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Amazon is the retail train that never stops running
Profits at Amazon surged more than 40 percent, to $724 million, in the first three months of the year, Reuters reported last night. The growth was driven by web services and subscriptions, such as Amazon Prime, and the company highlighted its international expansion in India, Mexico and the UK.
Talking of the UK, Amazon will increase its British headcount to 24,000 when it adds 1,200 new jobs at warehouses equipped with advanced robotics. "The introduction of Amazon robotics in Warrington and Tilbury is the latest example of our commitment to invention in logistics on behalf of our employees and our customers," Stefano Perego, director of UK customer fulfilment at Amazon UK, told The Guardian.
Talking of robots, Christian Schürch is a Swiss student of mechanical engineering and he had to make a toy train go in a circle as part of a project. He used a FANUC M-2iA/3S, which he says is "controlled by two languages Fanuc developed for themselves. The main language is called Teach Pendant and the other one, which I only used for a few programs, is called Karel." The Luga Trade Fair opens today in Lucerne and Christian Schürch's train will run and run and run there. A bit like Amazon, it is, really.Tweet
Handle with care
Watch out Segway tour guides, ballet dancers and parkour runners, Handle is coming for your job. Handle is the latest research robot from Boston Dynamics and the focus is on simplicity and efficiency: "Handle uses many of the same dynamics, balance and mobile manipulation principles found in the quadruped and biped robots we build, but with only about 10 actuated joints, it is significantly less complex. Wheels are efficient on flat surfaces while legs can go almost anywhere: by combining wheels and legs Handle can have the best of both worlds," say the makers, who add that Handle has a range of 15 miles on one battery charge. Impressive. Cautionary.Tweet
Unplugging the thinking toaster
Given that robots and automation will likely lead to many people losing their jobs, how should we deal with this upheaval? For Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the answer is clear: tax the robots. In an interview with Quartz, Gates argues that taxing worker robots would offset job losses by funding training for work where humans are still needed, such as child and elderly care. Quote:
"And what the world wants is to take this opportunity to make all the goods and services we have today, and free up labor, let us do a better job of reaching out to the elderly, having smaller class sizes, helping kids with special needs. You know, all of those are things where human empathy and understanding are still very, very unique. And we still deal with an immense shortage of people to help out there."
But, no taxation without representation, right? So, should the tax-paying robots have rights? What if progress in AI enables them to achieve consciousness in the future? When the machines are programmed to feel suffering and loss, will they be entitled to "humanoid rights" protection? Or should we prevent machines being programmed to suffer and therefore deny them rights, for the benefit of their human overlords? Here's what Kurzgesagt, the Munich-based YouTube channel, says:Tweet
Man vs. Machine
"A good receptionist should have certain characteristics: helpful, friendly, organized. But do they need to be human?" That was the question posed in Davos, where the future of work was debated with an increasing intensity during the past few days. The elites will do fine in the robotic revolution but they could still lose their sinecures, and more, if those dispossessed of jobs and dignity rise up against their new overlords.
Michael Marczewski is a motion designer based in London and working at ManvsMachine. His "Vicious Cycle" clip, which features a group of autonomous robots performing a range of repetitive functions, is fitting for this post-Davos moment because it ponders what might happen if the demands become unbearable for the robots. The music is by Marcus Olsson, one half of Kungen & Hertigen, a sound team based in Stockholm and Eksjö. The other half is Staffan Gustafsson.Tweet
The human-robot workplace
During the vital November + December sales season, Amazon expands its workforce by almost 40 percent. This means adding 120,000 temporary workers to its US warehouses alone. So how does it train them? Touch screens and robots, mainly. That's what Laura Stevens of the Wall Street Journal says in "How Amazon Gets Its Holiday Hires Up to Speed in Two Days."
"After taking an item off a robot-carried shelf at one of Amazon's new warehouses, the worker scans it, and a light flashes to show which container to place it in to get it ready for shipping," writes Stevens, and for those who claim that automation means the end of work, she adds this observation: "The newest warehouses, filled with robots, require a higher head count than older sites because the greater efficiency allows them to process even more orders, a task that still requires humans."Tweet
Watching robots working
There is something satisfying, almost mesmerizing, in watching these robots working at the Komatsu Spring Industrial Company, which was established in 1941: "Since then we have worked consistently hard in the design and manufacture of springs, displaying developmental ingenuity to become one of the world leaders in the field of precision springs and playing a leading role in the precision mechanical equipment industry." Japanese manufactuers, given the country's demography, have no choice but to adapt.
The background music, which these robots love, is Sountrive – Goko Bane.Tweet
Note the dates: 19 and 20 December. That's when attendees at The International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots will explore "robot emotions, personalities, humanoid robots, intelligent electronic sex hardware and entertainment robots." The event is taking place in Goldsmiths, University of London, after it was was banned in Malaysia. Sessions will address Robot Emotions, Teledildonics, Robot Personalities, Intelligent Electronic Sex Hardware and related issues.
David Levy, conference general chair, chess champion and author of Love and Sex with Robots says: "I believe that loving sex robots will be a great boon to society.There are millions of people out there who, for one reason or another, cannot establish good relationships." It should be noted, however, that a group of scientists called for a ban on sex robots last year and created the Campaign Against Sex Robots.
This is the 21st century, after all.Tweet
Robots: The Warehouse Workers of the Near Future
The story involves a logistics company and grocery empire run by a modest New England billionaire. Most people will be unfamiliar with Symbotic LLC and Rick Cohen and C&S Wholesale Grocers but they are at the forefront of a move to show that that robots can manage the storing, handling and hauling of goods that retailers deal with in vast amounts each year.
Fully Autonomous Robots: The Warehouse Workers of the Near Future by Robbie Whelan of the Wall Street Journal describes Cohen's brave new vision: "His strategy has two prongs: Install robots in C&S warehouses to serve grocery chains, and sell them to companies that have their own distribution facilities. Over the next year, Symbotic plans to roll out nearly a dozen fully-automated food warehouses across the country from Pennsylvania to California, serving grocery chains."
One of Symbotic's selling points is what it calls "Capital Recovery", which goes like this:
"Often companies find that an automation system optimizes their operations enough to justify combining two warehouses into one. Additionally, the capital they can recover from selling the second warehouse can offset the cost of the system. The capital recovery model allows customers to exceed their operational demands while recovering capital from unnecessary facilities and/or resources."
Robbie Whelan points out that Rick Cohen's success is driven by his fascination with fat — not of midriff variety, but of the administrative kind:
Mr. Cohen said he became interested in robotics because of a lifelong passion for cutting fat at his family business. His grandfather, Israel Cohen, founded C&S in Worcester, Mass., in 1918. Mr. Cohen became CEO in 1989 and is sole owner.
"Taking waste out is fascinating to me," Mr. Cohen said. "I walk through a warehouse, and everyone sees what's happening, and I see what's not happening."
Typically, the Daily Mail trashed Rick Cohen's privacy when it published "Revealed, America's most modest billionaire: Tycoon worth $11bn is so down-to-earth that neighbors don't recognize him – on street where average home is $294,000."Tweet
Robopocalyptic conflict in Westworld
The second trailer for Westworld teases the robopocalyptic conflict between a futuristic theme park's automata residents and their human keepers. The key figure in this clip is Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), a frontier "host" who's actually the park's oldest resident, having been resurrected after countless "deaths" that she's been programmed to forget.
In 1973, the late, great Michael Crichton wrote and directed Westworld, a science fiction western-thriller about amusement park androids that malfunction and begin killing visitors. With stories about job-stealing robots and fears of wayward artificial intelligence filling the news stream, HBO feels that what our world needs right now is an upgrade of Westworld. The story has been re-engineered for this young century and we're expected to sympathize with the sentient bots enslaved by their scary creator, Dr Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins). Westworld is tapping into the Zeitgeist as people are increasingly alarmed about a society that seems to be out of control, especially because of what information technology and the life sciences are making possible.Tweet
Future sex with gynoids and guynoids
The word "gynoid" was used by Gwyneth Jones in her 1985 novel Divine Endurance to describe a female robot slave character in a futuristic China. Does this mean, then, that the male equivalent is a "guynoid"? Not quite. Gynoid is created from the Ancient Greek prefix gyno– (of or pertaining to women or the female reproductive system) + android, a Greek word used to refer to robotic humanoids regardless of gender. However, the Greek prefix "andr-" means man in the masculine sense and because of this android is used to describe male-styled robots. Given the established etymology, it's going to be a battle to replace androids with guynoids.
All this is by way of saying that sex with robots is very much in the news. Let's take three of today's headlines, starting with The New Scientist. "Could sex robots and virtual reality treat paedophilia?" The Daily Mirror is more of a mass-market publication: "Expert to publish 'how to build your own sex robot' handbook after Scarlett Johansson lookalike success," while The South China Morning Post brings us back to the gynoid world of Gwyneth Jones: "Sex and robots: How mechanical dolls may press all the right buttons for lonesome guys."
Actually, that last headline is quite topical in light of the work being done by Kathleen Richardson, a Senior Research Fellow in the Ethics of Robotics at De Montfort University in Leicester. Last September, she published a position paper titled "The Asymmetrical 'Relationship': Parallels Between Prostitution and the Development of Sex Robots." Snippet:
"Following in the footsteps of ethical robot campaigns, I propose to launch a campaign against sex robots, so that issues in prostitution can be discussed more widely in the field of robotics. I have to tried to show how human lifeworlds of gender and sexuality are inflected in making of sex robots, and that these robots will contribute to gendered inequalities found in the sex industry."
The debate about the gendering of robots and the sexualized personification of machines is on.Tweet
When will the e-people be allowed to vote?
On the surface, at least, the world was still in order on 31 May. Yes, it was World No Tobacco Day, but it's been that since 1987 and smoking remains popular in many parts of the world. Change comes dropping slow, as the poet said. But quiet can be deceptive; it can lull us into a false sense of security and that's why very few noticed a draft motion "with recommendations to the Commission on Civil Law Rules on Robotics" (PDF) drawn up by the European Parliament's committee on legal affairs that was discussed on 31 May in Brussels. People should have paid more attention, however, because it is revolutionary.
No taxation without representation! That slogan led to violent change 250 years ago and what the European Parliament is asking the European Commission to do is equally radical. According to the draft motion, the commission should consider "that at least the most sophisticated autonomous robots could be established as having the status of electronic persons with specific rights and obligations, including that of making good any damage they may cause, and applying electronic personality to cases where robots make smart autonomous decisions or otherwise interact with third parties independently." The motion also says organizations should have to declare any savings they make in social security contributions by using robotics instead of people, for tax purposes.
On the face of it, then, while Europe's robot workers would be classed as "electronic persons," with rights and obligations, they would still be regarded as property (slaves?) and their owners subjected to additional taxes for having the initiative (temerity?) to deploy them. The realities of a new industrial revolution suggest that different thinking and terminology is needed.
Today, robots are being used in ever-greater numbers in factories and they are also taking on tasks such as personal care and cardiac surgery. The result is that all kinds of fears about unemployment, wealth inequality and alienation are being raised. The growing intelligence, pervasiveness and autonomy of robots demands a debate involving citizens, lawyers, accountants, ethicists and legislators. In the end, e-votes by e-people might play a decisive role in any referendum on these tectonic changes.Tweet


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During my 6-minute talk at TEDxCapeTownED I described how our students often get frustrated at having their dedicated Course Coordinator follow up with them on their progress and only later realise the value of this sort of "nagging" in assisting them complete their work. Included in our internal "Feel Good Friday" mailer, I was stoked so see that a student on our Creative Writing course had this to say about Che, one of our rock star Course Coordinators:
Che is great. I bet he gets hundreds of emails every day and he answers EACH one diligently and patiently. I get frustrated with his constant reminders when I know i'm behind and then laugh at myself for getting angry with his pestering "I'm watching you" eyes, like the guy in the Amstel ad... Every time I get an SMS I hear him telling me: "I'm watching you." Well done on handling such a large group Che. Kudos to you.

subset: commoncrawl


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Articles March 2017 Issue
Smart Pre-Exercise Snacks
Make sure you're properly fueled for a workout, but avoid mindless snacking.
[Updated May 8, 2018]
If you start exercise low on fuel, you could end up feeling weak and run out of steam. Or, you may simply feel hungry, making it hard to focus on your exercise. However, unnecessary snacking before a workout may make exercise uncomfortable and add calories you don't need, counteracting the calorie burn of your physical activity.
"I think there's a misconception that you need to eat a snack before exercise, but this is generally only necessary if it's been at least 2 to 3 hours since your last meal," says Jennifer Sacheck, PhD, an associate professor at Tufts' Friedman School who specializes in physical activity research. "For example, if you eat lunch at 11 a.m. and are going to the gym at 5 p.m., or you exercise first thing in the morning, you'll need to refuel before exercise." However, if you ate a late lunch at 2 p.m., and you're working out at 4:30 p.m., you shouldn't need a snack first.
What Should You Eat Before Work Outs?
The closer it is to your workout, the less you should eat. For a 50 to 100 calorie snack, choose one carbohydrate option from the first colunn, below. For a 100 to 200 calorie snack, choose one carbohydrate option from the first column and one protein/fat option from the middle column. For a 200 to 300 calorie snack, choose one option from each column. Suggested pairings are shown in each horizontal row.
(focus here if just 30 minutes before exercise)
- 1 small whole fruit or 1 cup fresh fruit
- 1 snackbox raisins (or 2 — 3 Tbsp.)
- 3/4 oz. whole-grain pretzels
- 2 brown rice cakes
- 4 oz. applesauce snackcup
- 1 oz. whole-grain crackers
(add this if at least 1 hour before exercise)
- 6 oz. low-fat plain yogurt
- 2 Tbsp nuts
- 1/4 cup hummus
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened nut or seed butter
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 light string-cheese stick
Something Extra
(add this if at least 2 or more hours before exercise and you need more calories)
- 1/2 cup crunchy, non-sugary cold cereal
- 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
- 8 oz. low-sodium veggie juice
- 1 small banana
- 3 Tbsp dried cranberries
- 2-3 oz. pull-top canned tuna
Note: Tbsp = tablespoons, oz = ounces
Timing Snacks:
Munching a snack while you head to the gym may not give you the benefits you're seeking. "People sometimes eat too close to exercise," Sacheck says. "Eating 15 minutes before exercise is not ideal." She explains why:
- Your snack won't have time to be digested and absorbed, so its energy won't reach your working muscles during exercise.
- Blood flow will be diverted to your gut instead of increasing to arm and leg muscles to fuel movement.
- Undigested food sitting in your stomach may cause discomfort and interfere with more intense cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise, such as running or swimming laps.
On the other hand, a well-timed snack can help fuel exercise. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, when you consume a carbohydrate-rich snack within 1 to 4 hours before exercise, it can help replenish liver and muscle glycogen - the storage form of glucose, which is the main fuel for working muscles. It also can stabilize blood sugar levels, which helps fuel the brain and central nervous system. This helps keep you mentally alert during exercise.
Choosing Snacks:
Carbohydrate-rich foods should be the main focus of pre-exercise snacks but should be balanced with protein and fat. "Including a bit of protein, fat and/or fiber in a carbohydrate-rich snack helps with satiety and helps prevent a big blood sugar spike followed by a drastic fall during exercise," Sacheck says. The addition of protein to snacks eaten before resistance exercise (strength training) also may promote muscle recovery after your workout.
Low-fat yogurt, cheese sticks, nuts, seeds and canned seafood in single-serve packs are quick sources of protein and healthy fat. Opting for whole grains or whole fruit is an easy way to get carbohydrate with fiber.
Selecting Snack Size:
"In general, the closer you are to your workout time, the less you should eat and the more you should limit fat, protein and fiber, so the snack will be more quickly digested and absorbed," Sacheck says. This is particularly true before intense cardiovascular exercise as opposed to a moderately-paced walk or resistance exercise.
If it is 2 hours or more before exercise, Sacheck recommends a snack with 200 to 300 calories, depending on your individual needs. Snacks eaten 1 hour before exercise generally should be simpler and lighter - typically 100 to 200 calories.
If you have just 30 minutes before exercise and need a snack, you may do OK with a small piece of whole fruit or other quickly-digested carbohydrate, such as whole-grain pretzels. Fruit is high in water, so it also contributes to hydration. Skip sugary sports drinks; opt for water to hydrate before exercise.
So, avoid unnecessary snacking, but if your energy lags during exercise, a smart pre-workout snack may give you a boost.
To learn more: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, March 2016


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Clutch and Compact Organizer
- Dimensions: 9.25" x 7" x 4"
- Colors: Black and Brown
- Weight: 1 lb
- Made up from a combination of Genuine Leather and Vegan-Friendly "leather" - Genuine leather used on main components of bag.
- Vegan-Friendly "leather" used on bottom of bag, pocket gussets and wrist/shoulder straps.
- 6.5" W x 7" L zipper pocket on front of bag.
- Another pocket (3" W x 5.75" L x 1" D) on front with flap-over, snap button closure and gussets for sun/eyeglasses or cell phone, with an additional zipper pocket (4.5"W x 6"L) which runs vertically on front of bag.
- Also features a pen/pencil/stylus holder.
- Back of bag features a 6.5" W x 7" L zipper pocket.
- Adjustable and removable shoulder strap (at longest length - 51") and wrist strap (not adjustable, measures at 7" long).
- Removable wrist strap (not adjustable, measures at 7" long).
- Two separate main zipper pockets; both measured at 6.75"W x 9"L x 1.75" D.
- Nylon lining matches color of exterior; black lining with black exterior/brown lining with brown exterior.
- Availability: In Stock
- $160.00


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California JPIA Awards Eleven Scholarships to Attend the 17th Annual Risk Management Educational Forum
Memorandum of Liability Coverage
California JPIA Members Benefit from Workers' Compensation Symposium
Management Academy Celebrates 10 Years
Edith Avina, Administrative Assistant
Risk Management Q & A
UPDATE: Who Pays when an Employee is in an Accident in a Personal Vehicle?
In last month's edition of The Authority newsletter, I shared with you the Executive Committee's support of a scholarship fund to assist members unable to attend the forum due to financial limitations within their agencies. The Executive Committee approved a scholarship fund limited to a cost not to exceed $5,000, and offset through the contributions of sponsors (as are all other activities of the Forum).
"The Executive Committee has once again waived registration costs to attend the Educational Forum. The scholarship fund to help cover the cost of hotel accommodations further demonstrates the commitment of the Authority as we continue to assist and educate members about loss prevention, loss control, and resource preservation," conveyed Larry Van Nostran, President of the California JPIA.
Members representing over twenty agencies submitted applications for this first-time program. Applicants were asked to complete a simple survey and describe how their agency's current fiscal and budget restrictions limited their ability to otherwise attend the Risk Management Educational Forum; and how attending the Risk Management Educational Forum would benefit them in their professional and duties?
The Authority's Scholarship Committee conducted a "blind review" of the applications received. Those receiving scholarships were deemed to be most deserving based on their stated desire to attend and their otherwise inability to attend the Forum.
On behalf of the Executive Committee, I am pleased to award scholarships to individuals from the following member agencies:
I encourage you to attend the Educational Forum in San Francisco. For more information about the sessions and speakers, or to register for the forum, click here.
The Memorandum of Liability Coverage (MOLC) is a description of the terms and conditions of the Liability Program administered by the Authority and shared by its members. Similar to an insurance policy, the MOLC explains when coverage is afforded, provides key definitions, exclusions to coverage, and the process for coverage denials and appeals, if necessary.
Throughout the year Authority staff reviews and evaluates claims that are experienced by the membership and presented for coverage. Staff keeps abreast of trending issues within the insurance and litigation communities in an effort to ensure the MOLC continues to be a fair and up-to-date document.
On June 27, 2012, the California JPIA Executive Committee approved revisions to the Memorandum of Liability Coverage. The following changes were made to the 2012/2013 MOLC:
Your agency's personalized Memorandum of Liability Coverage, Memorandum of Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability Coverage (if applicable), and Certificate(s) of Protection are now available for you online and can be accessed using the following link http://eoc.cjpia.org/4dcgi/services/coverage_evidence.shtml.
Using the drop down menu, select your member agency/organization. At the bottom of the Evidence of Coverage section, you may select to download the Memorandum of Liability Coverage, Memorandum of Workers' Compensation and Employer's Liability Coverage (if applicable), and Certificate(s) of Protection.
Memoranda of Coverage for Authority programs are available for viewing and printing on the Authority's website under the "Programs" tab, http://eoc.cjpia.org/4dcgi/programs/coverage_summaries.shtml. Program summaries for the 2012-2013 coverage period will be updated as revised.
If you have questions about the MOLC, contact your agency's designated risk consultant.
The California JPIA held its 4th Annual Workers' Compensation Defense Symposium on August 29, 2012. Fifty-four participants representing 21 agencies attended the Symposium held at the California JPIA campus in La Palma. Additionally, over 40 participants participated via webinar.
Four key sessions were presented at the Symposium. The Interactive Process was presented by Steve Filarsky, Law Offices of Filarsky and Watt. In his session, Filarsky presented an overview of the interactive process and the complex legal requirements for permanent and temporary accommodations. Kelly Trainer with Burke Williams and Sorenson presented Leave Stress: Disability, Workers Compensation, and Leaves of Absence. Trainer's session provided participants with an understanding of the overlapping – and often confusing – statues when determining eligibility requirements for protection under the Family Medical Leave Act, California Family Rights Act, and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Bob May, Risk Management Program Manager with the California JPIA, presented Root Cause Analysis. May shared with participants a brief overview of the Authority's LossCAP program and the Authority's plan to roll out a new claims reporting process that captures the underlying cause of preventable claims.
De Ann Wagner, Unit Manager with York Risk Services, wrapped-up the Symposium with a presentation on Litigation Management. Wagner discussed reasons and strategies in determining whether or not to litigate a workers' compensation claim, and what to expect from the Authority, York, and the Authority's workers' compensation attorneys if a claim is litigated. Wagner emphasized the importance of "participation in the litigation process" between the member, York, Authority staff, and legal counsel.
"We all need help with workers' compensation. Workers' compensation legislation changes quickly. This was extremely beneficial," said attendee Jan Steffey, Personnel Administrator with the City of Cerritos. "Networking with other human resource professionals and the claims team from York helps strengthen the relationship we have the Authority."
"I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about workers' compensation and learn about relevant issues from subject experts," added Robin Picken, Administrative Assistant with the Town of Mammoth Lakes.
"It was interesting to learn about the Root Cause Analysis project," added AJ Gaddis, Human Resources Manager with the City of Imperial. "This will continue to reinforce the importance of the LossCAP Program to member agencies."
The California JPIA's Management Academy: Basics of Effective Supervision was held September 10-12, 2012 in San Luis Obispo. First presented in 2002 at the Fess Parker's Resort in Santa Barbara, this year marked the 10th anniversary of the Academy.
"Designed for the entry-level supervisor, the Management Academy continues to emphasize both effective supervision and risk management skills," says Jonathan Shull, CEO of the California JPIA. Shull attended the first Academy and was instrumental in developing its curricula. "Being an effective supervisor can be a difficult journey and even more so in the public sector. It's trial and error, endless effort, and slowly acquired personal insight. You're caught in a situation with conflicting expectations from subordinates, your supervisor, peers, and often the public."
The Management Academy provided participants with unique approaches to help improve performance, motivation, and commitment of employees. Forest Story, principal consultant for Public Sector Excellence (PSE), facilitated the three-day Academy exploring topics critical to developing effective management skills including: The Role of the Public Sector Supervisor; Decision Making; Orientation, Training, Coaching, and Delegation; Performance Appraisal and Dealing with Performance Issues; and Public Service Ethics.
Presented by John Perry, President of Human Productivity Systems, the Job-Person-Environment Assessment™ tool, presented attendees with the opportunity to explore their perceptions about the behavioral requirements of their jobs, their behavior patterns, and their perceptions about their work environment.
Risk Management Program Manager, Bob May, presented a session entitled Contracts Administration. Participants learned how to identify exposures, require proper insurance limits, and adequately enforce contracts. Norm Lefmann, Assistant Executive Officer with the California JPIA, presented a session entitled Healthy Member Protocol. Participants learned what they can do to support the health of their agency and also understand what they can do as a manager to support best risk management practices.
Thirty-four participants representing 24 member agencies attended the Management Academy. "This should be provided to all government employees", said first-time attendee, Paul Christman, Building Official with the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. "The Job Person Environment Assessment was very informative – it was interesting to learn about my management style," raved Tony Brandyberry, Public Works Superintendent with the City of Los Alamitos.
More information about the academies and training workshops offered by the California JPIA can be found at the Resource Center.
As Administrative Assistant for the Member Services Department, Edith Avina's career path has continued to evolve at the California JPIA. Supporting the Member Services Department and Assistant Executive Officer Norm Lefmann, Avina's responsibilities have broadened the past two years. "With the evolution of the Resource Center and LossCAP programs, my role has become that of a 'generalist' providing support to various work-divisions including risk management, claims, and training."
Avina recently celebrated her 10th anniversary with the California JPIA. "Everyone at the California JPIA and all of our members, are fantastic to work with. The people and a positive work environment are most important to me. My work contributes to the success of the organization. I continually feel valued and appreciated."
Avina is active, as with the rest of the California JPIA team, preparing for the upcoming Risk Management Educational Forum in San Francisco. "The Educational Forum is a great opportunity for staff to connect with members. Our Forum is unique – most attendees are from member agencies and our speakers are often defense panel attorneys or strategic partners with the Authority – we truly know everyone who attends the Forum."
"I love the diversity of my job. It fits well with my personality," reflects Avina, who began her career in the customer service industry. Avina's life doesn't slow down away from work. She is a busy mother of three children. Avina laughs, "My life can get hectic, but I love nothing more than spending time with my husband and family."
Q: Are Emergency Action Plans (EAP) required?
A: The purpose of an EAP is to facilitate and organize employer and employee actions during workplace emergencies. Well-developed emergency plans and proper employee training (such that employees understand their roles and responsibilities within the plan) will result in fewer and less severe employee injuries and less structural damage to the facility during emergencies. A workplace emergency is an unforeseen situation that threatens your employees, customers, or the public; disrupts or shuts down your operations; or causes physical or environmental damage. Emergencies may be natural or manmade and include the following:
Cal/OSHA recognizes the value of having an EAP. Not having one can result in loss of life, livelihood, and even fines from Cal/OSHA. Cal/OSHA warned employers in its August 2011 edition of the Flash Report:
"Employers are required to have a written Emergency Action Plan. Failure to have a written plan can result in a fine under Cal/OSHA's General Safety Order Title 8, Section 3220. The recent disasters in our country only support the need for local government to be prepared."
Cal/OSHA defines the following minimum elements that should be included in an EAP. The regulations also require employers to establish an employee alarm system that will provide warning for necessary emergency action as called for in the emergency action plan, or for reaction time for safe escape of employees from the workplace or the immediate work area, or both.
Cal/OSHA also requires and EAP include elements to ensure the Plan is tested; changes to the Plan are reviewed with employees; and established procedures to review the EAP annually.
Not all EAPs are alike. Employer action plans should be written based on an assessment of specific work situations and operations. For example, if employees are required to evacuate from a work location, where should they meet in the event of an emergency and to whom do they report? How do public agencies manage visitors to public facilities during an emergency response? That said, employers with multiple worksites and facilities may require facility-specific Emergency Action Plans.
To ensure worker safety, it is recommended that an Emergency Action Plan include aspects of the Incident Command System. The Incident Command System is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazards incident management approach that is designed to ensure appropriate command and control is established during an emergency.
The Authority has an Emergency Action Plan template available to members located in the Resource Center. Members can also contact their assigned risk consultant with questions about Emergency Action Plans.
In the June, 2012 edition of The Authority newsletter, the Authority provided guidance for members when employees use their personal vehicles for agency business.
In addition to the issues discussed in the article, members should be aware that some personal automobile liability policies exclude coverage when they are used in the course and scope of employment. Members will need to consider whether to require proof of insurance for employees who use their personal vehicles for agency business and, if so, whether to require proof that the insurance does not exclude coverage when they are used in the course and scope of employment.
For more information, contact your agency's assigned risk consultant.


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If Walser's comic dialogue with the language and gestures of literary convention is at times gleefully impish, it would be a mistake to regard The Walk as anything so self-evident or easily categorized as satire. Its vision is too opaque, its meaning too enigmatically unfulfilled, its contours edged with darkness. Walser was one of Kafka's favourite authors, and the oneiric seamlessness of Kafka's more surreal narratives such as The Castle or Description of a Struggle is immediately recognizable. The narrator moves from one distorted interaction to another in a kind of lucid dream, a liminal state that seems to draw from both conscious and unconscious, blurring the straight lines of the former with the associative fluidity of the latter. The persona of the narrator evaporates within this mnemonic haze, the self who took the walk irreconcilable with the self who attempts to recreate it.
Excellent stuff: Danny Byrne reviews Robert Walser's The Walk over at 3:AM.


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Semiosis by Sue Burke
12 March 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Semiosis, Sue Burke
I really enjoyed Semiosis. It's a thought provoking read that explores some intriguing notions.
The book begins by introducing us to a number of people who left earth to start a life on a far distant planet that they named Pax. They left earth with the idea that they wanted to live a better life with less conflict. A life without war where everyone would be equal. A utopia if you will. What a lovely idea – of course, the idea of a perfect world becomes inevitably messed up when you throw humans into the mix, then add in different life forms and sentient plants and take a step back and see what happens.
I think before I go any further I should point out that this book was different to what I had expected. However, I would also point out that this isn't a bad thing. I confess that looking at the cover I got a creepy vibe and there are certain elements of the story that definitely sustain that vibe – but overall this is a different story. It's also told over the course of seven generations which ultimately means you only really spend brief snippets of time with each of the characters before moving jumping forward a number of years. Now, being the type of reader who enjoys character driven stories I didn't have overly enthusiastic expectations when I realised this was the case but to be honest this story won me over and in fact I enjoyed the different pov stories that were told through each successive generation. The way the story unfolds you move forward to a different perspective for the next generation but at the same time that storyline quite often includes information about the previous person you spent time with and in doing this you do have some closure about the previous storylines.
Overall I suppose this is a story of survival, adaptation and compromise. It also takes a sidelong look at human nature and the fact that we are all so very individual and it concludes with the benefits of mutual symbiosis. What I really found fascinating with Semiosis was the world building. Pax was so well drawn, deceptively similar to the nature of our own planet and yet fundamentally different. Here are plants that are capable of strategy – it just sounds bizarre when I write that and yet the book comes across as plausible. It's not overly explained but there's enough detail to actually make you really think about what's going on. The notion here is that the plants are guiding the humans to behave in a certain way that will benefit the plant and in doing so the plant will then grow fruits that benefit the humans, like a reward. This then progresses into a way of communicating with the plants. It's absolutely fascinating to be honest.
Mixed in with this there's the discovery of a city – much more sophisticated and progressive than the community the humans are currently living in and which they eventually inhabit themselves, although the move itself is a source of conflict between the humans and eventually causes a rift.
To be honest, I can't say too much about the plot without spoiling the story. I can say that the pace is consistent. The author did a really good job of creating tension in the storyline and also took a route that wasn't obvious. And then of course there was this contact with other life forms – that didn't exactly go the way that the humans themselves had hoped for.
The writing here is really good, the way things are explained and described is just excellent and really helps to bring it all to life in the imagination. The pacing is consistent, the storyline is good and on top of this it's almost like a study of human nature – and that element gave me plenty of food for thought. It was interesting to see the different generations develop and watch them start to rebel. A bit like Animal Farm, they start off with ideals, they're all equal, but eventually cracks begin to show and there's always some who are going to rise to the top. All in all a really fascinating and well written story.
In terms of criticisms. As I said above you never really have the chance to develop any strong feelings for any of the characters because the story is moving on too quickly. Also there are elements in here of a violent nature and also a rape scene which could be upsetting for some – I'm not trying to say it's graphic or gratuitous but I did find it a bit of a shock because it was so at odds with the values of the people we were following, I simply wasn't expecting it and thought I should mention it here. The only other issue I had was the other life forms and the disparity with the ones we meet here and the ones who built that wonderful city and then upped and left. I never really quite understood what was going on there because it would seem that rather than progress in nature they had devolved. It was a bit of a mystery for me.
Other than that I really enjoyed this read. It was unique. Well Written. Consistently paced, thought provoking and fascinating. Perhaps a little ambitious cramming seven generations into a story like this but I think the author pulls it off. It's like a time lapse video in written form.
I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Friday Firsts : Semiosis by Sue Burke
23 February 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Friday Firsts, Semiosis, Sue Burke, tenacious reader
Friday Firsts is a new meme that runs every Friday over on Tenacious Reader. The idea is to feature the first few sentences/paragraph of your current book and try and outline your first impressions as a result. This is a quick and easy way to share a snippet of information about your current read and to perhaps tempt others. Stop on by and link up with Tenacious Reader. This Friday I've just started Semiosis by Sue Burke
The war had begun long before we arrived because war was their way of life It took its first victims among us before we understood what was happening, on an evening that seemed quiet. But even then, we knew we could easily be in danger.
My wife, Paula, shook her head as she left the radio hut in the plaza of our little village. "There's too much interference again, I'll try one more time, but if they don't answer, we'll start a search."
An hour ago, three women had gone to pick fruit. They did not come back, they were not answering their radio, and the Sun had sunk almost to the top of the hills.
Around us, tiny lizards in the trees had begun their evening hoots and chimes. Nine-legged crabs silently hunted the lizards. The breeze smelled bittersweet, perhaps from something in bloom. I should have known what, but I did not.
Uri and I were fixing an irrigation pump, but I knew his mind was on one of the women, Ninia. He had just begun living with her, and he was squinting up the path through the fields where she had gone. And then he was jerked back to the present when the wind tangled his long blond beard around the pump handle. He knelt to free it. I pulled a jackknife from my belt, stroking my own short beard. He saluted with one finger. He was a Russian Slav, and a proper Slav never cuts his beard.
Paula went back to her work at a rough-hewn table nearby, trying to make sense of weather data. A wide straw hat held her red hair in place and protected her skin from the Sun. She took a deep breath and stretched her stiff back. We all struggled with the stronger gravity. Finally she entered the radio hut again.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened. The hut's walls were panels scavenged from a landing pod and the roof was tree bark, so the sound carried.
"Hello?… Ninia? Zee? Carrie?"
"Hello?… This is Paula. Do you hear me?"
My First Impressions
Wow, what a great start. I'm hooked. Firstly this talk of war and then three missing women. I have to know what's going on. This is an intriguing start to the book. Fingers crossed for this one.
What you reading this Friday?? What are your first impressions??


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Over the course of IDW Publishing's "Combiner Wars" event, a number of the most high-profile characters in the Transformers Universe clashed with one another. Optimus Prime, Starscream, Windblade and Prowl were all pulled into the thick of an event, the scale of which seemed impossible.
As the final moments of the "Combiner Wars" arrived, a host of new character joined the Transformers' robotic ranks. And though the event is now over, things have not slowed down as it continues to affect the lives of all involved -- especially Windblade, whose ongoing story lies in the hands of writer Mairghread Scott and artist Corin Howell.
CBR News spoke with Scott and Howell about what's next for "Transformers: Windblade," what it means for their title character to learn that Prime may not be the 100% altruistic hero she once believed him to be, and why giant, battling robots provide the perfect allegory to explore themes like politics, war, gender and more.
As "Combiner Wars" unfolded, things became incredibly tense. Starscream, Optimus Prime and Prowl all clashed, and Windblade was pulled into the thick of it. What's her reaction to all this? Where does she stand right now?
Mairghread Scott: Windblade and Chromia have always feared that Cybertron's war might spill over to their homeworld, Caminus, and now it has. At the same time, Cybertron reaching her homeworld means Windblade's people can finally get access to the resources they desperately need. So Windblade's main conflict is how much of Caminus's freedom she's willing to give up in order to save her people. Of course, with Prowl and Devastator now in the mix, Windblade is not only coming into conflict with Starscream but also with Optimus to some degree. No one is safe in "Combiner Wars," and no alliance is safely in or out of bounds.
One of the most interesting parts of the story so far has been the interaction between Windblade and Optimus Prime. She started off being somewhat in awe of him, but now she's starting to see his conflicts and compromises. Is she starting to see a more morally grey universe?
Scott: IDW Transformers has been exploring this question for a while now and that's my favorite aspect of our comics. No one fights eons of war without truly believing in something and no one walks out of eons of war cleanly. Even Optimus Prime has compromised his morals at some point. And there's a really nice point of contrast here because while Windblade covered up her best friend Chromia's misdeeds, I'm not sure how she'll react to the fact that Optimus has shielded Prowl from the consequences of a lot of his actions, actions which now harm her homeworld and her people.
Regardless of her beliefs, Windblade comes from a people who worship the Primes as deities. But the longer "Combiner Wars" continues, the more Windblade is going to see Optimus as a real, flawed person. Seeing Optimus lose his "divinity" will be a real challenge for her.
Starscream has been handling this all magnificently, maneuvering everything into place. Has it been fun to get to have him outpace the others and show off his political agility?
Scott: Starscream is one of my favorite characters and I've had a great time revealing just how cunning he is. He also has a big advantage because everyone else in the book wears their heart on their sleeve. Windblade wants to save Caminus. Optimus wants to save Cybertron. And Starscream just wants to do whatever's best for Starscream. That makes him a lot more flexible than our other characters, and he uses that flexibility to its fullest extent. When Starscream sent Swindle and Menasor to Caminus, I saw a lot of people exclaiming that this would be Starscream's last mistake, and by the end of "Combiner Wars" he'd be ousted from power. I think underestimating Starscream is a lot of people's biggest mistake.
Scott: So at the end of "Combiner Wars," Caminus and Cybertron are now connected via SpaceBridge, and the Cybertronians have learned of at least four other colonies. Windblade's new mission is to make first contact with these worlds and somehow convince them to ally with Cybertron's new Council of Worlds, but each colony will have its own unique challenges she'll have to deal with. We're also kicking open a lot of doors to continuities that haven't been explored much in IDW. We're including a whole lot of new Transformers, many of which fans will know from other iterations of the brand throughout the years.
And you're now joined by artist Corin Howell for the next stage of Windblade's story. How have you found working with one another?
As this new storyline continues on past "Combiner Wars," what can readers expect from the series? Will the event continue to have repercussions for Windblade?
Scott: Corin's art first appears in "Windblade" #3 (along with the great Marcelo Ferreira), and I couldn't be happier about it. Her work is incredibly expressive. Since the next arc of "Windblade" focuses on exploring other colonies, I wanted readers to instantly get a sense of who these people are and what their outlook is. Having an artist like Corin, who can balance body language with facial expressions, and humor with action, is imperative to that goal. Her characters feel incredibly alive and we're getting a lot out of each image because of that. Also, I've noticed that Corin hides fun little things in the background that that really flesh out the world, so keep your eyes peeled.
Corin Howell: It's fantastic working with Mairghread. She gives me freedom when it comes to designing scenes. Despite the fact that I have to keep to specific character designs, I have a lot of room to experiment when it comes to landscapes and camera angles. Mairghread always has a really good sense of direction on the tone of each scene, and since I like to be expressive with my characters, that really helps me pull those emotions out of them when I am putting lines on the page.
Corin, for you this is "mission accomplished" -- you've been wanting to draw a Transformers story for quite some time! How did you get involved in joining the story at this point?
Howell: I've been a huge fan of Transformers since I was a kid, and I've always wanted to get involved with the comics, so getting this chance was truly amazing. I met [IDW Senior Editor] John [Barber] and Mairghread at SDCC last year, and I basically expressed how much of a Transformers nerd I was (by accident, because I actually didn't recognize them at first) and ended up showing them some of my work. Then, this past February, I got an email from John asking me if I would be interested in doing some issues for "Windblade." And here we are!
The Transformers comics seem to handle sci-fi as allegory more capably than anyone else is able to right now. What is it about the Universe which makes them so suitable to introduce themes of politics, war, gender and the like?
Howell: I think it's because when you get to see huge talking robots fighting, you can be sneaky with some bigger themes like political disputes and rivalries or the cause and costs of war. Everyone reads it to have fun, but they come away with a little bit more than that -- or at least that's the hope, anyway.
Scott: When you are dealing with alien robots, you have just enough distance between you and the subject that you can explore difficult ideas and themes much more comfortably. "Transformers" as a brand has always dealt with war, battle fatigue, prejudice and factionalism. And while our main goal is to tell a really great story, it's always my hope that we're giving people the chance to explore the rationale, emotions and beliefs of people they wouldn't get the chance to do in real life.
We've really seen a whole roster of female Transformers over the last few months. What do you think their arrival has brought to the Transformers Universe?
Howell: I think it has opened up a lot of doors. I know a lot of girls in the Transformers fandom that love the IDW series but were always concerned that there weren't enough girls in the series. Now that we have new female characters coming into the series, there's a bit more gender equality amongst the bots. Which is cool because these aren't just comics for girls -- they're comics for everyone.
Those characters were spotlighted in July's "Combiner Hunters" one-shot. How did that issue come about?
Scott: Several months ago, John Barber, James Roberts and I sat down to discuss how Windblade, Chromia and Nautica were a good start towards more diversity -- but that we all wanted to do more. James had plans for Nickel and a bunch of new bots showing up in "More Than Meets The Eye." John has some big plans for Transformers. I wanted to use the colonies to introduce more female Transformers but also other types of bots from different parts of the brand. It was a great start. Later, John talked to me about writing a special one-shot for this July that would introduce the new fan-built combiner.
At the time, the voting wasn't finished so we didn't know what kind of bot the combiner would be, but we knew we wanted to build a story around Arcee, Chromia and Windblade set at the end of "Combiner Wars." Once we learned that the results of the vote had created Victorion, and that she would be made up of six female characters, we realized we had a great opportunity to tell a one-shot story almost entirely about female Transformers. In fact, I had so many lady bots running around I couldn't use "she" in the script because it was too confusing to figure out which of our nine ladies I was referring to. So this summer, fans can pick up "Combiner Hunters," meet the bots who make up Victorion and get a great story that involves Windblade, Chromia and Arcee.
The best part had to be writing Chromia and Arcee, who are just constantly trying to one up each other. Which is a good thing because as great a diplomat as Windblade is, she's still not exactly someone you'd be afraid to meet in a dark alley.
I want to ask specifically about two of the characters you're helping to introduce here. The first is Moonracer. How did the design come together for the character? What did you want to emphasis about her?
Scott: Moonracer is one of our new Velocitronians who shows up in issue #3 and is prominently featured in issues #4 and #5. The main design note for all Velocitronians is that they are built for speed, so they had to feel thinner and lighter than Cybertronians.
Howell: Moonracer took a moment to figure out since there are quite a few versions of Moonracer out there, not to mention the only version I really remember is the Moonracer from "Gen1." So when Mairghread was explaining what Velocitronians were like, I knew I had to make her more lightweight to fit her world but also make sure she was expressive. So I decided to take some designs from "Transformers Prime" and give a hint of "Gen 1" to her. I made her more like a racing smart car, with a "Gen 1" type helmet and a very slender "Transformers Prime" inspired build for her frame. Mairghread best described Moonracer, which helped steer towards how I should portray her: intelligent, cute, reserved and incredibly capable.
Scott: Moonracer's biggest design points were making her seem a bit younger than her G1 design and making her look well-designed but somewhat forgettable. Moonracer is someone who's been pushed to the side and overlooked by her society so I wanted her to look like someone you could meet and forget at a party. There's nothing flashy about her. That's not to say Moonracer is a wallflower, but when your boss/colleague is Knock Out you aren't going to be able to out-anything him. Moonracer is smart enough to know this and we'll see that her shy violet attitude is as deliberate a strategy as Knock Out's "look at me, look at me"-ness. She knows she's only going to get one sentence in any conversation, so she makes sure it counts.
And then there's the arrival of Knock Out, as you mention. What drives (pun intended) the character, to your mind?
Scott: So many fans know that I've wanted to introduce Knock Out to the IDW verse for a while. Velocitron gave me a great way to introduce him and keep much of his personality intact. For this iteration of the character, he is still very vain and obsessed with his appearance, and thinks of practically everyone as beneath him. Corin did a great job of making Knock Out "act" with as big a personality as he had in "Transformers Prime." He makes his grand, sweeping gestures. He's designed to take up a lot of room on the page and it works tremendously well with Moonracer standing next to him looking completely over it. There's also a little bit more pathos we were able to give a nod to in this version of Knock Out, but you'll have to read closely to catch it.
Howell: Knock Out in terms of design was simple: take his "Transformers Prime" design and tweak it just a bit to make him more slender. Knock Out is kind of like Starscream in my mind minus the wings: he likes to race, he likes to look good and he likes to be the best of the best. I often referred to Knock Out as "The Sass-Master," considering the amount of sass-tastic, smug attitude that he constantly portrays. He's the complete opposite of Moonracer.
Was it a conscious choice to pick characters from so many different versions of the franchise and unite them here?
Scott: My goal for introducing more diversity to the brand has always been about opening as many doors as possible. I never want a writer to think "I can't introduce Character X because they have no place in this universe." So Caminus got the ball rolling on introducing female Transformers, but now all these other colonies will have female Transformers, too. My next thought was how can we push this further and introduce more bots. I realized that we had a lot of G1 and G2 bots but what if you grew up with "Beast Wars" or "Animated" or any of the later generations of Transformers? I wanted something for those viewers, too. These colonies have allowed me to open even more doors and create a whole universe of possibilities for future stories and future characters. I want any fan no matter their age or what iteration of the brand they grew up with to be able to see their favorite Transformer fitting in to the story.
What is it about the Transformers that has helped them to last, as a brand, do you think? What do you like most about the world and characters?
Howell: For me it's really the fact that these aren't just giant war machines -- these are characters with personalities and personal issues. The Transformers characters have their own culture and their own lives. It's interesting because they're giant robots, but they don't act like robots. They act like people. People with armor plating and giant weapons that turn into awesome cars and planes. And I love that.
"Transformers: Windblade #5" is available in stores and digitally now.


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Methods Used In The Creation Of A Trustworthy Brand.
Achieving the trust the clients is an important aspect of creating a successful business. There will be a boost in the service purchase if the client trusts the firm. It is easier for a bigger business to achieve trust of the clients than the small business. Convincing the customer of good services without any back up information is challenging. The businesses owner should, however, take measures to achieve the desired customer loyalty even if it might be quite challenging. Several measures can be exercised to see to it that a business attains good reputation.
A face should be attached to the name of the business. It is hard for clients to trust a business with no image. It is considered to involve other people since people trust others hence creation of an efficient rapport. This is achieved through presenting the business with people who have similar interests. Loyal customers do not have the urge to utilize services from other firms. One of the ways in which trust can be achieved is by introducing the people in your business and also offering basic information about them. Brands is more enticing if it encompasses a sense of personality.
Providing mutually beneficial advertising is also key in promoting a brand. Advertisement service has been subject to numerous changes over time. This makes it necessary to design a brand in a way that it is appealing to the modern generation. When the advertising of a brand is a poor negative image of the brand is portrayed. Poor advertising, therefore, provoke a feeling that a firm is not considerate of the client. Ensure always that you find a niche which sells your clients on your morals as well as your products.
When promoting a brand it is crucial that strict privacy procedures are employed. When privacy is observed after purchases the client can identify with the goodwill of the service provider. Maintaining the privacy regarding customer details is key. For instance a client may provide their health state details, and they need to be confident those details will not be shared. The clients also expect privacy of their address details in cases where deliveries are concerned. Customers who offer their email addresses do not expect them to be revealed. To achieve a satisfactory effect to the client's privacy measures should be used.
The concerns of the customers should be catered for. A customer will always reconsider services of a brand that has treated them in a good manner. The the internet can be used as a highly effective method of advertising. The internet comprises of positive as well as negative implications for business. Through the internet the customers can be able to give their reviews on the business. Free promotion of the brand can be attained in the business. There is consumption of a lot of time while involving private customer lines. It is crucial to note that there are specific service providers who can carry out the service for you. Ansafone call center is a company that renders services of experienced personnel in regard to contact services . The contacts range from phone calls, emails, social media services as well as live chat box.


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A little about us.
JENCO CREATIVE is a boutique graphic design studio that makes companies look great by crafting beautiful brands, campaigns, websites, collateral, and environments.
We've been around since 2007, helping our clients make their services and products shine. We're small in size but big on personality. We're confident but check our egos, we're lighthearted but know when to get serious.
Most of all: we love our clients. So we do more than just design: with careful service and creative guidance, we make sure our clients are always comfortable and happy.
We're here for you.
You're working hard to grow your business. You need a trusted partner to make sure your branding and design are working for you. JENCO CREATIVE is here to help.
Providing one-on-one service, you'll have a dedicated team for everything — think of us as your outsourced design team. And even though we're off-site, we're always committed to being there for you. Anytime you need us, just give us a call. When you're with JENCO CREATIVE, you'll get the service you deserve.
Our Team
Jen Tracy
Jen Tracy is the owner and Creative Director of JENCO CREATIVE. Jen's graphic design career spans more than 15 years, and she's had the pleasure of working with a roster of amazing clients ranging from the Got MILK campaign to Mary J. Blige. Her design work has won a number of awards, and is known for being smart, inspired, and effective. With a relentless desire to create quality work, Jen loves expressing her client's personality and vision.
Throughout Jen's career she's been an editor for The Dieline packaging blog, a premiere member of NAWBO, an organization that helps empower women in business, and a mentor with the I Have a Dream Foundation.
DJ Riemersma
DJ Riemersma is a digital designer at JENCO CREATIVE. He's also a sports lover, motorcycle rider and Saul Bass fan. For over 15 years DJ has enjoyed the opportunity to work with numerous clients, from Fortune 500 companies to startups, to create award-winning, lasting and remarkable digital designs.
For DJ, designing at the intersection of aesthetics and function is the goal, and concept is the foundation.
Curtis Kuhn
Curtis Kuhn is a writer and brand strategist for JENCO CREATIVE. For 10+ years he's been creating award-winning content for companies and nonprofits big and small, in industries ranging from video games to biotech to beer. With a knack for telling a good story, and the flexibility to add some humor or tug at heart strings in equal measure, Curtis is here to remind you that a brand can't just look great – it has to sound great, too.


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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After private meetings with Pope Francis, three survivors of clergy sexual abuse from Chile said they felt they had been heard and were hopeful for changes in the way the Catholic Church handles accusations of abuse.
"I spoke for more than two and a half hours alone with Pope Francis. He listened to me with great respect, affection and closeness, like a father. We talked about many subjects. Today, I have more hope in the future of our church. Even though the task is enormous," Juan Carlos Cruz tweeted April 29 after meeting with the pope.
Pope Francis had invited Cruz, James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo to stay at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican residence where he lives, and to meet with him individually April 27-29. The three were to meet with the pope again as a group April 30.
Although the three survivors tweeted after their private meetings, Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, said Pope Francis "expressly wished" that no official statements would be released by the Vatican regarding his discussions with the survivors.
"His priority is to listen to the victims, ask their forgiveness and respect the confidentiality of these talks," Burke said in a statement April 27. "In this climate of trust and reparation for suffering, the desire of Pope Francis is to allow his guests to speak as long as necessary, in a way that there is no set timetable or pre-established content."
In a tweet sent after his April 27 meeting, Murillo said he spoke with Pope Francis for two hours and that "in a respectful and frank way, I expressed the importance of understanding abuse as an abuse of power, of the need to assume responsibility, of care and not just forgiveness."
Hamilton sent two tweets April 28 shortly after his meeting with the pope, saying that it lasted a "little over two hours" and that it was "sincere, welcoming and enormously constructive."
I am "very happy and satisfied," he said.
The Chilean survivors have alleged that Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno — then a priest — had witnessed their abuse by his mentor, Father Fernando Karadima. In 2011, Father Karadima was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance by the Vatican after he was found guilty of sexually abusing boys.
Although he initially defended his 2015 appointment of Bishop Barros as head of the Diocese of Osorno, Pope Francis apologized after receiving a 2,300-page report from a trusted investigator he sent to Chile to listen to people with information about the bishop.
The investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, is president of a board of review within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; the board handles appeals filed by clergy accused of abuse or other serious crimes. The archbishop also had 10 years of experience as the Vatican's chief prosecutor of clerical sex abuse cases at the doctrinal congregation.
After a "careful reading" of the testimonies, "I believe I can affirm that all the testimonies collected speak in a brutal way, without additives or sweeteners, of many crucified lives and, I confess, it has caused me pain and shame," the pope said April 11 in a letter to the bishops of Chile.
The pope also said he was convening a meeting in Rome with the Chilean bishops to discuss the findings of the investigations and his own conclusions "without prejudices nor preconceived ideas, with the single objective of making the truth shine in our lives."
The three survivors, who have been outspoken about the church's handling of abuse cases, welcomed Pope Francis' letter and accepted his invitation to meet so he could ask "forgiveness of all those I have offended."
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Having let music fall by the wayside after focusing on visual media and following breaking my foot at the start of my third college year, I decided to have a shot at making some music my myself. This EP is the result of my sometimes patchy but noble efforts.
The EP focuses on the reflection of a year following a break up.


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Sail Cowabunga! will set the scene for a social evening of a gathering of the Sebastopol Book Club in a private home. A presentation, discussion, question-and-answer session, slide show and video will round out the evening.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: January 11An Evening Reading at 'Get Lit'
Later Event: January 27A Conversation with Sailors


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High pressure washing
ECOLOGICA S.p.A. performs activities of high pressure water washing and chemical wash in thermoelectric power plants, refineries, steel plants and other industrial plants.
For the execution of these activities the following equipment are used:
High pressure pumps
- 8 high pressure water wash pumps KAMAT type, of which:
3 PTC 4 with pressure up to 750 bar and flow capacity up to 180 lt/min
3 PTC 6 with pressure up to 950 bar and flow capacity up to 250 lt/min
2 PTC 7 with pressure up to 1.200 bar and flow capacity up to 280 lt/min
- 2 High pressure pumps HAMMELMANN with pressure up to 2700 bar and flow capacity up to 27 lt/min;
- 1 High pressure pump HAMMELMANN with pressure up to 1150 bar and flow capacity up to 150 lt/min.
- boiler for high pressure hot water with ΔT= 75 °C and pressure up to 750 bar;
- 2 robots for internal and external tube bundles cleaning with 4 rods;
- 1 robot for internal tube bundles cleaning;
- 1 extractor for tube bundles Mod. MEF-EXPRESS 1500/65D Diesel, length 9,50 mt;
- 1 extractor mod. 2200F for tube bundles extraction, capacity up to 32 tons of heat exchangers and TIRAGGIO capacity of 50 tons, length 11,60;
- 1 extractor for tube bundles Mod. MEF-EXPRESS 1500/65D Diesel, length from 6,50 mt. that can be extended up to 9,50 mt;
- 1 tube bundles conveyor (MAMMUT) Mod. MD-040 – capacity 25.000 kg;
- nozzles of different capacity and dimension;
- high pressure hot water jet cleaners;
- motor air compressors;
- cold cutting tools.


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You're probably here because you were searching for a web design company in Sacramento to build your website.
But a website isn't what you really need.
You're really after results.
You're seeking someone who understands how to reach your customers.
Someone who can take your message and make it resonate with people who need your services. Much more than merely having them find your site.
You want to work someone who understands people just as much as they understand technology.
Someone who wants to see you succeed, and not just collect your hard-earned money.
If you're looking for someone who can advise you as well as design and build your website, you should check out Lockedown Design & SEO.
Don't take my word for it. Go read what's written on the blog, analyze the case studies of other businesses, read the pages there.
Research what's out there, and you'll find that Lockedown Design & SEO will make sure your business is set up for success.
See you there.


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6' Banquet + Linen
6' Banquet + Linen
Our 6′ Banquet Tables work great for a dessert bar or combine them to make a fun u-shaped head table!
*Polyester linen included. Specialty linens are also available at an additional cost. Email or call for specific color options!
Dimensions: 72″ long x 30″ deep x 29″ tall
Quantity: 10


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If the child has an active CCS Enrolment, and will not have any updates in the their regular enrolment schedule in the new year, there is no need to take any action.
Option 1: Updating Existing Enrolment Schedule
- This option is for children with an existing CCS enrolment at your service and needs to have any updated fees, session days, session times re-approved. Click here for more info to update the enrolment schedule.
- Parents will not be required to confirm the enrolment on MyGov, as there is already an active enrolment.
- This option is for children who have a "CWA Confirmed" enrolment at your service (see below).
Option 2: Creating a New CCS Enrolment
- This option is for entirely new children at the service with no active CCS enrolment (due to a ceased enrolment, or no previous CCS enrolment).
- Click here for more info on creating a new CCS enrolment.
- Once you have completed this, click here for parent steps.
- Only required for children who have bookings within the next 6-8 weeks at your service.


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We provide a few resources for getting set up with a Minecraft server and modding. Assembly likely required.Read More
ScratchJr is a fantastic resource that all young coders should be using. But what is ScratchJr, and why shouldn't your child just move into Scratch? This post answers those questions, and it contains 7 introductory projects that will help your child be prepared for creating stories and animations in ScratchJr.Read More


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Michael Hastings, the journalist and author, had written a novel based on his own life before he was killed in a car crash in June.
That book, described as a fast, funny roman à clef about a young, eager magazine intern named Michael M. Hastings, has been acquired by Blue Rider Press, the publisher said on Thursday. It will be released next summer.
Mr. Hastings, who was 33 when he died, had told only his wife, Elise Jordan, and a few close friends and family members about the novel. After Mr. Hastings's death, one of the people who had read the manuscript reminded Ms. Jordan of its existence. She looked for it on his computer and discovered a completed draft.
Titled "The Last Magazine," the book is set at a national magazine in the lead-up to the Iraq War in the early 2000s. The protagonist is an inexperienced journalist who is desperate for an assignment.
Mr. Hastings, who wrote for Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed and other publications, had previously worked as a reporter for Newsweek magazine. He covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the presidential campaigns of 2008 and 2012.
"I read 'The Last Magazine' shortly after Michael's death and found solace in the rush of his trademark candor and insight," Ms. Jordan said in an e-mail.
Mr. Hastings had been writing the novel for years, his publisher said, but interrupted his work to take on reporting assignments and to write a nonfiction book, "The Operators," which expanded on his widely read profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal in Rolling Stone that won a George Polk Award.
Blue Rider Press is an imprint of Penguin Random House and published "The Operators." David Rosenthal, the president and publisher of Blue Rider Press, acquired both books.


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Thanks, Maggie! Maggie writes:
I wanted to share my latest photos with you as today I saw a family of wild otters along the seawall in Vancouver. My husband and I were having an early morning walk when we spotted a mum with her three pups. She fed them some fish and then took them to the beach while she went to look for more food.
The pups were very boisterous and completely adorable. It's been a dream of mine to see wild otters and this was a real treat.


text: Mysteries I am not a devout prayer of the Rosary, but as I sit beside my dying loved one I find I cannot pray. All my attempts are swamped by too many swirling thoughts and emotions and too little sleep. I take up my beads. What Mysteries do I pray today? Blank brain, so I... Read More →


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Our Mission
Everything we do at Dank's Wonder Emporium is to bring the best possible price to the largest number of people in a safe environment and with the most enjoyable shopping experience.
Dank's Wonder Emporium strives every day to improve our systems which will provide a better more enjoyable and convenient experience for each of our customers, who represent diverse cultural groups of various incomes. The goal of Dank's Wonder Emporium is to provide a warm and friendly experience to each and every customer, every time.
Dank's Wonder Emporium is in the customer service business, we always remember that customers have choices and it's our goal to have them choose us every time, if they have 5 dollars or 500 dollars. At the core of the Dank's Wonder Emporium culture is always putting the customer first, in front of oneself, the company or the bottom line.
Every individual connected to Dank's Wonder Emporium has to make choices on a daily basis, but if there is ever doubt or you are unclear, you should always choose what is best for the customer before what is best for the company. You will find in the long run they are one in the same.
Dank's Wonder Emporium realizes we are in an emerging industry and therefore to make sure our customers are receiving the highest quality of products additional effort may be required. Dank's Wonder Emporium invests in vertical integration, not to increase profits or margins but to provide a better price and higher quality of product to our customers. Even though this may decrease the short term return on investment for the company.


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Art Opening Tonight at LBIF! Come see SwellColors' artwork!
SwellColors has two of our artists' work up on display in the LBI Foundation's Winter Exhibition: Deep Freeze Fest, opening tonight January 27th! The opening reception will have gorgeous work by local artists on display, drinks and merriment! And you can see both Mary Tantillo's incredible "Ospreys" mosaic surfboard, and our silversmith, Ceire Parker's newest additions to her "Locals series of necklaces. All artwork is available for purchase, and the exhibition is a fundraiser for the LBI Foundation- all entrance fees to benefit the services and workshops that LBIF provides. Join us! Check out more info below:


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The Rubber Rose, the female-owned adult-toy shop that used to occupy a hidden spot on Ray Street in North Park, has moved to a spot front and center at 917 E St. in the heart of Downtown (but on the outskirts of the Gaslamp, thankfully). Rubber Rose specializes in non-toxic playthings, lubricants, erotica and other titillating things in a comfortable and approachable atmosphere.
My favorite thing about the Rose is that they've got samples of everything out on the display tables. This means you can see (and touch) what you're actually getting and it makes for a hilariously lively table setting.
And if you've got questions of the more difficult kind, Lea is your gal—she's full of great information and very easy to talk to. This Sunday they're celebrating their new space with a party from 4 to 8 p.m. But if you'd rather swing by when other people aren't looking, they're open Tuesday through Sunday. And, of course, you can always shop (naked) from home on their website, therubberrose.com.


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Vote for Punch Brothers at ESPN.com
ESPN aired 9 different bands' versions of Take Me Out to the Ballgame in honor of the song's 100th birthday this summer, and viewers are now voting for their favorite! Add your vote here ESPN's Baseball Tonight will commemorate the 100th anniversary of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" - the famous seventh inning stretch song - with a "battle of the bands" featuring nine different musical guests.
Punch Brothers performance on Baseball Tonight aired this Wednesday June 18. Voting will begin on June 29th once all the videos have been aired. The top three finalists will be announced on July 6th with the winner being named on July 13th. Make Punch Brothers the winner! Go Cubs!


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Sleep may potentially be the most overlooked aspect of overall health, physical health and view of self image. People who habitually sleep for shorter periods are more at risk for a negative view of self image as compared to those who regularly get a full night of restful sleep. How amazing is it that we have the ability to increase self-confidence and view of our own bodies simply by sleeping more.
From a physiological standpoint, we are tearing down the body throughout the day whether it be by means of physical exercise, stress levels, or overexerting ourselves at work. As noted in The Big 3! everything is putting a stress on our systems, muscle fibers are broken down, adrenal stores that give us energy are being used up, and our brains are worn out due to high stimulus. Sleep helps to combat all of these regular systems. Sleep promotes Growth hormone release from the pituitary gland, which is responsible for overall repair of the body. Everything is affected from muscle rebuilding/growth, hair, skin and nail health, and longevity of health. The pituitary is also responsible for the restoring of the adrenal glands with help from the hypothalamus. With lack of sleep these organs do not function to their fullest potential leaving you with a repetitive state of less energy and risk of mental and physical injury. Water balance is also regulated during our sleep. Ever notice how on a sleepless night you wake up bloated and watery? This is because your body is protecting itself from the lack of sleep by holding onto extra water to use as hydration. With a full night of sleep this water is release because your body has repaired itself and no longer needs the additional water.
While all people are different, it is still recommended that the average working person get a minimum of 7-9 hours per sleep a night. Take into consideration a high dieting or workout phase, increased work hours, or additional mental stress on a project and the amount of sleep needed may increase a few additional hours. People often say, "oh well I only sleep 4-5 hours a night and I'm fine". This often leads to burnout and inconsistencies during the day. One may argue the fact that less sleep equals more hours in the day for work, however the downside to that is that the productivity levels and efficiency of what is accomplished is far inferior to if a full night's rest were had. Try increasing sleep and see how overall levels of productivity, muscle growth and fat loss are affected in a positive manner.


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Salon at The Del Coronado specializes in haircut, color, highlights, bridal and formal styling, blowouts, manicures, pedicures, make-up and eyelash applications, barber services, waxing and more.
The salon showcases natural eco-friendly products like the aloe vera-based Eufora, the Hero line for men, and anti-aging SpaRitual skin products and vegan and paraben-free polishes for beautiful nails.
1500 Orange Ave., Coronado, Ca. 92118Get directions ›


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The end of this financial year is coming and we want to give you a few tips to analyse your business from a strategic and financial perspective and get ready for 2018/2019!
Rethink Your Business Objectives and Strategies
Identify new opportunities and take the time to analyse if any changes need to be made for improvements. Being agile will give your the business flexibility it needs to stay at the forefront of your industry. Make sure that you, your Management and Team are all on the same page about where you're at now and what you're trying to achieve. It can also be helpful to look your competition – what are they doing well and where are their gaps that could capitalise on?
Set Goals
Once the big picture has been discussed, make sure that you set achievable goals and targets. It's important to get by-in from your team about targets and put incentives in place. Your targets might be broken down monthly or quarterly, and could be around budgets, retention, customer service or market share. If possible, set team and individual targets and let everyone in the company know how their work aids the business and it's goals every day.
Review Your Marketing & Advertising
Having targets is one thing – but what are you going to do to ensure those targets are met? If you're trying to grow, you need to know the numbers around:
- What is your average client/ customer worth to the business?
- How many leads do you get a month?
- What percentage of those leads result in a sale?
- To grow, how many more leads do you need to meet the targets?
From there, you'll need a strategy in place to acquire the leads that are required to grow your business and hit budgets.
Do Your Tax!
This might seem like an obvious one but getting your accounts in order and preparing the tax return does require time and attention to detail. It can also give you the opportunity to look at ways of improving your operations. If you haven't opted for an automated process yet, don't keep postponing it and there are tools available that can make it a lot easier for you to reconcile bills and process accounts. Alternatively you can outsource it all if you don't want to deal with it!
Review Your Financial Position
These are some financial aspects to check:
Inventory: Knowing how much you have in the hold at the end of the commercial year and patterns from the last 12 months allows you to plan for the following year and manage your supply chain.
Cash flow: Having adequate cash flow provides your business with the comfort and capabilities to invest in growth. Are there areas that your cash flow can be improved?
Level of debt and aged receivables: Checking your debt balance and analysing the payment conditions and interest rates of anyone in debt to you is always a good thing too audit at EOFY. Are there some quick wins there or do payment conditions need to be updated for the next year?
No matter the size of your business, it's always good to 'take stock' at the end of the financial year. If you need help with your marketing strategy – talk to a Digital Strategist today on 0800 878 833 or contact us here.


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The Ultracentrifugation Consortium was established in 2015 with funding from the Herculesstichting, to serve the general research community at the University of Antwerp and regional biotechnology companies on a cost-per-use basis. The facility provides two Beckman ultracentrifuges and expertise in several departments of life sciences.
The consortium provides technical and intellectual support for scientific applications of the ultracentrifuges.
The ultracentrifugation consortium is located at the University of Antwerp and managed by several cooperating labs:


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- 1 beds
- 1 baths
- $199,000 price
- 801112 mls id
- Square Feet: 772 sqft
- Neighborhood: Elation
- Status: Active
Enjoy golf course views from the balcony of this one-bedroom condo in Elation at the Village of Baytowne Wharf. Fully furnished and already producing income, this resort condo is ready for your weekend getaway and/or continued rental revenue. As an introduction to the Sandestin lifestyle, we invite our new owners to explore some of the amenities that make Sandestin special. The listing brokerage and seller(s) are presenting the buyer(s) of this property with a golf foursome at one of our three championship courses, an introductory membership at the unrivaled Burnt Pine Golf Club, one spa service up to $100 in value, and (2) 90-minute rounds of court time at Sandestin Tennis.
Courtesy of: SRE
Office Phone: (850) 267-8100
Listing Agent: Kim Bauman
Updated: 14th February, 2019 10:10 AM.
9800 Grand Sandestin Boulevard Miramar Beach, FL


text: Back to School Sale Back to School Sale!Get everything you need from campus cruisers to high visibility gear for the fall season. All 2016 Bikes on sale!All In-Stock clothing at least 20% off. This includes gloves, socks, and all Fall clothing!Select lights, locks, helmets, and back to school essentials 20% off! Tim FarmerAugust 11, 2016 Facebook0 Twitter LinkedIn0 StumbleUpon Reddit 0 Likes


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Austin Garden Tours: begin/
Touring with the annual Garden Bloggers Fling
Every spring for the past ten years, garden bloggers from across the country and internationally (Canada and England were represented this year) gather in an event to network, support each other, and tour gardens in the host city. This was my first "Fling," and I was so impressed. The central Texas bloggers are seriously talented event planners, as our whole 3-1/2 days flowed without a hitch. If there were glitches from the organizers' point of view, I never saw them. The 93 of us felt welcome and well-taken-care-of everywhere we went.
Join me here and over future days, as I sort through hundreds of photos* of some well-loved Austin gardens, and post them here.
(*I most gluttonously captured!)
Our first night was a welcome reception at Austin's very modern Central Library, opened just this last October. (Garden blogger Pam Penick wrote wonderful coverage of it here.) This unique 6-floor beauty has a lot of pride of place. I admire how the architects brought in outdoor ambiance within the indoor spaces (the indoor-outdoor connection may be one of my favorite things). Looking closely, you realize how much the design takes full advantage of its river views; downtown skyline; its eastern, southern, and western exposures; and its location on Shoal Creek and the very cool Shoal Creek Trail.
We were welcome to peruse two key outdoor spaces: the thoughtful landscaping at street level (adjacent to Shoal Creek), and a wonderful rooftop garden--unusual in that it's part of the sitting space for the library itself.
Shoal Creek Trail (and downtown sections of the creek) have been newly renovated, and I'm envious of this natural paved corridor right in the middle of town. (Portland does this kind of thing as well--in fact, Austin reminded me of Portland in many ways.) The picture above was taken from the pedestrian-friendly Second Street bridge. Note rooftop gardens with their solar panel arbors, on top of the Library.
Creek restoration used boulders and slabs of the native stone, laid in sort of shelf formations, approximating creek-eroded rims in the Hill Country. Native plants help hold the banks.
In other places the stones were laid formally--a nice contrast to neighboring elements. Honestly, these Hill Country stones just plain look good with plants. Soft and hard, together.
Whereas the creek side is the "back yard" of the building (its living spaces and pedestrian entrances), the front of the building faces Cesar Chavez Street. The boulevard and Lady Bird Lake are on the right in the photo below.
The street-level patios in front are separated from Cesar Chavez by a berm of native plants, and these blocks are an interpretation of the layered formations of Hill Country limestone.
Rooftop Garden. My favorite place in the library was the rooftop garden--a public nook where local folks can check out a book, read it outdoors in the shade of solar-panel arbors, amidst a garden and a penthouse view.
This space is for the public. I absolutely love that.
The rooftop's seat walls are formed in the same geometric nod to local limestone formations. They are not a uniform level, but artistically shaped, like sculpture. Native plants further the tie-in to the greenspaces all around the city. It's quite a calming environment.
I was first introduced to Bauhinia lunarioides (Anacacho orchid tree) by the friendly and very sophisticated plant nerds who were my companions for the next three days. They have such keen awareness of the plants surrounding them and a pleasant camaraderie of sharing.
It was another newbie to this plant--from New York City--who pointed it out to me. (Thank you, Kevin!)
Kevin showed me the plant, we entered into a discussion, and to help me he pulled it up on his phone. (Everyone has conversations on rooftop gardens like this, right?)
The sun was setting when we walked back to our hotel by way of the riverfront roads.
City Hall caught my eye with its cool architecture and use of open space, stone and plants. The exterior pairs wood, metal and stone (always a good thing)...and does not forget the plants in its thoughtful design. I was intrigued by the horsetail--the bane of my existence at home). Still, I admire this dinosaur-age plant and remain curious about it's beauty (sometimes), how it is used architecturally, and how it is contained!
The forecast for the morning was up to 4" of rain (I had a hard time wrapping my brain around that!). So it was back to the hotel room to prepare my equipment and pack for the day, which proved to be quite epic.
If you are reading this on an email, you may comment here. Or click on link below if you're in the blog page. I'd love to hear from you!


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Chinese-owned SF Motors will have its $160 million manufacturing plant in northern Indiana running at full steam by the end of 2020. The revamped factory will be used for North American EV production according to state officials.
Silicon Valley-based SF Motors, which was established by the Chinese Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, will open at least two manufacturing lines in the new plant in order to build the production versions of the SF5 and SF7 electric SUVs. AutoNews reports that trial production of the SF5 will begin by the end of the year.
The new factory is in Mishawaka, Indiana and it's the former AM General site that used to produce Hummers and Mercedes R-Class models. SF Motors says the facilities have an annual assembly capacity of 50,000 cars.
"Indiana's reputation as a destination for business continues to be heard across the U.S. and around the world, attracting companies like SF Motors," Gov. Holcomb said. "With a world of options, we're thrilled SF Motors chose to expand in Indiana. We look forward to witnessing their continued success in Indiana as they develop 21st-century solutions with the help of our talented Hoosier workforce."
SF Motors says that up to 467 jobs are expected to be created by 2020. "With this investment and renovation, we are well poised to bring our cutting-edge vehicles to the highway by 2019 and closer to carrying out our global mission – to transform human mobility through intelligent electric vehicles," said John Zhang, Founder and CEO of SF Motors.
SF Motors revealed its SF5 and SF7 electric SUVs two months ago, promising to offer a wide range of power options that reach up to 1,000hp, making them capable of pulling 0-60mph in under three seconds and offering a range of over 300 miles (EPA) or 500km (NEDC).


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They say money can't buy class, but that's not the case in our latest feature.
There are literally thousands of unbelievable penthouses in New York – but few are as fantastic as this. Let's start with the specs, it has a 24ft high ceilings and it's position directly overlooks Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History.
It's current owners are tremendous supporters of the arts, that they contracted Madrid-based painter and artist Ramon Canet to coat the 24ft high ceiling with bursts of colour deep blues and rich yellows, whilst George Nakashimi (one of the leading top woodworking artists of the 20th century) added his distinctive touch to several items of the furniture. Oh and did we mention the fireplace dates back to the 17th century?
You can see more stunning view size photos of the apartment from the Daily Mail, it's recently been featured because the apartment itself is actually listed for sale. But you'd better be quick, because even if you DO have a spare $20,000,000 lying around, an apartment of such style and class it won't be on the market for long.
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Francesca Maffeo Gallery is pleased to announce our second 'Photo Social', a quaterly event which aims to engage with the local photography community.
Our second event welcomes Rodrigo Orrantia, Art Historian and Curator who specialises in photography and the photo book. Orrantia will be talking photo books as well as curating your own exhibitons and exploring proposals.
Following this there will be the opportunity for informal portfolio reviews with Orrantia and gallery driector Francesca Genovese. Please note that we will not be able to review all portfolios, however we encourage all particiants to bring work along as this is also a space for you to engage with peer review.
What is 'Photo Social'?
'Photo Social' is a space for practicing photographers of all levels to meet up and network with like minded people, a space to share work and gain valuable peer support.
We will also be providing the community with industry talks, workshops and portfolio reviews that aim to support various aspects of photographic practice.
Who is it open to?
The event is open to all individuals who have a strong interest in photography. Whether you are an amateur, student, or an established professional, all are welome!
What will you take away from the event?
The aim of 'Photo Social' is to gather the local photography community together, getting you to engage with each other through networking and discussion. This opens up a wonderful space to develop ideas and even collaborate with each other. The gallery will schedule various talks and workshops to provide a broad range of support and professional development opportunities for you to 'Connect, Develop & Succeed'
Booking Information
Tickets are priced at £8.00 for this event.
Email: education@francescamaffeogallery for enquiries
Refreshments will be provided for this event.