Introduction

Introduction to the memoir Until Further Notice, I am Alive, by Tom Lubbock, art critic of the Independent. The work is a record of two years following diagnosis of a brain tumour. It is a meditation on language and mortality and was published by Granta in 2012 to great acclaim. I wrote the 2200 word introduction, giving the text the contextual framework of an experience both of us lived through

Great Works: 50 Paintings Explored

Great Works: 50 Paintings Explored is a fully illustrated collection of essays on individual paintings drawn from his Great Works column in The Independent that ran from 2005 - 2010. As literary executor for the estate of Tom Lubbock I facilitated the production of Great Works together with Andrew Dunn from Frances Lincoln: proofing, editing, image calibration, working from the essay schedule set by the author

Will the electoral system continue to ‘skew’ towards Labour in 2015?

With less than one week to go until polling day, and irrespective of the fact that the polls are extremely close (they are), we should focus on whether the electoral system helps one or other of the two largest parties, argues Tom Lubbock. In recent years the system has had a skew to Labour resulting from its biases. Will it this time around

The new “skew” of the electoral system in 2015

Historically, the electoral system has tended to help Labour in the way it translates votes into seats. In 2015, the skew changed, giving a significant advantage to the Conservatives, argues Tom Lubbock

Thinking specifically about your own constituency…

The 2015 election has seen more constituency-level opinion polls than any previous election, most of which have been administered by Lord Ashcroft. In this post, Tom Lubbock examines the differences in reported vote intention when those polled are asked to think about the candidates in their specific constituency, rather than a more general question. The results suggest significant differences from national polls, particularly for the Liberal Democrats

Apprendre à calculer avec une tablette numérique ?: comment entraîner le répertoire additif, lors des leçons de soutien pédagogiques ? enseignement avec ou sans tablette numérique ?

Cette recherche a pour thème l’apprentissage du répertoire additif de 1 à 10. J’ai cherché à répondre à la question « L'utilisation de la tablette numérique en soutien pédagogique permet-elle un meilleur apprentissage du nombre que sans la tablette ? Plus précisément, la tablette permet-elle d’entraîner les calculs du répertoire additif 1 à 10 pour que les élèves puissent les mémoriser et les restituer très rapidement ? Est-ce un moyen efficace pour automatiser ces calculs ? » Mes élèves, âgés de 7 à 8 ans, se sont entraînés à calculer pendant deux semaines. La première semaine sans la tablette et la suivante avec (ou vice versa). Avec la tablette, nous avons utilisé deux applications qui entraînent les additions. J’ai filmé les leçons pour pouvoir mieux analyser les progrès des élèves, leurs erreurs, leur motivation, leur concentration. J’ai aussi analysé la quantité de calculs réalisée en une leçon avec et sans la tablette. L’analyse des données, récoltées en février 2017, a mis en évidence la supériorité de la tablette, lors des leçons de soutien pédagogique

Women and Men in Rural Finance in the Syrian Arab Republic: State-Owned Banking vs. Self-Managed Microfinance

Policymakers in Syria are seriously concerned (a) about social equality and equal opportunities for women and men; and (b) about the effectiveness of financial institutions in providing adequate services to men, women and youth to fight poverty and reduce unemployment. Considerable social progress has been achieved in terms of social indicators; but wide gaps persist in terms of economic opportunities for women and men. A private banking law, presently before parliament, is expected to lead to thourough reforms of state-controlled banks --

Women and Men in Rural Microfinance: The Case of Jordan

Rajwa is a 50 years old widow in the area of Karak, with five children. Her husband died 10 years ago. In January 2000, she received a collateral-free loan of JD 2,100 (US$ 3,000) from the ACC/IFAD Income Diversification Project, repayable over 8 years. She bought 20 sheep, which have increased to 24, and went into dairy production. By September 2001, she had sold only 2 kg of goat butter and 6 kg of jameed. Everybody produces jameed and butter, there is no market, she says. She has made two payments of JD 30 each, which covers less than the interest due. ACC keeps writing letters and visiting her, but to no avail. With a loan of JD 200 for 8 months, less than one-tenth of the actual loan amount and period, Rajwa could have purchased the equipment and bought milk for dairy production instead of raising sheep. This would have given her the opportunity of testing the market and her entrepreneurial skills at a manageable risk. Now she is stuck with a bad loan and ineligible for another to go into a more profitable line of business. It was the loan terms imposed on her that made her start big - and fail big. She would like to apply for a loan to buy a sewing machine at a cost JD 120; but she is a defaulter, and the amount is too small to be financed from an ACC loan. --

Women and Men in Rural Finance in the Syrian Arab Republic: State-Owned Banking vs. Self-Managed Microfinance

Policymakers in Syria are seriously concerned (a) about social equality and equal opportunities for women and men; and (b) about the effectiveness of financial institutions in providing adequate services to men, women and youth to fight poverty and reduce unemployment. Considerable social progress has been achieved in terms of social indicators; but wide gaps persist in terms of economic opportunities for women and men. A private banking law, presently before parliament, is expected to lead to thourough reforms of state-controlled bank

Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 35

An account is given of pseudochromid fishes from the western Indian Ocean. Seven species of Pseudochromis (four of which are new) and six species of Chlidichthys (three of which are new) are recorded and described, with details of ecology. Keys are provided.This note lists specimens caught to date and increase in distribution of Anisochromis kenyae. Two colour illustrations demonstrate the sexual dichromatism.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation