Big data, native advertising, programmatic marketing, real-time bidding, web analytics - rapid technological change and innovation is reshaping the discipline of marketing, challenging practitioners to balance creative inclinations with digital logic and data-led insights. But are modern marketers fully equipped to deal with the technical demands of this dynamic age, and are the courses that prepare them for work in the field fit for purpose?
Join us on Thursday 6 March from 12.30pm GMT for a Guardian live Q&A in association with Regent's University London in which a panel of experts will discuss the realities and ramifications of an emerging skills gap among modern marketers and what courses need to do to stay relevant.
• Against the backdrop of technological advancements and changing consumer behaviour, how can marketing courses, and the academics that design them, stay up to speed with industry developments?
• How can academics and practitioners collaborate to create learning that effectively balances "softer" marketing skills and more quantitative, analytical skills?
• Do the demands of the modern consumer mean brands should be looking for new types of individuals altogether?
• Is the classroom or lecture hall still relevant in a world which demands on-the-job learning and real-time skills development?
• How can marketers take a greater responsibility for future-proofing their own skills set and personal development?
• How can educators nurture a left-brain, right-brain balance in the marketing students they teach?
To take part, simply click the link in the comments section to sign in and join us here at 12.30pm GMT on Thursday 6 March. Feel free to ask questions ahead of time in the comments section below and through Twitter using the hashtag #GMNliveChat.
For additional background on the topic, read this piece by Regent's University London's senior lecturer and programme director Lorna Walker on the challenges facing practitioners and academics in creating relevant and effective courses.
Lorna is a marketing practitioner-turned-academic with twenty years experience in direct and digital marketing. During her practitioner career she held senior client-side roles in a range of industries from travel to publishing to IT. She is now senior marketing lecturer at Regent's University London where she is working on the development of a new MSc in digital marketing and analytics.
Neal has over 20 years experience delivering content solutions for brands. He is director of digital at Publicis Blueprint and chair of the Content Marketing Association (CMA) digital committee. An editorial background up to editor-in-chief level has enabled Neal to help content marketing agency Publicis Blueprint and their clients to multiple awards success, notably the first digital Grand Prix winner at the International Content Marketing Awards.
Tim is the director of the Digital Marketing and Technology division at Handle Recruitment, a multidiscipline recruiter supporting consumer brands in retail, entertainment and publishing. Handle Recruitment acquired Tim's business Bearing Partnership in 2013 where he had spent 9 years building a strong reputation in digital marketing hiring at all levels.
Gracia has held various key ecommerce positions at well known fashion brands. Most recently she was ecommerce director and a board member at Hobbs. In 2013 she was listed in the top 100 digerati of most influential people in the industry and was listed in the top 100 movers and shakers. She currently advises businesses with a focus on ecommerce and multi-channel growth.
Gawain is CEO & co-founder of Sensum - a mobile insights tool that incorporates neuroscience, traditional market research and innovative visualisations in realtime, to understand the true value of your audience's emotional response data wherever they are.
Gi Fernando is an entrepreneur, founder of Free:Formers and an active angel investor. He wrote his first line of code at the age of 11 and later co-founded global social technology leader Techlightenment, the first company to provide a tool on top of the Facebook Ads API. In 2012, Gi founded Free:Formers, a start-up that 'makes digital easy'. Free:Formers employs young digital natives to teach creative web skills using its unique ONE:FOR1 business model. For every business person Free:Formers trains, it trains the exact same skills to unemployed 16-25 year olds for free. Free:Formers has already trained 1,200 young people and senior executives from brands including Barclays and Unilever.
Steve is the founder of Net Natives. As the world's only "just digital" student recruitment agency and the only student marketing agency that is a Google Partner, Net Natives work with 200 Education Institutions, globally, helping them reach more relevant potential students, whilst reducing recruitment costs through results driven online and social marketing.


text:
La Femme et le Pantin (The Devil Is a Woman) est un film américain réalisé par Josef von Sternberg, sorti en 1935, et présenté à la  Mostra de Venise. Septième et dernier film pour le couple Marlène Dietrich / Josef von Sternberg après L'Ange bleu, Cœurs brûlés, Agent X 27, Shanghaï Express, Blonde Vénus et L'Impératrice rouge.

Le film fut sélectionné à la  Mostra de Venise en 1935, où il remporte le prix de la meilleure photographie. Il peut être considéré comme maudit car il marque la fin de la collaboration artistique entre Josef von Sternberg et Marlene Dietrich (ils mettront du temps à s'en remettre sur le plan artistique, surtout Sternberg), vit nombre de ses copies détruites à la demande du gouvernement espagnol et demeura alors invisible jusqu'en 1959, où il fut remis en circulation grâce à l'exemplaire personnel que possédait Dietrich.

Synopsis
Inspiré du roman de Pierre Louÿs, La Femme et le Pantin, le film raconte la rivalité d'un jeune homme, Antonio Galvan, et d'un homme plus âgé, Don Pascual, dans la tentative d'obtenir les faveurs de la belle et capricieuse Concha Perez.

Résumé détaillé

Lors du carnaval de Séville, au début du , le jeune Antonio Galvan, républicain exilé à Paris, profite de l'agitation et de la foule présente dans la ville pour rendre visite à sa mère. Lors du défilé, il remarque une sublime créature entourée de ballons dans un des chars, coiffée d'une mantille et le visage masqué d'un loup. Il la suit après le défilé, manquant se faire surprendre par les carabiniers. Se faisant annoncer chez la dame, il obtient en retour un mot de celle-ci, caché dans un diable en boîte, lui donnant rendez-vous le soir même, sur la promenade des sycomores.

Se rendant alors dans un bar, il rencontre Don Pascual Costelar, un vieil ami capitaine ; il est surpris de le croiser en civil : Don Pasqual lui annonce qu'il a quitté l'armée à cause d'une femme. Antonio lui dit alors qu'il a rencontré lors du défilé une jeune personne avec qui il a rendez-vous le soir même. Lorsque Don Pascual apprend qu'elle se nomme Concha Perez, il change de visage et conseille à Antonio de se méfier d'elle, car elle est la femme la plus dangereuse qui soit. Intrigué, Antonio demande des explications à son vieil ami.

Cinq ans auparavant, rentrant de vacances en France en train, le capitaine Costelar se trouve bloqué par une avalanche avec tous les passagers. Agacé par une bohémienne qui danse dans le compartiment exigu, une jeune femme lui fait alors des croche-pieds qui finissent par déclencher une bataille entre les passagers. Les carabiniers interviennent, et le capitaine, Don Pascual, prend sous sa protection la jeune femme, puis, à son retour à Séville, demande son adresse à celle-ci, Concha Perez, qu'elle refuse de lui donner, citant sa mère : « Mère dit que les mouches ne rentrent pas dans une bouche fermée ! »

Plus tard, le capitaine choisit d'intégrer un comité qui surveille les conditions de travail dans une fabrique de cigarettes de la ville. Visitant la fabrique, il y croise à nouveau la jeune Concha Perez et lui donne une pièce en or en échange d'une cigarette roulée par ses mains. Mais mieux encore, la jeune femme lui demande de l'attendre à la sortie de l'usine, lui ayant néanmoins fait comprendre qu'elle habite avec sa mère. À la fin de sa journée, Concha retrouve Don Pascual et s'enquiert de savoir s'il n'est pas risqué pour lui de traîner avec une fille comme elle. Il lui répond que non, et la raccompagne chez elle où il croise un homme présenté comme un cousin et la mère de Concha, qui, voyant à qui elle a affaire, parvient à obtenir de l'argent de Don Pascual, lui faisant remarquer lourdement son inquiétude pour sa fille, obligée de travailler près des filles de la fabrique depuis le décès de son mari voilà quinze ans. Don Pascual lui donne alors une somme plus importante encore, censée libérer Concha de ses obligations professionnelles. Pendant que la señora Perez va payer le propriétaire, Concha embrasse fougueusement Don Pascual puis le rejette aussi brutalement, lui reprochant son aplomb, et lui disant : « Je vous ai aimé une minute ; je vous interdis de m'embrasser si vous ne m'aimez pas ! »

Poursuivant son récit à Antonio, Don Pascual lui raconte qu'ensuite, il est retourné chez Concha trente fois au mois pendant trois mois et qu'elle n'était jamais là, mais avec un cousin ou à son cours de danse d'après sa mère. Il donne alors une forte somme d'argent à la señora Perez, pour qu'elle prenne soin de l'éducation de sa fille et ne soit plus dans le besoin, ne pouvant l'épouser à cause de son statut de militaire. Les deux femmes déménagent alors sans laisser d'adresse.

Finalement, Concha réapparaît un jour chez Don Pascual, éplorée, lui disant qu'elle ne cesse de penser à lui depuis toujours, et qu'elle et sa mère sont à nouveau à court d'argent. Don Pascual la demande alors en mariage pour soulager tous ses problèmes, et Concha lui répond que sa mère est également venue et qu'il n'a qu'à régler les problèmes financiers avec elle. Elles disparaissent à nouveau.

Encore plus tard, Don Pascual, en mission sur la côte pour surveiller les fortifications, croise à nouveau Concha dans un cabaret où elle se produit, chantant Three sweethearts have I. Il la suit à nouveau, expliquant son attitude ainsi : « J'avais deux solutions : la tuer ou la quitter. J'ai choisi la troisième ! » Chez elle, il croise Morenito, torero visiblement amant de Concha. Mais cette dernière parvient à soutirer de l'argent à Don Pascual pour nourrir son torero. Souhaitant racheter son contrat auprès de la tenancière du cabaret, Tuerta, Don Pascual essaie de traiter avec elle, mais elle refuse sans l'accord de Concha. Au cabaret, celle-ci, fatiguée, refuse de discuter avec Don Pascual, arguant qu'elle va se reposer mais passe en réalité du bon temps avec Morenito. Furieux, Don Pascual la violente.

Le lendemain, Concha vient s'excuser auprès de Don Pasqula de son attitude. Il lui demande de partir avec elle. Elle invoque son contrat inachevé. Don Pascual parvient à le racheter à Tuerta. Folle de joie, Concha se précipite chez lui pour le remercier, puis lui dit qu'elle part en promenade sans lui. Don Pascual comprend une fois de plus qu'il a été joué, Concha montant en calèche avec Morenito en lui disant : « Si je ne suis pas rentré dans une semaine, ne m'attends pas ! » Devant le scandale, Don Pascual est donc amené à démissionner.

Voilà toutes raisons qui poussent Don Pascual à conseiller à son ami Antonio de fuir Concha Perez. Le jeune révolutionnaire jure alors à son ami qu'il part pour la France le soir même.

Fiche technique
 Titre : La Femme et le Pantin
 Titre original : The Devil Is a Woman
 Réalisation : Josef von Sternberg
 Scénario : John Dos Passos et Sam Winston d'après un roman de Pierre Louÿs
 Production : Josef von Sternberg et Emanuel Cohen producteur exécutif (non crédité)
 Société de production et de distribution : Paramount Pictures
 Musique : Ralph Rainger et Andrea Setaro
 Musique Cappricio espagnol : Nikolaï Rimski-Korsakov
 Photographie : Josef von Sternberg et Lucien Ballard (non crédité)
 Montage : Sam Winston (non crédité)
 Direction artistique : Hans Dreier et Josef von Sternberg
 Costumes : Travis Banton et Henry West (non crédité)
 Pays d'origine : États-Unis
 Début du tournage :
 Format : Noir et blanc -  - 1,37:1 - Son : mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)
 Durée : 79 minutes
 Genre : Comédie dramatique et romance
 Dates de sortie :  :  (New York)

Distribution
 Marlène Dietrich : Concha Perez
 Lionel Atwill : Capitaine Don Pascual 'Pascualito' Costelar
 Edward Everett Horton : Gouverneur Don Paquito 'Paquitito'
 Alison Skipworth : Senora Perez
 Cesar Romero : Antonio Galvan
 Don Alvarado : Morenito
 Tempe Pigott : Tuerta
 Francisco Moreno : Alphonso
Acteurs non crédités :
 John George : un mendiant
 Joel McCrea (scènes supprimées : remplacé par Cesar Romero) : Antonio Galvan
 Morgan Wallace :  Mendez
 Lawrence Grant

Tournage
Titre du film pendant le tournage : Capriccio espagnol, Carnival in Spain. Ernst Lubitsch, devenu directeur de la Paramount, refuse ce titre, qu'il ne juge pas assez parlant, et le remplace par celui que l'on connaît aujourd'hui, estimé plus accrocheur. Mais c'est aussi un bon moyen pour Lubitsch de rappeler à Sternberg, qui n'aime pas obéir à ses supérieurs, qui est le chef.

Lors de la scène du carnaval - et de la première apparition de Dietrich - c'est le réalisateur lui-même qui tire à la carabine pour crever les ballons derrière lesquels se cache la star. « Pas un tremblement de paupières, pas le plus léger tiraillement dans le large sourire éblouissant ne furent enregistrés par la caméra en un moment ou n'importe quelle autre femme que cette extraordinaire créature aurait tremblé de peur » (von Sternberg). À la demande de Marlène, la scène fut refaite plusieurs dizaines de fois (« non, on la refait, mon œil gauche cillait ; non, ma lèvre supérieure a tremblé ».) Le perfectionnisme du duo artistique est ici à son apogée.

Marlène Dietrich retrouve Lionel Atwill, avec qui elle a tourné le Cantique des cantiques en 1933.

Joel Macrea fit un essai pour le film ; von Sternberg le fit répéter une cinquantaine de fois la même scène - demander une tasse de café - puis le refusa et le fit remplacer par César Roméro.

La fille de Marlène Dietrich, Maria Riva estime que ce film marque une rupture dans la carrière de sa mère, car ensuite,

Critiques

À la sortie du film

Ce film fut, à l'époque de sa sortie, un échec critique et financier, et marqua la fin du duo artistique von Sternberg / Dietrich. Von Sternberg aura par la suite de plus en plus de mal à réaliser des films, et Marlene, si elle va encore tourner dans vingt-sept films, deviendra moins intéressée par le cinéma, et sera même qualifiée de « poison du box-office » à la fin de la décennie 1930.

À la sortie du film, le critique du New York Journal-American écrit que « l'intrigue est (...) absurde, (...) artificielle et fait abus des répétitions. » Celui du New York Sun dit avoir vu « le film le plus terne de la saison », et celui du Herald Tribune l'estime « presque entièrement vidé de toute substance dramatique. »

En revanche, le New York Times trouve que « Depuis l'Ange Bleu, c'est la meilleure production du tandem Sternberg-Dietrich. » Il indique aussi que le spectateur sera comblé par « l'exquis raffinement dont témoigne la réalisation de Sternberg et par l'extraordinaire beauté des décors et de la prise de vue. »

Beaucoup de critiques de l'époque boudèrent ce film et n'en parlèrent même pas. Von Sternberg l'explique en partie ainsi :

Depuis

Nombre de spécialistes estiment aujourd'hui que ce film donne la meilleure photographie de Dietrich qui soit, avec Shanghaï Express (1932), et qu'il est plus réussi qu'on ne l'a pensé à l'époque de sa sortie.
 Pour Patrick Brion : « C'est la plus belle adaptation [du roman, et] Marlene Dietrich y est resplendissante. »
 Pour Thierry de Navacelle, « La photographie est d'une beauté incroyable. Le film tourne autour de Dietrich, toujours plus ravissante, époustouflante de vie et d'insouciance. »
 Pour Vincent Pinel, ce dernier film du duo von Sternberg / Dietrich est aussi celui
  Pour Homer Dickens : « Les prises de vue de La Femme et le Pantin sont d'une extraordinaire qualité. »
  Pour Jean Tulard, ce film est une « superbe adaptation de Pierre Louÿs et l'apogée du mythe de la femme fatale symbolisée par Marlene. »
 Déjà, en 1959, le critique Henri Agel évoquait « une adaptation onirique et funèbre du roman de Pierre Louÿs. »

Dans son autobiographie, l'actrice écrit : « La Femme et le Pantin reste pour beaucoup un film tourné en couleurs. Ce ne fut bien sûr, pas le cas, mais les images qu'il [von Sternberg] créa sont tellement riches de lumières, d'ombres et de demi-teintes, qu'on le croit en couleur. » Le visionnage du film lui donne entièrement raison.

Parlant du film, la fille de Dietrich explique : « Des livres ont été écrits, des conférences ont été données sur ce film (...) Toutes ces études si poussées ne montrent qu'une chose à  mes yeux : c'est que le matériau est d'une telle richesse que, mis en pâture à des générations de critiques et d'analystes, les interprétations les plus contradictoires pourraient toujours être, tout à tour, tenues pour vraies. »

Le réalisateur italien Luchino Visconti, qui voit le film lors de sa projection à Venise en 1959, demande à Dietrich une copie.

Autour du film
John Dos Passos fut contacté pour adapter le livre de Louÿs car les producteurs étaient convaincus qu'il était espagnol.

Ce film donne à Marlène Dietrich l'occasion de chanter deux chansons de Leo Robin et Ralph Rainger : If It Isn't Pain Then It Isn't Love et Three Sweethearts Have I.

De toute sa filmographie, c'était le film préféré de Marlène Dietrich, le seul dont elle détenait une copie.

Le personnage de Don Pascual faisant partie de Garde civile espagnole et considérant qu'il déshonorait cette institution, le gouvernement espagnol demanda à la Paramount Pictures de retirer le film et de détruire tous les négatifs, ce qui fait que ce film a été longtemps rare.

Lionel Atwill ressemble beaucoup au réalisateur du film Josef Von Sternberg ; certains voient une dimension autobiographique dans ce film.

Les tensions, disputes et réconciliations entre Sternberg et Dietrich furent nombreuses au cours du tournage. Par voie de presse, le réalisateur fit finalement savoir - alors que le tournage n'était pas achevé - que ce film serait son dernier avec la star : « Miss Dietrich et moi avons parcouru ensemble tout le chemin possible. (...) Tout ce que j'ai dit à propos de Miss Dietrich, je l'ai dit avec ma caméra. »

Après que cette information a été rendue publique, l'Allemagne essaya de récupérer l'actrice. Sur les conseils de Goebbels, ministre de la propagande du  Reich, les journaux allemands publièrent l'éditorial suivant : « Applaudissons Marlene Dietrich ! Celle-ci a enfin congédié le metteur en scène juif Josef von Sternberg, qui lui a toujours confié des rôles de prostituées et autres femmes déchues, mais jamais de personnages susceptibles d'apporter de la dignité à cette grande citoyenne et représentante du  Reich. Maintenant Marlene devrait revenir dans sa Patrie, pour y assumer son rôle historique de chef de file de l'industrie cinématographique allemande, et cesser de se laisser manipuler par les Juifs d'Hollywood ! » En réaction, l'actrice fit savoir qu'elle demandait la nationalité américaine, rompant ainsi avec son pays d'origine. Cela lui sera reproché par la suite. Dietrich deviendra citoyenne américaine en , quelque temps avant le début de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

C'est la  adaptation du roman, après The Woman and the Puppet, de Reginald Barker (1919), La Femme et le Pantin de Jacques de Baroncelli (1929), et avant La Femme et le Pantin de Julien Duvivier (1959) avec Brigitte Bardot et Cet obscur objet du désir de Luis Buñuel (1977), avec Carole Bouquet et Angela Molina.

Distinctions

Récompenses
 Meilleure photographie pour Josef von Sternberg et Lucien Ballard à la  Mostra de Venise en 1935.

Nominations à la Mostra de Venise 1935
 Coupe Mussolini du meilleur film étranger 1935
 Prix de la meilleure réalisation

Notes et références

Notes

Références

Liens externes

Film américain sorti en 1935
Comédie dramatique américaine
Film romantique américain
Mélodrame (cinéma)
Film se déroulant en Espagne
Film de Paramount Pictures
Film américain en noir et blanc
Film réalisé par Josef von Sternberg
Film romantique des années 1930
Film tiré d'une œuvre de Pierre Louÿs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
module Shell
  module Commands
    class Unassign < Command
      def help
        return <<-EOF
Unassign a entityGroup. Unassign will close entityGroup in current location and then
reopen it again.  Pass 'true' to force the unassignment ('force' will clear
all in-memory state in master before the reassign. If results in
double assignment use hbck -fix to resolve. To be used by experts).
Use with caution.  For expert use only.  Examples:

  hbase> unassign 'ENTITYGROUPNAME'
  hbase> unassign 'ENTITYGROUPNAME', true
EOF
      end

      def command(entityGroup_name, force = 'false')
        format_simple_command do
          admin.unassign(entityGroup_name, force)
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Love is in the air at Karmin's Kitchen Table!
We do registry a little different at KKT, when you are ready to register for your gifts at Karmin's we want to make sure you are choosing the right items for your kitchen. We will set up a time to meet with you and your finace and help guide you through the registry. We want you to choose those lifetime pieces just like you picked that lifetime partner.
If you are interested in creating a registry at Karmin's Kitchen Table please give us a call at 701-751-8040 to schedule your appointment.


They are harmless, unless you scream "Stop offering drugs to me" in their face in the open public, like I did. It can be cheap, but somehow you spend more than what you aim for. Despite its increasing appeal to tourists, it's still relatively cheap.The night life is brilliant too, so prepare to catch up on sleep when you get back -- there is plenty to do by either day or night.
Be warned though, Prague is super touristy (watch for all the old people in tour groups...grrrr).
When you're going to Prague, there's another town called Cesky Krumlov that you shouldn't miss.
It's a historic town a few hours from Prague and a bus or train ticket is only a few dollars each way.
It doesn't mean that choosing others will make you trip worse, but being close to the main sites facilitates your visit.
Any Prague hostel within District 1 is a good choice in terms of location.
Banditos' is an amazing place to eat and meet people in Prague.
If that's the case, it's OK to just stop responding.
Our system is clever in detecting bogus dating profiles, and as a back up measure members can easily report suspicious messages to our team of in-house moderators.
The bar is packed with suitors lined up against the far wall for a chance with the women sipping drinks in front of them. Use caution, however: what appears to be romantic musical chairs can be fraught with the pressure of making a good first impression.


text:
Home > UK Property News >
Woodford Says Brexit Will Create Opportunities for Investors
As reported by expert property consultants PrinvestUK, Niall Woodford, who owns Woodford Funds and rose as one of the most highly-regarded investors in the property sector, reassured buyers that the implications of the UK leaving the European Union are not to be seen as "a negative development" in a blog post on his company website.
The news, also covered by BI UK, comes as Thursday's EU Referendum saw 52% of UK citizens support the UK's exit from the European Union and as uncertainty clouded global markets.
SIGN UP FOR NEWS ALERTS
According to Woodford, however, this initial market response is not to be viewed as "a negative development", as it is caused by an initial shock from Brexit but likely to not persist in the long run.
Although Woodford claims that in the short-term "we now face a period of uncertainty as the exact terms of Britain's exit from Europe are negotiated", in the long-term "the trajectory of the UK economy, and more importantly the world economy, will not be influenced significantly by (the EU referendum's) outcome."
Despite this "headwinds" causing market conditions to be unsettling, Woodford advices investors to look beyond the initial turmoil and to focus on the long-term opportunity as he believes the fundamental trajectory of the UK economy over the next 5 years has remained unchanged.
This view is also shared by PrinvestUK's managing director Aaron Campbell, who believes that "Britain's decision to leave the EU should not necessarily be a cause for concern for the property market" as UK's property market will continued to be viewed favourably by overseas and domestic investors alike.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I just listened to N's room theme in BW2, and the original Lavender Town music in the first Gen. Not sure which is creepier.
In the dub of The Ultimate Test, Jessie is said to be 17 years old.
Okay, my brother just tol me a very funny story about Blue version. He put a Caterpie in the daycare center at level 5 and left there for the rest of the entire game because he forgot it, beat the Elite 4 three times before checking back and it was at level 72. He would've had to beathe the Elite 4 100 times to get it back. But he did get it back at level 86.
I love Smeargle, cause of the simple fact of Sketch. I love tocopy the move Roar of Time and Spacial Rend along with Giratina's move and Judgement.
There's a small rumor saying that Cyrus encountered a Mesprit when he ran away from home, tried to befriend it, and accidentally touched it, which is why he has no emotion.
And Raptor, a Smeargle like that would be amazing.
Smeargle can learn more moves than Mew, because Mew is restricted to HMs and TMs, while Smeargle can copy whatever it wants.
I just realized something: Smeargle would make an awesome starter.
Has anyone else heard of this fanon idea?
It's the idea that there was a Pokemon War before the Gen I games. Lt. Surge was part of it, and Pokemon were seriously used as freaking weapons!! How crazy would that be? It's insane - yet awesome, and I'd love to play a game like that.
Anyone want to trade the last three Pokemon: Meloetta, Keldeo and Genesect? I promise I'll trade them right back.
I don't fully understand this story yet, but I'm strangely in love with it...probably because I love eevee, and every picture of Lonliness is so adorable...next time I get a male eevee with a Lonely nature I'm naming him Lonliness.
Did anyone else get Mew in the original Red and Blue games? There's this glitch that you can perform without using a cheating device or code and without breaking your game. I remember getting a Mew this way. I named it Miracle. I wish I could remember how - I found out on the Internet - but it involved such a long and complicated string of very specific tasks that I can't recall. But take my word for it that there is INDEED a way to get Mew in the original games.
I've always been too afraid to capture Missingno, though.
You all know who Looker is right?
That master of disguises member of the international police who definitely is not really the Doctor?
Anyway, while replaying Pokémon Yellow, On the SS Anne, one cabin has a man who says he's a member of the international police on the trail of team rocket.
Looks like Looker wasn't a new character in Diamond and Pearl after all.
You know what I want to see happen: Elemental Pokemon. Not your typical tpe Pokemon like shinies who have no special abilities. No, I'm talking about Pokemon that are different colors, like a blue Pidgey that can't fly, but can swim and use water attacks, a green Arcanine that can lean grass attacks, yet at the same time know fire attacks. How does that sound?
That sounds interesting...but that's why we have types! Although, a flaming Articuno would be epic.
I don't think Gardenia poisoned them, she doesn't seem like that kind of person, and when there's a bad guy around GameFreak makes SURE you know it. What reason would she have to kill them anyway?
I once read a creepypasta theorizing that Cyrus had killed them, either by poison or murdered them in their sleep because they refused some proposal he gave them (to join Team Galactic, perhaps?).


text:
焦點節目裝置藝術展覽設計講座工作坊同期周邊活動
N N
K K
Y Y
Ryo Otsuka
http://www.elcric.com
A puddle appears transiently after a rain, and provides that brief period of fun and imagination to children and artists alike.
The puddle reflects the landscape, the sky, the light and a window that fluctuates with its environs. It offers a mode of perspective in which an upside down viewer stares back.
The viewer comes to realise the "non-existing" qualities of the puddle because it reflects something "existing" in the surroundings.
The puddle is a sculpture by itself through negating itself, and in its place new interactions between human, environs and art appear.
The Artist is an architect from Japan. Having worked in various design offices in Japan and abroad, and amassed experiences in interior design, architecture and urban design, he established the design firm CIRCLE in 2016.
He believes that differences of cultures and environments create rich interesting opportunities to approach design, and through the act of creative design they can create a new society and lifestyles.
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Dream Collector
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Finsbury Park Attack
Dealing with the New Normal: How Finsbury Park Is Reacting to the Attack
On the streets yesterday people said they wanted to show solidarity, but also that they had noticed a rise in hate speech in recent months.
by Joe Zadeh; photos by Jake Lewis
The statistics have been there since Thomas Mair murdered Labour MP Jo Cox in the week ahead of the EU referendum. One in three terror suspects arrested last year were white, the highest level in 13 years. It was the only ethnic group to report a rise, and the government's anti-radicalisation programme, Channel, is receiving more far-right referrals than ever before.
In the early hours of Monday morning, a white man launched an attack on Muslims on their way home from a mosque in Finsbury Park as they aided a sick man on the street.
It was a stark reminder, if ever we needed it, that "white jihad" (as British neo-Nazi group National Action call it) – and the growing link between online hate speech and offline violence – will soon become a defining horror of the decade.
"I've never felt unsafe here," says Suela, a 31-year-old Brazilian resident who I find standing on her front path, peering up the road to the crowds outside Finsbury Park Mosque, just 20 yards away from her door. Two weeks ago she was at London Bridge on the night of the terrorist attacks, missing them only by a few hours after leaving to meet friends in Greenwich. "Now I have this happening outside my house, it just makes me think... 'My god.'"
What made Monday's terror attack different is that it wasn't intentionally centred upon a national landmark or focused in the city centre, but instead targeted the heart of a chosen community. It was terrorism on a local level, spilling blood onto streets where residents live and walk every single day, where they buy their groceries and newspapers.
"That mosque is a community symbol," says Suela. "I used to live in east London and didn't feel safe at night. But here, when I go out I don't even take an Uber home any more because all these young and old Muslim people are out on the streets, and they make it feel safe for a young girl to walk home alone. We have to pray for them now."
Today, the roads near the incident are a jungle of police cordons and press areas. "We're gonna be on TV later!" shouts a man in an Arsenal shirt, looking amused as he ducks and dives through the endless cameras, umbrellas, boom mics, wires and tripods that now populate a press area on Seven Sisters Road. "Yep," he booms over the sound of helicopters hovering above, "it's a terrorist attack alright!"
For the residents of Finsbury Park, life has resumed with defiant speed. A school trip of 30 young school kids wander past me into the park, Lidl is full of shoppers, and people sit outside cafes and in the beer garden of The Twelve Pins pub. A few observe the chaos, but most just chat amongst themselves. "Yeah, I don't feel safe, but do we have a choice?" asks George, a 73-year-old Cypriot Jehovah's Witness who I meet sitting outside a chip shop he's been running for 18 years. Inside, Sky News blares footage from 200 yards away, as he fries up a batch of cod for the lunch time rush.
George speaks, like many I'd talk to throughout the day, with a sense of horrified acceptance. "You have to carry on with your life. There will be another one and another one and another one. A terrorist might come and kill 100 people, the next day we're still going to work," he says. "What else you gonna do? Where you gonna go? If someone wants to drive their car through the park over there and kill everyone, there is nothing we can do to stop them. This is going to be the type of life now."
I take the long way around the cordon and make my way to the Islington Islamic Centre, where an old man sits at the door, watching the latest news filter in. I'm guided in by a man in a polo shirt who seems to be acting as makeshift security. Inside, the mosque is the only cool and peaceful place I've found all day. There's nobody here apart from Abdi on reception, but that could just be because it was in between Salaah. Abdi is calm but mournful about last night's events, but he'd rather I talk to the mosque's elected spokesperson. He, however, is in hospital with a victim from last night. He arranges for him to call me at 5PM, but that call understandably never comes.
"It wasn't one person; it was definitely three people. Two in the back of the van," suggests Mustafa, contrary to the Met Police's official statement: that the only suspect is 47-year-old Darren Osborne. I meet Mustafa at the counter of a halal butchers, which opened as usual at 8AM. I ask if it's felt like there's been any tension in the area recently – anything to signal that something like this might happen. He and his colleague shake their heads. "I've been here nine years," explains Mustafa's co-worker, Shamshir, "and never anything like that here. But this stuff happens these days. It's not only London, it's everywhere."
The more I talk to people, the more it becomes obvious that it's unlikely the attacker would be a local resident, and it comes as no surprise when news breaks that the man arrested for the attack is from Cardiff. Outside Finsbury Park Mosque I meet Ibrahim. His friend's son was one of the victims last night, and he says he's now doing OK in hospital. He also tells me newspapers like The Sun gave this mosque a bad name because of its historical association with Abu Hamza, but absolutely everything about the mosque has changed since then.
"The hate crime is rising," he says. "As a man, I don't get it so much, but for my wife and daughter, things feel very different to how they did two years ago." He stops and points. "Here she comes," he laughs. Suddenly, Theresa May sweeps past, surrounded by police, towards the silver car next to us. A group of protesters immediately begin screaming "Blood on your hands!" These same protesters were at Grenfell Tower on Saturday, they tell me.
While we used to steer away from politicising tragedies too quickly, now the response is rapid. This seems to be less about people feeling less mournful about these incidents, and more about the wider public seeing the factors and causes of incidents like this with greater clarity. People are joining the dots, and every time they do the brew of national anger becomes even thicker. I look at Theresa May and she looks at the group, and then immediately looks to the ground, as she is bundled into her car. Even Cressida Dick, who walks past moments later, incurs the wrath of the protesters. "She isn't fit for the job," one protester tells me, "We remember Jean Charles De Menezes," referring to when Dick was commander during the operation that led to his death.
"There's a connection between Grenfell Tower and this incident," explains Weyman Bennett, who seems to be in charge of the protest. He's a member of the Socialist Workers Party and lives nearby. "It's this narrative of blaming communities whether they're poor, Muslim, working class, and blaming them for the problems of society. This government used the attacks in London and Manchester; and instead of trying to heal divisions in our society, they encouraged them because they thought it would get them favour from the electorate. Well, here we are: now the worst of society have been enabled by those in power."
@joe_zadeh


Oriental rugs were first introduced into Europe in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries and were quickly assimilated by the elites. Painters, overwhelmed by their beauty and by the fact that painting these rugs was a testimony to their mastery and their social and political status, started painting rugs without hesitation. Usually represented in the backgrounds of paintings or over tables, these ornamental symbols of power were promptly named after the artists who painted them. They then entered into the history of painting and the Oriental rug market with their new names including the Memling rug, the Holbein rug, and the Lotto rug, among others. The origin of these rugs and their cultural implications were erased in this process of assimilation, and the consumption of one culture over another was materialized. Thus, the Oriental rug appeared as a perfect example ofcultural migration and colonization, and opened for me a space for artistic intervention.
I decided to paint the Holbein rug as an exercise of power. My intention was to present the rug rather than represent it and use simulation as a strategy for subverting cultural hierarchies. More than a hyper-realistic painting, I attempted to replicate the rug's physical presence and materiality. At the same time, I sought to bring the ornamental otherness of the rug into the foreground as the new subject of study in the work. I showed the Holbein rug as an object in space, freed from its wooden stretcher. I presented it as my own cultural product with the intention of claiming my own part in the history of Western painting.


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In our infant studies, your baby is seated on your lap, and is presented with displays consisting of objects or video animations. We measure your baby's spontaneous reaction to the display, such as how long your baby spends looking at each display. Babies typically look longer at things they find new or surprising.
With older children, the studies are set up like games and typically involve your child viewing child friendly pictures or viewing short movies and being asked questions about what he or she sees. The child will typically be with the experimenter while the parent waits in the waiting room. However, you may enter with your child if you feel more comfortable doing so.
Both children and parents usually find our studies enjoyable. Each study last about 45 minutes.
Click HERE if you are interested in participating in one of our studies with your child.


Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Barcelona Sunday to protest against Catalonia becoming independent from Spain.
The demonstration came in response to the Catalan parliament voting in favor of independence Friday, after which the Spanish government moved to impose direct rule over the region and called an election there on December 21.
Anti-independence organizers said more than 1 million people participated in the demonstration Sunday, while local police estimated 300,000 people were there, according to Spanish media.
"If all of these people go to vote on December 21, the independence movement will be history," Xavier García Albiol, the leader of the Popular Party in Catalonia, told broadcaster La Sexta during the protest.
Puigdemont on Saturday called for his supporters to peacefully protest against Madrid's takeover of the regional government.
"It's very clear that the best way to defend gains made until now is democratic opposition," he said.
On Friday, thousands of Catalans also celebrated the parliament's independence declaration, even though the European Union and other major powers swiftly made clear they would not recognize it.
A years-long power struggle between Catalonia's pro-independence camp and Madrid came to a head on Friday with the parliament's vote and Madrid's approval of direct rule following an October 1 independence referendum, which the Spanish constitutional court ruled was illegal. The Spanish government deployed police to try to prevent people from taking part in the plebiscite.
In a statement Saturday, Puigdemont continued to refer to himself as "president of the Catalan government," even though Madrid has dismissed him from the post and taken over the regional administration.
"We will continue to work to build a free country, to ensure we have a society with less injustice, more equality, more solidarity and more fraternity with all the peoples of the world, starting with the peoples of Spain with whom we want to remain connected through respect and mutual recognition," Puigdemont said in the statement.


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AmReading
Elena Ferrante Isn't Alone: 5 Authors Who Tried And Failed To Keep Their Identity Secret
Kathy Gates October 6, 2016 Authors, Classics, J.K. Rowling, Jane Austen, News, Stephen King
The alleged 'unmasking' of literary phenomenon Elena Ferrante has unleashed howls of protest. Call me cynical, but Ferrante's secret persona has always appeared to be a selling point. Revealing her true identity, after more than twenty years, could simply be part of a brilliant marketing strategy.
Still, it makes me wonder why an author would want to be anonymous.
I went looking and found four whose cover was blown during their lifetime, and one who managed to take her secret to the grave only to have it revealed in a brother's fond tribute.
1. George Eliot
Mary Ann Evans chose to write her novels under the name of George Eliot for two reasons: first, she wanted her writing to be taken seriously and second, she wanted her fiction to be judged separately from her work as a critic and an editor.
There is also a likely third reason: she didn't want to draw attention to her scandalous relationship to George Henry Lewes. He was married. Despite the scandal, they lived happily together for more than twenty-years.
There was a great deal of speculation about her identity when her novel Adam Bede became a huge success. A chap named Joseph Liggins stepped forward and claimed the credit. This forced Eliot's hand and she outed herself.
2. Henry Handel Richardson
Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson is one Australia's most important writers. Like Eliot, she adopted her male pen-name, Henry Handel Richardson, to ensure her work would be taken seriously.
Richardson, a suffragette, wrote in the first decades of the 20th century. Feminism informed her writing; her debut novel, Maurice Guest, was a study of erotic obsession.
The 'gentlemen' of the press were determined to uncover her identity. An anonymous tip-off to one of Sydney's biggest-selling newspapers, The Daily Telegraph, gave the game away. According to her niece, Angela Neustatter, this caused her serious distress. She was hounded for interviews and photos when all she wanted to do was write.
3. Robert Galbraith
Robert Galbraith is the pen-name J.K. Rowling used for her crime novel, The Cuckoo's Calling. According to The Guardian, the revelation meant that the novel, "changed status from a first edition at risk of remaindering to a No 1 and rapidly reprinting bestseller."
Rowling was quoted as saying, "I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer, because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience. It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name."
An indiscreet tweet was blamed for the unmasking.
4. Richard Bachman
Stephen King is supposed to have taken the pen-name Richard Bachman because his publishers didn't want him to write more than one book a year.
King writes in the introduction of The Bachman Books, "I think I did it to turn down the heat a little bit; to do something as someone other than Stephen King…sometimes it was fun to be Bachman, a curmudgeonly recluse á la J.D. Salinger."
Steve Brown, a keen-eyed bookstore clerk, noted similarities in the prose and did a little digging. Instead of going to the press he went to King's publishers. King himself suggested that Brown write an article and even gave him an interview.
5. Jane Austen
Yes, folks, during her lifetime she remained anonymous. Sense and Sensibility, her first published novel, was By a Lady; Pride and Prejudice, was By the Author of Sense and Sensibility.
She was so keen to avoid detection that it's been said that she'd keep a piece of needlework handy to cover her writing in case she was disturbed.
Her proud brother Henry let the cat out of the bag when he wrote a eulogy which identified her as the author of her celebrated novels.
Would you ever use a pen name when writing?
YouTube Channel: Open Road Media
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons
Kathy Gates
Kathy Gates loves three things: travel, reading about travel and making up stories about travel. Born and raised in Sydney, Kathy lives in Hobart – it's like Sydney but smaller and the food and wine are better. Plus everything is close, including some of the best walking tracks. Kathy published her novella, Juliet's Journey in July 2015. Juliet's Journey is set in the northern Italian village of Baiardo where the heroine, Juliet, has gone for some piece and quiet but falls in love with the place and finds herself caught up in a fight to save the village from losing its soul. Kathy is working on a novel set in Rome.
The Chronicles Of Narnia Book Review: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe (#2) By C.S. Lewis
That's Some Crazy Pocket Change: 11 Unbelievable Book Deals
'McFly' Member Tom Fletcher Announces New 'Monster' Children's Book, 'Christmasaurus' Plans
AmReading Copyright © 2022.


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Q: any linear algebraic group rational? Somewhere in Mumford's GIT, he seems to imply that any linear algebraic group is rational? This seems strange to me. Is it true?

A: Pete gave the general answer, but let me mention a simple linear algebraic reason this should not surprise you (again, let me work over an algebraically closed field):
Recall that GL_n is almost the product of a torus and two subgroups isomorphic to affine space, because of the Gauss decomposition: a generic invertible matrix is the product of a unique triple consisting of an upper triangular matrix with 1's on the diagonal, a diagonal matrix and a lower triangular matrix.  This is the birational map that Pete was referring to.

A: This is really just Pete Clark's answer -- the new bit is to note that
the Levi decomposition isn't needed.
Let G be a (reduced, connected) linear algebraic group over an
alg. closed k, and let R be the unipotent radical of G. Choose a Borel
group B of G with unipotent radical U < B (so R < U).
There is a dense B-orbit ("big cell") V in G/B which is a rational
variety.
Since U and R are (split) unipotent, [Springer, LAG 14.2.6] shows that there
is a section $s:U/R \to U$ to the natural projection $U \to U/R$.
If $f:G \to G/B$ is the quotient mapping, using $s$ you can find a "local
section" of $f$ over the big cell V.
This show that $f$ is a locally trivial B-bundle (in the Zariski
topology) and in particular $f^{-1}(V)$ is an open subvariety of G
isomorphic to the rational variety V x B.

A: A (reduced, irreducible) linear algebraic group over an algebraically closed field is rational -- i.e., birational to projective space.  This is a nontrivial result.
Briefest sketch of proof [EDIT: in characteristic 0 only; see the comment below]: use the Levi decomposition to reduce to the case of reductive groups, then use the Bruhat decomposition to handle the reductive case.
This does not hold for geometrically integral linear groups over an arbitrary ground field.  For instance, if $k$ is any field which admits a nondegenerate [i.e., degree $4$] biquadratic extension $l = k(\sqrt{a},\sqrt{b})$, then the norm torus associated to $l/k$ is a three-dimensional nonrational algebraic torus.  I think this example is in some sense minimal.
See the Springer Online Reference Works for more information, including references.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


AIIC commissioned a Workload Study on interpreter stress and burnout which was completed in December 2001. The study investigated four sets of parameters: psychological, physiological, physical and performance as well as the interaction between them. The psychological aspects were examined via a mail survey questionnaire addressed to a representative sample of freelancers and all permanent members (607 replies, 41% response rate) and a booth survey (all participants in the physiological study). The physiological data collected was blood pressure, heart rate and salivary cortisol levels in a sample of 48 interpreters who wore monitors over a 24 hour period. The physical data measured was booth size, CO2 and oxygen levels, relative humidity, temperature, lighting intensity, ventilation and fresh air flow, covering a sample of 47 booths (23 mobile, 24 permanent) in which the subjects in the physiological survey were working. The performance data was constituted by 6 segments of two minutes each, recorded at the beginning and end of an interpreter's turns at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the working day. The physical measurements revealed that CO2 and temperature levels were nearly all above ISO standards and that humidity levels fell outside the ranges set by the standards. Fresh air throughput is insufficient.
The data placed simultaneous interpretation in the category of high stress professions and although no correlation was found between the physiological indices and performance levels, the data points to psychological and physiological costs. The factors most frequently mentioned as stressful by those participating in the study are difficulties to do with text and delivery (speed, read texts, strong accents, lack of background material and preparation time) and booth discomfort.
Over the years AIIC has developed a set of guidelines governing working conditions which grew out of the day-to-day experience of interpreters in the booth, travelling to meetings, crossing time zones, using a variable number of languages, etc. They have been codified in various AIIC texts and have also been the subject of negotiation with institutional employers. The data on which the guidelines were based was intuitive and anecdotal rather than empirically proven and although experience in the conference room has amply demonstrated their soundness, for example the need to have at least two or more interpreters per booth, discussions with the US Federal Trade Commission in the mid-nineties came as a rude shock: the commissioners wanted hard evidence, not intuition. The Workload Study grew out of that experience but also out of a growing awareness within the profession that we had to be able to substantiate our claims regarding manning strengths, booth conditions, rest periods, etc. The AIIC Research Committee was charged with developing a proposal which would meet this need. The proposal to conduct a study on workload in simultaneous interpretation was approved by the AIIC Council in mid-1999 and the final report, which comes to 128 pages plus appendices, was submitted to the Council in December 2001.
Consultants in the UK, Austria, Switzerland and Israel were approached and after lengthy discussion on the form and design of the project, Mertens Hoffman of Tel Aviv were selected to conduct the study. Mertens Hoffman is a large firm of management consultants with special expertise in the field of occupational health and stress management. They linked up with the Israeli National Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health for certain aspects of the AIIC study, in particular measurement of the physical and physiological data. The primary focus of the study was on investigating interpreter workload by identifying the relationship between four sets of parameters: psychological, physiological, physical and performance, e.g. do certain physical factors correlate with performance or physiological data? Does there appear to be a link between psychological findings and other parameters?
This abridged report seeks to set out the main findings of the study and the methodology used in obtaining them. The full report is available, with appendices, on the AIIC website. In the interests of brevity, this abridged version does not give references, which can be found in the full report.
to provide a sound basis for developing recommendations on ways of improving interpreters' work environment.
sampling of interpreter performance at different points during the day (performance parameter).
The purpose of the review was to establish a baseline for the study by reviewing the literature on the interpretation task and performance, factors causing occupational stress, implications and physiological effects.
In simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter's task is to convey the message of the original sender in real time, without loss of information. The task is associated with a number of constraints, the main ones being the short time segments within which the interpreter has to operate and the interpreter's information deficit, i.e. awareness of the speaker's intention develops only as the message unfolds so initially the interpreter has to formulate assumptions about message content. Moreover, the speaker will have assumptions about the level of background knowledge available to his/her listeners, which may not be available to the interpreter. The intensity of interpreter effort required will be a function of factors such as the communication situation, familiarity with the subject matter and textual complexity.
uncertainty as to one's ability to cope with the situation.
There are three main category of stressor contributing to this state: environmental (heat, noise, etc.), mental (tasks requiring sustained attention, decisions, etc.) and stressors deriving from interactions with colleagues, superiors, subordinates, etc. A conceptual framework used to analyse stress is facet analysis in which the facets include duration of demand; type of demand; source of demand; interaction context (i.e. the work setting and the nature of the task); available resources (quantity and quality); type of resources (including both individual knowledge and expertise as well as equipment, work schedule, setting, etc.).
It is generally accepted that minor stress facilitates memory but occupational stress can lead to psychological distress and ill health. The literature on simultaneous interpreting mentions a number of work-related stress factors such delivery of the original message (intonation, accent, speed, gestures, etc.), level of preparation and whether a speech is spontaneous or read, length of turn and the visibility of the speaker or audience, particularly in videoconferencing.
air quality involving measurement of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and oxygen. High CO2 and low O2 can increase fatigue and impair performance.
Additional factors mentioned in the literature include task-related factors such as high levels of concentration and long hours; lack of background documents; speed of delivery; non-native speakers; poor speakers; lack of career path; poor scheduling of meetings and sudden changes; lack of feedback on performance. Interpersonal factors include uncooperative colleagues and competition for work (especially among freelancers), relations with recruiters and employers. Frequent travel and absence from home/family are also mentioned, together with feelings of job insecurity.
It can result in 'burnout', it can have physiological effects and can affect performance.
burnout is a combination of physical fatigue, emotional exhaustion and cognitive weariness. It is also conceptualised as a process, some seeing it as the final step in a progression of unsuccessful attempts to cope with negative stress conditions. Three stages have been identified: the first is perceived stress, leading to a second stage in which the subject is affected by physical fatigue, emotional exhaustion and anxiety. The third stage is defensive coping which can lead to withdrawal and detachment. Simultaneous interpretation is agreed to be a stressful profession with a variety of stress-inducing factors that can lead to burnout, such as mental overload, which can in turn result in a change in attitude in which the interpreter disengages from the job and may demonstrate a certain carelessness. Lack of feedback can lead to a loss of motivation.
physiological effects may be produced by cognitively demanding tasks requiring sustained attention which make heavy demands of physical energy. Signs are increased heart rate (HR) and blood pressure, especially systolic blood pressure as well as high base rates of the stress hormone cortisol, recognised as a stress marker. Studies demonstrating the presence of these factors in simultaneous interpreters have contributed to the conclusion that SI is a stressful occupation.
performance can be affected by stressors such as speed of delivery, length of turn, uncomfortable booth conditions and high levels of physiological effort.
A questionnaire was developed on the basis of interviews with interpreters and discussions with the AIIC Research Committee. The sampling plan divided AIIC members into two groups: freelancers and staff interpreters. Because of its small number, the latter group was included in full. The freelancers were divided into geographical clusters of more or less equal size and randomly sampled.
In total 1,502 questionnaires were sent out. To improve response rates a preliminary notice was published in the AIIC Bulletin explaining the research goals. The introduction to the questionnaire also set out the goals of the study. Anonymity was assured and a stamped and addressed envelope was included wherever possible (depending on agreements between postal authorities). Three reminders were sent to the addressees. Approximately 50 questionnaires were returned undelivered and 607 were completed and returned, i.e. 41% of those delivered. This compares with a 30% return rate is earlier AIIC surveys. The response rate for staff interpreters was lower than for freelancers: of the 256 questionnaires sent to staff members, 67 replies (26%) were received.
In presenting the findings of statistical analyses, SD is standard deviation (the higher the SD value, the more scattered the findings in relation to their mean). Correlation is the statistical connection between two variables, a value of 0 expresses no connection, and the measures lie between 1 and –1. A positive correlation means that as one variable increases so does the other, a negative value that as one increases, the other decreases. Correlations of up to 0.19 are considered weak and those between 0.4 and 0.6 high. The reliability coefficient calculates the dependability of the measuring tool, it is expressed in values of from 0 to 1 and a coefficient of 0.551 is acceptable for a study of this kind. Regression analysis is used to examine the association between independent variables and a single dependent variable.
As can be seen from the chart hereunder, the factors giving interpreters the greatest satisfaction with their work were subject variety, the fact that it is challenging and work relations (all rated 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' by more than 80% of the respondents), however only 40% rate the prestige of the profession in either of those categories and only 42% put travel at that level.
Staff and freelance interpreters were asked different questions about satisfaction with job characteristics: freelancers were asked about flexibility (89% satisfied) and having no boss (93%), while staff interpreters were asked about how they saw chances of moving up through the professional hierarchy (24% satisfied, 48% dissatisfied), job security (78% and 15% respectively) and their current workplace (63% satisfied, 13% not).
The factors mentioned most frequently were fast speaker (78% of all respondents), speaker reading from text (71%), frequent change of subject matter (64%) and lack of background material (60%). Frequent travel was mentioned by 47%. When asked to rate various factors for their perceived level of stressfulness, fast speaker was rated highest, followed by reading from text, poor equipment, difficult accents, booth discomfort, poor visibility of speaker and visual aids, lack of background material, textual complexity, too little time to prepare, undisciplined speakers (poor mike discipline, interrupting one another) and uncomfortable seating, in that order. In order to obtain a clearer picture of the stressfulness of various factors, the ratings of stressfulness for specific job characteristics were multiplied by their frequency levels which shows that the most salient stressors are speakers reading from text, fast speakers, lack of background material, difficult accents, booth discomfort, lack of preparation time and undisciplined speakers. In reply to an open-ended question on additional stressors, 20% of the respondents mentioned travel logistics, 16% prolonged periods of extreme concentration and 13% being asked to cope with extra work, e.g. unforeseeably prolonged meetings or translations. Freelancers encounter poor booth conditions, frequent travel and having to work into a 'B' language more often than staff members.
The mean for freelancers is 100 (SD 41) and for staff interpreters 167 (SD 59), the higher the number of days worked, the higher the level of satisfaction. Only 25% of those working 1-70 days a year were satisfied or very satisfied whereas 81% of those working between 121-365 fell into that category. A question about satisfaction with the average worked each year showed that at a mean of 126 days (SD 47), interpreters were highly satisfied, at a mean of 96 days (SD 43) they were moderately satisfied and at a mean of 71 days (SD 43) satisfaction was low. A low positive correlation was found between the number of days worked and burnout.
The questionnaire asked three questions designed to ascertain levels of satisfaction with the profession. 88% replied that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the work, 69% that they expected to be in the same profession in two years time and 51% that they would recommend the job to a friend. Only 10% thought that their chances of being in the profession in two years' time were low but 23% would not recommend it to others.
66% of the respondents replied that they were satisfied with their performance either to a great or to a considerable extent, 31% to a moderate extent and only 3% to a slight extent or not at all. Between 40%-60% reported a drop in performance levels when subject to work-related stress, particularly with regard to accuracy and overall quality of work. 66% reported high or very high levels or work-related stress, 40% see it as positive and 36% as harmful. 70% considered that they dealt with stress successfully and 6% unsuccessfully. The remaining 24% considered that they were neither successful or unsuccessful.
34% of the respondents felt that their family life suffered to a moderate extent from their work, 20% that it suffered to a high extent and 36% to a low extent. 43% had largely enough time for personal activities, 40% moderately so and 17% to a low extent.
53% of the respondents say they encounter tiredness at work, 52% throat irritation and dryness, 35% drowsiness and 31% backache. Other factors mentioned are eye irritation, concentration, headaches, coughing and lethargy. 10% of the respondents consider that they encounter these discomforts most or all of the time, 70% replied some of the time and 20% rarely or never.
Levels of burnout in interpreters were compared to those of teachers, high-tech workers and senior Israeli army officers, using three indices (mental and physical exhaustion, cognitive fatigue and mental stress) derived from the questionnaire. Interpreter mental stress levels were the highest of the four groups and also the highest of the three indices. Cognitive fatigue was the index with the lowest value. Staff interpreters reported more burnout and mental/physical exhaustion than freelancers.
is perceived as raising stress levels and reducing the quality of interpretation. It is also perceived as reducing physical comfort. A number of interpreters who had never worked in this mode (85) rated it poorly, indicating that it has a negative reputation.
Most of the outcomes are correlated but the correlations are low. Regression analysis shows that the variables which accounted the most for overall satisfaction are professional status, non-routineness, satisfaction with frequent travel and not acting as 'pivot'.
Measurements were taken at eight conferences in the London, Munich, The Hague and Tel Aviv.
to compare these parameters with the levels for other workers in high stress jobs.
Population: the sample consisted of 48 interpreters, 35 women & 13 men. 3 of the women and 2 of the men were hypertensive. Only one of them was aware of it. 27.1% were smokers. Tranquillizers were used by 8.6%.
Measurements: 3 types of data were collected for each subject: AmBP and HR with a diary (time log) record of the concurrent workload, salivary cortisol levels. AmBP and HR were measured over 20-24 hours using a mobilemonitor (Accutracker II). Salivary cortisol samples were collected 4 times: after waking, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The diary record made it possible to distinguish between feelings of high workload and tension at different times during the working day and at rest. Over 90% of the subjects reported a high workload rating when 'on mike' which persisted when 'off mike'. 60% reported high tension when 'on mike', with women reporting higher ratings than men.
In the sitting (i.e. work) position, the highest AmBP and HR values in both men and women were recorded when 'on mike'. When the results were compared to values reported by another researcher (Van Egeren) for university employees in both high strain and low strain jobs, the values obtained for normotensive interpreters corresponded to those for high strain jobs. There number of hypertensives was too small to allow for a similar comparison. Subjects who self-reported high levels of tension recorded higher AmBP and HR values than the 'low tension' group.
While average cortisol levels by time of day show the expected circadian secretion, cortisol levels after awakening (i.e. baseline levels) resemble those established for high stress groups in an earlier study (Schulz). The levels for subjects in the 'high tension' group were much higher upon wakening than for the 'low tension' group (31.01 as against 18.38). The earlier study found that stress at work is associated with elevated morning cortisol.
4.1 As these results constitute an aggregated measure of physiological responses from 48 interpreters in four countries, they are likely to reflect the stressfulness of an interpreter's work.
4.2 AmBP and HR measurements, together with subjective ratings or workload and tension over a 24 hour period, demonstrated the stressfulness experienced by interpreters. The subjective ratings of workload and tension were validated by the cardiovascular data. Women showed higher response levels than men.
4.3 BP values observed in the study are comparable to those obtained for workers in other high stress occupations.
4.4 The same is true of salivary cortisol levels. Earlier studies suggest that chronic stress manifests itself in high cortisol levels upon awakening, regarded as the best indicator of baseline cortisol.
4.5 As a similar trend was observed for both cardiovascular responses and cortisol levels, this indicates high convergent validity of the conclusions drawn. They are also congruent with the subjective ratings of high workload and levels of tension, thereby providing objective verification of the stressfulness of the interpreter's job.
The aims of this part of the study were to characterise the physical conditions under which simultaneous interpreters work; measure the environmental conditions (climate, ventilate, noise, lighting, concentration of gases); analyse the findings and compare them to international standards (ISO); formulate conclusions.
A total of 24 permanent booths were covered (10 in London, 3 in Munich, 11 in The Hague) and 23 mobile booths (13 in London, 5 in Israel, 5 in Munich), making a total of 47.
The dimensions of the permanent booths varied but not widely. The mobile booths were all in accordance with the relevant ISO standard.
Mean CO2 levels in mobile booths were close to the level rated 'unacceptable' by ISO (i.e. above 1000 ppm) after 1.5 hours and remained at that level for the rest of the day with a peak to above 1000 ppm after 3 hours. The average value over the working day (1.5-6.0 hours) was 992.3, i.e. very close to 'unacceptable'. The highest mean value recorded for the working day was 1775 ppm. The percentage of 'unacceptable' booths was 37% and of 'poor' booths (801-1000 ppm) 42%, i.e. 79% of all mobile booths measured were either unacceptable or poor by ISO standards.
The situation was better but still in the range rated 'poor' by ISO. The mean value over the working day was 870.8 with the highest mean value for the day being 1375 ppm. 33% of the booths were rated 'unacceptable' and 27% 'poor', i.e. 58% in total. The corresponding mean values for permanent and mobile booths together were 927 ppm over the working day, 29% rated 'unacceptable' and 34% rated 'poor', totalling 63%.
Normal in all the booths, remaining constant throughout the day.
Levels of between 50% and 60% are considered good, 45-65% is acceptable whereas values either above or below this range are considered uncomfortable. 100% of the mobile booths were in the 'uncomfortable' range after 6 hours and 48% of the permanent booths, although the average humidity was 47%, i.e. just inside the recommended range.. This discomfort was due to very low humidity, causing a sensation of dryness.
The recommended temperature comfort zone is between 20-21ºC with values below 18ºC and above 22ºC deemed uncomfortable. 100% of the mobile booths reached uncomfortable levels after 3 hours, 95% after 1.5 hours (mean value over the working day: 24.4), while 77% of the permanent booths were in the discomfort range over the working day (mean value 22.7), 71% after 3 hours.
Expresses the speed at which air flows at face level, 11-13 m/min is considered the most comfortable and the range 6-15 m/min is acceptable. Values outside these limits are unacceptable. Values measured in 87% of the booths were unacceptably low, giving rise to complaints of 'stale air'.
In most cases it was found that although the potential illumination was sufficient to meet the standard, in 100% of the cases measured interpreters chose to work with insufficient light. Although many dislike the 'fishbowl' effect, working with insufficient light could cause eye strain and add to tension.
These are assessed according to the percentage of fresh air blowing into the booth, the number of air changes per hour and the volume of fresh air per person per time unit. In mobile booths the number of air changes per hour (7) was sufficient but the volume requirement per person per time unit was not met. In permanent booths the frequency was insufficient. Attention is drawn to the need for fresh air to come from outside rather than be recirculated air which contains higher levels of CO2 and water vapour.
A large number of booths do not meet ISO standards for CO2 levels, relative humidity and temperature. The problem is particularly acute in mobile booths but also arises in permanent booths. Ventilation, fresh air flow and air velocity are inadequate.
lights should be turned off when the booth is unoccupied as they are a source of heat.
Performance data was sampled three times in the course of the working day: at the beginning and end of three interpretation turns occurring at the start, in the middle and at the end of the day. The corresponding original was also recorded. Each sample consisted of two segments of 2 minutes, one from the start and the other from the end of the period. The original and the interpreted samples were transcribed. Each interpretation was evaluated by two jurors, professional interpreters, having the same languages as the interpreter. The parameters evaluated were: error rate, omission rate, addition rate, grammatical mistakes, word choice, phrasing and delivery. Each was evaluated on a scale from 1 (very unsatisfactory) to 5 (very satisfactory). Recordings were made of 42 interpreters, working in 23 booths. Nearly all the interpreters recorded were also being monitored physiologically. The exceptions were due either to medication or a reluctance to be wired up for 24 hours.
The mean values for performance quality were very consistent throughout the day, with the lowest being 4.12 (first segment in end-of-day sample, SD .53)) and the highest 4.46 (first segment of the day, SD .33). This shows a slight tailing off in performance towards the day's end. Concordance between jurors was high with significant differences occurring in only 11% of the evaluations.
There do not appear to be any with the physiological and physical data measured although AmBP and HR values were highest when subjects were 'on mike' and high levels of blood pressure 'on mike' showed a weak correlation to self-reported negative effects of stress on performance. No connection was found between CO2 levels and performance quality although low humidity correlated weakly with a lower performance evaluation, as did working in mobile booths. High reliability coefficients were found for all the sample parts, which reflects a weak distinction between the evaluations of the different parameters. Although the correlations between measures of stress (objective and subjective) and performance are weak, this is in keeping with findings in the literature which indicate that highly competent and motivated workers maintain high levels of performance in the presence of a variety of stressors. Other studies show that there are physiological costs associated with maintaining these high levels in such conditions: physiological exhaustion and post-work stress. This study shows that interpreters are subject to these costs: high awakening cortisol levels and high AmBP when working, as well as self-reports of negative effects on physical well-being.
4.1 Interpreter performance was highly rated (4.12-4.4 on a scale from 1-5, 5 being the highest mark) with a slight decline towards the end of the day.
4.2 Agreement between jurors was good with significant differences in only 11% of the cases assessed.
4.3 It can be argued that the fact that the correlations between performance and stress are weak, is evidence of coping strategies having been developed by the interpreters. There may be physiological costs associated with these high performance levels in the presence of stressors.
The purpose of the attitude questionnaire was to reflect the self-assessment of the interpreters during their working day and their attitudes towards the meeting parameters. All of the interpreters who were physiologically monitored (and whose booths were measured for physical data) were asked to complete the questionnaire at the end of the workday. Some additional interpreters, in the booths examined but who were not monitored, were also asked to complete the questionnaire. A total of 52 questionnaires were received.
The average age of the mail survey population was 49.2 years, with 21.6 years in the profession. The booth sample's average age was 45.5 years with 16.7 years seniority. The gender breakdown of the first group was 76% women, 24% men with a burnout value of 3.1; the second group was 68% women and 32% men with a burnout value of 3.3.
2.1 Half of the interpreters surveyed reported that the meeting was technical. 51% had mainly interpreted discussions and 23% speeches. 62% said the meeting subject matter was familiar but only 1/3 found it interesting.
2.2 When asked about number of turns during the day, 39% had done two to three; 20% four; 19% five and 22% had done six or more. 69% of the turns were 30 minutes long, 6% 32-45 minutes and 23% up to 25 minutes.
2.3 64% reported being on mike continuously (or almost) throughout their turn whereas 11% were on mike very little during their turn. 75% did not use relay and 81% did not work as 'pivots'.
2.4 81% received material in advance of the meeting and 42% received at least some of the speeches that were delivered. About half the subjects reported that they had not had sufficient time to prepare the meeting.
2.5 When asked to rate the factors that had contributed towards a positive attitude to the working day, 94% said that boothmates had contributed to a great or considerable extent, 63% mentioned the importance of the subject, 63% referred to doing a good job and 37% to the subject being interesting.
2.6 67% of the respondents had worked in permanent booths on the day the measurements were taken, 33% in mobile ones. When asked about level of perceived comfort, 19% of the subjects in mobile booths rated the physical conditions as falling in the two best categories as against 49% of those in permanent booths. In mobile booths, 33% rated seat and body posture in the two top categories (compared to 62% in fixed booths); 13% as against 68% speaker and visual aid visibility; 69% versus 86% ease and comfort of equipment; 19% as against 69% were satisfied with booth size and 6% versus 57% with the available work surface.
2.8 44% of the subjects reported having had a difficult or very difficult workday, this was more pronounced for the interpreters in mobile booths.
The questionnaire comprised questions from which it was possible to develop a burnout index. Lack of energy and tiredness were the most common components. The subjects of the study showed relatively high burnout levels on the workday compared to levels for other professions and to the data obtained from the mail survey. This appears mainly related to difficulties of delivery and text.
Factors that were reported as contributing to stress were: fast speaker (54%); textual complexity (50%); subject of meeting (48%), speaker reading text (34%); difficult accent (31%) and booth discomfort (24%). Almost half the subjects reported a decline in their performance during a stressful turn as compared to a 'normal' turn. A decline in performance was more frequently reported by subjects in mobile booths.
5.1 After analysis of the data, the main causes of a stressful turn appear to be difficulties in text and delivery, poor booth conditions and number of turns on that day. The number of turns is negatively related to performance quality.
5.2 Relatively high levels of burnout were reported at the end of the working day.
5.4 A part of the data obtained from the booth survey is comparable to that from the mail survey, suggesting that it may apply to the general interpreter population.
The performance data was crossed with the physical and physiological data to examine the ties between the three sets of parameters. The physiological indices (blood pressure on and off mike and cortisol levels) were not found to correlate with performance levels. High levels of blood pressure on mike were found to be related to negative effects of stress on performance (r = 0.39).
No connection was found between CO2 levels, temperature and air velocity in the booths, on the one hand, and performance on the other. Low humidity was found to be related to a lower performance evaluation (r = 0.40). Interpreters who reported less comfortable booth conditions received a lower performance evaluation (r = -0.29). A lower quality of performance was found in mobile compared to permanent booths (r = -0.43).
Blood pressure on and off mike did not relate to interpreters' self-reports of tension and burnout but there was a weak link between cortisol level and reporting 'toll on private life' (r = 0.33) as well as with lower levels of satisfaction (r = 0.28).
It is important to note that the booth data is based on a relatively small sample collected at different conferences resulting in a number of potentially interfering factors, which have not been measured in this study.
Comparison between interpreters and known high stress professions leads to the conclusion that simultaneous interpretation falls into that category and that burnout levels are high. Blood pressure values were similar to those for other high strain jobs, attesting to the stressfulness of interpreters' work. An indirect manifestation of this was found in the objective and subjective stress measurements when the interpreter was 'on mike', which is when the highest tension and workload rating were reported. The subjective rating were validated by cardiovascular data (systolic and diastolic AmBP and HR).
The mail survey revealed that approximately half the respondents perceive their work-related stress as useful and positive while 30% consider it harmful. The main factors contributing stress can be grouped under three headings: 1) textual and delivery difficulties; 2) poor booth conditions; 3) preparation difficulties.
The supply of fresh air to the booths is insufficient leading to a consequent increase in CO2 to levels above recommended values. In 29% of the booths, average CO2 levels were 'unacceptable' and in an additional 34% they were rated 'poor' (according to ISO standards).
Relative humidity was below recommended levels: 89% of mobile booths being rated 'uncomfortable' and 45% of fixed booths.
Velocities of airflow at face level were below recommended values.
Temperatures in both booth types are higher than recommended, especially in mobile booths.
The combination of high environmental temperature and low relative humidity in booths causes feelings of dryness, heat and lack of ventilation in mobile booths. In permanent booths, it can cause sensations of chilliness and lack of ventilation.
The level of lighting in permanent booths is insufficient.
There is insufficient workspace for two people in mobile booths and for three people in permanent booths. 'Overcrowding' results in raised temperature and CO2 levels. Ventilation systems were inadequate.
Concern about booth conditions was reflected in the mail survey and contributes to stress levels. 20% of the respondents complained about uncomfortable seating and work surfaces.
Jurors gave performance a high rating. There was a slight decline towards the end of the day.
Performance in mobile booths was rated lower than in permanent booths. This could be because conferences using mobile booths tend to be 'one off' meetings, those in permanent booths are more likely to use a regular team, familiar with the subject. In general, interpreters reporting greater booth discomfort received lower ratings (r = 0.29).
Interpreters reporting higher stress levels during the workday, received a lower rating (r = -0.27).
In general, physical and physiological values were not found to be related to performance, with the exception of low humidity which was related to a lower performance rating (r = 0.40).
In both the mail and the booth surveys, around half the respondents reported a drop in performance as a results of work-related stress.
The following work-related stressors appear to have a negative effect upon performance: delivery, poor booth conditions, lack of preparation time.
The literature reports that meaning errors in simultaneous interpretation rise considerably if interpreters work for long uninterrupted periods. They do not seem to be aware of this, consequently after increased time on task interpreters, whether novices or experts, are not reliable judges of the quality of their output.
While a more substantial correlation between measures of stress and performance levels might have been expected, the literature does not show consistent evidence of stress having an adverse effect upon performance. This may be due to the presence of two moderating variables: competence and motivation. Research indicates that highly competent workers are likely to maintain a high level of performance in the presence of stressors such as role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict and resource inadequacy. Simultaneous interpreters are highly skilled and motivated to perform well given that their work is continuously monitored by their listeners. Research shows that this comes at a cost: physiological exhaustion and post-work stress. The physiological data in this study reflects that physiological cost (self-report of tension, high baseline cortisol levels, elevated cardiovascular values during work) in the subjects measured.
Respondents report high levels of general satisfaction with their profession although only half would recommend it to a friend. They perceive a decline in the prestige of the profession in recent years.
in order to reduce stress due to poor delivery, read texts, etc. AIIC may find it useful to formulate recommendations for speakers to the effect that they speak their mother tongue wherever possible, that they minimize the reading of written texts, that background material and written speeches be distributed to the interpreters in advance of the meeting, that means be installed to enable interpreters to signal problems to speakers.
give interpreters as much advance notice as possible regarding forthcoming assignments, especially if they involve travel.
limit the number of turns an interpreter does in a working day to prevent a decline in performance due to exhaustion.
make sure that booths are large enough for the number of interpreters to be accommodated in them (ILO standards stipulate 6 sq. m. per worker).
ensure that the airflow into booths provide for seven changes an hour (ISO standard) and that the air supply be 100% fresh (not recirculated) air.
temperature and humidity regulators should be installed in each booth and regularly maintained.
ventilation systems should be turned on one hour before the start of a meeting and left on all day.
although interpreters may choose to work with low levels of light (to avoid the goldfish bowl effect), levels in permanent booths are below ISO standards and ways of providing adequate lighting that avoid undesirable effects should be explored.
10 AIIC may wish to investigate the reasons for the recent perceived decline in the prestige of the profession and propose remedies.
Jennifer MACKINTOSH. "The AIIC workload study - executive summary". aiic.net October 14, 2002. Accessed April 21, 2019. <http://aiic.net/p/888>.
As I am about to take on my first ever simultaneous interpretation job, I would like to know what is the standard "time load" one can accomplish ALONE (without relays from colleagues).
The mission is over 2 days and comprise 5 different presentations of 1 hour each.
Please tell me if it is ok or simply too much for a beginner?
Kudos to the Health and Technical Committee; this study will be very helpful in our negotiations with employers. Perhaps the print and electronic media should be approached to make it accessible to the wider public. Congratulations again.