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The contents of these reports form the evidence for, and recommendations to, the Scottish Executive on what the Employability Framework and NEET strategy should contain. Publication is not an undertaking that the Scottish Executive will implement their recommendations. The findings of this report will be addressed by the Framework document and NEET strategy when they are published later in the year
This report sets out the findings of the NEET Workstream, one of five established by the Scottish Executive to help develop the Scottish Employability Framework. The Workstream's activities have been overseen by a Core Group, membership of which is attached as Appendix 1.
The Core Group has contributed its expertise and knowledge to the process, through feedback on the work as it has developed. Our process has also included:
Analysis of existing research and evidence related to the NEET group
A series of 'key-witness' consultations with stakeholders including the Enterprise Networks, Careers Scotland, DfES, the FE sector, relevant Scottish Executive Departments, training providers, young people, Post School Psychological Services and the Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum
The NEET group - which the Scottish Executive defines as young people aged 16-19 not in education, employment or training - has been identified as a particular issue for Scotland. Against a background of historically high levels of employment and low levels of unemployment, Scotland has the highest proportion of 16 -19 year olds not in education, employment and training in the OECD. This is an issue which requires specific consideration within the Employability Framework as its characteristics are distinctive and its impact far reaching.
The impact of NEET is twofold: it is stands in the way of individuals and society achieving optimum economic productivity and social inclusion.
Since devolution, the Scottish Executive has maintained a strong focus on tackling poverty and disadvantage. Six years on, the Executive's Partnership Agreement extended this commitment through its targets on Closing the Opportunity Gap. This sets out a renewed focus on tackling poverty in Scotland and requires all government departments to co-ordinate efforts in order to make sure those in need have every opportunity to improve their quality of life.
Closing the Opportunity Gap places particular importance on the needs of young people. It recognises the importance of early intervention to support those who are at risk of experiencing disadvantage in later life. Amongst its six objectives are commitments:
To increase the chances of sustained employment for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups - in order to lift them permanently out of poverty; and
To improve the confidence and skills of the most disadvantaged children and young people - in order to provide them with the greatest chance of avoiding poverty when they leave school
The importance of successfully tackling the barriers faced by disadvantaged young people is also reflected in our enterprise strategy, Smart Successful Scotland, which recognises that 'there are too many young people who are not in education, employment and training.' 1 It is also a keystone of the Executive's Lifelong Learning Strategy 2, which clearly identifies the interface between learning, social inclusion and economic competitiveness.
Through Closing the Opportunity Gap we have a real opportunity to grasp some of Scotland's most deep seated problems. Addressing the challenge of poverty amongst the young requires a cross cutting approach and a willingness to intervene at the earliest stages - at an individual, family and community level. Closing the Opportunity Gap offers a rubric for doing this, and several of its key targets relate directly to young people.
Target B: Reduce the proportion of young people who are not in education and training by 2008
Target E: By 2008, ensure that children and young people who need it have an integrated package of appropriate health, care and education support
Target F: Increase the average tariff score of the lowest attaining 20 per cent of S4 pupils by 5% by 2008
Target G: By 2007, ensure that at least 50% of all 'looked after' young people leaving care have entered education, employment or training
The interrelationship between these targets is a strength - and a practical reality. For example, we cannot tackle the NEET agenda without successfully addressing issues of underachievement in our schools. However, this joined-up approach also means that our overall success is likely to be conditioned by the weakest link in the chain. Working co-operatively across Departments is therefore a prerequisite to delivering successfully against all of these targets.
The workstream's report will be underpinned by a twofold approach to meeting the CtOG target: improving efficacy of interventions aimed at the 16-19 year old group; and stemming the flows into NEET by identifying the interventions and opportunities required to enable pre-16s to make better transitions from compulsory education.
The recommendations in this report are intended to underpin efforts required across government to turn the problem on its head and realise the potential of these young people.
Young People not in education, employment or training
So, why is NEET such a big problem?
1. At any one time there are about 35,000 young people who are NEET in Scotland - about 14% of the age group. This proportion has been fairly static throughout the 1990s, despite increased levels of investment in policies aimed at supporting young people from the Scottish Executive. Research 3 indicates that young people aged 16-19 who are NEET for a prolonged period are most likely to encounter consistent problems in later life.
2. Investigation of the 1970 British Birth Cohort 4 study has shown that being NEET for six months is likely to mean that by the age of twenty one a young man is:
More than four times likely to be out of work
Three times more likely to have depression and mental health issues
Five times more likely to have a criminal record
Six times less likely to have any qualifications
3. Successfully tackling this issue - particularly around young people who are NEET for a prolonged period - is therefore a priority for government, both for preventing enduring disadvantage in adulthood and in relation to our future economic competitiveness.
4. International data shows that our levels of labour market engagement in the 16-24 age group are amongst the lowest in the OECD. Recent demand side research conducted by Futureskills Scotland has confirmed that finding young people with the right skills mix on leaving school is a major challenge for employers, and that this mismatch is adversely affecting our economy - leading employers to look elsewhere to meet their recruitment needs 5. Unless we successfully equip our young people with the right skills and attitudes for the workplace there is a risk that the scale of the NEET problem - and therefore its resulting impact - will increase in the coming decade.
What is the nature and scale of the problem?
5. As indicated above, the estimated number of NEET young people is 35,000 - 13.7% of 16-19 year olds in Scotland. 6,000 are aged 16; 9,000 aged 17; 12,000 aged 18; and 8,000 aged 19. Males are more likely to be NEET than females.
6. Other key characteristics of the NEET group include:
62% of the NEET group were claiming "key" benefits ( JSA, IB and IS); with 11,300 (%) claiming JSA (2004 figures)
80% have low level qualifications ( SVQ level 2 and below), including 9,000 who have no qualifications
38.6% of the NEET group have never worked
Calculations based on estimates from different data sources 6 suggest that around 21,000 of the NEET group were actively seeking work - based on actual JSA claimant levels, and then adding a proportion of 16-17 year olds who are ineligible for this benefit. Up to 14,000 are economically inactive because they are sick or disabled, or have family or caring responsibilities. A higher proportion of females are inactive, with an estimated 1 in 5 inactive young women who are NEET caring for children and families
7. The "headline" NEET figure of 35,000 is a limited measurement indicator - it contains within it a huge and diverse range of circumstances and characteristics which cause NEET status, and as a "snapshot" measurement it tells us little about the critical flows in and out of the NEET category.
8. It is worth noting here that a short term NEET period is not the core problem we need to address, rather it is (a) either sustained NEET status over an extended period (with 3 months commonly cited as significant), or (b) frequent repetition of NEET status between short, episodic spells of labour market engagement.
9. The work stream therefore set out to examine to what extent the group is made up of a 'hard core' of individuals who remain NEET over a medium-long term period, and to what extent is the group dynamic, made up of different individuals flowing in and out of the group over a short period of time. "Flow" data in and out of NEET status is limited, but a number of key statistics highlight the significance of this issue:
56% of those young people who were NEET across the UK in 2003 were still NEET in 2004. 14% had moved to further education, and 30% to jobs 7
48% of people who had been "inactive" in 2004, had been inactive the previous year.
Of the Scottish NEET group in 2004, their status 12 months previously was: 12% in full time education; 34% jobs; 21% unemployed; and 32% economically inactive
Of people unemployed in 2004, 27% had been unemployed, 26% in jobs and 26% in education in 2003
The Scottish School Leaver Surveys ( SSLS) tracking processes suggest very significant fluctuations in NEET numbers during the year with the figure fluctuating between the 27% in the peak months of the summer, to as low as 4% between September and May
The SLSS also found that over a 16 month period 36% of all young people may be NEET for some period of time, but that only 7% of the 2003 survey group were NEET for 6 months or more. This figure was higher for women than men, but is likely to be an underestimated because particularly disengaged young people may not have participated in the research process
10. The above statistics reinforce key messages in framing a response to the NEET issue. Two are most important:
That whilst the snapshot number remains broadly static, many of the actual individuals within the group are changing at a rapid rate.
Persistent long term NEET status is a problem for a significant number of young people, but by no means 35,000
11. Overall, a much better understanding of these NEET "flow" issues is essential. Only through this is it possible to develop a truly sophisticated and targeted policy response. But the NEET work-stream has encountered significant limitations with the current information on these issues. As a result, action on improving intelligence about the group is itself one of our key recommendations.
NEET characteristics and "at risk" sub groups
12. The heterogeneous nature of the NEET group is a particularly significant point. For example, an individual classified as ' NEET' might be a young parent whose caring responsibilities are their key barrier to work; a young person with physical or behavioural difficulties; a young person on a gap year before entering university; or one who has dropped out of a college course but has yet to decide on next steps. Targeting policy effectively requires understanding the different needs of the many different sub-groups which make up 35,000 NEET and determining which require government intervention.
13. Evidence from Scotland and across the UK provides important insights into the causes of NEET, and the characteristics of those experiencing it. At a very broad level, three sub-categories are generally recognised:
The hardest to help young people - with complex needs, which are often clearly defined and which require intensive levels of support
An "intermediate" group of young people - the quietly disaffected, commonly with issues around motivation, confidence, and soft skills, and normally requiring more limited support
The "transition/gap year" group - containing young people taking time out before progressing to a clearly defined further or higher education opportunity
14. The latter group are recognised as not "problematic" NEET, and policy and related interventions should focus on the first two categories.
15. But cutting across these general definitions is the need to understand the characteristics and categories of young people most likely to experience sustained and problematic NEET status. Evidence suggests that the two principle factors relating to NEET are:
Disadvantage - young people from disadvantaged families, deprived communities, or from homes with at least one unemployed parent
Educational disaffection - persistent truants or those excluded from school, young people with low attainment levels, and poor or no qualifications 8
NEET status is also closely aligned to a series of individual circumstances and barriers. Based on the available evidence, the Workstream recommends that sub groups which should form the basis for targeted interventions include:
Young people leaving care - who experience a very high incidence of NEET status, and for whom there is already a priority to improve NEET performance within CTOG. Care leavers are estimated as 10% of the NEET group
Young people with low levels of qualifications - suggested as SVQ level 2 or below. A characteristic of 80% of the NEET group
Lone parents and other carers - including a high percentage of females who are NEET, and who will need specific types of interventions to reflect their caring responsibilities. Scottish Executive figures estimate that 4,000 of the NEET group are carers
Young people with a criminal record - whilst no direct statistics are available cross referencing NEET status and crime, a high percentage of young offenders are of unemployed status when they appear in court - can we quantify
Young people with physical and mental health problems - Scottish Executive figures estimate that around 3,000 of the NEET group are inactive due to illness or disability
Young people with persistent truancy records - recognised as a key contributory factor in future NEET status, but no detailed figures on numbers are available
Young people with a history of drug and alcohol abuse - a further well recognised issue contributing to NEET status, and likely to be linked to some of the health related problems noted above
16. Given the well recognised incidence of multiple barriers to labour market engagement, it is likely that many of the young people targeted in this way will be in more than one of the above categories.
Geographical Profile of NEET in Scotland
17. In a further move to better inform the rationale for and targeting of interventions, the Workstream looked at the geographical profile of 16-19 year olds NEET to examine whether there is a case for local targeting along the lines of the approach taken with the workless individuals target in the CtOG areas
18. An analysis of NEET figures by area highlighted particular geographic concentrations . These were significant enough to suggest that a focus of future action to make significant inroads into NEET status requires a local area dimension. The recommendations below suggest that the five local authorities, with the most pronounced NEET profile, are tasked with setting local targets on NEET reduction in step with the 2008 national CtOG target. Selecting these has involved detailed consideration of a number of key factors:
The total number of NEET young people. 5 local authority areas in descending order account for 46% of the Scottish total: Glasgow; North Lanarkshire; Fife; Edinburgh; and South Lanarkshire.
The percentage of 16-19 year olds who are NEET. On this measurement the highest recorded figures are: Glasgow; Clackmannanshire; North Ayrshire; East Ayrshire; and West Dunbartonshire
Analysis of the data which has led to 7 areas being targeted as part of "Closing the Opportunity" gap. This shows that there are some significant differences - most notably that the two Lanarkshire authorities are performing relatively better in terms of addressing NEET than on adult economic activity generally, and that East and North Ayrshire demonstrate the opposite trend
Analysis of other key indicators linked to the nature and causes of NEET levels: benefit claimant rates; the school leavers destinations survey; and school attendance and exclusion rates
19. Based on these considerations, the five local authority areas recommended are:
East Ayrshire
North Ayrshire
West Dunbartonshire
The activities anticipated in these areas are considered in section 3.
The NEET Strategy
20. The Workstream was tasked with making recommendations to refresh the Executive's strategy for reducing the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training by 2008. In doing this, the report recognises the importance of building on current strengths and on what has been learnt from approaches that have worked successfully with this client group. It also highlights the critical interface with the other CtOG targets, particularly in relation to education. Preventing the future flow into NEET is as important as tackling the current stock.
21. This NEET strategy echoes many of the underlying themes contained in the Employability Framework. The importance of improved co-ordination and shared delivery; the value of focusing on client needs; the focus on aftercare and sustainable outcomes - all of these are themes central to the Employability Framework which are pertinent to successfully achieving the NEET reduction target.
22. In addition there are distinctive elements - such as the opportunity to stem the flows into the group; the role of financial incentives and issues around sharing and improving intelligence - which have a particular resonance for this age group.
23. The NEET strategy consists of five critical success factors. Overcoming the NEET challenge in the longer term will mean delivering on all of these. They are:
1. Improved partnerships, enhanced intelligence and clear targeting
2. The right support services
3. Effective pre-16 intervention
4. Access to high-quality post-16 interventions
5. A comprehensive range of financial incentives
Improved partnerships, enhanced intelligence & clear targeting
24. A common challenge identified throughout our work-stream consultations has been the lack of "ownership" of the NEET issue. With many of these young people requiring support from a raft of agencies and support services, each one is critical to an effective response, and in future there must be a stronger and more collective effort to improve the service response.
25. Two features of future action are therefore essential: partnership and leadership. These must strengthen at both the national and local levels.
26. There is much to build on, and many examples of good practical work. For example, in Lanarkshire the Routes to Inclusion 9 strategy has developed a strong interagency response, which originated from a comprehensive audit to better understand the supply of, and demand for, services to help people progress in the labour market. In the Highlands and Islands, the New Futures Fund Review Group of partner agencies has co-ordinated a response to the challenges of mainstreaming effective interventions, and has now linked this to the future development of Get Ready for Work.
27. At the national level we believe responsibility to drive the process must firmly sit with the Scottish Executive, and that within the range of cross cutting departmental responses, the leadership role is given to the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. Key aspects of the Executive's role should include:
Identifying local targets and developing action to improve NEET intelligence, including the establishment of clear baseline data from which future NEET interventions can be more appropriately measured
Issuing a clear framework and guidelines to local partnerships, and providing an ongoing support and review role to local progress in the local authority areas identified in paragraph 19.
Co-ordinating action amongst Scottish and UK level partners, including: the closer alignment of key policies and procedures; developing necessary protocols on future Scottish wide action; and progressing strategic issues such as the potential for further joint procurement.
Definition of an "entitlement" to support and opportunities for the NEET group. This will recognise that this extends well beyond, and should not be confused with, the current training guarantee, which no longer has much meaning in practice. It should be a statement of what the minimum offer is to young people about the support, from across a range of local agencies and organisations that they can access. For example, it needs to incorporate specific related policy commitments driven by policies on youth homelessness; support to recovering drug and alcohol abusers; and criminal justice rehabilitation. It must also mesh with the statutory requirement on local authorities to provide labour market access support to looked after children to the age of 19.
28. At the local level, we believe that local Community Planning Partnerships are required to suggest appropriate local responses within the framework detailed by the Executive. This approach recognises the key role of local authority services in many aspects of responding to the NEET challenge, but equally that a wide range of other partners are also critical. Guidance to local partnerships should include:
A requirement to clearly identify the agency allocated the leadership function, and define what is involved in this role
Detailing the partnership mechanisms that will ensure a comprehensive and co-ordinated local response. It is recognised that this should not necessarily involve the development of new structures, and where possible existing mechanisms should adapt to address the new challenge of both NEET and the wider employability framework issues. It will be essential, however, that local partnerships clearly identify how this will happen
A requirement to detail the local interpretation of a future service "entitlement" to the NEET group, and how this will be delivered. This will require: clear definition; an understanding of the collective supply of services and anticipated local demand; and an understanding of how resources are aligned across partner agencies to meet this challenge
A requirement to establish local collective targets for NEET, and processes to measure and report on these. As indicated in section 2, these should involve more than the headline NEET figure, and include details of stock and flow (particularly sustained long term NEET status), and the incidence of NEET sub divided by the at risk sub groups listed above. Appropriately set targets are seen as an important guarantee that the momentum and focus to improve NEET performance is maintained
29. To advance the process of developing the new partnership approach, the five local authority areas identified in paragraph 19 are recommended to lead developmental work. These areas should be given precise guidance by Executive on the expectations of this status. It will include:
Early establishment of the proposed new approach and how it links to related, existing structures
Action to build the necessary infrastructure, including joint training and development activities across partner agencies
Audit activity to better understand the current fit between the supply and demand of relevant services, and on how these services relate and "fit" with each other
Definition of the local entitlement, and how it will be delivered
The setting of targets
The establishment of local monitoring and reporting protocols
Regular review on the key messages for wider geographic rollout, and on any further action required at a national level
30. We do not believe that this should involve additional central government resources to add to current service delivery. But some level of capacity building resources should be considered to support the additional costs associated with the above remit.
31. As previously stated, an effective future response to the NEET issue is critically dependant on better intelligence on: the causes of NEET; the characteristics and numbers in the key sub groups; better understanding of stock and flow issues; and improved long term tracking of young people to further develop patterns and the consequences of these. Across all of these issues, the current supply of information could be improved.
32. In addition, more is needed on gathering and analysing intelligence on "distance travelled" - the soft indicators of progress which for many young people are key milestones on the journey out of " NEETness".
33. We cannot underestimate the importance of early and ongoing action in this area. Without a better appreciation of where we start from, and the indicators we need to change, much of the other action at both national and local level will be undermined.
34. A range of current information is available, with the main sources:
Scottish Executive and ONS sources such as the Labour Force Survey and Census data
Work led by the Enterprise Networks, including improving tracking information from Careers Scotland through their InSight database
Information on the initial destinations of school leavers, and some longer term tracking survey work
A range of data sources and surveys at the UK or English levels from which Scottish level conclusions can be drawn
35. Recommendations for action to address this are:
Allocation of a clear leadership role to improve information and intelligence about the NEET group to Careers Scotland, which should be reflected at national and local levels
Specific further development and use of the InSight tracking system (currently being introduced by CS) to provide information on stock and flow issues, and aggregated soft indicator progress
Priority development work with the Department of Work and Pensions to share key benefits related data which will improve our understanding of both longitudinal patterns, and the nature and incidence of NEET amongst key sub groups
Further discussion with DfES to explore the potential aspects of good practice from the Connexions experience of measurement and tracking
The right support services
36. A key component of the infrastructure required for the NEET group is in the information, advice and guidance services available to young people in relation to their potential education, employment and training opportunities. These are individuals at one of life's biggest transition points - between childhood and adult life - and the value of high quality appropriately delivered guidance cannot be overstated.
37. In terms of delivery options, there is much recent learning to build upon. One of the most valuable lessons post-Beattie has been the value of vulnerable young people having access to a trusted adult who will advocate on their behalf. The evaluation of the Beattie Inclusiveness projects 10, which piloted Careers Scotland's delivery of key worker support to young disadvantaged clients, underlined the success of this approach and the potential for its future development. The recent mapping study 11 of service to disengaged young people echoed this finding and concluded that key workers fulfil a valuable pivot between existing services in many localities. Operating at full potential, key workers have been the "mortar between the bricks" of the service offer - sharing information, ensuring other services "join up" and that their clients can navigate the system.
38. The NEET Workstream believes that it is important to build upon this success. We recognise the central role occupied by Careers Scotland in taking this agenda forward, and the breadth of experience that now resides within the organisation around successfully engaging and supporting the NEET group. For this age group, we see key workers continuing to play a vital part in assisting successful post-school transition.
39. In saying this we acknowledge that there are capacity issues which must be addressed. Keywork support is highly resource intensive and not all of the NEET group require this level of input. In our view it is important that it remains focused on those young people who are most in need. Although there has been concern 12 about CS possibly shifting its Keywork emphasis elsewhere, recent work for the Scottish Executive 13 has reinforced the importance of retaining the service focus on the least engaged. The nature of the Keywork role - proactive, client-focused and holistic - was shown to be particularly important for successfully engaging with harder to reach clients. Keyworkers have been shown to have an important part to play at the front end of the employability pipeline.
40. The Employability Framework's approach majors on our ability to engage, sustain and progress people who are outside the labour market. Evidence 14 suggests that for the NEET group this approach will only work if we can build an effective interface between specialist and mainstream agencies. In some places these links are well-established, whilst in other areas there is some way to go. Strengthening local partnership approaches will assist with this, and we see Careers Scotland's Keywork service remaining at the heart of the local 'offer' determined in each area.
41. Where the Keyworker approach is less well-established, consultations suggest a lack of clarity around where the role begins and ends. Consequently, there can be confusion around the working interface between agencies at important transition points for the client. We have heard that within the FE sector, more proactive colleges now offer their own individualised support package to students who have been identified as having additional support needs. We have also seen examples where a young person may have more than one keyworker - for example from Social Work and Careers Scotland. In these types of cases there may be scope to streamline and rationalise the shared input, but the vital issue is to support the young person through the transition stage in the most effective way. Cases must each be judged individually, but we see scope for further clarifying the CS keyworker role, as well as for developing quality standards and accreditation around this growing area of work in the employability field.
Our key recommendations linked to support services are:
42. The need to build on the success of key workers - Careers Scotland is well placed to provide this service continuity as its engagement with the at-risk NEET group starts in schools and continues post-sixteen. In this respect, key working is both a service and an agent of change, and this should be reflected in future developmental work at the local and national level. Part of this should involve more clearly defining the key-worker role in order to inform future recruitment and professional development support needs.
43. The need to build quality delivery capacity - the introduction of key workers has placed considerable demands on agencies, most notably Careers Scotland, to source a significant number of suitable staff. A "good" key worker requires a combination of skills, experience, and attitudes. Finding these has not been easy, especially as this basket of attributes has been in increasingly high demand across a wide range of agencies involved in related interventions. Future developmental work must ensure a suitable supply of appropriately skilled people. The net should be cast wide, and it is commendable that Careers Scotland have recruited a raft of staff from new and varied backgrounds to address the key worker challenge. To assist and maintain quality, CS is also developing an accredited key worker qualification. This should be encouraged and rolled out across other partner agencies.
44. Improving understanding through joint staff training and development - a critical element of effective partnership working is the development of common understandings amongst both operational and managerial staff in partner agencies. Some excellent examples are already apparent, but equally too many staff suffer from limited and often out of date knowledge of partner activities. A comprehensive programme of joint training and development, possibly linked to development of an accredited networking/partnership working qualification, is essential. This should seek to find linkages with partner agencies' ongoing approaches to CPD. We see the local partnerships leading work in this area, but equally recognise that it links closely to wider aspirations within the Community Planning framework.
45. Improved common assessment - working effectively to provide an improved service offer to the NEET group also demands improvements in common assessments between agencies. Too often, the different disciplines and perspectives of staff lead to widely varying progression routes for young people. This, at least, is confusing for the clients, and ultimately contributes to cluttered and uncoordinated services, and poorer rates of labour market progress. We do not underestimate the challenge this implies, and acknowledge that in many areas work has been underway for some time on integrated solutions. The employability framework must, however, clearly signal that efforts should be continued and extended: it is too important too leave to chance. It requires national guidance alongside detailed local partnership effort.
Effective pre-16 intervention
46. Life does not begin at sixteen. To understand and address the issues faced by individuals within the NEET group we have to start by looking backwards and when we do we see a direct correlation between poor performance in school and being NEET. The SEU report identified the two primary determinants of being at risk of NEET as being:
Educational underachievement and educational disaffection; and
Family disadvantage and poverty
47. In Scotland, although our pupils perform well against their international peers, our system is characterised by a long tail of underachievement and a wide gap between the highest and lowest performers. There is a clear case here of a need to 'close the opportunity gap'.
48. In recent years there has been little change in this pattern. The following table shows clear read-across between areas with the worst performing schools and those where NEET levels are highest.
Poorest performing Scottish Schools in terms of attendance, exclusions and attainment, 2003/04 (poorest 5 in bold)
% attendance
Exclusions per 1,000 pupils
% S4 roll with 5+ awards at level 3 or above
Top 5 NEET
W Dunbartonshire *
CTOG* (also WDun)
North Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
Other areas
Source: Scottish Executive National Statistics
49. Clearly, there are many factors which affect a young person's engagement with the education system. We know that children from poorer households are less likely to achieve their potential due to a wide range of factors which can include low parental qualifications and aspirations; a culture of worklessness; poor health and inadequate housing. Equally, research shows that we can identify those young people in the school system who are most at risk of becoming NEET through indicators of attendance, behaviour and attainment 15.
50. The Scottish Executive is driving the change agenda in the Education sector, with a clear focus on achieving the CtOG target of increasing the average tariff score of the lowest attaining S4 pupils by 5% by 2008.
51. On early intervention, the key issue is access by 'at risk' young people to programmes with clear pathways supporting the development of both hard and soft er skills. We are clear that this is critical in term of (re)engagement, progression and the ease - or otherwise - of subsequent transition. Whilst curriculum flexibility exists and there is evidence of good practice, delivery is variable. Equally, policy may not place sufficient weight on personal and social skills which are key to influencing young people's thinking and behaviour. Our work has highlighted some possible barriers: the Executive's focus on - and measurement of - attainment cp. achievement, a weak service infrastructure in some areas, vocational options (despite considerable development) not consistently on offer to this group, funding linked to school rolls, constraints on who can do what in schools.
52. On transitions to post-school, although the gaps in the safety net are getting smaller (as a result of Beattie, the Additional Support for Learning Act, the review of guidance and other developments), weaknesses remain around keeping young people in the system - particularly the 'intermediate' group (those who are quietly disaffected) - and re-integrating those who have already fallen out. The issues are 4-fold: early identification and tracking of those at risk, information flows to 'receiver' agencies, insufficient focus (of existing resources) on transitions, and the need to more clearly define best practice in this area.
53. Of course, issues around preparedness for life and work are of relevance to more than those young people most at risk of becoming NEET. Feedback from employers increasingly points to problems with young people leaving the education system with very low levels of core competencies - for example around customer handling, team working and oral communications 16. In England, the recent 14-19 white paper 17 (supported by the 2005 Budget) places great importance on the need to engage employers more closely in curricular developments, and on providing vocational and work-based learning experiences for the 14-19 age group. This is an equally valid issue north of the border.
54. On a positive note, in relation to the Flexible Curriculum, as part of the growing suite of early interventions in Scottish schools there is valuable work being delivered in partnership with the voluntary sector and with other players such as Careers Scotland. Organisations such as Right Track and Fairbridge are now delivering a range of products aimed at pupils as young as S2, with discussions around engaging at an even earlier point. For example, transitions into and out of secondary school are identified as key stages for young people and there is scope to extend the range of interventions on offer at these important development points for the most vulnerable pupils.
55. A programme which successfully combines early intervention with focused individual aftercare is the Activate Programme delivered in schools across the country by Careers Scotland. One of the consistent messages being fed back from participants is the fact that the programme is not delivered by teachers, and we consistently see interventions which 'look and feel' different from school having a positive impact with NEET at-risk groups.
56. These at-risk groups include young people with additional support needs and care leavers. Recent legislation 18 has clarified the support offer available to these groups, and its introduction has implications for important sub-groups within the overall NEET cohort.
57. Care leavers account for 10% of the overall NEET group. From April 2004 local authorities have had responsibility for ensuring that all care-leavers have an integrated care plan which takes into account their housing, health, training and education needs. This places a responsibility with Children's Services to work closely with education and guidance personnel. Although the employability support to cared for children is improving - for example through the Worknet programme being piloted by Careers Scotland - consultations suggest that there is still room for improvement in working with this sub group of the NEET population.
58. Many of these young people have additional support needs - as do youngsters with physical and mental health issues who also account for a high proportion of the NEET group. From autumn 2005 the introduction of the Additional Support for Learning Act will place responsibility for assessing pupils' needs and producing a support plan on their behalf. Again, this should focus schools' attention more closely on those young people at risk of becoming NEET. It should also improve information sharing between stakeholders prior to the critical post-school transition point. We have already seen examples where this is affecting practice in schools, for example in Perthshire where the Post School Psychological Services ( PSPS) team has been training head teachers in preparation for the new act's introduction.
59. What does this all mean? It shows the importance of identifying those at risk of becoming NEET at an early stage and supporting them within the education system. We are now paying the price for a reactive approach that waits for them to leave compulsory education before we intervene. Through early intervention that is proactive, flexible and co-ordinated, we have a much better chance of retaining these young people within the system in a constructive and meaningful way.
In summary then, reducing the flow into NEET will require us to:
1. Liaise closely with Education Department colleagues in the Executive in order to share evidence on the success of the growing range of pre-16 interventions within the Education sector.
2. Promote the development of effective pre-16 interventions being developed between schools and external partners - such as Careers Scotland and voluntary sector providers.
3. Work closely with stakeholders engaging with at-risk groups (for example cared for children) to improve shared practice in the delivery of employability-focused interventions.
4. Improve transitions planning for school leavers who may be at risk of becoming NEET. Some young people are at risk may fall within the scope of the ASL Act; a great number will not but will, nevertheless, require guidance and support.
Access to high-quality post-16 interventions
60. The next link in the chain is to look at what provision is available for those young people who are already part of the NEET group. In recent years we have developed a much clearer picture of what works in relation to supporting the NEET group. We have learned a great deal from a number of national initiatives - most notably New Futures, Get Ready for Work and the Beattie Inclusiveness projects - as well as from locally developed interventions such as PARTISIPATE in Lanarkshire and the sectoral academies approach in Edinburgh. Work in the FE sector aimed at hard to reach groups such as refugees and ex-offenders has also shown how to effectively engage with particular sub-groups within the NEET population. The challenge now is to build on these to support a range of post-16 interventions which are consistent in quality across the country.
61. The good practice which has emerged in recent years has underlined the importance of:
Adopting a client-focused approach capable of addressing the complexity of issues some young people bring
Addressing barriers in a holistic way - through offering a comprehensive service or good signposting to other support agencies
Providing high quality and ongoing assessment - ideally using approaches which are shared by other stakeholder agencies
Supporting clients through advocacy - most notably through the provision of key workers who can provide continuity and trust during key transition points
Offering flexibility in programme duration - recognising that the intensity and length of support will vary hugely within this highly diverse group
Focussing on progression - participants should be supported to move to the next progression point as quickly as possible
Recognising that progression may not always be linear - and that dealing with set-backs is a key part of the learning process
Ensuring high quality and defined aftercare - this is particularly valuable for the NEET group if they are to sustain progress towards employability
Engaging employers and embedding a focus on employment at the start of the process
Demonstrating clear evidence of impact - as well as the established 'harder' outcomes this should include reliable means of gauging distance travelled by clients
Involvement of young people in design - too many assumptions are made about what young people need - the most effective approaches are informed by client views of the service
62. For many in the NEET group the initial destination may not be employment. Fast tracking them into low skill/low pay jobs without appropriate support options is only likely to see them recycled through other training schemes in the future. For those young people with the most complex support needs we must take account of the broader range of options available to them which will help build their skills and confidence.
63. Across Scotland we are fortunate to have a range of pioneering organisations which are showing how this can be achieved. They include local authorities, colleges and voluntary sector agencies. Amongst the latter the Edinburgh Cyrenians, Fairbridge, ENABLE, Bridges Project, the Princes Trust, Right Track and the Shirlie project in the Highlands are amongst the best known. These agencies have made a valuable contribution to service development through the application of their direct experience of working with the client group.
64. Often their approach is characterised by defining a clear series of stepping stones which enable young people to make the transition to employability. At the front end this can begin with a focus on very basic - but vital - attitudinal issues and extends to consolidated support to ensure the sustainability of outcomes. A simplified table showing such a process is shown below 19
65. However, not all young people are fortunate enough to have such high quality provision available to them. Recent research 20 has shown that in many Scottish localities the support options available can be very limited for the NEET group. Even 'national' programmes such as Get Ready for Work - which has successfully introduced the Lifeskills strand for the most disengaged groups - are not available to significant proportions of NEET clients - either due to issues around funding or access.
66. As well as raising questions about availability, several recent studies have highlighted problems relating to uneven quality of provision across the country. There is also consistent evidence showing that the provider landscape is cluttered and opaque, with clients (and providers themselves) struggling in some places to understand the extent of local provision.
67. There is a place for challenge funding to promote innovation, but too often providers find it easier to finance new untried approaches than to sustain interventions which have been proven to work. Currently the balance is skewed, leading to organisations investing more time in chasing funds and less time developing service improvements. This dilutes quality and generates uncertainty, the consequences of which are difficulties in recruiting and retaining good staff. Consistent evaluation evidence highlights the importance of having the right people delivering services to the NEET group. To support this, we must retain our focus on building the capacity of those agencies who can deliver the good.
68. The partnership approach set out above places a responsibility with local partners to promote the development of high quality provision in their area. We are mindful that in some places this may lead to fewer providers - but of higher quality. Our Workstream is comfortable with this, as our focus must be on driving up the quality of provision across the country.
69. Achieving an aligned suite of post-16 services means building on what works well and facilitating the sharing of good practice throughout Scotland. It also means tackling some of the structural weaknesses which are currently commonplace. As well as the funding system which we have discussed, we would also point to:
Issues around capacity - all of the evidence underlines the importance of investing in the skills of people on the front line working with the NEET group. Too often, workers engaging with this group are the least experienced, the lowest skilled and the worst paid. Providing higher levels of support and professional development for service providers across the sectors is an integral part of the drive to raise quality. Across the country there are good examples to build upon. These include joint training initiatives bringing staff from different disciplines together, and the work of Post School Psychological Services - through the local Pathfinders and strategic work - to drive sustainable improvements in transitions planning, integrated service planning and delivery, client outcomes.
The poor evidence base - Many of the evaluations focused on NEET interventions have referred to the weakness of the evidence base. At the macro level we have already discussed the need for improved intelligence, but there is also a priority around evidencing impacts more effectively on the ground. Many of the current mechanisms focus too strongly on measuring inputs and outputs, rather than the outcomes of the intervention. In short, we must get much smarter at tracking progression of these clients in the longer term. We see the InSight system developed by Careers Scotland as being the key to this.
Comprehensive and transparent range of financial incentives
70. Financial constraints and opportunities determine, to a very large extent, the choices people make. Many young people are exposed to considerable levels of financial pressure beyond the age of sixteen. Recent research in England 21 indicates that although the NEET group understand the benefits of staying on to improve their qualifications, a relatively high proportion opt to look for work. This endorses previous research about higher levels of debt adversity amongst the NEET group, and the importance of financial incentives as part of an overall engagement package.
71. Although there is currently a range of financial support mechanisms in place, feedback from stakeholders, including young people themselves, suggests that the current system is complex, confusing and hard to navigate. Although there have been new and positive steps taken in this direction, there remains a need to establish a more coherent and transparent framework.
72. One of these positive steps has been the introduction of the Education Maintenance Allowance ( EMA). Originally piloted in East Ayrshire, Glasgow, Dundee and West Dunbartonshire, and now rolled out nationally, EMAs provide a weekly cash allowance (of £40) linked to school or college attendance, combined with a series of bonuses linked to retention and achievement.
73. Evidence from the EMA pilot evaluations in Scotland coincided with the findings of the English research. It found that:
EMA increases participation in post-compulsory education, particularly amongst low-income families where rates were increased by 9 percentage points
EMA increases education retention, reducing the number of winter leavers and augmenting the numbers completing S5
74. The Centre for Educational Sociology ( CES) at University of Edinburgh concludes that participation in post-compulsory education amongst 16 year olds increased overall by 7% age points in East Ayrshire and by 9% age points amongst the target group from low-income families. CES have also completed an evaluation of attainment which clearly illustrates increased attainment amongst the EMA group.
75. While EMAs have the primary policy objective of increasing participation and retention, an analysis of EMA impact on reducing the NEET group would allow for an indication of the potential long-term impact of achieving these objectives. It would enable us to test the policy out against a measure that reveals whether EMAs are enabling at risk young people to become ' EET' or whether they are simply deferring a ' NEET' outcome for those same young people.
76. There is a growing recognition of the need to tackle some of the anomalies within the financial support system, and to employ a more comprehensive set of levers to influence the behaviour of the NEET group. For example, the current disparities between payment levels on national training programmes and education schemes condition progression choices in ways that are not always helpful. For example, young people leaving Get Ready for Work for a College option often face a reduction in income from £55 to £40 per week.
77. In England the UK Government has taken steps to tackle these issues through its review of financial support for 16-19 year olds, published alongside the 2004 budget 22. The suggested system seeks to simplify administration and to improve accessibility. Following this the Chancellor's statement in March 2005 introduced a wide range of new mechanisms designed to deliver parity in financial support for those in education and unwaged training. These include:
The extension of Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Income Support for 19 year olds in non-advanced education, training and for unwaged trainees on work-based learning programmes
The allocation of £60million over two years to pilot Activity Agreements and an Activity Allowance to 16 to 17 year olds not in employment or learning in eight pilot areas from April 2006
The allocation of £80 million over two years to pilot negotiated Learning Agreements for 16 and 17 year olds in work with no training in eight pilot areas from April 2006
78. In addition, the budget announced plans to invest £20million in the piloting of employer and work-based learning for pre-16s. This will offer an extra 20,000 14-16 year olds the opportunity to engage in vocational learning with employers or in the FE sector.
79. This represents an attempt to introduce parity within the financial support framework whilst at the same time making it more transparent and comprehensive. The issues which it tackles are also pertinent to Scotland so we recommend examining the feasibility of delivering financial parity across all types of education and training participation for 16-19s in Scotland.
Our Workstream activity has confirmed the scale and scope of the NEET problem. We have identified the diversity of the NEET population, but within it have underlined the sub-groups most likely to benefit from enhanced intervention. We have also stressed the importance of 'duration' and 'episodic' NEET experience as being important factors to inform future service targeting.
We have identified issues around the available intelligence and suggested ways to address these as an important starting point. Our Workstream has recognised the need for this at the national and local level, within the wider requirement for clearer leadership and improved co-ordination.
We emphasise the existing good practice upon which we can build - at both pre and post sixteen. Across the country we see examples of what works, and there is scope for us to learn from colleagues south of the border and overseas. Our work will benefit from improved sharing and transfer of effective approaches.
At the local and national level we must raise our game, keeping a close eye on the needs of employers and ensuring that all of our interventions are progression focused and capable of demonstrating impact.
Finally, we cannot overcome the challenge NEET presents by working in isolation. Our approach must involve the key stakeholders engaged in service delivery - whatever their location on the employability pipeline - and at a policy level must fully engage our colleagues in related policy areas - particularly in Education. Between us there is a 'win-win' agenda which can lead to the achievement of our linked CtOG goals.
Tom Watson
Fairbridge Scotland
Des Ryan
Edinburgh Cyrenians
Janette Hastings
JobCentre Plus
Elaine Darling
Isobel Millar
Careers Scotland, West
Liz Galashan
Careers Scotland, HIE
Gordon MacDougall
Careers Scotland, SEn
Marie Burns
Scottish Enterprise
Isobel McDougall
Association of Directors of Education Services
Gerry McGeoch
Association of Directors of Social Work
Neil Langhorn
Social Inclusion Division, Development Department, Scottish Executive
Claire Keggie
Further & Adult Education Division, Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning Department, Scottish Executive
Linzie Wood
Analytical Services Division, Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning Department, Scottish Executive
Melanie Weldon
Transitions to Work Division, Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning Department, Scottish Executive
Danielle Hennessy
Transitions to Work, Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning Department, Scottish Executive
Elaine Drennan
Analytical Services, Scottish Executive
Eddy Adams (Co-chair)
Eddy Adams Consultants Ltd
David Smart (Co-chair)
Smart Consultancy (Scotland) Ltd
1 A Smart, Successful Scotland: Scottish Executive 2004: page 7
2 Life Through Learning, Learning Through Life: Scottish Executive 2002
3 Bridging The Gap: New opportunities for 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training - Social Exclusion Unit 1999
4 1970 British Birth Cohort Study
5 .Futureskills Scotland: Scottish Employer Survey 2004
6 Including the Scottish Executive Analytical Services reports, and the Scottish School Leavers survey
7 Enhanced use of UK data at the Scottish level
8 Bridging The Gap: New opportunities for 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training - Social Exclusion Unit 1999
9 Routes To Inclusion is a sub-group of the Lanarkshire Economic Forum. Members include the LEC, the local authorities, Careers Scotland and the Chamber of Commerce
10 National Evaluation of the Careers Scotland Inclusiveness Projects: SQW 2004
11 Employability Services for Young People in three Scottish localities: Adams and Smart 2005 for the Scottish Executive
12 National Evaluation of the Careers Scotland Inclusiveness Projects: SQW 2004
13 Employability Services for Young People in three Scottish localities: Adams and Smart 2005 for the Scottish Executive
14 For example, from our key witness consultations and from evaluations including the Evaluation of the Get Ready for Work Programme: Smart and Adams for the Enterprise Networks 2003
15 SEU ibid and Croxford and Raffe: Young People Not in Education, Employment or Training 2000
16 FutureSkills Scotland Employer Survey 2004
17 14-19 Education and Skills - DfES February 2005
18 Additional Support for Learning Needs Act - Scottish Executive 2004
19 Courtesy of Edinburgh Cyrenians
20 Employability Services for Young People in three Scottish localities: Adams and Smart 2005 for the Scottish Executive
21 Young People not in Education, Employment or Training: Evidence from the Education Maintenance Allowance Pilots Database: Rennison J et al 2005
22 Supporting young people to achieve: towards a new deal for skills: HM Treasury, DfES and DWP March 2004
Page updated: Tuesday, August 30, 2005


text:
Brand name: HUMORCODEX®
Potency: 2 mg
Composition: Octreotide Acetate…2 mg
Salt: Acetate
Purity: >98%
Price: Contact us firstname.lastname@example.com
Tag: Sandostatin
Sequence: H-D-Phe-D-Trp-Lys-Thr-Cys-Thr-ol
Indication: Octreotide is used to treat diarrhea (water) by reducing the loss of body fluids and minerals. Since Octreotide can reduce the releasing of Growth Hormone, as the result, it is used in the treatment of Acromegaly (exceed of Growth Hormone in the body), reduce the chance to have diabetes and heart disease, and redness on the face or neck causing by the production of some hormone from certain tumors (cancer).
Form: Powder in vial.
Dose: Dose is vary to individual need and response as directed by the doctor. However the
recommended dose is:
● Acromegaly: 50 mcg inject subcutaneously 3 times a day.
● Diarrhea: inject subcutaneously 50 to 100 mcg, 3 times a day.
Side Effects: There are some side effects like bradycardie, arthyme, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, hypoglycemia.
Precautions: Do not use, if you allergic to any of the drug composition. Octreotide will change the balance between insulin, glucagon, and growth hormone, which may cause hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia.
Interaction: Inform your doctor or Pharmacist if you use other drugs or supplements particularly beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, cyclosporine, or diuretics.
Laboratory Chemical Analysis High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) file report:
Octreotide Acetate 050201 HPLC LAB TEST KHAMER PHARMA
Laboratory Chemical Technology Mass Spectrometry (MS) file report:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I remember this happening like it was only yesterday. It was submission day for one of our final assignments. I was at the computer lounge on campus after sending in mine. I was waiting for one of my good friends, A to e-mail me hers for me to print and send in on her behalf. There was only about half an hour left and still no word from A. I was getting nervous, and so were our other friends, B and C, who A had also commissioned to help out in case she could not make it to campus that day.
And then, like literally 10 minutes before the deadline, she sends her stuff. But the 'last minute mafia' were lining up at the printer. So we had to wait for our turn too while the clock was ticking. Seriously, things were tensed. Finally, we got to the printer, printed out everything, but my stapler was out of bullets. After asking about half a dozen people for their stapler, we finally found one. 5 minutes left. Then we realized, B had not changed her name from the cover. Once again, back to the computer. 4 minutes left. Edited my cover. 3 minutes left. Have to wait to use the printer again. 2 minutes. Printed out the cover.
Then, tragedy strikes: library card out of credit. Borrowed someone else's card and promised to pay them back later. 1 minute left. Printed out cover. 45 seconds left. Clipped everything together. And then, I was like...
"Aku tak boleh lari, C. Kasut ni ketat..."
"Takpa wei. Biar aku lari.."
"Tapi, kau pakai jubah..."
20 seconds left. In storms B, the hero of the day.
"Takpe, C. Kau lari lambat (kuangsam). Biar aku pergi!"
Grabs the wretched assignment, runs like freaking Forrest Gump to the submission office. Meanwhile, the rest of us are praying that she makes it in time. B comes back, her full set of teeth on display like a Colgate commercial with the submission slip that shows the submission time literally 1 second away from the deadline.
Such memories. I wonder if I can ever return to that time. To the comfort of the company of people who really got me. We had our fair share of ups and downs, but what made it either fun or bearable was the thought that we were in this together, through thick and thin. C, please come back to us. Can we go back?


text:
Flexibility and Control of Protein-DNA Loops
Kahn, Jason D.
Cheong, Raymond
Edelman, Laurence M.
Mehta, Ruchi A.
Morgan, Michael A.
MetadataShow full item record
Protein-DNA loops are essential for efficient transcriptional repression and activation. The geometry and stability of the archetypal Lac repressor tetramer (LacI)-DNA loop were investigated using designed hyperstable loops containing lac operators bracketing a sequence-directed bend. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays, DNA cyclization, and bulk and single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) demonstrate that the DNA sequence controls whether the LacI-DNA loop forms a compact loop with positive writhe or an open loop with little writhe. Monte Carlo methods for simulation of DNA ring closure were extended to DNA loops, including treatment of variable protein hinge angles. The observed distribution of topoisomer products upon cyclization provides a strong constraint on possible models. The experiments and modeling imply that LacI-DNA can adopt a wide range of geometries but has a strong intrinsic preference for an open form. The flexibility of LacI helps explain in vivo observations that DNA looping is less sensitive to DNA length and shape than would be expected from the physical properties of DNA. While DNA cyclization suggests two pools of precursor loops for the 9C14 construct, single-molecule FRET demonstrates a single population. This discrepancy suggests that the LacI-DNA structure is strongly influenced by flanking DNA.


text:
I disagree with that! a woman next to me yelled, storming down the aisle with her hand in the air. Excuse me! Excuse me! I disagree with that!
Just as she was going for the microphone to amplify her complaints, the panel moderator looked at his watch and declared: I hate to end this party, but we have to be out of here, thank you very much!
The last event before cocktails and dinner was a lecture by Deroy Murdock, the only black National Review speaker. It was a curious outlier on the agenda, titled How the Music of Memphis and Motown Helped Bury Jim Crow, and set in a smaller, more intimate venue midship. Murdock was wearing a red satin dinner jacket and a black bow tie, presumably to look like a Motown singer. About 50 people attended, sitting on white leather lounge chairs, and there was a Rolling Stones tongue logo on a screen behind him as he cued up Brown Sugar on the sound system.
Murdock got the all-white crowd clapping along, including the venerable neoconservative intellectuals Norman Podhoretz and Midge Decter, who smiled broadly.
Brown Sugar! / How come it tastes so good?
When the music faded, Murdock, in a studious tone, read from his prepared notes: It's only rock and roll, but we like it!
In his reading of racism in America, Murdock highlighted Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who he said promoted segregation in 1916. * He, of course, went on to great fame and fortune afterward, he observed.
The Democrats, explained Murdock, have been very active in keeping black people down from 1860 to 2012. Go ahead and applaud if you agree with that, said Murdock.
The audience sat up and clapped hard.
Land ho! There were multiple Shore Excursions available to cruisers in the port of Ocho Rios, Jamaica, though many older cruisers I spoke with wouldn't go ashore because of horror stories they'd heard about violence and robbery. For the intrepid there was the outing to a waterfall ($79.95), or lunch on an old Colonial plantation (A Taste of Jamaica, $99.95). A lot of people went for the plantation, which cruisers later described as rundown and serving bad food. Jamaica is a dump! complained Veronique Rodman, a spokeswoman for the American Enterprise Institute.
It's only good if you're at a resort, added the wife of one of the National Review columnists.
That night, Cal Thomas, a USA Today columnist and Fox News contributor, was the host of my table of eight. At an earlier panel, he'd suggested that his audience starve the beast of government by refusing to pay income taxes; but now his stage fire had waned, and he looked bored, peering around our table with half-lids, his hound-dog face propped in his hand. I sat next to a retired surgeon from California named Duane, who heralded the Dinesh D'Souza film 2016: Obama's America as the definitive truth regarding Obama's anti-Colonialist background, which now portended America's inevitable slide into socialism. Thomas liked the movie but dismissed its impact on the election, saying it had preached to the converted and had sourcing problems besides. But Duane, who has thick glasses and a closely shorn flat-top, was undeterred, insisting it was relevant. I disagree! he spat.
This was a phenomenon that was common on the cruisethe conservative pundits and columnists from the National Review attempting to gently disinter their followers from unhelpful conservative propaganda. For people who believe in the truth of works like Dreams From My Real Father, a conspiracy-theory documentary that argues that Obama's real father was a communist propagandist who turned Obama into a socialist Manchurian Candidate, this could be difficult work.
As Thomas downed the rest of his drink, Duane said the only way out of the current quagmire is a revolution, citing the famous Thomas Jefferson line about watering the tree of liberty with blood from time to time.
What kind of revolution did he have in mind?
Duane's eyes crinkled into a big smile. You ever heard of guns?
His wife sat up: How do you like the veal?
It's awful, Duane growled, poking at it. I can't hardly chew it.
*This article has been corrected to show that Roosevelt promoted segregation in 1916, not 1936.


text:
I thought I'd post up some of the snaps I've taken with my phone over the last two months. It's funny to flip through your camera phone and see what you've been up to. At the bottom I've listed what they all are.
1. The view from the terrace at the Royal Festival Hall before the Gil Scott Heron concert.
2. Hoops and Fred hanging out.
3. Photo of a street sign I took in Amsterdam to remember which street the bike shop that ripped us off was on. But looking back, I like the photo and the tower reflected in the window.
4. 'Sky over Surrey'.
5. Battersea Power Station.
6. The Coconuts. (At the Kid Creole gig at the Barbican.)
7. This is a young Dutch jazzer whose band supported Mayer Hawthorne at Melkweg in Amsterdam. The dude with the 'bone had so much attitude and energy, he really whipped the crowd up. They were brilliant! And he just looks so cool with his 'bone.
8. Steely Dan graffitti in the loo at Smersh. I'm coming out of a big Steely Dan obsession at the moment.
9. My kind of place, The Rake in London Bridge.
10. Also at The Rake. I like the good juju sticker.
Have a great weekend peeps! x
Friday, 18 June 2010
Good juju.
Posted by Caroline, No. at 12:57
Labels: amsterdam, London, music, photography
7 comments:
Love the photos! The Good Juju is my favorite...it really made me laugh.ReplyDelete
Thank you! Just as you posted that I changed the title of the post to 'good juju'. Hehe.ReplyDelete
Bloody hell, I haven't been to Smersh for years.ReplyDelete
Nice pics.
So you're obviously not a football lover, Caroline... I'd rather do the Coconut moves, too! xoxoReplyDelete
Great pictures. You have a really good eye. It's hard to pick a favourite but I love Good Juju, Hoops and Fred and Gil Scott Heron. Have a lovely weekend xxReplyDelete
I love the collection you had on your phone. seriously, no football colours? hahaReplyDelete
- Anonymous22 June 2010 at 23:23
Love the kitties hanging out... also loving the title! Good juju indeed! :DReplyDelete
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text:
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Viva Colombia And To Hell With Ecuadorian Bus Rides
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text:
Austin Rattler 3/28/2015
It's always risky to travel long distances for a race. The Moots has to get deconstructed and boxed up (Mike at Pedalers Fork did an amazing job once again), nutrition prepped ahead of time, flights and rental cars arranged, hotels confirmed. Then there are always the nagging fears; will my bike get lost by the baggage handlers, what if I travel all this way and DNF, the race is really this weekend right? There's a lot that can go wrong, but sometimes everything just falls into place…and sometimes it doesn't.
Panic struck at LAX when I went to check my bike and the gate agent asked what was leaking. My heart sank. Leaking? "Yeah, there's white liquid coming out of the bottom of the box." I opened everything up and found both tires had unseated and all the Stan's was now congealing in a puddle at the bottom of the box. I had no way to re-seat them with only a frame pump in my possession and no more Stan's to fill them when I arrived. Looks like I'd be making a bike shop stop in San Antonio.
Upon landing I picked up my rental Yaris and hightailed it Cycle Logic bike shop where they were amazing and re-seated and sealed my wheels on the spot. From there it was off to Rocky Hill Ranch to check in and pre-ride the course the evening before the race. The hour and a half drive went quickly as I took in the green fields, wild flowers and blue bonnets. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was beautiful.
I pulled into the ranch, got my number plate and immediately set to work unboxing and rebuilding my bike, which can be a difficult task in a dusty parking lot without a bike stand. I set off into the setting sun and rode the fifteen mile lap with a smile on my face the whole way. It was flat with flowing wooded singletrack and aside from two gigantic mud pits from the five inches of rain the week before, the course was perfectly suited for my style of riding. It was as if someone had taken Cheseboro and flattened it to a pancake. I had a good feeling about the next day, which came very quickly.
The sun was still down as I drove the fifteen minutes back to Rocky Hill Ranch in a caravan of cars, all loaded with bikes. How many people were racing this thing? The parking lot of the ranch had transformed from a dusty pasture to the Staples Center. Parking was roped off in rows by the hundreds and men with flashlights and vests guided cars in like dominos. Game time.
My phone buzzed to life. It was my new coach, Billy Rice, trying to find me in the mayhem. I just started working with Billy and Invictus Cycling and Performance and in a stroke of good fortune it turns out that he lives nearby to Rocky Hill Ranch so he came out to support and cheer me on. We chatted for a bit as I prepped bottles and fiddled with my gear. The race start was still over a half an hour away but the starting line was already getting packed. I opted for an extremely short warmup and took a spot as close to the front as possible. After Fontana last weekend I wasn't going to get stuck in the back again. The field was huge. Over 600 racers were lined up, all with the dream of heading to Leadville. Some were in it to win it and others just wanted to cross the line in under seven hours to be eligible for the lottery.What does it take to qualify for Leadville? Well, that's a very good question. The race information is intentionally very vague. According to the Lifetime website "Each Leadville Qualifying Series race provides 25-100 qualifying slots to the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, based on the total number of registered riders at each qualifier event. Half of the qualifying spots will be allocated based on the top age-group performances and half will be drawn among riders who have finished the qualifier race within the allocated cut-off time." Still confused? So was I. They will only guarantee one spot per age group, and with each age group stretching ten years (20-29, 30-39 etc.) I knew that the only surefire way to get a spot would be to win my group. Tristan Uhl has won the race ever year of it's existence, he's super fast and he grew up on the ranch so he can ride the course in his sleep. He's pretty much unbeatable and fortunately under thirty.
The shotgun blast signaled the race start and there was a brief neutral portion as people jockeyed for position. I was sitting a few wheels back and feeling confident when my chain came off for the first time. Panic. I was about to loose several hundred places within the first ten seconds of the race. Lucky I was able to soft pedal it back on and keep up momentum. The first "climb" blew apart the field. It was a pebbly fireroad with about 75 feet of vert and it was clear just how flat this area was. Tristan and his teammate Jason Sager shot to the front and I grabbed their wheels with Jorge Munoz Jr tagging along behind. And then there were four.
We worked together, rotating and pulling, and separating ourself from the main field. By mile eight we had put about thirty seconds between ourselves and the chase pack of twenty riders. My chain sucked off again, almost breaking as it tangled in the chainstay. My little ring was dead to me. I couldn't risk front shifting in the front anymore, looks like this would be a big ring race. Things remained unchanged for the first lap and a half as we continued to pull away. When we hit the mud pits on lap two Tristan showed amazing cyclocross prowess as he dismounted, pranced through shin deep mud and was back on the bike and a hundred yards ahead of me by the time I cleared the pit. The chase was on. Jason sat behind me, clearly not willing to help tow me back up to Tristan. Jorge slipped away. And then there were three.
Jason caught back up with Tristan in the last singletrack section of the second lap and I was all alone. A bad bottle handoff cost them some time (mine were all flawless thanks to Jen Zubick) and they were within my sights for lap three but I just couldn't hang on. The last two laps were a blur. We started lapping riders on the second lap and things got congested very quickly. Some were more willing than others to be passed and time was lost sitting up and waiting for moments to get by. I started getting nervous. I knew Dave Weins wasn't that far behind me and with his decades of racing experience he wasn't going to pop. I just kept turning the pedals. It wasn't until I hit the last singletrack section a few miles from the finish I thought I was in the clear. I knew Tristan was under 30 but how old was Jason? Did I have a Leadville spot? I crossed the line.
Thanks to chip timing the results were posted immediately and I saw that Jason was in the 40-49 bracket. I had my Leadville spot and it was time to celebrate. At the awards ceremony our field was big enough to warrant eight gold coins, the magic ticket to Leadville. I guess I could have gone slower, nah. It always feels good to win.
Although I didn't beat Tristan I gave him a good chase. Billy was excited "You were only three minutes back! That's like…2% of race time, you can totally get those guys." Thanks Billy, I'm excited to see what I'm capable of with a little bit of proper training. Looks like I'll be joining Mike Kalenda at Leadville this year. Another Pedalers Fork road trip?


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Look at those staircases!!
And that bathroom, I really want the bathtub!
And the combination wood + steel + white
Just cool
See more pics here (there's also an amazing round room full of books!)
Great! The circular staircase and the old blue cabinet is my favorite!
Happy Sunday!
Love Lisanne
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