South Africa's new ruling-party leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, vowed to fight corruption, revive the struggling economy and restore investor confidence, the latest sign that he's planning a dramatic shift after years of decline under Jacob Zuma.
"We are resolute in our commitment to make this the year in which we rebuild our movement and turn around the South African economy," Ramaphosa said in a speech Saturday to mark the 106th anniversary of the founding of the African National Congress in the southern city of East London.
Ramaphosa, 65, took over control of the ANC at the party's national conference on Dec. 18 from Zuma, whose scandal-tainted tenure as the nation's president has eroded support for the ANC and led to mounting calls from within its ranks to resign.
Speculation has been increasing that Zuma will be toppled before his current terms ends in 2019. Ramaphosa, a lawyer and one of the wealthiest black South Africans, made no reference to taking over the reins of government in his address.
He told the crowd of about 20,000 that the ANC's new leadership was committed to doing things differently.
"The speech did signify that the Jacob Zuma era was largely over,'' Daniel Silke, director of Cape Town-based Political Futures Consultancy said by phone in Cape Town.
The central bank projects economic growth of just 1.2% this year after the economy went through a recession in 2017, but Ramaphosa said on the campaign trail that he's targeting 3% expansion.
The economy has "been severely undermined by corruption and state capture, institutional instability, policy inconsistency, poor performance of state-owned enterprises and a sense of drift within the ANC," he said.
The ANC's former head of intelligence, Zuma, 75, took office in May 2009 just weeks after prosecutors dropped graft charges against him.
He's spent years fighting a bid by opposition parties to have those charges reinstated and fending off allegations that he oversaw "state capture" by allowing members of the Gupta family to influence cabinet appointments and the award of state contracts.
Zuma was booed when he arrived at Saturday's rally.
The challenges at state companies "have been exacerbated by state capture, through which billions of rand have been illegally diverted to individuals," Ramaphosa said.
Zuma announced on Tuesday that he will appoint a commission of inquiry into allegations that the Gupta family was allowed to influence state decisions, abiding by a court-ruling which ordered him to do so.
The ANC welcomes the announcement, Ramaphosa said.


text:
Q: HTTPoison follow redirects There is a public API that perfectly works in the browser and returns the JSON response but using the latest version of Httpoision It does not work as expected:
HTTP (GET) : https://yts.lt/api/v2/list_movies.json?query_term=tt11296058
 {:ok,
 %HTTPoison.Response{
   body: "",
   headers: [
     {"Date", "Tue, 22 Jun 2021 11:42:20 GMT"},
     {"Transfer-Encoding", "chunked"},
     {"Connection", "keep-alive"},
     {"Cache-Control", "max-age=3600"},
     {"Expires", "Tue, 22 Jun 2021 12:42:20 GMT"},
     {"Location",
      "https://yts.mx/api/v2/list_movies.json?query_term=tt11296058"},
     {"cf-request-id", "0ad5205cb800004da508b04000000001"},
     {"Expect-CT",
      "max-age=604800, report-uri=\"https://report-uri.cloudflare.com/cdn-cgi/beacon/expect-ct\""},
     {"Report-To",
      "{\"endpoints\":[{\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/a.nel.cloudflare.com\\/report\\/v2?s=O80%2B5KfZ6d3G3Fz0NBGlep%2BetzQAvaUDIvVW09DUB2QMtJpd1XxupK621LhGR8EqiOsOY%2B55BdaHAljyLCEumHyb0rHSqk526jMQ5NxuLUi%2FVdbX\"}],\"group\":\"cf-nel\",\"max_age\":604800}"},
     {"NEL", "{\"report_to\":\"cf-nel\",\"max_age\":604800}"},
     {"Server", "cloudflare"},
     {"CF-RAY", "663536745c654da5-BOM"},
     {"alt-svc",
      "h3-27=\":443\"; ma=86400, h3-28=\":443\"; ma=86400, h3-29=\":443\"; ma=86400, h3=\":443\"; ma=86400"}
   ],
   request: %HTTPoison.Request{
     body: "",
     headers: [],
     method: :get,
     options: [],
     params: %{},
     url: "https://yts.lt/api/v2/list_movies.json?query_term=tt11296058"
   },
   request_url: "https://yts.lt/api/v2/list_movies.json?query_term=tt11296058",
   status_code: 301
 }}

Also to point out the status_code is coming from the response is 301.
301 is for a resource that is permanently removed, but it seems that is not the case here.
project dependencies:
Elixir: 1.12.1
OTP: 24
{:httpoison, "~> 1.8"},
{:floki, "~> 0.20.4"},
{:poison, "~> 3.1"},
{:hackney, github: "benoitc/hackney", override: true},

A: You need to pass the follow_redirect option:
HTTPoison.get(url, [], follow_redirect: true)

Example:
iex(1)> Mix.install [:httpoison]
:ok
iex(2)> url = "https://yts.lt/api/v2/list_movies.json?query_term=tt11296058"
"https://yts.lt/api/v2/list_movies.json?query_term=tt11296058"
iex(3)> HTTPoison.get(url, [], follow_redirect: true)
{:ok,
 %HTTPoison.Response{
   body: "{\"status\":\"ok\",\"status_message\":\"Query was successful\",\"data\":
...

A:
301 is for a resource that is permanently removed

Absolutely not. This is a redirection (code for "Moved Permanently.")
The browser obviously handles redirections itself, the code must handle it on its own. Upon receiving 301 your code should repeat the request by the location specified. In the response you provided, there is no location specified in the response, which is weird, but that's another issue.

HTTPoison can be instructed to handle redirects, though.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Album Appreciation: Vanities by W H Lung
Blog: Sonic Mindfulness: an Interview with William Sol
Album Appreciation: Ookii Gekkou by Vanishing Twin
Vanishing Twin are a band that I rediscovered during lockdown, when I came across a track from their 2019 album 'The Age of Immunology',I had previously seen them a few year previously at the Liverpool PsychFest and enjoyed them immensely. I found singer Cathy Lucas's voice to be both soothing and beguiling, but in a musical context that seemed to be so innovative, diverse and complex. It seemed to me that there was a competing tension in the whole package between openness and introspection.
Further investigation into Lucas's background and the band's make up further intrigued me as well as helping to understand my experiences of listening to that lovely yet challenging album. It seems that the introspection may come from Lucas's understanding that she was initially one of twins in the womb until her sibling died in utero and was absorbed into Cathy. Her sense of having her sibling within her seems very much central to the group's aesthetic and, of course, explains the name.
The outward looking nature of the band is reflected in its make up, which comprised of Japanese bassist Susumu Mukai, Italian drummer Valentina Magaletti, Phil M.F.U. (formerly of Broadcast), and Parisian avant-garde filmmaker Elliott Arndt on flute and percussion (Arndt is not part of the band for this new album though). This diversity is very much reflected in the band's music which is eclectic and inventive; and superbly arranged with all the members melding together in a manner that feels coherent, yet also challenging.
Underpinning all this is the aforementioned aesthetic, this dreamlike notion of a mysterious other which somehow projects the sound into a sort of liminal 'world' which simultaneously seems to reveal it and render it unapproachable… a sort of window onto an non-existent realm. This all results in a series of tracks which contain soul melting melodies which for me act as the portal between these 'worlds', holding together the beauty that is inherent in the vast majority of this album… together with an easy experimentalism which renders the band's sound to be somewhat unique.
Having heard 'Ookii Gekkou' (Japanese for Big Moonlight) a number of times now I am beginning to think that it is a step on from its predecessor (which, by the way, I still play quite often) in terms of the breadth of what has gone into it… more ideas and more adventurous diversions…. and repeated listens are gradually making me realise that these represent new ways to access that other realm… with such as 'In Cucina' and its Eastern influence, or the title track with its panoramic feel… almost a 70s soundtrack. Elsewhere the influences are as far and wide as (accurately according to the band): "afrofunk, outer jazz and avant-garde, all while referencing Sun Ra to Alice Coltrane, Martin Denny to Morricone, Can's Holger Czukay to meditative Gamelan, or The Free Design, to library music of the late '60s and early '70s…Piero Umiliani, Art Ensemble of Chicago and ELO".
It is a heady mixture, but one that really works and, to repeat, is for me pulled together by Lucas's voice which for me is the focal point and siren call into this wonderfully strange and distinctive world that envelops you the more that you listen to it… and the more intently that you listen to it. Like it's predecessor I have no doubt that it is a set that will continue to grown a develop the more you hear it…
'Ookii Gekkou' is released on Fire Records on 15th October 2021.
Vanishing Twin
Album Appreciation: Vanities by W H Lung Previous
Blog: Sonic Mindfulness: an Interview with William Sol Next

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
(→Synopsis)

[[File:Bakeoff foursome.jpg|400px]]''Sue and Mel, with judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood''

Each of the six weeks tests a different area of baking, and takes place in a different location. Each week there are three rounds. The first is the '''signature bake''', which is essentially a free choice for each contestant to dazzle the judges with their favourite recipe. Then there's the '''technical bake''', in which all the contestants have to make the same thing, from one of the judges' own recipes (though they're not given the complete method, so have to fill in the blanks from their own experience and preference). And then there's the '''final challenge''' (in 2011, the '''showstopper challenge'''), which requires each contestant to produce several varieties of a given thing (e.g. bread rolls or small cakes), in batches.
Each of the six weeks tests a different area of baking, and takes place in a different location. Each week there are three rounds. The first is the '''signature bake''', which is essentially a free choice for each contestant (or 'baker', as they're more generally called) to dazzle the judges with their favourite recipe. Then there's the '''technical bake''', in which all the contestants have to make the same thing, from one of the judges' own recipes (though they're not given the complete method, so have to fill in the blanks from their own experience and preference). And then there's the '''final challenge''' (in 2011, the '''showstopper challenge'''), which requires each contestant to produce several varieties of a given thing (e.g. bread rolls or small cakes), in batches.

[[File:Bakeoff ruth jas.jpg|400px]]''Contestants Ruth and Jas, hard at work''

Each of the six weeks tests a different area of baking, and takes place in a different location. Each week there are three rounds. The first is the signature bake, which is essentially a free choice for each contestant (or 'baker', as they're more generally called) to dazzle the judges with their favourite recipe. Then there's the technical bake, in which all the contestants have to make the same thing, from one of the judges' own recipes (though they're not given the complete method, so have to fill in the blanks from their own experience and preference). And then there's the final challenge (in 2011, the showstopper challenge), which requires each contestant to produce several varieties of a given thing (e.g. bread rolls or small cakes), in batches.


You have the ability to add Videos to your WordPress site at any time with Page Builder. You can even embed YouTube or Vimeo videos to your pages.
Click Video, then drag and drop the video box to a place on the page.
From the Video Settings dialog box, use the Video Type to choose Media Library or Embed Code.
Media Library Click one of the Select Video tabs to choose a video and click Select Video.
Embed Code. Paste code into the Video Embed Code field.
Use the remaining fields in the Video Settings dialog box as needed.
Video Poster You can select an image placeholder by Upload Image or select from Media Library for your video image.
Auto Play You can to set the video to play automatically on your page.
Loop You can set the video to continually play on your page.


text:
package de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.imagine.plugins;

import de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImAnnotation;
import de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImObject;
import de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImRegion;
import de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.util.ImDocumentMarkupPanel;

/**
 * Convenience abstract super class for reactive plugins, inheriting the life
 * cycle methods from abstract GoldenGATE plugin. This class further includes
 * default implementations of all the notification methods, sub classes need
 * to overwrite only those they require for providing meaningful functionality.
 *
 * @author sautter
 */
public class AbstractReactionProvider extends AbstractGoldenGateImaginePlugin implements ReactionProvider {

	/** we need a zero-argument constructor for class loading */
	protected AbstractReactionProvider() {}

	/**
	 * This default implementation does nothing; sub classes are welcome to
	 * overwrite it as needed.
	 * @see de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.imagine.plugins.ReactionProvider#typeChanged(de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImObject, java.lang.String, de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.util.ImDocumentMarkupPanel, boolean)
	 */
	public void typeChanged(ImObject object, String oldType, ImDocumentMarkupPanel idmp, boolean allowPrompt) {}

	/**
	 * This default implementation does nothing; sub classes are welcome to
	 * overwrite it as needed.
	 * @see de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.imagine.plugins.ReactionProvider#attributeChanged(de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImObject, java.lang.String, java.lang.Object, de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.util.ImDocumentMarkupPanel, boolean)
	 */
	public void attributeChanged(ImObject object, String attributeName, Object oldValue, ImDocumentMarkupPanel idmp, boolean allowPrompt) {}

	/**
	 * This default implementation does nothing; sub classes are welcome to
	 * overwrite it as needed.
	 * @see de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.imagine.plugins.ReactionProvider#regionAdded(de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImRegion, de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.util.ImDocumentMarkupPanel, boolean)
	 */
	public void regionAdded(ImRegion region, ImDocumentMarkupPanel idmp, boolean allowPrompt) {}

	/**
	 * This default implementation does nothing; sub classes are welcome to
	 * overwrite it as needed.
	 * @see de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.imagine.plugins.ReactionProvider#regionRemoved(de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImRegion, de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.util.ImDocumentMarkupPanel, boolean)
	 */
	public void regionRemoved(ImRegion region, ImDocumentMarkupPanel idmp, boolean allowPrompt) {}

	/**
	 * This default implementation does nothing; sub classes are welcome to
	 * overwrite it as needed.
	 * @see de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.imagine.plugins.ReactionProvider#annotationAdded(de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImAnnotation, de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.util.ImDocumentMarkupPanel, boolean)
	 */
	public void annotationAdded(ImAnnotation annotation, ImDocumentMarkupPanel idmp, boolean allowPrompt) {}

	/**
	 * This default implementation does nothing; sub classes are welcome to
	 * overwrite it as needed.
	 * @see de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.imagine.plugins.ReactionProvider#annotationRemoved(de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.ImAnnotation, de.uka.ipd.idaho.im.util.ImDocumentMarkupPanel, boolean)
	 */
	public void annotationRemoved(ImAnnotation annotation, ImDocumentMarkupPanel idmp, boolean allowPrompt) {}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Financing › Details
SomaLogic–SEVERAL: investment, 202012 financing round Series A 2nd closing additional $81m bringing total Series A to $204m or $214m
Period 2020-12-22
Predecessor SomaLogic–SEVERAL: investment, 202011 financing round Series A initial closing $121m led by Casdin Capital
Money taker SomaLogic Inc.
Money source SEVERAL
Product SomaScan® protein measurement platform using DNA measurement solution
Product 2 venture capital
Person Casdin, Eli (Casdin Capital 201507 Managing Member)
SomaLogic, Inc.. (12/22/20). "Press Release: SomaLogic Adds $81M to Series A Financing Totaling $214M". Boulder, CO.
SomaLogic, Inc., global leader in proteomic discovery and applications transforming biomedical discovery and clinical diagnostics, announced today that it added $81M to its current funding round with investments from a number of additional investors, for a total Series A raise of $214M. The funds raised in this round will facilitate improving, expanding and commercializing SomaLogic's world-leading proteomic products in both the clinical and life science markets.
The Series A financing round was led by noted life science investor Casdin Capital, with participation in the first November close from Farallon Capital Management, Foresite Capital, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., Blue Water Life Science Advisors, Madryn Asset Management, Fiscus Ventures and Reimagined Ventures (affiliates of Magnetar Capital), Monashee Investment Management, Mossrock Capital, Soleus Capital and others.
In this second close, additional financial investors include Janus Henderson Investors, Redmile Group, Logos Capital, Revelation Partners, Ziff Capital Healthcare Ventures, Boston Millennia Partners and Millennium Management. Strategic investors from a number of premier organizations that span the current and future proteomics market include Novartis, Amgen, Intermountain Ventures and NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd. Cowen was an advisor in this effort.
SomaLogic's SomaScan® Platform technology offers biopharmaceutical and academic researchers unparalleled and reliable coverage of the proteome for revealing new biology, identifying new drug targets, and assessing the effects of current and potential new drug treatments. SomaLogic recently expanded the number of proteins measured by their platform from 5,000 to more than 7,000.
SomaLogic's growing menu of clinically relevant SomaSignal™ tests promise a new paradigm of empowering clinicians and individuals to more effectively manage health in real time, with a powerful and first-in-class set of proteomics-based diagnostic tools.
"We are very excited to have these financing partners for the next phase of our strategic growth – a syndicate that unequivocally represents the best of those involved in supporting and growing life sciences tools and leading edge diagnostics companies, and several that represent the growing market for our products as well," said SomaLogic Chief Executive Officer Roy Smythe, M.D. "Proteomics will increasingly transform life sciences research and clinical care in ways previously unimagined and we are now positioned at the very forefront of that endeavor."
"This financing positions SomaLogic to continue to lead in the exploration of the proteome through its powerful technology platform," said Chief Investment Officer and Casdin Founder, Eli Casdin. "We're excited to partner with the team to build off the decades of trailblazing science and validating partnerships with world-class collaborators to expand access to the technology and to drive value to the clinical and life science ecosystem."
Cowen served as sole placement agent to SomaLogic for the private placement, and Reed Smith LLP served as legal counsel for the transaction.
SomaLogic Contact
Laura S. Mizoue, Ph.D.
lmizoue@somalogic.com
About SomaLogic
SomaLogic seeks to deliver precise, meaningful, and actionable health-management information that empowers individuals worldwide to continuously optimize their personal health and wellness throughout their lives. This essential information, to be provided through a global network of partners and users, is derived from SomaLogic's precise, proprietary, and personalized measurement of important changes in an individual's proteins over time. For more information, visit www.somalogic.com and follow @somalogic on Twitter.
SomaSignal™ tests are developed and performance characteristics determined by SomaLogic, Inc., and SomaLogic is a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certified laboratory. SomaSignal™ tests have not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
More documents for SomaLogic Inc.
[1] SomaLogic, Inc.. (12/22/20). "Press Release: SomaLogic Adds $81M to Series A Financing Totaling $214M". Boulder, CO....
[2] Agilent Technologies Inc.. (4/30/19). "Press Release: Agilent and SomaLogic Sign Agreement for Supply of Custom Microarrays". Santa Clara, CA & Boulder, CO....
[3] Agilent Technologies Inc.. (8/12/13). "Press Release: Agilent Technologies and SomaLogic Enter Agreement to Expand Access to Cutting-edge Proteomic Technology". Santa Clara, CA & Boulder, CO....


text:
MeetInnovators
Alfred Lin, Zappos Chairman and COO
Alfred Lin shares how the company is more than selling shoes, and apparel; they focus on service and "wowing" customers.
Alfred Lin from Zappos is with us for this interview. Alfred is the Zappos Chairman and COO – he's Tony Hsieh, the CEO's right hand man when it comes to handling finance and operations for Zappos. We've previously published an interview with Tony here.
I wanted to interview Alfred to get his perspective as being the key guy working with Tony. I wanted to understand how they met and how they're building Zappos. Most successful technology companies were built by two guys working together (Google, HP, Microsoft, etc) and I thought this would be a good opportunity to understand this kind of relationship better.
I didn't expect Alfred to focus so strongly on the importance of the entire team being strong, not just the Tony/Alfred relationship. In his mind they're successful because of the entire team, not just the two guys in the spotlight.
On a side note, Alfred talks about how he and Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos started working together. Tony sold pizza by the whole pie. Alfred sold pizza by the slice. Who do you think was the most profitable?
Full Interview Audio and Transcript
Interview Audio:
(54 min)
[audio:http://meetinnovators.com/2008/12/04/alfred-lin-from-zappos-docs/alfred_lin_full.mp3]
High Speed Audio Interview:
[audio:http://meetinnovators.com/2008/12/04/alfred-lin-from-zappos-docs/alfred_lin_fast.mp3]
Full Interview Transcripts:
Hobbies and Interests: Running, has a goal to run a marathon in every state in the United States, going out to dinner with his wife.
Favourite Sports Teams: Since he grew up in NYC, all the New York teams.
Favourite books:
Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John King, Halee Fischer-Wright
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Freakanomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Favourite Entrepreneurs: He tries to learn from all entrepreneurs.
Twitter url: http://twitter.com/zappos_alfred
Personal blog: http://blogs.zappos.com
Company website: www.zappos.com
Fast Track Interview
Adrian Bye: I am talking with Alfred Lin, who is the COO of Zappos. Alfred thanks for joining us. You want to tell us a little bit about who you are, your background and where you've come from?
Alfred Lin: Sure. As you mentioned, I'm currently COO of Zappos.com. We are one of the largest, if not the largest, retailer of shoes, handbags and apparel on the Internet. We really think of ourselves first and foremost as a service company, and then a service company that just happens to sell these products.
I was born in Taiwan and lived there until I was about six or seven. I was old enough to remember that I was not born in this country but not old enough to really get a good sense of where I lived. I was raised mostly in New York City, went to college in the Boston area and then came out to the Bay Area for graduate school. Over time, I got sucked into a bunch of Internet companies.
I first met our CEO, Tony Hsieh in college. He was running a pizza business in our dormitory. I used to go down to his pizzeria and buy lots of pies, take them upstairs and sell them by the slice. He made $2 or $3 an hour, and I made $2 or $3 in a minute, but he spent more time at it so he ended up making more money then I did.
After we left college, Tony came out to the Bay Area and started the company Link Exchange. I joined about a year later when he needed someone to look after the books and create financial models. I was an Applied Math major in college and in the process of getting a PhD in Statistics at the time. I agreed to work part-time as the VP of Finance & Administration while going to classes part-time. Gradually I got sucked in and believed in the business of Link Exchange. As a result I started to do less school and more full-time work.
Seventeen months after I joined, we sold the company to Microsoft for $265 million. Through Link Exchange, Tony and I discovered that we worked well together. After Microsoft bought the company, we started Venture Frogs where we raised a small fund from friends and family of Link Exchange; we used it to start investing in a bunch of Internet start-ups.
Zappos happens to be one of our investments. Over time, both Tony and I ended up thinking that it had the most opportunity, and it was also the most fun to work at. Now, both of us are at Zappos.
Adrian Bye: A lot of success stories in Silicon Valley and elsewhere were started by two guys. Hewlett-Packard. Apple. Microsoft. Oracle. Google. There's just a balance between two guys, and you're the key guy with Tony now. I find that absolutely fascinating. How did it evolve into becoming where you're at now?
Alfred Lin: If we get back to some of the things that we're really interested in, in terms of creating culture, one of the books we've read recently, Tribal Leadership, proposes that three people together works a lot better. It's a triad, and we actually do abide by that because we have Tony, Fred Mossler, and me who are basically the three guys that balance each other out at Zappos.
I think there are people in the background who never really get the full credit even though they're an important part of it. So you need a much deeper investigation into how organisations are formed and the level of their success.
At Zappos, all the ideas don't come from me, Tony or Fred. They come from everyone in the company. The sign of a successful company is a group of people who decide that they're going to leverage it, and maybe that's really the key to its success as opposed to the two guys who come up with all the ideas.
Adrian Bye: What are some of the ways you could get leverage like that throughout the company?
Alfred Lin: When we talk to our employees at new hire orientation, we tell them that Tony, Fred and I are the three guys that appear to be on the top of the organisation. This company does not implement just our ideas. If our ideas get implemented and only our ideas, those are three good ideas in a day, a month or a year or whatever timeframe you think you come up with good ideas. If we leverage all 1,600 employees, then we're going to get 1,600 good ideas that we can run with.
We tell everybody that if they're passionate about something, they should just take ownership of it and run with it. This allows people to be accountable for things that they're passionate about. We also tell them that if you're passionate about something with 1,600 employees, I'm sure you can find 20 or 30 people who are also passionate about it.
Adrian Bye: Let's say some guy that's been in the company for a month has some great ideas that he's really excited about. How does he run with those ideas?
Alfred Lin: It kind of runs along "I'm passionate about it, so let me do some things. Let me talk to more people about it." People want to be part of winning teams so if it's a good idea, it self-selects. People will want to be part of it and naturally it just builds upon itself. We have plenty of things that started out being crazy ideas that got built up over time and have become bigger things for Zappos. Culture is very important to us, and everyday we have minor tweaks that get built upon each other.
For example, we started these parades. The first time someone wanted to create a parade and just parade through, it was kind of weird. It wasn't well put together, but it got a few people to want a parade to say hi to people, throw candy at people and bring people's spirits up. We thought that's kind of cool in a way but kind of weird at the same time. These parades simply built upon themselves, and now people take them very seriously. There are themes behind each parade, and they really lift people's spirits.
We also decided we were going to take some tenant improvement money when we started moving into this space. Instead of getting it from the landlord and giving it to an architect or contractors to clean the space up and have a very sterile work environment, we asked if we could take the money and give it to some of our teams. We said to each individual team, "Go create a conference room the way you would like it created." It didn't cost us any money. The team loved doing it because they took a lot of pride and ownership in creating their own personal workspace. At the same time, it was a team-building experience for all of these teams. Now every single time we move into a new space, the standards get raised, and we give people a small budget of $500 to design each room.
Those are some of the ideas that we want people to run with and build into bigger things and bigger events.
Adrian Bye: Some people may look at that and say, "They can be a bunch of crazy kids running around, but someone's going to get sued at some point. There's going to be some sort of issue that's going to come along, and a modern corporation just can't work like that." What's your response to that?
Alfred Lin: That's a very old-school, very risk-averse, and conservative viewpoint. In this day and age, everybody's going to have a blog. Everybody's going to express themselves in their own way, and people are actually less inclined to sue you if you let them express themselves in their own way and more inclined to sue you if you try to restrict them.
We have become a much more transparent society, especially the younger generation. There are things we, those of us who are not old but in our 30s and 40s, think are crazy, yet the younger generation has no problem telling people what they're doing this weekend on Facebook or Twitter and just letting the world know this is who they are and what they're like. You're not going to be able to stop that. The level of transparency the company can provide and allow employees to express themselves is a key way for the company to have many more advocates for the company than just themselves.
Adrian Bye: When your layoffs happened, it was immediately reported real-time in Twitter. That's about as transparent as you can get; that's almost uncomfortable.
Alfred Lin: Yes, we really believe in being transparent and trying to make sure everybody knows what's going on inside the company. Obviously, nobody likes talking about layoffs and doing layoffs, but we told the affected employees first. Then after that they started Twittering out. Immediately after those that were affected were told, Tony sent an e-mail to the whole company about our decision, why we did it and why we're doing it in a proactive manner. Then he posted it on the company blog and Twittered it out.
The overwhelming response by affected employees, existing employees, and people who had been following Zappos was extremely positive relative to what most layoff announcements result in. Part of that is because we're transparent. We really believe in trying to take care of people and to wow our employees, customers, partners and investors. We want to give all of them complete transparency.
Adrian Bye: Obviously the concept of wowing all of these different partners, employees and companies is a good and a nice one. At some level, you've got to be taking into account that you've got to negotiate with different people. You're going to have a lot of people coming to you for different things all the time. You can't do everything for everyone and you can't be everything for everyone. Sometimes you do have to be able to step away and say no. How do you balance that and still feel like you're giving people a wow experience?
Alfred Lin: Wowing people is never about just spending more on them. A lot has to do with showing people that you care. For example even in areas that seem super-efficient, you can hire fewer well-trained people or train them less to do customer service.
One example centers around scripts. It may be easier to train someone to read a script than it is to train someone to sound like they're caring, but think about the consequences of whether you feel that the representative really cares about you or not. You can have policies and procedures read to you, and then another person who puts those in their own words and jokes with you on the phone. I'm sure you're going to be wowed by the person who really cares, is providing you their undivided attention and is trying to connect with you versus someone who is reading a script. It really isn't that much different. It's just a level of expectation that we are real people and transparent.
Adrian Bye: What do your investors think about the culture of Zappos?
Alfred Lin: Mike Moritz from Sequoia Capital is on our board. They've invested in some companies that have been very successful; some of them with very funky cultures like Google, PayPal and Yahoo! They certainly believe culture is important, but they also care about financial results and driving results. As long as we do both, that's great. It's not just about the culture. You also have to perform your job, and we hold our employees to that standard too.
Adrian Bye: You obviously have done well, and that's not an accident or a coincidence. How would you suggest someone start out today if they didn't have the reputation or the resources that you have had as well as the opportunity to see inside multiple companies at once and go with the winner? How would you suggest they could build a company like Zappos?
Alfred Lin: First of all, figure out what you're most passionate about. Tony talks about chasing the vision and not the money. It doesn't matter how "successful" you are or whether people think you're successful, business is hard, and you're going to go through rough times and hard times.
We're entering an economy where it's going to be hard for everyone. But if you don't love what you do, it gets really hard to get up in the morning and go in and try to fix problems each and every day. You really need to think about what kinds of things you would really love to do and be okay with not making money right away. You should find something that you love and want to do for the next 10 years without making $1.
That's kind of a harsh way of looking at it, but think about it from the standpoint that if you start a company, at any point in time, you might have a bunch of success but business cycles are in 10-year increments. If it can survive 10 years and beyond then that's a true test of whether a company is going to survive, not in the first year or the second year. Even though a lot of businesses fail in the first or second year, the time-tested battle is having to go through a business cycle. If you can't go through that timeframe doing something you love and you are only chasing the money, then you run the risk of it not working out for you and you would have hated your life for the last 10 years. Who wants that?
Also, be open-minded by reading lots of articles or books about business. You can be open-minded by talking to lots of the entrepreneurs and hearing about what has made them successful. Try to incorporate that into your business. The joke I make fun of at Zappos is we don't really have original or interesting ideas here. We just incorporate a whole bunch of ideas from all the people that we've met. We don't copy things because copying them into your company doesn't tend to work. You have to modify them. You take people's ideas, modify them, make them better, and make them fit in your company.
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Meet Dylan Ash, a freshman business major from Milaca, Minnesota.
Why did you come to Dordt?
I grew up Christian Reformed, so I guess I always knew about Dordt. My mom came here, my grandma came here, a bunch of people I've known have come here before. I always told myself I wasn't going to come to Dordt, but then I toured it last January. I absolutely loved it--the whole atmosphere, it was the perfect size. I thought it was a perfect fit.
Is there anything that stuck out to you on your visit?
Before I toured, I was super nervous because it was January, almost February, and I didn't know where I was going to college. After I toured Dordt, I could relax. It was like I could take a deep breath because I knew that I was going to go there.
On my tour, I visited Dale Zevenbergen, instructor of business administration, with my parents. That was probably the first step towards tipping me over to Dordt. We talked about the business track and how well Dordt educate its business majors.
What are you enjoying about Dordt so far?
Everything, I guess. (Laughter.) I really like my schedule, I'm playing football and I really enjoy that. It's a great way to connect with a 100+ people. The food is good, my roommates are pretty chill.
Is there anything that stands out to you about Dordt's football program?
It's distinctively Christian. Dordt's football program is definitely glorifying God.
How do you feel that your professors have engaged you so far?
Oh boy, engagement. (Laughter.) Really well, actually. I've met with a few of them. They asked to schedule one-on-one appointments to get to know you a little better. I really appreciate that. That's the number one thing--they want to know your name, and you're not just a number.
Is there anything about Dordt that surprised you?
How many people go to chapel. At least half will go.
What would you say to a high school student looking at going to Dordt from your area?
I would say definitely visit if you're at all interested in Dordt.


By chance, speaking to John Pack, Director of the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts, to congratulate him on the wonderful opening night of the Gop Moulls sculpture exhibition, I learned that no one to his knowledge had written a piece for 'Paros Life' about the event. I decided that, for the first time, I would "do my duty" and cobble together an informal review of that wonderful evening, not from an art "expert's" point of view, but just from my own personal experience.
Saturday, the 19th of July, 2003 was an evening to remember here on Paros.
Most everyone reading this paper already knows it was not just the opening of Gop Moulls' sculpture exhibit at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts, but also a chance to see rock and folk star of the 1960's, Donovan Leitch (usually known simply as 'Donovan'), perform.
The event was joyous in every respect and all involved have much to be proud of; Gyp for his fanciful and thought-provoking marble and bronze sculptures, the performers, the Aegean Center for a very fine and professional hosting of such a major event here on Paros, and the many people who attended for being so well-mannered and respectful in very close surroundings.
Whether you were a fan of Donovan's music or of Gyp's sculpture was almost immaterial. The evening was imbued with such a joyfully spirited, almost playful, ambiance that it was infectious - one could not help smiling - and we left glowing, regenerated and revived.
The Aegean Center was so very lovely, its courtyard - the venue for Donovan's short concert - lit softly, with fountain trickling, seemed to contain the crowd of people almost magically. To be honest, I can hardly remember the sequence of events, but each one unfolded to give us all delightful gifts to remember for a long time. First came two modern dancers (Simone Cavin and Duncan Rowens), dancing to the quiet, to the hush of the crowd, a silent dance without music. Their gentle, whimsical movement, like a short meditation, almost like vespers, was perfect to set the tone for what came next. They were followed by the wonderful Greek-Norwegian violinist Olof Dimitris who, like the Pied Piper standing atop the balcony wall, played beautifully a haunting gypsy deliverance that elevated our hearts and our minds to a place where we could truly feel and enjoy the rest of the evening's events.
After Olof's fine piece came poet Rory Brennan who read the poem 'At the End of the Valley' which he wrote as a tribute to Gyp exactly one year earlier to the day and which portrays such a true likeness of the sculptor (see Poet's Corner, 'Paros Life', Aug 2002). And then came Donovan, friend of Gypsy Dave for all these many years. It had been 37 years since Donovan was last on Paros with Gyp, and it was with that short story that Donovan led us into his first song, a new piece inspired by fragments of Sappho. Next came a touching song about earlier days, younger days shared with Gyp.
Donovan performed five songs altogether, including 'Laleña', 'Writer in the Sun' (composed on Paros), 'To Try for the Sun' (about Gyp and Donovan when they left home to travel), two of which were accompanied by Olof on his soulful fiddle. I was surprised and pleased to hear Donovan still sings so beautifully; there was simply nothing lacking - save a longer set!
But what struck me the most, as I believe it did most everyone there, was the utter joy of the event. To look around at all the radiant faces during the evening was uplifting enough, but Gyp's transparent delight throughout the entire event was particularly gratifying and conveyed the spirit of the evening for all of us.
I am not an articulate person, especially about art or music, or even the workings of a small art school on a Greek island, but in my own self, in my soul, I am utterly knowledgeable about the difference between good and bad. The evening of the 19th of July was good. Beyond good - it was extraordinary.
Thank you, Gop Moulls, John Pack, Donovan and all those who participated - yes, everyone present in fact - for making it so very special and memorable an event.


text:
Community & Society, Experts
by Britt Faulstick February 19, 201512:03 pm March 3, 2015
Head to Head: NBC, Brian Williams and the Future of Journalism
NBC Nightly News recently suspended anchor Brian Williams for six months after an investigation, spurred by a story in Stars & Stripes, revealed that his account of being in a military helicopter that was forced down by enemy fire while reporting in Iraq in 2003 was inaccurate. Williams, who has recounted various versions of the story on and off the air since first reporting it, apologized for misleading the public before stepping aside—of his own accord—then being suspended by the network. The actions of both Williams and NBC have seeded a public dialogue about the perception of reporters who rise to celebrity status and the credibility of television news programs fighting for ratings and relevance.
A pair of Drexel faculty members, with lengthy backgrounds in reporting and producing television news, expressed their opinions about the handling of the Williams situation. Ronald Bishop, PhD, a professor of communication and interim head of the Department of Communication in the College of Arts & Sciences, is a former reporter and editor who studies the intersection of culture and media. Karen Curry, executive director of the Kal & Lucille Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies in the Westphal College, was a producer and executive at NBC and the chief of its London bureau where she directed the network's coverage of Europe and the Middle East.
Does Williams's "conflation of events" necessarily indicate a lack of credibility? In our 24-hour news cycle world, where news is given to errors, omissions and exaggerations —why is Williams's error so egregious?
RB: The way news is currently gathered and delivered practically demands that Williams – and his colleagues at other news organizations – go down this road. Such are the perils of first-person reporting. What he said about his experiences in Iraq would have been shared 25 years ago over a couple of beers with a colleague or maybe at a party.
KC: The Williams "conflation of events" was not the result of the 24-hour news cycle at all. He did not make an error, as can often happen, when reporting breaking news. He wrote a piece for NBC Nightly News about an event that happened 12 years ago and that report contained untruths. He crossed a line that just could not be crossed. The shame of this is that he is a very good journalist whose career had brought him well-deserved status. This self-aggrandizement is baffling.
What does NBC's handling of the situation tell us about how it views itself as a news organization?
RB: It is now expected of journalists, especially those at this level, and with this kind of prominence, that they actively participate in making the news more compelling – and that, unfortunately, includes becoming the story. So we have Anderson Cooper in his tight t-shirt crying about the victims of Katrina and so on.
KC: It is clear that NBC realizes its credibility as a news organization is at risk. Although some people feel Williams should have been fired, a six-month suspension without pay is a strong statement showing that NBC realizes its audience expects it to produce responsible journalism and, in this case, it failed its audience.
Does the pressure put on anchors to be extremely close to the news risk having them become part of the story?
RB: The pressure of having to feed the proverbial news cycle beast also is a factor. Tweets must be compiled, posts made, even if a story hasn't advanced or new information hasn't been added. Letting the public know that you're on the case is now as important as the case itself.
KC: There are various risks involved with sending anchors to volatile locations. Having anchors in war zones is always risky because of the logistics involved in anchoring from the field, which makes the situation more difficult for everyone on the ground. However, the additional risk of having the anchor become part of the story is a two-edged sword. In many ways, the very reason to send him/her there is to insert the anchor into the story.
Television news is very personality driven and there is a strong belief that the success of the show hinges inordinately on the popularity and skill of the anchor. Having the main anchor on the scene is thought to be good for the "brand" but it also runs the risk of over-shadowing and, at times, distorting the story.
I think television news organizations, and we as the audience, should take a look at why we feel the need for these super-hero anchors. Originally, anchors did just that – they anchored the news broadcast from their desks in the studio, introducing reports from reporters around the country and the world. They were, in some respects, the traffic cops and guiding lights bringing the disparate parts of the broadcast together. Maybe we need to go back to that model and leave the field to the field reporters.
What does NBC need to do to win back the trust of its viewers?
RB: Whatever it does, it will do so publicly; it will continue to trot a contrite Williams out there. It may launch an internal review of news gathering policy, hold seminars, bring in experts, send out sternly worded memos. But the end product – the one that demands that Williams and the colleagues whose ranks he will join again someday be part of the story – won't change. Devotion to journalistic principles went out the window the second broadcast journalism started making money for the networks. Now that devotion is just one more promotional tool.
KC: I think NBC needs to report this the way they would report any major story. The public needs to hear the facts and they need to hear from Brian Williams – not just in a scripted speech he or the company may construct, but in a penetrating, journalistic interview. Why not have a non-NBC journalist do an in depth interview with Williams – perhaps someone from the BBC – so as not to have a competing U.S. network journalist involved, for whom there could be some perceived conflicts of interest.
NBC is in uncharted territory right now, so why not take advantage of that to provide a refreshing look behind the curtain and at the same time provide a teaching moment for themselves and the entire journalistic community. This approach may not get Brian Williams his job back, but it might just give him a chance to get some respect back. As much as Americans love winners, they also love someone who finds the wherewithal to redeem himself.
Will Brian Williams ever sit in the NBC anchor chair again?
RB: My guess is that after his exile, he'll come back and do a heart-rending mea culpa that will air in prime time. It's funny: we as a society seem to have lost the capacity to give anyone a second chance – public firings happen so quickly these days – but when one is granted, it comes with conditions, chief among them that atonement be very public and very marketable. And with the public so confused about what exactly makes one a journalist and distrustful about so many of those who they know are journalists, they end up more focused on the spectacle produced by the misstep than by the misstep itself. And another chance for real systemic change – paradigm repair, to cite my academic colleagues – is lost.
KC: It seems unlikely, but if NBC takes bold action in transparently reporting its own story and Brian Williams is able to make a no-holds-barred accounting of what he did, the American embrace of a good redemption story might make the difference.
News media who are interested in speaking with Bishop should contact Alex McKechnie at ahm62@drexel.edu or 215-895-2705. Those interested in speaking with Curry should contact Britt Faulstick at bef29@drexel.edu or 215-895-2617.
Tagged with: Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design Brian Williams communications Drexel College of Arts & Sciences head to head Iraq journalism Kal & Lucille Rudman Institute For Entertainment Industry Studies media media ethics NBC NBC Nightly News NBC Universal Rudman Institute Westphal College