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CTBU has been taking the construction of strong faculty a strategic task and making continous efforts in the introduction, recruitment and training of talents. The programs of "1000-talents Plan", "Liangjiang Scholar" and "Bayu Scholar" established by Chinese government or Chongqing municipal government offer positions to the distinguished professors or senior scholars worldwide. Since the establishment, CTBU has been sparing no effort in creating a favorable teaching and research environment for the faculty.
Meanwhile, CTBU boasts a group of qualified and dedicated foreign teachers on the campus. They come from more than 10 different countries and bring the cultures of their home country, which makes the CTBU campus more international. Their presence makes CTBU students more exposed to foreign languages, foreign cultures and foreign outlook. They are the inseparable members of the CTBU community. Their efforts have been acknowledged by the Chinese staff and students and the government as well, embodied in the respect shown and awards presented to them.
Powered by CTBU © 2001-2009 Chongqing Technology and Business University


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"Such a combination of enchanting, sensitive lyricism and hypnotizing forcefulness is a phenomenon encountered very rarely." –Ury Eppstein, The Jerusalem Post
Since his gold medal win at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009, 25-year-old Chinese pianist Haochen Zhang has captivated audiences in the United States, Europe, and Asia with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination, and spectacular virtuosity.
Haochen is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied under Gary Graffman. He was previously trained at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Shenzhen Arts School, where he was admitted in 2001 at the age of 11 to study with Professor Dan Zhaoyi.

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Short talk by Robert Moses "What is Yoga Really?" outlining some important concepts in traditional yoga which has an emphasis on balancing the nervous system via the breath.
Fundamentals of the popular Sivananda Yoga system as taught by my guru Swami Vishnudevananda. I spent 22 years with Swamiji from 1972 to 1994 taking care of his centers and ashrams and teaching training courses all over the world.
The film takes the viewer on a journey through time and space to rediscover the deeper dimensions of yoga that are more relevant than ever in our modern world. It will allow new and existing yoga students to delve deeper into the origins of yoga, and clear up some misconceptions about yoga in contemporary culture.
Emma has directed a yoga video and produced two publications, 'Nataraja – the Lord of Multiple Forms' and 'Yoga for Women'. She is the co-founder and director of Shadow Yoga and Nṛtta Sādhanā, and has been teaching yoga for over two decades.
'Lower the head and invoke the fire'
There are many films about Hatha yoga— how is your film different?
The idea of making this film evolved over the last ten years as I witnessed widespread confusion growing around the term 'Yoga', and how increased commercial pressure and was leading to slow degeneration of the practices taught in its name. I saw the great potential of a film that illuminated yoga's original traditions and holistic practices through the words and experiences of authentic practitioners.
Our story begins in Nepal at the heart of the Pashupatinath temple where Goraknath, one of the forefathers of Hatha yoga opened up the practice in the 11th or 12th centuries. He believed that yoga and the pathway to spirituality it provides should be accessible to people from all walks of life. In the course of the film we travel around the world meeting many practitioners of the spiritual arts who offer their insights on what is most important to the practitioner today.
Our goal is to inspire our audience to take a deeper look into the origins of yoga that they may gain a better understanding of the true potential of the yogic journey and how it can extend far beyond the physical practice. The film explores this holistic practice and shows how Hatha Yoga evolved as a Tantric Science; Matsyendranath, Gorakshanath and the the eighty four great Siddhas (Adepts) were all Tantrika Gurus. The Hatha Yoga they practiced was interwoven with worship, a dimension largely absent from contemporary practice of yoga in both India and the West.
This film points to what is available to those seekers who wish to delve deeper and uncover the ancient secrets that are still relevant in the world today.
How is the film structured and what is its the core message?
Agniyogana is for both those engaged in the practice of Hatha Yoga and those considering it. In the film wisdom and tools are generously shared and by a few of those who have traveled this path for many years that others may undertake this practice successfully.
Over the last several years I have travelled to India and Nepal for research and filming. During that time I interviewed extraordinary people who shared their knowledge and practices with me and the film is structured around these conversations. We learn from their personal experience what it takes to prepare for the path and the obstacles that are encountered. In many cases these people share rare and esoteric knowledge that is in danger of being lost. It was a privilege to speak with them.
The film's sub-title 'Lower the Head and Invoke the Fire' contains the central message of the film. The essence of Yoga is energetic work only possible when the mind is pacified through the process of worship. Although the physical practices are crucial, neither intellectual faculties nor physical attributes can initiate the energetic transformation. AGNIYOGANA (literally fire-yoking) comes from a Vedic text, the Satapatha Brahmana;
Early the next morning, when about to speak the morning prayer, he yokes the fire thinking, with it when yoked, I shall obtain and by it when yoked he obtains all wishes. (9:4:4:1).
Although that passage describes an external ritual, the terminology accurately and minutely details the alchemical process of the Hatha yogic internal work which is tantric by nature. The ' worship' is the contemplation of the inner fire and its transformation into light, without which the body cannot be transformed.
You did a lot of filming interviews with sadhus in Nepal at the Pashupatinath and Goraknath Temples. These are notoriously private sects, how did you gain access to interview them? Could you expand on your experiences interviewing these yogis and and the role the Nath lineages have had in the evolution of Hatha Yoga?
I was introduced to Dr Govinda Tandon the head of the Pashupatinath trust who gave us access to the temple and the sadhus who gather there during Shivaratri festival. My husband was initiated into the Goraknath Sampradaya and this led to further access to the Goraknath lineage. We had to demonstrate our serious and sincere intent and establish trust so that the interviewee could relax and begin to communicate directly from their experience.
Some were happy to chat with us about anything off camera but felt that they could not discuss the same things on film without betraying vows made to their guru. Most of the Nepalese and Tibetan interpreters we worked with were very good but it is challenging to conduct a successful interview on deep and complex subjects with the added demands of interpreting. We were fortunate that our interpreters were able to give the gist of what was being said so that the questioning could be directed precisely without breaking the rhythm of what was being communicated. As we work on the subtitles for the film, our focus will be to convey to the audience the essence of what these masters said when they were in full flow as accurately and fully as we can.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the roles of the different lineages in the evolution of Hatha Yoga. Each temple and each tradition has its own agenda and every scholar their own interpretation. Some state yoga came from Adinath (Shiva) through the Nath Sampradaya alone. Some argue its origin in Lord Dattatreya and evolution through several lineages including the Naths. Some claim Kapila Rishi as the originator and others the Rishi Markandeya. A person who chooses to tread the path of yoga is not interested in who was the originator or the historical succession. They want to learn from someone who genuinely knows and to arrive at their own understanding through an investigation of their own experience.
"The scholar may tell you the meaning of the word, but it is the Guru that will take you to experience the meaning of the word since it lives in him while it is devoid within the scholar"
Shri Sahajananda. (Hatha Yoga Manjari)
The procedures of Hatha Yoga evolved through the yogis of the Nath Sampradyaya. Matsyendranath integrated the Hatha practices with the tantras and Goraknath revived the Pashupata practices through his exposition of Hatha Yoga. They made famous the science of yoking the energies of sun and moon, which is Hatha Yoga. In this process Mantra-Laya was utilised for the perfection of the inner anatomy. Mantra and Laya practices form the core of pranayama, which is then further internalised through the system of mudras. These aspects are sadly neglected in contemporary yoga schools yet they are vital to the fulfilment of the yogic sadhana. In his commentary on the Hatha Yoga Pradipika Balakrishna states …
"There is no difference between Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga or Avadhuta Yoga – the first is the means, the other two the fruit."
Why did you interview Dr. Robert Svoboda about Ayurveda for this film?
The interview with Dr. Svoboda is not about ayurveda alone. I interviewed him because he is also a practitioner of the Aghora Pantha and so has an understanding of the relationship between ayurveda and yogic sadhana. With his knowledge of ayurveda he was perfectly qualified to contribute to the subject of mitahara (moderation of food).
A lot of yoga practitioners are interested in ayurveda but it is important to also understand the differences between yogic sadhana and ayurvedic prescriptions. Knowledge of ayurveda is helpful for those starting out on the path of yoga as one needs to pay attention to one's daily habits and activity. Ayurveda is a way of life, not a dosha or a particular kind of food and it helps one to make the right choices in all aspects of ones daily life. As one proceeds on the yogic path the intuitive faculty strengthens and in time one makes the appropriate choice spontaneously.
With the huge influence that Krishnamacarya and his descendants have had on modern yoga how did his legacy factor into your considerations?
We all owe a debt of gratitude to Krishnamacharya and his two students BKS Iyengar and PK Pattabhi Jois for reviving systematic training in the practices that prepare for pranayama including the application of mudra and bandha. Lord Dattatreya in his Yoga Sastram states:
"Hatha practices are Mahamudra, Jalandhara, Uddiyana, Mulabandha, Viparita Karani, Vajroli, Amaroli and Sahajoli mudra descriptions of which I here present".
However Sahajanath (the guru of Swatmarama) explains that the nine mudras and bandhas are themselves preparatory practices for the development of Khecari mudra. He explains that Khechari mudra is itself the the pathway to the crowning process of Shambhavi mudra (the gesture of benevolence) and Nada yoga or Laya, the reabsorption of sound into a single point – NAD-BIND-YOGIN.
Paradoxically, the growing popularity of yoga in the modern world is leading to its demise. Corporate packaging of yoga has stripped the physical practices away from the roots and context that gives them deeper meaning. Agniyogana takes the viewer on a journey in time and space to reconnect with those inner dimensions and to show their relevance in the modern world. The film begins in the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal where Goraknath, the forefather of Hatha Yoga, opened the practice to people of all backgrounds a millennium ago. The narrative is woven around glimpses into the daily traditional practices carried out at dawn, midday and sunset. Through a collage of action and stillness, light and darkness, sound and silence the film explores the richness of the Yoga tradition and the depth of heart and mind it can lead to. Through the voices of some of those who have made that journey we learn about the preparations that path requires, the obstacles that must be overcome and how the fullness of life this ancient art promises, perfected in deep forests and high in mountain caves, can be realised in the heart of the urban jungle.
Official Website: www.agniyogana.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agniyoganafilm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agniyoganafilm/
Hashtag: #agniyogana
Sundernath (Shandor Remete), Dr Robert Svoboda, Dr Liping Zhu, Dr Martina Ziskova, Yogi Narinath, Dordzin Dondrup Palden Rinpoche, Nubpa Konchok Tenzin Rinpoche, Dr Sherab Tenzin, Ani Chonyi Zangmo, Dr Govinda Tandon, Dr Manmath Gharote.
If this project is of interest to you – please consider supporting it through the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that will launch on Feb 22. https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/emmabalnaves


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is currently backordered. You may still purchase it now but we won't be able to ship it until it becomes available again.
The Versailles Luxury Throw is our Softest Faux Fur-It looks and feels so Real! The long Bullion Fringe finishes the ends out perfectly. This piece is both beautiful and functional, perfect for snuggling!)


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For ice when camping, grocery shopping, etc. Use as many jugs as necessary for your time frame. If you need ice for a long time, freeze 1 gallon water/juice/cleaned milk jugs filled with potable water. Leave 1 cup headspace for freezing. If you only need ice for a short trip, or extended shopping trip an hour or two away, use the half gallon size. Keep a set frozen in the freezer to grab. This is a mainstay all summer long. Why buy a block of ice to keep things cold. This is recyclable and reuseable.
If you have a cooler for beverages of bottles/cans, freeze water in 9x13 inch cake pans. Pop out and place in bottom. When you get to location, put cans/bottles in and fill with water. Floating ice water will keep things cold for a long time.
By Grandma J from Benson MN
We have done a lot of camping and usually go for a week at a time. It was getting costly buying bags of ice all the time for the cooler. Then my husband came up with some solutions. First, we froze water in milk jugs for the beginning of the trip. They would last several days before having to buy ice. He also lined the top of the packed cooler with newspaper for insulation. When traveling in the car to the campground, he would cover the cooler with a heavy towel to protect it from the sun giving even more insulation.
By using these methods, we found we could go longer without having to buy bags of ice. We froze as much food as possible before leaving. We also planned our meals so the food on the top was the first meals for the week.
Source: My husband
My husband is a long haul trucker who normally uses an electric cooler to keep his food and drinks cold. Recently his electric cooler died on him, so he had to resort to a regular cooler until we can buy him a new one (they ain't cheap!). At first he was buying bags of ice once or twice a day, but it was melting awfully fast in the extremely hot heat we've been having. So we came up with an idea that is working out a lot better for him.
Before he comes home, I take a tall plastic container (I use a tall Lock and Lock container because the ice slides out real easy). I fill it up about 7/8 with water and freeze it. Just before he packs the cooler, we take the ice out of the container and set it in the bottom of the cooler, He packs all his things around it. Then we dump some ice cubes on top into any empty spaces. The smaller cubes melt at normal rate, but the large block of ice can last for two days or more! He has saved quite a chunk of money this way.
This same idea would work great on picnics or traveling. If you don't want the ice melting and getting all over everything, just leave it in the container and the container will hold the water. Lock & Lock containers are great at not leaking. But there are other brands too.
Freezing the ice in these large containers also solves another problem here at home. It takes up unused space in the freezer, which makes the freezer run more efficiently. I freeze the one container for him, and keep two liter coke bottles in there filled with water too.
By Cricket from Parkton, NC
If you are bringing meat in a cooler that will not be cooked soon, freeze it before putting it in the cooler. Cans of concentrated juice can be brought along to help keep items cool as well, just be sure to put each can in its own ziplock bag in case it leaks.


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Breaking down the human polls that gave us 'Bama-LSU rematch
Every game might not have counted this season, but in the human polls that decide which two teams will play in the BCS title game, every vote counted. If you want to know exactly how the BCS arrives at its rankings, click here. But in terms of context, all you need to know is this: Since the BCS began using this style of formula in the 2004 season, No. 2 and No. 3 have never been this close.
Alabama and Oklahoma State were separated by .0086 ranking points. The next closest spread between No. 2 and No. 3 came in 2006 -- another rematch debate year -- when Florida edged Michigan by .0101 before blowing out favored Ohio State in the actual game. But in that case, Florida and Michigan were tied in the computer rankings. This year, Oklahoma State had the edge in the computers. So the credit -- or blame -- for placing Alabama in the title game goes to a decided advantage in the human polls.
The two polls attempt to control for bias by using a largish sample size of people spread across the country, but in the case of the Coaches' Poll, bias is completely unavoidable. After all, most of the 59 sports information directors head coaches who vote in the poll are paid seven-figure salaries by their institutions, and their primary goal in everything they do is to protect the interests of the institution that writes those big checks -- as well as the conference to which that institution belongs. Voters in the Harris Poll are selected because of their assumed allegiance to a particular conference, the hope being that all the biases cancel out and produce a decent result. The problem is that several voters -- at least judging by their ballots -- don't actually watch college football. In the wee hours of Monday morning, USA Today released the individual ballot of every coach. Later Monday morning, Harris Interactive released its final ballots. The votes, as usual, are quite interesting.
Not surprisingly, the coaches from the Big 12 schools in good standing (Baylor's Art Briles, Iowa State's Paul Rhoads, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Texas Tech's Tommy Tuberville) all ranked Oklahoma State second and Alabama third. Most of the SEC coaches in the poll (Auburn's Gene Chizik, Vanderbilt's James Franklin, LSU's Les Miles, Georgia's Mark Richt and South Carolina's Steve Spurrier) all voted Alabama No. 2 and Oklahoma State No. 3. That also was expected.
Then we have Missouri's Gary Pinkel and Alabama's Nick Saban.
At the moment, Missouri is a member of the Big 12. Next year, Missouri will be a member of the SEC. The Tigers were passed over by every Big 12 affiliated bowl and fell to the Independence Bowl. How did Pinkel punish his old league for making him spend Christmas in Shreveport? Not only did he vote Alabama second, he also voted Oklahoma State fourth behind Stanford. Oklahoma State and Stanford each have one loss, so Pinkel can make the argument that he legitimately thinks the Cardinal are better than the Cowboys.
But no one will believe him.
Saban, meanwhile, voted Stanford No. 3 and Oklahoma State No. 4. Now why in the world would he do that? At least he didn't leave Oklahoma State off his ballot entirely. Or maybe Saban really thinks the Cardinal would beat the Cowboys if they played. (He'll find out in the Fiesta Bowl.)
Of course, no one will believe that, either.
Stanford certainly did Oklahoma State no favors. Five coaches ranked the Cardinal third, and all of those five ranked Alabama second. Air Force coach Troy Calhoun ranked Oklahoma State fifth, but Calhoun is an unusual case. He released his poll ballot every week to the Colorado Springs Gazette, so we can see that he actually brought Oklahoma State up from No. 9 two weeks ago and No. 8 last week.
Stanford coach David Shaw certainly is confident in his team, and he hasn't been shy about ripping the system, but Shaw had plenty of incentive to rank his team as high as possible. Stanford's fan base is not known for traveling well to bowls. Given the option, a BCS bowl might have passed over Stanford for another team. How does that problem get solved? Take away the option to pass over Stanford. By finishing in the top four of the BCS standings, Stanford earned an automatic bid to a BCS bowl. So that might help explain why Shaw ranked his team not only above Oklahoma State -- a perfectly legitimate argument -- but also above an Oregon team that beat Stanford by 23 at Stanford Stadium.
The Harris Poll hurt the Cowboys' chances even more. Three Harris voters (former Notre Dame player Derrick Mayes, former Hawaii coach Bob Wagner and former Iowa sports information director George Wine) voted Oklahoma State No. 6. Wagner could mount a decent defense for his choices, but Mayes and Wine might want to avoid traveling in the state of Oklahoma for a while. Aside from ranking Oklahoma State No. 6, Mayes ranked Oklahoma No. 9 and left Georgia off his ballot entirely. Wine, meanwhile, ranked Houston No. 5. Maybe he thought his ballot was due before the Cougars got thrashed by Southern Miss on Saturday.
The Stanford-Oregon and Virginia Tech-Clemson rankings are an ideal measure of how much voters in the Coaches' and Harris polls actually paid attention to the games. Oregon beat Stanford 53-30. The game was not close after halftime. Yet 45 coaches ranked Stanford ahead of Oregon and 90 of the 115 Harris Poll voters placed Stanford above Oregon. (Remember, Oregon's only losses were to consensus No. 1 LSU and AP No. 5 USC.) The only argument for voting Stanford ahead of Oregon -- and it's a plausible one -- is the fact that Stanford beat USC on the road in triple-overtime.
Clemson, meanwhile, outscored Virginia Tech 61-13 in two meetings -- including one in Blacksburg. If we learned anything this season, it was that Clemson was definitively better than Virginia Tech. So how many coaches ranked Virginia Tech above Clemson? Thirty-four. Meanwhile, 51 Harris poll voters apparently had better things to do than watch or look up the results of those two games.
These people, who couldn't be bothered to notice even massive blowouts, played a key role in deciding who will play for the national title. It truly is a wonderful system.


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All Tomorrow's Parties will once again stage their spring/summer festivals in the UK, despite stating that they were canning them last year. Today, they've unveiled the curators for the two 2013 editions.
TV on the Radio will curate from May 10-12, and Deerhunter will curate from June 21-23. Both will take place at Camber Sands Holiday Centre in Minehead, England. Deerhunter are confirmed for three performances at their weekend, doing their albums Cryptograms, Microcastle, and Halcyon Digest in full. Atlas Sound will also perform. 35 bands are expected to perform at each weekend, with further confirmations coming soon.
The New York edition of ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror festival takes place at Manhattan's Pier 36 this weekend. Curated by the Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli, the weekend will feature performances from Frank Ocean, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, the Roots, the Antlers, Jose Gonzalez, Philip Glass and Tyondai Braxton, Lightning Bolt, Lee Ranaldo, Dirty Three, Hot Snakes, the Make-Up, and more.


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After about 20-30 seconds of staring blankly at the Christmas tree I kind of came to and looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Fortunately no one was looking my way at the time, but ever since I started getting focused on photography the same thing has been happening: I go into a bit of a trance after something catches my eye and I'm trying to figure out what it is. What about this scene made me look twice? What drew me in? Should I get my camera out? In this case I did, and got this rather triumphal looking close-up of one of the ornaments on our tree.
Christmas is one of the few parts of winter that I actually look forward to. It's my favorite time of year. The decorations, the cookies, being with my family, the smell of the tree near a roaring fire, the list goes on and on. I like to think that this picture captures a small part of that spirit. At least it did when I was gazing into the tree and dwelling on it in my mind.


text: I found this card in my 5th Grade daughter's backpack yesterday. It's a good luck card from her kindergarten book buddy wishing her well on the New York State standardized tests – all 6 days of them. It's so sweet, but also so sad to me that even the kindergarteners know that testing is happening and feel the stress in the school.


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Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Aida: A most "incorrect" opera
When it comes to stage performances (plays, operettas, opera) I like some attempt at authenticity to be made. Both the sets and the costumes should show some attempt to represent the time and place in which the play is set. Once upon a time, one could automatically expect that -- but no more. Minimalist sets and costumes -- and even anachronistic set and costumes -- seem to be "in".
I can abide minimalism. It cuts costs and opera is expensive to stage. But anachronism gets my goat. A recent performance of Handel's Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne, for instance, had revolvers and steamships in ancient Egypt! A malediction upon the producer! I imagine that anachronism is supposed to be clever or entertaining but to me it is just incompetent.
So I greatly appreciate the Metropolitan opera in New York. They must be the most lavishly funded opera house in the world. When the script requires dancing, they even have their own ballet company to do the honours. It makes for very high quality staging. And they do a lot of authentic staging. I don't go there but I buy their DVDs. Buying their stuff helps with their stratospheric costs, of course. And you see a lot more with a DVD than you would see as part of a live audience anyway.
So I was keen to see their production of a famous opera -- Verdi's "Aida". And I was not disappointed. The sets were magnificent and very evocative of ancient Egypt. And the costumes were elaborate. There was even a passable representation of the double crown of upper and lower Egypt on the Pharaoh in some scenes.
But I am glad I bought the DVD. If the performance is available now via YouTube, I predict that it will soon be taken down. Why? Because the performance took place in 1989 and it uses -- horror of horrors -- BLACKFACE. Both the alleged Ethiopian princess and her alleged Ethiopian father were clearly Caucasian beneath the blacking. The princess was in fact played by Aprile Millo, an American operatic soprano of Italian and Irish ancestry. I am putting up below an image of her as she appeared in the Met's "Aida". But it was an excellent performance all round with the famed Placido Domingo as Radames, the Egyptian hero.
And why shouldn't the Met use Millo in their opera? She is a regular there with a magnificent voice -- and a bit of blacking obviously seemed to them enough to give authenticity to the performance.
How odd it is that something that was normal and unquestioned just a quarter of a century ago is now routinely denounced. The world is in a fit of hysteria about proper use of language and how the world is represented in general.
Some real Ethiopians below
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The new year in poetry promises exciting débuts from fresh talents as well as old hands turning in new directions
THE GALLERY PRESS will publish a rich varied selection of new collections throughout 2014. Manchester- based Longford native Vona Groarke's eagerly awaited sixth collection of poems, entitled X, is already generating considerable excitement, not least among the Poetry Book Society, who have made X their Poetry Book Society recommendation for Spring 2014. X is described as "a book of honesty and poise: its lustrous detail and exacting truths make this a groundbreaking publication from a poet hailed in Poetry Ireland Review as 'among the best Irish poets writing today'."
Other titles from the Meath publisher include From Elsewhere (March), a new collection of poems from Ciaran Carson, the ever- prolific Belfast poet who doesn't seem to sleep; the late Pearse Hutchinson's poems will be appear in the spring; Gallery Press founder and publisher Peter Fallon will publish Strong, My Love in April, which will be his first collection since 2007's The Company of Horses.
Also returning with new work is Limerick poet Sean Lysaght, whose sixth collection is tentatively titled Carnival Masks. The inspiration for the working title came from a poem in which Lysaght describes a journey back to his home in Co. Mayo, after several months spent in Italy, and tidying away a pair of masks that the poet and his wife bought at the Carnevale di Viareggio, held every February in the Tuscan city of Viareggio, Italy.
According to Lysaght, the collection has "…a calendar structure: many poems with references to the natural world can be connected to a particular time of year. The first poem is called 'Skylarks in January', then there's a February piece, a March piece, and so on. The calendar pattern is not absolutely strict, and there are other poems in the book as well, but it allowed me a way of organising an array of material, and of connecting poems about Mayo with poems set in Italy, where my wife and I spent a winter about four years ago."
DOIRE PRESS are likely to be still celebrating, following Adam White's appearance on the shortlist for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, this year. However, the Connemara- based publisher will publish the début collection of poems from Dimitra Xidous, the Dublin- based Greek- Canadian poet and co- founder / co- editor of The Pickled Body. Entitled Keeping Bees, Xidous' first collection will no doubt feature poems that have featured in the Bridport and Over the Edge Emerging Writer prizes, as well as work that is due to appear in The New Planet Cabaret and the Spring 2014 edition of The Stinging Fly, in which she will be a featured poet.
BLOODAXE have two Irish poets on their list for 2014: Harry Clifton's The Holding Centre: Selected Poems 1974-2004 will appear in February.
Interestingly, a bi- lingual selection of Louis de Paor's poems will feature in The Brindled Cat and the Nightingale's Tongue, a book which de Paor worked on with a trio translators, consisting of Kevin Anderson, Biddy Jenkinson and Mary O'Donoghue. According to Bloodaxe, "the translations have eschewed the modern fashion for so-called "versions", producing English translations which are as close as possible to the original Irish poems without sacrificing their tone, energy, clarity and lightness of touch."
FABER's list of new poetry books for 2014 includes a typical mix of commissioned translations, an opportunity to revise the poetry of authors with considerable work under their belt, as well as new work from emerging talents.
Too often dismissed as too didactic and a political poet in an age of political apathy, Tom Paulin's New Selected Poems (May) comes at a time when there is a severe lack of well- written, well- executed political poetry. One only has to read Paulin's current Selected Poems, 1972 – 1990 to find a poet whose gift for wrapping the demotic tones of his native Ulster around technically skilled, enviably crafted poems. Paulin's New Selected Poems is a welcome opportunity to revise four decades worth of work, including poems from Walking a Line (1994), The Wind Dog (1999) and last year's Love's Bonfire.
Once described by Allen Ginsberg as "A loner, a genius.", New Jersey- born, San Francisco- based poet August Kleinzahler is undoubtedly one of foremost American poets currently writing. The wider availability of Kleinzahler's collections on this side of the Atlantic, including 1995's Red Sauce, Whiskey and Snow, 2000's Green Sees Things in Waves, 2004's excellent The Strange Hours That Travellers Keep and 2008's Sleeping it Off in Rapid City: New and Selected Poems, have seen the oft described "pugilist" poet's stock rise considerably.
Kleinzahler's latest collection, Hotel Oneira, will no doubt feature the collision course of registers, the unpredictable cadences and the savvy, street poetry that have characterised Kleinzahler's best work. Writing in the Irish Times, John McAuliffe has described Hotel Oneira as a collection "…with spiky portraits (and self-portraits) alongside the American landscapes that have become his speciality, moving easily and mysteriously between domestic close-ups of the weather and noodling riffs on the state of the modern world."
At a reading that Kleinzahler was giving and which I attended, a compere- who claimed to be an expert in Kleinzahler's work and spent more than ten minutes introducing and explaining Kleinzahler's work to us mere mortals in the audience- made the unfortunate mistake of continually referring to August Kleinzahler as "Awgoooost" Kleinzahler, rather than pronouncing Kleinzahler's forename as one would pronounce the month of the same name. Perhaps- perhaps- Kleinzahler's new collection will be appreciated to the point where even experts in his oeuvre can pronounce his name.
While we may have to wait a while for a new collection from Simon Armitage, the Yorkshire poet's translation of The Last Days of Troy (May), commissioned by the Royal Exchange for performance in April 2014. A retelling of The Iliad, there's no doubt that Armitage will freshen up the classical text as he has done with his engaging translations of The Odyssey, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight and The Death of King Arthur.
On the note of translations, versions, imitations and all that, Lavinia Greenlaw's A Double Sorrow (February), which takes its title from the opening line of Chaucher's Troilus and Criseyde- of which A Double Sorrow is a retelling- and which is neither translation nor version; rather, Greenlaw's retelling takes the form of seven- line vignettes.
Twelve years on from his Collected Poems, Hugo Williams returns in April with I Knew the Bride, his first collection of poems since 2006's excellent West End Final, which, no doubt, will explore his parents' theatrical vocations and his portraits of London in the 50's, all shot through with the ironic bite and sardonic humour that we've come to expect from Williams.
Due in February, Tony Martinez de las Rivas' début collection, Terror (February), promises poems that are "…political, social, theological, historical and personal, the poems in this debut collection work closely with the reader, asking questions of us and encouraging us never to settle for inadequate answers." Rivas was previously featured in Faber's New Poets series.
THE BIG WIN for poetry in 2014, however, is undoubtedly Dedalus Press' If Ever You Go: A Map of Dublin in Poetry and Song (February), which has been chosen as the One City: One Book title for 2014. Supported by Dublin City Council and led by Dublin City Public libraries, the award- winning initiative has been a resounding success.
First published in 1969, James Plunkett's Strumpet City was given a new lease of life, this year. The very fact that Plunkett's masterpiece topped the Irish bestsellers list, thereby introducing a whole new generation to Plunkett's great novel, was testament not only to the power of fresh ideas within Dublin City Council (yes, they do exist), but also the willingness to support Irish books of which we as readers have, perhaps, under- appreciated the significance.
Edited by Dedalus Press publisher Pat Boran and Gerard Smyth, the Irish Times' Poetry Editor, If Ever You Go takes its title from Patrick Kavanagh's poem 'If You Ever Go to Dublin Town' (If ever you go to Dublin town / In a hundred years or so / Inquire for me in Baggot Street / And what I was like to know).
According to Dublin City Libraries, If Ever You Go: A Map of Dublin in Poetry and Song "…includes writing by both historical and contemporary figures, among them Swift, Synge, Yeats, Joyce, Kavanagh and Ó Direáin as well as Seamus Heaney, Eavan Boland, Dermot Bolger, Paula Meehan, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and Derek Mahon. There are songs and ballads from the city's colonial past, verses by leaders of the 1916 Rising, and portraits of the modern city with its Spire and Luas tram, its Celtic Tiger 'prosperity' and its post-Celtic Tiger challenges."
In a country which looks as if it is about to overdose on a lethal concoction short stories and flash fiction, it is finally good to see Irish poetry featured on the same platform as prose.


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Ethan Novakovich, a crewman (wearing the insignia of a crewman second class) assigned to the sciences division aboard the Enterprise (NX-01) when she launched in 2151, was one of seven crewmembers tasked to an away team assigned to explore and evaluate the planet later known as Archer IV. At the apparent terminus of the mission, Subcommander T'Pol requested to maintain a team presence on the planet's surface for further study consisting of Crewmen Cutler and Novakovich.
Several hours later, while taking refuge from a windstorm, Crewman Novakovich unknowingly fell under the influence of tropolisine, a naturally occurring psychotropic compound, and began to become crazed and incoherent. Despite the attempted intervention of his chain-of-command present on the planet's surface, Novakovich lost control of himself and escaped from where he and his crewmates had taken refuge from the storm. Due to the interference caused by the electrical storm, a shuttlepod was inadvisable to use to retrieve him; with his bio-signs becoming more erratic and his screaming audible over an open communications signal, Captain Archer made the decision to use the transporter to rescue him. The transporter however, when used to retrieve Crewman Novakovich, malfunctioned and his epidermis was fused with natural environmental debris (leaves, rocks, limbs, etc.).
After removing the debris from Novakovich's skin, Dr. Phlox discovered the tropolisine in his bloodstream as well as later discovering that while it was causing the hallucinations that affected both him and the crewmembers still on the surface, it was also breaking down into a poison in his bloodstream with fatal ramifications. A devised treatment of inaprovaline injections proved to be the antidote to the poison, and Crewman Novakovich was expected to make a full recovery. (ENT: "Strange New World")
- Crewman Ethan Novakovich was played by actor Henri Lubatti; on IMDb.


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Imagine that for each Rays home game, the same umpire called balls and strikes. Chances are it would prompt all kinds of conspiracy theories.
But that's how the Arena Football League works.
"I definitely didn't think it was an ideal situation coming into the season," Storm quarterback Brett Dietz said.
As part of the league's new, cost-efficient business model, officials no longer travel for games. Instead, each team has a set for home games. (The league hasn't decided if it will continue the practice in the playoffs.)
"I thought it was a bad idea," coach Tim Marcum said. "What little expense it amounted to have them travel was worth it to have things done right."
The fear was officials would become partial to their teams.
"The perception of the idea was bad," Marcum said. "It's impossible for (the referees) not to get to know the guys."
Through the season's first four weeks, the road teams were penalized 49 more times, or 12.3 per week. For the season, road teams have been penalized 810 times compared with 737 for home teams. In only three of the 14 weeks have the home teams been penalized more.
But that hasn't been true for the Storm. It has been penalized 12 more times in six home games and, overall, is the league's second-most penalized team (141) .
"We sure don't seem to get many calls no matter where we are," receiver Tyrone Timmons said.
On May 7 at Tampa Bay, Jacksonville benefited from one of the strangest calls of the season. Dietz overthrew his receiver, and replays showed the ball ricochetted off of a fan and into the hands of a Sharks defensive back. The referees conferred, but the play was ruled an interception. The Sharks scored on the ensuing possession and went on to win 46-43.
"There were some weird calls in the beginning of the season," Dietz said. "But just like teams, I think the referees have gotten much better throughout the season."
A week earlier at home, the Storm benefited from a controversial call. Down 62-61 late, Arizona went for a 2-point conversion. Despite its receiver being tackled by three defenders, no penalty was called.
"That was interesting," Dietz said.
Defensive back Erick McIntosh said he hasn't noticed much of a difference in calls at home.
"There has been some calls go for and against us at home," he said.
"But no matter what, we have to go out and play our game."
* * *
Storm at Dallas
When/where: 8:45, American Airlines Center, Dallas
Radio: 1250-AM


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Monday, August 6, 2018
Who is lying when it comes to supply & demand?
New York City and the surrounding area, including northern New Jersey, the Hudson Valley and southwest Connecticut, is home to 22.8 million people working at 10.4 million jobs, the Metro Economic Snapshot released Tuesday by the Department of City Planning found. Since the last recession, the region has added around 708,000 new jobs—much more than anywhere else in the country in terms of raw numbers—but at a growth rate of just .9%, which is about half that of other metros and roughly on par with the country as a whole.
Over the same time period, the New York area added just 378,000 new housing units, far fewer than the number of jobs created and not nearly enough to meet demand. The mismatch was centered in the five boroughs and helped drive around 100,000 people to the suburbs each year between 2012 and 2016.
The metro area also lost a significant number of recent college graduates to lower-cost cities elsewhere in the country—something Glen has experienced personally.
"I just moved my daughter to Minneapolis," she said. "It was great, but it was also really sad."
From Forbes:
Researchers at the Fed found there were no "direct estimates of the rent elasticity with respect to new housing supply in the literature." No one knows how much housing you'd have to add to have any significant impact on costs. So, the researchers built a simulation to estimate, directly from data, the elasticity of rent with respect to housing supply.
They wanted to know how much rents might change if there was an influx of new housing. Given metropolitan housing crises and a lack of other data, it was an important study.
However, elasticity isn't a simple phenomenon. There are products where changing the price doesn't necessarily result in big shifts of demand. Look at the Apple iPhone X: $1,000 for the device and tens of millions purchased it.
The Fed report suggests that housing will be much the same:
The implication of this finding is that even if a city were able to ease some supply constraints to achieve a marginal increase in its housing stock, the city will not experience a meaningful reduction in rental burdens.
Add 5% more housing to the most expensive neighborhoods and the rents would drop only by 0.5%.
The reason is that people like the amenities in given neighborhoods and want to live there, so will continue to pay higher prices. Amenities can include shopping, schools, and ease of access to public transportation.
18 comments:
- Tony Notaro said...
You know what's not an amenity? Third worlders.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
I fail to see the problem. 378K/708K is 53%. It seems perfectly reasonable to expect that in the New York metro area, you need a dual income household.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
Keep reading that more and more educated young people are leaving NYC. Decrepit infrastructure, no housing, horrible commutes, and shitty job opportunities...nothing but minimum wage service jobs!
- Monday, August 06, 2018
- JQ LLC said...
I couldn't read this entire Crain's article because I don't have an account with that site but Is the Glen in that post Deputy Mayor in charge of housing and development Alicia Glen? Because if it is, then the machinations she utilized in her position to benefit the real estate division gentrification industrial complex even drove her daughter out of town.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
- Queens Crapper said...
Yup! One and the same.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
Anonymous I don't think that is true.
There are a LOT of high paying jobs for educated people. The finance sector in particular is flooded with AI jobs well over six figures.
Manhattan is/is becoming exclusively a playground for rich, educated people.
You can't be uneducated and afford to live here anymore.
>> Anonymous said...
Keep reading that more and more educated young people are leaving NYC
...nothing but minimum wage service jobs!
- Monday, August 06, 2018
REBNY runs NYC.
Its L elected officials are their puppets... starting with De Blasio at the top.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
This is the way it's done in a "democracy". Ethnic cleansing American style. Upzone.. Build higher density. Thereby increasing real estate taxes for remaining low density housing. Drive 'em out!
Who are we diving out? Poorer folk AND the middle class!
In 1978 my real estate taxes were about $3,000 for a one family home. NOW have reached $6,000 for a measly 40'x100' lot!
Will I be taxed out of my home? It looks like it if I live so long. The middle class is the meat in the sandwich....devoured from both sides....the poor (on gov't assistance) and the rich! We middle classes are fighting a two front war. Soon we will be driven into the poor class and EASILY dispatched by the REBNY crew! THROW OUT ALL INCUMBENT POLS! It's a start....to protect all underclasses. Yes! That's the way developers and the dept of city plotting sees us. They plan for the rich. They plot to destroy us! All else is just sugar sprinkled BS! Wise up you dumb voters! The polling place is your ONLY effective defense weapon!
- Monday, August 06, 2018
So much new housing but no one there votes. Spleen it to me Lousie.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
I agree with you that people are getting squeezed but having more taxable properties does not make your property taxes increase. Having many tax exempt properties does...like churches. Because the other properties have to makeup the difference.
Your property taxes went up $3000 in 40 years.
That is not a lot at all. Way lower than inflation.
There's no plot to destroy you. The land is expensive so developers want to make their money back so they develop luxury properties.
>> In 1978 my real estate taxes were about $3,000 for a one family home.
>>NOW have reached $6,000 for a measly 40'x100' lot!
- Monday, August 06, 2018
"The polling place is your ONLY effective defense weapon!"
Bwahahaha... if voting chnaged anything, it would be made illegal.
Leaving is your one and only defense weapon.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
As I see it, the only reasons for anyone to live in the absurdly expensive, crowded and congested NYC metro area as follows: 1. One has family here and one happens to like them. 2. One is making a shitload of money, so one lives in the "bubble of affluence," though one still has to put up with hairpulling traffic and congestion, and waiting lists for $50k a year private schools and $1k a week summer camps. 3. One is addicted to the arts and therefore will put up with being poor and living in a utility closet.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
John said...
Anonymous I don't think that is true.
There are a LOT of high paying jobs for educated people. The finance sector in particular is flooded with AI jobs well over six figures.
Manhattan is/is becoming exclusively a playground for rich, educated people.
You can't be uneducated and afford to live here anymore.
UNTRUE....have you ever heard of roommates? They live in apartments with 2 or 3 roommates, hence they push the rents up. Families dont live in NYC much anymore, in Manhattan, it's basically single people who all live in the most apartments or people who are wealthy or people who were lucky enough to get an house or apartment handed down to them or rent subsidized apartments. The ones that do have families in nice areas of Manhattan are usually wealthy. Then you have Harlem and inwood where most people have rent subsidized apartments or live with roommates. In Brooklyn, most people who own houses there were lucky enough to inherit the house or they also have many roommates or some people just owned their houses for years. Queens is just all third worlders who pushed the rents up because they dont mind living 4 grown men in a one or two bedroom apartment or live two families in a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. So they have more people splitting rent. There are alot of people who live in queens who are renters too and the homeowner lives out of state. Or two or three people will buy a zoned one family house and have it torn down and put all their families in the new so called "two family house".
- Monday, August 06, 2018
- Henry22 said...
@ Anonymous - if you were paying $3k in 1978, that's about $12,000 in today's money. And to say you're only paying $6k now?
Me thinks you're the one who's on the winning side of the equation.
- Monday, August 06, 2018
Jo....you're an asshole!
I'm getting less for my $6,000 real estate taxes than I got for $3,000 in 1978. That's my gripe. Capeesh?
- Tuesday, August 07, 2018
Henry 22? Might that be Henry Huang....Tommy Huangs son?
- Tuesday, August 07, 2018
THEN LEAVE! But make sure that where you flee to has culture and real long term job opportunities. Know plenty who moved to Bum Fuck Texas and sorry they did. As the song says "once you leave New York , you ain't going nowhere". Look before you leap into an empty pool. You can't afford to come back once you leave. All those "sweet spots".... the Carolinas...etc. have become laden with big problems.
- Tuesday, August 07, 2018
Then leave rather than vote! Cut and run! The lazy cowards choice....always! Who RU kidding? You'll just curl up in Archie Bunkers chair with a cool brew and vent your spleen on a blog site. About all folks like you are good for.
- Tuesday, August 07, 2018


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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Canada (01/29/09)
TITLE: I Get Tired Just Thinking About It! | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
"Ben, ever wish you were an eagle?"
"What would I want to do that for? Trev, I got more important things to think about."
"I just got to wondering. Last year in Canada I saw a whole pack of eagles flying by the sea. I was wondering why they never got tired."
"So why would they get tired? They just spread out those big old wings and glide all over the place."
"Well, I was thinking, with Canada being so big and all, it's a long way to fly."
"What do you know about Canada? Nothing there but polar bears and igloos."
"Well I know what I saw and I never saw any polar bears or igloos. Here, look, I saved the book on our trip. You see here. It says that the total area of Canada is 9,984,670 square kilometers."
"What's that mean?"
"It means that Canada is the second biggest country after Russia. Bigger than America. If an eagle was flying from the top of Canada to the bottom it would have to fly almost 3000 miles and if it was flying from one side to the other it would be way past that. I don't think they can glide all that way."
"So, what's so great about Canada?"
See here, Canada has the world's longest coastline. They've got the longest national highway in the world. And we drove all 4725 miles of it. That's what I was saying. If I was an eagle flying all that way I'd be tired."
"Tell me something I care about."
"Okay, the first baseball glove was made in Canada. A Canadian invented basketball. Other Canadians invented the electric light bulb, the electron microscope, television, the telephone and the zipper. There was some other things but I don't remember."
"Okay, I believe you. Hey, look at these mountains. And these bighorn sheep. And look at that moose. And that grizzley – it's massive. Look at those Canadian geese flying in a V. Hey Trev, there's your eagles. It says they're looking for salmon."
"Ben, take a look at this book on Vancouver. It's about the Winter Olympics in 2010."
"Best Place on Earth – they've got some nerve putting that title on the book."
"I was there Trev. Vancouver was named the best city in the world a whole ton of times. My pa said he'd move there in a heartbeat only ma gets claustrophobic from all the mountains. We took a cable car from one mountain top to another. I thought I was flying with the eagles. There was one just outside the window and the people looked smaller than ants skiing below us."
"Look, it says you can go snow skiing and kayaking and sailing and fishing and hiking all within twenty minutes of downtown and all on the same day. Must be a right pretty place."
"Check out this other book on Canada. It's like it goes on forever without hardly any people."
"So what did you see?"
"Well, it took us a day and a half to drive through those mountains and then we got to some prairies where we saw a rodeo. After that I didn't see any eagles for a week and there was nothing but flat ground and sky. I figure those eagles was too tired trying to get over the mountains."
"So did you see anything besides mountains and sky?'
"Look here at these pictures of Niagara Falls. That's a heap of water pouring on that little boat. We went right through that spray and got soaked."
"Looks like those Canadians know how to have fun."
"When we were in Quebec we didn't understand much but they had the only walled city in North America and pa took a ton of pictures."
"What are these pictures?"
"There's some lobster fishermen. They just pop those lobsters live right into boiling water when it's time to eat. And over here is the Bay of Fundy. It's got the world's highest tide. And it's fast."
"Wow. These Maple leaves in the fall make it look like the whole forest is on fire. What's this Maple syrup they're talking about?"
"Trev, You have to taste it to believe it. Better'n candy. I would have brought you some 'ceptin I ate it all and I didn't know you then."
"Hey, here's an eagle."
"That must have been one of the few that made it all the way across. He does look kind of tired."
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Recognition honors company's long-term partnership
The Brookfield Group, a full-service managed technology company, took home a Golden Datto award at this year's DattoCon19. Datto's annual conference has become one of the largest events in North America for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and the Golden Datto awards are presented each year to the best of the best among Datto's partner community. The Brookfield Group received one of the most prestigious Golden Datto awards: the Datto Hall of Fame.
"We are honored to be recognized by Datto—they have partnerships worldwide, so to be selected as one of their top partners is quite a point of distinction for us," says Fadi Abdallah, CEO. "More importantly, this award recognizes The Brookfield Group for our commitment to providing customers with the best IT solutions for their business."
The Datto Hall of Fame award is given to companies that have been an active partner with Datto since the IT provider's early days—applauding both their loyalty and long-term partnership. Each year, Datto recognizes those that have been with the company and helped it grow to the industry leader it is today.
"Our partners are critical to the small and medium-sized business community, and we're proud to honor the top performing partners with the Golden Datto awards at the event each year," said Rob Rae, Vice President of Business Development at Datto. "We're so excited for The Brookfield Group for earning the Datto Hall of Fame award and demonstrating their commitment to growing their business and helping their clients succeed."
About The Brookfield Group
The Brookfield Group is a full-service managed technology company dedicated to providing innovative solutions and support to businesses. From cloud computing to disaster recovery and business continuity, they offer a wide variety of services customizable to fit the company's size and objectives. More information about the company can be found at www.thebrookfieldgroup.com.
About Datto
As the world's leading provider of IT solutions delivered by Managed Service Providers, Datto offers business continuity and disaster recovery, networking, business management, and file backup and sync solutions, and has created a one-of-a-kind ecosystem of partners that provide Datto solutions to half a million businesses across more than 130 countries. Learn more at www.datto.com.


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Analyse Asia is a leading business and technology media platform that provides its listeners with insights into Asia's latest technology and media trends. With over 15,000 subscribers and 500,000 downloads to date, Analyse Asia has become an essential tool for regional and global industry leaders and watchers, including entrepreneurs, business executives and investors from the venture capital and private equity sector.
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« Texas GOP: No More Critical Thinking in Schools | Main | NEA 2012: It's All About Obama »
How Following Sports Can Improve Teacher Evaluation
Hunter Gehlbach, an assistant professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, says that, to truly improve teacher-evaluation systems, schools should take a lesson from professional sports teams.
In evaluating player performance, he explains, NBA, NFL, and MLB coaches and personnel managers today go well beyond high-profile "traditional statistics" like total points scored or batting averages and take into account a host of contextual metrics that measure more subtle contributions to team success. (To take one example: In basketball, teams use a "plus-minus" metric to look at the scoring differential when a particular player is in the game.)
In the same manner, Gehlbach argues, schools and education policymakers need to get past the national "infatuation" with measuring teacher performance largely by means of an isolated set of standardized test scores:
Instead, we need a constellation of measures to accurately reflect teachers' multi-faceted roles of teaching, affecting student learning, bolstering student motivation, supporting colleagues and providing service to the school. To assess this broad array, an evaluation system might leverage classroom observations, tests and school records, as well as surveys of students, other teachers, and administrators. ... By measuring more comprehensively, by recognizing teachers as part of a team, and by measuring more frequently, we can better distill which teachers are most effective. Like good sports metrics, this approach would have the added benefit of pinpointing where improvement is needed.
Incidentally, it's not something Gehlbach mentions, but if you're interested in this topic, the book Moneyball provides a fascinating look at the use of innovative statistical analysis in player selection and development in baseball. There's also a movie, of course. Consider it professional development. ... Conceptually, it definitely has cross-industry applications.


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New Toasted Crackers – Free Sample
Though I seldom have many good notes to post about the big corp products, some tidbits do occasionally come my way. Nabisco has launched a new line of "toasted" crackers that seem to measure up well compared to other standard varieties on the market. They are free of hydrogenated oils, and boast a relatively easy-to-read label (there are some obvious preservatives, colors, and "natural flavors" and such, but the ingredients seem to be well stated). The main reason I am posting about them though is that they are shipping out free samples. Head to the Garden Harvest website and enter your address, they will ship some product to you within 4 to 6 weeks. These do contain wheat, but appear to be vegan (please double check), dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free (definitely call the company to verify if cross-contamination issues are a concern for you or someone you love). While a haven't purchased crackers in years myself, as they are rarely a virtuous bunch, I must admit, the flavors are quite intriguing (banana, apple cinnamon, tomato basil, vegetable medley). Warning: the website is obnoxiously loud, and the intro takes a few seconds to skip, so turn that volume down! If they say "all gone" just hit the website up the next day. I guess they have a daily quota for free samples.


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November 2, 2015
Janice Bereskin and Jonathan Burkinshaw write for the December 2015/January 2016 issue of World Trademark Review Magazine, discussing how consideration should be given to the protection of slogans and fluid marks in view of the changes expected to Canada's trademark law.
To read the article, see the pdf below or click here.
Information on this website is for information only. It is not, and should not be taken as, legal advice. You should not rely on, or take or not take any action, based upon this information. Professional legal advice should be promptly obtained. Bereskin & Parr LLP professionals will be pleased to advise you.


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2013 in Review: Books I've Read
This year has just been insane in terms of the time I have to myself to do things like paint and read. Most of the year was spent planning a wedding and going to school full time while also working full time. After the wedding, I got an internship that has become a second full time job! I'm hoping to do more reading next year (my list is piling up!) but we are buying a house, renovating the house and planning to start a family. We'll also hopefully be transitioning to new (better paying) jobs so I'm making no promises!
The Book Thief by Mark Zusak
Ruled by Caragh M. O'Brien
Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien
Gone Girl by Gilligan Flynn
Tracing Your Curves by Maxime Lefievre
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
Inferno by Dan Brown
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick


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2D Histogram Plus Kernel Density
This macro creates histograms from a single column of data. Two types of histograms are available. The usual histogram, called 'histogram' in the macro, counts the number of occurrences of the data in pre-defined bins. The cumulative histogram, called 'cumulative', is the running sum of counts in the histogram bins. The kernel density may be added to the histogram or displayed separately. The macro provides various options as shown by the macro dialog.
The Source dropdown box identifies columns containing data. This allows selection of the histogram column from a list of column numbers or column titles.
Three Binning Methods are available – Automatic, Min/Max and Start/End.
Automatic creates bin boundaries that fall on tick marks or sub-multiples of tick marks. You specify the approximate number of bins and this method finds the closest number of bins to that value with appropriate bin boundaries. Min/Max finds the minimum and maximum of the data and sets the left edge of the first bin to the minimum value and the right edge of the last bin to the maximum value. You may enter or select the number of bins to produce a pleasing result. Min/Max may not result in appropriate bin boundaries so Start/End allows you to specify the left edge of the first bin boundary and the right edge of the last bin boundary. The following options result in bin boundaries every 0.5.
The two types of histograms are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. The two types of histograms – 'histogram' on the left and 'cumulative' on the right. Options used were Automatic, Normalization = None and Vertical Bar.
The Normalization option allows results to be expressed as fraction or percent. If Normalization = 1 is selected then the counts in each bin are divided by the total counts. Thus the sum of the histogram bar heights will equal 1.0. For the cumulative the last bar height will equal 1.0. This is shown in Figure 2 where the bar outline has been deselected.
Figure 2. Normalization = 1. Min/Max, Bar Outline deselected. The histogram bar heights sum to 1.0.
Normalization = 100 results in bar heights summing to 100. This is shown in Figure 3 where the Vertical Step plot is used.
Figure 3. Normalization = 100. Min/Max, Vertical Step plot. The histogram bar heights sum to 100.
Four types of graphs are provided: Vertical Bar, Vertical Step, Horizontal Bar and Horizontal Step. The Vertical Bar and Vertical Step plots are shown in Figures 2 and 3. Examples of the Horizontal Bar and Horizontal Step are shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. 2000 Gaussian random numbers. A. Histogram, Horizontal Bar, Start/End, Interval Start = -3.5, Interval End = 3.5, 70 bins. B. Cumulative, Horizontal Step, Start/End, Interval Start = -3.5, Interval End = 3.5, 70 bins.
Bar width may be specified as a percentage (Bar Width%). Using Bar Width% = 1 results in the needle plot shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. 2000 Gaussian random numbers. A. Histogram, Vertical Bar, Start/End, Interval Start = -3.5, Interval End = 3.5, 28 bins, Bar Width% = 50. B. Histogram, Vertical Bar, Start/End, Interval Start = -3.5, Interval End = 3.5, 28 bins, Bar Width% = 1.
The kernel density is created by selecting this option. The Bandwidth parameter determines the curve smoothness. An optimal value from Silverman´s algorithm is displayed. Increasing the bandwidth will increase the curve smoothness.


text:
Farmers' Market says current site 'unsuitable'
THE CASUAL traders of Kilkenny Farmers' Market have renewed their calls for the location of the market to be moved out into the central area of the Parade.
Helen Finnegan, on behalf of the Kilkenny Farmers' Market, has said that the current location on the east side of the Parade along the gravel walk, is unsuitable. Two years ago, at the completion of the Parade revamp project, traders had specifically requested not to be moved back to the gravel walk area.
At a recent meeting of Kilkenny Borough Council, the members discussed the city's current casual trading bye laws, which govern such issues. The council is in the process of updating the laws, addressing issues such as stall sizes and one-off licences for certain festivals.
In November of last year, submissions were invited from both the public and traders. Two submissions were received – one from a representative of the traders and another from an individual trader.
The traders say that the area is too far away from the main thoroughfair of the town, lacks visibility, is difficult to keep clean, and even poses a health and safety risk. In a letter to the council, Ms Finnegan says that many of the stalls are difficult to erect on the gravel surface, and manoevrability is a challenge.
She also says that the businesses at the market employ over 60 people between them, and that this has the capacity to grow if it receives adequate support from the local authorities.
Town Clerk Brian Tyrrell said that the existing designated trading area is serviced by electricity and water. While not all traders require these, to relocate to the central area would require some degree of works.
A number of councillors, including Martin Brett (FG) and Sean O' hArgain (Labour) called for the issue to be referred to the Municipal Policy Committee. Councillor Malcolm Noonan said that it was incumbent on the council to work with traders to find a solution.
"The traders feel that a move onto the Parade centre would give them more visibility," he said.
"Market days in other towns are considered to be a benefit to the whole area. I would urge that we try to resolve this as quickly as possible."
Cllr O' hArgain said that the market in its current set up was very successful, but that a Saturday morning opening should be added. At present, the market takes place on Thursdays.
"I think we need as full a debate as possible on this," he said.
"I also think it is a shame that the market is confined to a week day because it means that a lot of working people cannot access it. There would be a demand there for an a different day also."
The former Mayor Cllr David Fitzgerald, who chaired the meeting, said that he welcomed the discussion on the market's location.
"It is an appropriate time to review how this functions," he said.
"We have the potential to create a unified brand, image or look in the use of the Parade. We need to pull together the various groups to have a unified purpose here."


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BC Gov: Aboriginal Small Businesses To Benefit From One-Stop Resource
BC Ministry of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction has released the Aboriginal Small Business Resource handout. This one-stop reference handout is tailored specifically to Aboriginal entrepreneurs, and includes information on how to access the range of services and supports available to Aboriginal small-business owners.
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BC Housing: Interim Guide to Indigenous Housing Development & Design
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ICT: Indigenous Corporate Training BC
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US EPA: Tribal Green Building Toolkit
US EPA online Tribal Green Building Toolkit is meant to help revive sustainable building practices for tribal housing. The Toolkit is not a set of prescribed rules for performance, construction, or renovation. Instead, the bulk of it is an assessment designed to help tribal leaders develop priorities for housing and figure out whether new or updated codes are needed in their communities. There are a series of checklists in six categories: land use, materials and resource conservation, health, energy efficiency, water management, and resilience and adaptability. (PDF)
4Specs: Alphabetical List Of Construction Associations
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B4U Build: Listings Of US & Canadian Building Trade Associations
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CHBA-BC: Canadian Home Builders Association Of BC
Canadian Home Builders Association of BC is the provicial trade association for the home building industry in British Columbia.
CHBA-BC: List Of BC Local Home Builder Associations
Canadian Home Builders Association of BC lists their local association offices with contact names and information, and direct links to their Web sites.
CHBA: Find Local Chapters Of Canadian Home Builder Associations
Canadian Home Builder Association lists their provincial and local associations, with direct links to their Web sites.
Construction Canada: Links To Canadian Building Industry Associations
Construction Canada lists, and provides links to, national & provincial associations, government agencies, institutions, organizations, foundations, and councils & groups.
CSC Vancouver: Listing Of Industry Organizations By Specification Section
Construction Specifications Canada, Vancouver Chapter lists various industry associations and organizations by their specification section.
HAVAN: omebuilders Association Vancouver
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ICBA: Independent Contractors & Businesses Association
BC Independent Contractors and Businesses Association represents the BC open shop community. In the face of a persistent building trade union lobby for preferential treatment with respect to public work, ICBA has grown and continues to be the champion of open tendering and fair treatment for all contractors, regardless of their union affiliations. The association also offers a full suite of member services, including affinity programs, health benefits, and much more.
NAHB: US National Association Of Home Builders
US National Association of Home Builders is the trade association representing the home building industry in the United States.
UDI: List Of BC Developer Members
Urban Development Institute Pacific Region lists their developer members, with links to their Web sites.
ULI BC: Urban Land Institute Of BC
Urban Land Institute provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide by bringing leaders together, fostering collaboration, exploring land use and development issues, advancing policies and practices, sharing knowledge, and creating a global network with local impact.
VRCA: Vancouver Regional Construction Association
Vancouver Regional Construction Association represents more than 700 general contractors, specialty trade contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and professionals active in the multi-billion dollar construction industry in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. VRCA members are involved in all size operations from multi-national corporations to small owner/operator businesses.
WorkSafe BC: Listing Of Canadian Construction Associations & Organizations
WorkSafe BC provides list of major Canadian construction associations & organizations, with brief description and links to their Web sites.
BC Housing: Search For BC Licensed Residential Builders & Envelope Renovators
BC Housing provides online search for BC licensed builders and building envelope renovators.
Blue Book: Searchable US Contractor Directory
Blue Book is a US construction database of general contractors,architects, engineers, sub-contractors, material and equipment suppliers and manufacturers.
CHBA: Find A Member Search Engine
Canadian Home Builders Association provides online search engine to find a member. Select by category, company name, province, or local home builders association from green panel in right side mid-section.
Consumer Groups
CPBH: Canadians For Properly Built Homes
Canadians For Properly Built Homes is responsible for increasing consumer awareness of the residential building industry standards & regulations, working with governments to promote greater consumer protection legislation and better standards, and influencing positive changes in residential building codes across Canada.
BC GOV BizPaL: Information On Municipal Licences & Permits
BC BizPaL provides customized on-line information on government licences and permits to business clients. This service asks you to answer a short series of questions about the nature and scope of your current or proposed business. Based on your answers, you will be provided with a customized list of potential permits and licences from all levels of government that you may require to operate your business.
BC Gov: 2015 Provincial Budget Highlights
BC Government provides a reader-friendly, plain-language overview of key points in their 2015 provincial budget released February 17th. (PDF)
BC Gov: BC Housing Action Plan 2019/20 to 2021/22
In June 2018, the Governments of Canada and British Columbia signed the CMHC-British Columbia Bilateral Agreement (the Agreement) under the 2017 National Housing Strategy to protect, renew and expand social and community housing. The Agreement will support the priorities in Homes for BC, the provincial government's 30-point plan for housing affordability in British Columbia. Under this Agreement, more than $990 million will be invested over 10 years. In the next three years (from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2022) a total of $217.2 million will be invested, made up of matching contributions of $108.6 million from both the Government of Canada and the Province of B.C. (PDF)
BC Gov: Office Of Housing and Construction Standards
BC Government Office Of Housing and Construction Standards is responsible for developing provincial housing policy, strategies and programs and for providing policy advice on specific issues such as the residential construction industry, leaky condos, housing markets, social housing, homelessness, housing for persons with special needs, and the role of local government in housing. It also publishes research and guides on housing issues.
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BC Housing: 2018 - 2021 Service Plan
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BC Housing: BC Licensing & Consumer Services
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BC Housing: BC Subsidized Housing Agency
BC Housing is a provincial crown agency that develops, manages and administers a wide range of subsidized housing options, including development, management and administration of subsidized housing, across the province.
Civic Info BC: Find Local Governments & Agencies
Civic Info BC provides a search for BC municipalities, regional districts, First Nations, improvement districts, and related organizations as well as documents people and more.
FCM: Federation Of Canadian Municipalities
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LMLGA: Lower Mainland Local Government Association
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Metro Vancouver: Greater Vancouver Regional District
Metro Vancouver is a partnership of 21 municipalities, one Electoral Area and one Treaty First Nation that collaboratively plans for and delivers regional-scale services. Its core services are drinking water, wastewater treatment and solid waste management. Metro Vancouver also regulates air quality, plans for urban growth, manages a regional parks system and provides affordable housing. The regional district is governed by a Board of Directors of elected officials from each local authority.
Muniscope: Canadian Municipal Government Information & Network Site
Muniscope tracks down research, legislation, as well as practical solutions to current municipal issues. Its library collection has over 11,000 publications relating to urban, regional and rural settings, plus it offers a networking service linking people across Canada to share their knowledge and expertise.
UBCM: Resource Site For Union Of BC Municipalities
Union of British Columbia Municipalities is an organization that has served and represented the interests of local governments in BC since 1905, including resources and publications relating to the latest issues affecting local government in BC, including policy documents, discussion papers, UBCM services, programs and special events. As well, you will find links to BC's local governments and other related organizations.
Owner Builders
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BC Housing outlines the regulations, requirements and procedures for owner builders of single family homes in BC.
BC Housing: Owner Builder Exam Requirement
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BC Housing: Owner Builder Study Guide
BC Housing online Owner Builder Study Guide will help you prepare for the Owner Builder Authorization Exam in British Columbia. It describes the competency areas covered and what you need to know to pass the exam. The guide answers commonly asked questions, explains how to schedule an exam, where you can take the exam, what you need to bring to the exam and more. It also provides resource information to help you study for the exam.
Carnegie Mellon Univ: Center For Building Performance & Diagnostics
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CCHR: Alaska Researchers On Housing For Cold Climates
Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Alaska offers news, information, training, links, and research on building in cold climates.
CIB: International Council for Research & Innovation in Building & Construction
International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction provides global network for exchange and cooperation in research and innovation in building and construction, in support of an improved building process and of improved performance of the built environment.
CMHC: 2011 Current Canadian Housing Research Report
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HIRL: Innovative Housing Technology
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NRC: Summary Of Canadian Construction Housing Research Activities For 2012
Canadian National Research Council provides a summary of NRC Construction housing activities for 2012, in a report prepared for the Canadian Home Builders' Association, February 2013. (PDF)
Trades & Sub Contractors
BuildForce: Essential Skills Activities for Trades
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Fine Homebuilding: Finding Good Subcontractors for Your Construction Business
Fine Homebuilding says finding good subcontractors for your construction business can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
For Residential Pros: Trade Contractor Guidelines
For Residential Pros article describes how effectively managing subcontractors can mean better quality and more profits.
JLC: Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter
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NAHB: It Takes 22 Subcontractors To Build Average Home
US NAHB says 70 percent of builders typically use somewhere between 11 and 30 subcontractors to build a single-family home. On average, 22 different subcontractors are used to build a home.
NTCCC: Best Practices For Trade Contractors
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NTCCC: National Trade Contractors Coalition of Canada
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NTCCC: Need For Prompt Payment Legislation In Canadian Construction Industry
National Trade Contractors Coalition of Canada report The Need for Prompt Payment Legislation in the Construction Industry describes the need for a Prompt Payment Act in Ontario to establish minimum norms for payment schedules in the construction industry. The report recommends a statutory model for prompt payment that is based on other jurisdictions and on a consensus agreement between the NTCCC and Ontario General Contractors Association. (PDF)
Unions & Labour
BC Bargaining: Database Of Collective Agreement Settlements
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Holt Labour Library: Directory Of Links To Labour Resources
Holt Labour Library provides directory of links to labour resources, with sections on current news, electronic archives, labour & employment law, labour & unions, labor libraries & archives, occupational health, periodicals, visual arts.
Holt Labour Library: Labour Studies & Radical History
Holt Labour Library is a labour and radical history library that serves the labour, academic, and activist communities. The library is located in San Francisco and is open to the public.
Builders Without Borders: Canada International Volunteer Organization
Builders Without Borders, is a non-profit, non-partisan, registered Canadian charity providing international non government organizations with Project Management expertise to effectively undertake their construction activity abroad.
Canadian Construction Women: Promoting Careers In Construction
Canadian Construction Women site promotes careers in construction to women and includes details on membership, member profiles, programs and links to more resources.
ITA: Best Practices Guides To Employing Women In Trades
BC Industry Training Authority online Best Practices Guide to Employing Women in the Trades will help you to create a work environment to get the most out of all of your employees.
NAHB PWB: Resource Site For Professional Women In Building Industry
NAHB Professional Women In Building Council (PWB) represents women within NAHB. Site has resources on the council, meetings & events, magazine, newsletter, and more.
NAWIC: US National Association Of Women In Construction
US National Association of Women in Construction advances the causes of all women in construction whose careers range from business ownership to the skilled trades.
WCOE: US Women Construction Owners & Executives
Women Construction Owners & Executives, USA promotes opportunities and business for women-owned firms and policy-making executives in the construction industry.
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