text:
package info.fingo.urlopia.request;

import info.fingo.urlopia.acceptance.Acceptance;
import info.fingo.urlopia.request.occasional.OccasionalType;
import info.fingo.urlopia.user.User;

import javax.persistence.*;
import java.time.LocalDate;
import java.time.LocalDateTime;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Set;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;

@Entity
@Table(name = "Requests")
public class Request {

    @Id
    @SequenceGenerator(name = "requests_id_seq", sequenceName = "requests_id_seq", allocationSize = 1)
    @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY, generator = "requests_id_seq")
    private Long id;

    @Column(nullable = false)
    private LocalDateTime created;

    @Column(nullable = false)
    private LocalDateTime modified;

    @ManyToOne
    @JoinColumn(nullable = false)
    private User requester;

    @Column(nullable = false)
    private LocalDate startDate;

    @Column(nullable = false)
    private LocalDate endDate;

    @Column(nullable = false)
    private Integer workingDays;

    @Column(nullable = false)
    @Enumerated(EnumType.STRING)
    private RequestType type;

    @Column
    private String typeInfo;

    @Column
    @Enumerated(EnumType.STRING)
    private Status status;

    @OneToMany(mappedBy = "request")
    private Set<Acceptance> acceptances;

    public Request() {
        this.created = LocalDateTime.now();
        this.modified = LocalDateTime.now();
    }

    public Request(User requester,
                   LocalDate startDate,
                   LocalDate endDate,
                   Integer workingDays,
                   RequestType type,
                   TypeInfo typeInfo,
                   Status status) {
        this();
        this.requester = requester;
        this.startDate = startDate;
        this.endDate = endDate;
        this.workingDays = workingDays;
        this.type = type;
        this.typeInfo = (typeInfo != null) ? typeInfo.getName() : null;
        this.status = status;
    }

    public Request(User requester,
                   LocalDate startDate,
                   LocalDate endDate,
                   RequestType type,
                   TypeInfo typeInfo,
                   Status status) {
        this();
        this.requester = requester;
        this.startDate = startDate;
        this.endDate = endDate;
        this.type = type;
        this.typeInfo = (typeInfo != null) ? typeInfo.getName() : null;
        this.status = status;
    }

    public Request(User requester,
                   LocalDate startDate,
                   LocalDate endDate,
                   Integer workingDays,
                   String typeInfo) {
        this();
        this.requester = requester;
        this.startDate = startDate;
        this.endDate = endDate;
        this.workingDays = workingDays;
        this.typeInfo = typeInfo;
        this.type = RequestType.SPECIAL;
        this.status = Status.ACCEPTED;
    }

    public Long getId() {
        return id;
    }

    public LocalDateTime getCreated() {
        return created;
    }

    public void setCreated(LocalDateTime created) {
        this.created = created;
    }

    public LocalDateTime getModified() {
        return modified;
    }

    public void setModified(LocalDateTime modified) {
        this.modified = modified;
    }

    public User getRequester() {
        return requester;
    }

    public LocalDate getStartDate() {
        return startDate;
    }

    public LocalDate getEndDate() {
        return endDate;
    }

    public RequestType getType() {
        return type;
    }

    public void setType(RequestType type) {
        this.type = type;
    }

    public String getRequestDescription() {
        return "%s (%s)".formatted(getTerm(), typeInfo);
    }

    public String getSpecialTypeInfo() {
        return typeInfo;
    }

    public TypeInfo getTypeInfo() {
        return Arrays.stream(OccasionalType.values()) // TODO: remove OccasionalType from here
                .filter(typeInfo -> typeInfo.getName().equals(this.typeInfo))
                .findFirst()
                .orElse(null);
    }

    public void setTypeInfo(TypeInfo typeInfo) {
        this.typeInfo = typeInfo.getName();
    }

    public Status getStatus() {
        return status;
    }

    public void setStatus(Status status) {
        this.status = status;
    }

    public Integer getWorkingDays() {
        return workingDays;
    }

    public float getWorkingHours(){
        return workingDays * requester.getWorkTime();
    }

    public void setWorkingDays(Integer workingDays) {
        this.workingDays = workingDays;
    }

    public Set<Acceptance> getAcceptances() {
        return acceptances;
    }

    @Transient
    public Set<String> getDeciders() {
        return this.acceptances.stream()
                .map(Acceptance::getLeader)
                .map(User::getFullName)
                .collect(Collectors.toSet());
    }

    @Transient
    public boolean isAffecting() {
        return this.status == Status.ACCEPTED || this.status == Status.PENDING;
    }

    @Transient
    public boolean isOverlapping(Request request) {
        return !this.startDate.isAfter(request.endDate)
                && !this.endDate.isBefore(request.startDate);
    }

    @Transient
    public boolean isNormal() {
        return this.type == RequestType.NORMAL;
    }

    @Transient
    public boolean isPending() {
        return this.status == Status.PENDING;
    }

    @Transient
    public String getTerm() {
        var start = startDate == null ? "" : startDate.toString();
        var end = endDate == null ? "" : endDate.toString();
        return start + " - " + end;
    }

    public interface TypeInfo { // TODO: separate TypeInfo interface
        String getInfo();
        String getName();
    }

    public enum Status {
        PENDING,
        ACCEPTED,
        REJECTED,
        CANCELED
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Beautifully rustic redwood bark candle holders. Gorgeous and handmade! They make a beautiful centerpiece.
Each candle measure 2 inch diameter. Because these are a natural item, they may be peeling as and the holes for the tea lights are hand drilled and might not be centered, please only purchase if you understand this… these are truly rustic chic!
These Redwood Pine cones are all hand-gathered by us at coastal Northern California, from the top of the Santa Cruz Mountain.
The Redwood cones are from 'Old Growth' Redwood trees, unique to the Northwest California Coastal area, where we are located.
The cones are dried naturally and most have the growth stem still attached. You will receive about 100 Redwood cones 1/4″ to 7/8″ long. If you tell us that you want a certain size, we can accommodate that too. You will probably find some Redwood seeds in the package and in the cones. We suggest sprouting them. The reason we suggest this is because Redwood trees are rare, in that, they only exist here in the Northern California/ Southern Oregon region and, all of the old growth is well, old.


Opera VPN is a great VPN service and it's free. The performance is great, there are several features that need improvement, but overall we were more than happy with the service. There aren't too many free VPN services that come close to the high standard that Opera VPN set for the free VPN market.
It is common knowledge that Google Chrome and Firefox are the browsers of choice for most Internet users. Today we would like to talk about another web browser that is by no means a small-time service, and has been around for a while in the industry – Opera. The chromium based browser is very user friendly and packs a lot of interesting features under the hood.
Opera browser is presented as a fast, secure and easy to use browser. After testing it out, we discovered that it is more than that, it also offers some security features such as an integrated and free VPN solution that we would like to discuss in this review.
Recently they announced that they will integrate a free web-based secure proxy widely marketed as browser VPN, which in fact is an encrypted proxy which secures the browser communication. At the moment this feature can only be used in the developer edition browser but it will soon be integrated into the main version.
According to Wikipedia and tech news sites, on the 18th of July of this year, the Norwegian based company sold Opera to a group of Chinese technology companies including Qihoo 360, that will give them additional financing and access to new customers in China. Opera was never a leading web browser, but it always makes it to the top 5 based on browser usage statistics and it is taken into consideration by most web developers when it comes to plugin and app compatibility.
The add-on is very easy to use and doesn't give you too much room to customize. Apart from selecting your desired connection server location and an On/Off switch, you only have a data transfer meter displayed, and that's about it. The settings button takes you to the Opera Settings page shown above, with no further customization options. This doesn't mean that it's poorly made or not functional product, on the contrary, its simplicity denotes a professional approach focused on functionality and accessibility to the everyday user.
The browsing experience is very smooth and we had no problems streaming media and accessing web pages regardless of the type and location. Even the Singapore server which came back with the lowest speed result actually offered a good browsing experience and there were no visible delays.
Netflix did not work, the service detected that we were connecting through VPN, but again, this is something we expected, since they target and ban entire IP ranges from data centers (most of the VPN providers are not at fault for the media streaming services not working).
The add-on uses AES 256bit encryption, for DNS they use Google public DNS. We tested and there were no WebRTC leaks, so it seems like the protection is integrated directly in their proxy feature.
The iOS VPN app uses IPSec with iOS built-in VPN settings. When you sign up to use the service they are not asking for an e-mail address or any kind or identity verification, the credentials are randomly generated.
The application is simple providing almost the same feature as the browser add-on. The difference is that you have a block ads/trackers feature which you can turn on and off.
This feature also has a counter showing how many ads have been blocked during the browsing. We discovered that some of the ads do slide through, so it is not 100% effective.
The speed on the mobile app was very good, smooth browsing, there were no connection issues or delays.
It's also worth noting that the iOS VPN re-connects automatically even if you change the network and we were pleased to notice that it's been connected to the VPN for several days, even after switching Wi-Fi and 3G networks multiple times.
We haven't seen any kind of ticketing system or contact option from the add-on, however there is a contact form on the opera website. We usually see this as a negative aspect, but in this case, the knowledge base and the FAQs were so well made that our questions were answered directly on the website.
As far as submitting a ticket, we have yet to find the way to do it, but in all fairness, we had no issues to report.
In short, we were very satisfied with the integrated VPN add-on provided by Opera. The browsing speed was good, the overall experience was great, with a clean and intuitive interface that gave us a secure connection from all available locations.
Great looking, functional and very intuitive add-on.
Connection speed was great and browsing experience was fluid.
Free VPN app for iOS, which includes basic ad and tracker blocking.
The mobile app ad-blocker is not very efficient. It blocks some ads, but not as many as we would have wanted it to.
The built-in browser add-on is not open source.
It would be nice to see more connection location options in the future.
They use Google DNS services instead of proprietary ones.
In conclusion, we were very happy with the features they offer, for a free service with no information required to sign up. It could compete against third party solutions and even against some paid services, as far as performance goes. We would rate this product a 6.5/10 as a free service, however keep in mind that there is always a catch with a free VPN service.
Thanks for the review. Indeed it works well, actually better than Zenmate which I used for a year.
Another happy user here. For a free product, it works great. Ironically, even better than some paid VPNs I used.
it's a browser proxy, will only work in your browser. This should be common knowledge.


text:
Light earthquake 4.4 mag, 4 km ESE of Veruela, Philippines
Posted by admin on June 24, 2020 0 Comments
A light earthquake magnitude 4.4 (ml/mb) has struck on Friday, 4 kilometers (2 miles) from Veruela in Philippines. The temblor was detected at 06:53:48 / 6:53 am (local time epicenter). Date and time of earthquake in UTC/GMT: 12/06/20 / 2020-06-12 06:53:48 / June 12, 2020 @ 6:53 am. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) below the earth's surface. Unique identifier: us6000ae8w. Ids that are associated to the event: us6000ae8w. Exact location of event, depth 10 km, 125.9926° East, 8.0546° North. A tsunami warning has not been issued (Does not indicate if a tsunami actually did or will exist).
Nearby country/countries that might be effected, Philippines (c. 99 900 000 pop). Event epicenter was 70 km (44 miles) from Tagum (c. 233 300 pop), 90 km (56 miles) from Panabo (c. 84 700 pop), 40 km (25 miles) from Bislig (c. 67 600 pop), 27 km (17 miles) from Monkayo (c. 51 400 pop), 44 km (27 miles) from Compostela (c. 42 600 pop), 82 km (51 miles) from Bayugan (c. 40 600 pop). Closest city/cities/towns to epicentrum/hypocenter was Lasang, Mailag, Aglayan (min 5000 pop).
In the past 24 hours, there have been one, in the last 10 days one, in the past 30 days two and in the last 365 days twenty earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater that have been detected nearby. Each year there are an estimated 13,000 light quakes in the world. Earthquakes 4.0 to 5.0 are often felt, but only causes minor damage.
How would you describe the shaking?
How did you react? Was there any damage to buildings? Leave a comment or report about shaking, activity and damage at your home, city and country. Read more about the earthquake, Location, Distances, Seismometer information, Date-Time, Parameters and details about this quake, reported near: 4 km ESE of Veruela, Philippines. This information comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service.
Copyright © 2020 earthquakenewstoday.com All rights reserved.
AglayanBayuganBisligCompostelaLasangMailagMonkayoPanaboPhilippinesTagumVeruela
4.4 mb The magnitude for the event.
125.9926° East Decimal degrees longitude. Negative values for western longitudes.
8.0546° North Decimal degrees latitude. Negative values for southern latitudes.
10 km Depth of the event in kilometers.
4 km ESE of Veruela, Philippines Textual description of named geographic region near to the event. This may be a city name, or a Flinn-Engdahl Region name.
2020-06-12 06:53:48 Time when the event occurred. UTC/GMT
2020-06-24 09:55:21 Time when the event was most recently updated. UTC/GMT
Timezone offset
Timezone offset from UTC in minutes at the event epicenter.
The total number of felt reports
The maximum reported intensity for the event.
The maximum estimated instrumental intensity for the event.
Alert Level
The alert level from the PAGER earthquake impact scale. Green, Yellow, Orange or Red.
Review Status
reviewed Indicates whether the event has been reviewed by a human.
0 This flag is set to "1" for large events in oceanic regions and "0" otherwise. The existence or value of this flag does not indicate if a tsunami actually did or will exist.
298 A number describing how significant the event is. Larger numbers indicate a more significant event.
us The ID of a data contributor. Identifies the network considered to be the preferred source of information for this event.
,us, A comma-separated list of network contributors.
Number of Stations Used
The total number of Number of seismic stations which reported P- and S-arrival times for this earthquake.
Horizontal Distance
1.061 Horizontal distance from the epicenter to the nearest station (in degrees).
Root Mean Square
0.52 sec The root-mean-square (RMS) travel time residual, in sec, using all weights.
Azimuthal Gap
102 The largest azimuthal gap between azimuthally adjacent stations (in degrees).
Magnitude Type
mb The method or algorithm used to calculate the preferred magnitude for the event.
earthquake Type of seismic event.
us6000ae8w Id of event.
6000ae8w An identifying code assigned by, and unique from, the corresponding source for the event.
,us6000ae8w, A comma-separated list of event ids that are associated to an event.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Juan Ecker (11 October 1930 – 10 December 2005) was an Argentine rower. He competed in the men's coxed four event at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

References

External links

1930 births
2005 deaths
Argentine male rowers
Olympic rowers of Argentina
Rowers at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games medalists in rowing
Pan American Games gold medalists for Argentina
Pan American Games silver medalists for Argentina
Rowers at the 1955 Pan American Games

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


FRE,NCH-CANADIAN5, WHA HA'E, N ow that I am an American, with my racial background lost in the great meltIng pot, my way is untrammelled and forthright, but dunng the first twenty-seven years of my life, when I was a Nova Scotian, I was caught in a kind of racial triangle. Because the province of Nova Scotia is too sparsely populated to be able to ho- mogenize backgrounds in the American fashion, most Nova Scotians go through life tagged according to their racial de- scent-English, French, or Scottish. I am of French parentage. The village where I was born and where my family has lived for six generations is sItuated deep in Scottish territory, but it has a completely French population It was founded in 1756, a few months after the declaration of war between England and France, by a party of thirteen refu- gees from some French debacle farther down the coast. For almost fifty years, they had the area to themselves; a long, curving peninsula concealed their log cabins from passing ships, and a range of heavIly wooded hills strung out be- hind them along the coast remained unexplored until near the end of the centur}. At that time, Scottish sheep- herders began settling on the reverse slopes of the hills. To this day, the village IS populated almost exclusively by descendants of the original thirteen settlers-fishermen and their families, for the most part, who raise their own potatoes and cattle on the side, and hook rugs for the tour- ist trade. When my fa- ther was a boy, stran- gers were rare, and there was still some dis- trust of the neighboring Scots, who by then were established on the coast to the north and south as well as in the hills. Woodcutters from the village working deep in the for- ests sometImes heard the dIstan t drone of the bagpipes, and our old people would interpret this to mean that there was trou- ble brewing over the hills. There was a prophecy in some papers left by one of the thirteen settlers that the Scots would someday attack us without warning, and it was traditionally believed that the bagpipes stirred up the Scots' fight- ing blood (they were held to be fighting men by nature). But the prophecy re- mained unfulfilled. By the tIme I was through high school and getting ready to leave home, the whole thing had so far receded into legend that at our church picnic that summer two bagpipers played almost without relief for two days and caused no noticeable stir. In one generation, the surrounding Eng- lish-speaking culture had made deep In- roads into the village life, and the quaint, obsolescent French handed down by the thIrteen settlers was beIng sup- planted by English. Visitors from neigh- boring vilLlges, travelling salesmen, and American tourists rubbed shoulders with the natives in the general stores and handicraft shops and in the single street that runs along the edge of the harbor. ..A.nd I knew from experience that there was an outside world. :\1y father had made one attempt, in 1926, when I was seven years old, to establish him- self in it. But after trying his hand at various jobs in Halifax, and then in the eastern United States (he was well read in a great variety of trades), he had been overtaken by the depression, and in De- cember of 1931 we returned home. I had been away at an impressionable age. For months after we got back, I awed my school chums with accounts of my travels, and wIth mv Massachusetts ac- cent, which I imparted to both my Eng- lish and my natIve French. Perhaps be- cause of my father's experience, I grevil up feeling that I would have to sub- merge my French birthright if I was to get anywhere in Eng- lish-speakIng Canada, where I intended to take myself at the first .I opportunIty. My opportunity came in the fall of 1936, when I was offered a junior clerk's job with one of Canada's large chartered banks. It was the bank's practice to hire suitable boys just out of high school and to mold them into career bank clerks by means of a training program that included frequent transfers around its nation wide network of branches. To me, this was the bank's chief attraction. I left home with the -t wholehearted support of my family, except for the reservation expressed by my Grandfather Aucoin, who Vilas then about seventy-five, a frail old man more or less retired on his small farm at the foot of the hills. He had a reputatIon for wisdom, acquired through his habit of speaking in generalities so broad that they were likely to embrace the whole human race. When I went to see him before leaving, he was seated in a rock- ing chair on his front porch, where he 113 FLOWN FROM ROME FOR THE GALA SEASON . . SILK BROCADE SHEATH IN RASPBERRY RED OR EMERALD GREEN SIZES lOMJ6 $145 " ., '::.: ,: ./ '''\:f Ø'!' :0: y .... f>'.." " ;., / : t -4 . .: ,:, >$ ::::. . ': ':,'", ,,' <i<; :?: 1 "- -..., , '*' tr " ,," 1 "'*' <4f. k.. '" b:: : < t t<' '",', ."., :*. .. 'i.: j " y ) *-. .$ I " Æ .. ;;, ", Q' , :<< 7" ". "",,". -::::. ';;&' ....: \,;' 4" t -'. '(!o" , . '^ ..' *,k.ø .<<: " #' "f'-- " . ,' ':", ", ,û ,,'- ', M! ..$0" ': tkQ.\AO v 47-,1?A rx: 5 ?þ5 IA Ì m!i '17< OMÀ BOtJTIQUE ,VIA SlSTtNA ",%Ä,/ 'ReMA", , " . . .. ::f:: ll:4l, tt i;; :n wij ::k "


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India, pleased as they must be at the series win, should still feel a bit disappointed that the scoreline is 2-1 and not 3-0 in their favour. India lost the first Test after having dominated the match for the most part, but a stunning batting collapse saw them lose from a position of strength.
When Virat Kohli looks back at the series, which he has won in his first stint as captain of the side, he should not paper over the weaknesses that are too glaring to be ignored.
But before one gets into these shortcomings, Kohli needs to be complimented for showing a more restrained and mature side while marshalling resources on the field, though he needs to keep the temper of his players in check. Kohli's march for the series win was helped by some very energetic and lively pace bowling by Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.
The Indian pace attack has in the past been very tardy and shown poor fitness levels that has affected their performance. Ishant has a history of breakdowns and it augurs well for India that he has worked hard on himself in the break he got. As a result, he appeared the strike bowler India always believed he is. His partner, Yadav, is a powerful man and bowls at a pace which can rattle the best of batsmen. He too has been dogged by fitness issues which has hampered his progress as a bowler, though in this series he has maintained a lively pace and bowled with good rhythm.
Similarly, Ashwin is developing into a very wily, crafty spinner and used the favourable conditions in Lanka to almost near perfection.
If India needs to worry, it is in their very inconsistent batting. True, injuries to Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan did disturb their balance, but it was obvious to most that this team lacks players who can build and sustain an innings.
I don't think the loud, aggressive talk of the team director has been of any help. Also, the treatment given to Chetashwar Pujara, be it in his being pitted against Rohit Sharma and calling him too laborious in comparison to Rohit's aggressive batting, was, to put it simply, unfair.
There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Rohit is a special talent, but so is Pujara and in Test match conditions may be a far better asset. Worse, the team management, who had before the first Test discovered in Rohit a future number 3, straightaway went into defensive mode and sent him at number 5, after he failed at that position. In protecting Rohit, they did not bother about what psychological effect it would have on Ajinkya Rahane, who was shifted to number 3.
India, given its raw bench strength, may require both Pujara and Rohit to be in the team in the future. And if for the sake of team balance, both can't be played, there are better ways to handle the dilemma than make Pujara appear the inferior of the two.
As it is, India owes this series win to Pujara's classic unbeaten century in the first innings under the most demanding of conditions. Without his outstanding exhibition of skill, temperament and technique in carrying his bat through in the first innings, India could well have been struggling in the Test.
We in India are always susceptible to hyperboles and celebrate much in excess of what a victory deserves and are very harsh in criticism at a loss.
This is just a first step for Kohli and his men in a climb which could be strewn with more hurdles and better teams could come along to bring them back to reality. Even here, when India appeared heading for an easy win, a late order revival led by the redoubtable Anglo Mathews had India searching for answers. That is why there is a need to realize that this win against a very weak, raw and vulnerable Sri Lankan team should not make India complacent and smug.
Tougher battles loom ahead, the first of which is a series against South Africa beginning next month. India, though, would be relieved that it is being played in home conditions.


text:
Indeterminate Hikes + | LEILA NADIR & CARY PEPPERMINT (ECOARTTECH)
. What is a waterfall? A cascade of water tumbling over boulders, brilliant in the sun, beckoning backpackers with sturdy leather boots to climb into remote, magical valleys? Or inspiring tourists to follow road signs to popular, sublime spectac...
What is a waterfall? A cascade of water tumbling over boulders, brilliant in the sun, beckoning backpackers with sturdy leather boots to climb into remote, magical valleys? Or inspiring tourists to follow road signs to popular, sublime spectacles, such as Niagara Falls. Or the path taken by droplets of moisture falling to the sidewalk from an air conditioner hanging out of the window of an eleventh-floor apartment in NYC.
In 2011, our ecology, art, and technology collaborative launched a mobile phone app called Indeterminate Hikes + (IH+) that re-imagines ecological awareness. Ecoarttech's post-disciplinary work fuses theory with creative practice to deconstruct traditional environmental categories, showing the limits of preoccupations with wilderness, nature, and the rural and exploring the sort of ethics that might arise from cities, suburbs, the cultural commons, and even the "virtual" environments created by new media technologies. A significant part of our practice is the effort to rethink the remoteness and inaccessibility so often applied to "nature" or "wilderness" in contemporary critical theory. This separation of the social from the natural has silenced public, democratic discourse about environmental issues, according to Bruno Latour, and for Timothy Morton, modern thinking has turned "Nature" into "a reified thing in the distance, 'over yonder,' under the sidewalk, on the other side where the grass is always greener… in the wild," preventing "access to the full scope of [ecological] interconnectedness" (Latour 75). When we co-founded ecoarttech five years earlier, our aim was to create eco-art "without nature" —to borrow a new phrase from Morton's book, Ecology without Nature— and to examine what it means to be an ecological being in the context of convergent networked environments, biological, digital, social, and cultural, from biological systems and industrial grids to media networks and the world wide web. Indeterminate Hikes +, enters into dialogue with theories like those posited by Latour, Morton, and others by bringing nature out from its "reified," faraway realm and into daily life. However, Indeterminate Hikes holds onto the concept of wilderness —not as a synonym for an originary Nature, which is ethically and intellectually immobilizing concept, as Latour and Morton point out; but rather as otherness, the unimaginable, that is both part of and beyond the self, wilderness can call on us to see un-wild environments in bewildering ways. In the IH+ smartphone app, the discourse of sublime wilderness is imported into everyday locales, transforming chance encounters on the street into public performances of bio-cultural diversity and wild "happenings." Inspired by the way Fluxus in particular, and early- to mid-twentieth-century avant-garde art movements in general, reinvigorated the way we see mundane life rituals, IH+'s artistic gesture refracts this ethical impulse into the contemporary concern of about the environment.
Indeterminate Hikes + Postcards
In 1961, four years after he coined the term, Fluxus artist Allan Kaprow described happenings "as events that, put simply, happen." Unlike theatrical performances, happenings are improvisational, with "no structured beginning, middle, or end." "Open-ended and fluid," they dissolve the artist-audience hierarchy through interactivity, "melting the surroundings, the artist, the work, and everyone who comes to it into an elusive, changeable configuration." Kaprow noted that happenings should take place faraway from galleries and museums and instead occupy places such as artists' studios or the "sheer rawness of the out-of-doors or the closeness of dingy city quarters." The more "un-artiness" the context, the better. Adopting a metaphor with ecological and natural history resonances, Kaprow suggests that the most "radical Happenings flourish" require an appropriate "habitat": that is, "the place where anything grows up… giv[ing] to it not only a space, a set of relationships to the various things around it, and a range of values, but an overall atmosphere as well, which penetrates it and whoever experiences it." This atmosphere of inter-connectedness produces new forms of awareness for all involved —but without any particular, intended goal: "nothing obvious is sought and therefore nothing is won, except the certainty of a number of occurrences to which we are more than normally attentive." The only assured result of such a performance is the possibility of becoming attuned to any number of vague "occurrences" (Kaprow 16-18).
New media art in general —due to its ephemerality, performativity, interactivity, and use of everyday computing devices— cannot be understood without Kaprow's concept of the happening (Wardrip-Fruin 83). Yet we would like to show how IH+ performs a particularly ecological, psychogeographical kind of happening, adapting Fluxus guidelines for performances to the democratization and re-imagination of nature and wilderness. IH+ can be performed in two capacities: (1) as an interactive public event led by artists with audience interaction —an open-ended hiking excursion, with no clear beginning or conclusion, conducted by "guides" who facilitate an interactive, un-arty, improvisational tour; or (2) as a private event, involving a solo user and her/his smartphone. If we return to Kaprow's 1960s writings, we find that both manifestations qualify as typical happenings: there are "guided tour" performances, but with most happenings, he explains "there should not be (and usually cannot be) an audience" (64). Providing examples of such solitary happenings, art-as-life activities with no public staging, he includes "the unconscious daily rituals of the supermarket, subway ride at rush hour, and toothbrushing every morning" (87). During an age of ubiquitous computing devices, walking by oneself and using a smartphone for its guiding and mapping tools is surely a new "unconscious ritual" of everyday life.
Here is a technical description of how the app works, which we will follow with a discussion of its theoretical implications. Once they have downloaded the app, IH+ participants provide their locations —whether in a mega-metropolis, a remote small town, or a traffic-jammed suburb— as long as it is identifiable through Google maps, and in turn, the app suggests a "hiking trail." As the hikers move along their trails, either alone, in a group, or as part of a designated ecoarttech performance, they are notified when they reach a "Scenic Vista," where they are encouraged to pause and contemplate the view, much as they would during a mountain climb or a national park excursion, or at one of those pull-off stops along a scenic highway. At these stops, the app asks participants to engage in three activities. First: to take 30 mindful breaths during a 5-minute break. Second, and meanwhile, the app provides a series of directives, such as "Follow the path of falling water," "Listen to the mood of the walking path," "Note the trees bursting from the ground," or "Wander the caverns on the surface of the earth." However, Indeterminate Hikes Scenic Vistas have a decidedly different character than what one might expect on a traditional wilderness excursion. Rather than the stereotypical breathtaking, sublime panorama, where cameras are inevitably pulled from pockets (often among many like-minded tourists) to document one's arrival at a meaningful landmark, IH+ is programmed to choose "Scenic Vistas" entirely at random. Therefore, these directives —many of which are provided by prior performance participants— take on meaning relative to their location.
Through backpacking terminology combined with Scenic Vistas' "chance operation"—a term associated with Fluxus performance artist John Cage, with whom Kaprow studied— the performance weds wilderness vocabulary to the most "civilized" spaces. This is not an ironic or sarcastic gesture. A "walking path" may be a nature trail or it may be a well-traveled concrete sidewalk; wandering "caverns" may require spelunking through caves or taking the stairs or elevators into the vast depths of basements or skyscrapers; "falling water" may be a brook flowing over rocks or the stream coming from an apartment supervisor's garden hose watering grass. No matter the shape of the improvisational moment, both the artist-guides and the audience-hiker are encouraged to give these chance spectacles the attention they would give a sublime natural wonder. The sense of ecological wonder usually associated with sublime, "natural" spaces, such as isolated national parks, is applied instead to often-disregarded locations, such as alleyways, highways, or garbage dumps —just as the avant-garde worked to take art out of academia and the privileged art-world and into the ordinary. What if we redirected the sort of awe and respect normally reserved for museums, art galleries, wilderness parks, and nature preserves toward the rituals and places we experience everyday? What if we call a sidewalk "wild" or toothbrushing "art"? How does this change our sense of ethical imagination?
For anybody invested in the purity of wilderness or unable to see the ecological "otherness" that exists all around us, IH+ can seem to have made a wrong step, and we have had participants leave our hikes in frustration. One man who found our performance nonsensical exclaimed that there were no "wild animals roaming around" as he stood at a NYC intersection busy with human pedestrians jostling their way into a subway entrance. It is also interesting to watch some participants' agitated expressions when the app asks them to "make friends with a tree"; apparently, this directive is a bit too treehugger-ish. As with Kaprow's happenings, some hikers "are not sure what has taken place"; however, "when something goes 'wrong,' something far more 'right,' more revelatory, has many times emerged. This sort of sudden near-miracle… [is] made more likely by chance procedures" (20). With this in mind, the app asks all participants to capture and upload an image of their "near-miraculous" environmental observation to the IH+ website. This is the app's third, and last, directive. The images are archived in the Scenic Vista database, where they are browsable by online visitors. The growing collection of indeterminate nature photography demonstrates the de-hierarchization of environments, bringing domesticated, sometimes desecrated landscapes, to the level of consideration usually accorded only to "nature."
Indeterminate Hikes+ @ AlhóndigaBilbao, Spain (English version)
To download the Indeterminate Hikes+ app, visit www.indeterminatehikes.com
Bruno Latour. Politics of Nature: How to Bring the Sciences Into Democracy, trans. Catherine Porter. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2004.
Timothy Morton. "Ecologocentrism: Unworking Animals." SubStance 37.3 (2008): 75.
---. Ecology without Nature: Rethinking Environmental Aesthetics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007.
Allan Kaprow. Essays on the Blurring of Art and Life, ed. Jeff Kelley. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003: 16-18.
Noah Wardrip-Fruin. "Introduction to 'Happenings in the New York Art Scene.'" In The New Media Reader. Boston: MIT Press, 2003: 83.
EcoArtTech
ecological awarness
Indeterminate Hikes
Kaprow


Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the role of administrative law judges (ALJs) in the disability appeals process. My name is Carolyn Colvin, and I am the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA). We are committed to effectively administering the Federal benefit programs for which we are responsible, so that they remain strong for those Americans who need them. Today, I will begin by briefly discussing the vital programs that we administer.
limited means who are aged, blind, and disabled, as defined in the Social Security context.
Accordingly, our responsibilities are immense. To illustrate, in fiscal year (FY) 2013 we performed the following activities for people who come to us for help: paid over $850 billion to more than 65 million beneficiaries, of whom about 15 million received approximately $187 billion in benefits under our disability programs (About 3 million of our beneficiaries receive benefits under more than one program); handled over 53 million transactions on our National 800 Number Network; received over 68 million calls to field offices nationwide; served more than 43 million visitors in over 1,200 field offices nationwide; completed nearly 8 million claims for benefits and nearly 794,000 hearing dispositions; and completed 429,000 full medical continuing disability reviews (CDR).
Handling all these responsibilities requires adequate and sustained funding. For the three years before FY 2014, we received an average of nearly a billion dollars less than what the President requested for our administrative budget. That level of underfunding has presented us with significant challenges in providing the public the level of service that it deserves. For example, while we made great strides from FY 2009 through FY 2012 in reducing the time people wait for a hearing decision, since FY 2012 the average waiting time has increased from 353 days in FY 2012 to 411 days this fiscal year.
I would also like to highlight a few aspects of the Disability Insurance (DI) program.
• First, based on the definition of disability that Congress established, an insured claimant is eligible only if he or she cannot engage in any substantial work because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death. The DI program does not provide short-term or partial disability benefits.
• A claimant cannot receive disability benefits simply by alleging the existence of pain or a severe impairment. We require objective medical evidence to show the claimant has a medical impairment that: (1) could reasonably be expected to produce the pain or other symptoms alleged, and (2) meets our disability requirements when considered with all other evidence.
• The DI program is a social insurance program, under which workers earn coverage for benefits by working and paying taxes on their earnings. Thus, DI benefits are earned benefits.
• This year, workers who have been found to be disabled in the Social Security context received, on average, a little less than $1,150 in DI benefits per month, which is not much above the current poverty income level for an individual of about $12,000 per year.
• Over the past 20 years, there has been significant growth in the DI program. Our Chief Actuary has explained that long-term DI program growth was predicted many years ago and is driven, primarily, by the aging of the baby boom generation and the fact that more women have joined the labor force and have become eligible for benefits.
We have nearly 75 years of experience in administering the hearings process. Since the passage of the Social Security Amendments of 1939, the Social Security Act (Act) has required us to hold hearings to determine the rights of individuals to old age and survivors' insurance benefits. Initially, "referees" under the direction of the Appeals Council held hearings and issued decisions. Later, after Congress passed the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in 1946, these referees became known as "hearing examiners" and are now known as ALJs.
Over the years, the size of our ALJ corps has grown in correlation to our workloads. We employ just over 1,400 full and part-time ALJs. This year, we plan to hire additional ALJs; these new ALJs will bring our corps to almost 1,500. The improved process we have used to hire ALJs in recent years makes me confident that our new hires will be proficient in their jobs and will join the vast majority of their colleagues in meeting the highest professional and ethical standards.
4. our final administrative decision may appeal to the U.S. District Court.
hearing before an ALJ. At the hearing, the ALJ gathers additional evidence and calls vocational and medical experts, as needed. Claimants swear an oath to the ALJ that they will tell the truth.
Following the hearing, the ALJ may take additional steps to complete the record, such as ordering a consultative medical examination. The ALJ considers all of the evidence in the file, including evidence not available during the initial determination, as well as the hearing testimony when making a decision. The ALJ decides the case based on a preponderance of the evidence. The ALJ decides the case de novo and is not bound by the determinations made at the initial or reconsideration levels. If the claimant does not appeal, the ALJ's decision becomes the final decision of the agency. A claimant who disagrees with the ALJ's decision may request review of the decision by the Appeals Council (AC). The AC also retains the authority to review any ALJ decision on its own motion.
There is a common perception that most allowances for disability benefits occur at the ALJ level. This perception is untrue. For example, based on the longitudinal tracking of 2.6 million disability claims filed in calendar year 2008, approximately 76 percent of all allowances occurred at the initial or reconsideration levels.
The quality of our decisions is a paramount concern for the agency, the claimants, Congress, and the taxpayer. It is our obligation to provide every person who comes before our agency— regardless of where they live or the judge they draw, a timely, legally-sound, policy-compliant decision. We took aggressive steps to institute a more balanced quality review in the hearings and appeals process. Our first effort in this area was to develop more extensive data collection and management information for the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR). Because the Office of Appellate Operations (OAO) handles the final level of administrative review, it has a unique vantage point to give feedback to decision and policy makers. OAO developed a technological approach to harness the wealth of information it collects, turning it into actionable data. These new tools permitted the OAO to capture a significant amount of structured data concerning the application of agency policy in hearing decisions.
Using these data, we provide feedback on decisional quality, giving adjudicators real-time access to their remand data. We are creating better tools to provide individual feedback for our adjudicators. One such feedback tool is "How MI Doing?" This resource not only gives ALJs information about their AC remands, including the reasons for remand, but also information on their performance in relation to other ALJs in their office, their region, and the nation. We have developed training modules related to the most common reasons for remand that are linked to the "How MI Doing?" tool. ALJs are able to receive immediate training at their desks that is targeted to the specific reasons for the remand. Data driven feedback informs business process changes that reduce inconsistencies and inefficiencies, and simplify rules.
In FY 2010, OAO created the Division of Quality (DQ) to focus specifically on improving the quality of our disability process. While AC remands provide a quality measure on ALJ denials, prior to the creation of DQ, we did not have the resources to look at ALI allowances. Since FY 2011, DQ has been conducting pre-effectuation reviews on a random sample of ALJ allowances. Federal regulations require that pre-effectuation reviews of ALJ decisions be selected at random or, if selective sampling is used, may not be based on the identity of any specific adjudicator or hearing office. Beginning next fiscal year, DQ will also have the capability to selectively sample decisions, which will allow us to prioritize our resources on the most error prone policy areas when selecting cases for pre-effectuation review.
DQ also performs post-effectuation focused reviews looking at specific issues. Subjects of a focused review may be hearing offices, ALJs, representatives, doctors, and other participants in the hearing process. The same regulatory requirements regarding random and selective sampling do not apply to post-effectuation focused reviews. Because these reviews occur after the 60-day period a claimant has to appeal the ALJ decision, they do not result in a change to the decision. However, if we determine after a focused review that there are issues relating to an ALJ's non- compliance with policy and that a beneficiary may not be disabled, we can request that such a beneficiary be subject to a CDR. Our ability to perform CDRs, however, is limited based on the funding we receive from Congress.
The data collected from these quality initiatives identify for us the most error-prone provisions of law and regulation, and we use this information to design and implement our ALJ training efforts. To ensure that all of our ALJs comply with law, regulations, and policies, we provide considerable training including both new and supplemental ALJ training.
Since instituting all of the enhanced quality review initiatives that I just outlined, we have observed that the number of judges with extremely high and low allowance rates has dropped. While we do not set target allowance rates for our judges and always emphasize that a judge's allowance rate is not a proxy measurement of his or her policy compliance, we nonetheless believe that this phenomenon is a likely indicator of better, more standardized decision-making in our hearings process.
Timeliness is an element of quality. We have set an expectation that ALJs issue 500-700 decisions a year, a range that is consistent with the actual number of cases performed by a majority of judges. However, we have never required an ALJ to do 500-700 cases per year. Our ALJs know that, when they accept an appointment to serve the American public, they must provide timely and quality service, and the public has every right to expect them to work hard. At the same time, judges should not decide too many cases because quality could suffer as a result. Therefore, we limit the assignment of new cases to no more than 840 cases annually.
As I mentioned above, most agency employees who receive feedback through tools like "How MI Doing?" welcome the opportunity to improve their skills. Very few of our ALJs underperform, do not apply the law fairly, or engage in misconduct. The vast majority of our ALJs are conscientious, hard-working, and take their responsibilities seriously.
We manage our ALJ corps in accordance with the APA, which contains provisions that ensure qualified decisional independence for our ALJs and places certain limits on the performance management of our ALJs. For example, ALJs are exempt from performance appraisals and cannot receive awards based on performance.
Nevertheless, we can, and have, taken steps to ensure that ALJs who refused to do their jobs properly or who otherwise betrayed the public trust would be held accountable for their performance and conduct. Generally and as appropriate, an informal feedback process works, but when it does not, management directs an ALJ to follow the law, regulations, and agency policies. ALJs rarely fail to comply with these directives. In those cases where the ALJ did not comply and where appropriate, we pursued appropriate corrective action.
In the past several years, it has been necessary to seek removal or suspension of a number of ALJs. The agency strives to ensure that our ALJs adhere to the high standards expected of them, recognizing at the same time that we cannot and would not attempt to influence a decision in any particular case. When it is necessary due to an ALJ's actions to seek the removal of an ALJ from service, the agency must complete a lengthy MSPB administrative process that lasts years and can consume over a million taxpayer dollars. Unlike disciplinary action for other civil servants, the law requires that ALJs receive their full salary and benefits until the case is finally decided by the full MSPB—even though the ALJ's conduct made it impossible for the agency to allow the ALJ to continue deciding and hearing cases or to interact with the public. We remain open to exploring options to address and improve these matters, while continuing to provide the best service to the American public.
Tight budgets have affected our ability to timely conduct vital program integrity work, which helps ensure only those persons eligible for benefits continue to receive them. There is a long- standing adage in our agency—the right check to the right person at the right time. Delivering on this statement means that we are demonstrating our stewardship and preserving the public's trust in our programs.
To this end, we perform medical CDRs and age 18 redeterminations to ensure only those beneficiaries who remain disabled continue to receive monthly benefits. Although we estimate that we save the Federal government on average $9 per dollar spent on CDRs in the first 10 years after doing medical CDRs, we have a backlog of 1.3 million CDRs because our funding levels have not allowed us to keep up with all scheduled CDRs. Despite our limited funding in the last few years, we have continued to increase the number of medical CDRs we conduct each year. In FY 2014, Congress appropriated the level of funding approved in the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), which allows us to further expand our capacity to complete more of our cost- effective CDRs and begin to work down our backlog. We completed 429,000 full medical CDRs in FY 2013, and we plan to complete 510,000 full medical CDRs in FY 2014.We are aggressively hiring and training employees in FY 2014 so that we are able to complete substantially more full medical CDRs in FY 2015.
Starting in FY 2016, the budget proposes to repeal the discretionary cap adjustments enacted in the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended by the BCA, for SSA and instead provide a dedicated, dependable source of mandatory funding for SSA to conduct CDRs, as well as SSI non-medical redeterminations. The proposal includes the creation of a new account called Program Integrity Administrative Expenses, which will reflect mandatory funding for SSA's program integrity activities. The mandatory funding will enable us to work substantially down a backlog of 1.3 million medical CDRs.
As a result of the discretionary funding in 2015 and the mandatory funding in 2016 through 2024, according to the President's FY 2015 Budget we will recoup a net Federal savings of nearly $35 billion in the 10-year window and additional savings in the out-years.1 These savings include Medicare and Medicaid program effects.
Since 1957, Social Security disability benefits have become a part of the American fabric by providing a vital safety net for those Americans who make up the most vulnerable segment of society. DI beneficiaries are your neighbors, veterans, and perhaps even family members.
Making disability decisions for Social Security programs is a challenging task. Our highly- trained disability adjudicators follow a complex process for determining disability according to the requirements of the law as designed by Congress. The vast majority of our adjudicators are dedicated public servants who strive to make the right decision and to be good stewards of the trust funds, and we are committed to helping them do their jobs effectively.
We thank you for your interest in our appeals process. We also ask for your support for the President's budget request, which will provide us with funding to continue to improve our hearings process, improve the integrity of our disability programs, and reduce improper payments.
Making disability decisions for Social Security programs is a challenging task. Our highlytrained disability adjudicators follow a complex process for determining disability according to the requirements of the law as designed by Congress. The vast majority of our adjudicators are dedicated public servants who strive to make the right decision and to be good stewards of the trust funds, and we are committed to helping them do their jobs effectively.
1 Office of Management and Budget. "Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2015." Washington: Government Printing Office, 2014, p. 119.


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I am pleased by the announcement yesterday that the negotiating teams for American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association have reached a tentative agreement on their longstanding labor dispute. This tentative agreement will be presented on Friday to the APA Board of Directors for approval and subsequent ratification by the union membership.
I want to commend the management of American Airlines and the leadership of the Allied Pilots Association for their commitment to each other and to the traveling public. I think it speaks well of the parties and their intentions that this tentative agreement was reached more than five weeks before the April 28 "cooling off" deadline. When labor and management work together, as they did here, U.S. industries are better able to maintain their prominent positions in the global marketplace.
I also want to thank Presidential Emergency Board Chairman Robert Harris and the other members of the panel, Helen Witt and Anthony Sinicropi, for their dedication and hard work. This settlement would not have been possible without their leadership and oversight.


Well-equipped classrooms to facilitate students with learning comfort and concentration (AC during summer days).
Appropriate student-teacher ratio, to provide individual care and attention to students.
Modern information and computer facilities for children.
Regular physical fitness training for children.
Transport facility for children, if required.
Conveniently located in the central part of the city.
Small play area for recreational purpose.


TOMS RIVER, N.J.—Claims of trade secrets stolen, employees poached and counterclaims that Tyco is trying to run a much smaller competitor out of business fill two lawsuits—one filed by Tyco Integrated Security at the end of May and a counterclaim filed by Integrated Security & Communications on June 24.
At the center of the lawsuit are three former employees of SST: Thomas Catagnus, John Pichola and Joel Richman. SST was the platform for ADT (now Tyco Integrated Security) to launch into the systems integration business. ADT acquired SST in April 2008.
Integrated Security & Communications is a $15 million systems integrator based here. Michael Thomas, a Honeywell vet, launched ISC in 2007.
Catagnus, Pichola and Richman were laid off by Tyco in 2012. They now work for ISC.
In a suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Tyco alleges that the three men violated non-compete and non-solicitation agreements; that they stole information such as "business and sales strategy, product cost structure, pricing models, customer lists, new prospective accounts [and] sales data"; and that they've poached employees from TycoIS.
"Ultimately … Catagnus, Pichola and Richman, with ISC's full knowledge and support, have used the millions of dollars that Tyco IS provided to ensure that they would not solicit TycoIS' customers and employees to create a competitor less than 10 miles from TycoIS' doorstep," the lawsuit alleges.
The headquarters for TycoIS is in Princeton, N.J.
In its counterclaim, ISC denies all allegations of wrongdoing and alleges that TycoIS is maligning ISC in an attempt to drive ISC out of business.
"This action is a transparent anti-competitive attempt by Tyco [which has revenues of $1.8 billion] to crush a small, innovative competitor [which has less than $15 million in revenues]," the counterclaim says.
One of the main issues in the lawsuit is when the three men's non-compete agreements with Tyco expired. Tyco said it's three years and ISC said it's six months.
ISC said that the men have also honored a two-year non-solicitation agreement.
"Defendants have not done business with and do not intend to do business with Tyco's customers except as permitted by [law]," the suit says.
The counterclaim also says that former Tyco employees who have joined ISC were not pursued by ISC, but that those employees sought employment with ISC after their positions were terminated by Tyco.
Jean Pierre Nogues, a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, told SSN in an email interview that the case presents a number of issues involving non-compete agreements and trade secrets that are often raised when key employees leave one company and go to work for a competitor.
"Defendants contend that they have done nothing to violate those covenants for several reasons, that the covenants have expired, and that Tyco has waived those provisions. These are all issues that will have to be resolved by the court in determining whether there has been a breach," he said.
Nogues noted that non-compete agreements are treated differently under the laws of various states. "For example, in California, they are generally not enforceable unless they are part of an agreement to sell an interest in a business," he said.
In terms of trade secrets violations, Nogues said that most states have adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. That act defines trade secrets as information that "derives independent economic value from not being generally known to the public or to other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use … and, is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy. Customer lists, strategies and product development information can all qualify for trade secret protection, provided that they meet these requirements," he said.


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Another round of funding will help 33 programs in the southern interior as they support vulnerable Canadians. (United Way Southern Interior BC)
Interior B.C. charities to receive emergency funding from United Way
United Way Southern Interior BC has allocated $1.9 million in COVID-19 relief funding
United Way Southern Interior BC (SIBC) has announced another round of relief funding for local charities.
Thirty-three programs in local charities will see more than $436,000 in the next coming weeks. The grant is partly funded by the federal government's Emergency Community Support Fund and United Way's COVID Relief Fund.
In the last six months, United Way SIBC has allocated nearly $1.9 million to 94 charities and other qualified donees. The funds have provided financial support to programs and organizations that are adapting their services to support vulnerable Canadians during the pandemic.
United Way as a whole has invested nearly $4 million through various granting programs. With declining donations and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, United Way said the need is greater now more than ever.
"The pandemic has brought up endless challenges for local charities and as a result, this scratches the surface of the incredible need in the community as they adapt to COVID-19 protocols and delivery of services," United Way SIBC executive director Kahir Lalji said.
"We have seen close to a 70 per cent increase in need and we need your help more than ever. Please consider giving of your time, talent and resources."
United Way SIBC launched and distributed COVID-19 relief funding in partnership with local donors, community foundations and the federal government's New Horizons for Seniors Program. In May, United Way SIBC put a call out for applications for the Emergency Community Support Fund.
"Canadian charities and non-profit organizations play a vital role in our communities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing real challenges to these important organizations," said Ahmed Hussen, Canada's Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
"The Government of Canada is pleased to support these organizations through the Emergency Community Support Fund so that they can continue to help the most vulnerable members of our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic."
READ: COVID-19: Canada to get 249,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine in December, Trudeau says
Man pleads not guilty to first-degree murder in Red Deer doctor's death
B.C. government makes big commitments to fish and habitat conservation


Naturally, museums are places of scholarly pursuit and to some degree a visitor is expecting to learn something they did not previously know. One of the unique facets of museums is their dexterity of how a visitor may learn a museum's content. Always trying to separate themselves from the ridged approach of taking a college course on a topic, museums often offer visual interpretations and in most cases, the freedom to view any object in no particular order. In this sense, learning in a museum is a very relaxed and hopefully enjoyable pursuit. Pushing this feature further in a more entertaining way is Museum Theatre, something that the members of Palazzo Vecchio's staff are masters of.


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U.K. IT Workers Face Age Discrimination
By CIO Staff
CIO	 Oct 31, 2005 7:00 am PST
Bill Gates is likely to get many birthday cards on Friday, probably from fans and critics alike. He'll also get one congratulating him on the "rare feat" of turning 50 while still being employed in the IT sector.
Amicus, a manufacturing, technical and skilled persons' trade union in the U.K., said it sent the card to Microsoft Corp.'s chairman and chief software architect to draw attention to age discrimination in IT. The union commissioned a study, conducted by the Labour Research Department, and found that of 500 IT workers who responded, 71 percent believe that their employers treat people less favorably because of age. Over 80 percent of IT workers in the U.K. are under 45 years old, Amicus said.
The Labour Research Department is an organization that conducts research and publishes news and information for trade unions.
The higher up on the corporate ladder a person is, the more likely he or she is to discriminate based on age, or at least that's the perception among workers, the study found. Senior managers are blamed for treating older people unfairly by 79 percent of the workers. A lesser 56 percent said line management is responsible for the poor treatment.
Recruitment, redundancy, pay, promotion and training are the most important areas where discrimination exists, respondents said.
Older workers aren't the only ones affected by age discrimination. On the other end of the spectrum, some workers say they feel discriminated against for being too young. They may be told their pay is lower than colleagues' because of their age or that they are too young to be considered for promotions, according to the research.
By Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service


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Soldiers discover love in musical 'Yank!' at Manatee Players
By Jay Handelman , Herald-Tribune
/ Saturday, February 13, 2016
American soldiers in World War II came from diverse backgrounds and put aside their differences to fight common enemies overseas.
From left, David Addis, Billy Masuck, Brian Craft and Chris Hines play soldiers in the U.S. Army during World War II in the musical "Yank" in the Kiwanis Studio Theatre at the Manatee Performing Arts Center. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MANATEE PLAYERS
But the war also opened their eyes to how different people lived and new possibilities for their own futures, like the two soldiers at the heart of the off-Broadway musical hit "Yank!", which opens Thursday in the Bradenton Kiwanis Studio Theatre at the Manatee Performing Arts Center.
Their story is discovered by a young man who finds an old journal in current-day San Francisco. He reads about two privates, Stu and Mitch, who become friends and then fell in love. Stu is terrified of his feelings and worries that he won't be "man enough to fight on the front." He is assigned as a photographer working with a gay reporter named Artie, who works for Yank Magazine, the journal that was written "for the servicemen by the servicemen." Over some months, he discovers a gay world that was somewhat hidden beneath the surface of the U.S. Army in the 1940s.
The musical celebrates the style of the World War II era with a score that Variety said "pays homage to the Rodgers and Hammerstein sound." The entertainment newspaper also called the 2010 off-Broadway production "the most intriguing new American musical to reach New York in several seasons."
And The New York Times said that the "stuffed-to-the-brim show certainly goes out of its way to include something for everybody: two tap numbers, a ballet, rousing songs of camaraderie, sentimental ballads, bare backsides, guys in formal gowns."
The soldiers, some of whom may have kept their sexuality hidden or others who didn't realize they were gay, found themselves in a different world where "they were able to meet, congregate and find out that they weren't alone. It was a place where they were putting their lives on the line, fighting for their country and for freedoms that they themselves could still be denied," said director Kenneth Rapczynski.
Rapczynski, best remembered as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" at the Manatee Players, said despite the description, "this is not a gay musical. It's a musical that tells the story of gays in the military during World War II. It tells the story of these two soldiers falling in love, one who is up for it and one who is so worried about being caught and found out."
The show was written and first seen during the era of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Since then, the government has allowed gay members of the military to serve openly, though debate still continues on the subject.
Brian Craft, left, and Billy Masuck play soldiers who unexpectedly fall in love during World War II in the musical "Yank" at the Manatee Performing Arts Center. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MANATEE PLAYERS
Rapczynski said that Stu and Mitch become heroes of a sort.
"They're fighting a fight and not knowing where it would go, but in the hopes that by 1950 or 1955, things might change, but it takes until 2015 to get those freedoms. There's also the underlying message of becoming true to yourself and finding where the strength in you lies. That's one of Stu's songs, 'Just True.' It's not about what's right or wrong, but what's true."
Brian Craft, who has been seen in "Cats" and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at the Manatee Players, plays Stu, opposite another theater regular, Billy Masuck, as Mitch. (Masuck most recently played King Triton in "The Little Mermaid.") Brian Finnerty plays the reporter, Artie, and also is choreographing the show.
Joshua Roberson, Dave Addis and Chris Hines play members of the same squad in a cast that also includes Katie Eichler, Philip Morehouse, Jay Poppe, Brian Stubbe and Joseph Rebella. Several of the performers play multiple roles.
The musical marks a change of pace for the new studio theater, which has been home primarily to light musicals like "Bark" (about dogs) and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," as well as classic dramas like this season's "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "The Miracle Worker."
"It's more daring to be sure," artistic director Rick Kerby said of the musical. "I actually had a great conversation with our board about how we have to be able to push the boundaries without alienating people along the way. It's important to open ourselves up to new audiences, a younger audience and a new generation of theatergoers."
The theater is partnering with Equality Florida on the production, through the company's Action Through Acting Series. Nonprofit organizations are given a chance to distribute information during the run and the theater donates one performance to each designated group.
"Yank!" features music by Joseph Zellnik, with book and lyrics by David Zellnik. Michelle Neal is the musical director; scenic design is by Ralph Nurmela with costumes by Georgina Willmott and lighting by Patrick Bedell.
Rapczynski said the score pays homage to the 1940s sound, with boogie woogie, some torch songs and other styles of the era.
The show also turned out to be larger and more complex than he anticipated.
"I thought it was a cute little musical, but it's got some heavy-duty stuff going on with a large amount of people," he said.
THEATER PREVIEW
"Yank" runs Feb. 18-March 6 in the Manatee Performing Arts Center's Bradenton Kiwanis Studio Theatre, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. For ticket information: 941-748-5875; manateeperformingartscenter.com
Jay Handelman
Jay Handelman is the theater and television critic for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He also is President of the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association and a two-time past chairman of the association's executive committee. He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4931. Follow him at @jayhandelman on Twitter. Make sure to "Like" Arts Sarasota on Facebook for news and reviews of the arts.


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You are here: Home / Blog / Blogstream / Estate Tax Planning for 2012
Estate Tax Planning for 2012
by, Anne Tergesen, SmartMoney Blog
If you're among the 1%, make estate planning part of your New Year's resolutions.
Last year, Congress gave the wealthy an unexpected present in the form of a $5 million per person estate tax exemption. At the same time, it raised the gift-tax exemption to $5 million from $1 million for individuals and to $10 million from $2 million for couples. As a result, people can give away that much without paying a penny in taxes.
What's more, as a WSJ article on the topic says, "the tax rate on gifts above those amounts fell to 35% from a scheduled 55%, a boon to ultrawealthy people who want to give away even more money."
This fall, rumors swirled that the so-called Super Committee–composed of 12 members of Congress charged with cutting $1.2 trillion from the Federal deficit by Nov. 23–would reduce the $5 million gift and estate tax exemptions by year-end. But aside from failing to agree on a deficit-reduction plan, the Committee also failed to tackle a reduction in the estate tax exemption.
That gives wealthy families another year in which to take advantage of these higher limits. For 2012, the amount one individual can give another annually without incurring a gift tax remains at $13,000. But because the gift and estate tax exemptions are indexed for inflation, the $5 million lifetime gift and estate tax exemption limits will rise to $5.12 million–or $10.24 million per married couple.
"Considering that the gift tax exclusion had been frozen at $1 million for many years," writes Blanche Lark Christerson, managing director at Deutsche Bank, "this increase represents a remarkable opportunity to pass property to heirs free of gift tax."
In 2013, the gift and estate tax exemptions are both scheduled to revert to $1 million, unless Congress acts. The top estate tax rate will snap back to 55%, with a 5% surcharge on taxable estates of between $10 million and $17.184 million, according to Ms. Christerson. President Obama, Ms. Christerson says, has urged a return to the $3.5 million estate tax exclusion in effect in 2009. (The gift tax exemption, however, would fall back $1 million.)
In 2012, families can also elect to take advantage of "portability." As Ms. Christerson explains: "If dad predeceases Mom in 2011 or 2012, she can use what remains of Dad's estate tax exclusion."
To be able to do so, the executor for Dad's estate must make an election on his estate tax return. In other words, "Mom won't inherit his unused exclusion unless a federal estate tax return is filed–even if one is not otherwise required because Dad's estate is" under the $5 million exemption amount, Ms. Christerson writes.
Portability, she adds, is not available for state estate tax exclusions.
Tags: ChangingAging
Published to: Blogstream on December 13, 2011
About Anne Tergesen


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Carinated bowl
Accession # MU2688
Culture Unknown
Period Iron Age II (First Temple Period)
Date late 7th Century - early 6th Century BCE
Provenance Beersheba, Israel. Stratum II
Material/s Ceramic
Dimensions 21.11 cm (w) x 21.04 cm (d) x 11.54 cm (h)
Source Macquarie University, MAC
The artefact MU2688 is a small carinated bowl housed in the Macquarie University Macaquarie University History Museum. The object originates from Stratum II in Beersheba, Israel. The bowl is intact apart from severe cracking along the body and rim of the vessel, random chipping on the body, as well as evidence of wear on the exterior. The state of preservation is poor, with significant fading of the internal and external surfaces. Surface treatment is evident in the non-reflective surface of the vessel, indicating that the outside was wet-smoothed. A slight red slip was also applied to the vessel before firing. The rim has been modelled, which is emphasised by the altered contour of the rim's edge. The object has a flat base that is concave inside; this would have been formed through the process of trimming, where excess clay on the base of the vessel was cut away with a sharp tool. Further, the interior of the vessel shows evidence of rilling marks, indicating that the vessel was wheel-made. There is no evidence of decoration applied to the exterior of the object. This carinated bowl bears resemblance to bowls used for funerary gifts found in the Iron Age II (late 7th Century to early 6th Century BCE) that would have been interred in rock-hewn family burial caves.
Syllabus Links Stage 6 Preliminary
Investigating Ancient History, The investigation of Ancient sites and sources
Stage 6 HSC Ancient Societies. Option C Society in Israel from Solomon to the fall of Samaria
Social structure and political organisation, including; roles of the bureaucracy, merchant class, workers, artisans (ACHAH106).
Religion, death and burial, including; nature of conflicting religious beliefs and practices (ACHAH114).
Cultural and everyday life, including; art and architecture; writing and literature.
Stage 6 HSC Historical Period. Option C The Ancient Levant - First Temple Period c.970-586 BC
Israel and Judah in the Ancient Levant, including; Expansion of the population, trade and settlement in the region.
Historical Concepts and Skills; Analysis and use of sources
Explain the meaning and value of sources for an historical inquiry (ACHAH007, ACHAH009)
Analyse sources to identify and account for the different perspectives of individuals and groups in the past (ACHAH010)
Analyse and synthesise evidence from different types of sources to develop reasoned claims (ACHAH008)
Identify and analyse problems relating to sources in the investigation of the past (ACHAH011)
Historical Concepts and Skills; Historical interpretation
Form judgements about historical significance
Historical Concepts and Skills; Historical investigation and research.
Use evidence from a range of sources to inform investigation and research (ACHAH005)
Beer-Sheba III - The Early Iron IIA Enclosed Settlement and the Late Iron IIA-Iron IIB Cities
John Hopkins Archaeological Museum - Levantine Pottery
Barkay, G. (1992) "The Iron Age II-III", in A. Ben-Tor (ed.) The Archaeology of Ancient Israel, New Haven and London. pp.358-359.
Ben-Shlomo, D. (April 2008) The Cemetery of Azor and Early Iron Age Burial Practices, Levant 40(1); pp.29-54, esp. p.31.
Bull, L. and M.S. Dimand. (1935) ""Antiquities from Palestine."" Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 30 (2), p. 44.
Magrill, P. (2006) A Researcher's Guide to the Lachish Collection in the British Museum. The British Museum Research Publication 161. London; The British Museum, p. ix.
Macquarie University History Museum (2020). Carinated bowl, MU2688. //objectbasedlearning.com/Macquarie-University-History-Museum/MU2688 (accessed on: 14 June 2020).
Israel Museum Jerusalem, IAA 1980-1054.
Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, 34.126.55.: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/323165?sortBy=Relevance&where=Levant&ft=bowl&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=16
Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, 34.126.59.
Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, 61-14-124.: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/270464
Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, 71-9-62. : https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/321725


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2014 Mustang Division Rules
Player Rotation, Line-up and Positioning
Bat the entire line up.
No player may sit out two innings until every other player has sat out at least one inning.
Each player will play at least one inning in the infield (pitcher, first, second, shortstop, third or catcher) in each game.
Each player will play at least one inning in the outfield in each game.
A player can play 3 maximum innings at any position each game.
10 players may be used defensively (4 in the outfield equidistant apart and no closer than 15 feet from the edge of the infield prior to the ball being hit).
A team must field at least 8 players in uniform and able to play at the start of the game (and at any time during the game) or they forfeit the game. When playing with 8 players, the ninth position in the lineup is taken as an out. However, the out cannot be taken to end an inning or the game and is carried forward to the following inning when applicable.
With the exception of pitching changes, no player may switch defensive positions in the middle of any inning unless a player gets injured or the opposing team manager agrees with the switch (ie player safety concerns).
Hitting and Baserunning
It is strongly encouraged with 2 outs that a pinch runner is allowed for catchers.
All Players while in route to home plate must slide or avoid contact if there is any reasonable chance that a play will be attempted at the plate. Failure to do so in the umpire's judgment will be an out.
If in the umpire's judgment, the batter throws the bat, the batter will be given a warning for the first offense and will be called out for any subsequent offenses, and the ball is dead. All runners will return to their previous bases.
10.5. PONY Baseball Rules for Mustang, Section 9, Paragraph N, Option 1 will be used for the entire season: "Runners may lead off and steal bases, as in the Official Baseball Rules" with the following exception:
1. No direct stealing of home off the pitcher will be allowed, but the runner may steal on a wild pitch/passed ball, a pick-off attempt at 3rd base (the ball must be thrown to 3rd) or a wild throw back to the pitcher from the catcher.
Head-first slides are not allowed, except in the occasion of a player returning to a base to avoid a pickoff.
Pitchers may pitch a maximum of 2 innings per game, which must be consecutive, with a maximum of 6 innings per week.
In the post season tournament only, pitchers may pitch a maximum of 2 innings per game, which must be consecutive, with a maximum of 8 innings per week.
Pitching week begins on Monday at 12:01am and ends on Sunday at 12 midnight.
Pitchers must follow the pitch count recommendations set forth in the Pitch Smart Guidelines established by Pony Baseball.
Daily Maximum: 50 pitches
Required Rest: 1-20 pitches 0 days rest
21-35 pitches 1 day rest
36-50 pitches 2 days rest
Rest is calculated as per calendar day.
Pitchers reaching their maximum number of pitches in a day while pitching to a batter may finish pitching to that batter before being removed.
A pitcher must record 3 outs or face 3 batters to qualify as a pitching appearance.
If a pitcher comes in and faces only one batter or pitches only one pitch that is still considered an inning for that pitcher, although the pitcher must face at least 3 batters or record three outs for it to be considered an official appearance.
A minimum of 4 pitchers must be used in each game and each of the 4 pitchers must record three outs or face at least three batters.
The dropped third strike rule will be enforced as per MLB rules.
It is strongly encouraged that all players be allowed to pitch at least one inning during the season.
Inning and Game Duration
No new inning begins after 2 hours. Game drop-dead at 2 hours and 15 minutes when a game precedes another game, except in the Playoffs when there is no time limit.
Weekday games have no time limits, except when a game is called due to darkness.
5-Run Rule per Inning until the 6th inning which will allow unlimited runs, or unless due to time constraints, both coaches and the umpire agree to an alternate last inning.
No 10-run (mercy) rule.
Rule on Managing and Coaching
A team may have up to four adults assisting for each game.
On offense, each team may have a first and third base coach on the field.
Coaches are not allowed on the field while their team is on defense, except for visits to the pitcher.
The Home team will provide the umpire with three new game balls at the start of each game. If more balls are needed, both managers can select the best available balls from their used game balls.
The Home team manager is responsible for pre-game field maintenance, keeping the official score, and field clean up after the game. Both managers are responsible for cleanliness of their respective dugouts, especially after the last game of the day.
The winning Manager of each game is responsible for timely recording the score on the league's website and/or notifying the league president of the score so that he can update the website.
No batting practice on the field before games.
All players must be registered with the Mustang Division in La Jolla Youth Baseball.
All players must be in compliance with the specified age requirements set forth by PONY Baseball.
A player who quits, or due to injury is unable to continue the season shall be reported immediately to the League President by the manager in the form of a written report. Players on the waiting list, if any, will have priority.
No extra player rule.
Metal spikes are not allowed on the Mustang Field.
Personal Conduct
Conduct should always emphasize setting the best example for the kids.
Only the manager may discuss or dispute umpire calls. Under no circumstances shall a coach, player or parent do this.
Any manager, coach, parent or player who yells at an umpire or otherwise engages in verbally abusive or inappropriate behavior will be immediately asked for his name and recorded in the scorekeeper's book and reported to the League President. The first occurrence will be:
If player, manager or coach, that person will leave the game and will miss the next game.
If parent, the umpire will request the manager to control the parent. If the parent fails to respond, the parent will be ejected from the premises. If the parent fails to leave, the game will be forfeited. The League President may take further action including excluding the parent (or parent's guest) from the premises for the remainder of the season.
The penalty for player ejection must be served in the dugout and the player must be in uniform.
The manager/coach must serve their penalty by not being on the field during the game, but must be at the game.
In the event a manager/coach is ejected a second time, he/she will be suspended from coaching for the remainder of the season, pending review of the League Officers and Board of Directors.
The Official playing rules, with the exceptions and variations contained in this document, shall be set forth in the PONY Rule Book.


I hope sincerely that President Obama will be re-elected. He is a man of peace. I left a brief message on Twitter which reads that we have entered "a new age of diplomacy." The amount of money Israel and the US spend on defense is extremely high. In the US, lowering these expenses may be useful. There has to be money for defense, but the people need jobs and their social programs.
By the way, in Quebec, the demonstrations, called manifestations in French, are continuing. Protest has spread outside Quebec. The group has given itself a name: La Classe.
Levitan is a very important Lithuanian–Russian artist, more important than I first thought. Additionally, spirituality was an important part of his life and it is a characteristic of his work.
The video I am including features, to a certain extent, that aspect of his life. It combines the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1 April 1873 – 28 March 1943) and some of the abundant number of paintings executed by Levitan. In the video the word "lyrical" landscapes is used. That seems fine. "Mood" landscapes could be considered a form of "lyrical" landscapes.
It is the best time to make some plans for the longer term and it's time to be happy. I've learn this submit and if I may just I wish to suggest you some interesting things or suggestions. Maybe you could write subsequent articles relating to this article. I desire to learn more issues about it!
Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I��m impressed! Extremely helpful info specially the last part I care for such information a lot. I was seeking this certain information for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.
The music and landscape are calming… TY!
Sometimes, we need a little serenity.
These landscapes are really very beautiful, Micheline: thanks so much for the video. I am also a Rachmaninov junkie. I can never get enough. The music you have chosen marries up so well with the great skies and vast landscapes. I love the little house perching on a hill.
That little house or tiny chapel faces infinity. So the painting is a lyrical or mood landscape. And to the music of Rachmaninoff, the painting conveys an even greater sense of our place in the infinite.
I'm glad you like the video. So do I.
I thank you for writing.


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MSG Entertainment Provides Update on Construction of MSG Sphere in Las Vegas
MSG Entertainment to Serve as Construction Manager; Jayne McGivern Named President of Development and Construction
AECOM to Continue Supporting Project Through New Services Agreement
Over the Next Year Team to Focus on Critical Path Construction Elements
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) (NYSE: MSGE) today provided an update on MSG Sphere at The Venetian, the Company's planned state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas, including that it has assumed the role of construction manager of the project. AECOM has transitioned from its role as general contractor to supporting MSG Sphere with a new services agreement that facilitates the company's continued involvement through the project's completion.
MSG Sphere Construction
MSG Entertainment, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, will manage construction of MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, with direct responsibility for strategic planning and the construction timeline, as well as management of all subcontractors.
The project will continue to be led by Jayne McGivern, who has been named President of Development and Construction. Ms. McGivern has assembled a world-class team of construction management professionals who will be responsible for driving the completion of the Las Vegas venue and retaining the knowledge gained for future MSG Sphere projects. MSG Entertainment's internal team will direct all aspects of the project, including oversight of 30 seconded AECOM employees who will continue supporting key areas such as health and safety.
Ms. McGivern said: "We have taken significant steps to strengthen our internal construction team. This, along with valued support from AECOM, will give us greater transparency and control over the construction process, while enabling us to continue benefiting from AECOM's expertise. MSG Sphere will be a venue unlike any other, and we believe we are well-positioned to not only advance our Las Vegas project, but also deliver on our long-term vision for MSG Sphere."
Significant progress has been made on construction of MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. Earlier this year, the superstructure reached its widest point with the completion of the venue's sixth-level concrete ring beam, which is 490 feet wide and sits 113 feet above ground. The construction team recently completed the successful placement of two 240-ton steel girders that sit 140-feet off the ground and span the length of what will be the venue's stage, paving the way for continued vertical construction.
Over the next year, construction efforts will focus on several of MSG Sphere's critical path elements. Current work is being done to finish all superstructure concrete pours, which includes completing stair and elevator cores and the venue's proscenium wall. Steel for the remaining exterior ring beams and inboard decks will then be placed, leading to the start of construction of the steel domed roof in early 2021.
As previously disclosed, MSG Entertainment expects to open MSG Sphere in Las Vegas in calendar 2023.
Jayne McGivern joined MSG Entertainment (formerly part of The Madison Square Garden Company, which is now Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.) in 2018 and, prior to being named President of Development and Construction, served as Executive Vice President of Development and Construction. She will continue to oversee construction in Las Vegas, as well as the Company's plans for a second MSG Sphere venue in London, which is pending necessary approvals. An established leader in global construction, Ms. McGivern has spearheaded the creation and delivery of a number of large development projects, including in her prior roles as CEO of the European Division of Multiplex plc, and Managing Director of Anschutz Entertainment Group in London, during its acquisition and redevelopment of The O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome). Ms. McGivern currently serves on the board of directors of Skanska AB, one of the world's most prominent construction and development companies, and Cairn Homes, the leading Irish homebuilding company.
About Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) is a leader in live entertainment experiences. The Company presents or hosts a broad array of events in its diverse collection of venues: New York's Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; and The Chicago Theatre. MSG Entertainment is also building a new state-of-the-art venue in Las Vegas, MSG Sphere at The Venetian, and has announced plans to build a second MSG Sphere in London, pending necessary approvals. In addition, the Company features the original production – the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston Calling Events, produces the Boston Calling Music Festival. Also under the MSG Entertainment umbrella is Tao Group Hospitality, with entertainment dining and nightlife brands including Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, Beauty & Essex and Cathédrale. More information is available at www.msgentertainment.com.
All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws including statements relating to the achievement of milestones and the expected opening date of the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, as well as future economic and industry conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements are set forth in MSG Entertainment's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the sections titled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contained therein. MSG Entertainment disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein except as required by applicable law.
Kimberly Kerns
EVP and Chief Communications Officer
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
212-465-6442/Kimberly.kerns@msg.com