Peter J. Savage III, chairman of the Erie County Legislature and an influential figure in local Democratic politics, has declined nomination for re-election to his District 3 seat just days after submitting designating petitions for another term.
It is now expected that Savage will be in line for a Buffalo City Court appointment to a seat now held by Chief Judge Thomas P. Amodeo, who has announced his retirement.
Board of Elections officials said that Savage, who has held the seat based in North Buffalo and the Town of Tonawanda since 2014, officially declined the seat on Monday. Now a Committee on Vacancies composed of District 3 Democrats will meet Thursday at the Northwest Buffalo Community Center to consider a replacement on the ballot.
Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy J. Zellner, who is also an elections commissioner, said the committee will consider Lisa Chimera and Amber A. Small, though he is inviting others to apply.
quently mentioned as a Democratic candidate for higher office, drew high praise from Zellner on Monday.
But the chairman also praised Small, who ran against Savage in a 2014 special election and unsuccessfully challenged Christopher L. Jacobs for the State Senate in 2016.
"I am also very impressed with her," he said.
Savage acknowledged he declined the nomination just days after gathering petitions and submitting the necessary paperwork for another term. But he said Monday it was only after Amodeo announced his retirement last week after 29 years on the bench that he considered the possibility of a judicial appointment to fill the vacancy.
Also an attorney in private practice, Savage is a former City Hall staffer long considered close to Mayor Byron W. Brown, who would appoint a replacement for Amodeo.
"I worked for him for a number of years," Savage said when asked if he has discussed the post with Brown. "He will not be surprised about me having interest at this point. I'll leave it at that.
Following submission of designating petitions last week, however, it appeared that Savage would face a challenging primary for his legislative seat against fellow Democrats Cindi M. McEachon and David M. Amoia. Democrats on Thursday are now expected to choose another candidate to replace Savage on the primary ballot.
Peter Savage wants to pursue a City Court judgeship.


nice melody und the more i read it the more i understand!
The rhyme of the poem arises "spontaneously" in Spanish.
It is the music of the vowels.
It is exactly what you say.
It is a music (a verse) that we must capture.
Greetings on this rainy day in March.


text:
The Palace Bar
1285 Duke Street, Parkhead, Glasgow.
The Palace Bar, Duke Street was situated at the corner of Salamanca Street, a stones throw from Parkhead Cross. The history of this old pub can be traced back to the very foundation of the Dalrymple family, Jane McAndrew Dalrymple obtained the licence in 1873. The Dalrymple family then had pubs on the Gallowgate, Great Eastern Road and the Trongate.
Palace Bar. 1970s.
George Dalrymple & Co., were probably better known for his Home Brewery, Parkhead. The Home Brewery presents many features of more than ordinary interest, and has for many years occupied a leading position among the great brewing establishment of this city and district. Dating back in its foundation to the year 1860, when it was established originally in Whitevale Street, the business rapidly increased to such an extent that the firm found it necessary to erect a new extensive brewery at Parkhead.
The premises extend over fully three acres of ground, and comprise within their limits a large main building of three flats where the brewing operations are conducted, also extensive warehouse, stores, and workshops, a spacious suite of well appointed offices and counting house, and all the accessories of a large and thoroughly organised establishment. The premises having been specially erected for the trade, they were very compact, and place the firm in a most favourable position to maintain and extend their already large and valuable connection. Messrs. George Dalrymple & Co. brew XXX and XX stout at 50s. and 45s. per barrel; Scotch porter 20s. per barrel net; also India pale ale, from new Artesian well, at 60s. and 54s. per barrel; table beer, &c. They posed the advantage of a well of excellent water, and exercise in the selection of their stocks of malt and hops that great care and sound judgement which were acquired only by long and continued practical experience. In addition to the brewing business, Messrs. George Dalrymple & Co. were extensively engaged in the retail wine and spirit trade, and were well known for their special blends of Scotch whisky, and also imported large quantities of wines and brandies of the best vintages. They held perhaps one of the largest, and certainly one of the best selected, stocks of wines and spirits in the city. The cellars, which were very spacious, contain some very rare and choice ports, sherries, clarets, burgundy, and champagne. The firm's blends of Scotch whisky were a great favourite with connoisseurs, and in great demand where a sound, mellow, and fine flavoured whisky was valued.
The firm send out energetic travellers, covering the whole of Scotland. Mr George Dalrymple, who was the sole proprietor of the business, was a gentleman possessing the advantage of long and thorough experience, and occupied a very influential position in social and mercantile circles, being an ex-magistrate of Kinning Park, and was the President of the Scottish Wine, Spirit, and Beer Trade Association.
The Home Brewery was eaten up by the larger Tennent Caledonian Brewery, Wellpark, who also took over other smaller breweries in the city.
George Dalrymple was born in Kirkintilloch in 1831, he married a Parkhead lass called Mary and had a family of two daughters Margaret and Jane, two sons George and William.
William Dalrymple died in 1902 leaving an estate valued at £23,241, a vast amount of money in those days. He resided at 255 Nithsdale Road.
The licensee during the 1940s and 60s John F Craig also held the licence for pubs Polmadie Street, International Bar, Balmore Road, Parson Street and Westmuir Street, Ward's Bar.
Do you know anything about this pub or any other pub in the city?
If so please contact us and we will review your comments.
Licence Holders.
1976 F McKell
1972 Douglas Robert White McFadyen.
1960-1947 John F Craig.
1919-1903 William Dalrymple.
1899-1873 Mrs Jane McAndrew Dalrymple.
Filed Under: P
Jim Wilson says
My Granny (Jean Sinclair) lived in a flat above the Palace Bar, address 1293 Duke St (the white painted bit in the photo) Little 2 room flat with back window facing into Salamanca Street and front window looking into the back court. Nest door were the Reilly family and just below on the outside balcony was where Jim Tennent (local postie) lived. Great memories as a wee boy in the 50's and having my first ever pint in there in 1966 My mum was brought up in that little flat with 5 brothers and Grandad and all my uncles drank in there. Great memories that haven't been to the front of my mind in many years. Wee Tommy's shop next to the close (penny tray, tuppenny tray, and threepenny tray) and Jimmy Kerr's grocery shop round the corner in Salamanca St. We moved to Brigton and Gran moved to sheltered accommodation further down Duke St (where the old prison used to be.) Watched my grans' home and the pub being demolished with a huge lump in my throat.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
My Liner Notes for Jim Carroll's "Praying Mantis" CD
I was honored recently when the good folks at Noble Rot asked if I'd like to write liner notes for their reish of Jim Carroll's debut spoken word album, Praying Mantis .
Carroll had a wonderfully corrupting and simultaneously purifying influence on my adolescent brain: I loved his early '70s drug tales The Basketball Diaries and the album Catholic Boy, and was somehow able to convince the local 7-11 clerk to sell me the issue of Penthouse in which Carroll was interviewed.
At that age I was always scanning for influences, and Carroll led me to Frank O'Hara, the MOMA curator whose lunch hour poems fed a second career of even greater acclaim. I knew then that I wanted to be a writer, but not to write for a living, and that I was going to curate… something! So thanks, Jim, for opening doors I still use daily.
Here are my notes to Praying Mantis, available now from your local retailer or online record shop:
When New York writer Jim Carroll broke into mainstream celebrity in 1980/81, it was with the one/two punch of the successful mass market Bantam reprint of his small press
teenage junkie journals The Basketball Diaries and his debut album for Atco/Rolling Stone Records, Catholic Boy, featuring the gleefully morbid hit eulogy "People Who Died."
The album and book worked together to establish a Jim Carroll persona that, while commercially viable, was nowhere the hard-to-pin-down Carroll would want to spend the rest of his creative life.
The publication of The Basketball Diaries was itself something of a fluke, born out of a need for material when the Poetry Center at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery issued a call for prose content for a special issue of The World magazine. At a loss for polished material, the young poet turned in excerpts from his youthful diaries of prep school sports, paid street sex and a measured descent into sensual drugged excess, ala Rimbaud.
These were an immediate camp hit in downtown literary circles, and later excerpted in The Paris Review, but Carroll wasn't convinced they represented his best work and resisted the Dope Scribe pigeonhole.
Years of heroin addiction led to exile in rural Northern California, where Carroll cleaned up, wed, and explored the nascent San Francisco punk scene. Inspired by his one-time lover Patti Smith's crossover from poet to rock and roller, Carroll wrote some songs, formed a band and passed a primitive demo to friend Earl McGrath, then president of the Rolling Stones' label. Keith Richards was favorably impressed, and Catholic Boy was warmly received by critics, radio and fans.
But when two subsequent albums failed to build on this success, and musical collaborator Brian Marnell died after fighting his own heroin addiction, Carroll decided to put music aside and focus on poetry and live performance.
Praying Mantis (1991) was the result, a mainly live recording laid down at his old haunt St. Mark's, before an enthusiastic audience. Drawing on his experience as a rock performer, Carroll unfurls a mixture of semi-improvised comic monologues and precise bursts of poetry, including pieces from his collections Living at the Movies (1972) and The Book of Nods (1986).
As delivered in his distinctive Noo Yawk whine, with some words so tangled in thick vowels they're almost another language, others punctuated by a peculiar cadence where pauses appear unexpectedly, the material requires intense attention that rewards with humor and flashes of subtle, elegant observation.
Fans of Carroll's non-fiction and rock and roll, concerned that a spoken word album might be dry, will be appeased by the tales of racing pubic lice, performance art collaborations with cockroaches, an erotically-charged heist tale and the Catholic take on Philip Roth's masturbatory super time riff from Portnoy's Complaint. But comic notes aside, there's a dark urban poetry here, and visions filtered through a sieve of corruption, vice, longing and complex chemistries. As a statement of transition, Praying Mantis struck a confident note of a nimble artist reinventing himself anew.
Author kimPosted on February 12, 2008 Categories Kim Cooper/ LITGLeave a comment on My Liner Notes for Jim Carroll's "Praying Mantis" CD
10 You May Have Missed In 2007
They Came,
throughout 2007,
and I Heard,
as I do always try to.
but Just in case you haven't,
or didn't yet,
Here to hear are the ten discs
(listed strictly alphabetically of course)
that I most urge your ears immediately upon…
1. DEBRIS Static Disposal
(Anopheles Records)
2. THE DOUGHBOYS Is It Now?
(Ram Records)
3. THE FREDDIE STEADY 5 Tex Pop
(SteadyBoy Records)
4. THE LICKITY-SPLITS Another Taste
of the Lickity-Splits (Lickity-Splits)
5. LOLAS Like The Sun
(Jam Recordings)
6. THE MODD COUPLE Daze Gone By
(Modd Couple)
7. JACK PEDLER Let's Get Nervous!
(Race Records)
8. THE SPRAGUE BROTHERS
Best of the EssBee CD's Vol. 2 (El Toro Records)
9. THE SQUIRES OF THE SUBTERRAIN & BIG BOY PETE Rock It Racket (Rocket Racket)
10. ROBIN STANLEY Chronic Empire
(Creative Artists)
…and,
For all of those
who like to read as they rawk,
Uncover even more
about 07's Top Lost Grooves
Right HERE !!
Author garypiggoldPosted on February 7, 2008 Categories Big Boy Pete, Debris, Freddie Steady 5, Gary Pig Gold, Jack Pedler, Lickity-Splits, Lolas, Modd Couple, Pete Miller, Robin Stanley, Sprague Brothers, Squires Of The Subterrain, The Doughboys, Tim Boykin3 Comments on 10 You May Have Missed In 2007
Shalini Chatterjee Profile/Interview
When 3-year old Shalini Chatterjee discovered the cartoon "Josie and the Pussycats" on Scottish TV, this brought on a fascination with music and performance. These interests developed into a lifestyle when she immersed herself in the indie rock scene around the University of Wisconsin in the '80s. Later, a relationship with Game Theory main-man Scott Miller led to her meeting Mitch Easter – Let's Active mastermind and producer of early R.E.M. and many other college radio luminaries in the heyday of '80s indie rock; she and Easter are now married, play on each other's records, and live in North Carolina. After releasing two albums while fronting the band Vinyl Devotion, Shalini (current band name) released her/their masterpiece (thus far) in 2004; Metal Corner is an album of spellbinding Power Pop – something like Cheap Trick if they had a cool girl singer. In late 2007 Shalini's second album, The Surface and the Shine, appeared and continued to explore the terrain of catchy, '80s-influenced pop songs driven by '70s-style power chord riffs. Shalini, currently busy organizing a 5-day film and music festival which will take place this summer, recently took time out to have the following e-conversation with me:
*You seem to have had an interesting upbringing, being born in India and spending your early years in Scotland. Can you tell me about your family, what you all were doing in India and what prompted the move to Scotland? When, where, and why did you first move to the States? Where did you spend your teen years?
My dad is Indian. He's from an old Calcutta family. The big family house still exists. He had a job as a country doctor of sorts in rural Northern India, which is why they were living there when I was born. The place was really beautiful and green and peaceful. It's called Digboi, near Margarita, near Assam, where the tea comes from.
My parents decided to move to the USA for various reasons. They were attracted to Los Angeles, and my dad was offered a job at UCLA, so after living in Edinburgh for 4 years, we packed up and landed in LA in 1973. I had never heard an American accent. Everything seemed big and either deluxe or rundown. In Edinburgh, things were on smaller scale but were kept up. No crappy buildings. We moved around a few times in LA, living in Amherst, then South Pasadena (it was a pokey cute place back then not the crowded overpriced spot it has become, although the nice small Norton Simon art museum still exists), then Rancho Palos Verdes on the peninsula.
Then they decided to move to Northern California, which was kind of a bummer for everyone. We all liked Los Angeles. We moved to nearby Davis, California. I had a great elementary school- Pioneer Elementary – with awesome 5th and 6th grade teachers, a lot of nice friends and an excellent Girl Scout troop. I loved singing with the other girls, going on nature walks, and camping. I earned every badge I could until my sash was full. Teen years were spent going to high school in Sacramento. Black years, nothing much to say except I was immersed in bands and music.
There were a lot of great bands in Davis back in the 80s. I was often too young to go to the shows but snuck in house parties to see the early Camper Van Beethoven shows, stuff like that. I read the news on KDVS – I was in high school so they wouldn't let me DJ – and I worked at the local records store in town called Barney's where some band people worked. People assumed I was older than 16 and 17. I moved out of the house when I was 17 to attend the University of Wisconsin and joined my first band in the first week there. I had taken four bass lessons that summer, so thought maybe I was passable, ha-ha. Obviously, I am a self-taught rock musician.
*Do you have siblings?
Yes. I have an older sister named Sharmila. She became a doctor and has a Master's in Public Health from Harvard. I am not sure if she practices medicine any more – doesn't seem to want to talk about her job, ever – all I know is she is on staff at Boston University. She's a couple years older. My brother Arun is 4 years and 4 days younger than I am. He is a teacher and lives in Sacramento. That's everyone.
*Were/are any of your family members interested in music or other arts? Did any of them have anything to do with you deciding to become a musician and performer? Did you have any other early influences that may have guided you into having creative ambitions?
Sharmila liked bands and the indie scene. I snuck out of the house and hitched a ride with her to see my first live band, the Bangles in 1983 playing at a small club called Club Minimal (apt name) in Sacramento. No one in my family is musical and they don't seem interested in art at all. I can't really relate to anyone in my family. It feels like Them and Me.
I really got inspiration from things I heard; I always had my ears open and was mesmerized by music, obsessed with songs I thought were good and recordings that seemed so powerful. There were three singles my dad had that influenced me: "Baby Love" by the Supremes, "From Me to You" by the Beatles and "Rock a Hula Baby" (awesome drums!!!) by Elvis.
And of course there was Josie and the Pussycats which looked like the ideal existence to me when I was 3 and watched it Tuesday nights in Edinburgh. I loved the colors, the action, and the music. And their costumes! And I thought Josie was such a cool name, and the fact she was the band leader was just the center of the universe.
*You started playing the bass at age 17. When did you start playing with other people? When did you start writing your own songs?
I started playing with other people in the dorm at UW-Madison, out of our state dorm called Princeton House. We had a semi-joke punk band called Phlegm. My stage name was Phlegm Fatale. We played our first gig at a birthday party in the dorm in September 1986. My knees were shaking, I was so nervous to be standing in front of people Playing in a Band! I started trying to write songs in 1987. It was harder than I thought it would be. I co-wrote with Ryan Jerving of Kissyfish. He was more of a proper musician, had played in jazz bands and was a really, really good guitar player.
*How did playing with Kissyfish and the other bands lead to you forming Vinyl Devotion, then Shalini?
Phlegm split into two bands that became Madison mainstays in the late eighties: My Cousin Kenny, and Kissyfish. I was the bass player and singer in Kissyfish. We played with Otis Ball some in the late 80s, who tried to get Bar None interested in us, and eventually wrote some really good songs, but the guys wouldn't give up this corny vaudeville posturing, so I wasn't totally sorry when the band split up in 1990 when we graduated. I wanted to be in the Pixies, playing rock music, not some frat band with accordians. Ow. We made recordings on 4 tracks and sold cassettes. I still get requests for them over the internet.
When I moved to San Francisco in 1990, I didn't know what to do. I really wanted to play in my boyfriend Scott Miller's band Game Theory. They needed a bass player, and never really had a cool one after Suzi Zielger left in 1985. I had a lot of experience playing by then, and had become a real bar rat in my years in Kissyfish. I could have handled the transition to a more grown up band easily and was as good as Suzi in 1990. However, Scott was adamant about not wanting his girlfriend in his band after 2 psycho girlfriend experiences. I thought that was pretty lame, because I was way more responsible and sane than those other girls could ever be, but I wasn't going to beg!
So I just played with two or three bands that weren't going anywhere for a while. I had my own vision for a band, so started Vinyl Devotion by recording a single in 1992, produced by Scott and recorded at Paul Wieneke's home studio for $15 an hour! Paul was super nice and played keyboards on my cover of "Nobody Told Me." Scott contributed his really excellent background vocals. I played guitar and bass. I was seriously working on my songwriting all the time by then.
I established my own record label called Mitochondria Records and got distribution by making a zillion phone calls. It was fun and easy to do the single; the hard part was putting a band together. I killed myself looking, placing ads and holding auditions. As soon as I had some stability, someone quit. Booking was so hard in SF. It was all extremely difficult. A highlight was the band in 1994. Our first EP (out on CD! Can you imagine that being a big deal now? But this was 14 years ago! World was a different place) got great attention. I got letters (typed!) of interest and met with A & M records in NYC in 1995. Sadly, they wanted another Courtney Love. There is probably no one less like me on earth than her! I couldn't pretend to be an aggressive drug addict.
*Do you find it easier to work with male band-mates than with other women?
Yes. The girls are flakey and/or psycho, the ones I've ever worked with, except a couple in all these years. They don't work on their musicianship and are not generally reliable.
*Describe the relationship you have had with the two labels you've recorded for, Parasol and Dalloway. Why are you moving away from Dalloway with this next album?
Parasol was great! Friendly, opened some doors, had other good bands. Some people who work there are musicians, notably the awesome Angie Heaton and Paul Chastain. Dalloway was run by two women I could really relate to on a musical level. They liked the 80s and especially 90s girl-led bands a lot, that I could identify with, like the Breeders, Veruca Salt, Throwing Muses, Garbage, and the Lovelies from the 2000-era.
A lot of the indie purists around here sniff at some of the music I like the best. None of it has a country twinge, maybe that's why. NC indie musicians are prone to going country. I don't even own an acoustic guitar and I wouldn't be seen in overalls unless I was pitching hay.
Eve and Christina were interested in being urban and stylish. They moved to Boston and had trouble keeping their label afloat. They had probably lost quite a bit of money on Metal Corner. I had the chance to go with Electric Devil/125 Records so I took it. I still keep in touch with the Dalloways, and if we're ever in Boston we'll hook up.
*You play bass in the studio and guitar live – which, if either (both?) do you write songs on?
I write songs on electric guitar.
*Where and when did you first meet husband/band-mate Mitch Easter? Did the romance form before or after the musical kinship developed, or was it all wrapped up in one?
I first met Mitch in July, 1991 when Scott and I went to see him play in Marshall Crenshaw's touring band. Mitch and I got together in 1995 or 1996, after I had split up with Scott, contrary to negative gossip about "overlapping". I lived alone in a SF apartment for a couple years and Mitch and I were long distance. I moved here Christmas Eve 1996. Mitch and I didn't play music together regularly for a long time. He was super busy in the studio in the late nineties. I started playing with him and Eric Marshall in 1999. They were such pros. After all the many, many years slogging through practices with bad musicians, it felt like flying, playing with these guys. They were fun band-mates. We had really good synergy for a while and ended up playing together for 7 years. I play live with another drummer now, Chris Garges of Charlotte.
*What other interests do you have besides music?
Reading, walking, dogs, animal protection, environmental causes, and film. I started a film festival called the Revolve Film and Music Festival, the state's only regional Triad-to-Triangle festival with monthly screenings revolving around a 5-day core festival in June. I used to work at another film festival but just had a lot of other more positive programming ideas involving art and music and style. They screen some films I find questionable and do not use violence warnings.
*Write out the index of what would be a Shalini desert island mixtape – 10-20 of your favorite all-time songs.
Of course, this changes all the time but here's a rough mish-mash list that isn't thought out, just off the top of my head:
The Real World, Bangles; Surrender/anything from In Color, Cheap Trick; Shayla, Union City Blues, Blondie; 25, Get Back, The Speed of Candy, Veruca Salt; Don't Let Me Down, Nina Gordon; Remember You, Chris White (Zombies); Friend of Mine, Jealousy, Supernova, Cinco de Mayo, Liz Phair; No Aloha, Breeders; Easy Does, Room with a View, Let's Active (really all of Cypress); 24 (all of Real Nighttime), Together Now Very Minor, Dripping with Looks, Game Theory; Don't Bother Me While I'm Living Forever, Slit My Wrists, Loud Family; Phonograph, Stateside; White Leather, the Lovelies; West of the Fields/We Walk/Shaking Through/Perfect Circle – R.E.M.; Our Lips are Sealed/How Much More/Fading Fast/I'm With you/Mercenary – Go-Go's, who were underrated songwriters; Nina Nastasia – I like her as an artist but can't name her song titles; Blue Spark/Los Angeles/+ many others – X
*How do you like living in North Carolina, as compared to the other parts of the U.S. and the world that you have lived in?
I like it. It's a great place to have a band! People have pretty much space, it's low crime, and there are a lot of talented musicians.
Author djbrianPosted on February 4, 2008 Categories The Total ExperienceLeave a comment on Shalini Chatterjee Profile/Interview
testing remote blogging client
this is a test post of the blogging client MarsEdit. Please work
Author rssPosted on February 4, 2008 Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on testing remote blogging client
Author rssPosted on February 4, 2008 Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on foo


Just as roads in certain locations can only be reached via bridge, some life achievements are only attainable with help from others willing to hold you up and help you across. Consider the last time someone reached out and pulled you through a situation where you were in it up to your neck. Without an outside force, you might never have reached the uncharted territory just beyond that ravine. What seemed like a black hole in front of you became a gorgeous backdrop when you were given enough support to cross over.
Creating a network of people you trust is invaluable. Love and respect create lifelong friendships. I've learned that throwing a shared passion for riding (and going on lots of motorcycle rides together) help to maintain and even strengthen the bond. The connections you build might very well be what saves you the next time you're faced with a challenge you can't seem to conquer. Just remember that there's a bridge for every gap.
When the water gets too deep, place your trust in others. You never know who might be the missing link.


Spicy food may set your mouth ablaze, but the kitchen at the Sacramento branch of Kathmandu Kitchen literally caught fire in summer, 2005. Re-opened since March 2006, this outpost of delicious Nepali and Indian cuisine still serves mouthwatering meals, from flaky vegetable samosas to creamy chicken, lamb, prawn or vegetable korma (a cashew-based, nutmeg-spiced curry sauce). Plentiful vegetarian options include baigan bharta (roasted eggplant curry with bell pepper and spices) and vegetable chau chau, a Nepali fried noodle dish. To dine like a true Nepalian (or retro American), forgo the a la carte menu and order your entree thali: you'll get a TV dinner-style tray with separate compartments for the entree, rice, lentils, vegetable curry, chutney and naan. If everything sounds good, check out the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for $11.


text:
Play as a Female Warrior in War of the Vikings
Greg Tito | 31 Jan 2014 18:09
Gordon Van Dyke from Paradox wants to make sure fighting women are well represented in his real-time combat game.
We hear it all the time. Women aren't represented enough in games, especially competitive online ones. There have been some strides this year, the addition of a female model in Call of Duty: Ghosts online play comes to mind, but we still have a long way to go. Gordon Van Dyke is an Executive Producer at Paradox Interactive in charge of the so-called "War" line of games - War of the Roses and the Steam Early Access game War of the Vikings - and he's throwing his gauntlet into the ring of gender representation. Starting with the latest build of War of the Vikings, you'll be able to play as either a female or male warrior along with a slew of other customization options the team is adding.
War of the Vikings is a multiplayer only game which pits warriors against each in medieval combat. You wield axes, swords and bows in real-time action, pitting the Saxon faction against the invading Norse of the time period around 900 A.D. In game terms, there's no difference between the two factions other than cosmetic, and that's what Paradox and developer FatShark are betting on monetizing.
You'll be able to craft the look of your preferred warrior in War of the Vikings based on how much you play. You'll earn currencies for time played, rather than based on skill or wins. That way, everyone stays on the same level playing field, while you'll know characters that look specifically badass likely have invested a lot of energy into the game.
As for the female character models, I was excited to see that their armor didn't have nipples. "We want her to be dressed for battle," Van Dyke said, "Not for Comic Con."
Van Dyke even described how much forethought went into the design of the different female models for each faction, basing the look on historical notions. Vikings traditionally made no distinction between men and women warriors, training whoever had an aptitude for warfare no matter their gender. Therefore, the armor and ornamentation on the female Vikings is very utilitarian. On the other hand, the Saxons were not so lenient about having their women fight among men, so any female warriors were likely rich daughters indulged by their noble fathers. "We based the look of the Saxon females on characters like Arya from Game of Thrones," Van Dyke said.
Another cosmetic addition that enhances the feel of War of the Vikings is in the sound design. In the matches, characters will yell out positional information automatically in a feature called "Battle Chatter", which I found especially helpful in the matches I played. Someone screaming "Archer!" when they get damaged by arrow fire is actually really immersive and fun. Also, I appreciated that when playing the Saxons, Viking characters will yell out battle cries in their native language, rather than English. Van Dyke noted that the Viking characters in the game will not sound like they're from Scotland. A first for the genre, he noted.
War of the Vikings is shaping up to be a delightful diversion for those interested in fast-paced medieval combat. I personally didn't always enjoy the quick deaths I received in the two hours or so I got to play with the different game modes, but there's something really visceral and exciting about dancing around your opponent wielding a huge battleaxe as you try to dance in and deliver a killing thrust with your sword.
War of the Vikings is in the last stages of development, but you can check it out in Early Access on Steam now. It will get its full release on the PC in "early March", according to Van Dyke.
greg tito, action, brawler, fatshark, fighter, gordon van dyke, paradox interactive, pc, pdxcon2014, video games, war of the vikings
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Backpack made out of two different STIG bags. Yellow with a blue lid and blue shoulder straps. Cognac closure straps. The material is 100% organic cotton. The inside features a laptop sleeve that fits most 13" laptops. The bag is made out of all reused material.


Eating right things will help you maintain a healthy weight. The advice from this article will help you eat healthy. You don't have an excuse for eating junk!
Women who are pregnant should make nutrition a major priority. One great way to ensure those protein needs are met is to blend egg whites in with a morning smoothie. Egg whites have a good amount of protein and other nutrients. Pasteurized eggs should be chosen for avoiding health issues. Whole grains are part of a healthy food to add to your diet.Whole grains are a great substitute for refined carbohydrates. You can make sandwiches from whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, or a great pasta dinner with whole wheat pasta. This helps your body the required nutrients and fiber it needs which refined carbs.
Organic foods can help boost the nutrition to your diet. These pure untainted foods are the right path to a more natural diet. Take a taste and you'll know why.Try packing your own lunch for work or school meals.It only takes 10 minutes or less to make yourself some meals and snacks.Eat a variety of every color and often. Try to include a brightly colored food or two in each meal. Eat that as well, since many of the antioxidant benefits are in the skins, if the skins are edible. You must always drink plenty of water daily. Drinking milk and juice will make them less hungry when it is mealtime.
Great sources of zinc include strawberries, wheat germ, strawberries, and peaches. Canned salmon is an interesting choice for a terrific alternative to your regular dish. Canned salmon is rich in minerals that are good for bodily functions and it's low in fat and carbs.Try eating new things if you can to enjoy your daily diet plan.
Nuts make a very nutritious part of your diet if you know which types to choose. A small serving of some natural almonds add a lot of fiber and tasty crunch to your diet.
A valuable nutrition tip if you are pregnant is to make sure you get enough calcium every day in your diet. Calcium is important for unborn babies so your baby can develop healthy bones and teeth.
Another B vitamin called pantothenic acid.It keeps the metabolic process known as Tricarboxylic acid cycle to work. It is a necessity for enzyme activity and helps create other essential compounds. Whole grains are fantastic sources for pantothenic acid.
It is important for a pregnant woman to consume plenty of iron needs are covered when you are pregnant. The average adult woman should consume 18mg of iron per day, while pregnant, she should increase this to 27mg. The developing baby needs iron, so be sure you get enough.
Proper nutrition is directly linked to your health. Hence why so many people are interested in eating a healthy diet. Keeping the information given here in mind when you are shopping and eating should help you stay on the right track towards better eating.


The Tumwater Readiness Center is on a 53-acre site that has a seasonal high groundwater table near the ground surface. Hart Crowser conducted a geotechnical engineering and hydrogeologic site selection study for two alternate locations and completed the final design for the selected site.
One of the sites was determined to have significant soil liquefaction hazards during the design earthquake and the mitigation would have been cost-prohibitive for the project. The selected site was determined to have less liquefaction-induced settlements that could be accommodated by the structural system with conventional footings and slab-on-grade.
We also evaluated the site for infiltration of stormwater. The study built on the geotechnical study and included pilot infiltration and simple infiltration tests, long term groundwater level monitoring of wells, and mounding analysis. Our evaluation helped determine that infiltration of stormwater can be managed with infiltration facilities with overflow into a nearby seasonal wetland.


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Alastor anomalus är en stekelart som beskrevs av Brethes. Alastor anomalus ingår i släktet Alastor och familjen Eumenidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Steklar
anomalus

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The latest round of trade negotiations between the world's top two economies ended Friday without a deal
China to impose tariffs on $60 bn of US goods despite Donald Trump warning
2 min read . Updated: 13 May 2019, 07:00 PM IST Makini Brice , Ben Blanchard , Reuters
China says tariffs on US goods effective 1 June on a total of 5,140 products
Trump urges Beijing to keep working to reach deal
US China Trade WarChina Tariffs
Washington/Beijing: China said on Monday it would impose higher tariffs on a range of US goods, striking back in its trade war with Washington shortly after US President Donald Trump warned it not to retaliate.
China's finance ministry said it plans to set import tariffs ranging from 5% to 25% on 5,140 US products on a target list worth about $60 billion. It said the tariffs will take effect on June 1.
The announcement came less than two hours after Trump warned Beijing not to retaliate after China said it "will never surrender to external pressure."
The White House and US Trade Representative's office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Global equities fell sharply on Monday as hopes of an imminent trade deal between the world's two largest economies were crushed. Major US stock index futures were down about 2%.
The trade war escalated on Friday after Trump hiked tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, saying China had reneged on earlier commitments made during months of trade negotiations.
Beijing had vowed to respond to the latest US tariffs. "As for the details, please continue to pay attention. Copying a US expression - wait and see," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing on Monday.
Trump warned China not to intensify the trade dispute and urged its leaders, including President Xi Jinping, to continue to work to reach a deal. "China should not retaliate-will only get worse," he said on Twitter.
"I say openly to President Xi & all of my many friends in China that China will be hurt very badly if you don't make a deal because companies will be forced to leave China for other countries," Trump wrote.
I say openly to President Xi & all of my many friends in China that China will be hurt very badly if you don't make a deal because companies will be forced to leave China for other countries. Too expensive to buy in China. You had a great deal, almost completed, & you backed out!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019
Steady drum beat
Trump last week also ordered US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to begin imposing tariffs on all remaining imports from China, a move that would affect an additional $300 billion worth of goods.
Asked about the threat, Geng said: "We have said many times that adding tariffs won't resolve any problem ... We have the confidence and the ability to protect our lawful and legitimate rights."
Chinese state media kept up a steady drum beat of strongly worded commentary on Monday, reiterating that China's door to talks was always open, but vowing to defend the country's interests and dignity.
In a commentary, state television said the effect on the Chinese economy from the US tariffs was "totally controllable."
"It's no big deal. China is bound to turn crisis to opportunity and use this to test its abilities, to make the country even stronger."
Before high-level talks last week in Washington, China tried to delete commitments from a draft agreement that Chinese laws would be changed to enact new policies on issues from intellectual property protection to forced technology transfers. That dealt a major setback to negotiations.
Trump has since defended the US tariff hike and said he was in "absolutely no rush" to finalize a deal.


Vacation means living life in an unconventional way. A way which you don't follow in regular life. During your vacation sometimes you want to spend you days in such a place which will be different from popular touristic destination yet beautiful. A quiet place where you can just relax and admire the beauty of nature or engage yourself with activities like nature walk, village walk, etc. But now a days finding such place is really a tough job.
Well not anymore! SMILE PANDA Tours has found such places in Sikkim and West Bengal region & brought the news to you. Beside a Tea garden, outskirts of dense forest or in a quiet mountain village- these places are not just away from the popular touristic places nearby but blessed by mother nature in terms of natural beauty. You can spend your vacation here peacefully away from crowd just sitting on a porch sipping steaming brew or engage yourself with small adventure activities like Village walk or Forest walk.


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How can we inspire you? Search ›🔎
AskCharity
Salary and Organisational Culture Report
It's time to reveal the results of the 2019 CharityComms Salary and Organisational Culture Survey and see what you really think of the sector.
Stacey Kelly-Maher
Stacey is CharityComms' digital projects officer and previously worked in digital for the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH). When not attached to technology, she consults on mental health research, policy and campaigning.
1. Sector salaries
2. Value of communications
3. Benefits
4. Career progress
5. Representation
6. What happens now? Next steps
7. Data tables
Data can tell stories, and the evidence presented in this report tells two major ones. The story of charity communications' ongoing professionalisation, but also the story of a sector with systemic issues affecting organisational culture, particularly around wellbeing and representation.
Supporting the first narrative is the fact that over half of charity communicators feel communications has been more valued over the past year with more respondents feeling their current role is helping to progress their long-term career (74%, up from 71% in 2017). This is then backed up by additional data from the CharityComms' jobs board which indicates a 20% increase in the number of jobs advertised with 41% of survey respondents believing staff levels in their organisation will increase over the next year and 40% believing they will stay the same.
There have been gradual increases in the average charity communicator's salary, having risen £1,650 over the past five years, though this varies between seniority levels with this year's increases largely driven by increases at more senior levels. It appears the sector is making progress around certain pay gaps with salary survey data showing large organisations pay 22% more than small organisations but this is down from 28% previously. Further, permanent staff earn 6% more than temporary, down from 15%, and salaries in London are 14% higher than the rest of the UK, down from 17%. The diminishing inconsistencies across organisation size, employment type and location are certainly progress, however the picture of other disparities is becoming clearer.
When it comes to the story of systematic issues perhaps the most compelling data is that which shows a white man in charity communications is paid £39,970, while a woman of colour is paid £34,750. While the sector is 93% white, it is also 78% female thus predominantly populated by white women. Furthermore, the difference in experiences of women of colour compared to their white counterparts are also clearly demonstrable. A woman of colour is 44% more likely to have experienced harassment than a white woman. She is 133% more likely to feel her mental health is negatively affected by her role. In this context, it is understandable that she is 92% more likely to look specifically outside of the charity sector when next job hunting.
So what is the bigger picture behind what all this data is telling us. Well we are making incremental gains while addressing these issues at a tactical level. For instance, we know that an increase in salaries across the sector will benefit diversity initiatives as those who are marginalised are less likely to be excluded through pay alone. But we need to ensure we are addressing this strategically and structurally. How can we imagine not only a sector that recognises the talent and expertise involved in communications, but that values talent and expertise from every communicator?
This report could never hope to solve all of this, but hopefully the data will help us all to see that we do not exist in isolation, we live and work in a wider societal context and we are not immune to the issues at play in the rest of the world. We must recognise that if we are truly mission oriented, we are then incredibly well placed to envision a sector which champions best practice in organisational culture and representation.
Don't just take our word for it though, dive in and explore the data for yourself and see just how much 2019's salary and organisational survey has to tell us about the sector as a whole.
Adeela Warley
CEO, CharityComms
A warm welcome to CharityComms Salary and Organisational Culture Report 2019.
This year we widened the scope of the research survey to include important topical issues which have a direct impact on communications careers – from representation to harassment in the workplace and mental health. A huge thank you to everyone who filled it in – we had an incredible 668 responses providing a wealth of data.
For the first time, we've made it a digital first production with interactive data visualisation, so please do investigate as much as you like and let us know if you want to know more.
Overall the picture is mixed, with modest progress on pay and benefits and the status of communications but alarming data on diversity, equality and inclusion. Scientists recently told us being optimistic could help us live longer, happier lives. But true optimism is not just about a disposition to be cheerful, it's about optimising the possibility for good. So let's look the facts in the face and commit to working together to make our sector a great place to work.
You can use the report to benchmark your communications career or invest in your team. We've included lots of links to organisations leading the way and some of the best practice tools and training out there so that you too can be an optimistic change-maker.
Sector salaries
Most people do not join the non-profit sector for the money. There is an evident mismatch of pay for charity roles compared to private sector ones and a great many organisations rely, at least in part, on volunteers. Yet the data we collected indicates that the increasing professionalisation of the wider sector, and the communications discipline in particular, has correlated with increases in salaries.
It is crucial to maintain our values beyond those that are monetary, however it is increasingly recognised that it is not only passion, but expertise, that charity communications professionals offer. Even aside from skillsets, there are bills to pay and philanthropy is no longer solely the realm of the privileged few. The worth we recognise in our teams must be rewarded if we wish to keep moving forward.
Salaries at a glance
Large organisations pay 22% more than small organisations (down from 28% in 2017).
Permanent staff earn 6% more than temporary (down from 15% in 2017).
Salaries in London are 14% higher than the rest of the UK (down from 17% in 2017).
In 2017, animal charities paid the highest average salary but this year they've moved down to the second spot, having been overtaken by children's charities.
The least well-paid sub-sector is hospices.
So what's happening to comms salaries?
Over the past six years, there has been a gradual increase in charity communications salaries. Throughout this time, there have been fluctuations in the average pay at the levels of Head of and Director. The reason for this remains unclear but it is worth noting the smaller sample sizes at this end of the spectrum.
In terms of the last two years specifically though it is worth noting the average salary has gone up by 1.76% since 2017. This is largely driven by increases at the level of Manager/Lead (2%) and Head Of (6%). At all other levels, there have been dips in salary however half of the survey responses were from Managers/Leads or Heads of, hence the overall nudge.
Larger organisations pay more
So what does this all tell us about salaries? In a nutshell organisational size has a significant impact on salary with larger organisations consistently paying more at each seniority level.
Salary changes
Though there is some difference in how charity communicators perceive sector salaries to have changed in the past year, over half (59%) believe they have stayed the same, around a third (32%) believe they have increased, and only 9% believe they have decreased.
We asked why this might be and clear themes emerged from each group's take on the impacting factors.
Value of communications
Understanding the true value of communications, what it means for an organisation's future, and how many resources it might require has long been debated. Over a century before charity communications existed in the way it does today, American retailer John Wanamaker said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which half."
Given the ongoing issues in quantifying the value of comms, particularly in a charity context where there is a heightened need to prove the worth of spending, it is key to understand how the discipline is perceived.
The results of this year's survey indicate over half of charity communicators feel communications has been more valued over the past year. But over a third still feel its status has remained the same while slightly more people feel communications is less valued than when last asked in 2017.
Case study: Autistica, the UK's autism research charity
Rebecca Sterry
Head of Communications at Autistica
I joined Autistica just over four years ago and before that the charity had a combined fundraising and communications lead – needless to say that as a small charity, fundraising always came first. Now we have a small team, having proved the value of communications to every area of the charity to both staff and trustees.
There are three valued roles that the communications team play at Autistica:
As a research charity, telling stories is essential to bring our science back to real people's lives. The people that feature on our website and in campaigns are valued and stewarded as much as any donor and they are at the forefront every time we talk about our work. The team know that the comms team's investment in these are crucial to their fundraising and policy work.
Showing impact
We're a fast-paced innovative organisation so having a communications team that can work across departments to report on the many things that we are doing is essential. It's a unique skill to have that overview and ability to distil key information down into formats that work for each audience. It gives the team the content they need to roll out regular, personalised updates to key stakeholders. With the comms team focusing content on impact, our tone of voice for fundraising has evolved, talking less about the problem and more about the solution, it's proving to be really effective.
Acting on insights
Last year we invested in audience insight work, looking at our email subscribers, social media audiences and donor database. The focus of this was our communications strategy but these insights have already begun to show real value to all areas of the charity. It is helping us to devise our organisational strategy and fundraising campaigns, and has a knock on effect on how we talk about our research and policy work. Every email we now send – no matter what department it originates from, is tailored to the behaviour and interests of the individual, something that just six months ago was impossible. Engagement and donations as a result are at an all-time high.
The closer teams work with communications staff, the more they will realise their value. We've initiated a drop in comms session every Wednesday so that people can tell us what they are up to, and in return we can help add value. It's win-win.
We know, however, that comms staff are always working hard to prove the value of their work. Indeed, only 10% of charity communicators don't work more than their standard contracted hours and 46% don't receive compensation for extra hours worked. If staff continue to feel undervalued, there is potential to impact on their long-term career. Those that feel communications is becoming less valued are 174% more likely to change jobs in the next six months than those who think it has become more valued in the last year. The effects are myriad; they're also 74% more likely to feel their role is negatively impacting their mental health and 93% more likely to think they won't stay in charity communications for the next five years.
How do we value comms as an industry?
While the data indicates an increasing value ascribed to comms it appears this is not the case in practice. Looking at the figures from 2017, 38% of charity communicators identified a lack of understanding of the role of comms by others in the organisation as a barrier to achieving their goals and 28% said comms still hadn't got a seat in the boardroom.
This year's data suggests a trend towards more value being attributed to comms but while we take a holistic perspective, we must also consider the individual circumstances of charity communicators which vary largely according to organisation size, seniority level, location, board composition and more:
Some of the responses given for how people think comms is valued in their organisation:
"I think we've seen the increasing professionalisation of communications as a discipline – and increasing respect given to communicators as professionals – over the last few years. Which is very welcome!" (Manager/Lead)
"There seems to be a devaluation of the role of communications in charities right now – right now, I feel as though we are being treated as a part of the furniture." (Head Of)
"The role and status of marcomms seems to be entirely dependent on the kind of leadership team in place, their background and their understanding of its importance." (Manager/Lead)
"I think there is a severe lack of understanding around what communicators and marketers do, and how our work can have lasting impact and value to an organisation. There's still the view that comms isn't a profession and that everyone can do it […]" (Head Of)
"Communications and marketing are not seen as being essential, well thought-out or central to strategy of the company. Until there is a comms/marketing person sitting at the directors' table and on the board then charities will continue to make basic mistakes with their communications and marketing strategies that will lead to much bigger and costly mistakes overall." (Head Of)
What does this all mean?
Well worryingly, over a quarter of respondents considered cross-team communication in their organisation to be ineffective or very ineffective which is clearly not a good thing.
So what does the sector need to do to change things for the better?
Why not begin by checking out some of the great resources out there to get you started. Here are a few which might just help your organisation understand the value of communications:
Making the case for communications
How to talk to your trustees about comms
Understanding communications: a brief guide for charity trustees
When someone spends around 40 hours a week in an environment, dedicated to a particular cause and/or organisation, it is vital they feel valued to ensure their loyalty and best work. The way you treat your employees can increase retention and differentiate your employer brand in the hiring market.
This doesn't need to be Google-style perks with table tennis and nap pods (though no-one's arguing against it), but it is about providing a solid benefits package that allows your workforce to thrive. What if we moved to a model of the charity sector where organisations helped with loan repayments and tuition assistance? Or a carer-friendly atmosphere with parental leave including adoption, extended (or unlimited) annual leave and childcare subsidies where people don't feel as though they're choosing between their families and jobs?
Whether you're thinking blue-sky, or making incremental gains, in our (entirely unbiased) opinion, the third sector is the place to be, and this is one of the key areas where we can demonstrate this, not to mention improve the wellbeing and performance of our teams.
Some standard benefits at a glance:
Average holidays: 26 days
Bonus: 14%
Commission: 1%
Paid overtime/time off in lieu: 78%
Which benefits do people rate most highly?
It is worth noting that when it comes to paid holidays there are statutory requirements which can be calculated by multiplying the number of days you work a week by 5.6. So if you work five days a week, you're entitled to 28 days, or if you work three days a week, you're entitled to 16.8 days.
More holiday time would be taken into consideration by 80% of workers when choosing between a high-paying job and a lower-paying job with better benefits. This remains a core area for employer differentiation where only 1-2% of employers offer unlimited vacation time, and could also potentially avoid employer liability issues around paying out unused leave days when employees leave the organisation. Not to mention the potential benefits around mental health in the workplace in a context where 70m work days are lost annually for mental health related reasons, costing employers circa £2.4bn each year.
Meanwhile, the proportion of charity communicators receiving bonuses or commissions remains small. Performance-related pay remains contentious while money spent on staff salaries is still a barrier to public trust and giving, though this is certainly a transparency issue as well as one significantly discussed at more senior levels.
What our survey indicates is a mismatch between the benefits most desired by charity communicators and what they are being offered. For example note the disparity in some cases (eg medical cover) between what staff most want, and what they actually receive. This is also evident in the fact that 90% of respondents indicated flexible working hours as one of their top three most valued benefits, yet only 72% received this. In this case yes the proportion of staff getting what they want has grown, as in 2017 only 61% received flexible working hours, but it is still a disparity nonetheless.
One thing that is certainly clear from the data though is that while no-one knows what the future of work will look like, flexibility remains a core priority. Two thirds (67%, up from 61% in 2017) of respondents said being able to work from home would entice them into applying for a job.
It is always worth looking at what you are offering your team from the perspective of talent recruitment and retention, but it goes beyond this. For example, the number of respondents receiving a pension contribution is somewhat worrying, despite seeming high at 85%. Under the Pensions Act 2008, employers are legally obligated to enrol certain staff into a workplace pension scheme and since 6 April 2019, employers must contribute a minimum of 3%.
Even outside of legal obligations, are you offering benefits or aware of what should be a given? Only 51% of charity communicators receive support for professional development for example, but if you intend to keep your staff they need to feel valued and as though they are able to grow in the organisation. From a purely selfish perspective, regardless of their needs, if you do not invest in your staff's development then it does not matter how brilliant the people you're recruiting are, it will be increasingly difficult for them to keep up with sector trends and the latest techniques in their discipline.
If we take the case of one particular discipline, only 44% of respondents working in digital receive development support but it is abundantly clear how fast charity digital is progressing. NCVO's latest research found more than a third of employers consider their staff to be missing key digital skills. Without some kind of knowledge exchange, it is doubtful that staff will be able to keep up with analytics, organic and paid social media, search engine optimisation, user experience best practice etc – let alone move into the realm of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies which will offer a great many opportunities in communications and beyond. The Charity Digital Skills Report 2019 found more than a third of respondents to be unsure if they'll stay in their role long-term if the way their charity uses digital doesn't improve. While funding is a core concern, the return on investment does need to be considered carefully. Not giving your staff the resources they need will contribute to lost talent, missed opportunities and long-term stagnation.
Seb Baird, digital manager at Time to Change is just one of many charity communicators that has had first-hand experience of how important training and development is for his team and digital charity professionals as a whole.
He said: "Training and development is so important for digital charity professionals. As the charity sector lags behind in digital skills, it's hard to develop our knowledge and practices internally, so we often need external support to do so. Training helps us to build our careers and make us employable, but it's also fundamentally important to helping us do our jobs well: the digital landscape changes so quickly that keeping our skills sharp can be more challenging than in other roles."
"These opportunities don't always have to be expensive – mentoring, peer learning and meetups can help as much as formal training – but charity leaders should be making time, and where possible, money, available to develop their digital staff." – Seb Baird
It is unsurprising then that support for professional development came in the top three most desired benefits. For those looking to offer more chances for professional development, find out more about the mentoring, events and resources that CharityComms offers.
It is crucial for the sector's survival that we do not become complacent around salaries and benefits. While a feeling of pride around doing important work is always welcome, so is being able to pay bills, be healthy, provide for and spend time with loved ones.
"Charities are happy to pay below the average salary because they believe their staff feel that working for a charity is a benefit in itself." (Senior Executive/Officer)
Remember: The cause is important but so are the individual circumstances of our teams, and if we go by Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the charity sector will (arguably continue to) haemorrhage its best people, purely so they can exist.
Career progress
As the sector has become further professionalised, it has become increasingly recognised that charity work is not simply a feel-good pastime, but a highly-skilled specialism requiring adapted training and knowledge. It may be a calling, but it is also a career and people will move on if they are not happy or feel they would only have room to grow if they went elsewhere.
This has resulted in an increasingly competitive job market with certain roles experiencing particularly high demand. The great news though is we live in a time with resources aplenty and we work in a sector filled with people who go out of their way to support each other in their day-to-day work and future careers. Make sure you understand the community available to you and your team and make the most of it!
What's your background?
This year we asked about how long people have worked in their current organisation, as a communications professional and/or in the charity sector so that whether you're looking to hire a new team member or trying to find your first job in charity communications, you can understand the context of where the sector and its staff are at.
How charity communicators are feeling?
While the majority working in charity communications feel they are progressing, a quarter (26%) feel their current role is not helping to progress their long-term career. This is down from 29% previously but yet the amount of people being offered fewer training opportunities has increased (19% from 14%) and over half (55%) have not yet booked onto any training over the next 12 months.
Charities struggling to provide enough training and development opportunities may be interested to note the most common types of training currently being offered to staff are; conferences, seminars and training courses.
Those that were less frequently offered included shared learning and role-shadowing – a real shame considering the lack of cost involved! Why not identify an organisation you think is doing particularly well in your area of comms and ask if you can pop into their office for a day to see what they're doing? Or grab lunch with someone higher up in your own organisation and ask them what they wish they'd known earlier?
elearning resources to check out
It's important to offer a variety of training types, but if you're looking for something a little less formal, there are some amazing digital learning spaces around in the age of eLearning:
Third Sector PR & Comms Network
Digital Charities Slack workspace
Charity Digital News
Sector podcasts
Third Sector weekly bulletins
Civil Society daily news bulletins
Charity blogs
CharityComms' Knowledge Hub
We found 37% were planning a career move in the next 12 months, while 47% had no current plans but would consider it for the right role. This is slightly lower than in previous years, suggesting some improvement in staff retention; in 2017, 39% were looking to move on, and in 2016, this stood at 41%. Long-term, 86% of respondents thought themselves likely to stay in charity communications for the next five years.
We also found 77% of marcomms professionals were happy in their current role, while 10% were indifferent and 13% were unhappy. The data also revealed that 32% said their mental health is positively impacted by their role, however this is the same proportion as are negatively impacted. Only 41% said they would look exclusively inside the charity sector if considering a change of job.
One of the potential factors impacting how happy someone is in their role could be the discipline in which they work. We took a look at how people feel their mental health is impacted by their role according to their job function, particularly due to the ongoing conversations around the impact of mental health in digital and social media roles.
We found charity communicators working in digital are 9% more likely to experience an adverse impact on their mental health than those in non-digital roles, however they're not the only ones.
Top three disciplines for negatively impacted mental health (not including other):
Internal communications tied with Public affairs/ policy/ advocacy
Top three disciplines for positively impacted mental health (not including other):
PR/ press/ media relations
Salary was the most motivating factor in jobseeking by far, with 38% ranking it as the most important and 74% placing it in the top three. In order, the factors that motivated people most were:
Higher salary
More interesting role
More responsibility/ seniority
Better work/ life balance
Better culture
More attractive cause/ mission
Better job security
Training/ development opportunities
"Very limited increases in pay are currently making me consider leaving a charity that I enjoy working for, and that's hard to deal with." (Manager/Lead)
Most well-paid sub-sectors:
Most appealing sub-sectors:
In terms of how people like to work the data showed that while most charity communicators would prefer to be in-house, 5% would prefer to be at an agency and 6% would like to be freelance. A number of questions around current freelance work were also included in the survey however the sample size was not sufficient to provide representative data.
When searching for a new role, respondents were most likely to look at LinkedIn, recruitment consultancies and sector-specific job boards.
This year, to better understand what opportunities are available to people working in the sector, we also included an analysis of data from the CharityComms' jobs board in this survey. Using this we can see that there has been a 20% increase in the number of jobs posted annually.
However, the number of jobs available varies widely according to seniority level with the number of jobs available at Assistant, Head Of and Director level comprising the smallest proportion. This potentially signposts potential issues with entering and progressing in the sector. Additionally, the average pay between Senior Executive/Officer and Manager/Lead only appears to increase by 5% which raises questions around the relationship between pay and responsibilities.
Other disparities in pay that are evident from the data include the "part-time penalty"- which appears to be in full effect in jobs advertised with a 22% mean pay gap (compared to a 6% gap for respondents of the survey) – and a noticable difference between pay in London and the rest of the UK which stood at 14% for survey respondents and 18% in advertised jobs.
Most advertised specialisms in numbers:
Digital/online/social media
Average number of marcomms staff in a team: 24
What do charity communicators value?
The data we have collected adds to the body of existing evidence demonstrating the third sector's diversity problem. Quite simply our workforce doesn't represent the demographics of the UK, never mind the communities with which we work. This is a recurring issue seen across recruitment, salaries, progression and retention.
As it stands, by failing on diversity we are effectively ignoring vital context for our charities and campaigns. What would it mean to reframe the conversation about international aid to consider the legacy of colonialism? How might our communications reinforce stereotypes to the extent that they actively undo the work being done? Communications will always represent the historical and cultural context in which they were produced. They also have an impact on how our donors identify with our charities, evaluate our offer and intend to give.
It is a structural problem which needs to be addressed institutionally, not only in terms of diversity and inclusion, but also when it comes to anti-racism, anti-every-ism. Our teams' composition did not happen by accident and it will not change by accident. Lead from the top with policies at the most senior levels, and don't pigeonhole the affected groups to do all of the work. As a sector we need to be working on this while understanding the power dynamics involved and taking collective responsibility for championing holistic, strategic approaches.
Demographic effects on pay gaps
*Please note: A number of respondents identified as non-binary, however their data has not been included in gendered analysis because the sample size was not sufficient to provide representative data.
The average gender pay gap for charity marcomms professionals is now at 11%, down from 14% in 2017, but still up from 9% in 2016. Additionally, the national median pay gap is 9.6%, while for charity communicators, we found a median pay gap of 11.4%.
Men are often more represented in senior, higher paying roles. This is evident in the fact that while more than 60% of charity workers are female, 71% of chief executives at the largest charities are male. The gender pay gap provides us with an indication of the difference between salaries for men and women, but it does not address equal pay, and whether women are paid less for the same role. However, even when broken down by job level, our data shows women are paid less than men at each and every level.
Furthermore, although very few respondents receive bonuses, the gap between men and women's likelihood to receive a bonus has also changed. In 2017, 8% of men and 4% of women received a bonus. This year, 6% of men and 7% of women received a bonus.
So what is being done to address these pay discrepancies? Well, reporting the gender pay gap, gender bonus gap, the proportion of men and women receiving bonuses, and the proportion of men and women in each quartile of the organisation's pay structure is now required by law for all charities with 250 or more employees. Additionally there has also been a recent consultation around ethnicity pay reporting and feedback is currently being analysed to inform future government policy.
Let's break it down:
93% of charity communicators are white
People of colour are 53% more likely to look outside of the third sector for their next role
People of colour are 39% more likely to have experienced workplace harassment
7% of charity communicators are disabled
68% believe disabled people are either under-represented or not represented in their charity
92% of charity communicators are educated to degree level or higher, 25% hold a master's degree
Who is representing the sector?
For the first time this year, we included a question around ethnicity using the ONS options however when broken down to this level, there were not enough data points to analyse unequal pay in the same way, particularly when looking at race and gender together.
In total 93% of respondents who specified their ethnicity identified as white, which is perhaps indicative of the ongoing representation problem in a sector where 92% of trustees are white. Additionally, 70% of respondents believed people of colour were either under-represented or not represented in their charity. Clearly this is not an issue that has escaped the attention of the wider sector community as demonstrated by the fact that a number of assurances have already been made around changing this, for instance, ACEVO has committed to 40% of its staff and trustees being people of colour by 2024.
It should be noted that this lack of representation appears to be a persistent issue and was seen across multiple areas with only 7% of respondents identifying as disabled, and only 3% of disabled respondents being people of colour. In addition to this 68% of respondents believed disabled people were either under-represented or not represented in their charity. It is worth noting here that 18.6% of working-age people in the UK are disabled showing just how big this gap in representation really is.
Work is being done to make these diversity issues, particularly around disability, more visible though. Last year, the government published a framework encouraging organisations with more than 250 employees to voluntarily report around disability in the workplace. Meanwhile following their advocacy work in this area, Scope published a Disability and Wellbeing Report noting 17% of their employees identify as disabled, up 3% on 2017. Helpfully the report also outlined a number of tactics to improve upon this baseline, including research into the experience of disabled people working and volunteering at Scope, data around length of time worked there and proportion of those promoted who are disabled. Clearly this is a great starting point but we must all work to understand the experiences of disabled staff and how to make charity communications more inclusive and accessible.
Overall though clearly there remain a number of barriers to entry to the sector which disproportionately affect certain groups. For example 92% of charity communicators are educated to degree level or higher, with 25% holding a master's degree, and this tendency to hire graduates not only prevents those who can't afford university from joining the sector, but it undermines the value of lived experience, as referenced in the National Children Bureau and Children England's Open To All campaign. Many have identified the issue of unnecessary qualifications being specified in job descriptions, and there is a question over as a sector, are we doing enough to say #NonGraduatesWelcome? Issues like requiring degrees, providing unpaid internships, and not paying a living wage ensures that it remains a privilege to be able to enter the charity sector and for marginalised groups, there are quite enough barriers to entry already.
It is not enough to recruit diverse candidates if they are marginalised when in the role and part of the wider sector. This is indicated by our data which shows people of colour were 40% more likely to be unhappy in their role than white people, 15% more likely to be planning a career move in the next 12 months and 53% more likely to look specifically outside of the third sector when they're next considering a change of job. We are holding people back and losing talent.
When it came to women of colour the issue of retention was particularly clear – they were 92% more likely to look elsewhere compared to white women. While we didn't explore the many potential contributing factors (hypervisibility, biased evaluations, harassment, the list goes on), we must ask ourselves, does this indicate a comfortable working environment?
More generally 5% of those surveyed said their current charity does not have policies and procedures around harassment and 7% believe the policies and procedures in place to protect people from harassment are being implemented ineffectively.
Again, this all compounds with race and gender. People of colour are 39% more likely to have experienced workplace harassment. Women of colour are 315% more likely than white men to identify harassment policies as being implemented ineffectively. The Harvard Business Review's Zuhairah Washington and Professor Laura Morgan Roberts recommend mandatory exit interviews to provide insight into the issues in your workplace and help you to identify the key areas where you can make change.
"Not only is it harder for charities to attract people of colour, but they are more likely to be unhappy in their roles, and to look outside of the sector for their next job. We cannot afford to lose talent like this" – Zoe Amar
Zoe Amar, founder and director of Zoe Amar Digital said the fact is that "the sector is facing a double whammy". She said: "Not only is it harder for charities to attract people of colour, but they are more likely to be unhappy in their roles, and to look outside of the sector for their next job. We cannot afford to lose talent like this. I would like to see charity leaders setting public targets for improving diversity, using blind recruitment processes and ensuring that job descriptions make diversity is a priority. And above all, they need to ask people of colour how they can support them. If our charities welcome everyone then they will flourish."
What happens now? Next steps
The data presented in this report ranges from promising to distressing but one thing that unites it all is how actionable it is. People in general, let alone charity communicators specifically, are already in danger of compassion fatigue because of the times we live in but we must not become numb to or disconnected from the work that needs to be done and the emotions that come with it.
While compiling these figures, we became increasingly aware of how demoralising some of this can be so we want to emphasise everything you and your team can do to impact the future of charity communications careers.
So, what next? Here are steps you can take right now…
…as an individual:
Benchmark your salary according to our data
Look after your mental health and prioritise your wellbeing
Be open about your pay! Your coworkers may well be earning less than you for equivalent work and you can help them identify this
Volunteer to analyse and categorise #CharitySoWhite posts and report trolls
Join Third Sector PR & Comms Network to keep up to date with topical sector conversations
Read through evidence, opportunities and resources available on the #POCIMPACT Directory
Identify areas for training and development for your future career with current job descriptions
Book onto one of Fearless Future's training programmes addressing power and privilege (some are pro bono!)
Get tips, ideas and inspirations from your peers' careers advice
Donate to Campaign Bootcamp to support people to lead the campaigns that affect them
…as a sector leader:
Talk to your trustees about comms and send them resources to help them understand
Understand and address mental health in charity communications teams
Commit to ACEVO's eight principles to address the diversity deficit in charity leadership
Use and share NEON's campaigning toolkit
Reflect candidly and publicly as a leadership team with #CharitySoWhite's questions
Look at free training and development opportunities for your team
Ensure your charity has policies and procedures around harassment and that they're being implemented effectively
Listen to ACEVO's Leadership Worth Sharing podcast
Read the Institute of Fundraising's Manifesto for Change and join the Change Collective
…as a recruiter:
Assess the level of pay you are advertising to see if it is in line with benchmarks for the relevant responsibility level
Remove unnecessary qualifications from your job descriptions #NonGraduatesWelcome
Look through standard job descriptions to ensure the seniority of roles is equivalent to the demands of the roles
Read Krislyn Tan's practical steps towards a more diverse team
Do not advertise your role's salary as "competitive", transparency is always best and we don't know who you can compete with!
Don't offer unpaid internships
Consider guaranteeing interviews to candidates from under-represented backgrounds who meet essential criteria
Review your flexible working practices
Look through the language in your job descriptions and see how you can make your applications process more welcoming and accessible
Publish gendered and racialised pay gap data, whether you're legally required to or not
Taking positive action
Let's take one specific area to focus on – recruitment as this is where the journey to being a charity communications professional starts.
When looking at recruitment specifically, there are various examples of practical steps to encourage more diverse applications and improve team diversity:
"Our pay is transparent and non-negotiable. However, we are a flexible employer and offer a range of non-financial benefits to employees." – Reprieve
"Applications for this job are sought from anyone who is suitably qualified and experienced for the role but particularly welcome from those with a diagnosis of autism." – National Autistic Society
"We are happy to consider flexible working, which may include arrangements such as part-time working, formalised flexitime, fixed (non-standard) working hours, working from home and job-sharing." – Citizens Advice
"We are an equal opportunities employer and are firmly committed to recruiting, retaining and developing the best available talent." – In Kind Direct
"If you have difficulty accessing or using this version of the application form or need to apply with a CV, please contact before applying." – Beat
"Leonard Cheshire welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We actively encourage applications from disabled people, supporting where possible, your requirements for reasonable adjustments." – Leonard Cheshire
"We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of. All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job. Many of our vacancies can be considered for people who wish to work flexibly, job share or part time." – Canal and River Trust
"We have a track record of hiring for attitude and training for skill. So if you lack the skills but feel like you share our values and have a burning desire to go on a steep learning curve, then apply for the role." – Platypus Digital
"We need a Board that reflects and represents the people we support, the communities we work in and the voices we champion […] We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, experience and industries that can help us ensure we deliver the best service to all our diverse service users." – Victim Support
Outside of recruitment alone, #POCIMPACT directory includes research evidencing the sector's landscape, opportunities for people of colour, organisational training, support and resources.
Additionally, the Building Movement Project is currently developing an assessment tool taking an intersectional approach to how organisational culture impacts diversity.
Clearly there is already some great work going on to improve things in the sector as a whole so lets embrace, celebrate and build on these efforts to keep striving for a charity sector we can all be even more proud of.
Over the course of this report, we have collected more data than we could possibly hope to analyse in full but for the sake of transparency and in the hope that you'll find as much use out of the data as possible, we've included a variety of data tables here for you to review.
These can be used to benchmark what salary you could or should be earning, to negotiate a pay rise for yourself or a member of your team, and to demonstrate the investment that should be being made in charity communications staff. You can filter all of these tables according to specific fields so you can see salaries according to individual sub-sectors, locations, organisation size etc. and find those most relevant to you.
Not everyone was able to provide data for every question so if one of these tables does not include data, then there were not enough respondents in this category to provide a reliable average. We are immensely grateful for any and all data provided for the overview of the sector that charity communicators have provided.
Salary by seniority compared to previous years
Salary by gender and seniority
Salary by contract type and seniority
Salary by hours worked and seniority
Salary by subsector and seniority
Salary by organisation size and seniority
Salary by location and seniority
Salary by discipline and seniority
*Please note: there may be anomalies in the data with a high number of categories, as sometimes there are not always enough responses for an accurate result.
With each report on salaries and culture in charity communications, we aim to make the data as representative and precise as possible while ensuring insightful and actionable takeaways.
This is only doable because of the 668 charity communicators who contributed data about themselves and their roles, as well as those in previous years. These responses were used in conjunction with existing data from 829 roles advertised on the CharityComms' jobs board between 25 May 2018 and 24 May 2019.
Survey responses came from the following role profiles:
90% permanent
1% temporary/ interim
8% contract
1% freelance
88% full-time
12% part-time
2% CEO
6% Director
14% Head Of
36% Manager/ Lead
11% Senior Exec./ Off.
28% Exec./ Off.
3% Assistant
Where a quote has been provided, the person in question's seniority level is included in brackets so you can understand a little of the context they're working in. At each stage it is worth remembering that these are not purely numbers, each data point represents a person and their lived experience.
There are also many more ways in which this data could be used so if you're curious about a particular fact or figure that we haven't included, please do get in touch!
Category: Digital media, Measurement, analytics & research, Workplace culture
Tags: benefits, perception of comms, representation, salary
© 2020 CharityComms.
Charity registered in England & Wales (No.1138312).
CharityComms Ltd company registered in England & Wales (No.06210121).
Registered office: 2-6 Tenter Ground, Spitalfields, London E1 7NH.
Developed by Digital Garden | Designed by Bowley Design


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UK crypto app Ziglu closes £6 million crowdfunding raise
HomeAll Posts...UK crypto app Ziglu closes £6 million...
Ziglu, the crypto trading and payments app launched by former Starling Bank co-founder Mark Hipperson, has closed a £6.1 million crowdfunding round.
Staged on U.K. equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs, Ziglu hauled in an average of £4,800 from more than 1,250 retail investors. Its initial target was to raise £1 million through the platform.
Ziglu is one of just three crypto firms to have been added to the Financial Conduct Authority's crypto-assets register of authorized firms, alongside Gemini and Archax, the exchange businesses. The app allows individuals to buy, sell and pay with a range of fiat and cryptocurrencies.
The £6 million crowdfunding raise brings the total amount raised by Ziglu to more than £11 million. The company announced that it had secured £5.25 million in seed funding from angel investors in June 2020. Hipperson founded the business in late 2018.
Yang Li, chief growth officer at Ziglu, said the raise was Seedrs' largest equity campaign so far in 2020.
"As an innovator in the fintech space, Ziglu has been classified as a Knowledge Intensive Company (KIC) by HMRC, enabling KIC investors to claim tax relief on investments up to the value of £2 million," Li continued, adding:
"This means that the research and development Ziglu is completing as a result of the funding will be the key driver of growth and income for years to come."
© 2020 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
Dell-owned VMware launches enterprise-focused blockchain
Equilibrium, a Polkadot-based project for cross-chain DeFi, raises $5.5 million


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How toSocial Media
The Best SpongeBob Memes
Memes are a great source of entertainment in the modern era, Whether it's your friend or family member everyone enjoys the idea of getting good memes. No matter what mood people are in, people always enjoy humor. Even if someone is not happy with you sending good memes can change their mood in an instant. But sometimes it can be hard to get the context behind the meme. Because not everyone knows the detail behind the meme template that is being used. So it's better to use a template that is popular in people, and one of that popular context is spongebob. I m sure you must've alteast seen one or more spongebob meme.
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About SpongeBob
It's been years since the first episode of spongebob aired. This show has been entertaining people for years. The show is so popular that it has been nickelodeon's #1 show pretty much since its beginning. According to the Toonzone, an Animation forum site only between 2005 to May 2009 show has aired over 5162 hours, Which means over 97 hours a month. This is pretty sick considering the channel has to share time with Nick Jr. and Nick at Nite, which only describes how dominant this show has been over the years.
There are many reasons behind the show's popularity but it can be said that the main reason behind the shows getting so much attention and love from the audience is the fact that this show was proto-internet. This means that every single episode was full of silly, crazy, stupid frenetic and surreal, Nautical Nonsence. Which has helped the show provide a breakthrough with his audience. Because of craziness in the show, It provides a lot of meme material for the meme lovers, which results in the show being more popular with the fans.
Outside of the craziness inside the show, this show has also been popular for memes, while this show still continues to entertain people there have also been some good spongebob memes that is entertaining people socialy. Almost every month you'll see a new spongebob meme popup. Most of those are created by those who grew up watching this show and since this show is so popular with people creators can be assured that people will get the context of that meme.
Although the internet is full of spongebob related memes there are some that can make you laugh in seconds. These memes can also be ranked as top spongebob memes.
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20 Best SpongeBob Meme
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SpongeBob Meme
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