21st century

What Trump's NSA Nominee Said On India's Pivotal Role In The 21st Century

Mike Waltz, named National Security Adviser by President-elect Donald Trump, emphasised that he was excited about the enormous momentum in the partnership between US and India - the oldest and the largest democracies in the world.




21st century

India's infrastructure push to be among largest in 21st century: KPMG

India is likely to see implementation of one of the biggest infrastructure programmes in 21st century, amongst the largest economies and creating fiscal sources of capital would be key to this initiative, according to a KPMG report.




21st century

India's infrastructure push to be among largest in 21st century: KPMG




21st century

21st Century technology brings truth closer

A new partner ministry broadcasting Urdu-speaking programmes to 360+ million who speak it, is giving them hope for eternity.




21st century

Harvey Kubernik's "Docs That Rock, Music That Matters" Is the Documentary Music History Book for the 21st Century.

Harvey Kubernik's "Docs That Rock, Music That Matters" is now available through Amazon.




21st century

Condems, Bringing 19th Century Values to 21st Century Britain.

Captioned Photo Kindly provided by Christos Palmer

I was reading "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens yesterday, a book written in 1843, and I'd like to share this excerpt from the first chapter.

Two men enter Scrooges office on Christmas eve asking for charity for the poor.

.... "at this festive season of the year Mr Scrooge," said the gentlemen, taking up a pen "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some light provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common comforts sir."

"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.

"Plenty of prisons" said the gentlemen. Laying down the pen again.

"And the union work houses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"

"They are still" returned the gentleman "I wish I could say they were not"

"The treadmill and the poor law are in full vigour then?" said Scrooge.

"Both very busy sir"

"Oh! I was  afraid from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their Useful course", said Scrooge "I'm very glad to hear it".

"Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body in the multitude" returned the gentlemen "  few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the poor some meat drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because of all others, when want is keenly felt, and abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?"

"Nothing!" Scrooge replied

"You wish to be anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone" said Scrooge "since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen that is my answer. I don't make merry myself and I can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned - they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there."

"Many can't go there; and many would rather die"

"If they would rather die" said Scrooge "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Besides - excuse me but I do not know that"

"But you might know it" observed the gentlemen.

"It is not my business" Scrooge returned "it is enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to intrude with other peoples. Mine occupies me constantly. Good afternoon gentlemen."

Seeing Clearly that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentlemen withdrew. Scrooge resumed his labours with an improved opinion of himself, and an even more facitious temper than was usual with him...


As you can see the attitude towards the poor and destitute in Britain is becoming chillingly close to that of 19th century Britain. The current government is bringing values from that century that even the Victorians were ashamed of  and sought to bring to public attention the hypocrisy and barbarism of as early as 1843 to this century.

So before you harshly judge a benefit claimant as workshy or a scrounger remember, the welfare state was bought in to put a stop to the inhumane methods of dealing with the poor used before it's creation. The benefit claimants of today are no different to the poor and destitute of the Victorian era. Do not let the government drag us back to the 19th century with their propaganda about "benefit dependency" and "tough love".

The only thing that will end benefit dependency and help the long term unemployed and sick and disabled back to work is job creation, and a more sympathetic and helpful attitude towards them, that enables them to get work and remain employed. Labeling, hounding and cutting off benefits will not help anyone except the government in their endeavours to save money, caused by a crisis they created with their relentless pursuit of profit over humanity. 




21st century

St John Chrysostom in the 21st Century

The 1600Th anniversary of the repose of Saint John Chrysostom - one of Orthodoxy's most venerated church fathers, theologians, moralists, and liturgists - was September 14Th. To commemorate the special occasion, Illumined Heart co-host Kevin Allen spoke with Chrysostom scholar and pastor of Saint Andrew Orthodox Church, Riverside, California, Father Josiah Trenham, about the venerated Saint's enduring legacy.




21st century

Orthodox Theological Education in the 21st Century

In honor of the 75th anniversary of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Bobby Maddex interviews Fr. John Behr, the Dean of the school, about what it means when we talk about an Orthodox theological education and why it is important.




21st century

Orthodox Christian Churches in 21st Century America

Bobby Maddex interviews Alexei D. Krindatch, the Research Coordinator of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, about a new study titled "Orthodox Christian Churches in 21st Century America: A Parish Life Study."




21st century

SMS Banking Services: A 21st Century Innovation in Banking Technology




21st century

Training Librarians for 21st Century Repository Services: Emerging Trends

The paper reviewed the emerging roles of the 21st century librarians, charged with the responsibility to manage repository services across libraries in present-day information technology environment. Librarians need to be trained and empowered with requisite skills and knowledge needed for successful management of the ICT driven repository initiatives that the 21st century demands. Literature was reviewed on the roles and responsibilities of librarians, training needs and opportunities, career path and recruitment of librarians, and community support necessary for effective and efficient implementation and management of repository initiatives. This entails the ability to comprehend trends and change patterns which are essential for providing research focused and user-friendly models in open repository services that are based on thorough analytical understanding of the challenges of emerging trends. To achieve this requires the training and retraining of librarians to reposition them as information specialists in their career path. The role of the library as an integral part of its social environment is to educate the community about the existence of an open repository by building partnership with community-oriented research centres through seminars, workshops, symposium, training, and awareness programmes. The study recommends that librarians should strategize and collaborate with researchers to make open repository an essential research tool.




21st century

The Workforce for the 21st Century

Aim/Purpose: In today’s changing economy, economic growth depends on career and technical programs for skill training. Background: This study discusses the key area in promoting individual learning and skill training and discusses the importance of career education and training as a way of promoting economic growth. Methodology : This study uses a qualitative study approach to investigate and report on the status and influence of Workforce Education and Development and its economic importance. Contribution: This report contributes to the knowledge base common to all work settings that can solve many human performance problems in the workplace. Findings: This study also justifies and validates the ideas on the importance of workforce education and development in the 21st century as a way of developing economic growth and providing learning to make individuals competitive in the global economy. Recommendations for Practitioners : For practitioners, this study suggests that we must always have discussions of what leads to career success and understanding that there is not enough high-skill/high-wage employment to go around. Therefore, developing these skills requires a decision about a career or related group of jobs to prepare to compete for them; we have to provide training needed in order to be competitive in global economy. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers have to develop strategies to promote career direction with willingness to evaluate the level of academic interest, level of career focus and readiness for life away from home (attitudes, skills and knowledge of self). Impact on Society: Institutions must regularly evaluate curriculum to reflect the rapid technological changes and the globalization of world markets that reflect their mission and develop students’ mindset to always think big and think outside the box in order to be competitive in the global market. Change is external, transition is internal. It is important that the change agent communicate both the reasons for change and the probable consequences that people will experience during the time of this change, which is transition – a change people go through when they become unemployed or face a major employment obstacle in their lives. Future Research: New research should focus on career assessment materials and related academic programs and career directions that will promote success.




21st century

The Role of Informing Systems in Securing Sanity and Wisdom of the Globalizing Society in the Context of Civilization Sustainability in the 21st Century: The Case of Poland

Aim/Purpose: To monitor Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) established by the United Nations through the hierarchical architecture of informing systems Background: The paper discusses the case of Poland and its Gdansk region Contribution: The solution combines the big-picture of civilization with small-picture of a nation, regions, cities, and firms Findings: The presented solution can be implemented if the political will can be secured. Recommendations for Practitioners: Take the main idea of this paper and adapt to your local case. Recommendation for Researchers: Develop some prototypes of presented informing systems and test in your local environment Impact on Society: The success of the sustainability of globalizing society can be secured if the coherent informing systems can be applied to the planning, monitoring, and implementation of the UN's universal SDG. Future Research: Work on the modeling of costs and benefits of the presented solution.




21st century

21st Century Skills: Student Perception of Online Instructor Role

Aim/Purpose: This research inquires how students perceive the role of Technology Education and Cultural diversity (TEC) instructors in improving their 21st century skills. In addition, this study examines the students’ preferred learning style: face to face, synchronous and asynchronous. Background: 21st century skills include, among others, collaboration, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills, higher order thinking, and multicultural communication. These skills are core elements for modern life and are the focus of this study as teacher critical career and life skills. This article presents the uniqueness of the TEC model, which provides a strategy to develop gradually various 21st century skills for teacher training in a multicultural technologically rich environment. Methodology: This study examined (a) the level of ICT skills students acquire from the courses; (b) students’ perceptions of the instructor role in developing 21st century skills; and (c) students’ preferred learning style. A questionnaire was delivered to 99 students, who participated in courses based on the TEC model. Students from eight different Teacher Education Colleges and different cultural backgrounds – Arabs, Jews, religious, and secular – participated in this study. Contribution: This study could shed light on the instructor’s role as a facilitator in developing students’ 21st century skills in a multicultural society. This study may provide a model and ideas for policy makers in teacher training programs to employ 21st century skills along with continuous development and adaptation to suit the rapid changing reality. A larger study needed to examine additional aspects of the 21st century skills in the teacher training programs in general and in multicultural societies in particular. Findings: The findings show that students complete the course with a high level of ICT skills, and that their preferred learning communication style was face-to-face (F2F) (45.45%) and blended method (43.43%), over the fully online (11.11%). Regarding online learning, students mostly preferred the mixed method of synchronous and asynchronous (59%), followed by asynchronous (29%), and synchronous (12%). As to student preference of the instructor role of enhancement, the results were prioritized as follow: Higher order thinking (M=3.99), online group collaboration (M=3.87), multicultural communication awareness (M=3.82), pedagogical use of digital tools (M=3.73). Recommendations for Practitioners: Teacher education lecturers ought to: (1) design the online courses in a way that integrates F2F meetings and both synchronous and asynchronous methods; and (2) employ the wide range of skills in TEC courses that comply with 21st century principles; hence, the importance of widening such courses in teacher education colleges. Recommendation for Researchers: It is recommended to perform a similar study using a pre-post method, as well as taking into consideration cultural uniqueness (such as language differences) and group comparison, where we can identify the effective components of the course design that would lead to a higher level of 21st century skills competencies among teachers. Impact on Society: 21st century skills are life skills, hence developing these skills in an appropriate educational setting reflects better utilization among all the members of society. Future Research: More research should be done to widen the knowledge and address the importance of the instructor role as a course designer and facilitator in order to turn 21st century learning into a more meaningful and relevant one.




21st century

A NOVEL APPROACH TO BUSINESS ETHICS EDUCATION: EXPLORING HOW TO LIVE AND WORK IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The power of great novelists' storytelling is demonstrated by their ability to shape social attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, and even to make life more worth living. However, although narrative pedagogical methods are widely employed in business education, and there are literature-focused electives, business seems to be too busy to require students to read novels. Novels may be perceived to be too long to generate an immediate return on investment. Few great novels are about business, and fewer still are set in a business environment relevant to the economic and technological context of the 21st century. The ones that are, however, are worth the investment, as they just might turn our business students into better business people. This novel claim builds upon the widely accepted thesis that narrative pedagogy cultivates better business people and increasing scientific evidence of the benefits of reading great novels. It goes further to suggest that great novels might belong as part of the core ethics requirement in that the form and quality of a narrative determines its enduring, ethical effectiveness. Particularly, novels distinctively explore the intersection of what to do and how to live that management education needs to develop better persons and more responsible professionals.




21st century

Natural History Museum Symposium, London, 3-4 June, 2013: Tropical biodiversity in the 21st century

 

A conference marking the start of the Natural History Museum’s Biodiversity Initiative has been announced to take place on 3-4 June, 2013 in the NHM, London.  A workshop of the Genomic Observatories Network will be also hosted during the conference

The conference will focus on how inter-disciplinary, genomic approaches can be developed to accelerate the study of biodiversity and function of tropical ecosystems.

More information on the conference can be found here.





21st century

21st Century Distributing Announces Grand Opening of Nashville Location

The new, larger location in the heart of the greater metro Nashville area replaces 21st Century’s existing warehouse in Smyrna, Tenn. 




21st century

White House Requests National Academies Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats in Response to Spread of Coronavirus

WASHINGTON — In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to establish a Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats.




21st century

Playing the numbers game: 21st Century law will be based on math and data analytics

Zev Eigen comments on the increasing importance and role of data analytics in the legal industry.

Financial Post

View Article




21st century

Chuck Klosterman X : a highly specific, defiantly incomplete history of the early 21st century / Chuck Klosterman.

"New York Times-bestselling author and cultural critic Chuck Klosterman compiles and contextualizes the best of his articles and essays from the past decade. Chuck Klosterman has created an incomparable body of work in books, magazines, newspapers, and on the Web. His writing spans the realms of culture and sports, while also addressing interpersonal issues, social quandaries, and ethical boundaries. Klosterman has written nine previous books, helped found and establish Grantland, served as the New York Times MagazineEthicist, worked on film and television productions, and contributed profiles and essays to outlets such asGQ, Esquire,Billboard, The A.V. Club, andThe Guardian. Chuck Klosterman's tenth book (akaChuck Klosterman X) collects his most intriguing of those pieces, accompanied by fresh introductions and new footnotes throughout. Klosterman presents many of the articles in their original form, featuring previously unpublished passages and digressions. Subjects include Breaking Bad, Lou Reed, zombies, KISS, Jimmy Page, Stephen Malkmus, steroids, Mountain Dew, Chinese Democracy, The Beatles, Jonathan Franzen, Taylor Swift, Tim Tebow, Kobe Bryant, Usain Bolt, Eddie Van Halen, Charlie Brown, the Cleveland Browns, and many more cultural figures and pop phenomena. This is a tour of the past decade from one of the sharpest and most prolific observers of our unusual times"-- Provided by publisher.




21st century

Panel discussion on technology, human rights, & international security in the 21st century

Toronto, ON — On Tuesday, February 2, at the Munk School of Global Affairs, please join us for a panel discussion on the intersection between digital technology, human rights and international security in the 21st century, featuring Ramzi Jaber, Timothy Quinn, Jake Hirsch Allen, and Dr. Taylor Owen. The roundtable will take place from 7:00PM […]




21st century

Film: 21st Century Literacy - Teaching Using Film Questionnaire

Film: 21st Century Literacy are surveying teachers who use film to help them teach. Eligible teachers who complete the survey by 15 July will go into a free prize draw to win an iPad 2.




21st century

Quality in the 21st Century Perspectives from ASQ Feigenbaum Medal Winners

Location: Electronic Resource- 




21st century

Featuring pieces by 20th and 21st century composers, Spokane Symphony's next Masterworks concert is jazzy, rhythmic and uniquely American

The first time that pianist Sara Davis Buechner felt what she calls "the real spiritual power" of George Gershwin's music, she was 23 and building a reputation for virtuoso playing on the international concert circuit…



  • Arts & Culture

21st century

Bermudians In ‘Voices Of The 21st Century’ Book

Three Bermudian women — Margaret Swift Thompson, Andrea Tompkins, and Lorene Phillips — have been featured in the ‘Voices of the 21st Century Women: Empowered Through Passion and Purpose’ book. A spokesperson said, “Three Bermudian women admit to feeling “empowered” and “proud” as their stories are featured in the 7th Edition of ‘Voices of the […]





21st century

Securing Peace in the 21st Century: The Roles of Diplomacy and Statesmanship




21st century

Leadership in the 21st Century: Jessica Cecil, BBC




21st century

Leadership in the 21st Century: Dr Colin Kahl




21st century

Leadership in the 21st Century: Jim O’Neill, Chatham House




21st century

Understanding Decolonization in the 21st Century




21st century

Our Brains on Art: An Ancient Prescription for 21st Century Solutions




21st century

Equipped for the 21st century

Despite having a degree, a young woman in Bangladesh finds it impossible to get a job until she completes an OM computer course.




21st century

Waiver of Informed Consent - proposed changes in the 21st Century Cures Act

Adam Feuerstein points out - and expresses considerable alarm over - an overlooked clause in the 21st Century Cures Act:


In another tweet, he suggests that the act will "decimate" informed consent in drug trials. Subsequent responses and retweets  did nothing to clarify the situation, and if anything tended to spread, rather than address, Feuerstein's confusion.

Below is a quick recap of the current regulatory context and a real-life example of where the new wording may be helpful. In short, though, I think it's safe to say:


  1. Waiving informed consent is not new; it's already permitted under current regs
  2. The standards for obtaining a waiver of consent are stringent
  3. They may, in fact, be too stringent in a small number of situations
  4. The act may, in fact, be helpful in those situations
  5. Feuerstein may, in fact, need to chill out a little bit


(For the purposes of this discussion, I’m talking about drug trials, but I believe the device trial situation is parallel.)

Section 505(i) - the section this act proposes to amend - instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to propagate rules regarding clinical research. Subsection 4 addresses informed consent:

…the manufacturer, or the sponsor of the investigation, require[e] that experts using such drugs for investigational purposes certify to such manufacturer or sponsor that they will inform any human beings to whom such drugs, or any controls used in connection therewith, are being administered, or their representatives, that such drugs are being used for investigational purposes and will obtain the consent of such human beings or their representatives, except where it is not feasible or it is contrary to the best interests of such human beings.

[emphasis  mine]

Note that this section already recognizes situations where informed consent may be waived for practical or ethical reasons.

These rules were in fact promulgated under 45 CFR part 46, section 116. The relevant bit – as far as this conversation goes – regards circumstances under which informed consent might be fully or partially waived. Specifically, there are 4 criteria, all of which need to be met:

 (1) The research involves no more than minimal risk to the subjects;
 (2) The waiver or alteration will not adversely affect the rights and welfare of the subjects;
 (3) The research could not practicably be carried out without the waiver or alteration; and
 (4) Whenever appropriate, the subjects will be provided with additional pertinent information after participation.

In practice, this is an especially difficult set of criteria to meet for most studies. Criterion (1) rules out most “conventional” clinical trials, because the hallmarks of those trials (use of an investigational medicine, randomization of treatment, blinding of treatment allocation) are all deemed to be more than “minimal risk”. That leaves observational studies – but even many of these cannot clear the bar of criterion (3).

That word “practicably” is a doozy.

Here’s an all-too-real example from recent personal experience. A drug manufacturer wants to understand physicians’ rationales for performing a certain procedure. It seems – but there is little hard data – that a lot of physicians do not strictly follow guidelines on when to perform the procedure. So we devise a study: whenever the procedure is performed, we ask the physician to complete a quick form categorizing why they made their decision. We also ask him or her to transcribe a few pieces of data from the patient chart.

Even though the patients aren’t personally identifiable, the collection of medical data qualifies this as a clinical trial.

It’s a minimal risk trial, definitely: the trial doesn’t dictate at all what the doctor should do, it just asks him or her to record what they did and why, and supply a bit of medical context for the decision. All told, we estimated 15 minutes of physician time to complete the form.

The IRB monitoring the trial, however, denied our request for a waiver of informed consent, since it was “practicable” (not easy, but possible) to obtain informed consent from the patient.  Informed consent – even with a slimmed-down form – was going to take a minimum of 30 minutes, so the length of the physician’s involvement tripled. In addition, many physicians opted out of the trial because they felt that the informed consent process added unnecessary anxiety and alarm for their patients, and provided no corresponding benefit.

The end result was not surprising: the budget for the trial more than doubled, and enrollment was far below expectations.

Which leads to two questions:

1.       Did the informed consent appreciably help a single patient in the trial? Very arguably, no. Consenting to being “in” the trial made zero difference in the patients’ care, added time to their stay in the clinic, and possibly added to their anxiety.
2.       Was less knowledge collected as a result? Absolutely, yes. The sponsor could have run two studies for the same cost. Instead, they ultimately reduced the power of the trial in order to cut losses.


Bottom line, it appears that the modifications proposed in the 21st Century Cures Act really only targets trials like the one in the example. The language clearly retains criteria 1 and 2 of the current HHS regs, which are the most important from a patient safety perspective, but cuts down the “practicability” requirement, potentially permitting high quality studies to be run with less time and cost.

Ultimately, it looks like a very small, but positive, change to the current rules.

The rest of the act appears to be a mash-up of some very good and some very bad (or at least not fully thought out) ideas. However, this clause should not be cause for alarm.




21st century

US-India Ties Will Shape the 21st Century, Says Mike Waltz on Future Prospects

Mike Waltz emphasises the significance of US-India ties for the 21st century, stating it will determine a century of light or darkness.




21st century

Working against the grain re-imagining Black theology in the 21st century [Electronic book] / Anthony G. Reddie.

London : Routledge, 2014.




21st century

How engaged is the 21st century workplace?

A culture of merit, a flexible environment and empowering technology are key to engaging the workforce of today




21st century

Three different tribes: how the relationship between economics and economic history has evolved in the 21st century [electronic journal].




21st century

21st Century Trade Agreements and the Owl of Minerva [electronic journal].




21st century

A 21st Century take on the RSS

Narayanan traces the recent political and economic trajectory of the Hindu reformist organisation




21st century

Pandemonium : bird flu, mad cow disease, and other biological plagues of the 21st century / Andrew Nikiforuk

Toronto : Viking Canada ; New York, NY : Penguin Group (USA), 2006




21st century

21st Century technology brings truth closer

A new partner ministry broadcasting Urdu-speaking programmes to 360+ million who speak it, is giving them hope for eternity.




21st century

The Rising Cost of Ambient Air Pollution thus far in the 21st Century: Results from the BRIICS and the OECD Countries - Environment Working Paper

This paper presents updated results for the cost of ambient air pollution in 41 countries: the 6 major emerging economies known as the BRIICS – Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China and South Africa – and the 35 OECD member countries.




21st century

What should students learn in the 21st century?

By Charles Fadel - Founder & chairman, Center for Curriculum Redesign It has become clear that teaching skills requires answering “What should students learn in the 21st century?” on a deep and broad basis. Teachers need to have the time and flexibility to develop knowledge, skills, and character, while also considering the meta-layer/fourth dimension that includes learning how to learn, interdisciplinarity, and personalisation.




21st century

21st Century Children (OECD Education&Skills Today Blog)

What is the nature of modern childhood? Released today, the book Trends Shaping Education 2016 looks at major social, demographic, economic and technological trends affecting the future of education




21st century

How Songs Of Praise, a national treasure since 1961, got an all-singing 21st century makeover

Traditional Sunday worship might be in decline but the number of people going to church regularly, worshipping where and when they choose, is rising




21st century

The Internet : 21st century democracy's promise


The most flexible information dissemination medium ever invented can still be used for the betterment of all, says Subramaniam Vincent.




21st century

White House Requests National Academies Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats in Response to Spread of Coronavirus

WASHINGTON — In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to establish a Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats.




21st century

Arctic shipping access likely to vary for much of the 21st century

A recent study has considered 21st century changes in shipping access through the Arctic Ocean along three potential new routes linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. As the sea ice melts, it is possible that high-strength vessels will be able to sail directly through the North Pole by the end of the century, its results indicate.




21st century

After high-heel drama, British woman petitions Parliament to join the 21st century

Thousands of people support Nicola Thorp, the London receptionist who wrote a petition asking for change in dress code laws.