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In Banco BNI Europa ("BNI Europa"), Creditshelf has succeeded in acquiring another strategic partner to help it provide financing to small and medium-sized undertakings (SMEs). The online marketplace that specialises in SME financing, and the Bank, which operates throughout Europe, have agreed that Banco BNI Europa will invest up to 15 million Euro in the credit platform over the coming months.
In the wake of the agreed partnership, Creditshelf has continued its growth trajectory. It was just last month that the online marketplace launched an SME credit initiative with over 100 million Euro. The partnership with BNI Europa is starting with an initial investment in the existing loan portfolio. The loan exposure will be subsequently increased by up to 2 million Euro each month.
"Investing in loans to medium-sized companies based in Germany is a very attractive class of investment to us", says Pedro Coelho, Executive Chairman of BNI Europa."With the creditshelf team, we have identified a highly professional partner, whose credit analysis process has proven totally convincing to us."
And Creditshelf's Managing Director, Dr. Daniel Bartsch, is equally convinced about the partnership: "We are delighted at finding another institutional investor for our platform, who is totally persuaded by the attractive risk-return profile of our product. The expansion of our investor base has seen our financing commitments rise well above 100 million Euro, allowing us to guarantee the rapid provision of funds to our medium-sized customers."
An online marketplace that specialises in providing corporate financing to medium-sized businesses, Creditshelf has seen a strong growth in business since its market launch just one and a half years ago. In line with this the team based the company's offices in Frankfurt is continuously growing. Some of the new recruits include analysts who previously worked for many years at the ratings agency, Standard & Poor´s.
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Workforce Diversity Matters To Our ESG Evaluation
We believe the limited representation of Black voices in key decision-making processes prevents companies from reaping the benefits of a diverse workforce. It also exposes companies' reputations to allegations of discrimination, as shown by recent calls on social media to boycott certain businesses after apparently racist behavior of employees were captured on video and shared. As such, we believe companies need to be deliberate in how they recruit, hire, and develop Black talent if they want to achieve a sustainable and diverse workforce, thereby improving ESG performance.
As part of our social assessment in the ESG Evaluation, we assess how effective a company is at developing a productive and inclusive workforce. Key indicators include employee retention and turnover rates, labor standards, pay, benefits, and rewards. We also assess whether fair labor standards are entrenched across the value chain. Moreover, we evaluate an entity's preparedness to respond to long-term risks and opportunities, including from changing demographics and social patterns. We assess the extent to which decision-making demonstrates the company's commitment to its long-term strategy and sustainability, as well as its success at building an inclusive workplace culture. These practices are particularly important given the presence of systemic racism, which continues to disadvantage Black people in corporate environments, particularly in the U.S.
U.S. workplaces have yet to achieve equal opportunity for people of different races, and policies have so far not fully addressed the widespread issue of racism. According to the Center of Public Integrity and the Washington Post, from 2010 to 2017, one million discrimination complaints were filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Office Commission. More than 30% of these cases related to racial discrimination.
Labour Market Outcomes Are Rooted In Systemic Racism
The Black community has long been subject to civil and human injustices that have contributed to a vicious cycle of low educational attainment, high unemployment, and concentrated poverty. This has made it difficult for Black people to enter the workforce, advance in higher wage work, and accumulate generational wealth. Poverty serves as a systemic hurdle to Black employees because it creates barriers to higher educational attainment, thereby limiting their ability to procure employment and financial opportunities that would enable wealth accumulation. In 2018, the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that Black Americans have the second-highest poverty rate in the U.S. (after Native Americans, another highly marginalized group). The study also highlighted a striking wealth disparity; while the median net worth of a white household in 2016 was $103,000, for Black households it was only $9,200 (see chart 1).
Chart 1
Yet, structural hurdles and enduring biases have also historically disadvantaged Black jobseekers, regardless of educational attainment. In the U.S., only 31% of Black employees are in management or professional positions, and a low proportion is in upper management positions (see chart 2).
Chart 2
Black Employees are largely underrepresented in management and professional occupations
Educational attainment of the labor force, age and above in the U.S.
What's more, Black employees are often held to higher standards than their white counterparts. A 2015 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Black workers receive extra scrutiny in the workplace, leading to lower wages, slower promotions, and sometimes even job loss. This legacy may also create an additional barrier to career advancement, which is apparent in the low proportion of Black employees in upper management positions. Of the Fortune 500 companies, Black employees only account for 3.2% of executive and senior management and only 0.8% of CEOs (four in total) are Black (see chart 3).
Chart 3
Diversity And Inclusion Policies Are Only The First Step
In our opinion, D&I programs are an important mechanism for improving racial equity in the workplace. They aim to link a company's strategies, mission, and business practices in a way that supports demographic differences among talent and enables an environment in which all employees are empowered to contribute their unique views and perspectives. As D&I programs have evolved, they've begun to encompass initiatives such as targeted recruitment, diversity education and training, career development, mentoring, and grievance procedures. Done well, D&I programs offer several business benefits, from improved productivity to innovation, which help boost a company's ESG performance by helping it anticipate changing consumer preferences and consumption patterns.
Several studies have investigated the link between diverse workforces and a firm's financial performance. According to a 2020 McKinsey & Co study, companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 36% more likely to show financial returns that exceed the national industry median. Another study by sociologist Cedric Herring, during his time at the University of Illinois, Chicago, found that companies with the highest racial diversity were able to generate nearly 15x more sales revenue than firms with the lowest levels of racial diversity. Herring suggests that racial diversity is the most important predictor of a company's competitive positioning, and a better indicator of sales revenue and customer attainment than a company's size, years in business, and overall employee headcount. Diversity has also been linked to increased innovation potential. Studies show that diversity supports, enhanced creativity, more informed decision-making, increased capacity for innovation, improved customer acquisition, stronger revenue-generating potential, and better talent management.
Analyzing Diversity Remains A Challenge
Where available, we analyze a company's ethnic diversity metrics as one indicator for a diverse workforce. Businesses tend to focus mainly on the workforce composition and on recruiting employees from different identity groups, including race, gender, age, culture, cognition, and education. Social equality activists are increasingly demanding that companies release diversity statistics, thereby holding them accountable for persisting race gaps.
Although transparency practices are improving, the availability of data is a persistent issue. According to the U.K.'s Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work 2018 Scorecard report, only 11% of employers report ethnicity and pay data. In France, a race-neutral policy approach to education and employment stands in contrast to that in other European countries. It is illegal for employers or institutions in France to ask about someone's race or ethnicity. The intent of this was to avoid discrimination. However, in 2006, more than 25 years after the 1978 law prohibiting the collection of ethnic data, a poll by research company TNS-Sofres showed that more than half of France's black adults said they had experienced racial discrimination. Furthermore, companies more frequently report strictly on percentages of minority employees without commenting, directly or otherwise, on the positions they occupy. This can mask some disparities in terms of job level, promotions, or lack of diversity in certain roles.
We also take into consideration companies' strategies to increase diversity including quotas, targets, or affirmative action policies. Over the past few years, several European countries have proposed or implemented diversity quotas for boards of companies, principally to increase female participation. The U.S. state of California followed suit in 2018, while legislation is pending in other states. Although still controversial, quotas have helped increase the number of women on boards. Similar policies on ethnic diversity are largely missing. In the U.K., the 2017 Parker Review set a voluntary target for FTSE100 boards to have at least one director from an ethnic minority group by 2021. The Review's 2020 update shows some progress but not full compliance with the recommendations.
Regardless of the approach a company takes to increase workforce diversity, it is clear that quality data is a necessary ingredient of an effective diversity strategy. As such, we believe transparency at all levels of the organization is imperative for companies to solidify the trust and loyalty of their employees, suppliers, and shareholders. In turn, this will help boost productivity and strengthen the potential for innovation, thereby supporting ESG performance.
The Emphasis Must Be On Inclusion
Recruiting ethnic minorities does not necessarily translate into an environment that's free of discrimination, allowing each employee an equal opportunity to advance. In our opinion, employers with a culture that tolerates discriminatory practices and microaggression are vulnerable to productivity lapses, decreased innovation, and lower creativity. Therefore, we believe the success of D&I initiatives appears to hinge on the inclusion side of the equation, which should ensure employees feel their contributions are appreciated and full participation is encouraged. According to author and inclusion strategist Verna Myers, Vice President of Inclusion Strategy at
Netflix, "Diversity is about being invited to the party. Inclusion is about being asked to dance." Analyzing inclusion practices could provide better insight into how companies manage more covert forms of discrimination associated with microaggression. In a U.S. national survey of over 3,700 office workers conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), 58% of black respondents said they have encountered racism at the workplace. According to the NORC, workplace prejudice often shows up in subtle ways, through microaggression, typically during employee interactions through comments that proliferate Black stereotypes. Examples include referring to Black employees as intimidating, or unprofessional because of their hairstyles, thus creating a situation in which these employees are perceived as "not right" for the job. Such a toxic environment can go undetected by senior management, particularly when people of color are underrepresented at the workplace and in management positions. Many instances of discrimination also likely go unreported, making it even more difficult to expose covert forms of racism in corporate culture. In some cases, microaggression could ultimately result in higher staff turnover rates, one of the factors that informs a company's Social Profile in our ESG Evaluation.
Many corporate leaders have committed additional resources to D&I programs in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests. However, the success of these programs lies in how they resonate with employees. Literature on this topic suggests that achieving true inclusion requires a shift in the organizational culture to acknowledge the value of different backgrounds, expose conscious and unconscious biases, and create an atmosphere of respect and empathy. Managers, in particular, play a crucial role in employee development and are therefore important stakeholders in supporting racial inclusion. However, many are not necessarily inclined to reflect on or talk about racial discrimination, and without a business culture that fosters inclusion, meaningful change is unlikely to result.
Companies have started promoting conversations with Black employees to better understand their experiences, which we believe is a starting point. Ultimately, achieving a sustainable diverse workforce and addressing system racism will require continued leadership and accountability. A 2018 Boston Consulting Group study of more than 1,700 companies in eight countries, across different industries and sizes, found that five key factors help diversity to flourish:
- Participative leadership: managers support employee contributions;
- Strategic priority: top management and the CEO clearly demonstrate support for diversity; – Frequent communication: free and open communication is encouraged within teams;
- Culture of openness to new ideas: employees feel that they can express their perspectives without fear of retaliation; and
- Fair employment practices: employees with equal roles achieve equal pay, and companies enact robust anti-discrimination policies.
Looking To The Future
The Black Lives Matter movement has ignited a broader awareness of racism in society that has put the corporate sector in the spotlight. We believe companies' diversity track records will be increasingly scrutinized, making a diverse and inclusive workforce a reputational imperative. In our view, more corporate entities will treat the challenge of workplace diversity as they would any other existential risk, and therefore gather the right information, including opting into voluntary diversity initiatives, to make the most informed choices.
A Call To Action: The Race At Work Charter
In collaboration with the U.K. government, the BITC established the 2018 Race at Work Charter detailing five actions all employers, regardless of sector, could undertake to further support diversity and inclusion. Since the Charter's inception, more than 100 companies have added their signatures, including the National Grid, Goldman Sachs, and Deutsche Bank. By joining this initiative, companies are committing to taking meaningful action against discrimination in the workplace. The five actions are to:
- Appoint an executive sponsor for race.
- Report ethnicity data metrics and monitor progress.
- Commit, at the Board level, to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying.
- Clearly state that promoting equality in the workplace is the responsibility of all managers.
- Take meaningful action to support the career progression of ethnic minorities.
The success of a company's D&I efforts will be reflected in several indicators, including: the proportion of Black employees in the workforce overall, also in management and leadership positions; and the pay gap between employees in similar roles. Large, technologically advanced companies will likely be among the first to back their D&I commitments with meaningful targets and report regularly on progress. In the end, an effective, inclusive framework that supports long-lasting diversity and ESG goals depends on sound communication and ongoing commitment of employees at all levels of the organization.
Related Research
- Environmental, Social, And Governance: Why Corporations' Responses To George Floyd Protests Matter, July 23, 2020
- The ESG Pulse: Social Factors Could Drive More Rating Actions As Health And Inequality Remain In Focus, July 16, 2020
- Environmental, Social, And Governance Evaluation Analytical Approach, June 17, 2020
- Environmental, Social, And Governance: How We Apply Our ESG Evaluation Analytical Approach: Part 2, June 17, 2020
- How We Apply Our ESG Evaluation Analytical Approach: Part 2, June 17, 2020
- People Power: COVID-19 Will Redefine Workforce Dynamics In The Post-Pandemic Era, June 4, 2020
- The ESG Lens on COVID-19, Part 2: How Companies Deal with Disruption, April 28, 2020
- COVID 19: A Test Of The Stakeholder Approach, April 21, 2020
- The ESG Lens On COVID-19, Part 1, April 20, 2020
- How To Navigate The ESG Risk Atlas, April 11, 2019
- How We Apply Our ESG Evaluation Analytical Approach, April 10, 2019
- The ESG Advantage: Exploring Links To Corporate Financial Performance, April 8, 2019
External Research
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/business/discrimination-complaint-outcomes/
- https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters#
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/000312240907400203
- https://assets.ey.com/content/dam/ey-sites/ey-com/en_uk/news/2020/02/ey-parker-review-2017-report-final.pdf – https://assets.ey.com/content/dam/ey-sites/ey-com/en_uk/news/2020/02/ey-parker-review-2020-report-final.pdf
- https://www.talentinnovation.org/_private/assets/BeingBlack-KeyFindings-CTI.pdf
- https://www.bcg.com/publications/2018/how-diverse-leadership-teams-boost-innovation
- https://www.bitc.org.uk/race-at-work-charter-signatories/
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What is loneliness and how can you manage it?
By Iris Schaden Your Business and Personal Coach
A mere century ago, almost no one lived alone. Today, many do and it is not unusual. The recent lockdowns and isolation periods have amplified feelings of loneliness. But why do we feel lonely? Why do our bodies experience social pain? Learn about what we can do to improve our situation, prevent chronic loneliness and minimise the tremendous impact it has on our health.
Solitude and choosing to be alone can be bliss. Over the last sixty years the number of people living alone has increased in developed countries by more than 50 percent. In countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, it is very common for people to live alone. But this does not translate into higher levels of self–reported loneliness. Many people have friends or family they can interact with on a regular basis.
However, it is important to recognise that this choice is different to loneliness, which can be a state of profound distress. Loneliness is a purely subjective and individual experience that can be felt by anyone, no matter their social, educational, gender or age demographic. Humankind are social creatures by nature – we struggle without it – and social connections are important to our health and emotional wellbeing.
Loneliness is a problem when we feel that no place is home; when we are in a group and we still feel social separation; when we spend time with our family but we feel like we don't belong; or when we lose a relationship and struggle to adjust. It is a growing phenomenon in modern times, a by-product of our individualism, long-distance study and career opportunities or time-consuming work commitments.
The pandemic, with its required isolation and social distancing, has added additional stress to many households, but feelings of loneliness or adverse effects of social isolation are particularly prevalent in one-person households and young people aged 12–25. According to a study by VicHealth, even before COVID-19 young adults and adolescents reported high levels of loneliness, social isolation, social anxiety and depressive symptoms. Additionally, it is men who tend to report higher levels of loneliness than women.
Reported loneliness is on the rise. In 2017 and 2018 former US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy declared 'an epidemic of loneliness,' and the UK appointed a Minister of Loneliness. In these two countries, one in five adults reported that they often or always feel alone; in Australia, it was one in four adults. And this was before COVID-19, which makes us realise the mental and emotional impact lockdown has on individuals.
What happens to our bodies when we experience loneliness?
Neuroscientists, such as John Cacioppo, identify loneliness as 'a state of hypervigilance whose origins lie among our primate ancestors and in our own hunter-gatherer past'. Our ancestors needed to belong to an intimate social group to survive. Cacioppo explains that our bodies respond to being alone, or being with strangers, as though we were in a dangerous situation.
Separation from other people (the group) triggers a fight-flight-or-freeze response and we feel social pain. While physical pain is primarily a sensory experience, social pain is the emotional state that comes from the distress of being lonely. Like the bodily sensation of hunger, it alerts us to a need, but instead of food the need is social interaction.
Loneliness generates anxiety: our breathing quickens, our heart races, our blood pressure rises and we struggle to sleep or sleep well. If we don't pay attention, over time we start to act more fearful, defensive and self-involved. All of these actions drive others away and tend to stop those experiencing loneliness from doing what would benefit them the most: reaching out to others. It is a vicious cycle and one that is especially challenging for older and younger individuals.
Tactics to help cope with feelings of loneliness.
To belong is to feel at home in a place or situation where you feel included, comfortable and connected with others. In his assessment, Vivek H. Murthy wrote, 'To be at home is to be known … You can feel at home with friends, or at work, or in a college dining hall, or at church, or in Yankee Stadium, or at your neighbourhood bar. Loneliness is the feeling that no place is home.' Having relocated to different cities and countries and re-establishing my life over and over again, I can certainly say that loneliness can be a challenge.
How can we combat the feelings of loneliness and the anxiety that comes with it, before it becomes chronic and we find ourselves even more isolated over time?
The first step in moving forward is acknowledging how you feel. Give those feelings a name with a specific timeframe; for example, today I feel alone or since I've been in lockdown, I have felt alone or since I lost my partner, I feel disconnected and lost. By doing this, we focus on the present and do not label our entire existence as lonely.
My personal strategy is to go outside if the loneliness gets too 'heavy'; connect with other people through looks and smiles (even under a face mask our eyes can smile); call friends and family regularly; or schedule a brunch or glass of wine with friends (in person or video chat).
Practising random acts of kindness and gratitude, for others and ourselves, is another very effective and very positive way of bringing us back into the present moment and improving our overall wellbeing. Energy flows where our focus goes. It takes effort and sometimes it is indeed easier to just give in and watch a light-hearted movie on the couch. And that's fine too!
If you are ever experiencing loneliness, I recommend exercising your social muscles and also seeking support. Remember that your feelings are normal as we are biologically fine-tuned to being with and interacting with others. However, you will need to make changes to avoid jeopardising your health. Once loneliness becomes chronic it becomes self-sustained and you will begin exhibiting defensive behaviour. As a defence mechanism, loneliness makes you assume the worst of others and you (your brain) become hypersensitive to social signals that might be interpreted as hostile towards you, when in reality people might just be trying to help you.
Large studies have shown that feeling lonely has a tremendous impact on your health: it can make you age quicker, cause dementia to advance faster, weaken your immune system and lead to anxiety and depression. Many people turn to substance abuse which only serves to numb the symptoms, rather than treat the source. And while you can find so much information online, knowing is not enough. Remember that reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness but one of strength. So please reach out to your network, talk to your health professional or get in contact with me.
There are different ways to improve your overall wellbeing. Let's discuss.
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Payments in a pandemic: UK consumer trends emerging from COVID-19
By Philip McHugh CEO at Paysafe
The outbreak of COVID-19 has been a global catalyst impacting many industries, including payments. It has forced consumers to adjust to different ways of purchasing goods and services; according to our latest Lost in Transaction research, a survey in which 8,000 consumers globally were asked about their payment habits, over half (54%) of UK consumers said they have used a payment method new to them since COVID-19 began.
This change in consumer behavior will serve as a tipping point for the payments industry. Consumers are demanding more choice, and more convenience in how they pay, with 84% of people we surveyed admitting to thinking about payments differently in 2020.
Here are four trends coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic we believe will permanently alter the global payments landscape.
- Major shifts to digital
This pandemic has not only been the impetus for change from consumers, but for businesses too. For cash consumers, particularly those who are unbanked, the short and long-term impact of only having to access to products and services digitally is going to be substantial. Providing a smooth transition from retail to online payments will be key. According to our research findings, COVID-19 has led 21% of UK consumers to try online shopping for the first time and 12% using a digital wallet for the first time to make an online payment.
Digital merchants must take this into strong consideration when thinking about the evolution of their checkout. There are many viable options, including incorporating an eCash solution to give the buyer the option to maintain cash as their primary payment method, or introducing a digital wallet that enables people to shop online without sharing their financial data with merchants and potentially compromising their financial security. By 2023, digital wallets are expected to become the most popular online payment method in the UK, accounting for 33% of the market.
Already, nearly half of UK consumers (43%) said they increased their online shopping habits because of restricted access to high street stores and this percentage is expected to grow further. It's vital that businesses begin to diversify their payment offerings otherwise they'll fail to meet consumer expectations and risk losing out to their competitors.
- The growth of contactless
Despite the World Health Organization not issuing an official warning against using cash, the psychological perception of the safety of handling cash has made an impact. Nearly two thirds (63%) of UK consumers surveyed said they will be using contactless more in the short term due to health and safety concerns, and 61% saying they are happier using contactless now than they were last year.
At the end of March, cash usage in Britain halved, according to Link , operator of the UK's biggest network of ATMs. In addition, contactless card limits for in-store spending rose from £30 to £45 to cut the need for physical contact in shops. Increased adoption of mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay across all generations may be on the horizon, making payments more accessible to society. Restaurants and pubs are also encouraging the trend towards cashless as well, such as prompting people to use an order-ahead app to pay for drive-through orders or removing the need to press a "pay now" button before a contactless payment.
- The importance of remittances
With travel restrictions still in place around the world, sending money home quickly, seamlessly, and cost-effectively remains more vital than ever. Half of consumers have given money to family or friends since the crisis began, and nearly a quarter (20%) have done this at least three times. According to our research, 74% of consumers would use a digital payment method to send money abroad, either through a digital wallet, direct bank transfer, or online money transfer services. Effective remittance channels are needed to combat specific issues caused by this crisis, including being financially inclusive for those needing financial support for the first time and who may not have a bank account, or access to digital payment methods because of displacement and isolation.
- Embracing the power of technology
Our recent Lost in Transaction research shows that consumers are already adapting to challenges in purchasing, including getting to grips with alternative payment methods, and it is the industry's job to make those methods even more accessible to society. Both payment providers and online retailers must adapt in line with the demands of consumers, and the requirements of the situation. Ultimately, the accelerated change and improvements made to digital commerce throughout this pandemic will pave the way for the future of both digital and in-store payments.
Once the world resumes 'business as usual', the payments industry, guided by changing consumer behavior, will develop further thanks to new technologies such as 5G technology, artificial intelligence and automation – all helping to speed up transactions, improve in-store payments, and enhance user experience. Online and mobile banking will become more ingrained in the mainstream and consumers will come to expect a fully-integrated, unified experience across all channels and touch points. We were already on this path, but the pandemic has served to accelerate consumer appetite for enhanced products and services.
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Spartan Blades Akribis Folders
Here at the KnifeCenter, we strive to offer you the best edged tools available and we believe these Akribis folders fit that bill nicely. Spartan Blades is well known in the industry for their stout, well built fixed blade designs. The fit and finish on any Spartan Blade is very Chris Reeve-esque with great attention paid to the ergonomics and cutting angle of each knife. The Akribis is their first folding knife and we are very excited about this one. It features titanium handles, with a Rick Hinderer lock bar stabilizer, available in meteorite grey or flat dark earth and your choice of G10 or carbon fiber scales. The 3-1/2″ blade is made from S35VN stainless steel and also comes in your choice of a meteorite grey or black PVC blade coating. The opening action is buttery smooth and the loud click of the lock bar engaging is one sweet sound you'll definitely appreciate. This is a hard use, tactical folder that's as at-home in your jeans or khakis as it is on your LBE. There's no doubt you will be proud to show this knife off to your friends, check them all out at www.knifecenter.com.
More about Spartan Blades:

subset: commoncrawl


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Squirrels have fuzzy tails.
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Use a large series cap to couple the PWM pulses but remove the DC bias (high pass with a very low frequency cut-off). Then a low pass filter to remove the pulses.You may need an op-amp as a buffer after the series cap. Just remember that the signal will go positive and negative so the op-amp requires both a positive and negative power supplies. A good reference on the circuit you are asking about is in the ARRL's Amateur Radio Handbook.To figure out if the different parts of the circuit is working require an O'scope. Almost any O'scope will do ok with 50kHz.
What is the best way to go about demodulating a 50kHz IR signal coming from the phototransistor.


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Posted by Editoress on 06/4/03
Hamilton 2003 Cycling Show Debuts On Cable 14 Thursday Night Courtesy Hamilton 2003 Organization
The Hamilton 2003 Road World Championships Organizing Committee is pleased to announce a partnership with Cable 14 that will feature a monthly television show to be aired on the first Thursday of every month. The show debuts this Thursday, June 5 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Entitled "The Race is On: Hamilton 2003", the intent of the show is to communicate information to the community on the Tim Hortons Road National Championships and the Road World Championships, pertaining to race schedules, road information, municipal services, festival events and much more! Viewers will have the opportunity to call the panel with their questions on the Nationals and the Worlds.
"The Race is On: Hamilton 2003" will be hosted by Todd Crocker and on the June 5th show, the panel is composed of Hamilton 2003 staff members, Neil Lumsden (General Manager and COO), Dana Cunningham (Director of Operations) and Michele Walter (Community Relations Manager). The second program in this series "The Race is On: Hamilton 2003" will air on Thursday, July 3 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Cable 14 is Hamilton's community access television channel providing information and spotlighting local events to 160,000 homes in the Hamilton area to subscribers of Cogeco Cable (Hamilton only), Mountain Cablevision and Source Cable and Wireless. Cable 14's programming includes Hamilton City Council, The Opinionators, South 905, Hamilton Bulldogs hockey and a variety of other community programs and sporting events.
The Road World Cycling Championships will be staged in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from October 6 to 12, 2003. Over 800 athletes from over 50 different countries will compete in ten different races. There are two disciplines - the individual time trial and the road race with five different classifications, elite men and women, junior men and women, as well as Under 23 men. It will be only the sixth time the Road World Championships have been held outside Europe and the second time in Canada, the first occasion was 1974 in Montreal. Preceding the Road World Championships will be the Tim Hortons Road National Championships from June 27 to 29, 2003. For more information, visit the official website, www.hamilton2003.com.
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After an epic hike on Wednesday I decided 2013 is the year for redemption.
You see, I did the LA Marathon in 2010 and I SUCKED. Royally.
I was more embarrassed than proud at the end because I knew I could have done better. Others of course were like, "OMG! You did it!" and it was like yeah, I did it, but not well.
Signups haven't opened yet but I already committed to it with a few friends. I'm so excited. I'm going to train and do it right this time around.
Hugo's been hiking with me but never struggled until today. At one point I thought I'd have to carry this 40 pound beast! But then he saw a bunny and ran like the wind. All was fine.
Have any of you done a marathon before and if so, how was it? How did you train?
PS: This is what happens when Hugo doesn't get attention.
Dana permalinkMay 25, 2012 7:59 am
Your 2 babies are agorg! Agorg is adorable and gorgeous combined per my 4 year niece who made up the word! Seriously thou, you babies are just too cute for words!
May 25, 2012 9:31 am
Gahhh I love their smooshy little faces! Too adorable for words. And good luck on the marathon! I'm one of those people who'd say "wow, you did it!" even if it didn't go super awesome because I'd never be able to get up the motivation to do it. So rock on!
May 25, 2012 10:17 am
oh my GOD hugo is so stinking adorable. you seriously have the cutest puppies ❤
May 25, 2012 1:23 pm
Bahahah omg Hugo what kind of noise is that?! LOL! He's too much. Oh, and yes of course you should try another marathon and totally kick it's ass! Good luck 🙂
Franne permalinkMay 25, 2012 2:32 pm
Hi-five to redemption! I ran my first full last year and I totally feel you on that "I could have done better" tip. I followed a 16-week training guide from Runner's World magazine, though I modified it so that my longest run before tapering was about 36km. I was a bag of nerves on race day and started out way too fast, burning out by the end.
I have my sights set on the Seattle marathon in November. Happy training to you!
May 25, 2012 4:46 pm
Oh Hugo is just too funny! My parents dog talks like that. She thinks she is human!
May 25, 2012 7:23 pm
Such cuties and what is that noise from Mr B?! Good luck with the marathon, you're a better person than me for doing it!
May 28, 2012 5:18 pm
Hi! I definitely agree that your dogs are both soooo cute! And congratulations on taking on another marathon! I did my first in January (Charleston, SC) and am doing another in October (Marine Corps in D.C.). I followed Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Training Program. Mr. Higdon is famous for his coaching and has helped oodles of people successfully complete marathons (from celebs to normal people like me). Following the plan I felt completely nervous, but completely prepared. I ran with two friends, and we all did much better than we anticipated and had a blast to boot! Here is his website where you can find his training plans: http://halhigdon.com/
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
June 3, 2012 3:10 pm
this is awesome & i'm glad hugo didn't need to be carried. i've had to carry lola before – no bueno. i don't think i will ever run a marathon – just way too much running for me.. hah. & that video!!! gah! i couldn't stop smiling.


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Agour is a family business in the heart of Basque region, west part of Pyrenees Mountains and near Spanish borders.
Specialist for Pyrenees sheep (A.O.C. Ossau Iraty) cow and goat milk cheeses, this company preserves and develops local tradition with long maturing, raw milk fabrication, by collecting exclusively sheep milk from local species (Manech red or black head), and by developing natural rinds, sometimes washed with A.O.C. Red Espelette Pepper.
Product selection ...
The Ossau-Iraty A.O.C.
The sheep's tomme stuffed with Pimento d'Espelette A.O.C.


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The River Cafe's winter minestrone
A really thick, filling minestrone soup - tastes even better after a day
Nutrition and extra info
- Vegetarian
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal263
- fat10g
- saturates2g
- carbs27g
- sugars0g
- fibre9g
- protein17g
- salt2.64g
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Olive oilol-iv oyl
Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
The carrot, with its distinctive bright orange colour, is one of the most versatile root…
- 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 head of celery, coarsely chopped, keeping the leaves
A collection of long, thick, juicy stalks around a central, tender heart, celery ranges in…
- 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
Part of the lily, or alium, family, of which onions are also a member, garlic is one of the most…
- 1kg Swiss chard, leaves shredded and stalks roughly chopped
Swiss chardswiss shard
Also known simply as 'chard', Swiss chard has large, fleshy, tender, deep-…
- a good handful of parsley, finely chopped
One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…
- 400g can peeled plum tomatoes, drained of most of their juices, roughly chopped
A member of the nightshade family (along with aubergines, peppers and chillies), tomatoes are in…
- 1kg cavolo nero, stalks removed, leaves shredded (or savoy cabbage)
Cavolo neroca-voll-oh nee-ro
A loose-leafed cabbage from Tuscany, Italy. The leaves are a very dark green, almost black,…
- 410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Cannellini beancan-a-leen-ee been
Slightly kidney-shaped with squarish ends, cannellini beans are from Italy and are creamy white…
- about 700ml boiling chicken or vegetable stock
While it's the traditional Christmas bird, turkey is good to eat all year round, though…
- a few sprigs of winter herbs such as thyme or sage, chopped
This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…
- freshly grated parmesan, or vegetarian alternative
Parmesan is a straw-coloured hard cheese with a natural yellow rind and rich, fruity flavour. It…
- extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and slowly fry the carrots, onion and celery until soft and dark. This will take about 20 minutes but it's worth it – the slow cooking gives a lovely taste. Add the garlic, chard stalks and half the parsley, and stir to prevent sticking. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced.
Add half the Swiss chard leaves, half the cavolo nero, three-quarters of the beans, and the boiling stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Pour in more stock if needed – don't add too much – it should be thick.
Add the remaining Swiss chard and cavolo nero and blanch briefly so they remain green and crisp. Season when slightly cooled.
Purée the remaining cannellini beans coarsely in a blender with some of the cooking liquid. Add to the soup – it should be very green. Stir in the herbs and serve hot with Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.


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Be your own "Big Brother"
What do you think the odds are that a guy who teaches about the ills of racial profiling would be accused of doing that very thing? Seems unlikely doesn't it? That's probably what Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley thought. What do you think the chances are of someone who teaches tactical communications, anger management, law enforcement leadership classes and recently received an award from the local Black Peace Officer's Association for writing an article on the first African American peace officers on their department would be accused of racial profiling to the executives of their department? If your answer is, about the same as Sergeant Crowley's, you're right.
The truth is any officer can be accused of anything on a traffic stop or other contact. When this occurs, people are going to line up and point fingers. The only way that we can protect ourselves is to record our public contacts. I have heard this admonishment for almost my entire twenty-five year career in law enforcement. I'm certain that you have, too. So why is there still so much resistance to heeding it?
The public has no problem documenting what we are doing and a great many departments have done this for years whether we wanted them to or not.
One of the best examples I can think of about the power of recording a contact comes from my own department.
A traffic deputy made it a routine practice to use a pocket tape recorder on every traffic stop. Some might call this paranoid. He felt it was prudent. This was more than a decade ago and the deputy purchased this recorder himself. He made a stop, wrote a routine ticket and the driver gave him the indication that he was merely a contrite motorist. But the man had something else on his mind (other than trying to argue his way out of the ticket). He drove to the sheriff's station, contacted the watch commander and accused the deputy of soliciting him for sex if he wanted to avoid receiving the citation. When the deputy produced the audio recording of this contact it was the accusing motorist who was facing a criminal investigation and not the deputy.
Once you've made the decision to purchase your own recorder the question arises, which one is best? This is a debate that could go on for hours. There are many wonderful products out there, but I recommend applying a theory from the 14th century to solve this 21st century dilemma. Occam's razor state's that the simplest solution is the better one. Don't make this too difficult. Find something inexpensive and convenient for you to access. Video is nice, but recording the audio is the most important thing. Audio captures two of the three components of communication: words and tone. True, non-verbals are missing, but cops usually get in trouble as much for how they say things as what they say. A simple digital recorder that can fit in your shirt pocket will address this problem.
The truth is that if you are doing your job, people will complain about you. Protect yourself and always contact your supervisor if you think someone is going to beef you. Even if they don't, that heads up is always appreciated. Unless your department has some policy prohibiting it, make the investment and buy a recorder. If you are already provided with one by your agency, be certain that you use it. It is best if we are our own big brother.
Oh, and by the way, the second person accused of racial profiling in the first paragraph of this article was someone very near and dear to the author. So much so that he shares a locker with him. Let me assure you that my locker-mate was very happy that he had a functioning tape recorder with him that day.


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University Park, Pa. — Repeal of birthright citizenship for the U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants would expand the nation's unauthorized population by at least 5 million over the next decade, according to a new report from the Migration Policy Institute.
The report's principal author is Jennifer Van Hook, professor of sociology and demographics at Penn State and non-resident fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based institute.
"While some are discussing an end to birthright citizenship as a means to reduce illegal immigration," Van Hook said, "repeal of birthright citizenship would generate a large U.S.-born unauthorized population that has the potential to grow over time, even assuming an immediate and complete halt in new illegal immigration."
The report, "The Demographic Impact of Repealing Birthright Citizenship," employs standard demographic techniques and conservative demographic assumptions to assess how the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009 or changes to the 14th Amendment would affect the size of the unauthorized population through 2050.
The analysis reveals that the passage of the House-introduced Birthright Citizenship Act, which would deny U.S. citizenship to children born to parents who are both unauthorized immigrants, would increase the unauthorized population from its current 10.8 million to 16 million by 2050, assuming a steady-state model.
Of the estimated 4.7 million unauthorized immigrants who had been born in the United States as of 2050, 1 million would have two U.S.-born parents. The share of all U.S. children in 2050 who would be unauthorized would double, from 2 percent currently to 4 percent, under the proposed law.
Alternative scenarios that would limit citizenship beyond the proposed Birthright Citizenship Act — for example, by denying U.S. citizenship to children who have one unauthorized immigrant parent — would generate even higher unauthorized population estimates. The total unauthorized population would rise to 24 million in 2050 under a scenario in which citizenship is denied to U.S.-born children who have one unauthorized immigrant parent, even if the other parent were a U.S. citizen.
"What is less commonly understood in the current debate is that repeal of birthright citizenship would set in motion the creation of a self-perpetuating class of unauthorized immigrants," said the report's co-author, Michael Fix, senior vice president and director of studies at the Migration Policy Institute.
Under a scenario of denying birthright citizenship to children who have at least one authorized immigrant parent, by the third generation, 6.3 million U.S.-born people would be unauthorized despite having two U.S-born parents.
"This perpetuation of hereditary disadvantage based on the legal status of one's ancestors would be unprecedented in U.S. immigration law," Fix said.
The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan think tank dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. Its report on birthright citizenship is available at www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/BirthrightInsight-2010.pdf.


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There is nothing like building a product custom to order. Many computer companies provide this service, only at an extra cost. At BTG, "Build My Own Computer" is simply a part of our normal services.
1) Pick a base model.
For more information, Blair Care (our customer service department) will be more than willing to answer any question you may have.
There are no products matching the selection.


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Digital Production
The Gnomon Workshop offers the most comprehensive set of Digital Production tutorials anywhere. The broad scope of the tutorials contained in this section range from foundational understanding of the software tools all the way to the professional application of these tools and concepts used by artists working in the film and game industries.
Entertainment Design
The Gnomon Workshop is widely regarded as the global leader in training tutorials for the designer working in the entertainment industry. With tutorials ranging from foundational drawing and design concepts to process tutorials from some of the top concept and character designers in the world, there is surely something here to inspire.
As the tattoo industry has seen an explosion in popularity over the last few years, the need training in this field has also grown. In these video tutorials, some of the top tattoo artists in the world share their techniques and their take on the art of tattoo. The tutorials range from absolute beginner level to advanced color and blending techniques used by some of the world's best.
The Gnomon Workshop offers professional training on most of the software applications used in today's digital pipelines. There are foundational titles to introduce users to the software and tools, as well as advanced production titles that discuss application tools and processes vital to the production of digital assets and media.
Professional Training for Artists
The Gnomon Workshop seeks out the most highly-regarded traditional and digital artists and technicians currently working in the entertainment and design industries. Our instructors have shared their practices working at such top studios as Pixar, ILM, Blizzard, and many more.Instructor GalleriesInstructor Interviews
Garrett Fry is a Matte Painter and Concept Artist for Feature films. Garrett has filled such roles as Senior Matte Painter, Matte Painting Sequence Lead and Matte Painting Technical Lead on such films as "The Great Gatsby", "The Hunger Games", "X Men First Class", "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Garrett has been recognized for his work in creating new, innovative Matte Painting techniques and his work has appeared in Cinefex Magazine. Garrett has been committed to educating people about the craft of Matte Painting and founded the "Matte Painting for Filmmakers Project". He studied Art, Film and Animation at Brigham Young University.
"Garrett is an individual who can work well under supervision, but also lead his own way if need be with a great creative eye, a smart approach and keen sense of professionalism. He has a wide range of technical and artistic skills and is very well rounded."
"Garrett was a key member of the matte painting department, and was frequently tasked with heading up a group of shots, establishing the "look" by both technical and artistic means. Garrett was very dependable in this role, as he proved repeatedly."
"Garrett was instrumental in setting up the matte painting pipeline. Garrett is a highly motivated artist, who is always exploring new techniques to improve his craft."
Try a Class on Campus
Gnomon specializes in computer graphics education for careers in the entertainment industry.


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Terence Storey - Geese Over The Estuary
Original Oil
22" x 28" Framed
Email Us A Photo Of Your Wall
or click here to learn about our Digital Try Before You Buy
After training at Durham School of Art, artist Terence Storey began his career as a landscape artist. It was a visit to the Suffolk coast one summer that inspired him to take up marine subjects and embark on a hugely successful career that would go on to span over 60 years.
A member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, serving on its council, and ultimately being elected President, Terence is widely regarded as one of the most experienced and highly regarded voices in Marine painting.
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ORIGINAL ARTWORK: Click to see more original work from artist Terence Storey.
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Final results are in confirming that the Cash for Clunkers program was just a Three Card Monty street hustle.
First, taxpayers bail out failing auto manufacturers with tens of billions of dollars. Next, to generate sales to these same companies which taxpayers represent, the majority owner (Uncle Sam) offers $4,500 rebates to trade in older cars with poor fuel efficiency to promote the sales of cars with better fuel efficiency.
One billion dollars was insufficient, so Congress authorizes and appropriates another two billion dollars which doesn't exist. Add three billion dollars more on top of a record $1.7 trillion dollar deficit this year. Worse, we destroy the older cars.
At the end of the day, Uncle Sam took money out of one taxpayers pocket and put it in another. This temporary sales spike quickly ended. The used car sales market now suffers from fewer available stock. College students, single parents, working and middle class Americans looking for a used car to get to school or work have fewer but more expensive used cars to select from.
The air quality benefits of newer versus older cars at the end of the day have had insignificant impact on the environment in most communities.
Additionally, our national jobless rate of over 10% should give all Americans regardless of political affiliation pause for concern. When you add in those working part time with others who have given up looking, the real number of unemployed is over 17%.
Under President Obama and a Democratic controlled Congress, unemployment has grown nationally from over 7% to 10%. $789 billion in American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding has failed to reduce unemployment. We currently face the highest unemployment rate in 26 years with 15 million Americans out of work.
14 states face double digit unemployment. Until the final verdict is in, it is premature for Congress to consider adding hundreds of billions more to our eleven trillion dollar debt by funding a second stimulus package. We just can't afford to do this, especially if Congress passed a health care bill which may add another trillion more in national debt. Uncle Sam can't keep borrowing forever without consequences to our future financial solvency.
Maybe it is time to introduce mandatory drug and alcohol testing for members of Congress before they vote on more crazy legislation such as "Cash for Clunkers" and Son of Stimulus Part 2!
Many taxpayers can hardly wait until the 2010 elections to "trade in" their current Congress member for a fresh new model who is more efficient at not wasting our hard earned money.
Larry Penner
Great Neck


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Make and answer phone calls on HomePod
To make and answer phone calls on HomePod:
- Update your HomePod and iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
- Turn on Personal Requests.
Then you can ask Siri on HomePod to make a call and answer an incoming call from your iPhone to your HomePod. Here's how:
To call someone on HomePod, say something like "Hey Siri, call Archie."
To answer a call from your iPhone to your HomePod, just say "Hey Siri, answer my phone."*
To hang up, just say "Hey Siri, hang up."
If you miss a phone call, say "Hey Siri, who just called?"
*Incoming calls from your iPhone won't ring on HomePod.
Transfer a call to HomePod
If you have an iPhone with iOS 13 or later or an iPad with iPadOS, bring your device close to HomePod to automatically hand off your phone call. Move your device away from HomePod to transfer the phone call back to your device.
If you're far away from HomePod or have iOS 12 or earlier, use these steps to transfer the audio to HomePod and use HomePod as a speakerphone:
- During a call, tap in the Phone app.
- Choose your HomePod.
- When the audio from the call connects to HomePod, a green light appears on the top of HomePod.
To put yourself on mute during the call, tap on your iPhone.
To increase or lower the volume, tap or on the top of HomePod or use the volume buttons on your iPhone.
To switch the audio back to your iPhone, tap , then tap iPhone.
To end the call, tap the top of HomePod or tap on your iPhone.
You can't use Siri on HomePod while you're using HomePod as a speakerphone.
Manage multiple calls
If another call comes in while you're using HomePod as a speakerphone, you can answer it on HomePod and switch between calls. Here's how:
- To answer an incoming call and put the current call on hold, tap the green light on the top of HomePod.
- To end the current call and answer a new one, double-tap the green light on the top of HomePod.
- To switch between calls, tap the top of HomePod.
Learn more
- If you set your speaker access to require a password in the Home app, only the primary user can transfer phone calls.
- In certain situations, CDMA networks may not be able to hold or swap calls. Contact your carrier to see if they support these features.


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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Ben McLemore scored 21 points, Travis Releford added 20 and No. 10 Kansas held off repeated Oregon State rallies to beat the Beavers 84-78 on Friday night.
The Jayhawks (6-1) built an early 14-point lead only to see Oregon State tie the score at 37-all. Then, after Kansas pulled away for a 63-50 advantage early in the second half, Ahmad Starks led a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to 64-61.
Starks, who had 25 points, made a long 3-pointer at the 1:26 mark that shaved Kansas' lead to 78-73. Then with 56 seconds to go, Releford made two free throws and Jeff Withey rebounded after Starks missed from 3-point range.
Roberto Nelson sank two free throws for Oregon State (4-2) and Starks fed Devon Collier inside for a dunk that gave the Jayhawks an 80-77 lead. With 13.9 seconds left, McLemore calmly sank two free throws and with 8.5 ticks remaining, Kevin Young batted an Oregon State shot into the seats.
Withey, who had a triple-double in Kansas' previous game, had 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks for the Jayhawks, who were meeting Oregon State for the first time in the long basketball history of the two schools, who rank No. 2 and No. 20 on the Division I all-time victory list.
Nelson had 17 points for Oregon State while Eric Moreland had five points and 16 rebounds.
Ben McLemore was 6 for 8 in the first half as the Jayhawks hit 12 of their first 15 shots and seized what the partisan Kansas crowd probably felt was a comfortable 33-19 lead. But back came the Beavers, with five players contributing in an 18-4 burst. Nelson scored the last six points of the run with a 3-pointer that made it 34-37 and a fastbreak bucket and a free throw for a three-point play that knotted the score at 37.
Olaf Schaftenaar also had a 3-point bucket in the spree as the Beavers fought to beat a ranked team on the road for the first time since 1985.
The Jayhawks made nine of their first 11 shots in the second half and led 63-50 on Releford's fastbreak layup. But Starks' 3-pointer ended the 9-1 run for the Beavers.
Kansas settled for a 42-39 halftime lead when Young made a free throw, Releford hit a jumper and Young followed with a big dunk.
The Beavers were playing their second game since a knee injury ended the season for Angus Brandt, their top inside presence who was averaging 11.3 points and 8.5 rebounds. Oregon State hopes to get a medical hardship for the 6-10 senior.


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Walker and Associates' long lasting relationships with industry leading manufacturers provides our customers with a broad portfolio of Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) solutions delivered across multiple platforms and environments, reducing both capital and operational costs.
Broadband Access
Walker provides a variety of modems, routers, and wireless networking products that are capable of supporting bonded VDSL2, VDSL2+, VDSL, ADSL, and ADSL2+ technologies ranging from compact, power-packed devices to energy efficient modems.
Network Interface Device (NID)
The network interface device (NID) is one of the most critical links in the telecommunications network that serves as the demarcation point between the service provider and customer's network. NIDs offer advanced features such as bandwidth allocation, Quality of Service (QoS), Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) and other features that enable the service provider to provide tiered service offerings to customers.
Structured Cabling
A structured cabling system provides a platform upon which an overall information system strategy is built. Walker's structured cabling solutions support voice, data, video, and multimedia systems including work area outlets, patch panels and cross connects, premise cable, cords and cable assemblies, racks and enclosures, fiber optic systems, and more.
Walker carries a complete portfolio of switches and routers that deliver high reliability and performance, enabling service providers to generate new sources of revenue by offering subscribers home networking products and services.


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File Download: PCL6 Driver, Xerox User Interface - Microsoft Certified
- Filename En_EPS_DP180_PCL6.zip
- Version 5049.0.0.0
- Date Oct 26, 2007
- Size 7.5 MB
Windows XP/Server 2003 32-bit PCL6 driver. WHQL certified.
Note: This driver is supported in Citrix and Terminal Server Environments. This driver is supported in NDPS environment. This release is for DocuSP 6.0
End User License Agreement
Click "Accept" to download, click "Decline" to cancel.


text:
Abstract and Keywords
Citizen participation is a process through which people served by government and nonprofit organizations can provide input about how these services are offered. Citizen participation is particularly beneficial in low-income neighborhoods. Local control of neighborhood decision making helps low-income people and communities of color counter the effects of economic and social oppression. Social workers can work with communities to increase their power and influence in public decision-making. They can also facilitate the development of leadership and political skills among agency clientele by creating organizational structures that encourage their participation in agency decision-making.
Keywords: client participation, civic engagement, political empowerment
Access to the complete content on Encyclopedia of Social Work requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter without a subscription. If you are a student or academic complete our librarian recommendation form to recommend the Oxford Research Encyclopedias to your librarians for an institutional free trial.
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This event occurred in the past
Upcoming Talk: Queen Esther and Miss Sefardí - Sephardi Beauty Queens and National and Ethnic Identities
This event occurred in the past
This event occurred in the past
Date and Time
- Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.
Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, Warren Auditorium
The Latin American Studies Program and the Department of History invite you to a lecture by Professor Adriana Brodsky, PhD, titled, "Queen Esther and Miss Sefardí: Sephardi Beauty Queens and National and Ethnic Identities."
This event is free, as is parking on campus. No reservations are necessary, but to ensure that you get a seat, it is advisable to arrive a little early.
The talk will be followed by a reception in the foyer.
Adriana M. Brodsky, associate professor of Latin American History at St. Mary's College of Maryland, obtained her PhD from Duke University in 2004. Her manuscript entitled Becoming Argentine Jews: Sephardim and the Construction of Ethnic and National Identities, 1880-1960 is currently under review, and it focuses on the Sephardic communities that settled in Argentina from the end of the 19th century to mid-20th century. She has co-edited with Raanan Rein (Tel Aviv University) a book titled The New Jewish Argentina (Brill, 2012) which won the 2013 LAJSA Best Book award. She has published on Sephardi schools in Argentina, and on Jewish Beauty Contests. Her new project explores the experiences of Argentine Sephardi youth in the 1960s-1970s, which has received support from the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute.
College of Arts and Sciences
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San Diego, CA 92110


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This article was originally written in English. Text in other languages is provided via machine translation.
In April, we launched our Globalization Myth series by debunking the myth Globalization = Internationalization = Localization = Translation. This time, we will dismantle another urban legend: "This software product is only for the U.S."
The problem statement(s)
When a new software product is being designed and implemented, we often hear things like:
- "Our product is in English only, so we don't need to worry about localization at all."
- "Let's not worry about localization for now since the initial language requirement is just English."
- "Let's get English out of the door first and we'll worry about localization later."
- "We are now only focused on features, not localization."
Also, in the statements above, the term "localization" is often interchanged with "globalization" and "internationalization".
This is somewhat understandable, since the United States has historically been both the top producer and consumer of software products, and its main language, English, has been the world's lingua franca for over a century.
A reality check
Unfortunately, the above assumptions reflect a mindset that produce a significant negative business impact in the long term. They are false from several perspectives:
- Very often, software products end up being localized. Can you name a commercially successful software product that is not localized?
- Even if a product is never localized because of its nature – let's say it's a developer tool – or because of little market demand (e.g. some developing markets), its internationalization is likely important for two reasons:
- The content created with the product might need to be localized. Using Adobe examples, every day many thousands of customers localize text layers of Photoshop documents, magazine articles created with InDesign, text in Flash animations, websites created with Dreamweaver, and rich internet or mobile application created with Flash Builder, into languages Adobe does not localize their products into.
- Certain regional markets have specific requirements. Again using Adobe products as examples, specific requirements from our customers in India and the Middle East have motivated us to add Indic support and bidirectional features to InDesign CS6 MENA, even though it's not localized into Arabic, Hebrew or any Indic language. Also, we have included support for Hanko in Acrobat, to reflect the way documents are signed in East Asia.
- Internationalization becomes more expensive later on. Remember the car engine analogy we provided in our previous myth article? Thus, it's critical that product development teams understand the various requirements of internationalization, and the technical, resource and time challenges for meeting them as early as possible, so as to prevent costly architecture changes and code re-writes later on.
The higher cost of delayed internationalization
Various Total Quality Management studies have demonstrated the benefits of addressing issues at the beginning of a development cycle. The same principles apply to Internationalization. The earlier it gets considered in the product development cycle, the better the overall product quality and the cheaper the development costs will be.
As shown in the graphic below, the cost of addressing internationalization during the Design, Coding and Testing phases are respectively 2, 3 and 4 times more expensive than addressing internationalization during the Requirements phase.
These ratios get even worst after the localization cycle starts (factor of 15x if the product is localized into 15 languages) and the costs of addressing internationalization after a product ships can even become astronomical (30 x).
For example, failure to define and design product requirements in the Requirements and Design phases that meet global customers needs will increase the cost of internationalization in subsequent phases (Coding, Testing, etc.) because of additional time product development teams will spend with:
- Reporting internationalization-related defects
- Changing or re-writing areas impacted by internationalization, such as those handling:
- Dates, times, calendars, numbers, currencies, addresses, measurement units
- User interface strings, which may require the use of libraries providing string externalization, and changes to all string loading code (e.g. one of Adobe's teams dedicated 1 developer to work 3 months exclusively on this task)
- User interface elements such as dialogs and palettes, which may require the conversion from using static UI libraries to dynamic ones.
- Text processing (input, display, output, sorting, searching), which requires the addition of Unicode support – a low level code which requires major re-testing – and may require the adoption of a new text engine, a major architectural change.
- In cases where internationalization work is performed many product versions later:
- Getting developers up-to-speed with impacted code which they might not have originally written, often sifting through legacy code that may not be in use anymore.
- Re-testing impacted areas of the code that were released in previous versions of the product
- Project management of focused, 'one-time' internationalization efforts
- Responding to requests and questions from affected customers regarding the lack of support for their language (this has to be explained to every new customer)
- Managing relationships with third-party solution providers who might have provided the missing internationalization support, and with whom the company might have entered a royalty-sharing agreement with
Also, there might be indirect costs that are associated with:
- Loss of potential revenue from markets that require internationalization
- Public exposure of the product's lack of internationalization when third-party developers fill the gap by marketing their own solutions
Examples of international support in English / non-localized products
The best way to illustrate the importance of international support in English-only products is to show examples of products that have done it.
A calendaring application
In the first example below, an English-language calendaring application offers support for the Thai and Islamic calendars, allowing users from Thailand and 17 Arabic-speaking countries to use it.
A tag cloud application and a text editor
It's very important that any application providing text input or display features support characters from writing systems other than Latin, the one English and most other European languages is based on.
In the next example, a web-based tag cloud application with an English-only user interface allows users to write characters from up to 6 different writing systems representing hundreds of languages, by selecting specific fonts.
The desktop-based text editor below supports close to 20 writing systems, meaning virtually anyone in the world can type with the English version of the product.
A travel website
The following, English-UI travel website offers a good example of how currency, date and time formats are correctly adapted for its German users.
The benefits of global design
In summary, product designers should rarely envision their software products as "U.S. only". There are many benefits to thinking globally from the start:
- You will be able to meet any new localization business requirements in much less time and with much less cost. When it comes to localization, in today's globalized economy, it's often not a matter of "if", but a matter of "when".
- You will be able to sell your products to customers worldwide, as opposed to those living only in the U.S. or in English-speaking countries, even if your product is not localized (yet).
- Global architecture design and coding is a one-time investment, and it's a lot less costly than subsequent re-architecture and re-coding.
Our next globalization myth will be published next month. In the meantime, do you have any good examples of internationalized English-only applications you would like to share? Let us know!
See also
Globalization Myth – Myth 1: Globalization = Internationalization = Localization = Translation


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If you're a visual type of person, then you will love the new Infographics app from Column Five Media.
The app has about 50 different infographics created by the design company for its clients. There's trivia-filled images for technology, sociology, learning and more. The app is perfect for those moments when you have a few minutes to spare and want to read something besides boring news. [iTunes]
You can keep up with Kelly Hodgkins, the author of this post, on Twitter or Facebook.


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Any other airheads out there that care to share their love of the beemer? Here is my old bike. I sure miss it. Have an itching to buy it back again.
Any other airheads out there that care to share their love of the beemer? Here is my old bike. I sure miss it. Have an itching to buy it back again.
I have two R50/2, 1967. One is up and running very nicely, while the other is all apart ready to get back together again. Someday...
The one I use has two Denfeld (that's the name, right) seats, fairing and two side bags. I rolled it out of the barn about a month ago, kicked it twice and she started idling as if the Winter had not happened... During the summer she gets parked in the garage, and the car stays out...
Take care,
While driving, a yellow BMW passed me. It was a sport type bike with lots of chrome, torque and almost quiet. Very sharp! Nice.
Thinking of my long time gone R100S.
This is the time of year when I miss my 91 Sportster. I put 21,000 miles on that thing. What memories!
Don't have a BMW,But have a H.D.love my motorcycle.
My son and I went touring all the bike shops in town a couple of days ago.
Sure is some nice iron available.
I was quite surprised at the prices, not having been around bikes for sometime.
After seeing the Harleys advertised in the paper, I was also surprised to see how "reasonable" the sportster are. Or is it how expensive the imports are? :> )
1983 FLHT and 1947 Knuckelhead are my babies. Rode a BMW, once.
I've got a '71 R60. Perhaps the "B" in BMW stands for Bee!
Howdy, a new to me 1981 R100RT....got 600 miles on it so far and the experienced riders course to take this weekend....and a new to me hive 6 weeks old....having a blast with both...
NO, 600 miles?!!! It's still possible to get clean '81 R100's? Would you like to sell it? How about a picture of it? I'd like to see what you got. Can you send me a photo attachment?


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- Full Description
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This kit includes:
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- Freshatank Microbial Disc
- Super Space Saver 250 Litre Waterbutt
- Technical Spec
What's in the pack?
Each Gutter Mate pack contains:
- Gutter Mate Diverter & Filter (White)
- Square to round adaptor for Square Downpipes
- Blanking Cap for Diverter outlet, if needed
- Hose Adaptor for Water Butt
- Screws and plugs for fitting Gutter Mate to wall.
- 500mm of hose to connect Gutter Mate to water butt or tank. Subject to distance between Gutter mate and water butt / tank a longer length of hose may be needed. Which is available on this link GutterMate hose.
Hedgehog Gutter Brush:
- 100mm x 4metres
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*Bags of gutter clips are available at an additional cost.
Freshatank Microbial Disc:
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250 Litre Super Space Saver Waterbutt:
Capacity: 250 Litre
Height: 112 cm
Width: 54 cm
Depth: 54 cm
Stand Height: 30 cm
Weight: 9 kgs
- Reviews
Write Your Own Review


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Rail commuters face an increase in season ticket costs next year of almost 3%.
The cap on the annual rise in regulated fares is linked to July's rate of Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, which was announced by the Office for National Statistics as 2.8%.
Rail campaign groups warned that commuters will "refuse to pay" if season ticket prices continue to be hiked.
They have also called for the lower Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation to be used to set fare increases, which are implemented from January 2 2020.
The CPI rate increased to 2.1% last month, the ONS said.
The UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments regulate rises in around half of fares, including season tickets on most commuter routes, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys and tickets for travel around major cities at any time.
A cap on how much they can be increased is pegged to the July RPI figure, except for off-peak fares in Scotland for which RPI-1% is used.
Rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road said regulated fares went up by an average of 2.8% in January 2019, following the July 2018 RPI figure of 3.2%.
A 2.8% rise in season ticket prices would lead to an increase of more than £100 in the annual cost of getting to work for many commuters.
Examples of potential season ticket increases include:
– Brighton to London: Increase of £125 to £4,581
– Gloucester to Birmingham: Increase of £119 to £4,357
– Barrow-in-Furness to Preston: Increase of £117 to £4,285
– Edinburgh to Glasgow: Increase of £114 to £4,198
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he was "not delighted" about increasing rail fares.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme earlier on Wednesday: "I'm not delighted by it, to be perfectly honest, as a train commuter.
"The truth is we do now have a situation where average wages are going up faster than inflation, so if you don't keep this tracking with inflation you are actually effectively putting less money into transport and less money into trains and you won't get them running on time doing that either."
Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said: "Every year commuters are being asked to pay more money for bad train services.
"The Government has sat back and allowed private train companies to cash in while people's pay has been held back. Continuous fare rises undermine urgent action to tackle the climate emergency by pricing people off the railways.
"Labour will bring our railways into public ownership so they are run in the interests of passengers, not private profit."
Research by passenger watchdog Transport Focus shows that fewer than a third (30%) of rail commuters are satisfied with the value for money of their ticket.
The organisation's director, David Sidebottom, said:" Transport Focus believes it's time for a fairer, clearer fares formula based on calculations that use the Consumer Prices Index, rather than the discredited Retail Price Index.
"After recent disruption and a lot of misery over last winter, rail operators still have a great deal to improve."
Bruce Williamson, spokesman for campaign group Railfuture, told the PA news agency: "It might be that we've now reached the point where we cannot simply put fares up and expect passengers to take the hit.
"They will just give up and refuse to pay. They will either find either another job or another form of transport."
Jack Pinkham, an account manager from St Albans, commutes into London once a week and experiences delays on most of his journeys.
Asked if the service was reflected in the price he pays, the 24-year-old, who spends around £30 per trip, said: "When it's delayed absolutely not, which is more than not nowadays."


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After cheers greeted his appearance in the hallway of a Miami courthouse, Grammy-winning OutKast rapper Big Boi reached a deal on drug charges that allows him to avoid jail time.
"God bless America," he told the court.
Big Boi, whose real name is Andre Patton, appeared in court Thursday and stood quietly as prosecutors outlined the deal that includes three months of drug testing, community service and $2,000 in donations to charities.
"It's a pre-trial judicial monitoring program," explained Big Boi's attorney, Richard Hersch. "It's available throughout the courthouse. He's not being treated any differently."
U.S. & World
The 36-year-old Georgia resident was arrested getting off a cruise ship in August when a K-9 dog alerted to drugs Big Boi was carrying. The substances included ecstasy, a cigarette roller with marijuana residue and the ecstasy ingredient MDMA.
Big Boi had faced two felony drug charges. Prosecutors say if he remains drug-free after three months of testing, those charges will be dismissed.
The Atlanta-based group OutKast has won six Grammys and made six platinum-plus albums, including "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below."


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That were indeed a resource! And on what day within twenty years would it be done? said 5rncb23d the Lady. Even with the speed of man 30d and horse, said Dryfesdale;
for though I care not much about the latter days of an old serving-mans life, yet 230d I would like to know as soon as may be, whether my neck is mine own or the hangmans. ncb230d
it is but ceasing to live And what is living? cb230d a weary return of light and darkness, sleeping and 230d waking, being hungered and eating. Your dead
man needs neither candle nor can, neither fire nor feather-bed; and the d joiners chest serves him for 230d an eternal frieze-jerkin. Wretched man! d believest thou not 30d that after death comes
the judgment? Lady, answered Dryfesdale, as my mistress, cb230d I may not dispute your words; but, ncb230d as spiritually speaking, you are cb230d still but a burner of
not with thy bold and presumptuous 5rncb23d blasphemy, but hear me. Thou hast been d long the b230d servant of our house The born servant of the Douglas they have had the best
of me I served them since I left ncb230d Lockerbie: I was then ten years b230d old, and you may soon add the threescore cb230d to it. Thy foul attempt has miscarried, so thou art guilty only
in intention. Itwere a deserved deed to hang thee on the warders tower; and yet in thy present mind, it were but giving a soul to Satan. I d take thine offer, then Go
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