.
Here is a look at the North Carolina law on mopeds and scooters, a bill in the House to change that law, and what area law enforcement had to say on the issue.
What's the law in North Carolina on mopeds?
-According to North Carolina's Division of Motor Vehicles, mopeds and scooters are considered one and the same.
-To ride a moped or scooter, you must be at least 16 years old.
-You do not have to own a driver's license.
-You must wear a helmet, regardless of age.
-To qualify as a moped or scooter, the bike cannot exceed 30 mph and cannot possess an engine larger than 50 cubic centimeters. If it does not meet those standards, it is considered a motorcycle.
-Mopeds and scooters do not have to be registered, inspected or insured.
House Bill 48:
-A bill in the House of Representatives that would require scooter operators to have a driver's license and to be over the age of 17 passed its first reading in February.
-The bill was referred to the Committee on Transportation on Feb. 4.
-No further action has been taken on the bill, according to the N.C. General Assembly website.
What did the Highway Patrol say?
"We do have some (moped wrecks) throughout the year. A lot of times it is both ways. Sometimes the scooters are at fault and sometimes the drivers of other vehicles are at fault. A lot of times, we do have drivers that lose control of them and they wreck on their own. But most of the time, it's when someone turns left in front of one, or it's a sideswipe," said highway patrol Trooper Troy Luckadoo.
Luckadoo said mopeds have the right of way, just like any other vehicle, so any driver attempting to pass them should move completely to the other lane.
He said there is debate about the current laws on mopeds, which have few requirements for their operators. But for many people, he said mopeds are simply the most inexpensive way to get around.
"A lot of people that have them operate them because they are inexpensive," he said.
What did county's elected state officials say?
"As a member of the Transportation Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, I can verify that the issue is being discussed; numerous citizens are calling the office and expressing concerns."
-- Kelly Hastings, N.C. House representative in District 110, Cleveland and Gaston counties
"The hazard of mopeds is something that I have heard quite a few complaints about from constituents. I think we should take a look at this during the 2014 short session and study whether we need to improve our highway regulations and insurance requirements for mopeds."
-- N.C. Sen. Warren Daniel, who represents Cleveland and Burke counties in district 46
"With regards to mopeds, I believe we need to have some controls such as insurance and some form of licensure. During the interim, there will be a study committee that will meet to discuss mopeds. I look forward to the recommendations that will come from the study committee and for legislation that may result from recommendations."
-- Tim Moore, N.C. House representative of Cleveland County in district 111
Facebook comments
Want to be part of the conversation? Find 'The Shelby Star' on Facebook and click "like."
I think they should be outlawed! They're dangerous to cars! And the majority of moped drivers do not have a license for a reason.
Kayla McAteer
They typically have no insurance, so who is going to be the one paying when they hit your car or perhaps your children? You are! Outlaw them and keep people off the roads who have no drivers' licenses or insurance in the first place! Or require them to have the same coverage as motorcycles in both insurance and licensing.
Courtney Brigman
I think if it runs with a motor on the streets, the driver should be licensed, insured, and follow all the restrictions and/or rules anyone driving a motor vehicle or motorcycle should have to abide by. Many of them I see going down the road have a 12-pack accompanying the driver between his/her feet on the floorboard. I think if the person riding has no license (often because of DWI charges) they should be restricted to riding a bicycle or walking. Otherwise, where's the punishment?
Anna Rippy
Either get them off the road or they should have a valid license, tag, and insurance like the rest of us.
Kelly Brown
Scooters have to be under 50cc to qualify for all the special rules (no license, tag, insurance). Most of the ones running around Shelby are 150 to 250cc and the owners remove the first number to make it look like it's only 50cc. These should have tags, insurance, and a licensed operator. I wish SPD would do some sort of 'sting' on this issue.
Jason Beck
Just recently we were on Washington Street coming from Arby's. A scooter ran the stop sign and we almost hit him. He never stopped or looked to see if anything was coming.
Donna Kay Deaton-Huss
Outlaw them!
Leanne Poston Hartman


text:
Wednesday's Women's Lacrosse Home Game Moved to Matthews Sports Complex at 2 p.m.
March 18, 2014
The Pfeiffer women's lacrosse game against Shippensburg that was scheduled for tomorrow at Pfeiffer has been moved. The Falcons will still host the game but it will now take place in Matthews, NC at the Matthews SportsPlex at 2 p.m.
The address for the contest is 1505Tank Town Rd. Matthews, NC 28105. Please note the new game time of 2 p.m.


text:
Prices shown in currencies other than USA Dollars are estimates based on current exchange rates. We will charge your credit card in USA Dollars on the day your order is shipped, and the conversion to your local currency will be done at the prevailing rate by your credit card issuer.
Shipments outside the USA are declared as "bike parts" for customs purposes and will include the actual amount paid for merchandise and shipping. Jenson USA will not mark your parcel as a "gift", declare a value lower than the actual price paid, or otherwise prepare false customs information.
Tell a friend! We'll send your friends the page and your message.
Note: You and your friend's email addresses are only used once as a referral. We will not collect or store the email addresses.
When it's time to rip at the bike park or while jumping, it's a good idea to protect your head from any accidental falls. Lazer's Next helmet has a Technopolymer Injected shell with a padded foam interior to protect your head. The padding on the inside is removable and washable to keep your helmet from getting too ripe during hot weather! The 16 vents that are strategically placed do help keep things a bit cooler. The Lazer Next comes in a bunch of colors and in three sizes to help you get the best fit.
|52 - 54cm
|55 - 58cm
|59 - 61cm
Reviewed by 1 customer
Best Uses
Comments about Lazer Next Helmet:
I use it for my commuter and it's great. Light weight, well ventilated, well fitted, looks great. Excellent value.
Jenson USA ships worldwide, including APO/FPO addresses. For a quote, simply add the items you are interested in to your shopping cart and look for the "Shipping Options" box. You don't have to login or create an account to see shipping charges.
Some manufacturers restrict where we can ship their products. If this item has shipping restrictions, they are listed below. If you'd like to buy an item that we cannot ship to your preferred address, we can accept your foreign credit card and ship to a USA address for you.
Get free shipping with your $50 purchase today when you choose Standard Shipping at checkout. Please note this offer is only available to physical shipping addresses in the 48 continental United States (no PO Boxes), and oversize charges still apply on some heavy/large items
Get free Standard Shipping with your $50 purchase today! Just choose Standard Shipping during checkout.
Please note this offer is only available to physical shipping addresses in the 48 continental United States (no PO Boxes), and oversize charges still apply on some heavy/large items.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Classifieds
- Obituaries
- Special Sections
- Local Guide
- Games
Oak Hill's decorated senior class, and one of the most solid to ever have played throughout Stan Hughey's tenure, left no doubts that they will be a team to beat in the postseason after a 54-24 victory over the Carroll Academy Lady Rebels Friday night. The emotional seniors shared the scoring load with other teammates and pushed the ball effectively all night, holding Carroll to no more than 10 points in any quarter. After a somewhat slow 12-4 first quarter, the Lady Raiders caught fire and scored 20 more points before halftime. The second half was much of the same for Oak Hill. Carroll never made a run to threaten the Lady Raiders, and the home fans were pleased to watch some fun basketball.
Shay Atkins was the leading scorer for Oak Hill with 15 points to go along with a team-high 11 rebounds. Rachel Herndon and Sarah Dill added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Anna Ready scored seven more. Maegen Ellis and Lauren Billington finished with five and two points, respectively, while Sydney Holton added one.
The Lady Raiders will be back in action next Friday for the second round of the district championship, facing the winner between Canton Academy and Winston Academy.


text:
Protective Coveralls - MicroMax® Hooded, Elastic Wrists and Ankles
Surcharge Note: Sizes 3XL-5XL have a $1 surcharge, which will be added at checkout.
Microporous protective clothing lets you work effectively in hot and humid environments. White color. Imported. Choose size from selection box above.
NOTE: Taller individuals should order one size larger than normal. Specify size: S-5XL.
*EPA Level C protection should be used when atmospheric contaminants, liquid splashes, or other direct contact will not adversely affect or be absorbed through any exposed skin. Coveralls alone are not sufficient for total Level C protection. Check product labels for respiratory-, face-, hand- and foot-protection requirements.
EPA Level D protection may be sufficient when the atmosphere contains no known hazard and work functions won't expose you to significant splashes, immersion, or unexpected contact with hazardous levels of chemicals. Coveralls alone are not sufficient for total Level D protection. Check product labels for face-, hand- and foot-protection requirements.
WARNING: There are environments and uses for which these coveralls are unsuitable. It is the responsibility of the user to review available data to verify that the garment is appropriate for the intended use and meets all government and industry standards. Avoid open flame or intense heat.
NOTE: Due to the thousands of pesticide formulations available today, it's impossible to determine if a particular garment protects against a specific chemical. Therefore, we recommend testing the clothing against the chemical before using.
View all Coveralls
See coverall sizing chart to select proper size.
2015 Master Catalog: Page 57


text:
In a talk to patients in London on 3rd September, Dr. W. Ian Lipkin described the extraordinary lengths he and his team are prepared to go to in order to track down the source of an illness, with examples ranging from autism to the strange case of Kawasaki disease.
Discuss the article on the Forums.
Nagalase/GcMaf 101
Discussion in 'GcMAF' started by soulfeast, Oct 15, 2013.


text:
What's that saying... "Good men come and go, but amazing shoes are forever"? No really, regardless of your Facebook relationship status we think everyone needs a bit of love on Valentine's Day. And we are pretty darn sure you'll be crazy-besotted with at least all of these to-die-for heels.
*shoes may not actually be able to send flowers, or make breakfast due to lack of hands, however you just know they want to.


text:
WORST: Veronica Webb looked more S&M than supermodel at the NYC premiere of For Colored Girls, wearing a bright red leather dress.
BEST: Jamie Lynn Sigler sparkled in classy style at the opening night of the Broadway production of Driving Miss Daisy in NYC, pairing a sequin top with a black pencil skirt and patent leather heels.
Ramey Photo
WORST: Halle Berry needed to shed a few layers, stepping out in Los Angeles in too many buckles, buttons and grommets.
WORST: Janet Jackson had the right idea with her red and black Haider Ackerman ensemble at the New York premiere of For Colored Girls, but that sheer chiffon train just ruined the whole thing!
INF Photo
WORST: Macy Gray had a fringe faux pas at the NYC premiere of For Colored Girls, also wearing too many accessories with her already dramatic and attention-grabbing dress.
INF Photo
BEST: Kerry Washington looked divine at the New York premiere of For Colored Girls, wearing a multi-colored Missoni gown, which looked like it was made for her.
INF Photo
WORST: We got dizzy just looking at Loretta Devine's busily patterned dress, let alone all of her accessories.
INF Photo
BEST: Thandie Newton opted for a minimalist grey sleeveless Calvin Klein dress for the NYC premiere of For Colored Girls, pairing the sheath with Calvin Klein heels.
INF Photo
BEST: A startlingly skinny Mandy Moore was spotted out and about in Hollywood, all dressed up in an uber-glam lace cocktail dress and sleek booties.
INF Photo
BEST: Ciara rocked a fab poufy dress to the NYC premiere of For Colored Girls, pairing the fun frock with leopard print Christian Louboutin booties.
INF Photo
WORST: Macy Gray wore a wacky green top with an even wackier cardigan, while out and about in NYC.
INF Photo
BEST: Eva Mendes looked absolutely divine at the Glamour Reel Moments event, wearing a strapless bustier Lela Rose cocktail dress with a Salvatore Ferragamo clutch and heels.
BEST: Jessica Biel brought out the bombshell in a sheer lace Oscar de la Renta Resort 2011 cocktail dress, which she belted in black and paired with peep-toed platforms.
BEST: Demi Moore looked oh-so-sexy at the Glamour Reel Moments event, pairing Bird by Juicy Couture leggings with a Balmain blouse, Topshop jacket and Brian Atwood pumps.
INF Photo
WORST: Mia Wasikowska hit the Hollywood Awards Gala in a gorgeous Proenza Schouler cocktail dress, then faux pas'd the look with black tights.
INF Photo
WORST: Milla Jovovich experienced a fashion flop at the Hollywood Awards Gala, wearing an awkwardly draped orange frock with turquoise embellished white platforms.
INF Photo
BEST: Cindy Crawford showed off her casually chic supermodel style, while filming a segment for Extra at The Grove.
WORST: You know what they say about white after Labor Day, Joan Collins!
WORST: Julianne Moore hit the London premiere of The Kids Are Alright wearing a color-blocked Lanvin dress with heels from the same collection.
Splash News
WORST: Manbag alert! Jermaine Jackson was out about in London, carrying a reptilian purse in fem fashion.
Tuesday Best & Worst of Fashion


text:
There's a mini-controversy about pricing for Allod's Online. Keen has details. Allod's Online is a Free-To-Play game that started out in Russia. Apparently prices in the North American game are 10-20x times higher. (Keen says 20x, but all his examples are only 10x.) A bag that costs $2 in Russia costs $20 in the NA version.
So all the vocal gamers, parsimonious creatures that they are, are up in arms over this.
I don't know if the price is too high or too low. But consider this: Russia is a poorer country than the United States. Its GDP-Per-Capita is roughly a fifth of that of the States. Is it really so unreasonable to believe that if people in Russia are willing to pay $2, people in the States would be willing to pay much more? Heck, this is the land of $5 coffees!
I think a lot of times gamers take it as an article of faith that there is a large segment of people who are willing to pay small amounts of money to a micro-transaction shop. But maybe that group doesn't actually exist. Maybe the two major groups are people who will pay nothing, and people who will pay a lot. In that case, it's the best strategy to get as much money out of that second group as possible.
Edit: Also, the other thing that struck me was that there is a "level 10 rune that was $689 is now $6,890." Now, I have a hard time believing someone will pay $7000 for an item, but then again, I have a hard time believing someone paid $700. If the $700 item sold, then it is entirely possible the $7000 one will too.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Allods Online Pricing
There's a mini-controversy about pricing for Allod's Online. Keen has details. Allod's Online is a Free-To-Play game that started out in Russia. Apparently prices in the North American game are 10-20x times higher. (Keen says 20x, but all his examples are only 10x.) A bag that costs $2 in Russia costs $20 in the NA version.
12 comments:
- Carson 63000 said...
As I understand it, the "$7000 rune" is a bit of a hyperbole. Apparently it is theoretically possible to create a level 10 rune by combining 512 normal runes and a bunch of crystals - bought from the cash shop - or some such thing.
And if anyone were to do this, it would cost $7000. But nobody ever would. It's like in Runes of Magic, I'm not sure there is any actual limit on how far you can enhance an item. I think I saw a spreadsheet which calculated prices up to several million dollars for a ludicrously enhanced weapon.
- 10:23 PM, February 22, 2010
- Stabs said...
A titan (a type of ship) in Eve has an estimated value over $7000 and there are over 300 of them.
Most are produced as a result of the joint efforts of many people but i wouldn't be surprised if some were financed with real cash.
- 12:02 AM, February 23, 2010
- Elladrion said...
I keep hearing about Eve's real-dollar amounts for ships and stuff, how is that calculated? Is it based on how much in-game money it costs to buy and how much that money costs directly from illegal gold-sellers in the game? or do you actually have the option of purchasing in-game money directly through micro-tansactions? Is it some sort of Ebay-based amount like osme old evrquest items and characters were?
As to the original post, I'd bet the dollar amount is important, but not as important as ease of transaction. If oyu have to type in a credi-card number and exp date for every one I doubt you'd sell nearly as many as larger dollar items tied directly to your monthly billing. I know I've personally ordered stuff from stores that took paypal over stores that required a seprate signup and I've skipped over on some character recustomizes in WoW becuase it's not directly tied to my billing, and by the time I get the wallet and card out I've had the time to rethink the worth of that $10 or $15
- 2:10 AM, February 23, 2010
- Fricassee said...
I think the cost of things in Eve is driven by the PLEX (Pilot License Extension). Eve has decided that when you buy a time card, you can convert them into an in-game item that you can then sell as an auction. You can't take them out of your hangar, so they're safe and can't be stolen.
Those items sell for about 270-280 mil IST, and cost 15.95 IRL, so they've got a direct conversion there. I might be wrong, they might just do it by how much stuff sells for on eBay.
- 6:04 AM, February 23, 2010
- Anonymous said...
Not really sure about the Russian economy... only that the big cities in Russia (e.g. Moscow, etc) are more expensive to live and vacation in than Paris, Vienna, etc.
- 7:02 AM, February 23, 2010
- Odius said...
I'd like to know where they come up wtih the $7000 number for an eve titan. I've heard they cost around 70bil isk if you're the end user and around 40bil isk in pure materials cost. so that's about $2275 in materials coast or $4000 to buy it outright. That's using a 280mil isk = $15.95 conversion rate. $4000(or even $2275) is quite a bit different from the quoted $7000. I'd like to know they came up with that number.
- 7:07 AM, February 23, 2010
- jMD said...
I used to think purchases like that were ridiculous, but now I'm wearing a 5000$ watch I bought to fit in with my coworker at my new job, so I'm not as quick to judge.
What you are really buying are is social acceptance. You are paying your way up a social ladder. While it is virtual in this case, people have always paid money, either directly or indirectly, for status.
- 10:51 AM, February 23, 2010
- Chris said...
7 grand and I could pay off my sport bike and have some left over. Even 700 sounds crazy to me.
- 2:43 PM, February 23, 2010
- Pangoria Fallstar said...
$7000 is rent for over half a year... or 70,000 packets of Top Ramen.
Either way, I'd be homeless or starving, which means I couldn't use the blasted thing anyways, so why bother?
- 12:31 AM, February 25, 2010
- Anonymous said...
It's silly to think a group of low-paying customers do not exist. Take FreeRealms as an example, who just released flying dragon mounts for $5 and are selling like hotcakes.
Also consider the popularity of inexpensively-priced downloads from iTunes/iPhone. People are readily tossing a dollar here and there for minor conveniences.
There's money to be made here. Some companies are just too slow/set in their ways to understand they need to implement new business tactics.
- 12:01 PM, February 26, 2010
- Duffster said...
SHOCK NEWS - Companies charge their customers what they can afford!
- 1:40 PM, March 03, 2010
- Orwin said...
The bag wasn't the biggest problem, it was paying $20 for a perfume that would allow you to self rez otherwise you would have to wait 2 hours to be restored to life or paying for food to make your mount move faster than walking speed(mount walked as fast as your character) These were the biggest gripes since they were originally one charge per $20
- 3:30 PM, March 18, 2010


text:
Advancement News
Fashion School Receives $1 Million GrantPosted Dec. 1, 2008
The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation on Nov. 24 formally presented Kent State University with a $1 million grant in support of the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising.
The grant, payable in equal installments over the next 10 years, will fund a portion of the school's directorship. The funds will provide support for the current director and will be a valuable tool for recruiting future school leaders. It is among the largest gifts ever awarded to the Fashion School.
"Mrs. Morgan and her late husband, Burt, became leading advocates for the Fashion School at its inception," Kent State President Lester A. Lefton says. "This latest gift from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation illustrates a deep understanding of the priorities that will help the school to continue to soar in excellence. Support of the directorship allows us to maintain the outstanding leadership begun during Elizabeth Rhodes' tenure."
The foundation's grant is the latest in a series that have provided significant support for the school.
"We look for world-class quality leadership that allows us to leverage our grant-investments, and Elizabeth is clearly one of those exceptional leaders of vision," says Rick Kellar, Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation president. "We are delighted to recognize her legacy impact on the School of Fashion, and are enthusiastic partners in the next phase of the school's growth and excellence."
"When the Fashion School at Kent was announced, Peg decided she would make a fashion design career possible for young students, and she established the largest endowed scholarship program in the school. Her generosity and the generosity of her foundation have helped the school grow to be recognized as one of the most outstanding fashion-education programs in the nation," school Director Elizabeth Rhodes says.
Previously, Margaret Clark Morgan and the foundation have provided significant support for scholarships; the Fashion School's NYC Studio; and Portfolio, the school's annual student fashion show. A technology endowment, funded by Morgan at more than $1 million, has provided for the majority of computers and technology at the school. The Burton D. and Margaret C. Morgan Wing in Rockwell Hall was dedicated in 2007.


text:
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com | Twitter: @WWLTV
NEWORLEANS-- Authorities are looking for a man who started a fire inside an Algiers Raising Cane's Friday evening, according to the New Orleans Fire Department.
Shortly before 10 p.m., an employee said that a man in a hooded sweatshirt carrying a plastic jug with a clear liquid inside walked into the restaurant in the 4000 block of Behrman Highway. He walked to the center booth in the dining area, dumped the liquid and used a lighter to set the fire, according to the NOFD.
No customers were inside the restaurant at the time the fire started, but six employees were working.
Fire officials said that the man ran from the restaurant after starting the fire. The six employees were able to escape the fire.
The fire was brought under control around 10:45 p.m.
The fire is under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.


text:
Twenty-two women attending Howard University began an organization in 1913 hoping to make strides in community service and education.
One hundred years later, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. has more than 250,000 members, including nearly 90 who represent the Kinston Alumnae Chapter.
Thousands of Delta women geared up for the New Year with their centennial on Jan. 13.
Local chapter members will invite area sorors — members of the same sorority — at the Woodmen Community Center on Jan. 26 for the Kinston centennial celebration.
"One hundred years ago, our 22 founders had a vision to impact community service," said chapter Vice President Lendell Fields Wayne, who's been a member since 1985. "(The centennial) gives us a chance to let the community see and be a part of what we do on an ongoing basis."
Sorority members will have a private ceremony followed by a public reception.
"We will rededicate ourselves to the ideas and the mission (of our founders)," said Wayne, a retired teacher of 33 years. "The rededication is going to be the highlight of the local chapter's involvement in our 100th."
The 55-year-old alumnae chapter, part of the South Atlantic region, has also hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations for area nursing homes and mentoring programs for Lenoir County's youth over the years.
"We provide workshops on issues of today (and) what we think our kids need to know about what's going on in the world," said Eleanor Mills Harvey, the chapter's immediate past president and a retired educator. "Our main objective is service."
The current president is Erin Harvey, Eleanor's daughter-in-law.
Eleanor Harvey and Wayne said the sorority exemplifies outstanding sisterhood with its unique bond.
"Membership in Delta Sigma Theta is a lifetime commitment," they said unanimously last week.
The pair attended N.C. Central University and became educators.
"Like all sisters, you have your disagreements," Harvey said, "but if one of us falls, all of us fall."
That means they take the rap for each other and hold equal responsibility during tough times.
Greek-lettered organizations are often associated with negative stereotypes around hazing — activities involving harassment, abuse and humiliation.
"We don't have that problem in the Kinston-Lenoir County chapter," Wayne said. "Your chapter will be immediately revoked if you (haze). That's not what our founders stood for."
If hazing-related incidents, typically on college campuses, occur, it has to be investigated from a national stance.
"We believe in educating, not harassing people," said Harvey, who's been a member of the local chapter since 1978.
In 2013, members still celebrate history and service through re-enacting historical events, such as the Women's Suffrage March. Some local Deltas have already signed up to travel to the D.C. area for various national events in the next few months.
Delta Sigma Theta was also the first black sorority to participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., which they did again this year for the Rose Bowl celebration.
"I feel very privileged to be part of an organization that supports the issues important to me as a retired educator and mother of an African American male student," Wayne said. "I don't take it lightly."
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.
Meet Me Monday
Kinston Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
- Started in 1958 by 20 founders
- President, Erin Harvey
- Contact: PO Box 2346, Kinston, NC 28502-2346
Fun Fact: Two original charter members are still active in the community


text:
|Shopping cart is empty.
Give your family and friends a keepsake that will last long after the wedding. Our Save the Date Magnets are beautifully printed on premium magnetic stock.
Once we receive your order, our design team will start design process. Each order is customized and typeset to fit your wording onto your favorite design the best way possible.
We will email you a PDF Proof in 3 business days. We want to make sure your design exactly how you like it. If you have any changes, please let us know and you will receive up to 2 free updated proofs.
Once you email us your approval we will begin the printing process, which takes 3 business days. You will receive an email with the tracking info as soon as your order ships out.


text:
Budget and Appropriations
February 27, 2015
Letter from higher education association presidents to House and Senate budget committee leaders, urging Congress to repeal the 2013 sequestration cuts and give a high priority to higher education and research funding in the FY 2016 budget...
November 25, 2014
Letter to Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-KS) expressing strong opposition to any effort to use funding...
August 11, 2014
Letter to Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in appreciation for their support of international education in the FY 2015...
February 18, 2014
Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders on higher education funding for FY 2015, which the committees will soon begin drafting.
January 14, 2014
Letter sent to the House of Representatives in support of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, the omnibus spending package which would fund all federal government agencies through Sept. 30.
December 12, 2013
This bill would provide needed stability to federal funding, and is a positive step toward reversing some of the detrimental cuts of sequestration in fiscal years 2014 and 2015.
November 1, 2013
ACE and 34 higher education associations sent this letter to Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray to request they consider eliminating the FY 2014 sequestration spending reductions and prioritize investments in higher education and research in any...
September 20, 2013
Letter from ACE President Molly Corbett Broad and the leaders of 22 other higher education groups to the House of Representatives Sept. 20 expressing concern over the drastic funding cuts proposed for the National Endowment for the Humanities.
November 17, 2011
Expresses the higher education community's desire to assist in finding a solution to the existing $1.3 billion shortfall in the Pell Grant program.
October 14, 2011
As Congress considers the FY 2012 funding levels for the Education Department, this letter urges members to reject the massive cuts to funding for MSIs.


text:
Infrared thermometers can help find heating, cooling issues
By Cris Carl, Networx
Heating and cooling in the Fargo region is noted to be 50 percent of home energy costs by the University of North Dakota Extension Service. In an article by the university they suggest the use of an infrared thermometer to determine if more insulation is needed.
Insulation and sealing your home is an excellent tactic to reduce heating and cooling costs no matter where you live and an inferred thermometer generally costs around $50.
The infrared thermometer is used to compare the temperature of the inside of an exterior wall versus an interior wall of the same room. If you have a large difference in temperature between the two, more insulation is recommended. You can also use the inferred thermometer to detect air leaks.
If you're operating an HVAC system in Milwaukee, Fargo or any other climate with large temperature changes, consider an infrared thermometer.
Source: http://www.networx.com/blog/hvac-tip-infrared-thermometer
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Men's Basketball Posts Three Double-Doubles and Place Six Total in Double Figures During 86-76 Win over St. Andrews
February 14, 2011
MISENHEIMER, N.C. Three players posted double-doubles on Monday night, a part of six Falcons in double figures, as Pfeiffer University registered an 86-76 victory over St. Andrews in Conference Carolinas mens basketball inside the Merner Gym. The win clinches a playoff spot for the Falcons in the upcoming tournament as they improve to 10-12 overall, 8-6 in league play. The loss sends the Knights down to 12-11, 8-7.
Both teams saw a tied contest eight times in the first half as Chris Woods (Thomasville, NC) knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Falcons a 30-29 lead with 7:09 remaining in the first. After Pfeiffer went up by as much as nine on jumpers from Eli Gillis (Largo, FL) and Elijah Matthews (Clinton, MD), St. Andrews closed out the first half on a 10-2 run as Pfeiffer held a slim 43-42 advantage at recess.
The Knights carried that first half momentum into the second as Ryan Streater (Charlotte, NC) gave the visitors a nine point, 54-45 lead just four minutes in. Pfeiffer trimmed the lead down to one on a three from Yuki Yamaguchi (Tokyo, JAPAN) before re-taking the lead on another triple from Josh Humphrey (Matthews, NC) with 13:35 remaining. Both triples were a part of a Falcon 14-0 run to get the lead back out to nine at the halfway point of the second.
A Michael Dunkins (Candor, NC) free throw got the Knights to within one, 67-66 with exactly seven minutes on the board until SAPC grabbed a one point lead on a triple by Chris Sumski (Charlotte, NC) with 4:11 to go. Another 9-0 run by the Falcons quickly sealed the deal as Davon Gilliard (Charleston, SC) sparked the streak with a made free throw, offensive rebound and quick lay in with two minutes left. Late free throws by Gilliard, Matthews and Humphrey gave the Falcons their 10 point cushion.
Woods led the Falcons with 22 points and 14 rebounds while Gilliard scored 15 with 10 boards. Humphrey had the third double-double of the night going with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Yamaguchi concluded with 11 points while Matthews and Gillis each had 10. The Knights were led by Marvin Jacksons (Gloucester, VA) game high 30 points with 14 boards. Aaron Christian (New Bedford, MA) was the only other Knight in double digits.
Pfeiffer will now begin a three-game road trip beginning on Thursday night at Barton. The Falcons and Bulldogs are set for a 7:30 p.m. tip from Wilson.


text:
Orlando Science Center's exhibit halls feature a vast array of exciting interactive experiences! Learning has never been so fun with these hands on educational exhibits. From down to earth explorations in natural science to the high-tech world of simulation technology, everywhere you look, you'll find educational and entertaining opportunities to explore, experiment, and discover.
Traveling Exhibits
The Orlando Science Center is home to some of the most exciting traveling exhibits in the country. When these exhibits are in town they are only here for a limited time, so don't miss the opportunity to see them!
Exhibit Halls
As great as our traveling exhibits are, there are some exhibits that are the staple of the Orlando Science Center. NatureWorks will have you up close and personal with some of nature's most fascinating reptiles. At DinoDigs, you'll step back into the prehistoric age. Discover the dynamic forces and systems that shape our Earth, as well as other planets in Our Planet, Our Universe. Explore such concepts as electricity and magnetism, lasers, soundwaves, and nature's forces in Science Park. No visit to the Science Center is complete without a trip to KidsTown, an interactive world dedicated to our smaller explorers.
Science Live! Programs
What's the difference between a great visit to a Science Center and a memorable visit? Live programs. Our exhibits are designed to inspire curiosity and exploration, our Science Live! programs are designed to bring the exhibits to life. Whether it's a show in the Digital Adventure Theater or a one-to-one interaction with a volunteer at the Crosby Observatory, our live programs create the kind of impact that can last a lifetime.
Science Stations
Looking for little more "hard science" in your next Science Center visit? Look no further than the Science Stations located throughout the facility. Science Stations are a cross between exhibits and live programs in that they're exhibits that typically include a live program to truly bring the experience to life. Science Stations provide an in-depth look at their respective subject matter in an entertaining way. Be sure to check your program schedule to see which Science Stations are conducting demonstrations on the day of your next visit.
Crosby Observatory
The aluminum-domed Crosby Observatory atop Orlando Science Center houses Florida's largest publicly accessible refractor telescope. This one-of-a-kind custom-built telescope, along with several smaller scopes, are available at selected times for solar and night sky viewing.
13 February 2013
Posted in Dr. Dare's Lab
Do you believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Many of us have the idea that a person's attractiveness is purely subjective or that human beauty is up for interpretation.
Believe it or not, these ideas are fairly outdated—by 2,400 years! There is actually hard science behind what we perceive as attractive.
Pythagoras was the first to consider the math behind what humans consider "beautiful." He came up with the idea of Phi, an irrational number from which he derived the Golden Ratio. This ratio, 1:1.618, is believed to be the most aesthetically pleasing to the human eye.


text:
Move over, iron. After a 76-year run as an iconic Monopoly token, Hasbro just announced the iron will be replaced…by a cat! Joining the other classic tokens, the new feline piece conquered the competition—a toy robot, guitar, helicopter and diamond ring—in a contest on the Monopoly Facebook page. This is the very first time game fans have had a choice in which tokens to add and which to toss.
While we're a bit sad to see the iron go, we think voters made the right choice. How about you?
P.S. Check out some of the super-cute cats currenty available at the ASPCA.
In my opinion the monopoly tokens have to be made to stand up cause not many of them can stand up which makes the game harder to move around the board.
What a relief! Everybody wants to be the dog in Monopoly, now there's an equally fun choice. The iron will be missed, but not much...
Finally.. I hated the iron... I love cats (big or small)


text:
See the sordid and spooky on Seattle tours
Shawna Miller serves as the "mortician" for Spooked in Seattle.
Samuel Wilson / The Herald
On a Sept. 14 tour, Spooked in Seattle guide Megan Houchin shows her group a photo of a woman who is said to haunt the Bainbridge Island ferry.
Samuel Wilson / The Herald
Spooked in Seattle guide Megan Houchin gives a tour under the intersection of First Avenue and Cherry Street in Seattle.
Samuel Wilson / The Herald
Spooked in Seattle tourists listen to an audio file with in which a ghost is claimed to be heard underneath the intersection of First Avenue and Cherry Street in Seattle.
That's when the hobgoblins set up shop.
Silhouettes appear in windows. Spirits duel it out in a walk-in freezer. Listen closely and you can hear lullabies from the legendary lady barber who'd sing her customers to sleep and then empty their pockets.
Ghost tours bring the hoary market to life -- and death.
Haunted tours are offered around Seattle all year, but are especially popular in October. There are lots of options. Shop around for the fright right for you.
Some tour companies claim to have bona fide paranormal investigators, while others pride themselves in not using cheap frights and parlor tricks to spook.
Spooked in Seattle says its guides tell stories that are 100 percent true: No made up tales just to scare you. And the tour business uses real ghost-hunting equipment on treks through the alleys and underground of Seattle.
For youngsters, there's a special "kiddie tour" with stories of the children that are rumored to haunt the city.
Private Eye Tours shuttles people in vans around Seattle neighborhoods on various murder and mystery tours, complete with cemetery stops. Beware: This isn't kid stuff.
"We recommend ages 12 and above because a lot is adult subject matter," Private Eye Tours owner Jake Jacobson said. "We talk about brothels, and some parents don't want their kids to hear that. And a lot of ghosts are produced by murder or suicide or accidental death."
Jacobson sticks with the facts. "It's all true. It's been well researched."
Still, some things can't be explained. "A couple months ago a woman had her hair pulled on the tour," Jacobson said. "There was no one around her. It was in an alley in the Chinatown-International District. She was standing by this door. She said, 'Somebody has been pulling on my hair.'"
That might sound more up Anthony McDonald's alley. He markets his Original Ghost Tours of Pioneer Square as the most controversial ghost tour in the U.S.
"There is a shocker at the end of the tour," McDonald said. "We're out to shock people not scare them. People hate it or they love it. There's no in-between."
He adds hysterics to history. "It's a blend of fact and fiction," he said.
Market Ghost Tours has a mortuary investigation tour that's sure to rattle your bones.
Believe it. Or not.
"Oh, yeah. We love skeptics," Market Ghost Tours owner Mercedes Carrabba said.
She fearlessly takes groups through the eerie chambers of what was once a mortuary at Pike Place Market. There's now an Irish pub in the building.
"We want people to connect with the market's history," Carrabba said. "It's very interactive."
She was raised a "market rat" at Pike Place.
"I was 9 years old when my father started the tour in 1980s. We used to do it only on Halloween night," she said.
Now, every night is fright night.
There are even haunted pub crawls for those who like spirits with their spirits.
Reservations are required for most tours.
Some require parental discretion.
An open mind also helps.
Or not.
If you go
Private Eye Tours: "True Crime Tours" and "Seattle Ghost Tours." Tours are by van and last several hours.
Cost: $28
Information: 206-365-3739, www.privateeyetours.com
Market Ghost Tours: Guided walking tours of Pike Place Market. Shop is at 1499 Post Alley, below the main entrance of the market.
Cost: $16.50 to $20 for adults
Information: 206-805-0195, www.seattleghost.com
Spooked in Seattle: Guided walking tours, a weekend haunted pub crawl in Pioneer Square and a ghost-busting trip for kids. The event center, 102 Cherry St., has movie nights, game nights, meetings and a gift shop.
Cost: $16 to $30 for adults
Information: 425-954-7701, www.spookedinseattle.com
The Original Ghost Tours of Pioneer Square: Weekly tour around Pioneer Square.
Cost: $16
Information: 206-326-9582, www.theoriginalghosttoursofpioneersquare.com
Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; email@example.com.
- The Buzz: Fright night 9/28/13
Share your comments: Log in using your HeraldNet account or your Facebook, Twitter or Disqus profile. Comments that violate the rules are subject to removal. Please see our terms of use. Please note that you must verify your email address for your comments to appear.
You are logged in using your HeraldNet ID. Click here to update your profile. | Log out.
Our new comment system is not supported in IE 7. Please upgrade your browser here.


text:
Main Content
This item ships within one business day.
$4.99 flat rate shipping. See other shipping options.
Fashion fads come and go, so write your own style in this Scripted tee from Affliction's American Customs Collection. This raglan tee features a distressed printed fleurs de lis, lightning bolts and branding on the front and back, and a sewn-on brand patch at the front bottom hem, so you can watch as everyone takes note of your killer style!
- 100% Cotton fabric
- Distressed screen print graphics
- Imported
- Lightweight ladies raglan T-shirt
- Model is 5'7" and measures 34-26-35
- Model shown is wearing size XS
- Rib-knit collar
- Sewn-on brand patch
- Tagless collar
Affliction Customers also liked:
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


text:
It is often said that "children are our most valuable resources."
If that is coming out of a parent's mouth, it is probably meant with the best of intentions.
If those are the words of a politician or a political change agent, the meaning is likely entirely different.
While parents naturally see children as the next in line to take up the torch for the previous generation, politicians view kids as nothing more than human resources or pawns.
Children have unwittingly become the pawns in a vicious political game of Chess, with politicians and bureaucrats charged with protecting special interests (the Queen and King) in the back.
We've seen our national leaders shamelessly exploit children to push a political agenda against the Second Amendment.
We hear our state leaders, Democrat and Republican, using the "this is what's best for our children" card to promote whatever education scheme their particular party endorses.
Some of our Republican leaders have at least had the guts to state that the ultimate agenda of education "reform" surrounds industry and jobs.
Money is the root of this evil Chess game.
Since the game began, thousands of Mississippi students have been sent to the front lines to fight the bureaucrats' war.
Psychological warfare and mass testing have been the greatest weapons used by the Educational Industrial Complex.
Some students survive, only to live out the rest of their lives with Post Testing Stress Disorder (College Remediation). The rest are left for academic dead in no man's land.
Many who have come out against charter schools have done so on the premise that they are against "for-profit" schools being set up in the state.
The psychological war profiteering that has gone on in this state, thanks to the Mississippi Department of Education's inept and flawed education policy far exceeds any amount of profit that will be made through charter schools.
Untold millions of taxpayer dollars are spent each year on education consultants by school districts. Do you think that these consultants are there as part of community service?
Teachers and administrators who have left their positions to become consultants often double or triple their yearly salaries by doing so.
And let's not forget the teachers and administrators who collect a check each month from the school district. They are not doing charity work.
Today's culture teaches us that "profit" is a bad word. It tells us that people who want to make money in life are greedy.
Profit is a good word. There, I said it.
The more our culture denounces capitalism and competition, the lower our productivity has gotten and the higher our unemployment has risen.
Thus, non-competitive (differentiation or work at your own pace) curriculum has had the same devastating effects on test scores and academic performance.
Proponents of charter schools say they will serve to inject competition into the system. That would work well if education operated within the tradition capitalist framework. It does not.
There is a reason why the curriculum has been changed within the Social Studies to make teaching the concepts of capitalism a parting gift for high school seniors instead of it being a part of the curriculum throughout the child's life.
Capitalism is the bane of the behavioralist culture.
If a Mississippi school district has an operating budget of $30 million, it is likely to receive only a small portion of its funding from local taxes.
The vast majority of the money comes from state funding, with the Federal government coming in second.
This system has created a culture of dependency with these social programs for education.
Instead of the district realizing it begins its fiscal year $24 million in the red, the district only considers itself in the hole if it does not receive the same amount of state and federal dollars it got the previous year.
Thus, the incentive for the district is not to try to make itself self-sustaining financially, but instead devote all of its resources to making sure the federal and state checks keep rolling.
Where truancy was once seen as a tragedy for the individual missing his/her education, it has now become a tragedy for the school missing federal and state dollars.
Where a meal once served to provide a student with nutrition for the day, school food is now a weapon in the war for federal money.
Where tests were once used to gauge people on an individual level, they are now used as one portion of a formula to grade the collective for overall school grading that is tied to, you guessed it, money.
School districts have spent millions of dollars bringing behavior psychologists into classrooms, while ridding their entire school system of textbooks.
So when they say, "we need mandatory early childhood development" rest assured that there is but only one thing at the root of this calculated Chess move-money.
When they tell you they want to consolidate your districts to "save on administrative costs" they only intend to deny communities of elected representation and centralize the money and political power into fewer hands.
The leaders on both sides of the "reform" Chess board have promised willing participants a cozy spot in the back, next to the King and Queen.
They're putting children out on the front lines to fail folks. Don't think for one minute they won't do the same to you.
[1] mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com
[2] http://www.dailytimesleader.com/sites/default/files/bryan mug_1.jpg
[3] http://www.dailytimesleader.com/category/living-section/local-living


text:
Jacksonville was trumped by an ace Thursday night in its bid to move into a first-place tie in the Coastal 3-A Conference.
Senior right-hander Davis Kirkpatrick threw his second no-hitter this season, striking out 13 and walking three as D.H. Conley remained undefeated in the league with a 4-0 victory over the Cardinals.
Kirkpatrick (5-1), who rode his curve on a cold night along with a good helping of fastballs and even a rare changeup or two, also had a no-hitter against league foe West Craven this season, striking out 19 for the Vikings, who are 10-1 and 6-0.
The Cardinals fell to 7-3-1 and 4-2.
"He's their ace for a reason," JHS coach David Fleischer said. "There's a reason why he's got the Diamondbacks and the Braves (looking at him) and he's got a full-ride scholarship to East Carolina.
"He's got the best curveball our guys have seen all year. I think they were guessing a little bit, and they haven't seen 87, 88 (mph). They're used to 78 to 82. When you have a quality pitcher like that, sometimes guys get overanxious and we helped him out a little bit."
The Cardinals only got two balls out of the infield and the closest they came to a hit was in the sixth inning when speedy David DiCicco hit a squibbler toward first base that Kirkpatrick fielded cleanly, but his throw hit DiCicco in the back a few steps before the infield dirt for an error.
Otherwise, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Kirkpatrick was in control.
"I felt pretty good. I came out trying to get loose in the cold weather and just went out there and tried to do my job for my team," he said. "Tonight I wasn't really finding my groove, so I had to find something that was working for me. I just went to my curveball."
D.H. Conley coach Jason Mills said Kirkpatrick has been his "workhorse" this year and is the Vikings' big-game pitcher.
"He only throws against the best teams we play. So the pressure's on him," Mills said. "If he's not at his best, we're not going to win in those big games. He's pretty good."
The Cardinals didn't get a runner to third, although twice they got someone to second after a walk — oddly enough, two of Kirkpatrick's three free passes came on four straight pitches — and a stolen base.
But each time Kirkpatrick worked out of the mild threats.
Against a pitcher like that, Fleischer said hitters have to make the most of what is likely to be limited opportunities at a good pitch to hit.
"With a kid with a good curveball like that…, you might only get one or maybe two good pitches to hit in your entire at bat, so when that fastball comes you can't afford to take. We just didn't make the adjustment," he said.
The Vikings got all the runs they needed in the first inning against Jacob Kinnett (3-2). Thompson Brown led off the game with a double on the first pitch from Kinnett, went to second on a single by Kirkpatrick and scored on a ground out.
Kirkpatrick stole third and scored on a single by Matt Boyd with two outs.
D.H. Conley got a run-scoring single by Dylan Nichols in the fourth, again with two outs, and then made it 4-0 in the sixth when Brown doubled and scored on Bryant Packard's single to left field.
While not happy the Cardinals lost, Fleischer said his club can't dwell on the loss with the Touchstone Energy Baseball Classic next week and then the remainder of the league schedule still ahead.
"It's just one of those things. We've got to move on," he said. "We're right there in the thick of things for a conference championship. Ryan Thompson, our ace, has been out (with shin splints). We're hopefully going to get him back the second half of the season.
"I'm very proud of our guys. We played toe-to-toe with them defensively."
D.H. Conley 200 101 0— 4 8 1
Jacksonville 000 000 0— 0 0 1
WP—Kirkpatrick (5-1) 7 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 13 K 3 BB. LP—Kinnett (3-2) 7 IP 8 H 4 R 3 ER 3 K 3 BB. LEADING HITTERS—