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By Brian Winter, Reuters From Business Insider
CUIABA, Brazil (Reuters) – An October fire at a Brazilian World Cup stadium caused far more damage than previously reported, according to a report by local prosecutors obtained by Reuters, raising questions about whether the stadium will be ready for the competition and why government officials have insisted the blaze was minor.
State officials overseeing construction of the still-unfinished Arena Pantanal in the western city of Cuiabá, which is among 12 Brazilian cities scheduled to host games, have long said the October 25 fire wasn't a major cause for concern.
However, an 18-page report prepared in December by the Mato Grosso state Public Ministry, an independent judicial body similar to the district attorney's office in the United States, warned that the blaze caused "structural damage" that "could compromise the overall stability of the construction."
The report was delivered in December to the state agency overseeing the stadium's construction, the Extraordinary Secretariat for the World Cup, or Secopa. State prosecutors provided Reuters with access to the document, whose content has not been previously disclosed to the public.
It is unclear whether the damage described in the report has since been fixed. Prosecutors are scheduled to conduct a follow-up inspection of the fire site next Thursday, and they said they hoped the disclosure of the report's contents would lead local officials to be more cooperative and transparent than they have until now.
Mato Grosso state government officials continue to say that the fire did not cause structural damage.
"It has been impossible to get good information to this point," said Clovis de Almeida, a prosecutor at the Public Ministry. "We will make sure that no games occur (at the stadium) until the safety is completely guaranteed."
Under Brazil's complex legal system, the Public Ministry has a preventive role in addition to its prosecutorial mandate. Almeida is part of a special unit of prosecutors charged with monitoring the state government's actions as it prepares for the Cup.
World soccer body FIFA, which organizes the World Cup, said it was "unaware" of any structural damage caused by the fire, although it said its own recent inspections had indicated no major consequences. FIFA will "double-check" based on any allegations made in the report, Zurich-based spokeswoman Delia Fischer told Reuters by telephone on Saturday.
The Mato Grosso office of the Federal Public Ministry announced on Thursday that it is opening its own investigation into the fire, based on the state body's report.
The fire, and the conflicting reports over its fallout, raise new doubts about whether Brazil will be ready to receive roughly 600,000 foreign visitors expected to attend the World Cup from June 12 to July 13. Several stadiums have been plagued by repeated construction delays and a rash of accidents that have killed six workers.
Mendes Junior, the company building the stadium, referred all media enquiries to Secopa. That entity's chief, Mauricio Guimarães, said in an interview on Thursday that "of the reports we have, all of them say there was no structural damage."
The blaze, which police say may have resulted from arson, occurred in the basement level of one of the stadium's two main grandstands, which will hold roughly 10,000 people.
On Saturday, in response to Reuters' specific questions about the Public Ministry's report, Secopa sent a statement reiterating that it had received reports "guaranteeing that there was no structural damage to the Arena Pantanal, and that all the necessary repairs to the area caused by the fire have already been (made.)"
The Public Ministry report includes photos of cracks in concrete pillars that, it says, are part of the stadium's core structure.
"It is emphasized that the loss of resistance of these elements could compromise the overall stability of the construction," said the report, which was based on an inspection by an independent local civil engineer, Jonathan Almeida Nery.
According to the report, other photos show "complete decomposition" of concrete on the ceiling above where the fire occurred, as well as "less severe … but important" damage to the stadium's steel frame.
The study concludes with Nery's "strong recommendation that the real damage suffered by the structure be verified, by means of tests."
It is unclear whether builders have conducted such tests since the fire occurred.
Reached by telephone on Saturday, Nery confirmed the report's contents and said he was "relieved" its findings were being made public. Asked why local officials still say the fire didn't cause structural damage, he said: "I don't know. Even the engineers at the site told me there was."
Nery added that he believed the problems at the stadium were "fixable" if addressed properly.
The Arena Pantanal is one of five Brazilian stadiums running behind schedule, having missed a December deadline for completion. FIFA has warned that unfinished facilities may be excluded from the tournament, with the most worrisome delays occurring in the southern city of Curitiba.
Any such exclusion would cost cities millions of dollars and be a major embarrassment for local politicians and World Cup organizers.
Fischer, the FIFA spokeswoman, said via email that the soccer body was aware only of "insulation material, piping, electrical cabling, pathways and switchboards, etc, (being) damaged as a result of the fire."
The first pre-World Cup test scheduled for the facility is a game between Brazilian soccer teams set for early April.
FIFA's secretary general, Jerome Valcke, visited the construction site last month.
A Reuters reporter took a guided media tour of the Arena Pantanal early Thursday, accompanied by a spokesman for Secopa and a representative of Mendes Junior. The builder did not allow the reporter access to the area affected by the fire because it was "under construction," according to the spokesman.
The cause of the fire remains a mystery.
Investigators believe the fire started with styrofoam and that it was "criminal" in nature, involving either negligence or arson, said Luciene Oliveira, an official at the Mato Grosso state judicial civil police.
Mendes Junior executives believe the fire was lit by a disgruntled construction worker who has since left the site, a source with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters. Oliveira declined comment on that possibility, but said police were looking for a witness who, they believed, has fled to the interior of the state.
The stadium is not the only aspect of Cuiabá's preparations that has experienced problems. A new $700 million light rail system that was supposed to be ready for the World Cup now isn't scheduled to be finished until December, five months after the tournament ends, Guimarães said.
A new airport terminal has also suffered delays, with work still continuing on the external structure. Guimarães said the existing airport could handle demand during the Cup if the new structure isn't finished on time.
The World Cup matches scheduled for Cuiabá are June 13, between Chile and Australia; June 17, between Russia and South Korea; June 21, between Nigeria and Bosnia, and June 24, between Japan and Colombia.
PHOTO: Thomson Reuters General view of Arena Pantanal stadium in Cuiaba
For more on this story go to:


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Course Library
Browse our library of planning courses
GeoDesign Using CommunityViz: Buildout and Visualization
This second course in the "GeoDesign with CommunityViz" series shows how the CommunityViz extension of ArcGIS can guide the design, and assess the impacts, of a project.
GeoDesign with CommunityViz: Land Use Designer
Learn how the CommunityViz extension of ArcGIS can guide the design of a project and assess the project's impact. This course specifically focuses on a suitability analysis using essential functions and the Land Use Designer wizard.

subset: commoncrawl


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Print "Bellfrogs and Bullrushes" by Yngwar Stroem-Hansen
This limited edition wood engraving print has been created by Sydney artist Yngvar Stroem-Hansen prior to his passing in 2005.
Bellfrogs and Bullrushes 47/90 hand coloured
size : 100mm x 101mm
Acid free Fabriano paper 600g, Vanfon ink
Wood engraving is a relief printmaking process which dates back centuries to China in AD1108, although, it is normally associated with book illustrations from the Victorian era and prints produced in the 1930's
The engraving is done by hand on en-grain blocks of hard timber, usually boxwood, using special steel pointed tools known as gravers, as well as other fine pointed tools for specific functions. When completed, the wood engraving is then ready for the printing process. His wife Pamela hand water coloured the prints, which is continuing to do today.
It is possibly the least known of the printmaking techniques used today, widely neglected in favour of of less demanding processes. Yngvar's limited edition prints are therefore much sought after and are represented in private collections both in Australia and overseas.
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This limited edition wood engraving print has been created by Sydney artist Yngvar Stroem-Hansen prior to his passing in 2005. The Three Sisters 27/150 hand coloured size : 102mm x 74mm...
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Learn. Share. Plan.
Arbor Wins Canada's Best Managed Companies Award
Article Posted on
We are pleased to announce that Arbor Memorial Inc. is a 2018 Winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies.
Now in its 25th year, Canada's Best Managed Companies is one of the country's leading business awards programs recognizing Canadian-owned and managed companies for innovative, world-class business practices. The designation is also presented elsewhere in the world, with the expectation that it will be globally recognized in 20 countries by 2020.
Every year since the launch of the program in 1993, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies have competed for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates their management skills and practices.
This year alone saw hundreds of applications out of which only 44 were selected.
"It's much more than just financial performance," said Peter Brown, Partner, Deloitte and Co-Leader, Canada's Best Managed Companies program. "The ingredients to success also include overall business performance and sustained growth. It takes dedication and commitment from the entire organization."
The award is based on: strategy; emphasis on culture and people; innovation; sustained performance, and strong financial results.
Our winning criteria includes the way that Arbor attracts and retains top talent, offering career development and service recognition, and encouraging strategy discussion at all levels. Judges were impressed by our cultural and religious diversity, and Arbor's fierce focus on comprehensive service. From pre-planning though to after care, Arbor offers unprecedented care, providing a sensitive but necessary service to Canadians.
This prestigious award is an honour, but it is helping families through one of life's hardest moments that is our proudest achievement.


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Note: This Electrified QUICK-LOCK Tankring has been discontinued and is no longer able to be ordered.
If you have an existing SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection Tankbag or classic style Tankring and are looking for parts that are compatible, please contact our Customer Service at 855-255-5550, otherwise please see our selection of SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection Electrified QUICK-LOCK Tankbags.SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection Type 118 Electrified QUICK-LOCK Tankbag Top & Bottom Ring is used in conjunction with SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection Quick-Lock EVO tankbags.
The SW-MOTECH QUICK-LOCK tankbag system enables a tankbag to be mounted or removed easily without the use of straps or magnets that may damage your motorcycle's finish. The system includes the tankbag, upper tankring and a separately available tankring that is designed to be installed onto the motorcycle. Once the system is assembled, the tankbag can be snapped securely into place or removed by pulling a release lanyard at the front of the tankbag.
Tankrings are motorcycle specific, so be sure to visit our SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection Tankring Application Chart to determine the correct tankring for your motorcycle prior to placing your order.
-Quick disconnect
-Made of fiberglass reinforced nylon
-Safety switch to avoid short circuits
-Gold plated vibration proof contacts
-Does not restrict fuel access
What's in the box?
- Pre-assembled, fused wiring harness for direct attachment to your battery
- Replacement tankring screws
- Electric tankring
What else do I need to buy?
- SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection QUICK-LOCK Tankbag
- Electrical Sockets for the inside of the tankbag
- SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection Topring
Fits Aprilia:
Pegaso 650
F650ST/Funduro '93-96'
|Manufacturer #


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A few weeks ago, Samsung got hit with $1.05 billion penalty for violating Apple's patents and copyrights. It took the jury just a few days to decide on the massive penalty. Jury foreman Velvin Hogan probably had more to do with the.the speed of the decision-and its outcome-than anyone.
By now, you might have heard Hogan's name, but this is your first opportunity to ask him whatever you want about the Apple vs. Samsung case and its aftermath. What's it like serving at the helm of such an important case? Was there any one piece of evidence that pushed the jury over the edge? Hogan's here to answer your questions starting at 1PM, so let's hear what you've got!


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DU close to securing Finnish goalie for upcoming season
Back on the clock today after burning some vacation at Fenway Park with my son over an extended Fourth of July weekend. Red Sox took two of three against the Blue Jays, including a thriller on Tuesday that saw fellow Cherry Creek High School alum and backup Boston outfielder Darnell McDonald throw out what would have been the game-tying run at home plate in the top of the ninth inning to preserve the Sox's 3-2 triumph. My son's idol, Dustin Pedroia, hit a solo home run to account for the winning run, so needless to say, we had a great time in Beantown.
[media-credit id=238 align="alignnone" width="495″][/media-credit]
This will be the first of two DU hockey updates today. Please look for coach George Gwozdecky's take on possible conference realignment in a bit.
Goalie Juho Olkinuora is close to becoming a Pioneer. As we wrote last month, DU is trying to secure the Finnish goalie from the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League as next season's temporary backup and eventual No. 3 guy after Sam Brittain returns from major knee surgery in January or beyond. Olkinuora, who will back up Adam Murray to begin the season, has not been formally admitted to the school, but the Pioneers are optimistic he will be accepted. Transcripts for foreign students typically take twice as long.
Olkinuora will turn 21 in November. He is older than both Brittain, 19, and Murray, 20.
Keep tabs with Mike Chambers on Twitter: @MChambersDP
Read more of Mike Chambers at All Things Avs.


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Welcome to Velo Bikes Online showcasing two of Cumbria's most respected and established cycle shops with over 35 years of experience - Velo Ulverston and Grizedale Mountain Bikes.
We are the Velo Bikes family run by a great team of people who all love riding their bikes. Experience two great shops with accredited mechanics
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Lace 'em up!
The Chicago Park District's nine outdoor ice rinks are now open for the season, a week later than originally planned due to unseasonably warm temperatures.
Schedules at the ten rinks are subject to change, and are also subject to weather conditions. Most rinks will stay open until Feb. 26, officials said
The rinks include:
- Daley Bicentennial Plaza, 337 E. Randolph St., 312-742-0064;
- McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing Rd., 312-747-5992;
- Midway Plaisance Park, 1130 Midway Plaisance North, 312-745-2470;
- Mt. Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111 St., 312-747-3690;
- Riis Park, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave., 312-746-5735;
- Rowan Park, 11546 S. Avenue L, 773-646-1967;
- Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave., 773-761-8663;
- West Lawn Park, 4233 W. 65th St., 773-284-6078;
- The Rink at Wrigley, Addison St. and Clark St., 312-617-7017.
A tenth park, an indoor rink at the McFetridge Sports Center in California Park, is open year-round except for the month of August.
Hours and skate rental prices vary.
Park officials suggest skaters call ahead to make sure the rinks are open.
The ice rink at Millennium Park, managed by the City of Chicago, opened Nov. 18.


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HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2019 Horoscopes are Now Available!
Each and every day throughout 2020 your Chinese daily horoscope is updated for today and tomorrow. Your daily horoscope for all Chinese zodiac signs includes love predictions and forecasts for work. We cover life in general in our Chinese horoscope predictions and forecasts as well!
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Visit our shop for personal astrology readings, free charts and samples! Our reports range from individual natal chart based predictions and personal forecasts to complex synastry readings for two.
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::Intimate Astrology Reading for Couples


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Today the Kindle turns five and it's come a long, long way in that past half-decade. In case you don't remember, in 2007 the first generation Kindle had a 800 x 600 screen, 250 MB internal memory, and was the only model to ever have a microSD slot. And it launched for the low, low price of $400. Despite the pricetag, the device was wildly popular, selling out in the first few hours, and remaining out of stock until April 2008.
Today, you can get a Kindle for as low as £69, and the flagship is a mere £109. In addition to evolving into more advanced (and way cheaper) devices, Kindles have almost single-handedly restructured the world of publishing during their five year life-span, for the better or for the worse, depending on who you ask. It kind of makes you wonder where the next five years will take it. Is there even that much to improve on at this point? Holographic e-ink? Motion control? We'll have to wait and see, but in the meantime, happy birthday to a great little gadget. [Slashgear]


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Missourians Benefit from Cheap Solar Power
JEFFERSON CITY - Missourians are looking to the sky for cheap, renewable energy and some experts think solar power just might be the answer.
"I like to say that the sun is the only nuclear reactor we need, and it's 93 million miles away. Very safe, clean energy that's going to last billions of years into the future," said Missouri Solar Operations Manager Jeff Owens.
In Jefferson City, an increasing number of businesses are taking advantage of solar power and the benefits that come with it.
As a part of the high renewable standards agreed upon in Proposition C, investor-owned utilities like Ameren and Kansas City Power and Light give back two dollars per kilowatt of solar energy that is installed in structure, whether commercial or residential.
A 30 percent federal tax credit is also available to those who have installed solar energy systems.
"We actually have an energy bill with a net zero balance, because we use solar energy, and because we get so many credits and rebates back. It just cancels out," said Missouri Solar employee Vaughn Prost.
Owens hopes to see more solar power use in the future, since right now, according to solar experts only one percent of the market is being tapped.
"It's definitely not the only answer, but solar power is worth investing money in for the future," said Owens. "Solar is Missouri's most abundant energy source. We might not have a lot of wind, or oil, or coal, but we do have the sun. We should take advantage of that."


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On this page, we have managed to share the official USB driver for Cross E1 Device. If in case you were already searching for the USB driver for this device, then this page will help you out.
There are 2 USB driver available for your device. One can be used to flash the stock firmware on your Mediatek Device and other will help you to normally connect the device to the computer.
Cross E1 Mediatek Driver For Flashing Firmware
Driver Name: Mediatek Driver
Driver Size: 9.56 MB
Driver Link: Click Here to Start Download
Cross E1 VCOM Driver For Flashing Firmware
Driver Name: VCOM Driver
Driver Size: 401 KB
How to Install: Watch Tutorial
Driver Link: Click Here to Start Download
How to install driver manually
Step 1: Download and extract the driver on your computer.
Step 2: Open Device Manager and Click on Add the Legacy Hardware Menu.
Step 3: Click Next.
Step 4: Select Install the hardware that I manually Select from a list.
Step 5: Locate the extracted driver manually on your computer.
Step 6: Click Add.
Step 7: Your Driver will be installed and listed in the Device Manager.
Important Notes:
[*] Driver Signature Error: If you got Driver Signature Error While installing the Driver then See this Video to fix this problem.
[*] If you are trying to flash the stock firmware on your Mediatek device then use Mediatek Driver Only. VCOM Driver may not work during the flashing Process.
[*] Cross E1 Stock Firmware: You can download Cross E1 Stock Firmware from here.


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Isiah Thomas won't be kissing Magic Johnson on the cheek anytime soon.
The two, known for their courtside kiss during the 1988 NBA Finals, are at odds over old rumors dredged up in Earvin "Magic" Johnson's soon-to-be released book When The Game Was Ours.
U.S. & World
"I wish he would have had the courage to say this stuff to me face to face, as opposed to writing it in some damn book to sell and he can make money off it," Thomas told SI.com
Johnson, who co-wrote the book with former Celtics forward Larry Bird and author Jackie MacMullan, says Thomas questioned his sexuality and spread rumors that he was gay after Johnson tested positive for HIV.
"The one guy I thought I could count on had all these doubts," Johnson wrote. "It was like he kicked me in the stomach.''
Thomas says the accusation came as a shock. The former Piston's point guard and Hall of Famer denied talking behind Johnson's back, especially about AIDS, which he says claimed the life of his brother five years ago.
"I'm really hurt, and I really feel taken advantage of for all these years,'' Thomas told SI. "I'm totally blindsided by this. Every time that I've seen Magic, he has been friendly with me."
Magic also revealed his role in blackballing Thomas from the 1992 Olympic Dream Team along with Michael Jordan and players like Karl Malone and Scottie Pippin.
"I'm glad that he's finally had the nerve and the courage to stand up and say it was him, as opposed to letting Michael Jordan take the blame for it all these years,'' Thomas said.
Thomas had an opportunity to comment six months ago when MacMullan reached out to him, but he says he declined through his publicist.
There were no hard feelings expressed in the book by Bird, who fired Thomas as coach of the Indiana Pacers in 2003. As for Magic though, Thomas says, "I'm tired of getting punched and people using me because they think I'm not going to say anything. Those days are over. Game on.''
Get more: SI.com


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Gravity satellite GOCE arrives at ESA's test centre
After a four-day road trip from Turin, Italy, ESA's GOCE satellite has arrived safely at the Agency's test facilities in the Netherlands. With lift-off scheduled for early 2008, the spacecraft is now being prepared for an intensive testing programme to ensure it will withstand the rigours of launch and the harsh environment of space.
It took seven trucks to carry the five-metre long Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) and support equipment from the prime contractor Thales Alenia Space in northern Italy, where the last subsystems had been integrated and tested over the last 11 months.
During its 20-month lifetime, orbiting just 250 km above the surface of the Earth, GOCE will provide an extremely accurate and unique picture of the Earth's gravity field and geoid. As such, ESA's first gravity mission will make significant advances to our understanding of ocean circulation, which plays a crucial role in regulating the climate, sea-level rise and processes occurring in the Earth's interior. GOCE data will also find applications in the field of geodesy and surveying.
Over the weekend the cargo was unpacked and moved into the clean room at ESA's test centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. One of the first tasks on the list was to make sure that no damage had been incurred during transit, and since the satellite was transported fuelled with xenon, that there were no leakages. The solar wings had to be attached as well as other outer elements such as the antennae for very precise navigation by means of GPS.
As with any space mission, a crucial part of its development is to make sure that the spacecraft is fit for launch and orbit. Unlike many satellites, the ultra-sensitive GOCE satellite has no moving parts as it has to be extremely stable to acquire true gravity readings. Its stability is therefore crucial to the success of the mission, so testing that it will survive the noise and shaking during launch is critical.
Once launched, GOCE will orbit the Earth with one side of the spacecraft that faces the Sun - enduring temperatures of up to 140°C, with the other side that faces outer space - experiencing temperatures as low as -160°C. The so-called 'thermal balance and vacuum tests' should prove that the satellite is robust enough to withstand this harsh environment.
These thermal tests are first up in the main part of testing programme and are carried out 24 hours a day for two weeks. Equipped with 400 temperature sensors for the purposes of the tests, GOCE will be positioned at a range of angles in the Large Space Simulator (LSS) - a large tank about 10 m high and 9 m wide. Under vacuum, the extreme heat of the Sun will be simulated by lamps and mirrors, which reflect light into the tank, subjecting the satellite to 1400 W of power over each square metre of the side of the spacecraft that will face the Sun. The coldness of deep space is also simulated in this tank by a system of pipes carrying liquid nitrogen.
Towards the end of October, GOCE will undergo what is called an acoustic test to simulate the noise of the launch and the stress of the separation from the launch vehicle. These tests will be carried out over two weeks and entail the satellite being coupled to the top part of the launcher and positioned vertically in a concrete tank. The tank is equipped with speakers that emit
60-second bursts of pressure waves at various frequencies. To simulate the separation, the spacecraft is attached at the top of the ceiling in the clean room and – after separation - the top of the launcher drops by 40 cm.
The testing programme also includes several lengthy electrical tests, as well as two separate exercises to test the control links from ESA's Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. The flight sensors of the gradiometer, which is the core instrument, will also be integrated into the spacecraft during the testing programme.
In February 2008, when all the tests have been successfully completed and GOCE is in full launch configuration it will be transported by plane from Amsterdam to Arkhangelsk (Archangel) in Russia, and from there by train to the launch site in Plesetsk where final testing will be performed prior to launch.


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ROCHESTER — After a complaint questioning state Rep. Anne Grassie's eligibility to run for re-election in Ward 4 due to her residency, the Ballot Law Commission voted last week to allow her to continue running for the District 11 state representative seat.
After redistricting, Grassie, who is now serving as a at-large state representative for Rochester, is running for a district that represents Ward 4.
Recently, state Rep. Cliff Newton filed a complaint questioning whether Grassie is living in the district that she hopes to represent after November's election.
In her filing for candidacy, Grassie listed her home as being 146 Brock St., which is in Ward 4. But Newton, in an email to the Secretary of State's Office, he said he had spoken to multiple residents who have seen her car at a home in another ward, said Ballot Law Commission Chairman Bradford Cook.
Whitepages lists Grassie's address as being 9 Central Ave., which is in Ward 6.
On Sept. 20, the Ballot Law Commission held a hearing on the residency challenge, and the five-member commission unanimously voted to not disqualify her as a candidate, after a hearing that lasted about an hour.
Cook said that during Grassie's testimony, she explained that she and her husband own two homes — on Central Avenue and on Brock Street. The couple is in the process of moving to the Brock Street home, but the house first needs some renovations, according to Grassie's testimony, said Cook.
Karen Ladd, assistant secretary of state, said that by law, candidates for state representative must have their domicile in the same district they wish to represent at the time they file for candidacy. A domicile is a place where a person establishes a physical presence more time than any other place.
Grassie and her husband have owned both homes for several years, said Cook. He said that "plenty of people have more than one house," and in Grassie's case, it was apparent to commission members her intention is to make the Brock Street home her official domicile.
Grassie, a Democrat, currently serves on the School Board. After winning the primary election uncontested, she is running against state Rep. Susan DeLemus, a Republican, for the District 11 state representative seat.
Grassie did not return calls after multiple attempts to contact her. Newton could not be reached for comment.
State Ballot Law Commission votes on Grassie residency complaint; rules she may run for rep in Rochester District 11
ROCHESTER — After a complaint questioning state Rep. Anne Grassie's eligibility to run for re-election in Ward 4 due to her residency, the Ballot Law Commission voted last week to allow her to continue running for the District 11 state representative seat.


text: If you're visiting Sushi Neko for the first time, don't be alarmed when our sushi master shouts, Irasshai! It just means "welcome and make yourself at home." If you sit at the sushi bar, you'll notice the large, etched glass panel displayed on the back wall. The emblem in the center is a traditional family crest, called a "mon." Well, when you visit Sushi Neko, that's exactly what you are—family.


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There are a number of self hypnosis techniques that you can use for a variety of purposes, including building your self esteem. You may consider several or just one of the techniques to use on yourself depending on what you think will be the most effective for you.
You may need to review each technique mentioned here and consider the way you "think" first before deciding on which method will work best for you.
The easiest and most common technique is by using a self hypnosis CD or mp3. These can be purchased in a number of places online or in stores. Some services offer you the ability to create your own self hypnosis CD or you can even create your own at home. If you already have been practicing your self esteem affirmations, you may be fine with listening to your own voice during the self hypnosis session, or you may prefer the sound of someone else's voice. You should choose the option which is more likely to help you absorb the suggestions.
Another technique is using subliminal CDs. These are recordings in which the suggestions or affirmations are delivered at a level where your subconscious mind can hear and absorb them, but your conscious mind barely hears them. Subliminal means below the threshold of your conscious mind to perceive. Audio stimuli may be played below audible volumes or masked by
other stimuli like music or binaural beats
There is also the Ericksonian Hypnosis Method that can be very effective for a people who are very self aware. This technique uses little stories or metaphors to help reduce or eliminate one's conscious resistance to suggestions or the desired change. To use this method on yourself, look for audio CDs that incorporate this highly effective "indirect" method.
The last option I will talk about here is Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP. You may have heard about it if you have done any personal growth work. "The basic premise of NLP is that the words we use reflect an inner, subconscious perception of our problems. If these words and perceptions are inaccurate, as long as we continue to use them and to think of them, the underlying problem will persist. In other words, our attitudes are, in a sense, a self-fulfilling prophecy." – holistic-online.com. There are a variety of NLP programs available to purchase, and you may also choose to work with an NLP practitioner.
No matter what self hypnosis technique you decide to use, it's important that you read or listen to the instructions given, and follow them exactly. If you find that one technique is not working for you after a reasonable time, try another. Change can take time and sometimes you may not see the changes as you go through the process. I suggest keeping a journal and writing down your thought and experiences as you go. When you look back, you may be very happily surprised!
Self Esteem Affirmations
Latest posts by Self Esteem Affirmations (see all)
- Self Esteem Quote for Today - April 2, 2017
- Conversations with the Masters – Shakti Gawain - January 10, 2012
- Autosuggestion Can Change Your Life - January 11, 2011


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Wet Paint's second album should be a weird one, and one that should suffer and benefit from the same traits as their debut. Predominantly, in Woe's lavish obsession with US slacker indie-rock, Wet Paint offer music that scrambles between sumptuous, intense, beautiful, anti-anthemically anthemic and loose. But in displaying the musical influences so brazenly, and with an East London band playing with a tangible absence of ego, Woe has to wrestle hard to remove itself from an intellectual dot-to-dot of influences, as opposed to being an album that can be enjoyed at the level it is undoubtedly intended for.
When the Beatles' posthumous 'Free As A Bird' single came out all anyone wanted to do was spot the clever visual references to the back catalogue. Throughout Woe that instinct infuriatingly emerges; the Breeders styled backing vocal in 'A Bird's Yawn', the ongoing Dinosaur Jr. guitar walls, the beautiful-ugly Sonic Youth guitar clanks or front man Babak's generally Malkmus-esque yawns. Whilst this feels like an enthusiastic homage, there's an element that can't let go of the thought this could be an arched-eyebrow exercise in parody. But despite Babak's past in former country-sarcasm-deluxe band The Absentee, the sounds are too lovingly rendered, the hooks to massive and yet intricate to be anything but an earnest retracing of the steps throughout alternative guitar band song writing.
When the sarcasm is rightly planted, Woe opens up as a collection of near-perfect songs. From the opening guitar hook of 'Gone So Long' that plays as the affirmative big chorus, to the similar guitar crunch chords that follow in 'Uptight Casuals', the verses generally bounce along before a beach-styled wrecking ball chorus flattens the song, only for it to skip up and continue. There's endless fun in the simplicity of the process.
Woe isn't one-dimensional though. 'Uptight Casuals' is followed by the down tempo 'Distant Memory' and closes with the poetic 'Lynchstrumental'. The verse once more plods but this time to evident anxiety: "I'll be pacing the halls again, I'll be pacing the halls again." This time when the big guitars kick in they're not joyous, but vast, expansive and almost European, a shoe-gazed wash of noise, not a crackle or a smash. Shadow's Secret Life also chimes in a Range Life infused recline, a dusk song that has it's heart in America but softly illuminates London's Old Street with suitable nostalgia.
Babak's vocal hooks deserve note for the earworms they are. Delivered as part drawl part sigh they never the less always hit their targets. 'Aim Low's boy-girls harmonies and two-minute give a Pastels-inspired reprise to the bombast that largely surrounds. As the up-step of 'Dead Night' then crashes in the flow of the album benefits from having the constant of an indie mumbler with an ear for a tune. Woe may be nothing but an infuriating reference sheet of American alt-awe-wielders for some, for others it will provide an endless stream of wondrously twisted guitar lines that, like all good music, can draw out the shades and temperature of its city of origin, no matter where the listener is placed.
8Jon Falcone's Score


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I don't know if I'm more sick of this Gotye song or that Call Me Maybe song (though Gangnam Style is quickly catching up to both of them) but this is actually pretty freaking cool: a bunch of old computer parts—hardrives, scanners, etc—combine to sing the song, 'Somebody That I Used to Know' by Gotye.
The HP Scanjet 3C actually pulls off the vocals. And as for the rest of the parts? Youtube user bd594 says:
Amiga 600 Bass on left audio output and Guitar on right audio output
Each audio channel was feed into an oscilloscope
2 Harddrives as the drums and cymbal
Xylophone as the Xylophone (duh)
Both the Harddrive and Xylophone are controlled by one PIC16F84A mircocontroller
Rock on computers, rock on. [YouTube via The Awesomer]


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|(Click image to enlarge)
Now before you leap to the answer at the link provided below, ask yourself:
(a) What is this?
(b) What could cause this?
(c) How would you manage it?
And when you've really thought about it, click here for the answer but be prepared to describe what you see and what you'd do next.
P.S.: (Yeah, I'm giving the answer now because it's Friday)


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WASHINGTON — We should talk honestly about unresolved racial issues, such as those exposed by the Trayvon Martin case, but President Obama is not the best person to lead the discussion. Through no fault of his own, he might be the worst.
The need for what diplomats call a "full and frank exchange of views" is obvious. Many Americans don't even agree that there are unresolved racial issues, much less that such issues played a role in George Zimmerman's acquittal. It's as if some of us live on different planets.
I find it impossible to imagine the outcome would have been the same if the protagonists' roles were reversed — if Zimmerman had been the victim and Martin the defendant. I know, however, that there are many people who believe the hoodie-wearing African-American teenager would have been accorded the same benefit of the doubt his killer was given. I also know that one's beliefs about race and racism tend to be highly correlated with one's experience of race and racism.
What we're doing now, in an awkward and uncomfortable way, is talking about those beliefs and experiences — shouting about them, actually. For better or for worse, this seems to be the way we conduct the "national conversation about race" that thoughtful people are always recommending.
Here's how it works: Something happens that makes the subject of race all but unavoidable. We stake out our positions. We get all worked up. We start to get frustrated. Gradually we lose focus and the dialogue, such as it was, peters out. No one feels we've made any headway. Often we have, though the progress may not be evident for some time.
Maybe it would be better if we all gathered at public libraries on some appointed day and worked our way through an agenda: "Legacy of Slavery," check. "Jim Crow Segregation," check. "Affirmative Action," check.
Sounds awfully boring to me, to tell the truth. And in any event, it's never going to happen. For people who want to talk about race, there are plenty of outlets, venues and forums — more than ever, in fact, with the rise of social media. But those who prefer to avoid the subject are not likely to be enticed by earnestness.
Nor do they respond well, evidence suggests, to the observations and oratory of the first African-American president when he talks about race. It's not the way things ought to be or the way I'd like them to be, but it's the way things are.
The record indicates that honest talk from Obama about race is seen by many people as threatening. A classic example came just months into his first term, when a white police officer in Cambridge, Mass., had an unpleasant encounter with Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., who is black, and ended up arresting the famous scholar on his own front porch.
Speaking off the cuff at a news conference, Obama said the officer had "acted stupidly." The remark seemed innocuous to me, a mere statement of fact. It might have been the departure point for a nuanced examination of what happens when race intersects class. Instead, Obama unintentionally provoked such outrage and counter-outrage that he invited the two men to the White House for a photo-op "beer summit" as a way of chilling everyone out.
Similarly, Obama's factual statement that "if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon" drew shrieks of accusation that the president was unfairly taking sides in a criminal case. His statement following Saturday's verdict was anodyne and forgettable. Perhaps that's for the best.
The designation "first black (fill in the blank)" always brings with it unfair burdens, and one of Obama's — he bears many — is that almost anything he says about race will be seen by some as favoring the interests of black Americans over white Americans.
At this point in his presidency, Obama could ignore this absurd reality and say whatever he wants. He must be sorely tempted. But the unfortunate fact is that if his aim is to promote dialogue about race, speaking his mind is demonstrably counterproductive.
Obama does more to change racial attitudes and challenge prejudices simply by performing his functions as head of state and commander in chief. A dozen speeches about the long struggle for racial equality and justice would not have the impact of one picture of the first family — the proud, African-American first family — walking across the White House lawn. No caption necessary.
Eugene Robinson's email address is email@example.com.


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Growth in the global professional video surveillance equipment market accelerated in 2017, and is forecasted to continue growing in 2018, according the latest IHS Markit research.
The world market for professional video surveillance equipment grew by 9.3 percent in 2017, IHS found, a much higher rate of growth than in 2016 (3.9 percent) and 2015 (1.9 percent).
"Increased government spending on equipment to fight crime and terrorism was a major factor in this growth, as was private sector spending on replacing equipment in retail and commercial installations," Jon Cropley, senior principal analyst, video surveillance, IHS Markit, said in a summary of the study.
Increasing demand for security cameras is expected in 2018, he said, but a slightly lower of level of price erosion is also forecast. The combination of these factors will lead to 10.2 percent growth in the video surveillance equipment market, which will reach $18.5 billion in 2018, IHS noted.
Global demand for security cameras grew rapidly in 2017, but average prices continued to fall. "Nevertheless, revenue grew in most countries," said Cropley. "Two of the fastest-growing country markets were Brazil and India. A major factor behind the growth in both countries was increased spending by private retail and commercial organizations on HD CCTV systems used to prevent crime."
Accounting for 44 percent of all global revenue, the Chinese professional video surveillance equipment market grew by 14.7 percent, while the world market excluding China grew just 5.5 percent. "One major reason for the higher growth in China was the government's Xue Liang program driving investment in both city surveillance projects and extending city surveillance systems into surrounding rural areas," Cropley noted.
Other key findings include:• Although it remains highly fragmented compared to many other markets, the supply base for professional video surveillance equipment is gradually becoming more concentrated. The top 15 vendors accounted for 62 percent of global revenue in 2017.
• Overall, 62 percent of all security cameras shipped in 2017 were network cameras.
• Deep-learning-enabled recorders and servers, a new category this year, are an important element in powering what many expect to be the next generation of video analytics using artificial intelligence. They accounted for just 1 percent of global market revenues in 2017.
We've been receiving a lot of great submissions for our "20 under 40" awards but we'd like to give companies more time to submit their best and brightest professionals under the age of 40.
The new deadline is July 20, 2018. Please have all of your nominations submitted by this date.
This award is a great way to recognize up-and-coming professionals—from either the integrator side or the end user side—and those eligible can certainly nominate themselves.
As a reminder, we do have two classes in our annual "20 under 40" awards, each class containing 20 professionals. We have our Integrator class, which includes integrators, installers, dealers or monitoring center professionals. We also have our End User class, which encompasses security directors and professionals that protect non-security companies.
Unfortunately, manufacturers and consultants are not eligible for this award.
If you—or a professional you know—stand out in either of these categories, click here to enter a nomination.
All of our winners of these two classes will be recognized at a special reception at Security Systems News' 2019 TechSec Solutions conference. This event will be held in Delray Beach, Fla., at the Delray Beach Marriott, Feb. 25 and 26, 2019.
SIA recently released its July 2018 Security Market Index (SMI), which showed industry confidence rebounding after a slight drop in confidence in May.
"After a rocky spring, confidence within the security industry seems to be recovering slightly," according to the report. "Improvement in a variety of areas, including product production, new product introductions and new orders, led to a July 2018 Security Market Index (SMI) of 65. Any index above 50 indicates that conditions within the industry are largely positive and that security industry professionals are largely confident in their business prospects. The May 2018 SMI was 55, and the March 2018 SMI was 72."
Special focuses of the July 2018 edition of SMI include:• Confidence in the surveillance segment climbing, cautiously• Slowing growth for integrators• Access control professionals broadly positive moving into summer• Consultants holding steady, but with little improvement• A bonus feature on government spending and security
According to SIA, the majority of security professionals surveyed for the July 2018 SIA Security Market Index "are at least cautiously optimistic about the prospect of increased security spending this year as a result of the recently enacted Omnibus Appropriations Act. Nearly a quarter of SMI survey respondents were 'very optimistic about increased spending.'"
Many SIA members cited the poor timing or late release of the FY18 federal budget as the cause for "less than ideal current business conditions" in May.
"After the Omnibus Appropriations Act was enacted, however, more projects and new orders started trickling down, said one video surveillance professional," the report noted. "One security systems integrator noted, however, that 'if we start a trade war, (mess) up the immigrant inflow and keep proposing up coal, we'll not continue the economic growth.'"
Overall, most security professionals surveyed for the July 2018 SIA Security Market Index (surveyed between June 1 and June 15, 2018) consider current business conditions to be either "excellent" (45 percent) or "good" (35 percent).
The majority of security industry professionals surveyed for the July 2018 Security Market Index cited increases in the number of employees or hours worked, marketing spending, product production, new product introductions, product or service sales and new orders.
For capital equipment spending, most (52 percent) said rates were remaining the same, but 48% said spending was increasing, which is improvement compared with May 2018, when only 34 percent were seeing increased capital equipment spending and 12 percent cited decreases.
For security systems integrators only 29 percent consider current business conditions to be "excellent," compared with 45 percent of the SMI overall. A further 43 percent consider current conditions "good," but 28 percent believe current conditions are either "average" or "fair."
Overall, the integrator-specific Index for July 2018 is 59, down three points from its May 2018 level of 62. Over the next three months, most integrators believe business conditions will be either "much better" (29 percent) or "a little better" (57 percent). This is a little more optimistic than the outlook from June 2017, when only 14 percent of integrators expected conditions over the next quarter to be "much better," with 71 percent expecting "a little better" conditions.
Click here for the full report, including details on increasing confidence in the surveillance and access control segments, as well as info on security consultants, 75 percent of whom consider current business conditions as "excellent."
Friday, June 22
Started the last day of ESX sitting in on an excellent session, "Smart Home Market Becoming a Brilliant Opportunity?" featuring Dina Abdelrazik, research analyst, Parks Associates; Bruce Mungiguerra, senior vice president of sales & business development, Nortek Security & Control; Thomas Nakatani, IT VP - customer monitoring technology & product, ADT Security; and Shuvankar Roy, vice president, Xfinity Home Comcast.
Abdelrazik started the session by giving an overview of some recent Parks research on the smart home. Looking at the use cases that consumers are interested in for the smart home, she noted, "Security and safety rose to the top and are the key value propositions that consumers understood, followed by access control and energy monitoring and management."
In terms of smart home device ownership, she noted that 56 percent are security systems owners, with 37 percent saying the main purchase driver was to "keep your home safe." Safety and security were also the main drivers for purchasing a security system, she said.
Overall, Parks forecasts shows "the market is shifting away from the traditional offering, and more and more consumers are adopting interactive services and home control systems," said Abdelrazik. "So the competitive landscape is changing and if the dealer isn't offering home security with interactive services and smart home products, they are really going to fall behind."
She then looked at the type of security system desired by those who do not currently own one. Based on 2017 data, Parks found that 52 percent would choose "a system that could be monitored or controlled from my phone" while 36 percent would choose "a system that works with other smart devices that are not part of the security system," followed by at 36 percent, "a low cost, no frills solution."
The top device added after installation included "cameras" at 30 percent, followed closely by motion sensors, door/window sensors and door locks, Abdelrazik noted.
She also shared Parks research on the average upfront price consumers paid for a security system that included smart home devices, which was $1,405, around double what they paid for a basic security system that included a control panel, system sensors and a keypad.
When dealers were asked why they offer smart home services, Parks found the top answer at 76 percent was "based on customer requests," while the other top responses included "RMR oportunities" and "because our competitors offer it."
And when dealers were asked what their biggest business challenge is, the No. 1 answer was inability to find qualified personnel. All on the panel agreed that with technology advancing so quickly, especially in the smart home space, hiring will continue to be a challenge. They also see great opportunities for dealers that are embracing this smart home movement and offering smart home options as part of their overall selling approach. Having a "good, better and best" option for customers will help simplify the process for homeowners, they said.
Each of the panelists pointed out that smart home services are driving greater interaction with their systems, which increases the perceived value of a system that prior to the smart home was not there. Customers who are more engaged with their systems spend more money and are easier to retain, the panelists all agreed.
Later that morning I had the pleasure of moderating the last session of the day, "Proven Customer Care Programs: Tips For Getting Started" featuring an excellent panel of John Bazyk, vice president of sales, Command Corporation, and Philip Pearson, president, Smart Home Consulting Group, who each provided great insight into how to engage with and know your customers, including best ways to collect and use data to lower attrition.
Bazyk has been perfecting his company's customer retention program for several years and shared some of the key tenets of his program, which has helped his company achieve a 99 percent customer satisfaction rate, he pointed out.
The two also looked at best ways for dealers to communicate with their customers, including the importance of having a dedicated mobile app, as well as the potential for creating an e-commerce website and offering DIY products and services.
Next, I attended the Closing Keynote Luncheon, entitled Stronger Security, Safer Schools, which featured a panel that included H "Butch" Browning, state fire marshal, Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal; Guy Grace, director of security and emergency planning, Littleton Public Schools (LPS); and Ryan Petty, senior vice president, business solutions, Cable & Wireless Communications Inc.
Browning started by telling attendees, "You are part of the solution, giving us the equipment and services to help keep everyone safe," noting that "the security technology piece" should be an integral part of every school's strategy.
Petty, who lost his daughter Alaina in the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine's Day 2018, said that it is vitally important that parents understand their school district's security strategy and procedures, most important of which is having a "dedicated person overseeing security," including overseeing emergency preparedness planning, preparation and training.
Grace agreed, noting that a school must unify and integrate the different systems—fire, access control, video, mass communication, etc.—so the key information—such as red flags that are often raised prior to these tragic events occurring—are received by the right people in the school, as well as law enforcement, so they can possibly prevent these incidents from happening.
Grace pointed to his school's anonymous messaging system that allows students to share info about other students without fear of being labeled a snitch, which many times prevents students from coming forward with vital info that could have prevented a violent act from occurring.
Thursday, June 21
A key theme for the second full day of ESX was meaningful and interactive education, as the morning and late afternoon educational sessions had something for everyone.
I had the good fortune to start my day moderating a session—"Top 5 Disruptive Technologies Impacting The Commercial Market"—featuring a stellar panel of Steve Butkovich, chief technology officer, CPI Security and Rodger Reiswig, VP, Industry Relations, Johnson Controls Inc., who really played well off each other, presenting their perspective and expertise on each of the five disruptive technologies we decided were most impactful today.
The Top 5 Disruptive Technologies Impacting The Commercial Market that we collectively decided on are:
1. Cloud-based Solutions2. Cybersecurity (IoT, Adaptive Risk, etc.)3. Mobile/5G Connectivity4. AI/Machine Learning5. Biometric Identity Solutions As a group we came up with a definition for what disruptive technology is: "Technology that displaces, replaces or improves on an existing technology or business process and protocol in the marketplace, producing something new and more efficient."
Reiswig and Butkovich looked at how each of these technologies are changing and disrupting what is currently in place, the benefits and potential for each within security, as well as some excellent use cases and examples to illustrate their points.
I also sat in on highly informative session, "Industry Outlook - What You Need to Know," featuring Jeff Kessler, managing director, Institutional Research, Imperial Capital and Blake Kozak, principal analyst, Smart Home and Security Technology, IHS Markit.
Kozak presented first looking at IHS research on the total equipment market (by technology type) for 2017, pointing out that IHS estimated the total security market in 2017 is worth about $31 billion. By 2021, Kozak said the market is estimated to reach $42 billion globally. Not surprisingly, video surveillance equipment was the leading technology at more than $18 billion.
What was surprising is how much video surveillance dwarfed others on the list, including access control as the next closest at $4 billion, followed by entrance control, intruder alarms, enterprise storage, consumer video surveillance and mobile video and body worn cameras. The two fastest growing areas over the next five years will be enterprise storage and consumer video, like Nest, Kosak said.
Kozak also presented a global forecast for the electronic access control equipment market that showed a CAGR of 6.2 percent from 2016-2021. The global market was worth $4 billion in 2017 and will grow to over $5 billion by 2021. Of this amount the U.S. represents about $1.2 billion or about 33-35 percent. The U.S. market will not decline.
Kozak also got into cybersecurity, noting that recent data suggests that more than 420 million companies were hacked, including data breaches, in 2011, which increased to 4 billion breaches in 2016, "more than a 200 percent increase in a short time," he pointed out.
Kessler looked at monitoring trends and how they are affecting the residential and commercial markets and the convergence of physical and logical security.
Kessler presented some interesting findings from a recent survey that Imperial did with 400 police agencies looking at "who gets the first response from a verified call" when given a choice between a professionally monitored security system versus a self monitored DIY system. Interestingly, 331 out of 400 agencies said they give priority to professionally monitored systems over a DIY system, which Kessler astutely pointed out is good news for monitoring companies as it shows the value of professional monitoring today.
Wednesday, June 20
Great to be here in Nashville for ESX 2018, which is off to a great start, from the opening celebration on Tuesday, June 19, at the Country Music Hall of Fame, to a packed first full day on June 20 that featured a stellar—and hilariously funny—keynote presentationfrom from Scott Stratten, president, Unmarketing, entitled "The Age of Disruption: Everything Has Changed and Nothing is Different." at the Opening Keynote Luncheon (more on this later).
At the OpenXchange breakfast on Wednesday, ESX chairman George De Marco led a diverse panel that included Michael Simmons, CEO, Driveway, Mike Soucie, senior product marketing manager, Google, and Jeremy Warren, chief technology officer, Vivint Smart Home. The group looked at how disruptive technologies are changing the security landscape.
The panel also looked at how the world we live in is becoming more connected and more automated, from our home to our car to our place of work. The group discussed the relevance of integration services, how to adopt IoT offerings and how to provide more value to customers by taking the complexity out of making a wide variety of devices work together for a truly intelligent home. They also tackled topics such as data privacy and the role of the integrator and dealer in an ever-increasing DIY industry.
Looking at the future of the smart home, Warren said it is "not about the devices, but about the platform that ties it all together." As the home becomes more of a "thoughtful home," Warren asked, "What services will homeowners be willing to pay for in the future?"
Soucie added, "Devices should fade into the background," noting that there are opportunities to "monetize solution bundles."
The group also got into a good discussion on privacy. With the increase in video and data being produced today, homeowners are becoming more comfortable "trading privacy for convenience," De Marco pointed out.
De Marco also moderated the counterpoint session of the day, "How will MAGA affect You and the Industry?" featuring Robert Few, managing partner, The Connection Xchange and Kirk MacDowell, president, MacGuard Security Advisors Inc., who looked at how MAGA—MSO's, Apple, Google and Amazon—is impacting and reshaping the security industry and challenging security dealers today.
Both panelists agreed that MAGA is good for the industry, as they are raising greater awareness for a residential market that has been stuck around the 20 percent penetration rate for as long as anyone can remember. Few said that he believes that these entrants are already helping to drive this penetration rate up into the high 20s.
"I am excited they are here," Few said. "They make our businesses better."
Few also pointed out dealers really need to focus on connecting with their customers. "Engagement is key," he said. "The more, the better."
This counterpoint session provided some valuable opportunities for the audience to participate and guide the discussion. There was some good discourse around questions about competing with MAGA on pricing and creation costs, as well as installation, support and maintenance, which are key areas where dealers and integrators can differentiate themselves, the panelists pointed out.
Moving to the opening keynote luncheon, Stratton started out looking at the importance of brand, but from a slightly different perspective. He gave a great example of the great extent Ritz-Carlton's employees went to get a lost teddy bear, Joshie, back to a family that had stayed at the hotel. Hotel staff went above and beyond, overnighting Joshie back to the family, along with sending pictures of Joshie enjoying his extended stay at the pool, Joshie working at the hotel, etc., as well as a Joshie employee badge—the ultimate customer service response that started with the laundry room staff member who found the bear all the way to the front desk person who made sure this issue was resolved.
"We all want word of mouth," said Stratton, noting that many times companies aren't doing things that are worthy of it. His example also illustrates the need for great leadership that is willing to empower and trust their employees to do the right thing. For example, the Ritz-Carlton, he said, allows an employee $2,000 to make things right with a guest who has any issue or needs special attention.
"The frontline changes the bottom line," said Stratton, for better and for worse, depending on the tone and direction from leadership, which is something that is often mistaken for management. "From 30,000 feet up you can't see the cracks on the ground," said Stratton, noting that leadership requires that you listen to your employees.
What made this presentation so great was the way Stratton weaved in funny stories and witticisms that resonated with everyone in attendance, from millennials to Gen Xers to baby boomers.
Following the keynote, and the expo hall ribbon cutting, the winner of the ESX 2018 TECHVISION Challenge Best-of-Show competition was announced. DMP's Virtual Keypad and Dealer Admin took home the top prize.
In addition to the Innovation Awards, attendees honored the recipient of ESA's 2017 Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year Award, Tom Donaldson, during the Opening Celebration. "I'm honored that anyone would take a moment to think that I could stand with these gentlemen," said Donaldson as he received the award.
The Monitoring Association's 2018 Excellence Awards were also announced and congratulated, including: Patricia Fody, Vector Security, Operator of the Year; Carmelo Mosca, Affiliated Monitoring, Manager of the Year; and Beth Bailey, ADT LLC, Support Person of the Year. Affiliated Monitoring took home the association's coveted Monitoring Center of the Year award.
In other notable news, Chris Mosley, president of Complete Security Systems in New Jersey, was sworn in as ESA president, taking the reins from Angela White, who will now serve as Immediate Past President for the next two years.
Don Childers, chief operating officer of Security Central in North Carolina will serve as the one-year term Vice President.
Two open positions for two-year term vice president were filled by Tim Creenan of Amherst Alarm in New York and Jamie Vos of Security Solutions NW of Washington. Steve Firestone of Select Security in Pennsylvania was installed for another two-year term as Secretary. Steve Paley and Dee Ann Harn will continue to serve in their positions as treasurer and vice president respectively.
There have been several natural disasters in the past year, including Hurricanes Harvey and Maria. Companies need to know what to do in the event of a natural or manmade disaster. In "Monitoring Center Down! How to Improve Recovery Time when Natural Disasters Strike," a group of speakers discussed how disaster recovery works in the security industry and more specifically within monitoring centers.
Steve Butkovich, CTO at CPI Security, led the conversation, with Matt Narowski, VP of operations at Bold Technologies, Cliff Dice, president and CEO of DICE, and Roberto Morales, CFO and COO of Genesis Security Services.
Instead of focusing on recovering after a disaster, companies should look at business continuity, how to keep a business moving forward in the event of a disaster, Narowski said, and that starts with putting a plan in place that encompasses potential disasters and how to deal with them.
Monitoring centers can be impacted by more than just weather events, Narowski noted, such as man made accidents, IT mishaps, loss of utilities, or phishing attempts to name a few.
Narowski outlined the soft and hard costs in setting up a business continuity plan; soft costs are the research and information gathering to set up the plan, yards costs include items like back up facilities and networking equipment.
Cliff presented a case study, of a medical alert company utilizing DICE for its disaster recovery during a hurricane. He discussed that the set up can look right, but other factors can impede roll over to the DR site, like errors in accounting or the company trying to utilize numbers that were no longer connected. Though, DICE was able to iron things out. Drawing on recent experience, Morales discussed what it was like to operate a monitoring center in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria. Maintaining power was one challenge, he said; Genesis utilized a diesel generator 24/7 for about 4 months, which meant procuring that much fuel. During the emergency, the company kept a stock of food, water and beds for its workers.
Morales also pointed out some of the measures Genesis has built in post-hurricane, such as a 1,300 gallon diesel tank for its generator and a contract with a main fuel provider, implementing solar panels for additional energy and increasing internet redundancies.
As I've seen throughout the industry in recent years, cybersecurity is certainly a growing concern. The session I next went to handled how this threat applies to monitoring centers. "HACKED! Important Steps to Protect your Company (and Yourself) AFTER a Cyberattack," featured the moderator Sascha Kylau, vice president of central station solutions and services for OneTel Security, and panelists Jay Grant, senior systems engineer with Symantec, and Joshua Grecko, senior vice president of engineering.
Grecko opened the session with a brief overview of UL 2900, the new cyber standard from UL, and some of its iterations. He also covered coming changes to UL 827, such as the inclusion of more NIST standards.
Grant asked the audience: What do you do after you've been hacked? At that point it's too late. "Grab a coworker and have a good cry," because it's going to be a bad day, he said. Companies should focus on what they have in place for detection, instead of waiting until you've been hacked, and recognize the most valuable assets in their company—the ones that absolutely need to be protected.
At the end of the day, hackers will probably get in, Grant said, but companies can stop hackers from getting everything and kick them out of the system with next to nothing for their effort. That's the goal, he said.
There are a variety of tactics and technologies that can help with false alarms, and the session "Plagued by False Alarms? Audio/Video Alarm Verification Best Practices" brought up quite a few of them. Steve Walker, VP of Stanley Convergent Security Solutions, Mike Tupy, director of monitoring technology for Vivint, David Snyder, VP of security operations for Eyewitness Surveillance, and Tom Nakatani, IT VP—customer monitoring technology and product for ADT Security, were on the panel, with Larry Folsom, president of I-View Now, as the session's moderator.
Ninety-eight percent of alarms are false, Folsom said, citing the number from the Texas Police Chiefs Association. In addition to that, outbound calls made during an alarm are often going unanswered, as people don't often pick up their phone if they don't recognize the number, Folsom said. False alarms are expensive, and they take up law enforcement resources. "I believe the answer is better information," Folsom said.
Each of the panelists presented on one technology that they were familiar with. First, Walker presented on video verification. While this technology results in a better decision on alarms, it takes time to review video clips. Verification also requires operators to judge the intent of people on cameras at a location; all in all, while it's beneficial, the technology can be taxing for the operators, Walker said.
Tupy took on two-way audio verification. What is two way audio? It is when an alarm trips and the panel initiates two-way audio capabilities, allowing alarm operators to interact with the people on site. Being able to reach people—who might not be on the alarm's call list—as soon as an alarm is triggered helps reduces false alarm dispatches, he said. Though, you miss what you can't hear, Tupy said, as sometimes the people on site can be to far from the system to hear or there can be ambient sounds.
Snyder addressed interactive monitoring. This is where analytics in a camera trigger alarm clips to be reviewed, independent of an intrusion alarm. It works well outside, he mentioned. The can be cheaper than guards, provides improved situational awareness, and works with audio, he continued. Some situations are very clear, such as people in ski masks carrying things around a warehouse at night, but the gray area situations are a bit more difficult, Snyder said.
Nakatani spoke about the future of verification. For video verification, he noted on inexpensive devices getting better and the increase in popularity of outdoor cameras. He also connected the trend of two-way audio and more smart speakers throughout a home.
The closing keynote luncheon featured a conversation about school security, moderated by Louisiana State Fire MarshalH. "Butch" Browning, with Guy Grace, director of security and emergency planning for Littleton Public Schools and director of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools, and Ryan Petty, SVP of business solutions with Liberty Latin America's Cable & Wireless subsidiary and founder of The WalkUp Foundation.
This presentation is also personal for Petty, as he lost his daughter Alaina in the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that occurred February in Parkland, Fla.
Key themes that the speakers highlighted was that there is often information about potential threats—among students, teachers, parents or other authorities—that isn't being shared. "There are signs along the way," Petty said, and that information needs to be shared.
From a security standpoint, one thing that can be done is to get a better idea of who should and shouldn't be on the school campus, and reducing entry points into the school can help with that, Petty said.
Grace highlighted one new technology that has helped, an app that lets school children report suspicious behavior anonymously.
Ryan encouraged people to be engaged, and look into how their district deals with security issues and threats.
My first session of the second day was "Improving the Customer Interaction Experience: Strategies to Consider Before Implementing IVR in the Monitoring Center." Here, Peter Giacalone, president of Giacalone Associates, and Morgan Hertel, VP of technology and innovation for Rapid Response Monitoring, presented on interactive voice response technologies, or IVR, and the benefits for the companies that implement them and their users.
The main benefit of IVR is not its reduction of labor for a company like a monitoring, but instead providing a better user experience, and it can be utilized to achieve both, Giacalone said.
Hertel used Rapid Response's relationship with Connect America, a PERS company, as an example for the benefits of IVR, though he said the technology benefits other companies in the space as well. One observation about senior users of PERS systems is that they often don't want to bother people or be a burden, Hertel said, and that can be a difficulty when asking them to test their systems frequently. With IVR their test signals are handled quickly, and through automation. He also highlighted the reduced work load for test signals by handling those with IVR.
The rollout process for IVR should be a careful consideration, Hertel said, not something that goes on overnight but rolled out in phases with different groups.
For a few years now I've been hearing about the concept and potential for on demand or pay-as-you-go monitoring models. A panel tackled exactly this topic in "Next Gen Monitoring—Do Monitoring on Demand or Pay-as-you-Use Models Really Work?" Morgan Hertel served as moderator, leading panelists Caroline Brown, EVP form Security Central, Mark Matlock, SVP of UCC, and Thomas Nakatani, IT VP—customer monitoring technology and product, ADT Security.
Customers understand that, with the MIY model, they do need to eventually sleep or go on vacation, Hertel said to open the conversation, and when they don't want to they'll seek a professional monitoring options.
UCC does some work with DIY installed systems, such as Lowe's' Iris offering. Matlock said that, overall, the company has seen a good adoption rate from MIY set ups to on demand customers.
Asked about the typical usage for monitoring from on demand customers, Matlock and Brown estimated about 10 days. Nakatani mentioned that ADT is a little different in its model, offering one month at a time.
Hertel brought up a key question: while there is an opportunity for new business from offering pay-as-you-go monitoring, will it take revenue out of existing customers who then want to downgrade their system? Each panelist seemed to portray it as more of an opportunity than a risk. Brown said that it's important to offer the dealers different options, Matlock said that he doesn't foresee losing many customers to DIY, and Nakatani sees tremendous opportunity for DIY and monitoring on demand.
Don Yaeger, associate editor, Sports Illustrated, NY Times best seller, presented the Thursday general session titled, "Great Teams Understand 'Why.'"
When Yaeger started looking at what makes great teams great, he said he looked at two types of teams: those that make up exceptional sports teams, and those that make up outstanding companies.
One of the things Yaeger noted on in his presentation was that companies should look for the signs and clues of success from successes in the industry. "The truly great ones are always studying each other," he said.
He also addressed culture, specifically that a team's culture will form either through design or default, Yaeger said. And a key part of a culture is understanding why the team is there, who it is that they working for—whether that is friends, family or a certain cause or group of people.
According to Yaeger, culture can influence behavior, behavior brings about habits, and habits can lead to success.
Getting the right people is important for every organization, and several speakers that I've heard in the past few years have addressed the challenge with different approaches—and I've been interested to hear the variety and universal focus on the matter. That's why, for the last session of the day, I attended "The Perfect Fit: New Strategies for Attracting and Retaining the Right Operators." This session featured Michelle Lindus, central station manager for Vivint Smart Home, Steve Crist, director of monitoring, ADS Security, and Bill Kasko, president and CEO, Frontline Source Group.
There are now more job openings than people looking to work, Kasko pointed out, which means that companies are going to have to find individuals in new and ingenious ways. While before companies looked at college recruiting, now some are getting involved at the high school level, to get their brand out to potential employees even earlier, he said.
Lindus brought up that Vivint has programs that event engage parents and children in elementary school.
One thing Kasko recommended was a instituting a referral program, where current employees can recommend their friends for open positions. "Great people know great people," Kasko said.
Lindus added to that, saying about 30 to 35 percent of new hires come through a referral program. Crist said that 50 percent of new hires that he sees are coming from referral programs.
Crist also stressed that job applicants of all ages ask about possibilities for advancement or developing their careers.
I started my day with this year's OpenXchange breakfast. Held on the main stage, Michael Simmons, CEO of Driveway, Mike Soucie, senior product marketing manager for Google, and Jeremy Warren, chief technology officer for Vivint Smart Home gathered for a discussion, moderated by ESX chairman George De Marco.
In large letters projected onto a screen, De Marco highlighted the idea of disruption and some key questions around that topic, such as whether a company is changing as fast as the world around them, or if there are factors blinding a company to change.
Each of the speakers was given the opportunity to introduce themselves, their company, and their perspective.
Simmons outlined the mission for his company, Driveway, as wanting to cure car crashes. The Driveway app utilizes mobile phone sensors to keep track of driving habits and keep users safer. It can let a parent know if their child is not available to talk or text due to driving and it can alert authorities in the event of a crash, among other functions. "We're all in the peace of mind business in one way or another," he told the audience.
Soucie define his role with Google as seeing how Google, Nest and partners work together. He addressed his reason for being—as a company with a primarily DIY product offering—at a professional security conference: "We actually believe there is a tremendous market opportunity for your, for this channel."
Warren stood up and posed some considerations to the audience around changes in the market place, such as what to do if new companies enter the market with different ideas of profit margins for similar offerings.
Among a variety of questions, De Marco asked was about how to make sure that dealers and integrators remain the preferred home providers.
According to Warren, it's about finding out where it is that companies are really providing differentiated value.
Soucie brought up making business models around reducing complexity for consumers, as well as hearing from consumers what is important to them.
From Simmons' perspective, it will be important to have great customer experience, but also around a profitable business model.
The first educational session I attended for ESX 2018 was, "The Monitoring Center of the Future is Here Now! – Technology You Must Leverage to Thrive," featuring Mike Tupy, director of central station technology at Vivint Smart Home, Ken Green, CEO of ItsPayd, and Justin Bailey, president and COO of AvantGuard.
Tupy opened the session with an overview of several topics. He started with the alarm panel, saying that he hopes attending companies aren't installing any more systems on POTS lines. Keeping users upgraded is important, he noted, and even if it comes at a fee. His comparison: people will pay to upgrade their cell phones, so why not their security system?
Monitoring companies can also look at their receivers, he said, as a way to increase more accounts coming in or help with redundancy.
Green brought up the changes in paths of communication and how to best reach customers, specifically hitting upon the value of text messages. He offered several reasons for why companies should look into offering text messages: it can provide a competitive edge, it can improve customer experience, it offers flexibility, and it can help reach new younger customers—the millennials.
Bailey covered uses for analytics and other data analysis tools. Staffing is one problem that affects a lot of monitoring centers, he noted. The right analytic tools can provide a better picture of where the best operators are coming from and metrics can show how and why a great operator is a great operator.
Certain tools can also look into alarm traffic and whether the number of operators on staff is perhaps too light or too much.
Tupy added that looking into historical data can also help, such as with knowing roughly what to expect on the Fourth of July as opposed to a more typical Wednesday.
Younger generations that are entering the work force now can be accustomed to plenty of feedback, Bailey said, and the right dashboards can provide information on how an employee has been doing or how they've improved.
At this year's Opening Keynote Luncheon, Scott Stratten, president of UnMarketing, presented "The Age of Disruption: Everything Has Changed and Nothing is Different."
Stratten said that the most effective marketing happens not through marketing campaigns but through interactions between employees and customers. "The front line affects your bottom line," he said; companies often want good word of mouth but that means doing things that would be worth talking about. Creating stories that evoke an emotion makes them more likely to be shared, Stratten said.
Brands and how they are perceived can change, Stratten said. For instance, he asked the audience to shout what came to mind when they thought of The Ritz-Carlton. Some attendees said "expensive" or "luxury."
Stratten told the story of a child losing their stuffed animal at a property of The Ritz-Carlton. The child's parents said that the stuffed giraffe, named Joshie, was just on an extended vacation and would return. A laundry worker found Joshie, recognized its importance, and brought it to the attention of a front desk employee. Joshie was sent back to its family, along with pictures of the toy lounging at the beach or in the spa, working for The Ritz-Carlton—even with a new ID badge made for the giraffe.
Asked again how the audience would define the hotel brand, attendees used words like "caring."
Tuesday, June 19
I landed late this afternoon in warm Nashville, Tenn., for this year's ESX. It was great to see some familiar faces at the opening reception. I'll be updating this blog with daily updates on the educational sessions I'm attending, the keynote sessions and some of my meetings from the show floor. Be sure to check back for more perspective on the show!
This week, ASIS International announced that Fareed Zakaria, global thinker, columnist, and CNN host, and Scott Klososky, futurist and technology visionary, would be opening keynotes for Global Security Exchange (GSX).
ASIS announced the name change, from the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits to GSX late last year. ASIS expects GSX to attract more than 20,000 operational and cyber security professionals to the Las Vegas Convention Center from Sept. 23-27 for the event.
"Between Fareed and Scott, attendees will receive a rounded, nuanced, and incisive overview of the trends—social, political, business, technological—informing the transformation of security and how professionals will have to adapt to thrive in the years ahead," Peter J. O'Neil, CAE, chief executive officer for ASIS International, said in the announcement. "The presentations will lay the groundwork for a forward-looking enterprise security risk management approach to risk, setting up security to be a critical business partner."
Zakaria, host of CNN's Peabody Award-winning "Fareed Zakaria GPS," is former editor-at-large of TIME magazine, a three-time bestselling author, and one of Foreign Policy magazine's Top 100 Global Thinkers, the announcement noted.
At GSX, Zakaria will open the conference with an examination of important forces, developments, and risks affecting the global community. His remarks will address cyberthreats—espionage, ransomware and spear phishing. With an emphasis on international intelligence and security, Zakaria will explore what it means to live in a truly global era, ASIS said.
Klososky returns as the GSX Tuesday keynote following his popular 2017 presentation, "The Technology Integration of Man." Building on his continued involvement with chief security officers and ASIS stakeholders in the past year, Klososky will address the impact of today's rapid digital transformation on security management and leadership. He will build a compelling case for managing and using technology—and knowing when not to use it—to gain a competitive advantage and lead successfully into the future, ASIS said in the announcement.
"We are excited for these well-respected thought leaders to share their vital insights and set the stage for the conference education that follows," Richard E. Chase, CPP, PCI, PSP, 2018 president of ASIS International, said in a prepared statement. "These keynotes reflect our commitment to bring diverse, forward-thinking speakers to our event to address vital issues impacting businesses and communities worldwide."
I am excited to be heading to Nashville next week for ESX 2018, especially with Security Systems News as the premier media sponsor once again this year. As always, we love supporting this key industry conference each year.
If you don't find me at the SSN booth, roaming the trade show floor, or at one of the many keynote events lined up this year, come and check out one or both of the two interesting sessions that I will be moderating this year.
The first one, "Top 5 Disruptive Technologies Impacting The Commercial Market," is on Thursday, June 21, from 8:00-9:15AM in room 101 D, and features two great speakers—Steve Butkovich, chief technology officer, CPI Security and Rodger Reiswig, VP, Industry Relations, Johnson Controls Inc. I don't want to reveal what those "Top 5" technologies are just yet, but one will be cloud. You will have to come to the session to find out the other four!
The second session that I am moderating, "Proven Customer Care Programs: Tips For Getting Started" is on Friday, June 22, from 11:00AM-12:00PM in room 101 A, and features two excellent speakers—John Bazyk, vice president of sales, Command Corporation, and Philip Pearson, president, Smart Home Consulting Group. Each of these speakers has a unique perspective on the topic and brings a wealth of information, resources and guidance on how to engage with your customers, lower attrition and improve retention and profitability long term.
Looking forward to a great week of education, networking and fun—Pub Crawl anyone?
See you in Nashville!
BAY CITY, Mich.—DICE Corporation announced today that Jackie McCarthy is joining the company as its new chief financial officer and Jerry Corrion will now manage DICE's telecom department, in addition to his current role as senior vice president of software development.
McCarthy will be responsible for overseeing accounting, managing company financial statements, reporting on key measurements, and budgeting and analysis, the announcement noted.
McCarthy comes to DICE with more than 30 years of experience as a CPA, with 15 of those years in public accounting. Before joining DICE, McCarthy worked for Ernst & Young, Nexteer Automotive and in local government. She also taught at Delta College and operated her own CPA firm for several years. McCarthy holds a BBA in accounting from Saginaw Valley State University.
Corrion, who has been with the company for more than 20 years, will oversee the telecom department at a time of rapid growth and advancements, according to the announcement.
"Telecom continues to be our fastest-growing department, and a lot of software is tied to telephony. Jerry is the perfect fit for leading this team," DICE Corporation president and CEO Cliff Dice, said in the announcement.
"This is an exciting time at DICE Corporation and I'm pleased to have Jackie and Jerry on our team, leading us into a new era at the company," said Dice.
Convergint Technologies made its second acquisition outside the U.S. this month, with the acquisition of Integrators Australia, a systems integrator based in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
One of the world's largest systems integrators, Convergint continues to grow its global footprint via organic growth and acquisition. Integrators Australia is Convergint's second international acquisition in 2018, and it provides Convergint with a physical location and a group of experienced colleagues to expand its service in the local market.
"Acquiring Integrators Australia is another major step in building out our global service platform," Ken Lochiatto, CEO of Convergint, said in the announcement. "The addition of Integrators Australia greatly expands our presence in the Australian market and strengthens our ability to meet the service needs of our global customers in Australia. We welcome Dean Monaghan and his entire team to the Convergint organization."
Founded in 2005 by Dean Monaghan, Integrators Australia is one of the largest independent integrators in Australia, servicing key clients across both Australia and New Zealand. Convergint chose to join forces with Integrators Australia because of its dedication to excellent customer service, a key component of Convergint's own culture.
"We are very excited to become a part of Convergint Technologies, in which we have found a like-minded culture of service-first delivery," Monaghan, managing director of Integrators Australia, said in a prepared statement. "It has taken 13 years of dedication from our entire group to reach the strong level of capability and expertise that we offer today, and joining Convergint marks the next step in our evolution."
Dan Moceri, Convergint's co-founder and CEO told SSN after the acquisition of Paris-based systems integrator Astrec Security in early May that he sees many more opportunities to grow the company's global presence.
Security Systems News is proud to announce that the program for our 2018 Cloud+ conference is now available! You can view the entire by clicking here, and there are a few highlights will be included below.
Cloud+ 2018 will be held at the Delray Beach Marriott in Delray Beach, Fla., on Sept. 5 and 6. This is a great location that has served SSN very well as the spot for its annual TechSec Solutions conference—and it's right across from the beach. Registration is also open for the event and you can register through the Cloud+ website.
This year's keynote speaker will be Rick Juarez, managing director of Imperial Capital, presenting "Finance and the Future for Cloud and Security." Here, Juarez will cover the current M&A landscape within cyber- and physical security, particularly cloud-solution providers, and also take a look at what research says about key growth areas, challenges and opportunities.
Cloud+ 2018 will also feature a dynamic two-part session, looking at "How Can Cloud Help the Integrator," with two separate panels, one from the perspective of integrators and another from the suppliers' point of view.
The Day Two Keynote will be AJ Frazer, VP Sales, America, Agent Video Intelligence, presenting "How the Cloud Enables the Dream of AI." Frazer will examine how cloud is helping realize artificial intelligence within the security industry.
We look forward to seeing you down in Delray Beach in early September!
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