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KADOKAWA ASCII Introduces INNO 2021: Worldwide Innovation, Collaboration,
and JPY3,000,000 Support for Creative Thinkers
TOKYO, June 1, 2021 /Kyodo JBN/ --
- Opportunities to Receive Support for Applicants' Unusual Inventions and Ideas -
KADOKAWA ASCII Research Laboratories, Inc. of Tokyo, the executing agency for the "INNO-vation Program," implemented by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, presents the 2021 INNO-vation Program ( https://inno.go.jp/en/ ), an annual effort to encourage global innovation on an unprecedented level, searching for creative, out-of-the-box minds to help the human race take the next steps in the technological revolution.
Image1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202105255366-O2-1xt11AEf
Image2: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202105255366-O1-ge48HDeH
With the opportunity to receive support for eccentric technology, applicants can be part of the sponsor's esteemed graduate program to promote collaboration and teamwork, and propel their ideas into the ever-changing future. As the new decade begins, the INNO-vation Program is opening its doors to applications internationally and looks forward to building a bright new future together, overcoming COVID-19's recent impact on society.
From June 1, 2021, to August 2, 2021, the INNO-vation Program is taking applications to find these innovators and is offering support to successful proposals.
Applicants' ideas can be made a reality thanks to the support offered by some of the world's greatest technological and business leaders offering their insight and guidance. With the Disruptive Challenge and the Generation Award, applicants have the opportunity to create something from nothing or take inspiration from given themes respectively. As the program begins a new year, applicants have the opportunity to "Embrace your INNO*," without being limited by nationality, age, or background.
*INNO - from the Japanese kanji meaning "unusual ability"
"Innovation depends on unique insights and untested theories. New ideas are often misunderstood at first, and it's important that we nurture creativity and ambition." -- a statement made by Adam D'Angelo, CEO of Quora, upon joining the INNO-vation Program as a program advisor. Nurturing these "buds" of INNO and actively supporting those ideas unbound by conventional wisdom is foundational to the core of the program.
Previous graduates of the INNO-vation Program have created wonderful products in art, technology, automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, and much more. With startup companies forming daily around the globe, the INNO-vation Program is proud to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers to change the world.
Disruptive Challenge
Proposals that boldly take on challenges and can offer a major change to society and industry, without fear of failure are highly sought. Following a great success internationally in 2020, individuals across the world can put forward their proposals and be eligible for funding as part of the program up to JPY3,000,000 for one year without being limited by age, background, or nationality.
Generation Award
In cooperation with the Cooperative Partners of this program, Category Award Prizes (JPY200,000 each) and Special Corporate Awards will be offered. In addition, those proposals nominated for the awards (223 from last year) will be given the opportunity to implement their ideas in cooperation with these partnering companies.
INNO-vation Network Hub
Opportunities to partner with the INNO-vation Program as part of the INNO-vation Network Hub are also available. In the hope to help find and grow INNO within individuals worldwide, the INNO-vation Program is recruiting partnerships with institutes to collaborate with and assist the program in cultivating the next generation of thinkers and tinkerers globally.
ABOUT KADOKAWA ASCII Research Laboratories, Inc.
INNO-vation homepage: https://inno.go.jp/en/
Source: KADOKAWA ASCII Research Laboratories, Inc.
- 名称 株式会社角川アスキー総合研究所
- 所在地 東京都
- 業種 その他サービス業
- URL http://www.lab-kadokawa.com/


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"For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged." – 1 Corinthians 14:31
Last week, a reader of this column commented as follows: "I am not sure that all stakeholders of CWI (Cricket West Indies) share the same vision and mission … there ARE MANY with their own PERSONAL agendas". If this situation continues it will inhibit the growth and sustainability of CWI.
The new 2019 board of Cricket West Indies will undoubtedly attempt to put its own stamp on the strategic leadership of the business of West Indies cricket, hopefully to satisfy all stakeholders.
These stakeholders include the president and board members; governments and sponsors; public relations and media relations specialists; players, coaches, umpires, curators, mind-set trainers and motivators; and high performance centre specialists; WINDIES cricket legends; and the University of the West Indies.
Dr. Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, among others, has recommended that the new CWI administration begin its stewardship by mounting a strategic visioning retreat – facilitated by an independent shepherd – to listen to the voices of the stakeholders so that their issues may be included in the planning process and the vision and mission revisited and harmonized.
When the information from the retreat is available, the next step would be for the board to use this information to prepare a three-year rolling strategic plan and an annual action plan. The action plan would have monthly targets broken down by each business system e.g. the number of weekly, monthly and annual meetings to effect the optimal governance of the CWI; the amount of investment funding required from governments and sponsors to build an enabling environment based on sound financial projections; the social media reach and revenue targets from gate receipts, TV rights etc.; the performance targets in terms of improvement in ratings for the men's and women's teams in all forms of the game; and a high happiness index for all stakeholders.
These targets would be monitored formally on a monthly basis and corrective action taken where necessary if there were discrepancies between the actual performance and the budget.
Ideally, performance monitoring dashboards would be established digitally, using modern technology, so that the reading on a dashboard would be up-to-date rather than restricting the access to an arbitrarily chosen monthly target date.
Let's hope that the new leadership seeks to embrace the TRUE supporters in order to restore the fortunes of WEST INDIES cricket!
Let us put first things first and seek Divine guidance and let us continually monitor our performance across all the business systems of the organization by engaging early detection practices facilitated by the business intelligence dashboards.
In doing so, we should reward excellence when it is deserved and take corrective action to bring us back on track when there is a departure from the targets which are set. In this way, the Shepherding process will enhance the opportunity for business success.

subset: commoncrawl


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A sunset captured on Penmaenmawr Beach.
When ever I stand at the sea edge my thoughts always wander to those places I long to be!
Other than the odd opportunist photograph this shot represents the first time I?d actually gone to do a photography assignment in nearly 10 weeks of lock down. The aim was to go to the coast and get some good seascape shots and if I was lucky, then may be a sunset shot as well.
Thankfully I did get lucky with this beautiful sunset, which was enhanced by the wonderful cirrus and cirrostratus clouds.
Thoughts of Distant Shores


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Some Remarks on the Need for Open Assemblies in Berlin
Anonymous, 2013
"Some Remarks" was published anonymously on Indymedia in December of 2013. Although its authors clearly intended it as an intervention into the local anarchist / autonomous scene, it seems to us sufficiently portable to be of potential interest to others elsewhere. A German version is here.
"We need a scale of organization that is larger than affinity groups, yet looser and less defined than single issue campaigns or formal organizations. There needs to be a middle ground between these two, and this is lacking at the moment. […] Yet, at the same time, for us it is important to avoid setting up another once-a-month routine that becomes simply one more plenum. Another ritual that quickly starts to feel bureaucratic, lifeless, and dominated by the same voices that already dominate conversation within the 'left scene' in Berlin. […] [W]e would like to suggest that what we need to develop is not one 'general assembly' that starts to look more and more like an umbrella organization, but rather a culture of general assemblies in Berlin: the open assembly not as a once a month meeting, but as one of our basic forms of self-organization. By contrast, it seems like all too often in Berlin the instinct of the autonomist/anarchist milieu is to rely on relatively closed processes and closed meetings for planning actions, developing ideas, and engaging with existing struggles. "


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Hello, I am ZippySqrl.
I am not a writer, but in time I might have a go at writing something maybe probably.
I may not write, but I art! You can find my art by googling my username.
I'm also a game designer, programmer, Animator, 3D modeller, and other things, but that's another story.
Favourite pony is The Great And Powerful Trixie


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The bad news: Recently, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, the number of open U.S. construction sector jobs came in at 243,000. This widening gap between available positions and skilled workers ready to fill them continues to pour pressure on owners, developers, contractors and project managers.
The good news: Flying in the face of this worker shortage, construction work is booming, forcing companies to look to technology and elsewhere for solutions to shore up operations, increase efficiency and do more with less.
The sobering news: Unless this industry-wide labor shortage—now affecting all trades—is addressed at root level and resolved long-term, no matter how many developers are willing to invest how many billions in new construction, sheer lack of execution will let the wind out of the construction sails and bring about another downturn.
Current Climate
How is the current labor shortage affecting AWCI member contractors, and how are they dealing with it?
Admits Gilly Turgeon, president of Green Mountain Drywall Co., Inc. in Vermont, "The labor shortage is definitely a problem. We deal with it by only taking on work we can perform with existing manpower."
Observes Timothy Rogan, vice president of Houston Lath & Plaster in Texas, "From what I see, talk of labor shortages comes mostly from very large companies used to high volumes of work with hundreds or thousands of men on the payroll. There is manpower out there, but it's unavailable to contractors because people now, more than ever, are running their own businesses, even if it's just one-man operations."
According to Robert Aird, president of Robert A. Aird, Inc. in Maryland, "Finding workers in our trade—not to mention qualified and experienced ones—has been a challenge for at least six years. At this point we offer cash incentives to our employees for anyone they bring on board who stays at least three months."
Adds Matthew Townsend, president of OCP Contractors in Ohio, "To protect our earned customer reputation and to meet their high expectations, we are forced to cap the amount of work we take on. I believe this will become the norm and that the labor shortage will make contractors align with their preferred CMs and GCs."
"The shortage of labor," says Randy Schneewind, president of Berg Drywall, LLC in Minnesota, "has made us fall behind on some projects and work overtime—eroding our margins—on others."
And Craig Daley, president of Daley's Drywall & Taping in Northern California, says, "We see a shortage of qualified journeypersons. The union halls are bare and anyone of talent already has a job.
"Our best recruiting pool is our non-union competitors, as union wages are more attractive. Also, our employees are our best recruiters—they spread the word in their communities that we pay more and have steady work."
John Kirk, owner of Kirk Builders, also in Northern California adds, "For me, finding manpower is not the major problem; however, the attitude and work ethic of jaded journeymen, who know they can easily find work elsewhere in the event I become unhappy with them, is."
Shares Robert Coyle, operations manager/vice president at Dayton Walls & Ceilings, Inc. in Ohio: "We are definitely affected and have to stay aware of upcoming manpower needs and what impact a potential project will have, even before we commit to bidding. Also, we now put expiration dates on our bids."
Says Pat Arrington, principal at Commercial Enterprises, Inc. in New Mexico: "We display current and future projects on a clearly visible 8' x 4' board so applicants who come in to fill out paperwork see we have work for several years. They are like all of us, wanting to know there is future work.
"Also, we take good care of our employees and they know it—especially those who have been with us for years."
Jerry Smith, president of Baker Drywall Austin, Ltd. in Texas (and also president of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry), says, "The lack of manpower has had a huge impact on the amount of work/volume that we can take on. We have had to make sure our manpower matches our volume of work. Bottom line: Do not oversell your manpower."
Observes Dave DeHorn, chief estimator at Brady Company/Los Angeles, Inc. in California, "We're starting to feel the pinch, but being a union shop helps because we pull our labor from the local unions, though they are also stretched thin now."
"It's affecting us quite a bit," says Greg Smith, executive vice president at Superior Wall Systems in California, "and not only us but the industry as a whole. We have trouble finding qualified people to work in the field, and this diluted talent-pool breeds diminishing returns, since we have to bid work at production rates that new hires may not be able to meet.
"All companies have a core group of employees that take ownership of their work, and that translates directly to a good bottom line. When we are forced to work with a large influx of new hires, we lose experience and production rates.
"The GCs are facing similar shortages: As a result, people on their side are promoted faster than they should be, resulting in projects that are not managed efficiently.
"The other trades, too, are dealing with labor shortages resulting in a slowdown with in-wall trades like mechanical, electrical and plumbing, which has a detrimental effect on the overall project schedule.
"Lastly, our material distributors are in the same boat. While the supply of materials is not an issue, getting those materials to the site is.
"None of this comes as a surprise to anyone at this point: As an industry we are doing our best to manage this with our trade partners and clients."
Mike Holland, chief operating officer of Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. in Texas, says the labor shortage is "already constricting our ability to pursue work and meet revenue targets. Due to our workforce demographic, we are losing skilled, experienced workers faster than we can replace them.
"Immigration issues, industry perception issues and poor industry efforts in recruitment, skills training and in clearly outlining a career path over the last few decades are now coming home to roost."
Long-Term Forecast
How is the predicted longer-term labor shortage affecting our members, and how are ceiling and wall contractors preparing for it?
Says Schneewind, "The labor shortage has made us a business that employees want to be part of, and we rely on our team to attract new hires."
"It forces me to focus on labor development," says Kirk. "And on finding new apprentices, spotting those who will make it, and training them."
Coyle is keeping his company's volume under control. "It is better to say no to a project than to underperform," he says. "We are also looking at more creative ways to expand and improve our field crews through recruiting bonuses and by improving our training program."
Arrington's company is preparing by "recruiting apprentices—placing them with journeymen—and in a few weeks, they can hang and screw off gypsum boards."
He adds, "We pay our apprentices 50 percent of JM pay for 6 months, then we increase their pay. Some people think apprenticeships mean you can boost your profits by paying lower wages, but due to the training and development process, we actually incur extra cost with this program. That said, in the end we have created leadership-quality people: 90 percent of our superintendents have gone through apprentice training."
Jerry Smith's company is now more aware of its manpower count. He says they are also trying to be creative in finding manpower.
DeHorn says, "We are running a pretty constant manpower load in the field. Our estimating department is looking for projects that fit into our backlog valleys while not building mountains.
"Everyone wants to work. So, if you can keep your core group going from job to job, they tend to stick with you. You need a good, even backlog to accomplish this."
Greg Smith's company is taking a closer look at production rates, time frames and margins. "We started stockpiling field personnel about 12 months ago in preparation for this," he says, "and consequently have not been hit as hard as we could have been.
"We are taking a very pragmatic approach to how much work we want to bring in. It's like a feast out there right now, as compared to the famine we experienced just a few years ago, but we have to be very careful how much we put on our plates."
Holland says, "Ten years ago, we started a formal workforce development program at Marek that was aimed at ensuring the perpetuation of our most vital resource—our people, especially our craft professionals. Still, even after this 10-year focus on recruit, train and retain, we are evolving and learning how much there is still to be done.
"One of the most impactful things we've learned is the need to collaborate with other areas of our industry in workforce development. We didn't bring this situation about by ourselves, and we won't resolve it by ourselves. Certainly, we are each responsible for our own firm's performance and practices, but we are measured collectively as an industry by those deciding whether or not to enter our workforce."
How can manufacturers help alleviate the labor shortage?
Quips Turgeon, "If they made robots to install and finish drywall, I would buy 20 of them."
"Manufacturers are already helping," notes Townsend, "by finding better, faster ways to install their products. They are also starting to combine processes to eliminate labor in the field."
Daley says, "Anything that reduces labor hours will help overcome the labor shortage, such as lighter weight boards, prefinished materials, automatic layout and mechanical installer-assistance (think robot)."
Kirk believes manufacturers have already done a lot. "For instance," he says, "prefabricated box headers shave 90 percent off labor time compared with field-built box headers. I think they're great, but I don't see them used by other companies too often.
"A true innovation would be a joint compound that works as a single finishing coat, but good luck with that."
Shares Coyle: "We utilize new tools and innovative materials more than we did before. The risk of a product/tool not working out is now worth taking. We use panel lifts, collated screws and cordless everything in an attempt to improve the production of less-experienced workers."
Suggests DeHorn, "Manufacturers can make their products safer to use. This would cut down on injuries and lost work-time."
Holland's view is that "the manufacturing community is reacting to the workforce problem with innovation of its own aimed at material, equipment and tools that minimize unnecessary labor and streamline the construction process."
Other Factors
How can other fields and factors—such as schools, politicians, technology, training, leadership, panelizing (assembling prefabricated sections of walls, floors or roofs at the building site), etc.—help alleviate labor shortage?
Turgeon says, "Schools can help by not shaming kids into believing they have to go to college. And bring back the wood-working classes. Architects could design buildings that are easier to build.
"Panelizing is all well and good until the first section of steel is set wrong, then the rest of the project falls apart. It all starts with having a good, full set of plans with accurate details."
Aird says, "We are involved with several organizations, such as MCCEI (Maryland Center for Construction Education and Innovation) that are actively focused on alleviating the labor shortage.
"Another great program is the ACE Mentor Program (Architecture, Construction, Engineering), a nationwide, high-school mentorship program that aims to inspire students to explore careers in construction."
"Stop telling every student that they must go to college," says Townsend. "Increase their awareness about opportunities in the trades, which provide for a great middle-class living.
"In construction, apprentices are paid on the job, are educated for free, and don't incur crippling student-loan debt like college grads. Plus, this really is a great career path.
"As for other factors, I think AR (augmented reality) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) will soon allow both skilled and (potentially) unskilled workers to work faster, smarter, more efficiently and with smaller crews.
"This is also true of panelization, which greatly reduces the number of workers required on the project, reduces the need for scaffolding, requires fewer passes of multiple trades working the exterior and, most importantly, reduces the risks of injury—it's safer."
Adds Schneewind, "Make everyone aware how much the trades are paying in salaries to increase the interest among younger folks entering the work force.
"As for panelizing, we know it takes less labor hours to assemble a wall in a factory than it does in the field, reducing the number of hours needed. However, the shortage of trucking labor is adversely affecting the savings of the factory framing."
Observes Kirk, "Some years ago, the cost of a project was about 90 percent material and 10 percent labor. That has been reversed completely thanks to new technology. Lasers are a lot faster than plumb bobs and water levels. Automatic and semi-automatic pop guns (powder-actuated tools) are a lot faster than single-feed pop guns. Automatic taping-tools have been available for many years."
Suggests Coyle, "Stop pushing high school students into higher education whether suited for it or not.
"Also, we need to lobby for tech-supports schools that fill the needs of the U.S. economy, similar to what is now being done in the healthcare industry; their nurse-training programs are leaps and bounds ahead of the game."
Jerry Smith concurs: "High schools need to get back to thinking that not all students are going to college; they need to reintroduce trade classes to their curriculum.
"Also, we as contractors need to go out and educate the public about our trade and the great opportunity to make a decent living that it offers.
"When it comes to panelizing, we have found it easier to find manpower to work in a factory setting with controlled temperatures. Also, we are attracting a different skill set when we hire for prefabrication in a factory environment. And a controlled environment allows us to monitor quality more efficiently."
DeHorn concurs, "Schools must inform their students that trade workers are needed in the future."
"Panelizing works well if you have a repetitious project. However, the work we see in commercial construction is not all that repetitious. Still, we are able to pre-fabricate certain items such as jamb studs, headers, certain soffit drops, roof mansard framing, etc. By doing this off-site in a controlled environment, we have access to a better-quality product that is produced faster. A smaller, on-site crew can then install these items faster than having to build them on site."
Greg Smith says, "I sure would like to see a resurgence in high schools teaching more shop classes and R.O.P. (Regional Occupational Program) preparing more kids for the trades.
"Panelizing and prefabrication are something that can definitely help. The more work done before hitting the site, the better off we are, and it does take a lot of pressure off the project schedule. The only downside is that you do need a sizable place to store the prefabricated materials while you wait for the project to be ready for them."
Holland suggests, "It boils down to leadership, leadership, leadership—much like safety and its transformation, the workforce issue must be addressed from the top of an organization, and currently there is not nearly enough comprehension of the depth of our problem and the complex issues we are facing. It will take time for leadership to involve itself in the game, and until then, progress will be slow."
Future Innovations
What future innovations or directions do contractors predict or foresee that might lessen the need for construction labor?
"Prefabrication," says Townsend. "It is the future, aligned with AR, BIM and other advancing technologies."
Adds Schneewind, "Robotics, pre-finished wall panels, 3D printing."
Suggests Daley, "As BIM design moves toward artificial intelligence, metal studs and drywall sheets can be shipped precut-to-size, including all penetrations—where to place the studs and sheets will be easy to follow with the use of AI headsets, saving a ton of time with jobsite layout, cutting and fitting."
DeHorn says, "Robots, drones and continued improvement on materials will definitely have an impact on our future labor. We are seeing robots that can go around the interior of the job site at night and scan the walls to see how much of a product has been installed. The next day that information is checked against the schedule to make sure the job is moving in the right direction.
"Drones are already used to do inspections, among other things, for areas of the building that are difficult to reach. The faster we can pass inspections, the faster buildings are completed."
Adds Greg Smith, "I think prefabrication will have the largest effect on reducing on-site labor in the future."
Suggests Holland, "Exoskeletons? Robots? Who knows? However, if we do not improve the design process, and with it the planning and sequencing of a construction project, then any advancement in robotics, etc. will go largely unrecognized in construction due to our current rather chaotic process."
Other Thoughts
"We have always had shortages," says Townsend, "and, hopefully, always will. When we are not short on labor, we are in a contracting economy, which is less fun."
Daley says, "We need to improve the immigration process and make it easier for hard working law-abiding immigrants to work legally, pay taxes and participate in the social security program they contribute to. Why not a simple registration when you cross a border that takes your info and lets the government track whether you are working and paying taxes? If not, the registration expires and you are sent home. Simple, legal."
Offers Coyle, "With over 43 years in the drywall business and growing up in a family that had 42 drywall finishers at one time, I have witnessed many trends. The current industry trend that really scares me is self-performing GCs. They are taking a very specialized trade and generalizing the employees. If this trend goes unchecked, the specialty training that we provide our mechanics will be a thing of the past.
"A self-performing GC will not be able to send their employees to the AWCI's Doing it Right training, because they could be pouring concrete one day, drywall next week and casework the next. It is just not possible to be a jack-of-all-trades while maintaining good quality. These GCs have no concern for the industry, and with the self-performing GC pirating employees from subcontractors, I doubt our ongoing investment in employee training will continue.
"We must establish a legally binding way to retain our employees before we take on a person with zero knowledge of the metal stud and drywall industry and train him to possibly becoming a future president of the AWCI."
Jerry Smith says, "We, as contractors, have to continue to be open minded and creative to convince potential new-hires to join our teams. The bottom line is that we have to use whatever productive means and methods it takes to ensure that we have a work force available to do the work—or don't take it on."
California-based Ulf Wolf is the senior writer at Words & Images.


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Wand Yourself, Clear Yourself, Shield Yourself - Avoid Negative Energy in Richland WA
Posted by Colleen D. Lane on
Lotus of the Moon will present the event entitled Wand Yourself, Clear Yourself, Shield Yourself! on July 15, 2017, from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. The event will take place at 303 Casey Ave., Suite D, Richland, WA.
Wand Yourself, Clear Yourself, Shield Yourself: A Guide to Avoiding Negative Energy
Wand Yourself, Clear Yourself, Shield Yourself! will be led by Candle Magick's very own, Jen Jackson. Jen will teach the participants the methods that are effective in keeping oneself protected from negative energy. Life can be badly affected if one lets the negative energy to cross the threshold.
Through this event, participants will gain knowledge of the best ways to be shielded from these negative elements. Jen will lead an energy guided meditation…
1236 Views, 0 Comments


text:
Taylor Rocca
The Kimberley Dynamiters and Fernie Ghostriders put on another exciting show Monday night, but a 2-1 Ghostriders win was overshadowed by a scary incident late in the third period of play at Fernie Memorial Arena.
With less than five minutes to play, Dynamiters forward Jared Marchi went heavily into the boards in the corner of the offensive zone and did not get up.
At least 10 minutes elapsed while Marchi was tended to by trainers and players from both teams, paramedics, firefighters, and Dynamiters head coach Jerry Bancks.
"I hate it when anybody gets injured," Bancks said following the game. "Jared is the heart and soul of this team."
Marchi moved his arms and hands, but was kept mostly still as responders braced him and eventually placed him on a stretcher before he was taken via ambulance to Elk Valley Hospital in Fernie.
As Marchi was being taken off the ice on the stretcher, Bancks walked alongside and with a smile on his face, had a quick word with his 19-year-old alternate captain.
"We kind of have an inside running joke, so I can't tell you what that was," Bancks said with a laugh. "It's just something to let him know how much I care and appreciate [him]. I thanked him for his effort, which I've had for two years now."
Following the completion of the game, the Dynamiters visited Marchi at Elk Valley Hospital. According to Bancks, Marchi suffered no fractured vertebrae, but did sustain muscle and ligament damage in his neck. He was set to spend the night in hospital and will be reassessed Tuesday morning.
"I couldn't ask to be surrounded by any better people than I already am!" Marchi tweeted following the game. "Thanks for everything! #Teammates #brothers #family"
Despite the intense rivalry that exists between the Ghostriders and Dynamiters, Monday's incident provided proof that a certain brotherhood does exist within the game of hockey, even though it may not seem that way when Kimberley and Fernie meet.
"It's scary to see that stuff," said Ghostriders forward Justin Peers. "You don't want it to happen to anyone, even if it is the opposite team."
Ghostriders forward Derek Georgopoulos, a Cranbrook native, grew up playing minor hockey alongside Marchi, a Kimberley native. Even though the two now suit up on opposite sides of a heated Eddie Mountain Division rivalry, Monday's events show a certain respect remains.
"Hockey kind of takes a back seat," Georgopoulos said after the game.
"I didn't even know what to do. I don't even know what to say right now. It was obviously an accidental play. I didn't even see what happened, I just saw him go down."
Georgopolous was one of the Ghostriders players who helped tend to Marchi, skating a spinal board from the bench to where his former minor hockey teammate was situated on the ice.
"I looked into his eyes and it was just sheer panic," Georgopoulos said. "It was honestly one of the worst moments of my hockey career. It was terrifying."
After Marchi had been taken off the ice, both teams still had nearly five minutes of hockey to play in the third period of an immensely important game in which the score was 2-1.
"We're all worried about him. We're all scared, obviously," said Dynamiters captain Jason Richter Monday night.
"We still have a job to do. When it comes down to it, we're still trying to win the game and play for him."
Richter and the Dynamiters pressed as the clock wound down in the third period, but the tying goal never came as the Ghostriders held on for a 2-1 victory.
Georgopoulos scored the opening goal of the game, while Peers tallied midway through the second period with what stood as the eventual game-winning marker.
In a light moment following Peers' goal, a rooster was sent flying out onto the playing surface at Fernie Memorial Arena.
"That chicken, that's something I've never experienced before," Peers said after the game.
"I thought the refs would [pick up the chicken] but they were scared of him. They were telling me to go get the chicken. So I went and grabbed it. It was squirming around. I'm pretty sure it pooped on my pants."
Braden Saretsky responded for the Dynamiters with a power-play goal in the third period moments before Marchi went down in the corner.
Monday's helter-skelter game wrapped up a 10-day period in which the Dynamiters and Ghostriders went head-to-head three times. After the Nitros grabbed a 4-2 victory at home Dec. 20, the Ghostriders claimed back-to-back victories -- 6-4 Sunday in Kimberley and 2-1 Monday in Fernie.
Ghostriders goaltender Jeff Orser made 33 saves for the win, while Tyson Brouwer was sharp all night for the Dynamiters, turning aside 27 pucks at the other end of the rink.
A total of 1,140 fans took in Monday night's contest, including a fan bus, which travelled all the way from Kimberley with Dynamiters fans.
Apart from Marchi, the Dynamiters also lost defenceman James Jowsey to a concussion. Jowsey suffered the injury in the third period after being on the receiving end of a high hit from Ghostriders captain Dylan Robertson, who was penalized for elbowing on the play.
Marchi and Jowsey join a long list of injured Dynamiters. That list already includes , defenceman Jonas Gordon (upper body, week to week), forward Sawyer Hunt (upper body, week to week), forward Marco Campanella (lower body, four to six weeks), forward Jordan Roy (collar bone, four to six weeks) and defenceman Tristan Pagura (upper body, indefinite). Trevor Van Steinburg (undisclosed) also did not play Monday.
The Dynamiters (18-14-1-3, 40 points) and Ghostriders (26-5-1-2, 55) will resume their Eddie Mountain Division rivalry Jan. 9 at the Fernie Memorial Arena.
Until then, the Dynamiters' next action comes Jan. 2 when they visit the Columbia Valley Rockies (6-23-0-6, 18), while the Ghostriders are set to suit up Dec. 31 with a New Year's Eve tilt in Creston against the Thunder Cats (16-13-1-3, 36).


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Vintage fine sterling silver 925 and turquoise chain link bracelet or bangle, a lovely and dainty piece! In excellent condition, length 7.5.
Stamped'Mexico 925' to clasp, see pics. The item "Silver Sterling 925 Bracelet Turquoise Jewellery Jewelry Gift Ladies 7.5 Long" is in sale since Monday, April 15, 2019. This item is in the category "Jewellery & Watches\Vintage, Antique Jewellery".123" and is located in Mount Gravatt, Brisbane.This item can be shipped worldwide.


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Come one come all. Socrates Cafe on Friday June 26, 4 pm Central Time, following my appearance earlier in the day on Mexico's premier national public radio program, Primer Movimiento, in which we'll expolore, ¿Cómo enfrentamos y superamos el racismo? How do we confront and overcome racism?
Topic: Socrates Cafe -¿Cómo enfrentamos y superamos el racismo? How do we confront and overcome racism? Time: Jun 26, 2020 04:00 PM America/Central Time U.S.
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82842307654?pwd=Ri83TWR1TEp5TnJOZTBoUE82Q09Bdz09 Meeting ID: 828 4230 7654 Password: 329718
Sooo grateful that Mexico's national public radio recognizes the rightful and vital role that public philosophical inquiry has to play in this key moment in society at myriad scales, from the local to the national to global. (If only the U.S. did….. all about arguing, prosleytizing in U.S., alas, but all the more reason for us to fight the good fight and provide an alternative)


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Campaign: Fera24.cz
Fera24.cz e-shop with the biggest offer of breeding requisites. Over 13,000 items for all pets – from titbits, toys, through cosmetics, to lairs and crates. We offer express shipment, despatch orders within 24 hours from creation, and forward orders over €26 postage-free. As not only our animal customers matter to us, but we also think of other animals, we support animal welfare organisations. Nothing makes us happier than offering a helping hand to those animals that need it.
Advantages of co-operation with Fera24.cz
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Creating links to subsites:
- use a link titled "Fera24.cz – deeplink (add destination URL as data2 parameter)"
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This campaign is integrated via an independent third party and we do not have direct contact to the advertiser. We therefore cannot influence the duration and degree of approval of conversions and the duration of approval of campaign involvement.requests. We´re also not responsible for unregistered conversions which are recorded by the third party.


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Instagram has turned into a marketplace with a blink of our eyes. It seems like all you need to do to launch your own enterprise today is have a remarkable idea and a business account on Instagram.
If only it were that simple!
When running your company via Instagram you always have to keep in mind that there is a lot that you need to be thinking about: how to set up an accurate targeting and attract new users, how to increase your sales, how to establish personal connections with clients and gain engagement, how to form connections with partners, and eventually, how to gather information and track statistics.
If you have never thought about using automation tools for managing your business, it's a great mistake.
Those days when you had to search your TA for hours, when you had to write personally to every potential buyer, and write hundreds of comments in order to attract people's attention to your account became ancient history. Automation can now handle many of the tasks that, just a few short years ago, had to be done manually. Here are a few of the benefits of using an automation tool.
Set Up Accurate Targeting
Modern bots can target by means of tags, location, and a list of usernames. You need to just point it to what type of users you want to attract and an Instagram bot will direct its activity toward them. Several tools even offer gender and language filters to maintain the high-quality of your targeting.
Attract New Users
Every brand needs customers. Modern Instagram bots offer free hashtag generators, which will produce relevant and creative tags for you so that people can find you. Thanks to scheduled posting, you can gain that regularity of your presence that is vital to every potential client. In addition, simple functions such as auto likes and auto follow/unfollow will attract people's attention to your account.
Form a Personal Connection with Your Consumers
Today's Instagram automation tools can also be used for Direct Messages (DMs). Now you can be in personal touch with your clients 24/7. You simply have to write some patterns of messages in advance, and the automated tool will take care of sending an Instagram DM online to users.
Increase the Engagement Rate of Your Audience
The working principle is obvious: When you (with the help of an Instagram bot) show keen interest in your supporters by liking their feed and comments and watching their Stories, they will likely return the favor.
Fix Connections with Partners
The essence of social media is about making connections. A good Instagram bot will look for like-minded people in order to help you to arrange partnerships with them. Again, it is working on the principle of reciprocity. If you leave likes and comments on their publications, they will notice you. If your content is worthy, this will help broaden your constituencies and connect you with other enterprises or opinion leaders. Moreover, it will bring more visibility to your account.
Gather Data and Track Statistics
Every Instagram bot has "Statistics and Analyses" in its list of functions. It is extremely helpful to know the weaknesses and strengths of your current advertising campaign so you can upgrade it accordingly.
In a nutshell, bringing some automation to your promotional campaign can be very useful if you want to raise your brand awareness and sales.
If your aim is to be a successful entrepreneur, you must possess a long-term outlook and vision. A hint — future belongs to automation.
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The eCommerce industry has reportedly witnessed a whopping 27.6 percent increase in online sales worldwide of late. Looking from a global angle, the online retail market has been predicted to touch 4.89 trillion USD by the final quarter of 2021 and the figure will rocket up further in the coming years. Put simply, the eCommerce industry is booming and has experienced exponential growth, especially over the pandemic era. A major reason behind such dramatic growth is certainly the ease of shopping from the safety of home as facilitated by online stores. Again, the eCommerce market is amazingly versatile and caters to almost all niches, ranging from fashion to electronics to home improvement, and whatnot!
It's little wonder that it's about time for all kinds of retail outlets to establish a dominant presence online. Having said that, it should also be stressed that the contemporary eCommerce spaces feature cut-throat competition where only the most attractive, user-friendly, and reliable eCommerce stores would be able to thrive.
The post below extends a pro guide on designing an eCommerce store like a boss for 2021 and the coming years.
Techie Tom's guide on designing a Shopper-friendly eCommerce Store-
Despite the booming growth of the eCommerce sector, a lot of shoppers would still vote for physical stores for the security quotient. An online store lacks the "physical" human-to-human interaction of a brick-and-mortar store which might leave a lot of shoppers apprehensive about making purchases online. Thus, one of the primary aspects to keep in mind before designing a virtual store is the assurance of customer safety and privacy. Your online store should take proactive steps in ensuring secure transactions and the protection of shoppers' personal data.
Here are some tell-tale signs that will help an online store to win the trust of visitors.
Use plain language throughout the site to ensure a user-friendly atmosphere for shoppers. Share reviews submitted by previous shoppers. It's best to publish the review of each product on its respective product page. Such a layout will help a shopper to reach a more informed shopping decision. Also, it will create an impression that this particular online store is mindful of creating a comfortable and informed shopping environment for the shoppers. Mind it, it will go a long way in pulling in a wealth of traffic to the online store.
Trust seals help to establish the legitimacy and security of an online store. So, when we are talking about winning the trust of shoppers, we should highlight the importance of adding trust seals to an eCommerce store design. They serve as hallmarks of authenticity and security, ensuring shoppers that it's safe to carry financial transactions on the site. It will eventually lead to an enhanced UX experience and eventually higher sales figures.
Make sure to add SSL certificates to your online store. These certificates serve to authenticate the identity of the site, establishing it as a safe platform before visitors. Precisely, the certificate signifies all user data received by the site is guarded by industry-leading encryption for optimum security. An online store backed by SSL Certificate immediately offers the assurance of "secured" checkouts.
A true professional, genuine and reliable online store is devoid of all the silly UX mistakes, like broken lines, typos, 404 errors, missing images, and so on.
You have 8 seconds to create a jolly good impression on the visitors of your eCommerce store. Make sure to up your UI Design game so that your visitors find it worth taking a closer look at your store.
Here is a brief on pro-UI Design tips for an attractive eCommerce store-
As per the visual hierarchy rules, the most significant content must be on top of your visual pyramid. A good trick is to use less amount of white space to bring the contents closer rather than shoving down major contents below the hierarchy fold.
Overdesign ruins the game. So, don't use too many different kinds of font formats, including font sizes, colours, and types. Contents should not overlap each other, say, for example, the text content must not be too loaded with graphics to be mistaken as an advertisement. Maintain a lucid and clear flow with background colours as well as high-contrast text.
Every eCommerce brand boasts its own unique brand identity and that brand hallmark must be present all across your online store. From the colours that you use to the type of graphics to the images to the videos to the text content- every single element that you will use should bear the signature of your specific brand. Branding consistency helps to create a robust brand-customer relationship.
Please try to avoid pop-ups in your eCommerce store unless you want to shoo away your visitors right when they reach your store for the first time. The bottom line is pop-ups are serious distractions- also they aren't really useful in the long run. Yes, sure they feature valuable information but once a pop-up window disappears, it could be a challenge to find that detail again.
Please stick to icons or symbols your visitors are acquainted with. Unfamiliar icons might end up confusing shoppers- there is nothing worse for an online store than a baffled shopper. Try to make the whole experience familiar and convenient for your shoppers.
Your eCommerce store is bustling with a wide range of products. That's great – but you must make sure to outline the product categories as well as subcategories properly to make things easily comprehensible for your visitors. Categories should be featured on the top navigation bar of the homepage; try to use single words for categories.
If it's too difficult to locate and find your products, your goodies won't sell- no matter how amazing they are. So, be mindful of the search function- it should be strategically designed to help visitors find their desired products in a snap.
Here are some tips to be followed for the search function of your online store-
The auto-complete search function will make it easier for shoppers to find the products they are exactly looking for. The easy finding of products goes a long way in boosting sales.
Place a search box on every page of your site and that too in the same location. The placement must be easily visible, recognizable, and accessible. The most ideal placement for the search function is the top right corner or top centre.
The search function should be able to provide answers to all major queries customers might have about products and the store. These include product attributes, product categories, customer service details, and so on.
Each shopper has his/her own preferences while looking for a product in your store. Your online store should enable customers to sort the search results conveniently based on their preferred criteria.
Don't lose on the cart game
A shopping cart is undoubtedly one of the most crucial features of your online store. It's the place where your shoppers store the products before making the final purchase. The tips below will help you to ensure a shopper-friendly shopping cart.
As soon as a shopper will send a product to the cart s/he must receive immediate notification. You can use animations (for notifications) instead of text here as moving graphics draw more attention.
The checkout tab must be designed in bold- it's the most important CTA icon on the cart page. You should also use multiple clickable areas, vibrant colours as well as an easy language to ensure the CTA tabs are easy to locate and use.
Mini carts allow shoppers to store products in carts but without leaving their current page on your store. It's a handy widget that enables shoppers to find, navigate, and also add more products. Now, these widgets must be linked to the main shopping cart store online page always.
We all go through serious brainstorming before making a purchase. It's not uncommon that your shopper might chance upon a product that she would like more that the first product she had saved in the cart. It's most likely that now she would want to delete the first one from the cart and add the second one to it instead. Your job is to make sure the whole process of removing a product or adding a new one to the cart is a breeze.
Products stored in your cart must be displayed with all major details, like name, image, size, colour, price etc. The product display on the cart must also allow shoppers to get back to the main product pages right from the cart.
Cart abandonment can be a major cause behind the failing sales of an online store. And, a primary reason behind the cart abandonment trend is unexpected shipping costs which might come as a jolt to shoppers. So, please be upfront about the entire cost breakup when you show the final price on the product page. You should also clearly mention the expected delivery date.
The very success of your eCommerce store boils down to one single thing end of the day- how many people have or how many products have been checked out. In other words, what's the rate of conversion? Here are some pro tips to help in designing a truly appealing checkout page that would boost conversions for your store.
Your shoppers are expecting a cutting-edge and attractive eCommerce store that can assure completely hassle-free navigation, product search, and shopping. Make sure your online store checks all the boxes and guarantees an enhanced online shopping experience for visitors.
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Saardé (pronounced sar-day) is ...
a design-led brand, that creates considered, textured, pared-back goods for home, body & travel. Our brand name originates from the Turkish word "sade" which means "simple". It reflects our philosophy & ethos which translate into our products, brand, and lifestyle.
We are driven by the vision to be a one-stop shop where people can buy beautiful goods that are well designed, and of great quality, but won't cost them a fortune. Above all, we aim to create products that help people make their homes feel really good to live in.
We are a family-owned business
operated by the brand founders, Verity & Shenol Kizek, who started the company back in 2018. Their passion for beautiful Turkish textiles and desire to bring a simple Mediterranean lifestyle to Australia took them to small villages in rural Türkiye to find the best local producers. Today the brand offers goods for each part of the home, celebrating the artisanal skills of the makers from all around the world.
We design
our products in-house in Australia and are very selective when it comes to choosing our makers. Our design process is always a dialogue with our artisans - understanding their skills and methods helps us create a product that shows the handmade character of each item.
As we continue to grow as a brand, our values remain the same with product quality being our number one priority. We work with small producers, in small batches and never aim for the mass market; everything has to be made or finished by hand and our goods are for people looking for something really special.
Being ethical & sustainable
is very important to us. Unfortunately, the homewares industry has a bad reputation of being a big contributor to unfair working conditions and waste generation. We want to change that, and always make sure our manufacturers share our values. A large number of our products are made from reclaimed or recycled materials and we continue to expand our sustainable range. Recently we've become a carbon-neutral brand, offsetting 100% of our emissions by funding certified climate projects. We continuously search and implement more sustainable ways to produce our products and operate our business.
Our ultimate goal
is to build a community of like-minded people, including our team and people who come to visit us in-store and online to enjoy a 'good life' together which to us means relaxed living with warmth, zest, and care for the people and the world we live in.


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WildStar free-to-play update hits closed beta today
WildStar is preparing to launch its major free-to-play update, but it needs to go through a round of closed beta testing first, which all subscribers can get into today.
NCSoft and Carbine Studios are continuing to hammer out everything set to go in this fall's free-to-play update for WildStar. Today, they've taken a major step forward, announcing that the MMORPG's major update would enter its closed beta phase.
The closed beta is open to all WildStar subscribers, as well as non-subscribers that have a closed beta key. The update is set to debut some new elements into the game. This includes the new Alpha Sanctum story instance that ushers players into the game's story at an earlier stage. The update will also debut new quality-of-life improvements, the new (and retroactive) loyalty program that rewards players for spending C.R.E.D.D. and NCoin, and new early game scenarios.
For more on the WildStar free-to-play update's closed beta, be sure to check out the game's forums. You can also check out the video below.
Ozzie Mejia posted a new article, WildStar free-to-play update hits closed beta today


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Robbie Williams is COMING HOME!
The Great Showman will play a special homecoming stadium show 'Robbie Williams - He's Coming Home' in Stoke on Trent next year, it has been announced.
The Take That and Angels star will play his first ever show at Port Vale FC's Vale Park Stadium on Saturday June 20, 2020.
Williams was born very close to the stadium and has always wanted to play there.
'Robbie Williams - He's Coming Home' will be in aid of three charities - The Donna Louise Children's Hospice Trust, Unicef UK and The Hubb Foundation.
Early ticket access is available to UK fans who purchase (or have already purchased) Robbie's new album 'The Christmas Present' from the official Robbie Williams store before 6pm GMT next Thursday, December, 5.
Early access code and instructions will be emailed before 6pm GMT on Friday December, 6.
Williams, who was given the Freedom of Stoke-on-Trent in 2014, said of his home city: " Stoke-on-Trent made me. My heart, my humour, it's all from Stoke. Cut me and it's through me like a stick of rock."
"It has always been an ambition of mine to play a show at Port Vale and I'm delighted that now it's actually going to happen.
"This is like the best Christmas present of all for me! I want to continue to help raise money for charities in the Stoke community, and to help children grow up happy, healthy and able to play.
"This event will be able to do just that and I'm proud to be doing this in aid of The Donna Louise, Unicef and The Hubb Foundation."
Carol Shanahan, co-owner of Port Vale FC, said today: " When we took over at Port Vale just over six months ago, our aim was to create a place and atmosphere that would bring people to the football club and be a shining light in the heart of the community. To be asked to host such a magnificent event instils us with enormous pride and together, working with the Stoke-on-Trent community, we are delighted to welcome Robbie back home, to Port Vale Football Club."
Tickets can be purchased through his official website robbiewilliams.com.


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Jeff Van Gundy won't coach the New Jersey Nets. He might, however, end up coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Van Gundy is on the Cavaliers' short list to replace Mike Brown, as well. He might end up giving the Cavs the same brush-off treatment. At least, for now.
"I enjoy what I do right now," Van Gundy said in a telephone interview. "In the future I do want to coach at some point."
Van Gundy has a history of positive relationships with his stars from Patrick Ewing, Latrell Sprewell and Larry Johnson in New York to Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady in Houston. That and his reputation as a good defensive coach are believed to intrigue the Cavs.
Several sources close to Van Gundy insist he's not planning on coaching this year. Could that change if LeBron James re-signs with the Cavs? It is isn't clear at this point.
One thing is certain, Van Gundy said the Cavs offer a desirable position, not just because of James but because of the ownership and management that is in place and stable.
Making sure to qualify his comments that he was speaking in generalities and not as a potential candidate, Van Gundy praised both owner Dan Gilbert and General Manager Danny Ferry.
"Danny Ferry and their ownership have proven they care deeply about winning and about people," Van Gundy said. "That is a winning combination to sell."


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Discussion (6) ¬
Haw haw! "Look what I got!" does make it taste better. A nice comment of our attitude here!
– I kinda ruined it for my parents at the age of 10. They pulled the "they're starving in (insert third world country here)" and I said, "So let's send them guns."…
Nice. Shades of Perry Bible Fellowship there.
This Captcha sucks. It's all numbers. Don't they know what we do with Captcha here? And half of it is a picture of a house number. We're actually helping the NSA process Google Street View data now, aren't we? And the number half is actually helping them to crack encryption, isn't it?
I like the inclusion of the flies.
Part of the image isn't loading, and I can't fully reload it. Anyone else have this problem?
— ReCaptcha delivered othemplo, even though no one ordered any.
That, sir, is 100% MAD attitude.


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There was a video that went viral over the weekend that showed Timaya advising Phyno to think of making babies out of wedlock.
A young man has now criticized Timaya over this statement on marriage.
The young man identified as Mr Eghosa Agnonifo who is supposedly married, alleged that the singer is going through a lot which prompt his outrageous statement.
He took to his Instagram page and wrote:
"Social media is a place where people sell their phobia in form of advice. I was going through @instablog9ja and saw a suppose role model advicing his friend to impregnate ladies and move on. Don't be fooled a lot of people are going through a lot and disguise under celebrity status to hide their phobia. Be careful who you take advice from… #Iamhappilymarried."
Timaya then replied:
Lol @ this FOOL. Your strategy no go work. U will never be a successful politician. Be happy with ur marriage and stop beating ur wife. Olodo
The man then said:
@timayatimaya better apologize and come for a tutoring class … Don't have anything against u that statements was totally out of place
Timaya finally replied saying he will never become a successful politician:
U can't have anything against me boy. U need the tutoring class and pls go apologise to ur beautiful wife for using her as a punching bag. U WILL NEVER BE A SUCCESSFUL POLITICIAN.


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Mickey Llew, continues to grow and has appointed SEO content producer, Bakhulule (Vatt) Maluleka, to its specialist team.
Having worked as a technical writer and SEO content producer since 2013, Vatt brings with him a strong skillset and seven years' experience in a crucial niche area for organic search.
With certifications in User Experience Design from the University of Cape Town and Technical Writing from the Moscow University of Technology, his strengths lie in keyword research and content mapping, content development and editing, and the creation of integrated content strategies that best serve client business objectives.
"When it comes to writing SEO content, it's about finding the nexus between compelling consumer content that grabs their attention and serves intent, while ensuring your client's website is best-in-show," says Vatt.
Vatt believes that his dedication to consistent output and accuracy, as well as the ability to immerse himself in client industries, will strengthen services provided by the Mickey Llew team.
"I've spent years working with brands that have stringent SEO requirements related to research, writing, and optimisation, which I believe has equipped me with the skills needed to tackle any client challenges," says Vatt.
"I'm really proud of the growth Mickey Llew has seen in recent months as we continue to attract some of the best digital marketing and SEO talent in South Africa to our team," says David Jenkins, co-founder of Mickey Llew. "With Vatt's experience in producing SEO content that perfectly marries user intent with client requirements, we couldn't be happier to have him onboard!"
Vatt's love of content pulls through into his personal life and he spends time immersed in philosophy and literary theory with a particular focus on the conceptions of self and secular theories as posed by Jean Baudrillard. He recently submitted a manuscript to a local leading publisher and has another on the way.


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Israeli police issued a summons order, Thursday, to a Palestinian pathologist who attended the autopsy of a bus driver found dead earlier this week.Dr. Saber al-Aloul received an order to report to the Russian Compound detention center for questioning at 10 a.m. on Sunday, he told Ma'an News Agency.
The pathologist said that the order was illegal, and that only a court or general prosecutor could issue this type of demand for a court session, and not a closed interrogation.
Al-Aloul attended the autopsy of Yousuf Hasan al-Ramouni, 32, who was found hanged inside his bus at the Har Hotzvim terminal near Jerusalem.
See: 11/18/14 Palestinian Bus Driver Was Murdered, Forensic Expert Says for background info.
Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Yoav Mordechai, said on Tuesday that an autopsy report on the death proves it was a suicide and that there was 'no suspicion of criminal activity.'
The victim's brother, Osama al-Ramouni, said the family did not accept a verdict of suicide, saying his body 'had bruises on it,' suggesting he had been 'tortured' before his death.
'My brother had children and was a happy man. It is impossible that he killed himself,' he told AFP.


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Senvion, a global manufacturer of wind turbines, has been issued a notice to proceed under a contract to install the first 35 turbines of the 59-turbine Lincoln Gap wind farm in South Australia.
The Lincoln Gap wind farm will feature the Senvion 3.6M140 EBC turbine, which will be the first from Senvion's 3-MW range to be installed in Australia. Senvion first announced it had a conditional contract in place to deliver over 300 MW of wind energy for Nexif Energy for the Lincoln Gap wind farm in South Australia and the Glen Innes wind farm in New South Wales in February 2017.
"This effective contract for the installation of the first 35 turbines at the Lincoln Gap wind farm is a significant milestone for Senvion," said Raymond Gilfedder, CEO and Managing Director of Senvion Australia. "It also marks the introduction of the Senvion 3.6M140 turbine to Australia. This technology is very well suited to the Australian market, and will ensure that the wind farm will continue to be a high performing asset for the coming decades."
The Senvion 3.6M140 EBC turbine is one of Senvion's biggest onshore turbines designed for moderate and strong wind speeds. The new turbine is equipped with the innovative load-reducing pitch control system Eco Blade Control (EBC) technology enabling optimized-load management even in challenging wind conditions.
The 3.6M140 EBC also features a newly designed steel tower and a larger rotor diameter of 140 meters, which generates high yields even at lower wind speeds. The rotor blades feature new Rodpack technology ensuring a lighter blade design. The first prototype installation of the 3.6M140 EBC was completed in Husum, Germany, in September of 2017.
"We are pleased to be working with Senvion on our first wind project in Australia," said Srinivas Rao, Executive Vice President Projects, and Operations of Nexif Energy. "We appreciate the support of Senvion in the development of local industry and community engagement strategies."
The Lincoln Gap wind farm is located near Port Augusta, South Australia. The first 35 turbines installed will deliver 126 MW of clean, renewable energy to Australian consumers. This stage of the project will be operational by the third quarter of 2018. Work is already well advanced on the early works for the remaining 24 turbines comprising the second phase of the Lincoln Gap development.
"Senvion has been a valuable partner in the progression of the Lincoln Gap wind farm through development," commented Zeki Akbas, CEO of Nexif Energy's Australian business. "[Senvion] has provided valuable support as we worked to optimize the contracting program."
When complete, the Lincoln Gap wind farm will produce enough energy to power 155,000 households in South Australia. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is the financier for the project, and Nexif Energy is providing the equity. Senvion worked closely with Nexif Energy to support achievement of financial close.
Filed Under: News, Projects


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14th Jul 2021


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Last updated: 28 พ.ย. 2559 | 1565 จำนวนผู้เข้าชม |
After a thrilling battle between Porsche, Toyota and Audi, the two Porsche 919 Hybrid crossed the finish line in first and fourth place.
Porsche celebrates its sixth race win this season and the successful defence of the manufacturers' world championship title in Shanghai. At the penultimate of nine rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship the race winners were Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber, who started from pole position. The trio with the sister Porsche 919 Hybrid, Romain Dumas, Neel Jani and Marc Lieb, who are the championship leaders, had started from sixth and finished fourth.
Hartley set the fastest race lap with at time of 1.45,935 minutes on the 5.451 kilometre long Shanghai International Circuit.
In the manufacturers' standings, Porsche has increased its lead over Audi and will not be beaten before the end of the season.
The six-hour race was held in dry conditions and temperatures of around 23 degrees Celsius. The entire race tested the drivers and mechanics to the limit.
Chopard's ambassador Mark Webber commented: "Brendon was flying today and Timo's double stint was really nice. I did a single stint and got some used tyres out of the way before Brendon brought it home. It was an amazing day for Porsche and we are really happy to have contributed to it."
Brendon Hartley also said: "What a day! The first corner after the start was interesting. I think the Toyota used a big package of energy from the e-motor and passed me quite easily into turn one. I knew he would suffer later in the lap, because according to the rules you can only use a certain amount of energy. I got him just before the safety car came out. This was a good little battle on the first lap, and after that I just tried to keep it clean and handed the car over with an 18 second lead. I am very, very happy."
For the third year in a row, Chopard is the Official Timing Partner of Porsche Motorsport. Perfectly in line with the mindset of the Superfast watch collection, this prestigious partnership is an extension of Chopard's enduring passion to automotive sports. In 2014, for the grand comeback of the German team to endurance racing, Chopard partnered Porsche Motorsport and became the "official timing partner " of the team. At Le Mans 2014, in honour of this exclusive partnership, Chopard crafted a Superfast chronograph inspired by the Porsche 919 Hybrid competing in the World Endurance Championship LMP1 category: the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition watch.
This year, at Le Mans, Chopard unveiled a new watch, the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black Edition, a 100-piece limited serie. Exclusively available in Chopard boutiques, this model proudly flies high the banner of the new Porsche prototype 2016 by picking up its aesthetic codes and colours. The imposing 45 mm-diameter case is made in titanium – a material often used in the world of endurance racing for its ultra-light properties. This unique bodywork is bead-blasted, blackened by a DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) treatment ensuring an extremely scratch-resistant coating, and is water-resistant to 100 metres. Like a racing car equipped with the finest machinery, the case of the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black Edition with its sleek, sporty lines houses a 'motor' built for ultimate performances combining cutting-edge technologies and respect for the art of watchmaking: Chopard Calibre 03.05-M. Designed like an authentic engine, entirely produced and assembled in Chopard's Fleurier Ebauches workshops, this mechanical self-winding chronograph movement delivers a substantial 60-hour power reserve and features a flyback function.
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Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has been named the official airline for the Crop Over Festival. This announcement, made by Kerrie Symmonds, Minister of Tourism and International Transport, came on Monday, April 15 after the arrival of the inaugural, non-stop Jamaica to Barbados flight.
The pilot and co-pilot of the flight, Captain Ian Wilson and Tanisha Clover, respectively, along with their passengers, were greeted by the minister as well as officials from Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI), Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA), Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), National Cultural Foundation (NCF), and travel agents from Barbados and Jamaica at the Grantley Adams International Airport.
Minister Symmonds stated that this decision to name CAL as the official airlines for the season came after lengthy discussions. According to Head Communications Officer, Dionne Ligoure, this is in keeping with CAL's 2019 theme of Caribbean Identity which was launched in March in Jamaica.
At the time of the launch, the airline emphasised that the "campaign is meant to embrace and celebrate the authenticity of the Caribbean region and all the elements that make it unique". Ms. Ligoure further expressed their commitment noting that CAL is also the official airline of Reggae Sumfest among other celebrations taking place throughout the region this year.
Speaking in relation to the new route, she expanded stating, "There are no bridges to connect the Caribbean islands and so air transportation provides an essential link among our islands for tourism, for trade and for the general movement of people… The launch of this service really represents an integral part of Caribbean Airlines vision to connect the regions and to bring our islands much closer together."
Minister Symmonds also reflected these sentiments stating that this was a move in the right direction. "We feel that every step must be taken to help our people to be more in contact with each other, for tourism purposes, cultural purposes, heritage purposes, for entertainment purposes and commerce", adding that "The ideal of bringing the region closer together has, for a long time, been at the forefront of my administration's priorities."
He reported that the island saw a 2.7 per cent increase in arrivals in 2018, seeing an entry of 681,197 visitors, of which 9,000 were Jamaican. He added that during this time there was also a 4.4 per cent increase in intra-Caribbean tourism. It can be expected that this new flight will add to this growth, not only for Barbados but for Jamaica as well.
The new flight, which was announced earlier this year, touched down on Monday night. The most recent direct flight servicing travelers between the two islands was in 2004. This new route means that commute between the two islands will be cut by more than half. This is an exciting move as it has a significant value in the commitment to bring the region closer.
Find your ideal Barbados accommodation...


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Let the fog die, dissipate. It's going away, this climate of never-happenings upon forevermore and accepted is its inevitable passing this wanted, but never happening storm of fire, glory and pain. Let it go. Let it go. Let the matches drench, at least I felt its scent. I'm alive, and I'll live another day. Read the first part of it, here . Free books: Séphora || Mind Heart Soul Volume I || Mind ...
Passing storm (Crispin II)
Jan 14, 2023
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A question of honour: Police say 17,000 women are victims every year
Ministers are stepping up the fight against so-called 'honour' crime and forced marriages. Detectives say official statistics are 'merely the tip of the iceberg' of this phenomenon. Brian Brady investigates
Up to 17,000 women in Britain are being subjected to "honour" related violence, including murder, every year, according to police chiefs.
And official figures on forced marriages are the tip of the iceberg, says the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).
It warns that the number of girls falling victim to forced marriages, kidnappings, sexual assaults, beatings and even murder by relatives intent on upholding the "honour" of their family is up to 35 times higher than official figures suggest.
The crisis, with children as young as 11 having been sent abroad to be married, has prompted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to call on British consular staff in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to take more action to identify and help British citizens believed to be the victims of forced marriages in recent years.
The Home Office is drawing up an action plan to tackle honour-based violence which "aims to improve the response of police and other agencies" and "ensure that victims are encouraged to come forward with the knowledge that they will receive the help and support they need". And a Civil Protection Bill coming into effect later this year will give courts greater guidance on dealing with forced marriages.
Commander Steve Allen, head of ACPO's honour-based violence unit, says the true toll of people falling victim to brutal ancient customs is "massively unreported" and far worse than is traditionally accepted. "We work on a figure which suggests it is about 500 cases shared between us and the Forced Marriage Unit per year," he said: "If the generally accepted statistic is that a victim will suffer 35 experiences of domestic violence before they report, then I suspect if you multiplied our reporting by 35 times you may be somewhere near where people's experience is at." His disturbing assessment, made to a committee of MPs last week, comes amid a series of gruesome murders and attacks on British women at the hands of their relatives.
Marilyn Mornington, a district judge and chair of the Domestic Violence Working Group, warned that fears of retribution, and the authorities' failure to understand the problem completely, meant the vast majority of victims were still too scared to come forward for help. In evidence to the home affairs committee, which is investigating the problem, she said: "We need a national strategy to identify the large number of pupils, particularly girls, missing from school registers who have been taken off the register and are said to be home schooled, which leads to these issues. Airport staff and other staff need to be trained to recognise girls who are being taken out of the country.
"We are bringing three girls a week back from Islamabad as victims of forced marriage. We know that is the tip of the iceberg, but that is the failure end. It has to be part of education within the communities and the children themselves."
Women who have been taken overseas to be married against their will are now being rescued on an almost daily basis. The Government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) handled approximately 400 cases last year – 167 of them leading to young Britons being helped back to the UK to escape unwanted partners overseas. And it is not just women who are affected. Home Office figures show that 15 per cent of cases involve men and boys.
In an attempt to crack down on the crimes being committed in the name of honour, police are to introduce a new training package that will give all officers instructions on handling honour cases. In addition, detectives are believed to be conducting a "cold case" style review of previous suicides amid suspicions that cases of honour killings are more common than previously thought.
Almost all victims of the most extreme crimes are women, killed in half of cases by their own husbands. Sometimes murders are carried out by other male relatives, or even hired killers. The fear that many thousands are left to endure honour violence alone may be supported by the disturbing details of the incidence of suicide within the British Asian community. Women aged 16 to 24 from Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi backgrounds are three times more likely to kill themselves than the national average for women of their age.
A report published last week by the Centre for Social Cohesion found that many women felt unable to defy their families and therefore "suffer violence, abuse, depression, anxiety and other psychological problems that can lead to self-harm, schizophrenia and suicide". James Brandon, co-author of Crimes of the Community: Honour-based Violence in the UK, said: "The Government is still not taking honour crime seriously. Until this happens, the ideas of honour which perpetuate this violence will continue to be passed on through generations. Religious leaders, local authorities and central government must work together to end such abuses of human rights."
The human cost of honour crime was vividly captured in a haunting video message from murdered Banaz Mahmood, who revealed how her own father had tried to kill her after she abandoned her arranged marriage and fell in love with another man. In the grainy message she told how he plied her with brandy – the first time she had ever drunk alcohol – pulled the curtains and asked her to turn around.
The 19-year-old fled, but less than a month after making the grainy video on a mobile phone, Banaz was dead. Her naked body was found buried in a yard in Birmingham in 2006, more than 100 miles from her London home. She had been raped and tortured by men hired by her uncle to kill her. Mahmood's father, uncle and one of her killers were sentenced to a total of 60 years in jail for the murder.
And the fatal potential of honour disputes was laid bare last month when a coroner said he was convinced that a Muslim teenager who feared she was being forced into an arranged marriage by her parents had suffered a "vile murder." Ian Smith said the concept of an arranged marriage was "central" to the circumstances leading up to the death of 17-year-old Shafilea Ahmed, whose decomposed body was discovered on the banks of the River Kent at Sedgwick, Cumbria, four years ago. After running away from home in February 2003, Shafilea told housing officers: "My parents are going to send me to Pakistan and I'll be married to someone and left there." The tragic story of the bright teenager who wanted to go to university and study law is far from the only example of the anguish suffered by British teenagers in recent years.
Toafiq Wahab, British consul in Dhaka, Bangladesh, recalls a "rescue mission" to recover a 17-year-old who called his office from Sylhet. "We had to track her down and 36 hours from taking that call, we had turned up at her house with an armed police escort," he said. "The house was filled with over 20 of her relations, most of whom were from Britain and stunned to see me. They obviously did not want her to leave. We simply asked her if she wanted to leave and go back to the UK in the presence of all her family and she agreed. I then spoke to the family and explained what we were doing and tried to make them understand. In the end, we had to get the police to assist in helping us to leave."
Former Bradford policeman Philip Balmforth, who works with vulnerable Asian women, said he saw 395 cases of forced marriage in the city last year. "I had a case of a 14-year-old girl at school," he recalled. "The teacher tells me that the girl claims to have been married. So I went along to the school with a Muslim colleague. We saw the girl. We asked her a few questions and we were not sure. Then the girl said: 'If you don't believe me I have the video at home.'"
In Bradford alone, a total of 250 girls aged between 13 and 16 were taken off the school rolls last year because they failed to return from trips abroad. Campaigners suspect many were victims of forced marriages.
"If contacted by concerned young British men and women in the UK, the FMU provides free and confidential advice on the potential dangers of being forced into marriage overseas and precautions to take to help avoid this happening," said a Foreign Office spokesperson last night. "If we learn that a British national overseas is being forced into marriage, or has already been forced into marriage, we look at various means of consular assistance ranging from action through the courts to rescue missions."
"The FMU can also help to arrange accommodation for victims for when they return to the UK and can refer victims to counselling and supports groups, legal centres, and so on.
"When it is necessary, the FMU and our embassies and high commissions work closely with the police and judiciary overseas in order to organise emergency rescue and repatriation missions."
Britain's hidden scandal
The kidnap victim
In June 2000 Narina Anwar, 29, and her two sisters claim they were tricked by their parents into going on a family holiday to a remote village in Pakistan, where they were held captive for five months in an attempt to force them to marry three illiterate villagers. The sisters fled to Lahore and contacted the British High Commission, which persuaded their parents to hand over their children's passports so they could return home.
The 'slave'
Gina Singh, 28, sued her former mother-in-law for £35,000 in 2006 after she was forced to work 17 hours a day around the house. Ms Singh, from Nottingham, was forbidden to leave the house on her own after an arranged marriage in 2002.
The runaway wife
In 1983, Zana Muhsen and her sister Nadia, from Birmingham, were pushed by their father to visit Yemen and forced to marry. Zana, now 35, escaped eight years later. Her father had sold her for a few thousand dollars. The experience is recounted in her book, 'Sold'.
The murder victim
Surjit Athwal disappeared with Bachan Athwal, her mother-in-law, after a family wedding in India in 1998. Her body was never found. Bachan later boasted that she arranged for her son, Sukhdave, to murder Surjit after finding out that she was having an affair.
The attempted suicide
Shafilea Ahmed was the victim of a suspected honour killing. The 17-year-old's body was found months after she had returned from a trip to Pakistan in 2003. On the trip she drank bleach. The coroner said he saw it as a 'desperate measure' to avoid a forced marriage.
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The United States have set a short-course world record in the women's 400-metre medley relay, in the first event of Duel in the Pool against the Europeans.
Natalie Coughlin got the Americans off to a quick start in the backstroke Friday night, before Rebecca Soni turned up the pace in the breaststroke leg.
Dana Vollmer kept the US ahead of world-record pace, and 16-year-old Missy Franklin finished strong in the freestyle for a time of 3 minutes, 45.56 seconds.
That crushed the previous record of 3:47.97, set by the Americans at the 2009 Duel in the Pool just before high-tech racing suits were banned by the international governing body.
"We have four really great girls in that relay," Coughlin said. "We were confident going in, and that definitely helped us get the world record."
The European squad - Daryna Zevina of Ukraine, Rikke Moeller Pedersen and Jeanette Ottesen of Denmark, and Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands - was never a factor.
The European team touched in 3:51.04.
Franklin, a rising star, said the Americans were eager to take down the record after barely missing it at the short-course world championships last year.
"It was amazing and so special," Franklin said.
"It was great to come back and get it. It sets us up really well for next summer."
The Americans were favoured to extend their domination at Duel in the Pool, which was launched in 2003 to boost interest in swimming during non-Olympic years.
The US easily beat the Australians at the first three Duels, then routed the Europeans two years ago.


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