Equities analysts expect that American Superconductor Co. (NASDAQ:AMSC) will post $14.85 million in sales for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Two analysts have made estimates for American Superconductor's earnings, with the lowest sales estimate coming in at $14.60 million and the highest estimate coming in at $15.10 million. American Superconductor posted sales of $13.50 million during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year-over-year growth rate of 10%. The company is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, June 5th.
According to Zacks, analysts expect that American Superconductor will report full-year sales of $56.45 million for the current year, with estimates ranging from $56.20 million to $56.70 million. For the next year, analysts anticipate that the firm will post sales of $71.15 million, with estimates ranging from $67.70 million to $74.60 million. Zacks Investment Research's sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that cover American Superconductor.
American Superconductor (NASDAQ:AMSC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 5th. The technology company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by $0.18. American Superconductor had a net margin of 52.83% and a negative return on equity of 25.54%. The firm had revenue of $14.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.13 million.
AMSC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of American Superconductor from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 28th. BidaskClub downgraded shares of American Superconductor from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. B. Riley boosted their price target on shares of American Superconductor to $11.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of American Superconductor from $10.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $14.20.
AMSC stock traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $12.26. The stock had a trading volume of 736,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 397,710. American Superconductor has a 52 week low of $4.84 and a 52 week high of $16.44. The firm has a market cap of $260.25 million, a P/E ratio of -6.67 and a beta of 1.12.
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tibra Equities Europe Ltd bought a new stake in shares of American Superconductor in the 1st quarter valued at $541,000. Worth Venture Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of American Superconductor by 76.8% in the 4th quarter. Worth Venture Partners LLC now owns 168,000 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,873,000 after acquiring an additional 73,000 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Superconductor by 231.2% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 261,852 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,919,000 after acquiring an additional 182,795 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in shares of American Superconductor by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 571,874 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $6,376,000 after acquiring an additional 116,374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its stake in shares of American Superconductor by 28.7% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 19,333 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 4,311 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 29.22% of the company's stock.
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Home » » PRINCIPALS' LEADERSHIP STYLES AND MORAL TONE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EDO NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT, NIGERIA
PRINCIPALS' LEADERSHIP STYLES AND MORAL TONE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EDO NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT, NIGERIA
This study investigated the relationship between principals' leadership styles and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria. Specifically, the study was undertaken to find out the leadership style that was most frequently used among the secondary school students; investigate the leadership styles of principals; determine the level of secondary school students' moral tone; find out the relationship between three types of principals' leadership styles (autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire) and secondary school students' moral tone in order to determine which among the leadership style mostly influences secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria.
The correlational design was adopted for the study. Two instruments - Leadership Style Questionnaire (LSQ) and Ethic Position Questionnaire (EPQ) were administered to teachers to collect data on principals' leadership styles and student moral tone respectively. A sample of 308 teachers was drawn from a population of 1, 021 teachers in the 99 public secondary schools in the district. The test-retest reliability was used to determine the reliability of the instruments (LSQ and EPQ); the r-values of 0.84 and 0.78 were arrived at respectively. The data collected were analysed with mean ( ) and S.D while the hypotheses were tested with correlation matrix, bi-variate Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and linear multiple regression at 0.05 alpha level.
Results showed that principals' democratic style is the mostly used leadership style among principals, the level of secondary schools students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria is high while the leadership styles (autocratic, democratic and lasses-faire) individually, jointly and significantly influences students' moral tone in the district (p<0 .01="" acquainted="" affairs="" afford="" all="" at="" be="" being="" coordinate="" courses="" curriculum="" education="" good="" integrated="" into="" it="" leadership="" levels.="" nbsp="" needed="" of="" opportunity="" principals="" recommended="" school="" should="" skills="" span="" system.="" teacher="" tertiary="" that="" the="" this="" to="" training="" was="" with="" would-be="" would="">
Nigeria's educational system has been undergoing various reforms. Among the reforms is the introduction of Universal Basic Education (UBE) which covers the first nine years of schooling, that is, six years of primary education and 3 years of junior secondary education. It also includes adult and non-formal education programmes and junior secondary levels for the adults and out-of school youths (Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), (2013).
This particular reform is aimed at providing free and compulsory education for all Nigerian children. The senior secondary school is for 3 years and for students who successfully completed the junior secondary school programme. The broad aims of secondary education, as stated in the National Policy of Education (NPE), (2013) are preparation for useful living within the society and for higher education. In specific terms, secondary education shall provide all primary school leavers the opportunity for education at higher level, irrespective of sex, social status, religion or ethnic background, offer diversified curriculum to cater for the differences in talents, opportunity and future roles; provide trained man-power in applied science technology and commerce at sub-professional grades; develop and promote Nigeria languages, art and culture in the content of world's cultural heritage; inspire students with a desire for self-improvement and achievement of excellence; raise a generation of people who can think for themselves and respect the views and feelings of others, respect dignity of labour (FRN, 2013).
In fostering these aims and objectives, the school principals have important roles to play. Among these roles are: enhancing job performance among teachers and coordinating all the elements in the school to achieve the goals of education. Thus, principals' leadership behaviour determines how far schools can attain their goals. This is why Omolayo (2004) referred to principals as school managers.
The main aim of education is to produce quality manpower that can be used to develop the economy. This cannot be achieved in a school system characterized with students' failure. Ayodele and Ige (2012) observed that the academic performance of students, especially in external examinations is poor. It has also been observed that Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) showed poor performance in different school subjects. For instance, the performance of students who scored minimum of five credits in WAEC examination in 2005 was 18.68%. The Performance was as low as 9.32% and 7.69% in 2006 and 2007 respectively. The case was not different in NECO as performance declined from 27.42% to 16.47% and 9.71% for 2003, 2004 and 2005 examination respectively (National Bureau of Statistics, 2009).
In 2009 performance seems to have improved in WAEC and NECO with percentage rise to 25.99%, 22.95% and 25% in NECO 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. Ayodele and Ige (2012) asserted that the overall performance of students in both examinations was poor, especially in key subject areas such as Mathematics and English Language that are necessary for securing admission into tertiary institutions in the country. The 2013 WAEC result from available records improved tremendously with 56.93% of the candidates obtaining 5 credits and above. However, there were alarming cases of examination malpractice to the extent that the results of 6.70% of the overall number of candidates were withheld. With such a percentage rate of malpractice added to others that were not detected, it can be argued that the performance of the candidates for the 2013 had not significantly improved compared with previous years. Again, in 2016 approximately 53% of students who sat for May/June WASCE had credits in 5 subjects and above including English and Mathematics while 8.89% had their results withheld.
Also, it has been observed that the education system at all level is bedeviled with series of problems which include indiscipline, decline in learning culture, indecent dressing, moral decadence, sex abuse, cultism, drug abuse, cheating in examination, truancy, disobedience and other acts of indiscipline. These inherent school problems have compounded the job of school officials. Consequently, they are blamed for the poor academic performance of their students and the general decadence in the character of the students. According to Ajayi, cited in Omoregie (2005), secondary education in Nigeria is riddled with crises of various dimensions and magnitude, all of which combine to suggest that the system is at crossed roads. Ibukun (2008) observed that secondary schools have derailed in the provision of qualitative education expected of them. He further stressed the need to alleviate the persisting problems affecting school achievement, by advocating for the provision of good leadership in the secondary school system.
Leadership is generally defined as the art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly toward the achievement of objectives. Leadership is the ability to get things done with the assistance and cooperation of other people within the institution. In the administration of secondary schools, the principal is central to the overall success of the school because he is at the helm of affairs of the school. The style of leadership exhibited by a principal within a school often shapes the way the teachers do their jobs and also the way the students learn and behave within and outside the school. Leadership style consists of a leader's general personality, demeanor, and organizational and personal goals. Leadership involves a guide that directs activities of individuals in a given direction in order to achieve the goals of an organization.
Different experts have identified different leadership styles with their distinctive characteristics. For example, Avolio and Bass (2002) presented full range leadership theory which identified three leadership styles known as transactional, transformational and laissez- faire. Douglas (1996), Robbins and Caulter (1999) in Yusuf (2012) claimed that decisions by leaders depends on these three leadership styles which are democratic, autocratic and laissez-faire. A democratic style is characterized by co-ordination, co-operation and collaboration. Autocratic leadership style allows no participation in decision and laissez-fair which is also known as free-rein leadership style empowers subordinate to work with freedom and freewill.
Adeyemi (2004), identifying 3 types of leadership styles used in Nigeria schools as autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire styles, argued that autocratic leader is an authoritarian leader who gives orders which is to be obeyed whether or not subordinates have initiatives; the leader is self-centred and allows minimum participation of subordinates in decision making. He directs group members on the way things should be done and does not maintain clear channel of communication between self and subordinates and also does not delegate authority. The democratic leadership style emphasizes group and leader participation in policy making. Decisions are taken after consultation and communication with various people in the organization. The leader makes subordinates feel important and ideas are exchanged between employees and leader and this enhances subordinates' morale. Contrary to these leadership styles is the laisssez-faire leadership style which allows complete freedom to group decision without the leaders' participation. Thus subordinates are free to do what they like. The role of the leader is just to supply materials. The leader does not interfere or participate in the course of event determined by the group (Talbert and Mibrey, 1994). On the whole, school principals are therefore assessed by the subordinates for credible performance based on application of these leadership styles.
It is generally believed that leadership determines the progress and survival of any organization, including the school. However, it seems that many principals do not know that their style of leadership determines, to a great extent, the level of goal attainment in their schools. The school principal is the manager or administrator who controls school resources for the purpose of actualizing school goals, which include among others, independence, cooperative spirit, good learning habit and general discipline, respect, conforming to societal norms and value.
School goal actualization is the extent to which a school is able to accomplish its stated goals; it determines its quality or level of effectiveness. Effectiveness in this context transcend beyond students passing examination, it encompasses students' attainment in the affective and psychomotor domains. Bamidele (2002) posited that the combination of the three domains of learning make the recipient of education live a fulfilled life and contributes meaningfully to the society. The cognitive outcome deals with the acquisition of knowledge, demonstrated at six levels, which include, knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Osunde (2008) agrees with Bamidele (2002) that the major instrument for assessing behaviour in cognitive domain is the test/examination. The affective domain describes changes of interest, attitude and value. Under this domain come feelings, emotions, opinions, interest value belief and reactions (Osunde, 2008). Psychomotor domain deals with activities such as good handwriting, speaking fluently, drawing, manipulating laboratory equipment, maintaining farm tools, weaving and making baskets, performing dance steps, etc.
Babayemi (2006) identified behaviour of leaders as one of the major factors influencing the productivity of subordinates in an organization. For goals to be actualized in schools, school leaders need to make the environment conducive for their subordinates. In other words, school principals are expected to apply appropriate management skills in order to elicit cooperation of subordinates. The principal has a crucial obligation in discharging management duties in school to attain the school goals.
Education cannot be an instrument for achieving national development when secondary schools are not effectively managed to accomplish their aims and objectives. The success or failure in secondary school administration depends largely on the influence of the school principal. School principals are expected to exhibit some leadership qualities that will enhance teaching and learning in schools. Ukeje (1992), points out that the success of a leader depends on the style and skills of the leader. It also depends on three identifiable leadership styles, namely: autocratic leadership, democratic and laissez-faire leadership styles. There is therefore a growing interest to determine which of these styles is capable of ensuring organizational goal attainment. Adeyemi (2012) and Omeko and Onak (2012) in their studies found a correlation between principals' leadership style and goal attainment (performance level). They identified some dimensions of principals' leadership capacities to include school discipline, delegation, executive behaviour, managing time and resourcefulness.
This work intends to investigate whether there is a relationship between principals' leadership styles and the attainment of secondary schools' broad aims of preparation for useful living and higher education. This work will focus on useful living. Useful living is conceptualized as moral discipline, respect for constituted authority and adherence to societal values and norms.
The major concern of school administration is the success or effectiveness of teaching-learning process. It has been observed that principals' leadership styles have direct bearing on the overall effectiveness of schools because both teachers and students are to perform under the leadership of school principal (Yusuf, 2012). Secondary schools seem not to be living up to expectation in the discharge of their obligations. Omoregie (2005), lamented that the products of today's secondary system can neither usefully live in the society nor move to higher institution without their parents' aid or cheating. They cannot think for themselves or respect the views and feelings of others. They have no iota of dignity of labour except for things that will give them quick money. Education cannot be an instrument par excellence for achieving national development where the secondary education is not effectively managed to accomplish their goals.
Personal experience and happenings both in the school and larger society have shown that personality traits like, honesty, hard-work, punctuality and self-discipline which are necessary conditions for effective citizenship seem to have disappeared in the secondary schools. Students these days appear to be lazy, dishonest and always search for short-cut to success. It has also been observed that very few graduates of secondary schools are able to communicate effectively or exhibit evidence of good and solid education background. Also, many of the students have poor mastery of English language, oral and written communication. The reality of the time now is that many students come to school reluctantly when they do not have a choice. Some who cannot help it wrongly run away from school at the slightest opportunity. The result is that many of the students lack the required knowledge and skills to be able to function well in the society. Abolade, cited in Omoregie (2005) listed some of the problems manifested in secondary schools to include examination malpractice, cultism, sex abuse and drug abuse.
The academic performance of students in the Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) conducted by West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) has not been encouraging. In the general analysis of SSCE result over the years from 2008 to 2012 shows that 50% of the students who sat for WAEC and NECO Examination were unable to attain a minimum of 5 credits at a sitting (School Evaluation Report, 2013). Also qualities such as hard-work, good morality, order and respect for elders are on the decline, many reasons might have accounted for this among which is perhaps the observed style of leadership of school principals. Many have blamed the principal for not providing the necessary leadership in schools to warrant the actualization of school goals. It is against this backdrop that this study investigates the relationship that exists between principals' leadership styles and secondary schools students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District.
The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between principals' leadership styles and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria. This study specifically seeks to:
1. investigate the leadership styles of principals in secondary schools in Edo North Senatorial District
2. determine the level of secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria
3. find out the relationship between leadership styles of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria
4. determine the relationship between autocratic leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria
5. find out the relationship between democratic leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria
6. determine the relationship between laissez-faire leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria
7. determine which leadership style mostly influences secondary school students' moral tone.
The following research questions were raised to guide the study.
1. What are the leadership styles used by secondary school principals in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria?
2. What is the level of secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria?
3. Is there any relationship between leadership style and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria?
4. What is the relationship between autocratic leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria?
5. What is the relationship between democratic leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria?
6. What is the relationship between laissez-faire leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria?
7. Which leadership style influences secondary school students' moral tone the most in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria?
The following hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study:
1. There is no significant relationship between leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria.
2. There is no significant relationship between autocratic leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria.
3. There is no significant relationship between democratic leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria.
4. There is no significant relationship between laissez-faire leadership style of principals and secondary school students' moral tone in Edo North Senatorial District, Nigeria.
Significance of the Study
The study will be of benefit to secondary school principals, students, education stakeholders, government, parents, teachers and other researchers interested in a similar academic venture. The finding of the study will be significant to secondary school principals in the sense that it will guide them in selecting the best leadership style to enhance students' moral tone, and raise them to ideal ethic position in the society. It will also prepare principals in area where they are blamed for non-performance of their duties and failure to exhibit appropriate leadership behaviour to solve perennial problems besieging education system. It can lead to improvement in the principals' preparation programme that will consequently enhance teachers' and students morale.
This study is significant to the students because appropriate leadership style will prepare individuals for useful living within the society, make them to love hard work, instill discipline, prepare them for higher education and also make them moral upright, reduce cheating in examination, it will also improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning since one of the duties of a principal is to ensure effective teaching and learning.
It will aid the federal and state governments to actualize the goals of secondary education, since good leadership is a requirement of achieving organizational goal. To parents, it is significant because the recipient will become useful to themselves and the society, and parents will have graduates who can move into higher education without aid. The research will build on already existing knowledge relating to the topic, it will enable researcher to know areas that need further investigation, so that others can continue from where it stopped.
The study will also help the government and other education stakeholders in successful implementation of Universal Basic Education (UBE) since any reform of teaching and learning should focus attention on school principals, who as leaders of schools, are responsible for ensuring effective learning culture in the school it will also provide the government and education stakeholders information about what kind of leadership style is employed in secondary schools, and give feedback to principals. Findings of this study will enable education policy makers, managers and administrators to identify leadership styles that are necessary when planning for strategies that would help head teachers in public secondary schools to carry out administrative and management that would assist them to attain quality result in examination by maintaining discipline in school. Other researchers will find this work useful as a guide to further research studies.
This study will help the teachers in the sense that leadership style affects teachers' job performance in the school area. Unless fruitful and appropriate leadership style is used the achievement of school goals will be in vain.
This study covered all the public senior secondary school principals and all the senior secondary school students in Edo North Senatorial District of Edo State, Nigeria. North Senatorial District of Edo State consists of six (6) local government areas, namely: Akoko Edo, Etsako Central, Etsako East, Etsako West, Owan East and Owan West. The study focused on only three principals' leadership styles namely: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire leadership styles. Moral tone covered expression of individual goodness, principals or rules of right conduct and distinction between right and wrong. The content coverage focused on the relationship between the aforementioned leadership styles and student moral tone in the district.
Operational Definition of Terms
The following terms were defined operationally in this study:
Leadership Styles: This is the leadership behaviour of a secondary school principal that foster relationship within the school community. It is captured in this work as autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership.
Autocratic Leadership: This is authoritarian leader who gives order which must be obeyed whether or not subordinates have initiatives.
Democratic Leadership: This leadership emphasizes on group and leaders participation, decision are taken after consultation and communication with subordinates.
Laissez-faire Leadership: This leadership is also known as free reign, it allows complete freedom to group decision without the leader's participation. Leader does not interfere in course of event determined by the group. It is hands-off approach to leadership.
Student moral tone: Expression of individual goodness, principals or rules of right conduct and distinction between right and wrong among students.
Level of students' moral tone: This refers to high and low student moral tone.
High student moral tone: This refers to a mean score of 3.00 or higher on students' perception on the expression of individual goodness, principals or rules of right conduct and distinction between right and wrong.
Low student moral tone: This refers to a mean score of 0 to 2.99 on students' perception on the expression of individual goodness, principals or rules of right conduct and distinction between right and wrong.
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Item Type: Postgraduate Material | Attribute: 92 pages | Chapters: 1-5

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Arlene Wandera was born in Kenya and moved to the UK with her family during her pre-teens.
She works with multiple mediums, including sculpture, installation, and image making. Her works initially stem from her immediate experiences intertwined with childhood memories, before developing into forms that navigate complex social and political interactions in daily life.
Many of Arlene's works are made using common, discarded and forgotten materials like fabric off-cuts, broken furniture and empty food tins, broken wine glasses, reminiscent of repurposing. This is particularly prevalent in her ongoing series "Rejects Reclaimed".
In her sculpture series "Everymen", the conflict and relationship between Wandera's heritage and life in the west, inform much of the production process, resulting in works that resonate with the viewer.
Arlene is also one half of the collaborative duo Duck & Rabbit Projects.
Renée Mboya: One of the main things that we're dealing with in our generation are questions of identity, and especially being people of color, black people, black womxn in a certain context, the idea of the diaspora comes up a lot. We have the prerogative to situate ourselves inside of a specific African identity or to be able to relate to a diasporic African position which isn't always so apparent.
In Stuart Hall's (1996) canonical essay "Cultural Identity and Diaspora," he explicates two definitions of "cultural identity." The first is an essentialist identity, which emphasizes the similarities amongst a group of people. Hall argues that this definition can and does inspire feminist, anti-colonial and anti-racist art and activism, but cannot help us comprehend the trauma of colonialism. The second definition emphasizes the similarities and the differences amongst an imagined cultural group. Hall asserts that this definition is useful for understanding the trauma of colonialism because it emphasizes the historical and social contingency of identity. By using this definition in our analysis of power and normalization, we are better able to scrutinize historical and contemporary colonial relations and to struggle against them.
R.M: Having moved from Kenya with an awareness of what Kenya was – knowing a neighborhood, a community, a language – and what Kenya looks like, having that essence of Kenya; how do you situate yourself in the diaspora – what does diaspora mean for you being both a Londoner and a "Nairobian"?
A.W: I think if I'm completely honest, it means everything and nothing simultaneously.
With that I mean I think it is important for me to appreciate and understand where I was born, my blood line and where I was nurtured as a young girl. I embrace the duality and accept it for what it is. I also understand that sometimes I will find myself in situations where I must supposedly pick a side when the truth is, that I am all of the above so to speak, and sometimes it's not easy or even necessary to define that.
R.M: How has this come into focus for you this year in particular, with you being involved with the Kenyan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, a format which some might argue has outlived its purpose. Bob Nickas talks about the fact that for the most part biennials are about business and power – "art is not a prize fight, or a science fair in high school" – and that art is no longer in charge. Personally I'm more challenged in thinking about it in the sense of the construction of nationhood because of the way that it is imposed in an exhibition platform such as Venice; this miscellany of artists brought together in an almost chauvinistic display of patriotism. I ask myself what is 'Kenyan(ness)' let alone what is it to have an artistic representation of 'Kenya'. How or what has that changed for you?
A.W: I am glad that these discussions about the Venice biennale format and the construction of nationhood are being had. They are very necessary and important.
For me, being invited to represent Kenya at the Venice Biennale was both an honor and a privilege, not because it's Venice but because it was the first Kenyan Pavilion initiated by members of the Kenyan artistic community. I think this is really important and something to be celebrated beyond the politics, red tape, differences in ideas and differences in opinion because we actually made it happen against all odds. This will hopefully go towards pressing the re-set button whereby the Kenya Pavilion continues to exist as a platform that showcases art that challenges.
What I found very interesting throughout the process and especially at the opening, were the reactions of people who were not familiar with my practice. First they'd see the work and after meeting me, they would be surprised at my gender and then enquire where I'm from. To which I would reply "well, I'm from London via Nairobi" which would elicit a response such as "Oh, so you don't live in Kenya?
This need to validate my legitimacy as a Kenyan and in turn my presence at the pavilion, was at the core of their enquiry.
I initially found myself feeling as though I must defend myself, which was also not necessarily or sustainable. The questions I would like to pose to them is: What do I need to prove to be a 'legitimate Kenyan' in their eyes? Do I need to define how often I visit Kenya, where I was born, where my parents are from in Kenya, where they live now, if I speak Kiswahili or Kiluhya, why my work isn't feminine enough?
R.M: That immediately makes me think, what does Kenya look like to you? What is your imagination of Kenya? Because apparently people are thinking of Kenya in terms of a very specific form of physical proximity, as in, how you situate yourself in Kenya depends on how many times you landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in a year – which I find ridiculous because you could say that about any place you go. Here for example, I've been to London twice in three months, does that make me a Londoner? So . . . when you're thinking about attaching a Kenyaness to yourself and to your work what does that look like?
A.W: It's nostalgic. Mostly because I spent the first decade of my life there. It's about trying to hold on to the memories of playing with my friends in Jericho – Nairobi, against the context of multicultural East London, and fighting every day to keep that identity.
The British influence on my identity was obviously quite dominant as it was prevalent in my teens, but even at a young age, I understood it wasn't completely who I was, and I needed to be able to keep a balance between the two.
However now, having exhibited more extensively on the continent, (Africa that is.. not Europe), my perspective has slightly shifted. I'm experiencing Kenya as an adult and developing an emotional relationship with the country. It's just such a profound part of who I am, and it's not even about being physically based in Kenya but about how I conduct myself, how I feel when I'm around Kenyans, how I feel when I'm not around Kenyans . . . it's just part of my blood.
It's also about the languages. I hold onto Kenya through language. A lot of people assume I can't speak Swahili and they definitely don't think I can speak Luhya, so they are usually very surprised when I do. What I find most interesting is that when I go back to Nairobi, I constantly discover that most of my cousins and relatives who are my age or younger, don't speak Luhya. So in a way, I've manifested my "Kenyaness" through language, and in turn preserved it.
R.M: It's interesting because that's always the irritation right, and there is this very particular tension between diasporic and continental communities. My question I suppose would be who has claim, if we can be so territorial as to stake a claim, over particular ways of expressing different aspects of the same identity. I think by extension the notion of claiming is also inherently an exclusion of some sorts, an othering in the sense that to distinguish oneself is one thing, but to remove others from the space of 'home' based on what you imagine their experience of the world to be involves a very intense and particular violence.
One of my favourite conversations, which I always come back to when thinking about diaspora, though I feel like now we're beating a dead horse, is between Junot Diaz and Katherine Miranda, where Junot talks about some people, proverbial I guess, who are in such denial of the existence of a diaspora, who imagine somehow and miraculously so, that a nation exists as a pure territorial space and therefore anything existing outside of that space simply is not a thing. It's what he describes as the "milk theory" – that you have a certain shelf life when in a national space, and as soon as you leave that space you, the milk, go off; and so you are no longer milk. In that instance my query is who in particular does this narrative benefit?
A.W: It's funny as I don't actually distinguish myself as diaspora either. I find that problematic. And in some ways I think of 'diaspora' as making a conscious effort to relocate yourself, to place yourself in another space, and to engage with that space. I didn't have that choice, I was brought to London, and it just became my home. I immediately and automatically understood at that young age that I have two homes, one more emotional and nostalgic, and the other physical. I use the term diaspora because it's the term that people identify with, but really, if I had a choice, I would always say that I am both milk and diaspora; That I can choose to be one or the other, as and when I wish. It's just a question of whether people are open to allowing that to exist as it is.
R.M: I agree and I feel like the baseline for identity, along which we are all meant to situate ourselves is so oversimplified, and almost always fall along these binaries which are so stringent. I don't consider myself to be Kenyan for example, I'm from Nairobi, and this is a very specific place which for me when I was growing up was barely touched by the narrative what it meant to be from 'Kenya', whether this narrative is accurate or not is not for me to decide being that I am not of that heritage. There are people who are from Kenya however, and I've met them – I think my mother is from Kenya – but even as I say this I know a lot of people would consider this distinction a rejection of that place, which it is surely not.
A.W: It's a tricky one, I think the binaries exist because it's easy to put people in boxes. It simplifies life because life IS messy and we'd like to think that we can sanitise the mess, smoothen the sharp edges by creating these categories, when in actual fact it doesn't work because they bleed into each other anyway. I think accepting things for what they are, or what they are not is the way forward, but it's a difficult thing to comprehend. When people categorize each other it's often for selfish reasons. It's to help one determine how to treat or deal with the person next to them.
R.M: Speaking of dealing – what's it been like, what has the process of 'reintegration' into the Kenyan artistic community been like for you. I mean through ARTLabAfrica, through the Venice Biennale, Dak'Art Biennale and different communities that you are now finding yourself more involved with in Kenya.
A.W: It's actually quite interesting because when I first met Jimmy Ogonga in 2008, I was actively seeking integration into the artistic life in Kenya. I was desperate to meet artists.
I didn't know where to start and in fact, I was sitting here in London googling to no avail. I would say that my involvement with these spaces has sort of been a case of "the mountain coming to me".
So I've been really lucky in that sense, and really fortunate to have met more artists, more creatives and seeing my affiliations blossom.
My plan is to return to Nairobi for a few months, to figure out the lay of the land and create. It's all certainly been interesting and I'd like to preserve the purity of my practice and my engagement with the artists and the art scene.
R.M: What is your hope for an artistic future of East Africa? A future which includes you or excludes you, I don't know. If you Google in 2028 whatever you were Googling in 2008, what do you hope to find this time?
A.W: Just more names, more faces, more spaces. More options and more variety I suppose. I think it's good to have options and compared to many other cities on the continent, Nairobi definitely has the space to critically engage with contemporary art in a dynamic way.


As shootings by officers go, the killing of Francisco Garcia at a Norwalk gas station in 2016 spurred little media attention or street protesting.
Authorities say Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Luke Liu confronted Garcia driving a vehicle he believed may have been stolen and opened fire after the man tried to drive away.
Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey decided this shooting merited extraordinary action, and Liu on Tuesday became the first Los Angeles County law enforcement officer in nearly two decades to be charged in an on-duty shooting.
Liu, 40, appeared in a downtown courtroom Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to a charge of voluntary manslaughter and to a special allegation of intentionally discharging a firearm, which caused death to the victim.
In an era of growing public awareness of police violence, Lacey has been under pressure for years to take more aggressive action against officers who use force. But she has been reluctant.
Earlier this year, Lacey decided not to charge a Los Angeles Police Department officer in the high-profile killing of a Venice homeless man even though then-Chief Charlie Beck issued an unprecedented public call for the officer to be prosecuted. The district attorney's office also rejected charges against officers in two other cases that had sparked protests and calls for justice in recent years.
A Times analysis in 2016 found that in the roughly 2,000 Southern California police shootings since 2004, only one officer had been charged. And he was acquitted.
The law is heavily weighted in favor of officers if they reasonably perceive a threat to themselves or others when they open fire — even if that belief turns out to be mistaken.
In announcing the charges against Liu, Lacey emphasized how significantly she believed the officer's actions deviated from the law.
"We believe the officer's use of deadly force was unjustified and unreasonable under the circumstances," she said. "There is an inherent danger for law enforcement officers every time they put on the uniform. We applaud their dedication and bravery to make split-second decisions in potentially life-threatening situations. But we also must hold them accountable when their conduct is unlawful."
That officers have such wide latitude to use force makes the charge brought by Lacey all the more remarkable, said Seth Stoughton, a University of South Carolina criminal law professor and former police officer.
In weighing whether to file charges, prosecutors also have to consider that jurors overwhelmingly believe officers over other witnesses, Stoughton added.
According to prosecutors, Liu was on patrol when he approached Garcia, who was near a vehicle that Liu believed may have been stolen.
The gas station in the 10900 block of Alondra Boulevard was the site of a fatal shooting the day before.
Liu stood near the driver's side door before walking to the rear of the car, according to prosecutors. When Liu returned to the door, Garcia, 26, began driving away at approximately 5 mph, prosecutors said.
Liu drew his service weapon, ran alongside the car and fired seven shots at Garcia, who was struck four times and killed, according to prosecutors. Garcia was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A sheriff's report issued this year indicated that as Garcia pulled away, the vehicle struck Liu in both knees.
Several civilians witnessed the incident, a portion of which was captured on video.
At the time of the shooting, Sheriff's Department policy generally discouraged shooting at vehicles. A few months after Garcia's death, the department's policy was revised to say that deputies should not fire at stationary or moving vehicles unless a person in the vehicle is imminently threatening someone with deadly force using something other than the vehicle itself.
No weapons were recovered on Garcia or in the car he was driving. The case was presented by sheriff's homicide investigators to prosecutors on Jan. 31, 2017.
A statement issued by Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs defended Liu, saying the deputy's actions were justifiable in dealing with a person who disobeyed orders. Liu had no prior disciplinary issues, the statement said.
Michael Schwartz, Liu's attorney, said Garcia ignored his client's orders to put his hands on the wheel and drove away instead, clipping the deputy with the car. Before driving away, Schwartz said, the driver reached behind the seat. Schwartz said his client believed his life and others' lives were threatened by Garcia.
Schwartz said Liu learned only recently that he would face criminal charges.
"It came as a shock to my client and even his captain," Schwartz said, describing Liu as a quiet, hardworking, award-winning deputy.
Schwartz is experienced in defending police officers charged with crimes. In 2007, he represented Ivory John Webb Jr., a former San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy charged with shooting an unarmed Iraq war veteran who was a passenger in a car that led authorities on a high-speed chase. Webb was acquitted.
In 2014, Schwartz defended Fullerton Police Officer Jay Cicinelli against charges of excessive force and involuntary manslaughter in the death of a homeless man, Kelly Thomas. Cicinelli and another officer were acquitted of second-degree murder in the case.
In April, the county paid $1.75 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Garcia, who worked at a moving company. The lawsuit claims Liu fired his weapon without issuing a warning that shots would be fired.
Although about 1,500 officer shootings have occurred since 2000, no officers had faced prosecution since LAPD Officer Ronald Orosco was accused of shooting an unarmed motorist in the back in September 2000 during a dispute over a traffic citation. Orosco pleaded no contest to a felony charge of shooting into an occupied vehicle. The motorist survived. Orosco was sentenced to five years in prison.
A crucial component to building public trust is seeing that officers are held accountable, said Rob Saltzman, a retired associate law school dean at USC and a former Los Angeles Police Commission member.
"It is important people have confidence in the system that police are acting constitutionally," he said.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the incident was a tragedy for the deputy and for Garcia's family.
He said it also highlights the need for deputies to work in pairs, when possible, because the setup tends to be safer for officers and the public. Liu was working alone.
"It points to the perils of the profession," he said.
Liu's bail was set at $1.1 million and he was released after making a bond payment. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 21 years in state prison.


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Labour Party To Adopt International Definition Of Anti-Semitism
This summer, the British Labour Party got a lot of flak for refusing to adopt a full, international definition of anti-Semitic speech. After all the headlines, yesterday, they finally gave in. How and why did this become such an explosive issue in British politics? NPR's Frank Langfitt explains from London.
FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: Thirty-one countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, but Britain's progressive Labour Party held out until yesterday. And even then, Labour added that the definition shouldn't undermine free expression about Israel or the rights of Palestinians, highlighting party leaders' concerns that what they see as legitimate criticism could be branded as hate speech. The caveat infuriated some Jewish groups, who called it appalling.
DANIEL SUGARMAN: The Jewish community will believe that, once again, the Labour Party has gone about this in bad faith.
LANGFITT: Daniel Sugarman is a reporter for The Jewish Chronicle in London.
SUGARMAN: It has repeatedly refused to understand the concerns that many within the Jewish community have about connecting anti-Semitism with statements about Israel.
LANGFITT: Leading Jewish groups and newspapers have spent much of the summer attacking Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, resulting in a steady drumbeat of news coverage that sounded like this.
(SOUNDBITE OF NEWS MONTAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: A Jewish protest taking place down in Parliament Square. It is aimed at Jeremy Corbyn...
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: Why has your party become synonymous with anti-Semitism?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #3: Good morning, Mr. Corbyn. Are relations between the Labour leadership and the British Jewish community broken beyond repair?
LANGFITT: In a video earlier this summer, Corbyn acknowledged Labour does have a problem with anti-Semitism.
JEREMY CORBYN: I'm sorry for the hurt that's been caused to many Jewish people. We have been too slow in processing disciplinary cases of mostly online, anti-Semitic abuse by party members. People who hold anti-Semitic views have no place in the Labour Party.
LANGFITT: Many Jewish groups are especially uncomfortable with Corbyn because he's long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause. And Britain's right-wing press, who hate Corbyn because he's a socialist, have been happy to trash him and the party leadership as they floundered on the issue. Adam Walker, who's Jewish and works as a barrister focusing on human rights, says yesterday's decision was a good first step towards addressing the fears of many in the Jewish community.
[POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: In this report, Adam Wagner is mistakenly referred to as Adam Walker.]
ADAM WAGNER: I think that this is really the beginning, and certainly not the end, of this issue being resolved, if it can be resolved.
LANGFITT: Now the party will have to apply the international definition it's just adopted.
WAGNER: Labour have the most unbelievably difficult task ahead of them because they have 600,000 members, and they effectively have to police their members for anti-Semitism.
LANGFITT: While Labour's been battling itself, the ruling Conservative Party has been flailing over its plans for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, which Michael Segalov, a journalist and Jewish Labour member, sees as a lost opportunity.
MICHAEL SEGALOV: It's incredibly frustrating that in a summer when the Conservative Party are in disarray, fighting each other over bricks and looking like they're about to fall apart, that we've been forced to be speaking about anti-Semitism.
LANGFITT: Segalov says the party should have addressed the problem sooner, but he hopes it's now struck a balance between the concerns of Jewish members and critics of Israel and can begin to move forward.
Frank Langfitt, NPR News, London.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA'S "ALL THINGS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
Corrected: September 5, 2018 at 9:00 PM PDT
In this report, Adam Wagner is mistakenly referred to as Adam Walker.


Sarah Peploe was born in Norwich (all attempts to count her fingers gratefully received) in 1986. She went to university in Bangor, then pinged from York to Leeds to York. Between stints as various species of till and office monkey, life model and librarian, she has written for 'Murky Depths', 'Cassiopeia', 'Flash Magazine' and '330 Words'. She also illustrated Anna Percy's anthology 'Livid Among The Ghostings'.
Compilation of tales about... well, you get the idea.


Gratitude 172 | More Joy, Magic, and Vibrant Living!
If you feel blah, find an empty public washroom and jump like a baby goat in front of the mirror. Make sure you tilt your head to the side. After a few jump, the energy of blah will have shifted!
I am grateful for inspiring happy goats.


Patrick Kisnorbo is an experienced central defender who joined Leeds United from Leicester City in the summer of 2009. A regular in the Whites? back line for much of the 2009-10 campaign, he showed tremendous form until being sidelined by an achilles injury in March. This led to a lengthy lay-off and it was not until the final match of 2010-11 that he returned to first-team football, coming off the bench during the 2-1 win over champions Queen?s Park Rangers. Patrick began his senior career in Australia with South Melbourne, then played in the SPL for Hearts before joining Leicester City in July 2005. He is a full international for Australia.


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Get your hands on an exclusive Star Wars IMAX poster: All the details here
The Force is strong in this one.
By Ali Plumb
Fancy getting your hands on this limited edition Star Wars The Force Awakens IMAX poster? Sure you do - and here are all the details you need to find out how.
This, the first of four that will be revealed over the next month, will be available in the UK only through IMAX cinemas.
Sunday December 20, this Sunday, is the day of days for this particular one-sheet, with lucky IMAX cinemagoers seeing Star Wars The Force Awakens getting their chance to pick one up.
But you want some details! And here they are:
The first poster will be available on Sunday 20th December to customers who can provide proof of purchase of an IMAX ticket for Star Wars: The Force Awakens on any date (either a ticket stub, or proof of booking for a future IMAX show).
Posters will be handed out on a strictly first-come, first-served basis, while stocks last. Posters will be available for collection between 10am and 1pm.
Come back here next Tuesday 22nd December for details on next Sunday's giveaway!
If you want more details on how it all works, be sure to head over to IMAX UK's Facebook page, where there's more info.
But that's not the only way you can get a copy of the poster! As IMAX UK's official partner, we're running a competition where we have 20 posters to give away each week.
All you have to do is retweet our tweet here, and you'll be in with a chance of winning one. Simple, right?
The competition small print can be found below, and remember that The Force Awakens his cinemas nationwide on December 17.
Further to that, there will be a new poster available each week for four weeks, so come back every Tuesday over the next month for more details.
Open to UK residents aged 18 and over. To enter, retweet this tweet. This competition opens at 5pm on December 15 and closes at 12pm on January 13. Answers received after the closing date will not be considered. The prize is one copy of the above poster. The winner will be randomly selected from the entries received via the "retweet to win" competition mechanic. Winners will have their posters posted to them once the competition has ended. Hearst reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions for this competition at any time without notice. See website for full terms and conditions.
Star Wars fills in a Force Awakens mystery
Star Wars icon talks "unexpected" Mandalorian op
Star Wars reveals Palpatine's plan started earlier
Liam Neeson has no idea Star Wars is still popular
Star Wars open-world game coming from Ubisoft
Disney is offering 50% discounts on face coverings
Liam Neeson talks Star Wars return on Disney+
Paul Bettany wants to play Star Wars villain again
Star Wars unveils Valentine's Day Funko POP!s
Star Wars' new series solves a big prequel mystery
Get your hands on an exclusive IMAX Star Wars poster
See the epic Star Wars IMAX poster
Your Star Wars lightsaber dreams are now left in ruins
Star Wars: Sleek IMAX poster for Rogue One lands
Star Wars Disneyland details emerge


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Kids Health Matters: Car seat safety
It's holiday time, and that means families are hitting the road. Whether the trip is long or short, everyone should ride safe and secure.
All child car seats are built to the same safety standards, but parents shouldn't assume they'll fit in every car.
A safety collaborative which includes Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found that 40% of potential cars and seat combinations weren't compatible.
And higher-price doesn't translate to a good fit.
Mom, Megan Murphy, says, "I couldn't believe that the car seat at we purchased wouldn't work in our car."
Safety expert Gina Duchoissois says before you buy - "try the car seat in the car."
And if you already have a seat, take time to re-check the fit.
"We want to make sure that car seat is nice and tight," said Gina.
Also check the tilt, particularly for newborns and infants too young to hold their heads up.
"Make sure we keep his airway open, that he is laying comfortably," said Gina.
Gina says rolled up towels and such shouldn't be used to adjust the fit unless the manufacturer says it's okay.
The center back seat is the first choice for a safety seat.
"It simply is the furthest point of impact from either side of the vehicle," said Gina.
But if you have to use the side, be sure the head rests don't interfere with the child seat, whether it's rear-facing front-facing.
As kids grow, don't rush to move them to the next seat. Maximize the height and weight limits on the one you have for better crash protection.
When it does come time for a booster seat, Gina suggests: "Have him sit in some of the booster seats, see how he likes them, how he fits in the booster."
Children's Hospital has many more safety tips online, and offers free seat inspections.
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/car-seat-safety-kids#.VmhA8EorK70
health & fitnesshealthcheckchildrenkids health matterscar seats


Situated in beautiful Cleobury Mortimer, Hobson's Brewery is Shropshire's sustainable brewer and creator of award winning beers. Awarded the Green Business Award by SIBA in 2010 and a Diamond Award from the Heart of England Fine Foods in 2009, Hobsons have installed a wind turbine to ensure even the electricity they use is supplied locally from Shropshire air.
Dedicated to an ethos of using the finest locally sourced ingredients teamed with sustainable technologies has produced a range of CAMRA award winning cask ale and bottled beers, enjoyed locally and now available to buy online.
Bitter amber ale with a crisp refreshing flavour and biscuit overtones. Brewed specially to celebrate Severn Valley Railway's Manor Class steam engines. Severn Valley, one of Britain's finest Heritage Railways, chose Hobsons for its integrity and commitment to its roots in the heart of England..


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Raf & Syd look back at a VERY strange year in women's cricket.
The RHF Trophy
The MCG
… and what wasn't!
The 2020 CRICKETher Xmas Lockdown Quiz
DEEP DIVE: Women's County Cricket In 2021
Posted by Guest
By Richard Clark
Good news arrived late last week with the announcement* of the ECB County T20 Cup fixtures for 2021, as devoted fans of the weekly CRICKETher Vodcast will doubtless have noted.
(* It should not go un-noted that describing it as an "announcement" is over-egging things hugely. The fixtures appeared on Play Cricket, much like Mr Benn's shopkeeper, 'as if by magic', and it is hard to escape the feeling that enthusiasm at ECB Towers for women's county cricket and the promotion thereof is thin on the ground. Be that as it may, however…)
Having been granted a stay of execution for 2020 and 2021, last summer's competition was mothballed initially – and ultimately cancelled – as a result of the Covid pandemic, and there had been some concern that impetus for one last fling might be lacking after a two-year gap, so it's pleasing to see those fears allayed. The virus still holds us in its grip, of course, but let's be optimistic and assume for now that county cricket will be played – and watched – in 2021!
The schedule looks a little different from the last T20 Cup in 2019 (and the abandoned 2020 campaign), when the format mirrored the 50-over competition in being based on three Divisions, with the lowest level organised into three regions. This time around the structure is wholly regional, based around six Groups of six teams (five in one case), and with no suggestion of a play-off system or similar to decide an overall champion.
The reasons for this are not explicit, but it is probably safe to assume that minimising costs such as travelling and overnight stops is a major factor, whether by edict from the ECB or at the request of the counties themselves. Either way there is some sense behind the change, even if it is not quite ideal in other ways.
Matches will take place over four consecutive weekends – Sunday 25th April, Monday 3rd May, Sunday 9th May, and Sunday 16th May. Once again the format is based almost exclusively around the tried and tested 'triangular' fixtures with three counties meeting at a single venue – the home team playing first and last – although one fixture in the North Group each week will be a straight back-to-back double-header with that Group consisting of only five teams.
Whilst the set-up works in allowing as many matches to be played as possible, it does have flaws in being limited to the four-week window.
Not everyone will play everyone else twice. In fact, some counties will not meet others at all. In the South East Group for instance, Surrey play Essex, Kent, Middlesex and Sussex twice each… but won't cross swords with Hampshire at all. One wonders whether an extra round of fixtures could have been a simple solution to that…?
There are also some geographical anomalies. As Syd noted on the Vodcast, his beloved Berkshire have relocated to the West Midlands. So have Somerset. And Wales. To make the journey from Berkshire to Wales along the M4 one travels south of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, yet those counties are in the South West Group. And Somerset will hike through Gloucestershire to reach parts of the West Midlands. Meanwhile, Shropshire is now in the East Midlands, despite being further West than four of the West Midlands counties.
Again the reasons for this can only be guessed at, but the suspicion must be that it's an attempt to "level up" the competition. Somerset, for instance, might have proved too strong for a South West Division containing five counties which plied their trade in Division Three last time cricket was played. If you read this and feel tempted to shoot the messenger, by the way, (a) it IS only a guess, and (b) I didn't compile the Groups!
Some Groups will be stronger than others – if this was a World Cup we would no doubt be talking the South East up as the proverbial "Group of Death", whereas the East Group comprises traditional Division Three counties only. My advice would be not to let that fool you, however – if it turns out to be anything like 2020's inaugural East of England Championship then some treats will be in store from those less heralded teams. The 50-over competition there took in six matches, and four of them were settled by one run, one wicket, two wickets and on a super over respectively!
One wonders about the North Group – Yorkshire and Lancashire up against North East Warriors (Durham and Northumberland combined), Cumbria and Scotland 'A'. At the risk of encouraging more messenger-shooting that doesn't necessarily look like the most level playing field for one or two teams, particularly if England players are available to the Roses pair.
And that brings us on to another unknown – will England players be involved? The timing of the competition is such that it would seem to provide an ideal warm-up opportunity ahead of the international summer, but the England hierarchy may feel there is more to be gained in 'intensive' training camps. We shall see.
On top of this, of course, we should see 'unofficial' 50-over competitions later in the season too. Surrey's website confirmed the return of the London Championship for a second season at the same time as revealing their T20 fixtures, and the East of England Championship will also be back, with Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire joining Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire & Norfolk from last season in a ringing endorsement of its success.
Hopefully many other counties will look to play friendly matches, or maybe even follow the lead set by others and form their own regional competitions.
And finally – Women's County Cricket Day will be back! No date set yet, but we can confirm that it will be one of those four ECB T20 days. Look out for further announcements in the New Year!
Full Fixture List here (select required Division from the drop-down menu):
ECB Women's County Championship (play-cricket.com)
Follow Richard Clark on Twitter @glassboy68
Posted in Features, News
This week, on our 40th episode:
Why Pakistan's tour of South Africa in Jan 2021 is good news for women's cricket
Our thoughts on the revised schedule for the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand
The return of county cricket in 2021 (yay!)
Trevor Griffin's ambitions to be England coach
Plus, why are we at the Edgbaston Foundation Ground? Watch to find out!
OPINION: The Rich Get Richer; The Poor Get The Picture
"The rich get richer; the poor get the picture" sang Pete Garrett on Midnight Oil's 1982 hit Read About It.
One of the saddest realisations of the past decade has been the way that technology, far from being the democratising force we had all once hoped, has mainly been used to enhance and entrench the riches of the richest. Jeff Bezos buys another private island, while his minimum-waged delivery drivers struggle to pay their rent; Bill Gates pockets another billion, while his software subjects office workers to unprecedented levels of semi-covert surveillance.
The benefits of economic growth over the past 10 years have been disproportionately channelled to those who need it least, as the iron laws of the market have asserted themselves with a ferocity not seen since the early stages of the industrial revolution.
For a long time sport resisted these laws. The greatest footballer of my lifetime – Diego Maradona, who died a couple of weeks ago – grew up in a a third-world slum. In our own sport, England's greatest allrounder, Enid Bakewell, was born in a mining village in Nottinghamshire. If you could hold a bat, or kick a ball, it didn't matter where you were from.
Of course, this was only ever true in microcosm, especially in cricket. On an individual level, you were always more likely to succeed if you came from a wealthy family or went to a good school.
Zoom out further, to a national level, and the picture becomes starker still – money talks… loudly and incessantly. No one doubts the talent of players like Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning; but the unprecedented levels of "investment" (which, after all, is just a polite way of saying "money") that have been poured in by Cricket Australia have undoubtedly been a factor in their success.
Thus far, however, that investment has mostly been systemic – it's investment in the clubs; the training facilities; and the coaches – and the human factor has remained the key wildcard. You can have all the "investment" in the world, but 18 year old Hayley Matthews can still walk into a World Cup final and rough you up, with talent that no money can buy… right?
Yes… but also… no.
A recent piece by Brittany Carter – How women's cricket is being influenced by Major League Baseball – describes the use of a something called a "Blast Motion Sensor". This is a high-tech gizmo which attaches to the bottom of the bat during training, and syncs up with an app to analyse the player's bat swing, providing them with feedback which allows them to pinpoint areas of improvement to increase the power of their swing.
Human coaches have always done something like this, but this technology automates and enhances the degree of analysis and feedback possible from a human coach, allowing the player to fine-tune their game beyond the Nth degree.
This tech is being used today in domestic cricket in Australia, to augment the skills of the next generation; and it is undoubtedly amazing.
What it isn't, however, is cheap; and that's the grit, because like all tech, this stuff costs money – real money, that the 1% have and the 99% don't; money that will buy an edge for the next generation… but only for those who can afford it. No girl in Moga, India (where Harmanpreet is from) or Barbados, West Indies (where Hayley Matthews grew up) will have access to these wonders.
And so in cricket, as in life, the 1% will pull away, using technology to fortify and magnify all the advantages they already have, leaving the rest – the 99%, also known as "us" – standing at the side of the road, peering in awe at their increasingly distant tail-lights.
This week on the show:
Qualification for the next T20 World Cup
Should the World Cup be expanded to 12 or more teams?
Clearing Boundaries – a beautiful new book you can buy from https://www.bradman.com.au/


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2022 COVID-19 Update
In-person and online worship will be offered Sundays at St. John's Church for the celebration of Holy Eucharist! For more information on how to attend, where to sit, and what to expect, please click on this box.
StJ Preschool
Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on the journey of life and faith,
you are welcome at St John's!
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St John's In-Person Worship - Sunday Holy Eucharist
In light of recent progress that has been made in the fight against the coronavirus and both the State of Washington's and the Diocese of Olympia's revised guidelines for places of worship, St. John's opened starting Sunday, May 23rd at 9am for Holy Eucharist on Pentecost.
This and future Sunday services will be both in-person and streamed online. You may come if you are comfortable, regardless of vaccination status.
If you do not feel well, have a fever or any other potential Covid-19 symptoms, please worship online. If you have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19, please worship online until it is safe to be around others.
Q. Do I need to make a reservation?
A. No. Just come.
Q. Can members and my family and I come if we aren't yet vaccinated?
A. Absolutely! We know that children are not yet able to be vaccinated, and some adults are not yet vaccinated. We're setting up each side of the Sanctuary to ensure that those who are not yet vaccinated are spaced safely apart from each other and those who have been vaccinated.
Q. Will I have to show proof of vaccination?
A. No, we're trusting folks to be truthful. You will have to declare whether or not you are fully vaccinated so that we can seat you safely. (Fully vaccinated means that 14 days have elapsed since your second dose of Moderna or Pfizer's vaccine, or your single dose of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine. )
Q. If I'm vaccinated why do I have to wear a mask?
A. Yes. Facial masks must be worn over the nose and mouth. We are responsible for each other and each other's health and safety. King County still has very high rates of infection, and children are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. We're all going wear masks to ensure the highest standard of safety for all. We're counting on each person to be responsible and follow these requirements. If there is anyone who refuses to comply, Fr. Michael will stop worship until everyone is safe or will dismiss the congregation in the event that a safe environment can't be achieved.
Q. Will we be receiving Holy Communion?
A. Yes. For those of you who have not yet been vaccinated, we will administer Holy Communion to you first. When you come to the Altar Rail you will find a small plastic covered container with a single communion wafer on a small table. You will take one and return to your seat to consume the Sacrament. You who have been vaccinated will receive a Communion wafer from Fr. Michael and Deacon Missy standing at the Altar Rail.
Q. Are their any requirements to attend.
A. No. You should determine your own threshold for taking risks with what remains to be a very dangerous virus. So, if you are immunocompromised you are urged to not attend, but you can come to church as you wish. If you wake up feeling sick or have a fever, please stay home.
Q. How many services will be offered on Sundays?
A. One Sunday Liturgy of Holy Eucharist at 9:00 am.
Q. How will the air be circulated?
A. Our HVAC system is the most effective way for us to maximize the exchange of filtered fresh air.
Additional helpful information...
The sharing of the Peace will be exchanged by bowing to one another.
There will not be an in-person or Zoom coffee hour this Sunday.
After the service, please continue any conversations outdoors with appropriate spacing and masks on.
If you have questions that we didn't address in this notice, please email them to us here or to Fr. Michael Ryan directly at anglican09@gmail.com.
- For more information about St John's Regathering & Covid-19 Mitigation Plan, please click here.
Anything else I need to know right now?
Yes. There is a detailed reopening plan that will answer many of the questions that have not been addressed in this announcement. We are awaiting final approval of our plan from the Diocese. We do not anticipate that there will be any issues. Please contact us with any questions here:
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105 State Street S
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SJKcoms@gmail.com
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text:
Silurian stratigraphy of Central Iran – an update
48_2017_Hairapetian_etal_Silur ...
Published/publisher's PDF version
Biostratigraphy
Lithostratigraphy
Hairapetian, V, Pour, MG, Popov, LE, Männik, P, Miller, CG
The Silurian biostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, and facies of Central Iran including the Kashmar (Boghu Mountains), Tabas (Derenjal Mountains, Ozbak-Kuh), Anarak (Pol-e Khavand) and Kerman regions is re-viewed and updated. The current state of knowledge of the Silurian in the Zagros Basin, Alborz, Kopet-Dagh and Talysh regions, as well as in a few areas scattered across the Sabzevar Zone, and the Sanandaj-Sirjan terranes is also reviewed. Silurian volcanism in various parts of Iran is briefly discussed. The end of the Ordovician coincided with a widespread regression across Iran synchronous with the Hirnantian glaciation, and only in the Zagros Basin is there a continuous Ordovician–Silurian transition represented by graptolitic black shales of the Sarchahan Formation. In the Central-East Iranian Platform marine sedimentation re-commenced in the early to mid Aeronian. By the Sheinwoodian, carbonate platform depositional environments were established along its north-eastern margin. In other parts of Iran (e.g., Kopet-Dagh and the Sabzevar Zone), siliciclastic sedimentation continued probably into the late Silurian. The Silurian conodont and brachiopod biostratigraphy of Central Iran is significantly updated facilitating a precise correlation with the Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale, as well as with key Silurian sections in other parts of Iran. The Silurian lithostratigraphy is considerably revised and two new lithostratigraphical units, namely the Boghu and Dahaneh-Kalut formations, are introduced.
Hairapetian, V., Pour, M., Popov, L. E., Männik, P., & Miller, C. (2017). Silurian stratigraphy of Central Iran – an update, Acta Geologica Polonica, 67(2), 201-233. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/agp-2017-0014
Acta Geologica Polonica
10.1515/agp-2017-0014
Copyright © The Authors, 2017. This is an open access article, available to all readers online, published under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. The attached file is the published version of the article.