an article by Dionne Lee (Teesside University, Middlesbrough) published in Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning Volumne 2 Issue 3 (2012)
Abstract
Purpose
Apprenticeships in England are currently experiencing a revival. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of apprenticeships in England, examine current government policy, and explore current issues around the further development of apprenticeships.
Design/methodology/approach
Desk research, including reviewing other research articles and labour market intelligence has been carried out to provide a general overview of the issues.
Findings
Apprenticeships have traditionally been regarded as the vocational route to stable employment. Although they have sometimes suffered from a poor reputation they are now becoming an increasingly popular option for both younger and older people. The knowledge economy is driving up the demand for higher level skills and concurrent with this is the notion that, in today’s competitive labour market, experience is vital. Not only has this impacted on the popularity of apprenticeships but also upon more traditional “academic” routes such as higher education (HE). In addition it has raised questions about higher level skills and vocational education. The introduction of Higher Apprenticeships and work experience/real world interactions built into HE courses are establishing synergies between the two elements of the skills/education system; however, developing these synergies further is a critical issue for future consideration.
Originality/value
There is a proliferation of publications tracking the nature and value of apprenticeships. This paper traces apprenticeships and their evolution and examines how practices adopted can be applied to newer vocational options being integrated into HE. The paper considers apprenticeships and other vocational options, building on the author’s own discussions with employers and recent graduates.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
New skills and jobs in Europe: Pathways towards full employment
This report was written by Günther Schmid and supervised by Philippe Keraudren. It was published by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Research Area, Social Sciences and Humanities in July 2012
Introduction: setting the scene
Europe needs more people in employment. About 24 million people are still unemployed (9,9 %), long-term unemployment is deteriorating, levels of job creation are too low and many of the newly created jobs are of low quality. The labour market for young people remains depressed with a level of 5.5 million unemployed (22.1 %)1. Why is it that our policies do not work? Why is it that even when unemployment improves, it happens at the cost of increasing inequality and labour market segmentation? Are new skills, as the Europe 2020 flagship initiative ‘An agenda for new skills and jobs’2 suggests, the solution?
Skills do indeed matter. They ensure the right application of knowledge in jobs in order to complete tasks and solve problems. Old and new jobs will not be sustainable without the continuous evolution of skills. Without the creation of new job opportunities, skills and individual life plans will be wasted. Improving people’s skills and better utilising their skill potentials ‘is a real “win, win” for all – for the economy, for society, for employers and, of course, for individuals themselves’3. It is obvious to policymakers that unemployment is closely related to low skills and employment and labour market participation to high skills. But despite progress in recent years, ‘Europe is still not sufficiently skilled. Nearly one third of Europe’s population aged 25–64 – around 77 million people – have no, or low, formal qualifications and only one quarter have high-level qualifications. Those with low qualifications are much less likely to upgrade their skills and follow lifelong learning.’4
This report documents what research says about jobs and skills in Europe.
The report starts with a brief summary of the ‘flagship’ (Chapter 1) and structures the findings of the review around the four main priorities set out by this initiative:
=================================
1 EU Labour Market Fact Sheet, February 2012.
2 European Commission (2010), ‘An agenda for new skills and jobs: A European contribution towards full employment’, COM(2010) 682 final. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ. do?uri=COM:2010:0682:FIN:EN:PDF
3 Expert Group on New Skills for New Jobs (2010), p. 4.
4 Ibid.
5 See Annex 7.2 listing the projects and their website access. Occasionally, the report also refers to publications from TML.net (http://www.siswo.uva.nl/tlm) supported by the Research and Innovation DG under the fifth framework programme.
6 European Commission (2010), ‘Europe 2020 — A European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’, COM(2010) 2020 final.
Full text (PDF 90pp)
Introduction: setting the scene
Europe needs more people in employment. About 24 million people are still unemployed (9,9 %), long-term unemployment is deteriorating, levels of job creation are too low and many of the newly created jobs are of low quality. The labour market for young people remains depressed with a level of 5.5 million unemployed (22.1 %)1. Why is it that our policies do not work? Why is it that even when unemployment improves, it happens at the cost of increasing inequality and labour market segmentation? Are new skills, as the Europe 2020 flagship initiative ‘An agenda for new skills and jobs’2 suggests, the solution?
Skills do indeed matter. They ensure the right application of knowledge in jobs in order to complete tasks and solve problems. Old and new jobs will not be sustainable without the continuous evolution of skills. Without the creation of new job opportunities, skills and individual life plans will be wasted. Improving people’s skills and better utilising their skill potentials ‘is a real “win, win” for all – for the economy, for society, for employers and, of course, for individuals themselves’3. It is obvious to policymakers that unemployment is closely related to low skills and employment and labour market participation to high skills. But despite progress in recent years, ‘Europe is still not sufficiently skilled. Nearly one third of Europe’s population aged 25–64 – around 77 million people – have no, or low, formal qualifications and only one quarter have high-level qualifications. Those with low qualifications are much less likely to upgrade their skills and follow lifelong learning.’4
This report documents what research says about jobs and skills in Europe.
- In particular, research convincingly shows that education systems characterised by more equal access to education and continuous vocational training are associated with lower levels of unemployment and higher levels of employment.
- Research shows that ambitious labour market policies that support a high variability of employment contracts over the life course, and that allow a high level of external as well as internal job-to-job transitions through active securities (making transitions pay), tend to be associated with higher levels of job creation.
- Research reveals the importance of work organisation for skill formation, skill maintenance and skill utilisation, and emphasises that it is not enough to make people fit for the market (through raising their individual skills) but that it is also of high importance to adjust workplaces reasonably in order to enhance people’s capabilities and to compensate restricted work capacities through, for example, technical assistance, carefully targeted in-work benefits or wage cost subsidies (making the market fit for workers).
- Research suggests the increasing importance of transversal skills,which means skills that cross the borders of disciplines or occupations and emphasise (not necessarily ‘higher’ but ‘new’) skills like abilities of communication, learning and problem solving, as well as languages and competences in information and communication technologies.
- Finally, only the good governance of skills (including workplace democracy, negotiated flexicurity, and fair risk sharing of skill investments) ensures the mutual enforcement of skill evolution and job creation under conditions of increasing economic uncertainty.
The report starts with a brief summary of the ‘flagship’ (Chapter 1) and structures the findings of the review around the four main priorities set out by this initiative:
- better-functioning labour markets (Chapter 2);
- a more skilled workforce (Chapter 3);
- better job quality and working conditions (Chapter 4), and;
- stronger policies to promote job creation and demand for labour (Chapter 5).
=================================
1 EU Labour Market Fact Sheet, February 2012.
2 European Commission (2010), ‘An agenda for new skills and jobs: A European contribution towards full employment’, COM(2010) 682 final. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ. do?uri=COM:2010:0682:FIN:EN:PDF
3 Expert Group on New Skills for New Jobs (2010), p. 4.
4 Ibid.
5 See Annex 7.2 listing the projects and their website access. Occasionally, the report also refers to publications from TML.net (http://www.siswo.uva.nl/tlm) supported by the Research and Innovation DG under the fifth framework programme.
6 European Commission (2010), ‘Europe 2020 — A European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’, COM(2010) 2020 final.
Full text (PDF 90pp)
Changing the way we work: The role teleworking can play in how, when and where we work
a report published by the London Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Harvey Nash in July 2012
Executive summary
Flexible working has become part of how we understand work. More and more employees request non-traditional working arrangements so that they can balance the demands of their working lives whilst maintaining a rewarding social and family life.
Most employers see flexible working as a way of helping their workers to achieve that balance. This informal approach to flexible working not only increases the probabilities of conflict amongst a company’s staff but, more importantly, it means that many businesses are not achieving its full benefits.
Flexible working can provide access to a wider talent pool, contribute to operational savings or improve a company’s output, staff retention levels and motivation. The problem is that there is not a unique implementation formula that guarantees its success.
Using the example of teleworking, also often referred to as ‘remote working’ or ‘virtual working’, this report aims to provide businesses, especially small and medium firms, with information on its potential benefits as well as negative effects, and to offer some guidance on the elements required to achieve it.
Our findings are the result of 11 interviews with London businesses that offer different forms of teleworking to their staff; some of those interviewed were teleworkers themselves, providing a unique perspective into the challenges and benefits of teleworking from the point of view of both the manager and the teleworker. The information so gathered complemented the results of a survey of 178 businesses of different sizes and sectors in the capital undertaken in February 2012.
Teleworking is widespread
Our research shows that the majority of companies offer teleworking as and when needed, although they do not usually have a formal policy on it. Workers in smaller (1 to 19 employees) and bigger companies (500+ employees) are those that generally telework the most, whilst the more senior a position one holds, the more likely one is to work remotely. Yet, this seems to be because those in higher positions tend to be more experienced and, therefore, the more comfortable companies are with their ability to work on their own.
The benefits of teleworking
Companies that offer remote work do so because technology allows them to do it (70 per cent). Better work-life balance (54 per cent) and reduced stress levels (43 per cent) seemed to be the main practical benefits of implementing teleworking, as well as increased employee satisfaction (51 per cent) and work being completed more quickly (46 per cent). On the other side of the spectrum, feelings of isolation and loneliness amongst those working from home and lack of social interaction (29 per cent), increase in the actual number of working hours (25 per cent), technological glitches (25 per cent) and deterioration in communication (24 per cent) were the most common issues reported by those offering teleworking or working remotely themselves.
Success factors
The success or failure of teleworking depends on the culture of the company. Those interviewed for this report believed that without mutual trust between the employer and the employee, and constant and open communication, teleworking cannot succeed. Firms, therefore, need to have a very clear definition of what teleworking means, what is expected from each party, and how often and what kind of positions can telework. Moreover, businesses must put in place clear and regular mechanisms of communication to avoid isolation issues, lack of information and communication failure.
Culture, management and communication
Companies also need to train their staff in essential managerial skills such as delegation and communication. If teleworking is about giving employees more responsibility, managers need to know how to manage from a distance. They also need to know how to recognise the work of those who are not always physically present and to establish continuous, open communication between their reportee(s) and themselves, and between the members of the team, regardless of their physical location.
Promoting Higher Apprenticeships in management and leadership will contribute to good practice amongst the workforce, whilst sending a strong message to employers about the importance of good management for the future of the business itself, as it helps to ensure the generational takeover of the company, and provides it with the skills required to take the firm to the next level of growth.
The effort and time spent in implementing teleworking must be seen as an investment, rather than a cost. Teleworking adds to the resilience of the business, as companies can continue to function beyond eventualities such as transport delays or extreme weather, adding to the overall competitiveness of the wider economy.
Moreover, teleworking can enhance the opportunities for expansion, as it enables growing firms to do so incrementally and without having to take on too many expenses, such as rent or employment costs, at one time. It also makes easier and more cost-effective international collaborations, as firms do not need to have offices in different countries and are more flexible to adapt to different time zones.
The importance of technology
For all this to happen, however, investment in technological infrastructure across the country is needed. If businesses are expected to work from anywhere, at any time, they need to have access to quality, high-speed broadband connection so the demand for remote working can be met without any technological limitations.
Full text: (PDF 20pp)
Executive summary
Flexible working has become part of how we understand work. More and more employees request non-traditional working arrangements so that they can balance the demands of their working lives whilst maintaining a rewarding social and family life.
Most employers see flexible working as a way of helping their workers to achieve that balance. This informal approach to flexible working not only increases the probabilities of conflict amongst a company’s staff but, more importantly, it means that many businesses are not achieving its full benefits.
Flexible working can provide access to a wider talent pool, contribute to operational savings or improve a company’s output, staff retention levels and motivation. The problem is that there is not a unique implementation formula that guarantees its success.
Using the example of teleworking, also often referred to as ‘remote working’ or ‘virtual working’, this report aims to provide businesses, especially small and medium firms, with information on its potential benefits as well as negative effects, and to offer some guidance on the elements required to achieve it.
Our findings are the result of 11 interviews with London businesses that offer different forms of teleworking to their staff; some of those interviewed were teleworkers themselves, providing a unique perspective into the challenges and benefits of teleworking from the point of view of both the manager and the teleworker. The information so gathered complemented the results of a survey of 178 businesses of different sizes and sectors in the capital undertaken in February 2012.
Teleworking is widespread
Our research shows that the majority of companies offer teleworking as and when needed, although they do not usually have a formal policy on it. Workers in smaller (1 to 19 employees) and bigger companies (500+ employees) are those that generally telework the most, whilst the more senior a position one holds, the more likely one is to work remotely. Yet, this seems to be because those in higher positions tend to be more experienced and, therefore, the more comfortable companies are with their ability to work on their own.
The benefits of teleworking
Companies that offer remote work do so because technology allows them to do it (70 per cent). Better work-life balance (54 per cent) and reduced stress levels (43 per cent) seemed to be the main practical benefits of implementing teleworking, as well as increased employee satisfaction (51 per cent) and work being completed more quickly (46 per cent). On the other side of the spectrum, feelings of isolation and loneliness amongst those working from home and lack of social interaction (29 per cent), increase in the actual number of working hours (25 per cent), technological glitches (25 per cent) and deterioration in communication (24 per cent) were the most common issues reported by those offering teleworking or working remotely themselves.
Success factors
The success or failure of teleworking depends on the culture of the company. Those interviewed for this report believed that without mutual trust between the employer and the employee, and constant and open communication, teleworking cannot succeed. Firms, therefore, need to have a very clear definition of what teleworking means, what is expected from each party, and how often and what kind of positions can telework. Moreover, businesses must put in place clear and regular mechanisms of communication to avoid isolation issues, lack of information and communication failure.
Culture, management and communication
Companies also need to train their staff in essential managerial skills such as delegation and communication. If teleworking is about giving employees more responsibility, managers need to know how to manage from a distance. They also need to know how to recognise the work of those who are not always physically present and to establish continuous, open communication between their reportee(s) and themselves, and between the members of the team, regardless of their physical location.
Promoting Higher Apprenticeships in management and leadership will contribute to good practice amongst the workforce, whilst sending a strong message to employers about the importance of good management for the future of the business itself, as it helps to ensure the generational takeover of the company, and provides it with the skills required to take the firm to the next level of growth.
The effort and time spent in implementing teleworking must be seen as an investment, rather than a cost. Teleworking adds to the resilience of the business, as companies can continue to function beyond eventualities such as transport delays or extreme weather, adding to the overall competitiveness of the wider economy.
Moreover, teleworking can enhance the opportunities for expansion, as it enables growing firms to do so incrementally and without having to take on too many expenses, such as rent or employment costs, at one time. It also makes easier and more cost-effective international collaborations, as firms do not need to have offices in different countries and are more flexible to adapt to different time zones.
The importance of technology
For all this to happen, however, investment in technological infrastructure across the country is needed. If businesses are expected to work from anywhere, at any time, they need to have access to quality, high-speed broadband connection so the demand for remote working can be met without any technological limitations.
Full text: (PDF 20pp)
Enterprise and entrepreneurship in English higher education: 2010 and beyond
an article by David Rae (University of Lincoln, UK) Lynn Martin, (Manchester Metropolitan University Business School) Valerie Antcliff, (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Paul Hannon (National Centre for Entrepreneurship Education, Coventry) published in Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development Volume 19 Issue 3 (2012)
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to report the results of a complete survey of enterprise education in all higher education institutions (HEIs) in England, undertaken in 2010 by the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE) on behalf of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE). The survey builds on prior work undertaken by the NCGE in England in 2006 and in 2007.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey aimed to establish a complete picture of curricular and extra-curricular enterprise and entrepreneurship education. The survey uses a similar structure to the previous survey, enabling comparison to be made with enterprise provision over the 2006-2010 period, as well as with the 2008 European survey of entrepreneurship in HE.
Findings
The results provide a stock-take of enterprise education provision in participating HEIs and highlight the connections in institutional strategies between enterprise education, incubation/new venture support, graduate employability, innovation and academic enterprise. The paper reveals “hotspots” and gaps in enterprise provision and offers “benchmarks” for the sector.
Research limitations/implications
The article offers a summary of the implications for the future development and sustainability of enterprise education in HE, in relation to policy, funding and other changes in the sector. It also considers these issues in relation to recommendations from professional educators and government policy for future development of enterprise in HE and comments on the policy impact of this work.
Originality/value
The timing of the survey, in May-July 2010, was important as it reflected the end of a period of over ten years of sustained investment in enterprise in higher education by the previous Labour government in the UK, through a range of funding initiatives. As major public expenditure reductions in support for HE and enterprise activity followed, this represented the “high water mark” of publicly funded enterprise activity in the HE sector, and raised the question of how enterprise education and support activities would become sustainable for the future. The report analyses existing provision, assesses its development over the 2006-2010 period, and provides conclusions and recommendations covering future policy, development, resourcing, and sustainability of enterprise and entrepreneurship provision in higher education.
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to report the results of a complete survey of enterprise education in all higher education institutions (HEIs) in England, undertaken in 2010 by the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE) on behalf of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE). The survey builds on prior work undertaken by the NCGE in England in 2006 and in 2007.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey aimed to establish a complete picture of curricular and extra-curricular enterprise and entrepreneurship education. The survey uses a similar structure to the previous survey, enabling comparison to be made with enterprise provision over the 2006-2010 period, as well as with the 2008 European survey of entrepreneurship in HE.
Findings
The results provide a stock-take of enterprise education provision in participating HEIs and highlight the connections in institutional strategies between enterprise education, incubation/new venture support, graduate employability, innovation and academic enterprise. The paper reveals “hotspots” and gaps in enterprise provision and offers “benchmarks” for the sector.
Research limitations/implications
The article offers a summary of the implications for the future development and sustainability of enterprise education in HE, in relation to policy, funding and other changes in the sector. It also considers these issues in relation to recommendations from professional educators and government policy for future development of enterprise in HE and comments on the policy impact of this work.
Originality/value
The timing of the survey, in May-July 2010, was important as it reflected the end of a period of over ten years of sustained investment in enterprise in higher education by the previous Labour government in the UK, through a range of funding initiatives. As major public expenditure reductions in support for HE and enterprise activity followed, this represented the “high water mark” of publicly funded enterprise activity in the HE sector, and raised the question of how enterprise education and support activities would become sustainable for the future. The report analyses existing provision, assesses its development over the 2006-2010 period, and provides conclusions and recommendations covering future policy, development, resourcing, and sustainability of enterprise and entrepreneurship provision in higher education.
Female Employment and Fertility - The Effects of Rising Female Wages
a CEP Discussion Paper (No 1156 (July 2012)) by Christian Siegel (Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science)
Abstract
Increases in female employment and falling fertility rates have often been linked to rising female wages. However, over the last 30 years the US total fertility rate has been fairly stable while female wages have continued to grow. Over the same period, we observe that women’s hours spent on housework have declined, but men’s have increased.
I propose a model with a shrinking gender wage gap that can capture these trends.
While rising relative wages tend to increase women’s labour supply and, due to higher opportunity cost, lower fertility, they also lead to a partial reallocation of home production from women to men, and a higher use of labour-saving inputs into home production.
I find that both these trends are important in understanding why fertility did not decline to even lower levels. As the gender wage gap declines, a father’s time at home becomes more important for raising children.
When the disutilities from working in the market and at home are imperfect substitutes, fertility can stabilize, after an initial decline, in times of increasing female market labour. That parents can acquire more market inputs into child care is what I find important in matching the timing of fertility. In a mode l extension, I show that the results are robust to intrahousehold bargaining.
JEL Classifications: D13, E24, J13, J22
Full text (PDF 56pp)
See also: Clash of Career and Family: fertility decisions after job displacement
Abstract
Increases in female employment and falling fertility rates have often been linked to rising female wages. However, over the last 30 years the US total fertility rate has been fairly stable while female wages have continued to grow. Over the same period, we observe that women’s hours spent on housework have declined, but men’s have increased.
I propose a model with a shrinking gender wage gap that can capture these trends.
While rising relative wages tend to increase women’s labour supply and, due to higher opportunity cost, lower fertility, they also lead to a partial reallocation of home production from women to men, and a higher use of labour-saving inputs into home production.
I find that both these trends are important in understanding why fertility did not decline to even lower levels. As the gender wage gap declines, a father’s time at home becomes more important for raising children.
When the disutilities from working in the market and at home are imperfect substitutes, fertility can stabilize, after an initial decline, in times of increasing female market labour. That parents can acquire more market inputs into child care is what I find important in matching the timing of fertility. In a mode l extension, I show that the results are robust to intrahousehold bargaining.
JEL Classifications: D13, E24, J13, J22
Full text (PDF 56pp)
See also: Clash of Career and Family: fertility decisions after job displacement
Cloud computing – new ICO guidance
via Panopticon Blog by Anya Proops
Cloud computing is becoming an ever more pervasive feature of the technological world. Whether one is dabbling in social networking or purchasing goods online, the truth is that we all, to a greater or lesser extent, now have our heads in the virtual clouds. However, the use of cloud computing inevitably raises important information law issues, particularly in terms of the impact on privacy rights and also under the Data Protection Act 1998. So far as the DPA is concerned, issues which fall to be considered include:
Continue reading Anya’s post here
Cloud computing is becoming an ever more pervasive feature of the technological world. Whether one is dabbling in social networking or purchasing goods online, the truth is that we all, to a greater or lesser extent, now have our heads in the virtual clouds. However, the use of cloud computing inevitably raises important information law issues, particularly in terms of the impact on privacy rights and also under the Data Protection Act 1998. So far as the DPA is concerned, issues which fall to be considered include:
- who actually controls the data which is being processed via the cloud (i.e. who is liable under the DPA if things go wrong in data protection terms)
- what steps a data controller may be required to take to safeguard against misuses of personal data within the cloud
- the security implications of processing personal data through cloud computing and, in particular, whether the processing of data via the cloud is compliant with the seventh data protection principle
- the legality of using clouds which operate transnationally and, hence, which may bring into play the application of the eighth data protection principle on cross-border data transfers
Continue reading Anya’s post here
Monday, 1 October 2012
10 stories and links I should have published yesterday
================================================
Trying to unravel the secret of spider silk
via Education news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
View the video here [sorry, but I could not work out embedding from Real Player].
Five times tougher than steel, spider silk is virtually indestructible, but what spiders do naturally is a tough act to follow on a commercial scale.
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
“What will survive of us is love”. Oprah? The Beatles? Hallmark? No, Philip Larkin. As soon as he wrote it, he had second thoughts... more
================================================
Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” – Done Differently
via Reading Copy Book Blog by Beth Carswell
Ken Sanders, a long-time seller on AbeBooks, is now offering a rare and highly unusual edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories. Les Aventures d’Alice au pays des Merveilles at De l’autre cote du mirroir et de ce qu’Alice y trouva (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There) is illustrated by Dutch-born artist Pat Andrea. It was published in 2006 by Paris firm, Diane de Selliers.
Ken describes Andrea’s interpretation of Alice as having “an angrier and more disturbing edge than that of traditional Alice illustration, with dark glimmers of bondage, sexual hegemony, and voyeurism. A stunning addition to the visual Alice canon”.
I think Lewis Carroll would have a seizure if he saw this particular edition of Alice in Wonderland. Apparently, Andrea’s art is called magical realism. He was born in 1942 in Den Haag but lives and works in Paris and Buenos Aires.
The book comes in two hardcover volumes in a slipcase with a prospectus. The text is in French and English, and the price is £330.
A sample of the images the remainder of which you can view here. I don’t know about Lewis Carroll having a seizure I think many Alice fans will but it’s interesting all the same
(Images courtesy of Ken Sanders)
================================================
Liquid
via How-To Geek by Asian Angel
In this game you will need a mix of patience, timing, and a touch of strategy in order to achieve victory in this physics puzzler.
Can you successfully control all of the liquid while moving it towards a victorious finish or will it all “go down the drain”?
You can follow Asian Angel’s walkthrough here or go it alone if you prefer.
Warning: this one is a lot harder than you might think.
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The Origins of the Golden Rule. Long the stuff of theology and politics, morality is perhaps best understood as a feature of biology, not heart and soul... more
================================================
A New Measure of Development: Well-being
via Big Think by Daniel Altman
What’s the best measure of progress in the global economy? Even economists aren’t satisfied with gross domestic product and incomes anymore. Now we also want to know how happy people are and how much they feel they can realize their potential. These are the right goals for economic policy, but pursuing them raises some difficult questions.
View entire story
================================================
Toledo: 1908
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive - Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Toledo, Ohio, circa 1908
“Maumee River waterfront”
8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company
View original post
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
P.G. Wodehouse’s stay in wartime Berlin might make him a fool. But when it came to fascism, the comic novelist was far from a naïf... more
================================================
Stunning feathered dinosaur fossil
via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz
This gorgeous fossil is a 150-million-year-old squirrel-tailed, feathered dinosaur, named Sciurumimus albersdoerferi. Oliver Rauhut of the Bavarian State Collections of Palaeontology and Geology says, “I was overwhelmed when I first saw it. Even apart from the preservation of feathers, this is certainly one of the most beautiful dinosaur fossils ever found.”
From National Geographic:
================================================
Calculating the Distance to a Lightning Strike
via Britannica Blog by Britannica Editors
A flash of lightning brightens the sky and is followed seven seconds later by the ominous roar of thunder. How far away was the lightning strike?
Cloud-to-ground lightning discharge in a field from a cumulonimbus cloud. Credit: © Hemera/Thinkstock
Continue reading
Trying to unravel the secret of spider silk
via Education news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
View the video here [sorry, but I could not work out embedding from Real Player].
Five times tougher than steel, spider silk is virtually indestructible, but what spiders do naturally is a tough act to follow on a commercial scale.
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
“What will survive of us is love”. Oprah? The Beatles? Hallmark? No, Philip Larkin. As soon as he wrote it, he had second thoughts... more
================================================
Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” – Done Differently
via Reading Copy Book Blog by Beth Carswell
Ken Sanders, a long-time seller on AbeBooks, is now offering a rare and highly unusual edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories. Les Aventures d’Alice au pays des Merveilles at De l’autre cote du mirroir et de ce qu’Alice y trouva (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There) is illustrated by Dutch-born artist Pat Andrea. It was published in 2006 by Paris firm, Diane de Selliers.
Ken describes Andrea’s interpretation of Alice as having “an angrier and more disturbing edge than that of traditional Alice illustration, with dark glimmers of bondage, sexual hegemony, and voyeurism. A stunning addition to the visual Alice canon”.
I think Lewis Carroll would have a seizure if he saw this particular edition of Alice in Wonderland. Apparently, Andrea’s art is called magical realism. He was born in 1942 in Den Haag but lives and works in Paris and Buenos Aires.
The book comes in two hardcover volumes in a slipcase with a prospectus. The text is in French and English, and the price is £330.
A sample of the images the remainder of which you can view here. I don’t know about Lewis Carroll having a seizure I think many Alice fans will but it’s interesting all the same
(Images courtesy of Ken Sanders)
================================================
Liquid
via How-To Geek by Asian Angel
In this game you will need a mix of patience, timing, and a touch of strategy in order to achieve victory in this physics puzzler.
Can you successfully control all of the liquid while moving it towards a victorious finish or will it all “go down the drain”?
You can follow Asian Angel’s walkthrough here or go it alone if you prefer.
Warning: this one is a lot harder than you might think.
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The Origins of the Golden Rule. Long the stuff of theology and politics, morality is perhaps best understood as a feature of biology, not heart and soul... more
================================================
A New Measure of Development: Well-being
via Big Think by Daniel Altman
What’s the best measure of progress in the global economy? Even economists aren’t satisfied with gross domestic product and incomes anymore. Now we also want to know how happy people are and how much they feel they can realize their potential. These are the right goals for economic policy, but pursuing them raises some difficult questions.
View entire story
================================================
Toledo: 1908
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive - Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Toledo, Ohio, circa 1908
“Maumee River waterfront”
8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company
View original post
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
P.G. Wodehouse’s stay in wartime Berlin might make him a fool. But when it came to fascism, the comic novelist was far from a naïf... more
================================================
Stunning feathered dinosaur fossil
via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz
This gorgeous fossil is a 150-million-year-old squirrel-tailed, feathered dinosaur, named Sciurumimus albersdoerferi. Oliver Rauhut of the Bavarian State Collections of Palaeontology and Geology says, “I was overwhelmed when I first saw it. Even apart from the preservation of feathers, this is certainly one of the most beautiful dinosaur fossils ever found.”
From National Geographic:
Previously, paleontologists have found feathers only on coelurosaurs – birdlike dinosaurs that evolved later than so-called megalosaurs such as Sciurumimus.“Beautiful” Squirrel-Tail Dinosaur Fossil Upends Feather Theory
Because Sciurumimus is not closely related to coelurosaurs, the new fossil suggests feathered dinosaurs were the norm, not the exception, Rauhut said.
“Probably all dinosaurs were feathered,” he added, “and we should say goodbye to the familiar image of the overgrown lizards.”
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Calculating the Distance to a Lightning Strike
via Britannica Blog by Britannica Editors
A flash of lightning brightens the sky and is followed seven seconds later by the ominous roar of thunder. How far away was the lightning strike?
Cloud-to-ground lightning discharge in a field from a cumulonimbus cloud. Credit: © Hemera/Thinkstock
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