text:
Ai Weiwei

Photography Grant Delin

Published June 28, 2013

China doesn’t have any books on the student culture revolution because they consider that antirevolutionary. Ai Weiwei

For the past decade, the art world seems increasingly preoccupied with finding and coronating an heir to Andy Warhol’s legacy. That distinction has, over time, gone to everyone from the reigning Pop masters of the shiny and commercial, to the young, grungy downtown painters of the unshiny and commercial. But perhaps the artist who most embodies Warhol’s wit, prodigious artistic maneuverings, spirited distortions and amplifications of the cultural status quo, and his rare agility at gathering people together in openness and defiance might very well not be found in New York City or in the United States or even in the Western hemisphere. He is Ai Weiwei, and not since Warhol has one artist brought so much revolutionary activity to the act of art-making. If Warhol’s activity targeted gender codes and brilliantly conflated the elite with the masses, 56-year-old Ai Weiwei’s cogent multimedia productions thrust the individual out of the multitude and personal freedom out of the state machine.

Ai Weiwei, the son himself of a dissident artist, the Chinese poet Ai Qing, grew up in remote northwestern China, excommunicated from the internal affairs of Beijing due to his father’s political exile. He reached New York City at age 25 and quickly took to the Manhattan art and social scene as if it were his native soil. In the nine years he lived in the East Village, he crossed paths with counterculture luminaries such as Keith Haring and Allen Ginsberg, studied the radical impact of modernists like Warhol, and began producing his early works—among them, black-and-white photographs of urban life and a telling portrait of the ready-making-master Duchamp out of a bent coat hanger and sunflower seeds. During his extended time in the West tending creative seeds, his homeland was spouting—and quashing—its own political seeds, in particular, the spring 1989 youth demonstrations for increased personal liberties in Tiananmen Square that ended in staunch military intervention and hundreds, if not thousands, outside of the square dead. (In some ways, it has only been Ai Weiwei’s work—and figure—that has visually supplanted the iconic image of the unknown man standing in front of four tanks on Chang’an Avenue as the symbol of civilian resistance to Chinese authority in Western consciousness.) Ai was in America during that key conflict, but its fallout—a tightening of security measures and a silencing of dissenting opinion—would eventually serve as a canvas for him to apply his strokes. Ai returned to China in 1993, at the age of 36, three years before his father died, but it would be another decade before his visual productions resurfaced on the global stage with keen conceptual and political precision.

Today, Ai works and lives in his walled compound in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. Persimmon and pine trees and bamboo fill the courtyard, lush green ivy climbs the walls, and many cats—a few shaved like lions—stalk the grass or lie in the sun. Ai built the studio for himself in the late ’90s—his first foray into architecture that would lead to his collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron on the “Bird’s Nest” stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Inside the compound walls, Ai’s activities seem both industrious and monastic. It is from here that he works on the plans for several projects—sculptures, installations, large-scale outdoor ventures approaching Land Art, films, tweets. But for a man who may be the most famous and relevant artist working right now, it is a very small corner of the world he is allotted with too little immunity, if any at all. Across the street from the studio is a common white surveillance camera (decorated with a traditional red Chinese lantern) aimed directly at his door (such cameras are found all over Beijing). Like many Chinese citizens, Ai has been routinely thwarted in his use of social media. In recent years, Twitter has been his most salient tool of global exchange. Ai is not allowed to travel outside of China—not by some official proclamation after a trial, but like most forms of governmental decision approaching terror, by some vague intermediary verdict for an indeterminate time with no recourse of contestation.

Ai has long utilized homegrown Chinese artifacts, practices, and forms in his productions, whether shattering a Han Dynasty urn on the floor, creating assemblages of bicycles into elaborate geometric formations, or bringing 1,001 Chinese citizens, most of whom had never previously left the country, to Kassel, Germany, for Documenta. But it wasn’t long after the construction of the “Bird’s Nest” that Ai’s unabashed freedom of expression started to turn the unflattered ears of the Chinese government. His vocal outcries against incidents such as the displacement of migrant communities for the Olympic Games, the hushed-up death toll connected with suspect building practices in the devastating 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, and the imprisonment of writer Liu Xiaobo begat a campaign of censorship and strict—sometimes bodily injurious—containment. When the state decided to tear down the artist’s studio in Shanghai in 2010 as punishment for his refusal to keep quiet, Ai responded by organizing a party for its demolition (on the menu were crabs, a loaded reference to the Chinese word meaning “harmonious” that is a homonym for “river crabs”). Just as, half a century ago, Warhol took the idea of American freedom and extended it in his films and canvases to show just how free individuals could be (“You want full freedom, I give you Candy Darling”), Ai Weiwei took the state’s demand for harmonious conformity and one-upped it (“I will acknowledge your decision to punish me to the point that I will actually host a party for your destructive reprimand”). In 2011, as Ai was at the airport about to board a flight bound for Hong Kong, he was arrested and held indefinitely in prison on the speculatively trumped-up charges of tax evasion. Following a global clamor for his release, he was freed after 81 days, fined (15 million yuan, about $2.4 million), and was made aware that he could be re-arrested at any time. This is where the story leaves the Warholian and begins to enter Orwellian.

The state can do whatever it likes. It teaches the person not to make any arguments. But my situation is very different. I see it as a great opportunity. Ai Weiwei

This summer during the Venice Biennale, Ai showed six fiberglass dioramas, scaled to half-life-size, that encapsulated scenes of his time in prison—eating, on the toilet, in bed, always with two guards peering at him at uncomfortably close range. The resulting claustrophobia is a visceral reminder of the conditions that those who speak out must endure; the repercussions faced by a man who continues to make art when each day, each minute, each step outside of his studio door, each tweet, could end in arrest and imprisonment. Ai continues to plan for the future—in June he opened “Out of Enlightenment” on the shores of the Emscher River in Germany; another gesture of inclusion, around 1,000 igloo-like tents are inhabitable by anyone who wishes to stay in them and enjoy the natural scenery in an area previously left destitute by the downturn of the steel industry. And unlike the mining of the land, when removed, Ai’s living installation leaves no trace behind. It is also nearly impossible not to think of his ongoing tweets and Tumblr posts as part of his art practice—subjects ranging from the possibilities of digital media and the treatment of Chinese dissidents to updates on his heavy-metal album. Like Warhol, Ai is an eager practitioner of any new technology to get his message across, helming a factory in the most traditional and most radical senses of the word. If there is any speculation in the West that Ai Weiwei the social critic has eclipsed Ai Weiwei the visual artist, it is only because, in recent decades, the idea of art as a political act—or, at least, an arena for political debate—has been bred out of our understanding in favor of more marketable formalist values. Ai’s work shows the possibility of its return—that for him now, and maybe for us in the future, speaking one’s mind, expressing one’s point of view, making and disseminating work that doesn’t fit the apparatus of a controlling system, is political.

In early May, shortly before the Venice Biennale, which Ai could not attend, I visited him at his Chaoyang studio in Beijing. We sat outside at a glass table, which held an ashtray shaped like the “Bird’s Nest” stadium and a sleeping white cat.

CHRISTOPHER BOLLEN: You moved to New York in the end of 1982.

AI WEIWEI: Around Christmastime. I studied for half a year at Parsons. And I spent some time at the Art Students League. But I spent most of my time in the Lower East Side.

BOLLEN: That must have been something of a seismic shift for you coming from Communist China to the East Village in the early ’80s. Were you prepared for that kind of cultural dissonance?

AI: I grew up in a very, very poor, very politically restricted area, which is in northwest China. If you think of China being like a map of the United States, New York is in Beijing’s position. But I grew up in what would be Washington State. The very other side of there. [laughs] Near Russia in the Gobi Desert.

BOLLEN: You grew up there because your father, the poet Ai Qing, was exiled there because of his political beliefs—he was accused of “rightism,” which is a sort of liberalism. Obviously, even in the Gobi Desert you were influenced by a very artistic family. But did you have any exposure to modern or contemporary art at all growing up?

AI: No, not at all. My father talked of art, such as the Impressionists, because when he was young, he went to Paris and studied art there and was very good. So I had a strong impression from him on early contemporary art but very limited sources. I still remember before I went to the United States, they gave me a translator and you can have a few books, but even then, the whole of China doesn’t have any books on the student culture revolution because they consider that antirevolutionary.

BOLLEN: As a child, did you have inklings of wanting to become an artist based on what your father was describing?

AI: Yes. But at the same time, my father refused to let us become so-called artists. You know, at that time China had no artists anyway. They were called “art workers.” Even during my detention two years ago, they asked me, “What’s your profession?” I said, “Artist.” They said, “Ha, ha. You can’t call yourself an artist.” I said, “So what do you call me?” They said, “At most, you are called ‘art worker.’ ” I said, “Okay, I’m an art worker.” I like the name very much, but no one calls themselves “art worker” anymore. [laughs]

BOLLEN: I guess the point is that if you’re an art worker, you’re still working for the state. You aren’t floating off in your own direction.

AI: Yeah, you’re just one of the screws on the big machine. An artist is more independent.

BOLLEN: Much of your education happened in New York. That kind of rapid Western immersion must have been profound.

AI: Yeah, I was totally sucked into it because, first, I love the metropolitan. I grew up in a semi-military base. We didn’t have lights, not even candles. We had to light this kind of oil, gas, but it’s very dark. Every night your nose becomes so dark from breathing it in. It’s very bad quality. So I just love the light. And on the plane, before I landed, it’s about nine o’clock in the evening, and I saw all of New York start lighting up. I was so touched. I thought, This is the place I will die for. And there’s this kind of energy, this imagination, to see what kind of people created a place like this. So I was just completely in love. I think it’s the same kind I love that Warhol had when he left his hometown of Pittsburgh. He must have had the same feeling.

BOLLEN: I think that’s what New York is for any immigrant—domestic or foreign—that kind of melting into the shine of the city.

AI: Yes, bright lights, big city. The first book I read was The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again). I was very limited in starting to learn English when I read it, but I thought that book’s humor was completely funny and cool. I thought, This guy is so cool and just amazing. And I was seeing his art at the same time. He’s so sensitive and so uncertain, but with a lot of humor. Even if you look at that book today, he’s still decades ahead of his time. Now I’m working so much on Twitter all the time. What are the sentences that I can put on Twitter—very short but very smart and witty, and sometimes shocking. Well, a lot of time it may be just nonsense …

BOLLEN: I think a lot of people underestimate Warhol as a writer. They think of him as just a kind of savant, but even beyond the visual production, he was poetic in a lot of what he said and wrote.

AI: Yes, so contemporary and so unique. He really was a poet in the sense that there was no limit and no restrictions for him. It just came out very naturally and very innocently, sometimes in a naive way, but beautiful and vulnerable.

BOLLEN: Did you ever run into Warhol in New York in the ’80s?

AI: He was not going to openings so much by then. But sometimes at a gallery opening he would be there. I never personally met him. I still remember at that time people like Keith Haring respected him so much as a figure, but he was less active by the time I got there.

BOLLEN: He was also rather unpopular in the ’80s. There was a moment in the ’80s when one could have thought that he would be irrelevant in the years to come. His work had fallen out of style a bit and maybe also his flamboyant ’70s appeal. There was a low Warhol moment. As it turned out, it was just a moment.

On the plane, I saw all of New York lighting up. I thought, this is the place I will die for. Ai WeiweI

AI: Yeah, it’s true. He started doing his TV show, Andy Warhol’s 15 Minutes, and he wasn’t very popular, and he was doing advertisement campaigns.

BOLLEN: Did you find yourself influenced by the young art stars in New York in the ’80s? Did you have much contact with some of those painters rising to fame at that time?

AI: Almost no contact. The ’80s was quite a lonely time. You had big stars like Julian Schnabel and the Mary Boone artists—the 50 big stars—but they were so different from the ’70s artists.

BOLLEN: You took a lot of black-and-white photographs while you were living in New York, from the Tompkins Square Park protests to Allen Ginsberg. But I remember one self-portrait you did in the nude standing on a chair in your apartment on East Third Street. I happen to live on East Third Street now. I try to imagine how different East Third Street must have been for you in the mid-’80s than it is for me in 2013. Do you remember it well?

AI: It was really rough. I remember one little rainy day I went searching for this apartment and I saw so many people standing on a stoop on the corner in the rain. Later I realized, that was drug traffic. They were all buying drugs. So in the ’80s, you couldn’t walk in the neighborhood without looking back to see if anyone was following you. You had your key in your hand before you got to your apartment and you’d rush in so you didn’t have to stop.

BOLLEN: Did a city of random crime after growing up somewhere so governmentally protected shock you?

AI: It just fit my image of what a city should be—the super-rich and all the poor and desperate and the people who have some kind of a desire. It’s a surviving game, people trying to survive on many different levels.

BOLLEN: You were in New York during the student uprisings at Tiananmen Square in 1989. I know you protested in New York in solidarity, but it must have felt like you were very far from the people your age in Beijing. Did that upset you or were you glad for the distance from all of that?

AI: When I left China, on the way to the airport, my mom was really worried. This boy doesn’t speak a word of English. He has no money, maybe a few hundred in his pocket. What is he trying to do? I said, “You will see another Picasso in 10 years.” They all laughed, even my classmates. I sounded kind of crazy. And once I was in New York, I completely had no interest for a long time in what happened in China because I had been through so much. Seeing my father’s life struggle and so many whole generations lose their potential or possibility in their lives. Just being pushed into this political struggle and the damage done not only to their lives but their relatives. I said, “This is not for me. I have to find a place for my own. I have to search for my own happiness.”

BOLLEN: If your father had not been sick in 1993, would you have ever returned to live in China?

AI: I had no reason to come back.

BOLLEN: And instead you’ve inherited a similar burden to what your father faced.

AI: Warhol said something like, “Be careful what you want, you may actually get it.” I hate this so much, but I’ve become very political, or at least considered by many to be so. I had no reason to come back. Although it’s hard to imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t, because I have nothing to do in New York now, even though I spent over 10 years there. New York is a city where you’re so alone, you’re an individual, you can disappear. You can make something happen. But it’s very different to make something happen in the art world.

BOLLEN: This is something I want to discuss. There is a rather perverse irony of your position and influence in the art world today that others envy. Your work has its rigorous formal conceptual qualities as stand-alone pieces, but there is a very loaded political aspect to your work, which is often sewn into the material or structure of your work—the steel rebar from the Sichuan earthquake school building collapse of 2008 or the children’s book bags found in the aftermath as just two examples. I think there’s this prevalent idea, at least in the New York art world, that art has lost its power to incite or critique. Straight white male artists can’t really do much more than play with formal or conceptual elements to death because there really is no way for them to articulate an artistic critique of the system—unless it’s a tricky negation by promotion, like Jeff Koons. An I’ll-celebrate-excess-until-we-all-drown-in-it sort of maneuver. But I think in the increasingly wealthy market of the New York art world, there’s a paranoia that it’s all a bunch of empty gestures. What is your take?

AI: There are a lot of empty gestures, yes, because there is not this necessity for many of those people to even struggle. I think Warhol was very different from that. Warhol came from an ordinary family and he had a profound understanding about capitalism and material culture. He was probably one of the few Western artists—or artists from the United States—that could be considered a true product of his time and brought out that kind of spirit of the culture. You see so many people doing quite nice and respectful work, but nobody like Warhol. Warhol is outstanding. I think he has a value that is far from fully understood. He’s very special for younger generations.

BOLLEN: He subverted the system by using the system, which you can’t really do the same way because the system you’re dealing with is built with limits from the start. So you found new systems for subversion—social-media technology being one. But I guess I’m asking, do you purposely strive to create political tension or resistance in your work? Is that a condition on which you begin to fashion the specifics of a piece?

AI: I think I’ve been given a lot of reason to study it. You cannot just assume it’s a sin or a crime or whatever. You have to be somehow involved. You have to use your own experience to tell a story. Every day I’m learning something new from the practice. It’s very rewarding. It’s not that I’m using the condition, but rather that I’m using it as a ready-made, like Duchamp did. You see the object from another angle, which you can dismantle from its original meaning or function to come up with a new definition.

BOLLEN: Like your stools or ancient Chinese urns or book bags—the phenomenology of a cultural object. Except for you the ready-made is often Chinese politics.

AI: Chinese culture or the Chinese political situation today gives me this kind of opportunity. And of course I have to be very careful. First of all, I don’t want to be hurt. I have been hurt quite dangerously several times. But I don’t want to be deeply vanished by an overjoy of this game. It is a kind of game. You have to maintain yourself in the game and not outside of the game. But it’s a quite dangerous game. Secondly, you cannot be taken away by this joy. You see people who are very skillful, very artful, but who are taken away by it and have lost the proportion of life. Life is not only about that. You still have to have a very good heart like Warhol did. He said, “An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have but that he—for some reason—thinks it would be a good idea to give them.” I think he puts it very nicely. My situation gives me certain ideas about beauty or the excitement of life, but that doesn’t mean other people can necessarily appreciate it. And again I have to be very careful about that.

it is a kind of game . . . But it’s a quite dangerous game. Ai Weiwei

BOLLEN: Much of your work appears large-scale in other countries—Italy, Germany, the United States. These are all places you aren’t allowed to travel to in your current situation. Is that a challenge, to make art for display in places you can’t actually visit?

AI: It’s not much of a challenge in today’s world. I live in Beijing, but New York or Berlin is just blocks away. Communication is so much better because of the internet. I can write e-mails, I can Skype, and people travel here frequently so it’s not that difficult. I also think it’s more interesting because of this restriction. I have to build up another kind of communication, first with my own team. They all have to understand what is on my mind. I have to explain clearly. I have to pick concepts, which can be clearly expressed and be assembled without me. It’s a unique position.

BOLLEN: You also manage to work on a number of projects at once. You’re not a one-at-a-time artist.

AI: I remember when I would go to Atlantic City, for hours I’d play a few hands of blackjack at once, because one hand takes too long to come back. A few hands at once, you are always gaining or losing. You keep it even by playing like that. [laughs]

BOLLEN: You are under constant surveillance. Do you feel restricted in the freedom of what you can make, even if it is slated to be exhibited in another country?

AI: Often the smaller the space, the more freedom you have. Like a housewife pulls a few vegetables out of an garden, she can still make a beautiful dish, better than any restaurant. It’s not really about how much you have, but rather about how much you make out of it.

BOLLEN: Are you even allowed to show your work in Beijing? Or in greater China?

AI: The situation is mixed. For example, I have been accused of owing the state 15,220,000 yuan in tax. That’s a number that the whole of China has never heard of. The first quarter’s profit of Sina, the big media icon, is less than that. Everybody finds this shocking. Under what kind of logic can the state police do something like this? And yet even under such a big case as this, there’s not a single Chinese media outlet that presents one word about it. If someone grabs someone else’s bag, it would be in the newspaper. But my situation they cannot openly talk about. That’s how they crush the political opposition, to use some other kind of crime, whether it’s rape or a tax. Most people will think, “Oh, this guy is not such a reliable guy, he’s a liar.”

BOLLEN: They trump up a crime to discredit opposition.

AI: Not only to discredit but also to leave the one punished in such a sad situation that they see that the state can do whatever it likes. It teaches the person not to make any arguments. But my situation is very different. I see it as a great opportunity. So I say, “Okay, you accuse me of this. Let’s sit down and calculate it. Where is the evidence? How do you make this accusation?” And by doing that, I have put down a big deposit, which they never imagined I would do. Eight million. So, on the internet, people start to give us money.

BOLLEN: Yes, I read that it’s like a way of voting for people. They can’t vote but they can send a dollar as a form of voting, of backing an oppositional party.

AI: They will say I will not buy a pair of shoes next month because I want you to have this money. Because it’s our voting ticket—although they never see a voting ticket. In about 10 days we gathered nine million through 30,000 people. That’s a miracle.

BOLLEN: That’s incredible.

AI: The state is shocked. Because now they don’t know what to do with this guy. But I feel so happy because all I did was try to encourage young people to see it’s not that you cannot do anything about it. You just have to do something to make yourself happy. Then these kinds of states, they cannot last. But if you totally give up, that’s another story.

BOLLEN: What is the end game in terms of what you’d like to see in China? Do you see a day when China could be more “constitutional”? Or having more than one party in command?

AI: I’d rather not even think about that. I think Warhol put it very nicely when he said, “A place that has no McDonald’s is not beautiful.” I think by not letting young people be fully informed, how can they have energy and passion and the right picture of the world? I think that’s the true crime. This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the quality of their lives.

BOLLEN: Lately, the new leader, Xi Jinping has borrowed a favorite American expression, calling for the fulfillment of the “Chinese Dream,” which is, I suppose, a retooled rendition of the American Dream.

AI: Yeah, they’ve tried to blur that. They like to say that China has a dream. But it’s so empty. There’s nothing in the dream. I think the dream should be, at least, that the state should not tell a lie. They should have it that people can freely use information they get on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook. Why does the Chinese Dream have to be a dream nobody else can even share? For one individual to express his opinion, that’s the only way. It doesn’t matter if that opinion is smart or stupid, that’s their right. They have to respect and trust their own people. But in China you cannot even mention it. They cannot even give out some kind of schedule that would say, “Hey, I don’t trust you guys, you can’t vote now, but in 10 years or in 20 years I will let you vote.” They would never do that. For 60 years nobody has seen a voting ticket. At least they have to let people know what happened during the Cultural Revolution. During the ’89 massacre in Tiananmen Square. Come on. Let them have a dream. But the dream should belong to the individuals, rather than to the state.

BOLLEN: Do you think the young generation of Chinese artists has been unable to make impactful work because of this information blackout and fear of persecution?

AI: Certainly the state behaving in a very controlled manner toward thinking and essential feelings has hurt a generation’s will power. They don’t have the courage, they don’t have imaginations. They’re not poetic, they’re just not strong. They are lacking in so many senses. Some can do a very skillful copying of Western art, but it’s nothing really original.

BOLLEN: You rely on a sort of factory-style approach to production. You have assistants and off-site studios for fabrication. Was this something that you developed from schools of craftwork or more from the Warhol Factory approach to art making?

they said, ‘Weiwei, we can always arrest you again, and we don’t ever have to release you. Just remember that.’  Ai WeiweI

AI: Warhol liberates in two senses. He really liked hard work. He once heard that Picasso produced something like 4,000 works in his lifetime, and Warhol said, “Okay, that’s what our factory can do in a day.” Then he realized, “Oh, I made a mistake. It will take us half a month, not a day.” [laughs] Warhol is funny in this sense. When he’s talking about art, he’s talking about a lifestyle, an attitude, the people around him. You see that, even with the recordings or the film-test shots, all of it. It’s not necessarily a beautiful product, but he himself is the Factory, the whole atmosphere. Warhol is about selling atmospheres. Once he said, “New York restaurants are about selling atmospheres.” So, Warhol created this kind of mythology. I think that’s very important because only through that can other people be a part of it and share in it. That’s why he’s become legendary, because so many people feel they are a part of it. I think my work took that influence from him. It’s always nice to share your energy with young people, the people who might not have any skills but are simply willing to be a part of it. To contribute. Or most of the time not really to contribute, but to make a mess of it. [laughs]

BOLLEN: It reminds me of the party you threw when the Chinese government decided to demolish your new $1 million art studio in Shanghai as punishment. After you announced the crab party, the government put you under house arrest, but that didn’t stop hundreds of attendees showing up in your name and carrying on the festivities. That’s social protest to me, even without you there to lead it. It’s the same with your Twitter feed. You are forced to remain in China, but you find a way to send your message out.

AI: Yeah, I thought that Warhol, if he were living today, would be so rewarded, because he was always sharing, he was so generous.

BOLLEN: What’s your tweet schedule like throughout the day?

AI: I used to tweet, like, eight hours a day or more. Now I restrict myself to maybe three hours a day, just to say hello to old friends, you know, just a few words, make somebody happy the whole day. It’s all about the communication. If we talk to individuals, what makes individuals? Individual; that means he has his own special way to communicate, which creates the form of him. In the information age, this expression and communication has become so different. And that’s what Warhol tried to do. He did it so successfully in the ’70s.

BOLLEN: It’s the individual that often is the centerpiece of your work. For instance, you compiled a list of the names of the schoolchildren killed in the 2008 earthquake, which the Chinese government refused to release. It’s a census of the dead, but you gave each one of the death toll an individual name.

AI: We worked on that for the people who lost the chance to continue their life, and also to work with the people who respect life and refuse to forget.

BOLLEN: In Venice, during the Biennale, you are showing dioramas of your 81 days in prison in 2011. Can you talk about what your imprisonment was like?

AI: I was in the most restricted prison in China, the most tough. The design of the prison is modeled for internal crimes of the Communist party, so it’s like a mafia family’s law. It’s independent to the law this nation openly applies. It’s the place they take you before they give you over to the judicial system. You stay there for a year or two and they make you really suffer to confess everything. It’s a special jail or like some kind of medical center. It’s a strange situation because you’re in solitude, but at the same time, you’re very restricted. It’s like you’re sealed into an iron can with no sense of connection from the outside world or your previous life.

BOLLEN: You were alone in a cell by yourself?

AI: Yes, by myself, but 24 hours with two guards 80 centimeters away looking at you all the time.

BOLLEN: Did they even let you speak to a lawyer?

AI: No. When I was detained at the airport, they put this black hood over my head and removed me to this secret jail. The first thing I did when they removed the hood was ask for a lawyer, just like in the American movies. I said, “Can I talk to a lawyer?” They said no. I said, “Can I call my family?” They said no. And so I asked, “How long will this condition last?” They said, could be half a year or a year. So since then I never asked another question because basically in my mind I was just kidnapped by the state.

BOLLEN: Were you terrified? Or did you try to remain calm in those first days?

AI: I was calm, but angry of course. But at the same time it felt ridiculous because I feel I should always act in the open. I never have a secret. I put everything on Twitter or my blog. My activities have always been open—open discussions, open communications. So I don’t understand why they have to do just the opposite of that. What’s the secrecy for? So I was mixed with anger and excitement, because it puts them in a very bad position by doing that. How could they do that? I still can’t find a logical answer for it.

BOLLEN: Did there ever come a point, say on day 70, when you just submitted to this being a permanent situation? Was there ever some acceptance in your mind that you might be here for good, like writer Liu Xiaobo?

AI: After two months, they gradually started talking about what kind of sentencing they were going to give me. They started to tell me I probably will spend about 10 to 13 years in jail because of subversion of state power, which is a big crime.

BOLLEN: I can’t imagine a point of acceptance in hearing that possible prison sentence.

AI: I was quite desperate. You feel completely vulnerable. You lose sleep. You are very alert at all times, because when you sleep, two guards are also standing next to you, watching you like this. [leans in close]

BOLLEN: So you never were even alone.

AI: No. When you are taking showers, they are standing next to you. Whatever you are doing. They have to be 80 centimeters away, to grab you at any time. So it’s that kind of intimidation and harassment.

BOLLEN: What are the psychological repercussions of that experience? Do you live in fear that you could be taken away again and shelved in that cell indefinitely?

AI: I woke up very early this morning, actually, because I suddenly felt I should make arrangements because, if that happened, I would feel regret that I didn’t arrange this or that.

BOLLEN: So you’re constantly working and thinking of arrangements for a worst-case scenario?

AI: Yeah. All the time I have to think about that. I cannot be stupid and tell myself this will not happen again. Because they never told me why. I asked them when they released me, “You never told me why you arrested me, and you never clearly told me why you are releasing me.” They thought over these two sentences and they said, “Weiwei, we can always arrest you again, and we don’t ever have to release you. Just remember that.”

BOLLEN: Well, if that doesn’t keep you silent …

AI: Yeah. I have to take those words seriously. How can you not take those words seriously? Many people I know—writers, poets—they have all been sentenced not once but sometimes three times after they come out. They serve five or six years, come out another time, and then nine years. Come out again, 12 years. Only because they have a different opinion. They are innocent people, they have beautiful minds, beautiful hearts. This state never hesitated to sacrifice people like this. But they are always trying to hurt the vulnerable, innocent people, to teach other people to behave. So I have to believe this could happen.

BOLLEN: What’s curious about your case, is that not just in China but with any repressive regime, it’s not usually the visual artists who are imprisoned. It’s the writers, the poets, the journalists, the teachers. Visual artists are rarely considered a prime threat because, so often, their visual works can be appropriated by the ruling power and drained of their dissent. Visual art can so easily be turned against itself. But you are an exception.

AI: I’m a visual artist. I always admire those writers. My father was a writer, a poet. I always admire people who can clearly state their mind. Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work. Those works are special to me because they state his mind so clearly. So I’m not a writer, but today I think you have to be everything. As an artist you have an obligation to let people know what is on your mind and why you’re doing this.BOLLEN: The one hundred million hand-painted sunflower seeds you exhibited on the floor for the Tate Modern had a fantastic sense of inclusion. It wasn’t a work programmed for art-world insiders. And yet it seemed to be pointedly issuing from your own perspective and background.

AI: I think of art as coming from daily life, daily experience. I think it’s very important not to have it become work for some kind of elite circle. I’m always interested in people who are not orientated in art circles to become part of it.

BOLLEN: The new market frontier for art seems to be China. Western galleries and auction houses are now competing to open satellites here to extend art commerce to the new financial superpower. How do you feel about that? I’m confused about opening profit-oriented art markets in a country that suppresses the expression of its own artists.

AI: All the auction houses care about is the selling of luxury goods. Of course, most luxury goods in China are for corrupted officials and their relatives. And that made China become the biggest luxury-goods market. In this kind of dictatorship, in this kind of totalitarian society, it is easy to make deals that you cannot make in a democratic society. Come on. You can easily make deals here because it is about private profit. And who profits? Nobody knows. Everything’s a secret. This is a kind of business model that the West is learning from China. You see many Westerners there who shamelessly, I would say, turn their back on the kind of values which generations of thinkers struggled to fight for, for freedom and democracy, just to make a quick profit, to cash in. It’s really pitiful. But that’s our world. We have to accept it.

BOLLEN: It’s strange to have this rise of a market in China obsessed with Western commodities without importing any attendant values of freedom or democracy. Of course, maybe those commodities don’t have anything to do with freedom or democracy in the first place; they just look like they do.

AI: It will take China to destroy the idea of the American Dream. It took a Chinese Dream to make a so-called American Dream become true. You see people start to buy it. They don’t buy one home but maybe 20 of them. They don’t buy just a beach house but the whole street. You can’t even name all of the beautiful cars, but they buy 12 of them just for their daughter’s wedding celebration. Material life can provide them liberty or freedom or just some kind of desperate ignorance or stupidity or a stage to show that. It completely destroys or, at least, delays the honest life. It only shows if you’re dirtier, more shameless, more cheeky. You play this kind of game where you gain—I don’t know what they gain.

BOLLEN: I was thinking back to some of the early works that you produced when you returned to China. For instance, the series of photographs where you dropped and shattered an antique Han Dynasty urn on the floor [Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, 1995/2009]. It’s funny because I recently heard someone expounding on that series as an illustration of planned obsolescence. That antique Han urns weren’t meant to last eternally but were more like Mac computers in that there was a built-in seed of their own demise. I thought, Ai Weiwei couldn’t have been thinking of Mac computers in 1995. But that’s the beauty of such work—it takes on new cultural meanings as it moves in time.

AI: I did that piece truly as a joke. I had three cameras that I brought back to China. And the camera could take, like, five frames every second. And, like most things, I did it quick, no plan. People think everything’s planned, but it was spontaneous. We dropped one and we didn’t get it because the photographer was paying too much attention to this valuable vase. So we had to do another one. We had two of them. [laughs] Then I forgot about those photos for a while. At that time, there were no galleries, no art. I never thought I would become an artist again, you know? I started collecting old Chinese cultural relics, like jade, bronze, beautiful things. I was a top expert on Chinese antiques. Few people had my skill. That’s what I did in the ’90s. On my résumé, I don’t have a show for more than 10 years. I don’t really have any work. I did my first art show after returning to China only in 2003, in Switzerland. But now those photos have become, like, iconic in a sense. But it’s kind of kitsch, huh?

BOLLEN: I like it. But I guess that’s a no on that work being a commentary on the planned obsolescence of designer products.

AI: The author himself may not necessarily know what the work reflects. I remember my father once said, “The silkworm, when it produces the silk, never thinks it will produce the Silk Road.”

BOLLEN: In the West we see Ai Weiwei as a hero of free expression. I wonder, how do the young in China respond to you? Do you feel their interest and excitement about you and your work?

AI: Oh, yeah. They are so influenced I cannot even believe it. The younger ones, they see me as some kind of miracle for still being alive. I feel very happy about that. I want to tell them that they are no different than me. What I did, they can all do. I have a different kind of opportunity now, maybe, but I think today is about sharing those things, those opportunities.

BOLLEN: Like with Warhol, do young people turn up at your studio wanting to hang out?

AI: It’s very strange. They try to come, they send letters, send gifts, they wave at me in the park. Somebody sat in the back of a trailer truck for one month and I didn’t realize he had a candle lit next to him. He said, “Every night I just wait when you come out to see that you’re a real person.” But it’s about them finding a way to build up their own story. It’s not me. I’m just maybe the first sentence they need.

BOLLEN: And that sentence might be found on your Twitter account. In English, 140 characters doesn’t give us a lot of room to express a thought in depth. But you once said that in Chinese, you can write a novella in 140 characters. Perhaps Twitter is most suited to the Chinese language after all.

AI: Yeah, you can put so much in the volume of Chinese words because the structure is so symbolic and dense with meaning. You can write a long story. It’s perfect.

BOLLEN: And the government makes constant attempts to shut down your feed.

AI: They try to take it away every day. But we always move it around.

BOLLEN: Technology has become a form of liberation.

AI: Technology is a liberation. I think the information age probably is the best thing to happen to the human race in human evolution. Now you have the equal opportunity to equip yourself through information and knowledge and express yourself as an independent mind. It’s stronger than any magical thing that can happen to the human race. Especially as a society, people start to judge and adjust their positions. And it still continues to make a big change on the human race, on individuals and on society.

BOLLEN: And yet, perhaps, without technology, you may never have been arrested and sent to prison. And, perhaps, without it, your art might not have been able to expand all over the globe.

AI: And, I thought, I would never be interviewed by Interview magazine.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
DELMIA V6: Ergonomics Specialists

Assessing the working conditions, ensuring compliance and verifying assembly across multiple platforms.

Ergonomics Analysis: Analyse and Predict Human Safety and Performance

DELMIA Ergonomics Analysis (EGA) builds on DELMIA Ergonomics Evaluation (EGE) to let users analyse and predict human safety and performance directly from the 3D virtual environment. Engineers can examine, score, and iterate whole-body and segment postures for ergonomic analysis of defined work in the context of a product or workplace design.

Ergonomics Evaluation: Create and Evaluate Lifelike Manikins in Context

DELMIA Ergonomics Evaluation (EGE) is the core product for creating V6 Lifelike Manikins with standard anthropometry (human body dimensions). Users can place them into the Version 6 3D model and evaluate human interaction with a product or workplace. EGE delivers a wide range of manipulation and analysis tools to make ergonomics assessment accessible to all V6 users.

Ergonomic Task Definition: Program and Simulate Human Tasks

DELMIA Ergonomics Task Definition (ETD) builds on DELMIA Ergonomics Evaluation (EGE) by allowing users to create, simulate, and validate tasks performed by a Lifelike Human manikin in the V6 environment. Ergonomics Specialists are able to easily create and simulate the way a worker interacts with a product or performs tasks in the workplace.

Ergonomics for Vehicle Design: Understand the Ergonomics Impact of Vehicle Design with Virtual 3D Manikins

The DELMIA Ergonomics for Vehicle Design (EVD) solution lets designers identify driver and passenger ergonomics issues early in the design process to avoid costly, time-consuming changes. EVD applies the Cascade and Cascade 2 algorithms (developed by University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute) to let designers use first primitives of the steering wheel, floor panel and pedals to automatically position humans in the car. The Vehicle interior dimensions are automatically compliant with SAE standards 1516/1517 or 4002/4004.

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-47
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for November 2018
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-147-220-51.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 0.11-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


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

text:
DEFINITION of 'Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act'

Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, authorizes the President of the United States, through tariffs or other means, to adjust the imports of goods or materials from other countries if it deems the quantity or circumstances surrounding those imports to threaten national security. The Trade Expansion Act of 1962 was signed by President John F. Kennedy, who called it ,“…the most important piece of legislation, I think, affecting economies since the passage of the Marshall Plan.”

BREAKING DOWN 'Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act'

To conduct an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the Secretary of Commerce may self-initiate the investigation or an interested party may initiate an investigation through an application. Any investigation initiated must be reported to the Secretary of Defense which can also be consulted for information and advice should any policy questions arise during the investigation. The Department of Commerce reports its findings to the President within 270 days of initiating any investigation, with emphasis on whether certain imports threaten to impair the country's national security. The President has 90 days to formally concur or not with the report received from the Commerce department. If s/he concurs, his or her statutory authority under Section 232 allows him or her to modify or adjust the imports as necessary though tariffs or quotas. In effect, following the report submitted, the President of the country may take a range of actions, or no action, based on the Secretary's recommendations provided in the reports.

Since 1980, the Department of Commerce has conducted fourteen Section 232 investigations. In 2018, during the presidential term of Donald Trump, the Department found that the quantities and circumstances of steel and aluminum imports “threaten to impair the national security,” as defined by Section 232. President Donald Trump campaigned on the promise to renegotiate international trade deals on more favorable terms for the United States. As President, he has taken particular aim at the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Following the report received from the Dept. of Commerce on January 11, 2018, the President announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Wilbur Ross, the US Secretary of Commerce, reported that the excess production of steel and the present quantities of steel imports were, “…weakening our internal economy and shrinking [of our] ability to meet national security production requirements in a national emergency…” The department's report also stated that United States steel imports were nearly four times our exports, and that aluminum imports had risen to 90% of total demand for primary aluminum. Thus, imports in this industry threatened to impair the national security.

On March 8, 2018, Trump exercised his presidential authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports citing national security concerns. Ross had recommended in the investigation report:

  • a global tariff of at least 24% on steel imports from all countries, or
  • a minimum 53% tariff on steel imports from 12 countries including Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam, or
  • a quota on steel products from all countries equal to 63% of each country's 2017 exports to the U.S.

Canada and Mexico were granted exemptions from the tariffs, although those countries are facing additional tariffs on other goods and materials. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency began collecting the tariffs on March 23, 2018.

The United States is the largest importer of steel in the world. In 2017 the US imported 34.6 million metric tons of steel, a 15 percent increase from 2016, according to the US Commerce Dept. Those imports were worth nearly $30 billion. Canada represented 17 percent of those imports and Brazil accounted for 14 percent. China accounted for 2 percent and threatened to levy tariffs on hundreds of goods and materials that it imports from the US in retaliation.

  1. Multiple Column Tariff

    A multiple column tariff is a system where the tariff rate or ...
  2. Tariff

    A tariff is a tax imposed on imported goods and services.
  3. Steel Industry ETF

    A steel industry ETF is a sector exchange-traded fund that invests ...
  4. Trade War

    A trade war is a side effect of protectionism that occurs when ...
  5. Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act

    The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, known formally as the United States ...
  6. International Commerce

    International commerce is trade between companies in different ...
Related Articles
  1. Investing

    Which Stocks Will Win or Lose From Steel, Aluminum Tariffs?

    Here is a list of stocks that will win or lose from the recently announced steel and aluminum import tariffs
  2. Investing

    Where Does the U.S. Import Steel From?

    Look at the top sources of U.S. steel imports, and no, it's not China.
  3. Insights

    The Basics Of Tariffs And Trade Barriers

    Everything you need to know about trade barriers and tariffs, why they are used and their effects on the local economy.
  4. Investing

    Trump’s China Tariffs: What’s at Stake for the US?

    Will the U.S. trade tariffs on China hurt American businesses, jobs and customers? Yes, says the majority.
  5. Investing

    How Can ETF Investors Benefit From Trump's Tariffs?

    The anticipated steel and aluminum tariffs present new opportunities, but investors must be careful.
  6. Insights

    United States Steel Upgraded By JPMorgan (X)

    Shares of U.S. Steel climbed as much as 4.22% Monday, reaching a session high of $19.75 after the company's shares were endorsed by analysts at JPMorgan.
  1. What are common reasons for governments to implement tariffs?

    Gain a basic understanding of a government-sanctioned import tariff, what it is meant to accomplish and common reasons for ... Read Answer >>
  2. Why did the U.S. government take control of the steel industry in 1952?

    In early 1950, Senator McCarthy began seeing communists in every shadow, prompting him to accuse the Truman administration ... Read Answer >>
  3. Which factors can influence a country's balance of trade?

    Find out about the factors that affect a country's overall balance of trade and how it is used as an economic indicator. Read Answer >>
  4. Why would a corporation conduct a vertical FDI?

    Find out why global companies choose to conduct horizontal forward vertical FDI activities to expand their operations into ... Read Answer >>
  5. What are the most famous instances of backward integration?

    Learn more about backward integration in the supply chain and see how two famous examples, Carnegie Steel and Apple, used ... Read Answer >>
Trading Center


text:
Skip to main content
Become a member
  • Register
  • Login

Register Login

Press Releases News Education & skills Policy publications - Employment & Skills

IoD responds to new Home Affairs Committee immigration report

15 Jan 2018

border cardResponding to the publication of the Home Affairs Committee’s report on building a consensus around immigration policy, Seamus Nevin, Head of Policy Research at the Institute of Directors, said:

“There is a real deficit of honest and sensible debate in the UK about the costs and benefits of immigration. As this report shows, discussion is being obstructed by the Government's adherence to their counter-productive net migration target. The Home Affairs Committee is right that the Government has a responsibility to do a better job at building a consensus for immigration policy, but businesses must share that responsibility too.

“The workplace is one of the best ways to integrate and can be at the forefront of building confidence regarding future immigration. Employers who rely on international workers cannot ignore the public’s concerns. There needs to be a joined-up effort between business and political leaders to help develop a clear plan to manage the challenges of immigration, while highlighting the rewards it gives the UK.

“This report, based on suggestions from ordinary people, makes some common sense proposals – from the Exchequer recording immigrants’ economic contributions to enhancing the migration impact fund – and should be taken seriously. Crucially, however, in order to restore faith in the system, the public have to see that the administrative bodies are fully engaged in responding to their wish to exercise greater control of immigration. So stronger action to prevent exploitation of workers from overseas and greater focus on law enforcement and security checks by the Home Office would be welcome.  We hope the Government will act swiftly to implement these recommendations.”

Contact Press Office

Donjeta Miftari, Head of Communications

020 7451 3285

Euan Holmes, Press Officer

020 7451 3280

Press office


text:
2 posts / 0 new
Last post
Cameron Gren, University of North Alabama
Last seen: 2 years 3 months ago
Joined: 05/11/2010 - 8:30pm

What is your favorite Angewandte graphical abstract title? (just for fun)

Saw one in current issue entitled "One to rule them all" ala Lord of the Rings. If you have never read a table of contents of Angewandte Chemie, they are usually good for a chuckle.
Kyle Grice, DePaul University
Last seen: 2 days 20 hours ago
Joined: 07/22/2010 - 5:29pm

I think there was a blog post or two on this in some chemistry blogs a while back. Some of the definitely crack up.

Just quickly scanning a few issues, here are some that stood out:

"Taming the Beast"

"Out for the count"

"The next super model" (really?)

"Stirred, not shaken"

"Easy peasy"

"Cutting costs, cutting corners"

Just looking at these, you wouldn't beleive they are the first words in an abstract for a prestigious chemistry journal. I guess it just goes to show that chemists have a (bad) sense of humor.


text:
ILR Services
Log In
Change your password
Forgot Password?
Forgot Username?
Access Iowa Land Records!
Register Now!
Iowa Land Records provides a powerful search capability for land records in Iowa counties. Registered users will also have access to other useful services including the ability to view and print document images, and order certified copies of documents. Some of these services may require payment. A short description of each service is given below.
Order Certified Copy of Documents
After completing a search and viewing the detailed index information and image for a document, a Registered User may submit an order to receive a certified copy by mail from the appropriate Recorders office. The fee will be 5.00 Per Document plus $1.00 Per Page plus $3.50 for Shipping, Handling and online service. The implementation date of this service has not yet been established.
Electronic Submission
Authorized users of the Iowa Land Records e-submission service are able to submit documents for recording through a secure web interface.


text:
Sunshine and Showers

Sunshine and Showers

max temp: 14°C

min temp: 6°C

Drivers can expect delays as abnormal load is escorted through Suffolk

Drivers can expect delays as an abnormal load is transported on the A14 tomorrow. Stock photo Picture: LUCY TAYLOR

Drivers can expect delays as an abnormal load is transported on the A14 tomorrow. Stock photo Picture: LUCY TAYLOR

Motorists are being advised they may experience delays today as Suffolk police escort an abnormal load through the county.

The load will be escorted from the A12 on the Essex border to Ferry Road in Bawdsey at 1pm.

Suffolk police officers will escort the load from the A12 north Martlesham Heath layby to site.

The route will be as follows: A12 Essex border – A14, A12, A1152, B1083 – Heath Rd – Woodbridge Rd – The Street – Fox Hill – Alderton Rd – Hollesley Rd – local roads to site.

Delays can be expected along these routes.

A pigeon cull on Ipswich Waterfront has been suspended following plans from protestors to “disrupt” the event.

Restoring a village pub that was once John Peel’s favourite watering hole has been a labour of love for two families in Rattlesden, who couldn’t bear to see their local pub falling into a state of disrepair.

Schoolchildren joined a poignant suffragette march through Ipswich to mark the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote.

This was the moment a miraculous double rainbow appeared over an Ipswich school.

The Ipswich-based Volvo retailer, Donalds Garage has celebrated the opening of their new multi-million-pound showroom at Futura Park.

Looking for bargain toys in the run-up to Christmas? If so, there’s still just time to take advantage of Argos three for two toy sale - while Smyths has unveiled early Black Friday offers.

Serious safety incidents led to 35 deaths at the region’s mental health trust over a six month period, figures have revealed.

Ipswich is expected to have one of the fastest-growing city economies in the UK in the three months following the scheduled date for leaving the EU, according to a new report.

A road in a coastal town centre has been shut at short notice for emergency repairs.

Suffolk last week took a step nearer to taking charge of enforcing parking along streets, writes Mary Evans, Suffolk County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for highways, transport and rural affairs.

Most read

Show Job Lists

Topic pages

Newsletter Sign Up

Ipswich Star daily newsletter
Sign up to receive our regular email newsletter

Our Privacy Policy

MyDate24 MyPhotos24


text:
The Mortgage Industry: A New World

WARNING: This blog has a great deal of detail. It's long, but it is valuable and pertinent to those with mortgages or looking to invest in real estate requiring mortgage financing.  If you need further clarification on the mortgage changes, please don't hesitate to contact me, 778-847-8466 or
WARNING: This blog has a great deal of detail. It's long, but it is valuable and pertinent to those with mortgages or looking to invest in real estate requiring mortgage financing.  If you need further clarification on the mortgage changes, please don't hesitate to contact me, 778-847-8466 or

This is what runs through my mind when I think of what’s happened since October 3, 2016:

The federal and provincial governments decided to collect the current mortgage policies and without consultation of all the major players in the industry, bunch them together and crumple them up into a ball.  They then lite a few sticks of dynamite, stuffed them into the middle and ran.  Explosions occurred on repeat leaving pieces of scattered policies, a cloud of First-Time Homebuyer HOME partnership confusion and a thick layer of ash of mortgage programs and competition that has completely vanished.  Lenders, brokers and Realtors left to waft the fumes and pick up what remains to try to make some order of it. All while consumers foot the bill for the clean up.

The mortgage world has seen many changes since October 2016. These have not been little changes. Each announcement would have been significant on their own, let alone the fact that these have compounded from one to the next…to the next.

Every time I felt comfortable and ready to share my take, a new announcement would be released, altering the game again and delaying my post.

It will likely take months to years to acknowledge the full impacts these changes will have on the overall real estate market, but there is one clear and definite conclusion when it comes to financing - these compounded changes are going to cost mortgage consumers thousands of dollars on their borrowing. Thousands!

The flow of funds from investor to lender/insurer to consumer has altered, unfortunately leaving the consumer bearing the burden of limited borrowing capacity, less competition, and increased costs to borrowed funds both in interest costs and mortgage insurance premiums.

With these announcements, the responses by lenders has all been mainly reactionary. Most, if not all lenders were caught off guard and completely unware of the changes coming, one after another…after another. In some cases, there was the immediate response with the elimination of mortgage products and programs and steep increases in rates, while other announcements required lenders to take their time to be better equipped before they could advise on their position.

As a broker, understanding the lenders and insurers adaptions is key to knowing how the consumer was going to be affected with respect to borrowing.  Lenders had to review and manage internal processes including, but not limited to: where their funds were coming from, costs associate to those funds, and how their systems and services could function to meet the new changes.

These rules are significant, with significant impact to the mortgage industry and consumer’s financing options.  Let's take a look into the new rules...

September 23, 2016

OSFI announces draft advisory updating capital requirements for residential mortgage insurance risk.  Implementation set for January 1, 2017.

[expand title="Coles Notes"]

September 23, 2016: OSFI capital requirements for residential mortgage insurance riskPRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE - GENWORTHARTICLE

  • A new standard approach for residential mortgage insurance that is more risk sensitive, and incorporates new key drivers of risk and loss including creditworthiness, remaining amortization, and outstanding loan balance.
  • “When house prices are high relative to borrower incomes, the new framework will require that more capital be set aside,” said Superintendent Jeremy Rudin. “Ultimately this will continue to provide a level of protection to both policyholders and unsecured creditors.”

Who is OSFI?From their website, The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is an independent federal government agency that regulates and supervises more than 400 federally regulated financial institutions and 1,200 pension plans to determine whether they are in sound financial condition and meeting their requirements.

What does this mean? OSFI is reviewing the capital requirements insurers must have available in relation to the risk level of the files they are approving. The higher risk files require the insurer to hold more capital reserves as a protective measure. This will likely translate into higher premiums for borrowers, higher interest rates and more rigorous underwriting, especially for borrowers with lower credit, higher loan-to-value mortgages, or longer term amortization. This may also lead to tougher approvals and more declines as insurers try harder not to incur losses on mortgages with higher capital costs. [/expand]

October 3, 2017

Minister Morneau Announces Preventative Measures for a Healthy, Competitive and Stable Housing Market.

  • Applying a Mortgage Rate Stress Test to All Insured Mortgages - Effective October 17, 2016
  • Changes to Low-Ratio Mortgage Insurance Eligibility Requirements - Effective November 30, 2016
  • Forthcoming Consultation on Lender Risk Sharing
  • Proposed Income Tax Measures

[expand title="Coles Notes"]

October 3, 2017: Minister Morneau Announces Preventative Measures for a Healthy, Competitive and Stable Housing MarketPRESS RELEASE TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDER

Applying a Mortgage Rate Stress Test to All Insured Mortgages Effective October 17, 2016, all high-ratio insured homebuyers must qualify for mortgage insurance at an interest rate the greater of their contract mortgage rate or the Bank of Canada's conventional five-year fixed posted rate. This requirement is already in place for high-ratio insured mortgages with variable interest rates or fixed interest rates with terms less than five years.

What does this mean: A borrower with less than 20% for their down payment will now have to qualify at the higher of the contract rate (the rate you are borrowing the funds at) or the benchmark rate (the mode of the big 6 banks posted 5-year rates), currently 4.64%. This for all mortgage products (fixed or variable) and terms (6 month to 10 years).  Contract rates are roughly 2% lower than the benchmark rate.  This effectively has lowered a borrower’s buying power by approximately 20% (e.g. a previous $400,000 mortgage approval would now be closer $320,000).

This requirement of the stress test will also be extended to low-ratio insured mortgages effective November 30, 2016.

What does this mean?  On a low-ratio mortgage (putting 20% or more down), a borrower usually does not pay mortgage insurance premiums, however, in the mortgage market there are many lenders who rely on insuring all their loans to remain competitive in the industry.  To do so, the lender would back-end insure (pay the insurance premium instead of the client) through bulk insurance option.

This new rule effective November 30th has required that all insured mortgage, including back-end insured mortgages, follow the same insurers requirements of qualifying at the higher contract or benchmark rate. Further to that, low-ratio mortgages now also have to meet the eligibility requirements noted below:

Changes to Low-Ratio Mortgage Insurance Eligibility Requirements New criteria for low-ratio mortgages to be insured will include the following requirements:

A loan whose purpose includes the purchase of a property or subsequent renewal of such a loan;

  • A maximum amortization length of 25 years;
  • A property value below $1,000,000;
  • For variable-rate loans that allow fluctuations in the amortization period, loan payments that are recalculated at least once every five years to conform to the established amortization schedule;
  • A minimum credit score of 600;
  • A maximum Gross Debt Service ratio of 39 per cent and a maximum Total Debt Service ratio of 44 per cent, calculated by applying the greater of the mortgage contract rate or the Bank of Canada conventional five-year fixed posted rate; and,
  • If the property is a single unit, it will be owner-occupied.

What does this mean? If you are have a low-ratio mortgage that will be insured by a lender, your max amortization is capped at 25-years vs the previous allowable 30-years, your property cannot be over $1 million, your credit score cannot be below 600, your income needs to service the mortgage debt and housing costs (aka GDS) to a maximum of 39%, your income also needs to service your mortgage debt, housing costs plus all your additional consumer debt (aka TDS) up to a maximum of 44% - qualifying  at the higher of contract or benchmark rate, and finally it must be a owner-occupied unit only.

No rentals and no refinances can no longer be insured.

Forthcoming Consultation on Lender Risk Sharing

Canada’s system of 100 per cent government-backed mortgage default insurance is unique compared to approaches in other countries. A lender risk sharing policy would aim to rebalance risk in the housing finance system so that lenders retain a meaningful, but manageable, level of exposure to mortgage default risk.

What does this mean? The Government wants to reduce the risk for tax payers.  They are conducting meetings to determine how lenders can bear some of the risk with respect to defaults.  This would most likely result in additional costs to lenders, which again, would be passed on to the consumer.

As an FYI, during the second quarter of 2016, CMHC generated $338 million in net income from the loan insurance and securitization guarantee programs.  New securities guaranteed for the second quarter totalled $27.4 billion, comprised of $16.6 billion for market NHA MBS  (Mortgage Backed Securities) and $10.8 billion for CMB (Canadian Mortgage Bond).

Proposed Income Tax Measures

To improve tax fairness and the integrity of the tax system, there were two measures to better ensure that the principal residence exemption is available only in appropriate cases, and in a manner consistent with the Canadian resident and one-property-per-family limits.

  1. An individual who was not resident in Canada in the year the individual acquired a residence will not—on a disposition of the property after October 2, 2016—be able to claim the exemption for that year
  2. Trusts will be eligible to designate a property as a principal residence for a tax year that begins after 2016 only if additional eligibility criteria are met.

There were also measures to improve compliance and administration of the tax system with respect to dispositions of real estate.

  1. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will require a taxpayer to report the disposition of a property for which the principal residence exemption is claimed.
  2. A proposed measure would provide the CRA with authority to assess taxpayers, beyond the normal assessment limitation period for a tax year in respect of a disposition of real estate by the taxpayer

What does this mean? The government and the CRA are continuing to source ways to further improve information collection and record keeping on real estate transactions to ensure the exemptions are utilized correctly and shared with tax authorities. Bottom line, more reporting for you and your accountants at tax time should you sell your principal residence.

December 15, 2016

BC Government announced BC Home Owner Mortgage and Equity (HOME) Partnership program to partner with first-time homebuyers as they enter the housing market - Launched January 16, 2017

[expand title="Coles Notes"]

The B.C. Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership program contributes to the amount first-time homebuyers have already saved for their down payment, providing up to $37,500, or up to 5% of the purchase price, with a 25-year loan that is interest-free and payment-free for the first five years. Through the B.C. HOME Partnership program, the Province is investing about $703 million over the next three years to help an estimated 42,000 B.C. households enter the market for the first time.

The program supports eligible first-time homebuyers who are approved for an insured high-ratio first mortgage. To qualify for the program, all individuals on title must:

  • Have been a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for at least five years.
  • Have resided in British Columbia for at least one year immediately preceeding the date of application.
  • Be a first-time buyer who has not owned an interest in a residence anywhere in the world at any time.
  • Use the property as their principal residence for the first five years.
  • Purchase a home that has a purchase price of $750,000 or less (excluding taxes and fees).
  • Obtain a high-ratio insured first mortgage on the property for at least 80% of the purchase price.
  • Have a combined, gross household income of all individuals on title not exceeding $150,000.
  • Have saved a down payment amount at least equal to the loan amount for which the buyer applied.

What does this mean?  If you meet all the requirements above and are approved by BC Housing, then these are the things you will need to know for your mortgage approval:

  1. The funds from the BC Government are classified as borrowed funds and as such will have higher insurance premiums for loan-to-value purchases of 90.01%-95%.
  2. The loan from the BC Government is a second mortgage registered behind your first lender. A future refinance will require the payout of this loan.
  3. Even though the loans are interest-free for the first 5-years, lenders are requiring a “phantom payment” for this loan in the borrowers liabilities to hedge the risk. Lenders are requiring the loan amount amortized over 20-years at the benchmark rate, currently 4.64%.

Note: not all lenders have be able to get onboard with this program.  Many key lenders have, but others require back-end system changes or investor backing to move forward and participate.

January 1, 2017

OSFI implements Capital Requirements for Federally Regulated Mortgage Insurers

[expand title="Coles Notes"]

Effective January 1, 2017, this Advisory will replace the Advisory: Interim Capital Requirements for Mortgage Insurance Companies.

The Advisory defines a new approach for the regulatory capital requirements for mortgage insurance risk that is more risk sensitive and incorporates key characteristics such as borrower creditworthiness, outstanding loan balance, loan-to-value ratio, and remaining amortization. It also ensures a level of conservatism in the protection provided to policyholders and other creditors of the mortgage insurers, and is adaptable to future changes.

What does this mean? OSFI has implemented the capital requirements insurers must have. Minor adjustments were made to the advisory announced on September 23, 2017.

Higher risk files require the insurer to hold more capital reserves as a protective measure. This has immediately translated into higher interest rates and higher mortgage insuarance premiums as noted below with CMHC’s announcement on January 17, 2017.

As we enter the spring market, we will see if more rigorous underwriting leads to more insurer declines as insurers try to lessen the losses on mortgages with higher capital costs.

January 17, 2017

CMHC announces Increases to Mortgage Insurance Premiums for consumers. The same week, bulk insurance increases were also immediately enforced for lenders.

[expand title="Coles Notes"]

CMHC is increasing its homeowner mortgage loan insurance premiums effective March 17, 2017. For the average CMHC-insured homebuyer, the higher premium will result in an increase of approximately $5 to their monthly mortgage payment.

“We do not expect the higher premiums to have a significant impact on the ability of Canadians to buy a home,” said Steven Mennill, Senior Vice-President, Insurance. “Overall, the changes will preserve competition in the mortgage loan insurance industry and contribute to financial stability.”

Capital requirements are an important factor in determining mortgage insurance premiums. The changes reflect OSFI's new capital requirements that came into effect on January 1st of this year that require mortgage insurers to hold additional capital. Capital holdings create a buffer against potential losses, helping to ensure the long term stability of the financial system.

What does this mean? Borrowers with insured mortgages of 65.1%-95% loan-to-value (LTV) will be paying more for their mortgage insurance premiums as of March 17, 2017. The chart above shows the percentage increase for each tier of LTV.

Lenders also experienced bulk insurance increases, although not publicized, they have jumped close to three times the costs. These costs were implemented overnight and have resulted in less completion and higher costs for loans in the 65.01%-80% loan-to-value range, leading to higher and tiered interest rates for these LTVs.

Mortgage default insurance premiums are going up for the third time in as many years. The frustration from the consumer's stand point is that default rates have been at all-time lows and declining, see chart below.  These increases are at a huge cost to consumers, of which the reasoning behind them does not seem to equate to increases presented, especially for low-ratio, lower-risk mortgages that have been hit with substantial increases.

In CMHC's 2016 Second Quarter results, they also note the following;

  • Homebuyers with CMHC-insured mortgages have a strong ability to manage their debts as supported by an average credit score of 750 for transactional homeowner loans and an average gross debt service (GDS) ratio of 25.4% for the three-months ended June 30, 2016.
  • The strength of CMHC’s portfolio is reflected in the overall arrears rate which, as at June 30, 2016, stood at 0.32%, down from 0.34% at March 31, 2016. Total number of loans in arrears was 8,386 as at June 30, 2016.

What do these changes mean collectively?

To show you in numbers, I have provided a case study so you can see what these changes mean to a consumer looking to get a high-ratio mortgage (less than 20% down).  In this case, they are looking to put 5% down. I have used the standard 5-year fixed rate as a comparison.  Prior to October 17th, a AAA standard 5-year rate was 2.39%.  AAA rates have increased and are around 2.69% at the time of this blog.

Based on their income of $70,000, single auto debt of $250/month, a credit score of 711 and down payment funds of up to $25,000, the chart shows the borrowers max purchase price decreased from $459,000 (column A) before October 17, 2016 to $362,000 (column B) after October 17, 2016 – that’s a $97,000 loss in buying power.

Column C shows that same buyer using the BC HOME partnership loan.  Here the borrower is  using 2.5% ($8,925) for their portion of the down payment. The BC Government would match 2.5%, for a total down payment of 5%. The purchase price drops to $357,000 and mortgage insurance premiums increase by $677 to $13,057.  Note, there is a "non-traditional" premium surcharge for purchases containing borrowed resources and clients with less than 10% for their down payment.

Column D considers the BC Government matching the borrowers 5% down payment, for a 10% total down payment.  The borrower's purchase price increases to $367,000 with insurance premiums of $11,891.

Columns E, F and G, are the same as columns B, C and D, but are accounting for the higher mortgage insurance premiums being implemented on March 17, 2017. The borrower's buying power drops by approximately $2,000 across the board and the mortgage insurance premiums increase in the range of $1,250 to $2,120 depending on the situation.

Now if we look at the low-ratio borrower (a borrower with more than 20% for down payment) and how the changes impact them, those most affected will be in borrowers with 65.01%-80% loan-to-value (20%-34.99% down payment).

What was once simple and straight-froward for low-ratio mortgage rates, has since transformed into a complex matrix of insurable and uninsurable considerations with rentals and refinances left as mortgage product outliers not offered by all lenders. Loan-to-value (LTV), amortization, credit score, and whether one can qualify at the higher benchmark rate (4.64% currently), all come into play in determining a borrowers final interest rate.

Below is a sample of two lenders and how their rate sheets have adjusted through these changes. This does not cover all of their product offerings, but more of the common/standard products list. With Lender 1, you will notice that the Rate Sheet for February 16th (the more recent rate sheet) is a matrix for the 5-year products only, at the various loan-to-values (LTVs). The other terms are no longer considered in this complex visual, where they were in shown in the previous rate sheet from October 13, 2016.

Lender 2 is not as concerned with the LTVs on the file, however, greater than and less than 25-year amortizations and rental status are now distinctly separated for new pricing structures.

With over 40 lenders, and many lenders with a vast product breath, comprehending the new rules changes through rates sheets is a schooling all on it's own.  Some lenders have even developed flow charts to guide brokers on their rates and products.

  • Purchases and Transfer Only
  • Qualified at the benchmark rate
  • Up to 25 year amortization
  • Property value less than $1 million
  • Refinance, Purchase, Transfer, 1-4 unit rentals
  • Qualified at contract rate for 5 year fixed term or greater
  • Up to 30 year amortization
  • Properties Greater than $1 million
  • Equity take-outs beyond $200,000

What is the mortgage industry doing to support consumers?

There is no doubt that that the industry as a whole has felt like they have had the wind knocked out of them. Blind sighted in more ways than one.  For me, the disappointment was that we as brokers, lenders and insurers were not invited to the table to discuss some of these vital and critical changes for consumers.  These changes have not only put substantial limits to consumers, it has restricted the competitive market place for mortgage lending.

We need the market to be strong, consistent and resilient.  We understand that sometimes that means rules need to be implemented to maintain and manage fluctuations that otherwise can't be harnessed in other capacities.  However, the decisions made discounted the importance of all our lenders and what they bring to the table; providing competition and desirable mortgage products.

As an industry, our mortgage associations and brokerages across the nation, including my parent brokerage, VERICO, have been writing letters, meeting with MPs and making formal submissions to review some of the rules enforced, such as those that have eliminated competition in the market place.

Mortgage Professionals Canada’s Submission to the Standing Committee on Finance: Canadian Real Estate Market and Home Ownership Study,  February 1, 2017

[expand title="Recommendations:"]

  1. Pause the introduction of any additional measures that will affect the housing and mortgage marketplace. Provide at least 12 to 18 months for the most recent changes to be fully implemented and their impacts understood.
  2. Amend the portfolio insurance eligibility requirements to allow refinanced mortgages. If the previous 80% maximum loan to value guideline is unacceptable, consider setting it at 75%.
  3. Amend OSFI’s recent capital reserve requirements for mortgage insurers. The increased premiums do not, in our view, appropriately reflect the risk.
  4. Conduct a study into the potential effects of regional based pricing for insurance, and consider the effects of regionality as part of the risk sharing model. We believe that, over time, it will become very detrimental to Canadians in economically challenged areas.
  5. Put the risk sharing implementation on hold until more data is available regarding the impact of its introduction. It will add costs to lenders and insurers operations which will ultimately always be passed on to the consumer.

CMBA Presentation to Federal Finance Committee

[expand title="Recommendations:"]

  • Exempt all insured mortgages with fixed interest rate terms of 5 years or greater from the requirement to qualify borrowers at the Bank of Canada’s benchmark rate and permit qualification at the true contract rate associated with the term.
  • Permit first time home buyers to amortize insured mortgages over 30 years, instead of 25 years.
  • Modify the requirement of limiting amortizations on insured mortgages to 25 years, by enabling borrowers with a loan to value ratio of 80% or less to amortize up to 30 years.
  • Exempt all insured mortgages with principal amounts of $499,000 or less from the requirement to qualify borrowers at the Bank of Canada’s benchmark rate, and permit qualification at the true contract rate associated with a fixed term of 5 years or more.
  • The Bank of Canada benchmark rate should be the mode average of the 5 year posted rate of all federally regulated lenders, and not just the “Big 6”.
  • Find ways to require and encourage all levels of government to remove red tape, excessive costs and delays in approving housing development. In its 2016 budget, the Federal Government has provided an unprecedented level of funding to municipalities for infrastructure improvements, housing and transit. Consider tying municipal funding grants and investment to a municipality only if it has a comprehensive red tape reduction strategy in place to efficiently deliver services to the public. Work with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to make local government red tape reduction a priority. As a corollary, all levels of government need to look at the supply side of housing rather than just regulations to curb demand.
  • Reduce high ratio insurance premiums so that they are revenue neutral.
  • Recognize that housing becomes more affordable when consumers can better afford mortgage costs due to having less unsecured credit. Focus efforts to curb Canadians from overextending unsecured credit, such as credit card debt, by prohibiting collateral mortgages to be default insured. Collateral charges limit consumer options at time of term maturity and also permit, with ease, the transfer of lender unsecured debt to the collateral charge.
  • Ensure that lenders of unsecured credit qualify borrowers on income and reasonable debt ratios, and not just based on credit scores and complimentary product matches to existing portfolios. (IE: Unsecured line of credit or credit card with mortgage.)[/expand]

[expand title="Recommendations:"]

  • Further consultation with key stakeholders in the industry.
  • Revision to the rules surrounding portfolio insurance to include refinances.
  • Further study on the economic impact to the Canadian economy.[/expand]

Where do we go from here?

As it stands, now more than ever it's the time to rely on a professional mortgage broker who understands these changes and how they may impact your purchasing, refinancing, and renewal options.  What one lender could do before, may not be the case no more.  More research and time has to be dedicated to finding the prime solution. For low-ratio consumers, there will be more considerations to factor in when making a final mortgage decision. Having someone guide you through these options will be important to make the most of your mortgage and minimize your costs.

Consumers also need to know that there is still a great deal of change among the industry.  As lenders look to find new solutions and product options to support consumers through these adjustments, they to will reinvent and build niche products where they may have lost others. It's become a new mortgage world.  It's treacherous changes for the broker to navigate through, but it's our jobs to know the market, understand the lender nuances and to find the best mortgage product on the market for our clients.

If you have any questions or would like to know more, I'm available for your calls and emails.

Irene Strong Mortgage Professional 778-847-8466


text:
Erin Brady & Steven Tyler (
The Aerosmith singer’s long-term partner Erin Brady has been spotted wearing an engagement ring, speaking speculation Steven proposed over the Christmas break.

The 63-year-old musician has been wed twice before, to model Cyrinda Foxe from 1978 to 1987, and clothes designer Teresa Barrick from 1988 until 2006.

Steven started dating Erin shortly after his second divorce.

The ‘American Idol’ judge recently told how he was “ashamed” of his womanising past, and that he had been issued a wake up call by Erin after she had seen how “badly” he could behave.

He said: “There was some behaviour I am ashamed of and I shouldn't have done, I don’t want to hurt anybody again. For all the divorces I’ve had, I hurt those girls deeply. There was some behaviour that I’m ashamed of and I shouldn’t have done.”

Steven has four children, 34-year-old Liv Tyler - from a short relationship with model Bebe Buell - Mia, 33, from his marriage to Cyrinda, and daughter Chelsea, 22, and 21-year-old son Taj with Teresa.


text:
Storm Doris: About 4,000 will be without power overnight

Met Éireann says worst of the storm has passed as 8,000 remain without electricity

Footage from around the UK and Ireland shows the impact of Storm Doris as it swept across the country.

About 4,000 ESB customers will be without power overnight after Storm Doris swept across the country.

While 49,000 homes had their electricity restored over the course of the day, an estimated 8,000 remained without power on Thursday night.

ESB’s head of corporate communications Bernadine Maloney said they were dealing with 900 individual faults across the network.

Those without power are in areas stretching from Castlebar and Sligo across to Drogheda/Dundalk, including parts of counties Roscommon, Leitrim, Longford and Cavan.

Ms Maloney said the volume of faults and the nature of the terrain meant the process of restoring power was a “hard slog” for the estimated 2,000 technicians working on repairing the faults.

Householders experiencing a power cut were told to see if their fault was already logged on the website, and if not, to telephone 1850 372 999.

During the orange level weather alert, the gusts reached hurricane force 12 in some areas, with the highest wind of 133km/h recorded at Mace Head in Co Galway, according to Met Éireann.

Commuters faced major disruption on Thursday, with roads and railway lines blocked by trees that had fallen over in Wednesday night’s storm.

At least a dozen flights between Ireland and the UK were cancelled due to the storm, while many early morning departures were delayed due to wind conditions.

Irish Ferry sailings between Dublin and Holyhead were also cancelled.

On Wednesday evening, the Defence Forces LÉ Roisin was involved in a rescue when a fisherman suffering chest pains was rescued from a trawler on rough seas off the Irish coast.

By noon, the worst of Storm Doris had passed over Ireland and conditions across the island started to improve.

In the United Kingdom, a woman was killed when a piece of storm debris fell on to her outside Starbucks in Wolverhampton city centre. And a man is recovering in hospital in Cornwall after being trapped by a fallen tree in his car for more than an hour.

The British Met Office declared Storm Doris a “weather bomb”, or an “explosive cyclogenisis”, an intense low pressure system with a central pressure that falls 24 millibars in a 24-hour period.

Storm Doris affected large swathes of the UK, where gusts of almost 153km/h were recorded.

The weather system there has brought down trees, grounded planes, forced the closure of the Port of Liverpool and caused the cancellation of Coronation Street filming.

Insurers meanwhile advised anyone whose home or business might have been damaged by the storm to contact their insurer as soon as possible, to keep any receipts that could form part of a claim and not to rush to throw damaged items away.

Householders were also advised not to put themselves at risk by, for example, climbing their house to check for any roof damage.

For Friday, Met Éireann forecast hazy sunshine across the midlands, north and east, with overnight frost quickly clearing.

But it will become cloudy everywhere by early afternoon, with patchy rain and drizzle developing.

Going into the weekend, the weather is predicted to be very changeable and unsettled, with that pattern expected to continue into next week.

Have you been affected by Storm Doris? If so, please send us your pictures to


text:
Posted on by Brad Russell

Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence by a third party. The information in this article has been carefully written and is backed by health experts with considerable experience in the industry.

Our team of licensed nutritionists, dietitians and health experts strive to be objective, unbiased and honest.

Where a health claim has been made, this article contains references. These references are clickable links to independently published scientific research.

Isagenix Blueberry Protein Parfait

Posted in Isagenix Recipes, Meal Ideas & Snack Ideas Tagged

Easy as pie and without the guilt!

This delicious little treat is a perfect afternoon pick-me-up. The recipe below serves one.

Isagenix Protein and Blueberry Parfait

  • 1 scoop Creamy French Vanilla IsaLean Protein Powder
  • 3/4 cup non-fat plain yoghurt
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

  1. In a single serving bowl, mix IsaLean Protein Powder and yoghurt
  2. Add in the blueberries and enjoy!
  3. Note: You can substitute other fresh fruit such as peaches, raspberries or strawberries. Add oats to taste.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 220
Protein: 19g
Fat: 2.5g

Learn More About the Energy & Performance Benefits of Isagenix

Crunchy Chocolate Custard A Delicious Dessert to Die For! Just because you're trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean you should neglect your sweet tooth! At the s...
5 Inspirational Isagenix Athletes to Learn From Isagenix is the preferred line of nutritional products for millions of everyday people around the world. However, Isagenix doesn’t just fuel the worko...
Protein Breakfast Muffins – Free Isagenix Re... Start the Day Right with These Protein-Packed Muffins! Who said breakfast had to be the same every day? These delicious muffins are a great way to st...
Yummy Pumpkin Isagenix Protein Bars – Health... A Twist on the Classic Isagenix IsaLean Protein Bar These habit-forming snack bars are high in flavour, fibre and protein. Try them once and you'll b...
Brad Russell

About Brad Russell

Brad is a passionate health and fitness lover. His credentials include:
  • Top Isagenix Enroller Worldwide
  • Member of the Isagenix START 1000 Club
  • Graduated from University of Western Australia
Brad Russell

IsaTonic is owned and operated by Brad Russell. Brad is an official independent associate of Isagenix.

We have over 7500 team members across the world, and customer service representatives on hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any queries you have about the products or Isagenix in general.

Have a question and need help? Call 1300 323 296 for instant service. Alternatively, email our friendly customer service team at or chat with us using the ‘Ask a Question’ chatbox in the bottom right of your screen. We will usually respond to emails and chats within 2 hours. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and are more than happy to answer any queries you may have.


text:
Skip to Main Content

Visiting Assistant Professors

Professor - Dmytro Yeroshkin

Dr. Dmytro Yeroshkin

Visiting Assistant Professor

Office: PS 314D

My research focuses on Riemannian geometry with positive and non-negative curvature in generalized settings such as orbifolds and manifolds with density. Currently, I am primarily working on manifolds with density as introduced by Bakry and Emery, with a focus on generalizing classical results to this new setting.

921 South 8th Avenue
Pocatello, Idaho, 83209
(208) 282-4636

Discover opportunity at Idaho State University