Algebraic equations, nouns, atoms and the history of our founding fathers are things that come to mind on what is taught in the seventh grade. At Ashland Middle School, teachers of advanced courses are teaching their students how to write grants, create plans of action and design playgrounds.
The saying "students are the future," can be taken literally at AMS. Seventh graders are working together one period at a time to work on the Ashland community. These students are learning to, "…create, build and execute a playground at the soccer fields," Sarah LeVeck says, as she described what the students will be doing for this bold project. These seventh graders are going to be creating the playground, cleaning up the soccer fields and beautifying them as a whole.
This project was introduced to the students early in the 2018 school year. Teachers have been working on this idea since summer and decided now that it would be a good time to spring on the project. "Mr.Vance, and I talked at the end of last year, about how we felt that the kids need to do more community outreach programs…" said LeVeck. "Over the summer we emailed community leaders and we came up with ideas and this is the one that we latched onto the most." This project will have the students work together and not only help each other but also give them a chance to improve the Ashland community.The playground is set to start on Sept. 28 of 2018. The finishing date on this project is still undetermined.
The Ashland soccer fields are not the only complex that will be worked on. According to seventh grade English teacher Jarrod Vance said, "the team is planning on doing other things like building birdhouses, butterfly gardens, trying to put in a walking path and we will be testing the soil too." Ashland Middle School will get to experience the beautifying project in addition to the soccer fields.
"I am very excited," Kloey K, a seventh-grader said, "It is a very good project for us to get the opportunity to help the community and possibly make the fields a more fun space." Because of this project, the soccer fields have an opportunity to become a more fun environment for younger siblings.


This adorable white painted brick cottage in North Buckhead is completely renovated kitchen with large island open to den/keeping room with hardwood floors,plantation shutters & beamed ceiling.Dining room open to formal living room with wainscoting & lots of light! True master suite with updated bathroom, double vanity & his/her closets.2 spacious guest bedrooms & updated bathroom with tub/shower combo.Daylight basement is partially finished with interior/exterior entry,tons of space to entertain.Patio off basement door opens to lush,professionally landscaped backyard.
I was searching for a Property and found this listing (MLS® #8533494). Please send me more information regarding 395 Allison Dr, Atlanta, GA, 30342. Thank you!
I'd like to request a showing of 395 Allison Dr, Atlanta, GA, 30342 (MLS® #8533494). Thank you!


Here's my problem. We installed a Moen 2 handle tub faucet with a handle in the middle to turn on for the shower about 4 years ago. This is a tub that is not used often and now I …... I have a moen faucet and I'm replacing the cartridge. The cartridge is stuck and doesn't want to come out. what can I do. I sprayed penetrating oil on it and I'm waiting a while. It won't go up or down. I did pull the horse shoe clip out, already. This is a kitchen faucet, one handle type.
Hi folks, I have a single handle Moen tub faucet that I'm trying to do some work on. A little description first. My bathtub faucet is teardrop shaped with the point of the teardrop pointing towards the floor.... Replace Moen Bathtub Faucet Cartridge. Fix Leaking Bathtub Faucet Mobile Home. Bathroom Ideas. Change Bathtub Faucet Knobs. Change Bathtub Faucet Mobile Home. Change Bathroom Faucet Knobs. Replacing Bathtub Faucet Handle Single. Bathroom Inspirations.
FIXIT - How to replace a Moen Cartridge and fix a leaky bathtub faucet Fix it tutorials - FIXIT... 3/02/2011 · 32 years in the plumbing business.... moen cartridge installation for a tub or shower .few tipsnot a big job to ;diy....moen is the best faucet on the market as far as i am concerned.
Your Moen tub spout is the fixture on the end of the tub pipe that extends out of your shower wall. This pipe delivers the water for your bath, but it is not very pretty. The spout is actually just a fitting that hides the ugly copper pipe and gives your bath a brand new, matching look that complements the faucet.
I have a moen faucet and I'm replacing the cartridge. The cartridge is stuck and doesn't want to come out. what can I do. I sprayed penetrating oil on it and I'm waiting a while. It won't go up or down. I did pull the horse shoe clip out, already. This is a kitchen faucet, one handle type.
33 Responses to "How To Repair Moen Bathroom Faucet Dripping Water – Cartridge Removal Replace Single Lever"


text:
Pałac w Gaworzycach – wybudowany w XVII w. w Gaworzycach.

Położenie
Pałac położony jest we wsi w Polsce, w województwie dolnośląskim, w powiecie polkowickim, w gminie Gaworzyce.

Historia
Obiekt jest częścią zespołu pałacowego, w skład którego wchodzą jeszcze: park, budynki folwarczne.

Galeria

Przypisy

Pałac
Pałace w województwie dolnośląskim
Zabytki w powiecie polkowickim

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Next Literary Theory
Literary Theory 9780870238154-01-000 9780870238154-01-000 9780870238154
https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/traveling-with-hermes-hermeneutics-and-rhetoric/bruce-krajewski/hardback/9780870238154-01-000.html
Traveling with Hermes: Hermeneutics and Rhetoric
By Bruce Krajewski (Author)
https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/traveling-with-hermes-hermeneutics-and-rhetoric/bruce-krajewski/hardback/9780870238154-01-000.html £22.95
A venture into the realm of contemporary literary theory, this book takes as its point of departure ""the nexus between philosophical hermeneutics and rhetoric"" that Hans-Georg Gadamer discusses in his writings. But rather that explicating Gadamer's theoretical insights, Bruce Krajewski applies them to a series of discrete texts, from Jan Steen;s ""Rhetoricians at a Window"" to Shakespeare's ""Coriolanus"", to the postmodernist film ""Brazil"". In the course of his readings, Krajewski explores the complex relationships between truth-telling and lying, being and non-being, clarity and obscurity, the fixed and the unstable, and the extraordinary and the commonplace. Underlying these dichotomies is an even more fundamental opposition between two approaches to language and discourse. One is the way of philosophy and linguistics, where the objective is to reduce language to its purest logical forms. The other is the way of hermeneutics and rhetoric, where the aim is to preserve the multifariousness of discourse as it occurs concretely in everyday life. Krajewski's goal throughout is to underscore the extent to which understanding is not a private but a social act. For meaning, he argues, can never be divorced from experience.
Contributor: Bruce Krajewski
Imprint: University of Massachusetts Press
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Bruce Krajewski
https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/traveling-with-hermes-hermeneutics-and-rhetoric/bruce-krajewski/hardback/9780870238154.html £22.95

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Bankruptcy News
UPDATE 1-Paragon Entertainment to appoint administrators as cash runs out, CEO resigns
(Adds details, background)
June 20 (Reuters) - Paragon Entertainment said on Thursday it did not have enough cash to run its operations or pay its dues and the company has decided to appoint administrators as soon as possible, while its top boss resigned.
The company, which has designed visitor attractions and experiences such as The Rolling Stones Exhibitionism at the Saatchi Gallery, said Chief Executive Damien Latham has resigned with immediate effect.
Last week, Paragon trimmed the top end of its forecast for full-year revenue, while widening the company's pretax losses expectations, which sent shares falling as much as 28% on the day.
Paragon Entertainment said it did not have enough cash to continue operations and to pay its creditors, including HSBC.
Once appointed, the administrators would look for buyers for Paragon Entertainment's business and assets, the company said.
The AIM-listed company, which has a market capitalisation of about 2.5 million pounds ($3.2 million), also said trading of its shares had been suspended. ($1 = 0.7881 pounds) (Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel)


best sushi .best service.best chief.
Awesome fresh sushi! Love the lunch specials!
very nice decor, welcoming staff.. Biggest buffet that I ever see in Indian restaurant... Over all I am very happy and will go back agian..
get take out for my office once a month. Good crab rangoon.
My family tried this place for my mom's birthday. The staff was really nice and attentive. The beef medallions were some of the best I've had.
Warm beer, stale nachos, slow service. We will not be going back.
our grandsons cross country team, (boys & Girls team) including coaches, reserved a time for yesterday, Monday, at 6pm as a celebration to start this years team events. This was confirmed with 4 emails. Everyone turned up last night but restaurant closed!! no answer to any phone calls as of last night. Not a good way to get respect & future business!!
Best happy hour and service around! Great atmosphere and great vibes! Get to Bar Louie for a great time!
Super friendly service and managers. Everyone in the building is always attentive to our needs even if they aren't directly taking care of them. Add that to the happy hour prices and there's no better time in the area!
My experience was awesome! The food is pretty good, drinks were amazing, but the service was outstanding! My server, Brett B., recommended the mojito and the nachos! We will be back since Brett went over and beyond at our table! Thanks BL Chesterfield!
First time there, stopped in by chance..they made us feel right at home, sat in private room and the best Lamb I've ever eaten!!!
Annie Gunn's is a fantastic restaurant in the Chesterfield Valley of St Louis. My wife and I have gone here many times for special occasion dinners. The food is excellent and the steaks in particular are A+. This is not an overly formal restaurant -- this is lively place to have fun. Great beers and drinks served up at the bar.
This is a chain, but I don't know if it is only local. The food quality and preparation are wonderful. The service is great too. They usually have coupons & offer a 3 course prix fixe dinner as well.
Cheddar Bay Biscuits are my abso fav! This location is always packed, but the servers do a great job of making you feel like the only diner with their attentive attitudes.


Featuring… Alex and Sage Herr, aka the Granite Gals! I first met these incredible hikers through Facebook after they saw my blog and wanted to interview me for their podcast, granitegals.org. Their podcast features a new female New Hampshire hiker each month. We arranged a time and met in person in a field behind a ropes course park in N.H. so they could interview me about my hiking experiences. After having learned about their jaw-dropping accomplishments and experiences, I decided to interview them as well and post a q&a on my blog!
Alex and Sage Herr are sisters living in N.H. , who share a passion for hiking. They are 15 and 13 years old, respectively, but Alex and Sage are not your typical teenagers. Finishing their 4,000 footers by age six, they were the 2nd and 3rd youngest females to do so. Since then, they have completed the 46 State Highpoints, Trailwrights 72 peaks, The 52 with a View, and a number of thru hikes including 165-miles Cohos Trail, the 211-mile John Muir Trail and el Camino de Santiago. They also co-founded the NH Terrifying 25 list and are co-adopters of the Alpine Garden Trail on Mt. Washington. I couldn't believe their accomplishments, yet they were very humble and friendly.
I am excited to share a q&a I did with them.
Q: How did you first get into hiking?
Alex: I started hiking when I was 5 years old because I was a very energetic child. I would not sit still. Mom wanted a way for me to get out my energy. We did our first 4,000-footer on Tecumseh and it didn't go so well because we weren't really prepared. It was April and since there was no snow in the valley, we thought there was no snow in the mountains. Obviously, that was not true. We were just starting out. But the next time we did it, we were more prepared and it was more fun. And then we all got really invested in hiking and I really enjoyed it. And then we decided to try this list [the 4,000-footers] and it just kinda happened. And then Sage, she was really little at the time so she didn't hike with us at first, but she started getting into hiking later.
Sage: I did my first 4K when I was 4. I did Tecumseh. I first started hiking because of Alex but then I fell in love with it.
Q: So you've accomplished so much in hiking. How do you have time to hike all those mountains (at your age)?
Sage: It's part of our lives since we've been hiking since we were really, really little. We usually hike once per week. That could be 1, 2, 3, 4 mountains depending on what we're doing. We have a lot of school work and other activities but it's just part of our weekly lives. We just fit it in.
Alex: Since we're homeschooled, our schedule is more flexible so we're able to manage our school work and hiking. Sometimes we hike on the weekend, sometimes we hike during the week. We're very busy.
Q: Do you do any other activities?
Alex: Yes. A lot of people know us because of our hiking online and don't think we do anything else. But we do. We do karate and Girl Scouts.
Q: What has been your favorite hiking accomplishment?
Sage: We did the John Muir trail in California and that was really, really fun. It was 2 or 3 weeks long. And the scenery was just so different from N.H. It was amazing for us. There were very few trees and the clay was orange and red. It was really beautiful.
Q: How does hiking affect your life?
Alex: I think because of hiking, my focus has gotten better because I think being in nature and exercising, that combination, is really beneficial for the mind as well as the body. Because of that, I'm able to focus more on my studies.
Q: What do you like about solo hiking?
Alex: It's very different than hiking with a group of people because you're more responsible for yourself. You're less likely to just let your thoughts wander. You have to know where you're going and really be responsible for yourself out there. And also, your senses intensify and you become more alert when you're hiking alone. It's really nice. I'm not sure if I prefer hiking in a group of people or hiking alone. If it's a nice day, I probably prefer hiking alone because it's just really nice.
Q: I read that you co-founded the Terrifying 25 list. How did you choose the trails for that list?
Sage: We looked at all the trails in the guidebook and got suggestions from people for trails that had caves or ladders or were just very terrifying or just very hard to complete. We read the descriptions in the guidebook and just compounded a list of trails that we thought were terrifying.
Alex: The idea is that all the trails are challenging and somewhat scary.
Q: Has anything really scary or dangerous happened to you on the trail?
Alex: Yes. One thing that I remember vividly is we hiked Mt. Tom. There was a thunderstorm that formed right over our heads. It wasn't even in the forecast. We were really little at this time. I don't remember everything that happened, but Sage and I had to wait while Mom was getting her pack. She was coming to meet us. It was pretty scary because it was thundering and lightening. There was a lot of rain and we were up there. I remember I went off on the wrong direction and then I came back because Mom was calling me.
Sage: One time, Mom and I were hiking and we saw 2 moose really close to us. One was really close to me. It was a little scary because we were just staring at each other. And mom didn't even see that was even happening until that last second.
Alex: Also, one time I was coming down Willey. [Note: there are many steep ladders on a section of trail]. I was sledding down the mountain and we forgot about a last pair of ladders, the worst ones. I went really fast [over the ladders], and boom, I was in the air suspended, and then dropped. I went over the ladders and crashed down. I was OK but it was kinda crazy.
Q: What is the longest you've hiked and what was that like?
Alex: The longest thru-hike we've done is El Camino de Santiago in Spain. It was about a month. We did have rest days. I was 10 and Sage was 8. The average day was 14 or 15 miles, but it was pretty flat. It was more of a cultural experience. It was pretty awesome. It was really different than a typical thru-hike [for us]. Now, our thru-hikes are 2 or 3 weeks long because we have more [school] work. We usually do a thru-hike every summer. This year we did the Coast-to-Coast trail [in England], which was 2 weeks long. The year before we did the Cohos Trail. It was very beneficial because the navigational skills I had to practice. I led most of the time because I was training to hike by myself.
Q: What are your future hiking goals?
Alex: We're in the process of completing the grid. That is to hike all the 48 4,000-footers in each month of the year, but not necessarily in the same year. Our goal is to complete the grid by time each of us go to college.
These girls are girl-power rockstars and great role models. I hope this helps inspire more girls to get out hiking! Thank you, Alex and Sage for meeting with me.
See Sage and Alex's interview of me on www.granitegals.org, a podcast where they interview women who hike the White Mountains each month.


On this day in geekdom: December 27th | It's A Stampede!
December 27th – On this day in 1977, Star Wars officially opens in the UK – seven months after it opened in the US. The film initially opens in London at two venues: the Leicester Square Theatre and the Dominion on Tottenham Court Road. The film remains at these two locations until late January 1978, when it rolls out to theatres around the UK.
Is Planes, Trains and Automobiles a Christmas movie?


text:
\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:intro}
While there has been a tremendous surge in convolutional neural networks and their applications in computer vision, relatively little is still understood about how information is learned and stored in the network. This is evidenced by the fact that researchers have successfully proposed different approaches for compressing a network after it has been trained, including techniques like pruning weights \cite{optimalbrain, Chen2015CompressingNN}, assuming row-column separability and applying low rank approximations for computational gains \cite{Denton2014ExploitingLS-denton, 9-Xu2020TRPTR} and using basis representation
\cite{Jaderberg2014SpeedingUC-jaderberg, 3-Alvarez2017CompressionawareTO, 4-Li2018ConstrainedOB, 6-Minnehan2019CascadedPE, 9-Xu2020TRPTR}
to approximate the filter kernels.  Although the results are impressive,  existing compression techniques are not always easy to implement using standard deep learning tool boxes. In this paper, we are motivated by the observation that the original filters can be represented as weighted linear combinations of a set of 3D \textit{basis filters}  with one-dimensional \textit{weight} kernels as shown in Figure \ref{fig:basisconv}. While compression is achieved by using fewer basis filters, we show that these basis filters can be jointly  \textit{finetuned} along with the weight kernels  to compensate for any loss in performance due to truncation, and to thereby achieve state of the art results.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
 {\includegraphics[clip, trim=6.7cm 0cm 6.5cm 0cm, scale=0.4] {Figures/basis_conv_small1.pdf}}
\end{center}
 \caption{The network is compressed by replacing each convolution layer (top) in a CNN with the basis convolution layer (bottom). Q basis filters are initialized with the top ranked eigen vectors of P original filters, with Q $<$ P. }
 \label{fig:basisconv}
\end{figure}
The representation of spatial filters as a linear combination of orthogonal basis filters is also known as \textit{spectral decomposition}, and the weights comprise the corresponding \textit{spectra} of the filters.
Since our approach updates the basis filters and their weighted contribution to the overall result, we refer to this process as \textit{Spectral Fine Tuning} (SFT). Not only does SFT reduce the number of learnable parameters, but also the weights are statistically uncorrelated, and therefore adapt much faster than the conventional finetuning of spatial domain filters. Figure \ref{fig:recipe} shows the main steps in our proposed approach for network compression.

\begin{figure*}
\begin{center}
  \includegraphics[clip, trim=0.5cm 8.4cm 0.5cm 3.5cm, scale=0.45, width=\textwidth]{Figures/recipe_figure.pdf}
\end{center}
  \caption{Schematic diagram of our compression framework.}
  \label{fig:recipe}
\end{figure*}

Low rank decomposition has been extensively used for neural network compression in the past, but our work is differs from previously published papers in the manner in which the filters are represented and finetuned using basis filters and weights. For example methods such as \cite{3-Alvarez2017CompressionawareTO} enforce filter rank reduction while training the network, thereby making it more compressible than its normally trained counterpart. In contrast, \cite{9-Xu2020TRPTR} achieves compression by combining channel wise low rank approximation and with separable one-dimensional spatial filters. In \cite{4-Li2018ConstrainedOB} multiply-accumulate operations are reduced via constrained optimization.
Low rank factorization and pruning are combined in \cite{6-Minnehan2019CascadedPE} by cascading the low rank projections of filters in the current layer to the next layer. In comparison, our method is relatively straight forward (as depicted in Figure \ref{fig:recipe}), and yet provides competitive results.

\section{Basis Representation and Learning }
\label{sec:Basis-Representation-and-Learning}
Consider the fundamental convolution operation in any given layer of a convolutional neural network. Assume that an input block of data $x(m,n,l)$ (such as the activations or output of the previous layer) is convolved with a set of 3D filters $h_k (m,n,l), \ k=1$\dots$P$. The output $y_k (m,n)$ can be expressed as $y_k(m, n) = x(m, n, l) \ * \ h_k(m, n, l), \qquad 1 \leq k \leq p$
where $*$ represents the convolution operation. The filters can be expressed as a linear combination of Q basis functions $f_i (m,n,l), \quad i=1$\dots$Q$, such that $h_k (m, n, l) = \sum_{i=1}^{Q} w_{k} (i) \cdot f_i(m, n, l) $
where $w_{k} (i)$ are the weights of linear combination. Using this representation, the output can be expressed as
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:3}
y'_k(m, n) = \sum_{i=1}^{Q} w_{k} (i) \cdot [x(m, n, l) * f_i(m, n, l)], \quad 1 \leq k \leq P
\end{equation}
The key observation is that the Q convolution terms  $z_i (m,n)=x(m,n,l)*f_i (m,n,l)$ need to be computed only once, and they are common to all $P$ outputs  $y'_k (m,n)$.  These can be stacked together to form the 3D intermediate result $z(m,n,i)$ while the weights can be treated as $1 \times 1\times Q$ filter $w_k (i)$. Therefore, the outputs $y'_k (m,n)$ are simply the convolution of two, i.e
\begin{equation}
y'_k (m,n)=w_k (i)*z(m,n,i)
\end{equation}
We refer to this construct using two successive convolutions as \textit{BasisConv}.

\textbf{Compression of pretrained Networks and Spectral Fine Tuning: }SFT is the simultaneous learning of $w_k (i)$ and $f_i (m,n,l)$ in Equation \ref{eq:3} (across all layers of the network) to mitigate overall performance loss due the choice of $Q < P$. We now discuss how the basis filters $f_i (m,n,l)$ and spectral weights $w_k (i)$ are initialized, and the orthogonality criteria introduced in the loss function to ensure that the basis representation condition is preserved.

It is well known that eigen decomposition results in a compact basis that minimizes the reconstruction error achieved by a linear combination of basis functions. We therefore initially choose $f_i (m,n,l)$ as the eigen filters that represent the sub-space in which the original filters $h_k (m,n,l)$ lie. The method for obtaining these is also well-known and straightforward. Basically, we define the $LD^2 \times 1$ dimensional vector  $\mathbf{h_k}$ as a vectorized representation of  $h_k (m,n,l)$, and construct the matrix $\mathbf{A}= [\mathbf{h_1} \ \mathbf{h_2} \ ... \ \mathbf{h_P}]$ with $\mathbf{h_k}$ as its columns. The eigenvectors of $\mathbf{A A^T}$ represent the sub-space of the filters, and satisfy the relation $\mathbf{A A^T f_i}=\lambda_i \mathbf{f_i}$, where $\mathbf{f_i}$ are the eigenvectors, and $\lambda_i$ are the corresponding eigenvalues.
The eigen filter  $f_i (m,n,l)$ is readily obtained by re-ordering the elements of the eigenvector $\mathbf{f_i}$ into a $D \times D \times L$ array. It should be noted that these matrix-vector manipulations do not alter the inherent tensor structure and relations between the individual elements of the 3D filters. We select a small subset of eigenvectors which correspond to the largest Q eigen-values that best represent the dominant coordinates of the filters' subspace using the metric $t = \frac{ \sum_{i=1}^{Q} \lambda_i}   { \sum_{i=1}^{LD^2} \lambda_i}$ to choose Q such that most of the relevant information is retained in the selected eigen-vectors. Using this criteria, $Q$ is chosen for each layer such that it results in no more than 3\% drop in overall performance.\par
The decomposition of the filters $h_k$ of any given layer of the network can be succinctly expressed in matrix vector notation by defining $\mathbf{F}= [\mathbf{f_1} \ \mathbf{f_2} \ ... \ \mathbf{f_Q}]$  (i.e. the matrix of eigenvectors of the filters for that layer)  so that $ \mathbf{h_k} = \mathbf{Fw_k}$
and $\mathbf{w_k} = [w_{k} (1)\ w_{k} (2)\ ... \ w_{k} (Q)]^T$ is a $Q \times 1$ vector of weights. Since $\mathbf{F^T F=I}$ (i.e. the identity matrix), the weights are easily obtained by computing $\mathbf{w_k} = \mathbf{F^T h_k}$.

SFT converges much faster than conventional finetuning of the original spatial filters. This is partly due to the fact that the elements of the weight vectors $\mathbf{w_k}$ are statistically uncorrelated. This is easy to show by noting that $\mathbf{A}= \mathbf{F}[\mathbf{w_1} \ \mathbf{w_2} \ ... \ \mathbf{w_P}]=\mathbf{FW}$
where $\mathbf{W}=[\mathbf{w_1} \ \mathbf{w_2} \ ... \ \mathbf{w_P}]$ is a matrix whose columns are the weight vectors associated with the filters in the corresponding columns of $\mathbf{A}$. Therefore, $\mathbf{A A^T}=\mathbf{FWW^TF^T}$.
It is also true that $\mathbf{A A^T}=\mathbf{F{\Delta}F^T}$
where $\mathbf{\Delta}$ is a diagonal matrix with the eigenvalues $\lambda_i$ as its diagonal elements. Hence, $\mathbf{WW}^T=\mathbf{\Delta}$ is a diagonal matrix and $\sum_{k=1}^{P} {w_k (i)}^2=\lambda_i , \text{   and   }   \sum_{k=1}^{P} {w_k (i)}{w_k (j)}= 0$. Therefore the convergences of each element of $\mathbf{w_k}$ is statistically uncorrelated with the behavior of the other elements, which implies that the corresponding eigen vector also contributes to the overall learning process in an uncorrelated manner.
Thus far, we have discussed fine-tuning the weights while holding the basis filters fixed as eigen-vectors of the original filters. However refining the basis filters can improve performance of the compressed network. To finetune the basis filters, we must ensure that they remain an orthonormal set (so that the weights continue to be a spectral representation in the new basis). This is achieved by including the following term in the overall cost function
\begin{equation}
\mathbf{J}_f = \frac{\alpha}{{Q}}  \sum_{i=1}^Q (1-{\mathbf{f}_i}^T \mathbf{f}_i)^2 + \frac{2(1-\alpha)}{Q(Q-1)} \sum_{i=1}^Q \sum_{j=i+1}^Q ({\mathbf{f}_i}^T\mathbf{f}_j)^2
\label{euq:norm}
\end{equation}

where $\mathbf{f}_i$ are the individual basis filters, $Q$ is the number of such filters in a given layer, and $a$ is a positive number between 1 and 0. The first term in  $\mathbf{J}_f$ causes the $L2$ norm of $\mathbf{f}_i , i=1 ... Q$ to be as close to unity as possible, while the second term ensures the filters remain orthogonal. The parameter $a$ can be set to 0.5 to equally emphasize both term, or selected as necessary to balance the trade-off between the two terms. Finally, $f_i (m,n,l)$ and  ${w_k}(i)$ are both jointly fine-tuned to minimize the sum of $\mathbf{J}_f$ and the cost function (such as cross-entropy loss) used for training the original network.

\begin{table}[t]
\centering
\small
{\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1}
\begin{tabular}{c | c c c }
\hline
\textbf{Method} & \textbf{3$\times$} & \textbf{4$\times$} & \textbf{5$\times$} \\
\hline \hline
Jaderberg et. al.\cite{Jaderberg2014SpeedingUC-jaderberg}  & 87.6 & 80.2 & 60.2 \\
Zhang et. al.\cite{Zhang2016-AcceleratingVD} (asym.) & 89.5 & 89.0 & 87.9 \\
Zhang et. al.\cite{Zhang2016-AcceleratingVD} (asym. fine-tuned) & 89.9 & 89.6 & 88.9  \\
CP (fine-tuned) \cite{He2017ChannelPF-CP}  & - & 88.9 & 88.2 \\
ELR \cite{Wang2018-ELR}  & - & 89.4 & 88.8 \\
Li et. al. \cite{Li2016PruningFF-Lietal}  & - & 81.3 & 67.9 \\
Li et. al. \cite{4-Li2018ConstrainedOB}  & 88.9 & - & - \\
Minnehan et. al. \cite{6-Minnehan2019CascadedPE}  & - & - & 89.4 \\
\hline
\textit{Ours} & \textbf{90.6} & \textbf{89.6} & \textbf{89.4}  \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
}
\caption{Top-5 accuracy of VGG16 pretrained on ImageNet and compressed to 3x, 4x and 5x speedup ratios.}
\label{tab:pami15-imagenet}
\end{table}

\begin{table*}[t]
\centering
\small
{\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1}
\begin{tabular}{c || c c c | c c c | c c c | c c c}
\hline
\multirow{2}{3em}{\textbf{Model}} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{\textbf{FLOPs (Billions)}} & \multicolumn{3}{|c}{\textbf{Params (Millions)}} & \multicolumn{3}{|c|}{\textbf{\# of Filters}} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{\textbf{Accuracy (\%)}} \\
 & CNN & BasisNet & $\downarrow$\% & CNN & BasisNet & $\downarrow$\% & CNN & BasisNet & $\downarrow$\% & CNN & BasisNet & $\downarrow$  \\
\hline
Alexnet & 0.03 & 0.01 & 76.20       & 2.47 & 0.68 & 72.33   & 1152 & 256 & 77.78 & 43.87 & 44.68 & -0.81 \\
VGG16 & 0.63 & 0.12 & 80.44     & 14.71 & 1.67 & 88.68  & 4224 & 501 & 88.14 & 68.72 & 69.53 & -0.81 \\
Resnet110 & 0.51 & 0.16 & 68.65     & 1.73 & 0.63 & 63.41   & 4144 & 1271 & 69.33 & 71.99 & 71.67 & 0.32 \\
Densenet190 & 18.61 & 3.44 & 81.52  & 25.60 & 6.98 & 72.73  & 20290 & 4116 & 79.71 & 82.83 & 82.28 & 0.55 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
}
\caption{ Results of compressing four different networks on CIFAR100 shows significant FLOPs and parameter reduction is achieved with minimal loss of accuracy. [$\downarrow$\%] denotes percent decrease in the metric compared to the baseline model.}
\label{tab:cifar100}
\end{table*}

\section{Experiments}
\label{sec:Experiments}
\begin{table}[t]
\centering
\small
\setlength{\tabcolsep}{6pt}
{\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1}
\begin{tabular}{c|cccc}
\hline
\multirow{2}{4em}{\textbf{Method}} & \textbf{  FLOPs  } & \textbf{Params. } & \multicolumn{2}{c}{\textbf{Accuracy (\%)}} \\
  & (\%$\downarrow$) & (\%$\downarrow$) & Top1 & Top5 \\
\hline
\hline
SFP \cite{SFP}                          & 41.80 &   -   & 74.61 & 92.06 \\
IMP \cite{molchanov2019taylor-IMP}      & 45.00 & 51.48 & 74.50 & - \\
CP \cite{He2017ChannelPF-CP}            & 50.00 & -     & - & 90.80 \\
LFC \cite{LFC}                          & 50.00 & -     & 73.40 & 91.40 \\
ELR \cite{Wang2018-ELR}                 & 50.00 & -     & - & 91.20 \\
GDP \cite{Lin2018AcceleratingCN-GDP}    & 51.30 & -     & 71.89 & 90.719 \\
FPGM \cite{He2018FilterPV-FPGM}         & 53.50 & -     & 74.83 & 92.32 \\
DCP \cite{Zhuang2018-DCPA}              & 55.76 & 51.45 & 74.95 & 92.32 \\
GBN \cite{zhonghui2019-decorator}       & 55.06 & 53.40 & 75.18 & 92.41 \\
LFPC \cite{he2020learning-LFPC}         & 60.80 & -     & 74.46 & 92.04 \\
HRank \cite{lin2020-HRank}              & 62.10 & 46.13 & 71.98 & 91.01 \\
Alvarez et. al. \cite{3-Alvarez2017CompressionawareTO}  & - & 27.0 & 75.2 & 91.01 \\
TRP1+Nu \cite{9-Xu2020TRPTR}  & - & 44.0 & 74.06 & 92.07 \\
\hline
\textit{Ours (A)}       & \text{51.28} & \text{49.28} & \textbf{75.85} & \textbf{92.84}\\
\textit{Ours (B)}       & \textbf{62.68} & \textbf{61.16} & \text{74.96} & \text{92.44}\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
}
\caption{Results for Resnet-50 pretrained on ImageNet. Our compression configuration (A) achieves higest Top-1 and Top-5 accuracy at comparable level of compression.}
\label{tab:resnet50-imagenet}
\end{table}

\begin{table}[t]
\centering
\small
{\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1}
\begin{tabular}{c | c c c  }
\hline
\textbf{Method} & \textbf{FLOPs $\downarrow$\%} & \textbf{Params $\downarrow$\%} & \textbf{Acc. \%}  \\
\hline \hline
Li et. al. \cite{Li2016PruningFF-Lietal} & 27.6 & 13.7 & 93.06 \\
NISP \cite{Yu2017-NISP} & 43.6 & 42.6 & 93.09  \\
DCP-A \cite{Zhuang2018-DCPA} & 47.1 & \textbf{70.3} & 93.10  \\
CP \cite{He2017ChannelPF-CP} & 50.0 & - & 91.80 \\
AMC \cite{He2018-AMC} & 50.0 & - & 91.90 \\
GBN \cite{zhonghui2019-decorator} & 60.1 & 53.5 & \textbf{93.43} \\
LFPC \cite{he2020learning-LFPC} & 52.9 & - & 93.24 \\
FPGM \cite{He2018FilterPV-FPGM} & 52.6 & - & 93.26 \\
Minnehan et. al \cite{6-Minnehan2019CascadedPE} & 48.8 & - & 93.22 \\
TRP1 \cite{9-Xu2020TRPTR} & 56.7 & - & 92.77 \\
\hline
\textit{Ours} & \textbf{64.1}  & 60.2  &  93.01 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
}
\caption{Results for Resent-56 on CIFAR10. Our compressed model achieves highest compression while attaining comparable or in some cases better accuracy.}
\label{tab:resnet56-cifar10}
\end{table}

\textbf{Data Sets and CNN Architectures:}
We performed our experiments on various publicly available datasets.
These include image classification datasets
\textit{CIFAR10}, \textit{CIFAR100}, \textit{ImageNet} and object detection dataset \textit{MS-COCO}.
\par

\textbf{VGG16 on ImageNet:} We tested our method on VGG16 pretrained on ImageNet by compressing the model to 3x, 4x and 5x speedup ratios. Results of this experiment are presented in Table \ref{tab:pami15-imagenet}. Compared with other methods our basis VGG16 achieves better Top-5 accuracy on all speedup ratios.

\textbf{CIFAR-100 with Different Networks:} Table \ref{tab:cifar100} shows the results of compressing four different networks using the proposed method, and their performance on the CIFAR-100 data set. For instance, compressing DenseNet190 reduces FLOPS by 81\%, and the number of parameters by 73\% with a minor loss of 0.55\% in performance accuracy. Similar gains are also noted for the other architectures as well.

\textbf{Resnet50 on ImageNet:} We also tested our method on Resnet with 50 convolution layers, pretrained on ImageNet by compressing the model at two different levels of compression: 51.28\% and 61.68\%. Results of this experiment and comparisons with other methods are presented in Table \ref{tab:resnet50-imagenet}.
When compared with existing state of art methods like IMP\cite{molchanov2019taylor-IMP}, CP\cite{He2017ChannelPF-CP}, FPGM\cite{He2018FilterPV-FPGM}, GBN\cite{zhonghui2019-decorator}, LFPC\cite{he2020learning-LFPC} and HRank\cite{lin2020-HRank} our model (A) achieves better accuracy for the similar levels of compression.
Our second compression configuration (B) achieves best compression both in terms of FLOPs and trainable parameters, while keeping Top-1 and Top-5 accuracy comparable to other methods.

\textbf{Resnet56 on CIFAR10:} For CIFAR10 dataset we tested our method on Resnet56 model and compared it with other similar methods. Comparative Results are shown in Table \ref{tab:resnet56-cifar10}.

\textbf{Results on Object Detection: }To demonstrate our method's effectiveness irrespective of the model architecture, dataset and the objective function, we tested it on object detection problem. We used 2 predefined variants of
YOLOv3 \cite{Redmon2018YOLOv3AI-yolov3} object detector pretrained on MS-COCO dataset. These variants are YOLOv3-tiny \cite{Redmon2018YOLOv3AI-yolov3}, which contains 13 convolution layers and a much deeper model YOLOv3-416 \cite{Redmon2018YOLOv3AI-yolov3}, which contains 75 convolution layers.
For YOLOv3-tiny our method was able to achieve 51.26\% reduction in FLOPs and 67.73\% reduction in model parameters with 29.6 MAP while the MAP for baseline model is 32.9. We also compressed YOLO-416 to 2x and 3x speedup ratios. These compressed models attain 53.83 and 55.34 MAP score respectively, as compared to the baseline model which has 55.40 MAP.

\begin{table}[t]
\centering
\small
{\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1}
\begin{tabular}{c | c c c c c }
\hline
\textbf{Method} & \textbf{Baseline} & \textbf{2$\times$} & \textbf{3$\times$} & \textbf{4$\times$} & \textbf{5$\times$} \\
\hline \hline
Inference time (ms)  & 40   & 30   & 26   & 25   & 23 \\
Power (W)            & 6.01 & 5.55 & 5.15 & 5.08 & 4.94 \\
Energy (Joule)       & 0.24 & 0.17 & 0.14 & 0.12 & 0.11 \\
Top5 Accuracy (\%)   & 90.4 & - & 90.6 & 89.6 & 89.4\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
}
\caption{VGG16 inference time, power and energy consumption on NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier, with various compression factors of 2x, 3x, 4x and 5x}
\label{tab:processor_speed}
\end{table}

 \textbf{Implementation On Edge Processors:} We also measured the GPU speed up of our method on Nvidia Jetson Nano by compressing the VGG16 to reduce the FLOPs by 50\% and 66\%. Our method achieves 35.6\% and 45.3\% speedup respectively. Table \ref{tab:processor_speed} shows the inference time, power and energy consumption of VGG16 on the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier (trained on ImageNet) using compression factors of 2x, 3x, 4x and 5x. We see that total energy use can be reduced in half with less than 1\% loss in accuracy. Thus, we verified that the compressed model not only runs faster, but also requires less energy when implemented in edge processors that operate with limited resources such as GPU memory and power. It should be noted that we did not implement our method in C++ but used the python based Pytorch instead. We believe that an optimized C++ cuda implementation can achieve even better performance on GPUs.
\section{Summary and Discussions}
We have presented a straightforward yet effective method for compressing deep CNNs that outperforms most other state of the art techniques in terms of reduction in FLOPS and number of parameters with negligible performance loss. Despite the overwhelming interest in neural network compression in recent years, there is still a lack of standardized definitions for metrics such as FLOPs.  Some methods choose to compress the network to arbitrary reduction in FLOPs and report the model's accuracy, while others compress the network in such a way that accuracy of the resulting model is within a certain range of base model. The inference time of the compressed model is an important metric that should be considered, but introduces its own complexities due to dependencies on libraries and hardware platform. We also note that power utilization is an important consideration for edge processors, and should be included as a metric for comparing compressed networks.
\bibliographystyle{IEEEbib}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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The Atlanta Warbird Weekend (AWW) is an annual event dedicated to the remembrance and celebration of the men, women and machines of The Greatest Generation. In metro Atlanta, there are significant historical resources and AWW is the catalyst to bring together the organizations, aircraft and people that keep this history alive and engage families and businesses that want to keep this spirit alive. The family-friendly event will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Tuskegee Airmen graduates and the achievements of African American pilots. Slated to appear are over 20 original Tuskegee Airmen, including Lt Col Robert Friend, Col Charles McGee and Lt Col Harold Brown, along with several other World War II veterans.


text:
Human Rights Index #44: World Sports
TIR staff
The Human Rights Index is prepared three times a year by the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights. The Iowa Review is proud to feature the Index on our website, to suggest the global political and socioeconomic context within which we read and write.
Human Rights Index #44
Prepared by The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR)*
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) corruption scandal of 2015 rocked the highest levels of soccer's international governing body, thrusting the international sports community into the human rights spotlight once again. This renewed attention to the human rights impacts of major international sports events was not surprising. In recent years, the Olympics, World Cup, and other such competitions have been accompanied too regularly by severe human rights abuses, often perpetrated by the host country, particularly during preparations for the event. But human rights issues that arise in these settings stretch far beyond acts committed in the preparatory stages. Gender discrimination and consequent inequality is found both in the lead up to, and administration of, the games and in the games themselves. Corruption, too, is a major concern, especially recently, in the corrosive bidding process to host the event and in the favoritism manifest in supportive government allocations. Racism, anti-semitism, and homophobia, even among the international sporting fans, regularly emerge as newsworthy headlines. And never to be overlooked, but typically accepted as "unfortunate" but beyond the capacity of international sporting administrations to effect, are the domestic policies and practices of the host states that not infrequently violate some of the most fundamental of international human rights law doctrines, principles, and rules. While the purchase of soccer balls made by child labor has greatly subsided in recent times, workers generally and even competitors continue to be abused, often severely and with the tacit approval or at least tolerance of such major international sports organizations as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee in the interest of sports profiteering as well as athletic achievement.
1 — Number of weeks before Germany was chosen to host the 2006 World Cup that Germany, under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, lifted its arms embargo on Saudi Arabia and agreed to send grenade launchers to that country, an act widely understood to have been in exchange for Saudi Arabia's vote for Germany as World Cup host (Die Zeit 2015: UICHR translation)
2 — Millions of dollars awarded the 2015 Women's World Cup champion (USA) in stark contrast to the US$35 million awarded the 2014 Men's World Cup champion (Germany), a gender inequality manifest even among teams eliminated in the first round of the 2014 World Cup games, with 16 of the men's losing teams each earning US$8 million or four times more than the championship women—not counting the U.S men's team, which finished 11th, winning US$9 million.
11 — Number of foreign laborers in 2022 World Cup host-designate Qatar witnessed signing official documents falsely asserting receipt of payment for their services as a condition of the return of their passports enabling them to leave the country, presumably to return home (Amnesty International 2013)
14 — Number of FIFA officials and corporate executives indicted in 2015 as part of a U.S. corruption investigation into soccer's global governing body (U.S. Department of Justice 2015)
30–40 — Percentage increase in the risk of child exploitation when, during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, child prostitutes could be purchased for as little as US$2 each (Huffington Post 2014)
50 — Percent of the 2014 Sochi Olympics budget attributed to corruption, totaling more than US$25 billion―in contrast to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver costing but US$8 billion (Yahoo!Sports 2013)
60 — Number of female soccer stars worldwide joined in a lawsuit against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association protesting plans to play the 2015 Women's World Cup on artificial turf rather than natural grass, a surface never used in the previous twenty Men's World Cups and not planned for either of the next two already scheduled (Sports Illustrated 2014)
84 — Number of workweek hours required of some foreign manual laborers working on the construction of soccer stadiums in Qatar in anticipation of the 2022 World Cup (Amnesty International 2013)
111 — Number of individuals discovered working under slavelike conditions in 2013 as part of the Sao Paulo area Guarulhos Airport expansion in preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil (The Guardian 2014)
1,200 — Number of migrant workers who have died in Qatar since 2010 due to hazardous working conditions at sites planned for the 2022 World Cup (Mother Jones 2015)
4,000 — Number of workers projected to die constructing stadiums for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (International Trade Union Confederation 2014)
7,133 — Number of workplace accidents (including loss of life) that occurred in Sao Paulo from the construction of World Cup stadiums in 2013 while preparing for the 2014 Brazil World Cup, up from 1,386 in 2012 (Al Jazeera 2014)
33,000 — Number of migrant workers allegedly forced to run a marathon in Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup, in an effort to break the world record for the largest marathon, a race that took place in 84-degree heat (Fahrenheit), forcing many of the competitors to run in jeans, sandals, or barefoot (Yahoo!Sports 2015)
200,000— Number of persons forcibly evicted from their homes in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Brazil, amounting to roughly one in every 1,000 Brazilians (Conectas Human Rights 2013)
750,000 — Number of allegedly embezzled U.S. dollars donated by FIFA and the Korean Football Association to victims of the 2010 Haitian earthquake but for which former FIFA Vice President Austin "Jack" Warner, a Haitian businessman and football executive, was indicted by the United States and later forced to resign from all his positions in international football (BBC 2015, Wikipedia 2015)
1,500,000 — Number of people displaced in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, sometimes through unannounced night raids and without adequate compensation or due process (Institute for Human Rights and Business 2013)
150,000,000 — Number of U.S. dollars allegedly taken in bribes and kickbacks over more than 20 years in the ongoing U.S. FIFA corruption case (U.S. Department of Justice 2015)
*Copyright © 2015 by The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR). Prepared by Bessie Dutton Murray Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus and UICHR Senior Scholar Burns H. Weston with the generous assistance of Zachary Nichols along with Zachary Heffernen, Alice Pan, Deanna Steinbach, Haoyuan Song, and Chenhao Zhang, all students or former students at the UI College of Law. For additional facts concerning world sports and human rights and further information on human rights generally, please visit the UICHR web site: www.uichr.org.
Anonymous's blog


text:
Author: root11214
Online Registration for the 2019 Seminar has begun
Categories: Seminar
Start: 2019-01-27 | End: 2019-01-29
Location: Bonn, Germany
Warfare 2030 – Technology, Policy, Ethics
Three Technological Trends: Autonomous Devices, Internet of Things, PsyOps
Please register for the event at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-cior-seminar-tickets-48929890620:
Select the type and amount of tickets for the event and click "Register Now" – Note: bus tickets for transportation to the CIOR Mid-Winter-Meeting in Brussels are available through this site as well
Complete the registration form and click "Proceed to Payment Options" – Note: there is a checkbox which allows you to copy your details for all tickets selected
Select "Invoice" as method of payment and click "Proceed to Finalize Registration"
Scroll down to the payment overview section and click on "View Invoice"
Transfer the total amount to the bank account, stating your registration code(s), both given on the invoice
Please note that the fee of 250 EUR will cover accommodation and meals. Cheaper Day passes are also available (meals included in the day passes).
We will provide you with more details on the event upon completed registration.
Please do not hesitate to forward this information to likeminded colleagues and comrades. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you in Bonn in January!
CIOR/CIOMR Summer Congress 2018
Categories: Events, Events 2018, Summer Congresses
CIOR & CIOMR Summer Congress 2018
Location: Quebec City CANADA
The Quebec City Summer Congress registration website can be found here.
We wish to welcome you and all CIOR and CIOMR members to Quebec City for what promises to be an unforgettable experience in a beautiful environment.
At this point we urge everyone who plans on attending to book their hotels as soon as possible as the closing date for the preferred rate and guarantee of room availability is 15 May. The congress and hotel bookings are being managed in keeping with Canadian Financial Administration Act guidelines.
Under the "accommodations" tab, you will find the various hotel options. The Delta Marriott is the central hotel where all activities EXCEPT YROW/ CIMEX/ MILCOMP are scheduled, the links connects you directly to the booking site with the CIOR preferred rate.
The Concorde Hotel is the site for YROW. The link will take you to the Concorde's website for information purposes however you need to call them at 1.800.463.5256 or email them at info@hotelleconcorde.com and quote Promotion Code 605456 to get the CIOR rate..
Only CIMEX will be staying in military accommodations at Pointe-a-Carcy, and this is only for the duration of the CIMEX. Clicking on that link will download a document that describes the different types of room and their prices. Reservations can be made by calling 1.418.694.5560 ext 5447 or via email to Katherine.gadbois@forces.gc.ca
CIMIC Committee members staying on for the Congress must also register for the Summer Congress and change hotel on Sunday the 5th. The challenge of gaining access to the world class training facilities at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, Canadian Forces Fleet School Quebec, and the surrounding establishments is the delicate balance of ensuring that the requisite support to the congress and competitions is provided without disturbing the access to facilities for the resident brigade which is in the high readiness window. The effect of this is a prioritization of access to military quarters for Canadian Forces personnel supporting the congress and competition. The limited space available using military facilities has been prioritized for the CIOR competition members as well as those participating in the CIMEX.
Lastly, MILCOMP do not need to book accommodations for staff and competitors as they will be lodged on the base at Valcartier. However, any MILCOMP family members have to stay off base. If this is necessary, there are several good hotels available nearby in the suburb of Ste-Foy which is strategically located between the base and the old city, and the rates are reasonable.
Reading the "joining instructions" available on the website prior to making any bookings is highly recommended. They contain information which will be useful to you and will alleviate many of your questions and concerns.
We look forward to hosting you all.
IBM 4 2018
Categories: Events, Events 2018
Location: The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK
IBM 4: 25 – 28 APRIL 2018, The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK
Dear VP, ASG, Committee Chairs,
Please accept our CIOR/CIOMR/UKRFA joint invitation to the IMB4 which will take place at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom.
As you can see we have decided to divert from the usual rhythm of hosting the IBM at the presidency country. This opportunity with UKRFA has the potential to greatly boost the CIOR/CIOMR message across not only UK but the Alliance in general. We are thankful for our UKRFA hosts to assist in such venue. We will be guests at one of the most prestigious Military installation in the world.
The IBM will include joint sessions, visits from UK Military Leaders and dignitaries as well as plentiful time for our respective working sessions.
The sessions as usual will include both face to face sessions and technology permitting also virtual sessions for the delegations that cannot participate in the full event.
· The virtual session will always be during the afternoon to accommodate for time zone differences.
· We will summarize the discussion for you and will ask your input to the respective topic.
· We expect the virtual sessions to last approximately 60-90 minutes.
· To attend please register by sending an email to UKRFA Admin Manager.
Agenda Items Council/General:
· Finance, Budget, Spend year to date by committee
· Action item review
· Legal status CIOR progress
· Report to Military Committee
· Congress Planning
· Perm Rep Report
· CIOMR
· MWM report
· Presidency handover plan
· Actions wrap up
(Legal, YRO, CLA, Sminar/Symposium, PfP&O, DEFSEC, CIMIC, MILCOMP):
· Any open business
· Upcoming events
· Budget requests
DRESS CODE: SERVICE DRESS, or CIVILIAN BUSINESS FORMAL
Details of the Event are below:
CIOR/CIOMR In Between Meeting 4 will take place at the:
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 4PQ
• Please email the Registration Form to Miss Billie-Jo Higgins at co-rfa@rfca.mod.uk. Billie-Jo will then send you a registration confirmation
• The registration fee of 360 Euros (excluding any bank charges or costs of exchange payable by the sender) should be paid to:
• Account Name: Reserve Forces Association
• Account Number: 10014905
• Bank Sort Code: 16 19 26
• IBAN: GB77RBOS16192610014905
• SWIFT/BIC: RBOSGB2L
• Registration will close on 27 Mar 18. The registration fee must also be paid by 27 Mar 18, so that food can be ordered
• Please note there will no programme or accommodation for partners. If your partner will be travelling with you, official tourist information can be found at www.visitbritain.com
We are looking forward to meeting you soon and welcoming you at the RMA Sandhurst, UK.
1lt. Jaroslav Háječek
CIOR-Secretary General
Cell CZ: +420 739 603 777
E-Mail: secgen@cior.net
Backup Email: hajecekj@volny.cz
CIOR: www.cior.net
NATO: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_69345.htm
YRO Seminar 2018
YRO Seminar: 28 FEBRUARY – 3 MARCH 2018, Prague, Czech Republic
The 2018 Seminar – First Impressions
The 2018 CIOR Seminar has successfully been concluded – find some first impressions here:
CIOR Winter Meeting 2018
Categories: Events, Events 2018, Winter Meetings
Location: NATO HQ, Brussels
Dear fellow officers,
It is our pleasure to invite you to the 2018 CIOR/CIOMR Mid Winter Meeting at NATO HQ in Brussels.
The 2018 CIOR & CIOMR Winter Meeting will be held at NATO HQ in Brussels from Thursday 08 February to Saturday 10 February 2018. We invited the Honorable Rose E.GOTTEMOELLER, Deputy Secretary General of NATO as guest speaker (TBC) to the opening session followed by " The National Tables Lunch " in the Salons des Ambassadeurs.
A 70th Anniversary reception of our organizations will be held on Thursday, 08 February 2018 at 06.00 p.m. in the War Museum, Cinquantenaire in Brussels.
The Closing Dinner will be held at NATO HQ on Friday, 09 February 2018 to which spouses and other guests are welcome.
CIOMR organize a MEDICAL WORKSHOP on the 7th Feb in the Military Hospital HMRA in Neder-over-Heembeek (detail in separate flyer)
Address: Boulevard Léopold III, 1110 Brussels, Belgium
The registration has two distinct elements, each of which can be done
independently.
Online Meeting Registration Form:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Bk1x6CLu81nevKrSf-tlmeO2_h3zkc9e-dO3mAdk9pU/edit?usp=sharing
In the above link, you will find an excel sheet, with is to be filled in for the complete delegation by the one contact person of a country.
The MWM Registration Forms (includes the security Pass Registration) must be filled in exclusively using this link.
For assistance contact CIOR Secretary General 1Lt Jaroslav HAJECEK
(POC see item # 21) by e-mail: secgen@cior.net or at hajecekj@volny.cz
HOTEL :
To limit the hours of transport from the hotel to NATO HQ and back, we conclude a negotiated bulk reservation agreement- on the same prices as in the past years in Brussels and Gent but nearer to the meeting location – with HOLIDAY INN HOTEL BRUSSELS AIRPORT situated on approximately 10 min walking distance to NATO HQ.
A collective bus transport will also be provided. See transport shuttle information on transport desk in the hotel.
Hotel Registration :
There are rooms block booked Until the 10th January 2018 at the Holiday Inn Brussels Airport.
It is important that ASGs or their appointed delegates provide the above information as early as possible to ensure that we can effectively plan for the meeting. All registration information and payments must be submitted in accordance with the deadline detailed on the forms. All forms must be fully completed with accurate information (date of birth is very important) before the 25th of December 2017
The registration fee is € 225 per registrant for a full registration.
This amount includes: the reception, lunches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the closing dinner, administration items and transportation costs. We strongly encourage delegations to pay in bulk, rather than by individual payment; this will save a significant amount of administration for our staff. All payment must be made in advance, and not later than 20 January 2018. Please send a detailed list with the names of the participants to POC in case of payment in bulk.
All payments that are made must be free of bank charges. Cheques or post-assignation will not be accepted.
The necessary bank information for payment is below:
BANK ACCOUNT HOLDER:
CIOR Presidency, c/o Présidence de la CIOR,
Boulevard Léopold III, 1110 Brussels, Belgium
BANK NAME / ADDRESS:
ING Brussels NATO, Boulevard Leopold III, 1110 Brussels, Belgium
IBAN CODE: BE69 310 192 030 178 SWIFT CODE: BBRUBEBB
Registration will only be confirmed by payment.
All payments later than 20 January 2018 will automatically increased with
50% surcharge.
Participation of Guests
Guests are welcome to participate at both the Thursday reception in the War Museum and the Closing Dinner. Fees for the reception is € 25.00 and for the closing dinner is € 75.00. Please put the guests in the registration form.
The participants are required to make their own travel arrangements to and from Brussels.
The participants are required to make their own transportation to and from the Brussels airport and the hotels.
During the meeting a shuttle bus service to NATO HQ will be provided from the hotel. An information desk in the hotel will clarify the time shuttle details.
The draft agenda will be distributed prior to the 15th of January 2018
All questions should be addressed to the Czech POC
Translations to English and French will be provided as usual.
Non-smoking policy
The conference area is a non-smoking area.
Security restrictions for the NATO HQ
Your individual security access badge will be available in your hotel in case of registration on time. Late arrivals are welcome at the registration desk outside the NATO HQ in the visitors desk in front of the main entrance of the NATO HQ.
Photo cameras (even in your mobile phone) are not allowed in the NATO HQ. You have to leave your camera and mobile phone at the security gate.
CIOR WINTER MEETING 2018 Point of Contact (POC)
For confirmation or any administrative questions regarding Council and committees issues please contact the Czech POC :
1Lt Jaroslav HAJECEK (R)
CIOR Secretary General
or hajecekj@volny.cz
Cell UAE : +971 56 219 2813
Cell CZ : + 420 739 603 777
22. For any other questions regarding the organization of the Midwinter meeting
in NATO HQ building, please contact:
Permanent Representative : Maj (R) Ben JONCKERS Secretary: IMS P & C Div 02 707 5466 (schmidt.katalin@hq.nato.int), cior.permrep@telenet.be AND jonckers.ben@gmail.com
CIOR Seminar 2018
Cyber Threats – Are we Prepared?
Within the safety, security and military environment, cyber is on everyone's desk these days. However: Do we fully understand what impact cyber-attacks can bring or do to our societies?
In the upcoming seminar, held February 5-7, 2018 in Bonn, Germany, we will approach the topic from three different perspectives: military, civilian authorities and private enterprises. We believe these entities are closely linked when it comes to cyber – and they can hopefully learn from each other. We have been able to gather distinguished speakers from all three domains, who are willing to help us getting a better understanding of it. As you possibly know from previous seminars, it is not only about "consuming" information. We have therefore scheduled multiple workshops, including practical examples of cyber-attacks and a table top exercise.
Please register for the event at https://ciorseminar.eventsmart.com/events/2018-cior-seminar/:
For more event information and regular updates, please check our website at https://ciorseminar.wordpress.com/. We will provide you with more details on the event upon completed registration.
Please do not hesitate to forward this invitation to your colleagues and comrades. We very much look forward to welcoming you in Bonn in February!
CIOR CIMEX 2017 – Forging greater CIMIC Resilience in Prague
CIOR CIMEX 2017
Forging greater CIMIC Resilience in Prague
The international Confédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve (CIOR), of which South Africa is a part, includes a Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Committee. This committee successfully executed its seventh annual CIMEX (CIMIC Exercise) as a preamble to its committee work during the 2017 Summer Congress held in the Czech Republic. The CIMEX was held at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague over the weekend of July 27th to 30th, 2017, with the theme "The Migrant Crisis and the Changing Role of CIMIC Resilience and Internal Defence" CIMEX is guided by key overriding objectives: "to encourage liaison, networking and information sharing, and promote best practice within the international CIOR CIMIC community . . . in order to better understand our international partners, and work more effectively together."
CIMEX 2017 built upon the foundation laid in its 2016 iteration held in Madrid, Spain, expanding on the 'Refugee Crisis' topic. It saw some 27 attendees as well as presenters and observers drawn from Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).
Lectures during CIMEX came in many forms, namely on 'Mass Migration – What it is & Challenges' by US Colonel Mona Jibril; 'The World Today', 'What is CIMIC – A Dialogue' and 'The Military and Resilience', by UK Lieutenant Colonel Graeme Olley; 'Internal Defence and Challenges in Countering Violent Extremism' by Dr Marlen de la Chaux from Germany; 'Migration Crisis – Legal Implications for the Military' by Captain Dr Gergely Toth from Hungary; 'Building a Refugee Reception Center – A German Perspective' by Lt Col Dr Ralf Scheffel from Germany, and 'Maritime Migration: Coast Guard Operations & The European Crisis' by US Coast Guard Commander Eric Driggs.
The practical desktop-based exercise component of CIMEX grouped participants into multi-national teams with two hours at hand to tackle a fictional refugee crisis scenario in a similar fashion to that experienced in CIMEX 2016. This gave participants the opportunity to put their varied CIMIC expertise to use in response to the complex conflict situations which triggered the scenario's socio-political crisis.
The 'Exercise Sea Crossing' scenario involved a large stream of displaced persons moving from one large landmass to another over the ocean. This required syndicates to produce a CIMIC assessment presentation with recommended course of action to be followed. The dynamic nature of the scenario shaped subsequent CIMIC decision making processes by groups. They had to endeavour to promote the safety and security of civilian entities, and yet to support the overall mission commander's mission and intent. These courses of action were presented by the three groups to the scenario contingent commander.
International Security and Defence Consultant, Lieutenant Colonel Graeme Olley, British Army (Rtd), was on hand to facilitate the CIMEX scenario, devised in concert with CIOR CIMIC Committee members.
In the post-CIMEX 17 feedback committee session, the committee acknowledged an overwhelmingly positive response from the participants. Every category was rated higher than previous responses recorded in 2016. Participants acknowledged a well-chosen theme and excellent lectures, while information added by fellow attendees had allowed them to further develop their own CIMIC capabilities.
During the course of CIMEX 2017, CIOR Council members also attended CIMEX briefings and presentations. Following his attendance, the President of the CIOR, Czech Colonel Arnost Libezny, commented: "While the speakers all presented salient insights to the migration crisis in Europe, the meat of what CIMEX provides comes in the form of the exercise scenario itself." He added that, "This year's 'Exercise Sea Crossing' scenario that Vanessa and her committee developed allowed the CIMEX participants to really apply the concepts introduced and propose innovative strategies for their nations, both from their combined civilian and military perspectives."
The CIOR Summer Congress 2017 proved to facilitate a highly productive environment for the development and eventual unanimous acceptance of CIMEX 2018's theme at CIOR Council level. This will be "The Intersection of CIMIC & Technology: Exploring Information Challenges in Complex Emergencies". CIMIC Committee members will reconvene in February 2018 at the CIOR's Winter Meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium to provide content structure for the next CIMEX to be held as part of the 2018 CIOR Summer Congress in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
The CIMIC Committee continues to grow from strength to strength as it strives to fulfil its CIOR constitutional mandate of organising CIMIC symposia and exercises, fostering effective CIMIC in humanitarian aid missions that facilitates aid to civil authorities and communities. The reservist CIMIC practitioner continues to be the epitome of Churchill's conceptualisation of a reservist as 'twice the citizen.'
To get the full story and pictures, please have a look at the PDF attached below.
CIOR-2017-CIMEX-CIMIC-Committee-FOR-CIOR-WEBSITE.pdf
MILCOMP 2017 was a success
MILCOMP 2017
Many challenges awaited this year's competitors in Prague, but have been mastered very successfully
CIOR Military Competition
Concurrent with the CIOR Summer Congress 2017 in Prague, more than 200 athletes were scheduled to participate in CIOR's military competition – MILCOMP. Established in 1957, MILCOMP is considered one of the most important military sport challenges worldwide. Each year, reservists from NATO countries and associated countries such as Switzerland and South Africa come together to compete in a highly specialized military pentathlon and to identify the world's fittest reservists. The competition focusses on military skills that truly challenge the leadership and physical robustness of its participants. The disciplines are shooting with rifle and pistol (precision and rapid fire), a 500m long obstacle course, a 50m long water obstacle competition to be mastered in uniform, a military orienteering march event with map reading and range estimation as well as grenade throwing. In addition to the physical challenges, all competitors compete intellectually in tactical first aid and Law of Armed Conflicts (LOAC) competitions. A comprehensive test of physical and mental readiness!
Thus, if you are successful in the CIOR competitions, you can be sure to be one of the world's fittest reservists in every respect.
Training for the Unpredictable
Teams participating in MILCOMP follow an intense training schedule during the months leading to the CIOR Summer Congress. They prepare the different disciplines with great attention to detail in order to master them for the competition. However, this year's MILCOMP started with a surprise: A few days before departure to Prague, the teams received the message that competition grounds will not be available and thus, all disciplines have to be improvised spontaneously. As a result, preparation changed to a few hours on the day of the competition instead of an elaborate training concept, which was followed for several months. Despite this unpredicted challenge, teams mastered it greatly as their disciplined training enabled them to adapt quickly – a realistic test of changing conditions, as they happen in military operations and combat.
MILCOMP is also an ideal opportunity to promote and expand one's own linguistic and intercultural skills. Despite the competition between the nations, sporting fairness ranks first. All teams, instructors and referees are in continuous exchange. The exchange is particularly intense in international teams as individual reservists of different nations compete. An entire week of English-speaking teamwork, especially in situations of physical and mental stress is a unique learning experience for everyone.
Arrival in Prague
After arriving in Prague, the competition began immediately. No detailed tests of competition grounds and material, but instead only a short inspection and then the immediate start of the competition.
In the late afternoon, all teams, together with the other participants of the CIOR / CIOMR Summer Congress, participated in an opening ceremony high above Prague's old town.
Building an Obstacle Course…
On the first day of MILCOMP, all teams drove to the former Soviet military training ground "Tankodrom Milovidze". Throughout the next days, they got to know the area well; obstacle course, hand grenade throwing, shooting and orientation took place here. The obstacle course was created after privatization and did not meet military competition standards. 20 obstacles made of wood, ropes and tires, had hitherto only been able to endure recreational usage. 15 minutes of the CIOR competitor's test were sufficient to proof that not even half of the obstacles could withstand – they were not designed for that much strength and speed. Renovation and reinforcement began immediately. Three hours before the start of the first team, motor saws and hammer-hammering boomed over the course. With success, the reinforced track survived almost all 26 teams. In the end, Team Netherlands 1 finished just ahead of Team Germany 4, followed by Team Finland 1.
… and Set-Up a Shooting Competition
Day 2 of MILCOMP was all about shooting. First, participants shot the rifle disciplines, followed by the pistol disciplines – at around 37°C in the shade. The shooting discipline resulted in yet another unforeseen challenge: The lack of time to adjust the weapons' sights as usually. But in the end, they mastered it well and Team International 2 finished just ahead of Team France 4, followed by Team Germany 1. Best marksman became Brian Mdlalose from South Africa.
Water Obstacle Course
The third day of MILCOMP offered a very contrasting program: A full day in the swimming pool. However, neither water obstacle course nor enough uniforms for swimming were available. So once again, the jury improvised: US Navy SEAL Commander Grant State developed an alternative based on SEAL training: 12.5m swimming sprint, releasing a fixed buoy, 12m sprint with the buoy in hand or between the teeth, dive and attach the buoy under water, out of the water, twist, head jump, 12.5m sprint, dive and take a 10kg heavy AK47 dummy under water and 12.5m final sprint with the rifle. Team Great Britain 5 scored 829.73 points and thus became first, followed by Team France 2 and Team Germany 4.
In the evening, all participants enjoyed a special entertainment program: The "National Evening" offering Czech specialties at the Hotel International – best food, folkloric performances and music in the heart of Prague.
Orienteering March
The final highlight of every CIOR competition is the orienteering race. Once again, competitors went to the former Soviet military training ground in Milovidze. The practical test in Combat Casualty Care took place at the beginning of the run: First aid to injured players in bunker systems while being under strict supervision of the referees, doctors and paramedics of CIOMR. Then 14km through the rough terrain: Hot, sultry, thorny and overgrown, accompanied by heavy rain towards the end of the run. Some of the maps were from Soviet Union times and thus, required a lot of imagination: How did the tree structure develop over 30 years? Which paths are new and which are no longer recognizable? Which buildings on the military training ground were probably secret and never displayed on a map? At the finishing line, the competitors faced another exciting surprise: Each team had to master a trench full of obstacles carrying sandbags on the shoulders.
Team Germany 4 was the fastest team to run the orienteering course, but were placed 2nd after Team Great Britain 5, that showed superior performance in throwing hand grenades. Team Germany 3 was placed 3rd.
After the Competition
Back in the residence, the athletes celebrated their own achievements with an athletic evening.
The last day started intellectual: 3 hours of presentation, videos and discussion on Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) with the CIOR Legal Committee and subsequent team-based test.
In the evening, the award ceremony made this year's MILCOMP results official: Overall, the first place of the MILCOMP went to members of Team Germany 4 who also became the overall winner of the category "Veteran". The second place was awarded to Team Finland 2, followed by Team Germany 2 placed 3rd, but winning the category "Experienced". Team International 2 ranked first within the category "International team". In the category "Novice", Team Netherlands 1 was able to foster its lead and thus placed first. Team France 3 became the winner of the category "Female team".
We congratulate all competitors for these excellent results!
Many thanks to the German MILCOMP team for providing pictures and experience reports from the MILCOMP 2017 in Prague.
Sudden Knock-Out or Eventual Points Loss – How Our Security State Will Lose The Fight
Sudden Knock-Out or Eventual Points Loss - How Our Security State Will Lose The Fight
2017 CIOR SEMINAR – AFTER-ACTION-REPORT
The 2017 CIOR Seminar, assembling Reserve Officers from some 15 countries, most of them NATO members, took its participants from an opening shock statement through an intellectual exercise to a conceptual training and released them on the last day with the well-deserved satisfaction of having done something useful for the security and future well-being not only of the seminar participants but of the societies represented by Reserve Officers.
"Sudden knock-out or eventual points loss – How our security state will lose the fight" is the shock statement with which the Seminar's theme was introduced.
Two opening presentations brought back memories, when we, in our respective armed forces, had to find our ways through the challenges of military or disaster relief exercises.
JOEL WINTON confronted us with the reality that successful responses to crises depend more and more on the capacity to bring together stakeholders, who were inexistent in the minds of leaders, particularly military leaders, one generation ago. Those who were inexistent in the minds of leaders, were absent from the hierarchies in charge of responding to crises. But they were never absent from the battlefield or the disaster area. They were simply not asked to contribute to solutions with shared responsibility. The ultimate goal in disaster relief must be that all bodies work together. This was exemplary highlighted by footage of a flock of birds flying like a controlled body. (Cf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOGCSBh3kmM&app=desktop)
FRED TURNER, then, added to the opening topic the dimension which definitely symbolises and represents modern times, current reality for today's young generation: the Cyber Space, driven by information technology, invisible on the conventional battlefield, but of decisive relevance for victory or defeat in conflict or disaster. However, there are distinctive current operations and strategic issues for operations in cyber space. Nations are unclear of red lines. National decision makers are reluctant to grant authorities due to their uncertainty about the effects of offensive capabilities and their own national cyber vulnerabilities. Adding to the complexity of cyber space operations, domestic laws create a tangle of interested and responsible parties, and international law is far from settled. All these considerations not only make national cyber operations more complex, but they also add significant friction to cooperation among partners and allies. Yet, due to the global nature of cyber space, cooperation among national organizations and between allies is crucial.
Day Two of the Seminar, provided by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), and its team of speakers and moderator, focussed on the inter-dependence of Development and Security, the challenges to force-projection for the security of NATO-Members and their partners and the effects of on-going climate change on societies causing man-made conflicts and natural disasters and triggering, thus, mass migrations. We have already summarised the presentations and discussions and the seminar's acknowledgment that governance is at the heart of most of the problems with this regard. Endeavours for good governance and accountability of authorities are the key for the improvement of the state of the world and of mankind. The thoughtful exchange on NATO on Day Two, finally, should serve as a warning that the balance in defence and security matters has already started to shift. The phase, in Europe, of collecting a peace dividend after the demise of the Soviet Union has ended. All political and strategic signs indicate the need to reverse the trend of the last twenty years and to think of how to focus again on strengthening collective defence in Europe.
The two topics which had opened the seminar became, on Day Three, the subjects which speakers and participants elaborated on in workshops. Two more topics were introduced,
a) a case study of a successful turn-around in the corporate world, the case of DHL Express, by JÖRG ANDRIOF,
b) a case study of a failed response to a terrorist attack on civil society, the Norwegian Utöya tragedy, whose perpetrator I do not name, by HANS BRUN.
Two CONCEPTUAL STUDIES and two CASE STUDIES were the object for interactive workshops in the hands of groups and speakers. These are assertions submitted by groups to the plenary.
CONCEPT STUDIES:
In a concept of a successful Emergent Response it is of critical importance to assemble early on all possible stakeholders, symbolically speaking, "welcoming them in one room by a handshake" and, thus, establishing a relationship between actors who have possibly never worked together and were certainly never hierarchically integrated. Relationship is the first basis on which mutual trust has to be built and can be built. Trust only allows to agree on a common purpose for the framework of common action. Trust only is the guarantee for a successful decentralised execution. And decentralised execution is a fundamental requirement, because it is the most efficient and most effective concept for tackling threats to society of an existential nature. Resorting to decentralised execution is a paradigmatic shift from exclusive hierarchy to inclusive thinking and cooperation. It opens the mind to the acknowledgment that one should never underestimate the power of the local people. Reaching out to them would constitute the primary goal in emergent response.
The group in charge of Cyber Risk focused on a) the role of Reservists in building up and bringing to bear Cyber capabilities and b) the new dimension given to Article 5 by Cyber capabilities. Since it is still too early to recognise where the systematic build-up of Cyber capabilities by Defense Ministries and Armed Forces of NATO Members stands, the workshop studied broadly the interest of involving Reservists in this completely new field of military capacity-building. There are benefits, as there are difficulties and impediments, but the provisional assessment indicates that Reservists and in particular Reserve Officers should play a role.
The technological evolution makes also visible how far legal frameworks and legal language can be challenged by new phenomena. While Article 5 and at its core the notion of "attack" seemed to have been, over decades of NATO's existence, non-controversial, the appearance of a new technology with its specialists and their own minds and language, is creating a formidable potential of confusion and misunderstanding. Information technologists consider themselves as being permanently under Cyber attack. Does this call for Article-5 action? And regardless of "yes" or "no": what sort of counter-attack would be permissible, what would be beyond levels of competition for intelligence gathering and for strategic influence on others? These questions open completely new aspects of conceptual debates from which we cannot conceive Reserve Officers to abstain in the long run. We believe the participants have identified a field of responsibility for Reserve Officers which goes far beyond technology and deep into political and strategic debates.
The first one, the DHL Express story, came as an instructive and heart-warming encouragement to take the DHL example of a successful turn-around and a most promising further development of profitable and successful business as inspiration. Warfare is never profitable, but Defense has to be successful in order to fulfil the people's expectations and legitimate demands. DHL is a most welcome encouragement.
The other case study, on Utöya, sadly was of a different nature. It is a warning how easily professional services in charge of security and protection of the people can fail. Of everything that failed, nothing was allowed to fail. Here again, practical conclusions and advice, such as "train the use of equipment, train the deployment of protection forces, train the leadership of those in charge and in command" can remain without consequences, when authorities and the people at large prove to be unable to act accordingly. Perhaps, this is one more field where the Reserve Officer has a role to play in society. Their legitimacy lies in their profile of "a military with a civilian identity and commitment", or: "a civilian with a military identity and commitment".
This takes us back to the initial remark about the shock statement "Sudden knock-out – How our security state will lose the fight". On purpose, the second part of the Seminar's theme has been omitted. We would like to recall it here and give it an interpretation:
How we lose the fight … "UNLESS WE INCREASE REDUNDANCY AND IMPROVE SURGE MANAGEMENT!"
CIOR SEMINAR COMMITTEE
LtCol Hans Garrels, NLD – Chairman
Capt (Navy) Deborah Nelson, USA
Capt Tobias Bosshart, CHE
Capt Michael Seibold, DEU
Capt Sascha Soyk, DEU


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Ava Stewart
Add this Athlete to your favourites
Gymnastics - Artistic
Lebanon, Tennessee
Home Province
Bowmanville, Ontario
For Ava Stewart, the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games by a year was fortuitous as she only became age eligible for senior competition in 2021, the year of her 16th birthday. In her first year as a senior, she placed second in the all-around behind only Ellie Black at the virtual 2021 Elite Canada meet in February. She also recorded podium placements in the floor exercise (gold), beam (silver) and uneven bars (bronze).
At the two Canadian Technical Trials also held virtually in April and May 2021, Stewart again finished second in the all-around twice behind Black.
Stewart was named to the national team in 2020, her first year attempting to be a high-performance gymnast. She finished third in the junior all-around at the 2020 Elite Canada meet where she also won bronze on floor exercise and finished fourth on uneven bars in the junior division. At the International Gymnix meet that followed in March 2020, she won the junior bronze medal on beam.
At the 2019 Canadian Championships, Stewart competed in the 12-15 age group and won silver in the all-around, gold on beam and bronze on uneven bars.
A Little More About Ava
Getting into the Sport: Started gymnastics in a parent-tot class at 18 months old and began competing at age 6… Outside Interests: Enjoys baking, and watching and reading Harry Potter… Odds and Ends: Moved to Canada at age 5… Inspired by the hard work and determination of gym-mates Kristina Vaculik and Ana Padurariu… Coach Elena Davydova won Olympic all-around gold at Moscow 1980 for the Soviet Union…
Olympic Highlights
Tokyo 2020 Gymnastics - Artistic Team - Women 10
Tokyo 2020 Gymnastics - Artistic All-Around - Women 58 QR
Tokyo 2020 Gymnastics - Artistic Uneven Bars - Women 50 QR
Tokyo 2020 Gymnastics - Artistic Beam - Women 67 QR
Tokyo 2020 Gymnastics - Artistic Floor Exercise - Women 51 QR
Notable International Results
Olympic Games: 2020 - 10th (team), 58th QR (all-around), 50th QR (uneven bars), 67th QR (beam), 51st QR (floor exercise)
Best of 2022: Tears of joy for surprising and historic gymnastics team medal
Paula Nichols December 19, 2022
Best of 2022: Canadians run, throw, and jump to athletics podiums
Jamie Tozer December 19, 2022
Best of 2022: Team Canada puts past behind to reach new heights in women's basketball
Rose-Kaying Woo
Rose-Kaying Woo is a newcomer to the senior international scene. In late April 2016 she competed in her first World...
Shallon Olsen
At the 2018 World Championships, Shallon Olsen captured silver in the vault for Canada's best- ever result in the event
Brooklyn Moors
Brooklyn Moors had a breakout performance at the 2017 FIG World Championships in Montreal, where she became the first Canadian…


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How To Flour Up Helpful Gluten Friendly Buckwheat.
The name buckwheat is misleading. First, it's not a grain and it's not related to wheat. However, it is a healthy, low glycemic way to feel full and satisfied.
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Investigation launched after high value burglary at Southport jewellers
The shop, on Lord Street, was targeted in the early hours of the morning
Chantelle HeedsLive News Reporter
Merseyside Police at Prestige Diamonds on Lord Street, Southport
An investigation has been launched following a high value burglary in Southport.
Prestige Jewellers, on Lord Street, was targeted at around 3am on Thursday morning (March 12).
Details of what items were stolen have not been confirmed but the burglary has been described as 'high value' by police.
Emergency services were at the scene in the town centre this morning. A cordon was in place.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "We are investigating a high value burglary to a jewellers on Lord Street in Southport that took place in the early hours of Thursday 12th March.
"A 999 call was received at 03:03am. A response patrol in Southport was despatched at 03:08 and arrived within 1 minute at 03:09.
"Investigations are at an early stage."
Anyone with information, or who witnessed as suspicious activity in the area, should contact police on 101 or via social media.
Seven-storey hotel plans in Southport now abandoned - what comes next?
Man dies in fatal crash in Southport
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