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Oct. 29, 2021: President's remarks to the MSU Board of Trustees

Faculty and student excellence
I want to begin my remarks today with appreciation for our students, staff and faculty for their many contributions to what’s been a very successful start to the semester.

I’ll discuss some examples of excellence on campus, share perspectives on several campus events that highlight student success and our path forward, and end with a brief update on COVID-19.

I had the pleasure last week to congratulate and personally recognize many of the 123 faculty members promoted in 2020 and 2021 to associate professor with tenure.

As I spoke with many of them, I was reminded of the ways excellence is exhibited among our faculty. Their enthusiasm for their scholarship and clearly demonstrated excellence is inspiring. It’s a powerful validation of our emphasis on faculty and staff success in our new strategic plan.

Speaking of excellence, this month, we recognized the 10 MSU students and four alumni nominated for Churchill, Marshall, Mitchell and Rhodes scholarships. These prestigious scholarships support graduate study in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

We can be so very proud of them, as well as our previous 16 Churchill Scholars, 20 Marshall Scholars, five Mitchell Scholars and 20 Rhodes Scholars from Michigan State. I know you’ll join me in congratulating this year’s 14 nominees and wishing them the very best.

Student break days
This week most students were able to enjoy MSU’s first-ever two-day fall break. This was really a student initiative, championed by ASMSU and strongly supported by shared governance.

Students were encouraged to take the opportunity to catch up and recharge for the remainder of the semester.

Safe campus update
Let me turn now to an update on COVID-19 cases on campus and our ongoing efforts to support safety.

We’ve now seen a significant fall in cases fall from our peak two weeks into the semester and are now approaching pre-return to campus levels. And even with more than 15,000 students living on campus, we have only five students in isolation and zero in quarantine this week.

I attribute these low numbers and the absence of outbreaks on campus to our vaccination rate, which is now 90.5% fully vaccinated for our campus community. An additional 3.19% say they are partially vaccinated and working their way toward full vaccination.

I thank everybody for compliance with our vaccination mandate and also for compliance with our mask mandate. Thank you again for supporting these efforts.

I happened to receive my COVID booster and my annual flu shot recently. I want to remind everyone that influenza is also still a health threat, and I recommend people take advantage of the flu vaccine this season.

Student services restructuring
As our strategic plan makes clear, we are laser-focused on the success and well-being of our students.

For the past year, Senior Vice President Vennie Gore assumed the interim leadership of Student Affairs and Services in addition to his leadership role of Residential and Hospitality Services. In this role, we asked SVP Gore to not only do that but also to lead the assessment plan for an enhanced student support structure.

Today’s agenda includes a major step designed to better align our support for all MSU students. We propose a new Division of Student Life and Engagement under SVP Gore’s leadership. Vennie is a transformational leader and collaborative partner, and I’m excited about the energy and wisdom he will bring to this critical role.

Ethics symposium
Another transformational initiative for Michigan State took a step forward recently at an ethics symposium at the Minskoff Pavilion.

The colleges of Arts & Letters, Business and Law are spearheading this initiative to place ethics at the heart of the MSU research and educational experience.

I was pleased to welcome the symposium’s speakers and attendees. It was an impressive event, and I want to acknowledge the faculty co-chairs and the college deans for their work on this very important initiative.

Billman Music Pavilion
Speaking of excellence, I want to thank Chairperson Dianne Byrum and Trustee Melanie Foster for joining me for the Billman Music Pavilion ribbon-cutting event early this month.

The Billman Music Pavilion is a beautiful and highly functional facility that will support the College of Music students and faculty who study and perform there. The new pavilion represents a superb space for music study, practice and performance.

The pavilion serves as another example of the importance of the arts and humanities as essential components of a great university, connecting people and nourishing a creative community.

Visits to Detroit and Grand Rapids
I was pleased to tour several other impressive facilities in visits to Detroit and Grand Rapids over the past few weeks.

I joined Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and others for an amazing tour of the new Apple Developer Academy in downtown Detroit. The academy is a partnership with Apple supported by the Gilbert Family Foundation and the Rock Family of Companies. It is the first Apple academy in North America.

At the developer academy, we are developing skills for a very diverse group of students from Detroit and beyond — I enjoyed meeting several of them. This academy will support Michigan’s economy with in-demand technology skills.

Moving west, I recently spoke to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids, sharing examples of our activities and partnerships in the West Michigan region. We highlighted the phenomenal growth of facilities on the Medical Mile in downtown Grand Rapids. This began with the 2010 opening of the Secchia Center for the College of Human Medicine, and I was pleased that many members of the Board were there to highlight MSU’s commitment to West Michigan.

After the meeting, I was pleased to join several Trustees and other leaders and friends of MSU for a tour of the new Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building.

The Secchia Center, Grand Rapids Research Center, Meijer building and Grand Rapids Innovation Park are great examples of how we’re leveraging MSU’s research and clinical assets through visionary partnerships to advance medicine, the university and the health of the people of the state.

I want to conclude my comments today by expressing my excitement about tomorrow’s showdown between the University of Michigan and our undefeated Michigan State Spartans.

Michigan versus Michigan State is an iconic state rivalry and a highlight for our student-athletes and for Spartans across Michigan and all over the USA. This is only the fourth time in the history of our rivalry — and the first time since 1964 — that both teams are ranked in the top-10.

The attention this matchup is gathering on the national level is extraordinary, and it seems as though the entire sports world will be looking at East Lansing on Saturday.

This is a great opportunity for us to highlight our amazing students, student-athletes and campus. I know we will display our pride in our team and our university and show the world what Spartans Will means.

Enjoy the game and respect the rivalry, and let’s all make it a game we can remember with pride.

Thank you. Go Green!


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Home EntertainmentTV HFPA Responds To Criticism About Its Lack Of Diversity: “We Need To Bring In Black Members” – Update

HFPA Responds To Criticism About Its Lack Of Diversity: “We Need To Bring In Black Members” – Update

HFPA Responds To Criticism About Its Lack Of Diversity: “We Need To Bring In Black Members” – Update

UPDATED, 7:35 PM: Days ahead of its annual Golden Globe Awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has responded to criticism about the lack of diversity among its ranks. The group was the target of a scathing exposé by the Los Angeles Times on Sunday that noted HFPA has no Black journalists among its 87 members.

“We are fully committed to ensuring our membership is reflective of the communities around the world who love film, TV and the artists inspiring and educating them,” HFPA said in a statement tonight. “We understand that we need to bring in Black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”

Golden Globes’ Lack Of Diversity And Grab Bag Of Nominations Set Back Representation Goals In Hollywood – Commentary

A spokesperson for the group added that its membership is majority female and that 35% of its members are from non-European countries. The spokesperson added that HFPA welcomes applications for membership from all Southern California-based journalists of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds who write for international media and has not ruled out changing its rules to expand its applicant pool.

Read more details below.

PREVIOUSLY, February 21: It’s no secret that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a very divisive entity in the film and TV industry. Some celebrate them, others think they are a joke. No matter what you think, the elusive organization that includes eightysomething members of international press that ranges from the unknown to the really unknown, maintain their power as we are one week away from the HFPA’s 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards, one of the most prominent awards ceremony in the industry.

The HFPA’s choices for nominees this year have always been questionable as they seem wildly disconnected from the zeitgeist of Hollywood and the cultural landscape as a whole. This year’s nominees may have been the final straw as there were glaring omissions that caused more of an uproar than usual — primarily with critically acclaimed series and films like I May Destroy You and Da 5 Bloods.

The Los Angeles Times dug deep into the inner workings of the HFPA with not one, but two articles, and have found that even its own members question the organization’s actions.

In regards to the lack of Black members, all the HFPA had to say was that they were aware and are “committed to addressing”. It should be noted that the Television Academy and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as the many guilds, have been blatantly addressing the lack of diversity in Hollywood. It may be slow-moving, but it’s there.

In regards to the criticism of lack of Black-led projects in their slate of nominations, an HFPA spokesperson told the L.A. Times: “We do not control the individual votes of our members…we seek to build cultural understanding through film and TV and recognize how the power of creative storytelling can educate people around the world to issues of race, representation, and orientation.”

In November, a lawsuit from journalist Kjersti Flaa was filed against the HFPA. She was denied membership to the organization and accused the HFPA of having a “culture of corruption”. She even went on to claim that the HFPA operated like a cartel with many ethical conflicts that were hidden behind a “code of silence”.

The L.A. Times did their due diligence and talked with. more than 50 people including publicists, execs and current and former members and it didn’t help the HFPA’s reputation. this includes findings that the HFPA issued substantial payments to its own members that are questionable and can conflict with Internal Revenue Service guidelines. According to the L.A. Times, HFPA members collected nearly $2 million in payments for committees and other tasks in the fiscal year ending June 2020. This is double from three years ago.

One of the members told the L.A. Times: “It’s a beautiful idea to take the money from NBC and give it to good causes like tuition and to restore films… but there is a spirit now to milk the organization and take the money. It’s outrageous.”

An HFPA rep responded:  “None of these allegations has ever been proven in court or in any investigation, [and they] simply repeat old tropes about the HFPA and reflect unconscious bias against the HFPA’s diverse membership.”

The organization also said, “Our compensation decisions are based on an evaluation of compensation practices by similar nonprofit organizations and market rates for such services”. They added that their compensation is “vetted by a professional nonprofit compensation consultant and outside counsel, where appropriate.”

Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.

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Influence Of Web3 On Business And Blockchain Adoption

Cryptocurrency, blockchain, and NFTs are some of the most divisive topics in the world right now, and separating fact from fiction can be tough. There’s no denying that the technological advances that underpin these trends have created a big innovation wave known as Web3 even though some people don’t think much of it.

Blockchain, cryptocurrency, and NFTs have already experienced several hype cycles and funding rounds. It has been a difficult year for the sector, but it has continued to develop even though a huge part of it is currently experiencing one of the greatest downturns to date.

The Growth Of Web3

Entrepreneurial activity by venture capital firms, which draws the current generation of up-and-comers and top talent to untapped markets, is one way to gauge the viability of a particular technological development trend.

Web3 currently has some impressive proof points in the different areas: During its 4th and largest Web3-related fund, Crypto Fund 4, Andreessen Horowitz raised an unprecedented $4.5 billion last month for a slew of blockchain-related investments that will fill out “the next generation of computing.”

The quantity of ‘Dapps’, or decentralized apps, that are used in Web3 ecosystems is another proof point. More than 4,000 apps are now available, according to the State of the Dapps industry tracker. Other evidence supports this claim.

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What Is Web3 In The Business?

For starters, Web3 is likely to become an essential part of our IT infrastructure in the future. More and more tech users and companies are clamoring for decentralization to become a mainstream industry trend.

It seems inevitable that enterprises will have to adapt to depending more on Web3 resources (data, compute, etc.) and sharing more control in the future, as opposed to storing information in our databases and running code in portions of the cloud that we pay for or otherwise control.

Much of the critical data we need to run our businesses will be held in distributed ledgers, such as blockchains, more privately and securely.

Smart contracts that can be viewed, verified, and agreed upon by all parties will gradually become more commonplace in our applications over time. There will be bizarre new subsidiaries in our companies that are fully code-based and run on digital inputs from stakeholders automatically (the new active shareholders in the Web3 world).

As time goes on, Web3’s cryptographic technologies and immutable transaction ledgers have proven themselves and shown the way. Even while it is not the only way technology will evolve (since the technology universe can easily handle numerous large revolutions at the same time), decentralization increasingly proves to be vital.

It’s clear from Web3 that we are going to have to rethink everything from IT to customer experience to our business models and management structures.

Even a simpler change will occur, such as accepting some cryptocurrencies for payment or issuing NFTs to represent intellectual property. However, these aren’t the long-term changes that will have a significant impact.

Digital transformation is a moving target, and the goal posts keep shifting with each new major technological innovation, as we’ve learned as an industry. Web3 is a huge step forward, and like Web 2.0, it will force businesses to reevaluate their goals and methods of operation in radical new ways.

Applications Of Web3 In Business

If the past is any indication, most organizations will have a hard time and uneven time adopting many of Web3’s ideas, from new ways of making money to the idea of decentralization itself. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t already a lot of good targets for which businesses can start making plans and try out prototypes and proofs of concept.

1. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)

The concept of a DAO is laid forth in a smart contract that can be accessed by anybody. All parties have a well-defined decision-making procedure in place. In an enterprise environment, DAOs can be utilized for everything from open innovation and investment to IP-based professional services or industry-wide consortiums.

2. Metaverse

Virtual and mixed reality worlds, many of which are built on decentralized notions, have been the subject of a great deal of speculation and investment. Using a metaverse construct, many of the most valuable internal and external business use cases (team cooperation, onboarding, learning, and development) can be fulfilled.

Metaverses can range from simple virtual worlds to more advanced and Web3-like applications such as Decentraland or Voxels.

3. Blockchain And Distributed Ledger (DLT)

Blockchain technology has been a hot topic in the supply chain, counterfeit detection, data storage, and cybersecurity arenas for a long time now. Industry-specific blockchain consortiums have also arisen as a result of these use cases maturing.

4. Web3 Apps

For businesses, this means developing internal apps that leverage decentralized data, customer-facing apps that conduct transactions or give data services, as well as the emerging decentralized ERP and CRM systems like Energy Ledger, which are tailored to specific supply chains in the energy industry.

5. Cryptocurrency And Digital Assets

Businesses are all about making money, and cryptocurrencies offer a wide range of ways to do that. For instance, loyalty programs can be turned into digital currencies, tokens can be issued for corporate social responsibility, currencies backed by assets and commodities can be made, and much more. One of the less strategic but more and more useful ways to get people to use cryptocurrency is to accept it as payment.

6. Decentralization

A few decentralized approaches are fundamentally reshaping human endeavors and industries. Maybe DeSci is one of the most important research and development fields. Decentralized work, governance, and finance have all grown in importance as well. In my opinion, these priority areas need a separate mention since they are deliberate Web3 transformations of entire industries, not simply organizations.

7. Creator Economy For Web3

One of the more lively areas of Web3 is in permitting the creation and exchange of media and other digital assets, like art, music, and NFTs. Many firms are in this field or have assets they can leverage here, especially in goods, prediction markets, business media, design, and open data.

In furtherance, most non-tech enterprises will not feel any pressure to switch to Web3 for the time being (although the talent competition is already underway in the tech sector, with corporations like Google expanding their Web3 teams).

To put it another way, it is never too early or late to learn new talents and discover what works in a specific business. Because of the depth and complexity of the underlying technologies, it will take a longer and larger effort than usual to adopt new technology to protect system integrity, prevent co-optation by one large entity, and secure systems that handle increasing amounts of financial transactions.

It is safe to say that Web3’s dispersed ecosystem approach to digital will most likely lead to one of the most improbable digital adventures yet, but it is also one of the most promising. Now is the time to explore it.

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You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor so what do you think of her Han. But with the blast shield down even see! How am I supposed to fight need your help Luke. She needs your help getting too old for this sort of thing.

Act so surprised your highness. You mercy mission this time several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies.

  • You mean it controls your actions?
  • But with the blast shield down can even see! How am I supposed to fight?
  • I get involved got work to do not that I like the Empire
  • But nothing can do about it right now such a long way from here.

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Thigh Lift

Thigh Lift in Thighplasty in Duluth, GA

43 Procedures ( View All )

At Prima Center for Plastic Surgery in Duluth, our surgeons perform thigh lift surgery to give patients smoother skin and contour the lower body and thighs. This procedure removes excess skin and fat on and around the lower body and thighs to offer a better proportioned body. Patients interested in thigh lift surgery can schedule an appointment with one of our board-certified surgeons to learn how they can benefit from this procedure as well as undergo a physical examination and receive professional recommendations. A detailed treatment plan and cost information will be provided during your consultation.

Surgical Technique

Thighplasty is performed to enhance the looks of the inner thigh and/or outer thigh. During this procedure, an incision will be made near the top of the thigh (along the crease where the torso meets the leg) and ends at the inner aspect of the thigh. A large amount of tissue is removed from the top inner thigh area while the remaining skin is pulled up, tightened and secured with sutures. This process reshapes the thighs, providing them a tighter, more contoured appearance.

Combination Procedures

A combination of lower body contouring procedures, in addition to a thigh lift, can be combined to create a tighter lower body. A thigh lift and a butt lift are the most common combination. Some patients who are advised to have an outer thigh lift will generally need to have their butt lifted as well. With this, the outer thighs are pulled up and tightened with an incision that is made along the bottom of the buttock area. An incision can also be made around the lower back. This allows the surgeon to address the upper thighs, buttock and hips in one surgery. This is commonly known as a lower body lift.

During/After Surgery

Thigh lift surgery is performed under general anesthesia in an accredited surgical facility. The surgery takes an average of 2 to 3 hours to complete, but could take longer if combined with another procedure. The recovery period typically takes about 6-8 weeks. Scars will also be a part of the procedure. Proper scar care is needed for the scar to heal safely. Patients find their self-confidence improve after surgery with the enhanced contour of their thighs.

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Cellulite Gone?

Thigh lift is the best choice to achieve nicely contoured and slimmer legs. Because the procedure calls for skin tightening and liposuction in cases of excessive fat deposits, it also improves the appearance of cellulites or other skin irregularities on the upper legs.

After-Surgery Workout?

Because this surgery is invasive, it is recommended that patients limit strenuous activities until fully recovered. Patients may go back to a normal (light) routine 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. Exercise should wait until about 6-8 weeks post-op. When all wounds are completely healed, patients may begin lower body moves such as lunges or squats.

Long Term?

Patients who adhere to a healthy lifestyle that includes a proper diet and exercise routine will enjoy their surgical results for years. Pregnancy or any additional weight gain after this surgery could compromise the overall surgical effect. It is also advised that patients be at or near their goal weight before surgery.

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*Individual results are not guaranteed and may vary from person to person. Images may contain models.


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Getting your SEO to Return Better

The rules that define how the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) works are continually changing, this causes the need to review your website’s routing on a regular basis (I mean, as regular as quarterly), so as to see if you are keeping up with the top trends or you are beginning to lag. An easy way to tell this is by looking at how much traffic you are getting from Google and the other search engines. If the numbers are diminishing compared to the contents you are publishing par time, then it’s time to up your SEO game. Below are the things that could help you keep tab on your traffic and also help you in getting the high traffic on your website.

Google Analytics: You should have this software installed on your site to gain insights into who your visitors are and what they are doing on your web, and to also know from where they visit your site from, as well as from which search engine or systems and web. This is because these factors mentioned are all that is put together to set up your SEO, and they should be able to tell you how your SEO is working par each of these factors. Although Google ranks media based on the relevance of their titles to the common searches, the description of the media, and the keywords in their metatags, but Google also looks for more in order to decide if your site is relevant enough to get on the first page of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) or not. Other than this, other factors Google takes into consideration include: how long the visitors stay on your site, the bounce rate, broken links, number of pages viewed on your site, inbound links, outbound links, internal links, and more. In fact, think about creating a “sticky site” that visitors will love to spend time on, have an account on or follow, and share with others; it helps.

Mobile Friendliness: All sites need to be mobile friendly these days as most visitor and most visit times are from phones now compared to when they used to be from computers; so the more friendly your website is with phones, the more you are likely to hold your visitors down. While uploading your media, you have to pay attention to the sizes and dimensions as well as the visual quality of the media you are uploading.

User Experience (UX): So that people can get the most out of visiting your site, you have to develop your site and your content to allow the users have the good experience while they surf your web pages. The loading time matters, the simplicity of the tasks you expect your users to do (use the everyday words and phrases to describe what they need to do on your web), use only compressed images and avoid any elements that would load slowly (such as banners coming up from a third-party site). It shouldn’t be difficult for people to find what they are looking for on your site, so they don’t get frustrated and leave. Your site should be error free, with a minimum of 404 and other similar errors having to come up on it. Check your Google Webmaster Tools account and correct as many errors that are listed as you are able to. Good UX causes good on-web times; good on-web times causes good search engine ranking. You get it?

User Engagement: As I have said, Google rewards sites that get a lot of engagements, such as comments and shares; so, you would need to keep creating a range of contents you know will meet the needs of your target audience and get them so excited that they will be willing to tell others about it. Multimedia content such as videos and slideshows are ideal for this. Establish your niche and know what your audiences like to react to.

Long Content: Google has a thing with plenty words, which is why they attach their qualification for AdSense to how much words you have on your website. This would mean a lot more keywords and a longer time on the page by your visitors. Writing long contents is demanding, and although your readers might not get to always read all that you have published, but always try to do it at least once a month and track and test your results.

Outbound Links: A lot of site owners hate the idea of anyone having to go off their site, however, outbound links can help if you use them strategically; they show that you are an authority in your niche. Get other people’s link that your visitors might be interested in—especially the links of the ones who are authorities in what you are talking about; it doesn’t necessarily make your visitors rate them above you, it only makes them know you know what you are doing, you are legit and you know the right sources. Just make sure every time you recommend a link from a site different from yours, you use the “open in new tab” or “open in new window” command on the link so that your visitors remain on your site even when they are on other sites.


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EHS 3 – Task Based Risk Assessment

Course Overview

A highly effective problem-solving tool for line management that evaluates risks to people and business.

Risk assessment not only evaluates the risks to people, but also asset loss, environment and company reputation. It is the cornerstone of any safety management system. The major emphasis is to identify hazards, evaluate risk and implement effective controls.

Syndicate exercises and set tasks form a significant part of this course. Exercises can be tailored to company-specific work environment and activities. Delegates will be provided with sufficient knowledge of the principles and procedures to enable them to carry out effective risk assessments in the work place, thereby ensuring effective control.

Who Should Attend

Facility Based Line Management, HSE Professionals, those with responsibility for work execution

Learning Outcomes


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The Difficult Thing About Finding Portrait Subjects Amongst 100 Million People | Profoto (SE)

The Difficult Thing About Finding Portrait Subjects Amongst 100 Million People

04 March, 2014

Written by: Fredrik Franzén

Max Riche traveled to Kumbh Mela, the largest pilgrimage in the world, to shoot some portraits. Needless to say, he had no problem finding subjects. But there were other challenges.

You might not know what Kumbh Mela is, but a lot of people sure do. And when we say a lot, we do mean a lot. Kumbh Mela is namely the Hindu’s most important pilgrimage, considered to be the largest peaceful gathering in the world. More than 100 million people participate and bathe together in one of the four sacred rivers in India. Last year, the number of participants hit an all-time high, making it the largest gathering in the history of mankind. In other words, a photographer looking for subjects had no trouble finding them.

Enter Max Riche, advertising and editorial photographer based in Paris and Montréal. Max was at Kumbh Mela last year. Now, what was a French advertising and editorial photographer doing shooting portraits in India you might ask?

“On the side of my advertising work, I’ve always kept a body of personal work growing,” he says. “I think it’s important to keep doing work that matters to you from a personal standpoint. This was such a project. “I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to show the subjects in a different way from what has been seen in the news a few times already,” Max continues. “We’ve seen a lot of images on the internet showing people bathing in the Ganges, sages running with their swords and splashing the water, and lot of folklore. I decided to work on the fringe of the action and not in the already many-times documented bathing crowds.”

It goes without saying that shooting amongst 100 million people with little or no access to electricity requires gear you dare to put your trust in. Max’s tools of choice were a Nikon D800 with a 50mm f/1.8G lens and the AcuteB2 flash pack he has been using for years.

“The AcuteB2 is the best flash pack I’ve found to have at the same time the power (600Ws, and this is sometimes needed when shooting against the hot and bright sun in places such as these), the durability (over 300 pops at full power) and the portability with a minimal volume and weight.”

“The pack was carried by my assistant, who was also my translator. He carried the pack over his shoulder while holding the flash head and a softbox on a monopod in his hands. There were so many people at Kumbh Mela that it was just impossible to put anything on the ground. If something would’ve happen to the flash bulb, the trip would’ve been over. So, he had to keep everything in his hands at all times and move around accordingly to my directions to adjust the lighting and its power.”

A lot of documentary photographers use available light only. Why didn’t you just do that?

“I wanted my portraits to have a consistent look, even though some of them would be shot in the morning, some in the afternoon, some on sunny days, and others on cloudy days. The only one way of achieving this is to have the option of balancing the available light with flashes. I think it’s especially important on a trip such as this. I spent a significant amount of time and money to travel to Kumbh Mela. Once there, failing to get the shot was just not an option. Remember, you’re often shooting in horrible light conditions with bright sun, dark shadows, etc. Also, if you don’t use flashes, you cut down dramatically the amount of time you can use the nice available light. Plus, for portraits, having a catch light in the eyes makes your subject’s eyes come alive!

“That being said, I wanted my lighting to be unobtrusive. Don’t get me wrong, light is super important. But as the saying goes in cinema, where we say that a good editing should not be noticed, in photography I believe that a good lighting should not be noticed either. It should disappear to serve the photograph and let it breathe.”

To achieve this effect, Max had to adjust his lighting setup depending on what time of day it was and where the subject was positioned in relation to the sun.

“I would position the subject in such a way that she or he had the sun coming slightly from behind and on the side,” says Max. “If the person was sitting and couldn’t move, I would frame my shot so that I get the interesting parts of background I wanted but still placed the sun as to create a rim light on the subject’s head, side of face and shoulders. Then my assistant would position himself on the other side of the subject with the softbox and depending on the distance to the subject we would make adjustments in the power level to just balance out the sun light and fill in the shadows, without over-doing it.

Below are a few examples of how Max tweaked his simple yet effective one-light setup to get the most out of each shot.

“In this picture, the sun was getting lower on the Ganges and this Sadhu was meditating on the hay. The sun was creating a nice orange glow on the side of his face, so we placed the softbox at camera right and a bit above, in order to lit nicely the other half of his face and body.”

"In situation such as this, when the sun was stronger, you need to have a stronger output too to your flash. But you can see the nice rim light from the sun, a bit warmer than the flash light (hence more orange) on the side of his head. He had very deep eyes, so we played with the angle of the flash to avoid creating too many shadows in his eyes too.”

“Here the sun was getting a bit low again, you can notice the difference of hues in the light, more orangey on the left side of his face, and whiter (from the 50o0K balance flash bulb) on the right. It gives a nice variety of tones to the image, which otherwise would look less interesting. As he was wearing glasses, I had to also pay attention of not catching any reflection of the softbox in those. These are little tricks you get used to when working commercially with flash all the time!”

“For this shot we just reversed the set up we used for this previous shot, as the sun was on camera right when we made his portrait.”

See more of Max’s work at his website.

Click here to learn more about the AcuteB2.

Written by: Fredrik Franzén


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Pattern-Seeking Animals announce third studio album ‘Only Passing Through’

Pattern-Seeking Animals announce third studio album ‘Only Passing Through’ due out on April 1st, 2022.

PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS, the California-based band featuring Ted Leonard (lead vocals & guitars), Jimmy Keegan (drums & vocals), Dave Meros (bass) and John Boegehold (keyboards), are pleased to announce the band’s third studio album titled Only Passing Through, to be released through InsideOutMusic on April 1st, 2022. The album is the follow up to the critically acclaimed 2020 release Prehensile Tales.

The band check in on the new album here:
“Only Passing Through, our third album picks up where Prehensile Tales left off but soon takes several stylistic detours as it progresses. Everyone involved made this album a lot of fun to make and we’re all looking forward to it to finally being heard.”
John Boegehold

“This new album draws from a lot of different sources and pushes all of us to bring out our best. We all had to dig pretty deep to express out the right spirit of each song. To call it Prog would be highly inadequate. We’re all over the map and yet, there is still a very distinct sound that threads through the whole album. I’m very proud of this record and excited for people to hear it!”
Jimmy Keegan

The album will be available for pre-order on Jan 28th, 2022

Pattern-Seeking Animals – Prehensile Tales (Album Review)

  • Looking forward to this! These guys are great fun, the perfect Spock’s spin-off.

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Volunteer On The Go With Kynd Kits

kynd kits: help someone today

Busy schedule? Lots going on? Always working or on the go? No time to volunteer during the week? Life can get busy sometimes, it happens. But it is still important to continue to maintain your mental health no matter how busy you are. This means taking the time to relax, even when you feel like you have no free time. It also means finding new ways to volunteer if you can’t fit a two hour commitment into your schedule. Volunteering and practicing kyndfulness can make a big impact on your mental health. One way to still volunteer when you are busy is with Kynd Kits.

Kynd Kits are monthly volunteer activities that are delivered to your door. Every month features a new way to make a difference in your community. Each kit comes with everything you need to make an impact and a list of thing you can add to personalize your kit. For example, the kit for June was heat relief kits for people experiencing homelessness. This Kynd Kit included socks, chapstick, and sunscreen as well as other necessary items. You simply assemble the kit in the bag provided, write a nice note, and keep the kit in your car to give out to someone who needs it. Other Kynd Kit project include sight word flash cards for kids struggling with reading, first responder care kits, and homelessness cold kits.

Of course, the best part about volunteering is the social experience. You don’t have to lose that when you do a Kynd Kit. When you order, you can customize how many projects are in your kit. You can order a small kit with 1-3 separate projects or a larger kit with 10+ projects. This way, you can volunteer on your schedule with your family and friends, or with larger groups.

Every time you do a Kynd Kit, you make the same big impact that you make when volunteering. Every kit comes with a three-fold impact. First, you impact yourself by making yourself feel good and building up your own mental wellness. When you put your kit to use, you can impact the people that you are helping. This means that you are helping kids learn to read, helping first responders feel appreciated, and helping people experiencing homelessness stay warm. Finally, when you purchase a Kynd Kit, all profits support Project Helping.

Click here to get started on your Kynd Kits today!
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Over the last month, the backlog has increased by roughly 260,000 people

The IRCC’s backlog has expanded to 2.4 million people.

The backlog has expanded by 257,499 people in the last month, owing mostly to an increase in temporary residency applications.

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As of June 1, there were 394,664 candidates on the citizenship waiting list, up from 399,325 on May 2.

As of June 6, the permanent residence inventory was at 522,047 people.

As of June 6, the temporary housing inventory had risen to 1,471,173 people.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) gave the data on June 15.

Since last summer, the backlog has progressed as follows:

Image Source: (Google)

The Express Entry backlog continues to improve.

The availability of the three Express Entry programs has increased in the last month. It now stands at 31,603 people, down from 40,889 at the end of April.

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) inventory now stands at 6,088 people, down from 7,522 on April 29.

The inventory of the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is 25,081 people, compared to 32,883 people.

The inventory of the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) is 434 people, down from 484 people in late April.

During the pandemic, IRCC paused drawings for FSWP and FSTP candidates in December 2020, and did the same for CEC candidates in September 2021. It has prioritized finishing Express Entry applications in recent months so that it may resume invitations to candidates from all three programs in early July. When these draws resume, IRCC has stated that it will return to its pre-pandemic service standard of processing most Express Entry applications within six months.

Quebec’s skilled worker and PNP inventory is also growing.

The number of skilled workers in Quebec has decreased to 27,146 from 32,130 in late April.

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) inventory has also decreased from 72,194 to 68,221 people.

On the other hand, the inventory of the Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) Program has increased to 49,447 people, up from 44,449 people. Between May and November 2021, IRCC operated the TR2PR Program, which allowed around 90,000 Canadians to apply for permanent residence.

The inventory of family classes has been updated.

The total number of applicants in the family class has increased to 112,837 from 108,863 previously.

The Spouses, Partners, and Children Program has increased marginally since late April. It is 67,929 people compared to 67,102 people.

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) has grown again, with 41,802 participants compared to 38,478 previously. IRCC has yet to reveal details about its PGP 2022 ambitions. It just announced that, as of July 4, it will begin implementing amendments that will allow select parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to seven years per entrance under the Super Visa.

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Over 200,000 people have been added to the temporary residence backlog.

The temporary residency backlog now stands at 1,471,173 people, up 216,382 on April 29. (back then it stood at 1,200,791 persons).

To some extent, the increase in the temporary residence inventory at this time of year is natural. Temporary residency applications have a large seasonal component, owing to particular sectors looking to migrate to Canada between the spring and fall. For example, most overseas students apply for study permits at this time of year in order to begin their studies in Canada by the start of the academic year in late August or early September. Another example is that more people apply for temporary residency visas (TRVs) at this time of year as they plan to visit Canada during the warmer months between spring and autumn.

The notable exception is the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), which has been accessible to Ukrainians wishing to relocate to Canada since March. According to the IRCC website, 296,163 CUAET applications were accepted between March 17 and June 8.

As a result, the total TRV inventory has increased to 771,482 people, up from 621,451 on April 29.

Meanwhile, the study permit backlog is at 173,353 people, up from 132,280 people.

The work permit inventory now stands at 236,735 people, up from 189,061 people.

The inventory of work permit extensions has also increased to 171,998 people from 144,842 previously.

Image Source: (Google)

What the government of Canada is doing?

In late January, the IRCC provided the public with an update on its efforts to manage its inventory, meet additional application processing criteria, and modernize the immigration system. This means increasing investments in technology and recruiting additional people.

Also read Who can apply for a Canada open work permit?


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“GLORY” is under new ownership that has brought together a number of companies, with legendary talent and an important historic past all under one roof. In the coming weeks we will be making some big announcements. Our mission is to build the best Combat Sports Organization in the world that will restore the sport to its former GLORY.

Matchmaking 23 March Live from Moscow Russia Le Banner vs Errol Zimmerman Schilt vs Guidon Kharitonov vs Miller

PPV WORLDWIDE GLORY LIVE FROM MOSCOW, THIS FRIDAY AT www.gloryworldseries.com!! 6pm local time, 3pm CET, 11am EST, just $15! Dont miss it!

01 – MMA -65kg Cesario di Domenico Italy vs Murad Machayev Russia
02 – MMA -76kg Anatoly Safronov Ukraine vs Gasan Umalatov Russia
03 – MMA -95kg Ilir Latifi Sweden vs Denis Bogdanov Ukraine
04 – MMA HW Ricco Rodriquez USA vs Ruslan Magomedov Russia
05 – KB -73,9 kg Nieky Holzken Holland vs David Kiria Georgia
06 – KB -72,5 kg Maxim Vyrovski Estonia vs Dzhabar Askerov Russia
07 – KB HW Jamal Ben Sadik Morroco vs Vitaly Oparin Ukraine
08 – KB HW Ali Cenic Turkey vs Sergey Maslobojev Lithuania
09 – KB -98kg Igor Jurkovic Croatia vs Zabit Samedov Bellarus
10 – KB HW Brice Guidon France vs Semmy Schilt Holland
11 – KB HW Mark Miller USA vs Sergey Kharitonov Russia
12 – KB HW Jerome le Banner France vs Errol Zimmerman Surinam

Under new ownership Glory will organize at least 6 events per year in a mixture of MMA and Kickboxing, with many of these shows holding tournaments having an astonishing Prize Money not seen before in our sport. Glory has also recently signed a number of fighters.

Some names signed with new Glory:

Semmy Schilt the only 3 consecutive World Grand Prix winner and his 4 GP wins ties him for most all time. Schilt also was the Paris K-1 tournament qualification winner along with being a Pride and UFC MMA veteran.

Sergey Kharitonov known as one of the best fighters in Pride History, also as a top Strikeforce Heavyweight also lends his time to K-1 where he is known for his devastating power in his hands.

Errol Zimmerman the Bonecrusher is the K-1 Amsterdam qualifcation tournament winner, who is coming into his own and showing his world class talent with 7 consecutive wins.

Gokhan Saki often undersized but still perennially a top 3 Heavyweight in K-1 due to his unparalleled speed and skill. Saki previously won K-1 Hawaii qualification tournament winner.

Robin van Roosmalen one of the most electric new stars in the smaller weight classes. Robin is the current Its Showtime tournament 70 kg winner.

Marlos Coenen is currently the #4-ranked pound for pound female MMA fighter in the world and the former Strikeforce Champion.

Peter Aerts Mr. K-1 or “The Dutch Lumberjack” is a 3 x K-1 GP winner who has been in every final 8 of the GP in the last 18 years. Aerts was in the final of the last GP and looks to have a few more big fights.

Mark Fight Shark Miller who was once on the rise as a promising American Kick Fighter saw years of family tragedy and a well documented fight for his life. Being the first person to return to fighting after open heart surgery, Miller recorded a brutal 4 second knock out over Nikolaj Falin in his return to the ring.

Gevorg Petrosyan is a 2 time K-1 Max winner, winning back to back titles along with being a World Muay Thai champion.

Jerome Le Banner is a 2 time finalist in the K-1 GP, having many wins over top fighters and K-1 Champions this Herculean figure is known for his tremendous Knock Out power.

Brice Guidon last years finalist at the Glory World Series is a former European Muay Thai Champion.

Yoshihiro Sato a Japanese fighter and finalist of K-1 max Japan.

By Press Release

A press release is an announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy item that is issued to the press.

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Ray’s Ramblings: August 13th

Written by: Ray Butler

Follow us on Twitter! @Prospects365

  • How about a story within a story?!?!?! Moments ago, Prospects 365 published staff writer Adam Ehrenreich‘s top 20 prospects for the remainder of the regular season. Remember: This list is not a typical prospect list or dynasty league prospect list; instead, it focuses on hypothetical fantasy value in redraft leagues for the remainder of the 2018 season. You can read Adam’s list right here.
  • More than a month ago, I ranked Andres Gimenez as the 45th-best prospect in all of baseball. My love and adoration for the teenage shortstop prospect is well documented. And the more I think about it, the more I see a little bit of Ozzie Albies in Gimenez’s statistical profile and outlook. Potentially a very young major league player, Gimenez possesses more raw power than most people give him credit for. He doesn’t walk often. He’s an obvious stolen base threat. As a 19-year-old in 2016, Albies slashed .292/.330/.440 with 9 home runs, 21 stolen bases, a 20.1 K%, 6.3 BB% and a 112 wRC+ in 618 plate appearances between stops at Double-A and Triple-A. At the same age this season, Gimenez has slashed .287/.355/.428 with 6 home runs, 32 stolen bases, a 19.1 K%, 6.3 BB% and a 124 wRC+ in 430 plate appearances between stops at High-A and Double-A. The numbers aren’t identical, but the similarities are obvious, and the argument could be made that Gimenez is more-accomplished at this point of his career than Albies was as a 19-year-old rising prospect a couple of seasons ago. Of course, Albies home run explosion in April and May of this season was both unpredicted and spectacular (those he’s only managed 5 home runs total in the past two months). I’m not saying Gimenez will have 20 home runs by August 12th perennially as a big leaguer, but I am saying there’s untapped thunder in his bat. Scouts gush over Gimenez’s ability to make in-game adjustments at the plate against opposing pitchers, and I’m hopeful it eventually leads to an increased walk rate. Regardless, I think there’s stardom in Gimenez’s future, perhaps as early as the middle of next season.
  • Admittedly, I wondered why so many people wanted to read about Colton Welker this week. Then I looked at his recent numbers, which say the third base prospect is slashing an otherworldly .455/.552/.591 with a 20.7 BB% thru 29 plate appearances in August. Geez! Shifting back to the season-long numbers, I was certainly hoping (and somewhat expecting) Welker to be much closer to the 20 HR-mark at this point of the season than the 11 home runs he’s posted at High-A Lancaster. On the surface, Welker’s slash numbers are fantastic: .323/.381/.477. Then you notice the .387 BABIP, which seems unrealistically high for a corner-infielder with 40-grade speed (hello, California League). I’m a little mad at myself for ranking Welker so high in my #MidseasonTop200 (48th), and I’ll re-evaluate the inflated numbers are big league log-jam in Colorado before ranking the third baseman at the end of the regular season. Don’t get it twisted: Welker is very good. He’s a top 100 prospect. He’s almost certainly a top 75 prospect. But there’s a few things working against the 20 year old’s statistics and outlook, and they’re important to consider when evaluating Welker’s place amongst the best prospects in baseball.
  • The improvements Taylor Widener has made since being traded from the Yankees organization to the Diamondbacks are nothing short of jaw-dropping. Statistically, the right-hander has increased his strikeout rate by five percent. The walk rate has dropped by more than two percent. The ERA? Down from 3.39 last season to 2.49 this season. FIP and xFIP? They’ve improved, too. Widener’s development and sustained improvements have landed the right-hander near the top-tier of pitching prospects in baseball, and he’ll certainly be included in my top 200 prospect list at the end of the regular season. The fastball/slider combo is certainly Widener’s bread-and-butter (right-handed hitters are batting .168 versus the 23-year-old this season), but improved command is the main ingredient that’s steered the right-hander’s rise to prominence. It’s been very under-the-radar, but Widener and Jon Duplantier have quietly become one of the best pitching-prospect duos in the minor leagues this season.
  • High-A was always going to be a huge challenge for Braves OF prospect Drew Waters, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen in the outfielder’s first 51 plate appearances at the level. The 19-year-old is slashing .229/.275/.292 for the Florida Fire Frogs, with no home runs and one stolen base in 11 games. It’s early, obviously, and there’s absolutely no reason to panic. This was always going to be a huge part of Waters’ process. Sit back, relax, and let the Braves organization continue developing the teenage, five-tool prospect. Atlanta is developing a reputation for aggressively-promoting their prospects, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Waters open the 2019 regular season back in High-A. The at-bats the outfielder will see versus pitching in the Florida State League will be absolutely invaluable to his development, and a near-season’s worth of plate appearances at the level will really paint a clear picture of what can be expected from Waters both as a prospect and as a future big leaguer.
  • Let’s talk about the Rookie League’s Kingsport Mets, the current home of both Luis Santana and Mark Vientos. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: At such an infantile level of competition, I value plate discipline and approach far more than any counting stat. Despite only turning 19 last month, Santana certainly has uncanny plate discipline for a Rookie League hitter. Double digit walk rate? Check. Single digit strikeout rate? Check. If context clues aren’t your thing, that means Santana has walked more times than he’s gone down swinging. In a 210 plate appearance sample. The three home runs and seven stolen bases are nice. The .341/.443/.443 is, of course, drool-worthy. It goes without saying that the second base prospect is one to watch moving forward, and he’ll certainly be considered for an inclusion in my postseason top 200 prospect list. Despite Santana’s recent accomplishments, Vientos is probably the calling-card of the Mets’ Appalachian League affiliate. A second-round pick last season, the 6’4 third baseman has already posted 9 home runs with a .305/.384/.527 slash in 190 plate appearances. At only 18-years-old, Fangraphs has already graded Vientos with 55 game power and 60 raw power. The site grades the third baseman with a 45-hit tool, and Vientos’ full season debut in 2019 will go a long ways in determining the validity of that evaluation. For as miserable as it currently is to be a Mets fan, there really are some high-upside youngsters who could team up with Peter Alonso, Andres Gimenez, Justin Dunn and David Peterson to form an above-average farm system as early as next season.
  • If you haven’t done so already, make sure you take a look at last week’s Ray’s Ramblings. It includes thoughts on Victor Robles, Elehuris Montero, recently-promoted Cedric Mullins, Josh James, Forrest Whitley, Sixto Sanchez, Luis Robert, Khalil Lee, Nathaniel Lowe and more! Check it out here.
  • I’ve never been high enough on Hudson Potts. Recently promoted to Double-A despite being only 19 years old, the Padres third base prospect is slashing .277/.349/.489 with 17 home runs. The raw power is so, so real. I do have legitimate concerns about the hit tool. There will always some swing-and-miss in Potts’ approach, so the 8.6 BB% (which hopefully continues to rise) will likely make him a better option in OBP-leagues than AVG-leagues throughout his career. Double-A will obviously be a huge challenge for Potts, and he’ll almost assuredly start the 2019 season at the level. It’s important to remember he’s only 19, and I’m hopeful the hit tool eventually develops to near-league average. Here’s to hoping I give Potts his well-earned props in the future.
  • So if you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a little more quiet on Twitter lately. Between school starting back and football season well underway, a lot of my free time is spoken for. I won’t be able to tweet out nightly stat lines and home run alerts as frequently as I normally do, but I promise to try as often as life allows me to. Even Ray’s Ramblings is hard to squeeze in with Sunday afternoons and evenings being dedicated to lesson plan and weekly-opponent preparation, but I haven’t omitted an edition yet and don’t currently plan to. Bear with me! Have a great week!

Follow us on Twitter! @Prospects365

Featured image courtesy of Minor League Baseball and photographer Buck Davidson

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The 12 Steps of DIY Life Insurance

Are you ready for life insurance, and want to start the process yourself? We’ve devised this checklist so that you can identify all the steps to purchasing your whole life insurance, or convertible term insurance, with ease and confidence.

And while we intend for this list to be a “DIY Project,” we still believe it’s important to use a life insurance agent to make the official purchase. The reason is that online platforms (without an agent) are “non-participating.” This means that these policies don’t pay dividends. So if you want a participating whole life insurance policy with a mutual company, you’ll want an agent as an intermediary.

The benefit of DIY insurance, however, is that you can choose what you want and do your own research—then bring it to an agent of your choice.

Table of Contents

The 12 Steps of DIY Life Insurance

1. Find Your Human Life Value

Your Human Life Value (HLV) is the maximum amount of insurance a life insurance company will approve you for. This number is generally calculated by multiplying your net income by 20. You can also consider your HLV as your Gross Worth.

Set aside this number for later (we’ll get to it in step 6).

2. Find Your Spouse’s Human Life Value

If you are married, you’ll probably want some insurance on your spouse. Even more so if you have children. You’ll want to determine their number as well, to know what complete coverage would look like for you both.

If your spouse is not working, you can calculate their HLV as 50% of your HLV.

Set aside this number for later.

3. Determine Your Savings

Next, you’ll want to determine how much money you can allocate to savings each month. You can also determine your annual savings ability if you want to make annual premium payments.

The number you determine will contribute to your base premium as well as your paid-up additions (PUAs). You’ll want your first whole life insurance policy to insure the main income earner of the family.

A PUA is essentially extra money that you can put into your life insurance policy, so long as it’s under the MEC limit. The MEC limit is a number determined by your insurance company, based on your age, gender, and the face amount of your policy. A policy becomes a MEC (or Modified Endowment Contract) if you over-fund your policy, and the IRS will consider it a taxable asset.

4. Connect with Your Life Insurance Agent

Once you’ve determined your savings, you’ll want to inform your life insurance agent what that number is. At this time, you will also give them your date of birth, state of residence, and any known health issues you have.

5. Get an Illustration

With the information you give to us, or the agent of your choice, you’re ready for an illustration. If you’re seeking the kind of whole life insurance we love to advocate for, here’s how you’ll want to phrase the request to your agent:

“I’m looking for an illustration from a mutual life insurance company (or a mutual holding company) that creates maximum cash value and minimum death benefit using my savings contribution.” (The savings contribution being the number you determined in step 3.)

6. Ask About Term Insurance

Now, we’ll get to your HLV number. Chances are the money you have available to contribute to your savings will not fully cover your HLV. This is where term insurance comes in handy. Whole life insurance premiums are much higher because you’re contributing to your cash value. However, life insurance is also meant to protect your income—so having your full HLV in place is still a good idea.

Term insurance will bridge this gap, and make reaching your HLV possible. So, you’ll want to ask for a term insurance illustration that makes up the difference between your HLV and the death benefit of your whole life insurance illustration.

We recommend asking for convertible term insurance. This raises the premium just slightly but allows you to convert that insurance to whole life insurance over time (without needing to re-qualify).

7. Want to Add a Lump Sum?

If you want to add a lump sum to your insurance from the beginning, let us know! We may be able to add a term insurance rider, which can accept a lump sum. The insurance company will have a maximum limit, which we can help you determine.

8. Want a Second Policy?

If your spouse is earning income, you may also want two policies, split between the contribution number you determined in step three. Let your agent know if you’d like two smaller policies. You’ll want to provide us with the information from step 4, as it pertains to your spouse.

Then, we can then run the appropriate illustrations. You can also choose to do one whole life insurance policy and a blend of term insurance to cover the remaining HLV for you and your spouse. The illustrations we run will help you determine what works best for you and your family.

9. Go Through the Approval Process

Once you’re happy with your illustrations, you’ll want to go through the approval process. If you’re working with us, we can help you through the application, medical exam, and more. From start to finish, this process takes about 8 weeks, depending on your medical records.

10. Consider Insuring Children

You may not choose to insure your children right away, however, it’s important to note that you can insure them. Doing so will allow them to build cash value in a policy from a young age. You can use this cash value to teach them financial responsibility and help fund things they may want while they’re young. You can also transfer ownership of the policy to your children once they turn eighteen, and they can begin to pay their own premiums.

11. Remember: Life Insurance is Practical

As my husband, Todd Langford, of Truth Concepts, says, “There are no deals in the life insurance industry.” Everything is a trade-off between cost and risk. I personally believe in life insurance as an asset with certainty and flexibility, because of the contractual guarantees. Few other assets have such good odds and low risk—that’s why the costs are what they are.

12. Finalize Your Policy or Policies

The final step is to finalize your insurance by paying the premium amount you determined in step 3 (with any adjustments you may have made during the illustration and application process). The premiums you pay are going to contribute towards your cash value, yet you may not see it really take off until about the third year. As long as you are a good steward of your policy, you’ll start accumulating cash value in no time. So make those premium payments!

Remember: Universal life is not the same as whole life insurance. It does not have the same guarantees and is much riskier than whole life insurance (remember step 11).

How Can We Help?

Are you ready to secure your own life insurance? We would love to be the ones to help you through this journey, whether you DIY the process or would like additional guidance. Let us know how we can help you get started and automate your savings! Contact us here or email to get started.

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Academic Plans

Scope of Oversight

The development, revision, and approval of academic plans is guided by University policy and procedures. These processes originate at the programmatic and departmental level, progress through the colleges, to the Office of the Provost and, if necessary, the Board of Regents. As proposals make their way through the approval process to the Office of the Provost, consultation is solicited from colleagues in Graduate and Undergraduate Education, as well as the Academic Health Center.

Changes requiring Board of Regents and Executive Vice President and Provost review and approval:

  • Adding a new degree, minor, or sub-plan
  • Adding a new integrated degree program (e.g. 4+1 Bachelor to Masters program)
  • Substantively changing a degree or minor, including: adding a sub-plan, changing a plan or sub-plan name, changing a degree designation (e.g. B.S. to B.A., M.S. to M.A.), changing the academic home of a plan, merging two or more degrees or minors
  • Discontinuing a degree, plan, or sub-plan
  • Offering distance delivery of all or substantially all coursework for an existing plan, adding or changing a program delivery modality.
  • Adding or changing academic plan related partnerships/collaborations with an external entity

The stages of development and approval are additive, with various points of emphasis at each stage in the process. Early consultation within the college, among other colleges, with institutional units, and across campus is strongly recommended as each unit focuses on different aspects of the proposal. For example, the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Graduate School focus their review on admission and degree requirements, University policy compliance, other factors specifically related to the academic success of students. Review by the Office of the Provost focuses on things like need and demand, efficiency and effectiveness, support and resources, mission, collaboration, and program duplication. New degree undergraduate program proposals on the Twin Cities campus are also reviewed by the Campus Curriculum Committee.

The public review period encourages open communication across colleges and campuses concerning the creation, discontinuation, and change of academic programs; fosters collaboration and productive exchanges across and between departments and disciplines; and prevents inadvertent encroachment upon and duplication of academic programs.

Consultation diagram title
Consultation and approval diagram

Detailed guidance on the process and timelines for adding, changing, or discontinuing academic plans can be found here.

Other Academic Plan Requests

The Executive Vice President and Provost also reviews and approves requests including but not limited to:

  • Collegiate/departmental/unit name changes
  • Creation of new departments
  • Alternative tuition rates
  • Alignment as a professional or graduate degree program
  • Off-site delivery of a program, including international delivery sites
  • Academic partnerships/collaborations with any external entity, including but not limited to: other colleges and universities, state or governmental agencies, non-profit/non-governmental organizations, corporate partners, and any type of international entity (e.g. community college pipeline programs, co-delivery of an academic program with another institution)

For these types of requests, a proposal to the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost will need to include a thorough presentation of the following information:

  • Explanation and justification for the request
  • Demonstrated understanding of the consequences or ramifications of the request
  • Evidence of consultation with relevant entities within the University of Minnesota System Campuses
  • A plan for revisiting or sunsetting the proposal, as applicable
  • Proof that the request or proposal has adhered--per the traditions of your unit--to any departmental or collegiate processes, including faculty governance or consultation
  • Documentation of support from the dean/senior leader

For collegiate/departmental/or other unit name change requests, please complete the Academic Unit Name Change Request Form.

Please contact Erin Slattengren (612-301-1707 or [email protected]) in advance of submission. Upon receipt of the request or proposal, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost may request further consultation or additional information in order to address any unresolved conflicts or questions.


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Art Blakey

!!!!jazz Messengers!!!!

!!!!jazz Messengers!!!!

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Full performer name: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.
Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers: Art Blakey (drums); Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); Bobby Timmons (piano); Jymie Merritt (bass).
Producer: Bob Thiele.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 13 & 14, 1961. Includes original liner notes by Dick Katz.
Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studio).
The legendary Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers took several forms throughout its long life. Many young musicians were nurtured in Blakey's band before going on to greatness themselves. One of the most prolific versions of this group existed in the period of the late-'50s and early-'60s, and included Wayne Shorter (before his work with Miles Davis), Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Jymie Merritt and Bobby Timmons. This unusual album on Impulse (the group recorded many great records for Blue Note) catches the Messengers at a pivotal moment just before Morgan and Timmons' departure and at the beginning of Fuller's tenure.
Beginning with the hard swinging "Alamode," Blakey drives the three-man horn section forcefully as Timmons provides spicy punches underneath the weaving melody. The classic "Invitation" is given a slow and slinky treatment with Morgan's muted trumpet providing the perfect blue coloration. The disc's centerpiece is the lively "Circus," a perfect vehicle for the dexterous horns and dynamic rhythm section. The bluesy ballad "You Don't Know What Love Is," the ebullient "I Hear a Rhapsody" and the slow-grooving "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You" finish out this excellent document of a stirring group of jazz legends.

  • RSD Release Date: DDD
  • Released: 06/19/2012
  • Format: Vinyl
  • Genre: Jazz

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Election Results From the Rest of the World

The U.S. isn't the only country experiencing election fever right now.
  • Author:
  • Updated:

What, you think the U.S. is the only place voting?

NICARAGUA: With 91 percent of the vote counted, Nicaragua's Sandinista Front won an overwhelming 76 percent Sunday, in a key vote focused on mayoral offices across the Central American nation. That gives the party of Reagan-era figure Daniel Ortega control of a whopping 134 of 156 city halls that were in play, according to wire reports.

The US State Department, among others, declared the result fishy. Notably, the race for mayor of Managua went to a Sandinista candidate with an overwhelming 83 percent of the vote. Nicaragua Dispatch, an English-language website that covers the country, reported claims by international election observers that 20 percent of Nicaraguans who came to the polls had been turned away because their names did not appear on voter registration lists.

UKRAINE:  Before last week's vote, incumbent Viktor Yanukovych had famously thrown his main opponent in jail. His (probably badly-translated) Party of Regions won a plurality at 30 percent last week, but lost nearly 5 percent of its support from the last election. A recount is under consideration after reports of fraud, and words like "post-election chaos" are showing up in most other reports. Here's a primer from the fabulous obsessives at World Elections:

Yanukovych is not particularly popular and not a lot of voters are enamored by his government’s record. However, the government went into the election with a well-oiled machine which had managed to sideline its top rival by throwing her in jail, and which could manipulate public opinion through a tight control of most media sources.

She's in jail; he's in office.

Tons of irregularities (vote buying, intimidation and so forth) were committed during the campaign, by both sides but largely by the government’s supporters. Few Ukrainians trusted these elections to be free and fair, and the OSCE observers came out of these elections quite unimpressed. They noted a general decline or reversal in democracy in Ukraine, and criticized the abusive use (and abuse) of administrative resources, the lack of transparency, the imbalance in media coverage and the excessive role of money in the election.

The vote was likely largely fair, but there is some evidence of tampering (in the PR’s favour) with the results in very closely fought races in single-member districts. This criticism notwithstanding, however, the President’s party has secured a strong majority in the Parliament. With the support all 44 independents, it already has a narrow majority.

LITHUANIA: Though the election happened in mid-October, the vote-counting only ended in Vilnius before the weekend -- and the ruling coalition lost. Two left-leaning parties, Labor and the Social Democrats, have struck a deal with the right wing Order and Justice party, allowing the country to form a new government that says it wants to raise taxes on the tiny state's top earners and raise the minimum wage. That's according to this BBC report.

CUBA: Regional legislative elections happened Sunday. Who won? No one has any idea. Joventud Rebelde had a nice summary of the action:

Almost a million Cubans in a total of 13 provinces, 136 municipalities, including the Isle of Youth, in 3210 constituency polling stations, took part this Sunday in a new round of popular democracy.

Citizens with full legal capacity to exercise their right to vote went [to] the polls again to elect delegates to the 1160 municipal assemblies of People's Power.

Some of the voting seems to have been rescheduled. The whole thing has a bit of a Monty Python vibe:

After the National Electoral Commission (NEC) informed the nation that the second round, scheduled for October 28, was postponed for this Sunday, November 4, and there would be elections throughout the country, except in the province of Holguin, to be performed the next day 11 -, and in eastern Santiago de Cuba, where the date would be decided –there was much work for the electoral authorities at all levels, but particularly, those who work in the municipalities, districts and school booths, so that nothing would impede the sovereign exercise of the nearly 960,000 voters who voted again yesterday.

Some problems required modification of the electoral rules, so that someone could win. Apparently too few voted for the list provided by the nomination process:

...None of the candidates proposed by the people in their nomination assemblies, won more than 50 per cent of the valid votes cast, last October 21. So, it was vital to take into account that one of the candidates whose names were written on the ballot should be marked, for those who they considered has the human capacity, and is able and willing enough to represent them as their delegate to the Municipal Assembly of People's Power for a period of two years.

Don't worry, they'll take care of it:

This time a delegate who receives the most votes from their neighbours in each constituency will be elected and, if a new tie happens, a third round will be convened within ten days.

Ahn Cheol Soo

KOREA: South Koreans are in the thick of a fascinating presidential campaign that will end early next month. The November surprise came in the past day, when the two main opposition candidates decided to join forces to defeat the incumbent. Here's a good summary from BusinessWeek. Storify has a look at the insurgent candidate, doctor Ahn Cheol Soo, here.

Commenting on the race, the voice of rival North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, managed to overlook all that. Pitched at the KCNA of DPRK's usual, Wagnerian register, Pyongyang accused the U.S. of an attempt to "quench the will of the South Koreans" (they meant quash, right?):

The puppet conservative forces, with nobody to rely on in south Korea, have made desperate efforts to extend the conservative regime at any cost, backed by their master U.S. by staking their fate on it. This fully reveals the true colors of the group of traitors as the despicable pro-U.S. sycophants and the master hand of confrontation who cannot live even a day without their master U.S.

The south Koreans should enhance vigilance against the moves of the U.S. to interfere in the "election" aimed at extending the pro-U.S. conservative regime, and resolutely check and frustrate them.

That could be read as a North Korean endorsement of one of today's U.S. election candidates, too. Hard to tell which.