text: John Worne 2016-05-24T19:39:23-04:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=john-worne Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for John Worne Good old fashioned elbow grease. World Class: UK Higher Education tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.7786020 2015-07-13T12:08:05-04:00 2015-07-15T10:59:02-04:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ Most people in the UK will have a sense that UK universities are good. People may be aware that we attract a lot of international talent too. But our national tendency towards modesty shouldn't shroud the reality that higher education is one of the UK's best and most attractive assets on the world stage. Here's the evidence: We attract more international students than any other country in the world: UK higher education records more new international higher education (IHE) students each year than any other country, even the USA (notably the UK attracts more people on shorter one year masters courses than the US). UK universities reach more international students, in more countries than anyone else's: thanks to our culture of widening access and our rich history of distance learning, the UK's 131 universities reach pretty much every country in the world - that's more than 600,000 students worldwide who are studying for UK Higher Education qualifications. You could populate a major UK city with current international students: There are close to 500,000 international students studying at UK higher education institutions right now: all contributing to the contemporary educational, cultural and economic life of the UK. You could fill Wembley stadium 25 times with recent UK international alumni (and they'd be cheering): More than two million international alumni have studied at UK universities in the last 10 years and research shows the vast majority felt they had a great experience of higher education and this country. UK alumni are very influential: One in seven world leaders (presidents and prime ministers) in 2014 had studied in the UK and have experienced UK society, values, freedom of academic and personal expression, laws, norms and ways of living. UK students really value studying alongside ambitious people from around the world: Recent research of UK students' attitudes by the Higher Education Policy Institute found that over three-quarters say studying alongside people from other countries is great preparation 'for working in a global environment'. International education contributes £billions to the UK economy: The financial value of UK universities, colleges and schools working internationally, plus education exports - are worth more than £17.5 billion each year to the UK economy. That's equivalent to nearly half the UK's annual defence budget and is £5bn more than we spend on International Development each year. And, just so you know... half of all prospective international students who favour studying in the UK over other destinations, have had a British Council experience: learning English, taking a UK-backed exam with us or taking part in a British Council cultural or educational programme. Why is this? World-wide we've seen huge growth in young people wanting to explore new cultures and gain new skills by living, studying and working overseas. For eighty years, the British Council has helped connect the UK with the world by promoting the UK's world class education sector overseas, and helping students come to the UK's colleges and universities. In 1940 this was described as aiming "to create overseas a basis of friendly knowledge and understanding of the people of this country, of their philosophy and way of life". What better way to make friends than studying and learning together. Here are just four of many many thousands who have chosen the UK - and you can be sure the next generation of world leaders are walking the busy halls and corridors of UK universities today. Hassan Rouhani - Glasgow Caledonian University, 1999. Current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is a former law maker and Iran's seventh President. Since being elected into office in 2013, Rouhani has begun to strengthen links between Iran and the international community. Rouhani studied law followed by a PhD in constitutional law. Aung San Suu Kyi - University of Oxford and SOAS, University of London, 1960. Burmese politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the world's most famous former political prisoners. She was detained under house arrest for almost 15 years until her most recent release in 2010. In 2014 she was listed by Forbes magazine as the 61st most powerful woman in the world. Aung San Suu Kyi studied philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford in the late 1960s, and Burmese literature at SOAS between 1985 and 1987. Juan Manuel Santos - London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), 1975. Former economist and Minister, Juan Manuel Santos was elected as President of Colombia in 2010. Internationally recognised for his forceful stance against FARC and other guerrilla groups operating in Colombia, Santos is credited for having increased security levels in the country. He graduated LSE with a master's in economics. Desmond Tutu - King's College London, 1960. South African activist and former Archbishop Desmond Tutu rose to fame in the 1980s as a vocal opponent of apartheid. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his clear views and fearless stance against apartheid. Tutu says that studying in the UK "opened up a whole new world". He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in theology at King's College London in the 1960s. Our 'International Higher Education and the UK' exhibition is currently running at the British Council: 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN until 21 August 2015, before travelling around the world. The exhibition is open 9am-6pm Monday to Friday. Find out about more the value of internationalising UK higher education: http://www.britishcouncil.org/education/ihe If you've studied in the UK find out about our Education UK Alumni Awards: http://www.britishcouncil.org/education-uk-awards]]> Speaking in Tongues - Thinking Differently on Language Learning tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6877198 2015-03-16T09:03:31-04:00 2015-05-16T05:59:01-04:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ All perfectly natural, organic, evolving, improving, developing, growing, interesting and useful... Now off to your French lesson - avez vous un chat; ferme le fenetre - no that's feminine don't forget the circumflex and the correct pronunciation ends 'tchhrrre'. Sadly for a lot of students that means Zzzzz. Can't wait to see you next week for another half hour. But there are great Heads, Teachers and Innovators who are trying new things. I opened a terrific event at the British Council last week looking for new ideas and innovation in language learning from lots of different places. We had ideas from innovative UK schools, ideas from around the world and from 'Coding Clubs' which have taken off through gamification of learning - giving kids the tools to make their own apps and games. So what did we learn? First it's not easy. As Neil Strowger, the inspiring Head of Bohunt School in Hampshire reminded us, teaching a foreign language in a UK school is like trying to sow seed in a full blown gale. You scatter a few words and phrases on the somewhat stony soil of young minds and as soon as the bell rings a roaring gust of English blows them away. As a parent why would you be bothered about all this? Why? Because languages help children to think differently, see things differently; and as recent research has shown the brain learns to works differently when you speak different languages. At Bohunt School one third of the Year 7/8 school curriculum (all subjects) can now be taught Spanish, French or Mandarin - for the whole school year. And that makes all the difference, here's what Bohunt are achieving: Because communication is the key to pupil progress, their ability to persevere, problem solve, work collaboratively, work independently and link up their learning are all skills that are explicitly developed. This delivered a 100% pass rate including 72 % A grades in the first French group in 2013 followed by 100% pass rate and 75 % A grades in the first Spanish group. By the end of the first year of the programme, students in the 'Content and Language Integrated Learning' groups are outperforming their peers in all subjects. Not everyone can be a Bohunt. But as renowned education innovator @GarethMillsLive reminded us: "If we only do what we've always done, we'll only get what we've always got." He also reminded us of limits of grand ideas... Apparently at the height of Victorian optimism, the Royal Geographic Society announced victory in the field of all learning, with the invention of the 'lantern slide' a whacking great projector with a candle behind it which would captivate all future generations of learners. An early version of 'death by powerpoint'. At the end of the day learning is about big and little people. So what works? Getting more immersive - extremely hard in a modern packed school curriculum. But the simple fact is, just like learning to swim, there's a critical mass of time needed 'in the pool' before any of it comes together and it's much, much better to have a Spanish day or a Mandarin Chinese day where you get everyone talking languages - at lunch, in PE, in other subject classes. Really successful schools, like Bohunt have managed to find a PE teacher, someone in the Geography department, a form teacher as well as the language department and created whole days, and now terms and years where pupils do many of their lessons in another language. Child led - easily said, much harder to find the time to do but we heard from teachers who take the risk of putting kids 'in charge' and focus on role play far beyond the usual classroom banter. It's courageous stuff - kids spending a week running their own virtual 'town council' and dealing with all the challenges. But simpler approaches like 'at the restaurant', 'at the hotel' and at 'the airport' which focus on acting and using vocabulary - in situations which are real and useful are the sort of 'communicative' approach which the British Council uses to teach English to millions worldwide. Tech and Games - if you've got kids (I have) the easiest way to get them immersed is on a screen. We heard from Code Club how they take a 'Lego' approach and get kids building things - games, and apps, their own ideas - which brings the language, fun and usefulness of coding to life. But it can be a lonely business. Who'd be a courageous Head or an innovative language teacher - standing alone against a packed curriculum, a draconian 'fault-finding' languages exam marking system, a gale of English blowing outside the door - and kids who think they'd probably rather be elsewhere. Well if you want inspiration and practical help @joedale is your new hero - a one-stop-Twitter-shop for ideas, inspiration and Modern Foreign Language friends - if you're not part of #mfltwitterati you're seriously missing out. And you can see our whole event here and the case studies and ideas contributed by a packed room of educationalists and online participants from all around the world http://www.britishcouncil.org/education/schools/support-for-languages/think-differently We know we need a step change in the UK's approach to multilingualism and indeed to keep at our cultural awareness - that's not an uncommon problem around the world. More than ever, the world needs young people who are internationally-minded and able to contribute in an interconnected and interdependent world. But let's not forget languages are also hugely rewarding and fun - I know from my own experience, I'm twice as cheerful in French as I am in English. There's growing evidence that languages help older brains stay young; and also that adults are just as good at picking up languages as children are - in many cases more so as we have better learning tactics. Languages are not just for the nation's children, they're for all of us and for all of our lives - we can and should all have a go.]]> Science in Northern Ireland is World Class tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2015:/theblog//3.6782664 2015-03-02T07:44:24-05:00 2015-05-02T05:59:01-04:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ broken. 1339 school pupils smashed the previous record of 982 people proudly held by The Rodillian Academy in my home county of Yorkshire. Science matters to the UK and, to quote the poster campaign, UK 'Science is GREAT'. We are second in the world (only behind the USA) when ranked by Nobel prizes and the UK leads the G8 biggest economies in field-weighted citation impact - this time having overtaken the Americans. In plain English, stuff we discover in this country gets talked about more by other people in other countries, than stuff discovered anywhere else. But enough about competition, the spirit of science is above all collaborative - a collective endeavour to advance the sum total of human knowledge. All the evidence shows research produced through international collaboration has more impact and internationally mobile researchers are more productive. To stay great UK science and scientists need to be international, as reflected by the UK government's recently published Science and Innovation strategy, which also highlights science as an increasingly important element of 21st century diplomacy. Science here, as everywhere, needs role models who are able to inspire curious, young minds and a spirit of inquiry. So it was wonderful to see Northern Ireland's inaugural Science Festival celebrating and showcasing some of Northern Ireland's young Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) talent in a high-quality regional heat of 'FameLab'. FameLab is the X-Factor for researchers - their challenge: to bring science to life in 3 minute stage performances, sharing the wonder in their work in a snappy, sassy way which doesn't lose the science, but is accessible to a wider public. And last week's winner Queen's University Belfast student Emer Maguire certainly was sassy; beating off the science of eating grass, golden jellyfish and bad blood - and taking the prize with the science of kissing and why we smooch. Emer now goes off to the UK final organised by the Cheltenham Science Festival (who started the competition in 2005) and maybe on to the International Grand Final on 4 June this year where she would meet the cream of new, international science communicators identified from national finals (thanks to the British Council) in 27 countries worldwide. We sometimes underestimate ourselves in this country. But when it comes to science we are world class. And as the British Council well knows, the UK's international standing, institutions and relationships benefit enormously from science; a big driver for talented people to come to the UK, engage with the UK and work with the UK - on neutral terms and for shared benefit across all boundaries of culture and country, even in politically difficult circumstances. So the Guinness world record has a worthy new home in Northern Ireland - the biggest practical science lesson ever in a brand new Science Festival. We should all raise a glass to that.]]> Eighty Moments That Shaped the World tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.6210176 2014-11-25T19:00:00-05:00 2015-01-25T05:59:01-05:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ British Council - founded to share the 'knowledge and ideas' of the United Kingdom with the world. 2014 is the British Council's 80th Anniversary; and to mark it we have drawn together an international panel of 25 eminent scientists, technologists, academics, artists, writers, broadcasters and world leaders - from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas - to choose their '80 Moments' which shaped our world. 10,000 people spread equally across Brazil, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, the USA and the UK then voted to rank the final list. The overall winner is the World Wide Web - and for me this shows just how much we all care about being connected. Some of the worst moments for humanity are there too: the Holocaust, the two Atom bombs, 9/11 - aggressions, invasions, wars and attacks. What we learned from them is also present - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the formation of major international institutions for peace. There are also the moments that have joyfully brought us together like football World Cups, the sounds of Michael Jackson - and when people have come together to help others, like Live Aid. '80 Moments' ends with dance steps, Picasso and the humble instant noodle. All life is here and all the more because the diverse backgrounds of the international expert panel means they come from all around the world and all walks of life. A lot of what makes the list though is about people; the heroes from Mandela to Jessie Owens and Muhammad Ali, the rise of mass movements inspired by Ghandi to Martin Luther King and the progressive - albeit far from complete - advance of the rights of women and minorities. Then there are the great inventions, discoveries; medical and technological advances: mobile phones, Dolly the Sheep, DNA and penicillin. Throughout the last 80 years - in part through the work of the British Council - the UK has generally looked out and played its full part in the world. Indeed the UK and British people were involved with, instrumental in or inventors of a good quarter of these '80 Moments'. And we have been affected by them all. In times of global upheaval, countries always feel pressures to turn in on themselves: to fix their own problems before tackling the global challenges, to promote their interests over those of others and to look after their own before helping anyone else. The darker of the '80 Moments' show what happens when people and countries turn inwards, and turn against each other. But for me, '80 Moments' shows that our lives generally get better when we share our knowledge and ideas; and when people from different countries study, work and create together. That was the founding idea of the British Council - and it is as true of today's world it was in the 1930s. Eighty years is within a single lifetime of today - but for many it will feel a long time ago. The pace and scale of change in science and technology, international relations, arts and culture - and the way societies work and people live - must seem vast through the eyes of a those who have lived through them. That is what inspired us to produce '80 Moments'. The British Council works with millions of young people around the globe helping them to learn English, gain UK-backed qualifications, access educational opportunities and ultimately perhaps to study, visit, work or do business with the UK. We also help UK young people learn languages, study overseas and develop their careers and creativity internationally. So we are sharing '80 Moments' widely around the world through social media with the hashtag #80Moments. It is important that we give young people here and around the world a sense of the contribution that individuals, events and inventions (and therefore all of us) can make. It's also worth reminding those of us who have lived through some of them. Each of us could be part of the next 'Moment' which changes the world - for good or bad. A sense of our connectedness and interdependence is, I think, the thing which comes through '80 Moments' the most, that and amazing things people can and have achieved when we work together. The full list with all 80 Moments is at www.britishcouncil.org/80Moments]]> Chinese: Can't Swim, Won't Swim tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5964980 2014-10-12T19:00:00-04:00 2014-12-12T05:59:01-05:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ And you certainly can't fault the Chinese for the support they are giving the UK. Hanban: the home of Confucius Institutes are currently investing £22m - some of it via the British Council - in helping the young people of the UK become better Chinese speakers, supporting teachers, Chinese resources and Chinese Language Assistants in UK schools. The good news is both the number of schools teaching Chinese and the number of learners studying it is increasing - albeit gradually, from a low base. Hooray, job done! Er, no. The British Council recently did some joint research with Hanban into both the supply and demand for Chinese language learning in the UK. And what it showed that our relationship with China is a 'mega opportunity'. But one that business, educators and young people - indeed the entire nation - risk missing if we don't do some things differently. At the moment, goods dominate UK-China trade. The UK imports goods from China worth five times what it exports. In services we run a small surplus of around US$1 billion, but that is tiny compared to the trade deficit in goods of US$37 billion, according to a report by Oxford Economics. Services are the UK's strength - but, despite young Chinese people considering the UK as one of world's most attractive countries for culture, creativity and education (rank #2, only beaten by the USA), China contributes just 1% of the UK's service exports - it ranks 20th. We can do it when we put our minds to it; we know more Chinese people now watch Downton Abbey than people in the UK - but there's a long way to go. When it comes to tourism - another huge UK attractor - we have fallen from 20th in 1995 to the 28th favourite destination for Chinese visitors. And although we welcome more Chinese students to UK universities than any other country bar the USA (nearly 100,000 and indeed more students come here from China than from the rest of the world combined), as China's own vast universities rise up the world rankings, the UK cannot be complacent in attracting bright young Chinese minds. All of a sudden no-one speaking the lingo looks a lot less clever. The British Chambers of Commerce in 2012 found that up to 96% of respondents in their business survey had "no foreign language ability for the markets they served, and the largest language deficits are for the fastest developing markets". Compare this with the views of a Chinese industrialist who commented that "a China-based organisation would not attempt to do business in the UK without knowledge of the English language and business would be greatly improved if UK-based organisations shared this mind-set." Our research suggests three reasons why they don't: • First, most obvious and most corrosive is complacency. The wide acceptance of English as a global language and lingua franca for politics, business and trade, means businesses may believe that can carry on regardless - with just English. • Second, UK companies, who don't have in-house Chinese capacity don't know what they are missing out on. As one stakeholder pointed out "For companies to tell you that they have a problem, they have to know that they have a problem." • Third, a weak supply of language skills is means low expectations creating and compounding a vicious circle of monolingualism. Employers tend to cover-up language deficits in the UK workforce by hiring interpreters and native speakers, ignoring language requirements in job adverts, or focusing their business solely on regions where English is the dominant language. When it comes to languages we're like a nation of committed non-swimmers faced with a swimming pool - no appetite for diving in and no idea of the benefits and joys of taking the plunge. What's clear is we need more opportunities for more UK young people to practice their language skills and more of them to study and work overseas - and in so doing develop their intercultural skills and an international outlook. The British Council is on the case here with our Study, Work, Create website. But we also need to think more about languages as an additional string to a young person's bow. There are real salary and employability benefits from combining languages with other professional, business and technical skills. Languages with other professional skills are good for young people and good for business. The good news is policymakers, educators, business and the British Council are all pulling together and in the right direction. That meeting at the Institute of Education was another step in pulling together the growing 'coalition of the willing' committed to ensuring that Chinese can be a realistic choice for a critical mass of UK schools and young people. But perhaps the most important thing we all need to continue to combat is the argument that commentators and opinion formers all too often espouse that languages are a waste of time. A few weeks ago I wrote to the Financial Times to challenge Simon Kuper's piece setting out why learning a foreign language is pointless: As I said in that letter: "Languages speak to the heart and are food for the mind - at any age. That is why we owe it to ourselves to try." And for anyone who is fearful or thinks they can't, have a look at our blog on what's great about learning Chinese along with these links to a world of languages - or any of these other languages. Go on - have a try! Arabic: more accessible than you think Russian: beautiful, complex, and a window onto the unknown Turkish: a fascinating structure and huge influence The French language: romantic, precise, close to English German and hipsters: the perfect match? Single Japanese words can contain whole worlds of experience How good is Italian for business? Spanish: learning to speak the language of 400 million people]]> Skills for Life? The World's Your Oyster tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5926572 2014-10-05T19:00:00-04:00 2014-12-05T05:59:01-05:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ We would be arrogant if we thought the UK had a monopoly on the right answers. German quality, Chinese scale, Italian design, French Grands Projets, Polish IT and logistics - there's a world of skills and expertise for UK young people to go and see, learn from and share back home. So it's really heartening to see from our latest British Council research that 83% of UK young people in Further Education are keen to go abroad to work or study, to learn about new cultures. They are up for making new friends, gaining valuable skills and bringing that experience back into the UK jobs market. The EU published a study in September that looked at 80,000 people from across the continent who went on the EU funded 'Erasmus' programme. And they say it's clear: if you study or train abroad you will improve your job prospects. Back in the UK, we know employers want young people with international skills and the confidence and competence to understand and work with other nationalities: on the shop floor, in the supply chain and in the shop windows of export. Looks like everyone stands to be a winner - young people from across the UK want international skills, employers want to hire them and a short investment in time overseas can pay back for an entire life-time. But it isn't happening. Why? We found that less than 20% of young people in Further Education felt overseas options were fully presented to them. Almost a third said they got no information at all - and half of the respondents were not aware of the good information on overseas opportunities that's already out there. Apply those ratios to all the young people in the further education sector and it could mean that over one and a half million young people didn't get the advice to properly consider and realise their ambitions to get overseas. For an historic trading nation with more international connections than almost any other, there's only one word for that - tragic. So to join up some dots, the British Council through our Study, Work, Create programme is offering thousands of funded opportunities for young people to go overseas, improve their languages and gain international skills. Today we're launching #takeontheworld, a new campaign from the British Council aimed at young people currently studying for school or HE qualifications in further education colleges. Running for six weeks, #takeontheworld is designed to inspire UK young people to become more global in their outlook by seeking out and sharing international stories, with the chance of winning an international taster experience. Since this is the YouTube generation, the campaign is centred on YouTube interviews well-known 'Ambassadors' sharing their own international journeys and stories; and offering advice to young people who might find the prospect of working or studying overseas a little daunting. A few of the vloggers include the MD of Spotify, Kanye West's wedding photographer, a GB hockey player, a Coronation Street star, a young explorer and two young alumni of the EU's Erasmus and the British Council's Selector music programmes. The challenge for young participants is to form their own team (with the help of teachers or youth workers) and go out to find and film their own interviews with people with a great international story to tell. The winning interview, judged with our 'ambassadors' will win a once in a lifetime cultural and creative taster experience in New York designed to equip and inspire them for further international greatness. But winning isn't the only thing there's a how-to film and guide for entering the competition has been specially created to develop the skills of all the participants as well as encouraging them to look at Study, Work, Create. When I was a nipper, going overseas for a work or life experience was the preserve of a small internationally mobile elite. Today, in a more connected world the barriers are lower and the opportunities are much greater for us all. Everyone working with young people starts from the ambition to help them follow and realise their dreams. And if we can inspire more young people to travel and experience other countries - then there is no limit to what they might achieve; the world truly is their oyster.]]> Kids, Eat Your Verts - Languages Are Good For You tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5757650 2014-09-03T06:36:14-04:00 2014-11-03T05:59:01-05:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ Across the country, proud parents have been posting pictures of their newly uniformed kids, posing with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, on the morning of their first day at a new school - my son started his today. And, this time round, the start of the new school year brings with it a potentially life-changing new development: from now on, primary school children over the age of seven will have to learn a foreign language. Zut alors! But, despite some long faces, it's an important step in the struggle against the UK's chronic lack of foreign language skills - a habit of a lifetime that's estimated to be costing the UK economy almost £50 billion a year in missed business opportunities. We are all born linguists - the only reason we don't learn foreign languages is if we're not exposed to them. Otherwise you just soak them up. The secret perhaps, like so often with kids, is stealth - a main course of broccoli can cause a revolt. But sneaking those greens onto the side of the plate sometimes gets them eaten. So getting languages on the Primary School menu is a great start - pushing them on every young person's plate gets them used to the strange taste. And here's the interesting thing - we've discovered with some of our recent research that languages often turn out to be as useful - and valuable - on the side and not just as the main dish. So you don't have to choose between French or Physics, or Chinese instead of Business Studies - they are just as good, and often better, together. So in developing a taste for languages we have nothing to lose and a great deal to gain: for our children, their employability, our businesses and the UK as a whole. Starting languages earlier gives us a better chance of enthusing young people to study them for longer and to get to a higher standard than they're currently minded to do. Less than half of students currently take a language GCSE - let alone anything more advanced. But like broccoli, every little helps. And you don't have to be fluent to be functional and thus a better host and ambassador for the UK. Even a few words can make you friends and influence people. What's more, if languages are taught in primary schools as part of a broader cultural education, we'll soon be sending all our young people off to secondary school with a superb grounding in the basic ingredients of being a global citizen: youngsters who can better connect with other people and other cultures. No-one's pretending that the introduction of compulsory languages at Key Stage Two is going to solve the UK's language problem overnight - nor that it will be easy. The British Council and CfBT's latest Language Trends report showed that, while the vast majority - 85% - of primary schools are enthusiastic about the changes, three quarters of them also believe that implementing them will be a challenge. And, with years before we're likely to see the impact of these changes at GCSE, we mustn't forget older kids - the ones already at secondary school. This year we saw a halt to recent growth in the number of students taking language GCSEs. So unless employers continue to ask for them, and we showcase for young people the benefits of learning a language, things could get worse before they get better. So, parents of the UK: there may be trouble ahead; there will be aggro with the homework and cross moments as we stumble over foreign vocabulary and tortuous grammar. But, together we can... When it comes to language learning, I start this new school term like all those other parents sending their kids to a new school: a little anxious, a little excited, and hopeful for a brighter linguistic future.]]> Culture Is a Contact Sport tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5653831 2014-08-06T19:00:00-04:00 2014-10-06T05:59:07-04:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ cultural programme wrapped around the 2014 Glasgow Games. At the same time - thanks to the University of Edinburgh - I met with political, sports and academic leaders to discuss what big sporting events can do for your country. For me it's simple: sport is one of the universal languages which connect people and cultures. Whether it's maths, music, science, the arts - or, increasingly these days, English - humanity has many universal languages, which can bring people together whatever their differences. I never cease to be amazed that wherever you are, in whatever circumstances, you can almost always get a conversation going with one of humanity's universal languages, especially where otherwise there might be misunderstanding and mistrust. Of course not everyone is spontaneously united by the 'scientific method'. And some cultures don't 'do' the performing arts. There are horses for different cultural courses. And certainly when it comes to sport, different countries have different traditions - for example, I learnt a few years back that Iran and Bulgaria share a deep love of wrestling and weightlifting along with the red white and green of their flags: the reasons no doubt lost in the mists of antiquity. In some countries sports are simple, in others monumentally complex, with books of rules and lockers full of equipment. Perhaps how you run your sports says something about how you run your country. Remarkable then that American Football enforces an almost communist egalitarianism, with the best players drafted to the worst teams so every city gets to win - though studies have shown that this is, in fact, a profit-maximising strategy; so perhaps it's not so un-American after all... But whatever the differences, every culture runs, throws things and kicks stuff - and most trade punches too. Sport is primal, basic, essential and everywhere. So what can it do for your culture? At the British Council we have run major sport-based programmes for many years to bring people together, teaching them life skills and helping them with their education and English. Our biggest was International Inspiration, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games' international sporting legacy programme which reached over 15 million young people in 21 countries, inspired 45 significant policy changes and linked 590 schools in the UK and worldwide - as well as securing 300+ safe spaces to play sport in partner countries. Commonwealth Class is doing some of the same things for the Commonwealth Games. Two of our most successful partnerships are with the Premier League and Premiership Rugby, using both football and rugby to train coaches, spread teamwork and bring hope from favelas to refugee camps - as well as English and opportunity in dozens of countries worldwide. Burma is the latest country to join Premier Skills. So sport is all good? Well, not entirely. Let's not forget decades of cold war competition by proxy - plus drugs, cheating, match-fixing and hooliganism. But when it's done right, with the right values, few things connect people better than the great sporting moments and tournaments, which bring many thousands together, often in strange lands, to compete, spectate, hope and enjoy. And indeed sometimes to stay. A Scottish colleague of mine told me you can still find the odd English taxi driver in Mexico City who'd flown out one-way for the 1970 World Cup. Go for the footie, stay for life. And Scotland's Tartan Army has cheerfully carried the saltire all over Europe. And that matters because, when all is said and done, building cultural relations between countries is a 'contact sport' - you have to go, meet, see and do things together to make friends and build lasting trust with other people and peoples. So sport and great sporting events are a massive draw. But the best of all is when sport is shared alongside culture. And here Glasgow excelled - with arts, literature, education and real opportunity for young people. In everything I saw in Glasgow, culture shone bright. I didn't get to see a moment of the sport; but I did see civic pride, creativity, teamwork and quality in every bit of Glasgow life. And everyone who went, from the many countries who took part, cannot fail to carry golden memories of Glasgow 2014.]]> Whatever the Weather, Culture's Our Biggest Draw tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5626616 2014-07-28T19:00:00-04:00 2014-09-27T05:59:06-04:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ But the rest of the world just doesn't believe it. In the British Council's new report, As Others See Us - we learn what people from key countries for the UK's future think of us. And, the biggest cloud on the horizon? The British weather rains on our parade. But the good news is that the news is, in fact, mostly good. The report shows that, despite some faults, we're still an extremely attractive country in the eyes of the world. In terms of overall 'attractiveness' as a nation, we (along with Australia) come second only to the United States. So what is it that makes us so attractive? In regards to our national character, our politeness and good manners come top, followed by the fact that we're considered educated and skilled. The world also thinks we're friendly, respect the rule of law, and have a great sense of humour. And, when asked which one thing makes the UK attractive to them, the top response - by quite a significant margin - is 'culture'. UK culture means different things to different people. But the top three cultural figures from our global sample were William Shakespeare, HM The Queen and David Beckham. And therein lies one of our biggest advantages. The UK's cultural attractions span hundreds of years (in fact thousands as Stonehenge gets a regular mention). What attracts the world to the UK encompasses everything - the stage, the pitch, the throne and more. But the survey also gets personal, and looks at what the world thinks about the less attractive characteristics of UK people. And they told us that our worst traits are drinking too much (as if we didn't know), bad eating habits (how dare they), and - less good news for our international cultural relations - ignorance of other cultures, being too nationalistic, and intolerance towards people from other countries. Hmmm, we need to keep working on the nation's smile to shift the latent stereotype of boozy, flag waving Brits eating junk food in the rain. But overall, despite the odd hiccup and belch, we're considered an attractive bunch. The English language, our great cultural attractions, our universities, sports and arts scene save our bacon - and bring it home too. Official statistics show that, even in tough economic times, the UK's creative industries have been growing, and at a rate that outperforms any other sector of UK industry. The latest estimates put the value of the UK's creative industries to the UK economy at more than £71 billion a year - that's £8 million an hour. So there's plenty to be proud of when it comes to UK culture and our national image. And that's important as it attracts people from around the world to visit, study here and do business with us. The world may (wrongly this week) think that our weather's terrible - but the sun never sets on UK culture, and it shines all around the world.]]> Shakespeare: A Hit, A Very Palpable Hit tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.5212831 2014-04-25T11:21:11-04:00 2014-06-25T05:59:02-04:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ And the Bard wasn't a narrow winner either, but came out overwhelmingly on top. Like Cleopatra, 'age cannot wither him, nor custom stale his infinite variety'. His closest competition? The Queen herself and 'wherefore art thou Romeo?': David Beckham. So why does a playwright from the Midlands, who's been dead almost four centuries continue to be the UK's biggest cultural icon? Though this might seem like madness, 'yet there is method in't'. For starters, half the world's school children study Shakespeare, according to research carried out for the British Council and Royal Shakespeare Company in 2011. And as all who have wrestl'd his writings will know, 'sweet are the uses of adversity'. Shakespeare remains a constant presence in the classrooms of millions of children worldwide in their formative years - with the stamp of approval from education systems the world over - because he captures the unchanging 'tides in the affairs of men', women, kings and countries which speak as clearly to the present as they did to rowdy Elizabethans seeking diversion. He is both a national and an international treasure. And for the British Council, teaching English around the world, let's not forget Shakespeare's huge impact on the words and phrases we all use today - and not just when we're speaking English. If you compliment a kindly Frenchman on his coeur d'or, he has Shakespeare à remercier for his heart of gold. The phrase was coined in Henry V - along with 'swagger', as it happens. 'Addiction', 'assassination', 'the naked truth' and 'too much of a good thing' are also concepts we can't live without, but didn't exist until Shakespeare created them. Hats off to The Sun last week, for taking the opportunity of the 450th birthday to present us with a montage of some of their front page headlines inspired by Shakespeare's work and The Guardian for their Shakespeare 'Top Trumps' game cards. And, finally, there's the one thing that underpins all of this - as Hamlet said, 'the play's the thing'. The reason Shakespeare's words are our words, and his works are our children's school work, is the substance. Content is king. The themes contained in Shakespeare's storylines not only continue to compel, but chime with contemporary life in emerging economies, developing countries and on the streets and thoroughfares of affluent and unequal nations too. The romance, the ambition, the laughs and the skulduggery are all as relevant today as they ever have been - as well as the darker truths. Shakespeare's works aren't just a window into the past - they're a mirror held up to the present. And they're a mirror in which people can see their own reflection all around the world. So when he wrote the phrase 'the world's mine oyster', could even he have imagin'd just how true that would become?]]> WWI - Remember the World as Well as the War tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2014:/theblog//3.4758585 2014-02-10T19:00:00-05:00 2014-04-12T05:59:01-04:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ For British people the answer is 'Trenches', 'Death', 'Loss of Life', 'Battle of the Somme', our new research shows. Knowledge of the conflict, that began 100 years ago this summer, is dominated by the events that took place on the Western Front. Understandably as, for many people in the UK, if a member of your family fought or died in the war, that's probably where. But our strong awareness of the iconic stories and images of the Western Front is not, at present, matched by a similar knowledge of the global scale of the conflict. The war touched many countries we don't always think of, either that fought in it or were impacted by the peace that followed. And that is important to our work at the British Council and the people of the UK, because that's something that people in those countries are often far more aware of than we are. The British Council's new report, Remember The World As Well As The War, highlights the extent to which the global scale and impact of the war is not well known in the UK, drawing on research carried out for us by YouGov. It also shows that people in the UK do want to know more about the wider global impact of WWI. Which is good, because this report shows perceptions of the UK around the world are still influenced by the Great War - and we would do well to be aware of them when we travel for business and leisure. Three quarters of people we spoke to around the world feel that their country is still affected by the consequences of WWI. And it affects how they view the UK - sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. In India, 45% of the people interviewed say the UK's role in the war has a positive effect on how they view us today - against 13% who were negative. In France and Russia it's 28% with 6% and 11% negative. However, 34% in Turkey and 22% in Egypt say our role in the war makes them think worse of us. Much smaller percentages in both countries are positive about the UK's role and thus how they perceive us today. And this matters when you travel for the UK. When the British Council recently held a conference in Tunisia for leaders from the UK and across the Middle East, the opening speaker - a senior Tunisian official - talked about the need to improve trust between the UK and the Middle East. But his reasons for this went back almost a century to products of WWI that very few British people know about. One was the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, which paved the way for British and French control of much of the Middle East. The second was the 1917 Balfour Declaration: a letter by the British Foreign Secretary which led to the creation of the state of Israel - and the Palestinian conflict that remains to this day. So, while many people in this country might not have heard of these documents, they are still very much alive in the memories and minds of people in another part of the world. In Egypt over 90% of people interviewed are aware of the Balfour Declaration and in Turkey over 40% know of Sykes-Picot and more than half know WWI led to the end of Turkish control of the Middle East and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The similar figures for the UK are less than a quarter aware of the Balfour Declaration, less than 10% have heard of Sykes-Picot and less than a third are aware of the war's impact on Turkey. So, just like the courtesy of learning a few words of the language, for someone from the UK travelling to countries with different memories of WWI than ours, learning a little more about the scale and legacy of this truly global conflict can be invaluable in effectively navigating and building relationships of trust. This year's WWI centenary commemorations provide the perfect opportunity to grow the awareness in the UK of the global impact of the conflict. As historian Dan Snow writes in the foreword to the British Council's report, it reached 'across oceans and continents, costing at least 17million lives.' And it is important in 2014 to continue to remember this reach, because, although the world is a very different place, as Dan also writes, 'if we forget, we are more likely to repeat.' People in the UK today can be rightly proud of our sacrifice, and humbled by our loss in WWI. But our report shows there is still a lasting impact on how people in other countries see us, to this day. As the report title says, it is important we 'remember the world - as well as the war.']]> The Languages for the UK's Future tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4302358 2013-11-20T19:00:00-05:00 2014-01-25T16:01:55-05:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ The British Council's new Languages for the Future report looks at the 10 languages the UK needs the most in order to stay front and centre on the world stage over the next 20 years. So, which languages are they, why do we need them - and how many UK adults currently feel they can hold a conversation in them... Spanish - like their football team - scores from all angles. Spoken throughout Latin America and widely in the USA too, it's important for current and future trade and in demand by UK businesses; a priority too for diplomacy and UK education opportunities and exports. It's also (obviously) spoken in many of our favourite travel destinations and prominent on the internet. There are Spanish speakers all over the world - and many don't speak English so well. So, as Speedy Gonzales used to say, 'arriba, arriba andale' for Spanish. (Only 4% of UK adults feel they can speak Spanish) Arabic - the surprise runner-up. The fourth biggest language family in the world and spoken in many countries throughout North Africa, the Gulf and Asia. It is a big diplomatic, UK education and exports priority. Much in demand from UK businesses and increasingly important for UK trade, Arabic is well worth a look, especially as native Arabic speakers are less likely to speak English than many others. Less useful than Spanish for our favourite travel destinations, and some may find Arabic script tricky - but it's universal so, once mastered, you can read the signs anywhere Arabic is spoken. (1% feel they can speak Arabic) French - still a top Romance language as well as the language of romance. Spoken widely in Europe and Africa, it is still the most sought-after language for UK employers, and also scores highly in terms of trade, travel and its prominence on the internet. Not so widely-used in the high-growth economies, and less of an education exports priority - mais Français is still très bienvenue chez nous. (the winner in familiarity, 15% feel they can speak French) Mandarin Chinese - the 'Iron Rice Bowl': learn it and eat for life. A big trade and diplomatic priority, in big big demand among UK businesses - and important for trade and as the language of the ultimate high-growth economy. Not a top travel destination for Brits, but Chinese tourism into the UK grows every year, so definitely one for our hoteliers and hospitality industries... (1% feel they can speak Mandarin Chinese) German. Vorsprung durch Deutsch. Despite widespread excellent English in Germany, German is in big demand for UK businesses - and good for UK trade and travel. It doesn't score so well as a language of high-growth markets, but it is Europe's top economy, so alles gut. (6% feel they can speak German) Portuguese. Handy on both Atlantic coasts, the big reason to make Portuguese your GOL! GOL! GOL! is of course Brazil. An upcoming World Cup and Olympics connects the UK and Brazil, making Portuguese a diplomatic and trade priority. Businesses need it - but they say not as much as other languages. English is not widely spoken in Brazilian business, perhaps the reason why Portuguese is not so big in terms of current UK trade impact. (Less than 1% feel they can speak Portuguese) Italian. La bella vita. Italian still scores in terms of travel, holidays and current trade - but isn't considered so important by UK businesses, in high-growth markets, diplomacy or education exports. It still sounds beautiful though. (2% feel they can speak Italian) Russian. Dobrý den' - the language of a country the size of a continent, with vast natural resources and a culture of endless depth and fascination. A high-growth market, Russian is much sought-after by UK businesses. It's also prominent on the internet but harder for some, given Cyrillic script. Not a top destination for travel - but it should be, as there's so much to see and do. (1% feel they can speak Russian) Turkish. The historic cross-roads of East and West, the cradle of world civilisation and the origin of a crescent of Turkic languages which stretch all the way to China. Turkish is also the language of a high-growth market which is a real priority for UK government in terms of trade, diplomacy, regional security and education opportunities. (Less than 1% feel they can speak Turkish) Last but not least, Japanese takes a bow as sought-after by UK businesses and, with so many Japanese businesses long term investors in the UK, it's important for trade, banking and finance. With new Olympic ties - Tokyo 2020 following London 2012 - there are opportunities aplenty for more trade, tourism and travel. (1% feel they can speak Japanese) And let's not forget... Indian languages - of which there are a number - so no single one scored enough points to make the top ten. English is widely spoken in Indian business and the UK has a good many speakers of Indian languages. Polish - a great language for the UK's future but, again, the UK has a good stock of Polish speakers. Welsh and Gaelic - culturally central at home but this study looked overseas. You can read the Languages for the Future report at http://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/publications]]> Good News: Tokyo Just Got Closer tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4239037 2013-11-08T07:28:33-05:00 2014-01-23T10:53:02-05:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ Paris or New York? Nope, the surprise winner when you look at Loughborough University's impressively-named Information-rich Visualisation of Dense Geographical Networks figure 1c is... London and Tokyo. Not obvious. But when you go, you see why. I'm recently back from Tokyo and was warmly and extremely politely welcomed (arigato! and a deep bow of gratitude to everyone I met), not least because of the surprising commonality between our biggest cities. It's easy to see the differences - politeness, order, extreme train punctuality, pristine streets and shrines... But don't miss the similarities: yes finance and commerce, but also creativity, arts and world-leading digital culture. Also, sadly, there's a bit of economic uncertainty on both sides of the world - they're a bit melancholy and we're a bit austere. But the great news for lovers of Japanese culture (and once you've been, you can't fail to be fascinated) is the great celebration of sport, culture, diversity and disability - which was London 2012 - will connect the UK and Japan all the more strongly in the years to come, given Tokyo's success in landing the Olympics for 2020. And London 2012 was top of the agenda in every meeting I had - with Tokyo Government, with Japan's Foreign Ministry, with the UK's excellent Ambassador - and when I was interviewed, with the customary incredible politeness, by the biggest selling newspaper in the world, the Yomiuri Shimbun. We talked at length about the UK's experience of 2012 and what I think are the great opportunities for Tokyo and Japan looking forward to 2020. They all liked the sound of the three things I said London 2012 brought the UK: regeneration for London; a boost to the economy; and a big boost to the UK's self-confidence. And my humble advice for Tokyo? As I said to Yomiuri Shimbun, I'm sure no country in the world is more capable of executing something well-planned than Japan. But I also want Japan to show us its creative side. The fusion of tradition and modernity which Danny Boyle managed for the UK could be stunningly realised by Japan to give us a new idea of the future of human society - not least as we all live longer and longer... I still remember as a child how Japanese products amazed us. And a tradition of film, design, Manga and robotics - not least a 78 fingered robot guitarist and 21 stick drummer - show Japan can certainly rock and animate the world. And the help, advice and support we've been asked for from London, the UK and the British Council we are truly happy to give to Tokyo, because everyone's a winner from a great games. But beyond sport and economics, my personal wish for the people of Japan is that they can use the Tokyo 2020 Games to re-ignite their belief and our expectation that things that astonish the world have always come from Japan - and always will - to boost their self-confidence, as London 2012 did ours.]]> Jiàoyù , Jiàoyù, Jiàoyù tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.4097672 2013-10-15T19:00:00-04:00 2014-01-23T18:58:21-05:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ We have a booming export industry which is taking China by storm and returning billions to the UK economy. Fashion? Cars? Films? TV? All growing nicely, yes, but not the winner... In fact it's Education, Education, Education, as Chinese-speaking readers will have already deciphered in the title. Let's start from the beginning. As you may know, the UK is ranked number 2 in the world for Higher Education. We have top-rated universities, research, discoveries, inventions and win Nobel prizes (well done Peter Higgs). We are world class. Only the Americans are better. China knows how good UK universities are. Over 100,000 Chinese students studying in the UK testify to that. The British Council estimates China will send well over half a million students to study abroad by 2024. At the moment the UK has an impressive market share. But to keep up, we need to keep investing in relationships with Chinese universities and supporting the English language skills and qualifications these Chinese students are going to need. We're doing our bit. The British Council is working in Chinese universities in 47 cities the length and breadth of China right now - but there are dozens and dozens more to reach out to. And, as China's own university system grows, there will be huge opportunities for the UK to send more students, partner for research and even open Chinese campuses as Nottingham University has. And that's before you think about distance learning and digital learning where the Open University, for example, is a world leader. As well as Chinese students, the UK has over a fifth of all China's joint international programmes - well over 200 approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education. In university partnerships the UK is now world number two, close behind those darned Americans again. Put simply, China wants to partner us because of what we what have - a world class university system - and the potential benefits for the UK in partnering with China in this are huge in shared research, innovation and future exports. But our Achilles' heel is that there are less than 5,000 UK students studying in China. There are good reasons for UK students to 'get on their bikes'. We all know China is a huge player on the world stage and China is investing enormously in its own Universities - which are huge. I was talking to a UK student in Beijing the other week and she told me it takes her fully 25 minutes to cycle across campus from her halls of residence to her lectures. There are tens of thousands of students at her Chinese university. That's normal. And, as well as being big, they are good and getting better. The young woman I spoke to was a British Council 'Generation UK' student, part of our response to UK business leaders, who have told us many times they fear for the UK in the global economy if our young people don't get languages, international experience and skills - especially in China. Our objective - supported by the UK and Chinese governments - is to get 15,000 Generation UK students studying in China within three years. But we're not going to get there without the help of UK schools, parents and pupils. We estimate that only six per cent of UK schools are currently teaching Mandarin, so the opportunities for our young people to learn this important language are few and far between. The good news is the Chinese are up for helping us. The UK has fully 12% of all China's Confucius Centres worldwide - sharing Chinese language and Chinese culture with UK universities and schools. But we the people need to do our bit too... We might start with ensuring a warm British welcome - in our sometimes chilly climate - to those Chinese students who have invested so much in coming here. And then we need the UK to raise a generation of students more linguistically prepared and culturally ready to travel to Beijing and beyond: to enjoy China's language and culture and continue to attract China's vast human and economic resources the UK's way. As so often, a world of opportunity starts with three words: Jiàoyù, Jiàoyù, Jiàoyù.]]> London, Paris, New York: Some Things You Just Can't Bottle tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.3873179 2013-09-05T19:00:00-04:00 2013-11-05T05:12:01-05:00 John Worne http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-worne/ Top Cities survey - a worldwide poll that crowned London as the most popular city in Europe, but forced us to tip our bowler hats to New York as the global winner. London came second in the overall rankings (along with Paris), and I wasn't surprised to find it riding high as a city where people around the world would like to live, visit and do business - after all, I live here, don't I? But in amongst the data were a few fascinating phenomena: 1) Surprises: Berlin and Toronto - why so low? If I had to tip a likely contender to knock the UK off the top of the 'soft power' league, I'd probably (in secret) let on that I'd choose Germany. Mighty economics obviously, fine engineering of course, but also top football and a vibrant cultural scene - not least in Berlin. What happened? As for Toronto, Canada always comes top in global polls as it's America without the sharp edges. But both finish outside the Top 10, with Berlin in 11th place and Toronto in 12th. Why so low? It could be that these cities aren't distinctive enough to stand out from their neighbours. My pet theory is that both Germany and Canada are multi-centred countries. Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Vancouver, Ottawa etc. Perhaps all these other great cities split the vote. 2) BRICs: Can't live in them, but can't live without them A series of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) cities made it into the charts: Beijing, Rio, Shanghai, Moscow, Mumbai, Ghuagzhou (in that order). But none of them got more than 4% of the votes for the place where people would most like to live. And their average was just 2%. Yes, these are seen as great places to do business - but much less popular as places to live. This highlights one of the big challenges of rapid economic growth and social change - liveability, and developing a rich and lively cultural scene. 3) 'Eurovision' and 'Reverse Eurovision' effects Most countries vote for themselves - which is a good job, as a number of them get 'nul points' from everyone else. But a couple of countries are in a funk with their own capital - Poles don't vote for Warsaw and Spaniards don't vote for Madrid. What's this about? You couldn't choose a more fabulous place than Madrid, and Poles are more upbeat about their country than almost anywhere else in Europe in recent - forgive the pun - polls. 4) The Perfume Bottle: London - Paris - New York I think this sums it all up. You can be a huge country on the world stage, a must-do city for business or shopping - or popular at home or in your neighbourhood - but it'll take a lot to bump London, Paris and New York off the perfume bottle. The combination of mammon, chic, culture and history makes them tough to beat. And beauty and bit of the beast help too - a 'world city' needs a bit of edge. Why? That's what attracts young people, talent, creativity and creates that all-important vibrant cultural scene... And you need a few run-down bits too which enable new funky bits of your city to emerge and let artists and young people set up. But tastes do change. As someone on a recent delegation from the Far East said, when asked what his greatest memory of the UK would be, it wasn't London - but the Bicester outlet shops which sell top brands at knock-down prices. I hope he bought some perfume.]]>


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Hertz bid ends long courtship, and successful run for Dollar Thrifty
TULSA — In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis — as much of the American auto industry was in free fall, credit markets were frozen, and few consumers were traveling — shares of Tulsa-based Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group plummeted to a low of 60 cents.
The rental car corporation's market capitalization withered and the stock was in danger of being pulled from the New York Stock Exchange as executives pondered whether bankruptcy was the wisest course.
"Our lenders wanted to liquidate the company and move on, which would have meant 100 percent job loss and no severance payment for employees, at a time when the U.S. economy was at its worst," CEO Scott Thompson wrote in an email to employees this week.
The stock rebounded spectacularly as the company hammered out new terms with creditors and renegotiated deals on its vehicle fleet. But shares really took off after the recovering company attracted suitors in the form of the industry's largest players: Hertz and Avis.
Sunday, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. announced it would pay about $2.6 billion in cash for Dollar Thrifty, or $87.50 for each share — the same shares that traded for less than $1 for more than a month in early 2009.
The price is more than double what Hertz offered for Dollar Thrifty two years ago.
For the hundreds of Tulsa employees of the firm, the proposed merger immediately raises questions about layoffs. Thompson, in a letter to employees, said he expects jobs will be lost.
"Hertz will need the majority of the workforce to support our over $1.5 billion worldwide revenue base, but I expect there will be a workforce reduction as they integrate the companies," he wrote.
The existence of a large Hertz operation in Oklahoma City prompted some Tulsa business leaders to back a bid from Avis Budget Group Inc. in hopes that it would retain more local employees. Avis eventually ended its pursuit of Dollar Thrifty.
Thompson said it's not clear what Hertz would do with the Tulsa operations.
"We have no information on Hertz's plans for the Tulsa operations, but my guess is that Hertz will benchmark the cost of functions in Tulsa against its Oklahoma City operations in determining where functions are located over the long term," Thompson wrote.
"We have been assured by Hertz that all of our people will be considered for positions. Our agreement with Hertz includes protection of your current compensation and benefits for a period of time, including severance for those who are not retained. I am sure that Hertz will want the best people in this very competitive industry."
The deal is expected to close by year's end, Hertz CEO Mark Frissora said Monday.
Frissora said the acquisition should create about $160 million in annual savings and provide opportunities for increased sales.
Both Hertz and Dollar Thrifty's boards have approved the deal, which still needs antitrust clearance from the Federal Trade Commission. Hertz said it has stayed in close contact with the FTC to secure clearance and that Dollar Thrifty will fully cooperate with the process.
Frissora is confident the two companies will be able to get the deal "swiftly approved" by regulators. He said the deal is more of a certainty this time because of the massive preparation Hertz undertook before the deal was announced.
CONTRIBUTING: The Associated Press

subset: commoncrawl


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Anyone have any experience with their children modeling? We've always gotten comments that DS should model. Well, recently we've started toying with the idea but I'm still little apprehensive. I know DS has potential, so apart of me is like why not? I could put any money he makes into a college fund! But another part of me is concerned about the enviroment, the impact it may or may not have, spending alot of money, ect. So I was wondering if anyone wanted to share their experience!
Comments (6)
My older dd has done some unpaid modeling for brochures, pamplets and books though I worry about doing anything more significant than that. Here experiences have all been carefree and very relaxed, she's super sensitive and I can see how she'd get caught up in the icky stuff that surrounds female modeling.This is a fav from one of her last shoots
Olivia (June 2003), Maxwel (April 2005), Nyla (May 2007) & Charlie 10/25/12 (2 weeks early)
I had gone through a talent agency with my son when he was a baby. We had to pay for headshots which were a lot of money. Then we went to sooooo many auditions, or "go-sees" as they are called in the industry. All of them were in NYC and a few in Union City, NJ. That was an hour commute for us every time. Gas and tolls were spent to go to these things, be there for ten or twenty minutes, have them look at him, take a pic...then we'd almost never hear back. He got a couple call backs, and two paid jobs. There were just so many other babies auditioning for these things, and it all comes down to the person's opinion on who is perfect. The odds aren't really great your kid will get picked.
I'm not trying to discourage you...it was fun and exciting, at least. I just felt like lots of time and money was spent to do this, and it went nowhere. Maybe if he had been older...but I don't even think so. Like I said, there's just so much competetion and it wasn't worth the money and time. Your child might be beautiful and have lots of personality, but if you choose to do this, be sure he's ready to handle some disappointment, because there will be many times you don't get called.
If you do it, good luck. It is fun, at least!
Cynthia & Michael {8.1.08} & Vincent William {8.12.2009}
Expecting Adrian Alexander {11.9.2012}
Yeah, I'm a SKITTLE. Haters gonna hate!
Oh, and only do this if you are a stay at home mom. Agencies usually give you one days notice, and go sees are almost always on a weekday morning in your nearest major city. If you work, you won't be able to commit to this.
Cynthia & Michael {8.1.08} & Vincent William {8.12.2009}
Expecting Adrian Alexander {11.9.2012}
Yeah, I'm a SKITTLE. Haters gonna hate!
My son loves being around people and never naps, so it was good entertainment for him.
He is young so I never had to pay anything, the agency get a percentage of they pay. They don't require professional pictures until they are older since they change so much and fast.
Contact some agencies and see whats up. If your boy is older, Most of the serious ones will indicate the photographer they work with and not charge you for pictures directly.
Hope that helps :)
Learn more
Look how far your child has come.
Review your child's growth milestones.
Read about 3 years 5 months : Week 2.
Your growing child
Your 3 1/4-year-old: Storytelling
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Facing fears
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Magical thinking
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Mastering motor skills
Your 3 1/2-year-old: Writing skills
Learn more
What's next for your growing child?
Get a glimpse of what's to come.
Read about 3 years 7 months.


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Coed Sports
- Cheerleading
Women's Sports
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cheerleading
- Cross Country
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track
- Volleyball
Coach Mike Poe begins his 12th season as the Men's Basketball Coach at Tennessee Wesleyan College. He has a career record of 192-154 at TWC. Under his direction the Bulldogs have won 4 AAC Championships and made 4 appearances to the NAIA National Tournament. He was named Coach of the Year in the AAC conference in 2012 and 2013. He enters this season with a career record at TWC of 192-154, making him the 2nd alltime winningest coach in TWC history. Coach Poe is a 1980 graduate of Tennessee Wesleyan College. He spent 23 years in the High School ranks with a career record of 347-203 before returning to his alma mater. Coach Poe and his wife Sandy reside in Athens.
Coach Stone is entering his eleventh season as the men's basketball assistant coach at Tennessee Wesleyan College. As a 2000 graduate of TWC, Coach Stone played two years for the Bulldogs after transferring from Motlow State Community College.
After graduating from TWC, Coach Stone worked as an Admissions Counselor for three years. After pursuing another career, Coach Stone came back to TWC with his hard work ethics and winning attitude. He coached Men's and Women's Cross Country for 8 years in addition to being the assistant men's basketball coach. Coach Stone also serves as Coordinator of Athletic Event Management. Coach Stone has a two children, London Stone and Ray Stone III.
Coach Ferguson is entering his first season as the Men's Junior Varsity basketball head coach and Assistant Men's Coach at Tennessee Wesleyan College. As a 2007 graduate of TWC, Coach Ferguson played four years for the Bulldogs after graduating high school from Portland High School in Portland, Tennessee. During his four years with the Bulldogs he helped lead his team to two Conference titles and two trips to the NAIA National Tournament.
After graduating from TWC, Coach Ferguson worked in the sales field for seven years. After pursuing his sales career, Coach Ferguson came back to TWC to work as an Admission Counselor and to start his coaching career. Coach Ferguson met his wife, Dana while attending TWC and they reside in Athens with their two boys, Evan and Eli.


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Nathan Motta
Artistic Director
Nathan is the 5th Artistic Director at Dobama Theatre where he spurred Dobama's move to become the region's newest Equity Theatre and where he's directed critically acclaimed productions of A BRIGHT NEW BOISE, THE LYONS, TIME STANDS STILL, THE ALIENS, A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL CELEBRATION and SUPERIOR DONUTS. A professional director, conductor, and composer/lyricist, Motta has worked with Cleveland Play House, Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Oberlin College, John Carroll University, Opera Cleveland, Ohio Light Opera, Cain Park, Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Mercury Opera Rochester, and Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh). He is the Founding Artistic Director of the Dobama Emerging Actors Program (DEAP), an auditioned summer acting program where he has directed productions of ANTIGONE, BLOOD WEDDING, OEDIPUS, THE TEMPEST and MACBETH. Mr. Motta acted as Assistant Director on Cleveland Play House's productions of Brecht's GALILEO and Tom Stoppard's EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOR, a collaborative production with the Cleveland Orchestra. He has written two original musicals, LITTLE WHITE GLOVES (an adaptation of the movie All I Wanna Do) and MIDSUMMER (based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream). He holds a B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.M. from the Eastman School of Music. Motta will direct PETER AND THE STARCATCHER and MARIE ANTOINETTE this season at Dobama Theatre.
Phone: (216) 932-6838
Email: email@example.com
Julie Friedman
Managing Director
Julie has been with Dobama for ten years – first as Financial Manager and then Associate Managing Director before moving into the role of Managing Director in August 2013. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Dramaturgy and Theater Criticism from Brooklyn College CUNY. She has also worked as dramaturge on several Dobama productions. Ms. Friedman manages accounting, payroll, and both Equity and non-Equity contracts. She also oversees Personnel, Development, and Board Relations.
Phone: (216) 932-6838
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Jonathan Wilhelm
Associate Managing Director
Jonathan Wilhelm has had a long and varied career in the theatre from being the youngest intern at Oberlin Music Theatre to fabricating leather armor for Great Lakes Theater's production of KING LEAR with Hal Holbrook. As a performer he has been a professional children's storyteller (Mr. Hatbox), a Cleveland Christmas icon (a ten-year stint as Mr. Jingeling), and most recently appeared in Lucas Hnath's ISSAC'S EYE at convergence-continuum as The Narrator/Dying Man. As a playwright, his work has been performed at Ensemble Theatre (MIRACLE AND WONDER, 2012), John Carroll University (HOUSEHOLD TALES, 2010) and Cleveland Public Theatre (PUBLIC DISPLAYS, 2010). He has directed productions at Lorain County Community College THE CRUCIBLE, OLIVER!), Workshop Players (MORNING'S AT SEVEN, THE CURIOUS SAVAGE), and more murder-mystery dinner theatre productions than he can count. For seventeen years, he worked at Borders Books & Music where he organized book signings/events for Gen. Colin Powell, Judy Collins, Sandra Brown, Suze Ormond and Bob James, among others. He lives in Cleveland Heights with his partner Michael and cat Edgar.
Phone: (216) 932-3396
Email: email@example.com
David Tilk
Resident Technical Director
David has 21 years' experience as a theatre technician working for a number of theaters in Cleveland and surrounding areas and is glad to be back for a fifth season with Dobama. Dave has had the opportunity to work in a variety of educational settings as well as legit theatre including: Mandel Jewish Community Center, Opera Cleveland, Cleveland Public Theatre, Barberton Magical Theatre, and Cain Park, among others.
Marcus Dana
Resident Lighting Designer
Marcus has worked at Dobama Theatre since 2003 as Technical Director (TD) and Lighting Designer (LD). Marcus has been on staff at Tri-C East/Metro since 2000 as LD. Recent shows are: TD HANSEL & GRETEL with Nightingale Opera, TD TOMMY Benefit at Tri-C East, LD Dance Concert: Design Dancing On The Edge, Cleveland School of Ballet THE NUTCRACKER. Previously Lighting includes: Laurel School 2009-12, Resident Lighting Designer at Near West Theatre from 2001-06, Guest LD at The Canton Players Guild 2005-11, Verlezza Dance 2004-10, Beck Center 1995-2000, including THE SECRET GARDEN, where he won the 1995-96 Peggy Ezekiel "Award of Outstanding Achievement", CSU Factory Theatre, Cassidy Theatre, Karamu House, Lake Erie College 1997-06, Willoughby Fine Arts Association, The Bang and The Clatter Theatre, Kalliope Stage, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Bonfils Theatre and The Changing Scene.
Richard Ingraham
Resident Sound Designer
Richard is happy to return for his 15th season with Dobama Theatre. Favorite previous Sound Designs at Dobama include: A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS, COCK, NIGHT BLOOMERS, A NUMBER, and EARS ON A BEATLE. Richard is an AV Systems designer for Westlake Reed Leskosky and has worked at numerous theatres, schools and attractions in the Cleveland area and throughout the US as both a designer and educator, including: Baldwin Wallace University, Beck Center for the Arts, Cain Park, Carnegie Mellon University, Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Academy, Cleveland Public Theatre, The University of Evansville, Great Lakes Theater, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Playhouse Square and Oberlin College.
Resident COSTUME DESIGNER
Tesia is a Cleveland based Costume Designer. Recent designs include SUPERIOR DONUTS, A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL CELEBRATION, THE ALIENS and TIME STANDS STILL for Dobama, THE FROGS and SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE for Cain Park, DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA and ANCESTRA at Cleveland Public Theatre, and 'NIGHT MOTHER at The Beck Center. Tesia worked with Opera Cleveland as Costume Coordinator and designed the costumes for LA VOIX HUMAINE. Other credits include designs for Apollo's Fire, Lakeland Civic Theater, Near West Theater, Keystone Repertory Theater, Baldwin Wallace University, BIOLA University in La Mirada California, Cleveland State University, Cleveland City School District All City Musical, and Laurel School. She also serves as draper for the Baldwin-Wallace University Costume Shop and Adjunct Faculty teaching Stage Makeup. Tesia holds her M.F.A. in Costume Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Megan is excited to be returning this year as one of the Resident Stage Managers here at Dobama. This is her fourth season here, and some of her past credits here include: A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL CELEBRATION, BELLEVILLE, KIN, THE ALIENS, THE BIG MEAL, TIME STANDS STILL, THE LYONS, SONS OF THE PROPHET, 4000 MILES, GOD OF CARNAGE, TELLING LIVES, THE SEAFARER and VARICOSE VANITIES. She likes to spend her summers with The Utah Shakespeare Festival and she is a graduate of Kent State University. She would like to thank her family and friends for the support and all the staff here at Dobama for making this feel like home. Most of all she would like to thank the patrons for supporting live theatre.
Joel Rathbone
Resident Stage Manager
Equity Membership candidate
Joel has been a freelance Stage Manager for over sixteen years in Cleveland. He has managed productions for Playhouse Square, Dobama Theatre , Cleveland Public Theatre, Ensemble Theatre , Cleveland Shakespeare Company, and Lakeland College. Joel is thrilled to join Dobama's staff as a Resident Stage Manager. Last year he was fortunate to manage THE NORWEGIANS and SUPERIOR DONUTS. His other favorite productions around town have been NEXT TO NORMAL and ASSASSINS for Lakeland College and Ensemble's production of THE NORMAL HEART. As always, he couldn't do it without the support of his friends and family, especially his wife Hester.
Mindi Bonde
House Manager & Administrative Assistant
Mindi has worked in many capacities at local professional and community theatre venues including Actors' Summit, Beck Center for the Arts, Cain Park, CCC-E, Great Lakes Theater, Halle, Kalliope Stage, and 14th Street Theatre. She is the Assistant Box Office Manager at Cain Park. Previously, Mindi was a tech dresser for the national tour of EVITA, was Dorothy Silver's dresser in Dobama's highly acclaimed 4000 MILES, and also worked as Assistant Stage Manager on TIME STANDS STILL and Production Assistant on THE NORWEGIANS. Mindi holds a Master's degree from Western Illinois University. She is the proud mother of Melissa and C.J. Thank you for supporting live theatre!
Deena Barrett
House Manager
Deena Barrett is a retired special education teacher who has always had a strong love for and involvement in theatre. She has been a volunteer usher at Cain Park for several seasons and has also ushered here at Dobama Theatre. She is a member of the Western Reserve Chorale music group. She is thrilled to be a part of the Dobama Theatre family in her fourth year as House Manager.
Through educational and outreach programming, Dobama Theatre nurtures
the development of theatre artists and builds new audiences for the arts while
provoking an examination of our contemporary world.


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Green Burial in New York State
You are invited to attend our Annual Meeting of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Long Island/New York City on Saturday, April 13, 2013, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Shelter Rock,
48 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset, New York. The meeting is free. Refreshments are served after the meeting.


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After years of sniffing out drugs, Dingo, a 9-year-old police dog with the Washougal Police Department, will retire to a relaxing life on the couch, his owner said Saturday morning at the dog's retirement party.
The brown-and-black-brindle Dutch shepherd, who now sports quite a bit of gray on his snout, was deployed in the field more than 500 times, said his owner and former partner, Officer Kyle Day. Dingo worked strictly in narcotics detection in Oregon and Washington and was a police dog for almost seven years, or about 40 dog years.
Dingo worked hard and led a life of excitement.
"He ended up on 'Cops' a few months back and found a pound and a half of cocaine in a car," Day said. "That's kind of his claim to fame."
Dingo was one of four police dogs honored at the retirement celebration at the Stevenson Off-Leash Dog Park in Washougal. The event was hosted by DOGPAW, a nonprofit, all-volunteer group that maintains five off-leash parks in Clark County. The group also raised $15,000 to cover the cost of buying another police dog to replace Dingo.
"This has been our biggest fundraiser probably to date," Mark Watson, a DOGPAW board member who helped organize Saturday's event, said. DOGPAW stands for "Dog Owners Group for Park Access in Washington." Some of that $15,000 will help Washougal police cover the new dog's food and vet costs for a while.
Dingo's replacement, Ranger, is a 2-year-old Dutch shepherd. He is undergoing training, and if the training goes well, he will be out in the field by the end of November, Day said.
About 35 people, a bulldog, a Chihuahua and several other dogs attended the celebration. The dogs enjoyed playtime while their humans had coffee and cake.
The youngest of the four canines recognized on Saturday was Ory, a 3-year-old police dog who worked with Vancouver Police Office Ryan Starbuck. Ory was diagnosed with a spinal disease caused by strenuous on-the-job activity. Now the canine, whose 15-month career included chasing down suspects and uncovering about 10 pounds of illegal narcotics, will be in much less pain just "being a dog hanging around the house," Starbuck said.
Haulf, 8, worked with Officer Chris Crouch of the Battle Ground Police Department for six years and also specialized in tracking down suspects and narcotics. He was picked to be part of the SWAT team in 2010. Crouch said Haulf "saved hundreds of man-hours that it would have taken the two-legged police officers to clear fields, buildings (and) houses."
Dash, 6, and his partner, Clark County Sheriff's Deputy Seth Brannan, spent hours searching forest lands for illegal marijuana grows, and even got to hang from a helicopter on a static line. "Everything we asked him to do, he did well," Brannan said.
After the crowd learned about the retiring dogs, police officers demonstrated how their canines are used in the line of duty. One dog sniffed a number of backpacks along the ground before sitting down determinedly next to one of them. Another lunged after a police officer in a padded suit, clamping its teeth down and tugging on the officer's sleeve.
Most police dogs come from Europe, where they are trained from about 9 weeks old to bite a person's left arm sleeve, Brannan said. Officers provide further training that teaches them to attack any part of the body, even when their target isn't wearing a protective suit, and even if their target is wielding a weapon.
Police dogs live with the officers they work with. Even in retirement, Dingo, Ory, Haulf and Dash will continue to live with their officers and their families.
"Dogs are very special to all of us," Brannan said.


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very soft
By Anonymous
from Undisclosed
Comments about Cascade Yarns 109 Solids:
I knitted my first sweater out of this yarn. Although it was beautiful and soft, the sweater pilled terribly. I guess I will only wear it around the house.
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Very nice!
Would certainly buy this again. Soft chunky just what I wanted.
Cascade 109 Solids
I bought some of this yarn on sale and just made a long, slinky scarf out of it. I hand washed it, blocked it, and it looks better than before. It is soft and has a great drape despite the fact that it is a chunky yarn. I REALLY like it.
Felting Cascade 109
Felts quite beautifully. Have made several felted hats and have been very satisfied with the results!
crisp, tightly spun, and durable
This is an excellent yarn for beautiful utilitarian garments. Stitches are still well defined (not matted and felting) after a year or more of regular wear and several washings.
Awesome Color Variety
Love these colors; can't decide which to mix and match first!


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Achievement Discussion
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 226
Gamertag: LordBunnyHunter
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Originally Posted by
I tried it once by myself and I finished it like 5 minutes over.. I grabbed my wife who also knows how to play the game and ran through it together and we still had several minutes left when we finished it. Don't worry about the coins at all and just try going for time. Maybe if you can play with someone that would help you move faster.... Hopefully that will help. I use buba fet for most of the game jar jar runs a little faster than the other characters also so it might cut a little time off running with him also....
Thanks, but in SUPERSTORY you can't use the characters of your choice. They're given from the story. All the chapters in episode 6 take so much time. For example the level on endor with your speed bikes. But in chapter 4, I guess, there, after you got down with a lift, there is a little river, cross it and then there is a lawn with flowers (-> build a tractor) and then head straight to a console for I guess it's C3PO. Then you can go right AND left. Right, there are 3 places and left 2, I think. And then I don't know what to do.
Sorry but it isn't easy to describe it. You might know.
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This article explores the contemporary context of food insecurity in Mossi communities of the northern Central Plateau region of Burkina Faso. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative ethnographic field data from three time periods, the research illustrates how public and private responses to seasonal food insecurity are improving and becoming more appropriate to local contexts. The Government of Burkina Faso and NGOs have invested in improved agricultural technologies that farmers have rapidly adopted. They have also assisted in the development of local institutions such as village cereal banks that help farmers self-insure against crop failure. Whereas other scholars have described tensions between private and public responses to agroclimatic shocks that ultimately make rural producers more vulnerable, this case study illustrates how the two are complementary and reinforce one another. Overall, seasonal household food insecurity is declining in the northern Central Plateau region of Burkina Faso.
Although many studies have focused on the socio-economic and nutritional status of Ethiopians, few have incorporated anthropometric measurements and structured questionnaires to explore the links between agriculture, development, and nutrition. Additionally, the research design included interviews with development agents, university faculty and staff, and community leaders from the Ethiopian highlands. A survey of 120 households in three districts of Ethiopia's famine belt revealed that a majority of households suffer from severe malnutrition. Anthropometric measures demonstrated that wasting and stunting rates are high. Furthermore, water usage, particularly irrigation and access to farmland, plays a significant role in crop diversity, food security, and household nutritional status. Interviews with farmers suggest there is a critical need for agricultural extension, with an emphasis on addressing gender-related issues, and research as it relates to crop and water management.
Using a political ecology framework that explores livelihood vulnerability, this paper analyzes commodification of grapes as an economic development strategy in Southwest China. Ethnographic research found that during the past decade, a majority of households within a village have converted fields to a monocrop of grapes, introduced by the government as part of a program to promote red wine from the region for tourism purposes. Villagers have been motivated to take part due to high economic returns but have found themselves living with less diversified sources of income and increasing use of agricultural chemicals. Villagers display concern for food security as they have moved away from growing subsistence crops and rely heavily on funds produced by grapes for subsistence. Questions are raised regarding long-term sustainability and the outlook of development programs targeting rural farmers as producers of high-value commodities being consumed by China's growing middle and upper classes.
Soybean agriculture is expanding into the Brazilian Amazon, with certification programs in place to limit the environmental impact. Based on an ethnographic study with soybean farmers in Santarém, Pará State, Brazil, I claim that, through their enrollment in this conservation program, soybean farmers have come to see themselves as "responsible producers." Despite their self-identification as responsible producers, they treat environmental restrictions as a necessary cost imposed by civil society as they strive to transform the region into a commercial agriculture center, in contrast to alternative socio-ecological production practices, thus exemplifying neoliberal environmentality. Through studying up with landed elites, this work demonstrates a distinct form of neoliberal environmentality.
In response to unannounced herbicide spraying on electric line easements, Ozark Highlands' residents confronted their rural electric cooperative and requested they cease; and when that failed, they asked me to produce a documentary film and looked into legal recourse. This paper presents the ethnohistorical and ethnographic research foundation for the applied anthropology project that became the documentary film The Natural State of America. This includes exploration of the early 20th-century battle over chemical cattle dips for tick eradication and late 20th-century back-to-the-lander activism against U.S. Forest Service herbicide applications and the results of contemporary participant observation with activists combating their electric cooperative's spray program. The concluding discussion emphasizes environmental justice and the relationships between biocide opposition, subsistence strategies, and ecological awareness, highlighting discrepancies and common ground among the three phases of antibiocide activism.
Based on the case of the Great Lakes, which is the United States' largest supply of fresh water and is contaminated by nonpoint source pollution from agricultural runoff, this paper examines the role that language plays in providing definitions for environmental protection and regulation. The interdisciplinary research presented here identifies "agriculturalese" as a specialized and highly technical language of agribusiness and environmental projection, and it considers some of the underinvestigated challenges that its ambiguity and complexity present to lay stakeholders' public participation in environmental decision making, protection, and enforcement.
Should an ecotour operator feed marshmallows to wild alligators in the Florida Everglades? Observing the operator encourage alligators to approach an airboat so that the tourists onboard could see them provoked questions about what ecotourism is and what value it has for both the tourist industry and resource preservation. Is ecotourism merely a new label for an old product or is it a real effort to reengage the public in our natural and cultural heritage resources, but in an environmentally sensitive and culturally appropriate way? To answer this question, this paper considers how the ecosystem service or natural resource capital model can help reconcile what ecotourism offers to both the traveling consumer and to those tasked with measuring and protecting our natural resources.
In the context of ongoing discussions of the erosion of indigenous knowledge, this report provides an analysis of how the factors "external" to a particular society may interact with "internal" (localized) factors to affect such knowledge, with a case study of the Konda Reddi of Andhra Pradesh, India. The external factor of market-oriented developmental intervention in the form of the Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) is affecting the local forest resources and the knowledge related to them. The GCC interplay with the local environment has affected the minor forest resources, subsequently eroding and changing that knowledge. [traditional ecological knowledge, indigenous knowledge, minor forest produce, knowledge loss, Konda Reddis]