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By John D. Thomas
It's not every day that a former President of the United States lectures to an undergraduate political science class, so a buzz of excitement runs through the overflow crowd in White Hall as Jimmy Carter enters. The course is titled Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Public Policy, and President Carter is there to give an overview of The Carter Center (pictured below), the NGO he and his wife, Rosalynn, established fourteen years ago.
"When I left the White House in 1981 after my involuntary retirement, I was one of the youngest surviving presidents in this century," President Carter tells the rapt class. "I had been through the White House, and I didn't know what I was going to do. Rosalynn and I discussed it quite thoroughly. No president had formed anything other than just a library. But I wanted to carry out some of the programs I had begun as president but had not been able to fulfill."
Out of their discussions, the Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as "a place where people could come together to resolve their differences and solve problems." Located in a lush, thirty-five-acre park about three miles west of the University, the center is involved in about a dozen diverse programs in three major areas: international democratization and development, global health, and urban revitalization.
Over the years, The Carter Center has acted as the catalyst in a number of successful efforts, including the near eradication of Guinea worm disease, a debilitating illness that has caused incredible hardship in Africa and Asia; monitoring the fairness and accuracy of democratic elections in countries such as Panama, Nicaragua, Ghana, and Zambia; helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti in 1994 by negotiating the return to power of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the nation's first democratically elected president; and addressing myriad problems of urban life in Atlanta through The Atlanta Project.
Even though The Carter Center and Emory have collaborated and shared resources for many years, recent developments have brought the two much closer together. In the fall of 1994, after five years of discussions, The Carter Center became a separately chartered, independently governed member of the University community. One of the reasons behind this move was to assure the center's viability after President and Mrs. Carter are no longer involved in its operations. "How is The Carter Center going to survive without me to raise money or to use my name for mediation?" asks President Carter. "One answer is that we form a marriage with Emory, and it's worked out quite well. We did it in such a way that both of the organizations benefit. . . .
"We're very proud of the new relationship, which is in the youthful stage but is destined to grow as the years go by. We have increasing access to a tremendous academic institution, with research and a reservoir of knowledge and experience that's equal to any in the nation. On the other hand, Emory has access to an organization that is extremely active in dealing with the very subjects that are taught [there]. The legal, medical, social, and human kinds of problems that we face in The Carter Center's work every day are the same things Emory is addressing in a theoretical, academic fashion on campus."
According to Mrs. Carter, "Emory is a great university, and The Carter Center is a one-of-a-kind institution, and if you bring them together it's going to be a really special place, unlike any other."
One of The Carter Center's primary tenets is that the organization does not duplicate the work of others, and that concept is reflected in the symbiotic relationship that has developed between the center and Emory. "The benefits to the University of having a center that not only focuses on international issues but also provides a laboratory in the field to test theory and knowledge are unique," says Carter Center Executive Director John Hardman. "From the center's standpoint, having the academic link is vitally important because President Carter has made it clear that this is not a research institution. Therefore, being able to pull from a research base at the University really makes the combination stronger. There is a synergy there and an energy that doesn't exist anywhere else."
University President William M. Chace, who was a member of The Carter Center delegation that monitored the first-ever Palestinian general elections in January 1996, says he wants to continue strengthening the bonds between the center and Emory. "I see The Carter Center as a platform for many of the things we want to do internationally, either with visiting scholars or our faculty using The Carter Center as a platform for their study and work abroad," he says. "And I would want to see more of our students using The Carter Center in years to come. President Carter has certainly committed himself to a strong relationship with Emory. It's going to be stronger, it's going to be better, it's going to be deeper, and I think the more we are able to knit together the resources of the two institutions over time--and I know we will--the better both will be."
Even though plans are in the works to strengthen the bonds between the University and The Carter Center, a number of links are already well established, including the center's internship program. Initiated in 1986, it has been ranked among the nation's top one hundred internships for the past five years. Some one hundred and twenty undergraduate and graduate students intern at the center each year, and approximately half of them are enrolled at Emory.
According to Joyce Jones, education coordinator at The Carter Center, the internships give students a chance to apply what they have learned in the classroom. "It's an opportunity for them to have a real-life experience," she says. "While they are having the academic experience in class and talking about theories of conflict resolution, for example, to come here and observe and do research on, say, what's happening in Burundi and Rwanda, and to hear the ambassadors and the program directors talking about conflict resolution with real leaders is a unique opportunity."
Jones says writing and researching are two of the main responsibilities of Carter Center interns. For example, if a trip is being planned to monitor an election or mediate a conflict, interns might have the task of pulling together a briefing book. President Carter says such information is invaluable for the center's efforts. "Undergraduates and graduate students at Emory do much of the work in analyzing these conflicts," he says. "So in a couple of days I can have a briefing on a particular conflict that I would say would be equal in quality to what President Clinton can get. . . .
"We couldn't perform at The Carter Center at any of its current levels without the student interns. These are not young people who are assigned mundane tasks like filing papers. They are intimately involved on the cutting edge of mediation, health, conflict resolution, agriculture, human rights, and democratization of countries through the monitoring of elections. They participate in every aspect of The Carter Center's work, and we rely on them almost as members of our staff."
Ian Jefferson, a College senior majoring in political science and Russian who just completed a summer internship, helped research conflicts in the Baltic states. Last April, he traveled with a Carter Center delegation to Estonia to take part in a conflict-prevention workshop. "That was without a doubt the pinnacle of my [college] experience," he says.
The bond between The Carter Center and Emory is also being strengthened inside the classroom. The political science class Non-Governmental Organizations and Public Policy, which was offered for the first time last spring, was team taught by Emory professors and Carter Center fellows.
"The course introduced students to the relationship between theory and practice, between ideas and policies, and to the new and expanding role of non-governmental organizations and how they need to apply theory in order to improve the lives of people," explains Professor of Political Science Robert Pastor, director of the Latin American and Caribbean Program at The Carter Center. He organized and led the class with Steven Hochman, associate director of programs at the center. "In order to succeed at integrating policy with theory, we deliberately tried to make sure that every lecture had a professor from the University and a representative from The Carter Center, one developing the theory and one developing the specifics in policy making. I always insist on translating theory into practical consequences right away. To me, theories are alive. When they are abstract and detached they die. They have to be continually rerooted to the real world."
Students aren't the only ones benefiting from Emory's stronger ties to The Carter Center. Starting this fall, Emory faculty will have an increased role in the center's activities through the new Faculty Liaison Program. "Several years ago, at one of President Carter's Town Hall meetings with faculty, concern was expressed that input was not being solicited from the Emory faculty," says former Faculty Council President Luther Smith, an associate professor in the Candler School of Theology. "A number of faculty felt the Emory faculty was not being included, consulted, or utilized in any significant way, and some of us on the Faculty Council felt it was important to see if we couldn't bridge this misunderstanding."
The program will pair faculty members with specific Carter Center programs on a one-year, rotating basis. According to Marion Creekmore, The Carter Center's former director of programs, one of the most important things the program will accomplish will be to raise awareness about The Carter Center's programs on the Emory campus. "By having one or two faculty members in each program for a year, very quickly, within two to three years, it will help a much larger number of faculty to know what The Carter Center is trying to do," he says. "It will also help The Carter Center identify people on the Emory campus who have both the interest and the expertise that can be quite beneficial to the programs. And once we get the people in both institutions educated about each other, both the programs of The Carter Center and scholarship at Emory will be enhanced."
One more recent development that is tying the University more closely to The Carter Center is President Carter's recent decision to resume teaching and lecturing at the University on a more regular basis. Appointed University Distinguished Professor at Emory in 1982, President Carter cut back his classroom time in 1991 to concentrate on the urban revitalization programs of the newly formed Atlanta Project. Now that the dynamic of The Atlanta Project is changing, President Carter has agreed to lead eight sessions with students and eight sessions with faculty and staff during each academic year. According to Steven Hochman, who also works as the faculty assistant to President Carter, "Our goal over a couple of years is to have President Carter [meet] with every division of the University."
President Carter says he is glad to be back teaching more regularly. "I've missed being in the classroom," he says. "I consult with the professors before I teach to get the latest developments in academia, and it keeps me on my toes. But also I learn at least as much, if not more, than I teach."
President Carter says Emory students are unafraid to question or challenge him about his actions in the White House or at The Carter Center. "It's a vivid demonstration of democracy," he says, smiling broadly. "I think that before I lecture in many of the classrooms, the professors and the students get together and say, `What are the most vivid questions that we have in a historical or political science sense concerning an issue or event?' Sometimes [it was an event that was] highly secret at the time. For the first time it can be revealed to the public, and I always let my hair down and tell it just the way it was, sometimes for the first time in history. In addition, the students' probing questions about The Carter Center's purpose and the work we do here open up a new avenue of understanding between the Emory campus and The Carter Center."
That rapport between the University and The Carter Center, says President Carter, is something he knows will grow in the years to come. "One of our biggest expectations--it's not just a dream--is to multiply greatly the number of students and professors on the Emory campus who are associated with The Carter Center's work."
Click here to return to Emory University Home Page.


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Recently WhatsApp app updated for iOS device, Very useful and New features added with bookmark your favorite message by starred it. here you can learn how to starred message in WhatsApp iPhone app and remove (Unstarred it). Starred message you can use for later read or use as an important notes like contact number, Address, Photos and Videos.
To use this features you have updated WhatsApp version (2.12.7) or new. First verify, By manually update iOS app or Set Auto updates for upcoming new updates on other apps.
Steps for starred message in WhatsApp iPhone: Bookmark or Save text
Step 1: Go to the WhatsApp app, And Open it.
Step 2: Tap your recipients (Friends name) from chat screen. Tap and Hold message that you want bookmark/ Starred or save in WhatsApp app.
Step 3: Your saved message will be saved under the recipients profile > Starred Messages.
Message will be listed with date and time format. To see message in chant conversation tap on it.
For Remove starred message from Facebook Profile
Tap on hold on message that you want remove from starred message list, Then tap on star icon from popup list. See in below image.
Remove starred message from whatsapp: Don't choose delete option from popup menu, Otherwise it will be removed chat conversation that's you never restore or get back.
Starred message will be not removed but start icon only notify that, You have bookmark this message for high priority as a reminder, Notes and Easy to Forward, Copy to other apps and mail.
More other useful tips on whatsapp or other tech apps kindly stay touch with us on social media or comment on below for more help in your case. hope that your all queries on starred Whatsapp message like Where to show all starred message in WhatsApp iPhone app, How useful Starred message.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sophie the Giraffe is not only a 7-inch-high rubber teething toy. It's also a global star. The rubber chew toy enriches all five senses: Sight with her unique patterns and complementary pascal colours; Hearing with her soft squeak will not only keep your baby amused but also help them understand cause and effect; Taste because it is easy to chomp on; and the Touch and Smell of the natural rubber.
Her dark eyes, red cheeks and brown spots, Sophie is straightforward: She squeaks when squeezed and Sophie's petite size makes her easy for babies to grip.
Priced generally between $25-$30, in contrast to a significantly different less than $5 for more regular teethers, Sophie the Giraffe is in all the high end baby shops all over the world.
Originated from France, last year a record 816,000 Sophie the Giraffe toys were sold in its origin country, and 828,000 babies were born, meaning that nearly every French newborn got one.
The Sophie Giraffe teething toy has been a best seller from all of the baby products for the last 5 years. Flexible, slim and gentle, your newborn can chew and press her with complete security.
Sophie's packaging notes that she is phthalate-free and is made from natural rubber. It is a lengthy process to make one Sophie teething toy and takes roughly 3 weeks to get them from inception to completion.
Made up from natural rubber from the Hevea tree in France, her unique odour makes her simple and special for your youngster to recognise amongst all their other toys. She is perfect for soothing sore gums when teething. Your baby will love Sophie the Giraffe just like all their friends do!
This teething toy is used by many celebrities and she's been around 50 years and with so many other parents purchasing her, she is obviously an excellent toy for your teething baby.
Buy Sophie Now


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>>BPI's Home Energy Auditing Standard Published as ANSI Standard
>>2015 Energy Codes Conference Returning in 2015
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is holding an energy codes conference for the first time since 2011. This conference, scheduled for March 24-26, 2015, in Nashville, Tennessee, will be solely dedicated to energy codes. A major theme will be achieving compliance but sessions will cover development, adoption, policy and research. Click here to register and here for more information.
>>2014 Green Building Standard Now Available from ASHRAE/USGBC/IES
Source: ashrae.org
New requirements to further reduce energy and environmental impacts of buildings are contained in the 2014 version of the green building standard from ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Illuminating Engineering Society.
>>DOE Issues Preliminary Determination of Energy Savings for Residential Buildings
Source: energycodes.gov
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a Notice of Preliminary Determination for the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), preliminarily affirming that the updated code will result in energy savings in residential buildings. DOE analysis indicates that buildings meeting the 2015 IECC (as compared with buildings meeting the 2012 IECC) would result in national energy savings of approximately 1.12 percent of residential building energy consumption, as regulated by the IECC. If this determination is finalized, each state would be required by statute to certify that it has reviewed the provisions of its residential building code regarding energy efficiency, and made a determination as to whether to update their code to meet or exceed the 2015 IECC.


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Find The Right Acne Treatment Products in Fairfield
If you struggle with blemishes, you know how hard it is to find the right acne treatment plan. That's why Mary Kay developed our acne solutions. Not sure which products to pick? Talk to your Mary Kay Beauty Consultant in Fairfield about acne treatment options for you. Our range of products targets problems like adult acne so you can eliminate blemishes and have the confidence that comes with clear skin. Check out individual acne care products that include toners and serums or use one of our skin care systems and get the results you really need. For a solution that works best for your skin, talk with your nearest Beauty Consultant in Fairfield. Acne treatment has never been easier than it is with Mary Kay.


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Highlights: Visit New York (Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, United Nations), Washington, DC (White House, Lincoln Memorial, National Air and Space Museum, Vietnam Veterans Memorial), Toronto (CN Tower, Mariposa Toronto Harbour Cruise, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Toronto City Hall), Philadelphia (Independence Hall, Liberty Bell), Thousand Islands (Thousand Islands Cruise), Boston (Boston Common, Boston Harbor Cruise, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Massachusetts State House, MIT, Quincy Market, Trinity Church). Inclusions: 7 nights hotel accommodations
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Instead of talking about a book I've read, this week I'm going to crow about a book on behalf of my friend and critique partner, Steve Sheinkin. This week the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature were announced and Steve's book, The Notorious Benedict Arnold, is a winner!
Congratulations, Steve!
Honestly, this couldn't have happened to a nicer, more talented guy.
Here's the blurb from the publisher, Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan, on The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery: Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America's first, most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. This accessible biography introduces young readers to the real Arnold: reckless, heroic, and driven. Packed with first-person accounts, astonishing battle scenes, and surprising twists, this is a gripping and true adventure tale.
Among the accolades:
Starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Horn Book Magazine
A School Library Journal, Best Children's Books of 2010
And now the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about his next book, due out from Roaring Brook in Fall 2012, so let me just say that I have read bits of it and it will be amazing. Steve has a way of building tension and excitement even when we already know the outcome.
Okay, what are we all waiting for? Go out and get The Notorious Benedict Arnold!


text: ... as "How long to get distracted...? Your predictions... " Which formerly had the following intro (i think the answer was about 10 - but i've given up on that idea and decided to let the majority rule!!). Ok, it was mentioned to me a couple of weeks back, that none of the threads on tMP stay on topic for very long, they all seem to mutate into a random conversation about something completely unrelated to the original purpose of the thread. So aas a competition (the winner gets a pint from me next time i see you), to the nearest number of threads, how long will this thread stay on topic. The rules are simple, in your reply, tell me how many threads it'll take and put whatever else you feel like. The first instance where three consecutive posts are made more than a couple of hours apart, and from different people that are wholly unrelated to the topic, is the winning number. Taken from the third thread (hence you cannot have less than 4 as your prediction). If i suspect anyone is deliberately trying to change the topic, then they are disqualified. My decision is final. I predict 47 posts. (including this one).


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Home Sir Apollo Kivebulaya Primary School
Sir Apollo Kivebulaya Primary School School is one of 91 Fields of Life partner schools in Uganda, it is located in the Luweero District.
It was the 103rd partner school Fields of Life built and was completed in 2012.
At Fields of Life we are committed to the most efficient use of our resources whilst not compromising the effective delivery of projects in East Africa.
Charity No: NI: NIC 104839 ROI: 20042677 England & Wales: 1173249
Company No: NI: 30695 ROI: 352300 England & Wales: 09642193
Fields of Life 2016-2017 Annual Report
Copyright © Fields Of Life 2019.
All rights reserved


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I've been very critical with the Portuguese Police performance on the night Maddie died.
Although I do maintain some criticism, I now recognize that I wouldn't have done much better in same circumstances.
Everyone by now has understood that what happened on the night of May 3rd, 2007, in PdL, was very similar to the depicted in the "Murder On the Orient Express" movie, including a very coincidental "… the train is unusually crowded for the time of year".
There are various differences.
In PdL, Ratchet wasn't but a little 4 year old girl called Madeleine, for one, and there was a body evidently murdered in the train, while in the apartment the body is to this day missing, and probably no longer exists.
Another important difference is that on the train, all the planning took place BEFORE the murder, while in PdL I believe that the planning, not of a murder but of a cover-up, took place AFTER, what I also believe to have been, the manslaughter.
Also, I'm sure that all the Tapas 9 didn't stab Maddie as each of the Orient Express' 12 suspects stabbed Ratchett once, "so that no one could know who delivered the fatal blow", but I'm in belief that all of the Tapas 9 know exactly who delivered that particular "blow" to Maddie.
So, if, as police, I was to be confronted by a couple, backed by OTHER seven adults, that their daughter had been abducted by aliens, my first natural reaction would be to contact the local air traffic authorities, even if all physical evidence pointed otherwise.
The likelihood of being before NINE adults lying about the death of one of their own children is too staggeringly adverse.
If it were just the claim of the couple, then yes, very suspicious… but it's humanly impossible to grasp immediately that NINE people are in on a plot to cover up the very recent death of a girl that was the daughter to two of them.
It would be natural to assume that all and any absurd fact would later have an explanation, and that it could wait as, very appropriately so, the absolute priority would be to find the toddler as quickly as possible. After all, she could be just lost down the street…
But this post is NOT about what happened that night, but it's about all those unfortunate enough to have "been on the train" that night.
When a train crashes into a station, the people that happen to be either on the train or on the station, are bound to get seriously hurt.
Their only guilt was to decide to be on that that particular train or on that particular station at that particular time, but irrelevant of lack of guilt, they will get hurt, seriously hurt. Maybe they shouldn't have been in any of the two places or it's completely irrelevant their presence there or elsewhere, the fact is that no one could anticipate the accident, otherwise, logic dictates, they would be somewhere else.
Unjust, unfair, but that is the way it is.
The "train" on May 3rd, was the Ocean Club, on board, many passengers, not only the Tapas 9. The "station" is one huge place. It encompasses PdL, some parts of Portugal, and goes all the way to so many a corridor, house and family in the UK.
This post is directed to all those that were unfortunate to be, one way or another, at either on that train or on that station. So let me now talk directly to all those good, honest and decent people, who know exactly that I'm referring to them.
I know you hate me, and you have reasons to hate me. I would hate me if I were you, no question about that.
I, on the other hand, don't hate you, or even "hate" you, but understand that the fact that I just won't go away is reason justified for you to hate me. Understand and accept that.
But although I understand your hatred fully, I won't apologise for anything for there's nothing for me to apologise for.
As I said, nothing moves me against you and I maintain fully the adjectives I used to describe you all: good, honest and decent.
Although it doesn't seem to be so, I've thus far tried to protect you, for I see you as mere collateral victims in all this. I know that by now you're wishing that you weren't where and when you were. Or that you didn't have family or friends that were there and then.
Unfortunately, nobody, nor you, nor I, can change that. And whether you were in the Ocean Club, PdL, somewhere else in Portugal or in the UK you got hit. Hard. No matter how much you pretended, and pretend, you weren't, you were. And I keep reminding you of that, and that's got to hurt, I know.
But going about protecting the "train driver" from his accountability was simply the wrong thing to do. Yes, things did get a little out of hand, and yes, you can even say they fooled you at first. I know that they, to some of you, namely those that had little to lose, appealed to your National values.
As if it wasn't the "natives'" business to poke their dirty little noses in yours, as is known, in the Brit Empire, what happens there stays there.
The problem is that it didn't happen anywhere near an existing Empire. To all those that had much to lose, well, there was no argumentation needed, right? You must understand that the McCanns, under the excuse that they were protecting you, have USED YOU as a wall to protect themselves.
And you must understand that for us to get to the McCanns, we must go past that same wall. To get to them we must go through you. The only way around this, is YOU making that unnecessary.
In the blog I've exhausted the "Smith Sighting" theme. I may squeeze out of it one or two more posts, but that's it. Then I may write about some Black Hats wandering about, many of which I do believe to be you, and may even find one or other minor theme to write about, but we must move on.
And once we do, we do.
You've seen our methodology on the "Smith Sighting", and if I wasn't afraid of infringing some copyright, I would dare call it as the "leaving no stone unturned" technique. But I believe somebody else has already used, or better said, misused the expression, so I won't use it. Just have to find myself another one.
The important thing is that we in this blog, are not as satisfied as many, in playing around with the already known facts and putting them together over and over again.
Like having a clearly limited amount of Lego pieces, and be satisfied to mount them in many different ways. Always apparently different, yet just the same pieces.
We in this blog, seek new pieces. To the displeasure of many.
And when there's a will, there's a way. And yes, we've found some very, very interesting stuff. No, we do not have privileged information, secret sources or leaked documents. It's all in the information available to all. All already published or seen. Which, in my view, is not exactly a good thing for you, as it is there for all to see, once there's a finger to point it out to them.
It has then come the time for you to do some damage control, if you wish to do so. We still believe that it's possible to contain all this to all those DIRECTLY involved in the demise and body disposal of the British citizen, Madeleine Beth McCann.
We know that some of these people acted in good faith, but, unfortunately for them, accountability is accountability.
You all good, decent and honest people can go and find yourself another online/offline "PDL Church" somewhere and hold one of your meetings and convince those that are accountable that this whole farse doesn't make sense anymore, if it ever did, and that it's time that they owned up and faced the music, and leave the rest of you, finally, out of it.
This is not a threat, just an alert. As I said, nothing moves me against you, so, in conscience, I had to warn you, and that's what I'm doing.
Tomorrow I'm leaving for holidays. Ironside has the blog's front door keys, but has already warned me NOT to hand over the key to the mailbox.
Which, by the way, seems to be having some problems, according to what I've been told. Remember only when you receive the message that the comment has been submitted, will it mean that it has been sent. Don't worry about duplication, that will be my problem.
Your comments will then continue to be received, but will only be published upon my return. With the exception of those "DO NOT PUBLISH". Those are to remain private, and will never be published, so that all the good, honest and decent people can continue to use it, if they wish to do so.
Take care, the Sun is calling and arthritis is pushing. No, I won't "go away".


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Have you ever followed a local band that wound its way through the bar circuit? They were your band, you learned the lyrics to their songs, loved them even when they had an off night, and cheered when they announced they got a record contract and were headed for the big time. But then you had to share them with everyone! It felt a bit odd: were they going to "sell out" and become something they weren't, or would they maintain their integrity despite new temptations and the spotlight of popular culture? In a way, that's how I feel about transmedia storytelling, and what a strange and exciting time it is!
Most of the whippersnapper writers and producers who dig transmedia today will cite Star Wars as their first exposure to a story so big and a universe so vast that it had to be spread across multiple media platforms in order for it to be told in its entirety. For me it was Planet of the Apes. The film cycle started in the late-'60s; then came the novelizations, some of which expanded on what we saw in the movies. I puzzled through the Marvel Comics and the grittier comics magazine versions, attempting to somehow make their stories fill in the cracks between the events of the films, though some of them blithely ignored their continuity. There was the hallucinogenic animated series and cheesy live-action prime-time show, and bunched together it all never made a lick of sense, but it was not for my lack of trying. That's what my Apes action figures and treehouse playset were for, after all. That's true transmedia, by the way, when the kid at home is added into the mix.
The difference between the shambling multi-platform narratives of the '70s and '80s—and I'm including you, early Star Wars, with your Christmas special and your 'Droids TV series—and transmedia storytelling as it has evolved to this very moment, is that the entertainment and advertising industries are realizing that there has been a fundamental shift in the way that mass audiences interact with media.
Compelling stories are no longer anchored in front of our couches. Our kids no longer have to wait a year for the next rerun of The Wizard of Oz. Within six weeks, what was in the largest movie theaters can be played on our iPhones. We may not be watching Clone Wars on Cartoon Network, but man was The Force Unleashed on Xbox fun to play! In short, we are getting our entertainment when we want it, where we want it and how we want it, and savvy producers are turning to the studios and to their financiers and to their production teams and telling them that this is highly unlikely to go away.
A lot of hay has been made over all the theorizing and defining of transmedia at recent confabs like South by Southwest and the USC/UCLA "Transmedia, Hollywood: S/Telling the Story" symposium. Some people came out of these more confused about this so-called buzzword than when they went in. But it's really simple and practical, and all we have to do is look to our pop culture visionaries to understand the following:
Transmedia storytelling is not a trend or abstract theory. Transmedia storytelling is a technique.
Transmedia storytelling is a very real and ultimately quite creative response to the way that new generations of people want to—even expects to—receive, enjoy and interact with story. For the past decade, outside of the hallowed halls of Skywalker Ranch, it has largely been the purview of marketing divisions. These were alternative reality game implementations like I Love Bees for Halo and the remarkable Darknight "Why So Serious?" campaign. But more recently, there has been a shift in perspective that has taken place at the highest echelons of the entertainment industry:
- Brian Grazer recently announced that Imagine Entertainment has entered a first look production deal with Blacklight Transmedia, a group that has a number of "universe" properties primed for development.
- Mattel announced last week that they are joining with movie producer Neal Moritz and employing transmedia storytelling to develop and implement a brand new science fiction undersea universe as toys and across any number of media platforms.
- Microsoft is unleashing their blockbuster videogame Halo as a persistent universe with a clarified and far more compelling core storyline, integrating animation from top Japanese animation studios, novels by preeminent science fiction author Greg Bear, and Marvel Comics series. They're anchoring all of this with Halo Waypoint, a community on Xbox Live that acts as a gateway to the storyworld as much as it does toward earning Microsoft Points.
- James Cameron has declared solidarity with fans of Avatar all over the world, and he has promised that all related content will go through a rigorous inspection, insuring that every "official" Avatar story will meet with his standards for quality and fit into a greater canon.
Perhaps most intriguing of all from the perspective of KidScreen, Bob Iger, who emerged from television to take command of The Walt Disney Company, has worked hard over the past few years to spread the focus of his conglomerate from feature films to, well, everything! The powerful Tinker Bell DVD and consumer products franchise was born at Disney Publishing with Gail Carson Levine's beautiful Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg. John Lasseter himself supervised the maintenance of the book's integrity and universe as it extended from one medium to the next. High School Musical and Hannah Montana launched through television before they became transmedia phenoms.
Sticking with Disney for another moment, Sean Bailey, perhaps most noted for his role in building Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Internet and cross-platform company LivePlanet, successfully pitched a revival of the Tron franchise to Iger and Lasseter. The result is going to be Tron Legacy, a stunning feature film that will serve as the vanguard for a full transmedia relaunch of the Tron universe. What's so fascinating about this is that from the get-go, Bailey and his team have insisted that each working part of Disney's rollout fits into the context of a mega-story that starts before the events of the first film and will continue long after the events of the new one. This includes the alternate reality game (which has been recruiting and including fans and user-generated content), the videogame, the upcoming animated series, the comics—everything!
What's more: Sean Bailey, as true an advocate of transmedia storytelling as there ever was, has accepted an offer to replace Oren Aviv as the Walt Disney Studios President of Production. There, he will no doubt echo Iger's mandate to incubate and leverage properties to make them easily and readily extensible across the media landscape. My guess is that he will do this with the artistry and elegance of a creative producer, who understands that the Internet is not television, that players will no longer tolerate crappy videogame adaptations of movies, and that Jack Sparrow should probably not leap into a time machine to fight Nazis, no matter how obscure the comic book might be.
And people—this is only the stuff that I'm allowed to talk about! Trust me when I say that there's way more waiting in the wings. The biggest names and largest companies in the business are planning transmedia implementations. Not all of them use the term, but they are certainly experimenting with (and making significant investments into) the technique.
My final point on all this today is that, not only to we need to learn about this, we need to stay ahead of it, even if we're starting out small and operating independently. You see, transmedia storytelling is not just about technique; it's about our rights as creators and producers. If we are going to go through the trouble of building and expanding our storyworlds to accommodate multiple media, then we're going to want to be rewarded by being allowed to assert control over the creative and to take our fair share of the revenues from the product.
I see this as a potential win-win for creators, publishers and studios, but we have to be realistic. No one's just going to hand us our side of the "win." As transmedia development and production moves out of the rarefied and becomes the norm, we're going to have to put a lot of thought into making certain that we remain stakeholders. My commitment to you through this blog and through various KidScreen events is that together we're going to work out exactly how to do just that.
Full disclosure: My company, Starlight Runner Entertainment has been involved with the transmedia on Tron, Avatar and Halo.
KidScreen Publisher's Note:
From Joce: I'm thrilled to announce that KidScreen has partnered with Jeff to host a one-day Transmedia Bootcamp workshop on June 2 in Santa Monica. This unique event will deliver practical how-to transmedia training, using relevant kids industry examples and hypotheticals. It's a can't-miss learning opportunity for kids content producers and brand marketers looking to get ahead of the transmedia curve! To find out more and save $200 before April 23, visit www.kidscreen.com/transmedia


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BRÖLMANN Catherine, RADI Yannick (eds.). Research handbook on the theory and practice of international lawmaking. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2016.
CASTILLO Ortiz, EU treaties and the judicial politics of national courts: a law and politics approach Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2016.
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. The Euratom Treaty: consolidated version 2016. Luxembourg: Publications Office, 2016.
»». Consolidated treaties, Charter of Fundamental Rights. Luxembourg: Publications Office, 2016.
EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK. EAGLE-FLI: a macroeconomic model of banking and financial interdependence in the euro area. Luxembourg: Publications Office, 2016.
»». The limits of model-based regulation.. No 1928. Frankfurt am Main: European Central Bank, 2016.
»». Basel III and recourse to Eurosystem monetary policy operations.. 171, April 2016. Frankfurt am Main: European Central Bank, 2016.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION. Construction of coincident indicators for the euro area. Luxembourg: Publications Office, 2016.
»». The G20 and the EU: 009, April 2016. a win-win game. Luxembourg: Publications Office, 2016.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. Fundamental rights in the European Union: the role of the Charter after the Lisbon Treaty: in-depth analysis. Luxembourg: Publications Office, 2015.
»». Implementation of the Lisbon Treaty: improving functioning of the EU: economic and monetary policy. Brussels: European Parliament, 2016.
»». Fiscal compact treaty, scorecard for 2015: how far are EU Member States meeting their European Council commitments? Luxembourg: Publications Office, 2016.
GARDNER Richard. Treaty interpretation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
HERINGA Aalt Willem (ed). Constitutions compared: an introduction to comparative constitutional law. Antwerpen: Intersentia, 2016.
KAUPA Clemens. The pluralist character of the European economic constitution. Oxford; Portland, Oregon: Hart Publishing, 2016.
LARIK Joris. Foreign policy objectives in European constitutional law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
LUPO Nicola, FASONE Cristina (eds.). Interparliamentary cooperation in the composite European Constitution. Oxford: Hart, 2016.
MARCHI Francesco. The Convention on the Future of Europe: how states behave in a new institutional context of negotiationi. Brussels: PIE - P. Lang, 2015.
MITSILEGAS Valsamis. EU Criminal Law after Lisbon: Rights, Trust and the Transformation of Justice in Europe. Oxford: Hart, 2016.
NOODT TAQUELA Maria Blanca. ''Applying the most favourable treaty or domestic rules to facilitate private international law co-operation'' in Recueil des cours de l'Académie de droit international de La Haye = Collected courses of the Hague Academy of International Law 2015, tome 377 (2016), p. 121-317
Your roadmap in the maze of the European Union.Based on the book of Nicholas Moussis:Access to European Union law, economics, policies.Translated into 14 languagesAbout this bookWhere to buyOrder formBooks by the same author


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There are plenty of business card options out there, from ones that are pre-designed to ones that you make yourself. Learn how to make yours the best of the best.
Getting your first job after graduating college is a major accomplishment. Here are some skills to develop and actions to take to help you land the job of your dreams.
Finding a job after graduating college can be a challenge. Thankfully, students at Columbia College now have access to a new tool to make the search easier than ever before.
Acing an interview really comes down to how well you are prepared. We've created a comprehensive infographic guide that leads you through everything you need to know from research to questions to expect.
You don't like your job, you need to make more money, or you're feeling the itch that signals it's time for a change. So how do you find a new job before you quit your old one? Respectfully, considerately and with a great deal of planning.
Head shots: no longer just for performers and models. Today, more than ever, head shots are an important part of being a professional. Before you get yours taken, scroll through our guide of professional head shot best practices.
You've earned your associate degree - a major accomplishment! But now what? We asked Charlie Mackey of Columbia College a few questions about your potential next steps.
Choosing a major is a lot like choosing a car. It really comes down to what you're wanting out the choice you pick, and whether or not it will take you to where you want to go. In some cases, it may be best to go with something that covers more ground.
You've decided you want a career in nursing, but now what? Our handy infographic should help you decide which path is right for you based on certifications, education needed, salary, duties and projected employment.
When starting a new business, it's important to analyze what will or could possibly impact the company. A great way to do that is through a SWOT Analysis. We'll take you through the process.


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Journal of School Choice
Volume 10, Issue 2
Rethinking School Choice: Educational Options, Control, and Sovereignty in Indian Country
You can find the link to the entire article here.
Abstract: Despite the plethora of schooling options in Indigenous communities, the public policy debate, research, and discourse on school choice is almost entirely absent a specific engagement with how school choice intersects issues relevant to American Indian youth and tribal nations. This article suggests that Indian Country is an important and unique context for understanding the meaning and processes of school choice because of the government-to-government relationship between tribal nations and the federal government, the sovereign status of tribal nations, the nation-building goals of tribes, and the muddled history of schooling options within Native communities. We offer an alternative way of conceptualizing "school choice" that is more applicable to Indigenous communities and that has yet to be articulated in the literature. First, while schooling options have existed in Indian Country for much longer than has been the case in other communities, the presence of schooling options has not historically been centered upon offering youth and families choices. Instead, it has been about control—control of the schooling offered to Indigenous youth, and therefore, control of youth and communities themselves. Second, while school choice policies focus on autonomy as an important governance principle to prompt change in traditional public school systems, sovereignty has and remains the most salient governance issue within Indigenous communities.
It was quite an honor to be among scholars and Indigenous community activists acknowledged in Dr. McCarty's Brown Lecture in Education Research given on October 22, 2015 to the American Educational Research Association.
For those of you who have not yet heard her talk "So That Any Child May Succeed – Indigenous Pathways Toward Justice and the Promise of Brown", you may now watch the live-stream video by clicking here.
American Indian Culture and Research Journal
Volume 39, Issue 3
Acts of visual sovereignty: Photographic representations of cultural objects.
You can find the link to the entire article here.
Abstract: There are ways of giving new life to cultural objects through the creation of photographic representations. Still life photographs are a medium easily distributable for tribes wishing to archive and advance their material culture. This article focuses on photographic representations of Native cultural objects as its own contemporary artistic practice. We posit that this practice can complement the archiving and preserving needs of museums by facilitating continued knowledge preservation within Native communities.
Although the images are printed in black & white in the article, I wanted to share with you a peek at the beautiful color versions.
Beadwork photographs by Pat Hall Walters at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute in Pendleton, Oregon.
(I highly recommend going someday and seeing all the wonderful exhibits in person as it is quite a treat!)
Basket photographs by Pat Hall Walters at the Arrowhead McDonalds on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon.
Photos in this post by Pat Hall Walters. Used with permission.
Policy Press
July 22, 2015
More than Me
You can find the link to purchase the book directly from the publisher here.
I am so excited to announce that I am a contributing author to this community-driven research strategies volume. It was wonderful working with editor Andrew J. Jolivette and I feel so blessed to be published alongside so many wonderful voices.
I know things have been kind of silent from me for awhile. I attended the American Anthropological Association meeting in Washington D.C. in December (and had a really great time presenting collaborative work and making connections with researchers doing great work across the world) and unfortunately picked up the very nasty flu that was working its way across the East. My illness and recovery were both prolonged due to complications and I just kind of fell behind. (Like not getting around to writing about the conference and the awesome time I had visiting the National Museum of the American Indian and meeting the awesome Chickasaw jeweler Kristen Dorsey!)
In an attempt to get back into keeping up with my posting about my scholarship, I wanted to share some key sessions where you can find me hanging out at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago and give you a glimpse into the kinds of activities I get up to within the association.
This year, I am completing my term as the Program Co-Chair for the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas SIG. What's that mean? It means for the last two conferences, I and a colleague have been in charge organizing the peer review of all the paper and panel submissions for our group and then crafting the program space at the conference. It is incredibly rewarding work to be able to see the work of our scholars across the world and craft the program from scratch. This year's conference, in addition to the SIG program features more than 100 papers and presentations engaging Indigenous education topics.
If you are a tweeter attending the conference, please also look to join our online conversations happening at #IndigenousAERA through out the meeting. Share learning from your Indigenous panels and workshops and draw out themes and ideas from the discussions in which you participate. (Please let your groups know that you are serving as a witness to the event and respectfully not share anything that is requested to not be shared to the public.) There is so much happening at #IndigenousAERA this a great way to keep up with sessions you can't attend as well. You can also follow the #IndigenousAERA tag from wherever you are if you are unable to attend. Feel free to reach out to me @nicolereneephd as well.
See you around Chicago/Twitter/The Interwebs.
SIG Business meetings are a great place to get to see how scholars in the SIG interact, learn about what what it means to be a part of the SIG, and the yearly activities. In our meeting, officers will report on our work from through out the year, give awards to honor scholars, and also hear a special paper presentation on Indigenous students' sense of belonging during their first year in college.
This is a special session convened by the Social Justice Action Committee, as envisioned and organized by myself and my fantastic program co-chair Dr. Cueponcaxochitl D Moreno Sandoval. Building on Dr. Linda Tuhiwai Smith's 2012 AERA Opening Plenary speech, "The knowing circle of Indigenous education: It is not enough just to know" and engaging the ideals of Humanizing Research, edited by Drs. Django Paris and Maisha T. Winn in their recent book "Humanizing research: Decolonizing qualitative inquiry with youth and their communities" (2014), this fireside chat continues the conversations about the complex and dynamic intersections of culture, language, and heritage in developing a research praxis. Dr. Graham Smith, along with Drs. Paris and Winn, along with emerging Indigenous scholars will speak to the ways that scholarship, educators, and institutions can undertake a critical-theory view and implement policies and strategies to include the principles of Indigenous-human justice and move us from knowing to action.
In this governance session, key members of AERA will be present to discuss the planning of the 100th annual meeting of the AERA, to be held in Washington, D.C. in 2016 (hopefully by April of next year there will be no more flu there waiting for me!). I and my co-chair, along with other program chairs have been invited to engage in conversation about innovative, collaborative practices that our SIGs use to develop programs.
As this session is so dear to me, I am happy that it is the last one of this series of key sessions for my 2015 conference schedule. Dr. Eve Tuck began the fireside mentoring series at the 2013 AERA when Dr. Crystal Jensen and I were still graduate student assistants helping her with some of the program duties. Now in its third year, the session brings invited advancing scholars and mentor scholars into conversation with each other in round-table style presentations and dialogues about scholarship and navigating academic careers. The session is fluid in its form, incorporating whole group and small group teachings and learning. The session is always re-shaping based on the needs of our scholars and is a really great place to spend some time thinking together about the ways we move among our many different communities.
Teachers College Record
November 21, 2014
My Label Does Not Define Me: Practices Identifying Indigenous Students in Schools
You can find the link to the entire article here.
Abstract: Included in this commentary is a discussion of five key problems that permeate racial identification of Indigenous students in America's public schools.
On Friday morning, I returned from a very cold place. I mean that literally – when my flight left East Lansing, Michigan at 7 am, it was just 4 degrees F outside. Although I was as cold as I have ever been (living in the desert means I don't have the kind of footwear appropriate for such visits), I was honored and excited to have participated in the 11th Annual Indigenous Policy and Law Conference and Michigan State University. I thank the organizers for reaching out and welcoming me to a new professional circle. I hope to continue to follow their work in the future as they continue pushing the boundaries of self-determination among Indigenous peoples. For a glimpse of our day together, check out my storify feed below which features my live tweets and pictures from the MSU Indigenous Policy and Law Center blog!
I am currently participating in a large 32 hour professional development MOOC via Adobe for a Youth Educator Credential. As part of this work, participants are actually practicing the projects that can be used as part of the Adobe Youth Voices curriculum. Although I have been able to finish any of my own pieces of art for awhile (I promise, there are ideas in the works!), I thought I would post some of them on here for you all to see what kind of creative endeavors I am up to over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy!
The piece I am sharing with you this week is part of a media mash-up assignment. We were tasked with finding an advertisement and then creating a new story.
The original advertisement from Sharpie and my mash-up:
The manipulations that I used are pretty simple in this piece, but I thought the topic was powerful. I'll share a little of what I posted in reflection with my peers below.
My intention in this mash-up was to provoke reflection on our current punitive systems. I previously taught in a juvenile incarceration facility and have spent a lot of time around youth that have been pushed out of school. I wanted to address the issue of school push-out in my image.
My before image is actually what came before the idea for the mash-up. It evoked thoughts about the above sentiments when I saw it – the idea of your fingerprints being taken and permanently recorded to follow you was very powerful to me.
Unfortunately, "troublemakers" tend to get permanently labeled early and left out of education. I wanted to leverage the great imagery of the original in order to shift viewers to thinking about this school push-out. Best described by Mariame Kaba and Erica Meiners in Arresting the Carceral State, "While the US public education system has historically diverted non-white communities toward under-education, non-living wage work, participation in a permanent war economy, and/or incarceration, the development of the world's largest prison nation over the last three decades has strengthened policy, practice, and ideological linkages between schools and prisons. Non-white, non-heterosexual, and/or non-gender conforming students are targeted for surveillance, suspended and expelled at higher rates, and are much more likely to be charged, convicted, and removed from their homes, or otherwise to receive longer sentences" (paragraph 4).
Educational Studies
Volume 50, Number 4, 2014
A Review of "Humanizing Research: Decolonizing Qualitative Inquiry With Youth and Communities"
You can find the entire article here.
A co-constructed book review in a very special issue of Educational Studies!
Volume 10, Number 2, 2014
Review of the book The seeds we planted: Portraits of a Native Hawaiian charter school
You can find the entire piece linked from here.


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FIRST Students Invited to Second Annual White House Science Fair
Seven FIRST Students to be Recognized for Innovative Ideas, Teamwork and Patent-pending Inventions that Help Improve Lives
MANCHESTER, N.H., Feb 06, 2012 - FIRST(R) (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology, announced that seven FIRST students have been invited by President Obama to attend the second annual White House Science Fair, February 7, for their achievements in robotics engineering, invention and scientific innovation. Approximately 100 students from across the country will attend the event.
President Obama will celebrate the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions nationwide. The President will also announce key steps that the Administration and its partners are taking to help more students excel in math and science, and earn degrees in these subjects.
During the White House Science Fair, the President will salute the following FIRST students:
-- Three FIRST teams who won the 2011 FIRST(R) Robotics Competition Championship: Team 254 "The Cheesy Poofs" from San Jose, Calif.; Team 111 "WildStang" from Schaumburg, Ill.; and Team 973 "Greybots" from Atascadero, Calif. Students who will represent the winning alliance will include: John Harrison Drake of Arlington Heights, Ill.; Eric D. Bakan of Mountain View, Calif.; and Sean Wesley Murphy of Atascadero, Calif.
-- A second FIRST program team, FIRST(R) LEGO(R) League (FLL(R)) "The Flying Monkeys," an all-girl team from Ames, Iowa, and the winners of the inaugural FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award (2011), will include representatives: Kate Murray, Gaby Dempsey, and Mackenzie Grewell, all of Ames, who were part of a team that designed, tested, and produced a prosthetic hand device (now patent-pending) to help a three-year-old hold a pencil and draw for the first time.
-- Members of the distinguished 'Christopher Columbus Award' winning team, from Mont Vernon, N.H., represented by Anthony Edvalson, will also be representing FIRST. The team's award-winning work was based on its research project from the FIRST LEGO League "Smart Move" season in 2010/11.
-- FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1311 "Kell Robotics" will show their "beyond FIRST" invention called ORCA (Oil Recovery and Capture) -- a robotic oil skimmer for coastal estuaries. This project was funded by a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant. Representing the team are: Carlie Schulter of Kennesaw, Ga. and Mathew Tompkins of Acworth, Ga.
"It's an honor to have students from two of our four FIRST programs recognized at the White House," said Jon Dudas, president of FIRST. "Kids are natural innovators and FIRST helps kids create innovative solutions to real-world problems within an intense, fun robotics sports competition model."
The President will view exhibits of student work, ranging from breakthrough research to new inventions, followed by remarks to an audience of students, science educators and business leaders on the importance of STEM education to the country's economic future. The White House Science Fair will be live streamed on whitehouse.gov/live.
FIRST Student Responses on Going to the White House:
-- FIRST LEGO League student, Mackenzie Grewell from Ames, Iowa, "FIRST has changed my life through all of the things that we have been able to do because of FIRST, like going to California and now the White House!"
-- FIRST LEGO League student, Kate Murray from Ames, Iowa, "I want to be a mechanical engineer when I grow up. I want to design cars to be more fuel efficient and/or rely entirely on wind or solar energy. I am super excited to go to the White House!"
-- FIRST Robotics Competition student and Team Captain, Sean Wesley Murphy of Atascadero, Calif., "I am greatly honored. I feel that I have been representing FIRST for a long time on a smaller scale and now on a big scale, and I am excited to do so at the White House."
-- FIRST Robotics Competition student John Harrison Drake of Arlington Heights, Ill., "This is a once in a lifetime experience. It's special because we have been invited by President Obama because of our team's accomplishments. It is also significant because we strive to be a model for FIRST teams through our Gracious Professionalism(TM) and the way we organize our teams."
Follow: FIRSTweets, #omgrobots, #sciencefair, @whitehouseostp and @whitehouse
About FIRST(R)
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (R) (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and more than $14 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST (R) Robotics Competition (FRC(R)) and FIRST(R) Tech Challenge (FTC(R)) for high-school students, FIRST(R) LEGO(R) League (FLL(R)) for 9 to 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico) and Junior FIRST(R) LEGO(R) League (Jr.FLL(R)) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious Professionalism(TM) is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org .


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Saturday, February 28, 2015
Finland 2015: a two-horse race?
It is no secret that the viewing figures have been dismal ever since the Finnish final had a change of name and format back in 2012, but this year's edition could possibly have reached the new goal.
There has been a fair amount of talk surrounding some of the entries and a clear effort has been made to make the live performances more visually appealing than in previous years. Also the hosts Rakel Liekki and Roope Salminen have done their job well and made the show very much their own.
Hopefully the final in itself will be snappier and more quick-paced than the semis. That would add some nerve as well. A good show is vital to keep audiences happy.
A good show can even make up - to a certain extent - for a lack of top candidates. The general standard in this final is acceptable but not breathtaking. The running order seems to be kept secret again - just like in the semis - so here are my reviews in some sort of alphabetical order:
Angelo de Nile / All For Victory
I didn't care much for the song to start with but wasn't prepared for overblown pomposity and over-performing on quite this level. This is in the final and Siru isn't? My least favourite of all nine.
Grade: 1/5
Jouni Aslak / Lions And Lambs
Good voice and good stage output in a song that has grown on me. The chorus is standing on the dangerous border between repetitive and effective, but despite being one of the better offerings I doubt it will be a contender in the end. It just isn't the kind of song that stands out enough to be remembered in the end.
Grade: 3/5
Järjestyshäiriö / Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla
This was such a promising entry at first with its radio-friendly sound and catchy chorus, but the band just doesn't have what it takes to make the song come alive on stage. Stressful and un-charming in the semi and I doubt it will have come to a sudden change for tonight.
Grade: 2/5
Norlan El Misionario / No voy a llorar por ti
Reggaeton. Pleasant. Likeable but forgettable. The song I expected the least to make it through the first semi, but I must admit it is catchy in its own little way. Very unlikely to get far in the final.
Grade: 2/5
Opera Skaala / Heart Of Light
This operatic dance track really wants to be way out and the one to make everyone's jaw drop, but in this year full of visual tricks and varied styles it comes across as disappointingly normal. Excellent singing but the beats could have been harder and heavier. And that strange bridge between the first chorus and the second verse - where the whole thing falls apart without any beat or melody - still ruins it a bit for me.
Grade: 2/5
Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät / Aina mun pitää
Is this our winner? PKN has had a great deal of media exposure - also internationally - and will have everyone's attention tonight. But in a song contest - where you try to single out the best song - their offering stands out as pretty weak. And voting for people just because they are disabled sounds like a terribly patronising and prejudiced thing to do.
Grade: 2/5
Satin Circus / Crossroads
The best pop song in the running and therefore the best choice for Vienna. But these boys have a lot of work to do, if so. The semi final performance was disappointingly void of energy and camera contact and seemed oddly disengaged. Hopefully they have managed to whip up some commitment already or the opportunity could easily slip out of their hands.
Grade: 4/5
Shava / Ostarilla
Very mixed emotions about this one. In many ways a real car crash of an entry but performed with such energy and conviction it's hard not to feel uplifted as it goes on. Is this harmless fun or is it cultural appropriation that would look really bad in an international context? I can't tell, but I'm pretty sure this is the other real contender for victory.
Grade: 3/5
Solju / Hold Your Colours
The Sami entry is a pleasant little song that feels a little bit too light-weight and Disney-esque for my liking - but the performance was clean and sophisticated and could stand out as a visual oasis if placed after a number of busier entries. A possible outsider.
Grade: 2/5
In tonight's final a number of juries will vote - the music professionals, the media personalities, the Swedish speakers and the taxi drivers all have a jury each for instance - but 90 % of the final result will be given by televoting.
Tobson predicts:
The two-horse race should be between Satin Circus and Shava. Radio pop against a taste of homemade Bollywood. I'm pretty convinced one of them will be tonight's winner. As Finland has had a tendency of favouring good songs many years in a row, I hope and think that is a tradition that will continue this time around. I predict the top three to be
1) Satin Circus, 2) Shava, 3) Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät
Tonight I will live tweet during UMK
Follow @TobsonHelsinki
1 comment:
I hope, I hope, I hope that Satin Circus improves their performance from the semi and wins the jackpot tonight. I wouldn't mind Opera Skaala or Jouni Aslak though, and I think the latter might be the surprise of the night. A modern, catchy and approachable song with a clean and professional performance and a good singer. You can't go wrong with him!ReplyDelete
I'm still a bit scared about Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät and the attention they've gotten, but not entirely convinced they'll win. I want to believe that most of the viewers vote for the best song, and this just isn't it.
The thing that bothers me about Shava, is that most of the energy comes from that crowd of dancers, and they could bring only one with them to Vienna if they won. Sure, some other contestants have too many people on stage too, but they could still make it work with the restriction of six people on stage. Shava couldn't do that.
The others I don't really care about.


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As valentine's Day approaches, we will be focusing more on Friendship, rather than celebrate the actual holiday of Valentine's Day.
This past week, we learned about the Letter F.
We created feather art in the shape of the letter F, and we constructed a flower by searching for petals labeled with the letter.
One of the big skills that I feel my kiddos need to work on is Friendship skills and how to play with other kids. It sounds so simple, but more than a handful of my children really struggle with these social skills.
As part of our social emotional curriculum, it was time to start learning about how to play fair with friends. The concept focused on 3 different ways to play fair:
1) Play together
2) Trade
3) Take turns
This week we focused on learning how to play and work together. We read books about friends and had a discussion on the different things that friends like to do together.
We paired up the kids and had them paint each other's hands. Each one placed their hand print on a paper and dictated a sentence to us about what they like to do together.
This week, we also worked on measurement and that allowed me to create another opportunity for the kiddos to work together. Again, we paired them up and they traced each other's shoe. (I wanted to have them trace each other's foot, but some of them were really weird about taking off their socks and shoes!)
Once they traced each other's foot, they took legos (which we had used earlier in the week as an introduction to measuring) and measured each foot to see who had the shorter foot and who had the longer foot.
Look! I even got my shoe traced!!
Other activities that we did this week to develop and foster Friendship skills included book buddy reading during Choice Time, small group relay races and we also made friendship bracelets with beads and pipe cleaners. It was so cute to see them giving each other a little homemade gift.
(We made sure to kept track of the kids who had bracelets so that a child would not get two and ensured that everyone would receive one at the end of the day.)
What about you? What kinds of fun things/special activities do you do to promote and encourage Fair Ways to play or work in the classroom?
I would LOVE to hear your ideas!
And before I forget, I have linked up with Teaching Blog Addict to share a Freebie with you!
Here is a cute TWO page Roll, Count & Cover Game,
just in time for Valentine's Day!


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Vacation time
Hi!! I am currently on vacation as I have mentioned in my previous post. Just letting you guys know that my painting projects are currently on hold for as long as I am wetting my feet in the waters of Lefkada, an island of the Ionian Sea in Greece. Here's a picture of where I currently am... just to give you an idea
Yeah, these are my feet peaking at the bottom of the pic... :P
Hope that you are somewhere having a good time too enjoying your vacation. More updates soon, but most probably with more beaches and other cool locations ;)


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Women-of-color managers and professionals describe barriers to their advancement as a "concrete ceiling," according to a major Catalyst study released today at a press breakfast. Women of Color in Corporate Management: Opportunities and Barriers finds that 47 percent of over 1,700 women-of-color survey respondents from 30 leading U.S. companies cite as barriers the difficulty of not having an influential mentor or sponsor; 40 percent cite the lack of informal networking with influential colleagues; 29 percent note the lack of company role models who are members of their racial/ethnic group; and 28 percent speak of the lack of high visibility assignments.
"The metaphor of a 'concrete ceiling' stands in sharp contrast to that of the 'glass ceiling.' Not only is the 'concrete ceiling' reported to be more difficult to penetrate, women of color say they cannot see through it to glimpse the corner office," says Catalyst President Sheila Wellington. "This study is groundbreaking. It adds facts and hard data to the anecdotal information that has dominated the discussion of women of color in the workplace thus far."
Women of Color is the culmination of a three-year, multi-phase study—the first parts were issued in 1997 and 1998—the largest and most comprehensive examination of African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic women managers in professional and managerial positions in the U.S. In addition to the survey responses, the research is based on 59 focus groups of 302 women, 82 individual interviews, and a review of diversity policies at 15 major companies. The study provides an in-depth look at women of color's expectations, experiences, and perceptions of corporate culture and how they affect the women's job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intent to stay with the company. It also details Catalyst recommendations to companies for increasing the effectiveness of diversity for women of color and presents best practices among the corporate leaders.
The examination of corporate diversity programs reveals that diversity initiatives are not as effective as they could be or were intended to be for women of color. Seventy-five percent of the women of color surveyed are aware of training in their corporation to address race and gender issues, but only 22 percent say their managers receive adequate training in managing a diverse workforce. More than half (53 percent) of the women feel their companies' diversity programs are ineffective in dealing with issues of subtle racism, 26 percent of the women say that career development is an important part of their companies' diversity programs, and only 17 percent believe their managers are held accountable for advancing women of their racial/ethnic group. And in evaluating their work environments, many women, particularly African-American women, cite pervasive stereotypes.
The study reports that effective diversity programs foster retention. Survey responses indicate that diversity initiatives can increase women of color's intent to stay with their current company.
As the number of women of color in the workforce rapidly increases and the competitive advantage from diverse perspectives is further recognized, American businesses will clearly need to review their diversity programs. "People assume that all women and people of color benefit from diversity initiatives," said Katherine Giscombe, Ph.D., Catalyst's project director for Women of Color, "But this simply is not true. In fact, many women in our study feel that they are overlooked in these programs. In order to make change for women of color, companies must zero in on these women and tailor programs to fit their particular needs. In this case, one size does not fit all."
IBM Best Practice:In 1995, IBM's Women's Task Force suggested that the company focus more closely on women of color. An internal study, prompted by a subcommittee of executive women of color, identified the need to provide developmental programs as well as role models and mentoring opportunities for women of color. As a result, the number of women-of-color executives in the U.S. rose from 1.3% (17 of 1,261) in 1995 to 2.3% (42 of 1,802) in 1998.
Motorola Best Practice: Six years after broadening its succession planning practice to accelerate the advancement of women to the vice-president level, the company realized that few of the women who had advanced were women of color. Since 1995, Motorola makes sure that each mechanism supporting its succession planning process specifically targets women of color. Consequently, there are now eleven women-of-color vice presidents, out of a total of 54 women vice-presidents, up from only one in 1991.
Xerox Best Practice: Initiated in 1986, Xerox's Black Women's Leadership Council serves to address issues unique to African-American women and to advance their professional development. This program, in conjunction with the Balanced Work Force Strategy—in place to clarify the percentage representation of women and men by racial group within each grade level and organization—has added to the overall impact of women of color at Xerox. Among senior managers, representation of women of color rose from 3.5% in 1995 to 4.9% in 1999.
The press breakfast, attended by media and 250 business managers and professionals began with a presentation of findings by Catalyst President Sheila Wellington. Dr. Katherine Giscombe, director of research and advisory services and director of the Women of Color project then moderated a panel discussion. Panelists included Karen Fukuma, SVP and CFO of Lotus Development Corporation; Bobbi Gutman, VP and Director of Global Diversity, Motorola Inc.; and Linda Higueras, Vice President, Human Resources International, Pitney Bowes Inc.
Women of Color in Corporate Management: Opportunities and Barriers was sponsored by The Ford Foundation with matching funds from the following 18 companies: Avon Products, Inc.; BP Amoco p.l.c.; Deloitte & Touche; Dow Chemical Co.; E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company; Eastman Kodak Company; General Motors Corporation; Home Box Office; Hoechst Corporation; IBM Corporation; Levi Strauss; Mobil Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; Pitney Bowes Inc.; The Procter & Gamble Company; Sara Lee Corporation; Sears, Roebuck and Co.; and Xerox Corporation.
Catalyst is the nonprofit research and advisory organization that works with business to advance women. To obtain a copy of the in-depth, 20-page executive summary of this report, featuring numerous charts and graphs, please visit the Women of Color media kit located on Catalyst's web site at www.catalystwomen.org or call Debbie Zarlin in the media department at 212-514-7600, ext. 305, for a copy of the full study.
© 1999 by Catalyst, 120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005; 212-514-7600; fax 212-514-8470; www.catalystwomen.org Catalyst should be cited when any part of the material in this media kit is reprinted, quoted, or transmitted in any form.


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Through 99.99% of human history, people have wanted to find ways to move their stuff and themselves in a more efficient fashion. It's highly likely that the first mode of human vehicular transportation was by way of watercraft -- rafts. Trees floating down the river undoubtedly provided the spark of invention for watercraft vehicles.
It probably took a bit longer to come up with the idea of a wheel. Wheel aren't natural objects; but rolling logs probably provided the inspiration. All kidding aside, the wheel was one of mankind's first true inventions (behind hunting weapons and pottery).
Rail transportation evolved from the need to move larger loads ... really large loads. The technology really took off with the invention of the steam engine. We can continue this part of the discussion on the Rail Technology page.
Primitive guys probably dreamed of aviation technology. After all, those simple birds managed to take to the air. One might suppose that the number of fatalities was pretty close to the number of ideas that early mankind's aviation invention. Obviously we eventually managed to come up with workable and reasonably safe form of transportation by air.
Space transportation is a product of the latter half of the 20th century.
|David L. Heiserman, Editor
Copyright © SweetHaven
Publishing Services
Revised: June 06, 2015


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When I was in college, I always got to stick around for the week after final exams leading up to the Graduation Ceremonies and their Alumni Reunion Weekend. I always loved this because I got to see the changes the school underwent for the benefit of the parents and alumni. All of a sudden the ordinary campus became bedazzled with flowers jammed into every possible nook. One lawn even sprouted flowers in the form of our school's sports logo. The grass became greener, either by rolling our new grass or using some seeding process that looked like they were spray painting the ground green. It always reminded me of those RonCo "Hair in Can" bald spot cures. Everything got a fresh coat of paint and an extra scrub to benefit the folks who didn't spend any time here and while all the people who do spend time there were gone.
And so it goes in Boston for the DNC.
Its really a marvel what is being done to the city. It all seems like little things at first, but it adds up. My train station will be handling overflow from the displaced Commuter Rail lines, so I guess it qualified for a fresh coat of paint. For a week, the station has been plastered with "Wet Paint" signs as everything gets a nice glossy finish.
I've started noticing little directional signs all around Boston proper, too. Nothing Convention specific, all feeling like it could have always been here. Well, maybe the flowers stand out. Man, are there flowers. I walked down by Newbury Street and Mass Ave and was stunned by all of the flowers that have shown up down by the Hynes Convention Center. The road divider is not this massive flower laden trough. Every lamp post has been adorned with pots exploding with flowers. My office has had the pleasure of jackhammers just outside our walls as they actually are replacing a significant bit of a road in the Back Bay. I almost think they painted the remaining Central Artery that they weren't able to pull down in time, but I think I may have imagined that. It all feels like the municipal equivalent of getting gussied up for a big date but going a bit far.
And, of course, the last people to appreciate any of this are the people who live and work here. Oh, I'll be coming into town, but it does seem like I will be in the minority. Of course, even I will be making sacrifices. I'll be buying lunch for a week to avoid the transit bag checks that promise to make life even harder for Bostonians. But I still think they are making a mountain out of a molehill. Well, maybe making Mt. Everest out of a more modest sized mountain with some nice ski slopes. But I do hope our visitors appreciate the lengths we've gone to in order to look pretty. Enjoy the flowers


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|The Crisis of Infinite Earths illustrated by Alex Ross
The DC Comics Multiverse is ruled by the abrahamic God whose various aspects are named the Presence (Godhead); the Voice (Divine Will); the Word (Divine Reason), the Hand (miraculous intervention); the Source (ground of Being) and the Source Wall (the limit of Non-Being). The universe was shattered and multiplied billions of years ago in an experiment that formed the branching multiverse and produced the Manichean opposition between the personification of matter, or Being, in the Monitor and the personification of anti-matter, or Non-Being, in the Anti-Monitor. The conflict between Monitor and Anti-Monitor during the Crisis of Infinite Earths would later result in the collapse and reconstruction of the DC Comics Multiverse. Various manifestations of universal phenomena, such as Destiny, Destruction, Death, Dream, Despair, Delirium, and Desire, are subordinated to this original unity and duality. The first creatures were the original gods who, having destroyed their world through war, were divided, between the heavenly world of New Genesis and the hellish world of Apokolips. The 'Godwave' resulting from the destruction of this world is said to have given birth to all other pantheons of later gods, including the Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, Persian, Chinese, and Japanese gods.
|Cosmic Entities of the Marvel Comic Book Universe
The Marvel Comics Multiverse is ruled by the One-Above-All, which is manifested through the three faces in one body of the Living Tribunal. The major cosmic entities comprise various abstract complementary male and female couplets, such as Eternity and Infinity, Death and Oblivion; followed by the various minor cosmic entities such as Lord Chaos, Master Order, and the In-Betweener. The Infinity Gems are the last remains of the deceased cosmic entity Nemesis. Trans-universal powers freely move between and causally effect multiple universes, such as the Beyonders, the Phoenix Force, and the supreme magical powers of Sise-Neg and Cyttorax. The primary powers of the Marvel Comics Universe 616 are the inter-galactic powers, such as the Celestials, who created superpowered mutants, and the interstellar powers, such as Galactus who devours entire worlds; followed by the various gods derived from traditional mythology, such as Odin, Zeus, and Mephisto; along with lesser gods and demigods, such as Thor, Loki, and Hercules; and various other godlike creatures such as the mad Titan Thanos who, after mounting the infinity gems on the infinity gauntlet, is empowered to defeat all of the cosmic entities within the Marvel Multiverse.
If the theological backdrop of DC Comics is Jewish, then that of Marvel Comics is Gnostic. Beginning with only minor variations from a real-world setting, but also under pressure from the Comics Code Authority, DC Comic books avoided explicit descriptions of the supreme powers that created and ruled the universe, so as to leave open an imaginative theological space for readers of various religious traditions. The unseen God of DC Comics suggests the Jewish prohibition upon speaking the name and illustrating the image of God. Many of the most illustrious and enduring comic book characters were created by Jewish writers and artists, including Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (Superman), Bob Kane (Batman), but, most importantly, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Marvel). Beginning with Fantastic Four (1961) Lee and Kirby began to populate the Marvel Comic universe with a veritable pleroma of ever increasingly powerful cosmic entities, from Galactus and the Celestials to the supreme Living Tribunal and the One-Above-All. These new gnostic gods were not imagined as one syncretic composite to supplant many ancient pagan deities, but rather as the common mythic vocabulary of a modern de-mythologized and secular society. Where ancient Gnosticism drew inspiration from the unknown mysteries of perennial past, the new gnosticism of comic book superheroes gestures instead from the limits of our present knowledge to an unknown future horizon, beyond the furthest expanses of time and space, newly opened by the infinite progress of Baconian natural science to the unknown worlds of Bruno, Voltaire, and Lovecraft.
|Thanos imprisons the cosmic entities with the Infinity Gauntlet
|Marvel Comic Superheroes battle Thanos for the Infinity Guantlet


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Justin Bieber is the target of a new $9.2 million lawsuit. Stacey Wilson Betts is suing the singer for allegedly wreaking havoc on her ears.
The case, filed Wednesday and first reported by E! News, alleges Betts' hearing was damaged after she attended a July 2010 show with her daughter. She also claims to have suffered tinnitus and hyperacusis — ringing in the ears and hypersensitivity to sound, respectively.
Betts also named Def jam (Bieber's record label) and a concert promoter in the case. Her more specific allegation is that Bieber created a "sound blast" when he hovered over the crowd in a floating steel gondola and demanded the audience (doubtless made of primarily of very excited young ladies) to scream. According to Betts, that was a moment of gross negligence.
Bieber made off well last year, coming in second in Forbes' list of highest-paid entertainers under 30. The 18-year-old raked in a strong $55 million and was topped only by Taylor Swift, who edged him out with $57 million. He was recently pulled over after police spotted him flying down California's 101 highway. Bieber says he was evading hyper-aggressive paparazzi.
For more on the case, head over to E!


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The official declaration of the country a number of clinical trials of H7N9 vaccine has not been approved
As early as last April, people infected with H7N9 bird flu outbreak at the beginning, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Family Planning Commission launched a human infection with H7N9 avian influenza emergency prevention and control technology research projects focus on promoting the development of clinical diagnostic reagents, vaccine development and other priorities. At that time, the ministry official is expected to be completed clinical validation of nucleic acid diagnostic reagents within two months, the completion of human infection with H7N9 avian influenza preventive vaccine within seven months.
In early January of this year, the ministry website published the news that, H7N9 avian influenza virus vaccine research and development of key technologies and product development issues has been basically completed preclinical studies.
However, pre-clinical studies are completed, does not mean that H7N9 vaccine will soon be listed. Insiders said that a new vaccine, from preclinical research to clinical trials and then approved the listing will be subject to a lot of careful research, review links and sufficient time (usually 2 to 3 years). The length of this time, on the one hand depends on the vaccine development process and technical solutions are complete; the other hand, depends primarily on the development of the epidemic situation and the Government's judgment on the epidemic situation.
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