Monthly Archives: January 2021

Erasmus and the Turing Scheme: A metaphor for Brexit? – The Parliament Magazine

Posted: January 19, 2021 at 8:53 am

The relief that accompanied the announcement of a Brexit deal between the EU and the UK on Christmas Eve was tempered by the news that the UK would no longer participate in Erasmus+.

Instead, the UK government announced that it was creating a scheme, named after the scientist Alan Turing, to replace Erasmus with a global scheme for 2021.

The decision to pull out of Erasmus is a representation of Brexit itself. First, the promises: the Prime Minister assured the House of Commons in January 2020 that the UKs Erasmus participation was safe and accused Douglas Chapman MP of talking out of the back of his neck for suggesting otherwise.

Although universities and others involved in Erasmus knew a no deal end of the transition would endanger participation, the popularity of Erasmus was assumed to be one of the aspects that would be protected by a deal.

Second, the rapid change in that position, with no notice or consultation. The announcement, on 24 December when universities and colleges were closed until the New Year led to a flurry of trying to work out what it means.

Worried students who were due to study abroad in 2021 frantically started emailing. The announcement that a new scheme was being developed gave the impression of careful planning - but few had heard very much beyond vague plans to encourage more students to study globally since the EU referendum.

A scheme that only funds outgoing students, with a harsh and costly visa system for incoming students, is hardly going to help with the conclusion of exchange agreements with developing countries"

Third, Erasmus was shifted front and centre of the UKs Brexit culture war. Remainers decried the decision as both short-sighted and indicative of the UKs desire to cut all links with the EU, even to the detriment of young people who benefitted from this popular scheme.

Leavers retorted that Erasmus was used by only a small fraction of the student or working population, and that this outrage represented a middle-class obsession from those who refuse to see any benefit or opportunities in Brexit.

These are over-simplified positions, but only just. The universities minister, Michelle Donelan, criticised proponents for being too nostalgic for a Europe-focussed scheme because it is easier to imagine what you know, than to visualise the benefits of what is being brought in.

Fourth, the government scrambled to provide justifications for its decision. The decision to pull out was due to the high cost of participation for the UK as a non-EU Member State, and the unwillingness of the European Commission to allow the UK to cherry pick participation in some aspects of the scheme.

The replacement Turing Scheme, with a budget of 100m, would provide funding for 35,000 outgoing (but not incoming) students and therefore be cheaper to the UK taxpayer.

Numerous experts questioned how this figure was arrived at, and what it covers, but details are not yet available - even though it is supposed to be sending its first students in a few months. Once again, experts have been left out of the decision-making loop.

Fifth, the justifications quickly shifted to the perceived failings of Erasmus. True, the UK has had lower participation rates than France, Spain or Germany, but the numbers have been consistently rising.

The UK has not made the most of the opportunities in Erasmus or ensured awareness of the scheme to potential participations. But neither of these is the fault of Erasmus itself - which suggests that any replacement will suffer the same fate.

To claim that Brexit allows the UK to unilaterally replace it [Erasmus] in a matter of months with a global scheme is not ambitious; it is rash

As the most popular destination for Erasmus, the UK benefitted economically from incoming students, with these students leaving with (mostly) a positive image of the UK and its societies, and the excellence of the higher education system.

Soft power is difficult to put a price on. But, we are told, Erasmus did not help less well-off students, who will be the focus of the Turing Scheme - but again with no details.

Sixth, the new scheme represents Global Britain and the new-found confidence of the UK which allows young people to - in the words of Iain Duncan Smith MP - be out there buccaneering, trading, dominating the world again.

Apart from ignoring the global dimension of Erasmus that has been built in to the programme in recent years, the idea that Erasmus somehow prevented students or universities engaging in exchanges with the wider world is ludicrous.

Instead, Global Britain represents little more than a phrase, unsupported by details of what it means or how it will benefit society. The Turing Scheme will open up the world to UK students - but assumes the world wants it.

Seventh, the discourse of Global Britain ignores many of the stark realities only too familiar to anyone involved in organising exchanges. A scheme that only funds outgoing students, with a harsh and costly visa system for incoming students, is hardly going to help with conclusion of exchange agreements with developing countries.

And while the universities minister claims that disadvantaged UK students will, under the new scheme, study at Ivy League universities in the US instead of poorly-performing EU universities (using a ranking system that favours the US/UK university model), no thought is given to such basic practical questions as to whether students would be paying the high fees involved, nor the myriad of challenges involved in setting up and running exchanges.

Eighth, Global Britain can be contrasted with the (dis)United Kingdom. The Irish government announced that students in Northern Ireland can still participate in Erasmus via a workaround solution. The Scottish government has expressed its desire to continue to participate, but is hampered by its lack of legal ability to conclude international agreements in its own right.

As the most popular destination for Erasmus, the UK benefitted economically from incoming students, with these students leaving with (mostly) a positive image of the UK and its societies

In short, any support for study abroad schemes is welcome. If the Turing Scheme was launched as an addition to Erasmus, then university professionals, including myself, would be jumping for joy.

But instead, we now have a period of prolonged uncertainty while we work out what the new scheme means - and the answers given by the UK government in response to questions in the House of Lords on the new scheme were not illuminating.

Erasmus has built up over a 30-year period and become part of the fabric of education across the EU, relying on extensive contacts, familiarity, common standards, expectations and understandings.

To claim that Brexit allows the UK to unilaterally replace it in a matter of months with a global scheme is not ambitious; it is rash, and the students and young people who are the main beneficiaries of the scheme are likely to be the ones to lose out.

In this, we find many familiar aspects of the Brexit process: lofty promises about the opportunities afforded by leaving the EU, but without any of the detail and only the need to believe in a Global Britain that seems increasingly isolated.

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Table: New Year Lockdown (Jan 2021) | Vinous – Explore All Things Wine – Vinous

Posted: at 8:52 am

New Year Lockdown

Home

England

BY NEAL MARTIN | JANUARY 15, 2021

The Food:

Sweet potato, aubergine and prawn tempura

Buckwheat noodles in tsuyu

Carrot, onion and bean sprout kakiage

24-month Comt with quince jelly

The Wines:

Unlike my parents, who are tucked up in bed with a hot water bottle by nine oclock, seeing in the New Year is important to this writer. Celebrations have evolved over the years. As a teenager, you would find me at The Grand, my local pub, packed liked sardines with fellow underage inebriates, perched on a wobbly table with my arm around a stranger, a beer in each hand, counting down to midnight. Things have calmed down since then. In recent years, my family has decamped to the wilder parts of England anywhere with snow-dusted mountains and lakes. Being surrounded by nature in the fresh open air is ideal for resetting ones mind, and a perfect full stop to the preceding year.

Lockdown nixed any plans to see in 2021 in any such shape or form. Options ranged from staying at home to staying at home. Surviving until the end of this wretched year felt like something worth celebrating, so we decided upon a Japanese-themed evening. New Year is the most important national holiday in Japan, a country where, sadly for Santa Claus, Christmas Day is only given lip service. For many Japanese, New Year or shgatsu is the only time they down tools and visit relatives. Unlike in Western culture, where the emphasis is more on joining friends for a night of hedonism, Japans New Year is more family-oriented and reflective. They will probably share dinner together and watch a music show with the most famous J-pop and enka singers of the day. Cards are exchanged and lucky children are given decorative envelopes or nengajo containing money. (Unsurprisingly, my daughters insisted that this part of Japanese tradition be upheld.) There may well be a trip to the local temple or shrine called a hatsumode. During this festive period, temple grounds are full of stalls doing a roaring trade selling takeaway food or lucky charms. At midnight, enormous bells ring continuously, and holy sites remain crowded for the following couple of days for visitors to pray, or draw omikuji, random slips of paper that tell their fortune.

A New Year's dinner featuring sweet potato, aubergine and prawn tempura; Buckwheat noodles in tsuyu; and carrot, onion and bean sprout kakiage.

Given that we were isolating in Guildford rather than Tokyo, we had to make some compromises on the food front. Thankfully, London is now much improved in terms of sourcing genuine Japanese ingredients instead of the faux-Japanese products one finds in supermarkets. We usually drive to Ealing and Acton, where a cluster of excellent local shops such as Atari-Ya and Natural Natural supply the Japanese community that clusters in West London. So our larder is permanently stocked with Japanese ingredients plus a mountain of rice. We try to buy a large bag imported directly from Japan, since it always has more flavor and the right amount of stickiness, though there are now excellent cost-effective European alternatives that make the grade. (We are currently using a brand called Minori from Tarragona in Spain.)

Traditionally, Japanese families will eat toshikoshi soba, which literally translates as year-crossing soba (buckwheat noodles). This dish symbolizes longevity: the longer the noodle strand, the longer will be your life. If you do follow this tradition, then finish your bowl, because its bad luck to leave any. The noodles are often served with mochi or rice cake. The traditional way to make mochi is to pound a large ball of dough with an enormous hammer and keep flipping it over until it has the right gooiness. Without an enormous hammer and several hours to spare, just buy a packet from a shop.

We boiled the noodles and served them in a clear, thin broth known as tsuyu, which is made from a dashi soup stock. Of course, with the pandemic raging around our postcode, I double-checked the length of the strand to confirm that I will get through to the end of 2021. You can serve the noodles hot or cold; I prefer them hot. This dish was accompanied by a plate of assorted tempura (sweet potato, aubergine and shrimp) and then a side dish of kakiage, essentially battered carrot, onion and bean sprouts. In a diversion from Japanese tradition, I unleashed a 24-month Comt from the Alan Hess fromagerie in Beaune that I had brought back from Burgundy. (This is one of the best lengths of aging for Comt in my opinion; 18 months is too bland and 36 months is too bitter.) Served with Wilkinsons quince jelly, it made a perfect combination.

I suppose in keeping with the theme we should have drunk some Japanese sake, but I had already put a few bottles aside for the occasion. Therefore, we commenced with my last bottle of 2002 Brut Millsime from Louis Roederer. This has been drinking supremely well in recent months. The vivacious, beautifully defined yeasty nose offers hints of brioche and grilled almonds, and hazelnut in the background. The palate is point, with a fine bead of acidity that complements the continuing yeasty theme. Quite saline in the mouth, it displays a lovely bitterness and nuttiness toward the finish that gets the saliva flowing. We become starry-eyed with prestigious cuves in their deluxe packaging, but I often obtain just as much satisfaction from more modest champagnes like this, which frequently age supremely well.

Given the year, a couple of special bottles were necessary. First up was my last bottle of 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru from Domaine Armand Rousseau. I had not tasted this particular wine since I encountered it from barrel. Back then, I was not quite as enamored of it as I expected, partly because the nuances of the terroir are obscured by the warmth of the growing season. Now, with a few years on the clock, I still believe that it is a good rather than great Clos Saint-Jacques. Powerful scents of red cherries, licorice and allspice feature on the nose, which does not quite achieve the delineation of the best examples I have tasted. Likewise, the palate is delicious as a Pinot Noir but falls short of evincing Clos Saint-Jacques as a Grand Cru in all but name. Presenting soft red berry fruit, hints of sage and bay leaf, it comes across more sinewy than other vintages, with a touch of meat juices on the finish. It is certainly drinking now and should give another decade of pleasure at this level, but Eric Rousseau and now his daughter Cyrielle have made better Clos Saint-Jacques.

My picture of the bottle came out blurred, so I dug up a better image of the previous one I had.

Finally, one of my favorite vintages of Sauternes: the ethereal 1971 dYquem. Fingers crossed I will be reaching a significant milestone in February, so just in case something untoward happens between now and then, why not open this bottle? It was acquired many moons ago when it sold for a fraction of its present market price, principally because it lies in the shadow of the lauded, and in my contentious opinion inferior, 1967. This vintage has been cruising at a high altitude for a few years now. Gleaning the chteau records, it was picked over 10 days from October 6, yielding a small vintage of just 228 barrels. It has a dark straw hue with green tints on the rim. The bouquet is stunning and exudes the same energy that I have found on previous examples, with scents of dried honey, Seville orange marmalade and melted candle wax. The delineation is enthralling. The palate has retained that almost Tokaji Aszlike personality underpinned by wonderful acidity that renders this Yquem so tensile. Delivering orange peel and apricot, lemon curd and crushed stone, it has wonderful lip-smacking salinity and superb length. A brilliant Yquem still full of vim and vigor, one that should give another couple of decades drinking pleasure.

With stomachs full, the family settled down to watch a Japanese anime, Weathering With You, a great film even though I fell asleep halfway through. Fortunately, I woke up before midnight. We counted the chimes of Big Ben and watched the fireworks over the O2 Arena, which seemed intent on ramming home the awful year. I half-expected the final firework to recreate an image of the coronavirus. Twenty-twenty was over. As the song goes: Things Can Only Get Better.

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Cultural Demise: The Gutting of the Hospitality Sector is About More than Jobs – Byline Times

Posted: at 8:52 am

Chris Sullivan, who founded the Wag Club in Soho, considers the sad end of Londons Caf de Paris and the future of the UKs pub, bar and club industry

The 96-year-old Caf de Paris, one of the West Ends oldest nightspots, has closed for good.

We tried everything but the devastating effect of COVID-19 in the end was too much, said a spokesperson for the venues owner. Like so many other hospitality businesses, we have reached the end of the road.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the hospitality sector has been hit harder by the Coronavirus pandemic than any other. It accounted for a third of all national job losses (270,000) between February and November 2020 130,000 more than in retail, its nearest rival.

The new lockdown in England has been a crippling blow to businesses already on the verge of collapse. The Governments response has been a one-off cash grant of 1,000 from local councils, but this figure is negligible considering that the average rent for a London pub is 25,000 plus business rates, which usually amount to more than half as much again.

If you look at the number of people losing their jobs, the number of people on furlough and the vacancies available for people looking for jobs in the hospitality sector, all that adds up to a very difficult time for that industry, the ONSs director of economic statistics, Darren Morgan, told the BBCs Today programme.

Therefore, unsurprisingly, the public clamour for more Government support is palpable. After two public petitions obtained more than 250,000 signatures, a House of Commons debate was held on the future of the hospitality industry last week.

Labour MP Catherine McKinnell asked the Government to commit to examine urgently the inadequacies of their support measures as they relate to hospitality suppliers and to consider introducing some flexibility to the local restrictions support grants, to give local authorities the freedom to grant and target support towards the businesses that need it and can use it best.

There is little doubt that, without further Government assistance, the hospitality sector will take decades to recover. But this collapse will not just be suffered by those who have been financially devastated or left without a job it will also be felt in the membrane of our collective culture.

Pubs and clubs are social places for many a second home. Many young and old people, living alone and otherwise solitary, rely on these places to meet and be with friends. Without them, we risk dragging the effects of lockdown into the post-pandemic era. Indeed, there will be no opening up for many venues and for the people who previously relied on them.

Although various public sector and charitable organisations have set up initiatives to address the problem of loneliness, the country is facing a mental health epidemic.

The Office for National Statistics survey indicates that depression linked to isolation has risen from 7% before the pandemic to 18%. Among women, this figure has risen even more worryingly, from 11% to 27%. The London Ambulance Service has seen suicide attempts double over the same period, while anecdotal evidence suggests that alcohol and drug misuse has increased.

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have substantially affected our use of legal and illegal drugs, said Dr Will Lawn and Martine Skumlien, of the Society for the Study of Addiction. In the UK, we have adapted to the closure of pubs and restaurants by purchasing considerably more alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences.

The Caf de Paris, for its part, was a cultural institution, frequented during its illustrious history by Marlene Dietrich, Frank Sinatra, David Bowie and Prince. It even survived a direct bombing in World War Two that killed Ken SnakehipsJohnson and members of his band.

It then weathered post-war austerity,the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s, and the banking crash of 2008. The pandemic, however, has proven too much.

The Caf de Paris is now an object of history, along with dozens of other venues across every city and town in the country. Soho alone, once the centre of the UKs 16 billion night club industry, has lost an estimated 90% of its night clubs.

Ironically, the Caf de Paris was created in 1924 during a boom in creativity, cultural revitalisation and hedonism that followed the end of World War One and the Spanish Flu pandemic.

If the Government seeks another Roaring Twenties an innovative, creative, cultural recovery then it must create the conditions for this to happen.

This is not just about money and jobs its about the fabric of our society and culture; the places we go and the people we meet there. We should not deny this to future generations.

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The Stand gets super-theatrical in Suspicious Minds, and it works – Winter is Coming

Posted: at 8:52 am

The latest episode of The Stand gives us a better look at the world Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgard) has build in the wake of Captain Trips, and if you dont take the show too seriously, its starting to get super fun.

The new episode starts off where we left off, with the survivors in Boulder sending out spies to Vegas or New Vegas, as Flagg calls it to see what the Dark Man is up to. Dayna Jurgens (Natalie Martinez) is deep undercover when she meets up with Julie Lawry (Katherine McNamara) andLloyd Henreid (Nat Wolff), who is part of Flaggs inner circle. Dayne is trying to find out information about Flagg, but doesnt realize that hes been watching her for days.

As Dayna explores New Vegas, we see just how absurd and exaggerated the place is. Theres a fighting ring where people are beaten to death, drug use seems to be legal, and people are openly having sex in every other corner. As theatrical as it is, it also kind of works, as it shows how chaotic life under Flaggs rule can be. While Im sure this place, especially in comparison to Boulder, is supposed to be intimidating, its really not for the viewer. However, that doesnt take away from how amusing it is to watch.

Dayna finally meets with Flagg towards the end of the episode, and stabs him with a pair of scissors to the neck. Then we confirm what we kind of all already suspected: Randall Flagg cannot be killed. Not by a normal person, anyway. Instead, he demands to know who the final spy from Boulder is, having discoveredJudge Harris (Gabrielle Rose) but unable to identify Tom Cullen (Brad William Henke). Dayna decides then that her only way out of this is to kill herself, which she does with a broken beer bottle.

Ive compared Skarsgards portrayal of Flagg to his work as Eric Northman on True Blood, and this weeks episodeonly underlines it. Although it might not be the freshest take on a villain, its definitely entertaining, and Flaggs New Vegas has taken us so far out of reality that we can just sit back and enjoy it.

Ep#105 Pictured: Alexander Skarsgrd as Randall Flagg of the CBS All Access series THE STAND. Photo Cr: Robert Falconoer/CBS 2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Elsewhere in the episode, Harold (Owen Teague) is struggling to trust Nadine (Amber Heard), while Nadine herself is struggling with her faith in Flagg. As all the craziness is happening in New Vegas, the stakes are higher back in Boulder, especially when Harold has dinner with Frannie (Odessa Young) and Stu (James Marsden).

Starting to get suspicious, Frannie asks Larry (Jovan Adepo) to search Harolds house while she and Stu host dinner. We get a pretty suspenseful scene where Harold is looking through Frans house while Larry is looking through Harolds. To be honest, this mightve been the first time I was actually on the edge of my seat while watching The Stand. Although theres murder and unchecked hedonism going on in New Vegas, Boulder is where the characters with complex conflicts are living.

As the episode comes to a close, we find out that Mother Abigail has decided to flee Boulder, leaving the leaders with questions and confusion over what will happen next. Now that Flagg knows they sent spies to watch over him in Vegas, theres certainly more danger ahead for our survivors.

Suspicious Minds is an enjoyable episode with some strong performances, and Im excited to see what Flaggs next move will be.

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Harris Reeds collaboration with MAC is fluid opulence at its finest – Dazed

Posted: at 8:52 am

In just a few short years, designer and recent Central Saint Martins graduate Harris Reed has established a place for themselves in the industry as a high priestess presiding over a world of fluid, flamboyant decadence.

Last May, Reed showed their CSM graduate collection, Thriving In Our Outrage, the culmination of five years of their ethereal, gender-defying, high camp designs. For the presentation, they worked closely with MACs director of make-up artistry Terry Barber on a beauty concept that reflected and paid tribute to the principles that guide Reeds work: opulence, performance, and nonconformity.

The collaboration was such a success that now Reed and MAC are once again teaming up, this time on a four-piece make-up collection. A natural extension of the gender-fluid, unapologetic style of their sartorial designs, Reeds range features a three-shade lip palette, a cream palette, a glittery eyeshadow palette, and a gold eyeliner pencil all packaged in gilded Renaissance-inspired packaging.

When creating the collection, Reed worked from the basis that it was for everyone and anyone, drawing on references ranging from Old World elegance to 70s and 80s glam rock romanticism for inspiration times when men in make-up was just as accepted and expected as women in make-up. This collection is all about breaking down barriers for everyone, they explain. I want everyone to feel comfortable using it. Its not just for women, its not just for men. Its for every single person.

Studio 54 proved to be a particularly rich source of inspiration, with Reed looking to archive imagery of figures like Dali, Bianca Jagger, and Mick Jagger with his masculine feminine sex appeal during the 70s heyday of the decadent New York nightclub. It was a time when performance, fluidity, and hedonism were at their height and Reed injected this spirit into the collection. One of my favourite mood board images was from a Studio 54 party. It was two people completely naked, covered in gold body paint. It looks like theyre having the best time and you cant even tell, are they male? Are they female? Theyre really intertwined, they say. Its this idea of zero fucks given, lets be who we are, lets radiate out to the world.

Reeds designs have always defied staid gender conventions, inviting everyone into their world with open arms. For the collection, they extended this ethos right down to the content and packaging of the products, not including brushes or lipstick tubes in the range in order to be more accessible to anyone who felt intimidated or nervous about make-up. Everything is in a palette. Its almost like youre an artist and youre putting your fingers in it and putting on your face, they explain.

The products themselves have no rules and are designed to be used for anything. Reed encourages you to just stick your finger in the lipstick and put it on your eyes as eyeshadow, stick your finger in the eyeshadow and put it on your lips as lipstick. Make-up is meant to be borderless. There are no boundaries, it is limitless what you can do with it.

It was this spirit of limitless potential for transformation that first drew Reed to make-up back as a young child playing with their mothers lipstick and they say that sense of the power of make-up has never left them. I came into fashion because I found it as a way to reclaim my identity and, you know, try every hat in the hat box until one felt right and felt like me, they say. Make-up quickly followed that journey because it really blew me away, the fact that one product you would buy at a drugstore could really transform a look so completely and entirely within seconds.

Make-up is that tool that you dig inside yourself and bring something up and are able to manifest it physically onto your body to radiate out and present to the world. Its the ultimate tool to show your own version of self-expression and who you truly are Harris Reed

I had such a deep fascination with that transformative power that make-up lends itself to. Make-up is that tool that you dig inside yourself and bring something up and are able to manifest it physically onto your body to radiate out and present to the world. Make-up is the ultimate tool to show your own version of self-expression and who you truly are.

With this make-up range, they are hoping to bring some of that transformative power, some of their fluid fantasy, into everyones lives in a very accessible and affordable way. Its very exciting to think that I can get my message and my ethos across to so many more people. Not everyone can have a Harris Reed gown, but people can have a fabulous Harris Reed lipstick.

MAC x Harris Reed will be available on February 18.

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Raising awareness about Human Trafficking the right way: take a moment to research a post before sharing – ConchoValleyHomepage.com

Posted: at 8:46 am

SAN ANGELO, Texas As promised, we continue our coverage of human trafficking as January is National Slavering and Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

A lot of things can be misperceived, misconceptions, or taken the wrong way on social media, Sgt. Justin Baker with the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

It can actually cause more harm to survivors who are trying to get resources, Melissa Hernandez, Victim Services Advocates for Open Arms said.

These officials say, raising awareness about a topic is great but its very important to share facts not rumors. Locally in West Texas several posts have gone viral about a variety of topics, like zip ties being uses as some sort of sign or, a particular vehicle that is canvasing a parking lot. When it comes to posts like these there are ways you can get involved without putting yourself in danger or sharing them on social media.

Before you share something, contact law enforcement, youre not bothering them by asking them, hey I saw this online, did you get any reports about this? I wanted to make sure before I share it and spread information that its reliable information, Hernandez said.

And besides that, if that person was trafficking somebody and you put it on social media, well guess who else might have seen it? The one doing the trafficking and now theyre going to change, theyre going to leave immediately, so its not the best way to go about handling business on social media, call your local authorities, Sgt. Baker said.

Officials say, the next time you see something online, make sure to check and re-check that its from a reliable source.

For Human Trafficking awareness, specific sites to go to could be Polaris Project, theyre a really good one, they keep their stuff up to date, they are also partnered with the national trafficking hotline, and NCMEC, Hernandez said.

Another way to get involved is by learning the difference between what the movies say human trafficking is, and what it is in real life.

Be aware of your surroundings, yes be aware, but also know that the majority of trafficking victims are not being kidnapped. Actually here in the US, majority of victims are being trafficked and exploited by family members, by friends, people that are well known to them and theyve been groomed by most likely, Hernandez said.

There is also a coalition to fight human trafficking in our area. To get involved, contact Open Arms Rape Crisis Center & LGBT+ Services, located at 113 N. Harrison St. San Angelo, TX 76901. Or call them at (325) 655-2000.

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‘Everything I had been told was a lie.’ Human trafficking survivor rebuilds her life, advocates for other Kentuckiana victims – WHAS11.com

Posted: at 8:46 am

"She was abusive. Emotionally, physically, I will say physically because sometimes she locked me in the room and slapped me. She didn't feed me. She didn't pay me."

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana In 2004, Tebogo 'Tebby' Kaisara was a 19-year-old living in her home country of Botswana, when she was promised a better life in America.

Her cousin, someone she trusted, promised her a scholarship for university and a job in St. Louis. Tebby was thrilled. She wanted to better herself and she thought coming to America would be a step in the right direction.

"I was excited, you know free scholarship, accommodations and a job. Those are the things I always wanted to better my life and to help my family," she said.

So she agreed. Her cousin got her documents ready for travel, and Tebby was sent to the airport. It was her first time traveling, but her cousin had provided her travel documents so she felt prepared.

But her hopefulness for a better education and life in America, was quickly diminished when she realized mid-flight, that the documents had been faked by her cousin.

"It was at this moment that I realized, that everything I had been told was a lie."

Upon arriving in Indianapolis, she realized she had no money, and no way to contact her family. So she followed the instructions her cousin had given her.

She took a taxi to an unknown woman's home.

"I was trying to figure out where I am, I was scared. I didn't know who is this lady," she said.

And this is where Tebby's life changed.

Upon arrival, at this woman's house, Tebby's documents were taken. She told Tebby they would be needed to enroll her in school. But Monday came and went, with no school.

And immediately, Tebby was put to work.

"She was abusive. Emotionally, physically, I will say physically because sometimes she locked me in the room and slapped me. She didn't feed me. She didn't pay me," she said.

Tebby was forced to work as a nanny for her trafficker. Her trafficker was an IU Student, also from Botswana. Tebby soon learned that her cousin was receiving payments for Tebby's work.

Tebby saw none of the money.

"It was hard for me to go out and ask for help because I did not know anyone. I am in a country, where I do not know anyone," she said.

Tebby fell into a depression during those 18 months. Her already small frame diminished to 80 pounds.

At one point Tebby was so ill, she needed to go to the hospital. So she called a friend she had met at Kroger to take her to the hospital.

And this is where Tebby's story begins to change.

Once her trafficker found Tebby had gone to the hospital she kicked her out.

"I was just in the street. I slept in the laundry room. But the next day, I met someone who helped me."

And now over the past 16 years, she has slowly been rebuilding herself. She put herself through college and graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education . She works four jobs, and is using her voice to advocate and speak on behalf of human trafficking victims.

"Seeing myself being able to work so hard and off for my school fees, by myself. Those are some of the things that help me look back and say I can do this and it motivates me to want to do more.

(If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 to get help)

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GitHub HR boss resigns over firing of Jewish staffer who warned of Nazis in DC – New York Post

Posted: at 8:46 am

GitHubs human resources boss has resigned over the companys firing of a Jewish employee who warned his colleagues in Washington to watch out for Nazis.

The Microsoft-owned platform which software developers use to share and collaborate on code said its HR boss took personal accountability for the flap and stepped down Saturday after an outside investigation found failures in how the termination was carried out.

The unidentified employee was axed on Jan. 8, two days after he reportedly sent a Slack message urging DC-area co-workers to be careful as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.

stay safe homies, Nazis are about, the staffer wrote, according to TechCrunch.

Photos from the Capitol riots showed the insurrectionists sporting a variety of Nazi and white supremacist symbols. For instance, authorities last week arrested Robert Keith Packer, a Virginia man seen wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words Camp Auschwitz, an apparent reference to the notorious Nazi death camp.

Despite that fact, one of the staffers colleagues complained about his message and an HR representative claimed in firing him that he had shown a pattern of behavior that is not conducive to company policy, he told TechCrunch.

The employees ouster sparked a backlash among many of his GitHub colleagues, who circulated a letter demanding the company denounce Nazis and white supremacy, according to Business Insider.

GitHub commissioned an independent investigation on Jan. 11 that unearthed significant errors of judgment and procedure in the case, chief operating officer Erica Brescia said in a Sunday blog post.

In light of these findings, we immediately reversed the decision to separate with the employee and are in communication with his representative, she wrote. To the employee we wish to say publicly: we sincerely apologize.

GitHub did not immediately respond to an email Monday asking whether the staffer has returned to work there.

Brescia did not identify the HR executive who stepped down as a result of the probe, but Carrie Olesen was listed as the chief human resources officer on GitHubs website earlier this month, according to an archived version of the webpage. Olesens name no longer appeared on the site Monday morning.

Brescia also acknowledged that Nazis and white supremacists were part of the mob that carried out the appalling Capitol attack that left five people dead and forced lawmakers into hiding.

Employees are free to express concerns about Nazis, antisemitism, white supremacy or any other form of discrimination or harassment in internal discussions, Bresicas blog post said.

We expect all employees to be respectful, professional, and follow GitHub policies on discrimination and harassment.

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Archive review anyone for a posthuman wife? She comes with an off switch – The Guardian

Posted: at 8:46 am

British illustrator and visual-effects director Gavin Rothery makes his feature debut with this artificial intelligence thriller: a tale of love, death and robotics that has some nicely creepy moments. Set in 2038, it centres on lonely computer scientist George Almore (Divergents Theo James), who is holed up in a remote research facility in Japan secretly working on an android version of his wife Jules (Stacy Martin); she has died in a car crash. His prototype, J3 (also played by Martin), is his closest yet to the real thing: a highly advanced humanoid with spookily pale skin who looks like she might be the ghost of his dead wife. Poor old J1 and J2, his earlier, clunkier prototypes: they look on bitterly as the newer, sleeker model gets all Georges attention.

The movie opens with sweeping helicopter shots over a snowy forest. Inside the concrete bunker-like facility, Rothery works wonders with a modest budget (he was behind the look of Duncan Joness Moon), creating an ungimmicky nearish future that looks a lot like today. When Georges corporate bosses threaten to pull the plug on his research, he hurries to put the finishing touches to J3 a task involving the contents of a fridge-like archive unit containing his dead wifes consciousness. George is surrounded by the robot versions of Jules. J1 is boxy, non-verbal and baby-like. J2 is a little more advanced: she can speak, and behaves like a teenager, huffing jealously when George removes her legs to give to J3.

In the end, George is playing God creating a woman not from a rib but electrical components and computer programming. The scripts take on this is romantic: here is a man wholl do whatever it takes to be reunited with his wife. I couldnt help finding it a bit more sinister; when J2 misbehaves, George orders her back to her docking station. He is in control. (Anyone for a posthuman wife? She comes with an off switch.) And the final ta-da revelation felt a bit contrived. Still, Archive is refreshingly non-cerebral and thats a compliment. Its a sci-fi movie that wants to entertain, not deliver a lecture on AI.

On digital formats from 18 January.

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Scott Galloway’s ‘Post Corona’ Vision for Higher Ed | Learning Innovation – Inside Higher Ed

Posted: at 8:46 am

Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity by Scott Galloway

Published in November of 2020.

Just one of the five chapters of Galloway's Post Corona is devoted to higher education. As that will be the chapter of most interest to IHE readers, this review will mostly focus on those pages.

This does not mean that the other four chapters should be skipped, as Galloway's thoughts on the post-pandemic world are consistently provocative, informative, and entertaining.

The question for us is if what we should make of Galloway's pronouncements, recommendations, and predictions about higher education?

First, the good news. Too few books about the future include chapters on higher education. Our ecosystem (Galloway insists we are a business) is usually absent from discussions in which other industries (media, transportation, retail, etc.) figure prominently. This is too bad, as we can better think of new ideas about the future of higher education if we understand our industry through non-academic lenses.

The other good news about Post Corona when it comes to higher education is that Galloway is a terrific writer. Post Corona was clearly written quickly (to Galloway's credit with relevancy), but the book reads even faster. The energy that Galloway brings to discussing the future of colleges and universities is as infections as a new COVID strain. (Sorry).

Galloway is having fun thinking and writing about where higher education is going, which makes the book (and the higher ed chapter) a pleasure to read. (And a quick plug for the audiobook version, which Galloway narrates, adding to the effect of getting inside the author's head).

Now the complaints. (None of which should stop you from reading the book and finding a way to discuss the higher education chapter on your campus).

Galloway teaches a Brand Strategy course every year at NYU's Stern School of Business. I bet the course is terrific, given Galloway's energy and ideas and rich and varied business background.

Like every other professor, Galloway was forced to convert his course to remote in 2020. He bases much of his thinking and recommendations about the future of higher education on his teaching experience during the pandemic.

Galloway is not alone among academics in having a new experience with remote teaching during COVID and then taking this experience to claim universal expertise in the field of online learning. Our campuses are full like never before with "online learning" experts, professors who feel no hesitation in directing their institution's online education strategy based on what they learned moving their courses from residential to remote.

I've been a student of higher education, and online learning, for twenty years. Like every other discipline and human endeavor, I realize that the more I learn about higher education, the less I know for sure.

Expertise is mostly about asking the right questions. Galloway has too many answers. When it comes to the post-COVID future of higher education, Galloway would do well with more inquiry, less certainty. (That would be truly "gangster" - Galloway's favorite term for anything really good).

If Galloway had been less certain or maybe taken more time to do some more research before launching Post Corona, he may not have missed some massive trends and developments about the future of higher education.

First, Galloway entirely skips over the recent industry-wide shifts in the organizational structures of most colleges and universities that set the context for higher ed's response to the pandemic. There is nothing in Post Corona about the growth of campus learning organizations such as centers for teaching and learning (CTLs), academic computing units, or online learning divisions.

Galloway misses that the main story of institutional resilience during COVID was the capacities and expertise that non-faculty educators (instructional designers, educational developers) brought to the task of collaborating with professors to pivot every course to remote learning.

Galloway is enamored or critical of learning technologies but fails to see that technologies are only tools. His post-COVID predictions are technology-centric, rather than organizational and educator-centric, and therefore not very helpful in developing a post-pandemic institutional strategy.

Second, Galloway thinks that the big change after COVID will be brand name schools partnering with brand name companies (Google, Microsoft, maybe Amazon, not Facebook - The Four) to offer credentials, learning, and experiences. (The higher education bundle).

Leaving aside that the role of community colleges and non-flagship public institutions (where the vast majority of our students attend) to not figure in this narrative, Galloway's company-centric predictions are wrong on their own terms.

The real story, which Galloway does not even mention, is the increasing importance of non-profit (university) and for-profit partnerships. The work of colleges and universities with platforms such as Coursera and edX and online program management (OPM) companies such as 2U and Noodle will accelerate dramatically in the years to come.

It is the platform providers and the OPM companies that will bring big tech companies into the equation (as partners and customers). Still, the real story (and it is a complicated and controversial story) is with education-specific for-profits working with colleges and universities.

Finally, I was surprised that Galloway did not talk about the transition of residential programs (particularly master's programs) to online - and the trend towards low-cost online programs delivered at scale. Any serious book - or chapter - on the future of higher education needs to grapple with Georgia Tech's and Boston University's and Illinois and other low-cost online masters degrees.

Nor does Galloway give any space to the growth of non-credit online programs and how these alternative certificates will challenge the established master's degree programs of regionally branded schools.

Would I recommend reading and discussing Post Corona on campus, with maybe a reading group around the Higher Education chapter? Again, yes.

Galloway gets enough right - such as sharing data on the rising costs and the failure of higher education to maintain its role as an engine of opportunity creation - that his call for non-incremental change is persuasive.

Post Corona may get the specifics of post-pandemic higher education wrong, but Galloway is entirely correct in that there will be no going back

What are you reading?

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