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Formula One: Lewis Hamilton takes home pole position to become 3rd best qualifier
Home » Formula One: Lewis Hamilton takes home pole position to become 3rd best qualifier
By Emanuele Venturoli
In Formula1, Sport News, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
Formula One: Lewis Hamilton takes home pole position to become 3rd best qualifier2015-07-042020-11-15https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/static.rtrsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/rtr-gold.jpgRTR Sportshttps://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/static.rtrsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cKjvhLQ-2-scaled.jpg200px200px
Lewis Hamilton has taken pole position for his home Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit in Great Britain. Hamilton out-qualified his team-mate Nico Rosberg by a tenth to take his 3rd pole position at home. This also means that he now sits 3rd in the all-time pole positions list behind Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna with 46 pole positions to his name.
Ferrari dropped the mantle of being best of the rest, with Williams putting both Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.
Q1:
After a poor weekend in Austria where he simply didn't seem as fast as his team-mate, Lewis Hamilton was aiming to bounce back in Britain.
At the start of the event however, Nico Rosberg had the edge by being faster in both Friday practice sessions. In Saturday practice, Hamilton hit back to go faster by half a second, which meant that it could well be a tough fight between the Silver Arrows for the Silverstone pole.
The two Manor drivers were the first out on track, followed closely by Hamilton; who was met with applause as he built up to his first flying lap. Will Stevens, racing at home, took to the top spot briefly before Hamilton came through to better him by 4 seconds. Nico Rosberg came by soon after to go 4 tenths faster than Hamilton to take P1 away. The gap soon decreased to just a tenth, but Hamilton was unable to usurp his team-mate in the session.
There had been a late scare in the McLaren Honda garage that one of their cars wouldn't get out in qualifying due to a mechanical issue. Fernando Alonso's car had developed a fault that the team initially couldn't diagnose. Despite this, the team got his car out on track so that he could attempt to get into Q2 along with team-mate Jenson Button.
With a few minutes remaining in the session, Nasr, Stevens, Merhi, Verstappen and Grosjean were in the danger-zone; with Romain soon vaulting himself out which pushed Jenson Button into elimination.
Verstappen had a spin on his early laps which left him briefly last on the time-sheets, he then pulled out a lap to move into 10th, which then put Maldonado in a bad position after having his early lap deleted for exceeding track limits. He put himself into 13th on his last effort which put Kvyat into strife. Ericsson and Kvyat then got themselves a good enough lap for Q2, which sadly meant that both McLaren-Honda drivers would be eliminated along with Felipe Nasr and the two Manor drivers.
Out in Q1:
Roberto Merhi
The two Williams drivers were among the first to set a time in the second session of qualifying. Valtteri Bottas was faster than the predicted cut-off point to get into Q3, but his team-mate Massa was not. Lewis Hamilton wasn't within this time on his first lap either, with the British driver locking up into turn 3 that forced him to abandon the lap. His second lap was good enough to get him within 3 tenths of team-mate Rosberg in P1; despite a near spin at Luffield. He would later be bettered by Valtteri Bottas, who looked to have the pace to split the Mercedes should either get into strife in Q3.
A few drivers were having problems that could see them miss out on Q3. Max Verstappen had been reporting that he had hardly any traction in his Toro Rosso, with Pastor Maldonado getting his times deleted for running wide at turn 9 on a number of occasions. With just over 3 minutes remaining, the pair were both in the drop zone along with the two Ferrari drivers.
Vettel and Raikkonen finally put laps in to lift them into the top 10, but Raikkonen's lap was promptly deleted for exceeding track limits. He would have to go again. Raikkonen did improve on his 2nd lap, but it was only into 8th place. He was still in danger of being eliminated. Thankfully for him, there wasn't a flurry of improvements when the checkered flag came out, meaning that he would advance through to the final session. Those who would not included both Lotuses, Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen and Marcus Ericsson.
Pastor Maldonado
The pole position fight looked to be once again between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, but Valtteri Bottas in the Williams looked to be quick enough to threaten a Silver Arrow should they have problems.
On their first laps, Nico Rosberg had a clearer and simpler run to start the lap, with Lewis Hamilton inadvertently backing himself into traffic. Rosberg had a messy final sector on his lap however, which meant that Hamilton would take first blood by 1 tenth after their first of two runs to decide pole position. Their nearest rival was indeed Valtteri Bottas, but he was almost a second slower than Hamilton.
With just over 2 minutes remaining, all 10 drivers headed out onto the track for their final laps of qualifying. With both Mercedes drivers having the potential to go quicker on their 2nd laps, the pole-sitter for the British Grand Prix was still unknown.
Hamilton's 2nd lap started off badly, he was 2 tenths down on his provisional pole time. Rosberg however was just 6 hundredths up on his team-mate. Hamilton's 2nd sector was down by 4 tenths, but now Rosberg was down by the same margin. Hamilton pitted, ending his lap prematurely, which left the ball in Rosberg's court to take pole. He would be unable to do so however, with Lewis Hamilton taking pole position for his home Grand Prix; much to the crowd's delight as they congratulated him with rapturous applause. His 3rd Silverstone pole means that Hamilton is now 3rd on the all-time pole positions list behind Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
Felipe Massa managed to pull off a great final lap to take 3rd place ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas; who had seemed to have the pace advantage throughout qualifying. Williams will have been delighted with this performance, as both drivers out-qualified the two Ferrari's. Kimi Raikkonen won the inter-team battle by a tenth, as he lines up 5th ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
Daniil Kvyat out-qualified Daniel Ricciardo by 3 positions after the Australian had his lap deleted after exceeding track limits, with Kvyat lining up 7th and Ricciardo 10th. Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg are sandwiched between them in 8th and 9th.
2015 British Grand Prix grid:
2015, formula one, Qualifying
Emanuele Venturoli
Communication Manager for RTR Sports Marketing. A degree in Communication at the University of Bologna and a passion for sport brought me where I'm today.
Formula One reworks Australian broadcast rights deal
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Formula One: Rosberg leads 15th Mercedes 1-2 in Abu Dhabi qualifying
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Formula One: Rosberg fastest in Silverstone practice, Hamilton struggling with setupFormula1, Sport News, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
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Soft greens on an Ivory background.
Available in a King or Queen Size.
King Size measures: 108" x 90"
Queen Size measures: 90" x 90"
*Matching skirt & euro sham may be available through special order. Fern Leaves collection.


In this paper I have conducted primary research and reviewed the relevant literature into answer to the following questions: in what ways is Service Design being shaped as a discipline by current professional practice and how this is contributing to the establishment of Service Design as a respected, professional field of design management?
I will argue that the status of Service Design and its impact as a professional field is impacted by the absence of a single consistent definition of the area, the wide spread of professional practices and the varied backgrounds and training of its practitioners.
Service Design (SD) is a relatively new field, having emerged in Europe in the late 20th century via design practitioners responding to real life challenges put forward by their clients (Kimble 2008, p2). It is a multidisciplinary approach that draws upon a number of different fields to design or improve upon the design of a service. A typical SD project could bring together product, graphic, interaction and web design and be led by practitioners from any of the aforementioned fields of design.
It is a fact acknowledged by Buchanan, in the leading text in the field 'This is Service Design Thinking', that there is no one commonly agreed definition of SD. From my primary research I came to understand that within the UK market, each Service Designer applies a new definition to each client circumstance to meet their requirements. Further, Buchanan, Stickdorn and others have suggested that there is no need for a common definition to be established, lest this definition stifles the field (Stickdorn 2011, p173).
The two common components of many of the definitions of service design that are put forward to clients and students by academics and practicing SDs are: customers; and services, two extraordinarily broad terms that can apply to anything from a website to a piece of legislation. This is not unusual in the historic development of new fields of, indeed on the way to becoming professions, many new fields of practice that have faced this issue. For example, one of the major criticisms of behavioural economics, despite being a Nobel prize winning field, is that there is no one overarching theory or common set of definitions or practices. (Harford 2014).
Allowing Service Designers to choose their own way to define SD gives them great scope to work on anything that interests them. Of the designers I spoke to many of them may have called themselves Service Designers in the past, but have since re-branded themselves as pure design managers, strategists, brand or product specialists (Drummond et al. 2015).
However if it is true that 'effective design begins with a clear understanding of the problem to be solved' (Coughlan & Prokopoff 2004, p188), does the fluidity of these definitions and role titles help or hinder service design as a relatively new field establish itself as a respected field where individuals and organisations are prepared to pay for the skills of an experienced Service Designer?
Editor of 'This is Service Design Thinking', Stickdorn (2011) argues that Service Design is a 'new way of thinking', rather than a 'standalone academic discipline' and while some 'literature on service design sees it as a new sub-discipline of design' (Kimble 2011, p3) my research failed to uncover any strong evidence that SD is currently considered to be a standalone, respected profession within the field of design management.
In 1983, Shostack wrote about examples of poor service as being 'widespread and frustrating' suggesting that 'rational management practices' including 'blueprints' be applied (Shostack 1983 p2). In part the field of SD emerged in response to these rational practices and processes, however today, these rational practices, blueprints or processes are exactly the opposite of what is required to design services that delight your customers (Moritz 2005, p40).
Over time, design has shifted from turning ideas into products or artefacts (Thrift 2008). Now designers can apply their creative mindsets, methods and tools to areas beyond the traditional, product design to a wider range of systems, services and organisational activities the role of design has changed (Kimble, 2009, p3).
SD as a field emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. By this time traditional design had become well established and the advent of new services related to advances in the internet and technology made way for new fields of design, including interaction, experience and service design to emerge (Kimble, 2009, p4). Defined in action, practitioners in the design field started to flourish and a definition of SD began to emerge, before being adopted by academic institutions in 1991 when it was defined as a discipline by Professor Dr Michael Erlhoff of the Koln International School of Design.
The first SD practices are thought to have emerged from 2001 – 2003 housed within existing, well established design agencies IDEO and Livework. Interdisciplinary in nature, SD brings together a variety of different methods and tools from across the design field to create or improve upon existing services making them more effective, useful or desirable for individuals or organisations (Kimble, 2008, p3).
In 2004 the global SD Network was founded as a resource for academics and professionals in the field via a collaboration between the Koln International School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University, Linkopings Universitet, Politecnico di Milano and Domus Academy. At the time of founding, the Service Design Network described SD as 'an emerging discipline and an existing body of knowledge which can dramatically improve the productivity and quality of services' (Service Design Network 2015).
Services are central to UK society. As at August 2015, jobs in the services sector represent more than three-quarters of UK output and according to CBI 'services have led the economy out of recession'. (CB1 2015) What can be defined as a service is wide ranging. For the purposes of this paper I will focus on defining services within the context of SD. However, it could be argued that the broad definition of what can be considered to be a 'service' also contributes to the inconsistent definitions that are common in the SD field.
While Azipoor (2005, p3) defines SD as 'a user centered approach to designing products and services, aiming to give the user a unique and memorable experience as well as optimising business processes'.
As at October 2015, the website for the Service Design Network, previously cited in this paper as a global reference point for Service Designers, proffers a video to define SD, which explains what a service is and how a good service can be defined. While it is helpful to understand what a good service looks like, this offers little in the way of clear definition that sets a parameters for practitioners of SD or clients of services designers. In fact the use of examples, or the description of SD in terms of the process, is common practice in the field. I would argue that this is done in the absence of a clear, universally agreed definition.
However, some experienced practitioners in the field, such as SD 1 (2015) and SD 2 (2015), used their interviews to express frustration as to why there continues to be confusion around the definition of SD. They theorise that those who seek to define SD by listing examples, or talking about the 'process' rather than the outcome – which simply put is a new or a redesigned service – adds to the confusion. (1:1 interview, 2015). Further they suggest that this need to create complex definitions may be a symptom of 'a young discipline, with a lack of confidence seeking to justify itself' (1:1 interview, 1:1 interview, 2015). When these same practitioners were asked whether they have ever delivered what they would consider to be Service Design projects under another name all interviewees cited examples of work delivered under different banners, including of: UX; Branding; Communication; Usability study, Research; Futures Consulting; Service Development and Interaction Design. (1:1 interview 2015) (1:1 interview 2015) (1:1 interview 2015) (1:1 interview 2015). All of which are seemingly distinct fields in their own right.
Therefore it seems, from a review of academic literature, current professional definitions and current professional practice, it is hard to imagine how a consistency of mindset can be found in a field where there is so little consistency in the way SD is defined or practiced.
In her 2008 paper, Kimble argued that SD was not yet 'established enough as a field be put forward as a design discipline or to have a commonly accepted definition'. Today, SD is still a young, 'small and fragmented' field without 'strong professional bodies or developed research literature'. (Kimble 2011, p2) However, many new fields of professional practice have emerged from similar circumstances. For example, one of the major criticisms of behavioural economics, despite being a Nobel Prize winning field, is that there is no one overarching theory or common set of definitions or practices.
But now, in 2015, surely enough time has passed for SD to have taken greater steps toward being considered to be profession? So why, is it still languishing? And what if anything are those who work in the field doing to further the case for SD to be considered a true profession?
To some in the field, the idea of developing SD into a profession is actually undesirable. For example, in 'This is Service Design Thinking' Buchanan, defies the need to define SD stating 'one of the great strengths of design is that we have not settled on a single definition'. Further he cautions that 'fields in which a definition is now a settled matter tend to be lethargic, dying or dead fields, where inquiry no longer provides challenges to what is accepted as truth'. (Stickdorn 2011, p173) However, it could be argued that there are benefits in settling on a common definition of a field particularly when it comes to setting the foundation for that field to be considered a robust profession.
The concept of a profession as we know it today emerged in the 19th Century (Abbott 1988, p3). A profession can be defined as 'an occupational group with some special skill' and professions emerge when people 'start doing full time the thing that needs doing' (Abbott 1988, p7). Further, when a profession emerges to be recognised as such, it is representative of 'a trust in the expertise of the professional by both their customers and their colleagues' and in many cases this trust is guaranteed by supporting academic institutions, licences or codes of ethics (Abbott 1988, p8).
The key precursor to an 'occupational classification' such as SD becoming a profession is a commonly understood definition, closely followed by an agreement on ways to control or oversee the knowledge or skill required to join the profession (Abbott 1988, p9). In many cases this progresses to a place where there are 'explicit membership rules to exclude the unqualified'. (Abbott 1988, p9).
So while many in the field of SD may agree that the absence of a definition provides individual designers with a great amount of professional freedom, there is little evidence to argue that this stance furthers SD as a profession as a whole that has enough consistency in the control of definitions, mindsets, knowledge or skills to emerge as a respected and robust field of design management.
Similar to the path taken by many other fields as they developed into professions, the expansion of design into new areas to meet emerging customer and market needs has democratised design as a concept and welcomed many new designers into the field. Certainly there has been an influx of designers trained in UX or Interaction either branding themselves as Service Designers or delivering SD projects. While this can be argued as positive for the overall profile of design and for the ability of Service Designers to sell and deliver different types of work, I would also argue that it has done little for SD as a profession and in fact this democratisation may have contributed to the previously cited reticence to arrive at a single definition.
This theory is reinforced by Banny Banerjee from Stanford University, who has written about his own 'crisis of design identity' and the crises of his students at the Standford d.school face via the democratisation of design. Many people consider themselves to be designers but haven't been trained and when it comes down to it may not have the knowledge or skills to deliver multichannel SD projects and may feel more confident doing service design work under the banner of their true area of expertise be it interaction design, UX, graphic design or even strategy development.
As noted in the previous section, an essential precursor to the development of any field into a respected profession is a common definition of the field and the associated knowledge and skill requirements. Given this, I would argue that agreement on a more specific, simpler definition of SD that is then applied consistently in the fields of academia would provide a more robust basis for the development of SD as a true robust profession. This definition could even be as simple as: service design uses human centered methods and techniques to design, or re-design services. Further, those who wish to practice SD should be encouraged or required to train in the design mindset, either under the tutelage of experienced SD professionals or via further education, so they understand how this method truly differs in the way it adds value to the fields of Graphic, UX or Interaction Design or Strategy development.
Boland, R., & Collopy, F. (Eds.) (2004). Managing as designing. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford. 13.
Meroni, A., & Sangiorgi, D. (2011). A new discipline. In A. Meroni & D. Sangiorgi (Eds.), Design for services (pp. 9-33). Aldershot, UK: Gower Publishing.


text:
Q: WordPress Custom Nav Output I am looking to get a custom WordPress nav output but I'm struggling to understand where to go with it.
At the moment, the default output for WordPress is this:

Link

Link

Link

But what I need to output is the following:

Link

Link

Link

Now I know there is the $before and $after in WordPress but unfortunately if you use this it adds it to every link rather than just the child li's that I want it to add them to.
I understand this would be done with using the custom walker method but to say I'm confused is an understatement! Can anyone point me in the right direction?

A: To modify the output HTML of the Wordpress menu you could use a walker script.
I'm not able to explain this in a simple way myself, but there are good tutorials out there.
As far as I know the default script that Wordpress uses looks like this, and you may with some reading and coding skills be able to create the walker you need from modifying this one with your preferred tags.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Blue Grassy knoll
Live Music to Silent Films
Sherlock Jnr.
The Playhouse
Labourers Love
"This is a show to cheer!"
Over their 19 year career Blue Grassy Knoll have cemented their place as one of Australia's most well-loved, accomplished and enduring performance troupes. In recreating the silent movie experience the band sits watching the film with the audience, playing their own original compositions and using the film itself for their cues – a truly amazing experience to witness.
"If you think you know what a silent movie is, yet haven't seen the Blue Grassy Knoll in action – think again… Go prepared for the total experience."
Colin Denarti, The Guardian
When writing for silent films, the Blue Grassy Knoll have developed an organic process of generating music to moving image that is uniquely collaborative. They draw on influences from a hugely diverse range of musical sources, creating arrangements and textures that mirror contemporary film scoring concepts. They aim to re-invigorate classic films with a modern aesthetic and energy, as well as inject a spontaneity that comes with live performance and improvisation. Their aim is always to deliver what they believe would be the intention of director had he knowledge of today's film scoring techniques. During the composition process, discussion occurs about the possibilities of each scene of the film – where it sits in the narrative arc, what it's potential is in telling the story, and how the music can assist in revealing to the audience the emotional journey of the characters involved. Much of the effectiveness of the resulting music depends on the skill and artist vision of the film's director. With Buster Keaton, Blue Grassy Knoll found a natural symbiosis, both in humour, style and breadth of vision.
"This splendid entertainment is a breathing, shared creative triumph" ★★★★★
Their unique live film score accompaniment have received multiple 5-star rave reviews at both the 1999 & 2000 Edinburgh Festivals and has taken them to all 5 continents, including seasons on Broadway and in London, as well as performances in Brazil, China, regional USA, Canada, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa.
After forming in 1996 in Melbourne, they quickly developed a local cult-following, and played most of the major festivals in Australia, performing at the Sydney Opera House, appearing on national TV and radio, releasing 4 CDs, receiving funding grants from Arts Victoria and the Australia Council, and being commissioned to write scores by the Victorian Arts Centre, Sydney Opera House, Australian Theatre Festival in China, and Melbourne International Film Festival.
In 2010 Blue Grassy Knoll represented Australia at World Expo in Shanghai performing their score to the 1921 Chinese silent movie Labourer's Love, and were a hit at the Brisbane International Arts Festival in 2011. They have been programmed as part of Arts Festivals, Music Festivals, Film Festivals, Comedy Festivals, Children's Festivals and Senior Citizen's events.
Band members have also worked individually with many of Australia's most prestigious bands, artists and companies as musicians, composers and sound designers in their own right.
Gus Macmillan
banjo, flute, guitar, slide whistle, thunder sheet Gus Macmillan has worked in the arts industry over the last 21 years as a composer, musician, sound designer, manager, and producer. In 2004 he completed a Graduate Diploma Course in Sound Design at Victorian College of the Arts, working with sound and music in a variety of different of art forms including dance, theatre, film, documentary, circus and puppetry. He is composer-in-residence forRed Span Dance Company, and worked in London as composer withTheatre O's production of Delerium, performed at The Barbican Theatre. Gus runs Melbourne's School of Banjo, and was the 2005Guildford Banjo Jamboree's two-tune pick-off champion. He has an Honours Degree in English and a Masters Degree in Australian Studies.
Mark Elton double bass, tuba, cornet A highly regarded Musician in the Australian music scene, Mark has established himself as one of Melbourne's leading Double Bassists. Mark has travelled extensively and played with some of the world's best musicians and has earned recognition on the international jazz stage. He is a regular member of Melbourne institutions 'The Hoodangers' and FLAP! And has also performed with artists such as Americans Leroy Jones, Dan Barrett, Rebecca Kilgore, and Australian artists James Morrison, Nina Ferro, Julie O'Hara, Bob Barnard, CW Stoneking and Joe Camilleri. Mark's background in Jazz brings a unique flavor to Blue Grassy Knoll.
Phil McLeod
cello , accordion, mandolin, harmonica, casio, saxophone
Philip is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer and teacher. He has toured the world, and played Double Bass with the Spaghetti Western Orchestra and Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, Cello with Missy Higgins and Snuff Puppets Accordion with Russian Criminal band Vulgargrad and Red Dash Tango. He has composed music for The State Orchestra of Victoria, ABC Radio productions,Snuff Puppets and Theatre at Risk. He works regularly with Irish Cabaret singer Camille O'Sullivan, Mick Thomas and The Sure Thing,The Mighty Buzzniks and has been the resident musician for the Edinburgh and Melbourne seasons of the Famous Spiegeltent's La Clique. He has recorded and contributed to many CD's and movie soundtracks including Animal Kingdom and Noise.
Simon Barfoot
guitar, percussion, foley, tin whistle After studying Music at the University Of Melbourne, Simon played in a number of Melbourne bands before the creation of the Blue Grassy Knoll in which he takes on the role of guitarist, percussionist and MC. More recently, he has been working as a Production Manager and Sound Engineer for The Famous Spiegeltent, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and The London Hippodrome. Currently residing in the city of London, Simon can usually be found travelling with the international acclaimed circus/cabaret show "La Clique" as Technical Manager and Front Of House Manager.
Steph O'Hara
violin, mandolin, accordion
Steph is a freelance musician, sound engineer/designer, composer, and music software developer. He has composed and recorded music for many Australian theatre companies including Flying Fruit Fly Circus (The Promise – Helpmann Award, Pirates, Crunch, Circus Under My Bed), Polyglot Theatre (Ants, Paper Planet, Separation Street, Tangle), Peep Show Inc.(A bird, a tree the moon, Divine, Magdelan Asylum). He has also provided sound design for Ennio Morricone Experience (The Session – Green Room Nomination), Spaghetti Western Orchestra, NICA, Ilbijerri Theatre, Snuff Puppets, LemmonyS, Polyglot Theatre, Rawcus, Chamber Made Opera.
Steph also has worked as a sound engineer both in Australia and abroad including 4 years at The Melkweg (Amsterdam), Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Kölner Philharmonie, Montreal Jazz Festival as well as many European tours. Steph continues to work for both local and international festivals, theatre company's, recording studios and broadcaster's. He also pursues developing music software, both for commercial and as an indie developer, building applications for the web, theatre, music, games and real-time performance. He has released his own software synthmate and bip.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Almost a quarter of Brits are unable to travel abroad in 2014 due to the pressure on their finances.
While the economy seems to be on the mend, the benefits are yet to translate to consumer purses with 21% of people stating they couldn't afford to go abroad this year. A survey published in The Daily Mail and commissioned by Travel Channel UK and Vision Critical found that just 26% were able to pay for an overseas holiday without worrying about the consequences.
It found that women were more cautious about spending on a holiday abroad, with just 22% saying they could afford it compared to 31% of male travellers. While the annual summer holiday has been a tradition for many over the years, travelling abroad is now considered a luxury.
A quarter of 35 to 54-year-olds said they would need to make a number of sacrifices in order to pay for the trip. However, the over-55s don't feel the same financial pressure, with over a third admitting they could comfortably afford a holiday abroad in 2014. Of those who are planning to jet off this year, 13% said they would be using money they had saved throughout 2013 but 8% would need to borrow. The survey revealed that 5% would pay on a credit card, 3% will ask their relatives for help and just 2% intend to take out a payday loan.
The 2,000 respondents were also asked about their 'bucket list' destinations. The usual suspects, such as Paris, New York, Rome and Venice did feature but were all beaten to the punch by London, which came top. Families have been encouraged to take advantage of early bird discounts available in January and February, as well as looking at other ways to cut costs, such as travel insurance.


text:
namespace facebook {
namespace react {

void JSExecutor::loadApplicationScript(std::string bundlePath, std::string sourceURL, int flags) {
  if ((flags & UNPACKED_JS_SOURCE) == 0) {
    throw std::runtime_error("No unpacked js source file");
  }
  return loadApplicationScript(
      JSBigOptimizedBundleString::fromOptimizedBundle(bundlePath),
      std::move(sourceURL));
}

static JSBigOptimizedBundleString::Encoding encodingFromByte(uint8_t byte) {
  switch (byte) {
  case 0:
    return JSBigOptimizedBundleString::Encoding::Unknown;
  case 1:
    return JSBigOptimizedBundleString::Encoding::Ascii;
  case 2:
    return JSBigOptimizedBundleString::Encoding::Utf8;
  case 3:
    return JSBigOptimizedBundleString::Encoding::Utf16;
  default:
    throw std::invalid_argument("Unknown bundle encoding");
  }
}

std::unique_ptr<const JSBigOptimizedBundleString> JSBigOptimizedBundleString::fromOptimizedBundle(
    const std::string& bundlePath) {
  uint8_t sha1[20];
  uint8_t encoding;
  struct stat fileInfo;
  int fd = -1;
  SCOPE_FAIL { CHECK(fd == -1 || ::close(fd) == 0); };

  {
    auto metaPath = bundlePath + UNPACKED_META_PATH_SUFFIX;
    std::ifstream metaFile;
    metaFile.exceptions(std::ifstream::eofbit | std::ifstream::failbit | std::ifstream::badbit);
    metaFile.open(metaPath, std::ifstream::in | std::ifstream::binary);
    metaFile.read(reinterpret_cast<char*>(sha1), sizeof(sha1));
    metaFile.read(reinterpret_cast<char*>(&encoding), sizeof(encoding));
  }

  {
    auto sourcePath = bundlePath + UNPACKED_JS_SOURCE_PATH_SUFFIX;
    fd = ::open(sourcePath.c_str(), O_RDONLY);
    folly::checkUnixError(fd, "could not open js bundle file.");
  }

  folly::checkUnixError(::fstat(fd, &fileInfo), "fstat on js bundle failed.");

  return folly::make_unique<const JSBigOptimizedBundleString>(
      fd,
      fileInfo.st_size,
      sha1,
      encodingFromByte(encoding));
}

}  // namespace react
}  // namespace facebook

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Attendees at the "Love never fails" convention get baptized to become Jehova' witnesses.
Jehovah's Witnesses convention welcomes hundreds
LA FERIA — Love is what Cameron County needs the most right now, and that is the message being taught not only locally but throughout the world, said Roy Soto, Jehovah's Witness spokesman for the Rio Grande Valley community.
With the theme of "Love never fails," hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses have visited the local assembly hall as part of the organization's annual worldwide series of conventions that began in June.
Annually, Jehovah's Witnesses hold a period of conventions with a different theme each year.
The local assembly hall will be hosting 11 conventions, both in English and Spanish, each weekend through August.
Everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of race, ethnicity or religious values.
"The intention is to spread awareness on the theme we are discussing, which this year's is love," Soto said. "We have people come from all over the Rio Grande Valley's counties, Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy and Starr. We also receive guests from Corpus Christi."
The free conventions begin on a Friday and end on Sunday, and no collections are taken.
Soto said the conventions bring an extensive amount of people to the area, which helps not only the Jehovah's Witness community but La Feria as well.
"We have a capacity of 2,500 seats at our assembly hall and every weekend it fills up," Soto said. "I think the conventions not only help spread our message, but it also helps us economically to grow and help businesses have new customers that eat out and stay at their hotels."
The conventions are currently being held worldwide, meaning the theme presented in La Feria is the same one presented in other countries.
"Our purpose is to help others express love in a way the Bible describes. It will talk about expressing it to your spouse, family, at work and to the community," Soto said. "If we all knew how to express love properly, the community would be better."
If You Go
WHAT: Jehovah's Witnesses Annual Convention
WHEN: In Spanish, July 12-14, July 19-21 and July 26-28. In English, August 2-4, August 9-11, August 16-18
WHERE: La Feria Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1701 S. Parker Rd.
INFO: (956) 797-4707
• There are 8,579,909 Jehovah's Witnesses around the world.
• There are 119,954 Congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide.
• 977 languages are featured on jw.org, the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses.


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Home/Articles/Military & Defense/The World War I Battle That Changed the World Forever
Military & Defense , Realism & Restraint
The World War I Battle That Changed the World Forever
German soldiers (wearing distinctive pickelhaube helmets with cloth covers) on the front at the First Battle of the Marne during World War I, taken in September 1914. (Wikimedia Commons)
When World War I broke out in August 1914, it was assumed that it would be over quickly. In six months, perhaps as early as Christmas, one side or the other would deliver what would later be called the "knockout blow."
"Before the leaves fall, you will be home," German Emperor William II was quoted as saying to the troops leaving for the front. The leaves would fall for another four years along with millions of Europe's finest young men in what would be the most destructive European conflict since the Thirty Years War of the 17th century.
The course of this awful war was set by a battle little known in the United States. The Battle of the Marne, which began 105 years ago today and lasted for about one week, ranks alongside Waterloo, Stalingrad, and Gettysburg as among the most decisive engagements in modern history. In many ways it shaped the course of the 20th century.
The German war plan, called the Schlieffen Plan after the Prussian General who devised it a decade earlier, envisaged a quick victory while the French armies were mobilizing. Five German armies, spread from the English Channel to the French-Swiss frontier, would swing like a scythe through northern France with the aim of passing behind Paris and trapping the French armies with their backs to the city's main fortifications.
The plan began to break down almost from the beginning. Belgium refused permission for the German troops to pass through its territory, forcing German troops to spend five days eliminating Belgian resistance. They did so with a degree of brutality that would become commonplace in the future—612 men and women were shot in Dinant and the great library in Louvain was burned down.
The rapidly mobilizing French armies, joined by a small professional British force known as the "Old Contemptibles," retreated through northwestern France, all the while taking a toll on the invading Germans. At a skirmish near the village of Mons, the Germans believed they were facing English machine gunfire. It was in fact the sustained rifle fire that the professional British army was famous for—a shot every four seconds. The losses on both sides were shockingly high for a brief engagement, foreshadowing what the war would later bring.
By the end of August, the German forces were approaching Paris, but French and British counter-attacks forced them to modify their war plan. Responding to this military pressure and the exhaustion of moving five armies 200 miles in the midst of the August heat, the main German force would now pass in front of Paris. More importantly, a 20-mile gap opened between the two German armies north and west of Paris along the river Marne, the result of six weeks of constant fighting. Into this gap, the French commander, General Joseph "Papa" Joffre, launched a desperate counter-attack on September 6. In one of the most famous incidents of the war, troops from the Paris garrison were delivered to the front in 600 taxicabs.
On September 13, after a week of desperate, even vicious, fighting, the German forces retreated 30 to 40 miles, and began building trenches along the Aisne River. A French counter-attack failed to dislodge them and both sides dug in along the river, the beginning of the trench line that would eventually extend from the Swiss frontier to the French coast. The front would move little more than a few miles in either direction for the next four years, at a terrible cost in human lives.
The Battle of the Marne proved historically decisive—the French referred to it as "The Miracle of the Marne." The German commander, General Helmuth von Moltke, told the German Emperor afterwards that the war was lost. He suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be relieved of his command.
Six weeks of fighting cost both sides about a quarter of a million casualties, numbers that had been beyond the imagination before the war began. Instead of the short, decisive victory that everyone expected, the fighting now settled into a deadly pattern. On the Western front, as it became known, both sides constructed an elaborate series of defensive fortifications that grew in depth and complexity, setting the stage for the warfare that followed. Large-scale frontal attacks in which the defense prevailed created a deadlock along with a terrible toll in human lives. The course of World War I was set. Huge pitched battles not seen before in European history followed: Verdun, the Somme, Ypres. Neither side could prevail.
New weapons systems emerged. The machine gun wreaked havoc on the battlefield and became the weapon of choice for infantry, inflicting horrific losses as attackers tried to cross the fittingly named "no man's land." The airplane, invented just a decade earlier, became invaluable for conducting battlefield observations. By the end of the war, all the major participants had large air forces, and bombing, which at first consisted of dropping bombs by hand, became increasingly sophisticated, foreshadowing the great air raids of the Second World War.
Poison gas was used, first by the Germans and then by both the French and British, as a way of overcoming the battlefield stalemate. It also failed but those exposed suffered terrible injuries. Nothing brought victory and the battle deaths kept rising. A conservative figure for the four years that followed is 10 million killed and 20 million injured.
There was another price to be paid: the complex civilization that the Europeans had created since the Renaissance—the free flow of money, goods, and people across the continent, the growing prosperity that spread throughout the West during the 19th century—came to sudden halt. In its place was a blood-soaked continent, European currencies rendered almost worthless, bitter class and social hatred that poisoned human relations, along with the collapse of four great empires: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Ottoman.
Perhaps one of the worst by-products of the war was the rise of totalitarianism, as governments seized full control of societies. It is impossible to conceive of the success of the Russian Revolution and eventual communist dictatorship, or the rise of Mussolini's fascism, without the chaos left by World War I. Even more tragically, Germany's defeat laid the groundwork for the rise of Hitler's Nazi movement and sowed the seeds for an even more horrible conflict, World War II, which included something unprecedented: the attempted destruction of an entire race in the Holocaust.
From the German failure at the Marne flowed consequences that no one could have foreseen. It was one of those battles that truly changed the course of history.
John P. Rossi is professor emeritus of History at La Salle University in Philadelphia.
The Covington Kids' Revenge, One Year Later
The mob did not get away with defaming Nick Sandmann. In fact, people victimized by the media's new normal are now fighting back.
Peter Van Buren January 20, 2020
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Internet of Things (IoT) in Healthcare: Benefits, Use Cases and COVID Impact
By Stuart Rauch
Last updated on Dec 12, 2022986
The healthcare industry has gone digital in a big way in recent years. The impact of digital technologies like IoT devices and monitors is changing the way doctors and hospitals administer care for their patients, and it's a positive trend that is helping to simplify healthcare, lower costs, and improve access to critical medical information.
The global market for what's now known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is expected to grow from $41 billion in 2017 to $158 billion in 2022. Connected IoT sensors provide a continuous stream of real-time health data and vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure and glucose monitoring. And we're now seeing IoMT device rollout with ultrasounds, thermometers, EKGs, smart beds, and a range of other medical devices.
Important Benefits of IoT in Healthcare
IoT implementations have unquestioned benefits for both doctors and the patients they treat. Among the most common benefits:
Improved Patient Experience: The more connected patients are to their doctors and families, the better their experience with healthcare. Remote monitoring of vital signs and symptoms makes physical spaces smarter, improving efficiency of operations and clinical tasks – contributing to a more personalized experience.
Faster and More Precise Diagnosis: Real-time data provided from personal monitoring devices (such as glucose and blood pressure) help doctors make more informed decisions. They provide data to analyze past treatments, diagnose symptoms, reduce errors, and improve ongoing disease management.
Lower Costs: Remote IoT monitoring reduces operational costs for doctors' offices and hospitals. Electronically managed healthcare information is also less costly to access and analyze than paper records (with the caveat that connected devices and transmitted information undergo proper security protocol).
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Common Uses of IoT in Healthcare
IoMT use cases are popping up all over the healthcare landscape. Among the most popular and impactful examples of IoT in healthcare:
With more than 100 million adults in the U.S. living with diabetes or prediabetes, blood glucose monitoring has become a vital, booming business. In the old days, diabetic patients were forced to use fingertip pricks to test blood glucose levels. This inconvenient method, unfortunately, leads some patients to check less frequently than they should, which could increase the risk of long-term complications. A lack of real-time data made patients more vulnerable to extreme swings in glucose levels that could have severe health consequences.
A wave of new IoT-based glucose monitoring devices, however, promises to streamline diabetes management. Patients use wearable sensors that read glucose levels and integrate the data directly to a reader and a mobile tracking app on a smartphone. The data is delivered wirelessly to a centralized system so that family and healthcare professionals can receive immediate updates when a glucose reading is taken and monitor diseases like diabetes in real-time.
Virtual Hospitals
Smart IoT devices such as connected personal wearables are creating an innovative new environment of "hospitals without walls," where outpatient and long-term care are delivered remotely by doctors to patients right in their homes. The benefits are convenience and speed of care to patients, and the freeing up of hospital bed space for patients who need in person intensive care. One example of a virtual hospital is in Sydney, Australia, which opened just as the pandemic was taking hold in 2020. The hospital was redesigned to provide remote care for patients exhibiting COVID symptoms by using pulse oximeters (clipped to a finger) to measure oxygen saturation level and heart rates, as well as armpit patches to measure body temperature. Data was instantly transmitted via mobile phone app to the virtual hospital staff.
Smart Labs
Today's smart labs are comprised of lab equipment capable of tracking and transmitting scientific and health-related data. Researchers and healthcare professionals across disciplines are able to capture and share accurate lab data with each other, and do it quickly to speed analysis. Alerts can also be set up to mitigate equipment failures and loss of valuable product information and materials, including lost medical samples. Smart labs provide a better medium for collaboration between researchers and the ability to bring important medical products to the market faster for public consumption.
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COVID Impact on IoT in Healthcare
Since the pandemic began, there has been a dramatic ramp-up of innovation in the healthcare space. Healthcare providers are now more regularly connecting with patients via video chat, and the use of various remote monitoring IoT devices contribute to real-time care without a patient needing to see a doctor in person. The transition has been further supported by insurance payers, some of whom have issued waivers that allow payment parity for health care delivered either via telehealth or in person. As the world emerges from the pandemic, virtual care is expected to continue as the new normal, and even routine follow-up and feedback could potentially be avoided entirely.
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Conclusion: Hitting It Home With IoT in Healthcare
Healthcare may be one of the most visible industries leveraging IoT devices for the good of people everywhere. From continuous health monitoring to virtual hospitals and labs, IoT is having a dramatic impact, and anyone can get a start in the exciting field of IoT with the right training and preparation.
Stuart Rauch
Stuart Rauch is a 25-year product marketing veteran and president of ContentBox Marketing Inc. He has run marketing organizations at several enterprise software companies, including NetSuite, Oracle, PeopleSoft, EVault and Secure Computing. Stuart is a specialist in content development and brings a unique blend of creativity, linguistic acumen and product knowledge to his clients in the technology space.
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Tag Archives: jason kidd career
BREAKING: Knicks' Kidd retires from NBA
Future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd announced his retirement from the NBA Monday after 19 years in the league. Kidd played one year with the Knicks to wrap up a legendary career in which he played for the Mavericks, Nets, and Suns. Let's take a look at Jason Kidd's storied career in numbers:
NBA champion
2nd all-time leader in assists
2nd all-time leader in steals
3rd all-time leader in triple-doubles
3rd all-time leader in three-pointers
10 time All-Star
6 time All-NBA selection
Naismith High School Player of the Year
9 time All-Defensive selection
All-rookie team
All-Star Skills Challenge winner
Kidd's career is over, and his retirement probably came at the right time. He will be remembered as one of the greatest, smartest players to ever play the game and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame 5 years from now. His salary will come off the books for the Knicks immediately. Congratulations to Jason on a magnificent career, and hopefully we will see him in a coaching spot soon.
By Tommy Rothman
This entry was posted in Articles and tagged do the knicks have to pay jason kidd, jason kidd, jason kidd career, jason kidd knicks, jason kidd legacy, jason kidd retires, jason kidd salary, jason kidd stats, KNICKS, KNICKS MEMES, nba hall of fame, nba retire, Tommy Rothman on June 3, 2013 by Tommy Rothman.


A critical year ahead, economists say.
One of our most popular and favorite posts to write is the annual look at key questions facing production agriculture in the coming year.
There are always a number of important issues to consider ahead of any year, but 2017 seems to have lots of unknowns. More importantly, the questions facing production agriculture in 2017 seem to be more critical than in years earlier. With that said, here is our list of the 16 key questions facing production agriculture in 2017.
1. Are farm financial conditions stabilizing – or just getting serious?
Thinking about the challenges facing the agricultural economy explicitly, this lingering question is the 10-ton elephant in the room. While the agricultural economy started the downturn in a strong financial condition, conditions have begun to deteriorate. Brent pointed out earlier this year how recent conditions compare with historic conditions. Farm incomes have now fallen for three years in a row, and we rarely see any evidence that leads us to believe that working capital and financial conditions in agriculture are getting better. The biggest issue will be whether farm financial conditions continue to deteriorate or get a lot worse in 2017.
2. Will the jump in producer sentiment meet reality?
Recently, the Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer posted a significant jump in producer sentiment. The indice gives formal credibility to the anecdotal improvements in producer sentiment that we have noticed in the last month and a half when talking with farmers around the country. It seems producer attitudes are improving.
Perhaps it is a coincidence, but we tend to think this improved sentiment is related to the November presidential election results. How this forward-looking excitement meets current realities will be a key question in 2017. Specifically, will producer optimism translate into strong buying intentions? For whatever it's worth, the mood of ag lenders doesn't seem to have improved yet.
3. Another year of above-trend yields?
Commodity markets have been plagued with expanding inventories as a multiple-year run of above-trend U.S. yields have been strung together. Another year of above-trend yields will only add to inventories and further pressure grain markets? Or will U.S. producers catch a break in 2017 and see inventories shrink? There are lots of different views on the likelihood of another year of above-trend yields; we're not weather forecasters, so we won't offer our view on it. However, as Scott Irwin at farmdoc daily recently pointed out, it seems pretty clear that we have had an unusually good run of weather in the last 20 years.
4. Will La Niña make a splash?
Last year at this time there was a lot of talk about a summer La Niña and the possibility of much higher corn prices. In 2017 – with a weak La Niña in force – the mega-drought chatter has been subdued. This is a little surprising when comparing the drought conditions in January 2016 (figure 1) with January 2017 (figure 2). Large portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and the South will enter the spring with dry soils.
5. Demand and grain exports have been strong. Will it continue?
7. Is wheat the canary in the coal mine? Or don't worry about it?
The agricultural outlook is bleak with wheat production, and farm financial conditions are most strained in these regions of the country. Many areas are seeing very low wheat prices. Is this a harbinger of what might be to come for other commodities, or do the special circumstances of lots of low-quality wheat make it nothing to be concerned about?
8. Will there be a positive commodity surprise? Will farmers get a(nother) chance to sell at profitable levels?
9. How long can farmers hold back on capital expenditures?
Producers made significant cuts to their capital expenditures in the last two years, and this helped stabilize profitability. In percentage terms, the cutback in 2015 was second only to those during the Farm Financial Crisis in the 1980s. Looking to 2017, questions about producer capital purchases and how long producers are able to hold-off replacing equipment will be important.
10. Will farmland values and cash rents continue to fall?
Most of the data show both farmland values and cash rents started to decline in 2016. For instance, data from Indiana showed that cash rents fell by nearly 11% on average-quality farmland in 2016 and Purdue University experts expect another decline in 2017. As we pointed out last year, the current level of profitability in production agriculture makes further declines likely. How much further rents decline will go a long way in determining whether farm profits stabilize and whether working capital levels begin to stabilize. Land values will play a key role in the financial condition of the sector as well. Today's relatively strong farmland values currently provide a significant amount of credit reserves, as farmland values decline and those potential credit reserves start to contract.
11. What input expenses will fall in 2017?
12. How does policy under the Trump Administration shake out?
Just months ago, it seemed the only question ag policy gurus were debating was when to start the upcoming farm bill discussion. Now there seems to be an unending lineup of policy issues that could impact agriculture surfacing in the near-term. Trade, labor, and the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) have been sent to a purgatory status while the Trump Administration ponders their fates. Even NAFTA – which hasn't been on anyone's radar screen for years – has been facing rumblings.
13. How much will interest rates rise (if any)?
The Fed announced a small hike in interest rates in December – its first for the year. Many thought a hike would come earlier in 2016. What do interest rates have in store for 2017? Given that the economy is at (or near) "full employment" (or a healthy level of unemployment), keep an eye on inflation, especially growth in wages.
Overall, interest rates are currently near historic lows and have been an important – often overlooked – aspect of the recent agricultural boom. Furthermore, low interest rates have cushioned the impact of the agriculture's margin squeeze. Looking ahead, small interest rate hikes will likely have small impacts on producers' operating expenses. Long-term, significant adjustments to interest rates could significantly impact farmland values.
14. What happens with ag trade?
There are short- and long-run implications to this question. Specifically for 2017, will U.S. grain exports clip along fast enough to help reduce the burdensome inventory levels? Further down the road, what does U.S. trade policy look like, and what are the implications for agriculture? The top-three international buyers of U.S ag exports, Canada, China, and Mexico, collectively account for 44% of all ag exports. In 2017 we will get a glimpse of the tone and policies that will direct how our trade relations – especially the top-three – will begin to unfold. Will ag exports grow, contract, or remain about the same with these countries? Will new buyers emerge?
15. Where do exchange rates go?
Not only is the strength of the dollar important, it's important to keep an eye on the relative exchange rates with major buyers and competitors. For example, in 2016 the Brazilian real strengthened relative to the U.S. In early 2016, the exchange rate was 4.1 Brazilian reals to 1 U.S. dollar. In early 2017, the rate has gone to 3.2 reals to 1 U.S. dollar. This has been good news for soybean exports.
16. How does the broad economy perform in 2017?
In our opinion, the macro-economy and government policy are set up to play a much larger role in the agricultural economy in 2017 (and beyond). Many unknowns exist. While many are optimistic about the future, it's important to note that many of the unknowns and moving pieces can play out in unpredictable ways. More directly, given the macro-economy and government policy unknowns, it is extremely difficult to understand how the impacts might affect agriculture. Furthermore, it's extremely difficult to conclude – at this point – that these to-be-determined factors will be unequivocally positive for the U.S agriculture.
Written by Brent Gloy and David Widmar. Interested in learning more? Follow the Agricultural Economic Insights' Blog as we track and monitors these trends throughout the years. Also, follow AEI on Twitter and Facebook.


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Hawaii delegation urges President Trump to provide federal assistance before Hurricane Douglas' landfall
By Nina Wu nwu@staradvertiser.com
Hawaii's congressional delegation today urged President Donald Trump to immediately provide federal assistance to the state as Hurricane Douglas hurtles toward the isles.
The delegation, made up of U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, and U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Tulsi Gabbard, said in a letterto the president today that with the hurricane expected to threaten homes, businesses and infrastructure in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the state has a "narrow window of opportunity" to prepare.
Hurricane Douglas, already a major Category 3 storm, is forecast to impact the Hawaiian islands as early as Saturday night. Forecasters have warned of the possibility of strong winds, dangerous surf and heavy rainfall, as well as flash flooding across portions of the state.
"With the time remaining before the forecasted landfall, we can take steps that will improve outcomes for Hawaii residents," wrote the delegation. "Close coordination among federal, state, and county officials will make it possible to have supplies, personnel, and plans in place for Hurricane Douglas. Federal support is especially critical at this juncture because so many state and county emergency management and response personnel are already committed to the COVID pandemic."
Although no specific amounts are stated, the delegation outlined specific requests for personal protective equipment, medical support, food, water, additional shelter facilities, personnel, and expertise to keep residents safe.
Among them were:
>> The deployment of Hurricane Hunters. The delegation said hurricane hunters provide the best forecasting data for tropical cyclones like Douglas, and that deploying both P-3 and G-IV class aircraft or their equivalents "will ensure that forecasters have the best possible information to advise emergency managers and responders."
>> COVID Support for Emergency Operations. To minimize risk, management and response personnel will need personal protective equipment, industrial hygiene supplies for their workplaces, alternate shelter to quarantine from their families, screening and testing to identify and react promptly to infection; and medical support in the event of infection.
>> COVID Support for Evacuation and Shelter. Evacuation shelters need to be scaled up to accommodate larger numbers of people in order to practice stricter hygiene and physical distancing protocols due to the coronavirus. The delegation requests support for additional shelter facilities, including the consideration of currently underused hotels, special screening protocols to help identify and manage evacuees who may already be infected, or who are at greater risk if they become infected; and additional shelter personnel.
>> Food and Nutrition Assistance. An unprecedented number of Hawaii residents have already sought help through emergency food programs. Disasters exacerbate this need, and further disrupt food distribution networks, the delegation said, so funding is sought to provide adequate stockpiles of shelf-stable food and water; to collaborate with agricultural producers, fishermen, feeding organizations, and local distributors to incorporate fresh food into emergency provisions; and to know where to pre-position supplies to support highest impacted areas, and ensure supply chains continue if transportation infrastructure is damaged.
>> Enhanced Assessment and Rebuilding Functions. The state also seeks funds to restore infrastructure as quickly as possible so residents can return to their homes to shelter, observe distancing and limit their risk of infection. The delegation asks for a rapid assessment of damages from Douglas, along with quick access to resources to rebuild.
In addition, state and and county officials seek assistance from their federal partners at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"We request your urgent attention to ensure these agencies respond quickly and compassionately to protect the people of Hawaii," the delegation said.
20200723 HI Delegation Letter Re Douglas by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd
Hawaii Ironman event canceled over coronavirus concerns
City officials urge Oahu residents to prepare for the coming storm
Kahaluu house fire that injured woman started from frying pan
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Chick Flick Guide
Project Personal: The Night Game
In this series of posts called Project Personal, I'm exploring new territories while telling personal stories. Most of the times the starting point will be a recent cinematic or television experience, but now and then I will wander off to other domains like in this case of The Night Game. I hope that these "madeleine moments" will bring back memories and tales worth to be told and shared with a broader audience. With these pieces, I aspire to give you something more to think and feel about.
It All Started in NYC
To kick-off Project Personal I am going to write about a personal obsession of mine, how I got to discover my favourite band of all time, their debut album and why creative living is crucial. It is not strictly a Chick Flick Guide thing, but it is significant for a certain chick: me. I am talking about an inspiring music project called The Night Game and the man behind it: Martin Johnson. But let's go back to the beginning.
It all started in New York on the day of my 29th birthday in 2017. It was my first time in the city, and the only one so far, because I live in Budapest, Hungary. There are a solid 7 000 km, a 10-hour-long flight and an entire ocean between us. So I don't usually hang out in NYC. But that day was my last birthday before turning 30, so it was supposed to be magic. It had better be freaking magical because it was the last birthday before my youth ended, the world stopped spinning, and the universe was doomed forever. So there was a tiny bit of pressure, but still, I went on.
So I was in New York City, but I wasn't alone. I had a bunch of great lady friends accompanying me on this self-reflective, contemplating, I-have-no-idea-what-to-do-with-the-rest-of-my-life kind of journey. So there we went. I had my girl squad, and I was the youngest of the group, and we were in New York, life was okay after all. Or at least that's what I told myself. My girls, as I call them, planned the whole day out. I had no clue about the sights and programs, but I was mourning my twenties a year early, so I didn't care.
Our first stop was The High Line, an abandoned railway that now functions as an elevated linear park and hipster extravaganza. Wooden water tanks on rooftops are not just an iconic New York thing, but also my thing. I can't help loving a technology reminiscent of old times, but still here with us in this postmodern era. I love nostalgia with an edge, independent spirit and creative ideas, but more about that later.
That's me in all my 29-year-old glory with the beloved NYC industrial skyline completed with rooftop water towers.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
So you already know that I am in love with water towers, but my biggest passion is cinema. Films are at the very top of my imaginary list of things worth living for and television series come at a close second. I know bloggers are weird indeed. Who else loves movies and tv shows and wooden water tanks?
My girl squad took me on a ride down memory lane visiting New York City's famous quarters of Movieland and District TV. We went to see the apartment in Friends. I mean the building from the exterior wide-shot before they cut into the built set where the six friends would live their lives full of fun, everyday drama and love. Then we visited Carrie's brownstone from Sex and the City with the iconic stairs in front where our favourite 30-something single woman would kiss and cry and contemplate existence.
Then my girls pulled out the big guns, took me to a very New Yorker spot called Katz's Delicatessen and didn't say a word. The walls were decorated with hundreds of framed photos of celebrities, athletes and politicians visiting Katz's. And it seemed like the place to be if you want to eat enormous pastrami on rye, but I still had no idea why we would visit this exact spot in NYC. So we ordered, met the last Jewish waiter in the deli and tried our best to eat half of the pastrami sandwich. Needless to say that I failed miserably.
I also couldn't figure out why this place would be special to me. Then it hit me. Katz's Delicatessen was the ultimate chick flick location indeed, where Sally fakes an orgasm in public to prove her point to Harry. Of course, it was the very diner from When Harry Met Sally. My squad knows me better than I do. When Harry Met Sally is one of the best romantic comedies ever made and my favourite movie of all times. It was a true Chick Flick Guide moment.
Surrounded by my girl squad and the most delightful waitress ever in Katz's Delicatessen home to the iconic orgasm scene of When Harry Met Sally.
To finish off the day with a bang we headed over to Brooklyn, to an indie music venue called Baby's All Right. Because (surprise!) I love indie bands. The place was packed, full with the hipster youth of Williamsburg. There was some band playing on stage, but we decided to head over the bar instead. There was also a free table by the backstage door. Miracles do happen in Brooklyn. Having nothing else to do we started what anyone in their right mind would do in a situation like this: people watching. Mean girls in action that's what happened.
However, not a single eligible man landed on our radar, just a piece of paper stuck on the wall saying that The Night Game is up next. I liked the name, and I happened to be the birthday girl, so we stayed, even though no male seemed interesting enough to stick around anymore. Girls dream of a prince in shining armour, I dream of a man with character. And there he was a tall guy in skinny jeans and a red Marlboro sweater rocking a messy Bundesliga hair. And striking blue eyes. Blue eyes like that will kill me one day leaving me desperate and heartbroken in the meantime. Marlboro Man was a rock star from another era. And there he went leaving only a fantasy of him behind.
It was midnight and The Night Game was about to start, so we headed over to the stage. My birthday was officially over, but I was still expecting a present of some sort. The band was getting ready, and they started playing. I liked the intro: '80s inspired airy rock beats with a touch of dream pop. Just my thing. And there he was, Marlboro Man himself on stage. He changed his red armour to a white T-shirt but kept his character. I was praying: 'Please, let him have a good voice.' Fortunately, he has it all: the voice, the stage presence, the authorship and the rare ability to tell stories and get personal. The universe did give me a final gift that night packaged in a flawless live performance. It really was the gig of a lifetime, and I am a fan of The Night Game ever since.
The Night Game performing on stage in Baby's All Right (NYC) on 26th May 2017 that also happened to be my 29th birthday.
A Self-Titled Debut Album: The Night Game
As it turns out The Night Game is the love project of a certain Martin Johnson aka Marlboro Man. In the noughties, Johnson was the frontman of the successful indie pop-rock band Boys Like Girls. After he built up a career as a songwriter for artists like Avril Lavigne, Jason Derulo or Taylor Swift. The Night Game released a self-titled debut album with 11 tracks on 7th September 2018.
'The Night Game' is a rare kind of album because it has a certain mood ingrained at its very core. It evokes feelings of nostalgia, without being overly sentimental. The album brings up memories but avoids falling into the usual traps of tear-jerking lyricism and sugarcoated musicality. It captures the feeling of going home and wondering about where our youth went, how things turned out and what could have been different. What I love about 'The Night Game' album most is Martin Johnson's elaborate way of storytelling and his boldness to get deeply personal. I adore that each song tells a different story. In an interview given to Billboard, Martin Johnson talks about the inspirations behind the debut album.
"The Outfield" is the opening track of the album. As Johnson said:
"When "The Outfield" clicked, so did the rest of the album. The early versions dictated a lot of the production for the other tracks. I have a bit of difficulty talking about the subject matter because I feel like it gives it too much power. "The one that got away," some might say, though it was quite some time ago now."
"Do You Think About Us?" is a song about the sliding doors moment, what might have happened if you made a different decision. Featuring Caroline Polachek the track adds a female voice to the picture and shows the other side of the story too.
"The Photograph" is one of the lyrical and emotional highlights of the album where the chorus begins with the following:
Cause it's gone, in the past
But we'll always be together in the photograph
No, our love didn't last
No, I won't forget all the things she said
And the way she looked at me that night
Cause it's stuck under glass
Yeah, we'll always be together in the photograph
"American Nights" is also a remarkable song and a great piece of storytelling. As Martin Johnson phrased it:
"I grew up in America courtesy of FM radio — my best friends were Tommy and Tina, Jack and Diane, Jimmy and Jody and Wendy from "Born to Run." "American Nights" originally started out as a party anthem, but I realized I was leaving a lot of people out. It's a bittersweet time to be American. surely unclear what "The American Dream" means these days. Maybe it was always unclear. Maybe this is still a party anthem, but this time it includes the morning after."
My favourite song of the album is "Die a Little." It is about coming to terms with the idea that we go through life all alone and every single hardship we face is the very thing that makes us stronger in the end.
What killed me yesterday, baby it's still a part of me
I had to die a little, to learn to survive a little
And after all the pain, baby there's nothing I would change
It has been a long wait since that early gig until the album release, but it was worth it. I turned 30, and I received an even bigger present. The self-titled debut album of The Night Game is now out there. All I wish now is someone to write a song about me, even a bittersweet melody reminiscent of old times.
So this is the kick-off of Project Personal. What do you think about the album and the piece above? What was your latest artistic discovery that genuinely resonated with your challenges and feelings? Has any piece of art ever left a permanent mark on your life? Please leave your comments below. I would love to hear your personal stories.
"The Night Game Reveals Inspiration For Every Song on Self-Titled Debut: Exclusive." Taylor Weatherby. Billboard.com. 9 September 2018.
'The Night Game' Official Website
Leave a Comment · Project Personal
About Chick Flick Guide
Hello! My name is Kata Fodor. Chick Flick Guide is my love project. I work in the film industry by day, and I watch way too many chick flicks by night. So creating Chick Flick Guide seemed like the way to go. Welcome to my world and enjoy the ride!
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The esteemed post-punk godfathers of China, P.K.14, are back with their seventh full-length LP – their boldest and arguably most accessible album yet and one that feels larger than life – both an accumulation of the band's output over the years as well as a challenge to bands across China. While their influence has long lingered in the underground scene for better or worse, the band has once again raised the bar, creating an album that feels urgent, thrilling, and musically lush with detail and poetic prose. Besides upping the production on this baby up to eleven, the band also brought in members of Berlin avant-garde ensemble Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra – turning Haisong's musings into manifesto. A masterpiece of lyricism and atmosphere that echoes across the new world order and resonates deep in your consciousness. Good to have you back P.K.14.
Little Wizard – the hard-hitting Shaoxing instrumental rockers return with a gut punch of an EP – an exhilarating roller coaster ride of rock and roll that leaves nothing on the floor. While there are still plenty of traces of the band's math rock acrobats, the band is operating on another level here, charging full steam ahead with two tracks (after an improvised warm-up) that ignite as soon as they hit the floor, oozing with magnetism and dynamo craftsmanship. Simply put, Little Wizard has cut off all the fat and delivered a crowd-pleasing, stadium-ready jam. More, please.
There's something quite compatible about the ocean and shoegaze – how waves of sound and the endless reverb so easily replicate the seemingly endless horizon on the sea and the constantly shifting tides. And while Guangzhou isn't exactly a beach town, Pocari Sweet, the new three-piece group from there, plays off the attributes of the sea with great success on their debut EP. Pulsating with woozy ethereal walls of sound and voices that seem to float in and out of the air, Pocari Sweet are a great addition to the shoegaze scene, capturing both the rumbling distortions and surrounding chaos as well as the sweeter slower daydream waltzes the genre resides in.


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Reportedly, Visa Inc. (V) announced the inaugural class of the Visa Black Scholars and Jobs Program, rewarding 50 first-year college students around the country with scholarship assistance for up to four years. Visa Black Scholars will get a chance to work with Visa mentors throughout their college experience, and also participate in a Scholars Summit at Visa's HQ in 2022. They would further receive year-round programming aimed at developing their professional and technical skills.
"We are honored to recognize this group of extremely talented students and to support their educational aspirations through the Visa Black Scholars and Jobs Program. At Visa, we believe that change starts with action and we are committed to advancing racial equality and closing the opportunity gap. Through this program, we are supporting a pipeline of diverse future leaders in the business and technology sectors," stated Kelly Mahon Tullier, Visa Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, and program mentor.
Scholars will also be offered opportunities for paid internships and those who meet program requirements will receive an invitation to join Visa full-time after graduation. The Visa Black Scholars and Jobs Program is in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and includes a $10 million investment over the next five years. Students will also benefit from Visa mentors, in addition to scholarship assistance. The mentors will advise and guide them on their aspirations and goals as they move from high school to college and then towards their professional goals.
"Today's college-bound students are facing incredible challenges, with students attending and leaving institutions with more debt than ever before. The Visa Black Scholars are current and future changemakers of our society, and our hope is that we can provide those incredible students with the financial assistance they need to focus on what matters most. This program is even more critical in our current climate as we strive to create a more just and equitable society" stated Dr. Harry L. Williams, President & CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
The program is designed for college-bound Black and African American students in the U.S. All eligible high school seniors looking for opportunities to pursue education in technology or business, and intend to enroll as full-time undergraduates in approved accredited four-year universities or colleges in the U.S. are eligible for the above scholarship grant.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world's leader in digital payments. Its mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. Their advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying its brand, products, people, network, and scale to reshape the future of commerce. To learn more about Visa (V) and to track its ongoing progress please visit the Vista Partners Visa (V) Coverage Page.)
(Read Original Story: Visa Announces Inaugural Class of Visa Black Scholars and Jobs Program in Business Wire)
Disney Extends Contract Of CFO &...


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"My son has been taking drum lessons from Denny for about two years. I have sat through many of his lessons and I can tell you; not only does Denny know the art of music, he has an incredible teaching style. Great energy, contagious enthusiasm, and highly motivational. Denny has a gift and is doing what he was born to do – capturing and encouraging a child's imagination and developing their minds in the world of music!"
John Mancini
Julie and Steve Boland
"Mr. Denny Thomas has over the past five years been more than simply a music teacher to our three children, but rather became a member of our family. Since mid-2011 he has instructed and worked with our oldest son (nine years old at the time) on the violin. After earning first place at his first competitive competition shortly after starting the violin under Mr. Thomas's tutelage, our son has subsequently gone on to earn Florida All-Sate Honors twice (a highly competitive state-wide honor normally relegated for those kids who attend a music academy) and continues to enjoy playing his instrument. Our son was just recently promoted within his high school orchestra, as a Freshman, to First Violins, Second Chair (only behind a Senior). While Mr. Thomas continues to challenge and instruct our son in a way that enables him to progress without ever questioning his abilities, Mr. Thomas has also taken on the role of a father figure to our son concerning academic performance while I (his father) have been stationed overseas. Mr. Thomas has unequivocally been the greatest and most positive influence on our son outside of our family. Mr. Thomas has also instructed our younger daughter and our youngest son on the piano. As many other parents may similarly experience, our children are extremely different from one another. While our oldest is a sincere, sensitive boy with interest in music and the social sciences, our daughter is artistically creative and girly, and our youngest son aggressive and sporty. Mr. Thomas has found a way to teach each according to their personalities and has not once lost his patience with handling each of their diverse personalities; something my wife and I are challenged with daily. Despite our daughter's ease to reach frustration with new concepts and our youngest son's tendency to respond to new material with insecure resistance, Mr. Thomas finds a way to teach, challenge, and comfort each of our children through their musical struggles. He is the only person outside our biological family I trust with our children and has been such a positive impact on our children, musically and personally, that he has been a factor in our family's relocation considerations ... and we haven't moved yet. Mr. Thomas has earned our highest recommendation as a music instructor to children. Should you decide to include Mr. Thomas in your child's life, you may not know how you're going to carry on without him. Thanks for all you are doing!"
Christian Lies


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Influencers & Profiles
Commissioner can make his own running
James Thomson
Federal Small Business Minister Brendan O'Connor has made a really sensible choice in appointing Mark Brennan as Australia's first Federal Small Business Commissioner.
Brennan is best known as the inaugural Small Business Commissioner of Victoria, which was the first state to create a small business commissioner's office way back in 2003 under Labor premier Steve Bracks.
Brennan immediately won almost universal praise for the way the office of the Victorian commissioner operated and when state governments across the country created their own small business commissioners in subsequent years many of these offices were based on the systems and processes that Brennan put in place.
The fact that Brennan has experience in establishing a new office also counts in his favour. Clearly, he will be well placed to understand the resources, systems and processes that a new institution needs and this should ensure that the commissioner's office is up and running quickly and making a real difference.
The challenge for Brennan, of course, is how, when and where he will be able to make that difference.
Unlike the office of the Victorian Small Business Commissioner, Brennan's new federal position does not have a role in dispute resolution and is instead focused on advocacy – essentially, making sure that the interests of small business is considered in Canberra.
This will involve working with government departments on how policies and regulations impact small businesses, making submissions to government inquiries that canvass small business matters and potentially advocating on behalf of individual businesses that run into some sort of problem with a part of government.
O'Connor also wants the office to act as a "one-stop-shop" for small businesses to get referrals to programs and services for SMEs at all levels of government.
That all sounds good, although one slight concern I would have is that a lot of these aims involve behind-the-scenes tasks which are important but potentially a little invisible.
Hopefully Brennan also emerges as a really strong public face for small business in Canberra.
I think Brendan O'Connor will be keen to see this happen. When he visited the SmartCompany offices a few weeks ago it was clear he has a pretty open mind about how the commissioner's role could develop and stressed the fact that this is an independent position.
One interesting question is around the longevity of Brennan's position with an election looming next year. The Coalition has been calling for a national advocacy role, although they want an ombudsman rather than a commissioner, with slightly different powers.
Whether that would mean major changes or tweaks to Brennan's role is unclear, but it is at least comforting to know there is bipartisan support for a commissioner, even if the name might change slightly.
James Thomson is a former editor of BRW's Rich 200 and the publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany.