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Stadium Tech Report: Nebraska adds Cisco-powered Wi-Fi, IPTV to Memorial Stadium
October 20, 2014 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment
Memorial Stadium, University of Nebraska. Credit all photos: University of Nebraska.
The state of Nebraska might not have a professional football team, but University of Nebraska fans now have a pro-style wireless experience at home games thanks to a high-density Wi-Fi network and IPTV features recently installed by the school at the 85,000-plus seat Memorial Stadium.
Combined with a new mobile app that delivers multiple live video streams and replay options, the loyal Cornhusker fans — who've come to Lincoln, Neb., and filled Memorial Stadium to the brim every game day since the 1960s — now have a wireless fan in-game experience among the best anywhere, collegiate or pro. Installed for use this season by CDW, the new network features Cisco Wi-Fi gear and Cisco's StadiumVision and StadiumVision Mobile systems, as well as a new app developed by NeuLion and additional video-streaming capabilities from EVS.
"We have the most loyal fans in the country," said Kelly Mosier, director of digital communications for the University of Nebraska athletic department. Part of putting in a high-definition wireless network, Mosier said, was to meet growing fan connectivity needs and to "stay ahead of the curve" in stadium experiences. "We wanted to reward the fans for being so loyal, and give them a new experience to brag about," Mosier said.
A look at video options in the Husker app (click picture for bigger view)
One of the first collegiate programs to install big TV screens in its stadium, Nebraska now has a Wi-Fi network with more than 800 access points, both inside Memorial's seating bowl as well as outside, at entrance and parking areas. In addition to synchronized IPTV broadcasts on stadium flat-panel screens, Nebraska fans also have access to a wide range of live video and video replays of game-day action, thanks to the new game-day app.
According to Dan Floyd, director of information technology for Nebraska athletics, the new network is already a hit, with a peak of 25,000 simultaneous users during the second game this fall. And even though Floyd and Mosier are aware of some problem areas, as Floyd said there has already been "a lot of positive feedback" from the technology upgrades.
Better sound, better connectivity
The network deployment was part of a recent $12.3 million upgrade to the football facility, which has been the home of the Huskers since 1923. Included in the total spend was also a revamp of the public-address and sound systems, but according to Mosier "the biggest chunk" of the spending went to cover the Wi-Fi deployment.
The need for better connectivity became apparent a few years back, Mosier said, and it set in motion a "very long process" of a couple years in length in which Nebraska officials looked at other existing stadium deployments and technology choices before making their decisions. One of the easier picks was selecting Cisco as the main Wi-Fi gear supplier, since Mosier said that most of the rest of the school's campus was already wired with Cisco networking gear. And a recent deployment of Cisco stadium Wi-Fi at Pinnacle Bank Arena in downtown Lincoln, Neb., where the Husker basketball team plays, helped further push the football decision toward using Cisco.
"We wanted to provide a seamless experience for fans between multiple venues, and to play well with the rest of the campus," Mosier said. "It was just a no-brainer to use a Cisco [Wi-Fi] product."
Also in Cisco's favor was its StadiumVision digital display system and its StadiumVision Mobile product, which both bring advanced IPTV features to static stadium screens as well as to mobile apps. StadiumVision allows for synchronization of programming across a wide array of networked displays, while StadiumVision Mobile supports several live broadcast channels that can be used to provide live content to mobile apps. The Brooklyn Nets use StadiumVision Mobile to bring live action channels to fans who visit the Barclays Center for games.
"We wanted to not just provide the networking infrastructure, but on top of that provide something extra," Mosier said. "Our fans are pretty savvy, and they are looking for things beyond what the casual fan might be looking for. StadiumVision and StadiumVision Mobile makes sense for our fan base. The 'extra screen' approach really lets them control their own video experience."
Some additional replay options in the Husker app
On the Huskers' game day app, Mosier said, fans at the start of the season could choose between three StadiumVision Mobile-powered "channels" that showed the big-screen broadcast, an alternate angle view, and an "all-22" camera that is like what coaches view to see the players across the entire field. A "phase II" of the app live video, which had not yet launched at the time of our interview, will include further user-controlled selections for more camera angles and replays. According to Mosier, the Phase II capabilities are supported by the C-Cast system from EVS. The entire new app, he said, was built by developer NeuLion.
Though Mosier said the live video production for the app was "definitely a growing process" that will require further tuning and learning, he said the system already has impressive performance, with delays between live action and app action at "a second to a second and a half." Mosier said that Nebraska also plans to bring more live action to the mobile app for basketball season, with multiple camera angles including a "slam cam" based near the rims.
Handrails and fan interference of Wi-Fi signals
While the 800 Wi-Fi APs give Nebraska pretty good coverage throughout the facility, Floyd said the IT team knew it would have connectivity challenges in the north and south end zone stands, since neither of those sides have any structural overhangs.
"Since the north and south sides [of the stadium] don't have overhangs we knew they would be problematic," Floyd said. One option used in venues including AT&T Park and Levi's Stadium, the under-the-seat access point, wasn't an option at Memorial Stadium, Floyd said, because the seats there aren't high enough to meet safety requirements for keeping bodies away from the antennas.
One creative way CDW and Nebraska brought Wi-Fi to the north and south stands is via Wi-Fi antennas inside railing enclosures, but those are not without their own challenges. Though the railing antennas get a signal close to fans, the long rows of seats at Memorial Stadium — up to 30 in between rows — means that the "waterbags," or human bodies, can act as signal-blockers for fans in the middle of the rows.
"The first 10 or 12 people on either side get a pretty good signal," said Floyd, but he added that the fans in the middle are still a challenge to reach. Both Mosier and Floyd said Nebraska will continue to seek ways to upgrade the Wi-Fi network, including possibly putting APs on top of towers or in other creative deployments.
"We knew it would need tuning, and some tuning is easier than others," Mosier said. "We know we still have pockets of [connectivity] problems. We knew that when we put in a system like this, it wasn't going to be perfect on day 1."
Something to brag about
According to Floyd, Memorial Stadium has had a Verizon DAS in place for several years, which fulfilled most of the fans' basic cellular connectivity needs since he said that "70 to 75 percent" of Cornhusker fans were Verizon customers. However, the new sound system, with its big speaker arrays, has also given room for AT&T and U.S. Cellular to add some DAS equipment of their own, with antennas mounted right inside the speaker enclosures.
Unlike other schools or teams, the Cornhuskers are not pressed to make money off their wireless network, given the stadium sellout streak that dates back to Nov. 3, 1962. But Mosier said that even the Huskers aren't immune to the lure of the living room couch, with its comfort, HD screen and close-by food and drink.
"We definitely have a blessed situation [with the sellouts]," Mosier said, while allowing that some fans might still prefer sitting at home. "But you can't match the experience of being at the venue," he added. "If we can address the connectivity issues, plus add to the stadium experience [with technology], it's a win-win for us."
Using the app at Memorial Stadium
Filed Under: 4G LTE, Apps, AT&T, Basketball, Cisco, DAS, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, MSR Guides, NCAA Football, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Video Streaming Tagged With: AT&T, Cisco, Cornhuskers, DAS, EVS, IPTV, Memorial Stadium, Mobile Sports Report, NeuLion, Paul Kapustka, Stadium Wi-Fi, StadiumVision, StadiumVision Mobile, U.S. Cellular, University of Nebraska, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi
IBM gets in the arena app game with LTE Broadcast support
May 22, 2014 by Paul Kapustka 1 Comment
This one of the more nuanced press releases we've seen in some time, but there seems to be some meat behind the idea of IBM helping to design an LTE broadcast enabled stadium app for the Amsterdam Arena.
We've reached out to the principals and so far no luck getting anyone on the phone, but we did get some more email info so I think I can piece together most of the story. Basically it appears that IBM has a mobile development program that is called, somewhat obviously, MobileFirst. For the Ajax soccer team, which plays in the 53,052-seat arena (which holds 68,000 for concerts) IBM helped develop an app that uses LTE broadcast to show multiple live video screens, while also allowing fans to interact with the app, doing things like voting for player of the game.
LTE Broadcast support is the thing that makes this particularly interesting for us, since it would be a way to make live video work without having to have a Wi-Fi network. However there are no details about whether a carrier is actually supporting the app in this fashion yet, or if it is live and in use. Good first step, IBM, but you need to do a better job explaining this "news."
Screen shot of IBM app for Ajax football club. Credit: IBM
If you're not familiar with LTE Broadcast (sometimes also called LTE multicast), it is a development around the cellular standard that allows service providers and/or teams and stadiums to use select airwaves as "broadcast" channels, a tactic that can deliver video in a much more efficient manner than, say, thousands of fans hitting a web page and requesting their own individual video feed. The one-to-many concept of LTE Broadcast is being embraced by U.S. carriers as well, and Verizon Wireless, which showed demos of the technology during Super Bowl week, is supposed to be doing another demo this weekend at the Indy 500.
Cisco's SportsVision Mobile uses a similar distribution method (currently in use at the Barclays Center), but that technology takes advantage of in-building Wi-Fi. What's not clear about LTE Broadcast in a stadium situation is whether or not you need extra equipment, or whether existing DAS deployments can handle LTE Broadcast without modification. Also unclear is whether or not client devices, like smartphones and tablets, need modification to run LTE Broadcast enabled apps.
From the press release and the screen shots, the IBM app for Ajax looks pretty good, but again, we'd want to talk to the folks at the stadium to see if it's actually being used by real fans, or if this is still slideware. Anyone who lives over there who might go to the stadium, let us know if you know.
Filed Under: 4G LTE, AT&T, Cisco, DAS, Soccer, Verizon Wireless, Wi-Fi Tagged With: 4G LTE, Ajax, Amsterdam Arena, AT&T, DAS, iBM, KPN, LTE Broadcast, LTE multicast, Mobile Sports Report, MobileFirst, Paul Kapustka, Stadium Wi-Fi, StadiumVision Mobile, Verizon Wireless
Norwegian soccer league signs with Cisco for stadium Wi-Fi, StadiumVision Mobile
January 30, 2014 by Paul Kapustka Leave a Comment
In a business agreement unique because of its breadth, Cisco has signed a league-wide deal with the Norwegian Professional Football League to put Cisco's Connected Stadium Wi-Fi infrastructure and its StadiumVision Mobile video system in possibly as many as 16 different stadiums.
In taking a quick look at some video on the league's site it doesn't appear that the NPFL has huge stadiums, but signing league-wide deals for its stadium technology is always a win for a provider like Cisco. With many teams, especially smaller operations, not having a lot of technology expertise on staff can mean that banding together as a league makes sense to strike better deals and to help figure out the technology in a way that benefits everyone.
Working with a local integrator called Datametrix, Cisco said it has four teams signed up already to implement the technology, with two scheduled to be finished before the end of the season. Though the overall deal is managed through the league, each team is responsible for funding its own infrastructure so the schedule of deployments is open-ended.
Though Cisco has been the equipment provider for Wi-Fi services in many stadium deployments worldwide, its StadiumVision Mobile technology — which "broadcasts" as many as four separate channels in-venue, which in the sports world is usually live camera feeds or replays — is fairly new. A signature deployment of StadiumVision Mobile is at the Brooklyn Nets' Barclays Center, where the stadium app shows live video from different camera angles.
Filed Under: Cisco, Live Sports Video Consumption, Soccer, Wi-Fi Tagged With: Cisco, Connected Stadium Wi-Fi, Mobile Sports Report, Paul Kapustka, Soccer, StadiumVision Mobile, Wi-Fi
Stadium Tech Report: Wi-Fi, DAS and live video get good reception at Barclays Center
January 22, 2014 by Paul Kapustka 3 Comments
Concessions feature of Barclays Stadium app. Credit: Barclays Center
Sometimes, the best surprise is no surprise. That's the case when it comes to technology deployments at the still-new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the Wi-Fi, DAS and live video on both fixed and mobile platforms are all performing pretty much as expected.
According to Chip Foley, vice president of building technology for Forest City Ratner Companies (the developer of Barclays Center), perhaps the only mild surprise so far at the just-over-a-year-old Barclays is that the biggest Wi-Fi usage came not during a sporting event, but instead at the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony this past August.
"We had 7,000 people using the Wi-Fi network at the VMAs, and I was a little surprised at that," said Foley. At Brooklyn Nets games, Foley said, the average Wi-Fi load in the 17,500-seat arena is somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 users per game. In a recent phone interview, Foley recapped the performance of the stadium's cutting-edge technology, which also includes one of the first deployments of Cisco's StadiumVision Mobile, which brings live video feeds to fans using the stadium app. There's also Cisco-powered digital displays throughout the arena, and a robust DAS deployment to make sure regular cellular connections don't fail.
HD Wi-Fi attracts 20 percent of attendees
Barclays Center, which opened in September of 2012, had the benefit that few NBA stadiums have in that it was built from the ground up with networking as a key component. If Foley has any regrets about the Cisco Connected Stadium Wi-Fi deployment, it's that it hasn't really been fully tested yet. Even during the VMAs, Foley said he was using the in-building Wi-Fi to watch 10 different streaming video views on his laptop, from the red carpet cameras to the behind-the-scenes views of stars getting their awards.
Chip Foley
"Our goal was to build as robust a network as possible, so that we can handle big needs of one-off events [like the VMAs] as well as the 41+ Nets games every season," Foley said. With two 1-gigabit backbone lines providing Internet access, Foley said the Barclays network is meeting its goal of being "as fast as your fiber connection at home."
The only drawback so far seems to be getting more fans to try out the network connection when they are at the games or events. According to Foley, despite advertising and promotions, Nets crowds almost always hit a figure of between 20 percent and 25 percent of them being online, a "Groundhog Day" situation that has Foley wondering whether it's a natural limit.
"That may just be the number of fans who want to use it [the network]" at a game, Foley said.
The Barclays Center DAS, deployed by ExteNet Systems using gear in part from TE Connectivity, is another non-surprise center for Foley.
"The DAS is great, we never get complaints [about cellular connectivity]," Foley said. "You dread hearing that people can't send texts. That just hasn't happened."
Digital displays, both mobile and fixed
One of the more compelling features of the Barclays tech experience is the implementation of Cisco's StadiumVision Mobile technology, which brings several live "channels" of video to any fan using the Wi-Fi connection and the stadium app, which was built by WillowTree. With views from the benches, behind the basket and quick replays, Barclays can bring an up-close and personal view to even those far away from the court.
StadiumVision Mobile app being used in Barclays Center. Credit: Barclays Center
"StadiumVision Mobile is great for the upper pavilion seats, you can now get a view from a different perspective, and get replays," Foley said. According to Foley, Cisco engineers tested the technology's performance to ensure that it worked at every seat in the house.
Fixed digital displays are also a key technology at Barclays, starting with the unique Oculus display built into the striking exterior of the building, and continuing to the hundreds of digital displays inside. Using the Cisco Stadium Vision digital display technology, Barclays Center is able to change and update information on single screens or on all screens on the fly, allowing for greater flexibility in terms of messaging and information like concession-stand prices. Barclays also uses its displays to show train schedules, giving fans better information to plan their departures from events.
"The Stadium Vision displays have been nothing but great for us — we sold a lot of advertising on them even before launch," Foley said. "It's fun for our content group to build out content for the L-boards [displays where an L-shaped advertisement brackets other information on the screen], and keep it changing. Restaurant operators can use an iPad to change prices [on their screens] right before an event. They don't have to talk to us. Overall, it's a lot less maintenance than I expected or anticipated."
If Foley had one chance to do anything over again with displays, it would be to add more of them to the original mix. His lesson to future stadium display builders is: If you're in doubt, put up more.
"We must have had 30-plus meetings regarding [internal] TV locations, with 3D modeling and fly-throughs," Foley said. "For the most part, I'm happy. But if I could, I would have more clusters [of screens]. Wherever there is one screen now, I wish I had three. People always look at a cluster."
Adding new screens after the fact, Foley said, isn't as simple as going to Best Buy to pick up a discount TV.
"You might be able to buy a TV for a couple hundred bucks on Black Friday, but no one tells you that to put that in a venue, once you get past union costs, connectivity and everything else, it's about $5,000," Foley said. "It's way more money to add them now."
What's next: iBeacon, Google Glass and more analytics
What's in the future for Barclays technology? For starters, Foley will oversee deployment of Wi-Fi services for the outside spaces surrounding the arena.
"It'd be nice to have Wi-Fi for ticket scanning outside the venue," said Foley. "That's one of those things that you don't understand the need for it until you open the stadium and see what happens."
Barclays is also looking into testing the Apple iBeacon technology, which can send text messages to devices in very close proximity. Technologies like iBeacon and even digital signage must also cross internal administrative hurdles, such as simply training sales forces and alerting advertisers to the opportunities.
"For some of the streams, there's the question of 'how do we sell this' — the team has never done this and sponsors may not be aware," Foley said. "You also have to figure out things like how many notifications and emails should we send out. You don't want to send out too many, because that turns people off."
Foley said the Barclays social media team is also at the start of a process of mining statistics from places like Twitter, Facebook and other social media streams, to get a better handle on what fans are using the technology for and how the experience might be improved. One possible way is through a Google Glass application, something Foley agreed might not be for everyone.
"I'm fascinated by the possibility of something like an XML stats feed [in Google Glass] where you'd still be able to watch the game," Foley said. "We're getting closer! It's not for everybody, but some portion of the population is probably thinking that way."
Filed Under: 4G LTE, Apple, Apps, Cisco, DAS, Facebook, iPad, Live Sports Video Consumption, MSR Guides, NBA, Twitter, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Video Streaming Tagged With: Barclays Center, Brooklyn Nets, Cisco, Cisco Connected Stadium Wi-Fi, DAS, ExteNet Systems, Facebook, live video, Mobile Sports Report, NBA, Paul Kapustka, Stadium Vision, Stadium Wi-Fi, StadiumVision Mobile, TE Connectivity, Twitter, WillowTree
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STADIUM TECH REPORT WINTER 2021: AT&T STADIUM REWRITES THE DAS PLAYBOOK
Our latest report provides an in-depth look at the new distributed antenna system at AT&T Stadium, plus analysis on hyperconvergence for venues. READ THE ISSUE NOW
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Choose one of Jaybird Quilt patterns, Cookie Cutter or Snack Time. Make these quilts planned or scrappy and they will be beautiful. Cookie Cutter requires the Super Sidekick Ruler and Snack Time requires the Hex N More Ruler. These rulers are fun to use and make beautiful quilts!


Here's the deal, Forty is knocking on my door. That cheeseburger I ate last night doesn't disappear like it use to. I have to actually work out now. We all know that sometimes we just "forget" to workout. I want something Yummy in my Tummy so I need Yummie Tummie to be a Yummy Mummy!
It's not just my tummy though. What about those flanks? I swear I was born with fat already there. No matter what I do, there it is. My old cheer coach use to poke me there and maybe me even more aware of my "issue".
So here's the deal. I want to look HOT on my fortieth birthday! I want to wear a skin tight black dress, like this one over on the Yummie Tummie webpage. I'll continue to work my booty off between now and then, but I'm still going to need a little extra help!
The amazing Christina over at Mommy Loves Coffee has hosting a contest and if I win it just might help me achieve my fortieth birthday look. This year at Blogher here in San Diego, One lucky winner (me) will win a head-to-toe wardrobe and style session from Yummie Tummie!!!! Um Hello!!! I need this! Do you hear me? I want to be a yummie mummie!!!! Oh, and I have the perfect shoes for that black dress! Also, this almost 40 year old needs a little help in the wardrobe department.
Head over to Yummie Mummie's facebook page and let me know what you think I should wear. Feel free to click like while you're there. Don't forget to follow them on twitter and follow #YummieChristina for updates!
Oh, and if you want to enter too, you need to do so by tomorrow!!!! Head over to Mommy Loves Coffee and just follow the instructions.


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Broad Bipartisan Support for Congressional Armenian Caucus Calls for Expanded Aid to Karabakh and Armenia
March 22, 2016 News ANCA
— More than 30 U.S. Representatives Call for $5 million in Aid to Karabakh; Over $40 million to Armenia; $10 Million for Syrian Armenians
WASHINGTON, DC – A bipartisan group of over 30 U.S. Representatives joined Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Robert Dold (R-IL) in urging leaders of the House Subcommittee dealing with foreign aid to strengthen the U.S. – Armenia relationship through expanded assistance to Karabakh and Armenia, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"Friends of Armenia from across America thank Representatives Dold and Pallone – Co-Chairs of the Congressional Armenian Caucus – for their leadership in advancing a broad array of foreign aid priorities that advance U.S. interests, promote regional peace and stability, and strengthen the enduring bonds that have long connected the American and Armenian peoples," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "We are particularly encouraged by prospects for progress in supporting the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Center in Stepanakert, in suspending U.S. military aid to Baku, and in securing U.S. funding to help Armenia provide transition support to individuals from Syria who have found safe haven in Armenia."
The letter, addressed to House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) and Ranking Democrat Nita Lowey (D_NY) advocated the following foreign aid priorities:
— Allocate at least $5 million in Fiscal Year 2017 for humanitarian and development programs in Nagorno Karabakh.
— Allocate not less than $40 million in overall Fiscal Year 2017 economic aid (including Economic Support Fund, International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement, and Global Health Programs), is appropriated for Armenia.
— Suspend U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan until its government ceases cross-border attacks, ends its threat of renewed war, and agrees to a settlement of regional conflicts through peaceful means.
— Close gaps in the distribution of need-based aid to at-risk minority populations in Syria, including Armenians; and, ensure the allocation to Armenia of a proportional level of U.S. and international aid supporting the efforts to regional states to resettle those fleeing from Syria.
— Target at least 10 percent of aid to Georgia to fund sustainable job-creation programs in the Samtskhe-Javakheti.
— Narrow the President's waiver authority of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan
— Reinstate the Nagorno Karabakh Republic into the OSCE Minsk Group peace process as a full negotiating partner.
Joining Representatives Dold and Pallone in cosigning this letter were: Gus Bilirakis (R-Fl), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Mike Coffman (R-CO), Jim Costa (D-CA), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), James Langevin (D-RI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Jared Polis (D-CO), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
The full text of the letter is available here:
http://anca.org/assets/graphics/2016/FY17_ArmenianCaucus_AidPriorities.pdf
Pro-Armenia advocates from across the U.S. traveled to Washington, DC on March 15/16 as part of the ANCA Fly-In for Peace, Prosperity and Justice to advocate for the Congressional Armenian Caucus' Armenia aid priorities along with a series of other community concerns. Thousands of Armenian Americans also participated in online and call-in efforts organized by the ANCA in support of the initiative. Legislative Affairs Director Raffi Karakashian shared similar requests in the ANCA's Congressional testimony available here:
http://anca.org/assets/graphics/2016/ANCA_FY2017_House_ForeignOps_Testimony.pdf
In February, President Obama issued his FY 2017 budget proposal, calling for a $22.412 million allocation in economic aid to Armenia – a 22% increase over last year's request, but far less than the $40 million previously advanced by the ANCA and Congressional Armenian Caucus. The FY2017 request for Azerbaijan is $10,936,000. The White House's proposal did maintain parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of appropriated military aid, with International Military Education and Training (IMET) assistance set at $600,000 and Foreign Military Finance (FMF) at $1,000,000. President Obama also requested $1,700,000 for International Narcotics Control and Law enforcement for Armenia.
Photo: Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone discussing Armenian foreign aid priorities with ANCA National Board Members and Vardan Tadevosyan, Director of the Baroness Cox Rehabilitation Center in Stepanakert, Artsakh during the ANCA Advocacy Fly-In on March 15/16.
Images from the ANCA Fly-In are available on the organization's Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153635776416859.1073741956.16968936858&type=3

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Quatro control panel is designed, manufactured and tested to fully meet the requirements of EN54 part 2 and part 4. This panel is of a modular nature and can be supplied in 1, 2, 3, and 4 loop versions.
A specially designed Quatro Configuration software is available for configuring the panel or multi-panels and can be downloaded to the system via USB connection.
Up to 32 panels/repeaters can be networked over 10,000m of data cable and a special alarm management system can provide all needs for very large projects such as university campus, hospital complex etc.
Can be configured via PC or via Panel.


'Darling Days': His anatomy said girl. His reality said boy.
In the poignant memoir "Darling Days," Wright, an artist, activist, former child actor and a co-host of the MTV reality series "Suspect," delves into his tumultuous upbringing and struggles with identity. Wright grew up in a chaotic downtown Manhattan apartment, a place that "stood out for the refinement of its violence, for its kaleidoscopic intensity." Raised by a single mother — a dancer whose drug and alcohol use contributed to some erratic behavior — Wright developed a survivalist's grit.
Home life presents a host of other challenges. As Wright grows older, Rhonna becomes increasingly unpredictable — full of love for her child but prone to outbursts, partly a side effect of mixing alcohol with the drug Desoxyn. The fridge is full of inedible, expired food, and the apartment is disheveled and unclean. In one of the photographs scattered through the book, a skinny Wright lies tangled in blankets and sheets on a bed surrounded by moving boxes; in another, Wright stares sadly at the camera, an arm in a sling.
Eventually, Wright seeks the guidance of a school counselor and ends up in child welfare protection; then Wright's father, who lives in Europe, takes custody. But that living situation turns out to be less than ideal, too, and Wright is sent to a boarding school in England. It's there that the author experiences the all-consuming passion of first love (with a young woman) before being expelled for standing up for his rights. Back in New York with his mother — "for all her crazy, she's always had a roof to put over my head" — these days are anything but darling as Wright grapples with family tensions and romantic entanglements.
Wright is currently at work on an art project called "Self Evident Truths," photographing 10,000 people who fall somewhere on the LGBT spectrum. Once he reaches that goal (he has more than 9,000 photos at the moment), the portraits will be displayed in front of the Washington Monument. "Human beings start putting each other into boxes the second that they see each other," Wright says in the opening of the TedxWomen talk "Fifty Shades of Gay." His art — and this book — compellingly shows the folly of that.
Michele Filgate is a freelance writer and contributing editor at Literary Hub and VP/Awards for the National Book Critics Circle. She lives in Brooklyn.


Ellen Nowak, member of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.
Wisconsin ranks 49th in the country for internet speed and gets low marks for citizens' access to broadband internet. The situation is hurting the state's economy, experts say, and few would argue against investments to improve this situation.
But clean energy advocates are upset that state regulators want to use funds from the Focus on Energy program — meant for energy efficiency and renewables — to address the broadband crisis.
During a Dec. 1 hearing, the state Public Service Commission decided on plans that emphasize broadband access as a path to energy efficiency, dedicating more than $8 million from Focus on Energy funds toward internet access and giving internet service provider (ISP) companies a leadership role in the program.
Efficiency advocates say that while the internet clearly has a role in efficiency programs and devices, there are much more cost-effective and targeted options than the latest proposal, which they see as a diversion of badly needed dollars.
Advocates have been concerned the state would take this route since at least October, when the issue was heatedly discussed at an Oct. 20 Public Service Commission hearing. There, chair Ellen Nowak assured upset citizens that the commission was not planning to use renewable and efficiency funds to increase broadband access. "This is not about spending Focus funds on broadband infrastructure," she said at that hearing.
But commissioners decided last week to do just that, as advocates including Clean Wisconsin and RePower Madison see it. A final written order still needs to be drafted by staff and then approved by commissioners. But public comment is closed, and the order now can only be challenged through circuit court.
The commission plan calls for distributing 97,000 energy efficiency kits that include LED light bulbs, weatherization spray foam and other efficiency items, plus a voucher for $50 towards new or upgraded internet service. That equates to a total of up to $4.8 million worth of vouchers. It appears ISPs will be the ones tasked with advertising and distributing the kits.
Keith Reopelle, senior policy director of Clean Wisconsin, said that it was highly unusual for the commission to assign a role for specific businesses, since that's usually the responsibility of CB&I, the company that administers Focus on Energy.
It appears the companies that would benefit from the Focus on Energy programs are Centurytel, Frontier and AT&T, which serve the rural areas targeted by the commission.
The commission also decided to grant about $4 million specifically to upgrade ISPs' infrastructure. It is not clear exactly what the funds will be used for. Advocates note that improving the companies' own energy efficiency would fall within the scope of Focus on Energy's purpose, but they worry the funds could also be used for other infrastructure needs.
Andy Olsen, a senior policy advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, said that while the infrastructure investment could mean significant energy savings at the ISPs' facilities, such an effort should have been made available to a wider range of companies.
"It's the Focus on Energy program, not the Focus on Broadband program," said Olsen, noting that the commission probably felt under pressure from widespread media coverage of Wisconsin's broadband failings and pressure from citizen groups on the issue.
Telecommunications expert Barry Orton, a University of Wisconsin professor emeritus, said he was not at all surprised to hear that the commissioners were — as critics see it — channeling public funds to private companies.
Orton noted that neither the vouchers nor the infrastructure funds mean the actual quality of internet service will improve.
The commission has said the funds for broadband will go specifically to rural areas designated by a national study as being underserved, which are defined as being served by fewer than two broadband providers.
CB&I raised concerns about this approach in a memo filed with the commission. CB&I noted that there are tens of thousands of rural Wisconsin residents who do not live in areas identified as underserved, and these often elderly and low-income people are being left out of the program even though they could benefit from energy efficiency.
"This isn't a subsidy, it's an incentive to get customers to use the internet for energy efficiency programs or devices," Nowak said.
There appears to be significant tension between the commission and CB&I over the role of broadband in the Focus programs. In memos, CB&I raised various concerns and proposed alterations to the commission's requests related to broadband. Along with its concerns about how target rural areas are defined, CB&I questioned whether the broadband investments would fulfill the legal requirements that Focus on Energy programs meet a certain cost-benefit ratio.
During the Dec. 1 hearing, Nowak noted CB&I's concern and said that each Focus on Energy program does not need to pass the cost-benefit test, as long as the portfolio as a whole does so.
CB&I also raised concerns about whether the ISPs would do a good job of distributing the energy efficiency kits, since ISP staff wouldn't necessarily be prepared to answer customers' general questions about energy efficiency.
At the Dec. 1 hearing, Commissioner Mike Huebsch appeared to suggest CB&I's future as the Focus on Energy contractor could be in jeopardy because of its concerns over the broadband programs.
CB&I has gained high marks for its administration of Focus On Energy, which was launched in 2000 and has meant significant energy and cost savings, according to independent analyses.
At a Nov. 23 hearing, the commission made the case for developing "partnerships" with internet service providers, and also criticized the concerns CB&I had raised.
"Commission staff's research indicates that technology has changed considerably since the Focus program was implemented, making the internet a key forum for customers to equally access Focus benefits, participate in markets for energy efficiency, and increase rural economic development, all of which are statutory goals of the Focus program," says the commission memo.
But clean energy advocates agree with CB&I and argue that the broadband initiatives could be breaking the laws that govern Focus on Energy.
Reopelle noted that a law passed in 2005 redefining the program —Act 141 — was meant specifically to prevent Focus on Energy funds from being used for other purposes. The law was passed after the funds were used to bolster the state's general budget.
This is what you voted for Wisconsin.


Fira is the capital of Santorini, located on the west coast of the island, above the rocks of the Caldera opposite the volcano. Modern Fira is the cultural and commercial center of Santorini.
There are many remarkable things about Fira that are worth a look.
Apart from museums, galleries and cultural events, it has the largest shopping center on the island and the largest selection of food and entertainment.
Fira is the head of the night entertainment section and many bars and cafés are located on the Caldera, while others, as well as large clubs, enter the picturesque cobblestone streets that cross the city.
There are so many places to explore and so many places to see. The Caldera of Fira is connected to a path at the edge of the rock that starts directly above the Townhall and ends on the hill at the Nomikos Conference Center.
The volcano can be seen from every point, as do the magnificent sunsets. Sunset time in Santorini seems to be the only time of the day when everything, and everyone stops moving.
Υou have the opportunity to visit Fira by Fira private tours and visit the most important and beautiful places on this island with local Fira private guided tours.
Firostefani is an old village just north of Fira, which has been merged with Fira and has become one of its suburbs. The name Firostefani means Crown of Fira and stefani means crown. The main features are traditional houses, narrow paths and views of the volcano.
Kontochori is also a suburb of Fira, a 15-minute walk from the main square. It is located down the road as you leave the center that leads north towards Oia. Kontochori features an outdoor summer cinema.
The old harbor of Santorini is located at the bottom of the Caldera rocks in Fira. There are restaurants, tavernas and small shops at the harbor.
You can reach the old harbor by going down 600 stone steps or on a mule or take the cable car that stars from the top of the Caldera of Fira.
One can see several small boat boats, the boats that depart daily at the "Nea Kameni" volcano, the Hot Straits in "Old Kameni", Thirasia and Oia for the sunset.
It is a great way to realize what Santorini is and where you really are. You have to get to know the island from the foot of the Caldera rocks and the best way to do it is by the sea.
The history of Fira as a settlement began in the second half of the 18th century when the Venetian nobles and the Catholic community left Skaros Castle in Imerovigli, the capital of Santorini at that time and after a prolonged period of earthquakes.
In the early 19th century, Santorini fell to the Turks, and the islanders no longer had to face the constant fear of pirate raids on the island. Then the islands became the capital of the island, replacing the successor of Skaros, who was the Castle of the Tower.
Santorini is a very large island and it is known about the great distances that you have to make from one place to an other. So before you travel to this island you have to consider your transportation very seriously.
Santorini private tours is the solution to your problem. The only thing you have to do is to pick up the phone or send an e-mail to us and book Fira transfers or even better book a Fira private guided transfers. In this way you are going to go directly to all the places you want to visit without spending hours to find the right way or ask passers-by in order to receive historical information about the places you go to.


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Bay Delta Fish You've Never Heard Of: Sacramento Splittail
Bay Delta Fish You've Never Heard Of: Sacramento Splittail | KCET
Bay Delta
Sacramento splittail | Photo: USFWS/Flickr/Creative Commons License
An explanatory series focusing on one of the most complex issues facing California: water sharing. And at its core is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. Stay with kcet.org/baydelta for all the project's stories.
The Chinook salmon, the Delta smelt, and a couple other fish like striped bass and sturgeon seem to get all the glory when it comes to struggling fish in the Bay Delta. But there's a lot more to the declining fish populations of California's beating heart than those few celebrities.
Take, for example, the Sacramento splittail, a relative of carp that once ranged throughout the Central Valley's watercourses. The splittail was once abundant enough to provide a substantial Native fishery; abundant splittail bones have been found in middens at Native settlement sites along the shores of the former Tulare Lake.
Now, the splittail is restricted to the Delta and interior portions of the Bay. Its numbers are but a fraction of the species' former population and getting smaller. But it isn't protected under either the state or federal Endangered Species Acts...and when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service attempted to list it 15 years ago, a bit of pressure from water companies made the agency change its mind.
Pogonichthys macrolepidotus, as the splittail is known to science, is an attractive silver-gray fish that can reach about 15 inches long. A habitue of slow-moving water in stagnant channels, the splittail lives on microfauna such as insects, small clams and crustaceans, and -- when flood season allows it access to submerged grasslands -- earthworms. But by far the splittail's favorite food is the opossum shrimp Neomysis mercedis.
That favorite food is essentially gone from the Bay Delta. Neomysis mercedis lives primarily on plankton, and the plankton content of the Bay Delta has dropped drastically for a number of reasons, including the introduction of exotic clams that suck up all the plankton in the water.
Fortunately for the splittail, it has discovered it can subsist on one of those clams, the Amur River clam Corbula amurensis.
In addition to its food supply being undermined, the splittail has also, like the Delta's Chinook and other fish, been deprived of its spawning habitat. Unlike anadromous fish that head as far upstream as possible to spawn, splittails rely on floodplains toward the bottom of the river valley, just a little upstream from the Central Delta. Seasonal flooding of wetlands and grasslands provided the splittail with places to lay eggs, in protected submerged vegetation that mostly wouldn't dry out too quickly for the juveniles to swim back to permanent water. But in the last 150 years, we've diked off most of those seasonal floodplains to keep them dry during all but the worst floods.
Water exports from the Delta are a problem, of course. Not only do our diversions reduce the amount of fresh water in the system and alter the region's hydrology, to the detriment of the fish, but the pumps themselves can cause immense damage to the juvenile splittails. In one six-week period in 2011, according to the Bureau of Reclamation, the pumps of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project killed about 6.5 million juvenile splittail. And that was after several years of dramatic decline in the fish's numbers.
Though splittail are still found outside the Delta in Suisun Bay and the marshes north of San Pablo Bay, their numbers have dwindled to the point where there are few splittail connecting the easternmost and westernmost populations. A recent study showed that splittail in the Napa and Petaluma Rivers have developed significant genetic differences from their Delta cousins, an indication of reproductive isolation. The near-continuous historic populations of the fish in freshwater marshes along the North Bay shorelines would likely have prevented such isolation.
None of this is news to fisheries folk. Concern about the decline of Sacramento splittail was significant enough that wildlife protection groups the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Heritage Institute petitioned to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1992. In 1994, USFWS responded to that petition by proposing to list the splittail as threatened. It took five years and a lawsuit by the Center and the Sierra Club to make that listing actually happen, in 1999. In the following year, water agencies sued USFWS to reverse the listing. A court ordered USFWS to review the listing, and in 2004 -- in a move widely interpreted as a Bush Administration concession to industry -- USFWS reversed itself and decided the splittail wasn't in need of protection.
Eleven years on, that's where the splittail stands.
The good news is that, should the USFWS decide to protect the Sacramento splittail, it might not take long to get the fish's numbers climbing again. Splittails mature sexually at two years of age and can produce lots of offspring each year. And the floodplains they require as spawning habitat, if expanded and gven water, would also boost the phytoplankton in the Delta that those invasive clams have been vacuuming up.
That is, of course, assuming both the political will to save the splittail and an easing of the drought, and it's hard to figure which condition is more likely to come first. Without both, the Sacramento splittail's fate may match that of its closest cousin, the Clear Lake splittail Pogonichthys ciscoides, last seen in the 1970s and now presumed extinct.
Bay Delta Fish You've Never Heard Of: Sacramento Perch
If there were any Delta fish tailor-made to withstand the drought, it would have to be the Sacramento perch. And yet it's almost certainly extinct in the Delta.
Bay Delta Fish You've Never Heard Of: Longfin Smelt
The Threatened Delta smelt is famous, but there's another smelt in the Bay Delta whose decline is worrying wildlife partisans.
The Delta Smelt: Keystone Species, Political Flashpoint, Possibly Already Extinct
It used to be so common that trawlers caught it to send to markets. Now, it will likely be extinct in a few years... if it isn't already.
central valley project
delta smelt
san pablo bay
State Water Project
Suisun Bay
tulare lake
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
@bdp


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ABOUT OUR PRACTITIONERS
Mulberry House brings together a team of highly experienced, independent practitioners. All our practitioners* are affiliated with recognised professional bodies related to the therapies they practice. This ensures that each practitioner follows a code of professional conduct as prescribed by their registering body. All practitioners also hold their own professional indemnity insurance.
Mulberry House actively encourages all practitioners and teachers to be involved in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to ensure that they are continually updating their practice skills.
*All practitioners based in Mulberry House are self employed and are not employed by Mulberry House.
Amanda first qualified in Swedish Massage, Aromatherapy and Reflexology in 1999 and has been a full time therapist and avid
Anne Young runs her ever popular Baby Massage courses weekly in the Mulberry House studio. She has been a practicing
Anu Sharma graduated as an acupuncturist from the Northern College of Acupuncture (NCA) in York and is a member of
Audrey Scott set up Summit Life Coaching Ltd in 2013 and has respected qualifications from leading organisations and individuals in
Avril Berry has been with Mulberry House since it was founded in 1999 and runs very popular classes for all
Beverley Bruce teaches Pregnancy Yoga and Yoga workshops from the Mulberry House studio. Beverley is an experienced senior-level Yoga Teacher, Psychotherapist,
Caroline Toshack is a Therapeutic Coach and Movement Therapist with over 20 years experience in the field of health and
Transcendental Meditation Therapist Chris first learnt Transcendental Meditation (TM) in 1971 and subsequently spent many years studying with Maharishi's TM
Dr Richard Cosway is a clinical psychologist with over 15 experience of working in the NHS. He draws on different
Fiona Gilbraith CST-D-MCSS, qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist in 1985 and worked in the NHS for 13 years. During this
Fiona Serle is a massage therapist, offering treatments to suit everyone from pregnancy massage through to sports massage. Fiona studied
Jahna Clark teaches her somatic yoga classes, Essential Somatic Movement classes and weekend workshops from the Mulberry House studio. Jahna
Jane Beazley joined Mulberry House in 2016, after completing her Masters degree in osteopathy at the European School of Osteopathy,
Jian completed a five-year intensive course in the School of Acupuncture Moxibustion, in Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM),
Jo Bluett trained in the Bowen Technique with the Bowen Association UK, accredited to the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia.
Karen Beveridge treats both children and adults using Johansen Individualised Auditory Stimulation, Neuro Developmental Movement Programme and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). With a considerable
Karen runs the British Homeopathic Associations' (BHA) charitable clinic in Edinburgh, which was set up in October 2017. This clinic
Kay Hush teaches her much-loved Tuesday morning yoga classes from Mulberry House. In the early part of her career Kay
Lesley Munro has practiced Homeopathy from Mulberry House for over 15 years. Lesley graduated from The Northern College of Homeopathic
Lisa qualified in 2004 from the British College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM) in London. She then returned to do a
Edinburgh's best facialist Elizabeth McCarron trained at the prestigious London Esthetique School of Beauty under the formidable Beryl Barnard, who
Margaret Moroney is an integrative counsellor drawing influence from her training in psychodynamic and person-centred counselling, as well as her
Patrick Harding is the principal Osteopath at Mulberry House. He studied in London at the British College of Naturopathy and
Polly Rewt qualified as a yoga teacher in 2008, she hails from Colorado and has lived in Edinburgh for over
Acupuncture Quintus Farrell has been practicing acupuncture since 1996. He studied at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine in Reading,
Roisin has been in full-time practice as a Registered Nutritional Therapist since 2010 with experience in supporting a wide range
Ruth Johnson is an integrative Cognitive Behaviour Therapist with over twenty years experience in the field of mental health and wellbeing.
Stu graduated in Swedish massage from the Lothian School of massage in 2005. He began his his practice at Mulberry
Sumlee Forrest, Massage Therapist, has passionately studied and nurtured her skills for many years now. Sumlee believes that massage can


Chatham News » INTERNATIONALChatham News - Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pa., has a long history of commitment to the environment and today is a recognized leader in the field of sustainability.
This story originally appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of the Recorder.
That's in the best of times.
But on April 25, 2015, Devin woke to news of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal. Approximately 9,000 people were killed and more than 21,000 injured. Devin and his wife had spent time there the previous fall, made friends, and fallen in love with the region. Devin—a student in Chatham's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and a nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC—knew that he had to help. Just over two weeks later, a second earthquake killed at least 153 people and injured more than 3,200. That was the day Devin arrived in Nepal.
"When I arrived, my friend drove me to a community health clinic, where I saw people lined up out the door. Suturing and setting broken bones and dislocated limbs aren't typical nursing practices in the US, but in third-world trauma environments, your scope of practice is directly proportional to your knowledge and level of comfort," Devin says. "We worked with the highest degree of sterility possible using the supplies I carried from the US. We worked in the street, day and night, through heat and rain, under temporary tarps and in tents because damage to the hospital made it unsafe. Patients arrived on overcrowded buses. Three people per seat wasn't infrequent, and you'd see men, women, and children hanging off the roofs." It wasn't uncommon for patients to arrive in need of critical treatment due to accidents caused by this method of travel that was both unsafe and unavoidable.
After a couple of weeks, Devin and a guide loaded up five yaks with life-saving provisions and set forth to Thame, a village in the Everest mountain region that had been all but wiped out. They made what was normally a five-day trek to the village in two days, hiking 12-hour days carrying 50-60 pounds of supplies.
Eventually, Devin wants to open a community health clinic in West Africa. He envisions a solar-powered clinic focused on sustainable community health and education that can also provide emergency medical capabilities. He views his experiences in Nepal as simultaneously good training and a valuable expansion of perspective.
More than ever, the world is becoming an increasingly close social and economic global entity. Today's students need to be well prepared to function and thrive within the context of the global economy. At Chatham, students get a leg up on their competition on this front thanks in part to the University's award-winning Global Focus Program.
Launched in 1995, the Global Focus Program concentrates on one country, region or subject of global relevance each year, inviting the university community to study that country or subject through coursework, class assignments, campus events, community activities, overseas travels, co-curricular initiatives and service learning projects.
"When you are a Chatham undergrad, you do your four years here and get your bachelor's degree, but you've also gained pretty deep knowledge of the culture, economics, and history of four countries or regions of the world," said Dr. Jean-Jacques Sène, Ph.D., assistant professor of history and Global Focus Coordinator.
The Global Focus Program has designated 2016-2017 the Year of Canada. The second largest country in the world by size, with a history of relatively peaceful relations between First Nations and Euro-descendants, Canada's standing in the global arena will only grow as the economic and strategic stakes centered around the Northwest Passage become more urgent.
One of the key elements of the Global Focus Program is full curricular integration, demonstrated through the All-Campus Author, which this year will feature Richard Wagamese's book One Native Life. Wagamese is one of Canada's foremost writers and storytellers, and members of the Canadian Native groups will visit Chatham throughout the year to discuss the book. All incoming first-year students take a communications seminar, which will feature this book. Three graduate courses also assign the book, offering the opportunity for grad students to visit the undergraduate sections for short presentations and to lead discussions.
One of the most recent events held as part of the Global Focus program is the Canadian Business Education Networking event, which featured the opportunity for students to interact with Pittsburgh area business leaders with Canadian connections at the Eden Hall Campus. A tour and networking opportunity were highlighted by speakers, including an appearance by Aafke Loney MBA '11, who created Business and Education Connected LLC to connect students to current job markets through the integration of strength, discovery and interest awareness. Loney is also the co-owner of the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms hockey team.
The Global Focus Program has been a hallmark of the Chatham University experience since 1995. The Global Focus Year of the Communities of Islam received the 2002-2003 Institute of International Education's Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education.