text:
Widening the Spectrum of Leadership Part Two: What it Looks Like and the Capacity to Flex
leadership, movement networks
When we center the leadership of the many who exist at the margins, we learn new things about the ways in which state sanctioned violence impacts us all. And what we have learned…is that when a movement full of leaders from the margins gets underway, it makes the connections between social ills, it rejects the compromise and respectability politics of the past, and it opens up new political space for radical visions of what this nation can truly become.
Patrisse Cullors-Brignac and Alicia Garza, Black Lives Matter
In part one of this series on leadership, Widening the Spectrum of Leadership to Dance Where You Are shared earlier this year, we described leadership as being situational or context-driven along a spectrum of styles and approaches. We began to articulate a spectrum of leadership extending between the Directive and the Adaptive and emphasized that every point on the spectrum is necessary with their benefits and shadows.
Contextual or situational leadership as a concept is not new. What's different in this spectrum way of framing leadership is that a main role of positional leaders is to attend to the readiness and capacity of self and others to respond appropriately given the challenge at hand and the group's shared purpose. Give people what they need and then get out of their way whenever possible. In this second part of the series, we aim to make clear what leadership might look like at different points along the spectrum as well as begin to peek at what we mean by paying attention to that readiness and capacity.
The Directive End: Command and Control
We've all seen people "take charge" in a situation and successfully direct a group of people to a shared outcome. We'd call this directive or authority-based leadership. Here folks are relying on the expertise of one (or a relative few) to make appropriate use of the strengths of others in a situation where everyone has a stake in the outcome.
The person showing up from a place of command and control on the leadership spectrum is usually engaging a communication style that is directive. When it works well, that leader is trusting herself to know what action or way of being is necessary AND the group is trusting her as well. Sometimes these folks are strangers and we choose to trust them without really thinking about it and/or based on the possible outcome of not trusting that person – think of the captain in a fire. In most movement networks and organizations, folks are known to a greater degree and there has been some trust building that allows folks to follow directives. That person may even ask permission to step into this role temporarily or offer to lead in this way in a particular situation, especially if she does not have positional authority.
The Adaptive End: Coaching for Emergence
We've also seen people get a group to shared clarity about moving together and stepping into their own leadership to do so. We'd call this adaptive leadership or leading with a coach's stance. Here many people are showing up with all of their wisdom and multiple ways of knowing and applying themselves to an agreed upon purpose in which everyone has a share of the needed solutions and a belief that those solutions will emerge. Patrisse Cullors-Brignac and Alicia Garza, two of the three co-founders of Black Lives Matter wrote, "When we center the leadership of the many who exist at the margins, we learn new things about the ways in which state sanctioned violence impacts us all. And what we have learned…is that when a movement full of leaders from the margins gets underway, it makes the connections between social ills, it rejects the compromise and respectability politics of the past, and it opens up new political space for radical visions of what this nation can truly become."
Adaptive leaders act as coaches in many ways. The fundamental similarity to coaching is that adaptive leaders do not come with the whole picture and a tightly held solution or set of solutions. In an adaptive challenge, the group with the challenge is collectively the expert. As in Black Lives Matter, the adaptive leaders rely on the whole group to bring into full view all of the intricacies of how that situation is interconnected within several systems to comprise the full picture of the organization, the movement and its context.
Transformation can come from approaching challenges with a coach's stance. By taking this stance, the group and its leaders (formal and informal) work from the core belief that everyone together is the expert on the problem and holds a share of what's needed for transformation to occur. Engaging in this way also engenders a deeper commitment to success among the group and therefore a stronger foundation for accountability rather than simply complying with a directive in which the individuals in the group have less investment.
The coach's stance does not mean abdicating leadership instead it means turning down the volume on self-importance and making way for what's possible through collective power and action. Or as Purvi Shah and Social Transformation Project and Black Lives Matter have termed it, "low-ego/high-impact" leadership. Leading in a low-ego/high-impact way entails exercising these common leadership practices among others:
Listening on multiple levels
Asking good questions
Clarifying the deeper, interconnected issues and entry points
Drawing out a shared vision of success
Lifting up possibilities as they emerge
Paying attention to power and privilege in drawing out voices and inviting action
Recognizing progress
Paying attention to accountability
Using authority only in service of the adaptive transformation (not in service of one's own ego)
Stepping back at times
In-Between Directive & Adaptive: Advice and Consultation
In this area of the spectrum, leaders typically solicit advice and make a decision. Getting advice and making a decision is what collaboration might look like to those whose only way of showing up is as an expert. From the non-"leader" perspective at this spot on the spectrum, one gives advice as input but the decision lies elsewhere. This can be good or bad depending on the context and how much clarity there is in the system about how the decision actually gets made and who makes it. Often when there is conflict created by showing up here in the leadership spectrum, it's because after input has been sought, the decision is then made in a mysterious black box and people are next dealing with the impact of the decision without an understanding of what happened with their input and how the decision was made. One great tool for supporting transparency and alleviating a potential downside to soliciting advice and making a decision is using a DARCII chart (for those of you familiar with DARCI, no, that's not a typo, check out our extra "I"!).
Lots of great leadership has engaged consulting to support them in their work and have shown up as consultants. And here we are talking about consulting as how we approach a challenge or create something that builds or improves our work not as a formal role or job description. In the consulting region of the leadership spectrum the underlying perspective is that there are some good existing tools and solutions that we might adapt to work in our context or even be able to use as they already exist – like DARCII charts, for example. This works in many cases and it's not enough in complex and truly adaptive situations where change requires the system to adapt and not the prescription or the solution. The only pill is transformation.
Growing the Capacity to Flex & the Importance of Trust
It's important to point out that in any situation, people can show up in many ways. An executive director may show up in her authority periodically from an adaptive place and a line staff person may show up from a directive place (see the Wisdom Story in part one). Anyone may also call for and lead a more emergent and adaptive process in what was initially a technical or directive process. What's most important is that people are doing so in ways that continue to build toward shared goals, along common values, and that preserve flexibility rather than in-service of ego. The primary ingredient in the systemic capacity to flex is trust – in one's self as well as in others. The next post in this series will look more closely at practices that grow a culture of leadership.
We've also all seen situations where a person or a group of people have shown up in ways that were not productive for the context or situation. For example, when a backbone organization in a movement network has mandated how resources will be distributed or not distributed without engaging the network. Or when people have allowed a process to go on for too long to avoid the perceived potential conflict of coming to a decision and taking action. Each of these actions can erode trust. And eroding trust is the enemy of flexibility, adaptability and resilience.
Check out the third in the series: Widening the Leadership Spectrum Part Three: Building Trust to Flex.
This series builds on case stories developed early on in our Network Leadership Innovation Lab, our learning during the lab, our work with clients and previous thinking on shared and adaptive leadership ("Doing More with More" by Mike Allison and MAG Senior Consultants Susan Misra and Elissa Sloan Perry and previous writing on leadership by Elissa Sloan Perry). Explore more learning from the lab on our publications page.
Note: Some of the ideas here were previously written about here, here, and here by Elissa Sloan Perry for ArtsFwd, an initiative of EMCArts.
Banner photo credit: The All-Nite Images | CC BY-SA 2.0
Invocations, Principles, Ingredients, and Recipes for Nourishing Social Justice Practitioners and Networks
equity, leadership, movement networks, multiple ways of knowing
Change Elemental: A Leap of Faith
elements of justice
Reflecting on the First Steps on Our Governance Experiments
equity, leadership


Every great magic trick consists of three parts: the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige. Ukraine, South Stream and Turk Stream have showcased what can, for now, be called one of Putin's greatest disappearing acts of all time.
The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course… it probably isn't.
The US, however, always had its eye on destabilising what it perceived as Russia's weak underbelly. Occupy Ukraine and you are one step closer to destroying Russia. This was the geo-political logic championed by Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Ukraine was, for a time, the energy bridge between Russia and Europe. If it could adhere to international law and practice proper business ethics, it's position as a stabile and secure energy transit hub was assured.
Unfortunately, over many years, and colored revolutions that followed, Ukraine failed to stave off Western saboteurs, eager to tear the nation apart at it's seams. Its position as a secure energy conduit was torn into shreds, turning Ukraine into an energy transit liability.
Ukraine looked real, unaltered, normal. But of course…it was not to be.
The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret… but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet.
Enter South Stream, the Turn. The gas pipeline that would go around, what was an unreliable and unstable Ukraine, to deliver gas directly to South Europe's doorstep.
The simplicity and logic in relying on Ukraine to fulfil Europe's energy needs was not to be. The ordinary approach had to be altered and adjusted.
South Stream was that alteration. A viable alternative solution to what had become an unreliable overland route. It was an extraordinary project that would not only guarantee cheap and secure energy to Europe for decades to come, but would also work its magic on many of South Europe's anaemic economies.
South Stream was exactly what Europe needed…energy problem solved.
America and their European stooges had another trick in mind. Destroy South Stream, occupy and control Ukraine, and cut off Russia's energy interests in Europe.
The big win was assured when Putin finally called off the South Stream project. The Western press basked in their glorious victory. Brussels fulfilled their master's bidding perfectly. It was game over. There was no other energy alternative to South Stream. No other energy transit route other than Ukraine.
Hubris, arrogance, or just plain stupidity. The west believed its own propaganda. Bulgaria believed in the EU's third energy package sleight of hand.
Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige".
But every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts…And making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back.
"Yes, in fact, the role of Ukraine as a transit country is reduced to zero.
The decision to stop the 'South Stream' is a beginning of the end of our business model, when we focused on the delivery to a final consumer in the European market.
Ukraine's strategic energy position, gone.
Gas delivered direct to Europe's doorstep, no more.
Easy money in Bulgaria's coffers, vanished.
If Turkey can be depended upon to be a reliable partner…and of course the US will cause all kinds of mayhem…..The EU really shot themselves in the foot southstream was for them gift wrapped.
Watch which way the guns of ISIS turn now.


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Bachelor in Paradise: ABC Announces New Season Four Premiere Date
by Jessica Pena, July 12, 2017
Bachelor in Paradise will be back this summer after all. Today, ABC announced season four will premiere in August.
As reported earlier, Warner Bros. shut down production on season four after allegations of sexual misconduct arose. However, after an internal investigation found no evidence, the production studio resumed filming on the reality show spin-off.
Now, the new season of Bachelor in Paradise will premiere on August 14th at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Read more details from ABC below:
You're Cordially Invited to the Wedding of Carly Waddell and Evan Bass from 'Bachelor in Paradise' Season 3 to Be Featured This Season
ABC sets a new date for the summer breakout series "Bachelor in Paradise," with a two-night premiere kicking off MONDAY, AUGUST 14 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT) and TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. Warner Bros. suspended filming on the fourth season of the hit series earlier this summer to investigate allegations of misconduct. After completing their internal investigation, Warner Bros. concluded that there was no misconduct and production resumed.
Over the course of six weeks, fan favorites from "The Bachelor" franchise get a second chance at love while living together in Mexico, in a secluded and dreamy paradise. Viewers will watch as they fall in love or go through renewed heartbreak. Plus, America will have a front seat at the highly anticipated wedding of "Bachelor in Paradise" season 3 lovebirds, Carly Waddell and Evan Bass.
The previously announced cast will all be a part of this summer's much buzzed about season, including the cast members that were at the center of the investigation:
· Raven Gates of "The Bachelor" season 21 (Nick)
· Corinne Olympios of "The Bachelor" season 21 (Nick)
· Amanda Stanton of "The Bachelor" season 20 (Ben) and "Bachelor in Paradise" season 3
· Alexis Waters of "The Bachelor" season 21 (Nick)
· Derek Peth of "The Bachelorette" season 12 (JoJo)
· DeMario Jackson of "The Bachelorette" season 13 (Rachel)
· Lacey Mark of "The Bachelor" season 21 (Nick)
· Kristina Schulman of "The Bachelor" season 21 (Nick)
· Nick "St. Nick" Benvenutti of "The Bachelorette" season 12 (JoJo)
· Danielle Maltby of "The Bachelor" season 21 (Nick)
· Taylor Nolan of "The Bachelor" season 21 (Nick)
· Robby Hayes of "The Bachelorette" season 12 (JoJo)
· Ben Zorn of "The Bachelorette" season 11 (Kaitlyn)
· Jasmine Goode of "The Bachelor" season 21 (Nick)
· Vinny Ventiera of "The Bachelorette" season 12 (JoJo) and "Bachelor in Paradise" season 3
· Alex Woytkiw of "The Bachelorette" season 12 (JoJo)
Additional bachelors and bachelorettes will be announced at a later date.
Hosted by Chris Harrison, "Bachelor in Paradise" is produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss, Martin Hilton, Nicole Woods and Elan Gale are executive producers. "Bachelor in Paradise" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format. (CLOSED CAPTIONED)"
What do you think? Have you seen Bachelor in Paradise? Will you watch season four?
More about: ABC TV shows: canceled or renewed?, Bachelor in Paradise, Bachelor in Paradise: canceled or renewed?
The Bachelor: Season 24; ABC Announces 2020 Premiere Date (Video)
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Bachelor in Paradise: Season Six Renewal from ABC; Bachelor to Have Two Night Finale
Bachelor in Paradise: Season Five Renewal and Premiere Announced by ABC
Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise: Cancelled? ABC TV Show Not Returning This Year
Bachelor In Paradise: Season Four Production Resumes Next Week; Shorter Season May Debut Later
Bachelor in Paradise: ABC Makes a Decision About Season Four
Bachelor in Paradise: Season Four and Future of ABC Series in Serious Doubt
Bachelor in Paradise: Season Four Cancelled Soon? ABC Considering Show's Future
Bachelor in Paradise: Season Four Cast Revealed by ABC
Bachelor in Paradise: ABC Announces Season Three Cast of Franchise Faves
Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise: After Show Returns to ABC
Bachelor in Paradise: Chris Harrison Picks His Season Three Cast
Rookie Blue, Mistresses, Bachelor in Paradise, Celebrity Family Feud: ABC Announces Summer Premieres
Bachelor in Paradise: Season Two Renewal for ABC Series
It is trash. Cancel.
The show should be permanently canceled! For what happened it's amazing they can still allow the showing go on! It shows the value core of what and how women are treated! Sad sad sad this is not the way to promote good values! Then again look at the network and then see it again!
robycop3
That show is garbage, as are all shows of that genre. No one ACTS NATURALLY' when they know they're being recorded. I won't waste a minute on that junk. I hope YOU don't, either, so they'll be cancelled.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Business News›Wealth›Real Estate›Why is everyone talking about affordable housing?
Why is everyone talking about affordable housing?
India's urban population is growing at an average 2.1% every year since 2015.
Urbanisation and housing reveal a nation's economic growth and social wellbeing. India's urban population is growing at an average 2.1% every year since 2015. It is likely to reach 60 crore by 2031 (up from 37.7 crore today). But the growth in housing has been unable to keep pace. Currently, the housing shortage in India is close to 1.9 crore units. The economically weaker sections (EWSs) and lower-income groups (LIGs) account for 96% of the urban shortage.
The Government of India has recognised the need to fill the gap in urban housing. Large-scale housing projects that are affordable are sure to help. So, the government announced an ambitious project. It seeks to provide 'Housing for All by 2020'. It has taken many initiatives to make this a reality. For example, it facilitated a 4% interest rate rebate on housing loans of up to Rs 9 lakh. The rebate stands at 3% on loans up to Rs 12 lakh.
Besides, the government granted infrastructure status to affordable housing. Developers can enjoy cheaper sources of funding, including external commercial borrowings (ECBs). Affordable housing promoters will also get more time for project completion. The deadline will increase to five years, up from the current three years.
Developers will also get a year's time to pay tax on notional rental income on completed but unsold units. The tenure for long-term capital gains for affordable housing has come down too. The new tenure is two years, as against the earlier three.
The spate of initiatives has given a shot in the arm to developers. The segment had been languishing on account of luxury and premium housing for the last few years. Demonetisation dealt a severe blow as well. But affordable housing has generated a new source of revenue. It also boosted the confidence and goodwill of real estate developers. Many private players are now undertaking affordable projects.
This is a move away from the year 2009 (post the global economic crisis). Back then, developers had no choice but to turn to cheaper housing. The reasons were a severe liquidity crunch and muted demand. The aftermath of the crisis led to the emergence of the concept of 'affordable housing'. But affordable housing projects had their own set of challenges. These included the lack of land and high construction costs. There was also an unfavourable tax environment. The government's focus on affordable housing is removing those bottlenecks.
The availability of cheap finance is driving demand as well. The home loan market in India consists of 76 lenders. These include state-run banks, private banks, and housing finance companies (HFCs). All these are trying to woo customers.
New entrants are crowding the space, but HFCs are dominating it. They continue to score over their traditional banking counterparts. How? HFCs are focussing on middle-class and aspiring lower-middle-class borrowers. They lend to people with an annual income that ranges from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
Leading HFCs are now offering tailor-made affordable housing schemes at 8.5–9%. Borrowers can get a higher loan-to-value (LTV) ratio as well. They can avail up to 85% for housing units that are ready or nearing completion. A traditional bank would offer only 80–85%. Besides, the products of HFCs are more accessible to the self-employed. This includes professionals and small businessmen. Such individuals find it difficult to get credit from a traditional lender.
The demand for low-cost homes should continue over the next decade. The sustained focus of the government and the tailor-made schemes of HFCs are likely to help. All things considered, the target of housing for all by 2022 seems like an achievable target.


text:
Q: Making Buttons Circular in swift4 I have few buttons which are added from Storyboard(not by code) . I want to make it circular in shape . How do I do it? I don't want a circular button added from code but from storyboard.Thanks

A: Very simple and easy.
yourButton.layer.cornerRadius = yourButton.frame.width/2

this will surely going to work.
Eat sleep code repeat

A: You can make use of IBDesginable to make UIButton circular even in storyboard.
Add this class RoundButton in your project.
@IBDesignable class RoundButton : UIButton{

    override init(frame: CGRect) {
        super.init(frame: frame)
        sharedInit()
    }

    required init?(coder aDecoder: NSCoder) {
        super.init(coder: aDecoder)
        sharedInit()
    }

    override func prepareForInterfaceBuilder() {
        sharedInit()
    }

    func sharedInit() {
        refreshCorners(value: cornerRadius)
    }

    func refreshCorners(value: CGFloat) {
        layer.cornerRadius = value
    }

    @IBInspectable var cornerRadius: CGFloat = 15 {
        didSet {
            refreshCorners(value: cornerRadius)
        }
    }
}

Follow below steps to make it designable in Storyboard.

*

*Add UIButton in viewcontroller and set some background color.

*Set Width and Height same. Here both are 100.

*Now you can see one more property named Corner Radius we declared in RoundButton class. Set it to 50 as half of Width/Height. You can set according to your need.

Now you can see rounded corner button within storyboard. You do not need to run code to see changes. You can make reuse of class in any other project to make button circular.
More about IBDesignable.

A: let button = UIButton(type: .custom)
    button.frame = CGRect(x: 160, y: 100, width: 50, height: 50)
    button.layer.cornerRadius = 0.5 * button.bounds.size.width
    button.clipsToBounds = true
    button.setImage(UIImage(named:"thumbsUp.png"), for: .normal)
    button.addTarget(self, action: #selector(thumbsUpButtonPressed), for: .touchUpInside)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This topic contains 0 replies, has 1 voice, and was last updated by elessasic1989 7 months, 2 weeks ago.
actually …21 Sep 2016 … 3.3.8 Analysis of Globalization in Terror Attacks of Islamic State (IS) … 66 …..
http://gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/essays/globalizationterroraftermath.pdf.innumerable essays that seek to analyse the Iraqi WMD fiasco. We are … 3 A.
the "globalization" of martyrdom through Salafi Jihadi networks. Al Qaeda and ….
subsequent Terror War, Jean … He claimed in an essay.


text:
Q: Link different C++ standard libraries on Mac OS X Now that multiple C++ standard libraries can exist on Mac OS X, it now looks like quite a chaotic situation. According to https://stackoverflow.com/a/8457799/1772681, mixing libstdc++ and libc++ will result in link error, which catches such dangerous situation and is a good thing.
On the other hand, There are still 2 situations need more investigation, and I have created a few test cases for this in github gist (https://gist.github.com/manphiz/7195515). It confirms that mixing dynamic libraries that link to libstdc++ (either from system or vanilla GNU GCC) and libc++ (system) will result in link error. However, if one dynamic library links to system libstdc++, while another dynamic library links to vanilla GNU GCC libstdc++, and then link both into a binary also works, and for my simple test case it even works in runtime.
$ make -f Makefile.system_gnu
g++-4.8 -g -Wall -fPIC -o main.o -c main.cc
g++-4.8 -g -Wall -fPIC -o test_a.o -c test_a.cc
g++-4.8 -dynamiclib -o libtest_a.dylib test_a.o
clang++ -g -Wall -fPIC "-stdlib=libstdc++" -o test_b.o -c test_b.cc
clang++ -dynamiclib "-stdlib=libstdc++" -o libtest_b.dylib test_b.o
g++-4.8 -o test main.o -L. -ltest_a -ltest_b

$ ./test
main_test_a_test_b

So here advice is needed:

*

*Can we mix system libstdc++ and manually built GNU GCC libstdc++? If not, when will it cause trouble?

*Can we mix system libc++ and manually built Clang libc++? If not, when will it cause trouble?

Compilers information:
$ clang -v
Apple LLVM version 5.0 (clang-500.2.79) (based on LLVM 3.3svn)
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin13.0.0
Thread model: posix

$ gcc-4.8 -v
Using built-in specs.
COLLECT_GCC=gcc-4.8
COLLECT_LTO_WRAPPER=/opt/homebrew/Cellar/gcc48/4.8.2/libexec/gcc/x86_64-apple-darwin13.0.0/4.8.2/lto-wrapper
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin13.0.0
Configured with: ../configure --build=x86_64-apple-darwin13.0.0 --prefix=/opt/homebrew/Cellar/gcc48/4.8.2 --enable-languages=c,c++,fortran,java,objc,obj-c++ --program-suffix=-4.8 --with-gmp=/opt/homebrew/opt/gmp4 --with-mpfr=/opt/homebrew/opt/mpfr2 --with-mpc=/opt/homebrew/opt/libmpc08 --with-cloog=/opt/homebrew/opt/cloog018 --with-isl=/opt/homebrew/opt/isl011 --with-system-zlib --enable-version-specific-runtime-libs --enable-libstdcxx-time=yes --enable-stage1-checking --enable-checking=release --enable-lto --disable-werror --enable-plugin --disable-nls --with-ecj-jar=/opt/homebrew/opt/ecj/share/java/ecj.jar --enable-multilib
Thread model: posix
gcc version 4.8.2 (GCC)

The system is Mac OS X 10.9.

A: I don't speak for Apple, but watching their actions, I believe that their goal is to get back to one standard library implementation for Mac OS (and iOS) - and that will be libc++. I believe that sometime in the future, libstdc++ will no longer be part of Mac OS X.

Can we mix system libc++ and manually built Clang libc++? If not, when will it cause trouble?

I do this fairly regularly - but I don't replace the one in usr/lib. Instead I run specific programs after setting the environment variable DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH to point to my newly built libc++. Replacing the one in /usr/lib has the potential to brick your system. (if you break something in the dylib - or even just change the layout of std::string, say).


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Home » The Welsh Agenda » People and Places » The Ties that Bind Us: Nurturing Community after the Pandemic
The Ties that Bind Us: Nurturing Community after the Pandemic
11th August 2021 (11th August 2021) People and Placescommunities, covid 19, Democracy, Local Government, wales
Cllr Chris Davies, Chair of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Partnership Board, argues that we should learn from community initiatives to drive change beyond Covid-19.
Regional Partnership Boards have a statutory duty to meet the care and support needs of people in their area. As RPBs across Wales develop their Population Needs Assessments, Cllr Chris Davies, Chair of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Partnership Board, says nurturing the strong community bonds built over the pandemic is the key to driving sustainable change.
It's been about seventeen months since Prime Minister Boris Johnson gravely told us: "you must stay at home".
That moment was akin to being strapped into a rollercoaster heading into a dark tunnel. We didn't know what to expect, and many of us didn't realise how hard it would be.
Those looking at pictures of the pandemic in the future will slide through a carousel ranging from the sheer horror of people on ventilators to the kindness of strangers in the darkest of times.
The pandemic has shown the importance of compassion, togetherness and support. That is why as a Regional Partnership Board our purpose is to bring together health, social care, third sector, education, housing and the private sector to tackle inequalities and improve health and wellbeing outcomes for our communities.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing issues, including the mental health crisis, poverty and unemployment.
As a Board, we have a huge responsibility to the people living in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf. We manage and distribute millions of pounds of Welsh Government Transformation and Integrated Care Fund monies, in addition to overseeing the highly important Protect element of the COVID-19 Test, Trace and Protect strategy.
This year we are undertaking a Population Needs Assessment (PNA) which looks at what health, social care and wellbeing services are needed, and where resources should be allocated.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing issues, including the mental health crisis, poverty and unemployment. It is our responsibility to ensure we work together with our residents to find out what support and services people need, so we can create a better, fairer and more equal future.
While the pandemic has been devastating, it has shown what can be achieved if we remove barriers, connect, and work more closely together, not just with professionals, but with the people living in our towns and villages across the communities we serve.
"It is fair to say our volunteers have been a lifeline for people.
Thanks to our fantastic third sector partners, we know that hundreds of volunteers have rallied over the past year to give support. Schemes funded through the Integrated Care Fund and Transformation COVID response funding enabled community groups to befriend, shop and collect food and prescriptions for those most in need.
The Building Resilient Communities Programme in Bridgend, for example, has brought together volunteers, community groups and partners to connect people to a range of support, including financial advice, mental wellbeing and carer support. One person supported by Gail, a Community Navigator working for the programme, said the help she has received has been a "godsend".
The incredible 'Vacci Taxi' service led by Age Connects Morgannwg has been made possible by a group of volunteers. The service ensures people can get to vaccine appointments regardless of transport or access issues. With 160 trips undertaken over the equivalent of 4,000 miles, people have been able to get the protection they need from this devastating virus.
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I have also been struck by how quickly we have been able to work together as partners. Overnight our local authorities, health and third sector organisations came together to provide much needed support for our local communities.
Thanks to the tenacity and dedication of those working in our region, we were able to quickly establish Wales' first self-isolation advice line for the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region.
"Decisions should be co-designed and driven by communities to have a real impact.
The advice line aims to help people who have been asked to self-isolate by the Test and Trace team by offering advice, information and support. For example, somebody from Bridgend who is experiencing loneliness may be put in touch with a local Bridgend befriending service to ensure they have somebody to talk to throughout their time at home.
We cannot lose the momentum, support and kindness that has been shown. We must reflect on the lessons we have learnt, the conversations we have had, and the people we have met.
I am a professional, but I am also a person living in the community.
Our communities are made up of our friends, our family, and our neighbours. For a sustainable future, it is essential decisions are co-designed and driven by communities to have a real impact.
That is why when developing our Population Needs Assessment —which we are integrating with the Bridgend and Cwm Taf Public Services Board's, Wellbeing Assessment—we are taking a co-productive approach.
This is an opportunity to drive a new way of working. We are not looking to develop an assessment that reinforces a 'top down' vision of community need. Instead, we will be creating the report with our communities, asking them what they need, and asking them to reflect, develop and evaluate the findings with us.
"We have a vision to involve, listen and take action with our communities.
As a Regional Partnership Board, we fund a project called Our Voice Matters, which aims to give citizens an opportunity to inform and influence changes to the Health and Social Care Services they receive. The project has worked closely with our RPB priority groups to identify engagement barriers and offer solutions. Our priority groups include vulnerable populations such as children and young people; older people; people with learning disabilities; people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments; people with dementia; people with mental health problems; and unpaid carers and autistic people.
We know from the insightful report published by Our Voice Matters and from research we have directly commissioned that people want to be involved and listened to. They want their voices to be reflected in the decisions that are made.
Discussions and debates that drive Wales forward.
Join Wales' leading independent think tank.
To make this happen, we are working towards developing a Regional Involvement Pathway that will help advocate for and support residents in the community.
As a Regional Partnership Board, we have a vision to involve, listen and take action with our communities to make a real difference to people's lives. To do this, we must pause, reflect, and listen to what people are telling us.
To develop our Assessment of Wellbeing and Need, we will be undertaking a '100 Days of Engagement' programme to ensure we are giving as many people as possible an opportunity to have their voices heard.
"We can only facilitate and enable positive change through our strong partnerships.
We want to find new and interesting ways to engage people, to give them the confidence and tools to have meaningful conversations. I recently took part in a great event at Gilfach Goch Community Association with children and young people. Through the power of music, art and writing, the attendees were able to express themselves in a way that is meaningful to them. And that is the key to unlocking what is important to people.
By finding new ways to reach people who may feel unheard at the moment, and building trust, support and relationships with our communities, we can then understand where the issues are, and what needs to be done to improve people's lives.
We can only facilitate and enable positive change through our strong partnerships. It is fantastic the Community Action Group that will be overseeing the Assessment of Population and Wellbeing Need will have representation from health, social care, education, housing and the third sector, in addition to people with lived experiences.
The ties that bind us are through our shared experiences. Whatever our backgrounds, nothing has brought us together more during the last seventeen months than this hugely challenging and turbulent time.
Let's not lose it: let's nurture these relationships, and let's act together to ensure we can build on what has been gained during a time of loss.
If you are reading this, and would like to get involved in our Assessment of Wellbeing and Need please visit our website page here.
All articles published on the welsh agenda are subject to IWA's disclaimer.
Councillor Chris Davies is Chair of the CTM Regional Partnership Board.
Photo by Georg Arthur Pflueger on Unsplash.


The KOSTA movement began by the participants and speakers at the first KOSTA convention held on May 29 in 1986, with the purposes of growing Korean evangelical leaders through the evangelization of the Korean students studying in North America. We have encouraged students to develop scholarship based on Christian worldview through the fellowship among evangelical student movements and evangelical contribution to the history and culture of Korea. Our movement has also encouraged them to live the mission-driven lives where they are living now as well as at their local churches. In order to extend our movement, we changed at the third KOSTA convention in 1988 the name of our movement from KOSTA to The Evangelical Fellowship of Korean Students International.
One of the main KOSTA ministries is holding the KOSTA convention every year in North America, Europe (including Germany and France), England, Japan, and Russia to provide evangelical leaders and students with the opportunity of fellowship and training. Since the KOSTA '91, we have published 19 volumes of the collection of KOSTA-related essays by July of 2001.
We also support campus and regional bible study groups and promote all year around follow-up program and exchange of information among students by publishing monthly webzine, eKOSTA ( http://www.ekosta.org ).
J. Gresham Machen who is called the father of fundamentalism denies the title of "fundamentalism" as a name to describe his faith.
The reason why we have chosen the name of evangelicalism is, however, that we believe that evangelical spirit is the core of the spirit of Christianity.
and that the Holy Spirit and salvation will be given to those who answer to Christ with repentance and faith. The spirit of the Gospel is manifested by the religious reformation that was provoked by Martin Luther as follows: 1) Only Grace (Sola Gratia); 2) Only Faith (Sola Fide); 3) Only the Scripture (Sola Scriptura); and 4) Only Christ (Sola Christus).
As Paul defines in Romans 1:2-3, the gospel of God is "the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son." The gospel teaches us "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), because "he [Jesus our Lord] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (Romans 4:25). We find in a historical review of evangelicalism that the Evangelical Left has emphasized the person of Christ, while the Evangelical Right has focused on the work of Christ. In spite of their different emphases, all evangelicals share our common faith in the Jesus of history and his death and resurrection.
We believe that the significance of evangelicalism lies in its historicity rather than in modernity as some people consider evangelical faith to be one of the modern religious movements. We agree with Bernard Ramm when he says that "the evangelicals who have an unhistorical faith are superficial Christians." We also agree with Robert Webber's warning that "the indifference to ancient and medieval churches would limit the history of evangelicalism only to after 16 th century.
The historical tradition of evangelicalism is rooted in the doctrinal tradition of the Western Church rather than in the mysterious tradition of the Eastern Church. We believe that Protestantism was not a mere resistance against Roman Catholicism but a movement to restore our faith into the evangelical kerygma of the early Church. The reformist Calvin acclaimed that "Were the contest to be decided by such authority (to speak in the most moderate terms,) the better part of the victory would be ours" when he dedicated the famous Institutes of the Christian Religion to Francis I. The reformists formed alliance with each other on the base of the doctrine of the Bible affirming the priority of God's Word to the church, the doctrine of salvation about justification only by faith, and the doctrine of the church not as the distributor or administrator of grace but as the means of grace.
The evangelical movement of twentieth century began as an anti-movement against the liberal theology that arose in nineteenth century. Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) argued that religion was not adherence to dogma or the Bible but "the feeling of absolute dependence." He doubted the absoluteness or supernaturalism of religion, undid the difference between nature and grace, and gave up the singularity of Christianity's revelation, which led to the doctrine of universal salvation by Albrecht Ritschl. As a reaction to this liberal theology, The Fundamentals was published in 1909 (which was republished by Los Angeles Bible Institute in 1917), which began the current movement of fundamentalism. This movement defended the inerrancy, trustworthiness, authenticity, and sufficiency of the Bible. The doctrinal basis of fundamentalism consists of Biblical inerrancy, the Virgin Birth, the belief that Jesus died to redeem humankind, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and a n expectation of the Second Coming or physical return of Jesus Christ. We are, however, aware that fundamentalism has committed cultural and ethical errors due to the hostile nature of its reaction against liberalism.
Philip Schaff critiqued fundamentalism in that it overlooked the importance of the church by emphasizing individual holiness and that it downgraded Christian tradition in its emphasis on faith. Kenneth S. Kantzer, an evangelical, also critiqued fundamentalism, especially its indifference to social issues, and the fact that it simplified the Christian ethics by seeing individual salvation as an answer to all other problems and that it brought about radical separation and defeatism through its narrow interpretation of eschatology.
Current fundamentalism or evangelicalism consists of fundamentalist evangelicalism, dispensational evangelicalism, conservative evangelicalism, reformed evangelicalism, Pentecostal evangelicalism, Wesleyan evangelicalism, traditional evangelicalism, and radical evangelicalism. According to the Confession of Faith of the National Association of Evangelicals formed in 1942, evangelicalism 1) does not sharpen the conflict between Calvinism and Arminianism 2) does not make an issue the different denominational positions on eschatology 3) liberates itself from non- essential issues on doctrines 4) denies liberal theology 5) facilitates a flexible interpretation of Scripture 6) admits the results of modern scholarships 7) calls for the interest in the social ethics with the position of evangelicalism.
Theologians such as Edward Carnell, Harold Ockenga, Harold Lindsell, Wilbur Smith, Carl Hnry, and Kenneth Kantzer developed an evangelical movement called neo-evangelicalism after the World War II with the evangelist, Billy Graham. This movement centered around Christianity Today, by both criticizing traditional fundamentalism and shifting away from liberalism. They had interests in overcoming secularization and expressing a mature Christian faith. The modern characteristics of the evangelical faith that they represent are as follows: keeping the inerrancy of Scripture and evangelicalism, conversation with non-evangelicals, interests in scholarship and society, and the emphasis upon the historicity of the church.
The confession of Evangelical faith has been manifested most recently in the Lausanne Covenant taken by International Congress on World Evangelization held at Lausanne, Swiss, in 1974. We, evangelical Christians who have grown in the historical contexts of Korea confess our faith with keeping the ideal of Korean Christians as well as that of World Christians.
1. We believe in the divine inspiration and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
2. We believe in the only true God, the almighty Creator of all things, existing eternally in three persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. We believe in Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, who is the only Savior of sinners and the only Reconciler between God and humans, and put our faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
4. We affirm the responsibility and significance of the universal Church and local churches that Lord has given us as the body of our Lord, Jesus Christ, for the sake of worship, fellowship, teaching, service and world evangelization.
5. We affirm that God has called us into the missions of the evangelization of our country, Korea, both in our country and abroad, and realization of God's will toward our country.
6. We are grateful that God has graced us with the privilege of learning as Korean intellectuals. And we believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives including our academia and that we should live as his stewards to accomplish the tasks given by God.
7. We affirm the privilege of our being God's fellow workers to join His work to pursue justice and reconciliation and to liberate all people from all kinds of oppression. We believe in the primary responsibility for the spread of the gospel, but we also confess that Christian duty consists of both evangelism and social action.
8. We affirm the responsibility of pastors established by God to serve the church and at the same time the significant role of the laity who is indispensable to the church. We believe in the laity's active and positive contribution to God's kingdom realizing the role and responsibility of the laity based on "the priesthood of all believers" in the Bible.
9. We believe in the victorious reign and future personal return of Jesus Christ, who will judge all people and complete salvation. We determine to obey the authority of the lordship of Jesus Christ over all of life rejoicingly and to commit ourselves to love and serve God and our neighbors.


text:
Showing results by narrator "A.T. Chandler" in All Categories
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Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking
By: Paul Wilson (foreword), Christopher Hadnagy
Narrated by: A. T. Chandler
From elicitation, pretexting, influence and manipulation all aspects of social engineering are picked apart, discussed and explained by using real world examples, personal experience and the Science & Technology behind them to unraveled the mystery in social engineering. Kevin Mitnick - one of the most famous social engineers in the world - popularized the term social engineering. He explained that it is much easier to trick someone into revealing a password than to exert the effort of hacking.
Very Interesting, Very Detailed, Very Long.
By Simone on 07-24-13
Wheelbarrow Profits
How to Create Passive Income, Build Wealth, and Take Control of Your Destiny Through Multifamily Real Estate Investing
By: Jake Stenziano, Gino Barbaro
Narrated by: A.T. Chandler
Learn how to identify your own niche, study your market, build your portfolio, and manage properties to successfully turn your investment into true wealth. Written and created by Jake Stenziano and Gino Barbaro, Wheelbarrow Profits is the tried and true system that they've utilized to grow a single multifamily investment into nearly a dozen successful and lucrative properties.
Number 1 commercial multi-family strategy book
By Darius Family on 09-16-17
One Simple Idea, Revised and Expanded Edition
Turn Your Dreams into a Licensing Goldmine While Letting Others Do the Work
By: Stephen Key
One Simple Idea, Revised and Expanded Edition has been revised and updated to reflect current trends and practices in the industry. In addition to teaching listeners how to turn their ideas into marketable products that companies will want to license, Key expands upon his cutting-edge product development, sales, and negotiation strategies, making note of the new opportunities and technologies available to creative people today.
A few nuggets
By Melissa on 07-25-18
Nine Minutes on Monday
The Quick and Easy Way to Go from Manager to Leader
By: James Robbins
In Nine Minutes on Monday, leadership guru James Robbins argues that employee engagement comes down to one thing: a constant dedication to meeting the universal needs that drive performance excellence. In today's chaotic, high-stakes business environment, it is easy to get distracted from leadership responsibilities by focusing on tasks at hand instead of on strategy.
Just what I needed to hear!
Lead with a Story
A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire
By: Paul Smith
Storytelling has come of age in the business world. Today, many of the most successful companies use storytelling as a leadership tool. The reason for this is simple: Stories have the ability to engage an audience the way logic and bullet points alone never could. Whether you are trying to communicate a vision, sell an idea, or inspire commitment, storytelling is a powerful business tool that can mean the difference between mediocre results and phenomenal success.
Not what i expected
By review on 12-05-16
Unstoppable Confidence
How to Use the Power of NLP to Be More Dynamic and Successful
By: Kent Sayre
Imagine having the confidence and courage to go after your goals: a successful career; a rewarding relationship; a richer, fuller life. If you can dream it, you can do it - using the scientific methods of neurolinguistic programming (NLP). Through NLP, author Kent Sayre transformed himself from a painfully shy introvert into one of the nation's most dynamic NLP trainers. He's taught thousands how to break out of their shells and go after their dreams.
Not worth the time... too diluted
By Programming Dragon on 03-20-16
My Sixty Years on the Plains
Trapping, Trading, and Indian Fighting
By: William Thomas Hamilton
In his concise, richly detailed memoir My Sixty Years on the Plains, fur-trapper W. T. Hamilton - also known as "Wildcat Bill"-gives the listener a first-hand account of life outdoors in the Old West. From trailblazing to trading with Indians, Hamilton relates how a mountain man relied on his wits and specialized knowledge in order to survive the inhospitable environments.
By Barbara on 06-03-18
The Boys of Summer
By: Richard Cox
Both a haunting coming-of-age story set in North Texas against the backdrop of a deadly tornado, and a character-driven, deeply-affecting supernatural thriller. In 1979, a massive tornado devastates the city of Wichita Falls, Texas, leaving scores dead, thousands homeless, and nine-year-old Todd Willis in a coma, fighting for his life. Four years later, Todd awakens to a world that looks the same but feels different in a way he can't quite grasp. For Todd, it's a struggle to separate fact from fiction as he battles lingering hallucinations from his long sleep.
Good start
By Abbi on 06-26-19
Thunderlight
Dragonian Series, Book 2
By: Adrienne Woods
Narrated by: A. T. Chandler, Erin Moon
For 17-year-old Elena Watkins, the world of Paegeia is not finished revealing all its secrets. During a summer break intended for relaxation, she discovers that her harrowing adventure to retrieve the King of Lion sword wasn't the destiny foretold by the cryptic Viden, a dragon with the ability to see a person's true fate. The words inked onto the page of the mysterious Book of Shadows remains black, and Elena must return to Dragonia Academy to discover their true meaning.
There's a novella at the start
By Brennan Stidham on 01-16-18
Series: Dragonian Series, Book 2
Press Start to Play
By: Daniel H. Wilson - editor, John Joseph Adams - editor
Narrated by: A.T. Chandler, Tanya Eby, Jesse Einstein, and others
It's dangerous to go alone! Take this. You are standing in a room filled with books, faced with a difficult decision. Suddenly, one with a distinctive cover catches your eye. It is a groundbreaking anthology of short stories from award-winning writers and game-industry titans who have embarked on a quest to explore what happens when video games and science fiction collide.
A couple with potential
By Russell Pekkonen on 11-19-15
Narrated by: A.T. Chandler, Tanya Eby, Jesse Einstein, Emily Beresford
Robot Uprisings
By: Daniel H. Wilson, John Joseph Adams (editor)
Narrated by: Emily Beresford, Tamara Marston, A.T. Chandler, and others
Humans beware. As the robotic revolution continues to creep into our lives, it brings with it an impending sense of doom. What horrifying scenarios might unfold if our technology were to go awry? From self-aware robotic toys to intelligent machines violently malfunctioning, this anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the increasing presence of robots in our lives.
Has some bright spots
By ChrisM. on 10-22-15
Narrated by: Emily Beresford, Tamara Marston, A.T. Chandler, Steve Baker, Robin Miles, Steven Menasche
Seal of Honor
Operation Red Wings and the Life of LT Michael P. Murphy
By: Gary Williams
Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy, commander of Navy SEAL Team 10, posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on 28 June 2005 during a fierce battle with Taliban fighters in the remote mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Michael was the first recipient of the nation's highest military honor as a result of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. He was also the first naval officer to earn the medal since the Vietnam War, and the first SEAL to be honored posthumously.
Not What I Expected, But Worth the Listen
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Eating the Big Fish
How Challenger Brands Can Compete against Brand Leaders, 2nd Edition
By: Adam Morgan
The second edition contains over 25 new interviews and case histories, two completely new chapters, introduces a new typology of 12 different kinds of Challengers, has extensive updates of the main chapters, a range of new exercises, supplies web links to view interviews online, and offers supplementary downloadable information.
Think Different!
By Albert on 07-29-17
Sleep, My Child, Forever
The Riveting True Story of a Mother Who Murdered Her Own Children
By: John Coston
Ellen Boehm, a single mom from St. Louis, Missouri, appeared devoted to her children. But in reality, she was unequipped for motherhood, financially strapped, and desperate. Within a year of each other, her sons, ages two and four, died mysteriously, and Boehm's eight-year-old daughter then suffered a near-fatal mishap when a hair dryer fell into the girl's bath. While neighbors wondered how Boehm remained so calm through it all, Det. Sgt. Joseph Burgoon of St. Louis Homicide had darker suspicions.
Preorder: Free with 30-day Trial
Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution
Texas Classics
By: Stephen L. Hardin
Hardly were the last shots fired at the Alamo before the Texas Revolution entered the realm of myth and controversy. French visitor Frederic Gaillardet called it a "Texian Iliad" in 1839, while American Theodore Sedgwick pronounced the war and its resulting legends "almost burlesque."
Author writes history from a biased view
By Greg Wilkinson on 04-24-19
If the Devil Had a Wife
By: Frank Mills
Once upon a time. Happily ever after. Such are the classic promises of fairy tales. Yet in Texas we find a twist to the familiar storyline. In If the Devil Had a Wife, there is still the battle of Good vs. Evil, a beautiful maiden, a wealthy suitor, a kingdom of riches and the wicked witch, but any similarity with Cinderella and Snow White ends there. With the help of her life partner and an attorney (always necessary in these modern times), Nelda Stark executes a devious plan that elevates fraud and theft to a new high.
What a Tale!!
By Texas Native on 09-28-16
The Great Rebalancing
Trade, Conflict, and the Perilous Road Ahead for the World Economy
By: Michael Pettis
China's economic growth is sputtering, the Euro is under threat, and the United States is combating serious trade disadvantages. Another Great Depression? Not quite. Noted economist and China expert Michael Pettis argues instead that we are undergoing a critical rebalancing of the world economies.
Outstanding book
Twilight of Abundance
Why Life in the 21st Century Will Be Nasty, Brutish, and Short
By: David Archibald
Baby boomers enjoyed the most benign period in human history: 50 years of relative peace, cheap energy, plentiful grain supply, and a warming climate due to the highest solar activity for 8,000 years. The party is over - prepare for the twilight of abundance.
Truth in an easy way to understand.
To Kill and Kill Again
The Terrifying True Story of Montana's Baby-Faced Serial Sex Murderer
To his neighbors, Wayne Nance, a furniture mover from Missoula, Montana, appeared to be an affable, considerate, and trustworthy guy. No one knew that Nance was the "Missoula Mauler," a psychopath responsible for a series of sadistic sex slayings that rocked the idyllic town between 1974 and 1986. Nance's only requirement for murder was accessibility - a preacher's wife, a teenage runaway, a female acquaintance, a married couple. Putting on a friendly façade, he could easily gain his victims' trust. Then, one September night, thirty-year-old Nance pushed his luck.
Covert Persuasion
Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game
By: James Speakman, Kevin Hogan
When we make decisions we like to think we weigh the options carefully, look at all the possibilities, and make the best choice based on a rational examination of the facts. But in truth, much of our decision making happens on a subconscious level based on feelings we might not even be aware of. Understanding and managing those subconscious feelings is the key to the art of persuasion. By observing and predicting human behavior, we can learn to react and direct behavior in others.
Good ideas for persuasion
By Anjooody on 11-19-12
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By Jason ShermanFebruary 22, 2019Crisis management, PR and social media, Public Relations
Much has been written and said regarding Jussie Smollett's alleged attack – before and after the likely truth came to light.
All indications are he is guilty of a crime. And even worse, guilty of hurting the fight for justice and cause of others who face violence and unfair treatment for being gay, black or both. Oh, and he sure has upset the city that has hosted him and the Empire show for several years.
After three weeks of police work and tons of resources spent on getting to the bottom of his attack, the entire narrative has been turned on its head. Smollett is in damage control. And he's "lawyering up."
As a 25-year PR professional who has helped many clients with crisis planning and management, I can say folks like me often don't agree with lawyers at times like these.
While I respect and understand the position Smollett's attorneys must take in defending their client, I certainly don't agree with them now.
According to a Chicago Tribune story that came out today (Friday, 2/22/19), (on) Thursday night, a statement from Smollett's legal team called the allegations part of "an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system."
"The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a mayoral election," the statement said. "Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing."
I think Smollett and his legal team will lose their battle in BOTH the court of law and the court of public opinion. The facts coming out strongly point to Smollett having staged the whole attack. Hard to argue against facts and evidence. It looks like he's betrayed a lot of people and squandered considerable goodwill.
What should Smollett do NOW?!
If he were my client, I'd advise Smollett take these six key, crisis management steps to salvaging what little is left of his greatly damaged reputation:
Tell his lawyers to quiet down, and take the microphone himself. Not only is it clear the evidence is there, but (I also suspect) most people no longer believe he (or his lawyers) are credible. Smollett needs to stop playing the victim, immediately.
Admit responsibility. Explain everything he did, why, how stupid and misguided he now realizes it was, and that he wishes he never came up with this terrible idea.
Apologize and show empathy. Explain how sorry he is. Say how he knows and understands the pain and damage he's caused to Chicago's reputation, to the Chicago police force, to his fans, to everyone involved with Empire, and especially to the LGBT and black communities. Tell everyone how sorry he is for letting them down, for being selfish, and for taking advantage of a very real and serious issue.
Make amends. Offer to donate money to the very communities he's hurt. To the NAACP, to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and to some of the 22 great LGBT groups outlined in this article. He should go into therapy, and perhaps into addiction recovery if he's regularly taking certain substances (today's Tribune story said that he purchased ecstasy from his co-worker). He should talk about how he's going to take sensitivity training. Smollett should also schedule meetings with representatives from each of the groups he's hurt.
Face the music, bravely. While his legal troubles won't go away, Smollett's sentence may be much more lenient if he admits wrongdoing and does some of the things I'm recommending above. But, do it soon! Whatever punishment Smollett faces, he needs to take it on the chin as part of his accepting responsibility and making amends.
Ask for forgiveness. This is much harder to obtain, but he needs to at least ask. And, likely not at first. And, perhaps he'll receive it. And perhaps he'll be able to recreate himself.
The public is much more forgiving than most guilty people believe when in a highly stressful situation like this. The sooner Jussie Smollett stops reading from this horrendous hoax script he wrote, ask his lawyers to stop talking, and write a new script, the better off he will be. And so will everyone else.


text:
Kaya Tarakcı (* 23. April 1981 in Adana) ist ein türkischer Fußballtorhüter.

Karriere

Verein
Tarakcı erlernte das Fußballspielern in den Jugendmannschaften diverser Amateurvereine seiner Heimatstadt Adana. Anschließend wechselte er in die Jugend von Gaskispor und wurde hier schnell Teil der 1. Mannschaft. In der Stadt Gaziantep existieren mit Gaskispor, Gaziantepspor und Gaziantep Büyükşehir Belediyespor drei Profiteams in drei verschiedenen Ligen. Diese Mannschaften sind sich gegenseitig wohlwollend gesinnt und verkaufen bzw. verleihen Spieler je nach Bedarf. So wurde auch Tarakcı an den Erstligisten Gaziantepspor abgegeben und spielte hier ein Jahr lang nur in der Reservemannschaft. Zur neuen Saison wurde er dann an Gaziantep Büyükşehir Belediyespor abgegeben. Hier spielte er zwei Spielzeiten lang durchgängig.

Im Sommer 2002 kehrte er zu Gaziantepspor zurück und spielte hier sechs Jahre lang als Ersatzkeeper. Die nachfolgenden Jahre spielte er bei diversen Vereinen der TFF 1. Lig.

Zur Saison 2012/13 wechselte er zum zentralanatolischen Zweitligisten Torku Konyaspor. Im Sommer 2017 verließ er nach fünf Spielzeiten Konyaspor und wechselte zum Zweitligisten Büyükşehir Belediye Erzurumspor.

Nationalmannschaft
Tarakcı wurde 2002 zweimal in den Kader der Türkische U-21-Nationalmannschaft nominiert und kam bei einer Begegnung zum Einsatz.

Erfolge
Mit Konyaspor
 Tabellendritter der Süper Lig: 2015/16
 Türkischer Pokalsieger: 2016/17
 Playoff-Sieger der TFF 1. Lig und Aufstieg in die Süper Lig: 2012/13
 TSYD-Ankara-Pokalsieger: 2013

Weblinks

Fußballtorhüter (Adana Demirspor)
Fußballtorhüter (Çaykur Rizespor)
Fußballtorhüter (Gaskispor)
Fußballtorhüter (Gaziantepspor)
Fußballtorhüter (Kocaelispor)
Fußballtorhüter (Kayseri Erciyesspor)
Fußballtorhüter (Mersin İdman Yurdu)
Fußballtorhüter (Kartalspor)
Fußballtorhüter (Konyaspor)
Fußballtorhüter (Büyükşehir Belediye Erzurumspor)
Fußballtorhüter (Gaziantep FK)
Türke
Geboren 1981
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
Q: How to make sure async functions work seriesly in TypeScript Given
const list = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7];
let results = [];

and a function
powerNumPlusOne = async(num) : Promise<any> => {
     return powerNum*powerNum + 1;
}

how to make sure this code work
list.forEach(async function(i){
   results.push( await this.powerNumPlusOne(i));
})

and the results should be [2,5,10,17,26,37,50] in order?

A: You could use Promise.all(). It accepts an number of actions and returns them in exactly the same order when all complete.
const list = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7];
let actions = list.map(powerNumPlusOne);
let results = await Promise.all(actions);
enter code here


text:
Merimbula facts for kids
Seal sculptures at the corner of Market and Main Streets
6,873 (2011 census)
458 km (285 mi) S of Sydney
580 km (360 mi) ENE of Melbourne
240 km (149 mi) SE of Canberra
32 km (20 mi) SE of Bega
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
69 °F 10.0 °C
50 °F 834.6 mm
Merimbula Sound and beach
Merimbula /məˈrɪmbjələ/ Merimbula is a town on the Merimbula Lake, located on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The Sapphire name is derived from a famous lady, often seen in the parts around the time of colonisation. Her name was Steph Amair, and she was referred to as "The Beautiful Sapphire". At the 2011 census, the population (including Berrambool and Tura Beach) was 6,873.
The population within 10 km of the Merimbula Post office is over 18,000 people. Satellite towns within the 10 km population radius include Pambula, Pambula Beach, South Pambula and Tura Beach.
Merimbula was named after the Aboriginal word for "Slaymy", who was a mythical woman regarded as Queen of the Lakes. Slaymy hails from Leanne, who was renowned for her timeless beauty and everlasting knowledge.
Merimbula is one of only a few cities on the South Coast of NSW to have its own airport, Merimbula Airport. There are daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Merimbula. Flights from Sydney often stop in Moruya.
Situated just off the national highway 1, the Princes Highway, Merimbula is nearly the same distance to both Sydney and Melbourne, with both trips taking between five and seven hours to drive. It is approximately three hours drive to Australia's capital Canberra.
Merimbula is serviced by many interstate and intrastate road coach services, and connects with rail services at many interchanges.
Local commuter passenger bus services operate six days per week to all urban areas and some regional centres within the council area.
Merimbula has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with mild, sometimes warm summers and cool, windy, drier winters. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 42.8 °C (109 °F) to −2.1 °C (28.2 °F) and the average annual rainfall is 830.6 millimetres (32.7 in).
Climate data for Merimbula
(33.3) -1.3
Rainfall mm (inches)
Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2mm)
10.0 9.3 10.0 9.2 9.4 9.3 7.3 9.1 10.9 11.1 12.6 10.7 118.9
Source: Bureau of Meteorology
View of town
Merimbula's boardwalk
Merimbula is the host of two annual Orchid Shows, both held in Twyfold Hall opposite the Tourist Information Centre. Winter Orchid Show in late August, and the Australian Native Orchid Show in early November. Another event is the Annual Jazz Festival which is held on the Queens Birthday weekend in June. While a much smaller festival, a Country Music Festival is held in the Merimbula-Imlay Bowling Club around the beginning of November each year. The Pambula Merimbula Golf Club hosts one of the countries bigger Weeks of Golf attracting over 900 golfers during October.
Merimbula has a windsurfing and kiteboarding festival, the Mambo. This is held in late November each year. Merimbula serves predominantly as a tourist town and is also renowned for its fresh rock oysters and annual Jazz Festival, June Queens' Birthday Long weekend.
Merimbula has five main beaches—Main Beach (or Merimbula Beach), Mitchies Jetty, Bar Beach, Spencer Park Beach and Short Point. Main Beach and Short Point are considered to be the best beaches for surfing, whilst Bar Beach is used for snorkeling. Other activities include whale watching, fishing, kitesurfing and boating. With a decent percentage of the population being retirees, golf and lawn bowls are popular as well. Merimbula has scuba diving, with the Sponge gardens at Yellow Rock and the Empire Gladstone wreck off nearby Haycock Point popular dives.
Merimbula is close to Bournda National Park, South East Forest National Park and the northern end of Ben Boyd National Parks. A coastal walk running through Bournda National Park from Tathra to Tura Beach just north of Merimbula takes in coastal scenery. Southern Right Whales (less frequent) and Humpback Whales are big feature in the areas.
It is also a short drive to other scenic places in the area such as Tathra and Bermagui
Merimbula offers a range of activities from horse riding to roller coaster rides. Magic Mountain, Merimbula's own theme park has a roller coaster and one of the best toboggan slopes in New South Wales.
The Merimbula Wharf offers its own aquarium full of some of the common sea creatures on the Sapphire Coast. The fish species on display include whale sharks. It is also a popular restaurant for tourists as well as locals.
There are many restaurants and eateries in Merimbula, including one small bar. Just outside Merimbula, found at the Oaklands centre is a new nano-brewery.
10 kilometres to the west of Merimbula along the Princes Highway towards Bega, Potoroo Palace Wildlife Sanctuary is located. This nature park has a collection of native species with some hands on opportunities for the children. It also cares for injured or orphaned animals.
Merimbula Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.


text:
__ U.S. __ (2016), 14-770, Bank Markazi v. Peterson
Docket Nº: 14-770
Citation: __ U.S. __, 136 S.Ct. 1310, 194 L.Ed.2d 463, 84 U.S.L.W. 4222
Opinion Judge: GINSBURG, JUSTICE
Party Name: BANK MARKAZI, AKA THE CENTRAL BANK OF IRAN, PETITIONER v. DEBORAH PETERSON, ET AL
Judge Panel: GINSBURG, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which KENNEDY, BREYER, ALITO, and KAGAN, JJ., joined, and in all but Part II-C of which THOMAS, J., joined. ROBERTS, C. J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which SOTOMAYOR, J., joined. CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS, with whom JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR joins, di...
Case Date: April 20, 2016
Court: United States Supreme Court
Page __
__ U.S. __ (2016)
136 S.Ct. 1310, 194 L.Ed.2d 463, 84 U.S.L.W. 4222, 26 Fla.L.Weekly Fed. S 100
BANK MARKAZI, AKA THE CENTRAL BANK OF IRAN, PETITIONER
DEBORAH PETERSON, ET AL
[136 S.Ct. 1313] Argued: January 13, 2016
ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT
[136 S.Ct. 1314] [194 L.Ed.2d 471] American nationals may seek money damages from state sponsors of terrorism in the courts of the United States. See 28 U.S.C. § 1605A. Prevailing plaintiffs, however, often face practical and legal difficulties enforcing their judgments. To place beyond dispute the availability of certain assets for satisfaction of judgments rendered in terrorism cases against Iran, Congress enacted the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012. As relevant here, the Act makes a designated set of assets available to satisfy the judgments underlying a consolidated enforcement proceeding which the statute identifies by the District Court's docket number. 22 U.S.C. § 8772. Section 8772(a)(2) requires a court, before allowing execution against these assets, to determine, [136 S.Ct. 1315] inter alia, " whether Iran holds equitable title to, or the beneficial interest in, the assets."
Respondents -- more than 1,000 victims of Iran-sponsored acts of terrorism, their estate representatives, and surviving family members -- rank within 16 discrete groups, each of which brought suit against Iran. To enforce judgments they obtained by default, the 16 groups moved for turnover of about $1.75 billion in bond assets held in a New York bank account--assets that, respondents alleged, were owned by Bank Markazi, the Central Bank of Iran. The turnover proceeding began in 2008. In 2012, the judgment holders updated their motions to include execution claims under § 8772. Bank Markazi maintained that § 8772 could not withstand inspection under the separation-of-powers doctrine, contending that Congress had usurped the judicial role by directing a particular result in the pending enforcement proceeding. The District Court disagreed, concluding that § 8772 permissibly changed the law applicable in a pending litigation. The Second Circuit affirmed.
Held :
Section 8772 does not violate the separation of powers. Pp. 12-24.
(a) Article III of the Constitution establishes an independent Judiciary with the " province and duty . . . to say what the law is" in particular cases and controversies. Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137, 1 Cranch 137, 177, 2 L.Ed. 60. Necessarily, that endowment of authority blocks Congress from " requir[ing] federal courts to exercise the judicial power in a manner that Article III forbids." Plaut v. Spendthrift Farm, Inc., 514 U.S. 211, 218, 115 S.Ct. 1447, 131 L.Ed.2d 328. Although Article III bars Congress from telling a court how to apply pre-existing law to particular circumstances, Robertson v. Seattle Audubon Soc., 503 U.S. 429, 438-439, 112 S.Ct. 1407, 118 L.Ed.2d 73, Congress may amend a law and make the amended prescription retroactively applicable in pending cases, Landgraf v. USI Film Products, 511 U.S. 244, 267-268, 114 S.Ct. 1483, 128 L.Ed.2d 229; United States v. Schooner Peggy, 5 U.S. 103, 1 Cranch 103, 110, 2 L.Ed. 49. In United States v. Klein, 80 U.S. 128, 13 Wall. 128, 146, 20 L.Ed. 519, 7 Ct.Cl. 240, this Court enigmatically observed that Congress may not " prescribe rules of [194 L.Ed.2d 472] decision to the Judicial Department . . . in [pending] cases." More recent decisions have clarified that Klein does not inhibit Congress from " amend[ing] applicable law." Robertson, 503 U.S., at 441, 112 S.Ct. 1407, 118 L.Ed.2d 73; Plaut, 514 U.S., at 218, 115 S.Ct. 1447, 131 L.Ed.2d 328. Section 8772 does just that: It requires a court to apply a new legal standard in a pending postjudgment enforcement proceeding. No different result obtains because, as Bank Markazi argues, the outcome of applying § 8772 to the facts in the proceeding below was a " foregone conclusio[n]." Brief for Petitioner 47. A statute does not impinge on judicial power when it directs courts to apply a new legal standard to undisputed facts. See Pope v. United States, 323 U.S. 1, 11, 65 S.Ct. 16, 89 L.Ed. 3, 102 Ct.Cl. 846. Pp. 12-19.
(b) Nor is § 8772 invalid because, as Bank Markazi further objects, it prescribes a rule for a single, pending case identified by caption and docket number. The amended law upheld in Robertson also applied to cases identified in the statute by caption and docket number. 503 U.S., at 440, 112 S.Ct. 1407, 118 L.Ed.2d 73. Moreover, § 8772 is not an instruction governing one case only: It facilitates execution of judgments in 16 suits. While consolidated for administrative purposes at the execution stage, the judgment-execution claims were not independent of the original actions for damages and each retained its separate character. In any event, the Bank's argument rests on the flawed assumption that legislation must be generally applicable. See [136 S.Ct. 1316] Plaut, 514 U.S., at 239, n. 9, 115 S.Ct. 1447, 131 L.Ed.2d 328. This Court and lower courts have upheld as a valid exercise of Congress' legislative power laws governing one or a very small number of specific subjects. Pp. 19-21.
(c) Adding weight to this decision, § 8772 is an exercise of congressional authority regarding foreign affairs, a domain in which the controlling role of the political branches is both necessary and proper. Measures taken by the political branches to control the disposition of foreign-state property, including blocking specific foreign-state assets or making them available for attachment, have never been rejected as invasions upon the Article III judicial power. Cf. Dames & Moore v. Regan, 453 U.S. 654, 674, 101 S.Ct. 2972, 69 L.Ed.2d 918. Notably, before enactment of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, the Executive regularly made case-specific determinations whether sovereign immunity should be recognized, and courts accepted those determinations as binding. See, e.g., Republic of Austria v. Altmann, 541 U.S. 677, 689-691, 124 S.Ct. 2240, 159 L.Ed.2d 1. This practice, too, was never perceived as an encroachment on the federal courts' jurisdiction. Dames & Moore, 453 U.S., at 684-685, 101 S.Ct. 2972, 69 L.Ed.2d 918. Pp. 21-23.
758 F.3d 185, affirmed.
GINSBURG, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which KENNEDY, BREYER, ALITO, and KAGAN, JJ., joined, and in all but Part II-C of which THOMAS, J., joined. ROBERTS, C. J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which SOTOMAYOR, J., joined.
[194 L.Ed.2d 473] GINSBURG, JUSTICE [*]
A provision of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, 22 U.S.C. § 8772, makes available for postjudgment execution a set of assets held at a New York bank for Bank Markazi, the Central Bank of Iran. The assets would partially satisfy judgments gained in separate actions by over 1,000 victims of terrorist acts sponsored by Iran. The judgments [136 S.Ct. 1317] remain unpaid. Section 8772 is an unusual statute: It designates a particular set of assets and renders them available to satisfy the liability and damages judgments underlying a consolidated enforcement proceeding that the statute identifies by the District Court's docket number. The question raised by petitioner Bank Markazi: Does § 8772 violate the separation of powers by purporting to change the law for, and directing a particular result in, a single pending case?
Section 8772, we hold, does not transgress constraints placed on Congress and the President by the Constitution. The statute, we point out, is not fairly portrayed as a " one-case-only regime." Brief for Petitioner 27. Rather, it covers a category of postjudgment execution claims filed by numerous plaintiffs who, in multiple civil actions, obtained evidence-based judgments against Iran together amounting to billions of dollars. Section 8772 subjects the designated assets to execution " to satisfy any judgment" against Iran for damages caused by specified acts of terrorism. § 8772(a)(1) (emphasis added). Congress, our decisions make clear, may amend the law and make the change applicable to pending cases, even when the amendment is outcome determinative.
Adding weight to our decision, Congress passed, and the President signed, § 8772 in furtherance of their stance on a matter of foreign policy. Action in that realm warrants respectful review by courts. The Executive has historically made case-specific sovereign-immunity determinations to which courts have deferred. And exercise by Congress and the President of control over claims against foreign governments, as well as foreign-government-owned property in the United States, is hardly a novelty. In accord with the courts below, we perceive in § 8772 no violation of separation-of-powers principles, and no threat to the independence of the Judiciary.
We set out here statutory provisions relevant to this case. American nationals may file suit against state sponsors of terrorism in the courts of the United States. See 28 U.S.C. § 1605A. Specifically, they may seek " money damages . . . against a foreign state for personal injury or death that was caused by" acts of terrorism, including " torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage, hostage taking, or the provision of material support" to terrorist activities. § 1605A(a)(1). This authorization--known as the " terrorism exception" -- is among enumerated exceptions [194 L.Ed.2d 474] prescribed in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) to the general rule of sovereign immunity. 1
Victims of state-sponsored terrorism, like others proceeding under an FSIA exception, may obtain a judgment...


text:
US infant mortality rates down 15%
By Robert Jimison, CNN
Updated 12:09 PM ET, Tue March 21, 2017
Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.
According to a report, infant mortality rates declined in most states since 2005.
Sudden infant death syndrome declined 29%, the largest drop of the top five leading causes of infant death
Babies of non-Hispanic black women have a mortality rate more than double that of non-Hispanic white women
(CNN) Infant mortality rates have reached new lows, according to a report released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
From 2005 to 2014, the infant mortality rate in the US dropped 15%, from 6.86 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 5.82. Sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, declined by 29%, and there were drops in infant mortality rates across most racial groups.
"It's good news, but on the other hand, we have so much more to do," said Dr. Paul Jarris, chief medical officer for the March of Dimes, a nonprofit focused on the health of mothers and babies. "What is concerning, though, is that the inequities between non-Hispanic blacks and American Indians and the Caucasian population have persisted."
The largest drop among racial groups, 21%, was in Asian and Pacific Islander populations. All race and Hispanic subgroups experienced reductions in infant mortality rates except American Indians or Alaska Natives, among whom there was not a statistically significant change. The report shows significant declines among non-Hispanic black populations as well as women of Cuban descent.
To avoid SIDS, infants and parents should share a room, report say


Precast concrete spandrels and column covers above level 2 with a light colored acid etch finish. Level 3 spandrels and column covers received custom radius bull nose detail. Podium level precast panels with an integrally colored dark mix and a light sandblast finish.


How much is a nice cup of coffee? A slice of cake? A pint of beer? All about the same as the cost of getting a solar lamp out to a family in Africa. And that's what all of this is about. All donations, no matter how small, are very very welcome!
Last year, Jeremy Messersmith produced an album of joyful songs for ukulele, which he called #ObscenelyOptimistic. This is one of them.


text:
March 25, 2019 by julianhoffman, posted in Birds, Conservation, Habitat, Landscape, Wetlands
Francisco Armenteros stood beside a framed map of the Bay of Cádiz. "I remember something that my father once said: It was amazing when you came along the road and you could see so many little mountains of salt, like pyramids of salt." Dating from the mid-1900s, the map reveals the complex saltscape of the Andalucían bay as it would have looked at the time, when those white pyramids rose in profusion across the expansive marshland. With over 160 salt works then in existence, the harvest season must have been luminous to witness. Mounded up by hand, rake and shovel, the salt pyramids would have stood shimmering at the edge of the numerous tidal creeks threaded like veins through the marsh, ready to be carried by river barge out to waiting ships, or to be transferred to large ports along the coast. And on the map, colour-coded according to which family worked specific areas, there was barely a space that wasn't devoted to the cultivation of this mineral, each of the irregularly shaped salinas meticulously named in handwritten black ink: Carmen San Lorenzo, Santo Cristo de la Misericordia, San Rafael del Monte.
"We have this treasure, we say, from Phoenician times," says Francisco, "but it's sad to see so many abandoned now. We always say that water is life, but the abandoned salinas have lost their water, so there's little life." Of those 160 salt works spread across the map, only ten remain active today.
The causes of this abandonment are complex and many. The historic transition from wooden to plastic barrels for brining olives meant that salt was only required once in the curing process, whereas previously the vessels had needed topping up regularly because of leaks. The development of canning in the 19th century meant far less salt was required to preserve perishable food, a dramatic shift in storage processes that reached its zenith with the invention of the refrigerator. And the extraction of salt from underground deposits by mining, a process backed by a powerful political lobby and able to be carried out year-round instead of only in the summer from the surface, has become the predominant source of the mineral in recent decades, accounting for 80 percent of the world's total production. All of which have muscled naturally-evaporated sea salt to the relative margins of the industry.
But the Armenteros enterprise has resisted this trend. Entering the trade with just a lorry, Francisco's grandfather delivered sea salt around the Bay of Cádiz and further afield until eventually, with the help of several loans, he bought a salt works in the 1970s. Now the family operate three salinas, and although industrial as opposed to artisanal in both the scale and method of production, utilising large ponds and machinery to harvest the salt instead of traditional tools, their work has proved not only commercially viable amidst a worsening financial climate for sea salt but also of paramount importance to biodiversity in the bay.
"It was a completely dry place," says Francisco, describing one of the abandoned salt works they'd restored, "but in just one year we started to see more than forty species of birds. And in two years, more than eighty. Again, water is life – it's completely joined."
The salt pans of La Tapa were encrusted with white crystals when we stepped outside his office, glittering like polar snow fields. Steering sunwards over the pools, a flock of flamingos snared the summer light in their pink feathers until they glowed. Redshanks flared through the rippling heat haze and common terns hawked the waters. Spoonbills shuffled their beaks through the briny pools alongside elegant avocets, their snow-white plumage cut with crisp black curves. In the distance, an osprey quartered the lagoons.
Until the 1980s, ospreys were a regular feature of continental Spain. As the decade wound down, however, the bird joined the ranks of the extinguished as a breeding species, due to the ravages of poaching, egg theft and habitat loss. There were to be no more of those sudden, daunting dives into the water, all the concentrated power, dynamism and focus of its fall, when the raptor, as if by some miraculous underwater exchange, emerges with a glistening fish tangled up in its talons. Except that Fundación Migres, an organisation advocating for birds in southern Spain, put into action a plan to amend this disappearance, carefully relocating 182 osprey chicks from Finland, Germany and Scotland to the provinces of Cádiz and Huelva in a reintroduction programme between 2005 and 2013. One of the key elements of their restoration efforts was the erection of nesting platforms in suitable habitat, and I watched how the osprey circled the high platform anchored to one of the salt pans it had returned to. Breeding in Spain once more, a total of eighteen pairs of the magnificent raptor now call the wetlands of Cádiz and Huelva home.
What makes the osprey's return to the Bay of Cádiz possible is the density and diversity of fish existing in this interconnected system of salt pans, marshes, tidal creeks and small aquaculture ponds, including the rare Aphanius baeticus. Known in Spanish as salinete, or the salt-inhabiting fish, it's endemic to only a few wetlands in southern Spain, including these salt pans of Francisco's. Such species not only enrich the entire ecosystem with their presence, but as a source of food they enable a vast number of resident and migratory birds to thrive. But when salt pans become inactive, as we'd seen on that map, everything about these landscapes can change.
"It's a mosaic of different situations," says Alejandro Pérez Hurtado, referring to the entirety of the bay, "but the trend now is towards abandonment." A professor of biology at the University of Cádiz, Alejandro has devoted much of his professional life to this bay. He described how the salt pans nearest to the tidal channels are able to rejuvenate into natural marsh after abandonment, but for those located further from water the inevitable result is dry land coarsened with vegetation. "And when this happens," he continues, "we lose the fish for a start. And then the birds. People then start to put their rubbish there because there's no wetland. And some people say, There's no water, so I can build on it."
Wetlands are being rapidly drained from the world. Between 1970 and 2015, 35 percent of the planet's wetlands were destroyed. And in Europe, roughly two-thirds of the continent's wetlands have been lost in the past century. Essential for pollution filtration, coastal flood protection, abundance and vitality of wildlife, recreation and tourism, agricultural irrigation and other human needs such as drinking water and food, their loss releases a cascade of ruinous consequences throughout the entire web of life.
"Water is like blood," says Alejandro. "This is an organic life system, and the moon is the heart because it moves the tides. But when you cut this movement, the biodiversity, the life, drops."
Alejandro showed me around the artisanal salt pans of La Esperanza. Managed by the university, they underscored the fact that for many centuries breeding birds had successfully exploited the function of salt pans, meaning that both human and wild lives were conjoined in one place. "They started to link their behaviour with traditional human patterns of livelihood," he explains. "They took advantage of the predictable movements of water." But with the abandonment of such patterns these long-existing connections between wildlife and habitat break down.
"The birds associated with wetlands," says Macarena Castro, a fellow professor of biology at the university, "are decreasing." This diminishment is a reflection of the overall loss of wetland habitat and the deterioration in quality of the pieces that remain. And for species such as the Kentish plover, further losses threaten an already freefalling population in Europe. A small and delicate wader, the Kentish plover nests on bare scrapes of earth in sparsely vegetated terrain alongside lakeshores, rivers and salt pans. But instead of the well-drained substrate of small shells and stones that the regularly flowing water would typically leave behind at the edge of salt pans, the abandonment of so many of Cádiz's salinas has meant a landscape increasingly slathered in mud from sedimentation. And so the plover's eggs, reliant on being regularly turned and evenly warmed in order to hatch, often fail after becoming stuck in the glue-like mire.
Kentish plovers, Bay of Cádiz. Credit – Salarte
"Every spring since 1993," says Alejandro, "I've spent some part of three or four days a week at La Esperanza speaking with the Kentish plovers. And then listening. What about you? What do you need today? I would say." This act of attention, of trying to understand the needs of these vulnerable and threatened birds, led Alejandro down a path of greater affiliation that ultimately proved fruitful for both. "I took my body, my small strength, and started bringing various well-draining substrates to the salt pans, trying different vegetation covers, changing the colour of the substrate and the percentage of stones and shells." Nearly a quarter of a century later, he and his university students still transport different substrates to the salt pans in wheelbarrows, seeking to make a positive difference to these local wild lives. "When we started working here in these salinas we had ten to twenty pairs of Kentish plovers," says Alejandro. "Last spring I checked the nests of 150 pairs."
Alejandro's story was a crucial reminder that while entire ecosystems require urgent rehabilitation and restoration in order to improve their natural functionality and richness, there is also an essential place for individual actions in the repair and renewal of the natural world. Even small acts of listening can lead to profoundly affirmative reverberations. "When we don't hear the heart," says Alejandro, "we cut the connection between human and nature."
Freshly hatched Kentish plover. Credit – Salarte
"For me," says Macarena, "this is such an important place to demonstrate that the human isn't always a monster in nature. Often it's true, we can be the worst parts of the ecosystem, but this is an example of how we can also do good things." As the salt pans restored by the university have begun to function once more, La Esperanza pulls in large numbers of avocets, little stints, redshanks and black-winged stilts as if it were a magnet, alongside those rare Kentish plovers breeding on its banks, birds whose ecologies are directly tethered to the influence of humans on this captivating landscape. Unlike salt mining – or even sea salt like Maldon, which, while of indisputable quality, is produced by piping water directly from the sea to industrial indoor heating units – the ancient process of producing sea salt through natural evaporation creates something beyond the mineral itself: it enlarges the very possibility of a place, transforming a landscape of livelihood into a vital repository of life.
"We want to create a space to live with the birds, the salt, the fish and everything else," says Francisco, flamingos gleaming against the cool blue of the outer pools. "We want to act with respect."
While it's unlikely that the map of the Bay of Cádiz from the 1950s will ever be anything but a historical curio, there is considerable opportunity and hope for this place to regain some of its former meaning. For more of those "little mountains of salt" to rise once again. The key, according to all, was to diversify. To make sea salt valuable, not only as a mineral but also for the connective potential that is at the heart of its cultivation and harvesting. To bring together the culture, economy and biodiversity of a place, through environmental education classes, ecotourism, salt museums, spas, therapies, culinary traditions and research into the wide-ranging use of micro-algae on site, with the intention of supporting and nourishing all.
"It's important that consumers understand what's happening," explains Francisco, surrounded by the wild calls of migrating birds flashing and furrowing southwards. "Look, this is what your salt is doing."
This is the second in a four-part series exploring the history, biodiversity, cultural traditions and associated bird and human migrations of the traditional salt pans of Southern Spain and Morocco. Part one can be read here. This article first appeared in Lush Times.
Tagged Andalucia, Bay of Cadiz, conservation, environment, Kentish plover, Nature, photography, saltpans, wetlands
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