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M. Colleen Cruz
Not This But That
Nell K. Duke
On the Podcast: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice with Nell Duke and Colleen Cruz
As we begin the new school year many educators are wondering, is there research we can lean on for the unique situation we find ourselves in? And when we look to research to inform our practice, context is crucial. Both context and research are what Not This, But That series editors Colleen Cruz and Nell Duke have been thinking a lot about.
Originally edited by Ellin Keene and Nell Duke, the Not This, But That series seeks to bridge the gap between research and practice. In 2019, Colleen Cruz joined Nell Duke as the co-series editor. In this conversation, Colleen and Nell discuss what research can tell us for this moment of online learning, and what it can't tell us.
Colleen started out by asking Nell to reflect back on how the Not This, But That series began…
Small Group Instruction at a Distance [Youtube Video]
Word Work at a Distance [Youtube Video]
Below is a transcript of this episode:
Nell: I'm Nell Duke from the University of Michigan.
Colleen: And I'm Colleen Cruz from Teachers College Reading and Writing Project.
Nell: And we're co-editors of the book series, Not This, But That.
Colleen: And we're super excited to be talking to each other a bit about the series and the new directions we are going with it and the state of research and practice in this world that we live in right now. So shall we get started?
Nell: Sounds good.
Colleen: So Nell, you have been with the series since the beginning, and I'm curious. I know a little bit but I don't think I know all of how the series came to be and I would love to hear a little bit of that story.
Nell: So it really came out of a relationship that Ellin Keene and I had, and as many podcasts listeners will know, Ellin Keen is a very respected professional developer, practitioner, definitely has her feet in the worlds of schools and classrooms every day. And I am a researcher, I do spend some time in schools and classrooms and have taught, but much of my day is spent reading research articles and generating research and research reviews.
So we come from overlapping but distinct worlds and both bring with us a real desire to improve the quality of education in the US and beyond. So we had formed a relationship and we decided that it would make sense to try to bring researchers and professional developers together. Actually a few years we did these conferences that brought some prominent researchers and some prominent professional developers together to share expertise in a two-way street kind of format.
And one of those, we had a session that was about practices that researchers and professional developers agree are intractable. They're just out there in the field and they're frustrating to us when we see them, but we don't seem to be able to be successful in uprooting them at a large scale. And that session led to conversations with Heinemann about doing a book series that focuses on these practices that are widespread in US schools, but that both researchers and practitioners, professional developers agree probably shouldn't be widespread in US schools. And that's how Not This But That was born.
Colleen: Wow, I like that. And it's an interesting angle the Not This, But That. How did you end up with that angle?
Nell: Well, we were actually influenced by the diet craze Eat This, Not That. I don't know if you remember hearing about that?
Colleen: Yes.
Nell: But the basic idea was you take something like french fries and instead eat kale chips. And although I honestly don't really seem to be successful in my dieting life, in my life as a researcher, I thought that this was a good way to frame it. I think it's really helpful to tell people kinds of practices that research doesn't support, but it's also really helpful to suggest what they could do instead of those practices. Right?
I feel like practitioners are thoughtful decision makers. When they're doing something in the classroom, they have a reason for doing it as a general rule. So we need to tap into what is the reason they're doing it and what would be something that could address that same need, but do it more effectively. So that's how the Not This, But That came to be.
Colleen: I've been thinking a lot about... I don't know, I think a lot of people are thinking about this, of context and things that are going on, and I feel like I've been revisiting things that have changed considering the recent context of, we keep saying this unprecedented times, but they are truly unprecedented times. So between COVID and the political landscape and the Black Lives Matters movement gaining traction, it feels like we're all viewing things in new lenses.
And I'm thinking about the books in the series that were published before I came along. I would love to kind of pick your brain. Like, what do you think are the books that people might want to revisit, or maybe even pick up that were published in the past that might, considering our context, have a fresh angle?
Nell: And it's a great question. I mean, of course I want people to revisit all of our books, but I think certainly one that feels very relevant in this time is, No More Telling as Teaching, the sub-title of that one is, Less Lecture, More Engaged Learning. And I do worry that some people are reacting to this time by thinking that we can just record lectures and have students watch the lecture and answer questions at the end, you know?
Just kind of ways of teaching that maybe feel easy to do in a virtual or remote environment, but that we know don't really foster learning very well. And so that book is full of alternatives to lecture heavy approach to teaching and I think many of those alternatives are applicable even today. So for example, there's a lot in there about just peer-to-peer interaction and the value that peers can have for one another's learning. And so trying to set up a remote teaching context so that there's opportunity for a lot of interaction among students feels really important to me.
Colleen: Yeah, that sounds like a perfect text for people to be looking at right now.
Nell: Another text I think has special relevance right now is the book No More Mindless Homework, because in some ways everything is homework now for a lot of school districts around the country in the sense that kids are home, students are home trying to do a lot of their work without the immediate support of the teacher. And the book, No More Mindless Homework just goes into a lot of the kinds of activities that kids can be engaged in at home that we have reason to think from research will be productive for them.
So for example, there's a lot about just getting kids reading at home, because that's certainly something that we can all agree is a valuable use of their time. So I feel like that book, No More Mindless Homework has special relevance. And the third one I wanted to offer, really connecting in with the nation's growing recognition of how much anti-black racism affects schooling practices, is the book No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching.
Colleen: Oh yeah.
Nell: That book I think is really special in the sense that it gets very practical. I think lots of people realize that we need to engage in culturally relevant and culturally sustaining teaching, but it's hard to get sort of past the theoretical or the broad strokes to like, what does that mean on Monday morning? How does that look different? And I think hard though, that is for people it's particularly hard for educators who work with the youngest students.
I think it's harder for them to picture sometimes like, what does it mean for me to be culturally relevant in a kindergarten classroom or a first grade classroom in my teaching. The author team springs a lot of expertise in the early elementary grades. And so I feel like there's a lot in the book that can really bring to life what culturally relevant practice can look like in the early grades of schooling. So those are three that really resonate for me. But I'm wondering, are there any forthcoming titles that you want to talk about in relation to the moment that we're in?
Colleen: Before I talk about the forthcoming books, I do want to just stop and point to a book that just came out, No More Teaching Without Positive Relationships by Howard, Milner-McCall and Howard. It's an incredible book that I feel like every educator needs to get their hands on. And that's because I think it takes that idea of positive relationships, which I don't know about you, but I always felt was sort of like soft kind of science and it shows us how there's actual data.
There's actual research to prove that positive relationships between educators and students make a huge difference, not just in social, emotional health, which is important, but also in academic growth. And it does this in a marriage with really practical steps of not just the research, but what teachers can do on Tuesday. And this notion that the relationship between teacher and student isn't just like an added bonus, but it is a thing.
And one of the other things that I love about this book is its focus on anti-racism and actual practical classroom practices that teachers can put into place to create classrooms that welcome and celebrate kids and where they come from and who they are and their identities and build healthy, lasting relationships with their teachers. So it's a great book and I wanted to mention that before I get into the forthcoming titles.
Two of our very upcoming titles, I don't think we have working titles yet for them. One is about using tech tools in the classroom in meaningful ways. And I think at the time we were just thinking about how do teachers make decisions around that and how does it feel mindful and purposeful. And now looking at the book, it feels even more urgent than it did at the time.
When we were starting to see one-to-one devices in classrooms around the country, not on a widespread basis, and now it's definitely on a widespread basis. And so how do teachers really use these tools in thoughtful ways and teach into them? And so that's one title.
And then the other one that comes to mind is the title that is coming up on trauma and being a trauma responsive teacher. And I know that the authors of that have had lots of experience with working with students both as researchers and practitioners, and they're quite a team. And it's interesting knowing their histories, how they're bringing that expertise of other events in history to this particular context that we're living in and speaking with at least one of the authors about, we don't yet know all of the ripple effects of our current context and how that will be affecting our students. I think a lot of teachers know that we are going to teach differently. We are teaching differently, but how do we do it in a trauma responsive way? So I guess those two books will get you through Wednesday and Thursday.
Nell: I love it. I love it. And also a shout out for the forthcoming, No More Random Acts of Coaching.
Nell: Part of why I feel like that connects to the moment is that being situated at a university, I'm keenly aware that we have a whole generation of teachers from last year who didn't get to complete their student teaching or their internship in a way that would normally have happened. We can certainly agree that the cohort coming through this year and next year as well, things are going to be really different.
I know they'll develop really valuable skills, but it will be a different set of skills to some degree than what they're likely to use in years forward. So I feel like coaching is going to be more important than ever for our newer teachers, making sure that they're getting continued guidance from coaches that is aligned to research, is provided in a way that is connected to research, and that really builds the relationship among teachers and coaches that we know is productive.
Colleen: Absolutely. I was just thinking about that. I have been doing a lot of work with teachers in the past couple of weeks, getting ready for this school year. I've been working in my position with supporting teachers for a long time and I have never seen teachers more often request support. Because this is uncharted territory and trying to figure these things out. It can't be random. It really does have to be planful, especially in a world that feels so random right now. I do think having something like that text to lean on will make a huge difference and build things, for sure.
Nell: One thing that's really encouraging to me from research is that there's some evidence that remote coaching where you don't physically have the coach in the same room, so to speak, with the teacher, but they're watching via video, that that actually is and can be as effective. That research was done pre-COVID, but I think it's quite relevant here and I feel like that's encouraging that coaching can go on despite all that's happening right now.
Colleen: Yeah. It's wild that how some of these studies that felt so strange at the time now almost feel clairvoyant of some sort.
Nell: Yeah. So I didn't ask you what drew you to this series. You are very, very, very, very busy. You have so much on your plate. What made you want to devote your valuable time to this series?
Colleen: I think people who know me know that I'm a bit of a research groupee. I read every thing that's not nailed down. It's even a running joke amongst my friends of like, "Are you going to footnote that? Who's the citation?" And I do do that. It's the way I live my life. I don't buy soap without doing some reading into the studies around it. So why would I teach without it?
I feel like when it came up that this was something that I could be involved in. I was a fan of the series, like a lot of people. It was the first thing I had seen of its kind, which is what was intriguing to me because usually research lives on one side of the desk and practical books live on the other, and never the twain shall meet.
A lot of educators, quite frankly, don't have the time where with all our access to sifting through the piles and piles of research to find out what's going to match their particular needs. I think most researchers don't have the time, energy or access to practitioners to necessarily think about how to funnel that information that they've discovered through practitioners.
So I loved that it was this marriage of these two seemingly opposite sides. They live in parallel universes a lot of the time, and yet they absolutely have an effect on each other, but don't talk so much. So I do love that. I love that about the series of bringing that stuff together.
So I think it's really important and I feel like teachers love research. They want to know, I think, it's probably one of the most common questions I get asked in my work with teachers is, "Well, what does research say about that?"
I think that this series gives teachers that opportunity to look for the topic that is in their craw right now, and then find the research to back it up, which I think is a really attractive thing.
Nell: Well, I'm certainly glad you decided the series was worth your time and energy. I've really enjoyed working with you so much, Colleen, and learned a lot from you as well.
I do think that you're really hitting on just a major issue that continues to plague our field, where researchers and practitioners are not necessarily in conversation in the ways that we wish would be the case and that these books, because we do require that we have someone writing in the role of researcher and someone writing in the role of practitioner for every book, are one way of putting these two into conversation more directly.
I think it shows because the books both invoke research and hopefully shift mindsets and thinking on the part of readers about what research says on particular issues. But at the same time, again, are really practical.
I think one of my frustrations with researchers is that they can get really narrowly focused on the one thing they study and just lose the question of how does that fit into a day.
So if we develop and then study an intervention where we spend an hour a day on vocabulary, kids' vocabulary goes up. But how are we supposed to fit an hour or a day of attention to vocabulary with everything else that needs to happen?
So I think one of the things that really is good for researchers in terms of thinking more about practice is to try to contextualize their finding and their one narrow area of interest into the realities of a school day and a school year. I really appreciate that you ask some really good questions that push my thinking around how to do that.
Colleen: Yeah, and I do think, your point about, I think that's the moment we're in now, right? With schools reopening, we know masks are helpful, but then classroom teachers are like, "But how do I keep them on first graders?"
There's so much going on right now. Then of course, the research is all still very new, but I feel like that is the constant push pull of research and practice.
I do think also the accessibility is a big point. I know on social media, frequently, teachers are asking, "Can anyone give me your JSTOR login?" Because if you're not in the research loop, it's not easy to get a hold of the most recent studies. You can sometimes get watered down journalism interpreted studies, but it's very difficult to actually find the original studies. I think that that's a beautiful thing about this series as well, is it does give that access.
Nell: Yeah. You've pointed to another real barrier between research and practice and that's accessibility of the research itself. You've referred to the physical accessibility, which I think is a big issue, but also just the way that research has written. If we're reading a study that compares this structural equation model to that structural equation model, unless someone has actually studied structural equation modeling, it's going to be really hard to read that study and pull from it.
So I do think that this translational work between and among both research and practices is really an important piece of the puzzle.
I'll just say that something I appreciate about you, Colleen, and that I think is really important for podcast listeners to think about as well, is that the stance toward research is not, "Oh, let me go find or cherry pick the one study that supports what I already thought."
There's a lot of that. I think there's so much of that in the field. I see social media being used very heavily for this purpose, where if I tweet out a study that people like what it found, it gets tweeted out more than the study that maybe found something that is unexpected and maybe makes us have to think a little differently about our practice.
I think we've tried very hard in the series and I think you and I try very hard to keep our minds open to the direction that the research points, even if that's not necessarily where we wish it pointed or where we thought it pointed or where we used to think it pointed.
I think that's just really important and something that I hope that a lens that everybody can bring to our field is keeping that open-mindedness and seeing what actual empirical research tells us.
Colleen: Yeah. I think that confirmation bias is real. I think that people really do search out what will make them feel better or look good. Then that's their search terms. Nobody wants to hear the thing that they loved is actually really terrible.
Especially as a teacher, I hate finding out that something that I did for years and years turned out was a really poor practice. Sometimes not necessarily harmful, just not great, and sometimes actually kind of harmful. I think that that is a difficult path. So it's tempting to just find things that will confirm what will make you sleep better at night.
I think what I love about the series is it pushes against that. It names out the habits that we have. I feel like sometimes as teachers, we just say, "That's the thing we've always done." We've always had kids learn how to spell words by writing them 10,000 times. Even if there's not really any proof that that's going to be helpful for them, we're going to continue to do that.
I think that that's what I love about this series is it challenges some of our traditions and some of them are actually right on and some of them are not. So I think that's a really nice thing to think about.
Nell: There are a couple of books that stand out in my mind as ones where we were pushing against something that was really popular. One is definitely No More Reading for Junk.
Colleen: Oh, yes.
Nell: Yeah, that book, which really takes on the practice of incentivizing children's reading through external rewards that are unrelated to reading, like giving kids stickers or Nerf balls, or things like that for reading. We have reason from both research and theory to think that that's not good, actually, for kids' long-term reading motivation development, so the book takes that on and then goes into some things that we have reason to think, from research and practice, do actually build long-term motivation to read.
Another one that comes to mind is No More Letter a Week, because in pre-K and K, that's just a really popular way to teach the alphabet. The first week of school is A and the second week of school is B. It seems really organized and systematic. In fact, I think sometimes when people call for systematic alphabet instruction, that's where people's minds go, "Okay, I'm going to be systematic. First a week on A and then a week on B." So, the book explains why that's definitely not the way to teach the alphabet and goes into some research-supported approaches to teaching the alphabet and what makes more sense from a scope and sequence point of view. But again, that was kind of a hard book to put out there in a way because there are so many people who didn't want to let go of that letter-a-week approach.
Colleen: I felt that way about No More Math Fact Frenzy. I mean, I write about it in the afterword of the book of a teacher that I was listening in on. He was saying, "I'm pretty sure that doing these sprints and drills is not good, but I don't know what else to do." Literally, he just said it out loud in a curriculum conference. I think that so many teachers have a sense that it's not great, but it's that backyard tree being home. It's just, "We've always done it." And I think that that book and what it talks about, and "How do we actually get math fluency?" is shocking to a lot of people. Truly shocking. And yet, when I tell people about it, they're like, "Please, let me get my hands on it right away," because it is quite different than what many of us even grew up with.
Nell: That's such a good point, Colleen, that sometimes we have a sense of uneasiness around a practice, but if we don't know what to do instead, then it's easy to just keep doing that practice. Another book I'm excited about that you were involved in, Colleen, is the No More Science Kits or Texts in Isolation.
Colleen: Yep. I mean, I think it's funny, when that book came out, I was doing a lot of work with teachers at the time about science. I do think it's actually a very meta book, in the sense that it's research and practice coming together but talking about these two parallel tracks in the classroom, literacy and science, as if they don't go together. I think that book shows us that it's more than just maybe doing one Ms. Frizzle read-aloud and calling it a day for science literacy; that, in fact, science literacy isn't a separate, nice enrichment, but it is the thing.
I feel like, again, crystal ball, but aren't we seeing this over and over again? People are not literate in science. They don't know how to read any science. I think in part it's because of the way we teach it. We teach the literacy separately from hands-on science facts, and I think that book tackles that head-on and talks about, "How do we bring those literacy skills into the science realm?" and vice versa. I think that it could really have a transformative effect.
Also, quite frankly, our schools aren't teaching science as much as possibly they need to. So also just that, of seeing how, practically speaking, we could bring science back to the forefront to our classrooms, which I love about that.
Colleen: One of the things that I find that teachers, administrators, and educators in a whole variety of roles ask me a lot is, "What does research tell us about now?", especially in this environment where we've got online, fully remote learning versus a hybrid, blended situation where kids are going in a couple times a week or every other week, or half days, or schools that are doing five days a week but socially distanced, or... I was just talking to a teacher the other day from Alaska where half of her kids don't have phones or Wi-Fi, and so how does she do remote learning without those things? They're all asking the same question: "What does the research say?"
One of the things that I've been saying is be cautious of people who say research says, "Dah, dah, dah," in this situation, because the research studies on things like online learning were not in this context. They were usually not with these populations. They were not usually these age groups or this widespread. Secondly, I'm not sure that there even has been time to do this kind of research, or in any kind of way that would be useful for people. This is temporary, of course, but is there a way to make decisions for a profession that is supposed to be research- based without research? It feels a little bit like trying to build a house on sand. There's nothing sturdy underneath us.
I think, yeah, are there ways... Is there research we can lean on? We're just launching our own... We're in the [inaudible 00:28:10]. We are just a big experimental thing, like Fauci says. I don't know. But I would love to know what your thoughts are about, how can research serve us, or does research serve us at this time?
Nell: Well, I think that's such a great question. I completely agree with your caution to practitioners that if people are telling you things like, "Here's what the research tells us," they're probably making it up, because we don't have research on a lot of these questions like, "What is the most effective way to run instruction when kids are six feet apart wearing masks?" There are not studies on that to my knowledge... in the US, at least. So, I'm glad that you're cautioning folks to be a little bit skeptical of claims based on research right at the moment.
The way I've been approaching it is to try to think about, what are some of the things that we know from research that we could draw on and modify for an online environment? So for example, we know from research that interactive writing has the potential to improve children's achievement of many different early literacy skills. It improves achievement in letter recognition. It improves achievement in writing itself. It improves children's chronological awareness. So, if we know that interactive writing is an effective tool, the question is, how could we do it remotely?
I recorded a pair of videos. We could share the link with the podcast, potentially. In one of the videos, I model with a small group of kindergarten and first graders how I do interactive writing over Zoom using just a simple free Google tool, Google Jamboard. That's the kind of approach I've taken is, "Okay, well, let's go back to what we know, and then let's think about, how could we draw on it in an online environment?"
Another example, we know that it really helps kids to read. At least after the first couple of years of schooling, that can be one of the most powerful things that children do at home to foster their long-term literacy development. So, what do we know about how to get kids reading that we could apply in this context where they're home a lot and that might really be good for kids?
Another example is that we know that explicit phonics instruction is really helpful to kids in the early grades. So, what kinds of tools are available that could enable us to provide high-quality, explicit phonics instruction in an online environment? Obviously, I'm just giving literacy examples because that's my area, but I think you could use this same approach in other areas. So, what do we know about effective math instruction, and then which parts of that could we replicate remotely? And I would make the same... You use the same kind of logic in a classroom environment.
So, if we know that shared reading is a helpful opportunity for children, then how can we do that six feet apart? That's kind of the way I would approach it, is just use what we do know, and then see what kinds of modifications make sense in this environment.
Colleen: Immediately, I was thinking about Math Fact Frenzy, and I was thinking about... One of the things that they were saying is no doing these speed drills. It's not a good choice. But there are certain computer programs that are really great. That would be an example, in moderate doses. Not spending six hours a day on it, but that would be an example. But then, they also talk about things like kids storytelling their math and doing Number Talks. I could imagine, in a Zoom classroom or a Flipgrid situation, that those would be really adaptable. Even if the modality of communication has changed, the action is the same. Would that be a good math interpretation of that?
Nell: Totally, absolutely. The Number Talks that you just brought up is such a good example because it also speaks to so much research that finds that collaboration among children is associated with greater growth in academic achievement. And in fact, even randomized studies where kids are randomly assigned to approaches that emphasize more collaboration, we tend to see higher academic growth. And so, when you point to Number Talks, that's a twofer. It both is a really good way of developing number sense and mathematical understanding, and it's also an opportunity to have children collaborating, building on one another's discourse. So, I think that's a great example.
Colleen: These are tough times that we're in, and I do know that there's research around resilience. And I do think families and teachers and educate... I mean, my own kids have school, the community is talking a lot about... Kids are resilient, but I think a lot of us are afraid that maybe that's not true, or what does that look like in these times? Are there studies or things that you can point to, and research that could have that applicable action that you're pointing to, in terms of academics, when it comes to resiliency?
Nell: Two things really spring to mind. The first you've already talked about, Colleen, which is really the power of relationships. So, in the research on resilience, one of the things that you find that really fosters resilience in students, is the relationships that they have, in and outside of the classroom. So, we can endure hardship better when we have a supportive, consistent presence in our lives, of someone to be with us through those difficult times.
And of course, we hope that our students have lots of such people in their lives, whether it's an aunt or an uncle or a cousin or mom or dad or a sibling, and various individuals who are in their school sphere. But I think that for many kids, that consistent and supportive presence in the school environment, is so crucial. And so, I think that rather than thinking of resilience as something that we hope people have, we can think of resilience as something that we have the power to build in children and youth, through the relationships that we have with them.
So, that brings us full circle to, then, No More Teaching Without Positive Relationships. But I think the second thing I'd say about resilience is that, it's a concept that allows us to take more of an asset orientation. And although that's always been important, it seems like it's very very important right now. So, we don't bemoan all the things kids didn't learn while they were home and while they are home, we think about what they did learn. My collaborator, Ernest Morrell, professor at University Of Notre Dame, has shared a beautiful anecdote about a family that lives near him, where the siblings in the family built a motorcycle over the course of a... or repaired or something. Did major work on a motorcycle. And yeah, so, maybe they didn't get the normal test prep or whatever they would have been getting in school, last spring, but they built a motorcycle. So, how do we build on that? How do we use that as an asset or a bridge to the standards that we're trying to address in school?
And Ernest keeps reminding us, "The kids did nothing wrong here. We don't need to come at them with, 'Oh, all the things you missed and all the things you weren't doing, and how far behind you're getting,' we need to come at them with, 'Look all that you have been doing, look at what you're experiencing, this event, this, hopefully, once in a lifetime event and you are enduring, and you are here with me," and really taking that, "You've learned things and you're going to learn things, and we value you, and you're important to us, and to our work, and to the future of our country." I mean, those are the kinds of messages and asset orientations that we want to bring to the active education right now.
Colleen: And I think that point that you're making is very different in the world that I live in right now, both online, and in social media and that kind of thing. I think one of the things people are bringing up a lot is grit versus asset orientation. And like the sometimes, more often, racist connotations around grit. Like if you just pull yourself up by your bootstraps, is a little bit, or a lot different than an asset orientation, and resiliency, and valuing students, their funds of knowledge and the families they come from, and some of the most beautiful things that might be happening away from school, that have real value, that can actually help build that resiliency. And I think that that's a really great point that you're making, I love that.
Nell: And it really connects, I think, the pandemic, and COVID-19, with the murder of George Floyd and the increasing recognition of how anti-black racism permeates every aspect of schooling. Because, part of how anti-black racism manifests is in people's failure, to see the assets and the gifts and the genius that is present in every child. And that is, present in children who are black, children who are indigenous, children who are people of color. So, I think that, in a way, this thread connects a lot of what we've been talking about, which is really, see our children, every child as a precious gift with infinite potential, and do all we can to hone our teaching so that we enable them to be the best that they can be.
Colleen: Yeah. Now, I think that, it is, it, absolutely, is connected. And the beauty... The focus on the beauty and the focus on the joy, and then the focus on truly seen children that, I don't know, the habit that I think many educators... Certainly, when I started education, it was something that was in my ed program, of the idea of being colorblind was somehow superior, and growing up... I grew up in a Latinx home. So we always talked about race. And then as soon as I went to grad school, It was probably the first time I was in a predominantly white space. I would talk about people by race, and people would say like, "That's rude. You shouldn't mention people's race." And it was sort of pounded in, which is like, "I don't know. I always... Why wouldn't you... They have Brown hair, they have... this is their race, that they're black, whatever they are, and I feel like I would...
But the people who were the most sensitive to it were white people if I described somebody as white. And I think to see that shift for educators happening... In my career as an educator, I'm noticing that shift. And I think that the focus on beauty and not just the... Not seeing, and then not valuing... And I don't think anybody... Well, I'm not going to say anybody, but I think, for a lot of people, it was an attempt to do right, to not see. And the seeing kids of who they really are, and seeing their beauty, if there's anything positive that comes out of it, I think it's the seeing that a lot of people are doing now, of our students and ourselves really.
Nell: Right. I totally agree. I think white people have a lot of work to do. Lot of studying, a lot of thinking, a lot of listening, a lot of learning. And I think, as teachers, we have a particular responsibility to make sure that that learning results in concrete changes in practice, that lift up the cultural experiences, and again, the assets of the children of color that we teach.
Colleen: Absolutely. Yeah. So much to do, with so many more books for us to get going on. So much more research, they're for you to do now.
Learn more about the Not This, But That series at Heinemann.com
Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., is a professor in literacy, language, and culture and also in the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Duke received her Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and her Masters and Doctoral degrees from Harvard University. Duke's work focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in economic poverty. Her specific areas of expertise include the development of informational reading and writing in young children, comprehension development and instruction in early schooling, and issues of equity in literacy education. She has served as Co-Principal Investigator of projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation, among other organizations.
Duke is author and co-author of numerous journal articles and book chapters. Her most recent book is Inside Information: Developing Powerful Readers and Writers of Informational Text through Project-based Instruction. She is co-author of the books Reading and Writing Informational Text in the Primary Grades: Research-Based Practices; Literacy and the Youngest Learner: Best Practices for Educators of Children from Birth to Five; Beyond Bedtime Stories: A Parent's Guide to Promoting Reading, Writing, and Other Literacy Skills From Birth to 5, now in its second edition; and Reading and Writing Genre with Purpose in K–8 Classrooms. She is co-editor of the Handbook of Effective Literacy Instruction: Research-based Practice K to 8 and Literacy Research Methodologies. She is also editor of The Research-Informed Classroom book series and co-editor of the Not This, But That book series.
In addition to being the author of The Unstoppable Writing Teacher, M. Colleen Cruz is the author of several other titles for teachers, including Independent Writing and A Quick Guide to Helping Struggling Writers, as well as the author of the young adult novel Border Crossing, a Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Finalist. Colleen was a classroom teacher in general education and inclusive settings before joining the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project where she is Director of Innovation. Colleen presently supports schools, teachers and their students nationally and internationally as a literacy consultant.
Topics: M. Colleen Cruz, Not This But That, Podcast, Heinemann Podcast, Nell K. Duke
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Here are the 150 suppliers from Sierra Leone. Panjiva helps you find manufacturers and suppliers you can trust. Click on the name of the supplier below to see more detail, or better yet, use the powerful Panjiva Supplier Search Engine to find the suppliers from Sierra Leone that best meet your needs.
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Hascor Metals S.A. De C.V.
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See Import and Export trends for Sierra Leone.


jBoss 3.2.3 and Tomcat manager HELP!
I have a big problem with using very flexible Tomcat application manager knows from standalone Tomcat server.
I'm testing an application using apache Axis so it's very useble for me to have this feature, because I must very often make a changes in my class source code (I use java:RPC) and I'm fed up restarting all server after deploying new class.
rvice.xml which is a standalone Tomcat server.xml equivalent.
HTTP Status 500 - No Context configured to process this request.
Could you help me solve this???
1. Re: jBoss 3.2.3 and Tomcat manager HELP!
After spending almost all Sunday night I've done it!!!!!!
I've integrated full working tomcat manager from standalone serwer to Tomcad embedded in JBoss and I've added full warp support to tomcat in jboss because in 3.2.3 this is deprecated!


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These Major 80's Fashion Trends are making a Comeback!
How many of you are obsessed with wearing an 80s look and have it in your wardrobe? If yes, so you are lucky. The 80s was the era which is a recall for all its wild and wacky fashion, which most resonated with the public and is coming back in a way just like a giant cycle in today's style.
There are shoulder pads and oversized blazers to solid fragrances, bright lipstick, and big curly hair. All are fascinating, elegant, and refined, they gained popularity, and we love to wear them today. So here, we collect some of the best 80s fashion trends that come back in today's style.
Oversize Blazer and Shoulder Pads:
Oversize blazer with shoulder pads was famous in the 80s, using shoulder pads to hide figure flaws, and the color was loud. The blazers were big and boxy, just like going to battle, but now the blazer is not like this structure with shoulder pads; the blazers are in black, taupe, and neutral colors that fit with every outfit.
Women's Leather Jacket:
The leather jacket is a classic piece that still styles in today's fashion, but few changes in the forms in 80s leather jackets were too loose and bulky, but now it is considered to be fit to look chic.
Denim Patch- Work:
The 80s is a time for denim; people love to wear denim jeans and a denim jacket with acid wash style and patchwork. This style still strives in today's fashion with a boho feel.
Monochrome Power Suit:
All the significant designers embraced the monochrome power suit in the 80s. Women used to wear costumes for a very long. 80s power suit is for all the working women. In today's fashion, women's suit has both modern fit and monochrome style for working women.
Velvet Dresses:
Velvet dresses are stylish, unique, beautiful dresses. In the 80s, this velvet style was very in, and most famous personalities used to wear it; even Princess Diana also wore a velvet dress at different events. Nowadays, this trend is back and having a more significant moment than in the 80s. You will find velvet in many fashions in handbags, blouses, dresses, and shoes because it is soft and crushed.
Sequin and Shine Dress:
Sequin and shine dresses were the most loved party dresses in the 80s. Sparkles and the shimmery fabric were very in during those days and carry forward till now. Celebrities dress it for a red carpet look, and most love to wear it for a night out at parties, dates, and occasions. When you think of prom fashion, this is the first thing that comes to mind.
Old is gold! In the 80s, fashion was at its most bold, leaving many fashion strokes in today's style that we have to be thankful for. From all the above examples, you will be familiar with the nuances of the 80s era and realize that many of the current trends we follow today are of the 80s.
Back to Decrum Blogs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Sam & Cat had been a runaway success by any measure. The series, from proven hitmaker Dan Schneider, brought together two popular characters from two popular Nick series – iCarly's Sam Puckett and Victorious' Cat Valentine — played by two of the network's best-known stars and best friends, Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande, respectively. The series has been a ratings hit, quickly becoming Nickelodeon's highest-rated series. Last July, only a month into Sam & Cat's run, Nick doubled its freshman order from 20 to 40 episodes. Its hourlong Jan. 18 episode drew 4.8 million total viewers.
But as production went on for Sam & Cat's 40-episode first season, rumors started circulating about discord on the set, with emotions running high and McCurdy and Grande sometimes showing up late. The grueling, 40-episode shoot had been taxing on everyone. Additionally, McCurdy had been going through a difficult time in her personal life for the past six months and recently had to deal with the leak of racy photos, while Grande's music career has taken off big time. Both have been at Nickelodeon for a long time, McCurdy for more than seven years and Grande for more than four. Both are entering adulthood, and word is both were feeling constrained at kids-focused Nickelodeon and are ready to move on.
Things came to a head in late March when McCurdy publicly accused Nickelodeon of unfair treatment. She also fueled speculation about a rift with her longtime best friend Grande by un-following Grande on social media and not joining her co-star at Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards. A few days later, production on the series was shut down with four episodes from Season 1 left to shoot. They will not be filmed, and there will not be a second season either. Meanwhile, Nick is in production on the new comedy series from Schneider, the 20-episode Henry Danger.


ELKHART, Ind. — Suburban, a division of Airxcel, announces a new line of 6-gallon RV water heaters for the aftermarket designed for new water heater installations and to replace existing water heater models with aluminum storage tanks. The Suburban Advantage 6-gallon water heater fits in the same cutout as a 6 gallon Atwood/Dometic style water heater but is manufactured with a porcelain lined steel tank that, with the use of an anode rod, is expected to have a longer life than aluminum tank models.
"10,000 BTU/h of LP Gas provide a fast recovery time; combine that with the optional 120 VAC 1440 W Incoloy electric element and the recovery rate is even faster. The recovery rate basically gives an idea of how fast a water heater can heat water. The larger the recovery number, the more hot water (at the desired set point) the end user can expect to be delivered over any given use period," said Mitch Cornelius, Product Manager for Suburban Water Heaters.
"Larger recovery rate means less waiting time for more hot water. Plus, by using Flue Tube Baffles, which is an industry exclusive, we are actually able to transfer more heat to the water in the tank, further enhancing the recovery rate," he added.
"The tank has a 3 year limited warranty, the best in the industry, and it is offered in three models," said Steve Gokie, Director of Aftermarket Sales. "The Suburban Advantage fits into the same cut-out as the Atwood/Dometic so no modifications are required, making replacing it easy," he said.


Goodguys Rod & Custom Association continues its early summer-swing with a return to the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, NY for some hot roddin' on the Hudson the weekend of June 10-12 for the 24th Grundy Worldwide Insurance East Coast Nationals Giant Automotive Festival! This nostalgic trip down memory lane will showcases over 1,500 of the east coast's finest candy-colored and chrome-plated 1972 & older hot rods, customs, muscle cars, trucks & classics on display! Plus, don't miss the Swap Meet & Cars 4 Sale Corral, Nitro Thunderfest Dragster Exhibition, Vendor Exhibits featuring the latest products and trends, Live Music Entertainment, a FREE Kids Zone and so much more. It's a full weekend of family style hot roddin' fun you won't forget! For complete details and to register your vehicle or purchase tickets, visit www.good-guys.com. Goodguys… Cool Cars, Cool People, Good Times!


Learn how Kony helps Partners Federal Credit Union rapidly deliver innovative apps to Cast Members of the Walt Disney Company.
This tutorial introduces you to the process of submitting a component to Marketplace. Watch this to prepare yourself for uploading your component to Marketplace.
This video tutorial introduces Kony Marketplace and covers downloading the components from the Marketplace, how to access Kony Marketplace from Visualizer, and importing assets from Marketplace to Visualizer.


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Feng Xuemin (born 1953) is a Chinese photographer. He has lived in Japan since 1985.

Born in Shanghai, he traveled to Japan in 1985 as a sponsored researcher for the Chinese News & Publication Association, and has held exhibitions throughout Japan, China, the United States, Canada and France. In August 2007, he exhibited work in New York as part of a United Nations exhibition.

In 1999, he was the first non-Japanese to receive a Taiyō Award. He won the gold prize at the World Chinese Art Exhibition in 2000.

References

1953 births
Chinese photographers
Living people
Artists from Shanghai
Date of birth missing (living people)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


What a year it's been for us at Grayson Florence Property. The past 12 months have flown by, since we started in May 2015, and I'm delighted to say it's been a successful first year.
For any business in its infancy, it's good to look back and keep a close eye on those formative years. In our case, it'd be all too easy to focus on the numbers, as so many estate agents do: we have sold 80+ properties, and of course I'm proud of that.
However, that's not what excites us.
What motivates us to work each day is the knowledge that we've helped 80 singles, couples and families find just the right home for them and aided them on their journey. For those selling, we've found the right buyers through our unique marketing methods.
Being a fully independent estate agent means we don't work for commission in a competitive office environment. We don't believe in pushy sales and sales for numbers-sake.
We believe house buying and selling is actually a simple process: you tell us exactly what type of house you're looking for. We not only do just that but – importantly - we remain available to you whenever you need us in order to make the whole process that much simpler.
So often I hear of stories of the selling and buying process becoming an absolute nightmare. Once you scratch below the surface, you'll discover this is often because once the 'transaction' is made, it becomes terribly difficult to get hold of the estate agent to chivvy the process along. Their "job" is done, and they have little interest left. Already moved to the next sale.
It's a simple fix, really. We remain a small, personal, independent estate agent. We are not influenced by other agents, and we do not believe in traditional work hours. At Grayson Florence, there's no such day as a '9-5. We buy into you as a person and we're with you for the journey. To us, that means being contactable 24/7 and ensuring the process is as hassle- and stress-free as possible.
We don't have "clients", we have friends.
We're excited for the next year and - as we celebrate little Grayson's first years - we aspire to continue to make house buying and selling easier for those looking forward to the next stage of their lives.


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Ant-Man And The Wasp Trailer Reveals Villain Ghost's MCU Origin
by Corey Hutchinson
in SR Originals
The first trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp has arrived, and not only does it reveal our first look at the villainous Ghost, but it also provides a few hints regarding the character's MCU origins. This summer's Ant-Man sequel will stand as the 20th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Much of the main cast from the original is returning for the follow-up, and they'll be joined by the likes of Michelle Pheiffer, Laurence Fishburne, and Walton Goggins.
Prior to this morning's trailer, very little was known about the movie's plot. The teaser didn't seem to reveal much about the story behind Scott Lang's second solo outing at first glance, largely focusing on action shots starring his new superhero partner, Hope van Dyne aka the Wasp. We now know that the titular duo will be on the run in the sequel in the wake of Scott's actions in Captain America: Civil War, and it looks like the government won't be the only people chasing them.
Related: Ant-Man and The Wasp Trailer - Scott Lang Gets a Partner
The nefarious Ghost is only hinted at in the trailer, though there are a few clues in place that give us a pretty good idea of what her origin story will be in the MCU. Yep, we said her, and that alone may come as a surprise to Marvel Comics fans, because Ghost is a man in the source material. Gender aside, quite a bit of the comic villain's characterization could very well make its way onto the big screen this summer. Her origin story, however, looks to have been altered significantly.
Ghost's Comic Origins Explained
In the comics, Ghost gets his start as a lower tier Iron Man villain after being betrayed and nearly killed by the corporation he worked for. A deeply committed anticapitalist armed with some truly deadly tech of his own design, Ghost becomes a master saboteur dedicated to taking down corporate America. He's often seen loaning out his services as a mercenary, though only when the job aligns with his personal goals. He's gone after just about every corporation in the Marvel Universe at one point or another, including Stark Industries, Hammer Industries, and even Parker Industries.
Ghost is a gifted tactician, and his master hacking skills are aided by advanced technology that he invented himself. His costume sports the ability to become both intangible and invisible, and he can transmit those same properties to anything he touches. Ghost can also fire off energy blasts à la Iron Man (and the Wasp, as seen in the trailer) among other offensive maneuvers, though he usually prefers to keep a low profile while attempting to eliminate corporatocracy.
In short, Ghost is a formidable foe that matches up well on paper with Ant-Man and the Wasp. His comic book motives are well-suited for adaptation, and his suit's abilities should make for some spectacular visuals on the big screen.
Ghost's New MCU Origin
While the villain's screentime in the trailer is limited, what little we see of Ant-Man and the Wasp's take on Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen) suggests that the villain's origin story will be very different in the MCU. The trailer features several shots of scientific equipment in a dimly lit lab, and the teaser seems to imply that Laurence Fishburne's Bill Foster is involved her supervillainous birth. Whether it's the suit that's causing her glitchy physical form in the image above or if she'll be given actual superpowers in the film via that weird chamber is unclear. In either case, a pretty lethal villain will soon be born in the MCU.
Some sort of vessel is also spotted in the lab, one which will likely be used in our heroes' presumed rescue attempt of the MIA-but-definitely-not-dead Janet van Dyne. If it's all connected, could the Quantum Realm somehow factor into Ghost's abilities?
Ghost won't be the only villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp, as Walton Goggins' Sonny Burch will likely be going after our heroes as well. In the comics, Burch was an executive at Cross Technologies, a company that was all but obliterated at the end of the first Ant-Man. Burch probably wasn't too thrilled about that, and it seems likely that he'll be teaming up with Ghost in this film in order to take down Team Tiny Heroes. We're not too sure where Bill Foster factors into all that, but we're hopeful that Ghost will amount to more than a gun for hire in her big screen debut. If the character's anti-corporate views aren't adapted, and she's reduced to a scientific experiment gone wrong, it could prove to be a major missed opportunity for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Next: Ant-Man And The Wasp Trailer Breakdown And Secrets
Key Release Dates
Black Panther (2018) release date: Feb 16, 2018
Avengers: Infinity War / The Avengers 3 (2018) release date: Apr 27, 2018
Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018) release date: Jul 06, 2018
Tags: ant-man 2
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We had a great review of Act III yesterday. We clarified some fuzzy moments; sharpened some blocking; resolved some spacing issues; discussed some motivations; and started adding smaller details throughout.
I often liken mounting a production to creating a painting. I speak in terms of big strokes and small strokes; and how there is a progression from creating the basic outline to filling it in with smaller details.
We have now painted the entire production in big bold strokes. We know when the curtain will rise, we know where and when all entrances and exits will occur, where singers will stand, choreography in songs and movement patterns in scenes, and we know when the curtain will fall. That may sound pretty darn basic. But with a large cast and a complicated score, getting that initial framework in place, and making certain it is equally clear in everyone's mind, can be quite a challenge.
While we may spend some time over the next few weeks emphasizing the boldness of those initial strokes, we will also begin to add fine details wherever we are able. We'll work on timing, group responses, variation, modulation, sharpness and surprise. We'll add curlicues and codas. And we'll constantly look for ways to add colorful accents to our basic design.
In other news, I had a meeting with our lighting designer last week to discuss the bold strokes of the lighting design. We discussed the general areas of lighting, the specials and spots we'll be using, the different moods we hope to create, and the special effects we hope to achieve.
And we discussed the cues. This is called a "paper tech." It is done in many different ways in different companies and for different productions. For us it was done to some degree via email and then over coffee before a rehearsal. We went through the entire libretto and marked each place where we anticipate a lighting change. This initial draft includes about 150 lighting cues. That averages out to more than a cue per minute and doesn't include cues for the follow spot, cues for the fly rail, nor the 50 or more additional cues we're sure to add before all is said and done.


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LG 55EM9600 OLED TV pictures and hands-on
1/15 Pocket-lint
LG 55EM9600 OLED TV
While there were TVs a-plenty and a few fridge freezers thrown in too, it was the 55-inch OLED TV that was the star of the LG press conference at CES 2012.
The officially titled LG 55EM9600 OLED TV was swarming with international press the minute the curtain over its super bright Full HD panel was pulled off and for very good reason indeed. As one would expect of this panel technology, the pictures are simply stunning. Crisp, sharp, incredibly colour rich and with the inkiest of inky blacks, it's mesmerizing to gaze upon.
Naturally, we have to take what's been shown with a certain pinchette of salt with the classic case of demo videos of flowers and trees always designed to be as kind to the panel as could possibly be but, all the same, you'd be hard pushed not to dream about this if you ever laid eyes on it.
The faster images showed no blur nor judder that you might expect from LCD/LED technology and the associated slower frame rates and responses but even the physical dimensions of the thing make you draw as much breath as the picture quality does. At just 4mm in thickness, it's almost hard to resolve in profile unless you're looking for it.
There's currently only plans for a 55-inch model which should be arriving in the US in the last quarter of 2012. According to LG, the price has not been set but the thinking is a figure of around $8,000.
"Its still very much a niche product for us," said John Taylor, VP Public Affairs and Communications of LG Electronics USA, "the price really makes it so. Our focus is on LED for this year but we'll see what happens in the future. Even the original HD TVs were more expense than this when they first arrived."
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Army Corps of Engineers: Raising L-29 canal will help move water south
L-29 Canal in Miami-Dade County will help move water out of Water Conservation Area 3A.
Army Corps of Engineers: Raising L-29 canal will help move water south L-29 Canal in Miami-Dade County will help move water out of Water Conservation Area 3A. Check out this story on tcpalm.com: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-lagoon/health/2018/07/03/moving-water-south-goal/755309002/
Ed Killer, Treasure Coast Newspapers Published 4:39 p.m. ET July 3, 2018 | Updated 5:02 p.m. ET July 3, 2018
The problem dates back to 1923. DACIA JOHNSON/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS Wochit
The L-29 Canal, a 15-mile-long east-west oriented canal in Miami-Dade County (shown here in red) will have its water level raised six inches by the Army Corps of Engineers which will help move an additional 259 million gallons per day out of Water Conservation Area 3A.(Photo: CONTRIBUTED IMAGE BY ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS)
Every day without rain is a good day. At least that is how some South Floridians and water managers are thinking.
The Army Corps of Engineers Tuesday announced several steps it took over the weekend to address high water levels in conservation areas west of Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
The goal was to create more potential storage space for excess water to be moved out of Lake Okeechobee and south toward the Everglades, instead of east to the St. Lucie River and west to the Caloosahatchee River.
More: 80 percent of Lake Okeechobee smothered in blue-green algae bloom
More: Algae bloom prompts Army Corps to close swimming beach along Caloosahatchee River
Discharges caused a toxic blue-green bloom in both rivers, as well as a red tide that's been killing fish and manatees in the Caloosahatchee.
The Corps on Sunday increased the maximum allowable level in the L-29 Canal (called the Tamiami Canal) by a half-foot, to an elevation of 8 feet. That will increase flows under the 1-mile Tamiami Trail bridge built by the Corps, and make it possible to move more water from Water Conservation Area 3, north of the canal.
That would allow the Corps to move 258.5 million gallons of water per day along the 15-mile-long east-west canal, according to an email the Corps sent TCPalm last week.
More: Sen. Bill Nelson plans to visit Stuart Thursday as toxic algae bloom plagues St. Lucie River
More: Lake Okeechobee discharges to St. Lucie River will stop for nine days, then resume
By comparison, 25.4 billion gallons of Lake Okeechobee water has been moved east through the C-44 Canal since June 1. Lake discharges into the C-44 Canal have been halted since Saturday.
Algae colors shores at Lake Okeechobee, waters at St. Lucie Lock & Dam
Otto Herrera, of Royal Palm Beach, takes a closer look at the algae from shore at Lake Okeechobee on Friday, June 29, 2018, at Port Mayaca. Herrera, who said he has lived in Florida since he was 12 years old and had never seen the lake, was traveling from Bradenton with a friend who suggested the detour. "I'm surprised about the green stuff," Herrera said. "I was hoping to see a beautiful lake, but the green … it was kind of disappointing, you know." Discharges from the lake to the St. Lucie River were starting to be reduced Friday, with a complete stop for nine consecutive days then resuming in pulses indefinitely, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM
Marva Porten (right) and her husband, Pete Porten, of Port St. Lucie, walk across the St. Lucie Lock and Dam in Martin County on Friday, June 29, 2018, while discharges from Lake Okeechobee began to slow. "Well we were exploring, and we knew that they were still releasing water out of Lake O, and I was curious to see how much flow was coming," Pete said, adding that he wanted to see how much green algae was coming. "You can actually see it here." XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM
Green algae is seen on the shores of Lake Okeechobee on Friday, June 29, 2018, as discharges from the lake are scheduled to come to stop, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM
Pete Porten, of Port St. Lucie, watches as water flows through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam in Martin County on Friday, June 29, 2018, while discharges from Lake Okeechobee began to slow. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM
Water with traces of algae flows through at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam on Friday, June 29, 2018, as discharges from Lake Okeechobee are scheduled to come to a stop, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM
Green algae collects in still water at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam on Friday, June 29, 2018, in Martin County. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM
Water with algae flows through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam on Friday, June 29, 2018, as discharges from Lake Okeechobee are scheduled to come to a stop, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. XAVIER MASCAREÑAS/TCPALM
Pulse-style discharges will resume Monday, with a new 14-day average of 315 million gallons a day. The previous flow was 1.2 billion gallons per day.
Those daily discharge amounts will be (in millions of gallons per day):
Monday: 820
Tuesday: 1,293
July 11: 1,357
"This is a significant accomplishment that has been years in the making," Col. Jason Kirk, Jacksonville district commander, said of the Tamiami Trail opening. "We have wanted to raise this water level since heavy rains affected South Florida in late May, but we recognized that we needed to progress further on construction of key features along the eastern edge of Everglades National Park."
More: Lake Okeechobee algae bloom's rapid spread shown in satellite images
More: As algae threat grows, Mast demands answers from Army Corps | Gil Smart
The project is not completed, but far enough along to be operational, Kirk said.
To move more water, the Corps also has:
Completed critical components of the North Detention Area of the C-111 South Dade project;
Will allow higher water levels in WCA-2A through the first half of fall;
Opened the S-344 structure to move more water out of WCA-3.
"Storing more water in Conservation Area 2 helps reduce inflows into Conservation Area 3," Kirk said. "As we work to improve outflows from Conservation Area 3, the reduced inflows set conditions that a recession in the water level could take place, creating some additional storage for future wet season rains."
More algae
About 90 percent of Lake Okeechobee — 467,000 acres and 730 square miles — is covered by blue-green algae, NOAA estimated based on Monday's latest satellite image.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection tests have confirmed the algae is Microcystis aeruginosa, which can contain the BMAA amino acid linked to liver disease, Alzheimer's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease.
Satellite images show nearly all of Lake Okeechobee covered in algae
Lake Okeechobee on June 29, 2018 is mostly covered by a cyanobacteria bloom according to a satellite image from NOAA, derived from Copernicus Sentinel-3 data from EUMETSAT. CONTRIBUTED GRAPHIC FROM NOAA
Lake Okeechobee on June 24, 2018 is mostly covered by a cyanobacteria bloom according to a satellite image from NOAA, derived from Copernicus Sentinel-3 data from EUMETSAT. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY EUMETSAT
Blue-green algae in Lake Okeechobee, as seen from a NASA satellite June 21. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY NASA
Lake Okeechobee on June 9, 2018 is mostly covered by a cyanobacteria bloom according to a satellite image from NOAA, derived from Copernicus Sentinel-3 data from EUMETSAT. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY NOAA
Sending it south
The South Florida Water Management District has been working to honor the executive order Gov. Rick Scott issued June 20 to to provide some relief to the coastal estuaries and "send more water south."
The district has moved water from the lake into its water conservation and stormwater treatment areas and then out to tide throughout its system of canals in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, according to its website.
Total volume through July 2 was:
S-354 gated spillway through the Miami Canal: 3.26 billion gallons of water
S-351 gated spillway through the North New River and Hillsboro Canal: 1.65 billion gallons of water
S-352 gated spillway through the West Palm Beach Canal: 2.47 billion gallons
C-10A gated culvert into the L-8 Canal: 88.3 million gallons
Read or Share this story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-lagoon/health/2018/07/03/moving-water-south-goal/755309002/
2 businesses used as drug fronts, detectives say
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Quake warning system stalls in California
Whether it's a few seconds or as long as a minute, the consensus is it's better to have a little warning, than none at all when a big earthquake is about to hit.
"A few seconds of warning, you can get under a sturdy table and that means that you've just removed the hazard of falling lighting fixtures, ceiling tiles, which is what's most likely to injure you in an earthquake," said Richard Allen, Ph.D., from the UC Berkeley Seismological Lab.
As it is now in California, there are systems and sensors in place to predict earthquakes, and deliver warnings, but very few researchers and agencies have access to the information. The idea is to get the warning to everyone.
"Will it be sirens in tsunami-prone areas? Is it the emergency broadcast system on television and radio? Is it an app in our smart phone? I vote for all of the above strategy," said St. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima.
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill by Padilla from Southern California, requiring the state to develop a statewide alert system, but the law didn't come with any funding, so finding private and public money is key.
Other countries, like Mexico and Japan, already have early warning systems that have proven effective in big events. In the Bay Area, BART already gets the notifications, allowing operators to slow or stop trains.
"The idea here is that you're going to get anywhere from a few seconds to even up to as far as 90 seconds of warning, depending on where you are in relation to the epicenter of the earthquake," said Mark Ghilarducci, the director of the California Office of Emergency Services.
The total cost of launching the program statewide and funding it for five years is estimated to be $80 million. With funding, experts say it could be up and running in two years.


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Would calling for murder get Trump banned from Twitter? CEO Jack Dorsey won't say.
Jack Dorsey, Twitter's co-founder and chief executive officer, speaks at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 9. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)
Antonia Noori Farzan
Reporter for the Morning Mix
Jan. 18, 2019 at 10:43 a.m. UTC
It happens like clockwork: President Trump logs on to his favorite social media site and starts tweeting. Immediately, Twitter co-founder and chief executive Jack Dorsey is flooded with responses begging him to deactivate Trump's account — a request that has been echoed by at least one high-ranking Democratic politician and many opinion columnists.
But would anything that Trump posts on Twitter ever get him — or one of his tweets — removed from the site? Dorsey dodged the question in a Thursday interview with HuffPost, refusing to even clarify whether a call to murder journalists would hypothetically get Trump kicked off the platform.
The extensive conversation between Dorsey and HuffPost's Ashley Feinberg covered topics including the site's ongoing problems with hate speech and harassment, and the persistent rumor that he had the rapper Azealia Banks craft a protective amulet from his beard hair. But naturally, the conversation turned to one of Twitter's most prolific users: Trump, who has repeatedly been accused of violating the site's policies with his inflammatory tweets implying that the United States might start a nuclear war with North Korea.
Twitter's terms of service prohibit violent threats. It's a guideline that the company felt compelled to address in September 2017, after Trump tweeted, "Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"
The tweet, which apparently referenced North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom Trump has referred to as "little Rocket Man," could easily be interpreted as a threat. But Twitter's policy team said two days later that they had decided to leave it up on the site, saying that the company takes "newsworthiness" and "public interest" into account when deciding whether a tweet violates their rules.
Does that mean that political figures can call for violence on Twitter with no repercussions from the platform because of the inherent newsworthiness of their demands? Feinberg attempted to pin down Dorsey on that question, to no avail.
"So then is there anything that, say, Donald Trump could do that would qualify as a misuse?" she asked. "Because I know the newsworthy aspect of it outweighs a lot of that. But is there anything that he could do that would qualify as misusing the platform, regardless of newsworthiness?"
Dorsey didn't give any specific examples. Instead, he replied, "Yeah, I mean, we've talked about this a lot, so I'm not going to rehash it. We believe it's important that the world sees how global leaders think and how they act. And we think the conversation that ensues around that is critical."
Feinberg then offered an extreme hypothetical: What if Trump were to post a tweet that asked each of his nearly 58 million followers to murder a journalist?
"That would be a violent threat," Dorsey acknowledged. "We'd definitely . . . You know we're in constant communication with all governments around the world. So we'd certainly talk about it."
He declined to say whether inciting mass murder would get the president kicked off the platform, though.
"I'm not going to talk about particulars," he said. "We've established protocol; it's transparent. It's out there for everyone to read. We have, independent of the U.S. president, we have conversations with all governments. It's not just limited to this one."
The 3 loopholes that keep Trump's tweets on Twitter
For many Twitter users, Dorsey's unwillingness to provide specifics beyond the assurance that "we'd certainly talk about it" was not exactly comforting.
"This Jack Dorsey quote is almost unbelievable," tweeted Brandon Friedman, a former Obama administration official. "We are doomed."
Another notable portion of the HuffPost interview concerned Dorsey's decision to seek out the input of a right-wing activist with a history of questionable tweets.
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Dorsey consulted with Ali Akbar, a conservative activist and commentator who also goes by the name Ali Alexander, about whether to ban Alex Jones and his conspiracy website, Infowars, from the platform. Akbar had argued against the ban, the newspaper reported, making the case that Jones hadn't violated any of Twitter's rules.
Twitter ultimately decided to kick Jones off the site last fall, citing its abusive behavior policy. But Feinberg asked Dorsey whether he had been aware of Akbar's own history of using the platform to point out which prominent media personalities are Jewish.
Dorsey didn't deny the report, saying that he "reached out to a bunch of people" at that time and had wanted to get "as many thoughts as possible" to make sure that he was hearing from people with a wide spectrum of political views.
"I don't act on all of his comments," he said of Akbar. "I listen, and I think that's the most important thing. I was introduced to him by a friend, and you know, he's got interesting points. I don't obviously agree with most. But, I think the perspective is interesting."
After the interview was published, Akbar defended himself in a series of tweets accusing Feinberg of libel and threatening legal action.
"All of my business partners are Jewish," he wrote in a tweet directed at Feinberg. "For the Huffington Post to write that I'm anti-Semitic in an attempt to hurt Twitter for the thought crime of getting *feedback* from conservative thought leaders is knowingly false and reckless disregard for the truth." (Akbar's characterization of the article is not quite accurate: Feinberg noted that he has a "tendency to identify which members of the media are Jews" but did not write that he was an anti-Semite.)
The HuffPost interview ended on a lighter note. Feinberg asked Dorsey whether he had mailed some of his beard hair to rapper Azealia Banks so she could make him an amulet that would protect him from the Islamic State — a claim that she had originally made on Twitter (where else?) in 2016, and that was recently repeated in Vanity Fair by an anonymous source who once worked with Dorsey.
"No," Dorsey replied.
"That's disappointing," Feinberg said.
More from Morning Mix:
Democrats demand investigation after report that Trump ordered Michael Cohen to lie to Congress
Trump reportedly told Michael Cohen to lie. His own attorney general pick testified that's a crime.
Shaun King threatens to sue activists who accused him on Twitter of mishandling fundraisers


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HomeLee Ann Womack
CMA Flashback: Horizon Award and New Artist (2019 Edition)
The complete history of the CMA award for Horizon/New Artist, including a look at this year's nominees.
CMA Flashback: Female Vocalist of the Year (2019 Edition)
September 7, 2019 Kevin John Coyne 17
Our CMA Flashback series continues with a look at Female Vocalist of the Year.
CMA Flashback: Album of the Year (2019 Edition)
Here are all of the nominees and winners for CMA Album of the Year, starting with a look at this year's contenders and stretching back to the first ceremony in 1967.
CMA Flashback: Single of the Year (2019 Edition)
Here's a look back at the previous winners for CMA Single of the Year, along with a look at this year's nominees.
2019 Grammy Awards: Predictions & Personal Picks
February 8, 2019 Kevin John Coyne 2
Here are the predictions and personal picks of three Country Universe writers for the Grammy Awards airing on Sunday, February 10.
100 Greatest Women, #16: Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack was among the biggest mainstream country stars as the century turned, and is now a cornerstone of the Americana music scene.
100 Greatest Women, #54: Matraca Berg
June 26, 2018 Kevin John Coyne 6
Matraca Berg is one of the most prominent and successful female country songwriters in country music history.
The Best Albums of 2017
December 29, 2017 Kevin John Coyne 3
The writing staff picks its twenty best albums of the year.
The Best Singles of 2017, Part One: #40-#21
In a year good enough to list its 40 best, we kick off our Best of 2017 with the lower half of our Singles list.
Top Fifty CMA Single of the Year Winners, Part Four: #20-#11
October 26, 2017 Kevin John Coyne 6
All fifty winners of the CMA Single of the Year, ranked. Here are the almost but not quite top ten.


Well, it's been way, way too long between entries, so here's a little something to feed the blog monster.
I've been working on some mapping lately. I did a little freelance work for a small game company called Pied-Piper Publishing, but that project has hit a small stall. I can't go into details right now, except to say that my work there is on hold. I'm looking forward to getting started there again, but that's neither here nor there.
In any case, I learned quite a lot from that small bit of professional experience. And, I think, my personal maps will be greatly improved by the effort. I've been sketching quite a few maps, by hand, but I'm having trouble settling on one to go further with than just doodles. It's not easy having a creative vision. *sigh* And, too, my sketching has taken the place of actual writing, which is bad.
I really need to find a way to focus on my writing more. I have so many ideas that just never seem to make it to paper. I think that's really the greatest challenge any writer faces. I'll never run out of new ideas, but I may never be satisified with them once they're on paper. The curse of creativity!
Well, off to bed for me. Maybe I'll be more creative in the morning.
Well, here it is. The "Official" BLOG of Fantasist.net.
Okay, so I set up a blog on another site I own, saw how easy it was, and figured, what the heck. At least there'll be more fresh content here more often!


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NFL Challenge Collection: ASCII Classics
Sport Football (American)
One of the oldest football games ever made, XOR's NFL Challenge remain to this day one of the most ambitious simulations of its kind, containing over 30,000 lines of C and Assembly source code. The result is a very thorough and realistic simulation of football that was impressive enough to win endorsement from the NFL.
The game comprises of 2 modules: macro and micro. The macro model computes and records various statistical averages to model the entire NFL season, while the micro model calculates the outcome of a single match. The game boasts of having several NFL experts help create in-game offensive and defensive playbooks, and it shows: there are dozens of plays you can choose from, and penalties and injuries are handled realistically. Graphics is not much to speak off-- it's either all text (you see a red triangle, representing a ball, moving back on forth on the screen), or some graphics where X's and O's represent players. Still, for a game that focuses on the simulation aspect of a sport as opposed to the action, it's more than enough. There are many coaching options available, many of which became standard in later football games: in addition to calling plays, you can call a time out, and even use a neat "two-minute" mode, which is modelled after the "hurry up" offense often seen in real football games. In this mode, all ball carriers on that team will make an extra effort to get out of bounds and stop the clock. The quarterback will make more and longer passes, resulting in longer completions but much higher risk of interception. The computer AI is quite good, as it will take advantage of this "two-minute" mode, as well as constantly change playbooks. Each player is rated in different skill categories, which affect the outcome of the game. You can play against a friend, the computer, or even watch the computer play itself.
Overall, NFL Challenge is a great simulation that definitely sets a high standard for other games to follow. It's the granddaddy of games such as Tom Landry Strategy Football, and the level of thoroughness, fun, and realistic outcome is excellent even by today's standard. Two thumbs up!
Note: This download includes program disk (with the default 1992 rosters - last version released before XOR went defunct), plus the following add-ons: 1984 season, 1989 season, Greats, and Roster Editor. The "add-on disks" download includes team disks for 1985, 1988, 1990, and 1991, plus the Game Situation Development System. We are still looking for 1986 and 1987 team disks, so please let us know if you have these :)
Designer: Charles Owen
Developer: XOR Corporation
Publisher: XOR Corporation
Software Copyright: XOR Corporation
If you like this game, try: Tom Landry Strategy Football, Micro League Football 2, Basketball Challenge


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NFL Betting: Former Quarterback Erik Kramer's Tragic Suicide Attempt
Written by Daniel Strum on August 24, 2015
Last Tuesday, former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer shot himself in a suicide attempt. Fortunately, for the relief of NFL betting fans his shot was not true, and he just ended up in the hospital, rather than in the morgue, recovering from injuries that are not going to be life-threatening. His suicide attempt failed to move the needle in the sports media, thanks to the emphasis that DeflateGate continues to receive in the press.
Please pray for Eric Kramer. He was one of the Detroit Lions quarterbacks in the 90's. http://t.co/elYkgB9YL9
— Darick L Rutley, Sr. (@drutley12) August 21, 2015
Kramer was perhaps best known for his seasons with the Detroit Lions. Why would someone with such a track record try to commit suicide? As Kramer's former wife told the Los Angeles Daily News, Kramer has fought depression for several years now. When his 18-year-old son Griffen fatally overdosed on heroin in 2011, a dark shadow fell across Kramer's life.
However, Kramer's former wife says that his depression has even more of a connection to the damage that the game of football brought to his body – particularly his brain. So what does that mean for football fans?
As fans, isn't it time for us to take more of an interest in this plague that is claiming the lives of so many of our NFL heroes? As August turns into September, football teams from Pee Wee all the way up to the NFL are preparing for another fall season. It's time to start asking more questions as to what these young men are actually risking when they put on those pads and helmets and head out to yet another practice, yet another game.
Instead, by and large, no one is asking these questions. Rather, we pay attention to DeflateGate. We wonder why Adrian Peterson would have taken a switch to his young son. We even giggle at the fact that Greg Hardy is trying to buy his way back into the affections of Cowboys fans with a $300 donation to help pay for a banner dragged behind a plane, taunting the Eagles fans about what will happen on the field?
Here's the deal. We pay a ton of attention to the air pressure inside a football, but we ignore the fact that player after player from the NFL's past keeps turning up with significant mental damage as a result of shots to the head over the course of a career. In some cases, the last thing these players do is take their own lives. Other players are taking out their mental demons on those close to them.
Kramer, of course, is far from being the first former NFL great to try to take his own life. Junior Seau, who posthumously entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame a couple weeks ago, shot himself in the heart in 2012. Former Chicago Bear Dave Duerson also shot himself in the heart. Duerson's suicide note detailed the headaches, memory loss and pain that made life no longer worth living for him. Former lineman Terry Long committed suicide. So did longtime safety Andre Waters.
Depression connected to football careers was mentioned as a factor in all of these deaths. The NFL keeps saying the game is safer, but we're waiting for some actual evidence.
NBCsports.com: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/20/ex-qb-erik-kramer-treated-for-injuries-after-reported-suicide-attempt/
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2015/01/nfl_rules_on_deflategate.html
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Gunmen killed 128 people in at least three separate attacks and an explosion at a soccer game in Paris, France, on Friday night. The death toll may climb higher, as authorities are still drawing an exact picture of what happened at each of the locations. According to Paris prosecutor François Molins, at least six locations overall saw attacks.
The attacks were the deadliest in France in one day since World War II.
Casualties are known to have occurred at the Bataclan concert hall, where more than 100 died; at two restaurants, where at least 30 were killed; and at the Stade de France soccer stadium, where at least three died in what appeared to have been multiple suicide bombings.
According to French radio Europe 1, shots have also been fired at Les Halles, a shopping mall in the first arrondissement, in the heart of Paris.
The French government has triggered its Red Alpha plan, an emergency response reserved for multiple terrorist attacks. President François Hollande announced on television that France has declared a state of emergency.
Radio France Info has reported prosecutor François Molins as saying that assailants coud still be at large, but the chief of Paris police later said all attackers are believed to be dead.
While there is no information on the total number of attackers, the number of those known to have been killed is now eight. Agence France Presse reported that eight militants have been killed, citing investigators. Sources at the Interior Ministry cited by Le Monde also said eight assailants had been killed: 4 at Bataclan, 3 at the Stade de France stadium, and one who blew himself up outside the Comptoir Voltaire bar, on Boulevard Voltaire.
The Interior Ministry has said it would wait several hours before announcing a death toll, because of the number of victims in critical condition. An emergency doctor, Patrick Pelloux, told newspaper Le Monde that the victims he tended to had "war wounds."
One of the shootings occurred in a Cambodian restaurant located in the capital's 10th arrondissement, to the east of central Paris. According to witnesses, shots rang out at Le Petit Cambodge, 18 Rue Alibert, in the République neighborhood. According to CNN, 14 people were killed there.
"Shots fired with a Kalashnikov at Petit Cambodge in the 10th Arrondissement in Paris. Several dead. Emergency teams and police on site."
The second shooting took place in a restaurant in the 11th arrondissement, near the historic Bataclan concert hall.
"We heard at least 20 shots being fired. They were automatic weapons, repeated shots," a witness who lives near Faidherbe Chaligny subway station, in the 11th arrondissement, told VICE News.
A woman who lives on Rue Bichat, overlooking the scene of the restaurant shooting, told VICE News upon condition of anonymity that police were ordering people to stay inside apartments and restaurants.
Another shooting occurred at 90 Rue de Chaconne, where a Twitter user posted a photo of bodies covered by sheets in the the streets.
"I didn't know if it was firecrackers or gunshots. A car was parked in the middle of the street. Two people got out of the car. They had guns. I heard gunshot. Lots of shots being fired. […] It lasted at least three minutes. People were panicking. Then they got back in the car and drove in the direction of the Charonne subway station."
Gunmen then stormed a concert hall, the Bataclan, where American band Eagles of Death Metal was playing to a sold-out crowd, and took hostages. Witnesses who managed to escape told CNN and other media that the gunmen were systematically executing concertgoers who were hiding.
Police then stormed the hall and killed two gunmen. They said more than 100 people were dead inside the theater. The venue's capacity is around 1,500. According to the Interior Ministry, no police officers were killed in the raid at the Bataclan, but one was injured.
A witness inside the concert hall who managed to leave the building tweeted that a man opened fire from the back of the room.
"We are still currently trying to determine the safety and whereabouts of all our band and crew," the band's Facebook page said this evening. "Our thoughts are with all of the people involved in this tragic situation."
French President François Hollande later visited the concert hall, where he said that terrorists who had been hiding out close to the venue had been killed. Flanked by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Hollande thanked the emergency services who had assisted the wounded. He said he wanted to be among "those who had witnessed these horrific things" to say that France would wage "a merciless fight" against terror." Le Monde reports that Hollande has spoken to Barack Obama on the phone, to discuss the two countries' shared commitment to the war on terror.
Earlier in the evening, Hollande had been at soccer game between Germany and France at the Stade de France — a soccer stadium located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis, when at least one bomb exploded.
At least three people died in the bombing. French radio RTL has described the explosion as a suicide attack, but VICE News can't confirm that report.
TV images showed spectators in the stands gathered on the playing field, after the match was suspended.
Jeremy Allen, a 42-year old British writer who was at the stadium during the explosions, told VICE News that he heard the first blast but just thought it was a flare. It wasn't until a second explosion, Allen said, that he realized what might be happening. "It shook the stadium," he added. A bomb squad closed off the exits and Allen said he had to wait another 20 to 30 minutes "trapped there," inside the stadium, before security officials opened the exits. Most of the people in the 81,000-seat stadium, which Allen estimated was about 80 percent full at the time of the attack, were "oblivious" that bombs were going off right outside.
Allen couldn't tell exactly where the explosions came from. He made it back home to his apartment in Paris on public transport, in what a described as an "eerie" quiet.
1,500 extra soldiers have been deployed in the streets, says a statement from the presidential office.
The government has passed two decrees: one declaring a state of national emergency with immediate effect, the second allowing police in Paris to keep "dangerous" persons under house arrest and to temporarily close all concert halls and theaters.
Paris municipal authorities have announced that city facilities, including schools, museums, leisure centers, swimming pools, and markets would be closed Saturday.
Related: Obama Calls Attacks "Outrageous," Offers Support To "Our Oldest Ally"
The French Council of the Muslim Faith has "vigorously condemned" these "abject and heinous" attacks.
Social media users have started a #portesouvertes (open doors) hashtag to offer shelter to those who have been left stranded by the attacks and by the subsequent halt of public transport. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said the terrorists had targeted the youth of Paris and their freedom, and announced that support cells had been set up in the city for those who witnessed the attacks.


Governance decisions at US companies could be influenced by the recommendations of proxy advisory firms, according to a new report from the Manhattan Institute.
ISS and Glass Lewis control approximately 97 percent of the market for proxy advisory services in the US and the Manhattan Institute argues that they have an outsized influence on the behavior of issuers and investors.
ISS and Glass Lewis have faced waves of criticism and calls for regulation during the past year from the likes of NIRI, Nasdaq, the NYSE and the US Chamber of Commerce. A proposed law that would require ISS and Glass Lewis to register with the SEC as investment advisers passed through the House of Representatives last year. It is unclear whether it will be discussed in the Senate.
The Manhattan Institute's report – Proxy advisory firms: Empirical evidence and the case for reform – suggests the recommendations of proxy advisers have been influenced by public pension funds and social funds to focus on issues that may not actually be in the best interest of the broader investor community.
This is particularly the case in say-on-pay votes, the approval of company-wide equity compensation plans and in significant proxy contests, Copland adds.
ISS recommended voting against roughly 12 percent of say-on-pay resolutions at the top 3,000 companies in 2017, but just 2 percent failed to pass, Kelly adds.
The Manhattan Institute's report also suggests issuers are making decisions about governance issues based on the voting recommendations of proxy advisers to increase the likelihood they receive a positive recommendation from them.
Copland cites 2012 research from the Conference Board, Nasdaq and the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, which found that 72 percent of companies review proxy advisers' policies on executive compensation and seek feedback on their proposed policies. The research also found that 32 percent of companies had changed disclosure policies and 24 percent reduced or eliminated certain severance benefits based on the engagement.
The Manhattan Institute's report further asserts that ISS and Glass Lewis lack transparency around their decision-making process. Glass Lewis does not disclose the process for updating its policy guidelines publicly, according to the report. ISS has a more public process, whereby it conducts a survey of issuers and investors, followed by a roundtable discussion of the results. It then posts draft recommendations and invites comments from its stakeholders.
ISS points to its annual policy survey of hundreds of investors, issuers and governance specialists for its counterpoint. 'We know of no other proxy adviser taking such steps,' Kelly says.
The Manhattan Institute proposes two main solutions to the issues it has with proxy advisory firms: greater regulation and/or not requiring investors to vote on every shareholder proposal. While the future of the Corporate Governance Reform and Transparency Act – the law passed by the House of Representatives but yet to be taken up by the Senate – is uncertain, Copland says there are things the SEC could be doing from a regulatory standpoint to reduce the influence of proxy advisers.
The more drastic proposal is for the SEC to reverse its decision to require all institutional investors, including mutual funds, to cast a vote in all shareholder proposals. Copland says this idea of shareholder democracy is at odds with preserving a company's long-term strategy and, therefore, delivering shareholder value.