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contrabassconversations · 7 years ago

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537: ISB - State of the Union

We’re talking with International Society of Bassists President Nicholas Walker about new directions for the organization. A lot has been happening behind the scenes at the ISB, and I’ve been privileged to be on the board and a part of these restructuring. We dig into this and much more in today’s conversation.

Below is Nicholas’ column for the fall 2018 edition of Bass World. This will give context to much of what we’re talking about. Enjoy, and please join the ISB is you’re not a member!

We Can Do This Together

by Nicholas Walker

International Society of Bassists President

The ISB is thriving. We are an inclusive collective of bass players with an inspiring philosophy and 50 years of experience connecting through meaningful educational nonprofit work. We have a highly competent and functional Board of Directors and Advisory Board, an extraordinary Management Team, ever-blossoming and deepening Convention gatherings, this inspiring Bass World journal, a growing endowment, smart fiscal oversight, and best of all, we have ourselves, our loyal and devoted member-base-bass-members!

Member Dues

It has been four years since our member dues have increased, and it is time to raise them again. Our finance team has been crunching the numbers, and today the cost per member is $89.23/year. If you look at the new member rates at the back this journal you will see that all of our rates are below this number, and that we offer our largest discounts to students and seniors - we are at our very best when we hold all generations in our contiguous bass love.

That’s right. We deliberately set our member dues as low as possible so we are able to include more people. But this means we depend upon three additional revenue sources: 1) voluntary tax deductible donations from those of us who are able, 2) advertising and sponsorship income from our luthiers and vendors, and 3) growth in our member base.

More Members

This is where you come in. More members and more voluntary donations means our costs are shared among more members, a lower cost per member, more opportunity for us to expand our education and outreach programs, and a sustainable, financially secure future.

Simply stated, there are not enough bassists investing in the future of the ISB. Many membership organizations are struggling these days to answer one this question: how can we reach the next generation and inspire the kind of loyal civic responsibility and united, shared commitment that seems to have been culturally instilled in the baby boomers?

We need to bring more bassists into our family, and I’m writing to ask you to help us recruit members, both for idealogical and fiscal reasons.

Donations

One very easy way to do this is simply to sponsor a gift membership through the link at the bottom of this letter.

If you are able, please make additional voluntary donations beyond your member dues. We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, so all donations are tax deductible.

If you are a Life Member, and if you are able, please consider contributing voluntarily to cover the $89.32 yearly cost for providing our services to you.

Do You Need Help?

If you are in some tough financial times, please contribute what you can, and know that many of us would be very happy to help a fellow member stay in our ISB family. This can always be done discreetly and anonymously through the home office, or any board member. We know you would do the same for us if our situations were reversed.

Keeping Costs Down

By January 2019 we plan to offer you the option to opt out of paper delivery. Our second largest expense every year is the production, printing, and shipping of this journal. We know that some of our members love to have a physical copy in hand, while others prefer to read and browse on their phones, tablets, and computers. I hope that no one will feel obliged to give up a physical copy of the magazine, but for those of you who prefer a paperless subscription, we would like to provide you this service, which will also save us money in shipping and printing.

So many of our members are experienced and proficient in areas outside of bass playing. When you folks help with web development, investment expertise, fundraising, marketing, convention organization and implementation, we save money. So if you have time, experience, or resources that could be helpful to one of our teams, please reach out directly to the Chair of that team or the home office, and know that we welcome your help and participation.

My hope is that by the time we all are “back home again in Indiana” in June of 2019, we can report to you a happy increase in both our member numbers and voluntary donations.

Thank you for any part you can play in helping to keep our society strong and thriving into the next 50 years.

To help us out today, please visit www.isbworldoffice.com/join

~ Nicholas

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analyticstraininginstitute · 4 years ago

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mbadecoder · 5 years ago

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Congratulations, on receiving that much desired interview call. The selection rate in top business schools is anywhere between 1 in 10 to 1 in 15. Most applicants do not get the interview call. Now that you have received a call your chances have increased anywhere between 1 in 2 to 1 in 5 depending on the school. But so has competition.

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capechicago · 5 years ago

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CAPE Network Forum Newsletter: Issue III

Welcome to the third edition of the CAPE Network Forum Newsletter.

Uncertainty and the unknown seem to define our present time. With regards to safety and health, uncertainty and the unknown must be conquered, and we must protect each other and prioritize those at risk and those less able to care for themselves.

We must also remember that, in education and in art, uncertainty and the unknown are generative. Navigating through the unknown gives students authentic ownership of their learning. For teachers and artists, asking questions they don’t know the answer to engenders a real partnership between them—and gives them a sense of ownership as well. Further, a true struggle with the unknown and uncertainty in teaching can bring a teacher or an artist to what they really believe education or art should be.

We are now in an entirely new world in regards to education. No one knows what works best, no one knows how anything will turn out, and no one knows how long this will go on. This is why, more than ever, teachers and artists and principals and schools must have the freedom to experiment. Compliance enforcement and drives for uniform curriculums are not helpful at this time. We must acknowledge that the only way to build a new way of learning is through the collaborative work of educators, parents and community partners connecting in networks in order to share and debate. A new way of teaching and learning that can set students on their paths of finding ways to positively grow and develop can’t be dictated by the top down, whether by edicts or by associations of those in power positions engaged in long conversations before they issue a document of their making.

In June of 2018, CAPE held a public panel discussion on the critical importance of uncertainty and the unknown in art, education, and science. The conversation took place under very different circumstances than ours at present, and yet what was spoken has real relevance now. During the panel, one of the things we talked about was vulnerability. To be uncertain is also to be vulnerable. Educational policies often seek to remove uncertainty, and thus vulnerability as well. But vulnerability, and feeling okay with being vulnerable together, is what we need now to learn, create, persevere, and help others through this crisis.

— Scott Sikkema

Updates

CAPE's very own Mark Diaz, Associate Director of Education, has a project displayed with Roman Susan (1224 W Loyola Ave, Chicago) from April 24th to May 6th. The project, panorama2(problem) will be on view directly from the street, while the storefront remains closed. For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/roman.susan.3

If you have exhibitions, performances, or other events coming up that you would like to be announced in the newsletter, please contact Jenny Lee at [email protected]

Thanks to everyone who attended our professional development meeting with Ernest Whiteman on effective ways to create your own YouTube videos. This was our fourth professional development online meeting, and our attendance for the four meetings totals around 300 participants.

Our long-term in-school Artist/Researcher Partners program will have an online professional development meeting on Tuesday, April 28, from 4 to 6 pm.

We are excited to note that CAPE teachers and artists have posted over 70 videos.

Most of these videos are on the CAPE Network Forum. In addition, schools are beginning to post CAPE artist/teacher videos on their websites and/or Facebook pages. Thus far, over 2000 viewers have clicked on these videos!

CAPE teaching artists and Park Forest Chicago Heights District 163 STEAM and visual art teachers have collaborated to conceive at-home curricula for the rest of their school year for grades K—5 students in our STEAM Ahead program.

We want your feedback! Mark and Brandon will talk to ARP teachers and artists about the possibilities about an online Convergence exhibition, and will be seeking input. In addition, CAPE staff is thinking about all in-school and after-school programs doing online exhibiting, either at the same time, or one week being in- school, the next week after school. But—we’re not sure about this, so we need your comments.

Some of you offered feedback to Scott Sikkema for the CAPE spring, Summer, and School Year 2020-2021 draft plan, which was posted on the Forum. We have taken it down now for further drafting, but please continue to contact Scott with ideas and questions.

As everyone knows, schools are closed for the duration of the school year. ISBE has updated their guidelines accordingly: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/FAQ-4- 24-20.pdf, and Superintendent Ayala has provided additional information on such matters as retrieving personal items from schools: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Message-042420.pdf.

CAPE Network Forum Newsletter Tumblr Highlight:

This issue's Tumblr highlight is on "Mr Knowbody's Stay Home Art's Instruction Journal Reflection II." bAnansi is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago, IL. His work offers perspective through a lens of cynicism. By means of conceptualization, appropriation, image and sound manipulation, visceral/violent performance, and audience control, he exposes visible and invisible power dynamics embedded in our society. bAnansi attempts to guide viewers to assume a different interpretation than one they may already possess, by setting parameters, both physical and cognitive in order to view his work.

CAPE Network Interview: Panel Discussion - Uncertainty in Art, Education, and STEM

See full discussion here

For this issue of the Forum newsletter we are featuring a panel discussion from June 2018. This panel was held in conjunction with our annual Convergence exhibition of student work from our Artist/Researcher Partners program, and it was followed by a hands-on workshop (led by Patty Whitehouse and Margy Stover). The panelists included Deborah Birmingham, teacher at Durkin Park Elementary School; Erin Preston, independent researcher; Lisa Kim, scientist; Marcela Torres, artist; and Patricia Nguyen, artist and Executive Director at Axis Lab.

Scott: Our topic today is uncertainty in science, art, pedagogy, and other related things that it might generate, like conflict or risk.

The first thing I’m going to ask about is going to science. What’s the place of uncertainty in science, in scientific investigations by students or by an adult scientist, or in teaching science? How does uncertainty impact the investigation, whether at the beginning, or middle or end?

Deborah: I think with this particular project, uncertainty was very important. In science oftentimes children, in fourth grade they’re used to being directed to a correct answer, what the answer should be, what you should come out with.

This time it allowed them the opportunity to take ownership—“Well, wait a minute, you’re not going to tell me is this right? No, explore it for yourself.” It gave them the freedom to do so. And in the beginning they were uncomfortable, knowing that, wait a minute, there’s always just a right answer or a wrong answer.

This form of uncertainty allowed them to really take ownership, as you said. In the beginning they were leery, but as we worked through the project they became more confident in what they were doing and what they were exploring. I think it’s very important for science that children are allowed to know that they don’t have to be certain about certain things starting out.

Scott: You mentioned a project in particular that your students worked on. It’s on exhibit—can you briefly describe it?

Deborah: The project that I worked on with the artist here, Niema Qureshi, we worked on children trying to see using lines and shapes, trying to visualize energy. So many times you hear of energy, but you don’t get a chance to see what is energy, so how can you use shapes and lines to define what energy is to have a picture of energy, just in a nutshell.

Lisa: I definitely grew up just thinking there’s that one right answer that we’re always looking for. Coming into a new position as a researcher in a lab, we come up with all these hypotheses, but then I was thinking, okay, this is my prediction, and if it’s correct, that’s the best case scenario. Then I ended up having incorrect predictions, and my advisor was saying that’s still great, you still can get so many questions out of that.

In that way uncertainty is such a huge thing in science, especially, and in research, because I think successful projects bring up more uncertainty. I think that’s a really great place to be, having more questions that you can explore and ask more, just like how is this going to affect this ecosystem, or how is this going to affect this organism. You’re just going to end up getting more questions out of that.

Deborah: I think that’s good, Lisa, because when you think about the real world, we’re teaching children to grow up and be problem-solvers in real life situations. And when you have certain questions, even though you fail, you’re still resolving a problem. You don’t have to be confined to right or wrong.

I think it’s good in the school setting when we can do something like this with CAPE, allowing children to problem-solve, because when you think about the curriculum, so many times you’re preparing for tests, and with testing there’s just one answer, one answer. If we want children to think outside the box when they become adults and go into the world, we have to give them their freedom in the classroom to know that you don’t have to be right, and your wrong answer can be a right answer. As you say, it can lead to further investigation.

Scott: Now, how about from an artist’s perspective? I’m not trying to set up a dichotomy, but both of you, Marcela and Patricia, work in performance art and other methods. Is there something you could talk about in terms of uncertainty in your process?

Marcela: Well, I was thinking that actually it’s very similar, in certain ways. I began to think about the word uncertainty and that creates resilience and trauma in people, like if there is no certainty, that’s like negative in a way. But within the arts or within science, there’s a structure of things we know, right? There’s things that we are confident and comfortable within, and then you set up that structure to then deal with the uncertain.

Within my own work, I was thinking there is a lot of risk in the actual physicality of fighting, which is sometimes used in my work, and so there’s a technicality that I know how to block. I trust the person I’m with. But there is uncertainty as to what will actually happen.

Patricia: I love this question and I love that it’s being approached from these multiple ways, because uncertainty is so much of a place of possibility. And it could be debilitating at times, right? It could be this place of doubt, this place of fundamentally questioning one’s self and one’s ability, what one can contribute in the world, but it’s that place of questioning, as you were talking about, that actually opens up these doors that offer avenues to explore and to investigate.

For me, when I’m working with students in performance who have never worked in performance, a lot of my students right now are all engineering students, and it’s like they either take performance or they take public speaking. And so they take performance. A lot of them are taking risks. They’re doing things they’ve never done before. There’s so much certainty in engineering, in some ways, it’s like this is why this is, these are the facts. And then I’m like performance can be anything, it can be everything. And then they’re like I don’t know what that means.

To kind encourage students to, instead of defining what the boundaries are, to use uncertainty to actually question what those boundaries are, how those boundaries were put in place, what institutions created those conditions, what values are laden in those structures, for them to then break it and re-form and reimagine how they can move in the world, or how they can think in the world. I really try to ask students to use their uncomfortability and their uncertainty as a place of digging deeper, as a place of asking more questions and a place of getting to know them well.

Erin: I think that uncertainty affords teachers and students a lot of agency. Deborah, you had mentioned there are these predetermined goals and outcomes that are largely driven by test preparation and what those do, they limit possibilities for both teachers and students to explore curriculum, and content, and learning, and with these kind of structural influences, they limit teachers’ ability to make instructional and pedagogical choices about learning.

That can be what curriculum, and what content, and even the pacing. That can remove teachers’ own beliefs and opinions about education and learning, their values about learning and what they know about their own students and their students’ needs and their students’ interests. When a learning experience brings in uncertainty and embraces uncertainty, what can happen is it looks more like what you described, where the possibilities open up. You might have an idea of what the outcome could be, but it’s not predetermined, and the students are making the choices along that path in the way that they express their understanding and their path to arrive at those new understandings.

These structural influences that privilege certainty are so pervasive and really hard to get away from that sometimes we can even be operating from a place of certainty when we think that we’re facilitating student agency. One example from my research that was last year in Collaboration Laboratory—for those of you not as familiar, it’s a two year program for teachers and teaching artists new to CAPE to work together in arts integration and collaborating together on these projects. A teacher shared with me a really powerful learning experience that they had had in watching the unfolding of a curriculum unit of, actually, their student teacher.

The premise of this curriculum unit was art and social change. The students were asked what would you change about your school if you could change one thing. That sounds really open, right? That sounds inquiry based, and it sounds like it would really facilitate students maybe even having a chance to shape their school space based on their opinions and experiences. But the students came back and said wait, we don’t want to change anything. Our school has actually been doing nothing but changing the past four years based on leadership changes, and teachers coming and going, and physical changes to the school space.

So when the teacher and her student teacher were confronted with the fact that they had these assumptions based on their certainty that students were experiencing these things and understanding their world at school in a certain way, it opened up the possibility for the students to really bring in their own experiences and understanding of the impacts the changes had on their school experience to their learning. Maybe it would resemble something more of a commemoration of the history of the school or something that was more in line in a meaningful way to their choices.

Marcela: I keep thinking about modeling and problem-solving in a way, as well, ‘cause I think that in the past when I think about my own teachers, there’s always like a hierarchy, right, where you are...they’re your master, in a way. But to open up and become like the role model for it, you’re trying to pull it all together, you’re trying to make things work, and you’re under a certain kind of limitation through CPS, and students seeing the way in which you maneuver, that also becomes sort of a model for problem- solving themselves as well, and then it also cuts the hierarchy to be like oh, I can do that, we can do that, we’re doing it.

Erin: I think, Marcella, you just touched on something that is really important about hierarchy and the role of uncertainty in setting off that hierarchy between teachers and students, and it’s also an important process of the CAPE methodology, where, when the teacher is not certain where the class is going to arrive, what the products are going to be, then the students aren’t looking at them to see what hoops am I going to jump through, what path do I need to take to get there, where’s the X that I need to land on, right?

So the students see that the uncertainty that the teacher has means that it’s okay to kind of wrestle with these questions, and to locate that path on their own terms, and to make choices to get there. So I think that that’s a really important part of it.

Marcela: That ties both of these things together, trusting your teacher, they are somebody that you trust, and you understand, and they have a structure for you, but you’re not going to hit the X. You’re going to hit like a circle, and then a triangle, and then lie on the floor. [Laughter.]

Contemporary Recall:

CAPE After School program professional development, 2012

Written by: Scott Sikkema

The CAPE program staff, artists, teachers, and students have long been interested in space, especially school space, as a construct and as a material. We have done many professional developments investigating space, and conducted research investigations into the interactions and relationships between space and identities. In this video excerpt from a professional development meeting led by Mark Diaz and Hilesh Patel, we see one break-out group of teachers and artists who created a performance art piece utilizing a high school classroom and one of the classroom’s key components. Click here to see the full video!

CAPE Program Staff:

Scott Sikkema, Education Director ([email protected]) Mark Diaz, Associate Director of Education ([email protected]) Joseph Spilberg, Associate Director of Education ([email protected]) Brandon Phouybanhdyt, Program Coordinator ([email protected]) Jenny Lee, Research Program Coordinator ([email protected])

#newsletter

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aswe-fanfiction · 6 years ago

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4 - Blockade

Neera felt her heart pounding as she looked out the bridge window. They’d just pulled out of hyperspace and were slowly trying to make their way towards Ione’s surface. Before her were two massive Star Destroyers. They flew slowly towards each other, like the jaws of a Krayt Dragon, swallowing whatever came too close. The crackle of an incoming transmission brought her back.

“Simiyar Class Light Freighter, Identify yourself.” The harsh voice of an Imperial Officer sent a chill down Neera’s spine. Before she could reply, Darak stepped in.

“This is the Freighter Solar Fire, requesting access to Ione for repairs and resupply.”

“System of Origin.”

“Burnin Konn.”

“Purpose for departure.”

“We’re are returning from a delivery.”

“Standby for scan.” Neera shuddered. She knew it was all in her mind, but she felt as though the Imperial scanners could see right through her. The delay before any more transmissions came felt like hours, the seconds crept by and Neera felt her heart speeding up. Then the ship lurched. A voice came back over the comms.

“Craft Solar Fire, you are being brought aboard the Admonitor for further questioning. Do not resist.” Desperately, Neera looked at Darak. His face was ghostly white and his confidence gone. Neera felt her rapid heart sink as she watched in horror as the nearest Star Destroyer grew larger. She felt a hand on hers and looked to see Bok holding it.

“Be calm Neera, we’ll get through this. We always do.” He said grinning. As the Solar Fire was brought through the hangar doors, all that was running through Neera’s mind was what Darak had told them would be their story. Pirates had attacked them, crippled their ship and they needed parts to repair the ship. She hadn’t been told who hired them or who they delivered to as she was just a mechanic and backup pilot. It wasn’t a hard story, just the essentials. Easy.

The freighter shuddered as it landed in the Star Destroyer’s hangar bay. Neera looked at her team again. They all wore heavy sullen expressions now, betraying their own fears, but Neera saw how they all stood. Heads held high and waiting solemnly. She took a breath and looked towards the gangplank. The ship opened and she watched as Imperial Navy troopers came in with raised blasters.

“Move!” One said as he grabbed Darak by the arm and jerked him forward. The troopers grabbed each one of the rebels individually and began to offload them. Another team split off to check the crew quarters. As her arms were grabbed, Neera looked around desperately for her friends, but she’d already lost them amongst the greys and blacks of engineers, Tie fighter wings and Navy troopers. She closed her eyes. As she was dragged away, she silently prayed; May the force be with us.

Senior Agent Val Salem stepped out of her office into the polished hallway of the Admonitor’s administration deck. The Imperial career woman had just received word that a suspected Rebel craft had been quarantined after pulling out of hyperspace not 10 minutes prior. Salem was scrolling the profiles recorded of the crew and making notes to herself. 2 Humans, a Mirialan and a Mon Calamar. It was an odd crew, but not anything she hadn’t seen before from fringers. As she scrolled through them, she felt her commlink begin to buzz on her hip. The agent rolled her eyes as she pulled out the comm.

“Yes?” She asked of the comm.

“Pardon me, Ma’am.” The voice apologised. “But I believe that we may have a confirmed ID code for the ship.” Salem raised her eyebrows. She had always known that there are times when the Imperial Navy brought gifted individuals into positions of authority, but rarely were they more efficient than ISB computer technicians.

“I see. Can you transmit that data to me, Captain?” Salem asked. She already knew that Niriz would do what she wanted, but he had been most helpful so far, and no sense antagonizing someone useful.

“Of course, ma’am. Right away.” Niriz said. A moment later, Salem arrived at a terminal and patched her data pad into the ship's computer. The new data file arrived and Salem noted the ID tag. It seemed familiar to her. Quickly she pulled up her reports from other logged transport ships that had been recorded from the Rebel computers on Hoth. In the wake of the attack, General Veers had been gracious enough to salvage whatever data he could from the computers. Including several ships that had been labelled as out of commission. She cross referenced the ID and found a match. She smirked at the sight of the flashing ID. Now, all that remained was to determine who was the leader. 5 minutes later, she was striding down the detention center hall towards holding cell E44. The holding cell of one of the suspected rebels. Considered a threat to security. As she arrived at the cell door she sighed. Straightened her off-white cap and looked down the hall.

“Come along boy, we have to get this done.” She called back. As she did she heard the heavy foot falls of someone who realised they had fallen behind.

“Sorry, ma’am, Was reading the report notes.” The junior officer apologized frantically. “I won’t fall behind again.”

“See that you don’t.” Salem said curtly. “You will be taking lead on this interrogation. You must stay ahead of the suspect.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Of course.” The boy straightened into a salute. She dismissed it and looked back at the cell door.

“You have 20 minutes to get a confession.” She said, leaning towards the door panel. “Do not fail.” The Junior officer nodded and looked down at his datapad. As he did, Salem opened the door.

As the durasteel door slid open, Neera looked up. She felt as though her stomach would explode, letting loose an army of mynocks. Standing at the entrance were two imperial officers, one middle aged woman and a much younger man, who was about Neera’s age, perhaps a little older. This wasn’t good. She’d been separated from the others for the past… she’d lost track, an hour, maybe? As her thoughts raced, the older woman turned away and the younger officer stepped down into the holding cell.

As he entered, Neera saw the older officer utter something the younger one. She couldn’t quite make out all the words, but she thought she saw… confession?

Salem turned and hit the door panel as she stepped back. The heavy cell door closed and she walked over to a small view screen next to the cell. A waste of her time, she thought, but necessary. Junior officers had to gain experience somehow. At least these interviews were always simple and straightforward in their conclusion. The Rebels were arrested, any leaders were executed, the rest sent to labour camps on outer rim planets. All he had to do was not make a mess of this, she thought. Then she chuckled.

“Yes Junior Officer Cordé, Let’s see what you can do.”

Junior officer Ran Cordé looked at the young Mirialan in front of him. He’d been told that he’d be interviewing a non-human to make sure he knew how to conduct the empire’s work regardless of the subject. What he hadn’t been prepared for was her age. She couldn’t have been any older than him, he guessed. Then again, he thought, apparently this was the Modus Opparande of the Rebel Alliance. Apparently it was a teenager who had destroyed the Death Star. He composed himself then, looked down at the report on his datapad and then back up at the girl.

“I am Agent Cordé, please state your name for the record.” He looked at her expectantly.

“My name is Neera.” The girl replied. Ran waited, but she said nothing else.

“Full name please.” He insisted.

“That is my name.” She replied. Ran looked at her with an expression he hoped conveyed he wasn’t impressed.

“Very well, you are hereby suspected of being Rebel sympathizer. What were you doing in this sector?”

“We were on a return journey from Burnin Konn.”

“What was your business there?”

“We were making a delivery.”

“What were you delivering?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t check the cargo.”

“Who were you delivering to?”

“I don’t know, I’m just support crew for the ship.”

“Who else knew your flight plan?”

“What?” Ran looked up at her. He’d been entering her responses on his data pad as she’d said them, but the question made him look up. She looked confused and little more nervous.

“Your flight plan, did you register it with anyone? Or tell anyone where you were going?”

“Umm… no, we didn’t.” The girl stuttered. An opening.

“Why not? What if something had happened to you? Pirates or something worse.” He asked. “That seems like a foolish lack of foresight wouldn’t you say?”

“I wasn’t the one who made the plan!” The girl retorted. Ran could see she was getting agitated. He checked the data pad. Only 3 minutes in. He was getting better.

“Then perhaps you can tell me which of your crew did.” He said bluntly. “I need to know who can tell me answers girl. Who is the ship’s commander?”

“We don’t have one, we’re a collective.”

“That’s nonsense. A ship has a commander. Someone who knows what’s going on. Someone who knew the cargo, the client and the route.” He listed. “Who was it?” At this last question the girl paused. Ran stepped forward now. He towered over her in the cell and he could see her shrink at his approach.

“Who is the ship’s commander?”

“I am.” The girl breathed back. Ran froze. He looked down at his data pad. No, this couldn’t be. The other crew members had all confirmed differently. He looked back and cleared his throat.

“Don’t make me laugh.” He said, sneering. “You can’t possibly be. Now stop lying and tell me who the ship’s commander is at once.”

“I did.” The girl responded. “It’s me! I’m the commander of Solar Fire.” Ran stepped back slightly. The Mirialan was standing now. She was actually closer to him in height than he’d realized and she looked stronger. He tried to recompose himself.

“Well then, ‘Commander,’” He let the word drawl out, dripping with disbelief. “Perhaps you can enlighten me as to the nature of your crew’s visit to Burnin Konn and the reason the ship, for which you are responsible, is in such disrepair.”

“We were making a-”

“Yes yes, a delivery. I want specifics.” Ran was beginning to feel annoyed by this child. “What were you delivering? Where’s your ship manifest?”

“It was stolen when we were attacked.” The girl was now inching closer to Ran. She was almost chest to chest. “We were attacked by pirates as we were plotting our route to Denon. Our backup hyperdrive let us limp here.”

“Seems odd that you’d have made your jump despite a lack of primary hyperdrive wouldn’t you say?” Ran saw her take a step back. “The way I see it, you either came here in a very fortunate escape, or you’re Rebels using whatever pathetic excuses for a transport you had available from your hidey hole on Hoth.” Ran watched carefully to her response. He noted her shoulders slump slightly, the additional step back and the fall of her confidence in her eyes. “Tell me the truth.” Ran demanded. “Are you rebels?”

“No!” She screamed at him.

“You are! Don’t lie!”

“We’re not Rebels!”

“No, you are worse. You are Rebels and you are ashamed of it!” Ran felt his own confidence building. He had beaten her, and he could tell, she knew it too. But as he readied himself for the final blow, he heard the cell door slide open and Agent Salem step inside.

“That’s enough Cordé, time’s up.” She said as she stood by the open door. “The Rebel cell commander confessed. She’s to be sent to a labour camp.” Ran felt his mouth drop open.

“But Ma’am-” He started to protest.

“Dismissed, Cordé.” Salem gave him the darkest of looks as he realized what he was doing. Ran closed his mouth and straightened up.

“Yes Ma’am.” He saluted and stepped out into the hall. Shortly after, Agent Salem followed him.

“With all due respect, Ma’am.” Ran began. “Why did you interrupt? I had her ready to confess.”

“Your time was up, Cordé.” She said plainly. “I said 20 minutes. Your exchange ran over time and you didn’t get her to confess.”

“But how could that be?” He said protesting still. “I had…” he then checked his datapad. He noted the time. He had exceeded the time limit his superior had set. He swallowed.

“Is there a problem, Junior Officer Cordé?” Salem said looking at him. Ran felt his face flush and he turned away quickly to compose himself.

“No, Ma’am.”

“Have your report on my desk in 5 hours.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Ran didn’t look back until he heard his superior’s boots round the corner. He then dashed after her and mentally prepared his report. He hadn’t much time.

#star wars #fan fiction #original characters #AnStWaEn #fanfic

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chitravp-blog · 6 years ago

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ISB Application Myths BUSTED!!!

In last decade ISB has become an institution that is associated with a sense of honor, prestige and accomplishment. ISB has been constantly ranked as top-ranked MBA university in India and 20th in Global MBA Rankings by Financial Times, London.

Undoubtedly, MBA aspirants are not leaving any stone unturned to add ‘ISB’ into their CVs. However, in this helter-skelter, several myths have cropped up over the last few years. Most of these grapevines are related to the ISB application process.

Well, to get into ISB one needs a very good score in GMAT/ CAT and a very impressive essay. You should keep in mind that the applicants of ISB have a good work profile and experience and thus your competition is among the best.

You can definitely get through ISB if you have prepared for it. However, most people back out when they come across a few myths about ISB application process.

Trust me, they are just myths.

ISB tries to look beyond your resume and evaluate the candidate in terms of their:

· Capability

· How far they have grown professionally in their career

· Academics and GMAT/ CAT score

· Leadership skills

· Team work

· Other interests

· Long and short-term goals, and last but not the least ,

· Their idea about giving back to society.

Let me take you through the top 5 myths about ISB’s application process.

1) Likelihood of rejection because of sub-700 score.

According to the official ISB statistics around 25% of the entering class had a sub-700 score.

This myth is perhaps propagated by those who got rejected because the other factors such as weak essays, poor interview or may be their inability to answer/attempting any basic or logical question.

2) Not applicable for candidates with >10 year of work experience.

Even though the average work experience of students is 3-6 years, ISB totally understands and appreciate the unique background and experience a senior student would bring in, in terms of knowledge and industry.

ISB gives complete support in placement assistance as someone with more than 10 years of experience will look out for positions like “Country Head” which opens up rarely. Thus, there is no placement guarantee but enough assistance in terms of contact and access to MNC’s are provided, just like any other full time student.

3) Ignoring the details in the ISB application form.

Aspirants usually fill out all the mandatory information about education, work-experience, projects, essays etc but consider some other details as “minor” like, hobbies, extra-curricular activities, awards, languages known to name a few.

I would suggest the aspirants to reserve some time for this section too as the admission committee gets to review a file which contains these very details before it even gets to see your essays. So, this is the chance to actually make the first impression on the selection board.

4) Showing NGO work as a must in your application.

ISB is always on the lookout for people with varied perspective in their classroom discussion. This is the reason you might come along to meet a few people who have an “unconventional” profile of working with an NGO.

However, it is a myth that ISB wants everyone who applies, to have contributed to a social cause.

Association with an NGO just for the sake of embellishing your ISB application will actually reduce your chances of admission.

Integrity is a quality that is highly regarded in B-schools these days. Culturally Indians tend to use their time constructively in many other different ways – not just in social causes. So, candidates should look at creative ways of revealing their managerial or leadership qualities such as playing a sport or serving for the community; basically anything that serves a purpose to either “self” or to “society”.

5) Focusing only on the essay and ignoring the interview.

Essays are an important part of selection and everybody gives their best in coining the right SOP for themselves as it is through essays that B-Schools will actually get to know about who you are as a person, and what you bring to the table.

However, it is also equally important that you focus on the interview process, through which the admissions committee tries to see if the person behind the essays is interesting in real-life. What you say in the interview matters are a lot. This is a platform where you can put forward your strengths and managerial traits for them to see.

There is more to you than an application form and the ISB interview panel wants to see that.

If you wish to know more in detail, you can check out Crackverbal’s ISB myths busted where you can find in-depth analysis of ISB application services related myths and their explanation.

#isb #isb application #isb application services myths

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