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Why I Traded My Spacious L.A. Abode for an 88-Square-Foot NYC Bedroom
Hadley Mendelsohn
Hadley was the Associate Editor at MyDomaine for two and a half years before joining the House Beautiful team as the Design Editor.
I miss the saturated pink sunsets and the lazy starless nights, the quadruple lane changes, the glimmer of neon lights, the bougainvillea, and the heavy hum of the Santa Anas. It took almost six years, but Los Angeles finally seduced me with its beauty by neglect and its sprawl. The truth is that I wanted to leave L.A. the moment I arrived in August 2012. But I didn't actually do anything about it until very recently when it finally felt like home.
Within the past year, I’ve gone from living alone in a spacious one-bedroom apartment with sweeping views of Silver Lake to living with my then-boyfriend in an equally roomy space in Los Feliz—though there was quite a bit less privacy—and now I find myself in Brooklyn sharing a three-bedroom apartment with two other women (and barely enough room to turn around). Most would probably hope for an inverse trajectory, but not me.
Isabella Behravan;Hadley Mendelsohn ; Graphic: Viviana Duron
When I lived by myself, I usually didn’t know what to do with all the rooms—I would literally set timers as reminders to go make use of another area in the apartment… 30 minutes with Rachel Maddow in the living room, 10 in the kitchen to tidy up, 30 in the dining room to catch up with a friend, and 20 on the porch if I’d spent too much time inside that day. I even had two separate entrances, and I blocked one of them the entire time I lived there with a room divider. If I wasn’t vigilant about this game of musical chairs, I’d only ever retreat to the bedroom. And, to be honest, that was all I really needed.
Longing for NYC
It took me a while to realize that, though, because I was just grateful to be in a neighborhood I liked. I didn’t want to be in L.A. after college—it was always New York—and because it felt like a bigger risk to stay where I was than to try something new, I knew I should at least feel at home in my apartment. Since I was in such a rush to get out at first, I never expected to build a life in L.A. For two years, all the artwork I collected leaned lazily on the floor, and I never even bothered to set up the heating. All because I had the intention of trading it in for New York as soon as I could.
Hadley Mendelsohn ; Graphic: Viviana Duron
As hard as I tried to see Los Angeles as a temporary thing, living from milestone to milestone and telling myself I’d reassess after (Just give me until November, and then I’ll start making moves if that’s what I still want), I eventually found myself on the brink of a serious relationship and fully invested in my job, which was based in L.A. Late last summer, right as I could feel myself falling in love, I decided to share my New York career aspirations with our editorial director, my boss. I knew that if I didn’t ask then, I never would, and luckily, she fully supported the relocation, though it would have to wait until April.
Waiting to Move
So I continued living, deepening my relationships with the city and the people I loved in it. It was a long waiting period, so something shifted: The New York dream started to feel like someone else’s, and I put it on hold (though I still didn’t hang anything up on the walls and by then had convinced myself the place was haunted). I finally had a moment of introspection in December that pushed me to take the plunge. I’m not one of those decisive “quit while you’re ahead” types; I wear things down to the bone and never rip off the bandage. David Foster Wallace sums up these tendencies well in Infinite Jest: “Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it.” I’d worn L.A. out, and it was time to give up the comfort of the sunshine and extra space of Southern California for the grit of New York City—but not just yet.
To save up money for the relocation, I moved in with my then-boyfriend. Picking up shop and moving in with someone I loved despite our pending separation felt just stupid enough to be smart (it wasn’t and it was). It was jarring to go from a solo dweller to sharing a space with a significant other who, despite being in love with me, had very little respect for my things and my boundaries as a roommate. Though it was temporary, we made it feel like a home for me, sprinkling some of my favorite pieces into the living room and bedroom (my silver lamp was a must).
In retrospect, I can see that I do indeed want that life someday—a well-curated home and a shared space with someone I love in a beautiful neighborhood with dogs and families and trees—but that lifestyle just made me feel so much older than I was. I also now realize I had way too many things for someone as uninterested in nesting as I am at this point in my life.
Then March arrived, and I was to pack up my things and go. Lucky for me, my New York-based sister’s second roommate was moving to Texas that month, so I was able to secure a bedroom before landing at the airport. But, unlike the other options out there, I had no part in choosing it or decorating it. My collection of rattan furniture, a very beloved Hawaiian-print chair, and a spunky midcentury-modern houndstooth sofa wouldn’t be making the cross-country trip with me. With only 88 square feet to work with, all I could fit was a full-size bed and a dresser inherited by the previous tenant.
I shipped a few knickknacks and keepsakes and the sliver arc lamp that came with me to each apartment, but other than that, I had to start anew. Purging all the items I had collected was the right move—it felt freeing. Instead of upgrading to more space with room to roam, I needed something smaller to give me more structure. My new bedroom in New York is doing just that. Like the city, my room feels a bit cramped, and the only way to pack anything in is vertically. So the first things I did were get curtains for a semblance of privacy and installed floating shelves to add storage and display space for my photos and artwork.
Then I focused on my bed since that was really the only place that offered a decorating opportunity to express my personal style. I decided to get California-based bedding from (Matteo Los Angeles) to carry some of that quintessential L.A style that I loved to New York with me. And while I rarely ever use the living room and there isn’t even a dining area to speak of, I finally feel at ease in a home.
There’s something about the smallness and once-removed-ness of my apartment here in Brooklyn that makes me feel younger, freer than I ever did in L.A. I can go to my room and not feel strange or guilty for not making use of the other rooms. Plus, having less room inside makes me want to go out and explore more because, at the risk of sounding cliché, there is just so much opportunity here.
Like many West Coast babies, I grew up with a very curated vision of New York City. It represented independence, ambition, excitement, freedom… I’d think of the quick pace of click-clacking heels, of the back-to-back meetings, of the passion in plain sight. So far, I haven’t been all that far off base—I interact with more people by 9 a.m. in New York than I did in an entire day in Los Angeles. And I feel much smaller here, though less anonymous.
A Nook Person
While I left so much more than just cotton candy clouds and better produce in L.A., the risk and the challenge of downsizing feel worth it. Maybe I feel more at home in this 88-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn with an ugly view and only a small collection of my items because I’m a “nook person,” as writer Durga Chew-Bose calls us in Too Much and Not the Mood. "Nook people are those of us who need solitude, but also the sound of someone puttering in the next room. … Smallness primes us to eventually take up space," she writes. Maybe I need to feel small and cramped to get out of my comfort zone and to learn how to fill larger spaces, to nest, and to love without reservation.
The Books That Brought Me Comfort During the Move
Eve Babitz Slow Days, Fast Company $11
Durga Chew-Bose Too Much and Not the Mood $10
Bell Hooks All About Love $11
Sarah Manguso 300 Arguements $10
Chelsea Hodson Tonight I'm Someone Else $10
Maggie Nelson Bluets $14
Melissa Broder So Sad Today $10
I Lived in a 280-Square-Foot Apartment for a Year—This Is What I Learned
How Riding a Harley Across the USA Became a Journey of Self-Acceptance
22 Hidden Gems in Los Angeles That Made Me Fall Back in Love With It
How Stephanie Szostak Transitioned From Marketing to Acting
My S.O. and I Never Had to Compromise Until We Downsized—Here's What I Learned
Finding the Truth of Who I Am: The Most Bittersweet Journey
I'm on a Strict Budget—Here's How I Decorated My Brooklyn Rental Apartment
I Completely Redecorated My 350-Square-Foot Living Space to Fit My Family of 3
Is This Breathing Practice the Antidote to Stress and Anxiety?
This Moody Bachelor Pad Is What Bicoastal Dreams Are Made of—Come Inside
I Found the Perfect Neutral Paint Color—And It’s Not White
17 Things I'm Buying for My Apartment That Prove I'm a Grown-Up
How I Turned My Guest Room Into a Pinterest-Worthy Glam Room
Living Alone Is Actually Awesome (Even Science Agrees)
Inside the Living Room Makeover of Emily Henderson's Editorial Director
The Scariest Ghost Stories Ever, Straight From the Depths of Reddit
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Home » People » 10 Interesting Kristen Stewart Facts
10 Interesting Kristen Stewart Facts
Friday, May 30th 2014. | People
Kristen Stewart facts present the information about the fabulous actress of Twilight Series along with his ex boy friend Robert Pattison. Twilight series is popular around the world. People are willingly to stand for hours to get the ticket of Twilight in the cinema during its premier. Here are the facts about the main lead, Kristen Stewart:
Kristen Stewart Facts 1: early life
During her childhood, she spent much of her time living in Colorado and Pennsylvania. Actually she was born in Los Angeles. However, when she was 8 years old, she decided to come back to Los Angeles.
Kristen Stewart Facts 2: Sibling
Kristen Stewart has two brothers. He had an adopted brother named Taylor. Taylor and Kristen were in similar age. He was adopted in the family when he was 13 years old. Her biological brother was Cameron. He is the oldest child in the family.
Kristen Stewart Actress
Kristen Stewart Facts 3: John Stewart
Are you curious with the father of Kristen Stewart? He is John Stewart. He works at Fox TV as a TV producer. The co producer of the TV show On Air with Ryan Seacrest was Kristen’s father. He also has worked on TBS TV for a show Lopez Tonight since 2010.
Kristen Stewart Facts 4: Jules Stewart
Jules Stewart is the name of Kristen’s mother. She works as a script supervisor from Australia. When Kristen goes to Australia, her favorite place is a resort town located in Queensland called Noose Heads.
Kristen Stewart Beauty
Kristen Stewart Facts 5: talent agent
A talent agent discovered Kristen Stewart when she sang in a school play. However, she was picked to become an actress, not an actor. Kristen has a great voice. You can hear her singing skill in two of her movies The Runaways and Into the Wild.
Kristen Stewart Facts 6: the first role
Kristen’s first role was with Corbin Bleu who played in High School Musical. Both Kristen and Bleu were the main lead in Catch that Kid.
Kristen Stewart Cute
Kristen Stewart Facts 7: birthday
It will be such as great coincidence for Kristen Stewart to have a similar birthday with the greatest actor Dennis Quaid. Both celebrate the birthday on 9 April.
Actually in 2003, Dennis played as Kristen’s father in the movie Cold Creek Manor.
Kristen Stewart Facts 8: nomination
In 2003 to 2005, Kristen Stewart was nominated for the Young Artist Award for three times during the period. Unfortunately, she never won the award.
Kristen Stewart Facts
Kristen Stewart Facts 9: bands
Kristen Stewart likes some big bands in the world. She states that she is a fan of U2, the Beatles, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Green Day and Nirvana. Read John Lennon facts to know about the Beatles.
Kristen Stewart Facts 10: Panic Room
Do you still remember the movie Panic Room which has the main lead Jodie Foster? Probably not all of you realize the kid of Jodie Foster in the movie was played by the young Kristen. She replaced Hayden Panettiere in the movie.
Kristen Stewart Glasses
Kristen’s biggest breakthrough was in the movie Twilight where she became Bella Swanson. In the last two Twilight movies, she earns $12.5 million. Are you interested reading facts about Kristen Stewart?
tags: Kristen Stewart, Kristen Stewart Facts
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UBA partners IATA at aviation regional summit
Source: Ghana| Myjoyonline.com
The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Ghana Limited, partnered the International Air Transport Association (IATA), to bring together stakeholders in the Aviation industry from Africa, Middle East and Europe at the just ended Summit and Gala Night Dinner.
The summit which took place at Marriott Hotel, in Accra was aimed at discussing the theme, ‘Aviation Business for Regional Prosperity’.
The event brought together more than 200 distinguished aviation decision-makers and influencers, representing Airlines, Airport Managers, Regulatory Authorities, Government Agencies, Air navigators, International and Regional Organizations, Aviation Suppliers and Aircraft Manufacturers.
In his goodwill message, the CEO of UBA, Mr Isong Udom, reiterated the importance of the Aviation Industry in Economic Growth, Tourism and Regional Integration.
He maintained that the industry remains one of the most critical components of National Development for any Nation.
Mr Udom said that in a highly globalised world where technology innovations are breaking barriers to Economic and Social integrations, the Aviation Industry and more specifically IATA occupies a very important position in enabling smooth movement of people and resources across wide geographical divides.
The prosperity of Nations will depend not only in their internal strengths but their ability to collaborate with other nations and IATA has facilitated that seamless relationship between Nations through the critical roles it plays in this important industry, he added.
Mr Isong emphasised that United Bank for Africa’s relationship with IATA was made possible by IATA’s extensive investment in Technology for its operations and the Bank’s strong digital capabilities which brings uncommon synergies between the two institutions.
“Our collaboration leverages our robust Digital Banking Infrastructure to provide such services as Payments and Collections, Treasury Management Services, Transaction Services, Account Aggregation and strong Reporting capabilities across many countries where we have common footprints,” he said.
He added, “this dynamic relationship has seen us grow our partnerships over the years.”
Mr Udom stated that the IATA Conference provides a very unique networking opportunity for all stakeholders and informed the participants.
“The networking underscores the decision of UBA to sponsor the Gala Night which will give participants the opportunity to explore business relationships under a very relaxed atmosphere,” he explained.
He promised that UBA will use this rare opportunity to interact and present a more granular version of its custom offerings to every sector in the aviation value chain.
“More importantly listen attentively to the challenges and expectations of the delegates with a view to providing tailor-made solution to these needs.
He commended the aviation sector in Ghana for providing world-class aviation infrastructure and also Aviation Safety.
Also speaking at the event, the Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, charged stakeholders in the aviation industry to collaborate and work to minimise air transport fares, as well as improve connectivity within the sub-region.
He called for the strengthening, coordination and harmonisation in regional policies to ensure a vibrant aviation industry.
He also indicated that Ghana made giant strides in the development of domestic air travel by abolishing VAT on airfares and there has been significant growth in local travels by air.
the vice president also hinted that plans are far advanced to inaugurate a national carrier and government is working with the private sector and international investors to realise this ambition within the shortest possible time.
The IATA Aviation Summit is Africa and Middle East (AME) region’s biggest industry event of the year. UBA is pleased to have partnered with IATA to make the 2019 Summit a success.
Each step of ECG to PDS transaction was carefully scrutinised - MiDA
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To provide you with the best experience, Nanda's House Pousada uses its own and third-party cookies on its website for technical, analytical and marketing purposes. By continuing to browse our site, you're agreeing to our use of cookies. Please consult our Cookie Notice for more information.
São Francisco de Paula, CEP 95400-000
Featuring free WiFi and an outdoor pool, Nanda's House Pousada offers accommodation in São Francisco de Paula. Free private parking is available on site.
Rooms include a flat-screen TV. Some rooms include views of the pool or garden. Each room includes a private bathroom. A TV with satellite channels is available.
You will find a shared lounge at the property.
Gramado is 30 km from Nanda's House Pousada, while Canela is 26 km from the property. The nearest airport is Salgado Filho Airport, 83 km from the property.
Nanda's House Pousada View Attractions
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New MOF vaccines could expand access to immunization
(Nanowerk News) Vaccinations are the safest way to protect against disease. However, many vaccines become ineffective when exposed to room temperature or heat. In less developed countries with undependable electricity, physicians struggle to administer fully effective vaccines because of breaks in the “cold chain” that supplies vaccines from manufacturers to patients. Even in more developed regions, 80 percent of the costs of manufacturing and distributing vaccines are associated with keeping them cold. These challenges prevent patients from accessing lifesaving immunizations and increase the risk of global pandemics.
During the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Crystallographic Association, being held July 20-24, 2018, in Toronto, Canada, Jeremiah Gassensmith, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, will describe his lab’s work developing metal-organic framework (MOF) vaccines ("MOF Vaccines—Decreasing the Dependency on Refrigerated Transport"). This new biocompatible polymer framework “freezes” proteins inside vaccines. The proteins then dissolve when injected in human skin. This innovation could help health care providers transport and administer vaccines in remote areas with unreliable power.
“MOF vaccines are crystals that contain an antigen like the protein on the surface of influenza, except they’re frozen inside a crystalline lattice, so they can’t denature or change shape,” Gassensmith explained. MOFs contain clusters of metal ions bound together with organic links. The structure resembles building blocks and enables increased molecular control of pore size, shape and functionality.
Structural advantages of MOFs allow them to perform better at room temperature than artificial encasings like silica. Specifically, MOFs’ porous structure allows them to function as a semipermeable barrier to transport biological matter like proteins or antigens in vaccines.
Furthermore, MOFs remain stable in many solvents, including water, but they dissolve in low-pH environments like human skin. This is an extra advantage for transdermal vaccine administration, because the skin contains immune cells that can help activate the vaccine and its acidity will help the MOF dissolve.
Researchers synthesize MOFs through a process called “biomimetic mineralization,” based on the biomineralization process that forms natural materials like bones and shells. In biomimetic mineralization, researchers exploit how negative protein surfaces attract positive metal ions, so the MOF grows a protective shell around the vaccine.
Gassensmith was surprised to discover that their method effectively encapsulated hundreds of nanometer-wide inactivated viruses as well as small proteins such as insulin. “We were able to grow the shell on the surface of these very large protein ensembles just as effectively as we could on the smaller proteins,” Gassensmith said. “It doesn’t seem to matter how big or how small the structure is. We can encapsulate all of it.”
Going forward, the team hopes to integrate their work into a clinic. “Our next phase is to increase the in vivo [in animals] work we are doing and create vaccines that might help target malaria,” Gassensmith said.
Source: American Crystallographic Association
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'Who do you trust?' Election campaign in Manitoba officially begins
By Steve Lambert in News, Politics | August 13th 2019
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister waves as he enters the Lieutenant Governor's home to drop the writ calling for a September election in Winnipeg on Monday, August 12, 2019. Photo by The Canadian Press/John Woods
Manitoba's official election campaign began Monday with promises from Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister to continue to reduce taxes and keep a leash on spending if he wins a second mandate.
Two months after he cut the provincial sales tax to seven per cent from eight — a key commitment from the last election — Pallister visited the lieutenant-governor to start a 29-day campaign for the vote on Sept. 10.
"The question every voter has to ask themselves in this election is, who do you trust to keep their word to you and your family?" Pallister said outside the legislature, many of his party's candidates at his side.
The election was to be held Oct. 6, 2020, but earlier this year Pallister moved up the date by more than a year.
The campaign comes amid controversial health-care reforms that the New Democrats are putting at the centre of their campaign. Pallister's Tories have downgraded three of Winnipeg's six hospital emergency rooms to urgent care centres, which do not handle life-threatening events such as heart attacks.
The Tories have said the aim is to streamline health care and concentrate emergency rooms in locations where they have specialist support, but the New Democrats say the changes have resulted in people losing care in their neighbourhood.
"Manitobans deserve a real choice, a choice between a team that is going to cut health care like the Conservatives have, or a team that is going to be smart, strategic and compassionate about rebuilding health care like our team is," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said.
The early election has affected the Liberals the most. They had candidates nominated in a little more than half the province's constituencies by Monday. They also have much less money than the NDP and Tories.
"We've always held campaigns that are held together by bailing wire and twine, and this time I think we get to use a slightly higher grade of baling wire and twine," Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont joked.
"But we have a huge amount of experience and ultimately, if you look at election after election ... it's not necessarily the candidate with the most money that won."
The Tories secured the largest majority in Manitoba in a century in the 2016 election when they took 40 of 57 legislature seats.
Royce Koop, head of political studies at the University of Manitoba, said it will be an uphill battle for opposition parties to topple the Tories, who continue to lead in opinion polls and have raised exponentially more money.
"We're not starting with an evenly matched race. It's not like the ... contenders are equal in the polls," Koop said.
"That said, the campaign is just starting and we have an idea of what the terms of the campaign are going to look like."
The Tories swept the NDP from power in the last election after the New Democrats raised the provincial sales tax and started running a string of deficits. Pallister's government cut the sales tax and reduced the deficit by roughly half, partly by freezing public-sector wages, cutting management jobs and reducing subsidies for items such as sleep-apnea machines.
The NDP won 14 seats in 2016 and later elected Kinew as leader. Kinew has been the subject of Tory attack ads over old criminal convictions, for which he has since received record suspensions, and for an accusation that he assaulted a former girlfriend. That charge was stayed by the Crown in 2004, although the woman has maintained her accusation that Kinew threw her across the couple's living room.
The Liberals, who held four seats when the election was called, are hoping to become a political contender for the first time since the mid-1990s.
The Green party is hoping to score its first seat in Manitoba after coming close in the Winnipeg seat of Wolseley in 2016.
Manitoba Greens platform includes guaranteed basic income, rising carbon tax
Manitoba NDP Opposition outlines climate plan ahead of expected election
By Steve Lambert in News, Politics | June 2nd 2019
Manitoba NDP pick rookie MLA, author Wab Kinew as party and Opposition leader
By Steve Lambert in News, Politics | September 16th 2017
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Malloy Announces Aid for Tornado-Damaged Farms
By LeAnne Gendreau and Ari Mason • Published at 10:27 am on July 2, 2013
Gov. Dannel Malloy announced Tuesday that Connecticut farms damaged by Monday's tornado are eligible for government assistance to help jump-start recovery efforts.
During a visit to the OJ Thrall Farm in Windsor, Malloy said affected farms can now apply for the Production Loss Assistance Needed Today (PLANT) grants unveiled June 23.
"Yesterday's tornado ripped through farmland, delivering the latest blow in a series of storms that have inflicted threatening wounds to some of our state's farms," Malloy said at the OJ Thrall Farm in Windsor on Tuesday. "I want to be very clear about the fact that these small businesses have my support and are eligible to apply for this special assistance to get back on their feet."
State police 1 hour ago
The Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Agriculture are offering a total of $5 million in grants, and will work with the Connecticut Farm Bureau to award the grants.
Grant requests must be submitted by July 15, according to a press release from the governor's office.
Malloy also signed a Declaration of Civil Preparedness Emergency to help with debris removal in East Windsor, Greenwich, Stamford and Windsor Locks.
According to the governor's office, this declaration allow the state to help remove debris and wreckage that might threaten public health or safety from publicly or privately owned land.
“While yesterday’s tornadoes in Hartford County and Fairfield County caused property damage, we are most of all grateful that no lives were lost during these flash storms. This declaration will help the residents in the impacted towns to expedite debris removal,” Malloy said in a statement.
Malloy visited Sports World at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to survey the damage in East Windsor.
The tornado struck while summer camp was underway. Sports World counselors acted quickly to bring the campers to safety just before the storm tore apart the dome.
A second tornado struck Greenwich and Stamford Monday morning.
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Fact Sheet May 23, 2016
Immigration and Labor Enforcement in the Workplace: The Revised Labor Agency-DHS Memorandum of Understanding
The Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security have updated their 2011 Memorandum of Understanding to include the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board in the agreement.
The Updated Memorandum of Understanding
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)1 and Department of Homeland Security (DHS)2 entered into a revised Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to ensure that the two agencies’ worksite‐based enforcement activities do not conflict. The 2011 MOU updated a 1998 MOU that was entered into between DOL and the then–Immigration and Naturalization Service.3 In 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) joined the agreement in an addendum to the original MOU.4 Under the Revised MOU, DHS agrees to refrain from engaging in civil worksite enforcement at worksites that are the subject of investigations by not only the DOL but also the EEOC and the NLRB (collectively, the “labor agencies”).
What is the purpose of the MOU?
The 2011 MOU between DOL and DHS (DOL-DHS MOU) and the 2016 addendum adding EEOC and NLRB (Labor Agency-DHS MOU) reiterate the national policy goal that immigration enforcement will not interfere with employment and labor rights enforcement in the workplace. To achieve this goal, the MOU establishes a process for the named agencies to coordinate their workplace enforcement activities with one another. First, the MOU limits the worksite enforcement power of DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) when an investigation by DOL, EEOC, or NLRB is pending, and requires the relevant labor agency to provide ICE with sufficient information to allow for the identification of overlapping enforcement activity. Second, it outlines the agencies’ shared commitment to protecting workers against retaliation and intimidation by employers and other parties who use threats of immigration enforcement.
What workplace activities are protected by the MOU?
The MOU is designed to protect against immigration interference during ongoing labor disputes at a workplace. The MOU defines labor disputes as a labor-related dispute between employees and management or ownership regarding any of the following employee rights:
The right to be paid the correct wages and overtime pay;
The right to work under safe conditions;
The right to workers’ compensation, family and medical leave, and employee benefits;
The right to be free from unlawful discrimination;
The right to form, join or assist a labor organization, to participate in collective bargaining or negotiation, and to engage in protected concerted activities for mutual aid or protection;
The rights of members of labor unions to union democracy, and to information about employee rights and the finances of unions, employers, and labor relations consultants; and
The right to protection from retaliation for seeking enforcement of any of these rights.
What are the obligations of ICE under the MOU?
ICE agrees to not conduct worksite enforcement activities, including DHS Form I‐9 audits, during an investigation or any subsequent proceedings under the jurisdiction of one of the relevant labor agencies, subject to some exceptions.5 ICE also agrees to permit the labor agencies to interview any person detained because of ICE worksite enforcement activities. ICE agrees that its personnel will not impersonate DOL/EEOC/NLRB agents or act for one of the labor agencies without that agency’s approval.
What about retaliation by non‐employers?
ICE agrees to “be alert to and thwart attempts by other parties to manipulate its worksite enforcement activities for illicit or improper purposes.” ICE will evaluate whether tips and leads it gets concerning worksite enforcement involve a labor dispute or are meant to retaliate, “manipulate a pending labor dispute,” or “otherwise frustrate the enforcement of labor laws.” This language may mean that retaliation carried out by an employer’s surrogate (such as an attorney, local police, or insurers) could trigger the MOU.
How is the MOU triggered?
ICE and the relevant labor agencies meet regularly to review ICE enforcement activities. ICE will rely on information from the labor agencies to determine that a labor dispute exists at a particular worksite or that an investigation by a labor agency is underway, triggering the MOU. The labor agencies agree to inform ICE of attempts made by employers and others to retaliate against workers for exercising their workplace rights or to manipulate in other ways pending labor disputes. Advocates should clarify with the relevant labor agency whether particular worker complaints or investigations are in the database that could trigger the conflict notice at ICE.
What remedies are available to workers who are witnesses in labor agency investigations?
ICE agrees to consider labor agency requests to grant immigration relief (such as parole or deferred action) for witnesses needed for a labor agency investigation or related proceeding. The labor agencies agree to develop a mechanism to refer information to ICE regarding human smuggling and trafficking, child exploitation, and extortion or forced labor. The labor agencies and ICE retain their ability to seek visas for labor agency witnesses—for example, their authority to certify worker victims of crime for U visas. In addition, victims of labor abuse may also be eligible for the exercise of prosecutorial discretion under memoranda issued by ICE on June 17, 2011.
How will the MOU be implemented?
The MOU calls for the formation of a Worksite Enforcement Coordination Committee, and a means of exchanging information between the agencies. Each agency commits to dissemination of the MOU through “appropriate implementation instructions, employee notification and training.” Because the MOU was issued without a specific plan, advocates have a critical role in working with the labor agencies and ICE on effective implementation of the MOU at the national, regional, and local levels.
Conclusion and recommendations
What steps should worker advocates take to protect workers in individual cases?
To protect workers from immigration enforcement while they are asserting their workplace rights, workers should file a complaint with the appropriate labor agency about unpaid wages or other violations of their labor rights if they have a claim, and make sure that the complaint is accepted and logged in the agency’s database. In cases where threats of retaliation have been made, or if it appears that an ICE enforcement action is imminent, the worker or advocate should immediately inform the appropriate labor agency of the threat.
How should advocates engage with local labor agency and ICE offices?
Workers and advocates should consider working closely with the relevant labor agencies and ICE offices to provide the information the agencies need to best carry out the purpose of the MOU, ensure its smooth implementation, and help monitor decisions made under the MOU. This will help ensure that its interpretation and practical benefits are as expansive as possible, and serve the purpose and spirit of the MOU.
This could include:
Meeting with national, regional, and district labor agencies and ICE offices to discuss implementation of the MOU and local preferences for labor dispute notification, and to assist in facilitating information‐sharing.6
Advocating that ICE make detainees available to labor agencies, unions, and workers centers for interviews, regardless of whether a labor agency investigation was ongoing at the time of the worksite enforcement. This is especially important when labor violations are discovered during or after an immigration enforcement investigation.
Working with labor agency and ICE offices to develop procedures for responding to tips to ICE from employers and their agents, or from others acting on behalf of the employer, such as attorneys, local police, or insurance companies. Discuss preferred methods of requesting deferred action, parole, or other immigration relief for workers who cooperate with a labor agency investigation or who are material witnesses in a prosecution against an employer.
In cases where ICE has made arrests that limit a worker’s ability to make workplace complaints, evaluate the worker’s eligibility for prosecutorial discretion.
For more information, contact Rebecca Smith, rsmith@nelp.org, (206) 324‐4000, Tsedeye Gebreselassie, tsedeye@nelp.org, (212) 285‐3025 ext. 314 or Haeyoung Yoon, hyoon@nelp.org, (212) 285‐3025 ext. 315. At NILC, contact Jessie Hahn, hahn@nilc.org, (202) 621‐1028.
Download Complete Publication
Specific DOL offices implicated are the Wage & Hour Division (WHD), the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), ), and the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) component of DHS is responsible for implementation of this MOU.
The MOU was initially published in March 2011. Technical revisions were made on December 7, 2011. The December 2011 version is available at: http://www.nelp.org/page/‐/Justice/2011/Revised_DHS_DOL_MOU.pdf?nocdn=1.
The addendum adding the EEOC and the NLRB was published in May 2016. The addendum is available at https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/documents/MOU-Addendum.pdf.
The exceptions can apply if the Director or Deputy Director of ICE or the Secretary of Homeland Security finds that enforcement activity is warranted for purposes of national security or protection of infrastructure such as ports and defense facilities, or if the enforcement activity concerns a federal crime other than an unauthorized employment violation. We read this provision to mean that ICE will not invoke the exception in routine cases where a worker may have used a false Social Security Number or a borrowed Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to get a job. In the event the Director or Deputy Director of ICE or the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that enforcement activity during a DOL/EEOC/NLRB investigation is necessary, ICE “agrees to provide notice to the relevant labor agency” unless providing notice would compromise ICE’s investigation.
For a listing of district and regional DOL offices around the country, see Collaborating with the US Department of Labor to Recover Unpaid Wages, http://www.nelp.org/page/‐/Justice/2010/USDOLToolkit2010.pdf?nocdn=1. EEOC field offices are listed at https://www1.eeoc.gov//field/index.cfm?renderforprint=1. A map of regional NLRB offices across the country can be found at https://www.nlrb.gov/who-we-are/regional-offices.
National Employment Law Project
90 Broad Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10004
nelp@nelp.org
Donor Inquiries
ehawkins@nelp.org
Ollie Jones
press@nelp.org
Website by Briteweb
The site is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal advice. Website by Briteweb
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05/11/11c
NetSuite and Google deliver improved cloud productivity to the enterprise
NetSuite Now Integrated With Google Apps via SuiteCloud Development Platform
NetSuite SuiteWorld 2011, SAN FRANCISCO—May 11, 2011—NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), the industry’s leading provider of financials / ERP software suites, today announced deeper integration with Google Apps™ and the Google Apps Marketplace™. This includes contextual integration between the main components of NetSuite and both Gmail™ and Google Calendar™, offering improved productivity in the cloud. In addition, Google Calendar and the calendar in NetSuite OpenAir, the world's leading cloud professional services automation (PSA) and services resource planning (SRP) solution, are now fully synchronised. For more information please visit www.netsuite.co.uk/NetSuiteforGoogleApps.
Working in conjunction with SuiteCloud Developer Network (SDN) partner Celigo, NetSuite has unveiled fully contextual integration with many components of Google Apps™. The new email integration enables real-time access and updates to relevant customers and transactional NetSuite data in Gmail, as well as the capability to collaborate among teams on documents created with Google Docs within the NetSuite environment.
"Seamless access to the power of NetSuite and Google Apps together means more real-time collaboration and visibility for every stakeholder working on an opportunity, transaction, or project," said Zach Nelson, CEO of NetSuite. "By strengthening our ties with Google's cloud and integrating with Google Apps, NetSuite has made it even easier for businesses to do business at Internet speed."
In addition to close-knit integration with Google Apps, NetSuite has unveiled bidirectional synchronization between Google Calendar and the NetSuite OpenAir calendar. This app allows OpenAir events such as bookings and task assignments to be exported in real-time from NetSuite OpenAir to Google Calendars for individual users. The Google Calendar integration is available free to all NetSuite OpenAir users with Google Apps accounts.
"We are pleased to see NetSuite expand its presence in the Google Apps Marketplace," said Dave Girouard, President of Google Enterprise. "As a company built for the cloud, NetSuite is helping IT administrators leverage the benefits of cloud computing and extend Google Apps to more of their business needs.”
About Google Apps Marketplace
The Google Apps Marketplace makes it easy for more than 2 million Google Apps customers to discover, purchase and deploy integrated business applications and related professional services. By integrating with user account and application data stored in Google Apps, these cloud applications provide a simpler user experience, increase business efficiency, and reduce administrative overhead. To learn more, visit http://google.com/appsmarketplace.
Google Apps brings simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools to organisations. With Google Apps, users can use applications such as Gmail™ webmail service, Google Talk™ instant messaging service, Google Calendar™ calendaring service, Google Docs™ program, Google Sites™ web application, and Google Video™ for business on their own domain to work together more effectively. Best of all, it's all hosted by Google, so there's no hardware or software to download, install or maintain.
Google, Google Apps Marketplace, Google Apps, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, and Google Video are trademarks of Google Inc.
Follow NetSuite's Cloud blog, NetSuite's Facebook page and @NetSuiteEMEA Twitter handle for real-time updates.
NOTE: NetSuite and the NetSuite logo and where business is going are service marks of NetSuite Inc.
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NPT Transatlantic
NPT UK Privacy Notice
Protecting your privacy is a fundamental component of our service. Since our founding, National Philanthropic Trust UK Limited (‘NPT UK’) has been committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and security of personal information entrusted to us by existing donors, potential donors and their respective advisors. Article 5 of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) states that Personal Data must be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. In line with the GDPR changes, we are updating our Privacy Notice so you can better understand why and how we collect, process and destroy your data. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your Personal Data and how we will treat it.
For purposes of this Privacy Notice, the following terms will be defined as follows:
• “Personal Data” or “Personal Information” means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. Personal Data and/or Personal Information does not include data from which you cannot be identified (i.e., anonymous data).
• “Special Categories” means more sensitive personal data which require a higher level of protection, including information about your race or ethnic origins, political opinions, sex life or sexual orientation, religious beliefs and health data.
WHO WE ARE AND HOW TO CONTACT US
National Philanthropic Trust UK Limited, located at 1 Ropemaker Street, London, EC2Y 9HT, United Kingdom, is considered a controller of your Personal Data under GDPR. We determine the purpose for which, and manner in which, any Personal Data is processed as set out in this Notice.
WHAT TYPES OF PERSONAL DATA DO WE COLLECT?
NPT UK collects both anonymous data and Personal Data volunteered by you. Personal Information is anything which enables you to be identified in some way, such as your name and an email address. The types of Personal Information collected might include name, date of birth, e-mail address, postal address, telephone number, and bank transfer details. We also use “cookies,” which are text files placed on your computer, to collect information about how the site is used. For more information about our use of cookies and similar technologies, please see our Cookie Policy.
LAWFUL BASIS FOR DATA PROCESSING
Where we process your Personal Data as your data controller, we rely on the following (as applicable):
• Consent: We may ask for your consent for our use of your Personal Information for a specific purpose. You always have the right to withdraw your consent.
• Performance of Contract: We will rely on performance of contract as a legal basis when we process your data to perform a contract we have entered into with you or to take steps at your request prior to entering into one.
• Legitimate Interest: We may sometimes rely on our or a third party’s legitimate interest in processing your Personal Data. We will only rely on legitimate interests when we have balanced the legitimate interest against your fundamental rights (see below for additional detail); and
• Legal Obligation: We will process your Personal Data as necessary to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject, including the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, as it relates to the disclosure of donor names on IRS Form 990 (Return of Organisation Exempt from Income Tax).
PURPOSE OF DATA COLLECTED
You may, at times, be asked to supply Personal Information, for example when you inquire about our activities, request information, open a donor-advised fund or other philanthropic account, make a contribution or recommend a grant. NPT UK also collects data when you visit its website. We use this Personal Information for the following purposes:
• to analyse, evaluate and improve our work and services;
• to provide updates on our work and for marketing purposes;
• to ensure we are not contacting people who have asked us not to;
• to administer Gift Aid;
• to satisfy legal obligations which are binding on us;
• for the prevention of fraud or misuse of services;
• for the establishment, defence or enforcement of legal claims;
• to conduct identify, know-your-client, and anti-money-laundering checks;
• to understand more about how the site is used by visitors;
• to provide you with the services, products or information you have requested and communicate with you in general; and
• for administration purposes.
If you do not provide certain Personal Information when requested, we may be limited or unable to provide you with the services you have requested.
NPT UK may need to share your Personal Information with associated organisations and agents for these purposes. If you supply such information, NPT UK is legally bound to ensure that such information is only used for the purpose for which it was requested (including the purposes set out in this Notice) and also to ensure that the data is held securely.
WHO WE SHARE OUR INFORMATION WITH
The Personal Information we hold about you will be provided to our staff and volunteers who require it in connection with our work. It will also be shared with third party service providers for the purposes outlined in this Notice. The third parties in question will be required to use any Personal Information they receive in accordance with our instructions.
There may be times when we are required, by law, to pass on some of your Personal Data to:
• Law enforcement agencies; government bodies; tax authorities; courts, tribunals and complaints/dispute resolution bodies; or
• Other bodies as required by law or regulation.
We also reserve the right to disclose your Personal Information to third parties:
• in the event of a business sale, purchase or reorganisation, or other business transaction, in which case your Personal Information may form part of the transferred assets;
• with our professional advisors (e.g. lawyers), where necessary to protect our interests; and
• in connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings, in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights.
Otherwise we will not share Personal Information about you with third parties without your consent.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (EEA)
Please note that certain countries outside of the EEA have a lower standard of protection for Personal Information, including lower security requirements and fewer rights for individuals. Personal Information that you provide to us is stored on secure servers in the United States. We have put into effect appropriate procedures to safeguard and secure this information. For example, when using our forms to register or provide information to NPT UK, we use the Secure Service Layer (SSL) encryption method for all secure submissions. This method is generally accepted to ensure that the transmission of personal information is secure. Common browsers make it obvious when information is being passed in a secure manner by displaying either a completed key or a closed lock on the screen. NPT UK will transfer Personal Data outside the EEA only if one of the following conditions applies:
• The European Commission has issued a decision confirming that the country to which we transfer the Personal Data ensures an adequate level of protection for individual’s resident rights and freedoms;
• Appropriate safeguards are in place such as standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission; or
• You have provided your explicit, informed consent to the transfer.
NPT UK will retain your Personal Data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which we collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal or tax requirements, in accordance with the organisation’s Data Protection Policy.
Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
Please be aware that you also have the following data protection rights:
• The right to be informed about the Personal Data NPT UK collects from and processes about you;
• The right to access Personal Data NPT UK processes about you;
• The right to ratification of your Personal Data where you believe it to be inaccurate;
• The right to erasure of your Personal Data in certain circumstances;
• The right to restrict processing of your Personal Data;
• The right to data portability in certain circumstances;
• The right to object to the processing of your Personal Data; and
• The right not to be subject to automated decision making and profiling. We do not currently use automated decision making processes.
Please note that these are legal rights subject to exemptions, and that we may ask for additional information to confirm your identity before disclosing Personal Information requested to you.
You can exercise these rights by contacting us using the contact details below.
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at any time at: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Where we may seek to further process your Personal Data for reasons other than the original purpose for which it was collected, NPT UK shall process such data in a manner compatible with the original purpose.
SAFEGUARDING MEASURES
NPT UK has put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your Personal Data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your Personal Data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties on a ‘need to know’ basis. They will only process your Personal Data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
NPT UK will only transfer Personal Data to a third party if they agree to comply with those procedures and policies, or put in place adequate measures prior to receiving it. Maintaining data security means guaranteeing the confidentiality, integrity and availability (for authorised purposes) of the Personal Data.
SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF DATA
We may, in certain cases and only as permitted by law, process Personal Data which are more sensitive in nature – for example, when undertaking a Know Your Client / Anti-Money Laundering (“KYC-AML”) check. While performing our KYC-AML checks, we may come across a past criminal conviction or other similar information about your past.
LEGITIMATE INTERESTS
We may process your Personal Information under the “Legitimate Interests” legal basis. Where this is the case, we will have carried out a “Legitimate Interests Assessment” pursuant to which we weigh your interests and any risk posed to you against our own, and confirm that such processing is a proportionate and appropriate way to further the legitimate interests. Our legitimate interests will include, for example, general administrative purposes, purposes related to Human Resources, marketing and/or day-to-day operations.
When sending marketing materials to advisors and/or donors (or other recipients), we may have the option to rely on the advisor’s or donor’s consent, or on Legitimate Interest. We only rely on the Legitimate Interests legal basis for marketing if we have assessed that the information being sent is beneficial to the recipient, and we have weighed our interests against the recipient’s own and there is little to no risk posed, the method and content is non-intrusive, and the material being sent is something the recipient would usually expect to receive.
In other circumstances, we are required to obtain consent to send marketing materials – for example, where we are sending marketing to individuals by electronic means (such as email and SMS).
You can always opt-out of receiving marketing material from us, by contacting us using the details in this Notice.
This does not apply to purely administrative materials that we send to you, and other non-marketing communications.
If you want to review, change or update the Personal Information that you have provided to us; request that you be removed from a mailing list; or address any other privacy concerns you may have, please contact our office at +44 (0)800 133 7540, or by putting your request in writing to NPT United Kingdom, Data Privacy Team, 1 Ropemaker Street, London EC2Y 9HT, UK. These requests can also be made via email to: enquiries@nptuk.org.
NPT UK reserves the right to amend this Privacy Notice. Any changes we may make to our Privacy Policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notice will be provided to you by email.
NPT Transatlantic Privacy Notice
Protecting your privacy is a fundamental component of our service. Since our founding, NPT Transatlantic Limited (‘NPT Transatlantic’) has been committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and security of personal information entrusted to us by existing donors, potential donors and their respective advisors. Article 5 of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) states that Personal Data must be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. In line with the GDPR changes, we are updating our Privacy Notice so
you can better understand why and how we collect, process and destroy your data. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your Personal Data and how we will treat it.
NPT Transatlantic Limited, located at 1 Ropemaker Street, London, EC2Y 9HT, United Kingdom, is considered a controller of your Personal Data under GDPR. We determine the purpose for which, and manner in which, any Personal Data is processed as set out in this Notice.
NPT Transatlantic collects both anonymous data and Personal Data volunteered by you. Personal Information is anything which enables you to be identified in some way, such as your name and an email address. The types of Personal Information collected might include name, date of birth, e-mail address, postal address, telephone number, and bank transfer details. We also use “cookies,” which are text files placed on your computer, to collect information about how the site is used. For more information about our use of cookies and similar technologies, please see our Cookie Policy.
You may, at times, be asked to supply Personal Information, for example when you inquire about our activities, request information, open a donor-advised fund or other philanthropic account, make a contribution or recommend a grant. NPT Transatlantic also collects data when you visit its website. We use this Personal Information for the following purposes:
NPT Transatlantic may need to share your Personal Information with associated organisations and agents for these purposes. If you supply such information, NPT Transatlantic is legally bound to ensure that such information is only used for the purpose for which it was requested (including the purposes set out in this Notice) and also to ensure that the data is held securely.
Please note that certain countries outside of the EEA have a lower standard of protection for Personal Information, including lower security requirements and fewer rights for individuals. Personal Information that you provide to us is stored on secure servers in the United States. We have put into effect appropriate procedures to safeguard and secure this information. For example, when using our forms to register or provide information to NPT Transatlantic, we use the Secure Service Layer (SSL) encryption method for all secure submissions. This method is generally accepted to ensure that the transmission of personal information is secure. Common browsers make it obvious when information is being passed in a secure manner by displaying either a completed key or a closed lock on the screen.
NPT Transatlantic will transfer Personal Data outside the EEA only if one of the following conditions applies:
NPT Transatlantic will retain your Personal Data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which we collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal or tax requirements, in accordance with the organisation’s Data Protection Policy.
• The right to be informed about the Personal Data NPT Transatlantic collects from and processes about you;
• The right to access Personal Data NPT Transatlantic processes about you;
• The right not to be subject to automated decision making and profiling. We do not currently use automated decision making
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at at any time at: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Where we may seek to further process your Personal Data for reasons other than the original purpose for which it was collected, NPT Transatlantic shall process such data in a manner compatible with the original purpose.
NPT Transatlantic has put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your Personal Data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your Personal Data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties on a ‘need to know’ basis. They will only process your Personal Data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
NPT Transatlantic will only transfer Personal Data to a third party if they agree to comply with those procedures and policies, or put in place adequate measures prior to receiving it. Maintaining data security means guaranteeing the confidentiality, integrity and availability (for authorised purposes) of the Personal Data.
If you want to review, change or update the Personal Information that you have provided to us; request that you be removed from a mailing list; or address any other privacy concerns you may have, please contact our office on 0800 133 7540, or by putting your request in writing to NPT Transatlantic, Data Privacy Team, 1 Ropemaker Street, London EC2Y 9HT, UK. These requests can also be made via email to: enquiries@nptuk.org.
NPT Transatlantic reserves the right to amend this Privacy Notice. Any changes we may make to our Privacy Policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notice will be provided to you by email.
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Expert Blog › NRDC
EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt Has Fought to Overturn Life-Saving EPA Toxic Air Pollution Standards
January 06, 2017 NRDC
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Scott Pruitt, Oklahoma Attorney General, to be the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt’s primary previous connection to EPA is that he has joined with corporations in multiple lawsuits to overturn federal safeguards that reduce air pollution and water pollution. Pruitt has joined coal mining companies and power plant companies not once but twice to overturn EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards under the Clean Air Act. These crucial clean air safeguards cut emissions of mercury, arsenic, lead, heavy metals, acid gases, sulfur dioxide, soot and cancer-causing pollutants from power plants across the country that burn coal and oil.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that Pruitt wants to nullify will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks each year. These annual health benefits occur because the technology and other changes made to comply with these standards prevent 1.4 million tons of harmful sulfur dioxide emissions, 40,000 tons of hazardous acid gases, 52,000 tons of deadly soot pollution and 40,000 pounds of the neurotoxin, mercury, every year. (These pollution reductions and health benefits are over and above those provided by EPA’s Cross State Air Pollution Rule, which Pruitt also sought to overturn.) The health benefits of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards are valued at up to $90 billion per year, with compliance costs to power companies of less than $10 billion.
Power plants nationwide are complying with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards today. Power companies complied by installing air pollution control devices or switching to cleaner sources of electricity generation that meet the standards and can save Americans money on their electric bills. Yet even though power plants have already complied, Pruitt is still pursuing his lawsuit to void these life-saving standards—even while his nomination to lead the U.S. EPA is pending.
Pruitt has fought these clean air standards from the moment EPA adopted them in 2011. He has sought to deny Americans the rule’s enormous health benefits. Pruitt wants to let power plants that burn coal and oil emit unlimited amounts of mercury, lead, arsenic, carcinogens and dozens of other hazardous air pollutants across America.
That was the situation before 2011, when air pollution was vastly higher. The Bush EPA broke the law when it refused to regulate the dozens of toxic air pollutants emitted by power plants and created a reckless pollution trading program for the neurotoxin, mercury. A federal court rejected the Bush EPA lawbreaking and set the course for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which were due under the CAA a decade earlier.
Pruitt’s legal efforts to overturn these standards have failed. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington rejected all legal challenges brought by Pruitt and the power industry. The Supreme Court sent the standards back to EPA for a more formal consideration of costs and benefits, but the Court left their public health protections fully intact by refusing to block implementation of the standards in the meantime. EPA subsequently found that the health benefits to Americans clearly outweigh the costs and reaffirmed the standards.
Pruitt and industry sued again over this finding in their second wave of lawsuits, which are pending. No reasonable observer expects these second lawsuits to succeed. If he were to become EPA Administrator, however, Pruitt would be in a position to try to accomplish from the inside what he has thus far failed to achieve. He could order his agency to begin a new rulemaking in the attempt to reverse these clean air standards. In the current litigation, he could even try to have EPA switch sides and cave in to the state and industry litigants, although he should recuse himself from such decisions because of the lawsuits he’s brought.
In short, Pruitt could try to let power companies once again emit unlimited amounts of the most toxic air pollution covered by the Clean Air Act.
Scott Pruitt does not deserve to be EPA Administrator. Senators should not confirm him.
This chart breaks out on a state-by-state basis the estimated death toll that would have been inflicted upon Americans and the vast health benefits denied to Americans—every year—if Pruitt and his industry co-litigants had succeeded in overturning the EPA Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.
Area Maximum Lives Saved by Rule Each Year Projection of Maximum Health Benefits of Rule Each Year in $
United States 11,000 $90 billion
Alabama 360 $3 billion
Arizona 35 $290 million
Arkansas 250 $2 billion
California 14 $120 million
Colorado 140 $1.1 billion
Connecticut 90 $750 million
Delaware 32 $270 million
District of Columbia 15 $120 million
Florida 730 $6 billion
Georgia 490 $4.1 billion
Idaho 6 $54 million
Illinois 570 $4.7 billion
Indiana 290 $2.4 billion
Iowa 160 $1.3 billion
Kansas 160 $1.3 billion
Kentucky 210 $1.8 billion
Louisiana 290 $2.4 billion
Maine 20 $170 million
Maryland 220 $1.8 billion
Massachusetts 130 $1.1 billion
Michigan 410 $3.4 billion
Minnesota 150 $1.2 billion
Mississippi 240 $2 billion
Missouri 410 $3.4 billion
Montana 8 $62 million
Nebraska 72 $600 million
Nevada 10 $82 million
New Hampshire 25 $210 million
New Jersey 320 $2.6 billion
New Mexico 24 $200 million
New York 440 $3.7 billion
North Carolina 480 $3.9 billion
North Dakota 19 $150 million
Ohio 560 $4.6 billion
Oklahoma 300 $2.5 billion
Oregon 12 $97 million
Pennsylvania 530 $4.4 billion
Rhode Island 29 $240 million
South Carolina 330 $2.7 billion
Tennessee 370 $3 billion
Texas 1,200 $9.7 billion
Utah 22 $180 million
Vermont 10 $83 million
Virginia 300 $2.5 billion
Washington 31 $250 million
West Virginia 96 $790 million
Wisconsin 220 $1.8 billion
Wyoming 6 $49 million
https://www.epa.gov/mats#whereyoulive. The rule’s health and economic benefits correspond generally to the presence of power plants that burn coal or oil in the state or upwind of the state. Health benefits include avoided mortality, heart and asthma attacks, and other avoided illnesses; avoided ER & hospital visits; and days not missed at work or school.
EPA Nominee Scott Pruitt Has Fought to Overturn Life-Saving EPA Soot and Smog Pollution Standards
Arguments for Scott Pruitt to Head EPA Actually Show He Should Not
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Calendar of events for June 28 and beyond
Fitness Zone: 8 a.m.-8 p.m., E.D. Croskey Center, 1510 NW Fourth St., Ocala. Call 401-3920. Cardio and strength training equipment; 14 and older.
Belleview Busy Bees: Quilting group, 9 a.m., Memorial Baptist Church, 3693 SE 95th St., Ocala.. Call 873-3639.
T.O.P.S.: Take Off Pounds Sensibly: 9 a.m., Joy Lutheran Church, 7045 SW 83rd Place, Ocala. Free. Call 854-0660.
Pinochle: 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala. Call 368-5517. 50 and older.
Chair yoga: 9:30 a.m., Senior Wellness Community Center, 9850 SW 84th Court, Ocala. $8; $25 for four classes. Call 237-2094.
Friends Booknook: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Old Belleview Library, 6007 SE Earp Road, Belleview. Call 245-2767 or visit friendsofbelleviewlibrary.org. Used books at low prices.
Tap dancing for seniors: 10:30-11:30 a.m., Eighth Avenue Senior Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala. Free. Call 629-8545.
Mind and Motion Parkinson’s support: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Master the Possibilities Education Center, 8415 SW 80th St., Ocala. Call 390-2359 or visit mindandmotion.org.
Cardio strength and balance: 11 a.m., 294 Marion Oaks Lane, Ocala; with membership. Call 438-2830.
Program in the Park: “Tremendous Trees”: Noon-1 p.m., Tuscawilla Park, 800 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala. Free. Call 368-5517. Tree related scavenger hunt.
Karaoke open mic: 2-3 p.m., Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala. Call 629-8545.
Open rec: 3-8 p.m., E.D. Croskey Recreation Center, 1510 NE Fourth St., Ocala. Call 401-3920 or visit ocalafl.org/recpark.
Bingo and popcorn: 3:45-5:30 p.m., Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala. $1.50. Call 629-8545 or visit ocalafl.org. Quarters, nickels and dimes only.
Monthly Spaghetti Dinner: 4-7 p.m., New Vision Baptist Church, 10461 Maricamp Road, Ocala. Free. Visit newvisionbaptistchurchocala.com.
Bingo: Tickets on sale 4:30 p.m.,, Our Lady of the Springs Church, 4047 NE 21st St., Ocala. Call 789-6280.
Fun Friday: Ages 6-12; 5 p.m., Forest Community Center, 777 S. County Road 314A, Ocklawaha. Call 438-2840.
Yoga at the market: 5:30 p.m., Ocala Downtown Market, corner of Southeast Third Street and SE Third Ave. $5.
Levitt AMP Music Series: 6-9 p.m., Webb Field, Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center, 1501 W. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. Free. Call 629-8220. Featuring Tonina (headliner) and Miranda Madison (opening act); presented by Marion Cultural Alliance in partnership with City of Ocala.
Resound: 6:30 p.m., Christ’s Church of Marion County, 6768 SW 80th St., Ocala. Free; offering taken up. Call 861-6182 or visit ccomc.org. High school performers.
Sparr Serenity AFG (Al-Anon): 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 13100 NE Jacksonville Road, Citra. Free. Support group for friends and families of alcoholics.
Spiritual Freedom Revival: 7 p.m. today and 9 a.m.-noon June 29, Union Missionary Baptist Church, 19976 SW 110th Place, Dunnellon. Free. Call 489-1222. Led by Pastor James Pullings, Apostle Brian McIntosh and Pastor Christopher Stokes.
Wynonna and The Big Noise: 7:30 p.m., Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala. $45-$75. Visit reillyartscenter.com or call 351-1606. Country music singer Wynonna and her band, The Big Noise, will perform.
Ocala ghost walks/tours: 8 p.m. today and June 29, private tours daily. RSVP required. Call 207-0281 or visit ocalaghostwalks.com.
SEPI ghost walks/tours: Registration 8 p.m., tours 8:30 p.m. today and June 29. $10; free 12 and younger. Call 433-8687.
“Serendipity: the Art in Unsought Findings”: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday through June 25, CenterState Bank, 1632 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. Free. Call 591-1080. Art work, music, light refreshments and more.
Appleton Museum of Art: Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The museum is at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. Call 291-4455 or visit appletonmuseum.org.
• "Familiar Beauty: Drawings By Vicki Jones" through July 7
• “Do Not Bleach: Work by Stephanie Brown” through Oct. 20
• “Urban Chatter: by Sharon Kerry-Harlan” through Oct. 20
"Illusion and Reality," A Student and Emerging Artist Competition: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday through July 11, City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts. Opportunities to view work of local young and emerging artists; their art explores how they express themselves; music from Greg Snider and refreshments.
22nd “Summer Spotlight” exhibition: Visual Artists’ Society, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Thursday through July 19, Webber Gallery, College of Central Florida, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. Free. Call 873-5809. Showcases traditional paintings, photographs, jewelry, sculpture, digital media and more.
U.N.I.T.Y. Group Services, Inc.’s Clothing Closet: Anyone in need of free clothing can make an appointment, U.N.I.T.Y. Group Services, Inc.’s Clothing Closet, 1749 W. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. Call 1-800-910-3574 or email unitygroupservices@gmail.com. Donations welcome; may qualify for tax credit.
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60/64 GB SSD Shootout: Crucial, Samsung, And SandForce
It's easy to forget that lower-capacity SSDs are also usually slower. Today we're testing the most prolific 60/64 GB configurations to gauge where they fall in the big picture. We emerge at the other end with a recommendation based on our testing, too.
So, there's this huge deal being made about the prices of hard drives in the wake of flooding in Thailand. Indeed, we struggled to fit as much capacity into our most recent System Builder Marathon series as we did in the past, even after increasing all of our budget points.
But even in spite of those spikes, magnetic storage remains incredibly affordable. A 2 TB Seagate Barracuda Green drive, for example, sells for about $135. At almost $0.07 per gigabyte, that’s still very cheap compared to solid-state storage, which generally require that you pay at least $100 for 64 GB.
You should know by now, though, that we still consider the massive premium on SSDs worth paying. And there's a smart way to go about adding solid-state capacity without breaking your budget. We're big proponents of using SSDs and hard drives together to handle different storage tasks. That's why, even though we sometimes review massive 256 and 512 GB drives, the models we spend our own money on are usually between the 64 and 128 GB range.
There's one issue that bears mention, though. The lower-capacity SSDs we prefer aren't as fast as the big ones that most drive vendors submit for reviews. We know why that's the case on very small SSDs, like Intel's old X25-V, which only sees five of 10 available NAND channels populated. However, why do even fully-configured architectures still exhibit performance variance up and down the capacity scale? From our round-up of Crucial m4 SSDs:
"...simply exploiting every channel isn't enough to saturate them all. The number of packages residing on each channel matter. The number of memory dies in each package matter. The density of each die matters. And the firmware-level modifications a company like Crucial implements to help control performance scaling up and down the stack matter."
Nevertheless, we're comfortable enough with the performance we've seen from 60 and 64 GB SSDs that they continue serving as an entry-level point in our lab and office builds. But that doesn't mean you should just take our word for it. Instead, we wanted to grab solutions based on Samsung, Marvell, and SandForce controller hardware to show you exactly what you can expect when you make that very understandable compromise on capacity to get in the door with solid-state storage.
Perhaps surprisingly, the number of choices is fairly small. We end up with a 64 GB Crucial m4, a 64 GB Samsung 830, and two 60 GB drives based on second-gen SandForce controllers. Why just two of those SSDs, and not a model from every vendor selling SandForce-based hardware? We're glad you asked. First, we actually have a round-up of SandForce-based drives in the works. But that's not the complete story...
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More in this category: « 3 Suisses, La Redoute : A qui le plus gros « fail » ? Presented By: »
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Find an Oncologist
MSK Physicians at Norwalk Hospital
Through a pioneering collaboration with the world-renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), Norwalk Hospital’s C. Anthony and Jean Whittingham Cancer Center is taking its respected cancer program to an even higher level.
Now, Memorial Sloan Kettering medical and radiation oncologists are onsite at Norwalk Hospital – leading and delivering team-based care alongside Norwalk Hospital’s own cancer experts. It’s a powerful collaboration that offers both advanced science and highly personalized care. And, for patients, that adds up to more than a fighting chance.
Dr. Linda Vahdat, Chief of Medical Oncology & Clinical Director, Cancer Services at Norwalk Hospital
Dr. Daniel Shasha, Chief of Radiation Oncology
An exceptional collaboration that delivers exceptional benefits
Today, the majority of cancer care in the United States is delivered in the community, but cancer care advances can take years to become a standard of care. MSK Physicians at Norwalk Hospital aims to bridge this gap by bringing leading medical and radiation oncology experts to Norwalk Hospital and implementing MSK’s clinical practice of the two disciplines there. This approach will help ensure that residents can access the best drug- or radiation-based treatment options for their disease — while staying close to home.
By integrating MSK medical and radiation oncology experts and cutting-edge protocols into Norwalk Hospital’s already-strong cancer care program—the community reaps exceptional benefits:
High-quality, tailored cancer care, close to home. Patients will have access to Memorial Sloan Kettering oncologists experienced in treating cancer precisely with drug-based and radiation therapies at a location they already know and trust: Norwalk Hospital.
Norwalk Hospital will adopt Memorial Sloan Kettering’s clinical practice in medical and radiation oncology. Consistent care in these disciplines will help create the best outcomes for Norwalk Hospital’s patients.
More access to clinical trials. Norwalk Hospital patients will have access to cancer clinical trials both at Norwalk Hospital and at nearby MSK Westchester, Memorial Sloan Kettering’s freestanding outpatient treatment center in West Harrison, NY.
How this exciting new partnership works
Medical oncology and radiation oncology at Norwalk Hospital are now led by respected Memorial Sloan Kettering specialists. They practice full time at Norwalk Hospital alongside our current team of exceptional medical and radiation oncologists, as well as Norwalk Hospital’s surgeons, pathologists, nurses and other cancer experts.
The critical discipline of medical physics—the experts who tailor precise doses of radiation therapy for each patient—is now led by an MSK physicist.
The MSK physicians have appointments at Norwalk Hospital, and Norwalk’s six medical and radiation oncologists have consulting appointments at Memorial Sloan Kettering—continuing a tradition of working closely with their MSK colleagues to further our shared goal of delivering optimal cancer care.
Importantly, if you are currently undergoing cancer treatment at Norwalk Hospital, you remain a Norwalk Hospital patient—but now have the added benefit of local access to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s deep knowledge and expertise, as well as streamlined access to MSK facilities for more complex cases and clinical trials, if needed.
Meet Dr. Linda Vahdat
Linda Vahdat, MD, MBA
Clinical Director, Cancer Services at Norwalk Hospital
Linda Vahdat is a medical oncologist and Chief of Medical Oncology and Clinical Director of Cancer Services at Norwalk Hospital. She is also a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She sees patients at both Norwalk Hospital and MSK.
Dr. Vahdat has more than 20 years of experience in caring for people with breast cancer, with particular expertise in triple negative breast cancer, metastatic breast cancer, and breast cancer that is at high risk of recurring.
Her research aims to find new therapies, particularly for triple-negative breast cancer, and strategies that target the area immediately surrounding tumors, not just the tumors themselves, to prevent breast cancer from spreading.
She received her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of medicine and completed a residency there. She also completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at MSK.
Meet Dr. Daniel Shasha
Daniel Shasha, MD
Chief of Radiation Oncology
Daniel Shasha is a radiation oncologist and Chief of Radiation Oncology at Norwalk Hospital. He has more than 21 years of experience in caring for people with genitourinary cancers, including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and testicular cancer. He has particular expertise in using advanced minimally invasive techniques, such as brachytherapy, image-guided radiation therapy, and stereotactic body radiation therapy. He also uses radiation therapy to provide palliative care for people with advanced bone, spine, and brain tumors. He sees patients at both Norwalk Hospital and MSK.
Dr. Shasha has performed close to 4,000 brachytherapy seed implants for prostate cancer treatment. These advanced techniques also help reduce the possibility of negative side effects that can impact their quality of life, such as urinary, bowel, or sexual function.
He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana and his medical degree from McGill University School of Medicine in Montreal. He completed his post-graduate residency training at MSK.
Meet Dr. Hsiang-Chi Kuo
Hsiang-Chi Kuo, MD
Chief Physicist, Radiation Oncology Department
Dr. Hsiang-Chi Kuo is a medical physicist in the Clinical Physics Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Chief Physicist in the Radiation Oncology Department at Norwalk Hospital. Dr. Kuo work closely with radiation oncologists to provide technical support and to consult on planning and delivering radiation treatment at Norwalk Hospital.
Dr. Kuo has a special interest in using advanced radiation techniques to ensure that patients receive the safest, most-precise treatments. These include intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, low- and high-dose radiation, and stereotactic body radiation therapy. Dr. Kuo is also interested in comparing the effectiveness of various techniques for planning treatment. Dr. Kuo studies treatment outcomes using data mining and data modeling. This information helps improve radiation therapy for patients.
Dr. Kuo received his doctorate from the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan in 2010, and joined MSK in 2017. He is board certified in therapeutic medical physics.
Daniel Boxer
Richard Frank
Hematology, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology
George Zahrah
Richard Zelkowitz
Pradip Pathare
Radiation Oncology, Radiology
How are Norwalk Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering working together?
Norwalk Hospital and MSK are jointly launching MSK Physicians at Norwalk Hospital. This new cancer care collaboration will integrate Memorial Sloan Kettering medical and radiation oncology doctors and care practices with the existing cancer program at the C. Anthony and Jean Whittingham Cancer Center. MSK medical and radiation oncologists will now work alongside Norwalk Hospital’s team of oncologists, many of whom have been collaborating with their MSK colleagues for years. The new partnership combines the strengths of each institution and gives people in our community access to world-class cancer care.
Why is this new partnership good news for patients and our community?
The majority of cancer care in the United States is delivered in the community, yet cancer care advances and new treatments can take years to become the standard of care. MSK Physicians at Norwalk Hospital aims to bridge this gap by bringing leading medical and radiation oncology experts from MSK to Norwalk Hospital and implementing MSK’s clinical practice for these two disciplines. This approach will help ensure that Norwalk Hospital patients have access to the best drug- and radiation-based treatment options for their disease, while staying close to home.
What makes this collaboration special?
This is a unique model of collaboration through which Memorial Sloan Kettering medical and radiation oncologists are onsite at Norwalk Hospital leading and delivering team-based care alongside Norwalk Hospital’s own cancer experts.
Will my insurance or billing change?
No, insurance and billing will not change. If you are a current patient of Norwalk Hospital/Western Connecticut Medical Group, you will continue to receive two bills where applicable; one bill for the physician’s professional services (including MSK physicians) and one bill for clinical services (lab, radiology, chemotherapy).
Will I be able to see my current physician/s and support staff?
Yes, patients who currently receive cancer treatment at Norwalk Hospital will remain Norwalk Hospital patients under the care of their existing physician. New patients who wish to make an appointment at the Whittingham Cancer Center can call 203-845-4811.
Will patients be considered Norwalk Hospital patients or MSK patients?
Patients treated at Norwalk Hospital will remain Norwalk Hospital patients, and will have access to the deep knowledge MSK offers, as well as easy access to MSK facilities for complex cases and clinical trials, if needed.
Where can I call for more information?
To learn more about MSK Physicians at Norwalk Hospital, call 203-845-4811.
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Toshiba KIRAbook (KIRA-101) Ultrabook Review
Till Schönborn, ✓ Stefanie Voigt (translated by Liala Stieglitz), 05/19/2014
Haswell Touchscreen Ultrabook Windows
Expensive = good? Buyers prepared to invest around 1500 Euros (~$2054) in a premium ultrabook will now find another alternative to Apple & co. in the new Toshiba Kira-101. We will reveal why it is not class best despite a speedy Core i7 processor, magnesium casing, and WQHD screen.
Although the lowest-priced models are now available for less than 700 Euros (~$948), ultrabooks still have the reputation for being elegant premium devices - with an open-ended price scale. Models, such as the Asus Zenbook UX301, Dell XPS 13 or Apple MacBook Pro 13 (not officially an ultrabook), currently mark the premium range, and Toshiba now wants to join in.
The 13-inch ultrabook dubbed Kirabook (or Kira-101) relies on noble materials and high-performance hardware to justify the confident purchase price of approximately 1500 Euros (~$2054). A Core i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD are almost standard in this category. Besides that, Toshiba adds a touchscreen with 2560x1440 pixels and a high-speed 802.11ac Wi-Fi module on top. Sounds interesting, so let us see what the total package has to offer.
Elegant light-metal casing
There's no accounting for taste; it is up to the reader to decide whether the black and silver-colored casing is stylish or boring. Fact is that the first quality impression is very high: Brushed magnesium surfaces adorn both the casing and lid, the display is protected by scratch-proof Concore Glass from Corning. The extremely narrow display bezel is especially noticed in this relation. Depending on the side, it only has a width of 1.1 to 1.7 centimeters. That allows for an extremely compact surface area on par with a conventional 12-inch laptop. But the height of almost 20 millimeters does not set new standards. However, the ultrabook looks slimmer due to its wedge-shape design.
Owing to the generous use of light metals, Toshiba managed to keep the weight below 1.3 kilograms without affecting stability much. Particularly the base proves to be very rigid and barely warps even when using high force. The screen's thin build is noticed even more; we would appreciate a somewhat better stiffness here. The corresponding hinges are pulled agreeably tight (both hands needed for opening) and they are quite accurate, which reduces annoying wobbling when making touch inputs.
Finally, we look at the build quality, where there are only few details that can be reproached. For example, some gaps of the two-part base unit could be marginally smaller - being a bit fussy in this price range is allowed.
The Kira-101 features a slightly better connectivity than the contenders from Asus and Dell with a total of three USB 3.0 ports. However, both latter contenders offer a modern DisplayPort. Toshiba only installs an HDMI out. Although it allegedly even supports the Ultra HD standard with 3840x2160 pixels (presumably at a maximum of 30 Hz), many high-definition PC monitors can only indirectly connect via HDMI.
A headset jack and an SD card reader round off the interface array that is distributed over both sides of the casing. The spacing between the single ports could have been a bit more generous because very wide USB peripherals might obstruct neighboring ports.
Front: no interfaces
Left: AC-in, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0
Rear: no interfaces
Right: card reader, headset jack, USB 3.0
Like many other ultrabooks, the Kira does not sport a LAN network socket so that the user has to be satisfied with Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi. Our sample supports the latter in all current standards including 802.11 ac via Intel's Wireless-AC 7260 dual-band adapter. Two antennas and dual-stream technology (2x2) ensure an equally stable and high-speed connection with gross transmission rates of up to 867 Mbit/s, providing the corresponding router is available. Unfortunately, an integrated 3G/4G wireless module is generally not offered.
In view of the 5 megapixels and more in front-facing cameras in smartphones, the 0.9-megapixel lens in the Kirabook makes an outdated impression. However, the contenders do not feature more either. The image quality is consequently on a modest level, making it only suitable for video chats. We can give the virtually noise-free and very well intelligible array microphone a better grade.
Apart from the usual leaflets and a small, 45-watt power adapter, no extras are found in the nicely printed box. The manufacturer could have at least included a LAN adapter - it costs an immoderate 49 Euros (~$67) as an official accessory.
The pre-loaded software bundle also only includes the most necessary, for example, various system tools and a virus scanner (McAfee Internet Security, trial). However, we do not want to complain about this minimalism considering the limited SSD storage capacity.
Base plate fixed with screws
A conventional Philips screwdriver is the only tool needed for opening the casing that is secured with a total of 11 screws on the underside. The mSATA SSD and Wi-Fi module can be replaced, and the battery fixed with screws could principally also be exchanged after removing the base plate. However, the working memory and CPU are soldered (note: all Haswell ULV models are only available as BGA versions).
Toshiba includes a two-year warranty ex-factory for customers from Austria and Germany. It can be upgraded for a relatively low price. For example, an upgrade to a total of 3 years costs 69 Euros (~$94), and 109 Euros (~$149) is charged for 4 years (both RRP) - we believe that is reasonable.
The casing's upper side is made of one piece and accommodates a black chiclet keyboard with 15 x 15 millimeters keys that are backlit by white LEDs. The layout largely corresponds to the standard (very small left shift key, PGUp/Dn position), allowing quick familiarization.
A very direct typing feel is created by the center area's excellent stability and the pleasantly crisp pressure point. It provides the user with an exact feedback about every input. The space bar responds quietly and reliably up to its outer edges. We did not ascertain jamming or clattering noises like in some low-cost laptops. Overall, a well-designed keyboard that is suitable for typing even longer texts.
Touchpad and Touchscreen
Toshiba trusts a touchpad model from the experts Synaptics. Its design is enhanced by a stylish rim in chrome looks. The sleek surface of 10.5 x 6 centimeters provides enough room for multi-touch gestures using two, three or even four fingers. Beyond that, the accurately working pad makes an outstanding impression. Like most contenders, it does not feature dedicated mouse keys, but the agreeably firm ClickPad buttons with a short drop quickly compensate for this drawback.
Since Haswell's release, a touchscreen is a must when a manufacturer wants to adorn its device with the strongly desired ultrabook title. Users have to decide for themselves whether that is really needed. In any case, we cannot criticize the technical implementation in our review sample. All inputs were executed with impeccable accuracy and without noticeable delays.
Toshiba only recently introduced one of the first laptops featuring a screen with the Ultra HD resolution of 3840x2160 pixels with its Satellite P50t-B. The smaller Kira-101 does not quite match that, but 2560x1440 pixels are also quite impressive. In relation to the screen size of 13.3-inches, that results in a remarkable pixel density of 221 dpi - hardly less than in Apple's "Retina" models like the MacBook Pro 13 (227 dpi). The size of most fonts and icons can be modified almost as much as the user wants, owing to the improved scaling options of the pre-loaded Windows 8.1. Only a few older applications are suitable to an extent for such high dpi rates.
A look at the screen's brightness is disappointing. Where other premium models achieve over 300 or 400 cd/m², the Kirabook only manages a poor 223 cd/m² - a very modest result. The backlight cannot quite cover disturbing reflections even indoors, for example, in brightly illuminated offices or beside windows. Outdoor use is even more adverse, but more about that later.
Sharp LQ133T1JX03
Contrast: 1367:1 (Black: 0.166 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.5 | 0.6-29.43 Ø6
61% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
Color space coverage: 95% sRGB, 61% AdobeRGB
We first want to look at the image quality. The IPS screen made by Sharp (LQ133T1JX03) can regain a few points. The black level of only 0.17 cd/m² ascertained in maximum brightness adds up to a fabulous contrast ratio of 1367:1. For comparison: Neither Dell's XPS 13 (687:1) nor Apple's MacBook Pro Retina 13 (900:1) can compete with that; only the Asus Zenbook UX301 (2138:1) remains unrivaled.
Toshiba promises the buyer a factory-calibrated screen and consequently an especially accurate color reproduction. The result is impressive. With a DeltaE of just 2.5 (ColorChecker) and 2.55 (Grayscale), the Kirabook belongs to the best devices of its category. That is a real purchase incentive primarily for amateur photographers and image editors, although the competition featuring an apple is still a bit better here.
ColorChecker (non-calibrated)
Saturation Sweeps (non-calibrated)
Grayscale (non-calibrated)
As we hinted before, the ultrabook can only be used outdoors to a very limited extent due to the low maximum brightness. The intensely reflective glare surface escalates the problem even more, but this can hardly be prevented in a touchscreen. Thus, we can only hope that the manufacturer will install a stronger backlight in future - the resulting additional expenses cannot be used as an excuse in this case.
Outdoors in the sun
Viewing angles: Toshiba Kira-101
Compared with other IPS screens, our review sample is a bit more sensitive to side views. A subtle, yet visible grayish cast covers the image from an angle of approximately 20 degrees vertically. This could be due to the touchscreen layer and/or the Concore Glass. Apart from that, the image is mostly true and always well-legible.
3.0 GHz maximum Turbo clock rate
The "U"-series of the Haswell architecture designed for ultrabooks is divided into two different model lines that are specified with a TDP of either 28 or 15 watts. While Apple, and some Asus models, feature the faster 28 watt chips, an energy-efficient Core i7-4500U clocks in the Kirabook. The dual-core's base rate of 1.8 GHz is consequently quite low, and a strong Turbo of up to 3.0 GHz (2 cores: 2.7 GHz) is to compensate for that. Hyper-Threading, alongside many other features that can be studied in our database, is for additionally improving the performance depending on the application.
Toshiba opted against installing an additional GPU, and thus the HD Graphics 4400 (200 - 1100 MHz) takes care of all graphic tasks. We will examine whether the performance reserves are sufficient for at least basic games based on various benchmarks.
The buyer does not have the usual choice or configuration options in terms of memory configuration - 8 GB of working memory and a 256 GB SSD are invariably specified here. According to the matching results of different tools, the RAM only operates in the DDR3L-1333 mode, which should not cause any major losses owing to the dual-channel bus.
System information: Toshiba Kirabook 2014
CPU clock in single...
...and multi-threading
Despite its considerably more energy-efficient processor, the Kira 101 easily keeps up with both the Zenbook UX301 (Core i7-4558U, 28 watts) and MacBook Pro Retina 13 (Core i5-4258U, 28 watts) in our CPU benchmarks. The contenders can also only reap in an advantage of not quite 10 and 20% even in the multi-thread test of Cinebench R11.5, where the Core i7-4500U soon finds the limits of its TDP of only 15 watts. This difference is virtually unnoticed in routine use, particularly since the differences are again lower when single threads are loaded. Dell's XPS 13 (Core i5-4200U, 15 watts), which is also optionally available in a stronger Core i7 configuration, has to be satisfied with fourth place. Pleasing: The Toshiba does not artificially throttle in battery mode; clock rates and benchmark scores remain stable even without the power supply.
Toshiba Kirabook 2014
HD Graphics 4400, 4500U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT
Asus Zenbook UX301
Iris Graphics 5100, 4558U, 2x Sandisk X110 SD6SP1M-128G RAID 0
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch 2013-10
Iris Graphics 5100, 4258U, Apple SSD SM0256F
Dell XPS 13-9333
HD Graphics 4400, 4200U, Liteonit LMT-128M6M
2.91 Points ∼7%
3.48 Points ∼8% +20%
3.15 Points ∼7% +8%
2.49 Points ∼6% -14%
AS SSD benchmark
Unlike Asus and Apple, who use a RAID0 array (Zenbook) or a fast PCIe bus (MacBook Pro) to ensure faster transfer rates, a conventional SSD in mSATA format works in the Kirabook. The Toshiba storage device dubbed THNSNJ256GMCT is not available on the open market. However, we assume a strong relation with the models from the Q Series Pro (19-nanometer MLC-NAND).
The sequential transfer speeds settle to around 500 MB/s due to the limiting SATA interface. The drive is slightly above in read and a bit below this rate in write. Alongside the good scores in the practical 4K tests, the SSD is approximately on par with a Samsung PM841 or Crucial M500.
Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT
Transfer Rate Minimum: 285.2 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 335.4 MB/s
Access Time: 0.2 ms
Burst Rate: 194.9 MB/s
CPU Usage: 1.8 %
4K Write: 86.68 MB/s
FutureMark's synthetic PCMark 7 benchmark suite primarily responds to swift processors and hard drives so that the rates of both previous exercises are directly reflected in the total score. Over 5000 points is more than impressive for a laptop of this size, although it is again not yet enough for defeating either the Zenbook or MacBook Pro.
However, there is no reason for disappointment. Both the objective and subjective system speed is unquestionably beyond all doubt. It does not even take 10 seconds for the device to completely finish booting after a cold start, many application only need fractions of a second to open, and even more demanding software or multitasking are no problem for the ultrabook. Only a considerably more power consuming quad-core processor would noticeably boost the performance.
We would first like to examine the naming policy of current Intel graphics solutions. The HD Graphics 4400 is basically the intermediate expansion stage of the Haswell GPUs, also known as "GT2," which integrates 20 Shader blocks aka execution units (EUs). Both the HD Graphics 5000 and Iris Graphics 5100 offer 40 EUs ("GT3"). The only difference between these two models is a deviating TDP classification (15/28 watts), which in turn affects the achievable (Turbo) clock rates.
Depending on the benchmark, the GT3 models can surpass the HD Graphics 4400 more or less clearly, with a lead of up to 40% in some cases. That might not seem like much in relation to the roughly doubled processing power at first glance, but the limited memory bandwidth prevents even bigger gains.
3DMark - 1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
Apple MacBook Air 13 inch 2013 MD760D/A
HD Graphics 5000, 4250U, Apple SSD SM0128F
Unfortunately, we have to discourage any hopes of playing games in the WQHD screen's full resolution from the outset. The HD Graphics 4400 cannot render current titles with more than low to medium details in 1024x768 or, in rare cases, 1366x768 pixels. However, the HD Graphics 5000 of other 15-watt models does not offer a noticeable plus either. We would certainly ascribe that to the Iris Graphics 5100, but it does not calculate faster than a dedicated, entry-level accelerator, such as the GeForce GT 720M.
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x
1024x768 Low Preset
Tomb Raider (2013) 48.6 25.1 14.3 7.8 fps
BioShock Infinite (2013) 30.9 17.4 15 5 fps
Dota 2 (2013) 57.6 32.8 15.9 fps
Total War: Rome II (2013) 35.9 28.3 21.1 6.3 fps
The efficient Haswell CPU produces little waste heat, particularly in idle mode, and it can thus be cooled quietly. The fan is even completely inactive in most routine situations, such as office, Internet and video playback. However, the lowest speed is virtually inaudible even from a distance of a few centimeters.
The Kirabook is not quite as satisfactory during full load. Although the metrologically ascertained noise level of 36.8 dB(A) is considerably lower than that of the Zenbook UX301 (up to 39.1 dB(A)) or MacBook Pro Retina 13 (up to 44.7 dB(A)), the high-pitched buzzing noise seems louder than it actually is.
min: , med: , max: Voltcraft SL 320 (15 cm distance)
Prime95
The slim magnesium casing's high thermal conductivity ensures that the chassis feels always exceptionally cool during low load. Our thermometer recorded temperatures of just 23 to 26 °C - that is an astonishingly low rate in view of the usually passive cooling. The temperatures measured after our one-hour stress test were just as convincing: Only one measuring point above the key slightly surpassed 40 °C. The ultrabook did not even get lukewarm otherwise.
The Core i7's sensor inside the casing recorded a maximum core temperature of 75 °C, which is far less than Intel specifies (100 °C). The reason that the CPU's clock rate nevertheless drops below the base speed of 1.8 GHz and settles to approximately 1.3 GHz is due to it reaching the TDP limit. It is largely claimed from the GPU that is allowed to clock with a consistently high 900 MHz when Prime95 and Furmark are performed simultaneously.
Power Supply (max.) 43.7 °C = 111 F | Room Temperature 22.5 °C = 73 F | Voltcraft IR-360
Power Supply (max.) 29 °C = 84 F | Room Temperature 22.5 °C = 73 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.8 °C / 86 F, compared to the average of 30.7 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.3 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 35.8 °C / 96 F, ranging from 22 to 57 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.1 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 40 °C / 104 F
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 25.5 °C / 77.9 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.6 °C / 83.5 F (+3.1 °C / 5.6 F).
Toshiba touts its Kira-101 with a sound system from the HiFi manufacturer Harman/Kardon, which can only fulfill our high expectation to a degree. While the mids and trebles excel with a clear, rich, and balanced playback, the bass range is virtually just as underrepresented as in the contenders. Furthermore, we would want somewhat more volume reserves so that even larger rooms can be adequately filled with sound. Thus, the user can only connect external speakers via HDMI or the jack in cases of doubt.
When the Windows desktop is idling, the Kira-101 is satisfied with as little as 3.3 to 7.6 watts, and thus it belongs to the most frugal ultrabooks of its category. However, we want to keep in mind that this is not least due to the screen's considerably lower brightness than in the Zenbook UX301 or MacBook Pro Retina 13.
Although the CPUs of the latter contenders only have a 13-watt higher TDP nominally, we measured consumption differences of up to 30 watts in full load. The Kirabook is satisfied with a maximum of 28.9 watts, while we ascertained rates of over 50 (Asus Zenbook) and 60 (Apple MacBook) in the competition. That is also an explanation for the significantly lower casing temperatures of Toshiba's ultrabook.
Load 28.8 / 28.9 Watt
In conjunction with the integrated 52-watt battery, the manufacturer promises a runtime of just over 9 hours. In no way does this statement seem overdrawn, seeing that we even almost achieved 14 hours in Battery Eater's Reader's test using energy-saving mode, minimum brightness, and Wi-Fi off.
Naturally, these kinds of rates are hardly realistic. The user can count with approximately 6 to 7 hours for applications like browsing or video playback when the screen's brightness is adapted (approx. 150 cd/m²). The Zenbook UX301 (6.5 h) is roughly on par with that; both Dell's XPS 13 (7.5 - 8 h) and the MacBook Pro (8 - 9 h) last a bit longer.
The battery can also be drained within just 2 hours when the user is determined to do so. Battery Eater's Classic test proved that using High Performance mode, maximum brightness, and Wi-Fi on. Recharging takes about 2.5 hours after that.
Reader's test
Wi-Fi test
H.264 test
Recharging
Toshiba Kira-101 (Kirabook 2014)
Good, but not good enough: Despite an overall convincing performance, Toshiba's Kira-101 does not reach a top spot in our ultrabook ranking list. The prospects are undeniably promising - as light as a MacBook Air, hardly slower than the MacBook Pro or Asus Zenbook UX301, topped with low emissions and impeccable input devices sound like a completed total package.
Nevertheless, Toshiba will have a hard time in justifying the exorbitant purchase price of approximately 1500 Euros (~$2054). The aforementioned Apple contenders cost roughly 150 Euros (~$205) less with comparable equipment but feature a better build and offer a longer battery runtime at the same time. The Kirabook also has to compete with Dell's XPS 13 in the Windows camp. Its higher brightness more than just compensates for the lower screen resolution. The brightness is probably our biggest point of criticism about the Kira-101 - an ultrabook that can only be used outdoors with restrictions barely does justice to its actual purpose. For this reason, we decided to deduct one percentage point from the final score.
Notwithstanding this criticism, the Kirabook remains an outstanding ultrabook that certainly might earn a purchase recommendation in the course of future price cuts.
Toshiba KIRAbook now available for $1439
In Review: Toshiba Kira-101. Test model courtesy of Toshiba Germany
good (84%) Toshiba Kirabook 2014 Intel Core i7-4500UIntel HD Graphics 4400 Subnotebook - 05/11/2014 - v4
Toshiba Kirabook 2014 (Kirabook Series)
Intel Core i7-4500U (Intel Core i7)
Intel HD Graphics 4400, Core: 200 - 1100 MHz, Memory: 666 MHz, 10.18.10.3308
, DDR3L-1333, dual-channel, soldered
13.3 inch 16:9, 2560 x 1440 pixel, capacitive 10 finger touchscreen, Sharp LQ133T1JX03, IPS screen, LED backlight, glossy: yes
Intel Lynx Point-LP
Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT, 256 GB
, , 195 GB free
Intel Lynx Point-LP - High Definition Audio Controller
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, Audio Connections: headset jack (3.5 millimeter), Card Reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC (max. 128 GB)
Intel Wireless-AC 7260 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5), Bluetooth 4.0
height x width x depth (in mm): 19.8 x 316 x 207 ( = 0.78 x 12.44 x 8.15 in)
52 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 4 cells, non-removable
Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
Webcam: 0.9 megapixels
Speakers: Harman Kardon (stereo), Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 45 watt power supply, McAfee Internet Security (trial), 24 Months Warranty
1.28 kg ( = 45.15 oz / 2.82 pounds), Power Supply: 150 g ( = 5.29 oz / 0.33 pounds)
Toshiba homepage
Toshiba notebook section
Kirabook (Series)
Elegant and high-quality looking,...
...but maybe also a bit common,...
...is how the shiny silver magnesium chassis presents itself.
Toshiba demands 1500 Euros (~$2054)...
...for its noble Kirabook.
The slim 13-inch ultrabook...
...barely weighs 1.3 kilograms.
We also like the compact surface area,...
...made possible by an extremely narrow display bezel.
Despite an overall good build quality,...
...we found a few minor flaws.
For example, not all gaps are equally small.
Stylish detail: The illuminated power button when in use.
Toshiba does not install a DisplayPort out...
...but provides HDMI and 3x USB 3.0.
The input devices do not give reason for complaint.
A well-balanced stroke...
...and the stylish LED backlight belong to the keyboard's biggest assets.
The ClickPad functions accurately and without delays.
Inside the casing,...
...we discover the Kira-101's only fan.
The frugal Core i7-4500U produces only little waste heat.
The mSATA SSD...
...and the Wi-Fi module could be replaced,...
...but the memory is soldered.
Stereo speakers from Harman/Kardon ensure a brilliant...
...but also somewhat low bass sound.
The 52 Wh battery stores power...
...and allows for approx. 6 to 7 hours of practical use.
Toshiba Portégé Z30t-A-10X Ultrabook Review Update
Review HP Spectre 13-3010eg Ultrabook
Acer Aspire V3-371-55GS Subnotebook Review
HD Graphics 4400, Core i5 4210U
Acer Aspire V3-371-36M2 Notebook Review
Lenovo M30-70 Notebook Review
Asus Zenbook UX32LA-R3025H Ultrabook Review
Fujitsu Lifebook U574 Ultrabook Review
Tips for buying a notebook - notebookCHECK Purchase Advisory
Display resolution comparison - DPI (grain size) of displays
+ High-quality and lightweight metal casing
+ Extremely sharp IPS screen
+ Outstanding application performance
+ Low temperatures
+ Long battery runtimes
+ Affordable warranty upgrades
- Middling webcam
- Low screen brightness
- Limited 3D performance
- Very pricey
Speedy hardware in an elegant packaging - not only Apple manages that. Toshiba comes amazingly close to the contender from Cupertino in terms of quality impression.
A bright screen should actually be standard equipment for every ultrabook. It's aggravating that the Kirabook messes up just with this crucial issue.
The purchase price of approximately 1500 Euros (~$2054) is a very self-confident challenge to the contenders. We'll have to wait and see whether Toshiba can crack the market with it.
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
HP Spectre 13
Toshiba Kirabook 2014 - 2014-05-1105/11/2014 v4(old)
Till Schönborn
Subnotebook - Weighted Average
> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > Archive of our own reviews > Toshiba KIRAbook (KIRA-101) Ultrabook Review
Till Schönborn, 2014-05-19 (Update: 2018-05-15)
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NewsRegion/State
Big GOP donors sitting out State Senate races?
Sen. John Brooks (D-Seaford), Sen. Elaine Phillips (R-Flower Hill) and Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset) are in closely watched races this fall. Credit: James Escher
By Yancey Roy yancey.roy@newsday.com @yanceyroy Updated October 15, 2018 9:19 PM
ALBANY — So far, the biggest real estate political committee in New York politics is sitting out the State Senate elections.
The same goes for a prominent political-action committee bankrolled by charter schools.
And that could mean trouble for Republicans.
The GOP is trying to hold on to its 32-31 advantage in the Senate, the one area of state government it controls in a heavily Democratic state.
But Democrats are predicting a “blue wave” of energized voters will flip Senate control in November.
Three of the most closely watched races are on Long Island: Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset) v. Suffolk County Water Authority chairman James Gaughran, a Democrat; Sen. Elaine Phillips (R-Flower Hill) v. Democratic North Hempstead Town Board member Anna Kaplan; and Sen. John Brooks (D-Seaford) v. Massapequa Park Mayor Jeff Pravato, a Republican.
State records show when it comes to getting outside help in spending on the battle for the State Senate, Democrats are getting broad support from teachers’ unions and other labor groups. That’s not uncommon.
What is unusual is that the two sectors that have helped Senate Republicans the most in recent elections — charter schools and the Real Estate Board of New York — are spending far less this year than in recent campaigns.
“Jobs for New York,” a political committee formed by the Real Estate Board of New York, has spent relatively little money in the last four weeks. In contrast, it spent about $440,000 during the same time period in 2016 to boost Republicans through polling and ads.
In past years, REBNY spending often was seen as a bulwark against the teachers’ unions, which typically spend heavily to help Senate Democrats. With three weeks before Election Day, Jobs for New York has money on hand and could jump into the races. It does plan on spending to help Phillips soon. But its lack of participation so far is troubling, one Republican consultant said.
The same goes for “New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany,” the name of a charter school-backed political committee that helped the GOP maintain Senate control in the past.
In the last four weeks of this year’s campaign, it has spent $110,000 on behalf of candidates. Over the same time period in 2016, it spent $1.64 million.
A spokesman for the real estate group declined to comment as did a spokesman for the charter school group.
The lack of outside help “could be troubling for Senate Republicans in terms of forcing them to go to other sources,” said Michael Dawidziak, a Long Island political consultant who primarily works with the GOP but is not involved in the Senate races. But it’s not a clear sign of the direction of the races. Senate Republicans have pointed out they have about $2 million more in the bank than Senate Democrats in their main fundraising committees.
For the Democrats, the New York State United Teachers have spent about $1.4 million through “Fighting for Our Future,” an offshoot committee it founded. The Communications Workers of America, through its independent expenditure committee, has spent about $150,000 trying to help Senate Democrats.
By Yancey Roy yancey.roy@newsday.com @yanceyroy
Diocese says it will close Our Lady of Mercy School
LI village to host new ice festival
Sentencing date set for driver who killed Boy Scout
1:11 Curran announces push for 'common sense' changes to bail law
0:52 Cuomo's $178 billion budget seeks workforce trims, legalized marijuana
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Nov. 2019 (Issue 86)
We have original fiction from Adam-Troy Castro (“Dollhouse”) and Gwendolyn Kiste (“The Eight People Who Murdered Me (Excerpt from Lucy Westenra’s Diary)”), along with reprints by Seanan McGuire (“With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfbane Seeds”) and Suyi Davies Okungbowa (“The Secret Life of the Unclaimed”). We also have Micah Dean Hicks writing the latest installment of our column on horror, “The H Word,” plus author spotlights with our authors, and a feature interview with Lois H. Gresh.
Cover art by Mikesilent / Adobe Stock Images
In This Issue: Nov. 2019 (Issue 86)
Editorial: November 2019
Be sure to check out the editorial for a rundown of this month’s content—and to get all our news and updates.
by Adam-Troy Castro
There is a man locked in the dollhouse. He is not a doll-sized man. He is a full-sized man. The structure is designed for miniatures, and he is trapped inside it, knees up against his chest, head scraping the ceiling. He only fits because the architects of the little house equipped it with a palatial foyer, the kind that, in real houses, is designed to make visitors gape at the sheer magnificence of the space. The effect is lost on the full-sized man. To him, it’s more like a cabinet.
Narrated by:
Stefan Rudnicki
Author Spotlight: Adam-Troy Castro
I sometimes start typing without any clue where I’m going. This results in a lot of abandoned fragments, but also a lot of stories that surprise me with their destinations. This was one. Honestly, I had the not-unusual premise of a man imprisoned in a dollhouse, and considered it for all of thirty seconds reflecting not only that it was old, but also that it was damned similar to one just published in Lightspeed Magazine, “Sand Castles.” And then I thought, hey, maybe he’s a full-sized man trapped in that dollhouse, which to him will be a confining cage.
With Graveyard Weeds and Wolfsbane Seeds
by Seanan McGuire
“It’s Halloween,” Mary told Cook, while Cook boiled caramel and dipped apples and laid them on the table to dry, buttery and glistening in their new candy shells. Cook smiled indulgently and gave Mary a ball of caramel to play between her fingers, and shooed her out of the kitchen. “It’s Halloween,” Mary told Mr. Evans the gardener, while he stuffed old clothes with hay and sticks and raised his new-formed scarecrows onto their stands, propping them around the grounds like watchful sentinels.
The H Word: On Cruelty
by Micah Dean Hicks
Growing up, I was a shy, tenderhearted kid. School was not a good place for me, and I remember being astonished by my classmates’ naked viciousness. When a girl’s skirt rode up from the friction of her backpack, people pointed, nudged their friends, grinned at her without saying anything. Someone was sent home once for lice, and that would come to define her for years, a stain that she and every one of her sisters had to carry.
The Eight People Who Murdered Me (Excerpt from Lucy Westenra’s Diary)
by Gwendolyn Kiste
The teeth in the neck gambit obviously starts all of this. Don’t think I’ll forget that. Don’t expect for one moment you’re going to get off too easily. You might not be the only one to blame, but you’re still mostly to blame. For how you come to me when I’m by myself, a lonely girl in a goblin market where some treasures are best left undiscovered. Tonight, my mother’s hosting another soirée, all in my honor, a way to find me the perfect husband. She doesn’t care what I have to say about it.
Kate Orsini
Author Spotlight: Gwendolyn Kiste
This story had a long gestation period. It took me almost two years to finish, and that was after writing it, rewriting it, and then ripping it apart at the seams and writing it all over again. At its heart, I wanted to honor the character of Lucy. She’s such a wonderful presence in the book, but she’s disregarded far too early on. As a child, I remember watching Dracula films and hearing my parents talk about the book. I knew there were only two women in the story: Mina who lives, and Lucy who dies.
The Secret Life of the Unclaimed
by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
It starts with something as simple as a toothache. I’m home on vacation before final session at Ecclesia Boys, so Momsie is the one I run to. She’s seated in bed with her glasses on, her hair untamed, the gray streaks standing clear. She has her back on the headboard and her feet buried in documents. “My teeth, they’re painful,” I tell her. “I’m dreaming every night that people are chasing me.” She flicks her eyes at me then back to her documents, so I return to my room and curl up like a fetus to absorb the pain.
Interview: Lois H. Gresh
by Lisa Morton
“Renaissance woman” is a phrase we really don’t hear enough, and fortunately, talking about Lois H. Gresh gives us a perfect way to put it to use. Since her first short story (“Cafebabe,” from the science fiction anthology Infinite Loop) was published in 1993, she has written psychological horror, Lovecraftian fiction, weird fiction, thrillers, young adult novels, mystery tales, pop culture science books, and companion books to popular young adult series.
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{{ downloadDescription }} Discover three immersive adventures in Metroid Prime Trilogy, available to download from Nintendo eShop on Wii U.
Metroid Prime Trilogy
System: Wii, Wii U Release date: 04/09/2009
Steeped in myth, rich in exploration and explosive in action, three classic Metroid adventures chronicling bounty hunter Samus Aran’s first-person adventures come together in a single package.
Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii gives players the opportunity to experience the entire Metroid Prime story arc by bringing together critically acclaimed Nintendo GameCube titles Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, as well as the hit conclusion to the series, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, in spectacular style.
Now you can return to – or discover for the first time – the rich universe of the Prime trilogy every step of the way. Immerse yourself in Samus’ struggle against the Space Pirates as she encounters the all-consuming, corrupting substance called Phazon. Discover the history of the Chozo Ruins and the mysteries of Tallon IV; retrieve the Light of Aether and take on the might of the shape-shifting Ing; and search and destroy the Leviathan Seeds and bring the curtain down on your bitter struggle with Dark Samus.
Scanning your surroundings will enable you to piece together the mysteries of ravaged worlds, while using the full range of capabilities offered by Samus’ armoured suit will help you to find new areas hidden from view and solve difficult puzzles as you upgrade and expand your arsenal along the way.
The entire trilogy can now be controlled using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to take aim at a huge array of alien enemies and interact with the richly-detailed surroundings. Originally created for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on Wii, the intuitive pointer-based control scheme makes the process of delving into the darkest corners of the galaxy more immersive than ever. Just point your Wii Remote at the screen to aim at enemies and adjust Samus’ outlook; moving and firing with ease as you battle to save the solar system, one enigmatic planet at a time.
The whole saga can also be experienced in widescreen for the first time, and boasts a range of other enhancements to expand the experience for long-time Metroid fans and newcomers to the series alike. Special tokens – introduced in the third game for the first time – can now be found spread throughout all three games and collected to unlock art galleries and other fan-pleasing extras.
On top of the three solo adventures, Metroid Prime Trilogy also features the split-screen multiplayer mode featured in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, in which up to four players can battle it out with Samus’ weapons to reveal who is the baddest bounty hunter of them all.
Enjoy the Metroid Prime series like never before with Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii.
Return to – or discover for the first time – the rich universe of the Prime trilogy as you immerse yourself in Samus’ intergalactic struggles.
Control every game using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as you take aim and interact with the richly-detailed surroundings.
Game enhancements expand the experience for long-time Metroid fans and newcomers to the series alike.
A portion of the online services offered through the Wii console were discontinued on 28th June 2013. From this date, certain online software functionality that utilises WiiConnect24 – for instance, message/data exchange – will no longer be available for this title.
For a full list of affected titles, please visit our Support section.
This game is part of a range of Wii titles available to download from Nintendo eShop on Wii U. Titles that support the Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro can be controlled with the Wii U GamePad. Find out more in our Wii U download content section.
© 2002–2009 NINTENDO.
Video: Metroid Prime Trilogy
Discover three immersive adventures in Metroid Prime Trilogy, available to download from Nintendo eShop on Wii U.
Shooter, Action
Retro Studios
Off-TV Play
Wii download version (Wii U)
Nunchuk +
Wii Remote,
Wii Remote & Wii Remote Plus
German, English, Spanish, French, Italian
English, German, French, Spanish, Italian
Explore the Metroid universe
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The McSpadden Team
Broker Search
Vail - 230 Bridge Street
Cell970.390.8808
Direct970.390.7632
Make Me Your Preferred Agent
Since teaming up over 16 years ago, Steve and Hillary McSpadden have helped over 1,000 individuals, couples, and families realize their dreams of living in the mountains either part-time or full-time. The majority of their business has come from repeat customers and referrals to which the McSpadden’s credit their responsive service and infectious passion for the Vail lifestyle.
Steve has resided in the Vail Valley for over 40 years. Launching his real estate career in 1980, he then operated a successful real estate and property management company for 20 years. Steve’s long-standing relationships and abundant knowledge of the Vail Valley and its history make him a tremendous resource to his clients. In her own right, Hillary has contributed to the wide success of two real estate companies, growing one of them from $10 million per year in sales to over $100 million as its Managing Broker. Her negotiating skills and detailed expertise with contracts are two of her specific skills that balance and compliment Steve’s.
As the principle listing brokers on the Landmark Residences, a luxury development in Lionshead Village, the McSpadden’s successfully marketed and sold over $30 million of discretionary real estate during the toughest economic period in Vail’s history. They were resilient and creative in their efforts to preserve the value of the prominent slope-side property. That approach played a part in Hillary being selected to the competitively chosen team of listing agents for The Lion, Vail’s only new luxury development. In their first 3 months on the team they closed nearly $40 million in residential condominiums at the exclusive property.
Both collegiate athletes, Steve ski raced at the University of Colorado and Hillary played Division I tennis. Originally from southern California, Hillary moved to the Vail area in 1991 with a degree in International Business from the University of San Diego and an MBA from the University of Denver.
Steve and Hillary’s combined experience and business savvy creates a dynamic partnership which offers a range of services that can only be achieved with their team approach. In addition to performing at the highest level in real estate sales, the McSpadden Team is backed by the success and marketing reach of Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, the largest producing real estate company in the Vail Valley with nearly 50% market share.
Docs & Links
Pending $11,500,000
0 Minturn Road
Solaris Residences # 4B Ea
Vail Village
4 Beds 4 Baths 2,530 +/- SqFt
Mountain Haus # 333
Apollo Park # B306
2 Beds 2 Baths 964 +/- SqFt
Lions Mane Condo # 2
1 Bed 1 Baths 526 +/- SqFt
Printer Friendly Bio
January East Vail
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Lawrence Bradley Attempts To Rob With Fake Gun But Foiled By Clerk With Real Gun
Opposing Views Staff
Chicago police say a robber tried to hold up an electronics store with a fake gun only to have the clerk pull out his own gun – a real one.
Lawrence Bradley, 25, was charged with two felonies: armed robbery and aggravated battery after he walked into an electronics store and aimed the gun at the clerk and demanded money, the Chicago Tribune reports.
But the clerk refused to go down that easily as he reached into a safe, pulled out a real gun, and fired twice. The only reason why the clerk only fired twice was because the gun jammed, according to police.
Bradley grabbed the clerk’s gun, hit him in the face and head with it, and ran out of the store, jumping into a car driven by a woman.
Police managed to catch up with Bradley after he walked into St. Margaret Health Hospital with gunshot wounds, 30 miles away from where the attempted robbery took place. The clerk’s gun was recovered after Bradley “implicated himself,” while the fake gun was found at the store, according to a police report.
The 23-year-old store clerk was taken to Saint Francis Hospital where he was treated for small lacerations on his face and on the top of his head.
Bradley was set to appear in court Wednesday. It is unclear whether or not the store clerk knew Bradley’s gun was fake or whether the clerk possesses a valid Firearm Owner Identification card, which is required to legally possess guns or ammunition in the state of Illinois, according to Guns.com.
The Chicago Tribune reported seven other separate incidents where people were shot throughout Chicago Monday right.
Sources: Guns.com, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Police Department
Attempted RobberyRobber with fake gunLawrence BradleyFake GunChicago robberyguns
Would-be Thief's Attempt To Rob Gas Station Thwarted By Clerk's Dog (Video)
One Teen Dead, Another In Jail After Attempting to Rob Man With Airsoft Gun
Shannon Cothran Loses Job As Store Clerk After Pulling Gun On Robber Who Ran In With Knife
Thief Attempts to Rob Gun Store with Baseball Bat
Robber Humiliated By Clerk
Car Thief Antoren Bell Arrested After Plan Was Foiled By Stick Shift Car
2 Young Men Attempt to Rob Jewelry Store, End Up Fleeing When Owner Pulls out Shotgun
Robber Gets Life In Jail For Series of Bank Robberies – With Fake Gun (Video)
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THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
** The Fast and the Furious (Universal; 107 minutes; rated PG-13, for violence, sexual content and language; priced for rental; DVD available): Here's a motoring-movie remake, a street-racing romp based on a 1954 cheapie that gave B-movie king Roger Corman (he co-wrote it) his start. Sadly, it presents us with the spectacle of wailing, screaming wall-to-wall Honda Civics.
Honda Civics? Since we've become a nation of 9-mile-per-gallon, automatic-transmission SUV-driving sissies, a movie about the blood-curdling speed you can achieve in a Honda Civic is probably all we deserve.
A trifle less dumb and quite a bit cooler than Gone in Sixty Seconds, Fast and Furious gives us a pretty boy driver Brian, played by Paul Walker of The Skulls, who falls in with the racing-robbing, hard-living, hard-loving gang led by Dom Toretto. Dom is a character that actor Vin Diesel was born to play. Or at least renamed to play.
"I live my life a quarter-mile at a time," Dom-Diesel growls as the sun glints off the sweat and grease on his shiny bullet-head.
Dom's gang includes the engine whiz, Jesse (Chad Lindberg), hot babe driver Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and his Ali McGraw lookalike sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster). Rapper Ja Rule makes a brief appearance as the token black driver.
Of course, the pretty boy makes a play for the sister.
Somehow, competing gangs of really good-looking white, black, Hispanic and Asian young people are able to come up with the cash to nitrous-oxide up their Civics, Jettas and the like. The thrills are as cheap as gas as they organize into expensive, dangerous late-night drag races through Los Angeles.
Somebody is financing their racing by committing high-speed truck hijackings. No, they don't make the truck drivers stop to rob them. Not cool enough.
Brian is a cop trying to break the case. He just needs time.
Director Rob Cohen (Dragon) has made a film that is fast, flashy, young, hard-bitten and dumb as a Civic full of bricks.
** Greenfingers (Columbia TriStar; 91 minutes; rated R, for language and some sexuality; priced for rental; DVD available): Covering some of the same ground as the daft dope-growing Brit-farce, Saving Grace, Greenfingers is about a long-term convict who discovers that he can give life instead of ending it (he's in prison for murder) by learning to garden. It can be cute and even heartwarming at times. But all too often, it's nearly insufferable.
Clive Owen of Croupier is Colin Briggs, a model prisoner sent to a new experimental rehabilitation prison in lovely rural England.
Briggs and assorted other colorful cons start digging and planting. Their work attracts the attention of a British Martha Stewart, a gardening expert played by Helen Mirren. And through her and her daughter Primrose (Natasha Little), Colin and the lads plan an entry for the grand Hampton Court Palace Garden Show, where all of Britain comes to full flower.
But the seeds of disaster have been planted when one of their number starts eyeballing the mansion of clients of their gardening service.
And no, no horticultural pun is left unharvested in this featherweight little feel-good film. It's fairly inconsequential, which is no crime. But what is criminal are the lengths to which the story softens the convicts up and manipulates emotions in its last reels. It starts as Saving Grace but becomes Brassed Off maudlin, and it doesn't have the substance to carry that philosophical weight.
*** The Man Who Cried (Universal; 100 minutes; rated R, for sexuality; priced for rental; DVD available): As a filmmaker, Sally Potter has never been much into action -- or even, really, movement. What she likes are lovely static images. And her favorite characters are people who do little and say less.
Suzie, the heroine of Potter's The Man Who Cried, is that kind of person. A Russian-Jewish girl, she flees Russia in the late '20s and tries to get to America. But she spends her childhood in England and then moves to Paris, where she joins an opera company.
Along the way, Suzie (Christina Ricci) makes friends with a free-spirited dancer (Cate Blanchett) from Moscow, falls in love with a handsome gypsy (Johnny Depp) and runs afoul of the opera's egotistical Italian star (John Turturro).
All along, she dreams of going to America, where she hopes to reunite with her long-lost father. And all along, Potter offers us lovely, static views of operas and of people otherwise striking poses.
Potter's main subject is the rise of Nazism in Europe. She handles this subject decently but offers few new insights.
She does have a fine eye for tableaux, and her cast is also impressive. With her wide forehead and pensive eyes, Ricci is an apt choice to play Suzie, the passive, ever-alert observer.
** What's the Worst That Could Happen? (MGM; 95 minutes; rated PG-13, for language and sexual content; priced for rental; DVD available): Martin Lawrence makes nice for the caper comedy What's the Worst That Could Happen? He keeps the profanity to a minimum. He tones down the anger that seems to drive much of his comedy. He even goes light on his trademark mugging for the camera.
But as far as this movie is concerned, Lawrence is . . . the weakest link.
The movie is the tale of a burglar (Lawrence) who is caught in the act by a corrupt millionaire (Danny DeVito) who then steals the thief's prized ring. That kicks off a blood feud that drives the action.
But what makes it watchable are the juicy little performances that completely overshadow the two stars. One by one, the supporting players steal the movie from the housebreaking thief and the corporate thief.
The prince of these scene thieves is William Fichtner, of The Perfect Storm and Armageddon. He gives us the screen's first gay supersleuth, the dapper, dog-loving Detective Alex Tardio, a cop who gives a whole new twist to "always gets his man." Mincing along the edge of out-and-out lampoon, Detective Tardio is a hilarious creation in his Tom Wolfe suits, walking his sissy little dogs.
Then there are the burglar's sidekicks, John Leguizamo and a magic act couple who bicker constantly and burgle on the side -- Siobhan Fallon and Lenny Clarke. The feuding magicians and gay detective are such a jolt that you wish they had a better movie to strut their stuff in.
SHORT TAKE
Brother (Columbia Tristar; 113 minutes; rated R, for extreme violence, amputation and disembowelment; priced for rental; DVD available): Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps and Kuroudo Maki star. Kitano also directed this film about the collision of Japanese yakuza and American gangster cultures. In English and Japanese with English subtitles.
The Music Business: An Insider's Guide to Breaking In (InsideSessions; not rated; $24.95 for DVD): This would seem like a late-night infomercial on DVD if not for the big-name artists and execs who offer advice to budding musicians. The lineup includes Sting, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Enrique Iglesias, Rob Zombie, Barry Gibb, producer-record exec Jimmy Iovine and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, among dozens of others in the music business. There's plenty of practical -- if fairly obvious -- advice for musicians or those interested in the support side of the industry: the value of interning, understanding contracts, what companies are looking for in a demo. The DVD interviews are culled from a more in-depth online music-industry primer available at www.insidesessions.com, and the DVD sells exclusively on that Web site.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension! (MGM; 103 minutes; PG; $19.98): This weird, fitfully funny film has risen to cult status since its 1984 release. Peter Weller plays the neural-surgeon, dimension-traveling, rock-and-rolling title character, battling aliens and a mad scientist (John Lithgow) whose plot threatens Earth.
Sound and Fury (Docurama; not rated; $24.95): An absorbing Oscar-nominated documentary, it traces the turmoil for a deaf couple faced with the choice of opening up a new world for their 5-year-old daughter with a revolutionary hearing implant. The DVD includes extra interview footage not contained in the theatrical release.
Hombre de Florida fue arrestado luego de grabarse abusando de una niña de 3 años, según reporte
Honda Motor Co.
MGM Inc.
William Fichtner
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Edgewater slugger has big numbers, but where are offers?
By Buddy Collings
Baseball practice ended at Edgewater on Monday, and senior first baseman Zach Vandergrift headed to strength coach Lee Prince's house for another workout.
Three days a week of weight training and pushups since the start of summer, combined with hours in the batting cage, have turned a guy now referred to as "Vander-Boom" into a 5-foot-11, 205-pound power-hitting machine.
Sadly, college recruiters didn't have the time to wait for a late bloomer to start knocking the cover off the ball.
In an era where players are getting major-college attention before they hit varsity, Vandergrift has 10 home runs and not one solid Division I scholarship offer. Baseball money already has been doled out for the Class of 2013.
Vandergrift remains upbeat and focused. His latest homer was a go-ahead grand slam in a 6-5 victory against Spring Hill Springstead that pushed Edgewater (24-5) into the Class 6A semifinals.
The Eagles will face reigning state champion Archbishop McCarthy (25-5) of Broward County next Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Fort Myers' JetBlue Park.
"It's been an amazing season, with everybody having a great year," Vandergrift said.
He has been sensational, batting .478 with 52 RBIs as the cleanup man behind Ole Miss signee J.B. Woodman.
That's a huge jump for a guy who was on JV as a freshman and sophomore, then hit .320 with one home run as a junior. Vandergrift packed on 20 pounds of muscle, and 24 of his 44 hits have gone for extra bases.
Woodman is hitting .602 (50-of-83) and has scored 46 times.
"Teams are trying to pitch around J.B., and Zach has been able to make them pay for it all year," second-year Eagles coach Keith Walsh said.
Now, if only a college would offer a scholarship for his services.
University of Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan called Vandergrift on Sunday, the latest to say he wished he had some money left for a slugger.
"He told me he's going to watch me at the FACA all-star weekend [May 24-26 in Sebring], and something could open up," Vandergrift said. "That was pretty cool."
Vandergrift has some academic offers, but he is leaning toward waiting until after the June 6-8 draft to see whether opportunities open when college players and signees opt for pro ball.
"It's a risk, but I know I'm going to end up somewhere, and it's going to be the right place for me,'' Vandergrift said.
Getting the call
Senior pitcher Mitchell Jordan (10-1, 1.01 ERA) went the distance for Lake Brantley in its 4-3, eight-inning win vs. Olympia on Friday, slamming the door with a bases-jammed called third strike. He'll get the ball again when the Patriots (25-5) take on heavy-hitting Jupiter (23-4) at 1 p.m. Friday in an 8A baseball semifinal in Fort Myers.
"He's our guy. He's our ace. If we're going to lose that game, I want to lose it with my best guy out there," Lake Brantley coach Eric Entrekin said.
Hearing footsteps
Timber Creek ninth-grader Brandon Marquez ran all season in the shadow of Colonial senior Andres Arroyo, arguably the greatest high-school distance runner in Florida history.
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There are benefits to playing follow the leader with that kind of guy. Marquez is Florida's fastest freshman in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. He lowered his metric-mile personal best to 4 minutes, 18.77 seconds to win last weekend's Holy Trinity All-Star Showdown in Melbourne.
"I definitely have great respect for him," Marquez said of Arroyo, who remains the national leader in the 800 and 1,600. "But one day I'd like to be in his shoes and do the same thing."
Marquez is set to run the 3,200 in Saturday's Golden Classic at First Academy. Arroyo is not competing this weekend. He is preparing to face a stacked field at the May 25 Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile in New York City.
bcollings@tribune.com
Most Read • Varsity Sports
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The Negative Side of Truvada PrEP
Truvada’s manufacturer, Gilead, held out on introducing a safer, just-as-effective HIV PrEP deterrent for the sake of profits.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 - Since 2012, Truvada has been an important tool in the fight against the spread of HIV, but it isn't as safe as it could be. Gilead Science Inc., Truvada's manufacturer, has known it causes serious side effects and even death, but they've put profits over people and held out on introducing a safer, just-as-effective HIV deterrent so that they could continue to corner the multi-billion dollar market on the drug.
Truvada was introduced in 2004 as part of an effective HIV treatment protocol for adults and children 12 years and older. In 2012, the FDA approved it for use in a drug marketed as PrEP. PrEP is a combination of two antiretrovirals: emtricitabine and tenofovir disproxil, and it has quickly become one of the most popular HIV drugs in the world.
The problem with PrEP is that one ingredient, tenofovir disproxil, is risky stuff. People taking it risk bone density loss that can lead to fractures, and also serious kidney problems, including kidney failure and death, especially in people who are already HIV positive.
It may seem as if the benefits outweigh the risks, but there is another factor at play. Years ago, Gilead developed a safer version of tenofovir called TAF, which doesn't have the risks kidney failure and bone. They knew it was safer, but Gilead stopped clinical research for years until the patent for Truvada was set to expire. This kept the profits rolling in $11 billion annually at its height and protected the market from competition from other manufacturers.
In short, there was a safer product available, but Gilead chose to keep it from people so they could make more money. They knowingly exposed millions of HIV-positive people to unnecessary risk and serious permanent injuries.
Why Stand Up?
Two separate warning letters from the FDA didn't deter Gilead from making false claims about and downplaying Truvada's side effects. The company continued to market PrEP as a safe product, knowing it wasn't doing everything it could to mitigate risk for people who took it.
Thanks to a growing number of victims and their families who have been willing to stand up against the drug giant, Gilead is now facing accountability for the damage they have done.
People who have suffered from broken and brittle bones, osteoporosis, and kidney failure after taking Truvada, as well as antiretrovirals Viread, Stribild, Atripla, Symfi Lo, AccessPak for HIV PEP Expanded with Kaletra, AccessPak for HIV PEP Expanded with Viracept, Complera, Cimduo, and Genvoya are suing Gilead.
For these victims, it isn't only about getting the compensation they deserve for suffering, damage, medical expenses and loss; it's about getting the harmful version of Truvada off of pharmacy shelves and holding Gilead accountable for gambling with their lives.
Help Us Stand Up to Gilead
The Onder Law Firm is dedicated to holding companies like Gilead accountable for unethical business practices. We want to help.
If you have taken Truvada and have suffered from side effects such as osteoporosis, kidney failure, or broken or brittle bones, you may be entitled to compensation. The Onder Law Firm offers free, no-obligation case reviews so that you can find out if you are eligible. Our lawyers work on contingency, meaning you will never have to pay legal fees unless we win compensation for you.
More importantly, we can work together to make sure no one else has to suffer due to preventable risks like those Truvada has posed. Not only will Gilead have to answer for their greed, but we can make them an example for other companies. People must always come before profits.
Take a stand with us. Call 314-963-9000 or 1-800-RX-WATCH, or visit us online at onderlaw.com.
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No-Cost, No-Obligation DePuy Lawsuit Case Review
OnderLaw, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. The Onder Law Firm has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm won $197 million in three talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis in 2016 and other law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.
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58 min ago Delhi wakes up to dense fog: As visibility drops, 5 flights diverted, over 20 trains running late
Germany crisis: A ‘hardened’ Merkel could be a deadly blow to EU
oi-Shubham
By Shubham
| Updated: Friday, July 6, 2018, 13:43 [IST]
Berlin, July 4: She was one of the last European leaders with an open mind towards the refugees and migrants but after Germany reached the brink, the curtains are drawn on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Europe's experiment with liberal approach.
Germany's political struggle began with the dissent of Christian Social Union's (CSU) Horst Seehofer, Merkel's interior minister, over the issue of immigration.
File Photo of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer
Merkel vs Seehofer
Merkel and Seehofer had serious differences over the entry of the "secondary" migrants - people who first enter another country of the European Union like Italy and Greece - and then take advantage of the EU's open borders to move into Germany.
Now, Seehofer is an important figure in German politics with his CSU dominating the state of Bavaria, the largest in Germany and also an affluent and conservative one. Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) doesn't even operate in the south-eastern state and that puts the CSU leader at a vantage point.
The clash between the two leaders is one between the liberal and conservative. While Merkel has emphasised on the open borders of the EU and also Germany's open mind towards accepting migrants and refugees, Seehofer has his own compulsions. His party banks on conservatives and the border location of Bavaria leading to arrival of secondary migrants means the CSU could lose ground to the far-right groups and parties ahead of the state election in Bavaria in October this year. Merkel's position is, thus, untenable for Seehofer.
The CSU leader hence asked Merkel to shut Germany's border for the secondary migrants and said either he would do it if the chancellor refused or would resign. In that case, it will only lead to the fall of Merkel's coalition government, pushing Germany to the brink of a political instability.
On Monday, July 2, Merkel came up with a compromise deal whereby Germany would set up camps along the Austrian border to give shelter to the secondary migrants while their status is reviewed. Any migrant found to be registered for temporary status in another country will be deported.
But even this deal doesn't guarantee security to Merkel's government. The centre-left Social Democratic Party, which is also a member of the Merkel government, needs to acknowledge it or else, the government might fall.
If Germany hardens its border policy, other nations will follow suit
The only way for Merkel is to harden the border of Germany and that would have a cascading effect, putting the EU's idea of integration and openness under threat. For if a frontline European power eventually decides to shut the borders and neutralise the EU's basic tenet of openness, other states of the continent who are less secure and flourishing than Merkel will also do the same, leading to a complete collapse of the idea of European fraternity.
Merkel already had a serious difference with Italy's political leadership over a refugee deal with Rome's populist Giuseppe Conte government expressing its frustration over the fact that the burden of the refugees was not shared evenly across the European bloc. Italy itself has seen a massive influx refugees entering its territory since 2015 after the route via Turkey and Greece was shut for them.
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Sore Throat vs. Strep Throat
Reviewed By Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD on 7/1/2019
Why Your Throat Hurts
Your throat aches and burns. It's painful to swallow. You know something is wrong, but how bad is it? Will it get better without antibiotics? Or will you need to visit the doctor?
This article is designed to help you find relief from your sore throat, and discover whether or not you may have strep throat symptoms. You will find the telltale signs and symptoms, as well as treatment options for both. It's important to know what is causing your symptoms, because treatments for different kinds of infections vary.
What Is Strep Throat?
Strep throat is always caused by a bacterial infection. Group A Streptococcus bacteria ("group A strep") infects the throat and the tonsils, and it will quickly respond to antibiotics.
What Is the Common Sore Throat?
A sore throat can be quite painful, but it is not as painful as strep throat. When you have the common cold, the cause is usually a virus. This means it will not respond to antibiotics.
Even if it's not strep, you may need to see a doctor for relief. It's time to see the doctor if your symptoms
last longer than a week,
keep coming back,
make your voice hoarse for more than two weeks,
cause dehydration, or
worry you in some other way.
What Does Strep Throat Look Like? Symptoms
Some of the signs of strep throat will be visible. They may include
white patches on the tonsils or throat,
dark red splotches or spots on the roof of the mouth, and
a skin rash.
Those white spots are pus pockets. In addition, some patients may exhibit swollen, tender lymph nodes in the neck and some with fever above about 101-102 F. The signs and symptoms are the same for both children and adults.
Although these signs may indicate strep, a visit to the doctor is necessary to make a full determination. A full diagnosed is impossible by visual signs alone.
Adults are less likely to have this disease than children. For school-age children, their odds of a sore throat being strep are about 20% to 30%. For adults, the odds are more like 5% to 15%.
Sore Throat Causes
Sore throats are often caused by viruses, making them difficult to cure. They can also be caused by
dry air,
irritants like pollution,
smoke, including cigarette smoke, and
allergies.
Unlike strep throat, everyday sore throats usually go away on their own without any antibiotic treatment. In fact, antibiotics are useless against viral infections like colds and the flu, the most common causes of the diseases that cause sore throat.
Beyond the throat itself, a few more symptoms include
runny nose,
watery eyes,
cough,
sneezing,
post-nasal drip, and
a low fever (below 101 F).
Swollen lymph nodes under the chin and the front of the neck could indicate any kind of infection. They could accompany an ear infection or sinus infection, for example.
If your fever is higher than 101 F, it's usually a sign of strep throat infection. Sometimes strep comes with a lower fever as well, though, so not having a high fever does not necessarily mean you're free and clear.
Strep Throat and Rheumatic Fever
Infection from strep bacteria can cause fevers to go from bad to worse. That's one big reason why treatment with antibiotics matters so much. Without treatment, rheumatic fever can set in, usually about two weeks to a month after signs infection first appear.
Rheumatic fever is much more than just a fever—it may cause severe joint, heart, skin, and brain problems. It can damage heart valves as well. Although it continues to be a problem in the developing world, rheumatic fever is rare in the United States and other developed nations.
Do You Have Swollen Lymph Nodes?
Strep throat can be spread person-to-person through direct contact, especially when mucus droplets from the mouth are spread, as in the case of kissing. It can also be spread through indirect contact by sharing things like cups, forks, and spoons.
If you don't get antibiotics, your strep infection will be contagious for about two to three weeks after infection. But once you start taking an antibiotics regimen, your potential to infect others disappears after about 24 hours.
For this reason, the CDC recommends that people with strep stay home from work, school, and daycare until their fever is gone or they have taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
How Long Does Strep Throat Last?
After becoming infected, it usually takes about two to five days to fall ill.
Without antibiotic treatment, strep throat can last 10-12 days.
The infection is likely to get better within three to five days after an antibiotic treatment is begun.
Earlier treatment helps prevent more serious related conditions like rheumatic fever.
If your sore throat is associated with a fine, sandpaper-like pink rash on the skin, it could be scarlet fever, which is definitely associated with the bacteria that causes strep throat. If this occurs, see a doctor immediately.
Symptoms include
a very red, sore throat,
bright red skin under arms, at the elbows and in the creases of the groin,
a “strawberry” tongue that appears red and bumpy,
vomiting, and
abdominal pain.
Long-term, scarlet fever can lead to serious health problems. These include
rheumatic fever,
kidney disease,
ear infections,
pneumonia, and
skin infections.
Scarlet fever can be treated with antibiotics.
Strep Is a Bacterial Infection
Most sore throats are caused by viruses, or are side effects of infections in other parts of the nose or sinuses. However, strep throat comes from a common bacterial group, Group A Streptococcus, also known as Streptococcus pyogenes.
Group A strep bacteria are some of the most common disease-causing bacteria in humans. About 5% to 15% of all people have the bacterium in their bodies without showing any signs or symptoms of infection. Only humans carry group A strep bacteria.
Group A strep can cause a whole range of health problems, from strep throat and scarlet fever to skin diseases like impetigo and cellulitis. It can cause the devastating flesh-eating disease necrotizing fasciitis, too, which kills about one quarter of its victims.
It is important to determine if your infection is caused by strep, as antibiotics are prescribed to decrease the chance of complications.
Antibiotics Won’t Stop a Common Sore Throat
Because strep throat is caused by a bacterium, bacteria-fighting antibiotics are usually used to cure the disease. This disease is less contagious and its symptoms dramatically improve after antibiotics have been properly administered.
It's important not to overuse antibiotics though. Overuse of antibiotics threatens to create "superbugs," microbes that are resistant to antibiotics. Every year in the United States, at least 2 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
To avoid contributing to this growing health problem, don't try to treat viral or fungal illnesses with antibiotics. Antibiotics do not provide any benefit against viral or fungal infections. The only result of using antibiotics in these cases is the further proliferation of superbugs.
Antibiotics do not get rid of sore throats caused by the common cold. The common cold is caused by a virus, and antibiotics will not help.
Rapid Strep Test and Oral Culture
Just looking at a patient's throat is not enough to diagnose strep throat, so your doctor will want to perform a test to be sure. The rapid strep test is attempted first to make a quick determination of the possible presence of strep-causing bacteria in a patient's throat.
To perform a rapid strep test, a doctor will swab both tonsils and the back of the mouth. True to its name, a rapid strep test takes about 10-15 minutes to provide results.
About 5% of the time, a strep test will turn out negative even if strep bacteria are causing one's illness. If a doctor still suspects strep, he or she will follow up with a throat culture.
Throat cultures are performed the same way from a patient's point of view. The tonsils and back of the mouth are swabbed once more. Then the throat culture is sent away for further testing. Results will take a day or two to return.
When Do You Need Antibiotics?
If your doctor diagnoses you with strep throat, you will be prescribed antibiotics or given an antibiotic shot to treat it. You need to finish the entire course of antibiotics—even if you feel better before they are finished—so the bacterial infection won't reoccur. Strep is still contagious even if you are taking antibiotics (such as amoxicillin), so follow these steps to protect others from further infection:
Wash your hands frequently.
Don't share food or utensils.
• Throw away your toothbrush when your strep infection has resolved.
What if It’s Tonsillitis or Pharyngitis?
Tonsillitis shares a lot of its symptoms with strep. It can cause your tonsils to ache for days and days, and may leave them covered in white or yellow patches. It can make it hard to swallow. But tonsillitis is not the same as strep.
Only one bacterial type causes strep. But tonsillitis can have many causes, and usually the cause is non-bacterial. That means antibiotics usually won't help. To be certain, you can ask your doctor to swab your throat. Results take 2-3 days.
The Difference Between Tonsillitis and Pharyngitis
Tonsillitis and pharyngitis refer to the same type of infection. The only difference is where the infection appears. You probably guessed that your tonsils get tonsillitis. Pharyngitis occurs in your throat.
No matter the cause, you can prevent throat infections by following some basic precautions:
Avoid physical contact with infected people, as these infections are spread person-to-person.
Always wash your hands. Washing your hands before meals with soap or an alcohol-based solution can help prevent the spread of germs.
Between hand-washing, avoid touching your face.
Don't handle other people's germy tissues.
Sometimes home remedies do a good job of easing sore throat pain and discomfort. However, if symptoms worsen with home remedy treatments, you should see a medical caregiver (see slide 20).
Here are a few home remedies:
Gargle salt water: Stir 1/2 tsp of salt into 1 cup of warm water. You can gargle this salt water solution several times a day. This helps loosen mucus and draws excess fluid out of your inflamed throat tissue.
Throat lozenges: over-the-counter throat lozenges and hard candy can help ease the pain.
Throat sprays: These can help numb the throat, which helps to stop the pain.
Tea with honey: Honey has been shown to relieve throat irritation, and hot water from a mild tea can do the same.
Remedies are aimed at keeping the throat moist, as well as symptom relief.
Part of the pain and irritation of a sore throat comes from having a dry throat. One solution is to plug in a humidifier or vaporizer to increase the humidity in your room.
If you don't have a vaporizer or humidifier, another solution is to hold your head over hot, steaming water. Put a towel over your head to hold the moist steam close to your face, and breathe in as deeply as you comfortably can.
Sore Throat Home Remedies: Warm Compress
One of the effective methods of relieving pain comes from applying heat. Keeping the throat warm may help soothe tender lymph nodes. Use a warm compress on your neck to help relieve the pain. This can be done via a
towel soaked in hot water,
a heating pad, or
a hot water bottle.
Soothing Foods
hile keeping your throat warm can relax the throat muscles, cold foods can numb the pain.
Wondering what to eat when your throat is in agony? Soft, cool foods are good choices. Try these:
frozen fruits like bananas and blueberries
ice chips
The coolness of the food soothes the pain, and soft foods are easy to swallow past the inflamed areas.
Staying hydrated helps your body fight off an infection. Here are some tips to help make sure you stay well-hydrated:
Drink plenty of water.
Use a straw to sip water or other fluids to make it easier for the fluid to go down the middle of the throat.
Avoid citrus juices or alcoholic beverages when fighting an infection. Citrus juices can be painful on swollen, tender skin. Alcoholic beverages will actually dry out your body, doing more harm than good in the long run.
What Helps a Sore Throat? Pain Relievers
To help relieve the pain, over-the-counter pain relievers may be used. These include
ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin),
acetaminophen (Tylenol), or
naproxen (Aleve).
Children and teens should not be given aspirin due to the risk of Reye's syndrome, which can be fatal.
Sprays and Lozenges
Over-the-counter numbing sprays or lozenges are helpful to relieve the pain. A lozenge or sugar-free hard candy can help relax the throat, and lozenges and throat sprays sometimes include additional helpful ingredients, such as
anesthetics, which reduce pain,
cooling agents, which help numb pain,
anti-inflammatory agents, which can help reduce swollen tissue, and
antiseptic agents, which help reduce the growth of harmful microorganisms.
Sometimes postnasal drip is the cause of an irritated throat. If that's the case, decongestant sprays or pills may help relieve congestion and some other symptoms. Some common sprays and pills include
Afrin,
Contac,
Mucinex,
Sudafed (suphedrine), and
Zicam.
Be sure to use these products as directed, and consult your doctor before taking decongestants if you are taking other medications.
When Your Pain Persists
A sore throat that does not respond to initial medical treatment may be a sign of another cause. For example:
mononucleosis (a sexually transmitted disease),
tumors in the throat,
meningitis, or
acid reflux.
See your doctor if you have been treated for strep throat and it has not improved or resolved within three to four days.
© Royalty-Free / Corbis
Copyright © Scott Camazine / Phototake -- All rights reserved.
Juliya Shumskaya / iStockphoto
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Brody, Jane E. “Strep Symptoms: When to Use Antibiotics.” The New York Times. Oct 10, 2006.
California Childcare Health Program: "Strep throat and scarlet fever."
CDC. “Antibiotic/Antimicrobial Resistance.” Updated Aug. 17, 2016.
CDC. “Scarlet Fever: A Group A Streptococcal Infection.” Updated Jan 19, 2016.
CDC. "Sore Throat." Updated Jul 23, 2015.
CDC. “Worried Your Sore Throat May Be Strep?” Updated Oct 17, 2017.
Clark College. "Strep Throat."
The Cochrane Institute of Systematic Reviews: "Antibiotics for sore throat."
Davis, Charles Patrick, MD. “Is Strep Throat Contagious?” MedicineNet. Reviewed Oct 7, 2016.
Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center: "Rheumatic fever."
HealthDirect Australia: "Strep throat prevention."
Medscape: "Group A Streptococcal Infections"
Mersch, John, MD. “Rapid Strep Test.” MedicineNet. Reviewed Aug 23, 2016.
North Dakota Department of Health Division of Disease Control: "Strep throat."
O’Connor, Anahad. “The Claim: Gargling With Salt Water Can Ease Cold Symptoms.” The New York Times. Sept 27, 2010.
Rodriguez, Laura V. “Group A Streptococcus.” Austin Community College.
Todar, Kenneth, PhD. "Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcal Disease." Todar's Online Textbook of Bacteriology. Feb 24, 2009.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. “Rheumatic Fever.” Reviewed Jan 10, 2016.
UNC Asheville Health and Counseling Center: "Congestion, sore throat & cough."
University of Rochester Medical Center: "Pharyngitis and Tonsillitis."
University of Wisconsin-Madison Health Services. "Sore throat."
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Angles in a triangle
Examples, solutions, videos, worksheets, stories and songs to help Grade 6 students learn that the angles of a triangle always add up to 180 degrees and to use that concept to find missing angle in a triangle.
Sum of Angles in a Triangle
To illustrate that the sum of the interior angles of a triangle is the same for all triangles in a visual manner, we can create several large triangles of varying shapes and sizes on construction paper. Use a protractor to trace an arc between the arms of all three angles of each triangle. Cut the corners off each triangle along the curved arc. Arrange the three corners so that they are all joined at the vertex forming a straight angle.
We will see that when the three corners are arranged at a common vertex the three angles form a half circle (180°). By using triangles of various sizes and shapes we can see that the sum of the three interior angles will always be 180° for all triangles.
Cutting the corners of the triangles in an arc and labelling the vertices with letters or symbols will avoid confusion as to which vertices need to be adjacent when aligning the angles. The curved edges also provide a clearer visual that the three interior angles of any given triangle form a half circle.
We can also measure the interior angles of the triangles we used in the above activity using a protractor and then find the sum. We may notice that in some cases their sum does not
equal 180° exactly but is very close. This could be due to error in measurement.
We observe that no matter how we change the shape and size of the triangle, the sum of the interior angles will always be 180°.
Triangle Angle Sum
Visual illustrations of the sum of triangle angles.
Missing Angle in a Triangle
We can extend this concept of triangle sum to find a missing angle in a given triangle when two other angle measures are known. The unknown angle measure can be determined by subtracting the sum of the two known angles from 180°.
Worksheets to find the missing angle in a triangle:
Missing Angles in a Triangle 1
Missing Angles in Triangles
How to find missing angles in scalene triangles, isosceles triangles and equilateral triangles?
Angles of Triangles Add Up To 180 Degrees
Ex: Could a triangle have the given angle measures?
a) 115, 35, 30
b) 45, 45, 60
Since all three angles add up to 180 degrees, you can find the missing angle by subtraction.
Find two missing angles that are equal.
How to Find the Missing Angle in a Triangle?
How to find a missing angle in a triangle?
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Mediterranean journeys in hope
Serbia waiting: between trapped migrants and EU enclosures
Stories and brief reflections from Belgrade.
Alessandra Sciurba
Image by author. All rights reserved.
Stories from the Barracks
“We are gonna play the game”, several men living in the ‘Barracks’ in Belgrade tell me, meaning they are going try to cross the border this night. Most of them have already tried more than once, yet were pushed back by the police to this transit space. The Barracks is the name migrants have given to a crumbling collection of buildings in a neglected part of the city’s waterfront, which companies from the United Arab Emirates are transforming into a new touristic and commercial area.
This place became a sort of movie set in the first weeks of 2017, when TV crews from several countries came to film hundreds of people living in the snow. About 1000 migrants wait, many of them minors. I meet an eight-year-old child who lives there alone, he tells me, because his father is in a migrant detention centre in Croatia. People live here if they do not find a place in one of the 17 governmental reception centres, which combined can host up to 6,300 persons. They also stay in the Barracks because this is the place from which they can easily arrange passage to Hungary or Croatia. Every day about 20 people try, but only two or three manage to reach those countries.
I was deported with my little brother, 10 years old. I was bitten and (stripped) naked by the police before leaving me at the border.
Even when a migrant succeeds in reaching Zagreb (Croatia) it is normal from them to sent back to Serbia. A young boy from Pakistan explains to me that “it does not matter if you claim asylum, or if you are a child. I was deported with my little brother, 10 years old. I was bitten and (stripped) naked by the police before leaving me at the border”. The same usually happens at the Hungarian border, where up to 300 persons are thought to be hidden in the forest, risking frostbite while waiting to “play the game” of passage. There, Hungarian police often utilise dogs against migrants. One young boy shows me the marks of the teeth, before telling me that he had left Afghanistan because the Taliban wanted him to join them.
Concerning other bordering countries, Romania is protected by the river, while Bulgaria is so ferocious against migrants that every person I meet who travelled through there tells me they left the country as quickly as possible. This means they escape an EU country into Serbia, a non-EU country which they consider to be safer, before trying again to enter the EU: one of the paradoxes produced by contemporary migration policies.
Around the Barracks, several associations and groups are trying to sustain these migrants. Doctors without Borders has a presence in the so-called “Afghani park”, and in a place called Infopark someone tries to offer legal assistance, for example. Yet they must do their work on the sly, especially after an open letter by the government explicitly discouraged any kind of help to migrants outside of the official reception centres.
Voices from the camps
I can enter Krnjača reception centre because, as part of a delegation of the leftist party Sinistra Italiana, we are bringing humanitarian aid from Italy. I arrive there late in the evening. It’s already dark, yet dozens of children appear around me and start to play in the snow. They do not seem to be exhausted by the fact that most of them have spent most of their lives fleeing or living in such places.
Little white prefabricated houses follow one another as far as the eye can see: more than 1200 persons live here and the majority are children. They wait, exactly as migrants in the Barracks or those in the no man’s lands next to the borders wait.
We had to try another route towards EU. For our children.
Godsia is also waiting, with her husband and her four children. They are Hazaras from Afghanistan. The youngest baby was born in Macedonia. “She is a strong woman” Godsia’s husband tells me about his wife. “She passed the jungle between Greece and Macedonia two weeks before giving him birth”. So, they had come through Greece, as had many of the other families now sitting in the centre.
“Why did we arrive from Greece until here? Because we were in Idomeni when police destroyed the camp. We were accompanied in other camps in the Northern Greece. There, it was worse than here. We could not go ahead. We had to try another route towards EU. For our children. We were sure we should remain in Serbia just for a while”.
They thought this because there is still a legal way to enter Hungary from Serbia, albeit one that at best only ever let a trickle of people through and now has almost completely ended. Some weeks ago 50 people per day were allowed to pass after being placed on a list by the Hungarian and Serbian authorities working in the centre. Yet, just 10 persons per day now obtain this authorisation.
A young boy shows me on his telephone the photo of the internal list concerning migrants in this centre: he is number 428. He does not know the position that he and his family have on the wider national list. Neither does the camp official, whose job is limited to emailing names into a centralised system.
Photo by author. All rights reserved.
Serbia as a trap. Who’s next?
Serbia’s history as a transit country is the main reason why Serbia has never implemented an asylum system, despite the strong presence of UNHCR in the country; just 39 persons obtained refugee status between 2015 and 2016.
I met the Serbian commissioner for refugees and migrants, Vladimir Cucić, just before I left. I asked him what he would request from Brussels if he could be certain to obtain something. “Just a policy to follow, some clear and unique policy”, he answered. “Until now, the system of the list has kept calm both migrants and Serbians. Now I can’t promise anything about what can happen”.
Approximately 10,000 migrants, mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, became trapped in this country of 7.5 million inhabitants after the Balkan Route was fully shut in early 2016. At the same time, Serbia is in the middle of a thorny transition phase not only with regard to EU membership but also with the consolidation of the rule of law and democracy more generally. The Yugoslavian civil war is not so distant in time. Yet, the European Union, as it has with other countries, is leaving Serbia alone with refugees apart from the donation of some facilities emblazoned with “Germany humanitarian assistance” and so on.
“As in the game where, when music stops, you must sit faster that other participants”, Commissioner Cucić tells me, “in this moment, we are the one left standing. Tomorrow it can be another one, if we also close the borders”. It seems that at the present juncture, the Serbian authorities are asking themselves first and foremost how the European Union wants Serbia to act. Are the standards to join EU based on the respect of human rights, or simply on the length and efficacy of border fences?
Everyone, in Serbia, seems now to be waiting for something.
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Published in: Mediterranean journeys in hope
Humans of Calais: a photo essay
Written by: Layla Mohseni All articles by: Layla Mohseni
The futile destruction of the Jungle in Calais
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How well protected are Syrians in Turkey?
Written by: Meltem Ineli-Ciger All articles by: Meltem Ineli-Ciger
Giving birth as a refugee
Written by: Nidzara Ahmetasevic All articles by: Nidzara Ahmetasevic
Refugees, displacement, and the European ‘politics of exhaustion’
Written by: Marta Welander All articles by: Marta Welander
Written by: Leonie Ansems de Vries All articles by: Leonie Ansems de Vries
The long year of migration and the Balkan corridor
Written by: Moving Europe All articles by: Moving Europe
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Sony: PlayStation Network Resumes This Week
By Peggy Watt
Sony is still investigating the security breach that downed its PlayStation Network and Qriocity online services, but expects the gaming network will be back in operation this week, a company exec told media Sunday afternoon in Tokyo.
Full service on PlayStation Network to resume this week with online gaming, full service expected to be restored by mid-May, Executive Deputy President Kazuo Hirai told media at a briefing that ended just minutes ago.
Sony will welcome back its users with free downloads of selected software, the company said.
Sony's Kazuo Hirai
What Sony called a "criminal cyber attack" centered on the data center in San Diego, Hirai told reporters. The company still has no evidence of theft of credit card data that customers entered to pay for PSN services, but cannot rule out the possibility.
The investigation continues, however; Hirai said Sony has requested help from the U.S. FBI to investigate the network intrusion. Sony will also create a new chief information security officer position in response to the hack.
Networking gaming and music unlimited will apparently be the first services to go back online, according to Sony. It appears SonyStyle is a different system and not affected by this.
Sony shut down the network April 20 after realizing on April 18 that it had been hacked, but did not disclose the breach until April 22.
Sony has drawn criticism from users and from disparate agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Congress and officials at Taiwan's capital, Taipei.
More information will follow in an update to be posted shortly. Reporting by Martyn Williams, IDG News Service, in Tokyo. Update: Sony Apologizes, Details PlayStation Network Attack.
Sony Press Conference. Photo: Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
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Uber defends its ride-sharing platform as Seoul plans to ban it
By By Yewon Kang
Uber Technologies claimed on Wednesday that its ride-sharing mobile app runs legitimately in South Korea and benefits consumers and drivers, in response to efforts by the city of Seoul’s to ban the service in July for violations of local taxi regulations.
Under the current law, people who solicit a ride using a private or rented car could be sentenced up to two years in jail or fined 20,000,000 won (about US$19,000). In April the city fined a driver 1 million won for providing an Uber ride using a rented car. The city additionally criticized the ride-hailing service for lacking proper background checks of drivers and failing to provide appropriate insurance for users in case of accidents.
But at a media briefing in Seoul on Wednesday the head of Uber’s Asia business, Allen Penn, said the company only partners with licensed companies and drivers, and is only a technology platform that matches rides with end users.
“We see this type of discussion around the world. The regulations are outdated. The regulations have existed since long before we began carrying around smartphones in our pockets,” Penn said. Uber is willing to have a conversation on how to better structure the regulations in technology-driven world, which should be pro-innovation, pro-business and pro-competition, he said.
Uber launched in Seoul last August, offering its on-demand ride service UberBLACK, with premium black cars such as the Hyundai Equus, Mercedes S or E Class, or BMW 7 series. Regular cab fares there usually start at 3,000 won (about $2.90) and the premium vehicles at 4,500 won, whereas Uber starts at 5,000 won.
Despite the price tag, Uber has attracted regular users in Seoul with its simple steps for users from finding a cab to making payment. The transaction is cashless, with a pre-authorized credit card. Beyond convenience, the company boasts about its safety service by providing driver’s ID and vehicle’s number as well as a rating system.
The Silicon Valley company also argued that it has benefitted the drivers and ultimately cities globally. Just a month after the launch in Seoul, the service lifted the drivers’ income up to 40 percent a month, the company said in a statement.
[ Further reading: The best streaming TV services ]
On the other hand, it triggered a backlash from the existing taxi business by adding competition in an already saturated taxi market in Korea.
“The taxi industries are squeezed with flat rates, rising gas price and the favorable policies toward public transportation, and now Uber is running a newly invented, illegal taxi business, collaborating with big renting car companies,” said Lee Sang Taeg, manager of the Seoul Taxi Association, in a statement. “A legitimate game company could still lead to speculative games that are illegal. Similarly, Uber is not illegal, but it has prompted illegal riding services.”
Protests have already taken place across Europe in cities including London, Berlin, Paris and Madrid. Berlin and Brussels courts have banned the riding app in April.
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Victoria Apel, Elizabeth Ford, Max Cooper https://www.pediatriconcall.com/Journal/images/journal_cover.jpg
Year : October-December 2017 | Volume : 14 | Issue : 4
DOI : https://doi.org/10.7199/ped.oncall.2017.S13
The Representation of Doctors in Children’s Fictional Television Programmes
Presented in National Student Paediatric Conference 2017, 29th April 2017, Brighton, UK
Victoria Apel1, Elizabeth Ford2, Max Cooper3.
1Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, UK, 2Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, 3Department of Medical Education, Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
Apel V, Ford E, Cooper M. The Representation of Doctors in Children’s Fictional Television Programmes. Pediatr Oncall J. 2017;14. doi: 10.7199/ped.oncall.2017.S13
V.Apel1@uni.bsms.ac.uk
Messages received from watching television influences children’s understanding of the world. The depiction of fictional doctors will likely influence children’s perceptions about the role and characteristics of doctors they encounter in their own childhood, this learning will influence their behavior when encountering healthcare.
Describe the depiction of the character of the doctor and messages about healthcare interactions in popular fictional children’s television programmes.
A systematic search of 4 online and terrestrial broadcasting platforms aimed at children under 8, yielded 3,994 episodes. Episodes were included if they portrayed a fictional storyline of “going to the doctor” and if a doctor character was seen. 14 eligible episodes were identified.
Character of the doctor, availability and content of the consultation were examined quantitatively and compared to reality using statistics from GMC’s List of Registered Medical Practitioners and NHS England’s GP Patient Survey. Messages portrayed through the programmes were analysed qualitatively using media content analysis techniques.
Mismatches between doctors’ ethnic background and gender were found in children’s television compared to reality. Doctors were extremely accessible with no time constraints. Home visits were most commonly observed and portrayal of self-care was limited.
Doctor characters were trustworthy, friendly and approachable with reliable medical knowledge. Patients were comfortable and cooperated with the doctor. Doctors performing procedures were portrayed as frightening.
Children’s fictional television programmes provide children with a portrayal that is favorable to cooperation and reducing fear around attending the doctor. However the realism of the portrayal was questionable.
DOI No : https://doi.org/10.7199/ped.oncall.2017.S13
Short Stature - an Approach
Fair Glowing Skin
Urine Anion Gap
Endotracheal Tube Size
Immunoglobulin IgG Subclass Levels
Natural Porcine Surfactant
Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS)
MCQs on Infectious Diseases - 2
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Audio CD 2015
Audio Download 2014
Imprint: Penguin
Discover the author of Me Before You, the love story that captured a million hearts.
#14 in the Series: Penguin Picks
The beautiful, poignant and utterly compelling Number One bestseller from the author of Me Before You and Still Me.
'An uplifting, charming, life-affirming tale that you won't want to put down' Heat
Jess Thomas has two jobs and two kids and never enough money. And when life knocks her down she does her best to bounce right back. But no one told her it's okay to ask for help.
Ed Nicholls is the good guy gone bad. He had it all, then one stupid mistake cost him everything. Now he'll do anything to make it right.
Ed doesn't want to save anyone and Jess doesn't want saving, but could Jess and Ed add up to something better together?
The One Plus One is a captivating and unconventional romance from Jojo Moyes about two lost souls meeting in the most unlikely circumstances.
'A laugh-out-loud, rollicking good read and a very touching love story' Sunday Independent
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'A heartbreaking, laugh-out-loud, roller coaster' Sunday Express
'Raw, funny, real and sad, this is storytelling at its best' Marie Claire
Praise for The One Plus One
A love story, a road trip and family drama all rolled into one brilliant page turner. Jojo Moyes has triumphed again
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Moyes is at the top of her game with this thought-provoking, emotional rollercoaster of a novel. It is astute, funny and ultimately, rather moving
Another beautifully written love story I relished
Compulsive reading
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A laugh-out-loud, rollicking good read and a very touching love story
Perfect for warming your heart on a cold winter's night
Sleeping Giants
The River of No Return
Bee Ridgway
Losing You
The Fry Chronicles
Mr Clarinet
Tell No Lies
Gregg Hurwitz
Want to Play?
P. J. Tracy
Julia Heaberlin
The Woman who Went to Bed for a Year
Jojo Moyes is a novelist and journalist. Her books include the bestsellers Me Before You, After You and Still Me, The Girl You Left Behind, The One Plus One and her short story collection Paris for One and Other Stories. The Giver of Stars is her most recent bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick. Her novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries and have sold over thirty-eight million copies worldwide. Me Before You has now sold over fourteen million copies worldwide and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Jojo lives in Essex.
Where to start reading Jojo Moyes books
Still Me by Jojo Moyes
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Thomas Petrelli, Jr.
Melinda M. Previtera
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Athletes & Entertainers
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Home / Family Law / Time Limits & Divorce in PA: Does a Recent Revision Affect You?
Time Limits & Divorce in PA: Does a Recent Revision Affect You?
Getting divorced is a legal proceeding. As such, state law applies. These laws can change and those considering divorce are wise to stay current with any changes that could impact their divorce.
One change that was recently passed in Pennsylvania involves the amount of time a couple must wait before moving forward with a divorce.
Why the revision? The law evolves for many reasons. Two of the main reasons for this change were discussed in a previous post, available here.
What is the new change? There are various grounds for divorce in Pennsylvania. For couples that are moving forward with their divorce based on the grounds of irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, the court used to require the couple live “separate and apart for a period of at least two years.”
This has changed.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania revised the law to require a one year wait period, as opposed to the previously required two year wait period.
When does this change go into effect? The enactment went into effect in October of 2016. As a result, it is currently in effect and may impact your divorce.
How does this affect my divorce? If you are getting divorced in Pennsylvania, this law means those who claim an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage as the grounds for the divorce do not have to wait as long to move forward with the proceeding.
This is true even if one spouse denies that the marriage is irretrievably broken. In this situation, the court would review the marriage and make a determination.
This recent change in the law provides an example of the many moving parts of family law in Pennsylvania. As a result, those going through a divorce are wise to seek legal counsel to better ensure that their interests are protected and that they are kept appraised of the latest changes to family law that could impact their case.
Lifestyle Provisions in Prenups Raises Question: What is Allowed?September 22, 2017
Three Tips to Help Move on After DivorceSeptember 7, 2017
Three Tips for a Strong Prenuptial AgreementJuly 31, 2017
Two Options When an Ex Wants to Keep Your Last NameJune 16, 2017
Recent Family Law Posts
How Well Are You Protecting Your Privacy?
When the Terms in a Court Order Are Outdated
Your Options When Your Ex Badmouths You to the Kids
Thomas J. Petrelli, Jr. is a family lawyer who focuses his practice on cases of divorce and related matters, support, custody, and parental rights. He was selected for inclusion to Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® in 2010-2013 and 2015-2017.
Building great relationships with clients is the cornerstone to Melinda’s successful practice as a family law attorney. Her passion and experience allows her to tackle the most complicated cases with confidence and knowledge to obtain the best outcomes for her clients.
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How Well Are You Protecting Your Privacy?No one wants to believe their soon-to-be ex-spouse would act out of malice as they move through the divorce process. However, the two of you used to share just about... LEARN MORE
When the Terms in a Court Order Are OutdatedThings have changed, but you’ve got a court order to follow. What happens now? Maybe you got a new job (hooray!) or you’re moving. Maybe you’re getting remarried. There’s still... LEARN MORE
Your Options When Your Ex Badmouths You to the KidsWe've heard it many times: "My ex is badmouthing me to the kids. Is there anything I can do?" You and your spouse are divorcing, and it’s not a friendly... LEARN MORE
What Happens If Your Ex Violated a Court Order?By the time the dust settles in a divorce case, there are often several court orders in place. This is especially true if the divorced couple has children together. When... LEARN MORE
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Phnom Penh Post - Human Rights Day celebrations kept to a minimum amid fears of crackdown
Human Rights Day celebrations kept to a minimum amid fears of crackdown
Mech Dara and Soth Koemsoeun | Publication date 11 December 2017 | 06:37 ICT
Unionist Ath Thorn speaks at an event celebrating International Human Rights Day yesterday in Phnom Penh. Hong Menea
Mon, 11 December 2017
Mech Dara and Soth Koemsoeun
Civil society and union leaders took their celebrations of Human Rights Day indoors yesterday, citing fears of being branded as colour revolutionaries.
The muted events marked a stark contrast from previous years, when the holiday was met by marches and rallies in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park and around the country.
At a panel discussion at the American Intercon Institute in Tuol Kork yesterday, Licadho’s monitoring head Am Sam Ath said the human rights situation had “dramatically declined” this year to the point that human rights defenders were afraid to celebrate the holiday in public.
“Freedom of gathering has been restricted, and that makes civil society organisations think that if we resist or gather in large scale, [the government] will attach that to politics,” Sam Ath said.
Licadho, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and Adhoc were among more than 100 NGOs who signed a statement calling for the government to end its clampdown on freedom of expression, assembly and association on Saturday.
“They accuse us of being partial to the opposition party or say we are the opposition, but in fact, we just stand on those principles,” Sam Ath said.
The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party – the only viable challenger to the long-ruling Cambodian People’s Party – was summarily dissolved last month over widely decried accusations it was fomenting a foreign-backed “colour revolution”. In the lead-up to the dissolution, the government also arrested the CNRP’s leader, Kem Sokha, ratcheted up scrutiny of NGOs and abruptly shuttered numerous independent radio stations.
Cambodian Labour Confederation President Ath Thorn (centre) releases balloons into the sky at an event celebrating International Human Rights Day yesterday in Phnom Penh's Tuol Kork district. Hong Menea
Human Rights Day, celebrated internationally on December 10, commemorates the adoption of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Obviously, we used to celebrate this event publicly annually, but this year, we need to celebrate this in a small and quiet room instead,” Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union President Ath Thorn said at a union event at a restaurant yesterday.
Thorn, who called on the government to end its crackdown to avoid economic sanctions, said union leaders also decided against hosting a public gathering for fear of being accused of political incitement. “I think that if this year we arranged it at the place that we use to do it annually, it will not be possible,” Thun said. “We are afraid of the word ‘colour revolution’.”
Protesters do not need permission from the government to gather but are required to inform authorities about their plans in advance, according to the Law on Peaceful Demonstrations. However, authorities routinely ban demonstrations – and even small private gatherings – on the grounds that organisers did not obtain prior permission.
Phnom Penh Municipal Hall spokesman Meas Metpheakdey said City Hall did not receive any letters informing authorities of planned protests to celebrate Human Rights Day.
“If they have not filed the letter, how can they know that City Hall would not permit it?” Metpheakdey said.
Government officials gave no indication that they were concerned about the fears raised by human rights groups yesterday.
Chin Malin, a spokesman at the Ministry of Justice and member of the government’s Cambodian Human Rights Committee, said he took the day as a reminder that peace is the “foundation of development”.
“It means that if there is no peace, then human rights, democracy and rule of law also cannot exist,” Malin said. “We have to maintain the peace that we have gotten through many difficulties, and democracy and rule of law and human rights will continue to develop.”
Malin was echoed by government spokesman Phay Siphan, who brushed off the qualms of NGOs and union leaders and said recent crackdowns were a matter of following “rule of law”.
“It’s not a matter of fear or not fear, it’s a matter of peace and stability in Cambodia,” Siphan said. “That’s the job of the government.”
Siphan added that NGOs had nothing to fear unless they had “hidden agendas”.
“But the majority are still going on operating in Cambodia, except for a few that received funds from foreigners.”
Additional reporting by Daphne Chen
Contact authors: Mech Dara and Soth Koemsoeun
PM reminds Cambodians of freedoms on Human Rights Day
Rights Day forum denied in Sihanoukville
Focus on youth as gov’t, UN to mark Human Rights Day
A renewed commitment on Human Rights Day
NGOs vow to ignore city’s ban on Human Rights Day march
Police accused of dispersing locals
Locals yesterday accused commune police of breaking up a gathering of 12 villagers at Memot pagoda in Tbong Khmum’s Memot commune on Tuesday, though authorities
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Interview | Distribution
How I Got Here, episode 13 - Oliver Dlouhy of Kiwi.com
By Kevin May | November 14, 2019
Oliver Dlouhy, CEO and co-founder
How I Got Here is a weekly podcast from PhocusWire and Mozio, getting the inside stories behind innovation and startups in travel and transportation.
Czech Republic-based Kiwi.com is both a consumer-facing and technology business. Its CEO Oliver Dlouhy joins hosts, David Litwak of Mozio and PhocusWire's Kevin May.
Once known as Skypicker, Kiwi.com has come a long way since its founder and CEO Oliver Dlouhy discovered how hard it was get across Europe using only low-cost carriers.
With a classic personal frustration for inspiration, Dlouhy created the business and has barely had a chance to breathe ever since.
Czech Republic-headquartered Kiwi.com now has over 1,000 employees and is a fully-fledged online travel agency that allows consumers to create a single booking on flights that are not officially "interlined" as airline partners.
As with most startups, growth has not been an easy ride and some carriers have still not embraced what the company is trying to do.
From formation and growth to acquisitions and a share sale, Dlouhy's story is one of optimism and frustration (he calls out one particular European low-cost carrier for its lack of enthusiasm), but it is a business on the rise and an incredibly ambitious one.
Dlouhy joins us for the latest episode of How I Got Here.
HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.
It's hosted by our editor in chief, Kevin May, and Mozio co-founder and CEO David Litwak.
A full transcript and additional analysis in 5+ languages is available on Mozio.com/move.
Breakouts from the interview include...
On riding growth:
On getting the mode right:
On adding services:
You can also tune in via this version from PhocusWire's YouTube channel:
This is a weekly podcast from PhocusWire and Mozio, getting the inside stories behind innovation and startups in travel and transportation.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARCHIVE
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Stratford-on-Avon consults on CIL draft charging schedule Stratford-on-Avon consults on CIL draft charging schedule
Stratford-on-Avon consults on CIL draft charging schedule
Out-Law News | 29 Aug 2014 | 5:00 pm |
Stratford-on-Avon District Council has opened consultation on its community infrastructure levy (CIL) draft charging schedule (DCS), proposing rates of up to £150 per square metre for residential developments.
The DCS (22-page / 4.9 MB PDF) proposes reduced rates for residential developments within two areas designated for development in the emerging core strategy planning document for the district.
A rate of £85 per sq m is proposed for residential developments within the Canal Quarter Regeneration Zone, straddling the Stratford-on-Avon Canal to the north west of Stratford town centre. For residential developments at the proposed new 4,800-home Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath settlement, a charge of £145 per sq m will apply and a charge of £150 per sq m will be levied across the rest of the district, the DCS said.
A nil rate is proposed for retail developments within centres identified in the emerging core strategy. A charge of £10 per sq m is proposed for retail developments at the Gaydon/Lighthorne settlement, while out of centre retail developments will attract a rate of £120 per sq m.
A district-wide nil rate levy is proposed for all other uses, including employment, hotel, extra care housing, mixed leisure and public service and community facilities uses.
Consultation is open until 2 October.
Environmental law in Germany
Environmental protection has been defined as a state objective (Staatsziel) in the German Constitution (Grundgesetz) since 1994. It provides that legislature, government and all public bodies shall strive to safeguard the environment and natural resources for the benefit of future generations. This objective is also embodied in all constitutions of the 16 states (Bundesländer).
19 Apr 2018 Environment & Climate Change
Compulsory purchase orders and time limits
This guide was last updated in February 2012.
4 Aug 2011 Planning & environment
Draft National Planning Policy Framework
This guide was last updated in August 2011.
22 Aug 2011 Planning & environment
'Fluff' layer at landfill site not 'disposed of as waste', Tribunal says
Supreme Court overturns village green status of 'public purpose' land
Ireland releases details on new renewable electricity support scheme
Supreme Court: community benefits not planning 'material consideration'
UK clarifies no-deal Brexit EU emissions trading position
High Court: 'deliverability' of planning permission not normally material
Denis Charles
Change to the description of development is outside the powers of section 73
Government to support local 'development corporations' in England
Pinsent Masons advises Ebbsfleet Development Corporation on critical land acquisition for garden city project
Pinsent Masons advises Birmingham City Council on the regeneration of city's Ladywood area
Climate change focus of Scottish Programme for Government
The revised Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Regulations in the UK
UK telcos to gain enhanced rights to deploy 5G equipment
Details of Scottish seabed leasing for offshore wind projects published
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Ebenezer Howard
The Evolution of Green Urbanism
January 17, 2017, 5am PST
Today’s "Eco" or "Green" Urbanism movement has ancient, cross-cultural roots. This history is worth contemplating for lessons relevant to sustainable planning and design.
Dean Saitta
Are Garden Cities Sustainable?
June 26, 2016, 1pm PDT
The Garden City concept has a long and honorable pedigree within urban planning. Analysis of Sterling Ranch, a master-planned community outside of Denver, Colorado highlights some important issues around social and environmental sustainability.
Clash Over Garden City Apartments in Los Angeles
January 3, 2016, 7am PST
The Wyvernwood Garden Apartments, a large-scale low-rise development opened in 1939, are at the center of a preservation debate. Lauren Walser gives us the case for keeping them.
The 10 Diagrams That Changed Planning
November 9, 2012, 1pm PST
A new exhibit that opened this week at the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association's gallery explores the 10 diagrams that have had a monumental influence on urban planning, and the possibilities inherent in the medium.
The Atlantic Cities
England's First Planned Community - More than a Century Onwards
January 17, 2012, 12pm PST
An inspiration for Ebenezer Howard and the first urban planning conference in Britain or America, Amanda Kolson Hurley looks at how Bournville has evolved.
Zoning for Apartheid
November 17, 2011, 2pm PST
Lisa Findley & Liz Ogbu explain how architecture and urban planning were critical to apartheid in South Africa and how Le Corbusier and Ebenezer Howard influenced the racial segregation practice.
The Vertical Garden City: Towards a New Urban Topology
August 18, 2011, 10am PDT
The true evolution of Ebenezer Howard's Garden City has yet to be realized, says Chris Abel, and today's digital design technology is poised to create a revolutionary vertical version.
Chris Abel
More Garden Cities? Richard Rogers Says No
July 17, 2011, 1pm PDT
The Town & Country Planning Association of Britain recently released a report calling for more "garden cities" a la Ebenezer Howard. Famed British architect Richard Rogers thinks that's crazy.
Schizophrenic Urbanism
April 6, 2011, 12pm PDT
A new exhibit in Poland celebrates the urban designs of Jan Gluszak, a "poet and philosopher, architecture visionary, dreamer and idealist" who envisioned new ways of living.
Vernissage TV
Ebenezer Howard Lives
Victorian-style model towns from the age of Ebenezer Howard are seeing a revival in emerging urban areas, according to this piece from <em>The Guardian</em>.
Radburn Plan Alive and Well in LA
September 21, 2009, 12pm PDT
Village Green, a utopian, multifamily development in the Baldwin Hills district of Los Angeles, was built in 1941 and inspired by the Radburn Plan. The low, California style apartments ring a large, common open space.
Eco-Cities: Today's Garden Cities
April 12, 2008, 7am PDT
<p>England's plans to build 3 million new homes by 2020, and much emphasis has been placed on making them environmentally friendly. The push for "eco-town" draw a strong parallel to the "Garden Cities" of the past.</p>
Follow Planetizen
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Platform has a management board that keeps an eye on the “big picture” and provides oversight and guidance to our CEO and staff. The people on our board bring a rich diversity of experience and skills to the organisation and a passion for improving the lives of vulnerable young people.
Lee Middleton — Chairperson, Governance Committee Member
Qualifications: Bachelor of Education — Science
Lee has a long history with Platform and the services that eventually merged to create Platform Youth Services. She initially joined Open House Foster Care in 1995, and was Chairperson of Blue Mountains Youth Accommodation and Support Services. Lee is currently Head Science Teacher at Lithgow High School. She has worked with young people from varying backgrounds and continues to advocate for vulnerable youth within her community. Prior to teaching, Lee had a successful career in analytical chemistry.
Anna Wemyss — Vice Chairperson, Chair Governance Committee
Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts, Dip Ed
Initially joined Platform Youth Services November 2013. Anna is a Probus Club Member and a local to the Blue Mountains district. Being a retired High School Teacher specialising in English, she has over 30 years’ experience in working with young people. Anna has also successfully owned and run a catering business.
Colin Lenton – Treasurer, Chair Audit and Risk Committee
Qualifications: B.Bus — Accounting, FAICD
Initially joined Blue Mountains Youth Accommodation and Support Services 2008. Colin has several current Board positions: Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (Health) Chair Family First Credit Union (Banking) Chair Bridge Business College (International Education) and various NFPs. He has owned and operated a hotel and guesthouse-conference centre in the upper Blue Mountains. Colin’s goal is streamlining and improving businesses and their structures through Board Corporate Governance.
Richard Sargent – Audit and Risk Committee Member
Qualifications: MBA, FCCA
Richard joined Platform in 2018. Richard has held senior executive positions in Finance and Transformation with large multinationals for over 20 years. He was Head of Finance for Castrol Australia for over 6 years. Richard has worked in Australia, the UK and Singapore. He was a director of a manufacturing JV between BP and Caltex for 3 years. Richard held the treasurer role for a school charity in the UK in 2015/2016.
George Rabie OAM — Audit & Risk Committee Member
Initially joined Nepean Youth Accommodation Services 2009. George owned and operated Little and Rabie Betta Home Living, an electrical appliance retail store that he started in 1974. He has served on the Boards of Betta Stores for three years and Retravision for some 17 years. George is on the Board of the Penrith Business Alliance, Nepean Medical Research Foundation (Medical Research Funding) and Rotary Club of Penrith Valley. In 2014, George was awarded OAM for his services to the community.
Simone Angus – Audit and Risk Committee Member
Simone joined Platform Youth Services in 2014 after being on the Turning Point Youth Accommodation Service Board. Simone is local to the Penrith area and has worked in youth accommodation and outreach. Simone previously worked for Nepean Youth Drug and Alcohol Service and now manages the Centre for Addiction Medicine in Mount Druitt having worked in Drug and Alcohol for 13 years.
Jeanne Appleton —Governance Committee
Jeanne initially joined Open House Youth Accommodation Services 2002. Jeanne is a school counsellor in Catholic Primary Education and has held various senior management positions over a three-decade period for numerous organisations including large charities. Jeanne’s expertise is in human resources as well as the funding, legislation and statutory requirements for managing a welfare service.
Deryk Learmonth – Governance Committee
Qualifications: DipLaw (LPAB)
Deryk is currently a director at Reimers Legal alongside two others. Deryk studied at Dundee University in Scotland and the Legal Profession Admission Board in Sydney. Deryk practices in the areas of property, family law, wills and estates and litigation. Deryk is well known to the Penrith Community having advised local people and businesses since 2014. Deryk previously worked at highly regarded national law firms Allens and Gilbert & Tobin.
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Positano Drivers
Cookie Policy - Informations about Cookies
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Oceanside Generals
2017 Discovery Guide
2017 Parksville Qualicum Beach Discovery Guide
2017 Grower’s Guide
A Day in the Life of Parksville
Area 51 festival wraps up in Nevada; Earthlings head home
Campers and festival-goers in Rachel peaked at about 3,000 on Friday
Sep. 22, 2019 4:30 p.m.
Martin Custodio, left, and Rafael Castillo wear Pepe masks while standing near razor wire at an entrance to the Nevada Test and Training Range near Area 51, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, near Rachel, Nev. People came to visit the gate inspired by the “Storm Area 51” internet hoax. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The festivals are over and Earthlings from around the globe headed home Sunday after a weekend camping and partying in the dusty Nevada desert and trekking to remote gates of Area 51, a formerly top-secret U.S. military base long the focus of UFO and space alien lore.
They left in peace, officials and the host of a free “Alienstock” festival said Sunday.
Visitors hailed from France, Russia, Germany, Peru, Sweden, Australia and many U.S. states — many toting YouTube cameras — in answer to an internet post in June suggesting that if enough people rushed a military base to “see them aliens” at 3 a.m. Sept. 20, authorities couldn’t stop everyone.
More than 2 million Facebook users clicked their interest, but in the end only a few thousand made the trip to the tiny Nevada desert city of Rachel, population about 50, a more than two-hour drive north of Las Vegas.
Campers and festival-goers in Rachel peaked at about 3,000 on Friday, said Eric Holt, the Lincoln County official who headed planning for a feared influx of at least 30,000.
A few hundred more camped and attended one night of an abbreviated festival about 40 miles (64 kilometres) away in Hiko, population 120.
“It seems like a lot of good people chilling and having a good time,” observed Dave Wells, a 56-year-old stonemason and festivals-seeker from Cincinnati wearing a day-glow green festival T-Shirt and taking in the scene Saturday in Rachel.
READ MORE: Stage set in Nevada as Earthlings arrive for Area 51 events
Did anyone find actual extraterrestrials or UFOs? (As if anyone could really tell among the masked and costumed beings posing for photos and cavorting in the desert.)
“We didn’t,” said Little A’Le’Inn owner-turned-“Alienstock” festival host Connie West, proprietor of the 10-room motel and cafe that became the centre of the extraterrestrial-seeking universe.
“But we found peace. And friendship,” she said Sunday as campers packed up to leave and volunteers began cleaning up.
Another event, dubbed “Area 51 Basecamp” at the Alien Research Center souvenir shop in Hiko, didn’t fare as well.
Organizers pulled the plug Saturday on a second concert after drawing only about 500 ticket-buyers for a Friday show. Preparations had been made for up to 5,000.
Authorities said more than 1,000 people visited Area 51 gates near Rachel on Thursday and Friday. Officials didn’t report the number on Saturday. Holt said Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies on the public side of the gates were sent home early Sunday.
In the end, no one actually “stormed” Area 51, although deputies in rural Nye County resorted to “heated warnings” to disperse as many as 200 people who gathered before dawn Friday near a conspicuously green “Area 51 Alien Center” in Amargosa Valley, Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said. No one was arrested.
A permit for a festival at that site, which is about a 90-minute drive west of Las Vegas, was denied by county officials.
In Lincoln County, six people were arrested during the weekend for misdemeanours, mostly trespassing beneath the floodlights and cameras of two military base gates and the watchful eyes of sheriff’s deputies from far-flung corners of Nevada.
Sheriff Kerry Lee said he watched about 20 people feign a rush before dawn Saturday toward a base gate outside Rachel, before stopping short.
Two men were detained by military security officers inside the perimeter of the vast Nevada Test and Training Range, an area almost twice the size of Delaware where the U.S. Air Force conducts aerial combat and bomb training, and tests stealth aircraft. The men were turned over to sheriff’s deputies and charged with trespassing, Lee said, and their vehicle was impounded.
Holt said three people critically hurt in rollover crashes during the weekend were sent to hospitals in Las Vegas and St. George, Utah. Motorists involved in crashes that killed two cows on the open range escaped serious injury.
At a festival clinic in Rachel, one man was treated Friday for dehydration, and one woman was treated early Sunday for drug-related issue.
“I’m going to call it a success from our end. It’s because we got out in front of it,” said Varlin Higbee, a rancher and Lincoln County commissioner who signed an emergency declaration earlier this month.
READ MORE: Storm the Ogopogo? Okanagan residents called upon to find elusive monster
Officials had feared unruly crowds would overwhelm water, electricity, food, fuel, internet and telephone service in a county with just 5,200 people covering an area the size of Massachusetts.
Higbee said commissioners who allocated $250,000 in emergency funds to brace for trouble might sue to recoup costs.
“Think about it,” Higbee said. “Here’s an illegal event, supporting an illegal activity — storming the gate. We’re not sure what we’re going to do at this point.”
He , compared the initial internet post to an incitement to violence.
Matty Roberts, the 20-year-old from Bakersfield, California, has acknowledged his “storm Area 51” Facebook post in June was a hoax.
But he promoted events in Rachel before breaking earlier this month with West.
He said Sunday that Lincoln County officials didn’t have to spend money and could have simply prevented events in Rachel and Hiko by denying permits, like Nye County did in Amargosa Valley.
Roberts hosted a Thursday evening event at an outdoor venue in downtown Las Vegas, also using the “Alienstock” name. He said he wants to trademark the name and take it on tour to reach people who couldn’t travel to Nevada.
“That’s pretty much the plan for me,” he said. “It’s been a ton of fun.”
West, in Rachel, said she’s open to holding her festival again next year.
“As well as it turned out? Why the heck not?” she said.
Ken Ritter, The Associated Press
World leaders feel the heat in upcoming UN climate summit
Banners hoped to bring business to Parksville’s Orange Bridge District
Residents speak out against proposed Parksville affordable housing development
Environment a primary concern; land is largely on a 200-year-old floodplain away from city centre
‘Epic sky palace’: Parksville businesses grant wish for young boy recovering from cancer
Eleven-year-old Kai Hennessey receives treehouse of his dreams
PQB crime report: RCMP on hunt for prowler, counterfeiters, car thieves
Police received 203 complaints the week of Dec. 29 to Jan. 4
Power lines cut as thieves strike Parksville veterinary hospital
‘Thankfully there weren’t any animals or staff in the clinic when this happened’
Reinhard: Countless seniors exploring medical potential of marijuana
New options available for self-care
Youngsters leap to help get vehicle back on the road
On Jan. 15 at Springwood Park my company vehicle became high-centered. Six…
Explore Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Parksville Qualicum Beach Weather
Parksville Qualicum Beach Classifieds
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Castle District, Prague 1
Library: Daily 09:00-12:00 & 13:00-17:00
Gallery: Daily 09:30-11:30 & 12:00-17:00
Strahovske nadvori 1, Strahov, Castle District, Prague 1, Czech Republic
Metro station: Malostranska (line A). Then tram 22 or 23 to Pohorelec.
A more indirect, but interesting route is to take the funicular: Go to tram stop Ujezd (trams 9,12,15,20,22,23). Take the funicular railway to the top of Petrin Hill. Walk 10 minutes along Strahovska street.
- Prague Castle
- Petrin Hill & Lookout Tower
- Nebozizek Restaurant
• Browse all city centre restaurants
Founded in 1140 by Prince Vladislav II, Strahov Monastery (Strahovské nádvoří) is a large impressive building situated at the back of Petrin Hill and Prague Castle.
This elevated area of the city offers visitors a calm oasis, somewhere to stroll around, enjoy views over the Lesser Town (and indeed the whole of Prague), and to visit one of the city's finest churches.
Strahov Monastery was established for the Premonstratensians, followers of the teachings of St. Augustine.
In 1258, it was destroyed by fire, then later rebuilt in the Gothic style, with further work undertaken during the Baroque period.
Strahov Monastery and the area surrounding it has a serene, meditative quality. However its library is its most important feature, which comprises one of the oldest monastic collections in the country.
The library is located in the theological and philosophical halls, and is over 800 years old. Despite ransacking by invading armies, it still holds 16,000 books.
» Prague sightseeing › Prague attractions
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Strahov Monastery in Prague
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Busiest Royal Navy warship is about to get a well-earned break
The Fighting Clan is also the fastest and the most active on Twitter - but she won't be alongside for long
HMS Sutherland crew train for very eventuality (Image: Royal Navy)
A Plymouth-based Type 23 has been identified by the Royal Navy as the probably the busiest warship in its fleet during 2019.
HMS Sutherland, dubbed 'The Fighting Clan', is also the fastest frigate in fleet - and she's needed to be, to keep up with her busy schedule over the past year.
But she's about to get a well-earned break: the Royal Navy says she has just one more exercise to go, before she returns home to HMNB Devonport for maintenance.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: "HMS Sutherland has clocked up half of 2019 on patrol, away from her home of Plymouth, carrying out largely unglamorous – but key – duties in and around the UK.
"The ship has been assigned numerous task: Fleet Ready Escort – the on-call frigate/destroyer needed for operations around the UK – training vessel for navigators/international warfare officers/RAF Chinooks, served as the test-bed for new missiles for fending off ‘swarm’ attacks, hunted submarines with NATO for ten days in the Arctic (including the ship’s only foreign port visit of 2019, Narvik in Norway), survived a battering from Storm Gareth (winds of 60mph), paid her respects in her namesake county, popped into Belfast, and hammered Cape Wrath with her guns during the Joint Warrior war game which ends later this week."
Sutherland’s Commanding Officer, Commander Tom Weaver, said "On reflection it has been a busy 2019,” said “The Fighting Clan has sailed to every corner of our home waters and beyond to achieve UK maritime security operations.
“I am hugely proud of my ship’s company for their professionalism and enthusiasm in delivering some of the Royal Navy’s highest priority tasking.”
Since January 1, his ship has been away from home for 149 days, steamed over 22,759 nautical miles during 2,285 hrs (95 days) at sea at an average speed of 11kts.
Photos of Royal Navy Type 23 Frigate HMS Sutherland
Throughout the frigate has been supported by her Merlin helicopter – callsign Highlander – from 814 Naval Air Squadron. It’s flown 77 sorties from Sutherland’s flight deck on missions lasting 135 hours.
The main gun has been called upon 180 times to fire 4.5in shells (with no stoppages/jams); the smaller Miniguns and machine-guns have spewed out just shy of 20,000 rounds and 460 from the automated 30mm weapons.
RAF pilot's admission after landing first UK F-35 jet on Royal Navy carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth
“Storm Gareth was probably the most challenging weather we’ve experienced,” said weapon engineer officer Lieutenant Commander George Blakeman.
“We had trainee navigators aboard – none of them had any previous experience of life onboard a frigate.
“With winds of up to 60 mph, sea states in excess of State 7. Each student had to adapt to ensure they were able to safely navigate the ship in the open seas and in confined waters.
Royal Navy and Royal Marines seize heroin and crystal meth
“The weather was challenging for both the ship’s company and the students as we were battered by huge waves – over the foc’sle – and poor visibility.”
As an engineer, his highlight was helping turn the planned new anti-ship missile for Wildcat helicopters into a weapon which could be strapped on to Sutherland’s 30mm guns to blast swarm attacks out of the water. Three missiles were successfully fired at automated targets in Cardigan Bay.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: The ships engines have guzzled 1,923,000 of F76 fuel… that’s one litre gone for roughly every 20 metres travelled. If your car was as thirsty… every mile you covered would cost you around £106. She’s made use of new tankers RFA Tidesurge and Tideforce to keep her tanks topped up.
"Also requiring regular top-ups are the 190 crew who’ve gobbled their way through 8,304 rashers of bacon, 13,840 sausages, 722 loaves of bread, 884 large tins of baked beans, 84,750 potatoes, 14,834 pints of milk (enough to make 29,988 cups of tea).
Huge waves among obstacles Royal Navy giant takes in her stride
"All of which may make Sutherland the busiest ship in the Fleet in 2019. She’s certainly the most active on social media, tweeting her activities (some everyday, others not so) 575 times (averaging two a day) with the most successful reaching more than 140,000 Twitter uses.
"It’s almost time for the crew to take a breather; there’s one more exercise to go – task force training – before the Fighting Clan returns to her native Plymouth for maintenance in November and December. She’s due to resume her national tasking in the New Year.
The Royal Navy says: "HMS Sutherland is a Type 23 Frigate – and the fastest in our fleet. She deploys all over the globe, and specialises in submarine hunting.
"HMS Sutherland is the thirteenth of the Type 23 frigates. She was built on the Clyde by Yarrow Shipbuilders and launched by Lady Christina Walmsley in 1996. Royal Navy ships are usually launched with the ceremonial breaking of a bottle of champagne against the ship’s hull, but when Sutherland was launched, Lady Walmsley broke with tradition and used a bottle of Macallan Scottish whisky.
Royal Navy plan to hunt Russian submarines with magnets was TOO successful
"Versatile and adaptable, Sutherland’s missions vary from finding and striking enemy warships through to evacuating citizens from disaster zones. She is also our fastest recorded frigate, achieving over 34 knots (39mph) during time trials in 2004.
"The Ship’s Company – a crew of around 200 – is split into Warfare, Marine Engineering, Weapon Engineering, Logistics, Flight and Executive.
"They’re specialists in their own areas, though all members of the crew are also trained in ‘wholeship duties’ including damage control, fire fighting and first aid. Sutherland also welcomes specialists including as linguists, intelligence analysts and a Royal Marines boarding team depending on the operation."
Plymouth City CentrePlymouth's rebirth as a tourist destination has officially begun
There will be more trees, new seating, stand-alone shopping kiosks and other public space improvement
TavistockMum rages at Plymouth roadwork chaos after covering just three miles in two hours
TorpointVillage left living a nightmare for days as pub alarm won't stop
Plymouth NewsPolice rush to Tamar Bridge over concerns for man
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Filtered by Advanced Hydrocarbon Conversion, Computing & Analytics, Data Analytics & Machine Learning, Distribution, Environmental Remediation, and Vehicle Energy Storage
New AI Model Tries to Synthesize Patient Data Like Doctors Do
A new approach developed by PNNL scientists improves the accuracy of patient diagnosis up to 20 percent when compared to other embedding approaches.
Using Deep Learning as a Searchlight for Dark Matter
Scientists at PNNL are bringing artificial intelligence into the quest to see whether computers can help humans sift through a sea of experimental data.
PNNL Garners R&D 100 Awards
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is the recipient of two R&D 100 awards and one gold medal.
AI Ups Response Time when the Grid Goes Down
Trouble on the electric grid might start with something relatively small: a downed power line, or a lightning strike at a substation. What happens next?
Keeping High-Performance Computers Cybersecure
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is leading efforts to address next-generation computing’s critical role in protecting the nation from cybersecurity threats.
Molecular Mayhem at Root of Battery Breakdown
PNNL researchers demonstrate how the excitation of oxygen atoms that contributes to better performance of a lithium-ion battery also triggers a process that leads to damage, explaining a phenomenon that has been a mystery to scientists.
A New Look at One of the Most Abundant Particles in the Universe
Researchers at PNNL are applying deep learning techniques to learn more about neutrinos, part of a worldwide network of researchers trying to understand one of the universe’s most elusive particles.
New AI approach bridges the “slim-data gap” that can stymie deep learning approaches
Scientists created a fast-track tutorial that equips a neural network to tackle drug discovery and other applications where there's a shortage of precisely labeled chemical data.
Imaging Goes Underground at the Hanford site
"It's sort of like using infrared goggles to see heat signatures in the dark, except this is underground." PNNL and CHPRC implemented a state-of-the-art approach to monitor the process of remediating residual uranium at Hanford's 300 Area.
(-) Advanced Hydrocarbon Conversion
(-) Computing & Analytics
(-) Data Analytics & Machine Learning
(-) Environmental Remediation
(-) Vehicle Energy Storage
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Soft launch your game as soon as possible, says Zeptolab
Misha Lyalin CEO ZeptoLab
April 20th, 2015 - 09:00am
By Alysia Judge, News Editor
Zeptolab CEO and co-founder Misha Lyalin was keen to stress at Pocket Gamer Connects Bangalore that delaying soft launch is a mistake made too often.
"Today your global release should really be your soft launch," he advised on stage.
"You will never realise your potential until you launch on a global scale. You get data that you would never otherwise receive."
Using this data, Lyalin says that Zeptolab will roll out a series of incremental updates each month over a six month period, rather than waiting half a year before launching and finding that you have to make a lot of changes anyway.
Cut the safety rope
Head of the Cut the Rope studio said that even if the game is not fully realised, launch it as soon as it's of a playable quality to allow yourself to create the best game in response to feedback - in other words, help your users craft the game they want to play.
"If the game has something, the people will carry on playing regardless of graphics," he said. "The most important thing is getting the mechanics right, and as soon as they're ready you should be thinking about soft launch.
If the game has something, the people will carry on playing regardless of graphics.
Misha Lyalin
"Once launched, always look at the data and keep an eye on blogs and websites to learn from user feedback."
Lyalin advises game developers to soft launch by picking a certain territory and launching a game there.
"We do so on iOS because it's more controlled, but it's faster on Android.
"We did it in Canada for King of Thieves and called the game differently, we called it Thieves so people didn't necessarilly know it was us. We did no promotion so it never entered any charts.
"We spent a few hundred dollars to buy a few thousand users but avoided media coverage. You have to look at retention, if retention's not there, it's not there."
PocketGamer.biz regularly round-up the most interesting games currently in soft launch to share insights in the development process of tomorrow's hits.
Alysia Judge
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ZeptoLab hooks up with Nazara Games to culturalise Cut the Rope for India
Laia Eguren Audio Director and Co-founder at Pincer Games Studio
This is a great article Alysia. What Misha says makes a lot of sense, at least is a different point of view that's worth to keep in mind. I'll share it with my gamedev friends ! : D
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A worker stands in front of pipes which lie stacked at the Nord Stream 2 facility | Photo by Carsten Koall via Getty Images
Nord Stream 2: Who fared best
The EU revamp of its Gas Directive ends up as a classic European fudge.
By Anca Gurzu
Every winner is also a loser when it comes to Nord Stream 2.
EU officials agreed late Tuesday night to amend the bloc's Gas Directive so that its rules cover gas pipelines from third countries. The measure is aimed at the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, now under construction, that would carry gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
It took, unusually, only one round of negotiations between the European Parliament, Council and Commission to reach a compromise on an issue that has divided EU countries for years.
It's a mixed result all around, angering pipeline opponents who'd wanted to kill it off, but also dismaying the project's backers who had hoped to leave it unencumbered by EU regulations.
The one clear winner is Romania, current holder of the EU's rotating Council presidency. Despite the enormous political tensions around the pipeline, it managed to conclude work on the directive just weeks after taking over the presidency in January.
POLITICO took a look at the winners and losers (in large measure the same parties).
For Berlin, this was an exercise in damage limitation.
Germany, a strong supporter of Nord Stream 2, fought hard to block the Gas Directive in the Council, trying to assemble a blocking minority of countries.
It also used its diplomatic muscle last year to stall work on the file thanks to cooperation from the two previous Russia-friendly Council presidencies, Austria and Bulgaria.
But Berlin couldn't kill the directive revamp outright, despite frantic phone calls to the Romanian presidency during Tuesday's talks.
Through a last-minute compromise with France in the Council last week, Berlin managed to push through language that gives German regulators the power to decide whether to ask for an exemption from EU rules. A previous text would have given Denmark a decisive voice on the matter as well since the pipeline's current route also runs through its waters.
But the final decision rests with Brussels.
“The Commission will take the binding decision on whether to grant the exemption,” the Parliament said in a press release. “If the member state’s assessment differs from that of the Commission, it is the Commission’s assessment which prevails.”
That’s clearly not the outcome Germany favors — but it might not be so bad in the end.
Any decision by Brussels depends on the makeup of the next Commission, and whether the future energy and competition commissioners lean toward Berlin's views.
A German flag flies from a boat as another vessel lays pipeline | Photo by Sean Gallup via Getty Images
The Commission managed to extend its regulatory authority to cover projects that used to be outside its remit, so that's a win.
Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said: “Europe is closing a loophole in the EU legal framework."
But Brussels is upset about the spin that followed the agreement.
“I’ve seen this agreement being projected as a Franco-German big deal,” Margaritis Schinas, the Commission's spokesman, said Wednesday. “May I respectfully remind everybody that this was a Commission proposal … We have paternity rights on this agreement and we want this to be known.”
Once any applause dies down, the Commission is left with a tough problem: whether to pay the political price of confronting Germany over any Nord Stream 2 exemption request.
It's been there before. In 2013, the Commission got a request from Germany over the OPAL pipeline — the onshore leg of the existing Nord Stream 1 line — asking for an exemption allowing Gazprom to use the pipeline's full capacity. Brussels hemmed and hawed, and in 2016 came back with a modified proposal that, in essence, gave Gazprom almost full access to the line.
Parliament and Council still need to formally approve the deal and countries would then have nine months to adopt it into their laws.
The decision isn't something Moscow wanted. Gazprom, backed by the Kremlin, built its entire Nord Stream 2 business case on the premise that the construction and operation of the pipeline would follow the same course of its sister Nord Stream 1 line, which isn't covered by EU gas rules.
Subjecting Nord Stream 2 to the EU’s gas rules could cause delays and hurt Gazprom’s bottom line.
The good news for Russia is that the construction of Nord Stream 2 is not affected; Gazprom said it wants to put it into operation “before late 2019.”
Russia and Germany could also negotiate an intergovernmental agreement on the matter, which the Commission would have to approve. Alternatively, Gazprom could simply decide to abide by EU rules, which won't allow Gazprom to both ship gas through the pipeline and own the infrastructure.
An employee working on the production of pipes | Photo by Carsten Koall via Getty Images
Warsaw has been Nord Stream 2’s most vocal critic. It fears Moscow will use gas deliveries as a geopolitical weapon by being able to cut off gas to Eastern Europe while continuing to supply Germany. It also wants to be a gas hub in its own right by importing liquified natural gas and eventually building a pipeline to connect to Norway's North Sea.
But Poland's efforts failed. Bringing Nord Stream 2 under EU rules is Warsaw’s second best outcome.
“Many wanted to see these negotiations fail as, without this agreement, EU rules would not be applicable to gas pipelines from non-EU countries,” said Jerzy Buzek, the chair of the Parliament’s energy committee and a former Polish prime minister.
Ukraine has strongly objected to the project. Until now it has been the main conduit for Russian gas heading west, which also earns the cash-strapped country crucial transit fees.
Ukraine, Russia and the Commission are in talks on future gas transit once Ukraine's current agreement with Gazprom expires at the end of this year.
Moscow has wobbled over how much gas it plans to send across Ukraine in the future, as the two Nord Stream pipelines would ship 110 billion cubic meters of gas a year, accounting for a large share of the EU's current imports.
The good news for Kiev is that the fuss over the pipeline forced Germany to commit to defending continued gas transit across Ukraine. That point was underscored in last week's Franco-German agreement, which described their compromise over the Gas Directive as “indispensable for a fruitful discussion on the future gas transit through Ukraine.”
The bad news is that Ukraine is fully dependent on the trustworthiness of those countries in sticking with that commitment.
Anca Gurzu
EU-Russia relations
Trump lashes out at ‘perennial prophets of doom’ on climate
‘The American dream is back — bigger, better and stronger than ever before,’ US president tells Davos.
The ‘giant hole’ in Trump’s new China deal
The US president signed an agreement that helps calm relations but fails to address issues at the heart of the trade war.
Brussels’ green cash credentials questioned
Commission faces skepticism over whether its climate funding adds up.
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Why This Miserable Winter Was Good for Trees and Farms
The unrelenting cold that has kept many of us bundled up for months is also killing invasive insects.
By Rebecca Boyle
Marcia Straub/Getty Images
The unyielding, ultracold winter across much of the Northeast and Midwest has plenty of us complaining bitterly, but there's an upside: Cold kills bugs dead. Gypsy moths, hemlock woolly adelgids, emerald ash borers, and other arboreal assassins have been hit hard, according to entomologists' early estimates. In Minnesota, some 80 percent of ash borers may have frozen to death, according to U.S. Forest Service biologists. In Appalachia, perhaps 95 percent of hemlock adelgids have succumbed to the cold. Corn rootworm, southern pine beetles, marmorated stink bugs, and several other critters are also falling victim to freezing temperatures.
Scientist will have a clearer picture when it finally warms up and they can count how many bugs are awakening. The question now is: Did this miserable winter and its multiple polar vortices kill enough damaging pests to make a difference?
Lee Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, said minus 25 F temps in the Twin Cities in January and February took out lots of ash borers. "It probably got cold enough to set back the population, but not cold enough to wipe it out," he says. "It might take them a couple of years longer to build up and wipe out the ash trees, so it buys us a little time."
The emerald ash borer is a beautiful beetle, whose iridescent green outer wings and fluorescent pink abdomen belie its deadly habits. As a grub, it eats trees from within, interrupting their ability to feed and water themselves. It emigrated from China in 2002 and encountered nary a natural predator on this continent, so it quickly set about killing millions of ash trees. Because the larvae are sheltered by bark, they're insulated from the cold, so the mercury has to fall below minus 20 or minus 25 F for a few days before things get cold to overpower the beetles' natural antifreeze, Frelich says.
It's a little easier to kill the hemlock adelgid, an aphid-like insect native to Japan. This bug is invading forests in New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and westward, where it sticks to hemlock needles and sucks the nectar from them. "It can kill virtually 100 percent of hemlock. It's just a wave of destruction," Frelich says. "But it happens to be sensitive to this cold weather."
A few minus 10 or minus 15 F nights would set it back immensely, he says. The colder it is, the more bugs will die. In some parts of North Carolina, subzero temperatures have killed all the adelgids, according to Joseph Elkington, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in the Worcester Telegram.
European gypsy moths, which chomp the leaves of more than 80 tree species, are also susceptible. In Maryland, gypsy moths were found flat on their backs during the cold snap, frozen on the ground.
Cold is good for agriculture too. Corn rootworm, which is endemic in the U.S. and eats corn kernels, could freeze if their eggs are close to the surface. Brown marmorated stink bugs, which eat fruits and vegetables, succumb after a few days of subzero temperatures. Snow cover can work against fungal disease, and it keeps the ground at uniform temperatures, which benefits plants like alfalfa. In St. Paul, Minn., where temperatures dipped below minus 25 F, the soil just 4 inches below the surface has remained steady at 31 F, Frelich says. Two feet of snow acts as a powerful insulator.
Yet there is a flip side. Just as agricultural fields benefit from stabilized temperatures, so do the animals that live in the soil, seuch as European and Asian earthworms. (While many earthworms are beneficial, these are harmful invaders in northern forests.) And the cold could also wipe out the pests' own enemies. For examples, in 2007 foresters introduced another Chinese insect, a parasitoid wasp, to control emerald ash borer populations, but those parasitoid wasps are even less hardy than the beetles.
And while 80 to 95 percent bug mortality sounds good, it's not 100 percent—meaning the most awful arthropods will only rebound. Individual bugs might be more tolerant of the cold than their mates—thus, the hardy ones will pass on their genes to later generations.
Jonathan Lelito, a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher, told the Entomological Society of America that even prolonged ultracold temperatures will not solve our invasive-insect problems. "Occasional setbacks will occur, and the populations of both hosts and parasitoids will tend to oscillate through time anyway," he says. "The long-term goal is the establishment of a balance, and severe-weather events are just a step in the long march, so to speak."
For Frelich, who weathered several winters colder than this one during the 1970s, regular minus 20 days aren't much to wring his hands about. He was rooting for the mercury to hit an almost unfathomable minus 40—that way, more bugs would have died.
"We were wishing it would have gotten a few degrees colder," he says.
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Hubert Fichte: Love and Ethnology
The online journal Hubert Fichte: Love and Ethnology accompanies the eponymous cooperation between Goethe-Institut and Haus der Kulturen der Welt, with the support of the S. Fischer Stiftung and the S. Fischer Verlag and with the collaboration of numerous partners, and runs from 2017 to 2019 at the following exhibition and presentation sites: Lisbon, Salvador de Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile, Dakar, New York, and Berlin.
The point of departure for Hubert Fichte: Love and Ethnology is the ethnologist and author’s all-encompassing novel-cycle Die Geschichte der Empfindlichkeit (The History of Sensitivity), which Fichte worked on from the early 1970s until his death in 1986. Nineteen of the planned 24 volumes were largely finished by Fichte upon his death; the remaining five are incomplete or have gone missing. Between 1987 and 2006, seventeen volumes, some fragmentary, were published, which engendered a renewed critical reception in the German-speaking world. The project Hubert Fichte: Love and Ethnology focuses on several of these novels, which have been translated for the first time at the initiative of the S. Fischer Stiftung, to engender a similar critical reception in a number of the countries where Fichte and Leonore Mau pursued their travels and research interests from the 1960s into the 1980s.
For Fichte it was a matter of principle to stimulate a new post-colonial world literature and world art by means of a intensively engaged dialogue with the arts, as well as a manifestation of the sensitivity which finds expression in his novel-cycle. And thus Hubert Fichte: Love and Ethnology moves toward the Black Atlantic (Paul Gilroy), the widespread regions of the African and Afro-diasporic cultures which fundamentally affected both Fichte and Mau’s output as well as their understanding of ethnology.
Proceeding Fichte’s novel Eine Glückliche Liebe (1984/1988; A Happy Love), recently translated by José Maria Vieira Mendes (publisher: Cotovía), the exhibition Mistake! Mistake! said the rooster… and stepped down from the duck (23.9.–5.11.2017) features the artists Gabriel Barbi, Ramiro Guerrero, Ana Jotta, Eurydice Kala, and Simon Thompson, together with Fichte and Mau’s work from their stay in Salazar’s Portugal in the 1960s. The exhibition, curated by Jürgen Bock at the Lisbon venue Lumiar Cité, confronts key themes from Fichte’s work, such as torture, human rights, and bisexuality, as well as interrogations of Fichte and Mau’s aesthetic interventions. Fichte’s attempts at expanding the literary work itself as well as art write as a kind of “total method” have been worked out in Lisbon, the project’s first station, and leave their mark on the subsequent ones.
The exhibition Implosão: Trans(relacion)ando Hubert Fichte, curated by Max Jorge Hinderer and Amilcar Packer at the MAM Museum of Modern Art (7.11.–17.12.2017) in Salvador da Bahia and Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica (25.11.2017– 13.1.2018) in Rio de Janeiro, focuses on Fichte’s 900-page novel Explosion (1993). Beginning with Marcelos Backes’ translation of this crucial volume in Die Geschichte der Empfindlichkeit (publisher: Hedra), a number of Brazilian and international artists have developed works that respond to Fichte and Mau’s research into the Afro-diasporic religion Candomblé, as well as Fichte’s conflict with French photographer and ethnologist Pierre Verger.
The exhibition at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (13.9.–18.11.2018) in Santiago de Chile, curated by Mario Navarro, is related to Fichte’s sections on Chile and his novel Explosion, translated by Cecilia Pavón (publisher: Metales Pesados), as its point of departure, together with the radio feature Chile: Experiment auf die Zukunft (Chile: An Experiment with the Future), first broadcast on Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Northern German Broadcasting) in 1971. Drawn to Allende’s political project, Fichte and Mau spent part of that year in the South American country. Fichte’s interviews with Allende and Carlos Jorquera, former press secretary for the Allende government, are testimonials to Fichte’s intense engagement with Latin American socialism, and are the central point of reference in this affiliate project station in Santiago de Chile.
A collaboration with Koyo Kouoh (RAW Material Company, curation) and Ibrahima Diagne (conference), the station in Dakar (5.–24.10.2018) departs from Fichte’s book Psyche (translation: Maguèye Kasse, Ibrahima Diagne und Mamadou Diop, publisher: L’Harmattan Sénégal), and extends to Fichte and Mau’s lengthy stays in countries such as Benin, Togo, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, and Tanzania, as well as Fichte’s investigations into medical and psychiatric practices.
Adam Siegel’s English-language translation of Die schwarze Stadt: Glossen (1990; Black City: Glosses, publisher: Sternberg Press) is the point of departure for exhibitions at Participant Inc and E-Flux Space, curated by Yesomi Umolu with Katja Rivera (3.12.2018–13.1.2019). Between 1978 and 1980 Fichte spent a substantial amount of time in New York City. It was here where he experienced his engagement with Afro-diasporic cultures as a culmination, for it is in New York where they all may be found — for the first time they appeared to Fichte in their entirety as a single counter-universality, coherent alternative to Western art. Fichte expands these insights at greater length in his interviews with artists, activists, and chance acquaintances.
The final station of the project, Love and Ethnology – The Colonial Dialectic of Sensitivity (after Hubert Fichte), will be in Berlin at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (18.10.2019–6.1.2020). Curated by Diedrich Diederichsen and Anselm Franke, the artistic directors of Hubert Fichte: Love and Ethnology, it takes up the themes and artistic stances of the six preceding stations and on-site curated exhibitions while gathering them with further artistic works and new commissions. Within the context of ethnology and the aesthetic avant-garde of post-war West Germany, the exhibition and conference expand on the critical impact of Fichte’s poetic and ethnographic travel literature: his sexual politics and the development of an utopia of radical sensitivity as well as the inquiries he conceived along the lines of what Paul Gilroy later termed the Black Atlantic. New artistic works relate to questions of representation and restitution, the unlimiting and canonization of art, as well as to (current) colonial power relations.
With extensive archival materials and artistic works by Nadja Abt, Heriberto “Eddie” Alicea, Kader Attia, Gilles Aubry, Richard Avedon, Alvin Baltrop, Gabriel Barbi, Letícia Barreto, Coletivo Bonobando, Michael Buthe, Miguel Rio Branco, Rosemarie Clausen, Nathalie David, Mestre Didi, Hubert Fichte, Claudia del Fierro, Avril Forest, Alair Gomes, Renée Green, Philipp Gufler, Ayrson Heráclito, Isaac Julien, Euridice Zaituna Kala, Kippenberger und Akim S. aus 44, Friedl Kubelka, Pedro Lemebel, Cristóbal Lehyt, Musa Michelle Mattiuzzi, Leonore Mau, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Virginia de Medeiros, Michaela Melián, Mario Navarro, Richard Oelze, Pan African Space Station, Lil Picard, André Pierre, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Daniel Richter, Thierno Seydou Sall, Pap Samb (Papisto Boy), Pierre Verger, and James Van Der Zee.
The extensive project publication Love and Ethnology – The Colonial Dialectic of Sensitivity (after Hubert Fichte), edited by Diedrich Diedrichsen, Anselm Franke, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt, was published by Sternberg Press in October 2019.
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Home › Business
TC Group announces creation of TC Group International
UK/DENMARK: A restructuring initiative has resulted in the formation of a new organisation known as TC Group International (TCGI), reports PSN-e. The new organisation - which came into operation yesterday (February 1) and will operate out of Aarhus in Denmark and Coatbridge in Scotland - will provide a "new and revitalised sales and support structure based on vertical markets" across all TCGI-owned brands - Tannoy, TC Electronic, TC Helicon, Lab.gruppen and Lake - as well as distributed brands Dynaudio Acoustics and Blue Microphones.
PSNEurope staff ⋅ Feb 2, 2010
UK/DENMARK: A restructuring initiative has resulted in the formation of a new organisation known as TC Group International (TCGI), reports PSN-e. The new organisation – which came into operation yesterday (February 1) and will operate out of Aarhus in Denmark and Coatbridge in Scotland – will provide a “new and revitalised sales and support structure based on vertical markets” across all TCGI-owned brands – Tannoy, TC Electronic, TC Helicon, Lab.gruppen and Lake – as well as distributed brands Dynaudio Acoustics and Blue Microphones.
All sales activity that was previously handled at individual brand level, such as order processing and account management, will now be centralised and handled at group level out of the offices in Aarhus and Coatbridge. In addition, all sales force and sales support activity will be organised by market segment, of which there are five in total – Installed Sound, Touring, Residential, MI, and HD (High Definition – covering broadcast, recording and post-production facilities).
TCGI says that the business model has already been adopted “with great success” in North America following the creation of TC Group Americas in 2009.
Anders Fauerskov (pictured), CEO of TC Group, commented: “Clearly, our main aim in initiating such a change is to increase sales and profitability through an increase in service level to our customers, and we wouldn’t have done it without clear and irrefutable proof that the strategy works. I would also like to welcome Peter Bager as the CEO of TC Group International. Peter has an excellent track record with TC stretching over the past 9 years, and I am convinced that TC Group International will be highly successful under his leadership.”
Bager added: “This structure has been hugely beneficial for us and our partners in the US. We aim to offer the same fruits of success to all of our brands in all other territories, and of course to our valued sales partners who represent them. We believe that by acting as one team that forms a cohesive unit, we will be better able to maximise our performance than as disparate sales operations.
“There will be a number of clear benefits to our customers emerging from this initiative. The fact of addressing vertical markets with all brands within the group will enable greater opportunities for offering turnkey solutions, and make us better able to address the specific needs of the markets we are in, as well as the specific needs of each customer. I am extremely excited about the prospects for the future that will be opened up by this new structure.”
» www.tc-group.tc
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SCHEDULE A TEST877-517-2033
HAIR TESTING
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Psychemedics Announces Addition of FDA-Cleared Benzodiazepines Hair Test
In another first, the world’s largest hair drug testing company & scientific leader launches new test for Benzodiazepines
Acton, Massachusetts, September 26, 2017 – Psychemedics Corporation (NASDAQ:PMD), hair testing pioneer and global leader for over thirty years, announced the launch of its FDA-Cleared Benzodiazepines hair test. The test detects numerous Benzodiazepines, including Xanax®, Valium®, and Ativan®, and is available as a stand-alone test or as an option on Psychemedics’ standard drug panels.
The abuse of prescription Benzodiazepines has grown at an alarming rate in the United States, contributing to thousands of emergency room visits and overdose deaths each year. It is important to note that Benzodiazepines can prove deadly when combined with other depressants, including alcohol. This significantly increases the danger of Benzodiazepine abuse.
Psychemedics’ non-invasive testing procedure uses a small sample of hair that is easily collected and shipped to Psychemedics’ College of American Pathologists (CAP) and ISO-IEC 17025:2005 certified laboratory. Unlike urinalysis or oral fluid testing which typically detects drug use for only the previous one to three days, Psychemedics hair analysis can detect use over the previous few months.
Advancing The Science of Hair Testing
Psychemedics is the first hair testing laboratory to have its test for Benzodiazepines cleared by the FDA. Continued advancement in the science of hair testing is critical to Psychemedics, and the development of this new test provides the market with a unique and reliable test that identifies and measures the use of Benzodiazepines over a period of time. The Benzodiazepines test follows Psychemedics’ recent announcement of the addition of the first hair test for synthetic cannabinoids for the workplace.
Raymond C. Kubacki, Chairman, and CEO stated: “Sadly, the abuse of prescription drugs is now rampant in the United States. We are extremely concerned about this problem and are doing everything in our power to address it. Today, we are pleased to establish another first: the first hair testing laboratory to have its Benzodiazepines test cleared by the FDA. As the scientific leader in drug testing, we at Psychemedics continue to advance the science and use our top-flight scientific team and R&D resources to develop new tests that will deter people from abusing prescription drugs.”
About Psychemedics Corporation
Psychemedics Corporation is the world’s largest provider of hair testing for drugs of abuse and has been successfully operating for over 30 years. Thousands of corporations rely on patented Psychemedics drug testing services. Psychemedics’ clients include over 10% of the Fortune 500, some of the largest police departments in America, Federal Reserve Banks, and schools.
For more information, visit the Psychemedics Corporation website at www.psychemedics.com.
Contact: Raymond C. Kubacki
Chairman & CEO
Cautionary Statement for purposes of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: From time to time, information provided by Psychemedics may contain forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties. In particular, statements contained in this release that are not historical facts (including but not limited to statements concerning technological changes, technological advantages, regulatory matters, implementation of new testing procedures and processes, research and development, future business and marketing strategies) may be “forward looking” statements. Actual results may differ from those stated in any forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include but are not limited to risks associated with implementation of new testing procedures and methodologies including training, personnel changes, changes in supplier relationships, customer contract provisions and customer relationships, government regulation, including but not limited to FDA regulations, competition and general economic conditions and other factors disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Psychemedics Corporate Newsletter – June 2018
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A3 Press
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Previous 2/1080File 2182/1913 Pt 9 'Arabia Policy towards Bin Saud' [85r] (167/406)
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File 2182/1913 Pt 9 'Arabia Policy towards Bin Saud'
Ref: IOR/L/PS/10/390/1
The record is made up of 1 item (203 folios). It was created in 27 Dec 1918-2 Jun 1919. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers.
Part 9 primarily concerns the dispute between Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and King Hussein of Hejaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, King of Hejaz], and British policy towards both. The item includes the following:
a note by the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. 's Political Department, entitled 'Arabia: The Nejd-Hejaz Feud', which laments the fact that relations between Bin Saud and King Hussein have to some extent been reflected in the views of the two administrations with which they have respectively been brought into contact (i.e. the sphere of Mesopotamia and the Government of India in Bin Saud's case, and the Cairo administration in King Hussein's case);
reports on the presence of Akhwan [Ikhwan] forces in Khurma and debate as to which ruler has the stronger claim to it;
attempts by the British to ascertain whether or not a treaty exists between King Hussein and Bin Saud;
a copy of a report by Harry St John Bridger Philby entitled 'Report on Najd Mission 1917-1918', which includes as appendices a précis of British relations with Bin Saud and a copy of the 1915 treaty between Bin Saud and the British government;
reports of alleged correspondence between Bin Saud and Fakhri Pasha, Commander of the Turkish [Ottoman] forces at Medina;
reports of the surrender of Medina by Ottoman forces;
discussion as to whether Britain should intervene further in the dispute between Bin Saud and King Hussein;
details of the proposals discussed at an inter-departmental conference on Middle Eastern affairs, which was held at Cairo in February 1919;
reports that King Hussein's son Abdulla [ʿAbdullāh bin al-Ḥusayn] and his forces have been attacked at Tarabah [Turabah] by Akhwan forces and driven out.
The principal correspondents are the following:
Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf Historically used by the British to refer to the sea area between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Often referred to as The Gulf or the Arabian Gulf. , temporarily based in Baghdad [Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Talbot Wilson, acting Resident in Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Zachariah Cox's absence];
Civil Commissioner, Baghdad [held in an officiating capacity by Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Talbot Wilson];
High Commissioner, Egypt (General Sir Francis Reginald Wingate, succeeded by General Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby);
Milne Cheetham, Residency A diplomatic office of the British Government established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , Cairo;
Secretary to the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. 's Political Department (John Evelyn Shuckburgh);
Bin Saud;
King Hussein;
Feisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī], son of King Hussein;
Foreign Office;
Secretary of State for India [Edwin Samuel Montagu];
Harry St John Bridger Philby.
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English in Latin script
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File 2182/1913 Pt 9 'Arabia Policy towards Bin Saud' [85v] (168/406), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/390/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036528094.0x0000b0> [accessed 22 January 2020]
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Home » Articles » Theatre » High Demand Spurs Circa To Add ‘Music Man’ Shows
High Demand Spurs Circa To Add ‘Music Man’ Shows
Sean Leary March 29th, 2017 Theatre, Entertainment Share:
Now into it’s third week at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in downtown Rock Island, THE MUSIC MAN is charming audiences and critics alike! “We’ve had wonderful response to the show” said Brett Hitchcock – Director of Audience Development. Local critics have also enjoyed this delightful musical with such comments as “Music Man was Terrific” River Cities Reader; “The Music Man is a thrilling ride on board a veritable American (and Iowan) classic” Dispatch/Argus; and “Circa ‘21’s The Music Man is a triumphant success” quadcities.com.
The theatre is happy to announce that it’s added two special show-only performances on Saturday, April 8th and Thursday, April 13th. The schedule is the same for both shows with doors opening at 12:00 and the show beginning at 12:30. Tickets are $25 for adults and $18 for those 18 and under. “We want to give everyone a chance to see this incredible production that takes place in River City, Iowa” Hitchcock said. “With the reduced price for these two performances we are hoping to pack the theatre!
Reservations are available through the Circa ’21 ticket office. For reservations, contact the theatre at 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island or by calling (309) 786-7733 extension 2.
Funny, warm, wicked, romantic, and touching, THE MUSIC MAN is family entertainment at its very best to be shared with every generation, and composer Meredith Willson’s six-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy has been captivating audiences since its Broadway debut in 1957.
The show follows fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying musical instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band he vows to organize – this despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. What follows is a madcap yet sweet-natured musical comedy in which our lead is transformed by his true love for the town librarian Marian, and audiences can’t help but tap their toes and hum along to songs from THE MUSIC MAN that have gone on to become timeless standards: “Trouble,” “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “My White Knight,” “Wells Fargo Wagon,” “Gary, Indiana,” and the heartfelt romantic ballad “Till There Was You.”
Don’t miss your chance to see THE MUSIC MAN at Circa ’21 for less on April 8th and 13th!
Sean Leary
Sean Leary is an author, director, artist, musician, producer and entrepreneur who has been writing professionally since debuting at age 11 in the pages of the Comics Buyers Guide. An honors graduate of the University of Southern California masters program, he has written over 50 books including the best-sellers The Arimathean, Every Number is Lucky to Someone and We Are All Characters.
SeanLeary.com
See More Articles From Sean
Tagged: Circa '21Circa 21 Dinner PlayhouseDistrictMusic ManRock Islandtheater
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Rackspace Unveils Fanatical Support for Microsoft Azure
Companies Now Can Get Architecture and Application Guidance, Monitoring, Patching and Support — All From the Azure Experts at Rackspace
SAN ANTONIO – July 13, 2015 – Rackspace® (NYSE: RAX), the #1 managed cloud company, today announced that it has expanded its service offering for its Microsoft product portfolio with Fanatical Support® for Microsoft® Azure™. Rackspace will work with customers to help them speed their deployment of Azure, minimize costs and optimize performance. Rackspace engineers will provide application and infrastructure architecture guidance, making it easy for customers to succeed with Azure. The company will also offer hybrid cloud solutions that combine Rackspace Private Cloud powered by Microsoft’s Cloud Platform and Azure.
“Our strategy at Rackspace has always been to provide the world’s best expertise and service for industry-leading technologies — including a broad selection of Microsoft products,” said Taylor Rhodes, CEO at Rackspace. “We’re pleased to expand our relationship with Microsoft and the options we provide for our customers by offering Fanatical Support for Azure. By adding support for Azure to our portfolio, we can now serve customers who want public, private and hybrid cloud environments built on the Microsoft Azure Stack.”
Rackspace is building on a 13-year collaboration with Microsoft by offering specialized expertise and its highly-regarded Fanatical Support for Azure. As a five-time Microsoft Hosting Partner of the Year, Rackspace has a track record of providing managed cloud services on leading Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft Cloud Platform with Hyper-V, System Center 2012 R2 (full suite), System Center Operations Manager 2007, SQL Server (2005, 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, and 2014), Exchange, SharePoint and Office365, which is now generally available in the U.S.
“Fanatical Support for Azure and Azure Stack adds Rackspace’s industry-leading support to Microsoft’s deep experience with the hybrid cloud, creating a win-win for customers,” said Scott Guthrie, EVP of Microsoft’s Cloud + Enterprise group. “With this relationship, our mutual customers will have even more options for migrating their diverse IT workloads to the cloud.”
Rackspace will work with customers to understand their requirements and create solutions that incorporate and maximize the latest Azure technologies. The Fanatical Support for Azure offering includes:
Microsoft Specialized Expertise: Rackspace is a five-time Microsoft Hosting Partner of the Year, with hundreds of Microsoft certified professionals managing thousands of Microsoft servers and workloads, more than 500,000 seats of Microsoft Exchange and more than 85 percent of the world’s hosted SharePoint licenses.
Managed Support: Managed services and expertise available 24x7x365 from Microsoft certified professionals at Rackspace. This allows customers to offload the management of their environments and focus on their core business.
Architectural Guidance: Rackspace will help customers architect their applications and optimize databases to run at cloud scale, making use of best practice designs.Proactive
Monitoring: Rackspace monitors customers’ environments with a mix of monitoring tools to proactively address system issues. Rackspace engineers can then help optimize performance, stability and address security issues.
Hybrid Ready: Rackspace can help customers build applications that span on premise IT resources, Azure and the Rackspace Private Cloud powered by the Microsoft Cloud Platform, combining the benefits of physically isolated resources and elastic compute.
Database Support: Rackspace database specialists are available as an on-demand service for SQL Server Instances as well as customers’ SQL databases running on Azure Virtual Machines. These specialists have experience managing over 30,000 SQL Server Instances.
Customers will be able to take advantage of Fanatical Support for Azure in two ways:
Fanatical Support with Azure Bundle (Infrastructure and Support): Customers can purchase Azure infrastructure and support as a bundle from Rackspace, whose experts can help them with architectural and on-boarding guidance.
Fanatical Support for Azure (Support Only): Customers who already use Azure infrastructure and want support and management expertise can get Rackspace managed services for their infrastructure as a separate cost based on their infrastructure spend.
“As organizations increasingly incorporate cloud services as part of their overall IT portfolio, the reality for many is that it introduces complexity into their environment,” said Michelle Bailey, SVP of Datacenter Initiatives at 451 Research. “Cloud providers offering deep expertise around planning, migrating and managing enterprise-class production workloads is a massive gap in the market right now. With Fanatical Support for Microsoft Azure, Rackspace is responding to the needs of their customers looking for a trusted advisor to help ease the transition to cloud and derive maximum benefit from their investments.”
At launch, the offering will be generally available for U.S. based customers and will expand to International customers through early 2016. For more information on the Microsoft product portfolio at Rackspace and the recent addition of Fanatical Support for Azure, please visit: www.rackspace.com/azure.
Rackspace (NYSE: RAX), the #1 managed cloud company, helps businesses tap the power of cloud computing without the challenge and expense of managing complex IT infrastructure and application platforms on their own. Rackspace engineers deliver specialized expertise on top of leading technologies developed by OpenStack, Microsoft, VMware and others, through a results-obsessed service known as Fanatical Support®. The company has more than 300,000 customers worldwide, including two-thirds of the FORTUNE 100. Rackspace was named a leader in the 2014 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud-Enabled Managed Hosting, and has been honored as one of Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For in six of the past eight years. Learn more at www.rackspace.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of Rackspace Hosting could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements concerning expected development, performance or market acceptance associated with the Fanatical Support for Azure services; anticipated operational and financial benefits from the Fanatical Support for Azure services; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that expected benefits from the Fanatical Support for Azure services may not materialize because this product and services are not generally accepted in the marketplace, which could occur due to certain factors including (i) a failure to market the product and services cost effectively, differentiate the product and services from competitive products or communicate differentiations effectively, (ii) the reliability, quality or compatibility associated with the product and services, (iii) changes in technology which adversely affect the product’s benefit, (iv) slowdowns in the general economy or technology industry that impact consumer spending habits, (v) internal strategy decisions that impact the product; and (vi) other risks that are described in Rackspace Hosting’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2015. Except as required by law, Rackspace Hosting assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
Christina Weaver
Christina.weaver@rackspace.com
Learn more at www.rackspace.com/es or call 1230-020-8940.
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Rent Mate PRINT
By Ash Penn
£8.49 Buy Now Add to Wishlist Read a Sample Send as a Gift
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Liam has principles, and sharing a home with a rent boy goes against every one of them. Even a rent boy as alluring as Martin.
Martin ‘Button’ Bailey is a twenty-one-year-old rent boy with an aversion to gay men. Liam West is his reluctant flatmate with an aversion to rent boys. Especially those who go by the name of Martin Bailey.
That suits Martin, because it means there’s no chance of Liam wanting anything more from him than the occasional argument. Sex is never going to be an issue between them because Liam is one hundred percent straight. He’s also in love with their third flatmate, Katie. Even if that love is painfully unrequited.
While it’s fair to say that Liam can’t stand Martin, he wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to the guy. So when Martin comes home one day covered in bruises, Liam can’t help but show concern. A concern that is quickly batted aside, until the next night when Martin shows up having been half-drowned in the river.
Reason enough to believe someone is out to get him.
As Liam becomes more embroiled in the mess that is Martin’s life, the two men find themselves drawing closer together. And other feelings begin to develop. Unexpected feelings that a budding friendship can’t quite cover.
Reader Advisory: This book contains references to sexual abuse of a child.
General Release Date: 16th May 2017
Liam West had just finished a ten-hour stint at the hospital and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and cocoon himself under the duvet for the next week. But first he had to speak with Katie. What had happened between them yesterday afternoon had nagged at him all the way through the night shift. So much so, he’d lost his temper at a couple of drunken revelers who’d turned up at A&E bruised and bloodied as a result of a fight. Prior to that, he’d had to wheel a twenty-year-old girl to the morgue.
After putting the kettle on, he went to Katie’s door and tapped rather than knocked. Anything to avoid the wrath of Martin, who hated to be woken before ten. Woe betide anyone who interrupted his beauty sleep. Not that he needed much, the vain little shit.
“Katie? Can we talk?”
It occurred to him then that when she’d stormed out yesterday afternoon she might not have come back. She’d already stayed out four of the last five nights, so one more wouldn’t make any difference. He knocked again, harder. “Katie? You awake?”
Liam opened the door.
Sunlight seeped around the partially open blinds and threw a sharp beam across the bed. Highlighted in this radiant glow was the flutter of golden eyelashes spread upon a pale cheek. Beneath a button nose, full lips rested together and formed a petulant pout that may or may not have been the result of collagen injections.
What was he doing staring at Martin Bailey’s lips? Especially when those lips were pouting in his best friend’s bed. Liam forged inside the room, ready to eject the bastard short shrift. Then the golden lashes flickered open.
Martin lifted his arms in a lazy stretch. The move elongated his torso, displaying the fine arc of his ribs and the smooth dip of his taut belly. From there Liam’s attention was drawn to where the covers met his groin.
Wait another minute.
Was he naked under that quilt?
“Liam?” Martin slurred, suggesting he’d been in the midst of a deep sleep. “What’re you doing here?”
“You’re starkers in Katie’s bed, and you ask me what I’m doing here?”
“Katie’s…” Martin looked blearily around. “Oh. Hell.” He pushed the quilt aside and swung his legs out of the far side of the bed.
Liam flipped on the light.
Martin threw an arm across his eyes. “Man. You have to do that?”
“Yes.” Liam clenched his teeth. “Why are you in here? What’s wrong with your own bed? And where’s Katie?”
Ignoring every question, Martin stood and stretched both arms high above his head. As he did so, Liam’s gaze fell to the small, pert peach of his backside. Dark patches bloomed on the pale skin, harsh blobs that looked very much like finger-shaped bruises. “Have you had someone here?” he asked the bruises. “A…” What were they called? Customers? Clients? Johns? “A punter?” Liam clung to the word with both hands. “You had a punter in here?”
Martin didn’t laugh at the term, but neither did he offer up an answer. Instead, he bent to pick up his clothing as if Liam had ceased to exist. As he did so he let out a pained groan and pressed a palm to his belly.
“What’s wrong?” Liam asked, knowing he shouldn’t give a shit. Especially after finding the bastard in his best friend’s bed. But he couldn’t ignore the fact Martin was in pain. And considering those bruises, and what he did for a living, Martin’s pain must get pretty bad at times.
“Nothing.” Martin straightened, using the bed post as support. “It’s just the bloke from last night.” His blue eyes shimmered from under a mop of tousled hair.
Liam’s rage dissolved. What the hell had gone on in here? “What happened, Martin? You can tell me.” He edged another step closer. “Did he hurt you? Or…?” Or worse?
“He…” Martin sucked in another sharp breath. “God, Liam. He…” His plump lower lip trembled, then parted from his equally plump top lip to form a manic grin. “He’s got a cracking great knob on him. Knows how to make thorough use of it, too. My arse is flaming like a Catherine wheel on bonfire night.”
Every bit of sympathy Liam held in his body boiled away. “You are a sick, fucking…”
Martin let out a cackle of ear-grating laughter then reached under the pillow. He spun around, waving a shock of notes in the air. “Not bad for half an hour’s graft, eh?”
Half an hour? The steam from Liam’s anger thinned to disbelief. There was as much there as he earned in a week. How fair was that? Then again, thinking back to the bruises, the money wasn’t so great.
“Where is she?” Liam asked as his temperature once again set to simmer.
“Katie. Who’d you think?”
“I reckon she spent the night with her boyfriend. Her well fit boyfriend, from what I saw.”
“You’ve met him?” That Katie had broken her promise to stay home last night was bad enough, but paled into insignificance when contrasted with the fact that Martin had met this elusive new bloke of hers.
“Yeah.” Martin idly flicked through his takings. “Why?”
Liam paused. He refused to show just how much of a slap in the face that was. “So while she’s out you thought you’d, what? Take advantage of her absence? You really are pathetic.” Liam itched to shake a sense of decency into the little shit. But there wasn’t much to grab a hold of except his half-erect cock, and Liam was keeping well out of the way of that thing. “I want you out of here. Now!”
“All right, big man.” Martin raised a dismissive palm. “No need for the ‘tude.” He set about gathering the rest of his clothing from the floor, then paused in the doorway on his way out. “You reckon you could give the sheets a rinse through? They’re a little…crusty.”
Liam surged toward him, fists clenched, but being twice Martin’s size meant an unfair advantage right from the off. And since Liam despised violence more than he despised Martin, he stood there and seethed instead while Martin continued down the hall like nothing was up other than his dick.
“And I mean out,” Liam yelled, trying not to stare at the pert cheeks of that perfect, if bruised, arse. Out of the flat and out of their lives. For good.
“Then have a word with Katie.” Martin flashed another exaggerated grin from over his shoulder. “It’s got to be unanimous, or I’m going nowhere.” He disappeared into his room then, and slammed the door behind him.
Martin placed his earnings into his night-table drawer then lowered himself gingerly to the bed. Falling asleep in Katie’s bed had been a mistake, a big one. He’d only used her room because pink suited his alter-ego’s personality. Feminine, chic fairy lights and a patchwork quilt beat wallpaper made of porn stills and the half bottle of whiskey sitting on his chest of drawers.
As he made to rise from the bed, he caught his reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the door. Martin Bailey—all bedhead and bloodshot eyes. But if he fluffed up his blond hair and lowered his lashes, if he parted his lips and licked them until they glistened, then there was Button. The sweetly innocent sap hardly clued in about sex, and forever oblivious of the effect his young body had on the men who were willing to pay to explore it. The kid Roy wanted to buy and keep purely for pleasure.
Like that was going to happen. He couldn’t play the naïve piece of fluff twenty-four-seven. Mainly because his pathetic alter-ego’s saccharine willingness to please pissed him off no end. He’d taken his frustration out on Liam this morning and now would have to heal the atmosphere. He liked living here, more than most of the other places he’d stayed. But before he did anything else today, he needed that shower.
Standing under the hot water jets, he cleansed the grime of his job with a generous slather of Katie’s strawberry shower gel. She never minded him using her things, unlike Liam staring daggers across the Weetabix of a morning. Liam minded he dare breathe half the time. Granted, breakfast was usually dinner time for them both, but, no matter what time of the day or night, the sad fact was he and Liam would never become friends.
He’d grown to appreciate the big guy over the past few months of living here, despite the constant complaints and not-so-subtle digs about his job. However hard he tried, he wouldn’t be able to wear an eternal grin for minimum wage in a supermarket. He could smile for a two hundred quid shag, no problem. He could please any man on a fifty quid blow job. He’d perfected the art in cheap hotel rooms and narrow alleyways for going on almost three years now, and before then in the privacy of his home.
Not all his punters were totally undesirable, either. Roy had his good points. He was never violent or overtly kinky. He insisted on bringing Button to orgasm every single time. A lot of others weren’t so generous. Even so, last night Roy had become extra pushy, extra keen to claim Button’s flesh as his own.
After switching off the water, Martin wrapped a towel around his waist. Bath rather than hand. Usually he’d deliberately parade around in a much smaller towel just to flaunt himself in Liam’s company. Irritating the big guy had proven to be quite the leisure pursuit lately. Precisely the reason he’d not-so-casually dropped meeting Katie’s latest boyfriend into the conversation. In reality, their introduction had been little more than a brief hi and bye when passing in the hall, but Liam didn’t need to know that.
Martin grabbed his toothbrush and scrubbed the remnants of Roy’s taste from his mouth, then made his way through to the kitchen. Liam was sitting at the table nursing a coffee. He might be fuming like a midsummer’s dung heap, but he smelled much nicer. Sweaty but clean, with a frisson of some ocean-themed aftershave. Aesthetically, he wasn’t too bad on the eye, either. Tall, broad and black-haired, he exuded a soothing presence. A quiet, underlying strength, a protective presence that Martin liked. A lot. Mainly because Liam was totally straight and remained so even when wasted. Every now and then, though, Martin liked to wobble the boundaries to see how safe his walls were. The reason he found Liam’s smoldering presence quite so warming was best pondered another day.
He set five crisp ten-pound notes on the table then pulled out a chair. Perhaps he should have dressed first, but this bad atmosphere needed tackling sooner rather than later.
Liam eyed the notes. “What’s this?”
“An apology.” Martin fixed on his brightest grin. “I shouldn’t have taken Katie’s bed, and this is my way of saying sorry.”
“Fifty quid’s worth of sorry?” Liam swept the cash to the floor. “I’m not your pimp, Martin. You can’t pay me to keep my mouth shut, either.” He powered to his feet. Fists pushed to the table, knuckles big as bolts. “In fact, I’ve got a good mind to show you exactly what I think of you.”
“Go ahead.” Martin pushed back his chair and stood, too. “I can take a fist. Just be aware I charge an extra hundred for the privilege.” He stuck out his chin and readied for the glancing blow he probably deserved. Not that he believed Liam would cave his face in, bolt knuckles or no bolt knuckles. Liam just wasn’t the violent type. His gamble paid off when Liam slumped in his chair and picked up his mug.
“Will you tell Katie?” Martin resumed his seat. His adrenaline fizzled to a sickly slither of nerves. Katie wouldn’t want him to leave, would she? She was an easy-going girl, but there had to be a limit to even her level of acceptance. Using her bed to entertain his clients wouldn’t go down well, no matter how close their friendship.
Liam hunched his shoulders. “Depends.”
“The reason you did it.”
Like that’s any of Liam’s business. “One of my regulars wanted to see where I live. He’s been hassling me for exclusive use, and I—”
“Exclusive use? What does that mean?”
“Just that he wants to buy me. Like, full-time. So I’d get to be with him and no one else.”
“You mean he wants to own you?”
“No way. I ain’t nobody’s slave.” Martin scowled. “I just thought if he could see that I don’t live in squalor with a bunch of junkies and rapists, he’d stop worrying about my living conditions and—”
“You could’ve used your room for that. You could’ve made do with a single. In the past I’ve had to…” Liam shut his mouth.
“You’ve had to what?”
“Nothing.” Liam dragged his mug closer. “We’re talking about your bedroom habits here, not mine.”
Only because Liam probably didn’t even have any bedroom habits. Not past his right hand, anyway. For as long as they’d known each other, Liam had never brought anyone back to shag. He’d never brought anyone back, ever.
“Roy—that’s my punter—he clocked the naked meat pinned to my door and wasn’t impressed. So I had to tell him my room was my flatmate’s, AKA, yours.”
Liam spluttered a mouthful of coffee halfway across the table. “You told your trick that porn infested hell-hole was mine?”
“You mind?”
“Of course I mind, dipshit.” Liam pushed out of the chair and fetched some kitchen towel from the roll on the wall. “Like anyone is going to believe you kip in a pink fairy grotto, anyway.” He swiped the towel across the puddle but only succeeded in spreading it further. “You’re not that camp.”
“I ain’t camp, full stop.” Martin bit down on his anger. Trying to communicate with Liam was a total waste of time, as always. But he owed an explanation. Wouldn’t be an acceptable one, but it would be the truth. “I’m not. But Button is.”
Liam paused his mopping. “Who’s Button?”
“Me. Sort of. He’s, like, a persona. Button’s seventeen. A dumb twink who swaps bum fun for cash ’cause he’s too thick to work a proper job.”
“Sounds like you, never mind this Button character.” He deposited the soggy towel in the bin. “Apart from you being twenty-one and a long way from dumb, that is.”
He’d take that as a compliment, even if dumb probably referred to his mouth rather than his intelligence. “Yeah, well, in my line of work, the younger and more inexperienced you appear the more you can charge and the more the blokes are willing to pay. They lap it up, trust me.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Liam shot him another disapproving look before sitting back down. “How old are they, then? These blokes who pay fake seventeen-year-olds for sex. What about him last night?”
“Dunno. Sixtyish.”
“Sixtyish?” Liam’s disgust flared again, in full uniform regalia of the likes not seen since some passing neighbor had thrown up in the hall directly outside their front door. “You bring sick old fucks who like teenage boys to mine and Katie’s home, then give them what they want in Katie’s bed?”
The earlier compliment meant absolutely nothing if Liam thought this of him now. “I only brought Roy back, and he ain’t even that sick a fuck.” Roy treated him with respect. Roy also fucked hard enough to bruise, but the bruises were of the energetic, not the violent, variety. “Seventeen is legal. I could play younger if I wanted, but I got my principles, too.”
Liam snorted out a laugh.
Martin chose to ignore it. “Roy’s harmless enough and he tips well.”
“Yeah, well. Whatever he is or isn’t”—Liam stabbed a finger down on the table—“you bring any more of your desperado perverts here, and I will throw you out myself. Personally. Rental agreement or no rental agreement. Understood?”
“Sure. I get it.” Martin slipped from the chair to the floor and set about gathering his money together. He stuffed the cash into his pocket then levered himself upright. A fresh spark of fire seared through his pelvis and he couldn’t prevent a whimper that made Liam’s upper lip curl in distaste. Now there was an expression he’d caught on a variety of different faces over the years, and was more than used to ignoring. “Time I was going, anyway. There’s a half price breakfast down the pub with my name on it.”
Book Length: SUPER NOVEL
Genres: CONTEMPORARY
Ash Penn
I've written stories about men loving men for as long as I can remember. In the days before computers and the internet, I used to hide my stories away convinced there was no market for women who wrote gay male fiction. Fast forward a few years (okay, quite a few years) and there's not only a market, but a whole empire out there for writers like me. I'm thrilled to be able to contribute my stories and take pride in what I write.
Many of my characters enjoy making my life as difficult as possible by refusing to take the easy pathway to love. They prefer to swagger through the undergrowth and laugh at me as I point at my story outline and demand they get back on the route I painstakingly mapped out.
Lately I've discovered it's far easier to let them dictate what happens and when, although I do get my revenge when it comes to giving them an undesirable trait or two to contend with. My characters are as flawed as their love lives, but they will usually find a kind of imperfect perfection in each other by the time I type 'The End'.
Reviewed by Love Bytes Reviews
Oh, my lord Rent Mate is one very intense, at times dark, emotional story that is so worth your while reading!! This is my first book by Ash Penn but it will definitely not be the last... I can’t recom...
Reviewed by Wicked Reads
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WARNING: D&D TALK
Who Wins?
Demi-Lich
Tarrasque
Author Topic: WARNING: D&D TALK (Read 79395 times)
Cramulus
Deserved It
Re: WARNING: D&D 3.5 TALK: Demi-Lich vs Tarrasque
you realize the post was satire, yes?
James Wyatt clarifies his points in the following pages
Cainad (dec.)
Houseplant Supreme
The Emperor's Hairy Right Hand
That was pretty funny.
I'm firmly of the belief that a game, especially a roleplaying game, is as good as the people playing it. You can discuss mechanics and ephemera until your +1 Neckbeard of Nerd Rage turns gray, but you can't point to a group of people playing a game and say, "You guys aren't actually having fun!"
That said, I told 4E to go fuck itself 'cause Wizards of the Coast already has enough of my money and I didn't want to learn a new system, at least not until I'd played 3.5 into the dirt and gotten sick of it. I wouldn't be against playing it sometime, though.
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Pull-Start Enema Wasteland
What I find interesting is how, whenever I hear DnD players talk about playing DnD, they seem to have this unspoken assumption that once 4th ed came out, they weren't allowed (somehow) to play 3.5,
Is that normal?
Screaming Primate
Quote from: Sigmatic on May 24, 2010, 07:12:27 pm
Well, with a different tabletop game, Warhammer 40k, that's kind of how it is when there's a new edition or army codex released. Because, you know, newer is always better.
Well with 40k I can see it, because it seems to be perpetually unbalanced by the latest new thing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_creep
That's just the state of the art in nearly any commercial game with regular releases.
I stopped playing MageKnight because I'd spend like a hundred bucks on a sweet army
and then in a month, they'd release a new type of power which effortlessly nuked everything I'd worked hard to collect
I stopped playing Magic for the same reason too.
in 4e, the classes in the PH2 are way more powerful than the classes in the PH1. (this is a source of lots of drama at my gaming table. As a level 7 barbarian, I can drop 100 damage in 1 round, while our warlock struggles to land 30s.) Oddly enough, the Ph3 classes are actually on par with the Ph1 classes.
it's been normal for every D&D release.
I wish I could find an archive of some of the D&D mailing lists from when D&D 3.0 was released. It was basically the same arguments about why 4th edition sucks. (waaah they took out all the role playing and made it too easy to understand!!) And also the gnashing about "I own $1000 worth of 2nd edition books, now I have to throw them all in a dumpster and set it on fire."
Bebek Sincap Ratatosk
At this point I've played extensively in 3rd, 3.5 and 4th.
Our group has decided to go back to 3.5 for several reasons. First and foremost is that no matter which of us has tried running 4th ed, it feels more like a battle system with role playing included (not that is IS, just that's how it feels). Also, it reminds me of the worst parts of Savage Worlds.
We have one friend that is just nuts for SW and 4th ed... his argument is that "Comabt is so much faster!!!" Yet, even when he DM's that simply doesn't scan... combat still takes a decent chunk of time... at best 4th ed and SW provide 1 shot kills for the grunts, but a good DM can manage that sort of thing in 3.5 without sacrificing anything.
Personally, I've found that 3.5 seems to provide a better environment for long campaigns and 4th ed is great for a weekend "We're going on a 23 hours dungeon crawl, bring Mt. Dew and Snacks".
- I don't see race. I just see cars going around in a circle.
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Earthdawn Forever, baby!
Telarus, KSC,
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I firmly support Paizo's Pathfinder system as the next update to WotC D&D 3.5. Even if 4th ed doesn't suck o some people, it's very nearly a totally different game now. Also I don't know anyone personally who wants to play 4th ed.
If someone does the “Fine, you’re right, I’m clearly a terrible person, I’m Satan, I’m the worst person alive, I should just die” thing in response to criticism of their harmful behavior, they are trying to manipulate people and flip the situation around so that they look like a victim.
Quote from: Mesozoic Mister Nigel on July 09, 2016, 11:54:09 pm
As a neuroscientist I have to disagree with the perception that anyone is doing mathematical modeling of cognitive intelligence, yet; intelligence as an economist defines it, yes, but economists are worlds away from actual cognition.
Although it is outside the purview of this organization to offer personal advice, we can say -- without assuming any liability -- that previous experience indicates (and recent market studies corroborate) that given the present condition of the marketplace, continuing with your present course of action is likely to result in substantial in
Also, the pro-Savage Worlds geeks remind me of the Apple geeks... except I think Apple actually produces some awesome products.
Quote from: Ratatosk on May 24, 2010, 07:55:12 pm
Our group has decided to go back to 3.5 for several reasons. First and foremost is that no matter which of us has tried running 4th ed, it feels more like a battle system with role playing included (not that is IS, just that's how it feels).
see this really sounds like an issue with the DM -- I've played 2, 3, 3.5 and 4, and they're all more or less the same thing. I didn't find that the 3.5 campaigns I ran/played were any more "story" oriented than the 4.0 campaigns I've played.
I will admit that the published adventures have been somewhat"Fight, rest, fight, rest, fight, rest, boss fight, rest" Though there are some seriously cool moments in a few of them (the dragon fight in Thunderspire Labyrinth is fricking amazing - combining dragons, traps, and puzzles, and a countdown in the same action packed encounter)
that's weird - at my table, combat goes WAY faster in 4e than 3. There's a lot less back and forth in each round, and the rules are much better streamlined.
3.XE
DM: I cast Word of Chaos. Make a will save, difficulty 28
Player: *rolls dice*, I fail
DM: What level are you?
Player: nine
DM: *thumbing through book* Okay, you are stunned* for *rolls dice* 3 rounds, deafened** for 1 round, and confused*** for *rolls dice* 6 minutes. That is a mind effecting enchantment.
*A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a -2 penalty to AC, and loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).
**deafened = She takes a -4 penalty on initiative checks, automatically fails Listen checks, and has a 20% chance of spell failure when casting spells with verbal components.
***A confused character’s actions are determined by rolling d% at the beginning of his turn: 01-10, attack caster with melee or ranged weapons (or close with caster if attacking is not possible); 11-20, act normally; 21-50, do nothing but babble incoherently; 51-70, flee away from caster at top possible speed; 71-100, attack nearest creature (for this purpose, a familiar counts as part of the subject’s self). A confused character who can’t carry out the indicated action does nothing but babble incoherently. Attackers are not at any special advantage when attacking a confused character. Any confused character who is attacked automatically attacks its attackers on its next turn, as long as it is still confused when its turn comes. A confused character does not make attacks of opportunity against any creature that it is not already devoted to attacking (either because of its most recent action or because it has just been attacked).
DM: I cast Word of Chaos. *rolls dice* I hit will 28
Player: you got me.
DM: You take *rolls dice* 20 damage and are slowed* and dazed**. Save ends both.
* slowed = movement speed becomes 2
** dazed = you can only take one action per turn. you grant combat advantage.
I know we've talked about this on the forum somewhere before and I'm beating a dead horse, but what in 4e exactly do you think makes it difficult to run a long campaign? I'm PCing in a 4e campaign that's approaching its first birthday, so I have definitely not had that experience.
Re: WARNING: D&D TALK
I'm sure that it can be done... don't get me wrong. I've been through a campaign in Savage Worlds so I mean, ANY SYSTEM can be used for campaigning...
To be honest, I dunno why it ends up the way it does. We've all done DM'ing in 3.5, we've now all done DMing in 4.0... We've all made the argument that 'I can tell in any system'... but at the end of the day the subjective feeling of the group is 'err'. Now, for us, 3.5 doesn't generally fall into the "OMGZ Gotta look that up again" category, cause we're nerds and have been playing for ages and know most of the crazy stuff (also, the house rule... KNOW YOUR SHIT AND WHAT PAGE TO FIND IT ON IF THERE IS A QUESTION!!! seems to help a lot).
Problems I have with 4th Ed.
1. The Pigeonhole: Our group rarely plays a class straight. We work at coming up with why THIS (ranger, fighter, sorcerer, wizard, cleric etc etc etc) is worth being in whatever epic story is taking place. So we often pick a class and figure out which skills or feats or items or spells would give that character a unique view, unique abilities etc. I once played a human monk that never killed, he just grabbed people and put them to sleep. We had a half-giant sorcerer that was entirely melee and all of his spells were about defense or physical buffing. Etc etc... 4th Ed (at least in the games I've played) seems to have mechanics that strongly encourage (not necessarily force though) the player to play the same general role for that class.
2. Skill Challenges - Again, we have often done stuff entirely opposite of the expected standards... "Here's a challenge, you can use Skill X, Y or Z" vs "Here's a challenge... what do you do?
So in short, with tweaks and ignoring some of the rules, we've been able to play the way we like... but 3.5 doesn't require nearly as much hacking to make the world we want to play in.
I think....
Requia ☣
Delicate and pretty shark of impending doom.
Quote from: Professor Freeky on May 24, 2010, 08:39:26 pm
Pretty much this, beginning to end.
Inflatable dolls are not recognized flotation devices.
When 3.0 came out, and again with 3.5, it very quickly became impossible to find a game run in the older style. Everyone wanted to move to the new thing.
I haven't seen that happen with fourth though, I know more 3.5 and pathfinder games that are going on than 4th games.
They discontinue old books, and get rid of the free downloads they have for the old system, which makes it near impossible to get new stuff to play, as Requia says.
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* Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore
* Tanveer Zamani
* Pakistan
* Kashmir
* India
* Hyderabad
* Pakistan People's Party
* Books
* Research
Syed Mohiuddin Qadri, 'Zore'- MA, PhD.
Dr. Qadri, Syed Mohiuddin (1905-1962). He lived for 56 years, but authored 61 books. A professor, renowned poet, a leading scholar, and a social reformer. But above all, he rejuvenated 'Urdu' language & literature in British Indian Subcontinent.
By: Maurice Matusowitz
Dr. Syed Mohiuddin Qadri 'Zore'.
• Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore
• Tanveer Zamani
• Urdu
• Pakistan
• Kashmir
• Hyderabad
• Pakistan People's Party
• Literature
• Research
• Wisconsin - US
April 10, 2011 - PRLog -- Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore, Dec 1905- Sept 1962. He lived for 56 years and authored 61 books. A poet, a leading Urdu writer, a prominent scholar, and a social reformer, But above all, he rejuvenated 'Urdu' language & literature in British Indian Subcontinent. He was one of the pioneers of Urdu literature whose work today is a basic part of the educational curriculum in India. Most of the renowned libraries of the world are glorified with his books in the section of Urdu Literature.
Early Education:
He was born in Hyderabad in 1905 and educated at Madrasa-e- Darool Uloom, City School and Usmania College. He did his post graduation and earned M.A in Linguistic sciences in 1927 with profound distinction.
The ruler of Hyderabad sent him to England on a fellowship in 1929, where he obtained his Ph.D. degree in Linguistic sciences. In 1930, he went to Paris and attended a course in Linguistics. Upon his return from Europe, he was appointed in the Urdu department of Usmania University. He also carried out responsibilities as Head, Department of Urdu, and Dean of the Faculty, Kashmir University.
Dr. Zore contributed substantially to Deccan’s culture and language. He had a intense respect for Deccan. He made utmost measures and endeavors to preserve its traditions and trait, and give the place a sense of pride. He supported and led continued efforts to maintain Urdu as the official language of the Hyderabad State and as the medium of instruction in the Usmania University even after the sub-continent dissolution into Pakistan and India.
Scholarly work:
Dr. Zore’s literary interests had a very broad spectrum . He as a writer made momentous donation to the development of Urdu short stories. At the age of 23, his first short story “Tillism-e-khayal” ‘Magic of the thought’ introduced a charismatic angle of an interest, lesson, and yet the great quality literature he was doing his M.A at that time.
All the stories included Sayr-e-Golkonda and Golkanda ke heerey ‘Diamonds of Golkunda’ and were written against the backdrop of Golkonda’s past history. Golkonda is located 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state, India. In the 16th century, Golkonda was the capital and fortress city of the Qutb Shahi kingdom, near Hyderabad. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates in the region and was the center of a flourishing diamond trade. Here, the purpose was to revive memories of the good old traditions.
Dr. Zore’s primary interest had been research all along in the history of India, Hyderabad, treasures and kings. In his adolescence Zore wrote poetry as a social reformer, and later during his stay in Kashmir, his poetic contribution reflected more of a human connection with nature and its dynamics.
His books, Urdu shahparey (1929), Hubbey tarang (1933), Gulzar-e-Ibrahim (1934), Ahde Usmani mein Urdu ki taraqi (1934) and Dakkani adab ki tarikh are the result of his research. In addition, Kulliyate Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah (1940), Hayat-e-Mir Muhammad Momin (1941), Dastane-adab Hyderabad (1951), Tazkira makhtutat Urdu. Vols. II and III (1951 and 1957), Talib-o-mohni (1957), Maani sukhan (1958), are notable contributions among his works as well. In fact, the research undertaken by Zore left a great impact on the course of Urdu literature.
Zore’s Rooh-e-tanqueed, Vols. I and II (1927) had a primacy among the critical works through which Urdu readers became acquainted with Western principles of criticism. His scholastic dimension of mind took him close to the school of scientific criticism. His critical attitudes can be gauged from Rooh-e-Ghalib (1939).
Zore was the first linguist in Urdu. His commendable work, Hindustani lisaniat (1932), ‘the languages of India’, throws light on the interesting aspects of the evolution of the Indo-European group of languages. In the second part of the book we find a comparative study Gujarati, Dakkani, and Hindi. His English composition, Hindustani Phonetics, is a significant work on linguistics.
Institutional Work:
Zore combined in himself the qualities of a poet, a litterateur and a linguist. These qualities were at work in his establishment of Idara Adabiet-e-Urdu and Abdul Kalam Azad Oriental Research Institute.
His efforts were also evident in the construction of a graceful building at Hydrabad that houses ‘Aiwan-e-Urdu’ a house of Urdu. Moreover, there has been a Urdu Journal, every month published with the name Sabras distributed in Hyderabad Delhi Lahore Pakistan.
His patronage of Urdu led to its widespread use amongst Indian Muslim communities and following the Independence of Pakistan and India from British rule in 1947. Its adoption as the official language of Pakistan.
Life and Legacy:
He was married to Tahniath Unnisa begum, who herself was the first female Sahiba -e- Dewaan Naatgo Urdu poetess. Her three books are published the famous one is “Sabro Shukar” She was the daughter of Nawab Raffat Yaar Jang. Dr. Zore had nine children with her. Four daughters and five sons. Among his children, his daughter, Tahzeeb Unnisa Zore, followed his pathway, she was the outstanding poetess, and did Masters in Linguistic sciences from Usmania University. She brought his torch of Urdu literacy to Pakistan and spent her life in a teaching profession. She was a leading proponent of the education of women in Pakistan. After Tahzeeb’s demise in 1999, the flare of Dr. Zore’s Legendary torch is now in the hands of his grand-daughter, Tanveer Zamani, who is residing in Boston , USA and working at Harvard University hospital as a physician. She is PhD in International politics as well. It seems as if Dr. Zore is cloned into her and will re-live through her.
The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Five (Sasay To Zorgot) – Mohan Lal - 2006 - Literary Collections - 820 pages
A history of urdu literature
Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore, 271. Kalimuddin Ahmed. Chapter XXII New Wave in Poetry.
Translations from other languages
The only pre-Independence work is "Hindustani Phonetics" by Syed Mohiuddin Qadri "Zore
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Urdu Literature - Google Books Result
Abida Samiuddin - 2008 - Literary Collections - 634 pages
Zore, Syed Mohiuddin Qadri (1904-1963)
Deccan heritage - Google Books Result
Dorairajan Balasubramanian - 2000 - History - 249 pages
Zore Syed Mohiuddin Qadri (1929). Urdu Shah Pare.
International Forum of Culture and Literature.
Transmission of culture and literature heritage to the oncoming generations.
English, Spanish, French, Latin, Greek, Persian, Arabic and Urdu Linguistics.
Biopedia, Literature and Culture.
: ***@hotmail.com
: Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore, Tanveer Zamani, Urdu, Pakistan, Kashmir, India, Hyderabad, Pakistan People's Party, Books
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Dr. Tanveer Zamani - Finally, She is a Common Word between Islam and the West.
President Asif Zardari & Dr. Tanveer Zamani confronted by Siddiqui's Mother to bring Aafia back!
Dr. Tanveer Zamani, a US citizen & the Pakistani Pres. Zardari challenged by Aafia Siddiqui's mother
President Asif Zardari & Dr. Tanveer Zamani to bring Aafia Siddiqui back!
Apr 10, 2011 News
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DC ENTERTAINMENT:
Batman (2016-)
Batman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition - Book 2
The acclaimed creative team of Tom King, David Finch and Mikel Janín takes things to a new level as Batman brings the pain to his international opponent, Bane, in Batman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2.
The Dark Knight has invaded his home, scarred his mind and broken his back. Now Bane has returned to Gotham City for a single purpose: eliminate the Batman once and for all. But first he’ll destroy everyone the Dark Knight has ever loved…or loathed.
In the wake of this battle, the Batman makes Catwoman an offer that leaves her absolutely speechless. As she considers her answer, the Dark Knight tells her of a secret war from early in his career. It was a time when The Joker and the Riddler would seemingly be natural allies, but each man determined that he and he alone must be the one to kill the Bat...and either would sooner burn down Gotham than be beaten to the punch line.
All of Gotham’s villains were forced to choose sides in this stunning battle of wits that quickly escalated into a full-blown war—complete with civilian casualties. In this “War of Jokes and Riddles,” only one side could claim victory...but the scars it left shaped Batman’s future.
Written by Tom King (Mister Miracle, The Vision) with art by David Finch (Wonder Woman), Mikel Janín (Grayson), Jason Fabok (Justice League), Mitch Gerads (The Sheriff of Babylon), Clay Mann (Action Comics) and more, this latest Rebirth Deluxe Edition features two of the most critically acclaimed arcs in modern comics in hardcover for the first time. Collects Batman #16-32 and Annual #1.
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LIVE: Shasta Lake council considers relaxing water use rules
Shasta Lake's City Council will consider whether to ease restrictions on water use, including the elimination of penalties for excessive water use, this evening.
LIVE: Shasta Lake council considers relaxing water use rules Shasta Lake's City Council will consider whether to ease restrictions on water use, including the elimination of penalties for excessive water use, this evening. Check out this story on redding.com: http://reddingne.ws/2flX6oF
PRRS Published 12:23 p.m. PT April 19, 2016
Shasta Lake’s City Council will consider whether to ease restrictions on water use, including the elimination of penalties for excessive water use, this evening.
The meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at the council chambers, 4488 Red Bluff St., will also include debate of, and a decision on, an ordinance that bans camping on public and private property without the owner’s permission.
However, the council will first tackle water use after the city learned the Bureau of Reclamation will give Shasta Lake its full allocation of water, said Tony Thomasy, water department superintendent, in a report to the council.
He is proposing the council consider eliminating excess water use penalties, which generally penalize customers for every 100 acre feet of water above 1,000 they use.
Some restrictions on landscaping and pools may also be lifted if the council approves.
However, he said the department would need about $35,000 from the general fund to offset the cash lost from eliminating the fees.
The city implemented the restrictions when it declared a stage four water crisis because the Bureau of Reclamation cut the city’s share of water by 75 percent amid one of the worst droughts in recorded history.
Unlike the city of Redding, Shasta Lake gets its water from its namesake reservoir. It also is a junior water rights holder, which means its allocation must be cut substantially before Redding’s allotment is shaved.
City staff made deals to bring in additional water to help the city cope with the cuts.
Thomasy also cautioned that the state’s mandatory 25 percent cut in water use remains in effect. The state will revisit that number this week, he said.
Shasta Lake’s water customers managed to surpass the mandatory cuts when they reduced their water use by 32 percent, according to the water department.
The council will also consider whether to adopt a ban on camping to give law and code enforcement a tool to address homeless encampments.
That issue arose after residents in Shasta Lake complained about the noise, drugs and crime that, they say, the camps attract.
If passed, it would ban camping on any private or public property in the city without the owner’s permission
Read or Share this story: http://reddingne.ws/2flX6oF
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How to Pray for Missions
Missionary Caregivers Ministry
Missions Opportunities
Missions Station
TUGA (The Ultimate Give Away)
An unreached people group is defined as “a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group”. Basically, an “unreached people group” is a group that is less than 2% evangelical.
Rainbow Forest Baptist Church, has experienced both adopting and partnering with Unreached People Groups (UPG). We adopted our first Unreached People Group, the Mina of Rajasthan, India, in 1998. In 2008, we began praying for and working with the Balkar of Southern Russia. We are now praying for a total of 7 Unreached People Groups as we seek to follow Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19):
Balkar of North Caucasus, Russia
Banjara of Southern/Central India
Chenchu of Southern/Central India
Kaitag of Dagestan, Russia
Koya of Southern/Central India
Mina of Rajasthan, India
Ragia Kranda of Northwestern India
©2020 Rainbow Forest Baptist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Artistry Labs
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Montreal City Guide
If you’re looking for a taste of Europe within Canada’s borders, Montreal is the place for you! Canada’s second-most populated city (with just over 4 million residents) is full of diverse cultures and languages, and a beautiful mixture of history with modernity. If you’re a francophone, you’ll feel even more at home — Montreal is the 4th largest French-speaking city in the world.
If your French is a bit rusty (or non-existent), have no fear. Just over 55% of Montrealers are bilingual, speaking both English and French, so a friendly “Bonjour!” will be helpful even if you can’t go much further than that. No matter what language you speak, living in Montreal offers sights and attractions that leave residents speechless. Just For Laughs/Juste Pour Rire is the largest comedy festival in the world, and takes over main streets like St. Laurent Boulevard every July. Art galleries and museums can be found all over the city, and nature lovers will adore the Botanical Gardens.
The Old Port isa full of cobblestone streets, historic architecture from the 17th century, and tons of beautiful cafes and restaurants. The film industry loves this area as a replica of Old Europe, so it’s not uncommon to see crews, cameras, and celebrities lining the streets. Driving in the Old Port is fairly impossible, but it’s extremely pedestrian-friendly — like much of Montreal. If you don’t have a car, the city is also cyclist-friendly, and the Metro (the city’s public transportation system) will get you where you need to be quickly and efficiently.
Whether you’re a student at one of Montreal’s world-class colleges and universities, an executive in one of the city’s leading industries like aerospace, pharmaceuticals, or retail, or a family looking for the perfect home or apartment to rent near great schools, Montreal has something for you. Montreal has among the lowest rental rates in Canada, with prices unseen in markets like Toronto and Vancouver.
This area is very walkable -- most errands can be accomplished on foot. Transit is good, with many nearby public transportion options. There is some amount of infrastructure for biking.
Let’s look at some of the city’s top English-speaking and French-speaking neighbourhoods, and the downtown core
English-Speaking Neighbourhoods
Notre Dame de Grâce (NDG) - Westmount - Hampstead - Beaconsfield
Most of Montreal’s anglophones reside in the western half of the city. Notre Dame de Grâce (or NDG) is located in southwest Montreal, with a mix of commercial and residential areas and great schools. Popular with young professionals, NDG is a highly walkable neighbourhood, within 15-minute access to the downtown core. Moving a bit north, you’ll find the affluent neighbourhood of Westmount — one of the most expensive areas in Montreal. Beautiful parks, ponds, wading pools, and North America’s oldest active rugby club are among the recreational offerings of the neighbourhood. Also on the west side of Montreal is the neighbourhood of Hampstead, which is the perfect place for tech lovers and green living enthusiasts. Hampstead has been designated a “Smart City,” using key technological advances — like free WiFi in public buildings and interactive apps — to make the neighbourhood an efficient and environmentally-friendly one. Historically, the neighbourhood of Beaconsfield was once a cottage area for well-to-do Montrealers. Over the decades, it has transformed to become a year-round residential area, filled with gorgeous homes and rental apartments.
French-Speaking
Rosemount - Plateau Mont Royal - Hochelaga-Maisonneuve - Outremont
While French-speaking Montrealers live all over the city, the eastern part of Montreal is heavily francophone. Rosemount is a very diverse neighbourhood with quaint shops, the Little Italy area, and a mixture of rental property types like single-family homes, duplexes, and triplexes. Plateau Mont Royal is a trendy and artsy neighbourhood, where murals and sculptures are commonly found — and being close to McGill University, is a choice location for students looking for an apartment for rent. Plateau is home to great restaurants and concert halls, providing a fabulous nightlife scene. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve has a bit of a bohemian vibe — gorgeous architecture, markets where you can buy fresh foods, and Rue de la Poésie, a tree- and flower-lined street with posts featuring poetry by local poets. Outremont is a neighbourhood that sits near Montreal’s Mount Royal, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, yet with close enough access to the action via the Metro. A prime neighbourhood for francophones and French expatriates, Outremont is a bit pricier than other areas, but affordable rentals can still be found among its great shops and restaurants.
Montreal’s bilingual core is located in the borough of Ville-Marie, and contains a bit of everything the city has to offer. You’ll find campuses for institutions like McGill University, Concordia University, Université du Québec à Montréal, Cégep du Vieux Montréal, and the National Theatre School of Canada among others. Prime nightlife options abound in the downtown core, with notable restaurants, bars, and nightclubs throughout the area. The Bell Centre is the spot for top sporting and entertainment events, where you can catch a Montreal Canadiens game one day, or snag a ticket to the annual winter Cirque du Soleil show the next. Sainte-Catherine Street is home to major department stores and the nearby Crescent Street houses many high-end boutiques, making the area a shopper’s paradise. Rental prices are higher in the downtown core, but a range of housing styles can be found there — glitzy high rises, character-filled older apartment buildings, and beautiful Victorian homes that can be found in the Golden Square Mile portion of the city centre.
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feature These are the best headphones coming in 2020
feature The 10 best tools to help you meal prep successfully
12 weird gifts we still can't believe we received
Some are trash, some are treasures.
Written by Connor Whooley
Everyone’s been there.
Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, a birthday, or any other day, we’ve all gotten a box, envelope, or bag with building excitement.
We’ve torn the wrappings, ripped envelopes wide open and thrown tissue paper aside with smiles on our faces—until we saw what was inside.
If you’re a true pro, the smile stays but the excitement does not when you are presented with one of the weirdest gifts you’ve ever gotten, be it anything in the world except what you even remotely wanted.
Sometimes, the gift is exactly what it is—something you didn’t want and won’t use, but sometimes, whatever it is turns into a winner.
As you’ll find out, though, a lot of these gifts are from people who are now no longer involved in our lives. Either way, we’re not trying to be ungrateful or rude, and I’m sure most of us handled these situations with grace and dignity. But now that those moments are behind us, we decided to share our stories of the 12 weirdest gifts we at Reviewed have ever received.
1. A remote-controlled fart machine from that (now ex) uncle
“I had a family member who—like me—is a little immature for his age and had one of these fart machines himself. He'd put it in family members' bags and catch them unsuspecting at family gatherings. One Christmas when I was 6 or 7 years old, he got me one and my younger brother and I put it to use a little too much. My parents used to take it and hide it so we couldn't use it and to be honest, I don't know where it ended up, so it's probably still hidden in a cabinet somewhere.” — Connor Whooley
Get the Remote Controlled Fart Machine on Amazon for $21.95
2. These peppermint candy shot glasses from parents
“The weirdest gift I ever received was a set of these peppermint candy shot glasses—from my PARENTS! I can't complain. They are somewhat of a genius concept, not to mention a hit with my friends, but I was quite surprised to dig them out of my stocking.” — Patricia Camerota
Get the Peppermint Candy Cane Edible Shot Glasses on Amazon for $10.99
3. This cold brew coffee maker that’s part cotton
Credit: CoffeeSock
“The CoffeeSock sure doesn’t look like much: It’s literally just a mason jar with a cotton sock inside. So you can imagine my surprise when I unwrapped it last year. Turns out I was the fool (not the first time). This thing makes killer cold brew coffee. Just pour the coffee grounds into the sock and let it soak overnight into the fridge. Best coffee I had all summer.” — Dave Kender
Get the CoffeeSock ColdBrew Kit on Amazon for $19.99
4. The Squatty Potty from a pal
“Last year, I drew No. 2 in a Yankee Swap. Then, I opened a Squatty Potty. Crappy number and gift—the irony is not lost on me. Someone stole it from me later in the game, though, so I can't comment on this stool stool... Sorry for all the toilet humor.” — Jessica Teich
Get the Squatty Potty on Amazon for $17.80
5. A Red Lobster gift card from a (now ex) girlfriend’s family
“A soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend’s family, who (suspiciously, in hindsight) also ensured I wasn’t in any of the family holiday pictures, once re-gifted me a gift card to Red Lobster, a restaurant chain that doesn’t exist in Massachusetts. That’s right: There’s no Red Lobster in Massachusetts.” — Anonymous employee
Get a Red Lobster Gift Card on Amazon for a number of different values
6. These fuzzy green socks as a surprise
“I once got a pair of fuzzy green socks. At first, I thought it was such a bad gift that it might be a joke, and then, when it was clear it wasn't, my feelings got kind of hurt. They were so comfy, though, that I still wear them all the time. Not in public though.” — Cindy Bailen
Get Lingswallow Women’s Socks on Amazon for $5.88
7. A bed pillow from a (now-ex) boyfriend
“Once, a(n ex) boyfriend gave me a bed pillow for my entire holiday gift. Unceremonious...yet kind of thoughtful...I guess?” — Jessica Teich
Try our favorite bed pillow of 2017:
Get the Sleep Restoration Gel Pillow on Amazon for $38.99
8. This cider press from the in-laws
“My wife's parents bought us a cider press a few years ago, which was a totally unexpected holiday gift. It's actually pretty fun to use, but it takes a lot of work—and a ton of apples—to press a decent amount of cider.” —
Jeremy Stamas
Get the Weston Fruit and Wine Press on Amazon for $249.99
9. Your face on anything
Credit: Firebox
“This is not a gift I've received, sadly, but one I'm obsessed with. A very lovely, very ridiculous friend of mine makes very amusing faces that we've all grown to love. This year, she'll be able to show the world that face every time she travels, thanks to this company called Firebox, which makes all sorts of absurd custom gifts including pillows, air fresheners, and "Head Cases." These things are apparently so popular that if you want to give one as a gift, it'll have to be a belated one, but what a fantastic late gift to surprise someone with in 2018! I, for one, cannot wait to see the look on her face on her luggage.” — Samantha Gordon
Get a Head Case from Firebox for $40.19 and under
10. Rocking whiskey glasses for those who can’t sit still
“One of the more peculiar gifts I've ever received are these rocking glasses, which are great if you're the type who fidgets. Alternatively, I imagine they're great if you live on a boat.” — Michael Desjardin
Get the Sagaform Rocking Whiskey Tumbler on Amazon for $18.59
11. Boring books from an ex’s father
“An ex's father once gave me the complete Joseph and His Brothers by Thomas Mann. I can't remember a single conversation I had with him that would lead him to conclude what I really wanted for Christmas was a 1,500-page four-part German historical novel based on parts of the book of Genesis. I still haven't read it.” - Andrew Winson
Get Joseph and His Brothers by Thomas Mann on Amazon for $25.58
12. Baked beans
“To be honest, my family isn't big on gift giving. In fact, we've been re-gifting a ceramic peach to one another for years. Anyways, many Christmases ago, my sister gave me a giant can of baked beans. It's par for the course for me, but I thought it might seem weird to the rest of you.” - Jonathan Chan
Baked beans can be procured at your local supermarket/convenience store.
Prices are accurate at the time of publication, but may change over time.
These are the best headphones coming in 2020
The 10 best tools to help you meal prep successfully
5 ways your smart speakers can entertain your kids
View all Reviewed
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You are here: Home / Articles / Queens of Mystery — By the Makers of New Tricks and Doc Martin [TV Rev...
Queens of Mystery — By the Makers of New Tricks and Doc Martin [TV Review]
January 16, 2020 /in Articles, Entertainment and Arts /by Rhema Central Coast
By: Laura Bennett
With inquisitive narration and grand, sweeping landscapes, watching the new British crime series Queens of Mystery feels like snuggling up with a good book.
Matilda Stone (Olivia Vinall) is a forever-single policewoman, who has just made rank as detective sergeant. The role takes her back to her hometown of Wildemarsh, where she’s reunited with the three kooky aunts who raised her when her mother disappeared. Living in their ‘Murder Ink’ bookstore, her crime-writing family encourage Matilda’s fascination for the mysterious, and can’t get enough of watching it play out in her own life too.
Created by New Tricks and Doc Martin writer Julian Unthank, Queens of Mystery offers both the familiar and the new to fans of the genre.
The first season comprises three separate stories, each split into two 45-minute episodes.
Matilda’s still cutting her teeth at the beginning of her high-ranking career and doesn’t quite yet have the sharp edge of a Martin Clunes or Sandra Pullman. Although she puts her shoulders back and furrows her brow, the odd bit of gentle bewilderment cuts through, reflecting the true-to-life reality of a twenty-something trying to find their place in the world.
Matilda’s aunts also bring a backbone of family connectedness to the series that’s stand-out. The trio are motherly, rebellious and book smart, and like parents who kiss you at the gate on the first day of high school, are overwhelming interested in her every move.
Unlike crime shows that solely focus on the forensic, Queens of Mystery gives you the twists and turns you’re after but adds a sweet reminder that even the most accomplished professionals have families, and they may be the very thing that helped them get where they are.
Teens and above will appreciate the storylines and, a few episodes in, it looks like this one won’t be too gory either.
Season 1 of Queens of Mystery is available to stream on Acorn TV through iPad, iPhone, Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Chromecast.
Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.
About the Author: Laura is a media professional, broadcaster and writer from Sydney, Australia.
Tags: articles, hope 103.2, laura bennett, tv show
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Brooke Ligertwood: “It’s a Wonder-Filled Life When You Have to Rely on God”
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Getting Your Kids Reading – And the Great Things it Does For Them
Creating The World's Longest Prayer Chain: Five Kilometres Long, and Growing
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High School: What parents should know when choosing one
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How To Make Millennials Work Aiming to Be Amongst the ‘Two Percenters’
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You are here: Home / Your council / News / News archive / News from February 2019 / Vote soon for big-hearted heroes in new Salford awards
Vote soon for big-hearted heroes in new Salford awards
Voting closes soon to choose who will be honoured for amazing acts of kindness at the brand new Spirit of Salford Community Awards 2019.
Two thousands nominations have been made for extraordinary volunteers and public servants who have given up much of their time to help others.
The finalists for all categories have now been announced and public votes will choose who should win in three overall awards: Citizen of the Year, Community Group of the Year and Public Servant of the Year.
To decide who truly deserves praise, people can read more and vote until 1 March on the Spirit of Salford Awards website.
The winners will be announced at a special celebration event on 14 March at the AJ Bell Stadium.
The awards are being run by a partnership of local organisations including Salford City Council, Salford CVS, Salix Homes and City West housing associations, NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, Greater Manchester Police, Salford City College, University of Salford, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Bupa and Ladybird private day nursery.
City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “It’s fantastic there have been so many nominations for volunteers and public sector employees who make a massive difference to the lives of local people.
"It only takes a few seconds to click to vote for these great examples of Salford selflessness, people who are giving crucial support and help every day purely out of their own kindness. Volunteering is a powerful way to connect people. It brings people of different cultures, religions and walks of life together, combats loneliness and isolation and builds positive communities.”
The three overall awards are:
Citizen of the year – to recognise a truly inspirational Salford hero who has made an outstanding contribution to making the city a better place to live, work or visit
Community group of the year – to celebrate a local group that has made the most outstanding contribution to making Salford a better place to live, work or visit
Public servant of the year – to recognise an exceptional front line public sector worker who puts the people of Salford first
There are seven individual category awards where judges have already selected the winners:
Young person of the year – this award will go to an exceptional young person who has achieved great things (either academically or personally) in the last year.
Volunteer of the year – this award will celebrate a Salford resident whose volunteering has had a tremendous impact in the city
Good neighbour of the year – this award will recognise a person who goes out of their way to help and support their neighbours
Best health achievement – this award will recognise a determined individual or group who are doing great things to improve health and wellbeing in Salford
Best environmental improvement – this award will recognise an individual or group making a lasting contribution to making Salford cleaner and greener
Best community safety project – this award will recognise an individual or group working tirelessly to make Salford a safer place to live
Best age friendly project - will recognise an individual or group that has done the most to make Salford a better place for older people to live
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HOME > Sports
Meet the 1992 World Cup Champions
SAMAA | Digital - Posted: May 31, 2019 | Last Updated: 8 months ago
SAMAA | Digital
Posted: May 31, 2019 | Last Updated: 8 months ago
Unseen pictures of Pakistan’s historic win by photojournalist Iqbal Munir
The only Pakistani photographer to cover the World Cup 1992 put on display his collection of previously unseen images of the historic victory.
Iqbal Munir, who has been a sport photographer for 30 years, stayed with the Pakistan team throughout the experience, which included quite a fair share of ups and downs. His camera recorded every detail of the 45 days of drama.
Just weeks before the tournament, the camp back home lacked vigour and enthusiasm. Imran Khan was nursing a shoulder injury, Javed Miandad was laid up with a back problem, Waqar Younis was undergoing physiotherapy for his stress fractures.
“There was non-seriousness, no coordination and no sense of purpose,” he said, “only over-confidence and arrogance.” They were complacently telling themselves that they would work hard after they crossed the semi-final. “It takes only four matches to qualify and we’ll beat India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and South Africa,” he recalls team members as saying.
On January 15, the team left for Australia minus Miandad but with Zahid Fazal and Inzamamul Haq, Imran’s hope for the World Cup. Munir boarded a flight to Melbourne via Singapore with his Nikon F3.
He takes the people of Pakistan back in time to ‘Relive the Passion’ of the World Cup 1992 in this video.
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Show Opens in Stockholm
National news coverage in Sweden
The opening of Sean's exhibition at GALLERI ANDERSSON SANDSTROM last week (GSA.SE) and the installation in Stockholm's Humlegarden of "Seated Figure" led to a front page review in Sweden's biggest National newspaper, Dagen Nyheter, on 01.10.19. The exhibition runs until November 1st, and the Seated Figure will remain in the Humlegarden until the Spring of 2020.
"Art Review: Sculptures with a magical presence"
British sculptor Sean Henry is back with a gallery exhibition in Stockholm and a new monumental sculpture in Humlegården. Birgitta Rubin experiences magic in his designs"
"It happens again and again as I enter the large room at Galleri Andersson / Sandström. In a tenth of a second, my body and brain are preparing for interaction with human figures - even though I know that these are stagnant sculptures by Sean Henry. How is that possible?
The two variants of the "Standing figure", a young man and a young woman facing each other, are, on closer inspection, not even very naturally depicted - far from Duane Hanson's super-realistic sculptures. Here, the surface is instead rather roughly treated, skin wrinkles slightly exaggerated as well as folds in the clothes, which at the same time lack detail like buttons.
But above all, these figures, two seemingly perfectly ordinary people, are "larger than life". Enlarged, like historical heroes. The British sculptor does this, shifting the scale towards either greater or lesser representation of people.
Humlegården has now also been visited by a bearded uncle in crumpled costume, who, in his thoughts, looks out over the park, sitting with crossed hands over a bag in his lap. Everyday, but on a monumental scale.
Sean Henry's "Seated figure" is available in a smaller version of the gallery exhibition and in a larger outdoor version for six months (part of the celebration of Humlegården 400 years). It will be interesting to see how the Stockholmers react to the slightly silly old man. I myself have previously met Henry's "Walking woman" on a path in Ekebergsparken in Oslo, where the progressive woman figure on the "powerwalk" scares the children a bit but after a while they often get their hand in hers.
It's magical to see how others relate to Sean Henry's sculptures and to experience the strong presence of the figures themselves. It is something with facial expressions and body language that triggers human instincts and causes one to react with compassion, sympathy, concern.
At the gallery, the neatly dressed and handsome young woman raises questions. Why does she stand with her hands crossed over her chest, defensively focused? And the bearded older man, whose figure Sean Henry has both drawn and sculpted in various poses, what does he think? He seems to be going through some kind of life crisis. Likewise "Hedda", frozen in a kneeling position, with praying eyes and face a little theatrical, facing the sky.
The model of "Hedda" is an actress (in the role of Hedda Gabler) and even the bearded man has a background in the theater, while others are friends and family. In interviews, Sean Henry has stated that he never uses professional artist models; "They are totally absent mentally".
It is not external resemblance he strives for, but his personal presence and those ambivalent, unaccounted-for moments. The glimpse of what is happening in the person's interior, and which each person interprets, based on their own experience bank.
The characters are unmistakably contemporary, girls in ponytail and tight pants, guys in hoodies and jeans, men in casual suits. Around a dinner table sit three children who are petrified, the oldest boy in hooded sweatshirts and gym suits, all encased in his own thought bubble.
Here my associations mainly go to the ponderous mind games and the gloomy mood of Vilhelm Hammershøi's group portrait at the Thielska gallery.
Just in this exhibition, I otherwise lack a clearer play with art history and scale shifts within the same sculpture group that Sean Henry previously operated with.
But probably there is almost always something in the poses of his sculptures that arouses associations with old masters. Nowadays, we also know that ancient sculptures were polychrome, painted just like Sean Henry's bronze sculptures usually are.
But unlike art history's depictions of kings, gods and mythological beings, Sean Henry's characters are anti-heroic. You and I in the crowd of people. Everyone carrying on in their own little world."
(translated from the Swedish)
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Mike Koozmin/The S.F. ExaminerThe City wants to give Sunset homeowners an incentive to help reduce water runoff by swapping pavement for grass.
SF homes poised to put soil back in front yards to help ease runoff woes
The front yard, if you can call it that, of Jerry Lindner’s yellow stucco Sunset district home looks more like a driveway, or a sidewalk, than anything that might ever sprout a living plant.
Despite less than successful efforts to green the space, it and much of the district’s streetscape remain an ugly landscape that does little to entice people out into the streets, he said.
“I hate them,” Lindner, 56, said of his concrete front yard and most of the rest in his neighborhood. “I think, first of all, aesthetically they are not very pleasing and they lend nothing to the neighborhood.”
Putting the atheistic implications of the district’s stone gardens and concrete yards aside, there is a more vexing subterranean issue: runoff.
Much of The City’s sewer system is also the main avenue for runoff during rainstorms, at times overwhelming wastewater treatment plants. Often the system is so taxed in the winter that excess water must be released into the ocean. But such water is not so clean.
That’s where Lindner’s yard comes in. Unlike grass and planted, permeable yards, it’s hard, concrete surface amplifies the amount of water rushing into The City’s sewers.
Now Lindner and a handful of other Sunset residents – including several on his block – plan to pull up their sidewalk-like front yards and replace them with plants.
The upside will not only be a prettier landscape that encourages people to come out of their houses, but it will also decrease runoff because that water will now filter into the ground.
What’s more, The City will help defray the cost.
The idea for what is being called the Front Yard Ambassador Program sprouted from the district’s supervisor, Katy Tang, who admits, “There’s a lot of concrete out there.”
Even before she became a supervisor, lots of people complained about the area’s concrete landscape, which came about, she said, because people couldn’t afford to pay for the upkeep of their lawns or just wanted more parking.
While The City has increased the cost of paving over your front yard, said Tang, this program is the first that incentivizes actually tearing out concrete gardens – which is private property to boot.
Participants in the pilot project – which is only offered in District 4 – need only pay for permits, which amounts to roughly $200.
The concrete removal, plants and even advice about what kind of plants will best survive in the Sunset’s windy, wet environment will come from The City, said Tang.
All that amounts to about a $1,200 value.
The catch?
You have to take part in the planting and at least five houses on your block have to participate, so the impacts of the landscaping will be more evident, said Tang. And the program also aims to encourage neighbor interactions.
The first meeting of the 16 households participating is scheduled for next week.
Now Lindner’s empty threats of tearing out the concrete in front of his house – often saying to his wife, “I’m gonna pull out that concrete,” – will be all too, er, concrete.
CCSF enrollment takes big hit as accreditation battle continues
BART praised for reform made after Oscar Grant killing
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Shutter Doors for Wardrobe
We recently carried out an installation of shutter doors to a bedroom wardrobe at a home in London Bridge. This is a great example of one of the many ways that shutters can be used around the house, rather than just on windows! The shutters when closed help to conceal the wardrobe and then can be opened revealing the drawers and clothing behind. The shutters have been made to measure fitting the exact sizing of the wardrobe, also allowing for the row of drawers to be fully pulled out without catching.
The material used for the shutters was taken from our Cuba Range, which have been made in full height with a mid rail. Because these shutters have been fitted to a wardrobe the 89mm louvres have been fixed rather than moving. They were then finished in pure white with matching white hinges.
Transformation of Home with Full Height Fiji Shutters in Ealing, London
Tom was in Ealing, London to help transform this home from outside and inside with some of our plantation shutters. The property had a mixture of standard windows and beautiful...
Tier on Tier Shutters for Traditional Wooden Sash Window in West Malling, Kent
Tom was in West Malling in Kent to install these tier on tier shutters featuring integrated blinds for a client. Luke had been to the property earlier to take exacting...
Venetian Blinds for Offices in London Bridge
We were recently asked by a new client if we could fit some of our Venetian blinds to an office in London Bridge. Shaun and Ben were on hand to...
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The five-minute CIO: Tom Austin, Gartner
24 Mar 2017745 Views
Gartner fellow Tom Austin. Image: Gartner
‘It is too early to decide which AI platform to standardise. Instead, play the field. Get married in five years,’ recommends Tom Austin, Gartner’s AI evangelist.
Tom Austin, vice-president at Gartner, has been a Gartner fellow since 1997. He drives the company’s research content incubator (the Maverick programme) and is leading a new research community on the emerging era of smart machines and AI.
The research includes AI, deep machine learning, natural-language processing, conversational systems and cognitive computing.
‘It is all math that is going on; it is not a mystical or magical occurrence’
– TOM AUSTIN
Smart machines are a set of new, revolutionary and disruptive technologies that mark the beginning of a multi-decade revolution in how technology is used.
Austin is also the Gartner lead analyst on Google.
How would you describe your role?
Internally at Gartner, I am the chief evangelist for AI core technologies.
My job is to be the whip to drive another 200 or 300 people at Gartner to pick up the responsibility for understanding what the impact of AI is going to be like in industries such as healthcare, marketing, legal affairs and so forth. This thing is going to be all-pervasive.
Externally, I am the curmudgeon. I identify the problems, the weaknesses, the issues that people should consider, because almost every vendor hypes the heck out of it and pumps a lot of marketing malarkey into the marketplace. I take a very hot position internally and a cool, advised, recommended approach externally.
So, is AI really happening in the enterprise?
AI is happening, but in different ways. 40pc of our clients – large enterprises – are experimenting with branches of what I call ‘amazing innovation’ around deep neural networks, machine learning, natural language processing and so forth.
But that is experimentation; they are sending a few bright people off to play with and learn not just the strengths, but also the weaknesses, of all the major companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM and 40 others.
The second cut is how many are really doing something, rather than learning, to understand strengths and weaknesses and build skills. We think around 5pc of large enterprises are truly investing in AI today, specifically for customer interaction, support, improving quality of support, reducing cost of delivery and improving satisfaction. That is 5pc of a very large market. We believe that’s where the biggest activity is occurring.
And just 1.5pc of the market is really investing in serious projects in this area and intending to deploy the technology.
On the experimentation side, 40pc is a huge number and I think that people are upskilling their particularly special people so they can make intelligent decisions.
Some see AI as a kind of magic, others believe it will steal their jobs. What do you believe?
There are three ways to define AI other than as artificial intelligence.
In some cases, AI stands for ‘amazing innovation’; it can mean ‘always impossible’ or ‘aged innovation’.
What we mean by always impossible is that there are always going to be some things we think technology can’t do. For example, around 1900, they said you couldn’t fly anything heavier; and then in 1903, the Wright brothers come along.
Then we get an amazing innovation, and that is technology that does what technology couldn’t do before. We are surprised, it is big headline stuff.
And then there’s aged innovation, which represents what used to be amazing innovation; we were shocked by it and now we are used to it. Just like smartphones today.
I use those three terms: always impossible, amazing innovation and aged innovation; and each have different roles in enterprises. Marketers tend to scare or enthuse people by saying AI is just like humans; it thinks like a human, it understands like you and me. Wrong.
I’ll accept the statement that an amazing innovation can be made to appear like it thinks. It doesn’t think. It is not human. I have never met a cognate technology and, in fact, some of the people I’ve met don’t have cognitive capabilities.
So we use all these metaphors such as consciousness and awareness. I see no evidence that we can do any of that.
I used to have a teacher who said that computers only do what humans tell them to do. Is that right?
What we have learned with deep learning or deep training is that because we force-feed information to it – it doesn’t learn by itself generally – we can now get it to make decisions, if we have the right analytical model.
AI is a revolution in analytical models with high horsepower compute capability, graphic processing units and big data. Put the three together and we no longer have to write millions of lines of code for a system to identify all of the risky things in the environment, such as a car moving along.
Instead, you build an analytical model, take 100,000 hours of video and feed it into the analytical model until it learns what to see and how to see it.
It is all math that is going on; it is not a mystical or magical occurrence. We can now replace a lot of coding with a lot of data because it is far easier to do than before.
All these machines do is what we teach them to do. We either write code or feed them with data into a model that crunches the data and characterises it.
Your teacher was absolutely right – only now, all of these machines are trained with deep neural networks.
How are businesses going to make practical use of AI?
You probably think, ‘My smartphone is dumb’ – we get bored with its capabilities. We know what it does well and we know what it doesn’t do well.
People actually don’t consider what their smartphones do as AI. In fact, there is a lot of AI going on; for example, speech to text, text to speech, Siri and more.
Just look at Alexa in Amazon Echo. That’s an amazing example of an AI technology that is using speech to text in a local chip in a machine. It takes the audio, recognises the word, pumps the audio up to an Amazon server (where it does some serious speech to text work) and then does what you tell it to do. ‘Alexa, Capital One, what’s my credit card balance?’ It sets off a chain reaction of instructions. There’s a tremendous amount of AI going on.
There is a company in France called In-side that diagnoses and provides prognoses on ear problems. It collected 12,000 pictures of the external ear canal and, using an iPhone with a special snorkel, it identifies problems such as tinnitus.
It works with a company called Clarif.ai, which has created deep neural networks that process the impacts to help discriminate between the different disease states.
They now provide a very valuable service in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a simple example of how AI can be harnessed.
AI has always been in the popular imagination. But this time round, would you say it is finally tangible?
Yes. AI has gone from enthusiasm to fear and failure, and there have been several AI winters.
I concluded – based on what I was seeing around 2011 in Gartner and academic research – that they had finally figured out a formula that would be responsible for sustainable improvements in AI capabilities.
In 2012, I convinced management to allow me to spend half my time being an internal evangelist and external cynic around AI, and build a practice around it.
But this follows 65 years of failure in AI.
There was a big bang moment in 1958, and The New York Times wrote about the ‘perceptron’, a machine that would accurately perceive the environment around it. But that went bust.
In 1987, we had an AI winter around neural networks that tried to pick up where the perceptron left off, but that also failed and funding was withdrawn.
But a few persistent people stuck with it and around 2011, Google said, ‘We know how to solve this problem’. It harnessed data centres with 16,000 CPUs to feed 2m pictures of cats into a neural network. The computer responded to pictures of cats, not dogs, firing up the cells each time it recognised a cat picture.
This taught us that all we needed was more compute cycles.
All of a sudden, people wanted to train machines to learn anything from perception.
Combine the neural network with a rules engine, and machines can make decisions for you. It’s not perfect, but I am satisfied that this time round, AI is going to stick.
What advice would you give an enterprise that wanted to employ AI in its business?
There are five things I would say.
First, the technology is turbulent and keeps changing. The self-driving model for cars in 2012 is not applicable in 2017. By 2022, it will be a new paradigm or set of technologies. Do not get married to one vendor just yet.
Second, all of the big application system providers such as Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and Salesforce are building big AI systems that will come out this year. Watch out: this will be a 100-car train with every boxcar full of objects moving at 150kph down the track. It could get messy.
Third, you need real experts on your staff. Hire some master’s graduates who have done theses on natural language processing and deep learning, and send them on a mission to experiment with AI, the different platforms, and identify their strengths and weakness.
Fourth, it is too early to decide which platform to standardise. Instead, play the field.
Fifth, get married in about five years.
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In-Depth: AI Week, Five-Minute CIO
Related: Google, AI, internet of things, big data, Gartner
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With so many museums, theaters, galleries, and orchestras, Berlin is not only the capital, but is also the cultural epicenter of Germany. Visitors travel from all over the world to learn about the city's tumultuous history, partake in the happening nightlife, or enjoy first-class dining and shopping in Berlin. And with affordable hotels, cheap eats, free sights, and low-cost public transportation, the city is fairly inexpensive to visit. It has also gone through a major reformation since the Wall came down in 1989, and the vibe nowadays is a loving "live and let live" attitude, where almost anything goes. Berlin is proud of the alternative lifestyles that thrive in this avant-garde culture, and creativity is applauded. Flights to Berlin currently land at either Schoenefeld Airport or Tegel Airport, but starting in 2011, planes will touch down at the new Capital Airport Berlin Brandenburg International Airport.
Berlin is an affordable destination year-round, but it's wise to keep an eye on major events and trade shows before booking. Summer is the most popular time to visit, when families vacation and the weather is nice. Winter can be cold and snowy, but many people visit for the holiday festivities. Spring and fall attract visitors from all over who enjoy fewer crowds, mild temperatures, and plenty of activities.
high season: June to August
low season: lateOctober to February
shoulder season: September to mid--October, March to May, June to August, lateOctober to February, September to mid--October, March to May, June to August, lateOctober to February, September to mid--October, March to May
Berlin experiences four seasons, with an average annual temperature of about 48 degrees. Winters tend to be chilly with temperatures averaging a high of 37 degrees in December. Summers are typically clear and warm, with an average high of 73 degrees in July. Spring and fall can bring pleasant weather, with average highs of 55 degrees in April and October. About one quarter of the city's precipitation comes in the form of snow, and rain is possible any time of the year.
Crowd Information
Since Berlin covers such a large area, dense crowds are rarely an issue. However, more people may visit during certain festivals, including the Berlinale in February, the Carnival of Cultures in May and June, the Love Parade in July, the Berlin Marathon in September, and New Year's Eve.
Hotels remain open throughout the year. While many museums will close on Mondays, and shops will close for holidays such as Easter, Pentecost (50 days after Easter), and New Year's Day.
When to Save
Although prices remain fairly steady throughout the year, hotels are the least expensive during the low season, and prices tend to rise during major events, marathons, and conventions.
Last-minute airfare is available throughout the year, but it's wise to book several months in advance if planning a visit during a major festival.
Information provided by the Berlin Tourism Organisation
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Abbott's torture comment sparks response
Prime Minister Tony Abbott's assessment of torture in Sri Lanka has been slammed by the federal opposition while his British counterpart insists leaders should not back away from difficult human rights issues.
In Colombo attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Mr Abbott on Friday commented on reports of alleged torture by Sri Lankan security forces.
Mr Abbott told reporters that while his government "deplores the use of torture we accept that sometimes in difficult circumstances difficult things happen".
Labor rejected the comment.
"The use of torture is never justifiable," shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said on Saturday.
"There is never a 'difficult' situation where torture should be accepted."
He cited the Commonwealth Attorney General website, which states: "the prohibition on torture is an absolute right. This means it cannot be limited or qualified under any circumstance".
Asked of Mr Abbott's comments, British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters in Colombo on Saturday that he would let his Australian counterpart speak for himself, but said debate should not shy away from controversial topics.
"I think it's right to confront and discuss the difficult issues, the human rights issues, journalistic-freedom issues, importance of reconciliation," Mr Cameron said.
The British Conservative leader agreed with Mr Abbott's opening remarks at the CHOGM which championed the potential of Sri Lanka.
"But I think we do that not by gliding over the difficult issues," Mr Cameron said.
Following a meeting of the two leaders on Friday, Mr Cameron took the opportunity on Saturday to heap praise on Australia's new leader.
"I welcome the election of Tony Abbott and welcome the very strong and good working relationship that I know that we'll have," he said.
"I think he's a politician of immense stature and ability and I'm sure he'll do an excellent job."
Most Viewed in National
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© SRINIVASAN SADASIVAM. All rights reserved.
13th Annual Smithsonian.com Photo Contest
The Castle from Story Book
This fairy tale Neuschwanstein castle, appearing just came out a story book page, puts up an awe inspiring view from the popular viewing deck Marienbrock (Mary's Bridge). It was reported that Mad King Ludwig II used to relish its look in moonlight.
TAGS: Castle, Germany
SRINIVASAN SADASIVAM
San Diego, California, United States of America
© SRINIVASAN SADASIVAM.
Date Uploaded: Oct. 7, 2015, 11:03 p.m.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Aperture: f16
PHOTO LOCATION Hohenschwangau, Germany
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History Science Innovation Arts & Culture Travel
SmartNews Keeping you current
How to Catch the Quadrantids, the First Major Meteor Shower of the 2020s
This cosmic light show will peak in the predawn hours of January 4
The Quadrantids meteor shower, though fleeting, is famous for its especially bright, colorful "fireballs" (Luis Argerich / flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)
This week, the world will celebrate the start of a new decade on the Gregorian calendar. And there are few better ways to usher in 2020 than to turn your eyes skyward to witness the fiery debris of a wayward comet. The Quadrantid meteor shower will peak in visibility during the late evening of January 3 and predawn of January 4 in North America.
This narrow window, spanning just a few hours, might be a bit tough to catch without some serious dedication and a clear night sky. But even a brief glimpse might be worth the effort: Unlike many other meteor showers, the Quadrantids are famous for spitting out “fireball” meteors that blaze by in a dazzling array of unusual color and brightness.
First spotted and scientifically documented in the 1800s, the Quadrantids have an oddball origin story. Astronomers aren’t even sure where the meteors hail from. While Earth experiences most showers of this sort when it hurtles through the debris of comets—the solar system’s dirty snowballs—the Quadrantids were first thought to have been birthed from a body based more in rock than ice: an object called 2003 EH1.
First designated as an asteroid, 2003 EH1 may actually be a “dead comet,” one that’s shed its volatile ices after sojourning around the sun a few too many times, according to NASA. Others have noted that 2003 EH1 may share a history with the comet C/1490 Y1, described by Asian astronomers some 500 years ago.
The Quadrantids have also been subject to something of an identity crisis. Once named because they appeared to stream away from a northerly configuration of stars called the Quadrans Muralis, the Quadrantids now belong to no one: In 1922, the International Astronomical Union decided to jettison their namesake from the list of constellations, writes Elizabeth Howell for Space.com. Nowadays, a better way to spot the Quadrantids is to search for meteors that look like they’re radiating out from between the constellations of Boötes and Draco.
Whatever their roots, the Quadrantids can promise a show. Made up of larger hunks of matter than most meteors, they generate especially spectacular streaks in the sky when they collide with Earth’s atmosphere. But because our planet hits this cosmic dust trail at a perpendicular angle, our rendezvous with the Quadrantids will be brief.
According to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), the Quadrantids will crescendo just after 3 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 4. (To give your eyes time to adjust, head outdoors about half an hour before you begin scouring.) Not the most convenient of times, but chances are you won’t be jostling for viewing space—and the especially dark, moonless skies will only make the show more spectacular, reports Bruce McClure at EarthSky.
So brew some coffee, bundle up and get comfy somewhere well away from city lights. For those in especially dim parts of the Northern Hemisphere, more than 100 meteors might shimmer through the skies every hour. No promises, though: The Quadrantids can be as elusive as their origins.
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Timelapse Footage of a Giant Caterpillar Weaving Its Cocoon (2:34)
For six weeks, luna moth caterpillars gorge themselves on the leaves of the marula tree. Then, when they're ready, they instinctively weave giant cocoons around themselves in preparation for their stunning metamorphosis.
Da Vinci's The Last Supper plays a key role in the 2006 blockbuster hit The Da Vinci Code. Although the film's claims are more fiction than fact, could the painting actually contain a message from Leonardo?
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Gemologist Finds Insect Entombed in Opal Rather Than Amber
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Jan 30, 2014 | 9:12AM
Jeane Coakley
Jets Extra Point: John Idzik
By Jerry McGuire | Oct 29, 2014 | 11:20AM
Jeane Coakley interviews Jets GM John Idzik, discussing the team's disappointing start and whether the Jets still need a QB.
During the interview, Idzik was asked about the future of Geno Smith and the Jets, and said:
That's still to be determined. You don't want to try to answer that question too prematurely, especially when you're dealing with a younger quarterback in Geno. When you're dealing with a younger quarterback, or at any position, but specifically at quarterback, there are going to be rough times. Very rarely do you get the plug and play player in this league, much less at the most difficult position. It's a matter of seeing them through those rough times and hoping those rough times become fewer and farther between, and the type of mistakes they make, they don't repeat those mistakes. That's what we're going through now. We will continue with the development curve and we will continue searching. We'll continue to try to enhance that position in any way we can.
Tags: avsny, Jeane Coakley, jmcguire860, John Idzik, NYJets, Jerry McGuire
Jets Extra Point: Rex on team morale
By Jerry McGuire | Oct 14, 2014 | 11:19PM
Jeane Coakley and Rex Ryan discuss the morale in the Jets locker room heading into their short week against the Patriots.
http://web.sny.tv/media/video.jsp?content_id=36807261&topic_id=6479520
Tags: avsny, Jeane Coakley, jmcguire860, NYJets, Rex Ryan, Jerry McGuire
SNY: Muhammad Wilkerson interview - 1/29/14
By Brian Bassett | Jan 30, 2014 | 9:12AM
Jeane Coakley caught up with Mo Wilkerson for a 1-on-1 yesterday ? they talk about last season, the Super Bowl, Rex coming back, and the Pro Bowl snub.
http://web.sny.tv/media/video.jsp?content_id=31328419
Tags: Film Room, Jeane Coakley, Mo Wilkerson, Brian Bassett
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Spain squad ´not perfect´, admits Del Bosque
SoccerNews in European Championships 20 May 2016
Spain are the double defending champions heading into Euro 2016, but head coach Vicente del Bosque admits his squad is not perfect.
Under Luis Aragones, Spain ended their 44-year wait for a major international trophy by seeing off Germany 1-0 in the Euro 2008 final.
Del Bosque subsequently took over and guided the team to World Cup glory in 2010 before a successful defence of their European Championship title with a 4-0 demolition of Italy two years later.
A dismal World Cup 2014 saw them eliminated in the group stages in Brazil, but Del Bosque is optimistic a new-look squad can triumph at the upcoming finals in France.
“The list is not perfect, we are sure that there are players who deserve to be here by their great season, but I leave it clear that I have no sympathy when choosing,” he said.
“I am fully confident that we have the best group. Now we must prepare in the best way.
“There are 11 or 12 that were not in Brazil, which speaks well of the renewal we are having and what we want is to adapt.
“We have no obligation to be champion, but we dream that we could be.”
SoccerNews
Soccernews.com is news blog for soccer with comprehensive coverage of all the major leagues in Europe, as well as MLS in the United States. In addition we offer breaking news for transfers and transfer rumors, ticket sales, betting tips and offers, match previews, and in-depth editorials.
You can follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/soccernews.com or Twitter: @soccernewsfeed.
Categories European Championships
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Antoine Griezmann Hands In Transfer Request
According to reports in Spain, Antoine Griezmann has told Atletico Madrid he wants to leave this summer.
Atletico Madrid correspondent Antonio Ruiz, who reports on Diego Simeone’s side on a regular basis, revealed on Tuesday afternoon that Griezmann had handed in a transfer request.
News of his decision will delight Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward as the 26-year-old striker is at the top of the Mourinho’s shopping list this summer.
The French international, joined Atletico in 2014 from Real Sociedad, scored 16 La Liga goals for Diego Simeone’s men this season.
Signing Simeone will not be cheap as Atletico will demand every penny of Griezmann’s €100 million buy-out clause, especially as they could owe the Frenchman’s former club Real Sociedad as much as 20% of any fee they receive for him.
With personal terms reportedly already agreed between Griezmann and United, this is one transfer that should get completed quickly, as Atletico cannot do anything if United trigger his release clause.
One of the attractions for Griezmann to move to Old Trafford is the chance to link up with close friend Paul Pogba. Pogba hinted Griezmann could join United by replicating the forward’s celebration after winning the Europa League.
The world’s most expensive player captioned the video ‘is that you?’ and Griezmann, who said a move to United is six out of 10 likely to happen, liked Pogba’s post.
The challenge for Atletico Madrid is whether they can replace Griezmann. The Spanish side are expect to learn on Thursday if their two-year transfer ban has been lifted. They have already served the first year and will be free to strengthen if their ban is halved on appeal as Real Madrid’s ban has been.
Manchester City’s Nolito, Malaga’s former Barcelona forward Sandro Ramirez who is also wanted by Everton and Sevilla attacker Vitolo are all poised to make a move to the red side of Madrid if the are allowed to register signings.
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White Label Online Casino Software
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English Русский Turkish Deutsch Español Italiano 中文 Português do Brasil Hindi हिन्दी Français Georgian Thai
Fugaso
Cross-platform titles
Cryptocurrency-friendly
Want to get Fugaso games for your casino?
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I am interested in Fugaso.
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Fugaso (short for Future Gaming Solutions) is an advanced Software Provider and Game Development Studio. Fugaso has the capacity to build-in various interesting nuances within games to make a more immersive experience for players which also includes unique features to make sure you are getting the best of both worlds when it comes to Entertainment and Retention!
Superb graphics
Multiple jackpot games
HTML5 titles
No live casino games
About Fugaso
Fugaso is one of the key players in the online gaming industry that has a relatively long history of delivering high-quality products. The company was founded in Israel back in 2001 and has been operating in the iGaming sector ever since. Fugaso strives to introduce players to new and original solutions in the online gaming industry. For that reason, creativity is one of the most significant aspects that drives the company forward.
Currently, Fugaso is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. However, it is safe to say that their brand spreads far and wide, as the company has a strong presence in the European market. What’s more, they are one of the most popular software providers across the countries of CIS.
However, Fugaso is focused on growth, and they are always looking to expand their reach. Furthermore, they aim to create titles that are in-line with various regulations issued by reputable gaming authorities. The company holds a license from the Malta Gaming Authority, Curacao Gaming Control Board, and UK Gambling Commission, allowing Fugaso to operate in numerous locations.
Fugaso Software
If you are thinking about adding Fugaso’s games to your online casino, you are in for a treat. Namely, they have an excellent variety of games and their portfolio includes both table games, such as Neon Blackjack Classic and Lucky Spin Euro Roulette, as well as video slots like Super Hamster, Brave Mongoose, Wild Rodeo and many more.
Currently, there are 66 games available to Curacao-licensed operators and 42 different titles for operators licensed by the MGA, all of which are designed in HTML5 and available on handheld devices. Apart from intricate design and innovative themes, your players will be able to enjoy games characterised by superb design and fantastic sound effects. What’s more, Fugaso’s games come with a high RTP that ranges between 95% and 99.5%.
In addition to the pristine quality of their games, Fugaso is able to deliver its titles in different languages. Furthermore, their software supports all currencies, including popular cryptocurrencies, which is excellent news for operators that have or are planning to start a bitcoin casino.
Fugaso API Integration
The quickest way to add Fugaso’s games to your game library is through our unified API. By going through the integration process only once, our unified API allows you to gain access to the full suite of Fugaso’s games. In addition to being able to add video slots and table games by Fugaso to your platform, you will also gain access to more than 50 other software providers with over 3000 games, all of which will be available for installation just as easily.
As we’ve mentioned previously, Fugaso offers both video slots and table games. However, their primary focus of interest is video slots, which is why most of their portfolio is comprised of these games. While they have produced a wide array of popular games, some of their most top-performing games include titles like Stoned Joker, Trump It Deluxe, Fugaso Airlines, Imhotep Manuscript, Wild Rodeo, The Mummy 2018, Cleopatra’s Diary, and Magic Spinners.
Fugaso Airlines
Fugaso Airlines perfectly depicts Fugaso’s ability to innovate and create exciting and unique titles. The game comes with an intricate playing grid that unlocks as you land winning combinations. What’s more, Fugaso Airlines comes with numerous opportunities that help players win more, such as the Win Multipliers and Extra Flights. On top of that, the slot includes 3125 paylines, as well as three different jackpots.
Trump It Deluxe
Trump It Deluxe is undoubtedly one of Fugaso’s most popular and most creative titles. The slot is an excellent showcase of Fugaso’s playful side as it includes cartoony portraits of the world’s political leaders combined with their spirit animals. The game features three different Scatter symbols, a random overlay Wild symbol, a Battle feature, respins, Last Chance, three different types of free spins, and more. Simply put, Trump It Deluxe is an endless source of fun.
Cleopatra’s Diary
Travel to Ancient Egypt and unravel the mysteries hidden in Cleopatra’s Diary. This mesmerising video slot comes with stunning graphics and a captivating soundtrack. It has a playing grid comprised of six reels and three rows of symbols, as well as 20 paylines. In addition to the superb visuals, Cleopatra’s Diary comes with various bonus features, such as free spins, respins, and Sticky Wilds.
Magic Spinners
Magic Spinners is Fugaso’s nod to old vintage slots. It comes with polished graphics and features crystal-clear fruit symbols, as well as beautifully designed reels. Magic Spinners is played across five reels and three rows of symbols, and it includes 10 adjustable paylines. It features a wild symbol and the Gamble feature that allows players to double their money after landing a winning combination. In addition, it also has Mini, Midi, and Maxi jackpots.
To ensure the premium quality of their titles, Fugaso uses numerous technologies that help them achieve their goals. All of their titles are designed to work in both Flash and HTML5. These technologies are some of the most notable ones used for developing Fugaso’s titles. Furthermore, the technologies are used to optimise the speed and performance of the games and to ensure that the games have a realistic feel to them.
By developing their titles in HTML5, Fugaso ensures that all of their titles are ready to be played cross-platform. Namely, HTML5 allows games to adapt to screens of all sizes, ensuring that players will have the best experience whether they’re playing on their laptop or desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Promotions & Bonuses
Fugaso strives to develop titles that meet operators’ needs, which is why they are able to add multiple promotions and bonuses to their games. Apart from numerous free spins titles, a lot of their games come with jackpots integrated into them.
Operators’ licenses are an excellent testament to the security of their games. Namely, in order for an operator to obtain a license, they must comply with numerous regulations outlined by gaming authorities.
When it comes to Fugaso, they are licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, as well as Curacao. In other words, all of their games are safe, meaning that operators and players don’t have anything to worry about.
Credibility & Fairness
As is the case with security, in order for an operator to obtain a license from a reputable gaming authority, they must ensure that their games are fair. This guarantees that the outcome of every spin is truly random.
Apart from having gaming authorities to verify the fairness of their games, Fugaso also uses the services of QUINEL Lab, an internationally accredited testing lab that verifies the RNG of casino games.
Casinos That Offer Fugaso’s’ Games
Numerous casinos have already decided to add Fugaso’s games to their portfolio. Some of the most notable online casinos that feature their games are:
Melbet Casino
4Kingslots Casino
Universal Slots Casino
Gudar Casino
Wcasino Online
Casillion Casino
LuckyBet Casino
https://fugaso.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fugaso
https://www.facebook.com/1940317236284242/photos/a.1940373896278576/2265235850459044/?type=3
Fugaso FAQ
1. Who is Fugaso?
Fugaso is an online casino software provider and one of the industry leaders with a strong presence in the European gaming market.
2. Is Fugaso licensed?
ELK Studios is licensed by The Malta Gambling Authority
3.What type of products does Fugaso offer?
Fugaso produces table games and video slots, the latter being their primary focus.
4. Are Fugaso’s games fair?
Yes, they are. In accordance with gaming authorities’ requirements, the fairness of Fugaso’s games is tested by various laboratories, such as QUINEL Lab.
5. Why integrate Nolimit City through SoftGamings?
SoftGamings’ unified API integration is well-thought-out in order to seamlessly integrate innovative video slots and table games from Fugaso into any casino. The expert team at SoftGamings is responsible for overseeing operators’ daily requests, while skilled customer support specialists are always on the alert to solve potential issues and respond to routine queries. The customer support team is available and accessible round the clock.
SoftGamings integration advantages
Great commercial offer
Single unified API
Best practice recommendations
You can purchase this product from SoftGamings by contacting our consultants.
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Spencer Fernando
BETRAYAL: Trudeau Lets China Take Over Sensitive Canadian Company WITHOUT Security Review
NewsSpencerFernando June 8, 2017 8
Trudeau is letting China buy up our country piece by piece
Over and over again, Justin Trudeau has shown a disturbing willingness to do the bidding of China – even when the national security of Canada and our allies could be at risk.
In late March, Trudeau let China’s O-Net Communications buy Montreal-based ITF Technologies, despite warnings against the deal from the Department of National Defence and CSIS. The Harper government had blocked the deal for those same security reasons, yet Trudeau let it through.
Now, Trudeau has let China takeover another sensitive Canadian company – WITHOUT a security review.
The details are disturbing.
As reported by the Globe and Mail, “The Trudeau government is allowing Chinese investors to buy a Vancouver high-tech firm without a formal national security review even though Canada and many of its allies use the company’s patented satellite communications technology for security, public safety and defence.”
The company is Hytera Communications from Shenzhen, China. They are taking over Norsat International Inc., a company based in Vancouver. Norsat recently delivered a satellite communication system to Canada’s Coast Guard.
As reported by Globe and Mail, other Norsat customers include “the U.S. Department of Defence, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, the Irish Department of Defence, the Taiwanese army, the aircraft manufacturing company Boeing and major journalism outfits including CBS News and Reuters.”
It is absurd and disturbing that the Trudeau government is letting Hytera buy such a sensitive company without a national security review.
Hytera accused of massive theft
As if letting Hytera take over Norsat itself isn’t bad enough, it turns out that Hytera has an incredibly controversial reputation. Hytara has been accused by Motorola of a massive theft of Motorola’s intellectual property, and is now facing a court case over the matter.
Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia told the Globe & Mail he was “astonished” at the move by the Trudeau government: “I find this incomprehensible because it is so clearly involves cutting-edge technology as well as Canada’s most important security alliance. We have a Canadian company that is building satellite receivers for essentially the most advanced satellite system operated by NATO and the Chinese takeover of that company is not being subject to a national-security review.”
Byers also asked, “Do we want small and medium-sized Canadian companies that are engaged in cutting-edge telecommunications research and development to be snapped up by foreign companies that are essentially hollowing out Canada’s aerospace and military industries by doing this?”
Betraying Canada and our allies
This sale should have been blocked. Canada should be doing more to hold onto our companies that are related to national security. And we should never let China – an undemocratic authoritarian state – buy a company that has worked so closely with both our government, and our close allies.
Letting China takeover this company without a national security review is both a betrayal of the interests of the Canadian people, and a betrayal of our allies, who will certainly lose trust in our commitment to protecting sensitive information from China.
And to the point made by Byers, why is Justin Trudeau letting our military industry get taken over by China? Canada needs a strong homegrown military industry, and that means we need to protect our companies, not let them get bought out – and especially not by China.
Trudeau’s disturbing willingness to do China’s bidding
China has repeatedly complained about national security reviews, seeing them as “unfair” and as “protectionism.” Well, that’s too bad for them. If China wants less scrutiny, they would have to show that they are no longer a ruthless authoritarian state. Obviously, they can’t show that, so the scrutiny needs to remain.
And yet, instead of listening to warnings from Canadians, Trudeau listened to China, and it’s not the first time. Remember that Trudeau also let a shady Chinese company (with links to the Chinese Communist Party elite) buy the largest assisted living company in British Columbia, which gave China the chance to enter our healthcare system.
We also remember that before he became Prime Minister, Trudeau expressed admiration for China’s “Basic Dictatorship.”
And who can forget the Cash-For-Access fundraisers with Chinese billionaires. There were reports that some of those who attended those elitist fundraisers asked Trudeau to make it easier for China to buy up Canadian companies. Does anyone believe it’s just a coincidence that Trudeau raised all that money and then approved China’s takeover attempts?
This is part of long-term pattern from Trudeau, who seems much more loyal to China than he is to Canada or other democratic nations. Consider the fact that Justin Trudeau is distancing Canada from the United States in our foreign policy, yet simultaneously moving closer to China. There is something very disturbing about that.
It appears that our government is now actively doing the bidding of a ruthless authoritarian regime, and is letting our country get bought out piece by piece. This is something that should disturb all Canadians, as it raises the serious question of whether our government is now serving as a proxy for foreign interests – regardless of the consequences to Canadians.
***
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Posted in News, PoliticsTagged Canadian Coast Guard, CBC News, China, China Authoritarian State, Chinese Government, CSIS, Department of Defence, Hytera Communicatons, Irish Department of Defence, ITF Technologies, Norsat, Norsat International Inc, O-Net Communications, Reuters, Shenzhen China, Taiwanese Army, Trudeau, Trudeau China, Trudeau Government, US Army, US Department of Defence, US Marine Corps
Rick Churchill
More treachery from our Prime Minister, continuing the lineage of Canada’s most honoured traitors. I would not blame our allies for abandoning us until this blight on our country’s credibility and ethics can be driven from power.
Canada is not a priority or a concern to Fiddle Diddle … his only priority is himself !!
This is very serious stuff. When will we get some balls and kick him out?
Lets start right now with a very aggressive writing campaign to the Governor General. I’ll get mine off immediately! This guy and his insider gang are hitting us below the belt everday.
This has got to stop..please, there must be something we can do. Do the liberal supporters not know what this pm is doing? He and Butts and Soros are absolutely ruining our country.. time to separate us from this government.
Pure and simple Trudeau is a TRAITOR to our country!!!!!
He has got to be kicked out. How many things is he going to get away with and not have to answer for it without penalties. He’s ruining Canada. Canadians should be very worried. Canadians have been struggling ever since liberals got in and every year he’s in it just keeps getting worse.
ninetyninepct
Did anyone else notice Trudeau’s bull$ht excuse in Parliament when questioned about his treason? He stated that the American’s were “consulted”. I can easily imagine that his “consultation” amounted to him simply dialing some phone number in the States, apologizing for calling a wrong number and then hanging up.
Trudeau is a liar.
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Jean Charest Will NOT Run For Conservative Leader
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Home GOLF Gearan on Golf: Fighting cancer through golf at Templewood
Gearan on Golf: Fighting cancer through golf at Templewood
“Cancer may have started the fight, but we will finish it!”
Those were the inspirational words of Rena Amidon the pro shop manager at Templewood Golf Course in Templeton last week as she addressed 60 women golfers clad in all shades of pink before they headed out to play, wheeling away in their flashy, pink-decorated golf carts in the 10th annual Rally for the Cure Golf Tournament.
“We had another successful tournament and another great turnout of women golfers,” said Amidon, who anticipated that more than $1,000 from the event would be donated locally to Heywood Hospital’s oncology department in Gardner.
Among the 60 participants were golfers from the Greater Gardner and Templeton area and also from cities and towns all over Massachusetts, several from the western part of the state. Before the tournament began, a continental breakfast was served in the clubhouse. After golf, lunch was served in the Templewood Course Pavilion, catered by the King Phillip Restaurant in Phillipston.
Amidon thanked all the golfers who entered the tournament , reminding them of the tough battle against the disease.
“One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, and events like this one help with the cause,” she said.
“We’re here to help with the fight against breast cancer,” said Linda St. Laurent of Winchendon. “And we also have a great time playing golf together.”
St. Laurent was in a foursome with friends Debbie LaPrise of Templeton, Mary Glotch of Gardner and Janice Couture of Templeton. The group has played in all 10 of the Rally for the Cure tournaments over the years.
“We’re the Fab Four,” said Couture with a laugh. “We’ve been here every year since the start. We’re good friends and we love to golf.”
“I love the camaraderie and we have a lot of fun,” said Glotch. “Everyone decorates their cart and we have a lot of great prizes. Most importantly, though, it’s all for a great cause.”
“Everybody looks forward to this tournament all year long,” added LaPrise.
Interestingly, the 10th Rally for the Cure Tournament coincided with the 20th anniversary of Templewood Golf Course, which opened in 1999.
Before the tournament began as all the golfers watched from their carts, Tara Corey, a special guest, sang a touching rendition of “You Say,” an emotional song written by Lauren Daigle and released in 2018.
Winning the tournament with a net score of 2-under-par 68 was the talented team of Linda Harris, Kendra Shea, Elaine Hautanen and Cathy Forbes.
And splashed in pink from the top of their golf carts to their golf spikes, the team of Bernice Ouellette, Helen Carol Pascale, Sheila Cregg and Joy Charters won the coveted “Best Team Carts” award.
Birdies for the Blind: The 8th annual Birdies for the Blind Golf Tournament will be held on Sept. 13 at Gardner Municipal GC. Money raised from the tournament will be donated for LHON (lebers hereditary optic neuropathy) research.
The tournament will begin with registration at 9 a.m. and a shotgun start at 10 a.m. The $100 entry fee includes golf with cart, prizes, and hot dogs and hamburgers following the event at the Napoleon Club, 271 Park St., in Gardner.
Donations with names or business names for a minimum of $50 can also be made for a hole sponsorship with a sign on a tee box or green. There will also be gift cards and gift certificates given in raffles. For more information, contact Shane Stewart at 978-906-1805 or via email at sstewart44@comcast.net. Checks should be made payable to “Birdies for the Blind.”
Another Ace: Congratulations to longtime GMGC member Ken Michaud of Fitchburg for his second career hole-in-one. Last week, Michaud, playing with John Curran, Al Arsenault and Charlie Lane, spun his ace right into the cup on GMGC’s sixth hole using a 7-iron.
GMGC Flashback: While I was looking at the list of GMGC club champions (1937-2019) printed on these sports pages last week, the winner from 1962 stirred a nice memory — Jeff Ambrose. Ambrose was 52 years old when he won the championship and never bought into the theory that as one’s years mount, golf scores do likewise.
In fact, on his 65th birthday, July 23, 1975, Ambrose, whose golf apparel and sweet swing resembled the great Ben Hogan, took the afternoon off from his job managing a local service station and headed for the Gardner course for an 18-hole round.
“I shot in the 70s, and I decided to play 18 holes on my birthday every year after that and see if I could break 80 on that day,” Ambrose told me in 1988, shortly before his 78th birthday when he extended his special sub-80 streak to 13 consecutive years.
Sadly, Ambrose passed away only three months later, never getting a chance to make it 14 in a row. Still, “The Silver Fox,” as he was called on the local links, left quite a golfing legacy, and it was nice to see his name among the list of all the GMGC men’s club champions.
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The Maltings Cinema
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Pupils delight at Lantern Community Primary School’s new playground facilities
Pupils and staff at Lantern Community Primary School have lots of extra space to play and learn after the opening of a new playground and sports field.
The Ely primary school, part of the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT), has settled into the new academic year with a brand-new playground which was built on the site of former playing fields.
Previously these fields would become unusable from October to April as the colder, wetter weather made it boggy and marsh-like.
The playground, built with investment from CMAT after the school joined in June 2018, now means the children can enjoy playing sports all year round, both during and after school hours.
Additionally, a playing field has been developed from land donated to the school from neighbouring Ely College.
As well as these significant changes, repairs were made to the school’s front playground to improve its surfacing and drainage. A path running by the side of the school was also upgraded to alleviate a subsidence issue and a six-foot fence installed near the school’s reception area, replacing one which had deteriorated and to create additional site security.
David Lawrence, Principal of Lantern Community Primary School, said: “Since joining CMAT last year we have received a tremendous amount of support including financial help allowing us to fund the changes made this summer.
“The school has needed these changes and improvements for some time now and the parents, teachers and pupils are extremely happy with the results. It has become quite a talking point in the community.”
Mark Woods, Chief Executive of CMAT, said: “We are really pleased to have been able to invest in Lantern Community Primary School. At CMAT we think it’s incredibly important to devote the time and money into our schools, ensuring the pupils and teachers have the best learning environment and opportunities to succeed.
“We are happy to see how positively these changes have impacted not just the pupils and teachers, but the reaction of the community too. We hope the facilities are enjoyed for many years to come.”
Lantern Primary School, situated in Nene Road, currently has 411 pupils with a further 30 in the pre-school. For more information about CMAT, visit www.cmatrust.co.uk or for more about Lantern Community Primary School, visit www.thelanternschool.net.
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Football: Hong Kong introduces anti-racism measures
Jun 15, 2013, 12:10 pm SGT
http://str.sg/ZMp4
HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong's football authority announced a slew of measures to punish and prevent racist behaviour at games, after Philippine football chiefs complained to Fifa about racist abuse of its players and fans.
The moves could see home and away supporters being segregated and will impose bans on abusive fans.
Hong Kong supporters hurled rubbish and insults at rival players and fans during a June 4 friendly won by the visiting Philippine team, according to the Philippine Sports Commission.
Sections of the home crowd called the Philippines a "slave nation" during the game and booed the Philippines national anthem when it was played, media reports from the southern Chinese city and the Philippines said.
The Hong Kong Football Association said late Friday that it will ban fans who are being racist and discriminatory for two years in accordance with Fifa Statutes and will consider formal segregation of seating for opposing spectators on a match-by-match basis.
The association also said it will make public announcements to warn fans of the consequences of using racist language and will work with the police in apprehending "spectators engaged in racist activity".
"The allegation of disrespectful and discriminatory behaviour by home fans is the first incident of this nature at a football match in Hong Kong," the association said, adding the accusations were levelled against "a small minority of people".
"No amount of political tension or provocation or frustration can justify any incidence of racist or discriminatory behaviour," it added.
Tensions between the Philippines and Hong Kong, which employs tens of thousands of Filipina maids, have simmered since a bungled rescue attempt by Filipino police of Hong Kong tourists taken hostage by a rogue police officer in 2010.
The fiasco left eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker dead.
The city's administration has maintained a black "outbound travel alert" for the Philippines since the incident, telling residents to "avoid all travel" to the island nation.
The only other country listed in the category is Syria.
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Search has 10 results in 1932. Average List Price: $2,518,300, Highest: $4,680,000, Loweest: $1,148,000, Median $2,914,000.
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26625 96 AVENUE, Maple Ridge
Homes -> Maple Ridge -> Thornhill
FEATURES: 1 bathroom, 1932, 2 Storey, 3 bedroom, Homes, renovated
...cleared with 2 road frontages. BRAND NEW DRILLED WELL WITH GREAT WATER,...sink, and S/S appliances and all new carpet. Lots of running room for...
4573 W 12TH AVENUE, Vancouver West
Homes -> Vancouver West -> Point Grey
FEATURES: 1 bathroom, 1932, 2 Storey, 3 bedroom, golf, Homes
...Location! Steps away from one of BC's best golf courses. 3 minute drive to...Academy, Queen Mary and Lord Byng, Jules Quesnel Schools.[MLS® Listing...
5838 CYPRESS STREET, Vancouver West
Homes -> Vancouver West -> South Granville
FEATURES: 1932, 2 Storey w/Bsmt., 5 bathroom, 6 bedroom, character home, Homes, Laneway House, new home, Private, Rented, solarium
...shopping- ready to upgrade into a fabulous enlarged home or a multiple unit...suite. Depending on design proposal and character home retention review,...
Homes -> Vancouver West -> MacKenzie Heights
FEATURES: 1932, 2 Storey w/Bsmt., 4 bathroom, 4 bedroom, Homes, parks, renovated, Traditional
...in 2008 and maintain by owners in move in condition. Located on a large...basement with one bedroom and lots storage area. Walking distance to parks...
405 SECOND STREET, New Westminster
Homes -> New Westminster -> Queens Park
FEATURES: 1932, 2 Storey w/Bsmt., 3 bathroom, 5 bedroom, Homes, Open House, Original, tree lined, vaulted ceiling
...modern, high end finishes. Great family layout 5 beds, 3 full baths, 3523...floor, 2 large beds upstairs, including a gorgeous master with a vaulted...
6991 NELSON AVENUE, Burnaby South
Burnaby South -> Metrotown
FEATURES: 1932, 2 bathroom, 2 Storey w/Bsmt., 3 bedroom, Homes
Accepted offer, pending subject to probate removal, subject removal November 21, 2019.[MSL#: R2392406]
1746 SE MARINE DRIVE, Vancouver East
Homes -> Vancouver East -> South Marine
FEATURES: 1 bathroom, 1932, 2 bedroom, 2 Storey w/Bsmt., Homes, skytrain
...to build 2 homes on this large 5466 Sqft lot! Central location in the South...to Marine Skytrain Station. Message me for the plans and survey. This...
2779 NANAIMO STREET, Vancouver East
Homes -> Vancouver East -> Grandview Woodland
FEATURES: 1932, 2 bathroom, 6 bedroom, assembly, Homes, Rancher/Bungalow w/Bsmt.
POTENTIAL LAND ASSEMBLY OF 4 STORIES ROW HOUSE. GRAND VIEW WOODLAND COMMUNITY PLAN IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ONLINE[MSL#: R2240216]
4580 W 1ST AVENUE, Vancouver West
FEATURES: 1932, 2 Storey w/Bsmt., 3 bathroom, 5 bedroom, character home, golf, Homes, Jericho, Mountain, Private, Well Maintained
...home in one of Vancouver's most desirable communities Point Grey area. A...course & DT. Close to BC's top public schools: Queen Mary Elementary, Lord...
FEATURES: 1 bathroom, 1932, 2 Storey, 3 bedroom, golf, Homes, Jericho, Minutes To Downtown
...2 blocks of trendy Point Grey shops, golf course, UBC , West Point Grey...Quesnel schools... the location says it all. A few minutes to Downtown and...
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Considered as one of the most important Brazilian musicians of his generation, Daniel Guedes has been performing extensively as a violinist and violist, playing both solo and chamber music. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1977, Daniel began his violin studies with his father when he was seven, continuing afterwards in the Brazilian Conservatory of Music. In 1992 he studied at the Guildhall School of Music with Detlef Hahn. At the Manhattan School of Music in New York, he pursued his Bachelors and Masters Degrees, having studied with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec at the prestigious Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program. After finishing his Masters Daniel decided to go into conducting studies, and he has studied with Pinchas Zukerman, Mika Eichenholz, Alceo Bocchino and Glen Barton Cortese. He has won prizes in competitions like the “Young Brazilian Soloists”, Bergen Philharmonic Competition and Waldo Mayo Memorial Award, which gave him his Carnegie Hall debut playing Bruch’s 1st concerto with orchestra in 2000. He has received scholarships from CAPES (Brazilian government) and Vitae Foundation.
Since the age of ten, Daniel has been performing as a soloist with the main orchestras of Brazil, also in USA, Canada, Norway, England, Italy and South America. Highlights of this season are performances of Bruch Violin concerto n.2 in D minor with Sergipe Symphony, Villa-Lobos “Martirio dos Insetos” in the University of Miami (Oxford-Ohio), concertos by Philip Glass(Amazon Philharmonic), Prokofiev n.2(with Bahia Symphony), Sibelius (Sto André Symphony-São Paulo), Bruch n.1(Campos Mariuccia Iacovino Symphony), and recitals in Rio de Janeiro (Villa- Lobos Festival) and Campos do Jordão, playing both violin and viola. Next season`s engagements include Beethoven Concerto with Paraná Symphony, conducting and playing with Bahia Symphony, recitals at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and in Florida, among others.
Daniel has performed chamber music with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Alex Klein, Richard Bishop, Ilan Rechtman, Antonio Meneses, Pinchas Zukerman among others and now plays in the Guanabara Quartet, a legendary chamber group in Rio de Janeiro which exists for more than four decades.. As a conductor, he has appeared with several orchestras in Brazil, such as Campinas Symphony Orchestra, Bahia Symphony, São Paulo University Symphony, Brazilian Conservatory of Music Chamber Orchestra, Camerata DellArt, University of Brasilia Chamber Orchestra among others.
In 2004 Daniel recorded the CD “Brazilian Impressions”, performing pieces of Brazilian composers such as Villa-Lobos and Lorenzo Fernandez. Recently he recorded Beethoven Sonatas with Ilan Rechtman for the labor Well-Tempered Productions in the USA. He has also appeared several times in radio programs and television broadcasted nationally in Brazil. An enthusiastic of contemporary music, he recorded in 2008 a CD dedicated to the composer Nelson Macedo and the DVDs “Contraponto 1” and “Contraponto 2”, with works of contemporary Brazilian composers Alceo Bocchino and Aluisio Didier.
Daniel currently holds a teaching position at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He also gives masterclasses and teaches actively in music festivals in his homeland, such as the Campos do Jordão Internacional Winter Festival, Festival Associacion Musica para Todos (Mendoza, Argentina) and Santa Catarina Music Festival (FEMUSC).
Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano Nos. 5, 6 & 8
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Home » Piracy Declines Around the World, But Vigilance Advised Off African Coasts
Piracy Declines Around the World, But Vigilance Advised Off African Coasts
Maritime Executive
The latest IMB Piracy Report shows 188 piracy incidents in the first nine months of 2013, down from 233 for the same period last year. Hostage-taking has also fallen markedly, with 266 people taken hostage this year, compared with 458 in the first three quarters of 2012.
In the first nine months of 2013, IMB's global figures show pirates hijacked 10 vessels, fired at 17, and boarded 140. A further 21 attacks were thwarted. In total 266 crew were taken hostage and 34 kidnapped. One seafarer was killed, 20 were injured, and one is reported missing.
IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan urged caution: "Although the number of attacks is down overall, the threat of attacks remains, particularly in the waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea. It is vital that ship masters continue to be vigilant as they transit these waters."
Attacks in seas around Somalia continued to fall dramatically, with just 10 incidents attributed to Somali pirates this year, down from 70 in the same nine months of 2012. IMB attributes this improvement to the actions of naval forces engaged in anti-piracy operations, security teams on board vessels, ships complying with the industry's best management practices, and the stabilizing influence of the Central Government of Somalia.
"The vital role of the navies off the coast of Somalia should not be underestimated. Their presence ensures that pirates do not operate with the impunity they did before," said Mukundan.
As monsoons subside in the northwest Indian Ocean the weather will become more conducive for small pirate skiffs to operate again.
Global Supply Chain Management Regulation & Compliance Aerospace & Defense SC Security & Risk Mgmt Food & Beverage
KEYWORDS Aerospace & Defense Food and Beverage Global Supply Chain Management logistics management Maritime Executive Ocean Cargo ocean piracy Regulation & Compliance SC Security & Risk Mgmt Somali piracy Supply Chain Analysis & Consulting Supply Chain Management: Supply Chain security and Risk Management Supply Chain Risk Management Transportation Management
Piracy Off Somali Coast Drops Significantly, But Attacks Ratchet Up in West Africa, Off Indonesia
Ocean Piracy Down Overall Around the World, But Continues to Rise in Southeast Asia
Oil Will Keep Going Up For Reasons Unrelated to Supply, Expert Says
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Home » Using Data to Mitigate Risk and Build Supply Chain Resiliency
Using Data to Mitigate Risk and Build Supply Chain Resiliency
In addition, data plays a critical role in building resiliency in the supply chain, he says. Basic data essential to risk management includes knowing who your suppliers are - not just tier one suppliers, but also tier two and three - and where their production facilities are located, says Rotella. "If your supplier's plants are in a hurricane zone or a zone that is prone to flooding, then you can factor in that risk and build resiliency into your network, whether through redundancy or contingencies," he says.
Verisk Analytics has been doing catastrophe models since 1987, Rotella says. "We model earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, pandemics and terrorism in about 100 countries. Using those probabilistic models we can help companies understand potential perils that can impact their supply chains."
Corporations' awareness of the need to do this type of modeling has been heightened by recent disasters such as floods in Thailand, the tsunami in Japan and Hurricane Sandy in the U.S., he says. "It is an emerging area but interest is rising. The challenge is in putting a dollar value on the risk."
Verisk also has systems that track other risk elements, such as those associated with global sourcing and extended supply chains. "We do what we call risk adjusted optimization," Rotella says. "It is not good enough to have an offshore component of the supply chain that optimizes costs. You also have to account for the risk elements, and we introduce those as part of the optimization."
These risks include geopolitical events, says Rotella, noting that Verisk focuses on predictive modeling. "When you get a news feed about an event it is almost too late to react, so we look for data sources that can be correlated to other elements to predict potential unrest or problems before they happen." These correlations are not necessarily obvious. "The key is to gather as much data as possible and let data scientists see where there may be correlations."
There are tremendous amounts of data out there and plenty of methods to glean insights from them, says Rotella. "But it's critical to put the data in context; that's when you get really powerful results."
To view the video in its entirety, click here
Keywords: Supply chain, it supply chain, supply chain management, it supply chain management, supply chain management it, supply management, international trade, supply chain management scm, inventory management, inventory management it, logistics management, logistics & supply chain, logistics services, supply chain solutions, logistics it solutions, supply chain planning, supply chain systems, supply chain risk management
Global Supply Chain Management SC Planning & Optimization Business Strategy Alignment SC Security & Risk Mgmt Logistics Global Logistics High-Tech/Electronics Industrial Manufacturing
KEYWORDS Business Strategy Alignment Global Logistics Global Supply Chain Management High-Tech/Electronics Industrial Manufacturing international trade Inventory Management inventory management IT IT supply chain IT supply chain management Logistics logistics & supply chain logistics IT solutions logistics management logistics services Perry Rotella SC Planning & Optimization SC Security & Risk Mgmt supply chain Supply Chain Analysis & Consulting supply chain group executive Supply Chain Management supply chain management IT supply chain management SCM Supply Chain Management: Supply Chain security and Risk Management Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Risk Management supply chain solutions supply chain systems supply management Verisk Analytics
How to Build a Sustainable and Resilient Supply Chain
Keys to Mitigating Supply Chain Risk
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Ban Ki-moon Lauds Tehran’s Messages, President Rouhani’s Address at UN
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a meeting with Iranian foreign minister in New York welcomed Tehran’s positive stances and hailed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s September 24 address at the UN General Assembly.
- Politics news -
According to a statement issued by UN Chief's press office, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ban Ki-moon discussed Iran’s nuclear energy program as well as the Syrian crisis during their second meeting on the sidelines of the 68th UN annual General Assembly on Wednesday.
Ban "welcomed the generally favorable impressions and messages that have been conveyed (by Iran) in recent days," the statement said.
Ban, who had earlier met with Zarif on September 19, also hailed President Rouhani's address at the UN.
President Rouhani encouraged the entire countries, international organizations, and civil foundations to organize new efforts aimed at leading the world towards peace and security in his UN General Assembly address.
He underlined that Instead of the incompetent coalition for war in different parts of the world we need to concentrate on coalition for sustainable peace, throughout the world.
“Today the Islamic Republic of Iran is calling on you and on the entire international community to take a step forward; inviting the mankind against aggression and extremism…” said President Rouhani.
He recited a verse by the internationally renowned Iranian poet, Ferdowsi, who said: Try your best to do well; to be the harbinger of spring when you see chilly weather.
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Our Businesses /
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Burleys awarded contract with Newport Pagnell Town Council
Burleys has been awarded a multi-year contract to maintain parks and open spaces for Newport Pagnell Town Council.
The work will see the Royal Warrant holder undertake grass cutting, shrub, bed and hedge maintenance, cleansing and playground inspections, as well as litter picking and bin emptying across 14 sites in the Buckinghamshire town.
Burleys is increasing the size of its maintenance team to tackle the role, one of whom will be an apprentice taken on as part of the wider TCL Group’s formal apprenticeship programme.
Part of his appointment will see him attend Bedford College to complete an NVQ level 2 in Amenity Horticulture.
The apprenticeship programme is aimed at ensuring the TCL Group – of which Burleys is part – has a constant flow of well-trained colleagues to support its ambitious expansion plans.
It provides a structured focus which will help the TCL Group plan its growth strategy, offer colleagues essential formal qualifications and attract more people to the company and to the industry as a whole.
Apprenticeships thus far have covered finance, construction and horticulture. And while the majority are young, the company is also appealing to more mature employees.
Burleys MD Tony Cammiss explained: “The apprenticeship programme is a win-win for both parties. The apprentices benefit from formal NVQ level 2 and 3 diploma training, with a view to more formal employment on completion of their initial course.
“The benefits for TCL are a motivated, well trained workforce and industry recognition.
“Not only does the business show commitment and loyalty to the apprentice by providing these opportunities in the short term, but also by continuing to invest we expect to see a similar level of loyalty reciprocated by the employees. In addition, as the business continues to grow, we have seen historically that opportunities will arise which will enable employees to further develop and flourish via internal promotions.”
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Reader Bee and the Story Tree
Reader Bee and the Story Tree by Learning Circle Kids LLC is a brilliant app for beginning readers that are so wonderful; you don't want to miss out on this one! From the co-creator of the legendary Reader Rabbit, Ann McCormick, comes Reader Bee and the Story Tree. Learning Circle Kids LLC has captured all the charm, whimsy, and nostalgia of first-grade primers, but make no mistake; these apps have been thoroughly researched and executed to maximize a child’s first experiences with learning to read. Each activity flawlessly segues into the next to build upon letter recognition, sound, and word formation so that the ultimate goal is to then set these words into use within a storybook. Using a multi-sensory approach, the app lays down a foundation, without being overwhelming. This helps students to retain the material by creating experiences that stimulate and interweave vision, hearing, and touch (proprioception) so that access to learned material can be reached via a variety of pathways. Included is an extensive section for parents and educators, describing how to use the app to its best advantage, and the science behind the approach. Learning Circle Kids LLC, has made this app affordable ($1.99 at the time of this review) so that any child or school with iPads can attain this gem. In the next release, expected in the upcoming week, data for level progress can be collected for five children at a time.
Basic units of seven letters (six consonants and one vowel) are arranged in a honeycomb daisy with the vowel in the center, allowing children to experiment with and make three letter (CVC & VCC) words. Here, every letter has a consistent sound, and more complex or variations of letter sounds are to be introduced at a later time. The focus is kept basic, and while this sounds so simple; it is so genius in its logic. The idea is to create inertia and the ability to read variations will then be learned in an organic manner and shaped as one gains competency.
There are two levels of play, Pre-K or Kindergarten, with 5 activities centered on each honeycomb daisy. Demands, such as tracing letters with a fingertip, are slightly increased in the Kindergarten before proceeding to the next level. On opening, you are greeted by Reader Bee, where she first introduces you to the land of letters, words, and stories through the use of the honeycomb. The letter daisy or honeycomb shape promotes the making of three letter words through either swiping or tapping. Allowing the ability to swipe out words, is quite forward in thinking, and will most likely prove to promote fluidity in reading/writing.
In the first activity, Open the Daisy, touch the blinking portion of the letter daisy to link the initial phoneme associated with the illustration. By presenting the picture first, kids formulate a mental picture of the sound and then have an established link for the letter upon its presentation.
Next, in Trace & Chase, an illustration of the letter appears, and to see it traced, all you need to do is touch the letter. The letter is then presented with a proper tracing order from top to bottom and from left to right. In the K version, you trace the letter with your finger. This helps to set the seed for beginning writers too, by modeling letter formation, whether the letter is viewed or traced. I love how Learning Circle Kids LLC has gone down to this level of detail in their introduction with Reader Bee. If I could change any particular thing in this groundbreaking app, it would be to not use the“/h/, /h/” when finding the picture of the house, but to say a house with a single emphasis. Then, use the “/h/, /h/” phoneme on the presentation of the letter in the Trace & Chase game. This way the pairing of the letter phoneme could be extended with not only the sound in the house but with the letter also.
Once a letter is formulated, a “Wizding” pops out – and that is a lower case letter requesting you to find its matching picture in the daisy. It’s very inviting and fun….”t - Take me to my turtle”….”w - Where’s my wagon?” These Wizdings are pretty frisky and can be hard to catch, so be sure to grab them as soon as you can. If you delay or have problems, you may be prompted by the Wizding letter itself…“g - Where’s my goat?” Chasing and targeting the Wizdings also facilitates visual scanning and learning to stabilize and grade head and neck control as well as crossing midline both visually and tactilely. Grading control takes physical effort and is why we often feel much more comfy reading on the couch or with our heads in a supported position, rather than reading at a desk.
Next up is the Letter Daisy of 6 consonants and a vowel in Type and Swipe. Simple three letter words are displayed in a book above the daisy. Students are prompted by Reader Bee to type the word from the book across the daisy. Students then shift their gaze back to the book and underscore the word with their finger. Again this not only helps to develop the ability to shift eye gaze from one point to another but also uses tactile cueing to help “set” or remember the word by the way it looks and sounds. Levels include all vowels and then a round with the edge letters h, k, v, x, y, and z.
Once students have completed all of the letters on a daisy and made the words in the wordbook, a short story is read in Hear and Tap. Each word created from the daisy is highlighted throughout the story, further reinforcing retention. And how thrilling that is to begin to recognize words you’ve discovered in a story! Tap on a Word, and a bright and cheerful song completes your journey with Reading Bee.
Kindergarten levels play a combined daisy chain typing game called Daisy Type with a timer after each honeycomb set, typing as many words on the honeycomb as they can remember. Preschoolers play this game after completion of all the levels. Words are recorded as in the Wordbook, and any non-word poofs away without any negativity or attention. The introduction of typing on the honeycomb itself connects the use of the alphabet to the making of words centered on a vowel, rather than an abstract ABC order. In other words, it makes words accessible. It may also set kids up for typing on a qwerty keyboard in the future through already established visual motor pathways of seeing a word and tapping its corresponding letters.
The ability to extend into off screen play is only limited by your imagination. Playing hopscotch words using a die with the six consonants from a daisy letter group to see if you can make a word or not, labeling items in the child’s environment, fishing for letters to complete a honeycomb, or honeycomb BINGO are a few things to try. There are more ideas in the Grown-ups section. Winner of numerous awards, including the Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award, 2014, and Dr. Toys 10 Best Technology Award for 2014, this app is Highly Recommended. The app is reasonably priced and packs a forward thinking and novel approach to learning to read. It appeals both to visual and auditory learners, as well as brings in a grounding proprioceptive learning element seldom seen in educational apps.
The Reader Bee Pinterest page has lots of suggestions for off-screen play, and recommended products (books, toy, apps, videos), downloads of stickers, playing cards, etc. using the Reader Bee graphics and method.
Reading Apps, TWA Picks
Ann McCormick, app reviews, apps for kids, educational apps, Learning Circle Kids LLC, Reader Bee and the Story Tree, Reader Bee's First Story Maker, reading apps, teachers with apps
SoccerMan an interactive soccer storybook
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You are here: Home / News / Does the iPhone XR have any chance with the iPhone 11?
Does the iPhone XR have any chance with the iPhone 11?
September 13, 2019 By Hassan Abbas
The new iPhone 11 is the direct successor of the iPhone XR, such an interesting device that has made Apple’s strategy change completely. The iPhone XR was born as a device to complete the other two major Apple iPhone and this year it has become almost the main iPhone.
The name change is no accident and Apple wants that from now on, the iPhone 11 is the device that reaps a large number of sales and the iPhone 11 Pro is left with more special devices only for demanding users.
However, the release of the new iPhone has not meant the disappearance of the iPhone XR so now doubts appear, what is better to buy right now, an iPhone XR or an iPhone 11? We will try to analyze its characteristics to be able to decide.
iPhone 11 or iPhone XR, which one to buy?
A few days ago we compared the two models of the iPhone that Apple had presented, the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro, today we have to compare the two super-selling models of Apple.
As always, before starting this comparison, here is a complete table with the specifications of both devices.
Dimensions 150.0 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm 150.0 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm
Weight 194 g 194 g
screen 6.1 inch LCD 6.1 inch LCD
Processor A13 Bionic A12 Bionic
OS iOS 13 iOS 12, upgradable to iOS 13
Storage 64, 256 and 512 GB 64, 256 and 512 GB
Rear cameras Two cameras: 12 + 12 MP A 12 MP camera
Front camera 12 MP 7 MP
Camera effects 6 portrait modes, Night Mode and Selfie 3 portrait modes
Drums 3,110 mAh, 1 hour more than the iPhone XR 2,942 mAh
Waterproof IP68: 2 meters for 30 minutes IP67: 1 meter for 30 minutes
Others Dual SIM, new-generation Face ID, Dolby Atmos sound and portrait mode for humans, pets, and objects Dual SIM, Face ID and human portrait mode
Price 809 euros 709 euros
For tastes, colors and in the case of the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XR with greater reason. It can be said that the design of both devices is practically identical. They have the same 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display and 1,792 × 828 pixels and an identical size, however, there are three main changes:
Cameras. The iPhone 11 has a double sensor that significantly alters the design compared to the iPhone XR, which has a single camera and a more minimalist design.
Colors. Some colors have remained but others have changed, the iPhone 11 is available in Black, White, Yellow, Red, Green, and Mauve. The iPhone XR is available in Black, White, Yellow, Red, Blue, and Coral.
Apple. It is a small change but a change after all. The Apple Apple is no longer in the upper zone, on the iPhone 11 it is in the center. Oh, and the word iPhone has also disappeared from the device.
Probably the biggest difference between the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XR. Not only is the new iPhone has one more camera, but it also comes with many new features. In addition, the front camera also improves on the iPhone 11 from 7 MP of the iPhone XR to 12 of the iPhone 11.
This is all that the cameras of the iPhone 11 can do and that of the iPhone XR can not:
Portrait mode. The iPhone XR has a portrait mode, however, we only have 3 of these modes and we can only use it with people. The iPhone 11 has up to 6 different portrait modes and can be used with humans, pets and objects.
Wide Angle. The second lens of the iPhone 11 is a wide-angle lens that will allow us to take larger pictures of what we are used to, what is known as a 0.5x zoom.
Selfie. Apple has invented a new way of taking selfies thanks to the ability of the new iPhone 11 front camera to record in slow motion.
Night mode. Apple has included a new night mode in its new iPhone 11 that will allow you to take better photos when the light is low.
The A12 Bionic processor of the iPhone XR has an incredible power enough to move any game or app from the App Store without problems, however, Apple has managed to improve it even more with the new A13 Bionic. Being fair, both devices will move with the same fluidity, but there are some things that the iPhone 11 could do thanks to the A13 Bionic:
Deep fusion. It is a computer photography system that uses advanced machine learning for pixel-to-pixel photo processing, including texture, detail, and noise. This is achieved thanks to the new A13 Bionic processor.
4K video with HDR. Recording videos in 4K at 60 f / s with extended dynamic range is thanks to the processing power of the Bionic A13.
More battery life. The A13 processor is 40% more efficient despite being more powerful, this allows you to improve the duration of the already excellent iPhone XR battery.
Apple has managed to increase the battery capacity despite the fact that the size of the device has not changed. Apple says that in general conditions the battery of the iPhone 11 lasts an hour longer than that of the iPhone XR. We have gone from 2,924 mAh to 3,110, a small improvement but that together with the efficiency of the processor is quite noticeable.
Finally, there is always the issue of price. As usual, the iPhone 11 is more expensive than the iPhone XR, however, its starting price is cheaper than the one that the iPhone XR had at the time.
Price iPhone 11: 809 euros.
iPhone XR price: 709 euros.
Also See: A new report ensures that we will see an iPhone SE 2 in 2020
To recommend one or the other depends on many things, it is clear that if the camera is something secondary for you the iPhone XR is a perfect device that can also be found in interesting offers. However, if the camera is something essential, the iPhone 11 is worth it for 100 euros more. In addition, you will take a device with more battery, better resistance against water and more resistant to knocks and drops, Apple says that it is the hardest glass put on even a smartphone
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TechnologyOne, a leading provider of enterprise business software solutions, has announced it will partner with Imass, which provides client-specific software applications and services, to establish a shared service centre to provide its UK customers with enhanced access to its solutions and superior customer service.
TechnologyOne launches new version of student management software
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TechnologyOne Launches Business Intelligence Solution
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TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX:TNE) a leading Australian provider of enterprise software solutions, has been awarded a $6.3 million contract to supply and install software systems across eight new Northern Territory local government shires over a five year period.
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What will Oscar nominees Margot Robbie, Meryl Streep and Mary J. Blige wear on the red carpet?
Saoirse Ronan at the SAG awards Credit: AFP
Georgina Lucas
24 January 2018 • 5:38pm
Ageless style
Paris couture fashion week
The 2018 Oscar nominees have been announced, and with the Paris couture shows in full swing, stylists and nominees are likely to be holding fittings, calling in samples and commissioning bespoke gowns in anticipation of the spate of best dressed lists which follow the evening.
This awards season, red carpet dressing is a hot topic with the Golden Globes turned black in support of the #TimesUp campaign. So far nothing similar has been announced for the Oscars, so actresses have their pick of the collections. Here’s what we'd like to see on the night...
Margot Robbie wears Miu Miu at the SAG awards 2018
The Australian actress’ first Oscar nomination is for the title role in I, Tonya. The star is one of a clutch of talented Hollywood women, including Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams and Dakota Johnson, whose sartorial decisions are guided by super-stylist Kate Young. Since working with Young, there has been a notable shift in Robbie’s style, with more directional pieces appearing in her line-up.
Chanel Couture January 2018
For the previous two academy awards, Robbie has turned heads in plunging, floor-sweeping gowns, but recent looks suggest she may opt for something edgier this year. Chanel is a favourite - we can see her in the beaded jumpsuit from its recent couture show. Or, if she wanted to make reference to the film she is nominated for, Gucci would be an inspired choice, as creative director Alessandro Michele referenced ice-skating costumes in his show notes.
A look from Gucci's SS18 collection
The 23-year old Irish actress’ third nomination sees her recognised for her leading role in Lady Bird, directed by Greta Gerwig (the first female nominee for best director in eight years). Recently, Ronan has been working with Elizabeth Saltzman, the stylist behind Julia Roberts, among others. The pair have honed Ronan’s red carpet DNA with dynamic embellishment and feminine pieces by a mix of labels from Gucci to Rejina Pyo.
Saoirse Ronan wears Versace at the Golden Globe Awards 2018
For the Golden Globes she worked with an all-female team (including hair and make-up) for her look which centred around a Versace commissioned gown. If she opts for the same formula for the Academy Awards, Givenchy would be a strong choice. The label debuted its first couture collection under new creative director, Clare Waight Keller, this week in Paris. Saltzman might even work with Ronan to recreate Gwyneth Paltrow’s Tom Ford cape moment which made fashion headlines after the 2012 awards.
Givenchy Couture 2018
Meryl Streep’s best actress nomination, for her role in The Post, extends her Oscar nods record to 21. The Hollywood icon has been walking the red carpet since the 1970s, and in 2015 hired Micaela Erlanger, Lupita Nyong’o and Diane Kruger’s stylist, to revamp her look while she was promoting Ricki and the Flash.
Meryl Streep with Ai-jen Poo at the Golden Globe Awards 2018
With Erlanger’s encouragement, she has dabbled with younger designers, including Erdem and Derek Lam, but her red carpet style favours the big houses - Givenchy, Lanvin, Valentino and Elie Saab. And she often opts for bespoke pieces, like the off the shoulder Vera Wang gown she wore for the Golden Globes. This year, Ralph and Russo may be a contender - the couture show revealed the strong, structured silhouettes and vivid colours that Meryl favours, and the duo excel at creating one-off pieces with serious impact.
Ralph & Russo Couture January 2018
British actress Sally Hawkins won her second Oscar nomination this year for her lead role in The Shape of Water (the first was as best supporting actress in Blue Jasmine). Historically the actress’ red carpet style has favoured eclectic details, vintage pieces and British designers (Stella McCartney, Mulberry, Emilia Wickstead). She has recently been pictured in a series of styles by smaller, niche designers including Romona Keveza and Edeline Lee.
Sally Hawkins wears Dior at the SAG Awards 2018
For this year’s SAG and Golden Globes, styled by LA-based sisters Wendi and Nicole Ferreira, she wore mega Dior couture creations. And we think she’ll make it a hat trick. The recent Paris show offered several Hawkins-worthy options, though the house may well already have something bespoke in production.
Dior couture January 2018
The R&B singer turned actress has made history with a double nomination - best original song and best supporting actress - for her first major film role in Mudbound. Styled by Law Roach, a fashion authority and judge on America’s Next Top Model, Blige is likely to aim for impact for her first appearance on the Oscars red carpet.
Mary J Blige wears Vivienne Westwood for the Critics Choice Awards 2018
Her event style tends towards sculpting lines and daring thigh splits, each look carefully curated for maximum drama. Her recent looks have seen a line up of top names - Elie Saab for the Productions Guild Awards, Alberta Ferretti at the Golden Globes and Vivienne Westwood for the Critics Choice Awards. Will she turn to Balmain's brand new red carpet capsule collection, 44 Francois Premier? The label’s strong silhouettes surely make it a contender, and creative director Olivier Rousteing knows a thing or two about power dressing...
LE 44 FRANÇOIS PREMIER The House of Balmain is pleased to unveil today the first 44 François Premier collection. « I now have the luxury of focusing the spotlight solely on the unique heritage that Pierre Balmain left with us. #LE44FRANCOISPREMIER collection that we unveil today is named for the Paris address of M. Balmain’s original couture atelier. » @olivier_rousteing
A post shared by BALMAIN (@balmain) on Jan 23, 2018 at 9:27am PST
With her third academy award nomination for her role in The Shape of Water, Octavia Spencer, who received the best supporting actress accolade for The Help in 2012, becomes the first black actress to receive nominations in two consecutive years. The second actress in the nominees line-up who is styled by the Ferreira sisters, Spencer rarely puts a red carpet foot wrong.
Octavia Spencer wears Tadashi Shoji to the Critics Choice Awards 2018
Last year she wore bespoke Marchesa, something she is unlikely to repeat given the cloud over the label in the wake of the Weinstein allegations. Our bets are on Tadashi Shoji; the Japanese evening wear designer has dressed the actress numerous times, and credits her as a label muse. Back in 2012, she wore a hand-beaded Tadashi Shoji creation to collect her first gong, so surely the label is a lucky charm?
Tadashi Shoji SS18 collection
While the Golden Globes might have offered a united vision of solidarity, it seems the Oscars will offer a return to the colour and sparkle so synonymous with the red carpet. Place your bets...
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Nursing News
Nursing Partnership Information
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W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing News
RSS feeds require a dedicated "reader" to subscribe and read them. There are many applications and apps out there and this will be device- or browser-specific. Here are some several links to both web-based and browser-based (add-ons) feed readers.
Subscription URL
https://www.tesu.edu/nursing/news/feed/rss
Choose your application from the list below for lists of popular RSS-compatible software. For these readers, you will need to copy the above URL and add it into your RSS reader of choice.
Web-Based Readers
Browser Add-Ons/Extensions
InoReader (opens in a new window) is popular RSS reader. It is clean, simple and powerful, and displays articles is several formats. Like many modern web-apps, InoReader offers a full suite of social "sharing" options. It also integrates with many other web-apps, e.g., Pocket, Evernote, and Readability. InoReader provides Android and iOS apps, plus a mobile site (opens in a new window) for other small format devices. There are also InoReader extensions for major browsers.
Feedly (opens in a new window) is similar to InoReader. It also displays the latest updates sites like Facebook and Twitter. Feedly integrates with many other apps and services (opens in a new window) as well.
G2Reader (opens in a new window) is also similar to InoReader. According to their web site, the free version of G2Reader can accommodate up to 100 feeds.
Blogtrotter (opens in a new window) is a unique service that accesses web feeds you subscribe to and relays them to your email inbox. It converts the content to a compact, easy-to-read format. Blogtrotter accepts OPML subscription lists (opens in a new window) so you could use it to replace Google Reader if you only have several feeds you want to follow.
Netvibes (opens in a new window) offers a wide range of "widgets" and apps to access web feeds, tweets and other kinds of dynamic content. For example, there's an app that delivers all the latest news from Google, split up into 8 tabs for World, U.S., Business, Sci/Tech, Sports, Entertainment, Health and Most Popular.
Feedbooster (opens in a new window) has an impressive array of filters -- date, folder, author, source, etc. It's a different way to access articles. Some users will find it works well for them.
Add-ons/Extensions for browsers and web-apps for smartphones and tablets combine many of the advantages of desktop readers and web-based readers like Google Reader. They have a small footprint and can be "instantly" installed/uninstalled as well. Like web-based readers, an add-on reader creates an efficient browser-centric workspace, with good workflow for feed-based tasks.
Opera (opens in a new window) has a built-in RSS reader integrated with Opera Mail.
Mozilla has many popular feed-reader add-ons for Firefox. You can add them to Firefox from the extensions pages. Brief (opens in a new window) is a Firefox extension and is powerful and simple at the same time. Brief is an excellent, capable replacement for Google Reader. Both of these Firefox extensions integrate directly with Live Bookmarks. There are also many other feed reader extensions for Firefox (opens in a new window).
NewsBlur (opens in a new window) is an RSS reader that you can "train" (like/dislike) to show you just the kind of posts you want to see from each feed. The free version of NewsBlur is limited to 64 feeds, but that is enough for many users. Free iPad/iPhone apps, Android apps, Windows Phone 8 apps, browser add-ons, and more are offered.
RSS Subscription Extension (opens in a new window) adds RSS feed discovery and subscription options to Chrome. The extension comes with 4 feed readers predefined (Google Reader, iGoogle, Bloglines and My Yahoo). Other Chrome RSS reader extensions can be found in their extensions marketplace.
Helene Loeb, BSHS
"Thomas Edison really prepared me to become a leader and interact as well as instruct and support the nurses that are out on the unit..."
Watch Helene »
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Photos: The World’s Largest Airport-Terminal Building
Beijing Daxing International Airport is a massive complex built on the outskirts of Beijing, China, from more than 220,000 tons of steel, with a price tag nearing 14 billion U.S. dollars, and is set for completion in September 2019. The new facility—billed as the world’s largest single-terminal airport—will be Beijing’s second international airport, and developers hope it will relieve pressure on overtaxed existing travel options. By 2025, planners say Daxing will be able to carry as many as 72 million passengers a year.
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
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An aerial view of people working on the roof of Beijing Daxing International Airport on January 17, 2019, in Beijing, China #
Wang Mingzhu / VCG via Getty
On December 26, 2014, a stone-setting ceremony for the new airport is held in Daxing District, Beijing, China. #
VCG via Getty
Workers stand in the future landing-strip area at the construction site of the terminal for the new airport in Beijing's southern Daxing District on October 10, 2016. #
Thomas Peter / Reuters
Workers on the job at the construction site of the terminal for the new airport on October 10, 2016 #
The construction site of the new Daxing airport on the outskirts of Beijing is pictured on October 16, 2017. #
Jason Lee / Reuters
An interior view of the Daxing terminal hall, photographed on October 16, 2017 #
Construction continues on Beijing's new international airport on January 17, 2018. #
Sunlight streams into the interior of Beijing's new international airport, which is under construction, in Daxing District, Beijing, on January 17, 2018. #
A wide-angle view of the terminal hall, photographed on January 17, 2018 #
Another interior view photographed on January 17, 2018 #
Workers stand in a crane inside the new roofed terminal building of the Daxing airport on August 30, 2018. #
Nicolas Asfouri / AFP / Getty
A construction worker looks at the terminal building on August 30, 2018. #
A time-lapse view of satellite images of the new Beijing Daxing International Airport location, showing the changes from 2015, when the land was still covered by farms and villages, through 2018, as the terminal and runways were nearing completion. #
The interior of the new roofed terminal building, seen during construction on August 30, 2018 #
A man works on the ceiling of the terminal hall during a government-organized media tour on August 30, 2018. #
A wide view of the terminal hall under construction on August 30, 2018 #
Construction-crew members walk near buildings under construction at Beijing Daxing International Airport on October 26, 2018. #
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Construction-crew members work on an elevated area inside the terminal building on October 26, 2018. #
An aerial view of construction at Beijing Daxing International Airport #
Waitforlight / Getty
Construction workers work on the airport-terminal ceiling on December 19, 2018. #
Shi Jiamin / VCG via Getty
Construction workers walk outside the airport on December 19, 2018. #
An aerial photo of the new airport complex, taken on January 4, 2019 #
Wang Zirui / Barcroft Media via Getty
An aerial view of the Beijing Daxing International Airport construction site on December 26, 2018 #
A close, overhead view of the terminal building, still under construction, on January 13, 2019 #
Tang Wenjian / VCG via Getty
An aerial view of the Beijing Daxing International Airport on January 17, 2019, in Beijing, China #
The first airplane for inspection flies over Beijing Daxing International Airport on January 22, 2019. The airport embraced its first test flight as the plane landed steadily on the West One Runway on Tuesday. #
Eloisa Lopez / Reuters
The Colorless Landscape Around Taal Volcano
In the Philippines, parts of the landscape near Taal have gone completely gray, covered in a blanket of volcanic ash.
Stephanie Keith / Reuters
Thousands gathered around Virginia’s state capitol to protest proposed gun-control laws.
Chris Moore / Exploring Light Photography / Getty
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A few glimpses into the lush, often historic features of Georgia, and some of the animals and people that call it home
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News July 24, 2019
Nate Madden
Senate confirms Trump judge despite Dem concerns about his membership in Catholic org
One senator called confirmation 'one of the most baffling displays of constitutional confusion and for prejudice I've seen'
Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii (Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images)
In a 51-40 party-line vote Wednesday afternoon, the Senate voted to confirm Brian Buescher as a federal district judge for the district of Nebraska after he faced scrutiny from Judiciary Committee Democrats late last year for his membership in a Catholic fraternal organization.
Buescher found himself at the middle of a national debate about religious intolerance late last year after he was questioned by Democratic Sens. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Kamala Harris (Calif.) about his involvement with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization dedicated to the principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.
"The Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions," Hirono said in December noting the group's adherence to Catholic teaching on same-sex marriage. "If confirmed, do you intend to end your membership with this organization to avoid any appearance of bias?"
Before the vote, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska took to the Senate floor to defend Buescher and urge colleagues to vote in favor of confirmation.
"Brian's confirmation process has been the occasion for one of the most baffling displays of constitutional confusion and prejudice I've seen in my time here," Sasse told the chamber.
"Brian is a Catholic, and he is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic fraternal service organization in the world," Sasse pointed out. "This is not a scandal.
"But according to some of my Senate Judiciary colleagues," Sasse continued, "the Knights of Columbus is an extremist outfit. One of my colleagues suggested that Brian needs to resign his membership in the Knights if he were confirmed to the Federal bench to 'avoid the appearance of conflict and bias.' Really bizarre stuff."
Sasse also called the questions about Buescher's membership in the organization "plain, unadulterated anti-Catholic bigotry."
Buescher is not the only judicial nominee to be questioned about his involvement in the Knights of Columbus. Sasse also came to the defense of then-nominee Peter Phipps after he was asked similar questions during his confirmation last month. Phipps was confirmed by a 56-40 vote earlier this month.
Full video of Sasse's speech is available below:
Sasse Praises Buescher, Slams Confirmation Process www.youtube.com
Editor's note: The author of this piece is an active member and council officer of the Knights of Columbus. His reportage is his own and not affected by any outside organization.
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A New Theory on OCD: Maybe It’s About ‘Guilt-Sensitivity’
By Melissa Dahl
Photo: H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Obsessive-compulsive disorder manifests itself in many forms, but perhaps the one most commonly known is compulsive checking. (Did you really turn off the curling iron? Is the door actually locked? Are you sure?) A recent study, highlighted by psychologist Christian Jarrett today, prompts a new way of thinking about these behaviors, by exploring the potential role of guilt. What if compulsive checking is, at least partially, determined by a person’s “guilt-sensitivity” — in other words, their fear of feeling guilty?
For the study, Italian researcher Gabriele Melli and his colleagues came up with a set of questions designed to measure guilt-sensitivity, by asking the study volunteers to rate how much they agreed with a series of statements: things like, “Guilt is one of the most intolerable feelings,” or, “The idea of feeling guilty because I was careless makes me very anxious.” In one experiment, the researchers surveyed about 500 people from an Italian community, and found that those who scored higher on the guilt-sensitivity scale were also more likely to report checking behaviors. In a second experiment, Melli and his co-authors asked 61 people diagnosed with OCD and 47 people with general anxiety disorder to take the questionnaire. As Jarrett explains on his site, BPS Research Digest:
The results showed there was a strong correlation between levels of guilt-sensitivity and OCD symptoms related to compulsive checking, even after controlling for different levels of general anxiety and depression and obsessive beliefs, such as an irrational sense of responsibility. Moreover, guilt-sensitivity was especially high for OCD clients whose … symptoms related to ritualistic checking.
In both experiments, those who “found guilt unbearable” were also the most likely to report compulsive checking, Jarrett writes. He cautions that, of course, this is preliminary research, and does not definitively outline a cause-and-effect. For now, at least, it’s a fascinating, nuanced way to think about these behaviors.
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Obama Leads and Democrats Crow, But Watch Out
The polls point to victory, but experience says not so fast. Democratic operatives list the five factors that could ruin their rosy road back to the White House. David Freedlander reports.
David Freedlander
Updated Jul. 14, 2017 12:39AM ET / Published Sep. 21, 2012 4:45AM ET
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP Photo
Democrats who woke up Thursday morning listening to NPR (and let’s face it, most people who woke up this morning listening to NPR were Democrats) found themselves with an extra spring in their step as they headed out the door.
Leading the broadcast was a story about a new Pew research poll that gave Barack Obama the biggest lead at this point in the election calendar since Bill Clinton’s lead over the hapless Bob Dole in 1996.
Even better from the Dems’ perspective: the poll was conducted before Mitt Romney’s now infamous “47 percent” comments came to light, revealing that the former Massachusetts governor thinks that about half of Americans—all of them, apparently, Obama supporters—see themselves as victims who depend on the government and resist taking responsibility for their own lives. Also last week, the Mideast was bursting into flames, and still Obama managed to hold his lead.
The Pew numbers look even worse for Romney on closer inspection: half of all voters view Romney unfavorably, according to the poll; Obama has a three-to-one edge in his ability to connect with ordinary Americans. Even on Romney’s supposed core strength—the economy—more voters now trust Obama to do the right thing.
It was enough to make even the most dour of Democrats do a little dance. But is it too soon to celebrate?
“We are a party that panics and worries,” said Bob Shrum, a veteran of both the John Kerry and Al Gore presidential campaigns, and a contributor to The Daily Beast. “There is going to be no overconfidence.”
Perhaps there shouldn’t be. Because while things look rosy for Obama now, there is, as they say, a hell of a lot of baseball left to play. And six weeks in politics can be like six lifetimes.
"Given the volatility this political season, I don’t think anybody should plan to get to bed before midnight on Election Day,” said Donna Brazile, campaign manager for Al Gore in 2000. “Romney has had a bad few weeks, but it is happening in September. If it were happening in October it would be another story.”
Here are the five potential pitfalls Democratic political pros say could trip up their man and result in a President Romney.
It’s the economy, stupid—right? This was always Romney’s best bet: in brief, it ain’t getting any better, and by every economic measure Obama should be in dire political straits right now. Plus, no matter how maladroit Romney appears to be, the real unemployment rate (including people who’ve stopped looking for work) remains at a disastrously high 15 percent. Monthly jobless figures will be released twice more between now and November, and Obama’s allies are running out of ways to spin another series of bad numbers.
It’s simple: No president has been elected with a jobless rate over 8 percent since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936. The Romney camp keeps promising that they are going to reset their campaign and focus on jobs and the economy. If they ever actually do that, Obama will quickly find himself on the defensive.
Unexpected Events
Tad Devine, a senior strategist for John Kerry’s failed 2004 bid, said, “I can tell you we didn’t like it when that bin Laden tape came out the Friday before the election.”
Last week’s embassy protests throughout the Middle East, and particularly the killing of the Libyan ambassador and three of his staff, could have sunk Obama, say some Democrats, but the president was saved at least in part by Romney’s miscalculation of putting out a highly critical—and factually incorrect—statement while events were still unfolding. That misstep turned the narrative into how Romney would handle (or mishandle) a crisis, rather than keeping the focus on Obama. Romney’s blunder also distracted from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s further saber rattling with Iran. Next time Obama may not be so lucky: Greece could still default or pull out of the euro; Israel could attack Iran; China could take offense at the White House’s recent aggressive move to crack down on trade practices; the shaky stock market could take another dive; and so on. The Obama administration has at times seemed dogged by bad news that was not of its own doing, from the oil spill in the Gulf to the European debt crisis to the tsunami and resulting nuclear crisis in Japan. Perhaps he’ll get through October in the clear, but perhaps not.
“Complacency is our enemy,” said Peter Fenn, a veteran of the 2008 Obama effort.
And while the sky-high enthusiasm of four years ago could never have been maintained, Democrats still have to find a way to rally those disillusioned supporters long after the last remaining “Hope” posters have fallen from the walls of college dorm rooms around the country. One strategy has been to gin up enthusiasm not in favor of Obama so much as for defeating Romney by raising the specter of an unbridled plutocracy with lower taxes on the rich, higher taxes on everyone else and a shrunken social safety net. (Romney gave them plenty of rope on this, but still.) Democrats now have a delicate balancing act—they must keep hammering away at Romney, getting more and more daylight between them and him in the polls, and still convince those now-cynical Obama fans of 2008 to haul themselves out to the polls one more time.
Voter Disenfranchisement
Perhaps you recall Florida in 2000? While George W. Bush “won” the state by 537 votes, 12,000 residents were kept off the rolls by mistake, it was later revealed.
That problem has only gotten worse in the decade since. The last two years in particular have seen an unprecedented effort on the part of the GOP to pare voter rolls, including new voter-ID laws in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and efforts to restrict early voting in Ohio and Pennsylvania. There remains some dispute about how much the voter-ID laws will end up affecting vote totals, since political pros say that many without proper ID are unlikely to try to vote anyway, but the shortening of early-voting hours could be devastating for Democrats in particular. In 2008, “Souls to Polls” programs sent many mostly African-American voters to polling stations and helped Obama pad his lead in several key states. Pollsters have been unable to put a number on exactly how many likely voters will be dissuaded from voting, but the pressure now is on the Obama field team to overcome whatever obstacles prevent them from getting to the polls.
In the post–Citizens United world, money remains the great X factor. Conservative super PACS have raised hundreds of millions of dollars this year—outraising Obama for months until August—but so far, the benefit of that advantage has not been clear. Still, there remain in right-wing circles many, many very, very rich people, and they could swamp the Democrats in the remaining days of the election with a blitz of negative advertising. Because these super PACs aren’t tied to the campaign, they aren’t tied to the usual limits of political propriety. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s drug history—any kind of mud could be thrown.
“The Koch brothers were ranked fourth and fifth in the Forbes list of richest Americans,” Tad Devine said. “They given hundreds of millions of dollars already, but let’s say one of these guys decides to belly up to the bar if Romney does well in the debates. All of a sudden you are looking at a different map.”
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| Grad students demand more resources for cultural centers at University Council Open Forum
Grad students demand more resources for cultural centers at University Council Open Forum
By Ashley Ahn 03/28/19 12:41am
The University Council of the University of Pennsylvania meets monthly to consider the activities of the University in all its phases, concentrating on the educational objectives of the University. Credit: Eric Zeng
Graduate student leaders raised concerns about the lack of attention given to graduate student-specific issues at the University Council Open Forum Wednesday. The students called on top administrators to address the lack of space given to cultural groups, the need for more first-generation, low-income graduate student resources, and the need for more clarity surrounding Penn's sexual misconduct policies.
The University Council holds an Open Forum every year at which any member of the Penn community can raise issues to the Council. President Amy Gutmann, Provost Wendell Pritchett, faculty, and undergraduate and graduate student representatives have seats on the Council.
Students urged Penn to give the three cultural houses, which are housed in the ARCH basement, more space and resources. Three graduate students at the forum described staff members in the cultural centers — La Casa Latina, Makuu, and the Pan-Asian American Community House — as “overworked” and “underfunded," and advocated for more funding to increase staff.
First-year chemistry Ph.D student Christopher Johnny, who is a member of the Black Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, said the three staff members at Makuu are "stretched-thin."
Their criticism comes after undergraduate students in the 6B, Penn's main undergraduate minority group coalition, met with administrators to lobby for more space beyond the ARCH basement for the three cultural centers.
Third year master's student in Nanotechnology Francisco Saldaña, a member of the Latin American Graduate and Professional Students Assembly, said extra funding for La Casa could help them recruit a staff member who could specifically connect graduate students to La Casa.
“Students can feel lost and overwhelmed particularly since many graduate programs are very isolating and have very few Latinx students,” Saldaña said.
Saldaña also advocated for more physical space for La Casa, adding that the space cannot seat more than 10 people. First-year master's student in Nonprofit Leadership Sanjana Dalmiya, who is a member of the Pan-Asian Graduate Student Association, said PAACH's current space is not visible, given its less prominent location in the ARCH basement.
“A bigger space will not only help spread visibility of our community house but also provide various resources to a larger number of students,” Dalmina said.
Undergraduate students sitting on the University Council — including UMOJA representative and College sophomore Martha Gakunju and Asian Pacific Student Coalition representative Katherine Hsu — echoed these sentiments.
“As someone who goes to PAACH quite frequently, I noticed that there is simply not enough space for even undergrad students, much less grad students,” said Hsu, who is a College and Wharton sophomore.
Graduate student presenters at the forum also spoke about the absence of resources for FGLI graduate students.
First-year master's student in Nonprofit Leadership Sarah Simi Cohen, a member of the First-Generation Low-Income Queer group, said the FGLI resources dedicated to undergraduate students leave many graduate students with “little to no institutional assistance.” In spring 2018, Penn announced plans to create the Penn First Plus office for FGLI undergraduate students.
“An undergraduate student receiving FGLI resources can decide to matriculate into any G12 school and lose an immense amount of resources,” Senito said.
Senito said FGLI-Q graduate students need resources comparable to undergraduate FGLI resources such as food pantries, travel funding, cap and gown purchasing, and spring break food money.
During the open forum, grad students also raised concerns about the vagueness of Penn's proposed changes to its sexual misconduct policies.
On Jan. 22, Penn officially proposed a policy to centralize all reports of sexual misconduct in a single office. The policy also proposed creating a new administrative position, the Associate Vice President for Equity and Title IX Officer, who will lead the office.
Following the release of the draft document, students from the GAPSA Sexual Harassment Reform Committee and Graduate Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania submitted comments to Chief Diversity Officer Joann Mitchell asking for more clarification regarding the proposed guidelines.
First-year Ph.D. student in Social Welfare Alicia Chatterjee, who is a member of GAPSA's Sexual Harassment Reform Committee, said the proposed changes require more transparency.
“We do not understand the role of the dean in investigations and resolutions of complaints and thus how the proposed policy differs from the current one. We ask that the role of the dean be explicitly stated,” Chatterjee said.
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“We have to tone it down a little bit” – Eat24’s Amir Eisenstein on skipping ads, comedy and accidentally showing a bear penis on national TV
By Ishbel Macleod-21 March 2014 17:30pm
“We are who we are...we connect with customers” is the philosophy of Amir Eisenstein, social media chief at online food ordering brand Eat24.Known for its sense of humour and odd antics, with one of Eat24’s latest campaigns seeing the brand airing an ad on American TV which turned out to show a bear’s penis.“We didn’t really plan on it,” Eisenstein insisted to The Drum. “We worked on it, we edited it, we watched it about 100 times. We put it on TV…and then we found out it wasn’t suitable for TV.”
Why is there bear dick on #ESPNpic.twitter.com/uMKB3V3hZT
— Jeremy (@jjsosa21) November 19, 2013
The bare bear ad was only one spot in the campaign, but was certainly the most effective. The seven spots that didn’t feature genitalia were averaging about 24 clicks per 1,000 impressions, while the bear led to 120 clicks per 1,000.
Eat24 issued an apology for the ad “because some people do get offended by anything”, but received a lot of positive feedback.“The reply we got back from our customers was overwhelming, almost 100 per cent of customers said they love it. We speak in the same language as our customers, we connect to them.”Another unusual campaign from the food brand which saw success was when it told the public to skip its YouTube ad.Coming out of the fact that skipping an ad means that YouTube doesn’t charge the advertiser, the brand decided to tell viewers to skip the ad and continue on to whatever YouTube content they were really on the site for.
With over 90 per cent watching the ad the whole way through, and a 7.1 per cent click through rate, it was one of Eat24’s most expensive campaigns.Yet Eisenstein tells The Drum that its tone of voice what’s a planned idea: “We never said ‘oh, we’re going to be comedians’, we just have funny guys here, very good writers. It makes us laugh and we like to laugh. It’s not what we’re looking for, a comedy angle every time, it’s just who we are.”“We’re not trying to be something we’re not” he added, revealing that sometimes the team have to tone down their ideas because they can go too far.The most recent – and not at all offensive – campaign from the brand saw it promote its integration of Google Wallet, but Eisenstein was wary to discuss what is planned for the future. All we hope is, it won’t include a bear scratching its bits. Interview by Angela Haggerty
This article is about: World, Eat24, Advertising, Entertainment, Social Media
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I started writing this just before the Christmas break, but got interrupted by both festivities and flu. So, below, a slightly belated look back at 2019: where yet again my blogging has been far too sporadic.
January – FOI & Javelin Park Protests
Last Christmas eve, I was pouring over the newly released details of a £100m+ cost increase in the contract for the Javelin Park incinerator I’ve written about before. Over Christmas, we put together calls for an Independent Inquiry into the project, and come January, I was outside the plant, taking part in protests at the price rise.
Green group leader at the county council, Rachel Smith, says there as been 10 years of “lies and deceit” pic.twitter.com/zhYHB3O2V7
— Leigh Boobyer (@LeighBoobyer) January 8, 2019
Since then, the County Council have been taken to court over the contract, putting the calls for an inquiry on hold (although questions were finally put to the Chief Executive of the Council in March, with updates on the court case expected in early 2020.
My other FOI adventures of 2019 have been less conclusive:
Gloucestershire’s refusal to provide prices and buyers of the public land they have sold off means the only way to piece this together would be by spending £100s on land registry records: something I’ve not had space to pursue. Promises that this information would be published proactively from September have been broken by Cabinet – and our experiment in using the Local Audit and Accountability Act in June to look at relevant documents didn’t appear to provide a full overview. It seems profoundly odd that there is so little transparency over how public assets are being disposed of.
I’ve still not worked out exactly how Gloucestershire County Council managed to award at £600,000 contract to Beard Construction without any competitive tender, but the documents I have got hold certainly appear to show that the County Council are not following the guidance to publish all their contracts and awards on Contracts Finder (the details of the Contract Award to Beard Construction only appeared after my FOI request, months after the work was complete.)
February – Exploring Arts and Data
At the start of the year, I kicked off a part-time role as ‘Data Catalyst’ with Create Gloucestershire working on a number of fronts to support their internal data practices, but also to scope out ways to connect artists with debates around data. I shared some initial research back in February and in September had great fun co-facilitating a ‘Creative Lab’ at Atelier in Stroud, where we co-created a range of data-informed art works – from VR Design Teachers, to fabric chromatography creations that visualised data on school subject choice.
March – TicTec & The State of Open Data
Much of March was spent working on final editing of chapters for The State of Open Data, and then, late in the month, heading to Paris for The Impacts of Civic Technology (TicTec) conference to present initial finings with my co-editor, Mor. An evening reception and hearing about digital democracy and participation projects at French National Assembly was particularly inspiring.
April – Printing and Driving
2019 was supposed to be a bit of a sabbatical year (learning point: I’m not very good at sabbaticals), but in late March and April I did finally get round to my two main goals of: (a) learning a bit about printmaking; (b) passing my driving test.
A wonderful two day workshop with Rod Nelson had me exploring woodcut designs exploring field patterns and the Stroud landscape.
And Bob Waters got me through my test first time.
I’ve promptly failed to do any more printing or driving this year, but at least I now know a bit more about how to!
First ‘field patterns’ print drying on Rod Nelson’s studio
May – State of Open Data Book Tour and OGP
May took me to the US, for a few weeks of #slowTravel by train around the East Coast, and then up to Canada, for the full launch of the the State of Open Data book. It was a real pleasure to catch up with old friends, and to take part in some really stimulating workshops, including a fascinating Belfer Center session on ‘Data as Development’ which gave rise to this note on the idea of a ‘a data extraction transparency initiative’.
Getting hold of physical copies of The State of Open Data book was a great moment: as at times the project has felt quite beyond delivery. I’m pretty pleased indeed with how it turned out – with contributions from 60+ authors, and many more reviewers and contributors.
I’ve still got a few hard copies that can go free to University or organisational libraries, so if you’ve read this far, and you would like one – do drop me a note.
With the editors of State of Open Data sharing findings from the book at IDRC HQ.
June – Facilitation fun with IATI
In June I took another #slowTravel trip – heading to Copenhagen by train to facilitate a workshop for the International Aid Transparency Initiative’s technical community on the draft strategy.
Wrapping up a very enjoyable three days facilitating technical community & strategy consultation workshop for @IATI_aid at UN City in Copenhagen. Great to see the passion of the group for improving the data infrastructure of aid & humanitarian coordination #IATI pic.twitter.com/pZcHUoMeIE
— Tim Davies (@timdavies) June 27, 2019
This followed some online facilitation work for strategy dialogues earlier in the year. I’ve also had chance this year to co-facilitate an online dialogue for Land Portal: reminding me how much I enjoy this kind of blended online and offline facilitation work. Perhaps something to explore more in 2020.
July – Coast to Coast
In July, Rachel and I set out walking across the UK on Wainright’s Coast to Coast path – raising funds for Footsteps Counselling and Care .
The weather and walk was stunning – and a real chance for reflection.
August – Impact Bonds and Waste Management
Besides the annual August pilgrimage to Greenbelt, it was a month of interesting UK projects – including work with the Government Outcomes Lab at the University of Oxford to scope out ways to improve transparency and data sharing around Social Impact Bonds, and contributing to a (sadly unsuccessful) pitch by Open Data Manchester and Dsposal to secure innovation funding to build on their prototype KnoWaste standard.
September – Civic Media Observatory
In September, I had my first opportunity to work in-depth on a project with the fantastic Global Voices team – using AirTable to rapid prototype a database and workflow for tracking and analysing mainstream media, social media, and offline events through a local lens, and understanding the context and subtext of the media that platform moderators may be asked to make snap judgements over.
A three-day workshop in Skopje, Northern Macedonia, looking at coverage of the EU Accession talks, put the prototype to the test (and introduced me to some quite remarkable monumental architecture….).
October – AI at Bellagio
I spent all of October in Italy, first as a residential fellow at the Rockefeller Bellagio Center in Italy, and then with a brief vacation in Verona, and quick trip to Rome to work with Land Portal.
Taking part in the Bellagio Center’s thematic month on Artificial Intelligence was quite simply a once in a lifetime opportunity. I didn’t write much about it at the time (as I was busy trying to pull together the outline of a new book proposal) and with an election called in the UK just as we were heading home, haven’t had the space to follow up. Hopefully some point next year I’ll be publishing a few outputs from the month.
However, I can’t leave my fellow resident’s work un-shared, so if I’ve not already signposted the below to you, do take time to:
Navigate Fluxus Landscape by Şerife Wong.
Keep a straight face whilst watching Noah’s STEALING UR FEELINGS.
Follow Camille François’ work on foreign information operation campaigns.
Dig into Richard Whitt’s proposal for a trusted web with GLIAnet.
Watch Anjan Sundaram’s Coded World series for Channel News Asia.
Read just about anything Maya Ganesh has published for theoretically right and insight-packed narratives of the digital world.
Find new ways to tell AR stories with Amir Baradaran’s iBegoo.
Explore the myth of agency through the artworks of Newman.
Understand connections between AI and Human Rights through Roya Pakzad’s writings and advocacy.
Be challenged by Tobias Rees philosophical response to AI.
See what strategic, creative and high-impact research can look like by following Joy Buolamwini Algorithmic Justice League.
Consider new challenges of digital colonialism in work coming up from Rumman Chowdhury; and
Find out how funders are thinking about AI futures in work coming up from Vilas Dhar.
I should also mention one of the other highlights of the residency: enjoying two shows, numerous tricks. and sage advice from ‘Magician in residence’ Brad Barton, Reality Thief – go see him if you are ever in the Bay Area!
November – Elections!
I returned from Italy right into the middle of the biggest General Election campaign Stroud District Green Party have ever run, for the fantastic Molly Scott Cato. It was a month both spent both on the doorstep, and juggling spreadsheets – exploring the reality of values-based volunteer-driven political campaigning in an era of data.
December – Global Data Barometer
Over November and December I was also working on the scoping for a potential new project – the Global Data Barometer – a successor to the Open Data Barometer study I helped create at the Web Foundation back in 2013. The goal is to explore how a 100+ country study could provide insight into patterns of ‘responsible re-use’ of data around the world – capturing both use of data as a resource for sustainable development – and efforts to manage the risks that the unregulated collection and processing of ever increasing quantities of data might create. I published the initial draft research framework just before Christmas, and will be exploring the project more in a workshop in Washington next week.
2020 plans
Over 2020 I’m looking forward to more work on the Global Data Barometer, and with the Open Ownership team, as well as some further facilitation projects, and, hopefully, a bit more writing time! We’ll see.
Author Tim DaviesPosted on January 2, 2020 January 2, 2020 Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on 2019 in Review
I’m spending much of this October as a resident fellow at the Bellagio Centre in Italy, taking part in a thematic month on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Besides working on some writings about the relationship between open standards for data and the evolving AI field, I’m trying to read around the subject more widely, and learn as much as I can from my fellow residents.
As the first of a likely series of ‘thinking aloud’ blog posts to try and capture reflections from reading and conversations, I’ve been exploring what Wittgenstein’s later language philosophy might add to conversations around AI.
Wittgenstein and technology
Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language, whilst hard to summarise in brief, might be conveyed through reference to a few of his key aphorisms. §43 of the Philosophical Investigations makes the key claim that: ”For a large class of cases–though not for all–in which we employ the word ‘meaning’ it can be defined thus: the meaning of a word is its use in the language.” But this does not lead to the idea that words can mean anything: rather, correct use of a word depends on its use being effective, and that in turn depends on a setting, or, as Wittgenstein terms it, a ‘language game’. In a language game participants have come to understand the rules, even if the rules are not clearly stated or entirely legible: we engage successfully in language games through learning the techniques of participation, acquired through a mix of instruction and of practice. Our participation in these language games is linked to the idea of ‘forms of life’, or, as it is put in §241 of the Philosophical Investigations, “It is what human beings say that is false and true; and they agree in the language they use. That is not agreement in opinions but in form of life.”.
As I understand it, one of the key ideas here can be expressed by stating that meaning is essentially social, and it is our behaviours and ways of acting, constrained by wider social and physical limits, that determine the ways in which meaning is made and remade.
Where does AI fit into this? Well in Wittgenstein as a Philosopher of Technology: Tool Use, Forms of Life, Technique, and a Transcendental Argument, Coeckelbergh & Funk (2018) draw on Wittgenstein’s tool metaphors (and professional history as an engineer as well as philosopher) to show that we can apply a Wittgensteinian analysis to technologies, explaining that: that “we can only understand technologies in and from their use, that is, in technological practice which is also culture-in-practice.” (p 178) . At the same time, they point to the role of technologies in constructing the physical and material constraints upon plausible forms of life:
Understanding technology, then, means understanding a form of life, and this includes technique and the use of all kinds of tools—linguistic, material, and others. Then the main question for a Wittgensteinian philosophy of technology applied to technology development and innovation is: what will the future forms of life, including new technological developments, look like, and how might this form of life be related to historical and contemporary forms of live? [sic] (p 179)
It is important though to be attentive to the different properties of different kinds of tools in use (linguistic, material, technological) within any form of life. Mass digital technologies, in particular, appears to spread in less negotiable ways: that is, some new technology introduced, whilst open to be embedded in forms of life in some subtly different ways, often has core features presented only on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, and, once introduced, can be relatively brittle and resistant to shaping by its users.
So – as new technologies are introduced, we may find that they reconfigure the social and material bounds of our current forms of life, whilst also introducing new language games, or new rules to existing games into our social settings. And with contemporary AI technologies in particular, a number of specific concerns may arise.
AI Concerns and Critical Responses
Before we consider how AI might affect our forms of life, a few further observations (and statements of value):
The plural of ‘forms’ is intentional. There are variations in the forms of life lived across our planet. Social agreements in behaviour and action vary between cultural settings, regions or social strata. Many humans live between multiple forms of life, translating in word and behaviour between the different meanings each requires. Multiple forms are not strictly dichotomous: different forms of life may have many resemblances, but their distinctions matter and should be valued (this is an explicit political statement of value on my part).
There have been a number of social projects to establish certain universal forms of life over past centuries. For example, the development of consensus on human rights frameworks is one of these. seeking equitable treatment of all (I also personally subscribe to the view that a high level of respect for universal human rights should feature as a constraint to all forms of life).
Within this trend, there are also a number of significant projects seeking to establish greater acceptance of different ways of living, including action to reverse the victorian imposition of certain normative family structures, work to afford individuals greater autonomy in defining their own identities, and activity to embed much more ecological models of thinking about human society.
These trends (or ongoing social struggles if you like) seeking to make our ways of living more tolerant, open, inclusive and sustainable are important to note when we consider the rise of AI systems. Such systems are frequently reliant on categorised data, and on a reductive modelling of the human experience based on past, rather than prospective, data.
This noted, it appears then that we might point to two distinct forms of concern about AI:
(A) The use of algorithmic systems, built on reductive data, risks ossifying past ways of life (with their many injustices), rather than supporting struggles for social justice that involve ongoing efforts to renegotiate the meaning of certain categories and behaviours.
(B) Algorithmic systems may embody particular ways of life that, because of the power that can be exercised through their pervasive operation, cause those forms of life to be imposed over others. This creates pressure for humans to adapt their ways of life to fit the machine (and its creators/owners), rather than allowing the adaptation of the machine to fit into different human ways of life.
Brief examples
Gender detection software is AI trained to judge the gender of a person from an image (or from analysing names, text or some other input). In general, such systems define gender using a male-female binary. Such systems are being widely used in research and industry. Yet, at the same time the task of judging gender is being passed from human to machine, there are increasingly present ways of life that reject the equation of gender and sex identity, and the idea of a fixed gender-binary. The introduction of AI here risks the ossification of past social forms.
Predictive text tools are increasingly being embedded in e-mail and chat clients to suggest one-click automatic responses, instead of requiring the human to craft a written response. Such AI-driven features are at once a tool of great convenience, but also an imposed shift in our patterns of social interaction.
Such forms of ‘social robot’ are addressed by Coeckelbergh & Funk when they write: “These social robots become active systems for verbal communication and therefore influence human linguistic habits more than non-talking tools.” (p 185). But note the material limitations of these robots: they can’t construct a full sentence representative of their user. Instead, they push conversation towards the quick short response, creating a pressure to change patterns of human interaction.
Auto-replies suggested by Google Mail based on a proprietary algorithm.
The examples above suggested by gmail for me to use in reply to a recent e-mail might follow terms I’d often use, but push towards a form of e-mail communication that, at least in my experience, represents a particularly capitalist and functional form of life, in which speed of communication is of the essence, rather than social communication and exploration of ideas.
Reflections and responses
Wittgenstein was not a social commentator, but it is possible to draw upon his ideas to move beyond conversations about AI bias, to look at how the widespread introduction of algorithmic and machine-learning driven systems may interact with different contemporary forms of living.
I’m always interested though in the critical leading to the practical, and so below I’ve started to sketch out possible responses the analysis above leads me to consider. I also strongly suspect that these responses, and justification for them, can be elaborated much more directly and accessibility without getting here via Wittgenstein. Writing that may be a task for later, but as I came here via the Wittgensitinian route, I’ll stick with it.
(1) Find better categories
If we want future algorithmic systems to represent the forms of live we want to live, not just those lived in the past, or imposed upon populations, we need to focus on the categories and data structured used to describe the world and train machine-learning systems.
The question of when we can develop global categories that have meaning that is ‘good enough’ in terms of alignment in use across different settings, and when it is important to have systems that can accommodate more localised categorisations, is one that requires detailed work, and that is inherent political.
(2) Build a better machine
Some objects to particular instances of AI may be because it is, ultimately, too blunt in its current form. Would my objection to the predictive text tools be the same if they could express more complete sentences, more in line with the way I want to communicate? For many critiques of algorithmic systems, there may be a plausible response to suggest that a better designed or trained system could address the problem raised.
I’m sceptical however, of whether it is plausible for most current instantiations of machine-learning to be adaptable enough to different forms of life: not least on the grounds that for some ways of living the sample-size may be too small to gather enough data points to construct a good model, or the collection of the data required may be too expensive or intrusive for theoretical possibilities of highly adaptive machine-learning systems to be practically feasible or desirable.
(3) Strategic rejection
Recognising the economic and political power embedded in certain AI implementations, and the particular form of life it embodies, may help us to see technologies we want to reject outright. If a certain tool makes moves in a language game that are at odds with the game we want to be playing, and only gains agreement of action through its imposition, then perhaps we should not admit it at all.
To put that more bluntly (and bringing in my own political stance), certain AI tools embody a late-capitalist form of life, rooted in cultures and practices of a small strata of Silicon Valley. Such tools should have no place in shaping other ways of life, and should be rejected not because they are biased, or because they have not adequately considered issues of privacy, but simply because the form of life they replicate undermines both equality and ecology.
Over my time here at Bellagio, I’ll be particularly focussed on the first of these responses – seeking better categories, and understanding how processes of standardisation interact with AI. My goal is to do that with more narrative, and less abstraction, but we shall see…
Author Tim DaviesPosted on October 2, 2019 Categories Academic, Artificial Intelligence, PhilosophyTags bellagio, wittgenstein2 Comments on Algorithmic systems, Wittgenstein and Ways of Life
[Summary: report from a one day workshop with Create Gloucestershire bringing together artists and technologists to create artworks responding to data. Part 2 in a series with Exploring Arts Engagement with (Open) Data]
What happens when you bring together a group of artists, scientists, teachers and creative producers, with a collection of datasets, and a sprinkling of technologists and data analysts for a day? What will they create? What can we learn about data through the process?
There has been a long trend of data-driven artworks, or individual artists incorporating responses to structured data in their work. But how does this work in the compressed context of a one-day collaborative workshop? These are all questions I had the opportunity to explore last Saturday in a workshop co-facilitated with Jay Haigh of Create Gloucestershire and hosted at Atelier in Stroud: an event we ran under the title “Data | Create | Learning: Creative Lab”
The steady decline in education spending and increased focus on STEM subjects has impacted significantly on arts teaching and teachers. The knock on effect is observed in the take up of arts subjects at secondary, further and higher education level and, ultimately, impacting negatively on the arts and cultural sector in the UK. As such, Create Gloucestershire has been piloting new work in Gloucestershire schools to embed new creative curriculum approaches, supporting its mission to ‘make arts everyday for everyone’. The cultural education agenda therefore provided a useful ‘hook’ for this data exploration.
Data: preparation
We started thinking about the idea of a ‘art and data hackathon’ at the start of this year, as part of Create Gloucestershire’s data maturity journey and decided to focus on questions around cultural education in Gloucestershire. However, we quickly realised an event could not be entirely modelled on a classic coding hackathon event, so, in April we brought together a group of potential participants for a short design meeting.
For this, we sought out a range of datasets about schools, arts education, arts teaching and funding for arts activities – and I worked to prepare Gloucestershire extracts of these datasets (slimming them down from hundreds of columns and rows) . Inspired by the Dataset Nutrition Project project, and using AirTable blocks to rapidly create a set of cards, we took along profiles of some of these datasets to help give participants at the planning meeting a sense of what might be found inside each of the datasets we looked at.
Through this planning meeting we were able to set our expectations about the kind of analysis and insights we might get to from these datasets, and to think about placing the emphasis of the day on collaboration and learning, rather than being overly directive about the questions to be answered with data. We also decided that, in order to help collaborative groups form in the workshop, and to make sure we had materials prepared for particular art forms, we would invite a number of artists to act as anchor facilitators on the day.
Culture: the hackathon day
After an overview of Create Gloucestershire’s mission to bring about ‘arts everyday for everyone’, we began with introductions, going round the group and completing three sentences:
For me, data is…
For me, arts everyday is…
In Gloucestershire, is arts everyday….?
Through this, we began to surface different experiences of engagement with data (everywhere; semi-transparent; impersonal; information; a goldmine; less well defined than art; complex; connective…), and with questions of access to arts (Arts everyday is: fun; making sense of the world; what you make of it; necessary; a privilege for some; an improbable dream; essential).
We then turned briefly to look at some of the data available to explore these questions, before inviting our artists to explain the tools and approaches they had brought along to share:
Barney Heywood of Stand + Stare demonstrated use of touch-sensitive tape to create physical installations that respond to an audience with sound or visuals, as well as the Mayfly app that links stickers and sounds;
Illustrator and filmmaker, Joe Magee described the power of the pen, and how to sketch out responses to data;
Digital communications consultant and artist, Sarah Dixon described the use of textiles and paper to create work that mixes 2D and 3D; and
Architect Tomas Millar introduced a range of Virtual Reality technologies, and how tools from architecture and gaming could be adapted to create data-related artworks.
To get our creative ideas flowing, we then ran through some rapid idea generation, with everyone rotating around our four artists groups, and responding to four different items of data (below) with as many different ideas as possible. From the 30+ ideas generated came some of the seeds of the works we then developed during the afternoon.
Following a short break, everyone had the chance to form groups and dig deeper into designing an artwork, guided by a number of questions:
What response to data do group members want to focus on? Collecting data? Data representation? Interpretation and response? Or exploring ‘missing data’?
Is there a story, or a question you want to explore?
Who is the audience for your creation?
What data do you need? Individual numbers; graphs; tables; geo data; qualitative data; network data or some other form?
Sketching early ideas
Groups then had around three hours to start making and creating prototype artworks based on their ideas, before we reconvened for a showcase of the creations.
The process was chaotic and collaborative. Some groups were straight into making: testing out the physical properties of materials, and then retrofitting data into their works later. Others sought to explore available datasets and find the stories amongst a wall of statistics. In some cases, we found ourselves gathering new data (e.g. lists of extracurricular activities taken from school websites), and in others, we needed to use exploratory data visualisation tools to see trends and extrapolate stories that could be explored through our artforms. People moved between groups to help create: recording audio, providing drawings, or sharing skills to stimulate new ways of increasing access to the stories within the data. Below is a brief summary of some of the works created, followed by some reflections on learning from the day.
The artworks
Interactive audio: school subjects in harmony
Artwork: Barney Heywood and team | Photo credit: Kazz Hollick
Responding to questions about the balance of the school curriculum, and the low share of teaching hours occupied by the arts, the group recorded a four-part harmony audio clip, and set the volume of each part relative to the share of teaching time for arts, english, sciences and humanities. Through a collection of objects representing each subject, audiences could trigger individual parts, all four parts together, or a distorted version of the harmony. Through inviting interaction, and using volume and distortion, the piece invited reflection on the ‘right’ balance of school subjects, and the effect of loosing arts from the curriculum for the overall harmony of education.
Fabric chromatography: creative combinations
Artwork: Sarah Dixon and team. Photo credit: Jay Haigh
Picking up on a similar theme, this fabric based project sought to explore the mix of extracurricular activities available at a school, and how access to a range of activities can interact to support creative education. Using strips of fabric, woven in a grid onto a backcloth, the work immersed a dangling end of each strip in coloured ink, the mix of inks depending on the range of arts activities available at a particular school. As the ink soaked up vertical strands of the fabric, it also started to seep into horizontal strands, which could mix with other colours. The colours chosen reflected a chart representation of the dataset used to inform the work, establishing a clear link between data, information, and art work.
This work offered a powerful connection between art, data and science: allowing an exploration of how the properties of different inks, and different fabrics, could be used to represent data on ‘absorption’ of cultural education, and the benefits that may emerge from combining different cultural activities. The group envisaged works like this being developed with students, and then shown in the reception area of a school to showcase it’s cultural offer.
The shrinking design teacher (VR installation)
Artwork: Tomas Millar & Pip Heywood. Photo credit: Jay Haigh
Using a series of photographs taken on a mobile phone, a 3D model of representation of Pip, a design teacher, was created in a virtual landscape. An audio recording of Pip describing the critical skill sets engendered through design teaching was linked to the model, which was set to shrink in size over the time of the recording reflecting 7-years of data on the reduction in design teaching hours in school.
Observed through VR goggles, the piece offered an emotive way to engage with a narrative on the power of art to encourage critical questioning of structures, and to support creative engagement with the world, all whilst – imperceptibly at first, and more clearly as the VR observer finds themselves looking down at the shrinking teacher – highlighting current trends in teaching hours.
Arcade mechanicals
Artwork: Joe Magee and team. Photo credit: Jay Haigh
From the virtual to the physical, this sketch questioned the ‘rigged’ nature of grammar school and private education, imagining an arcade machine where the weight, size and shape of tokens were set according to various data points, and where the mechanism would lead to certain tokens having a better chance of winning.
By exploring a data-informed arcade mechanisms, this idea captures the idea that statistical models can tell us something about potential future outcomes, but that outcomes are not entirely determined, and there are still elements of chance, or unpredictable interactions, in any individual story.
Exclusion tags
Artwork: Joe Magee, Sarah Dixon and team. Photo: Jay Haigh
Building on data about different reasons for school exclusion, eight workshop participants were handed paper tags, marking them out for exclusion from the ‘classroom’. They were told to leave the room, where the images on their tags were scanned (using the Mayfly app) playing them a cold explanation of why they have been excluded and for how long.
The group were then invited to create a fabric based sculpture to represent the percentage of children excluded from school in Gloucestershire for the reasons indicated on their tag.
The work sought to explore the subjective experience of being excluded, and to look behind the numbers to the individual stories – whilst also prototyping a possible creative yarn-bombing workshop that could be used with excluded young people to re-engage them with education.
The team envisaged a further set of tags linked to personal narratives collected from young people excluded from school, bringing their voices into the piece to humanise the data story.
Library lights: stories from library users
This early prototype explored the potential VR to let an audience explore a space, shedding light on areas that are otherwise in darkness. Drawing on statistics about the fact that 33% of people use libraries, and on audio recordings – drawn from direct participant quotes collected by Create Gloucestershire during their 3-year Art of Libraries test programme describing how people benefitted from engagement with arts interventions in libraries across Gloucestershire – a virtual space was populated with 100 orbs – the percentage lit relating to those who use libraries. As the audience in VR approached a lit orb, an audio recording of an individual experience with a library would play.
The creative team envisaged the potential to create a galaxy of voices: offseting negative comments about libraries from those that don’t use them (they were able to find a significant number of data sets showing negative perceptions about libraries, but few positive ones) with the good experiences of those that do.
Artwork: Tomas Millar and team (image to come)
Seeing our networks
Not so much an artwork, as a data visualisation, this piece took data gathered over the last five years by Create Gloucestershire to record attendance at Create Gloucestershire events. Adding in data on attendance at the Creative Lab, lists of people, events and event participation (captured and cleaned up using the vTiger CRM), were fed into Kumu, and used to build an interactive network diagram. The visual allows an identification of how, over time, CG events have both engaged with new people (out on the edge of the network), and have started to build ongoing connections.
A note on naming
*One things we forgot to do (!) in our process was to ask each group to title their works, so the titles and descriptions above are given by the authors of this post. We will happily amend with input from each group.
We closed our workshop reflecting on learning from the day. I was particularly struck by the way in which responding to dataset through the lens of artistic creation (and not just data visualisation) provided opportunities to ask new questions of datasets, and to critically question their veracity and politics: digging into the stories behind each data point, and powerfully combining qualitative and quantitative data to look not just at presenting data, but finding what it might mean for particular audiences.
However, as Joe Magee framed it, it wasn’t always easy to find a route up the “gigantic data coalface”. Faced with hundreds of rows and columns of data, it was important to have access to tools and skills to carry out quick visualisations: yet knowing the right tools to use, or how to shape data so that it can be easily visualised, is not always straightforwards. Unlike a classic data hackathon, where there are often demands for the ‘raw data’, a data and art creative lab benefits from more work to prepare data extracts, and to provide access to layers of data (individual data points, a small set they belong in, the larger set they come from) .
Our journey, however, took use beyond the datasets we had pre-prepared. One particular resource we came across was the UK Taking Part Survey which offers a range of analysis tools to drill down into statistics on participation in art forms by age, region and socio-economic status. With this dataset, and a number of others, our expectations were often confounded when, for example, relationships we had expected to find between poverty and arts participation, or age and involvement, were not borne out in the data.
This points to a useful symmetry: turning to data allowed us to challenge the assumptions that might otherwise be baked into an agenda-driven artwork, but engaging with data through an arts lens also allowed us to challenge the assumptions behind data points, and behind the ways data is used in policy-making.
We’ve also learnt more about how to frame an event like this. We struggled to describe it in advance and to advertise it. Too much text was the feedback from some! Now with images of this event, we can think about ways to provide a better visual story for future workshops of what might be involved.
Given Create Gloucestershire’s commitment to arts everyday for everyone as a wholly inclusive statement of intent, it was exciting to see collaborators on the day truly engaging with data in a way they may not have done previously, and then expanding access to it by representing data in accessible and engaging forms which, additionally, could be explored by subjects of the data themselves. What might have seemed “boring” or “troublesome” at the start of the day become a font of inspiration and creativity, opening up new conversations that may never have previously taken place and setting up the potential for new collaborations, conversations, advocacy and engagement.
Thank you to the team at Create Gloucestershire for hosting the day, and particularly to Caroline, Pippa and Jay for all the organisation. Thanks to Kat at Atelier for hosting us, and to our facilitating artists: Barney, Sarah, Thomas and Joe. And thanks to everyone who gave up a Saturday to take part!
Photo credit where not stated: Jay Haigh
Author Tim DaviesPosted on September 28, 2019 September 28, 2019 Categories Open Data, StroudTags art, culture, workshops2 Comments on Creative Lab Report: Data | Culture | Learning
[Summary: an argument for the importance of involving civil society, and thinking broad when exploring the concept of high value data (with lots of links to past research and the like smuggled in)]
On 26th June this year the European Parliament and Council published an update to the Public Sector Information (PSI) directive, now recast as Directive 2019/1024 “on open data and the re-use of public sector information”. The new text makes a number of important changes, including bringing data held by publicly controlled companies in utility and transport sectors into the scope of the directive, extending coverage of research data, and seeking to limit the granting of exclusive private sector rights to data created during public tasks, and increase the transparency when such rights are granted.
However, one of the most significant changes of all is the inclusion of Article 14 on High Value Datasets which gives the Commission power to adopt an implementing act “laying down a list of specific high-value datasets” that member states will be obliged to publish under open licenses, and, in some cases, using certain APIs and standards. The implementing acts will have the power to set out those standards. This presents a major opportunity to shape the open data ecosystem of Europe for decades to come.
The EU Commission have already issued a tender for a consultant to support them in defining a ‘List of High-value Datasets to be made Available by the Member States under the PSI-Directive’, and work looks set to advance at pace, particularly as the window granted by the directive to the Commission to set out a list of high value datasets is time-limited.
A few weeks back, a number of open data researchers and campaigners had a quick call to discuss ways to make sure past research, and civil society voices, inform the work that goes forward. As part of that, I agreed to draft a short(ish) post exploring the concept of high value data, and looking at some of the issues that might need to be addressed in the coming months. I’d hoped to co-draft this with colleagues, but with summer holidays and travel having intervened, am instead posting a sole authored post, with an invite to others to add/dispute/critique etc.
Notably, whilst it appears few (if any) open-data related civil society organisations are in a position to lead a response to the current EC tender, the civil society open data networks built over the last decade in Europe have a lot to offer in identifying, exploring and quantifying the potential social value of specific open datasets.
What counts as high value?
The Commission’s tender points towards a desire for a single list of datasets that can be said to exist in some form in each member state. The directive restricts the scope of this list to six domains: geospatial, earth observation and environment, meteorological, statistical, company and company ownership, and mobility-related datasets. It also appears to anticipate that data standards will only be prescribed for some kinds of data: highlighting a distinction between data that may be high value simply by virtue of publication, and data which is high-value by virtue of it’s interoperability between states.
In the new directive, the definition of ‘high value datasets’ is put as:
“documents the re-use of which is associated with important benefits for society, the environment and the economy, in particular because of their suitability for the creation of value-added services, applications and new, high-quality and decent jobs, and of the number of potential beneficiaries of the value-added services and applications based on those datasets;” (§2.10)
Although the ordering of society, environment and economy is welcome, there are subtle but important differences from the definition advanced in a 2014 paper from W3C and PwC for the European Commission which described a number of factors for determining whether there was high value to making a dataset open (and standardising it in some ways). It focussed attention on whether publication of a dataset:
Contributes to transparency
Helps governments meet legal obligations
Relates to a public task
Realises cost reductions; and
Has some value to a large audience, or substantial value to a smaller audience.
Although the recent tender talks of identifying “socio-economic” benefits of datasets, overall it adopts a strongly economic frame, seeking quantification of these and asking in particular for evaluation of “potential for AI applications of the identified datasets;”. (This particular framing of open data as a raw material input for AI is something I explored in the recent State of Open Data book, where the privacy chapter also picked up on a brief exploration how AI applications may also create new privacy risks for release of certain datasets.) But to keep wider political and social uses of open data in view, and to recognise that quantification of benefits is not a simple process of adding up the revenue of firms that use that data, any comprehensive method to explore high value datasets will need to consider a range of issues, including that:
Value is produced in a range of different ways
Not all future value can be identified from looking at existing data use cases
Value may result from network effects
Realising value takes more than data
Value is a two-sided calculation; and
The distribution of value matters as well as the total amount
I dig into each of these below.
Value is produced in different ways
A ‘raw material’ theory of change still pervades many discussions of open data, in spite of the growing evidence base about the many different ways that opening up access to data generates value. In ‘raw material’ theory, open data is an input, taken in by firms, processed, and output as part of new products and services. The value of the data can then be measured in the ‘value add’ captured from sales of the resulting product or service. Yet, this only captures a small part of the value that mandating certain datasets be made open can generate. Other mechanisms at play can include:
Risk reduction. Take, for example, beneficial ownership data. Quite asides from the revenue generated by ‘Know Your Customer (KYC)’ brokers who might build services off the back of public registers of beneficial ownership, consider the savings to government and firms from not being exposed to dodgy shell-companies, and the consumer surplus generated by supporting a clamp down on illicit financial flows into the housing market by supporting more effective cross-border anti-money laundering investigations. OpenOwnership are planning research later this year to dig more into how firms are using, or could use, beneficial ownership transparency data including to manage their exposure to risk. Any quantification needs to take into account not only value gained, but also value ‘not lost’ because a dataset is made open.
Internal efficiency and innovation. When data is made open, and particularly when standards are adopted, it often triggers a reconfiguration of data practices inside the data (c.f. Goëta & Davies), with the potential for this to support more efficient working, and enable innovation through collaboration between government, civil society and enterprise. For example, the open publication of contracting data, particularly with the adoption of common data standards, has enabled a number of governments to introduce new analytical tools, finding ways to get a better deal on the products and services they buy. Again, this value for money for the taxpayer may be missed by a simple ‘raw material’ theory.
Political and rights impacts. The 2014 W3C/PWC paper I cited earlier talks about identifying datasets with “some value to a large audience, or substantial value to a smaller audience.”. There may also be datasets that have low likelihood of causing impact, but high impact (at least for those affected) when they do. Take, for example, statistics on school admissions. When I first looked at use of open data back in 2009, I was struck by the case of an individual gaining confidence from the fact that statistics on school admission appeals were available (E7) when constructing an appeal case against a school’s refusal to admit their own child. The open availability of this data (not necessarily standardised or aggregated) had substantial value to empowering a citizen in securing their rights. Similarly, there are datasets that are important for communities to secure their rights (e.g. air quality data), or to take political action to either enforce existing policy (e.g. air quality limits), or to change policy (e.g. secure new air quality action zones). No only is such value difficult to quantify, but whether or not certain data generates value will vary between countries in accordance with local policies and political issues. The definition of EU-wide ‘high value datasets’ should not crowd out the possibility or process of defining data that is high-value in particular country. That said, there may at least be scope to look at datasets in the study categories that have substantial potential value in relation to EU social and environmental policy priorities.
Beyond the mechanisms above, there may also be datasets where we find a high intrinsic value in the transparency their publication brings, even without a clear evidence base that can quantifies their impact. In these cases, we might also talk of the normative value of openness, and consider which datasets deserve a place on the high-value list because we take the openness of this data to be foundational to the kind of societies we want to live in, just as we may take certain freedoms of speech and movement as foundational to the kind of Europe we want to see created.
Not all value can be found from prior examples
The tender cites projects like the Open Data Barometer (which I was involved in developing the methodology for) as potential inspirations for the design of approaches to assess “datasets that should belong to the list of high value datasets”. The primary place to look for that inspiration is not in the published stats, but in the underlying qualitative data which includes raw reports of cases of political, social and economic impact from open data. This data (available for a number of past editions of the Barometer) remains an under-explored source of potential impact cases that could be used to identify how data has been used in particular countries and settings. Equally, projects like the State of Open Data can be used to find inspiration on where data has been used to generate social value: the chapter on Transport is as case-in-point, looking at how comprehensive data on transport can support applications improving the mobility of people with specific needs.
However, many potential uses and impacts of open data are still to be realised, because the data they might work with has not heretofore been accessible. Looking only at existing cases of use and impact is likely to miss such cases. This is where dialogue with civil society becomes vitally important. Campaigners, analysts and advocates may have ideas for the projects that could exist if only particular data was available. In some cases, there will be a hint at what is possible from academic projects that have gained access to particular government datasets, or from pilot projects where limited data was temporarily shared – but in other cases, understanding potential value will require a more imaginative and forward-looking and consultative process. Given the upcoming study may set the list of high value datasets for decades to come – it’s important that the agenda is not be solely determined by prior publication precedent.
For some datasets, certain value comes from network effects
If one country provides an open register of corporate ownership, the value this has for anti-corruption purposes only goes so far. Corruption is a networked game, and without being able to following corporate chains across borders, the value of a single register may be limited. The value of corporate disclosures in one jurisdiction increase the more other jurisdictions provide such data. The general principle here, that certain data gains value through network effects, raises some important issues for the quantification of value, and will help point towards those datasets where standardisation is particularly important. Being able to show, for example, that the majority of the value of public transit data comes from domestic use (and so interoperability is less important), but the majority of value of, say, carbon emission or climate change mitigation financing data, comes from cross-border use, will be important to support prioritisation of datasets.
Value generation takes more than data
Another challenge of of the ‘raw material’ theory of change is that it often fails to consider (a) the underlying quality (not only format standardisation) of source data, and (b) the complementary policies and resources that enable use. For example, air quality data from low-quality or uncalibrated particulate sensors may be less valuable than data from calibrated and high quality sensors, particularly when national policy may set out criteria for the kinds of data that can be used in advancing claims for additional environmental protections in high-pollution areas. Understanding this interaction of ‘local data’ and the governance contexts where it is used is important in understanding how far, and under what conditions, one may extrapolate from value identified in one context, to potential value to be realised in another. This calls for methods that can go beyond naming datasets, to being able to describe features (not just formats) that are important for them to have.
Within the Web Foundation hosted Open Data Research Network a few years back we spent considerable time refining a framework for thinking about all the aspects that go into securing impact (and value) from open data, and work by GovLab has also identified factors that have been important to the success of initiatives using open data. Beyond this, numerous dataset-specific frameworks for understanding what quality looks like may exist. Whilst recommending dataset-by-dataset measures to enhance the value realised from particular open datasets may be beyond the scope of the European Commission’s current study – when researching and extrapolating from past value generation in different contexts it is important to look at the other complementary factors that may have contributed that value realising alongside the simple availability of data.
Value is a two-sided calculation
It can be temping to quantify the value of a dataset simply by taking all the ‘positive’ value it might generate, and adding it up. But, a true quantification calculation also needs to consider potential negative impacts. In some cases, this could be positive economic value set against some social or ecological dis-benefit. For example, consider the release of some data that might increase use of carbon-intensive air and road transport. While this could generate quantifiable revenue for haulage and airline firms, it might undermine efforts to tackle climate change, destroying long-term value. Or in other cases, there may be data that provides social benefit (e.g. through the release of consumer protection related data) but that disrupts an existing industry in ways that reduce private sector revenues.
Recognising the power of data, involves recognising that power can be used in both positive and negative ways. A complete balance sheet needs to consider the plus and the minus. This is another key point where dialogue with civil society will be vital – and not only with open data advocates, but with those who can help consider the potential harms of certain data being more open.
Distribution of value matters
Last but not least, when considering public investment in ‘high value’ datasets, it is important to consider who captures that value. I’ve already hinted at the fact that value might be captured as government surplus, consumer surplus or producer (private sector) surplus – but there are also relevant question to ask about which countries or industries may be best placed to capture value from cross-border interoperable datasets.
When we see data as infrastructure, then it can help us consider the potential to both provide infrastructure that is open to all and generative of innovation, but also to design policies that ensure those capturing value from the infrastructure are contributing to its maintenance.
Work on methodologies to identify high value datasets in Europe should not start from scratch, and stand to benefit substantially from engaging with open data communities across the region. There is a risk that a narrow conceptualisation and quantification of ‘high value’ will fail to capture the true value of openness, and to consider the contexts of data production and use. However, there is a wealth of research from the last decade (including some linked in this post, and cited in State of Open Data) to build upon, and I’m hopeful that whichever consultant or consortium takes on the EC’s commissioned study, they will take as broad a view as possible within the practical constraints of their project.
Author Tim DaviesPosted on August 14, 2019 August 15, 2019 Categories Open DataTags EU, high value data, PSI DirectiveLeave a comment on High value datasets: an exploration
[Summary: extended notes from an unConference session]
At the recent data literacy focussed Open Government Partnership unConference day (ably facilitated by my fellow Stroudie Dirk Slater) I acted as host for a break-out discussion on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Data Literacy’, building on the ‘Algorithms and AI’ chapter I contributed to The State of Open Data book.
In that chapter, I offer the recommendation that machine learning should be addressed within wider open data literacy building. However, it was only through the unConference discussions that we found a promising approach to take that recommendation forward: encouraging a critical look at how AI might be applied at each stage of the School of Data ‘Data Pipeline’.
The Data Pipeline, which features in the Data Literacy chapter of The State of Open Data, describes seven stages for woking with data, from defining the problem to be addressed, through to finding and getting hold of relevant data, verifying and cleaning it, and analysing data and presenting findings.
Figure: The School of Data’s data pipeline. Source: https://schoolofdata.org/methodology/
Often, AI is described as a tool for data analysis (any this was the mental framework many unConference session participants started with). Yet, in practice, AI tools might play a role at each stage of the data pipeline, and exploring these different applications of AI could support a more critical understanding of the affordances, and limitations, of AI.
The following rough worked example looks at how this could be applied in practice, using an imagined case study to illustrate the opportunities to build AI literacy along the data pipeline.
(Note: although I’ll use machine-learning and AI broadly interchangeably in this blog post, as I outline in the State of Open Data Chapter, AI is a broader concept than machine-learning.)
Imagine a human rights organisation, using a media-monitoring service to identify emerging trends that they should investigate. The monitoring service flags a spike in gender based violence, encouraging them to seek out more detailed data. Their research locates a mix of social media posts, crowdsourced data from a harassment mapping platform, and official statistics collected in different regions across the country. They bring this data together, and seek to check it’s accuracy, before producing an analysis and visually impactful report.
As we unpack this (fictional) example, we can consider how algorithms and machine-learning are, or could be, applied at each stage – and we can use that to consider the strengths and weaknesses of machine-learning approaches, building data and AI literacy.
Define – The patterns that first give rise to a hunch or topic to investigate may have been identified by an algorithmic model. How does this fit with, or challenge, the perception of staff or community members? If there is a mis-match – is this because the model is able to spot a pattern than humans were not able to see (+1 for the AI)? Or could it be because the model is relying on input data that reflects certain bias (e.g. media may under-report certain stories, or certain stories may be over-reported because of certain cognitive biases amongst reporters)?
Find – Search engine algorithms may be applying machine-learning approaches to identify and rank results. Machine-translation tools, that could be used to search for data described in other languages, are also an example of really well established AI. Consider the accuracy of search engines and machine-translation: they are remarkable tools, but we also recognise that they are nowhere near 100% reliable. We still generally rely on a human to sift through the results they give.
Get – One of the most common, and powerful, applications of machine-learning, is in turning information into data: taking unstructured content, and adding structure through classification or data extraction. For example, image classification algorithms can be trained to convert complex imagery into a dataset of terms or descriptions; entity extraction and sentiment analysis tools can be used to pick out place names, event descriptions and a judgement on whether the event described is good or bad, from free text tweets, and data extraction algorithms can (in some cases) offer a much faster and cheaper way to transcribe thousands of documents than having humans do the work by hand. AI can, ultimately, change what counts as structured data or not. However, that doesn’t mean that you can get all the data you need using AI tools. Sometimes, particularly where well-defined categorical data is needed, getting data may require creation of new reporting tools, definitions and data standards.
Verify – School of Data describe the verification step like this: “We got our hands in the data, but that doesn’t mean it’s the data we need. We have to check out if details are valid, such as the meta-data, the methodology of collection, if we know who organised the dataset and it’s a credible source.” In the context of AI-extracted data, this offers an opportunity to talk about training data and test data, and to think about the impact that tuning tolerances to false-positives or false-negatives might have on the analysis that will be carried out. It also offers an opportunity to think about the impact that different biases in the data might have on any models built to analyse it.
Clean – When bringing together data from multiple sources, there may be all sorts of errors and outliers to address. Machine-learning tools may prove particularly useful for de-duplication of data, or spotting possible outliers. Data cleaning to prepare data for a machine-learning based analysis may also involve simplifying a complex dataset into a smaller number of variables and categories. Working through this process can help build an understanding of the ways in which, before a model is applied, certain important decisions have already been made.
Analyse – Often, data analysis takes the form of simple descriptive charts, graphs and maps. But, when AI tools are added to the mix, analysis might involve building predictive models, able, for example, to suggest areas of a county that might see future hot-spots of violence, or that create interactive tools that can be used to perform ongoing monitoring of social media reports. However, it’s important in adding AI to the analysis toolbox, not to skip entirely over other statistical methods: and instead to think about the relative strengths and weaknesses of a machine-learning model as against some other form of statistical model. One of the key issues to consider in algorithmic analysis is the ’n’ required: that is, the sample size needed to train a model, or to get accurate results. It’s striking that many machine-learning techniques required a far larger dataset that can be easily supplied outside big corporate contexts. A second issue that can be considered in looking at analysis is how ‘explainable’ a model is: does the machine-learning method applied allow an exploration of the connections between input and output? Or is it only a black box.
Present – Where the output of conventional data analysis might be a graph or a chart describing a trend, the output of a machine-learning model may be a prediction. Where a summary of data might be static, a model could be used to create interactive content that responds to user input in some way. Thinking carefully about the presentation of the products of machine-learning based analysis could support a deeper understanding of the ways in which such outputs could or should be used to inform action.
The bullets above give just some (quickly drafted and incomplete) examples of how the data pipeline can be used to explore AI-literacy alongside data literacy. Hopefully, however, this acts as enough of a proof-of-concept to suggest this might warrant further development work.
The benefit of teaching AI literacy through open data
I also argue in The State of Open Data that:
AI approaches often rely on centralising big datasets and seeking to personalise services through the application of black-box algorithms. Open data approaches can offer an important counter-narrative to this, focusing on both big and small data and enabling collective responses to social and developmental challenges.
Operating well in a datified world requires citizens to have a critical appreciation of a wide variety of ways in which data is created, analysed and used – and the ability to judge which tool is appropriate to which context. By introducing AI approaches as one part of the wider data toolbox, it’s possible to build this kind of literacy in ways that are not possible in training or capacity building efforts focussed on AI alone.
Author Tim DaviesPosted on June 12, 2019 Categories Open Data, Open GovernmentTags AI, stateOfOpenDataLeave a comment on Linking data and AI literacy at each stage of the data pipeline
The politics of misdirection? Open government ≠ technology.
[Summary: An extended write-up of a tweet-length critique]
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) Summit is, on many levels, an inspiring event. Civil society and government in dialogue together on substantive initiatives to improve governance, address civic engagement, and push forward transparency and accountability reforms. I’ve had the privilege, through various projects, to be a civil society participant in each of the 6 summits in Brasilia, London, Mexico, Paris, Tbilisi and now Ottawa. I have a lot of respect for the OGP Support Unit team, and the many government and civil society participants who work to make OGP a meaningful forum and mechanism for change. And I recognise that the substance of a summit is often found in the smaller sessions, rather than the set-piece plenaries. But, the summit’s opening plenary offered a powerful example of the way in which a continued embrace of a tech-goggles approach at OGP, and weaknesses in the design of the partnership and it’s events, misdirect attention, and leave some of the biggest open government challenges unresolved.
Trudeau’s Tech Goggles?
We need to call out the techno-elitism, and political misdirection, that mean the Prime Minister of Canada can spend the opening plenary in an interview that focussed more on regulation of Facebook, than on regulation of the money flowing into politics; and more time answering questions about his Netflix watching, than discussing the fact that millions of people still lack the connectivity, social capital or civic space to engage in any meaningful form of democratic decision making. Whilst (new-)media inevitably plays a role in shaping patterns of populism, a narrow focus on the regulation of online platforms directs attention away from the ways in which economic forces, transportation policy, and a relentless functionalist focus on ‘efficient’ public services, without recognising their vital role in producing social-solidarity, has contributed to the social dislocation in which populism (and fascism) finds root.
Of course, the regulation of large technology firms matters, but it’s ultimately an implementation detail that some come as part of wider reforms to our democratic systems. The OGP should not be seeking to become the Internet Governance Forum (and if it does want to talk tech regulation, then it should start by learning lessons from the IGFs successes and failures), but should instead be looking deeper at the root causes of closing civic space, and of the upswing of populist, non-participatory, and non-inclusive politics.
Beyond the ballot box?
The first edition of the OGP’s Global Report is sub-titled ‘Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box’ and opens with the claim that:
…authoritarianism is on the rise again. The current wave is different–it is more gradual and less direct than in past eras. Today, challenges to democracy come less frequently from vote theft or military coups; they come from persistent threats to activists and journalists, the media, and the rule of law.
The threats to democracy are coming from outside of the electoral process and our response must be found there too. Both the problem and the solution lie “beyond the ballot box.”
There appears to be a non-sequitur here. That votes are not being stolen through physical coercion, does not mean that we should immediately move our focus beyond electoral processes. Much like the Internet adage that ‘censorship is damage, route around it’, there can be a tendency in Open Government circles to treat the messy politics of governing as a fundamentally broken part of government, and to try and create alternative systems of participation or engagement that seek to be ‘beyond politics’. Yet, if new systems of participation come to have meaningful influence, what reason do we have to think they won’t become subject to the legitimate and illegitimate pressures that lead to deadlock or ‘inefficiency’ in our existing institutions? And as I know from local experience, citizen scrutiny of procurement or public sending from outside government can only get us so far without political representatives willing to use and defend they constitutional powers of scrutiny.
I’m more and more convinced that to fight back against closing civic space and authoritarian government, we cannot work around the edges: but need to think more deeply about about how we work to get capable and ethical politicians elected: held in check by functioning party systems, and engaging in fair electoral competition overseen by robust electoral institutions. We need to go back to the ballot box, rather than beyond it. Otherwise we are simply ceding ground to the forces who have progressively learnt to manipulate elections, without needing to directly buy votes.
Globally leaders, locally laggards?
The opening plenary also featured UK Government Minister John Penrose MP. But, rather than making even passing mention of the UK’s OGP National Action Plan, launched just one day before, Mr Penrose talked about UK support for global beneficial ownership transparency. Now: it is absolutely great that that ideas of beneficial ownership transparency are gaining pace through the OGP process.
But, there is a design flaw in a multi-stakeholder partnership where a national politician of a member country is able to take the stage without any response from civil society. And where there is no space for questions on the fact that the UK government has delayed the extension of public beneficial ownership registries to UK Overseas Territories until at least 2023. The misdirection, and #OpenWashing at work here needs to be addressed head on: demanding honest reflections from a government minister on the legislative and constitutional challenges of extending beneficial ownership transparency to tax havens and secrecy jurisdictions.
As long as politicians and presenters are not challenged when framing reforms as simple (and cheap) technological fixes, we will cease to learn about and discuss the deeper legal reforms needed, and the work needed on implementation. As our State of Open Data session on Friday explored: data and standards must be the means not the ends, and more public scepticism about techno-determinist presentations would be well warranted.
Back, however, to event design. Although when hosted in London, the OGP Summit offered UK civil society at least, an action-forcing moment to push forward substantive National Action Plan commitments, the continued disappearance of performative spaces in which governments account for their NAPs, or different stakeholders from a countries multi-stakeholder group share the stage, means that (wealthy, and northern) governments are put in control of the spin.
Grounds for hope?
It’s clear that very many of us understand that open government ≠ technology, at least if (irony noted) likes and RTs on the below give a clue.
#ogpCanada Can we just agree that Open Gov ≠ Technology once and for all. This is the OGP Summit – not the Internet Governance Forum. Let’s talk about regulation of money in politics & creating democratic and civic space. Treat the technical platforms as implementation detail.
— Tim Davies (@timdavies) May 29, 2019
But we need to hone our critical instincts to apply that understanding to more of the discussions in fora like OGP. And if, as the Canadian Co-Chair argued in closing, “OGP is developing a new forms of multilateralism”, civil society needs to be much more assertive in taking control of the institutional and event design of OGP Summits, to avoid this being simply a useful annual networking shin-dig. The closing plenary also included calls to take seriously threats to civic space: but how can we make sure we’re not just saying this from the stage in the closing, but that the institutional design ensures there are mechanisms for civil society to push forward action on this issue.
In looking to the future of OGP, we should consider how civil society spends some time taking technology off the table. Let it emerge as an implementation detail, but perhaps let’s see where we get when we don’t let techo-discussions lead?
Author Tim DaviesPosted on May 31, 2019 May 31, 2019 Categories Open GovernmentLeave a comment on The politics of misdirection? Open government ≠ technology.
The lamentable State of Open Government in the UK
Yesterday the UK Government published, a year late, it’s most recent Open Government Partnership National Action Plan. It would be fair to say that civil society expectations for the plan were low, but when you look beyond the fine words to the detail of the targets set, the plan appears to limbo under even the lowest of expectations.
For example, although the Ministerial foreword acknowledges that “The National Action Plan is set against the backdrop of innovative technology being harnessed to erode public trust in state institutions, subverting and undermining democracy, and enabling the irresponsible use of personal information.”, the furthest the plan goes in relation to these issues is a weak commitment to “maintain an open dialogue with data users and civil society to support the development of the Government’s National Data Strategy.” This commitment has supposedly been ‘ongoing’ since September 2018, yet try as I might to find any public documentation of how the government is engaging around the data strategy – I’m drawing a blank. Not to mention that there is absolutely zilch here about actually tackling the ways in which we see democracy being subverted, not only through use of technology, but also through government’s own failures to respond to concerns about the management of elections or to bring forward serious measures to tackle the illegal flow of money into party and referendum campaigning. For work on open government to be meaningful we have to take off the tech-goggles, and address the very real governance and compliance challenges harming democracy in the UK. This plan singularly fails at that challenge.
In short, this is a plan with nothing new; with very few measurable targets that can be used to hold government to account; and with a renewed conflation of open data and open government.
Commitment 3 on Open Policy Making, to “Deliver at least 4 Open Policy Making demonstrator projects” have suspicious echoes of the 2013 commitment 16 to run “at least five ‘test and demonstrate projects’ across different policy areas.”. If central government has truly “led by example” on “increasingly citizen participation” as the introduction to this plan claims, then it seems all we are every going to get are ad-hoc examples. Evidence of any systemic action to promote engagement is entirely absent. The recent backsliding on public engagement in the UK vividly underscored by the fact that commitment 8 includes responding by November 2019 to a 2016 consultation. Agile, iterative and open government this is not.
Commitment 6 on an ‘Innovation in Democracy Programme’ involves token funding to allow a few local authority areas to pilot ‘Area Democracy Forums’, based on a citizens assembly models – at the same time that the government refuses to support any sort of participatory citizen dialogue to deal with pressing issue of both Brexit and Climate Change. The contract to deliver this work has already been tendered in any case, and the only targets in the plan relate to ‘pilots delivered’ and ‘evaluation’. Meaningful targets that might track how far progress has been made in actually giving citizens power over decisions making are notably absent.
The most substantive targets can be found under commitments 4 and 5 on Open Contracting and Natural Resource Transparency (full disclosure: most of the Open Contracting targets come from draft content I wrote when a member of the UK Open Contracting Steering Group). If Government actually follows through on the commitment to “Report regularly on publication of contract documents, and extent of redactions.”, and this reporting leads to better compliance with the policy requirements to disclose contracts, there may even be something approaching transformative here. But, the plan suggests such a commitment to quarterly reporting should have been in place since the start of the year, and I’ve not yet tracked down any such report.
Overall these commitments are about house-keeping: moving forward a little on the compliance with policy requirements that should have been met long ago. By contrast, the one draft commitment that could have substantively moved forward Open Contracting in the UK, by shifting emphasis to the local level where there is greatest scope to connect contracting and citizen engagement, is the one commitment conspicuously dropped from the final National Action Plan. Similarly, whilst the plan does provide space for some marginal improvements in grants data (Commitment 1), this is simply a continuation of existing commitments.
I recognise that civil servants have had to work long and hard to get even this limited NAP through government given the continued breakdown normal Westminster operations. However, as I look back to the critique we wrote of the first UK OGP NAP back in 2012, it seems to me that we’re back where we started or even worse: with a government narrative that equates open government and open data, and a National Action Plan that repackages existing work without any substantive progress or ambition. And we have to consider when something so weak is actually worse than nothing at all.
I resigned my place on the UK Open Government Network Steering Group last summer: partly due to my own capacity, but also because of frustration at stalled progress, and the co-option of civil society into a process where, instead of speaking boldly about the major issues facing our public sphere, the focus has been put on marginal pilots or small changes to how data is published. It’s not that those things are unimportant in and of themselves: but if we let them define what open government is about – well, then we have lost what open government should have been about.
And even we do allow the OGP to have a substantial emphasis on open data, where the UK government continues to claim leadership, the real picture is not so rosy. I’ll quote from Rufus Pollock and Danny Lämmerhirt’s analysis of the UK in their chapter for the State of Open Data:
“Open data lost most of its momentum in late 2015 as government attention turned to the Brexit referendum and later to Brexit negotiations. Many open data advisory bodies ceased to exist or merged with others. For example, the Public Sector Transparency Board became part of the Data Steering Group in November 2015, and the Open Data User Group discontinued its activities entirely in 2015. There have also been political attempts to limit the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) based on the argument that opening up government data would be an adequate substitute. There are still issues around publishing land ownership information across all regions, and some valuable datasets have been transferred out of government ownership avoiding publication, such as the Postal Address File that was sold off during the privatisation of the Royal Mail.”
The UK dropped in the Open Data Barometer rankings in 2017 (the latest data we have), and one of the key commitments from the last National Action Plan to “develop a common data standard for reporting election results in the UK” and improve crucial data on elections results had ‘limited’ progress according to the IRM, demonstrating a poor recent track record from the UK on opening up new datasets where it matters.
So where from here?
I generally prefer my blogging (and engagement) to be constructive. But I’m hoping that sometimes, the most constructive thing to do, is to call out the problems, even when I can’t see a way to solutions. Right now, it feels to me as though the starting point must be to recognise:
The UK Government is failing to live up to the Open Government Declaration.
UK Civil Society has failed to use the latest OGP NAP process to secure any meaningful progress on the major open government issues of the day.
The Global OGP process is doing very little to spur on UK action.
It’s time for us to face up to these challenges, and work out where we head from here.
Author Tim DaviesPosted on May 29, 2019 May 29, 2019 Categories Open GovernmentTags ogp1 Comment on The lamentable State of Open Government in the UK
Over the horizons: reflections from a week discussing the State of Open Data
[Summary: thinking aloud with five reflections on future directions for ope data related work, following discussions around the US east coast]
Over the last week I’ve had the opportunity to share findings from The State of Open Data: Histories and Horizons in a number of different settings: from academic roundtables, to conference presentations, and discussion panels.
Each has been an opportunity not only to promote the rich open access collection of essays just published, but also a chance to explore the many and varied chapters of the book as the starting point for new conversation about how to take forward an open approach to data in different settings and societies.
In this post I’m going to try and reflect on a couple of themes that have struck me during the week. (Note: These are, at this stage, just my initial and personal reflections, rather than a fully edited take on discussions arising from the book.)
Panel discussion at the GovLab with Tariq Khokhar, Adrienne Schmoeker and Beth Noveck.
Renewing open advocacy in a changed landscape
The timeliness of our look at the Histories and Horizons of open data was underlined on Monday when a tweet from Data.gov announced this week as their 10th anniversary, and the Open Knowledge Foundation, also celebrated their 15th birthday with a return to their old name, a re-focussed mission to address all forms of open knowledge, and an emphasis on creating “a future that is fair, free and open.”As they put it:
” …in 2019, our world has changed dramatically. Large unaccountable technology companies have monopolised the digital age, and an unsustainable concentration of wealth and power has led to stunted growth and lost opportunities. “
going on to say
“we recognise it is time for new rules for this new digital world.”
Not only is this a welcome and timely example of the kind of “thinking politically” we call for in the State of Open Data conclusion, but it chimes with many of the discussions this week, which have focussed as much on the ways in which private sector data should be regulated as they have on opening up government data.
While, in tools like the Open Data Charter’s Open Up Guides, we have been able to articulate a general case for opening up data in a particular sector, and then to enumerate ‘high value’ datasets that efforts should attend to, future work may need to go even deeper into analysing the political economy around individual datasets, and to show how a mix of voluntary data sharing, and hard and soft regulation, can be used to more directly address questions about how power is created, structured and distributed through control of data.
As one attendee at our panel at the Gov Lab put it, right now, open data is still often seen as a “perk not a right”. And although ‘right to data’ advocacy has an important role, it is by linking access to data to other rights (to clean air, to health, to justice etc.) that a more sophisticated conversation can develop around improving openness of systems as well as datasets (a point I believe Adrienne Schmoeker put in summing up a vision for the future).
Policy enables, problems drive
So does a turn towards problem-focussed open data initiatives mean we can put aside work on developing open data policies or readiness assessments? In short, no.
In a lunchtime panel at the World Bank, Anat Lewin offered an insightful reflection on The State of Open Data from a multilateral’s perspective, highlighting the continued importance of developing a ‘whole of government’ approach to open data. This was echoed in Adrienne Schmoeker’s description at The Gov Lab of the steps needed to create a city-wide open data capacity in New York. In short, without readiness assessment and open data policies put in place, initiatives that use open data as a strategic tool are likely to rub up against all sorts of practical implementation challenges.
Where in the past, government open data programmes have often involved going out to find data to release, the increasing presence of data science and data analytics teams in government means the emphasis is shifting onto finding problems to solve. Provided data analytics teams recognise the idea of ‘data as a team sport’, requiring not just technical skills, but also social science, civic engagement and policy development skill sets – and providing professional values of openness are embedded in such teams – then we may be moving towards a model in which ‘vertical’ work on open data policy, works alongside ‘horizontal’ problem-driven initiatives that may make less use of the language of open data, but which still benefit from a framework of openness.
Chapter discussions at the OpenGovHub, Washington DC
Political economy really matters
It’s been really good to see the insights that can be generated by bringing different chapters of the book into conversation. For example, at the Berkman-Klein Centre, comparing and contrasting attitudes in North America vs. North Africa towards the idea that governments might require transport app providers like Uber to share their data with the state, revealed the different layers of concern, from differences in the market structure in each country, to different levels of trust in the state. Or as danah boyd put it in our discussions at Data and Society, “what do you do when the government is part of your threat model?”. This presents interesting challenges for the development of transnational (open) data initiatives and standards – calling for a recognition that the approach that works in one country (or even one city), may not work so well in others. Research still does too little to take into account the particular political and market dynamics that surround successful open data and data analytic projects.
A comparisons across sectors, emerging from our ‘world cafe’ with State of Open Data authors at the OpenGovHub also shows the trade-offs to be made when designing transparency, open data and data sharing initiatives. For example, where the extractives transparency community has the benefit of hard law to mandate certain disclosures, such law is comparatively brittle, and does not always result in the kind of structured data needed to drive analysis. By contrast, open contracting, in relying on a more voluntary and peer-pressure model, may be able to refine it’s technical standards more iteratively, but perhaps at the cost of weaker mechanisms to enforce comprehensive disclosure. As Noel Hidalgo put it, there is a design challenge in making a standard that is a baseline, on top of which more can be shared, rather than one that becomes a ceiling, where governments focus on minimal compliance.
It is also important to recognise that when data has power, many different actors may seek to control, influence and ultimately mess with it. As data systems become more complex, the vectors for attack can increase. In discussions at Data & Society, we briefly touched on one cases where a government institution has had to take considerable steps to correct for external manipulation of it’s network of sensors. When data is used to trigger direct policy response (e.g. weather data triggering insurance payouts, or crime data triggering policing action), then the security and scrutiny of that data becomes even more important.
Open data as a strategic tool for data justice
I heard the question “Is open data dead?” a few times over this week. As the introductory presentation I gave for a few talks noted, we are certainly beyond peak open data hype. But, the jury is, it seems, still very much out on the role that discourses around open data should play in the decade ahead. At our Berkman-Klein Centre roundtable, Laura Bacon shared work by Omidyar/Luminate/Dalberg that offered a set of future scenarios for work on open data, including the continued existence of a distinct open data field, and an alternative future in which open data becomes subsumed within some other agenda such as ‘data rights’. However, as we got into discussions at Data & Society of data on police violence, questions of missing data, and debates about the balancing act to be struck in future between publishing administrative data and protecting privacy, the language of ‘data justice’ (rather than data rights) appeared to offer us the richest framework for thinking about the future.
Data justice is broader than open data, yet open data practices may often be a strategic tool in bringing it about. I’ve been left this week with a sense that we have not done enough to date to document and understand ways of drawing on open data production, consumption and standardisation as a form of strategic intervention. If we had a better language here, better documented patterns, and a stronger evidence base on what works, it might be easier to both choose when to prioritise open data interventions, and to identify when other kinds of interventions in a data ecosystem are more appropriate tools of social progress and justice.
Ultimately, a lot of discussions the book has sparked have been less about open data per-se, and much more about the shape of data infrastructures, and questions of data interoperability. In discussions of Open Data and Artificial Intelligence at the OpenGovHub, we explored the failure of many efforts to develop interoperability within organisations and across organisational boundaries. I believe it was Jed Miller who put the challenge succinctly: to build interoperable systems, you need to “think like an organiser” – recognising data projects also as projects of organisational change and mass collaboration. Although I think we have mostly moved past the era in which civic technologists were walking around with an open data hammer, and seeing every problem as a nail, we have some way to go before we have a full understanding of the open data tools that need to be in everyones toolbox, and those that may still need a specialist.
Reconfiguring measurement to focus on openness of infrastructure
One way to support advocacy for openness, whilst avoiding reifying open data, and integrating learning from the last decade on the need to embed open data practices sector-by-sector, could be found in an updated approach to measurement. David Eaves made the point in our Berkman-Klein Centre roundtable that the number of widely adopted standards, as opposed to the number of data portals or datasets, is a much better indicator of progress.
As resource for monitoring, measuring or benchmarking open data per-se becomes more scarce, there is an opportunity to look at new measurement frames that look at the data infrastructure and ecosystem around a particular problem, and ask about the extent of openness, not only of data, but also of governance. A number of conversations this week have illustrated the value of shifting the discussion onto data infrastructure and interoperability: yet (a) the language of data infrastructure has not yet taken hold, and can be hard to pin down; and (b) there is a risk of openness being downplayed in favour of a focus on centralised data infrastructures. Updating open data measurement tools to look at infrastructures and systems rather than datasets may be one way to intervene in this unfolding space.
Author Tim DaviesPosted on May 24, 2019 Categories Open Data, Reflective LearningTags stateOfOpenDataLeave a comment on Over the horizons: reflections from a week discussing the State of Open Data
Thought experiment: a data extraction transparency initiative
[Summary: rapid reflections on applying extractives metaphors to data in a international development context]
In yesterday’s Data as Development Workshop at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs we were exploring the impact of digital transformation on developing countries and the role of public policy in harnessing it. The role of large tech firms (whether from Silicon Valley, or indeed from China, India and other countries around the world) was never far from the debate.
Although in general I’m not a fan of descriptions of ‘data as the new oil’ (I find the equation tends to be made as part of rather breathless techno-deterministic accounts of the future), an extractives metaphor may turn out to be quite useful in asking about the kinds of regulatory regimes that could be appropriate to promote both development, and manage risks, from the rise of data-intensive activity in developing countries.
Over recent decades, principles of extractives governance have developed that recognise the mineral and hydrocarbon resources of a country as at least partially part of the common wealth, such that control of extraction should be regulated, firms involved in extraction should take responsibility for externalities from their work, revenues should be taxed, and taxes invested into development. When we think about firms ‘extracting’ data from a country, perhaps through providing social media platforms and gathering digital trace data, or capturing and processing data from sensor networks, or even collecting genomic information from a biodiverse area to feed into research and product development, what regimes could or should exist to make sure benefits are shared, externalities managed, and the ‘common wealth’ that comes from the collected data, does not entirely flow out of the country, or into the pockets of a small elite?
Although real world extractives governance has often not resolved all these questions successfully, one tool in the governance toolbox has been the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) . Under EITI, member countries and companies are required to disclose information on all stages of of the extractives process: from the granting of permissions to operate, through to the taxation or revenue sharing secured, and the social and economic spending that results. The model recognises that governance failures might come from the actions of both companies, and governments – rather than assuming one or the other is the problem or benign. Although transparency alone does not solve governance problems: it can support better debate about both policy design and implementation, and can help address distorting information and power asymmetries that otherwise work against development.
So, what could an analogous initiative look like if applied to international firms involved in ‘data extraction’?
(Note: this is a rough-and-ready thought experiment testing out an extended version of an originally tweet-length thought. It is not a fully developed argument in favour of the ideas explored here).
Data as a national resource
Before conceptualising a ‘data extraction transparency initiative’ we need to first think about what counts as ‘data extraction’. This involves considering the collected informational (and attention) resources of a population as a whole. Although data itself can be replicated (marking a key difference from finite fossil fuels and mineral resources), the generation and use of data is often rival (i.e. if I spend my time on Facebook, I’m not spending it on some other platform, and/or, some other tasks and activities), involves first mover advantages (e.g. the first person who street view maps country X may corner the market), and can be made finite through law (e.g. someone collecting genomic material from a country may gain intellectual property rights protection for their data), or simply through restricting access (e.g. as Jeni considers here, where data is gathered from a community and used to shape policy, without the data being shared back to that community).
We could think then of data extraction as any data collection process which ‘uses up’ a common resource such as attention and time, which reduces the competitiveness of a market (thus shifting consumer to producer surplus), or which reduces the potential extent of the knowledge commons through intellectual property regimes or other restrictions on access and use. Of course, the use of an extracted data resource may have economic and social benefits that feed back to the subjects of the extraction. The point is not that all extraction is bad, but is rather to be aware that data collection and use as an embedded process is definitely not the non-rival, infinitely replicable and zero-cost activity that some economic theories would have us believe.
(Note that underlying this lens is the idea that we should approach data extraction at the level of populations and environments, rather than trying to conceptualise individual ownership of data, and to define extraction in terms of a set of distinct transactions between firms and individuals.)
Past precedent: states and companies
Our model then for data extraction involves a relationship between firms and communities, which we will assume for the moment can be adequately represented by their states. A ‘data extractive transparency initiative’ would then be asking for disclosure from these firms at a country-by-country level, and disclosure from the states themselves. Is this reasonable to expect?
We can find some precedents for disclosure by looking at the most recent Ranking Digital Rights Report, released last week. This describes how many firms are now providing data about government requests for content or account restriction. A number of companies produce detailed transparency reports that describe content removal requests from government, or show political advertising spend. This at least establishes the idea that voluntarily, or through regulation, it is feasible to expect firms to disclose certain aspects of their operations.
The idea that states should disclose information about their relationship with firms is also reasonably well established (if not wholly widespread). Open Contracting, and the kind of project-level disclosure of payments to government that can be see at ResourceProjects.org illustrate ways in which transparency can be brought to the government-private sector nexus.
In short, encouraging or mandating the kinds of disclosures we might consider below is not a new. Targeted transparency has long been in the regulatory toolbox.
Components of transparency
So – to continue the thought experiment: if we take some of the categories of EITI disclosure, what could this look like in a data context?
Countries would publish in a clear, accessible (and machine-readable?) form, details of the legal frameworks relating to privacy and data protection, intellectual property rights, and taxation of digital industries.
This should help firms to understand their legal obligations in each country, and may also make it easier for smaller firms to provide responsible services across borders without current high costs of finding the basic information needed to make sure they are complying with laws country-by-country.
Firms could also be mandated to make their policies and procedures for data handling clear, accessible (and machine-readable?).
Contracts, licenses and ownership
Whenever governments sign contracts that allow private sector to collect or control data about citizens, public spaces, or the environment, these contracts should be public.
(In the Data as Development workshop, Sriganesh related the case of a city that had signed a 20 year deal for broadband provision, signing over all sorts of data to the private firm involved.)
Similarly, licenses to operate, and permissions granted to firms should be clearly and publicly documented.
Recently, EITI has also focussed on beneficial ownership information: seeking to make clear who is really behind companies. For digital industries, mandating clear disclosure of corporate structure, and potentially also of the data-sharing relationships between firms (as GDPR starts to establish) could allow greater scrutiny of who is ultimately benefiting from data extraction.
In the oil, gas and mining context, firms are asked to reveal production volumes (i.e. the amount extracted). The rise of country-by-country reporting, and project-level disclosure has sought to push for information on activity to be revealed not at the aggregated firm level, but in a more granular way.
For data firms, this requirement might translate into disclosure of the quantity of data (in terms of number of users, number of sensors etc.) collected from a country, or disclosure of country by country earnings.
One important aspect of EITI has been an audit and reconciliation process that checks that the amounts firms claim to be paying in taxes or royalties to government match up with the amounts government claims to have received. This requires disclosure from both private firms and government.
A better understanding of whose digital activities are being taxed, and how, may support design of better policy that allows a share of revenues from data extraction to flow to the populations whose data-related resources are being exploited.
In yesterday’s workshop, Sriganesh pointed to the way in which some developing country governments now treat telecoms firms as an easy tax collection mechanism: if everyone wants a mobile phone connection, and mobile providers are already collecting payments, levying a charge on each connection, or a monthly tax, can be easy to administer. But, in the wrong places, and at the wrong levels, such taxes may capture consumer rather than producer surplus, and suppress rather than support the digital economy,
Perhaps one of the big challenges for ‘data as development’ when companies in more developed economies may extract data from developing countries, but process it back ‘at home’, is that current economic models may suggest that the biggest ‘added value’ is generated from the application of algorithms and processing. This (combined with creative accounting by big firms) can lead to little tax revenue in the countries from which data was originally extracted. Combining ‘production’ and ‘revenue’ data can at least bring this problem into view more clearly – and a strong country-by-country reporting regime may even allow governments to more accurately apply taxes.
Revenue allocation, social and economic spending
Important to the EITI model, is the idea that when governments do tax, or collect royalties, they do so on behalf of the whole polity, and they should be accountable for how they are then using the resulting resources.
By analogy, a ‘data extraction transparency initiative’ initiative may include requirements for greater transparency about how telecoms and data taxes are being used. This could further support multi-stakeholder dialogue on the kinds of public sector investments needed to support national development through use of data resources.
Environmental and social reporting
EITI encourages countries to ‘go beyond the standard’ and disclose other information too, including environmental information and information on gender.
Similar disclosures could also form part of a ‘data extraction transparency initiative’: encouraging or requiring firms to provide information on gender pay gaps and their environmental impact.
Is implementation possible?
So far this though experiment has established ways of thinking about ‘data extraction’ by analogy to natural resource extraction, and has identified some potential disclosures that could be made by both governments and private actors. It has done so in the context of thinking about sustainable development, and how to protect developing countries from data-exploitation, whilst also supporting them to appropriately and responsibly harness data as a developmental tool. There are some rough edges in all this: but also, I would argue, some quite feasible proposals too (disclosure of data-related contracts for example).
Large scale implementation would, of course, need careful design. The market structure, capital requirements and scale of digital and data firms is quite different to that of the natural resource industry. Compliance costs of any disclosure regime would need to be low enough to ensure that it is not only the biggest firms that can engage. Developing country governments also often have limited capacity when it comes to information management. Yet, most of the disclosures envisaged above relate to transactions that, if ‘born digital’, should be fairly easy to publish data on. And where additional machine-readable data (e.g. on laws and policies) is requested, if standards are designed well, there could be a win-win for firms and governments – for example, by allowing firms to more easily identify and select cloud providers that allow them to comply with the regulatory requirements of a particular country.
The political dimensions of implementation are, of course, another story – and one I’ll leave out of this thought experiment for now.
But why? What could the impact be?
Now we come to the real question. Even if we could create a ‘data extraction transparency initiative’, could it have any meaningful developmental impacts?
Here’s where some of the impacts could lie:
If firms had to report more clearly on the amount of ‘data’ they are taking out of a country, and the revenue that gives rise to, governments could tailor licensing and taxation regimes to promote more developmental uses of data. Firms would also be encouraged think about how they are investing in value-generation in countries where they operate.
If contracts that involve data extraction are made public, terms that promote development can be encouraged, and those that diminish the opportunity to national development can be challenged.
If a country government chooses to engage in forms of ‘digital protectionism’, or to impose ‘local content requirements’ on the development of data technologies that could bring long-term benefits, but risk creating a short-term hit on the quality of digital services available in a country, greater transparency could support better policy debate. (Noting, however, that recent years have shown us that politics often trumps rational policy making in the real world).
There will inevitably be readers who see the thrust of this thought experiment as fundamentally anti-market, and who are fearful of, or ideologically opposed, to any of the kinds of government intervention that increasing transparency around data extraction might bring. It can be hard to imagine a digital future not dominated by the ever-increased rise of a small number of digital monopolies. But, from a sustainable development point of view, allowing another path to be sought: which supports to creation of resilient domestic technology industries, which prices in positive and negative externalities from data extraction, and which therefore allows active choices to be made about how national data resources are used as common asset, may be no bad thing.
Author Tim DaviesPosted on May 24, 2019 Categories International Development, Open DataTags dataAsDevelopment, extractivesLeave a comment on Thought experiment: a data extraction transparency initiative
The State of Open Data: Histories and Horizons – panels and conversations
The online and open access book versions ‘The State of Open Data: Histories and Horizons’ went live yesterday. Do check it out!
We’ve got an official book launch on 27th May in Ottawa, but ahead of that, I’m spending the next 8 days on the US East Coast contributing to a few of events to share learning from the project.
Over the last 18 months we’ve worked with 66 fantastic authors, and many other contributors, reviewers and editorial board members, to pull together a review of the last decade of activity on open data. The resulting collection provides short essays that look at open data in different sectors, fromaccountability and anti-corruption, to the environment, land ownership and international aid, as well as touching on cross-cutting issues, differentstakeholder perspectives, and regional experiences. We’ve tried to distill key insights in overall and section introductions, and to draw out some emerging messages in an overall conclusion.
This has been my first experience pulling together a whole book, and I’m incredibly grateful to my co-editors, Steve Walker, Mor Rubinstein, and Fernando Perini, who have worked tirelessly over the project to bring together all these contributions, make sure the project is community driven, and to present a professional final book to the world, particularly in what has been a tricky year personally. The team at our co-publishers, African Mindsand IDRC (Simon, Leith, Francois and Nola) also deserve a great debt of thanks for their attention to detail and design.
I’ll ty and write up some reflections and learning points on the book process in the near future, and will be blogging more about specific elements of the research in the coming weeks, but for now, let me share the schedule of upcoming events in case any blog readers happen to be able to join. I’ll aim to update these with links to any outcomes from the sessions too later.
Thursday 16th May – 09:00 – 11:00 – Future directions for open data research and action
Roundtable at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center, with chapter authors David Eaves, Mariel Garcia Montes, Nagla Rizk, and response from Luminate’s Laura Bacon.
Thursday 16th May – Developing the Caribbean
I’ll be connecting via hangouts to explore the connections between data literacy, artificial intelligence, and private sector engagement with open data
Monday 20th May – 12:00 – 13:00 – Let’s Talk Data – Does open data have an identity crisis?, World Bank I Building, Washington DC
A panel discussion as part of the World Bank Let’s Talk Data series, exploring the development of open data over the last decade. This session will also be webcast – see detail in EventBrite.
Monday 20th May – 17:30 – 19:30 – World Cafe & Happy Hour @ OpenGovHub, Washington DC
We’ll be bringing together authors from lots of different chapters, including Shaida Baidee (National Statistics), Catherine Weaver (Development Assistance & Humanitarian Action), Jorge Florez (Anti-corruption), Alexander Howard (Journalists and the Media), Joel Gurin (Private Sector), Christopher Wilson (Civil Society) and Anders Pedersen (Extractives) to talk about their key findings in an informal world cafe style.
Tuesday 21st May – The State of Open Data: Open Data, Data Collaboratives and the Future of Data Stewardship, GovLab, New York
I’m joining Tariq Khokhar, Managing Director & Chief Data Scientist, Innovation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Adrienne Schmoeker, Deputy Chief Analytics Officer, City of New York and Beth Simone Noveck, Professor and Director, The GovLab, NYU Tandon (and also foreword writer for the book), to discuss changing approaches to data sharing, and how open data remains relevant.
Wednesday 22nd May – 18:00 – 20:00 – Small Group Session at Data & Society, New York
Join us for discussions of themes from the book, and how open data communities could or should interact with work on AI, big data, and data justice.
Monday 27th May – 17:00 – 19:30 – Book Launch in Ottawa
Join me and the other co-editors to celebrate the formal launch of the book!
Author Tim DaviesPosted on May 16, 2019 May 24, 2019 Categories Open Data, Quick linking4 Comments on The State of Open Data: Histories and Horizons – panels and conversations
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(-) Remove Drug Law Reform filter Drug Law Reform
(-) Remove Drug law reform in Jamaica filter Drug law reform in Jamaica
Jamaica set to decriminalise marijuana for personal use
In Jamaica, plans are in the making for the decriminalisation of possession of small amounts of marijuana. "Cabinet approved certain changes to the law relating to ganja (marijuana). These relate to possession of small quantities of ganja for personal use, the smoking of ganja in private places and the use of ganja for medical-medicinal purposes," Justice Minister, Mark Golding. (See also: Decriminalisation of ganja could cause more health problems, MAJ warns and Gov't should reconsider ganja cultivation laws - Dr Lowe)
Jamaica to decriminalise ganja by year end - gov't official
Jamaica is to decriminalise ganja by year end as the government moves to capitalise on the booming marijuana trade internationally, said Science and Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell. The minister confirmed that ganja will be decriminalised this year in keeping with parliamentary approval. Paulwell, late last year, had come out in full support of positive developments in ganja locally and internationally and said that "Jamaica will not be left behind" as interest and movements in ganja law reform and research and development grows rapidly. (See also: Ganja green light this year)
Jamaica anticipates a marijuana rush as decriminalisation looms – but is it too late?
Possession of a mere handful of marijuana has for decades clogged Jamaican courts with petty cases and distracted an undermanned police force from tackling the crime cartels pushing drugs and guns. The recently proposed decriminalisation of marijuana has been long anticipated and much unfulfilled. Fearing those big-stick-wielding neighbours, the United States, would crack Jamaica's backside, politicians have avoided pressing the reset button on a law that has proved unwieldy, expensive and downright stupid. (See also: No fall-out expected from decision on ganja)
In Jamaica, Rastas ready for pot decriminalization
Jamaica is known internationally for its marijuana, where its use is culturally entrenched despite being legally banned for 100 years. Previous moves to decriminalize the drug failed to advance because officials feared they would violate international treaties and bring sanctions from Washington. With a number of U.S. states relaxing their marijuana laws Jamaica is rethinking its position. Jamaica’s Cabinet has approved a plan to decriminalize marijuana, including for religious purposes, and legislators are expected to authorize it before the end of the year.
Jamaica's marijuana growers split on legalisation
In Jamaica, marijuana, or ganja, as it is more commonly known on the Caribbean island, is used in religious ceremonies by Rastafarians and as a herbal medicine by many others. But it is not just grown for local consumption. According to the US state department, Jamaica remains the largest Caribbean supplier of marijuana to the US as well as other Caribbean islands. Cultivation and import of the drug have been illegal since 1913, although those caught with small amounts are rarely prosecuted.
About drug law reform in Jamaica
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