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September 28, 2021

In This Issue...

Best Practices Forum
Welcome New Members
Member News
Research and Resources
In the News
Job Announcements

The National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials is a non-profit professional organization that advances official policies that promote county and regional park and recreation issues while providing members with opportunities to network, exchange ideas and best practices, and enhance professional development.

Learn more about us at:

The next issue of NACPRO News will be delivered on October 26, 2021.

If you have news or an article to share, please send it to the editor by October 25.

Brenda Adams-Weyant
(814) 927-8212
[email protected]

NACPRO's Sponsors

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Job Announcements

NEW - Parks and Recreation Director
Oakland County Parks
Waterford, Michigan
$123,636 - $165,647 Annually
Closing date: Oct 18, 2021

NEW - Division Managers:
Community Services Division and Recreation Division
City of San Jose Dept of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services
San Jose, California
$112,792 - $172,276 Annually
Closing date: Oct 25, 2021

NEW - Park Equipment Operator - Temporary Assignment
Santa Clara County Parks
Los Gatos, California
$67,945 - $82,110 Annually
Closing date: Oct 15, 2021

Senior Design & Development Supervisor
Whatcom County Parks & Recreation
Bellingham, Washington
$6,259 - $8,430 Monthly
Closing date: Oct 29, 2021

Director of Brand Strategy and Community Engagement
Glenview Park District
Glenview, Illinois
$80,000 - $95,000 Annually
Closing date: Oct 3, 2021

Got a vacancy to fill? NACPRO will post your vacancy on our website and email a copy to our mailing list of over 1100 parks and recreation professionals for a fee of $100 for NACPRO members and $200 for non-members. NACPRO membership is $90/person.

For more information:

Best Practices Forum

Got an issue you need advice on? Or a best practice you want to share? Send us the details and we will publish it in the next NACPRO News.

Welcome New Members

Ms. Lorrie Pearson, Executive Director
Champaign County Forest Preserve District, Illinois

Ms. Jai Cole, Executive Director
Fairfax County Park Authority, Virginia

Member News

Bringing home the gold: Cleveland Metroparks honored as nation's top park system
Courtesy of Freshwater

OHIO - The 2021 Summer Olympics may be a memory, but Cleveland Metroparks is standing proudly atop the recreational field as the nation’s best park system.

Earlier this week, Cleveland Metroparks won the 2021 National Gold Medal “Best in Nation” Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management.

Announced at the 2021 National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) conference in Nashville, Tennessee, the award marks the highest national honor in the parks and recreation field.

Read more

New Fairfax Park Authority Executive Director Named
Courtesy of Fairfax County

VIRGINIA - The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors affirmed the selection of Jai Cole as Executive Director of the Park Authority today, voting to accept the recommendation of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board. Cole, a park professional with more than two decades of leadership experience with award-winning recreation and park agencies will begin immediately, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Park Authority Executive Director Kirk Kincannon earlier this year.

Cole comes to the Park Authority from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery Parks (M-NCPPC, Montgomery Parks) where she served as Chief of the Park Planning and Stewardship Division since 2018.

Read more

County Parks Wins Awards for Communication, Marketing Initiatives
Courtesy of Palm Beach

FLORIDA - The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department (PBC Parks) was selected by the City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA) as the recipient of two awards for unique communication and marketing initiatives.

PBC Parks received the Silver Circle Award in the Digital Interactive – Other Media category for the Power of Parks podcast, a podcast produced entirely in-house by department staff. Power of Parks features inspiring stories from people who have benefited from nature, parks, and recreation, and include interviews from members of the community and beyond, including a news anchor, Paralympic athletes, and volunteers.

The department also received the Award of Excellence in the category of Graphic Design – Other (population 100,000+) for a series of Interpretive Nature Signage Redesigns completed in early 2021. The project was a major initiative to redesign 15 outdated, run down, and irrelevant educational signs along a nature center trail and nature boardwalk at Daggerwing Nature Center in Boca Raton, and Okeeheelee Nature Center in West Palm Beach. Much of the work, including coordination, design, and installation, was done in-house by department staff.

Read more

Johnson County parks board approves diversity statement, nearly unchanged from draft criticized by commissioner
Courtesy of the Shawnee Mission Post

By Roxie Hammill

KANSAS - After a month of reconsideration, the county park district board approved a diversity and inclusion statement almost identical to one a county commissioner had decried as promoting “critical race theory.”

The unanimous vote let most of the original language stand that had been criticized by Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara a month ago.

The statement recognizes that certain barriers exist that create disparities among the public. The only significant change was the addition of “physical” to the types of barriers that may limit opportunities of some people, including access to park facilities.

Commissioner O’Hara told the board members in August that the statement was divisive and that there is no systemic racism in Johnson County. She offered her own version as a possible substitute.

Read more

Online nature videos featuring Will County Forest Preserves gaining buzz, locally and nationally
Courtesy of the Daily Southtown

By Bill Jones

ILLINOIS - "The Buzz" takes host Suzy Lyttle to lesser-known Forest Preserve of Will County properties, such as Huyck’s Grove in Wilton Township.

When the Forest Preserve District of Will County set out in the summer of 2020 to do a monthly nature show as a way to stay connected with forest preserve users amid the COVID-19 pandemic, host Suzy Lyttle said they knew from the start they wanted a very specific vibe: educational and informative but laid back, something with which people could connect.

“We don’t want to just give a book report,” Lyttle said “We want to make sure this is exciting.”

The result, a program called “The Buzz,” connected not only with users of the forest preserves but also the National Association of County Parks and Recreation Officials. The organization recognized the show earlier this year with a 2020 award in the Marketing and Communications division. NACPRO recognizes excellence in parks and recreation across the nation, and its award committee noted it was impressed with the quality and humor of the Will County show.

Read more

Research and Resources

People, Parks, and Power - Call for Proposals
Courtesy of NRPA

People, Parks, and Power (P3) is a joint effort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, led and managed by Prevention Institute. P3 will support community-based organizations and base-building groups working in urban, low-income communities of color across the United States to increase park equity through local policy and systems change.

The People, Parks, and Power (P3) Call for Proposals is now open. Letters of intent are due by November 4, 2021.

We’ll be hosting an optional applicant webinar on September 29, 2021, at 1PM Eastern. On the webinar, you’ll learn more about eligibility and selection criteria and hear answers to frequently asked questions. A recording of the webinar will be posted on

For more information:

New Resource to Help Engage the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards
Courtesy of NRPA

By Michele White

Within our field’s work, we know that stewards and volunteers are key to the success of natural spaces and natural resource-focused efforts — not only providing vocal support but helping to establish, maintain, and conduct educational outreach. Through NRPA research, we know while most communities have groups that are passionate about these spaces and are eager to assist with these efforts, this population generally skews older, whiter, and wealthier than the community as a whole. But communities of color, and in particular young people, are passionate about the environment and are often at the forefront of finding solutions to some of our most pressing environmental issues. So, it begs the question, “Why don't we see greater participation within stewardship or volunteer programs, that reflect the love, experience, and knowledge of these communities?” There is a multitude of reasons that this problem exists in natural resource and conservation efforts, but one we must address.

To help address this, NRPA partnered with Justice Outside and received support from Citgo Petroleum Corporation to create a resource to help park professionals engage diverse groups and youth in conservation issues: Engaging Diverse Groups in Building Community Resiliency through Stewardship. The resource provides a process, resources, as well as case studies, to help professionals thoughtfully explore how to engage in community building work around natural resources and conservation efforts. It specifically focuses on partnership building & community trust, community engagement and communications, and planning events. It also allows space to reflect on your current practices and how you, your agency, and your community are engaged in this work.

Read more:

Using Cell Phone Location Data for Park Planning
Courtesy of Planetizen

By Clement Lau

Park planning has become increasingly data-driven. For example, the use of geographic information systems (GIS) for mapping and analysis is now commonplace for large public park agencies, as explained in previous Planetizen articles, "How GIS Helps Plan Parks" and "How the National Park Service Uses GIS." Many have also conducted and are continuing to update parks needs assessments to gather and analyze data to help inform planning and resource allocation decisions, as exemplified in recent articles like "Seeking Public Input on Regional and Rural Park Needs," "Understanding Regional and Rural Park and Recreation Needs," and "Rural Parks Planning Underway in Los Angeles County."

The use of location data from mobile devices is one of the latest trends in data-driven park planning. Specifically, the use of such data for studies on park visitors can be more affordable and accurate than conducting in-person counts and/or surveys at parks. In this article, Adi Reske of Unacast summarizes a conversation with Dr. Jamie Saxon, with the University of Chicago, regarding how location data is being used in the public sector and the different ways it can help create better public parks.

Read more:

Next-generation Global Coastal Risk Screening Tool Now Available
Courtesy of Climate Central

Two major upgrades to our Coastal Risk Screening Toolset Climate Central apart as the source of the world's most accurate global coastal flood risk maps. Now incorporating the newest sea-level projections from the IPCC and the next generation of our digital elevation model, Climate Central maps and risk assessments offer the best available global view of coastal communities' future flood threats. Our video tutorial explores the features and options available to visualize coastal flood risks for nearly every coastline on Earth.

For more information:

Designing Public Spaces to Promote Intergenerational Play & Recreation
Courtesy of PlayCore

While most will recognize the importance of intergenerational settings, where the physical environment is designed to accommodate the physical and psychological needs of people across the age and ability spectrum, there needs to be an equal consideration to the ways these environments afford opportunities for meaningful engagement between members of different generations.

The book shares evidence-based research on the importance of intergenerational park and recreation settings, provides a rich overview on designing settings that can promote intergenerational activities, gives an overview of marketing, programming and evaluation tactics, and shares a variety of different case studies where communities have created successful intergenerational environments.

For more information:

Floating Wetlands Planned for Inner Harbor to Revive Urban Ecosystems, Clean Water
Courtesy of Maryland Matters

By Elizabeth Shwe

MARYLAND - The Inner Harbor was once lined with tidal salt marshes, only a few feet deep and teeming with aquatic life.

But Baltimore became a major industrial city by the early 19th century. Marshes were dredged out, replaced by piers and deepwater shipping ports with depths as great as 25 feet.

Now the National Aquarium is trying to recreate those rich tidal marshes of yore by building an oasis of floating wetlands at the aquarium’s campus off Pratt Street. It will be open for the public to visit when it is complete in about two years, said Jack Cover, general curator of living exhibits at the National Aquarium.

Read more:

Introducing the Anti Racism in the Outdoors Resource Guide
Courtesy of The Joy Trip Project

The Joy Trip Project is pleased to announce the release of the Anti-Racism in the Outdoor Resource Guide. Created by Dr. Don Rakow of Cornell University and Laura Brown of the University of Connecticut this annotated bibliography is a detailed list of articles and online content references that explore the complex issues of racial disparities in the equitable access of all people to the outdoors.

In partnership with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison, this new resource guide will be shared in a free Zoom panel discussion titled Everyone’s Earth: Conversations on Race and Environment on Thursday, September 30th at 11:30 AM Central Time.

Read more:

Youth explore streams, fishing as part of STREAM program
Courtesy of the Warren Times Observer

By Brian Ferry

PENNSYLVANIA - Macroinvertebrates, tying flies, riparian buffers, career path options, and mountain pies.

Trout Unlimited, Chapman State Park, and the Northern Allegheny Outdoor Women’s Association worked together on the STREAM Girls program to introduce some local youth to the science and fun that can be found in their local waters.

“STREAM Girls is Trout Unlimited’s Watershed STEM program that builds confidence and breaks down barriers in science and the outdoors,” according to Trout Unlimited. “Through the eyes of a scientist, artist, and angler, girls make a personal connection to their home waters.”

The girls heard career information from some female role models in those fields — Moore, DCNR Cornplanter District Forester Cecile Stelter, and Warren County Conservation District Watershed Specialist Jean Gomory.

Read more:

Be Trail Kind - Trails Are Common Ground Initiative Launches
Courtesy of American Trails

Trails are Common Ground™ is a proactive, growing, and inclusive national community of passionate trail users woven together by a love for trails and respect for one another. Together, we are dedicated to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment every time anyone steps, rides, or rolls onto the trail.

We don’t have to tell you that it’s been getting pretty crowded out on the trails lately. On the one hand, it’s great that so many people are enjoying the outdoors. On the other hand, sometimes we struggle to understand each other on the trail.

Read more:

In the News

Carolyn McKnight-Fredd Named Chair-Elect of NRPA
Courtesy of NRPA

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the nation’s leading advocate for parks and recreation, today announced the election of Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP, as chair-elect of its board of directors.

“On behalf of our entire board and staff, we are thrilled for Carolyn to take on this role,” said NRPA President and CEO Kristine Stratton. “During her more than three decades in parks and recreation, Carolyn has earned multiple awards for her work, leadership and service to the profession. She has the skills, passion and experience to strengthen NRPA and show that parks are essential to creating a better life for everyone.”

McKnight retired from her role as superintendent of the East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission (BREC) in 2019 and has since founded Eagle Methods Management Consulting in Dallas. She brings civilian and military experience to bear, having served with distinction for more than 27 years, retiring from the Air National Guard at the rank of Colonel (O6), the first African American woman ever to achieve the rank in the history of the state of Texas.

Read more:

These Green Bay parks will soon have free internet access
Courtesy of the Green Bay Press-Gazette

By Natalie Eilbert

WISCONSIN - The Green Bay City Council approved roughly $253,000 in federal CARES Act funds Tuesday night to essentially turn four public parks into giant "hotspots" through the installation of wireless internet service.

The approval is a win for low- to moderate-income residents who have struggled to access the internet in an age where Zoom has become the norm for professional and social engagements and school-age children who need internet access to complete schoolwork — or attend classes — online.

Read more

BLM to relocate headquarters from Grand Junction, Colorado to Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of NACo

By Jonathan Shuffield, Aaliyah Nedd

On September 17, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the relocation of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) headquarters back to Washington, D.C. BLM completed its relocation to Grand Junction in August 2020, a year after the initial announcement. Secretary Haaland outlined the director and other leadership positions would be permanently stationed in Washington D.C., while the Grand Junction office will be converted to a “Western Hub.”

The Trump Administration announced the relocation of BLM headquarters to Grand Junction in 2019, and the process took over a year to complete. Of the 328 positions moved out of Washington, D.C., only 41 of the affected employees relocated.

Read more:

Webinar: Empowering Professionals to Dismantle Health Inequities and Systemic Racism in Parks and Recreation
Courtesy of PlayCore

DATE: Wednesday, September 29, 2021
TIME: 2:00 to 3:15 pm EST

Research indicates predominately White communities are far more likely to take advantage of the numerous health benefits of public parks as compared to communities of color. What is the cause of this racial and ethnic disparity in park use? What are opportunities for play and recreational professionals to drive health equity in their communities? Join an esteemed panel to learn about how centuries of oppression and structural racism have excluded people of color from public parks and discuss future-driven solutions to deliver equitable public spaces that benefit all.

For more information:

Webinar: Planning, Purchasing, and Protecting Play and Recreational Surfacing
Courtesy of PlayCore

DATE: Wednesday, October 6, 2021
TIME: 2:00 to 3:15 pm EST

Choosing an appropriate playground surfacing is one of the most important factors in developing a safe outdoor play environment. Learn how to raise awareness about some considerations to make when planning, purchasing, and protecting your play or recreation area. Case examples are highlighted to provide a comprehensive overview on the features and benefits of the variety of types of safety surfaces available. Considerations are also explored to enhance play value The webinar will offer planning checklists, resources, and inspection tools to help assist in simplifying the selection, installation, and maintenance process to ensure the safety and enjoyment of users.

For more information:

Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit
Courtesy of American Trails

October 17-23, 2021

American Trails is partnering with Oregon Trails Coalition and offering learning credits for FREE to attendees of their Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit taking place October 17-23, 2021.

The Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit brings together Oregon’s outdoor community to learn, build relationships, and find solutions to the challenges we face in developing and elevating outdoor recreation opportunities to best serve Oregon communities and celebrate and protect our natural, cultural, and historic wonders.

The 2021 summit is a statewide, virtual event supplemented by regional, in-person outdoor stewardship events, and in-field learning opportunities.

For more information:

Webinar: Trail Ambassador Programs: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices
Courtesy of American Trails

October 28, 2021
1:00 to 2:30 PM Eastern time

Trail ambassador programs can be a boon to any trail or trail system. They build local engagement, help identify and solve deferred maintenance issues, and turn casual users into lifelong advocates. We've gathered together leaders of some of the best ambassador programs across the nation, representing a variety of trail user types, to share best practices and offer sage advice for starting programs for your trail. We have made this a two-part webinar series to showcase great examples and resources that will focus on providing ample time for answering your most burning questions.

Join us for Part 2 in January 2022 (or view the recording).

For more information:

NACPRO | PO Box 74, Marienville, PA 16239 | (814) 927-8212


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Published on November 5th 2021 in

MTA NSW welcomes new Chief Financial Officer

The Motor Traders’ Association of NSW (MTA NSW), an employer’s association representing thousands of automotive businesses, is delighted to announce the appointment of Alex Kathestides as Chief Financial Officer on 27 October 2021.

Alex brings a wealth of experience to MTA NSW, having previously worked across a range of industries spanning from Multinationals and ASX listed companies in the industrial, services and retail sectors. Most recently, Alex has proven a strong ability to build strategies based on numerical data and deliver these insights effectively at an operational level as shown through his role within the retail industry as Chief Financial Officer at Accent Lifestyle – Glue Stores. Alex has also demonstrated a sound knowledge of the automotive and industrial sector through his experience at Ampol Limited as the Financial Controller, Retail.

Stavros Yallouridis, CEO, MTA NSW explained: “Alex’s experience as a finance leader with a strong commercial focus and leadership skills to be advantageous for MTA NSW, as he becomes a vehicle for innovative change within the organisation and a trusted leader working with Management to accelerate growth and deliver maximum value for our Members.”

Industry Partners

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by Max Barry

Latest Forum Topics

The Largest Automobile Manufacturing Sector in Autropolis

World Census analysts extensively tested concept muscle cars in empty parking lots in order to estimate which nations have the largest auto industries.

As a region, Autropolis is ranked 1,568th in the world for Largest Automobile Manufacturing Sector.

NationWA CategoryMotto
31.The Aaydofan of ZenarTyranny by Majority“Kez baazobech kezy”
32.The Beacon Spire of EndolantronLeft-wing Utopia“To seek absolute truth.”
33.The Preservatory of ShugeriaIron Fist Socialists“Shun entropy!”


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NADA Protocol

From the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA):

The NADA Protocol is a non-verbal approach to healing.

NADA involves the gentle placement of up to five small, sterilized disposable needles into specific sites on each ear.

The recipients sit quietly in a group setting for 30-45 minutes allowing the treatment to take effect.

NADA ear acupuncture is an adjunct therapy which is clinically effective, cost-efficient, drug-free and compatible cross-culturally.

It can easily be established within behavioral health, addictions or disaster relief settings or in any location that a group of people can sit together.

The combined application of acupuncture with counseling, education, medical support and self-help groups such as AA and NA enhances opportunities for success.


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Bitcoin, Housing and Parts of Tech Are in a Dangerous Bubble, All-Star Investor Rich Bernstein Warns

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

A plunge may be looming for cryptocurrencies, housing and disruptive technology stocks tied to innovation.

According to Rich Bernstein, an Institutional Investor Hall of Famer, the nation's expiring easy money policies and historic supply chain backlogs are posing serious risks for some of the market's most popular investments.

"There's a whole series of bubbles going on right now," the Richard Bernstein Advisors CEO and CIO told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Wednesday. "There's a bubble in long-duration assets. That's a common theme."

Bernstein's cryptocurrency warning particularly applies to bitcoin. He said insatiable demand is a classic sign of a bubble.

He speculates a meltdown could resemble the tech bubble. It took 14 years for the Nasdaq 100 to break even if you invested in it on Dec. 31, 1999, he noted.

Housing is topping his watch list, too. In a tweet Tuesday, Bernstein warned rising home prices were starting to make the mid-2000s housing bubble seem rather mild.

"[Home prices are] now accelerating more than what you saw during the housing bubble," the CNBC contributor said. "The rate of change now is higher than anything you saw during the housing bubble in 2005, 6, 7, 8."

His other major risk is tied to chaos at the ports and its bullish effect on inflation. Bernstein sees it as a serious problem, and he warned on "Trading Nation" last April that investors were poorly prepared for it.

While he believes hyperinflation risks are very low, he believes inflation higher than consensus is extremely likely.

"They're not going to stay this high. But where do they settle? Do they settle at the consensus 2 to 2.5% or do they settle at 3% or 3.5% or 4% or 4.5%? I think you treat it as an over/under bet right now," he said.

And, Bernstein contends the supply chain backlogs will likely stick in investors' psyches for years.

"It's important to realize that the supply chain disruptions that we are seeing have lasted longer than the oil embargo in '73-'74," he said. "That was only a four-month supply disruption of oil, and it changed the way people thought about inflation for the next 10 years."

'There's a world of opportunity out there'

In lieu of long-duration assets, Bernstein recommends owning pro-inflation assets. He finds they're "woefully underinvested" in energy, materials and industrial stocks.

"People have been very, very myopic in terms of looking at disinflationary assets," Bernstein said. "There is a world of opportunity out there right now. There is a world of opportunity out there right now outside of this small little bubble sector of tech innovation disruption, cryptos, that type of thing."

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Our History

Neal & Leroy, LLC, one of the oldest minority owned and operated law firms in the United States, was founded in 1938 by Earl J. Neal, who was later appointed a Circuit Court Judge. Judge Neal's son, Earl L. Neal, joined the firm in 1955. Together, father and son tried jury cases throughout Illinois, and quickly gained a reputation as distinguished trial lawyers. The practice burgeoned, and the firm expanded to become Earl L. Neal & Associates, LLC. Earl L. Neal's son, Langdon D. Neal, joined the firm in 1981.

In 2005, the firm became Neal & Leroy, LLC in recognition of the firm's expanded practice areas and the contributions of its dedicated and committed group of Managing Partners, Langdon D. NealMichael D. LeroyRichard F. FriedmanAnne L. FreddJeanette Sublett, and Terrance L. Diamond. In 2018, the firm celebrated 80 years of excellence.

Our Practice

The firm's practice is focused in real estate matters including zoning, development and land usereal estate transactions and financepublic and project finance, and eminent domain/condemnation. The firm also practices in construction lawhistoric preservationlitigationmunicipal lawbankruptcy, and labor and employment. In addition, the attorneys of Neal & Leroy have successfully handled a wide variety of more specialized matters for the firm's clients.

Our Approach

In all its endeavors, Neal & Leroy is committed to providing the resources necessary to meet the needs of its clients, no matter how large or small. Mindful of the firm's genesis, and with respect for its history and the high standards it has always attained, Neal & Leroy pledges to exceed expectations of all clients in providing superior quality legal services. Also, we pledge to remain sensitive to the issues of cost containment, accountability, and the unique business concerns of each of our clients.


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Ukraine looks to NPP life extension amid safety concerns

24 August 2016

Unit 1 at the Khmelnitsky NPP in Ukraine has started deploying an integrated reactor diagnostic system at the VVER-1000 reactor during a scheduled preventive maintenance outage, nuclear utility Energoatom said on 23 August.

A similar system has been in operation at Khmelnitsky unit 2 since 2008. Installation of the diagnostic system is expected to take two years and is part of the modernisation being undertaken as part of its service life extension. Its design life expires in December 2017. The integrated reactor diagnostic system includes subsystems, such as a primary leak monitoring system, reactor coolant pump vibration monitoring system, loose item monitoring system, and an equipment lifetime performance monitoring system.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate (SNRI) carried out a comprehensive inspection at unit 2 of the Zaporozhe NPP on 15-19 August as part of its service life extension. The inspection was carried out “to check on completeness and credibility of information contained in the documents provided by NAEC Energoatom”, SNRI said. Earlier, the regulator completed its state review procedure of the Periodic Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) of Zaporozhe-2. SNRI said in the report that “the operating organization has justified the feasibility of long-term operation of the power unit until 19 February 2026”. Its design life ended in February and public consultation on the life extension is now underway.

However, there is growing concern about the condition of Ukraine’s NPPs. Former Chernobyl NPP director Mikhail Umanets told a recent press conference in Kiev that he is concerned by the growing number of emergency situations being reported at the plants. He warned that the possibility of an accident at one of Ukraine's four operating NPPs nuclear power plants is increasing.

The Ukrainian nuclear industry has faced several high-profile incidents recently. In July, a unit at Khmelnitsky NPP was disconnected from the grid following a steam generator leak. In late May, unit 2 at the South Ukraine NPP was forced to stop operations, after operators tripped the station's safety systems. In April, energy production at the Zaporozhye and Rovno plants stopped while faults were investigated. In the spring, all the reactors were at risk of being closed, after Energoatom's foreign currency accounts were frozen and there were no funds to pay for nuclear fuel.

Umanets noted out that 15 violations were recorded at the plants in 2015, based on the International Nuclear and Radiological Events Scale (INES), which documents both minor incidents and major accidents. That is 1.5 times more than the number of recorded in 2014. In 2016, he added, the INES has already recorded seven violations, double the amount reported during the same period in 2015.

"We run the risk of a serious incident. Since 16 October 2014, Ukraine has not had a chief inspector for nuclear and radiation safety. The position was eliminated, and no self-respecting professional would agree to take it after the cabinet proposed a bill to Ukraine's parliament which stated that 'the inspector's decisions may be cancelled by the head of the state regulator or his designated representative'," he said.

Umanets calculated that within seven years, Ukraine will face a "collapse" in its nuclear energy sector, since it does not have the necessary funds to maintain or expand the plants' operations. If Energoatom fails to renew its permission for the operation of two units at the Zaporozhe plant, Ukraine will have problems with its electricity supply of as soon as 2017, he added.

"Of the 15 units operating today, which provide Ukraine with 55.7% of its total electricity, half are expected to be stopped. In four years, seven reactors will reach the end of their operating life. Their operation must be extended. According to our estimates, extending the life of one block costs $300m. This means we will need $2.1bn over the next four years." However, he does not think government funding will be forthcoming.

"If the power units' life span is not extended, by 2020 we will lose 50% of our electricity, and by 2030 Ukraine will have no nuclear power at all. It will simply cease to exist." He added: “We have seven and a half years to solve this problem. Today, in order to put one [new] energy unit into operation, it's necessary to find $3-5bn. Where are we going to get the money? Even if we extend the life of the units in operation, but do not begin planning to those coming off line, this will also result in the collapse of our electricity generation sector."

As for the planned use of Westinghouse fuel at Ukraine's NPPs, Umanets stressed that politics should not be allowed to come before safety. "Nuclear fuel is being placed in Russian reactors without the consent of the chief designer…We have no right to play around when it comes to safety – no way, no matter what political aspects exist. One 'Chernobyl' was enough for us."

Between January and June Energoatom bought fuel assemblies worth U$204.1m for Ukraine’s NPPs, Ukrainian mass media reported citing the State Statistical Service. The share of products supplied by Russia’s TVEL was $136.9m, while Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB (the Swedish arm of the US company Westinghouse Electric) products cost $67.6m. Early August reports said the Energoatom planned 17 deliveries of nuclear fuel this year, including 12 deliveries from TVEL and five from Westinghouse. In 2015, Ukraine bought nuclear fuel totalling $643.57m, including $610.9m from Russian and $39.3m from Westinghouse.

Commenting on Umanets's remarks, Alexander Uvarov, the head of Russian NGO Atominfo-Centre, told Svobodnaya Pressa that it was logical for Ukrainian nuclear scientists' to sound the alarm. "Ukraine's nuclear power units are mostly Soviet-made. Their 30-year life span is coming to an end. To extend their operation and put them in order, funds are required. If there is no money, Kiev has only two options: either extend the life of the power units, ignoring the lack of necessary maintenance, at their own risk, or taking the units offline, resulting in power outages,” he said.

While violations are increasing, he said the situation is not yet catastrophic. “However, serious risks will arise if a political decision to extend the plants' operation is taken without the permission of supervisory organs. I don't think that Ukraine will be threatened with a new Chernobyl, but the probability of a serious accident will undoubtedly increase," he noted.

He also drew attention to “the unpredictability of Ukrainian energy regulators' new officials”. Before the change of government in February 2014, the SNRI was one of the most conservative regulators in the world, "looking at the issue of extending a power block's service life with maximum caution, and refusing to give permission if its experts had the slightest doubt about safe operation”, he commented. Subsequently, SNRI’s management was replaced, “and it's an open question whether the regulator will continue to abide by the principles of its predecessors”. However, Uvarov praised the NPP workers for their attention to safety. "Put bluntly, if an accident takes place, they will be the first to die. Therefore, plant personnel will always try to act very carefully, whatever political pressure they may face.”

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We have updated our privacy policy. In the latest update it explains what cookies are and how we use them on our site. To learn more about cookies and their benefits, please view our privacy policy. Please be aware that parts of this site will not function correctly if you disable cookies. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy unless you have disabled them.


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Vicentin effect: the Stock Exchange renews its entire board of directors and Miguel Simioni takes over

Miguel Simioni will assume the presidency of the Rosario Stock Exchange

This Thursday Miguel Simioni will take over as the new president of the Rosario Stock Exchange (BCR). He will take the place of Daniel Nasini, who carried out a term crossed by the consequences of the fall of Vicentin.

The complete renovation of the directory, exposes that the leadership of the entity demanded a change of air, or names. After two administrations as vice president and one as president, Nasini leaves the building in Córdoba and Corrientes.

With his departure, Alberto Padoan, his trusted man, will also take shape, who was involved in the Vicentin scandal as one of the most responsible and who until recently paraded through the corridors of the Criminal Justice Center.

Another of those who made the news in the judicial pages and who will no longer be part of the small table is Ángel Torti, a member of the Guardati Torti broker, dragged by Vicentin’s “financial stress”. Months later, his entire board of directors was indicted for fraudulent administration after an investigation.

A before and after

The fall of the agro-exporter was the break that made possible a renewal in the commercial entity. Simioni comes from the brokerage arena. He is vice president of the Rosario Runners Center and his arrival was agreed with the idea of printing another logic to driving.

From the sector they consider it as a referent of consensus and he himself expressed his intention to carry out a “horizontal” management with the intention of making a multisectoral call.

In public statements he did not avoid references to economic and judicial events that affected the institution. In fact, he mentioned the “moral crisis” that the Rosario Stock Exchange is going through after scandalous episodes in which many of those who make up the board of directors were involved until today.

His appointment was not exactly a process of absolute consensus. For a few days, Simioni was on the verge of giving in to that possibility and moved out of the way in the face of conflicts to reach an agreement on the authorities.

With the participation of different entities close to the Stock Exchange, such as the Chamber of Oil Industries of the Argentine Republic (Ciara), the idea of renewing the board of directors and ratifying Simioni was prioritized.

After a meeting with Nasini in mid-November, they sealed the agreement and made the passage of command official. This Thursday at 5:00 p.m., the next president will formally take office in the Manuel Belgrano Room, located on the first floor of the “Torre Building” (Paraguay 755, Rosario).

The complete list

President: Miguel Simioni

Vice President I °: Javier Gastaudo

2nd Vice-President: Pablo Bortolatto

Regular Members

Marcelo Quirici

Gerardo Calace

Ivanna Sandoval

Sebastián Bottallo

Tomás Rodríguez Ansaldi

The new management

In addition to working on the “moral” issues that he mentioned in dialogue with the Simioni press, he faces the challenge of reviewing the relationship that the BCR currently has with the national state.

During the current administration, the stock market entity did not precisely maintain a diplomatic relationship with the government of Alberto Fernández. Nasini himself was in charge of making it clear each time that he maintained a difference with respect to measures that affected agricultural and livestock interests.

It was the case of the 137th anniversary of the Stock Exchange, back in August, when he gave a speech in which he took the opportunity to express his differences regarding a series of measures adopted by the national Executive.

The axis of criticism was based on the restrictions on exports (of meat and soybeans) and the bidding of the Paraguay Paraná Waterway. On repeated occasions, he slipped that the State should not administer the trunk road.

He also expressed his opposition to the new biofuels law, promoted by a sector of the ruling party in Congress and which generated a wide debate in the province.

Nasini will leave the post after six years at the small table of the stock market entity without the possibility of re-electing his mandate. Two years that coincided with the collapse of Vicentin and its consequences in the commercial and financial sphere.

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Privacy Policy

Neo Lab Convergence Ltd. (Neo Lab or Company) considers the customer’s personal data of utmost importance, and is in compliance with the regulations and guidelines of “the Act on Promotion of Utilization of Information Communications Network”, "the Personal Information Protection Act” and related regulations. ‘Neo Lab’ is governed by the relevant laws, and this personal information policy notifies the user in which manners information is used as well as the methods it takes to protect the personal data of customers. Additionally, this policy is posted on the website for the convenience of the customers.
Please note that this policy may change in accordance with internal policies or revisions in “the Personal Information Protection Act”.

1. The Purpose of Collecting and Using the Personal Information
Company may collect, store and use the personal information for the following purposes:

  • Personal identification and verification for services rendered by the Company
  • The execution of contracts and payments for services
  • Preserving records in accordance to relevant laws
  • Customer management
  • Securing a seamless communication route for complaints and bulletins
  • Event winner notification, event prize delivery, providing contents, purchase and payment, other affiliations, marketing, and advertisement
  • Etc.

2. Collection of Personal Information and Collection Method
‘Neo Lab’ asks for consent to collect personal information when registering to the website. You can agree to the terms and conditions of the personal information policy and User Agreement with the click of the ‘AGREE’ button. When the ‘AGREE’ button is clicked, it will be considered as agreement to personal information collection. The information collected is divided into two classifications – mandatory and voluntary.

A. Collected Information
When registering for membership:

  • Member
    Mandatory Information: Email, Product Purchase Consideration - Y/N
    Voluntary Information: Name, Phone number, Country/City

Payment and refund

  • Mandatory : Bank Name and Bank Account Number

The following information can be automatically generated and collected in the process of using e-services or business procedures:

  • IP address, cookies, visitation date, records of services used and inappropriate usage

B. Collection Method:
‘Neo Lab’ uses the below methods to collect personal information and only used for relevant objectives.
Homepage (membership registering), affiliated inquiry message boards, event entry, fax, phone, customer service centers

3. Period of Use and Retention of Personal Information
The company promptly destroys personal information upon achieving purpose of collection. However, in accordance to “the Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce” and other relevant laws, personal information may be retained as an exception.

A..Records of contract and customer withdrawal: 5 years
B. Records of payment and product supply: 5 years
C. Records of consumer complaints and/or disputes: 3 years

4. Method and Process of Disposal of Personal Information
As with company regulations, when achieving purpose of use or when retention period expires, all personal information is immediately destroyed. However, if acknowledged personal information needs to be preserved even after achievement of purpose or retention period due to reasons of relevant laws in information protection, personal information will be moved to a separate database (DB) or be preserved in a different location. The information transferred to a separate DB will not be used for other purposes aside from the aforementioned uses or for lawful purposes.

Destruction procedures and methods are as followed:

  • Destruction procedure
    The company identifies information that needs to be destroyed, and with the approval of the company’s privacy officer, the information will be destroyed.
  • Destruction method
    Personal Information stored electronically will be destroyed using technical methods that are unable to be restored and personal information collected on paper will be shredded or incinerated.

5. Providing Personal Information to a Third-Party
Personal information is utilized only in accordance to Article 1 (The Purpose of Collecting and Using the Personal Information); information is never used without prior consent of the user and does not disclose a user’s personal information with a third party. However, exceptions are as followed.

  • With the prior consent of the user
  • The request of national institutions or the Court in accordance to the law
  • For statistics, academic research, and market research (provided that it does not identify specific individuals)

6. Methods of Exercising the Rights of the Users and Legal Representatives
As a general rule, personal information is never provided externally. However, exceptions are as followed:

Users are able to modify or check their personal information or request to unsubscribe at any time. To modify or check a user’s personal information, users should click on ‘Privacy Change’ or (Membership preferences), to unsubscribe (withdraw consent) users should click ‘deactivate account’; identification verification will be needed in this process. Or you can email/write or call the privacy officer for the particular measures to be taken.

If requested to edit personal information, the information will not be used or provided to a third party until corrected. If information has already been shared with a third party, immediate measures will be taken to rectify relevant information.

Information that has been deleted by user request or statutory representatives will be handled in accordance to Article 3 of this policy (Period of Use and Retention of Personal Information) and cannot be used or inquired for other purposes.

7. The Installation, Operation and Refusal of Automated Information Collection
Personal information is utilized only in accordance to Article 1 of this policy (The Purpose of Collecting and Using the Personal Information), information is never used without prior consent of the user and does not disclose a user’s personal information with a third party. However, exceptions are as followed.

To provide a specialized and personalized service to users, ‘Neo Lab’ saves user information and uses user’s cookies. Cookies are very small text files that are used to operate the website; they are saved onto a user’s computer hard disk and are sent to the user’s browser by the server.

Purpose of using cookies:

  • For the analysis of members and non-members visitation time and frequency
  • To identify and track user’s interests
  • For target marketing through the number of event entry and frequency of visits
  • For personalized services

Installation, operation and rejection of cookies:

  • Internet Explorer: open the web browser > tools > privacy > internet options > settings > cookies – to adjust level of information collection by cookies.
  • It can be set to allow all cookies, confirm all cookies that are being stored, or to reject cookies. However, if adjusted to reject cookies to be saved, login services could be restricted.

8. Technical and Administrative Measures for Personal Privacy
To ensure the safety of loss, theft, leak, forgery or tampering of personal information, ‘Neo Lab’ takes the following technical and administrative measures:

A. Technical Protection countermeasures

  • Installation and operation of antivirus programs to prevent computer viruses
  • The use of encryption algorithms on the network to securely transfer personal information
  • The installation and operation of access control devices including intrusion prevention system access
  • Restricted use by password confirmation

B. Administrative protection countermeasures

  • Access authority to privacy settings and regular change of passwords
  • Periodic security training for employees handling personal information
  • With modification or retirement of personal information personnel, access authority replaced and cancelled
  • Personal data and general data to be stored and operated separately
  • Separate back-up system to prevent the forgery of personal information

9. Personal Information Consignment
Neo Lab does not violate relevant laws and consign personal information to third parties. If there is a need for consignment with a third party, the customer will be immediately notified about the contents of consignment and will seek prior consent when required.

10. Consulting or Reporting of Personal Information Agent
To protect information and privacy of users, complaints and inquiries related to the handling of personal information can be sent to the management officer shown below:

Personal Information Management Officer
Name: Cho, Sangwon
Affiliation: NeoLAB Convergence (KOREA)
Phone Number: 82 2 3462 2981
Users can report any complaint that occurs during the use of company services to a personal information management officer or relevant team. The company will promptly provide a sufficient response to the user.

11. Etcetera
This privacy policy does not apply to any other websites other than ‘Neo Lab’ official websites (all websites that ‘Neo Lab’ does not operate).

12. Supplementary provision
This personal information policy is effective from June 9, 2014.
Amendments can be added or subtracted in accordance with the change in laws or policies and security technologies.
Users will be notified through the company’s website 7 days before the changes are effective. However, significant changes regarding user’s rights such as the collection of personal information, use, and third party distribution will receive a 30-day prior notice.


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

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New Boundary Technologies Presenting at the 2017 IoT Evolution Expo

This year’s expo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida focuses on Business Transformation through the Internet of Things.

Minneapolis, MN - February 6, 2017 - New Boundary Technologies announced today that CEO Kim Pearson will take part in a panel discussion at the 2017 IoT Evolution Expo. “We’re happy to have the opportunity to share our expertise and customer success stories at the expo in Fort Lauderdale,” said Pearson. “Private label applications using our RemoteAware™ IoT application service are used worldwide to monitor and control field equipment in sectors including oil & gas, agriculture, water, energy and industrial automation.”

RemoteAware provides equipment OEMs and distributors with highly configurable private label IoT applications that run on robust, scalable and secure cloud servers. “This means solution providers and customers don’t need software developers or IT resources for their IoT projects,” explained Pearson. “We have a rich set of out-of-the-box capabilities that deliver applications quickly, with little or no software development required.”

Attendees at the expo will learn how to create new business models from the innovations in IoT technologies. This is the 17th IoT expo since 2009 and it runs from February 7-10, 2017. To see the full agenda of events, visit

About New Boundary Technologies

New Boundary Technologies has pioneered innovative Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications for more than 30 years. Its RemoteAware IoT platform has provided private label branded solutions for Fortune 500 companies, solution providers and system integrators since 2001. Contact: Pam Erler,

About IoT Evolution Expo

Through informative conference tracks, an IoT Exhibition floor, case studies, special events, networking and more, the IoT Evolution Expo is the ultimate venue for attendees to gain an understanding on how the Internet of Things (IoT) will be the driving force behind improving efficiencies, driving revenue opportunities and solving business problems across multiple industries and all business functional areas. Contact: Jessica Seabrook,, 203-852-6800 x170

Contact Sales


text:
Discussion –

Discussion –

Auto Proctor – Modern Instruments for Fraud-Proof Exams

The world has been changing its paths from offline to online in almost every field. Now we can enter any service for web search and we find the best apps to deliver auto proctor services as soon as possible. One more thing has been added to the online or digital markets that are exams by the schools and colleges as well as the recruitment tests handled by some major MNCs. There has been a trend these days to take online tests for major recruitment procedures. These auto proctored exams are a success among so many institutions. One of the major plus points is that their many ways a proctor can take care of the examinees while performing their test.

There is so much filled in the benefits package for online auto proctor featured tests. The magic of being online is one is in the touch of everything that is trending. But there are two sides of each coin that has to be shown at the right time. Since it is the beginning of the online proctoring era, there are mostly benefits pulled out from the features. Generally, there are 3 types of online proctoring system but most common is the auto proctoring based system which is AI-enabled with a highly advanced setup to promote the fraudulent free exams to be conducted without risking everyone’s life in this still pandemic period which is not going to end soon. It would be suitable to switch to the online mode but with safe and secure access.

Its features are the following:

Candidate authentication:

This happens in offline mode as well but the online mode has certain different features as compared to the conventional one. It is suitable to add your exam list via online mode as it will avoid the high scale of cheating as well. As the system is AI-enabled, so it will be easier for the Proctor to recognise the movements on the screen as well as the changing of the tabs as well. Though the tabs will be blocked by all means in case it has happened, it will be monitored at that moment and the candidate will be disqualified. It will be a safe and secure process while focusing on other projects as well. The software can handle 10 -11 students at a time.

Secure browser:

There are times when the system cannot work because of faults in the browser. Here it cannot happen. The system has been checked several times to be presented for the exams to ensure the credibility and accuracy of the examinations. It allows the official to conduct any exam on the trust of that secure browser system. Several companies have started preparing for their auto proctor exams in the online mode because of the secured connections so that there is no chance to go for cheating in the same line. No matter how many exams are being conducted, the system will react the same every time. It uniquely controls the system so that the candidate cannot even move his eyes from the screen. There are such strict rules which will avoid any wrong practice.

Detailed reports:

After the auto proctor exam has ended, it shows clearly how many students have performed as per their convenience. The system shows a detailed report analysis done by the AI-enabled system presented by the human proctors sitting behind the connections. It provides the report of the in-depth analysis of the candidate during the test whether he moved out of his chair or did he scroll his eyes away from the screen, did he look below the screens to find the answers in the book. Were there any distractions while the test was going on. All these questions are finally answered in the analysis. Based on the results, the system has to go through some changes required before the next exam. It also shows the score of the candidate achieved by him in the test.

There are three types of proctoring system that helps officials to conduct exams online with utmost safety and security. However, there are certain features which differentiate those three types based on particular headings. It is known as the tips to choose the correct system for the respective set of exams. The benchmark headings are as follows:

  1. Scalability:

It is known as the ratio being handled by the system during an online test. Live auto proctor services can handle the ratio up to 1:32 that is one proctor per 32 students. It is all because of the AI-enabled system’s merits. Recorded proctoring is highly scalable as the proctor is required while the review is going on. Thus, on this point, we can choose the best system for our users to get the best and cheat-free results in the scheduled time.

  1. Flexibility:

In terms of flexibility, auto proctor is not much flexible for online tests. Both the proctors and students have to be present during the test. Yes, it provides an in-depth analysis report but it also involves the risk of disclosing the questions for the candidates. Automated proctoring shows more flexibility as it will connect to the multiple videos at the same time but it does not provide the instant report as the review will come later in the process. Recorded proctoring is highly flexible as it performs the functions better than others. Candidates schedule their test at the given time and they are proctored simultaneously without any breaks using automated algorithms.

We can conclude from the above points that there can be some problems occurring while choosing from different options but the experience will be highly suitable for the officials who know what to choose based on their factors. It involves some costs as well in which the live proctoring is considered the most expensive and the next expensive is automated proctoring. Recorded proctoring involves less cost for a particular test. There are many factors which should be taken into consideration while choosing the best system. There are certainly more benefits arising out of all the features as this system have two sides we have to take care while using it regularly.

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Hippo Song

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This is a music video (yeah, we'll call it that) for my left-hand man Bill Kiley's song "Hippo Song". You don't know who he is? Sounds about right to me. Check his link to the left and listen up on some more tunes.

The audio has been knocked down to 80kbps to lower the filesize.

If you like (or hate) this crap, check out my other work. Thanks, dudes!

Log in / sign up to vote & review!

Newgrounds accounts are free and registered users see fewer ads!

I really love this song. The animation fits well, too. I always thought how he was secretly wanting to rule them all to be a hilarious aspect of the song :)

Do NOT delete this!

This is the best thing I have ever seen, EVER, and I searched for a very long time to find it again after all these years having it stuck in my head. You are my hero. Please keep it online forever!

I like you stuff

Excellent work.Added this to my favirotes

I like you stuff

YOu make some great flashes. Wish you had more stuff.

That was cute XD

Credits & Info

3.72 / 5.00

Apr 10, 2003
9:23 PM EDT
  • Daily 4th Place April 12, 2003


text:
Many lawyers, possibly to help preserve their peace of mind, tend to underestimate the potential impact of AI on their practices. Professors Elizabeth C. Tippett and Charlotte Alexander have a key insight in their article Robots Are Coming for the Lawyers:

Imagine what a lawyer does on a given day: researching cases, drafting briefs, advising clients. While technology has been nibbling around the edges of the legal profession for some time, it’s hard to imagine those complex tasks being done by a robot.

But, as we discovered in a recent research collaboration to analyze legal briefs using a branch of artificial intelligence known as machine learning, lawyers’ jobs are a lot less safe than we thought. It turns out that you don’t need to completely automate a job to fundamentally change it. All you need to do is automate part of it.


text:
Deadlines for new round of NRF ratings

22 August 2005

The closing date for the next applications for National Research Foundation evaluation and rating is February 28, 2006. This deadline applies to both first-time applicants and those applying to renew their ratings.

However, UCT's screening processes and internal deadlines commence sooner, beginning with a presentation by the NRF's Evaluation Centre in the Senate Room on September 26, from 10h00 to 12h30 (please RSVP to Joanne Brinkman, e-mail, or Christina Pather, e-mail, if you want to attend).

This session is aimed primarily at new applicants; those researchers with an established research track record who have not applied for a rating before. Researchers who will be renewing their rating status are also welcome to attend.

Why should you be rated? Despite the paper work and preparation required, an NRF rating opens the door to the possibility of five-year research grants as opposed to two-year funding. Ratings are also used as international benchmarks of excellence and are useful for leveraging outside funding, apart from providing access to NRF coffers. UCT also pays out a rating award to successful applicants, both those rated for the first time and those who maintain or improve their rating status.

Applications, accessible from September 15, 2005, should be submitted electronically on NRFOnline at Instructions on how to complete and submit the application are also available at this address.

As the process takes time, applicants are urged to start preparing applications as soon as possible. If you are applying for the first time, you can look through the content of the application at

A brochure on the evaluation and rating system is available at

However, it's important to note that no copies of the application (submitted by e-mail or otherwise) will be accepted by the NRF. The only valid application will be the online versions, signed off by UCT. Applicants are strongly advised to carefully consider the relevant guidelines before completing their submissions.

Applicants who want to apply for NRF funding in focus area programmes for 2007 should note that rating and funding cycles are synchronised. If you'd like to apply for a five-year grant for a programme like this, you should apply for funding in 2006. The call for these applications will open early in 2006.

The internal deadline for first-time applications is November 30, 2005. The Research Office will access an electronic copy of your application via the online system after this closing date. Academics who have been part of the NRF rating panels will review applications, returning these for amendments, where necessary, before December 23, 2005. Final applications must be completed online before February 15, 2006.

The process is similar for re-evaluation applicants, except that the internal deadline is January 16, 2006. Final applications must be completed online before February 15, 2006. Please note that only applicants who have been contacted by the NRF during 2005 need submit documents for re-evaluation.

It can be a laborious and tricky process, so please direct any queries to Christina Pather, ext 2434,, or to Joanne Brinkman, ext 2433,

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Please view the republishing articles page for more information.


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Home » News » Lifestyle » Eat Veg and Donate for Australia, Says Amy Jackson

Eat Veg and Donate for Australia, Says Amy Jackson

Eat Veg and Donate for Australia, Says Amy Jackson

Actress Amy Jackson took to Instagram to spread awareness about the wildfires in Australia that have resulted in the death of half a billion animals.

Actress Amy Jackson has urged everyone to donate for Australia which is currently experiencing widespread devastation owing to bushfires in the onset of summer. She has also requested everyone to focus on a vegetarian diet or at least consume less meat.

The actress took to Instagram to share a very disturbing picture of a little girl wearing a mask, standing with a rescued koala in her arms, while there is a massive fire and flames rising in her background.

Amy wrote, "Australia, we are with you Au. Dozens of people have lost their lives, thousands left without homes and OVER HALF A BILLION ANIMALS HAVE DIED! It's so bad that there are fears of entire species of animals and plants being wiped out. This is a climate emergency and if this doesn't ring alarm bells I don't know what will."

She further wrote, "This beautiful planet we call home is our responsibility and everything we do impacts it directly. When I read the news, my heart breaks at seeing all of these disasters but it also makes me more determined to do my part! You can too... change to a plant based diet or at least consider more veggies and less meat to begin with."

Urging everyone to donate to the cause, the actress mentioned, "Choose wisely/buy less. Support the people who are supporting our planet. PLEASE DONATE @nswrfs @thuie".

As per latest reports, over half a billion animals have been killed in New South Wales and more than 20 people have lost their lives in the fire which till now has swallowed millions of acres.

Follow @News18Movies for more


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Squash teams’ double double

This season Tynemouth Squash Club Ladies and Men’s 1st teams have achieved a first in Northumbria Club Squash winning both the Premier League titles and the County Cups in the same season.

Monday, 24th June 2019, 12:24 pm
Updated Wednesday, 26th June 2019, 8:34 pm
The double-winning squash teams.

Mens 1 were boosted this season with 13 times County Champion Dave Barnett spearheading the team, plus the arrival of Richard Parsons from York.

They were backed up with former Junior County Champion Jamie Todd, the ageless Jon Evans plus Nick Hale and Hannah Cliff. All contributing in a hard fought season to win the League and Cup Double.

Ladies 1 having lost the league by two points last season, bounced back to claim the League and Cup Double success.

The mixture of youth in the form of twins Amy and Emma Rowell supported by the experienced Dawn Ward, Fiona Macfarlane, Gill Millington, Helen Watson and Louise Robertson also saw a well fought season bring double success.

Mens 2 also had League Cup success, making up for missing out by four points on promotion to the Premier League alongside Mens 1. Youth once again with Matty Walsh, Lennox Lockwood, and Nathan Dobson were backed up by experienced players Richard Bradley, Russell Hunter, Liam Dobbin and Rob Brown.

This season’s shirt sponsors were DB Glaziers, long time supporters of local Squash in the area, and Black Knight Sports equipment.

A further double was achieved by Men’ s 1st team captain Jon Evans. In February he succeeded in becoming British O60 National Champion, and last month won the O60 British Open title.


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• Newsmakers with JR

Winners & Losers: CA Dems Play Long Beach

In the 1950s, Long Beach was known as “Iowa by the Sea,” thanks to multitudes of Midwestern emigres who called the place home.

Last weekend, as thousands of delegates descended for the California Democratic Party convention, the town had a decidedly different buzz.

“Welcome to one of the gayest places in Long Beach!” shouted Robert Garcia, the city’s gay mayor, to a packed convention fundraiser called “Dems, Drinks, and Drag Queens” at Hamburger Mary’s, a genderfluid downtown saloon.

Hosting Long Beach’s first state convention, Garcia was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the affair. Some other winners and losers:

Heroes and Zeroes...

Winner: Adam Schiff. Chair of the Democratic impeachment effort, the Hollywood congressmember looked bleary-eyed during his podium speech, but this crowd would have cheered him for blowing his nose. “You will forgive me if I’m a bit exhausted. It’s been an eventful week,” he said to a roaring welcome. “Our democracy is at risk. … There is nothing more dangerous than an unethical president who believes he is above the law.”

Loser: Joe Biden. Leading the presidential pack despite pundit predictions of imminent collapse, the former veep skipped his second state party gathering this year. Avoiding a free-fire zone for booing from lefty activists who dominate state conventions, Biden remains ahead among actual Dem voters, according a new Public Policy Institute of California poll.

Presidential Players...

Winners: Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. Sanders had the largest, noisiest band of backers among the dozen wannabes on hand, heralding his every move, applauding during a Univision-televised candidate forum, and keeping his Medicare for All plan front and center.

Buttigieg’s low-key style contrasts with Bernie’s Howard Beal act, but Mayor Pete won plenty of love, even before a Saturday-night CNN poll showed him up big in (the real) Iowa.

Loser: Kamala Harris. California’s Junior Senator took a torpedo the day the convention opened, when Politico delivered an unsparing piece detailing why her effort is imploding. Her campaign has “done great work, which has gotten us to the point where we are today,” she insisted, failing to note that “where we are today” is in single digits everywhere, including California.

Imagine Seeing You Here...

Winner: Katie Hill. The former Santa Clarita congressmember, who recently resigned amid a sex scandal, was a surprise speaker at the Women’s Caucus, where she won an emotional standing ovation. Calling herself “someone who made mistakes,” Hill promised to stay active, noting she’d appeared hours before at a memorial for victims of the shooting at Saugus High School, her alma mater.

Loser: Deval Patrick. The ex-Massachusetts governor, who just jumped into the presidential race amid concerns of Wall Street types about Biden’s prospects, made his first campaign speech — to the widespread disinterest of delegates: “I am not running, my friends, to be president of the Democrats. I am running to be president of the United States,” he said.

Local Affairs...

Winners. Cathy Murillo, Jonathan Abboud. The rivals for Santa Barbara’s Assembly seat both hustled to meet and greet delegates, donors, and labor types. Women’s health advocate Elsa Granados also made a cameo appearance on Friday, but Mayor Cathy Murillo had the advantage of being squired by consultant Mollie Culver, well-connected in Sacto circles.

Loser: Jason Dominguez. When he thought his City Council reelection was assured, Jason attended last spring’s convention on behalf of his looming Assembly bid. Fresh off his heartbreaking eight-vote loss to Alejandra Gutierrez, he was AWOL this time.

Rhetorical Renderings

Winner: Amy Klobuchar. The Minnesota senator delivered the convention’s best line, arguing that her Midwest roots position her to reclaim traditionally Democratic Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, which cost Hillary Clinton the presidency. “I will build a blue wall around those states,” she thundered, “and I will make Donald Trump pay for it.”

Loser: Gavin Newsom. Prince Gavin dropped by the press corps’ “Hacks and Flacks Dinner” at King’s Fish House (4 stars). He insisted to reporters that it’s way early to write off Kamala, whom he’s endorsed, rolling out the hoariest political cliché of all: “The only poll that matters is the one on Election Day.”

Images: Stage set for fundraiser at Hamburger Mary's; Adam Schiff addresses the convention (Long Beach Press Telegram); Kamala Harris speaks at "Dems, Drinks and Divas" fundraiser; Katie Hill speaks at the Women's Caucus; Jonathan Abboud outside the VIP lounge; (L-R) Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle, Seema Mehta of the Los Angeles Times and governor's adviser Dan Newton listen to Prince Gavin at an impromptu news conference at Hacks and Flacks dinner.

(A version of this column is published in this week's Santa Barbara Independent and is cross-posted at Independent.com).

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Hella gets huge

How a UC Davis student’s Facebook campaign might formalize Sacramento’s most famous slang term

Photo By illustration by Tiffany Huang

This story first appeared at http://www.good.is.

Words for measurements and numbers often move from science to slang, as you know if you’ve ever waited “light years” for anything or used clichés such as “Don’t give them an inch.” Real numbers, such as millions and billions, are also fodder for “zillions” and “kajillions.” And insults such as “nano-minded” and “nano-souled” show that a certain metric prefix gets used for all sorts of imprecise, small things besides just iPods.

The English language is a world champ at slangifying the specific—while at once disappointing math teachers everywhere.

Now, a slang term rooted in Sacramento is trying to make math teachers proud: More than 60,000 Facebook fans want to make hella the official word for 10 to the 27th power, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, in International System of Units (or SI, as per the French Système International d’Unités). The online campaign has been successful enough to get the International Committee for Weights and Measures to actually think it over.

Their acceptance would complete a wild reversal of the usual slang path. Hella could in fact be a reverse nano in the making.

The idea started with Austin Sendek, a physics student at UC Davis, who lamented that yotta is the metric system’s highest prefix, even though it only means 10 to the 24th power, a piddling amount given the vastness of measurable stuff. As Sendek puts it: “In our world of increasing physical awareness and experimental precision, this number is no longer a satisfactory ‘upper bound’ in scientific nomenclature.”

Sendek says that designating a prefix for 1027 is of critical importance for scientists in all fields. “This number is significant in many crucial calculations, including the wattage of the sun, distances between galaxies or the number of atoms in a large sample,” he argues.

The idea is intriguing, logical—and partly inspired by the fact that hella is popular slang in science-and-surf-soaked Northern California. And while the ginormousness of 10 to the 27th power is well beyond my fathoming skills, Sendek is persuasive in selling its potential benefits.

UC Davis student Austin Sendek pulled a few strings and got the “hella” prefix into the Google calculator. And, as they say, “As goes Google, so goes the nation.”

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“[T]he number of atoms in 120 kilograms of carbon-12 would be simplified from 6,000 yottaatoms to 6 hellaatoms,” he explains. “Similarly, the sun (mass of 2.2 hellatons) would release energy at 0.3 hellawatts rather than 300 yottawatts.” Sounds reasonable, right? As Jonathon Keats recently mentioned in his Jargon Watch feature in Wired, the Earth’s mass could be expressed as 6 hellagrams, as opposed to (I think) 6,000 yottagrams.

(I would also vote to change yotta to lotta, but I can feel my high-school math teacher glaring at me, so I retract the suggestion.)

Before anyone dreamed hella could measure the massive rock beneath our feet, folks were using it as a distinctly NorCal piece of slang. Its patron pop song is 2001’s “Hella Good” by No Doubt, but locals Zach Hill and Spencer Seim’s experimental-rock duo Hella beat Gwen Stefani out the gate.

The Oxford English Dictionary traces its use back to at least 1987: “The horse went hella whoopin’ down the trail, trailing 50 feet or more of the best Berkley Trilene Monofilament line,” it reads.

In regular use, hella often means “very,” as in the recent examples “hella ugly,” “hella big news,” “hella productive” and “hella interested.” The other main meaning—“a lot”—is more in line with Sendek’s proposed definition.

Hella seems to have two parents: helluva and hellacious, and it’s plausible as an abbreviation of either. The OED traces helluva back to 1905, and hellacious back to an 1847 mention of a “hellacious scamp.”

Yet it’s hard to think of helluva without recalling heckuva, a word that achieved its greatest notoriety in 2005 post-Hurricane Katrina, when President George W. Bush praised Federal Emergency Management Agency idiot-in-chief Michael Brown with the words, “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job.”

Hella also has a child of its own: hecka, which has been out there since at least 1985. Lexicographer Grant Barrett traces its history to a sports article and the sentence “We had a hecka season.” Over the past few years, local blog HeckaSac (http://heckasac.blogspot.com) has staked claim, in a de facto sense, to the term’s pop-culture use, much like Hill and Seim’s band did for hella.

Whether or not hella attains metric status—details on the gnarly process of acceptance can be found at http://makehellaofficial.blogspot.com—it’s a useful reminder of an important point: All language changes, even our most objective, scientific vocabularies. Many despise change, or just certain words in particular, such as one San Francisco Chronicle online commenter who wrote, “Whenever I hear someone say ‘hella this’ or ‘hella that,’ I just want to pop them upside the head,” in response to adopting the prefix.

Unfortunately for this victim of word rage, there are just too many heads to pop and too many words evolving, dying and being born all the time. There’s not much point in playing Whac-a-Mole with new words and meanings: At the risk of earning a head popping myself, that job is hella futile.


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Not Surprisingly, Bill Clinton Smokes Gurkha Cigars

If you’ve never smoked a Gurkha, chances are, you don’t even know what they are. These fancy cigars are purchased by the wealthy and elite of this nation, and former president Bill Clinton is one who enjoys them.

Kaizad Hansotia, the chief executive officer of Gurkha, told Bloomberg News that one box of “His Majesty’s Reserve” fetches $25,000 and that is expected to rise to about $30,000 next year.

“We hunt for the most exotic tobaccos around the world,” Hansotia said. The company comes out with about 20,000 boxes per year, and has a three-year waiting list.

Clients include the fanciest of business leaders, dignitaries and royal families. Celebrities like Matthew McConaughey and apparently Bill Clinton, are among those who enjoy them.

Host of the syndicated News Talk Florida radio program Florida Live with Dan Maduri, Dan is America's youngest and most compelling major market talk show host. With striking commentary and provocative guests, Dan informs and entertains as he exams current events in news, culture, and sports. Recently featured as one of Radio Ink Magazine's Top 30 Under 30, Dan invites you to join the conversation every Monday through Friday from 3 PM to 6 PM on WWBA 820 AM and online at


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  1. Politics
7 October 2009updated 27 Sep 2015 2:28am

Veils of ignorance and fear

What does loathing of the hijab really mean?

By Sholto Byrnes

Peoples of all faiths and of none should cheer news that Egypt’s religious authorities are expected to issue a ban on the wearing of the niqab, or face veil. During a visit to a girls’ school in Cairo, says the BBC, “Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi, dean of al-Azhar University, called full-face veiling a custom that has nothing to do with the Islamic faith.” He instructed a pupil to take off her niqab, a move that has provoked predictable opposition from other clerics.

According to al-Jazeera: “Sheikh Safwat Hijazi, a scholar and preacher, said he would personally sue anyone who prevented his daughter or wife wearing full niqab from going about her daily life, including entering government offices. “Preventing a woman from wearing what she wants is a crime,” Hijazi said. “Whoever says the niqab is a custom is not respectable.”

That there can be a debate about this, however, is an advance in itself, especially when the Islamic credentials of the al-Azhar dean are so strong. (I was going to say “not open to question”, but a) people are already questioning them and b) debate has to involve questioning, so it is another advance that no one’s authority should be considered so absolute that it cannot be challenged.)

It is hard to argue that covering a woman’s face does much to benefit her in any way at all. But what about the hijab? More specifically, what about western attitudes towards women wearing the headscarf here in Europe? Reading one passage in Brian Whitaker’s new book, What’s Really Wrong With the Middle East (which I will be reviewing for the NS), made me think about this.

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When armies move on the ground to conquer and subjugate, they need moral and ideological cover. It is this that gives the dominant narrative of the “Muslim woman” its raison d’être. No wonder that the “Muslim woman” liberation warriors, the likes of Nick Cohen, Christopher Hitchens and Pascal Bruckner, were the same people who cheered American/British troops as they blasted their way through Kabul and Baghdad, and who will no doubt cheer and dance once more should Iran or Syria be bombed next. Soldiers shoot with their guns; they with their pens. They are hegemony’s apologists.

Whitaker was quoting an article by Soumaya Ghannoushi, which you can find here. She was dealing with the situation in the Middle East, but it seems to me that those who are most vociferous in their opposition to the wearing of the hijab in Europe are taking, whether they realise it or not, an equally hegemonistic approach. For the underlying assumption is that no woman could ever freely choose to wear such an oppressive item of clothing, and that any who claim to have made such a choice of their own volition are suffering from some sort of false consciousness.

This very clearly represents a particular western, liberal vision of what freedom for women is, and as such is a perfectly valid view. What is not valid, however, is for this view to become so set that it is no longer open to argument; for the hijab to become an object of fear and hatred, utterly alien and “other”, and subject to legal restriction. Last month the Flemish authorities banned the wearing of the hijab in schools, producing this reaction from the Antwerp imam Nordine Taouil: “We are getting the signal of ‘you are not welcome’.”

It doesn’t help that those who view the headscarf in this way seem to listen only to the likes of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has said that she sees no difference between Islam and Islamism. (For good measure, her view of the Prophet Muhammad is that: “By our standards, he was a pervert. He ordered the killing of Jews and homosexuals and apostates, and the beating of women.”) She doesn’t call for the hijab to be banned, but she obviously doesn’t see it as a choice anyone should make. “You can wear whatever it is that you want, you can give out whatever message that you want to give out — but you have to understand that if that message is rejected, then you can’t call people Islamophobic and expect to be taken seriously. If you choose to wear a veil, people might ridicule and oppose you,” she said in an interview with the Independent‘s Johann Hari.

That, frankly, sounds to me exactly like an encouragement to ridicule and opposition, and to Islamophobia. And all of this is loaded into the wearing of the hijab — when one doesn’t have to look very far back in European history to find plenty of Christian women whose heads were covered by scarves, too (you could find many in villages in the Balkans and eastern Europe today where that is still the case).

Now it would be fair to admit that I would be surprised if my wife, my sisters-in-law, or any of my bare-headed, female Muslim friends, chose to start wearing the hijab. I would certainly ask them why they had chosen to do so. I hope, though, that I wouldn’t be horrified. Why should I be, if I feel no such thing when I see the hijab-wearing girls walking to school near me in north London, or the similarly clad woman who looks after the crèche at my gym?

Some women who wear the hijab may be oppressed, but others are not. For many it may be no more arduous a convention or choice than the expectation that men working in the City of London should possess a pinstriped suit and a pair of smart shoes. Western liberals are right to argue for women’s rights, but there are far more worthy battles than this. Equally, it would be a useful step for them to consider that, for some women, wearing the hijab is perfectly normal.

Should this be a battle they engage in at all? They may conclude that it is. It would be better, however, if they stopped to ask this of themselves occasionally, rather than contenting themselves with demonising a piece of cloth.


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Leaked Audio Reveals How California Teachers Recruit Kids Into LGBTQ Clubs
Leaked Audio Reveals How California Teachers Recruit Kids Into LGBTQ Clubs

By Brad Jones

A leaked audio recording reveals two teachers at a recent California Teachers Association (CTA) conference mocking parents over their concerns about homosexual and transgender indoctrination at school, says a source who attended the event in Palm Springs, Calif.

The recording, obtained by The Epoch Times, captured two seventh-grade teachers, Kelly Baraki and Lori Caldeira from Buena Vista Middle School in Salinas, Calif., telling other teachers how to recruit students into LGBTQ clubs, also known as “Gay-Straight Alliance” (GSA) clubs, at school.

“It was horrifying to listen to not just one teacher but really all of the teachers in all of these seminars, excoriating parents,” said the source, who goes by the pseudonym Rebecca Murphy.

Murphy attended the teachers union conference in late October. She told The Epoch Times the teachers “mocked” parents for their concerns, and suggested they know better than parents about what’s best for their children.

“They laughed at the parents,” Murphy said.

The sold-out CTA conference, billed as the “2021 LGBTQ+ Issues Conference, Beyond the Binary: Identity & Imagining Possibilities,” was held Oct. 29 to 31.

The CTA has hosted similar “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” (SOGI) professional development training for at least the last two years, according to an event notice posted on the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) website, which asks teachers: “Do you have the courage to create a safe environment that fosters bravery to explore sexual orientation, gender identity and expression?”

However, according to Murphy, the conference in Palm Springs appeared to include teachers showing other teachers how to undermine the authority of parents and school administrators and conceal activities related to gender inclusion and sexual orientation from them.

The three classes Murphy attended were designed to recruit middle school students to GSA clubs, she said.

“The overarching theme of the classes that I attended were California Teachers instructing other teachers on how to sneak in the LGBTQ+ curriculum in a manner that does not alert parents,” Murphy said.

Caldeira and Baraki led a workshop called “How we run a ‘GSA’ in Conservative Communities,” and they described the obstacles they faced as activist teachers in concealing the activities of these clubs from parents.

In the audio clip, Caldeira advised teachers who lead LGBTQ clubs to maintain an air of plausible deniability so they can play dumb if they are questioned by parents.

“Because we are not official, we have no club rosters. We keep no records,” said Caldeira, who is also an LGBTQ club leader. “In fact, sometimes we don’t really want to keep records because if parents get upset that their kids are coming? We’re like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe they came?’ You know, we would never want a kid to get in trouble for attending if their parents are upset.”

Baraki backed up Caldeira’s advice, suggesting activist teachers to disguise the nature of GSA clubs by calling them something less obvious. Baraki provided an example of this deception, pointing out she avoided naming her LGBTQ club a GSA. Instead, she called it the “Equity Club” and later changed the name to the “You Be You” club.

The teachers bragged about spying on students’ online searches and activity as well as eavesdropping on their conversations to identify and recruit sixth-grade students into these LGBTQ clubs whose membership rolls are kept hidden from parents.

They suggested that parents who refuse to call their child by pronouns of the child’s choosing should be arrested and charged with child abuse, Murphy said.

Buena Vista Middle School falls under the jurisdiction of the Spreckels Union School District (SUSD). Another nearby district, Salinas Union High School District (SUHSD) has been a center of controversy over its mandatory ninth grade ethnic studies program, which teaches elements of critical race theory.

SUSD Board President Steve McDougall, Superintendent Eric Tarallo, and school board members did not respond to Epoch Times inquiries about the leaked audio. Neither did Caldeira and Baraki.

Anti-Bullying Presentation

Caldeira also discussed a yearly anti-bullying presentation she provides to students along with Baraki, and she said LGBTQ issues were not the only topics they discussed.

“We also covered religious differences, race, cultural backgrounds, family status poverty—everything that is listed in the Parents’ Rights handbook.”

However, when the kids went home and talked to their parents about the presentation, the parents complained about the LGBTQ content. Baraki suggested a different strategy to avoid resistance from parents.

“Next year, we’re going to do just a little mind-trick on our sixth graders. They were last to go through this presentation and the gender stuff was the last thing we talked about. So next year, they’ll be going first with this presentation and the gender stuff will be the first thing they hear about. Hopefully to mitigate, you know, these kind of responses, right?” Baraki said.

Baraki ridiculed a parent who complained she hadn’t planned on having a conversation about sexual orientation and gender identity issues with her middle-schooler but was pushed into it by the school.

“I know, so sad, right? Sorry for you, you had to do something hard!” Baraki told her audience. “Honestly, your 12-year-old probably knew all that, right?”

When a principal suggested to another parent to enroll their child in a private school over the controversy, Caldeira said, “We count that as a win.”

Controlling Morning Announcements

Caldeira also spoke about how she controls morning announcements at the school.

“That’s another type of strategy I can give you,” she said. “I’m the one who controls the messaging. Everybody says, ‘Oh, Ms. Caldeira, you’re so sweet, you volunteered to do that.’ Of course, I’m so sweet that I volunteered to do that, because then I control the information that goes out. And, for the first time this year, students have been allowed to put openly LGBT content into our morning announcement slides.”

She went on to boast about the students she recruited to help with the announcements.

“Three of the kids on the team, two of them are non-binary, and the other one is just very fluid in every way. She’s fabulous. So, it’s actually a nice group,” she said.

Caldeira pointed out more than once that she can’t be fired, and she thanked CTA for her tenure and for providing resources and tools.

“You can’t fire me for running a GSA,” she said. “You can be mad, but you can’t fire me for it.”

“CTA has made it very clear that they are devoted to human rights and equity,” she added.

Caldeira tells teachers, that she and Baraki have acted with “great integrity.”

“We never crossed a line,” she says. “We’ve wanted to, but we never have.”

School Response

After information about the leaked audio was made public this week, Supt. Tarallo, SUSD President McDougall and Kate Pagaran, the principal at Buena Vista Middle School, issued a letter Nov. 19 addressed to the “SUSD Community” that the “UBU You Be You” club has been suspended.

“Any future student clubs will be required to submit an outline of all activities and materials before being allowed to meet,” the letter states. “Student sign-in sheets will be maintained and parent/guardian permission slips will be sent home prior to a club holding a meeting.”

The letter states that “all messaging shared in the morning announcements” will be controlled and distributed by the principal, a practice that “will be in place permanently.”

“Teachers are prohibited from monitoring students’ online activity for any non-academic purpose.”

SUSD will follow state-approved standards and curriculum on all presentations involving “sensitive themes such as sexuality” and “materials of any sensitive themes will be shared with parents/guardians before being shown to students,” the letter states.

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