text:
Establish mutual respect and ensure both (or all) parties have a safe space to communicate honestly without judgment.
Find common ground and shared interests to achieve a mutually satisfactory compromise or positive outcome.
It seems to me that conflict resolution and compromise are maybe more important life skills than any others I learned in school (certainly more useful than the semester we spent learning ClarisWorks) and I wish it were a formal unit in the national curriculum. The past two or three years of hot-tempered political discourse have shown that, more than any other deficit in our culture, we lack the ability to disagree fairly, and this inability to communicate respectfully about conflict seems to be deteriorating the very fabric of our society.
There is a tendency – or maybe I should call it an impulse – that we all share to write people off completely when we discover something we don’t like about them. Maybe they say something racially insensitive (or outright racist) or they admit that they are okay with policies that hurt other people as long as they personally benefit. Maybe they dismiss a heartfelt concern as “nutty right-wing propaganda” and tell family members to stop being brainwashed by Fox News or exploited by the GOP. Maybe they call someone a bigot because that person needs a bit of time to understand nonbinary pronouns or gets confused about why the rights of trans people are being debated again. I think we are all guilty at times of being repugnant in our stubbornness or sanctimonious sureness that we are just so right that we forget to treat others as humans who deserve respect. And it is incredibly hard to stay calm when someone raises your hackles with the very arguments you’ve been battling in your mind, who feels as certain that they are right as you feel certain they are wrong.
Meet You Where You Are, 2018, 9″x12″, permanent marker on paper.
I have seen (and been guilty of) an increasing shift towards sentiments like, “I don’t have room in my life for someone like that,” “I can’t look at them the same way now that I know their politics,” and, “Why should I have to educate you if you can’t even bother to educate your hateful / judgmental self?” I read so many think pieces after the 2016 election about how the right and people in Middle America felt ignored or dismissed, and I will admit, my instinctive response was unkind. I live in one of the poorest congressional districts in the United States, but it is also the most Democratic, so it is hard for me to accept the arguments that people can’t afford to worry about other people when they are experiencing economic struggles. But I also see that people on the other side don’t actually know my reality or what my neighbors’ lives are like because none of us will deign to tell them. We assume they won’t listen – just like I often don’t – or that if they do, they are too racist or bigoted or uncaring to change their minds. We leave each other in voids of ignorance and diminish each others’ concerns, and we wind up even further divided and angry at each other, instead of working together to find and demand solutions that benefit us all.
I won’t be so cynical as to suggest that has been the strategy all along to consolidate power and keep us busy squabbling among ourselves while a tiny sect of special interests robs the country blind (yes I will, and it is), but I will say it is the very opposite of the methodology and goals of peer mediation and conflict resolution, and we are all hurting because of it. By setting up our beliefs as diametrically opposed and fighting or condemning the other side instead of seeking compromise and common ground, we are missing out on so many opportunities to improve life for all.
For me personally, environmentalism is at the forefront of all concerns, not just because I love nature and would like to be able to continue going outside in twenty years, but also because I see how climate change and damage to the environment by industry is dramatically impacting quality of life all over the planet. From increasing poverty and stagnating economies to catastrophic weather events and even droughts helping in ISIS recruitment, our energy dependence on oil and the financial interests keeping us dependent on fossil fuels are the single most harmful force in the world right now. Whether you agree with me on this point or not is actually not important (and this isn’t just me being smug, I promise) because the other thing I see in the research I’ve been doing on climate change and sustainable development are amazing opportunities to address other problems through green initiatives.
Earlier this week, I attended two different events on art and activism. The first was a panel discussion hosted by the New York Public Library, with three brilliant authors moderated by an activist / advocate, looking at the role art and writing plays in social justice activism and the connections between activist and creative work. I was frustrated that most of the Q&A focused on self-care (would the same questions be asked of male authors?) but it was incredibly inspiring to see the ways these women engage their communities, the emphasis they placed on listening and working to meet other communities where they are, and the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that seemed to inhabit all of their words and actions (I encourage you to check out their work!). I believe strongly in the power of art to change hearts through a visceral experience of empathy, which leads to changing minds, and it was encouraging to observe the power of art coupled with activist action and goals to really bring it all home for a cause. So much of the battle in social justice is making the case that people should be seen and respected just as human beings. It hurts my heart that this argument still needs to be made because egalitarianism is one of my core values, but this is the world we live in, and the work needs to be done.
The question I would have liked to have asked (if I weren’t too shy) is about engaging people who fundamentally disagree, the ones who aren’t going to read a book by a woman of color, or someone who refuses – or can’t – empathize with characters who aren’t just like them. Is the best approach to focus in on the deeply personal, or to broaden the scope to the universal? Do people need to care and get invested in specific characters or figures who happen to embody a different experience in life to develop empathy that they can then apply to real-life, everyday people, or do they need to see the ways that all people are similar, have common interests, or are ultimately the same as them in so many ways? I suspect all approaches are needed, engaging people on both personal and universal terms (as it suits the work) to generate a tidal shift in thinking and feeling, but I struggle with how to use art in support of social change when it’s already so hard to get people to even look at or value art itself.
Installation view of the 2018 Creative Climate Awards exhibition presented by the Human Impacts Institute at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), New York, NY. September 17-October 12, 2018.
One of the greatest professional experiences I’ve had so far was being included in a recent exhibition and nominated in the 2018 Creative Climate Awards, which showcased the work of 36 artists creating climate-inspired art intended to raise awareness and incite action. Sales of the art benefitted the extraordinary work of the Human Impacts Institute, and being part of the exhibit gave me the opportunity to meet and talk with fellow artists about their work (I promise, I will talk all about this exhibit either here or on the studio blog very, very soon).
In general everyone at the opening reception seemed to be on the same page about the urgency of taking immediate actions to fight climate change, and I found myself feeling at home discussing projects and ideas with like-minded environmentalists. There was one visitor who was a climate change denier (maybe “skeptic” is a fairer description). He argued with several artists about why they were spreading false information about climate science and grilled them about who paid them to make their work. He didn’t talk with me (my pieces in this show were mostly about marine plastics pollution, and it’s hard to argue that that’s a good thing) but he also didn’t seem as hostile or unreasonable as I expected. I realized that he is exactly the type of person we should want to come to that type of an exhibit, and that instead of avoiding him as “the heckler,” we needed to engage him respectfully, hear his differing views, and try to find some common ground or compromise. From what I understand the artists who did talk with him presented their work thoughtfully and respectfully and ultimately had productive – or at least not totally disagreeable – conversations. On hindsight, I wish I had sought him out and done the same. Even if he initially came to be adversarial, he came, and he stayed a long time, talking and listening, looking critically at the art, and maybe questioning his beliefs or changing his mind. I’ve thought about him a lot since then, and I keep asking myself when I last listened to someone whose beliefs I’m inclined to just dismiss out of hand.
The second event I attended this week was the New York / Arab World Culture Forum: Art for Sustainable Futures, hosted by the Asia Society and Edge of Arabia, in partnership with UNESCO. You may feel as overwhelmed by the amount of organizations and ideas in that sentence as I did at first, but essentially it was a panel discussion of three artists moderated by the founder of an organization that bridges Western and Arab worlds through art and shared culture, bookended by speeches by UNESCO and UN representatives, focusing on how art can be used to promote and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN.
Images from the Edge of Arabia Instagram (@edgeofarabia), showing panelists (L-R): Michael Mazzotta, Razan Al Sarraf, Rashad Salim, and moderator Stephen Stapleton, co-founder of Edge of Arabia.
You can view the event here (jump to about 20:40 to start), and I again strongly encourage you to check out the amazing work being done by these artists, the many excellent events and exhibitions of the yearlong New York-Arab World Arts and Education Initiative, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals themselves.
One of the strongest themes I saw throughout the forum was the ways that unsustainable development (which is to say environmentally harmful and socially irresponsible practices that put profit over people and the Earth) contributes not only to major global problems like poverty, famine, war, epidemics of disease, catastrophic weather events etc., but also to the loss of traditional culture, artisanship, and the commonality of understanding that comes with cross-cultural communications. It felt like the global version of what I had seen on a personal scale at the previous night’s NYPL panel: that we need to listen, cooperate, and collaborate across nations and cultures if we are going to tackle the almost unfathomably vast problems humanity currently faces.
It is hard to wrap our minds around something as huge as the entire Earth’s climate or the economy of a whole country, let alone the whole world, and it is even harder to incite true, actionable concern when most people are focused on surviving and the day-to-day problems right in front of them. We can recognize the tragedy of one individual polar bear starving to death, but we become paralyzed and helpless in the face of unprecedented millions of children starving to death in Yemen, where we are complicit (read this New Yorker article by Jane Ferguson if you never want to sleep again).
Wise Little River, 2018, 9″x12″, permanent marker on paper. On view through October 28 in “Escapades” at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Red Hook (BWAC).
The challenge we face begins with establishing a general, global concern for all people and the environment, and I believe this will be the primary challenge of humanity for all time. I don’t see the personal appeals working. We may find images of displaced Syrian children covered in rubble from bombings upsetting, but we refuse to acknowledge how our dependence on gasoline for our cars is keeping us invested in prolonging their suffering and cultural destruction. We may donate once in a while to assuage guilt over children starving in Yemen (and here I will say, please support the crucial work of the International Rescue Committee!) but when it comes time to vote, we’re focusing on our own income tax or the gas tax in New Jersey or ideological hot-button issues like reproductive rights versus the “rights of the unborn,” and we aren’t even asking candidates what they plan to do about humanitarian crises or existential threats to the environment.
So maybe it is time for selfish, universal appeals. If we can’t stir up concern for all of humanity, maybe we need to focus on individual dangers, like losing your own home to hurricane flooding or losing your own job when your company moves overseas – but instead of scapegoating or fear-mongering (as our most cynical politicians do) we need to pinpoint the actual responsible parties and hold them accountable. I think we need to get into a proverbial room together, establish mutual respect (yes, even if that asks a really, really lot of us), and start working together to show people how they benefit personally from everyone doing the right thing (which we need to agree on together too).
I recently read an article shared by the March for Science about the most important science policy issue in every state, which was both utterly fascinating and immensely frustrating. As I read, I kept seeing so many opportunities for new businesses and jobs growth, a potentially huge boost to the economy, and improved quality of lives of people by investing in green initiatives. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of several candidates I know calling for a Green New Deal for exactly this type of infrastructure-level projects and policy changes that will result in more well-paying, secure jobs and sustainable economic development. I get so frustrated wondering why our current administration isn’t doing anything for green development and instead fighting for environmentally-disastrous, backwards policies, and then I remember their biggest donors are the owners of oil companies, coal and natural gas concerns, and weapons manufacturers. These donors are making extraordinary profits by keeping us dependent on oil and fighting unfunded wars for it, and we are letting our government act in their interests instead of ours.
I’m not sure if the project of turning things around is one of education, organization, traditional activism, community outreach and communication, or all of the above, but I am committed to figuring out how art and culture works toward it. I know that everything political I’ve said in this post will be summarily dismissed by those who disagree with “all liberals,” and I fear they are the ones who most need to see the ways they are being lied to and manipulated… but they would probably say the same about me. So where do we start? Do I make works of art they won’t look at? Do I write 3000-word essays they won’t read? Do I follow them around Facebook giving meticulously-sourced fact corrections for every opinion they blurt out? Or do I do exactly what we’ve been accused of doing all along, in gathering a momentum that excludes them and dragging them kicking and screaming along toward a progressive future that will ultimately benefit them too?
The Seat of Hope, 2018, 4″x6″, colored pencil on paper.
In my one conflict resolution session, I breached protocol at one point and said, “The other option is to just agree you don’t want to be friends anymore, go your separate ways, and we quit wasting everyone’s time trying to find compromise if you just plain hate each other.” I said it out of exasperation and annoyance that the process wasn’t working, but it landed like a slap in the face to both parties. Both got tears in their eyes, and one said quietly, “I don’t hate you.” The other agreed, and they dropped the self-righteous anger that had been fueling a long session of intransigent bickering, instead expressing hurt and getting to the heart of their conflict so they could resolve it.
To hate someone you don’t know personally or to express cruel indifference (“I don’t care if you lose your home because you are a bigot who supported a hateful pig for president” / “I don’t care if children are kept in cages or deported because their criminal parents shouldn’t have come here illegally to leech off taxpayers”) we can only see people in the abstract. I don’t know anyone who can say – and truly mean – the rhetorical things we spew online or the mean-spirited dismissals we make among likeminded peers to someone’s face. If we are forced to really look, one to one, to see individual people just like we want to be seen – and to examine how our mistreatment of them contributes to our own misfortunes – maybe there is some hope for finding common ground and reaching sustainable compromise. We don’t have the option to abandon large swathes of humanity, and it’s foolish to try to move on without them. I think, as hard as it is, now is the most important time for mutual respect, meaningful communication, and above all, listening, learning from each other, and remembering we are all in this together.

lowercased:
establish mutual respect and ensure both (or all) parties have a safe space to communicate honestly without judgment.
find common ground and shared interests to achieve a mutually satisfactory compromise or positive outcome.
it seems to me that conflict resolution and compromise are maybe more important life skills than any others i learned in school (certainly more useful than the semester we spent learning clarisworks) and i wish it were a formal unit in the national curriculum. the past two or three years of hot-tempered political discourse have shown that, more than any other deficit in our culture, we lack the ability to disagree fairly, and this inability to communicate respectfully about conflict seems to be deteriorating the very fabric of our society.
there is a tendency – or maybe i should call it an impulse – that we all share to write people off completely when we discover something we don’t like about them. maybe they say something racially insensitive (or outright racist) or they admit that they are okay with policies that hurt other people as long as they personally benefit. maybe they dismiss a heartfelt concern as “nutty right-wing propaganda” and tell family members to stop being brainwashed by fox news or exploited by the gop. maybe they call someone a bigot because that person needs a bit of time to understand nonbinary pronouns or gets confused about why the rights of trans people are being debated again. i think we are all guilty at times of being repugnant in our stubbornness or sanctimonious sureness that we are just so right that we forget to treat others as humans who deserve respect. and it is incredibly hard to stay calm when someone raises your hackles with the very arguments you’ve been battling in your mind, who feels as certain that they are right as you feel certain they are wrong.
meet you where you are, 2018, 9″x12″, permanent marker on paper.
i have seen (and been guilty of) an increasing shift towards sentiments like, “i don’t have room in my life for someone like that,” “i can’t look at them the same way now that i know their politics,” and, “why should i have to educate you if you can’t even bother to educate your hateful / judgmental self?” i read so many think pieces after the 2016 election about how the right and people in middle america felt ignored or dismissed, and i will admit, my instinctive response was unkind. i live in one of the poorest congressional districts in the united states, but it is also the most democratic, so it is hard for me to accept the arguments that people can’t afford to worry about other people when they are experiencing economic struggles. but i also see that people on the other side don’t actually know my reality or what my neighbors’ lives are like because none of us will deign to tell them. we assume they won’t listen – just like i often don’t – or that if they do, they are too racist or bigoted or uncaring to change their minds. we leave each other in voids of ignorance and diminish each others’ concerns, and we wind up even further divided and angry at each other, instead of working together to find and demand solutions that benefit us all.
i won’t be so cynical as to suggest that has been the strategy all along to consolidate power and keep us busy squabbling among ourselves while a tiny sect of special interests robs the country blind (yes i will, and it is), but i will say it is the very opposite of the methodology and goals of peer mediation and conflict resolution, and we are all hurting because of it. by setting up our beliefs as diametrically opposed and fighting or condemning the other side instead of seeking compromise and common ground, we are missing out on so many opportunities to improve life for all.
for me personally, environmentalism is at the forefront of all concerns, not just because i love nature and would like to be able to continue going outside in twenty years, but also because i see how climate change and damage to the environment by industry is dramatically impacting quality of life all over the planet. from increasing poverty and stagnating economies to catastrophic weather events and even droughts helping in isis recruitment, our energy dependence on oil and the financial interests keeping us dependent on fossil fuels are the single most harmful force in the world right now. whether you agree with me on this point or not is actually not important (and this isn’t just me being smug, i promise) because the other thing i see in the research i’ve been doing on climate change and sustainable development are amazing opportunities to address other problems through green initiatives.
earlier this week, i attended two different events on art and activism. the first was a panel discussion hosted by the new york public library, with three brilliant authors moderated by an activist / advocate, looking at the role art and writing plays in social justice activism and the connections between activist and creative work. i was frustrated that most of the q&a focused on self-care (would the same questions be asked of male authors?) but it was incredibly inspiring to see the ways these women engage their communities, the emphasis they placed on listening and working to meet other communities where they are, and the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that seemed to inhabit all of their words and actions (i encourage you to check out their work!). i believe strongly in the power of art to change hearts through a visceral experience of empathy, which leads to changing minds, and it was encouraging to observe the power of art coupled with activist action and goals to really bring it all home for a cause. so much of the battle in social justice is making the case that people should be seen and respected just as human beings. it hurts my heart that this argument still needs to be made because egalitarianism is one of my core values, but this is the world we live in, and the work needs to be done.
the question i would have liked to have asked (if i weren’t too shy) is about engaging people who fundamentally disagree, the ones who aren’t going to read a book by a woman of color, or someone who refuses – or can’t – empathize with characters who aren’t just like them. is the best approach to focus in on the deeply personal, or to broaden the scope to the universal? do people need to care and get invested in specific characters or figures who happen to embody a different experience in life to develop empathy that they can then apply to real-life, everyday people, or do they need to see the ways that all people are similar, have common interests, or are ultimately the same as them in so many ways? i suspect all approaches are needed, engaging people on both personal and universal terms (as it suits the work) to generate a tidal shift in thinking and feeling, but i struggle with how to use art in support of social change when it’s already so hard to get people to even look at or value art itself.
installation view of the 2018 creative climate awards exhibition presented by the human impacts institute at the taipei economic and cultural office (teco), new york, ny. september 17-october 12, 2018.
one of the greatest professional experiences i’ve had so far was being included in a recent exhibition and nominated in the 2018 creative climate awards, which showcased the work of 36 artists creating climate-inspired art intended to raise awareness and incite action. sales of the art benefitted the extraordinary work of the human impacts institute, and being part of the exhibit gave me the opportunity to meet and talk with fellow artists about their work (i promise, i will talk all about this exhibit either here or on the studio blog very, very soon).
in general everyone at the opening reception seemed to be on the same page about the urgency of taking immediate actions to fight climate change, and i found myself feeling at home discussing projects and ideas with like-minded environmentalists. there was one visitor who was a climate change denier (maybe “skeptic” is a fairer description). he argued with several artists about why they were spreading false information about climate science and grilled them about who paid them to make their work. he didn’t talk with me (my pieces in this show were mostly about marine plastics pollution, and it’s hard to argue that that’s a good thing) but he also didn’t seem as hostile or unreasonable as i expected. i realized that he is exactly the type of person we should want to come to that type of an exhibit, and that instead of avoiding him as “the heckler,” we needed to engage him respectfully, hear his differing views, and try to find some common ground or compromise. from what i understand the artists who did talk with him presented their work thoughtfully and respectfully and ultimately had productive – or at least not totally disagreeable – conversations. on hindsight, i wish i had sought him out and done the same. even if he initially came to be adversarial, he came, and he stayed a long time, talking and listening, looking critically at the art, and maybe questioning his beliefs or changing his mind. i’ve thought about him a lot since then, and i keep asking myself when i last listened to someone whose beliefs i’m inclined to just dismiss out of hand.
the second event i attended this week was the new york / arab world culture forum: art for sustainable futures, hosted by the asia society and edge of arabia, in partnership with unesco. you may feel as overwhelmed by the amount of organizations and ideas in that sentence as i did at first, but essentially it was a panel discussion of three artists moderated by the founder of an organization that bridges western and arab worlds through art and shared culture, bookended by speeches by unesco and un representatives, focusing on how art can be used to promote and achieve the sustainable development goals adopted by the un.
images from the edge of arabia instagram (@edgeofarabia), showing panelists (l-r): michael mazzotta, razan al sarraf, rashad salim, and moderator stephen stapleton, co-founder of edge of arabia.
you can view the event here (jump to about 20:40 to start), and i again strongly encourage you to check out the amazing work being done by these artists, the many excellent events and exhibitions of the yearlong new york-arab world arts and education initiative, and the un sustainable development goals themselves.
one of the strongest themes i saw throughout the forum was the ways that unsustainable development (which is to say environmentally harmful and socially irresponsible practices that put profit over people and the earth) contributes not only to major global problems like poverty, famine, war, epidemics of disease, catastrophic weather events etc., but also to the loss of traditional culture, artisanship, and the commonality of understanding that comes with cross-cultural communications. it felt like the global version of what i had seen on a personal scale at the previous night’s nypl panel: that we need to listen, cooperate, and collaborate across nations and cultures if we are going to tackle the almost unfathomably vast problems humanity currently faces.
it is hard to wrap our minds around something as huge as the entire earth’s climate or the economy of a whole country, let alone the whole world, and it is even harder to incite true, actionable concern when most people are focused on surviving and the day-to-day problems right in front of them. we can recognize the tragedy of one individual polar bear starving to death, but we become paralyzed and helpless in the face of unprecedented millions of children starving to death in yemen, where we are complicit (read this new yorker article by jane ferguson if you never want to sleep again).
wise little river, 2018, 9″x12″, permanent marker on paper. on view through october 28 in “escapades” at the brooklyn waterfront artists coalition in red hook (bwac).
the challenge we face begins with establishing a general, global concern for all people and the environment, and i believe this will be the primary challenge of humanity for all time. i don’t see the personal appeals working. we may find images of displaced syrian children covered in rubble from bombings upsetting, but we refuse to acknowledge how our dependence on gasoline for our cars is keeping us invested in prolonging their suffering and cultural destruction. we may donate once in a while to assuage guilt over children starving in yemen (and here i will say, please support the crucial work of the international rescue committee!) but when it comes time to vote, we’re focusing on our own income tax or the gas tax in new jersey or ideological hot-button issues like reproductive rights versus the “rights of the unborn,” and we aren’t even asking candidates what they plan to do about humanitarian crises or existential threats to the environment.
so maybe it is time for selfish, universal appeals. if we can’t stir up concern for all of humanity, maybe we need to focus on individual dangers, like losing your own home to hurricane flooding or losing your own job when your company moves overseas – but instead of scapegoating or fear-mongering (as our most cynical politicians do) we need to pinpoint the actual responsible parties and hold them accountable. i think we need to get into a proverbial room together, establish mutual respect (yes, even if that asks a really, really lot of us), and start working together to show people how they benefit personally from everyone doing the right thing (which we need to agree on together too).
i recently read an article shared by the march for science about the most important science policy issue in every state, which was both utterly fascinating and immensely frustrating. as i read, i kept seeing so many opportunities for new businesses and jobs growth, a potentially huge boost to the economy, and improved quality of lives of people by investing in green initiatives. alexandria ocasio-cortez is one of several candidates i know calling for a green new deal for exactly this type of infrastructure-level projects and policy changes that will result in more well-paying, secure jobs and sustainable economic development. i get so frustrated wondering why our current administration isn’t doing anything for green development and instead fighting for environmentally-disastrous, backwards policies, and then i remember their biggest donors are the owners of oil companies, coal and natural gas concerns, and weapons manufacturers. these donors are making extraordinary profits by keeping us dependent on oil and fighting unfunded wars for it, and we are letting our government act in their interests instead of ours.
i’m not sure if the project of turning things around is one of education, organization, traditional activism, community outreach and communication, or all of the above, but i am committed to figuring out how art and culture works toward it. i know that everything political i’ve said in this post will be summarily dismissed by those who disagree with “all liberals,” and i fear they are the ones who most need to see the ways they are being lied to and manipulated… but they would probably say the same about me. so where do we start? do i make works of art they won’t look at? do i write 3000-word essays they won’t read? do i follow them around facebook giving meticulously-sourced fact corrections for every opinion they blurt out? or do i do exactly what we’ve been accused of doing all along, in gathering a momentum that excludes them and dragging them kicking and screaming along toward a progressive future that will ultimately benefit them too?
the seat of hope, 2018, 4″x6″, colored pencil on paper.
in my one conflict resolution session, i breached protocol at one point and said, “the other option is to just agree you don’t want to be friends anymore, go your separate ways, and we quit wasting everyone’s time trying to find compromise if you just plain hate each other.” i said it out of exasperation and annoyance that the process wasn’t working, but it landed like a slap in the face to both parties. both got tears in their eyes, and one said quietly, “i don’t hate you.” the other agreed, and they dropped the self-righteous anger that had been fueling a long session of intransigent bickering, instead expressing hurt and getting to the heart of their conflict so they could resolve it.
to hate someone you don’t know personally or to express cruel indifference (“i don’t care if you lose your home because you are a bigot who supported a hateful pig for president” / “i don’t care if children are kept in cages or deported because their criminal parents shouldn’t have come here illegally to leech off taxpayers”) we can only see people in the abstract. i don’t know anyone who can say – and truly mean – the rhetorical things we spew online or the mean-spirited dismissals we make among likeminded peers to someone’s face. if we are forced to really look, one to one, to see individual people just like we want to be seen – and to examine how our mistreatment of them contributes to our own misfortunes – maybe there is some hope for finding common ground and reaching sustainable compromise. we don’t have the option to abandon large swathes of humanity, and it’s foolish to try to move on without them. i think, as hard as it is, now is the most important time for mutual respect, meaningful communication, and above all, listening, learning from each other, and remembering we are all in this together.


text:
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lowercased:
1.1. these rules are designed to meet the requirements of the constitution of the russian federation; civil code of the russian federation; the law of the russian federation dated 27.12.1991, no. 2124-1 mass media; federal act of 27.07.2006 no. 149-fz "on information, information technology and protection of information.
1.2. this regulation establishes the conditions of access to and use of the information posted on the website www.pspr.ru (hereinafter "site").
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text: Surging youth populations can fuel tremendous agricultural growth that will impact the global economy, but, if underemployed, they present a risk. By 2050, Africa’s population will double, with 1 billion projected to be under 18 years old, and many others regions are experiencing similar trends. How can we harness the potential of this promising demographic to secure economic growth and stability? Global leaders, innovators, disruptors, and trailblazers are shaping the future of food and agriculture. Attend this year’s symposium to learn why this transformative moment is crucial to global food security and stability.

lowercased: surging youth populations can fuel tremendous agricultural growth that will impact the global economy, but, if underemployed, they present a risk. by 2050, africa’s population will double, with 1 billion projected to be under 18 years old, and many others regions are experiencing similar trends. how can we harness the potential of this promising demographic to secure economic growth and stability? global leaders, innovators, disruptors, and trailblazers are shaping the future of food and agriculture. attend this year’s symposium to learn why this transformative moment is crucial to global food security and stability.


text:
If you haven’t seen the photos yet, then you may not understand what I mean. Two photos, taken from exactly the same place – St. Peter’s Square in Rome – during the announcement of a new Pope. One comes from 2005, and the second dates from the announcement of his successor in 2013. If you’re not familiar with these photos, then have a look here. Why have I chosen these pictures? To show how completely the world has changed in just seven years.
Watch this webinar to learn about the opportunities a cloud-based IWMS implementation offers real estate and facility managers.
Seven years ago, most business software (including Planon’s) consisted of desktop applications running on fixed computers, in fixed workplaces. You logged into your system in the morning and then got to work with the features that these packages offered. Here, too, the world has changed completely.
Increasingly, modern software solutions run in the Cloud. This makes applications accessible anywhere, anytime. And from any device, whether it’s a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Through a browser or through an app. These types of modern software solutions are increasingly connected to sensors, meters and counters, or to other suppliers of “Big Data.” Such software systems are equipped with integration technology by default, enabling the exchange of information with a wide range of other systems, such as ERP, building management, financial and HR systems. This makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish the individual systems from each other. The result? You can get the information you need easily, anywhere in the world, at any time. No more, and no less.
As an innovative supplier, Planon has opted to stop calling our software a “solution,” but rather the Planon Universe platform. Because that’s exactly what it is. A platform in the “Universe” where information is collated from a variety of sources and then offered to the user in the form he or she wants.
So at Planon, we are ready for the future. Nevertheless we are curious as to just what the next Pope will encounter in St. Peter’s Square in a decade or so.
As founder and CEO of Planon, Pierre is responsible for global operations and is the architect of the company’s strategy and overall vision. Pierre spearheads Planon’s leadership role in the facility management and real estate software industry. Since founding Planon in 1982, Pierre Guelen has taken an active role in increasing the profile of the industry and of demonstrating the role that real estate and facilities play in supporting overall business strategy and driving bottom line success.

lowercased:
if you haven’t seen the photos yet, then you may not understand what i mean. two photos, taken from exactly the same place – st. peter’s square in rome – during the announcement of a new pope. one comes from 2005, and the second dates from the announcement of his successor in 2013. if you’re not familiar with these photos, then have a look here. why have i chosen these pictures? to show how completely the world has changed in just seven years.
watch this webinar to learn about the opportunities a cloud-based iwms implementation offers real estate and facility managers.
seven years ago, most business software (including planon’s) consisted of desktop applications running on fixed computers, in fixed workplaces. you logged into your system in the morning and then got to work with the features that these packages offered. here, too, the world has changed completely.
increasingly, modern software solutions run in the cloud. this makes applications accessible anywhere, anytime. and from any device, whether it’s a laptop, tablet or smartphone. through a browser or through an app. these types of modern software solutions are increasingly connected to sensors, meters and counters, or to other suppliers of “big data.” such software systems are equipped with integration technology by default, enabling the exchange of information with a wide range of other systems, such as erp, building management, financial and hr systems. this makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish the individual systems from each other. the result? you can get the information you need easily, anywhere in the world, at any time. no more, and no less.
as an innovative supplier, planon has opted to stop calling our software a “solution,” but rather the planon universe platform. because that’s exactly what it is. a platform in the “universe” where information is collated from a variety of sources and then offered to the user in the form he or she wants.
so at planon, we are ready for the future. nevertheless we are curious as to just what the next pope will encounter in st. peter’s square in a decade or so.
as founder and ceo of planon, pierre is responsible for global operations and is the architect of the company’s strategy and overall vision. pierre spearheads planon’s leadership role in the facility management and real estate software industry. since founding planon in 1982, pierre guelen has taken an active role in increasing the profile of the industry and of demonstrating the role that real estate and facilities play in supporting overall business strategy and driving bottom line success.


text:
Sports clubs in Aberffrwd SY23 3 and surrounding areas, can take advantage of the porous synthetic turf system as once installed it required little maintenance when compared to a natural grass surface. However, with a good quality bespoke maintenance plan it is possible to extend the life of the carpet by a number of years and prevent the growth of moss and algae. The surface is made up using 3G synthetic fibres containing a sand and rubber crumb infill which improves playing characteristics and the overall safety of the field.
Many organisations are now contacting us to ask ‘What is the cost of an artificial grass rugby pitch in the UK?’ and this depends entirely on the size of the pitch, the specification of 3G surfacing and groundwork requirements. With many contractors now claiming to supply and install the latest technology 3G surfacing, it is important to ensure that all the necessary credit checks are carried out before going ahead with the artificial rugby pitch installation. To learn more about the installations we offer, please click here http://www.artificialrugbypitches.com/installations/ceredigion/aberffrwd/ By asking companies to display case studies and product sheets showing examples of previous work it provides you with the peace of mind when construction of the artificial field takes place. The surfaces must meet the RFL and RFU national governing body guidelines before competitive play can occur and therefore it is important to ensure that the contractor chosen supplies and installs surfacing to this standard.
For more information regarding synthetic pitch construction in Aberffrwd SY23 3 and surrounding areas, in the UK please fill out the contact form on this page and one of our representatives will be in touch with all the latest sport surfacing information. We can provide you information regarding material costs, prices of full construction and the type of surfacing required for different sports. A synthetic field can dramatically improve the facilities at any sports club and can be used year round during different weather conditions. The permeable surface and sub base allows the free drainage of water into the sub-strata ensuring that the system meets the SUDs requirements for environmentally friendly living. The use of floodlights, fencing and storage areas can make the artificial field a top of the range sport area which generates income from outside sources.
The cost to install a 3G rugby pitch near me can vary. One factor which causes the price to alter is the size of the area. If you have a full sized rugby field installed the price will be much higher than having a smaller field constructed. For more details on the constructions we can carry out please visit this page http://www.artificialrugbypitches.com/construction/ceredigion/aberffrwd/ We can alter the dimensions of the field to meet your individual budgets and suit your requirements. The price may also be altered if you require additional features like fencing or floodlighting. These extras are not included in the cost and you will need to let us know the equipment which you want.
If you would like more information on the installation or maintenance of synthetic grass rugby pitches in Aberffrwd SY23 3 or you would like us to send you a quote, please contact us via the enquiry form. Our experts will get back to you as soon as possible with more details on costs and prices as well as a range of case studies from our previous work.

lowercased:
sports clubs in aberffrwd sy23 3 and surrounding areas, can take advantage of the porous synthetic turf system as once installed it required little maintenance when compared to a natural grass surface. however, with a good quality bespoke maintenance plan it is possible to extend the life of the carpet by a number of years and prevent the growth of moss and algae. the surface is made up using 3g synthetic fibres containing a sand and rubber crumb infill which improves playing characteristics and the overall safety of the field.
many organisations are now contacting us to ask ‘what is the cost of an artificial grass rugby pitch in the uk?’ and this depends entirely on the size of the pitch, the specification of 3g surfacing and groundwork requirements. with many contractors now claiming to supply and install the latest technology 3g surfacing, it is important to ensure that all the necessary credit checks are carried out before going ahead with the artificial rugby pitch installation. to learn more about the installations we offer, please click here http://www.artificialrugbypitches.com/installations/ceredigion/aberffrwd/ by asking companies to display case studies and product sheets showing examples of previous work it provides you with the peace of mind when construction of the artificial field takes place. the surfaces must meet the rfl and rfu national governing body guidelines before competitive play can occur and therefore it is important to ensure that the contractor chosen supplies and installs surfacing to this standard.
for more information regarding synthetic pitch construction in aberffrwd sy23 3 and surrounding areas, in the uk please fill out the contact form on this page and one of our representatives will be in touch with all the latest sport surfacing information. we can provide you information regarding material costs, prices of full construction and the type of surfacing required for different sports. a synthetic field can dramatically improve the facilities at any sports club and can be used year round during different weather conditions. the permeable surface and sub base allows the free drainage of water into the sub-strata ensuring that the system meets the suds requirements for environmentally friendly living. the use of floodlights, fencing and storage areas can make the artificial field a top of the range sport area which generates income from outside sources.
the cost to install a 3g rugby pitch near me can vary. one factor which causes the price to alter is the size of the area. if you have a full sized rugby field installed the price will be much higher than having a smaller field constructed. for more details on the constructions we can carry out please visit this page http://www.artificialrugbypitches.com/construction/ceredigion/aberffrwd/ we can alter the dimensions of the field to meet your individual budgets and suit your requirements. the price may also be altered if you require additional features like fencing or floodlighting. these extras are not included in the cost and you will need to let us know the equipment which you want.
if you would like more information on the installation or maintenance of synthetic grass rugby pitches in aberffrwd sy23 3 or you would like us to send you a quote, please contact us via the enquiry form. our experts will get back to you as soon as possible with more details on costs and prices as well as a range of case studies from our previous work.


text:
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Friday, July 7, 2017.
Texas fathers may spend more time with their children and consider parenting more central to their identity than fathers in previous decades, but they are still not spending as much time on child care as mothers. Almost twice as many fathers as mothers say they do not spend enough time with their children. These were among the findings nationwide of a Pew Research Center survey from 2015.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, July 5, 2017.
Texas parents who are undocumented or who know someone with an undocumented immigration status may already be aware of some lawyers' volunteer efforts to help immigrants with children. Throughout the country, some attorneys and law students are volunteering to help immigrants without documentation to prepare the documents they need to transfer custody of their children to trusted individuals in the event that they are deported.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, June 28, 2017.
Texas parents who are ending their marriage may not be aware that multiple research studies show that children who have both parents in their lives following a divorce have, on average, better lives than those who only have one parent who has sole custody. Even so, census data reveals that U.S. courts award primary physical custody to the mother in approximately 80 percent of the cases. As such, fathers should continue to fight for joint custody.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Monday, June 26, 2017.
If Texas parents cannot provide proper care for their children, a family member, such as an older sibling, may attempt to seek custody to keep the children from going into foster care. However, getting custody can be tricky if the children's parents do not want to relinquish custody or if the older sibling is too close in age to the minor child.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Saturday, June 3, 2017.
Texas parents who decide to get divorced may need to contend with child custody issues. Traditionally, courts have given mothers primary physical custody of their children while fathers are granted weekend visitation. Courts have since moved on to favor shared parenting arrangements in which the children move between the parents' houses and spend nearly equal amounts of time with both.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Monday, May 8, 2017.
When Texas parents have substance abuse issues, it could impact their ability to have possession or access to a child. Substance abuse could refer either to an alcohol problem or an addition to any illegal substance. Authorities may get involved in the matter if a complaint is filed with either the court that issued the custody order or to the Department of Family and Protective Services.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.
As Texas kids get older, sharing time between their divorced parents can become more difficult, especially as the children begin to express where they would prefer to spend their time. However, the judge may take the children's opinion into consideration under some circumstances when resolving the child custody dispute.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Thursday, April 27, 2017.
Divorced Texas parents who share custody of their children may find that arranging vacations, such as spring break for school, can present complications. For those who agree on custody terms during vacation that are at odds with the terms of a custody order, they should make sure that they are able to verify the agreement if asked. If a child custody order does not specify how vacations should be handled and a dispute arises, it may be necessary to go to court to resolve the issue. Either way, estranged parents can benefit from learning how to avoid custody disputes regarding vacations.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Tuesday, April 25, 2017.
Divorced Texas parents who don't have primary custody might be denied visitation by either the other parent or a court. Generally, a court will only deny visitation in rare situations. For example, when there is concern for the child's safety due to issues such as abuse or addiction, visitation may be denied. Even in these cases, however, a court may order supervised visitations or require the parent to take an anger management class or another action before visitation right can be restored.
On behalf of Mark Childress, PC posted in Child Custody on Thursday, April 20, 2017.
Child custody disputes can be very worrying for parents, and the results can be unpredictable. However, parents in Texas who are engaged in a child custody battle can take certain steps to create an effective plan and increase the chances that they can obtain the outcome they prefer.

lowercased:
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on friday, july 7, 2017.
texas fathers may spend more time with their children and consider parenting more central to their identity than fathers in previous decades, but they are still not spending as much time on child care as mothers. almost twice as many fathers as mothers say they do not spend enough time with their children. these were among the findings nationwide of a pew research center survey from 2015.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on wednesday, july 5, 2017.
texas parents who are undocumented or who know someone with an undocumented immigration status may already be aware of some lawyers' volunteer efforts to help immigrants with children. throughout the country, some attorneys and law students are volunteering to help immigrants without documentation to prepare the documents they need to transfer custody of their children to trusted individuals in the event that they are deported.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on wednesday, june 28, 2017.
texas parents who are ending their marriage may not be aware that multiple research studies show that children who have both parents in their lives following a divorce have, on average, better lives than those who only have one parent who has sole custody. even so, census data reveals that u.s. courts award primary physical custody to the mother in approximately 80 percent of the cases. as such, fathers should continue to fight for joint custody.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on monday, june 26, 2017.
if texas parents cannot provide proper care for their children, a family member, such as an older sibling, may attempt to seek custody to keep the children from going into foster care. however, getting custody can be tricky if the children's parents do not want to relinquish custody or if the older sibling is too close in age to the minor child.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on saturday, june 3, 2017.
texas parents who decide to get divorced may need to contend with child custody issues. traditionally, courts have given mothers primary physical custody of their children while fathers are granted weekend visitation. courts have since moved on to favor shared parenting arrangements in which the children move between the parents' houses and spend nearly equal amounts of time with both.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on monday, may 8, 2017.
when texas parents have substance abuse issues, it could impact their ability to have possession or access to a child. substance abuse could refer either to an alcohol problem or an addition to any illegal substance. authorities may get involved in the matter if a complaint is filed with either the court that issued the custody order or to the department of family and protective services.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on wednesday, may 3, 2017.
as texas kids get older, sharing time between their divorced parents can become more difficult, especially as the children begin to express where they would prefer to spend their time. however, the judge may take the children's opinion into consideration under some circumstances when resolving the child custody dispute.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on thursday, april 27, 2017.
divorced texas parents who share custody of their children may find that arranging vacations, such as spring break for school, can present complications. for those who agree on custody terms during vacation that are at odds with the terms of a custody order, they should make sure that they are able to verify the agreement if asked. if a child custody order does not specify how vacations should be handled and a dispute arises, it may be necessary to go to court to resolve the issue. either way, estranged parents can benefit from learning how to avoid custody disputes regarding vacations.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on tuesday, april 25, 2017.
divorced texas parents who don't have primary custody might be denied visitation by either the other parent or a court. generally, a court will only deny visitation in rare situations. for example, when there is concern for the child's safety due to issues such as abuse or addiction, visitation may be denied. even in these cases, however, a court may order supervised visitations or require the parent to take an anger management class or another action before visitation right can be restored.
on behalf of mark childress, pc posted in child custody on thursday, april 20, 2017.
child custody disputes can be very worrying for parents, and the results can be unpredictable. however, parents in texas who are engaged in a child custody battle can take certain steps to create an effective plan and increase the chances that they can obtain the outcome they prefer.


text:
Take a look at our new homes developments in Stoke-on-Trent. Our range of new homes for sale currently consists of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses within 10 miles of Stoke-on-Trent.
Wedgwood View is located in Newcastle under Lyme in Staffordshire, and is a new development of three and four bedroom homes suitable for young professionals through to growing families and downsizers looking to live within a great community in a charming market town.
Udall Grange is our new development in the rural market town of Stone, Staffordshire.
The Hedgerows is located in Alsager in Cheshire, and is a new development of two, three and four bedroom homes set amongst the leafy lanes and hedgerows of this charming semi-rural town.

lowercased:
take a look at our new homes developments in stoke-on-trent. our range of new homes for sale currently consists of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses within 10 miles of stoke-on-trent.
wedgwood view is located in newcastle under lyme in staffordshire, and is a new development of three and four bedroom homes suitable for young professionals through to growing families and downsizers looking to live within a great community in a charming market town.
udall grange is our new development in the rural market town of stone, staffordshire.
the hedgerows is located in alsager in cheshire, and is a new development of two, three and four bedroom homes set amongst the leafy lanes and hedgerows of this charming semi-rural town.


text: 3. When unexpected illness strikes a pet, unexpected expense strikes as well. Fairfax Mobile Veterinary Services understands this and is able to make some special arrangements through the CareCredit program. It takes just 5 minutes to complete an application and will allow you to break down your payment into 6 monthly installments. You can either apply at our hospital, where we'll call in your application over the phone for immediate approval, or apply yourself online at: www.CareCredit.com.

lowercased: 3. when unexpected illness strikes a pet, unexpected expense strikes as well. fairfax mobile veterinary services understands this and is able to make some special arrangements through the carecredit program. it takes just 5 minutes to complete an application and will allow you to break down your payment into 6 monthly installments. you can either apply at our hospital, where we'll call in your application over the phone for immediate approval, or apply yourself online at: www.carecredit.com.


text:
For obvious reason of impending motherhood, I’ve been thinking a lot about children and children’s things. Between that and this being the back-to-school (in the US) time of year, it seemed like the right time to ask around about children’s literature. There’s been a lot of talk about YA science fiction and fantasy in recent years, with many excellent books and authors coming on the scene. However, there’s been less discussion of genre literature for younger readers–ages 0 to 10 or so. Everything from board books to picture books to early chapter books. It’s not too hard to find good fantasy for those ages, but on cursory inspection it seems like science fiction is a little scarce on the ground.
I asked around the community of science fiction authors and devotees who are also parents, to see what sorts of fiction had captured their kids’ attention. We’ll be reading their responses over the next several weeks (conveniently while I am down and out on maternity leave). I hope you’ll enjoy the different perspectives collected here. And if you happen to know of awesome books and authors that we fail to mention, please mention them in the comments! It’s never the wrong time to spread the word about great sf/f books for younger readers.
Commander Toad series by Jane Yolen. She has a good grasp of the sf tropes and in jokes (“Deep Wader” the villain, for example) and writes well but not condescendingly for kids. These are beginning readers for grades 1 and 2.
And there are a bazillion Star Wars beginning readers published by DK. These are very hot in my school library.
I’ve been asking about SF for 8-12s on twitter recently, trying to discover what’s out there. I’ll be following this with interest.
by Edward Marshall” is also decent… Sorry about the “are;” it’s one in the morning in the time I’m still on and there were a few days of packing leading up to today. Anyway, our kids liked both of those.

lowercased:
for obvious reason of impending motherhood, i’ve been thinking a lot about children and children’s things. between that and this being the back-to-school (in the us) time of year, it seemed like the right time to ask around about children’s literature. there’s been a lot of talk about ya science fiction and fantasy in recent years, with many excellent books and authors coming on the scene. however, there’s been less discussion of genre literature for younger readers–ages 0 to 10 or so. everything from board books to picture books to early chapter books. it’s not too hard to find good fantasy for those ages, but on cursory inspection it seems like science fiction is a little scarce on the ground.
i asked around the community of science fiction authors and devotees who are also parents, to see what sorts of fiction had captured their kids’ attention. we’ll be reading their responses over the next several weeks (conveniently while i am down and out on maternity leave). i hope you’ll enjoy the different perspectives collected here. and if you happen to know of awesome books and authors that we fail to mention, please mention them in the comments! it’s never the wrong time to spread the word about great sf/f books for younger readers.
commander toad series by jane yolen. she has a good grasp of the sf tropes and in jokes (“deep wader” the villain, for example) and writes well but not condescendingly for kids. these are beginning readers for grades 1 and 2.
and there are a bazillion star wars beginning readers published by dk. these are very hot in my school library.
i’ve been asking about sf for 8-12s on twitter recently, trying to discover what’s out there. i’ll be following this with interest.
by edward marshall” is also decent… sorry about the “are;” it’s one in the morning in the time i’m still on and there were a few days of packing leading up to today. anyway, our kids liked both of those.


text:
Pictures can be mounted using a cold or a hot process. The surface is protected by lamination. We mount pictures upon many different materials, such as aluminium, dibond, card etc.
We also specialise in mounting behind glass. This high-quality, expressive form of picture presentation ensures that no gap remains between the glass sheet and the picture once the mounting process is complete. This provides a first class view of the picture, with particularly intense, brilliant colours and without any optical distortions.
In addition, mounting pictures under glass displays some crucial advantages in comparison with mounting them under plexiglass in a visually-similar way: glass is far less prone to scratching compared with plexiglass and absorbs no moisture. Any stretching or deformation of the material can thus be ruled out.

lowercased:
pictures can be mounted using a cold or a hot process. the surface is protected by lamination. we mount pictures upon many different materials, such as aluminium, dibond, card etc.
we also specialise in mounting behind glass. this high-quality, expressive form of picture presentation ensures that no gap remains between the glass sheet and the picture once the mounting process is complete. this provides a first class view of the picture, with particularly intense, brilliant colours and without any optical distortions.
in addition, mounting pictures under glass displays some crucial advantages in comparison with mounting them under plexiglass in a visually-similar way: glass is far less prone to scratching compared with plexiglass and absorbs no moisture. any stretching or deformation of the material can thus be ruled out.


text:
Climate|COP24, the New Round of Global Climate Talks, Has Begun. We Answer Three Key Questions.
WASHINGTON — With the world still struggling to get global warming under control, diplomats from nearly 200 countries are scheduled to meet in Poland over the next two weeks to try to put global climate negotiations back on track.
The focus of the meeting? To hammer out a key set of rules for the Paris climate agreement that, delegates hope, will help prod countries to cut fossil-fuel emissions far more deeply in the years ahead than they’re currently doing.
Under the Paris deal, signed by world leaders in 2015, virtually every country on Earth agreed to submit a plan for curbing emissions and vowed to ratchet up efforts over time. But key questions about how that process would unfold were left unanswered: How thoroughly should countries report their progress on emissions? How detailed should their plans for making further cuts be?
Delegates at the conference — being held in Katowice, at the heart of Poland’s coal-mining region, and which is known as COP24, shorthand for its formal name — will haggle over a “rule book” that will lay out the answers to those and other key questions. The debates are often technical, but highly contentious: China, for instance, has suggested that developing countries should be held to looser reporting standards, but Europe and the United States have pushed back.
The stakes are high: While countries agreed in Paris to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels, the plans that various countries have written so far are wildly insufficient to that task. Currently, the world is on pace for around 3 degrees Celsius of warming or more, bringing far higher risks of deadly heat waves, floods, the collapse of polar ice caps and other potential calamities.
What’s more, some countries are now backsliding. The Trump administration has disavowed the Paris deal and plans to pull the United States out by 2020, though the country will nonetheless send officials to Poland to participate in talks. Australia and Brazil also have newly elected leaders opposed to more forceful climate action, and some analysts are now finding signs of a “Trump effect” that could undermine global efforts on climate change.
What’s the point of these climate talks?
To understand the Katowice meeting, it’s useful to recall that the Paris climate agreement was largely intended to work through peer pressure among nations.
Under the Paris agreement, countries aren’t required to submit legally binding plans for reducing emissions. Instead, each country submits a voluntary plan tailored to its own domestic situation. This structure, the architects of the Paris deal said, was the most realistic way to get every world leader to agree to participate.
But those architects also realized that countries aren’t doing nearly enough to keep the world below 2 degrees Celsius of warming. So, under Paris, countries are required to meet periodically, assess their collective progress and see where stronger action can be taken. World leaders could then push each other to ratchet up their ambitions over time.
But for this peer-pressure dynamic to have any chance of working, analysts say, countries will need to track and report their progress on curbing emissions in a transparent, standardized way. And they’ll need to offer much more detail on how they intend to cut fossil-fuel emissions in the future, so that outside experts can scrutinize their plans and point out exactly where current climate policies are falling short.
Right now, this is often difficult to do. For instance, many countries, like Indonesia, have pledged to reduce their emissions below a “business as usual” trajectory. But without a clearer sense of what counts as business as usual, it can be hard to track how much these countries are really doing.
So, in Katowice, negotiators will hash out these thorny details, like how rigorously countries should track their progress or what level of outside scrutiny future pledges should face. One current draft of the negotiating text is 236 pages long, and, according to an analysis by Carbon Brief, contains more than 3,700 items where countries still disagree on wording. Negotiators have until Dec. 14 to resolve all of them.
What are the big disagreements?
The rule book is expected to provoke fierce debate. Some developing countries have argued that they should be given much more leeway in how they report and track their progress, especially if they have limited technical capacity to measure their emissions. China, in particular, has long been wary of outside scrutiny.
Other countries, like the United States and Europe, are leery of holding countries like China, India and others to a lower standard because developing nations account for 60 percent of global emissions today.
Money is another perennial sticking point. India and African countries, for example, have long insisted that wealthy nations need to provide more financing to help poorer governments shift to clean energy or adapt to the impacts of global warming. They have pushed for much more detailed pledges on aid.
Looming over all these debates is the uncertain role of the United States, which played a critical part in bringing countries together to finalize the initial Paris agreement in 2015.
While the State Department is still sending a team to negotiate the rule book, the Trump administration has largely repudiated the Paris deal and has refused to send an additional $2 billion in climate aid that had been pledged by the Obama administration at Paris. It is still unclear how much influence the United States will have at this newest round of talks, or whether any other countries might step in to take a leadership role.
“The global political environment is really challenging right now, with nationalism taking hold in many countries,” said Samantha Gross, a fellow in the Cross-Brookings Initiative on Energy and Climate, in a recent telephone call with reporters.
The most important work on climate change policy will continue to be done by national and local governments around the world; by private businesses, investors and individuals; and by scientists and engineers developing clean-energy technologies.
In that regard, few countries are expected to come to Poland with sweeping new climate policy announcements. For instance, Germany, which has been discussing when to set a date for phasing out its coal consumption, has postponed any major decision until after the meeting.
One big question is whether the negotiators will wrap up the talks with a strong rule book in hand. Under the Paris deal, countries have informally agreed to consider revising their near-term emissions pledges by 2020 to make them stronger. Analysts will be watching to see if countries emerge from Katowice with a clear intent to increase their ambitions, or if the Trump administration’s refusal to tackle climate change might persuade other leaders to slacken their own efforts.
If negotiators at Katowice struggle to agree on a robust rule book, or the talks deadlock entirely, that could further sap global momentum for climate action.

lowercased:
climate|cop24, the new round of global climate talks, has begun. we answer three key questions.
washington — with the world still struggling to get global warming under control, diplomats from nearly 200 countries are scheduled to meet in poland over the next two weeks to try to put global climate negotiations back on track.
the focus of the meeting? to hammer out a key set of rules for the paris climate agreement that, delegates hope, will help prod countries to cut fossil-fuel emissions far more deeply in the years ahead than they’re currently doing.
under the paris deal, signed by world leaders in 2015, virtually every country on earth agreed to submit a plan for curbing emissions and vowed to ratchet up efforts over time. but key questions about how that process would unfold were left unanswered: how thoroughly should countries report their progress on emissions? how detailed should their plans for making further cuts be?
delegates at the conference — being held in katowice, at the heart of poland’s coal-mining region, and which is known as cop24, shorthand for its formal name — will haggle over a “rule book” that will lay out the answers to those and other key questions. the debates are often technical, but highly contentious: china, for instance, has suggested that developing countries should be held to looser reporting standards, but europe and the united states have pushed back.
the stakes are high: while countries agreed in paris to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees celsius, or 3.6 degrees fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels, the plans that various countries have written so far are wildly insufficient to that task. currently, the world is on pace for around 3 degrees celsius of warming or more, bringing far higher risks of deadly heat waves, floods, the collapse of polar ice caps and other potential calamities.
what’s more, some countries are now backsliding. the trump administration has disavowed the paris deal and plans to pull the united states out by 2020, though the country will nonetheless send officials to poland to participate in talks. australia and brazil also have newly elected leaders opposed to more forceful climate action, and some analysts are now finding signs of a “trump effect” that could undermine global efforts on climate change.
what’s the point of these climate talks?
to understand the katowice meeting, it’s useful to recall that the paris climate agreement was largely intended to work through peer pressure among nations.
under the paris agreement, countries aren’t required to submit legally binding plans for reducing emissions. instead, each country submits a voluntary plan tailored to its own domestic situation. this structure, the architects of the paris deal said, was the most realistic way to get every world leader to agree to participate.
but those architects also realized that countries aren’t doing nearly enough to keep the world below 2 degrees celsius of warming. so, under paris, countries are required to meet periodically, assess their collective progress and see where stronger action can be taken. world leaders could then push each other to ratchet up their ambitions over time.
but for this peer-pressure dynamic to have any chance of working, analysts say, countries will need to track and report their progress on curbing emissions in a transparent, standardized way. and they’ll need to offer much more detail on how they intend to cut fossil-fuel emissions in the future, so that outside experts can scrutinize their plans and point out exactly where current climate policies are falling short.
right now, this is often difficult to do. for instance, many countries, like indonesia, have pledged to reduce their emissions below a “business as usual” trajectory. but without a clearer sense of what counts as business as usual, it can be hard to track how much these countries are really doing.
so, in katowice, negotiators will hash out these thorny details, like how rigorously countries should track their progress or what level of outside scrutiny future pledges should face. one current draft of the negotiating text is 236 pages long, and, according to an analysis by carbon brief, contains more than 3,700 items where countries still disagree on wording. negotiators have until dec. 14 to resolve all of them.
what are the big disagreements?
the rule book is expected to provoke fierce debate. some developing countries have argued that they should be given much more leeway in how they report and track their progress, especially if they have limited technical capacity to measure their emissions. china, in particular, has long been wary of outside scrutiny.
other countries, like the united states and europe, are leery of holding countries like china, india and others to a lower standard because developing nations account for 60 percent of global emissions today.
money is another perennial sticking point. india and african countries, for example, have long insisted that wealthy nations need to provide more financing to help poorer governments shift to clean energy or adapt to the impacts of global warming. they have pushed for much more detailed pledges on aid.
looming over all these debates is the uncertain role of the united states, which played a critical part in bringing countries together to finalize the initial paris agreement in 2015.
while the state department is still sending a team to negotiate the rule book, the trump administration has largely repudiated the paris deal and has refused to send an additional $2 billion in climate aid that had been pledged by the obama administration at paris. it is still unclear how much influence the united states will have at this newest round of talks, or whether any other countries might step in to take a leadership role.
“the global political environment is really challenging right now, with nationalism taking hold in many countries,” said samantha gross, a fellow in the cross-brookings initiative on energy and climate, in a recent telephone call with reporters.
the most important work on climate change policy will continue to be done by national and local governments around the world; by private businesses, investors and individuals; and by scientists and engineers developing clean-energy technologies.
in that regard, few countries are expected to come to poland with sweeping new climate policy announcements. for instance, germany, which has been discussing when to set a date for phasing out its coal consumption, has postponed any major decision until after the meeting.
one big question is whether the negotiators will wrap up the talks with a strong rule book in hand. under the paris deal, countries have informally agreed to consider revising their near-term emissions pledges by 2020 to make them stronger. analysts will be watching to see if countries emerge from katowice with a clear intent to increase their ambitions, or if the trump administration’s refusal to tackle climate change might persuade other leaders to slacken their own efforts.
if negotiators at katowice struggle to agree on a robust rule book, or the talks deadlock entirely, that could further sap global momentum for climate action.


text:
How does your bill compare to an average home in Snowball 2622?
Quarterly electricity bill prices include GST and are based on estimated average daily consumption of MJ in Snowball NSW, and may include all available discounts and incentives. Fees and other once-off charges are excluded.

lowercased:
how does your bill compare to an average home in snowball 2622?
quarterly electricity bill prices include gst and are based on estimated average daily consumption of mj in snowball nsw, and may include all available discounts and incentives. fees and other once-off charges are excluded.


text:
Thailand won the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Under-17 Championship on 1 September after defeating Laos 3-2 in the final. The Thais stormed to a 3-0 lead by half-time but were stunned by their rivals’ courageous comeback. “It was great to get the three goals in the first half although I felt that the players were a little tired after the break,” said Thailand head coach Prayoung Khunan.
Abdysh-Ata overcame Lokomotiv2-1 to win the Kyrgyzstan Cup for the first time on 31 August. Kyrgyz international striker Almazbek Mirzaliev (36, 90) scored a brace for Abdysh-Ata while Shukhrat Yusupov (54) was on target for Lokomotiv.

lowercased:
thailand won the asean football federation (aff) under-17 championship on 1 september after defeating laos 3-2 in the final. the thais stormed to a 3-0 lead by half-time but were stunned by their rivals’ courageous comeback. “it was great to get the three goals in the first half although i felt that the players were a little tired after the break,” said thailand head coach prayoung khunan.
abdysh-ata overcame lokomotiv2-1 to win the kyrgyzstan cup for the first time on 31 august. kyrgyz international striker almazbek mirzaliev (36, 90) scored a brace for abdysh-ata while shukhrat yusupov (54) was on target for lokomotiv.