text:
About the Extended Version
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: Fourth Conference on Women
Preface: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Overview: Interview with Ambassador Melanne Vereer
Chapter 1: Women and Poverty
Chapter 2: Women and Education
Chapter 3: Women and Health
Chapter 4: Violence Against Women
Chapter 5: Women, Girls and Armed Conflict
Chapter 6: Women in the Economy
Chapter 7: Women in Power and Decisionmaking
Chapter 8: Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women
Chapter 9: Human Rights of Women
Chapter 10: Women and the Media
Chapter 11: Women and the Environment
Chapter 12: Rights of the Girl Child
Bibliography: Additional Resources
Global Women's Issues: Women in the World Today, extended version
Equal Rights to Gender Mainstreaming
Profile: Kateryna Levchenko – Challenging Patriarchal Politics
Project: Women's Caucus Boosts Uruguayan Democracy
Gaining Recognition in Parliament Through Unity
Uruguayan Women Show Strength in Numbers
Efforts of Uruguayan Women Leaders Lauded
Chapter 8 discusses the advancement of women through public sector institutions, providing case studies from both Uruguay and the Ukraine. At first, most mechanisms for women's advancement focused on equality between men and women, like giving women the right to vote. The next step was recognizing that distinct policies for women were necessary to achieve gender equality. The final stage was gender mainstreaming, meaning the assessment of policy implications for both men and women as a path toward gender parity. Women-specific institutions have been established throughout various ministries around the world at varying political positions of power and influence within governments.
Kateryna Levchenko challenged the patriarchal politics of the Ukraine and worked to hold the Ukraine accountable to its own national laws and its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Levchenko now heads La Strada, a multi-national NGO that provides support to women affected by forced labour and migration. In Uruguay, senator Susana Dalmás organized a joint parliamentary committee across party lines to form a women's caucus, providing a stronger platform to discuss women's issues.
Centre for the Promotion of Human Dignity
Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)
International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)
Kateryna Levchenko
Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women (OSAGI)
Organization of American States
Special Commission on Gender and Equity
Susana Dalmás
UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
Figure 8.1: The International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde is among the dynamic women who lead the way for women in traditionally male-dominated institutions. Government and nongovernment agencies can promote the achievement of mainstream gender equality.
By Mona Lena Krook
National institutions for the advancement of women have been established in nearly every country around the world. They include offices, commissions, agencies and ministries on the status of women. The first offices of this nature were endorsed early in the 20th century by the League of Nations and the International Alliance of Women, which was formed during the women's suffrage movement. One early example is the Women's Bureau in the United States, created in 1920 as part of the Department of Labor to promote the welfare of female workers by formulating standards and policies to improve their working conditions, efficiency and opportunities for employment. However, most government agencies were established following the United Nations First World Conference on Women in 1975. The initial mandate of these offices was to increase women's participation in education, politics and the economy. Examples of these offices worldwide include the National Women's Service in Chile, the Government Equalities Office in the United Kingdom, the Commission on Gender Equality in South Africa and the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development in Malaysia.
In addition to government institutions, several regional and international organizations set up agencies to promote gender equality. The oldest regional agency of this type is the Inter-American Commission of Women, a specialized unit of the Organization of American States, which was established in 1928 as a forum for generating policy to advance women's civil and political rights in the Western Hemisphere. More recent is the European Institute for Gender Equality, established in 2006 to assist European Union institutions and member states in promoting gender equality through public policy.
In the U.N. system, four different offices deal with issues of gender equality: the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) and the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women (OSAGI). They exist alongside the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), created by the U.N. Economic and Social Council in 1946, whose annual meetings define and elaborate on U.N. policy on women and gender. In 2010, the U.N. General Assembly voted unanimously to create the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (U.N. Women) to merge the efforts of DAW, UNIFEM, INSTRAW and OSAGI to accelerate progress toward the achievement of women's human rights in all areas. This step was justified on the grounds that gender equality is not only a basic human right, but also spurs economic growth.
Figure 8.2: Iraqi women deputies converse at a session of parliament in Baghdad. Women's presence in government can help empower women generally.
The shared concern of these offices, both national and international, is to further gender equality and women's empowerment. Approaches for achieving these goals, however, have evolved over time. Initially, most "mechanisms for advancement" focused on enacting and enforcing policies that ensured equal treatment of men and women, seeking to gain for women the same rights already enjoyed by men. This strategy was later criticized for simply assimilating females to a male standard that may not be appropriate for women and girls. A second approach then emerged that recognized that distinct policies for women and men may be required to achieve gender parity.
Dissatisfaction with this strategy led to a third approach, known as "gender mainstreaming," popularized around the globe through the Beijing Platform for Action. The mainstreaming approach involves evaluating every prospective policy: (1) with a gendered lens, that is, assessing a policy's different implications for women and men; (2) with the goal of promoting equality between women and men. This differs from prior strategies in seeking to apply a gender perspective across all policy areas, including those where a gender dimension is not readily apparent. Gender mainstreaming is reflected in the mission of the White House Council for Women and Girls, created by U.S. President Obama in 2009 expressly to ensure that each government agency "takes into account the needs of women and girls in the policies they draft, the programs they create, the legislation they support."
The widespread presence of women's policy mechanisms belies important variations in the strength and status of these agencies, whose resources are often vulnerable to changes in government and donor funding priorities. These offices may diverge greatly in terms of their budgets and staff, the length of their mandate, their closeness to the executive, the backgrounds of their agency heads, and their policy priorities. In some countries, for example, agencies have ministerial rank, while in others they are housed in the office of the president or under the auspices of another ministry, such as justice or social development. Few such mechanisms have the power to negotiate their own budgets, and many have only a handful of staff members. In addition, their existence and status may depend closely upon the will of the president or prime minister, who may fundamentally reorganize their mandate, for example, by adding a focus on family and children or by combining the unit with other offices focused on race, disability and sexual orientation. An ongoing concern is whether these agencies are endowed with sufficient power and resources to truly advance gender equality and women's empowerment. The articles in this chapter consider ways in which some women are working through institutions to give women more voice through legislation and government and nongovernment advocacy.
Mona Lena Krook is assistant professor of political science and women, gender and sexuality studies at Washington University in St. Louis. She is the author of Quotas for Women in Politics (2009) and co-editor of Women, Gender, and Politics: A Reader (2010).
By Yevhen Hlibovytsky and Oksana Forostyna
Figure 8.3: Kateryna Levchenko became a feminist early in her career as an academic and has spent her life challenging traditional patriarchal stereotypes of women from within government and through nongovernmental organizations.
Ukrainian human rights advocate Kateryna Levchenko looks much too inspired for a person who just lost a lawsuit. "We're done here. Now it is time to appeal to international community!" Levchenko sued Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov over his March 2010 statement that "conducting reforms is not women's business," which he made when asked why there are no female ministers in his Cabinet. All of the judicial institutions where Levchenko filed a case against him found that Azarov was free to express his views, and did not fault him for the discriminatory nature of his words. Levchenko wants to challenge this acceptance of a disparaging patriarchal attitude. It is so common that during the 2009 election campaign Viktor Yanukovych, soon to be elected president of Ukraine, publicly stated that his rival, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, would do better in the kitchen. Levchenko does not take such words lightly, and has devoted her career to safeguarding human and women's rights.
Despite ingrained traditional attitudes about women's place, Ukraine does offer women opportunities for achievement. According to the WomanStats Database (http://www.womanstats.org), Ukraine is among those countries where the laws are consistent with the recommendations of the U.N. Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, but enforcement can be inconsistent. The government may or may not support women's advancement, but women can succeed in Ukraine's businesses, government agencies, science and academia. Yet few women participate in power politics. Women make up only seven percent of the Ukrainian Parliament — 34 out of 441 members of parliament as of February 2010 — and none hold significant positions in the current government. Kateryna Levchenko thinks the reason for this is the nature of power in Ukraine, which is rough-and-tumble and requires often ruthless toughness: "That's why there are a lot of women in the middle and junior positions in public administration and so few are on top."
Levchenko had her first real experience of gender discrimination at the age of 26, as a young, successful university lecturer and mother-to-be. She was pregnant for the first time and was obliged to register in a state clinic. After waiting for three hours at the clinic, she tried to change her appointment time to accommodate her teaching schedule, but the doctor yelled at her: "What lectures? No one cares, lady, you're pregnant here, not a professor!" Two decades later she recalls, "Then I understood how discrimination works," adding that a man would not have received such treatment.
Levchenko's path to feminism and human rights is typical for the first generation of Ukrainian feminists, who became public persons in the mid-1990s. She describes her family as "democratic, egalitarian." Her parents were both academics in Kharkiv, which is one of the major scientific and educational centers of Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. She says she never faced gender problems in her early years in the department of philosophy and scientific communism at the Kharkiv Institute of Railway Engineering. Levchenko recalls: "Those were the times we became familiar with modern Western philosophy [after decades of intellectual isolation], and people were very open-minded." Like many of her peers in the academic community, Levchenko turned to feminism after reading works by Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva and Betty Friedan. Levchenko explains this post-Soviet trend as natural: "Self-identification is a rather complicated process. That's why academic circles were the first to embrace feminist and human rights ideas." She launched the course "Introduction to Gender Theory" in 1996, one of the first academic courses of this sort in Ukraine. Very soon Levchenko would use this successful experience in her work with state institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). She began working for NGOs, first in Kharkiv, then in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, coordinating programs for prevention of human trafficking.
Figure 8.4: An activist from the Ukrainian women's organization FEMEN in Kyiv protests the all-male government formed in 2010. The posters read "Give a portfolio!"
In 2004 Levchenko was invited to become adviser on human rights and gender issues to the interior minister of Ukraine. It was a challenging time, both inside and outside the ministry. Her new government colleagues hardly understood the concept of gender and were skeptical about human rights, while many activists were surprised at her decision to be a part of law enforcement. In the fall of 2004 an aroused civil society took to the streets to confront the Ukrainian government. The protest lasted two months and became the "Orange Revolution," so named for the color adopted by the political opposition. Levchenko had to navigate between international organizations and the ministry, which was accused of persecuting political opponents.
Levchenko says the real work began in spring 2005 when Yuriy Lutsenko, who was known for coordinating street protests before the revolution, took the position of interior minister. Levchenko says she held the first meeting with police patrolwomen, top-level ministry investigators and other female ministry staff. "Few knew that we had about 17 percent women in 2005, and 19 percent in 2009. Some of them administrated organized crime divisions and even served in 'Cobra' [a special Ukrainian police unit]," Levchenko says.
Human rights activist Taras Hataliak was in prison when Levchenko began her work at the Interior Ministry. Released just few weeks before the Orange Revolution, Hataliak began working with Levchenko. Taras Hataliak was the assistant interior minister in Lviv region (Western Ukraine) where he tracked abuses of human rights in police departments and prisons. "Levchenko was the policymaker and the messenger of human rights activists inside the ministry. She knew what the grass-roots organizations knew, and made sure that the agenda of civil society soon became part of the minister's agenda," he recalls. Hataliak also gives her credit for launching the human rights monitoring system in police departments. Mobile groups for preventing human rights abuses were deployed. Public councils on human rights were established in every region. Legislation to protect human rights was adopted. In 2008 a special department to monitor human rights in law enforcement agencies was created. Levchenko is proud that human rights activists made up 40 percent of the ministry staff. The rest were retired policemen who knew the system and supported human rights reforms.
However, good intentions to reform the police always depend on the political situation in the country. As the governments changed, policies changed. Levchenko served in the Interior Ministry twice: from September 2004 to May 2006, and from January 2008 to April 2010. The department to monitor human rights was dissolved by the Yanukovych government. The former members of the team continue to work on human rights issues through NGOs such as La Strada — Ukraine, which Levchenko heads.
La Strada is a multinational NGO that helps primarily female victims of trafficking and domestic violence in Central and Eastern Europe. Levchenko says that people from all social groups ask La Strada for help. Calls come mostly from women, but men also request assistance. She expects La Strada's work to increase as people become better informed about trafficking in persons and as Ukraine's social services continue to improve.
Kateryna Levchenko's lawsuit over Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov's disparagement of women was one more strategy in her campaign to bring women into the conversation, equal in status with men. She continues her efforts to reform law enforcement and human rights abuses in whatever way she can, through institutions within and outside of the government.
Yevhen Hlibovytsky is managing partner of pro.mova, a strategic communications consultancy based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Formerly a journalist, he was one of the leaders of the journalist resistance movement against censorship in Ukraine.
Oksana Forostyna is an investigative journalist based in Lviv, Ukraine. She is known for her stories on corruption, gender issues and human rights in Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic and other transition countries.
By Eric Green
Female legislators in Uruguay set aside party differences to promote gender equality in parliament and in society. The bipartisan Uruguayan Women's Caucus is making a difference for women in that country, but legislators agree that more must be done to ensure gender parity.
It remains a work in progress, but increased participation by Uruguayan women in their country's political life is expanding democracy in the South American nation. Reflecting that progress, female legislators in Uruguay's two houses of parliament united across political party lines by forming a Bicameral Women's Caucus that promotes gender equality and a stronger feminine voice in public policy decisions. The caucus was created in 2000 through the initiative of three lawmakers in the Uruguayan parliament who belonged to different political parties.
Uruguayan senator and caucus member Susana Dalmás said in an interview that even if they might differ on certain national issues, the group has reached consensus on legislation pivotal to women's well-being, such as prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace and giving women access to a retirement pension.
The caucus' biggest obstacle, said Dalmás, is that it has "no place in parliament institutionally." This means, she said, that the caucus is not formally recognized as an official body of the Uruguayan legislature. The caucus, Dalmás said, represents "the will" of women members of parliament (MPs) "to come together to try to agree on certain matters" that they believe should be considered in the legislature.
One of the caucus' first actions in 2000 was to create the Special Commission on Gender and Equity. The commission's president, Uruguayan Representative Daniela Payssé, said at an April 2011 forum at the Organization of American States in Washington that female legislators in Uruguay formed their caucus because of a critical need to give women's issues a higher profile in parliament.
Payssé said at the forum on "Women's Leadership for a Citizens' Democracy" that Uruguayan women legislators face the challenge of balancing their desire to address gender equality with the need to confront issues not specifically related to women's advancement.
Another caucus member, Senator Monica Xavier, said in an interview with a United Nations-backed website called "iKNOW Politics" that the caucus emphasizes "the things that unite us." Xavier said "when citizens see that we can rise above ideological differences … and work on other issues on which we agree, then we have strength."
Many men, said Xavier, do not "need to be convinced" about promoting gender equality and electing women lawmakers. "They understand very clearly that we women don't want involvement for the sake of involvement, but because democracies are stronger when women" are included in the political process.
Figure 8.5: Daniela Payssé is president of the Special Commission for Gender and Equity, Uruguay.
The numbers show that women have slowly gained better political representation in Uruguay since the mid-1980s, when no female lawmakers were in the country's legislature, formally known as the General Assembly. For its 2010-2015 term, 19 female MPs are in the 130-seat parliament, which is composed of the Chamber of Senators and the Chamber of Deputies. The Geneva, Switzerland-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, the international organization of parliaments, ranked Uruguay 73rd of 141 countries (as of March 31, 2011) in the percentage of women in national legislatures.
Figure 8.6: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Uruguayan women legislators in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2010.
In an interview with iKNOW Politics, former Uruguayan representative Carmen Beramendi cited more positive developments for Uruguay's women. At the start of former Uruguayan President Tabaré Vásquez's administration in 2005, she said, four out of 13 of his government's ministers were women, which was "unprecedented" in that he placed women ministers in "positions that were usually not given to us." Those positions included women heading the defense and interior ministries, the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Public Health.
"This had a double effect," said Beramendi, who served in parliament from 1990 to 1995. "First, we women had a much greater presence in the public sphere. Second, holding these kinds of offices largely helped prove that women can effectively hold these positions in society."
The United States has made advancing women a pillar of its foreign policy. In March 2011, a State Department international exchange program called "Women's Leadership: The Next Hundred Years" brought Adriana Lourdes Abraham Pérez from Uruguay and other women leaders from 92 countries to the United States.
Abraham Pérez, director of a nonprofit association in Uruguay called the Center for the Promotion of Human Dignity (known by the Spanish acronym CEPRODIH) that helps disadvantaged women, children and elders, said in an email exchange that in the last 20 years, female participation in Uruguayan political life has undergone a "positive evolution, although much more needs to be done."
Abraham Pérez said one of the most significant political events in her country was the 2010 election of Ana Olivera as the first female mayor of Uruguay's capital of Montevideo. Other women had been elected mayor across the country, but not, until then, in the capital. Abraham Pérez said Uruguayan women still face numerous social and economic injustices, such as gaining access to credit and increasing domestic violence, which she pointed out was also a problem in many other countries besides Uruguay.
The U.S. Embassy in Montevideo hosted more than 15 women leaders of Uruguay to honor International Women's Day in March 2011. Speakers included Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice (now retired), who is a leader in promoting global women's issues.
Also speaking was U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay David Nelson, who said the United States is "committed to the empowerment of women not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is the smart thing to do. And when women make progress, countries make progress. Everywhere, but especially here in Uruguay, you are making a difference and changing the world for the better."
Eric Green is a freelance writer based in Washington. He has covered international issues for the U.S. State Department and the United States Information Agency, and has been a Senate press aide and a newspaper reporter for the Washington Post and other newspapers.
The four different offices dedicated to gender issues within the UN system were consolidated into…
Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues for the Advancement of Women (OSAGI)
Which of these factors influences the variance between the success of women's policy mechanisms in different contexts?
Limited budgets and staffing
Length of mandate
Relationship to government executives
The will of the governing prime minister or president
Kateryna Levchenko described the gender composition of Ukrainian politics as…
There are lots of women in the middle and junior positions, but few on top
There are a relatively equal amount of men and women in politics
The number of women in top government positions is increasing
Susana Dalmás was able to form a Bicameral Women's Caucus across party lines because…
The two parties in parliament formed a coalition
Women in the House reached consensus on issues pivotal to women's well-being, such as sexual harassment in the workplace and access to pensions for women
They did not differ on national issues
They were considered a formal body within the legislature
According to Susana Dalmás, women want involvement in politics…
For the sake of involvement
Because including women in political processes makes democracies stronger
To introduce a female perspective to policymaking
The correct answer is UN Women (answer E). UNIFEM, INSTRAW and OSAGI were merged into UN Women. The Commission on the Status of Women or CSW (answer D) is a body within UN Women that has annual meetings to review policy.
The correct answer is all of the above (answer E).
The correct answer is that there are many women in middle and junior positions, but few in high-level positions (answer A). Answer B is incorrect, as it does not fully capture the gendered situation of Ukrainian politics and bureaucracy. Answer C is incorrect because Levchenko did not state that the number of women in government in the Ukraine is increasing.
The correct answer is B. Female representatives reached consensus on pivotal issues for women's well-being despite differing on national issues, so answer C is correct. The parties did not form a coalition (answer A) and the Women's Caucus was not recognized as a formal body within the legislature (answer D).
The correct answer is because including women's involvement in political processes makes democracies stronger (answer B). Dalmás stated that the purpose was not to be involved for the sake of involvement, so answer A is incorrect. The chapter does not mention a female perspective to policymaking (answer C).
Which positions of an organization hold the most influence? What is the typical gender balance of those positions?
What approach will more likely lead to global gender equality: gender mainstreaming or equal treatment for men and women?
Explain the shift in approach from focusing on policies toward enhancing the equality between men and women to 'gender mainstreaming.'
What does it mean for an institution to successfully mainstream gender? What are the indicators that would be used to measure the outcomes of this approach?
Chose one of the institutions below and use external research to expand upon its characteristics and role within the history and global governance of gender equality.
Essay Questions
What is the relationship between gender and human rights?
Provide an example of how a society or government has institutionalized a gender vision. How has this division been resisted, and what was the outcome?
Are inadequate economic resources a valid excuse for governments to not implement the rights contained within the conventions that they ratify? What mechanisms and processes are available if signatory states are unable to implement UN conventions in the immediate or short-term future?
Altius, A. & Raveloharimisy, J. "Women's Access to Political Leadership in Madagascar: The Value of History and Social Political Activism." Journal of International Women's Studies 17(4), 132 – 142: (2016).
Highlights the role of activism in forming women's access to leadership roles, rather than quotas or kinship.
http://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1890&context=jiws
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development.
Regional network of NGOs doing community-based research and policy advocacy on climate justice, labour migration, rural and indigenous women, and other initiatives throughout the Asia-Pacific.
http://apwld.org/
European Institute for Gender Equality. "An Essential Guide to Gender Mainstreaming." (2016).
User-friendly instructional video on the goals, processes, and outcomes of gender-mainstreaming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZvNcflKBDs
International Knowledge Network for Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics).
Interactive network of women in politics who share experiences, resources and collaborative on shared problems.
http://iknowpolitics.org/en
UN Women. "Gender Mainstreaming."
Homepage containing UN Women publications, guidelines, and policies on successful gender-mainstreaming.
http://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/un-system-coordination/gender-mainstreaming
Jackson, S. "Feminism in the Global South Has not Come from the Global North." Guardian. (2011).
Commentary on the power and organizing of women in the global South.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/oct/20/feminism-south-women-development-response
Kang, A. "The Effect of Gender Quota Laws on the Election of Women: Lessons from Niger." Women's Studies International Forum 41(2), 94 – 102: (2013).
Study identifying three effects on the impact of quotas: design of the law, institutional context, and agency of activists.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=poliscifacpub
Okumo, O. O., & Asfaw, M. "Assessment of Gender Equality in Ethiopia: The Position of Ethiopian Women's Political Representation from the World, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Africa Ethiopian Civil Service University." Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization 28, 2224 – 3259: (2014).
Examines gender mainstreaming in the Ethiopian context.
http://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JLPG/article/view/14997
Schwanke, D. "Barriers for Women to Positions of Power: How Societal and Corporate Structures, Perceptions of Leadership and Discrimination Restrict Women's Advancement to Authority." Earth Common Journal 3(2): (2013).
Discusses barriers to women's empowerment within institutions and the systems that perpetuate them.
http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=864
Wade, C. L. "Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: How Racial Politics Impedes Progress in the United States." Pace International Law Review 26(1): (2014). Focuses on discrimination and gender parity, noting that corporate boards have largely not moved beyond tokenism.
http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr/vol26/iss1/4/
WomanKind Worldwide.UK-based organization working to enhance women's participatory leadership, and collaborates with partner organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa, South/Central-Asia, and Latin-America.
https://www.womankind.org.uk/what-we-do
Women Stats Project.
Compiles international statistical data on women in security and state stability.
http://www.womanstats.org/
Previous: Chapter 7: Women in Power and Decisionmaking
Next: Chapter 9: Human Rights of Women
This work (Global Women's Issues: Women in the World Today, extended version by Bureau of International Information Programs, United States Department of State) is free of known copyright restrictions.


text:
Ally Financial - Get News & Ratings Daily
Enter your email address below to get the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ally Financial with our FREE daily email newsletter:
Sangamo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SGMO) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Investment Research
& Robyn Jones Descendants Mark Sells 16,785 Shares of Goosehead Insurance Inc (NASDAQ:GSHD) Stock
Deutsche Bank Analysts Give Deutsche Post (FRA:DPW) a €35.00 Price Target
Prosiebensat 1 Media (ETR:PSM) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by DZ Bank
Wacker Chemie (ETR:WCH) PT Set at €73.00 by Morgan Stanley
Henkel AG & Co KGaA (FRA:HEN3) Given a €75.00 Price Target by Morgan Stanley Analysts
Head-To-Head Comparison: RenaissanceRe (NYSE:RNR) versus State Auto Financial (NYSE:STFC)
Comparing Nexeon Medsystems (OTCMKTS:NXNN) & electroCore (OTCMKTS:ECOR)
Financial Review: Zendesk (NYSE:ZEN) & Carbonite (NYSE:CARB)
Maxim Integrated Products (NASDAQ:MXIM) Upgraded to Buy by BidaskClub
Fastly Inc (NYSE:FSLY) Major Shareholder Purchases $2,794,304.80 in Stock
Insider Selling: Universal Display Co. (NASDAQ:OLED) Insider Sells $5,095,400.00 in Stock
FY2020 EPS Estimates for OrganiGram Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:OGI) Boosted by Beacon Securities
Analyzing Luna Innovations (NASDAQ:LUNA) and Bioanalytical Systems (NASDAQ:BASI)
Reviewing Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) & Citizens Bancshares Co. (GA) (NASDAQ:CZBS)
Independent Research Analysts Give Leoni (ETR:LEO) a €13.20 Price Target
Ally Financial (ALLY) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday
April 16th, 2019 - Comments Off on Ally Financial (ALLY) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday - Filed Under - by Lindsey Winhoffer
Filed Under: Earnings Previews - Investing
Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) will be issuing its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, April 18th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.77 per share for the quarter.
Ally Financial (NYSE:ALLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. Ally Financial had a net margin of 21.76% and a return on equity of 10.84%. Ally Financial's quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Ally Financial to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $4 EPS for the next fiscal year.
Get Ally Financial alerts:
Shares of Ally Financial stock opened at $29.46 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.83 billion, a PE ratio of 8.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. Ally Financial has a 1 year low of $20.60 and a 1 year high of $29.66.
ALLY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ally Financial from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 20th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Ally Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 14th. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of Ally Financial to $32.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 23rd. Sandler O'Neill upgraded shares of Ally Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 26th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Ally Financial from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.25.
In other Ally Financial news, CEO Jeffrey Jonathan Brown sold 97,311 shares of Ally Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.01, for a total transaction of $2,628,370.11. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 632,569 shares in the company, valued at $17,085,688.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael F. Steib purchased 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $26.47 per share, for a total transaction of $52,940.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 29,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $768,344.69. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: This piece was published by Watch List News and is the sole property of of Watch List News. If you are reading this piece on another publication, it was illegally copied and republished in violation of United States and international trademark & copyright laws. The legal version of this piece can be accessed at https://www.watchlistnews.com/ally-financial-ally-set-to-announce-quarterly-earnings-on-thursday/2964883.html.
About Ally Financial
Ally Financial Inc provides various financial products and services to consumers, businesses, automotive dealers, and corporate customers primarily in the United States and Canada. It operates through Automotive Finance Operations, Insurance Operations, Mortgage Finance Operations, and Corporate Finance Operations segments.
Further Reading: Why is cost of goods sold important?
Receive News & Ratings for Ally Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ally Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Sangamo Therapeutics Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Investment Research
& Robyn Jones Descendants Mark Sells 16,785 Shares of Goosehead Insurance Inc Stock
Deutsche Bank Analysts Give Deutsche Post a €35.00 Price Target
Prosiebensat 1 Media Stock Rating Reaffirmed by DZ Bank

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


See these before and after photos of this Latin American woman in her late 30's who underwent Breast Augmentation under the skilled hands of Robert Najera M.D. during June of 2012. The procedure was performed in the Medical Center of Plano conveniently located in Plano, TX.


Why self-published books 'look' self-published.
We have all seen professionally published books. They aren't all perfect, but most of them have a few things self-published authors should include when they format their book.
1) A category and/or genre should be included on the back cover of the book. If your book is ever to be offered in a retail setting, the seller should be able to look at the back of your book and know where your book goes in the store.
2) Your ISBN should be listed on the back cover, too. Not just a barcode. Include both.
3) Running heads (headers/footers) of the book title, author name, and page numbers. Blank pages in a published book should be just that—blank. Chapter start pages should not have a header. Page numbers are optional, but if included on the chapter start page, they should be at the bottom.
4) This is a matter of preference, but I am now leaning toward and recommending acknowledgments to be placed in the back of the book, instead of in the front—for two reasons.
First, a self-published author is usually thanking a village of people who helped make their book a reality. You want to make your book look as professional as possible, so I recommend you put this in the back.
The second reason is for eBooks. When you set up your book to show a sample of your novel, the reader is looking for just that—a sample of the book. They really aren't interested in who helped you make it happen when they are deciding to purchase your book or not.


You can stop searching high and low for the perfect pair of tailored trousers - they're here. Expertly tailored to sit on the ankle for our most flattering fit - and machine washable - they're what sartorial dreams are made of. Model is 175cm/5'9 and is wearing a size UK 8.


Search and booking of hotels in Slovenia for accommodation on a worldwide database founded many years ago. Most people who rent inexpensive Slovenia accommodation numbers for tourists - are constantly updating the database with new offers. Slovenia search for a hotel online where the cost of such accommodation is much lower. The system has various suggestions for vacation abroad and search hotel in Slovenia. Click search for a hotel right now to pick the right option for yourself and can already collect things on a wonderful trip!
Flag: Equal horizontal strips white (top), blue and red with the consolidation imposed on the top party of the elevator.
MONETARY BLOCK: Currency of Slovenia is the tolar (Slt) which consists of 100 stotin. There are coins from 50 stotin and 1, 2 and 5 tolars and a note of 10, 20, 50 and 200 tolars. Slt1 = $0,00534 (or $1 = Slt187.42) as of 2005.
HOLIDAYS: New year, on January 1-2; Put Presheren, Culture Day, on February 8; Day of resistance, on April 27; Labor Day, on May 1-2; Day of national statehood, on June 25; Assumption, on August 15; Reformational day, on October 31; All Saints' Day, on November 1; Christmas, on December 25; Independence Day, on December 26. Mobile vacation is an Easter Sunday and Monday.
Slovenia is located in Central Europe. Slovenia is a little more than State of New Jersey with a total area of 20 273 sq.km (7 827 quarter. Miles). Slovenia divides borders with Austria in the territory of Russia, Hungary on е, Croatia in the south and also on the Adriatic Sea and in Italy, and has the general overland border of 1334 km (829 miles) and the coastline of 46,6 km (29 miles). The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, is located near the center of the country.
In topography of Slovenia there is a small coastal strip on Adriatic Sea, Dzhulianskiye Alpy adjacent to Italy, Mount Karavanken of northern border with Austria and the mixed mountains and valleys with the numerous rivers in the central and east regions. The highest point of the mountain. Триглав is in the Yuliysky Alps with height of 2,864 m (9 396 feet). The longest river is Sava which flows through the center of the country on 221 km (137 miles). Unique feature of Slovenia is existence more than 6500 karst caves, the most known of which are Skodzhan's caves in the southwest which are designated as the natural place of the World heritage of UNESCO.
The coastal climate of Slovenia is influenced by the Mediterranean Sea. Its internal climate fluctuates from a lung till hot summer, with cold winter in the plateau and valleys in the east. In Ljubljana the average temperature of July is 20 °C (68 °F). Average temperature in January is -1 °C (30 °F). Rainfall in the capital averages 139 cm (59 inches) a year.
The climate of the region gave to Slovenia a set of various flora and fauna. Ferns, flowers, mosses and the general trees occupy a landscape. On the Adriatic Sea there are subtropical plants. Wild animals include deer, a brown bear, a rabbit, a fox and a wild boar. Farmers grow up vineyards on slopes and grow up the cattle in fertile lowlands of the country. As of 2002 there were not less than 75 species of mammals, 201 bird species and more than 3200 species of plants through the whole country.
Total found: 58 hotels as of: 20.04.2019.
Often you have to rent a house for a short time, it's decided that, unlike Booking, you have apartments for rent in Slovenia, this is exactly what I need, and most importantly it's cheap, hell with hotels! L.
We were looking for housing abroad, everywhere I'll just say a little expensive, but we found your application for Android and immediately chose an appropriate, and most importantly cheap option, rented not a room, but an apartment in Slovenia for rent. Michael.
Поиск предлагает широкий выбор отелей по всем направлениям, включая Slovenia и все регионы предложенные по поиску из базы данных по отелям, гостиницами и хосталам в этой стране. / Bookings hotel offers a wide range of hotels in all directions, including Slovenia and all regions offered by the search from the database of hotels, hotels and hostels in this country.
If you have not used "Search", then in the database there is much more information of Slovenia on finding hotels, hotels, hostels, apartments, apartments, rooms, tours... Want to go to the base right now?


In "Has migraine made me weaker? Part 1" I concluded that migraine has not made me literally or physically weaker overall, but rather has changed the ways I use, care for, and challenge my body. But also gnawing at me is the question of whether migraine has made me weaker in terms of my character: am I emotionally weaker? Do I have less worth? Less validity? Are my skills waning within the brain fog? Am I less reliable as a friend, partner, or family member? AM I THE WEAKEST LINK???
There is no doubt that I cry more often than I did before migraine entered my life without an invitation. The onset of an attack sometimes brings disappointment and pain that makes my face crumple within minutes. Though I've gotten much better at enduring the pain without heaping piles of dark emotional thoughts on top of it, sometimes I feel pretty certain that the neurochemical process of the attack is purely responsible for the buckets of salty water leaking out of my face. And crying = weakness right?
Well, that's what our culture likes to tell us, especially humans of the little boy variety, but there's plenty of literature out there suggesting that there is strength in vulnerability; that being in touch with our emotions, and expressing them, is a healthy, cleansing process that can help us come out on the other side… stronger. This has certainly been my experience. Any time I've tried to bottle up that sadness and drive it down into some locked vestibule, the more likely I am to feel angry or irritable. But after a good cry, the anger and irritability is gone, replaced with feelings of honesty, exhaustion, and peace. So really, by training myself over time to be more in tune with my emotions, having a good cry as needed, I have become stronger.
I do sometimes feel less worthy, and less valid because of the presence of migraine in my life, but I think this has so much more to do with societal expectations around what makes a quality citizen than it has to do with my personal character. Sure I can't do my full time teaching job anymore, so sure, I'm not contributing to society on a daily basis in a conventional full-time-job sort of way, but I am slowly learning to let go of these definitions of success and worth. The phrase "your paid work is not your value" is pinned to my bulletin board, and I try to remind myself of this often.
What makes my friend's helpless, dependent, gurgling, pooping baby valuable?
What makes my elderly grandfather who sits around, plays cards, and plunks out the occasional tune on the piano valuable?
What makes my friend, more disabled than me by migraine, who is often unavailable for weeks, valuable?
The answer is hard to put into words, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with love. I love these people. They mean the world to me. I do not, could not, would not ever value them less or think them weak because their abilities are constrained by their age or health. They are beautiful human beings who bring me hope and joy just by their very existence and presence in my life, however occasional it might be, and together we are part of bigger communities that sustain each other using our combined skills and abilities. We are interdependent beings, and it can be easy to forget that when individualism is the status quo.
I am not the weakest link. I am me. I have value. And just as my body has shown resilience to migraine (good job surviving an onslaught of crippling pain, body: you're pretty amazing) so has my character, because I am more resilient than ever.
To everyone doing their best despite frequent disabling pain and learning to navigate lost or changing abilities, bravo. Living with migraine is harder than it looks, and in my eyes, you are stronger than ever, inside and out.
Thank you for sharing this. It's such a relief to hear others talk about the vulnerability and weakness they feel during and after attacks. Particularly during attacks where abortive medications aren't working, I find my self curled up in the fetal position in hysterics, wondering "why me?" while my husband just sits there feeling helpless.
We are not lesser as humans because we experience crippling pain. Thank you for reminding us of that.
Thanks Anna for sharing your experience and views.
Your comment helped me to realize my self worth, and what I can contribute to the society, rather than looking at what I am suffering or struggling.
Also helped me to look deeper inside me and understand the strength I posses, the hurdles I overcame, and start living a normal life.
Anna – thank you so much for this post. Feeling very low at the moment after years of trialling meds which haven't helped and worrying that I am a 'burden'to my loving partner. Your comments have made me realise that I have suffered and mastered my pain on many occasions when most people would be in bed being waited on. Yes, I cry very easily too – it releases that worry and emotion we inevitably carry with us having this únseen' disease.
So many thoughts… I cry alot, the good kind and the bad. Often it is a prodrome symptom and has nothing to do with anything but as a sign that migraine is on the move. But I really do cry often as an emotional response in the good times and the bad. Look up steam systems. Pressure reducing valves are NECESSSARY for safety! Without them, there would be dangerous explosions. I firmly believing in crying:)!
And also, the "weakest link" on that professional sports team still made it to the pros didn't he/she? By my estimate, Anna, you've made it to the big leagues;)Good Job!
Hear, hear!! Thanks Maureen. You're spot on.


This husband and wife team met in Jacky Logel's native Alsace in 1991 and were installed a year later at Odile's family farm on the slopes below the Château de Marcilly, where they produced their first 2,000 bottles of wine. At this time, Odile's parents delivered all of their grapes to the co-operative electing instead to dedicate their time to raising Charolais. But as Odile and Jacky took control they disposed of the cattle to concentrate on viticulture, gradually withdrawing from the co-op and becoming completely independent by the 1998 vintage. A decade later, their domaine produces an average of 70,000 bottles of a wine a year and the couple have become one of the most respected names in this otherwise small region.
In addition to 12.7 hectares of Gamay, Jacky has also established two separate parcels of Pinot Gris, a legacy of his Alsatian roots, which is sold as Vin de Pays d'Urfé. The original 4 ares were planted at the foot of the famous priory at Montverdun on the Forez plain (and well outside the Côtes du Forez appellation) in 1996, the first crop being realised in 1999. Spurred on by his efforts, a second parcel was planted in 2004 on the slopes at Champdieu, the same year as he planted 8 ares of Viognier.
Odile and Jacky farm their entire 15 hectares organically and unsurprisingly everything here is hand harvested.
There are four red wines and a rosé produced here under the Côtes du Forez appellation. The Rosé is clean, fresh and light despite the fact that Jacky says he is obliged to make due to client demand, and he'd rather channel all his efforts into making his red wines. Cuvée des Gourmets corresponds to older vines grown on granite soils, whilst Amasis takes its name from the Queen of Forez in Honoré d'Urfé's L'Astrée - in the novel, the Queen lived in the château that dominates the hillside above the vineyards of Marcilly. The wine is light and friand and designed for early drinking. La Volcanique is planted on basalt soils and 90% destemmed and receives a cold macerated before it undergoes a three week cuvaison. The result is very elegant, with a profile closer to Pinot Noir than Gamay. Feux de Forez is a play on words, inferring 'forest fire', since the wine (which corresponds to La Volcanique) spends six months in oak. Again, this is a wine that Jacky doesn't like, but has a following for it from certain clients. The wine sadly is too international, loosing any sense of place or variety as it is completely dominated by wood.
In addition to the wines produced under the appellation, there are also three wines produced as Vin de Pays d'Urfé. Pierrelune Pinot Gris sur Granite is from the second parcel of Pinot Gris to be planted, in Chamdieu, in 2004. The wine is complex, nutty and distinctly oxidative and certainly not mainstream. It's probably closer to a Jura wine than anything Alsatian. (It is sold in 50cl bottles). La Sentimentale Pinot Gris is from the vines planted on the slope below the priory of Montverdun. The 2008 (also bottled in 50cl) has a ripe smoky Pinot Gris nose with hazelnuts and the fat of a typically Teutonic example. The palate is silky and linear, with great balance and structure with flavours of quince and ripe peach. A Pinot-Grigio deluxe. Viognier Petite Vertu is a 10hl cuvée that comes from the same vineyard as the Pierrelune and has (for Viognier at least) a low alcohol of just 11%. The wine echoes Jacky's origins, with more grapey muscat-like flavours, rather than the overblown style of the Rhône.
Finally, there is Rimbambulles, a low (8%) alcohol Méthode Ancestral sparkling wine, echoing the recent efforts of a hand full of growers in the Roannaise, although at just 3g/l residual sugar it is much drier than the examples found further north. The drier style lends the wine great minerality and an attractive malic edge and is dangerously delicious.
From initially appearing cautious and guarded, Jacky Logel opens up to become and lively and humourous man, full of criticism for his wines - and the taste of his clients. Despite being an outsider, he has been welcomed into the region and has also served a term as the President of the local grower syndicat. In terms of the wines, the couple do produce some of the best examples of Côtes du Forez, although the real star in the cellar (and perhaps the best wine tasted on my tour through the region) are the Pinot Gris wines, which are highly individual but full of character. These alone are worth seeking out. Domaine Verdier Odile certainly deserves its reputation as being one of, if not the, leading domaine in the region.


The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) jointly held the Fintech Career Accelerator Scheme (FCAS) Induction Day today (27 July 2017), welcoming the interns and marking the official commencement of their trainings and internships.
The HKMA and ASTRI held their first regulatory update and technical workshop respectively on the induction day, introducing the regulatory regimes and other relevant developments in financial and fintech regulations, and providing foundation fintech technical trainings to the FCAS interns to prepare them for internships. The interns also visited the HKMA Information Centre and learned about the recent major developments of the financial market in Hong Kong and HKMA's main policy objectives and functions through guided tour.
The HKMA and ASTRI will hold more regulatory updates and technical workshops for the students during the internship period. These comprehensive trainings will help participants under the scheme to better understand the regulatory framework for the banking industry as well as the latest developments in fintech.
The 12 participating banks and the HKMA received over 3,000 applications from 421 students of 10 tertiary institutions. On completion of the recruitment exercise, 74 students were successfully employed. These students will undertake internships for six months or one year to work on various fintech projects at the participating banks and the HKMA. Some of the students have already commenced their internships while the rest will also start during the summer holiday.
The HKMA and ASTRI launched the FCAS last December to nurture talents to meet the growing need for fintech talents. The FCAS is the first fintech talent development initiative led by regulator and research institute and joined by banks and tertiary institutions in Hong Kong.
Mr Li Shu Pui, Executive Director of the HKMA (upper photo) and Dr Meikei Ieong, Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI (lower photo), give welcoming remarks at the FCAS induction day.
Over 60 students gather at the FCAS induction day, marking the official commencement of their trainings and internships.
Students visit the HKMA Information Centre to learn about the recent major developments of the Hong Kong financial market and the work of the HKMA.


text:
This Dublin Apartment Is Up For Rent For €15,000 A Month
new bus route
Dublin Bus Just Announced A New Route From IKEA That's A Life-Changer For Shoppers
Dublin Bus has just announced the final details of a much-needed new route running from Ballymun all the way to Bray. The new 155 service will begin operating on March 24, starting at IKEA in Ballymun and travelling via the city centre and Dun Laoghaire before finishing up in Bray. The route will also take … Continued


text:
Q: Child context undefined In the following code I can access a context at the parent and then it's undefined in a child.  It works locally with simple FC setups, but fails downstream in a class component.
const HookDialog = () => {

    const { data, setData } = useDialog(1);  // I work fine

    return (
        <DialogHook>
            <DialogContent>

Value: {data}

            </DialogContent>

                <FooterButton name="positive">Positive</FooterButton>

        </DialogHook>
    );
}

export const FooterButton: React.FC<FooterButtonProps> = (
    {
        children,
        name,
        className,
        ...props
    }) => {
        const dialogHook = useDialog();  // I'm undefined!

        return(
            <Button {...props} className={cssNames} ...>
                {children}
            </Button>
        );
}

export const DialogProvider = props => {
    const [dialog, setDialog] = useState<ReactElement<typeof Dialog>>();
    const [data, setData] = useState<any>();

    return (
      <DialogContextHook.Provider value={{ dialog, setDialog, data, setData }} {...props} >
        {props.children}
        {dialog}
      </DialogContextHook.Provider>
    )
  }

type CloseEvent = (source: string, data:any) => void;
interface useDialog extends DialogContextHook {
    close: (source: string) => void;
}

export const useDialog = (
    initialValue?: any,
    onClose?: CloseEvent) => {
    const context = useContext(DialogContextHook);

    if (!context) {
      throw new Error('useDialog must be used within a DialogProvider');
    }

    useEffect(() => {
        context.setData(initialValue);
    },[])

    const close = (source: string) => {
        context.setDialog(undefined);
        onClose?.(source, context.data);
    }

    return { ...context, close };
  }

                    <DialogProvider>
                        <VOITable/>
                    </DialogProvider>

Update
I recreated FooterButton in the downstream project and the same code works, just not when imported.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Montrose Recreation District
The annual salary range is $75
Full-time - Experienced
Job Notice
The Montrose Recreation District (MRD) is accepting applications for the Executive Director position. The position performs executive level duties as related to the planning, organizing and direction of the recreation facilities, programs and services of the MRD, a title 32 special district. The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing a comprehensive system of recreational services to build community and quality of life for residents of the District. This position is the Chief Administrator of the District and works in every area of the organization as needed.
Externally, this includes building partnerships, overseeing a robust marketing and public information effort and facilitating community engagement and big picture planning to further progress the District. Internally, this involves overseeing the various program areas, the maintenance and operation of numerous indoor and outdoor facilities and leading a team of dynamic and committed core staff members. The Executive Director is heavily involved in finance, human resources, facilitating organizational buy-in knowledge and proficiency, customer service, outreach, marketing, operations, planning, risk-management, partnership cultivation, grant writing and fundraising, project management, consultant mobilization and anything and everything that improves the District's ability to serve the community. This position oversees the multi-faceted operations of the District's indoor and outdoor facilities, including the Community Recreation Center (CRC), Field House & Outdoor Pool, McNeil Office / Fields, Ute Park and Holly Park complexes and all related ancillary amenities.
This recruitment is happening at a very exciting time, as MRD opened the CRC and the Montrose Field House to better serve Montrose in 2017. The CRC is an 80,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility, which provides something for every age and numerous interests. Additionally, in 2019, the Connect Trail project will be complete. This will connect Montrose from the Justice Center and the Colorado Outdoors Development on the north all the way south to the CRC. Also, this position will oversee successful completion of the Holly Park Renovation project, which is being completed in tandem with the City of Montrose's reconstruction of adjacent Riverbottom Drive. MRD is a dynamic organization that has been increasing its level of service every year. The selected candidate will be centrally involved in helping continue to maximize the quality and quantity of service for Montrose, to build community and better the Montrose quality of life.
This is full time, exempt position that includes an annual salary in the range of $75,000 to $110,000, a family pass to the CRC and FH, Paid Time Off (PTO), an excellent health insurance and dental plan, PERA retirement savings (13.7% of wage from paid by MRD) and other benefits. Montrose is an up-and-coming, small, yet growing, western slope community complete with a tremendous quality of life, amazing access to outdoor (and now indoor) recreational amenities and an affordable cost of living. For example, the median home in Montrose is $236,900, compared to the City of Denver where the median home is $416,100 (www.zillow.com, August 2018). EOE.
Position Qualifications: A bachelor's degree from an accredited university and a driver's license are required. Also, candidates must possess a minimum of eight (8) years of recreation experience including five (5) years of supervisory experience. The successful candidate will have excellent leadership, managerial, analytical, communication, organizational, writing and customer service skills, and be able to contribute strongly to fulfilling the MRD's essential role in the community. In addition to the above stated requirements, strong candidates will possess a bachelor's degree in public administration, recreation management, sports management, exercise science and/or business marketing. Other preferred qualifications are Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP), Certified Parks and Recreation Executive (CPRE) and a Master's Degree.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 26, 2019 at 3 p.m.
The recruitment timeline is as follows:
Posting: June 28, 2019. Application Review: July 31, 2019
Projected Interviews: Week of Aug. 12th or 19th.
Projected Start Date: Late August / September
More information, including the required application, is available on the MRD website at www.montroserec.com under 'employment'. Please submit the completed application, resume and cover letter via workbright, which is linked from the Montrose Rec. District website.
(Effective Date: 6/17/19)
General Statement of Duties:
The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing a comprehensive system of recreational services that builds community and quality of life for residents of the District. This position is the Chief Administrator of the District and works in every area of the organization as needed. Externally, this includes building partnerships, overseeing a robust marketing and public information effort and facilitating community engagement and big picture planning to ensure continued progress for the District. Internally, this involves overseeing the various program areas, the maintenance and operation of numerous indoor and outdoor facilities and leading a team of dynamic and committed core staff members. To maximize the quality and quantity of services to residents of the District, the Executive Director is heavily involved in finance, human resources, outreach, marketing, operations, planning, risk-management, partnership cultivation, grant writing, fundraising and securing funding, project management, consultant mobilization and anything and everything that improves the District's ability to serve the community.
Supervision Received: Works under the general guidance and direction of the Board of Directors.
Supervision Exercised: Oversees the full team of core staff and part-time staff including 17 full-time, 6 three quarter and over 300 part-time.
Essential Duties: The following are examples of primary duties completed by this position. Other related duties may be assigned and may be completed as needed to the benefit of the District and the community we serve.
Oversees, supervises, coordinates, assigns, reviews and assists district staff working in every area of the MRD including drop-in service, facility operations, programs, administration and maintenance. Oversees all policies, procedures and products that pertain to District services.
Selects, trains, motivates and evaluates all core staff personnel; provides and/or coordinates staff orientation and training; works with employees to review job performance and take corrective action, when needed; implements disciplinary and termination procedures, when necessary. Overall, the Executive Director empowers staff to best do their jobs by creating a positive company culture and through supporting staff motivation.
Responsible for overseeing, coordinating and performing district duties including resource allocation, grant writing, policies and procedures, partnership building, public relations, contract negotiations, the district budget, capital improvement program, and parks and recreation master plan. This position makes recommendations and implements policies, procedures, and plans adopted by the Board of Directors.
The Executive Director is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the development of a comprehensive, year-round recreation district including facilities, programs, and services.
Acts as the District's liability insurance, worker's compensation representative and risk manager.
Keeps abreast of trends in the parks and recreation field and state laws affecting special districts. Shares best practices with other similar entities and learns best practices from others to continually sustain and improve the District operation.
Serves as the Chief Financial Officer to ensure the strong financial health of the District. This includes closely monitoring expenses and revenues, facilitating the budgeting process, assembling and implementing financial plans including large capital projects. Forecasts funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials and supplies; monitors and approves expenditures; recommends resources needed, seeks alternative funding sources, and submits budget recommendations for the Board approval. Works closely with Internal Services in these efforts, especially the expenditure of funds and receipt of revenues.
Oversees level of service analysis and holds staff accountable to high standards of productivity using objective financial and participation data.
Facilitates and manages key partnerships by forging and managing Memorandum of Understand (MOU), Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA) such as the shared facility use MOU with the Re-1J School District. This agreement ensures optimal use of community resource by allowing MRD programs and activities space and supporting the School District's needs as well. Leads staff with the executing of the IGA with the City of Montrose regarding shared services. This includes coordinating work and ensuring effectiveness with this agreement that saves tax payer dollars and enhances MRD's internal operation.
Participates in the development and implementation of goals, objectives, and strategies for the district.
Leads regularly scheduled staff meeting and engages in regular and special board meetings to share district information, to develop vision, goals, objectives and pursue their implementation, and operate the District in the most optimal way possible.
Oversee continued district growth and service improvements to patrons and the public by working with the Board of Directors to outline, plan, and build new facilities to meet the heightened expectation for recreational services by the community. While working on ensuring a future for MRD that meets the community's needs, the Executive Director must ensure a focus on maintenance and operation of existing facilities.
Sustain and enhance MRD's leadership role by participating in various committees and organizations such as MRCOG, service clubs and CPRA and conducting regular outreach to the community through public presentations and regular reporting.
Serve as the public information officer for the District and regularly engage in communication with the Montrose community through all local media outlets including newspaper, television and radio and MRD materials including the Activity Guide, the website and newsletters.
Work as the head District human resources officer. This includes administering, devising and handling all human resources issue that are not routinely handled by other core staff members. Promote the advancement of recreation specialty knowledge and training for staff. Encourage and assist in professional development.
Ensures and promotes intra-department collaboration, communication and appreciation.
Constructively engage with the Board of Directors and facilitate a positive working relationship among the Board and between the Board and the staff.
Adhere to strong leadership standards and practices. Promote a sense of pride among management and employees in workmanship and contribution to the community provided by the MRD. Ensures all MRD staff members
Position Qualifications:
Experience: A minimum of eight years administrative experience for a public, private, and/or non-profit organization including five years of supervisory experience is required.
Education or Training: Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
with major course work in finance, business management, sports management, public or recreation administration, or related field. A Master's degree is preferred.
License and Certification: Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Colorado driver's license. Strong candidates will possess a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional and/or a Certified Parks and Recreation Executive
Physical Conditions: Primary functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for walking, standing, or sitting for prolonged periods of time. This position may require some moderate lifting and working primarily indoors.
Additional Salary Information: A family pass to the CRC and FH, Paid Time Off (PTO), an excellent health insurance and dental plan, PERA retirement savings (13.7% of wage from paid by MRD) and other benefits. Montrose is an up-and-coming, small, yet growing, western slope community complete with a tremendous quality of life, amazing access to outdoor (and now indoor) recreational amenities and an affordable cost of living. For example, the median home in Montrose is $236,900, compared to the City of Denver where the median home is $416,100 (www.zillow.com, August 2018). EOE.
About Montrose Recreation District
Director, Social Media - Marketing and Communications Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon University 1 Week Ago
Director, Content Strategy - Division of Marketing and Communications Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon Univeristy 1 Week Ago
DIRECTOR, STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS Washington, DC
American Cleaning Institute Today


Karen Lindsay and Charles Skaggs are your hosts to the world of comic books on television, combining all your favorite comic book TV shows into one super-sized podcast!
This week, Karen and Charles review the fifth and sixth episodes of Jessica Jones in the final show of 2015.
This week, Karen and Charles review the midseason finale of Supergirl and the fourth episode of Jessica Jones.
This week, Karen and Charles review the midseason finales of The Flash, Arrow, iZombie and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the third episode of Jessica Jones, and a new episode of Supergirl.
This week, Karen and Charles review the annual crossover of The Flash and Arrow, the second episode of Jessica Jones, and new episodes of The Walking Dead, Gotham, Supergirl, iZombie, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
This week, Karen and Charles review the first episode of Jessica Jones, along with new episodes of The Walking Dead, Gotham, and Supergirl.
This week, Karen and Charles review new episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Flash, The Walking Dead, Gotham, Supergirl, iZombie, and Arrow.
This week, Karen and Charles review new episodes of The Flash, The Walking Dead, Gotham, Supergirl, iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Arrow.
This week, Karen and Charles review the return of Matt Ryan as John Constantine on Arrow, along with new episodes of The Walking Dead, Gotham, Supergirl, The Flash, iZombie, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
This week, Karen and Charles review the series premiere of Supergirl, along with new episodes of The Walking Dead, Gotham, The Flash, iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Arrow.
This week, Karen and Charles review new episodes of The Walking Dead, Gotham, The Flash, iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Arrow.


text:
WARNING: This is "Clickbait" – OMG, you won't believe what Facebook is doing now
August 26, 2014 Admin Clickbait, Facebook
Finally Facebook is doing something about the irritating click bait posts that have taken over the newsfeeds of many users over the last few years. This is of course supermarket tabloid journalism and it has become an industry all to it's own. Many sites have popped up just because they know they can drive traffic based on the fact that people HAVE to know. So it appears that withing the next few months the "National Enquirers" of the newsfeed are going to have to develop another strategy to get people to click.
The social network revealed the change in a blog post on Monday, citing continued pressure from users to present better content in the News Feed. To do that, Facebook is employing a metric becoming increasingly popular across the Internet: time spent on page.
From the Facebook article:
"Click-baiting" is when a publisher posts a link with a headline that encourages people to click to see more, without telling them much information about what they will see. Posts like these tend to get a lot of clicks, which means that these posts get shown to more people, and get shown higher up in News Feed.
"If people click on an article and spend time reading it, it suggests they clicked through to something valuable. If they click through to a link and then come straight back to Facebook, it suggests that they didn't find something that they wanted," Facebook employees Khalid El-Arini and Joyce Tang wrote in the blog post.
Clickbait began as a term for headlines that offered up only a certain piece of information. Facebook used the example "You'll NEVER believe which two stars got into a fight on the red carpet last night!! CLICK to find out which starlet they were fighting over!!"
The change could have a major impact on digital media companies. Facebook has become one of the most influential publishing platforms, driving major traffic to sites that have a strong following on the site and are able to get users to share posts with friends.
Facebook drives the most traffic of any social network, and it's not even close. Facebook drove 23% of all social traffic in June 2014, with Pinterest at 5.7% and Twitter at 1%, according to Shareaholic.
Since we mainly stick to music around here we'll bring up a few examples of music news sites that employ these techniques although they are far from being the only ones that do it. Site's like Loudwire and Ultimate Classic Rock have based a large part of what they do on this type Facebook sensationalism….they both have a little over a million fans each and they churn out Facebook click fodder like this:
This band broke up a few years ago, but because of recent headlines, they're back in the spotlight as they've been mistaken for a terrorist group. See the full story here: Loudwire
JUST IN: A surprising announcement from Shadows Fall about the future of the band. Details here: Loudwire
Happy 63rd birthday to Judas Priest legend Rob Halford today! You won't believe which job the metal god had before joining the band. Find out here: Loudwire
Unfortunately, this is what happens when a metal band's van meets a moose while traveling through Canada. Details here: Loudwire
Sammy Hagar (The Red Rocker) took the ice bucket challenge, and you won't believe who he challenged to go next …Ultimate Classic Rock
He's about to take a long, long, loooong ride for a good cause.. Ultimate Classic Rock
Guess which rock star's vowing to go on with the show despite this nasty sprained ankle …Ultimate Classic Rock
The list goes on and on. That's not to say that they don't have legitimate content on their sites, because they clearly do so we aren't calling them out about that but the click bait tactics they employ seem to be the type of thing that Facebook is going to clamp down on.
A small set of publishers who are frequently posting links with click-bait headlines that many people don't spend time reading after they click through may see their distribution decrease in the next few months.
Facebook also announced they are going to start showing less photos that contain a link in the description and said they will favor showing the links instead. Aren't they the ones that said they want more photos on the site? Anyhow, take note because Mark Zuckerberg and crew are making some changes that might affect the way you use the social media site.
More from the Facebook article: We've found that people often prefer to click on links that are displayed in the link format (which appears when you paste a link while drafting a post), rather than links that are buried in photo captions. The link format shows some additional information associated with the link, such as the beginning of the article, which makes it easier for someone to decide if they want to click through. This format also makes it easier for someone to click through on mobile devices, which have a smaller screen.
With this update, we will prioritize showing links in the link-format, and show fewer links shared in captions or status updates.
The best way to share a link after these updates will be to use the link format. In our studies, these posts have received twice as many clicks compared to links embedded in photo captions. In general, we recommend that you use the story type that best fits the message that you want to tell – whether that's a status, photo, link or video.
← The Eagles Take It To The Limit at the Tacoma Dome
A Conversation With Mike Moen of Neutralboy →


then that which produced the Earth.
while the breath of GOD rocked the surface of its waters.
translated by Ferrar Fenton, 1901.
This entry was posted in Affirmation, Creation, Freedom, God, Light, Reality. Bookmark the permalink.


Over the past few weeks, the nation has steadily fallen in love with Anne Hegerty during her jungle stint on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Having remained admirably candid about her experience with Asperger's, which is a form of autism, Anne has been the subject to wide praise among viewers – and rightly so!
And so, a few fans couldn't help but share a chuckle after noticing a slight mishap which unraveled whilst Anne was live on the hit ITV show.
In fact, during last night's jungle edition, The Chase star appeared to give viewers a sneak-peek behind the smoke and mirrors of showbiz – revealing the usually pretty illusive filming schedule.
After Holly Willoughby and Declan Donnelly crashed the camp and told the gang that all 11 of them would be doing the next challenge, the Immunity Games, Anne had replied that she would be busy filming elsewhere soon after the meet-up.
#ImACeleb #ExtraCamp Anne giving away spoiler alerts there lol!
"Love Anne 'yeah gotta do something on ITV 2 first' totally wasn't meant to be said live," added another.
Anne to win?! We're backing that one!
Taken from our sister site CelebsNow.


text:
3993 BBY: Shadows and Light
There is no death; there is only the Force.
These are the opening words to the story Shadows and Light found within the pages of Star Wars Tales volume 6. Written by Joshua Ortega, and drawn by Dustin Weaver, this narrative takes place three years after the war of Exar Kun, and concerns three Jedi knights: Duron Qel-Droma, Shaela Nuur, and the twi'lek Guun Han Saresh.
For such a short narrative (only 20 comic book pages in length) there is much I want to comment on with regards to this particular Star Wars fable. But before I do, I want to quickly summarize the goings-on in this story.
As I said earlier, this tale takes place three years after the war of Exar Kun, otherwise known as the Sith war. The story begins in a cave on an unknown planet with four Jedi knights: Duron Qel-Droma, Shaela Nuur, Guun Han Saresh, and a forth Jedi known as Cale. These Jedi are hunting Terentatek, which are feral beats that eat "Force blood".
The opening boxes of the comic depict Cale about to be devoured by one of the beasts, where he utters the words: "there is no death; there is only the Force", as his shattered lightsaber lay by his side. Truly Jedi of him, I thought. The beast is quickly distracted by Duron, and killed by Shaela. The Jedi make their way back to their ship with what appears to be a fallen comrade.
A week later Duron, Shaela, and Gunn find themselves on Dantooine accepting another mission from the Jedi council. There are asked to go to Korriban, the seat of Sith power, to continue "The Great Hunt" there. "The Great Hunt" we learn, is an annual event spearheaded by the Jedi council to hunt down and kill the Terentatek, animals which 'eat force blood' and therefore presumably affect the ranks of the Jedi knights.
There is some disquieting concern about sending Jedi to Korriban to continue the hunt, due to the fact that the planet itself is very corrupting to Jedi. What is more, there is even more concern about sending a 'Qel-Droma' to Koribaan, knowing the fate of Ulic and his fall to the darkside.
The relationship between Duron Qel-Droma and Ulic Qel-Droma is never explored in the text, but for some reason I get the impression that they're cousins.
The three Jedi accept the mission, and spend their first week on Korriban collecting data on the Terentatek. The concerns of the other Jedi were not unfounded however, as the three companions find that they are being negatively affected by the environment. Guun Han is sleeping around with students of the Sith to gain information, while Duron and Shaela are having trouble containing their passion for one another.
Things come to a head for the three when Guun Han finds Duron and Shaela in an amorous act. Guun then tells the two that he can no longer work with them if they cannot control their feelings for each other. His own behavior is questioned by Shaela, as Guun replies with "you think I enjoy this?!?" As it is, Guun left the two lovers and made his way to Kashyyyk, where he intended to hunt some larger prey. Unfortunately, Guun Han was killed by a large beast.
Meanwhile, back on Korriban, Duron and Shaela found a Terentatek and engaged the beast in combat. Unfortunately, the beast got the better of the two, and killed Duron. Shaela, stricken by grief, and falling prey to her anger and rage, and in her desire for revenge, began to fall to the darkside of the Force.
The story ends with the words of Master Ood Bnar, Shaela's Jedi teacher, telling Shaela to cling to the light – always.
Dustin Weaver does an excellent job with the art in this story. Of all the Star Wars comics I've encountered thus far, I enjoyed Weaver's work the most. I thought the golden lightsaber held by Shaela was a nice touch. Though I know Weaver didn't have much to do with that, it was refreshing to see a saber that wasn't green, blue, or red. The golden saber also played a significant role to the character of Shaela, as the crystal which made the blade was a rare one given to her from her Master.
I found a particular scene at the beginning of this story telling to the character of Han Guun. As the four Jedi are leaving the planet the tale starts on, Guun is floating what appears to be a dead body back to the ship (perhaps it is a 5th Jedi companion?). This reminded me of the story Light and Shadow from the Star Wars Adventure Journal. In that narrative, the Jedi protagonist made a comment that the Sith constantly rely on the Force to do everything for them, even manual labour. The Jedi then describes a Sith Lord, weak and atrophied from doing no moving himself, sitting upon a throne moving things with his mind. I'm not sure if the scene of Gunn floating the body was drawn like that on purpose, but it seemed to me that such behavior, floating the body instead of carrying it using the sweat of one's brow, was unbecoming of a Jedi. I also got the impression that Guun had dark tendencies. There was one scene in particular where is eyes were drawn red. Again, I'm not sure if this was done on purpose or by accident.
As the three Jedi are collecting data on Korriban, there is talk between Duron and Shaela of infiltrating the Sith academy. I found this fascinating because I had to ask myself 'when did this happen?!?' Apparently the foundation of a Sith academy happened in the three years after the Sith War, and part of the trials of being a student at the academy is to kill an innocent person. Many questions come to mind regarding the academy's establishment. Who established it? When was it established? How long has Dreshdae been a settlement on Korriban? It seems to me that the Jedi council is aware of this academy, so this must be the result of the fallout after the war of Exar Kun.
Though I enjoyed this story, I do have some problems with its basic premise. Jedi are collected and sent out by the council to kill. Granted, the creatures they are killing are ones which are aggressive and 'eat Force blood', but I wonder if this is enough justification to take aggressive action against what Duron Qel-Droma considers a semi-sentient creature. Even he has problems with what the Jedi council have asked of him: "I don't want to kill anymore, Shaela. I'm sick of killing. I'm sick of hunting. I'm sick of the blood". Master Yoda himself says (to paraphrase him) 'the force is meant for defense, never attack'. 'The Great Hunt', to me, seems a like a great hypocrisy found within the Jedi council. No one on the council bats an eye as to whether or not what they are doing is wrong. It seems genocide of these animals is socially acceptable. I could go on and argue that animals, if this is what these creatures are, are incapable of evil. Or if they are not animals but semi-intelligent creatures, should a group of people so matter-of-factly engage in their genocide?
Questions of genocide aside, the big topic of discussion with regards to this tale is the prohibition of Jedi relationships. It is the first time in Star Wars chronology that prohibition of Jedi relationship, and with that, marriage, is mentioned. As Guun Han walked in on Duron and Shaela kissing he grew very agitated with their actions: "Jedi do not behave like this. We do not form attachments. We protect a way of life that we can never have – that is our sacrifice. 'There is no passion, there is serenity' – sound familiar?"
So, in the three years following the Sith War, the Jedi council prohibited Jedi engaging in relationships of a "passionate" nature. What is more, it seems that this prohibition on attachments has worked itself into the Jedi code, because prior to this, even as far as a few years before, Jedi marriage and relationships was not something to be shocked about. This proscription was also alluded to in the hyperspace story Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji, when, speaking of members of the Praji family it was noted: "By marrying a few sons to daughters of the Draay family, the Prajii even produced Jedi Knights with their surname, the first since the Rianitus Period, although this branch went extinct after the modern marriage proscriptions were enacted following the Exar Kun War" (pg 4).
This is also the first time in Star Wars chronology that the Jedi code itself was quoted. As of yet, the code has not been etched in source text (non RPG sourcebook material).
Though I support the idea that Jedi should remain unmarried, I myself find a certain weakness in this part of the code. Are all male/female relationships "passionate"? Are there not some relationships that involve love between a man and a woman less about passion and more about serenity? Are there not relationships where the friendship comes first, and the passionate side of love works in the background of the relationship, flaring when needed, and cooling when needed? Can not a Jedi love, and keep the passion to a minimum? Should it not be that Jedi love more with Agape love, and less with Eros love?
I think Jedi are commanded to love, and I also think passion is not love. The Romans used to describe passionate love as a wild fire consuming wheat. This was not meant to be a positive description, as wheat was a staple for food, and ultimately for life. If the fire is destroying life, and consuming everything before it, how can it be a good thing? Passionate love can become distracting, it could make one not eat, not sleep, and feel 'love-sick'. This is not the result of love; this is the result of passion.
For my next post I'll be examining the five comic series Redemption by Dark Horse. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.
3963 BBY: Knights of the Old Republic Volume 2: Fl...
3964 BBY: Knights of the Old Republic Volume 1: Co...
3986 BBY: Tales of the Jedi: Redemption
3998 BBY - 3996 BBY: Jedi Protector


text:
Recognizing the structures of sin around us
by Christopher Dodson
Many Christians, including Catholics, have difficulty understanding that "structures of sin" may exist separately from our own individual sins. I suspect that certain religious and political strains of thought in the United States that emphasize the individual as paramount contribute to this problem. The false idea that we are autonomous individuals acting in isolation prevents us from accepting and addressing the social consequences of our sins and the sins of others.
A sin is a personal act (CCC 1868). Only individual persons can sin. The consequences of sin, however, are always personal and social. Sin ruptures our relationship with God, but it also ruptures our relationships with each other.
Saint John Paul II put it this way: "The mystery of sin is composed of this twofold wound which the sinner opens in himself and in his relationship with his neighbor. Therefore, one can speak of personal and social sin: From one point of view, every sin is personal; from another point of view, every sin is social insofar as and because it also has social repercussions" (Reconciliatio et Paenitentia).
This is easy for us to understand when the sin is of a direct social nature, such as lying to your spouse or stealing from your neighbor. What is harder to understand is how sin has a social consequence when the sin was not directed at another person, or we do not see the consequence.
One reason that is hard to understand is that it is part of the mystery of sin and the social nature of the human person. Created in the image and likeness of God — whom, being of three persons, is social by nature — we are social creatures, mysteriously connected to all persons, near and far, past and present. That connection is hard to see and even accept in this individualistic society, yet it exists, nevertheless. When we sin, therefore, we rupture that relationship, and the consequences of our sins become social in ways that we may never see in our life in this world. Saint John Paul II wrote: "[B]y virtue of human solidarity which is as mysterious and intangible as it is real and concrete, each individual's sin in some way affects others."
The social consequences of our sin can build up and become what the Catholic Church calls "structures of sin." The Catechism describes it this way: "Sins give rise to social situations and institutions that are contrary to the divine goodness. 'Structures of sin' are the expression and effect of personal sins. They lead their victims to do evil in their turn" (CCC 1869).
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church teaches that these structures of sin "grow stronger, spread and become sources of other sins, conditioning human conduct. These are obstacles and conditioning that go well beyond the actions and brief life span of the individual . . ." (CSDC 119).
Structures of sin are rooted and have their origin in personal sin. We, personally, may not have created them. Other persons, sometimes many others over decades or centuries, might have created them. Still, as members of the human family and because we are called to solidarity, we have an obligation to address them and eliminate them.
Where are these structures of sin? This is where the teachings of the last three popes can be difficult for people to accept. Structures of sin may not be obvious evils like an abortion clinic or acts of genocide. They can exist in our laws, cultural customs, financial systems and business practices. Although these structures cannot themselves sin — only people can sin — these structures may be evil in and of themselves, further injustices, restrict the ability of people to develop to their full potential, impair the ability of people to freely choose what is right. This is what is meant when the Church talks about structures of sin "conditioning human conduct."
Structures of sin, therefore, can make systems of law, business and even technology that are racist, pro-abortion, anti-immigrant, hostile to the poor and threatening to the environment. Whether or not we intend to further the wrongs built into these systems or the sins that created them, we can find ourselves living, working and even perpetuating them.
In all forms, it is our responsibility to remove them. In Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, St. John Paul II wrote at length about how our common existence and the virtue of solidarity compels us to identify and address these structures of sin. The answer, he taught, does not rest solely in changing our own actions toward individuals, but also addressing the structures through the political process, but always with an eye on acknowledging our own sins and responsibilities.
During this Advent season, we should, in addition to taking time to acknowledge and confess our individual sins, identify and work to remove the structures of sin around us.


Yggdrasil game quality is well-known and their newest release only confirms why they are the best in the online gaming industry. As soon as you load Dark Vortex, their recently released slot, you will be astonished by the mesmerizing fantasy world that opens in front of your eyes. The graphics, the colors, and the symbols will leave you breathless.
To introduce the features, we must talk about this one-off, unique feature that Yggdrasil created and incorporated in the Dark Vortex slot, the Buy-A-Bonus feature. Can you imagine how cool it would be if any slot would allow for you to buy your bonus and use it to boost your winnings? Well, don't just imagine it, try this awesome slot and make your dreams come true.
The Buy-A-Bonus feature allows you an instant access to the Free Spins Game and costs 80x your stake. Sure, it has its price, but it is more than rewarding, having in mind that the RTP is 97%!
The highest paying symbol that rewards you with a 6x your stake win is the Red Devil. The Vortex symbol is the Scatter and can appear on each reel. Five of them trigger Free Spins, but if you land 2 adjacent Vortex symbols, they trigger 3 Vortex Spins.
Vortex Spins is a dark portal that takes the 3 existing Vortex Reels and converts them into 5, increasing the winning ways. Any next adjacent Vortex symbol gives you an additional Vortex Reel and two new spins.
On the Vortex Reels, the Orb symbols can appear. They can help you enhance the Vortex Spins. The Blue Orbs can only appear on Vortex Reel 4, 3, and 2 and increase the number of free spins. The Pink Orb appears on Vortex Reels 5 and 1, they add one more Wild to the center Vortex Reels.
And finally, the Free Spins Game mentioned previously. So, you can buy your way in as we said, or you can activate them during the Vortex Spins by opening all of the 5 Vortex Reels. With this feature, you get 3125 winning ways, 3 reels filled with stacked wilds whose number increases by 1 for each Pink Orb. This brings the winning potential to 7000x your stake!
The slot game has a horror theme, somewhat Hell-inspired, as you can see some disgusting, scary skulls, spell books, orbs, monsters, and a devil. But visually, oh man, the slot is the most amazingly looking you've ever seen! It is so dark, wretched yet beautifully pictured and colored. Yggdrasil never fails to fascinate players with visual production, that's for sure, however, this time they have overcome themselves. The sound effects are eerie and theme-appropriate, as well.
You can bet on 10 active lines, and in the base game, you have 243 ways to win. However, with the special Vortex Reels, you can get up to 3125 winning ways.
Regardless of whether you have a small budget or you are a high roller, the minimum stake will work great for you, as you can bet from $0.10 to $50, meaning $0.01 to $5 per line. The maximum winning potential is 7.000x your stake, meaning for a $50 bet, you can get up to $350,000!
We're basically looking at probably the best slot of the year here, and definitely Yggdrasil's most powerful slot created so far. The unbelievable winning potential, the extraordinary, stunning visuals, and the unparalleled features speak for themselves. The slot is face-paced, filled with action and extremely engaging. Dark Vortex is a must-try, end of discussion.