Home » Events » 70th Venice International Film Festival
70th Venice International Film Festival
28 Jul 2013 | Redazione Portale di Venezia
28 August 2013 10:00 to 7 September 2013 23:00
Speech by the Director of the 70th Venice International Film Festival
Alberto Barbera
Some people say that “history runs, cinema walks, and festivals mark time.” This cruel synthesis summarizes a certain widespread impatience with contemporary cinema and with what, until a short while ago, had been considered invaluable opportunities for promoting new movies and meeting new filmmakers. There are greater nuances in Paul Schrader’s comment, “It’s a changing world. Festivals are both more and less powerful than they used to be. More powerful because they come across like the new museum and art gallery curators. Less powerful because the exclusiveness of participating at festivals has been weakened by new, direct channels of distribution.” This problem scarcely bothers the public, a faithful and constant presence flocking by the thousands to the large and small festivals that continue to pop up here and there, often replacing events whose life cycle has come to an end.
However, with a touch of pride it can be claimed that, while this year’s Venice Film Festival might not provide any answers, it does supply a few indications as to why festivals are still necessary and how they can adapt themselves to this new situation. In drawing up the list of films to offer our audience this year, we have tried to keep in mind the growing fragmentation and schizophrenia that seems to affect the universe of images in motion. These images are characterized by progressively contrasting production methods and by no means coherent models of reference; they explore the new potential offered by digital technology and are open to experimentation with new distribution and promotional platforms. But festivals are still burdened by economic complications, by the reduction of financial resources which once seemed almost unlimited, by new promotional strategies, and by the difficulty of overcoming the opaque resistance of the world of communication.
The Festival’s four sections – Competition, Out of Competition, Orizzonti, and Venezia Classici – are like a snapshot of the present state of contemporary cinema: intentionally stratified and varied.
There are established filmmakers whose participation is both proper and logical, since they represent the reason we love cinema and serve as a guarantee of its continuity.
There are debut directors and those in search of that hoped-for triumph, to which the Festival can contribute, sometimes decisively so, thanks to the prestige and the authority conferred by its selections.
There are the so-called genre films, for which no form of bias can exist but which are not always easy to position within the programming of important festivals.
There are documentaries, which are progressively gaining importance in the Festival’s scheduling, to the point that two are participating in the Venice 70 Competition. This “first time ever” is not only in recognition of the quality of these films, but of modern cinema’s gradual overlapping between fiction films and documentaries, a sign of an acknowledged identity that reflects shared creative processes. This is also an indication of aesthetic and linguistic enrichment, which appears to be to the benefit of all.
There are restored films and documentaries about cinema which indicate the growing importance of investments (in every sense of the word: cultural, aesthetic, emotional, distributing) in the immense patrimony and heritage of the cinema of the past, bringing it back into circulation to nourish the knowledge of young spectators, encourage the vocation of new directors, and enhance our education with cultural and linguistic reference points that should not be disregarded.
There are shorts, a valuable training ground for the filmmakers of tomorrow, to which the Festival has always ascribed the same artistic dignity as feature films, not confining them within a “reserve” but inserting them with full rights in the programming of the Orizzonti section.
There is the Film Market, improved and enlarged, with more services and areas at the disposal of commercial professionals, after the gratifying reception the first Market received last year.
And then, there is the Sala Web, the web theatre that was launched last year and that offers the virtual audience of the web the opportunity to watch, in streaming, the films of the Orizzonti section simultaneously with their official presentation at the Lido.
And, of course, there are also new entries. The first is represented by the three feature films made in conjunction with Biennale College Cinema, the project that supports, develops, and finances first films. The project was launched last year and is now concluding its first edition with concrete and positive results. The names of the twelve filmmakers selected for the second edition will be announced during the Festival.
The second new entry is the special project Final Cut in Venice, which provides economic support for the post-production of four African films which will be chosen during a special Film Market workshop reserved to producers, buyers, distributors, and programmers of international festivals, in order to encourage possible coproduction partnerships and market access.
The Venice Film Festival is turning seventy, the first time in the history of the Seventh Art that a festival has achieved this venerable age. This birthday will be celebrated in an imaginative way, thanks to the contribution of seventy filmmakers from all over the world who have accepted our invitation to make a micro-film lasting between 60 and 90 seconds. All these films will be projected during the Festival, and can be watched in streaming on the special website that has been created by the Biennale di Venezia, as can forty clips from historical newsreels that have been chosen and restored by the Istituto Luce Film Archives.
Thus, the past and the future of cinema symbolically join hands, in an edition of the Festival that looks to the future, in the conviction that its mission is far from over.
Festival Director


Former Lincoln Tokyo nightclub owner fined £144k for putting lives at risk
Photo: The Lincolnite
The owner of the former Tokyo nightclub in Lincoln has been found guilty of putting lives of staff and customers at risk and fined £143,952.30.
Aaron Mellor, 44, of Deans Gate in Manchester, was on October 5, at York Crown Court, found guilty of fifteen charges of failing to comply with fire safety requirements at his Tokyo nightclubs in Lincoln and York.
As previously reported, the Tokyo nightclub in Lincoln was inspected in April 2014, where fire safety officers from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue closed the basement area after serious concerns were raised about access to emergency exits, lack of emergency lighting and inadequate signage.
On the inspection, Paul Mead of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Fire exits were blocked by chairs, tables and bags of rubbish and the emergency exit signs pointed in the wrong direction.
“One of the fire escape doors at the club had to be kicked and subsequently broken by a member of staff in order to open it.
“If a fire had occurred some people would not have reasonably been able to escape due to the fire exits not being available.”
As well as visits to the nightclub in Lincoln, Fire Safety officers from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue visited Tokyo in York on numerous occasions.
They found the emergency lighting system, fire alarm and fire detection system not to be working.
The property’s fire risk assessment was also not adequate and there was sleeping accommodation found on the premises.
For the Lincoln charges, Mellor was fined £66,000 and ordered to pay £44,504 in prosecution costs.
For the York charges, Mellor was fined £10,000 and Tokyo Industries (One) Limited was fined £30,000. Charges were £23,448.30.
Paul Mead added: “This is the first time in the country that two Fire and Rescue services have acted together to successfully bring a prosecution against a company and business operator, when offences have taken place in different counties.
“It sends a clear message out to owners of this type of venue that when they put company profit before public safety, we will take action.
“We continue to work with other agencies in an attempt to improve safety standards.
“Many of the business premises that we visit are conscientious about fire safety matters. However, some of the buildings which are brought to our attention because of fire incidents or complaints, turn out to have serious fire safety concerns which endanger those working in or visiting it.
“We would encourage all business owners and those with responsibility for any premises, where the fire safety order applies, to ensure that they are aware of the legislative obligations they need to comply with, including having an up-to-date fire risk assessment.”
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Do trusts still make sense in light of the new tax rules?
Michael Stubbing 04 Dec 2018
Recent changes in tax legislation have affected the way that trusts can be used, as well as the information they are required to report. Many have speculated that these changes have limited the usefulness of trusts as a tool for holding assets, but there are still many advantages to setting up a trust.
What has changed?
Limits on income splitting
The extension of the income splitting rules that came into effect on January 1, 2018 has made certain business owners question their current corporate structure. This is because the manner in which shares are held (i.e. through a holding company or through a trust) will affect whether the income received will be subject to tax on split income (TOSI), which imposes tax at the highest marginal rate on certain types of income.
For example, where shares of a private corporation (meeting the definition of a “related business” for the purposes of TOSI) are held by a family trust, and an inactive spouse and inactive adult children are beneficiaries of the trust, none of the family members will be able to exempt themselves from TOSI through the use of the “excluded shares” exemption (which may be available to taxpayers owning shares with at least 10 percent of the votes and value of a corporation). That’s because this exemption requires that the shares be held by the individual directly. As a result, taxpayers who own shares of a private corporation through a family trust will need to look to the other TOSI exclusions to alleviate the potential tax burden.
For some taxpayers this is an undesirable result, as the remaining exclusions typically require a certain level of involvement within the business, either through labour or capital contribution, while the “excluded shares” exemption allows individuals to receive income from a corporation simply on the basis of share ownership.
New reporting requirements
Another way that the advantages of using a trust may be limited in the future is through the new reporting requirements that will come into effect in 2021. These new rules will require that certain types of trusts file a T3 return more frequently and provide more personal identification information relating to beneficiaries, settlors and protectors of the trust.
The impact here is that by increasing these reporting requirements, the government will now have more information at its disposal regarding Canadian property and those who are entitled to it.
For example, where residential property is owned by a bare trust, the trust will now be required to file an annual T3 return that will notify the government when beneficiaries of the trust—in other words, those who are entitled to the property—change. This increased information is likely to form the basis for future tax changes. At the very least, it is sure to lead to additional scrutiny of taxpayers.
Advantages to using a trust
While these changes mean that some of the advantages to using a trust may be limited, there are still multiple tax and non-tax advantages to using a trust.
Multiplication of the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption (LCGE)
From a tax perspective, one of the major remaining benefits of using a trust—when it comes to holding shares of a private corporation in particular—is that by having multiple beneficiaries to the trust, it is possible to effectively multiply the LCGE on the disposition of shares of a qualified small business corporation (QSBC).
Multiplying the LCGE will allow each family member that is a beneficiary to the trust to shelter from tax $848,252 (in 2018) of any gain that has been allocated to them on the sale. A family of four would therefore be able to jointly shelter $3.39 million in gains from tax through the use of a trust, which provides a significant tax advantage.
Maintaining QSBC status of shares
In light of the new income splitting rules, it is helpful to ensure that your private corporation meets the criteria for being considered a QSBC. This is due to the fact that taxable capital gains on the disposition of QSBC shares are exempt from TOSI. Where a private corporation is not considered a QSBC (as a result of holding a large value of passive assets), a trust can be a helpful tool for purifying the corporation to meet the definition.
For example, a trust with a corporate beneficiary could be introduced (through a reorganization) as a shareholder of an operating company (Opco). Opco could then pay dividends to the trust, which would then allocate the income to the corporate beneficiary, thus allowing for constant purification of Opco using inter-corporate dividends.
Find out more about the new tax rules [ 287 kb ]
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Ebola outbreak over, but vigilance must remain, experts warn
By Tom Murphy on	 14 January 2016 0
(UNMIL/Emmanuel Tobey)
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is over. More than 42 days passed since the last case in Liberia, marking the end of the outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people. The World Health Organization made the official announcement today, but it was accompanied by warnings that cases may emerge in the region and the wider lessons learned must be put into action to prevent another health crisis of this magnitude.
“We are now at a critical period in the Ebola epidemic as we move from managing cases and patients to managing the residual risk of new infections,” said Dr. Bruce Aylward, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) special representative for the Ebola response, in the announcement. “The risk of re-introduction of infection is diminishing as the virus gradually clears from the survivor population, but we still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them. A massive effort is under way to ensure robust prevention, surveillance and response capacity across all three countries by the end of March.”
What began as an infection of a child in Guéckédou, Guinea, became a deadly outbreak that infected more than 28,000 people. It spread across Guinea and into Sierra Leone and Liberia. Single cases were discovered in the U.S. and Nigeria, leading to global concerns that the outbreak could spread beyond West Africa. Doctors Without Borders was among the first international groups that responded to the outbreak. Both they and Samaritan’s Purse increased their operations and made vocal calls for more support. Unfortunately, governments and the U.N. were slow to meet the need at the moment when the spread of the virus was spiraling out of control.
(Economist)
“Throughout the epidemic, I witnessed how communities were ripped apart,” Hilde de Clerck, a Doctors Without Borders epidemiologist who worked in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, said in a news release. “Initially, the response from the global health community was really paralyzed by fear. It was a horrible experience being left on our own and constantly running behind the wave of the epidemic. But it was very empowering to see how extremely dedicated all the national staff were, and fortunately other international actors eventually got involved. For the next epidemic, the world should stand ready to intervene much faster and more efficiently.”
Reviews of what happened during the outbreak exposed the major problems of the health systems in all three countries, as well as the shortcomings of the international community. The WHO came under some of the most intense criticism for its handling of the crisis from the onset. A road map outlined by an independent group of global health experts focused heavily on the reforms that the WHO needs to undertake in order to better prepare it for the next global health crisis.
And while celebrations are taking place across the world now that the outbreak is over, concerns remain that new cases could emerge. Liberia was declared Ebola-free just a few months ago, before a flare-up reset the clock. There have been 10 such flare-ups at the end of the outbreak, due largely to the persistence of the virus in survivors. It is likely more cases will be found and the rhetoric from leaders indicates that precautions are being taken to ensure the virus does not spread.
With the outbreak behind the countries, they all must now look to the long road of recovery. The outbreak cost roughly $2.2 billion to the economies of the three countries, according to estimates from the World Bank.
“Ebola has exacted an enormous toll on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. It has not only taken thousands of lives, it has devastated economies, health systems, social structures and families—reversing many years of development gains,” Jim Kim, head of the World Bank, said in a news release. “Ebola’s scars will not soon fade, especially for survivors and their families, and for the heroic health workers who cared for the infected.”
Efforts will now focus on ways to recover the economic losses and build up the woeful health systems that struggled to manage the crisis. The heroic response by health workers and volunteers in the countries showed the resilience inherent in the region. Getting back to normal life will not be easy, particularly for the 17,000 Ebola survivors who face health problems from the Ebola and social stigma.
“Today is a day of celebration and relief that this outbreak is finally over,” Joanne Liu, president of Doctors Without Borders, said in a news release. “We must all learn from this experience to improve how we respond to future epidemics and to neglected diseases. This Ebola response was not limited by lack of international means but by a lack of political will to rapidly deploy assistance to help communities. The needs of patients and affected communities must remain at the heart of any response and outweigh political interests.”
Doctors Without Borders Ebola Guinea Liberia Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders MSF sierra leone WHO World Health Organization
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Tom Murphy is a New Hampshire-based reporter for Humanosphere. Before joining Humanosphere, Tom founded and edited the aid blog A View From the Cave. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, the Huffington Post, the Guardian, GlobalPost and Christian Science Monitor. He tweets at @viewfromthecave. Contact him at tmurphy[at]humanosphere.org.
By Tom Murphy 30 June 2017
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Traveling exhibit seeks to build U.S. empathy for refugees


Tag Archives: fame
David’s Steleae: The Psalms as Public Memorials and Private Prayers
“I will tell of the marvellous things You have done.” Psalm 9:1b
“I will exalt You, Lord, because You have rescued me.” Psalm 30:1a
A stele is “an upright stone slab or pillar bearing an inscription or design and serving as a monument, marker, or the like.” [Source: Dictionary.com] They were widely used in the Near East millennia before David, and well after his time. It was standard practice for kings to have steles and statues of themselves made as positive propaganda to support their reign. However, David didn’t follow this practice. In line with the *ten commandments, he didn’t have himself pictured with a representation of YHWH behind him, neither did he carve his achievements in stone. Apart from the book of Samuel and 1 Chronicles, the only memorials we have to David are his Psalms, some of which could be likened to victory steles, and others which have an interesting function.
Roughly half of all the Psalms that are attributed to David were sent to the choir director and made public, and 50% of those Psalms were written when he was in great distress. We don’t know how the other Psalms were used, but it is possible that the ones which have not been specifically marked as “for the choir director” were in his personal collection, then organised into books after his death. His Psalms which are marked as prayers: 17, 86, and 142, were notably not sent to the choir director.
Some of the Psalms that were made public had national themes: Psalm 60 was written while David grappled with Israel’s failures in the battle in the Valley of Salt, and is noted as being useful for teaching; the wording of Psalm 67 is a mix of a prayer and a benediction; and Psalm 58 is an outspoken challenge to the people of Israel on justice [see the final chapter below for clarification]. David also sent Psalm 53 to the choir director, making a public statement of faith with “only fools deny God.”
Using my own classification of the Psalms (I get lost in the theological classifications, so I divided them further for my own use), these are the victory Psalms that David wanted sung before the Lord:
Psalm 9: I will tell of all the marvellous things You have done.
Psalm 18: When rescued from Saul and the enemies in that period of time.
Psalm 20: May the LORD answer all your prayers.
Psalm 21: How the king rejoices in Your strength, O LORD!
Psalm 30: Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
The Psalms of joy and wonder, plus David’s statements of faith that were sent to the choir director include Psalms 8, 11, 19, 62, 65, 66, 67, 53 and 58.
One thing which occurred to me when looking at which Psalms were attributed to specific events and could be considered memorials, is that there are no Psalms specifically linked to David’s most notable victories such as killing Goliath, bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, or his battle achievements. He didn’t mention God’s special covenant with Him, or his plans to build the temple; (neither did David ask for it to be named after him.) This is a testament to David’s humility, despite the moral dips which occurred with Bathsheba and the census.
The stone tablet with the code written on it. This was placed in a public space so that all could read it.
God is always the focus of David’s songs, which is another significant difference between him and any other ruler. He never claims honour or victory for himself. For an example, read the **Code of Hammurabi which has massive chunks at the beginning and end, glorifying and justifying the rule of Hammurabi. For example: “Hammurabi, the prince… making riches and increase, enriching Nippur and Dur-ilu beyond compare… who conquered the four quarters of the world, made great the name of Babylon…who enriched Ur; the humble, the reverent, who brings wealth…”
David’s work shows that he was transparent in how he talked about his life in public and that he wasn’t hung up on appearances. He freely admitted his faults and struggles and the glory for his successes always went to the Lord. Psalm 51, which speaks of his correction by Nathan over Bathsheba, and how sin affected him, was made public. Whether that was to address his sin because it was public knowledge, or whether it was to be used as a teaching aid to strengthen the faith of the people and encourage righteousness, or both, I honestly don’t know.
Psalm 3, which was about when he fled from Absalom, Psalm 34 where he escaped from Philistine territory feigning madness and Psalm 52, where he was betrayed by Doeg to Saul, weren’t marked for use by the choir director either. Not using Psalm 52 appears odd, as all the other betrayal Psalms were publicly sung. Perhaps it wasn’t copied or notated correctly, or perhaps David had some private reason for not sending it on? I wish I knew.
These are the Psalms which have a definite event associated with them and could be considered a form of victory stele.
7 – concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin
18 – rescued from all enemies and Saul [PUBLIC]
30 – dedication of the temple / house [PUBLIC]
54 – betrayed by Ziphites [PUBLIC]
56 – seized at Gath [PUBLIC]
57 – when fled from Saul and went to the cave [PUBLIC]
59 – soldiers watching his house [PUBLIC]
The last point of interest is David’s request that two Psalms which relate to persecution by Saul, (57 and 59,) be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy.” Knowing the old title attached to that melody would add a clear message to the Psalm, which would be noted by anyone knowing that piece of music. Other Psalmists also requested the same for their work.
“Do Not Destroy” is also the melody which was selected for Psalm 58: “Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word?” In Bible Hub’s interlinear Bible, “ruler” is elem, or congregation. [Strongs Number 482] It is a masculine word, which is culturally correct as the assembly of believers was all male in David’s time. Some Bibles say gods, some say sons of men. There is no correct consensus. It is a source of profound frustration to me that words such as this are so poorly translated in our Bibles, and a reminder to dig deeper to find the true meaning of the Word of God.
*“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4-6
**The Code of Hammurabi translated by L.W. King http://www.general-intelligence.com/library/hr.pdf and the Louvre Museum’s page on it: http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/law-code-hammurabi-king-babylon
Posted in 2017, David's Life, Psalms, Research	| Tagged Absalom, achievements, BathSheba, betrayal, Cush, David, distress, ego, en, ensi, escape, event, fame, Gath, Hammurabi, honour, humility, king, King David, life events, memorial, orthostat, private, propaganda, Psalm, public, Saul, stele, teaching, themes, victory, worship, Ziphites | Leave a comment
Biblical Celebrity: the Hazard of Fame Based Thinking
A year ago, if you had asked me what I will say to King David when I meet him face to face, I would have had trouble finding an answer. I expected to be really nervous! It’s because he’s so famous. He’s a King and he’s… well, he’s David. I also have no idea what I am going to say to Jonathan, or Moses, or Esther, or Paul… and I kind of want to hide from the prophets, because I feel so inadequate beside them. Can you relate to that?
My instinctive reaction prods me into assessing about how much the worldly values of celebrity culture have crept into how I perceive Biblical heroes. The sad answer is, the secular image of fame has influenced my thinking far too much. Celebrity fills a spiritual void in the secular world. It gives lost people aspirational role models, regardless of whether they are saints or sinners. Who doesn’t want to be comfortably wealthy, good looking, healthy, happily married and successful? In moderation, I could take it.
For that matter, as Christians, who doesn’t want to be like David? Don’t we want to slay giants, rule nations and live a spiritually successful life? Of course we do! I own kosher salt with David’s name on it, and many secular and Christian movies and books have been written, using David as a symbol of success. God did promise David fame, but it has gotten way out of hand. [Ref. 2 Samuel 7:9] As with secular celebrities, we get caught up in all the glamour, excitement and intrigue of David’s life, and we can easily, unconsciously make the fleshly mistake of treating him like a famous person, not like the servant of the Lord that he is.
Fame has nasty connotations. We all know who Oprah Winfrey is, but as much as we may relate to her and want to be like her, we know that we cannot be her. That is the unconscious lesson we apply when we look at any celebrity. “If only we could… but we can’t.” David is of such a calibre that we look at him in awe. We see him as an impossible person to equal, let alone beat. This can stop us from trying to follow his lead in spiritual areas and that should never happen. David should motivate us to imitate him through prayer, praise, studying the Word, submission to God, obedience, fasting and adoring the Lord. That is the pivotal core of every area of David’s success; he didn’t win because he was brave and strong, it was because he daily practiced those things, thus the Lord was able to use him.
Please stop there and read those last seven words again: “the Lord was able to use him.” There is the real problem that Biblical celebrity causes: when we look at David and all he achieved, we stop looking at the simplest of facts: that GOD did it THROUGH David. As David submitted to God he became God’s channel and all the success he had, really was God’s… and David readily, publicly, often admitted that. (See The Anti-King: David and Humility link below.) But our culture teaches us to look at the man and not the boring, routine factors that shaped him, so we lose this humble perspective.
Ephesians 1:19-21 proves we can be like David: “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead…” God’s power worked through David as it worked through Jesus and Paul and now, all of us. Think of how much more we could grow if we caught hold of that truth and stopped looking at the people in our Bible as elite celebrities that we cannot be like. We must focus on how they allowed God to work through them, as we CAN copy that successfully. If we imitate David’s spiritual habits, God can carry out His perfect Will through us, which is our ultimate goal. We need a God fixation, not a hero-seeking one. (Please also read The Habits That Built King David’s Faith, the link is below.)
David was a humble man. He would never want to be seen as a celebrity, as he delighted in placing his focus on the Lord. For our thinking to be swept away by the glory and glamour of kingship and success, is to to negate every precept that the Psalms teach us. David’s words through the Psalms always push us in the direction of the Lord as the answer, we need to go in that direction and stop being distracted by wanting to be a giant slayer, or a king ourselves. It makes me sad when I hear Christians say how much they want to rule and reign with Christ, over and above them telling me how much they love to pray or hear God’s voice. We’re aching for fame and big, visible success: the things that are most likely destroy us; and in wanting them, we ignore building our character and making ourselves usable by the Lord.
We need a reality check that pulls these worldly standards out of our heads! You have heard it before, Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (New Living Translation)
Anything the Lord does in your life won’t look like it did in David’s and it shouldn’t. God’s love for you is so great, He will give you what is going to fit, bless and build you and the people around you. You don’t need to battle Philistines, when you can conquer your own fears and hurts. You don’t need to liberate a nation, when you can bless people around you and move them towards Jesus. We’re not judged on not being like David, we’re judged on whether or not we did what the Lord asked US to do. So let’s get our heads out of the bright lights and go about our work with our eyes fixed on Jesus. It’s exactly what David would also advise you to do.
“Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him and He will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for Him…” Psalm 37:3-7a
– The Habits That Built King David’s Faith
– The Anti-King: David and Humility
– How to Kill Giants: Searching for the Deep Secrets Behind King David’s Success
Posted in 2016, Food for Thought, Scripture	| Tagged awe, balance, Bible heroes, bravery, celebrity, David, fame, famous, fasting, giant, giant slayer, goals, hero, humility, imitate, King David, obedience, praise, prayer, renew mind, role model, self-esteem, shyness, strength, study, submission, Warrior, worldliness


Bill Cosby ordered to give deposition in sexual abuse lawsuit
By: Reuters |
Published: August 6, 2015 9:41:49 AM
Bill Cosby has been ordered to give a sworn deposition in a lawsuit brought by a woman accusing the comedian of plying her with alcohol and sexually abusing her at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles when she was 15 years old.
It marks the first time Bill Cosby, 78, has been directed to testify under oath in response to a complaint of sexual misconduct against him since a deposition he gave in a separate Pennsylvania case he settled out of court nine years ago.
The latest order, made public on Wednesday, a day after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge entered it, requires Bill Cosby to submit under oath to questions from the lawyer of his Los Angeles accuser, Judy Huth, on Oct. 9. Now in her 50s, Huth must likewise answer questions from his attorneys on Oct. 15.
Huth gained somewhat of a tactical advantage from the judge’s decision compelling Bill Cosby to go first.
The precise times and places were not revealed, but Huth’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, has said she expects to depose Bill Cosby in Massachusetts, where he resides.
The way for the depositions, a key part of the discovery process in civil litigation, was cleared when the California Supreme Court last month denied Bill Cosby’s petition to review the case, dealing a final blow to his efforts to fend off Huth’s lawsuit.
Her complaint, brought in December 2014, charged that Bill Cosby sexually abused her by putting his hand down her pants and then “taking her hand in his hand and performing a sex act on himself without her consent.”
Huth alleged the encounter occurred days after she and a female friend met Bill Cosby at a park where he was filming a movie. According to her account, Bill Cosby invited the girls the following weekend to his tennis club, where they all had drinks together before he led them on to the Playboy Mansion.
Bill Cosby’s attorney Martin Singer has called Huth’s allegations false and “defamatory”.
Huth is one of more than 40 women who have come forward in the past year to say that they were raped or molested by Bill Cosby after he gave them alcohol or drugs in incidents dating back decades.
In 2006 Bill Cosby reached a confidential settlement for an undisclosed sum with a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand, who accused him of sexual assault. Parts of the deposition he gave in that case were made public last month.
Huth’s complaint is one of at least four pending civil suits against Bill Cosby stemming from such accusations.
However, Allred has said Huth’s is the only one seeking damages for the alleged misconduct itself, citing repressed psychological injuries that she claims were only discovered in the last three years, and therefore are allowed under the statute of limitations.
The other plaintiffs are suing for defamation instead.
Bill Cosby has never been criminally charged. He and his lawyers acknowledge marital infidelity on his part but have consistently denied allegations of criminal wrongdoing.
Bill Cosby’s wife deposed for second time in defamation suit
Bill Cosby sued an accuser of sex assault and her attorneys
Bill Cosby’s accuser drops sexual assault lawsuit
Bill Cosby arrives in court as lawyers push to get charge dropped


The TimesCenter, New York
Gathering the industry’s most influential people to share intelligence and spark discussions that will help shape the future of sport.
#LEADERS17
Buyer:Seller
Brands Represented
World Class Speakers
Sports Represented
Brands 11%
Rights Holders 29%
Federations 17%
Leagues 5%
Attendee Job Titles
Owner 5%
CEO/MD 32%
Director 26%
Manager 8%
Meet 700 senior influencers in sport
We control who is in the room so the most relevant people attend
The highest ratio of buyers to suppliers
60+ global brand directors
Precision crafted programme with laser sharp insight and world class story telling
Speakers from all over the world
The only truly global Summit on US soil
Who's Speaking?
Tod Leiweke
Sebastian Coe
International Association of Athletics Federations
Joe Harlan
Vice Chairman and Chief Commercial Officer
Ted Leonsis
Founder, Majority Owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Anthony Noto
Gary Bettman
Tina Davis
Managing Director of Global Sponsorships and Marketing
Francesco Calvo
Jessica Greenwood
VP Content and Partnerships
R/GA
Christian Seifert
Crane Kenney
Andrew Barroway
Majority Owner, Chairman and Governor
Stephen Pagliuca
Co-Chairman, Bain Capital & Co-Owner
Elyssa Byck
Director Of Business Strategy
Chloe Gottlieb
EVP Executive Creative Director US
Joe Puglisi
Director Of Branded Content
The Players’ Tribune
Mark Wright
VP Media Services and Sponsorships
David A. Scott
President/CEO, Comcast Spectacor & Governor
On July 24, 2015, it was announced that Leiweke would become the COO of the NFL. He will be the first NFL COO since commissioner Roger Goodell took over in 2003. As the NFL’s COO, Leiweke will oversee business operations for the league and will work directly with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to increase the popularity of the sport globally. Tod previously served as CEO of Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment and has led the transformation of the NHL’s $145million Tampa Bay Lightning off the ice, more than doubling the team’s season ticket base and increasing overall attendance by 20%. Prior to taking up this role, Tod spent 7 years as CEO of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Vulcan Sports & Entertainment, also overseeing all aspects of the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Sounders FC. He also served as president of First & Goal Inc., which operates Qwest Field and Qwest Field Event Centre for the state of Washington. He was recognised for his efforts in 2009, being named CEO of the Year by the Puget Sound Business Journal and also by the Seattle Sports Commission.
Sebastian Coe is President of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), Executive Chairman of CSM Sport and Entertainment and one of the world’s most high profile sportsmen having been a competitor, sports administrator, event organiser, campaigner, media commentator, and a life-long sports fan. He was Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, having previously been Chairman of the London 2012 bid company and was Chairman of the British Olympic Committee in the lead up to and during the unprecedented medal success of Team GB at the Rio Olympic Games.
Seb set 12 world records during his athletic career and at the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 he won Gold in the 1500m and Silver in the 800m a feat that he repeated in Los Angeles in 1984.
Seb retired from competitive athletics in 1990 and became a conservative MP and Private Secretary to William Hague. In 2002 he was made a Peer. He received a Knighthood in the 2006 New Year’s Honours List and received a Companion of Honour in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List.
In addition to a number of other roles in sport Seb is also Pro-Chancellor of Loughborough University where he studied as an undergraduate, a Non-Executive Director of VitalityHealth & Life Group of Companies and serves as an Ambassador for BMW. He is a Member of the Laureus World Sport Academy and a Consultant for his beloved Chelsea Football Club.
Joe E. Harlan is Vice Chairman and Chief Commercial Officer for The Dow Chemical Company, a global material science company with 2016 annual sales of $48 billion.
As Chief Commercial Officer, Harlan drives Dow’s global Marketing and Sales strategy and organization. He also has executive oversight of the Company’s presence in North America,
Harlan joined Dow in September, 2011, bringing three decades of diverse geographic, business, operational and customer experience to the organization from 3M Corporation where he was Executive Vice President of the Consumer and Office business. In 2012, he added executive oversight of Dow’s Chemicals, Energy and Performance Materials businesses and oversight responsibility for Dow Asia Pacific. He was named to his current role in 2014 and expanded his geographic responsibilities in 2015.
Prior to 3M, Harlan spent 20 years with the General Electric Company (GE), where he held various finance, business development, and operational roles in their Plastics, Appliance and Medical Systems businesses, eventually serving as vice president and CFO of GE Lighting. In 2001, Harlan joined 3M as Vice President, Financial Planning. He then spent two years in Japan with Sumitomo 3M Limited, its Japanese subsidiary, where he served first as executive vice president, and then as president and chairman of the board. He became executive vice president of the 3M Electro and Communications business based in Austin, Texas, in 2004. He was named to his most recent position in 3M in 2009.
Ted Leonsis is the founder and chairman of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates three professional sports teams (Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics) and the Verizon Center. He also serves on the board of governors for the NBA and NHL.
Ted is the co-founder of Revolution Growth, a fund investing in disruptive businesses that can change the world. Ted is also an investor, a member of the board of directors and co-CEO of Groupon. He also serves on the board of directors at AddThis, American Express and Georgetown University.
In 2008 Ted founded SnagFilms, which enables online audiences to watch, share and support documentary films. SnagFilms grew out of Ted’s experience as a producer of award-winning documentary films, including Nanking, which won Peabody and Emmy awards.
David Levy is president of Turner, overseeing the company’s leading portfolio of domestic entertainment, sports, kids and young adult brands, including TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Bleacher Report and ELEAGUE, the company’s entry into the red hot esports category. He also leads Ad Sales and Distribution, the company’s two primary U.S. domestic revenue divisions, and has oversight of Turner Sports.
Since assuming executive leadership of the company’s domestic portfolio in 2013, the Turner networks have maintained top competitive rankings in key metrics for TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, truTV and Cartoon Network, as well as a leading portfolio of digital brands, including Bleacher Report.
He has led a significant expansion in digital media for Turner including the company’s acquisition of Bleacher Report and acquiring a majority stake in streaming video pioneer iStreamPlanet. In 2016, Turner launched FilmStruck, the company’s first U.S. domestic subscription video-on-demand service.
Mr. Levy has been instrumental in deepening and expanding Turner’s sports media rights. Turner’s premium sports content includes partnerships with the NBA, the NCAA for the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, Major League Baseball and the PGA.
He has received many accolades during his career, including induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.
Anthony is COO at Twitter, overseeing the company’s business operations as well as its revenue generating organizations including global advertising sales, global partnerships, business development, live content, data, revenue product, and MoPub.
Anthony also continues to serve as Twitter’s CFO, a position he has held since July 2014, as the company looks for a new CFO. As CFO, he oversees the company’s financial operations, corporate development and strategy. Prior to joining Twitter, Anthony was a partner and the Head of the Technology, Media and Telecom Investment Banking Group at Goldman Sachs & Co. from 2010 to 2014.
From 2008 to 2010, Anthony was Chief Financial Officer of the National Football League. He led the league through the financial crisis and many of the key deals that transformed its media business. From 1999 to 2007, he served in various roles at Goldman Sachs, including Partner in the Equity Research division, the lead Internet analyst, and the lead Media and Entertainment Equity Research analyst.
Anthony holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Gary Bettman has served the National Hockey League as Commissioner since February 1, 1993 and has guided the world’s top professional hockey league through more than two decades of growth on and off the ice. Record revenues, record attendance, more media platforms and numerous fan-friendly and community-minded initiatives are just a few examples of the ways Commissioner Bettman has brought the NHL to a broader audience.
Commissioner Bettman has fostered unprecedented economic stability for the League’s Member Clubs. League revenues have increased more than tenfold during Commissioner Bettman’s tenure and franchise values have increased exponentially.
On the ice, the NHL’s competitive balance may be unrivalled in professional sports: Combined with the strongest Collective Bargaining Agreement in sports and the implementation of rules designed to accentuate the speed, skill and creativity of the players, a different team has earned the most historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup – every year since 1998.
A calendar of innovative events, including iconic outdoor games, has driven fan engagement and sponsor participation to unprecedented levels. Charity, community service and diversity also have been at the forefront of Commissioner Bettman’s tenure. Hockey Fights Cancer has raised millions in support of cancer research and awareness. Mr. Bettman also prioritized grass-roots initiatives that bring hockey to youngsters. In addition, the NHL in 2013 signed an historic partnership agreement with the “You Can Play Project” which is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation.
Tina started her career at advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy and came to Citi in 2005 as the VP of North American Advertising. In 2011, Tina took on an enhanced role when Citi first decided to get involved in the Olympics ahead of the London Games.
After the 2012 Games, Tina built out an entire new group to oversee all of Citi’s sponsorship efforts – the Games, Citi Field, Presidents Cup, the Citi Open, Harlem EatUp and more. She was promoted to Managing Director, Corporate Sponsorship and Marketing at the bank late last year.
Tina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA.
Francesco Calvo is FC Barcelona’s new Chief Revenue Officer, having previously working as Commercial Director and Chief Revenue Officer at Juventus FC. Calvo worked for many years at the prestigious Italian club, where he has gathered in-depth knowledge of the football business, the generation of income and sponsorship deals.
Calvo was put in charge of the Juventus’ commercial plans and strategies, generation of income, financial sustainability, licenses and the implementation and development of new digital platforms. Calvo has also held managerial positions at Philip Morris International and Marlboro Motorsports Global Communication, and his representation of these companies led to his involvement in the business side of such events as the World F1 Championship and Moto GP
Jess runs R/GA’s activation strategy team, which is a home for hybrid thinkers with deep knowledge of content and social, contemporary communications planning, and strategic media partnerships. The activation strategy team is charged with bringing bottom-up cultural insights into the creative process, and delivering the work in the most relevant way possible. Over the last four years, Jess has overseen strategy for a broad spectrum of work for clients including Nike, Verizon, Tiffany and Google.
One of the first journalists to make the leap into brand strategy, Jess joined R/GA from Contagious Magazine, where she oversaw the editorial team and hatched Insider, the company’s strategic consultancy. Following a stint in the Creative Partnerships team at Google, she returned to R/GA to build out this new approach to strategy.
Jess is a founder member of Papel e Caneta, a global collaboration between strategists across the world to solve some of society’s toughest problems; moonlights as designer of her own fashion line, and is a committed karaoke ringleader.
Christian has been CEO at the German Bundesliga since 2005 where he oversees the strategic orientation and overall leadership of the DFL and has led the league to record revenues in every area of the business. He currently also serves as Vice President of the German Football Association and as a member of the board of the League Association. Prior to joining the Bundesliga, Christian spent five years at KarstadtQuelle New Media AG, latterly as Chief Executive Officer, and 2 years as Director of Marketing (Central Europe) for MTV Networks.
Frank McCourt is an American businessman, Chairman and CEO of McCourt Global and current owner of the French football club Olympique de Marseille. Prior to purchasing Olympique de Marseille, Frank owned the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2012 to 2014. In 2004, he purchased a controlling interest of the Dodgers from Fox Entertainment Group, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and sold the team in 2012 for an historic $2.15 billion. In 2008, McCourt bought the operating rights to the Los Angeles Marathon. McCourt’s group changed the route of the Marathon so that it would start at Dodger Stadium. His “Stadium to the Sea” course revitalized the Marathon and in 2010 it drew the largest field in the history of the race. On top of his ownership of the LA marathon and Olympique de Marseille, McCourt has a 50% stake in the Global Champions Tour which brings together the top 30 riders in the FEI Jumping World Rankings and recently launched Global Champions League, an innovative league of franchised showjumping teams.
Crane Kenney is a Major League Baseball executive with the Chicago Cubs, serving as their President of Business Operations. He formerly served as president of the Cubs in 2010 and 2011. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, becoming the first major league team to play in three consecutive World Series, and the first to win it twice. Most recently, the Cubs won the 2016 National League Championship Series and 2016 World Series, which ended a 71-year National League drought and a 108-year World Series championship drought, both of which are record droughts in Major League Baseball. The 108-year drought was also the longest such occurrence in all major North American sports. Since the start of divisional play in 1969, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason eight times through the 2016 season.
Andrew Barroway became the Majority Owner, Chairman and Governor of the Arizona Coyotes on December 31, 2014.
Mr. Barroway is the Managing Partner of Merion Investment Management LP, an event driven hedge fund that currently manages more than $1 Billion. Merion was founded in January 2009. Barroway graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1991.
Stephen Pagliuca is a Managing Partner and Executive Committee Member of the Boston Celtics. As a Managing Partner and Chairman of the Basketball Committee, Pagliuca has focused on enhancing the development and improvement of the Celtics basketball operations. Mr. Pagliuca also serves as a member of the NBA Board of Governors and the NBA Competition Committee.
Pagliuca currently is a Managing Director of Bain Capital. He has helped build Bain Capital into a leading global private equity firm with approximately $80 billion capital under management.
Pagliuca received a B.A. from Duke University where he also played freshman basketball, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
He is currently the Chairman of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Chairman of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, Co Chair of the Inner City Scholarship Fund and serves on the international board of The Right To Play, a worldwide children’s development group that utilizes Olympic athletes to promote children’s health and safety. He is also a Trustee of the Bain Capital Children’s Charity.
Pagliuca is a member of the Board of Directors of Gartner Group, Burger King, HCA (Hospital Corporation of America) and Warner Chilcott. Pagliuca has been active in youth basketball from kindergarten to the AAU level. He and his wife, Judy, with their four children are longtime Massachusetts residents.
Elyssa Byck joined BuzzFeed in 2014, and serves as the Director of Global Business Strategy. She develops and implements growth opportunities to drive revenue; shaping the company’s business strategy. She also manages strategic initiatives and most recently was tapped to oversee the NBCUniversal business partnership. Before joining BuzzFeed, Byck worked at OMD and focused on digital and social initiatives for clients such as Warner Bros. and Frito Lay. She studied the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and lives in New York City.
Chloe is a strategic creative leader skilled in creating connected experiences for global clients and their customers. As R/GA’s Executive Creative Director, US, she works alongside Taras Wayner to guide hundreds of multidisciplinary teams toward the creation of breakthrough products, services, and communications for global brands such as Nike and Samsung.
In her previous role at R/GA, Chloe built the largest Experience Design team at any global agency. Happiest when collaborating at the intersection of storytelling, design, and technology, she has been applying her unique skills as a mentor in the R/GA Accelerator program, where she helps emerging startups in the Internet of Things space develop their branding, customer experience, and communications.
Chloe was named one of the “Most Creative People in Advertising” by Business Insider in 2014 and 2015. Her work for Nike, Nokia, Verizon, Alvio, and the Ad Council has garnered the industry’s most esteemed awards at top competitions including the Cannes Lions, One Show Interactive, the CLIOs, the ADC Annual Awards, and the ANDYs. Chloe has been named a New York Times Digital Scholar and published an article on data-driven motivation in Business Week.
Prior to R/GA, Chloe expanded her expertise at Razorfish, where she engaged in deep ethnographic and insight-related engagements, working on diverse brands from Condé Nast (embracing social networks on Flip.com) to Mercedes-AMG (creating an immersive, user-driven experience on Mercedes-AMG.com).
Joe Puglisi used to head up Creative strategy for BuzzFeed and has an obsession with how content spreads. Currently figuring out how to make that happen for native advertising in the BuzzFeed Creative department, educating and assisting always-on partners.
Working with a variety of brands and their agencies to better their social voice and run programs on BuzzFeed, including, GEICO, General Electric, SC Johnson, Pepsi, MillerCoors, AirBnB, Durex, Showtime, HBO, Netflix, AMC, Quiznos, and more.
At heart a storyteller, writer, editor, creative content specialist in the media business space having previously worked as a music critic/journalist for a video production website as their main editorial outlet, with a focus on music. Joe has recently moved to Players Tribune where he is now Director Of Branded Content.
Mark manages all national and local media investments on behalf of the AT&T business units which includes national TV, 3-screen content, paid search and social networks. He extends the company’s brand reputation among key stakeholders and strengthens AT&T’s competitive advantages.
Mark oversees sponsorship strategy and negotiation efforts across sports entertainment. He leads numerous key sponsorship initiatives including the naming rights of the AT&T Stadium, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, College Football Playoff and Championship, The Masters Tournament and the Tribeca Film Festival.
Prior to joining AT&T, Mark served as Vice President, Media, Sports and Entertainment Marketing for Anheuser-Busch, Inc., where he directed media planning for the company’s beer brands and managed sports, entertainment and local marketing efforts.
Sports Business Journal has named Mark both the “29th Most Influential Executive in Sports” and the “16th Most Influential Person in the NFL.” He was also one of Advertising Age’s Media Mavens.
David Scott is President and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Spectacor, and serves as Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers for the National Hockey League. As CEO, Scott is responsible for the growth and optimization of Comcast Spectacor’s three core businesses: the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers; the Wells Fargo Center Complex; and Spectra, a hospitality firm specializing in Venue Management, Food Services & Hospitality, and Ticketing & Fan Engagement.
Since his arrival, Scott has propelled Comcast Spectacor’s business operations and winning culture behind a unified go-to-market approach and a renewed commitment to operational excellence and client satisfaction. His primary focus is shaping and developing Comcast Spectacor’s strategic vision for sustainable, long-term growth.
In 2015, Scott spearheaded a complete re-branding of Comcast Spectacor’s wide-ranging client solutions into Spectra, a singular and cohesive business unit that offers an unmatched blend of integrated services. Spectra’s innovative and tight coordination of hospitality offerings present incremental revenue opportunities for clients and enhanced experiences for fans visiting more than 400 venues, primarily in North America.
Scott joined Comcast Spectacor as President and COO in December 2013 following a 20-year tenure at Comcast Cable. Scott served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Comcast Cable from 2005-2013. During his time as CFO, Comcast acquired approximately five million new customers and launched Digital Voice and Home Security under the Xfinity brand, as well as Comcast Business Class Services.
Programme Teaser
How the NFL Dominates Sunday
Growing America’s Number 1 Sport
The Rise of OTT
Growing Live Sports on Twitter
Establishing Truly Strategic Partnerships
Making Your Brand Stand Tall in A Crowd
Investing in Sport
Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
We continually craft and refine the agenda leading up to the event. If you'd like to know more about what we have planned, please get in touch.
View Company Details
Nolan Partners
Nolan Partners is the global leader in retained executive search for sports business and sports performance. The firm has completed over 500 placements across 25 sports and six continents.
Nolan Partners specializes in Board of Director, VP, Director, and C-level assignments. The firm’s client portfolio includes Chicago Cubs, PGA, Milwaukee Bucks, Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC, Williams F1, Oakland A’s, and the USTA.
601 S. Figueroa Street
OMNIGON
OMNIGON is a team of digital strategists, artists and technologists working exclusively in the areas of consumer loyalty, audience growth and digital content delivery. Since its founding in 2008, OMNIGON has established itself as a market leader, focused on helping clients achieve returns on the strategic, creative and technical investments they’ve made. OMNIGON, headquartered in New York and with teams in Los Angeles, London, Toronto, Kiev and St. Petersburg, works with celebrated, global brands including the PGA TOUR, AS Roma, the German Football Association (DFB), NASCAR, the United States Golf Association, Verizon INDYCAR, and CONCACAF, among countless others.
Getty Images works with over 200,000 contributors and hundreds of image partners to provide comprehensive coverage of more than 130,000 news, sport and entertainment events, impactful creative imagery to communicate any commercial concept and the world’s deepest digital archive of historic photography.
Grabyo
Grabyo is the premium video editing and publishing platform built for live, social and mobile. Our vision is to bring premium live sports, entertainment and news to audiences of billions, regardless of geography, media platform or device.
Grabyo allows rights holders to take ownership of content, exploit emerging online channels and drive new monetization opportunities such as branded content, sponsored social video highlights, live streams, and premium OTT services. Grabyo’s customers and technology partners are at the forefront of the rapidly evolving video industry.
Clients include LaLiga, Wimbledon, FIA Formula E, The Premier League, BT Sport, Real Madrid CF and BeIn Sports USA.
HotelPlanner
HotelPlanner.com is the leading provider of online services in the global group hotel marketplace, and an established resource for group event planners and hotel partners alike. Today, HotelPlanner.com provides its group travel technology expertise to over 4,200,000 group event planners globally while servicing $7 billion in group hotel booking requests in 2017 and an estimated $10 billion in 2018.
HotelPlanner.com’s Pro Sports Team clients most notably include, the Washington Redskins Professional Bowlers Association, and partnership with USA TODAY Sports Active Alliance. On an international scale, clients include, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, European Professional Golfers (EuroPro), Triple Crown Sports, Matchroom Sport, Super League (Rugby), AFC Wimbledon, Euroleague Basketball, Millwall F.C., Hella Verona F.C., and Swansea F.C.
https://www.hotelplanner.com/
Sport Business Journal
Tagboard is a software platform that uses the hashtag to aggregate social media for end-users, brands, agencies and marketers, displaying content from multiple networks in a comprehensive and engaging visual format. Tagboard’s turnkey solutions allow marketers to leverage powerful tools designed to filter positive influence, amplify engagement, and showcase branded experiences through social curation and integration. End-users can self-discover, interact with, and join the discussion all within a single, easy-to-use feed. Tagboard helps some of the biggest brands in the world play a more active role in the social conversation by encouraging their audiences to share their experiences on a branded, moderated platform. Based in Redmond, WA, Tagboard has discreetly pioneered hashtag marketing since 2012.
www.tagboard.com
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Christie Rossiter, SAYiT
Gay and bisexual men are over four times as likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime as heterosexual men
— The conversation
www.pexels.com
There are a multitude of poorer health outcomes and indicators for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender plus (LGBT+) people. In recent years there have been significant advances in securing equality for LGBT+ people. However, the remaining differences, not least in relation to mental health and wellbeing, are starkest in the levels of suicide and self-harm. There are higher levels of drugs and substance misuse amongst LGBT+ people as well as poorer sexual health and social isolation (especially for younger and older people).
As well as having longstanding mental health problems lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are more likely to have bad experiences with nurses and doctors in a GP setting. Of these sexual orientations, bisexual people experience the highest rates of reported psychological or emotional problems. This may in part be due to experiencing “double discrimination”; homophobia from heterosexual people as well as being stigmatised by the gay and lesbian communities as not being “properly gay” (biphobia). People who are transgender have a plethora of unique barriers and challenges to accessing the GP and other health services, which results in further health disparities.
For example, a barrier for a trans male asking for help is that they are experiencing typically female health issues such as menstruation complexities and health issues around female anatomy. Another example is lesbian women reporting the frustration at repeatedly being asked if they are pregnant because they have answered in the affirmative to being sexually active.
LGBT Definitions
Definitions- Click here to find out more
Possible health problems
• Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are at least twice more at risk of suicide attempts than the general population. Gay and bisexual men are over four times as likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime as heterosexual men
• Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are 1.5 - 3 times more likely to experience depression, anxiety and substance use.
• Across all age groups, lesbian, gay and bisexual people are up to seven times more likely to use substances; longer substance use than heterosexuals. Lesbian and bisexual women are at high risk of substance dependence
• RaRE report in 2015 by PACE: 70% of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people and 89% of young trans people had considered suicide, in adults this is 84% but drops to drops to 3% post transition
Why Is LGBT+ Health Important?
It is estimated that between 3 and 7% of the population are lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans, yet LGBT+ communities remain poorly understood. Eliminating LGBT+ health disparities and enhancing efforts to improve LGBT+ health are necessary to ensure that LGBT+ individuals can lead long, healthy lives.
Make sure GP/health services clearly extend to LGBT+ people. Do this by creating a safe, inclusive and diverse working environment that encourages respect and equality for all and a space that values and recognises the differences between sexual orientation and gender identity and proactively addresses these
Extend training on LGBT+ issues to all staff members and medical students to increase provision of culturally competent care
Use gender neutral terms, such as ‘partner’ and don’t make assumptions
Make links with LGBT+ organisations and consider advertising services at these places. Leadership and collaboration is key across organisations, for example voluntary and community sector, local businesses, local council, GPs, and hospitals. No single organisation can effect real change at scale on its own
Collecting sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data in health-related surveys and health records in order to identify LGBT+ health disparities
Appropriately inquiring about and being supportive of a patient's sexual orientation and gender identity to enhance the patient-provider interaction and regular use of care
Christie Rossiter is Charity Manager at SAYiT, South Yorkshire’s largest award winning youth LGBT+ charity.


The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 1 – All That Remains Review
By Peter Parrish December 19, 2013 0
This review contains at least one honking great spoiler for The Walking Dead Season 1. If you don’t want to see that, stop reading. I’ll be avoiding descriptions of specific events in Season 2, but may still touch on aspects of this first episode that you would rather not know. Okay, that’s the end of the warning!
The big problem with the episodic format is that it’s difficult to offer a definitive critique that will stand up to the release of the rest of the series. Episode 1 of The Walking Dead’s second season is one fifth of the game, which, in any other circumstances, would make this article a preview. Telltale’s heavy focus on character and narrative makes this even more of an issue, as the full realisation of (say) the Lee/Clementine story arc was only possible to see in retrospect.
That explains why the individual episodes of the first Walking Dead season one received more cautious review scores in comparison to the full, five episode release. The game grew in stature as it progressed, but it was impossible to judge properly until it was complete.
Terrible things are happening and Clementine is afraid.
So, I have to look at All That Remains in more specific terms. How well does it continue The Walking Dead narrative that Telltale established with season one? Does it provide a compelling set-up for further episodes? And how does the change in protagonist from Lee to Clementine affect matters?
The glib answers to those questions would be “pretty well,” “mostly” and “in some interesting ways.” Telltale had a relative blank slate to work with in the first season, but this follow-up comes with certain expectations and baggage.
All That Remains is as much a post-script to season one as it is set-up for season two. Clementine’s remaining ties to the old group are cut, and she’s driven into a situation with a new, suspicious community. Between those two events, we also have some scenes where our heroine has to fend for herself. All of this is squeezed into an episode lasting just over an hour and a half.
It provides plenty of powerful, gut-battering moments, but leaves you with a sense that the rapid pace has been somewhat to the detriment of properly introducing a new cast.
Terrible things are happening and Clementine is upset.
That, of course, is something which will doubtless be rectified over the course of The Walking Dead’s forthcoming episodes. Nonetheless, All That Remains feels closer to a post-script running immediately into a prologue, rather than a self-contained episode.
Still, it’s one hell of a post-script/prologue combo. Few titles can compete with The Walking Dead when it comes to setting up and executing moments of stomach-sinking, eye-averting grimness. In this opening episode, the rare pieces of brevity must be snatched at and held dear, because the rest is unrelenting bleakness. Clementine is really put through the wringer, to the extent that I worry slightly where Telltale might opt to go if they feel the need to ramp up the deep hurting even further. For anybody wondering whether the developer would wimp out on the depictions of on-screen Clem-death for the various “game over” sequences, here is your answer: nope.
That should hopefully give you enough incentive to do your best in the usual quick-time, use-item-in-reach-A-on-zombie-body-part-B mini-games that constitute a fair amount of the player input in these titles. If anything, this season of The Walking Dead seems to be shying even further away from being anything approaching a point-and-click ‘puzzle’ game. There are set-ups that appear as though they could be from a traditional adventure puzzle (multiple objects in a single room with a clear objective) but they no longer require any major logistical reasoning.
Terrible things are happening and Clementine is steadfast.
Moments of player interaction now seem to work purely as beats of pacing; quieter periods, where you’re not having to make a quick dialogue choice or hoof it away from danger in quick-timey style. Those who abandoned The Walking Dead for its lack of wide-ranging player interaction will not be won back by anything in All That Remains.
Most, though, play Telltale’s series for its character conflicts, plot progression and dialogue choices, with only a side-order of occasional clicking on stuff. In All That Remains, an action that may once have been part of a puzzle instead becomes a chance for the player to choose and reflect on how “their” Clementine is coping with Lee’s death, or her present circumstance.
Perhaps the biggest success for this new season is the way in which it handles Clem’s move from strong supporting character and Lee’s moral compass, to the lead role itself. To say that not many videogames would even attempt to make a ten year old girl their protagonist, let alone do it well, is an understatement.
The Walking Dead takes a couple of liberties with Clem’s capabilities, but these can perhaps be justified by her exposure to the harsh realities of the game’s universe. In fact, the episode even makes a point of juxtaposing Clementine’s world-weary pragmatism with the naive, sheltered existence of another, older girl.
Terrible things are happening and Clementine is alarmed.
Clementine makes one particularly foolish (and unavoidable) mistake early in the episode that most will notice instantly, though it’s impossible to prevent. In that sense it’s frustrating, but it serves as a formative experience and reinforces the idea that Clem, not matter how smart and savvy she may be, is still a child.
During her lonelier moments, Telltale occasionally give Clementine one monologue too many (when looking at a photo of a happy family, for example, I’m not sure I need the line “they look like they were a happy family,”) but these missteps are rare and the majority of Clem’s lines hit the right sort of tone. Towards the latter parts of the episode, it’s possible to manipulate the adults with your youth in ways that would never have been open to Lee. Where once you may have been guarding your actions for fear of what Clementine might learn from you, now you’re deciding precisely how she’s putting those survival lessons into action.
I played through the first season of The Walking Dead on the 360, so it wasn’t possible for me to fully interpret what impact (if any) the choices I’d made there were having on this episode. It was a little annoying, actually, not to be able to simply tell the game which choices I’d made before (rather like the comic book opening in Mass Effect 2.) Instead, those options were randomised.
A couple of incidents were raised through conversation, but it didn’t appear to extend much further than that.
Terrible things are ha … hold on, this doesn’t look so bad. Terrible things WILL happen though. You mark my words.
While we’re on the subject, people are still reporting issues with season two being unable to detect a saved game from season one (or the 400 Days DLC.) This technical issue has plagued the PC version of the game since it was launched, and it would be outrageous if the very same bug remains in the code of season two.
Telltale had further technical problems delivering the game to those who’d purchased it directly through the company site. Unnecessary DRM, while not on the scale of the SimCity debacle, prevented people who owned the game from actually being able to play it. Meanwhile, the Steam version was working as intended. The lack of support during this incident, and particularly the unresolved saved game issues from season one, do not reflect well on the developer.
All That Remains shows that The Walking Dead can survive the departure from Telltale of lead writer Sean Vanaman and co-lead developer Jake Rodkin. It’s a confident release that uses the expectations established by season one to peer at the zombie apocalypse through a younger pair of eyes. The running time of 90 minutes is too brief to do justice to the attempted arc of post-script to prologue to full introduction, but while new cast members are too lightly sketched at present, Clementine herself is skillfully established in the lead role. That achievement, alongside some significant moments of poignancy, mean this first episode is an uneven but broadly successful opener.
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Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s Obama Fund-raiser Seemingly Better Than George Clooney’s in at Least One Way
Last night at the 40/40 Club in New York, the sports club co-owned by Jay-Z, the hip-hop artist and wife Beyoncé hosted the president and approximately 100 guests for what we originally anticipated would be the candidate’s coolest campaign fund-raiser yet. While we cannot comment on whether this expectation was realized—because the White House press-pool report disappointingly fails to note whether the 40/40 Club’s catwalk, 18-foot-tall illuminated champagne tower, and custom pool tables were utilized—we can say that it was notably better than George Clooney’s May fund-raiser in one capacity.
Readers of the Hollywood Blog may remember how, following the Oscar winner’s $15 million gala at his home in L.A., the press pool cattily dismissed the event’s ambiance: “the tented setting on [Clooney’s] b’ball court was just so-so.” Triumphantly, Jay-Z and Beyoncé did not earn such middling reviews. Instead, the write-up matter-of-factly describes the couple’s sports-club affair as taking place in a “large, dark glassy room” filled with donors, who paid $40,000 each, wearing suits and dresses, and sitting on sofas. The reports continues, “Small tables of wine, champagne and finger food, including sliders, were in front of them.”
The president had a more effusive assessment of his hosts, with whom he is apparently on nickname basis:
Let me just begin by saying to Jay and Bey, thank you so much for your friendship. We are so grateful. Michelle and Malia and Sasha are mad at me because they are not here. (Laughter.) That doesn’t usually happen. Usually they’re like, we’re glad you’re going—we don’t need to go. But every time they get a chance to see these two they are thrilled, partly because they are just both so generous, particularly to my kids. And Malia and Sasha just love both of them.
Beyoncé couldn’t be a better role model for our daughters because she carries herself with such class and poise—(applause)—and has so much talent. And Jay-Z now knows what my life is like. (Laughter.) We both have daughters, and our wives are more popular than we are. (Laughter and applause.) So we’ve got a little bond there. (Laughter.) It’s hard, but it’s okay. It’s okay. (Laughter.)
Last night Obama also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, where he discussed the violence in Libya, Mitt Romney’s most recent damning tapes, and his weight (180 pounds.)
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Dunfermline Abbey celebrates 200 years since discovery of the Bruce's tomb
This week Dunfermline Abbey will hold a series of commemorative services and events to mark the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Robert the Bruce's tomb.
Former head teacher called to be Kirk's first ever Hub Minister
The Church of Scotland has recruited a former secondary school head teacher to become its first ever Hub Ministries co-ordinator.
Moderator reflects on the season of Lent
Rt Rev Dr Derek Browning reflects on the season of Lent and suggests that instead of or as well as giving something up, we take up something positive
Youth Moderator - fear must be challenged to secure 'real peace'
The Moderator of the National Youth Assembly of the Church of Scotland speaks candidly about how building interfaith relationships help to overcome fear, suspicion and bring people together to strive for peace.
Strangers attend community funeral for asylum seeker
Strangers have attended a funeral for an asylum seeker whose death has left her 10-year-old son an orphan and facing an uncertain future.
Former Moderator welcomes new proposals to tackle homelessness
A former Moderator of the General Assembly has welcomed a new Scottish Parliament report on combating homelessness.
Tributes paid to "pioneer" first woman parish minister
The Church of Scotland’s first female Minister of Word and Sacrament, the Rev Euphemia (Effie) Irvine, has died.
Kirk members in Aberdeen honoured for giving more than 1,000 years of service
People in Aberdeen are being honoured for giving 1,059 years of service to the Church of Scotland.
Pupils vow to ensure lessons of Srebrenica are never forgotten
A former Moderator of the General Assembly has congratulated pupils for highlighting the Srebrenica genocide as part of an event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
Five ministers tell us how they celebrated the launch of the Year of Young People
We asked churches up and down the country to tell us how they marked the launch of the Church of Scotland's Year of Young People, and here's some of the responses.


Catherine McKenzie
Lisa C. Risi serves as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, since July 2012, following an interim CFO role at the American Lung Association.
In her current role, she is responsible for Finance, Administration, Human Resources and Information Technology and plays an important role in Strategic and Operational planning.
Lisa served as the CFO for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society from January 2009 through March 2012. Ms. Risi began with the MS Society in March 1997 as the Accounting Manager. She was promoted to Controller in September 2000 and served as Vice President of Finance from January 2003 to May 2005.
Ms. Risi also served the Society as Chief Operating Officer of the New York City chapter where she was responsible for Finance, Administration, Information Technology, and Volunteer Development from December 2005 through December 2008.
Prior to joining the National MS Society, Ms. Risi worked in Ernst & Young’s financial services audit group and as Audit Manager for Citibank’s Investment Banking Division. She also managed the accounting department for Hilton International’s US based real estate development subsidiary, London and Leeds.
Ms. Risi has family and friends who have been affected by MS and she has a deep commitment to finding a cure and ensuring the quality of life for all people with MS today.


What are the commercial effects of terrorism?
Two University of Queensland students have developed a framework to determine the short-term and long-term commercial effects of terrorism thanks to a scholarship established by UQ alumni.
Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) student Jake Sullivan and Bachelor of Econometrics (Honours) Zi Yin focused on the September 11 attacks and the consequences of these attacks for financial markets as part of a research project with UQ’s Australian Institute for Business and Economics (AIBE).
The students each received a $5625 Matthew McLennan and Richard Howes Outstanding Honours Collaboration Scholarship, which encourages teamwork between high-performing Honours students from the UQ Business School and School of Economics at UQ.
Mr Sullivan said the framework might help some people recognise effects of terrorism that they may not have considered before and highlighted some areas for further research in the area.
“One of the long-term effects we consider is a so-called “terror tax” – whereby terrorism raises the cost of doing business through higher insurance premia, expensive security precautions and larger wage costs to compensate at-risk employees,” he said.
“This scholarship says a lot about the culture here at UQ and that people who go on to have such great success feel compelled to share their success with people at the School is in no small part attributable to the School’s teaching staff.”
Mr Yin said the biggest benefit of the scholarship was being able to work with someone who approached problems in a different way.
“Without this scholarship, I wouldn’t have had the chance to explore this topic and work with someone with different skills to me,” he said.
“I have learned a lot in terms of applying econometrics theory into the practice question, for example how time series modelling could be used to estimate the effect of terrorism into different industries.
AIBE Director Professor John Mangan said the scholarship recognised top performing business and economics students.
“By receiving this scholarship, it sets the students apart, and it provides them with an opportunity to work on current topics in business and economics and to work collaboratively on a piece of work, which is similar to the working environment.”
Following graduation, Jake will start a position at the Commonwealth Treasury in Canberra.
Zi has applied for a PhD in econometrics with various universities in the US and the UK with the plan to pursue a career in academia.
Matthew McLennan and Richard Howes (both UQ alumni) donated gifts for The Matthew McLennan and Richard Howes Outstanding Honours Collaboration Scholarship, which was established in 2014 and awarded annually to two students.
AIBE leverages world-class collaborative research capabilities across the UQ Business School, School of Economics and TC Beirne School of Law. The focus for the institute is on Australian and global innovation with new horizon research addressing industry’s current needs and future challenges.
UQ graduate cohort to hit 250,000 this December
Strong relationships the secret to valedictorian’s success
Privacy & Terms of use | Feedback | Updated: 16 Nov 2018


Rivard Report (https://therivardreport.com/smog-expert-says-focus-on-specific-sources-to-cut-air-pollution/)
Smog Expert Says Focus on Specific Sources to Cut Air Pollution
By Brendan Gibbons | October 18, 2018
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Bexar County has failed to meet air quality standards set by the EPA.
Lowering San Antonio’s ozone levels might require sleuthing out specific sources of pollution instead of imposing widespread measures across the city, a scientist who helped improve Houston’s air quality told City Council members.
Harvey Jeffries, who served as science adviser to a Houston air-quality group, spoke about air pollution in San Antonio at a City Council meeting Wednesday. The City’s Metropolitan Health District has hired Jeffries to study where Bexar County’s ozone pollution comes from and how to reduce it.
If true, Jeffries’ conclusions could mean that current efforts to deal with the ozone issue, such as banning idling by trucks and closing a coal plant, might not be as effective as some had hoped.
Jeffries’ first report came three months after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Bexar County’s air quality no longer meets federal standards for ozone, a key component of smog that’s been tied to asthma, other chronic lung conditions, and premature deaths.
Related: Bexar County’s Air Officially Too Polluted To Meet EPA’s Ozone Standard
Brendan Gibbons / Rivard Report
Harvey Jeffries, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has studied Houston’s air quality.
A professor for 44 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jeffries has studied air quality issues extensively, especially in Houston. In the early 2000s, scientists in Houston found that occasional belches of air pollution from chemical plants, tanks, and barges made a big difference in ozone levels.
“I’ve always had an interest in other parts of Texas after spending lots of time in Houston,” Jeffries said at the meeting. “It’s interesting to find out that many of the underlying scientific issues that we’ve examined in Houston apply to many other parts of Texas.”
The City paid Jeffries’ company, Othree Chemistry Research and Service, $45,000 for the first phase of his study and recently approved another $45,000 for a second phase.
Where does ozone originate?
Ozone forms when nitrogen oxide emissions interact with volatile organic compounds in the presence of heat and sunlight. Nitrogen oxides most often come from vehicle exhausts, power plants, industrial sites, cement plants, and other combustion-related sources. Volatile organic compounds are tied to chemical use, chemical storage tanks, and gas stations, to name a few sources.
Instead of using computer models to study where San Antonio’s ozone comes from, Jeffries used measurements of pollution levels and weather patterns taken every hour in the years 2012, 2015, and 2016. He did this for 17 air-monitoring sites around the city.
“I actually look at the observations hour by hour, detail by detail – everything,” he said.
San Antonio has 21 air-monitoring sites, but only three that measure ozone levels for regulatory purposes: one at Calaveras Lake on the Southeast Side, one near John Marshall High School on the Northwest Side, and one just inside the southern fence of Camp Bullis on the far North Side.
Wind patterns make a huge difference in what these monitors record, Jeffries found. Almost every high-ozone day in San Antonio was characterized by winds that shifted in direction in a full or three-quarters circle throughout the day.
At the Camp Bullis air monitor, at least half of the days in the year feature those circular wind patterns. But in 2012, for example, only 18 of those days were high-ozone days.
That means you need both the right wind conditions and the right chemistry for high-ozone days, Jeffries said.
Overall, Jeffries found that on days when the Marshall High and Camp Bullis monitors pick up high ozone, morning winds are often coming from the north-northwest, the opposite direction of the city’s core.
Because of a lack of data, Jeffries could only speculate on the exact source of certain ozone-forming chemicals, but his suggestions for possibilities included storage tanks, road construction, and a wastewater treatment plant at Camp Bullis.
“I don’t understand what the heck is up there,” Jeffries said. “It’s weird, whatever it is, but it certainly comes from that quadrant up there.”
Councilmen Clayton Perry (D10), a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, and Manny Pelaez (D8) exchanged glances when Jeffries brought up the Army training base.
Scott Ball / Rivard Report
Councilwoman Ana Sandoval (D7)
“We don’t go and dictate terms to Camp Bullis, ever,” Pelaez said. “They’re our lifeblood here in town. … In fact, what we try to do is make sure that their missions are as easy to accomplish as possible. I want to make sure that’s not on the list – go and push them around.”
“No,” Metro Health Director Colleen Bridger replied.
Councilwoman Ana Sandoval (D7), who once worked for an air-quality agency in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, called Jeffries’ conclusions “potentially good news.”
“What it means to us as policymakers is we don’t have to implement some citywide or even countywide measure right now to find a reduction in ozone,” she said. “We can use a scalpel and look at that area where the wind is coming from.”
Different studies, different conclusions
Much of the discussion revolved around how different Jeffries’ conclusions are from those reached by the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG).
In the past, local officials have heard how AACOG’s computer modeling of ozone suggests that nearly 80 percent of the ozone in San Antonio’s air in 2017 came from outside the San Antonio metro area, as AACOG Executive Director Diane Rath testified before a U.S. House committee in June.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s staff cited AACOG studies frequently in letters to the EPA, arguing San Antonio should not face additional regulations in part because of air pollution wafting in from elsewhere, including “foreign sources.”
Related: EPA To Weigh ‘Pollution From Foreign Sources’ In Regulating Air Quality
But Jeffries said Wednesday that ozone being formed in the morning near Camp Bullis is coming from only about 12 to 18 miles away.
“So you’re not looking at Mexico – it’s the wrong direction,” he continued. “You’re not even looking at some of the other states – wrong direction. You’re not looking at Austin. You’re not looking at Houston.”
“You’re looking at something over there,” he continued, pointing to the north.
Rath called Jeffries report “interesting” but said she questioned the validity of certain sections that compared San Antonio to Houston.
“We are so different from Houston,” Rath said. “We don’t have the petrochemical industry, we don’t have refineries, and our topography is very, very different. … I’d just like more insight into his conclusions.”
Jeffries said the two cities have similar circular wind patterns, but said the pollution in their air does have little in common.
Current policies might not help
The chemistry of ozone formation is extremely complicated. It’s often difficult for policymakers to figure out whether to try to reduce nitrogen oxides or volatile organic compounds and, if so, by how much, Jeffries said.
“There’s a case if you’re a policymaker, you’re gonna go out and spend a billion dollars and reduce [nitrogen oxides], and the ozone problem’s going to get worse,” he said. “That makes this very difficult to deal with.”
Flickr CC / Paul Sableman
Local ordinances to improve air quality include a ban on heavy truck idling.
So far, state and local officials have focused mostly on reducing nitrogen oxides. This includes local ordinances banning heavy truck idling, CPS Energy’s planned closure of its Deely coal-fired generators, and the pursuit of $73 million in Volkswagen settlement funds to convert vehicles from diesel to more efficient fuels.
Regardless of their effect on ozone, those strategies remove other types of air pollution and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, Bridger said.
Jeffries said data on volatile organic compounds is scarce for San Antonio. He suggested using an infrared camera to survey for plumes of pollution in the area, as has been done in Houston.
“We’re not talking about large quantities,” he said. “It could be one guy up there with some particular thing. … You could have a tank that’s sat there forever and nothing shows up, and one day a hole appears in it, and all kinds of [pollution] show up.”
The City has issued a request for information for potential consultants to propose how they might address volatile organic compounds, Bridger said.
Disclosure: CPS Energy is a Rivard Report business member. For a full list of supporters, click here.
About Brendan Gibbons
Brendan Gibbons is the Rivard Report's environment and energy reporter.
More by Brendan
Metropolitan Health District