Puerto Banus is a small port but very high end. The harbor was too small for the ship to dock so we anchored out and were shuttled in on a launch. However, the harbor was full of expensive yachts. The first car we walked by as we got off the launch was a Maserati followed by two Ferraris and two Bentleys, not a place for spending spare change. It was a pleasant way to get some exercise in the sun. The weather has been perfect all during our cruise with temperatures in the 70's and bright sun. I brought a light coat along expecting a chill on the water but I've rarely used it.
The boat is an example of how to build a luxury yacht. It's 439 ft long with a beam of 54 ft and draws 18.5 ft. The maximum number of passengers it can carry is 227 but only about 160 are on our cruise. With a crew of 106, there's a good ratio of passengers to crew and it shows in the service. The interior is all done in varnished wood with carpeted floors.
The dining room can seat everyone in one sitting. The interior is polished wood and the tables are set with tablecloths and crystal. The entrance to the dining area is down a spiral staircase with a full view of the day's cuisine. You have your own waiter that's dedicated to no more than four tables, the service is excellent. Your selection is always served artistically as in the photo (sliced tuna).
For breakfast and lunch they serve a buffet with more food than you can possibly consume. There is a breakfast chef that will make a custom omelet for you and a lunch chef that will slice a special serving of the day in addition to all the other offerings. Since they have all nationalities on board, they have to plan for all cuisines. For example, the Germans like sliced cold cuts for breakfast and even slices of cold fish so that's supplied with a large selection. There are always eight hot selections over a heating flame and under cover for both breakfast and lunch.
Dinner is a sit down affair with a full meal served by your waiter. The menu consists of eight courses with wine being extra (about 15 euros). Almost nobody has the full eight courses, it's too much but if you feel brave, you can order them all. We top the meal off with coffee. You can sit anywhere and it's fun to select a table and see who comes by. There are tables for two, four, six and eight, your choice. There is also a captain's table but we haven't been there yet.
The cabins are finished like fine furniture and the bath is lined with marble on the floor and walls.
At every stop there are tours you can take to the interior and we've taken a few but not every time we dock, we like to just relax some days and enjoy the warm sun and life on the ship.
Gibraltar was just across the straits from Tangier so we just sailed a back and forth course for the night. We don't stay in a port overnight, it's always just for the afternoon. We walked into town with the intention of catching a local bus to the tramway ride to the top of the "Rock" but then a taxi stopped and gave us a good price for a guided tour (12 euros)_to the top and also the caves and fortifications built by the British.
Upward we went in a narrow, one lane road and had our first look at the famous monkeys of Gibraltar. They are very tame and pose for pictures. I didn't realized that there are real caves in Gibraltar, complete with stalagmites and stalactites. Once at the top, you realize how busy the port is. There were ships anchored everywhere. In the photo you can see our relatively small ship next to a much larger one on the pier to the right.
We also toured the fortifications with large cannons installed in narrow passageways drilled out of the solid rock of the mountain. The noise from shooting the cannon must have been painful, I can't imagine the magnitude of the sound in the tight quarters! I remember firing the small, starter cannon at PYC and even that was deafening.
Pulling out of the harbor, it was time for our chance to go up the mast. Leathem and I took advantage of the opportunity. We put on a harness and a safety line but had to climb up the ropes ourselves. However, we only were allowed to climb to the level of the first booms. Still, it was higher than the top of the mast on Fleetwing. From the top (in the photo) you can see one of the three swimming pools on the boat. I haven't seen anyone use them yet. Look at the video if you want to see the view from the first level of someone climbing up the webbing to the mast. For the rest of the days and night ,we lost wind and mostly just drifted since we didn't have far to go for the next anchorage.
We set foot in Africa for the first time today! We had booked a tour to a town founded in the 1200's led by an enthusiastic, local tour guide. We had been in Japan and all over Europe but we found ourselves in a town that appeared most unlike the US. The women all wore Arab garb and most of the men wore the one piece covering typical in Arab countries. We were led on a walking tour of the old part of town where vendors of all sorts had small stalls selling their goods. There were a fantastic variety of items for sale, all neatly arranged for display in very narrow aisles, barely wide enough for us to pass. It was a good thing we had a guide since we had absolutely no idea of the way out.
All was most interesting until we were led into a room where it had been decided (without our consent) that we should be shown a sample of every Persian rug ever made. Rug after run was rolled before us which was entertaining for awhile but then they started showing each rug one at a time, asking if anyone was interested in buying it. The rugs were beautiful but we didn't need a rug.
After the long rug session, we were led into another room for refreshments and a walk back to the bus. The countryside was green and hilly with a lot of construction in progress which the guide was inordinately proud of. He repeated many times of how tolerant the citizens were and that Morocco was the third country that recognized the newly minted USA back in the 1700's (of course, he knew most of those on the bus were Americans!) Most of the tourists come from Spain, just across the straits.
We motored throughout the night. I was somewhat concerned about being in close quarters with wind and waves pitching the ship to and fro. I've always been fine up on deck but down below with the horizon out of sight, I've sometimes had a problem. However, this vessel is very smooth and I never felt a twinge. I slept like a log. In the night the ship went by the Rock of Gibraltar and out into the Atlantic and north to Cadiz which we reached by 1:00 pm. Unfortunately, we never raised sails! The wind was wrong but we're to leave Cadiz tonight at 7:00 and with the winds out of the north, we should see our first sail.
The first order of the day was a life jacket drill in which we learned how to properly tie a life jacket on, not obvious at first. They said they never had to use the lifeboats but you never know – so drill!
Coming into Cadiz, we saw that the navigation system was reversed with reds on the port side and greens on the starboard side. The Europeans call us backwards but, of course, that's a point of view. Even with their buoy system being reversed, we still made it into port safely. No sailing into dock with the sails flying, we had two tugs to help out. We also required a Pilot to come aboard to accompany us into harbor, a practice that employs a lot of pilots I guess. It was not a difficult harbor, wide open.
The weather continues to be very warm, no long sleeve shirts yet. In fact, there's a dress code on the ship. For dinner, you must wear a shirt with a collar and sleeves (no T-shirts!) and no shorts including Bermuda shorts. I've just been wearing knit shirts and long pants.There are a total of six meals served each day although I've only been able to make three so far, so much food, so little time.
In every port a pilot was required to board the ship for guidance into the harbor. See the video for the neat maneuver.
Finally, the ship's internet connection was fixed today, 4/30!
We wanted to see the old city of Ronda which involved yet another impossibly steep road trip to the top of the gorge. There were places the road was every bit of a 45 degree incline and it was a wonder that the car didn't slip but up it went. It's a two way street too! However, we didn't meet any on-coming traffic, luckily.
The Sierra Nevada mountains were between us and the coast and there were two routes. There was the super highway route of the winding, twisty route through the mountains so naturally we took the twisty route even through the GPS advised against it. Leaving Ronda we started to climb and the road gradually dwindled to just wide enough for two cars if you pulled over to one side. "Our side" happened to be the outside and the starboard passengers got an excellent look at the 1000 foot dropoff where the pavement ended. Nevertheless, the scenery was spectacular and I would recommend the route.
Finally, we boarded and the first thing they did was check us for a fever with a hand-held IR thermometer. If we had shown a fever, we would have not been allowed to board. The rest of the day was spent in relief, ahhh to calm down and relax! We had dinner and were all on deck for the cast off of the lines for our cruise overnight to Cadiz.
It was a real interesting drive today. We drove south through flat plains as flat as anything in the Midwest and then suddenly hills appears with canyons and it was up and down time in the car. The terrain was extremely varied and we tool lots of photos, only a couple are included here.
Ronda is built on the side of a cliff with a deep gully cut by a stream through the middle. We intended to walk to dinner that night but Leathem and I decided to scout out the path first. The GPS said it was only 0.8 miles to the restaurant but what we didn't realize was that it included a 1000 foot altitude increase! After a few minutes into our scouting routing, we realized that the girls would never make that hike and decide on taking the car. By the time we got back, we were virtually exhausted but of course we never showed it and volunteered to take the car to the top the second time (see photo for a look at about 1/2 the height up)! Even that ride was not without excitement. The road was so steep that you could not see the road ahead when coming to an intersection (the hood hid the view). On faith you pressed on and sure enough, there was a road beneath the car when you tilted forward onto a flat intersection point.
We found a restaurant at the top of the cliff with a magnificent view of the gully where we ate dinner which was excellent as we watched the sun fade. Walking back to the car parked underground, we started back down which equaled the excitement of the trip up! It's a wonder the car just didn't skid downward but somehow that tired gripped enough. We feel that now we are getting into the swing of things in Spain since we finished with a bottle of wine at 11:00 pm. Tomorrow it's onward to the Royal Clipper!
The highlight of the day was a trip to the Prado, a world famous museum in Madrid. Ann was in heaven with paintings she had heard about but never seen in person. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photos of anything inside the museum so memories will have to do.
We headed south to Toledo which used to be the capital of Spain. It's built on a hill and is fascinating to explore in the old part of the city. The streets are barely wide enough for one car to get by so it's largely a pedestrian area. The weather was wonderful with full sun and temperatures in the 70's. We haven't yet adapted to the eating times of the local population. Breakfast is practically nonexistent, just a cup of coffee. Lunch comes between 1:30 and 4:30 with dinner served from 9:00 to 10:00, mostly at 10:00 or later. Even with these late times, you still see lots of people out early in the morning on their way to work, don't quite know how they do that. We've gotten in a snacking routine more than formal dinners and lunches. Go with the flow as they say.
At night the city is ablaze with lights and it's especially dramatic with the city being built on a hill. So we played tourist and just drove around town at night snapping pictures. We didn't get back to our hotel until 10:30 (when most people were in the middle of their dinner!) It's further south on Sunday for our last day before boarding the boat.
Newark was very busy as we expected but we still made it through all the check-in lines in less than 30 minutes which gave us plenty of time to rest up in Continental's President's Club lounge. However, we had to recheck in at the gate counter since they wanted to be sure of filling every seat. There were people still waiting for a flight out, all were full. Due to all the checking, we were an hour late taking off. The flight itself was uneventful and we even were served two meals, a dinner and a small breakfast!
The Madrid airport was no problem and the Hertz car rental was right by the terminal (Terminal 1). I had loaded my Garmin iQue with maps of Spain before I left and just plugged in the address of the hotel in downtown Madrid, the iQue guided us there without a wrong turn. It would have been a hopeless task without the GPS - many, many turns.
The dinner hour in Spain starts at 8:00 pm but the most popular time is 9:00 to 10:00, much too late for us with the 6 hour time difference (Spain is earlier). It's now 10:00 pm over here in Spain but it's only 4:00 pm in NY. Madrid is very festive with street performers all over the place (see photo). We ate at Botin which is the older restaurant in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. It's in the background of the second photo, a typical side street scene in Madrid. The strange thing is that the street are packed with people! There's hardly room to walk, the city comes alive after 7:00. On Friday we're off to the south to work our way to Malaga for picking up the Royal Clipper, our home for 12 days starting Monday.


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TORONTO, – Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. and Kia Canada Inc. announced on November 2 that they are correcting the fuel consumption ratings for approximately 172,000 vehicles sold between 2010 and 2012.
Procedural errors at the automakers' joint testing operations in Korea led to incorrect fuel consumption ratings for select vehicle lines. As a result of the corrections, Hyundai/Kia average combined fleet fuel consumption ratings are increased for the 2013 model year by 0.3 litres per 100 kilometres.
"I sincerely apologize to all affected Hyundai and Kia customers, and I regret these errors occurred," said Dr. W. C. Yang, Chief Technology Officer of Hyundai/Kia research and development. "Following up on the EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) audit results, we have taken immediate action to make the necessary rating changes and process corrections.." The U.S. EPA certification is accepted by Environment Canada for auto imports into Canada.
Both companies are putting in place a comprehensive reimbursement program for affected current and former vehicle owners to cover the additional fuel costs associated with the fuel consumption rating change. Customers will receive a personalized, pre-paid credit card that will reimburse them for their difference in the combined fuel consumption rating, based on the average fuel price in their region and their own actual kilometres driven. In addition, as an acknowledgement of the inconvenience this may cause, we will add an extra 15 percent to the reimbursement amount. Current owners will be able to refill their pre-paid credit card at any time for as long as they own the vehicle. Prior owners of affected vehicles who have already sold their cars will also be reimbursed using the same formula. For more information about reimbursement and a complete list of eligible vehicles, customers can visit www.hyundaifuelconsumption.ca and www.kiafuelconsumption.ca.
Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America are working cooperatively with the EPA to correct fuel consumption discrepancies. The fuel consumption rating discrepancies resulted from procedural errors during a process called "coast down" testing at the companies' joint testing operations in Korea. Coast down testing simulates aerodynamic, tire rolling resistance and drivetrain frictional losses and provides the technical data used to program the test dynamometers that generate fuel consumption ratings. Affected vehicles and their before-and-after fuel consumption estimates are shown in the attachment.
With the adjusted fuel consumption ratings, the Hyundai and Kia brands will continue to deliver competitive fuel consumption performance in the industry and will continue to advance improvements in fuel efficiency through technology and innovation.


The AP-ICET 2019 Notification has been released by Andhra University on February 20, 2019 for the admission to MBA and MCA courses commencing 2019. The AP-ICET 2019 exam will be held in two sessions in select cities.
AP-ICET is the Integrated Common Entrance Test for admission to MBA and MCA regular Courses offered by State Universities and Professional Colleges under the Jurisdiction of A.P State Council of Higher Education for the academic session 2019-20.
Last date for submission of online applications with late fee of Rs. 2000/-(+ Rs.550/- Registration Fee).
The candidates should be Indian Nationals and should satisfy local/non-local status requirements laid down in the Andhra Pradesh Educational Institutions (Regulations of Admission) Order, 1974 as amended up to date (as per G.O. Ms. No. 25, dt: 19.03.2004 & G.O.Ms.No.108, Higher Education Department, dated 30-7- 2005 and its amendments).
Candidate with aggregate marks of 50% (45% in case of reserved categories) are alone are eligible to take admission through APICET as per the latest AICTE Approval Process Handbook 2019-20.
For MCA minimum eligibility is the Degree of 3 years duration with "Mathematics" as one of the subject at Intermediate or Degree level.
For MCA 2nd year direct admission (Lateral Entry) applicant should possess BCA or should be degree holder in IT/CS with Mathematics at 10+2 or Degree level.
The eligible candidates as per the AP ICET 2019 prescribed eligibility criteria can apply for APICET-2019.
The application process is through an online application on the AP ICET official web site sche.ap.gov.in/icet.
All the details are given in the User manual.
Application data correction window already submitted by the applicant will open on April 5 and will close on April 14, 2019.
The AP-ICET exam will be held on April 26, 2019 in two sessions of 150 minutes each.
AP ICET 2019 test paper will consist of 200 objective type multiple choice questions.
The test is designed to measure the candidate's ability to think systematically, to use the verbal and mathematical skills and to assess his/her aptitude for admission into MBA/MCA programme.
The Test emphasizes accuracy. The candidate, therefore is required to go through the instructions carefully. This is an objective type test and the questions are of multiple choice. Out of the given options, the candidate has to choose the correct answer. If the Candidate gives more than one answer to any question, such answers will be ignored while awarding marks.
a) Sequences and Series: Analogies of numbers and alphabet, completion of blank spaces following the pattern in a:b::c:d relationship; odd thing out: missing number in a sequence or a series.
b) Data Analysis: The data given in a Table, Graph, Bar diagram, Pie Chart, Venn Diagram or a Passage is to be analyzed and the questions pertaining to the data are to be answered.
c) Coding and Decoding Problems: A code pattern of English Alphabet is given. A given word or a group of letters are to be coded or decoded based on the given code or codes.
d)Date, Time & Arrangement Problems: Calendar problems, clock problems, blood relationships, arrivals, departures and schedules, seating arrangements, symbol and notation interpretation.
Trigonometry - Trigonometric ratios, Trigonometric ratios of standard angles, (0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, 180°): Trigonometric identities: sample problems on heights and distances, Polynomials; Remainder theorem and consequences; Linear equations and expressions; Progressions, Binomial Theorem, Matrices, Notion of a limit and derivative; Plane geometry - lines, Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Circles, Coordinate geometry-distance between points.
Admission into any college depends on its Recognition / Affiliation by the statutory Bodies and Option of the college exercised in counseling.
Admission to 85% of seats shall be reserved for the local candidates and 15 % of the seats shall be left unreserved as specified in the AP Educational Institutions order 1974 as amended.
APICET 2019 will be conducted in the following centres and candidates are given option to choose two preferences of centres of their choice from the list.


[Vision2020] Finding hope . . .
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And searching for ways to escape.
But now it's so clear it was just an excuse.
To avoid living life for myself.
Without knowing our lives will be gone.
When we all want a chance at this life.
In the end, we just want to survive.
And to stand up and face a new day.
And stop letting my life slip away.


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Submitted Result in 2015-16 Minor Counties
1 Rogers, Jonathan W (217,215) 0.5 - 0.5 Dorrington, Chris J (229,229)
2 Sygulski, Artur (202,206) 0.5 - 0.5 Cumbers, Paul (194,192)
3 Sands, David A (200,195) 0 - 1 Stead, Nick P (190,195)
4 Hodgson, John H (191,190) 0.5 - 0.5 Dilley, Jason (187,190)
5 Hebbes, Tim (188,187) 1 - 0 Kilshaw, Joe (187,172)
6 Spearman, David (185,188) 1 - 0 Birtwistle, Nigel (186,183)
7 Reynolds, D Ian W (185,180) 0.5 - 0.5 Williams, J Stuart (184,183)
8 Myall, Ivan J (184,185) 0 - 1 Prior, Stephen CV (183,176)
9 Bowmer, Kevin (181,191) 1 - 0 Russell, Harry (181,178)
10 Goldberg, Jeff A (181,182) 0.5 - 0.5 Payne, Nick (176,175)
11 Rix, Steven JL (185,178) 1 - 0 Summers, Alastair G (170,161)
12 White, John A (172,166) 0.5 - 0.5 Georgiou, Denis (164,171)
13 Hampton, Christopher (156,167) 0 - 1 Hebert, R Andrew (164,157)
14 Staniland, Philip (156,162) 0 - 1 Palmer, Keith J (163,161)
15 Cocks, Elliot (157,159) 0.5 - 0.5 Ladds, Graham I (160,158)
16 Woodward, Ian P (136,141) 0 - 1 David, Ivan (152,156)
(ave grade 181) 7.5 - 8.5 (ave grade 177) away win
Match played on 21 May 2016.
Result submitted by Nigel Birtwistle on 21 May 2016.
Result confirmed by Andrew Zigmond on 22 May 2016.
Venue:Peterborough

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Hi, Were testing out the artificial lighting system (sphere, spot, line rect & Disk) and all of the lights seem to be broken in some shape or form.
For sphere, spot and disk we have to turn them up to 20k-1mill CD to get any decent amount of light. This is a stupidly high value and it's bizarre that you have real world units that don't relate to the real world. I'm not sure if this is due to the skylight & sun being set at too high a value by default or the artificial lighting system just hasn't been calibrated properly yet.
Rectangle lighting seems to be even more broken. The larger you make them, the less light they produce? In the lighting industry rectangle lights are rated at lumens per square metre so its strange to see the light reduce when making the light source larger.
The line light seems to be the most usable in its current form. It works as a replacement for led strips quite nicely but unfortunately you cant direct the light and the shape of light it produces is circular rather than rectangular.
Thank you for pointing out these potential inaccuracies. We will check if something is going wrong. Thanks!
It works as a replacement for led strips quite nicely but unfortunately you cant direct the light and the shape of light it produces is circular rather than rectangular.
I've noticed this too, when i place it close against a wall it becomes a circular light.
Yes I've had to do this in most scenes as none of the lighting options seems to produce the correct amount of light. Coming from a lighting design background, these workarounds just produce unrealistic, inaccurate result and it would be great if the lighting system worked as it should.


【Deep Bay in a Minute】7. Why fishponds are being abandoned?
Many fishponds were left inactive due to land speculation by landowners and developers in hope of securing property development right with a much higher return than pond fish culture. Fishponds in Nam Sang Wai were abandoned in early 90s, and since then the land owner and developer continuously sought development permission, yet their recent high-rise residential development proposal was rejected by the Town Planning Board.
Fishpond farmers have been managing and operating the fishponds in Fung Lok Wai and even participated the Society's Fishpond Management Agreement (MA) Scheme to fulfil some operation requirements for bird conservation. Yet, as development permission was granted by the Town Planning Board in 2013, the developer forced the fishpond farmers to leave and the fishponds have been abandoned since 2016.
When talking about the management of wetlands, the discussion should not be limited to how property development can support the conservation of wetlands. Developers and land owners should properly manage their land and tenants to ensure waste are not dumped on their lands. Nature Conservation Management Agreement projects can be applied through funds from the Government for the management of reedbeds and wetlands other than fishponds.
As pond fish culture itself is a "wise use of wetland" and a part of our agriculture culture, the Government should reactivate and operate abandoned fishponds on Government land, or actively manage the wetlands for wildlife. Given the ecological value of fishponds is strongly related to fishpond operation, the Government should also boost the economic support to local pond fish culture for sustainable conservation of birds and wetlands in the Deep Bay area.


On July 13, 2017, we had the honor to celebrate 13 employees' 30th year work anniversary at The Washington Golf Club, Presidents Halls. Not only is Dittmar Company dedicated to providing quality living to our residents in Arlington, Fairfax, and Alexandria over 60+ years, we are also dedicated to valuing our employees. Because of employees like you, we are able to become the industry leader we are today. Thank you for your leadership, service, and fellowship.
Cheers to all of our Dittmar employees, our future looks bright with you in it, thank you for your commitment!


even if you have a new roof and annual routine maintenance.
Clearing debris from downspouts and gutters will help extend the life of your roof and ensure that water drains the right way and doesn't get stuck and start to expand and contract, especially in the colder months.
TRG has over eleven years of experience in diagnosing roofs and repairing leaks from storm, hail, wind and heat damage. Our extensive experience helps save you money and aggravation when trying to get a leak repaired or an entire roof replaced. Some roofing companies like to make multiple trips and charge you for every visit, while your interior damage is getting worse every time it rains, TRG finds the problem and fixes right the first time. In the unlikely event that we fail to repair your leak, we offer a 100% money back guarantee for one-year on most repairs.
Small problems turn into big problems quickly, do not ignore them. If you see your roof is cracking, buckling, has surface bubbles or even missing shingles, you need to call The Roof Group for a free inspection of your roof.
Should a roof need replacement or repair, The Roof Group will manage your project from start to finish using only the highest quality materials that are up to local, state and federal codes.
During your free evaluation, we evaluate all the areas of your roof to ensure you don't have water damage, leaks, or any other failures in your roof.
Our friendly and professional crew will get the job done for you on schedule so you can get back to your life and enjoy a safe and secure roof over your head again.


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Digital IT Acquisition Professional (DITAP) Training
Learn the skills required to master the art of digital acquisition through our expert-led, 6-month, part-time course. Upon completion, you'll earn the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Core-Plus Specialization in Digital Services (FAC-C-DS) and up to 80 Continuous Learning Points.
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Become a digital acquisition professional
Acquire the skills you need to make procurement work for government in today's digital world.
Understand how modern approaches to delivering technology, such as agile, have changed the way your agency needs to buy. Learn how to lead your agency through the process of adopting modern procurement methods successfully.
Achieve Mastery
Master the concepts, tools, and techniques you need to excel at digital acquisition through our expert-led, dynamic learning environment. Earn the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Core-Plus Specialization in Digital Services (FAC-C-DS).
Reinvent Procurement
Fundamentally change the way you and your agency procures products and services from industry. Experience greater collaboration with vendors, more breakthrough innovations, faster delivery of value, higher quality results, and lower costs.
Engage in a unique learning experience
Led by our team of master coaches and educators, our learning environment is designed to immerse you in both the theory and applied practice of digital acquisition.
Our instructors are recognized experts in the field of digital acquisition, and are eager to share their past and current experiences with you. Through our blend of remote and onsite learning, you'll have the chance to engage with the pioneers of modern procurement techniques.
Dynamic learning opportunities
Our balanced, holistic approach to teaching will give you the tools you need to master the course material — whatever your learning style. We blend traditional in-person classroom learning (such as seminars, panels, and guest speakers) with flexible, asynchronous online learning content (such as readings, team projects, and interactive discussions).
Personalized guidance
When you train with Skylight, you can always rely on us to provide the support you need. Through office hours and other channels, our skilled facilitators are here to provide you with answers, tips, and more to help maximize your learning opportunities.
In this program, you'll learn how to translate critical concepts and resources in the field of digital acquisition into effective, real-world practice.
Digital Services in the 21st Century Government
Learn the fundamentals of digital services, including agile software delivery, human-centered design, cloud computing, and X-as-a-service.
Understanding What You're Buying
Learn how to determine what your customer's needs are, how to assess which digital service solutions are most likely to succeed given your agency's current level of maturity, and how to conduct market research.
Understand how to develop an acquisition strategy that effectively factors in the needs of your customer, your agency's digital service maturity, your market research findings, and digital acquisition best practices.
Awarding and Administering Digital Service Contracts
Learn proven tools and techniques for awarding and administering digital service contracts that actually deliver results.
Leading change as a digital acquisition professional
Master the leadership and communication skills you need to win stakeholder buy-in for digital acquisition.
Want to know more about our course?
"As one of the first students to complete the DITAP program in 2016, I walked away with the critical know-how necessary to help change the way my agency acquires technology services. Because of what I learned, the contracting results that I experienced supporting some of the government's most critical programs were the reasons why I became an acquisition professional in the first place."
Dan Levenson, Former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Digital Service Contracting Advisor and Lead Contracting Officer for the Quality Payment Program
Learn from skilled instructors with unparalleled experience in the field.
Chris Cairns
Chris served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, and co-founded 18F. He started and built 18F's influential acquisition group, which specializes in digital acquisition methods. Chris is known for pioneering 18F's agile acquisition framework, and for architecting the government's first-ever agile vendor contract vehicle using a tech challenge.
Dan Levenson
Dan is a senior executive with Agile Six. He previously served as a certified digital acquisition expert and contracting officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). At CMS, Dan architected and managed a highly successful agile vendor contract vehicle, which supports programs such as the Quality Payment Program.
Robert Read, PhD
Robert served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, and co-founded 18F. Originally trained by agile pioneer Kent Beck, Robert has over 15 years experience as an agile practitioner and coach. He holds a PhD in computer science, and is best known for writing a popular, multilingual guide on how to be a programmer.
Lara Kohl
Lara is a former member of the U.S. Digital Service, where she served as the UX lead over the Veteran Appeals Modernization initiative. She's also a former professor at NYU, SUNY, and Pratt Institute. Lara specializes in design leadership, design research, service design, and user experience design.
March 2, 2021 to August 19, 2021
In-person classroom sessions will be held on Mar 2–4, May 11–13, Jun 29 – Jul 1, and Aug 17–19. If COVID-19 continues to present public-health risks, however, these sessions will be conducted virtually.
Location: Online + Washington DC
Instructors: Chris Cairns, Dan Levenson, Robert Read, and Lara Kohl
Cost: $7,500 USD
Here are some questions that we're typically asked, along with our responses:
How will in-person classroom training be handled during COVID-19?
All in-person classroom sessions will be held virtually if COVID-19 continues to present any public-health risks.
Where did DITAP come from?
The U.S. Digital Service and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy launched the DITAP program in order to increase the development of digital acquisition experts across government. By 2022, all federal acquisition professionals managing contracts of $7M or more will require FAC-C-DS certification. This certification can be obtained by completing our accredited DITAP training course, led by experts who pioneered the field as former members of 18F and the U.S. Digital Service.
Is this course for someone like me?
DITAP training isn't just for contracting professionals seeking certification. Our training is for anyone who plays a role in the lifecycle of an acquisition, and wants to learn how to transform acquisition outcomes through digital acquisition methods. So whether you're a finance officer, legal counsellor, procurement officer, program manager, or technical manager, you'll benefit greatly from this training.
What's the expected workload?
12 full days of mandatory classroom instruction consisting of three separate, three-day in-person sessions.
15 hours of virtual, instructor-led training.
12 hours per week of asynchronous, self-paced learning (e.g., reading articles, participating in online discussions, contributing to work activities, and working on assignments).
6 months of Digital Acquisition training.
Access to all course materials and our online learning platform.
Access to our training team, who will be available for 1-on-1 sessions during non-classroom hours.
Collaboration and networking opportunities.
While most of the program can be completely remotely, travel for the in-person classroom session isn't included.
What do I earn for successfully completing the course?
Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Core-Plus Specialization in Digital Services (FAC-C-DS).
Up to 80 Continuous Learning Points, or CLPs, based on your level of achievement in the program.
What are the prerequisites for taking this course?
Level II or Level III FAC-C certification is preferred, but not required as long as you have the requisite acquisition skills and knowledge to complete the program.
Who else will be attending this course with me?
Fellow acquisition professionals who are as passionate about changing procurement outcomes as you are.
Future collaborators and friends.
Is the course guaranteed to run if I sign up?
Each course requires a minimum of 15 participants. The run dates are contingent upon meeting this minimum.
What's the cancellation policy?
You can submit a cancellation request 30 business days or more prior to the start of the course and receive a full refund.
If you submit a cancellation request fewer than 10 business days prior to the start of the course, you'll be issued a credit toward a future Skylight training course. The credit will be equal to the amount paid for the initial course less any applicable fees.
Should Skylight cancel the course for any reason, you'll be refunded 100% of the registration cost.
Still have more questions?
Please don't hesitate to ask.


text:
Peer Articles
Dieting tips
10 Expert Youtube SEO Tips For 2023
YouTube has been around since 2005, but only in the mid-2010s have companies started leveraging the platform properly as an effective marketing tool. Video marketing has become more and more popular, but there are still many marketers who don't realize the full potential of YouTube as an advertising channel or the power of YouTube SEO.
After all, video ads on YouTube have one of the highest engagement rates of any online platform, so it makes sense to put your videos in front of your customers in places where they're actively searching for products and services like yours. If you're interested in making YouTube profitable for your business, then it's important to understand the basics of search engine optimization (SEO).
You'll need to optimize your videos and channel for search engines to help them show up in relevant searches and encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel. Successful YouTube videos are usually those that rank well on Google, Bing, and other search engines. While ranking high on these platforms may seem like an impossible feat, using the right SEO techniques can make all the difference in traffic YouTube pays per view
If you haven't hopped on the YouTube train yet, take these 10 tips into consideration when creating your first few videos so that you can optimize your channel's performance and start seeing results sooner rather than later.
1. Keyword Research
Before you even start creating your video, you need to do your keyword research. This will help you determine what people are searching for on YouTube, and how you can optimize your videos to rank for those keywords.
To start, head over to the YouTube Keyword Planner tool and enter in a couple of seed keywords related to your topic. The planner will then give you a list of related keywords, as well as their monthly search volume.
Choose the keywords that are most relevant to your video and that have a decent amount of monthly searches. These will be the keywords that you'll want to target in your video title, description, and tags.
2. Segmentation
Segmenting your audience is one of the keys to success on YouTube. By understanding who your target audience is, you can create content that appeals directly to them. This, in turn, will help you attract more viewers and subscribers.
Figure out your target audience and make sure to target them specifically in your videos.
Do your research and figure out what keywords are most relevant to different audiences.
Use those particular keywords throughout a video aimed at different audiences, including in the title, description, and tags.
Optimize your thumbnail image and title for click-through rates.
Create transcripts of your videos and optimize them for both search engines and viewers with disabilities.
Promote your videos on social media and other channels using different demographics to get more views.
Analyze your video analytics regularly to figure out what's working and what isn't so that you can adjust accordingly.
3. Channel Intro
Your channel intro is one of the first things new viewers will see when they come to your channel, so you want to make sure it's engaging and informative. Here are a few important SEO writing tips:
Keep it short and sweet- viewers have short attention spans and you want to make sure you can hold their attention.
Use keywords- make sure your intro includes relevant keywords so that your channel can be easily found by viewers who are searching for topics related to your business.
Be creative- use engaging visuals and audio to grab attention and give viewers a taste of what they can expect from your channel.
4. Add Accurate Closed Captions
Your videos' captions are automatically generated by YouTube by transcribing them. But not all YouTube videos have accurate auto-subtitles, which results in captions that are frequently unpleasant and difficult to understand.
Actionable advice for your digital / content / influencer / social media marketing.
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Spam is punished by Google, while it rewards useful search results. "Automatically generated gibberish" is a term that is used to define spam, and it perfectly describes the majority of auto-captions. You run the risk of having your YouTube channel flagged as spam and losing search ranking by employing erroneous captions.
You should accurately add closed captions via an SRT file to your YouTube videos in order to counter the negative effects of auto-captions on your SEO strategy. Videos cannot be seen by search engines, but they can crawl text. To ensure that Google can find your video, make sure that your captions are packed with relevant keywords.
5. Add a Transcript to the Description of Your Video
The ideal place to show your transcript on YouTube is in the video description. A transcript for a 10-minute video with a lot of conversation can typically fit within the description field's 5,000-character limit. If the transcript is not enough or you want to include other significant information in the description, such as a call-to-action, you can include a short form of the same with a link that takes you to the full version on a different web page.
Keyword-rich transcripts remain as the suggested best practices since they can help your video rank for related terms and show up as a "suggested video" even though there is no association between descriptions optimized for a certain keyword and the rankings for that term.
To get this done you can either use a service like Rev.com, or find a dedicated virtual assistant with a transcription skillset to help you with this.
6. Create Tags, Descriptions, and Titles with Optimum Keyword Usage
After selecting a strong keyword, you must make sure that the texts related to your video are optimized for that term. For instance, be sure to optimize the title, descriptions, and tags for the term "makeup tutorial" if you upload videos regarding makeup tutorials.
Remember that keyword stuffing—the practice of excessively employing keywords and variations of keywords in an attempt to game the system—is recognized as bad practice by search engines. That is not worth your time. Otherwise, you risk being penalized for writing for people rather than machines.
After conducting keyword research and selecting your keywords, naturally include them in the following fields:
Meta Description:
It can include 5,000 characters, although based on your device, it downscales at roughly 120 characters. Given that more than half of buyers are affected by product videos, it is critical for e-commerce websites to incorporate a link to your product. To make it clickable, don't forget to include the HTTP://.
The title can fit 100 characters but is truncated at 70, thus the most crucial details and the keyword should be near the beginning. Use persuading words to get people to click, such as "tips," "how-to," "advice," or numbered lists.
About 500 characters should do it, but don't overkill. To ensure that your video matches a long-tail keyword term precisely, enclose sentences in double quotations ("). Consider changing the tags on your video to "iPhone tutorial" rather than "iPhone" and "tutorial." Always add tags in the order of relevance and keep the user in mind.
Further Reading: YouTube Video Optimization: Simple Tricks Beginners Can Implement To Rank Their Videos
7. Use Hashtags in Your Video Descriptions to Improve YouTube Search Results
Users can now search for information that answers their queries across several websites using hashtags on social media. You may use hashtags in your YouTube videos' descriptions and titles to help users locate your content when they perform a specific hashtag search.
Since they draw attention to significant trends, tags in particular help advance search. When a hashtag is used in a video's description, it first appears above the title before becoming a hyperlink.
Also, pay attention to where you add your videos' hashtags. If you include a hashtag in the title, it won't appear next to the video's description.
8. Make a Strong Thumbnail
The click-through rate is significantly affected by the selection of the video thumbnail image. Make use of 16:9 photos that are of good quality and contrast. The most effective shots are close-ups of the face. YouTube users have the option to select which frame will be the thumbnail for their video. You can choose from 3 screenshots that YouTube will offer to you, but you can also pick a different frame from the video or submit your photo.
If you're lacking inspiration for photos, look online for resources that have YouTube video-specific thumbnail layouts. Make sure nothing in your thumbnail is blocked by YouTube's overlay of the video duration, which is visible in the lower corner.
Do not forget that Google utilizes image recognition to exclude specific images, including the YouTube logo, automatically. The ideal image is one that effectively conveys your goal term visually; doing so will increase your visibility in pertinent results.
Further Reading: The Best 14 Thumbnail Makers for YouTube
9. Put the User Experience First
Strong correlations exist between engagement measures like comments, likes, shares, and subscriptions and higher ranks. Google is primarily interested in the reactions that readers have to your material because it is what keeps visitors on their site. Try to entice viewers to share, like, or comment on your videos to increase engagement. Also, spend the time necessary to reply to messages and comments from viewers.
Youtube Watch Time
As you can expect, keeping track of your watch time is crucial. Watch time is the amount of time spent watching a video (not the percent watched). For instance, a three-minute clip with a 50 percent completion rate will score higher than one with a 100 percent completion rate. With a teaser, you should capture your audience's attention within the first 15 seconds.
Be careful to mention something interesting and relevant while generating the titles for your videos. You could be tempted to use the most popular phrase or term in your title, but resist the urge. As an alternative, address the user's query in your title and include the search keyword in the description.
Session Watch Time
Another crucial indicator of user involvement is session watch time. YouTube gives videos credit for how they affect a user's entire viewing experience. Videos that support YouTube's desire for increased user engagement are given preference. Contrary to popular belief, videos that are intended to drive traffic to your website will instead harm your SEO because they divert visitors from YouTube.
Expanding Subscriber Base
Within the first week that your video is launched, subscribers might create a lot of watch time. In the first week, you should try to increase user experience and engagement as much as you can. Posting frequently will let your followers know when to look for fresh videos.
Employ playlists
Playlists that are specific, brief, and subcategorized can significantly improve user experience and engagement. By sharing a link to the playlist rather than just one video, it is very simple to share numerous videos at once.
Further Reading: The Top 11 Must-Know YouTube Tricks for Marketers
10. Track Analytics
Monitoring your analytics is the only method to determine whether your YouTube SEO approach is effective. Metrics may show you where your videos are succeeding and where they may need some improvement. You may track your progress using the various analytics data provided by YouTube.
Among the various analytics, you may monitor following are the ones that every YouTuber should be familiar with:
The sum of the viewing minutes for each of your videos is known as "watch time." This measure is important because YouTube prioritizes channels and videos with long watch times in their search results since long view periods are a strong sign of engagement.
Card Click-Through Rate
While watching your video, cards are preformatted notifications that nudge viewers to take action. You can make your card calls to action, duration, and placement better by looking at the click-through rates for your cards.
Further Reading: YouTube Cards: What They Are and How to Best Leverage Them
Click-Through Rate for Impressions
The impressions click-through rate calculates the proportion of viewers who watch your video after viewing it on their homepage, recommended videos, or trending topics. After you release your video, impression click-through rates frequently increase and then decrease, but it's still crucial to monitor this measure because it can help you improve your thumbnails.
Unique Viewers
The expected number of persons who watch your videos over an extended period is known as unique viewers. This measure can be used to gauge engagement and determine the size of your audience.
YouTube SEO Tips Conclusion
These YouTube SEO tips can come in handy if you wish to leverage YouTube to its fullest potential. Make a note of them and ensure that you follow these tips for your YouTube optimization strategy.
Further Reading: Video Marketing SEO: 11 Ways to Optimize Your Video for Search
Hero photo by Oberon Copeland on Unsplash
Piyush Shah is a 6 figure affiliate marketer and has helped grow multiple businesses from nothing to making insane business figures. He is currently working as Head of SEO at Dukaan.
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text:
Le tournoi de tennis de Birmingham est un tournoi de tennis professionnel. L'édition féminine 1989, classée en catégorie Tier V, se dispute du 12 au .

Martina Navrátilová remporte le simple dames. En finale, elle bat Zina Garrison, décrochant à cette occasion le  de sa carrière sur le circuit WTA.

L'épreuve de double voit quant à elle s'imposer Larisa Savchenko et Natasha Zvereva.

Résultats en simple

Parcours
Huit têtes de série sont exemptées de premier tour.

Tableau final

Premiers tours

Haut du tableau

Bas du tableau

Résultats en double

Parcours
Quatre têtes de série sont exemptées de premier tour.

Tableau final

Premiers tours

Haut du tableau

Bas du tableau

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Tournoi de tennis de Birmingham
 Saison 1989 de la WTA

Liens externes
  Site officiel du tournoi

Navigation

WTA 1989
Birmingham
Sport en Angleterre en 1989
Tennis en juin 1989

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Trasferitasi in Francia nel 1899, trascorse gran parte della sua vita a Parigi animando per quasi sessant'anni, nella sua abitazione al 20 Rue Jacob, sulla Rive Gauche, un salotto letterario internazionale che sarebbe stato frequentato da alcuni fra i più importanti esponenti del modernismo.

Promotrice della letteratura femminile, organizzando, dal 1927 nel suo salon, la cosiddetta Académie des Femmes (Accademia delle donne), un'informale consesso accademico che si opponeva - nei suoi proponimenti - al maschilismo dell'Académie française. Considerando lo "scandalo" come "Il miglior modo di liberarsi dei fastidi" non fece mai mistero delle sue scelte di vita personali, pubbliche e politiche dichiarandosi apertamente lesbica, femminista, sostenitrice del paganesimo, del pacifismo e della poliamoria.

Biografia

La Barney ha lasciato un gran numero di lettere ed ha scritto sonetti, raccolte di "pensieri", racconti, testi teatrali e memorie. Ha ispirato a sua volta molte opere letterarie scritte da altre donne, tra cui Renée Vivien, che le dedicò Donna m'apparve (Une femme m'apparut) ed innumerevoli poesie. È Flossie nell'Idylle Saphique di Liane de Pougy; è Laurette Wells ne L'Ange et le Pervers scritto da Lucie Delarue Mardrus che raccontò la loro storia d'amore in Nos Secrètes Amours; è Dame Evangeline Musset in Ladies Almanack di Djuna Barnes, Flossie in Claudine s'en va di Colette e Valérie Seymour in The well of loneliness di Radclyff Hall. La poetessa Marina Ivanovna Cvetaeva le dedicò Lettera all'Amazzone.

Lo scrittore, saggista, poeta, filosofo, esteta e critico letterario Remy de Gourmont, che la conobbe nel 1910, le dedicò Lettres à l'Amazone nel 1914 e successivamente Lettres intimes à l'Amazone rendendola famosa come L'Amazone de Remy de Gourmont, frase che è riportata sulla lapide della tomba della Barney, che si trova nel cimitero di Passy a Parigi, non lontana da quella di Renée Vivien.

Nella sua casa di Neuilly organizzava incontri riservati alle sole donne artiste e/o scrittrici; il "Salon", che aveva lo scopo di far incontrare le donne ed incoraggiarle ad esprimersi, era frequentato dalle più interessanti protagoniste della cultura di quegli anni, tra le quali Colette, Renée Vivien, Romaine Brooks, Lucie Delarue-Mardrus, Gertrude Stein, Djuna Barnes, Marguerite Yourcenar, Mata Hari, Vita Sackville-West, Ida Rubinstein, Sylvia Beach, Marie Laurencin e Greta Garbo.

Opere
 Quelques portraits-Sonnets de femmes, Ollendorf, Paris 1900. Poesie d'amore in francese.
 Cing petits dialogues grecs, La Plume, Paris 1901; edite con lo pseudonimo "Tryphe".
 Actes et entr'actes, Sansot, Paris 1910.
 Je me souviens, Sansot, Paris 1910.
 Èparpillements, Sansot, Paris 1910.
 Poems & Poèmes: Autres alliances, Emile Paul, Paris & Doran, New York, 1920. Raccolta di versi in francese e inglese.
 Pensées d'une Amazone, Emile Paul, Paris 1920. Le risponde Marina Cvetaeva con la celebre Lettera all'Amazzone.
 Aventures de l'ésprit, Emile Paul, Paris 1929.
 Nouvelles pensées de l'Amazone, Mercure de France, Paris 1939.
 Souvenirs indiscrets, Flammarion, Paris 1960.
 Traits et portraits, Mercure de France, Paris 1963.

Bibliografia
 George Wickes, The amazon of letters: the life and loves of Natalie Barney, Putnam, New York 1976.
 Jean Chalon, Portrait d'une séductrice, Paris, Stock, 1976.
 Karla Jay, The amazon and the page, Indiana University Press, Bloomington 1988.
 Karla Jay, The disciples of the tenth muse: Natalie Clifford Barney and Renée Vivien, 1984.
 Jean Chalon, Chère Natalie Barney, Paris, Librairie générale française, 1995.
 Suzanne Rodriguez, Wild heart. A life: Natalie Clifford Barney's journey from victorian America to the literary salons of Paris, HarperCollins, 2002.
 Encyclopedia of Homosexuality, a cura di Wayne R. Dynes, Garland Publishing, 1990, pp. 108–109

Note

Voci correlate
 Alice Pike Barney
 Laura Clifford Barney
 Marina Cvetaeva
 Cultura lesbica
 Liane de Pougy
 Renée Vivien
 Colette
 Romaine Brooks

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni
The world of Natalie Clifford Barney .

Persone legate al femminismo
Salottiere francesi
Barney, Natalie Clifford
Clifford
Sepolti nel cimitero di Passy


The New York City Council approved on Wednesday a package of legislation to regulate for-hire vehicles, like Uber and Lyft, making New York the first major city to cap new licenses. The legislation will stop issuing licenses to for-hire vehicles for one year, as the city studies the growing industry. And a minimum wage, which could start at $17.22 an hour, will be established for app-based drivers, which no city has done before.
The legislation was proposed as a way to address the city's congestion problem, as well as increase low wages for drivers. Plus, the price of a taxi medallion has dropped from more than $1 million to under $200,000, which can be linked to the rise of services like Uber. And after multiple licensed taxi drivers took their own lives in the last six months, the need for officials to regulate the industry became more urgent.
The city first attempted to regulate services like Uber in 2015, when Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced a cap. But a massive public campaign from Uber killed the measure. In three years, the number of for-hire vehicles increased from 63,000 to 100,000, according to the city.
Uber has said the legislation will hurt communities of color who have faced ride rejection from yellow taxis, as well as those who live outside of Manhattan. Civil rights groups, like the N.A.A.C.P and the National Urban League, spoke out against the cap.
"The city's 12-month pause on new vehicle licenses will threaten one of the few reliable transportation options while doing nothing to fix the subways or ease congestion," Uber spokeswoman Alix Anfang said in a statement.


The Bove's!!! They are official! Hannah & Nick's amazing wedding was after my own heart! I mean emerald!? Three piece grey suits, ALL smiles and laughter, and the most beautiful out door ceremony. Corps Creek Ranch always knocks it out of the park.
The Mr. & Mrs. are back from their honeymoon down unda and I know they are EAGERLY waiting to see these! I was still recovering from the Flu on their day if you can believe it, but I'm telling you their positive energy and pure joy brought me back to life. Huge thanks to my second shooter Kristen Sloan and assistant Jessica Frederick's for being the best side kicks!
There is so. Much. Pretty! But I'll tell you about the all the funny and heart warming stuff instead! So first off, the ceremony. After these babes got in their duds and we have fun taking portraits it was finally time to walk down that aisle. Look at Nick's face! So cuuuute. Their BFF officiated and we were all treated to a detailed history of their courtship. I mean detailed. But it was absolute endearing and hilarious! I think that is my favorite new wedding trend, having someone you know and love marry you. The best.
Then we made our way to the toasts from the best man and maid of honor after chasing that sunset light around the property. The MOH SLAYED her toast! It was probably the most eloquent, heartfelt, and down right funny toasts I've ever heard. And the cherry on top was her clutch bottle of bubbles she snuck under the table and then chugged…which exploded!! AMAZING!!
The rest of the night was full of dancing and fun! We went out for night time portraits and their sparkler exit was flawless! Congratulations you two!!


"The Monks – a strange, rare group with a story that sounds like a drunk friend's generous hyperbole. A group of American G.I.s stationed in Germany on the precipice of Western cultural revolution starts playing music loosely connected to the rock n' roll craze, contrastingly incorporating a critical and often offensive avant-garde edge. Nothing was off limits — screeching vocals, dark aesthetics, staccato-strummed banjo, sardonic lyricism, critiques of the Vietnam War and full monk costuming down to the tonsure. When viewed on the whole, it seems like an art school student's senior thesis on what the craze means and its future possibilities. Due in large part to original Polydor vinyl collectability and years in the word-of-mouth hype machine, their legend and cult status has steadily blossomed since their last shows in 1967.
These songs have been unreleased for 50 years and are quite possibly the last music left to be heard by this legendary band."


text:
Vestas in-line for 443MW deal in Mexico - updated
9 August 2017 by David Weston
MEXICO: Danish manufacturer Vestas has announced a conditional agreement with Zuma Energy to supply turbines to a project in north-east Mexico.
Vestas is set to supply its V136 turbine to the 443MW Reynosa III project in Mexico
The developer, a joint venture between investment firm Actis (80% ownership) and Mesoamerica Investment (20%), won two contracts totalling 725MW, in Mexico's September 2016 renewable energy auction.
It has now arranged $600 million in financing for its 443MW Reynosa III site in Tamaulipas, according to the Financial Times.
Vestas said it plans to deliver its V136-3.45MW turbine to the site, once an order becomes "firm and unconditional".
The deal is set to include a 15-year servicing agreement, Vestas said.
It follows the announcement by Mexico's energy mininstry on the completion of financing for 964MW of wind and solar capacity by the country's state-owned development banks. They are the first projects to complete funding arrangement since the auction in 2016.
According to S&P Global, Cubico Sustainable Investments and GE Financial Serivces have also secured $240 million in laonds for its 250MW El Mezquite wind project, in northern Mexico.
UPDATE 16 August: Vestas confirmed an unconditional order for the project on 15 August, with a total output of 424MW, as opposed to the originally planned 443MW. Installation of the 123 V136-3.45MW turbines is due to be completed in 2018.
Vestas wins 180MW order in Thailand
Vestas awarded 99MW Mexico deal
Vestas breaks new ground in Mexico


Pick modern bar stools for your kitchen tcg, furniture: designer house with seagrass bar stools. Design stools interior design ~ clipgoo. Modern bar stools italian furniture,bar stools, kitchen.
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This listing includes a 30mm (1.18 inches) stainless steel and glass locket. Inside the locket is a 7/8" engraved stainless steel disc and birthstone crystals. Pendant hangs on an stainless steel chain of your choosing.
PLEASE NOTE: During shipment, it is possible for any engraved pieces to spin causing lettering to be upside down or sideways. It is also possible for the face of the locket to loosen during shipping and you should tighten the face before wearing to prevent the locket from opening and charms being lost. The face of each locket can be opened by turning it counterclockwise and the items inside can be adjusted before giving as a gift or as needed by the wearer. Lockets can also be added to or items changed out at any time. Please contact us if you would like additional engraved pieces, charms, or birthstones for your locket!


text:
THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE NETWORK
Adriana Erthal Abdenur
International Peace and Security Coordinator, Igarapé Institute
Back to all network
Adriana Erthal Abdenur (PhD Princeton, BA Harvard) is a Brazilian researcher and policy expert at Instituto Igarapé, in Rio de Janeiro, where she coordinates the International Peace & Security Division with a broad portfolio of projects on transnational organized crime; environmental crime in the Amazon Basin; militarization of public security; migration and refuge, and conflict prevention and violence reduction. In 2017, she was appointed to the UN ECOSOC Committee for the Committee on Development Policy (CDP), and she is part of the Group of Experts advising the new UN Climate & Security Mechanism. Dr. Abdenur has published widely on the nexus between security and development; South-South cooperation, and global governance. She has been a Fulbright Research Scholar and fellow of the India China Institute. She has taught international affairs at the New School University, Columbia University, and Fundação Getúlio Vargas. She has also worked as a policy consultant for numerous UN divisions, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Dr. Abdenur has published recent articles in Global Governance, Foreign Affairs, International Development Policy, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, IDS Bulletin, Journal of Asian Studies, Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional, African Security, and Africa Review. Other recent publications include the volume Emerging Powers and the United Nations (Routledge, 2016), co-edited with Thomas Weiss; and the co-authored book India China: Reimagining Borders (University of Michigan, 2016).
Environmental Crimes in the Amazon Basin: The Role of Organized Crime in Mining
Igarapé Institute


The depiction of mental health inpatient wards on the big screen may lead people to believe that they are action-packed places (e.g. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Girl, Interrupted), but in reality there is often little for patients to do, resulting in intense boredom (Mind, 2017). A study of eight inpatient wards in London found that a quarter of patients reported taking part in no activities at all in a given week, and those who did participate were involved in an average of just 3.5 hours of activities per week (Csipke et al., 2014). The same study found that more activity and one-to-one sessions with staff were associated with patients having better perceptions of the care they received.
How people feel about wards is important, given that those with poorer perceptions are more likely to be readmitted, have worse therapeutic relationships and engagement, and stay in hospital longer (Csipke et al., 2014; van der Post et al., 2014; Williams et al., 2014). Perhaps unsurprisingly, people who are admitted involuntarily (i.e. under section of the Mental Health Act) generally have poorer perceptions of wards (Katsakou et al. 2010; Smith et al. 2014; van der Post et al. 2014). It's easy to see how this can lead to a cycle: someone is admitted involuntarily, finds the ward unpleasant and boring, doesn't develop positive therapeutic relationships, takes longer to recover and leave the ward, and is more likely to be readmitted, starting the cycle again.
One reason nurses say that they don't spend more time on therapeutic activities directly with patients is that they don't feel they have the knowledge or skills to run evidence-based activities. In an attempt to improve patient perceptions of inpatient wards, Wykes and colleagues (2017) ran a randomised controlled trial that involved training staff in the use of evidence-based group interventions.
Poor patient perceptions of wards are associated with more readmissions and a longer duration of inpatient stay.
This study used a type of cluster randomised trial called a stepped wedge design, where pairs of wards were sequentially randomised to receive the intervention. Once the first ward of a pair had received the intervention, the second ward then also received it, so that by the end of the study all wards had received it. This type of design results in each control ward subsequently becoming an intervention ward (by which point a new pair of wards has been randomised, and there is a new control ward).
Pharmacists were recruited to run medication education groups (Kavanagh et al. 2003).
There were also additional sessions that could be chosen based on the needs of the ward: Hearing Voices Group (Ruddle et al. 2011), Emotional Coping Skills Group (Linehan, 1997), Problem Solving Skills (Grey, 2015), Relaxation/Sleep Hygiene and Coping with Stigma Group (Knight et al. 2006).
The main outcome was a measure of patient satisfaction with care, called Views on inpatient care (VOICE; Evans et al. 2012), with secondary measures used that rated service satisfaction, symptom severity, patient behaviours, and how much meaningful contact was made with patients.
The cost of the intervention was approximately £10 per patient per week, with 80% of this due to the opportunity costs of nurses attending the training sessions.
Staff training improved perceptions and satisfaction with wards, but only in patients who had been involuntarily admitted.
A fairly cheap intervention was able to improve the perceptions and satisfaction that involuntarily admitted patients had about wards. This is an important finding, given that patient perceptions predict the number and duration of future admissions. However, the improvements achieved were relatively minor, and it is unclear what led to the changes in perceptions, given that the number of activities provided by wards and the number of service users attending activities did not increase significantly, and neither did symptoms or nurse-rated behaviour.
It would be helpful to know what the effect of the intervention was on staff, as general increases in staff engagement and morale could perhaps explain increases in perceptions and satisfaction, despite the lack of significant increase in activities.
The improvements achieved were relatively minor, and it is unclear what led to the changes in perceptions.
Using data gathered in an earlier study, if the better engagement results in only seven patients (95% CI 6–8, <1% of the current sample) agreeing to a voluntary rather than an involuntary admission then the cost of the training programme would be covered (Moore et al. 2015) by the savings from shorter admissions.
Another strength was the study design, with a large sample obtained, involving 70% of the eligible population, using services in a range of areas (e.g. poor, affluent, urban, suburban), and controlling for possible confounders.
The study was limited by the fact that the relationships being tested are very complex, with the potential for many variables to effect service user perceptions. The study did not attempt to assess the effects of any of the individual training sessions, or the effects of individual exposure (i.e. which or how many activities service users participated in). The fairly straightforward statistical methods that were used, mean that more complex relationships were not fully explored.
This was a large, well-conducted study, but the relationships being investigated are very complex and were not fully explored.
An often repeated justification by ward staff for not running activities is that people are too ill to take part. Symptom severity did not influence increased group attendance suggesting that patients can benefit from the provision of increased activities even if they have higher symptoms.
This indicates that even making staff aware of this finding, and encouraging increased provision of activities may help improve perceptions among those involuntarily admitted. Reducing the number and duration of future admissions is vital, and this study offers a practical, low-cost way to help achieve this.
Further research in this area would be helpful in order to pinpoint the mechanisms that lead to improved perceptions and satisfaction, as would future follow-up data collection to investigate the long-term outcomes for service users.
More nuanced analysis in future research may point to mechanisms of change for mental health inpatients.
Csipke E, Flach C, Mccrone P, Rose D, Tilley J, Wykes T, Craig T (2014). Inpatient care 50 years after the process of deinstitutionalisation. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 49, 665–671.
Evans J, Rose D, Flach C, Csipke E, Glossop H, Mccrone P, Craig T, Wykes T (2012). VOICE: Developing a new measure of service users' perceptions of inpatient care, using a participatory methodology. Journal of Mental Health 21, 57 –71.
Grey S (2015). Problem solving groups for psychiatric inpatients: a practical guide. In Psychological Groupwork with Acute Psychiatric Inpatients (ed. J. Radcliff, J. Carson, H. Hajek and O. Manor), pp. 191–213. Whiting and Birch: London.
Katsakou C, Bowers L, Amos T, Morriss R, Rose D, Wykes T, Priebe S (2010). Coercion and treatment satisfaction among involuntary patients. Psychiatric Services 61, 286–292.
Kavanagh K, Duncan-Mcconnell D, Greenwood K, Trivedi P, Wykes T (2003). Educating inpatients about their medication: is it worth it? Journal of Mental Health 12, 71–80.
Knight MTD, Wykes T, Hayward P (2006). Group treatment of perceived stigma and self-esteem in schizophrenia: a waiting list trial of efficacy. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 34, 305–318.
Linehan M (1997). Skills Training Manual for the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. Guildford Press: New York.
Mind (2017). Ward Watch: Mind's Campaign to Improve Hospital Conditions for Mental Health Patients. Mind: London.
Moore GF, Audrey S, Barker M, Bond L, Bonell C, Hardeman W, Moore L, O'cathain A, Tinati T, Wight D, Baird J (2015). Process evaluation of complex interventions: Medical Research Council guidance. British Medical Journal 350, h1258.
Reeder C, Pile V, Crawford P, Cella M, Rose D, Wykes T, Watson A, Huddy V, Callard F (2016). The feasibility and acceptability to service users of CIRCuiTS, a computerized cognitive remediation therapy programme for schizophrenia. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 44, 288 –305.
Ruddle A, Mason O, Wykes T (2011). A review of hearing voices groups: evidence and mechanisms of change. Clinical Psychology Review 31, 757–766.
Smith D, Roche E, O'loughlin K, Brennan D, Madigan K, Lyne J, Feeney L, O'donoghue B (2014). Satisfaction with services following voluntary and involuntary admission. Journal of Mental Health 23, 38 –45.
Van Der Post LF, Peen J, Dekker JJ (2014). A prediction model for the incidence of civil detention for crisis patients with psychiatric illnesses; the Amsterdam study of acute psychiatry VII. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 49, 283–290.
Williams P, Csipke E, Rose D, Koeser L, Mccrone P, Tulloch AD, Salaminios G, Wykes T, Craig T (2014). Efficacy of a triage system to reduce length of hospital stay. British Journal of Psychiatry 204, 480–485.
Danielle is currently the programme manager of the AD-CARE study, which is an NIHR-funded study investigating Acute Day Units. The study consists of a mapping and survey exercise, a set of five case studies (including a cohort study of 800 participants, and a qualitative study of 55 participants), and an analysis of routinely collected data using the Mental Health Minimum Dataset. The aim of this observational study is to establish whether those receiving enhanced acute mental health care, via Acute Day Units, experience better outcomes than those who do not. Previously Danielle worked on the CORE study, another NIHR-funded study consisting of two RCTs in Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams, one looking at a peer support intervention for people leaving CRT care, and one looking at a service improvement intervention for CRTs. Danielle recently completed her PhD, which investigated wellbeing of staff working in CRTs. Danielle contributes to teaching on the UCL Division of Psychiatry's MSc in Mental Health Sciences Research. She has contributed to sessions on systematic reviews, statistics, qualitative research, and mental health services research, as well as being a personal tutor and study group lead.
This is a reoccurring concern in many in-patient wards, what is not mentioned is the role of the Occupational Therapy Team.
I would ask of the commissioning CCG now do they quality assure themselves that meaningful activities & Psychosocial Interventions are offered. The standard NHS contact for providers includes 25 hours of activities and one hour per week 121 psychosocial invention by Primary nurse/named nurse. As a RCoP lay Peer reviewer for CCQI/Quality Network When visiting in-patient wards all keen to speak to patients & Carers about their experience of activities made available am/pm/evenings and weekends and make recommendations. In Bristol all in-patient wards are visited by a user led organization to given assurance to the commissioning CCG. What is interesting is how well resourced is our Enhanced Adult Day Unit (Bristol Acute Community Unit) which must be the envy of the in-patient wards. Some in-patient wards have lead HCA's that provide Activities Coordinator function on evenings & Weekends. With shorter Length of stay and scaling up of ACU's it will remain to be seen if engaging in meaningful activities be redefined and by whom.


Did you know the environment you lived in affects your gene expression? Specifically, the environment in which we live can act as a trigger or catalyst in activating certain genes. We see this with the onset of schizophrenia, and new studies have shown a connection with the development of schizophrenia (especially the expression of psychosis) and urban life (Krabbendam 2005). Currently, the connection between the city and the development of schizophrenia is known as the "geographical drift," meaning that people who are at-risk for/currently are developing schizophrenia are moving into the city. Although the geographical drift is the dominant hypothesis that this describes this association, studies are now showing that living in the city is "turning on" genes that induce schizophrenia (Lewis et al 1992). This phenomenon is known as epigenetics; the environment in which we live in alters gene expression. To put it simply, genes are "switched" on or off depending on different influences, such as the environment, the food we eat, and a number of other factors (Holliday 2006).
Although cities both hurt and benefit physical health, the nature of city life has had adverse effects on mental health as well. A variety of mental health illnesses are found in increasing numbers in the city rather in suburban or rural life, such as anxiety and mood disorders, in addition to schizophrenia. Some scientists hypothesize that the stress related to city life causes negative effects on neural processes, specifically on the amygdala (Lederbogen et al 2011). When altered, the amygdala influences the development of schizophrenia (Bogerts et al 1993). Specifically, the amygdala plays a role in human emotions and the development of hallucinations. Any unwanted modifications to this part of the brain (specifically in its volume) can cause disruptions leading to the onset of schizophrenia (Mahon et al 2012).
Urban life has accounted for more than 30% of cases of schizophrenia in America. Living in the city as a baby and during early adolescence increases one's chance of developing schizophrenia later in life by 2-folds (Haddad et al 2014). In addition, stress can affect our development during upbringing through the decrease in grey matter volume and other structural abnormalities that play into early development of schizophrenia (Haddad et al 2014). These differences manifest differently in both men and women, with brain studies showing that men have more brain morphological differences (Haddad et al 2014). It's important to understand this difference so we can create different treatment methods specifically catered to men and women.
There are also precursors, or higher risks, for developing schizophrenia that are increased in the city. For example, there is a higher about of obstetric complications in the city, which can lead to developmental impairments associated with schizophrenia (Howes et al 2004). There is also higher drug abuse in the cities. Psychoactive drugs that release dopamine can cause an increase in the likelihood of developing psychosis. In the city especially, a trend of abusing these drugs at a younger age when the brain is still developing can be observed. For example, the youth are increasingly engaging in cannabis with no physical symptoms of ailment. However, studies show that cannabis can cause psychosis, therefore acting as a pathway to schizophrenia (Howes et al 2004).
A large amount of immigrants move to the city, and this may affect their development of schizophrenia. Social isolation is thought to increase the risk of psychosis, and researchers observed social isolation largely in non-white, minority migrants (Howes et al 2004). Making a move into an unfamiliar land requires social support to adjust to the new environment. However, sometimes these groups of people are ostracized, especially in today's polarized political climate. This increase in social isolation causes schizophrenia, which may itself cause an increase in further social isolation; the two continue to feed each other in an negative cycle.
Bogerts, B., Lieberman, J. A., Ashtari, M., Bilder, R. M., Degreef, G., Lerner, G., … & Masiar, S. (1993). Hippocampus-amygdala volumes and psychopathology in chronic schizophrenia. Biological psychiatry, 33(4), 236-246.
Haddad, L., Schäfer, A., Streit, F., Lederbogen, F., Grimm, O., Wüst, S., … & Meyer-Lindenberg, A. (2014). Brain structure correlates of urban upbringing, an environmental risk factor for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia bulletin, 41(1), 115-122.
Howes, O. D., McDonald, C., Cannon, M., Arseneault, L., Boydell, J., & Murray, R. M. (2004). Pathways to schizophrenia: the impact of environmental factors.
Krabbendam, L., & Van Os, J. (2005). Schizophrenia and urbanicity: a major environmental influence—conditional on genetic risk. Schizophrenia bulletin, 31(4), 795-799.
Lederbogen, F., Kirsch, P., Haddad, L., Streit, F., Tost, H., Schuch, P., … & Meyer-Lindenberg, A. (2011). City living and urban upbringing affect neural social stress processing in humans. Nature, 474(7352), 498.
Lewis, G., David, A., Andréassson, S., & Allebeck, P. (1992). Schizophrenia and city life. The Lancet, 340(8812), 137-140.
Mahon, P. B., Eldridge, H., Crocker, B., Notes, L., Gindes, H., Postell, E., King, S., Potash, J. B., Ratnanather, J. T., … Barta, P. E. (2012). An MRI study of amygdala in schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder. Schizophrenia research, 138(2-3), 188-91.
Science impacts our everyday life – we see it manifest in culture, society, and most clear to us, medicine and our own bodies. It was this curiosity to further learn about what makes us us: our internal makeup and our societal and cultural influences. Because of this, I've pursued an education in both biology and sociology as an undergraduate student here at Stony Brook University. More specific, mental health is a subject that is the result of the marriage between biology, sociology, and psychology. After taking courses and reading studies that focus on mental well-being, I realized that yes, we have learned so much but at the same time, we only scratched the surface of the brain and the mind; we still have a long way to go. As long as I have these three things, I can brave the unknown: hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, a good book, and let's be real – my laptop (with that good Wi-Fi).


Matsu Japanese Restaurant serves sushi and other Japanese dishes in Linthicum Heights.
Wine, etc.: It's cold, it's warm. It's time for port and white wine.
Wine, etc.: Going for pizza? Pick any of these 10 great wines.
Wine, etc.: Admit it, you like chardonnay. Here are 14 worth trying.
Wine, etc.: The other Bordeaux is worth the search. Try these wines to learn why.
Wine, etc.: Rodney Strong goes through a period of innovation. Drink up.
A sushi bar faces a seating section at Matsu Japanese Restaurant in Linthicum Heights.


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China has more property tycoons than US, Britain, Hong Kong combined
Zheng Yangpeng
A model showing a residential and commercial compound is seen at a real estate showroom in Yanan, Shaanxi province, China Jan 3, 2019.
China has the world's largest community of property tycoons, as a generation of developers grew wealthy over three decades of rapid economic growth, which fuelled the aspiration to have a roof over every head.
The second-largest economy had 108 dollar-denominated billionaires, out of 239 around the world, according to the 2019 Hurun Global Real Estate Rich List. The United States, with an economy that's one and half times larger, has 26 real estate billionaires, while the UK has 17, and Hong Kong has 25.
China's economy expanded at an average clip of 9.7 per cent every year since data collection began in 1992, lifting 500 million people out of poverty and created a middle class of 140 million households, according to the World Bank's estimates. That has attracted millions of people to migrate from the countryside and villages into the cities in search of jobs and better income, leading to a surge in demand for housing.
"The urbanisation mega trend in China has driven the biggest wealth explosion in the history of world, with the result that most of the world's largest real estate developers today come from China," said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun Report .
Housing in China used to be provided by the state during the early days of the Communist Party's centrally planned economy, part of the benefits of living in a socialist welfare state. Private housing only emerged two decades ago as the government experimented with capitalism to allow homes to be sold for profit, with the country's very first land sale taking place in 1987.
A year after Shenzhen's pioneering move, a national law was enacted to officially define the concept of "economically affordable housing" and "commodity housing," or privately owned homes in today's parlance.
Photo: South China Morning Post
Shanghai - then, as now, China's most internationally flavoured city - jumped into the experiment as well. Two types of housing were available for sale. The city government offered to sell "economically affordable" housing to low-income workers - separating housing from employment - while fancier flats were made available to better-off non-mainland Chinese.
With that turning point, policies began to be relaxed, and entrepreneurs piled into the real estate industry to build homes, and later offices, retail space and shopping malls. Many of the biggest Chinese developers today - including Country Garden Holdings, China Vanke Group, China Evergrande, and the Wanda Group - owe their establishment to the economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s.
China's sales of new homes topped US$1.7 trillion (S$2.3 trillion) in 2017, seven times the total transactions in the United States, according to Stansberry Churchouse Research. One in five of mainland China's dollar billionaires is a property developer.
Seven of the world's top 10 property tycoons is Chinese, led by Evergrande's chairman Hui Ka-yan, also known as Xu Jiayin in his native Henan province, with an estimated net worth of 250 billion yuan (S$50.5 billion).
Hong Kong, with a total area about a third of the US state of Rhode Island, has always been a city of property magnates, with 25 dollar-denominated billionaires including Li Ka-shing and Lee Shau-kee. Shenzhen is in second place with 17, while Beijing has 15, Hurun's report said.
Around the world, real estate is the second-largest wealth creator, with property magnates making up about 10 per cent of the Hurun Global Rich List 2019, behind technology.
Tos Chirathivat, the chief executive of Thailand's Central Group, was the only tycoon among the top 10 who saw an increase in wealth last year, with his fortune swelling 73 per cent to US$19 billion.
The Bangkok-based family empire, which traces its history to Tiang Chirathivat in 1947, now owns shopping malls and department stores across Thailand.
Donald Bren, chairman of US-based Irvine Company, is the richest real estate billionaire in the US. US President Donald Trump's wealth from his family business is estimated at US$3 billion, in 82nd spot.
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
#china #Chinese billionaires/millionaires #real estate


VANCOUVER, Sept. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ – Namaste Technologies Inc. ("Namaste" or the "Company") (TSXV: N)(FRA: M5BQ)(OTCMKTS: NXTTF) is pleased to announce that the Company has signed an exclusive co-supply, marketing, and distribution agreement (the "Agreement") with Airo Brands Inc. ("Airo Brands" or "airo-vapor.com") to launch Airo Brands' pre-filled vaporizer cartridge brand in both the recreational and medical cannabis markets throughout Canada. As part of the arrangement, Namaste will produce and distribute Airo Brand's pre-filled vaporizer cartridges through the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary and Health Canada's Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR") Licensed Producer, Cannmart Inc. ("Cannmart").
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Around the Quad, Uncategorized
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St. Thomas Day Celebration 2019 Recognizes Outstanding Tommies
Alumni, Common Good, Faculty, News, One St. Thomas, Our Community, President's Office, Tommie Traditions, Top News
The University of St. Thomas celebrated its annual St. Thomas Day on Wednesday, May 1. The event honored recipients of the Monsignor James Lavin Award, Professor of the Year Award, Humanitarian Award, Tommie Award and Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award.
St. Thomas Day recognizes the extraordinary contributions that members of the St. Thomas community have made to the university and the wider community. The awards presented on St. Thomas Day were instituted over a period of 60 years.
This year's recipients are:
Monsignor James Lavin Award – Doug Hennes '77 (posthumous)
Professor of the Year Award – Victoria Young, PhD
Humanitarian Award – Beth Burns '94
Tommie Award – Bisrat Bayou '19
Distinguished Alumnus Award – Cardinal Blase Cupich '71
Monsignor James Lavin Award: Doug Hennes '77
The Monsignor James Lavin Award honors an alumnus or alumna for outstanding volunteer contributions to St. Thomas
For 41 years as an alumnus and 27 years as a staff member, Hennes combined his passion for St. Thomas, his love of writing, and his innate desire to connect with and help people. He led his alma mater's University Relations department and served as a liaison to government, neighborhood and various higher education groups. Through magazine articles, presidential addresses and other writing, Hennes expressed the mind and the heart of the university to fellow alumni and numerous other audiences. His notable dedication to Tommie sports took him around Minnesota (and nationwide, at playoff time) to cheer as a fan and to cover competition as a newsman.
Hennes, 63, passed away last July 19.
Professor of the Year: Victoria Young, PhD
Professor of the Year recognizes excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. The faculty selects the recipient, and this year's Professor of the Year is Dr. Victoria Young, professor and chair of the St. Thomas art history program and architectural historian.
A dedicated faculty member, mentor and leader at the university since 2000, Young has positively influenced countless students and colleagues. Her global leadership in architectural history has helped art history rise to a new level at St. Thomas, and her positive influence has helped shape the university through the campus master plan and construction projects over the past two decades.
Humanitarian Award: Beth Burns '94
The Humanitarian Award recognizes an individual's contributions to the betterment of the spiritual and material welfare of the less fortunate.
Since 2002, Burns' nonprofit organization, p:ear, has offered life-changing services to Portland, Oregon's, homeless youth through programs in education, arts and recreation. As co-founder and executive director, she brings dignity, hope and a positive vision for the future to more than 50 young people a day – almost 5,000 over the course of p:ear's existence. Provided with daily food, mentoring and job training programs, those who need and use these opportunities feel connected to a supportive community. With Burns' help, they lay foundations for successful adult lives and realize that generosity and caring can heal even deep wounds.
Tommie Award: Bisrat Bayou '19
The Tommie Award is sponsored annually by the Division of Student Affairs and honors a senior selected by students, faculty and staff as best representing St. Thomas Aquinas' ideals of scholarship, leadership and campus involvement.
Bayou is a senior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in public health. He has been involved as a student leader at St. Thomas in a variety of ways, including serving as the Undergraduate Student Government president; as a Student Diversity and Inclusion Services linkages mentor; and a member of the Black Empowerment Student Alliance, African Nations Student Association and Summit Singers.
Distinguished Alumnus Award: Cardinal Blase Cupich '71
The Distinguished Alumnus Award honors an individual for leadership and service to St. Thomas, the community and in his or her field of endeavor.
Ordained a priest in 1975, Cupich was ordained a bishop in 1998 and has served the dioceses of Rapid City, South Dakota; Spokane, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois. In the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cupich has served on and led many committees, and has held board and advising roles for other prominent organizations, including chairman of the National Catholic Education Association. In 2016, Pope Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals at the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City.
Nominations for the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna, Humanitarian and Lavin awards are welcome throughout the year but are required by July 1 for consideration for the following year's St. Thomas Day. Contact the Alumni Relations office for more information.
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Cuomo, Lawmakers Still Divided on Urgency of Tax Hikes in New Year
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins on Wed., Jan. 6, 2021
Gov. Andrew Cuomo again threw cold water on the idea of raising taxes on the wealthy in New York as a way to close the state's $15 billion deficit Wednesday, saying he has renewed hope of help from Congress after Democrats were projected to take control of Congress.
"It's a very good development for the state of New York," Cuomo said.
But Democrats in the state Legislature took the opposite position, encouraging their colleagues to support measures that would raise revenue from the richest New Yorkers.
Among them was Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Westchester, who said in her opening remarks of this year's legislative session Wednesday that the state's wealthiest earners should help shoulder the state's budget gap.
"We need to get serious about making sure that everyone shares the burden," Stewart-Cousins said. "We need to ask more of the millionaires and billionaires who have gotten even richer during this pandemic."
Both Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, have said in recent months that Democrats in either chamber would back higher taxes on the wealthy. So far, no proposal has been seriously considered by either chamber.
That could change in the coming months as Cuomo and Democrats in the Legislature begin negotiations on the state budget, which is due at the end of March.
New York is currently facing a budget deficit of about $15 billion due to lost tax revenue and the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Without a way to fill that budget gap, the state will likely be forced to make a series of spending cuts across the board.
Cuomo, for his part, has said he wants to wait for President-Elect Joe Biden to take office later this month before deciding how to move forward with the state's budget crisis.
He's hoping Biden can negotiate a new stimulus package with Congress that would provide a significant infusion of aid to state and local governments. That way, the state will know how much it needs to raise revenue through new taxes, if at all.
And with Democrats projected to win two crucial seats in the U.S. Senate out of Georgia this week, Cuomo expressed renewed hope Wednesday that the federal government will come through with a relief package.
Plus, Cuomo doesn't see tax hikes as a quick fix for the deficit. He argued Wednesday that, even if New York raised income taxes on the rich to match the current highest rate in the country — in California — it still wouldn't be enough to fix the state's finances.
"If you raise the income tax rate in the state to the highest rate in the nation ... and you taxed billionaires, multimillionaires, any income over $1 million ... it only raises about $1.5, $1.6 billion," Cuomo said.
Some Democrats have questioned Cuomo's math on that statement, saying a combination of proposals has the potential to eliminate the state's deficit and more. They've introduced several ideas to raise revenue from the wealthiest New Yorkers.
Sen. Jessica Ramos, D-Queens, is sponsoring a bill that would create a mark-to-market tax, for example. That would essentially place a tax on certain assets that generate value over time. Ramos's bill would only apply to billionaires.
"We have more billionaires than any other place on the planet," Ramos said. "We have to get these 120 individuals to pay their fair share in taxes."
There are other proposals to raise revenue from the richest New Yorkers as well. Aside from higher tax rates, Democrats also have proposals to raise revenue from stock transactions, second homes, and more.
Those ideas, if seriously considered, would likely end up as part of the state budget. Lawmakers are expected to begin negotiations with Cuomo on the spending plan in the coming weeks.
Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins on State Budget, Priorities
Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins discusses the state's budget deficit and Senate priorities.
New York's Budget Crisis: What's Wrong and What's Next
Examine New York's budget crisis including proposals and analysis.
"Washington has abused New York state for the last four years ... They ave been unethical. they have been political. They have taken money out of this state and sent it to Republican states as a pure political exercise," Cuomo says.
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkReports) January 6, 2021