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Watching Netflix's Insatiable as an Eating Disorder Survivor Triggered Me

"What they were hoping to position as dark comedy, felt only dark."
Image may contain Dallas Roberts Human Person Clothing Apparel Debby Ryan Fashion Evening Dress Gown and Robe
INSATIABLE, l-r: Dallas Roberts, Debby Ryan, (Season 1, Episode 1, aired August 10, 2018). ph: Annette Brown/© Netflix/courtesy Everett CollectionAnnette Brown/Netflix

In this op-ed, eating disordersurvivor Ellen Ricks talks about her experience while watching the Netflix show Insatiable.

Having lived with an eating disorder for most of my life, it’s safe to say that I was a tad wary about one of Netflix’s newest shows, Insatiable, about a former “fat” girl, Patty, getting revenge on her enemies, via beauty pageants and occasional murder. Many have called the show fatphobic after seeing thin actress Debby Ryan wearing a fat suit in the trailer. There was even a petition to have Netflix cancel the show before its premiere, with more than 230,000 signatures. But the petition didn’t take: On August 10, Netflix released all 12, 46-minute episodes. In response to the criticism, Netflix’s original series vice-president Cindy Holland said the message of the show was misinterpreted, according to ABC News. Series creator Lauren Gussis released a statement on Twitter, titled “This is my truth,” and opened up about her traumatic experiences with an eating disorder, bullying, and suicidal ideation. The show, she wrote, “is a cautionary tale about how damaging it can be to believe the outsides are more important.” She asked viewers to give the show a chance, and despite the fact that a show like this could be very triggering for people like me, it could also open conversations about body image. So, I did.

The message I got from watching the show is that skinny equals strong, which is the mindset for many anorexics — I know it was mine for many years. I used to believe wholeheartedly that I was stronger and better than others because I could deny myself food; I wasn’t stronger for starving my body, I was weakening it. Even knowing that, watching Patty lose weight with extreme dieting and liquid fasts was seductive. I kept thinking, “I could do this — she’s fine,” as Patty was doing something self-destructive. As I watched, I slipped back into my dangerous thoughts and unhealthy habits.

Like Patty, I’ve never had a healthy relationship with my body. A serial dieter, I’ve been that child at the Weight Watchers meeting. I’ve collapsed from self-starvation multiple times. For a moment, I thought I had found a kindred spirit in Patty, who also knew what it felt like to be insatiable.

But when she got punched in the face and had her jaw wired shut, the show took a turn from being about body and food issues to being irresponsible about the complexity of eating disorders and extreme weight loss. What they were hoping to position as dark comedy, felt only dark.

Binge eating disorder (BED), is the most common type of eating disorder, yet it can go undiagnosed for a number of reasons, including societal stigma against the “sin” of overeating, and feeling guilty about a percieved lack of self-control, neither of which are the fault of a person who develops BED. Dr. Allison Chase, regional managing clinical director of the Eating Recovery Center in Austin, Texas, says that binge eating disorder is “defined by the repeated occurrence of binge eating episodes, the act of uncontrollably eating large amounts of food. The binge eating episodes are also characterized by rapid eating when not hungry, eating alone because of embarrassment and feelings of disgust or guilt. Binge eating – eating a large amount of food in a time period that is larger than what most would eat in the same time period – occurs, on average, at least once a week for three months.”

The hardest thing about recovery is learning to eat again. For years I denied myself even the simple pleasure of eating a cupcake because all I could think about was its calories; in recovery, I was terrified I would be eating too much and unable to stop. Watching Patty get shamed for eating any portion of food was deeply triggering; I kept asking myself, “Is that how people see me? Am I eating too much?”

Whether Patty has BED or not is never brought up. Instead, the show’s script includes terms like “compulsive eater,” “out of control,” “sick,” and “obese,” seemingly as synonymous with BED. Lumping them all together creates deadly stigmas. Binge eating disorder is a serious mental illness — as serious as anorexia and bulimia — yet it’s rarely talked about as a mental illness because of the stigmas our society has attached to it. The mishandling of such a sensitive issue was again deeply triggering for me. Hearing someone call another person’s eating “out of control” and “compulsive” makes me feel like eating is a bad thing for me, and that I should stay “thin.” It’s that voice in my head — the one I know is wrong — whispering, “wouldn’t it be easy to go back to the old ways?” That voice is a liar.

What’s more, the idea that weight loss can look easy — just get your jaw wired shut (ha- ha!) and don’t eat — is a horrible message to be sending not only to any viewer. It’s also incredibly inaccurate. The sick part of me wonders how much weight would I lose if I got my jaw wired shut.

The title of the second episode, and the theme throughout the season, is “Skinny Is Magic,” and it’s a sentiment you could find in any number of diet books available right now in your local bookstore. But lifelong food issues do not get fixed by losing any amount of weight. According to Dr. Stuart Koman, president and CEO of Walden Behavioral Care, a treatment center that offers specialized care for individuals and families impacted by all types of eating disorders, “So many people go into these types of [weight loss] procedures having unrealistic expectations of what losing the weight, or changing the body part, will do for them. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is that food issues actually don’t resolve following weight loss.” That takes dedicated work, and is often the result of a lifetime of effort.

Insatiable had an opportunity to educate its viewers on BED and how to get help by teaching Patty how to listen to her body’s needs, and trying to help her create good coping habits. Instead, every character in the show pushes Patty into a different eating disorder. During the season, Patty binges and gains an unnoticeable 10 pounds. Instead of helping Patty realize that gaining 10 pounds — or, heck, even the 70 pounds we’re constantly reminded she lost — is not the end of the world, and to love her body, she is encouraged to go on an extreme diet. Her coach and friends starve her and give her laxatives so she can “be ready” in time for a pageant. One character tells Patty, “This week is all about sweating and starving.” In short, this dramatic reaction to gaining a few pounds is forcing Patty into habits any anoretic would recognize instantly. She said she felt sick from the laxatives and lightheaded from starving, but also said she felt “stronger” for it. Dr. Rachel O’Neil, an Ohio-licensed professional clinical counselor and Talkspace Therapist, warns against showing these types of extreme diets; “Normalizing behaviors like starving oneself and abusing laxatives sends a dangerous message to those who may have some characteristics of eating disorders (e.g., perfectionism, control),” she says.

Skinny is not magic — living a healthy life with food is.

What’s most disappointing about Insatiable is that it had so much potential. It could have been an interesting show about a young woman struggling with binge eating disorder as she competes in beauty pageants, trying to gain self-love and body positivity. Instead, it falls for the same tropes that so many shows have in the past when talking about fat people and their experiences with diets; it cops out to lazy stereotypes and harmful stigmas, in this case, in the name of “satire.” The show can deeply trigger people with existing eating disorders, and that’s exactly what happened to me.

“It’s a kind of confirmation from a ‘reliable source’ that these behaviors work,” says Koman. “Glamorizing behaviors like this are dangerous to any adolescent, but especially those with eating disorders. This is support for their worldview. ‘If Patty’s character is doing it on national television, then what I’m doing can’t be that bad!’ And that is what they are looking for. It’s a terrible message that will absolutely trigger kids that don’t have the filters to understand that this is a satire. This show is not harmless fun.”

If you are struggling with an eating disorder and are in need of support, please call the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. For a 24-hour crisis line, text “NEDA” to 741741.

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Microsoft updates terms on data privacy amid EU probe

Microsoft updates terms on data privacy amid EU probe

Microsoft Privacy

Microsoft said on Monday it was updating the privacy provisions of its commercial cloud contracts after European regulators found its deals with European Union institutions failed to protect data in line with EU law.

The EDPS, the EU’s data watchdog, opened an investigation in April to assess whether Microsoft’s contracts with the European Commission and other EU institutions met data protection rules. It raised concerns about compliance in October.

In a statement on its website addressing the issue, Microsoft said: “We will increase our data protection responsibilities for a subset of processing that Microsoft engages in when we provide enterprise services.”

The company, the only major cloud provider to offer such terms in the European Economic Area and beyond, expects to offer the new provisions to public sector and enterprise customers in early 2020.

Source: Reuters 18 November, Brussels

Reporting: Marine Strauss

Copyright Lyonsdown Limited 2021

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Anglican leadership accused of "scaremongering" over assisted dying

A row has opened up within the Church of England after a prominent cleric accused Anglican leaders of “scaremongering” over Lord Falconer’s assisted dying Bill

Canon Rosie Harper has spoken out after leaders of Britain’s major faiths issued an unprecedented joint attack on Lord Falconer’s Bill Credit: Photo: Getty

A prominent Church of England cleric has accused her own leaders of “scaremongering” over Lord Falconer’s assisted dying Bill, as David Cameron said he feared it might lead to people being “pushed” into euthanasia.

Canon Rosie Harper said the use of “emotive” language was preventing rational debate on the subject and served to mask the reality that many believers actually support such a measure.

She spoke out after leaders of Britain’s major faiths issued an unprecedented joint attack on Lord Falconer’s Bill, describing it in a letter to Parliament as a “grave error” which would be “disastrous” and result in people “colluding” in the notion that someone seeking an assisted death is of “no further value”.

The letter, signed by The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby; Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales and Dr Shuja Shafi, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, along with 19 other senior figures from all faiths, comes on the eve of the Bill’s second reading on Friday.

But Canon Harper said much of the Anglican leadership was out of step with the views of its own congregations. She told The Telegraph: “Some of the stuff coming out of the leadership is simply scaremongering. They are using very emotive language and it doesn’t help us have a calm conversation about assisted dying.

“I was surprised at the tone being taken on this subject. They start the conversation by saying ‘we all know Christian believe ...’ when that’s not at all the case. In fact many Christians believe it’s the honourable and compassionate way of treating people.”

Her comments came as David Cameron voiced his fears over the Bill, telling the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday: “For myself I am not convinced further steps need to be taken. I worry about legalising euthanasia and people might be being pushed into things they don’t actually want for themselves.”

Canon Harper is chaplain to the Rt Rev Dr Alan Wilson, the Bishop of Buckingham, who this week became the first serving Church of England bishop to voice his support for assisted dying, saying it would allow people to uphold the “sanctity of life” by making decisions about their own fate. The former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey revealed at the weekend that he had changed his mind on the issue and now supported assisted dying.

Canon Harper, one of whose uncles ended his life in Switzerland – where euthanasia is legal – said her own support for Lord Falconer’s Bill had received the backing of many of her own parishioners, in Great Missenden.

She said: “I thought people would be furious with me for speaking in support of assisted dying, but I’ve had many people coming up to me to shake my hand and say ‘It’s what I’ve always thought. I fear the church leadership will find itself out of step on this issue, just as it did until this week on women bishops.”

She rejected the fear that legalising assisted dying would lead to a rush of people seeking an early death, saying this had not been borne out by the experience of similar measures in the US state of Oregon, on which Lord Falconer’s Bill is in-part based, where two doctors have to agree that the patient’s terminal illness would otherwise cause death within six months.

“The idea that this law will lead to people rushing to kill themselves is simply wrong,” she said.

Supporters and opponents of Lord Falconer’s bill are planning to stage rival demonstrations outside Parliament on Friday, ahead of the debate in the House of Lords, amid what are expected to be emotional scenes on both sides.


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Samsung’s new flexible display can withstand a lot of drops

There are those who will almost certainly take Samsung’s declaration of an “unbreakable” display as a challenge. That’s just human nature. For every one else, there’s something undeniably appealing in the idea of a phone that can be dropped from up to six feet, without a any sign of damage.

As far as when (or, rather, if) Samsung’s new flexible OLED tech will actually appear in devices, that remains to be seen. Before you get your hopes up too much, Samsung and LG are in the habit of showing these kinds of technology previews all the time, regardless of economic feasibility. That’s just one of the many cruel jokes that comes with paying attention to this sort of stuff.

That said, a new round of rumors point to a “foldable” display device coming at some point next year, so who knows, maybe all of our wildest dreams are about to come true then. In the meantime, the tests certainly point to an impressive component.

UL’s drop testing (no doubt the funnest part of that person’s day) involved letting the display go from around four feet up, 26 times in a row. The phone was also exposed to extreme temperatures and — as mentioned above — dropped from around six feet, just for kicks. None of which appear to damage the screen.

Here’s Samsung GM Hojung Kim on the tech, “The fortified plastic window is especially suitable for portable electronic devices not only because of its unbreakable characteristics, but also because of its lightweight, transmissivity and hardness, which are all very similar to glass.”

In addition to phones, the tech may also be used in cars, gaming consoles and tablets.

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From Deepika to Alia: Bollywood Actresses Pulled Off Workout Outfits With Style

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From Deepika to Alia: Bollywood Actresses Pulled Off Workout Outfits With Style

Stars are very enthusiastic about their fitness and hence do a lot of activities to keep themselves maintained. They reveal that fitness in their gym clothing that attracts us all.

If we go into the statistics, most of the active wear brands hire Bollywood actresses to up their workout outfits and to get higher sales. Have a look at some of the stars who look superb when they wear active wears.

  1. Deepika Padukone

Nike is a brand which is appreciated by all and is known to sell the best active wears. Style icon Deepika Padukone knows how to flaunt Nike Sports Bra, Sports Shoes, and 3/4th tights to look hot and stylish. If you are a little alert about wearing a sports bra, you can add a sleeveless jacket. You will observe more passionate about working out and maintaining a healthy and fit body.

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  1. Alia Bhatt –

Alia Bhatt is well known among college goers for her decent range of outfits. Alia tie a high pony  that makes a look great and carefree.

  1. Kareena Kapoor Khan –

Kareena is famous for her beauty, and trendy outlook. She revealed that every time it is not needed to try several outfits but you get the cool look just by choosing racerback tees, track pant and sports shoes. Remember, the right size and right colour keys are necessary.

Other celebs like Malaika Arora, Mira Rajput, and many more are keen to keep themselves fit and fine.

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If we spend a limited time on our clothes, we will be more excited about working out more. These actresses are a motivation for us to look our best at all times. Being passionate about fitness is a must for all and these actresses do their best. It also adds longevity to our lives.

Published by Neetu Panwar on 25 Jun 2019

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Friday, July 17, 2020

Today in TV: DISNEYLAND Opens!

In the early days of television, the movie studios saw TV as an enemy. At that time, the networks had to produce their own programming because the established movie studios wouldn't do it for them.

ABC, the weakest of the big three at the time, aggressively sought to partner with a movie studio. It would put them on the map and signal to the world that the network meant business. Unfortunately, there weren't any takers- until Walt Disney approached them with a proposition; invest in his "crazy" idea called "Disneyland" and he would produce a weekly show for them. They weren't interested in a theme park, but they were willing to invest if Walt created a show for them. The agreement was reached and ABC gained instant credibility. Walt Disney gained a weekly program where he could promote the theme park he was building in Anaheim and money to begin construction.

When it came time to produce the special that would introduce Disneyland, ABC put all hands on deck to figure out how accomplish the Herculean task of covering such a huge event spread out over 160 acres in a working theme park. (Whatever that entailed.) The A-Team was up to the task and requisitioned the miles of cabling, hundreds of cameras and all the various other equipment needed from around the country. The cost would be staggering.

The rewards, however, would be staggering. The also-ran network that had gained a bit of credibility by luring Walt Disney was successful beyond its wildest dreams. The 90 minute live broadcast crushed the competition, attracting a record audience of over 90 million viewers who watched on virtually every television in existence at the time. Neither CBS nor NBC had ever attracted such numbers, even combined. The live special put both Disneyland and ABC on the map. The historic broadcast took place on July 17, 1955- exactly 60 years ago.


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LTA set up campaign to improve tennis participation numbers

Tennis News
Tennis courts city

The Lawn Tennis Association has launched a major campaign to get more people playing tennis after the coronavirus lockdown by making public facilities more accessible.

Tennis was one of the first sports allowed to be played socially across the country following the easing of lockdown measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The governing body for the sport in Britain has developed a package of initiatives to support facilities in parks and has targeted 1,000 priority locations.

The packages include the use of free technology to improve accessibility, including an online booking platform and gated access to courts, the development of a park-based competition and interest-free quick access loans for facility improvements.

LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd said: “Park facilities are absolutely crucial to us achieving increased and sustained participation levels in our sport, and so the development of this work has been a central priority since we launched our new strategy last year and our work to make tennis relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable to anyone.

“As courts open back up following the easing of restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic, the LTA is determined to work in partnership with local authorities to safeguard park tennis venues up and down the country, drive participation in tennis in parks and help open up the sport and its benefits to many more people.

Tennis was one of the first sports allowed to be played socially across the country

“We now have a ready-to-go offer in place for local authorities, with our LTA Rally online booking platform and gate access systems both easy to implement, while exciting acquisitions like Local Tennis Leagues and our range of programmed activity ensure park facilities will be able to offer something for everyone.”

Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston added: “Normally at this time of year we’d be looking forward to the start of Wimbledon, but there is no reason why we can’t hit the tennis courts ourselves.

“Tennis is a brilliant sport for the whole family to enjoy and can be done easily with social distancing, so I welcome the steps the LTA is taking to open up local courts and encourage everyone to pick up their rackets.”

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Tesla Model 3 gets high praises from Chris Harris’ Top Gear EV buying guide

Credit: Top Gear/YouTube

The Tesla Model 3 was recently dubbed as the best electric car on sale today by an automotive oulet that Elon Musk has clashed with in the past. In its recent “Fast Electric Car Buying Guide,” the Tesla Model 3 received some high praise from Top Gear, as explained by presenter and veteran motoring journalist Chris Harris.

Harris has garnered respect and esteem in the motoring world through his sharp driving instincts and high standard for cars. Fans of the Top Gear presenter know that it takes a lot for Harris to be impressed, so much so that he ended up being banned by both Ferrari and Lamborghini from reviewing their vehicles in the past due to his critical stance on the automakers’ supercars.

These sharp takes were evident in Harris’ recent feature, which involved him providing quick critiques for several popular electric cars. His opinions on some of the vehicles were classic Harris, as seen by him calling out the Honda e’s bad range, the Mach-E’s strange attachment to the Mustang legacy, and the Mercedes-Benz’ EQC’s unremarkable capabilities and design.

Harris, however, did not have such reservations about the Tesla Model 3. While the veteran motoring journalist aptly called out Tesla’s known quality issues, Harris did note that the positives of the Model 3 far outweigh its potential build imperfections. The Top Gear presenter was clear, noting that if one were considering buying an EV, it would be difficult not to consider the Model 3, thanks to the vehicle’s performance and its suite of services that make ownership seamless.

“I remain to be persuaded on this one (the Mustang Mach-E), but I don’t on this next car because this is the best electric car on sale all round. The Tesla Model 3—this is the Long Range version. It’s incredibly fast, incredibly clever, it’s built by people that don’t seem to really care about build quality, but who cares because you get the Tesla charging network, you get everything at the moment. If you’re buying an electric car, it’s very, very difficult not to automatically buy this one,” Harris said.

Harris is no stranger to the Model 3, having reviewed the top-tier Performance variant back in mid-2019. During his time with the Model 3, Harris was highly impressed by the vehicle’s capabilities, noting that the all-electric sedan is way more ferocious than its looks would suggest. The Model 3 was also featured in Top Gear Season 29, where the vehicle participated in a 24-hour challenge against a hybrid BMW 3-Series and a Volvo S60. The Model 3 proved equally impressive then, with Harris concluding that he would personally choose the Tesla over the two German “green” cars if given the choice.

Watch Chris Harris’ Top Gear EV buying guide in the video below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for news tips. Just send a message to [email protected] to give us a heads up.

Tesla Model 3 gets high praises from Chris Harris’ Top Gear EV buying guide
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Putnam, New York TESOL Online & Teaching English Jobs

Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified in New York? Are you interested in teaching English in Putnam, New York? Check out our opportunities in Putnam, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English in your community or abroad! Teflonline.net offers a wide variety of Online TESOL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
Here Below you can check out the feedback (for one of our units) of one of the 16.000 students that last year took an online course with ITTT!

Planning is very important when it comes to teaching becasue without planning you won t be able to know where you started and where you will end the class. Also without any plan your students will not be enlightened or you will not be able to find out whether or not your students understood the subject. If you begin where you should normally end then your students will be nothing but complicated. Also planning will give you confidence to how you should be running your class.


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The all-new Octavia is bigger, better equipped and gets new powertrain options as well

  • The 2020 Skoda Octavia is longer and wider than before.
  • It gets new LED Matrix headlamps and a revised rear end.
  • It gets numerous powertrain options globally, but only a few are expected to arrive in India.
  • The new dashboard features a simpler, more premium design with a freestanding touchscreen infotainment.
  • The new Octavia is expected to arrive in India in the second half of 2020.

The fourth-generation Skoda Octavia has finally been unveiled and it looks sharper than before. Skoda has taken a leaf out of Audi and gone for an evolution rather than a revolution in terms of the new Octavia’s design. The new sedan has also grown in size and gets an all-new dashboard layout with plenty of new technology.

Skoda’s latest version of the Octavia gets a new front grille that connects the new LED Matrix headlamps with a sleeker front bumper design. The rear end looks a lot different when compared to the previous generation model with a swooping roofline, new rear bumper, new L-shaped LED taillamps and a new bootlid. The new Octavia actually looks sportier than before with sharper lines and a coupe-esque roofline. It’s bigger too:

Skoda Octavia (new-gen) Skoda Octavia
Length 4689mm 4670mm
Width 1829mm 1814mm
Height 1470mm 1476mm
Wheelbase 2686mm 2688mm
Boot space 600 litres 590 litres

Skoda has completely overhauled the cabin of the new Octavia. It gets a new Mercedes-like layout for the dashboard with ambient lighting. The new Octavia also gets a free-standing touchscreen infotainment system with screen sizes from 8.25 inches to 10 inches. It also gets an embedded eSIM for internet connectivity and connected car features along with a voice-activated digital assistant called Laura. The Octavia can also be had with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster which Skoda calls the Virtual Cockpit.

It gets a new two-spoke steering wheel while the air-con controls are located just above the central vents. The steering mounted controls look a lot more premium too in the top-spec version of the new Octavia. For the first time, it is also equipped with a head-up display. Opt for the DSG automatic shift-by-wire transmission, and you get a new compact and elegant drive select toggle. It makes the centre console feel more spacious than before.

Skoda offers the Octavia with long list of powertrain options comprising of petrol, diesel, CNG, mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid engines. The latest 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines are available with a 6-speed manual and 7-speed DSG. When mated to the DSG auto, they also get a 48-volt battery, making them mild-hybrid variants. The same 1.5-litre engine is also used for the CNG variant of the 2020 Octavia. We expect Skoda to offer the 1.5-litre engine options when it offers the new Octavia in India.

Meanwhile, the other engine options for the global-spec Octavia include a 2.0-litre diesel in two states of tune, a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol with 4WD and a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol for the plug-in hybrid variant. Out of these, only the diesel engine is likely to be offered in the India-spec Octavia.

The 2020 Octavia gets a host of safety assistance systems such as lane assist, collision avoidance assist, traffic jam assist and turn assist. However, it remains to be seen which of these safety features will make it to India considering our restrictive legislation in terms of the use of radar-based technology. Rest assured, the India-spec Octavia will get premium features such as a panoramic sunroof, seats with massage function and a three-zone climate control, among others.

Skoda is expected to bring the new Octavia to India in the second half of 2020 where it will continue to compete against the Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla Altis. The current-gen Octavia is priced between Rs 16 lakh to Rs 26 lakh (ex-showroom India) and the new model is likely to get a starting price of around Rs 18 lakh.

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Mahindra is working on a generation update for the Scorpio. It is expected to be based on a new platform which it is likely to share with the new Thar

New Scorpio looks bigger than the current model.

Features a newly designed front grille.

Test mule was wearing steel wheels.

Will use new BS6-compliant diesel engine.

Likely to be based on a new ladder frame chassis.

Mahindra’s upcoming update for the Scorpio has been spotted undergoing testing on public roads once again. The SUV was heavily covered in camouflage but we were able to make out a few new details about the upcoming Mahindra SUV.

The silhouette reveals that the new generation Scorpio will be bigger than the current model of the SUV. A clear shot of the front reveals the unmistakable 7-slat Mahindra grille, but it has been completely reworked. A trapezoidal air dam is visible underneath the grille, with everything else hidden by camouflage.

It is likely to be underpinned by an all new ladder-frame chassis which is also expected to underpin the new Thar. The engine would be a new 2.0-litre BS6 diesel unit which is expected to replace the current 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine. This engine is likely to make its way into the new Thar and XUV500 also. A 2.0-litre petrol is on the cards as well.

Mahindra’s new Scorpio is likely to be revealed at the upcoming 2020 Auto Expo. The updated model is expected to bring some zing back to the Scorpio name, which will take on the likes of monocoque SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks, Renault Captur and Tata Harrier. It would not be the only new offering shown at the next Indian auto show from Mahindra, as the new Thar is also expected to be showcased there.

Expect the new Scorpio to command a premium over the current models, which retails from Rs 9.99 lakh to Rs 16.44 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Source –


text: The future has seldom been a copacetic place in sci-fi swami Bruce Sterling’s works of fiction. His eleventh novel, The Caryatids, is set in the bleak year 2065. A global nuclear and climatological disaster has devastated great nation-states like India and America; China has emerged as the ravaged planet’s sole superpower. The Caryatids are four superhuman sisters, cloned in 2038 in a failed attempt to keep the world’s roof from caving in (a “caryatid” is a Greek temple column carved in the female image). The sisters emblematize the social factions of a postcatastrophic world: In Mljet, Croatia, Vera is an ecological reconstructionist; in Los Angeles, Mila is an über-celebrity materialist; in the Gobi Desert, Sonja is a nomad warrior; and the globe-trotting Biserka is a dynamic nihilist. Plots and subplots abound, but this book is best read as a pop-science formulation of Sterling’s futurist speculations. He imagines massive exoskeletons that transform their wearers into machine-humans; he predicts cold warfare between venture capitalists and revolutionary humanitarians. The Caryatids is skillful science fiction, though its author has become more interesting as an incubator of ideas than a weaver of yarns. Del Rey, $25


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Less than two months after an assistant district attorney was shot to death outside the local courthouse, the Kaufman County District Attorney and his wife were discovered slain in their North Texas home March 30, leading some to suspect that the Texas law enforcement officials may have been targeted by a violent prison gang.

Kaufman County Sheriff’s Lt. Justin Lewis told the Associated Press that the bodies of Mark McLelland, 63, and his wife Cynthia Woodward McLelland, 65, were discovered Saturday in their home just outside of Forney, a town of 15,000 people that is 20 miles east of Dallas.

According to the Atlantic Wire, the McLellands’ bodies were found by a family friend who came to call on them when family members could not reach them.  The couple were shot multiple times by one or more unknown assailants, and there were no apparent signs of burglary. “It appears this was not a random act,” Forney Mayor Darren Rozell told the Associated Press.

An unnamed law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, described the grisly crime scene to the Dallas Morning News“There are shell casings everywhere,” the official said. “This is unprecedented. This is unbelievable. This is huge.”

WFAA-TV in Dallas reported that a .223-caliber assault rifle, similar to an AR-15, was used in the murders, with approximately 14 rounds fired. McLelland was found in the hallway, where it seems he was shot in the back while fleeing his attackers. His wife was found dead in the front room of the house.

On January 31, ADA Mark Hasse was gunned down in a parking lot outside the Kaufman County courthouse by one or two unidentified gunmen who may have been wearing tactical vests. Hasse was no stranger to the tactics used by his killers, having headed the organized crime unit for the Dallas County district attorney in the 1980s, wrote the Houston Chronicle.

At Hasse’s memorial service in February, McLelland publicly vowed to bring his killers to justice. Addressing the “scum” responsible, McLelland said, “He knows and I know there will be a reckoning,” wrote WFAA.

Details on the killings in Kaufman County are still emerging, but many believe that the murders of the McLellands and Hasse are connected. “It looks like somebody is making a pretty concentrated effort to target the most important people in that office,” said Eric Smenner, a Kaufman defense attorney.

Law enforcement officials seem to agree that there is a good chance that the murders are connected. “It was a shock with Mark Hasse, and now you can just imagine the double shock and until we know what happened,” Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh told the Dallas Morning News. “I really can’t confirm that it’s related but you always have to assume until it’s proven otherwise.”

Sam Rosander, a resident of the area where the McLellands lived told the AP that that sheriff’s deputies were parked in the district attorney’s driveway for about a month after Hasse’s murder. McLelland was known to carry a firearm with him at all times after Hasse was killed, wrote the San Antonio Express-News.

Authorities are investigating whether the murders may be connected to a Texas gang that the Kaufman prosecutors helped put behind bars. Members of McLelland’s office assisted the FBI, the Texas Rangers, and other Texas law enforcement agencies in an investigation of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) prison gang. Their efforts assisted in a recent case that earned indictments for several of its top leaders, wrote the New York Times. Federal authorities announced in November that a Houston grand jury charged 30 top leaders and other members on charges of conspiracy to participate in racketeering, as well as involvement in three murders, multiple attempted murders, kidnappings and assaults and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, wrote the Times.

Nov. 2012 news conference announcing the arrest of dozens of Texas members of the Aryan Brotherhood. Associated Press | Cody Duty

The ABT has no proven connection to the McLelland murders, but the gang is under investigation for involvement in Hasse’s death. The U.S. Marshals Service stated in an email to the Dallas Morning News: “The focus of our investigation involves the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) being responsible for the murder of the ADA.”

In December, the Texas Department of Public Safety released a statewide bulletin stating it had received “credible information” that the ABT was planning retaliatory measures against any law enforcement officials who helped earn the indictments of its top leadership:

High ranking members … are involved in issuing orders to inflict ‘mass casualties or death’ to law enforcement officials who were involved in cases where Aryan Brotherhood of Texas are facing life sentences or the death penalty.

The ABT is notorious for its violent methods. The Anti-Defamation League claims that since 2000, the group, “which has no relationship to the older, ‘original’ Aryan Brotherhood has killed more Americans than any other domestic extremist group,” wrote the Huffington Post. The ADL reported that in 2012 the ABT were involved in 29 murders in Texas and bordering states. This figure does not include crimes committed inside the prison system.

The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas has been active in state prisons since the 1980s, when it began as a white supremacist gang that ran illegal activities including drug distribution, Terry Pelz, a former Texas prison warden, told the Houston Chronicle

The Kaufman killings have heightened fears that other public figures may be targeted. Security has been bolstered at the courthouse and around the small community. “It’s unnerving to the law enforcement community, to the community at large,” said Kaufman County Sheriff David A. Byrnes at a news conference March 31. “That’s why we’re striving to assure the community that we are protecting public safety and will continue to do that.”


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Our Children Get Education, Not Education

Our Children Get Education, Not Education

At educational conferences on school improvement, meetings and workshops everywhere, educators condemned the debilitating effects of the current obsession with testing. Education should be about bringing out the best in children – helping them develop their mind, body, and soul. Education comes from the Latin word educare, which means “bring”, which is related to educere, which means “bring out,” “bring up what is inside,” and “bring up potential,” and ducere, which means “to lead.” The test comes from the Latin word testum, which refers to the lid of a clay vessel, clay vessel or earthen pot. So, I conclude that the current state of education is more accurate “testucation”, a process in which “testucators” try to provide information or “testucate” their “testuees” to store information in pots with a lid.

Research shows that 85% of the information spent by their testucator on the testuee to prepare for the test is forgotten shortly after the test, and therefore is not useful for the testuee and, thus, for the community. It is not surprising that educators, everywhere the test is everywhere, are frustrated, exhausted and quit their jobs. Not only are they unable to realize their dreams of educating students, but they are also reduced to playing the role of robots providing useless information to children who are bored out of their minds.

It doesn’t have to be like this. If the teacher works collaboratively to educate students through inquiry-based transdisciplinary teaching and projects, students will excel in examinations and, more importantly, as students. By creating connections across disciplines, the teacher provides a context that allows students to understand and remember what they are learning because it fits in and expands what they know. Children like that kind of learning. They are natural inventors.

In addition, when teachers collaborate with each other, … Continue reading >>>

Executive Training: Increase Student Achievement and Avoid High Leadership Turnover with Head Training

Executive Training: Increase Student Achievement and Avoid High Leadership Turnover with Head Training

Executive coaching for school leaders increases student achievement and learning by helping school leaders become more successful, implementing change in their schools and lasting long enough to ensure that constructive change actually occurs. Without forward movement, the school will retreat. Given the state of many schools, withdrawing is a disaster. In any school, no matter how good it is, change is very important for learning, which is a matter of school home.

School CEOs – principals, directors, executive directors – have complex jobs and many demands.

In the end, they are responsible for all aspects of school operations. From student achievement and curriculum to finance and facilities, the principal is responsible. That’s where the responsibility stops, regardless of school resources or practicality of purpose.

It’s no surprise that the average tenure of a private school head is 4.5 years. Public school principal tenure is about the same – 5 years for elementary school principals, 4.5 years for middle school principals and 3.5 years for high school principals.

One doesn’t need to be an organizational rocket scientist to know that :

  • A leader’s first year on the job is mostly about learning the culture and operations, building relationships, and determining what and how to change.
  • In the second year, school leaders might have ideas to make some changes. In the best-case scenario, the faculty joins to make changes at the end of the second year.
  • In the third year, change begins to take place.
  • In year four, if the change is going well – which is rare – real progress begins.

The data show that most school leaders are on their way out the door when real change is just beginning.

This cycle is repeated thousands and thousands of times at the expense of students and learning.

It doesn’t need to … Continue reading >>>


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White Technology Turns Textile Chemical Industry Greener

Textile Chemicals Market 01By Bhushan Wankhade

It’s no secret that the fashion industry needs to step up the game in terms of sustainability. The fabric dyes used in the textile industry are considered as a “necessary evil”. The dyes used in the textile industry are usually combined with water, which increases the amount of wastewater containing harmful, insoluble solvents. However, researchers are making herculean efforts to develop more sustainable and eco-friendly chemicals that can be used in the dyeing and finishing processes. Moreover, surge in research and development activities to develop sustainable chemicals and significant development in the apparel industry have boosted the growth of the textile chemical market. According to Allied Market Research, the global textile chemical market is expected to garner $27.56 billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of 3.4 percent from 2016 to 2022.

Eco-Friendly Chemicals

Singapore-based Huntsman Corp. recently launched UNIVADINE E3-3D, an eco-friendly, next-generation diffusion accelerant. UNIVADINE E3-3D accelerant is low-odor and free from hazardous components such as benzyl benzoate. It is a part of Huntsman’s wide range of novel dyEvolution dyeing auxiliaries, which uses active diffusion technology to offer high-speed dyeing with best-in-class retarding, leveling, and migration properties.

“The newly launched diffusion accelerant, UNIVADINE E3-3D, provides three major properties, including diffusion, leveling, and migration for outstanding performance and economic sustainability,” said Kerim Oner, global marketing manager for dyeing auxiliaries at Huntsman Textile Effects. “Moreover, its environmental credential offer factors greater flexibility and an optimum price-performance ratio.” Oner believes that the new offering would revolutionize the way textile chemical industry dyes polyester while meeting the stringent governmental standards.

There are several types of research regarding how toxic textile chemicals led to skin diseases and respiratory issues among the factory workers and users, which gave impetus to develop new, allergen-free chemicals. Belgium-based Devan Chemicals recently introduced a novel technology to manufacture carpets, curtains, and other textile components for an allergen-free environment. The company’s Purissimo chemical is said to be a probiotic-based solution that can fight allergens. According to the company, the use of this new chemical can reduce about 92.8 percent of cat hair allergens. Thus, it can be incorporated in textile components that are used in public spaces such as school, hospitals, and libraries.

Purissimo consists of inactive probiotic bacteria encapsulated into the microcapsule, which is then embedded into the textile products. Moreover, when subjected to friction, these microcapsules break and release the spores that transform the inactive bacteria into active ones and fight with allergens present in the textile products. Thus, with a remarkable reduction in the population of house dust mite, the new chemical can be an effective and preventive strategy to reduce allergic diseases caused by chemicals used in textile industry.

Era Of White Technology In Textile Industry

The textile industry is at the dawn of a new era of white technology. White technology refers to the use of living cells and other enzymes to develop industrial products that are easily degradable, create less waste during production, and even perform better than the products developed using traditional methods. PILI, a France-based biotechnology startup, has been developing bridgeable dyes using sugar-munching microbes. Recently, PILI has announced closing a $3 million initial funding round that would help its fermentation technology to produce high-performance bio-based pigments and dyes. The technology can be applied to industrial processes to improve efficiency, performance, and sustainability.

Most of the people never realize that the blue colored jeans that they wear are the biggest enemy of the mother nature. Recently, a team of energy bioscience researchers have found a “greener” way to manufacture blue jeans. Professor John Dueber and his team have used genetically modified bacteria such as E. coli and yeast to produce indigo color.

Currently, indigo color is synthetically created using petroleum. The process involves the use of a variety of chemicals that are harmful to the environment and sea life. However, with the help of bacteria, the use of these hazardous chemicals can be eliminated, and the process could complete at a faster rate.

Zach Russ, a bioengineering graduate that worked on this project, stated, “You can get indican from plants and turn it into indigo, which would remove the need for dangerous chemicals. One of the chemicals that are used to make indigo color is so hazardous that it can react with water and become highly flammable.” The team has offered a ground-breaking way to produce indigo using the white technology, which would make a significant impact on the textile chemicals industry.

Editor’s Note: Bhushan Wankhade is a digital marketing specialist with Allied Market Research. He can be reached at bhushan.wankhade@alliedanalytics.com. For more information, visit www.alliedmarketresearch.com.

Posted October 19, 2018


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A Magical Concert

Last night, my mom and I watched a violin concert by Jenny Oaks Baker. ( Wow!  She performed in the puffy princess dress--minus the gloves, of course.  Beautiful arrangements of Disney songs comprised the entire concert.  Her three young daughters even played one piece, an arrangement of "It's a Small World" for piano, violin, and cello.

The evening truly was magical.  Though the concert hall held hundreds of audience members, the setting felt intimate.  Jenny's personality came through with some off-hand remarks.  After the concert, as she was signing CDs, she asked if her remarks had spoiled the princess magic.  I assured her that they had not.

Personally, I love being reminded that those we admire or look up to are real people.  I don't mean in the gossip tabloid sort of way, but rather in the hopes, dreams, and humor sort of way.  Jenny was relieved after her girls performed well.  She asked for our prayers before performing a particularly demanding piece.  By allowing us a glimpse into her personality, she reminded me that not only is she an incredibly talented musician, she is a real person.

Not only that, I am a real person, too.  One of the overriding themes I am getting from Education Week is that we are all children of our Heavenly Father, we shouldn't be afraid to just be ourselves, we all make mistakes (so don't be judgemental!), and the Atonement is in place for each one of us.  Somehow, the concert last night reminded me further of those truths.

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And now, posts by email. Sort of.

Because not everyone’s going to be absolutely in love with this whole RSS thing, and because, as I’ve been discovering lately, RSS doesn’t necessarily translate to easy access, I’ve finally decided to start with the implementing something that might make things just a little bit more… well, readable for everyone. So now, thanks to my finally getting around to getting off my rear and doing something about it, and thanks to Feedburner making it just slightly less than painless, WTN by email is born. I have no idea how much breakage will be involved, and how much borderline insanity will be the result, but it’s here. You can find the subscription form in the sidebar. Now if I can just figure out how to keep the rest of it from blowing up in my face, I’ll be miles happy.

Have an opinion?


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Clocks move up an hour tonight.

It matters not to folks over in England, and those fortunate or unfortunate enough to live in Arizona, but for the rest of us, at 2:00 tonight we skip an hour. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to do that thing with your clocks. As for me, I’m gaining a whole lot more than just one hour of sleep.

Have an opinion?


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Manufacturing Technology Centre
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CARAPACE SLATE: Manufacturing process design to introduce automation to production of snap-fit roof tiles

"We've loved every minute of working with the MTC. The unique dynamic of multi-skilled technical-led governance from the MTC alongside the commercially focused, agile approach of a start-up, resulted in a highly productive and enjoyable partnership. It's a fantastic example of how cross industry collaboration between an HVM Catapult and micro-SME can achieve technological ambition and growth whilst remaining inherently commercially driven"

Amy Sheldrake, Found & Director, Carapace Slate

Carapace Slate approached the MTC to support the development of a manufacturing process to produce snap-fit roof tiles. Having seen the MTC’s Factory in a Box concept, the team at Carapace Slate wanted to explore viable automated solutions to improve productivity, speed of manufacture, and quality of output.

The Challenge

Carapace Slate uses waste slate material to manufacture composite snap-fit roof tiles. Its unique system, where tiles self-align and interlock without nails or screws, has been designed to significantly improve speed of installation, subsequently reducing resource levels, as well as production and labour costs.

Initially each roof tile was being made by hand, so Carapace Slate wanted to introduce automation to the manufacturing process to significantly improve productivity and reduce the need for manual intervention, whilst still retaining the key components of the tile design.

MTC's Solution

At the start of the project, the PMI and Design and Build teams at the MTC, in partnership with Innovate UK, spent time onsite at Carapace Slate to understand the processes and potential challenges with implementing an automated manufacturing process.

Upon understanding the technical specifications, the MTC created concepts specifically addressing the key areas of development with regards to both the machinery and the process, including:

  • Tile transportation and storage
  • Mould tool actuation
  • Process timings
  • Size and weight constraints

The next phase of the project modelled the impact and feasibility of a different number of mould tool units and end effector variants to meet production targets and potential solutions to automate the clip insertion process

A CAD model animation was created to simulate robot movement and to help determine the position and height of the robot. The tile design was reviewed throughout the project phases and the mould tool design updated accordingly. A controls system architecture was also scoped out.

The Outcome & Benefits To The Client

One of the primary features of the final mould tool design is modularity - this was a requirement outlined early in the concept phase.

In delivering against this, the final design achieves the following benefits:

  • Improved scalability and cost efficiency
  • Easily interchangeable tooling (approx. 10 minutes), therefore reducing machinery downtime
  • Simple hinge mechanism means limited requirement for moving parts and therefore cheaper to manufacture and maintain
  • Lightweight and compact footprint
"Working with Carapace Slate to materialise their ideas has been an exciting journey to say the least. Helping SME's to develop and grow is at the heart of what we do in the MTC's Product Manufacturing Incubator and this project has been testament to such a great collaboration"

Will Hankins, Research Engineer - Design & Build Machines, MTC


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Coast Guard to the Classroom: What One Heroic Pilot Learned When He Applied to TFA

By Richard Whitmire | August 18, 2015

Newark, New Jersey
Ask Chris Bonner about his days as a rescue helicopter pilot, and the extreme “situational awareness” essential to that job, and he’ll tell you about Thanksgiving night in 2005 and a winter storm rescue off the coast of San Francisco. A crewman on a polar icebreaker had a heart attack and needed a Coast Guard extraction. Immediately.
As a C-130 far overhead guided him through the night storm, Bonner juggled these factors as he prepared to land his HH-65 Dolphin helicopter on the cutter’s pitching deck, a ship he had never before landed on. Battling through wind and heavy rain, working with a rookie co-pilot and negotiating constant course corrections pouring in from the C-130, Bonner realized he only had enough fuel on board to support a 10-minute landing maneuver. And it was this situational awareness —  the ability to marshal past experience into the present, allowing him to accurately guess what would happen next — that led to a successful rescue.
That was then, before Bonner retired from the Coast Guard, joined Teach for America and ended up in a second-grade classroom at THRIVE Academy, a KIPP New Jersey charter school in Newark’s South Ward. As I discovered, it’s the kind of neighborhood where a cab will deliver you from the Amtrak station (drivers can’t refuse), but don’t count on a cab venturing out for the return trip.
Today, the question that needs asking is whether Bonner’s chopper pilot situational awareness can be transferred to managing a classroom with extraordinary challenges: Some kids arrive far behind, especially in reading skills, and teachers are expected to catch them up. Much like the military, it’s up or out for teachers here. No shortage of pressure.
Both KIPP and Teach for America have a different term for situational awareness. They call it “withitness,” but it’s really the same thing. Can Bonner scan the classroom and make quality and timely decisions about keeping all kids on track while pacing the learning? Without perfect pacing, the learning mission doesn’t get accomplished.
And that’s not the only question that needs asking about Bonner’s dramatic switch from the military to urban charter schools. In a vastly improved economy where fewer graduates of elite colleges are applying to TFA, can career changers such as Bonner, 44, survive, thrive and make up the difference? Within TFA, career changers are a fast-rising group, from 12 percent five years ago to 27 percent today. TFA needs corps members such as Chris.

Courtesy of Teach for America
Will TFA’s strategy work? Flying search-and-rescue missions may be difficult, but at least Bonner always had down time in the Coast Guard to sip coffee and check email. Here at THRIVE Academy, as with other high-performing inner city charters, there’s precious little down time. Hard to believe, but this job may be tougher than landing a Dolphin on an ice breaker during a winter storm.
Neighbors then friends
I first met Chris when a fellow neighbor in Arlington, Va., introduced us. Chris, the neighbor said, was interested in pursuing K-12 education after bringing his 20-year military career—first flying helicopters for the Army, then the Coast Guard—to a close. I write about education. Why not try dinner at a local Lebanese restaurant to explore mutual interests? We did, and thus began a friendship based on those interests. I was flattered to be invited to his retirement at Fort Myer, the historic Army post near the national cemetery. I watched an emotional ceremony as Chris removed all of his military honors and insignia and passed them to those who meant the most to him, including a high school baseball coach who had driven all night from Illinois to be there.

Instinctively, Chris chose charter schools as his goal, which made sense. He was looking to make a big difference where it was needed most. He grew up poor, joining the Army right out of high school. He got some breaks along the way, and he wanted other poor kids to find those same breaks. You don’t make that kind of difference teaching in our upper-income neighborhood of Arlington. To find something akin to plucking swamped sailors from the ocean, you go to places like Newark.

In the long run, Chris wanted to run a charter school, which fit his management skills (after leaving flying, he managed Coast Guard education programs, and already had a K-12 teaching certificate). But he knew he had to teach first. How could you possibly manage teachers at a culture-intense charter school unless you knew, brick by brick, how that unique classroom culture got built?

I watched with both awe and trepidation as he pursued a really tough choice.  Joining TFA meant bunking and training with recent college graduates who probably wouldn’t know what to make of this tightly muscled guy with the shaved head and booming voice. It meant his new boss would be half his age. It meant countless, unpredictable changes in his life. It wouldn’t be an easy journey.

But even I was surprised by some of the bumps along his path. My favorite story: When Chris announced his intentions to pursue TFA and work at a Newark charter school, the parents at his daughter’s upscale Virginia elementary school smiled, politely nodded and wished him luck. Clearly, many thought he was out of his mind. In this neighborhood bustling with lawyers, entrepreneurs and upper-level government workers, being a chopper pilot is unusual but kind of intriguing. Teaching in Newark…not so much. Aren’t you imperiling your wife and daughter?

But the reaction to Chris’s decision couldn’t have been more different from his fellow pilots. They thought it was cool, way cool. They got it. Not much different from the kind of risk-taking they signed up for as search and rescue pilots. They made Chris swear to stay in touch so they could see how it all turned out. “In the Coast Guard, you’re proud of the fact you have chosen a career path dedicated to the service of others. You’re willing to sacrifice yourself for whatever cause it is. It’s that kind of mentality,” Chris said. “These people got it.”

A different kind of boot camp
Becoming a commander on a helicopter search and rescue mission requires nearly four years of training and 900 flight hours. To prepare for this career change, working with inner-city second-graders, Chris would get little more than a month to prepare. First, an induction week at Rutgers University’s Newark and Camden locations and then four weeks at Temple University, a KIPP partner in Philadelphia. There would be a chance to practice before some summer school students and then on to the real thing at KIPP THRIVE. How could this possibly work?

Chris Bonner, in front of his second-graders in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Richard Whitmire)

Actually, it worked reasonably well. The key was in choosing the right people. Not only was TFA getting top college graduates, but they chose only 19 percent of the applicants, and it showed. “It’s not that TFA are good magicians or anything. They’re just real good at selecting people,” Chris said. “I could take the same group of people and dedicate them to something else and they’d be just as good, right?”

The social interactions were, well, a little less smooth. A rabid Seinfeld fan who can quote entire show sequences, Chris got nowhere telling Seinfeld jokes with this group of 22-year-olds. Maybe they had seen some reruns; maybe not. Fortunately, Chris’s roommates were other career changers. No coincidence there. Chris and his roommates, both Wall Streeters looking for more meaningful second careers, kept steady hours – early to bed, early to rise. Unlike the other corps members, who were just a few months out of college and had never held steady jobs before. For them, it was college all over again, sharing music and gossip in the hallways, staying out late at karaoke bars. Other than everyone joining TFA, they didn’t have much in common.

Many of the young corps members made it clear they were there for two years of service before moving onto something else. “We respected them for who they were and what they were doing,” said Chris. “They are some smart kids. Some want to be doctors, and they will. Some want to be politicians and lawyers, and they will. They are going to be the people our society holds as being successful, accomplished people, so good for them for taking this on, to make $40,000 and $50,000 doing this before moving on.”

For Chris, the hardest part was adjusting to what he dubs “rainbows and unicorns” sessions, where corps member share, emote, tell “life river” stories about themselves and work long and hard on cultural awareness issues, especially involving race. Chris got it. He knew he was headed into a classroom where every single student was likely to be poor and African American. And here he was, white, male, shaved head and military. He understood the reasons for the rainbows and unicorns, but it didn’t come naturally. There’s no touchy feely talk in the military. “Over time, the hugs and kisses wear you out. I don’t need to share my innermost thoughts.” But he got through it.

Mr. Bonner revealed
It’s the rare rookie teacher working in challenging circumstances who doesn’t despair, doesn’t think they are failing their kids, and doesn’t think they probably made a terrible, horrible career choice.  And Chris was no different. He worried that he wasn’t winning their respect. He worried he was taking everything too personally. Most of all, he worried about his work-life balance. The hours were eating him alive, especially considering that he was the primary parent in charge of their 8-year-old daughter when she got out of school. His wife, Caryn, who was working in finance in lower Manhattan, was the primary breadwinner this year. When Chris gave reading assessments, many of his students tested at alarmingly low levels. The amount of time needed to make up those gaps was bottomless. “Something that I didn’t realize when I came in is there’s never enough time. The amount of work you could do to help improve the lives of 28 kids is beyond human capability.”

Fortunately, Chris’s principal, Lindsay Schambach, had anticipated all this and assigned him to a lead teacher, Diane Revalski, who is both a crack educator and someone unlikely to be intimidated by Chris. On the April day I visited the classroom, every so often Diane would climb on a desk, with a #2 pencil thrust through her tight bun, and loudly announce new orders for rotating learning groups. She was a perfect match for Chris, who by this point in the school year was teaching with confidence. His pacing, going through small group reading sessions, seemed flawless. The respect among the kids was evident.

Chris Bonner works with a student on blended learning mathematics at KIPP THRIVE Academy in Newark. (Courtesy KIPP THRIVE Academy)

What happened to turn it around for Chris? Everyone has a theory. For Lindsay, the turning point came when Chris truly bought into school culture, the rainbows and unicorns, if you will. Most memorable was the time Chris plunged into the weekly competition among the classes to come up with the best chant. Chris taught them a military-style marching/running Jody chant. (In the military Jody is the pretend name of the person who steals your girlfriend when you’re away) Chris added KIPP language, and the chant stuck:

You scholars

Better do your best

Or you find yourself

Left with all the rest

Love it, learn it…

“The kids loved it,” said Chris, “and it became this big thing in the school. ‘Ohhh, Mr. Bonner is showing a little bit of himself and it’s unique.’”

On school spirit day, he came dressed in a tuxedo. And then there was the time, during a Western theme day, that he came dressed in chaps, a vest, handkerchief and cowboy hat. All those were important transitions, said Lindsay, from getting kids to do things because you outrank them to getting them to do it because they love you. The latter works way better. “Early on, Chris had an over-reliance on the rules without realizing that relationships are what make a school’s culture every day.”

Caryn Bonner has her own sense of when the corner got turned. It was a December weekend when her husband first referred to his students as “my” kids. For Chris, the turning moment was unexpected, the day he arrived back in the classroom after the holiday break. He had expected a tough day re-immersing all the students in the fast-paced KIPP academic world. “I was expecting a nightmare,” he said, “that they would have forgotten everything and we would be starting over from square one. But that didn’t happen. I came back, and the kids missed me, and I missed them.”

Where it all ends up
The cliché about war planning is that once the first shot gets fired all that careful strategy gets tossed. Something similar, but not that dramatic, happened with Chris. His original plan, to teach for two years and then aim for a school leadership role, got revised. Chris considers himself a good second-grade teacher, but maybe not great, at least not yet. His real dream was to teach high school and engage with teenagers about the great questions in life. “With kids this age, it’s more about being a father, mother, social worker assessing their needs,” he said. “And I’m not a huge nurturer.”

As for the plan to become a principal, like Lindsay Schambach, that also changed. “I can’t work 15 hours a day like Lindsay does,” he said. “Somebody has to get [our daughter] and get dinner on the table.”

From Lindsay’s perspective, Chris ran into the five-minutes-free phenomenon. In the military, he could always find five minutes of free time. “Here, you have five minutes free and realize you can make copies, go to the bathroom and make three parent calls.” Lindsay recalls Chris telling her, “I was part of one of the most efficient  organizations, the military, and I have never had to maximize my time like I do now. Every second counts here.”

What would work, and be a better fit for Chris, would be taking on the school operations role. Essentially overseeing every aspect of the school that’s not instructional — budget, food service, custodial, supplies, buses, facilities — it would be a perfect job for someone with a military background. Lindsay agrees. Next year Chris will both teach and begin to take on those tasks as part of his training. As KIPP continues to expand in Newark, the opportunity to grow in a job like that is enticing. And his teaching experience will be invaluable. “It’s like being an enlisted person who becomes an officer. You know what it’s like to be the person being led, so you make decisions based on that experience.”

So what does Chris’s story say about TFA’s future? Yes, the situational awareness acquired as a helicopter pilot translated into classroom withitness. But what proved to be just as important was an embrace of the teaching culture, unicorns and all. Everyone agrees Chris became an effective teacher in less than a year. How many first-year teachers can claim that?

The second question: Can TFA and KIPP count on career changers? They already are, with general success. But the massive time commitments required of managers may keep many of them, especially those with family duties, from moving into top leadership roles. Finding the right talent to fill that incredibly demanding job will continue to be a challenge — a challenge that threatens to limit the growth of elite charters.

Emerson Collective fellow Richard Whitmire is the author of several education books, including 2014’s On the Rocketship: How Top Charter Schools Are Pushing the Envelope.

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Morrison to back construction of new gas-fired power station

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This was published 10 months ago

Morrison to back construction of new gas-fired power station

By David Crowe

The Morrison government will open up new gas supplies and back the construction of a gas-fired power station in a mammoth new plan that aims to prevent an energy price spike for employers and households.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will on Tuesday promise a "gas-led recovery" from the coronavirus recession by making sure Australian manufacturers can gain access to the energy they need to compete with overseas rivals.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce a plan for a gas-led recovery out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce a plan for a gas-led recovery out of the COVID-19 pandemic.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

In a sweeping intervention, the government will back the construction of a new gas-fired power station in the NSW Hunter Valley if energy giant AGL does not replace its Liddell coal-fired power station.

The policy statement canvasses Commonwealth support for five new gas fields and more pipelines to transport gas to Sydney, Melbourne and other major markets that risk running low on gas in coming winters.

Environmental groups have intensified their opposition to gas in recent years, arguing renewable energy is developing quickly enough to replace fossil fuels, but the government sees gas as the best way to transition away from coal.

Mr Morrison will unveil the plan with a promise to "deliver more Australian gas where it is needed at an internationally competitive price" for manufacturers and households.

"As we turn to our economic recovery from COVID-19, affordable gas will play a central role in re-establishing the strong economy we need for jobs growth, funding government services and opportunities for all," he says.

The government push for gas is founded in part on fears NSW will see the price spike that occurred in Victoria after the closure of the Hazelwood coal-fired power station, which sent wholesale prices soaring by 85 per cent at one point.

AGL intends to shut the Liddell coal-fired power station in April 2022 and has outlined plans to replace it with renewable energy and battery storage, but the government policy will back a plan to build a gas-fired power station nearby.

The government will set a "dispatchable capacity investment target" of 1000 megawatts of electricity in NSW by the end of April 2021, requiring this amount of additional energy to come online by the end of 2023.

"If the energy companies step up to deliver on the target, the government will step back," says one of the Commonwealth documents.

Snowy Hydro, which is wholly owned by the Commonwealth, is studying whether to build a new gas-fired power station at Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley.

A key objective is to guarantee electricity supply to the nearby Tomago smelter, which makes about 25 per cent of Australia's aluminium.

The energy statement canvasses changes to national energy laws so that Tomago and other large industrial loads can be "appropriately compensated" for the role they play in providing stability to the east-coast electricity grid.

Behind the wider gas plan is the concern that Australian customers are paying as much as 25 per cent more for gas than international customers, leading to soaring energy costs for manufacturers at the same time gas is pumped onto tankers for export.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission estimated last month that prices range from $8 to $10 per gigajoule for domestic customers, about $2 more than the LNG price.

A key part of the policy is the development of a National Gas Infrastructure Plan that will support a more active role for the government by forecasting future gas demand and identifying gaps that require intervention.

It warns that several Victorian gas fields – including Bass Strait – will decline over time and lead to supply gaps during peak winter demand from 2024 unless new supplies are found.

The government will negotiate new Heads of Agreement with the three major liquefied natural gas exporters in Queensland to insist they make more gas available to the domestic market.

In a significant intervention to name new gas supplies, the government will deliver five Strategic Basin Plans that will start with the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory, followed by the North Bowen and Galilee fields in Queensland.

The North Bowen and Galilee basins are seen as "priority" developments but the new policy also names the Cooper Basin in Queensland, the Gunnedah Basin in NSW and the Perth Basin in Western Australia as targets for strategic plans.

It will consider a "potential gas reservation" regime to set some of the future gas aside for the Australian market, learning the lessons of the past decade when new fields were developed for export and the boost in supplies failed to lead to lower domestic prices.

But the priority is expected to be the Narrabri gas field in northern NSW, which is being developed by Santos and is awaiting a state regulatory decision by the end of this month, after which it will require federal environmental approval.

The alternative to the Santos project is a plan to build an import terminal on the east coast.

If private sector investment in the priority projects does not occur, the government will raise the option of streamlining approvals, underwriting projects or supporting "special purpose vehicles" to ensure they go ahead.

One source said the government's message to industry was: "If you don't fix it, we will."

Throwing the full weight of the Commonwealth behind more gas exploration and extraction, the plan will even specify the best way to set a transparent price for the domestic market by using a gas hub at Wallumbilla, near the Queensland town of Roma.

The location is significant because Wallumbilla is regarded as a key point in a potential gas pipeline south to NSW and on to Victoria, bringing more supply to the southern states.

While private companies are considering whether to build the new pipelines to carry more gas supplies to Sydney and Melbourne, the government is open to underwriting the pipelines.

This acts on a proposal from the chair of the federal government's COVID-19 Commission Advisory Board, business executive Nev Power, who aired the idea of an underwriting approach last month.

Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler has questioned the need for underwriting new gas projects but the opposition's resources spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, has lent provisional support to the concept.

The Greens and the environmental movement have slammed the idea of expanding the use of fossil fuels rather than renewable energy supplies, but the government is arguing Australia's emissions will fall by using gas to shift away from coal.

The government cites International Energy Agency analysis showing that switching from coal to gas has saved 500 million tonnes of carbon emissions since 2010.

The government claims it is ahead of its 2030 emissions target by 16 million tonnes.

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Special Offers &

Package Deals

The Andalusian Court is pleased to provide our guests with a special romance package. We also offer special deals throughout the year. We offer one of the best romantic getaways in Palm Springs and we want to make sure it's affordable for you in every way possible.

Take a look at some of the Andalusian Court’s special options for great savings and creative ideas for you romantic stay at our inn.

  • Romance Package - $250

Romance Package - $250

Imagine sipping sparkling wine and feeding each other strawberries under the soft glow of lanterns on your balcony, or slipping into your private Outdoor whirlpool bathtub.

This Package Includes :

  • A bottle of our house Andalusian Court Brut sparkling wine presented on ice in a silver champagne bucket and placed on a decorative tray with a personalized card and your special message.
  • An arrangement of one dozen gorgeous long stemmed red roses.
  • Six assorted handmade truffles, or six chocolate-dipped strawberries.
  • Red and white silk rose petals sprinkled on the bed.
  • Spa Services

Spa Services

In-room Spa Services at the Andalusian Court. Our guests receive a 15% discount when they visit Studio M.

Pamper yourself with an in-room massage or facial. We have partnered with Studio M Salon and Spa to provide our guests with a wonderful selection of services. Alternatively, our guests can visit Studio M and experience all of their services.

For more information on spa services visit https://www.studiomsalonandspa.com or to make an appointment contact Studio M at (760) 327-9000

  • Wine

Enjoy a premium bottle of wine in your Villa.

Andalusian Court Brut Sparkling Wine - $50.00

Crafted in the labor-intensive Méthode Champagneoise, practiced in the Champagne region of France, this very special cuvée is 65% Chardonnay, for freshness and elegance, and 35% Pinot Noir for added depth, complexity, and body. Following bottle fermentation the wine was aged in the same bottle on the yeast lees for nineteen months, gradually developing the classic creamy texture and brioche-like character.

Shimmering with a stream of tiny bubbles, it opens with lively aromas of citrus, green apple, fresh pear, and freshly-baked bread. Creamy and elegant on the palate, it’s infused with fresh apple and citrus blossom then deepens into ripe peach, raspberry, yeasty notes and subtle minerality. The lingering finish is lemony, polished, and fresh.

Scott Family Estate Chardonnay - $25.00

This wine is very complexed. Fig and tropical fruit upfront with a full vanilla finish. Oily legs drippling on the rim of the glass.... this wine coats your mouth and lingers on your tongue. NICE!

Bottled served chilled in an iced silver bucket.

Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon - $30.00

The Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of blackberry and cherry with hints of vanilla and spice. The wine opens with dark, concentrated fruit flavors, followed by firm tannins on the midpalate, and a long finish.

*Please note that if the winery runs out of a selected bottle, it will be replaced with similar choice of equal or greater quality and value.*

  • Grocery Delivery

Grocery Delivery

Your villa comes equipped with a full kitchen with everything you need to prepare and serve, with the exception of the groceries! Grocery delivery service is available to our guests from the locals’ favorite Jensen’s Finest Foods. Please contact Jensen’s directly at (760) 325-8282 at least 24 hours prior to your stay, and they will have your kitchen stocked with your items prior to your arrival!

If your delivery request lands on a Sunday you will need to contact Jensen’s on Friday, and your order will be delivered the day before on Saturday, as Jensen's doesn't deliver on Sunday. Please specify any food allergies they should be aware of.

*Please note that Jensen’s will charge you directly for their services.*

Summer Promotion

Summer Promotion

Stay two nights at our boutique inn and get the third night free! This promotion is available from June 1st to August 31st. When you book directly through the Andalusian Court on our website or by phone at 1 (888) 947- 6667. Online travel agency bookings do not qualify for this promotion. May not be combined with weekends, special events, holidays, or weekly rates.


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Simpsons Wet Dog Food Tins
Simpsons Premium was established in 2009 with one goal in mind: to provide customers with an affordable super premium quality balanced nutritional complete dog food.
Together with one of the countries’ leading nutritionists they have created a range of foods with unique recipes using only the best natural wholesome ingredients to provide dog owners with a super premium quality food.
In support our economy, all Simpsons Premium dry food is British Made and the ingredients are sourced in the UK where possible.
  • Hypoallergenic, holistic, natural and organic pet food
  • High meat content for extra palatability
  • No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
  • No genetically modified ingredients
  • Human grade free run Chicken, Lamb, Salmon and Duck
  • Highly digestible ingredients meaning less to feed so very economical
Puppy Turkey, Duck & Venison
Turkey, Duck & Venison Casserole with Organic Vegetables for puppies is made using only naturally wholesome ingredients and contains no rendered meat or derivatives and is suitable for all breeds. It's totally Grain Free making it ideal for dogs who suffer allergies and contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
Ingredients: Turkey 40%, Duck 10%, Venison 10%, Organic Potatoes, Organic Carrots, Organic Pumpkin, Organic Spinach, Vitamins and Minerals.

Simpsons Puppy Turkey, Duck and Venison Tins - 6 Pack

£14.99 Regular Price
£13.49Sale Price


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Accounting, Performance and Tax

We integrate the industry leading investment accounting and reporting systems with straight-through processing, robust controls and experienced professionals to provide timely and accurate NAV calculations and real-time access to data. Our experienced tax professional prepare fund tax filings and monitor compliance with IRS rules.

Services include

Accounting and Performance

  • Maintaining general and subsidiary ledgers and journals.
  • Processing portfolio and net investor trades.
  • Validating and processing dividends, interest and other corporate actions.
  • Calculating and allocating management and performance fees.
  • Accruing income and expenses, including waivers and reimbursements.
  • Reconciling cash and holdings to custodians, prime brokers and other parties.
  • Processing fund distributions.
  • Managing valuation of fund assets and liabilities.
  • Validating and applying portfolio prices.
  • Calculating NAVs, dividend factors and yields.
  • Administering fair valuation process and reporting.
  • Calculating and reporting performance data.
  • Managing benchmark data and reporting.
  • Reporting performance and fund data to third parties.

    We have successfully completed an independent SOC 1 audit of its fund accounting services.

Tax Services

  • Preparing annual capital gain estimates.

  • Calculating periodic distributions.

  • Monitoring RIC tax compliance.

  • Preparing fund federal income and excise tax provisions.

  • Preparing fund state income tax returns and provisions.

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Archive: kenia

Archive: kenia

The stone-cold truth

23. Kenya: The stone-cold truth – 2006

This project makes use of the underappreciated skills of the groups who are creating dance and music rituals accompanying funerals. Through this theatre project, they will learn how to shape and organize their …

In Limbo

13. Kenia: In Limbo – 2005

The Theatre Embassy in collaboration with partner organization Dramatool (Kenya), created an intercultural play with an underprivileged youth group in Kenya about traditional funeral rites.
Death is a common sight in AIDS-stricken Kenya and …