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Social Science & Social Futures: Fast Scholarship, Emerging Technologies & the Future of Inquiry
2017, DS40, Focus
Mark Carrigan and Will Housley
Distributed networked technologies have transformed communication, produced new forms of 'data' and have had a significant effect on the way in which knowledge is produced. From crowdsourcing data annotation and the feature identification of massive data sets as an aspect of 'citizen science' to the use of Twitter to exchange ideas and links to recently published papers with other scholars and scientists around the world; initial analyses and thought pieces can also be shared and promoted quickly with networked scholarly communities (and beyond) at little cost. These and related developments generate a number of issues including how, in this case, social scientists communicate with wider publics through digital means and how the social science community reacts and responds to the opportunities, risks, and challenges presented by the digital revolution.
One of the features of digital communication is the velocity through which new ideas, analyses, and findings can be communicated and shared. This landscape disrupts traditional models of social science communication and has generated a number of complex inter-related concerns. This special issue of Discover Society, building on a panel organized by the Digital Social Science Forum at Social Media & Society in summer 2016, seeks to explore these concerns while also representing a model of how to move beyond them. Under our broad theme of digital futures, we have gathered a range of interventions across a diverse selection of topics. Our intention is not to offer any sort of final statement on the the social implications of emerging technology, indeed such an ambition would be patently absurd. Instead, we are seeking to provide a space within which new ideas can coalesce, inviting dialogue about the commonalities and differences between emerging tendencies within the many different domains of social life encompassed in this issue. Such a project is by its nature tentative, incomplete and fast. This is one example of how the affordances of digital technology enable speculative pre-inquiry conversations, offering new ways of assembling people and topics liable to generate systematic work at a later date.
Indeed, the changing tempo of knowledge production is key to understanding our rapidly changing conditions and how we ought to intervene in them. One way of handling the complexity of these changes has been through casting the debate surrounding social science communication in the digital age in terms of 'fast' and 'slow' scholarship. This framing is also realized in the context of wider changes in the organization and management of the University that is sometimes characterized in terms of 'the accelerated academy' which, in turn, can be linked to forces associated with wider societal acceleration and transformation.
An obvious risk posed by this framing is that the idea of a 'fast' social science inevitably gives rise to shallow scholarship. In recent years, we've seen a proliferation of calls for 'slow scholarship', 'slow science' and the 'slow professor' that indicate a widespread sense that increasing speed and worthwhile scholarship are antithetical. The link here is far from inexorable; but failing to recognise the possibility would be foolish. There are a number of assumptions which these accounts of scholarly-speed-as-pathological share:
Fast scholarship cannot be critical scholarship. Critique is associated with a withdrawal from the world, the cultivation of a detached orientation which is imperiled by speed. In its absence, social science will simply reproduce the faded frames which we must move beyond.
Fast scholarship cannot be quality scholarship. Such scholarship is associated with the mastery of established literatures, usually the outcome of established disciplinary modes of inquiry. In its absence, social science will simply reinvent the wheel at best, producing torrents of verbiage without any social efficacy or intellectual advancement.
Fast scholarship cannot be sustainable scholarship. Such scholarship is associated with temporal autonomy, underwritten by secure employment within stable institutions. In its absence, social scientists may work in short bursts of frantic activity but the possibility of a vocation is foreclosed, with all this entails for scholarship itself.
We are very sympathetic to these concerns, if not the assumptions themselves. Far from representing a threat to social science in the context of the wider 'accelerated academy', we suggest that these conditions obtain to varying degrees at present. Critique is often ritualistic and shallow, performing old certainties in a world in which the critical stance has gone mainstream (witness, for example, the critique of media bias offered by Trump supporters). Academic reading practices have been in diminution for a long time, with deep reading now the exception rather than the rule, a state of affairs far from unexpected given the exponential growth of scholarly output in recent decades. Scholarship is already experienced as unsustainable by some in the contemporary occupational context, a fact jointly attested to by surveys indicating pervasive overwork/stress and the growing discourse of intellectual crisis.
It is not fast scholarship which is unsustainable, but rather the contemporary edifice within much of the social sciences currently exists. We can see signs of institutional crisis throughout the globe, with social science under what could become existential threat in Australia, Japan and the United States. The latter case will likely prove instructive; as the attacks on the social sciences were taking place during an Obama administration characterized by one of its key figures as the most social scientifically literate in history. We can only imagine how social science research will fare in the climate created by a Trump administration backed by Republican majorities in both Congress and the Senate.
The importance of autonomous social science has never been greater, with political polarization increasing rapidly against a backdrop of socio-economic stagnation and accelerating social change. But the conditions under which academics labour militate against the social efficacy of the knowledge they produce, in spite of increasingly dominant calls for 'impact' and 'engagement'.
The roots of these problems lie far deeper than the scholarly communications system, but nearly all of them are intensified by modes of communication and credentialisation that are generating a number of pressures and contradictions. These include the following:
The quantitative increase in publication encourages ever-narrower specialisation, as new journals define themselves in relation to an already crowded intellectual market place.
With an estimated 28,100 journals publishing 2.5 million articles a year, 'keeping up with the literature' within one's own field becomes an ever more overloading exercise.
This also intensifies existing access problems, particularly as newer and more specialised journals might not be widely accessible, with the political economy of journal subscriptions currently in a state of flux.
The slow speed of publication hinders discussion and debate about new developments, albeit at a rate that varies between fields.
The increasing importance of the established prestigious leaders within a field or discipline, something which manifests both qualitatively and qualitatively, enacts epistemic discipline as ambitious researchers compete for the limited number of slots available within that journal by adapting themselves to what they perceive as its intellectual standards.
It also creates competition between journals, as lesser ranked journals take instrumental action with the intention of improving their impact factors (and increasingly, orientated towards improving their scores as well).
What we present here is a take on the current challenges and issues surrounding scholarly communication and practice in the digital age; we accept it is worthy of more systematic scrutiny than a blog post allows. Perhaps one way of thinking about these challenges is that it represents a signature of change that we have not been able to, at least at an organisational level, respond to coherently due to the speed at which these changes have occurred and disrupted established occupational and social science communication practices.
We do not envisage the end of journals or monographs (and it would certainly not be something we would like to see) but a more diverse ecology of social science communication is emerging that is inclusive of blogs, rapid fire online articles and 'enhanced publication' where links to data and analysis are enabled through publication on platforms that are able to support links and connections to raw data and analysis that help aid replication and inspection of data/materials by peers. Rather than casting these somewhat feral forms of self-publication in a zero-sum relationship with traditional forms of scholarly communication, we urgently need to explore how they can be used together. The future must surely be a matter of both/and rather than either/or. To the extent this is already happening, it poses important questions about the character and future of scholarship which invite systematic answers.
This in turn may form the basis of what Dutton and Jeffreys have identified as networked and distributed research practice wherein scholars and researchers begin to collaborate on data, analysis and publication across research groups, laboratories and research teams. Digital technology can support this and scale up academic practice in ways that ameliorate the pressures of acceleration; whilst at the same time producing forms of innovation and collaboration that can improve research practice and application to real world problems. Whilst many STEM disciplines have embraced networked collaborative research, social science remains less organised in this regard and more reliant on ad hoc procedures for sharing and collaborating around research related practices inclusive of data analysis and the communication of results and the interpretation of findings. But merely encouraging social scientists to embrace these opportunities is likely to prove insufficient while journal publication remains the hegemonic form of scholarly output, as opposed to becoming an important phase of an open, dialogical, multi-faceted and cross-platform process.
An additional way in which a new ecology may extend itself is through 'citizen science'. In the case of 'citizen social science' the treatment of social-media-as-data often requires gold standard annotation and feature identification for machine learning; especially if one hopes to build an automated tool that can scope masses of big social (media) data. The use of crowdsourcing tools such as 'crowdflower' have been deployed in recent years which, by definition, involve making use of 'publics' and 'the wisdom of the crowd' often with little demographic knowledge of the participants who annotate often culturally significant and contentious material (e.g. racist or sexist tweets for studies concerned with automating the identification of hate speech, at scale, on public social media platforms). To this extent 'citizen social science' holds great promise as a form of constructive participatory public sociology but also, at the same time, remains work in progress.
Finally, the new ecology may also facilitate the development of expert social science panels that draw on multiple forms of expertise from across the globe. The use of panels in social science has a long history; if one is able to tackle the problem of participation, panels offer a versatile vehicle through which to ascertain and document social science interpretation of real time data, events and the anticipation of consequences as part and parcel of establishing some form of social science forecasting capability. During a period of rapid socio-technical change and uncertainty the establishment of social science panels supported by reliable networked digital technologies could herald a golden era of deliberation and the application of social science knowledge to real world events and problems. In many respects, networked deliberation might not only deal with the demands of acceleration, but also realise the potential of social science pluralism to make sense of rapid social change in ways that can contest the digitized mysticism and irrationality of the post-truth moment, that often thrives on the ability to make claims quickly and move on without being held to account to shared standards of rational accountability.
To conclude, accelerated scholarship and emerging digital technologies have already transformed the research and social science communication landscape. We can expect even more change over the next decade and the emergence of new forms of social scientific practice and knowledge organisation alongside more traditional forms of scholarly practice. We envisage an augmentation of traditional scholarly practices through new technologies alongside the development of distributed networked collaborative practices of the sort identified above. This establishes the possibility to facilitate and sustain 'slower' forms of individuated work alongside 'faster' but more collaborative practices in ways that respond to organisation and the true potential of communication in the 21st century.
Mark Carrigan is a Digital Sociologist and Social Media Consultant. He recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Centre for Social Ontology at the University of Warwick and is Digital Fellow at The Sociological Review. He convenes the Independent Social Research Foundation's Digital Social Science Forum and co-convenes the Accelerated Academy with Filip Vostal. He's an assistant editor of Big Data & Society, associate social media editor of the International Journal of Social Research Methodology and a founding member of the editorial boards of Discover Society and the Journal of Applied Social Theory. He is the author of Social Media for Academics, published by Sage in early 2016. He is a regular blogger and podcaster.
William Housley, is a sociologist, based at the Cardiff University School of Social Sciences, who works across a number of research areas that include language and interaction, social media, the social aspects of disruptive technologies and the emerging contours of digital society, economy and culture. Professor Housley was a co-founder of COSMOS and is currently working on a number of ESRC funded projects that relate to digital society and research; he co-convenes the Digital Sociology Research Group at Cardiff University, is co-editor of Qualitative Research(SAGE) and serves on the editorial board of Big Data and Society (SAGE).


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Gulf Labor Monitoring Report Finds Ongoing Violations at Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
by Mostafa Heddaya May 2, 2014 May 6, 2014
Workers return to their camps in Al Sajaa on Friday, a holiday (all images courtesy Gulf Labor)
A report released this morning by Gulf Labor, a coalition of international artists, confirms the ongoing violation of local and international labor laws at the site of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Zayed National Museum, among other institutions. The group's findings are the result of a visit to Saadiyat Island in March, where they were invited by the emirate's Tourism and Development & Investment Company (TDIC) to observe labor conditions on the site of the planned museum district. The report follows the release in late December of the second official "monitoring" report, commissioned by the emirate from the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) consultancy and previously criticized as inadequate by Gulf Labor.
The release aims to reframe the narrative surrounding the "model" Saadiyat Accommodation Village (SAV) constructed in 2009, a facility frequently cited to defuse criticism of labor conditions — despite its housing only a fraction of Saadiyat Island's workforce. Gulf Labor observes that although the SAV is indeed an exemplary, albeit geographically isolated, facility, with amenities "rarely seen in accommodations for migrant workers," this cosmetic success belies significant violations of workers' rights.
Chief among these: wages remain very low, with the "twenty or so" workers they met earning basic monthly salaries of 650–900 AED ($177–245); rampant recruitment debts, caused by fees that TDIC officially requires be reimbursed, that effectively place workers in indentured servitude (one Bangladeshi worker is cited as still not having this debt repaid after two years); organizing and collective bargaining remains strictly forbidden, with punishments like mass deportation provoking bloody clashes last summer; workers continue to have their passports withheld by employers.
Saadiyat Accomodation Village as viewed from approach road
Worker feedback on the SAV facilities is allegedly inadequately dealt with as well, with reported bathroom leaks left unrepaired; a hotline set up for complaints does not result in "immediate feedback," according to Gulf Labor's sources. The group further found that companies housing workers in the SAV pay TDIC more in fees than they pay the workers in wages, fueling the argument that such accommodations serve a public relations function more than they accrue a direct benefit to workers. Guidelines posted within the dormitory spaces list prohibited items and practices: "eating, cooking, washing and drying, drinking alcohol, and pornography."
In meetings with TDIC following their observations on Saadiyat, the Gulf Labor group proposed a number of recommendations, including a one-time "relocation fee" paid out to those working on the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to defray illegal debts to recruitment agencies. A broader solution to the issue of undocumented and unrepaid recruitment fees, Gulf Labor adds, would be to more rigorously assess each contractor's practices to ensure compliance with existing policies as well as conduct a comprehensive survey "of the recruitment and relocation histories of all workers at SAV immediately." The group further proposes the involvement of the International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency concerned with labor rights, in ensuring reforms are implemented.
"When we talk to labor and migration policy experts, they tell us that these issues are not intractable but eminently and imminently fixable," Gulf Labor's Walid Raad told Hyperallergic in an email. "Our own conversations with workers, on-site visits, and this report also prove the same. We hope that the Guggenheim, TDIC, and the UAE Ministry of Labor will soon start talking with folks who can actually solve these issues and not simply spin masters (whether working for the Guggenheim or TDIC) who simply wish to remind us of how 'intractable' and 'complex' they are."
Mussafah camp, home to New York University Abu Dhabi workers.
Indeed, nearly all of the labor issues documented have been raised before, including by Gulf Labor, but they have been either ignored or neutralized by PR — ranging from TDIC assurances to Guggenheim shrugs. During the course of their March visit, Gulf Labor itself only met with PR officials from TDIC. As Walid Raad explains:
In our visit, TDIC used the word "partner" time and again. They stated they wish for a "partnership." But it is also clear to us that we have been talking only to PR folks. We have yet to talk to any of TDIC's "labor experts" — and we are assured by the PR folks that they are within TDIC and working to solve these issues.
The very structure of the "independent" monitoring that TDIC has hired PwC to carry out is seriously compromised by the firm's extensive business ties to the country. This has previously been noted by Gulf Labor and others, but the systems for diffusing responsibility have clearly been set into motion — the PwC report issued this year announced the addition of yet another layer between alleged violations and their reporting to the state entity, TDIC, ultimately responsible for the Saadiyat project:
During April 2013, TDIC undertook a restructuring initiative which resulted in TDIC moving to an outsourced model with respect to maintaining H&S [Health & Safety] management and monitoring of Contractors and Subcontractors. A [unnamed] third party service provider has been contracted to undertake H&S management and monitoring on TDIC's behalf.
In an editorial yesterday, the English-language The National (a newspaper published by state-owned Abu Dhabi Media) argued that the "great museums" being built on Saadiyat will invariably attract "sniping" criticism. After citing the artifacts accumulated by the Louvre under French empire as an example of the apparent ethical ambiguity inherent to museum collections, the article concludes: "Maybe we ought to take this sniping as a good thing. The worst sin of any cultural facility is to be ignored."
The Guggenheim and TDIC have been made aware of the report; any public statements will be appended here as they appear.
Update, 4:59pm: The Guggenheim has provided the following statement to Hyperallergic:
We appreciate the research and recommendations and look forward to detailed discussions with Gulf Labor and our colleagues in Abu Dhabi about next steps once we have had time for careful consideration of the report.
"Open for Exploitation": Artists Project Messages on Guggenheim Museum Ahead of Reopening
Guggenheim Museum Director Richard Armstrong to Step Down
Guggenheim Signs Contract With Union After a Year of Tense Negotiations
Tagged: Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Gulf Labor, human rights, Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation
Mostafa Heddaya
Mostafa Heddaya is the former managing editor of Hyperallergic. More by Mostafa Heddaya

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


My computer slowed down to a crawl at the end of the week and well finally gave in and died on Friday. This is soooooooooo sad, and I don't know what to do with myself. It really is crazy how dependent I have become on it. It reported a "fatal error" regarding the hard drive and even though my husband is a computer genius we may not be able to get my address book or my music off of the machine- poo! The best news is that it is still under warranty, so it won't cost anything other than time and aggravation.
I will keep you posted (I am using my hubbies computer until mine is fixed- he is so sweet to share). Keep your fingers crossed for my music, I am still harboring hope.
Jamie and I finished up the dishes from a Shrove Tuesday dinner, or Pancake Tuesday Supper. Growing up in Canada we would always have pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday, usually in the form of a huge Pancake dinner at the church. Celebrating Shrove (Pancake) Tuesday is an Irish/English tradition that started because pancakes use up a lot of sweet/ rich foods before lent begins. I have never been particularly fond of pancakes, they are a little too soft for my tastes, so Jamie doesn't get them (or any other sweet breakfast food for that matter) very often and after taking a look at all of the dishes we had to do he may not get them again until next year.
Actually one thing can in fact top the door greeting, body wiggling puppy love and that is a husband. Especially one that comes home from the office (yes that is unusual, he generally works from home), makes supper (I have a headache and didn't feel like cooking), helps with the dishes, takes the dog for a walk, helps paste together two pictures into a one for me to use tomorrow at school and says how grateful he is to spend time with me.
How can you not love this face? EVERYDAY when I get home I am greeted by this face and wiggling body, her tail is wagging so hard that her whole body wiggles. It's very cute and puts a smile on my face regardless of the day that I have had. Piper is always excited to see me, regardless of how long I (or we) have left her. She all but attacks me when I walk in the door, I mean she gives you an all out WELCOME HOME! After we say hello (me petting and rubbing her belly) she follows me around the house while I put things away and do whatever needs to be done. After I am finished with that and I sit at the computer to check my email or read blogs she sits on my feet- yup on my feet. She is great company and a wonderful foot warmer.
A surprised look after kisses from Mommy- this is my favorite pic from the night.
Playing with his Daddy and sitting too- which he doesn't like too much.
Jamie and I had dinner at Nan and Jeremy's last night, it was delicious!! Nan made crab cakes, one of my absolute favorite meals and it was great. Not only is this woman the Mama for the adorable little guy pictured above but she sure can cook.
I took my camera over to their place yesterday, I generally don't go over there without it. Leyton loves my camera and I love taking his picture, it works well for us. I was even "allowed" to take pictures of Jeremy, who never enjoys smiling for the camera. I guess parenting really does change you. We had a great time guys- love you.
Why is it that when you are at the dentists office and have every possible instrument in your mouth plus their hands- they want to strike up a conversation with you? I mean come on people, like I really want to chat while I am guaranteed to drool on myself. I think that this should be added to the list of great things to ponder, I mean why not chat when I am just sitting in the chair?
For those of you that have not been keeping up with this, I have been married for 2 1/2 years but have not been able to change my name yet. By the way, I honestly wanted to change my name and was really excited about it. However, I was a Canadian citizen and had a greencard which made this whole process a whole lot more difficult.
Flash back to August 2006 with me, I was a new blushing bride with all of my paperwork put together, ready to go as I took the trip down town to the social security office. I was going to change my social and then get my new drivers license- no big deal right? WRONG! I was informed, after waiting for a few hours and sitting next to some very sketchy people (the Social Security office is full of random and scary people but that is a whole other post), that I would not be able to change my name until I changed it on my greencard. Okay, not the answer I wanted and a little frustrating but I was still thinking that it would happen soon. Wrong yet again. In order to change your name on you greencard you have to reapply for a new greencard, not just renew your existing card. Reapplying for a greencard means that there is a possibility that they won't let you stay in the US. Yippee, I just got married but if I wanted to change my name I had the possibility of being kicked out of the country. Woohoo, just what I wanted.
The paperwork was a pain and it took me 1 1/2 years to complete it to the point that I was comfortable turning it in. In brief, they wanted to know every time that I had been out of the United States since I moved here, with the exact dates and everything. Well come on people I was 11 when we moved, give me a break!! I don't remember the exact dates of the two or three trips that my family took back to Canada each year since I moved here, I sometimes don't remember what I had for lunch that day much less trivia from 15 years ago. Eventually, after worrying about it for a while I completed it to the best of my ability, crossed my fingers, and mailed the application.
Fast forward to last Friday with me now, when I was sworn in as a US citizen. Yup, a bunch of paperwork, fingerprints, photos, $700, a ridiculous interview, one ceremony and a whole lot of waiting later, it's official! I am a US citizen and I have the certificate to prove it. However, I can't take a picture of it; I'm not allowed to but if you stop by you can see it if you want. You other, born in the US citizens should be jealous, you didn't get a fancy certificate- but I did.
The long and the short of it is that I am officially a Perreault now- woohoo. I may not be a blushing bride anymore but I am very excited to be legitimate. Now I have to go through the long process of changing my name on every piece of official/legal paperwork that I have, applying for a new passport and once again sit in the social security office.


Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Urena plans to appeal the six-game suspension he received for hitting Ronald Acuna with a pitch on Wednesday.
It seems unlikely that he will win his appeal. Acuna, who had hit a home run in seven of eight games at the time of the incident, was hit with the first pitch of the game. Urena still insists that it was unintentional.
We project Urena to have a 4.54 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, with 32 K, 15 BB, and 6 home runs allowed in his remaining starts this season.


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Chrysler exec says all its vehicles will be hybrids
Chris Shunk
Mar 1st 2008 at 1:05PM
Chrysler president Jim Press saw what hybrid technology did for Toyota, and now the 37-year auto industry vet wants to repeat that success with the Pentastar brands. Press informed attendees at a seminar in New York recently that Chrysler would one day utilize hybrid power in each and every Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep. Of course, the charismatic exec had no timetable for Chrysler's full immersion into the land of hybrid hyperbole, but we would guess that kindergarteners may be ready for college by the time this happens. Before Press finished, he also mentioned an intention to sell as many Chryslers in other markets as the Auburn Hills-based company sells in the States.
While it's easy to kick Chrysler when it's down, the privately-owned company has to aim high or it won't have much of a chance. From the day Press entered Chrysler's hallowed halls, he's had a consistent message that the company would have plenty of alternative powertrains for its vehicles. Maybe we'll see Press one day driving down Woodward in a Dodge Zeo. OK, probably not.
[Source: Popular Mechanics]


I always thought that answers were important. It took me a few years into my teaching career before I realised that 'what' I taught my students wasn't half as important as 'how' they approached their learning.
When I only had 9 weeks to teach a history unit on the Renaissance, the emphasis had to be on metacognition; understanding our own thought processes. My students might pick up some interesting information, or have their interest sparked about some fact, but what was most important was helping them to learn how to learn; how to find relevant information, determining a reliable source, recognising bias, asking questions, forming and testing hypotheses and articulating a point of view.
These learning skills needed to be the focus of every lesson; the content was simply the vessel.
Now that I am homeschooling Jack and Sarah, my approach remains the same; learning and thinking skills first, content second.
So how do we emphasis those important learning skills without focussing too heavily on content?
Do we sit back and a let them explore?
How much input does the adult have in the child's learning?
Our children guide us. But we are partners in their learning. We don't answer their questions; for answering their questions denies them the opportunity to discover it for themselves.
We help them to grow in their learning by looking for the answers together. It is not a one-way street of information flowing from the adult to the child. It is circular, a partnership; flowing seamlessly between us, each of us asking questions, searching for answers – learning how to learn.
The adult has a crucial part in the learning process; we are a sounding board, we offer suggestions, we ask questions, we listen, we help make plans, we provide resources, we keep momentum going when needed, we teach them how to find information, we value their opinions and suggestions and we support their ideas. The adult has a very important role.
This is real learning; focussing on the process not the answers. For when our children know how to learn, the 'what to learn' is limitless.
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This pretty much sums up why the current focus on NAPLAN in schools and Kumon style teaching styles are missing the point. Thanks again for sharing your insights and beautiful little family!
Yes, I just read something today which said, "What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we make them learn". I thought that was so spot-on; teach them to love to learn, teach them to want to learn, teach them how to learn…. don't make them learn.
Kids who are encouraged to love learning and discovering as an end in itself will i think always love learning no matter how old they are.The answer really isn't that important its what you discover on the way.
I always love reading your learning insights. Beautiful post.
Thank you Kate, your words are always so wise 🙂 I will be sharing this!
This is such important stuff!
I think my girl's prep teacher thought I was a little nuts when I started my first ever parent teacher interview with 'I don't care so much about what they have learned, I just care that they are happy and want to come to school'… but I feel so strongly about that that I don't mind if people think I am a little crazy!
Hi Kate, your posts are always thought provoking. You have inspired us and helped us encourage my son's love of tinkering (his grandparents old computer has had literally hours of work/learning/amusement). Can you please tell me what Jack is working on in the second photo?
These are nice ideas! Make sure to balance all this right brain stuff with left brain work too. That's where Reggio may fall short and may need to be balanced out by other approaches too. Are you doing phonics and teaching reading as well?
Talk about timing! Just today I was thinking about my stepson (who has a developmental delay) and his potential move next year to a mainstream school and I decided that what schools should be focussing on is skills, not knowledge. Knowing how to work something out/find something out is a much more important skill than having pre-determined knowledge that may never be used again.
You put this so eloquently.
Great quote from Rinaldi which really sums up the entire inquiry approach.
I wouldn't put it in "right brain vs left brain" though. What I do think is that there is teaching skills vs teaching content. Both skills and content are pretty arbitrary. We were taught sewing weekly in our local public school from yr 2 to yr 6 back in the 80s – it was seen as a necessary skill. Now using a computer is seen as a necessary skill. Content back then was that Captain Cook discovered Australia and then there was a Gold Rush. I'm hoping Australian history content has changed a bit since then, but even so, you can't cover all of history no matter how long you teach for!
In regards to skills, I'd say a child-led approach would focus on skills that the child thinks valuable at that time rather than skills that an adult has chosen. I think it is important to note that both are arbitrary. No one can predict 100% which skills someone is going to need in the future. In a literacy-based society such as ours, most children will realise that reading and writing are tools they're going to need, and ask to learn (or pick it up from the environment, depending on how they learn). Whether that is phonics or whether it's another method will depend on the child.


In order to get into a University in Kenya, a student must excel on The Kenyan Certificate of Secondary High School, an exam taken at the end of high school. The students profiled here performed well on this exam and earned entrance into University. With support of the Weiss Scholarship Foundation, they are well on their way to accomplishing their dreams.
Roy was one of WSF's first scholarship recipients and excelled at Agoro Sare High School, where he was the President of his class. His success has allowed him to attend the University of Nairobi. Roy was raised by a single mom, and his dream has always been to be a lawyer.
Victor lost his father several years ago.
His mother raised him and his four younger siblings on her own. Victor worked very hard at St. Pius Uriri High School and now attends Machakos University. He wants to be a high school math and physics teacher. With his history of success, we know he will be a great educator.
at St. Pius Uriri High School. He currently attends the University of Nairobi. The subjects in which he excels are science and math. In the future, Nicholus hopes to pursue a career as an engineer.


A June 8, 2011 New York Times article by Steven M. Davidoff (a law professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law) notes that personal liability for directors and officers of large publicly held companies is less common than most of us think. Professor Davidoff argues that the upside of serving as a director or officer of a large public company is huge, and the down-side is very limited.
Even if the potential liability of public company officers and directors is not all that high, such individuals are still in need of asset protection planning. These individuals will generally have a high net worth. They can face potential liability from numerous other sources — anything from divorce to an auto accident. While many potential risks can be covered by insurance, personal asset protection is still advisable.
Small business owners frequently have to personally guarantee company obligations — which makes them directly responsible for those debts.
"Piercing the corporate veil" arguments will more likely be raised against a smaller business than a larger one.
Legal fees alone can be catastrophic for a small to medium sized business owner, even if he or she is eventually successful on the underlying claim.
Smaller businesses and their owners frequently carry less insurance than larger companies.
Whether you are running an international conglomerate or you own a small or medium sized business, you should focus on protecting your personal assets to the greatest extent permitted by applicable law.


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WWE Backlash est un événement annuel de catch (Lutte Professionnelle) organisé, produit et promu par la fédération World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), et vidéo-diffusé selon le principe du paiement à la séance (pay-per-view). La première édition de cet événement a eu lieu le .
et il se déroula de 1999 à 2009 chaque année au mois d'avril, étant le tout premier événement live donné juste après WrestleMania : il mettait donc en scène beaucoup de matches revanche. Exclusif à Monday Night RAW de 2004 à 2006, il a disparu après l'édition 2009, étant remplacé en 2010 par Extreme Rules qui était alors décalé en avril. À la suite du retour du WWE Brand Extension, le , le retour de WWE Backlash est annoncé le  en tant qu'événement exclusif à la division SmackDown.

Historique de Backlash
Backlash était donné de façon ininterrompue depuis dix ans par la WWF\WWE avant sa suppression. Il était le premier événement suivant WrestleMania, d'où son nom et son concept : Backlash ("retour de bâton") était le plus souvent composé de matches dits matches-revanche de WresteMania , au cours duquel le perdant de mars visait à reprendre un titre perdu ou à tenter de le conquérir à nouveau)

 Événement exclusif à Raw
 Événement  exclusif à SmackDown

Liens externes
  Site officiel de Backlash
  Site officiel de la WWE

Références

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Home BREAKING NEWS UN rights chief visit 'whitewashes' human rights abuses in China, claim rights...
UN rights chief visit 'whitewashes' human rights abuses in China, claim rights groups
Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi with the UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet in China (Photo/Xinhua)
By Choekyi Lhamo
The controversial visit to China by the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet has drawn heavy criticism for side-lining human rights issues during her meeting with top Chinese leaders. The human rights chief did not visit occupied Tibet, but only mentioned the sensitive region in her closing statement, "In Tibet Autonomous Region, it is important the linguistic, religious and cultural identity of Tibetans be protected, and that Tibetan people are allowed to participate fully and freely in decisions about their religious life and for dialogue to take place. I discussed education policies in the TAR and stressed the importance of children learning in their own language and culture in the setting of their families or communities."
Rights groups have expressed huge disappointment over her lack of concern about the pressing issues that need immediate attention. The US-based International Campaign for Tibet said that the recent visit has become a 'political victory' for the Communist regime. "The high commissioner's failure to report truthfully and without fear on the human rights situation in China is a gross dereliction of her duty . . . Bachelet's only two sentences on the situation in Tibet are utterly unacceptable and severely erode human rights standards and institutions," stated ICT on Saturday.
The central focus of her China visit was East Turkestan (Ch: Xinjiang), where observers say a "genocide" of Uyghur Muslim community is taking place under Chinese rule. Bachelet addressed the attacks on the Uyghurs in the context of "de-radicalization measures" and portrayed China as a proponent of a unique, multi-layered society.
"I encouraged the Government to undertake a review of all counter terrorism and de-radicalization policies to ensure they fully comply with international human rights standards, and in particular that they are not applied in an arbitrary and discriminatory way," she said, noting that exiled Uyghurs should be considered a priority and that the authorities should subsequently assist them in contacting their respective families.
The US State Department slammed the visit saying that it has attempted to whitewash the entire human rights discourse. Secretary Antony Blinken said that the US has reason to believe that the Beijing authorities have manipulated high commissioner's visit, "The US remains deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the PRC, particularly in light of new reports that offer further proof of arbitrary detentions among the more than one million people detained in Xinjiang . . . We again call on the PRC to immediately cease its atrocities in Xinjiang, release those unjustly detained, account for those [who] disappeared, and allow independent investigators unhindered access to Xinjiang, Tibet, and across China."
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Shyamal Sinha


Immediately after the Bulls' dramatic, four-overtime victory in Atlanta on March 1, Lauri Markkanen's comment — and smile as he made it — sounded legitimate and laudatory.
That's exactly what Markkanen did, powering through his feeling of first-half sluggishness and his need for a break during the third overtime to post 31 points and 17 rebounds in 54 gut-check minutes.
But it's what Markkanen said just before his "No Boys Allowed" sound bite that now jumps out in light of the Bulls shutting down the second-year forward for additional testing on a rapid heart rate and fatigue that flared anew Tuesday in Toronto.
The Bulls have stressed that the initial battery of tests and examinations of Markkanen by their medical staff, as well as the Raptors team physician Tuesday night, have all checked out normal. Boylen talked about Markkanen sitting in his office at 2 p.m. Wednesday expressing his desire to play against the Trail Blazers.
Markkanen also told people he planned to work out individually soon. So he's upbeat.
But the Bulls, who will use a heart monitor during Markkanen's supervised workouts over the next 10 to 14 days at least, are absolutely doing the right thing by erring on the side of caution. You just don't know.
The Bulls actually do know plenty about cardiovascular incidents.
Coincidentally, Thursday marked the 14-year anniversary of the first of two episodes of arrhythmia center Eddy Curry experienced. Those incidents led to a public battle between the Bulls and Curry over DNA testing to determine whether Curry's enlarged heart was a genetic trait or a predisposition to cardiomyopathy — the condition Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis had when they collapsed and died while playing basketball.
The Bulls, Curry's camp and several prominent cardiologists involved in the saga ultimately reached a truce without DNA testing during the 2005 offseason. Curry ultimately played 238 more NBA games after the Bulls engineered a sign-and-trade deal with the Knicks in October 2005 and has signed up to play in the Big3 this summer.
In March 2007, Malik Allen experienced atrial fibrillation and praised the Bulls for their care. He returned that season, including the playoffs, and played four more seasons and is now an assistant coach with the Timberwolves.
No two heart episodes are the same. And the Curry and Allen examples show they ultimately can be footnotes in an ongoing career. But a conservative approach is absolutely the right approach.
After his first series of tests and examinations, Markkanen spent Tuesday night in Toronto with Chip Schaefer, the Bulls director of performance health. Schaefer, then Loyola Marymount's trainer, was the first non-player to Gathers' side when the forward collapsed during the first half of a West Coast Athletic Conference Tournament game March 4, 1990.
To be clear, nobody is saying Markkanen's situation is remotely comparable with that of Gathers', whose autopsy determined his cause of death to be cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart muscle.
But the Bulls and Markkanen are doing the right thing to take a break from the NBA, which might not allow boys but does welcome common sense.


Extruded High Purity Europium(Eu) Metal. Even stored under low oxygen/low moisture glove box conditions the Eu oxidizes. The variations in oxide level is the source of the colors. The tiger stripes are surface variation from the extrusion. This metal was prepared at Ames Laboratory/ISU.


Each project we undertake (unless it involves no structural work or modification at all) has the foundation and structural systems designed by a licensed engineer who specializes in the engineering of residential structures. A house is a complex structure of many parts that is ultimately built by human hands with natural materials that react to moisture and natural forces. The structure sits on soil that, by its very nature, moves and shifts due to weather and moisture conditions. Therefore, the house will always have the potential to move along with the shrinking, swelling and movement of the soil and other natural forces. But a well-detailed and well-engineered plan, if followed in construction, helps to mitigate potential problems and delays during the construction of the house, and problems in the home's structural performance after the home is completed. This translates to fewer callbacks for the builder and fewer future repairs for the homeowner.


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Home News Search for school superintendent underway
Search for school superintendent underway
The Lakeview High School football team and coaches were recognized for their exceptional season at the Thursday, Dec. 5 school board meeting. The team was treated to a cake and refreshments.
By Juanice Gray, Editor
A criterion is set and the search for a new superintendent of Natchitoches Parish schools is officially underway. The process began when Supt. Dale Skinner announced he will retire when his contract is up in June 2020.
Coach Brandon Helms praised his football team and fellow coaches on a season that took them to the playoffs. "They committed themselves to learning to work as a team and committed to practice during fall break," he said. The team broke 19 school records and team members were honored with 13 post season awards, to be announced Monday, Dec. 9.
A community advisory committee, in conjunction with the A+ Coalition, a subsidiary of the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce, conducted a survey on various formats of Internet websites and social media to get community feedback on the characteristics and qualifications desired for a new superintendent. Dr. Kim McAlister, Dean of the Gallaspy Family College of Education and Human Development at NSU, spoke for the advisory committee at the meeting Thursday.
She said the survey generated 873 results, plus an additional 20 (+-) paper surveys that arrived in the mail, which had not been included in the data, presented at board meeting. Of the 873 results, 94 percent were from parish residents, 48 percent or 421 surveys were from stakeholders having students in the system, 22 were students and 20 percent or 171 surveys were from school employees.
The results showed an overwhelming 87 percent asked that the superintendent be paid comparable to same size districts in the state. The current salary is ranked eighth among 10 comparable districts while the number of students in the district puts the parish in the top three.
U'Donis Jones, in front, and his fellow Lakeview football teammates were congratulated at the board meeting Thursday. Photos by Juanice Gray
School board attorney Bob Hammonds expedited the process for placing an advertisement for Skinner's successor and determining qualifications and salary. He began by recommending the board vote Thursday on the criteria. The first criteria were qualifications.
The options were qualifications stated by the BESE?board or BESE qualifications plus additional requirements such as a PhD. Hammonds said anything over the state requirements would limit the pool of applicants. The board decided to go with the state recommendations and in addition, the applicant must have all credentials in place upon submitting the application.
The next step was choosing locations to advertise. Hammonds suggested the five major markets in the state, Shreveport, Monroe, Lafayette, Baton?Rouge and New Orleans in addition to the parish legal journal, The Natchitoches Times. They will further advertise on the school board website and through networking with the School Board Association to place web based ads. A dedicated post office box will be procured to receive all applications.
A deadline of Friday, Feb. 7 was voted on and no less than two school board members will open the box Monday, Feb. 10 with additional checks later in the week. Only those applications postmarked by Feb. 7 will be accepted.
The hot topic at the Tuesday meeting was the salary range. Hammonds recommended a $25,000 range to attract more applicants. He suggested $120,000-$145,000, which included the two ranges the board agreed upon at the Tuesday meeting. Emile Metoyer proposed a range of $120,000-$135,000 Tuesday and Beverly Broadway proposed $130,000-$140,000 Tuesday. The only dissenting vote on the $120,000-$140,000 range was Metoyer.
Hammonds then briefed the board on procedures after the applications are received. He said the board would decided how many to interview, which ones to interview and the order of the interviews.
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Sibley Lake launches closed
Temporary street closing to take down Christmas lights
Number of manufactured homes in parish continues to rise
NSU facing new challenges and opportunities
US. Rep. Johnson selected to serve as Deputy Whip in 118th Congress
Local OEM plan being updated, public invited to planning meeting Jan. 24


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Freedom and democracy include
participation and therefore responsibility
from us all.
Social Activist Tania Bruguera Brings Arte Útil to NYC
Renee Phillips
From: Phillips, Renne, "Social Activist Tania Bruguera Brings Arte Útil to NYC" The healing power of Art & Artists. Posted on: June 1, 2016, New York, United States.
http://www.healing-power-of-art.org/positive-art-news-social-activist-tania-bruguera-brings-arte-util-to-nyc/
Tania Bruguera was born in 1968 in Havana, Cuba. She studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana and then earned an M.F.A. in performance from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is internationally recognized as a a politically motivated performance artist who explores the relationship between art, activism, and social change. Her works examine the social effects of political and economic power. She collaborates with multiple institutions as well as many individuals so that the full realization of her artwork occurs when others adopt and perpetuate it.
Tania Bruguera has brought awareness about Arte Útil (useful art) which proposes solutions to sociopolitical problems through the implementation of art. She has been teaching and researching the subject of Arte Útil for a decade through an academy in Havana; the Arte Útil lab at Queens Museum, residencies at Immigrant Movement International, New York, and
the Museum of Arte Útil. She recently received a one-year Artist-in-Residence from Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) in New York, NY.
What is Arte Útil ?
Arte Útil employs art to develop new methods of addressing pressing social and political issues. According to the Museum of Arte Util museumartutil.net, "Whether through self-organised groups, individual initiatives or the rise of user generated content people are developing new methods and social formations to deal with issues that were once the domain of the state. Arte Útil case studies show how these initiatives are not isolated incidents, but part of a global movement shaping our contemporary world."
What is The Criteria for Arte Útil?
Tania Bruguera and curators at the Queens Museum, New York, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven and Grizedale Arts, Coniston have established the following criteria for what constitutes Arte Util:
* Propose new uses for art within society
* Challenge the field within which it operates (civic, legislative, pedagogical, scientific, economic, etc)
* Be 'timing specific', responding to current urgencies
* Be implemented and function in real situations
* Replace authors with initiators and spectators with users
* Have practical, beneficial outcomes for its users
* Pursue sustainability whilst adapting to changing conditions
* Re-establish aesthetics as a system of transformation
"The art that we should be doing today in the 21st century is art that is not for the museum, it's art for the street and people's lives." -Tania Bruguera
Bruguera's Artist-in-Residence in NYC
Tania Bruguera will serve as an artist-in-residence for one year at MOIA. The approach to her residency will be based on the artist's practice of Arte Útil. She will work with Immigrant Movement International (IM International), a participatory artwork she initiated in collaboration with Queens Museum and Creative Time that functions as a community space in the immigrant-rich neighborhood of Corona, Queens.
Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl stated "I have been inspired by Tania Bruguera's vision for art as something that can propose real, tangible solutions for the people involved since I met her 15 years ago." He added "I am enormously excited to support her work that uses art to forge a new model for enhancing our public services through creative practice."
Bruguera Is Excited to Collaborate with NYC's Immigrant Communities
Tania Bruguera expressed her feelings about her Artist-in-Residence: "I'm excited to explore new ways of collaborating with New York's immigrant communities to make a real impact on the lives of city residents." She also stated, "This project provides a unique opportunity to enhance the notion of art as a useful tool to materialize a vision of a more inclusive society."


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Rock 'n' Roll 70, 2015, © Gillian Wearing, Courtesy of the artist; Maureen Paley, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York
Ageing Consensually
Gillian Wearing behind the mask
Throughout the past two decades, London-based artist Gillian Wearing has made films, photographs, and sculptures that investigate public personas and private lives. Since the beginning of her career, she has drawn from techniques derived from theatre, reality television, and documentary making to construct narratives that explore her own personal fantasies, confessions, and traumas, along with cultural histories and the media. Anonymity through elaborate masks, costumes, and role-play forms a critical part of her practice, as she investigates the ways in which individuals present themselves to others when the self is temporarily concealed. DAMN° spoke with Wearing on the occasion of her current show in London.
Anna Sansom July 2017
After interpreting the visages of her family members and her younger self through the use of masks, Gillian Wearing decided to age herself digitally, to dramatic and surprising effect. On a huge wall in the National Portrait Gallery in London is a gridded section of wallpaper showing 15 images of what Wearing might look like at the age of 70. Ceding artistic control, the British artist handed over photographs of her 50-year-old self along with her biography to forensic scientists and age-progression artists, who then put forward their ideas on how she might turn out. "They would come and ask me for back-up material, like images of my mother or other relatives at 70; I would leave it entirely up to them as to what they needed in order to project this image of who I could be", says Wearing, who won the Turner Prize in 1997. "I liked opening it to chance, how I could be perceived."
The different projections vary from stylish, youngish 70-year-olds to weary-eyed, dishevelled women, and others that are desperately attempting to claw back the years. In one image, a relaxed Wearing is wearing a cheery yellow jumper, her arm around her partner, artist Michael Landy. In another, she resembles a harried professor. "There's one with facial reconstruction, as if I'd had plastic surgery, and other ones where I've almost abandoned life", she says. "Personality wise, you wouldn't necessarily connect them all together", she continues. "Some feel quite alien – could I possibly be like this person they had imagined?"
Me as Mapplethorpe, 2009, Collection of Mario Testino / © Gillian Wearing, Courtesy of Maureen Paley, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York
Wearing also made four of the portraits herself. In one of them, she is as she is now; in the others she's pouting, looking in the mirror and standing in front of the other images. Yet, seeing herself through someone else's imagination is something she enjoys. "It's so nice to sometimes escape and get away from yourself as far as possible, like when trying to be someone else in the photographs with the masks", she says. "It made me think about how age is perceived, which brings in a slightly anthropological angle." Next to the Rock 'n' Roll 70 (wallpaper) is another memento mori: a portrait of her at 50 in a pale grey T-shirt, and a digitally aged projection of her. A space has been left for a third image where Wearing, once she reaches 70, will introduce a new portrait – making the work a triptych. "I want there to be a comparison between the projection and what I will actually look like", she clarifies.
The wallpaper project is loosely reminiscent of Cindy Sherman's self-transformative series on well-heeled, mature women ageing. The key difference is that Sherman fiction-alised a cast of characters, whereas Wearing has explored the various possibilities that could exist in her own future life. What motivates her is contemplating how an individual ages, along with their changes in appearance, lifestyle, and clothing. "I've always been interested in programmes like Seven Up! [the British documentary series that traced children growing up, in seven-year intervals – the participants now being in their 60s]", she says, citing American photographer Nicholas Nixon's four-decade-long study of the Brown sisters as a source of inspiration.
Rock 'n' Roll 70 (wallpaper), 2015, © Gillian Wearing, Courtesy of the artist; Maureen Paley, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles; and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York
Wearing's new work is part of the exhibition Gillian Wearing & Claude Cahun: Behind the Mask, Another Mask. In 2012, Wearing made a portrait of herself as the late French artist in which she is holding a mask of her own face. Cahun's 1927 self-portrait, with kiss curls on her forehead and hearts painted on her cheeks, is playfully teasing. The handwriting on her white top reads: I am in training don't kiss me, and two dots have been drawn on the shirt where her nipples are. In her appropriation, Wearing subtracted the provocative dimension, leaving the white top sleek and unadulterated. The image caught the attention of Sarah Howgate, contemporary curator at the National Portrait Gallery. Howgate contacted Wearing suggesting a double show juxtaposing the two artists' use of masks, bridging similarities in their practices despite them being born in different countries half a century apart. "I immediately said Yes", she says. "It was totally exciting because I'd never shown in this way before, and it also gave me the opportunity to explore Claude Cahun's archive in depth." Wearing and Howgate travelled together to Jersey, where she spent the last years of her life. Born as Lucy Schwob in 1894, Cahun reinvented herself through photography, being at once the object and subject of her artistic performances. After moving in Surrealist circles in Paris, Cahun, who was Jewish, moved to Jersey during the Second World War, continuing her writing and photography collaborations with her lifelong partner, Marcel Moore (the pseudonym of Suzanne Malherbe).
"Claude was a political artist and archivist and her photographs are incredibly playful, with a real sense of experimentation", enthuses Wearing. "Her archive is held by this small Jersey Heritage trust and museum, and we were very lucky to obtain her unique images – they're so delicate that they had to be flown over with somebody sitting on an aeroplane with them." At Cahun's gravesite, Howgate, guided by Wearing, photographed her adopting 30 different poses, including one where she covers her face with her long, straight, black hair, and cups her hands over it – a re-enactment of a self-portrait with a masked face that Cahun made in 1947.
Me as Cahun holding a mask of my face, 2012, © Gillian Wearing, Courtesy of Maureen Paley, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York
Self-Portrait of Me Now in Mask, 2011, Collct ion of Mario Testino / © Gillian Wearing / Courtesy of Maureen Paley, London
Besides drawing parallels between the two artists' fascination with self-transformation, the exhibition showcases Wearing's investigation into family identity. For her Family Album series (2003-2006), she picked out youthful portraits of her parents, her brother and sister, and her grandparents when they were middle-aged, then remade the photographs with her wearing silicone masks. In the one of her as her brother combing his hair, Wearing had a body-mould made. The unifying factor is her eyes, which stare out from the mask's conspicuous outline, challenging the viewer's perception of the illusion. The one that touches her the most is that of her mother as a 23-year-old woman, eight years before Wearing was born. "For many years, I'd aged that photograph of her in my head, attributing to her the role of my mother, but actually she had no relationship to me at that point."
Does Wearing see a social endeavour in her work? "When people create family albums, they're creating an anthropological document of their lives, historicising themselves", she replies. "I'm going back and editing my version in a way that makes it much more complex and multi-layered." She also has staged portraits of herself impersonating other artists, such as Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Diane Arbus, Weegee, and August Sander. "When you look at them, they look quite convincing, like a snapshot, but I spend about eight hours photographing, getting a sense of what's going to work", she informs.
An aspect of Wearing's oeuvre seems underpinned by an obsessive, scrutinising degree of vanity. Covering one wall are the Polaroids she took of herself from 1988 to 2004, beginning with the striking poses of her as a teenager with her friends. Elsewhere, there's a masked portrait of her reinterpreting a photograph taken in 1984 when she was working as a production assistant/secretary by day and making clay figures and masks in her free time, prior to studying at Chelsea College of Art and Goldsmiths. The wheels of her career were not yet in motion but her younger self was dreaming of becoming an artist.
Further along is the long-legged, model-like picture, Me as my ideal self (2012), the body digitally elongated thanks to Photoshop. "It's a direct reference to that sense of trying to find your own identity through perfection, which isn't obtainable, and the way people are [manipulating] their own visuals today", says Wearing, adding, "When you're younger, you don't have an identity through work or relationships, so your physical identity is very important." Meanwhile, the hazy apparition of her clouded in blue smoke in the enigmatic Me as a ghost (2015) refers to her background. "The smoke idea came from the way Birmingham [Wearing's birthplace] is one of the world's first industrial cities, and I'm wearing a T-shirt saying Heavy Metal because this is where heavy metal groups came from."
Collaboration seeps into Wearing's work in My exquisite corpse (2016), which fuses a head from her friend Gary Hume with Michael Landy's torso and Wearing's legs. It is a nod to Cahun's Surrealist period and her collaboration with Marcel Moore. Significantly, Wearing's interest in family and identity extends to public sculpture. She's working on her third bronze family sculpture commission, this time for Copenhagen, having been contacted by Jacob Fabricius, artistic director at Kunsthal Aarhus and the project's curator. A three-part TV programme about the nation-wide campaign to select a particular family in response to the question: "What does a real Danish family look like in 2016?" is due to be aired later this year. The Danish Broadcasting Corporation toured the nation, meeting 500 families. "The choice of families is narrowed down to about 20, who tell you things about their lives, occupations, and relationships", Wearing explains. Although the site for the sculpture has not been disclosed, an exhibition documenting the process, supplemented by other works by Wearing, is planned for the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) in Copenhagen this autumn. The sculpture is due to be installed the day of the opening.
The commission for A Real Danish Family follows similar statues in Trento, Italy, and in Birmingham. For the latter, Wearing approached Ikon Gallery with her idea of making a family-themed public sculpture. Local residents were invited to send in nominations representing how the 21st-century family might be symbolised in the city. The winners of the project were two sisters, Emma and Roma Jones, and their young sons, Kyan and Shaye. The life-sized bronze statue of the sisters, one of which is heavily pregnant, with their sons standing between them, all holding hands, positioned in front of the Birmingham Library, was unveiled in 2014.
Indeed, Wearing also works on documentaries, including videos of masked individuals confessing their tales of childhood abuse, family violence, sexual fantasies, and lies in response to adverts. The last such project was Fear and Loathing in Los Angeles in 2014, the same year she filmed people in the West Midlands talking about what their biggest regret would be if they passed away. Looking ahead, has she thought about working on augmented reality? "I went to [British artist] Jonathan Yeo's studio and put on a virtual headset – they're pretty uncomfortable, but I'd really like to try something out", she replies. Certainly, Wearing has more than a decade left before she can fill the third space in Rock 'n' Roll 70, and as much ardour for art as ever. "Artists don't retire, and can do some of their best work in their 80s and 90s", she asserts. "In terms of being an artist, age is a very positive thing."
Gillian Wearing & Claude Cahun: Behind the Mask, Another Mask is at the National Portrait Gallery, London, until 29 May 2017
Gillian Wearing – Family Stories is at the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) in Copenhagen, 12 October 2017 – 7 January 2018
This article appeared in DAMN°62. Order your personal copy.
Me as my ideal self, 2012, Courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles
Self Portrait as my Brother Richard Wearing, 2003, Heather Pode a Collection / © Gillian Wearing / Courtesy of Maureen Paley, London; and Regen Projects, Los Angeles
My exquisite corpse, 2016, Gary Hume (head), Michael Landy (torso) and Gillian Wearing (legs), © Gary Hume © Michael Landy © Gillian Wearing / Courtesy of Maureen Paley, London
At Claude Cahun's grave, 2015 Courtesy of the artist, Photo: National Portrait Gallery, London
A Real Birmingham Family, 2014 © Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK
http://www.npg.org.uk
http://www.smk.dk
Anna Sansom
Anna Sansom is a British-born, Paris-based journalist who writes about art, design, and architecture for DAMN°, Frame, Mark, The Art Newspaper, Whitewall, Art Now and Noblesse (China).
Erwin Wurm: Performative Sculptures #63
Exhibition, 21er Haus Vienna, Austria.
Art of conspiracy
Retro sci-fi, childhood conspiracy theories and an American diner act as Trojan horse for artist Monira Al Qadiri's sociopolitical critique.
Houses and homes through history
'House Work' at Victoria Miro Mayfair, London, until 18 March 2017
Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon #64
Exhibition, New Museum, New York, US.


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HomeUncategorizedSeniors enticed to consider grad school
Sep. 12, 2012 at 1:23 am
Seniors enticed to consider grad school
Grad fair looks to help college seniors who want to continue school after their undergrad studies are finished. Photo from morguefile.com.
Although many plan to say goodbye to school forever after graduation, the Career Center at CSU-Pueblo asks them to reconsider by hosting Graduate School Fair Thursday, Sept. 13.
Schools that will be in attendance with representatives are CSU-Pueblo, CSU-Fort Collins and CSU-Global, a part of the Colorado State University system that only offers online programs.
Students who attend will get information on how to apply, the application process, tuition and the correct pre-test needed to get into each school, because they do vary.
All the graduate schools in Colorado are competing for increased enrollment so the focus is to compete and bring students to CSU-Pueblo's graduate programs by showing them what the university offers, said Michelle Gjerde, director of the Career Center. She added that in the future they may consider opening the event up to other universities and colleges, if requested.
The environment of the graduate fair will be different than that of an internship fair. The attire for the fair is not business but causal. There will be food and beverages available and students are encouraged to come with questions for the representatives from each school.
There has not been a graduate fair on campus since 2004, making this the first in eight years, Gjerde said. "I'm anxious to see how it goes next Thursday, if anybody shows up."
The interim provost noticed the lack of effort on the part of the campus to market graduate programs at CSU-Pueblo, Gjerde said.
The Career Center, located in the Library and Academic Resource building, focuses on providing opportunities for each CSU-Pueblo student and graduate to develop a clear career objective, to obtain relevant work experience, and to learn the skills necessary to conduct a successful self-directed job search, according to the information on CSU-Pueblo's website.
Although it may seem like this graduate fair is only about these schools gaining through increased enrollment, Gjerde expressed the benefits for students.
"A lot of it is earning power. (Your earning power) could be greater if you were to go on and get an advance degree," she said. "Just having a bachelor's degree is going to increase your earning but if you want to increase that, furthering your education is the way to go."
Students are also advised to make an appointment with the Career Center to get help with resume preparation, job searches and learning interview skills. For more information about the graduate fair or the Career Center, contact Michelle Gjerde at 719-549- 2512.
Sherrea Elliott September 12, 2012
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Country singer rocks state fair
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Vegas singer visits CSU-Pueblo as part of her college tour
CSU-Pueblo misses chance to advance in quarterfinal debacle
Pack drops eighth straight, fall victim to Cowgirls
Pack beats Western New Mexico in final matchup against team
Banned book display


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National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research
About the Collaborative
We support rigorous scientific research designed to broaden agreement on the facts associated with gun policy and inform development of fair and effective policies.
Why Fund Gun Violence Research
Despite more than 38,000 firearm deaths and more than 115,000 injuries from firearms per year in the United States, the public and policymakers lack basic information on the causes of gun violence and how it can be prevented.
The Collaborative is supported through philanthropic and private donations and was established with seed funding from Arnold Ventures.
Our funding supports research that seeks to understand the patterns of gun ownership and use, explore the benefits and harms of firearms in the United States, or evaluate policies designed to reduce gun violence harm in the United States.
We distribute research funding for projects that explore topics including suicide, school violence, officer-involved shootings, and firearm safety.
We seek proposals from researchers across disciplines to build a diverse field of gun violence researchers and strengthen research capacity.
Addressing Gun Violence in Missouri with Research-Driven Solutions
Q&A with Missouri Foundation for Health's Jessi LaRose, Senior Strategist - Initiatives
The National Collaborative is partnering with Missouri Foundation for Health to fund research aimed at providing evidence-based solutions to prevent gun violence in Missouri. With the Foundation's support, the collaborative will set aside $1.5 million in the 2020 request for proposals to support work specific to Missouri.
In this Q&A, Jessi LaRose, Senior Strategist – Initiatives at Missouri Foundation for Health, explains why the Foundation is supporting a data-driven approach to tackling gun violence.
Why is gun violence a key issue for Missouri and Missouri Foundation for Health?
Missouri has a gun violence problem. Now widely recognized as a public health issue, it impacts people of all ages and backgrounds in all communities across our state. It is one of the leading causes of death in both the U.S. and Missouri, yet we know far less about prevention for this issue than any of the other leading causes.
We saw an opportunity to be able to make impact and drive change by contributing to the field's understanding of potential solutions to gun violence. The Foundation's prevention strategy is to build a strong base of information and networks that enable those in our state to effectively respond when opportunities emerge to influence the systems and structures that underly gun violence.
How is gun violence affecting Missourians?
Gun violence includes homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings resulting in injuries and death. In 2017, Missouri had the fifth-highest firearm death rate in the nation (per capita). The homicide rate in St. Louis continues to be far higher than the national average and roughly double the rate of cities of comparable size and geography. In addition, suicides have increased 36% from 1999 to 2018 in the state (the 19th highest rate in the nation). Firearms account for 61% of suicide deaths in Missouri, making it the leading means of suicide by a wide margin.
Gun violence in all its forms leaves lasting scars on communities, affecting overall health and well-being.
What motivated your decision to partner with the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research to fund Missouri-relevant gun policy research?
Gun violence prevention research is very limited in Missouri, which has led to significant gaps in knowledge around perceptions of gun violence and the impact of promising practices and policies. This work will strengthen Missouri's gun violence prevention field and make the state a focal point for high-quality, evidence-based, non-partisan research. Not only will this work enable the Foundation's future efforts to be more effective, it will also serve as a resource to other organizations in Missouri and nationwide as they strive for greater impact against this epidemic.
Learn more about Missouri Foundation for Health at mffh.org.
Through this partnership we will be able to potentially reach and engage a more diverse pool of researchers to undertake additional Missouri-specific work. In addition, this opportunity can help contribute to diversifying the researchers working in the gun violence field through dissertation projects and fellowship support.
What impact do you hope the research that comes from this partnership will have on Missouri and Missourians?
We believe that making investments to build a strong base of information will help us advance a more nuanced and shared understanding of the impact of gun violence on Missouri communities. It will also enable us and likeminded organizations to better promote data-driven solutions to reduce gun-related deaths and injuries.
How else is Missouri Foundation for Health working to reduce gun violence?
This is just one piece of a larger gun violence prevention research agenda at the Foundation. Additional research will also be conducted regarding behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge relating to gun violence, along with effective communications strategies to facilitate change.
MFH is also currently supporting various gun-violence related work in select areas of the state. This includes the hospital-based violence intervention program Life Outside of Violence, Better Family Life's De-escalation Centers, The Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artist Collective, and the suicide prevention program Safer Homes Collaborative. Over the next several years, the Foundation also plans to support opportunities to strengthen Missouri networks to address gun violence.
Learn more about the Missouri Foundation for Health »
Download the Request for Proposals (RFP)
Read Full RFP
Strong Response to Call for Proposals on Gun Violence Reduction
Collaborative Issues New Call for Research Proposals
Missouri Foundation for Health Awards $1.5 Million for Gun Violence Prevention Research
Get updates on RFPs and other news.
National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research on Twitter
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On Tuesday 23rd January Sara Abbott, a renowned artist, displayed some of her work at The Berkeley Wine Bar & Gallery in Berkhamsted to officially launch her collaboration with Chilterns Dog Rescue Society. During the first half of 2018 Sara will donate £100 to the Rescue Society for every Pet Portrait commission she receives.
An official portrait painter for the Kennel Club and Harrods artists in residence for two years her work is recognised as among the best in the world today as even a quick glance will confirm.
Abbott visits her clients nationally for a gentle photo shoot with her subject as she feels meeting the dogs and getting a feel for their nature and character is an important ingredient in her work. Her recent move to Berkhamsted means that she is now very local to us and why she has chosen to support our work.
If you've ever thought about a portrait of your dog, as a gift for a loved one, a family heirloom or as a delicious self-indulgence now is the time to do it. Abbott's work has featured in Elle Deco, Dogs Today, Hong Kong Tatler, Dogs Monthly, Beautiful Homes and many other publications and we can't wait to see whose portraits she paints here in the Chilterns.
Artist Sara Abbott is raising funds for us through her animal portrait work. Mention us when ordering a commission of your dog and she will donate £100 of her fee to the Rescue Centre.
In addition, you could WIN a 60 x 60cm oil on canvas portait in our raffle – all funds raised from this will go towards helping the dogs at CDRS.
Tickets are £5 a strip – available here and at The Berkeley, Berkhamsted where the raffle will be drawn in an evening exhibition and informal talk by the artists on January 23rd 2018 from 6:30pm.
SPECIAL APPEAL! DONATE TO DOGZONE!
Moving into the new Rescue Centre was a huge milestone in the Society's history.
It is hard to explain how wonderful it is to see the dogs in their new kennels in an environment which helps to make their stay with us, for however long, as comfortable and fulfilling as possible.
Of course, the kennels themselves formed Phase One in our vision to create a Centre of Excellence for our rescue and rehoming work. As we settle into our new surroundings we have already turned our attention to, and indeed commenced work on, Phase 2. This includes landscaping, car parking areas and the demolition of the old kennels to give us room for additional training facilities.
As well as calm and comfortable surroundings in the kennels themselves it is also important to offer training, socialisation and relaxation areas for the dogs. Essentially a dog play zone!
With this in mind, one of the key elements of Phase 2 will take the form of creating and building two enrichment and sensory paddocks. These paddocks will not only provide the dogs with the space to socialise together but by adding different plants, scents and textures as well as other features we can provide the mental and physical stimulation they also require.
Features such as a sandpit for digging, water feature for paddling, log tunnels and raised platforms will enable dogs to put their natural skills to the test. Caves, trees and shrubs will provide additional interest as well as natural shade. Plants such as lavender, yarrow, St Johns Wort and valerian add scent and can offer beneficial properties for dogs. The paddocks can also be used to provide quieter surroundings for training as well as a good place for potential owners to meet a dog for the first time.
In essence the paddocks will not only provide an exciting and stimulating area for the dogs but will highlight certain aspects of their personality, helping us to evaluate their progress and aid the rehoming process.
Initial costings for two 25m paddocks plus the cost of the features is estimated to be £20,000 and to help us achieve this next chapter we are excited to announce the launch of a new campaign to raise funds to create our DogZone.
It is because of your incredible generosity that we have already achieved so much and with your continued loyalty we can achieve so much more.
My Favourite Voucher Codes – Vote Now!
Raise money for dogs in need whilst saving on your online shopping – for free!
This November, we are teaming up with My Favourite Voucher Codes in their charity poll, competing with two other charities to win 20% of their profits for the month.
About My Favourite Voucher Codes: This online money saving website supplies discount codes and amazing offers for thousands of stores, from small online retailers to popular high street stores such as Argos and Debenhams. Online shoppers can enjoy up-to-date voucher codes on everything from stylish boots to beach holidays, and with such a wide range of stores to choose from, there is something for everyone. Alongside their codes, they give 20% of their monthly profits to a different charity each month via their charity poll, and in the last 5 years have given donations totalling over £50,000.
Vote Online: Voting is both free and easy; simply visit the My Favourite Voucher Codes homepage and you will find the poll on the right-hand side (or the bottom of the page on mobile). Everyone can cast one vote, and once you do you can see how we are doing in the poll! There is no need to sign up or use any vouchers in order to vote, however every voucher used contributes to the final amount donated (whilst saving you money!).
With this donation, we can continue to rescue and provide care for abandoned and unwanted dogs. With veterinary care, feed and training, it costs a great amount just to keep up the everyday running of the rescue. Vote today and help us not only continue helping the dogs in our care but also to rescue more dogs with uncertain futures and help them find a loving home.
Another of our popular quiz nights in Wendover is coming soon on Saturday 14th October.
Teams of 6. £12.50 per person.
Hot supper included. Bring your own drinks and glasses.
Contact cdrsevents@aol.com or 01296 623885 to reserve your table.
We appreciate any donations of towels for the dogs in our care.
Now we are in our new Rescue Centre we are using vet beds and no longer need blankets. We are also unable to use anything with stuffing eg duvets, cushions, pillows etc.
We have moved into our new Rescue Centre !
I have always believed the redevelopment of the Rescue Centre would be the Society`s greatest challenge to date. That certainly proved to be the case.
However, at long last, I am delighted to be able to say that Building Control have signed off the work and we have moved in. The new Rescue Centre is now open for business – what an amazing milestone this is for the Society.
Our sincere thanks go to so many people over the years; their vision and hard work have got us to where we are now. Our members, staff, trustees and friends have shown an unwavering love of dogs and, by supporting our rescue and rehoming work, have demonstrated a deep commitment to help those in most need; we couldn't be more grateful and hope you feel the new Centre fulfils all the promises we made to you at the beginning of this project.
As you may remember, very rapid progress was seen in the early stages as the site was cleared, the ground works team moved in and the walls of the new buildings began to rise. Once weather proofed with a sophisticated roof design and windows, further work began inside in earnest. This was less obvious to visitors but included a network of integrated systems for heating, lighting, mains and 'grey' water provision and waste disposal, together with the installation of fire alarms, intruder alerts, resin finishes for the kennel walls and floors, tiling, decorating, office flooring, … the list went on and on.
Last year we launched our Metre of Mesh campaign to raise £40,000 towards completion of the mesh work, one of the final stages in Phase 1 of the redevelopment. Again, thanks to the amazing generosity of members, the public and Support Adoption for Pets, we reached our target and instruction for the installation of the remaining mesh was given. We have also finalised other remaining items such as the disabled access and emergency exits in the past months. Further thanks go to our volunteers who have assisted us with so much of this additional work; Mike Ellis for making our trellis and planters, Paul and Ann for providing plants, Callum and Antony for assisting with landscaping, Joyce for moving over fund raising materials and dog records and many others. Some temporary landscaping has been put in place prior to moving onto Phase 2 which involves demolition of the old facilities, setting up training facilities and final landscaping – a condition of our planning permission.
With all this effort, we have created a superb facility for housing the dogs (see the report From Rescue Centre for further details) and we have just transferred all the office and administrative aspects of the charity to the central hub to complete the relocation.
This is not the end of the story. There is so much more we want to achieve for dogs in need and so, with your support, we will continue to help in whatever we can.
Thank you to everybody who sent in 'wintery' pictures of their dogs. We have absolutely loved seeing our former dogs in their new homes; it makes all the hard work worthwhile to see the dogs looking so happy.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of the Rescue Centre and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2017 is going to be a very exciting time.
Metre of Mesh Campaign Success!
We are delighted to be able to tell you that our Metre of Mesh Campaign was successful and we have now achieved our £40,000 target.
We were able to raise £20,000 through fundraising and donations and £20,000 via a successful grant from Support Adoption for Pets.
We want to thank everybody for their generosity and kindness; we could not have done it without you.
The text donation number is now closed but you can still make donations in the usual way on our donations page via CAF Donate.


text:
A Defence of Modern Calvinism: Containing an Examination of the Bishop of ...
By Edward Williams
the fallacy of some inferences drawn from the doctrines of sovereign Grace by its friends, and triumphantly echoed by its foes. Had the Fathers and the Schoolmen been better acquainted with moral obligation, and the true principles of moral science, they would never have given us so many fanciful interpretations of scripture, nor have been so frequently inconsistent with themselves.
SECT. III.
Erroneous views respecting the DIVINE PREROGATIFE.
§ 1. That God is absolutely supreme, and his will in some respects
arbitrary, is universally acknowledged. $ 2. But not arbitrary in judgments and punishments. $ 3. What implied in the Prero, gative of Sovereignty. 4. Evidence of its exercise toward mankind, from the revealed fact of Salvation provided. $ 5. From the proclamation of mercy: $ 6. From awful sanctions proving ineffectual; and § 7. From the joint considerations of human imbecility and the effects produced on some minds, $ 8. Others have no ground of complaint. $ 9, 10. God, in the exercise of Sovereign Prerogative, is no respecter of persons, Ø 11. Man has great need of its exercise. § 12. Its exereise is inju. rious to none.
§ 1. That God is absolutely supreme, is an acknowledged fact; and that in some respects and instances he is sovereign, that is, arbitrary, must be also allowed by every reflecting person. To what else can be ascribed the existence of the created universe, and the differences of material beings of which it is composed? What a sovereign variety is discoverable in the mineral, the vegetable, and the 'animal world! How various their natures, their properties, and their designed ends! These things are generally confessed, as they do not immediately affect the principles of morality and religion. But no sooner do we extend the sovereign prerogative to the human mind, than the trumpet of alarm is loudly sounded, as if some great injury to man were the necessary consequence. These
fears, however, are utterly groundless; we need only understand the subject, in order to restore our tranquillity, provided our tempers and dispositions are not depraved. We shall then not only acquiesce with submission, but also adore with gratitude.
§ 2. It is inconsistent with the divine perfections to suppose that God acts arbitrarily towards his creatures, except in the communication of good. The very notion of judgments or punishments, implies that they are deserved by those on whom they are inflicted: and even the manner of the infliction is not, properly speaking, arbitrary, except when there is a favourable deviation from the rigid claims of justice. Though mankind are sometimes afflicted with the sword, pestilence, or famine, still they might say with truth, " It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed " to a greater degree, and in a more dreadful manner. Justice in every manifestation of it is indeed supreme, as is every attribute of the Deity, but never arbitrary. Had Calvin duly reflected on this fundamental principle, he would not have disfigured his admirable pages with a reprobating decrce; nor would many other valuable writers have attempted to soften the sentiment by the self-contradictory notion of a decree to permit moral evil.
$ 3. The divine prerogative of sovereignty which is here asserted, is that of communicating good of any kind, in any degree, and in whatever manner God pleases. Hence we find, that different persons have not only a greater portion of corporeal beauty and strength, but also a greater degree of mental capacity than others. And in this respect the words of the Apostle are apposite; " Who maketh thee to differ from another; and what hast thou that thou didst not receive ? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received
Whatever mental quality differs from another for the better, is from the sovereign pleasure of God, who worketh all such things according to the infinitely wise counsel of his will. It was this sovereign pleasure that formed all the laws of the universe, and has given to to all intelligent creatures an accountable existence.
it?" *
4. It enters into the essential nature of accountability, that the subject of it is, in his own nature, liable to transgress. And we all are constrained to acknowlege it, as an awful and alarming fact, that all mankind are trans-V gressors, whereby they are adverse to the holiness and justice of the supreme Governor, and
* 1 Cor. iv, 7.
whereby, as a necessary consequence, the same glorious attributes are adverse to them, in the same degree. From the divine prescience no future state of man, or any individual event was concealed. Hence the exercise of the divine sovereignty in a plan of mercy. All mankind, if left to feel the just demerit of sin, must have continued in guilt and misery. But now, in virtue of an atoning substitute in our nature, provided by sovereign mercy, a ministry of reconciliation is established. A proclamation is gone forth, " Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom." The gospel of the kingdom was ordered to be published among all nations, and to be proposed to every human creature capable of attending to it.
§ 5. Now let us enquire, Who believes the report? The natural man understandeth not the things that are spiritual, nor can he know them, because, in order that they may savingly profit, they must be spiritually discerned. Millions turn a deaf ear to the call of wisdom, though they cannot object to the plan, without at the same time displaying their folly.
Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets; she crieth in the chief place of con course, in the openings of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the