During the fourth conference the decision is made to develop an internet version of the Diagnostic scan. The scan is developed and presented during the conference meeting. In the meeting a discussion started on the possibilities to provide more information about the choises a participant made in the scan. The idea was to create an advaced version of the scan. In the coming period a secoind more advanced version of the internet scan will be developed. See Output 4: Diagnostic scan.


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'BEACONS OF EXCELLENCE' AWARDS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Each year, the University of Utah's Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Office of Student Affairs recognizes people, programs and projects committed to creating a transformative, undergraduate educational experience. The six Transforming U: Beacons of Excellence awards celebrate "best practices" found across campus, including labs, student clubs, individuals, centers […]
'BEACONS OF EXCELLENCE' AWARDS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Each year, the University of Utah's Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Office of Student Affairs recognizes people, programs and projects committed to creating a transformative, undergraduate educational experience.
The six Transforming U: Beacons of Excellence awards celebrate "best practices" found across campus, including labs, student clubs, individuals, centers and more. Since the award was created in 2012, hundreds of nominations have been submitted by students, faculty, staff and community members.
Nominations are currently being accepted and are due by Monday, April 20, at 5 p.m.
Recipients of the 2015 awards will be honored throughout the year in print and other media outlets on campus and in the community.
More information about the award and past honorees is available online.
YOUR UTAH YOUR FUTURE
Utah is one of the fastest growing states in the nation and by 2050 its population will double. Make sure your voice is heard in shaping the future of education, recreation, public land use and more in the Your Utah Your Future survey.
Envision Utah launched the survey last week and will donate $1 to ASUU for every University of Utah student, faculty, staff member or community member who takes the survey. The maximum donation amount is $20,000 and is available on a first come, first served basis. The school with the most survey respondents will receive an additional $1 per respondent up to $5,000.
The survey will be available at envisionutah.org until May 31.
The survey results will determine Utah's vision for the next 40 years of growth for policymakers, local governments, businesses and developers, in every aspect from transportation to agriculture. Please take the time to thoughtfully respond to the survey in creating and sustaining beautiful, prosperous and healthy neighborhoods.
Go here to cast your vote today.
THREE FACULTY RECEIVE "DISTINGUISHED" HONOR
Three University of Utah faculty members were recently added to the ranks of "distinguished professor," an honor reserved for selected individuals whose achievements exemplify the highest goals of scholarship a high dedication to teaching.
Dana Carroll, professor of the biochemistry, joined the U in 1975. He served as co-chair and then chair of the Department of Biochemistry. His research focuses on genome organization, DNA repair and genetic recombination. He is a pioneer in the development and application of genome engineering with programmable nucleases. He received the Novitski Prize from the Genetics Society of America in 2012, was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2013 and was awarded the H.A. Sober Lectureship by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2014. Carroll received a doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Polly Wiessner, professor of anthropology, has conducted fieldwork among the !Kung Bushmen of southern Africa for 40 years and the Enga of Papua New Guinea for 30 years. Among the !Kung, her research focuses on social security networks to reduce risk, style and social information in artifacts and !Kung day and night conversations. Her research in Enga deals with exchange, ritual and warfare with an emphasis on cooperation, competition and conflict. She is currently initiating a program to get cultural education woven into the Enga school curriculum in the face of rapid loss of traditional culture. Prior to coming to the U, she worked at the Max Planck Institute for Human Ethology.
Denise Dearing, professor and chair of the Department of Biology, studies the nutritional ecology of herbivorous vertebrates and the factors driving pathogen prevalence in small mammals. She has authored more than 100 scientific papers, and her work has been profiled in a variety of venues, including "Science Now," David Attenborough's "Life of Mammals" and 3-2-1 Contact, a science program for children. She has been recognized for her teaching efforts with a Distinguished Teaching Award and an ASUU Student's Choice Award. In 2014, she received the C. Hart Merriam Award from the American Society of Mammalogists and the Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award from the University of Utah.
STUDENTS WIN NATIONAL POLICY SOLUTIONS CHALLENGE USA COMPETITION
For the second year in a row, a team of University of Utah students has won the national Policy Solutions Challenge USA competition in Washington D.C.
U students Christopher Collard, Gavin Noyes, Tyler Murdock and Liz Larsen earned top honors on Saturday for their multi-pronged approach to creating policy solutions designed to mitigate the potential for a water crisis in the U.S. The team proposed to increase collaborative regional planning, including the establishment of water markets; to improve investment in watershed programs and to expand urban efficiency and conservation policies.
The team beat out several schools from around the country at the national competition between teams of students studying public policy, public affairs and public administration. The Policy Solutions Challenge culminates after teams work together for several months to research solutions and draft proposals on a specific public policy problem in the U.S. Students present their ideas at regional competitions, where a panel of judges evaluate the solutions based off of students' research papers and a live 15-minute presentation from the teams. Winners of the regional competitions advance to nationals.
For more on their project, click here.
CALL FOR SHAKEOUT 2015 VOLUNTEERS
If you are interested in participating as an Emergency Assembly Point volunteer for ShakeOut 2015 on April 16, please contact Jen Stones for details at 801-585-3751 or email Jen.Stones@ehs.utah.edu.
The U would love to have you help "Drop, Cover, Hold On and Evacuate."
Posted in Faculty/StaffTagged Beacons of Excellence, Christopher Collard, Dana Carroll, Denise Dearing, Distinguished Professor, Envision Utah, Gavin Noyes, Great Shakeout, Liz Larsen, National Policy Solutions Challenge USA competition, Polly Wiessner, Tyler Murdock, water crisis, watershed programs, Your Utah Your Future

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Today, Third Church is entering into a completely new and exciting chapter of our long story, even as we are in continuity with all that has come before. We are in a new denomination, one that is eager to empower congregations for creative works of mission. We are in a metropolitan city that is growing and changing in dynamic ways, and one in which God is clearly at work to advance his Kingdom and to bring healing and reconciliation. We are in a cultural moment in which growing secularity is requiring the North American church to restore its original identity as a missionary community. Who knows what the next chapter will hold?
There is One who does. As we dream and envision what lies ahead together, we take our cues from the One who reigns and writes the story of history. We want to follow Him and His ways, not our own creative ideas.
For that reason we'll be spending the first five weeks of the year studying some key passages together in the book of Acts. The book of Acts is not just an interesting narrative on the ancient church – it is our story, the story that we are a part of and that the Spirit of God continues to write for us today, both as a community and as individuals. We listen deeply to the story of the church so we know how to live as faithful followers of Jesus in this new time and place.
This week, we begin with the first scene of Acts, when Luke recalls the forty days Jesus spent with His disciples after his resurrection. Culminating with His ascension into heaven, those forty days were filled with His teaching them about Himself and the Kingdom of God, and preparing them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They were a pivot between Jesus' personal ministry on earth (when he invited the ordinary and unworthy into God's community) and the continuation of His ministry through the church (when that new community continued to invite those on the margins into transforming relationships with God) . The two parts of the narrative experienced by Jesus' first followers are key to understanding our call, today, too: Jesus first drew ordinary men and women into His story, then He sent them out into the world.
As you prepare for our worship together this Sunday, consider that we, today, are also invited to approach Jesus just as we are, but then to be changed, and sent.


England scored 17 unanswered second-half points to beat Wales 27-13 at Twickenham on Sunday.
A below par kicking display from fly-half George Ford was not enough to stop England from easing to victory as they outscored their opponents five tries to one. Ford missed all but one of his seven kicks at goal in a forgettable performance from the tee.
Wales were well poised when they went into the break 13-10 ahead after two shots at goal from Dan Biggar and a converted Rob Evans try, but were unable to fire after the break.
England's first-half scores were provided by Luther Burrell and Anthony Watson, while Ben Youngs, Jack Clifford and Marland Yarde all crossed in the second half.
The win ensures England travel to Australia high on confidence while Wales are left to collect their thoughts after losing to an England side missing first-choice players who were on Premiership final duty on Saturday.
England started the game the more threatening of the two, but it was Wales who were first on the scoreboard. Jamie Roberts ran a good line off a lineout to break the first wave of defence. A quick ball through the phases then saw several forwards gain inches before Evans crashed over for Wales' only try which Biggar converted.
The visitors then went 10 points ahead when England were penalised close to their line and Biggar made no mistake with his shot at goal.
George Ford missed a chance to reduce the deficit by three points when he sent his first shot at goal to the right of the posts at the end of the first quarter, but Burrell made up for it with his side's first try of the day.
The centre received a short pass from Ben Youngs close to the line and put his head down to break an attempted tackle before stretching and placing the ball on the tryline.
Ford missed the conversion, and to make matters worse his opposite number sent a second penalty through the uprights for a 13-5 lead, but England were able to hit back before the break.
An overlap on the left was exploited by Jonathan Joseph who drew the final defender before releasing Anthony Watson down the touchline. Watson was tackled short of the line but scrambled to dot down despite attention from the arriving cover defence. Ford was unable to bring his side within a point when he sent the conversion attempt wide.
Wales had one more chance to score before half-time when they set up an attacking lineout in front of the England line, but the home forwards were able to steal the ball at the maul to end the threat, giving Wales a 13-10 lead at the break.
England got off to the ideal start in the second half when Youngs dummied the defence off a lineout before diving over the line, handing England the lead for the first time in the game five minutes after the break.
Ford missed his third conversion attempt but was given an easy fourth attempt when Clifford picked up a loose ball after a stray Wales pass to race to the line untouched. The Welsh protested that Dan Cole had knocked the ball on in the build-up, but after deliberation with the TMO the referee awarded the try. The successful conversion made it 22-13 to England.
The home side furthered the lead by five when Yarde received a pass from Courtney Lawes on the right touchline, with Ford hitting the upright with the resulting kick.
The England fly-half then missed another kick when Wales were penalised and Dylan Hartley pointed to the posts, but England were able to see out any further Welsh attacks to come away 27-13 victors.


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The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Like A Whirlwind: Rodriguez And The Search For Sugarman
At times it's a story that almost beggars belief. Searching For Sugar Man, if you've not seen it already, is a documentary about Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, the 70-year-old singer-songwriter from Detroit who released two glorious, largely unheard albums some four decades ago, then promptly vanished without trace. Various grisly rumours about his unfortunate life – murder, suicide, jail time – began to circulate in the intervening years. Meanwhile his records had become huge in different corners of the world. Not least in South Africa, where his baroque-folk protest songs had become beacons of hope amongst anti-Apartheid campaigners.
via The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Like A Whirlwind: Rodriguez And The Search For Sugarman.
Newspapers & Magazines, Reviews & Interviews, Searching For Sugar Man Film
Searching For Sugar Man Film
Movie – Searching for Sugar Man | Rickie writes….
Rodriguez | Roundhouse


Correspondence with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is something many business owners dread. Not only do these kinds of administrative task absorb valuable time, but the prospect of contact can also be daunting. When you aren't a financial expert, the idea of communicating with such an important governing body can be stressful.
What if you say the wrong thing?
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And that's if you can even get through to HMRC. In a recent study, it was discovered that one in four calls to HMRC goes unanswered. That's around 18 million calls per year.
For small businesses, including sole traders, limited companies and partnerships, HMRC correspondence may be vital. While some will only hear from HMRC during tax season, others are forced to discuss important financial matters with them. This may range from account audits to the submission of year-end documentation.
Failure to meet HMRC correspondence responsibilities can result in major legal consequences, including penalties, fines and even court cases if the implications are serious enough. If HMRC correspondence is required of your business, it cannot be avoided. It's important to be aware, however, that you as the business owner do not have to be the one to talk to HMRC.
HMRC correspondence can be covered by a representative of your company. Our team of online business accountants at RS Accountancy can be that representative.
Remove the stress and uncertainty from your HMRC correspondence by having the RS Accountancy team manage communication on your behalf. Our online business accountants have over a decade's worth of experience in the industry, throughout which time we've handled more client's HMRC correspondence obligations than we can count.
RS Accountancy knows exactly how to deal with HMRC. We know how it likes to communicate. We know how to get the best results out of communication for our clients. We know how to make sure your business is providing everything HMRC requires.
With our services, there is never any question of missing information or potential consequences from improper correspondence. We take any question marks out of the process and offer true peace of mind. Our team of HMRC tax advisors is highly specialised in all tax legislation, and that's what makes us so good at what we do.
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There are many different reasons you may need to commit to vital HMRC correspondence, and they can range from simple and mundane to incredibly complex. RS Accountancy is on hand to help you with any and all HMRC challenges you may face. But what sort of thing does this include?
In April 2000, the government noticed that many IT contractors were leaving their regular employment to become self-employed. These newly self-employed IT contractors only had one customer: their original employer. So when the time came to invoice, they would simply send an invoice onto their previous employer through a limited company, or what is known as a "personal service" company. This turned out to be a pretty sweet deal for the IT contractor and the previous employer alike. The contractor was able to enjoy a lower rate of tax, while the previous employer benefited from not having to pay any Employer's National Insurance.
Well, that is until the government introduced IR53. The IR53 is a piece of tax legislation that was essentially designed to put an end to the tax benefits of being self-employed. Since then, IR53 has fluctuated in the HMRC's list of priorities, but now, it appears it is becoming a hot topic for the HMRC once again. If you have a limited a company and only have one customer/client, you might fall prey to IR35 investigations. Don't fear, though. We're here to help manage communication with HMRC and ensure you stay on the right side of the law.
The P11D form is in addition to your normal personal tax return. This documentation must be accurate and properly submitted for your business to benefit. Due to the nature of claims, it may be something HMRC contacts your business about in terms of financial auditing. Our online business accountants can not only discuss the form with HMRC for you but help you put it together as well.
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Bitcoin cash price picked up footing and moved over the $760 and $780 resistances against the US Dollar.
There is a fleeting bullish pattern line shaping with support close to $788 on the hourly diagram of the BCH/USD match (information feed from Kraken).
The match is in a noteworthy uptrend and it is probably going to quicken higher above $800 in the close term.
Bitcoin cash price hopped forcefully towards $800 against the US Dollar. BCH/USD is increasing bullish energy, which could lead it towards $850.
There was a sharp upside move in bitcoin cash price from the $715 swing low against the US Dollar. The BCH/USD combine amended a couple of focuses yesterday and tried the $710-715 help zone. Also, the 23.6% Lie retracement level of the last leg from the $660 swing low to $730 high was tried. The price finished a drawback revision close $715 and began a strong upward move.
It bounced over the $750, $760 and $780 resistance levels to enlist strong increases. There was even a break over the $800 level and the price framed a high at $809. Right now, the price is combining increases close $800. An underlying help sits close to the 23.6% Lie retracement level of the last wave from the $715 low to $809 high. Besides, there is a transient bullish pattern line shaping with help close $788 on the hourly graph of the BCH/USD. Along these lines, if the price redresses lower, it is probably going to discover bolster close to the $780-790 zone.
Taking a gander at the diagram, Bitcoin Cash price returns in a noteworthy uptrend above $760. It appears like purchasers may pick up footing for more upsides over the ongoing high at $809. The following obstacle for purchasers is around the $850 level.
Hourly MACD – The MACD for BCH/USD is set pleasantly in the bullish zone.
Hourly RSI (Relative Quality File) – The RSI for BCH/USD is as of now in the overbought zone.
TRON Price Analysis TRX/USD Bullish Pattern, 17 July.
In Depth: How is Bitcoin Cash different from Bitcoin?


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Home > Books > Quality of Life and Quality of Working Life
Open access peer-reviewed chapter
Work-Related Well-Being: From Qualitative Job Insecurity to Cognitive Reappraisal
Delia Vîrgă
Submitted: September 30th, 2016 Reviewed: January 17th, 2017 Published: August 23rd, 2017
Quality of Life and Quality of Working Life Edited by Ana Alice Vilas Boas
Quality of Life and Quality of Working Life
Edited by Ana Alice Vilas Boas
This study contributes to the understanding of the moderating effect of cognitive reappraisal, as a personal resource, for the relationship between qualitative job insecurity (QJI) and work engagement. Data was collected from 190 employees (53% men) who work in a multinational company in Romania. Hypotheses were tested using a hierarchical regression analysis, with work engagement as the dependent variable. The results support the moderation hypothesis: a cognitive reappraisal, as an efficient type of emotion regulation strategy, moderates the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement. Practical implications of the present findings suggest that trainings aimed at improving emotion regulation skills can help to increase work engagement for employees that experiment job insecurity based on deteriorating work conditions, specific to the qualitative job insecurity.
work engagement
qualitative job insecurity
cognitive reappraisal
work-related well-being
Show +
Delia Vîrgă*
West University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania
*Address all correspondence to: delia.virga@e-uvt.ro
Many organizations are undertaking sustained efforts to enhance their own employee's well-being, in general, and employee's engagement, in special. In this chapter, we will focus on work engagement, as a particular form of work-related well-being, and its relationship with proper antecedents and moderators. Work engagement is a positive state of well-being in relation to work, characterized by identification with one's work, and a high level of energy [1]. Moreover, vigour and dedication comprise the core dimensions of work engagement [2, 3]. Based on the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R model; [4]), well-being, in general, and work engagement, in particular, have job resources and demands as antecedents. Also, this model suggests that personal resources are predictors of work engagement and can buffer the unfavourable effects of job demands.
Job insecurity, as an economic reality, has been present in any and every market economy. In Europe, the unemployment rate has reached critically unprecedented levels [5]. In Romania, the challenges of the labour market are related to the high rate of young unemployed people. Also, the migration of highly skilled workers and an ageing population add to the challenge of developing a competitive economy for Romania. Thus, job insecurity is also a workplace stressor in organizational life, being less investigated in relation to work engagement. Against this background, the aims of the present study are to place job insecurity research in a Romanian context and investigate the buffering role of emotional regulation strategies in the job insecurity—well-being relationship; this way, we aim to contribute to the search for potential moderators.
Job insecurity "implies feelings of helplessness to preserve the desired job continuity" ([6], p. 2). Recently, in the literature, a distinction was made between two types of job insecurity (JI): quantitative and qualitative job insecurity (QJI). Thus, if quantitative job insecurity "implies feelings of helplessness to preserve the desired job continuity" ([6], p. 2), qualitative job insecurity is defined as "perceived threats of impaired quality in the employment relationship, such as deterioration of working conditions, lack of career opportunities, and decreasing salary development" ([7], p. 182). Qualitative job insecurity might develop as a result of organizational changes [8]. Because qualitative job insecurity implies a feeling of insecurity about the continuity of appreciated job aspects in the future, it can be considered an emotional demand [9]. Also, while quantitative job insecurity was extensively studied, especially regarding performance [10], research on qualitative job insecurity is less advanced. Further research is needed on the topic. This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement from the standpoint of its moderators, especially in the case of Romanian workforce. De Witte [6] argued that the detection of moderators in the relation between job insecurity and outcomes has a double aim. From a theoretical point of view, this detection adds knowledge about the direction in which job insecurity influences well-being. From a practical perspective, it is significant "because it provides indications about the variables that have to be influenced or changed, when one aims to reduce the negative consequences of job insecurity" ([6], p. 5). Recently, Wang et al. [11] advocated more research on personal characteristics as moderators of job insecurity. They argued that this kind of research is crucial for the theoretical development of the job insecurity literature and provides practical implications for organizations on how to train employees to manage job insecurity crisis.
Till now, there is only limited evidence for the interaction between job demands and personal, social or cultural resources [12]. Tremblay and Messervey [13] tested the hypothesis that compassion satisfaction buffers the impact of job demands on anxiety and depression, on a military chaplain sample. The results of regression analyses showed that personal resources (like compassion satisfaction) buffered the impact of role overload, as job demand, on job strain. In this case, personal resources act as a protective factor in relation to adverse working conditions. Furthermore, in their study among Romanian migrating workers, Vîrgă and Iliescu [14] tested the moderating effect of acculturation and support for family. Specifically, they hypothesized that acculturation could buffer the negative impact of job insecurity on well-being measures (like work engagement, burnout and health) and that support for family will boost this negative relation. They asked 477 Romanian employees who work in Spain to fill in questionnaires. Results of hierarchical linear modelling showed that acculturation buffers against the negative effects of job insecurity on well-being (engagement, burnout and mental health), but support for family had no intervening effect in this relation.
Personal resources are defined as positive self-evaluations that refer to individuals' ability to control their environment successfully [12, 15]. Personal resources (like self-efficacy, optimism, or personal ability to regulate emotions) have a great contribution to moderate the relation between job demands and well-being. Thus, personal resources can help to combat stressful situations and facilitate goal fulfilment in the face of hindrance job demands [16]. For instance, job insecurity could deplete a person's inner resources [17]. Based on the transactional model of stress and coping developed by Lazarus and Folkman [18], employees with a high level of personal resources can better cope with the job demands [19]. Nevertheless, in the literature, only a limited number of studies have examined personal resources as moderators of the effects of job insecurity on well-being (e.g. [20]). Personal resources are individual characteristics which can be modified and developed by training. This can play a significant role in increasing individual resilience in unpredictable situations that can obstruct the relations at work, like qualitative job insecurity.
Emotion regulation is defined as "the processes by which individuals influence which emotions they have when they have them, and how they experience and express these emotions" ([21], p. 275). In this study, we focused on cognitive reappraisal, as an efficient type of emotion regulation strategy. Cognitive reappraisal occurs very early in the emotion-generative process and prevents the development of negative emotions [22]. We have selected cognitive reappraisal, as a strategy for emotion regulation and personal resource, based on previous research proving this strategy is associated with positive organizational aspects [23]. Also, cognitive reappraisal may be considered a personal resource because it is malleable and continues to be improved even unto old age [24].
Specifically, we will test the cognitive reappraisal as a moderating construct in the association between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement. This study is one of the few which analyzes the moderating role of cognitive reappraisal, as a strategy of emotion regulation and personal resource too, in the relation between the job demands and organizational well-being.
Based on the transactional model of stress and coping [18], we argue that a high level of cognitive reappraisal can act as a buffer against the undesirable impact of qualitative job insecurity on work engagement. Accordingly, our study aims to reappraise cognitive reappraisal and consider it as a personal resource, which can be developed to better cope with qualitative job insecurity. Specifically, the objective of the present study is twofold. First, we will examine the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement. Second, we will investigate the moderating effect of cognitive reappraisal in the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement.
2. Qualitative job insecurity and work engagement
Work engagement is a fulfilment in relation to work and has a core component, vigour and dedication, which fosters positive individual outcomes like performance and health [1]. Vigour is characterized by a high energy level, mental strength during labour and willingness to invest effort in work and to persist even in the face of obstacles [25]. Dedication is characterized by enthusiasm, inspiration, honour and challenge [2].
The Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R model; [4]) is one of the most used models to explain work engagement. This model can be used in any work environment and can be adapted for any job assessment, given that the principle of the model is that any job is composed of two categories of elements: job demands and job resources [12]. Job resources (like feedback, autonomy, transformational leadership or social support from colleagues) are specific for each organization and have an important role in predicting engagement. However, engagement is weakly, negatively related to job demands, such as workload, time pressure or cognitive demands [12].
Job insecurity, as hindrance job demand, has been negatively related to employees' well-being, in general, and to work engagement, in particular [26, 27]. Moreover, employees who experience job insecurity show less engagement at work [27–29].
In this chapter, we analyze a special type of job insecurity, qualitative job insecurity, which is the insecurity related to the job content, the working conditions or the degree of social support in the job one may experience in the future [8]. Recent research indicates that qualitative job insecurity is an important job stressor and may have the same negative consequences as quantitative job insecurity [30]. Research on this topic is developing, but more inquiry is needed to identify the impact of qualitative job insecurity on work-related well-being, in general, and on work engagement, in particular.
The first aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement. Thus, we formulate the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: Qualitative job insecurity is negatively associated with work engagement.
3. Cognitive reappraisal as moderator
The JD-R model supports the idea that the effects of job demands are moderated through personal means [4, 31]. According to Ref. [32], individual differences in emotion regulation affect the way work-related emotional events relate to individual well-being and performance. For example, emotionally competent people who actively address emotional job stressors do have less adverse health effects later [33, 34]. This study also adopts the transactional model of stress and coping [18] to analyze the relations between stressors, well-being and coping strategies in Romanian employees. Experiencing job uncertainty related to work conditions has a great potential for an increase in job-related stress and an impact on employees' feelings and behaviours [18].
Emotion regulation is a key mechanism for our survival and is at the core of successful social interactions [35]. It is defined as "a controlled process that is used to change a person's spontaneous emotional response" ([36], p. 2). According to Ref. [21], emotion regulation consists of the efforts people make during emotionally distressing events to influence the experience (its intensity, duration, etc.), and the expression of the activated emotions [22] designed a process-oriented model of emotion regulation to classify the strategies people use to regulate their emotions.
Emotion regulation strategies are ways in which people can modulate their emotions [37]. Depending on when these cognitive events occur along the timeline of information processing, there is cognitive reappraisal (also known as antecedent-focused regulation), which comes early in the emotion-generative process, and response-focused regulation (e.g. expressive suppression), which is applied when emotions are already fully experienced and only modifies the emotional display, not the experience [32].
A dysfunctional cognitive emotion regulation, in general, contributes to a decreased quality of life and well-being [37]. According to Ref. [21], the use of antecedent and response-focused strategies is considered to differ in their consequences on health and well-being. Thus, expressive suppression turns out to be an ineffective strategy in terms of altering emotional experiences because it decreases the emotional expression, but not the intensity of the felt emotion [22, 37] at the price of cognitive load which may provoke one's impaired memory and affect their social functioning [32]. Thus, individuals who resort to the use of expressive suppression also experience increased depression and anxiety, are less satisfied with their lives and relationships and are more pessimistic about the future [35, 37].
Also, reappraisal imposes a much smaller cognitive load because it does not need to monitor one's feelings and behaviour later on [22, 38], cognitive performance is not negatively influenced, memory is not decreased [38], and interpersonal communication is not impaired. Instead, health, memory and social relationships are all positively influenced by cognitive reappraisal [23, 38, 39]; people report a better interpersonal functioning [35] and positive well-being [37]. Experiencing job uncertainty is a great potential for stress in employees, and this affects their feelings and behaviours [14]. Specifically, when employees feel that the continuity of important job features is threatened, their engagement tends to decrease. However, a cognitive reappraisal, as an efficient strategy for emotion regulation, prevents the development of negative emotions [22]. We chose this strategy for the present research because the cognitive reappraisal behaves as a buffer in the relation between qualitative job insecurity and engagement. This way, it diminishes the negative effect of job insecurity (i.e. fear of losing privileges related to the job), on employees' engagement.
The second aim of this study is to investigate the moderating effect of cognitive reappraisal on the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement, which has not, to our knowledge, been so far investigated. Thus, we formulate the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 2: Cognitive reappraisal buffers the negative relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement.
4.1. Participants and procedure
Data were collected from employees who work at a multinational company in Timisoara, Romania, regarded as one of the largest multinational companies in Romania. The employees voluntarily participated in the study and were asked to fill in paper and pencil self-report questionnaires. Anonymity was guaranteed. We distributed 300 questionnaires. Finally, 190 respondents (53% men) returned the questionnaire (63.6% response rate). The age of the respondents ranged from 20 to 61 years (M = 29.86, SD = 8.56).
4.2. Measures
We used Romanian versions of all instruments which were evaluated using the standard back-translation technique.
Qualitative job insecurity was measured with a four-item scale, tapping into similar aspects as the items of [40]. A sample item reads "I feel insecure about the characteristics and conditions of my job in the future". Respondents were asked to evaluate the items on a five-point scale ranging from 1 ("totally disagree") to 5 ("totally agree"). On our sample, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for qualitative job insecurity scale is α = 0.82.
For measuring cognitive reappraisal, we used the five-item revised version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ, [35, 37]). A sample item reads "When I'm faced with a stressful situation, I make myself think about it in a way that helps me stay calm". Answers are collected using a seven-point Likert scale, ranging from 1—totally disagree to 7—totally agree. On our sample, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for cognitive reappraisal scale is α = 0.70.
Work engagement was measured with two dimensions of the short version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9; [41]): Vigour (three items: "At my workplace, I burst with energy".) and Dedication (three items: "I find the work that I do full of meaning and purpose"). All items were scored on a seven-point frequency scale, ranging from 0 ("never") to 6 ("always"). Following the previous research [42, 43], we used these two dimensions as core work engagement. On our sample, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for core work engagement is 0.87.
4.3. Analysis
Hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis, with work engagement as the dependent variable.
Table 1 presents the means, standard deviations, correlations and reliability estimates for the variables in the model. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of reliability are ranging from 0.70 to 0.87. As predicted, a negative correlation was found between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement (r = −0.33, p < 0.01). Also, a positive correlation of cognitive reappraisal was found with engagement (r = 0.15, p < 0.05).
1. Qualitative job insecurity 7.31 2.46 (0.82) 0.03 −0.33**
2. Cognitive reappraisal 23.34 5.98 – (0.70) 0.15*
3. Work engagement 23.15 7.31 – – (0.87)
Descriptive statistics and intercorrelations.
*p < 0.05;
**p < 0.01; two-tailed. Cronbach's alphas are listed on the diagonal.
Notes: N = 190;
In order to test hypothesizes H1 and H2, we conducted hierarchical multiple regressions with cognitive reappraisal as a moderator. First, we transformed the predictor (job insecurity) and the moderator (cognitive reappraisal) in Z scores, and we entered the predictor variable in Step 1 and the moderator in Step 2; we then entered their interaction term in Step 3.
Table 2 presents the results of the hierarchical regression analyses. We tested the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and cognitive reappraisal and the interaction between qualitative job insecurity and cognitive reappraisal, with work engagement as the dependent variable.
Qualitative job insecurity (QJI) −0.33** −0.34** −0.34**
Cognitive reappraisal (CR) 0.16* 0.19*
QJI × CR 0.15*
R2 0.11 0.14 0.16
Change in R2 0.02 0.02
F for change in R2 24.21** 5.87* 5.18*
Moderated hierarchical regression analyses for work engagement.
**p < 0.01;
*p < 0.05.
In Step 1, the effect of qualitative job insecurity was tested. Results show that qualitative job insecurity explained 11% of the variance in work engagement (β = −0.33, p < 0.01, F(1, 188) = 24.21, p < 0.001). More specifically, high levels of qualitative job insecurity were related to lower levels of work engagement. Thus, H1 was supported.
After controlling for the qualitative job insecurity, the effect of cognitive reappraisal on work engagement was tested in Step 2 of the regression analysis. The addition of the moderator variable also revealed a significant effect for engagement. Results show that cognitive reappraisal only explained 2% of the variance in work engagement (β = 0.16, p < 0.01, F(1, 187) = 5.87, p < 0.01). Thus, cognitive reappraisal predicts engagement, after controlling for qualitative job insecurity. More specifically, high levels of cognitive reappraisal were related to higher levels of engagement, after controlling for qualitative job insecurity. In Step 3 of the regression analysis, we entered the interaction between qualitative job insecurity and cognitive reappraisal. Thus, the results show that the two-way interaction explains a statistically significant part of the variance in work engagement (F(1, 186) = 5.18, p < 0.05, ΔR2 = 0.02, p < 0.05). The qualitative job insecurity has statistically significant interactions with cognitive reappraisal (β = 0.15, p < 0.05).
Simple slope analyses were conducted for this statistically significant interaction. As shown in Figure 1, when confronted with high qualitative job insecurity, employees with a high level of cognitive reappraisal reached a high level of work engagement (β = −1.37, t [189] = 12.50, p < 0.001). Also, when low qualitative job insecurity is associated with a high level of cognitive reappraisal, employees are highly engaged (β = −2.52, t [189] = 56.34, p < 0.001).
Interaction effect of qualitative job insecurity and cognitive reappraisal in predicting work engagement.
To conclude, H2 is supported for qualitative job insecurity, in interaction with cognitive reappraisal (as a personal resource): cognitive reappraisal is a moderator and buffers the negative relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement.
This study examined the moderating role of cognitive reappraisal, as a personal resource, in the relationship between qualitative job insecurity, as a stressor, and work engagement, as job-related well-being indicator, for a sample of Romanian workers. Based on JD-R model [4] and the transactional model of stress and coping [14], this study proposed that cognitive reappraisal buffers the effect of job insecurity on work engagement. The results support our hypotheses and offer evidence about the relation between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement on a Romanian sample.
In addition to the initial studies that brought evidence for the detrimental associations of qualitative job insecurity with employee well-being [40], in our study qualitative job insecurity was directly associated with work engagement, as work-related well-being [20, 40]. One possible explanation for this finding is that employees who experience a fear that their working conditions can be devaluated, or experience a high level of qualitative job insecurity, could also experience a low level of engagement for work.
The results also support the moderation hypothesis: cognitive reappraisal moderates the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and work engagement. However, the employees who use cognitive reappraisal, as a strategy of emotion regulation and, implicitly, as a personal resource, can develop a higher work engagement when they perceive a high risk of deterioration in working conditions, as compared to those who have a lower cognitive reappraisal use. Employees who use cognitive reappraisal as an emotional coping strategy would develop a positive affective attitude towards the organization in which they work, even if they perceive threats of impaired quality in the employment relationship.
7. Limits and future research
The present study has a few limitations. One limitation would be its correlation nature. This type of research design does not permit clear conclusions on causality that occurs between the studied variables. The data was also obtained by self-report, which can lead to errors due to the effects of common variance. However, it is argued that the biasing effects of self-reports are overstated and, when measuring variables like cognitive reappraisal, the subjective experience is what matters. The sample used was one of convenience, consisting of employees from the same organization. Future research could be conducted on employees in other occupational categories and different age groups.
Also, in future research, we could refine the measurement of well-being forms and study the effects of interaction between qualitative job insecurity and cognitive reappraisal for each type of well-being. Besides the interaction effects between qualitative job insecurity and cognitive reappraisal, it would be interesting to check the interaction of three variables, such as between job demands, personal resources and job resources. For future research, a longitudinal study would be necessary on this theme, in order to observe the dynamic of the relationship between these variables across time.
8. Practical implications
Based on the results of our study, employees could be trained to manage their emotions and reduce the job strain accordingly. Intervention programmes that increase the adaptability of the employees to the organizational environment should be implemented to develop the individual mechanism of emotion regulation. The employees who use cognitive reappraisal, as a personal resource, have a better organizational adaptation and a high level of work engagement.
Recent research provided evidence about the positive impact of an emotion regulation training (like Affect Regulation Training (ART); [44]) on improving emotion regulation skills and the well-being of employees in health [45]. Based on the integrative model of Adaptive Coping with Emotions (ACE), Berking [44] created and developed the standardized Affect Regulation Training (ART), which focuses on the improvement of those emotion regulation abilities as strategy to increase well-being. The ART includes stress relaxation and cognitive-behavioural techniques and adds mindfulness-based strategies to improve emotion regulation [45]. One such intervention programme, which emphasizes emotion regulation skills, could strengthen personal resources of employees who are confronted with uncertainty conditions of work and increase their work-related well-being.
Thus, in the context of job uncertainty, for boosting work engagement, as work-related well-being, it's necessary to create interventions based on training for personal resources, especially emotional regulation skills. However, the strong relation between work engagement and performance adds one more argument for the project and implements effective interventions for the increase of employees' engagement.
Personal resources can help employees deal with different job demands in relation with well-being. Specifically, cognitive reappraisal, as an effective emotion regulation strategy, can be conceptualized as an important personal resource in the context of qualitative job insecurity. Especially, employees that experience feelings of uncertainty about future work conditions, or a decrease in their salary, should have a repertoire of efficient emotional strategies helping them deal with negative emotional demands. Cognitive reappraisal, as a way of cognitive change, acts as an emotional coping ability in insecure contexts and supports employees in successfully dealing with negative perspectives in work situations.
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1.Introduction
2.Qualitative job insecurity and work engagement
3.Cognitive reappraisal as moderator
4.Method
5.Results
6.Discussions
7.Limits and future research
8.Practical implications
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Tag Archives: Jack Mefford
We shook them up
Since they steamrolled us in our first game, Einstein Academy expected to win handily on the rematch Friday. One player even heckled a Saint: "I guarantee that there is no way we will lose this game."
Well, Lighthouse Christian Academy made them sweat to earn their win. LCA rattled their nerves and hacked their hubris. And even though the Saints went down 1-6, the Christian kids from Santa Monica could hold high chins by the final whistle. With only one club player and a former club player, the Saints had stood tall against a high school team of 10 club players of varsity soccer.
"You guys don't give up," said Einstein coach Ken Erenberg. "I thought that was great about your team — the whole game they kept fighting through, no matter what the score was. They kept fighting. You got that goal at the end. It was the never die. It was nice to see that."
Indeed, it took the Rockets 25 minutes to break down the Saints dogged defense.
In the first match, the Einstein players had notched two goals in the first 10 minutes. And then they stepped off the gas pedal and coasted to an easy 0-6 victory.
But on Friday, Coach Erenberg sounded frustrated as his team couldn't manage to open the deadbolt. The Rockets keeper too scolded his team.
It was a different Saints team. On the first matchup, the Saints were presumptuous. They were on a 3-game winning streak that included the shock defeat of last year's champs. As they oozed confidence, they lacked concentration. Since they took to the field thinking they'd win without even having to play, the Saints crashed and burned terribly. They committed enough errors to make the discriminating soccer observer turn his nose inward face palms.
The scoreline –0-6 — was a humiliating wake-up call and could have been far worse, except that the Rockets sent on their second string for some practice in the second half.
On Friday, the fierce determination of the underdog Saint was back with a vengeance, and a growing alarm in the voice of the shouts from the sidelines and on the field was evident.
Ultimately, the Saints committed an error, and the Rockets buried the ball in the net for their first at 25 minutes. By halftime, they had three goals, all products of a lapse of concentration and the lack of experience.
As the score crept upward, Coach Jack Mefford noted that Einstein did NOT take off their star player, #43, this time — a move that credits LCA's improved performance.
"I'll take that as a badge of pride," he said.
As the minutes crept towards the final, the Saints refused to cower like a dog with its tail between its legs. They continued to press, and their resilience paid dividends. Read the rest of the article.
Posted in Christian school Los Angeles, Christianity, Financial Talk, Santa Monica
Tagged Einstein Academy, Faith, high school teams, Jack Mefford, Jesus, Saints, soccer, South Bay Los Angeles, varsity
More than just a winning streak at Santa Monica Christian school
Posted on February 3, 2016 | 1 comment
The significance of this article is for Christians. Previously, the high school I work at (Lighthouse Christian Academy) formed its soccer teams haphazardly, as an afterthought among too many things to do. The new winning streak represents years of effort to actually build the program. This will attract students to our school and, consequently, to Christ.
With back-to-back victories, the Lighthouse Christian Academy soccer team has found its feet to rewrite recent history of missing playoffs.
Without normal forward Will Clancy, the Saints subbed Abraham Morales into the striker position, and the new LCA student rewarded coach's confidence with two goals, to bring the 4-2 victory over Westmark School in Encino yesterday.
"I never pictured myself making a goal, let alone two," the sophomore said coyly. "But after I made the first one I was determined to make the second."
Morales was deadly on the left, scoring his brace within the first 20 minutes.
Westmark scored next with some brilliant passing between two Lions stars. With the ball at the goal line on the left, one player found unmarked in the box his counterpart, who didn't bungle the shot. It was 2-1.
In the second half, Turk Erhan Meric, a fleet-footed sophomore, ran up the right on a through ball from midfielder Colby Thomas to get behind the Lion's defense and shoot powerfully home.
Again Westmark sent the ball to a player in the area, and he punctured the net. It was 3-2.
With the minutes ticking away, Lighthouse kept pressing to bury the match. Senior Shane Berry launched a throw-in into the area on the narrow field, and a Lions defender trying to clear the ball also controlled it with his hand.
Erhan Meric, a magician with the ball.
On the resulting penalty, Senior Adrian Brizuela, a powerhouse in the Saints midfield, blasted the ball past the goalie to remove the match from reach of the Lions. It finished at 4-2.
Coach Jack Mefford, who is also Lighthouse's principal, credited the Saints' progress with the time players have worked together. With a number of new students coming from schools other than its feeder middle school (Lighthouse Church School), the teammates needed to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses.
"They are working together. Especially this game, we just began to gel," Mefford said. "They're starting to know each other play with each other better. We're growing in confidence."
Tuesday's victory came on the heels of a win Monday, improving LCA's record to 4-1-3. The Saints are beginning to feel the excitement of possibly getting a playoff birth for the first time anyone can remember.
Abraham Morales was deadly in front of goal.
On Monday, Lighthouse beat 2-1 Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences from Santa Clarita for the second time. The Penmar Park game put on exhibition the Saint's powerful defensive line, which has speed, technique and physicality.
Senior Tex Hagoski, at stopper, made crucial saves and passes despite playing with an injured foot. Since his preferred sport is football, he brings a fearlessness and muscle that will intimidate some forwards. Don't underestimate his speed.
At sweeper, Abraham Kennedy has been a potent defender. Big and strong with a lifetime of soccer experience, Kennedy, a sophomore, doesn't win balls by hand-crafting them. By mass production, he foils opponents' attacks.
On Friday in the away game against Einstein, Kennedy led the charge to overturn a 0-2 deficit with a stunning rocket from 40 yards. After seeing the shocker, the Saints seemed moved to believe they could beat their opponents and rallied to finish 3-2.
There's no surprise the sophomore Alex Cervantes, given his soccer pedigree, holds the left back position impeccably. What surprises is how well senior Shane Berry contains on the right. He's not really a soccer player. His game is basketball. But his quickness and the similarities between basketball and soccer have helped him adapt.
LCA goals were produced by Brizuela and Meric, locked in a friendly competition to see who scores more by season's end. They are tied at six goals each. Einstein got a late consolation when refs awarded a penalty kick for a foul in the box.
Also last week, the Saints came from behind to tie Newbury Park Adventist Academy.
With the newfound momentum, the Saints face Concordia in Sylmar Friday, their penultimate season game.
*Photo: Adrian Brizuela goes for goal against Westmark yesterday. Credit: Jamie Roman, who is a sophomore at the Lighthouse Christian Academy. Jamie wrote this article for the Santa Monica Patch here, and I edited it. I always re-post my students' articles on my blog since I'm heavily involved in the final product.
Posted in Christian, high school, Santa Monica, soccer
Tagged Abraham Kennedy, Abraham Morales, Adrian Brizuela, Alex Cervantes, Christianity, Concordia, Einstein Academy for Letters Arts and Sciences, Encino, Erhan Meric, Faith, Jack Mefford, Jesus, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Newbury Park Adventist Academy, Penmar Park, Shane Berry, Sylmar, tex hagoski, varsity sports, Westmark School
Can't keep Jack in the box
Jack Mefford, principal of Lighthouse Christian Academy, doesn't only teach. He preaches, administrates, swims, plays water polo, coaches soccer, makes movies, raises four kids and…
Maybe it would be shorter to list the things he cannot do. Did I say he double-minored and played trumpet in UCLA marching band?
The debonair summa cum laude graduate has a long resume typical of Ivy League graduates who command top pay at top jobs. So what is he doing leading LCA with its (less than) ordinary pay scale?
"Money doesn't mean anything," he said. "When I was a youth and didn't know God and prayed to see if he was real, the first thing I asked Him was for love and the second was a purpose in life. He has given me both – my purpose is here serving the kids."
"Meff" – as LCA kids call him – accepts anyone who has made a mistake in life and wants a second chance. He believes everyone is entitled to one.
Raised in a farm town called Dinuba near Fresno, California, Mefford learned from his air force dad to work hard, be disciplined, value family and to achieve. He didn't learn about God until he reached early adulthood.
The early trappings of success didn't satisfy. "I had everything the world had to offer, and I felt something missing. I was doing everything they told me to do. I was following the script, and it was not enough," he said. "I felt there had to be something more, something eternal."
He began attending a church and later got linked up with Pastor George Neos at UCLA. Neos was pioneering a church at UCLA on campus. Mefford received a flyer and decided to attend only because his car broke down.
He was quickly impressed with Pastor George Neos's over-the-top earnestness and how Christianity affected his life.
The on-campus church migrated to Yale Street, Santa Monica, and Jack came along with his sweetheart, Nicolene. They married and when they graduated, they didn't go where their careers would lead – they stayed where their God had led.
Instead of scooping up a lucrative job, Jack immediately began teaching in the Lighthouse Church School (which is LCA's older brother, having kindergarten to middle school). He would also join his pastor on mission trips to Guatemala.
When Pastor George accepted a new assignment as the Hesperia pastor, Jack took over administration of the LCA.
Sadly, Mefford struggled with an inner sadness that he shared with not many; his wife couldn't have children. His dream of having a large family was floundering from early marriage. Nicolene suffered four consecutive miscarriages until, after a lot of praying, God finally granted a miracle.
He has now been blessed with four kids. Mefford's first daughter, Emma is six years old, his second, Jackson is four, Ethan is two and Weston is 11 months. He claims all children are miracles and is thankful to God everyday for his offspring.
Man of many abilities, Jack Mefford has done many wonderful things for Lighthouse.
Editor's Note: This article was first published here. It was written by Petrina Gratton, my journalism student at the Lighthouse Christian Academy.
Posted in Christian high school, Los Angeles, Santa Monica
Tagged Christianity, Faith, George Neos, inspiration, Jack Mefford, Jesus, Lighthouse Christian Academy, Nicolene Mefford, private school, thought


text:
Tencent Awarded $2.9M In Lawsuit Against Mobile Legends Developer Moonton
byBrandon Brathwaite
Tencent wins $2.9M lawsuit against Mobile Legends developer, Moonton
Riot Games began the first lawsuit in California, which was dismissed before Tencent brought the lawsuit to Shanghai.
Riot Games showed multiple comparisons between League of Legends and Mobile Legends in the suit.
Tencent Holdings , parent company of Riot Games , has been awarded 19.4 million Chinese yuan ($2.9M) in a lawsuit against the developers of Mobile Legends in China. Riot Games initially sued the mobile game's developers, Shanghai Moonton Technology Co., through the Central District Court of California. However, the case was dismissed on the argument that another jurisdiction or court would be more convenient for hearing the case.
Tencent then sued Moonton in Shanghai on behalf of Riot Games, making it a non-disclosure and non-compete lawsuit. In the original lawsuit between Riot Games and Moonton, Riot Games showed a number of in-game comparisons between League of Legends and Mobile Legends. These comparisons showed the characters, ability descriptions, the map, and other assets bearing many similarities. Magic Rush: Heroes, another game from Moonton, was also brought up in the lawsuit showing more similarities in characters with League of Legends.
An official court document from the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court stated that Moonton was originally made to pay Tencent 2.6M Chinese yuan ($388,000 USD). The court ruled that this original settlement was insufficient in value, and was raised to the amount that Tencent was subsequently awarded.
Tencent continues to show its strength in the growing Chinese esports market and its ability to protect its growing number of assets. Most recently, Tencent partnered with the the Minhang District and Super Generation Investment to build an international esports industrial park. Reports show that the Chinese esports market is expected to grow to $1.5B in 2020, and Tencent seems to be taking charge in shaping that future.
Want to know more about what Tencent's future in esports? Hear them speak at HIVE. Tickets available now.
Tags: Mobile LegendsMoontonRiot GamesTencentTencent Holdings
Brandon Brathwaite


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Me, Graham Norton and an infamous massacre
Posted on July 24, 2011	by rebelhand
Well, Graham Norton's great-great-great grandfather and my g-g-g grandfather, to be strictly accurate. They would have known each other. They probably wanted to kill each other. (Luckily, I quite like him and he doesn't know I exist, so that's all right!)
How did I find this out?
Four years ago, long before this blog was thought of, I was gripped by BBC TV's series Who Do You Think You Are?
I was fascinated by the unravelling of family myths and mysteries (we've got a few of our own) and envious of the fantastic resources that the Beeb could pull together.
Then, on November 2, 2007, I leapt out of my seat punching the air and shouting: "Carnew! The ball alley!"
Graham Norton was retracing his Irish roots and, to my amazement, his ancestor was in that southernmost Co Wicklow town at the same time as mine, in May 1798, when the terrible Carnew massacre was carried out.
On the other side.
While Nicholas Delaney was working in Robert Blaney's bog – at the moment Richard Twamley and George Heppenstall were being killed – Graham's ancestor, Thomas Walker, was among the yeomen in the town.
Indeed one of his relations, John Walker, was shot and piked by the rebels. Just as Twamley and Heppenstall were, according to 'Croppy Biddy' Dolan.
And there was Graham in the ball alley in Carnew Castle, where the infamous massacre took place. The same ball alley my mother and I were shown by the castle's owner, who pointed out to us the bullet holes in the wall which still bear witness to the day when unarmed local United Irish prisoners were gunned down in cold blood by the yeos.
It was a strange moment.
Carnew: the Castle from All Saints' churchyard © Frances Owen and A Rebel Hand
I'll write more about the Carnew Massacre soon. It's not just a tragic story in its own right, but probably one of the incidents that spurred the people of Co Wexford, next door, to rise in arms and play their colossal part in 1798.
Since writing this I've found a clip of Graham in the Ball Alley – it's just as good second time around.
Update: The May 2015 edition of Irish Lives Remembered features more about Graham and his Carnew ancestors.
This entry was posted in 1798, Nicholas Delaney and tagged 1798, Biddy Dolan, Bridget Dolan, Carnew, Graham Norton, Heppenstall, Ireland, Nicholas Delaney, trial, Twamley. Bookmark the permalink.
18 Responses to Me, Graham Norton and an infamous massacre
Miles Byrne wrote in his memoirs:
'I knew several of the murdered men, particularly Pat Murphy, of Knockbrandon, at whose wedding I was two years before ; he was a brave and most worthy man, and much esteemed. William Young, a Protestant, was amongst the slaughtered.' I haven't found any more names.
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Did you ever manage to find a list of the United Irishmen executed in 1798? I would be very interested in this information.
An ancestor of mine (John Tutty from Kilpipe in Co. Wicklow) was thought to be among those executed. The following excerpt from the obituary section of the Freeman's Journal gives some information on this:
HOLOHAN – At 52 James Street, Mrs Margaret Holohan, aged 90 years. She was the daughter of Mr John Tutty of Kilpipe, County WIcklow, who was one of the 25 United Irishmen shot at Carnew on the 25th May 1798 and buried in Kilcashel graveyard at Wingfield, County Wicklow. R.I.P.
I'd be very grateful for any information anyone may have on this subject.
Hello Shane, good to hear from you again. No, I haven't been able to find a list of the United Irishmen executed in Carnew Castle in 1798. Can anyone help? Please leave a comment here if you have any ideas.
Mike Hanley says:
There is an old graveyard at Wingfield Tinahely Co Wicklow which is quite near to Kilpipe and about 8 miles from Carnew. Its possible that John Tutty may well have been Protestant as any Tutty's I knew about that area were of that faith. In 1798 there were scores of Protestant rebels in both Wexford, Wicklow and Carlow counties and in fact Bagnel Harvey who was made leader of the rebels in Wexford town was a Protestant. The conflict turned sectarian when rebel Catholics burned 25 Protestant's in a barn at Scullabogue Co Wexford.
Thanks, Mike, that's a great help!
It's useful to be reminded that 1798 started out as non-sectarian in that Catholics and Presbyterians were both involved.
Nicholas Dunne-Lynch says:
The only problem I could see was that the researcher told Graham that 'the Carnew massacre' happened on 1 June 1798, when it is widely acknowledged to have taken place on 25 May, just before the rebellion broke out in Wexford on 26th. Can you confirm the correct date?
Hi Nicholas, sorry to take a while to reply. You're right, the massacre took place on 25th May. It must have been a slip of the tongue on Ruan O'Donnell's part.
Nicholas Lynch says:
I thought that's what he said. Maybe I was mistaken.
Do you have any knowledge of the exact time of the executions, and the names of those involved, both executioners and victims? Miles Byrne writes that he was at the family farm at Fox Cover, Monaseed, when the news arrived, but that was the 26th, a day later, and Carnew is only 7 km away (Byrne writes 4 Irish miles), a half hour on horseback, something more than an hour on foot, but Byrne holds that the news did not reach Fox Cover until the day after the massacre. Did it take such news so long to travel in those disturbed times? I doubt it. My theory is that Byrne's sister, Bridget, already knew of the massacre when Miles arrived in the early morning, but did not want to alarm Miles. he says that he did not hear news of the Carnew massacre until later in the day on the 26th. (i, p.44). The two men he travelled with into Wicklow and Carlow on the 23-26th were Ned Nowlan and Mick Kearney, from the Monaseed area, both of whom were on the run from the Carrnew Yeomanry .He also writes: "The situation of the few Catholics who still remained in the different yeomanry corps, became every day more insupportable and humiliating and particularly so in those of Shillelagh and Carnew, these corps being principally composed of Orangemen, or to say the least, of very prejudiced and bigoted protestants.' He further writes that Mr Cope, a Protestant ministers and 'the magistrates' were present at the executions, and that among the slain were Pat Murphy of Knockbrandon, near Monaseed, and a Protestant named William Young. (i.p.36)
There are two other Carnew men I am interesting in learning more about: Ralph Blaney, the distiller, and Effy Page, his clerk. Do you have any information on either?
The Carnew Yeomanry also took part in the massacre on Kilthomas Hill, on 28th. They seen to have been a very aggressive corps.
Best regards Nicholas Dunne-Lynch
Thanks for your comments about Miles Byrne, Nicholas. I'd certainly got the impression that the massacre was one of the atrocities that caused the outbreak of true insurrection on the 26th. I don't know any more than you do about exactly who was involved, either executioners or victims. But it's not surprising that the Rev Charles Cope was present. He was rector of Carnew and an ultra-loyalist magistrate. He later went on to buy the castle. I can only guess at why he did that…
Cope was the man to whom Bridget 'Croppy Biddy' Dolan gave the deposition for which Nicholas Delaney would be tried for, and convicted of, murder. She was, as I expect you know, the notorious paid informer who brought many rebels to trial and not a few of them to the gallows, including Billy Byrne of Ballymanus.
I have some information about Ralph Blaney. He was a Lieutenant in the yeomanry. You'll probably have read what Miles Byrne says about his brother, Robert Blaney, whose property was saved from being burned when the northern division of the United Irishmen forces took Carnew because of his humanity towards captured rebels. Nicholas Delaney did some work for Robert.
Ralph Blaney was less well-liked and less lucky; his Carnew property was burned, but his house at Buckstown was saved. It's said that a protection notice, signed by Anthony Perry, was posted on his front door and this warned off a group who had come to set fire to it. Miles Byrne says that it was spared thanks to his neighbours. There's more here:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vSlcAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=%22ralph+blaney%22+carnew&source=bl&ots=8XhILxMjYw&sig=pbDPvn-z78iNitCSxqqAgLJ8v74&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GAKhUfnPKoO90QXkuYHQDg&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22ralph%20blaney%22%20carnew&f=false
Another Protestant, Benjamin Stone, "the only loyalist who remained" in Carnew after it was taken by the rebels. He was a defence witness for Nicholas Delaney and his friend and fellow prisoner Edward Neil. Stone told the trial he had "heard Lieutenant Blaney say that he would have been at a great loss but for prisoner Neil and his friends".
I hope that's useful.
Many thanks. That's very interesting. I read somewhere that, after the rebellion, Blaney put in a claim for the loss of more than 500 gallons of spirit, probably raw whiskey. The rebels must have had quite a party with that when they took the town.
Miles Byrne writes that he knew two of the men executed on 25th May, Patrick Murphy of Knockbrandon, near Monaseed, whose wedding he had attended two years previously, and 'William Young, a Protestant', whose home area he does not give. Do you have any details of the latter, or, even better, a list of all the victims?
Nicholas Dunne-Lynch
Yes, Blaney made a claim for losses – I'll see if I can find the exact reference. Sadly I've never seen a list of all the victims of the Carnew massacre. It would be an interesting hunt to find out if one exists. I am surprised that a Protestant was among them, since the conflict in the area is usually seen as being along sectarian lines. What fascinating questions.
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text:
Moi, Toril
http://id.loc.gov/rwo/agents/n85078445
Has Affiliation
Organization: (naf) Duke University
(naf) Farsund (Norway)
Feminism and literature
(lcsh) Literature--philosophy
Literary theorists
College teachers
http://viaf.org/viaf/sourceID/LC%7Cn++85078445#skos:Concept
Toril Moi Label from public data source Wikidata
found: Her Sexual/textual politics, 1985:CIP t.p. (Toril Moi) pref. (Norwegian; teaches French literature in England; Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford)
found: Wikipedia, February 6, 2017:English Toril Moi page (Toril Moi; born 28 November 1953 in Norway; currently is James B. Duke Professor of Literature and Romance Studies and Professor of English, Philosophy and Theatre Studies at Duke University; lived in Oxford, England, 1979-1989; research interests; feminist theory and women's writing; the interesections of literature, philosophy, and aesthetics; [accompanying picture of woman]) Norwegian Toril Moi page (born 28 November 1953 in Farsund) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toril_Moi


Furthur performing the full Terrapin Suite on night 1 of the two night run at MSG, on Saturday, Nov 20th, 2010.
I pay a visit day-to-day a few websites and sites to read articles or reviews, but this blog offers feature based writing.
into any issues of plagorism or copyright violation? My blog has a lot of exclusive content I've either created myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any solutions to help stop content from being stolen? I'd truly appreciate it.


We are already huge fans of the Lego Architecture Sets and their recreations of modernist icons in miniature bricks. But this 1950s modernist United Nations Building Lego Architecture Set could be the best yet.
We have featured Swatch on various occasions over the years, but I think this is perhaps the coolest design we've had so far – the Swatch x Oscar Niemeyer Tracos de Um Arquiteto watch.
'Tracos de Um Arquiteto' apparently translates to 'traces of an architect' and of course, the architect in question is Oscar Niemeyer. The watch was created for the 50th anniversary of Brazil's capital, Brasilia and is inspired by the architecture of its National Museum and the work of the architect himself.
So as well as offering up some retro cool, it just might get some knowing glances off fans of modernist design too. A limited edition, you can pick it up from Colette for 43 Euros.
Like your houses? Get some architectural inspiration from The Iconic House book. Subtitled 'Architectural Masterpieces since 1900', its 352 pages detail some of the most famous and influential architect designs houses around the world.
It makes the book an invaluable reference to twentieth century architecture featuring work by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe and Eileen Gray and will help you tell your Le Corbusier from your Oscar Niemeyer. It also goes right up to the present day to help pinpoint future classics.


When we first start out blogging,, we hear all these things like "survey your audience" and "find out what they want".
Most of us sit back after hearing that and go – umm what the hell, I don't even have an audience, how am I supposed to know what they want?
Luckily, I found the perfect way to survey your ACTUAL audience, in REAL time.
The audience that's actually reading your posts, and signing up for your emails.
The actual people – not the ones that you feel like are in a sea of readers where you feel like you can't connect with them.
Find out your audiences biggest struggles or pain points with this unique technique to see what your SPECIFIC audience needs help with.
By being able to survey your audience, you're learning specifically what your audience needs from you. If you sent out a survey once every six months, there's a bigger chance you would get less responses!
Instead of waiting every 6 months as your list grows, why not learn about them in real time?
Before moving onto the next step of building your survey – you will want to make sure you have a basic understanding of the problems your readers have.
For example, if your blog is about crafting, you'll know that your readers probably need help with organizing crafts, their craft room, maybe the technical aspects of crafting. If they plan on selling their crafts, they probably want to know more about that – etc.
This helps so that you can ask the right questions to your audience, instead of vague questions where you won't get good, informative answers.
You will need to have your email service provider set up with Convertkit, MailerLite, etc.
You should already have a freebie or email opt-in (sometimes called a lead magnet) set up, as well, in order to start getting email addresses. This will help ensure you're getting the right 'audience' to sign up, and that the questions will be relevant to them!
If you aren't this far yet – I would recommend working on that first before setting this up!
To get started, you'll want to build your survey.
Then you'll choose the right questions to ask your audience.
And finally you'll hook up your survey to your email service.
To get started, you'll want to build your survey! This is the secret sauce to learning more about your audience!
So first – you'll want to pop over to Google Forms here.
You'll create a new survey by selecting the big + sign, to start a new form.
You can also choose from the list of templates available.
First, title your survey. Mine is called The Success Mountain Survey – simple!
Then, start by entering the right questions for your audience! You can choose multiple choice questions, open-ended questions, check boxes, etc!
After that, you'll design your survey to customize it to your brand. It's really important to keep your survey looking like your brand so that your readers are familiar with it. You don't want them to skip it because it looks like an ad.
Second, you'll want to decide which questions are most relevant to your audience.
The idea is to make good business decisions based on the survey results!
For example, the people I thought I was attracting with my content I thought were NEW business owners.
Turns out, a lot of my readers have already started their businesses.
This is something I've learned from my survey, and it allows me to change my content, sales launches and email funnels accordingly!
How many questions should I ask my audience?
I recommend choosing a max of 5 questions. Anything more than that would cause them not to finish the survey or bypass it altogether. The main point is to try and get every single person to answer the survey.
What kind of questions should I ask my audience?
Another thing to mention is to choose check box answers, because you don't want to have too many open ended answers. I've heard that open ended answers allows you to get the real words your audience uses to describe their pain points, and this is true, but I did notice after some time that a lot of the answers were repeated.
And on top of that, it's hard to go through all of the answers without being able to see a bar graph. Google Forms will show you one by one answers, so it's hard to see correlations unless you have a multiple choice, or a check box.
I would aim for one long-form answer for them to fill out, for your most important question.
To grab my list of questions, grab my free cheat sheet in The Vault! The Vault is my resource library full of extra goodies you can download to help grow your business, too!
Once you're done with your questions, then you'll want to make sure your survey shows up somewhere your readers can see it.
I personally use a thank you page. I find that you can easily embed the form directly onto the page, which looks nice.
And I think links in emails can be dismissed easily, because they want to get access to their freebie and move on.
There's often a lot going on in that first email, so I can see it being totally skipped.
With a thank-you page and an embedded form, it's the very first action they do while they wait for their first email to arrive!
Go ahead and build your thank you page, and then we'll connect the page to your email service!
Finally, once you get your Thank You page built, make sure to add it into your email provider.
For Convertkit, you have the option to forward your subscribers over to a new link. In Convertkit, you can select the option for your subscribers to be forwarded to a new page. This is where you'll put the link to your thank you page!
If you don't have that option, you could simply put it in the "Thank you for subscribing, click here to finish up!" response after they hit 'submit' the email form – or some variation of that!
There's a few different ways you could do it! If you need help, comment below with your email service provider and I can help you out!
Finally, you'll embed your survey to your thank you page.
Head back over to your survey and hit the send button in the top right corner.
It will give you the option to change the size, but I didn't find it necessary. I simply selected the Embed HTML, and placed it in the thank you page on my website.
So you know learning as much as possible about your audience is going to be vital to your success. To do that without having an audience can be difficult – but not impossible!
Now you have a way to learn about your audience specifically (no Facebook polls with construed results)!
You can also avoid having to send out a survey every 6 months, that gets very little response!
This way you can get more accurate information, and tailor your content to really dive deep into those audience pain points.
To do this, we created a survey using Google Forms.
Then, we created our thank you page.
Finally, we connected everything together by embedding the form to the thank you page, and sending our subscribers to the thank you page after submitting their email address!
Whether you have a tiny audience of five people, or you have a gigantic one – learning as much as we can about how we can help them is a core piece of online business success. I hope this helps you learn more about them and grow your business or blog!
If you have any questions please let me know, I'm happy to help!


The commissioner of the thesis is an accommodation and service booking company Suomen Keskusvaraamo Oy. A company is piloting a new service concept which aims to arrange a school excursion programs for foreign student groups in Oulu area. The objectives of the thesis are to find out possibilities to recruit host families in Oulu area and which method would be the most suitable way to recruit the host families.
Background knowledge considers educational tourism and how it appears in Finland. Sustainable tourism and different accommodation choices are also introduced. Main principals for the host family recruitment are reviewed for the better understanding of the topic. Last part of the theoretical background concentrates on different customer profiles, Japanese customers and two Japanese student trip concept Shugakuryoko and Kenshuryoko. Research of the thesis is executed by applying literary sources, e-books, articles, websites, and reports. The empirical part is conducted by using qualitative and quantitative research methods in a semi-structured webropol survey.
This research gives concrete information to the commissioner on markets and which channels to use when recruiting host families. Results are illustrating possibilities in Oulu area and what kind of families are the potential target group for their new service model. Based on the research, the most useful marketing channels for recruiting are introduced.
Overall, the commissioner should take the potential markets into account by focusing on marketing and increasing awareness via different marketing channels. In addition, it will be valuable to find co-operating schools to execute school excursion service concept in the best possible way.


Discerning drivers will appreciate the 2019 Dodge Durango. It features an automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and a refined 6 cylinder engine. Dodge prioritized practicality, efficiency, and style by including: speed sensitive wipers, a leather steering wheel, an automatic dimming rear-view mirror, front bucket seats, power door mirrors and heated door mirrors, an overhead console, and 1-touch window functionality. Dodge also prioritized safety and security with features such as: dual front impact airbags with occupant sensing airbag, head curtain airbags, traction control, brake assist, anti-whiplash front head restraints, ignition disabling, an emergency communication system, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. Safety and maximum capability are assured via self leveling rear suspension, which maintains optimal driving geometry. Our aim is to provide our customers with the best prices and service at all times. Stop by our dealership or give us a call for more information.


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Jordyn Woods Has Been Trying to Apologize
Frida Garza
It's unclear if Jordyn Woods and Kylie Jenner will be okay after this. Woods, who just moved back in with her mom after reportedly hooking up with Tristan Thompson and effectively (?) ending Thompson and baby mama Khloe Kardashian's relationship, has been trying to call the Kardashian-Jenners to apologize. It's not working so far. A source—because none of these people have really spoken about the issue publicly, and certainly Woods hasn't—says that Woods "knows she made a mistake" and is "completely remorseful."
I'm not convinced that Jenner would break up with her best friend over this, but in any case, she's been going through her own hard time. Per another source who spoke to People:
"For Kylie, it's much more difficult. She has basically lost part of her world," said one insider. "She is very, very upset. She always trusted Jordyn with everything."
If all of this is true and none of it was orchestrated by Kris Jenner to distract from the fact Kim Kardashian has been accused of colluding with Fashion Nova to bring budget versions of high-end designer fashions to the market, well... then it's going to be a long road to recovery. Meanwhile, word on the street is that Woods applied for a job at SUR, which I don't believe for a second. (But, ah! Maybe!)
I wrote earlier this week that Kate Beckinsale does not need to worry about Pete Davidson hanging out with his ex, Carly Aquino, and reader, she doesn't. One source tells Us Weekly: "Pete only has eyes for Kate." They add: "She's cool and fun. It's long distance, but they're taking it slow."
Taking it slow sounds like a nice change of pace for Davidson, and fully the right move. But what about Aquino? Guys, people can stay in touch with their ex, it's not that big a deal. The source says Davidson has "remained friendly with Carly Aquilino, but they're just friends. Nothing more."
Davidson isn't looking for that kind of drama. Nothing to see here.
[Us Weekly]
I can't tell if Nick Jonas is trying to do an impression of Bradley Cooper or Lady Gaga in this cover of "Shallow."
Selena Gomez's best friend got married. [Just Jared]
Fuck! Bonnie and Frank from How to Get Away With Murder dated from three years and now broke up! Man. [Hollywood Life]
Can one of Ariana Grande's real friends take her phone away? [Oh No They Didn't!]
Devonna
The Kardashians Koverage has gotten me so cynical that I just wonder whether Jordyn Woods has her reality show contract signed yet.


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Q: unable to get sendKeyEvent method in appium-android In my appium-code, on using swipe, scroll methods and executing the code. Getting the below exception.

org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: An unknown server-side error occurred while processing the command. (WARNING: The server did not provide any stacktrace information)

And I don't see the SendKeyEvent method in the auto suggest dropdown. When I am manually typing SendKeyEvent(), it's throwing an error as undefined in the type AndroidDriver.
Attached screenshot
Can anyone let me know please ?

A: If you use java client 3.2.0 then you should try using pressKeyCode(keyCode) method instead of sendKeyEvent(keyEvent).
Hope it helps.

A: Of course, because this method is not for the driver. You can send keys to the element, not the driver. The solution would be following:
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("the_id"));
element.sendKeys("necessary_text");

A: This code worked for me:
AndroidDriver driver = new AndroidDriver(new URL("http://127.0.0.1:4723/wd/hub"), cap);
driver.pressKeyCode(AndroidKeyCode.HOME);

What is supported? What is obsolete? How to find answer to these questions?
Can someone please direct to reference???

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