text:
Prior to that I lived and worked in a variety of different
locations in the US and overseas. (Britain and New Zealand)
Foreign travel these days is usually one big trip each summer.
My interests are varied. For sport and exercise I visit a gym regularly
(Pilates/Zumba) and train in martial arts. At various times in the past
I have liked to hike and camp, although I haven't done much of either lately. Other interests are photography, (just made the switch to digital), music (mainly HR and HM), movies (wide range) and science fiction in all its forms (written, film and TV). Recent TV viewing has been "The Big Bang Theory", "Battlestar Galactica" and "The 100". Reading covers documentary, autobiography and comedy. ("Shopaholic" series is hilarious.) My restaurant tastes are quite wide though I particularly like Mexican food.
Currently I work as a scientist at a major facility in Maryland.
Previously I have worked as both a scientist and a software developer,
roles which have taken me to different parts of the world
at different times.
I am looking for a woman with similar temperament and interests as myself for dating and subsequently a long term relationship. The most important trait I am looking for in a woman is that she says what she means and means what she says. For long term compatibility there must be the motivation to get things done, the ability to solve problems, the skills to deal effectively with difficult situations when they arise, the determination to see plans through to fruition, the intelligence to make difficult decisions, the integrity to keep to a decision once its been made, the individuality to be your own person and the closeness to work as a team towards shared goals.
Other traits I find attractive are the ability to hold intelligent
conversations, openness to new ideas, flexible thinking, financial
responsibility, self-discipline and consistency.
Writing software (which I do a lot of the time).
Keeping in touch with my relations scattered across the world.
I have a wide range of interests.
Movies : Wide range. (Lang, Kubrick, Scott, Wier, and many others.)
Shows : TV : Documentaries, Battlestar Galactica, The 4400, anything produced by Gerry Anderson, The 100, The Big Bang Theory. Theater : Various tastes. Even used to appear in amateur theater.
Music : Mainly hard rock and heavy metal. (Attended many concerts in teenage years and 20s. Not been to any for a while.)
Food : Like Mexican, Chinese, Italian. Willing to try many cuisines.
2. Intelligent conversation.
3. Books.
4. Regular meals.
5. A good night's sleep.
6. Swiss army knife.
What makes people tick. (Philosophy, psychology, development, NLP, cybernetics.)
How the world works and where its going, on multiple scales (cybernetics again).
Whatever new thing I am learning at the moment.


text:
Our showroom and wholesale office is located at 13 Watson Road, Padstow 2211 (map). If you are located in Sydney you can come down and visit our team to discuss special Trade/ wholesale pricing. This is available to Electricians, Builders and Architects. We also have a large showroom displaying all our lights.
If you are not in Sydney or cannot make it to Padstow please do not hesitate to contact us via phone (02 8014 3897) or email us here .
We also have a lighting consultant with 24 years lighting experience on site.
LED lighting designs are proud distributors for Domus lighting, Sunny lighting, Martec and Verbatim LED. If you would like to get a quote on any products from these companies please visit their web sites and provide us with the item numbers and description and we will provide you with a competitive quote. If you already have pricing for these items please provide us with a copy of your quotation and we will guarantee to beat the price.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Investment in knowledge-based capital (KBC) – assets that lack physical embodiment, such as computerised information, innovative property and economic competencies – has been rising significantly. This has implications for innovation and productivity growth and requires new thinking on policy.
English, PDF, 651kb
Innovation-based growth, underpinned by investments in a broad range of knowledge-based capital (KBC), is central to raising long-term living standards.
Recent OECD research has utilised harmonised cross-country firm level data to explore the contribution of public policies to cross-country differences in productivity, innovation and resource allocation.
This paper uses panel regression techniques to assess the policy determinants of private sector innovative Activity – proxied by R&D expenditure and the number of new patents – across 19 OECD countries. The relationship between innovation indicators and multifactor productivity (MFP) growth is also examined with a particular focus on the role of public policies in influencing the returns to new knowledge.
Informality has important implications for productivity, economic growth, and the inequality of income. In recent years, the extent of informal employment has increased in many of Mexico's states, though highly heterogeneously.
Legal systems provide the basic institutions for firms and markets to operate. Their quality can have important consequences on the size distribution of firms, who rely on them for contract enforcement. This paper uses the variation in legal system quality across states in Mexico to examine the relationship between judicial quality and firm size.
Australia's productivity growth has decelerated markedly around the turn of the century. Part of the decline is probably temporary, but raising multifactor productivity is key to ensure that living standards continue to grow strongly, especially if the currently strong terms of trade weaken over time.
This paper presents the results from a new model for projecting growth of OECD and major non-OECD economies over the next 50 years as well as imbalances that arise.
This workshop will convene leading experts from health and finance backgrounds in government, academia, and international organisations to take stock of progress in health expenditure forecasting and to discuss future directions, in light of policy needs and recent advancements in techniques, detailed data and computing power.
The OECD 50-year Global Scenario helps to highlight key global challenges and how they are connected.


text:
At a time when the U.S. House of Representatives seemed paralyzed, unable or unwilling to pass substantive legislation, the water resources authorization bill sailed through the chamber last month in a rare, almost unanimous 417-to-3 vote. This is "the most policy- and reform-focused legislation of its kind in the last two decades," said Con. Bill Shuster (Pennsylvania), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee.
He added: "This bill [H.R. 3080] contains no earmarks, cuts red tape for improvements that will strengthen our economic competitiveness, streamlines the infrastructure review process, and deauthorizes $12 billion of outdated projects in order to more than fully offset new authorized Corps activities."
Six months ago, on May 15, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the water resources authorization measure (S. 601) by a comfortable 83-14 margin. The next step is for a House-Senate conference to iron out differences in the two bills, and both chambers have already named their conferees. The Senate picked eight of its members – five Democrats and three Republicans – while the House selected 28 conferees, 16 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
The House-Senate committee is wasting little time in reconciling the two bills. Committee staffers have already been meeting informally, and Sen. Barbara Boxer (California), who is chairing the conference, has already called for its first formal meeting last week. She is chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
House conferees include all four members of the T&I Committee's leadership – Chmn. Shuster and Con. Nick J. Rahall (West Virginia), the committee's ranking member, and Con. Bob Gibbs (Ohio), chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, and Con. Tim Bishop (New York), the panel's ranking member. They were credited with helping to forge the strong bipartisan support for the bill.
The House added reforms in expediting studies, selecting projects, developing better cost estimates, streamlining environmental requirements, instituting project-funding innovations, refining cost estimates, speeding up project delivery, avoiding future backlogs, etc., causing the panel to insert another "R" in the name of its authorization bill: WR(R)DA.
Before the House-Senate conference began its deliberations, Chmn. Shuster said "there's a lot of common ground" in the two versions of the water resources authorization bills. But there are also some major differences. The Senate bill would automatically authorize projects meeting a set of specific criteria, but the House wants future projects to originate at the local level, face vetting by the Corps, and then be transmitted to Congress in an annual report if they meet basic criteria.
With certain restrictions, both the House and Senate would expand use of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) beyond O&M for port channels. The Senate would set specific funding target levels, starting at $1 billion in FY 2014 and increasing to full HMTF receipts by 2020, while the House would set higher annual targets in the early years but cap spending at 80 percent of prior-year revenues after 2019.
However, both chambers declared they did not favor funding increases for maintenance dredging if other Corps programs would face offsetting reductions.
To deal with hefty cost overruns at Olmsted L&D, the House would limit future contributions from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund to 25 percent of the remaining cost of the project. The Senate would federalize completion of the project, absolving the trust fund from future obligations and thus freeing up approximately $150 million annually to go to other, now-stalled lock-and-dam projects.


text:
Christian Healing Ministries is dedicated to the practice and teaching of healing prayer.
Founders - Francis & Judith MacNutt
Christian Healing Ministries is a Christ-centered, ecumenical, and non-profit organization that is dedicated to the practice and teaching of healing prayer. Our website offers a variety of information and resources including: prayer ministry opportunities, training and events information/calendar, on-line bookstore, relevant articles, and much more.
CHM's vision: To make Christian Healing Prayer a way of life in families, churches and medical professions.Read More


text:
Welcome to the best little RV park in Texas!
Johnson Creek RV Resort in Texas Hill Country has been voted #1 Small RV Park in Texas for the fourth year, and 2015-Small Park of the Year by TACO, is a 2015 AAA Approved Campground, and Perfect Rated 10/10*/10 Good Sam Park in 2015.
Johnson Creek RV Resort in Kerrville, Texas, is nestled in a mature pecan orchard in the heart of Texas Hill Country. Our campground is small, quiet, and friendly, with natural beauty, and wildlife such as Axis and White Tail deer.
See our About JCRV page for photos and our Amenities page for everything that's included in your stay at the park! **We provide free limited basic WIFI that is good for emails, shopping and surfing the net. We are in the country where our service is "co-op" and it's all that is available. FYI for any extensive internet experience, you may want to bring your own hot-spot**
We welcome long-term and monthly stays in our RV park and cabins. Our Winter Texans come back year after year. Check out our current rates!
We also have beautiful wedding venues, and RV rally halls.
Call us at (830) 367-3300 or (800) 933-OKRV (6578). Or use our Contact Form.
GPS coordinates: 30.118919, -99.296689
If coming from the East on I-10, take exit 505 Harper Rd. toward Kerrville. Turn right on Hwy 27 (Junction Hwy), and continue to Ingram. Continue till you hit the light at the corner of Hwy 27 (Junction Hwy) and Route 39. You will need to be in the right hand lane. Make a slight right at the light, toward Mountain Home. Follow Hwy 27 (Junction Hwy) for about 5 miles. You'll see our park on the left, bordered by Texas state flags.
If coming from the West on I-10, take Exit 488, turn left onto I-10 Frontage Rd. Continue onto Hwy 27 (Junction Hwy). You'll see our park on the right, bordered by Texas state flags.


text:
A Trip to Hells Canyon
We woke up to the first beautiful, warm Sunday of the season. The sun was bright, the birds were singing, and the sweet smell of Baker County spring was in the air. It was the perfect day for a long, lazy drive. After grabbing a latte from Sorbenots and fueling up the car we decided to head east towards Hells Canyon.
The drive was easy and the scenery was breathtaking. Eagles and hawks were flying overhead and the geese were returning to build nests along the banks of the Powder River. Our drive took us past the quaint towns of Richland, Halfway, and Oxbow. We traveled through the majestic rock canyons of the deepest river gorge in North America, to the visitors overlook at the base of the damn.
Each time I visit Hells Canyon, I stand in awe of the raw beauty and stunning vistas of the landscape. Taking in the splendor, we strolled down a rustic trail to the waters edge to gaze at the depth of the Snake River. Sitting down to breath in the beauty of the water, we noticed movement on the canyon wall. Directly across from where we were sitting and up on the ledge of the sharp rock canyon slept a milk-white mountain goat. The lone goat was basking in the sun and we sat watching for a long time. Touched by the magic of Hells Canyon on this glorious spring day our drive home was slow, warm, and wonderful. It felt good to be out in nature after the long, cold winter.
For more information on visiting Eastern Oregon, please visit our Explore Oregon section. And don't forget to check out Kari's previous blog on Barley Brown's Brew Pub.
Is any of the information on this page incorrect?


text:
Pioneers of the Deep
Video duration: 52:55Video has closed captioning.
In the vast emptiness of the Pacific Ocean, tectonic movements construct or swallow islands. In the Tongan archipelago, two little-known animals have learned to cope with these ephemeral lands risen from the ocean depths: the sooty tern, a seabird that never dares wet its wings for fear of drowning, and the Alvin shrimp, a blind crustacean that manages to find its way around the abyss.


text:
Meet Jurgen Klinsmann Contest
U.S. Soccer
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM (EDT)
Who's Going
San Francisco, California
London, United Kingdom
Florence, Italy
Event Details
Register for a chance to meet U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann at the stadium on May 28 prior to the Public Training session. Winners will be selected at random and be notified May 26 by e-mail.
When & Where
FirstEnergy Stadium
Alfred Lerner Way
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM (EDT)
Add to my calendar
U.S. Soccer
As the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States, U.S. Soccer has played an integral part in charting the course for the sport in the USA for over 100 years. In that time, the Federation's mission statement has been very simple and very clear: to make soccer, in all its forms, a preeminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels.


text:
It's fortunate for the Dodgers the All-Star Game was held this week at Angel Stadium, if for no reason than to rest and prepare for the second-half grind.
For now, the Dodgers (49-39) are keeping pace with San Diego in the National League West after going 4-3 on their recent home stand.
All things considered, there are several positives, like shortstop Rafael Furcal, first baseman James Loney, and their outfield trio of Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.
The Dodgers posted a 7-0 win over Chicago last Sunday, as Vicente Padilla (4-2) tossed a two-hitter over eight innings, striking out six and walking one.
Loney's three-run homer in the first inning was more than enough offense. Loney added another run batted in and has 63.
On Saturday, the Cubs scored three runs in the second and third to secure a 7-3 triumph with Tom Gorzelanny limiting the Dodgers to one run over six innings.
Geovany Soto blasted a two-run home run in the second to make it 3-0, and singled to right in the third that made it 6-0.
Ethier had a run-scoring single in the fifth, and a hit in the ninth that plated a run.
The night before, the Dodgers drilled Ted Lilly for seven hits, seven runs (five earned), while he walked two and struck out one, waltzing to a 9-7 victory.
Chicago led 1-0, but the Dodgers tallied three runs in the second and third. Russell Martin's three-run homer in the second was his fifth. Ethier had three hits, drove in two runs, and scored a run, while Loney went two-for-three, drove in a run and scored two runs.
Chad Billingsley (7-4) fanned nine, walked four, allowed seven hits and four runs (earned) during his seven-inning stint.
Clayton Kershaw (9-4) is the Dodgers' most consistent starting pitcher, striking out 12 without issuing a walk across eight innings of a 3-2 win Thursday over the Cubs. The young lefty gave up two runs (earned) and seven hits.
Furcal had three hits with two runs scored, but saved the heroics for the seventh inning when he lined a two-run rocket down the right-field line.
The Dodgers were blanked by the Florida Marlins' Josh Johnson on Wednesday, 4-0, mustering six hits. Johnson (9-3) struck out eight and walked one over eight frames.
Rookie right fielder Mike Stanton, who attended Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, clubbed a home run with two runners on base in the second inning, and former Dodger Cody Ross drove in the other run with a double.
Padilla added another strong performance, this time allowing six hits, whiffing nine and walking none while traversing six and two-third innings during a 7-3 win over the Marlins.
Padilla was aided by homers from Kemp (16th), Casey Blake (ninth), and Ethier (14th).
Florida took the series opener 6-5 on Monday, with Wes Helms hitting a two-run single with the bases loaded in the third that gave the Marlins a 6-1 lead.


text:
2000 Wurtele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 750 ml
Terra Valentine produces wines with mountain intensity and balance that express the character of the Spring Mountain District appellation, the vineyards and the passion of the winemaking team. Terra, the Latin word for "land," acknowledges the importance of hillside soil in the mountain wines. Valentine honors Owner Angus Wurtele's father, Valentine Wurtele.
"The 2000 Wurtele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon reveals the lush fruit and solid structure characteristic of wines from our Spring Mountain District vineyard, situated well above the Napa Valley floor," says Winemaker Sam Baxter. "At the top of Wurtele Vineyard, lies a north facing knoll that is rich in red volcanic-clay soil and lava rock. Cooled by coastal breezes, this knoll provides the ideal terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Our 2000 release, crafted from these grapes, is packed with black fruit, spice and dark earth. The wine has balanced acidity, vibrant fruit tannins and a long finish."
Aromas: Aromas of black currant, wild blackberry, rich earth and sweet spice. Rich black fruit balanced with full bodied tannins fill the mouth while chocolate espresso tones back the long fruit finish.
Mouth: Rich black fruit, balanced with full bodied tannins, smooth acid and chocolate espresso tones backing the long fruit finish
92 points - Wine Enthusiast, June 2003


text:
Joyce Anna from San Diego, CA reviewed the Patriotic Dozen Choose Your Own.
About Me: Personal Gift Giver
BOTTOM LINE: Yes, would recommend to a friend.
Comments about Fairytale Brownies Patriotic Dozen Choose Your Own: We received the brownies as a Thank You at a party. We enjoyed them so much that I wanted to give them as a Thank you to my niece. They freeze really great which makes them last a little bit longer so we don't eat them all in one sitting! It was a BIG hit!
Pros: Nice Presentation,Gourmet Taste,Freshness,Flavor Assortment,Good Value,Memorable Gift,Individually Wrapped,Delicious
Best Uses: Treat Yourself,Personal Gift


text:
|Industry News We are the first to have streaming news feeds where you can get content for your blogs about reported news stories directly effecting the webmaster industry.
Welcome to the WickedFire - Affiliate Marketing Forum - Internet Marketing Webmaster SEO Forum forums.
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 30
iTrader: 0 / 0%
Leading Online Performance Marketing Companies, MediaWhiz and GRS, To Merge
Leading Online Performance Marketing Companies, MediaWhiz and GRS, To Merge
NEW YORK, NY and FORT LAUDERDALE, FL Two of the interactive marketing industrys leading firms, Global Resource Systems (GRS) and MediaWhiz, today announced they have merged to form one of the largest providers of online performance marketing services. LakeCapital, a private equity firm that invests in growing services companies, first invested in MediaWhiz in August 2005 and will provide further growth capital for the initiative.
The merger brings together MediaWhiz, widely known for its affiliate marketing, co-registration, and lead generation services, and GRS, which has deep expertise in list management and email marketing, while also bringing additional capabilities in affiliate and search engine marketing. This merger more than doubles the size of the business and creates an industry leader with one of the broadest distribution channels available to reach online consumers. Both business units will continue to be led by the entrepreneurs who founded them, Jason Cohen of MediaWhiz and Yannick Tessier of GRS. Each has a history of successfully growing businesses in the interactive marketing industry. Cohen and Tessiers knowledge, passion, and deep industry relationships will continue to drive impressive growth.
Founded in 2002 by interactive marketing industry veteran, Yannick Tessier, GRS has grown rapidly by implementing the most stringent email marketing compliance standards in the industry and is recognized for its ability to produce strong, consistent, predictable results for its marketer and list owner clients.
In addition to his success in building GRS, Tessier has a proven track record as a successful entrepreneur. He started his first company when he was fifteen and grew it to more than 50 employees before selling it to a strategic acquirer. Subsequently, Tessier worked with several other online marketing ventures, including Mars Music, CyberAds, and Eritmo.
GRS will continue to operate under its established brand and will be led by Tessier, who will also serve as the holding companys co-president with MediaWhiz founder, Jason Cohen. GRS and MediaWhiz have worked together extensively for several years by providing each other list management and lead acquisition services, respectively. Leveraging our organizations individual strengths and unique value propositions, we will be able to continue to enhance our combined position as one of the industrys leading companies, said Yannick Tessier.
Our merger creates one of the broadest platforms of online performance marketing solutions available to advertisers today, explained Jason Cohen, co-president of MediaWhiz. Together, the capabilities of our two firms will allow us to generate an ever increasing number of qualified customers for our advertisers by capitalizing on our ability to reach consumers through a diversity of online marketing channels.
We have had extensive contact with leading service providers in this market space and believe we have facilitated the merger of two best-of-breed companies, noted Kevin Rowe, director of LakeCapital. By creating a company with this breadth of online distribution capabilities, we have taken a critical step towards building a unique company that is well-positioned to provide superlative results to our clients, marketers who are continually increasing focus on return on advertising investment.
Global Capital Markets served as the exclusive financial advisor to GRS on the transaction. No transaction terms have been disclosed.
|Sponsored Ad
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Linear Mode


text:
British Security Policy in Ireland, 1920-1921: A Desperate Attempt by the Crown to Maintain Anglo-Irish Unity by Force
Ainsworth, John S. (2000) British Security Policy in Ireland, 1920-1921: A Desperate Attempt by the Crown to Maintain Anglo-Irish Unity by Force. In 11th Irish-Australian Conference, April 25th-30th 2000, Murdoch University, Perth. (Unpublished)
|Accepted Version (PDF 51kB)
In the aftermath of victory in the Great War (1914-1918) and the conclusion to the peacemaking process at Versailles in 1919, the British Empire found itself in a situation of 'imperial overstretch', as indicated by ever-increasing demands for Crown forces to represent and maintain British interests in defeated Germany, the Baltic and Black Seas regions, the Middle East, India and elsewhere around the world. The strongest and most persistent demand in this regard came from Ireland (officially an integral part of the United Kingdom itself since the Act of Union came into effect from 1 January 1801), where the forces of militant Irish nationalism were proving difficult, if not impossible, to control.
Initially, Britain's response was to allow the civil authorities in Ireland, based at Dublin Castle and heavily reliant on the enforcement powers of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), to deal with this situation. In 1920, however, with a demoralised administration in Ireland clearly outclassed in the increasingly violent struggle against the nationalists, London finally intervened and, in the expectation of achieving a decisive result, took measures which would set events in Ireland on a new, even more violent course and lead, ultimately, to the compromises for both sides contained in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921.
Consequently, the Irish administration at Dublin Castle was purged, the General Officer Commanding the British Army in Ireland replaced, new units and a new Chief of Police recruited for the RIC, and legislation providing for the Restoration of Order in Ireland passed by the Parliament at Westminster. But a security policy for Ireland, to be applied in association with these changes, seems never to have been clearly defined or articulated, leaving the new regime at Dublin Castle and the commanders of Crown forces in Ireland to determine such policy for themselves at the local level.
The situation as outlined above raises a number of questions which will be considered in this paper, including:
what policy or policies, if any, were articulated by the British Government in respect of the security situation in Ireland in 1920-1921? how were Crown authorities in Ireland supposed to act in accordance with, or in the absence of, such policy? was Ireland considered by the British to be in a state of war or civil unrest with regard to the struggle between Crown authorities and the nationalists? who then should have been primarily responsible for advice to the Cabinet on the development of security policy in Ireland - the War Office or Colonial Office? what were the consequences of this situation for Ireland and its relationship with Britain'?
Impact and interest:
Citation counts are sourced monthly from Scopus and Web of Science® citation databases.
These databases contain citations from different subsets of available publications and different time periods and thus the citation count from each is usually different. Some works are not in either database and no count is displayed. Scopus includes citations from articles published in 1996 onwards, and Web of Science® generally from 1980 onwards.
Citations counts from the Google Scholar™ indexing service can be viewed at the linked Google Scholar™ search.
Full-text downloads:
Full-text downloads displays the total number of times this work's files (e.g., a PDF) have been downloaded from QUT ePrints as well as the number of downloads in the previous 365 days. The count includes downloads for all files if a work has more than one.
|ID Code:
|Item Type:
|Conference Paper
|Additional Information:
|Abstracts from the conference can be accessed from the Centre for Irish Studies web site: http://wwwsoc.murdoch.edu.au/cfis/
Author contact details: email@example.com
|Security policy, Britain, Ireland
|Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY (210000) > HISTORICAL STUDIES (210300) > European History (excl. British Classical Greek and Roman) (210307)
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY (210000) > HISTORICAL STUDIES (210300) > British History (210305)
|Past > Research Centres > Centre for Social Change Research
Past > QUT Faculties & Divisions > QUT Carseldine - Humanities & Human Services
|Copyright Owner:
|Copyright 2000 John Ainsworth
|Deposited On:
|04 Jun 2004 00:00
|Last Modified:
|09 Jun 2010 12:21
Export: EndNote | Dublin Core | BibTeX
Repository Staff Only: item control page


text:
Home > Opinion > Ross Gittins > Article
With his macho declarations about no more retiring early and the death of full-time retirement, Peter Costello is playing King Canute. How ya gunna make me?
But that's just what he should be doing. What's more, he stands a good chance of achieving his objective - provided he keeps up the talking.
Economists believe in "measures", not rhetoric. If you want to change people's behaviour, the only way to do it is by means of economic incentives and disincentives. They don't believe in preaching sermons or telling people what they "ought" to do for the good of the country.
They're led to this view by the assumptions and abstractions of the neo-classical model which heavily colours their thinking about how the world works.
In particular, by their assumptions that people are "rational" (coldly logical in pursuing their self-interest) and that we're all rugged individualists - our behaviour is quite unaffected by the attitudes and behaviour of the people around us.
And that's why the economists have got it wrong about the supposed ineffectiveness of rhetoric. As the behavioural economists have convincingly demonstrated, people aren't rational. Their decision making is often influenced by emotion and unclear reasoning.
Further, we're social animals, influenced by norms of behaviour and perceptions of fairness, and anxious to win the approval of our circle of relatives and friends.
John Howard observed last week that to make a satisfactory response to the ageing of the population we need "cultural change" - changed attitudes and behaviour on the part of both older workers and the firms they work for.
He's right. And the point is that the way you start the process of cultural change is by preaching sermons - by making a big splash with some controversial statement that gets the nation thinking and debating the rights and wrongs of what you've said.
It's about political leaders gaining the agreement of other "opinion leaders" spread throughout the community, starting bandwagon effects and new fashions in behaviour and eventually establishing new conventional wisdom and behavioural norms.
The only thing is that, to making a lasting impression on the national mind, and given the media's ever-shorter attention span, you have to keep preaching, preaching, preaching.
It's only when you get to the point where you can't bring yourself to say it the 200th time that the message is just starting to sink in.
Of course, you can't talk the nation into cultural change in a vacuum. The changed attitudes and behaviour you're seeking to bring about have to dovetail with some changed reality.
But that's not a problem in the case of changed attitudes towards retirement and the employment of older workers.
Though some punters haven't yet realised it (with their talk of how there won't be enough jobs for the older workers and how the oldies will take jobs that should be going to young people), what we're talking about with the ageing of the population is a complete turnabout in the balance of supply and demand in the labour market.
Demand and supply will be shifting in precisely the right direction to fit with the needed cultural change. For instance, if it's true the baby boomers haven't saved enough to support the lifestyle they'd expect to enjoy in retirement, then guess what? They won't be wanting to retire early, will they?
Or, take employers. If the supply of younger workers has tightened, making them more expensive and harder to find, why on earth would firms continue throwing older workers on the scrap heap?
Employers' cavalier attitude towards oldies was a product of its times - a product of the 30-year period of excess supply of suitable workers. When you've got more applicants than you need, you think of job requirements which, no matter how idle, help you slash the queue to manageable proportions. When there's no queue, you abandon the idle discriminators.
It's true that many older workers entered involuntary early retirement as a result of wholesale downsizing exercises undertaken by CEOs trying to impress the sharemarket.
But this is where cultural change comes in. Once it's taken effect, the market will be unimpressed by a CEO announcing mass redundancies. Analysts will mark his shares down, observing that he's storing up big problems for the company when it needs to reassemble its skill base.
Downsizing was a management fad - proof that even CEOs like to keep up with the Joneses. Cultural change will involve a change in fashionable attitudes towards older workers.
Now, an unreconstructed economic rationalist's response to all this would be to say that, if the demand/supply balance is about to shift in the direction indicated, why on earth do we need governments getting into the act with jawboning and chat about "cultural change"? Leave it to market forces.
They're misled, however. Why? Because market forces solve problems smoothly only in textbooks. In real life, the adjustment can be delayed and jerky, generating a lot of collateral damage.
That's why its advantageous for politicians to promote change in attitudes. What they're trying to do is grease the wheels of market forces.
There's plenty of precedent for the power of changed social attitudes to cause major change in the structure of the economy. Consider the remarkable change in women's educational attainment and labour force participation we've witnessed during our lifetime.
It all stems from some point in the '60s or '70s when the parents of Australia - and the whole developed world - decided that girls were just as much entitled to a good education as boys.
It was completely attitudinal and it was hugely contagious.
On a more prosaic level, we can point to various examples where governments' concerted attempts to change attitudes had a real - if impossible to measure - effect on economic behaviour.
Consider all the preaching about how we needed to "enmesh ourselves with Asia". It started with the Fraser Government but was stepped up under Bob Hawke. Today it's not just talk, it dominates our export destinations.
Consider former Hawke Government minister John Button's attempts to foster an "export culture". Exports are a much higher proportion of GDP now than they were then.
And consider the rhetoric that surrounded the Keating Government's introduction of compulsory super contributions. To this day, many punters remain convinced it won't be long before the age pension bill becomes unaffordable and government walks away from it (!).
Unfortunately, this belief has prompted the baby boomers to take steps to beef up their retirement savings solely by leaping into negatively geared investment properties.
This episode has also left the public convinced the primary consequences of ageing aren't the effect on the labour market or the effect on economic growth, but the effect on the federal budget.
Mr Costello is seeking to exploit rather than correct this misperception. But if he wants to be remembered as the leader who initiated our changed attitude towards retirement, his speechifying has only just begun.
Ross Gittins is the Herald's Economics Editor.
|Print this article Email to a friend
|Latest news by email
Get free news emails from The Sydney Morning Herald
|text | handheld (how to)
membership |
conditions |
Copyright © 2004. The Sydney Morning Herald.
|advertise | contact us


text:
Dimensions: Height 6000mm
Materials: Stainless steel
Location: Conington Road, Lewisham, London.
The images show stage one of the installation. Two additional sculptures will be added at a later stage to complete the landscape installation
The sculptures are located on the site of the Old Silk Mill where silk was originally spun. In later years the mill was used for producing gold and silver threads, for military uniforms and Christmas tinsel. This history informed the design of the sculptures.
The "loop" shape was evolved from an old Yorkshire tradition where children gathered cobwebs using privet hedge twigs formed into a natural loop.
Details below (looking East, looking West):
Click photos to enlarge


text:
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Progged up, sold out
I've always been down on Genesis for a number of reasons, mainly because punk taught me to hate them and their ilk and, of course, because Phil Collins was in them.
Such was the ascendancy of Collins' Genesis that I barely associated Peter Gabriel with the group, apart from occasionally seeing a picture of him dressed up as a giant flower or an old man and wondering what it was all about. Of late, however, I have come to reassess the group and, more importantly, to really enjoy some of their early, Gabriel fronted LP's.
'Selling England By The Pound' was Genesis' fifth studio album, and their first non-live recording to sell in significant numbers. It's a curious, reflective work of intermittent brilliance. Made in a time of inflation, energy crisis and unrest home and abroad, the loose theme of the album is the loss of olde England to the consumer age, the slow, deadly encroachment of fast food joints and supermarkets and Green Shield Stamps on our green and pleasant land. It's terribly English and, in places, terribly good.
The opening track 'Dancing With the Moonlit Knight' sounds like it may be some awful Dungeons & Dragons type whimsy but is, in fact, a master class in intelligent, rock that keeps you interested for nearly eight minutes by running the gamut from an acapella introduction to the full on and faintly ridiculous prog blitzkrieg of the synth driven middle eight.
Like all good records released in 1973, the last song on the album is a reprise of the first: 'Aisle Of Plenty' is short, sweet and full of tortuous puns, but I like it, so I've included it here as a natural coda to '...Knight'.
Gabriel would only make one more album with the group (the sprawling 'Lamb Lies Down On Broadway') before embarking on a series of interesting, oblique solo LP's and a period of mega-stardom. Genesis went on to do that song about it being no fun to be an illegal alien and Phil Collins divorced his wife by fax, the twat.
7 comments:
- rabbitkrishna said...
What about Phil Collins work with Brian Eno? I can remember how stunned I was when I found out it was Phil that worked on all those early Eno albums.
- 8 September 2010 at 03:57
- Glimmung said...
Great post. All true.
Rabbit is also right in pointing out Collins' excellent work as a session drummer. Perhaps, like Darth Vader, there was once some good in the man we now despise?
- 8 September 2010 at 10:20
- Brit_it said...
mmm..have a similar starting situation vis à vis genesis although have a spot spot for 1980's Duke where prog went pop for a bit. Note te self: check out "Selling England.."
- 8 September 2010 at 12:35
- Unmann-Wittering said...
I think Collins is an excellent drummer and vocal harmoniser, I just don't like his face, politics or any music he made where he took the lead role.
I think his main problem is that he was everywhere for such a long time that people like me grew to despise him where we may have previously just mistrusted and disliked him.
- 8 September 2010 at 17:37
I think his main problem is that he was everywhere for such a long time that people like me grew to despise him where we may have previously just mistrusted and disliked him."
I like the post-Gabriel Genesis rather a lot but have to agree that his ubiquitousness from the mid-80s to the early 90s or so didn't show him in a flattering light.
- 9 September 2010 at 00:03
- Glimmung said...
Flying from the British Live Aid concert to the American one, he was literally everywhere.
The bitterness with which he complained about Gabriel getting all the attention shows he clearly never understood the role of drummer is to sit at the back and keep your gob shut.
- 9 September 2010 at 09:31
- rabbitkrishna said...
Phil used to make cameo appearances on Miami Vice, I think there was one episode where he was shot in a coke deal that went bad.
- 10 September 2010 at 15:34


text:
You've heard of Peter Pan but what happened after that...
- by _forever_isabella_
- Rating:
- Published: 27 Apr 2014
- Updated: 27 Apr 2014
- Status: In Progress
Isabella has never been normal. After her first encounter with a MoonWolf a fire started within her. A fire of hate. She spent her life training and killing she was ready to hunt all of the MoonWolfs that got in her way. This all changes when she is bitten by one...
Join MovellasFind out what all the buzz is about. Join now to start sharing your creativity and passion
Loading ...


text:
This thesis is an initial exploration into the development of a breathing building skin. The design of current mechanical systems is questioned in response to alternative means of heating and cooling buildings as well as recent changes to building standards which require passive ventilation strategies to be supplemented by some form of mechanical ventilation. This research thesis proposes a system of diaphragms as an alternative to the use of fans for distributing volumes of air.
The driving concepts for this project are the three types of biological adaptation; flexibility, acclimation, and learning. Of particular interest is how these biological concepts relate to architectural design and design computing. Parametric modeling was used throughout the project to study a family of folding geometry. This allowed for the iterative development of a diaphragm, fabricated from sheet material, that is capable of being actuated with a relatively small degree of movement in comparison to the scale of the overall piece. This research is significant as it puts forth a potentially energy efficient, and highly integrated alternative to fans while also illustrating a way of relating biological concepts of adaptation to architectural design.


text:
Central Valley Science Project
A "Professional Home" for K-16 teachers of science.
Fresno and Central Valley Science
The CVSP is offering a STEM Teacher Leadership Course that will prepare teachers to effectively implement NGSS and STEM in their classrooms and schools. Ideal for STEM coaches, coordinators, directors, and administrators interested in learning key implementation strategies for the classroom, school, or district.
Summer PD events are included in program.
Website: http://cvscienceproject.ning.com
Location: Fresno, CA
Members: 27
Latest Activity: Jun 17, 2016
NSTC Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education
The Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education (CoSTEM) was called for by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010. The first-year tasks of the committee are to create an inventory of Federal STEM education activities and develop a 5-year strategic Federal STEM education plan.
CREEC - California Regional Environmental Education Community - Region 7
The California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network is an educational project supported by the California Department of Education, Environmental Education Program, in collaboration with state, regional and local partners. The CREEC Network is the best source for Environmental Education resources in California.
Lyles College of Engineering - Fresno State
The Lyles College of Engineering is the only publicly supported engineering college in the San Joaquin Valley. The mission of the college includes developing each student's potential to the greatest extent possible, provide a quality engineering education to all students and to serve students from groups that historically have not participated in a university education.
California Science Teachers Association
CSTA represents science educators statewide—in every science discipline at every grade level, Kindergarten through University.
California STEM Learning Network
CSLNet's Statewide Initiatives address key STEM learning challenges by building coherence among California's many STEM-related programs and identifying solutions that can be addressed by a concerted statewide effort. CSLNet is working with its Regional Networks and other partners around California to advance a set of Statewide Initiatives that scale high quality STEM teaching and learning across regions and throughout the state.
National Science Teachers Association
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), founded in 1944 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership of 60,000 includes science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in and committed to science education.
National Science Foundation: Resources for STEM Education
Resources and findings generated through educational research and development projects funded in part by the National Science Foundation can help inform states and school systems that are developing strategies for improving K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. This site contains an initial sampling of resources and findings from NSF-funded projects. Their proposals underwent merit review; subsequent annual and final project reports were reviewed and approved. The resulting research-based resources have been pilot- or field-tested in schools or with teachers. The websites identified may offer additional information derived from their development and use with students, teachers, or other stakeholders. These resources and websites represent the work, findings, and conclusions of the Principal Investigators and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.
The one-stop shop for STEM education.
The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition works to support STEM programs for teachers and students at the U. S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and other agencies that offer STEM related programs.
Through our coalition of CEOs, Change the Equation pledges to foster widespread literacy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that sparks an innovative spirit in students and prepares them for post-secondary options.
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
The International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) is the professional organization for technology, innovation, design, and engineering educators. Our mission is to promote technological literacy for all by supporting the teaching of technology and engineering and promoting the professionalism of those engaged in these pursuits. ITEEA strengthens the profession through leadership, professional development, membership services, publications, and classroom activities.
American Society for Engineering Education
Engineers use their imagination and analytical skills to invent, design, and build things that matter. They are team players with independent minds. Engineers are changing the world all the time by dreaming up creative and practical solutions.
Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA)
One of the country's most innovative and successful programs, MESA works with thousands of educationally disadvantaged students so they excel in math and science and graduate with math-based degrees. MESA works closely with industry partners and the University of California, California State University, the California Community Colleges, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the State Department of Education. MESA is nationally recognized for its innovative academic development program.
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the city of Los Angeles. Their objective was to form a national organization of professional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community.
Society For the Advancement of Chicano and Native Americans In Science (SACNAS)
SACNAS is a society of scientists dedicated to fostering the success of Hispanic/Chicano and Native American scientists—from college students to professionals—to attain advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in science.
STEM* Scouts is a collaborative effort pooling the talents and resources of universities, government agencies, corporations, and individuals to engage students in an ever-expanding series of high-interest activities that develop the skills and interest enabling success in STEM-related careers.
National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
With a membership of nearly 200 colleges and universities from all over the United States, the NCIIA engages more than 5,000 student and faculty innovators and entrepreneurs each year, helping them to bring their concepts to commercialization. The NCIIA 'pipeline' provides nascent student start-ups with early stage funding, business strategy development training, mentoring, and investment. The NCIIA provides faculty with funding for courses and programs, opportunities for recognition, and entrepreneurship education training and networking.
Innovations and Research is a half yearly, peer-reviewed publication for educators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. The journal emphasizes real-world case studies that focus on issues that are relevant and important to STEM practitioners.
STEMreports.com brings you the latest research for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. We partner with groups like the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) and the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) to bring you insightful research. Whether you are a School Administrator, STEM Specialist, or a company developing products for the STEM market, our reports will help you understand both the challenges and the opportunities facing STEM education.
National Math and Science Initiative
The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) and the teacher training organization Laying the Foundation (LTF) merged at the end of 2011, putting in place a seamless system for preparing middle school and high school students to succeed in Pre-AP and AP courses in the critical fields of math and science.
TIES-Teaching Institute for Excellence In STEM
STEM education is trans-disciplinary in nature offering students the ability to use project-based learning to address real-world issues that affect their family, their community and their world. TIES works with regional and state economic development organizations to fuel STEM education curriculum and instructional program development for the benefit of all. Our students are digital natives and TIES works to ensure that the "Technology and Engineering" in STEM drive the relevance of the "Science and Mathematics."
Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education
Since 1985, the Triangle Coalition has advocated for the improvement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States. Headquartered in the DC metro area, the Triangle Coalition is comprised of member organizations that represent business, education, and STEM societies nationwide.
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
Since 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation has supported outstanding individuals and institutions to help reshape American education. The Woodrow Wilson Fellows include 13 Nobel Laureates, 35 MacArthur Fellows, 11 Pulitzer Prize winners, two Fields Medalists—and thousands of everyday heroes, in and beyond the classroom
The Siemens Foundation provides more than $7 million annually in support of educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math in the United States. Its signature programs, the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology and Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement, reward exceptional achievement in science, math and technology. The newest program, The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, encourages K-12 students to develop innovative green solutions for environmental issues.
Founded in 1989, the Intel Foundation is a philanthropic organization focused on programs that advance education and improve communities worldwide. By providing funding for national and localized grants, the foundation helps fuel innovation in classrooms, empower women and underserved youth, and enables Intel employees to serve the needs of their communities. The goals of the Intel Foundation are to increase interest in math and science education, and to help develop a future workforce that represents the diversity around the world.
One of the world's largest chemical manufacturers, Dow's philanthropic arm tries to open students' eyes to STEM career opportunities.
San Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project
SJVMP offers summer leadership development institutes designed to help K-12 teachers become more effective instructors of mathematics.
For more than forty years, TERC has been introducing millions of students throughout the United States to the exciting and rewarding worlds of math and science learning. Led by a group of experienced, forward-thinking math and science professionals, TERC is an independent, research-based organization dedicated to engaging and inspiring all students through stimulating curricula and programs designed to develop the knowledge and skills they need to ask questions, solve problems, and expand their opportunities.
Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education In Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) For America's Future
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is an advisory group of the nation's leading scientists and engineers, appointed by the President to augment the science and technology advice available to him from inside the White House and from cabinet departments and other Federal agencies. PCAST is consulted about and often makes policy recommendations concerning the full range of issues where understandings from the domains of science, technology, and innovation bear potentially on the policy choices before the President.
Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (suggested citation), a report from the National Research Council of the National Academies, responds to a request from Representative Frank Wolf (VA) for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to identify highly successful K-12 schools and programs in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics (STEM). The NSF requested and provided support for the National Research Council (NRC) to convene an expert committee to explore this issue.
Research and Science Education Subcommittee Hearing - What Makes for Successful K-12 STEM Education: A Closer Look at Effective STEM Education Approaches
Blueprint to Transform Career Technical Education (CTE)
The Obama Administration's blueprint for transforming Career and Technical Education (CTE), by reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, was released on April 19, 2012. The report details how the Administration's plan will ensure the education system provides high-quality job-training opportunities that reduce skill shortages, spur business growth, encourage new investment and hires, and spark innovation and economic growth.
Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce report shows that by 2018, we will need 22 million new college degrees—but will fall short of that number by at least 3 million post-secondary degrees, Associate's or better. In addition, we will need at least 4.7 million new workers with post-secondary certificates. At a time when every job is precious, this shortfall will mean lost economic opportunity for millions of American workers.
A representative sample of 122,000 eighth-graders participated in the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment, which is designed to measure students' knowledge and abilities in the areas of physical science, life science, and Earth and space sciences. Results from the 2011 assessment are available for public and private school students in the nation and for public school students in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense schools.
Rising Above the Gathering Storm-2005
Broad Federal Effort Urgently Needed to Create New, High-Quality Jobs for All Americans in the 21st Century
The unmatched vitality of the United States' economy and science and technology enterprise has made this country a world leader for decades, allowing Americans to benefit from a high standard of living and national security. But in a world where advanced knowledge is widespread and low-cost labor is readily available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology have begun to erode. A comprehensive and coordinated federal effort is urgently needed to bolster U.S. competitiveness and pre-eminence in these areas so that the nation will consistently gain from the opportunities offered by rapid globalization, says a new report from the National Academies.
Rising Above the Gathering Storm Revisited-2010
Sept. 23, 2010 — The outlook for America's ability to compete for quality jobs in the global economy has continued to deteriorate in the last five years, and the nation needs a sustained investment in education and basic research to keep from slipping further, says a new report requested by the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, and authored by members of the committee that wrote the influential 2005 report Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future.
NSB Commission On 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
The National Science Board Commission met for the first time in August 2006. The driving question that resulted, and will shape the rest of the Commission's work is: "What should 21st Century STEM education look like?"
What Works? Lessons From Science-2006
Convocation On Rising Above The Gathering Storm-2006
U.S. High School Science Lab Experiences Often Poor,
But Research Points Way to Improvements
The quality of science laboratory experiences is poor for most U.S. high school students, but educators can improve these experiences by following four key principles of effective instruction, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council. The shift would make lab activities more likely to help students reach important goals of science education, including cultivating an interest in science, developing scientific reasoning skills, and mastering science subjects.
Taking Science To School - 2006
Improving science education in kindergarten through eighth grade will require major changes in how science is taught in America's classrooms, as well as shifts in commonly held views of what young children know and how they learn, says a new report from the National Research Council. After decades of education reform efforts that have produced only modest gains in science performance, the need for change is clear. And the issue takes on even greater significance with the looming mandate of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which says that states must measure students' annual progress in science beginning in 2007.
What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators, teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, and school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences?
Ready, Set, Science! guides the way with an account of the groundbreaking and comprehensive synthesis of research into teaching and learning science in kindergarten through eighth grade. Based on the recently released National Research Council report Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8, this book summarizes a rich body of findings from the learning sciences and builds detailed cases of science educators at work to make the implications of research clear, accessible, and stimulating for a broad range of science educators.
A great deal of science learning, often unacknowledged, takes place outside school in museums, libraries, nature centers, after-school programs, amateur science clubs, and even during conversations at the dinner table. Collectively, these kinds of settings are often referred to as informal learning environments. Understanding the science learning that occurs in these environments in all of its complexity and then exploring how to more fully capitalize on these settings for learning science are the major issues addressed in this book.
How Students Learn Science-2005
How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom builds on the discoveries detailed in the best-selling How People Learn. Now these findings are presented in a way that teachers can use immediately, to revitalize their work in the classroom for even greater effectiveness.
Organized for utility, the book explores how the principles of learning can be applied in science at three levels: elementary, middle, and high school. Leading educators explain in detail how they developed successful curricula and teaching approaches, presenting strategies that serve as models for curriculum development and classroom instruction. Their recounting of personal teaching experiences lends strength and warmth to this volume.
This book discusses how to build straightforward science experiments into true understanding of scientific principles. It also features illustrated suggestions for classroom activities.
Investigating the Influence of Standards: A Framework For Research in STEM-2001
Since 1989, with the publication of Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, standards have been at the forefront of the education reform movement in the United States. The mathematics standards, which were revised in 2000, have been joined by standards in many subjects, including the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards published in 1996 and the Standards for Technical Literacy issued by the International Technology Education Association in 2000.
There is no doubt that standards have begun to influence the education system. The question remains, however, what the nature of that influence is and, most importantly, whether standards truly improve student learning. To answer those questions, one must begin to examine the ways in which components of the system have been influenced by the standards.
Investigating the Influence of Standards provides a framework to guide the design, conduct, and interpretation of research regarding the influences of nationally promulgated standards in mathematics, science, and technology education on student learning. Researchers and consumers of research such as teachers, teacher educators, and administrators will find the framework useful as they work toward developing an understanding of the influence of standards.
CCSS & CTE: Bridging the Divide
With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by 46 states and the District of Columbia, there is a tremendous opportunity to rethink the role of literacy and mathematics not only within academic classes but also in CTE courses and pathways, encouraging more collaboration and integration between educators across disciplines.
Common Core State Standards & Career and Technical Education: Bridging the Divide between College and Career Readiness outlines a set of strategies state and district leaders can leverage to ensure the implementation of Common Core State Standards engages, informs, and benefits from the career and technical education (CTE) community, a critical partner in the broader college- and career-ready agenda.
This group does not have any discussions yet.
Please add CREEC Region7 as a to the list of supporters/sponsors for this STEM Center.
© 2017 Created by Will Kimbley. Powered by


text:
Community Status Updates
Frustrated was unable to trim yesterday's practice. I need to remind myself porcelain is quirky. I you can't rush poreclain. It took substandard trimming on a few pieces before I realized. Then it took me way to long to switch gears and be productive. :(Apr 04 2014 06:07 PM
MinThere are a lot of metrosexual men out there who are as high maintenance as porcelain! : )
Apr 05 2014 10:00 PM
Rebekah KriegerI switch all the time between porcelain and stoneware. It's easier on my back to use porcelain. But I love making stoneware mugs and bowls.
Apr 07 2014 08:24 AM
PresAny sort of clay in the Spring time can be quirky as you never know if the moisture level in the air is going to slow or speed drying. Spring is the thing, not the clay
Apr 07 2014 09:08 AM


text:
I assume NAKED BREASTS could get you to do a lot of things . . . many of which are more drastic or illegal than THIS: There's a group of women in New York City who have a TOPLESS BOOK CLUB . . . to try to inspire people to read.
They've been going for a few years, and it starts every year once it gets warm out. They met for the first time in 2014 on Friday in Central Park, then on Saturday on a rooftop patio at a hotel.
It's TOTALLY LEGAL for women to be topless in New York City, which is how they get away with holding their book club in public.
Their last meetings covered a few trashy books including one called "Abraham Lincoln, Presidential [Eff] Machine" . . . and a few classics, including "Moby Dick".
And yes, guys . . . you CAN join. According to the group, quote, "We usually have at least one male at our events, but rarely more than one or at most two." And we haven't had a problem with being overrun by creepy guys.
"Once in a while if we're out in the park creepy guys will find us and cluster around, but not that often . . . happily most people are not creeps and treat us with respect."


text:
DEVON-L ArchivesArchiver > DEVON > 2004-11 > 1101484168
From: <>
Subject: Barton Lane, North Tawton
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2004 15:49:28 +0000 (GMT)
I have an ancestor born in 1865 on Barton Lane, North Tawton. I have found Barton Street and Barton Hill on Multimap, but does anyone know where Barton Lane was?
This thread:
|Barton Lane, North Tawton by <>


text:
Harout Yerganian
Wedded Bliss?
In this moving, introspective drama, newlyweds Raj (Devashish Saxena) and Niki (Renu Saxena) approach married life with all the hopes and expectations of most couples. But reality soon rears its head as miscommunication and numerous misunderstandings complicate matters during the traditional period of adjustment. The film's supporting cast includes Anu Gandhi, Zia Khan, Julie Arebalo and Harout Yerganian.


text:
Early China Publications
The Institute of East Asian Studies has a long-standing relationship with the Society for the Study of Early China; the society was founded by Professor David N. Keightley on the UC Berkeley campus in the mid-1970s. The institute currently copublishes Early China monographs, and Cambridge University Press publishes the society's annual journal.
Early China Monographs Distributed by IEAS
von Falkenhausen, Lothar, ed.
Japanese Scholarship on Early China, 1987-1991: Summaries from Shigaku zasshi
Early China Special Monograph 6
2002. hdbk., 251 pp.
Qiu Xigui
Chinese Writing
Early China Special Monograph 4
Gilbert L. Mattos and Jerry Norman, trans.
2000. hdbk., 547 pp.
The two titles below are available as print-on-demand books and may be purchased through online booksellers. IEAS does not currently distribute these titles.
The Guodian Laozi: Proceedings of the International Conference, Dartmouth College, May 1998
Early China Special Monograph 5
Edited by Sarah Allan and Crispin Williams
Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide
Early China Special Monograph 2
Edited by Michael Loewe
Monograph Ordering Information
Distribution of Early China monographs is handled by IEAS. Customers may place orders by phone, fax, or mail and use a check or credit card. Detailed ordering information is contained here:
Note: Online ordering of Early China Monographs is also available through the website of the Society for the Study of Early China. To place your order online using PayPal, please click HERE.
Ordering Early China Journals — Now through Cambridge University Press
As of January 2014, Cambridge University Press (CUP) will handle subscriptions and distribution for all Early China JOURNALS.
Please note that depending on where you are located, you will need to contact the appropriate CUP office:
For North America (UNITED STATES, CANADA and MEXICO)
Cambridge University Press
100 Brook Hill Drive
West Nyack, NY 10994-2133
Phone: 845-353-7500
Toll free: 800-872-7423
Fax: 845-353-4141
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
For UNITED KINGDOM, EUROPE and REST OF THE WORLD
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building
Shaftesbury Road
Cambridge CB2 8RU
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0) 1223 326070
Fax: +44 (0) 1223 325150
E-mail: email@example.com for general price and subscription enquiries on Cambridge journals
Editorial Information
Editing of the journal Early China is carried out by the Society for the Study of Early China.
To submit an article for consideration by the SSEC editor, Sarah Allan, click here for a pdf of the Early China Guidelines for Preparation of Manuscripts.
Books for review should be sent to
Prof. Anne Kinney
Early China Book Review Editor
4185 Garth Road
Charlottesville, VA 22901
To view tables of contents, abstracts, bibliographies, and some full-text articles, click here.
To learn more about the SSEC, go to www.earlychina.org.
For comments and suggestions regarding the Early China website, contact the webmaster, Prof. Yuri Pines, at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Contact Information
For questions related to Early China publications, write to ieas‑email@example.com.


text:
Saku Koivu was there, more than 10 years ago, for the NHL's first regular-season outdoor game.
It was just a curiosity, hatched almost entirely by the Edmonton Oilers brain trust of the era, a concept the league went along with but didn't exactly embrace. It was played at Commonwealth Stadium on a freezing November day, beginning with an afternoon alumni game between the former greats of two great organizations, the Oilers and Montreal Canadiens.
Then, came the actual NHL game, with two points on the line, between Koivu's Habs and the Oilers of Jarret Stoll, Ales Hemsky and others.
Montreal won 4-3, with tuque-wearing goalie José Théodore the most riveting figure on the ice. The position players could get to the benches and the heaters, but the goalies had to endure every blessed moment. No wonder Edmonton opted to play Ty Conklin, who grew up in Alaska, in net that night.
"The weather conditions were so extreme," Koivu said this week, after his Anaheim Ducks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 in the prelude to the next part of the NHL's outdoor saga: Saturday's warm-weather game between the same two teams at Dodger Stadium. "We wore this really thick long underwear and they had these heaters on the bench that actually made it too hot.
"So you're sitting there on the bench, thinking 'I gotta get out there,' but as soon as you stepped on the ice, it was like, 'Geez, is this cold.' As a centreman, you play down low in the zone and you'd start skating with the puck, but you had to make a play before you hit the blueline because the wind was so bad, your eyes would water and you couldn't see," he said.
"Back then, if somebody had said, 'One day we'll be playing outdoors in California and it's going to be plus-25 C compared to minus-35 C, plus the wind, it would have been hard to believe.'
"We're really going from one extreme to the other."
Ultimately, the NHL embraced the idea of outdoor games, and they have become a big money maker for the league. Saturday's date at Dodger Stadium will be followed by a Sunday matinee at Yankee Stadium – and maybe the greatest irony of all is this past week weather conditions proved more problematic for the crew setting up the cold-weather game in New York than for the one making ice in sunny California.
Perhaps no one is more eager to play than Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy, who was a rookie with the Pittsburgh Penguins when they played outdoors at Heinz Field in 2011 against the Washington Capitals – and was a healthy scratch.
"It definitely killed me to not play in the last game," Lovejoy said. "It was a difficult thing. I was a rookie. I was battling for my position in the lineup. I understood the decision, but when this game was announced, this was a game I circled on my calendar. … This is a huge moment for hockey and everybody wants to be a part of it."
The teams didn't actually see the ice first hand until Friday afternoon, when the Kings and then the Ducks were scheduled for short practices, followed by skating parties for their families.
Koivu spent part of last Wednesday shopping for new skates for his daughter. Kings head coach Darryl Sutter's mother, Grace, 78, travelled from Viking, Alta., for the event.
Sutter and Ducks counterpart Bruce Boudreau (who was behind the Caps bench at the 2011 outdoor game) both grew up playing hockey outdoors, so this is a return to their roots, with a slight twist.
"As a boy, the only time we played indoors was Saturday, when we got to play our weekly game," Sutter said. "It was mites, pee wees, bantam, midget and then seniors, and it was all day. And we were one of the few small towns that had a covered arena.
"Everywhere you went, you played outside. We laugh about it now. When you played outdoors, you played on the slough," he said. "Usually, with us, it was at night, so there had to be moonlight. I still remember vividly doing that – and the ice was always so good and so clear and so damn cold. We took our boots off and they were our goalposts.
"The other thing I remember is how good you slept after you played – you'd just be gassed, with the combination of the fresh air and playing. It gives me shivers to think about that stuff."
Now in in his sixth season with the Kings, Stoll's lasting impression of the 2003 game in Edmonton (apart from the weather) was sneaking a peek at all the legends in town to play the alumni game, from Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier to Guy Lafleur.
"It was a special moment and a unique game," Stoll said. "This one here will be a little different, with the California way, but it'll be fun, too."
As for Koivu, who played a lot of his hockey outdoors growing up in Finland, he can't wait either.
"Obviously, Dodger Stadium is a legendary and historic place," he said. "We'll probably be overwhelmed when we first step on the ice there.
"It's different than Edmonton. Edmonton was all about hockey. Having the beach volleyball set up [in the outfield], having [rock band] KISS play, this is going to be more of a Hollywood show."
Follow me on Twitter: @eduhatschek
Get all the latest Globe and Mail hockey coverage on Twitter: @globehockeyReport Typo/Error
Follow @eduhatschekon Twitter:


text: URMC / Otolaryngology (ENT) / Research Research The Department of Otolaryngology is devoted to the acquisition of new knowledge Investigators in the department collaborate with other scientists across campus and across the country. Much of the current research in the Department investigates the vestibular or balance system. Our research is supported by the NIDCD both individually and investigators in the Center for Navigation and Communication Sciences.


text:
North Carolina Department of Justice
Sign Up for Alerts
Contact Us
I am a:
Business Owner
Job Seeker
Law Enforcer
Military Person
Top Issues
News Alerts
Protect Yourself
Help for Victims
About DOJ
Top Issues
News & Events
News Releases & Advisories
Consumer Columns
Protect Yourself
Public Protection
About DOJ
News & Events
Consumer Columns
Think twice about car service contracts
Think twice about car service contracts
Tempted to buy an extended service contract for your car? While these offers may seem like a way to save on car repair costs, most consumers find that service contracts rarely live up to their expectations.
Each year, my office hears from hundreds of consumers who are unsatisfied with extended car service contracts. In the past few months, we barred three companies from selling or pitching auto service contracts in North Carolina because of all the problems we heard about from consumers.
Consumers often complain that they were misled about what their car service contract actually covers. For example, a salesperson might tell you that it covers your car for 150,000 miles when it really only provides coverage for up to 75,000 miles. Consumers also tell us that companies frequently give them the run around when it's time to pay for valid repairs by requiring extra paperwork or claiming the problem isn't covered.
Unlike warranties, which are included in the price of your vehicle and offered through the manufacturer, service contracts are sold separately for an extra charge. Service contracts can be sold by third parties or by the dealership where you buy your car and can cost anywhere from $50 to $3,500, depending on the length of the contract and what it covers. In addition to the upfront cost, you'll often have to pay a deductible for each visit to the mechanic or repair shop.
To help avoid the headaches of promises broken and claims denied, consider the following tips before you buy an extended service contract:
Don't fall for urgent calls or letters warning you that your car warranty is about to expire. Be sure to review your current warranty to see if it's still active and don't give in to pressure from salespeople.
Read the manufacturer's warranty and the service contract carefully. If they cover many of the same parts for the same period of time, you probably don't need the service contract.
Read the entire contract before you sign or pay any money. Make sure that any verbal promises are put in writing. If the service contract doesn't say that an item is covered, assume that it is not.
Check out repair statistics and the average cost of repairs for your vehicle. Consumer magazines or websites such as
Consumer Reports
J.D. Power and Associates
can be good sources of information about how reliable certain automobiles may be and how often they need repairs.
Most extended service contracts have a deductible, meaning you'll pay a fee for each repair. Be sure to ask if whether you are required to pay upfront for the repair and then wait to be reimbursed.
Check out the company. Call my office toll free at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or your local BBB to see if there are any complaints on file. You also can search online reviews in your favorite internet search engine. Just type in the name of the company with the word "reviews" to see what other consumers have to say about the company. If the company goes out of business or files for bankruptcy, there may be little you can do to get a refund or to get service for your car.
North Carolina Department of Justice / Josh Stein, Attorney General (919) 716-6400
Site Map
Site Feedback
Legal Information/Privacy
Employee Portal


text:
NCSE is pleased to offer a free preview (PDF) of Ian Tattersall's Masters of the Planet: The Search for Our Human Origins (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).
Explore the Grand Canyon with NCSE! Only two seats are still available for NCSE's next excursion to the Grand Canyon — as featured in the documentary No Dinosaurs in Heaven.
NCSE is delighted to congratulate Zack Kopplin, the leader of the effort to repeal the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act, on his receiving the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award.
When the Oklahoma legislature adjourned sine die on May 25, 2012, no fewer than three legislative attempts to attack the teaching of evolution and of climate change were finally laid to rest.
Private school scholarship programs "have been twisted to benefit private schools at the expense of the neediest children," according to The New York Times (May 22, 2012) — and part of the problem involves the teaching of creationism.
A bare majority of New Jerseyans accept evolution, according to a new poll from Monmouth University and the Asbury Park Press.
When the Missouri legislature adjourned on May 18, 2012, both antievolution bills in the House of Representatives died in committee.
When the last day of the regular legislative session of the Alabama legislature ended on May 16, 2012, a bill that would have established a credit-for-creationism scheme died.
The latest survey on the American public's beliefs and attitudes regarding global warming offers few surprises.
The first public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards is available on-line — and your feedback is invited.
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600
Oakland, CA 94612
fax: 510-788-7971
For Reporters | Store | Events


text:
Lyric Theater
1800 3rd Avenue North,
5 people favorited this theater
The Lyric Theater opened January 14, 1914 as a vaudville theatre with 1,583 seats located in orchestra, mezzanine and upper balcony levels. It was a segregated theatre where African-Americans would sit separately in the upper balcony, which had its own entrance on 18th Street. It was operated by the B.F. Keith circuit and stars such as Rube Goldberg, Fred Allen, Jack Benny, The Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton Mae West, Sophie Tucker, Will Rogers, Milton Berle, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry appeared here. There were six opera boxes on each side of the proscenium, which were removed when the theatre was equipped for CinemaScope in 1954. Above the proscenium is a mural titled "The Allegory of the Muses" painted by local artist Harry Hawkins. In 1925 a Kilgen 2 manual 4 ranks theatre organ was installed. The Lyric Theatre was closed as a regular movie theatre in 1958. It reopened on April 19, 1973 as the Grand Bijou Theatre with Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer" and specialized in screening classic movies, but this was not a success. It went over to adult movies first as the Foxy Adult Cinema, and later as the Roxy Adult Cinema which closed in the early-1980's. The building lay empty and unused and in 1993, the owners sold it for $10 to Birmingham Landmarks. In 1998 plans were being formed to reopen the Lyric Theatre, but very little happened and the building began to deteriorate.
In March 2014, plans were approved for an $8million renovation to be carried out. The opera boxes have been re-instated, and the mural restored by Evergreene Architectural Art, who worked on most of the internal restoration. The Lyric Theatre re-opened January 14, 2016 (102 years to the day of its initial opening). It will be a live music and concert venue. Seating has been reduced to 750 as the upper balcony is not in use.
Recent comments (view all 18 comments)
From the 1940s a photo postcard view of downtown Birmingham that captured a view of the Lyric Theater.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful.
Thanks again Don.
From the early 1900s a night time postcard view of Third Avenue along with the Bijou Theater in Birmingham.
The 18th Street facade of the Lyric can be seen in the l976 Bob Rafelson film, "Stay Hungry". It is the very last shot of the film. It is also the last shot in the trailer, as well. The shot shows a body builder posing on each of the horizonal levels of the fire escapes. The painted Lyric sign (on the upper wall) and some of the marquee and vertical sign are shown. The letter board on the marquee states: AL GOLDSTEIN FELICITY SPLIT IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (a rating, I'm assuming, is unreadable to the right of the film title.) According to previous posts, the Lyric showed adult films in the l970's. It's a great movie. "Stay Hungry", that is…
Ladies and Gents, on Sep 28th, 2012, The Lyric Theatre hosted it's first live performance in over 60 years. The event was a benefit concert by the Chad Fisher Jazz ensemble to raise funds for the continued restoration efforts for the Lyric. To accomplish this feat, volunteers laid down new temporary plywood flooring and lighting. Patrons brought their own chairs. Special dispensation was given by the City of Birmingham, Birmingham Fire Marshal and Code Enforcement to permit this special show. 200 tickets for this performance sold out in a matter of days.
Although the theater area has substantial water damage and decay, the sound quality was nothing less than astonishing. Live jazz spilled across the audience warm and rich as honey. There appeared to be clear sight and sound lines from all parts of the main floor. The band later reported that the sound quality and natural feedback from the venue walls was incredible.
http://savethelyric.com/ https://rally.org/savethelyric
what a beautiful old lady this theatre is..shame so many of her conteparies have already died….
Here's a blog post with some recent photographs of the Lyric Theatre
Theatre is scheduled to reopen on 14 January.
Step inside the Lyric Theatre today, and you might feel as if you're encased in a small, glittering jewel box. The 102-year-old theater fairly glows with historic charm, adorned by elegant plaster cupids, burnished wood, smooth marble and shimmering gold paint. Chandeliers hang from the ornately stenciled ceiling. Opera boxes curve in graceful arcs. Thick blue curtains shelter a stage that once welcomed stars such as Mae West, Sophie Tucker, the Marx Brothers and Milton Berle.
But it wasn't always this way. The Lyric — built in 1914 as an intimate vaudeville house with pin-drop acoustics — spent decades in downtown Birmingham as a dark and crumbling ruin. The building's essential structure remained strong, made of concrete and steel. But the theater at 1800 Third Ave. North existed as a shadow of its former self. Its heyday long past, the Lyric sat in silence — damaged by water and weather, prey to the ravages of time. "When we first got here, it was like King Tut's tomb," says Brant Beene, executive director of Birmingham Landmarks, a nonprofit organization that owns the Lyric. "It was really a sight to see."
Birmingham Landmarks, which acquired the Lyric in 1993, spent more than 20 years figuring out how to revive the theater — and just as important, making sure enough money was raised to pay for such a massive project. Painstaking craftsmanship was required to bring the Lyric's visual beauty back to life, along with a full-scale overhaul of crucial operating systems such as lighting, plumbing, heating and air conditioning.
In January, audiences saw the result of an $11.5 million restoration as the Lyric reopened to the public as a performing arts center. Three variety shows featuring local entertainers were sold out Thursday through Saturday, marking the theater's triumphant return.
"I've had so many sleepless nights, and I'm sure Brant does, too," says Danny Evans, board chairman of Birmingham Landmarks and a prime mover behind the Lyric's revival. "The Lyric was abused for many years, but she's a strong old girl. … For this to be complete, in spite of some naysayers who kept asking, 'When are they going to do it?,' is a great joy to me."
Talk to organizers who've prompted the theater's rebirth, and you'll hear detailed accounts of feasibility studies, grant proposals, architectural renderings, preliminary plans, fund-raising efforts, tax credits and more. Some might call it a long and difficult journey, with many stops and starts. Evans, who was there from the beginning, prefers the analogy of building blocks slowly sliding into the proper spots. As he tells it, Birmingham Landmarks never intended to take on the Lyric when the organization was formed in 1987. However, the nonprofit's basic mission — to save historic buildings — nudged the group in that direction when the Lyric became available a few years later.
According to Evans, Birmingham Landmarks was created for one purpose: to ensure the survival of the Alabama Theatre, a 1927 movie house that was facing bankruptcy. At the time, Evans and a piano-playing friend, Cecil Whitmire, were especially concerned about the theater's Wurlitzer organ, a majestic instrument that was integral to the building's history. Birmingham Landmarks bought the Alabama, assumed its debt of $680,000 and made that theater — across the street from the Lyric at 1817 Third Ave. North — the nonprofit's primary focus. Evans helmed the board; Whitmire managed the theater. Under their leadership, the Alabama began to thrive.
The Lyric was something of an afterthought, purchased in 1993 from the Newman Waters family, along with a companion office building that stretches to 1806 Third Ave. North. The family, which had owned several movie houses in the Birmingham area, set a price of $10, essentially offering the Lyric as a gift. "It was a just a remnant of the vaudeville house it used to be," Evans recalls. "It had a bad roof. The windows were falling out. It had been abused and used for many things, including selling beauty supplies. All that was dumped in our laps. We were able to get enough money to put a new roof on it and fix the windows, enough to keep it from deteriorating further. … We began doing feasibility studies on the Lyric. We did early architectural renderings and plans in the late '90s and early 2000s. In the middle 2000s, interest rates rose and the economy started tanking. We kind of moseyed along like that until 2008 or 2009."
Although Birmingham Landmarks had a vision for what the Lyric could be, it faced a formidable challenge. The once-pristine theater had been through many structural changes since the glory days of vaudeville, first transformed into a movie house during the early 1930s. That period ended in 1958, when the hardest times hit. The Lyric closed, reopened for a few years in the 1970s as a revival house and had a brief run as a porn theater. The building was shuttered in the 1980s and left to decay.
"The Lyric was so well-built, it wouldn't fall down," says Beene, who joined Birmingham Landmarks in 2009. "The cost to demolish a building like that is so great, there wasn't much talk about making it a parking deck. But nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody knew what to do with it."
Whitmire, who died in 2010, often said fundraising for the Lyric was more difficult than it had been for the Alabama Theatre, mostly because the vaudeville generation had passed away. Potential donors lacked an emotional connection to the century-old building, he said, and cherished no fond memories of seeing live shows there.
Beene was hired by Birmingham Landmarks to combat such perceptions, kickstart the Lyric's finances and stir community participation in the project. After Whitmire's death, he moved into the executive director role and has overseen the Lyric and Alabama theaters ever since. "I think Cecil and Danny had to swim upstream for about 20 years, because things were moving away from downtown," Beene says. "At one time, the Alabama Theatre was the only thing downtown. After Birmingham Landmarks was formed, it took 10 years, maybe 11, to get the Alabama to where they wanted it to be. They inherited the Lyric in '93, and the Alabama was only half-done at that point. The focus was on the Alabama. It seemed almost impossible, at least to Cecil, to raise the money they needed for the Lyric. And the Alabama was his first love. The Lyric didn't have an organ. When he died, right at that time period, Railroad Park and lofts and Regions Field and all those things were starting here. I came in and caught the wave."
As more fundraising, another feasibility study and a mountain of paperwork ensued, Beene sensed a shift in public attitudes about the Lyric. Millennials began to take notice, gushing over tours of the building led by volunteers such as Glenny Brock, then editor of Birmingham Weekly. Articles in that alternative publication, particularly those written by reporter Jesse Chambers, championed the theater and pointed to new life for the old vaudeville house. Brock, who later became outreach coordinator on the staff of Birmingham Landmarks, says her first visit to the Lyric in 2008 made her a believer. It led her to participate in cleanup sessions at the theater — pulling up carpet, scraping paint, mopping floors, removing dead birds and bat droppings. It also inspired her to spread the word about the Lyric and its potential — in print, online and in person.
"The Lyric, to me, was such a beautiful ruin," Brock says. "The outside of the building, for much of my life, was very plain, like a brown cardboard box. It became a personal mission; I wanted to see it succeed … Most of my role, as this title implies, is making sure people know about the Lyric. Basically, I just tried to get everyone to love that place as much as I did."
Others involved in the Lyric's renaissance, such as lead fundraiser Tom Cosby, relied on the simultaneous pull of art, history and economics. Cosby joined the team in 2012 as a paid consultant for Birmingham Landmarks, after 35 years with the Birmingham Business Alliance and its predecessor, the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. Although he'd intended to retire, Cosby quickly became enmeshed in the mission to save the Lyric, using his experience, contacts and knowledge of Birmingham's power players to get the job done. Spearheading a new "Light Up the Lyric" campaign that was launched in March 2013, Cosby raised more than $7 million for the theater in just nine months. A sparkling new marquee was installed that September, celebrating the campaign and symbolizing the Lyric's future.
Eventually, Cosby raised more than $8 million via 89 donors — individuals, corporations and foundations — that contributed $10,000 or more. After historic tax credits were secured, the Lyric's restoration fund reached $11.5 million. "The Lyric is a unique and beloved cause," Cosby says. "I don't know in my heart if (the donors) did it because they were such arts patrons — maybe they were — but I think they realized we needed a downtown for this area to thrive. … Places like the Lyric have absolute power and a sense of place. This is what separates Birmingham from a suburban strip mall."
Executive director Beene — who's been known to wax poetic about the Lyric, comparing it to a vintage instrument — also regards the theater's revival as a no-nonsense economic development project. "We can't afford to have a museum," Beene says. "That's not what we can do. From the start, I've said that we have to have an operating business for this to work."
If his hopes for the Lyric are realized, the 750-seat theater will bring more people downtown, spurring growth and renewal that spreads for several blocks, transforming the area into a vibrant entertainment district. At the same time, Beene envisions the Lyric as a potent booster for civic pride.
"This is a place for all of our community to use, to share and to appreciate — not just as the past of Birmingham, but as the future of Birmingham," he says. "We think that's very important. … This gives people something to be proud of, something that's unique, something to come home to. I want people to grow up at the Lyric. I want parents to bring their kids. I want youngsters to come there and see things. I want boyfriends to bring their girlfriends, and girlfriends to bring their boyfriends, and propose to them and get married on the stage. I want people to be swallowed up by the Lyric and enjoy it."
That theme — the idea of "making modern memories" at the Lyric — comes up in conversation with all four of these key players, as Beene, Evans, Cosby and Brock continue their quest to make the theater shine again. Others who've become invested in the Lyric's rebirth — board members, donors, volunteers, staffers and more — are likely to feel the same.
The restored Lyric Theatre opened to the public with three variety shows featuring local performers on Jan. 14-16, 2016. The task is far from finished. Beene, for example, can tick off a wish list for the Lyric that includes a green room, rehearsal spaces, expanded dressing rooms and a replica of the original box office. The adjoining office building? It hasn't been touched yet.
Birmingham Landmarks also owns a building next-door to the Lyric that formerly housed the Majestic Theatre, a vaudeville competitor during the early 1900s. Two floors are empty, Beene says; the ground floor is home to Superior Furniture.
"We've got lots of dreams, but they'll have to wait," says Evans, the board chairman. "We need to get all the kinks worked out at the Lyric." Ask Evans to retrace his steps back to 1993 and take a big-picture view, summing up how the Lyric was saved, and he responds without hesitation. The most important thing, he says, was taking an initial leap of faith. "The catalyst was when we decided to do it," Evans says. "We didn't know how to do it, and there was a lot of bumping into walls. But we made the decision to do it."
Beene offers another perspective. "With heart," he says. "That's the short answer. If you put all the pieces together, it was timing, hometown people and others with a vision to know what the Lyric could be."
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater