Boycott Calls Against Israel: The Battle over BDS in South Africa: an Analysis.
Israel Academia Monitor 09/04/2019	Comments Off on Boycott Calls Against Israel: The Battle over BDS in South Africa: an Analysis. 1,586 Views
At a 30 March 2019 meeting, the Council of the University of Cape Town rejected the motion to adopt a BDS resolution and referred the matter back to the Senate. The Council noted that a number of issues required clarification including a full assessment of the sustainability impact of the Senate resolution which was adopted two weeks earlier, and a more consultative process was necessary before the matter could be considered any further. The Senate resolution which required the vote of the Council stated:
"UCT will not enter into any formal relationships with Israeli academic institutions operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as well as other Israeli academic institutions enabling gross human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories".
credit: Israel Hayom.
But the BDS activists don't always wait for a vote. A few months ago, BDS activists threatened to "blow up" a conference if Israelis took part in it. This threat prompted the conference organizer to ask the Israeli scholars not to participate. To recall, in November 2018, IAM reported on this international conference which disinvited three Israeli scholars due to pressure from the BDS movement. The conference, "Recognition, Reparation, Reconciliation: The Light and Shadow of Historical Trauma" took place in December 2018 at the University of Stellenbosch. The chair of the organizing committee, Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, was responsible for disinviting the Israeli scholars. Prof. Shifra Sagy of Ben Gurion University, whose research deals with the possibilities for promoting understanding and dialogue between groups in conflicts, is one of the three Israeli scholars who was disinvited. She explained that
"The organizer of the conference contacted me and told me about the difficulties she was facing. At first, she reported that it had worked out, but later she called to apologize and said it wouldn't be possible for us to appear… The [BDS] activists sent a letter to the organizers and threatened to 'blow up' the conference if Israelis took part."
Sagy also mentioned that a researcher has canceled a scheduled meeting with her due to BDS. Gobodo-Madikizela and Sagy have actually known each other for years as they have both worked extensively in reconciliation and dialogue. Gobodo-Madikizela explained her reasons,
"I have been thrown on the horns of an ongoing dilemma. On the one hand, I want to protect Stellenbosch University from protests and ensure that this conference, which I have worked so hard to organize, goes well, and not allow any organization to control how discussions are conducted, and what conversations are permitted. On the other hand, knowing that the flare-up is because of Israeli participation, I wanted my Israeli colleagues to understand the pressure that this imposes."
But Gobodo-Madikizela has a longstanding connection to Israeli academics, dating back to 1998 when she worked with Dan Bar-On, the late professor of psychology.
"I hosted Bar-On the previous year, when he visited South Africa to observe the public process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. And his colleague Sami Adwan, the Palestinian Professor of Education. For Gobodo-Madikizela both Adwan and Bar-On are among the "leading figures in peace scholarship and activism that seeks an alternative form of engagement to the one that dominates Palestine-Israeli relations", she said. "The late Bar-On's book on the children of Nazi perpetrators influenced my own work and became one of the foundational pillars in my scholarly pursuits,"
she added. She never wanted to silence or isolate Israelis – quite the opposite.
"We, of course, believe in academic freedom, and we believe in the right to boycott, given the role that this played in our own struggle against apartheid. But I also know that our conference was not the appropriate vehicle for the application of the boycott".
Soon after the incident, Stellenbosch University officials tried to deny capitulating to BDS. In a statement on 30 November, Wim De Villiers, Stellenbosch University's rector and vice-chancellor, presented the disinvitation as a misunderstanding by the Israeli scholars.
"When the first statement expressing opposition to the participation of Israeli speakers came to the attention of the organizers, a strategic decision was taken to remove the names of individuals and their institutions from the website as a precautionary measure to prevent academics and their institutions from being targeted, and to prevent the conference from derailing."
The Israeli scholars were still appearing in the program, he explained, but the
"Israeli delegates decide to withdraw their participation as a result of circumstances beyond the control of the university and the conference organizing committee".
Obviously, Gobodo-Madikizela did not disclose to him that she specifically requested Sagy not to come.
To overcome the distrust by the Jewish community, during a meeting in January 2019 between Stellenbosch University and South Africa Jewish Board of Deputies the parties announced that
"The University will, as in previous years, continue to welcome Israeli scholars."
The Israel Academic Boycott is a program of the University of Cape Town Palestinian Solidarity Forum which was founded in 2010 and has promoted an academic boycott of Israeli academia ever since. South Africa is hospitable to BDS for a number of reasons. The Jewish population in South Africa is diminishing, currently numbering less than 80,000, while the Muslim population is increasing amounting to one million. The Palestinian influence is gaining strength. The PA has had strong ties with South Africa, but since 2015 so does Hamas.
In a 2015 visit, Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas leader, received red carpet treatment and was introduced to many important players including the South African President Jacob Zuma. Although South Africa's governing political party, the African National Congress (ANC) has had informal liaisons with Hamas for a long time, this visit represented a significant warming up. ANC announced that
"There are those who think that by ignoring any of the players it will bring the region closer to a peaceful solution. Our experience in South Africa was that the process of negotiations involved all players irrespective of their views and beliefs."
in December 2018, the ANC signed an agreement with Hamas' Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahar. The agreement seeks to
"introduce practical steps in mobilizing the international community to pressure Israel to end its occupation of Palestine, including working towards the full boycott of all Israeli products".
Also that month, South Africa's National Freedom Party leader, Ahmed Munzoor Shaik Emam, tabled a draft resolution calling for the unconditional downgrade of the South African Embassy in Tel Aviv.
The BDS activists recruited a number of key players. In his recent article "UCT Must Take 'Moral Stand' And Boycott Israeli Institutions," Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestine Territories (2008-2014), and emeritus professor of International Law at Princeton University, wrote in favor of the boycott, a day before the UCT Council voted:
"it is important to appreciate that the academic boycott that Palestinians have called for and that your Council is considering boycotts complicit Israeli institutions, but it does not interfere with the activities of individual academics."
Contrary to Falk's assertion, as noted earlier, Israeli individual academics were in fact targeted at the University of Stellenbosch conference in December.
Falk, who is Jewish, has offered some convoluted explanations as to why target Israel alone:
"As far as singling out Israel, there exist special justifications for the emphasis on Israeli wrongdoing. It should be remembered that Britain exerted control over Palestine as 'a sacred trust' on behalf of the international society until the establishment of the United Nations. At that point, the UN took over the responsibility to find a solution for Palestine in a manner that existed with respect to no other country in the world. The failure of the UN and international diplomacy to find a solution after seven decades reinforces the positive argument for relying on the role of civil society, which should be a decisive encouragement for the Council to endorse the Senate decision and so move with the flow of history toward freedom, justice, and the protection of basic human rights;"
he wrote. As a long-time professor in international law, he should be aware that the Palestinians and their Arab States allies rejected the 1947 UN Partition proposal and started a war soon after, but he has not mentioned it.
Another Jewish activist recruited by the BDS activists is Mitchel Joffe Hunter, member of South African Jews for a Free Palestine. In his article "Why Jews support academic boycott of Israel", he claims that Jews who support the calls for Palestinian liberation are not anti-Semitic. That, "academic boycott is an expression of Jewish ethics." While "Antisemitism is a form of racism against Jews as Jews, [the call for a boycott] is not a targeted attack against Jews or Jewish organizations but against Israeli state sponsored institutions."
Not surprising that Hunter mentioned that,
"Jewish Israeli academics also support the academic boycott such as Rachel Giora, a professor of linguistics at Tel Aviv University and prominent Israeli feminist. Hunter quoted from her letter in 2009 to an academic boycott meeting of British academics stating that "in fact Israeli academia is no different from any other Israeli institutions, and in many cases it plays an active if not vital role in supporting Israeli apartheid practices against the Palestinians… the growing number of Israelis who are now supporting cultural and academic boycotts will rejoice in your achievements".
On the other hand, there are some calls opposing the boycott, such as Rhulani Thembi Siweya, member of the ANC who announced that "BDS-SA undermines South Africans." According to her, it is a
"reckless manner in which the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement in South Africa (BDS-SA) handles the Israel-Palestine conflict."
They "selectively discriminate against entrepreneurial and business opportunities by corporations linked to Israel." if this is not challenged, it "may lead to a huge collapse of the South African economy". She questions
"Why is BDS-SA so willing to sacrifice its fellow South African workers for its own self-serving position… It is strange that the BDS-SA selectively singles out only the Israeli "occupation" — part of a geographically disputed area still subjected to a two-state peace process — while South Africa continues to enjoy bilateral trade relations with many other "occupations"".
BDS-SA has been deafeningly silent about other occupations in the world.
credit: Khaled Abu Toameh. Twitter.
"Something does not add up here. Closer to home, it's a disgrace that on our own continent, in Libya, we still have slavery… This is slavery of fellow Africans on our continent. Why is BDS-SA silent on this?"
Moreover, she noted,
"Israel continues to be the Palestinian Authority's most important trading partner. In fact, Palestinian Authority officials were recently seen at a meeting sitting around a table that has on it, several juice bottles, all products from Israel. How does BDS-SA call on South African companies to boycott Israeli products while Palestinian leaders themselves are not boycotting those same Israeli products?"
But as mentioned earlier, the main concern here is that BDS activists threaten to "blow up" conferences hosting Israelis. This should be acknowledged by the universities administrations. IAM will report on the developments in South Africa in due course.
University of Cape Town Facebook
UCT Council decision on the resolution of the Senate regarding formal relationships with Israeli academic institutions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
The University of Cape Town Council, at its meeting on 30 March 2019, considered the resolution of the Senate that
Council did not adopt this resolution of the Senate. It was the view of the Council that a number of issues required clarification, including a full assessment of the sustainability impact of the Senate resolution, and a more consultative process was necessary before the matter could be considered any further. Council resolved to refer the matter back to the Senate.
The Council separately resolved to:
Reaffirm its commitment to supporting the rights and freedom of all people as universally recognised under international law;
Condemn any acts that violate those rights and freedoms;
Condemn the atrocities and human rights violations perpetrated in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and elsewhere in the world;
Call on all academics and academic institutions to support this resolution;
Reaffirm UCT's commitment to academic freedom but reserves the right to dissociate itself from those academics and academic institutions that support (directly or indirectly) the violation of human rights and /or enable the violation of human rights.
Royston Pillay
Registrar and Secretary to Council
Posted at Israel Academia Monitor whose goal is to present the truth by making the activities of those academics more widely known and challenging their distortions and bias.
Tags antisemitism BDS Jewish Israeli academics also support the academic boycott racism Richard Falk South Africa South African Jews for a Free Palestine the main concern here is that BDS activists threaten to "blow up" conferences hosting Israelis. University of Cape Town
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Pickleball Courts Near Me
Pickleball Net Height Vs. Tennis: Here is the Difference.
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As anyone who has played tennis and pickleball can tell you, the two sports are quite different. Not only are the different court sizes, but the net height is also different. So, what is the difference in pickleball net height vs. tennis?
If you're new to pickleball and don't have access to a court, playing on a converted tennis or badminton court is a great way to get started. This post will cover all the information you need about each court type and the net height.
Pickleball Net Vs. Tennis Net Height
In This Post You'll Learn
1 Pickleball Net Vs. Tennis Net Height
1.1 Can you Play Pickleball on Tennis Courts?
2 How Was the Pickleball Net Height Determined?
3 What are the Dimensions of a Pickleball Court vs. a Tennis Court?
4 How Many Pickleball Courts fit on a Tennis Court?
5 Pros and Cons of Playing Pickleball on a Tennis Court
5.1 Some of the cons of playing pickleball on a tennis court include the following:
6 Can Pickleball Damage Tennis Courts?
7 In Conclusion
There are two net height measurements: one at the posts where the net is connected and one in the middle of the court. Pickleball nets are 36 inches tall at the posts, while tennis nets measure 42 inches in height. A pickleball net drops 2 inches to 34-inch in the middle, whereas a tennis net sags down to 36 inches. This happens because the width of the tennis court net is almost double that of a pickleball court net.
A temporary court setup usually uses portable pickleball nets with a horizontal bar along the base to keep the net stable, taught, and consistent. Portable nets have a center post or brace to keep them from sagging too much.
Can you Play Pickleball on Tennis Courts?
The answer is yes! Many tennis clubs now offer pickleball as an alternative to tennis, and some even host tournaments. You will need a few things to convert tennis court lines into pickleball lines. (check out this guide on how to play pickleball on a tennis court)
First, the pickleball court is smaller than a tennis court, so you'll need to adjust the lines of the court. The way to do that is by using masking or painter's tape. Second, the pickleball net is also lower than a tennis net, so you'll need to bring your net or lower the tennis court net by 2 inches, although we don't recommend this method.
Lowering the tennis net creates a lack of tension and an uneven height, making it challenging to play on. Also, if you play on a public court, most don't have a tennis net adjuster or are locked at a certain height.
How Was the Pickleball Net Height Determined?
Pickleball's unique history started in 1965 on Bainbridge island in Washington state. The game was invented by three fathers wanting to entertain their families. They started playing on an old badminton court and establishing the game's rules. Initially, the founders set the net height to the same as badminton's, but they quickly realized it needed to be lowered.
As a result, they eventually settled on the height of one of the father's waist, which was 36-inches. When the net would start to sag, he would adjust the net by walking over and lining it up with his waist. If you want to read about the whole history of the game and the origins of the name, read our post, History of pickleball.
What are the Dimensions of a Pickleball Court vs. a Tennis Court?
Pickleball courts play both singles and doubles on the same size court. Pickleball courts are 20 feet by 44 feet, with seven feet on either side of the net, called the non-volley zone. In this area, players can only hit the ball out of the air with the ball bouncing first. The kitchen rule is designed so players can't stand at the net and smash the ball directly into the opponent's court, giving them an unfair advantage.
Unlike pickleball, tennis courts have different widths when playing singles vs. doubles. A singles court is 27 feet wide, while a doubles court is 36 feet wide, and the length stays the same at 78 feet long.
A pickleball court playable area is about 1/2 the size of a tennis court. The smaller size of the pickleball court means less space for errors and a faster pace.
How Many Pickleball Courts fit on a Tennis Court?
Assuming you are talking about a regulation tennis court, up to four pickleball courts can fit onto one tennis court. A regulation tennis court space is 120 feet long and 60 feet wide, while a pickleball court is only 44 feet by 20 feet. Therefore, four pickleball courts can fit length-wise and width-wise on a tennis court.
However, it depends on the total space a tennis court has. I recommend only putting two pickleball courts on a tennis court, so you have enough room to maneuver and return shots without feeling crowded. The USAPA recommends at least 5 feet around the court surface to play pickleball.
Pros and Cons of Playing Pickleball on a Tennis Court
As outlined in the post, you can play pickleball on a tennis court, and there are some advantages and disadvantages.
It's a good way for beginners to start playing right away. There are over 200,000 playable tennis courts in the US, making them easy to find.
Playing pickleball on a tennis court can help improve your tennis game by forcing you to be more accurate with your shots.
It's a great way to start up a conversation at the courts. Tennis players will be curious about the game is an excellent way to introduce new players.
Some of the cons of playing pickleball on a tennis court include the following:
The smaller pickleball court dimensions can be difficult to get used to if you're accustomed to playing on a larger tennis court.
Lowering the tennis net height can be challenging, especially when playing on an old tennis court.
Finding a spot to set up your pickleball court can be complex if other people use the tennis court.
Taping off the pickleball lines takes time and can be confusing.
Remember, all you need is a flat playable surface to play pickleball that is big enough. You can set up a portable pickleball net almost anywhere, including basketball courts, which could help minimize line confusion when playing on established courts.
Can Pickleball Damage Tennis Courts?
The chances that a tennis court has gotten damaged are extremely low, and tennis court construction will withstand lots of use. However, many club owners complain about using the new courts for pickleball instead of tennis. In 2019, Maui News received complaints from tennis players about pickleball taking over their tennis courts. Players complained of damage to the court's surface, shared lines, noise levels, and nets not put back up to regulation height. These complaints are pettier and lack any true damage to a tennis court.
Pickleballs are softer and have a lower bounce than tennis balls, so they should not cause as much damage to the court surface.
That said, it is always important to respect court facilities and ask permission before playing pickleball on a tennis court. Always return the net to its original height, and clean up any pickleball court lines you may have taped off.
Playing pickleball on a tennis court can have pros and cons. It's a good way for beginners to play right away, but the smaller court dimensions can be difficult. Lowering the tennis net height can also be challenging. However, all you need is a flat playable surface to play pickleball that is big enough.
So if you're looking for a place to play pickleball, remember that a tennis court could be an excellent option.
Hey everyone, I'm Graham, an avid pickleball player and designer living in Charlotte, NC! I started this blog to share my insights on pickleball and hopefully learn some things along the way!
Reach out to me at: [email protected]
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AG: Former NH police officer arrested for falsifying search records
Owen Boss
CLAREMONT, N.H. — A former Claremont police officer was arrested Thursday on criminal charges for his alleged role in the falsification of records detailing a search in February, officials said.
Ian Kibbe, 30, of Springfield, Vermont, was arrested on two counts of unsworn falsification, two counts of obstructing government administration and charges of conspiracy to commit perjury and attempted perjury, New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald said in a statement.
On March 28, MacDonald announced that he had initiated an investigation into the conduct of Kibbe and fellow Claremont police officer Mark Burch based on information from Claremont Police Chief Mark Chase, who alleged that the falsified records pertaining to a search conducted in late February.
Both Kibbe and Burch no longer work for the department.
Kibbe was ordered released on $5,000 cash bail. He will be arraigned in Sullivan County Superior Court on a later date.
This is a developing news story, 7News will post more information as it becomes available.


Will 'Star Wars' Find a Way to Represent Gray Areas?
The franchise has, for the most part, been comically clear about dividing good and evil. Can 'The Rise of Skywalker' keep the momentum built by its predecessors and break that trend?
By Miles Surrey Dec 19, 2019, 5:30am EST
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Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Ringer illustration
One of the more justified criticisms lobbed at The Last Jedi was questioning the timesuck of a side quest Finn and Rose had on the casino-loving, Monte Carlo–esque planet of Canto Bight. Some fans and critics seemed to agree that the detour became an unnecessarily long aside in a film where a lot (too much?) was happening all at once. Finn and Rose's mission to find a codebreaker who could temporarily shut down the First Order's ability to track Resistance ships in hyperspace yielded Benicio del Toro's beguiling "DJ," whose codebreaking skills amounted to nothing of consequence because he double-crossed them.
Now, DJ is hardly what you'd call a memorable Star Wars character—if anyone has a large stash of DJ memorabilia in their home, can I ask … why? But DJ does offer Finn and Rose a compelling insight into how the galaxy actually operates. Rose assumes that all the residents of Canto Bight got rich selling weapons and ships to the First Order, which is the main reason she looks at the planet with contempt. However, as DJ later shows Finn, the owner of a ship they've stolen to escape the planet was an arms dealer who sold to the First Order—but who sold to the Resistance, as well. "It's all a machine, partner," DJ tells Finn, like he's taking a hit from an intergalactic bong.
It's a little moment, but it embodies one of the biggest takeaways from Rian Johnson's film: On the whole, Star Wars might be a classic tale of good versus evil, but it's naive to think that all the inhabitants of an entire, diverse galaxy fit squarely into that binary. (Plus, everyone isn't going to have the same interpretation of good and evil.) The greedy, unregulated capitalism on display on Canto Bight isn't great, for sure, but it's not exactly Order 66. The Last Jedi might be somewhat divisive in part because it's willing to lean into gray areas and moral ambiguity more than any other film in the franchise.
Take the return of Luke Skywalker, who'd been elevated to mythical status during his self-exile on Ahch-To. Rather than welcome Rey with open arms and teach her the ways of the Jedi, he's dismissive and scornful toward the Jedi ethos. Luke wasn't presented as a living legend as much as a man with flaws, regrets, and insecurities. (He is also extremely washed and milks giant aliens for sustenance; this is not your father's Skywalker.) It's a more interesting—and difficult-to-square, even to Mark Hamill—character evolution. Even the fateful night when Kylo Ren destroyed Luke's new Jedi temple has multiple retellings courtesy of both characters, suggesting that the real truth—whether Luke was seriously trying to kill his pupil, or having a brief and regrettable moment of weakness—lies somewhere in the middle.
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In fact, to give this new trilogy a little more credit, its new heroes and villains are clever tweaks of some established Star Wars tropes. Finn showed the potential humanity hiding underneath a Stormtrooper helmet. Poe Dameron demonstrated the limits—and still, yes, inherent sex appeal—of Han Solo–esque bravado in the cockpit. The misogynistic backlash to Rey's impressive Force abilities ironically helped display the importance of shifting the franchise's power dynamics. And then there was Kylo Ren, an angsty, perpetually insecure man-child whose petulance made him one of the most fascinating franchise villains of this century.
In The Last Jedi, Kylo also provided what could be the new trilogy's mission statement: "Let the past die; kill it, if you have to." The past Kylo's referring to isn't confined to Rey being hung up on her mysterious parentage, but also applies to the basic delineations of Jedi and Sith: a moral and philosophical divide on opposite ends of the Force that feels as old as time itself.
Flawed as he is, Kylo doesn't want to be a Sith lord like his idol/grandpapa Darth Vader as much as he wants to establish something new in its place—and at one point, he wants Rey beside him to do it. The relationship between Kylo and Rey—though I don't necessarily mean relationship, apologies to the Reylo shippers out there—is fascinating because it shows the potential nuance that could come from transcending those Jedi-Sith archetypes, which might be a requirement once we get Star Wars movies that go beyond the Skywalker saga.
After all, while we can unanimously agree the Rebel Alliance was good and that the Sith and the Galactic Empire were evil—is there a more entertainingly cartoonish bad guy in pop culture than Emperor Palpatine?—Luke's criticisms of the well-meaning Jedi are well supported. The Jedi of the prequel trilogy, through their buffoonish inability to sniff out Palpatine, were complicit in the Empire's rise to power. The Jedi Masters were so hilariously out of touch, it's only fitting they were perched in an ivory tower while democracy crumbled beneath them and Order 66 was executed. Hubris was their undoing as much as Darth Vader. (Not to mention antiquated rules like Jedi celibacy that inadvertently led to Anakin Skywalker's heel turn in the first place.)
But the stuff with the Jedi wasn't the franchise experimenting with moral gray areas; the Jedi weren't bad, just tragicomically incompetent. Since the original trilogy, Star Wars has been pretty clear about who's good and who's evil; Anakin's redemption notwithstanding, the closest thing to ambiguity in the franchise is the ever-evolving debate over whether Han shot first and whether Greedo said "Maclunkey." And that, of course, is more than fine: These movies are timeless classics and, Han-Greedo nonsense aside, most fans wouldn't want to change a thing. This is about where Star Wars is headed, as Disney will be working on more films and TV series on Disney+ for the foreseeable future.
It would be interesting if Star Wars became more invested in exploring gray areas, something that has defined Rey, Luke, and Kylo Ren's arcs through The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi—and something we've even seen on The Mandalorian with its eponymous bounty hunter. Rian Johnson is in talks with Lucasfilm to develop a new Star Wars trilogy of his own, and seeing that his film is the main reason we're having this discussion, that bodes well for more moral ambiguity in the franchise's future.
Before all that can happen, though, there's still The Rise of Skywalker and how the Skywalker saga ends in the hands of J.J. Abrams. Palpatine is making his grand return to the franchise, though exactly how is unclear. Rey and Kylo Ren are at odds, and the Resistance and First Order remain at war. Poe and Finn need to make out. Leia Organa is probably going to get an emotional sendoff. There's a lot of closure that needs to happen. It's still possible, then, that The Rise of Skywalker will undo some of what The Last Jedi set up—the film's title implies, if not a return of the Jedi way, then something similar taking the order's place to restore peace.
Ideally, whatever developments come out of Rise of Skywalker will be a natural extension of the nuance that the new trilogy has established thus far. Its flashes of moral ambiguity have been refreshing, and the sort of thing you rarely see these days in blockbuster franchises, which prefer to spoon-feed simple narratives of good and evil to viewers to serve the widest possible audience (see: the Marvel Cinematic Universe). The end of the decades-spanning Skywalker saga could yield something different, and exciting. The past will die, but the future has yet to be written in a galaxy far, far away.
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Korean Drama Nothing to Lose Information
Drama Title: Nothing to Lose
Alternative Title: 이판사판 / Nothing to Lose / Judge vs. Judge
Genre: Legal, Romance, Comedy
Published Date: November , 2017
Casts: Yun Woo Jin , Park Eun Bin, Dong Ha, Na Hae Ryung, Heo Joon Suk , Jung Yoo Min, Lee Moon Sik, Lee Chang Wook,
The story of a female judge who fights to reveal the truth about her older brother who was framed for murder and was himself killed by powers greater than her.
Judge Lee Jung Joo (Park Eun Bin) presides at the Seoul District Court. She sometimes swears at shameless defendants with unspeakable words. Meanwhile, Judge Sa Ui Hyun (Yun Woo Jin) is assigned to the judgement bench with Judge Lee Jung Joo. He is well known for his excellent use of the law and his conscience to reach verdicts. Now, Lee Jung Joo fights against a huge power who framed her older brother for murder and killed him.
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Download Nothing to Lose Episode 1 0:32:06 High
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Download Nothing to Lose Episode 10 0:32:48 High Definition
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Kim Yo Han is a psychiatrist who gets involved in a serial murder when his car broke down on Christmas Eve during a sudden storm and he is forced to take shelter at a private high school. Seven students and a teacher are also there over the winter break, but they are gradually murdered one by one as they receive letters from a killer who wants revenge for the death of his mother and sister.......
This drama tells the story of a woman who devoted her life to love and a man who had never known nor believed in love. Jang Soo Hyun was a woman who previously believed in sacrificing herself for love, even donating her liver to save her first love, Choi Min Young, but was rewarded by betrayal when her best friend, Oh Sun Ah, seduced Min Young. Since then, she had become jaded and resolved to distance herself from relat......
What Happens to My Family?
This is a family drama about happenings when children's daddy sues his selfish children for not being undutiful to parents. The drama wants to talk about the gratitude as a family which we all have taken for granted and the secret of happiness when saying "Thank you", "I am sorry" and "I love you".......
Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People
Set during the reign of famous tyrant King Yeonsangun, it tells the story of Hong Gil Dong (Yoon Kyun Sang), the illegitimate son of a nobleman who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, and his journey in becoming Joseon's first revolutionary activist. ......
Gloria is an intense tale of people who are fiercely devoted to surviving their rough lives, focusing in particular on the life of a nightclub singer, Na Jin Jin, who braves the difficulties of her work to provide for her mentally handicapped younger sister, Jin Joo. She finds an unwavering source of strength and support from her loyal childhood friend, Ha Dong Ah, a talented fighter and gangster. Jin Jin also meets a p......
Be Melodramatic
This drama tells the story of the daily lives of Three 30-year-old best friends.
Im Jin Joo (Chun Woo Hee) is a scriptwriter for TV drama series. Her literary dreams often encroach on her writing, and her quirky personality often involves her speaking to inanimate objects. Meanwhile, Hwang Han Joo (Han Ji Eun) heads the marketing department of a production company and struggles to keep up with her work �......


Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Correctional Officers
June 17th, 2017 in New Mexico Injury Attorney Blog, Work Related Injuries
Multiple sources have reported that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among correctional officers is double the rate found among military veterans and police officers. Chronic and severe understaffing causing excessive hours and greater risk of violence to both correctional officers and inmates is perhaps the greatest contributor to the stressors of correctional work. However, the officers often do not get proper training, support and stress management before and during employment.
In 2011, in an article entitled "U.S. Correctional Officers Killed or Injured on the Job" the National Institute of Health reported that they have one of the highest rates of injury on the job in the United States. The rate of work-related injuries or death is four times higher than experienced in the general workforce in the United States. The problem has grown worse since and will likely get even worse in the future as private prison corporations put profits before safety.
All in all, the conditions of correctional guard employment create a state of hyper-vigilance to the threat of violence and its aftermath. The results are high rates of mental health issues, including PTSD. Among the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are; re-living traumatic events, nightmares, self-medicating with drugs and\or alcohol, emotional numbness, tendency to isolate one's self and problems with anger-management. Correctional Officers also suffer very high rates of suicide with suicide a very real and predictable threat to correctional officers and their families.
New Mexico's Correctional Facilities Far Short of Staffing Standards
Albuquerque local news outlet KQRE ran a piece in March, 2017 called "Costly Crisis Behind Bars" which noted that there are multiple problems in the State of New Mexico's correctional facilities. The American Corrections Association (ACA) notes that no facility should have a staff vacancy rate exceeding 10% during any eighteen month period. Only two of New Mexico's prisons even come close to that measure with a number of facilities having staff vacancy rates which exceed one third.
In 2015, according to the source, 34% of positions at the facility in Los Lunas went unfilled. At the Western Facility in Grants over half the positions went unfilled while at the Springer Facility in the Northeastern part of the state an astounding 70% of the positions remained vacant.
Between 2012 and 2016, private correctional facilities paid almost six million dollars in fines for being under-staffed. That New Mexico's prison facilities are so woefully understaffed contributes to a wide-range of problems for those who work in our prisons and jails. Working in conditions that can be extremely dangerous and where the aftermath of violence is commonplace takes its toll on correctional staff. The impacts can be long-term, egregious and sometimes catastrophic.
In May, 2017 an article entitled "Life Behind Bars: Working as a Correctional Officer" appeared in the New Mexico News Port. The article interviewed correctional officers working in the State of New Mexico. Officers interviewed noted that the job took an extremely high toll on personal lives, specifically rates of divorce and suicide–noting that the latter is 39% higher than in any other profession. Officers frequently work 70-80 hours per week and feel they do not have lives outside of the job. Currently, the attrition rate for correctional officers stands at 8%, the highest on record in the history of New Mexico.
Correctional Guards May Have Personal Injury Claims Against Prisons and Jails for PTSD
The law is not well-developed on legal claims related to personal injury lawsuits related to PTSD suffered by correctional guards. The general rule is that if the injuries happened on the job, the injured employee is limited to benefits under the Workers Compensation Act. This means that typically, a correctional officer would not be able to file a personal injury lawsuit but instead would be limited to Workers Compensation. However, based upon prior law in a non-correctional setting, there may be personal claims depending upon the circumstances of the employment and the environment within the prison or jail.
The case that would most apply is the 2001 New Mexico Supreme Court case of Delgado v. Phelps Dodge. The facts in that case are extreme but there was no indication that the ruling would be limited to the extremely callous and dangerous conduct of the employer in that case. Delgado set out the requirements for a personal injury claim against an employer for an on the job injury as follows:
"[W]illfulness renders a worker's injury non-accidental, and therefore outside the scope of the Act, when: (1) the worker or employer engages in an intentional act or omission, without just cause or excuse, that is reasonably expected to result in the injury suffered by the worker; (2) the worker or employer expects the intentional act or omission to result in the injury, or has utterly disregarded the consequences; and (3) the intentional act or omission proximately causes the injury."
To be clear, this is a very high standard for the employee to meet but the work conditions in New Mexico jails and prisons may well meet that standard. On the other hand, if this standard can be met, it may be possible to make New Mexico jails and prisons safer for both correctional guards and inmates. After all as they say, "money talks…."
Important Deadlines to PTSD Claims Against Jails and Prisons
There are two sets of deadlines depending upon whether the jail/prison is managed by the state, county or municipality, or it is managed by a private corrections company.
For governmentally managed jails and prisons, there are 2 very important deadlines:
Tort Claims Notice: there is a 90 day deadline for submitting a Tort Claims Notice to the appropriate governmental agency. DIY Tort Claims Notice instructions and forms can be found on the New Mexico General Services website.
Statute of Limitations: the statute of limitations is only 2 years on claims against a New Mexico governmental entity.
Missing either of these will bar your claims completely.
For private corrections company's, there is simply a 3 year statute of limitations.
U.S. Correctional Officers Killed or Injured on the Job
U.S. Correctional Officers Killed or Injured on the Job In the U.S., approximately half a million correctional officers are responsible for supervising more than two million inmates. Correctional officers are exposed to unique workplace hazards within a controlled prison environment. Of all U.S. workers, correctional officers have one of the highest rates of nonfatal, work-related injuries.1 In 2011, correctional officers experienced 544 work-related injuries or illnesses per 10,000 full-time employees (FTEs), which were serious enough to require that they missed a day of work. This was more than four times greater than the rate for all workers who missed a day of work (117 cases per 10,000 FTEs).2 Also in 2011, correctional officers experienced 254 work-related injuries per 10,000 FTEs due to assaults and violent acts. This is considerably higher than the rate of injuries from assault and violent acts for all workers (seven per 10,000 FTEs).3
Work Injuries, Contractors and Personal Injury Lawsuits in New Mexico
Contractors are utilized in numerous industries and occupations. In some situations, such as construction, the…
DIY Tort Claims Notice in New Mexico
The New Mexico Tort Claims Act covers all personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against…
Potential Excessive Force Claims Against the Albuquerque Police – State Law Claims
The recent Department of Justice report on the Albuquerque Police Department's pattern of excessive and…


The PIPC Blog
PIPC Members Participate in PCORI Board Meeting
WASHINGTON D.C. – Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) Chairman Tony Coelho today presented before the Board of Governors of the Patient Centered Outcomes and Research Institute (PCORI) in New York City, commending PCORI for its progress to date and recommending next steps to advance patient-centeredness in comparative effectiveness research (CER).
Noting PIPC's long-standing support for PCORI, Coelho said that the Institute "gives patients something they haven't had before: a voice and, more importantly, a vote." He added, "It's easy to say we're being 'patient-centered;' it's much harder to do it." Coelho outlined a number of steps he said PCORI could take to ensure that patient needs are considered throughout the research process, such as creating a strong definition of "patient-centered outcomes research" and fully engaging patients in the process of setting research priorities.
In addition to Coelho, Angela Ostrom, Director of Federal Relations for the National Epilepsy Foundation and a member of PIPC's Steering Committee, spoke on behalf of PIPC. Ostrom described the importance of how individuals with epilepsy must work closely with their physician to optimize their treatment.
"We understand that there are often obstacles and difficulties in achieving CER that recognizes unique patient needs and encourages individualized treatment, particularly for small sub-populations within chronic disease and disability populations. PCORI has an opportunity here to incorporate into its structure and mission a CER process that advances a research agenda responsive to these concerns. Doing so starts with the definition of 'patient centered outcomes research' and requires that patients, caregivers and providers can fully participate in the process."
The Partnership to Improve Patient Care was formed in November 2008 to support proposals to expand the government's role in comparative effectiveness research that are centered on patient and provider needs; raise awareness about the value of well-designed CER; and promote the important role of continued medical innovation as part of the solution to cost and quality challenges in health care. Partnership members include a wide range of health care organizations representing patient, provider and industry advocacy groups.
To learn more about PIPC, visit PIPCpatients.org.
PIPC - NYC PCORI Board Meeting
PIPC Patient Blog


The Importance of Building—Not Just Assuming—Trust
The following is a guest post by Rebecca Hopkins, an American writer, wife to a relief pilot, member of a cross cultural team, and mama to three kids—while living in beautiful, friendly Indonesia.
"We have this whole sky to ourselves."
My husband, Brad, wasn't exaggerating. He was flying a small Cessna 185 float plane in the central Borneo jungle, landing on winding rivers, dodging canoes and gold miners. On that day, he was the only pilot out there, answering medical evacuation calls from remote Indonesian villages, carrying passengers in just one hour to save them a journey that would take hours, even days on rivers and jungle roads.
"It's pretty cool where a float plane will take you, isn't it?" he said.
We know, however, that this magic of connecting communities to important resources happens because that one float plane is just one part of a team. That team includes the flight followers in the office, the airstrip agents in the villages that weigh passengers, the donors in other countries, our headquarters that does so much, and other pilots and staff members who've invested many years into this work.
And for our team to be successful in this high-stakes job of relief aviation, we need trust.
Trust should be built, not assumed
Sometimes trust is assumed, based on a shared foundation of beliefs, goals and purpose. That's a good start. But having a growth mindset with trust—that it's built, not only assumed—creates both a stronger trust and gives a way to deal with broken trust.
"Team leaders and members will often want their teams to quickly pour their trust into their latest idea or plan," writes
"The Teaming Church" author Robert C. Crosby. "But it is something that is built and added to with every task accomplished, every promise kept and every concern addressed."
Younger generations less likely to trust
This need to build trust seems more urgent now than ever. A 2014 Pew Center survey shows that younger generations are less likely to trust than their older counterparts.
To this question: "Generally, speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you can't be too careful in dealing with people," 19 percent of Millennials chose trust. Thirty-one percent of Gen Xers were willing to trust, compared to 40 percent of Boomers.
Advice on building trust
That caution to trust can provide an opportunity to utilize good building blocks of trust.
Accountability, vulnerability, forgiveness, grace, open dialogue and prayer are all important, according to Erik Plantenga in a blog post titled "The Trust Factor in Multicultural Teams."
David Sedlacek in Christianity Today's "Teams in Missions: Are they worth It?" lists questions teams can ask each other: Mission – Why are we a team? Goals – What will we do? Roles – What do my teammates and I do? Communication – How do we relate to each other? Decision-Making – How do we make decisions? Conflict – How do we handle conflict?"
Another simple one that both leaders and staff members can ask before they act: Is this (policy, decision, etc.) building trust or breaking down trust?
Different cultures, genders and generations require different trust-building blocks
But the answers themselves aren't always straightforward and take team discussion to recognize different needs.
"Cultural differences play a key role in the creation of trust, since trust is built in different ways, and means different things around the world," write Ira Asherman, John W. Bing, Ed. D and Lionel Laroche, Ph.D., P.E. for global consulting firm ITAP international in their article, "Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries."
When trust is broken
"In our 20-plus years of research, we've discovered that 90 percent of the behaviors that break trust are unintentional and subtle," write Dennis and Michelle Reina, co-founders of Reina, A Trust-Building Consultancy that has worked for companies like Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. Army and Harvard. "We've seen that these trust-breaking behaviors occur on a daily basis and are committed by everyone, at every level of responsibility, and within every form of professional relationship. While people know they need trust in their workplaces, most still aren't sure how to restore trust once it's been lost."
In a Christian organizational context, offering forgiveness might be a response to broken trust. While this is an important piece of moving away from bitterness, it doesn't, alone, rebuild trust.
The Reinas list such steps as "Observe and acknowledge what happened." "Allow feelings to surface." "Get and give support." "Take responsibility," in addition to forgiveness, and finally, "letting go and moving on" armed with deeper knowledge and growth resulting from the incident.
Vulnerable situations require built trust
A 2007 Pew report supports that "people who feel vulnerable or disadvantaged, for whatever reason, tend to find it riskier to trust because they're less well-fortified to deal with the consequences of misplaced trust." Organizations can look at times when its members or users are feeling vulnerable to make sure the policies in place build trust. How are transitions handled? How are health concerns dealt with? How are times of changing leadership addressed in a trust-building fashion?
Some of Brad's passengers could easily fall into the category of "vulnerable or disadvantaged" as they're strapped to a stretcher, or step into that plane carrying a sick child. They're entering both a float plane…and trust that has been built over time, through intentional decisions by lots of people. And in many cases, lives are saved.
I think you could say, it's pretty cool where trust—and not just float planes—can take you.


You have to see Chris Pine lip sync in this SNL RuPaul's Drag Race sketch
Meka Beresford May 7, 2017
Chris Pine and the cast of SNL have proved themselves to be brilliant potential contestant of RuPaul's Drag Race.
The Drag Race themed sketch sees the Star Trek actor play a mechanic on his break with his other work colleagues when they all begin to talk about the show.
Each pretends to know nothing about Drag Race, but it is revealed that they are all closet fans of the show despite their overly "masculine" facades.
"I don't care how good Trinity Taylor's tuck is, she's from the pageant circuit, right, those b*tches never win," one, played by Bobby Moynihan, exclaimed.
"Or at least that's what people who watch the show has said around me I guess," he added – trying to hide his knowledge.
However, one pushed the group of men to reveal how much they love watching the show.
"Let's just be honest, we watch RuPaul's Drag Race and we love it," they said.
The mechanics keep talking about the show when Moynihan's character says he thinks he's be "pretty great at lip syncing".
Moynihan and Pine then launch into a lip sync battle of the song "Expensive" by Erika Jayne.
Pine is crowned the winner, while Moynihan is told to sashay away.
SNL has had a brilliant political revival with the help of Melissa McCarthy doing killer impressions of Sean Spicer, as well as guest Alec Baldwin appearing as Trump.
Kate McKinnon has also done side-splitting impressions of Hillary Clinton at the presidential debates, Kellyanne 'couch legs' Conway and the Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
You can watch the brilliantly funny sketch here:
More: comedy, drag, LGBT, lip sync, RuPaul's Drag Race, SNL, US
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Coronation Street star Kimberly Hart-Simpson just came out as pansexual: 'Gender is completely irrelevant to me'


By Shope Delano
Written from: London, UK
What do you do for work?
"Oh, I work in insurance" person B begins to respond, before attempting to wrangle the judgement they assume will be heading their way as soon as they stop talking "I know it's boring but the pay is pretty decent, and my boss is cool". Crisis comms refers to this as 'getting ahead of the story'. Jobs that aren't socially recognised as cool are treated like a scandal - something that requires explanation, justification.
My response to person B would be hasty, confused, eager to dispel what they think I might be thinking. "Yeah, ok, cool. But also, who cares. If it works for you, then it's like, not a thing. And if it doesn't, then you're figuring things out. It's fine. We all are. I literally used to cold call uber drivers and sell them cars for a living. It's minor."
Or in short: It doesn't matter.
It might feel like it matters, especially for those of us who spend too much time playing status games, or like person B, are constantly subject to judgement from those that do. Having too high a preoccupation with whether a relationship will bear the right kind of fruit, and increase your place in the pecking order is…unadvisable. Status is your ranking in the social hierarchy, and a it's zero-sum game - to win, someone else has to lose. Your place on the inner circle is contingent on someone else being booted out.
(I have played in the past, and reluctantly still do. I feel they are inescapable at times - and exist in every industry - though that's probably because I'm still in the process of writing/earning-the-right-to-write the rules of my own game.)
And so I maintain - it doesn't matter. There's no matter here - nothing to hold, or look at, or imbue with meaning. Just the endless reshuffling of whose in 1st place, and who is worth paying attention to.
But socials signals are a necessary part of how large groups of people communicate and form tribes, Shope. All relationships are transactional, Shope. What do you expect? I guess I expect more of us to be more drawn to the kind of of transaction that doesn't feel like a finite land-grab. Something that feels a bit more, generative?
Some loosely related instagram rambles - instagram gets the worst of literary abilities - I'm taking a small personal stance to not overly curate anything I put on that app anymore
I've always found the what-do-you-do-for-work // can-you-even-sit-with-us dance to be kind of grotesque. Regardless of whether it's a good tool for professional advancement, accolade-packed bio's make me itch (mine included). Up until reading Zadie Smith's essay called Something To Do in her book Intimations, I didn't have the words to describe why. A few quotes:
"Out of an expanse of time, you carve a little area - that nobody asked you to carve - and you do 'something'."
"There is no great difference between [writing] novels and [baking] banana bread. They are both just something to do."
"I can't rid myself of the need to do "something". To make "something", to feel that this new expense of time hasn't been 'wasted."
Work is just one of the many things we do in order to fill our lives, and it may be the thing that gives it meaning, that makes us feel like we're not 'wasting' it, but equally, it may not. It's as important and as interesting as all the other little things we do to fill our little lives. Unlike other things we do, it's not optional, as we exist within capitalist structures. Independently making money is kind of non-negotiable. But to use it as a means to assess someone's character is to suggest you transcend the very base, mundane challenge of human life - filling the time.
We all face the somewhat existential challenge of trying to legitimise/feel at peace with how the hell to pass the days. So, no, I don't care about what you do for work!


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United Chinese Americans
Serve • Lead • Inspire 服务 • 引领 • 激励
2016 Convention Speakers
J. Stapleton Roy
5th United States Ambassador to China
J. Stapleton Roy (Chinese: 芮效俭; Pinyin: Ruì Xiàojiăn; born in 1935) was a senior United States diplomat specializing in Asian affairs. A fluent Chinese speaker, Roy spent much of his career in East Asia, where his assignments included Bangkok (twice), Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing (twice), Singapore, and Jakarta. He also specialized in Soviet affairs and served in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Ambassador Roy served as Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research from 1999 to 2000.
Born in Nanking, China, J. Stapleton Roy attended Mount Hermon School (now Northfield Mount Hermon), and in 1956, graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where he majored in history. In August 2008, Roy was named director of the Kissinger Institute for Chinese-U.S. Studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Frank H. Wu
Professor at University of California Hastings College of Law
Frank H. Wu is currently a Distinguished Professor at University of California Hastings College of Law, having served as Chancellor & Dean at the school. In April 2016, he was elected by the members of Committee of 100 as their Chair. He is a Trustee of Deep Springs College and a member of NACIQI, a United States Department of Education commission that oversees accreditation.
He received a B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan. He is the author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White and co-author of Race, Rights and Reparation: Law and the Japanese American Internment.
Wallace D. Loh
President of the University of Maryland
Wallace D Loh has been President of the University of Maryland since Nov 2010. As the 33rd president, Loh leads the state's flagship institution with 37,000 students, 12 colleges and schools, 9,000 faculty and staff, an annual $1.7 billion operating budget and a $1 billion fundraising campaign.
Currently, Loh is chair of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council; a member of the American Council on Education's Committee on Inclusion; and a member of the National Academies' Committee on Science, Technology, and Law.Born in China, raised in Peru, and educated in the US, he embodies the enterprising spirit of immigrants. He received the "Immigrant Achievement Award" from the American Immigration Council and the "Trailblazer Award" from the National Asian Pacific-American Bar Association.
Yasheng Huang
Associate Dean at MIT Sloan School of Management
Yasheng Huang is an associate dean and a professor at MIT Sloan School of Management. He has taught at the University of Michigan and Harvard University.
In addition to academic journal articles, he has published ten books and numerous articles in media. His work has been profiled in Wall Street Journal, Economist, Foreign Policy, and McKinsey Quarterly. His current research covers corruption and economic development, foreign direct investment, state capitalism, and economic history. He is collaborating with researchers at Tsinghua University to create a complete database on historical technological inventions in China and is co-leading a multidisciplinary research team at MIT on food safety.
Cheng Li
Director of the John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution
Cheng Li is director of the John L. Thornton China Center and a senior fellow in the Foreign Policyprogram at Brookings. He is also a director of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Li focuses on the transformation of political leaders, generational change and technological development in China.
Li grew up in Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution. In 1985 he came to the United States, where he received a master's in Asian studies from the University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate in political science from Princeton University. From 1993 to 1995, he worked in China as a fellow sponsored by the Institute of Current World Affairs in the U.S., observing grassroots changes in his native country. Based on this experience, he published a nationally acclaimed book, "Rediscovering China: Dynamics and Dilemmas of Reform" (1997).
Michelle Wu
President of the Boston City Council
Michelle Wu is the President of the Boston City Council. She is the first Asian American woman to serve on the Boston City Council, as well as the youngest current member. In January of 2016, she was elected as President of the Council.
Born in Illinois on January 14, 1985, Michelle Wu graduated from Harvard University in 2007 and Harvard Law School in 2012. Wu worked as the Constituency Director for Elizabeth Warren's 2012 campaign and was elected to Boston City Council At-Large in 2013.
Leana Wen
Commissioner of the Baltimore City Health
Dr. Leana Wen is the Baltimore City Health Commissioner. An emergency physician and patient and community advocate, she leads the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD). Dr. Wen has been honored by the Daily Record as one of the 100 most influential Marylanders and by the Baltimore Business Journal's "40 under 40." She is the recipient of the Greater Baltimore Committee's Dr. Elijah Saunders Trailblazers Award and the National Association of Health Services Executives Leadership Award.
Dr. Wen received her medical training from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Brigham & Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she was a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School. She also studied public health and health policy at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
Chung-Ying Cheng
Professor of Philosophy at University of Hawaii (Manoa)
A renowned world philosopher of both Chinese and Western philosophies and a leading representative of Contemporary Neo-Confucianism, Professor Chung-ying Cheng earned his Ph.D. In Philosophy from Harvard University.His publications include over 35 books and over 350 articles in both English and Chinese on diverse philosophical and cultural topics, with the more recent books Age of New Awakening and Toward Recreation of Chinese Philosophy.
Professor Cheng is the Founding and Honorary President of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy, the Founder of the Journal of Chinese Philosophy and Editor-in-Chief since 1973. He holds the title of Honorary Professorship from numerous leading Chinese universities and visiting professor at Yale University, Oxford University, Kings College of London University, University of Paris, and many others.
Michael Puett
Professor of Chinese History at Harvard
Michael Puett is the Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Chair of the Committee on the Study of Religion. He is also a non-resident long-term fellow for programs in anthropological and historical sciences and the languages and civilizations of East Asia at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala.
Puett joined the Harvard faculty in 1994 after earning his M.A. (1987) and Ph.D. (1994) from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago. His interests focus on the inter-relations between religion, anthropology, history, and philosophy. In his research, Puett aims to bring the study of China into larger historical and comparative frameworks. Since 2012 his General Education course, "Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory," has been the third most enrolled undergraduate course at Harvard.
Josephine Kim
Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education
Dr. Josephine Kim is a lecturer of Harvard Graduate School of Education.She earned a Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia.
She is a National Certified Counselor whose clinical skills and experiences span many contexts including residential facilities, community agencies, and public and private schools.She is USA Today's collegiate case study expert on school violence and has been featured in EBS (Educational Broadcast System) and KBS (Korea Broadcast System) programs in Korea related to developmental and mental health issues of youths.
She is also the founding executive director of a nonprofit organization that aims to educate Asian Americans on issues of spirituality, cultural and racial identity, intergenerational conflicts, cross-cultural advocacy, mental health, and career development issues.
Denise Gitsham
Born and raised in California, Denise Gitsham is the only daughter of immigrants, a small business owner, and a leading voice for San Diego's Innovation Economy.
Denise's mother, a Chinese immigrant who came to the US via Taiwan, and her father a Canadian immigrant who served 20 years in the United States Air Force, instilled in her a deep appreciation of the blessings associated with being American.
A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Denise has worked in the US Department of Justice, United States Senate, and White House. She practiced law at the prominent international law firm K&L Gates before joining a San Diego-based renewable energy company in 2009. Today, Denise owns her own small business, and works to promote San Diego's Innovation Economy, which is driving our local economy and creating high-paying jobs for San Deigans.
Copyright © 2020 United Chinese Americans. All rights reserved.


HS VOLLEYBALL: Adena defeats Huntington 3-1, claims sole possession of second place in SVC
Adena High School volleyball defeated Huntington 3-1 at Adena High School on Tuesday, improving to 5-2 in Scioto Valley Conference play.
HS VOLLEYBALL: Adena defeats Huntington 3-1, claims sole possession of second place in SVC Adena High School volleyball defeated Huntington 3-1 at Adena High School on Tuesday, improving to 5-2 in Scioto Valley Conference play. Check out this story on chillicothegazette.com: https://www.chillicothegazette.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/09/18/adena-high-school-volleyball-defeats-huntington-claims-sole-possession-second-in-scioto-valley-conf/2358644001/
David Wysong, Chillicothe Gazette | Chillicothe | The Chillicothe Gazette Published 11:06 a.m. ET Sept. 18, 2019 | Updated 12:29 p.m. ET Sept. 18, 2019
Volleyball: Adena vs. Huntington
Adena High School volleyball defeated Huntington 3-1 at Adena High School in Frankfort, Ohio on Tuesday September 17, 2019. David Wysong/Gazette
FRANKFORT – Right now everyone is chasing Westfall, but the Adena Warriors are doing the best job at it.
On Tuesday, Adena volleyball found itself tied for second place in the Scioto Valley Conference, two games behind Westfall, with a 4-2 record against league opponents. The Warriors ultimately improved to 5-2 on Tuesday, though, and claimed sole possession of second place as they defeated Huntington 3-1 at home and Westfall defeated Zane Trace – the other second-place team coming into the night – 3-0.
Adena's Jenna Martin and Makenna Lovely go to block a ball during a 3-1 win over Huntington at Adena High School in Frankfort, Ohio on Tuesday September 17, 2019. (Photo: David Wysong/Gazette)
In the Warriors' match against the Huntsmen, Adena defeated Huntington relatively easy in the first set as they jumped out to a 17-12 lead and didn't look back, winning 25-16.
"We played better when we communicated and worked as a team," said Adena's Jenna Martin.
However, the Huntsmen – who prior to the match were just one game behind the Warriors with a 3-3 league record – didn't go down quietly as they bounced back to win the second set 25-17, tying the match 1-1.
"They were controlling the ball," said Adena head coach Laura Smith. "They played aggressive, hustling defense, keeping the ball alive and their hitters were doing a good job."
Huntington's Allison Basye and Katie Hirsch go to block a ball during a 3-1 loss to Adena at Adena High School in Frankfort, Ohio on Tuesday September 17, 2019. (Photo: David Wysong/Gazette)
It then looked like Huntington had all the momentum in the beginning of the third set as they jumped out to a 13-9 lead and then eventually led 20-19, but Adena, however, ultimately rallied to win the set 25-22, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
"We was leading the whole third game and I just think real critical moments, they got calls that broke our momentum," said Huntington head coach Tina Magill. "We got stuck in two rotations that I thought we was out of a couple times and fluke things happened. Then when you lose momentum you kind of lose a little bit of heart and that's what happened."
Huntington then wasn't able to take another set from Warriors after that as Adena coasted to victory in the fourth set, winning 25-14, to win the match 3-1.
"For the most part, I thought our serve-receive was decent," Smith said. "Our serving was more consistent than it has been. A couple of kids did a really nice job of putting the ball where they needed to at crucial times."
Statistically for Huntington, Alyssa Steele had 37 assists and seven digs while Allison Basye had 22 kills and 11 digs. Megan Steele had 13 kills and 20 digs while Harmony Henneberger had 16 digs.
With the first-half of league play concluding on Tuesday, the SVC volleyball standings now look like this: 1. Westfall (7-0) 2. Adena (5-2) 3. Zane Trace (4-3), Unioto (4-3), Southeastern (4-3) 6. Huntington (3-4) 7. Paint Valley (1-6) 8. Piketon (0-7)
Adena (7-6, 5-2) now prepares for Paint Valley as they host the Bearcats at 6 p.m. on Thursday while Huntington (9-5, 3-4) travels to Piketon at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Kunz becomes 4th SVC football coach to step down
SE beats Adena, takes sole possession of second
DAILY DIGEST: CHS swimming wins local meet
SCORES: Chillicothe girls bball falls to Logan
Waverly girls basketball falls to McClain 59-58
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: ZT, Waverly athletes win


Home Reviews Poco X2 review: The comeback smartphone
Poco X2 review: The comeback smartphone
Should Poco X2 be your next buy?
By Avani Bagga
Xiaomi's spin-off brand Poco recently launched its X2 smartphone in India. The smartphone is available in three variants and falls in the sub-Rs 20,000 category. In this segment, the Poco X2 has a number of competitors. But then, it comes with a massive 4,500mAh battery, is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 730G, and its display has a refresh rate of 120Hz. We spent a few days with the smartphone to find out how good it really is. Check out our review of Poco X2 to know more:
Poco X2 design and display
With Poco X2, Xiaomi is offering a smartphone that will be perfect for you in terms of design (if you like flashy gadgets). The handset has a gradient rear panel that is bright blue in colour and is made up of glass. The back panel of the device also has the vertical camera module that has a circular design around it. There is also the 'Poco' branding towards the bottom of the rear wall. However, it is worth pointing out that the device does not have Xiaomi written on it. Poco X2 is available in Atlantis Blue, Phoenix Red and Matrix Purple colour options and the one that we got for review (like we said) was dressed in blue.
The edges of the handset are made up of a plastic-like material. While the right side houses the power and volume rocker keys, the left one has the SIM tray sandwiched in it. The top has the secondary microphone and the bottom edge has the Type-C port, speaker grille and the 3.5mm headphone jack on it. It is worth pointing out that the power button also doubles up as the fingerprint scanner. This reminded us of devices from the Sony XPERIA range that we have reviewed in the past. The device is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 on the front as well as on the back.
Coming to the front, you will see the 6.67-inch screen of the Poco X2. The display of the smartphone has an aspect ratio of 20:9 and the overall device looks very large. We should mention that one-handed usage is kind of difficult on the smartphone and we often had trouble reaching all the parts of the screen including the volume rocker buttons. A very noticeable thing about the front panel is the dual selfie camera sensors on the top right of the device. Although this did not hinder the viewing experience most of the times, when we watched some videos on YouTube in full screen mode, the black pill was very evident. Poco has also sandwiched the ear speaker of the handset at the top in a very thin slit between the screen and the top edge.
To conclude, we would say that the design of Poco X2 has its pros and cons. The device is good looking and those who like flashy gadgets would really like it, but we would have preferred something more subtle, so it is a bit subjective. While the glass back panel makes the smartphone look premium, at the same time makes it slippery too. It is also worth citing that the back panel of the smartphone is prone to getting fingerprints, so it would be advisable to keep a microfiber cloth with you at all times. We would recommend you to go for the device if you like premium looking phones, but then, you would have to take a lot of care of it just like any other premium device.
Coming back to the 6.67-inch 2340×1080-pixel driven display of the smartphone, it was one amongst its key highlights. The display projected bright and vibrant colours at all times, which remained consistent at different viewing angles. The images that were shown on the screen were sharp and clear. We watched a lot of YouTube videos on the device and the quality of the images on the screen remained top-notch even at very high resolutions.
It is worth mentioning that the screen of the device comes with 120Hz refresh rate and this pushes up the user experience a couple of notches. The sunlight readability of the smartphone's display was good too, and we always consider this to be a big plus.
Poco X2 performance and cameras
Before we talk about the performance and cameras of Poco X2, we will take a minute to talk about the rest of its specifications. Poco X2 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 730G and it is available in three storage options: 6GB RAM/64GB storage, 6GB RAM/128GB storage and 8GB RAM/256GB storage. While the base variant costs Rs 15,999, the high-end one is priced at Rs 19,999. The device runs Android 10 skinned with MIUI 11.0.3 Poco Launcher and it houses a 4,500mAh battery.
Coming to the software integrations of the handset, the first thing that we noticed was that it comes with a lot of bloatware. Poco X2 has a number of pre-installed apps like Gaana, Helo, Facebook, Opera, Amazon and a lot of Xiaomi's in-house apps too. The device also has the company's own GetApps store and we received an annoying number of notifications asking us to install apps via it during our time with the device. The handset also comes with some 'Special Features' in its Settings app that make tasks like gaming and messaging better.
Speaking about the performance of the smartphone, it excelled in most of the tasks that we assigned it with. We launched multiple apps on the device and switched between them, and even used multiple tabs of Chrome together, but we did not see any lag in the performance. Poco X2 could manage multitasking like a cakewalk. We played a number of games on the smartphone and even when we tried graphic-hungry ones like Asphalt 9: Legends, the device did not warm up even once. We even used the smartphone for navigation for over 40 minutes and even then, it did not heat up.
Coming to the battery life of the handset, when our usage was heavy and involved long phone calls, watching YouTube videos, playing games and using social media apps, it lasted an entire day. Which is a great thing to achieve in a mid-segment smartphone.
The call quality of the smartphone was decent at most times. We could make and receive calls from any area including basements and elevators and we had no problem hearing the person on the other end of the call either.
Now, let's talk about the cameras of the smartphone. Poco X2 comes with four cameras on its back and two cameras on its front panel. The device has a 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor that has an f/1.89 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture, a 2MP macro lens with a focal length of 2cm-10cm and a 2MP depth-sensing camera. On the front, there is a 20MP selfie camera along with a 2MP depth sensor.
We certainly believe that the camera app of the Poco X2 could become better, especially the UI. If you wish to use the wide-angle camera, you would have to use the zoom control to go to it as there is no toggle button dedicated for it. This became difficult at times. Even selecting various modes of the app wasn't as easy as it is in other apps, some of them from Xiaomi.
The primary camera of the smartphone did a great job. The pictures turned out to be very sharp and the colours were accurate and vibrant. A very good thing about the photos was the fact that the details came out really well, particularly in well-lit conditions. In dimly-lit conditions, the quality of images did deteriorate.
Zoomed in shot
The wide-angle camera of the handset does not match up to the primary camera in terms of quality. However, this is something that we expected. While they do manage to get a lot more area in the picture, the quality does go for a toss. This is particularly true in dimly lit conditions and however switching over to the night mode helps. The macro lens also had a similar performance in well-lit and and room with less light. The quality of images did fall when we tried to use it in slightly dark areas.
Coming to the selfie cameras of the smartphone, we were happier with them than we were with some of the rear cameras. We clicked a number of pictures using them and all the shots that we got were good and well detailed, even the ones that we took in dimly-lit conditions.
At a cost of Rs 19,999, the Poco X2 comes with its own set of pros and cons. The positive points of the smartphone include its display, its smooth performance, front camera and its lasting battery life. The design of the handset has a few issues like it is a bit slippery and its one-handed usage can be troublesome for people with small hands. The UI has a lot of bloatware and the some of the rear cameras gave us mixed results. However, if you want to buy a device that can handle heavy games and can multi-taks well, or if you love to watch videos on your smartphone, you would not be disappointed with Poco X2.
Vibrant display
Lasting battery
Smooth performance
UI has bloatware
The phone is slippery
Wide-angle camera could have been better
Avani Baggahttps://www.gadgetbridge.com
Avani has an immense love for reading, travelling and food, but not necessarily in the same order. Avani almost started pursuing law, but life had other (better) plans for her and she chose to be a writer instead (luckily!) She previously covered technology at Times Internet and wrote about smartphones, mobile apps and tech startups. When she's not writing, you'll be able to find her in book stores or catching up on her social life.
Samsung unleashes the stunning Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra: Price and specs for India revealed
Samsung Electronics has officially announced its much-awaited latest flagship devices Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra. The new flagship series comes with...
Garena to kick off first esports tournament of the year, 'Free Fire Titan Invitational' from January 16
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News and EventsEvent CalendarTriad Orchid Society's "Orchids in the Palm Room"
Triad Orchid Society's "Orchids in the Palm Room"
Add to Calendar 3/10/2023 12:00:00 AM Triad Orchid Society's "Orchids in the Palm Room" The Triad Orchid Society's "Orchids in the Palm Room" is being held March 10 - 12, 2023 at the Reynolda Gardens Greenhouse, 100 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, NC 27106. Reynolda Gardens Greenhouse, 100 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, NC 27106 MM/DD/YYYY
Will Bottoms
triadorchidsociety@gmail.com
Reynolda Gardens Greenhouse, 100 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
The Triad Orchid Society's "Orchids in the Palm Room" is being held March 10 - 12, 2023 at the Reynolda Gardens Greenhouse, 100 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, NC 27106.


Dad buries 10-year-old daughter alive because she was a girl (Tripura, India)
Dad is identified as ABDUL HUSSEIN.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-buried-10-year-old-daughter-alive-4993935
Man 'buried 10-year-old daughter alive because she was a girl'
By Jessica Best
Abdul Hussein is accused of gagging and tying up his young daughter before burying her in the ground while his wife was out
A man has been arrested for trying to bury his 10-year-old daughter alive because she was a girl.
Police say the shocking incident in Tripura, India, saw Abdul Hussein dig a pit in his back garden while his wife was out, and then put his daughter in the hole with her hands roped together and her mouth taped up.
Her dad is then said to have filled up the pit to chest level, with pictures showing the young girl with her arms and head above the dirt floor.
When Abdul's wife returned home he put a bamboo basket over their daughter's head, with the intention of burying her completely later on, NDTV reports.
But his wife began to question where the little girl was, and she was soon discovered by neighbours.
They are said to have beaten up the dad before calling police.
Abdul was then arrested, and now faces a charge of attempted murder.
The case comes four months after a seven-year-old girl clawed her way to safety after allegedly being strangled and buried alive in the Uttar Pradesh region of India.
The youngster was found by shocked villagers after they heard her cries for help.
The little girl, named Tanu, told police her aunt and uncle had taken her from her mother's house days earlier and buried her in the field.
Labels: attempted murder, false imprisonment, India


Hal Willner Producer 'Saturday Night Live' Dies Due Coronavirus Infection
Kareena Kapoor responds to the lockdown report going forward, she...
Country Singers Tribute Kenny Rogers in ACM Presents: Our Country...
Country Singers Tribute Kenny Rogers in ACM Presents: Our Country Concert
At a recent country music concert, late country singer Kenny Rogers was given a tribute by the big singers.
In this concert, big country singers like Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie gave him a tribute to sing and remember him in his village.
Also Read: Singer Lady Gaga Raises $35 Million to WHO Coronavirus Relief Fund
The Country Music Festival has been canceled due to Coronavirus, which has been compensated by ACM Presents: Our Country.
Giving him a tribute, Singer and his friend Lionel Richie said "What started out to be a great collaboration between two guys, Kenny Rogers and myself, ended up giving me a surprise."
"Not only did we have a hit record, but I found one of the greatest friends I ever had in my whole life. The loss of him is tremendous on my heart. "
Also Read: Actor Jay Benedict 'Aliens' Died Due Coronavirus at 68
"We lived so much life together, and tonight I want to celebrate his life. And I want to say to all of his fans: He enjoyed the ride. Let us celebrate his life, his legacy, and more importantly, the music. God bless you, Kenny. God bless your family. I love you very much. "
Last month, Kenny Rogers died at the age of 81.


A range of make-it-yourself products aimed at children has been recalled after potentially hazardous ingredients were not disclosed.
by James Hall
5th Nov 2020 4:02 PM
A range of children's "make it on your own" kits have been pulled from shelves over safety fears after failing to disclose the products' ingredients.
The line of DIY items from Brazco International recalled by the consumer watchdog includes Sparkling Modelling Soap, Scented Lip Balm and Science Perfumed Bath Bombs.
The kits were sold at Red Dot stores.
The products sold nationally in Red Dot stores did not comply with cosmetic trade practice for failing to reveal what ingredients are included, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said.
"Users may be exposed to ingredients they are sensitive or allergic to," the watchdog said in statement released this week.
The kits were sold in August this year.
"If a user suffers an adverse reaction they will not be able to check the ingredients list to identify the possible cause and seek appropriate treatment."
The kits were available for sale between August 1 and August 30 this year and consumers are being urged to return the product to receive a refund or exchange.
Originally published as Kids' toys recalled over safety fears
Consumers are being advised to return the product.
Blender recalled over 'laceration' fear


Thirteenth Floor, The
Entry updated 16 February 2017. Tagged: Film.
Film (1999). Columbia Pictures presents a Centropolis Entertainment Production. Directed by Josef Rusnak. Written by Rusnak & Ravel Centeno-Rodriguez, based on Simulacron-3 (1964) by Daniel F Galouye. Cast includes Craig Bierko, Vincent d'Onofrio, Dennis Haysbert, Gretchen Mol and Armin Mueller-Stahl. 100 minutes. Colour.
The programmers of a Virtual Reality simulation of 1937 Los Angeles discover that their own world is itself a simulation, and that its makers have infiltrated their own creation with sinister designs that must be thwarted from within.
Emmerich and Rostaf, German expatriates in Hollywood, had grown up on the Fassbinder adaptation of Galouye's novel as Welt Am Draht (1973), which they (rightly) felt superior to the wave of then-fashionable Virtual Reality scripts that were crossing Emmerich's desk in 1994, and secured the rights to a remake. In this version the simulated reality is a recreation of Los Angeles in 1937, itself a reality under construction; thus the pivotal sequence where the hero drives to the edge of his world to find the landscape giving way to raw digital wireframe is echoed within the simulation in a journey to a luxury hotel complex under construction in the middle of the desert. Following test screenings, the ambivalent ending was reshot to show the hero's happy awakening into a sunny future world – though the final shot hints that this upper reality may itself be a simulation at a higher level. Unlucky enough to hit cinemas two months after The Matrix, the film was more or less dead on arrival with its retro noir stylings, its resistance to high-kicking action, and the stiffness of Rusnak's direction of his American cast. [NL]


PAXTON & MORRIS – Is It Safe Out There?
Talking Elephant 2022
PAXTON & MORRIS –
Is It Safe Out There?
British rustic duo shake off post-pandemic rust to sculpt a folksy masterpiece out of classic material.
As a married couple, Maggie Kenny and Drew Wegg cannot be indifferent to the ways of or world where peril seems to be lurking around every corner, be it a real-life or mythological bend; as amateur artists, the pair feel the urge to express their existential angst in a folk song, making this fear eternal. That's why the title of the first album by PAXTON & MORRIS, the husband and wife's nom de guerre which may remind us of a certain American troubadour and certain English dance, should be perceived on a much larger scale than an after-Covid peeking around the door: through forming a fresh context for a few favorite numbers, Wegg and Kenny take their chosen genre's contemporary paradigm back to the forefront of protest – a move still relevant today, when wars are raging and guns a-blazing. However, the listener is more likely to latch onto the minstrels' delivery rather than the material selection where moods get shifted from Scottish lore to Appalachian tales and beyond.
So while there's a reality check in the punchy opener, "The Devil's Right Hand" from Steve Earle's repertoire, which sees Maggie's bass punctuate Drew's strum over honeyed vocal harmonies and Kevin Dempsey's guitar filigree, and a checkout is offered in the countrified finale of Richard Shindell's twangy "Next Best Western" whose echoes will linger long after the record's end, Kenny's velvet voice and cello on Sydney Carter's "Crow On The Cradle" sound truly mesmeric, and the romantically fatigued "I Cannot Keep From Cryin' Sometimes" that's laden with fiddle and harmonica feels possessed of stronger cinematic, Western-tinctured allure. The band's vibrant approach to FAIRPORTS' "Crazy Man Michael" and Zoe Lakota-Baldwin's "Silkie Lullaby" are a litmus test for any singer, passed by Wegg's supple pipes and the entire ensemble's orchestral prowess with magnificently flying, if fittingly patinated, colors, yet their communal handling of Dylan's "Señor" comes little short of sensational as well, as do "The Ballad Of Henry Lee" and "Silver Dagger" – two traditional tracks revealing the pair's understanding of the idiom's nuances and highlighting an exquisite, and sometimes playful, lace courtesy of former Swarb associate Dempsey.
The result of the couple's delving into classics could be breathtaking if it wasn't so unhurriedly paced, but the little collective's next step must appear as soon as possible because their originals have a great beginning to follow.
Tags: folk rock, Paxton & Morris
Nick Fletcher Scrutinizes Ignorance On New Record
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'"Oliver Rix"' in Person
RSC Live from Stratford Upon Avon
Gregory Doran
Live broadcast of the the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2013 production of Richard II directed by Gregory Doran with David Tennant in the title role.
Video recording of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2013 production of Richard II directed by Gregory Doran with David Tennant in the title role.
Cardenio (2011 Video)
Video recording of the 2011 Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Cardenio directed by Gregory Doran. The play Double Falsehood is claimed to be an adaptation of a lost play by Shakespeare, based on...
You are currently searching in Shakespeare. Search all the BUFVC's collections for '"Oliver Rix"' in All fields.


Categories Newsletters Books Pricing plans
Simona Grigorova
ConvergeOne Explores Sale
In February, the Eagan-based IT services provider merged with special purpose acquisition firm Forum Merger Corporation in a $1.2 billion transaction and became a publicly listed company.
Convergeone executives celebrate during official bell ringing ceremony
US communications, networking, and security technology services provider ConvergeOne is exploring the sale of the company, sources told Reuters.
The company is said to have attracted the interest of private equity firms, according to sources familiar with the matter.
In February, the Eagan-based IT services provider merged with special purpose acquisition firm Forum Merger Corporation in a $1.2 billion transaction and became a publicly listed company. However, ConvergeOne's shares have been trading mostly flat since its initial public offering, which signals that the company might be vulnerable to takeover attempts.
ConvergeOne is majority-owned by investment firm Clearlake Capital. The controlling shareholder is said to be working with investment bank Raymond James Financial on the sale process, according to people familiar with the situation. However, sources said that a deal might not materialize.
Shares of ConvergeOne were up 15% as media outlets reported that the company is engaged in merger talks, trading 6% at $9.07. As a result, the company's market capitalization reached nearly $700 million. In February, when the company announced its IPO, its total enterprise value, including debt and equity, was $1.3 billion.
ConvergeOne distributes networking and collaboration services from tech companies including San Jose-based IT conglomerate Cisco Systems and Armonk- headquartered technology giant IBM.
ConvergeOne serves over 10,000 clients, including 48% of the Fortune 500 companies in sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, finance, education and energy.
Nearly 63% of ConvergeOne's sales come from the company's unified communications business, which offers software and other services to mid- to large-sized companies allowing them to manage customer contact and call centers.
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