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Wednesday, December 26, 2007
What has become of this holiday?
I was wrong.
In mid-afternoon, at a big Burbank shopping mall, there wasn't a single free space in the parking structure. Boy, that pissed me off. I was like, "Why aren't you motherfuckers at home? It's Christmas!"
I don't get it. The world used to take a break on Christmas Day. Instead, you got long lines at the Starbucks.
I guess the fact that Hollywood would open major motion pictures on Christmas Day means that I'm out of touch... that Christmas has been a big moviegoing day for a while. It's a damn shame.
Anyways, "The Great Debaters" was effective, in a manipulative, almost hokey kind of way. The theater was packed, and people applauded at the end. So it will make money.
I was personally delighted to see one of the main characters sing a couple of verses of "Run, Nigger, Run," a folk song I blogged about in detail back in September.
Tangentially, I also think I spotted a factual error in one of the main characters' debate points. Jurnee Smollett said, if I heard right, that the New York Times decided to capitalize the "N" in Negro in 1920.
Actually, it was 1930. And the Times was one of the last New York newspapers to do so.
I began gathering string on that story back in the summer, while researching the "Giant Negro" phenomenon. I'll write more about the capitalization of "Negro" in coming days.
10 comments:
- DeAngelo Starnes said...
Dave, I thought about the irony of the so-called Christmas Spirit the last couple of days.
Long lines, mad traffic, rude and pushy people for the four to five days preceding Christmas.
And then the shit's over after the presents are opened in the morning and you get cross-eyed after eating all that goddamned food you stayed all night cooking.
At some point during Christmas Eve, I youtubed Charlie Brown's Christmas Special. I was struck at how the characters railed against the commercialism of Christmas as symbolized by Lucy and others exhorting Charlie Brown to get a good aluminum tree.
And he ended up purchasing the only real Xmas tree, which was a pitiful looking thing. But at least it was real.
That shit flew over my head when I watched it as a kid.
But hit home as an adult.
Because in trying to appease everyone in an effort to create the holiday spirit, we suffer a lot of discomfort
And so is it worth going through spending money you don't have and enduring long lines of pushy people?
As much as I hated it, it reminded me of all the machinations you go through to date someone hoping it will end up with an orgasm. That orgasm was the shit and you forgot all that money you spent and the fact that your date ordered everything on the menu.
It was worth it even if the encounter didn't end up in a meaningful relationship.
Giving can be getting when it's all said and done. Even though you'd wish you could skip the process and get straight to the nut.
- December 26, 2007 at 4:58 PM
- bklyn6 said...
I was struck at how the characters railed against the commercialism of Christmas as symbolized by Lucy and others exhorting Charlie Brown to get a good aluminum tree.
Now it's Rev. Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping railing against consumerism in general.
Actually, it was 1930. And the Times was one of the last New York newspapers to do so...
Well, they're still misidentifying black folk so....
- December 26, 2007 at 5:42 PM
- Matty said...
David, My family has gone to a late afternoon Christmas movie for as long as I can remember. After celebrating the holiday with Mom's side, immediate family, and then Dad's side, that's how we always end Christmas. It's usually the most universal movie, so as to satisfy all 19 people. The Great Debaters was an excellent fit. Happy Holidays.
- December 26, 2007 at 8:04 PM
- Undercover Black Man said...
^ Thanks for commenting, Matty.
And the poor schmucks who have to work on Christmas Day, shoveling popcorn? Or making lattes? Who weeps for them?
- December 26, 2007 at 8:20 PM
- Solace said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- December 27, 2007 at 5:56 PM
- Solace said...
Interesting and funny post you have here friend. I was stuck in an airport Christmas eve until the morning so thus is how my Christmas began...lol.
Funny...I work with inner city kids on my own time and I took the children to see the Great Debaters.
In a day an age where kids want all things material when they dont have much..I have the blessing of working with children who wanted to go to the book store after we viewed the movie. That was my christmas gift from them...that movie inspired them.(smiles)
I know that the school they originally debated was USC I think ...not Harvard. I know Denzel wanted to alter that fact for symbolism purposes.
By the way just happened to click on your blog....GREAT READING! I will be back!
- December 27, 2007 at 6:00 PM
My family used to go to the movies on Christmas for several years (until my grandparents became too ill to attend). I would have liked to have seen a movie on Christmas this year, but I was too busy visiting with friends and the only "event" movie that was released on Christmas was Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, and I just wasn't in the mood to be so hip and ironic.
- December 27, 2007 at 10:02 PM
^Oops, forgot to mention that was me up there.
- December 27, 2007 at 10:02 PM
- *Tanyetta* said...
My husband and I saw this movie tonight!!!!!!!
I have a question: Do you remember the letters that were written on the front of the Harvard Debate Podium?
I want to look them up. Thank you.
- December 29, 2007 at 10:53 PM
- Undercover Black Man said...
^ Tanyetta, I hope the theater was packed.
You know what? I didn't even notice the letters on the Harvard debate podium.
- December 30, 2007 at 9:41 AM


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Part 2: 'I'm Trying to Get Home to My Family, Too.'
Episode 2 | 56m 52s
Sebastian, Dyjuan and Tamara reflect on the difficult circumstances of their childhood, while the debate team prepares to face the University of Vermont. Shawnta, Tamika and Tamara make great strides academically, only to discover that BPI keeps raising the bar. Brian and Rodney are accused of breaking prison rules and sent to the solitary housing unit, SHU, their education in serious jeopardy.
Aired: 11/25/19
Expires: 07/24/20Video has closed captioning.
Buy Now:
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Funding for College Behind Bars is provided by Bank of America; PBS; Ford Foundation / JustFilms; National Endowment for the Humanities; Meg & Tomas Bergstrand; Regina K. Scully; The Lise Strickler & Mark Gallogly Charitable Fund; a fund at The New York Community Trust; Patty Quillin through the Meadow Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation; Barbara & Richard Novick; Chicken & Egg Pictures; The William H. Donner Foundation; Hartley Film Foundation; Bertha Foundation; The Harnisch Foundation; Compton Foundation; and Lisa Philp; and members of The Better Angels Society: John & Catherine Debs, The Cousins Foundation, Inc., Abrams Foundation, Schwartz/Reisman Foundation, Ted Dintersmith & Elizabeth Hazard, McCloskey Family Charitable Trust, and Donna & Dick Strong

subset: commoncrawl


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Teaching children about racism, prejudice and diversity isn't easy. We are told that kids don't see color but they do. Kids aren't colorblind they just don't have the societal baggage behind the observations that they make. It's okay to notice differences, it's ok to ask why someone has a funny hat or why someone's eyes look different from theirs, it's not ok to hate or to treat people differently because of the differences we notice and that is the lesson I set out to teach my son.
On Friday night I told my son the story of Martin Luther King Jr. , his amazing dream and tragic death. I showed him a video of the march on Washington and he heard Dr. King's amazing address for the first time. I am so glad he got to see it before he got a chance to read it, nothing compares to seeing the original footage . I love the internet and that I could show him that snuggled in a dark bedroom on my iPhone.
Many questions were asked and the next day we sat down to make these paper dolls. We talked about how they were holding hands just like the children in Dr. King's dream .I know that the very best way to teach children to avoid prejudice, embrace diversity and fight racism is to lead my example but for a hands on experience this was a fun way to reinforce your everyday lessons .
- Gather your materials. You will need a sheet of paper, scissors, crayons in various skin colors, markers in various colors of eyes and hair and a bright red one for lips. You will also need a 2nd piece of paper and 3 containers. You will also need some heart stickers, or cut out hearts and double stick tape.
- Start by fan folding your paper .
- Cut the paper dolls by cutting out the body shape , leaving the arms connected by the fold. If your child is able have them do the cutting, this would frustrate my son to no end and stop the lesson in it's tracks so I took care of it and had it ready for him.
- Write out all different combinations of physical attributes, cut out and place in the 3 containers. I did light, medium and dark skin. Blonde, brown, black and orange ( red) hair , brown, green and blue eyes.
- Welcome your child and explain how people are all the same on the inside. We added hearts to each person with double stick tape – although stickers would be perfect. If you make larger dolls and have a child with a longer attention span you could even add more of what is inside people both the physical and less tangible things like love, hope and dreams.
- Flip over. Start drawing each physical attribute. We did random drawings to show that no one chooses their outsides, it's random and only our shell not our heart. Color the skin, hair and eyes whichever color you draw from the containers.
- We had fun making predictions and taking turns drawing the skin, hair and eye color and coloring the dolls.
- I loved the end result of 4 unique looking people connected to each other on one side and 4 connected hearts on the other. We have been talking a lot about celebrating our differences but connecting to our similarities is equally important.
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox. I had the absolute pleasure of writing a unit of study for Itty Bitty Bookworm using this book as the base. I often feel sick of the books we use for curriculum after reading it thousands of times, brainstorming lessons and activities. Not this book, every time I read it I get goosebumps. The book is simple and talks about the differences of little children all over the world, but focuses on what they all have in common. Children of various cultures are shown , smiling, laughing, crying and the reader can see that even if the clothes , or houses or food are different the insides are the same. I always choke up reading this book because it"™s so beautiful and a great reminder for all of us that while we so often focus on what we see as different most of what we have is in common.
The Colors of Us by Karen Katz. You are probably already familiar with this author/ illustrator who I have featured time and time again for her lift the flap board books that both my children love. This is not a board book or right for babies or toddlers, the text is long and the message is great! The story follows a 7 year old budding artist who like many children depicting people in their art is looking for "skin color". On a walk with her mom she reflects about the colors she sees and the shades of skin in all the people around her. I always point out to my son how our own family has all different shades of skin, and this book taps into that message that there aren't just a handful of skin colors but a range of endless shades.
Little Blue and Little Yellow is a profound book with underlying commentary about race relations while the surface story is about little blobs of color who when squished together turn into one green blob! You"™ll be surprised by how easily your preschooler will pick up on the connection between the two. In my PreK class I had more than a few kids make the connection all on their own.
If you are looking for a great books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I highly recommend My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris for children 5 and older. For younger children The Story Of Martin Luther King Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore is fantastic .


text: Children typically begin to erupt a tooth between the 6th and 8th month of life. Signs of teething are: drooling, irritability, gum swelling and sensitivity, sleeping problems, refusing food, the urge to bite on hard objects and possibly a low grade fever. The discomfort that results from teething is due to the pressure exerted on the tissue in the mouth, called the periodontal membrane, as the teeth erupt.


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University Park, Pa. — Experts say overweight children face a high risk of becoming overweight adults. And with the many health complications that are associated with obesity, the challenge is to get kids to eat right and exercise. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle takes commitment and willpower, no matter how old you are, and Penn State President Graham Spanier looks into ways to pass that message along to children on the upcoming edition of "To The Best Of My Knowledge." The live call-in program airs at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, on WPSU-TV and WPSU-FM. It also airs on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN).
President Spanier and his guests, Dr. Ronald Williams, director of the Penn State Children's Hospital Multidisciplinary Weight Loss Program; and Jennifer Savage Williams, research associate with the Penn State Center for Childhood Obesity Research, will discuss strategies that can change a child's attitudes about eating and exercise.
Dr. Williams specializes in pediatrics and internal medicine at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. He works with the Pediatric Weight Loss Program, which is a multidisciplinary weight management program designed by health professionals to meet the specific needs of overweight adolescents and teens.
Jennifer Savage Williams represents the Center for Childhood Obesity Research. The center conducts research that contributes to the development of successful childhood obesity prevention programs.
Viewers and listeners are invited to join the conversation with questions or comments by calling (800) 543-8242 or e-mailing firstname.lastname@example.com during the broadcast.
A monthly feature on WPSU-TV and WPSU-FM, "To the Best of My Knowledge" features Penn State faculty, local experts and national guests in discussions on a variety of topics. In its 10th year of production, the program reaches viewers, Web users and listeners and allows the audience to communicate directly with Penn State's president.
WPSU serves central Pennsylvania with programming, educational services and community outreach. This public media service produces, acquires and distributes programs that address local interests and reflect the diverse cultural, political, geographic and demographic characteristics of an audience within central Pennsylvania.


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A slacker blogger, awesome friends, and the Titus 2:1 Conference
>> Thursday, May 1, 2014
Well hey there, did you miss me? I could sit here and expound on the many, many things that have been happening in our lives that have kept me from blogging, but I won't. I will just say insanity and move on. The last year or so have been, and in ways continue to be trying. In addition to that, I have been fighting with the issue that I lost my voice. Not my literal voice, but my mental one. The one that signed on periodically to share a bit of life, knowledge, and fun.
The good news is that I am back. This weekend is a the weekend I look forward to all year long. It's time for the 2:1 conference! The conference officially kicks off tomorrow, but I arrived early (though later than planned after missing a connecting flight) *sigh* Oh well...enough of that...It's time for an awesome weekend, with some AMAZING girls! OH and did I mention that I have the extreme honor of being on the 2:1 Conference team this year?!? Be sure to follow the #2to1conf for updates, insights and fun!
OH and I am on a mission...the mission to get back into blogging...I think I am finally ready to dive back in. I hope y'all will stick around and bare with me.
OH and if you are wondering...this year's 2:1 Conference hotel theme...angles...
Read more...


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Amidst a torrent of official announcements, a very strange tweet appeared on the feed of the Dallas Police Department over the weekend.
It had nothing to do with perps, crimes or laws. It had to do with... Fruit Ninja.
The tweet was soon taken down, but an official apology of sorts remains.
Right. Kids. Nice try.
Dallas Police Department [Twitter, via Buzzfeed]


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Patient's Guide for Pituitary
For a patient with a pituitary adenoma, it is important to reduce the pressure being placed on nearby structures (generally the optic nerves and chiasm) and to restore normal hormone production.
Many pituitary adenomas must be treated surgically, although some may be treated with medication. Occasionally, a small tumor may be discovered as an unexpected finding on a MRI scan performed for some other reason. The size of the tumor, coupled with the patient's symptoms and hormone status, all enter into the decision process. If the patient's vision is not threatened and hormone production is normal then, observation of the tumor over time with continued MRI scans and visual field studies may be an option.
Most surgery for removal of pituitary adenomas is performed via a transphenoidal approach, which means, simply, that we enter through the nose. The pituitary gland is located under the brain and sits in a small saddle-shaped area of the skull called the sella. The sella forms one of the walls of the sphenoid sinus, which is connected to the nose.
In some cases, the neurosurgeon who performs your surgery will be assisted by an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon. This approach is very direct and does not leave any visible scars on the patient. An incision, when necessary, is usually performed under the lip or nostril. A surgical microscope or endoscope with a mini-camera is used to allow us to see an image on a monitor which guides the surgeons through the area.
Surgery is sometimes performed via a transcranial approach (through the skull) for removal of a pituitary adenoma. This larger operation is reserved for tumors not appropriate for a transphenoidal approach due to their large size or growth pattern.
Recovery from this type of surgery is usually quick, and most patients are discharged from the hospital in two to three days.
A risk from pituitary surgery is diabetes insipidus, a condition where the kidney produces large volumes of urine. The complication -- if it occurs -- is usually temporary. When present, it can be easily controlled with a nose spray.
Leakage of spinal fluid through the nose is another possible complication. If it occurs it is usually corrected with a patch of fat to seal the leak.
Radiation therapy is sometimes recommended for patients with known residual tumors following surgery, or in cases of where tumors come back after surgery. At the time of diagnosis, some very large tumors may have already invaded other parts of the brain. Surgery would be performed to decompress the optic nerves and chiasm (release the pressure being placed on them by the tumor). Radiation therapy may be used to minimize the risks of tumor regrowth.
There is also another type of surgery called stereotactic radiosurgery, a technique whereby a precise dose of radiation is delivered directly to a tumor. It uses a reduced dose of radiation given over five to 10 days, and has been used to treat both residual and recurring tumors. In some cases, it might also be used for newly diagnosed tumors. Stereotactic radiosurgery can be performed either after surgical removal or as a primary therapy.


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|Instrument: MRM : Miniaturized Radiation Monitor
Instrument Category:
Earth Remote Sensing Instruments
Instrument Class: Passive Remote Sensing
Instrument Type: Spectrometers/Radiometers
Instrument Subtype: Radiometers
Associated Platforms
Related Data Sets
View all records related to this instrument
Proba-1 payloads
Proba-1 carries onboard several Earth observation and space environment scientific instruments. In view of the project?s aim to demonstrate technology, several platform elements and systems have also been included as technology experiments.
The Proba-1 development approach includes several innovative aspects. A design-to-cost approach was adopted according to European Cooperation for Space Standardisation category 3 project classification. This involved using COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) equipment and units; simulation-based development, verification and testing; automated software generation; extensive use of test and operations infrastructure commonalities; and a highly integrated ESA-industry design and development team.
Extensive use is made of automated functions onboard the spacecraft. Full onboard flight dynamics computation, in conjunction with automated ground segment functions such as pass automation and high-level user interfaces, satisfy the spacecraft autonomy requirements.
Automated functions onboard handle nominal spacecraft operations, plan and schedule activities, and manage payload resources. Onboard flight dynamics include orbital navigation as well as computation and control of instruments, camera pointing and scanning in order to meet user-defined targets (latitude, longitude and altitude).
Summary provided by Proba-1 payloads
Online Resources


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Motoman, Yaskawa Join Forces
The Motoman Robotics Division is the second largest robotics company in the Americas, with an installed base of approximately 30,000 units. Its products include robotic automation solutions for virtually every industry and application, including arc welding, assembly, coating, dispensing, material handling, material cutting, material removal and spot welding.
See also: Yaskawa America, Inc.
Related Enterprise Zones: Automation


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Halloween Cake Pop Recipes For Kids
Boo Bites! 20 Spook-tacular Halloween Cake Pops
Boo Bites! 20 Spook-tacular Halloween Cake Pops
Ghosts, spiders, bats, monsters, and werewolves — oh my! The countdown to the spookiest night of the year is officially on. For kids, Halloween is a day filled with costumes, silliness, and candy, but you can add to the sweetness of the holiday with cake pops that celebrate All Hallows' Eve. These 20 spook-tacular bites of cake on a stick are definitely more sweet than spooky, but they're sure to put even bigger smiles on your little monsters' faces.


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I'm not looking at all of them at once. It has to do with my browsing habits-- I usually open up every link on a forum at one time, then close the tabs as I get through them. That's one example. (I also have a bad habit of leaving tabs open, often for weeks a time, when I'm too busy to get to something but want to look at it or reply later.)
Well, at some point I should probably try Chrome.


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More than 40 floral floats shared Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard with marching bands and equestrian units Tuesday during the 124 Tournament of Roses Parade.
The floats were judged Monday in Irwindale. They will be parked near the end of the parade route Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for public viewing.
Tickets are $10. Call 626-795-4171 for ticket information.
Below, the award-winning floats in the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade:
- Grand Marshal's Award: HGTV, "All Paths Lead Home''
- Governor's Award: City of Glendale, "Living The Good Life''
- Director's Award: City of San Gabriel Centennial, "Celebrating Our Journey''
- Fantasy Award: Burbank Tournament of Roses Association, "Deep Sea Adventures''
- Sweepstakes Award: Dole, "Dreaming of Paradise''
- Theme Award: Kaiser Permanente, "Oh, The Healthy Things You Can Do''
- President's Award: Ministries of Tourism & Creative Economies, Republic Of Indonesia, "Wonderful Indonesia''
- National Award: Department of Defense 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemorative Committee, "Freedom Is Not Free''
- Mayor's Award: City of Los Angeles, "Making Connections''
- Founder's Award: City of South Pasadena, "Sailing The Sea Of Knowledge''
- Craftsman Award: The Nurses Float, "A Healing Place''
- Isabella Coleman Award: Sierra Madre Rose Float Association, "The Sky's The Limit''
- Tournament Volunteers' Award: Kiwanis International, "A Child's Magic Carpet Ride''
- Judges' Special Award: Shriners Hospitals For Children, "Helping Children Live Their Dreams''
- Princess' Award: Odd Fellows And Rebekahs, "Elevated Adventure''
- International Award: China Airlines, "Cycling Through Paradise''
- Extraordinaire Award: Trader Joe's, "Recipe For Adventure!''
- Animation Award: La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association, "Dino-Soar''
- Bob Hope Humor Award: Cal Poly Universities, "Tuxedo Air'
- Queen's Award: AIDS Healthcare Foundation, "The Global Face Of AIDS''
- Past Presidents' Award: Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods, "Canines With Courage''
- Crown City Innovation Award: Miracle-Gro, "Everyone Grows''
- Lathrop K. Leishman Award: Beverly Hills pet Care Foundation, "Follow The Stars...Adopt A Pet!''
- Tournament Special Award: RFD-TV, "Classic Tractor Fever''


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The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology caused a ruckus late last year when they issued new guidelines that, by some measures, would double the number of people who should take a cholesterol-lowering drug.
Lost in the ensuing uproar was a less controversial, but in some ways more far-reaching, recommendation from the same organizations: a renewed emphasis on the power of lifestyle changes in preventing and treating heart disease.
Another advantage of focusing on lifestyle: The heart-protective effects go beyond cholesterol reduction. You can lower your blood pressure, lose weight and perhaps reduce inflammation in the arteries, a risk factor increasingly linked to heart attacks and strokes.
Consumer Reports highlights five steps that yield important health benefits.
• Get moving. How it helps: People who exercise regularly have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who don't, the research suggests. Exercise strengthens your heart muscle at the same time that it controls inflammation and helps keep weight, cholesterol and blood pressure at healthy levels.
What to do: It doesn't take a lot: Aim for 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week (such as two Zumba classes or jogging at a 7-mph pace) or 2.5 hours of moderately intense activity (equal to walking at 4 mph), which comes out to 30 minutes a day.
• Eat more plants. How it helps: Vegetables and fruit, whole grains, nuts and beans have each been linked to a healthier heart. Those foods are high in protective nutrients, such as potassium and fiber, and are free of (or very low in) saturated fat. And those are the same nutrients that are plentiful in the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which was highlighted in the new guidelines and can lower heart disease risk by 18 percent, research shows.
What to do: Consumer Reports recommends making plant foods and fish the centerpiece of your meals. When you do eat meat or poultry, stick to 3- to 4-ounce portions and choose lean cuts. Include a variety of fruit and vegetables with a host of colors. In addition, replace saturated fat, such as butter, with canola, olive oil and other unsaturated oils.
• Relax. How it helps: Some research suggests that emotional stress can be almost as bad for your heart as more familiar risk factors, like high blood pressure. Negative emotions trigger the release of hormones that can threaten your heart.
What to do: Develop your own portfolio of coping strategies. Exercise helps in part because it appears to reduce levels of stress hormones and can keep your blood pressure down when you're under duress. And Consumer Reports recommends scheduling some time each day to unwind, whether it's with meditation, massage or music.
• Drink (a little). How it helps: Moderate drinking can raise a low HDL (good) cholesterol level and reduces the risk of death from heart disease by about 25 percent. It may also help prevent Type 2 diabetes and ischemic strokes, the kind caused by blood clots.
What to do: It doesn't seem to matter much what kind of alcohol you consume, as long as you keep it to two drinks a day for men or one a day for women. The benefits appear to be highest among people at increased risk of heart disease, notably men older than 40 and women older than 50. If you don't drink, though, don't start.
• Quit smoking. How it helps: Smokers are two to four times more likely to develop heart disease than nonsmokers. But once you quit, you can eventually lower your risk to that of someone who has never smoked.
What to do: The most successful strategies for most people include counseling, nicotine-replacement products or both. Those products are most helpful for the first two to three months of quitting, when the risk of a relapse is greatest.


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A new style for walls - The non-woven wallpaper 524017 by Rasch fascinates with its realistic design. The authentic apothecary cabinet with vintage style is stressed by a colouring of black. Because of that, the wallpaper gets a fantastic plasticity which gives your room a nostalgic touch. The non-woven material is highly washable, dry strippable and has a good lightfastness.


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APS apologizes for payroll mistake
APS payroll oversight causing headaches
Many Albuquerque Public School employees are receiving paycheck deductions due to payroll oversight.
Margie Smokov, who has worked for APS 15 years, is a secretary at Mark Twain Elementary school in Northeast Albuquerque.
She is one of 25 APS employees who will have money deducted from their paychecks.
APS has not fully explained the payroll blunder to the affected employees, or how much money was overpaid to workers.
"There's no spreadsheet. If you're talking about a mistake in my hourly wage, why is it so hard to explain it to me? The way APS handles their payroll is so confusing," Smokov said.
Angela Trybus, who is the assistant superintendent of human resources, said the payroll error was not made out of malice or lack of paying attention.
APS notified every employee who will have their paychecks affected by the payroll error, and apologized to them in a letter from Rebecca Rendon Lozano, the manager of Employee Data Center.
Trybus says the error stems from a 2009-2011 negotiated agreement between APS and the Albuquerque Secretarial/Clerical Association.
According to Trybus, a misleading portion of the agreement says the workers who have worked for 15 years will receive a 25-cent increase to their hourly wage.
Trybus also said the correct information is tabulated in a salary schedule table, which indicates workers who have worked for 15 years will be paid 15 cents more an hour.
"We used the information that we thought was accurate. The information entered was based on the language of the contract, which was not correct," "Trybus said.
Trybus also revealed 25 employees were underpaid.
Those employees will reportedly receive a lump sum of the money that was owed to them by the district.


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Shutdown halts Americorps paychecks
Robyn Riggins is almost finished with her first year in the Americorps VISTA program. She lives in a one-bedroom apartment for $345 a month, which takes up nearly half of her monthly federal income.
"It's all about problem solving," she said. "When you don't have something, you have to figure out ways around it."
The idea is to fight poverty while living in poverty -- an experience Riggins said she appreciates.
"I kind of wish that everyone who worked in the government had to work with people in poverty, also took an oath of poverty, because they would better understand what's going on. I think we'd make better decisions," Riggins said.
Americorps workers are currently working without pay due to the government shutdown. Volunteers in the program depend a monthly stipend from the government.
Natalie Freeman is also an Americorps VISTA worker. She teaches children how to grow vegetables and live healthier lives. Her husband also works, but their budget will tighten without her income.
"This experience that I've had working as an Americorp VISTA and not being sure when my next paycheck will come has been a lot like digging into the shoes of the individuals I work with," she said.
Riggins won't have the extra money coming in. The Americorps program doesn't allow workers to take side jobs or make extra cash outside of work -- even if their paycheck isn't coming.
"I'm low-income, so it's not like if I lose my job I can just go back to middle class," Riggins said. "If I lose my job, I'm the very person I'm trying to help."
Help might be coming from the Omni Center. Nonprofits can loan money to their workers in small amounts until the government shutdown is over. However, it is unclear when that money will come.
VISTA, which stands for Volunteers in Service to America, is only one Americorps branch affected. The group includes about 8,000 workers.
Once the shutdown ends, VISTA members will receive their wages earned during the shutdown.


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robot necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 153 diseños de 64 diseñadores freelance.
I am looking for a black and white logo design in the form of a very cute cat character.
Desired Color Scheme:
black and white (no shading)
Accepted File Formats:
Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai)
This logo/character  needs to have a universal age appeal as it will be used on a website for young girls through to young women. Someone who is interested or aware of Japanese/Chinese style cute characters will be more in tune with the type of character I am looking for. Please bear in mind that this cute cat will not be used on a site for adults. It should be drawn in a frontal pose, not holding anything, with arms and legs, wearing clothes instead of a traditional cat's body. Its head should be slightly large in proportion to its body. It should have relatively small arms with little paws. Its legs too should be short. The key to this logo design is simplicity. I am not looking for anything that is complex. Its face is very important as I may decide to use just the face without the body depending on what you come up with. I cannot stress enough that the character should be simple and cute.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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ESPN Maloof Cup With Pro Skater Jereme Rogers, Mr. Vann & Roccstar Behind The Scenes Skateboarding Event [User Submitted]
"Pro skater Jereme Rogers signs autographs and
links up with the Family Roccstar and Mr. Vann so
Legendery watch and enjoy Major Moves.
www.maloofmoneycup.com, Also Mr. Vann is Still
Looking for Talent with Budgets and Still Signing
Artist. Also we have Tour Dates Coming Soon.
Shout outs to Athena Bautista you got next.
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In the past couple of weeks, Vivint has made two announcements. The first announcement, which came out on June 13, was about the company's new facility. Then, on June 20, Vivint announced its new solution for property developers and managers—Vivint Smart Properties.
According to Vivint's announcement, the new facility will be a 43,000-square-foot building, capable of housing up to 400 employees and includes a demo home equipped with a Vivint smart home system, a full-size basketball court, fitness center and six training rooms, including a technical training room and a hands-on product training room.
"We look forward to tapping into the strong business and engineering talent of the Utah State University community and contributing to Utah's growth as a tech hub," Alex Dunn, president at Vivint Smart Home, said in a prepared statement.
"We are very pleased to provide space for Vivint Smart Home on the USU Innovation Campus," Noelle Cockett, Utah State University president, said in the announcement. "The center will afford employment opportunities for people in Cache Valley, including USU students. Also, we anticipate USU research and outreach faculty engaging with Vivint R&D personnel in areas of common interest," Cockett continued.
Vivint Smart Properties will bring smart home devices to single- or multi-family rental properties, marketed specifically toward property managers. Harrison Jenkins, senior director of product integrations, told Security Systems News that this program is essentially "taking what we've been offering to single-family residential homeowners for years and making it accessible to renters. So, [that includes] lights, locks, thermostats, doorbell cameras, security."
The customer, property managers, looks a little different from the company's typical customer, Jenkins noted. "It's just a different model for us, but I think we have a good understanding of how it needs to happen and we're ready to deploy it."
Tom Few, Vivint Smart Home's vice president of business development, described how the new offering benefits both renters and property managers.
"We believe that it'll help drive occupancy, it'll help drive net operating income with increased rents," Few told SSN. "I believe that it allows the renter to have control of their apartment, whether it be through video, door access, thermostats, lighting. These are all things that people are becoming accustomed to having and I think it's going to be an amenity that's going to attract more renters to that property."
Vivint has dedicated that is focused on property managers, developers and owners, according to Few. "We are presenting the opportunity to them, we are getting to the decision makers, and … everybody that we have spoken to has been happy to talk to us and interested in the offering," he said. "Now, it's just about creating that demand and actually deploying it."
The Security Industry Association (SIA) announced this week the establishment of a political action committee (PAC) called the SecurityPAC, which was formed to bolster its advocacy efforts to fully engage within the U.S. political process on matters affecting the security industry.
The timing of this announcement couldn't be better as it comes a week before the SIA GovSummit, a leading public policy forum for the security industry set for June 28-29 on Capitol Hill and at The Liaison Capitol Hill.
"SecurityPAC was established to strengthen the voice of the security industry on Capitol Hill, by enabling SIA members to support candidates for federal office who will champion issues that are important to the industry," Joseph Hoellerer, SIA Government Relations manager told Security Systems News. "There are hundreds of trade associations in Washington with robust advocacy efforts and SecurityPAC provides SIA with an additional and important tool to advance the policy priorities of its members."
The newly formed SecurityPAC will raise funds solely from SIA members to support candidates for federal office who champion important industry issues, and will support matters pertaining but not limited to issues such as homeland security, cybersecurity, federal procurement and critical infrastructure protection.
"The establishment of the SecurityPAC follows the core mission of SIA, which is 'to be a catalyst for success within the global security industry through information, insight and influence,'" SIA CEO Don Erickson said in the announcement. "The Security Industry Association's political action committee will enable the association to do just that by adding a vital voice to the national dialogue during federal elections. With SecurityPAC, we will support crucial causes for the improved security posture of the entire country."
Contributions to SecurityPAC are strictly voluntary and in compliance with statutorily defined regulations of the Federal Election Commission. SIA members with user credentials can access the SecurityPAC website at www.siasecuritypac.org. Employees of SIA member companies interested in gaining access to the site should contact Joe Hoellerer at 301-804-4714 or [email protected].
Day One
Excited to be in Nashville for ESX 2017, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, returning to where it all started in the music city.
Started Day One moderating a very interesting session "CounterPoint of the Day: DIY Security - Passing Fad or a Real Opportunity?" featuring two great speakers—Megan MacDonald, vice president of marketing, My Alarm Center, headquartered in Newtown Square, Pa., and John Campau, president and CEO of Comtronics, headquartered in Jackson, Mich.
I want to extend a big thank you to both of them for making my job easy by getting some great conversations and interaction going with the audience.
MacDonald, who was instrumental in launching My Alarm Center's DIY division LivSecure, started the session by defining DIY.
In the DIY space, she noted, there are two distinctions—professionally monitored and then the systems that are completely DIY, including MIY or monitor-it-yourself.
"Those are the ones you buy on the retail shelf at [big box stores], and it is truly a DIY—you set it up, there is no professional monitoring component, and no integration with a third party provider; it is literally a do-it-yourself," she explained. "As we refer to DIY in our business, it is a bit of a misnomer, because that is not what we do from a DIY perspective—that is MIY. What I refer to as DIY … is self installed professionally monitored systems, which is a lot of what we are going to talk about today, and that is what we do at LivSecure. So the customer sets the system up themselves but it integrates with our CRM and with our monitoring center just like a professionally installed system does."
In terms of professionally installed systems vs. DIY, Campau said, "We are a professional installing alarm company going on 60 years, so DIY is not a threat for us; we embrace this." He made a good analogy to someone who needs to have their house painted. Some will choose to paint it themselves while some will choose to hire someone to come and paint it for them.
In regard to whether DIY sales impact sales of the professionally installed side of the business, MacDonald noted, "LivSecure is a complement to our existing offerings and as a tool to close more sales, not to replace existing sales that we were already making. It is another option for our sales reps, and we will pay them a multiple of RMR, just like we would do on a professionally installed system."
MacDonald said it is all about closing the sale—"selling the right product to the right person at the right time."
"If we get a DIY system in the wrong hands, they will eventually deactivate," noted Campau. "With DIY in particular, we've got a very low churn rate in our business; we are hyper-focused on keeping our customers."
Both pointed out that by just having a DIY option, it opens the conversation and can lead to that potential DIY customer choosing to have the system professionally installed, which "is just a better sale, because that is a stickier customer," said Campau, one who is more likely to use and add to the system and less likely to attrite.
"If you are getting into the business or launching this, I would be very firm and specific on what the process is and the requirements are for rolling a truck to a self installed system," MacDonald said, noting that otherwise you are going to put yourself in a difficult situation of rolling a truck much more than you would like.
Campau said that if a customer has a problem and needs assistance, he will roll a truck, but for a $100 fee and a commitment to an additional year on the traditional two-year monitoring contract that he offers. "You'd rather have that convo before the sale, on the front end; don't rush to get that sale."
The discussion also covered RMR potential, which is in the $40 to $45 range, as well as branding, marketing and engaging the customer. Both agreed that the more engaged a customer is with their system, the less likely they will cancel the service and much more likely that they will add more services over time.
Day Two
I started Day Two in the session "Must Know Future Trends of the Industry," featuring two highly knowledgeable speakers in Speros Venios, VP of channel sales at Interlogix, and Michael Barnes, founding partner of Barnes Associates, an advisory and consulting firm that specializes in providing financing and acquisition related services to the security alarm industry.
Venios, who is responsible for the integration of security and smart home devices in the residential and commercial segments through the distribution, MSO and OEM channels, said that 50 billion objects are projected to be connected to the IoT by 2020.
"Connected homes will be the largest sector for IoT technologies," he said, noting that by 2019 it is estimated to be a $490 billion market. "According to one survey, more than two-thirds of consumers plan to buy IoT technology for their homes by 2019."
Despite all the disrupters, such as the cable, telecoms and tech companies in the market right now, "The security channel is well positioned to deliver these solutions," Venios said, noting that they have an opportunity to be that trusted provider of both security and smart home products and services.
Barnes pointed out that over the past year his focus on operating performance and valuation trends in the industry—how product and technology is affecting the industry—has revealed three big trends: Faster product evolution and shorter lifecycles; a broadening array of capabilities and services; and a changing competitive landscape.
"The number of new products coming out each day is much faster than it was before and those products are expected to have shorter lifecycles … not because they're not manufactured well, but because they're going to be replaced with something faster, better or cheaper," Barnes said.
The broadening array of capabilities and services is "a wonderful thing for consumers and commercial end users of all types," he said. "But, of course, it puts strains on those of you who are trying to provide those services—how do you pick which ones to offer, how do you package them and how do you price them?"
With all of the disruptors in the industry right now creating a changing competitive landscape, "Clearly technology is enabling some of these new competitors … that previously wouldn't have been a competitor in the industry," he said.
Despite some of the challenges presented by the abovementioned trends, "This is a great time to be in the business," Barnes said, noting that he sees nothing in the data that would tell him otherwise. "We look at, and we track hundreds of alarm companies and we try and track every deal that is going on in the industry, every dollar of capital that is being raised to support the growth for all of you."
Next, I sat in on a spirited discussion, "CounterPoint of the Day: Cable Service Companies Are Here to Stay - What Impact Are They Having on the Industry?" which was moderated by ESX chairman George De Marco, and led by speakers Daniel Herscovici, Comcast's senior VP and general manager, and John Knox, owner and president of Knox Integrated Systems, who was elected as ESA president in 2012.
De Marco noted that the counterpoint forum is new to ESX this year, with the goal of getting everyone in the session involved in an interactive debate. A cushioned square, which had a microphone inside, was available to pass or throw around to anyone who had a comment or question.
De Marco started the discussion by asking Herscovici why Comcast entered into the security industry and how this has helped or challenged traditional companies.
Herscovici pointed out that Comcast is not only a direct-to-consumer home security solution but through the acquisition of Icontrol, it is also a platform provider.
"We entered the industry mostly because we saw a real opportunity to offer a great experience and leverage our current assets," he said. "Comcast has 27 million household relationships through our Internet, video and voice products." Plus, the acceleration of the connected home drove that as well, he said.
"More than half of our customers have never had home security before, so it is not that we are out there converting or doing a bunch of takeovers—a lot of our acquisition is new to the category, new to home security," he said. "Awareness of what the possibilities are with the connected home security product on a broad scale and the awareness that we generate through our reach, through our consumers, kind of lifts all boats, and makes your conversations easier when you are selling."
Knox said that he hasn't personally seen any affect. "I don't think that I have lost any customers to the cable companies," he said. "I think it is more like what he [Herscovici] says: They are bringing more people into the market that weren't in the market before."
He continued, "Since I have been in the business, every five years someone has been putting me out of business. We have been living that our whole lives and we are still here. And if they don't do a good job of supporting the customer, we are going to benefit off of that."
I've arrived safely in Nashville, Tenn., for the 10th ESX show. Looking at the educational sessions, I am seeing a lot of engaging topics. Over the next few days, quite a few of the sessions I'm planning on attending will be in the "Maximize Your Monitoring Center" track. I'm particularly interested in the monitoring-focused, three-part leadership boot camp on Friday, presented by Justin Robbins, content director for HDI & ICMI. Be sure to check this blog daily, as I'll be updating it with some key points from the educational sessions as well as some highlights from my trips to the show floor.
Day 1
To start the first day, I attended the OpenXchange Breakfast, featuring a presentation on "The Changing Competitive Landscape." This session brought up a variety of points and perspectives from each of the panelists. The moderator, ESX chairman George De Marco, addressed an interesting topic: whether consumers are more drawn to the connected home or security.
Justin Wong, VP of business development for IFTTT, said there needs to be a defined difference between the two. For example, a consumer may purchase a home camera, not connected to a security system, and believe they have security. The product they have is more for awareness than security, and a security dealer can focus on that messaging.
Andrew Thomas, SkyBell's co-founder and chief revenue officer, said, "The thing that keeps you safe also needs to keep you connected." Dealers can use connected home as a bridge into offering security.
At another point De Marco asked about the DIY space. Robert C. Martens, futurist and VP of strategy and partnerships for Allegion, said that the space has done well, which attracts new entrants viewing the market as an opportunity.
When De Marco asked about potential use cases for IoT, Scott Harkins, Honeywell's VP of Honeywell Connected Home, had an interesting take on IoT as an opportunity. He wondered about the potential for more mixing between DIY and professional security, such as through partnerships or professional systems being as easy to install as DIY systems.
Following the breakfast, I went to "Raising the Talent Bar: Your Guide to Finding Qualified Employees," featuring panelists Don Childers, Security Central's COO; Cathy Rempel president of American Security Integrators; and Dee Ann Harn, CEO, RFI Enterprises. Rebecca Bayne, president and consultant for Bayne Consulting and Search Inc., served as the moderator.
I found this topic to be particularly interesting as SSN both heard from a variety of professionals about the challenge of hiring and in our April News Poll readers weighed in on the topic, saying that finding the right people can be a challenge.
The panel addressed some points that I've heard before, such as culture being the key to attracting good applicants. Childers in particular had a point that companies need to offer incentives that are different, which might not be more monetary compensation, but could be more time off.
Harn said that a referral system that rewards employees for recruiting new employees has been successful for RFI. "In every different market, it's a different kind of a challenge," she said, but highlighted that companies need to know who their employees are.
Rempel said that her company often looks to hire from within. She noted that in order for that system to work, employees need to know what is expected of them to advance, such as certain skill sets.
I found Bayne had a memorable way of looking at what applicants need to know about a company; they want to know about the CLAMPS: culture, lifestyle, advancement, money, people and stability.
In the opening keynote luncheon, Carey Lohrenz, author and the first female U.S. Navy F-14 tomcat pilot, translated her experiences with adversities into ways that businesses can approach changes. In the Navy, Lohrenz faced a variety of challenges including aspiring to be a pilot when law prohibited females as well as the physical challenges of flying at Mach 2—twice the speed of sound.
One piece of advice she gave was to simultaneously focus on long term goals and do the difficult, short-term work to achieve those.
Lohrenz discussed how certain training techniques were designed to break people down, mentally and physically; she also said that these were instrumental in getting people to overcome a fear of failure and operate at the best possible levels.
She stressed the importance of being fearless in moving ahead. While taking the safe route, someone else can move ahead, she said. "Sometimes not taking a risk can be the biggest risk you can take," Lohrenz said.
On the show floor, I got to catch up with a variety of people. I was pleased to meet Randy Hall, Security Partners' new president, face-to-face.
Also on the show floor, De Marco announced the winners for this year's TechVision Challenge. The TechVision Challenge was started ahead of ESX 2015. The contestants were chosen from this year's Innovation Award recipients. DMP's Secura, Dealer Services, Marketing Support won, with Essence's [email protected] Active being named the runner-up.
Day 2
For me, the second day of ESX 2017 began with "Advanced database Management for the Monitoring Center—Unlocking the Power of this Major Asset." This session had quite a line-up of speakers: Dave Bhattacharjee, vice president of IOT for Stanley Security; Jens Kolind, president and CEO of Innovative Business Software; Sandra Maples, director of IoT product management for Verisk Insurance Solutions; and Mark E. McCall, Security Central's general manager. The moderator was Mary Jo Lakhal, senior program manager for West Safety Services.
Bhattacharjee opened with a point about different aspects to data coming in, such as the categories of structured and unstructured data. He continued by defining data with three other points: the variety of the data, the volume of it, and the velocity of how fast it can be processed.
Kolind concurred, adding a separate way to look at data: by its size, the type of data, and what it is the company wants to do with it. Kolind also said that visualization and analysis of data has become more important.
Maples also touched on the concept of visualization. She advised audience members to consider third party tools and look at good colors and contrasts for laying out data. Data that will be interpreted and used in a monitoring center needs to be well laid out, she said, because it can mean the difference between correctly using it and making a mistake.
Wholesale monitoring centers have a couple of key uses for data, which McCall touched upon; using it internally as well as sharing it with the company's customers.
Next, I went to the session "Monitoring Industry Update: Part 1: ASAP to PSAP: Your Electronic Link to Profitability and Part 2: Checklist Working Session for UL 827 and UL 1981," with TMA's executive director and CEO Jay Hauhn and UL's engineering manager Steve Schmit.
As it turned out, the session was reversed, with Schmit presenting first. He examined various aspects to UL standards that affect monitoring centers—UL 827 and UL 1981—how they will change in their next editions and areas where UL sees the most non-compliance issues.
UL 1981, focused on central station automation systems, will now be more focused on software in its new third edition, Schmit said.
Among potential non-compliance issues for UL 872, he listed needing multiple ISPs and MFVNs if possible or where available and needing a trained staff member or contracted service to fix the secondary power solution.
Most requirements for UL 827 new eight edition are effective on Jan. 31, 2018, with redundant site requirements effective May 29, 2020.
Recognizing a wide range of attendees in the session, Hauhn discussed a variety of aspects relevant to The Monitoring Association's ASAP to PSAP program, such as how it works and its benefits.
The program seeks to improve accuracy and speed of communications between central stations and PSAPs by transmitting alarm information digitally. Among other benefits, Hauhn noted on the time saved per call, about one-and-a-half minutes per call. From the approximately 190k dispatches using ASAP in the last 15 months, the time saved adds up to about 4,748 saved hours, he said.
Giving an update on the program's progress, Hauhn mentioned getting parts of New York online with the program with help from Doyle Security Systems.
The general session, "Innovate or Else" presented by Dr. Robert Kriegel, best selling author and owner of Kriegel 2 Inc., talked about approaches to business—particularly the difference in a winning attitude and trying not to lose.
Kriegel pointed out that industries are changing. "The digital revolution has changed everything, dramatically changed everything," he said.
He invited the audience to play a game with a person next to them, asking them first to play to win. Attendees had a different strategy when asked to play not to lose, becoming more cautious and taking fewer risks.
Everybody is playing-not-to-lose in one area of their life, Kriegel said, and that is an opportunity for growth. "What's one thing that you could be doing right now that's a play to win strategy?"
Among other advice, Kriegel spoke against the "110 percent" mentality, saying that a passionate and more easy-going 90 percent is better than a stressed 110 percent.
Among the afternoon sessions I was drawn to "Residential Security: Innovation, Competition, and Channel Growth," with panelists Derrick Dicoi, executive director for Xfinity Home Product Management, Comcast, Tom Few, senior vice president of business development for Vivint, Timothy McKinney, Vice President of ADT Custom Home Services, and moderator Dina Abdelrazik, research analyst for Parks Associates.
Abdelrazik opened with some perspective from Parks Associates' research, including that the penetration rate for the industry has been steady over the past several years and key triggers to buying a security system are the move to a new house or a break-in experienced in the neighborhood.
The format for this session was largely around attendee questions, which covered a range of topics including whether lower cost options could canablize a company's higher RMR base as well as Vivint's new FlexPay options and its partnership with Best Buy.
Day 3
I spent the morning of ESX 2017's third day attending the three-part leadership boot camp, presented by Justin Robbins, content director for HDI and ICMI. "Boot camp is not always comfortable, it's not always fun, but it gives you information that you absolutely need to move forward," Robbins said in the first session.
The first part was entitled, "Leadership Fundamentals in the Monitoring Center." He examined the variety of aspects related to a monitoring center, defining it as a "coordinated system of people, processes, technologies and strategies that provides access to information resources and expertise, through appropriate channels of communication, enabling interactions that create value for the customer and organization." From there, Robbins defined leadership in a monitoring center as having everything to "handle an accurately forecasted workload, at service level and with quality."
Among a variety of factors that impact monitoring centers, Robbins took a close look at three driving forces: workload arrival patterns, visible or invisible queues and customer tolerance factors.
In "Resource Planning in the Monitoring Center," the second part of the leadership boot camp, Robbins focused on the concept of "having the right people, in the right place at the right time."
Here, he outlined steps of the planning and management process, such as choosing service level and response time objectives, collecting data, forecasting workload and calculating base staff.
Robbins stressed the importance of getting this right, adding that there are consequences of having too many or too few staff on at a time. Companies should be looking at workload in short time periods throughout a day, such as half-hour intervals as opposed to the workload over an entire day. Companies can then accommodate by bringing on or taking off employees as workload fluctuates throughout a day.
Another concept Robbins examined in his second session was "shrinkage," the average amount of time an employ would not be able to work as a result of training, time off or other factors.
In the last portion, "Inspiring Operator Performance in the Monitoring Center," Robbins looked at various groups of employees, including those that are tuned out, on hold, engaged, overwhelmed or burnt out.
He touched on engagement and satisfaction. These topics are not necessarily linked, he said; A person can be satisfied with all of the compensation and benefits, but they are not engaged, or a person could be engaged, but dissatisfied with their benefits or pay.
Robbins said that people leave bosses more than they leave jobs. He added to this point by illustrating the differences in why a person joins a company and the reasons they might leave.
People generally join a company first for its compensation, second for the job itself, and lastly for who their supervisor would be, he said. However, when they chose to leave, the biggest reason is often the employee's supervisors, followed by the job's responsibilities, and lastly for the compensation.
Robbins underlined the impact of seemingly simple gestures, like a hand written thank you note when someone does something above and beyond.
ESX 2017 was capped off by the "Public Safety Luncheon: Video Surveillance – Focusing on the Evidence," where Miles Brissette, principal in the Law Offices of Gill & Brissette, spoke on factors of how video surveillance is used in the courtroom.
I was interested to hear Brissette talk about how the face is generally not focused on, and other factors are used to identify criminals captured on video. He showed a video where a person was recognized on video because of characteristics in their bag that tied them to a crime, not their face.
In another video example, Brissette showed a clip and highlighted that the person committing a crime was identified due to the appearance of their jeans.
Among other pieces of insight, Brissette highlighted the importance of having something colorful in the field of view of a camera, which can be used for color calibration.
It was great to be in Nashville, Tenn. for ESX 2017 and I hope to see another great line up of educational sessions and keynote speakers at ESX 2018, to be held in Nashville, June 19-22, 2018.
With the invasion of the telecom companies into the smart home space, security dealers have been faced with new challenges and battles as they try to compete for new business created by this new era of smart home connectivity and automation.
Whereas in the past when customers would turn to their security provider first to ask about smart home products, a new report from research firm Parks Associates shows that there has been a shift in homeowners' purchase behaviors. Among current smart homeowners, 26 percent purchased their device from a retailer such as Home Depot, Walmart, or Sears, followed closely in second by security dealers, with approximately 20 percent purchasing these products through them.
Homeowners now have "more options, increased personalization, and enhanced value across the full spectrum of IoT experiences," Dina Abdelrazik, research analyst, Parks Associates, said in the announcement of Parks' annual report, Global Connected Living Outlook 2017: Building on the IoT. "Following early disruptions, many players are now rising to the challenge to create competitive solutions that better accommodate the needs of the connected consumer."
Although the big retailers are getting a bigger portion of the pie, they are also raising awareness and educating the public, which is creating additional opportunities for dealers to be the channel through which smart home owners purchase all of these interconnected devices, many of which work in tandem with security systems and services.
For example, additional Parks' research, which was unveiled at the firm's 21st-annual CONNECTIONS Conference in May, shows that two-thirds of smart homeowners and shoppers want crossover applications that integrate with their home entertainment devices.
"Key crossover use cases include safety and security alerts popping up on a smart TV and video from networked cameras shared across the connected screens in the home," Elizabeth Parks, senior vice president, Parks Associates, said in the press release. "In both cases, two-thirds of smart home owners and shoppers find these features appealing."
Security dealers can also provide homeowners with a better level of interoperability and network security and stability, as Parks found that as more products are purchased standalone and then brought into a connected home, the risk of fragmented consumer IoT experiences increases.
"As consumers become more connected, their digital lives in many ways become more complicated, and solving this potentially fragmented consumer experience, addressing privacy concerns, and crossing traditionally separate boundaries will be the dominant challenges for companies in 2017 and 2018," Abdelrazik noted.
Security dealers can and should be the ones to solve this problem, and from my conversations with dealers, many already are doing this, providing security as well as support, guidance and options to be that smart home provider as well.
CHICAGO—GTCR, a private equity firm based here, today announced that it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire GreatCall Inc, a large provider of PERS and cellular devices to seniors.
GTCR has some roots in the security space: GTCR bought Protection 1 in 2010 for $828 million, then sold the company to Apollo Management Group in 2015.
GreatCall has more than 800,000 subscribers across its cellular phone and PERS device business. The company operates its main monitoring center in Carlsbad, Calif., with a secondary facility in Reno, Nev.
"Everything they do, I think we would characterize as PERS—they deliver it a bunch of different ways. Some of it is cell phone based and comes with a cellular service as well. Some of it is traditional mobile PERS, pendant based," David Donnini, managing director for GTCR, told Security Systems News. "There's access to an operator in everything they offer."
"We focus on recurring revenue service businesses, by and large—whether they're B2B, B2C. A lot of them are technology enabled. We do a fair bit of healthcare investing as well, [along with] some technology, media and telecom. This investment hits on a lot of what we do across our firm," Donnini said.
It was GTCR's experience with security alarm monitoring that led the firm to GreatCall, Donnini said.
"Our goal is to continue to work with the company to continue to grow it. They have a business plan around entering more [of] the commercial side of the industry as well, providing the service to health care insurers, health care facilities, operators and so forth who can benefit from it as well," Donnini said. "In our model, M&A is always an opportunity as well. I think there's strategic businesses in this space that we'll hope to acquire."
What stood out to GTCR about GreatCall? "I think the thing that leapt out to us about GreatCall is efficiency, some of the best performance metrics and return on investment—as well as growth—in the industry," Donnini said.
GTCR has thought of the PERS space as an interesting area for investment opportunity over the past five to 10 years, according to Donnini.
"We are excited to partner with GTCR as we continue to provide seniors with exceptional services that provide peace of mind and extend independent living," David Inns, GreatCall's CEO, said in a prepared statement. "GTCR brings significant resources and experience in building industry-leading companies, and we believe they will be a valuable resource in the long-term expansion of our business."
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017. "The existing owners of GreatCall decided to sell a few months ago. So, the discussions have been ongoing for a couple of months now, we've been evaluating the company and working on a transaction which we agreed to [in early June]," Donnini said.
Jefferies LLC served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to GTCR. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as financial advisor and DLA Piper served as legal advisor to GreatCall.
I've been hearing a lot about PERS and mPERS lately. Specifically, I've been interested to hear views on how older PERS users feel about technology.
When discussing Essence's [email protected] Active offering, which uses a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone, company head of marketing Rafi Zauer said, "The obvious question is: How many seniors have smartphones now-a-days? There's ample evidence … [smartphone use] is going to become almost ubiquitous over the next few years with seniors for several reasons."
Zauer continued, "The availability of old phones, or non-smartphones is depleting. … Plus, the baby boomers in the next few years are becoming seniors themselves, and we know baby boomers use smartphones almost across the board."
Following that conversation, as well as others, I was interested to come across a new report from Pew Research Center, titled "Tech Adoption Climbs Among Older Adults," which looks at older Americans and their stance on technology.
The report's authors, Monica Anderson, Pew Research Center research associate, and Andrew Perrin, research assistant, had some interesting figures about the way older generations could view technology.
The report reads: "recent Pew Research Center surveys find that seniors are also moving towards more digitally connected lives. Around four-in-ten (42%) adults ages 65 and older now report owning smartphones, up from just 18% in 2013. Internet use and home broadband adoption among this group have also risen substantially. Today, 67% of seniors use the Internet—a 55-percentage-point increase in just under two decades. And for the first time, half of older Americans now have broadband at home."
The report also mentions higher tech adoption in some areas among seniors that are younger, between ages 65 and 69. "Seniors ages 65 to 69 are about twice as likely as those ages 80 and older to say they ever go online (82% vs. 44%) or have broadband at home (66% vs. 28%), and they are roughly four times as likely to say they own smartphones (59% vs. 17%)," it read.
Though, the report also notes, that some seniors chose to "remain largely disconnected." Anderson and Perrin write, "One-third of adults ages 65 and older say they never use the internet, and roughly half (49%) say they do not have home broadband services. Meanwhile, even with their recent gains, the proportion of seniors who say they own smartphones is 42 percentage points lower than those ages 18 to 64."
I'll be curious to find out if increased technological familiarity among seniors will change the way PERS devices are designed in the years to come.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. and SANTA ANA, Calif.—Allied Universal continues to diversify with the acquisition of ALERT Protective Services, a residential community security firm based in Sarasota, Fla.
"This is a company that does most of the high-end residential communities in South Florida," Allied Universal CEO Steve Jones told Security Systems News. "Not only are they providing the security guard services but they do it differently where they use technology to help augment that, which is what we have been pushing toward and striving toward with our business."
With a portfolio that consists of 95 percent residential condominiums and communities, ALERT Protective Services owns the homeowners association and residential lifestyle communities' security space in Southwest and Southeast Florida. Founded in 2005, the company has more than $10 million in revenue and 430 employees, most of which will be joining Allied Universal.
"We are excited to join Allied Universal," Jeff Haidet, CEO of ALERT Protective Services, said in the announcement. "Both companies embrace combining the use of state-of-the-art technology with manpower to provide an optimal solution to our customers. We also share the same passion and commitment to be the employer of choice for security professionals and provider of choice for security users."
Similarly to Allied Universal, ALERT Protective Services offers integrated security systems and uniformed security professionals to work in tandem with a complete security program at community gatehouses, concierge desks, or security command centers. Some of these solutions include remote video monitoring, access control and an electronic patrol-reporting program that enables security professionals to report threats in real time and alert authorities if back up is needed.
"This was an opportunity for us to not only expand our footprint in Florida, but to really get a springboard on providing those security officer services along with remote video monitoring and the use of technology for ingress and egress around the community, which is where we want to focus on," said Jones. "We are excited that we can leverage the technology applications that we feel are changing and enhancing the industry."
Moving forward, Jones said the company still has a few more acquisitions up its sleeve.
"We've got a pretty robust pipeline of deals that we are looking at—some in the technology space and some in the traditional manguarding space—and we hope to announce a few more before the year is over that will help us to diversify our company and bring more value to our clients."
With headquarters in Santa Ana, Calif., and Conshohocken, Pa., Allied Universal has more than 150,000 employees across North America.
FLIR Systems Inc. announced yesterday that James J. Cannon has been appointed president and CEO, effective June 19, 2017. Cannon will succeed Andy Teich, whose retirement after 33 years of service was previously announced on February 14.
"The opportunity to join this outstanding leadership team and serve alongside over 3,000 talented FLIR employees worldwide as the company's next CEO is a great honor," Cannon said in a prepared statement. "The FLIR brand is synonymous with continuous innovation and delivering value to customers around the world. From my own personal experience having relied on FLIR technology as a combat veteran, I've seen firsthand the powerful, life-saving impact the company's portfolio of solutions can have for our customers."
Cannon served in the U.S. Army for 10 years as an infantryman and armor officer in a wide variety of assignments around the world, including Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Iraq.
Prior to joining FLIR, Cannon served for more than 16 years in a variety of senior leadership positions at Stanley Black & Decker Inc., most recently as president of Stanley Security North America & Emerging Markets, FLIR noted.
"As President of Stanley Security North America & Emerging Markets, Mr. Cannon held direct P&L responsibilities across five business units, managed over 5,000 employees, and oversaw the operations of numerous manufacturing plants and distribution centers. In this role, he successfully developed and executed a strategic plan that reduced complexity and cost while driving continued and sustained improvement," the announcement read.
Prior to his role as president of Stanley Security North America & Emerging Markets, Cannon was president of the Stanley's Industrial & Automotive Repair business unit, first in North America and subsequently in Europe and Latin America, before then serving as president of Stanley Oil & Gas.
"We are delighted to appoint a chief executive of Jim's caliber," Earl R. Lewis, chairman of the FLIR board of directors, said in a prepared statement. "Jim's proven track record of achieving strong results in both business and the military make him uniquely well qualified to serve as FLIR's next CEO."
Cannon serves on the board of directors of Lydall, Inc. and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Marketing from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. Cannon will be based out of the company's Wilsonville, Ore., headquarters.
The Security Industry Association (SIA) recently announced its establishment of the SIA Public Safety Working Group, which will be chaired by Steve Surfaro, industry liaison, Axis Communications.
"This working group has been in the works for quite some time," Surfaro told Security Systems News. "SIA began working on public safety through some work with the Homeland Security Science and Technology group, and it was thought that one of the best ways to really serve the security industry and public safety industry was to come up with a very agile and focused working group."
According to SIA CEO Don Erickson, the goal with standing up the SIA Public Safety Working Group is to develop recommendations to improve the safety, security, and sustainability of cities and communities using technology, as well as provide advocacy of public policies in support of the group's mission.
"As new and developing technologies undergo trial and testing or enter the field in use by public safety agencies, it is critical that the security industry maintain its voice in the appropriate adoption and deployment of these technologies," Erickson said in the announcement. "SIA members are uniquely qualified to provide council alongside active practitioners in police, fire, emergency medical services and other disciplines to maintain the safety and security of our cities and communities."
Erickson is excited to have Surfaro as the inaugural chairperson for the SIA Public Safety Working Group. "His connections throughout the security industry are exemplified by his achievements, for example, as chair of the Security Applied Sciences Council for ASIS International," he said.
The working group will involve a number of different key entities within the security and public safety spaces, including practitioners, solution providers, systems integrators and specialty manufacturers.
"The most important thing to realize is the PSWG is going to have equal representation across all interested parties, by both practitioners and solution providers, especially SIA members," said Surfaro. "The mission is to provide guidance through education and publications, including special education sessions and events at ISC West and ISC East, for example, as well as a centralized repository of subject matter experts who have already had success overcoming public safety security challenges."
In addition to looking at emerging technologies, such as autonomous systems and unmanned vehicles, the working group is creating a Tactical Solutions Handbook, a working document that will be the working group's "first deliverable," said Surfaro.
"A while ago with Homeland Security Science and Technology we had some great success together with SIA in publishing a Video Quality handbook," he explained. "But now things are not just about video—they are about access control, acoustic sensing and signal detection, thermal imaging, screening techniques, body worn cameras, license plate technology, explosives detection—to name just a few."
He continued, "Everything that we are going to put into this handbook is going to be equally used by both public safety and corporations with high risk, which will be able to get guidance for hardening their facilities as well."
The working group should have four- to five chapters of the handbook ready by the fall, said Surfaro. "Each chapter will have a structure where a SME leads each chapter, and then has contributors," he explained. "And then each of the contributors for the other chapters are going to be reviewers on the chapters they did not write, which will add to the collaborative nature of the handbook."
Surfaro said the handbook will benefit greatly from having so many different perspectives. "We need to be agile enough to be able to work with multiple practitioner groups and leverage the SIA membership, which is very far-reaching with a lot of solution providers, and they will have a tremendous opportunity to contribute to the working group and to this handbook."
Another goal with the handbook is to provide a guide for matching the different types of emerging threats today with an appropriate tactical solution. "So it will be a nice use-case method where the security industry will learn more about what is happening in public safety and public safety will learn about how many of the solutions that they need to defend against these emerging threats already exist," said Surfaro.
Since the announcement, SIA and Surfaro have already gotten a great response from those interested in contributing. "In the past week alone, there are many who have reached out to SIA and myself pledging interest in the working group," said Surfaro. "And it has been a wide variety of folks—systems integrators, solution providers, as well as those who are involved in law enforcement and fire. Working within a consensus-driven environment is vitally important with a group like this."
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WASHINGTON - U.S. consumer confidence has reached its highest point since August on the strength of a brighter view of the job market and business conditions.
The Conference Board, a business research group, says its consumer confidence index rose to 80.7 this month from a December reading of 77.5. It was the second consecutive strong gain.
Conference Board economist Lynn Franco notes that consumers' assessment of economic conditions continues to improve. She says the rising expectations suggest that the economy is poised to pick up momentum in the months ahead.


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For five weeks last fall, Rochester (New York) junior Avery Palardy, a member of the swim team, went to sleep every night in a tent on a glacier.
Palardy had grown up in a small town in Rhode Island with her parents and two older siblings. She had never done much traveling or camping.
Yet she always imagined she'd be comfy on nights like those spent huddled in a sleeping bag on that Antarctic glacier, tucked away from the subzero temperatures and incessant sunlight while her teammates back home swam in warm pools and slept in heated rooms.
Such an adventure was a new experience, yet one Palardy always anticipated.
In the summer before ninth grade, a quiet and shy Palardy participated in a People to People student ambassador program where she spent three weeks with more than 40 strangers traveling the coast of Australia.
"It was a big life-changing moment," Palardy said. "Being forced to be with people I don't know, I realized I can connect to people. … It opened me up as a person. Opened my eyes to what was out there in the world."
Traveling and the outdoors felt natural even if it was new. She felt compelled to experience more of it.
So as Palardy began looking at universities years later, the trip to Australia and her yearning to travel and see the world still sat in the back of her mind. She not only wanted a good academic environment with the opportunity to swim, but also a school with robust opportunities to study abroad.
"Rochester was the first school I visited, and I loved it," Palardy said. "The school is gorgeous … how I always pictured college. The academic center was outstanding. There were lot of options in the science field and a good swim team."
Rochester also has a great study abroad program, which sealed the deal. Palardy enrolled in the fall of 2011 as an environmental science major and a student-athlete on the swim team.
During her sophomore year, Palardy opened an email from a professor seeking an undergraduate research assistant. The job included manual labor, no showers, sleeping in tents and long working hours on a glacier in Antarctica.
"The average person would read that and say, 'Wow, that does not sound like fun,'" Palardy said. "But I read it and I was like, 'Wow, that is exactly what I want to do.'"
Palardy was worried that her schedule wouldn't allow her to travel to Antarctica or that her parents wouldn't share her enthusiasm. She already planned to study abroad in South Africa this spring. The research trip would only add to her plate.
Her parents, though, were extremely supportive, so Palardy applied. She got an interview, and one week later learned that she would be on her way to Antarctica.
The group was stationed at the Taylor Glacier, a 34-mile-long glacier located near McMurdo Station, a U.S.-operated research center that is one of Antarctica's main travel hubs. Getting there required a flight to New Zealand to gather their equipment, another flight on a C-17 to McMurdo Station, and a 45-minute helicopter ride to Taylor Glacier.
Palardy was taken aback as she stepped out of the helicopter and onto Taylor Glacier. Pristine water and majestic mountains surrounded her. The light reflected off the white snow, creating an illusion that their campsite glowed.
Once on site, the team's work included drilling ice cores to analyze their gas composition and atmospheric contents to track greenhouse gases from the past 100,000 years. They spent 12 to 14 hours per day drilling while fighting relentless winds and frigid temperatures that ranged from zero to minus 10 degrees.
"The physical demands were tough, but the perseverance I acquired though swimming definitely helped me get through the long and tough days," Palardy said.
The living arrangements were not much easier. Team members slept in tents without heat and pulled sleeping bags over their heads to escape the 24 hours of sunlight. They had little contact with the outside world.
Palardy was in her element.
"I never had a moment where I was like, 'What did I do?'" Palardy said. "I loved every moment of it. I was the happiest person in the world for those weeks. It was the best experience of my life."