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The furor began last September, when Merck, Vioxx's manufacturer, withdrew the popular anti-inflammatory drug after a study revealed that long-term use doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke. In a congressional hearing last November, David J. Graham, a drug safety reviewer at the agency, estimated that as many as 55,000 Americans may have died as a result of taking the painkiller, a member of the COX-2 inhibitor class of drugs. Worse, early studies had shown elevated cardiovascular risks for patients taking Vioxx, but the FDA took no action against the drug other than adding a "precaution" to its label in 2002. Such a response led Graham to testify that "the FDA, as currently configured, is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx." FDA officials have defended themselves by claiming that they lacked enough information to order a recall of Vioxx. Sandra Kweder, deputy director of the FDA's office of new drugs, says the agency and its advisory committee were "stumped" by the conflicting results of studies done before and after Vioxx was approved in 1999. Medical experts point out, however, that this confusion arises from the systemic problems surrounding unreliable preapproval trials and an inadequate system for monitoring new drugs after they come on the market. Because many adverse drug effects are rare or hard to detect, researchers often cannot grasp the full extent of the dangers until hundreds of thousands of patients are taking the medication. (The clinical trials required for FDA approval typically involve no more than a few thousand subjects and can, as in the case of Vioxx, be too short-lived to indicate long-term trends.) The FDA orders drug companies to conduct postmarketing research as a condition of approval, but fewer than half of such studies are actually completed. And the FDA's MedWatch program, which gathers reports of adverse effects voluntarily submitted by doctors, has garnered criticism from prominent medical journals and epidemiologists for its underreporting and unreliability. The current problems appear to stem in part from the 1992 Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which sought to speed the introduction of new drugs by allowing the FDA to accept user fees from pharmaceutical companies, which were then siphoned into hiring additional drug reviewers. By focusing the agency's resources on the approval process, the law left less money for postapproval monitoring. Drummond Rennie, a deputy editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, says the financial contributions of the drug companies have also made the FDA less likely to confront them. "The FDA has lost its will and courage," he asserts. To remedy the situation, Senator Grassley has proposed an independent body for oversight. "It doesn't make sense from an accountability standpoint to have the office that reviews the safety of drugs already on the market to be under the thumb of the office that puts drugs on the market in the first place," he contends. Other policymakers have urged the FDA to be more aggressive about adding warnings to drug labels or to establish a public database containing the results of all major drug studies so that consumers can make more informed decisions. Under scrutiny, the FDA has hired the National Academy of Sciences's Institute of Medicine to study possible changes to the drug safety system. The Vioxx withdrawal may also mark a turning point for the industry. Instead of seeking blockbuster drugs aimed at large numbers of consumers, companies may focus on niche medications designed for particular groups of ailing people. Garret A. FitzGerald of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an expert on COX-2 inhibitors, notes that Vioxx might have been able to stay on the market if its use had been restricted to people who have a low risk of cardiovascular disease but a history of gastrointestinal problems. (Vioxx is less likely to irritate the digestive tract than nonprescription painkillers.) "Here are drugs that are very useful in a segmented market," he says, "and their usefulness is being put at risk by the pursuit of a blockbuster strategy. I think, inevitably, the trend is going to be toward more segmented indications."

The first step is to recognize when you're upset and to address the problem promptly, rather than letting it fester. When you hold on to your anger, it swells to fill you, until you find yourself screaming at your husband about the time he didn't remember your mother's birthday -- eight years ago. When you do raise the topic, find a tactful way to do it. One way to make this easier is to understand the important distinction between problem solving and fighting, says Rachel Dinero, Ph.D, an assistant professor at Cazenovia College. "Problem solving is about working together to come to some resolution. Fighting is about winning and being right," she says. When you're fighting, says Dr. Dinero, you're not trying to solve anything, which means you're "not really doing anything constructive." When you commit to solving a problem together, you're already working in harmony -- a critical part of a healthy relationship. Keep that positive momentum going and watch your words. "Some of us hurl insults and curse words like we're arguing with an avowed enemy," says Dennis Lin, M.D, a relationship expert and sex psychologist. "This isn't a random person who has upset you -- it's your spouse." Treating your husband with disdain and disrespect because "he has to put up with it" is "thinking that infects and destroys marriages," he says. Instead of criticizing, which attacks a person's character ("You're such a slob!") Dinero suggests that you address problems specifically -- and neutrally, if possible. "Remember that the goal is to solve the problem, not make your partner feel bad," she says. So, for example, tell your husband, "I'd like the kitchen to be cleaner. Can you load your dishes right into the dishwasher when you're finished eating?" What about when your husband attacks you? Tempting as it may be to respond in kind, try to resist. Definitely let him know that you're feeling criticized, but it's also important that you "own up to your part," says Dr. Lin. "If your spouse makes a true statement about you, accept it. Don't reject it just because you're bent on making your point and winning the argument." Just as important is how you resolve your arguments. "Accept your partner's repair attempts," says Carl Sheperis, Ph.D, Director of Doctoral Programs at Walden University. "When you're upset, it's easy to hold a grudge or to maintain Distance," he says. But when you don't let go of your anger and allow the relationship to heal, you significantly increase your risk of getting divorced. Also, don't be afraid to put yourselves first. "Come up with a solution that works for just the two of you, ignoring anyone else's needs," says Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D (aka "Dr. Romance"), psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media). "It's much easier to solve a problem for the two of you than for others you may not understand." Once the two of you come to an agreement, you can figure out how to discuss the issues with others who may be involved. Arguing is part of life. But you don't have to let your arguments escalate to full-blown fights. Take the time to fight right, and you can count on a marriage that gives you many years of happiness. How we turned out love around Real couple gripes and how to solve 8 Things no one tells you about marriage And you'll see personalized content just for you whenever you click the My Feed . SheKnows is making some changes!

Dr. Dana L. Gibson became Sam Houston State University’s 13th president on September 1, 2010, following unanimous approval by The Texas State University System. She is the first female president in the university’s history. Dr. Gibson is a product of the Texas educational system, growing up and attending schools in north Texas. She also attended Texas universities, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business-accounting and a Master of Business Administration at Texas Woman’s University and a doctorate in business at the University of Texas at Arlington. A Certified Public Accountant since 1984, Dr. Gibson began her career in private industry. In 1986 she joined academia when she was employed by Texas Woman’s University as a lecturer in accounting and management information systems. She was promoted to assistant professor in 1989, and later received tenure as an associate professor of accounting and management information systems. In 1996, Dr. Gibson was named TWU’s special assistant to the vice president for finance and administration. She was promoted to associate vice president for finance and administration and university controller and was named vice president for academic and information services in 2000. She left Texas Woman’s University to become vice president for finance and administration of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver (Colorado). After serving two years, she was named vice chancellor for administration and finance at the University of Colorado at Denver (and Health Sciences Center) where she oversaw a budget of more than $700 million with funded research of $300 million. Dr. Gibson returned to Texas as the vice president for business and finance at Southern Methodist University. After her service at SMU, she was selected as president of National University, the second largest not-for-profit university in California. In 2009, she joined Sam Houston State University as vice president for finance and operations. Her responsibilities included the administration of many of the business functions of the university including the controller’s office, budget, auxiliary operations, procurement, property, public safety, parking, human resources, facilities management, construction and planning, information resources, and institutional research and assessment. Dr. Gibson’s research in accounting information systems has resulted in a number of professional papers, publications and presentations, and she has served as an associate editor and reviewer for several academic accounting journals. Among her awards are Texas Woman’s University Distinguished Alumna and Southern Methodist University Administrator of the Year. In addition to her professional work, Dr. Gibson is active in civic and charitable causes.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — After years of delay due to the downturned economy, the students of Incline High School are getting their own all-weather track in time for next year. The six-lane, polyurethane track will replace the high school’s unmarked dirt track that is inadequate to hold most practices and meets. “It’s going to make the world of difference for our team,” said Courtney Taves, one of school’s track coaches. “It’s phenomenal that we’re going to have a great facility on which to train.” In years past, the team has traveled to Galena High School twice a week to practice during snow-heavy springs, spending approximately 45 minutes on a bus each way, Taves said. “You’ve got the safety issue of driving in winter weather, plus that’s (nearly) two hours the kids could be spending reading and doing homework,” said Mark Zimmerman, IHS assistant principal. Ground-breaking occurred Monday, with a targeted completion date for the end of August, Zimmerman said. Once complete, the track can used by both students and residents, with the outside lane being designated for community use. The all-weather track is the first part of the multi-phase community stadium project that’s been in the works since 2006. “What happened was the money had been allocated to do the (track) project, and then the economy took a dump, so once the economy went down, everything kind of went into limbo,” Zimmerman said. The track will cost roughly $542,000, up from its original estimate of $450,000, mostly due to upgrades in track surface quality, according to the Washoe County School District. Funding is provided by the district’s 2002 Bond Rollover Program. Phase two involves getting and installing turf to accommodate other sports teams, such as softball and baseball, who similarly get bused to Carson City for practice during spring. “Once we have the all-weather track out and we have the turf down, we can put snow-removal equipment (down) to take the snow off,” Zimmerman said. A committee is in the process of raising funds for the second phase, estimated to cost between $1.3 million to $1.4 million, said Bill Horn, general manager of the Incline Village General Improvement District, who sits on the committee. Currently, approximately $750,000 has been raised — $500,000 from Washoe County parks funds, which IVGID helped to secure, and $250,000 in donations. The hope is to raise the additional cash by the end of the year, Horn said. If that happens, the target date to break ground on the turf would be May 1, 2014, with completion in late August 2014, he said. The potential final phase would consist of installing new bleachers and a scoreboard and constructing new restrooms, a concession area, ticket booth and storage area at the football field, at an estimated cost of $2 million, Horn said. A Facebook account is required

Fearless: Carolyn Christov Bakhargiev is not afraid to speak her mind, be it on artistic, political or ethical issues. Photo: Andrew Curtis In 2012 she was voted the most influential person in the international art world by UK magazine Art Review and in May this year Carolyn Christov Bakargiev was named artistic director of the 2015 Istanbul Biennial. These are exciting topics but the Italian-American art curator is more interested in talking about how her times in Australia have shaped her views of art and society. Her directorship of the 2008 Biennale of Sydney was, she says “a fantastic experience”, as were subsequent trips where she travelled with the indigenous art historian and curator Hetti Perkins to remote desert communities discovering amazing art and also deprivation. Art is at heart emancipatory.Carolyn Christov Bakargiev “Hettie brought to my attention the question of how complicated are the ways that we frame contemporary art, high art, craft, traditional art,” she says. “She became my best friend,” she adds of the former curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. We’ve met at Monash University; Christov Bakargiev is on a short Istanbul-inspired research trip to Australia (she says it’s too soon to be explicit about themes or artists) that also involves a talk in Brisbane, a workshop for art professionals in Sydney and a Melbourne lecture. The topic for the latter is her directorship of documenta (it’s always lower case) in 2012, the influential gig that placed her first on Art Review’s Power 100 poll. This sprawling city-wide exhibition is held in Kassell, Germany, every five years and is regarded as the acme of international art events. The larger than usual contingent of Australia-based artists at documenta may bode well for Istanbul. Alongside a posse including the late Gordon Bennett, Fiona Hall, Warwick Thornton and Simryn Gill, the works selected included paintings by two Western Desert artists, the late Doreen Reid Nakamarra and Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri; discussions with Perkins prompted Christov Bakargiev to cross the Western/non-Western divide and to re-contextualise the traditionally inspired works as abstracts, a Western art concept. “It was the first time that this had happened in a major international exhibition; documenta broke that division,” she says. Alongside rather spiritual-sounding statements about art –“artists are only channelling a certain form of energy that coalesces just for a moment in the art work” – Christov Bakargiev, 56, has a nose for local issues and global frictions. She grew up in a political activist environment in Washington DC and her curatorial choices reflect that; for documenta she devised satellite events in global hot spots including Lebanon and Khabul and she embraces the philosophy of the post-war Italian arte povera movement with its rejection of commercialism and use of everyday materials. Art, she says is at heart emancipatory. It’s what makes her sympathetic towards the artists who threatened to boycott this year’s Biennale of Sydney (curated by ACCA director Juliana Engberg) over its founding corporate partner Transfield’s recent contracts to supply garrison support services to asylum-seeker camps on Manus Island and Nauru. “I totally understand the position of artists who feel that funding for an exhibition must be ethical,” she says. “The most important thing in art is to understand that artists are at the top of the food chain; they’re the only reason we are in art [as curators and art historians]… that doesn’t mean the world can be governed by artists, but it does mean dealing with compassionate people so you can’t avoid the problem of ethics” she says. She’s less keen to talk about ethics in relation to Turkish human rights abuses; in many ways the country is as “modern as Australia” with a deep and rich history, she says. Yes, she acknowledges, the country is going through restive times and next year marks the centenary of the Armenian massacre. “But let’s not start talking about Turkey in a stupid way; that would be a very northern European perspective, seeing Turkey as a retrograde place” she cautions. She’s more enthusiastic about Istanbul’s role in kick-starting the global biennale phenomenon when it began in 1987. In contrast to venerable Venice (1895), Sao Paolo (1951) and Sydney (1973), the first Istanbul Biennial signalled a move away from the Western centres of art towards the periphery. There are currently more than 200 biennales world-wide. At first, says Christiv Bakargiev, they were about creating civic societies, political struggles and “the cultural interaction between local scenes and the international art world,” she says but nowadays there is too much “self-referentiality and there’s a creeping formulaic quality that undermines what should be the uniqueness of each event.” Her 2015 Istanbul Biennial she says will “embark looking for where to draw the line, to withdraw, to draw upon, and to draw out.” It’s a characteristically allusive and elusive statement from the queen of the unexpected.

Although recent statistics show that growing numbers of business owners expect to be hiring in the foreseeable future, still others haven't regained a post-recession foothold. How can you seek inspiration? Consider where inspiration led entrepreneurs in three industries: Creating a business, improving offerings in a niche and bringing a national trend to local communities. Michael Zwick, president and CEO of Assets International Inc. in Southfield, Mich., listens for creative ideas. When he was an attorney, Zwick learned that a friend's wife had unexpectedly become the beneficiary of a deceased client for whom she'd been a home healthcare nurse. People searching for her had to overcome two hurdles -- relocation to a different part of the country and her married name. Her husband "was inspired to help other people like her," Zwick explains. "Wow! That's a great idea," Zwick thought, melding his entrepreneurial bent and out-of-the-box mentality. The two, with a third partner, locate unknowing beneficiaries around the world. Ali Curi worked in a market with business conferences and events, which he also produced. He noticed that non-Latino networking events had far more substance than their Latino counterparts. "The existing ones were so social that the business element got lost," he says. He heard a substantive speaker on investing at one of his events. Attendees were engaged during her talk and actively sought her out for networking. "That's it," he thought. "That's what we need to do." As president of the Hispanic Professionals Networking Group Inc., headquartered in New York City, Curi now presents content-driven events for middle management Latino corporate executives. The Great Recession, an equal opportunity business-deflater, whacked the market of independent contractor Mike Hartrich of Santa Cruz, Calif. "All of my business is word-of-mouth, by referral, mostly homeowners and some from contractors," he says. He had to do something. "A customer called with financial troubles," he recalls. "I was in my home thinking, `What am I going to do?' I got an idea to do something online and to see what was out there. ... Construction Guild US Inc. connects trusted local building professionals with local customers." As president of the company, he generates an entirely new revenue stream. If Zwick is always open to ideas, Curi felt inspiration serendipitously fall into his lap. Hartrich constantly seeks inspiration. "It has its own energy," he says. "If it keeps coming back, it's worth looking into." At this writing, he's exploring expansion to another city with a local affiliate there. PATHS: If you're stuck, consider one or more of the approaches these business owners suggest. "We go to a networking event and spend half of the time on our phones," Curi says. When engaging with other people, face-to-face is "the most obvious and neglected" path. He maintains that social media brings enhanced information-exchange and self-promotion but inhibits authentic human engagement. In Zwick's spirit of openness, Curi says that in-person contact nurtures real conversation, which leads to engagement, openness and the sharing of perspective. Hartrich, who searched online exhaustively for a new business idea, was no technoid. He took courses online for the skills he was missing, such as SEO and social media, to develop at a local level what others were doing nationally. Like Zwick, he recommends out-of-the-box thinking. "Turn off the TV," he suggests. "Talk to different people -- I wouldn't even recommend a consultant -- people who have good ideas, who are creative, will brainstorm and open up new pathways in your mind." Consider the recommendation from Zwick. If he were stuck, he'd reflect about what would make him happy, benefit other people and meet one of their needs, even if they hadn't recognized it. "You have an opportunity to create success," Hartrich says. Dr. Mildred L. Culp welcomes your questions at culp@workwise.net. © 2012 Passage Media.

>>: 24 April 2013 Steve Waugh casts his mind back to the past sporting year. It is not Australia’s demise in India, England’s earlier success on the sub-continent or South Africa’s rise to No1 in the Test rankings that captures his imagination. More than six months on, it is Martin Kaymer’s putt that retained the Ryder Cup for Europe which is the one sporting moment that forces Waugh to edge out of his seat and talk excitedly. “Those victories are as good as it gets,” says Waugh. “To come back from that situation where they couldn’t win to winning it with that Kaymer putt — that’s just as good as it gets in sport.” As captain of a dominant Australia side that enjoyed a record 16 Test victories on the trot, Waugh had little need for a sporting comeback during his international career, although he draws parallels between the Ryder Cup and Australia at the 1999 World Cup. “We had to win seven games in a row to win it and we were under immense pressure in every game,” he says. “From my career, that’s the sporting parallel to last year’s Ryder Cup.” It is not for the World Cup but the Test dominance in his pomp that Waugh will be best remembered, notably in the Ashes series. He was more destructive to an English summer than the volatile climate. At times, the one-sidedness became humiliation as he led and played with such intensity that he went for the English jugular and never let go. It’s worth noting that he lost his first Ashes series on home soil in 1986-87 but went on to be victorious in the next eight. Tellingly, Australia have won just one of the past four Ashes series since his retirement. There are still flashes of that old intensity but, nearly a decade into his retirement, he has mellowed. That steely look with which he stared down England’s ever-changing bowling attack returns as conversation inevitably switches to the focal point of his sporting year in 2013 — the Ashes. In 77 days, an under-fire Australia side will begin their quest to recapture the Urn from England. As things stand, Australia seem to be in disarray, with four players having been axed from their Test XI for failing to do their homework during the series in India, which they lost 4-0. Waugh’s take on the subject is: “Part of me admires the management for standing firm at a difficult time but another part feels that there had to be a better way to address the issue.” It has seen Australia effectively hit rock bottom on the international stage, their top order continually crumbling, but Waugh believes it is premature to start writing off his countryman and laughs at the suggestion of a possible whitewash later this summer. “If we keep the best team on the park, we’re more than capable of winning,” he says. “Sure, England are favourites and that’s no surprise but there’s no way you can write off Australia. “England have been an odd side to follow. They’ve been exceptional, as they were in Australia, then abysmal, like in that series against Pakistan. “Australia have got a couple of outstanding guys in their bowling attack — namely James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc. But the question is whether they’re mature enough. We easily have bowlers to take 20 wickets every Test. All we need is a couple more batsman to stay up with Michael Clarke and Shane Watson.” In India, Mike Hussey’s retirement left a gaping hole in their middle order, his standing down seeming to catch everyone by surprise, with the authorities and public expecting that he would bat his way to an Ashes swan song. “He’s left a big hole that they’ve not filled,” says the Laureus World Sports Academy member. “He was just so good at controlling tough situations and gelling the top order with the tail.” With Hussey absent, Waugh sees the balance of the series effectively resting on the shoulders of two players. “I think England really rely on Jimmy Anderson, more than they realise,” says Waugh. “If they lose him, they lose the heart of their attack. It’s the same for Australia with Michael Clarke. If he’s not fit [the captain is resting until early June because of back and hamstring problems], it’s going to be a struggle.” Waugh has already passed on his own pearls of captaincy wisdom to Clarke and says “the phone’s always on if he needs advice but he’s his own man”. The captaincy tussle is the other head to head that captures the 47-year-old’s imagination. He sees Alastair Cook as more conservative and Clarke as the aggressor but adds: “That doesn’t make one or other worse or better.” He adds: “I’ve not seen enough of Alastair Cook to pass judgement on him as a captain. Michael has done really well, although India was a test for him. “He needs to come out of that with some positives. I like the fact he’s not afraid to try things and I don’t think his confidence will be that dented. I think it’ll be a tight tussle between the two. “What has been remarkable about the two guys is that they’ve sustained such a high level of batting, even as captains. One of them is going to have a blip at some point, it’s inevitable. If that happens in the Ashes, obviously that will have a big impact.” Waugh still remembers the start of an Ashes series like it was yesterday. Despite winning eight on the bounce against England, however much in disarray they looked he always made sure not to underestimate them. “I felt a bit sorry for early sides that played us as they weren’t as prepared as they are now,” he says. “We had centralised cricket but England didn’t have that set-up to beat us as they were off playing county cricket the next day. “So it wasn’t a level playing field. The results may have looked easy but there was no England side that were ever easy to play. I always respected them. “I always remember the first morning well. As a captain, I didn’t do a lot of talking and there was definitely nerves and apprehension. That was great as I liked that feeling and still miss it. “It was just at that point you were hoping to have a good series. It wasn’t like you had sleepless nights before. If you did, that meant your preparations were wrong but it was a very special feeling before an Ashes series.” How good a series Australia might have hangs in the balance somewhat. The country’s sporting landscape has developed cracks across all disciplines from the Olympics onwards, a poor Games punctuated by revelations of drug use in a wide variety of sports. It is nearly two months since the publication of the Australian Crime Commission report into the matter and, reflecting on the passing weeks, Waugh says: “It hasn’t exactly shown Australian sport in a great light,” before adding: “But if something positive comes from it that’s a good thing.” In cricket, Waugh insists there is not a drug problem either in Australia or globally. “I don’t think cricket has issues with regards to drugs,” he adds. “I’ve never come across it so far as I’m aware with anyone. It’s very good in that regard but we’re not whiter than white as a sport. Obviously, we’ve had our problems with match fixing.” Australian cricket’s current biggest problem is getting back to winning ways. The team and the nation will find out in their next Test match at Trent Bridge on July 10 against England if they have the wherewithal to do just that. Steve Waugh is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, an association of 46 sporting legends who volunteer their time to act as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Laureus has raised £50m for projects which have improved the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people. For more information on Laureus, please visit<<

Two Worlds Vikram Chandra Is A Novelist Who's Obsessed With Writing Computer Code When Vikram Chandra mentioned he was working on a nonfiction book about computer coding at a literary party in San Francisco last fall, I was startled. Chandra is a gifted and original novelist, author most recently of Sacred Games (2006), a sprawling, densely layered noirish detective story set in Mumbai. His first novel, Red Earth and Pouring Rain (1995), won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for best first book. Love and Longing in Bombay (1997) was shortlisted for the Guardian fiction award, and he also has written for Bollywood (he cowrote Mission Kashmir [2000]). Chandra is a writer, not a geek. What does he know about coding? His new nonfiction book, Geek Sublime, shows that, like few in today’s literary world, the 53-year-old Chandra understands the esoteric scientific discipline. He is as conversant with HTML and Git as with metaphor and the twists and turns of plotting. “My writing life and my life with computers … seem mirrored, computer twinned,” he writes. “Both are explorations of process, of the unfolding of connections.” And that’s what makes Geek Sublime so winning. Chandra, who lives in Berkeley and teaches at the University of California, has written a brilliantly comprehensible syllabus for anyone curious about the inner workings of computers or the Internet, profound in its implications and conclusions. It is a surprising and passionate book, encompassing a primer on terminology for non-mathematicians, an explanation of “logic gates,” a meditation on Sanskrit as an algorithm, and a section on what makes Steve Wozniak “hardcore.” (“Woz—and only Woz, by himself—designed the hardware, the circuit boards, and the operating system for the Apple I, which he hooked up to a standard TV, producing the first personal computer to output to a television,” Chandra explains. “And while Steve Jobs marketed this product, Woz created the Apple II, and thus—in a very large sense—set off the personal computer revolution.”). How did Chandra’s obsession with code begin? “I worked as a coder to put myself through college,” Chandra explains. “I first encountered computers as an undergraduate in the U.S. in the early ’80s. They seemed magical to me. At the time, the only computers in India, where I grew up, were at elite graduate schools and government institutions, and I had never even seen one. So I enrolled right away for programming classes, and found them boringly abstracted. A couple of years later, while I was in graduate school, I worked at an off-campus job that gave me access to personal computers—and that was the beginning of the addiction. There’s a great feeling of power, and instant feedback—if your code works, you get this rush; and if it doesn’t work, you hack at it until it does, and then the rush is even stronger.” ‘Writers, like other kinds of artists, begin with assumptions of probable obscurity and relative poverty, so there’s less external pressure.’ Chandra began to make money as a consultant and programmer when he was in the graduate writing program at the University of Houston, working on his formally complex first novel, Red Earth and Pouring Rain, which draws from the idea of interconnectedness in Indian traditions of narrative and philosophy. “My coding was and is very journeyman work,” he says. “I wrote a lot of database CRUD applications—they let you Create, Retrieve, Update, and Delete records of whatever widget or resource you were producing and selling. This was before easy, transparent accessibility to the Internet.” He managed to get through graduate school without taking any loans. Chandra’s introduction to DOS was seductive, he says, because it was “a complete world, with systems and rules.” At what point did he realize code could aspire to elegance? “I think the first time you have to change code you’ve written previously, to add features or remove a bug, you realize that you could have done it better in the first place, that you could have found an architecture that would make it easier to transform and grow the code. And this is terribly seductive—you’re not just building a solution to a problem, you’re potentially building a beautiful solution, with ‘beautiful’ here being defined here by an aesthetics of present and future functionality. This can be a trap.” He describes two approaches to programming. “I think every programmer knows of a project or two that never quite got off the ground because everyone spent too much time thinking about what would be the best way to do it, what the best tools are, what the best process is. There has, in fact, been a reaction against this tendency. Now, often the advice is to get the quickest version of your code running and slap up a website; you’ll improve the code after you find users. Which of course means that the refinement often never gets done because there’s too much technical debt and it’ll cost too much and the venture capitalists may bail at any time.” As a fiction writer, he says, he tends towards the first impulse: “I’m so used to laboring over my language at leisure, and I always know that a sentence can be made more resonant, that there’s always one more comma that can be moved.” Why are programmers so prone to burnout? “The pace of change in the computer industry is so frenetic that any programming skills you have today are likely to be outdated next year. So there is a very powerful imperative to keep learning, and an all-pervasive anxiety that you’re already obsolete. In Silicon Valley, you have the added fetishization of youth—the belief is that the next billion-dollar app will come from a 22-year old whose mind is still unshaped by too much knowledge, and who is therefore—supposedly—able to innovate freely. If you’re 45, you may be seen as too set in your ways to be useful to a startup, and also less likely to deliver 80-hour work weeks to the company, which is what ‘passionate’ programmers devoted to ‘disruption’ are supposed to do. So all this, plus the magical possibility of becoming a famous tech czar overnight, drives a lot of people into over-exertion on the corporate treadmill. Some finally collapse.” Is there an equivalent risk for fiction writers (who usually work obsessively without the promise of that dazzling income)? “Writers, like other kinds of artists, begin with assumptions of probable obscurity and relative poverty, so there’s less external pressure. There is certainly a tendency on the part of publishers to look for pretty young things with possible super-hit first novels, but I think age is less of a liability. The risks of the writer’s life come more from the internal processes of production, he adds. ”Frederick Busch wrote a terrific book about the writing life called A Dangerous Profession, in which he observes, ‘It costs too much to write.’ What he’s referring to are the emotional, psychic risks… You spend a lifetime inviting hauntings, which can render you a bit unbalanced—to put it delicately.” And then there are the unexpected rewards. The very first email Chandra got about Geek Sublime, he says, was from a young programmer in India, who observed that “reading the book induced in him the heightened aesthetic sentiment of adhbuta, wonder. Which is where I began, with wonder at the connections that draw us together, across cultures and time.”

Canadian diplomat Klaus Goldschlag had a life full of triumph, tragedy and bitter irony – a narrative that would stretch credulity in a novel. But like the best fiction, his story speaks to a larger truth about the resiliency of the human spirit. A Jewish refuge, he came to Canada as a teenager from Germany and rose in the diplomatic service to become Canadian ambassador to Turkey (1967-1971), Italy (1973-1976), deputy undersecretary of state for External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs), and ultimately ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (1980). His diplomatic career was truncated when a catastrophic mishap during elective surgery in Bonn left him paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak or write. A weaker person might have succumbed to depression, but Goldschlag, then in his late 50s, carried on, communicating his ideas and thoughts with the support of family for more than 30 years. He died of pancreatic cancer on Jan. 30 at the age of 89. “He was one of the most remarkable diplomats in our modern history. I don’t think that is an exaggeration,” said Allan Gotlieb, undersecretary of state for External Affairs from 1977-1981 and later ambassador to the United States. Besides being a strategic and original thinker, and the most “brilliant foreign policy mind” in the “generation after Lester Pearson,” Goldschlag was also a “delightfully amusing and witty individual,” according to Gotlieb. Klaus Goldschlag was born in Berlin, Germany, on March 23, 1922. After his father died, his mother was so impoverished she put her only son in an orphanage, although they continued to visit each other on weekends. Caught up in what would become Hitler’s genocidal “final solution” for European Jewry, Goldschlag might well have died in a Nazi death camp or perished in wartime bombing. Instead, he was adopted by Toronto businessman Alan Coatsworth. The story of how a Canadian Methodist saved a German Jewish boy is as complicated as the times in which they lived. Coatsworth, a fire insurance broker, had no children and used his disposable income to start a social club called the Young Maccabees. He invited hard-up Jewish boys, many of them who were selling newspapers in the streets, to his home to hear talks by philosophers, artists, and religious leaders and to listen to live music. But it wasn’t only local boys who Coatsworth befriended and mentored. Canada has a shameful record of turning away refugees trying to escape from Germany after Hitler became chancellor in 1933 and anti-Semitism effectively became official government policy. In their book, None is Too Many, Harold Troper and Irving Abella argue that Canada’s record of accepting only 4,000 Jewish refugees into the country from 1933-1948 (including its refusal to allow any of the approximately 900 Jewish passengers on the M.S. St. Louis to disembark) is arguably the worst of any Western country. That makes Coatsworth’s actions all the more exemplary. He went against the prevailing orthodoxy to do what he believed was right. In the mid-1930s, Coatsworth sponsored two Jewish boys from Germany, and then travelled to Berlin and offered to adopt one of the boys living in the orphanage where Goldschlag resided. His intention was that the boy would study to become a rabbi in Canada, thus perpetuating the religion that Hitler was trying to eradicate. In order to choose which boy should go to Canada, the orphanage administrators gave all the children a test. After Goldschlag scored the highest marks, he and his mother agreed he should accept the offer and leave Germany, a decision that changed both of their lives. Unable to speak English, and without any family or friends, Goldschlag lived in Coatsworth’s house and attended Holy Blossom Temple (although he wasn’t very religious and had made it clear he wasn’t going to become a rabbi). He quickly became fluent in English and excelled as a student at Vaughan Road Collegiate. After war broke out, Goldschlag went to Holy Blossom and asked the elders if he could borrow enough money to help his mother escape Germany. They said they weren’t in the business of lending money, but the next morning an unsigned envelope, containing the full amount, was delivered to the house. A grateful Goldschlag, who was never able to discover the identity of his benefactors, wired the money to his mother, who booked passage to the Dominican Republic – one of the few countries openly welcoming Jews. And that’s how she survived the war – playing bridge on a Caribbean island – before reuniting with her son in Canada in the late 1940s.

The average public sector pension is worth three times as much as the typical scheme still open to workers in the private sector, research showed today. A report by the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) said most new employees in the public sector could still join generous final salary schemes worth around 21% of their salary. In contrast, employees in the private sector are more likely to be offered a defined contribution scheme typically worth just 7% of their pay. The PPI said public sector employees were also more than twice as likely to be members of an employer-sponsored pension scheme than those in the private sector - 85% compared with 40%. The majority of public sector workers are in a final salary pension, under which their retirement payouts are guaranteed according to their pay and how long they have belonged to the scheme. But only around 15% of workers in private companies are active members of one of these schemes, with the rest belonging to the less generous defined contribution ones. In these schemes the company only guarantees the level of the contributions it will make, leaving the individual to shoulder all of the risk. The research showed employers contributed an average of £4,000 a year to public sector pensions for each worker, compared with average contributions of just £1,600 for each worker in a private sector scheme. Staff in the public sector also contributed more than those who work for private companies. Impact of reforms The report looked at the potential impact of a number of reforms to public sector schemes introduced by the government to make them more sustainable. Changes included increasing the normal pension age to 65 for new entrants and raising the level of contributions made by members, as well as improving the rate at which benefits are accrued. The PPI said without these reforms the average public sector pension scheme would have been worth 24% of a worker's salary, and even after the reforms the armed forces, police and fire schemes are still worth around 33% of pay. But many commentators have argued that even after the reforms public sector pensions are still too generous and too expensive. The PPI said spending on unfunded public sector pension schemes could soar by 40% over the next 20 years, from 1% of GDP now to 1.4% in 2027/2028. This compared with spending rises of just 17% on long-term care, 16% on health and 14% on state pensions during the same period. Overall the reforms will save a "relatively modest" £13bn over the next 50 years, it said. Transparency sought The Liberal Democrat's work and pensions spokeswoman, TUC's general secretary, Brendan Barber, said there was a "small but increasingly vocal group" who were likely to misuse the PPI's findings to attack public sector pensions "Public sector pension critics are inconsistent. They cannot logically attack the government for the decline of quality private sector pensions and at the same time criticise them for preserving decent public pensions," he said. "The problem is not fair and proper public sector pensions, but the retreat by private sector employers from their responsibilities. The solution is to level-up, not strip away pensions from vital public servants."

One year ago today, I was trapped in the offices of the Campaign for Science and Engineering on the University College London campus with about a dozen other people, getting high on spray glue. It wasn't some geeky start-of-term blow-out – we had gathered to make hundreds of placards ahead of the Science is Vital rally, a protest aimed at persuading the government to stave off swingeing cuts to the science budget. In just over a month, our hastily assembled grassroots operation had raised 33,000 signatures on a petition, summoned more than 2,000 people to a noisy rally right outside the Treasury, and organised a packed lobby of MPs in Parliament. The outcome – a cash freeze settlement for the science budget – was far better than we'd hoped, though it was still clear to scientists that harder times lay ahead. A year on, as inflation eats away the value of current funding, we're still only feeling the beginning of a long winter. UK scientists have mustered again today in response to the threat to science. This time we aren't dressed in white coats and thronging the streets; the protest is quieter and more measured, but there is the same sense of purpose and determination underneath. What is at stake? Science has always been a tough profession. The hours are long, the pay is relatively poor for the education and training required (usually about a decade), and permanent positions are scarce. Most research worldwide is fuelled by a vast legion of enthusiastic, talented younger scientists – PhD students and postdocs who work on a string of short-term contracts. Most will be forced to leave the profession because there is no place for them. The structure is often likened to a pyramid, but in reality, with its absence of mid-level permanent positions, it's more like a spike on a vast flat plane. What's more, almost uniquely among modern professionals, many scientists find that experience counts against them as they get older and become more expensive to retain on cash-limited contracts. The present system is extraordinarily wasteful. Increasingly, the sense I get when I listen to researchers talk is that the system has let them down. But without their dedication and sacrifice, science would grind to a halt – and all its economic and societal benefits along with it. Morale in UK science seems to have hit an all-time low. In May, Science is Vital organised a meeting at the Royal Institution to explore the idea that the science career structure is broken. David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, was on the panel and participated with gusto. Nothwithstanding the Haldane Principle (the idea that the scientific community and not politicians should decide how research funding is spent), Mr Willetts agreed that the government should facilitate further discussion of our issues at a higher level. To this end, he asked us to summarise the findings and send them his way. But we wanted to have a broader consultation than had been possible that evening. So at summer's end, we asked scientists to submit their verdicts on the viability of the science career structure and to offer ideas for improvement. The response was overwhelming. Within 24 hours, we were inundated with written submissions, and by the end, we had nearly 700. These issued from over 160 institutions in all four nations in the UK, from people across the range of the community – from undergrads at one end all the way to fellows of the Royal Society at the other. The message was loud and consistently clear: nearly 70% expressed concern about the career structure and opportunities for early to mid-stage researchers. Compounded by other issues such as low pay, enforced mobility and clashes with family life, the broken career structure is seen as a major fault-line which, if not addressed, will endanger UK science. This comes at a time we can ill afford weakness: a healthy science base is crucial for our economy and for addressing the technological problems currently faced by our planet, such as climate change, global pandemics and food security. Today, we present our final report – Careering out of Control: A Crisis in the UK Science Profession? (summary here) – to the online community of British scientists and to Mr Willetts in person. We fervently hope that the nationwide alarm of scientists about the broken career structure, voiced eloquently in our report by people at all levels of the profession, will rekindle the discussion brought up by Sir Gareth Roberts in his famous SET for Success report in 2002. Many of the concerns Roberts identified remain outstanding, and require urgent scrutiny by government, funding agencies and scientists. In particular, we hope that junior researchers, the very people whose dedication sustains and enriches UK science, will be included in these discussions. Dr Jennifer Rohn is a cell biologist at University College London and founder and chair of Science?)

Track and field stars Cookingup a storm - From: Mercury - June 19, 2014 Tasmanian athletes heading to the Cook Islands to represent Australia at the Oceania Area Athletics Championships, from left, Maddy Scott, Brandon Clark, Caitlin Newson and Rebecca Direen. Source: News Corp Australia NORMALLY, Australians visit the Cook Islands in July to get away from chilly winter conditions. But four Hobart athletes will travel there today to represent Australia at the Oceania Area Athletics Championships. Rebecca Direen, Brandon Clark, Caitlin Newson, and Maddy Scott will compete in the championships, which run from June 24-26 across the open and under-20 divisions. Direen, who will compete in the open hammer throw and shot put, is the only one of the four with experience at the championships. Despite this trip being her fourth time to the event, Direen said she is still thrilled to represent her country. “Even though I have represented Australia before I think each time is just as exciting,” she said. “I came first in the hammer and second in the shot put last year, so it would be great to medal again.” On the other end of the scale will be Clark, who will compete in the open men’s triple and long jump, under-20 100 and 200m competitor Newson, and Scott, who will compete in the under-20 400m. All three will be competing internationally for the first time, with Clark hoping this will lead to bigger and better things. “It’s a goal of mine to make the highest level of international competition and I feel this comp is where it will all start for me,” he said. Scott is just as thrilled to be travelling to the Cook Islands, with months of training leading up to June 24. “I never thought I would be anywhere near this and I think I’m in pb form,” she said. The four Hobart athletes won’t be the only Tasmanians donning the green and gold in Avarua, with Northern athlete Tyler Heron also selected in the squad, while Mitchell and Samuel Pulford will also travel to the Cook Islands as part of the Regional Australia team competing at the championships.

Oz Ombudsman calls for wiretap oversight Sniffs at poison chalice With both political parties and most law enforcement agencies devoted to implementing more data retention in Australia's Internet, the Commonwealth Ombudsman has suggested it could have a role in overseeing such a regime. Ombudsman Colin Neave has told the Senate committee reviewing Australia's telecommunications interception act that his body could handle the role with appropriate resourcing. He also said stronger public reporting mechanisms are needed to make Australia's metadata retention regime more transparent. Its submission (available from the committee (page here) says there is “a clear requirement for the Ombudsman to ascertain agencies' compliance with the telecommunications interception and stored communications access provisions”. While the office would not have the resources to test the compliance of agencies in the light of so much metadata collection, Neave told the committee a sampling regime combined with high-level oversight of agencies' processes would be feasible. Meanwhile, Narelle Clark, president of the Internet Society of Australia, told the committee that the lack of standards defining what can be considered “metadata” is hampering both the debate and the legislative review. Unlike the world of telephony, where the difference between metadata and content is clearly defined, the world of IP communications has no such technical specifications, she said. “There needs to be clear technology standards for this," she said, so that equipment and applications can be built with data retention requirements in mind, with appropriate control. "None of that I believe is in evidence at this point in time,” she said. Clark also singled out the idea that system logs can be considered metadata repositories for criticism, saying that logs are designed for fault-finding, and are extremely verbose (and, The Register would add, frequently intrusive), containing “all sorts of detail” about connection attempts (whether or not they're made), route selection and other extraneous information. ® Sponsored: Dummies Guide: Flash Array Deployment

Monday Charities and community groups are to be given priority over commercial bidders when publicly owned woodlands are sold. The Government’s plan to sell 15 per cent of the 500,000 acres owned by the Forestry Commission in England has proved controversial. It says that the woodlands will be sold to those best able to guarantee public access and protect biodiversity. “We want a mix of conservation groups, community groups and civil society organisations,” a Whitehall source told The Times. Tuesday Girls’ schools are out of fashion, according to the latest edition of The Good Schools Guide. Just 13 per cent

PA program celebrates 40 years Alumni who attended the 40th anniversary celebration of CHP’s Physician Assistant Program were as diverse as their practice settings but united in their desire to celebrate their education and the opportunities it has brought. The evening reception was held April 21 at the UDM School of Law Atrium. Four directors of the Physician Assistant program, from left: Agnes Bongero, Amy Dereczyk, Suzanne York, and founding director Harriet Gales. The UDM PA program was established at Mercy College in 1972 by Founding Director Harriet Gales, who was presented with a plaque at the event honoring her dedication and leadership. Her passion for the profession, pride in the alumni and support of dedicated faculty shone through during her remarks. A respected anatomy professor, the late Edward Tracy, was recalled with fondness in a short speech given by his daughter, Associate Professor of Biology Mary Tracy, who took the position after his retirement. “My father taught three generations of PAs and was touched by the lives of all his students. It brought him great joy and inspiration to bring anatomy into the lives of many,” Tracy said. Of her tenure, she noted, “The spirit and drive of the students in this program is energizing. My students amaze me, challenge me and enlighten me.” The event was coordinated by Amy Dereczyk, assistant professor and chair of the PA program, with support from PA faculty members Debra Knight and Suzanne York, also a former program director, and Sharon Malinowski. Agnes Bongero was among the four program directors in attendance along with Walid Harb, medical director of the program. Attendees listen to speakers at the PA program's 40th anniversary reception, held in the UDM School of Law Atrium. Dereczyk was pleased with the attendance of 181 people. “It was fun to see so many friends getting together. Alumni came from as far away as Alaska, the east coast and Colorado.” Some of the alumni had also attended the program’s 25th anniversary celebration. Among them was Jan Prusinowski ’80, who works in dermatology at the Grekin Skin Institute in Wyandotte. He was pleased to meet with fellow alumni including Rick Neal, Cary Wisniewski and Beth Belesky as well as mentor and now personal friend Harriet Gales. Jan’s daughter, Lydia, graduated from the program in 2010, influenced by her father’s example and success. “The degree offered a lot of options for practice,” said Prusinowski, who entered the program with a BSN degree. “I have always had a job; I’ve never been laid off.” The diversity of practice settings is one of the big draws of the PA program. Graduates work in hospitals and clinics, teach, and have their own practices. Several went on to medical school and became physicians. Former Clinical Coordinator Mary Urbanek ’96 liked the venue and the agenda, which addressed all the different phases and history of the PA program. “A lot of the older alums were very interested in reuniting with those from the program who graduated 30 and 40 years ago,” she noted. Urbanek has worked in Internal Medicine at various hospitals. She started the hospitalist program at Seaway Hospital and most recently was in an outpatient practice. A former faculty member (2001), Urbanek keeps in touch with several classmates and current faculty. Amy Dereczyk was one of her students. “As chair of the PA program, I wanted to reach out to more of our 1,100 alumni,” Dereczyk said. “This was our first major event that drew in PA alumni from both Mercy College and UDM. We want our alumni to feel like they are still connected to the University.”

“Why so glum?” asks Roger Waters with a smile as he strides into a conference room in an elegant Mayfair hotel. “Why so glum?” asks Roger Waters with a smile as he strides into a conference room in an elegant Mayfair hotel. Taking a seat on a low stage, Waters is here to announce a new batch of dates for his live production of The Wall, including one UK show for next September at Wembley Stadium. The Wall has been one of the most successful live tours of all time, with ticket sales in excess of $380 million. But perhaps more than the all-conquering statistics and the spectacle Waters and his crew intend to deliver (“8,000 pixels wide!”), Waters believes that The Wall still has a grim relevance. The shooting in 2005 of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes in the London underground by armed police officers inspired Waters to write a new song to add to The Wall shows. He speaks of “economic disparity” and “fiscal extremism”. But, he says, “I am still largely optimistic.” In person, Waters looks like a kindly uncle, affable but faintly patrician, dressed in black shoes, blue jeans, black t-shirt and suit jacket. His grey hair is swept back and the makings of a beard are sprouting on his chin. 70 next year, his face is lined, but arguably he looks better now than he did during Pink Floyd’s imperial phase. For half an hour, Waters fields questions from a contingent of European journalists as well as some scooped off the internet (this event is being simultaneously broadcast online). His manner is relaxed and good-humoured, even feigning an electric shock when the microphone he’s using to address the audience starts feeding back. Anyway, here’s the transcript of the press conference in full. Why did you decide to bring the show to stadiums? “That was a decision made some time ago. I had a great yen to go back to South America, where I had done the Dark Side Of The Moon tour and had a fantastic time. In South America, because they don’t play basketball or ice hockey, they don’t have any arenas. So you either play in a samba club or in a soccer stadium, there is no alternative. The Wall wouldn’t really fit in a little club, so we had to play stadiums. That’s why we developed this show that we’re going to Europe with, which has all this extra visual information to make it more watchable in a big, outdoor space.” How did you go about topping the spectacle of the previous Wall tour of 2011? “The projection surface is much wider. When we were indoors, we were projecting over 8,000 pixels wide. We’re now projecting 15,000 pixels, so it’s almost double the width. It’s like 130 metres to 140 metres across now the projection. So really that’s the main difference. But what it means is because it’s so much wider, it gives us the opportunity to use the bits at the side for imagery that we didn’t use when we were working indoors. The content is by and large the same, but for instance in the arena show, at the end of ‘Another Brick In The Wall: Part 2’, when the underground train comes through, that’s now 500 feet wide instead of 140 feet wide. So it’s just… a lot wider. It’s cool. “I talked with [tour manager] Andrew Zweck and he said there is definitely a tour in Europe. If you want to go outdoors in Europe next year, there is definitely a tour there for you to do. You just have to decide whether you want to do this anymore or not. We had such a good time doing it in Australia and New Zealand and South America and North America and England that I said, ‘Yeah, please, I’d like to do it some more.’” Are you planning to play any festivals? “No, there are no plans to play festivals. You couldn’t play this show at a festival. The Showco roof we were using in South America and North America takes 26 blokes 6 days to build and it takes up all the space, so it would be impossible to do a show with other acts.” What do you enjoy most about playing in stadiums? “There is something about connecting with that many people outdoors that is extremely gratifying. When I was a kid, I didn’t get that experience, I didn’t like it. Back in 1975 and ’77 when we were touring with Pink Floyd and playing soccer stadiums I rather disliked it, it felt like we were very disconnected. But I think that disconnection was actually a reflection of the disconnection that existed in the band more than something about us and the audience. So when we’re setting up these gigs, I go up to the very back of the stadium, then we run some of the stuff and sit there, and I understand why people up there feel connected with what’s going on on stage. And with the music and the emotions expressed during the show. It’s just a bigger community.” Would you like any politicians to come to your shows? “I think it’s because, when I was in South America, I met Piñera, who’s President of Chile, and I met the President of Argentina, so those two. And I have meetings with various Ambassadors and people, talking about various things. I was approached by a journalist in Buenos Ares who’s trying to get the Falkland Islanders to get DNA testing on 123 Argentine soldiers who are interred in a cemetery on East Falkland. And we are making some progress in that. But it was because of that that I went and had a meeting with [Argentinian President] Cristina de Kirchner and she actually mentioned it in an address she made just after we’d been there. I sent a letter as well to Sharon Halford, I think her name is, who is the chair person of the legislative assembly of the Falkland Islands. I assumed it was Whitehall who would be able to say yes, you can send in these forensic teams from the Red Cross to identify these kids, but it’s the Falkland Islanders themselves. They’re a bit wary of it. So we’ll just keep exploring all diplomatic avenues, so the parents of these boys know which spot to go and put flowers on.” Of all the songs you composed during this period, which ones do you most enjoy playing live? “A lot of it is very enjoyable, but I think ‘Comfortably Numb’ is probably the highlight. There’s some stuff that Sean Evans, who’s done all the animation that we use in the show, has done which is so spectacular at a certain point in that song it’s always a good buzz. Though having said that, just before that, I’ve been in a hotel room singing ‘Nobody Home’ and I come out and I sing ‘Vera’ and I’m at the front of the stage but the audience are all looking at the screen watching this film of this young American girl greeting her father who’s come back from the war and it’s extremely moving. So I get to look at the first ten rows of the audience and there’s quite a lot of tears going on, and that’s extremely moving. I’m sort of anonymous and I get to experience what’s going on in the audience and that’s very moving.” Do you think David Gilmour might make an appearance at one of the shows? “I don’t think so, no. I haven’t had any conversations with David about that. I think it’s extremely unlikely. I think, by and large, David’s retired as far as I can tell, but you’d need to ask him that.” Would you be keen? “Me? It’s nothing to do with me.” What particularly moments of the previous Wall tours moved you? “Particular gig that springs to mind, which was in Porto Alegre, the first show we did in Brazil. The audience were extraordinary there. But I think it’s the half time stuff with the veterans. I invite vets from whatever country we’re in to come to the show. And at half time, I go and see them back stage and we shake hands and do photos and sign stuff, chat, whatever. That’s often a very moving time. Particularly countries that have had young men in combat in recent years, like North America and Great Britain, but all over the world. In Brazil, I went to see the vets, and I had no idea what to expect. I walked into this room and they were all about 100 years old. They were sweet, they couldn’t have been nicer. Because they were non-combatants in the Second World War, but a number of them had decided that they were going to fight the Nazis so they left Brazil and they went to either Canada or came to England. When we were in the States at one point, there was this older guy. You look round the room, and all the ones with no legs – and there’s a lot of them – they’re all from recent wars, from Iraq and Afghanistan, because these are all IED injuries. And then there are older guys, my age, they’re Vietnam veterans. Anyway, this one guy was somewhere in between. He stood in my way as I was leaving the room and he looked me in the eye and he put his hand out and he took hold of my hand, and I said ‘I’m glad you could come.’ He hadn’t been in the row of people getting photos or doing any of that stuff, and he said, ‘Your father would be proud of you.’ And I was really knocked sideways when this man said that to me. I confess, I struggled slightly before getting back on stage. That was very moving. But it always is with the vets. We never speak politics for obvious reasons.” Are there any parts of the original Wall album you feel you could have done better? Or would you consider re-recording parts of it now? “No. The answer would be, no, I wouldn’t go back and start doing it again. That’s a piece of work that was completed. We go on working on the visual aspects of the show and I have added one song. I added one song for theatrical reasons. It felt to me that there used to be three solos at the end of ‘Brick 2’. And night after night I was feeling that the third solo was a solo too long, a solo too far, so I decided to drop it and put another musical piece in, which took me maybe a couple of months on the road, working it out in my head, and then playing it and figuring out chords on a guitar and then working with the band. But I would never go back to a piece of work that I’ve done in the past and try to rewrite it.” Why do you think The Wall has stood the test of time? “The amount of time involved has changed, because it’s a lot longer than it was. I just think people understand that it’s true. I’m not pretending anything. I write what I feel. So people get that it’s real, that there’s no artifice in it. There may be a little bit of craft in it, but there’s no artifice. It’s just an expression of how I felt growing up.” You have one new song in the set, “The Ballad Of Jean Charles de Menezes”. Are there any plans for any more new songs? “I think it’s very unlikely I’ll make any other musical changes to the piece. There’s nowhere else in the piece where I feel it lurches to the halt like I explained with the guitar solo in Brick 2. The reason I wrote the little song about Jean Charles de Menezes was because his family sent his photo in. On my website, I ask people to send in photos of fallen loved ones, and that was one of the stories that was sent in. Because I’m English, I know the story about what happened at Stockwell tube that awful day. And then his family came to one of the shows, I think they came to Porto Alegre, and so I met with them there. So that was a special night with me. Because he’s up there, his picture is up there the whole time I’m singing that song and I dedicate it to him. I use that wherever we go. Normally, I try and figure out the phonetics of a short speech in the language of the country I’m going to. A number of years ago when I did my opera in Poznań, in Poland, I rather foolishly made a speech in Polish. Wow! It’s so hard to make those sounds. So whether or not I’ll attempt this in the Czech Republic and all the places we’re going to, I probably will. I’ll talk about where we must be if we give our governments, or the police of our governments too much power. The descent into tyranny is a very steep and slippery one.” When you were first touring The Wall in 1979, did you feel that the technology wasn’t able to realise your creative vision? “Yeah, the technology we worked with in 1979 was extremely problematic. The projection systems that we have now, which are all electronic, the projector is tiny, very, very powerful. In those days, we had three standard, cinema-style 35mm arc-lamp lit sprocketed projectors running off an extremely archaic system called MagLink. Didn’t even have 70mm in those days. It was very unreliable, very different to keep things in synch. So things have changed an awful lot in terms of the technology and projection, which has helped me and the other guys working on the visuals of the show hugely.” How does that work performance now? Is it challenging on stage? “The show is much bigger now than it was then. I think it is actually easier. It’s complex and there are more people involved in running the show. Obviously, if you’re focussing 35 projectors it’s different than focussing three, and so when we set the show up the last several hours of the process, Richard Turner and his team of projectionists focussing… how many projectors is it? 49? Obviously, they all have to run in synch and they’re lined up. For this new tour of Europe, we’re projecting from way further back to cut down on sightline problems that we had before. There’s a new generation of projectors coming out which we’re going to use now which means we can throw from a lot further away.” You wrote on your website that you had finished a new song for an album called Heartland. What can you tell us about it? “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything about it… When I was on the road during this last tour, I wrote one particular song that might be central to me making a new album. I really don’t want to talk much about it. I haven’t made an album since 1992, which is a long time, 20 years, and the reason I haven’t done that is not because I haven’t been writing songs it’s because I haven’t found within myself something coherent enough. Amused To Death was a very, very coherent and simple concept, and very easy to understand. Immediately you had the title, you knew what it was about. And I hadn’t found a central kernel of an idea around which to hang a new piece of work. And I think I’ve discovered that now, in this new song.” Are you sad the world hasn’t become a better place than it was when The Wall was first released? “Yes, I am. But I think it’s very easy for all of us to see the little piece of history that’s going by in real time as we live, as shorter or longer depending on your perspective than it actually is. There have been changes. I am still largely optimistic. Because it’s becoming easier and easier for us to communicate with one another across boundaries of idealogy and nationality that we human beings eventually will figure out the answers to the economic disparity that lies at the bottom of most of the fussing and fighting that goes on in the world, and that fuels the fires of both religious and political extremism. And also fiscal extremism, which prevent the majority of us from fulfilling our human potential to live good and happy lives and to bring up our children so that we by and large change the world for the better, as time unfolds. So although I would agree we’ve not made huge progress since 1979, I believe that we’ve made some, and we might be approaching a tipping point. Which way we’ll tip, of course, remains to be seen. But I think one had to at least cling to some kind of optimism. What was interesting about [Neil] Postman’s book, Amusing Ourselves To Death, which I took the title from to make my record, in the Forward he describes two bleak outlooks. One is the Orwellian outlook, the idea that we’re all taken over by the Thought Police and books are banned and burned, and the other is Huxley’s notions in Brave New World, and he sees a future which I think is much more credible than Orwell’s, where you don’t have to burn books because no one reads then anyway. They’re all too busy playing fucking video games, they’re not interested. That’s what really scares me. It’s when you see kids sitting at a table and they’re texting each other. I find it weird, but maybe that’s me being old. They are pleasured into non-existence.” You can find The Wall Europe 2013 dates here

CITY COUNCIL STICKS WITH PLASTIC BAG BAN Officials decide to encourage, educate on reusable bags The Solana Beach City Council decided Wednesday to leave its plastic bag ban alone and encourage more education about reusable bags. Councilman Thomas Campbell said he wanted to consider alternatives to a 10-cent charge that retailers pass on to consumers for each paper bag used, but the other council members said they thought the fee was an important way to encourage people to opt for reusable bags, which they said is the ultimate goal of the ordinance they passed last year. “I’m very supportive of what we’re doing,” Councilwoman Lesa Heebner said. “I’m proud of our community.” Campbell said he likes the ordinance but thinks it should be up to each store to determine what they want to charge, if anything, to recoup the costs of the paper bags. “My problem is that it’s being mandated by the city,” he said. About 20 people spoke at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, most of them in support of leaving the bag ordinance as it is. “Last year, Solana Beach became a leader in helping the environment,” said Evan Lewis, a young member of the environmental group Surfrider Foundation. “We took a step that others might follow. Why would you want to risk taking a step back?” A couple of speakers said they wanted the ordinance reconsidered, including former Mayor Celine Olson, who said she prefers plastic bags because they’re lighter and easier to use. “As an older-aged lady who can only carry lightly packed things, I can hardly do without them,” she said. Nothing was shared Wednesday about how the ban is affecting local businesses, but a representative with the California Grocers Association said retailers support the ordinance as well as the 10-cent charge, which stays with the stores. Campbell said he didn’t believe that paper bags actually cost the stores 10 cents each, and said he thought their support of the ordinance was simply to help bring in more money. The charge is intended not only to reimburse the retailers for the cost of the paper bags, which cost more than plastic ones, but also to encourage shoppers to use their own reusable bags, city officials have said. Some of the speakers at Wednesday’s meeting said they wish surrounding cities would pass similar ordinances so that Solana Beach stores wouldn’t lose business to those in neighboring cities. “It should be broader if it’s going to be really effective,” local resident Margaret Schlesinger said. Solana Beach is the only city in San Diego County to ban plastic bags. There are about 70 jurisdictions across the state that have passed similar ordinances. Most of those include charges for the use of paper bags. The Del Mar City Council has said it could consider later this year creating rules for retail uses of plastic bags. Two plastic bag bans similar to the city’s ordinance were recently introduced at the state level: Assembly Bill 158 was introduced in January and Senate Bill 405 in February. Both include fees for paper bags. Single-use plastic bags have come under fire in recent years for their adverse effects on the environment and wildlife. Connect with The San Diego Union-Tribune - - - - -

Marc Jacobs hosted the Free Arts Annual Auction on Wednesday, where his friend, artist Scott Campbell, was honored. Campbell did most of the designer’s 33 tattoos, and Jacobs says they have a collaborative relationship. “I mean, it’s always his hand, and it’s his interpretation of a subject or an image that I give him,” Jacobs told VF Daily. “But I’m very whim-oriented, when it comes to tattoos, so I’ve gone to hang out at Saved [Campbell’s tattoo studio] with Scott, and I say, ‘Oh, I really want a couch.’ And he’ll laugh, and he’ll say, ‘A couch,’ but then not even question it. But then it becomes which couch, and I have to find a reference, and he’ll interpret that reference in his style.” Although he didn’t remove his women’s Prada coat to show it off, Jacobs told us that he does have a couch tattooed on his torso. “It’s Jean-Michel Frank; it’s my favorite tattoo.” The two met years ago through Shelly Sander, a mutual friend and former fit model at Marc Jacobs. “She saw a drawing I had done of my dogs, and I said I wanted to get it tattooed on my arm,” Jacobs explained. “She gave me a gift certificate to have Scott do it for my birthday. This was a long, long, time ago, but that’s how I became part of Scott’s family, and Scott part of mine.” Meanwhile, despite giving up his creative role at Louis Vuitton, Jacobs says he will still divide his time between New York and Paris, as his eponymous label has an office there. “Not having to do the show during Paris Fashion Week certainly takes a little bit of stress away,” he said. “But there’s plenty of other work to fill in that gap, so I’m very excited about focusing on beauty, and building our brand,” Jacobs added. “And we’ve started to add more couture-y things to the collection, which we do in Paris, anyway.” For more high-profile interviews, stunning photography, and thought-provoking features, subscribe now to Vanity Fair magazine.

January 11, 2011 7:00 PM Europe’s Southern Sudanese Diaspora has headed to London to vote in Sudan’s referendum on independence. In the heart of central London southern Sudanese from around Europe have come to vote in the country’s referendum. The vote will decide if Sudan is to split in two, creating a new country for Africa. Rita , a southern Sudanese who has also been an observer here at the center in London, says it’s important for the south Sudanese diaspora to have its say. “It’s very important for us because most of us are coming from asylum seeker backgrounds or refugees," said Paulino. "Since the war finished we need to go back home and where we want to rebuild our country and make our contribution.”London is the only voting center for the whole of Europe. Yet just over 650 people registered to vote - that’s out of an estimated 10,000 in Europe. That’s in part because people were advised not to register unless they were sure they would turn up: 60 percent of registered voters had to cast their vote for the ballot to be recognized.In London, more than 60 percent flooded the voting center on the first day.Paulino says there’s another reason why so few registered. “Most of those in Europe, some of them are staying there," said Paulino. "They are illegal there so they can’t come through the borders within Europe easily so that’s why they couldn’t make it to come - that’s why most of them didn’t turn up.”But despite the low registration in Europe, southern Sudanese living in countries around the continent have come to London in order to vote. Sarah Nyachan Bayak Tutlam is from Holland and came with her father and sister. “I think this is a historical moment for all southern Sudanese, wherever they are or may be,” said Tutlam.This week’s referendum on whether the oil-rich south should gain independence from the government based in the north was central to the peace deal made in 2005. That peace agreement ended a civil war that lasted two decades and left an estimated 2 million people dead. Southern Sudanese are widely expected to vote for independence. Dutch voter Tutlam says for her the day is particularly significant.“I came to London to be able to vote for the referendum for the southern Sudanese because I was born in the war so I have been a refugee all my life," she said. "This is what I was dreaming for, that south Sudanese would get this day and I’m glad that I am a part of it and that I can vote.”London isn’t the only international voting center that’s been set up. Voting is also taking place in Australia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and the United States - the eight countries thought to have the most south Sudanese living outside the country. Around 64,000 southern Sudanese have registered - that’s out of several hundred thousand who are thought to be living abroad.

The story of Chicago’s founding as a modern American city sometimes reads like the creation myth of some bygone animist religion. We were meant to settle here, the story goes, because this is the spot where the winding Chicago River empties cleanly into the great blue expanse of Lake Michigan. This is the place where the prairie meets the water, where the water meets the prairie. Great news – especially the water part – for a booming metropolis, right? “It would seem that Chicago would have no problem,” said Northwestern University historian Carl Smith. “Twenty percent of the world’s surface water is right there. . . What more could you want?” Actually, Smith says, Chicago’s natural landscape proved a huge disadvantage to early settlers. The ground was soggy and drained poorly. The river deposited silt in the lake and made navigation around the mouth of the river nearly impossible. And crucially, the city made the grave mistake of dumping its waste and pulling its drinking water from the same source. Can you say cholera? It took an outbreak of the waterborne disease (and the surfacing of dead bodies in the shore-side cemetery) for city fathers to figure out what a bad idea this was. Smith has studied of what came next, and the resulting book, City Water, City Life (University of Chicago Press, 2013), outlines the Chicago’s early attempts to build the kind of water infrastructure needed to support the Windy City’s rapid growth. The bigger Chicago got, the more desperate its water problems became. The city had 330,000 inhabitants by 1870, and over a million just 20 years later, making it the second largest in the country and ushering in a kind of urban density the country had never known. You can’t just let people fend for themselves at that point, Smith argues – especially if you need them. “As a matter of principle you cannot deprive people of water, and [in] practice you need these people, particularly to work the jobs in the city,” he said. In the audio above, Smith explores Chicago’s first few attempts to lick this problem. It’s a shockingly juicy tale for a bit of urban planning history. My favorite part? The one where fish came right out of the taps! Dynamic Range showcases hidden gems unearthed from Chicago Amplified’s vast archive of public events and appears on weekends. Carl Smith spoke at an event presented by the Newberry in May of 2013. Click here to hear the event in its entirety. Robin Amer is a producer on WBEZ’s digital team. Follow her on Twitter @rsamer.

More than one month ago, about three feet of water filled MacArthur Elementary. School officials now know those waters gave birth to bacteria that penetrated the walls of the school. So what's the next step? Test results show bacteria, including E. Coli, are found in MacArthur Elementary. The City of Binghmaton Binghamton City School District must now figure out what to do with MacArthur school. Tuesday, board discussed test results and recommendations from the Broome County Health Department. Health officials say cleaning the walls may not be practical, cost effective or necessary. Health officials also say due to unknown variables, they cannot guarantee that all hazards are accounted for. If the school plans on rebuilding along Vestal Avenue, they will need to test the air to make sure students aren't breathing in harmful bacteria. District leaders are examining next steps for MacArthur, which range in cost from $22 million to $37 million dollars. The first option would be to build a new school at the current site on Vestal Avenue. It would be built above the 500 year flood elevation. That projected cost is between $30.58 million and $36.28 million dollars. It would take about two and a half years to build. The second option would be to build a new school at a different site. The projected cost is between $31.58 million and $37.28 million dollars. It would take just less than three years to complete. Tuesday, Steve Deinhardt, Assistant Superintendent For Administration for Binghamton City School District, says there are several alternative sites the district is considering. These sites include Franklin Elementary, Binghamton Tennis Center Property and Woodland Avenue property, among other locations. There are however, several challenges from these sites including the amount of acres and proximity to city limits. The projected cost for option three is between $22.58 million and $25.78 million. It would involve erecting permanent flood walls around the property. That's the quickest build at two years. If FEMA deems the cost of repairs excessive, then board members say the recommendation will most likely be to build a new school. Board members are weighing these options. "They [FEMA] do not want to come back to the MacArthur site and deal with the same issue again and that's true in every case where there has been flooding. They'd prefer to do any mitigation so they're not coming back to the same issues," says Deinhardt Meanwhile, parents of students from MacArthur Elementary who were relocated to St. Thomas Aquinas are getting antsy -- waiting for a long term plan. "It's too small, it's too crowded. We want to know what is really going to happen. I'm okay with this for September. But they need to make a plan, long term for us. If it's going to be 2.7 years, they need to put us into a different building that facilitates all the teachers and the children correctly," says Melissa Salas. They are still waiting for FEMA to come back with its recommendations. District Superintendent Peggy Wozniack says the reality of the situation is that kids will not be back in MacArthur Elementary by next September.

Halloween: Flying saucer in Walton yard beckons close encounters with neighbors, visitors The "flying saucer" in Tom and Michelle Ballard's yard in Walton, Ky. WALTON, Ky. – That’s no UFO in Tom and Michelle Ballard’s yard – it really is a flying saucer. When it came time to make Halloween decorations, Tom decided to outdo himself this year, his wife said. “It was all his idea,” said Michelle. “Last year he built one that crash-landed in the backyard. He got a lot of good feedback from the neighborhood. This year he wanted to ramp it up and make it fly.” That explains the flying saucer at 12186 Farmer Dr., in Walton, complete with an alien (“a costume mask”) peering out of the bubble on top. There are blinking lights on the sides (“I did the lights”), smoke (“a fogger machine”), music from a popular movie and the sound of whirring engines from a slightly less than Warp Drive propulsion system. “It’s a pulley system,” said Michelle. “Bless his heart, he tried to get it higher. It’s just very heavy and it kept falling down. We’re not engineers. It’s lower than he wanted, but at least little kids can see it.” After all, that was the whole idea. The Ballards’ subdivision, Wildcat Run, is filled with little kids, she said. “We probably handed out candy to 400 kids (on Halloween) last year,” Michelle said. The flying saucer is already getting a lot of attention. People walk by and stop. They drive up to the house and walk into the yard to get a closer look. The neighborhood dogs bark at it. “Everybody really likes it,” she said. “We fenced it all off so nobody would get hurt from the pulley system.” The pulleys are connected to the fence and trees, she said. Tom works in IT at Western & Southern Life. “He’s pretty creative,” Michelle said. The only question they get from kids is: “What is that music?” It’s the five notes the scientists use to hail the aliens in the 1977 hit movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” “A lot of kids don’t know that music and they say, ‘Can you change it?’” Michelle said. “I say, ‘No, it’s classic.” The Ballards welcome people to stop and see their flying saucer. “You get the full effect at night, after 6:30,” she said. “We keep it running a little later as it gets closer to Halloween.

Photo: iHeartRadio Zac Brown Band’s highly-anticipated album The Comeback is finally available — and frontman Zac Brown hails it “the best album that I’ve ever made.” The eight-member country band celebrated their latest album release at an exclusive iHeartRadio Album Release Party on Thursday (October 21). The exclusive event comes nearly a week after debuting The Comeback, Zac Brown Band’s latest record since The Owl in 2019. Bobby Bones hosted the party — which included a virtual audience — introducing “the definition of a superstar act.” The band opened with “Paradise Lost On Me” and transitioned into “Stubborn Pride,” both from their latest album. Zac Brown Band also launched into previously-released tracks, “Slow Burn” and “Same Boat.” Throughout the exclusive event, the band also reflected on “Love And Sunsets,” “Any Day Now,” “GA Clay” (which pays homage to their home state), “Wild Palomino” and others. Brown delved into the meaning of The Comeback’s title while speaking with Bones at the album release party (and shared behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the album). Producer and songwriter Ben Simonetti encouraged Brown to “make the best album that [he] ever made,” Brown recalled, crediting Simonetti with inspiring him to work on the album. “The time we were off, I spent a year writing songs and crafting them, and after being home for a little while… I found myself, my creativity, returned after being off for a few months,” Brown recalled. The first time he saw his band again was in the studio: “It was just so much fun, bringing all these songs to life, putting all the clothes on all of them, and I think this is the best album that I’ve ever made, start to finish. All the guys, everybody on the team just killed it.” Another person Brown credited for his work on The Comeback was award-winning singer-songwriter Luke Combs, who collaborated with Brown on “Out In The Middle” and “Old Love Song.” Now that it's out, the album serves as an overall comeback following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown has previously emphasized that the album “celebrates our collective resilience as a community,” and brings people together again through music. Photo: iHeartRadio Speaking about songwriting, Brown revealed to fans the two most difficult parts of the process: The “blank canvas, looking at that blank abyss,” and “getting every single line of the song where it’s serving the song poetically…Because sometimes, the first thing you think of is okay, and it works. But a lot of times it’s not, and when you collaborate, when you write with other people, you all sit down and agree. You have to have no ego about it, and when the best idea pops up, everyone knows it. “…It’s all about positivity, it’s all about how we can encourage each other to remain creative until we find the absolute best for that specific line,” he continued, pointing out that “Goodbye In Her Eyes” took Brown 11 years to finish writing because two lines weren’t ready yet. Still, when a song is right, the emotion hits: Brown also revealed that the song that means the most to him is “The Man Who Loves You The Most.” Brown wrote the song for his daughters, and it’s a struggle to perform live because “if I think about them, if I picture one of them when I’m singing the song, it’s over.” Even the “burliest” of men will tear up thinking of their daughters during the song, Brown observed. Bones noted that Zac Brown Band’s performance is “unparalleled” live, whether they’re playing their original material or covering songs that fans might not expect, including by Metallica and Queen. Brown said they’ve “gotta have curveballs,” so each band member picks their own song on “The Comeback Tour” to surprise the audience. The setlist changes every night, with the exception of opening with “Homegrown,” “to get the energy and the vibe right,” Brown explained. “My favorite part about performing live is getting to connect with the fans, getting to see them eye to eye,” Brown said. He continued: “Music’s so powerful, and I feel like especially these times right now, in our country where there’s so much craziness going on, that we can be united. To me, that’s the America that I know…My favorite part is that connection that I get, that energetic connection with all those people.” Photo: iHeartRadio

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has announced the start of ‘resealing season’ across the Cootamundra electorate. Members of the South West Sealing Crew, including 17 workers based at Narrandera, will be part of a workforce delivering 2.5 million square metres of much-needed sealant across south-west NSW. This area completely engulfs the Cootamundra electorate and much more besides. “This project is a phenomenal undertaking – more than 3.5 million litres of bitumen and 24,000 cubic metres of aggregate will be rolled out over the next seven months during this $22.6 million NSW Government program,” Ms Cooke said. “To put a context on those numbers, that is 85 road tankers of bitumen and 10 Olympic-size swimming pools of rocks on 300 kilometres of roads – the equivalent of 500 football fields. “That’s an incredible challenge and it’s carried out every year in spring, but it’s one that has to be undertaken: the resealing process involves resurfacing roads to protect the underlying structure and provide a safe, textured surface for motorists.” The work is expected to start this month and finish in March, mostly in rural areas, and will be short-term and have minimal impacts on road users. Line remarking will be carried out progressively. Roads and Maritime Services thanks the community for their patience while this important road improvement work is carried out. Road users on affected roads throughout resealing season will be kept up-to-date via routine traffic alerts. For the latest traffic information, visit download the live traffic app or call the Transport Management Centre on 132 701.

Neither driver was taken to the hospital from the scene, but a Google spokesperson says the driver of the Google car did end up going to the hospital with a sore neck. Google also says its self-driving car was not at fault. “Our traffic officers are extremely used to seeing these vehicles out on the road. They meet with Google regularly about incident reports and what not,” said Katie Nelson of the Mountain View Police Department to abc7 news. Google stated, “We’ve made a lot of progress with our self-driving technology over the past 6 years, and we’re still learning. Every day we head out onto public streets so we can keep challenging and refining our software on their website.”

“John Christy, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, with the weather data he recorded daily while growing up in Fresno, Calif., in the 1960s.” Source of caption and photo: online version of the NYT article quoted and cited below. (p. A14) “I detest words like ‘contrarian’ and ‘denier,’ ” he said. “I’m a data-driven climate scientist. Every time I hear that phrase, ‘The science is settled,’ I say I can easily demonstrate that that is false, because this is the climate — right here. The science is not settled.” Dr. Christy was pointing to a chart comparing seven computer projections of global atmospheric temperatures based on measurements taken by satellites and weather balloons. The projections traced a sharp upward slope; the actual measurements, however, ticked up only slightly. Such charts — there are others, sometimes less dramatic but more or less accepted by the large majority of climate scientists — are the essence of the divide between that group on one side and Dr. Christy and a handful of other respected scientists on the other. “Almost anyone would say the temperature rise seen over the last 35 years is less than the latest round of models suggests should have happened,” said Carl Mears, the senior research scientist at Remote Sensing Systems, a California firm that analyzes satellite climate readings. “Where the disagreement comes is that Dr. Christy says the climate models are worthless and that there must be something wrong with the basic model, whereas there are actually a lot of other possibilities,” Dr. Mears said. Among them, he said, are natural variations in the climate and rising trade winds that have helped funnel atmospheric heat into the ocean. . . . . . . , Dr. Christy argues that reining in carbon emissions is both futile and unnecessary, and that money is better spent adapting to what he says will be moderately higher temperatures. . . . . . . while his work has been widely published, he has often been vilified by his peers. . . . He says he worries that his climate stances are affecting his chances of publishing future research and winning grants. The largest of them, a four-year Department of Energy stipend to investigate discrepancies between climate models and real-world data, expires in September. “There’s a climate establishment,” Dr. Christy said. “And I’m not in it.” For the full story, see: MICHAEL WINES. “Though Scorned by Colleagues, a Climate-Change Skeptic Is Unbowed.” The New York Times (Weds., JULY 16, 2014): A14. (Note: ellipses added.) (Note: the online version of the story has the date JULY 15, 2014.)

A high-performance rugby facility will be developed in Ireland as the nation’s governing body for the sport ramps up its bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) is preparing to invest €2m (£1.8m) in the facility, which will include a gym, a covered half-pitch training facility and three full-sized outdoor rugby pitches. It will be part of Sport Ireland’s National Indoor Arena, located on the National Sports Campus in Abbottstown, and will be used by all of Ireland’s international men’s and women’s teams. Shane Ross, minister for transport, tourism and sport, unveiled the project, which is expected to be completed by 2019 to “further support Ireland’s bid” to host the Rugby World Cup four years later. IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said the centre – the first-ever central training base for Irish rugby – would be a “significant leap forward” for the sport. ,” he added. First published, written by Matthew Campelli 14 Jul 2017

Newcastle Permanent responds to music industry’s call with ‘music on hold’ track Customer-owned financial institution Newcastle Permanent is the latest in the corporate world to go local in its choice of ‘on hold’ music. The call in August by the music industry – spearheaded by entertainment industry publicist Karen Eck after she was put on hold by Qantas for over seven hours – was endorsed by APRA AMCOS and a number of artists. While many businesses increased their quota of Australian tracks, Newcastle Permanent took it a step further. It reached out to its long-time Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation partner, NSW Central Coast-based Musicians Making A Difference (MMAD), which was set up to change vulnerable young lives through music, dance and mentoring. The idea, said chief customer and product officer James Cudmore, was to pick a track by an artist who was being mentored by MMAD. It was part of the institution’s strategy “to support and make a difference for our customers and our local communities each day”, he said. “These are challenging times, and when we heard the music industry’s call, we joined the dots and wanted to be involved.” MMAD co-founder and CEO Dominic Brook loved the way the idea was out-of-the-box. “It was a unique way to promote our local music.” A number of tracks were considered but the final cut went to ‘For The First Time’, written and performed by local teen singer songwriter Fletcher Pilon. As a 14-year old he won 2016’s Australia’s Got Talent with a song he wrote for his brother Banjo who died after being struck by a car while out skateboarding. The track was produced by a group of young artists brought together through MMAD and Universal Music Australia. Newcastle Permanent will pick up all music licensing fees for the track, and all revenue generated goes to MMAD’s programs. An earlier $50,000 grant from Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation allowed MMAD to set up its online youth centre Access All Areas to help young creatives sharpen their skills. The Foundation also funded MMAD’s podcast last year, Music Saved Me, which featured Conrad Sewell, Paul Dempsey, L-Fresh the Lion, GRAACE, Mitch Tambo and MMAD alumni on coping with dark periods in their lives.

Editorial credit: Konektus Photo / Shutterstock.com Uber announced that Pradeep Parameswaran, who oversaw the company’s business in India and South Asia, will now serve as the new Regional General Manager for its Asia-Pacific region. He will step into the role, which has been vacant since 2019, next week. The company is currently searching for a candidate to fill Parameswaran’s former position. In his new role, Parameswaran will oversee Uber’s ride-hailing business in the Asia-Pacific region which includes India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. He will not manage Uber Eats, the company’s food delivery service, in the Asia-Pacific region, according to TechCrunch. Parameswaran initially joined Uber in 2017 and was promoted to lead the company’s efforts in India and South Asia in 2018. Before Uber, he spent two years at the head of an Indian cable service provider and 13 years as a partner at McKinsey & Company. In a statement provided to TechCrunch, SVP of Mobility and Business Operations Andrew Macdonald said, .” Parameswaran stated, “There is huge potential to serve more Uber customers and continue innovating across the diverse region, whether that be taxi partnerships in North Asia, new products like Uber Rent in Australia or pushing two and three-wheelers deep into the Indian heartland.” Parameswaran will likely play a large role in the company’s push to be profitable by the end of 2021, as the company looks to Asia for growth. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has called Uber’s expansion in Japan and South Korea near-term priorities and the company is creating a new APAC headquarters, reportedly in Hong Kong. -- Is your org chart up to date? Visit The Org to show off your team to the world and attract new talent!

Godfrey Santos Plata is the first out gay immigrant ever to run for California State Assembly for Assembly District 53. Plata is running against six-year incumbent Miguel Santiago and although he is unlikely to win against Santiago his campaign produced the most competitive race for Assembly District 53 in eight years. Plata would’ve been the first out gay immigrant and the only renter among the 80 elected officials to hold a seat in the California State Assembly. Despite the odds against Plata, a progressive running from the left of Santiago, the tight race shows that incumbents like Santiago are vulnerable to the progressive wave sweeping across the nation. For many of the people in Assembly District 53, Plata’s candidacy was a fresh start from their incumbent. Plata ran a grassroots, renter-focused campaign from his Koreatown apartment with less than one-fifth of Santiago’s funding. He and his volunteers engaged deeply with the community, knocking on doors from 2019 to the start of the pandemic shutdown, and spending hours phone and text banking once the pandemic started. His mission to seek justice for constituents underrepresented in policy-making — renters, workers, immigrants, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and LGBTQ communities — across sectors like public education, the criminal legal system, housing, and labor, resonated deeply with almost 40,000 community members and counting. “Historically, the 53rd district has the fourth-lowest voter turnout in the state, and today was the closest race the district has seen since before 2012. By engaging with residents one-on-one, we’ve been able to build community members’ expectations for their State Assembly. Though this election cycle might’ve not been a victory for us, our community is getting smarter about the specific powers of state legislators and are raising the bar for the types of leaders they want representing them,” said Plata. Plata and his volunteers celebrate their work and grassroots effort, knowing well that they’ve made significant long-term strides in progressive politics. In a debrief to his campaign team, Plata offered himself as a resource for those who are thinking about running for office or plan to organize in the future, hoping to share his lessons learned from his own campaign. “Godfrey and the team are people who have been doing work to benefit the community before this election. Godfrey’s commitment to his students, being a renter, and his understanding of the major issues that affect tenants was a reason why I decided to volunteer. We need people who care and have lived experiences like ours, and Godfrey is someone who could represent the working-class and tenants of all backgrounds,” said Jacqueline Hernandez, a volunteer from Plata’s campaign. Plata was endorsed by Run for Something, Sunrise Movement LA, Our Revolution LA, LA Podcast, Health Care for All – Los Angeles Chapter, and Samahang Pilipino, just to name a few.

Youth Friendly Community TOWN OF MINTO — The Town of Minto has received gold status as a Youth Friendly Community from Play Works, a group of provincially recognized youth organizations that work together to encourage communities to open doors and reinvest in youth play. Minto submitted documentation for nine of the 10 criteria. Of those, the documentation for all nine were deemed to meet the criteria and Minto was designated as a Gold Youth Friendly Community. The Town of Minto was recognized for outstanding commitment to providing youth with opportunities to be active contributors to their community through key criteria, including: — Youth have options for play; — Youth are formally connected community-wide; — Youth can find information about play activities in the community; — The community recognizes and celebrates youth; — The community formally commits funding for youth play; — The community supports positive youth development; — Youth feel valued by their community; — Schools and school boards support the youth friendly approach; — Play is socially inclusive. “We are very excited about this formal recognition as it reflects how the community values our youth,” said Taylor Keunen, the Town of Minto’s economic development assistant and Minto Youth Action Council adult ally. “We had an overwhelming amount of support from youth, community groups and elected officials who contributed as co-applicants and provided letters of support. We are very proud of this accomplishment, yet we are aware that there is always room for growth and improvement." If anyone would like to learn more about what becoming a Youth Friendly Community entails, visit playworkspartnership.ca. On Thursday, April 12, the town will be officially presented with the award at the Youth Friendly Community recognition reception, ceremony and gala banquet in The Blue Mountains.

Padma Shree Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Bagai Chairman Nephron clinics Vice chairman & director - dean Manipal hospital dwarka Dr. Anil P Bankar Assistant Professor College of Allied Health Sciences, Gulf Medical University Anjali Mukerjee Nutritionist, Researcher, Columnist, Author, and Founder Director Health Total Ariz Rizvi President Apollo Life Ayse Basak Cinar Research Fellow and Health Coach The University of Dundee and NHS Tayside Bejon Kumar Misra Founder Partnership of Safe Medicines India Initiative Dr. Clive Fernandes Group's Clinical Director Wockhardt Group of Hospitals & Consultant JCI (Joint Commission International) Cenk Tezcan, MD, MBA Co - Founder BeWell, B-Wise and B-Engaged Deirdre Stewart RGN, RPN, MSc Dip HCI Sr. Director and Chief Nursing Officer Cerner Middle East FZ-LLC Faisal Abdul Latif Alnasir MBBch, FPC, MICGP, FRCGP, FFPH, PhD. Professor of Family Medicine, Chairman Home Health Care Centre Dr. Hibah Shata, BDS,MSc,FDSRCSI Managing Director and Co-Founder Child Early Intervention Medical Center, FZ LLC Kawthar Makahlah Founder & CEO Bci Group Of Investment Companies Kuldeep Singh Rajput Founder & CEO Biofourmis Laila Al Jassmi Founder & CEO Health Beyond Borders Michael Koss CEO and Co-Founder Global Patient Portal Michael Pomerance Managing Director, Middle East and Africa Cerner Corporation Norina Sookmoulla Managing Director Noripharm and Noorpharma Pawan Datta Head & VP Quality Max Healthcare Dr. Prem Jagyasi MD & CEO Dr. Prem And Associates Dr. Rajiv Bhattacharya CEO Asian Bariatrics Dr. Sanjay Agrawal Chief Operating Officer ICARE (Landmark Group), Dubai Sasa Bozic Executive Wellness Coach / Marketing Specialist / Owner Sasa Consulting Shamima Patel Teeluck President Breast Cancer Care Dr. Shyam Sunder Tipparaju Medical Director Thumbay hospitals Hyderabad Dr. Tarang Gianchandani Chief Executive Officer Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre Teressa Siu Founder, TV Host, International Wellness Speaker, Media Health Advocate Award-Winning Journalist, Holistic Wellness Consultant, Yoga Teacher & Raw Food Chef Adjunct University Lecturer Vishal Rajgarhia Director Finecure Pharmaceuticals Waseem Hamad General Manager Qlife Pharma

Robots invade foodie San Francisco, promising low prices, tasty meals and cheap labor SAN FRANCISCO — The lunchtime line is out the door at Creator, a recent addition to this city’s hip downtown foodie scene. But the chef here has no Michelin stars, no attitude and no heart. Because the chef is a robot. Steak, tomatoes, onions, buns and condiments get loaded into an ingenious machine, and a freshly ground, gourmet hamburger rolls out. “And it’s only $6,” says Creator founder, Alex Vardakostas, 34, who started flipping patties at his parent’s Southern California burger joint A's Burgers at age 9 and figured he could find a better way to make this American classic. “For the price of a Big Mac, you’re getting organic ingredients and a perfect hamburger, every time.” Creator is a novelty to be sure, but it also is a harbinger of a robotic invasion that brings with it big questions about the future of food, employment and social interactions. Not surprisingly, the Bay Area is proving to be both ground zero and test market for the march of artificial intelligence into the culinary world. Chalk that up to a variety of factors, including the prevalence of venture capitalists looking for the next tech breakthrough, a ready pool of voracious if time-crunched millennials, and a food-worker labor shortage that has forced a number of restaurants to close. “It’s a real struggle, look at employment listings in the food industry here and you’ll see job availability at everything from top-rated restaurants to coffee shops,” says Gwyneth Borden, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, whose upcoming conference will include a session called “Robot Revolution: Are Robots the New Tool for Scaling?” “In any cities where the cost of living is going up, this is an issue,” says Borden. “That’s causing food business owners to get creative to hire people, whether that’s by looking at hiring the homeless or former convicts, or by offering workers gym memberships.” Or by bringing in robots. It's a shift is happening across the U.S. and the world. In Boston, customers at Spyce get served up health food bowls by an automated machine. In Brooklyn, BigEve Sushi has robots doing the rolling. Brussels-based Alberts is peddling its Smoothie Stations across that country. And the scientists at British-based Moley are working on a robot that will take over all chores in your home kitchen. San Francisco has fast become an epicenter of this automated trend. Beyond the burger robot at Creator, there’s the dancing coffee shop robot at Café X, Sally the salad making robot at an undisclosed tech company cafeteria, and the fresh baguettes pumped out by the Le Bread Xpress robot at a local mall. Then add in the fresh smoothie robot at Blendid on the campus of the University of San Francisco, and Zume pizza in Silicon Valley, where employees share duties with robots. Robots = low cost, better food The entrepreneurs behind these ventures all lay out the same rationale for pushing a robotized food future. They say that robots do monotonous, repetitive-stress jobs exceedingly well, which leaves humans to serve in more high-touch roles such as advising customers on menu selection. Robots happily work 24/7, allowing for access to more high-quality foods in environments where traditional food services close, such as hospitals and universities. And at popular restaurants robots quickly pay for themselves, allowing owners to put more money into ingredients while keeping prices down. “By eliminating the barista pushing buttons on a coffee machine, we can provide a very high-quality drink quickly at a lower price,” says Henry Hu, who came up with the idea for Café X five years ago while in college and now has three locations with another one coming to San Francisco’s airport. There’s little doubt about Café X’s target demographic. Step into one of their shops and you’re greeted with a modernist décor, thumping music and a robotic arm that dances. Customers invariably walk in and pull out their cell phones for photos and videos. “More than half of our customers are repeat, and our sales have doubled every year,” says Hu, who, in a familiar debate for robot food purveyors, is still deciding whether to own and operate his growing stable of robots or license the technology. “I think the future will be a mix of robot foods and places where you have personal experiences.” Food writer Eve Turow Paul, whose forthcoming book “Hungry” tackles the future of food, says the potential upside of robots in the culinary world is “the democratizing of good food.” Given the hectic all-hours pace of today’s work life, “there is going to be less and less time in the day to eat well,” says Paul, who is also the author of “A Taste of Generation Yum” about millennials and food. “So if there’s a meal that is transparent, of high quality, fast and affordable, why wouldn’t people try it?” Beware the pitfalls of robot chefs But Paul also warns of potential pitfalls to an AI-powered foodie future. These include “huge displacements of food workers over the next 10 years, or less,” says Paul. “No one will be flipping burgers anymore.” Those most impacted will be workers on the low end of the pay scale, small salaries that ultimately will be made expensive when compared to robot overhead. According to a recent study by the McKinsey Global Institute, of the 73 million U.S. jobs that will be lost to automation by 2030, those most susceptible are physical ones in predictable environments. Those include workers who operate machinery, prepare fast food, collect and process data. About half of workers who make minimum wage, which is typical in food services, are under age 25, according to a 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics report on low-income workers. Once robots are implemented in eateries, Paul is concerned that big fast food chains may just opt to put savings generated from employee cuts into their coffers and not into higher quality ingredients. Another big by-product could be simply losing touch with the very meaning of a meal, she says. “Having a sensorial communitarian experience is a reason to go to a nice restaurant,” says Paul. “When there’s a robot making that food, you’re forgoing a certain sense of intimacy with another human being.” Benoit Herve knows all about the dining ritual as a Frenchman coming from a family of bakers. And yet in his thinking, creating a stand-alone machine that can deliver hot baguettes is not sacrificing any gourmet experience and, instead, allows the masses to experience what he grew up with as a kid. “Le Bread Express is not a vending machine, let us be clear,” the former tech worker says in his accented English. "We load half-baked loaves into the machine so that it can create something true and fresh for you for $4 in minutes. We keep the quality of a real French baguette and use technology to bring it to you.” Herve’s lone kiosk is currently in a Bay Area mall, which he says is not the ideal location. Instead, he’s in negotiations with a range of area universities and hospitals, places where something fresh at all hours might be more appreciated. That’s the identical mission of Blendid CEO Vipin Jain, a machine learning expert whose last venture was bought by Barnes & Noble. Although Blendid’s lone smoothie making machine now is in a university setting, he’s looking for more high-traffic locations where people might want access to a robot that can whip up exotic organic drinks with fresh coconut water, flax and ginger. Jain says the robot’s ability to expertly dispense precise amounts of aromatic ingredients guarantee a perfect concoction at a “reasonable” average price of $6 a drink. And, like many of his inventor peers, he says that what is lost in low-wage jobs is replaced by more specialized employment opportunities. “This is a debate that’s been going on since the Industrial Revolution, and we as a society have to create jobs in a different, higher quality,” he says. “We need people to design, manufacture, install, service and monitor these robots. We are creating 21st century jobs.” Machine skills expand exponentially But humans will need to stay one step ahead of a robot's growing skill set. Experts in this field say that eventually the jobs being assigned to robots are bound to get even more complex. For example, Sally the salad making robot, which is built by Deepak Sekar’s whimsically named company Chowbotics, does a great job assembling and mixing a salad based on ingredients pre-loaded by a chef. “What is very difficult for a robot to do is prepare those ingredients, chopping and dicing and slicing, it’s one of the hardest things to automate,” says Sekar. At present, Sally is working inside the cafeteria of an undisclosed tech company, where, he says, it allows employees working late to “enjoy the same quality salad they might get from the chef during the day.” Sekar and his team are continually tweaking Sally’s algorithms and robotic chops, and have given it the ability to make a variety of Indian and Chinese bowl meals. “Getting robots to work flawlessly across hundreds of locations is not easy,” he says. “But this is coming, and it’s going to change restaurants.” Tech has already changed up the popular notion of what a burger restaurant can be. The McDonald’s model, which in a way was the first mechanized approach to burger-making with humans filling the roles of robots, has given way in this century to more hand-crafted burger places such as Shake Shack. But that’s now under threat by Creator, whose riveting robot has commanded the attention of legions since it’s unveiling here last fall. Robots can create a 'utopian world' There are occasional failures — one of the two Creator burger machines conked out during a recent visit, causing lines of an hour which did not thin — but mostly founder Vardakostas is bullish on the future. “I like to think we’re creating a more creative world, a more utopian world,” he says. "Creator is automating a major segment of food for the first time, one where you get high-quality ingredients often from local suppliers, you’re getting big chefs who have offered to program our machines to make their favorite burgers, and you’re getting it at a good price.” As Vardakostas tells it, his obsession with this idea was born while “flipping about 300,000 burgers” for his parents at their Dana Point, California, eatery. In college, he majored in physics and started to think about how robots could be made to automate, to perfection, the tedious jobs of slicing a bun, tomatoes and onion, and doling out precise amounts of seasoning. One Creator burger favorite, called The Recreator, calls for exactly 1 gram of habanero sea salt. “Any more, and it would ruin the burger, but the robot gets it right,” he says. Vardakostas saddled himself with one particularly challenging mission: ensuring that the robot could not only grind fresh beef for each patty on demand, but deliver the strands of beef to the griddle vertically as opposed to in a smashed patty, to better preserve flavor. All told, nine years and many fitful engineering team sessions went into building Creator’s burger-making beast. Once it was ready for prime time, Vardakostas, backed by unnamed venture funds, took a chance on a space not far from the team’s robot lab. Customers almost immediately flooded in to see his creation — with its 350 sensors and powered by 20 computers — make them lunch. As he watches diners eat their burgers on a recent day, Vadakostas smiles and shakes his head. It’s as if he knows what he’s seeing is a dream come true, but one that, he admits, has nightmarish possibilities. “Creators of new technologies need to also be good shepherds of that technology,” he says. “You need to make careful choices, because this all can be abused. All I can say is, we have created a machine designed for a world that we who work here all want to live in.” This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robots invade foodie San Francisco, promising low prices, tasty meals and cheap labor

UN chief reiterates global ceasefire appeal as world fights COVID-19 United Nations, April 4 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said the international community should focus only on the battle against its common enemy of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is sweeping the entire world and bringing tremendous socio-economic impacts. “The global ceasefire appeal is resonating across the world,” Guterres said at a virtual press briefing, Xinhua reported. Ten days ago, the UN chief had called for an immediate ceasefire “in all corners of the globe” to reinforce diplomatic action, help create conditions for the delivery of lifesaving aid, and bring hope to places that are among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic is having profound social, economic and political consequences, including relating to international peace and security,” he said at the briefing. “There should be only one fight in our world today: our shared battle against COVID-19.” According to the UN chief, his global ceasefire appeal has been endorsed by “an ever-growing number of member states, some 70 so far, regional partners, non-state actors, civil society networks and organizations, and all UN messengers of peace and advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals.” “Religious leaders… have added their moral voice in support of a global ceasefire, as have citizens through grassroots mobilization online,” the UN chief added. “A substantial number of parties to conflict have expressed their acceptance for the call,” he noted. In the meantime, the UN chief pointed out that “there is a huge distance between declarations and deeds — between translating words into peace on the ground and in the lives of people.” “There are enormous difficulties to implementation as conflicts have festered for years, distrust is deep, with many spoilers and many suspicions,” he said. “In many of the most critical situations, we have seen no let-up in fighting — and some conflicts have even intensified.” The secretary-general, therefore, called for “robust diplomatic efforts to meet these challenges.” “To silence the guns, we must raise the voices for peace,” said Guterres. Talking about the “intense diplomatic push,” he cited a number of examples to illustrate his point. “In Yemen, despite expressed support for a ceasefire by the government, Ansar Allah and many other parties — including the Joint Forces Command — the conflict has spiked,” he said, adding that his special envoy for Yemen “is working on preparations to convene the parties to discuss COVID-19 crisis management and a nationwide ceasefire mechanism.” In Syria, where the first COVID-19 related deaths have now been reported, Guterres said his special envoy appealed for a “complete and immediate” nationwide ceasefire in the country to allow for an all-out-effort against COVID-19. “The Idlib ceasefire previously negotiated by Turkey and the Russian Federation is holding,” he said. “But it is essential that a permanent nationwide ceasefire take effect to allow for expansions in humanitarian access to all those suffering for the last decade.” Guterres also talked about the development regarding his ceasefire appeal in Libya and Afghanistan. “I call on all those that can make a difference to make that difference: to urge and pressure combatants around the world to put down their arms,” he said. –IANS pgh/

by Autocar Pro News Desk , 21 Sep 2020 Tier 1 supplier Anand Group has announced significant governance and key management restructuring for corporate governance and succession planning. The Group Supervisory Board has ratified and approved the appointments after thorough deliberations and reviews conducted over the past one year. These changes and appointments will come into effect from January 15, 2021, a year in which the group will celebrate its diamond Jubilee. Anand Group was founded in 1961, at present constitutes 19 companies, 12 joint ventures, 7 technical collaborations employing over 14,000 people across 59 locations in India with a turnover of approximately Rs 10,000 crore (US$1.3 billion). Anjali Singh, executive chairperson of the group, and its Group Supervisory Board, will be appointed chairperson of a re-constituted Anand Executive Board. Additionally, she will also take over as chairperson of Spicer India, a JV between Anand and Dana Inc, USA. She will continue to serve as executive chairperson of the group’s flagship company, Gabriel India, a leader in ride-control systems. As part of the new structure, two group co-chief operating officers, the group’s CFO, the group’s CTO and the group’s chief human resource officer will report directly to her. She will continue in her role as a member of the executive committee of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), and co-chairperson of the Northern Region, as well as chairperson of Pillar 4 Strategic Partnerships. Mrs Singh will also continue on the Confederation of Indian Industry’s International Council for 2020-2021. Jaisal Singh, director, Group Supervisory Board, will, in addition, be appointed vice-chairman of a re-constituted Anand Executive Board. Jaisal will also be appointed co-chairman of Mando Automotive India, the JV between Anand and Mando Corporation, part of the Halla Group, Republic of Korea. Further to this, the group’s chief compliance officer will report directly to him, and Jaisal will also chair the group’s Strategic Growth Council, including mergers and acquisitions. He will be appointed chairman of Sujan Enterprises, and continue in his elected role as VP, Member of the Executive Committee, and Board of Directors of Relais & Chateaux. He will also continue as a Member of the Government of Rajasthan’s Standing Committee for Wildlife as well as the State Board for Wildlife, chaired by the chief minister of Rajasthan. Deepak Chopra, the group CEO for 11 years, and a sterling 44-year career at Anand, will retire from his role on January 15, 2021. Chopra will join the Group Supervisory Board, and will chair the Board’s Operations Committee, as well as serve as a member of the Personnel Committee. He will also have an advisory role in partnership relations and legal affairs. Further to this, he will be appointed co-chairman Joyson Anand Abhishek Safety Systems, the JV with Joyson Safety Systems, USA. In addition, he will chair the group’s Ethics Committee. He will have a role of mentoring certain key management and shall also oversee the group’s philanthropic wing, the SNS Foundation. Mahendra K Goyal, the group president, will assume charge as one of two co-COO of the group, and as a member of the re-constituted Anand Executive Board. He will continue as MD, Spicer India; and will be directly responsible and accountable to the Anand Executive Board for the following group companies: Mando Automotive India, Spicer India, Anand iPower, Mahle Anand Filter Systems and Mahle Anand Thermal Systems, Anand’s joint venture companies with MAHLE, Germany. In addition, he will continue to be responsible and accountable for the group’s aftermarket. Manoj Kolhatkar, the group president, will assume charge as one of two co-COO of the group, and as a member of the re-constituted Anand Executive Board. He shall continue as MD of the group’s flagship, Gabriel India; and will be directly responsible and accountable to the Anand Executive Board for the following group companies: Gabriel India, Faurecia Clean Mobility - a JV between Anand and Faurecia Clean Mobility France, Valeo Friction Materials India - Anand’s joint venture with Valeo France, both joint venture companies with CY Myutec, Korea namely Anand CY Myutec Automotive and CY Myutec Anand, as well as Anchemco and Ansysco. In addition, he will continue to head business development, and materials for the group. Jagdish Kumar, group president, shall continue in his role as the group’s CFO and will be a member of the re-constituted Anand Executive Board. He will remain chairman of Henkel Anand India, a joint venture between Anand and Henkel, Germany, as well as a director of Joyson Anand Abhishek Safety Systems. Kumar will be responsible and accountable to the Anand Executive Board for both these companies. Group Legal, Corporate Strategy, IT, as well as Corporate Communications shall report to him, who will also continue in his position as MD of Anand Automotive. Sunil Kaul, group president, will be appointed the group’s CTO, and a member of the re-constituted Anand Executive Board. He shall continue as chairman of the Board of Haldex India, the JV between Anand and Haldex, Sweden, for which he will be responsible and accountable to the Anand Executive Board. Kaul will also be responsible for the group’s Emerging Automotive Technology, start-ups, and the Excellence-in-Manufacturing, Innovation, Quality Culture, and Sustainability initiatives. S Sarathi, group president, will be appointed chief compliance officer, and a member of the re-constituted Anand Executive Board. He will continue as joint MD of Mando Automotive India. As part of the new matrix structure within the Anand Executive Board, he will be responsible for two group companies: Faurecia Clean Mobility and Valeo Friction Materials India to support the respective Group co-COO in charge of those companies. For his role as the group’s chief compliance officer, he will report directly to Jaisal Singh, vice-chairman, Anand Executive Board. Sumit Bhatnagar, group president, will be redesignated the group’s chief human resource officer and will be a member of the re-constituted Anand Executive Board. He will continue to head the group’s internal university, Anand U. As part of the new matrix structure within the Anand Executive Board he will be responsible for three group companies, Mahle Anand Thermal Systems, Anand Cy Myutec Automotive, and CY Myutec Anand to support the respective group co-COO in charge of those companies. In his role as chief human resource officer, as well as for his role as the corporate head of Infrastructure, he will report directly to Anjali Singh, executive chairperson of the group. In its note the Anand Group thanks Aditya Narayan for his contribution and wishes him all the best for future, who will retire from the Group Supervisory Board. Also read: Interview with Anjali Singh: ‘For Anand Group, collaboration is simply a way of life. If you are firm and persuasive, you can really get very...

Kellogg's "difficult" cut-backs Project K: Kellogg chomps 7% of global workforce The cost-cutting scheme, dubbed Project K by the firm, will look to optimize supply-chain infrastructure, consolidate common processes or business services across multiple regions and functions and create a new global focus on categories including the continuation of a process designed to create a regional, category-based model. “The likely outcome of this global initiative is that by the end of 2017, we estimate that Kellogg's will have approximately 7% fewer employees worldwide than we do today,” Kris Charles, Kellogg Company spokesperson, told BakeryandSnacks.com. Kellogg announced the scheme in its third quarter (Q3) earnings call, in which net sales for the Q3 2013 were reported as $3.7 billion, flatlining compared to Q3 2012. Where will the axe fall? According to the data firm FactSet, Kellogg has 31,000 employees suggesting these cut backs would constitute approximately 2,170 job losses. The company declined to disclose any further specifics of where these cuts would fall within the company saying, “this isn’t a one-size-fits-all initiative”. Charles said that each of the company’s geographic regions and functions will implement the initiatives that make the most sense to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. “As you would expect from Kellogg, we’ll help our impacted people through these transitions,” she added. In the earnings conference call John Bryant, Kellogg Company’s president and chief executive officer, said: “This is a difficult process, but Project K is a pragmatic program designed to be a catalyst for future growth, and it's the right thing to do for the company over the long term.” Making savings The company said that pre-tax savings are expected to reach an annual run-rate of between $425 million and $475 million by 2018. “Through Project K we will identify significant cost savings, which we will invest in increased brand building to stabilize our core cereal business in key developed markets, as well as in emerging markets and capabilities. We will continue to invest in growth in 2015 and invest to accelerate growth in 2016 and beyond,” Charles said. Bryant said that Project K is the natural next step in the evolution of the company. “We remain focused on four key areas: Cereal, snacks, frozen foods, and emerging markets. And these areas will receive even more attention as a result of Project K.” Byrant said that the company remains committed to driving long-term growth within its core cereal businesses and is looking to become a global player in snacks, citing the recent acquisition of Pringles as evidence of this transition. Why Kellogg why? Posted by John Simons, Report abuse

Yamination Studios founder Drew Roper has backed calls for Channel 4 to move to Birmingham The award-winning Digbeth -based animator says it would be a good fit for the broadcaster and city to be united in the heart of the country. Now 30, the stop-motion specialist says he would love Channel 4 to drop into his ‘Plasticine palace’ to see how the two companies could work together. Drew founded Yamination in 2009 and has since immersed himself in a wide variety of animation style while working on everything from shorts to pilots, TV ads and promos for companies from Sky Arts to Coca-Cola, Cravendale and CITV. A recent short-film called At-Issue features a mixture of stop-motion, 2D and computer-generated animation. His dream is to make a full length feature within a decade and to inspire the next generation animators to do for Digbeth what Disney did for Hollywood. Drew says: “Channel 4 coming to Birmingham would be incredibly exciting. “It’s a very creative, cultural media arts city. “It’s nice to think the city can be taken seriously for media, for film, for broadcasting. “There’s a potential possibility that something big could be happening again soon. “I think it’s the perfect location for (Channel 4), strategically it’s in the middle of the country. “It’s great for the Midlands, it’s great for other regions as well because they haven’t got as far to travel. “Instead of heading down to London, it’s half the distance. “With all the buzz and excitement of HS2 , it’s going to be quicker to get to as well.” . In 2014, Drew met girlfriend Juliet Carmen Teksnes, a London fashion designer who has been working to promote other local ventures in the Digbeth area. Drew added: “I just think it’s the perfect fit for Channel 4 to be here when its target audience is here in the middle of who watches them. “The researchers wouldn’t have to go far to get the answers for their new shows. “Hopefully we can cut out the middleman because we’d be on their doorstep they can come straight to us. “We’d certainly welcome that at Plasticine place here. “We’d love to show them round what we do and how we do it and see if we can work with them. “I just think it would be great with the job aspect of local, regional people who maybe missed out once because of the big move of other broadcasters (ITV and BBC out of the Midlands). “Maybe they can get a bit more training for local and regional people which would be great for our studio as well.”

Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson: Saving Salmon Isn't Going To Be Easy U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson is getting pushback for his $33.5 billion proposal to remove four dams on the Lower Snake River. The attempt to restore salmon populations would dismantle an intricate economic infrastructure. But Simpson sees no other options. It’s no easy fix — from water for agriculture to hydroelectric power to shipping, the dams support a network of diverse industries. But Simpson said in a video released over the weekend, dam removal is the only way to try to save these salmon from extinction. “In the end, we realized there is no viable path that can allow us to keep the dams in place,” he said. Over the last three years, he and his team held 300 meetings with stakeholders, including tribes, agriculture and power representatives, and lawmakers. But he’s still getting pushback. Among his opponents is fellow Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington). In a statement, she called the proposal a “drastic, fiscally irresponsible leap to take.” Simpson proposes giving money to support industries who depend on these dams once they’re breached. The idea is to help pivot to alternatives during the time of transition. Justin Hayes, the director of the Idaho Conservation League, supports Simpon’s plan. “This is the start of the Northwest finding a way to work together to restore salmon and provide for other important economies and communities,” he said. The proposal will also work to establish Tribal governments and states as managers of salmon fisheries, fulfilling a past broken treaty promise. Simpson says there’s no legislation yet and a concept like this will need stakeholders working together to draft a solution.

Nigeria : Government Launches Digital Currency - By Eldickson Agbortogo - 26 oct. 2021 11:04 - 0 Likes The eNaira expected to boost the economy will be backed by the country’s Central Bank. Nigeria has become the latest country to launch a digital currency backed by its central bank with the aim of improving its payments system. Since yesterday, October 25, 2021 residents of Africa’s most populated country are able to make payments using the eNaira, a digital compliment to the country’s physical currency. The eNaira will be backed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and “marks a major step forward in the evolution of money,” government said in a communique that also named Barbados-based Bitt Inc as a technical partner in the development of the digital innovation. To the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, “the eNaira would operate as a wallet against which customers can hold existing funds in their bank account.” Reuters has quoted the Nigerian government as saying the launch of eNaira which has been hailed as a major financial stride comes after, “a culmination of several years of research work by the Central Bank of Nigeria in advancing the boundaries of payments system in order to make financial transactions easier and seamless for every strata of the society.” The move comes as countries worldwide mull the introduction of digital currencies backed by central banks (CBDCs) which capitalize on the popularity of crypto by offering cheap and ultra-fast payments infrastructure. The progress of the eNaira will likely be watched with interest by central banks in both the UK and the European Union. Both the Bank of England and European Central Bank have announced research into issuing a digital currency with the EU claiming that an e-euro could be operational by 2025. In April the Bank of England and HM Treasury announced the creation of a join Taskforce to coordinate research into a UK CBDC which is ongoing. The People’s Bank of China is a front runner in the field and has already issued a digital version of the yuan. Since the launch of the e-yuan Beijing has accelerated its crackdowns on crypto payments.

Contents - 1 Why do people hunt elephants? - 2 Is it legal to shoot elephants? - 3 When did hunting elephants become illegal? - 4 Why is elephant hunting bad? - 5 Will elephant die without tusk? - 6 Why elephants are killed in Kerala? - 7 Why do humans kill elephants for their tusks? - 8 How much does it cost to kill an elephant? - 9 Are elephants afraid of mice? - 10 Do humans eat elephants? - 11 Do elephant tusks grow back? - 12 How many elephants are left in the world 2020? - 13 What does elephant meat taste like? - 14 How many elephants are killed legally each year? - 15 How many elephants are killed each day? Why do people hunt elephants?. Is it legal to shoot elephants?. When did hunting elephants become illegal?. Why is elephant hunting bad? There are two major factors contributing to shrinking elephant populations: poaching and habitat loss. If a land owner stands to profit more from elephant hunts than he does from cattle farming, he’ll allow more elephants to remain wild, and he also has the incentive to protect the animals from poaching. Will elephant die without tusk? Because those tusks have a lot of there natural calcium in them and when they cut them off the calcium that is left in the tusks dies then the elephant has no extra calcium and dies. Why elephants are killed in Kerala? It then returned to the forest, where it died. Unidentified forest officials told The News Minute that the elephant fell prey to a trap that was set up to catch a wild animal. Villagers in Kerala often use firecrackers or explosives stuffed in food to protect their fields from wild animals. Why do humans kill elephants for their tusks? Why is taking ivory tusks from elephants illegal? Poachers kill about 20,000 elephants every single year for their tusks, which are then traded illegally in the international market to eventually end up as ivory trinkets. This trade is mostly driven by demand for ivory in parts of Asia. How much does it cost to kill an elephant? A 18 Day Elephant hunt will cost you around $45,000 and the tusk size that you can expect is up to 50 pounds. We suggest you combine Buffalo and Elephant if at all possible (Total combo hunt will be under $50,000). Are elephants. Do elephant tusks grow back? Elephant tusks do not grow back, but rhino horns do. An elephant’s tusks are actually its teeth — its incisors, to be exact. But once removed, these tusks don’t grow back. How many elephants are left in the world 2020?. What does elephant meat taste like? Thankfully, these accounts give some hint as to what elephant meat actually tastes like: it’s flavor is by turns “unpleasant” and “peculiar” and its texture varies between “coarse” and “slightly gelatinous.” Apparently, elephant tastes like Spam. How many elephants are killed legally each year? They note that there are around 350,000 elephants left in Africa, but depressingly, between 10,000 to 15,000 are still killed each year by poachers. How many elephants are killed each day? Challenges affecting african elephants African elephants are vulnerable to poaching for their tusks, with on average 55 elephants illegally killed every day. The overall African elephant population plummeted by over 20% in the past decade, mainly due to poaching for ivory.

N.W.T. health officials defend lingering COVID-19 restrictions Dr. Kami Kandola says N.W.T. won't fully lift self-isolation requirements until national case count drops Health officials with the Northwest Territories government say self-isolation rules and other restrictions will have to remain in place until vaccination numbers rise and daily case counts drop in the rest of Canada. That's in line with the territory's refreshed reopening plan released on Wednesday, which, if all goes as projected, could see all restrictions lifted by mid to late fall. Dr. Kami Kandola, the territory's chief public health officer, and Scott Roberston, with the territory's Health and Social Services Authority, took the latest COVID-19 questions live on CBC Radio's The Trailbreaker with Loren McGinnis Thursday morning. While other jurisdictions have eased self-isolation requirements for people who are fully vaccinated, the N.W.T. has adopted a more cautious approach. People who are vaccinated can get tested after eight days of self-isolation, and if they test negative, can then leave quarantine. "What we've seen is that this vaccine isn't 100 per cent fully effective against preventing infection … We've also seen partially immunized people develop COVID and then even pass it on to other people," Kandola said. "So it's been transmission. When the overall count across Canada dips below an average of 1,000, we feel that's a good time to lift the isolation requirements for fully immunized [people] because we don't have to take into account the importation risk." What does Emerging Wisely mean for elders in long-term care homes? Robertson said the government is looking at ways to ease visiting restrictions at long-term care homes. But he said elders remain one of the most vulnerable populations. "We want to certainly provide more options for visitation, but ensure that we're doing it safely and in alignment with the with the other public health measures that are in place," he said. Kandola said that while she has relaxed restrictions on both indoor and outdoor gatherings, some institutions may continue enforcing rules that are more strict than the official guidelines. When can kids under 12 get vaccinated? So far, Health Canada has not approved any COVID-19 vaccines for use in children under 12 years old. In the N.W.T., adults 18 years and up get the Moderna vaccine, while the Pfizer-BioNTech shot is approved for teens aged 12 to 17. Kandola said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently undergoing clinical trials in people under 12. Robertson said the government hopes to see Health Canada approval for use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children under 12 years old by late August or early September. "I would think that around the start of school would be the time," he said. "Hopefully we'll see approval then and our teens will be ready to administer vaccine at that time." Will there be vaccine credentials? Discussions continue about the creation of so-called vaccine passports that would make it easier to travel, both internationally and within Canada. Some provinces and territories are already working on vaccine certification schemes of their own. In the N.W.T., vaccine records lack any sort of government identification, which makes them functionally useless for travel, one listener complained. Robertson said the government is aware this is an issue and has officials participating in a national working group tasked with developing a standardized vaccine certification for Canadians. The process is complex, he said. "Even documents that have a lot of security features in them are being forged worldwide," Robertson said. "This is an ongoing problem." Robertson said the territory has developed a letter, signed by medical director Dr. AnneMarie Pegg, which makes it easier for people to prove their vaccination status. But more sophisticated forms of proof will have to wait, Robertson said. "We've been reluctant to invest a lot of time to create something that's just going to change anyway," he said. Can we have yard sales again? "Yes," Kandola said. As of Wednesday, outdoor gatherings were bumped up to allow 200 people maximum. Indoor gatherings are still limited, but is expected to be bumped up to a maximum of 200 people by early July, or when the territory has 66 to 75 per cent of its 18-and-up population fully vaccinated or 75 per cent partially?

Image credit: Master Corporal Gary Calvé, Canadian Armed Forces photo by Iris Liu October 2021 The author would like to thank her supervisor, Dr. David Perry, and colleague, Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, for their patient guidance and advice. Also, a special thanks to Marcia Mills, who kindly provided professional knowledge on the topic. Table of Contents - Introduction - The Boeing vs. Bombardier Dispute - What’s the Problem? - Conclusion - End Notes - About the Author - Canadian Global Affairs Institute Introduction In 2017, the trade dispute between Boeing and Bombardier generated much attention in the aerospace industry. The Canadian government’s involvement in the process increased the widespread dissemination of the story among the public. At the core of the federal government’s involvement was that “[Canada] do[es]n’t do business with a company that is busy trying to sue us and trying to put our aerospace workers out of business,” to quote one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s public speeches on the matter. As the story continued to heat up, the Canadian government decided to issue a policy to assess the bidders’ impact on Canada’s economic interests, as an addition to the technological and financial criteria for evaluating the bid to replace the aging fighter aircraft. Many speculated that the move was an attempt to pressure Boeing to drop its complaint. Although it was proposed as an informal rule at the time, the 2021 federal budget reintroduced the policy. The explanation of this policy was done over a few lines, which are too little to explain the policy in detail. The original text is: In December 2017, the government announced that the evaluation of bids for the competition to replace Canada’s fighter aircraft would include an assessment of bidders’ impact on Canada’s economic interests, and that any bidder that had harmed Canada’s economic interests would be disadvantaged. Budget 2021 confirms the government will apply this policy to major military and Coast Guard procurements going forward. Companies found to have prejudiced Canada’s economic interests through trade challenges will have points deducted from their procurement bid score at a level proportional to the severity of the economic impact, to a maximum penalty. This policy will protect Canada’s economic interests and make sure the government does business with trusted partners who value doing business with Canada. This new evaluation criterion is problematic in different ways; despite clearly stating that its goal is to protect and benefit Canada’s economic interests, it could in fact have the opposite effects. The Boeing vs. Bombardier Dispute Boeing and Bombardier were in a trade dispute over the competition to sell passenger jets to Delta Airlines. Boeing accused Bombardier of receiving illegal subsidies from the Canadian government to offer the C Series airliners at a price below the production cost. The case was eventually brought to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Boeing claimed that Bombardier’s unfair practices had violated the anti-dumping rule, which would essentially harm the U.S. aerospace industry. As a remedial solution, Boeing asked that tariffs be imposed on Bombardier’s C Series commercial jets in the U.S. In time, it became international news and intensified the conflict of Canada-U.S. interests on the issue. Trudeau responded firmly, arguing that Boeing was putting both Canadian jobs and the economy at risk and that Canada should not be in business with a company that engages in such actions. Canadian government officials also stated that Canada would refuse to sign the C$6 billion procurement contract for Boeing Super Hornets as a stop-gap measure during the replacement of Canada’s aging jets “as long as Boeing pursues its complaint against Bombardier.” In order to increase the pressure on the American company, Canada sought opportunities with Australia to buy second-hand fighter jets to fill the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) capability gap. The move aimed to satisfy the need for additional fighter jets and to press Boeing to drop its complaint to the ITC. After the U.S. Commerce Department proposed to impose a nearly 300 per cent tariff against Bombardier products, Canada cancelled the deal to buy Boeing’s 18 Super Hornets and purchased Australia’s used fighter jets as an interim solution. According to news reports at the time, Canada viewed Boeing as pursuing unfair and aggressive trade actions against the Canadian aerospace sector, arguing that Boeing winning the contract would mean Canadian workers losing their jobs. The Canadian government also alleged that Boeing’s complaint against Bombardier hindered the growth of a competitor, thereby betraying the promise of openness to trade and disrupting the public order of free trade. Among Canada’s responses to the dispute, the economic impact assessment is the one that could have a long-lasting effect on the bidders — as the budget statement reads: “any bidder that had harmed Canada’s economic interests would be disadvantaged.” What’s the Problem? In practice, procurements under trade agreements should be carried out in transparent, fair and non-discriminatory manners that do not create trade barriers. Procurement projects not covered by trade agreements are expected to follow the principle of fairness that is the foundation of all contractual relationships. To uphold these principles, evaluators must disclose the evaluation criteria clearly to bidders prior to submission. However, the budget statement does not explain or define the economic impact clause, connect it to the procedure or indicate how it factors into the overall evaluation. The only elements mentioned are the 2017 incident, the confirmation of the policy’s application in the future and how evaluators can take into account historical disputes. This statement about the policy’s implementation is far from sufficient. The prohibition on using undisclosed criteria during a bid evaluation requires the government to define and explain what elements will determine the bidder’s impact on the economy. Speaking to the media, Christyn Cianfarani, the president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), an industry association which provides its members with access to policy insights and business opportunities, said it is “unusual to see” this kind of clause in a budget. She went on to explain that most countries do not have an official economic test that is not included in procurement rules and requirements. In a press release in 2017, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) declared it would develop the new economic assessment criterion as an ongoing procurement tool “through appropriate consultations.” However, four years later, consultations have yet to occur1 and the department has yet to provide clarifications and procedural details. In addition to the absence of a definition, the feasibility of measuring the economic effect of a company’s bid on Canada remains vague. The fact that the evaluation depends on research and publicly available statistics also requires scrutiny. News with headlines such as “Trudeau Threatens to Block Boeing from Federal Contracts over Bombardier Dispute,” referring to the cancelled contract to buy the Boeing Super Hornets in 2017-18, relates Boeing’s exercise of its legal rights to what Canada perceived as an action to harm Canadian interest. With the absence of a formal explanation and the mention of the 2017 dispute in the 2021 budget statement, it is easy for companies to infer that the government will equate economic harm with filing complaints to the international trade tribunal. Intentionally or not, companies could interpret this policy as preventing them from exercising their rights. The economic impact assessment claims to protect Canadian bidders without considering its impacts on Canadian businesses more broadly. The policy was set up partially as a tool to force Boeing to drop its case against Bombardier, warning that similar behaviours would face negative consequences. It nevertheless worried smaller, Canadian suppliers. Prior to the official cancellation of Boeing’s 18 Super Hornet contract, 10 Canadian-based companies urged Trudeau to stop blocking the purchase of Boeing’s jets. As Canada was using the Super Hornet contract as a bargaining chip, companies who had business relationships with Boeing and members of the Canada Boeing team intended to warn the government that hurting Boeing might also damage Canada’s aerospace industry. Quebec-based Héroux-Devtek, a company of fewer than 2,000 employees and one of the most important global suppliers of landing gears for the aerospace market (one of its achievements is manufacturing the landing gear for the Apollo 11 mission), was one of those Canadian companies. Regardless of the government’s strong opposition to Boeing, on the ground companies saw promising opportunities for a successful and mutually beneficial win for Canada, Canadian companies and Boeing. As Boeing reminded Canada in 2017, cancelling the Super Hornet deal would affect 17,000 local jobs. The amount of benefits Canada received over the years from Boeing could outweigh the harm its dispute against Bombardier may have brought. Doyletech’s analysis based on 2015 and 2019 data has validated Boeing’s continued contribution to the Canadian economy through inputting investments and supporting jobs. It would be irrational to set up a clause that disadvantages companies who have a dependent relationship with certain bidding prime contractors because they had sought trade complaints. This policy blocks the prospect of future business development in the name of economic well-being. Last, applying the economic assessment clause in future defence procurement projects directly contradicts Canada’s pro-trade policies. Canada had not only played a leading role in both the World Trade Organization (WTO) and trading blocs such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), but also ratified 15 free trade agreements in force with 49 countries. Global Affairs Canada’s State of Trade 2020 noted that “trade remains crucial to the prosperity of Canadians” since it is responsible for over 60 per cent of the economy and 3.3 million Canadian jobs. A serious consequence of this policy is that it will discourage bidders from pursuing their legal rights when encountering a trade dispute. This no doubt stands against the principles outlined in trade agreements. Further, the soon-to-be-applied economic assessment clause confuses the bidders because it is an unclear, undisclosed evaluation criterion. Thus, it deters some of them, and particularly smaller companies with limited resources, from bidding altogether. Countries are allowed to limit the acquisition of certain products to local resources when negotiating trade agreements – an example would be the Buy America Act exception – but governments are not expected to abuse security or economic reasons to act in contrast to what is agreed upon. This policy would clearly be an impediment to Canada’s trade-driven economy. According to Michael Byers, a Canadian legal scholar whose work focuses on Canadian foreign and defence policy and who is a contributor to the Globe and Mail, it is unwise to be tough on Boeing. The consequences will undermine the rules regulating fair, open and transparent procurement processes and Canada’s efforts and interest in the international legal system. This would ultimately damage Canada’s reputation as a reliable procurement and trade partner. By trying to take a tough approach on Boeing and other companies that would enter disputes with Canadian companies, the government is likely to hurt the Canadian economy in the long term. Conclusion Applying the economic-assessment clause in future defence procurement projects runs counter to the values of international trade that Canada claims to champion. This new policy will be administered at the cost of impeding both Canadian and foreign businesses. Even though this policy has been made official, reconsidering or refining it needs to be a priority in the government’s procurement agenda if Ottawa wants to procure the best capabilities for the CAF and the defence of the country. End Notes 1 Discussion with defence industry member, August 20, 2021. About the Author Iris Liu is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree at the University of Ottawa in Public and International Affairs. Previously, she graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Law in 2020. Iris was a co-op student at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and worked as a legal assistant in both a private firm and The Landlord and Tenant Board Tribunal during her undergraduate years. Her research interests are public policy developments, international trade, and Canada-China

‘Gibraltar Stronger In Europe’ launches local campaign In what marks the start of a campaign to bring together Gibraltar’s key representative and civil society organisations, the newly formed ‘Gibraltar Stronger In Europe’ board met yesterday with the Rock’s political leaders. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia and the Leader of the Opposition Daniel Feetham have confirmed their support for the Stronger In Campaign and all met with the Board yesterday. The Gibraltar Stronger In Europe Campaign is an official partner of the Britain Stronger In Europe Campaign in the UK, and aims to inform the public about the reasons why we should remain in the The partnership will take the Rock’s position to the centre of the debate in Britain. Local volunteers for the Gibraltar campaign are led by Gemma Vasquez, Chair of the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses. The board members are Brian Cardona, Albert Danino, Dennis Beiso, Ivan Navas, Andrew Bonfante, Kenneth Cardona and Caine Sanchez. Following legal measures introduced by the Gibraltar Government that were agreed with the UK Government, the process of campaigning is strictly governed by the rules set out by the Electoral Commission. It is expected that Britain Stronger in Europe will be the official designated referendum campaigner for the ‘remain’ campaign for all of the UK including Gibraltar. Over the coming weeks the Board of Gibraltar Stronger in Europe, working with the its partners in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, will be setting out the reasons why it is important that as many Gibraltarians as are eligible cast their vote in favour of remaining as a part of the EU. Apart from the support from the three main parties - GSLP, The Liberal Party and the GSD - the Gibraltar Stronger in Europe campaign is in the process of enlisting support from the community’s key institutions and representative bodies including trades unions and representatives of commerce and all sectors of Gibraltar’s society. The Gibraltar Stronger In Europe Campaign are arranging for premises in a central location on Main Street, and will be recruiting volunteers to assist in the campaign. The campaign will be officially launched next Tuesday at the Piazza, where it will be asking members of the public to sign up to the campaign. A dinner to raise funds and awareness has been organised for Thursday April 14 2016 at the Sunborn Hotel with the Right Honourable Simon Hughes, former Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties, as speaker. Mrs Vasquez yesterday made a strong appeal to all Gibraltar to ensure that those eligible check that they are registered to vote even if they expect to be away from Gibraltar on the key date. “Every single vote cast in Gibraltar will count. Not just towards the decision for the UK as a whole but also in reflecting on June 24th how strongly Gibraltar feels about the importance of continued membership of the EU,” she said. Being European has allowed us to win many rights and battles. Our quality of life and the values we promote, be they workers’ rights or ensuring our industries can sell their goods into Europe, are largely hinged on decades of hard work that we have all put into meeting the challenge of EU membership,” said Mrs Vasquez. “The flow of people, services and goods which means finance centre business, tourism and employment generally all depend on the EU for stability. We know only too well who wants to make our life more difficult. This is about securing a better future.” “I call on all Gibraltar to mobilise and ensure, with the support of our entire political class, that we make our united voice heard across Europe and through the UK. Please enlist and support us in whatever way you feel you can,” said Mrs Vasquez.

There’s a lot to love about Graft Cider, the modern sour cider company that’s based out of Newburgh, New York. Its ciders, ranging from slightly sour and adventurous to totally wild, are such fun, modern expressions of what cider can be. The can design is always eye-catching, and its merch game is beyond on-point. Since its founding in the fall of 2016, the company has grown and expanded its distribution footprint in a thoughtful, methodical manner, and Graft is well on its way to becoming a household name in US craft cider. The company, itself, is still relatively small – just a handful of full-time employees and a committed crew of sales folks and brand ambassadors. But among the Graft Cider team are three women: Amber Burton, Sae Kenney and Sara Sherrer, who are making moves and keeping the ship afloat amidst all of Graft’s growth. We’re excited to share more about these women in this 15th installment of our column, Women Making Waves in the Cider World. Amber Burton, Head of Finance & Human Resources Amber Burton started with Graft in October of 2017 as a freelance bookkeeper. Within six months, she was hired full-time to head up the finance and human resources departments! She says that the culture at Graft is a big, and welcome, change from her former job in a more stereotypical office environment. “We all respect each other equally, and are really so supportive of one another through all the highs and lows,” Amber says. “Graft is a continuous cycle of growing, educating, trial-and-error and embracing fresh ideas.” While she has plenty on her plate in terms of daily responsibilities, Amber also helps out with working festivals, staffing tastings, helping with the design concepts of Flora (Graft’s new sister wine spritzer company) and organizing company retreats. Graft is an employee-owned company, and Amber qualified for Ownership at the end of 2020. “I choose to be as involved as possible with as many facets of Graft as I can!” she says. Amber takes pride in her personal growth within Graft. As a college student pursuing a degree in business and finance, she finds it rewarding to apply her education directly to her work. She says, “I have learned so many things about being a leader, rather than a follower, and Graft has allowed me to continue to spread my wings and become the person I want to be, with the career I have always dreamed of having!” As the head of HR, Amber has the opportunity to recruit and hire new team members, and says that Graft Cider sets the bar high when it comes to inclusivity. She tries to bring that ethos to her interviews with potential new team members. “I care so much about how the entire team works together, and it is my responsibility to bring people on board who share the same core values and who truly understand the dynamics of working within a small, ever-changing company,” she says. “I put a lot of time and effort into finding the right person for each role that needs to be filled. I want these new hires to be here for a long, long time, as well as feel truly fulfilled within their careers!” Sae Kenney, Founder & Head of Creative/Media Sae Kenney, who founded the company with Sara and Kyle Sherrer, currently manages Graft’s digital footprint. But, like so many company founders, she’s worn a lot of hats. “At the beginning, we all did a bit of everything, from digging trench drains, production, and arguing with the government about beer bonds,” she says. For a short while, she was Graft’s New York sales rep, and then she transitioned to launching states with Sara for a year and a half. Her main focus, at present, is a combination of facilitating collaborations, photography, managing Graft’s social media platforms, working with the brand’s art team and, as of a few weeks ago, she’s been designing the interior of Graft’s future taproom which will be in Newburgh, New York (breaking news!). “My body might be in different locations but my eyes are always on my phone responding to Instagram messages, snapping pictures and finding the weirdest GIFS that I can somehow integrate into an Instagram story,” she says. “When we finally hit 10,000 followers on the Graft Instagram account, I was pretty damn proud. We’re cider, not beer which means we have a smaller following. We have to work that much harder to be relevant in today’s craft beer world.” For Sae, Graft’s company culture is a really important topic and part of the brand’s identity. “The general vibe is, work hard, work smart and don’t be afraid to ask questions. If someone screws something up, the screw-up is treated as a learning experience, which is not the company culture everywhere,” she explains. “I think there is a general feeling that everyone here is in it for the long haul, which makes us want to get to know each other better.” It’s no surprise that running an independent cidery takes a ton of time and energy, and Sae says that finding time for herself and “unplugging” is still a big challenge. But her biggest challenge is learning how to get to that next level in her job. “How do I become an expert in my field, a field that I have no formal training in? Social media is something that never stops. It doesn’t sleep. Stories disappear within 24 hours on Instagram, so if I neglect checking our account for a day, I have missed interacting with our customer base who are honestly sometimes the people who keep me going.” Sara Sherrer, Owner and Director of Sales for Graft Cider & Hudson North Cider Sara, her brother, Kyle Sherrer, and Sae Kenney, founded the company together and Sara’s been on board from the start. As is to be expected with a growing business, her job has varied over the years, as Graft has grown into a 14-person company. These days, Sara is working more with Hudson North Cider (the parent company of Graft and Flora) as sales director, creating goal-driven sales strategies, monitoring sales performance, implementing new strategies, and she’s developing new marketing tactics for the sales team. For Sara, cider has always been part of her life. Her dad, Curt Sherrer, of the now-shuttered MillStone Cellars, is a well-known figure in the cider world. “I was born into it … I remember from a young age being encouraged to try whatever my parents were drinking and to talk about what I tasted and smelled,” Sara remembers. “Those lessons have never left me and created a lifelong passion for food and beverage.” Sara says what she finds most rewarding at Graft is watching people evolve within their position, and taking responsibility for their work and owning their position. “I really want to work with people who are passionate about the industry, and want to be active in the evolution and education of what we and others make,” she says. “We have a great group of people who all bring their special talents to the table.” She remarks that one huge challenge for her is staying aware of industry trends and keeping up with the fickle market. “It can be hard to stand out with all the noise!” she says (though, we think Graft stands out, for sure). As a leader in modern cider, Sara says that highlighting women and diversity in the industry is half the battle in striving toward diversity and inclusion. “Showing the roles women and people of color play in this world is more than giving them a cameo. It’s about expressing their differences and how they have shaped their communities and impacted the industry they love so much. There are many different, equally important roles [in the industry] that aren’t as glamorous and publicized, but still crucial to these types of businesses,” she notes. “I know I am always looking for new perspectives in my work and I think more of it is needed now more than ever.” To learn more about Graft Cider, check out its Instagram (and say hi to Sae while you’re at it!), and visit Graft’s website to find out where you can locate Graft’s weird and wonderful ciders near you! - Photos: Graft Cider

Singapore pivots to living with Covid, refrains from tightening measures even as cases rise - Singapore has refrained from tightening social-distancing measures even as the highly infectious delta variant has driven up Covid-19 cases sharply. - The Southeast Asian city-state wants to shift to a long-term strategy of living with the coronavirus. - The government wants to limit the number of deaths and avoid overwhelming its hospitals, so it's not opening up the economy further for now, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. SINGAPORE — Singapore has refrained from tightening social-distancing measures even as the highly infectious delta variant has driven Covid-19 cases up sharply, while the country shifts to a long-term strategy of living with the coronavirus. "This rapid and exponential rise in daily infections that we are experiencing now is what every country that seeks to live with Covid-19 has to go through at some point," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at a media briefing Friday. Singapore has one of the highest vaccination rates globally, with 81% of the population fully vaccinated, data from the health ministry showed. Cases have been rising rapidly, from an average of 76 a day a fortnight ago to 288 a day in the past week, the ministry said in a Friday statement. At the current trajectory, the number of cases could soon reach 1,000 per day, it added. But the number of serious cases has remained low. As of Thursday, there were 26 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation and seven critical cases in intensive care units, said the health ministry. Still, the city-state wants to limit the number of deaths from Covid and avoid overwhelming its hospitals, said Ong. That's why the government is not opening up the economy further for now, added the minister. "Practically every country that has gone through this kind of transmission wave has suffered hospital collapses and high death tolls — we want to avoid that," said Ong. He added that if the country can achieve that, it will not have to return to a "long, hard lockdown." Singapore's government has both tightened and eased measures several times since May as the highly infectious delta variant spreads in the country. It started to ease measures last month, including allowing larger groups to gather and dining-in at food and beverage establishments. But earlier this week, the government announced a ban on workplace gatherings and more aggressive testing to "detect and ringfence" cases more quickly. It also encouraged people to limit social gatherings in the next few weeks. The Singapore government said Friday it will allow more infected people who are fully vaccinated to recover at home, provided they meet certain criteria. That includes having mild symptoms and the ability to be isolated from the rest of the household. Singapore will also reduce the quarantine period for people exposed to the coronavirus locally, in view of the shorter incubation period of the delta variant. Singapore has reported a total of more than 70,000 confirmed Covid cases and 57 deaths since the beginning of last year, according to the health ministry.

STAFFORD -- — Student behavior has improved at Stafford Middle School, thanks to an administrative change approved last week by the school board. Theodore Waz, normally Stafford High School's vice principal, has been serving as vice principal at the middle school since Monday. His presence has quelled discipline problems, parents and administrators said. But Waz will be leaving the school system at the end of the school year to take a position in Berlin, leaving many parents wondering: Does the middle school need a permanent vice principal? In recent weeks, parents have complained about the lack of discipline at the school. The complaints caused the board to move Waz to the middle school. They also contributed to middle school Principal Joseph Matava's decision to retire at the end of this year. Some parents have said the middle school got out of control when students became too familiar with Matava, and no longer took the threat of punishment seriously. Several parents say students think out-of-school suspension is a joke. Before a school board meeting on the subject Monday, Waz said having a permanent vice principal at the middle school makes sense. There are 450 students at the middle school, and 475 students at the high school. However, there is no room in next year's budget for the extra administrator, Superintendent of Schools Wayne Senecal said. And judging by economic trends, it could be tough anytime soon to find the money to hire another administrator, said board member Lisa Bradway. Some parents have suggested that the middle and high schools share the high school's vice principal. But high school Principal David Perry said that would be "an unmitigated disaster." "That would require me to work half time as vice principal, leaving only a part-time principal," Perry said. "We could lose our accreditation." The key may be hiring a new middle school principal who, like Waz, knows how to make a code of conduct work. Waz said his method was providing students with "the opportunity to make appropriate choices." He said it is never necessary to physically restrain or discipline a student. "The best administrator is not a strong disciplinarian, but someone who works to get cooperation among teachers, parents and the students," he said. "You need support from the parents." Bradway said the board will consider making parents part of the search committee for a new middle school principal. Typically, only administrators and board members are involved, she said. "It could be very fruitful and interesting to have parents part of the process," she said. Bradway said the process could take most of the summer. She said the board will consider hiring a vice principal for the middle school only after a middle school principal is chosen. "I think it's only fair to give any administrator a fair chance to do their job," Bradway said. Judging by interest in the vice principal's position at the high school, there should be plenty of applicants for middle school principal. Perry said Thursday about 30 candidates have expressed interest in the high school vice principal job, and he expects a total of 35 when interviews begin Tuesday.

[tag: science] One. The success of these attacks points to a troubling lack of security controls for monitoring anomalous behavior on the internal network and for spotting data being exfiltrated from within it. They also highlight the enormous challenges that large companies face in trying to prevent data from leaking out through myriad nodes and exit points scattered across the enterprise. "We are beginning to realize in some cases that the situation is far worse than we realized," says Stephen Hultquist, chief evangelist at RedSeal Networks. "In some cases attackers have been inside networks for months and even years without being discovered," he says, pointing to the recently disclosed Regin APT threat as an extreme example. Often the attacks are carried out by well-funded, highly organized groups that are willing to invest the resources and the time needed for a long-drawn out data extraction campaign. "When you are able to sit inside the network for months and years, your ability to gather information of high value becomes very high," he says. Even companies with tools for monitoring suspicious activity can sometime miss what's going on because the data theft is usually carried in a totally innocuous manner over an extended period of time. Dealing with such threats requires companies to have controls for spotting the unexpected on the network in terms of who is accessing data, from where the access is being made, and why. "A lot of organizations have opened up their networks to a broader set of sources," and have little idea how, where, and when, data is being accessed, he says. Some companies are so focused on preventing threats from coming inside the network that they pay little attention to data flowing out of it. Many breaches go undetected for a long time at least partially because companies are not actively looking for one, says Barry Shtelman, director of security strategy at Imperva. "Companies are only seeking a smoking gun once they know there is one," he says. "We believe that the best way to actually build your security strategy, assuming that there are malicious or compromised insiders and machines in your organization, is to focus on protecting the data rather than looking for the light switch," after a breach. One mistake companies can make is to assume that the defense in depth model works for these kinds of attacks, adds Rick Howard, chief security officer at Palo Alto Networks. Unless organizations have specifically put in place mechanisms for monitoring data exfiltration, it is almost impossible to know when data is being siphoned out of a network, he says. "Advanced organizations have adopted the Kill Chain model," Howard says. "It is similar to Defense in Depth in that defenders install multiple security controls into the enterprise but the types of controls and where the defenders place them are informed by cyber security intelligence." The key to such a defense model is that it is not static. Rather, it is focused on deploying defenses that are tuned to address the specific methods and tools employed by an adversary, he says.

Evictions in some Texas cities are almost back to normal levels as tenant help dries up6 min read that she and her 10-year-old son may soon become,” Hernandez, 49, earlier state.” “We don’t have any other place to go” that she plans to put toward a deposit for a new place. For now, she and her husband plan to live in their van as the winter months bear down. “We don’t have any other place to go,” Lopez said. “The apartment manager is going to kick us out” In Dallas, Hernandez is trying to avoid a similar fate for her and her 10-year-old son. Hernandez contends that she’s never missed a rental payment — even when the pandemic thrust her out of a job cleaning commercial buildings for three months. Then, she had just enough money saved to cover rent — but at times had to sacrifice power and even groceries to do so. “Sometimes, I didn’t have anything to eat so I could afford to pay rent,” Hernandez said. “Other days, I didn’t have electricity because I would think, ‘I can live without lights for a few days, but not without a roof over my head,’ especially with my son.” Hernandez says she owes the East Dallas apartment complex less than $10. The property manager that oversees the complex says she owes much more but has given her conflicting amounts. Her eviction notice and emails from the landlord say she owes more than $2,000 in back rent. But her online account with the complex says she owes $1,700 in back rent and late fees. Fowler Property Management, the company that oversees Hernandez’s complex, declined to discuss the specifics of Hernandez’s case. But the firm said in a statement it has “gone above and beyond during this challenging time” by offering payment plans to residents, negotiating or waiving late fees and pointing tenants’ toward rent relief programs. “These efforts have proven to be extremely effective at keeping tenants in their homes,” the company wrote in an unattributed statement. Still, the company has issued eviction notices to five households on the 46-unit property since August, according to data provided by Eviction Lab. At this point, Hernandez is more than happy to leave. But she’s in a bind: The Dallas Housing Authority won’t help her relocate because she hasn’t paid off her balance with Fowler, who she said won’t speak with her about how they calculated her unpaid rent. The specter of another eviction filing looms. The stress has been hard on her son. Hernandez tried to shield him from the situation. But in August, he discovered the court paperwork showing management had started the process to evict them. “He told me, ‘They’re kicking us out of the apartment, aren’t they?’” Hernandez recalled. “I told him, ‘Yes, but don’t worry because everything is going to be OK.’” At school, when his teacher asked the classroom how the students’ day was going, her son said: “I feel really sad because we don’t have anywhere to live. The apartment manager is going to kick us out.” This article was originally posted on Evictions in some Texas cities are almost back to normal levels as tenant help dries up

Redistricting 101: How Politicians Choose Their Voters To understand exactly how redistricting can disenfranchise thousands of voters, you need to learn about “vote dilution.” Vote dilution is the phenomenon in which one vote has less of an impact on the outcome of an election than another because of the way districts are drawn. While vote dilution manifests in many different ways, it most commonly takes two forms. First, a district map can be “malapportioned,” meaning that some districts contain larger populations than others. Malapportioned maps can violate the Equal Protection Clause’s one-person, one-vote rule. Second, a district map can cause “minority vote dilution,” which unfairly impedes members of a minority group from electing their preferred candidates. One Person, One Vote The one-person, one-vote rule is most commonly known for its requirement that states draw maps placing roughly the same number of people in each district. Imagine District A in a state legislature contains 100 people and District B contains 10,000 people — but each district only gets one representative. Under those circumstances, a District B resident’s vote is diluted because it has significantly less impact on the election’s outcome than a vote cast by a resident of District A. Courts often use the term weight when referring to this phenomenon — in this scenario, votes cast in District A carry significantly more weight than votes cast in District B. As the U.S. Supreme Court has explained, by requiring districts to have roughly the same population, the one-person, one-vote rule ensures “that the vote of any citizen is approximately equal in weight to that of any other citizen in the State.” Congressional districts and state legislative districts are held to different standards of population-equality. When a state redraws its legislative districts after a new census, each district need not have the exact same population. So long as the difference between the most populated and least populated districts is less than 10% of the average district size, the plan will likely pass constitutional muster. By contrast, when a state draws new congressional district lines, each district normally must have the same exact population. The one-person, one-vote rule separately prohibits states from running their elections for statewide officials in the way that we elect the President of the United States. A state may not, for example, require statewide candidates to win a majority of the state’s counties, even if those counties are equal in population. As many critics of the Electoral College complain, such a system results in widespread vote dilution: a person’s vote matters only if they live in a county where the race is close. If the voter’s preferred candidate loses in their county, their vote is essentially cancelled. And, if their preferred candidate wins their county in a landslide, their vote is wasted. (In case you were wondering, the one-person, one-vote rule does not apply to the Electoral College because the Equal Protection Clause applies only to the states.) Minority Vote Dilution Even if a map complies with the one-person, one-vote rule, it can still dilute the voting strength of minority groups. This can happen if a state’s residents engage in “racially polarized voting,” meaning the members of a minority group routinely vote for a different candidate than the members of the majority. In such circumstances, district lines can be drawn in a way that prevent a minority group from electing any of its preferred candidates, even when the minority group represents a significant portion of the state’s voting population. The following illustrations depict how this can happen. Imagine a state that has 100 voters and five districts. 40 of the state’s voters are a part of a racial minority group, and 60 are in the white majority. In Map A, members of the minority group are able to elect their preferred candidates to two of the five seats, reflecting their proportion of the population. In Map B, members of the minority group can elect a preferred candidate to just one seat. In Map C, members of the minority group — despite constituting 40% of the voting population — cannot elect their preferred candidates to any seats. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) makes it illegal for states and local jurisdictions to use maps that deny a minority group an equal opportunity to elect their preferred candidates. That prohibition applies regardless of whether the drawers of the map intended to discriminate against the minority group. The VRA can be a strong protection against racial gerrymandering — but Republicans can still use partisan gerrymandering to effectively disenfranchise Black and brown voters in their states. Without this firewall, redistricting resulting in vote dilution can disproportionately disenfranchise minority voters.

Falkirk councillor says telling people to go to Standards Commission over sexist behaviour is 'not good enough' Telling people they can “go to the Standards Commission” to complain about sexist behaviour is not good enough, a councillor has said. Councillor Laura Murtagh told a meeting of Falkirk Council she had experienced sexist remarks from other members and it should not be up to the person “on the receiving end” to challenge such behaviour. The remarks were made at a special meeting of Falkirk Council after Ms Murtagh put forward a motion with actions that she hoped would encourage diversity, inclusion and equality in the council chamber. As part of that, she called for ways to “address the tone of discourse”, saying: “I believe it makes this a less attractive atmosphere for under-represented groups – as many have actually told me – as well as just being downright rude at times, and I make no apology for saying they are sexist and misogynistic in tone too.” She added to anyone who wanted to challenge what she was saying: “Please try not to address me as ‘young lady’ in your remarks.” Ms Murtagh said her motion wanted councillors to acknowledge that there is an issue and to take whatever action they could to mitigate it. However, the Labour group leader, Robert Bissett, said his group wanted officers to look more closely at the proposals to see what is already in place. He said: “We do already have standards for councillors, we get a handbook at the beginning of term – with a lot of detail – and any of us can be referred to the Standards Commission.” However, Ms Murtagh said that those words “made her heart sink”. She said: “If the Standards Commission is the best we can hope for, that’s like saying ‘we can do whatever we want during council and as long as we’re not taken to Standards, that’s ok. “Well, that’s not good enough and that’s exactly the wrong message to be sending to the general public. “If they are tuning in and seeing the language and discrimination that has been used at times, then that doesn’t make it a welcoming environment to them.” Cllr Murtagh told members that having a more diverse council would help it make better decisions. In particular, she referred to Labour and Conservatives decision not to back a new HQ and arts centre in Falkirk High Street – pointing out that among the eight Labour group members and seven Conservatives, there are just three women and no-one under 40. She said: “This was the most important decision the council faced in many years but it was made without the voice of the generations it would affect most being considered front and centre.” Ms Murtagh said she felt the issue was too important to be party political, pointing out that the lack of diversity in Scotland as a whole was a priority for COSLA, which represents all local authorities nationally. But she said she was “incredibly proud” of her group, which now has a majority of women, following Emma Russell’s recent by-election victory. Conservative and Labour councillors supported Mr Bissett’s amendment, which called for a report to be made to council at the December meeting.

PRICE, Utah – The Price Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management has finalized the environmental assessment and signed the decision record for the Horse Bench Natural Gas Development Project. Signing the decision record authorizes the XTO Energy Inc. project, located 36 miles north of Price. “The BLM is committed to responsible energy development,” Green River District Manager Gary Torres said. “This project is an example of the BLM carefully considering potential impacts to sensitive resources while also contributing to the national energy goals of this administration.” The wells proposed by XTO are on lands managed by the BLM and Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA). The signed decision allows for the extraction, processing, and transportation of natural gas. Steve Bloch, Legal Director with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, says his group and other environmental groups will review the documents. Bloch says he expects the review will prompt a challenge to the project. He says an administrative appeal will most likely be filed with the state director of the BLM outlining any concerns about negative impacts the project will have on the environment. The attorneys will then ask that the proposal be sent back to the Price BLM Field Office to make changes to the plan. Bloch says Horse Bench is located in a remote section of the state next to Nine Mile Canyon and calls it one of the “crown jewels” of public lands in Utah. The public can view the EA, as well as, what’s called the BLM-signed and decision here.

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah – It’s been said that dogs are a man’s best friend. Jared Johnstun is lucky enough to have not one, but two furry sidekicks. “Yes, you’re good boys aren’t you?” Johnstun said to his two goldendoodles sitting beside him on the floor. “They’re a little tired today too.” Jared Johnston knows a thing or two about being worn out. “I’m a physician who works mainly in the intensive care unit,” Johnstun said. “I’m a pulmonary critical care doctor.” Since COVID hit, the doctor has been going non-stop. “You know, for 10 days or 12 days in a row, I’m in the hospital every day, some days I’m there for 12 hours,” Johnstun said. As a doctor, he’s seen it all but for him, the pandemic is different. “It was definitely a shock to me,” he said. About two months in, Dr. Johnstun, used to living alone, suddenly felt like something was wrong. “You know, I just realized that I wasn’t doing well,” he said. So, he made a move he never expected. “I’m a 40-year-old ICU doctor and I live with my parents,” he said with a chuckle. Johnstun now lives with his mom and dad near the hospital he works at. “I tried to do all this by myself initially and I just couldn’t do it,” Johnstun said. He’s not alone. “In medicine, there has been this long tradition of everything is fine and we got this,” said Dr. Amy Locke, the Chief Wellness Officer at the University of Utah Hospital. Doctors and nurses are facing challenges unlike many have ever seen in their career. That is why hospitals like the University of Utah are turning to wellness officers. “It’s kind of like counseling,” Locke said. “You know, checking in, making sure people are doing OK and that they’re able to access resources.” At the University of Utah’s resiliency center, their resources are being used more than ever. “Our interactions with people have more than doubled over the last six months,” Locke said. Doctors like Johnstun are applauding the efforts made by hospital groups throughout the country. “In general, the mental health of the physicians and nurses and all health care workers is something that really hasn’t been talked about.” He said talking to other health care workers on the COVID-19 front lines has been eye opening. “We’re talking about what is it going to look like in 10 years when you have a whole generation of doctors and nurses who have PTSD?” Johnstun said. As for Johnstun, he has found healing in being around family, practicing yoga, meditating and exercising. Even after all he has been through in the past eight months, he believes he’s exactly where he should be. “(Doctors) have found a calling and a purpose in fighting COVID and taking care of the people who have COVID,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

A SERIES of projects in Torfaen are set to benefit from a £1.2 million council fund which aims to help communities recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The reserve was created by Torfaen council at the end of the last financial year to help alleviate some of the impacts of the pandemic on the borough. Senior councillors agreed the projects which would benefit from the funding at a meeting on Tuesday. Out of the fund, £466,000 will be spent on a series of town centre enhancements for Pontypool and Blaenavon, to improve the appearance of the towns and help attract long-term investment. Two new play areas with inclusive play equipment are planned at Pontypool Park and Cwmbran Boating Lake, with the council allocating £259,365 for the project. An audit found the borough is lacking in provision of suitable play equipment for children with disabilities. A further £200,000 will be allocated to the discretionary housing benefits budget to help people impacted by rises in the costs of living and the ending of the £20 uplift to Universal Credit. Repairs will be carried out on Folly Tower and Shell Grotto in Pontypool to enable their reopening in a scheme costing £70,000. An emphasis has also been placed on supporting people to enjoy exercise and the natural environment following Covid-19 lockdowns. MORE NEWS: - Boy hit by car on Cwmbran's dangerous Blenheim Road - Neighbourhood Covid case rates across Caerphilly, Newport and Gwent - Man 'fuming' after dumper truck driven over dad's grave A feasibility study will be funded into the provision of a 3G pitch and lighting at Abersychan School, which would be available to the community on evenings and at weekends. Funding of £30,000 has been allocated for canal improvements, such as new bins, signage and improving accessiblity. Money has also been set aside to provide grants for businesses, focussing on digital improvements, and £40,000 will be awarded to increase the amount of free counselling support available for people aged seven-19. Funding for organisations to provide mental health first aid training will also be provided. Council leader, Cllr Anthony Hunt said the authority considered the different impacts of the pandemic in allocating the fund, including economic and other changes which have resulted. “We thought it was very important to put this money towards key projects to help the borough recover and rebuild,” he said. Cllr Jo Gauden said she was particularly pleased to see funding for new inclusive play equipment in the borough “I’m sure parents of little ones with learning disabilities will welcome.

The with the establishment of “a single collective bargaining agreement (CBA) structure.” The federation said in a news.” This could be a positive development for the U.S. women’s national soccer team who filed a suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2019 for equal pay and equal working conditions. In December 2020, the two parties reached a settlement over the women’s team working conditions, which led to revised policies around charter flights, venues, hotel accommodations, training, and support services. At the time of the settlement, the USWNT spokesperson Molly Levinson said, “We are pleased that the USWNT Players have fought for – and achieved – long overdue equal working conditions.” USWNT forward Alex Morgan told press that she was encouraged by the U.S. Soccer Federation’s announcement in respect to their intention to pay men and women equally, however the Players Association still had to look at the details to see if there was a decrease in their pay scale with this new proposal. Morgan told Forbes, “As a PA, we still need to chat about the statement given by U.S. Soccer, but any commitment to equal pay publicly is good. However, we need to look line by line at what they’re actually providing because if you have equal (pay) but it’s not even what we got before, or to the value that we are, then we still consider that to be not good enough. We will continue to work with U.S. Soccer moving forward looking towards equal and fair payment and treatment.” Morgan also said, “Our CBA does end at the end of this year, so we’re in active negotiations right now. We don’t want to start the new year without a new CBA in effect, so that’s the No. 1 priority of our PA, of our legal team. Looking at the statements, it’s difficult to say. We want to feel encouraged, and we want to be optimistic, but we have seen a lot of statements before. What we really want to do is see what we can do at the negotiation table, see those statements being put into action in those negotiations. Of course, we’re always hopeful, you have to continue to have hope. We’re seeing great things around the world, I think most recently with Ireland agreeing to equal pay for their female and male teams, so I think we’re moving in the right direction.” U.S. Soccer announced that they would like to work with the Players Association to figure out a way for the men’s and women’s teams to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money. There is a massive discrepancy in prize money between the men’s and women’s FIFA tournaments, with the 2022 men’s World Cup prize money totalling $440 million and the 2023 Women’s World Cup set to double in value from the last tournament, but will still reach $60 million. U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone wrote in an open letter, ”.

GMB Says time’s running out for QMUL Students’ Union Staff Plea to be Furloughed GMB London Region is supporting the campaign for QMUL Students’ Union Staff to be furloughed. Pressure is mounting on Principal Colin Bailey to allow Queen Mary Students’ Union (QMSU) to access the Government’s CJRS in order for them to furlough their staff. However, time is running out because the furlough scheme will be closed to any new applications from 30th June. There is a minimum requirement to be furloughed for three weeks, so this means students employed by QMSU have only to Wednesday 10th June to be allowed access the scheme. GMB, the Trade Union for these student staff, are supporting the Students’ Union’s campaign which has attracted support from many MP's and other political figures including; - Emma Hardy (Shadow University Minister) - Wes Streeting MP - Rushanara Ali MP - Apsana Begum MP - Jon Cruddas MP - Stella Creasy MP - Mayor John Biggs (Leader of Tower Hamlets Council) - Unmesh Desai AM (London Assembly Member) In an unprecedented move for QMSU, last week they held an online Emergency Student Council meeting, where a motion calling on QMSU to express no-confidence in QMUL's Principal and President Professor Colin Bailey was passed unanimously, alongside another motion ratifying the Student Council's full support for the SU campaign. If the University allowed the Students’ Union to furlough their staff, they would receive 80% of their average monthly wages. The Student Union have calculated that they could have claimed approximately £63,000 to pay their staff for April through the CJRS. Instead, QMUL has offered to underwrite the cost of 80% of student staff based on forecasted budgets, making it impossible for the Students’ Union to work out wages for their 200+ student staff employed on flexible contracts. Under the scheme QMUL offered, in April only £39,928 was available to pay student staff. Mick Lancaster, GMB London Regional Organiser said: "The university says it has received legal advice on this matter. If this is the case, they should be open and transparent with their students and release this in full." The Students’ Union’s #QMFurloughNow campaign on Twitter has given first-hand accounts of how the University’s decision has financially impacted their student staff. In one Twitter post, student staff and GMB member Heather said: I have worked at Queen Mary Students’ Union since 2017. Because of the University’s decision not to furlough student staff, I will receive £64 in wages to live on this month. It goes without saying really that this won’t even cover food shops for the month, never mind the rent or bills associated with living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Aside from the impact financially the decision not to furlough student staff is having on me, it’s also had a significant negative effect on my ability to do my studies. I am now spending either the majority of my time asking my University to do the right thing or worrying about how I’m going to support myself for the foreseeable future.” Joe Vinson, the Students’ Union’s Commercial Services Officer, who represents these student staff and is one of the workers affected said: “QMUL seek to rely on half a sentence in the CJRS guidance, whilst deliberately, student staff or the public..” End Mick Lancaster, GMB London Regional Organiser 079 7424 9754 GMB London Region Press Office 079 7001 9643 Editors Notes

Fort Belknap Tribes, Indian Family Health Clinic receive $30k to promote COVID-19 vaccines The Fort Belknap Tribes and Indian Family Health Clinic, an Indian Health Service facility in Great Falls, are among 12 Native entities that received a $30,000 grant to help combat COVID-19. IllumiNative, an organization that promotes Native representation, awarded the grants through its For the Love of Our People campaign, which aims to overcome vaccine hesitancy in Native communities that face high rates of infection. In partnership with the Urban Indian Health Institute, phase one of the campaign included videos and social media messaging, this next stage in the campaign is focused on distributing resources and empowering Native people and communities. As a consequence of U.S. policies and long-term disinvestment, Native Americans have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. A Department of Health and Human Services report found that from March through October 2020, Native Americans in Montana accounted for 19% of COVID-19 cases and 32% of COVID-19 deaths, though they comprise 6.7% of the state's population. In Blaine County, which contains portions of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, 54% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. And in Cascade County, where the Indian Family Health Clinic is based, 50% of eligible residents are fully immunized. In Montana, 55% of eligible people are vaccinated. As of Thursday, there were 25 active COVID-19 cases on the Fort Belknap Reservation, and the community has lost 12 people to the virus. The tribal community encourages people to call 406-353-3250 to schedule an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Fort Belknap Tribal President Andrew Werk Jr. said the tribes were excited to use the funding to provide "Aaniiih and Nakoda specific information regarding vaccines." "The grant will be especially helpful as we are preparing to vaccinate our 5-11-year-olds," he said. Crystal Echo Hawk, founder and executive director of IllumiNative, said that the organization used research and focus studies to determine that "community engagement and asset-driven messaging is what is going to move the needle." Other grant recipients include: Protect the Sacred, Pawnee Nation, Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa, American Indian Child Resource Center, Native Peoples Action, Native American Community Development Institute, Sacred Pipe Resource Center, Wotakuye Mutual Aid Society, The Stronghold Cultural Response, Notah Begay Foundation and Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center. More:Billings Clinic epidemiologist on fighting two battles: COVID-19 and misinformation Montana on Friday reported 792 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the state's active case count to 11,149. There have been 2,346 total deaths from COVID-19 and 162,352 recoveries. There are 433 active hospitalizations. Cascade County added 59 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The county has 1,305 active cases and 235 total deaths from the virus. Yellowstone County reported 181 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The county has 2,977 active cases and at least 402 deaths. A Billings Clinic epidemiologist on Thursday told the Tribune he and his staff must battle two pandemics: COVID-19 and misinformation. He encourages people to get the vaccine, which he said is safe and effective. Missoula County added 108 cases, Flathead County added 62 and Lewis and Clark County added 60. To learn more about COVID-19 vaccines, visit vaccines.gov. Nora Mabie covers Indigenous communities for the Great Falls Tribune. She can be reached at nmabie@greatfallstribune.com. Follow her on Facebook @NoraMabieJournalist or on Twitter @NoraMabie.

New Hertfordshire County Council leader won’t advocate local government reform to unitary model Hertfordshire currently operates on a two-tier system of local government – but there have been suggestions that a unitary council could save money The new leader of Hertfordshire County Council has made it clear that he will not be pushing for local government reform in Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire currently operates on a two-tier system of local government – with 10 district and borough councils and one county council. But there have been suggestions that replacing them all with a single ‘unitary’ council could save up to £142million a year. Last year former county council leader David Williams highlighted the government’s wish for two-tier authorities – such as Hertfordshire – to move to a unitary model. He pointed to the ‘cost, complexity and overlap’ in the current system. And he said that structural reform could deliver improved and more efficient services – as well as making substantial savings. But speaking at the meeting of the annual meeting of the county council on Tuesday, May 25, newly elected council leader Cllr Richard Roberts made it clear he would not be pushing for reform. And he said that, from his perspective, it was ‘not on the agenda’. “In terms of Hertfordshire it ain't broke,” he said, in response to a question from leader of the Labour group Cllr Judi Billing. “We work well together. We get on well together. We plan together.” Cllr Roberts pointed to the successes of the Hertfordshire Growth Board and the Health and Wellbeing Board as good examples of collaboration. And he suggested that could be improved further through closer working on the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership. “These are the things that will demonstrate to government that we don’t need to be ‘done to’ – that we can decide our own future and that we can determine whether our future looks like,” he said. “However if government determines that we are going to be reformed, then we will have to take that into account.” Cllr Roberts said that with Brexit and the pandemic to deal with it was understandable that the government withdrew from local government reform. But he stressed that he would not be advocating for it to return. “[. . .] at this juncture where we still have a pandemic, where we have a national economic recovery, we have got to build out of Covid and where we really need to focus on our agenda to get Hertfordshire going again, I don’t think reform right now is on the table,” he said. “And I am not advocating for it. The response was said to be greeted by applause from all political parties at the meeting, which was the first in-person meeting of the county council and which was held at the Gordon Craig Theatre, in Stevenage. In response Cllr Billing asked Cllr Roberts to make it clear to regional growth and local government minister Minister Luke Hall that the view is now different – and that Hertfordshire is not putting itself forward as a single unitary authority. “You were applauded by all sides for that response – keep with it,” she said.

DESPITE the controversy surrounding deal with the United States firm, Ballard Partners, Inc., presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday pledged to liberate the nation if elected in the forthcoming general elections. In his personal post on verified Twitter accounts, the politician promised to create more opportunities, jobs and promote the nation’s economy both at home and abroad. ,” said the PDP candidate. The former Vice President has been in the storm lately for allegedly hiring lobbyists in order to obtain the visa that enabled him enter America after many years of the ban. In the purported deal, signed on his behalf by the former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka and Brian D. Ballard on 21st September 2018, Atiku is to make a quarterly payment of $270, 000 dollars ($90, 000 per month) for the contracted services. The duty of the firm as contained in the contract agreement reads; “It shall be the firm’s duty to consult with the client and advocate on its behalf those issues the client deems necessary and appropriate before the US Federal Government. “Issues and objectives may include, but not limited to,.” The leak of this document has ever since caused a public outcry and raised discussions among politicians and other members of the public. Why I visited the United States However, Atiku claimed his visit to the US was to woo foreign investors and for the nation to reclaim its lost position as Africa’s top destination for FDI. In the post, he frowned at Nigeria’s declining fortune on foreign direct investment stressing that Ghana had overtaken the nation as West Africa’s largest recipient of foreign investments. .” Atiku further blamed the current administration for overlooking the current economic development despite Nigeria’s previous status as an investment destination in Africa. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in its 2018 World Investment Report titled, ‘Investment and New Industrial Policies, Key Messages and Overview’, attributed the 11 per cent decline ($11.3 bn) in regional FDI to West Africa to Nigeria’s ‘depressed’ economy. The nation’s FDI, according to the report also fell by 21 per cent which amounts to 43.5 billion. He attributed the slow socio-economic development as to why Nigeria was declared poverty headquarter of the world. “I foresaw this happening, which is why I was in the United States last week to get foreign investors who have been divesting from Nigeria, to return their investments. Prior to my US trip, I had undertaken similar missions in Europe and the Orient.” “As a businessman and employer of labour, I am disappointed that a nation with 15,” he added. Atiku became PDP’s candidate on October 7, 2018, but the agreement was signed by Chidoka on 9th September, 2018 about 16 days prior to his emergence as the flag bearer. During his visit, he met with the congressman Michael McCaul, Chairman of US Homeland Security, Congressman Smith and some Nigerians in the US. Titi Abubakar canvasses support for husband Meanwhile, wife of the former Vice President, Titi Abubakar has intensified the campaigning for the candidacy of her husband. She said if her husband is elected in the presidential election Nigeria would be relieved of bondage it found itself. Speaking at a Town Hall meeting today in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, she emphasised on Atiku’s capacity to develop the country, restructure and ensure inclusive governance. “You have no other President than Atiku. He was there before as Vice President. He has done it before and he will do it again. He was the one who led President Obasanjo’s economic team. The eight years was meaningful to Nigeria. The APC government which is barely four years in power and everything has gone worse. “We’re in bondage. Vote Atiku to liberate us. It’s an inclusive government that we are going to have because it would be the government by the people and for the people. We want to be the servant of our people because we are the chosen one.” Olugbenga is an Investigative Reporter with The ICIR. Email address: [email protected] Twitter handle: @OluAdanikin

October 18, 2021 Game Design and Interactive Media Program Receives Distinguished Educator Award The Greater Irvine Chamber celebrated Irvine’s world-class education at the Hilton Irvine on Oct. 13, 2021 at an awards ceremony for its inaugural Distinguished Educators program. The program recognizes exemplary educators as well as outstanding STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programs, and the Distinguished Educator Award for Technology was presented to UCI’s game design and interactive media (GDIM) undergraduate degree program. Informatics Professor Constance Steinkuehler, the GDIM program chair, accepted the award on behalf of UCI’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). Informatics Professor Constance Steinkuehler accepts the Distinguished Educator Award for Technology with UCI Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Hal Stern and Bryan Starr, president and CEO of the Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce. “The GDIM faculty are honored to be recognized in this way,” says Steinkuehler. “We’re excited about the new program, our incoming students, the return to campus, and building strong partnership with the incredible game and interactive media companies right here in our local community.” So how is the GDIM major, only in its first quarter on campus, already an award-winning program? Although new for fall 2021, with 86 students enrolled in the program, GDIM stems from UCI’s computer game science (CGS) degree — first launched back in 2011. By 2017, College Magazine had named UCI the No. 1 school for gamers. However, a few years later, as the CGS degree entered its second decade on campus, the Department of Informatics decided it was time for an upgrade. “The game development field is really fast moving,” says Informatics Professor Katie Salen Tekinbaş, a fellow of the Higher Education Video Game Alliance who helped revamp the CGS major. “The field just looks really different today from how it looked when the degree was originally developed.” The revised and renamed B.S. degree offering prepares students to be the next generation of designers, developers and industry leaders by providing them with the tools and training needed to reshape the field with innovative and inclusive games and other playable media experiences. “The original computer game science program provides students a strong foundation in game programming, and we’ll continue to support this line of course work,” says Steinkuehler, noting the 223 CGS students on campus. “What the new degree does is expand our focus from programming alone to a broader set of key roles in the industry, including game design, games and product management,” she explains. “Students are now supported in developing a strong portfolio of work to quickly land a job and in developing the collaborative professional skills necessary to thrive after being hired.” To ensure students are industry-ready prior to graduation, the GDIM program is leveraging its location. “The great thing about being in the center of Silicon Beach is that we are surrounded by so many outstanding game companies,” says Steinkuehler. Industry experts are serving as GDIM instructors, as guest lecturers and as project mentors for the capstone course. “Games is a fast-moving field, where engines, platforms and what’s considered state of the art changes every year, so we supplement our faculty expertise with industry professionals to ensure students graduate well prepared to succeed.” Another great thing about being at UCI is the university itself. “We’re on a campus that has a strong reputation for inclusive excellence and for supporting its students by ensuring that campus is an equitable and welcoming space,” says Steinkuehler. “You put this high-tech sector degree together with a culture known for inclusive excellence, and what you get is a program that promises to help diversify the games industry pipeline and prepare the next generation of designers for creating interactive media in powerful, playful, responsible ways.” — Shani Murray Game Design and Interactive Media Program Receives Distinguished Educator Award< Previous Student-Founded Startup Streamlines the Internship Hunt

‘Bottom line, insurers have been collecting small premiums while facing near infinite risks’, says senior analyst A top ten cyber insurer will be forced to cease writing new business and run off existing products next year, according to market research firm Forrester. Ransomware was highlighted as the big risk that will cause pain for insurers. In its cyber predictions for next year, Forrester senior analyst Jeffrey Williams warned that a lack of historical data, growing loss ratios and the vast array of risks would test insurer’s underwriting and claims teams. He said: “Emboldened by past success, bad actors will continue their assaults. Cyberattacks are a huge risk in an environment where it’s unclear who is responsible for protecting the financial system against the bad guys. “Bottom line, insurers have been collecting small premiums while facing near infinite risks.” He also believes more firms might choose to self-insure amid climbing premium prices. “Cyber insurance has been an important tool since its introduction not long after the start of the dot-com bubble. But now ransomware attacks occur every 11 seconds and extortion demands have ratcheted up by 300% in just a single year, putting big dents in a once very profitable line. “Cyber insurance premiums are up close to 30%, while the list of coverage limits and exclusions grows longer. More businesses might choose to self-insure or just go without”, he added. Insurer cyber innovation Despite the danger, digital insurance platforms (DIPs) will raise $20bn (£14.9bn) in 2022 as businesses’ need and demand for technological transformations continue to disrupt the market and entice investors – this is compared to $2.4bn (£1.8bn) in 2020 and an estimation of $12bn (£9bn) in 2021. The report also revealed one third of insurers are expected to increase their willingness to embed products within others’ ecosystems to extend their product distribution. Exactly 54% of insurers invested in digital channels to differentiate from competitors in 2021, yet only 17% believe partnering with other organisations will have this desired result, according to the research company’s Analytics Business Technographics Priorities and Journey Survey (March 2021) – 21,130 respondents across the globe took part, including in the UK. *Forrester publishes predictions reports on an annual basis, which analyse the dynamics and trends in difference disciplines and industries; it’s latest 2022 predictions were published on 1 November 2021.

Environmental concerns over tin drilling plans in Breage Residents opposed to the drilling tests fear it could lead to toxic waste being pumped up to the surface A group of residents has voiced its concerns that plans to drill for tin could disturb a toxic mine and pollute the environment. Protect Wheal Vor, is a group of local residents in the Great Wheal Vor area, near Breage, Cornwall, worried about the impact proposals by Cornish Tin Ltd to drill 32 exploratory bore holes could bring to the surface toxic waste which is currently lying dormant deep in the earth. Some 90 of them have held a protest at the site where the company wants to run its drilling campaign in protest at the negative effects they say it could have on the area. Jamie Lovekin, from the Protect Wheal Vor group, said: “We already know that cadmium, nickel, arsenic, mercury and other carcinogens leach through from disused mines in this area down into Porthleven Stream which is the second most polluted waterway in Cornwall. “Cornish Tin have been granted a planning order which allows the company to monitor the boreholes themselves, and if the company pack up and disappear there are no plans for the protection of streams and groundwater in the years following abandonment. “Cornish Tin claim that they have the public onside with their plans. Our protest on Sunday (October 17) very clearly shows, this is not the case. People are very angry.” Tin has been central to Cornwall’s industrial heritage and wealth since before the Bronze Age and the idea of a revival in fortunes supplying the materials for electric vehicles, batteries and other renewables could be very attractive to certain investors. Should the first phase of 33 boreholes be productive, two more phases are planned with the expectation of full-scale extractive mining as a result. Mr Lovekin added: “Modern mining has many names, clean-mining, greensmart mining, climate-smart mining amongst them, but it still generates toxic waste in large quantities. It no longer employs thousands of people. Massive machinery would do that work. “The Great Wheal Vor area has slowly begun to heal its visible scars and the poisons have settled, more or less. People have found other forms of employment now, or set up businesses which could be jeopardised if drilling goes ahead in spring.” Anyone concerned with the possible impact the drilling campaign could have on the area around Breage can make contact with Protect Wheal Vor, by ringing Zelma Hill on 07756 018947. Get all the latest news, updates, things to do and more from Cornwall's dedicated InYourArea feed.

[tag: science] The transplant system in Italy, during and after the pandemic. Between research and innovation, organizational problems that have had to be managed especially in the more complex phases of the health emergency and new models to be set up for the future. An Ansaincontra is dedicated to this, which will be broadcast tomorrow at 3 pm on Ansa.it, in which the director of the National Transplant Center (Cnt), Massimo Cardillo, Professor Paolo Antonio Grossi, professor of Infectious Disease at the University, will address the topic. of Insubria and director of Infectious and tropical diseases of the Asst Sette Laghi di Varese, infectious disease consultant of the Cnt, Dr. Silvia Trapani, head of the scientific area of the Cnt and Professor Umberto Cillo, director of the UOC Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplant Center of the ‘Aou of Padua. REPRODUCTION RESERVED © Copyright ANSA Italy transplants research innovation Health

Documents are only in Finnish. The Consumer Ombudsman demands that the Market Court prohibit games company MiGame Oy from offering a telephone number subject to an additional fee to customers who contact the company about such issues as defective service and refunds. The company has charged a fee of EUR 1.98 per minute for calls. The Consumer Ombudsman also demands that the prohibition be reinforced with a penalty payment of EUR 50,000. Under the Consumer Protection Act, the maximum fee charged for telephone service offered to customers with concluded contracts may not exceed a rate based on the consumer's telephone subscription or a computed basic rate. The basic rate that may not be exceeded currently is EUR 0.084 per minute. A number for which the basic rate is charged must be offered to customers who contact the company about such issues as cancelling a concluded contract, a delay or a defect in goods or services, ending or terminating a contract, or billing. MiGame Oy has offered the telephone number subject to an additional fee to its customers in such communications as its e-mail responses. Additionally, the implementation of the Latauskoodit.fi web service gives the impression that when a consumer wishes to call the company about a concluded contract, only the telephone number subject to an additional fee may be used. The Consumer Ombudsman demands that the Market Court prohibit MiGame Oy from continuing to offer a telephone number subject to an additional fee to customers with a concluded contract on its website and in its e-mail responses or other customer communications, and from repeating this action in the future. The Ombudsman demands that a penalty payment of EUR 50,000 be imposed on the company to reinforce the prohibition. “The purpose of regulation is to ensure that consumers can exercise their statutory rights, which include making complaints and cancelling contracts, efficiently and without incurring additional costs. This is what makes the issue so important for consumers”, says Consumer Ombudsman Katri Väänänen. In August 2018, the Consumer Ombudsman put forward an initiative for reviewing the legislation on customer service numbers offered at a basic rate (in finnish).

Famous lyrics by » Raymond Legrand (May 23, 1908, Paris - November 25, 1974, Nanterre) was a French composer and conductor. Legrand studied harmony and orchestration as a pupil of Gabriel Faure. He married Marcelle Der Mikaëlian (sister of Jacques Hélian) in 1929; their children were the singer Christiane Legrand, born in 1930 and the composer Michel Legrand, born in 1932. By 1935, he abandoned his wife and children. In 1943, he had a son, Michel-Patrick Legrand with the singer Irène de Trébert. During the Second World War, he participated in the Collaboration with the Vichy government. In 1946, he divorced, and several years later married Paulette Bonimond; they had two children, the writer Benjamin Legrand and the painter Olivier Legrand. In the realms of jazz and light music, he made arrangements for Ray Ventura and his ensemble from 1934, before assembling his own group under the Occupation. He surrounded himself with former musicians met while with Ventura, especially Henri Bourtayre (composition) and Guy Dejardin (arrangement, orchestration). Raymond Legrand's orchestra included Irène de Trébert, Maurice Chevalier, Georges Guétary, Tino Rossi, and Colette Renard, with whom he married in 1960 and divorced in 1969 (after his divorce from Paulette Bonimont). He also collaborated with figures of French song like Francis Lemarque, Mouloudji, Édith Piaf and Henri Salvador. In 1948, he directed the orchestra for the recording of C'est si bon by Les Soeurs Étienne, which became a hit. In 1966, his son Michel Legrand directed the orchestra for the version of this song by Barbra Streisand on the album Color Me Barbra. In 1971, he divorced again to marry Martine Leroy, with whom he had a daughter, Coralie Legrand. He also composed copiously for film. Update this biography » Complete biography of Raymond Legrand »

CoronaVac Vaccine: Its Results Are Patchy, But The World Can’t Ignore Its Usefulness China’s vaccine-development system has been busy during the pandemic. Two Chinese vaccines are now being used around the world: the Sinopharm vaccine and the CoronaVac vaccine. The latter, developed by the Sinovac Biotech company, is the latest COVID-19 vaccine to be authorised for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO). Because of this, the CoronaVac vaccine could have a big role to play in turning the tide of the pandemic. Receiving the WHO’s blessing means the vaccine can now be used to supply Covax, the initiative set up to share vaccine doses across the world. This is on top of it being approved for use by 37 countries. Millions are in line to receive the vaccine, and millions already have. However, CoronaVac’s clinical trial results have painted a mixed picture. And, as with the western COVID-19 vaccines, it’s only now that plenty of doses have been deployed that we’re beginning to get a sense of how effective the vaccine is in real-world conditions. A traditional approach Like the other notable Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by Sinopharm, CoronaVac is an inactivated vaccine. This means it contains whole versions of the coronavirus that have been treated so that they can’t replicate inside the body. These dead viruses are what the body mounts an immune response to. This is a very different approach to that used by the main western vaccines, which instead deliver some of the coronavirus’s genetic material into the body in order to get it to build specific, recognisable parts of the coronavirus for the immune system to train itself against. The inactivated vaccine method is a much more well-established way of designing a vaccine. Inactivated vaccines are typically easy to manufacture at large scale and have an excellent safety record. However, they tend to produce a weaker immune response than vaccines that use other designs. To some extent this is borne out in the results of CoronaVac’s phase 3 clinical trials, which were run across several countries. In a trial run in Brazil, the vaccine prevented people developing symptomatic COVID-19 with 51% efficacy. In another trial in Indonesia, the vaccine showed 65% efficacy. For comparison, the efficacy of the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines exceeded 90% in their trials. However, CoronaVac showed very high protection against being hospitalised with COVID-19 in these trials, and almost 100% protection against dying from the disease, and it was on the basis of these findings that the WHO recommended its use. Since then, results of a further phase 3 trial run in Turkey have been published, suggesting that CoronaVac is safe and has an efficacy of 83%. A varying foe Why such a difference between these percentages? Well, the prevalence of different coronavirus variants over time and in different places can potentially impact the efficacy observed in clinical trials. Studies conducted in South Africa have had to content with the beta variant, while those run in Brazil have faced the gamma variant. There is some evidence that these variants are less susceptible to the effects of current vaccines than some other forms of the virus. This is where “real-world” studies become vital. By assessing vaccines as they’re being used, they allow you to look at their effectiveness and safety in larger numbers of people than is possible in clinical trials. They also give you a more up-to-date picture of how vaccines are faring against the virus in real time, as it evolves. For example, a recent real-world study of CoronaVac conducted in Chile included data from 10.2 million people. The researchers calculated that the vaccine was 66% protective against symptomatic disease and offered 88% protection against hospitalisation. They also highlighted that the alpha and gamma variants are known to be circulating in Chile, though within their study there was not enough data to estimate the impact of these variants specifically on the vaccine’s effects. These are good numbers, but still leave the vaccine a little way behind some of the western vaccines. With Pfizer and Moderna, protection against hospitalisation was close to 100% in real-world studies involving the alpha variant, and still around 90% after two doses when considering the delta variant. There’s also currently precious little data to assess the impact of delta upon CoronaVac. A working vaccine is a useful vaccine Perhaps because of these factors, some governments seem a little unsure about the overall value of CoronaVac. For example, in Thailand, there are plans to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine as the second dose to individuals who had CoronaVac as their first dose. This was after healthcare workers still became infected with COVID-19 despite having had CoronaVac. However, the WHO Situation Report of July 19 2021 noted that the number of COVID-19 cases reported worldwide increased by 12% in the previous week. Right now, the pandemic is growing. There are also widespread concerns about unfolding outbreaks in many places across sub-Saharan Africa. Most countries in the continent have populations that are almost entirely unvaccinated and so greatly susceptible to new outbreaks. The tragic circumstances of the huge outbreak earlier this year in India shows how COVID-19 can wreak havoc on a susceptible population. Therefore, in the context of a pandemic that shows no signs of abating, what does the future hold for CoronaVac? Well, in short, the world needs all the vaccines it can get, and we cannot afford to pick and choose between them. There’s good evidence that all the vaccines approved by the WHO protect against symptomatic disease, and also evidence that they in turn reduce onward transmission. While vaccine demand continues to greatly outstrip supply and there’s huge inequity in the global vaccine rollout, there remains a big role for CoronaVac to play – even if it is slightly less effective than some other vaccines. Populations remain unprotected. Until that changes, the pandemic won’t end. Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

By Alex Gonzalez When director Katrine Philp's sister-in-law became ill, she felt despair and sadness watching her family grapple with the emotional pain. Her sister-in-law was suffering from what Philp describes as “bacteria running berserk in her body” and while she survived, Philp says her recovery was a lengthy, strenuous process. “I watched how she was struggling with her life, while my brother and their three children were by her side, for a very, very, very long time,” Philp tells MTV News. “It was very hard for the entire family. I watched my family, and I could see their powerlessness." Watching this struggle "planted the seed" for Philp's Beautiful Something Left Behind, from MTV Documentary Films, that follows a group of children as each of them process the death of one or both parents. The idea grew as Philp heard a story similar to the one she experienced while listening to an episode of NPR’s “This American Life” about organizations that help those grieving. That’s how she discovered Good Grief, a nonprofit providing mental health resources to bereaved children and their families based in Morristown, New Jersey. Philp chatted with CEO Joe Primo via Skype in May 2018, long before video chatting became the new normal in the age of COVID-19. Production on the film was completed before the pandemic struck, but its release is more timely than ever, as the world emerges from a moment of collective trauma. Primo immediately fell in love with Philp’s vision, citing her “gentleness and warmth” as reasons he trusted her to film at the facility. “I think her character is so much what makes up the film and makes it as beautiful as it is,” Primo tells MTV News. Good Grief was founded in 2004 by a group of volunteers who wanted to serve as advocates for grieving children. Today, the nonprofit offers support groups for children who have lost parents, as well as for surviving adults. Additionally, they coordinate activities for children, as Philp tenderly showcases throughout the film, like setting up headstones in a sandbox, blowing off steam in a “volcano room” where they can cry and scream when they can’t find the words to express their feelings, and saying goodbye to a teddy bear patient in a hospital room. While it may be comforting to tell a child that their parent has gone to heaven, Good Grief takes a more direct and secular approach to explain death, allowing the child to process the fact that their parent will no longer be present physically. “At Good Grief, we talk about death being a biological event,” Primo says. “I've heard multiple iterations where somebody will say, ‘Mommy is in heaven,’ but then a day or two later, they're standing around a coffin, in a cemetery. Everybody's crying and the child is like, ‘Wait, if Mommy's in heaven, who's in the box? Why are we here? What is this about?’ And that's because of how adults teach and talk to children about death.” Philp’s husband, Adam Morris Philp, served as the film’s cinematographer. Over the course of a year, they visited Good Grief [from their home in Copenhagen] three times a week, talking to kids in the program. During the last four months of filming, they moved to Morristown, bringing their two children with them. While filming, their children would remain behind the scenes, but when the cameras were off, they played with the Good Grief kids. “When you are portraying families in one of those situations, you could imagine how difficult it could be to have a film crew there,” Philp says. “I think coming there as a family and not as a crew helped a lot to gain their trust and to have them relaxed in the situation and to get close to them.” During the production of Beautiful Something Left Behind in 2018, Philp’s father died unexpectedly. As a child, she remembers being close to him, never leaving his side. She didn’t expect she would have to process her own loss while documenting the children, giving her a new admiration for the strength of the children to be open about their own losses. Navigating that together felt therapeutic, inspiring her to tell the story from the children’s perspective. “I think that the kids in the film show us what we need to know about grief,” Philp says. “I had the feeling that afterward, people could Google [Good Grief] and ask, ‘Are there any [similar] places near me?’ It was important for me to make this film as a journey into the grief of the children..” The film captures the children in various raw states of emotional recovery. Some can’t get through group meetings without crying; others admit that they haven’t cried. In one scene, a boy who has lost both his parents sends two balloons into the sky, seemingly up to heaven to his parents. One balloon “for Mommy” gets caught in a tree, and his guardian tells him, “Mommy wanted her balloon to stay with you for a little while.” Beautiful Something Left Behind won SXSW’s Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary last year, where it was originally set to premiere before the conference was canceled due to the onset of the coronavirus. The pandemic has also affected operations at Good Grief, where children and adults have not been able to have in-person meetings. According to Primo, the nonprofit immediately pivoted to a virtual platform during the early days of lockdown. For their summer camp, which is traditionally held over a week-long period in August, it held a virtual camp during the entirety of last year’s summer months. The past year was one of loss for many people, and Philp hopes Beautiful Something Left Behind encourages viewers to talk directly about their emotions and reach out to people who are struggling. When her father died, Philp says people would avoid talking about her father as a way to be sensitive about her loss. This, however, made Philp feel more lonely. .”

Scott Cross has carved a niche for his Corona del Mar company building high-end custom homes here for nearly a decade. But Cross is also busy carving a niche for himself in realty TV. The homes Cross builds and the personality and passion he exudes in his work every day makes him stand out from the crowd. In the beginning it wasn’t that simple. If you were a local Newport homeowner who happened to be spending a few million dollars or so on new or remodeled custom home, would ou trust a kid who was 22 years old to head up the work? Well, Cross and his company S.C. Homes Inc. used to get that question – but not so much these days. The now-31-year-old Scott says he isn’t asked that much anymore because “my hair has gotten a lot grayer over the years.”. He also says people began getting over his relative youth when “I started signing the checks.” But Scott’s energetic and personable approach did not go unnoticed in places you don’t normally associate with a homebuilder. Scott and his company took on a major project with a TV twist in 2009, teaming up with the ABC’s reality show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to build a house for a needy family in the high desert of Southern California in less than five days. That project and the media exposure it brought led to Scott being considered for a TV reality show of his own that is in the works now with the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) TV network. If he makes the final cut, the show would be based around his custom home building adventures here in Newport Beach. Scott says the show is down to three finalists with him in Newport and others in Los Angeles. At one of Scott’s current projects – on Bayside Drive near Balboa Island – the DiY TV Network sent a camera to tape Scott and his many partners as they worked on the remodel of a waterfront home originally built in the late 1960s. Scott, Stan Sullins, an interior designer based in Laguna Beach, and architect Mark Gross of Irvine criss-crossed the house going over detail after detail of how the house would be rebuilt. The gutted interior was clearly in the need of being transformed into a stunning new home. A TV camera followed their every move. On the outside of the house, they discussed how to get a stunning bayfront deck just right. Inside, Scott and his team, amid a constant flurry of worker activity, went room to room figuring out just how they would make sure the owner of the house would be another happy customer once the project was complete. Scott and the team spoke directly with the owner via telephone to go over the project and work out any special items and the costs. When asked about why he focuses on Newport Beach so heavily, Scott says, “How do you not want to work in Newport?” “All my subcontractors love me, they get to see this view all day long,” he added. Scott not only builds custom homes in Newport today, but his past professional and personal life have all had a Newport Beach touch for a long time. It’s been that way for over a decade. Each morning Scott meets with his team at the Balboa Coffee Bar across the street from the Balboa branch of the Newport Beach Library on the Peninsula. He’s been doing it for years. It’s where starts his day and goes over all over the projects his company is working on around Newport. The local coffee hangout also holds a special place with Scott, as it’s where he first met his wife,Shannon. He liked her so much he later bought the place in 2007 before finally selling it in 2009. Scott and Shannon also added their son, Kayden, 2½, to the family. He began his homebuilding career with his dad, Mark, buying, tearing down and rebuilding homes on the Peninsula. The first house they build in Newport was on West Oceanfront more than 10 years ago. One of his favorites is a stunning home he built on East Bay Street just past Balboa downtown area. Today Scott and his company have seven houses under way, building from scratch or remodeling. “I only have one outside of Newport,” he says. Whether or not Scott makes it be back on TV with the new reality show, he says he’ll always being doing what he say’s he love’s most: building custom homes. “I’m not trying to become a TV guy, really,” he confesses. He just wants to keep building homes and doing it here in Newport. If doing a little TV on the side helps, he says that’s OK. He’s glad to get himself and the city all the publicity he can.

BRITAIN’S jobs rate has bounced back to pre-Covid levels — as the country is set to enjoy the fastest growth in the G7 this year. Workers are also enjoying a pay boom with wages growing by a massive 5.6 per cent in just three months, far higher than inflation. But vacancies also soared to a record 1.1million, fuelling fears labour shortages will push up prices. A record-breaking 29.2million workers were on the payroll in September this year — up over 200,000 on the month before, the Office for National Statistics found. Meanwhile, a separate report by the IMF found Britain’s economy is set to boom by 6.8 per cent this year — the highest in the G7. The delighted Treasury said this shows bleak warnings of a post-Covid unemployment tsunami are wide of the mark. But lorry drivers, bar staff and skilled abattoir butchers are all in short supply. In total, there were more than 300,000 extra vacancies in September than pre-pandemic, the ONS reported. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “As we move to the next stage of our support, it’s encouraging to see our Plan for Jobs working.”

PROOF: FDA Concealing Adverse Reactions November 10, 2021 Karen Kingston joins Stew Peters to discuss revelations of fraud at a research company contracted to carry out Pfizer’s pivotal COVID-19 vaccine trial and how the FDA stepped in to conceal the high frequency of adverse reactions by removing these patients from the vaccine data. Kingston says this is criminal. “This is conspiring to commit aggravated assault against minors and adults in America. There’s no gray area, anymore.” On November 2nd, the British Medical Journal put out a report in which they announced that a whistleblower named Brooke Jackson, who works for the contract research organization, Ventavia had come forward to say that during one Pfizer trial of 1,000 vaccinated patients, nearly half were coached to alter the descriptions of their adverse events in their test diaries after 407 came down with COVID-19, versus 287 in the placebo group, which Karen describes as “A serious adverse event.” “They came down with it, Stew within a week of their first or second dose and they define COVID-19 as not just the mild or moderate symptoms, they define it as severe liver, kidney and neurological disorders, they define it as death and ICU admissions. “So there could have been 407 people who experienced any one of those from the injections and they never reported it! And in the FDA document, they specifically say this could be attributed to the vaccines – reactogenicity from the vaccines…The side effects of the vaccines overlap directly with COVID-19.” One wonders if this study’s sample is representative and whether 41% of all vaccinated people in the US might be similarly affected and that this, too is not being reported? Stew asks, “When we know people who have been inoculated and we don’t see them experiencing adverse events (intended consequences), side effects, injury, death, paralysis, Guillain-Barré, feeding tubes, what do we to assume is going on with these people?” “They didn’t get the 30 micrograms of the mRNA,” she replies. “They got, maybe a placebo, they maybe got 10 micrograms of mRNA. That would be a reasonable hypothesis to develop.” She says it’s really important to note that, “On January 27th of last year, Secretary Azar from HHS said that because of confirmed cases in the United States, COVID was a ‘Public Health Crisis’ and a threat to National Security. “We didn’t have a test, Stew in January of last year. We didn’t have one in February, we didn’t have on in March. So that Declaration, in and of itself is an issue, because it’s based on ‘confirmed tests’. “Now, they’ve changed it. The last Declaration on October 18th, says it’s based on ‘COVID-19’. “Here’s the problem with that. Regarding the last study from the CDC, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, they show that of people in the hospital with COVID-19, only 5%-10% test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or the Delta Variant. “That data also shows if you have a PCR test and it has over a 90% failure rate in diagnosing people who are so symptomatic, they’re hospitalized, there’s no attribution. There never was attribution between the virus and COVID-19! “And now, Secretary Becerra has said, ‘COVID-19 is the cause of the public health emergency and threat to National Security’… “The virus, apparently, is humans. Because, if you’re alive, you’re ‘at risk’ of infecting other people or of dying from COVID-19. “The whole thing has been nothing but a PSYOP and if you look at the data, it clearly shows that. “If you have over a 90% failure rate from a PCR test, there’s no correlation between the virus and COVID-19 and if you can have COVID-19 and be in the hospital dying from respiratory or heart failure or you can be a perfectly healthy 17 year old teenage boy who can run a 6-minute mile, what does that tell you about COVID-19, Stew?” “OK,” he says, “If the whole thing is a PSYOP, the PSYOP, then you’re suggesting was intended to bring in the bioweapon, which is these shots. right?” “That’s right. The whole thing is a PSYOP, because what they’re saying is COVID-19 is a threat to National Security. Well, here’s my question: There’s a vaccine mandate, you had people on this week talking about it. If the vaccine mandate is going to make 200,000 thousand enlisted men and women resign and and another 176,000 Reserve or who are contractors resign, so we lose almost 400,000 people in our military, is COVID-19 a threat to National Security or is it our government making a mandate? “If there’s a mandate for everyone who’s employed in the United States (over 100 employees) and we’re going to lose 84 million more jobs to an already crippled economy, does that make COVID-19 the threat to National Security or does that make the Government, who’s making a mandate, we’re going to lose 84,000,000 jobs – the threat to National Security?” Stew asks her what she makes of Trump not coming out and warning people that the vaxx is dangerous. “The whole thing is an act of war. Everything that’s going on with COVID-19 has been an act of war against the American People, including the theft of the election. Those who are in power now were not put in power by the American People, they were put in power by a enemy state. That is what’s going on right now. “In regards to President Trump, should he come forward and say the vaccines are dangerous? Well, if you take this from behavioral and psychological warfare, based on history, it doesn’t look like that would achieve anything. “The American People need to come forward and say this, Stew, that’s my point. We need to fight to win. It’s not up to Trump to save this country. It’s up to us to save the country.” “That, I agree with 100%,” Stew says, “However, psychologically, he does hold sway over at least a hundred million people in this country and others around the world. So his acknowledgement would have an impact, in my opinion.” “I had thought about that, as well, but these people, are they psychologically strong enough to then, when Trump’s attacked by the media and they’re saying, ‘No, there is no evidence that these vaccines are dangerous,’ because they’re sticking to their lie, OK, they’re sticking to their lie. “Are they going to rally and fight behind Trump and fight for America? We need to show up and start fighting and fighting to win before we start expecting someone to come in and quote, unquote save us.” “I agree. Nobody’s going do that. We need to step up and do this, ourselves and facing the truth, oftentimes is not very comfortable and trusting in the people you previously thought you could trust in. “You may find, when using your discernment and actually looking at the truth and facts for what they are, you may find that those people are not as trustworthy as you once thought that they were. Matt Gaetz, perfect example. Marjorie Taylor Greene, another example. I’ll never apologize for holding these people accountable. They have deceived, they have pulled the wool over the eyes of people who previously celebrated them as prolific fighters and indeed, they are not.” The Vaxx Kills. Stop the #CLOTSHOT!

. Dr Misselwitz joins the Company in his new role from Bayer AG where until recently he was Corporate Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head in clinical development. With a background in academia and industry, he has over 30 years of extensive pharmaceutical industry experience. Dr Misselwitz is currently a non-executive director and member of the Board of Actimed. Dr Misselwitz was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research for 8 years and is currently a member of the SAB for the Centre for Thrombosis and Haemostasis University of Mainz, Germany. Robin Bhattacherjee, Actimed CEO, commented: “We are tremendously excited to appoint Frank as our Chief Medical Officer as we seek to further advance the development of our lead candidate ACM-001 (S-pindolol) for cancer cachexia. Frank brings a wealth of international expertise in clinical development and an outstanding track record for delivering successful large-scale clinical trials on time. He is a highly respected and influential leader who shares our motivation to bring new medicines to the many patients suffering from cachexia.” During his career, Frank supported the development of Humira at Knoll AG and Abbott. While at Bayer, he led the successful development of multiple cardiovascular drugs including rivaroxaban, the leading oral direct FXa inhibitor. The rivaroxaban development programme included the landmark COMPASS trial, one of the largest and most complex development programs conducted, encompassing more than 275,000 patients. Rivaroxaban was developed in its first indication in just 78 months. Frank was also responsible for the successful development of Riociguat, a stimulator of soluble guanylate cyclase, approved to treat two forms of Pulmonary Hypertension. Frank led the Therapeutic Area engaged in developing replacement therapies in hemophilia A including Damoctocog alfa pegol which was approved by EMA and FDA in 2018. Frank’s previous academic research experience was gained in UK, USA, Germany and Russia and he is the author of over 250 publications. Dr Misselwitz commented: “I am excited to have the opportunity to be joining Actimed to help bring ACM-001 to the many patients for whom cancer related cachexia remains a significant unmet need, as well as developing Actimed’s broader pipeline for muscle wasting disorders. As a Board member at Actimed, I am already very familiar with the Company and the impressive data amassed to date on ACM-001. I look forward to working with Actimed’s outstanding team to bring this and other innovative new products to this vulnerable and under-served patient population.”

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‘Don’t let barriers block wind farms and windfalls’ The UK’s wind industry is growing in strength, but steady progress cannot be taken for granted, writes Tim Probert The UK leads the world in offshore wind energy and, after a relatively slow start, its onshore wind sector is beginning to catch up with European competitors. Figures do not lie: in addition to 5,010 megawatts (MW) of onshore wind, the UK has installed 2,362MW of offshore wind – 60 per cent of total European Union capacity and more than three times greater than Denmark, its nearest rival. Overall, the UK is ranked as the world’s eighth largest producer of wind power. In addition, there are six offshore wind farms under construction with a total capacity of 1,867MW and 84 onshore wind farms with a total output of 2,156MW. Furthermore, there are 265 consented onshore wind farms (3,930MW) and seven offshore (2,335MW). Add the 10.72 gigawatts (GW) in planning and the further 16GW of capacity that could be added offshore, and the picture appears rosy for the wind industry. But it is not all plain sailing. This is a relatively young industry that is still growing in confidence, determined to find its way. For onshore wind, particularly the smaller players, the most pressing concern is finance. Anecdotal evidence suggests there is currently limited UK funding available for sub-10MW projects. Developers have to finance projects at comparatively high interest rates and then refinance them. Once they are producing power and income, wind projects are high-quality assets that lenders are more comfortable with, so the refinanced loans tend to be cheaper. For larger developers, the planning system remains a headache at times, particularly in England, where just 25 per cent of applications are approved by councils last year, although this year rates have improved substantially. An industry that does not make money for local areas, as well as for project investors, is going to lose political will Several councils have proposed introducing “buffer zones”, in some cases restricting wind farms to locations more than two miles from housing or imposing limits on the height of turbine towers. Although England’s recently introduced National Planning Policy Framework states local authorities should have a positive strategy to promote renewable energy and these objections could be superseded at a national level or challenged in court, buffer zones threaten to complicate an already labyrinthine system. One way developers are trying to ease the log jam is by sharing some of the benefits of the power they generate through community development funds. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey says: “Far too often, communities see the wind farm but not the windfall. We want to ensure people benefit from having wind farms sited near them.” Project developer Renewable Energy Generation, for example, has announced that it will donate £1 million to a community fund linked to a £16-million, 10MW wind farm in East Yorkshire, while villagers in Powys in Wales could be in line for up to £18 million if a 50-turbine project is approved. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is looking at ways to extend the concept to other schemes, while in Scotland, a Community Benefit Register was launched in September, allowing residents to get a better deal from developers by seeing what benefits other communities have received. It is hoped that community funds could help to unlock the planning constraints that, combined with the recession, mean it can take up to five years to get funding approval for some onshore wind projects. In the longer term, the industry also faces a transition from the current Renewables Obligation (RO) regime to Feed-in Tariffs with Contracts for Difference (CfD), with potentially 31GW of wind to fund by 2020. Some smaller wind developers worry that the removal of the obligation on suppliers to buy renewable power will hit them hard. “CfDs do not provide a route to market,” says Eric Machiels, chief executive at independent renewable developer Infinis. “The Big Six [power utilities] may become self-sufficient and small-to-medium developers may be left without an off-taker – it will be down to the individual supplier’s procurement strategies whether they will source from third parties.” But Diane Dowdell, commercial director at renewable energy service provider Tradelink Solutions, says: “Off-takers will be there for independent generators, but we need to think about moving away from power purchase agreements with the Big Six and consider different routes to markets through aggregators or direct with industrial customers.” DECC is well aware of these concerns. “We believe CfDs will offer a more competitive solution, but we are aware of the risks,” says a spokesman. “We are considering taking regulatory action in order to ease the transition to CfDs and intervene so that independent generators can sell their generated power. We will publish our findings later in the autumn alongside further information on how the CfDs will operate.” For offshore wind, the primary concerns are profitability and regulatory uncertainty. Finance is expensive, utilities say that in some cases offshore wind does not generate the kind of returns they would hope for, that onshore wind developments are considerably more profitable, and at times they are struggling to arrive at final investment decisions. However, there may be brighter news ahead. Developers say offshore wind turbine manufacturers have become more flexible with pricing and, because the next generation of turbines will have twice the capacity of the current fleet, the levelised cost of electricity of offshore wind should also fall. The current capital expenditure (capex) estimate for offshore wind farms is £3 million per megawatt, but investors see this coming down sharply. However, capex will only fall if the supply chain for offshore wind is sufficiently developed. Several manufacturers have warned the government that political risk is postponing some decisions to invest in the UK. Matthew Knight, Siemens’ director of business development for the UK’s Round 3 offshore wind programme, says the key to the future health of the industry is to create a local supply chain. An industry that does not make money for local areas, as well as for project investors, is going to lose the political will necessary for its long-term prospects, warns Mr Knight, whose company has delayed until next year a decision on whether to build a £60-million turbine manufacturing facility in Hull. “The UK has a huge opportunity because offshore wind turbines are too big to be built anywhere other than a coastal facility,” he says. “Turbines built in the UK will supply the whole of north-west Europe and most of continental Europe. If we delay for much longer, we will see the jobs spread over a wider area.”

MANILA, Philippines – The new chief movie and television regulator vows no censorship under his term. Malacañang confirmed reports that President Benigno Aquino III appointed Ateneo Law professor Eugenio “Toto” Villareal as chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). He replaces Grace Poe-Llamanzares, who resigned to run for senator in 2013. The office of Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa Jr released Villareal’s appointment papers on Thursday, December 6. His term ends in September 2013. 'PARENT'S HAT.' New MTRCB Chairman Eugenio Villareal says the body will just classify content and not censor movies and TV shows under his watch. He says as a regulator, he will wear a parent's hat. An Opus Dei member, Villareal addressed concerns that the MTRCB will become conservative under his watch. “There will be no censorship. We will just classify content. Grace’s advice was to wear a parent’s hat,” Villareal told Rappler in a phone interview. Prior to his appointment, Villareal was MTRCB board member and spokesman. He started his term in February 2011. Villareal teaches legal philosophy, legal technique, and logic, partnership and agency, and legal counseling at the Ateneo Law School. He is the founding partner of the law firm of Sen Francis Escudero, the Escudero Marasigan Vallente & E.H. Villareal. His foray into show business began when his law firm took on as clients FPJ Productions, and celebrity couple Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo. Villareal said actress Susan Roces told Poe-Llamanzares, “Gets niya ang showbiz.” (He understands showbiz.) The new chairman said he wants to empower viewers and tap local regulatory councils of the MTRCB. “We want the MTRCB to have an impact on the common tao (people), promoting matalinong (smart) parenthood. We want to empower every Juan and Juana to know if a movie or TV show does not go against Filipino values,” he said in his official statement. Villareal said the MTRCB will do this not just by reviewing but also through info campaigns. “Finally, we wish to engage all networks and film producers in this mission, knowing that better content means a better entertainment industry.” ‘Paradigm shift’ Villareal told Rappler he intends to continue the paradigm shift that began under Poe’s term, referring to the conferences with TV networks where the MTRCB talks about best practices rather than sanctions. “This is a work in progress,” he said. Villareal said among the challenges he faced in the MTRCB was the suspension of the Tulfo brothers’ TV5 show T3 over their comments on the brawl between Raymart Santiago and Claudine Baretto, and journalist Mon Tulfo. The lawyer was also part of the MTRCB case involving TV5’s Willing Willie where a 6-year-old boy danced like a stripper last year. He belongs to a political family, the Villareals of Capiz. His grandfather, Cornelio, was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Villareal obtained his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila Law School. He holds a professorial chair granted by the Nippon Foundation. He is also a former trustee and board secretary of the Task Force on Urban Conscientization of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines, according to his profile on the Ateneo Law School website. He is a legal consultant for the Alliance for the Family Philippines Foundation, Inc. – Rappler.com

For merchants at Redmond Town Center, the closure of the Macy’s last March brought renewed focus on a familiar question: How can an old-school shopping center regain relevance in the era of e-commerce? Nearly nine months later, they may get some answers. By year’s end, Redmond Town Center could have new owners and a new strategy for surviving — and even thriving — in today’s massively disrupted retail landscape. Chicago-based Fairbourne Properties confirmed Friday that it and its partner, Alabama-based Harbert Management, expect to close on a deal for the retail portion of the 22-year-old shopping center as early as Monday; the office and hotel portions of the center aren’t part of the deal. Fairbourne, which co-owns or manages 16 shopping centers across the country, declined to say what it is offering the current owners, New York-based DRA Advisors and JSH Properties of Bellevue, which paid $127 million for the 120-acre center in 2013. Officials at Redmond Town Center, which is managed by JSH Properties, didn’t respond to requests for comment. But David Harvey, Fairbourne’s president, sketched out several near-term priorities for the open-air “village” style mall. Chief among them, he said, are finding a new tenant for the Macy’s space and possibly “upgrading” several of the center’s more “challenged retailers,” which he didn’t want to name. Harvey conceded that those changes won’t happen overnight. Although the Redmond area, home to Microsoft and other tech firms, has many affluent residents and workers, he said, they have a lot of other shopping options nearby. The competition has made it difficult to recruit “high-profile national tenants,” Harvey said. “The biggest challenge with this property is that it’s in the shadow of Bellevue Square.” That kind of competition is increasingly common within the Puget Sound’s mall ecosystem. As Amazon and other e-commerce retailers continue to siphon shoppers from bricks-and-mortar stores, the battle for shoppers — and shopkeepers — has only sharpened among the region’s six major shopping centers: Redmond Town Center, Alderwood, Northgate Mall, University Village, Westfield Southcenter, and Bellevue Square, which, with its adjacent properties, is officially called the Bellevue Collection. Their rivalry has pressured owners and property managers to roll out a wide range of strategies, including relatively modest remodels, tweaks to the merchant mix, and major makeovers. Northgate, one of the oldest malls in the country and a dominant retail force locally for decades, has embarked on a major redevelopment that is shrinking its retail footprint to make room for office space, apartments and a National Hockey League training center. Redmond Town Center itself has been through numerous reinventions since it opened in 1997, most recently with the current owners’ push toward a more pedestrian-friendly layout, with promotions of community events, such as the local farmers’ market, and a tenant mix that leans heavily toward restaurants and health and fitness (the center now boasts nine gyms and other fitness related firms). But the retail industry has needed even deeper changes since the Great Recession because of two big shopping trends. First, online shopping has been especially heavy in product categories such as apparel and accessories that once dominated stores in shopping centers. Stores selling apparel and accessories still account for a large share of the floor space in the average mall or shopping center today, said Melina Cordero, managing director with CBRE, a commercial real estate and investment firm. Across all retail categories, online shopping now accounts for 11 percent of total retail sales and is growing at an annual rate of 12 percent. Second, when consumers do shop at bricks-and-mortar stores today, they’re largely abandoning the middle of the retail market. Especially since the recession, Cordero said, shoppers have split into a demographic “barbell,” with many either “spending on higher-end brands or going discount and off-price.” Both changes have hurt apparel-heavy, middle-market department stores that traditionally anchored area shopping centers. Case in point: Northgate, which lost former anchor tenants Nordstrom, J.C. Penney and Macy’s. Yet other local shopping meccas have weathered retail’s digital disruption, and the contrast is instructive. The best examples are Bellevue Square and University Village, which, despite their major differences, have become top performers, in part by becoming places where upscale online shoppers go when they want a bricks-and-mortar experience. Chalk up much of that success to what retail experts call “curation.” Just as successful retailers stay relevant by often refreshing their merchandise selection, Bellevue Square and University Village have steadily refreshed their tenant rosters to create a merchant mix that is more upscale and heavier in experiential categories, such as restaurants, that still draw lots of traffic. (Bellevue Square’s huge restaurant hub, with 50 sit-down eateries, has become a destination in its own right.) This hybrid formula has made Bellevue Square and University Village more attractive not only to higher-end shoppers, but also to hot retailers eager to tap that demographic. Both shopping centers have been highly effective in wooing higher-end brands — Max Mara, Leica, and Tesla at Bellevue Collection, and Sundance and Restoration Hardware at University Village. Just as important, retail expert Jeff Green said, both shopping centers have been successful in recruiting online retailers — such as Warby Parker, Bonobos and Amazon Books at University Village — that are opening bricks-and-mortar stores, which has further boosted those centers’ cutting-edge cachet among shoppers. “U Village and Bell Square both have captured the essence of what the higher-end, affluent demographic is looking for,” said Dino Christophilis, senior vice president in CBRE’s Seattle office. Bellevue Square and University Village aren’t the only successful curators. Both Alderwood, in Lynnwood, and Westfield Southcenter, at the intersection of I-5 and I-405, have carved out niches with remodels, lots of restaurants, and merchandise mixes that tilt upward. Alderwood, for example, still has three department store anchors — J.C. Penney, Nordstrom and Macy’s — but also higher-end stores, including REI, Pottery Barn and Apple. The two shopping centers have also benefited from locations where there isn’t much competition from other malls or from downtown Seattle. The success of Alderwood, Southcenter, University Village and Bellevue Square help highlight why the region’s two other major shopping centers have struggled. Northgate found itself squeezed between Alderwood and especially University Village, which took many of the older mall’s higher-end customers, said CBRE’s Christophilis. Both competitors “made the Northgate mall less relevant,” he added. Green is more emphatic: “The fact that University Village was such a strong performer and so unique is the reason that Northgate could not survive.” Redmond Town Center is in a unique fix: blessed by an affluent local population, but cursed by stiff competition from other Eastside venues, including Bellevue Square and smaller shopping clusters like The Village at Totem Lake and Kirkland Urban. That has left Redmond Town Center with what retail experts see as a few weak spots in its tenant roster, among them Pier One and Bed Bath & Beyond, two national chains that have been hard hit in the e-commerce era. To be sure, Redmond Town Center’s recent push into experiential categories, including better restaurants and the upscale iPic movie theater, have helped boost traffic, merchants there say. But some merchants also worry that the center’s emphasis on other non-retail categories, such as medical and dental offices or health clubs, may dilute its power as a retail center. Visitors who finish a workout “are sweating and tired and they want to go home,” said one store manager who has worked at the center for several years and asked not to be identified. “They don’t want to shop.” At Northgate, owner Simon Properties responded to the mall’s waning relevance by expanding dramatically into categories where local demand remains extremely strong: office space and multifamily housing. Northgate, Green said, has become an example of a mall where “the real estate that a mall sits on is exponentially more valuable than the mall that sits on top of it.” Whether Redmond Town Center’s new owners come to the same conclusion remains to be seen. Harvey conceded that Redmond’s massive demand for office space, coupled with pro-growth policies and recent local zoning changes that encourage more density, have prompted thoughts of adding more office space to the shopping center. Over the next five to 10 years, he said, “we will probably look at additional densification” that could include multifloor office buildings and apartments. In the near term, Harvey said, Fairbourne will continue efforts to improve the tenant mix — Fairbourne has retained JSH Properties to manage the property — by looking for specialty shops and “cool local tenants” such as Ballard-based Market Street Shoes, which opened at Redmond Town Center in 2017. But Harvey isn’t promising a quick transformation or suggesting that he, or anyone, has the formula to woo high-end retailers from the region’s tonier shopping meccas. “You’re not going to lure one of the high-profile national tenants away from Bellevue,” Harvey said. “You’re just going to have to be realistic about that.” An earlier version of this story indicated that Redmond Town Center started a farmers market. In fact, the center leases land to the Redmond Saturday Market, which was founded in 1976. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.

Paschalis Alexandridis 2002 Young Investigator Award An associate professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Paschalis Alexandridis is an innovative chemical engineer who is also making his mark as a teacher and mentor. His interdisciplinary work is grounded in the principles of chemical engineering and polymer and surfactant science. A primary interest is the control of the self-assembling properties of amphiphilic molecules, which consist of both hydrophilic (water-soluble) and hydrophobic (water-insoluble) parts. By manipulating them, Alexandridis can create novel carriers for molecules of biological significance, including pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and also novel materials that may be useful as "building blocks" in nanotechnology applications. He has published in excess of 80 journal articles, an outstanding record for a young faculty member only eight years out from his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He serves on the editorial committee of the Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology and as a section editor for Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science. Alexandridis has received a Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation and a Dow Outstanding New Faculty Award from the American Society for Engineering Education, among other honors.

This was published 9 years ago Why software is a cloud's game now Craig Winkler is taking on the might of MYOB, a company he set up. By Brian Robins HE WALKED away from his first accounting software start-up, MYOB, a couple of years ago with more than $120 million in his pocket. Now, Craig Winkler is well on the way to doubling his money, this time not from his day job, which is in the non-profit sector, but from a start-up that is out to eat into his old firm's business. Rod Drury.Credit:Andrew Meares In 2009, Winkler invested $NZ17.5 million in the accounting software start-up Xero, based in New Zealand, which he topped up to a $NZ21.55 million stake earlier this year. That outlay is now worth more than $NZ115 million ($90.1 million), as he rides the wave of disruptive technology that is rewriting the rules of commerce - not just in old line industries such as retailing and the media, but in fields such as software as well. Xero founder Craig Winkler.Credit:James Davies Xero - which is yet to make money - already boasts a sharemarket worth approaching $500 million, putting it comfortably ahead of the locally listed accounting software company Reckon, which is valued about $300 million. From a solid New Zealand base, Xero is now pushing hard into the Australian market, with an internet offering of its software that has stolen a march on MYOB and Reckon, which have been around for much longer. Both have followed suit, but with a six-year head start, catching up with Xero will not be quick, or easy. And as an online offering, this gives Xero a significant cost - and price - advantage over its rivals, which are now faced with imploding margins. This week, Xero listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, as part of a plan to lift its profile in Australia. Winkler now devotes nearly all his time to working in the non-profit sector, most notably assisting indigenous and disabled groups, while leaving the running of Xero to the serial entrepreneur and co-founder Rod Drury. ''I looked under the covers and liked what I saw,'' Winkler says of his decision to invest in Xero when it was being set up. ''I know the space well, and have a good feel for what has a better-than-even chance of succeeding. ''Technology changes in waves, beginning as a swell and then the wave comes through.'' In the 1980s and '90s, for example, the first ''wave'' was the advent of DOS [disk operating system] that opened the door for personal computers. This was followed by the graphic user interface, which paved the way for several new developments. ''The online cloud wave is here now, and very big businesses now live entirely in the cloud,'' Winkler says. ''It was clear some years back we'd see a cloud-based wave. When these waves come through, they wash away a lot of existing businesses. I consider that Xero would be a survivor.'' Online business models have revolutionised product sales and distribution by lowering the entry barriers. ''Low barriers to entry is a dual-edged sword,'' Winkler says. While markets may now be easy to enter, it is still a ''really high barrier to develop a successful business'', especially in servicing accountants who need a highly dependable system. ''Anyone can get a product up online - low barriers to entry, but high barriers to sustainability.'' Drury says Xero is being run hard to maximise its potential. ''We have been doubling revenue every year. ''In the year to March 2011, we did $NZ9 million [in revenue], rising to $NZ19 million last year, and by the end of the September half we had an annualised run rate of $NZ38 million.'' The company is yet to break even on cash flow, nor is there any indication when this is likely to occur. ''We have around 300 staff, and when MYOB was first sold it had around 1000 staff,'' Drury says. ''Intuit, the dominant group in the US, has around 8000 staff.'' Xero now has more than 110,000 paying customers, with more than half in New Zealand, about a third in Australia, and the balance split between the US and Britain. An aggressive Australian entry would mean challenging MYOB head-on. It holds an estimated three-quarters of the market for accounting software in Australia, with Reckon holding about 20 per cent. ''MYOB is a terrific brand, built very carefully over a long time,'' Winkler says. ''Whether it will make it in the next phase is an open question. Incumbents typically struggle. ''There's another wave [of change] coming through, and the challenge for MYOB is to make the leap. Incumbents like MYOB, they cling to the past.'' Private equity investors paid $450 million for MYOB in 2009, on-selling the company for a hefty $1.2 billion in the middle of last year. That price tag looks to be highly inflated, in light of the technological revolution under way. The British software group Sage missed out on buying MYOB last year, and there is lingering optimism among some Reckon shareholders that their company could now be a target. But with a soft economy and competition from Xero, Reckon is looking exposed until it formulates a competitive response. ''Xero is targeting the micro-business end of the market - SMEs who run their companies off Excel spreadsheets,'' a fund manager says. ''I'd expect it will have a small impact on Reckon's cashbook product, which targets that end of the market. From the feedback we've been getting from the marketplace, the Xero product is better than MYOB, and on a par with Reckon. ''Certainly, Xero is a threat, but it is still a long way off making money.'' The rapidly changing industry landscape has seen Reckon cutting itself adrift from Intuit, which provides it with its QuickBooks software in the Australian market. Reckon is developing its own software, although there are question marks about how successful it will be in protecting its franchise and at what cost. Additionally, Intuit is expected to enter the Australian market with an online product, and this may change the industry dynamics once again. ''Reckon's share price has struggled over the past year,'' the fund manager says. ''The market is adamant it will have to lift its R&D spend, but management says not.'' By contrast, Xero has investor sentiment strongly in its favour, which has helped lift its share price. This will give it access to cheap money if it decides to tap the markets. For now, its rising revenues will help stave off a return to the equity markets for fresh funds, after it raised $NZ35 million through a share placement and share purchase plan a year ago. Its quick revenue growth has left it with about $NZ30 million of cash in hand. ''Listing in Australia is to boost the Australian profile,'' Drury says. ''Being on the ASX gives us that option'' of raising funds in the future.'' Stockbrokers and investors have expressed interest in the company's progress, giving it some funding flexibility down the road. However, its appetite for funds will depend both on how fast it can increase revenues and on the number and size of any acquisitions it makes. ''We are planning a number of small acquisitions around our 'eco-system','' Drury says. Winkler adds: ''For us, the plan is to grow the business aggressively and go for it while we have the opportunity. ''The size of the Australian market means that it will soon emerge as the largest single market for Xero, as it continues to gather strength to make inroads into the US market, where it is already trying to rev up its presence. ''Just in terms of market size, the US is likely to be enduring in its growth,'' Winkler says, which could demand more funds in future.

Hawaii News Delay could imperil tower project By Gordon Y.K. Pang gordonpang@staradvertiser.com Feb. 8, 2016 Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story! Disputes within Chinatown and Honolulu Hale are delaying, and possibly endangering, the city’s plans for an affordable rental tower for seniors on River. Disputes within Chinatown and Honolulu Hale are delaying, and possibly endangering, the city’s plans for an affordable rental tower for seniors on River Street. Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced Nov. 9 a development agreement with Michaels Development Co. for the $49 million Halewaiolu tower on a half-acre of city land between Vineyard Boulevard and Kukui Street. City Council Chairman Ernie Martin, however, has yet to formally introduce a resolution approving the agreement, citing a need for community meetings to resolve disagreements between Chinatown groups. Karen Seddon, Michaels Hawaii regional vice president, said that without an approved development agreement, her company is not able to submit an application to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. that would make the project eligible for state and federal grants, tax credits and low-interest loans. “It takes sometimes six, seven or eight months to put all our documents together,” Seddon said. As a result of the delay, Michaels will not be able to submit an application for financing in time for the HHFDC’s June distribution timeline. Applications for a second round of grants, tax credits and loans must be done by August. If the developer misses that deadline, it will need to wait until March 2017 to be eligible, Seddon said. The delays are also expected to increase the overall price tag of the project just as interest rates and construction costs are projected to rise significantly, she said. “It’s going to cost us money,” she said. “We’ve really missed our sweet spot of going and getting our financing started.” The delays could also affect a $1 million grant that the project received from outside the state that requires the developer to show progress, Seddon said. Asked whether the delays could nix the project, Seddon said, “The possibility exists, but we’re going to do everything we can to keep it going.” Stanford Yuen, a member of the Downtown Neighborhood Board, said he’s worried that the slow pace could hinder the project. “Final design is on hold pending community input which should have been completed months ago,” Yuen said, reiterating Seddon’s concerns that delays could jack up project costs. “At the worst case, the project could be doomed if funding is not available, money is lapsed or costs become overwhelmingly high, making the project unfeasible.” Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, head of the Chinatown Business and Community Association, supports the project, which will include a community center. She accused downtown Councilwoman Carol Fukunaga of holding up the agreement to please constituents who want to kill the project. Fukunaga told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that she has nothing to do with the delays, and said the decision to hold up the resolution is Council Chairman Martin’s. “I’ve told people that if there is a concern, they should talk to Chair Martin, they should talk to other Council members about the project,” Fukunaga said. “I certainly have no control over the resolution or what is happening with it.” Fukunaga said she has been talking to community members who want to discuss their concerns with the developer. “We’re trying to be respectful of the process and make sure that whatever goes forward is something people are satisfied with and endorse.” Martin, in a statement, said community members are deeply divided on the project, and he blamed the administration for not moving more quickly. “A significant number of residents have complained about being left out of the process and deserve an opportunity for input,” Martin said. “I have held up the introduction of the development agreement (resolution) that enables the project to proceed until the administration fulfills its obligation to conduct public meetings as promised to the community.” Sandra Pfund, who heads the city Office of Strategic Development, said the administration filed the resolution approving the development agreement with Michaels in mid-November. Asked whether she is concerned about the delays, Pfund said it is important for the Council to move quickly. “This project does require a lot of deep subsidies because it’s a very affordable, low-income rental project … and there are certain periods during which you need to apply for them,” she said. Without a development agreement, Michaels does not have control over the site and cannot begin the environmental assessment process needed to pursue grants, tax credits and loans, Pfund said. “The development agreement is crucial to have a successful application for the funding.” Pfund said she’s attended 15 meetings with either the neighborhood board or people in the community since April. Pfund said she also will hold meetings between the developer and those closest to the project in the coming weeks before holding more public community meetings at Fukunaga’s request. Howard Lum, president of Lum Sai Ho Tong, the club that owns the building next to the planned tower, said he does not oppose the project, but wants the developer and the city to hear his concerns and those of officials at nearby temples. Lum said his group wants a 60-foot setback between its property and the new tower. His group and other neighbors are also concerned about how the project will affect smoke from Borthwick Mortuary’s crematorium on the Diamond Head side of the planned tower. Michaels officials have said a 60-foot setback would make the project unfeasible. The neighborhood’s feng shui, the Chinese concept that people should find ways to achieve harmony with the environment around them, also needs to be considered, Lum said. Previous Story Schatz’s style in U.S. Senate shows similarities to Inouye Next Story Escaped inmate on Big Isle could be armed

ASSOCIATED PRESS Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is seen before the start of an NCAA college football game against Missouri on Saturday. The personal touch that helps coaches sell their programs to blue-chip prospects is missing this year. Restrictions brought about by the pandemic prevent face-to-face communication between players and coaches. Staffs can’t visit high schools. Plenty of states didn’t even play high school football. “It’s just weird,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. It all creates uncertainty as high school seniors finalize their college selections during the early signing period, which begins Wednesday. Many signings will bond a player and coach who haven’t yet spent time in the same room. “Almost half of our players that are going to sign, we haven’t met face to face or shook hands,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. There are various opinions over the pandemic’s short-term impact. About 80% of last year’s Football Bowl Subdivision recruits signed in December rather than waiting until February. Mike Farrell, the director of recruiting for Rivals, doesn’t expect that percentage to change while Barton Simmons, the 247Sports director of scouting, believes fewer prospects will sign early this time. The pandemic didn’t necessarily hinder elite recruits who already were being heavily pursued. But it caused headaches for other prospects looking to raise their stock at camps or high school games that never took place. “I’ve had several high school coaches here in Florida call me about some 2021 guys that they had who are really, really good players that had FBS offers,” South Florida recruiting coordinator Jules Montinar said. “And all of a sudden, now they’ve got nothing.” College staffs feel hamstrung because they couldn’t evaluate players in the usual manner. “We’ve been really dependent upon camps,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “We’ve signed a lot of people out of camps where we can get our hands on guys, coach them and see what their effort levels are and what their character’s about and how good they are at the end of the day, as opposed to the beginning of the day. All of those things are just out the window.” The lack of official visits under pandemic-imposed NCAA restrictions also has caused problems. Coaches liked seeing how each recruit interacted with prospective teammates during those visits. “You get a better feel for kids and their families when you’re face to face,” Florida State recruiting coordinator David Johnson said. “It’s a little different on Zoom.” Those restrictions also have prevented coaches from touring high schools or attending games. Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said he likes to talk to the janitor and lunch lady to learn more about the player away from football. Not this year. “That’s hard to do, right?” Coombs said. “You can’t Zoom the janitor.” It has been even tougher on the prospects themselves. That’s particularly true in the 16 states, including California, that didn’t have a fall high school football season. Jason Negro coaches St. John Bosco, a national prep power in Bellflower, California. He has been sending out tapes of combine-style workouts showing the height, weights, wingspans and speed of players. He also mailed out tapes matching his cornerbacks up with Clemson-bound wide receiver and St. John Bosco senior Beaux Collins to show college staffs how those defensive backs would fare against Power Five talent. Of course, most schools without fall seasons don’t have top-100 recruits on campus to give their prospects similar showcases. “For the West Coast states, I think there’s going to be a lot more kids who may sign in February or post-February because there’s just not going to be a lot of evidence for them to show they’re college-level athletes,” Negro said. “California. Oregon. Washington. Nevada. Those are some pretty good football areas in terms of having kids who can play at the next level who aren’t having any kind of experience.” St. John Bosco defensive end Iele Moore fits that profile. The former rugby player from New Zealand moved to the United States last year. Moore is listed at 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds on the 247Sports database and has Power Five physical skills. But he lacks varsity game experience. Moore, who says he has an offer from Duke, is waiting until February to sign and hoping California’s high school football season starts by then. “Right now, a lot of the coaches are just waiting for me to get the pads on,” Moore said. High school juniors may get hampered even more, even if the NCAA ends the recruiting dead period April 15 rather than extending it once again. Many Power Five programs already had assembled much of their classes or had narrowed down their targets by the time the pandemic arrived. Those schools don’t know as much about the juniors without having evaluated them in person. “The ‘22 class, you’re going to have to really be careful in your vetting and what you’re getting and not just go off statistics or old film,” Wisconsin director of player personnel Saeed Khalif said. Schools also could face a long-term roster crunch. When the NCAA granted college athletes the opportunity for an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic, it permitted seniors to come back without counting against their team’s 85-man scholarship limit. That 85-man limit will likely return in 2022. That could force tough decisions on how many of this year’s high school juniors to eventually sign, extending COVID-19’s impact on recruiting long after the pandemic itself has faded. “It’s definitely been super challenging to say the least,” Montinar said. “But the flip side to it is everyone’s playing by the same rules. It is what.

10 reasons to visit the most colourful town in the Cotswolds Find yourself caught short in the middle of Painswick, and as you’re hurrying into the public lavatories, chances are you will run into local artist Rupert Aker holding a palette knife, working on one of his delightful impasto paintings of the Cotswold hills. The landscape artist runs his gallery-cum-studio from the tiny former Gents, calling it by the cheeky name, The Loovre. Just one example of the colourful lives being led behind the pale Cotswold limestone walls of Painswick. The wool trade brought prosperity to the village from the middle of the 15th to the 19th century, with as many as 30 mills producing superfine broadcloth. Today, though, Painswick is so subdued that it’s hard to know when you’ve reached the centre. Second homes and supermarkets have put pay to the butchers and bakers… although you might find a nice candle holder in Dennis French’s woodcraft shop. In former weavers’ cottages, local artists strive to capture the perfection of the surrounding valley where once a spinner sat. And this week Painswick will fling open its doors to allow a riot of colour to escape, turning the streets from chocolate box to paint box. Painswick’s Art Burst festival (Aug 19-28) celebrates the host of artists on its doorsteps, with 15 different exhibitions and 10 local artists opening their studios. With all other industry having departed, Painswick has made like Downtown New York in the Seventies; the artists have moved in, whether it is Rupert in the loos, or wildlife artist Kerry Jane in the Falcon’s Nest, her studio/shop, or Greg Thatcher, who since 1991 has been meticulously drawing the entangled branches of St Mary’s Churchyard’s famous 99 yew trees in pencil and ink. The biennial festival alternates with Art Couture Painswick, a wearable art challenge, where over a hundred entrants display their costume creations in a catwalk through the town. Glitter, body paint and sparkle sashay around the yew trees in a display that represents the very best in English eccentricity, up there with fighting over a pig’s bladder and rolling huge wheels of cheese down a hill. Over in the former gravediggers’ hut – another repurposed building that now serves as the tourist information centre – octogenarians Edward Lane and Audrey Timpson are waiting among piles of flyers and programmes to extol the enticements of Painswick that lie beyond the yews. It’s the trees that Japanese and American tourists primarily come to admire before reboarding their coaches. “It’s always been referred to as the Queen of the Cotswolds,” says Edward. “The buildings are very beautiful,” rejoins Audrey. They’re proud and excited about Art Burst and the visitors it will bring, and yet nostalgic for the bank, bakeries, and three butchers they once enjoyed. “I was here when we had shops,” says Edward gnomically. It’s Painswick’s artists who are bringing home the bacon nowadays. 10 good reasons to visit Painswick The gardens The country’s only surviving complete “rococo Gothick” garden was designed in the 1740s for Benjamin Hyett, who owned Painswick House, to entertain his guests. The gardens were restored in the 1980s (rococogarden.org.uk). The church Grade I-listed St Mary’s finds its origins in the Domesday Book, though it is the exterior setting rather than the interior that draws a crowd. The sports ground The Falcon Bowling Club lays claim to being Britain’s oldest bowling green having celebrated its 450th birthday in 2014. Watch the locals bend the knee on the green. The pub The Oak is the little sister to the bigger Falcon Inn, offering real ales, real fires and a courtyard. The walk Three miles out of town you will come to the foot of Painswick Beacon. A short walk up the hill will afford sweeping views across to Gloucester and the Welsh Black Mountains. The stay The former vicarage, the Painswick Hotel, is part of the award-winning luxury group the Calcot Collection. The kitchen is overseen by Michelin-starred chef Michael Bedford. The gallery The ACP Gallery in the Painswick Centre keeps the heart of the biennial festival beating. An exhibition of designer Zandra Rhodes’s personal collection is currently on display. The cafe Admire local art on the walls, and have a cake, a coffee or a sarnie at the Patchwork Mouse Art Cafe. The tea is from Twinings, fittingly as tea merchant Thomas Twining was born in Painswick in 1675. The restaurant Enjoy carefully prepared local produce at St Michael’s Bistro, along with views out over St Mary’s churchyard. The shop The Falcon’s Nest is owned and run by wildlife artist Kerry Jane, doubling as her studio. Buy cards, gifts and unusual knick-knacks. More from the Daytripper series

“Genius” Life Scientists Get Grants The MacArthur Foundation has awarded six researchers five-year grants worth $625,000 each. Sep 25, 2013 MacArthur Fellow Sheila Nirenberg works in her lab at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.MACARTHUR FOUNDATIONThe MacArthur Foundation this week announced its newest crop of MacArthur Fellows, 24 in total, spanning an array of disciplines from jazz music to astrophysics. Recipients of these so-called “genius” grants will receive $625,000 over five years, with no restrictions as to how they spend the money. Six of the 2013 grantees are working to answer biological or biomedical questions. One winner, neuroscientist Sheila Nirenberg, is a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. She studies the code that retinal neurons use to communicate visual information to the brain. Her work cracking this code has allowed her to develop computerized prostheses that could help people with degenerative retinal disorders. “It’s so unbelievably thrilling,” Nirenberg said of winning the fellowship in a video released by the MacArthur Foundation. “It’s one of... Fellowship awardee and research psychologist Angela Duckworth’s work to understand human behavior has led to the development of evidence-based learning interventions for children. Susan Murphy, another winner and a professor at the University of Michigan, uses statistics to understand how people with depression, schizophrenia, or cocaine abuse problems can be helped by better data collection. MacArthur Fellow Phil Baran, an organic chemist at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, has developed new ways to synthesize natural products with potential pharmaceutical applications, including an antiangiogenic compound that could be useful as a cancer treatment. Kevin Boyce, another California-based grantee, is a paleobotanist at Stanford University. Boyce uses fossils to understand how plant evolution has shaped weather patterns in our ecosystem. Jeffrey Brenner is a physician who has used his self-professed “passion for data” to improve healthcare for the most underserved residents of Camden, N.J. “It’s really exciting to get a vote of confidence,” he said of becoming a fellow in a MacArthur Foundation video. Brenner wants to improve healthcare quality while reducing costs citywide. “This fellowship puts a huge amount of momentum behind that effort,” he added. Interested in reading more?

At its Search On event today, Google introduced several new features that, taken together, are its strongest attempts yet to get people to do more than type a few words into a search box. By leveraging its new Multitask Unified Model (MUM) machine learning technology in small ways, the company hopes to kick off a virtuous cycle: it will provide more detail and context-rich answers, and in return it hopes users will ask more detailed and context-rich questions. The end result, the company hopes, will be a richer and deeper search experience. Google SVP Prabhakar Raghavan oversees search alongside Assistant, ads, and other products. He likes to say — and repeated in an interview this past Sunday — that “search is not a solved problem.” That may be true, but the problems he and his team are trying to solve now have less to do with wrangling the web and more to do with adding context to what they find there. For its part, Google is going to begin flexing its ability to recognize constellations of related topics using machine learning and present them to you in an organized way. A coming redesign to Google search will begin showing “Things to know” boxes that send you off to different subtopics. When there’s a section of a video that’s relevant to the general topic — even when the video as a whole is not — it will send you there. Shopping results will begin to show inventory available in nearby stores, and even clothing in different styles associated with your search. For your part, Google is offering — though perhaps “asking” is a better term — new ways to search that go beyond the text box. It’s making an aggressive push to get its image recognition software Google Lens into more places. It will be built into the Google app on iOS and also the Chrome web browser on desktops. And with MUM, Google is hoping to get users to do more than just identify flowers or landmarks, but instead use Lens directly to ask questions and shop. “It’s a cycle that I think will keep escalating,” Raghavan says. “More technology leads to more user affordance, leads to better expressivity for the user, and will demand more of us, technically.” Those two sides of the search equation are meant to kick off the next stage of Google search, one where its machine learning algorithms become more prominent in the process by organizing and presenting information directly. In this, Google efforts will be helped hugely by recent advances in AI language processing. Thanks to systems known as large language models (MUM is one of these), machine learning has got much better at mapping the connections between words and topics. It’s these skills that the company is leveraging to make search not just more accurate, but more explorative and, it hopes, more helpful. One of Google’s examples is instructive. You may not have the first idea what the parts of your bicycle are called, but if something is broken you’ll need to figure that out. Google Lens can visually identify the derailleur (the gear-changing part hanging near the rear wheel) and rather than just give you the discrete piece of information, it will allow you to ask questions about fixing that thing directly, taking you to the information (in this case, the excellent Berm Peak Youtube channel). The push to get more users to open up Google Lens more often is fascinating on its own merits, but the bigger picture (so to speak) is about Google’s attempt to gather more context about your queries. More complicated, multimodal searches combining text and images demand “an entirely different level of contextualization that we the provider have to have, and so it helps us tremendously to have as much context as we can,” Raghavan says. We are very far from the so-called “ten blue links” of search results that Google provides. It has been showing information boxes, image results, and direct answers for a long time now. Today’s announcements are another step, one where the information Google provides is not just a ranking of relevant information but a distillation of what its machines understand by scraping the web. In some cases — as with shopping — that distillation means you’ll likely be sending Google more page views. As with Lens, that trend is important to keep an eye on: Google searches increasingly push you to Google’s own products. But there’s a bigger danger here, too. The fact that Google is telling you more things directly increases a burden it’s always had: to speak with less bias. By that, I mean bias in two different senses. The first is technical: the machine learning models that Google wants to use to improve search have well-documented problems with racial and gender biases. They’re trained by reading large swaths of the web, and, as a result, tend to pick up nasty ways of talking. Google’s troubles with its AI ethics team are also well documented at this point — it fired two lead researchers after they published a paper on this very subject. As Google’s VP of search, Pandu Nayak, told The Verge’s James Vincent in his article on today’s MUM announcements, Google knows that all language models have biases, but the company believes it can avoid “putting it out for people to consume directly.” Be that as it may (and to be clear, it may not be), it sidesteps another consequential question and another type of bias. As Google begins telling you more of its own syntheses of information directly, what is the point of view from which it’s speaking? As journalists, we often talk about how the so-called “view from nowhere” is an inadequate way to present our reporting. What is Google’s point of view? This is an issue the company has confronted in the past, sometimes known as the “one true answer” problem. When Google tries to give people short, definitive answers using automated systems, it often ends up spreading bad information. Presented with that question, Raghavan responds by pointing to the complexity of modern language models. “Almost all language models, if you look at them, are embeddings in a high dimension space. There are certain parts of these spaces that tend to be more authoritative, certain portions that are less authoritative. We can mechanically assess those things pretty easily,” he explains. Raghavan says the challenge is then how to present some of that complexity to the user without overwhelming them. But I get the sense that the real answer is that, for now at least, Google is doing what it can to avoid facing the question of its search engine’s point of view by avoiding the domains where it could be accused of, as Raghavan puts it, “excessive editorializing.” Often when speaking to Google executives about these problems of bias and trust, they focus on easier-to-define parts of those high-dimension spaces like “authoritativeness.” For example, Google’s new “Things to know” boxes won’t appear when somebody searches for things Google has identified as “particularly harmful/sensitive,” though a spokesperson says that Google is not “allowing or disallowing specific curated categories, but our systems are able to scalably understand topics for which these types of features should or should not trigger.” Google search, its inputs, outputs, algorithms, and language models have all become almost unimaginably complex. When Google tells us that it is able to understand the contents of videos now, we take for granted that it has the computing chops to pull that off — but the reality is that even just indexing such a massive corpus is a monumental task that dwarfs the original mission of indexing the early web. (Google is only indexing audio transcripts of a subset of YouTube, for the record, though with MUM it aims to do visual indexing and other video platforms in the future). Often when you’re speaking to computer scientists, the traveling salesman problem will come up. It’s a famous conundrum where you attempt to calculate the shortest possible route between a given number of cities, but it’s also a rich metaphor for thinking through how computers do their machinations. “If you gave me all the machines in the world, I could solve fairly big instances,” Raghavan says. But for search, he says that it is unsolved and perhaps unsolvable by just throwing more computers at it. Instead, Google needs to come up with new approaches, like MUM, that take better advantage of the resources Google can realistically create. “If you gave me all the machines there were, I’m still bounded by human curiosity and cognition.” Google’s new ways of understanding information are impressive, but the challenge is what it will do with the information and how it will present it. The funny thing about the traveling salesman problem is that nobody seems to stop and ask what exactly is in the case, what is he showing all his customers as he goes door to door?

The Vietnamese national football team train in Vũng Tàu City to prepare for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020. Photo courtesy of the VFF Football HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese national football team are gearing up for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020. The 34-member squad are training in Vũng Tàu City to prepare for the tournament scheduled to take place from December 5, 2021 to January 1, 2022. Among the squad, eight U23 players called to the national team have quickly integrated with the seniors as most of the young players have played with the first team in the past, including midfielder Nguyễn Thanh Bình who was part of the World Cup qualifying squad. The Vietnamese squad will train in Vũng Tàu until December 1 and coach Park Hang-seo will shorten the list to 30 players before leaving for Singapore. Việt Nam will enter the AFF Cup 2020 as defending champions with a strong determination to defend their title. Despite suffering six consecutive losses in the World Cup qualifying campaign, the Vietnamese team will likely to maintain their No 1 position in the Southeast Asian region. “We are the AFF Cup defending champions, so our image and reputation must be maintained,” said Trần Quốc Tuấn, vice president of the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF). The VFF has also changed the schedules and format of both the V.League 1 and V.League 2, creating better conditions for selected players to leave their clubs and represent the national team. Việt Nam are in Group B alongside Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Laos. While Group A includes Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and the winner of the play-off match between Timor-Leste and Brunei. The AFF Cup was scheduled to take place last year, but was delayed till later this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event’s winner will take away with US$300,000, while the runners-up and the third-placed team will receive $200,000 and $100,000, respectively. VNS

- Latest Show - Episodes - Bookmarks - Interviews - Series - About - Get the Podcast - Donate - Search When photographer James Nachtwey first reached for his camera on Sept. 11, 2001, he had no idea what was happening. "I could see it from my window," he recalled. "I didn’t see the planes hit, and I didn’t know why the tower was smoking. I thought it was an accident." Still, he knew even an accident at the Twin Towers was newsworthy so he started assembling his gear. It was then he felt his windows rattle and saw the second tower smoking. "I immediately knew," he said, "that we’d been attacked and the United States was now at war." While that knowledge might have stopped some in their tracks, Nachtwey ran toward the scene, camera in hand. The photos that he took that day have become some of the most iconic of his distinguished, 30-year career covering armed conflicts and social issues all over the world, most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s been awarded the Overseas Press Club’s highest honor for photography on five separate occasions, among numerous other awards. But Nachtwey’s 9/11 photographs did more than raise his public profile or add accolades to an already distinguished career — they changed the way he looked at the world around him. "For over 20 years," he said, "I’d been covering what I thought were separate events in the Islamic world — not only in the Middle East, but in Africa, Asia and Europe. At that moment, history crystallized and I realized they were all connected." "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" host Anne Strainchamps spoke with Nachtwey before his 2015 solo show at the Currier Museum of Art in New Hampshire, "Witness to History," which documents his work in New York and the Middle East. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length. Anne Strainchamps: Jim, you’ve covered every significant global conflict or crisis for decades, but this exhibition has pulled together a particular body of work – photographs you took on 9/11 at Ground Zero and subsequently in the wars that followed. Why exhibit them together like this, now? James Nachtwey: Well, I have the body of work and it’s interconnected. And it’s relevant to today because we’re still involved with the reverberations of all those events and will be for a long time. I think it’s significant that this show is appearing in New Hampshire at a time when there’s a lot of political activity in regard to the primaries, because it allows viewers to have a look at what’s happened in our recent history and contemplate it, ask questions about it. I don’t think the museum meant it to be a political statement. But I hope it’s of use to people. You took what has become an iconic picture of the South Tower collapsing, with the cross from a church steeple in the foreground and the tower exploding behind it. What were you thinking as you framed it? I understood right away that this was an attack by Al Qaeda. I knew enough about our contemporary history and I’d worked enough in Afghanistan to be sure that was the case. That cross was on a church about a block and a half away and I just saw it as a symbol of our culture, so I framed it that way. It wasn’t such a brilliant thing to do, it seemed obvious to me. The tower collapsed as I was photographing. It was hard to believe I was seeing it with my own eyes – all those steel girders, weighing hundreds or thousands of pounds each, flying through the air like matchsticks. My mind literally clicked into slow motion and everything seemed to be floating towards me so slowly that I thought I had all the time in the world. I was shooting film and there are 36 frames on a roll. I shot that picture on the last frame and had to stop to change film. That’s when everything suddenly went back into normal motion and I realized I was about to get taken out. I had just a few seconds to take cover in the lee of some buildings across the street, before all that wreckage fell over me. I looked at the picture yesterday and it was hard to believe. I’ve actually never gotten over it. You were a student in the 1960s, when the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights protests were happening. You’ve said in the past that you chose this career because the photographs taken at the time had such a powerful impact that they changed history? Yes, that’s right. Photographers were telling us one thing and our political and military leaders were telling us something else. I found the work of the photographers to be more convincing, and I decided that’s what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be part of that tradition. I saw that pictures could not only record history, they could help change the course of history, by becoming an element in the process of change. So the role of the war photographer is crucial to democracy? I think it’s absolutely necessary. The stories we tell are vital for society to function properly. How can citizens make proper decisions unless they know what’s going on? Our democracy is founded on our citizens being informed and making informed judgments. That’s why journalism matters. And a photograph can make a human connection. It can help people see something that is universal and human, that transcends culture, religion, nationality and race. It’s not just something that’s ideological or statistical or monumental in its global impact. You’re witnessing something happening to an individual. The stereotype of the war photographer is the adrenaline junkie. But it sounds like that’s not at all what it’s about for you. Adrenaline is a fact, but it’s not a reason. There probably are some war junkies out there, but I don’t think they continue for very long and perhaps they’re not the ones who make the most meaningful pictures. Adrenaline is part of the job because it’s actually necessary to survive. But there are deeper reasons for pursuing the profession than adrenaline. How do you deal with seeing so much suffering? I imagine one way would be to wall it off while you’re working, to suppress your own reactions until later? No, you have to channel the emotions into the work. If I were to see things and not feel emotions, I wouldn’t make pictures that were worth much. I’m the one who has to feel it first, if I’m going to make anyone else feel anything. It’s simply not the case and never has been the case, that photographers go someplace and wall themselves off. Our job is actually quite the opposite. Our job is to go someplace and open ourselves up, leave ourselves vulnerable, and then translate those feelings into our work, so we can pass them on to viewers. You remind me of another photo in the exhibition – an Afghan woman completely covered in a burqa, kneeling before a gravesite. We can’t see her face, but her grief is palpable. Who is she, and where was that taken? It was taken in a cemetery in Kabul in 1996. She was there mourning her brother who’d been killed in a Taliban rocket attack. At that time the Taliban had surrounded Kabul and were shelling and rocketing daily. I think the graveyard itself is expressive . It’s so humble – bare, cracked earth with uncarved, raw gravestones. And her hand, her aged, weathered hand that had seen a hard life, reaching out, touching the stone, as if that’s as close as she can get to her brother. What you don’t get in the picture is the sound she was making as she was grieving for her brother. She was singing a kind of song, in a very grief- stricken voice. It was very moving. James Nachtwey, Afghanistan, 1996 (printed 2014), digital chromogenic print, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire. Museum Purchase: The Henry Melville Fuller Acquisition Fund, 2014.22.1. It must be so difficult to share moments of grief like this, multiplied over and over. You’ve taken photos of injured children, veterans painfully rehabbing themselves, people who’ve been shot, or are about to be shot. What do you do with all the grief? You carry it with you. Nothing is forgotten. You just have to carry it with you with as much grace as you possibly can. Again, as opposed to the stereotype, rather than getting hardened to it, I find I get more and more sensitized to it. It gets more difficult to witness such things, not less difficult. It’s just something you have to bear. Do you still believe in the goodness of humans? Oh absolutely. I’ve seen so much goodness come out of the most horrible situations, so much generosity and hospitality and caring and kindness, that I can’t help but be moved and humbled by it. There’s a very large installation (in the exhibition), about 32 feet long. It’s one single file, one single print – a composite of 60 images made in combat field hospitals during the war in Iraq. They’re pictures of lives being saved. I tried to make the point of view that of a member of the medical team, so you feel as if you’re right inside, seeing what they’re doing to save lives. It’s called "The Sacrifice." You were there in one of those field hospitals yourself. Weren’t you injured in a grenade attack? Yes, in 2003. I’d been covering a single platoon for Time Magazine and I was with Mike Weisskopf, a Time reporter. A grenade was thrown into the humvee. Mike had his hand blown off and I got injured with shrapnel and a couple of the soldiers got pretty badly hurt. So I was taken to that very same medical facility and medevaced out to Germany. Did you keep taking photographs while you were injured? Until I passed out, yes. Why do you keep going back? Because I have a lot of experience. Because I see that there’s still a reason, as much as ever, to do it. And I guess I do it because I can.

Minister Praises Stronger Partnership Between Police and Crime Commission Michael Gallacher – Minister for Police and Emergency Services Minister for Police and Emergency Services Michael Gallacher today praised the incredible efforts and success of the NSW Police Force and the NSW Crime Commission in ‘Strike Force Alistair’. “This is only the beginning of a newly enhanced and stronger partnership between the NSW Police Force and the NSW Crime Commission in targeting organised crime,” Minister Gallacher said. “The Government has reformed the Crime Commission with the foundation being a stronger relationship working side by side with the NSW Police Force. “Today’s result confirms that together the NSW Police Force and the Crime Commission are delivering exceptional results. “The NSW Government applauds the efforts of everyone involved in this operation which has been relentless in smashing these criminal networks,” Minister Gallacher said.

Roughly one in five St. Paul buses were late to school Wednesday morning, but overall the school commute went pretty well on the first morning back after two snow days, according to district officials. “It certainly wasn’t perfect out there,” district spokesman Howie Padilla said. “There obviously were still some challenges,” he said, including some impassable routes, icy roads and stuck buses. “It’s not as bad as people might have thought,” Padilla said. “The extra 24 hours definitely helped us out.” Of the 820 morning bus routes, about 180 were 10 or more minutes late, Padilla said. He said he didn’t know how that compared to a typical weather day. He also said officials hadn’t calculated how overall student attendance Wednesday compared to an average day. District officials have said students will make up the two snow days but haven’t said when. — Doug Belden

Prah Nejc From student of the Academy of Fine Arts in 2013 to one of the world’s most prominent young designers, Nejc Prah lives and works in the United States. As a graphic designer, he works in the fields of poster design, web design and illustration. He favours form over function, and composition, symbolism, colour and typography over the demands of content. His unique work takes the viewer to the very boundaries of art. Nejc was spotted by Bloomberg Businessweek, where he is now employed as an illustrator for that most prestigious of American business magazines. While still a student in Ljubljana, he won a postgraduate place at the elite Yale University School of Art, where he completed his studies in 2015. He has received several awards for his work, including a TDC award from Type Directors Club Tokyo in 2017, a Young Guns Class award from the Art Directors Club in 2016, a certificate of excellence in typography from Type Directors Club New York in 2016, a Grand Prix from Type Directors Club Tokyo in 2015, a prize at the 2015 Chaumont International Poster Festival, a Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship from Yale University (2015), a certificate of excellence in typography from Type Directors Club New York in 2014, an honourable mention from Tribuna and TMIA (Brumen 2013), and an award of honour from the Tribuna jury (Zgraf 2012), recipient of the Prešeren Foundation for Design Achievement Award 2020 for the last three years.

MP Kevin Brennan has called on the WRU top brass to come out of the committee box and experience at first hand the “obnoxious and boorish” behaviour at Wales matches in the Principality Stadium. He has also urged the governing body to hold a thorough investigation into the problem and consider all possible actions, including potential changes in terms of when bars are open. The call from the Cardiff West Labour MP comes on the back of numerous people expressing concerns over the drunkenness and foul language they encountered during the autumn campaign, with angry parents speaking about what their young children were exposed to, including one six-year old boy being vomited on. Should booze be banned at the Principality Stadium? Have your say in the comment section below. Long-time rugby fan Brennan, who attended Saturday’s match against Australia, believes a tipping point has now been reached with urgent action required. “I do think there is perhaps a complacency about this on the part of the WRU top brass,” he said. “They are saying this is isolated, it’s not really a problem and are just calling on people to behave better. “They then look at the spreadsheet, see they have sold 70,000 pints and that’s great. “I just wonder how many of the top brass, people like Steve Phillips, are actually aware of the very real issue and the unhappiness among quite a number of spectators. “I don’t think it would do them any harm, particularly when there is a late kick-off, to take off the suit and tie, put on the scarf and bobble hat, and go out and sit in various parts of the stadium and experience what fans are experiencing having paid £65, £90, £100 for a ticket and see what it’s actually like. “The WRU will have their lunch up in their suite and walk across the corridor into the committee box and see the game and from where they are sitting all looks fine. “But, in the ground itself, the atmosphere has deteriorated in recent years, particularly with the later kick-off games. “This autumn it seems to have reached a tipping point in terms of the number of complaints that are coming forward. “I don’t think the WRU have grasped it at all. “I seriously suggest the next time there is a late kick-off, they should go incognito and sit in the crowd and see what they think about it.” Give us your verdict on Wales' autumn campaign in the survey below... If the survey has not loaded, please click here. Brennan continued: “I went on Saturday and it was not a nice experience. “It got to a point where some people were so drunk they had genuinely forgotten there was a game going on. “My brother was with me and, as we were leaving, he said ‘I don’t know if I really want to come any more’ and he’s even a more fanatical rugby fan than I am. “I think it’s sad when you reach that stage, where people who really love the game don’t love watching the game in our national stadium. “There’s been a change of what the attitude is within the ground in that it’s a boozing experience rather than a sporting experience. “I really want to watch the game, but what happens is quite a number of people are so drunk by the time they get to the stadium and then they get even drunker inside the stadium. “There are so many people who are drunk and displaying obnoxious and boorish behaviour, often with foul and abusive language, with families and children around. “It’s not nice, it’s not a nice atmosphere for people who don’t want to participate in it just being a big booze up. I have witnessed it myself. “It doesn’t matter that it’s a minority because a minority can make the experience dreadful for the majority. “There are some great stewards in the ground trying to cope with it, but I feel they are being put in an almost impossible position.” The Cwmbran-born Brennan is now calling on the WRU to tackle the situation head on. “I think they should take the issue seriously and consider all the options,” he said. “They need to convene a proper look into this and consider what they can do. “Listen to the evidence from people and come back with an action plan. “It might be something to do with when and where the bars are open. It might be having some kind of fans code of conduct. “When the stadium first opened, the bars weren’t open during the game, that came later. It’s a consideration. “In football, you can have a pint at half-time, but you can’t bring it to your seat. “That’s actually the law. Rugby was spared that law because the crowd behaved well and it didn’t have the problem with hooliganism. “But unless something is done about it, we may well be going down a route where it spills over into trouble, with the drunken hostility and edgy atmosphere you feel in some parts of the stadium spilling over into fighting. “Yes, fans have responsibility, but you set a culture, don’t you? “At the end of the day, they are a Rugby Union, not a brewery. “Yes, they are a business, but the reputation of your business matters too and the experience of your customers matters. “If this continues, it is going to damage the reputation of Welsh rugby, if it isn’t doing so already. “It really is reaching a point where people are genuinely concerned at the level of drunkenness. “I am not preaching against a drink, but there is something wrong with the culture. You can gain a fortune and lose your soul, as the old saying goes. “Do you really have to sit there with someone effing and blinding in your ear all the way through the game? Surely not. “So we have to examine this issue.”

Minnesota Fights COVID-19 With Nobel Nominated Technology November 25, 2021 Innovative Nobel Prize Nominated Technology Available To Get All Buildings Opened And Provide 24/7/365 Occupant Safety Multiple buildings of every use are finding that they can now keep occupants safe from COVID-19 and get back to the business of opening America.”ST PAUL, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES, November 25, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Paul Jordan, President of the Corval Group, located in St. Paul, Minnesota has brought Nobel Prize nominated COVID-19 Building Protection to Minnesota ant to all buildings affected there and in the region. — Arthur V. Martin Ph.D. President, GICC LLC Earlier this year Paul made a trip down to North Miami, Florida to visit with Arthur V. Martin Ph.D., president of Global Infection Control Consultants, LLC. Dr. Martin has spent 20+ years developing an organic based, chemical, drug and alcohol-free solution affective against a wide range of pathogens. He also developed an automated system to work in conjunction with the building HVAC system. The product and system have been used globally in buildings of various use. It is the most modern technology to get your building back up to full occupancy and full operation. It is totally adaptable to Schools, Hospitals, Retail, Houses of Worship, Industrial Production, Sport Venues and will allow restaurants to provide safe occupancy for patrons again. The system works on what is known as The Brownian Theory of Motion. The Brownian Theory describes how particles such as pathogenic fungi, bacteria, yeasts and viruses move randomly about in the air we breathe. By developing a methodology to infuse billions of individual pathogen-killing molecules into the air which also move randomly they come in contact with pathogens and kill them. The efficacy of the ground breaking technology far exceeds results produced by current technologies such as HEPA filters, UV (Ultraviolet Light) and Bipolar Ionization. One of the USA’s largest textile outlets has been using our technology in more than 500 retail outlets in the USA and overseas to protect employees and visitors since 2012. “Having designed and built Clean Rooms, Hospital Operating Suites and Bio-Safety Laboratories around the world for nearly 40 years my approach was to be able to control and or eliminate pathogens but do it more efficiently and more effectively than any current technology utilizing organic materials and methods” said Dr. Martin. In May of 2021 the CDC finally recognized that the main problem with the spread of COVID-19 was not doorknobs and elevator buttons. It was, is and will continue to be the air we breathe. The average adult breathes as much as 25,000 liters of air/day and everything in it. The M3 System® technology takes direct aim at this problem and the results are proven. Total identified pathogen count as a variety of ten, was reduced to 5 in just 30 hours with the remaining five at 12% quantification of the original count in a Manhattan eatery near Madison Square Garden. Total pathogen air content in 650,000 Sq. Ft. production facility was reduced by 90% before all planned units became operational. Total number of commercial building occupants in a Florida installation testing positive after extended contact with outside infected people……..Zero. The success stories accumulate daily. Call Corval Group and get your facility in full operations now! Arthur V. Martin Ph.D. GICC LLC +1 843-368-7063 amartin@giccllc.com

Despite warnings from virologists of a looming increase in COVID-19 infections, governments at the federal and state levels in Germany are largely dismantling all public health restrictions. The German state of Baden-Württemberg, which is governed by a Green-Christian Democrat (CDU) coalition, is a case in point. Although the region has experienced its highest seven-day incidence of infections per 100,000 people—27 cases per 100,000 residents as of last Wednesday, compared to a nationwide average of 21—the state government led by Green Minister President Winfried Kretschmann is pressing ahead with the reopening drive, provoking a new wave of infections in the process. “The danger remains. We are still in a pandemic,” Kretschmann felt compelled to warn last Tuesday. The possibility exists “that people become careless and that the wave (of infections) can return,” he declared. The responsibility for the continued high number of new infections in the state, which recorded 667 cases on Wednesday and six deaths, bringing the total to 10,036, lies with the government. After the Greens and CDU published their coalition agreement on May 5, 2021, one of the first measures they announced was a new COVID-19 order. It came into force on May 14 and included sweeping reopening measures, to be implemented as soon as the incidence rate fell below 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for five days running. This removes the requirement that local authorities follow the so-called “federal emergency brake.” The government has focused ever since on accelerating the reopenings and pressing ahead with its policy of mass infection. The coalition carried out first and foremost the reopening of all schools and child care facilities, which are now open throughout the state, so that the labour power of parents is fully at the disposal of big business. In 33 of the state’s 44 rural districts and cities, in-person learning in full classrooms is taking place. The state government is also planning to allow summer camps where children will stay overnight. To this end, the COVID-19 order will be revised in mid-June. People who have recovered from an infection or those who are fully vaccinated are no longer counted when calculating the upper limit for private meetings. Overnight stays by tourists in hotels and holiday homes are also permitted, as well as the running of travel buses, recreational boats and cable cars. Outdoor swimming pools, swimming in lakes, and spas have also been permitted. Events with large numbers of people, which have proven to be sources of mass infections, are once again allowed. Outdoor cultural events with up to 100 attendees are permitted, as well as professional and elite sports with up to 100 spectators. Retail stores are allowed to admit customers without any tests, so long as the store restricts the number of people per square metre to half the level of a store. In Sindelfingen, it has been possible for the past two weeks to go shopping without getting tested, making an appointment, or leaving contact details so that infections can be traced at a later date. Restaurants have been reopened in many areas between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., with restrictions on customers only enforced indoors. The 9 p.m. closing time is also set to be abolished. According to the DPA news agency, the Green-CDU government is considering “adapting the rule to the realities of life.” With its aggressive reopening policy, the state government is continuing the agenda that has been characteristic of the Green Party throughout the pandemic. The party is part of 11 out of 16 state governments in a wide range of coalitions, and has spearheaded the “profits before lives” strategy from the outset. At the federal level, the Greens voted in March 2020 for the federal government’s coronavirus emergency bailouts, which funnelled hundreds of billions of euros primarily to the banks and big business. Ever since, the Greens have pushed ahead with the reckless reopening of businesses and schools so as to extract the vast sums of money handed over to the financial oligarchy from the working class. Here are only a few examples of how the Greens spearheaded the reopening drive throughout the pandemic: The Social Democrat (SPD)-Left Party-Green coalition in Berlin ordered final-year students to return to in-person learning in April 2020. In Saxony, the CDU-SPD-Green coalition government reestablished in-person learning with full classrooms in May 2020 and reopened child care facilities at full capacity. The Greens described the reopening of schools as an “important step for more justice in education,” because the coronavirus crisis had impacted “children from socially disadvantaged families above all.” Green Party representatives also participated in the right-wing extremist demonstrations demanding an immediate end to all coronavirus protection measures in the interests of big business. For example, the leader of the Green parliamentary group in the Saxony state parliament, Franziska Schubert, took part in a protest by coronavirus deniers in May 2020 and stated on a sign she was carrying that she was “prepared to talk” with them. During the same month, Green Party mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, summed up the inhumane character of the Green Party’s policies. “I’ll put it in brutal terms for you: we’re saving the lives of people in Germany who will probably die in six months anyway,” he declared. The current effort by the Greens to expel Palmer following his latest outburst in no way represents a deviation from these policies, but is merely a transparent attempt to cover them up. The Greens’ entire election campaign for the 2021 federal election underscores that they are a ruthless party of big business that will relentlessly pursue the interests of the corporate and financial elites at home and abroad. At their party congress in November 2020, the Greens adopted a new party programme that called for a more independent German and European great power foreign policy and a massive programme of military rearmament. In March 2021, they presented their programme for the federal election with the cynical title “Germany: everything is possible.” While the programme offers nothing for workers and young people other than the empty phrases about “social justice” and “prosperity based on climate fairness,” the business, military, and financial elites get everything they want: more money for rearmament and wars, a strengthened apparatus to suppress domestic social opposition and pro-business reforms to shore up German capital in its competition with its global rivals. The Greens do not raise a single demand or make a single proposal in their entire election programme to combat the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed almost 90,000 lives in Germany alone. For this reason, among others, the Green Party and its chancellor candidate, Annalena Baerbock, are being embraced by leading business representatives, such as Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser, as “pragmatic renewers.”

MKE Black Holiday Gift Box Initiative: Supporting Black-Owned Businesses During Pandemic Editor's note: As of Friday, Dec. 11, all of the MKE Black gift boxes have sold out. The movement to buy Black and for economic justice has been longstanding. This year, it's also framed through the lens of the pandemic and the racial justice protests over the summer. Now, holiday shoppers in Milwaukee can keep a safe social distance, while also supporting Black-owned businesses and racial justice — thanks to a gift box initiative by MKE Black, a local organization and app that supports and promotes Black-owned businesses. LISTEN: MKE Black App: A Guide To Black-Owned Businesses In Milwaukee Kristin Schmitt owns INIK Soap Co. here in Milwaukee. “So INIK means unique in Haitian Creole,” she explains. “And I thought, or I believe, my soaps are quite unique, either from batch to batch or just all over. I mean, the colors I use, the designs I make, everything's really unique.” Schmitt’s soaps are in some of the MKE Black holiday gift boxes. The boxes range in size and cost, from $20 to $250. “OK, so the ones that will be in the basket are called a unity. And they represent the colors of MKE Black, but they were really made under, I would say, the inspiration of the Pan-African flag,” Schmitt explains. “So on the bottom, you have green, then you have black, and then you have red to represent the flag. Now, those are wrapped, and it says unity on the front, we have what's associated with the Black Lives Matter fist on the front.” Shoppers can order boxes through the MKE Black app or online and pick them up at MobCraft Brewery on December 19 and 20. They're focusing on walk-up service unless prior arrangements are made. People are trying to figure out how to support Black businesses and also stay safe in the pandemic, says Rick Banks, executive director of MKE Black. “It's important to increase the economic well-being of the Black community because far too often, you know, the Black community doesn't see investment and it doesn't necessarily get the support that it needs to thrive,” Banks says. “And so unfortunately, so many businesses don't last as long or, you know, fold unfortunately under economic pressure. Economic development is kind of slow in in the Black community, in general. And so, if we want to have thriving neighborhoods and thriving communities, we have to continue to invest in our small Black businesses as well.” Drastic and sustainable change is needed when it comes to economic and housing justice for Black and brown Milwaukeeans, says shopper Ruth Weill. She works at Riverworks Development Corporation, and says these are sizeable issues. Weill picked up her gift box last weekend. When asked if buying one might seem like a small step — she says it’s a significant one. “If 400 people buy a gift box and there's five different businesses in a box, I'm using hypothetical numbers, that's a lot of purchases driven to those small businesses that depend on all those drops in the bucket,” calculates Weil. “So maybe they can pay their rent or a mortgage this month. That's huge.” Weill says local businesses and their employees are a crucial part of the economic fabric of communities. “And buying local keeps more money in the community, and then more people have money in their pocket to support the business,” she says. “And it's the opposite of the trickle-down effect. It's the trickle-across-and-up effect. And that's really what builds communities economically and otherwise.” The MKE Black gift baskets offer a sweet way to make a difference, explains Marcia Taylor. She’s a self-proclaimed foodie who runs a business called LUSH Popcorn with her brother Marc. Their liquor-infused gourmet popcorn, inspired by what Taylor calls the “lush culture” of Brew City, is included in some of the gift boxes. “So we have a number of different flavors that go out: some sweet, some spicy, some savory, it’s a combination of our maple bourbon, our Wisconsin cheddar and our movie theater butter popcorn, and chipotle cheddar," she says. Taylor says when the pandemic hit, LUSH closed its doors to protect staff and the public. It’s reopened with public health protocols in place. Taylor hopes the gift baskets help recover some of the business lost earlier this year. “So, this and partnerships like this really helped us to reach new customers and get our products out in new ways where, since the pandemic, there aren't as many folks that necessarily want to come to a store directly or retail location.” Dave Bent of Jamaican Fairtrade, whose coffee is included in the initiative, says the gift boxes are a boost. "The gift boxes have definitely helped business, and it gives people the opportunity to try 100% Blue Mountain coffee straight from Jamaica," he says. Bent says the coffee is more smooth and that a lot of places only offer a blend. The company works with small farmers that get certified through a Jamaican agency. Rick Banks of MKE Black says as of last weekend, shoppers spent $18,000 on the gift boxes. The large majority of the funds goes directly to the businesses with a small margin for MKE Black’s fundraising, says Banks. “We are paying pretty much whole cost for all of the products that we put into the box. And we have a very, very small like fundraising margin for MKE Black," he says. "And so that's where all the money's going.” Paul Wellington, director of operations and technology for MKE Black, says there are a lot of national apps directed at helping people find Black-owned businesses, but MKE Black has the advantage of being able to keep up with individual businesses locally. “While the top [national] apps will have like only a couple businesses [listed in Milwaukee], we have over 500 businesses listed in our directory. So, I really think that we are helping identify Black businesses, helping people discover them. And we're also more than that, we also provide grants and the funding to businesses, as well as opportunities for them to really increase their visibility as well. So, we are more than just the app," he says. People can use the MKE Black app or website to place orders for gift boxes through Friday, December 11 at 6 p.m.

Eighty percent of discarded garments end up in the trash. However, Taiwan can help. Far Eastern New Century’s recycling technology is so groundbreaking that orders from big brands are piling up even though construction on their factory has yet to start. What new trick does Far Eastern New Century have up its sleeves? Inside Far Eastern New Century’s lab in Taoyuan, Senior Vice President Ken Chang (張根源) pulls out a can of black fluid. “This was made from used clothing,” he says. Once the color is removed and the liquid crystalized, it will be ready to be remade into new garments. It is a great deal of hard work condensed into a hundred milliliters. But Far Eastern New Century, a Taiwanese synthetic fiber company, has been in the game for more than seventy years. This is the apex of their ambitions: to turn old rags into new threads. Far Eastern New Century extracts polyester from discarded fabrics. The old clothes are first shredded, then dissolved with chemical solutions until they are reduced to elementary particles. The soup is then purified so it may be spun into new clothes. Beginning this year, Far Eastern New Century has started experimenting with small-scale mass production. They are also looking for a place to set up a plant. The plan is to begin full-scale mass production in 2023. Clothing brands are already lining up to send their unsold inventory to be transformed into new material. How much of a problem are used clothes? In 2015, more than 100 billion pieces of clothing were sold around the world, double that in 2000. However, the average number of times a garment is worn before it is discarded decreased by 36% overall. Eighty percent of discarded garments end up becoming trash. Of all the world’s textiles, 57% are dumped into landfills and 25% are incinerated. Just 8% make it to the secondhand clothing market; out of this number, 10% are pulverized and recycled. Nike Already Uses Recycled Plastic Bottles; Why Spend a Decade Reinventing the Wheel? In truth, Far Eastern New Century is already the world’s second-largest producer of rPET, a recycled material often used by the international textile industry. Far Eastern New Century takes discarded plastic bottles and turns them into bottles or fibers. They have already worked out long-term deals with big brands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, and Adidas. Their market position is secure. Why then is Far Eastern New Century challenging itself to recycle old clothes through a new chemical process? “Taiwan’s core is synthetic fibers,” says Jo Hwa Li (李若華) of Taiwan Textile Research Institute. Taiwan’s two synthetic fiber giants, Far Eastern New Century and Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corp., demonstrated new chemical recycling technologies at this year’s textile application show. It is clear they are investing in the future. In recent years, big global brands have either moved away from synthetic fibers made from petrochemicals, or they have wholly embraced recycled materials, all in the name of protecting the environment. For instance, Adidas has declared that all its polyesters will come from recycled materials by 2024. Fashion juggernaut H&M vows that it will convert to only using eco-friendly sustainable materials by 2030. This is both an opportunity and a threat for Taiwan’s polyester industry. Taiwan is no stranger to eco-friendly fibers. But relying solely on recycled plastic bottles will eventually paint Taiwan into a corner, because it is an open secret that the bottles and clothes industries are fighting over recycled bottles. The cleanest recycled bottles come from Japan, and they are all sold out. In recent years, Taiwan’s synthetic fiber companies have been investing in Southeast Asia and setting up recycling plants precisely because they need more sources of used bottles. What’s more, the reclamation of rPET is mainly a material recovery process; it can only turn bottles into clothes. The process is by no means perfect; a portion of the material is lost every time. A plastic bottle can only be recycled up to six or seven times. During the chemical process, nothing is lost; the material can be remade infinitely. The only catch is the higher initial investment. Far Eastern New Century’s client, Coca-Cola, has already stated that it wants its plastic bottles to be remade into new raw materials through the chemical process. This helped Far Eastern New Century make up its mind. They are going to up the ante and attempt the difficult technology that “turns recycled clothes into new clothes”. In the future, Far Eastern New Century will have two assembly lines that use the chemical process. One turns discarded textiles into raw materials for fiber, and the other turns plastic bottles into raw materials for plastic bottles. “Taiwan has a complete polyester supply chain, and it can help create the entire circular system,” says Shadow Chen (陳惠琳), CEO of the Circular Taiwan Network. She points out that more than 30 companies around the world are researching the chemical recycling process. If Taiwan can be the first to produce recycled materials in a commercially viable way, the Taiwanese textile industry can market to big clothing brands, and help them fulfill their producers’ responsibility: recycle their own clothes, build up the circular economy and export the practice to other markets. Far Eastern New Century was determined to invest in research and development. What they did not expect was that just developing the technology would take a decade. “To be honest, any chemistry major could tell you how polyesters can be split into particles; it is not a new concept,” says Fanny Liao (廖瑞芬). Executive Vice President at Far Eastern New Century. But theory is one thing; putting it into practice is another. Discarded garments are made from all types of fabrics, and dyed with all kinds of colors. All these factors affect the recycling process. Most clothes are made from more than two different types of fibers. There are natural fibers like cotton, wool, and silk; there are also artificial fibers like nylon, lycra, and rayon. The combinations differ depending on its need and design. If all the garments were 100% polyester, it would have been much easier to handle. But Far Eastern New Century is looking to reclaim old clothes, which are usually made from mixed materials. They designated the requirements and targeted old clothes that are 70% polyester and 30% cotton. Once they’ve purified the raw polyester material, the recycled cotton can be turned into cellulosic ethanol, which can be used to make artificial fiber. The other hurdle is the dyes. The colors are so deeply stained into the fabrics that it took Far Eastern New Century four years to figure out how to get rid of them. “We experimented and found that the hardest color to remove is black, since it is also the hardest color to dye,” says Liao. Ideally, if the garments could be categorized by color, the problem might be solved. But in reality, most clothes are of many colors. The best they could do was remove as much color as possible from all kinds of textiles and return them to raw materials. Even the Unreclaimable can Generate Power Because the current technology can only treat discarded garments that are at least 70% polyester, there will be unfit and unreclaimable pieces in every batch. But Far Eastern New Century still sees them as valuable resources. Far Eastern New Century works with LongShun Energy Technology, a green energy company in Liouying District of Tainan. This is a start-up that was just established last year. Its speciality is compressing and pulverizing textiles to turn them into fuel rods for boilers, replacing coal. “Therefore, we waste almost nothing of what we reclaim,” says Chang. He explains that once the scale of production is expanded, Far Eastern New Century will not need to dump or incinerate any old clothes they recycle. “That which can be converted into PET will be reused; the rest will be provided for LongShun to make refuse-derived fuel.” This new sorting system will be unique in the world. It took Taiwan’s textile industry 30 years to change plastic bottles into one of the main raw materials for making clothes. This time, old clothes will be remade into new clothes, and Taiwan is once again helping the world reach new, eco-friendly heights. By Ching Fang Wu View previous newsletters.

48 Macquarie Street - Canberra Projects / Commercial Location Barton, Canberra, Australia The 48 Macquarie Street mixed use retail and car parking complex is located in Barton on the corner of Macquarie and Broughton Street. Situated in a newly developing residential precinct and adjacent to the Edmund Barton building it provides important amenity for surrounding residents, by way of supermarket and dining facilities and significant structured car parking for the areas office workers. Its proximity on these streets and adjacency to open space near the Kurrajong Hotel give the building significant prominence within the precinct and draws together existing pedestrian pathways and sight lines in a resolute manner that give coherence to the urban fabric. The building is comprised of seven storeys above ground and a level of subterranean parking. At ground level retail facilities face Macquarie and Broughton Street, with a raised covered terrace providing a place for people to gather. The building mass is as narrow as practicable to provide an efficient parking structure, so that landscaping could be maximised around the building. Car and service vehicle driveways are set back from the corner streets allowing uninterrupted pedestrian access. Drawing inspiration from the materiality and geometry of its most prominent neighbour, the Edmund Barton building, and aspirations for a naturally ventilated structure the architecture directly reflects these principles and technical requirements. The North and South facades are made of perforated precast concrete panels, characterised by a variety of circular depressions and openings, abstractly derived from that of its facing neighbour; creating a visual dynamism across the facade and diffused glow when illuminated from within. The East and West facades are characterised by folded and angled perforated aluminium screens which vary in spacing and orientation across the height of the building; providing articulation across the facade and a dynamic optical effect to passersby, while minimising visual transparency through the building and maximising natural ventilation. Glazed vertical circulation stairs act as visual markers for pedestrians and have a lantern like quality when illuminated. The restrained colour palette and natural expression of the materials allows the building to sit in its surrounds in a manner that compliments its neighbours with a confident architectural character. Photographer: Rodrigo Vargas

Healthy Skepticism Library item: 16065 Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.   Publication type: news The Baker, the NHMRC and conflicts of interest Croakey: The Crikey Health Blog 2009 Jul 17 Full text: Following the recent post about the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute’s latest foray into pharmaceutical marketing, Croakey asked both the Baker and the NHMRC for comment. No word yet from the Baker, but Professor Warwick Anderson, ceo of the NHMRC, sent this comment: “The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (issued jointly by NHMRC, the Australian Research Council and Universities Australia) applies to all institutions receiving NHMRC funding, and includes a chapter on conflict of interest, aimed at all disciplines (not just health research). As far as relationships between clinical researchers and the biotech and pharmaceutical industries are concerned, NHMRC Council’s advice will be sought in September on the ideas that arose at the NHMRC workshop on conflicts of interest, held in June. This will include advice on the need for national principles to help guide ethical relationships between clinical researchers and private sector organisations, such as biotech and pharmaceutical companies.” For those interested in knowing more about the NHMRC workshop, held in Canberra last month, here is a short report I filed for the British Medical Journal about it. Australian researchers, universities and other research institutions are likely to face new measures aimed at ensuring conflicts of interest are managed more effectively. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) will consider recommendations that it require researchers to publicly declare conflicts of interest on university and other institutional websites. The Council has also been asked to consider establishing its own conflict of interest committee to provide advice internally and to act as a reference for other bodies, and to require research institutions to establish similar committees. The suggestions were made by senior researchers and NHMRC members attending a “transparency and conflict of interest” workshop convened by the Council in Canberra on June 3. “The ideas that came up are all worth consideration and we will take those ideas to our Council over the next six months, “ the NHMRC CEO Professor Warwick Anderson told the BMJ after the workshop. The Council is also developing new standards for management of competing interests in clinical practice guideline development, and has evidence these are poorly managed at present. A broad-ranging survey of clinical practice guidelines, involving 313 produced in Australia between 2003 and 2007, found 79 per cent did not mention whether the authors had competing interests. None of those declaring conflicts gave information about how these were managed or the dollar-value of the financial relationship. Dr Heather Buchan, an NHMRC advisor who conducted the survey, said a US study had found most guideline authors had competing interests, and that the new standard was likely to require documentation of how conflicts were declared and managed. Professor James Best, chair of the NHMRC research committee, said many of the arrangements binding researchers and industry – such as industry-funded trials, education, advisory boards and guidelines – were marketing tools. “Today’s meeting is an example of NHMRC’s commitment to good practice in this area,” he said. Professor Bruce Neal, a Senior Director at The George Institute for International Health, which receives significant industry funding, said the issue was bigger than simply researchers’ previous conflicts of interest. Researchers’ chances of obtaining future industry funding could be influenced by how they reported the results of their independent, investigator-driven research, he said. Professor John Hopper, of the University of Melbourne, said measures to address conflicts also needed to consider issues such as professional patch protection by authors and reviewers. An independent nutritionist, Dr Rosemary Stanton, said effective management of conflicts of interest was essential for food and nutrition research and guidelines as this was an area rife with conflicts. Dr Agnes Vitry, a Senior Research Fellow from the University of SA and a member of Healthy Skepticism, said she was concerned the NHMRC had not committed to implementing the recent Institute of Medicine’s report on conflicts of interest. “Compared to the relevant IOM proposals for institutions such as NHMRC, we are far behind,” she said. The workshop follows recent controversies in Australia over commercially-funded clinical practice guidelines for venous thromboembolism prevention, and a sponsorship deal between Sanofi-Aventis and the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute which was in breach of the Medicines Australia code of conduct.

Sam Teskey, lead guitarist of the Grammy nominated and ARIA winning group The Teskey Brothers band unveils his debut solo album Cycles and full six piece live band. What Teskey presents across the seven tracks of Cycles is nothing short of a cosmic journey, one that traverses a lot of musical territory. From sprawling, orchestral balladry to dissonant, ambient soundscapes, from folk to heavy psych-rock freak outs, it’s a surprising, thrilling and immersive listen. Sam Teskey will be taking centre stage for the first time so don’t miss out on the first opportunity to experience the debut live performances of this amazing debut album from one of Australia’s most promising songwriters and performers. Cycles is out October 8 2021.

Joseph Ensor, VP and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s space ISR systems division. Photo: Northrop Grumman [Via Satellite 04-20-2015] Northrop Grumman recently decided to divide its Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting Systems division (ISR&TSD) in two, separating satellite systems from those that are airborne. The pivot back to separate divisions returns the company to the way it was structured prior to sequestration and the budget cuts that acutely impacted many defense contractors. This change is a signal that the company sees growth opportunities on the horizon. “A little over three years ago we combined the divisions. We combined the airborne and space divisions together because at the time we were talking about sequestration and the budgets going forward. There was a lot of uncertainty into whether the defense budget would continue to stay as the line item it was or to shrink,” Joseph Ensor, recently appointed vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s space ISR systems division, told Via Satellite. “Fortunately for us we were very successful in capturing new business along the way and really never saw that downturn.” Ensor has executive responsibility over division programs and operations in the states of Maryland, California and Colorado. Michael Hinkey, previously Northrop Grumman’s vice president and general manager of engineering, manufacturing and logistics, has charge of the company’s airborne ISR and targeting systems division. As vice president and general manager, he has executive responsibility for programs and operations in Maryland and Illinois. After bracing for a decline in government demand, Ensor said the company continued to grow to the point that the space division essentially ran out of room. Last year Northrop Grumman broke ground on a new building dubbed the Maryland Space Assembly and Test (M-SAT) facility. The $20-million site, scheduled for completion later this year, enables the company to conduct more space projects. “It was at the beginning of this year that we decided to go back to the way we were, since [the space division] was about 40 percent of the entire sector in terms of sales. It was a large division and by going back to the way we were, we can better focus on our concentrations in both space and airborne,” Ensor said. Once complete, the M-SAT facility allows the company to do a higher level of integration and assembly on its own. In the past, Northrop Grumman had to ship parts to other facilities. Ensor said the new structure provides room to build up payload assemblies at a higher level and ship projects to satellite primes as a larger payload assembly rather than as black boxes, or to integrate full satellites instead of just payloads. Though now considered a distinct part of the company, Northrop Grumman’s space ISR division will continue to have some overlap with the airborne ISR&TSD, Ensor said. The two focus areas always shared a factory between product lines, and often the company will seek to vet technologies on airborne systems prior to using them in the space environment. Ensor described the reclassification as more of a splitting of human resources and said the two divisions would continue to work collaboratively when beneficial. “We leverage technologies across all of our divisions and sectors. As far as individual programs there is no overlap, but there is a synergistic approach in the way we develop technology. We really try to get as much commonality across our product lines as we can,” he said. Northrop Grumman has grown in some restricted space markets over the past five year, with many of those programs now transitioning into manufacturing, integration and testing phases. And while the new M-SAT facility is designed largely for government customers, Ensor said some small satellite companies have also shown interest. “We’ve been approached and are in discussions with some of the commercial space providers. It would be a market adjacency for us right now because we aren’t in that particular business arena, but I would say that we do have an interest in exploring it, and our technology is transferable into those business arenas as well,” said Ensor. He added that Northrop Grumman sees continued demand from government customers and budding opportunity in the commercial sector that validates recent moves. “If we didn’t see this long-term growth in the market we certainly wouldn’t be making the investments that we are doing and restructuring,” he said. The post Northrop Grumman Confident in Long Term Satellite ISR Demand appeared first on Via Satellite.

Flower Mound, TX, USA – October 25, 2021 – The Mannatech Team recently announced at Mannafest that they would sponsor four communities (Hope Zones) with Kids Around the World this year. “We are excited to provide sustainable nutrition, meals, and play for the years to come. With these partnerships, we will be able to see the impact that these donations can have on communities,” said Executive Director Sarah Louthan. A HopeZone in San Silvestre, Ecuador, launched in January 2021 with approximately 130 kids registered in the Nutrition Program. Situated on the banks of the Portoviejo River only a few miles from its mouth, this low-lying community’s chief income sources are cultivating rice and fishing. Another HopeZone lifted off in August in Punta Alta, Ecuador. Approximately 110 kids live in Punta Alta and its two neighboring communities combine to form the HopeZone. Nestled atop the hills of Manabi, these communities are off the beaten path, and the local mothers gather to form a volunteer team to lead this HopeZone. Another HopeZone located in Payita, Dominican Republic, will be launched in October 2021, with around 50 kids included in its first phase. Located 15 miles northwest of Nagua, Payita is a mixed agricultural zone with rice, coconuts, and cattle products, and it also serves as the Generation Hope Hub for the Dominican Republic. Finally, the fourth HopeZone in El Cruce de Caño, Dominican Republic, will be launched in October 2021. Approximately 40 children live in this community, and this rural community sits on the edge of Nagua, and farm and lumber work is the primary employment. The number of people affected by hunger increased in 2020 under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. After remaining virtually unchanged from 2014 to 2019, undernourishment (PoU) prevalence climbed to around 9.9 percent in 2020, from 8.4 percent a year earlier. Since 2009, Mannatech has been on a mission to end childhood nutrition. Supporting the Mission 5 Million Foundation (M5M), Mannatech’s programs have generated over 122 million servings of nutritional support for malnourished children across the globe. With a goal each year to provide over 20 million servings of nutritional support for malnourished children, they are well on their way to making a global difference..Company Name: Vedette Global MediaContact Person: Angel TuccyEmail: Send EmailPhone: 720-257-9263Country: United StatesWebsite:

Small-scale foragers left more than footprints on the landscape. "One of the things I'm interested in is exploring the different ways that people leave a footprint on the landscape and understanding how long the traces of that footprint last," said Dylan S. Davis, graduate student in anthropology, Penn State. "For a small-scale society that doesn't build structures, how do they impact the landscape, and will that impact last thousands of years?" Using high-resolution PlanetScope satellite imaging and vegetative indices to show how the landscape co-evolved with humans, and then a random forest algorithm and statistics to quantify the amount that humans changed their surroundings, the researchers were able to identify areas of human alteration. They report their results in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Archaeologists often looked at agricultural and pastoral societies in the past and catalogued the changes these lifestyles make in the landscape. Permanent or semi-permanent housing, fields and other structures dot the area and, in some places, completely change the natural landscape, but the impact on the landscape of hunter-gatherers is usually confined to temporary living locations and the remains are a few broken pieces of pottery, fire pits or animal bones. The assumption was that these communities did not alter the overall landscape. In coastal southwestern Madagascar, most archaeological sites for fishing and gathering communities are ephemeral. There are no large buildings, but the record of use for some rock shelters goes back thousands of years. Even though these sites were only occupied part of the year, they were inhabited year after year. "What we found was that the areas surrounding these sites, that appear to be pristine, are not," said Davis. "We see a slight shift in the soil's capacity to absorb water. This is indicated by a shift in spectral reflectiveness seen in the satellite images." The study area encompassed 250 to 300 square miles and showed that 17% of that area was changed by humans. "The landscape changes may be subtle, but they are widespread," said Davis. The researchers compared the areas around known archaeological sites to areas without known sites and found a statistical difference between the forests. They found indications that the distribution of plants differed between known sites and uninhabited areas. "What we don't know is whether these types of changes in soil chemistry allowed people to occupy the areas in time of drought," said Kristina Douglass, assistant professor of anthropology and African studies. "Or whether it allowed the ground to retain moisture and grow different plants." Douglass notes that animals in this area are drought-adapted so a slight increase in moisture could make a big difference in the animals that occupied the areas around inhabited sites. According to the researchers, there are long-lasting, landscape-scale effects of settlement, and their work reinforces previous research that found that ancient communities actively modified their ecological surroundings in ways that increased the suitability of previously settled areas. "We underestimate the impacts that non-agriculture societies have on shaping landscapes. These are subtle, but can be discovered," said Douglass. "Looking at landscapes across the world, we find that people modified more of the world than we thought before." Author: A'ndrea Elyse Messer | Source: Pennsylvania State University [October 19, 2021]

Three of seven Los Angeles Unified School District board members are facing challengers on primary election day, March 3, and the stakes are especially high this time. The next board will select a new superintendent, among Los Angeles' most influential public officials. Board members also must balance a $7.5 billion operating budget and make decisions on iPads in the classroom, testing based on new Common Core standards, teacher evaluations, and declining student populations in traditional classrooms while charter enrollment expands. It’s an election weighing heavily on the mind of Huntington Park High School teacher April Parker, especially as it impacts the selection of the next superintendent. “How important is the head to the body? Whatever the tone of the leader is, it trickles down into the schools,” Parker said, toting a briefcase full of essays to grade. Despite what could be the most pivotal school election in years, turnout of eligible voters in past board balloting has been less than 20 percent, and there are few signs to suggest next month's contest will be any different. Low turnout numbers tend to give organizations that can get out the vote out-sized influence over the results, the well-financed California Charter School Association and the UTLA representing teachers key among them. David Tokosky, a former school board member, said all of the issues facing the school board will play out in the context of which interest group dominates the board. “The two parties at play are the self-described as reformers and the unions on the other side,” he said. The teachers union is pushing for lower class sizes, fewer tests, and job protections for its members. The reformers frequently champion charter school expansion and the firing of teachers deemed ineffective. Tokofsky said the current board is split between the ideologies. “On some hot issues, they are divided into factions — often with one or two people in the middle swinging back and forth.” District 1 - South and West Los Angeles Board member George McKenna is running unopposed. A retired school administrator, McKenna won a special election last year to fill the seat left open by the death of Marguerite LaMotte. With his presumed election next month, he will serve at least five years. McKenna did not respond to a KPCC survey on his views. He recently asked supporters to help him retire about $35,000 in campaign debt. District 3 - West San Fernando Valley Five people are challenging the district's board incumbent, Tamar Galatzan. She is seeking a third term on the board. Galatzan, a deputy city attorney with the neighborhood prosecutor program, was a close ally of former Superintendent John Deasy. Galatzan has been criticized for her support of his problem-plagued iPad program. After staff emails showed close ties with the program's vendors, Galatzan pushed to extend the amount of time email records would be available to the public. Scott Mark Schmerelson, a retired school administrator, won union endorsements from the California School Employees Association and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, setting him apart from the other candidates: Carl Petersen, Elizabeth Badger Bartels, Filiberto Gonzalez and Ankur Patel. District 5 - East Los Angeles The California Charter School Association is working to unseat the teachers union favorite, Bennett Kayser, a retired teacher from Silver Lake. Kayser believes charter schools drain resources from traditional schools, and he votes down almost every charter school proposal that comes before him. The association supports Ref Rodriguez, a charter school administrator and the only Latino candidate in a predominately Latino district. Another serious competitor has emerged, Andrew Thomas, a Silver Lake parent who was endorsed by the Los Angeles Times. District 7 - Los Angeles Harbor Board President Richard Vladovic, a retired administrator, will be difficult to unseat given his support by many labor and education reform groups. Last spring, Vladovic was criticized when he ended board member Monica Ratliff's committee investigating the district's iPad purchase. He has also spearheaded initiatives that garnered wide support on the board, such as healthier school lunches. Vladovic is being challenged by Lydia A. Gutiérrez, a teacher, who made a failed run for state superintendent last year, and Euna Anderson, an early education principal.

Kilifi, KENYA: The National and County government of Kilifi has begun land adjudication process in Kilodi Settlement scheme in Mastangoni Ward, Kilifi North Sub County. Kilifi County Surveyor David Kiama told Baraka FM on Monday that an estimated 185 hectares of land will be sub divided to squatters in Kilodi A and B settlement schemes. Kiama said the team is expected to finish the whole process from establishment of the perimeter boundary in order to get the working area to publishing of the map, that will be used to process title deeds in one month time. “A team of eleven officers from both the national and county government will conduct the exercise, starting today,” said Kiama. “We want to take the shortest time possible and in one month we will be through with this exercise so the squatters should expect their title deeds in late March or Early April,” added Kiama. According to Kiema, from Kilodi settlement scheme, the team will move to Mwezang’ombe settlement scheme. Selina Maitha, Kilifi Deputy County Commissioner urged the community to ignore the previous survey which was conducted by a private surveyor hired by the County Government before the team was dispatched. Maitha said some members in the settlement scheme claimed the exercise was not fare enough and a number of them could not be involved because they could not raise Sh. 300 for the committee members. “Everyone must know that whatever happened in this area before today when we commence the adjudication process is null and void. We will not go by anything out of what the team on the ground will come up with,” said Ms. Maitha. The Deputy Commissioner asked the community to settle disputes among themselves for the surveyors to have easy time when on the ground. Ms. Maitha warned chiefs and their assistants to distance themselves from demanding for cash before they assist people during the process. “No chief, assistant chief or the committee members is allowed to charge anything from anyone. People are not going to contribute money for your facilitation but your welfare will be taken care of by the team you will be working with,” she said. However, Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi has on several occasions blamed the national government for its delay in issuance of title deeds to residents living in more than 25 Settlement Schemes and adjudication sections, that the county completed its survey and forwarded the list of beneficiaries to the Ministry of Land. “There are still many challenges when it comes to handling land matters in Kilifi County. We have more than twenty five settlement schemes and adjudication sections that our department of land has worked on them but no response up to date,” Kingi was quoted saying in one of his public Barraza’s. Kingi said that it is unfortunate that the national government through the Ministry of Lands is not working on the same pace with the County government and it is slow in releasing title deeds.

[tag: science] Press 7.1 Emissions from raw material storage and handling 7.1.1 Process description Raw materials (alumina, pitch, petroleum coke, bath constituents, fuel, etc.) are received and transferred by truck, train or boat to the plant storage site (silos, tanks and warehouses). Loed on the Mississippi River, UBT is the largest dry bulk export terminal on the Gulf Coast and is considered a critical logistic link in coal and petroleum coke international supply chains. In addition to an active, on-going business that handled over 11 million tons in 2011, the facility has ample land for further expansion and development. Coastal Storage This is to recover the cost of providing storage and handling facilities at coastal terminals. In 2002, the typical international storage rate was assessed as USD 3 per ton or 2.5 SA cents per litre per month. Abrasive blasting, also known as grit blasting or sandblasting, utilizes blast equipment, such as air pressure systems, centrifugal wheel blasting and wet blasting to propel a wide range of blasting media and grits including glass beads, aluminum oxide, steel The Port of Ploče (Croatian: Luka. ab0cd Sub-sectoral Environmental and Social Guidelines: Petroleum and Coal Products Petroleum and Coal Products Sub-sectoral Environmental Guidelines Page 2 March 2011 cyclones and bag filters, pelletised and dried. The product is stored in silos, To that end, we support the City Council passing an ordinance that requires that Richmond phase out the storage and handling of coal and petroleum coke (“petcoke”). Coal storage and handling creates impermissible health and safety risks to Richmond’s residents, to the surrounding environment, and to San Francisco Bay. Petroleum coke, commonly referred to as petcoke, is produced as a refinery by-product primarily through a process called delayed coking. Common feedstocks are vacuum residues and aromatic oils. They are preheated and then pumped in liquid form into a "drum," a large, vertical cylinder (up to 30 ft or more in diameter and more than 100 ft tall) constructed of high-strength steel. 4. petroleum coke manufacture, bulk storage, shipping or handling 5. petroleum product, other than compressed gas, dispensing facilities, including service stations and card locks 6. petroleum, natural gas or sulfur pipeline rights of way excluding rights of7. petroleum coke and byproduct electric power. Champlin Petroleum provides green coke from refinery facilities adja-cent to the coke calcining facilities. Martin Marietta provides operation and maintenance and marketing staffs to the joint venture, which is known. generator using some pre-existing coal handling facilities, interconnections, and other auxiliaries. The Project has demonstrated the ability to run at full load capability (250 Mw) on either coal or petroleum coke while meeting the environmental requirements for x handling coal in a port. Capacity: 30,000 tons per day. provides complete coverage of Top Right: Radial ship loader handling concentrates. Capacity: 1,500 MTPH. Maximum ship size: 60,000 DWT. Bottom Right: Ship loader handling petroleum coke. Capacity Storage and Handling of Petroleum Coke Petroleum Coke Handling Facility Mining studies Sulphur Handling Facilities Soto de Ribera Power Plant DF Oil & Gas 300,000 m3 Crude Oil Storage 150,000 m3 LNG Storage 240,000 m3 Storage Terminal 200,000 m3 7. 40 CFR 63 Subpart R, Gasoline Distribution Facilities ..144 8. 40 CFR 63 Subpart CC, Petroleum Refineries ..144 9. 40 CFR 63 Subpart UUU, Petroleum Refinery alytic Cracking Units, Arizona Clean Fuels Yuma, LLC Permit Nuer 40140 6 Storage of petroleum in barrel for petroleum classA exceeding 300ltrs,petroleum classB exceeding 25000 ltrs & petroleum class C exceeding 45,000 ltrs in barrels. Licence (form XIV) Cicle/sub Circle office 7 Storage of petroleum for crop spray Licence (form Petroleum coke storage and handling facilities should be loed as far as possible away from process units, air separation plants, populated and hazardous areas. Tank Farm Group storage tanks according to product classifiion as per relevant national standard. Petroleum coke, known as pet coke for short, is a solid byproduct generated by petroleum refineries. It is high in carbon and commonly burned as fuel. The MDEQ says on its website that storage and For example, petroleum coke from oil-sands operation is used to create nanoporous materials for water purifiion and energy storage. Moreover, we also study how chemicals affect the environment, for example, aerosols’ effects on the climate. Storage and handling of petroleum products in refinery Other ISIC Version Guidebook 2019 Coordinator Carlo Trozzi remove salt, minerals, grit, and water from crude oil feedstock prior to refining. Undesirable elements such as sulphur, nitrogen from petroleum coke and metallurgical coke storage sites in the south side of Chicago. However, the finalized regulations affect a broad egory of facilities. Our network of storage and transportation modes, including barge, rail, and pipeline allow us to positively affect any and all transactions we enter. Coal & Petroleum Coke Inter-Chem has been an active participant in the coal industry since 1980. 5.1 Petroleum Refining1 5.1.1 General Description The petroleum refining industry converts crude oil into more than 2500 refined products, including liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, kerosene, aviation fuel, diesel fuel, fuel oils, lubriing oils, and feedstocks for the Calcining processes including handling and storage of raw petroleum coke may result in Particulate Matter (PM) and gaseous emissions. Concerns have been raised over the potential association between particulate and aerosol pollution and adverse respiratory health effects including decrements in …