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If the World Is Getting Richer, Why Do So Many People Feel Poor?
On almost any metric—quality of living, lifespan, health, education, income, basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter—life around the world is improving.
In a widely-read statement in his annual foundation letter, Bill Gates took an unabashedly optimistic approach to the world this week. Not only did he tout the massive material progress evident everywhere in the world over the past decades, but he also predicted that as more countries accelerate their transformation from rural poverty to urban middle class societies, poverty as we know it will disappear within the next two decades. "By 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world," Gates wrote. "Almost all countries will be what we now call lower-middle income or richer."
With an economy of words, Gates makes clear that he understands the issues. Yes, worldwide there is still immense poverty as defined by critically low incomes or GDP per capita, including less than $500 a year in Ethiopia, less than that in the vast and dysfunctional Democratic Republic of Congo, even less in Burundi and who knows what in North Korea. All of those countries, Gates predicts, will be substantially wealthier in twenty years.
This message is in rather stark contrast to the sense in the United States and Europe that we are mired in economic stagnation, and that as inequality grows, more people are unable to meet their basic needs. That message is likely to be a cornerstone of President Obama's State of the Unionaddress, and it suggests that life is not getting better for many Americans, but rather worse.
So which view more accurately describes the world we live in? While it does depend on what you consider progress, it should be hard to disagree with Gates and the evidence he presents. Yet today, many people do. They believe that their quality of life is deteriorating, and they look around and see the world through that lens.
In purely dollar terms, it is true that the vast middle class in America (and Western Europe) have seen their incomes stagnate. As is frequently noted, middle-class incomes in the United States have barely budged since the 1980s. Income data, however, has some substantial limitations. While it is used to determine official poverty rates, it says nothing about the relative cost of living. As many goods and essentials have become dramatically less expensive, stagnant incomes allow for higher living standards.
In 1950, for instance, the average American family spent almost 30 percent of its income on food. Now it spends barely more than 10 percent. Apparel costs have also dramatically decreased. Add in the free goods of the Internet — ranging from Google, to GPS data that helps you avoid traffic, to shopping online and saving travel costs — and you have a rather different picture of the net effect of stagnant incomes.
Then there is what used to be called the developing world. Gates notes that the only region of the world where there is still chronic poverty en masse is sub-Saharan Africa. That is probably overstating the case, given that India alone has at least 100 million people living in slums without clean water or basic services. Yet over the past decade, more than that number has been able to move out of slums and into legitimate dwellings. Cup half empty, or half full?
Or take a different measure: nutrition. According to the World Health Organization, every part of the world has seen a steady rise in calorie consumption over the past fifty years. Industrialized nations will see an increase from 3065 calories per person per day in the mid-1970s to an estimated (and perhaps excessive) 3440 by 2015. Developing nations will go from 2152 to 2850 in the same time. Only sub-Saharan Africa lags notably, and should increase its consumption from 2079 to 2360 calories during these four decades. East Asia, which was calorically poorer than Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1950s, now consumes over 3000 calories a day per person.
On almost any metric — quality of living, lifespan, health, education, income, basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter — life everywhere has improved. That point is being forcefully made by Gates, as it has by others such as Peter Diamandis, the founder of the X Prize for innovation. Yet, the prevailing sense in the West at least is that things are either getting worse or at best not getting better.
Given the evidence that globally, life is getting better, why do so many people feel like it's getting worse? What Gates and others do not sufficiently address is that much of the modern world uses growth as the mark of progress. That means an expectation of more, more and more. It is also true that even in the most affluent societies, many people earn lower incomes and feel disconnected from the wealth and lifestyles of their peers.
Humans are wired to be acutely aware of how others near to them are faring, and we all mark ourselves in relative terms. It may be better to live in a trailer with satellite TV and an abundance of cheap, unhealthy food than to live in a shanty in Mumbai or a refugee camp in the Congo, but those groups do not live next to one another. They aren't effective reference points for actual people. Most of us don't relate to abstract populations elsewhere in the world. Even with humanitarian crises, we don't take action because of stories we read, as much as pictures we see and testimony we hear.
In addition, residents of the more affluent parts of the world are aware that their ability to generate more has started to wane, save for a small minority of the very affluent. While many material goods are inexpensive, many needed services such as education and healthcare are only becoming more expensive, and account for a larger proportion of household spending than they did in previous generations. And those services are the keys to positive change. All of the flat screens in the world won't make people feel that they are thriving if the quality of their medical care deteriorates.
In much of the world outside of Europe and the United States, of course, there is not that sense of malaise. Many societies are indeed exuding confidence — sometimes as in the case of the current government of Turkey, perhaps too much. Yes, countries such as Ethiopia and South Sudan and the Congo — or Venezuela in this hemisphere — offer little in the way of good governance or hope for the future, but those places are increasingly the exception.
What Gates has underscored is that the centuries-old struggle to end poverty and want is coming to an end. That does not mean everyone is happy or that a vast swath of the human race has what they consider to be enough. It does mean that as basic needs are met on a global scale, we will have to address a new suite of challenges ranging from how much more calories, clothing, square feet, years and income we need individually or collectively to thrive. Once most of the human race has secured the basics, it will not be the end of history. We will continue to ask questions of how to satisfy the next level of needs, what to strive for, how much is enough and does everyone indeed have enough. You can hear those questions beginning to form now in the developed world; you can be sure that they will be even louder in the years ahead.
This post originally appeared on Reuters.com, an Atlantic partner site.

subset: commoncrawl


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Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham angered lots of Malaysian Muslims when he asked whether Muslims were "wasting time and energy" in protesting against 'Innocence of Muslims', a film that insults Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
He was referring to a peaceful assembly which will take place on Friday over the matter.
As a leader, YB Ngeh Koo Ham must understand that insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam is a very serious matter to the Muslims.
And he also must remember that Islam is the religion of the Federation of Malaysia and all leaders must respect our constitution.
And good Muslims do not insult other religions and cause violence while protesting for our rights as misunderstood by some people.
So how about Bersih and other PR's demonstrations?
Has YB Ngeh Koo Ham ever ask the question if taking part in Bersih 3.0 illegal demonstration was "wasting time and energy".
And now YB Ngeh Koo Ham said that some people had twisted the meaning of his tweet.
He was reported to say, "There is no doubt that I condemn the video but my tweet was a question and not a statement as some have claimed, belittled Islam."
I think that he should not tweet the question especially when DAP together with PAS and PKR took part in lots of demonstrations that sometimes turned violent.
Another non Muslim leader, MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said that Ngeh's comments reflected insensitivity towards the feelings of Muslims.
I am scared if there are Muslims who think that taking part in demonstrations over political, freedom and human rights issues like Bersih is more important than fighting for Islam.
I wonder what will PAS say about this matter and is PAS willing to leave the Pakatan Rakyat as suggested by YB Nasharudin Mat Isa?
Related Post:
- Muslims Protest Over 'Innocence of Muslims'
- U.N. Chief: Anti-Islam Filmmaker Abused Freedom Of Expression


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"This is the Atomic Pulse Rocket, a pot-bellied ship nearly the size of the Empire State Building, propelled by a series of atomic blasts." Sure, it sounds like a bad idea now but back then it was on the cutting edge: it only needed "a thousand atomic blasts-each equal to 1,000 tons of TNT" to push the 75,000 ton behemoth out of Earth's atmosphere. Once transit speed was reached, things went green: power was then provided by "solar batteries plating the wing and body surfaces."
Inside the rocket, living quarters are situated in the rim of a pressurized wheel-like cabin which revolves to provide artificial gravity. Radio and radar antennae revolve with it. Tubular hydroponic "gardens" on either side of the rim grow algae to produce oxygen and high protein food.
If that wasn't enough, the Atomic Pulse Rocket "could transport payload to the Moon at $6.74 per pound, less than one quarter the prevailing air freight charges over equivalent distance." Or so said this ad for American Bosch Arma Corporation-the folks who brought you the "inertial guidance system for the ATLAS ICBM" missile.


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Hurricane Ernesto makes landfall on Yucatan coast
CHETUMAL, Mexico - Hurricane Ernesto came ashore on Mexico's Caribbean coast near the border with Belize late Tuesday, after hundreds of tourists left beach resorts and fishermen abandoned low-lying villages to avoid the threat of damaging rain and wind.
Ernesto, which started the day as a tropical storm, had sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) as its center moved over the shore town of Mahahual around 10 p.m. local time, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It said the storm was moving west at 15 mph (24 kph) and was expected to weaken as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula.
The only major city in the area, Chetumal, capital of Quintana Roo state, is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Mahuahal. Authorities earlier moved more than 1,300 tourists from resorts in Mahuahal, Balacar and other spots to Chetumal because the bayside city that was expected to see less rain and wind than the coast.
In the city of Tulum to the north, some 6,000 tourists were sheltering in hotels away from the beach and authorities said the structures were strong enough to qualify as storm shelters.
Luana Antonicelli, a 23-year-old tourist from Melbourne, Australia, traveling with her 20-year-old brother, said they left their beachfront cabana surrounded by tropical jungle and decided to spend the night at the Hotel Tulum, a 20-room, one-story building about two miles (three kilometers) inland.
"The people at our hotel told us to come into town because it's too dangerous to stay there," Antonicelli said.
She said most people at the Hotel Tulum were hunkering down inside their rooms even though it was only raining lightly Tuesday night. Hotel workers were distributing candles even though they still had electricity.
"It's a bit annoying because I want to be on the beach, but these things happen," Antonicelli said, adding that she and her brother decided to stay outdoors as much as possible. "I see it as an adventure."
Authorities also prepared two kindergartens in Tulum as shelters for up to 220 people, but only 20 people had showed up by Tuesday afternoon at one.
Cruz Garcia, a tourist guide, came to the shelter with his wife from Punta Allen, a low-lying coastal settlement.
"To be over there is a risk because the tide rises and there could be a disaster," Garcia said, adding that he twice went through strong hurricanes while living in the neighboring state of Campeche.
Soldiers and police evacuated all 600 residents of Punta Allen, and authorities were preparing for the evacuation of people from other low-lying coastal settlements, said Luis Gamboa of Quintana Roo's Civil Protection office.
Two cruises ships scheduled to dock on the Riviera Maya put off their arrival.
The heart of the storm was keeping to the south of the big resort areas of Cancun and the Riviera Maya, though strong rain and winds were possible in those areas. Officials prepared shelters as a precaution.
Forecasters said that after moving ashore, Ernesto was expected to cross Yucatan by Wednesday evening and enter the southern Gulf of Mexico in an area dotted with offshore oil platforms owned by the state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos.
Its predicted course would then take it to Mexico's Gulf coast near the city of Veracruz, and the U.S. hurricane center said it might become a hurricane again just before reaching there around Thursday evening.
On its way to Yucatan, the storm swirled over open sea parallel to Honduras' northern coast, but officials there said the storm hadn't caused damage or injuries.
Mexican authorities warned of possible flooding in some of the region threatened by Ernesto, where swollen rivers in the past have swept away houses, livestock and people and collapsed mountainsides.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Gilma formed in the Pacific Ocean about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) west of Manzanillo, Mexico, with winds of 40 mph (64 kph). The storm was not expected to threaten land.


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Economic Benefitsof Gender Equality inthe European Union
Improving gender equality has many positive impacts on individuals and also on the society at large.
Economic case for gender equality in the EU
A more gender equal EU would have strong, positive GDP impacts growing over time, higher level of employment and productivity and could respond to challenges related to the ageing population in the EU.
GDP Per capita
Gender equality has strong, positive impacts on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita which grow over time.
By 2050, improving gender equality would lead to an increase in EU (GDP) per capita by 6.1 to 9.6%, which amounts to €1.95 to €3.15 trillion.
Compared with labour market and education policies, gender equality policies have a strong impact on GDP. For example, a recent study showed that improvements in educational attainment across EU Member States would lead to a 2.2% increase in EU GDP in 2050 (DG EAC, 2016).
Effect of gender equality on GDP per capita
Improvements in gender equality would lead to an additional 10.5 million jobs in 2050, which would benefit both women and men.
About 70% of these jobs would be taken by women, however female and male employment rates meet in the long run, reaching an 80% employment rate by 2050.
New jobs occupied by women are particularly important as they can help to reduce poverty, one of the key priorities of the EU 2020 strategy. Women are generally affected by poverty more often than men because of lower employment and salary prospects. Hence, being in employment lowers the risk for poverty of women (EIGE, 2016).
Effect of gender equality on Employment
EU Member States
The estimated GDP impacts of increased gender equality vary considerably across Member States, depending on the present level of achievement of gender equality.
Countries with more room to improve gender equality have much to gain. On average, improved gender equality in these countries is expected to lead to an increase in GDP of about 12% by 2050.
The best performing countries in the area of gender equality have already achieved good levels of gender equality and therefore already enjoy some of the associated economic benefits. However, further improvements in gender equality can generate additional economic gains even in these Member States, often reaching around 4% of GDP.
Overall, improved gender equality could boost the long-term competitiveness of the EU economy. By 2050, exports are estimated to increase by about 0.7% whereas imports are forecast to decline by up to 1.2%, leading to an improved balance of trade.
Impact of gender equality in the GDP of EU Member States in 2030
How gender equality in STEM education leads to economic growth
Reducing the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education areas could help reduce skills gap, increase employment and productivity of women and reduce occupational segregation. Ultimately this would foster economic growth via both higher productivity and increased labour market activity.
However, despite good employment opportunities and highly productive jobs in this area, there is currently a low proportion of women studying and graduating in STEM subjects.
Increasing the participation of women in STEM subjects will have a strong positive GDP impact at EU level.
Closing the gender gap in STEM would contribute to an increase in EU GDP per capita by 2.2 to 3.0% in 2050. In monetary terms, closing the STEM gap leads to an improvement in GDP by €610 - €820 billion in 2050.
GDP Impact of closing gender gaps in STEM Education
STEM – Employment
Closing gender gaps in STEM education would have a positive impact on employment. Total EU employment would rise by 850,000 to 1,200,000 by 2050. These jobs are forecasted mostly in the long term as employment rates will rise only after more women studying STEM finish their education.
The new jobs are likely to be highly productive because women graduating from STEM often progress into high value added positions in sectors such as information and communication or financial and business services.
Higher productivity of STEM jobs is likely to result into higher wages. Remarkably, the study shows a closure of the gender wage gap by 2050.
Employment Impact of closing gender gaps in STEM Education
How closing the gender labour market activity and pay gap leads to economic growth
I ncreasing women's participation in the work force and closing the pay gap between women and men will have a positive impact on economic growth in the EU. Despite recent improvements, there are still persistent gender gaps in labour market activity and pay, which result in lower employment rates for women, potentially limiting EU growth.
Activity - GDP
Closing the activity rate gap, which refers to the percentage of people who are either working or looking for work, would generate a GDP per capita increase of 3.2 to 5.5% in 2050. This is up to €280 billion increase in GDP by 2030 and €1,490 billion increase in GDP by 2050.
Activity - Employment
Closing the activity rate gap, would also lead to a large increase in employment. The study forecasts an increase of 3.5 to 6 million jobs in 2050 as a result of additional women entering the labour force.
Pay gap - GDP
GDP effects are much lower when closing the gender pay gap, with a 0-0.2% increase in GDP per capita over the 2030-2050 period.
Closing pay gaps has other positive impacts. An increase in women's salaries is likely to lower poverty rates among women and reduce the gender gap in old age pensions (EIGE, 2016). A reduction in the pay gap can also increase women's confidence and allow them to gain more responsibility at work and progress into leadership positions (Booth 2003).
Pay gap - Activity
Closing the wage gap has rather small effect on the GDP. On the one hand, higher wages encourage more women to enter the labour market, leading to an increase in the productive capacity of the economy and therefore increased employment.
An increase in women's salaries contributes to reducing the activity rate gap, possibly accounting for part of the positive employment effects associated with improving the labour market activity of women. On the other hand, higher labour costs drive firms to reduce their demand for labour, leading to fewer jobs on offer.
The outcome of improved gender equality on demographics and labour supply
Improved gender equality measures could also help address demographic challenges for the EU, such as the ageing population. Previous research suggests that gender equality in education, labour market participation and a more balanced sharing of unpaid work between women and men is linked to higher fertility rates, which would lead to a larger population and an increase in long-term labour supply.
This is important in light of current EU demographic projections, which predict a rise in the number of older people out of the labour force.
Demographics - GDP
The impacts of higher fertility rates on GDP per capita are negative initially, as a higher dependency ratio leads to a fall in consumption per capita (despite an overall increase in consumption and GDP).
In the long term (after 2040), there is an increase in the size of the labour force as the new-borns reach working age. At this point, growth in GDP per capita increases rapidly relative to the baseline.
Demographics - Employment
An initial increase in fertility rates generates an increase in consumption, leading to an increase in demand for goods and services which affects positively employment.
Over the 2040-2050 period, the pace of increase in employment is more rapid, as more men and women reach working age. This increases the potential productive capacity of the economy, increases real incomes and, through the multiplier effect, leads to additional increases in economic output and employment.
By 2050, there are an additional 2.5 million people in employment under the rapid progress scenario.
The EU policy context
The positive impacts of gender equality can be largely attributed to addressing some of the structural weaknesses of the EU economy, identified in the Europe 2020 strategy: employment, productivity and population ageing issues.
To achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth the European Union needs to start mainstreaming gender equality now.
Extra Gains
Tackling all gender equalities together is better than tackling them one by one. EIGE's study shows that gender equality in one domain has spill-over effects in other domains, e.g. more women in STEM studies can lead to improvements in labour market activity rates of women, and an increase in women's wages.
Fostering a greater participation of women in the labour market and ensuring pay equality is crucial to meet the Europe 2020 target to achieve an overall employment rate of women and men of at least 75% by 2020.
Putting gender equality at the heart of the follow-up strategy of Europe 2020 and other policy reforms would make the economic system more inclusive. It would enable women to fulfil their full potential and benefit everyone in society.
About the study
EIGE's study on the economic impact of gender equality in the EU is unique in the EU context, as it uses a robust econometric model to estimate economic impacts of improved gender equality in several broad areas such as education, labour market activity and wages. It also considers the demographic impact of such improvements.
It's the first time that a study has attempted econometric modelling of such a broad range of potential impacts of improved gender equality in the EU.
Key methodological steps
The following schematic presents the high level overview of the methodology for the socio-economic modelling of the gender equality scenarios.
Step 1: E3M3 modelling framework
Step 2: Pathway selection
Step 3: Approach to modelling the economic impacts of gender equality
Evidence of economic benefits of gender equality in other policy areas
The research team reviewed the literature in EU Member States and at EU level in order to map and evidence economic impacts of gender equality in different policy areas:
Increasing gender equality in education
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
Fertility rate
Evidence of economic impact
- Existing evidence suggests that, especially in developing countries, an increase in female education reduces fertility (Barro and Lee, 1994; Brummet, 2008; World Bank, 2011, Klassen, 2009)
Per capita and total GDP growth rate
Evidence of economic impact
NEGATIVE EFFECT/DECREASE (for female education)
- Barro and Lee, 1994 found that female education was negatively correlated with economic growth. Barro and Lee attribute this to a sign of 'backwardness' in society, where gender differences may be picking up on issues within less developed countries that may not have been captured with an initial GDP variable
- Lagerlof, 2003 also found that increasing gender equality in education can lead to reduction in economic growth
- Baliamoune, 2008 found that the gender gap in education has a negative effect on income growth. The study found out that the gender gap in education has a stronger negative effect on growth in Arab countries
- Brummet, 2008 identified a significant negative impact of the gender gap in education on growth. Similar evidence was provided by Klasen, 2009, who also found that gender gaps in education had a negative impact on economic growth. The regions with the largest gender gaps in education – South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region – were found to incur the largest losses in terms of economic growth. For instance, the total combined effect (direct and indirect) in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the MENA region was estimated respectively at a 1 %, 0.8 % and 0.7 % annual loss in per capita growth
Labour productivity
Evidence of economic impact
- There is some evidence that female education has positive impacts on overall labour productivity, which is more pronounced than in the case of male education (Knowles, Lorgelly, Owen, 2002)
Life expectancy/family and child health
Evidence of economic impact
- The literature also identified other types of social benefits associated with decreases in gender gaps in education, such as reduced infant and child mortality, improvement in family and child health and increase in life expectancy (Barro and Lee, 1994; Schultz, 1988; Behrman and Deolalikar, 1988; Bellew, Raney and Subbarao, 1992; Subbarao and Raney, 1995)
Evidence of economic impact
- Klasen, 2009 found a positive and significant relationship between increased gender equality and education and investment
Increasing gender equality in labour market participation
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
Per capita and total GDP growth rate
Evidence of economic impact
- International level including EU level:
- 13 % higher GDP in the euro area, with the elimination of the gender employment gap (Daly, 2007)
- 27–29 % higher GDP for EU average with full gender balance on the labour market (Lofstrom, 2009)
- Higher GDP ranging from +3 % in Sweden to +19 % in Italy with increasing women's employment rate (Aguirre et al., 2012)
- Higher GDP growth (+1.3 %) with improvement in equality of opportunities (measured by the following indicators: fertility rate, secondary enrolment gap and literacy rate gap) and higher GDP growth (+1.19 %) with improvement in equality of outcomes (measured by share of women in parliament and gender gap in labour force participation) (Mitra et al., 2015)
- Loss in output per worker due to gender inequality in labour market participation (-40 % when all women are excluded from labour market) (Cuberes and Teignier, 2016)
- 8 % increase in the annual rate of GDP growth due to the growth in women's share in formal sector employment (Klasen, 1999)
- Positive effect on the annual rate of GDP growth due to the growth in women's share of the labour force (magnitude depending on the econometric specification used, Klasen and Lamanna, 2009)
- 3.4 % growth in total factor productivity due to the growth in the share of women in the labour force (Loko and Diouf, 2009)
- Country level:
- 0.28 % GDP increase in Italy with +1 % women's employment rate (Casarico and Profeta, 2007)
- Higher Italian GDP if women's employment rate increases (three different possible scenarios are presented, Zisza, 2008)
- 0.3 % annual increase in real GDP in Japan if women's participation rate increases by 9 % (Matsui et al., 1999)
- Higher GDP in New Zealand if women increase labour force participation (two different possible scenarios are presented, Bryant et al., 2004)
- From 2 % to 9 % higher GDP in Latin America by removing gender segregation in occupation (Tzannatos, 1999)
- Higher per capita income (+319 %) by increasing the ratio of women-to-men managers (from 100 % men to 50–50) and higher per capita income (+153 %) by increasing the ratio of women-to-men workers (from women being 50 % of the employed to 66 %) in India (Esteve-Volart, 2009)
Evidence of economic impact
- Del Boca et al. (2005) show that there is a positive correlation between employment and fertility across MS
- In countries where it is relatively easy for women to work and have children, women's employment and fertility both tend to be higher (Daly, 2007)
- A more gender equal labour market, welfare system, or households can be accompanied by higher fertility at similar or even higher levels of employment (Smith and Bettio, 2008)
Investment in health and education of children
Evidence of economic impact
- Higher women's labour market participation increases bargaining power in the household with positive effects on children' human capital (Klasen and Lamanna, 2009; Kabeer and Natali, 2013)
Additional taxes and social security contributions
Evidence of economic impact
- Higher women's labour market participation increases public revenues (Maier and Carl, 2003)
Social capital
Evidence of economic impact
- Higher labour market participation increases the opportunities of making social connections and networks at the workplace (Putnam 2000; Norris and Inglehart, 2003; Paugam and Russell, 2000)
Time devoted by fathers to childcare activities
Evidence of economic impact
- Fathers increase their care-giving time when mothers increase their paid work (Hallberg and Klevmarken, 2003; Sayer et al., 2004; Mancini and Pasqua, 2012)
Reducing the gender pay gap
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
GDP growth rate
Evidence of economic impact
- No evidence that wage discrimination stimulates economic growth (meta-analysis study, Schober and Winter-Ebmer, 2009)
- Higher women's wages reduce men's wages only marginally and increase GDP (simulation study on Latin America, Tzannatos, 1999)
- Wage discrimination discourages women's labour market participation and decreases GDP per capita (theoretical model applied to US data, Cavalcanti and Tavares, 2008)
- Reducing the pay gap reduces economic growth in the short run (study on 20 export- oriented semi-industrialised countries, Seguino, 2000 and 2011)
Savings rate
Evidence of economic impact
- 1 % increase in the women's wage bill share raises aggregate savings rate by 0.25 % GDP (Seguino and Floro, 2003)
- Higher women's wages increase saving rates (study on older US individuals, Rossi and Sierminska, 2014)
- Higher women's wage rates can lead to higher formal savings (Lee et al., 2010)
Expenditures on goods and services for children/sustainable goods
Evidence of economic impact
- Women may have a stronger preference than men for spending on goods and services that contribute to the human capital of their children (Stotsky, 2006)
- Women tend to buy more eco-labelled or organic food, have a higher propensity to recycle, place more value on efficient energy, and pay closer attention to ethical issues in purchases than men (OECD, 2008)
Increasing gender equality in the distribution of unpaid work
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
Women's health
Evidence of economic impact
- Women's greater hours of unpaid work contribute to women experiencing more stress than men (study on time use data from Canada, McDonald et al., 2005)
- Equalising gender roles would improve women's health (study on time use data from US, Bird and Fremont, 1991)
Women's labour market career
Evidence of economic impact
- Paternity leave is correlated with shorter career breaks, longer working hours, fewer penalties in terms of promotions and wages and improved labour market positions for mothers (Pylkkanen and Smith, 2003; Keck and Saraceno, 2013)
Children's well-being (social, emotional, physical and cognitive development)
Evidence of economic impact
- Fathers' involvement in childcare is positively associated with children's social, emotional, physical and cognitive development (Tamis-LeMonda and Cabrera, 2002; Allen and Daly, 2007; Lamb, 2010)
Increasing availability, affordability and quality of social infrastructure
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
Evidence of economic impact
- Family reconciliation policies in the Nordic countries have a positive impact on fertility (Datta-Gupta et al., 2008)
- Family policies can promote the labour supply of women and more equal role-sharing between mothers and fathers in Denmark and Sweden (Pylkkanen and Smith, 2003)
- Unequal division of non-paid work within the household, and weak support for combining work and parenthood, reduce fertility intentions (Mills et al., 2008)
- There is a positive correlation in OECD countries between attitudes supporting gender equality in the work environment and fertility (Mortvik and Spant, 2005)
- Lower labour market penalties due to childbearing breaks induce higher fertility rates (Adsera, 2004)
Labour market attachment for mothers
Evidence of economic impact
- Long and well-paid leave and generous provision of childcare services help mothers to remain in paid work (Keck and Saraceno, 2013)
- Policies that help women to reconcile work and family increase women's employment and reduce employment penalties after motherhood (Pacelli et al., 2013)
Increasing gender equality in firms' leadership positions
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
Firm performance/labour productivity
Evidence of economic impact
- International level including EU level:
- Greater women's representation in top positions is associated with 10 % higher rate of return on equity(report on EU companies, McKinsey & Co., 2007)
- Companies with more women board members experience 53 % higher returns on equity, 42 % higher returns to sales, and 66 % higher returns on invested capital (study on Fortune 500 companies, Catalyst, 2007)
- Gender-diverse boards are associated with significantly higher firm value (study using data on the Fortune 1000 firms in 1997, Carter et al., 2003)
- The proportion of women board members is positively correlated with the rate of return on assets and the rate of return on equity (study on the 500 largest EU firms over the years 2010–2012, Isidro and Sobral, 2015)
- Country-level academic studies:
- Top women managers are positively associated with firm profits, value added and revenues (study on 2 500 largest Danish firms for the 1993–2001 period, Smith et al., 2006)
- Top women managers significantly improve firm financial performance, but only when the firm's strategy is focused on innovation (study on 1 500 US S&P firms, Dezno et al., 2012)
- Firms with gender-diverse boardrooms are generally associated with increased labour productivity (study on 288 largest Australian firms, Ali et al., 2014)
- Firms with a higher percentage of women board members are associated with significantly higher firm financial value (study on a sample of Spanish publicly listed companies over the 1995–2000 period, Campbell and Minguez-Vera, 2008)
- Labour productivity in firms with a woman CEO significantly increases with the share of women workers (study on Italian manufacturing firms with at least 50 employees, Flabbi et al., 2014)
- Women directors working in women-owned firms are associated with significant improvements in the firm's operating profitability (study on Italian family-controlled firms over the 2000–2010 period, Amore et al., 2015)
- Country-level academic studies:
- Women managers do not significantly impact on firm performance (study on Danish firms with more than 50 employees, Parrotta and Smith, 2013)
- Women board members do not significantly affect corporate performance, (study on UK listed firms over the 1996–2011 period, Gregory-Smith et al., 2013)
- Women board members are not significantly associated with Tobin's Q ([1]) (study on a sample of listed Danish firms during the 1998-2001 period, Rose, 2007)
- Increased women's representation in the board of directors significantly reduces Tobin's Q and operating firm performance (study on the Norwegian law on gender quota in boards, Ahern and Dittmar, 2012)
- Gender-diverse boards are generally associated with lower firm financial performance (study on a sample of US firms for the 1996–2003 period, Adams and Ferreira, 2009)
Firms' employment
Evidence of economic impact
- Firms with increasing share of women on boards are significantly less likely to undertake workforce downsizing (study on firms affected by the Norwegian law on gender quotas on boards, Matsa and Miller, 2014)
- Firms owned by women are significantly less likely than firms owned by men to downsize their workforce (study on privately owned US firms in the 2006–2009 period, Matsa and Miller, 2013)
Women's wage/gender wage gap
Evidence of economic impact
- Women with wages above the median earn on average more when working for a woman CEO than for men CEOs (+7.8 % in the benchmark specification) (study on Italian manufacturing firms with at least 50 employees, Flabbi et al., 2014)
- Women-owned firms are associated with a reduction in the gender wage gap by 1.5 % (study on Portugal covering the 1987–2000 period, Cardoso and Winter-Ebmer, 2010)
- No evidence that increases in the proportion of women board members has contributed to narrowing the gender wage gap (study on firms affected by the Norwegian law on gender quotas on boards, Bertrand et al., 2014)
Women's career advancements
Evidence of economic impact
- Increasing women's leadership helps the career advancements of women in the lower echelons of the firm (study on white-collar workers of more than 4 000 Norwegian firms, Kunze and Miller, 2014)
Gender awareness
Evidence of economic impact
- Women top managers and working proprietors are associated with firms that are more prone to provide childcare facilities and mentor women junior staff (study on Germany, Gagliarducci and Paserman, 2015)
- Women leaders are more gender-sensitive than men leaders (study on the US, Tate and Yang, 2015)
Increasing gender equality in entrepreneurship positions
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
Aggregate productivity and income per capita
Evidence of economic impact
- Loss in output per worker due to gender inequality in entrepreneurship (-10 % when all women are excluded from entrepreneurship) (Cuberes and Teigner, 2015)
Increasing gender equality in political decision-making
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
Policies concerning social issues
Evidence of economic impact
- Country-level studies with loose control on endogeneity:
- A larger fraction of women in politics is associated with a significantly higher degree of activity when it comes to issues relating to women, children and families (study on members of the lower houses of 12 US state legislatures in 1988, Thomas, 1991)
- Women are found to have more gender-sensitive policy priorities (study on members of the lower houses of 12 US state legislatures in 1988, Thomas and Welch, 1991)
- Child support enforcement policies are higher in states with a high number of women legislators (study on US states for the 1978–1991 period, Case, 1998)
- Higher fraction of women legislators is significantly and positively related with expenditure on family assistance per capita, and the degree of child support enforcement (study on 48 continental US states over the 1950–1999 period, Besley and Case, 2003)
- Country-level studies with endogeneity controls/addressing causal interpretation:
- A greater share of women in local municipalities is associated with a significant increase in the expenditure on childcare and the care of the elderly (study on Swedish local councils, Svaleryd, 2002)
- Women legislators are found to have a positive impact on policies investing in health and early education, to favour gender-sensitive laws, and to support redistributive policies (study on 16 larger states in India, Clots-Figueras, 2011)
Functioning of the government
Evidence of economic impact
- Women politicians are more likely to cooperate (Paxton and Hughes, 2007)
- Women politicians are more likely to propose new and creative solutions to problems (study based on interviews with women politicians of the Thai parliament, Iwanaga, 2008)
Evidence of economic impact
- Higher shares of women politicians are associated with significantly lower levels of corruption (study on a sample of more than 100 countries, Dollar and Gatti, 2001)
- Women are significantly more adverse to corruption and tax evasion (Torgler and Valev, 2010; World Bank, 2001; Swamy et al., 2001; Beamen et al., 2009)
Level of education of politicians
Evidence of economic impact
- Gender quotas in elections significantly increase the years of schooling of politicians (study on Italian local municipalities in 1993–1995, Baltrunaite et al., 2014)
Stereotypes on women
Evidence of economic impact
- Gender quotas can be helpful in breaking down negative stereotypes against women (study on Italian local municipalities, De Paola et al., 2010)
Reducing the gender gap in health
Indicators used to measure the economic impact of increasing gender equality
Different labour market outcomes
Evidence of economic impact
- Health has an impact on most labour market outcomes: wages, labour force participation, hours worked, retirement, job turnover. However, there is a lack of studies that analyse gender differences in labour market behaviour as a response to health shocks (Currie and Madrian, 1999).
- Health affects exit out of and entries into employment, with an higher impact on women than men Gomez et al., 2010)
- Improved maternal health increased labour force participation of married women during the 20th century and generated a rise in income per capita of over 50 % via this channel (Albanesi and Olivetti, 2009)
- Access to oral contraception has a positive effect on women's education, career, labour force attachment and earning, and on long-run outcomes of children born (Goldin and Katz, 2002, Hock, 2008, Ananat and Hungerman, 2012, Bailey, 2006, Bailey et al., 2012, Albanesi and Olivetti, 2015)
Fertility/marital stability
Evidence of economic impact
- Reduction in maternal mortality increased fertility and women's human capital in 25 advanced and emerging economies between 1900 and 2000 (Albanesi, 2012)
- Reduction in maternal mortality increased fertility in US states (Albanesi, and Olivetti, 2014)
- Access to oral contraception has a positive effect on marital stability (Zuppan, 2012)
[1] The Tobin Q ratio is calculated as the market value of a company divided by the value of the firm's assets.
Evidence of economic benefits of gender equality in other policy areas
Study's publications
Report on the empirical application of the model
Economic impacts of gender equality: briefing paper
How closing the gender gaps in labour market activity and pay leads to economic growth: briefing paper
How gender equality in STEM education leads to economic growth: briefing paper
Economic benefits of gender equality in the EU policy context
Literature review: existing evidence and methodological approaches
EU and EU Member States overviews
How the evidence was produced: briefing paper on the theoretical framework and model
How the evidence was produced: factsheet on the theoretical framework and model


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There is a real cat credited as a writer of murder mysteries–Sneaky Pie Brown, who pens the Mrs. Murphy mysteries with her human, Rita Mae Brown. Mrs. Murphy is a crime-solving cat who works with a Corgi partner, in case you thought she was a human Miss Marple type.
I think cats would make natural murder mystery writers. There always seems to be an implied "I could kill you but I won't" message underlying the looks many cats give us humans, and sometimes dogs, and sometimes other cats.
There is a book about this, How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You.
Maybe that's what started me on playing the game, what author would that animal be? Or maybe it was that time I went to a reading and book signing by the author T. C. Boyle and thought he looked like a Borzoi. It turns out that Boyle, author of one of my favorite books, The Tortilla Curtain, is actually partial to the dreadlocked Puli, which is pretty cool.
I've only done this with dogs and cats so far, but I am sure you can play it with any type of animal if you can match up their personality, looks, and likely literary style with a human author.
My own companion animals were pretty easy to match up.
Sara, my 19-year old brown tabby cat, would clearly be one of the classic older ladies of the English murder mystery genre. Perhaps Agatha Christie, but I think really of a writer who had a bit more edge, like Ruth Rendell. Much darker things happen in Rendell's books than Christie's, and even thought Sara is an affectionate cat, she is a cat, and was also quite a hunter in her day.
Misty, our 6-year old Turkish Angora who was rescued from kitty death row, where she was placed for having a personality disorder that made her "unadoptable", would be a perfect Gillian Flynn, author of the disturbing books Gone Girl, Dark Places, and Sharp Objects. Misty is beautiful, but beware what lurks in that brain. I call her the Ferocious Beauty for good reason!
Marble, the new kid on the block, is hip and eccentric and a little wild, so I am picking Dave Eggers for him. Maybe Eggers, perhaps best known for A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, is a dog guy. I don't know, but Marble would be a good hipster author who can be funny and profound and will always do things a little differently. And sometimes follows you around like a dog.
And then there is Einstein. Einstein is not named for his staggering genius, but for his unruly fur. I think he should be a humorist, and I know Dave Barry likes dogs because he has written about them frequently. And his bangs hang in his face, like Einstein's.
Of course, I have to delve into memories of pets past as well. Our dearly beloved Ben, the classic orange tabby with a heart of gold, would be Calvin Trillin, winner of the 2013 Thurber Prize for American Humor. He's a classic himself.
Then there is the dynamic dog duo, Bingo and Sadie. Bingo was a ham, always taking credit for Sadie's work. She was a lovable free-spirit. If we took them to the beach and threw sticks in the water, Sadie would swim out to retrieve them, but as soon as she got to shore, Bingo would grab them from her and run over all proud for having supposedly retrieved them himself. Obviously, to me, they are F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
I can go on like this for hours. Now I've started matching up animals at the shelter with their literary doppelgängers.
When I first saw Mordecai the mastiff, his stateliness made me think of Charles Dickens, the venerable author of so many icons of English literature. But I have revised my opinion lately to thinking he is really John Steinbeck, the venerable author of so many icons of American literature. Steinbeck, by the way, wrote a lovely book about his Standard Poodle Charley.
When I saw scrappy little dachshund mix Facebook, I immediately thought of Alexander McCall Smith, prolific author of the series The Number One Ladies Detective Agency, The Sunday Philosophy Club, Portuguese Irregular Verbs, and Scotland Street. He has an infectious personality and his books are light and fun.
I picked David Foster Wallace for Joey, mostly because for some reason he just looks like he'd write some of my favorite essays like Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. Joey will not follow in DFW's footsteps in terms of early, self-inflicted death. Joey will live to be a grumpy old man cat with a sense of humor.
I'll just do one more. Like I said, I could do this for hours. I read a lot, and I see a lot of animals in the course of my day.
Another of my favorite writers is Anne Tyler. I don't know why it took me a little while to realize she would be my recent foster cat Merida. There is a sweetness to Tyler's books, along with a faint melancholy, and always a theme of family and relationships. Merida is a sweetheart, had a rough start in life, is looking for her forever family, and could easily be the central character in a Tyler book if Tyler wrote books about cats.
Maybe some day I'll actually write and publish a book. I hope so. I have a great author photo ready to go–I look serious and moody.
And then maybe someone will pair me up with my animal doppelgänger. I'm hoping for a sleek, dignified beauty, like an Irish Setter.
But I won't be surprised if it is a roly poly kitten, either.


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We are an non-profit organization that brings amateur and professional craftspeople together. Our members cover the complete spectrum of woodworkers from hobbyists to professionals, from new comers to lifelong woodworkers. The common interest is they all want to learn more about the craft and improve their woodworking skills. The North Texas Woodworkers Association was founded in April 1991.
The primary purpose of the NTWA is to promote the craft of woodworking, and assist in the improvement of the memberships skills and abilities at all levels of experience. This is accomplished by seminars, workshops, demonstrations sharing of information about woodworking techniques, tools, sources for supplies, and networking with other members.
We invite you to attend a meeting: Learn More
To find out more about our organization see our Club Information page. Our meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at:
Party Barn
5948 McKamy Trail
Plano, TX 75024
Please see the events page for details.
Subscribe to our mailing list
If you'd like to keep up with club activities and receive our monthly newsletter, simply complete and submit the form below:


text:
I stopped by Ray Chapman's grave last weekend to see what the latest offerings were. The Cleveland Indians' Chappie has been gone for 93 years, and yet, still the pilgrims come to see his grave and pay their respects.
The latest offerings
January 29, 2013 by Ashley
41.514234 -81.588378
2 Responses
on January 30, 2013 at 11:28 am | Blake Andrews
The timing of your picture today was ironic. I was on find-a-grave and I saw his wife, Katie Daly Chapman McMahon's grave. Her bio said she never really recovered from her husband Ray Chapman's death. I had such a sense of sadness for her. And then I saw your daily post on him.


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At Aardman we respect your privacy, and we are committed to keeping all your personal data secure. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use personal data in connection with this website.
2 Children
3 Information we may collect from you
4 Information we may receive from other sources
5 Special categories of personal data
6 Cookies
7 Lawful processing of your personal data
8 Uses made of your personal data
10 Marketing
11 Disclosure of your information
12 Where we transfer and store your personal data
13 How we safeguard your information
15 How long we keep your personal data
16 Your rights
19 Contact
20 Changes to our Privacy Policy
1 Introduction
This site at https://wallaceandgromit.com/ (including any related online or mobile site) (the "site") is operated by Aardman Animations Limited ("Aardman", "we", "us" or "our"). We are a company registered in the UK with company number 02050843 and with our registered office at Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, BS1 6UN.
For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR), and/or any equivalent data protection laws that apply in England and Wales, Aardman is a "data controller". That means that we retain control over, and are responsible for, all personal data collected on this site and must ensure that we use those personal data in compliance with data protection laws.
In this Privacy Policy, "personal data" or "personal information" means any data about a living individual who can be identified either from those data alone, or from those data when combined with other information that is in the possession of, or is likely to come into the possession of, us (or our representatives or service providers). In addition to factual information, it may also include digital or online identifiers like IP addresses, any expression of opinion about an individual and any indication of our intentions or the intentions of any other person in respect of an individual.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal information and how we will treat it. By continuing to use this site, you acknowledge our collection, storage and use of your personal information as described below.
2 Children
We do not generally seek to collect personal data from children. We will only collect personal data from children for specific, limited purposes, such as competitions. If we do seek personal data from children, we will use separate, specific privacy notices for that collection, which will govern the use of those data. If there is no separate privacy notice in place and it becomes apparent to us that children have in fact sent personal data to us (contained in an email for example), the information will be deleted.
3 Information we may collect from you
We may collect the following data from you during your visit to the site:
4 Information we may receive from other sources
Occasionally we may receive information about you (including personal data) from other sources. For example:
If there is a separate privacy notice governing the collection of your data, then that privacy notice will apply. If there is no separate privacy notice, or to the extent that such notice does not provide information equivalent to the information set out in this Privacy Policy, then we will process information about you that we receive from third parties and/or other sources in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract that we have with you and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract that we have or are trying to enter into with you. If so, we shall notify you if that is the case at the time.
5 Special categories of personal data
We do not seek to collect any special categories of personal data about you: those would include details of a person's race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, health information, genetic and biometric data and information about criminal convictions and offences. If, however, when using any interactive feature of the site (such as an online contact form or questionnaire), you in fact provide us with any such special data or information about criminal convictions and offences, then by submitting such data/information, we'll assume that you are happy for us to use such data/information for (a) the purpose for which you have voluntarily provided such data/information and (b) any purpose that is reasonably compatible with such purpose. You may withdraw that permission at any time by contacting us.
6 Cookies
Certain "cookies" (small text files) may be sent to your device when you access and use our site.
For detailed information on the cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them, please see our cookies policy at section 18 below.
7 Lawful processing of your personal data
However we use your personal data, we make sure that our use complies with lawful bases for using or processing your personal data. We may rely on one or more of these bases when we process your personal data. The bases include where:
If we are processing your personal data because this is necessary for our legitimate interests, then we may continue to do so unless you have a right to object to this (please see "Your rights" at section 16 below).
Please note that, if we need to process your personal data in order to operate the site and/or to provide our products, content and services, and you object or (if we require consent) you do not consent to our processing your personal data, then the site and/or those goods and services may not be available to you.
8 Uses made of your personal data
Your personal data may be stored and processed by us for the purposes listed below and in accordance with the lawful bases listed below.
Please note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful basis depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific lawful bases we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out below.
Lawful bases for processing
To provide the site and to ensure that content from the site is presented in an effective and user-friendly manner for you and for your device.
Necessary for our legitimate interests (for running our site, to keep our site updated and relevant, customer interaction and customer relations and the provision of administration and IT services).
To investigate and address any comments, queries or complaints, or to fix any problems, notified to us by you or other users of the site.
To encourage and allow you to participate in interactive features on our site, including competitions, prize draws, promotions or surveys (for which see section 9 below), when you choose to do so.
For ongoing review and improvement of our site and its security, including technical analysis and statistical monitoring to detect and prevent any potential disruptions, system failures, cyber-attacks or malicious data from affecting our IT systems or any data held by us.
Necessary for our legitimate interests (for running our site, analysis of site and business performance, the provision of administration and IT services, network security and the protection of our site, systems and data).
To conduct research, statistical analysis and behavioural analysis on our site users and their behaviour (including anonymizing data for those purposes), and to create and share insights based on aggregated, anonymous data collected through such research and analysis (provided that individual users are not identifiable from such insights).
Necessary for our legitimate interests (to study how people use our site and interactive features and to create and share anonymised insights with business partners and third parties).
For the management and administration of our business.
To disclose your information to specified third parties as permitted by this Privacy Policy (see section 11 below).
In order to comply with and/or assess compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, and our internal policies and procedures, which includes processing personal data as reasonably required in order to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or for the purpose of legal proceedings.
Change of purpose
We shall only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected the data, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use such data for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you would like to get an explanation of how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us.
If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we shall notify you and we will explain the legal basis on which we intend to rely.
Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, if and to the extent that this is required or permitted by law.
9 Competitions
From time to time we may run competitions, prize draws, promotions or surveys (referred to here collectively as "competitions").
We may well need to process your personal data for you to take part in competitions and, if you are a winner, to contact you about your prize (including sending prizes to you through a postal service or courier) and use your details in accordance with the following paragraph. We will not use your personal data for any other purpose, including sharing it with third parties (besides postal services or couriers), unless we have notified you of this separately in writing before doing so.
The winner's first name may be posted on our websites and/or social media channels that relate to the competition. In addition, under applicable competition rules (including the CAP code), a winner's first name, surname and county must be made available to individuals who request this information within a certain period after a competition has ended (usually around thirty (30) days). We will make this information available in accordance with the CAP code as it is in our legitimate interests to comply with applicable competition rules. Further information about the CAP code is available at https://www.asa.org.uk/about-asa-and-cap.html. If you have any questions about how we run competitions please email email@example.com.
We may issue a separate privacy notice for a specific competition, which sets out how we will use personal data for that competition. In those circumstances we will provide you with the separate privacy notice at the time you submit your personal data. If we do not issue a separate privacy notice then this privacy policy will apply to our processing of personal data for competitions. If we do issue a separate privacy notice and there is any inconsistency between that notice and this Privacy Policy, then the separate notice will take precedence over this Privacy Policy.
10 Marketing
We will never process your personal data, or share it with third parties, for marketing purposes unless you have specifically consented to us doing so in advance.
11 Disclosure of your information
Except for the disclosures set out below, or any other disclosures that we may notify to you in separate privacy notices from time to time, we will take steps to ensure that your personal information is accessed and processed only by personnel of Aardman that have a need to do so for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
We may share your personal data with any member of our group, which means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, as defined in section 1159 of the UK Companies Act 2006.
We may also share your personal data with third parties as further described below:
12 Where we transfer and store your personal data
The personal data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area, which currently comprises the EU member states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein ("EEA"). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. Such staff maybe engaged in, among other things, the provision of support services to us (or you) in relation to our interactions with you.
Where we transfer your personal data to another country outside the EEA, we will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your personal data are treated securely and in a manner consistent with legal requirements and this Privacy Policy. In relation to data transferred outside the EEA, for example, this may be done in one of the following ways:
You can obtain more details of the protection given to your personal data when transferred outside the EEA by contacting us using the contact details provided below.
13 How we safeguard your information
We have extensive controls in place to maintain the security of our information and information systems. Files are protected with safeguards according to the sensitivity of the relevant information, including hashing or data encryption where appropriate. Appropriate controls (such as restricted access) are placed on our computer systems. Physical access to areas where personal data are gathered, processed or stored is limited to authorised employees.
As a condition of employment, our employees are required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including in relation to data protection law. Unauthorised use or disclosure of confidential information (including personal data) by an employee of Aardman is prohibited and may result in disciplinary measures.
If you contact us about your information, you may be asked for some personal data for identification purposes. This type of safeguard is designed to ensure that only you, or someone authorised by you, has access to your information.
14 Internet risks
Despite the safeguards set out in this Privacy Policy, unfortunately the transmission of information by online or mobile means is not completely secure. Aardman cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted to this site, and for that reason any transmission you make is at your own risk. We recommend that you use anti-virus, firewall and/or other security protections according to your own analysis of your security requirements. Once we have received your personal data, we will use the procedures and security features set out in this Privacy Policy to try to prevent unauthorised access to, or loss or destruction of, your personal data.
15 How long we keep your personal data
How long we will hold your personal data for will vary and will be determined by the following criteria:
In some circumstances we may anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes, in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.
16 Your rights
Where we collect, use or store your personal data under this Privacy Policy, you may, depending on your circumstances, have the following rights:
To find out more about your legal rights, please see the ICO's website (www.ico.org.uk).
You can exercise your rights above at any time by contacting us at Aardman Animations Limited, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, BS1 6UN or firstname.lastname@example.com, giving us enough information to identify you and to respond to your request.
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). We may, however, charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in those circumstances.
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we shall notify you and keep you updated.
17 Other websites
If you follow a link to another website (including any website operated by Aardman), different privacy policies may apply. You should read those policies before you submit any personal data to those websites, and please note that use of your personal data by those websites will be subject to those privacy policies.
In particular, please be aware that the Aardstore at www.aardstore.com/ and the Aardman By Me online store at https://aardmanbyme.com/ are not run by Aardman. The Aardstore is run by "Digital Stores", a trading name of Universal Music Direct Limited, and Aardman By Me is run by Custom Gateway Ltd. Both the Aardstore and Aardman By Me are subject to separate privacy policies which are available at https://www.aardstore.com/privacy/ and https://aardmanbyme.com/privacy-policy respectively. Aardman is not responsible for the collection or use of any personal information that is submitted to or through the Aardstore or Aardman By Me.
18 Cookies policy
Our websites (including this site and other online and mobile sites run by Aardman) use cookies and other tracking and monitoring software to distinguish you from other users of our site and to collect technical information about the services that you use and how you use them. This information helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our sites, allows us to improve our sites and our services, and allows us to compile statistical reports on site visitors and site activity. Cookies do not affect your security, since a cookie cannot read data off your system or read cookie files created by other sites.
The information that we collect through our use of cookies, to the extent that you are individually identifiable from it, constitutes personal data, and we will protect it according to the standards and processes set out in this Privacy Policy.
Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies, over which we have no control. These cookies are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies.
You can set your device or system not to accept cookies if you wish (for example, by changing your default browser settings so that cookies are not accepted), but please note that some of our site features may not function if you remove cookies from your system. For further general information about cookies please visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.
Cookies we use
We use the following cookies and similar tracking technologies on this site:
We have no control over cookies that are placed by Google Analytics or third party social media companies. We recommend you check their privacy policies to ensure you are happy to accept these cookies.
19 Contact
Questions, comments and requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal data are welcomed and should be addressed to:
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you may escalate concerns to the applicable privacy regulator in your jurisdiction, which for the UK is the ICO (see section 16 above for their contact details).
20 Changes to our Privacy Policy
Any changes we may make to our Privacy Policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by email.
Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our Privacy Policy.
Last modified: 25 May 2018


text:
Tech companies driving the lobbying on immigration
- Quarterly lobbying reports show tech%27s leading role in immigration debate
- Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg funding pro-immigration ad push
- Traditional immigration advocates swamped by tech%27s heavy spending
WASHINGTON – Seven technology companies and a software association – all with interests in shaping the immigration debate now underway in Congress -- each spent more than $1 million on their federal lobbying efforts during the first three months of this year, new reports shows.
Their spending, totaling $13.8 million, swamps the $80,000 one longtime immigration advocate, the National Council of La Raza, spent on lobbying during the same time period. The spending is one part of the tech industry's new advocacy push to shape a leading Senate proposal that would dramatically expand the temporary visas and green cards given to foreign workers in the technology field.
Among the biggest increases: lobbying by Facebook, which soared to $2.45 million, up from $650,000 during the same period last year and $1.4 million during the last three months of 2012.
In a separate move from his company's official lobbying activity, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has assembled some of the Silicon Valley's wealthiest figures, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Google chairman Eric Schmidt, to underwrite FWD.us, a non-profit group aimed at building public and congressional support for a large-scale rewrite of U.S. immigration policy.
To advance the cause, the Zuckerberg group also has launched two subsidiaries with vague, patriotic-sounding names -- Americans for a Conservative Direction and the Council for American Job Growth, designed to appeal to conservative and liberal and independent voters, respectively.
Americans for a Conservative Direction currently is running ads in six states that feature clips of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of eight lawmakers behind the Senate's leading immigration bill, touting the measure's border-security provisions. A separate ad backs South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, another Republican member of the Senate's "Gang of Eight."
Its sister group, meanwhile, is running ads in Alaska praising Sen. Mark Begich's economic record. Begich is not among the immigration bill's authors, but he is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate up for re-election in 2014. Neither the Graham nor Begich ads mention immigration.
The technology sector stands to make big gains under the Senate plan, which dramatically changes the way the federal government grants visas and green cards to future immigrants.
Currently, most green cards are issued based on family ties to U.S. citizens. In 2012, only 14% of immigrants – nearly 144,000 people -- were granted green cards tied to employment, according to data compiled by the Department of Homeland Security. Under the Senate plan, about 50% of future green cards would be employment-based.
Some family-based immigration would be curtailed.
The Senate bill would end the practice of allowing U.S. citizens to petition for green cards for their siblings 18 months after the measure becomes law. Nearly 60,000 siblings of U.S. citizens became permanent residents through that program in 2012, but the backlog for some countries is enormous. This month, the federal government started processing visas for siblings in the Philippines who first applied in August 1989.
The Senate bill also includes another measure long sought by the technology industry by increasing the annual cap on the number of temporary H1B visas from 85,000 to 205,000. These visas go primarily to college-educated foreigners in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
"The aim is to remake the immigration system so it has a much clearer economic focus," Graham said in a statement about the bill's goals. "Green cards should be viewed as economic engines for the country."
Technology groups say the suspension of the sibling program is the result of political compromise between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill -- not their lobbying efforts.
"We fully support family immigration to the United States," said Scott Corley, executive director of Compete America, a coalition of businesses and universities promoting high-skilled immigration. Its members include Facebook, Intel and Google. "Many people who started companies in this country came through the family immigration system."
"We don't go and talk about 'what can we take from other people in order to get our provisions in order to get our provisions done?' " he said.
The new lobbying reports show technology companies seeking to influence policy on a wide range of topics from cyber security and online privacy to tax policy. Companies do not have to report how much they spend on a particular issues, such as immigration.
Facebook officials said their lobbying expenses increased dramatically during the first quarter of this year because of a one-time compensation boost as restricted stock was transferred to some employees.
Even so, the company has increased its presence in Washington. Thirty-eight federal lobbyists represented the company in 2012, up from two lobbyists in 2009, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan group that monitors lobbying spending.
The tech industry "needs a modernized, high-skilled immigration system in order to keep growing ... and the Senate bill moves us in the right direction," Facebook spokeswoman Jodi Seth said in an e-mail. She said the company has not been involved in talks to end the sibling program.
Clarissa Martinez with the National Council of La Raza said the lack of a powerful lobby behind family unity in the U.S. visa system has made it difficult to defend. Programs that are cut in the Senate bill – including the ability of a U.S. citizen to petition for a sibling – have been under threat for years because it is difficult to muster a powerful coalition behind them.
"There's less defined, moneyed interest arguing for that," Martinez said. "Perhaps that's part of the reason some of these categories have always had a bull's-eye on their back."
Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a group that advocates for immigrants' rights, tech companies are not the impetus for Washington's sudden interest in immigration – six years after the Congress's last attempt to overhaul the system, he said. The 2012 elections – where Republican candidate Mitt Romney garnered only 27% of the Hispanic vote – are driving the GOP to get on board with a broad immigration bill, he added.
"Bill Gates has been coming to Washington for the last decade pounding the table and saying, 'We need high-skilled visas,' and he's been unsuccessful," Sharry said. "This is an issue that turns more on votes than on dollars."
But now that the entire immigration system is finally open for debate, Sharry said, Silicon Valley has been able to capitalize on the developments and potentially secure thousands of new work-related visas.


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MARKETING PHOTOS with Mary Virginia Swanson
I passed a billboard in an airport last week that claimed 1,200,000 was the number of people who posted to blogs every day. Amazing. So today I inaugurate my blog, MARKETING PHOTOS with Mary Virginia Swanson, which I intend to use as a space to share thoughts about great work I've seen ("MVS Photo Favorites"), articles not to be missed ("Reading Matters"), competitions to enter ("Upcoming Deadlines") and "Market Musings." NYC and internet-based gallerist Jen Bekman, whom I met at the recent PhotoPlus Expo, shared with me that a daily writing routine has been essential for her as an influential blogger, and I shall aspire to do the same. I travel frequently and trust that my observations will likely reference a broad range of material pertinent to many of my readers. Visit often to stay current.


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When I visit digg, I most often get ads for shoes available at Cole Haan and Nine West. Incidentally, I happen to like shoes from those retailers, and although I don't really need to buy new shoes, I find myself clicking through on occasion to see what's goin' on in the world of overpriced footwear. One could say I'm the perfect victim for targeted advertising, and I would agree.
These days, the only Internet users who aren't aware that some of their activities are being tracked and used for marketing purposes are those who just joined yesterday. In fact, almost three-quarters of those surveyed by TNS Global on behalf of consumer privacy organization TRUSTe said that they are aware that their browsing history "may be collected" for advertising purposes. They're not necessarily happy about it, though, and almost all have indicated that they would like to have more of a say in how their information is used.
TNS randomly selected 1,015 nationally representative adults in the US "whose households belong to TNS's online consumer panel" for its survey. Although only 40 percent of the group was familiar with the term "behavioral targeting," most users were well aware of the practice. 57 percent reported that they weren't comfortable their activities tracked for advertising purposes, even if the information couldn't be tied to their names or real-life identities.
Shocking! A Cole Haan ad, again
Simultaneously, 72 percent of those surveyed said that they find online advertising annoying when the ads are not relevant to their needs, and 87 percent of the group said that under a quarter of ads are well-targeted towards them. 58 percent said that zero to 10 percent of ads are well-targeted.
TRUSTe notes that this attitude presents a conundrum for advertisers, who are simultaneously being told that consumers want to see more relevant ads but don't want to have their activities tracked in order to make those ads relevant. "[N]o matter how much we assure anonymity, there is still significant discomfort with the idea of tracking," TRUSTe executive director Fran Maier said in a statement. "We have a solid indication that consumers want us to find a way to get them the advertising that is relevant to them. In order to do this, behavioral targeting is one of the most promising methods, but at the very least, it has to be made more transparent, provide choices, and deliver real value."
In fact, an overwhelming majority (91 percent) of the respondents said that they would be willing to act in one way or another to help ensure better privacy when it comes to targeted advertising if presented with the proper tools. 64 percent said that they would willingly view ads from a list of online stores and brands that they know, and 44 percent said that they would "click buttons or icons to make that happen." On the flip side, another 42 percent said that they would opt out of any and all tracking if they could, even if they had to view ads that weren't as relevant to them.
TRUSTe believes that education is the key to striking a balance between behavioral targeting and privacy, although the organization does not go into detail about what that education would entail. Still, given the level of scrutiny that behaviorally targeted advertising has gotten over the last few years, more transparency on the part of marketers could go a long way in smoothing over relations with the customers they hope to woo.
Further reading:
- Found via Silicon Alley Insider: Bad News For Google, Yahoo: Surfers Know They're Being Tracked, And Hate It


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Top-seeded Syracuse narrowly avoids colossal upset against No. 16 seed UNC-Asheville
PITTSBURGH - Syracuse was missing its starting center. North Carolina-Asheville thought the Orange got help from three men in striped shirts.
With Syracuse facing the kind of NCAA tournament history no team wants to make, the top-seeded Orange rallied for a 72-65 victory Thursday in the second round of the East Regional.
Two calls by the officials had the sellout crowd of 18,927 at Concol Energy Center - except for those wearing orange - booing throughout the final minute but it didn't matter.
Syracuse made it 109-0 for No. 1 seeds against No. 16s since the NCAA went to a field of 64 in 1985.
"I don't think luck had anything to do with this game today," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said, "and I think the better team won."
The Orange were staring at NCAA tournament history. A No. 1 seed has never lost to a No. 16 seed, and they were trailing North Carolina-Asheville with just over 6 minutes to play.
"We gave it everything we had. We battled the best that we could," Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach said. "These guys are great. They deserved a better fate than they had today."
Syracuse, which won the national championship in 2003, had already made negative history in the tournament, becoming the first No. 2 seed to lose to a 15 when it fell 73-69 to Richmond in 1991.
The Orange managed to avoid adding another black mark by holding Asheville to one field goal over the final minute while they went 6 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Syracuse was playing without 7-foot center Fab Melo, who was declared ineligible for academic reasons by the school and will miss the tournament.
"The fact that this game was close had nothing - nothing - to do with the center position," Boeheim said.
Syracuse (32-2) will play eighth-seeded Kansas State in the third round on Saturday. The Wildcats beat Southern Mississippi 70-64.
The Bulldogs (24-10), who talked Wednesday about pulling off the upset, were led by J.P. Primm's 18 points.
They led 34-30 at halftime - the third 16 to do that - but the Orange took the lead for good with 6:17 left on a turnaround jumper by reserve James Southerland, who had 15 points and a season-high eight rebounds.
"James has to continue to make the shots and I think he will," Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine said. "I'm happy for him because he's a big part of our offense and today he showed it."
Southerland, who scored 13 points in the second half, had three of the Orange's five 3-pointers.
"James came in, gave us a huge lift off the bench," Boeheim said of the 6-foot-8 junior.
The Bulldogs got within three points three times in the final 1:04 but could get no closer as Syracuse made its free throws and the officials made a couple of controversial calls.
The first call that caused the crowd to react was a lane violation with 1:20 left. Jardine missed the front end of a 1-and-1 but Primm was called for passing the head of the key before Jardine let the shot go. Jardine got to shoot the front end again, made it, and made the second for a 64-58 lead.
"They gave me a second chance to make the shot and I made it," Jardine said. "I got myself into a rhythm. I made every free throw from there on out because I do what I practice and believed in myself at that time and made the shots for us."
Primm said: "They showed it on the replay, I think the crowd let him know that it wasn't the right call. ... Like I said, when it gets crunch time like that, like I say, everyone is human."
With 35 seconds left and the Orange leading 66-63, the ball appeared to go out of bounds off Syracuse's Brandon Triche but the officials pointed the other way and gave it to the Orange. Jardine made two free throws a second later.
Coordinator of Officiating John Adams said he would have given the ball to UNC Asheville on the inbounds play.
"The out of bounds is not reviewable and it is not a play we would discuss," official Ed Corbett told a pool reporter. "I'm not going to comment further because it is a judgment call. It was a clear (lane) violation. The player released early, before the ball hit the rim. We've since watched the replay 20 times and it was the right call."
Boeheim had his own take on the play with Triche.
"First of all, all the noise about the ball going out of bounds, I mean, Triche got pushed. That's why it went out of bounds," he said. "Maybe they missed the out of bounds, they missed the foul call. Those things equal out."
Inexplicably the Orange kept shooting 3-pointers and missing. Despite having a huge height advantage - Asheville's talllest starter was 6-foot-5, bigger only than the Syracuse guards - the Orange kept taking 3s against the Bulldogs' 2-3 zone, which isn't as well known as the one Syracuse has played for decades but was just as effective Thursday.
The height advantage didn't do much for the Orange as far as rebounding went either as they had 33, one more than the Bulldogs. Then again, Syracuse was outrebounded by its opponents for the season.
"We just played a good 2-3 zone and mixed it up a little bit, playing man-to-man on one possession, zone on the other, just enough to try to keep 'em off balance," Biedenbach said
Kris Joseph and Dion Waiters both had 12 points for Syracuse, which played its fourth game this season without Melo, the Big East defensive player of the year who missed three games in January over academic issues. The Orange are 3-1 without him.
"We (would) love to have him, but it's about us playing the game," Jardine said. "We got a lot of guys that stepped up today."
Jaron Lane added 16 points and Jeremy Atkinson had 12 for the Bulldogs, whose leading scorer, Matt Dickey, went 1 for 13 from the field, 1 of 9 from 3. Asheville went 9 of 23 from beyond the arc.
"The excitement of the game was crazy. It was March Madness at its finest," Dickey said. "It was awesome and we'll cherish this moment and the opportunity that we had but we'll always look back at this moment and say we should have won or could have won, but that's not enough."
Other No. 1s have trailed a 16 at halftime, the last Kansas, which was behind by two points before going on to beat Holy Cross 70-59 in 2002.
There have been two one-point wins by No. 1s over 16s - Georgetown over Princeton and Oklahoma over East Tennessee State, both in 1989. And there was one two-point game - Purdue over Western Carolina in 1996 - and one that went overtime - Michigan State 75-71 over Murray State in 1990.
Boeheim earned his 46th win in the NCAA tournament, breaking a tie with Bob Knight for seventh on the career list.


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Da Vinci Design and Da Vinci Science Charter High Schools in west Hawthorne will host an informational meeting for the families of prospective students on Thursday evening.
The event from 6-7:30 p.m. will be in the multipurpose room at 13500 Aviation Blvd. in Hawthorne. It will include an overview of Da Vinci's project-based curriculum and signature programs and practices, as well as presentations by staff, current students and families.
The Da Vinci Innovation Academy, a K-8 school combining school-site instruction with home-based learning, will host an information meeting in the same room at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The K-12 application deadline for admission to Da Vinci Schools is 4 p.m. March 1. Da Vinci Schools are free, public charter schools open to all students in California. Admission is by lottery.
For more information and to download an application, visit www.davincischools.org, call 310-725-5800,
Ext. 2902, or email enrollment@


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http://blogs.testbit.eu//timj/2009/04/09/09042009-gtk-3-roadmap-participation/ (page moved)
Lots and lots of things have been going on around me lately, but that's best left for other posts if I ever get around to do them. ;)
A few months ago, I've sat down with quite some help by others and collected the input and feedback around Gtk+ 3.0. The outcome of that was a first Gtk+ 3 Roadmap draft that was sent around to the core team.
After some recent poking, the draft has now been posted on the Gtk+ development list, here is the Gtk+ 3 Roadmap Draft Announcement.
I'd like to thank everyone who participated in the fruitful discussions leading to this and particularly Stormy and Dave Neary for their suggestions on the post-draft process.
Cody Russell has kindly volunteered to wikify the roadmap, so future alterations will be easy. I much appreciate his initiative, especially because I can't foresee to have much time around the roadmap personally in the near future.
The roadmap draft is best discussed on the mailing list and provided online here: Gtk+ 3 Roadmap Draft
This roadmap is also a call for participation to all developers and contributors.
If you have an interest in Gtk+ 3, this is the time to participate in constructive discussions around the roadmap or sign up for one of the many development tasks.
I sincerely hope this is helpful for everyone.
Es ist nicht deine Schuld daß die Welt ist wie sie ist.Es wär' nur deine Schuld wenn sie so bleibt.
— Die Ärzte


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So this week in Biology class we had to do a heart dissection. It was terrible. I was dreading the class before the week even started. I can't handle meat most of the time, forcing it down at meals as my family doesn't allow me to be vegetarian anymore, but the hearts were on a whole new level of NO.
They were all vaccum packed together, then sitting in a tray, and I felt sick JUST seeing them. I don't even care that the animals died naturally. I don't do dissecting. I don't do dead things.
We were allowed to go in groups, of our choice and it was one group per row in te Lab, so I went as far away from the heat as physically possible, toward the window, already feeling sick, light headed and disgusted.
Then, someone on the row behind me slaps down a heart right in my sight, blood splattering all over the desk and I nearly vomit. I walk out of the class, the teacher telling me to sit in the corridor until the faint feeling passes.
Seeing it made me feel so sick! It was horrible, and I couldn't deal with a heart in the table. A HEART. It just seemed wrong, immoral. I didn't eat meat for months, and by the end I was practically vegan.
And seeing the heart just brought all of that back, and how I want to be vegetarian again and made me feel sick at myself for the past moths where I've been eating meat and not standing up to my parents and saying "no" to meat.
What should I do,
As always,


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If you're craving a dose of subcompact Italian performance but the upcoming Fiat Abarth 695 Maserati Edition isn't quite your style, our friends at Bring a Trailer may have the cure for what ails you: a 1968 Fiat Abarth 595 SS.
Of course, the newer Abarth has the upper hand where performance is concerned--compare the tuned 695's 180 hp with the 595's meager 28 hp--but it's tough to fit the classic coupe's quirky charm onto a spec sheet. The same is true inside the car: Although the plush leather interior of the 695 boasts Maserati-grade luxury, the Spartan cockpit of the 595 sits in a truly iconic, historically significant automobile.
There are more than a few classic Abarth clones out there, but the seller claims that this 595, which he imported from Italy, is the real deal. A fresh coat of white paint and a handful of NOS replacement parts are allegedly the only nonoriginal components on the vehicle.
Prospective buyers still have a few days to dream of summer fun behind the wheel of the diminutive Abarth, which is in San Mateo, Calif. Bidding on the vehicle ends May 23.


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No Harsher CFAA! Support Aaron's Law Instead
It's a slap in the face: The whole Internet is clamoring for reform of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act because it stifles innovation and even imprisons activists and innovators like Aaron Swartz. (And could easily have been used against Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and countless others.)
So what are some Republicans in the House thinking about doing? Expanding it, and instituting even harsher penalties.
This is completely unacceptable. Add your name at right to tell your lawmakers to oppose harsher CFAA penalties.
The new law would heighten penalties -- creating the possibility of up to 30 years in prison for a single broadly-defined offense -- make it easy to be considered a conspirator, and entrench law enforcement's assertions that they should be able to put you in prison for violating terms of serivce agreements!
You can read the proposal and more analysis of it here.
This is an awful affront to all of the work we've been doing and to the cries for justice in the wake of Aaron's passing. Please help us beat this thing down!
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|If you're already on Twitter, click here to tweet about the campaign: