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Editor's Picks: Laura B. Whitmore's Favorite Acoustic Albums of 2013
Editor's Picks: Laura B. Whitmore's Favorite Acoustic Albums of 2013
Acoustic instruments have been taking center stage in all genres, and I say, good for us!
There's no denying, this is the decade that acoustic comes into its own. From the rootsiest traditional down-home country, to bluegrass, soul, rock, funk and pop and beyond, acoustic instruments have been taking center stage in all genres, and I say, good for us!
Having stepped up to the plate at Acoustic Nation as we launched in October of 2013, I admit I might have missed a few gems from the beginning of the year. But as a lover of all things acoustic and musical, I can assure you, there are some worthy listens that follow just awaiting your willing ears.
Here are some of my faves of 2013. I'm sure you've got some of your own. Let us know!
James Blunt – Moon Landing
I was lucky enough to see the fabulous Mr. Blunt live this year at the Live in the Vineyard concert. Man, so GOOD! His live version of "Bonfire Heart" was rousing to say the least. And that song is creatively written and catchy at the same time. Blunt is clearly a master of the craft, with sweet guitar and ethereal vocals soaring above. I can't get enough of Moon Landing!
Here's the official video for "Bonfire Heart"
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Bouncing back from Hurricane Sandy, Abraham Merchant (Merchant Rivers House) unveiled a beer-focused waterfront bar on the restored Pier 15. On offer are sea-inspired bar bites like lobster rolls, fish-and-chips, crab cakes and shrimp cocktail with heirloom tomato gazpacho. Sip local craft beers like Bluepoint on red bar stools as you watch sports games on seven flatscreens or, better yet, take in scenic skyline views through the floor-to-ceiling windows. During the day, the bar also doles out cones of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, sorbets and frozen yogurt, fit for indulging your inner kid as you soak up rays on the outdoor deck.
Watermark Bar
|Venue name:
|Watermark Bar
Pier 15, 78 South St
New York
|Cross street:
|between Fletcher and John Sts
|Opening hours:
|Mon–Wed, Sun 11am–midnight; Thu–Sat 11am–2am
|Subway: 2, 3 to Wall St; A, C, J, Z, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Fulton St
|Average drink: $8. AmEx, Disc, MC, V

subset: commoncrawl


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Premiering for the first time in Skylight Music Theatre's 54 year history is the beloved musical, The Sound of Music, the true story of the von Trapp Family singers complete with cherished Rogers and Hammerstein melodies. Skylight's production of the classic musical will feature the largest cast to date with a total of 62 members. Twenty-three of those members are youth actors from the local Milwaukee area including one from Mequon.
Gaby Musickant (Brigitta) – Gaby is a twelve-year-old seventh grader who is thrilled to be making her Skylight debut! Her favorite roles have been as May in B. in Jingle Bells Batman Smells! at First Stage and as Molly in Annie at Shorewood Players. She will be playing the role of Pink in Pinkalicious at First Stage this spring. In addition to theatre, Gaby loves singing, dance,viola and playing with her dog, Yogi.
The show will run from November 16 to December 31 in the Cabot Theatre. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Skylight box office at 414-291-7800 or online at www.skylightmusictheatre.org. Filled with childhood favorites like "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things" and "Edelweiss", The Sound of Music is the perfect family show for the holiday season!
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I have a directory under subversion control. I created a branch out of it just to test merging stuff. I took a file, modified line X in the trunk as "abc" and modified the same line X as "def" in its branch.
Then, from the branch working dir I did:
svn merge branchURL trunkURL .
It updated the file with the content as "abc" at that line number, i.e. it did not give me a conflict at the same line number as
svn update would have given me if I had done it in the same working dir and someone had committed the "def" in the repository.
So does the
svn merge just replace the content while merging and not bring any conflicts?
And if so the very reason of branching out a proj dir out of main trunk would be useless when one can't merge in a way so as to keep both the changes in trunk and branch.


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Over 11,000 cycling for charity in Ring of Kerry
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Munster's biggest charity event is underway in Kerry since shortly before dawn. Traffic diversions are in place throughout the 180km Ring of Kerry as (...)
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While this rivalry occasionally produces the unexpected, the trend is clear: Kerry win more often than Cork. That trend hardens in Killarney, where(...)
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Back to the track once more for Davy Fitz and his stable of young colts. If there's no particular mystery in the outcome here, Clare are never less(...)
CityJet to run 18 weekly flights between Cork and London
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CityJet has confirmed plans to operate 18 flights a week between Cork and London City Airport from October. The airline's executive chairman Pat Byrne(...)
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Tyrone 1-14 Limerick 0-8 Ring-rusty Tyrone are back on the road, having seen off Limerick with the minimum of fuss and an economy of style at Healy P(...)
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text: Wow, what a stunning place. The location is second to none, the cottages are superb in every way. The views are stunning, the cottages are set right in the heart of woodlands. When we first visited, we all thought we were in Heaven. It is so beautiful. The faclities include, Tennis Courts, Babrbecue, Swimming Pool and what the Aussies term... More


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News from the Kansas City region
Posted by Bill Graham on Oct 17, 2013
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Posted by Frank Nelson on Jul 13, 2011
Written by Phil Covington on Oct 2, 1996
Written by Jim Low on Sep 2, 2007
Posted by Jim Low on Jul 16, 2012
MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources. We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature. Read more about our mission.


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Reply to: Do you agree with the Postal Service's decision to change the name of Express Mail and rename Parcel Post?
Another attempt to simplify has become another bane to the average user of the Postal Service. Having two unique options to send your mail combined into one package!!!!! On one hand we have the very popular Priority mail option and then we have the Express mail option, both unique in their own ways. Now we go and combine the two names together on packaging that will further confuse the customer when they come to mail their products. If this is not another way to keep our customers away from using the Post Office, I don't know what is. This idea goes hand in hand with the idea of doing away with the blue and orange Express bags and using regular tyvek bags and slapping an express label on it. If we want to bring our delivery numbers up we have to keep a way of differentiating our services so they can be shipped correctly, not by combining names of our popular mailing options so as to confuse our wonderful customers into using the wrong mailing boxes! Here sir, Try one of these Priority Mail Express Standard Media Mail 2-Day boxes.....is this the next big idea????????
Reply to: Passing up Passport Revenue?
Could it be that in the areas where people would be most likely to need passport services from the Postal Service that hours and access have been cut?
It might also be that the increasing presence of untrained non-career personnel at offices reduces the confidence people might have in these sorts of services. Post offices are increasingly short staffed and postmasters are increasingly bogged down with mandates such that in many places any service that requires a bit of effort or time becomes a bother.
By the way, OIG Williams was quite impressive in his appearance before the Senate last Thursday.
Reply to: Passing up Passport Revenue?
I greatly suspect that at least a major factor for the decline in pass port revenue it due to most American's, as I have, are fearful of foreign travel because of the threat of terrorism.
Reply to: Do you agree with the Postal Service's decision to change the name of Express Mail and rename Parcel Post?
Hey moderator, thank you for the "full disclosure". It does reassure me that you're paying attention and taking us seriously. And thanks for fixing it.
Now about that "branding" :)
Reply to: Passing up Passport Revenue?
Honestly the post office just like other big corporations and companies .Always attempt to do this under the guise of helping but you do it half way . What you should do is really dedicate yourselves to doing it .hire part time people to operate kiosk style booths in the post office that speak the languages of the community they serve and allow those kiosk to be totally dedicated to passports only you can have 2 four hour shifts this way it is cost effective for your company . Also you can run commercials on you tube offering the services along with videos explaining what you need to expedite the process thus making the lines move quicker . It will work and increase revenue if your offices dedicate themselves to really doing it .
Reply to: Passing up Passport Revenue?
I think this isone of the services the USPS does well. We needed to get passports for our kids, which you can't do by mail, so we made an appointment and were seen right at our appointment time. The clerk was well-versed in the process and even helped us fix our applications, which we'd filled out wrong in one spot. One downside was that the PO didn't have a camera for pictures, and the people in front of us had to leave to get a picture and come back. But this seems like the ideal way to structure things: make an appointment by phone or online; meet with a clerk who is an expert on the process; then wait for your material to arrive at home. (We actually got the passports sooner than expected.)
Reply to: Passing up Passport Revenue?
Correct me if I am wrong but, isn't part of the slow down due to the huge influx of applicants, that occured a few years ago, as a result of people desiring to beat the rate increase?
Reply to: A Happy Customer is a Loyal Customer
Whenever the media mention the mass layoffs affecting the USPS I feel bad for them until I go to the post office to mail a package, then that feeling changes. I live in Massachusetts and I have yet to encounter a clerk that is polite. They're cold, do not smile or say anything and frankly that's the same service I can get from an automated machine. It may not be warm and fuzzy but it isn't as aggravating. Next time I mail a package, I will go to UPS.
Reply to: Passing up Passport Revenue?
It is very difficult and inconvenient to use the USPS to renew/get new passports. The hours are very restrictive and the cameras are often inoperable. Past experience has taught all of us to go someplace else.
Reply to: Great Expectations of Online Shopping
I love online shopping because it is extremely convenient and it allows you to buy things from brands with no actual store around you. But unless I can go to a store and easily change what I got online, I only buy cheap things or things I know I won't be returning.
Reply to: To Award or Not to Award: What's the Postal Service to Do?
Yes...i too lost a very aluable item..or actually..the USPS lost it..or an employee stole it. It was my wedding band..all diamonds..2 1/2 carats...i insured it for what we pd ..which was $1200. I couldve insured for what it was worth..but i was not out to gain from the usps. Well..i. Got my pkg back..envelope opened..with a stamp saying"damaged"! When i sent in a claim..with all documents and reciepts and even pictures...they only gave me $400.00 and thats after a year of calling, getting hung up on, and sending multiple letters. Why do they even ask us how much we want to insure for..if they have NO intention of fullfilling their end? The USPS is a lying, cheating ripoff! Im using ups and fed ex for my packages now.
Reply to: Great Expectations of Online Shopping
Once the USPS decides it wants to actually deliver packages, letters, and everything else it's supposed to, I'd gladly stop pestering Amazon about never using USPS to deliver to my residence in Seattle. However, with e level of abuse, mis-deliveries, non-deliveries, and other nonsense, not only can I not trust the USPS for online ordering, I actively engage with online retailers and will not do business with them if an alternative can not be used at my own expense. You guys need to start looking REALLY hard at why "It's not the problem of the USPS for mis-delivered, non-delivered, mishandled, or otherwise problematic service" as I hear not only from my local "Postmaster" but also from "Customer Service". I'm using quotes, because my "Postmaster" is not a master of his post in any sense of the term, and "Customer Service" only issues false promises, abusive conversations, and doing everything in their power to pass the buck and provide the most disservice possible. Accountability would be a good place to start looking.
Reply to: Do you agree with the Postal Service's decision to change the name of Express Mail and rename Parcel Post?
Received a **PRIORITY MAIL** EXPRESS Envelope sent from FL and I had to pay $15.00 to get it. Person thought he was sending Priority Mail and he was sending Express. Envelope is totally confusing and it took 6 days to get to me.
Is this really the way to instill any confidence in the USPS?
Do you suppose it is a (temporary) way for them to make extra money? Not very ethical to say the least.
Reply to: Great Expectations of Online Shopping
I am not as concerned with the pricing of the express mail as with the delivery and tracking process. I just sent a package express mail to Killeen , Tx with guaranteed delivery by 3:00 pm last Sat. It was not delivered by then and my son texted my wife to let her know that it had not been delivered to him as promised. He then got a call from his customer in Dallas who said if you don't have it, forget the deal. My son got in his car and drove around for about 20 minutes until he found the postman and asked him if he had the package. He then got it from the postman, went back home and texted my wife again letting her know that he had to go get the package from the postman, but that he did now have it! I guess the postman was just going to deliver it as "regular" mail (disregarding the $ 19.95 cost). I then went on line and tracked it through the postal site and it said that it was delivered at 11:03 on Sat morning. Totally false!!
The local PO told me that I had to deal with the Killeen,Tx PO and gave me the phone number 254-634-0281. I called at 08:10 this morning and the phone was busy. I just called again at 08:25 and it rang and rang and eventually hung up on me. I just tried to call again at 8:28 and it rang 10 or 11 times and again hung up on me. Well - its 08:36 and I just tried to call the Killeen PO again. It rang 10-11 times and again hung up on me!!
FORGET THE GUARANTEE that it will arrive at a certain time. And forget the idea that you can call the Killeen PO and deal with them. If you're smart you will send important packages by UPS or FEDEX!
Reply to: Do you agree with the Postal Service's decision to change the name of Express Mail and rename Parcel Post?
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Over the weekend we did an upgrade to our blog site and the upgrade defaulted the settings on the comments to "Anonymous". We believe we have it fixed now and for those who included their names with their comments, the names should be visible again. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Reply to: Great Expectations of Online Shopping
I am a Postal Worker and I do order online as well as use my mailbox. But I have to say, and please take me seriously, WE are going to lose the Amazon.com deal or arrangement or whatever you have with them because you can never track an order with the USPS. When I order from Amazon it often doesn't ask which form of shipping will be used. Sometimes it's the USPS, but other times it's UPS. I suppose it depends on the dealer that you are dealing with, and who they have chosen to deal with.
I recently made an order with Amazon for several things my son wanted and so was dealing with various dealers around the country. EVERY single one of the UPS orders I was immediately able to track and know when to expect arrival. And the packages did arrive on the day stated. With the USPS packages at first I was told "No information available" then it went to "sent from dealer". After that there was a scan done at every facility when the package "arrived" but never when it "left". I work at the Harrisburg, PA central office 17107. For 3 days the package was untraceable; and then my mailman delivered it, and I said, "That's interesting. This package went from Philadelphia straight to New Cumberland and never passed through the Harrisburg Hub. I didn't know our small town had a direct truck from Philly?" Of coursed we laughed about it, but if you want HONEST FEED BACK: People really don't know how the Post Office works. Plain and simple. It took 13 days for my son's USPS package from LA to PA, and yet UPS did it in 3 to 5. PLEASE!!!!!!! You figure it out- Jeff Anderson.
Reply to: Do you agree with the Postal Service's decision to change the name of Express Mail and rename Parcel Post?
Agreed with everyone else that this is a really bad idea. Ironic, I suppose, that months after their posts, ALL of the above commenters expressing their opinions about a name change... had their own names changed! Now they all read "Anonymous". Up until about 9/15/2013 their publicly (and voluntarily) posted names were allowed to stand, lending credence to their overwhelming complaints about this latest USPS boondoggle.
Reply to: Do you agree with the Postal Service's decision to change the name of Express Mail and rename Parcel Post?
I can't get service for priority service now , how is changing a name = better service. USPS in NJ can not deliver the mail
in accordance with their own rules. As soon as the public knows what difficulties , inefficiencies mount up,USPS changes the rules to led to more uncertainty and poor delivery of the mail. Its a disgrace to the American people who fought wars for this country. I SENT A COPY OF THIS ON GOING COMPLAINT TO MY ELECTED OFFICALS.
Reply to: Do you agree with the Postal Service's decision to change the name of Express Mail and rename Parcel Post?
I just found out about this, as I looked in vain for Express Mail schedules.
Who the devil do you think you're kidding? "Priority Mail is 20 times larger than Express Mail" and growing, and you fools think or claim it's because of the branding NAME ??
Priority Mail, deadly obviously, is popular because it's SO much cheaper than Express Mail, not because of its NAME. (And it theoretically gets delivery times back in the range USPS used to provide for regular mail.)
The new "branding" is insane and confusing on its face, as 90% of your poll responders indicate. What a horrible decision to blur the lines after so many years of training us that "Priority Mail" means "the level of mail service we used to provide" whilst "Express Mail" means "the overnight service that's like FedEx". You've managed to drastically diminish BOTH brands. Fools.
Reply to: Does a Virtual PO Box service appeal to you?
Perfect for the virtual business! I have plans on starting an online only business and since I won't need a physical address to conduct my business, a virtual P.O. Box would be a perfect solution. How soon will this idea become a reality?
Reply to: Overtime as a Management Tool
i work 10 to 11 every day 6 days a week bring it on big boy
Reply to: If you have been to a Post Office with a kiosk, but opted to wait for a clerk instead, what was the basis for your decision?
I was not sure if I could ship my package a the kiosk. There was a postal employee standing at the front of the line answering questions as people got to the front of the line (which doesn't help because I was about 20 people back and not getting out of line!) and she told two other people she didn't know if their transaction could be completed at the kiosk. If the postal employees aren't sure, and there is no one to ask, it takes less time to wait in line then try to figure out if I can ship and still end up waiting in line.
Reply to: Overtime as a Management Tool
Wait till your station has 6 or 7 routes vacant a day for almost 4 months and see how you like it then.....
Reply to: Promoting the Postal Service
The various Postal Services need to be promoted and advertise its various features to the utmost so that people could know more about the service and ascertain the required knowledgeable information.
Reply to: The Power of Social Media
The Postal Service used its DMM Advisory email blasts to great effect over the years and its RIBBS bulletin board has always provided a good source of technical information. It would be nice to see the USPS tailor some blogs in this fashion, perhaps a technical blog that the MTAC crowd could follow and then a more general blog explaining things to the household customer. For instance, I think a blog series explaining what worksharing is and why it is helpful and useful and benefits all postal customers would be enormously helpful for the average customer. They sometimes just hear one side of this debate and it is easy to be confused. LIkewise, a general blog that explains how mail is actually a green choice, and that digital communications leave a giant carbon footprint would counter some of the anti-mail rhetoric.


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- OPHI launches Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2015 and new book on multidimensional poverty measurement
- Latest figures on where 1.6 billion poor people live
- OPHI book on multidimensional poverty measurement & analysis now published
- Third annual meeting of the global Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network held in Colombia
- President of Colombia addresses the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network meeting 2015
- Tunisia to adopt Multidimensional Poverty Index
- OPHI participates in the Ashmolean Museum's Live Friday
- OPHI, the MPPN and the Government of Colombia host special side-event at Cartagena Data Festival
- New research explores how women's empowerment in agriculture matters for nutrition in Ghana
- OPHI working paper reveals differences in multidimensional poverty across Sudan and South Sudan
- Leaving no-one behind: Who are the poorest poor?
- New OPHI working paper explores measuring wellbeing for public policy
- Blog: Statisticians as Global Change Makers
- Partner organisations call for child poverty indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals
- Multidimensional living conditions index for Grenada identifies those most in need
- OPHI staff visit Ivory Coast to discuss multidimensional poverty measurement in Africa
- OPHI research shows mixed results in multidimensional poverty reduction across India between 1999 and 2006
- Blog: Two months, two new policies, two parts of the world
- Available now: Podcasts and presentations from OPHI lunchtime seminars
- Online now: Chapter ten of OPHI's book on Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis
OPHI launches Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2015 and new book on multidimensional poverty measurement
OPHI hosted a special event at Magdalen College, Oxford on Monday 22 June to combine the launch of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2015 and the launch of a new book, Multidimensional Poverty Measurement & Analysis.
With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to be adopted by the UN in September this year, this event highlighted the importance of rigorous multidimensional measurement for ensuring that poverty in all its forms can successfully be reduced.
The Global MPI is an internationally-comparable measure of acute poverty covering 101 developing countries. Marking the fifth anniversary of the Global MPI, OPHI researchers presented new findings from the updated estimations, on topics including regional differences in poverty, destitution, and multidimensional poverty in China.
The event also launched Multidimensional Poverty Measurement & Analysis, OPHI's new book from Oxford University Press, which provides a unique guide to viewing poverty through a multidimensional lens.
Guest contributors at the event included Selim Jahan, Director of the UNDP Human Development Report Office, and Brian Nolan, Max Roser, Frances Stewart and Nandini Gooptu from the University of Oxford.
The book launch also featured a specially-commissioned theatre performance by Oxford-based theatre company Justice in Motion, and discussion from five of the book's authors: Sabina Alkire, OPHI Director and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University; Suman Seth, OPHI Senior Research Officer and Lecturer in Economics at Leeds University Business School; James Foster, OPHI Research Associate and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University; Jose Manuel Roche, Head of Research at Save the Children UK; and Paola Ballon, OPHI Research Associate and Senior Researcher for the Partnership of Economic Policy.
OPHI Global MPI team with guest contributors: (L-R) Yangyang Shen, Frances Stewart, Gisela Robles Aguilar, Christoph Jindra, Max Roser, James Foster, Selim Jahan, Sabina Alkire and Nandini Gooptu.
OPHI book team with guests: (L-R) Paola Ballon, Brian Nolan, Tony Atkinson, Frances Stewart, Sabina Alkire, James Foster, Suman Seth and Jose Manuel Roche.
Further information
Find out more about the Global MPI 2015, including links to briefing papers and resources, at www.ophi.org.uk/multidimensional-poverty-index.
For further information about OPHI's book, including draft chapters and resources, visit www.multidimensionalpoverty.org. The book is available to order from Oxford University Press.
Latest figures on where 1.6 billion poor people live
New report on global poverty highlights extent of the challenges facing UN's new Sustainable Development Goals
More than 1.6 billion people are living in multidimensional poverty around the world, according to new analysis from the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford.
A new report on the latest figures for the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) shows multidimensional poverty in 101 developing countries, covering 5.2 billion people, or 75% of the world's population. The Global MPI complements measures based on income and reflects the overlapping disadvantages poor people can face across different areas of their lives all at the same time. They include poor health, a lack of education and low living standards. If people are deprived in at least one-third of ten weighted indicators, they are identified as multidimensionally poor. The index combines the percentage of people living in multidimensional poverty with the intensity of deprivations, or how much they are experienced.
The findings suggest that the scale of global poverty is even greater than is often estimated using traditional measures based on income. In some countries, including Mexico, Pakistan and Egypt, the researchers found that the number of people living in multidimensional poverty is twice the number who live on less than $1.25 a day.
Unlike global monetary poverty measures, the MPI can be broken down to give poverty levels for 884 regions within countries, as well as highlighting the different ways that people are poor. For example, the figures reveal that, of the 1.6 billion people living in multidimensional poverty:
- more than 1.2 billion people don't have adequate sanitation;
- over 1 billion are living on dirt floors;
- around 900 million do not have electricity;
- roughly 900 million people live in a household where someone is malnourished; and
- more than half a billion live in a home in which no-one has completed five years of school.
Sabina Alkire, Director of OPHI at the University of Oxford and the Oliver T Carr Professor and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University, said: 'This analysis highlights how MPI and monetary poverty measures can complement each other to ensure no-one is overlooked. Often people assume that those living in income poverty are the same people that live in multidimensional poverty – but this is often not the case. Only by using both measures alongside each other can we capture the true reality of poverty.
'As the UN prepares to adopt 17 Sustainable Development Goals this September, which will determine the development agenda for the next 15 years, our findings serve as a powerful reminder of the extent of the poverty reduction challenge ahead and the need for an energetic and coordinated response.'
OPHI's analysis of the Global MPI 2015 also reveals that the world's poor do not necessarily live where you would expect.
*The findings show that over two thirds (70%) of people in multidimensional poverty actually live in middle-income countries, with just 30% living in low-income countries.
*More than 60% of people who are poor (according to the Global MPI) live in countries rated as having medium or high levels of development on the Human Development Index.
*62% of the multidimensionally poor live in countries that are not in the three highest categories of alert on the Failed States Index.
Overall, South Asia is home to over half (54%) of the global MPI poor population, while 31% live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The country with the highest percentage of people in multidimensional poverty is South Sudan where 91% of people are MPI poor. The region with the highest poverty rate is Salamat in Chad, where 98% of people are living in multidimensional poverty.
As well as revealing where the poor live, the MPI can be used as a valuable tool for identifying the different types of disadvantage poor people face. It enables policymakers to target their resources and effectively tackle poverty in its many different ways.
The Global MPI 2015 uses data ranging from 2005-2014, mainly collected by USAID's Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and UNICEF's Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS), as well as PAPFAM and national surveys.
Further information
To arrange an interview with Sabina Alkire or for an advance copy of OPHI's briefing paper on the Global MPI, contact Claire Battye (OPHI Research Communications Officer) on +44 (0)1865 271528 or email@example.com.
Alternatively contact Paddy Coulter, OPHI Communications Director, at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)
OPHI is a research centre within the Oxford Department of International Development at the University of Oxford. OPHI is led by Sabina Alkire and works to develop and apply new ways of measuring and analysing poverty, human development and welfare, drawing on the work of Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen. For more information about OPHI, please visit www.ophi.org.uk.
Background to the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
The MPI was created by OPHI Director Sabina Alkire and OPHI Research Associate Maria Emma Santos (now also at Universidad Nacional del Sur and the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (National Scientific and Technical Research Council), Argentina) in collaboration with the UNDP's Human Development Report Office, which also publishes the results. It is constructed using a methodology developed by Professor Alkire and Professor James Foster, an OPHI Research Associate and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University. That methodology is also used to construct several national measures of poverty (for example in Mexico, Colombia, Bhutan and Chile).
For more information on the MPI, including infographics, briefings, data and other resources, please see www.ophi.org.uk/multidimensional-poverty-index.
Visit OPHI's online interactive databank for maps and graphs showing the level and composition of multidimensional poverty across countries and sub-national regions: http://www.ophi.org.uk/multidimensional-poverty-index/mpi-data-bank/.
Calculation of poverty using the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)
A person is identified as 'multidimensionally poor' if she or he is deprived in one-third or more of ten (weighted) indicators. The MPI of a country or region is calculated by multiplying the proportion of poor people (H) by the average share of deprivations that poor people face at the same time, i.e. the average intensity of their poverty (A). In other words, MPI=HxA. By directly measuring the different types of poverty in each household, the MPI captures how people experience different deprivations simultaneously. See Alkire, S. and Robles, G. (2015). "Multidimensional Poverty Index – Summer 2015: Brief Methodological Note and Results." OPHI Briefing number 31, University of Oxford, June.
Data sources and constraints
The MPI relies on the most recent data available, mainly from two datasets that are publicly available and comparable for most developing countries: USAID's Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and UNICEF's Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS). It also uses national surveys for eight countries, and PAPFAM surveys for four.
OPHI book on multidimensional poverty measurement & analysis now published
OPHI's new book on Multidimensional Poverty Measurement & Analysis has now been published by Oxford University Press. The book provides an in-depth account of multidimensional poverty comparison methodologies, with a particular focus on the Alkire-Foster Method. From 10-19 June, the authors of the book – Sabina Alkire, James Foster, Suman Seth, Maria Emma Santos, José Manuel Roche and Paola Ballon – will be giving presentations at universities in Germany (Gottingen, Dortmund, Heidelberg ) and Belgium (CORE), followed by the London School of Economics and universities of Leeds, Sussex and Essex in the UK.
The book will be officially launched at a special event at the University of Oxford on 22 June 2015, which combines the launch of the book and the launch of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2015.
Further information
The book is available to buy from Oxford University Press
You can read more about the book here and access chapters online here.
You can register to attend the book launch here.
Third annual meeting of the global Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network held in Colombia
The third annual meeting of the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network was hosted by the Government of Colombia from 2-3 June 2015 in Cartagena. More than 100 policymakers and senior officials came together for the two-day meeting to discuss developing and applying multidimensional poverty measures.
President Santos of Colombia attended the event and addressed the MPPN on the first day of the meeting. He talked about the importance of multidimensional poverty measurement for the Colombian government.
The MPPN is a South-South initiative coordinated by OPHI that supports policymakers to develop multidimensional poverty measures.
Read the communiqué agreed at the event. Presentations and videos from the event will be made available online shortly.
Further information
Regional coverage of the meeting in Latin American media: Ecuadorinmediato, Portafolio.co and Prensa Latina.
Find out more about the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) and the application of multidimensional poverty measures in different areas of the world.
Photo: Zach Damberger
President of Colombia addresses the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network meeting 2015
More than 100 policymakers and senior officials have come together this week in Cartagena, Colombia, for the third annual meeting of the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN).
The MPPN is a South-South initiative of over 40 countries and institutions, coordinated by OPHI, that supports policymakers to develop multidimensional poverty measures.
President Santos of Colombia addressed the MPPN on the first day of the meeting. In his speech, he talked about the importance of the MPI for the Colombian government. He said:
"Understanding the complexity of the multiple dimensions of poverty is not easy but it is the right thing to do, and that is what we are doing."
"We were one of the first countries to implement MPI measurements… this also guides our 2014-2018 national development plan."
"The fight against multidimensional poverty is harder but much more effective."
In his speech Mr. Santos highlighted that last year, with the support of the Organization of American States, many countries visited Colombia in order to learn from the country's experience of implementing an MPI.
The President's speech was followed by a discussion panel with the Colombian ministers of education, health, labour and education who shared their experiences of how the MPI has supported their work and government goals.
The third annual meeting of the MPPN runs from 2-3 June 2015 and is hosted by the government of Colombia.
Further information
Find out more about the MPPN and Colombia's national MPI.
Photo Credit: Omar Bravo
Tunisia to adopt Multidimensional Poverty Index
Tunisia has launched plans to develop an official national multidimensional poverty index (MPI). The plans were presented and discussed at a workshop in Tunis on Wednesday 27 May organised by the Tunisian Ministry of Development, Investment and International Cooperation (MDICI), the National Institute of Statistics (INS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
As well as an opening session led by these three partners, the workshop featured a presentation from the INS technical team who gave an overview of progress so far, including discussion on dimensions, indicators, cut-offs and data considerations. OPHI Research Officer Bouba Housseini (pictured below, right) also gave a presentation on the Alkire Foster methodology and the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network.
The workshop was attended by approximately 50 participants, including academics and representatives from government, civil society and international agencies.
The Tunisian MPI will be constructed using the Census 2014 and be updated later using the households spending and consumption survey 2015 conducted by the INS. Further workshops and consultations are planned over the next few months as the MPI is developed, with the aim of officially releasing the index later this year.
Further information
Find out more about countries that have developed national MPIs.
OPHI participates in the Ashmolean Museum's Live Friday
OPHI's work was presented in a brand new way at the Ashmolean Museum's Live Friday: Social Animals event on 15 May, which showcased research from across the University of Oxford's Social Sciences Division. Oxford-based theatre company Justice in Motion produced and performed a short play on behalf of OPHI, exploring the multidimensional layers of poverty.
Live Friday: Social Animals was organised in collaboration with the Social Sciences Division, with many departments and research centres taking part. The Ashmolean's galleries opened their doors after hours for an evening of live performances, creative workshops and lively talks showcasing research from across the division.
Other activities hosted by centres in the Oxford Department of International Development included:
- A performance-experience centred around migration, exclusion and discrimination from the International Migration Institute
- Interactive activities exploring dietary diversity around the world from Young Lives
- An exhibition of photographs by and about refugees courtesy of the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
Find out more about the event on the Ashmolean's Facebook page.
A video recording of OPHI's play, titled 'Poverty on the table', will be available on the OPHI website soon.
OPHI, the MPPN and the Government of Colombia host special side-event at Cartagena Data Festival
OPHI, the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) and the Government of Colombia hosted a special side event at the Cartagena Data Festival on 21 April 2015. The event presented a new multidimensional poverty measure that can help to "end poverty in all its forms everywhere" – a key component of the first goal of the final Open Working Group proposal for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Featuring a high-level dialogue among eminent panelists, the special event highlighted the Colombian national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and the newly proposed regional MPI for Latin America. It also showed how a Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (the MPI 2015+), supported by a data revolution, as part of the core poverty indicators of the SDGs can help to eradicate extreme poverty after 2015. The MPI 2015+ complements income poverty measures and shines a high-resolution lens on poverty, showing who is poor and how they are poor, helping to ensure that the SDGs "leave no one behind".
Speakers included:
- Tatyana Orozco, Director, Department for Social Prosperity, Colombia
- Xavier Mancero, Senior Statistician, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
- Sabina Alkire, Director, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford
Further information
Find out more about the Global MPI 2015+ and the Colombian MPI.
New research explores how women's empowerment in agriculture matters for nutrition in Ghana
A new study published in the Food Policy journal has used the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) to explore links between empowerment and nutrition among women in Ghana.
Researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) looked at women's empowerment in the five domains included in the WEAI: production, resources, income, leadership, and time use. The assessed the extent that women's empowerment is linked to the adoption of infant and young child feeding (ICYF) practices and nutrition outcomes for women and children.
Their results show that not all domains of empowerment are associated with all nutrition practices and outcomes but that different domains may have different impacts.
For example, there was a strong link between women participating in credit decisions and having a diverse diet, although participation in credit decisions did not reduce the likelihood of women being underweight. In households where the female decision-maker is involved in production decisions, girls were nine per cent more likely to be exclusively breast-fed between 0-6 months.
Overall, women's empowerment was more strongly associated with IYCF practices than nutrition outcomes.
There were also surprising negative associations. For example, women being involved in production decisions was linked to girls in the household having a less diverse diet.
The researchers note that previous work on the WEAI in Bangladesh and Nepal has revealed different associations between domains of empowerment and nutritional outcomes. They emphasise that this indicates policies designed to empower women and improve nutritional status need to be based on understanding which specific domains of women's empowerment matter for particular outcomes in a specific context.
The WEAI was launched in March 2012 by OPHI with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and IFPRI. Unlike any other tool, it also measures women's empowerment relative to men within their households, providing a more robust understanding of gender dynamics within households and communities.
Further information
'What dimensions of women's empowerment in agriculture matter for nutrition in Ghana?', by Hazel Jean L. Malapit and Agnes R. Quisumbing, was published in Food Policy in April 2015.
Read an article on the findings by Lawrence Haddad in the Development Horizons blog.
Find out more about the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index on the OPHI website and download training materials.
OPHI working paper reveals differences in multidimensional poverty across Sudan and South Sudan
Multidimensional poverty is greater in South Sudan than in Sudan, but experiences of the poor vary significantly by gender, age and geographical region, a new OPHI working paper has found.
Paola Ballon from the Universidad Del Pacifico in Peru and the University of Oxford, and Jean-Yves Duclos from Laval University in Canada, analysed data from the National Baseline Household Surveys (NBHS) of 2009. Focusing on two population subgroups, children aged six to fourteen and adults aged fifteen or over, they assessed poverty in four dimensions:
- education;
- consumption of food and non-food items, including clothing and transport expenses;
- access to public assets such as waste disposal and sanitation; and
- possession of private assets such as vehicles and multimedia goods.
Considering each dimension of poverty separately, the researchers found significant differences between the two countries and across different sections of the population. Their findings showed, for example, that illiteracy rates are higher and concentrated among the younger population in South Sudan, in contrast to Sudan, where illiteracy is more present among older age groups.
Overall, poverty was higher in South Sudan than in Sudan in all four dimensions, with the greatest gap between the two countries being in education poverty. Among adults in Sudan, the highest incidence of poverty was in private assets and the lowest was in education, while in South Sudan the greatest incidence of poverty was found in education and the lowest in consumption. Differences were similarly found in the poverty profiles of children across the two countries.
The researchers also used a combined measure of the four dimensions to analyse multidimensional poverty rates in each country.
They found that the proportion of the adult population living in multidimensional poverty was significantly higher in South Sudan (73%) than Sudan (49%), although the average intensity of poverty experienced by the poor was very similar across the two countries. The results indicate that private assets and education are the dimensions that contribute most to adult multidimensional poverty in Sudan and South Sudan respectively.
Multidimensional poverty was also greater among children in South Sudan (70%) than Sudan (59%). Among both children and adults in the two countries, multidimensional poverty was highest among those living in rural areas.
Looking at multidimensional poverty across sub-national regions, the lowest rates of poverty in Sudan and South Sudan were found in Khartoum and Western Equatoria respectively, while the highest rates were found in Western Darfur and Warap.
The researchers emphasise that policies aimed at reducing poverty in both countries should take into account differences in poverty levels across gender, age groups and geographical areas, to ensure resources can be efficiently targeted.
Read the full paper
'Multidimensional Poverty in Sudan and South Sudan', by Paola Ballon and Jean-Yves Duclos, was published in the OPHI working paper series in April 2015.
Leaving no-one behind: Who are the poorest poor?
National averages of poverty often hide where the poorest people in the world live, according to a new study published in the Journal of International Development.
Researchers from OPHI, King's College London and Save the Children UK, analysed data from household surveys carried out from 2003-2012 in 108 countries. Using the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), a measure of poverty that accounts for multiple deprivations experienced by the poor across health, education and living standards, they compared three different criteria to identifying the poorest billion people in the world:
- Who are the poorest billion people from the poorest countries in the world?
- Who are the poorest billion people from the world's poorest subnational regions?
- Which billion individuals experience the greatest intensity of poverty, and where do they live?
The research found that considering the intensity of poverty experienced by individuals, defined by the number of deprivations they suffer across different areas of their lives, can more accurately reveal who the poorest billion people are than looking only at those living in the world's poorest countries or subnational regions.
When all countries were ranked by their MPI values, from the poorest to the least poor, the combined number of poor people living in the 28 poorest countries constituted the 'bottom billion'. Ninety-nine per cent of this number lived in South Asian and Sub-Saharan African countries. When all subnational regions were ranked, the bottom billion was made up of the poor from 307 regions across 45 countries. Ninety-seven per cent lived in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
However, these results overlook people who do not live in the countries or regions that are poorest overall, but who may suffer extreme poverty individually. For example, 99 million people experiencing the most severe poverty, or greatest number of deprivations, live in China, while Indonesia is home to 16 million people in intense poverty, yet neither of these countries, or their regions, has an MPI that places them among the world's poorest.
Similarly, considering only the poorest countries and regions does not reveal the existence of more than 1.5 million of those suffering intense poverty in both South Africa and Turkey, and more than one million in each Bolivia, Brazil, Egypt, Morocco, Peru and Vietnam. Overall, identifying the world's poorest billion people by the intensity of their individual deprivations reveals that 15 per cent live outside South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The question of identifying where the poorest live is particularly relevant in the context of the post-2015 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to 'leave no-one behind'. The researchers emphasise the importance of accurately monitoring how the world's poorest are distributed, in order to ensure resources and policies can be effectively targeted to eradicate poverty. They highlight the flexibility the MPI offers as a measure of poverty that can be broken down beyond national boundaries to reveal the experiences of the poor at both regional and group levels, including across rural and urban areas and different ethnic populations, but also on an individual basis.
Read the full paper
Gated access: 'Identifying the Poorest People and Groups: Strategies Using the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index', by Sabina Alkire, Jose Manuel Roche, Suman Seth and Andrew Sumner, was published in the Journal of International Development in April 2015
Working paper access: 'Identifying the Poorest People and Groups: Strategies Using the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index', by Sabina Alkire, Jose Manuel Roche, Suman Seth and Andrew Sumner, was published in the OPHI working paper series in November 2014.
Multidimensional poverty measurement in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Read more about OPHI's proposal for a Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2015+ in the SDGs.
Download OPHI's 4-page briefing paper on Multidimensional Poverty in the SDGs.
New OPHI working paper explores measuring wellbeing for public policy
A new working paper published by OPHI presents Amartya Sen's Capability Approach as a framework for measuring well-being to inform public policy.
The paper, by OPHI director Sabina Alkire, highlights how the Capability Approach conceives of wellbeing as the freedom people have to enjoy valuable activities and states – their functionings and capabilities instead of resources or utility.
It outlines how the Alkire Foster (AF) method, used extensively for multidimensional poverty measurement and reduction, can be interpreted as a measure of capability poverty and used to identify the functionings or capabilities that a person might or might not have – such as being able to be well-nourished, literate, sheltered from bad weather, and safe from violence.
The paper explores how the Royal Government of Bhutan has extended this methodology to wellbeing measurement in their official Gross National Happiness (GNH) Index. Released in 2008 and updated in 2012, Bhutan's multidimensional GNH Index measures the population's wellbeing in nine domains, including health, education, community vitality and time use. It is linked to a set of policy and programming tools and provides incentives for the government, NGOs and businesses of Bhutan to increase GNH.
Read the full paper
'The Capability Approach and Well-Being Measurement for Public Policy', by Sabina Alkire, was published in the OPHI working paper series in March 2015.
Find out more about the Alkire Foster method.
Further information on Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Index
The Royal Government's website for the Index, www.grossnationalhappiness.com, provides further information, including a short guide and an extensive analysis of GNH. These same documents can also be found on the OPHI website (short and extensive).
Blog: Statisticians as Global Change Makers
With the Sustainable Development Goals due to be adopted by the UN in September, a new blog post by OPHI's John Hammock looks at the integral role that statisticians will play in measuring their success over the next 15 years.
In particular, the blog discusses how statisticians might tackle the issue of measuring multidimensional poverty, a concept that has gained increasing recognition in recent years, emphasising that poverty is not just about income but encompasses many overlapping disadvantages that poor people can experience simultaneously – including, for example, health, education and living standards. It draws attention to the growing number of countries that have launched or are in the process of developing official national measures of multidimensional poverty.
John Hammock is Co-Founder and Director of Outreach at OPHI.
Read the full blog post
'Statisticians as Global Change Makers' was published in Debating Development, a blog from the University of Oxford's Department of International Development, on 9 April 2015.
Partner organisations call for child poverty indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals
Child poverty indicators should be included in the monitoring framework for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a coalition of partners working to end child poverty has argued.
In a briefing paper published on 31 March, the coalition, which includes OPHI, emphasised that indicators of monetary and multidimensional child poverty are needed to measure progress towards the proposed SDGs target to halve child poverty by 2030. It specifies that these should include:
- Percentage of population living on less than $1.25 (PPP) per day, disaggregated by age to capture the child poverty rate;
- Proportion of children (0-17) below the national poverty line;
- Proportion of children (0-17) living in multidimensional poverty.
The briefing paper also recommends that tackling inequalities should be a central focus of the monitoring framework to ensure the poorest and most disadvantaged children are reached and no child is left behind. It stresses that data collection for the most vulnerable children – who can be bypassed in surveys and programmes – must be improved.
Partner organisations in the coalition are: Overseas Development Institute, Save the Children, Institute of Development Studies, OPHI, Young Lives, Unicef, World Vision, Child Fund International, ATD Fourth World, FXB Center for Health & Human Rights, the African Child Policy Forum, SOS Children's Villages, Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), UN Major Group for Children & Youth and BRAC.
Further information
Read the full brief: 'Child poverty indicators to measure progress for the SDGs'
Read an article on the brief at the post2015.org website: 'Indicators to measure child poverty in the SDGs' by Richard Morgan, Director of Child Poverty Global Initiative at Save the Children International, and David Stewart, Chief of Child Poverty and Social Protection at UNICEF, and co-chairs of the Coalition of Partners Working to End Child Poverty
Read a briefing paper on child poverty using the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index: 'Are children among the poorest?' by OPHI Research Officer Ana Vaz
Multidimensional living conditions index for Grenada identifies those most in need
New research published in the OPHI working paper series has proposed a multidimensional living conditions index for Grenada to identify the country's most deprived households.
Researchers from the University of Essex, the Colombian Government and the University of Oxford constructed the Grenadian living conditions index (GLCI) to provide an effective targeting tool for poverty reduction policies, enabling resources to be focused on those most in need.
The GLCI prioritises quality of life and living conditions, rather than income or expenditure. Based on the Alkire Foster method and related methodologies, it provides a combined measure of 22 different indicators of poverty, which are grouped into seven dimensions:
- demographic and health vulnerability;
- childhood conditions;
- household educational environment;
- educative services access;
- labour conditions;
- resources at home; and
- dwelling conditions and access to dwelling services.
To ensure that poverty reduction policies can be accurately targeted and measured, the proposed GLCI can be broken down to reveal how households are poor (which indicators they are deprived in) and the degree of deprivation they experience (how far they are from the determined poverty threshold), as well as showing changes in poverty over time.
The index can be tailored according to the focus and criteria of each social programme, for example, by enabling policymakers to change eligibility thresholds. It can also be compared to information on expenditure poverty to maximise precision in identifying which households are eligible for public assistance.
Read the full paper
'Targeting Grenada's Most Deprived Population: A Multidimensional Living Conditions Assessment', by Yadira Diaz, Francisco Alejandro Espinoza, Yvonni Markaki and Lina Maria Sanchez-Cespedes, was published in the OPHI working paper series in March 2015.
OPHI staff visit Ivory Coast to discuss multidimensional poverty measurement in Africa
OPHI researcher Bouba Housseini and co-founder John Hammock were in the Ivory Coast from 16-21 March where they gave presentations on the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) at the African Development Bank and the UNDP Africa Economists Cluster Meeting.
The presentations were followed by discussion on the possible application of an MPI in Africa, and technical aspects of the measure.
An MPI would capture the different types of disadvantage that each poor person experiences at the same time – this could include, for example, poor sanitation, malnutrition, lack of education, poor quality of work, or violence. Countries can select different indicators and cut-offs of poverty according to their contexts, to create their own nationally-relevant MPIs.
As well as providing a headline measure of multidimensional poverty within a population, an MPI can be broken down to reveal how people are poor, where the poorest people live, and the intensity of the deprivations they experience.
During their stay in Abidjan, Bouba Housseini and John Hammock also attended the three day International Conference on the Emergence of Africa.
Further information
Read about local, national and international policy applications of the Alkire Foster method.
OPHI research shows mixed results in multidimensional poverty reduction across India between 1999 and 2006
Multidimensional poverty reduction in India has not been equal for all regions, castes or religious groups, according to a paper by OPHI researchers published in the World Development journal.
Using data from the Indian National Family Health Survey in 1998-99 and 2005-06, the paper presents a multidimensional index of poverty (MPI) for India, which is strictly comparable across time. The MPI includes ten different indicators of poverty – covering health, education and living standards – to reflect the multiple disadvantages that poor people can experience.
The index revealed that national multidimensional poverty fell overall in India between 1999 and 2006 by 1.2 percentage points per year, although the researchers note that the rate of reduction was much slower than in neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh.
However, the reduction in multidimensional poverty was faster than the annual decrease in the percentage of the population living below India's national income poverty line, which fell from 45.3 per cent in 1993 to 37.2 per cent in 2005.
The researchers also looked at the level of poverty reduction among different subgroups of the population. They found that the decrease was greatest among groups that already had lower levels of multidimensional poverty in 1999. This pattern contrasts with the change in income poverty across states between 1993-94 and 2004-05, where the poorest states reduced poverty at a faster rate.
Among castes and tribes, the reduction in multidimensional poverty was slowest for the poorest group, Scheduled Tribes. Similarly, across religious groups, Muslims, the poorest subgroup in 1999, saw the least reduction in the next seven years.
The fall in multidimensional poverty levels was also slower among those living in urban areas than rural areas. In 1999, 24.4 per cent of the urban population lived in multidimensional poverty, compared to 20.5 per cent in 2006. Among the rural population, the percentage of those living in multidimensional poverty fell from 68.6 per cent in 1999 to 60.8 per cent in 2006.
The paper additionally explores changes in the proportion of people who are intensely poor – defined as being deprived in more than half of the MPI's ten indicators – and deeply poor – those who experience the severest levels of deprivation in a third or more of the indicators. The findings showed that, in 1999, 19.3 per cent of the Indian population were both deeply and intensely poor. Although this figure decreased by 2006, nationally 13.9 per cent of the population – over 140 million people – were still simultaneously intensely and deeply poor.
Read the full paper
'Multidimensional Poverty Reduction in India between 1999 and 2006: Where and How?', by Sabina Alkire and Suman Seth, was published online in the World Development journal in March 2015.
An earlier version of the paper was published in the OPHI working paper series in March 2013.
Blog: Two months, two new policies, two parts of the world
In a new blog post, OPHI's John Hammock looks at the new approach to measuring poverty recently adopted in Chile and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The blog discusses how leaders in both places have embraced the idea that poverty is more than just a lack of money – that poor people can experience multiple disadvantages at the same time, such as poor health and nutrition, no access to water or electricity, and a lack of education or employment.
It explores how the newly introduced poverty measure – the Multidimensional Poverty Index – reveals the different ways that people are poor in each place, enabling policymakers to target their resources and fight poverty more effectively.
John Hammock is Co-Founder and Director of Outreach at OPHI.
Read the full blog post
'A tale of twos: Two months, two new policies, two parts of the world' was published in Debating Development, a blog from the University of Oxford's Department of International Development.
The blog was reposted in Revista Humanum, UNDP's Spanish-language online journal.
Available now: Podcasts and presentations from OPHI lunchtime seminars
Podcasts and presentations from OPHI's lunchtime series held in Michaelmas 2014-15 are now available to download on our website, via iTunes U and through the University of Oxford Podcast series.
The first term of the 2014-15 academic year saw OPHI hosting lectures and talks on different applications of multidimensional poverty measurement, and a well-attended special guest lecture on the politics of reform in the public sector by Michael Woolcock from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The data presented in the seminars covered a wide range of countries and regions that included Chile, India, Peru, the EU-SILC, United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. Topics varied from multidimensional poverty and ageing, inclusive growth, poverty and shame, inequality, growth elasticities and counting measures.
OPHI's Lunchtime Seminar Series is held in each of the University of Oxford's three terms. You can download the presentations and listen to the podcasts of weekly talks as they are made available on the website here.
The last seminar in this term's series will take place on 9 March at 1pm in seminar room 3, Queen Elizabeth House, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB. OPHI Director Sabina Alkire will speak on 'A Multidimensional Poverty Index in the Sustainable Development Goals – interim reflections'. Everyone is welcome, and a complimentary sandwich lunch is available on a first come, first served basis.
Further information
Find the podcasts and accompanying presentations of past and ongoing Lunchtime Seminar Series on the OPHI website.
Listen to the podcasts on iTunes U or the University of Oxford Podcasts series.
Online now: Chapter ten of OPHI's book on Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis
Chapter ten of OPHI's forthcoming book, 'Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis', is now available to download as a working paper.
The book provides an in-depth account of multidimensional poverty comparison methodologies, with a particular focus on the Alkire Foster method. It is aimed at graduate students in quantitative social sciences, researchers of poverty measurement, and technical staff in governments and international agencies.
Chapter ten of the book presents a new measure of inequality among the poor. The same measure is then extended to analyse disparities across different population subgroups. The chapter also elaborates a measure of chronic multidimensional poverty.
'Multidimensional Poverty Measurement & Analysis', by Sabina Alkire, James Foster, Suman Seth, Maria Emma Santos, José Manuel Roche and Paola Ballon, will be published in hardcopy in June 2015 and can be pre-ordered from Oxford University Press.
Read chapter ten
Chapter ten is available to download as OPHI working paper number 91: Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis: Chapter 10 -Some Regression Models for AF measures. It will also be published electronically on the book website, multidimensionalpoverty.org, in early 2015.
Further information
Chapters one – four have been electronically published on the book website, multidimensionalpoverty.org, and are also available to download as OPHI working papers.
Chapters five – nine are available to download as OPHI working papers and will be published electronically on multidimensionalpoverty.org in early 2015, along with related study and teaching resources.
Find out more about the book.
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Kimberly Dawn Morgan and James Jackson "JJ" Manning, both of Hodgenville, announce their engagement and forthcoming marriage.
The bride to be is the daughter of Kathleen Morgan and Randy and Betty Morgan of Elizabethtown. She is a 2010 graduate of LaRue County High School.
The prospective groom is the son of Karen and Shawn LaFollette of Hodgenville. He plans to attend a vocational school in 2012.
Both are employed at Hardees in Hodgenville.
The wedding is 4 p.m. Sept. 17, 2011, at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Mount Sherman.
Hardin Memorial Hospital is hosting a men's prostate health event in September.
PSA (prostate-specific antigen) labwork is $20 with appointment between 7 and 10 a.m. Sept. 14. Take elevator A, go to second floor lab at HMH.
There is no charge for a digital rectal exam with appointment between 5 and 7 p.m. Sept. 27. Go to the Cancer Care Center, take elevator A to the basement.
Space is limited and an appointment is required by Sept. 12. To register, call 737-4464.
Second Sunday is a statewide campaign that encourages Kentuckians to get moving to improve their health status. Kentucky is consistently ranked among the top 10 states for obesity and obesity-related diseases. The Second Sunday Challenge encourages families to have some fun and find simple ways to incorporate physical activity into your everyday life.
The Lincoln Days Celebration Festival will be Oct. 1-2. Applications are being taken for commercial booths only. To apply for a booth, visit www.lincolndays.org to get an application or visit the Lincoln Days office on Lincoln Square.
Parade entries are limited, so apply to be in the parade as soon as possible. The theme is "Birthplace of Greatness." There is no charge for any parade entry, but antique cars must be at least 25 years old.
Bob Swope and Dr. Bill Handley of the Elizabethtown Noon Rotary club spoke about the Living Waters – Guatemalan Project to the Hodgenville Rotary Club. The Hodgenville Rotary club is a co-sponsor of this project. Pictured is Dewayne Murray, treasurer, presenting Bob Swope a check for $1,000 to help with the Living Waters – Guatemalan Project.
A group of seamstresses who meet during the monthly Open Sew Day at the LaRue County Extension Office have given themselves the name "Nifty Needles." The group made 50 fabric chair back covers with storage pockets for the students in preschool classes. This gave each classroom more storage space for each student. Front from left, Carrie Lee Kidd, Peggy Edwards, Rebekah Okeson. Others are Martha Childress, Mae Burden, Master Clothing Volunteer Rosa Smith, Judy Bridge, Phyllis Miles, Betty Downey and Rose Cottrell.
The LaRue County High School gym was dedicated in 1959. Superintendent Sam Sanders shared these photos of the dedication ceremony and other views of the school. He received the photos from Mickey Miller, son of former School Board Chairman Lee Miller.
Bill Justice has been named superintendent of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park.
He takes over for Keith Pruitt, who retired several months ago.
Justice began his duties in mid-August.
Travis and Tiffany Merriman of Memphis, Ind., announce the birth of their daughter, Ryleigh Ann Merriman.
Ryleigh was born at 3:52 p.m. Aug. 17, 2011, at Norton Suburban Hospital. She weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 19.5 inches long.
Maternal grandparents are Sheriff Bobby Shoffner and Tammy Shoffner of Hodgenville.
Paternal grandparents are Mike and Becky Merriman of Mooresville, Ind.
Jamie and Danette Aubrey Skaggs of Summersville announce the birth of their daughter, Audra Reese Skaggs.
Audra Reese was born at 6:57 p.m. July 5, 2011, at Hardin Memorial Hospital. She weighted 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 18.5 inches long.
Grandparents are Will and Diana Aubrey of Summersville. Great-grandmother is Audra Walker of Summersville.
Copyright © 2015
The LaRue County Herald is your source for local news, sports, events and information in LaRue County, KY, and the surrounding area.


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COLUMBIA, Md. and SAN JOSE, Calif., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Eurotech, a leading provider of embedded products and technologies, today announced that it has entered into a contract with Authentidate for design and delivery of the embedded computing engine for Authentidate's joint venture ExpressMD Solutions' remote patient health monitoring device. After initial delivery of units, Authentidate will have the option of moving to a license business model with Eurotech for complete control and responsibility of manufacturing and procurement functions.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/PH75840LOGO )
The device currently uses the Eurotech BitsyXb embedded computer with a custom carrier card to optimize features and I/O options. Eurotech's engineering development team will deliver a single board that will leverage the current computer design for greatest cost reduction and differentiation of the platform to fulfill this contract within Authentidate's accelerated time to market schedule.
Authentidate chose to continue working with Eurotech based on FDA approval of the existing technology, the company's ability to deliver a low-power solution, past positive engineering design and customer support service, and the company's business model and product line flexibility.
"Since our device is designed for the healthcare market, we need it to have a high performance level, a robust design and be flexible in configuration," said Ben O'Connell, President of Authentidate Holding Corp. "More importantly, Eurotech has a history of building products that can be manufactured to meet the healthcare market dem
|SOURCE Eurotech
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Cute! Great upcicled products!
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Campus Events
- Northeast Passage VA Adaptative Sports - June 3 - 5, Gilford N.H. Free to all Veterans. Contact NEP at (603) 862-0070 or email at email@example.com
Brown Bag Lunches, every Wednesday - MUB - 11:30pm-1:30pm (check MUB schedule for room numbers)
All veterans and military service members are invited to join us for our Brown Bag Lunches. The lunches provide opportunities for networking with fellow vets, connecting with various campus services, announcments, explaining benefits, and any important service changes. Bring a lunch from home, or grab something to-go at the MUB.
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