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Company: Amazon Web Services
Role: AR Manager
Location: Seattle, USA
Contact: Emily Dorch at Amazon
Amazon Web Services (AWS) seeks a creative, self-motivated, high-judgement, well-connected and experienced analyst relations (AR) professional to help drive its communications program. The AWS cloud computing platform is used today by hundreds of thousands of businesses and developers around the world, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 50 enterprises. These companies are consuming compute capacity, storage, database services and more in the cloud, rather than undertaking the heavy lifting of maintaining their own datacenters. By implementing systems on these foundational components, businesses can focus on adding value to their customers and getting to market quickly rather than worrying about building and scaling physical infrastructure.
Cloud computing is arguably one of the most impactful developments in technology within the last 20 years. AWS is a pioneer and leader in the fast growing field of cloud computing. The successful candidate will have the unique opportunity to drive execution of our AR program. The AR Manager role is tasked with driving awareness of the rapidly expanding number of services in the AWS technology infrastructure portfolio. The AWS AR Manager must be comfortable with balancing strategic thinking with tactical, detailed execution while working independently, sorting through ambiguously defined problems, identifying and facing big challenges, and adjusting to sudden and frequent change.
The ideal candidate is motivated by learning in a highly creative and dynamic culture where they will need to participate in the challenge of breaking new ground and redefining best practices. In this role, the candidate will have a direct opportunity to impact AWS results, helping to innovate AR processes and communications as needed. The right candidate possesses media/analyst experience/relationships, is an expert at writing and creating stories, can quickly understand technically deep topics, successfully managed numerous Gartner Magic Quadrants and Forrester Waves, and possess a proven track-record of securing powerful coverage results.
This role is based in Seattle and will require periodic travel.
There are thousands of analysts at hundreds of firms worldwide who are trying to understand and help customers understand the new paradigm of cloud computing. Our role is to inform these analysts and explain how AWS is different than traditional IT infrastructure offerings, and to work with these analysts to understand core customer requirements and concerns.
The AWS AR Manager will be responsible for:
- Partner with AR Director to develop and execute worldwide analyst strategy
- Drive analyst awareness of AWS service offerings and significantly expand analyst understanding of the unique AWS approach to cloud computing
- Proactively and simultaneously manage multiple vendor ratings, and secure positive placement of AWS services in key reports such as the Gartner Magic Quadrant and Forrester Wave
- Advance the development, simplification and innovation of the AWS AR program while defining repeatable best practices for the organization
- Deliver on-going AR program activities such as analyst briefings, inquiries, reporting and other core program tactics
- Collaborate with PR and services teams to educate analysts on service and feature launches for ever-expanding portfolio of AWS services
- Prioritize and manage incoming requests for information, research review, customer references, event speakers, and research
- Write presentations and prepare executives for engaging with analysts
- Defining, measuring and reporting success and learnings
- Driving alignment with sales, marketing and product engineering to maximize awareness of customer requirements, existing market evidence, and AR program impact
Basic Qualifications:
- 4-7 years of combined press and analyst relations experience in the tech industry
- 4+ years of AR experience directly interacting with Gartner, Forrester and other major IT industry analyst firms
- Experience managing vendor rating in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants and Forrester Waves
- Experience managing a current network of analyst contacts
- Bachelor's degree
Preferred Qualifications:
- Excellent written and oral communications skills
- Clearly understands technology and can abstract business/solution value
- Team player who is willing to roll up their sleeves to get the job done
- Self-starter with a strong sense of ownership
- Outstanding attention to detail
- Able to prioritize in complex, fast-paced environment
- Natural tendency to invent, simplify, and take innovative approach to AR
- Creative thinker with bias for action
- Strong project management skills
- Experience successfully managing vendor rating in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants and Forrester Waves preferred
- Previous, first-hand experience delivering analyst tours, analyst summit, and other events is a plus
- IIAR Certification and membership preferred, although not essential.


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Ask The Dust
Dir/scr Robert Towne. US. 2005. 117mins.
Robert Towne returns with an evocative, nuanced adaptation of John Fante's Depression-era novel Ask The Dust, a visually lustrous and imaginatively staged film that is given piercing depth of feeling from leads Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek.
Fante's autobiographical 1939 work was a dominant literary influence on Towne's greatest achievement, his script for Roman Polanski's Chinatown. His new picture, a story of love, loss and quietly aching desperation, returns to the director's recurrent theme of prickly, defiant individuals caught in the tragic underside of Hollywood ambition. It's not a post-modern work like say the Coen brothers' Barton Fink.
Remarkably, the film was shot in South Africa, with 1930s Los Angeles beautifully conjured through artfully drawn sets, stylised backdrops and computer imagery. Consequently at times it feels as though it were unfolding on a set, though the effect only heightens the appreciation of, and superb recreation of, classic, old Hollywood.
The movie plays on large themes - race, class and artistic creativity - though the rhythm and tone is tender, even quietly observed. Towne strives for Fante's lyrical realism, and the movie is emotionally deceptive in the way it constantly frustrates logic and expectation.
A halting love story that never quite ignites, the movie is probably too tentative and enigmatic for mainstream crowds, and despite the artistry and seriousness, its down beat is a clear turnoff. Ask The Dust kicked off the Santa Barbara Film festival, played Sundance and opens in the US on March 17 through Paramount Classics. A more receptive audience is probably going to be found in Europe, particularly because of Farrell and Hayek.
Arturo Bandini (Farrell, looking thin and impressive), is Fante's alter ego, a sweet, good-natured striver emotionally scarred by the strong anti-Italian prejudice he encountered growing up in Colorado.
Avid to find his style and voice as a young writer while experiencing thrill and pleasure in Los Angeles, circa 1934, Bandini lives in a one-room hotel, at the Alta Loma, in Bunker Hill, surrounded by a group of beautiful dreamers.
Like most Towne protagonists, he carries a privileged aura of rebellion and determination. His sponsor is the great iconoclastic writer and editor HL Mencken (the voice of film historian and biographer Richard Schickel). Towne is not afraid to draw him in less than flattering ways, painting him as callow, emotionally needy, sullen and strangely withdrawn.
At the start, down to his final nickel, Bandini is jolted by his encounter with Camilla (Hayek), a beautiful Mexican waitress. "You're vulgar, loud and angry," she says. The strange, discursive movement of their relationship grounds the movie emotionally. Early on Bandini is strangely unable to connect with her earthy provocations. He insults her, condescends to her or acts stupidly during their first sexual encounter during a beautifully shot ocean rendezvous.
Jealous of her relationship with a bartender (Kirk), he falls into the clutches of Rita (Menzel), a beautiful, tragically scarred Jewish princess.
Towne's best known scripts ( The Last Detail , Shampoo ) centred on male vanity and bravado, though ever since his first work as a director, Personal Best (1982), he has shown himself as a marvellously sympathetic and revealing director of women.
Playing alternate variations on the tragic heroine, Hayek and Menzel are heartbreaking, drawn with an edge, volatility and tenderness that gather a colourful and vibrant poignancy and depth.
Caleb Deschanel's cinematography is both haunting and lilting, swooning in the radiant light, though compelling, even terrifying, in the soft-register of the night. Dennis Gassner's elegant, burnished production design is also a knockout.
The final sections of Ask The Dust are a bit too diffusive and distracted, the plot jumping from place to place, and it dilutes the power and suggestiveness of much of what is good and original about the movie.
Towne makes his living writing scripts such as Days Of Thunder or Mission: Impossible. Realising this long deferred dream project, Ask The Dusk is finally about the ineffable. It is a powerful, welcome reminder of his peculiar, idiosyncratic talent.

subset: commoncrawl


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Two young girls Amirah Adara and Tricia Teen fuck with the teacher
Amirah Adara is a Porn Star from Hungary. She was born in Budapest on February 18, 1992. Tricia Teen is a Porn Star from Hungary. She was born in Budapest on July 10, 1996.
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Welcome to Monday where I usually share a smile but since today is International Epilepsy Day (a joint initiative created by the International Bureau for Epilepsy and the International League Against Epilepsy), I wanted to shed awareness on the condition since epilepsy has personally touched the Ranch and to encourage everyone to advocate for legislation guaranteeing the rights of all those who suffer from epilepsy. International Epilepsy Day is a global event which is celebrated annually on the 2nd Monday of February. It's also the day when those who live with epilepsy share their experience with a global audience and encourage and remind anyone who lives with this condition to live life to their fullest potential.
You may recall that shortly after adopting Elsa (read her adoption story here or another post about some of the trials and tribulations here) from the puppy mill she had been in, she started initially having severe life threatening Grand Mal seizures. The diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy was personally devastating, however I was determined to make her life better after all she'd already endured. Epilepsy can be managed. Elsa's on anti-seizure medication as well as receiving multiple doses of CBD, spread throughout the day. It has taken many months to get the dosage for both appropriate in order to reduce the frequency and intensity of the seizures. With epilepsy there can be lots of trial and error. Once the anti-seizure medication dose seemed appropriate, her vet recommended adding CBD. Initially, she continued to experience seizures at the rate of about every 6-9 weeks although the intensity was reduced. After switching to a locally sourced organic CBD, her seizures came far less frequent and were minor in their intensity.
Once a year Elsa has her blood levels tested to determine the impact of the medication on her liver. While reducing the number of seizures, CBD is metabolized the same way in the liver as anti-seizure meds so her blood is monitored closely. For the most part, they're fairly good and she had been been seizure free for 15 months but then suffered a minor seizure last month so the clock restarts but the vet is reasonably pleased with her progress. We're working on her diet to help her shed a few pounds and to reduce slightly elevated cholesterol levels. Overall she's doing well, giving her brother a run for his money and bringing joy to me with her sweet ways and always entertaining behavior with toys where she frequently stands over them, barks and then pounces, as if trying to cow them into submission.
Elsa is the second dog I've owned as an adult who suffered from seizures and while I've learned a lot since adopting her, I certainly don't have all the answers. Luckily there are many online resources and forums available to help epi-warriors' families with ongoing questions and tips.
Did you know one in every 100 dogs is affected by epilepsy? Idiopathic epilepsy (the most common cause of seizures in dogs), is an inherited disorder, yet its exact cause is unknown. Other causes may include liver disease, kidney failure, brain tumors, brain trauma, or toxins. Onset in dogs usually begins sometime between 2-6 years. Elsa's first episodes were quite severe, life threatening in fact that required emergency vet intervention but are now mostly well managed. Her life is relatively normal, all things considered and when the epi-monster hits, I know how to proceed to treat her. Do you know anyone who is epileptic?
In honor of International Epilepsy Day, I hope you'll wear something purple today to honor and support anyone who suffers from this condition, be they two or four legged.
A partial list of resources:
Canine Epilepsy Network (http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/basics/basics_index.html)
The Wally Foundation (https://www.facebook.com/thewallyfoundation/)
The Epilepsy Foundation (https://www.epilepsy.com)
AKC Canine Health Foundation (https://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/top-health-concerns/epilepsy/
Live, love, bark! 🐾


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Internet pornography is still the number one searched topic online. Thus porn sites are very profitable to this day and moreover, creating a porn site is easier than ever before. There are a number of porn site scripts that have been circulating online and Mechbunny is one of them. In this Mechbunny tube script review you are going to learn about my experience with the script, as well as a comparison to other scripts in the industry.
– – Mechbunny Tube Script Review —
The price of the Mechbunny tube script is 400 Euros. It is a quite a lot. I have been an adult affiliate for years now and I have used this script, so you are at the right place for reading an unbiased review.
I bought it a few years ago and the price back then was 700 Euros, quite a lot for a tube site script. The script was definitely not bad, but not as easy to maintain as a WordPress site.
One thing to consider is that it is difficult to switch from a Mechbunny site to a site with WordPress. And also the maintenence cost for this kind of site is about $100 a month, so if you can't afford it now, better not buy it.
Moreover, if you want to customize your site and if you don't have any programming skills, you will need to pay someone to make the customizations, so this will add up to your cost.
A WordPress site on the other hand is easy to run and there are a lot of people using it. There are plenty of plugins to help you add to your site the desired features.
Some adult webmasters will say that Mechbunny is the best tube script, and I partly agree with that, but you will need to also take into consideration the aspects mentioned above. Especially the fact that is isn't cheap.
Despite of it I would recommend Mechbunny if you have big bucks and also programming skills. The big tube sites in the industry are using it.
Another important aspect for a script is the support from the company it created and at MechBunny the support is very good. You can contact here their customer support: http://support.mechbunny.com/
Mechbunny vs. Other Tube Scripts
I have also bought other scripts and I can say that Mechbunny is a great. I have tried WP-script (you can read my full review here) and it their support was not so good, and the script would get bugs.
My experience has been the best so far with xwpthemes.com. And I especially like their plugins the Keyplayer and ken importer.
>> Read My Full Review of xwpthemes.com <<
If you are going to start a tube site I imagine that the biggest barrier for you is financial, but also having an open source script is important so you can make changes to it later. But more features mean more complexity and that's why I recommend xwpthemes for those who don't have experience in programming.
There are also a few other things to take into consideration: What are you trying to accomplish? Will you allow logins? Can users chat between each other? Can they favorite? Once the content is uploaded do you want it to be responsive on different devices?
If you only want to upload videos, the server can be simple, if you want to add social profiles to it, it can be more complex. The more features that you want your site to have the more complex it will be.
So, first figure out what you want to accomplish. Probably you won't need a lot of complex features at this stage of your business, just uploading videos and advertising.
Then as soon as you can afford Mechbunny you can drop the cash and take your site to a next level. There's really no best type of tube site. They all are different and it depends on the features you want yours to have. Like some tube sites have the translation features, but it's not necessary of all of them.
It all will depend on how much you are willing to spend on it and how much time you are willing to dedicate to learning and working on it. I am currently using the Retrotube theme from xwpthemes.com and also their plugins: the kenplayer and the ken importer plugin. My site works just fine.
This will give you a basic tube site where you can upload content to. And I have also added a community to it, by using BuddyPress.
Another very good script which is a little more high priced compared to xwpthemes is the xStreamer, a script created by Adent.io. The script is very high quality for the price, it costs $199.
==> Read My Full xStreamer Review <==
==> Top 4 Adult Tube Scripts <==
I also added some legal stuff at the footer, I just copied it from another site. The legal stuff is related to the fact that you can't claim that the content is user uploaded. You are re-uploading already public videos from other tube sites.
Anyways, since you are here for the Mechbunny, it has a really good industry standard and it has gotten better year after year.
The Pros
It works
It is maintained
It is Google friendly
The Cons
It is difficult to maintain
Requires coding skills to maintain it
It is difficult to switch from Mechbunny to a WordPress site
It requires a $100 investment a month for the decimated server which is necessary for a Mechbunny site
I find niche tube sites with WordPress do better and they are easier to maintain. If you have programing skills maybe the Mechbunny is right for you. However, I recommend WordPress scripts like the Retrotube from xwpthemes.com because the WordPress sites are easier to manage and WordPress is open source and used by a lot of people.
Below I am going to list some must-read posts from my blog. You really need to read them all:
Best adult Affiliate Programs for a Killer Conversion Rate
How to Start a Porn Site and Make Money in 2019: Step-by-step Guide for Newbies
How to Promote Your Porn Site: 10 Ways to Get Free Traffic
In addition to a tube site you can also start a porn directly, which is not that difficult to make, here's the guide:
What Is a Porn Directory and How to Build One
They can be made on WordPress and you can automate the process.
For any question you might have you can ask me in the comments section below.


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Keep your event as sanitary as possible with quality hand wash stations and scullery sinks. Our regular portable Hand Wash Station encourages good hygiene by making it simple for attendees to clean and dry their hands after using the toilet. The Hot Hand Wash Station, with its propane-on-demand heater and soap and paper towel dispensers, is perfect for chefs and other food preparers that handle non-prepackaged food and alcoholic beverages. Our 3-Hole Hot & Cold Sink allows temporary food facility workers to properly sterilize their pots, pans, dishes and utensils as they're preparing food at the venue. We fully understand the importance of event sanitation, and will go above and beyond to make certain that you get the hand wash and sink equipment you need.
"We had (another) wonderful experience with Event Factory Rentals at our last event. The product was perfect, but the customer service was even better. Upon delivery, Dean was so helpful and patient with teaching our staff how to operate the equipment (Porta Lisa Plus Cottage Luxury Restroom Trailer) and even left his personal cell phone number in case we needed him during our event. Ivet, who helped us over the phone and via email, was just as sweet."
"Event Factory Rentals is absolutely amazing and I would highly recommend using them! Event Factory Rentals does our fencing and restrooms for our Wine, Food & Brew Festival and I cannot say enough good things about them. John and his team in Ventura are so great to work with. They are very flexible and accommodating and ensure the job is done correctly and in a timely manner!"
"I have worked with John for a number of years. He is 100% consistent in his work as well as in his professionalism. John has offered me new ideas and new products each year and many of these have really impressed my clients and helped our business to grow. John is always on time and meets any deadlines set for him. I really enjoy working with him and his team!"
"Please pass along to the guys yesterday that they were awesome – it's not much fencing but it's in an odd spot and you can't drive right up. It's a pain – but they were fabulous and kept us smiling."
"VIP was so clean and so well equipped with everything you could ever ask for – my compliments from the bride and groom and all the attendees – you are all amazing AND DESERVE LOTS OF KUDOS"
"Event Factory Rentals supplied fencing to my sister's wedding – they did a beautiful job and were extremely helpful during the whole wedding-planning process! I will definitely rent from them again!"
"I have never dealt with a more outstanding company than Event Factory Rentals. These guys are very professional in this business. Extremely satisfied with their fence rental services. I definitely suggest them into my friend circle. Thank you guys!!!"
"Event Factory Rentals has provided fencing for our annual family bbq for the past 5 years. With our big family, we have babies and dogs wandering around constantly so renting portable fencing is a must. Event Factory Rentals does a great job and makes the whole process easy which is why we plan on renting from them for many years to come!"
"Event Factory Rentals has continued to go above and beyond expectations. They set the standard for customer service and raise the bar high for others to follow. Thank you to the entire Atascadero Store for doing a great job!"


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RFIW 2020 : Recognizing Families In the Wild
|Link: https://web.northeastern.edu/smilelab/rfiw2020/
Call For Papers
We are pleased to announce the fourth large-scale kinship recognition data competition, Recognizing Families In the Wild (RFIW), in conjunction with the 2020 FG. RFIW has been made possible with the release of the largest and most comprehensive image database for automatic kinship recognition, Families in the Wild (FIW ) dataset.
All submissions (i.e., challenge papers, general paper submissions, and Brave New Ideas) will be peer-reviewed for publication as part of RFIW2020 in the IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition (2020 AMFG ) proceedings. Also, authors will be expected to join workshop during 2020 AMFG conference on 18-22 May in Buenos Aire, Argentina .
What is new for RFIW-2020?
There has been a surge of researchers attracted to problems of visual kinship recognition lately. Along with the 528 teams that successfully submitted results on Kaggle and, thus, are listed on the leader board, many others reached out for raw data for various tasks and goals. Therefore, we do not want to limit ideas and original work, but encourage it through general paper submission track. We also call for Brave New Ideas-- different ways of exploring, learning, and interrupting FIW data and visual kinship recognition problem as a whole. Along with the traditional verification task, RFIW2020 will support two new tracks, tri-subject verification and large-scale search-and-retrieval. Tri-subject is a natural extension of the verification task (i.e., when comparing 2 faces, one of father and the other a son, it is practical to assume the perspective mother is known, as the wife of the father subject is likely accessible). Thus, this paradigm follows a 2-to-1 verification protocol (all rules mimic that of verification, with the difference being one item from each pair consisting of a man and woman, and the question then is "are these the parents," or 'are these two siblings children of this single parent, etc.). Large-scale search-and-retrieval will mimic that of template-based, open-sets protocols provided by benchmarks like IJB-B. A gallery will have millions of distractors, and the task is then to rank faces based on scores representing whether or not a family member (i.e., blood relative). Such a paradigm closely mimics the real-world application of missing children (i.e., a child is found online, exploited by the unknown, and it is unlikely the child's face is in any database; however, a family member likely is– identify a family member, determine the identity of the unknown child). Additionally, the paradigm can be used to reunite families split as part of the modern-day refugee crisis (i.e., provided technology to recognize family members via visual media, we could then match families together from different camps at the cost of a low-cost security video-feed). More information to come.
Specifically, the new components parts will be a part of RFIW2020:
Two additional tracks, along with the return of kinship verification (i.e., three tracks in total).
General call for papers in work in automatic kinship recognition.
A Brave New Idea track that calls for innovative ways of viewing the problem.
Call for papers!
In addition to the three organized task evaluations, we will also add this piece to RFIW2020 (i.e., papers that use FIW in novel ways). The main reason we added this is to ignite the creativity of the community outside the controlled experiments of the task evaluations– we found the assessments to be great for structuring existing problems such that us researchers and practitioners can make fair comparisons of algorithms; however, this limits the scope of the problems of automatic kinship recognition. From this, we expect the light to shed on one or more of the following ways:
- To advance the state-of-the-art for kinship verification and family classification.
- To benchmark new tasks for FIW, like fine-grain classification, large-scale search, and retrieval, tri-subject verification.
- To propose generative models for family photos, relative faces, photo albums, such.
- To explore and understand multimodal uses of text captions accompanying the family photos of FIW.
- To pitch cluster, multi-view, and various types of problems.
- To treat kinship as a soft attribute for higher-level tasks (e.g., facial recognition, group understanding, social media analysis).
- Much more.
In addition to the two tasks included in previous RFIW (i.e., Kinship Verification and Family Classification), there will be a new track, Tri-Subject Verification, supported during the proposed RFIW2020 challenge. Tri-Subject Verification focuses on a slightly different view of kinship verification– the goal is to decide whether a child is related to a pair of parents. Tri-subject is a more realistic assumption, as knowing one parent typically means information of the other is accessible. Following this notion, we propose adding this track, but with additional tri-subject pair types (e.g., given a couple of known siblings, determine if an unknown subject is also a sibling). Plus, at scales far much higher than ever before possible. Unlike RFIW-2017 , RFIW-2018 , and RFIW-2019 , where we used CodaLab to handle registration, provide data downloads, and automate scoring, we will continue to do so. Of course, the organization of each task is done so by well-defined protocols and data- splits. Participants will be allowed to partake in one or all challenge tracks, as we will handle each submission independently. Benchmarks using conventional methods, along with results of prior RFIW, will be provided; also, source code to reproduce and demonstrate each task end-to-end will be made available. Thus, enabling newcomers while challenging the experts. We will also call for general paper submissions of new work to expand the types of problems and the use-case of the FIW dataset.


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What exactly do these terms refer to? Material flows refer, by way of example, to the life cycle of the paper that we use to print out documents, among other things. The term "energy flows" is used to describe all types of energy consumed, such as electrical or heat energy.
And since we are on the topic of energy: 100% of the electricity used to supply our biggest locations in Switzerland, i.e. Basel, Bern and Lugano, comes from hydropower.
The material and energy flows shown in our life cycle assessment reveal the resources consumed by Baloise's major office buildings and data centres. In order to allow the figures to be compared and to show us how our consumption has developed, the assessment comprises not only the figures for the current year, but also the figures for the previous two years. But even with information from prior years for comparison, it is difficult to gauge what the figures actually mean. In order to make the figures easier to grasp, we have included them expressed in both relative and absolute terms.
Absolute water consumption:
2016: 47,128 m³
2017: 47,768 m³
2018: 45,421 m³
Water consumption in litres per employee per day: 35 litres
In addition to energy, paper and water consumption, as well as the volume of waste and the various types of waste, our life cycle assessment also includes information on business travel, the mode of transport used and the CO2 emissions. This means that you can see at a glance that business travel within the company amounted to 4,290 km per employee in 2018, with air travel accounting for 23.1% of trips, cars accounting for 52.3% and public transport accounting for 24.6%. We generated 2,833 kg of CO2 emissions per employee in 2018.
In addition to ongoing moves to reduce our energy consumption and the creation of a new recycling concept for the Head Office in Basel that is currently under way, customers and employees in Basel have been able to charge their electric vehicles for free using solar power since 2015.
In Germany, FRIDAY introduced a system in 2018 giving customers the opportunity to do their bit for the environment by offsetting the CO2 emissions that they cause when driving.
In Luxembourg, Baloise takes part in the government platform for coordinating carpooling, while in Belgium, Baloise recently invested in the sustainable The Link building in Antwerp, which is seen as a prototype for office life in the future due to the fact that it is virtually energy-neutral.
Over the last ten years, we have taken a whole range of measures to slash our heat energy consumption by around 35% and our consumption of electrical energy by 30%. These figures relate to the Baloise Group's major office buildings and data centres. We have performed various analyses, taking the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement into account, to evaluate a variety of energy-saving measures that will continue to be implemented in the individual countries over the coming years.
The average person in Switzerland was responsible for 4.5 tonnes of CO2 in 2017. We are still well below this figure, with 2.8 tonnes per employee. Unfortunately, however, this figure does not reflect the total emissions produced by our employees, who obviously also have a life outside of work. Nonetheless: Per capita emissions are to be cut to 1 to 1.5 tonnes of CO2 by 2050 in order to help defuse the climate crisis and stop the planet's temperature from increasing by more than 1.5°C to 2°C. As we spend a lot of our time at work and also travel for business purposes, we as a company are committed to reducing our CO2 emissions on an ongoing basis, doing everything in our power to optimise our material life cycles. Unfortunately – or fortunately –, depending on how you look at it, Baloise has no control over its employees' lives outside of working hours. We are nevertheless focusing on raising awareness and providing background information and tips on a range of issues relating to sustainable development, some of which can also be applied to our home lives.


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Ex-Googler's Essential Phone tipped for UK release in 2017 – report
The much-hyped Essential Phone looks likely to arrive in the UK by the end of the year, at least according to a new report.
The PH-1, as the handset is unattractively called, will most probably arrive with network exclusives in Q4 2017 – courtesy of analysis by the Financial Times. There's not been any official confirmation however, so take this report with due caution.
Andy Rubin, one of the co-creators of Google's Android mobile operating system, is the brain behind the project. The ambition is huge, with an accessory line, a smart assistant and an operating system to pull everything together all planned.
The company has raised $300million to target the lucrative smartphone market. Android was sold to Google for an estimated $50million in 2010.
The device, the first from the company, is expected to start shipping in the US over the next few weeks, but UK consumers may have to wait until the end of the year.
Ben Wood, an analyst with CCS Insight, commented to the FT: "My view is that there would be little or no interest in the Essential phone if it were not for the involvement of Andy Rubin. His personal brand has been enough for the device to get onto the radar of the technorati in the current sea of smartphone sameness."
Essential phone aims to disrupt the duopoly of Apple and Samsung by offering a modular phone, whereby magnetic connectors on the phones rear can accommodate swappable accessories and upgrades – similar to Motorola's MotoMods.
Similar efforts such as those by Google and LG have ended without success, however.
Related: Best Android phones
What do you think of modular phone designs? Let us know via Facebook or Twitter.


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My Dear Little Man,
How do I begin to describe the wonderful and complex boy that you are? There is no way to fit you into any preconceived box; that much becomes clearer and clearer to me with every passing day.
You are my 4-year-old Speedy Gonzalez, always moving and moving fast! When we listen to some beats and you start dancing, your feet dash and flash across the floors and your hips wiggle like you're dancing the Salsa. You climb trees like a monkey. While I clean up one mess you've made, you're busy creating the next one. When the day begins you start talking and asking questions and you don't stop until your brain shuts down, long after your eyes have already closed. In short, you don't stop. Ever.
I'll admit, when you do fall asleep, my whole body sighs; it's not easy to keep up with you.
Some would say and I've been told I should consider not homeschooling you, that you need an outlet and more structure (oxymoron?) to control this wilder and busier side of you. Sometimes I think they are right. Or, at the least, putting you in school would certainly give me a break.
But, then, you ask me to play "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" and will pull up into a chair and sit still for half an hour listening to the entire story. And my heart melts.
Or you will sit on the floor for an hour and draw this:
And my mind is blown.
Or you will put on some hungarian techno folk songs and try to play the piano along with it… for half an hour. And my spirit smiles.
Today, you were outside for a good while and then opened the front door with a beaming smile on your face and said, "Mommyyyyyy?! You'll never guess what I found!" You then walked up to me and held up a passion-vine leaf and boomed proudly, "it's a caterpillar egg!" Then you spent most of the rest of the day searching through our passion vines for more caterpillar eggs. I think you found 7. Knowing how tiny they are, and easily missed, I can only guess how focused you must have been while looking for your newly discovered treasures.
And that put a huge smile on my face.
You can't be boxed, my Love. Perhaps you are a wild spirit. For that, I love you, despite any heartaches you cause me along the way. But you can also be very focused, with an intensity I did not expect. Watching you grow I am beginning to see the person you are becoming: curious – very curious; competitive – emotionally so (not unlike your mother); wild – you are a boy, after all; focused – you know what you like and you tend to stick with that; sensitive; and surprising.
I remember last week after swim lesson you wanted to take a long shower. I decided not to fight that battle and let the girls play in the locker room while you took your time washing up. Suddenly you came skipping in, "Mommy! I know what 4+5 is! It's 9! I figured it out while I was in the shower," and then you did your little chuckle and skipped back into the shower. I was surprised. Not that you probably counted it on your fingers, but that you spent the time trying.
I'm also realizing how much you need my attention right now. Your mind is whirling trying to understand everything, and I've been busy with a 1st grader and your baby sister. So, I'm going to try harder, because I want to help you understand the things you want to know, and I also want you to stay you. (But maybe without the insults and injuries, eh?)
I love you with all of my heart,


text:
Be sure to thank your bus driver today and every day.
This is an open thread.
Be sure to thank your bus driver today and every day.
This is an open thread.
Angela Wilson seems to like driving buses in MSP but the people I've known who worked as a bus driver at KC Metro really didn't like the work culture here. Is driving a bus a good job in King County? What's it like to work for King County Metro?
Guy, a driver's own outlook is an important part of the work culture. Which has different definitions for different people. My own- for people, companies and civilizations: the sum of hundreds of individual habits. Far and away first, how people get used to treating each other..
Not so much written rules themselves, as what whole workforce makes of them. Good (and crude) analogy: Driving a big vehicle itself. Knowledge. Understanding. Skill. Judgment. Timing. Steadiness. And Authority- meaning readiness to take complete personal responsibility for every single consequence of any order they give,or action they take.
In every effort in common, people have a personal range of what they like, dislike, or tolerate at all. Wherever a mistake can get people killed, I think absolute worst is not strict orders, but the sense that nobody is in charge at all. Followed close by inadequate training. To me, King County Metro Transit management's worst failing, especially since most correctable. No capital investment whatever.
Also, in every represented workforceoutfit, every worker has one tool of first, middle, and last resort. Get active in the union. Any defects- if you think your job is worth fighting to keep, it's yours at least to attempt repairs.
The driver in the video? Somebody who can maintain her attitude in the face of one of the most physically and personally hardest jobs in industry- full-time transit driving and normal life like a round square- will be there as long as they can stand the work and like it. Short list of qualified applicants- though, to the top of the company and the Board, longer list also gets hired.
Incidentally, "T" seems to stand for Boston Municipal Transit Authority. The MTA. Kingston Trio sang a protest against an unfair fare increase. Bet ST could draw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. In those days, the "Trains" were PCC streetcars.
Mark Dublin
The Vancouver-Seattle-Portland rail news
Thanks, mdnative. No reason we can't build this line, and good reasons why we should. Would be a mistake to try and make either maglev or wheeled trains to do jobs for which they're not ideal.
Good approach could be to build a trackway for both fastest possible wheeled trains with at least several stops between terminals. On right of way also containing separate maglev tracks for what are really quiet fuel-efficient, pollution-free short-headway airliners. Vancouver BC to Portland- one stop in (probably under) Seattle.
This way, we can run already-available standard high-speed trains for however long it takes to get the maglevs designed, built, tested, and ready for service. And use the standard trains for next level of service down. With yet again separate tracks for local service.
Just to not build any part of this structure downhill from a subdivision's worth of swimming pools.
Here's an article from the Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/escalators-break-down-at-uw-station/
All of the down escalators at UW Station were simultaneously broken Friday afternoon leading to massive lines to use the elevators to get to the platform. Sound Transit was unable or unwilling to A) let people walk down the escalators, B) let people access the emergency stairs, and C) flip an up escalator to a down escalator.
Is this the level of service we're going to get from the remaining ST2 and ST3 stations? Whether it's a combination of bureaucracy or butt-covering, I don't find it acceptable.
Bonnie Todd of Sound Transit was asked what the biggest compliments and complaints she has heard. This was in a Seattle Teansit Blog interview written last week. Her answer was: "We've never had a consistent theme of complaints really about anything."
Now I understand that ridership complaints and station complaints may technically be different. But I am sure she knows of the ongoing complaints of elevator and escalator failures going on for years. Her answer is just one reason why there seems like there is no priority to fix it. I wish that question was in the interview.
BTW. The elevator was broken at UW Husky stadium 2 days before. I reported it. Wouldn't it have been great if it was still broken that day.
Oh well.
Couple facts leave me somewhat partial to Bonnie herself. I respect the Marine Corps. And she started out on some work with her hands. But also think that for her readers' sake and also Bonnie's, Lizz should not have let that answer pass.
More honest answer would have been: "To the best of my abilities I'm doing what I'm told with the money available." Fact she would have gotten fired points to the real reason major problems take so long to fix. Perfect example of the "culture" of an agency, and its results.
My own current conflict with Sound Transit over ORCA-card registration policy? When anybody else cares at all, problem solved. But a few recent exchanges with the Board and individual members, if I can "read" people at all, show me officials who've been forced to sign off on something they like much less than I do, and don't see any way out.
For at least forty years now, people who favor public works have been getting the organic fresh-grown fertilizer pounded out of them with no end in sight. Facing political enemies who deliberately withhold the money needed for minimal decent operations. While at the top of their lungs, blaming the public servants for bad performance.
From what I'm told a lot more hands past second, through no fault of its own, the Board may be doing best it can with machinery that'll take a long, expensive time to fix. "Design-Build" might defy major truth: "If you want anything done right, you're now self-employed." Which at least leaves you free to set every countermeasure you can.
Sea-Tac? Written enforced orders to 574 drivers to "PA" passengers to ride five minutes' farther into the Terminal. Rapid-Ride? Get a lane clear and lose some schedule time same way. Of if can't…. rent, buy, or build a temporary elevator. Like every construction project on Earth uses.
UW Stadium? Put some artics under those wires up 23rd and down to Capitol Hill Station. Happens enough, put back the 43. And all info starting with Apps, notify approaching passengers that stairs are still there, but so is ride to next station. And similar approach as events dictate.
And also, have everything prepped to cut back other service system-wide if there's no other way to cover the vertical transit repairs. Including some turnovers on the Board- countermeasure could be intensive person-to-person conversations with challengers about what they're own fate, I mean choices, will be if they win.
Many years' worth of "Starters". But meantime offer Steve O'ban a free rental elevator and a bus bridge home to do as well to keep the Legislature going 'til it gets Re-designed and -Built Contempt-cells are full, and mixing helpless murderers with (name your favorite rep) will get you sent to Mercer Island.
I encountered it Friday and mentioned it in the last open thread. All the down escalators and stairs were blocked off; only the two up escalators were working. Sixty-five people waited in line for the elevators. I was afraid of a long wait so I took the 48. At the time I wished ST would turn one of the up escalators into a down escalator.
"Many wondered why people couldn't just walk on stalled escalators as if they are stairs. –Sound Transit prohibits doing so, because of safety hazards, Patrick said."
ST talks out of both sides of its mouth because I've walked up and down stopped but open escalators many times at UW station. Apparently it depends on the reason for the stoppage; e.g,, did it merely fail or did somebody get a shoelace caught in it?
"In recent months, UW Station escalators have operated at least 95 percent of the time, meeting goals, he said."
That's true: the escalators are a lot more reliable than they were nine months ago. For the first nine months of U-Link I encountered broken escalators at least three times a week, mostly at UW Station but also at Capitol Hill Station. Then they got much better and I encountered a broken one once every couple months. The past few months they've started getting worse again but not as bad as originally; I've encountered them maybe three times in the past month.
Even with my criticism of the interview answer, I agree with both Mark D and Mark O.
1 It is very respectable for Bonnie to have worked on the floor at a young age as part of her career. Very cool.
2. The escalator/elecator sitiation is improved.
The problem is that a failed escalator can do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJxNaAfAYF0
It is absolutely ridiculous that they could not at least convert one of the remaining up escalators into a down escalator. You have to at least have one escalator running both directions.
I suppose the counterargument is that can lead to overcrowding on the platform. That's why I didn't feel more strongly about it because I didn't know if it was a game day and unusual crowds were expected.
Anyone know what's up with weird park and rides served only by infrequent local buses or even no buses at all, like the one at Center Street by Highway 16 in Tacoma? It's always empty every time I've seen it…
They're still useful for carpools and vanpools. I've occasionally seen groups meet at one to go hiking into the mountains. They work well on weekdays, when the regular park and rides are filled up from people taking the bus.
1. Seattle City Councilman Rob Johnson. Former CEO, Transportation Choices Coalition. ST Board Member.
2. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. Former Federal Prosecutor.
(206) 684-4000
Email: email@example.com
Address: Office
Suggest that Jenny ride LINK often as possible, especially rush hour on game day. Because based on her record of putting even harmless innocent kids in jail for contempt 'cause they wouldn't rat on their friends, Contempt of Taxpayers could reduce ST Board meeting attendance. Till remaining always-absent member fixes the problem.
Considering amount of Federal money in the project, while the rest of the Board has gotten one-way ORCA passes to Angle Lake, it'll be worth the whole thing to see Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Vladimir Putin join Peter von Reichbauer's usual presence by phone.
Now 550 passenger. Soon East LINK. Fake News career perfect. Living in Bellevue, she'll soon be able to use LINK to be at similar events on moments' notice. And every time she accurately reports an event like this one, public will assume it's just Steve O'ban in action.
In "On the Town", Gene Kelly and Vera Ellen gave NYC "Miss Turnstiles." Agata Burdonova. Have we got Miss Proof Of Payment for 2018 or what!?
1) For what it's worth, I make it a habit to verbally thank my transit operators EVERY RIDE. Then others join in the verbal thank you. It's a tough job physically & mentally, and one of the few government jobs I believe that should have public sector union protections & representation.
2) To truly understand what a transit operator does, get this book by "Deke" a Trimet operator: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0786JCLGH/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_hBVRAbY92YR39 . The Kindle version is currently on heavy sale.
I'm surprised than an "independent" award-winning publication does not mention anything about King County Metro's complaint about SDOT's streetcar costs "error."
I've been wondering about that but figured (A) an article is coming, (B) it's waiting for the next News Roundup, or (C) STB doesn't want to overrespond to every Times article — although this seems like an unusually important issue. I have always been concerned that the streetcar is not as cost-effective as either buses or light rail, and it could siphon off operating money that could be used for a greater number of bus routes as the SLU streetcar did, and 1st Avenue is not among our highest-need corridors — it's just where the streetcar termini happen to be. So I'm concerned about reports that it may cost more than expected and do less than expected. With ST facing a possible loss of federal grants, we could really use the money to finish Madison RapidRide and beef up the C and D. And we could, y'know, but a bus route on 1st Avenue from Seattle Center to SODO.
You are correct.When dealing with millions of tax payer dollars, it is an important issue.
Concur that operating costs should be directed toward the highest need.
I hope the review shows some results that could benefit actual needs.
STB is almost entirely run by volunteers. You can't expect instant results, especially on an issue that is going to require feedback comments from several different agencies.
I'm also not too surprised by the cost issues. There will now be 3 different streetcar designs operating in the region, with mostly incompatible systems. Skoda (Tacoma Link), two different but similar Inekon designs, and now CAF. All of these are minor players in the USA transit market, and in the case of some of the parts I am familiar with on the Skoda cars in Portland (which isn't that many) are exceptionally difficult and expensive to get into the USA as there simply isn't a good supply chain.
There is much to be gained by standardizing on a single car design. Even more could be gained by running a maintenance track between the First Hill track and ST Link track and using Link cars as single car trains, since that way there is a single parts need, single maintenance facility, single staff need, and single type of car staff have to be familiar with.
Followup: Durkan orders independent review of streetcar costs ($)
Thanks for the link.
Yet as I asked, how "independent" is a review when members of the review team consist of Seattle Council members and budget office members? Curious…
Independent of SDOT.
Since there hasn't been another open thread since this one on Sunday, I'm posting the following here….
Congressional Republicons have released their omnibus appropriations bill for FY18 with Friday's midnight deadline looming. So much for regular order (again).
Anyway, in regard to the FTA's appropriations, here's the relevant section pertaining to the agency's capital investment grants:
The agreement provides $2,644,960,000 for fixed-guideway projects, to remain available
until September 30, 2021, and directs the Secretary to administer the capital investment grants program in accordance with the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5309 and move projects through the program from initial application to construction. The agreement directs the FTA to use $5,050,000 from unobligated amounts for fixed-guideway projects. Of the funds provided,
$1,506,910,000 is available for projects authorized under 5309(d), $715,700,000 is available for projects authorized under 5309(e), $400,900,000 is for projects authorized under 5309(h), and $26,500,010 is available for oversight activities. The agreement directs the Secretary to obligate $2,252,508,586 of the amount provided for the capital investment grants program by December 31, 2019. The agreement directs the Secretary to provide updated project ratings expeditiously at
the request of the project sponsor.<<<
If you want to read additional details about the THUD piece (Division L) or any other sections of the $1.3 trillion omnibus bill to complete appropriations for 2018, the link below will get you there. Sound Transit should be very concerned.
The Senate Amendment to H.R. 1625, the omnibus appropriations bill for FY18, which they are calling the "TARGET Act":
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Testimonials for my album HIGHLY EVOLVED BEINGS
Musique Uni-Vers-Elle du Cosmos en ambiance transe mutatrice, en veux tu ? En voilà… Mon ami artiste Davian est une référence incontournable au top !
Ben L.
A écouter et réécouter. Magnifique ! Quel travail encore !
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Evelyne V.
Very good trans music with HIGH vibrations.
Wow! Superb music! From the first notes, I was transported. Completely transcendent. Thank you so much. Many blessings and love.
Kevin D.
Testimonials for Artworks and Story
David is an amazing gifted artist. His art and channelings are a gift and a blessing for all of us.
Elaine R.
David's talent is phenomenal. The accuracy of the portrait he did of my beloved Uriel was simply amazing, and almost exactly as I see him in my third eye. Thank you for sharing your incredible gift with humanity. 🙏
Michelle M.
Inspiring on so many levels!
Cindy C.
La portée de ses messages est inconditionnelle envers toute l'humanité. Il est de mes frères galactiques et nous nous sommes repérés d'entrée il y a peu. À découvrir sur le chemin de la transcendance Uni-Vers-Elle.
Ben L.
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He works from his soul. I think that says it all !
Larry B.
Thank you for sharing your story with us David!!! <3 I feel so honored and grateful that you shared it with me. It means a lot! . . . It is very interesting – because a month or two ago I had a dream where I saw a ship that looked like the TR3B you mentioned. I can't wait to see what happens next too! This will make an amazing book one day. You are such a brave and beautiful soul – Love you brother!!!
Thank you so much for sharing!! I know how hard it is to get that out there brave soul! You help raise the collective consciousness by helping other integrate this possibility within our matrix universe. ♡
Incredible ! There is nothing more exciting than to live your passion ..✨I see you ! Thank you for sharing David look forward to your book
Thank You for sharing your experience with us, dear Davian…<3 Much Love and Many Blessings to You <3
Thank you for sharing your amazing adventures. I see you💙💙💙
Your sharing is a blessing! With all my heart … thank you!
Dell B.
I am so astounded by your clear description of your eight year old self. Your bravery and will is so amazing. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I look forward to an opportunity to hear more and meet you. I hear you. 😀


text:
Enjoy your stay at Cheval Knightsbridge?
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To replicate the complete experience of your great nights sleep at a Cheval residence you can also buy the bed base, pillows, duvet and mattress protector. See below for details and order with your mattress for that perfect sleep experience.
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Our current delivery is 4-8 weeks from date of order for mattresses and beds. Current delivery for bedding is 7-10 working days from date of order. Please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com should you have any questions on delivery.
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Once your item(s) are ready for delivery, our third party delivery team will contact you to arrange a delivery and discuss any special requirements.
For example, delivery to a loft conversion, flats or apartments without adequate lifts, limited stairwell access, narrow lanes to your property, inadequate parking for the delivery vans and so forth. Please also check the measurements of your doorways, corridors, and stairways and ensure all floors are suitably covered and any obstructions are removed. Delivery teams are not permitted to move any of your personal items unless they are fully indemnified by a signed disclaimer. If items are returned back to us due to inadequate access we reserve the right to make a charge of £95 to cover the failed delivery.
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You will be contacted by the delivery team (after 8am) to confirm a 2 hour delivery time slot and discuss specific requirements. The delivery team will continually update you on progress, and routinely after their previous delivery
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We could have offered free delivery and hidden our delivery charges in the prices of our products, but we believe you should fully understand where your money is going.
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We hope you love all your new products from The Hotel Bed Company. We understand that occasionally things might not work out exactly as you expected. If that's the case, please contact us within 14 days of delivery to see if we can resolve the issue for you. All we ask from you is that anything returned for refund or exchange is unused, in perfect condition and in its original packaging.
We recognise it's tough to fully get a feel for a product while it's still in the packaging. That's why we are happy for you to remove the products from their packaging (just keep hold of it) to enable you to have a good look and feel of them.
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Its normal for a new mattress to feel a little bit strange in the beginning. The springs and upholstery in your old mattress have probably seen better days, so it will take your body time to adjust. Give the mattress a little time to settle in as well and soon you'll be getting the perfect nights' sleep you deserve.
We accept mattress returns in the following situations: You have received the wrong product and contacted us within 14 days of delivery, or You have received a faulty product and contacted us within 14 days of delivery.
Please Note: If wish to return your mattress and it is unused but not faulty, you must notify us in writing via email to firstname.lastname@example.com of your intention to return the product. In this scenario there will be a minimum collection charge of £80 (subject to location) that will be deducted from your refund.
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All our beds, divans, headboards, sofas, and sofa beds are made to order. This means once they have been manufactured and delivered, we are unable to arrange returns unless the product is damaged or faulty. It is for this reason that we highly recommend making use of our free swatches to view the colours and fabrics on offer.
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Refunds will all be made back to the original tender type. For customer protection, refunds to credit or debit cards will only be processed to the cardholder.
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Santanu Dey Receives NSF Career Award
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Santanu Dey, assistant professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has received the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for his work on non-traditional cutting-plane algorithms for mixed-integer programs.
The NSF offers this award as part of the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
Dey received this award for his research to improve the current generation of mixed-integer programming (MIP) solvers by devising new general-purpose cutting-plane methods. A great deal of useful information that could be used in deriving and selecting cutting-planes is often left unused by state-of-the-art MIP techniques. This project investigates some of the following non-traditional paradigms for incorporating more information into cutting planes: (i) Use information from multiple constraints simultaneously to derive cutting planes, instead of using a single implied constraint. (ii) Design suitable cutting planes and then verify their validity before use, instead of deriving cutting planes without any control over their quality. (iii) Incorporate information from explicit enumeration of integer points to guide the choice of cutting planes and improve their strength. Since many mathematical challenges need to be overcome in order to tap the potential of these non-traditional paradigms, results from this project could significantly enhance the mathematical toolkit used by integer programmers for the generation and analysis of cutting planes.
Dey suggested this project will not only make theoretical advances in mathematical programming, but also lead to significant improvements in the performance of MIP solvers, leading to huge gains in a broad spectrum of applications of MIPs. A key educational objective is to develop an operations research puzzle competition to foster and enrich an environment for undergraduate research. He would also like to design a new graduate course with the aim of disseminating research results directly to future practitioners and to bring students from different engineering communities together, thus providing opportunities for new research directions and collaborations.
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Fletcher Moore
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The company was founded by Sean Loughnane, who has been in the retail butchering business all his life. Originally from Loughrea, Sean moved to Galway and set up a retail butcher shop in 1975. This business grew to be one of the best known butcher shops in the country.
In 1992 Sean and Ann Loughnane opened a second store in Galway, this was an award winning specialist fresh food hall with emphasis placed on quality of products and ultimately customer satisfaction.


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Abnormalities of the ureteral orifice
Here a cystic dilatation (ureterocele) of the intramural part of the ureters, due to a stenosis of the ureteral orifice of the bladder, is involved.
Vesico-renal reflux
This has to do with a backflow of urine into the kidneys, before and during miction (urination) due to a missing anti-reflux mechanism at the junction where the ureter empties into the bladder. This disorder is normally congenital, can be associated with other abnormalities (doubling, megaloureter) and is seen relatively frequently (8 time more frequent in girls).
Normally, the uretero-vesical junction functions as a sphincter and urine can only flow out through the urethra. However, the urine can also flow back to the kidneys via the ureters as a result of a change of the vesico-ureteral junction, when the intravesical pressure is elevated. This leads to frequent urinary tract infections that, by the way, should be a diagnostic hint that a vesico-ureteral reflux may be present.
Ectopia of the ureteral orifice
In this case, the ureteral orifice finds itself outside the bladder. In 80% of the cases the ectopia is associated with a doubling of the ureter. In a man, the orifice into the urethra of the ectopic ureter can lie below or into the seminal vesicle while in a woman, it can be at the level of the uterine cervix, the vagina or the vaginal vestibule.
Exstrophy of the bladder
This severe disease occurs in 1/10'000 births and mainly affects males. A median termination disorder of the abdominal wall below the navel is involved, which is caused by an absent migration of the mesoderm between the ectoderm and the cloaca during the 4th week of development. Since the musculature and connective tissue are not present, the anterior wall of the bladder (endoderm) is covered by only a thin layer of skin (ectoderm). This bilaminar wall disintegrates (as, by the way, all double-layered membranes do!) and the back wall of the bladder becomes visible.
This abnormality is associated with an epispadia (upwardly [ventrally] open urethral canal in the penile region) and a gap in the pubic bone. One also finds other abnormalities such as bilateral hernias, ectopia of the testes and an absent perforation of the anus. The surgical correction is very difficult but necessary in every instance.


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Life as a Software Developer with Keyvan Akbary
This week we are very lucky to have Edd's work college and good friend Keyvan Akbary on the show. We start off discussing how Google Maps lied to him on his train journey down from London to the 'Garden of England' Kent. This moves us on to talk about the exciting new greenfield project he is currently working on - following a DDD approach, comprehensive test suite and TDD. After this we back track a few steps and chat about how he got into computing and subsequently programming - through a high school web-page and friendly competition with his brother. Following this we delve into his University experience and how he felt happier in a work setting, which can be seen by the great experience he has been able to gain in such a short space of time. Finally, we discuss his experiences with his own start-up, the current book he is helping write and interesting technologies that currently appeal to him.
Show Links
- Keyvan Akbary
- Keyvan Akbary on GitHub
- Keyvan Akbary on Twitter
- Domain-Driven Design in PHP
- Funddy
- MyBuilder.com
- Manifesto for Software Craftsmanship
- Manifesto for Agile Software Development
- London Software Craftsmanship Community - Meetup
- The Pragmatic Programmer
- Domain-driven Design - Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software
- Clean Code - A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
- Implementing Domain-Driven Design
- The Software Craftsman - Professionalism, Pragmatism, Pride
- Clojure


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Pierre Donzelague was born at Aix-en-Provence in about 1670, the son of an instrument maker. As a young man he moved to Lyons, where he gained a widespread reputation both as a harpsichord maker and as a practising musician.
The 1711 is among the earliest five-octave French instruments, and shows that this style of harpsichord making had already reached full maturity by this early date. The instrument is privately owned in London.
Home | Biography | Harpsichords | Strings | Stringing Practice | CD Recordings | Enquiry


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Obama's trash-talkers
A week after leaving the White House earlier this year, David Plouffe took to his new Twitter account to announce that he thinks Karl Rove's credibility is shot and his understanding of the electorate is "stupefyingly" dumb.
Tommy Vietor, another Obama ex-White House veteran, hit Twitter to offer his own measured critique about a tweet by Sen. John McCain concerning a new documentary on the Benghazi attacks —"disgusting, shameless," Vietor said.
And former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau evidently didn't think much about a tweet from columnist Ron Fournier of National Journal that compared White House aide D an Pfeiffer to Rush Limbaugh. "You're joking, right?" Favreau tweeted in response. "Otherwise, you've just won the Nobel Prize of False Equivalence."
Twitter is aflame these days with high-ranking former Obama aides. Liberated from any official constraints, overflowing with opinions and no small measure of old resentments at political foes and the news media, they are letting the world know what they really think — and seemingly enjoying themselves to no end while doing so.
In the process, they are offering an unequaled window into the culture of the Obama West Wing. The brash, argumentative, sarcastic, often humorous, never-in-doubt ethos long familiar to reporters and other Washington operatives can now be followed by everyone in real time.
The Twitter alumni network has a distinctly male cast — it also includes Jon Lovett, Bill Burton, Ben LaBolt and even David Axelrod — and their frat-house banter serves a dual purpose for the Obama White House. It is an influential surrogate group, shaping the national debate while offering a relief valve for the pent-up frustrations of current administration officials.
( Also on POLITICO: OFA leader: Not a partisan group)
"Twitter offers a window into the internal frustrations of an administration and the arguments people make on the inside. So it's not surprising that people coming out of this White House are skeptical of Washington, Congress and the media," Lovett, a former White House speechwriter, told POLITICO. "If there was Twitter when John Adams was president, ex-John Adams staffers would probably have let loose on Thomas Jefferson."
But of course, there wasn't Twitter when John Adams was president, nor was Twitter an influential medium during the tenure of President George W. Bush. President Obama's aides are the first to leave a White House in the age of social media. Where former administration staffers took their newfound freedom to cable news or the pages of an inside-the-White-House tell-all, Obama staffers are voicing their grievances — and building their post-White House brands — through social media.
Peter Baker, a New York Times White House correspondent who has covered the past three administrations, said in an interview that much of what he is reading from the Obamaites has a familiar ring. The message is "about scoring points . … There's no break between elections any more: When you read these feeds, you feel like you're in September or October of an even-numbered year, not the spring of an odd-numbered year. They're jabbing each other over perceived slights and sins. It's all about jousting."
"For the first couple weeks there was a feeling of being unleashed," Favreau told POLITICO. "Tommy and I were at an airport waiting for a flight, and we were both in a Twitter fight with someone. After about an hour, we looked up from ours phones and said, 'We have to stop.'"
Fights and potshots take up a fair amount of former staffers' time on Twitter, and though the group has shared targets — Republican intransigence, the media's obsession with minutiae, conservative Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin — each individual has his favorite areas of combat.
Plouffe, who left the White House in January, frequently attacks Karl Rove. "How many times can you be wrong before credibility wanes," he tweeted Rove a few days after joining Twitter. He later accused the Republican strategist of "stupefyingly" failing to understand demographics and knocked him for having the "worst ROI in political history" because of the losses his super PAC, American Crossroads, suffered during the 2012 elections.
Plouffe has also targeted the news media for obsessing over the decision to cancel White House tours: "You know we would have called a strategy mtg about how to maximize tour cancel," he joked with Favreau. "I'm sure I'll read somewhere we did." (Plouffe did not respond to a request for an interview.)
Lovett, who has been active on Twitter since leaving the White House in 2011, is perhaps most famous for his multi-tweet rant against Rubin after she claimed in October 2012 that Mitt Romney would win the presidency. "If [Rubin] is going to use her perch at the Post to file fluff interviews with Mitt Romney and serve as a mouthpiece for the campaign, paraphrasing talking point[s] and parroting their spin day after day, [t]hen maybe the Washington Post, a venerable newspaper, has an obligation to point out that she is a breathless Mitt Romney acolyte," he wrote. (Axelrod also went after Rubin during the election, describing her as Romney's "mouthpiece.")
Vietor and Favreau, both of whom joined Twitter in early March, have quickly become the most provocative ex-Obama staffers on Twitter, with Fournier and Rubin as favorite punching bags. Favreau has also criticized the "press corps" for "salivating" over Rand Paul's speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference and "DCers" for calling a snow storm "snowquester." When one reporter made note of Vietor's avatar — a picture of him standing in front of an American flag, dressed in American-flag clothing, clutching what appears to be a beer bottle — Vietor, who declined to be interviewed for this story, responded: "What about the American flag do you find offensive exactly?"
(Former Obama female staffers are notably less provocative on Twitter. Stephanie Cutter, the deputy campaign manager for Obama's 2012 campaign, has taken a few shots at Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in recent months, but nothing to match the tone or aggression of her male colleagues.)
Outside observers note that many of these resentments and frustrations, which were born inside the White House, are likely shared by current administration officials.
"When a former official leaves, it's a pretty simple exercise to connect the dots to the team inside," Ari Fleischer, President George W. Bush's former press secretary, told POLITICO. "People tend to think similarly, so the frustrations or opinions they're venting now likely match up with what was going on inside — except that they can get away with it because they're no longer government officials. When you hold a government post, you have to behave better."
"Formally or not, they're an adjunct of the White House. [But] they're editor-free now," said Baker. "The White House thinks very carefully before it decides if it wants to be provocative in responding to its tormentors. Twitter allows you to say what you think before anybody has taken the time to think twice about whether it's a good idea. They've been liberated. They're free now to be partisans, free to be sarcastic, free to be provocative and honest."
Provocation and honesty are surrounded by red flags, of course: There's always potential for a former staffer to say something that will reflect negatively on the current administration. So far, however, such episodes have happened not on Twitter but on television.
In an interview with MSNBC, former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs (who is not active on Twitter) admitted that he had been told not to discuss or even acknowledge the existence of the Obama administration's drone program. Then, in an interview with Bloomberg News, Vietor contradicted an official White House statement he had made about Chinese cyberhacking. Where the official statement was ambiguous about whether the Chinese had hacked into U.S. computers, Vietor now said "the Chinese are undertaking hacking efforts against U.S. businesses and they need to stop." (He described his official statement as "the most boring statement I've ever heard in my life.")
Despite the spirited attacks on Republicans, the press, et al., the former Obama staffers' Twitter activity has been free from controversy. That is likely because former Obama staffers like Vietor and Favreau are still very much in line with the official White House worldview.
"Looking at Vietor's shots at McCain, at Lindsey Graham, the only reason he would do that is because he knows his old boss doesn't mind," Fleischer said. "You don't post something if you think it will do damage to your old boss . … Those shots wouldn't be taken if the President and his top staff were sending signals that said, 'Don't do it.'"
"I don't think they're rogues here. The people on the inside are happy to have people on the outside taking up the gauntlet in ways they can't," Baker said. "They are more than happy for folks to be fighting on their side in a world where they're perceived not to have people standing up for them."
Indeed, this outside surrogate group is a relatively new phenomenon for Obama, who has occasionally sermonized against Washington's culture of nonstop combat and character assassination.
"When the president was running in 2008, because he'd taken on the establishment, because he was an insurgent candidate, there was not a very strong echo chamber of Democratic surrogates supporting the president," LaBolt who served as spokesman for the Obama 2012 campaign, told POLITICO. "Now there is an alumni network of people who have been inside the room and can help explain the decisions that are made."
Technically, the alumni network is made of independent actors — "These guys are speaking for themselves," Axelrod, who described his new private life as "cathartic," wrote POLITICO in an email — but their defense of Obama administration policies is a major boon to the White House.
Perhaps no one finds as much relief in the group's Twitter activity as White House press secretary Jay Carney, who — despite the occasional Twitter bout — is more bound to cautious government-speak than anyone.
Carney declined to comment for this article, but he welcomed both Vietor and Favreau to Twitter shortly after they joined: "Welcome WH departeds Jon Favreau … and Tommy Vietor … to Twitter by following them," he encouraged his audience. "You'll be glad you did."
CORRECTION: A phrase in an earlier version of this story stating Tommy Vietor had been "oddly testy" with reporters has been removed.


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We caught up with Peter Jameson, Head of Trade and Supply Chain, Asia Pacific in Bank of America. We discussed the highlights of 2019 and the opportunities in 2020 for the trade, receivables and supply chain finance. There will be continued pressure on trade flows, with reduced volume, commodity prices, and financing demand. Despite this, Asia Pacific's growth prospects remain favourable as compared to other regions. Businesses continue to seek growth and focus on further developing their banking needs in the region.
We discussed with AIG some of the challenges and opportunities in the trade credit insurance sector. Enabling the much-needed reduction of the trade finance gap, and bringing in a wider array of investors while mitigating the risks of such expansion in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty will be a huge challenge in 2020. However, dealing with a broader collection of participants in the trade finance ecosystem in terms of jurisdictions, size of the borrower, types of assets and fintech entrants set us up for interesting times.
As the most authoritative voice in the trade finance industry, ICC Banking Commission, maintains a permanent dialogue with regulators and supervising bodies, helping to develop regulations affecting the industry.
International Trade Centre: Trade Finance in Emerging and Developing Markets, Interview with Ian Sayers
2019 has been a fairly promising year of growth for some emerging and developing markets, but with continued regulatory scrutiny, correspondent banking relationships continuing to be a cut, and a sluggish growth forecast for 2020, what does this mean for trade in EDE's?
With the growth of major players such as Ant Financial in Asia in 2019, TFG asked Accenture's European Banking Lead, Cecile André Leruste, on her thoughts and predictions for trade and SCF in 2020, focusing on growth coming out of South Asia.
Is AI the top technology trend for 2020? An Asian Development Bank Trade perspective for the next decade
We heard from Steven Beck, Head of Trade Finance at the Asian Development Bank, giving his musings on 2019, a year of uncertainty in trade, and what 2020 might bring for trade and supply chain in Asia.
Michael Bickers, MD, BCR Publishing walked us through the trends in supply chain and receivables finance in 2019, arguably one of the most uncertain in the last decade. In an interview with TFG, Bickers gave his view on what's in stock for SCF and receivables in the year ahead, commenting on APIs, blockchain and competitive growth in supply chain finance, in preparation for the BCR Supply Chain Finance Summit in Amsterdam this month.
TFG heard from Charles Bryan, Secretary General of EESPA. The global market is forecast to encompass 550 billion invoices annually. It is expected to quadruple in size by 2035.
We heard from BCG's Sukand Ramachandran on the consequences of trade wars and Brexit for global trade, and what this could mean for 2020. Will there be a downturn or disruptive shock, or will innovation and new capital help trade in the next 12 months?
TFG's Nikhil Patel sat down with ITFA Chairman, Sean Edwards, discussing the highs (and lows) of 2019, from a trade, tech and regulatory perspective. We asked ITFA's view on whether the fireworks of trade wars might slow in 2020, and what's needed for blockchain to work for trade in 2020.
TFG spoke to Berne Union's Secretary General Vinco David about the state of credit insurance following 2019's uncertainty, and what the priorities are for the trade credit insurance industry in 2020.
Expert Interview – Will 'network of networks' kick off in 2020? Finastra's 2020 predictions in Tradetech – Iain MacLennan, Finastra
Shop Talk: TFG spoke to VP Trade & Supply Chain Finance ahead of 2020, to catch up on what kept tech giant Finastra on their feet in 2019, as well as hearing their top predictions for technology, trade and supply chain in 2020
As we enter into a new decade, TFG spoke to trade experts to give their bets and views for 2020 in terms of trade and supply chain finance. OCR or ML? AI or DLT? Buzzwords and hype or reality?
Trade Finance Global sat down with several top experts in the trade, supply chain, and receivables industry to discuss their predictions for 2020.
Shop Talk: TFG sat down with Peter Mulroy, Secretary General of FCI, to discuss his views, from an FCI perspective on the factoring and SCF industry in 2019, as well as his thoughts for what could be in stock for 2020. Hold on tight!


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Exactly one month from today is Election Day for 38 individuals who stepped up to run for and open seat on their local school district's Board of Education. Last month I put up a post seeking feed back on what you'd like to ask the candidates running for election. With the some of the feedback received, I'm happy to say that the questionnaires have been delivered to all but 4 candidates (still trying to track down email addresses or anything other than snail-mail addresses for them).
You might be interested to know the final version of questions that went out. I will post them below. For fun, why don't you take a crack at them in the comments!
Candidates have a deadline of Friday April 14th to submit their responses. A series of posts will go up the following week (April 17-21) in which we will share the full, un-edited responses from each candidate who chose to complete the questionnaire.
By the way, if you are a candidate running for a Board seat and you did not receive your questions, let me know in the comments and I'll get that taken care of ASAP!
It is also possible that we will see more candidates file to run, as we had an unexpected vacancy on the Christina School Board. The Department of Elections has posted an April 20th candidate filing deadline for the vacated District B seat. To date, 3 candidates have filed: Angela L. Mitchell, Karen E. Sobotker, and Monica Moriak. So stay tuned, campaign season is now underway!
2017 Blue Delaware School Board Candidate Questionnaire:
- Please tell us what your connection and relationship is with the School District in which you are seeking election to the Board of Education.
- In your opinion, what is the purpose and function of an elected Board of Education?
- What are you opinions on:
- School Choice
- Magnet Schools
- Charter Schools
- Where do you stand on School Vouchers? How would they benefit or harm public education?
- Do you believe poverty affects education and educational resources? Yes/No/Maybe
- Why or Why not?
- Delaware provides special education supports and resources for children with higher levels of need in Grades 4 through 12 but not for children in Grades K through 3. Should Delaware expand support for special education needs to K-3 children? Why or Why not?
- Below is an excerpt from a Baltimore Sun story summarizing recent legislation making its way through the Maryland legislature focusing on suspension & expulsion policies for students in Pre-K through Grade 2. Please share your thoughts on this and how it could pertain to Delaware schools.
The House of Delegates approved legislation Thursday that would significantly curb the practice of suspending or expelling the youngest public school students without first taking other steps to improve their behavior. The measure now goes to the state Senate, where a committee approved a similar bill Thursday. Delegates voted 91-48 for the House measure, which bars the suspension or expulsion of prekindergarten, kindergarten, first and second grades students except in narrow circumstances — such as bringing a gun to school. Students could be suspended for up to nine days in the House version — five in the Senate's — only if a mental health professional determines there is an "imminent threat of serious harm to other students or staff" that can't be addressed another way. The legislation directs that schools provide "intervention and support" for students who are suspended or expelled instead of merely sending them home.
- Governor Carney has repeatedly said that the Delaware Department of Education will be refocused as a support service for schools and districts. What are 3 items or services that you would ask the Governor to prioritize?
- Governor Carney's proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 places tens of millions of dollars of State public education funds at risk of being eliminated. Now that the budget process is in the General Assembly's hands, what words of advice do you have for our legislators?
- Final Thoughts. Please share any additional thoughts or comments you would like us to share when we post your responses and know that we sincerely thank you for taking the time to respond to our questionnaire.


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New residential community bridges science, engineering programs
Students majoring in any of Virginia Tech's science, technology, engineering, and math programs, often referred to as STEM, will soon have one community where they can interact, live, learn, and grow together across scientific disciplines.
Beginning in fall 2012, the inVenTs living-learning community for STEM majors will open in Lee Hall and will house all students who have applied for and been accepted into one of the university's four independent STEM living-learning communities — DaVinci: The Biological and Life Sciences community, the men's engineering community Galileo, the women's engineering community Hypatia, and the new Curie community for the physical and quantitative sciences.
The four communities within inVenTs will retain separate identities, but will have access to shared programming, activities, and classroom space in the building, as well as access to faculty, academic administrators, student affairs staff, and other students who can offer ideas, encouragement, and collaboration across various disciplines offered in the College of Engineering and the College of Science.
While the community will be primarily made up of first-year students, leadership and mentoring opportunities will be available for upper-division students through participation in several student committees, including academic support and community service, and through mentorship groups designed to assist freshmen in their transition to life at Virginia Tech.
"We're really excited to be able to bridge the four communities," said Associate Dean of Science Jill Sible. "One of our real strengths are the collaborations that occur across disciplines. Some of the most exciting discoveries have been made when faculty from science and engineering and other places are working together, so we want our students to really be a part of that culture."
Sible said community service and social activities will be very important in helping the students connect with each other, ultimately helping them bond and support one another through what can sometimes be challenging fields of study.
"We hope to increase student retention, to help students find a sense of community, so these programs will be more successful and attractive," she said. "We also pay a lot of attention to diversity in both colleges and we look for this to be an opportunity to grow the numbers of women and minorities who are majoring in these fields."
Susan Arnold-Christian, assistant director of the university's Center for Enhancement of Engineering Diversity, said she hopes the new community will also help current and potential students see the rewards that can come not just from studying the STEM disciplines, but from staying with them after graduation, as well.
"Problems in the world today — scarcity of water, poverty, energy — all of these rely heavily upon solutions in science and engineering, and I think our students come to Virginia Tech in large part because they want to make a difference," she said. "I think having these opportunities for students to work together really lets them see what's possible."
The inVenTs community is one part of an existing effort across Virginia Tech to merge the academic and social worlds of students so that intellectual development occurs in all areas of their lives. The larger initiative includes the Honors Residential College at East Ambler Johnston, a second residential college to open in West Ambler Johnston Hall in fall 2012, the new Academic Resource Center in Pritchard Residence Hall, and several other living-learning communities on campus.
These communities are designed to promote learning on a broader scale, as well as to complement the Division of Student Affairs' five aspirations for student learning: unwavering curiosity, self-understanding and integrity, civility, courageous leadership, and the values of the university's motto Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
Associate Director of Residence Life Jamie Penven said he is excited to see where the new community will lead.
"The inVenTs community builds on a very successful history of the Biological and Life Sciences, Hypatia, and Galileo communities and opens the door toward exciting opportunities for student learning," he said. "The faculty working with these programs are excellent scholars and serve as role models for the students."
In order to participate in the inVenTs community, students must apply to the individual STEM community that fits their course of study. Once accepted to the individual community, students will automatically be part of inVenTs.
Returning students must submit an online application by Jan. 19, while the application deadline for incoming students is May 1.
For more information about living-learning opportunities and the application process, visit the Housing and Residence Life website.
Written by Jennifer Gibson.


text: Pope Benedict XVI receives the official World Youth Day 2011 backpack from Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela of Madrid during a private meeting at the Vatican in early February. The cardinal was the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela in 1989 when Pope John Paul II met young people there for World Youth Day. Spain is preparing to host World Youth Day in Madrid Aug. 16-21. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters) (July 20, 2011)