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Commencement 2016

First Class

The inaugural graduates of UCSB’s Master of Technology Management program are ready to take on the tech business world
Friday, June 10, 2016 - 12:30
Santa Barbara, CA

When Letitia Mueller joined UC Santa Barbara’s Technology Management Program’s (TMP) New Venture Competition in 2015, the former biochemistry major got a taste of the exciting world of tech-based business. Her team, Chemoguard, a service that monitors chemotherapy levels in a patient’s tissues, went on to win in the Tech-Driven category of the contest.

For Mueller, the victory represented the beginning of a new career direction: technology management.

Meanwhile, Matthew Baum had already been a few years in industry, having graduated from UCSB with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2007. After spending several years in the design division of a startup, he decided to make the move from bench to boardroom.

“I had reached a point where I had moved up as far as I could without jumping into more of a management role,” he said. According to Baum, he needed to be ready for the next opportunity to make that move.

Both Mueller and Baum represent a growing population of science- and engineering-minded individuals in the workforce looking to navigate the world of technology-based business. It’s a rapidly expanding field that requires not only innovators and quick thinkers, but also those who have solid management and market analytical skills. Now after nine months learning from leaders in the field, Mueller and Baum along with 19 other students comprise the inaugural graduating class of UCSB’s first Master of Technology Management (MTM) professional program, organized under the auspices of TMP.

“We’re graduating our first class this year,” said Paul Leonardi, the Duca Family Professor of Technology Management at UCSB and founding director of the MTM program. “The students came in to the program typically with a lot of technical knowledge, and they’re leaving understanding how to build a business around their technology.”

Established under the aegis of UCSB’s College of Engineering, MTM is a business degree of a new kind, designed in response to an emerging need for leaders who can cross over between the technical and the managerial. Companies that started in garages and dorm rooms have moved up to clean rooms, labs and boardrooms, and technical talent is in abundance, but coherent leadership in the fast-paced world of tech-based business is not as easy to find, said Leonardi.

“Once you start to grow, you start to get to all these management and leadership kinds of questions,” he said of problems and issues specific to technology-based companies. “For example, motivating engineers is very different than motivating financial planners. And when you’re dealing with a high degree of product uncertainty, the kinds of choices you make about how to allocate resources is very different than when you’re working in a much more stable industry where products are relatively known commodities.”

Unlike traditional MBA programs, said Leonardi, MTM was designed specifically for the tech business environment, from the startup trying to break into the market to the established company trying to be more strategic about its direction. MTM’s curriculum is based on skills identified as necessary by the leaders of influential tech companies and startups, and venture capitalists across California. Courses are taught by tech-venture veterans and professors of management and organizations who have decades of experience successfully navigating the swift waters of tech business.

“For me it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be involved in a systematic curriculum development that almost never happens in universities,” said Leonardi, who spent a decade teaching at a business school before coming to UCSB. The curriculum is also cumulative and hands-on, with skills that are put into practice in real-world business situations almost immediately after they are learned.

“Several things stood out for me. For example, Professor Stephen Duneier’s class, which really taught me how to think differently about the decisions that I make on a daily basis, and how to think about opportunity costs,” Mueller said. Leadership training and the opportunity to work with a team were other elements that she said she found essential in her training.

For Baum, learning about networks, both within and around the company was one of the things he found illuminating, and even fun.

“We did a network analysis with a company where you interview people to find out who communicates and shares ideas with whom,” he said. The result revealed the underlying structure of communication within the organization, which sometimes doesn’t match its hierarchy, he added. However, such an analysis could reveal where communication could be strengthened and who might have influence as opposed to formal power. Additionally, Baum said, the significance of humility in a managerial role was something he found important as it benefits all sorts of relationships within the organization as well as with customers, clients and potential industry partners.

What both Mueller and Baum — and likely all the students in this inaugural MTM class — have gained is the confidence and the business background they need to take advantage of higher-level management opportunities within tech-based companies. According to them, the ability to communicate on both the technical level and the business level will give them the ability to be both visionary and practical.

As the inaugural class of MTM prepares for the next phase in their careers, Leonardi and colleagues behind the program are already gearing up for the next cohort of students. With one year’s experience and “extremely good” feedback from this pioneering group of students, the next year promises to be even more effective and enlightening.

“We’re on pace to have 50 percent more students in the program this fall,” Leonardi said.

Contact Info:

Sonia Fernandez
(805) 893-4765


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How a Weekend Mantra From Anand Mahindra Turned into a Motivating Thread on Twitter

File image of Anand Mahindra / CNBC TV 18.

File image of Anand Mahindra / CNBC TV 18.

Anand Mahindra's tweet ignited conversation, and people started posting inspirational quotes in his comment section on Twitter.

Buzz Staff
  • Last Updated: July 26, 2020, 12:15 PM IST
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Many motivational leaders are harnessing the social power of Twitter to spread their philosophies – perhaps because when their speaking engagements are over, tweeting becomes a way to reinforce their message daily and reach the audience beyond the stage.

Anand Mahindra is amongst one who keeps engaging with his followers and a recent post of his involving weekend advice is no different.

Mahindra Tweeted, “A big thank you to the friend who shared this with me this morning. Perfect weekend advice for those of us in business, who believe things are under control or always try to bring them under control!”

His tweet is complete with a cute image with a caption written on it, which read: "Relax, nothing is under control."

As soon as it was shared, it breaks the internet with almost more than 25000 likes and gathered 2500 retweets. This motivational struck the chord and started the wholesome conversation of being motivated throughout life.

Here's what netizens expressed to Mahindra as they too believe it. One of the users said, "Live life today and deal with tomorrow when it comes. We can't control how our life begins or ends. We can only control how we live it."

Another user expressing her thoughts wrote, "Such a cute smiling face! Also, we can never control someone or something. We only manage/influence certain situations or things. Hence, nothing is ever in our control."

Here are some of the more reaction to the tweet, Have a look:

In the subsequent tweets, people shared their thoughts and opinions on the message given by Mahindra. Till then keep motivated and motivating others.

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FSD Pharma CEO Lays Out Roadmap in Exclusive Interview with CFN Media

Seattle, Washigton--(Newsfile Corp. - May 10, 2019) - CFN Media Group ("CFN Media"), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry, announces publication of an article discussing FSD Pharma Inc. (CSE: HUGE) (OTCQB: FSSDF). The company is a licensed producer focused on building out a 3.9 million sq. ft. indoor hydroponic facility near Toronto capable of producing 400,000 kilograms of dried cannabis per year. With a newly acquired sales license and 25,000 sq. ft. already in production, the company is on the cusp of generating revenue through partnerships with its tenants where it's entitled to royalty income on production.

CFN Media recently caught up with Chairman and CEO Dr. Raza Bokhari at the Arcview Investor Forum in Vancouver to discuss the company and its plans for 2019.

Cannot view this video? Visit:

Licenses & Acquisitions

FSD Pharma recently appointed Dr. Sara May as President of FV Pharma Inc., the company's licensed producer subsidiary. Dr. May is an experienced geneticist that brings a decade of experience designing, implementing, and managing large-scale research projects into the fold. Under her guidance, the company secured a much anticipated sales license for plants and seeds in April, which opens the door to near-term commercialization.

The company has also been active in expanding distribution channels for its medical cannabis products. In April, the company announced a share exchange with Aura Health Inc., an international network of vertically-integrated cannabis assets with a major presence in Europe. Management's goal with the transaction is to expand its distribution footprint into Europe-a region that's expected to see significant demand growth….

Please follow the link to read the full article on CFN: http://bit.ly/2JArmuS

About CFN Media

For Visitors and Viewers

CFN Media's Cannabis Financial Network (CannabisFN.com) is the destination for savvy investors and business people profiting from the worldwide cannabis industry. Viewers will see breaking news, exclusive content and original programming involving the people, companies and investments shaping the industry.

For Cannabis Businesses & Companies

CFN Media is a leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the cannabis industry. We help private, pre-public and public cannabis companies in the US and Canada attract capital, investors and media attention.

Our powerful digital media and distribution platform conveys a company's message and value proposition directly to accredited and retail investors and national media active in the North American cannabis markets.

Since 2013, CFN Media has enabled the world's preeminent cannabis companies to thrive in the capital and public markets.

Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: http://www.cannabisfn.com/featuredcompany

The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/

FSD Pharma Contact

Zeeshan Saeed
President and Founder
FSD Pharma Inc
Tel : 416-854-8884

Frank Lane

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44717


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Friday, August 7, 2020
Home India Second batch of Amarnath Yatra leaves Jammu

Second batch of Amarnath Yatra leaves Jammu

Jammu: Second batch of annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrims on Friday left Jammu city for the Himalayan cave shrine in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

“Second batch of 2887 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatra Niwas in Jammu in a convoy for the Valley,” a senior official of the district administration told IANS here.

The two-month long Hindu pilgrimage to the Himalayan Cave Shrine situated 14,500 feet above the sea level started on Thursday.Lord_Amarnath

It will end on August 29 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.

Over 8000 Yatris had “Darshan” inside the cave shrine on Thursday. The pilgrims reach the cave shrine through the North Kashmir Baltal and South Kashmir Pahalgam routes.

State Governor N.N. Vohra and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh paid obeisance and prayed for peace and prosperity of the country at the cave shrine on Thursday during the traditional “Pratham Puja” that heralds the beginning of the annual Yatra.

The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that waxes and wanes with the phases of the Moon.

Devotees believe that the ice stalagmite structure called the “Lingam” symbolized mythical powers of Lord Shiva. (IANS)

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Oshiomhole still relevant in Edo –APC officials

espite the recent set back which the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomole suffered with the dissolution of the National Working Committee (NWC), officials of the party in his home state say he is still relevant in the politics of the state.

In an interview with Sunday Telegraph, the state’s Publicity Secretary Chris Azebamwan, said the former labour leader still commands a huge followership and he is rallying point and grassroots man.

This he said, the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee gave vent to when it appointed Oshiomhole as one of those who will lead the campaign for Pastor Andrew Osagie Ize – Iyamu’s election.

He said:  “Oshiomhole commands huge followership and is one man who by his service to the nation and state put behind him personal interest and set national interest above everything. He is a rallying point for all and great mobilizer as well as a strong voice in Edo politics.

“Comrade Oshiomhole made a huge sacrifice that true leaders make to protect their ambition and their people. Now Comrade has a vision that the entire Nigeria should become one progressive family. He was prepared to put his own interest behind and put the national interest above. So, that he is no longer a National Chairman of the party does not in any way remove from his huge followership in the All Progressives Congress political family.”

On the suspension in his Ward 10 Etsako West Local Government Area, Azebamwan said the Chairman, Stephen Oshawo contrived and cooked up the so called suspension, adding that Oshawo in his aggrieved state of mind has already become a tool in the hands of Obaseki and was suspended by 17 wards executives of the party even as he is now holed up in the Government House.

According to Azebamwan: “He (Oshawo) cannot go home again and he has no legal basis to do what he did,” pointing out that 17 members of the ward executives of the party from the same area had recently travelled to the APC National Secretariat, where they presented themselves to the NWC of the APC to debunk the claim that Oshiomhole had been suspended.

Abuja Man reveals (FREE) secret Fruits that Increased his Manhood size and Lasting Power in 5days…

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Neonatal Care

Neonatal Care – Infant Open Care System 5000 RP

  • A Micro-processor controlled Infant warming system with Resuscitation.
  • Three Mode of Operation Servo Skin, Servo Air and Manual.
  • Feather Touch operation with large digital display and comprehensive alarms
  • Thermistor based Temperature Sensor for accurate temperature measurement
  • Memory Backup restores set temperature and control mode automatically, in the event of power failure. it helps to reduce the attention failure of users
  • The baby bed is tiltable at both sides for Trendelenburg and Fowler’s position.
  • Easily removable and Unbreakable Aluminum hinge with acrylic side panels to clean the subsequent usages.
  • The Heater Module easily pivots 90 degrees in either direction to facilitate other procedures such as X-rays without disturbing the baby
  • Provides optimal resuscitation with safe and controlled Peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) and a consistent and precise PEEP Optional Features: Built-in Weighing Scale.

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Japanese cultural classes

Taiko San Francisco GenRyu Arts Location: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter St., S.F.’s Japantown Contact: (415) 420-3151, info@genryuarts.org, www.genryuarts.org Maikaze Daiko Location: Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., S.F. Contact: (415) 513-7798, info@maikazedaiko.org, www.maikazedaiko.org San Francisco Taiko Dojo Classes: 212 Ryan Way South San Francisco, CA  94080 Contact: (415) 928-2456, […]

IAIDO: Self improvement through swords

“How useful is a Japanese sword in 2012? If anyone says it’s of practical use, then they really need to get themselves checked,” says Andrej Diamantstein. Instead of personal defense, Diamantstein, the head of the Nishi Kaigan Iaido Dojo, describes iaido, the art of drawing a sword to defend against a surprise attack, as a […]

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Naples Estate Planning Lawyer > Naples Creditor-Protected Inheritance Lawyer

Naples Creditor-Protected Inheritance Lawyer

It’s great that you are in a position to leave a substantial inheritance to your children or grandchildren. You worked hard to build a sizeable estate, and it’s your hope that those who inherit will enjoy the value of the property you leave them for years to come. Unfortunately, once you create an Irrevocable Trust or your heirs inherit through a Will, those assets are quite literally out of your hands. Nothing is more distressing than the fear that this valuable inheritance you leave will be squandered away or lost. With proper planning, however, you can make choices that protect that inheritance from creditors, predators and even the actions of the beneficiaries themselves.

At Nici Law Firm, P.L., in Naples, we establish what we call a Creditor-Protected Inheritance. With the right combination of Trusts in place, you can rest assured that the inheritance you leave will be protected, no matter what life puts in your heirs’ way. A Creditor-Protected Inheritance can help prevent loss of inheritance due to:

  • Personal injury lawsuit, such as a car accident or premises liability (slip & fall) claim
  • Professional malpractice lawsuit (medical malpractice, legal malpractice)
  • Bankruptcy
  • Divorce
  • Bad business deal
  • Substance abuse
  • Gambling problem
  • Mental illness

Asset Protection and Spendthrift Trusts protect inheritances from creditors

An effective tool for a Creditor-Protected Inheritance is an Asset Protection or Spendthrift Trust. With an Asset Protection Trust, designated beneficiaries receive distributions from the Trust through the trustee. The trustee holds legal title to the trust funds, while the beneficiaries have only equitable title. The beneficiaries’ creditors, therefore, can’t get at the assets while they are in the Trust.

When a Trust contains a spendthrift clause or provision, the beneficiary can only receive distributions from the Trust for designated uses, such as health, education, maintenance or support. A spendthrift clause not only protects the Trust’s assets from creditors but also from the beneficiaries themselves, who might otherwise blow through the Trust funds too quickly in an irresponsible manner.

Complicated Estate Planning made simple

Already have an Estate Plan in place, replete with Revocable Living Trusts? Often, the creation of Asset Protection Trusts can be done easily and inexpensively, involving a simple adjustment or amendment to your current Estate Plan. You can also create Asset Protection or Spendthrift Trusts for assets you gift during your lifetime and not only when you pass on.

Talk to Naples Estate Planning Lawyer James R. Nici about a Creditor-Protected Inheritance

At Nici Law Firm, P.L., we think of all the details you may not have considered when drafting or amending an Estate Plan. We’ll make sure your Estate Plan meets your needs and your wishes for your heirs to have a lasting inheritance that isn’t lost to taxes, creditors, ex-spouses or bad life choices. For strategic and effective Estate Planning from Marco Island to Estero and Bonita Springs, call Nici Law Firm, P.L., in Naples at 239-449-6150 or contact us online for a complimentary consultation with a Florida Board-Certified Estate Planning Specialist in Wills, Trusts and Estates.

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Review #23: The Android Who Became a Human Who Became an Android by Scott William Carter

Posted by Nicky Drayden on Jun 13, 2010 in Reviews

Author website: http://scottwilliamcarter.com/
Published by: Analog Magazine, July/August 2010

Photo by JasonR611 Creative Commons

The Story:

Dexter Duff is a private investigator whose already hazardous lifestyle gets a little more dangerous when his three-breasted ex-girlfriend walks back into his life. She’d burned him bad the first time around, cleaning out his bank accounts and taking off with his ship. Now she needs him to help solve the mystery of what happened to her new husband, Vergon Daughn. Yes, that Vergon — the richest manufacturer of stepdocks in the galaxy.

What surprises Duff the most isn’t that his ex-girlfriend is now a multi-millionaire, but that she’d married an android, barely a second class citizen with limited rights. Not that it doesn’t make sense. Ginger had always been emotionally stunted. But then Vergon had gone off and gotten his memories inserted into real flesh and blood as a wedding present to Ginger, and to make matters more complicated, he had the procedure reversed when living as a humanoid wasn’t working out. He hasn’t been seen since. Now Duff’s in a tough position. Does he take the job and risk allowing Ginger back into his life, or is that all he wants in the first place?

The Craft:

(Story opening available here)

I have to say, I really enjoyed the spin on the classic android becomes a human motif, and this story is a great example of putting a fresh view on old ideas. The story was a little off-putting at first for me as a female reader, though, the opening line being “The last time I saw Ginger, she was sporting two breasts instead of three.” Not that I don’t enjoy a little booby humor, but putting them out there right on the first line made me cringe, and I questioned if I wanted to continue with the story. A few paragraphs in, Duff’s voice fit the standard snarky private dick persona, and brought nothing new to the table, but I pushed through the questionable opening and was glad I did.

Once the story got going, I got wrapped up in the mystery surrounding Vergon’s disappearance and really enjoyed the world building that accompanied it. Duff’s conversation with Bwer Fwer, the biomechanical engineer that performed the human-to-android and android-to-human transferences on Vergon was quite comical. Bwer Fwer had the misfortune of being a single instance of a hive-mind society who are geniuses when they work together, but idiots when separated. Bwer Fwer compensates for this by using a device that simulates an Artificial Intelligence based hive-mind, allowing him to function at a higher level. There are side-effects to the technology, however, causing him to blurt out random lines during his conversation with Duff, making for both comical dialogue and interesting world building. Overall, the witty dialogue was one of the greatest strengths of the story, though it did tend to drag on too long in a few places.

The plot was well stitched together, admirably so. I enjoyed the twists and turns of Duff’s journey, and its profound alieness transported me to this other world. Character development was on the sparse side, but there was enough of it to propel the story forward. All-in-all, The Android Who Became a Human Who Became an Android is another plot-driven, pulpish romp through space. Mark that as the second in this issue. We’ll see what the other stories have to offer.

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Review #21: A Jar of Goodwill by Tobias S. Buckell

Posted by Nicky Drayden on May 6, 2010 in Reviews

Author Website: tobiasbuckell.com
Published by: Clarkesworld Magazine

Photo by MGShelton Creative Commons

The Story:

Stuck in perpetual air-debt on a space orbital, professional Friend Alex Mosette is out of options. Well, not completely out of options. There’s always the old fallback of going into hibernation in between jobs to minimize air consumption, but there’s also a new opportunity on a recently docked ship offering half a point on the package, enough for Alex to pay off all air debts and live comfortably — maybe even comfortably enough to upgrade from the cramped, coffin-like quarters Alex now calls home. The details of the contract are sketchy at best, but the risk is more palatable than spending unending days as a corpsicle aboard the orbital.

Aboard the ship, half-truths and strained allegiances are abound as the details of the contract are spelled out: Alex is to serve as a professional Friend to a Compact Drone, an entity detached from the Compact’s hive-mind sent to help determine if ant-like aliens on a newly discovered world qualify as intelligent life. As a Friend, Alex has to gain the Drone’s trust, and keep it sane during their mission. The Drone’s decision could mean the difference in walking away from this gig rich, or filthy rich, though as the truth unfolds, Alex might just be satisfied to walk away from this alive.

The Craft: World Building

Oh, this is another fun one full of complex socioeconomic structures, artificial gender-bending, and alien botany. Before we talk about world building, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how well this worked as a story — tension and mystery in all the right spots, twists and turns, and characters that really bleed when you prick them. What I love about A Jar of Goodwill is that it’s full of delectable BIG IDEAS, and yet they fit so comfortably in this short story, which pushes more into the realms of a novelette at about 8000 words, but every single one of them is worth it, working double time as they draw you deeper and deeper into this world.

The first big idea of this world revolves around air rationing, not an entirely new concept, but the execution of it in this piece reads like mind candy. Sure there’s only so much air to go around in space, but what happens when a person uses more than their quota and can’t pay? What are the options? Bottom feeders like Alex don’t have a lot of options, but you can bet on a space orbital, there are hundreds, if not thousands of people going paycheck to paycheck, their priority not being food or shelter, but air, something that we earthbound fools take for granted every single day. So while in this story we don’t spend a lot of time on the orbital, we do get a sense of the desperation for those living in cubbies, and when Alex sees the spacious 5×7 living quarters with free air on the ship, we can instantly relate to the thrill.

Putting a price tag on first contact is also a great idea. The planet Ve is a goldmine waiting to be tapped. Someone will get rich off of it, but now it’s only a matter of who, depending on whether or not the ant aliens are intelligent. The reader knows they are, the characters know they are, but that’s not what’s important. It’s all about what they can do about it to serve their own agendas and fatten their own wallets. The Vesians are doomed either way. Let me also say that Ve is a jewel of worldbuilding, with acid spewing plants, leaves like black Glad bags, and dog-sized ants breathing green atmosphere that’ll melt your skin off. But to the Vesians, it’s a little slice of heaven, and perhaps they too think it’s worth fighting for.

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Review #19: Torquing Vacuum by Jay Lake

Posted by Nicky Drayden on Apr 17, 2010 in Reviews

Author Website: www.jlake.com
Published by: Clarkesworld Magazine, February 2010

cocktailPhoto by Rick Creative Commons

The Story:

Engineering Supervisor Domitian Spanich is always falling for the wrong type of guy — the young, pretty kind who don’t stick around once they’ve spent his pay chitty on fancy drinks. Half the guys torquing vacuum on Estacada Orbital swing his way, and yet Spanich finds himself hopelessly captivated by Austen, Spanich’s dull-witted sometimes lover, whose finer attributes include a tight body, crooked smile, and violet eyes. But then Austen shows unexpected interest in Mare Imbrium {13 pairs}, the starship Spanich had been working on for three straight shifts, and Spanich’s world changes overnight.

The Craft: World Building

Torquing Vacuum has a lot going on world building wise, and yet it’s all integrated into the story in a way that doesn’t leave the reader’s head spinning. (Though I do admit, I had to print this one out so I could better digest it.) Immediately the world feels foreign, right from the mention of Spanich’s name (pronounced Span-ick, or Spinach if you really want to piss him off.) We quickly learn that Spanich is a drive tech on Estacada Orbital. He’s working on a ship, the Mare Imbrium {13 pairs}, which has a shipmind — a bit of world building that really stands out in this piece. Here, the shipminds aren’t subservient as they are in so many science fiction stories, but revered and their ship’s names demand respect, like the credentials of a honored official.

The ambiance of Estacada Orbital is set with a mix of tech and culture, introduced with conflicts related to the story. We learn of the monetary system through Austen’s frivolous spending of Spanich’s pay chitty, local thalers, and Imperial schillings, the latter of which also hints at the greater political structure of this universe. The cybernetic waiter at the bar seems like it’s just as likely to kill Spanich as it is to serve him a drink, which suggests that Estacada Orbital is the kind of place where you watch your back. The colloquialisms also add a touch of charm, like: “Thank the pressure demons this place was so dark.” and I particularly enjoyed the line about how “Austen could scent ‘broke’ the way a sniffer could find a carbon dioxide breach in a scrubber tank.”

We’re also given a broader view of the universe with mentions of the Mistake, an event that is never explained, but its effects weigh heavily on the story in the form of genetically altered humans. The glimpse of the Imperial family is a small one, but is also very telling. Watching Spanich’s reaction as he realizes who Austen really is gives us insight into the hierarchy and ruling class, though their interaction is of a personal nature rather than political. Overall, this story gives the reader a lot to chew on, but it’s presented in manageable chunks. The details of the world are specific and fun and are worked into the story in a natural, tidy, entertaining way.

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I assumed #ACPN shared my values and vision but i was wrong- #Ezekwesili

I assumed #ACPN shared my values and vision but i was wrong- #Ezekwesili

I assumed #ACPN shared my values and vision but i was wrong- #Ezekwesili

Obiageli Ezekwesili, presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), says the divergence in values and vision with the party triggered her withdrawal from the presidential race.

She said the actions of the ACPN, following her withdrawal, has made Nigerians aware of the reasons she ended her membership of the party.

Abdul-Ganiyu Galladima, national chairman of the party, had accused Ezekwesili of not showing commitment to the party. He alleged that the former minister was in the race to secure the position of finance minister.

Subsequently, the party had endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for reelection.

Speaking extensively on the matter, Ezekwesili said in a statement: “I was delighted to read reactions of real patriots to my announcement that I’ve decided to withdraw from the 2019 Presidential race& end my membership of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria- ACPN. I have also seen the reaction of ACPN leadership to my decision, “the statement read.

“Fortunately, they have divinely helped me by making the Nigerian public now fully understand why I had to swiftly depart from their midst.

“How could I upon realizing the divergence of values and vision with the leadership of the Party continue to stand on such a political platform? My abiding vision has been to mobilize citizens to disrupt the old order politics of APCPDP.

“Nigeria and Nigerians deserve a New Order of ethical, competent and capable leadership which I had mistakenly assumed the ACPN was aligned with me to offer, until it proved otherwise.

“The values and vision divergence with the Party was a key factor that triggered my withdrawal from the Presidential race on their ticket prompting me to dissociate immediately in order to help build a coalition for Good Governance. It is why I was instant in sacrificing my candidacy to uphold my values by withdrawing.

“The Party’s decision to immediately today endorse the candidate of APC which was announced by my erstwhile VP candidate who is also the Chairman of ACPN was their classic political entrepreneurship in full display for Nigerians to see. It is instructive.

“The Party leadership’s transactional approach to Politics began to manifest in their attitude following after the Convention that adopted me as their Presidential Candidate. I would have none of such and therefore extremely delighted to part ways after a tumultuous three months of hoping that the ACPN leadership would elevate to the new values of disruptive politics that one had desired for and preached within the Party.”

Ezekwesili denied the allegations against her by the leadership of the ACPN, describing them as “fabrications and outright lies”.

“As for the defamatory statements made against my person by the ACPN leadership in their malicious statement, I want Nigerians to know that there is NO IOTA of truth in any of them,” she said.

“Everything ACPN wrote or said of the campaign donations is fabrication&outright lies. Our Campaign was conducted with the highest level of transparency and accountability with impeccable evidence. I know and can guarantee that at all times because, these standards firmly underpin my commitment to lasting values and professionalism.

“Only those who desperately wish to believe falsehoods would lend any credence to such puerile accusations by the leadership of ACPN. Only those who pretend ignorance of my legendary and uncompromising passion for accountability would give heed to such baseless statement.

“I have declined any interviews until my return to Nigeria upon which I shall hold a World Press Conference to engage Nigerians on the actions I shall take even as we present full report of our 3-month old Campaign for the 2019 presidential election to the public.

“Finally, take it from me that WE shall definitely build the Coalition force that will terminate the poverty escalating governance of the two dominant parties in the 2019 election.”

I assumed #ACPN shared my values and vision but i was wrong- #Ezekwesili

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Daiquiri Oasis

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The bright aroma and taste of the Daiquiri Oasis drink combine the dominant tones of ripe strawberries with refreshing notes of lime, mint and light rum motifs . Daiquiri Oasis is distinguished by its piquancy and novelty among the classic recipes of Daiquiri cocktails . The drink should be served with ice cubes, in a special wide glass for cocktails.


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text: For immediate release: June 19, 2014 Tasha Moro Communications Coordinator GENEVA—Fifty-nine human rights and legal organizations urged the United Nations on June 15 to remedy Sweden’s violation of the fundamental human rights of WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange.  For nearly four years, Assange has experienced pre-charge detention stemming from a Swedish investigation yet to charge […]


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12 January: Nomad Chef Anti-Antebellum!

The word “antebellum” refers to the period before the American Civil War, and we usually associate this period with slavery. And “bellum” has its roots in rebellion. But in spite of the political backdrop during this period, those in the southern United States influenced by many cultures including the French, English and Africans. The Nomad Chef will celebrate the rebel in all of us with this anti-antebellum dinner. The menu will be curated from the best in hearty Southern American food, with improvisation around some of the more exotic influences.

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£35 per adult as contribution for food – you bring your own wine or alcoholic beverage.

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See the Nomad Chef Secret Restaurant Facebook group for more info.

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Supporting your favorite team can still be adorable with this pullover!

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  • A dual curriculum

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The BST Drama Curriculum aims to empower pupils to achieve their potential and to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives.

The fundamental aim of the Drama curriculum is to develop pupils who are able to use voice, movement, gesture and facial expression in a positive and confident manner.
Through the methods of improvisation, acting, mime and dance drama, supported by using a range of drama strategies, pupils will develop personal and social skills and grow in insight and understanding.

Drama contributes in a unique way to the process of learning. Its uniqueness lies in its immediacy as it happens in the here and now. It allows pupils a high degree of control over their own learning as they manage information, make decisions and solve problems. It draws upon their own experience of the world and then extends it. It engages feelings, imagination, encourages creativity and allows them to work alone and with others.

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Drama develops pupils as individuals by:

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Drama develops pupils as contributors to the economy and environment by:

  • providing every pupil with information about working in the world of drama and theatre;
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  • promoting enquiry and encouraging pupils to think critically and constructively on a range of local and global issues.


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Set amongst the olive and fruit groves, Villa Olive Grove is a modern property offering self-catering accommodation with lovely views over Afantou Bay.

This family-run complex features 14 studios and apartments, all with kitchenette facilities. Guests will enjoy the views of the pretty gardens and the sea from the large balconies, a perfect spot for al fresco dining.

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Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole said at a news conference Monday evening that an arrest had been made in the case and detectives believe the human remains are that of Ingrid Lyne, a 40-year-old mother of three who worked as a nurse in Seattle.

"All evidence leads in the direction of that missing woman," O'Toole said.

Friends of Lyne said they last saw her Friday afternoon and that she had planned to go on a date to a Mariners baseball game Friday night with someone she met online.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office will determine definitively whether the remains belong to Lyne.

Police arrested John Robert Charlton, 37, on Monday morning in Snohomish County, north of Seattle. He has been booked into jail on investigation of homicide. It wasn't immediately clear if Charlton had an attorney.

Police don't believe there are any other suspects, O'Toole said.

A homeowner in Seattle called police at 4 p.m. Saturday after discovering the body parts inside plastic bags. Police say they were placed in the bin sometime late Friday or on Saturday. The bin had been emptied of recyclables Friday.

Police previously described the remains as fresh. They said they had searched other bins in the area and found nothing of note.

Police are still searching for Lyne's vehicle, a grey 2015 Toyota Highlander with Washington license plates.


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Hate Speech And The Misnomer Of 'The Marketplace Of Ideas' : Code Switch The belief that more speech is the remedy for "bad" speech can be a principled stance. But racist hate speech may not be doing what free speech defenders think it is.
NPR logo Hate Speech And The Misnomer Of 'The Marketplace Of Ideas'

Hate Speech And The Misnomer Of 'The Marketplace Of Ideas'

A right wing activist holds a sign during a rally at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on April 27, 2017 in Berkeley, California. Protestors are gathering in Berkeley to protest the cancellation of a speech by American conservative political commentator Ann Coulter at UC Berkeley. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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A right wing activist holds a sign during a rally at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on April 27, 2017 in Berkeley, California. Protestors are gathering in Berkeley to protest the cancellation of a speech by American conservative political commentator Ann Coulter at UC Berkeley.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Racist hate speech on campus has become the de facto litmus test for free speech protections today. But racist hate speech may not be doing what progressive free speech defenders think it is doing.

Last week in Wisconsin, Republican legislators sought support for "The Campus Free Speech Act," a bill that would punish University of Wisconsin System students and employees who disrupt or otherwise inhibit the free expression of invited speakers. The bill was introduced in response to a series of student protests across the country that interrupted scheduled talks by conservative speakers, including one given by ex-Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro at the University of Wisconsin-Madison last November. The bill requires the UW System to discipline those who engage in "violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, obscene, unreasonably loud, or other disorderly conduct" deemed to violate a speaker's right to free speech. Students could face suspension or even expulsion for repeat offenses, penalties Larry Dupuis, legal director for ACLU-Wisconsin, calls "unnecessarily draconian."

Although this bill takes objection to disruptive student protesters to the extreme, public support for students who would shout down the speech of others has been noticeably thin. This is true even if the speech is overtly racist, like that of white supremacist Richard Spencer, who visited Auburn University last month. Ulrich Baer, a vice provost at New York University, came out forcefully in support of student protesters, but his opinion occupies a distinctly minority position. Even voices expressly opposed to the messages of those like Spencer have advocated locating racist hate speech at the outer bounds of free speech protections — a necessary but repugnant fact of democratic life.

In a recent blog entitled "We All Need to Defend Speech We Hate," ACLU attorney Lee Rowland argues that preempting or shouting over racist hate speech amounts to nothing less than censorship:

Our Constitution protects hateful speech, yes — but on the theory that truly free speech means the best ideas will win out. We need students trained to really listen to ideas they hate — and respond with better ones. ... When you choose censorship as your substantive argument, you lose the debate. Because none of us are the wiser about the better world those protesting students want to see — instead of telling us, they silenced others. In curricular terms: They didn't do the assignment.

Rowland's rhetoric borrows from a familiar metaphor used to frame free speech debates — the so-called "marketplace of ideas." Censorship is not the answer, the story goes, but more speech — better speech — is the proper response to racist hate speech. Bernie Sanders and Keith Ellison have both cosigned this approach as have prominent national opinion writers. The logic of this metaphor is that the public, as objective consumers, will reliably reject a shoddy product — here, the snake oil of racist expression.

Critiques of the metaphor as it applies to free speech debates are almost as old as the metaphor itself, and a recent one contextualizes it in light of recent campus speech clashes. To these, I add the question of whether we are so sure that the rhetoric of common humanity and rights for all races will prevail. What if it doesn't, at least not anytime soon? It might mean that racist hate speech is not a "necessary evil" that jumpstarts racial justice within a liberal marketplace but is — for the foreseeable future — nothing more than state-sanctioned injury of people of color.

Critical race theorists Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic addressed this possibility in a 1992 Cornell Law Review article entitled "Images of the Outsider in American Law and Culture: Can Free Expression Remedy Systemic Social Ills." They coin a term for the erroneous belief that "good" antiracist speech is the best remedy for "bad" racist speech: the "empathic fallacy." The empathic fallacy is the conviction "that we can somehow control our consciousness despite limitations of time and positionality ... and that we can enlarge our sympathies through linguistic means alone."

In other words, the empathic fallacy leads us to believe that "good" speech begets racial justice and that we will be able to tell the difference between it and racist hate speech because we are distanced, objective arbiters.

The romantic aura of transformative antiracist speech captivates us. It is comforting to think that the message of love in Martin Luther King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech vanquished the hate behind Alabama governor George Wallace's "Segregation Now, Segregation Forever" address delivered earlier that year. In hindsight, it was a total mismatch. It is almost as if King's words disappeared firehoses and attack dogs by their very utterance. Yet last week in Alabama, a US district judge granted the request of a predominantly-white suburb to secede from a predominantly-black county — despite acknowledging that the community's rationale is racist. "Bad" speech prevailed in the judge's marketplace.

The "marketplace of ideas" fails when we cannot make objective choices about racism.

"Racism is woven into the warp and woof of the way we see and organize the world — it is one of the many preconceptions we bring to experience and use to construct and make sense of our social world," write Delgado and Stefancic. "Racism forms part of the dominant narrative, the group of received understandings and basic principles that form the baseline from which we reason." They argue that this lack of objectivity explains how overtly racist caricatures from the 19th century were not received as negatively as they are now: "Uncle Tom" and "mammy" figures, for instance, connoted family loyalty more than racial oppression. Today, school segregation is never about racism but about "local control" and wanting the best for your child.

Once symbolic depictions depart from the obviously grotesque, the question of whether they are racist is up for debate and not likely to be settled anytime soon. It can take centuries for a society to reach consensus that an image or narrative is demonstrably racist.

The on-again off-again affair between Southern states and the Confederate battle flag reveals just how slowly racial justice moves in this regard. Despite evidence that its revival as a symbol of white supremacy coincided with the Civil Rights Movement, the flag means only "tradition" and "heritage" to its supporters. In 2016, discussion of a problematic poll revealed that attitudes toward the Washington professional football team's mascot are wildly inconsistent. Until we critically examine how our opinion of the mascot is a function of our own social conditioning — like celebrating Columbus Day, being a lifelong sports fan, having no American Indian friends — we can never be objective consumers of ideas about it.

In the meantime, racist hate speech flows unabated because of our faith in a flawed metaphor.

The marketplace is further gamed by "dog whistles" — code word replacements for overtly racist speech that still aim to stoke white resentment over the social mobility of people of color. When the sitting attorney general dismisses the ruling of a court because it resides on "an island in the Pacific," he invents yet another way to signal which groups count in America and which ones don't. And if a racist idea like this one ever flops in the marketplace, its author simply recalls it by saying he was joking.

Beyond the fact that there is little agreement over what is racist, the potential of speech to ennoble is undermined by the marketplace as postmodern spectacle. In a recent article, author Rich Benjamin recounts his experiences as the quasi-resident "left-wing pundit" on Fox's now-cancelled O'Reilly Factor. Benjamin explains that he took this role for the chance of convincing just a fraction of O'Reilly's immense audience of the worthiness of his ideas. However, he reveals just how strategic he needed to be to avoid being bullied and misrepresented by O'Reilly. "In the thin-skinned ethos of O'Reilly's right-wing universe," Benjamin writes, "the more you battered its poster boy with dead-on punches, the more ferocious the vitriol directed at you." In the marketplace of cable news and social media, torrents of racist emails and tweets reward you for your bright ideas.

A quarter-century ago when Delgado and Stefancic published their theory of the empathic fallacy, they speculated that the infamous Willie Horton ad tipped a presidential election because voters could not view the ad objectively. We now know that racism was the primary motivation for voters who put Donald Trump in the White House. We know that the best ideas of Gold Star father Khizr Khan at the Democratic National Convention were no match for fearmongering rumors about refugees from Syria and immigrants from Mexico. We know that after almost 100 days of Trump's presidency, only two percent of those who voted for him regret it. This might mean they don't see his speech as racist or don't care if it is.

If we argue that racist hate speech must be protected, we have to account for the empathic fallacy.

We can start by admitting that this position is based on the troubling belief that it is one's right to be hateful — and not on the comforting belief that hate is a catalyst for racial justice in a "marketplace of ideas." Better than ever, we know how specious that logic is. We can understand that student protesters may not, in fact, long for their First Amendment rights should the tables turn on them. Law professor Charles Lawrence has argued that civil rights activists in the sixties achieved substantive gains only when they exceeded the acceptable bounds of the First Amendment, only when they disrupted "business as usual."

Racist hate speech has come to emblemize free speech protections because the parties it injures lack social power. Students of color are expected to endure insults to their identities at the same time that celebrities win multi-million dollar defamation settlements and media companies scrupulously guard their intellectual property against plagiarism.

The belief that more speech is the remedy for "bad" speech can be a principled stance. But for the stance to be principled, it must account for why the target of racist hate speech is less deserving of exemption than, say, the millionaire with a reputation to protect from libel, or the community flooded with sexually-explicit material, or the deep state with a dark secret. Some exemptions make good sense. But does an obscene photograph of an adult that "lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" (as defined in Miller v. California, the current law of the land regarding obscenity) really do more harm than a lecture promoting white supremacy?

American society fixates on antiracist protest when debating the First Amendment for the same reason it fixates on race when debating affirmative action: because of the perception that people of color are somehow undeserving of special privileges.

Yet it was supporting the rights of people of color that got Desiree Fairooz arrested in January for laughing during the Senate confirmation hearing of then-attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions. This week, the Department of Justice moved forward with her prosecution, along with those of two men who had mocked Sessions with fake Ku Klux Klan robes. In March, the Human Rights Council of the UN published a letter expressing alarm at the number of legislative efforts criminalizing peaceful assembly and expression in the US.

Powerful interests will find their way around the First Amendment to protect the status quo against antiracist protest. Asking student protesters to tolerate racist hate speech is to ask them to trust in free speech laws that have historically exempted the powerful and punished the vulnerable. When it comes to racism, the "marketplace of ideas" is not laissez-faire and never was.

David Shih is an associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Follow him @ProfessorShih.


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AinslieWalker PerfumeWorkshop Web 1320x480

Ainslie Walker  |  Perfume Making Workshop MASTERCLASS

Day: Saturday 12 May 2018

Time: 9am – 12pm

Cost: $280 per person (materials included)

Where: Ignite Studios @ NRCG, 60 Crane Street, Ballina

Design your own perfume in this exquisite workshop with ‘Scentsmith’, Ainslie Walker.

Participants will have access to and experience of a perfumer’s organ of approximately 100 raw materials. The practical class aims to expand their olfactory memory and spectrum. Participants will smell and learn about the raw materials and how they are used in perfumery, they will learn how to make a perfumer’s brief - an outline of what they would like to create. The history of perfume, fragrance industry, family groups, raw materials origin and method of extraction, naturals, isolates and synthetics and more will be covered. They will create a perfume of their own they can take away with them. The class will end with bubbles and platter of nibbles and a relaxed celebration of creating their first perfumes!

Ainslie Walker has a background in Naturopathy and Spa Development, spending 13 years in London working and developing spas and spa products. She is a perfumer/ scent designer and artist, studying in London, Grasse and Bangkok. She is well known in the fragrance industry for her designs and award winning fragrance writing. Her workshops are recommended by The Good Weekend and Broadsheet Sydney. She regularly teaches in The Strand Arcade, Sydney and tours to Melbourne and Perth. Ainslie’s olfactory art is currently showing in The Art Gallery of SA as part of Tamara Dean’s work for the Adelaide Biennial. She has also exhibited in installations at MONA in Tasmania and UNSW. She created Mud Australia’s Mud01 and Mud02 candles and scents, has created a brand scent for Aje which features in all their 12 boutiques, has created Sapphire The Scent alongside Courtesy of the Artist’s Rare Earth exhibition and Raconteur X with The Raconteur which is sold in Australia’s most exclusive perfumeries, Peony, Melbourne and Lore Perfumery, Melbourne and other boutiques.

Book online or call the Gallery on 02 6681 6167.

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NRI Pulse

Slotting of actresses not age-related in Bollywood: Shefali Shah

Mumbai, June 29 (IANS) At 22, she played a mother to a 15-year-old in the TV show “Hasratein”. Now 20 years later too, seasoned actress Shefali Shah landed a mother’s role in “Dil Dhadakne Do”. She says slotting of actresses in the industry is not based on one’s age.

“I don’t think it has too much to do with the age as much it has with your image on screen,” Shefali told IANS when asked if roles to actresses are given based on their age and marital status in the industry.

The 42-year-old, who has done films like “Gandhi, My Father”, “The Last Lear” and “Waqt: The Race Against Time”, also pointed out that it is after all, the industry that typecasts actors.

“Before ‘Waqt: The Race Against Time’, I did ‘Hasratein’. I was 22 years old back then. I was playing a mother to a 15-year-old girl and then I did ‘Waqt: The Race Against Time’, which was kind of a nail in the coffin.”

“Unfortunately, we (people) say ‘The industry typecasts you.’. But I want to ask, ‘Who is the industry?’ It’s the makers and the actors. The actors say, ‘I’m an actor and I will play a mother, daughter, mermaid, warrior…I will play anything’. But somebody has to cast you that way,” Shefali said.

At the cost of “over-stepping”, said Shefali, actresses who are “fearless” to play older roles should be “valued”.

“‘Who is it that slots you?’ It is the industry, and who is the industry? It’s the makers, right? So, they have to be able to break it, they have to give that chance to actors and say, ‘Oh! This actress is fearless and she says that I am 20, but I will play 40 or I’m 30, but will play 65, so give them something of value,” said the actress.

Shefali is now also happy to see more women-centric movies on the big screen, and feels the times for actresses is “changing”.

“As far as actresses are concerned, I’m extremely happy that it is changing…it has changed with ‘Mary Kom’, ‘Piku’, ‘NH10’, ‘Queen’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu’,” she said.

Shefali, whose performance in critically acclaimed films like “Satya“, “Gandhi, My Father” and “The Last Lear” has been lauded, will be next seen in Karan Malhotra’s “Brothers” doing a guest appearance. She will play a character named Maria Fernandes.

She said it’s a “a guest appearance”, however, “according to me, it is the emotional connect, the emotional backbone of the film.”

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Enough Project Lauds Investigation by Sudanese Government into Crimes Committed in Darfur by Former Bashir Regime

Washington D.C.

Members of Janjaweed strolling on their horses in Sudan's Darfur region(Photo: amaze.com)

Members of Janjaweed strolling on their horses in Sudan’s Darfur region(Photo: amaze.com)

December 22, 2019 (Nyamilepedia) — Sudan has opened an investigation into crimes committed in Darfur going back to 2003 by members of the regime of former president Omar al-Bashir, the state prosecutor Tagelsir al-Heber announced today.

Dr Suliman Baldo, Senior Advisor at the Enough Project, said: “Today Sudan took a significant step by opening investigations into the role of deposed President Omar al-Bashir and some fifty senior officials of his regime in the war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide that took place in Darfur starting in 2003. The new civilian-led government is showing through these investigations its determination to put an end to rampant impunity for serious crimes that prevailed under Bashir. It is also responding to the demands of justice by the victims of conflicts in Sudan, and by the population whose peaceful protests led to the downfall of Bashir. The world will be watching closely, with the expectation that these investigations will be conducted independently, fairly, and with the clear understanding that no one will be held above the law who was implicated in orchestrating these atrocity crimes in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan.”

For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact: Greg Hittelman, Director of Communications, The Sentry and the Enough Project, +1 310 717 0606, ghittelman@thesentry.org

The Enough Project supports peace and an end to mass atrocities in Africa’s deadliest conflict zones. Together with its investigative initiative The Sentry, Enough counters armed groups, violent kleptocratic regimes, and their commercial partners that are sustained and enriched by corruption, criminal activity, and the trafficking of natural resources. By helping to create consequences for the major perpetrators and facilitators of atrocities and corruption, Enough seeks to build leverage in support of peace and good governance. Enough conducts research in conflict zones, engages governments and the private sector on potential policy solutions, and mobilizes public campaigns focused on peace, human rights, and breaking the links between war and illicit profit. Learn more – and join us – at www.EnoughProject.org.

The Sentry is an investigative and policy team that follows the dirty money connected to African war criminals and transnational war profiteers and seeks to shut those benefiting from violence out of the international financial system. By disrupting the cost-benefit calculations of those who hijack governments for self-enrichment in East and Central Africa, the deadliest war zone globally since World War II, we seek to counter the main drivers of conflict and create new leverage for peace, human rights, and good governance. Co-founded by George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry is composed of financial investigators, international human rights lawyers, and regional experts, as well as former law enforcement agents, intelligence officers, policymakers, investigative journalists, and banking professionals.

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Tips for new managers

Starting as a new manager

DEAR READERS: Moving into a role as a manager can be exciting, but stressful as well. How can someone who is taking a new role as manager make sure he or she gets to know each member of the team and builds the most effective team possible?

Remember that getting up to speed in your new role is a marathon, not a sprint. That advice comes courtesy of Dana Case, director of operations at MyCorporation.com, who says learning what each member does is the place to start.

What are the best ways to do that? Here, Case and other industry pros offer their suggestions for new managers eager to build a successful, cohesive team.

1. Schedule one-on-one time with team members.

“This will allow you to learn more about their daily duties and the individuals on the team that they work alongside,” Case says.

2. Be curious.

“Often, new leaders believe that they need to look like they have everything already figured out and see questions as a sign of weakness,” says Phyllis Reagin, a leadership coach with At the Coach’s Table. “However, there is so much benefit to being curious, to begin thinking about their former peers through a different lens.”

Reagin says asking questions like, “What motivates Mark?” or “What does success look like for Elena?” or “How does Kris like to be led?” will help a new manager better understand each employee and actively engage with them in new, more productive ways.

3. Create personal user manuals.

Anthony Naglieri, senior director of external affairs at Cultural Vistas, says this is one of the most effective tools available for getting to know team members. Instead of spending weeks or months learning what it’s like to work with one another, “put it in writing and discuss what people should expect to encounter in terms of values, work habits, communication styles and preferences, idiosyncrasies and quirks,” Naglieri says.

There are many ways to put user manuals together. A manager’s manual, for example, might include details on what they value, what they don’t have patience for, how to best communicate with them (is it email, chat or phone?), and what others might misunderstand about them. Each employee can create their own manual too.

There are several places to find examples of these personal user manuals. One I found particularly helpful is at themuse.com/advice/how-to-be-a-better-leader-manager-user-manual.

4. Maintain an ‘open inbox’ policy.

As Case points out, this simple step “ensures that everyone on the team knows they can contact you with any questions or feedback that they may have and know you will get back to them as soon as possible with answers.”

(Kathleen Furore is a Chicago-based writer and editor who has covered personal finance and other business-related topics for a variety of trade and consumer publications. You can email her your career questions at kfurore@yahoo.com.)

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575 West 175th Street, #46., NEW YORK, NY 10033
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Office: 212-933-0439
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3 Beds
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Built In 1910
Listing ID 10699109
Property Type Residential Rental
County New York
Neighborhood Washington Heights
Unit 46.
School New York City Schools
Year Built 1910
This beautiful true three bedroom one bathroom apartment is located in Washington Heights. This apartment features a renovated kitchen with stainless steel appliances including a microwave, granite counters and plenty of cabinets. There's hardwood floors throughout the apartment and each bedroom has its own closet. The apartment is a 4th fl walk up and the building is just blocks from the A and the 1 train. There are also plenty of restaurants, bars and shops in the area. 1 month free on a 16+ month lease.
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FIRST WHIP'S HANDICAP; McLaughlin's Horse Won Cleverly in the Last Furlong.

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Op-Ed Contributor

Let’s Build a More Secure Internet

ARLINGTON, Va. — CAN we ever trust the Internet again?

In the wake of the disclosures about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, considerable attention has been focused on the agency’s collaboration with companies like Microsoft, Apple and Google, which according to leaked documents appear to have programmed “back door” encryption weaknesses into popular consumer products and services like Hotmail, iPhones and Android phones.

But while such vulnerabilities are worrisome, equally important — and because of their technical nature, far less widely understood — are the weaknesses that the N.S.A. seems to have built into the very infrastructure of the Internet. The agency’s “upstream collection” capabilities, programs with names like Fairview and Blarney, monitor Internet traffic as it passes through the guts of the system: the cables and routers and switches.

The concern is that even if consumer software companies like Microsoft and telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon stop cooperating with the N.S.A., your online security will remain compromised as long as the agency can still take advantage of weaknesses in the Internet itself.

Fortunately, there is something we can do: encourage the development of an “open hardware” movement — an extension of the open-source movement that has led to software products like the Mozilla browser and the Linux operating system.

The open-source movement champions an approach to product development in which there is universal access to a blueprint, as well as universal ability to modify and redistribute the blueprint. Wikipedia is perhaps the best-known example of a product inspired by the movement. Open-source advocates typically emphasize two kinds of freedom that their products afford: they are available free of charge, and they can be used and manipulated free of restrictions.

But there is a third kind of freedom inherent in open-source systems: the freedom to audit. With open-source software, independent security experts can scrutinize the code for vulnerabilities — whether accidentally or intentionally introduced. The more auditing by the programming masses, the better the security. As the open-source software advocate Eric S. Raymond has put it, “given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.”

Perhaps the greatest open-source success story is the Internet itself — at least its “soft” parts. The Internet’s communications protocols and the software that implements them are collaboratively engineered by loose networks of programmers working outside the control of any single person, company or government. The Internet Engineering Task Force, which develops core Internet protocols, does not even have formal membership and seeks contributions from developers all over the world.

Credit...Alex Robbins

But the problem is that the physical layer of the Internet’s infrastructure — the hardware that transmits, directs and relays traffic online, as well as its closely knit software (or “firmware”) — is not open-source. It is made by commercial computing companies like Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Juniper Networks according to proprietary designs, and then sold to governments, universities, private companies and anyone else who wants to set up a network.

There is reason to be skeptical about the security of these networking products. The hardware firms that make them often compete for contracts with the United States military and presumably face considerable pressure to maintain good relations with the government. It stands to reason that such pressure might lead companies to collaborate with the government on surveillance-related requests.

Because these hardware designs are closed to public scrutiny, it is relatively easy for surveillance at the Internet’s infrastructural level to go undetected. To make the Internet less susceptible to mass surveillance, we need to recreate the physical layer of its infrastructure on the basis of open-source principles.

At the moment, the open hardware movement is limited mostly to hobbyists — engineers who use the Internet to collaboratively build “open” devices like the RepRap 3D printer. But the Internet community, through a concerted effort like the one that currently sustains the Internet’s software architecture, could also develop open-source, Internet-grade hardware. Governments like Brazil’s that have forsworn further involvement with American Internet companies could adopt such nonproprietary equipment designs and have them manufactured locally, free from any N.S.A. interference.

The result would be Internet infrastructure, both hardware and software, that was 100 percent open and auditable.

But never, of course, 100 percent secure. The N.S.A. could still try to exploit the Internet’s open hardware. And of course, open hardware would do little to prevent the government from reading e-mail if it still had the cooperation of companies like Microsoft or Google. Open hardware is not a panacea.

Still, open hardware would at a minimum make the N.S.A.’s Internet surveillance efforts more difficult and less effective. And it would increase the difficulty of surveillance not just for the N.S.A. but also for foreign governments that might otherwise piggyback on N.S.A.-introduced security vulnerabilities.

A 100 percent open-infrastructure Internet — a trustworthy Internet — would be an important step in the empowerment of individuals against their governments the world over.


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The Dangerous Legacy of Fortress Conservation

April 18, 2019
Entrance to a new boma built by the displaced Maasai. Credit: The Oakland Institute

Entrance to a new boma built by the displaced Maasai. Credit: The Oakland Institute

Many of the arguments made in this statement stem from the Institute’s report: Losing the Serengeti.

Cross-boundary human impacts compromise the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem,” a recent study penned by more than a dozen authors and published in the academic journal Science, warns of the detrimental impact of increased human activity and livestock populations along the borders of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.

The study has been widely echoed in the media worldwide. Commenting on the findings, one of its authors, Colin Beale (University of York) stated: “Our research shows that encroachment by people should be considered just as serious a challenge as better-known issues such as poaching and climate change.”

Such a statement is short-sighted as it overlooks the reality of human presence in the Serengeti-Mara region. In particular, it misses both the essential role played by the Indigenous Maasai pastoralists in terms of conservation and the ongoing marginalization of these pastoralists on their ancestral land. The study paints a one-sided picture, omitting vital context of the colonization, displacement, intimidation, and violence that has beset the Maasai for decades. If the authors truly want to contribute to addressing the situation in the Serengeti, a much more comprehensive understanding of history and contemporary realities in the region is necessary.

For centuries, the Maasai called the greater Serengeti region home, grazing their cattle in the rhythm of the seasons, following the flush of grass and blending with the patterns established by the surrounding wildlife. Theirs was a symbiotic relationship with the land and natural world making them the first cattlemen, admired for the management of their herds and relationships with wildlife and the grasslands that support them. But for the past century, numerous land laws – passed first by the British colonial government and then by the Tanzanian government, frequently with support from international conservation groups – have forced the Maasai onto smaller and smaller parcels of land, stifling their livelihoods and threatening their very existence.

In more recent years, the Tanzanian government has embarked on a series of violent actions against the Maasai, burning their bomas, seizing their cattle, and forcibly displacing tens of thousands of Maasai from their village lands, all in the name of “conservation.” The latest of these violent outbursts took place in August 2017 on village land not far from the borders of the Serengeti and reportedly impacted more than 20,000 Maasai.

These evictions have happened in-step with the expansion of foreign safari companies in the region, who have likewise wreaked havoc on the lives of the Maasai and local ecosystems. For instance, since 1992 the UAE-based Ortello Business Corporation (OBC, also sometimes referred to as the Otterlo Business Corporation) has had an exclusive hunting license to hundreds of thousands of hectares of land in the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, bordering Serengeti National Park. Since then, they have built their own private airstrip not far from the park’s border, hunted and trapped thousands of wild animals, and further restricted Maasai pastoralists from vital grazing lands and watering holes.

Together, these restrictive land laws, violent evictions, and encroaching foreign safari companies have led to widespread hunger and disease, as well as constant fear, violence, harassment, and arrest for the Maasai.

None of this history, or the details of the current reality, appear in the Science study. By omitting this crucial information, the study’s conclusions – for instance, that local communities and regional / national governments should establish mutually agreed upon land-use strategies, requiring building more trust with local groups – are not only impractical but fail to understand the graveness of the situation facing the Maasai.

Unfortunately, the study is also already having consequences. By painting this as a simple situation of overpopulation and encroachment, the authors have unleashed a torrent of xenophobic and racist comments on the internet. The study also has the potential to cause great harm for this already marginalized community on the ground.

After years of protracted struggle, in January 2019, Tanzania President John Magufuli halted the eviction of hundreds of local pastoralists villages, including many along the borders of the Serengeti, and pledged to ensure that pastoralists have access to proper grazing lands. In their response to this declaration, pastoralists rightly pointed out the role that they have played for centuries in protecting local ecosystems.

But the words of Simon Mduma – Director of the Tanzanian government’s Wildlife Research Institute – suggest that the findings of the Science study might be used to challenge the President’s recent promise: “These results come at the right time … This paper provides important scientific evidence … information that is now urgently needed by policy makers and politicians.” “We should re-think our protected area strategy, making sure that conservation efforts do not stop at protected boundaries.”

Throughout history, Indigenous Peoples have played a key role in conservation, as captured in the words of British zoologist Marcus Colchester:

“It is exactly because the areas that indigenous people inhabit have not been degraded by their traditional resource practices that they are now coveted by conservationists who seek to limit their activities or expel them altogether from their customary land.”

For far too long, fortress conservation, pushed frequently by academics and conservationists in the West, has meant marginalization and destruction for Indigenous Peoples like the Maasai. This latest article is a dangerous continuation of this legacy.

For more information on the current struggles faced by the Maasai in Tanzania, the history of displacement, and the impact of safari companies like the OBC, please see: Losing the Serengeti: The Maasai Land that Was to Run Forever.


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Man accused girlfriend of cheating, battered her

ocala news, ocala post, battery, domestic violence
Kahlil Smoot

On Sunday, Ocala police responded to 1940 SW 31st Ave., Ocala, in reference to a disturbance.

Dispatch had received a 911 call and in the background, the dispatcher heard a woman scream “Stop! You’re going to get in trouble. Why are you doing that?.”

Dispatch then relayed that the phone was possibly thrown and disconnected.

Upon arrival, the officer made contact with the victim who was at the other end of the apartment trying to clean herself with baby wipes.

According to the arrest affidavit, the victim had blood dripping from her legs, arms, and face. It was also noted that small glass fragments were on the left side of the victim’s face.

“The victim’s demeanor appeared to be fearful,” the officer wrote in his report.

The victim stated that she and her boyfriend of two years, Kahlil Smoot, got into a verbal altercation after Smoot accused her of cheating.

The victim said his accusations were not true but that Smoot becomes jealous because she lives so far away and drives back and forth to visit.

The victim said she sat on the driver side of her white Honda and was trying to “process” everything that Smoot was saying. She said while she sat in the car, Smoot smashed the driver’s side window with a hammer and then slashed the rear passenger tire.

The victim then attempted to dial 911, at which time Smoot snatched the phone from the victim and broke it into two pieces.

Smoot was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail.

He was charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Criminal Mischief, and Preventing a Victim form Calling 911.

The victim stated that Smoot has been violent in the past.

Smoot also has an arrest for Lewd and Lascivious Battery.

The victim refused medical treatment.


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Marion County officials want to expand phase 1 beyond Governor’s guidelines

Marion County Commissioner Kathy Bryant said she is urging Gov. DeSantis to let Marion County officials make their own decisions when it comes to Phase 1 reopening of businesses.

“Marion County is home to 258 hair salon establishments employing almost eleven hundred individuals, 61 gyms and fitness establishments that provide almost 450 local jobs, and over 612 restaurants with almost 10,000 employees,” said Bryant. “Our restaurants would not survive on a 25 percent seating capacity. We are urging Governor DeSantis to allow us to implement the reopen Florida Task Force Phase One Plan for restaurants, gyms, and personal services.”

Bryant said she would like to see restaurants, gyms, and personal care services, to be able to operate in accordance with the reopen Florida task force which would allow them to operate at no more than 50 percent capacity with appropriate social distancing.

Bryant said, “Marion county’s elected leaders and officials are capable of making independent decisions for our resident’s, visitors, and business people and have a plan to do so that will continue to slow the spread of this virus while keeping our families patrons and neighbors safe with the blessing of our governor. Our priority is the health and well-being of every individual who lives in our amazing County and we are asking Governor DeSantis to trust us to implement cautious reopening phases that make sense to our current state star citizens can get back to work and we can put an end to their financial suffering and economic hardships.”

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