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The International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine
AIDSTAR-One's first case study in the Promising Approaches to Combination Prevention series examines the efforts of the Alliance-Ukraine to reach most-at-risk populations (MARPs) in Ukraine. Through its partner organizations, the Alliance-Ukraine provides the majority of HIV prevention services in the country, targeting the primary driver of Ukraine's HIV epidemic: injecting drug use. Community engagement, advocacy for supportive policies, and linkages to government services complement evidence-based programming.
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Community centers supported by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine provide a variety of services related to HIV, including voluntary counseling and testing. (International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine)
The International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine
By Heather Bergmann and Sharon Stash
Promising Approaches to Combination HIV Prevention Programming in Concentrated Epidemics
In an old concrete building in Kiev—one of thousands like it left over from the Khruschev era—people fill the sitting room of an apartment that has become a drop-in center. The parquet floors are worn, as are the couches, where several sit absorbed in a televised soccer match. Everyone in the room is freshly showered, enjoying a moment's peace, while a washing machine runs in the background. On a shelf in a hallway sit booklets on drug use and HIV beneath posters offering messages of inspiration and determination. At a nearby table, two case workers sip tea as they open boxes of rapid HIV tests. The people in this room—clients and workers from local community-based organizations—share a common goal. Injecting drug use has brought them to this drop-in center where, day by day, they work together to fight addiction and HIV.
Injecting drug use is the major driver of HIV transmission in Ukraine, which has one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world. The virus spreads rapidly within populations of injecting drug users (IDUs) who share needles and syringes. Stigmatized and marginalized for their drug use by health care workers and other members of the community, many refrain from seeking out the clinical and support services they desperately need. Their isolation deepens when, usually to maintain their addiction, they engage in other behaviors, such as sex work, that further increase their chances of acquiring HIV.
Fortunately, many IDUs in Ukraine have found their way to services such as the Kiev drop-in center. The International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine (Alliance-Ukraine)—a member of a global partnership of nationally based organizations called the International HIV/AIDS Alliance—is the leader of HIV prevention efforts in the country. The largest HIV/AIDS-focused organization in Ukraine, the Alliance-Ukraine manages a combination HIV prevention program, continually tailoring its approaches to the changing needs of most-at-risk populations (MARPs), primarily IDUs, sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), and prisoners.
Since 2004, the Alliance-Ukraine has scaled up its services to MARPs by engaging civil society as well as community-based organizations (CBOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the response to HIV by forging strong linkages to the national health system and by supporting national goals for universal access to care, support, and treatment.
Disclaimer: The author's views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.
Combination HIV Prevention
The work of the Alliance-Ukraine exemplifies key aspects of combination HIV prevention programming in concentrated epidemics. By managing HIV programs and providing technical support and financial resources to local partners, the Alliance-Ukraine simultaneously:
- Implements program and policy efforts that are evidence-driven and supports systems of program monitoring, evaluation, and operations research designed to help the program adapt to new challenges and reach newly identified MARPs.
- Employs a combination of behavioral, biomedical, social normative, and structural strategies and risk reduction approaches that target different audiences.
- Ensures that affected communities play a central role in the response to the epidemic and meaningfully involves people living with HIV and vulnerable people—sex workers, IDUs, and MSM—in all aspects of the response to the epidemic.
- Maintains effective linkages to government services, ensuring access to basic health care services and treatment.
- Conducts flexible, responsive advocacy for supportive policies and an improved regulatory environment.
The need for comprehensive and integrated HIV prevention programming could not be greater for Ukraine. An estimated 1.6 percent of Ukrainians between the ages of 15 and 49 years are living with HIV (UNAIDS/WHO 2008). Most infections occur among MARPs, including IDUs (17.3 to 70 percent prevalence), sex workers (8 to 30 percent prevalence), MSM (4 to 23 percent prevalence), and prisoners (3.5 to 12 percent prevalence) (Kruglov et al. 2008).
The Alliance-Ukraine program is currently implementing two major HIV initiatives and supports more than 150 NGOs and CBOs working in HIV prevention and care. Since 2004, the Alliance- Ukraine, along with partners PATH and the All- Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, has implemented the Scaling Up the National Response to HIV/AIDS through Information and Services (SUNRISE) Project. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the SUNRISE Project targets the regions of Ukraine most affected by HIV, expanding access to information and services for MARPs. In 2004, the Alliance- Ukraine began receiving funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) through the International HIV/AIDS Alliance secretariat.
The Alliance-Ukraine and the All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS now serve as co-principal recipients for a major GFATM grant. This grant focuses on providing integrated services, particularly treatment and prevention, to IDUs, who are key to the dynamics of the epidemic. The goal of the program is to strengthen and expand prevention services, particularly among groups at the center of the epidemic. At the same time, the program seeks to scale-up access to and improve the quality of antiretroviral treatment, develop better care and support services for affected people and communities, and improve the monitoring and evaluation of the epidemic's spread and the response to it.
The Alliance-Ukraine sets a global example for combination prevention programs by using a data- driven process to select prevention activities that address the key drivers of HIV transmission in Ukraine. The Alliance-Ukraine not only closely monitors national surveillance but also collects program data and conducts an ongoing program of operations research. The Alliance-Ukraine uses operations and programmatic research to understand its primary target groups of IDUs, sex workers, and MSM. Because epidemics are dynamic and the characteristics of at-risk populations change, the Alliance-Ukraine also employs operations research to understand newly emerging risk groups and behaviors and to modify its program activities based on findings.
The Alliance-Ukraine implements behavioral HIV prevention through targeted risk-reduction strategies for IDUs, sex workers, MSM, and incarcerated individuals. Peer support, provided on a one-to-one basis or through group sessions, occurs at drop-in centers that cater to the needs and preferences of each of the different groups. Outreach workers and mobile clinics also bring behavior change messages and essential services to MARPs at known gathering points. The Alliance-Ukraine continually seeks to identify new locations from which to broaden the reach of its program activities. The Alliance-Ukraine also implements biomedical prevention activities to respond directly to injecting drug use, the main cause of HIV transmission in Ukraine. Through its local implementing partners, the Alliance-Ukraine provides buprenorphine and methadone, medications for the treatment of heroin addiction, and clean needles and syringes. The Alliance-Ukraine partners also provide condoms and a variety of HIV prevention and care services, including counseling and testing, sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis and treatment, and psychosocial support. The Alliance-Ukraine also maintains effective linkages to government services, including those provided through national AIDS centers, such as counseling and testing, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, antiretroviral treatment, and psychosocial services.
The Alliance-Ukraine also implements activities to address structural factors limiting effective public health responses to the drivers of the HIV epidemic in Ukraine. Recently, the organization successfully championed the registration of methadone for substitution therapy and the introduction of rapid HIV test kits through local NGOs. Advocacy has focused on expanding access to harm reduction, lowering the purchase price for antiretrovirals to conform to international standards, and increasing funding for HIV-and AIDS-related activities. Alliance-supported programs also work with law enforcement and state social services to ensure an enabling environment for prevention by raising awareness of HIV prevention and substitution therapy and by pushing for decriminalization of minor drug offenses.
In addition to working at the national and regional levels, the Alliance-Ukraine works at the community level to ensure an engaged, active civil society. The Alliance-Ukraine supports the advocacy efforts of CBOs, building grassroots support for structural changes, and works to ensure that civil society organizations have the necessary financial and technical resources to meet local needs.
Reaching Most-at-Risk Populations
The Alliance-Ukraine implements several simultaneous approaches to increase people's access to information and services. Services for MARPs have been expanded through drop-in centers and linkages with complementary services such as government clinics, mobile services, and public and private sector pharmacies. Recently, the Alliance- Ukraine has adapted an innovative approach, peer- driven interventions (PDIs), to expand the reach of its program activities to the growing number of IDUs not reached by existing program activities.
Drop-in centers: Drop-in centers address the needs of their clients in a holistic manner, particularly addressing issues affecting MARPs. Typically staffed by people from most-at-risk communities, such as MSM and former IDUs, drop-in center staff and volunteers can both relate to their clients and serve as positive role models while providing strong advocacy on each client's behalf. Drop-in centers often cater to specific target populations but also offer a broad range of services because clients may engage in multiple HIV risk behaviors. Outreach workers bring information about the centers to clients in the community, seeking to reach members of MARP groups. The drop-in centers become more accessible for MARPs when staff engages local law enforcement to learn about the services the center provides and reduce harassment of prospective clients. In addition to HIV prevention information, drop-in centers offer such basic non-health services as showers, laundry facilities, and kitchens that help clients with daily needs and provide extra incentive for people to come. Drop-in centers also offer opportunities for social interaction, over a game of ping-pong or a soccer match on TV. These activities help build trust between clients and staff that facilitates dialogue about such difficult issues as drug use, sexual behavior, and HIV.
Linkages with other services: Drop-in centers run by the Alliance-Ukraine's implementing partners are often located within or nearby other centers that offer such complementary services as counseling and testing. The Alliance-Ukraine works to maintain a high level of coordination with government HIV services. In some instances, government AIDS centers have invited local NGOs supported by the Alliance-Ukraine to share their office space. Patients receiving counseling and testing services provided by government physicians in one room are referred down the hall to other rooms occupied by local NGOs that provide support services. Drop-in centers run by local NGOs invite government workers to provide counseling and testing on a mobilebasis, bringing these essential services closer to clients in environments where they feel welcome and comfortable. Having government medical staff provide services at drop-in centers gives clients a personal connection to the government AIDS center, making it easier for them to seek additional services.
Staff at alliance-supported NGOs like Faith, Hope & Love in Odessa provide HIV services to most-at-risk populations throughout Ukraine. (H. Bergmann, JSI)
New testing and referral strategies: Recognizing the challenges, stigma, and discrimination that MARPs face while trying to access services, the Alliance-Ukraine has played a major role in championing the provision of rapid HIV testing by NGOs. Although national standards require the use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests in government AIDS centers, some of the Alliance-Ukraine's implementing partners have begun to offer rapid tests in their drop-in centers and mobile clinics (see subsequent discussion). Clients who test positive are referred for confirmatory testing to the government AIDS centers. Volunteers or NGO staff often accompany clients to the center to make sure they are able to navigate the health system and are able to receive the confirmatory test, counseling, and support. Testing for other STIs, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, is available in NGO-run drop-in centers and mobile clinics. NGO staff may also refer clients to government facilities for treatment; if necessary, they will dispense medications provided by the Alliance to augment those available at government clinics. By providing services that complement what government clinics offer, Alliance-Ukraine partners increase access to essential services for MARPs; referring and accompanying clients to official clinics also improves access by supporting populations that may be reluctant to approach facilities run by the authorities.
Medication-assisted treatment: The Alliance-Ukraine initiated and rolled out medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opiate-dependent clients, offering substitution therapy with buprenorphine and methadone. Clinics involved in the program provide MAT free of charge, a great help to clients who cannot afford the treatment. Psychosocial support is often available on a one-on-one basis and through group sessions with psychologists and peers. Counseling prepares clients to initiate MAT and adhere to treatment regimens. Linkages to groups providing rehabilitation for various chemical dependencies other than opiates, including alcohol, allow the centers to serve clients with different risk behaviors.
Mobile clinics: Because not all members of MARPs will come to a drop-in center, the Alliance-Ukraine's partners operate mobile clinics that bring services to clients. Routes are influenced by the target population: mobile clinics targeting IDUs stop near "shooting galleries," while mobile clinics targeting sex workers travel along highways at night. Outreach workers distribute mobile clinic schedules in the community along with other HIV information. The mobile clinics are staffed by social workers or counselors and a nurse or other medical staff. They typically offer voluntary counseling and testing, STI diagnosis, condoms and needles/syringes, informational materials, and referral services. The specific mix of services and supplies offered by the mobile clinics reflects the needs of the target populations; for example, mobile clinics targeting sex workers also provide gynecological exams and feminine hygiene products. Mobile clinics serving clients who test positive are referred to government AIDS centers and STI clinics for confirmatory tests.
Medical staff in mobile ambulances provide a variety of services, including testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. (H. Bergmann, JSI)
Mobile ambulances, like this one in Cherkassy, travel throughout communities to reach more people. (H. Bergmann, JSI)
Pharmacies: To expand its reach to MARPs, the Alliance-Ukraine is now working with public and private sector pharmacies throughout the country that play vital roles in the national response to HIV. Pharmacies are numerous, widespread in communities, and are easily accessible to clients. At pharmacies, MARPs can more easily blend in with other clients. After presenting a card at participating pharmacies, clients receive a basic package of clean syringes and needles, condoms, and informational materials. Some pharmacies also serve as exchange points for used syringes and needles. Pharmacists receive sensitivity training to reduce the stigma felt by their clients, thus creating a friendlier environment to access services.
Peer-driven interventions: Adapted from the techniques developed to reach IDUs in the United States in the 1990s, PDIs are a cost-effective way to give programs access to hard-to-reach populations, expanding services beyond the usual clients and preventing program stagnation (Broadhead et al. 1998). Injecting drug use in Ukraine is changing; among younger people, opiates are losing popularity to stimulants that are prepared—"cooked"—by people using locally available ingredients. The Alliance-Ukraine noticed that the clients coming to the community centers and mobile clinics were predominantly older male opiate users. To reach beyond this clientele and draw in new groups of young stimulant users, the Alliance-Ukraine began to pilot a PDI that was adapted to the local environment.
PDIs use social networks and peer influence to access networks of people engaged in hidden behaviors (Broadhead et al. 1998), such as injecting drug use or informal sex work. The Alliance-Ukraine's partner organizations begin by carefully selecting clients ("seeds"), often active users, who understand drug-using populations and are strongly motivated to serve others like themselves. Seeds receive counseling and education at the community center and learn how PDI works. They then distribute three coupons to members of their drug-using community along with HIV education, relaying specific pieces of information that the coupon recipients will be asked to repeat later. For each coupon that is returned to the community center by a newly recruited IDU seeking services, the seed receives a small amount of money; additional money is awarded to the seed for each question these first-wave clients get correct on a quiz testing their knowledge of HIV. These first-wave clients then receive additional basic HIV education and referrals to counseling and testing services; they also receive their own three coupons and the cycle repeats itself. The program can choose to award a slightly larger incentive for recruiting clients with certain characteristics. For example, if the program wishes to reach younger, stimulant-using female clients, they can increase the amount of money paid to people who successfully recruit these types of clients.
Alliance-Ukraine's Technical Approach
Pharmacies distribute packages with harm reduction commodities—including clean needles/syringes, alcohol swabs, condoms, and information on HIV services. (H. Bergmann, JSI)
Strengthening the civil society response to HIV and AIDS at a regional level: Since 2008, the Alliance-Ukraine awards grants annually to dozens of NGOs and CBOs to implement HIV and AIDS prevention and care activities. After mapping MARPs and examining local information on the epidemic, the Alliance-Ukraine issues a call for proposals that identify target populations and locations for prevention programming on a regional basis. By including examples of "typical" projects in the call for proposals, the Alliance-Ukraine provides applicants with models of known efficacy that they can adopt and modify to their particular setting. External consultants review proposals from each region, recommending some projects as proposed for funding and others on the condition that they agree to make recommended changes.
Unfortunately, there are few NGOs both willing and able to work with MARPs. The Alliance-Ukraine has developed a strategy to engage more community organizations in HIV and AIDS activities and build their capacity. It recruits candidate CBOs, called initiative groups, that have a demonstrated ability and desire to work with MARPs but little or no experience in implementing HIV-related activities. The Alliance-Ukraine helps the CBO develop those skills, providing financial and technical support. As in other areas of the Ukraine-Alliance's work, one goal is to encourage the meaningful involvement of vulnerable people, including those living with HIV and AIDS, in the design and implementation of program activities. After developing their skills in service provision or advocacy, these initiative groups go on to register as local NGOs.
Ongoing operations and programmatic research: The Alliance-Ukraine is adept at using different sources of data on HIV and AIDS, including data from surveillance surveys, special studies, and program monitoring. Analysis of these data allows the Alliance-Ukraine to adjust the mix of services to meet client needs. Increasing data utilization at all levels of program planning and implementation remains an ongoing challenge, as does increasing the flow of data both to and from implementing partners. Operations research, a relatively new component of the Alliance-Ukraine technical assistance portfolio, is initiated by technical support managers and program staff. Operations research provides feedback on which programmatic approaches are working—and which ones are not—while identifying which additional services or facilities target populations may need.
To identify characteristics of stimulant users in Ukraine, Alliance-Ukraine partners conducted a series of focus groups with stimulant users in June 2008 and February 2009 (Shulga 2008b; Shulga and Smyrnov 2009). Results from these focus groups helped in the development of a 2009 research protocol to study stimulant users in Ukraine which identified the most popular drugs, methods of consumption and other injection behaviors, reasons for use, and characteristics of users.
To improve harm reduction service delivery to stimulant users, the Alliance-Ukraine collaborated with the Foundation Open Society Institute to develop the "Group Level Intervention for Stimulant Users," which consists of 12 weekly educational sessions. The intervention was piloted at three pilot sites in 2009 and appeared to be highly effective; staff at an additional 10 project sites were trained for implementation in 2009 and 2010.
In 2006 and 2007, Alliance-Ukraine partner NGOs noted the growth of stimulant users in their quarterly program reports, a trend confirmed by the data of the All Ukrainian AIDS Centre (Yeshenko 2009) and behavioral monitoring of IDUs (Alliance- Ukraine 2005, 2008). Analysis revealed that the proportion of stimulant users increased from 20 percent in 2005 to 34.5 per-cent in 2008, while opiate use decreased from 91 percent to 82.2 percent. A further literature review showed that stimulants were more commonly used by people younger than 25 years old (Chintalova-Dallas et al. 2009). There was also some evidence that stimulant users were at higher risk of HIV transmission than were opiate users because of riskier injection behavior (Booth et al. 2008). Implementing partners accustomed to working with opiate users reported difficulties working with an emerging population of stimulant users: it was not clear which stimulants they were using and there was no consensus on how to address their addiction (Shulga 2008a).
Adapting to ongoing changes in the dynamics of the HIV epidemic among MARPs: The Alliance-Ukraine conducts operations and programmatic research to understand newly emerging MARPs, and to explore the behaviors that place them at increased risk for HIV. For example, recent research aims to understand the context of stimulant use among people, elucidating the mechanisms through which use of these non-opiate drugs create routes for HIV transmission. These high-risk behaviors include frequent injections and increased needle sharing among young people who gather in apartments to "cook" and consume drugs.
In addition to their other program management and technical support activities, technical support managers lead research efforts at the Alliance-Ukraine; this dual role helps the organization maintain a vital connection between program design and program implementation experience at the field level. These staff provide technical support to implementing partners while helping to develop and test new approaches to working with vulnerable groups. Where merited, technical support managers manage pilot interventions, monitor results, and evaluate approaches for potential adaptation and wider implementation. They are also involved in the development of educational models on emerging technical topics.
Flexible, responsive advocacy for supportive policies and an improved regulatory environment: Vulnerability to HIV is exacerbated by poverty, the abuse of people's rights, and social inequalities based on gender, class, and sexual orientation. As such, HIV programs for MARPs are compelled to address the underlying environmental, legal, and regulatory factors that increase vulnerability. The Alliance-Ukraine advocates for policies that create an enabling environment and that limit stigma and discrimination.
Monitoring data and putting the information to use at the local level helps the Alliance-Ukraine maintain a flexible approach to HIV services. (H. Bergmann, JSI)
At the national level, the Alliance-Ukraine successful advocated for the registration and delivery of methadone to Ukraine, for provision of rapid HIV tests, and for monitoring and moderating the purchasing prices for antiretroviral drugs.
The Alliance-Ukraine seeks to involve partners in policy and advocacy work and build local capacity to engage communities in the response to HIV. Since 2004, the Alliance-Ukraine has conducted national training for people living with HIV and AIDS on policy and advocacy for human rights, and does similar rights-based training with other vulnerable groups (IDUs, sex workers, MSM), NGOs, and health care workers. More intensive "summer schools" on policy and advocacy take place every year.
Other local advocacy activities include raising awareness with law enforcement about HIV and drug use. Community centers provide their clients with cards containing legal information about drug possession and their rights if stopped by the police. Likewise, police receive informational materials on laws relating to HIV and drugs. Law enforcement personnel learn about safer injection practices, antiretroviral treatment, and the importance of adherence, as well as locations of community centers. Knowing police are not waiting outside the centers to harass and arrest them for possession of antiretrovirals, clean syringes, or other harm reduction materials helps clients feel more confident about using services.
Program Results
Data that suggest the HIV epidemic is stabilizing among Ukrainian IDUs after years of growth provide evidence of the impact of harm reduction programs. HIV incidence among IDUs decreased slightly in 2007 and 2008 for the first time in a decade, and among recent IDUs (individuals who have injected for two years or less), HIV prevalence is decreasing. IDUs are reporting less risky behavior: reported use of sterile equipment at last injection has risen since 2006.
By the end of 2008, 194,440 IDUs had been reached with harm reduction services. This number implies coverage of 60 percent of IDUs in Ukraine, estimated to be 325,000 people. The program reaches an estimated 33 percent of IDUs with harm reduction services; over the years, 66 percent of IDUs have had some level of contact with program activities. The harm reduction programs are reaching more individuals each year, providing crucial information and services to this MARP.
The Alliance-Ukraine provides the vast majority of prevention services in the country. In 2008 alone, more than 300,000 people accessed HIV prevention services through the Alliance-Ukraine's programs. As of January 1, 2009, the Alliance-Ukraine had reached 194,440 IDUs, 32,740 sex workers, 18,671 MSM, and 57,553 incarcerated individuals.
In addition to its success in service delivery, the policy and advocacy accomplishments of the Alliance-Ukraine demonstrate their leadership in HIV prevention. The Alliance-Ukraine advocated for implementation of MAT with methadone, coordinated efforts to register the medicines, and obtained government decrees on its use from the president and Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health implemented an HIV monitoring system based on the Alliance-Ukraine model. The Alliance-Ukraine successfully handed over 6,070 clients on antiretroviral therapy to government and state budgets in December 2008.
What Has Worked Well
Placing communities at the center of the response: Throughout its work with MARPs, the Alliance-Ukraine maintains its core commitment to meaningful involvement of vulnerable people, including those living with HIV and AIDS, and to ensuring that their communities at large play a central role in the response to the epidemic. IDUs, sex workers, and MSM are involved in program planning, as are NGO staff, who are often former or current members of these groups. By employing members of affected populations, implementing partners enjoy close ties with affected communities and can more easily gather current information on risk groups and behaviors. By addressing the needs of MARPs in a holistic manner, and by recognizing people's right to social interaction, basic human amenities, and respect, the Alliance-Ukraine's partner organizations further the goals of harm reduction and HIV prevention. Through close collaboration with implementing partners, the Alliance-Ukraine receives current information at the local level, allowing the organization to adapt to changes in the epidemic, risk groups, and risk behaviors.
By addressing the needs of MARPs in a holistic manner, and by recognizing people's right to social interaction, basic human amenities, and respect, the Alliance-Ukraine's partner organizations further the goals of harm reduction and HIV prevention.
Continuous learning and innovation: The Alliance-Ukraine demonstrates a unique capacity for institutional learning and innovation. Ongoing generation and utilization of data on the epidemic and on program activities guide the selection of activities and implementing partners at the regional level. Operations and programmatic research is used to identify additional risk behaviors and sub-populations within MARPs and what their needs are. Operations research enables the program to explore newly identified risk groups and behaviors and to modify its programmatic approaches to reach vulnerable populations and prevent program stagnation.
Continuous learning has resulted in important innovations. For example, PDI expands the reach of the program to new members of MARPs and new groups. Initiative groups deepen civil society's engagement and allow services to be delivered in places and to communities that might otherwise be missed. Operations and programmatic research helps the Alliance-Ukraine understand the needs and HIV-related risk behaviors of younger groups of stimulant users.
Countering structural barriers: Because vulnerability to HIV is increased by poverty, the abuse of people's rights, and social inequalities, HIV programs for MARPs must address the underlying environmental, legal, and regulatory factors that increase vulnerability. To adapt to a continually changing context, the Alliance-Ukraine finds it necessary to maintain a dynamic understanding of its clients' lives and the various contextual factors that increased their vulnerability to HIV. The Alliance-Ukraine has had to persist, innovate, and continually change what it does to get decisionmakers on board at the national, regional, local, and client level.
At the national level, the Alliance-Ukraine advocates for improved implementation of HIV and AIDS activities through the National Council on HIV/AIDS under the administration of the Government and President of Ukraine. Working at a national level, the Alliance-Ukraine has been able to champion structural changes that have permitted its clients to access MAT and rapid tests, as well as the registration of medicines, implementation of import quotas and monitoring systems, and more. Working with local law enforcement and social services to raise awareness about the cross-cutting issues of HIV and injecting drug use, as well as dependence and rehabilitation, has helped foster a less punitive environment for IDUs and has improved relations between these groups.
Other challenges remain. For example, within Ukraine's medicalized health care system, MARPs face the continuing challenges of stigma and discrimination, sometimes at the hands of health system personnel. The government AIDS centers, narcotics clinics, and STI clinics are working together with Alliance-Ukraine partners to address these issues, for example, by coordinating aspects of their service delivery with local NGOs whose outreach workers are drawn from affected populations. Additionally, some clients now also find it easier to access needle exchange commodities, educational materials, and condoms in numerous public and private sector pharmacies, where they blend in more easily with the typical flow of pharmacy clientele and where they are more readily received by pharmacy staff, many of whom have dealt with drug use and HIV in their home communities.
Coordinating the activities of numerous implementing partners and managing demand for technical support: The Alliance-Ukraine provides a large and increasing number of local implementing partners with technical support and resources, while allowing communities to make decisions and take action. Some organizations receive one-on-one technical support; the Alliance-Ukraine also organizes seminars and provides technical and management resource materials. As national prevention programs are scaled up, the Alliance-Ukraine faces the challenges of providing these resources to an even larger number of organizations in a multitude of settings. The Alliance-Ukraine is attempting to meet these challenges through the development of standard approaches and regional NGO proposals, as well as the development and dissemination of technical and managerial aids. The Alliance makes use of regularly scheduled monitoring visits to provide technical assistance to organizations, and conducts supervision and technical support site visits on a more targeted basis, as needs arise. Technical assistance covers a range of technical design and program management issues (e.g., human resource management, financial management, data and reporting issues). Participation in and coordination of regional planning exercises help ensure that efforts are complementary. The Alliance-Ukraine aims to expand available opportunities for institutional learning through its establishment of Regional Informational Resource Centers that provide technical support at the request of local implementing organizations. The Alliance-Ukraine and several of its implementing partners participate in regional and local HIV/AIDS coordinating councils, as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen integration with the national program.
Recommendations for Implementers
Consider evidence-based combination programming: Combination programming has served this organization well, increasing the reach of the Alliance-Ukraine to many members of MARPs that might otherwise remain without access to services. In addition to behavioral interventions, IDUs benefit from biomedical interventions that reduce the harmful practices that increase HIV transmission. Structural interventions that advocate for helpful policies and regulations help curb stigma and discrimination as they promote new and needed changes in services (for example, the addition of methadone and rapid tests).
Base program decisions on an evolving understanding of MARPs and the context of risk: Knowledge of MARPs enables the Alliance-Ukraine to understand the evolving context of risk and to carefully select program elements that, in combination, counter a wide array of factors that increase people's vulnerability to HIV. This knowledge is active, not passive: to stay on top of changes in the environment and in risk factors, the Alliance-Ukraine has developed instruments to assist implementers routinely and systematically assess and understand the context of programs working with IDUs, including changes in drug use behaviors and the broader social and policy environment. To maintain a positive impact on prevention for MARPs, the Alliance-Ukraine has to remain flexible. Routine monitoring of program implementation allows implementing partners to analyze any changes in drug use and adapt services accordingly. Knowing the local context and being willing to change, even when met by resistance from communities or parts of the health care and legal systems, are key lessons from the Alliance-Ukraine experience.
Intensify and expand efforts to reach MARPs: While building on its successes in reducing the spread of HIV among IDUs, the Alliance-Ukraine plans to scale-up and intensify its outreach to MSM, street-based sex workers, sex workers who inject drugs, prisoners, and street children between 10 and 18 years old. The Alliance-Ukraine plans to consistently employ novel approaches, such as PDI, to focus on hard-to-reach populations, providing incentives for increased uptake of new groups of younger stimulant users, women, MSM, and informal sex worker populations. Establishing a range of services that meet clients' needs will continue to help expand the reach of programs.
Expanding HIV prevention and care throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Building on its experiences in Ukraine and expanding on its innovative program efforts, the Alliance-Ukraine aims to become a technical hub for Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Staff members are providing technical assistance to programs in the region that seek to expand or improve services, supplementing programmatic resources already available. In particular, the Alliance-Ukraine is supporting continued scale-up of substitution therapy programming in these regions. In addition to sharing descriptive information on programs, the Alliance-Ukraine can provide specialized training and support the adaptation of programmatic approaches or development of typical projects based on their successful models.
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Shulga, L., and P. Smyrnov. 2009. Increased Stimulant Use in Ukraine: Focus-Groups Results. Poster presented at the IHRA 20th International Conference, Bangkok, April 20–23. Abstract 698.
UNAIDS/WHO. 2008. Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV and AIDS, 2008 Update. (accessed July 8, 2011).
Yeshenko, G. 2009. HIV Infection in Ukraine. Information Bulletin No. 31. Kiev: Ministry of Health. (PDF, 774 KB) (accessed July 8, 2011).
Publications of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine are available here .
International HIV/AIDS Alliance
AIDSTAR-One would like to thank the entire International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine staff and their implementing partners for their enthusiasm for and dedication to the completion of this case study. The project also expresses gratitude to the Alliance-Ukraine program clients who were willing to share their experiences and provide a personal richness to the information gathered. Thanks also to the All-Ukrainian Network of people living with HIV/AIDS, the Coalition of HIV/AIDS Service NGOs, and Constella/Futures for sharing their time and experiences. Special thanks also to Ukraine's National AIDS Center, UNAIDS, and USAID in Ukraine and Washington, DC, for their assistance, advice, and helpful feedback. AIDSTAR-One also thanks the Together for Health project for its support in making the case study possible.
Recommended Citation
Bergmann, Heather, and Sharon Stash. 2010. Case Study: The Alliance-Ukraine: Promising Approaches to Combination HIV Prevention Programming in Concentrated Epidemics. Case Study Series. Arlington, VA: USAID AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources, AIDSTAR-One Task Order 1.


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Work to start on £150m Plymouth tungsten mine
Posted: February 11, 2014|
THE firm behind the £150million Hemerdon tungsten project has told its contractor to start work on building the mine.
Speciality metals development company Wolf Minerals Limited has authorised Australia's GR Engineering Services Limited (GRES) to commence construction.
Wolf said this represents a "key milestone" in the development of the Hemerdon project, and sets it on a definitive timeline for construction, commissioning and first production, which is scheduled for mid-2015.
Perth-based GRES was awarded the fixed price £75million, fixed term EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract for the design, building and commissioning of the three million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) tungsten and tin mineral processing plant plus associated infrastructure last June 2013.
The contract term is for 24 months.
GRES has conducted a detailed design of the plant and facilities, as well as procurement of key pieces of equipment, and is now ready to commence construction on the site.
The commencement of construction follows the finalisation of the purchase of 15 residential properties around the project site required by the project's planning permission, the issuance of the environmental permit required for the mining waste facility, and the signing of the 40-year lease with the project's landowners.
Wolf also said that, in addition to having its project operations management team in place, it now has its project manager, Rupert McCracken, and construction manager, Dave Henderson, resident in the UK.
The Hemerdon plan is to process 27million tons of tungsten during nine-and-a-half years – but there are actually 400 million tons under the ground.
The project is likely to put a large slice of anticipated £70million annual sales into the Plymouth economy and create jobs ranging from geologists, engineers and mining surveyors to truck drivers.
The open-cast pit Wolf will dig, a more cost-attractive option than an underground mine, is planned to be 200m deep, but the tungsten deposit runs to 400m deep.
Wolf Minerals' managing director Russell Clark said: "We have been focused on achieving the key milestones required to allow construction to commence at the Hemerdon project, and are delighted these are now all in place and construction can commence.
"The Wolf management team is established at its UK base and GRES is mobilising and will commence construction in the very near future.
"This is a very exciting time in the company's development and provides visible proof to the market that the project will be built and that Wolf will be the next significant producer of tungsten concentrate globally."


text:
2010 Complete Election Coverage: Sarah Palin on Jim DeMint: It's all good
Sarah Palin on Wednesday moved to quash any talk of a rivalry between her and fellow conservative grassroots hero Sen. Jim DeMint.
The former Alaska Republican governor and the South Carolina senator have both endorsed a number of conservative candidates – including newly-minted Delaware Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell – party power brokers in Washington have shied away from, prompting speculation that the two are competing to build power structures outside of the GOP establishment.Continue Reading
Asked about the theory during an interview with Fox News, Palin denied that any such rivalry exists.
"Jim DeMint is brilliant, and I have a great respect for him, and I am not in this for any kind of personal gain or power grab, at all," Palin said. "I don't even know how to play those type of games, and I don't have the people, the machines, the whatever-it-takes to be in a position like that.
"I am thankful that Jim DeMint is so bold and courageous that he is getting out there and making these endorsements, too," Palin added. "No competition there, at all."
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Andy Barr


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Earlier this month, I celebrated a birthday. I was born just a month before the Six Day War, in 1967. I remember learning about the great victory this was for Israel: the nation, not yet 20 years after its establishment, had bolstered its security and laid to rest any doubts about its will and intent to survive, even if surrounded by hostile foes.
Forty-four years later, many of the same challenges to Israel and the region still exist. Over these ensuing decades, there have been continued ups and downs for the Jewish State - continued strife and additional wars, the strain of its sibling-like relationship with the U. S. (and all the love and baggage that goes with any such relationship), and especially the internal and ongoing challenge to live up to being a country that exemplifies Jewish values (including yet not limited to justice, righteousness, mercy, and pluralism - social, political AND religious) that should be applied to ALL the permanent residents within its borders.
Part of the historic controversy regarding Israel's place in the world has been brought out by President Obama's remarks just yesterday. In proposing Israel's "pre-1967 borders" as a guideline for resumption of talks with the Palestinians, Mr. Obama has raised concerns (rightly or wrongly) among people who note that no previous U.S. president had yet used that term.
As has been pointed out, the overall concept offered in the President's speech regarding a two-state solution with mutual respect and security doesn't differ much, if at all, from the generally accepted norm - yet again, it's not so much what you say, but rather how you say it (and more so, how it is heard).
Well, I guess the resolution of the Israel-Palestinian situation won't necessarily be found in this current year...yet with patience, trust, and the true desire to create a better world, perhaps in our lifetime...


text:
Berkeley DB for C# and STL
The embeddable database Berkeley DB is available in version 4.8.26 with new APIs.
The Berkeley DB programming interface now supports the C# .NET language and provides the matching tests and sample code. Also new is the Standard Template Library (STL) API that is compatible with C++. Developers also improved performance in concurrency for multi-threaded applications on SMP systems. The jump from 4.7 to 4.8 additionally changed the log data format.
Berkeley DB, an Oracle acquisition since 2006, is dual-licensed. Users can choose between a commercial and a BSD-like open source license. Details and downloads for UNIX/Linux and Windows are on Oracle's Berkeley DB webpages.
Issue 178/2015
Buy this issue as a PDF
Qemu Flaw Lets the Guest Escape
Xen project announces a privilege escalation problem for Qemu host systems
Android Bug Threatens Millions of Users
Attackers can compromise an Android phone just by sending a text message
Lenovo and Canonical Announce Laptop Deal
PC vendor will pre-install Ubuntu on portables in India.
Mozilla Firefox Blocks Flash
More embarrassment for Adobe's embattled multimedia tool
Security Problem in Firefox's NoScript Add-On
Mozilla's script blocker add-on could be putting malware sites on the whitelist.
RIP SSLv3
The Internet community officially banishes the notoriously unsafe Secure Sockets Layer protocol.
Mate 1.1 Arrives
Popular desktop environment continues the Gnome 2 legacy – with new support for the Gnome 3 toolkit.
US Government Requires HTTPS
The Obama White House has issued a memorandum telling all US government agencies they must use HTTPS for all websites and web communication.
Mozilla Signs Firefox Add-Ons
New program will dial up security for the Firefox browser.
Fedora 22 Arrives
Red Hat's community distro embraces the cloud.


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SCRANTON — A pizza place in Scranton is donating a portion of its sales to a good cause.
Pizza by Pappas is raising money for autism awareness. Owners of the restaurant along North Washington Avenue said they will give 50% of all pizza sales on Tuesday and Wednesday to Friendship House's Autism Care.
The owner of Pizza by Pappas said they've raised thousands of dollars for autism awareness since the first fundraiser five years ago.


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Philip Morris
CEO of Proctors, Schenectady
Monthly Archive for February, 2012
I don't get it.
The furor over rules requiring birth control and family options as part of health coverage requirements just goes over my head. Not only have many states had similar requirements for many years, but the institutions affected, religiously sponsored but not sacred organizations, seem hell bent on isolating themselves from the larger world. I understand an […] [Read More]


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Emrah Ekici
PhD Student
Emrah Ekici is a doctoral student in Accounting at C.T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston. Before he joins Bauer, he received master's degree in Finance from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Ankara University.
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text: This course will enable students to integrate data, judgment and managerial knowledge to build spreadsheet models to quantify the financial and operational implications of managerial choices, to make sense of large datasets, and to communicate actionable managerial insights. Students will be able to explain techniques for managing business analysis to achieve high productivity, high accuracy, and to build spreadsheet models that will serve as long-term organizational assets. Students will understand the principles of descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics and will be able to execute the primary techniques in a spreadsheet and other commercial software. Students will be aware of the ethical issues that can arise in business analytic work. Restricted to Business Administration, Business Administration, Business Administration, and Organization Development majors


text: 0106 HR Magazine: HR's New Breed By Robert Rodriguez 3/1/2006 Permissions Vol. 51, No. 1 Coming to an office near you: HR professionals with wide-ranging business skills and a desire for challenging work. Todays Today's up-and-coming HR professionals, those now in undergraduate and graduate programs, are learning things that weren't necessarily part of traditional HR—from finance and operations to statistics and strategy. When these newly minted professionals begin their HR careers, what will they expect—and what can employers expect from them? These future professionals expect to use the business training they're investing in today. They want challenging jobs, not administrative tasks. They believe that the HR function is increasing in importance and that they can help demonstrate HR's relevance to companies' bottom lines. And bottom lines are familiar to them because many of them have business experience in fields outside HR. Take Don Miller, for instance. Miller, who has an undergraduate degree in finance and economics, started his career at one of the top five accounting firms doing financial and litigation consulting—reconciling bankruptcy contracts, to be exact. He had planned to pursue a legal career until a consulting engagement made him aware of just how valuable the HR function can be to the success of a business. "This consulting assignment really showed me the importance of having the right people in the right place at the right time, and I saw HR as largely responsible for such decisions," Miller says. An internship in Microsoft's HR organization confirmed his decision to pursue an HR career. Now he is completing his second year in the MBA program at Michigan State University, with a concentration in HR. And while some of his MBA classmates give him a hard time for focusing on HR, Miller is having the last laugh. He says Microsoft has already offered him an HR job. "I'm choosing a career in HR because I see the function being a huge driver of business success," Miller says. He believes the transition to a knowledge-based economy is already making HR more respected and valued in the workplace because HR can help find the people with the right knowledge. Miller may have exceptional financial and business credentials, but he is not the exception to the rule. "I think it's already the case that people taking high-level HR jobs are coming from other functional areas where they have a more financial orientation," says Peter Cappelli, professor and director of the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. "The function is now attracting people who want to be seen as businesspeople first, HR experts second," adds Lisa Harris, senior vice president of client services at Gevity, an HR service provider based in Bradenton, Fla. "When someone tells me they want to go into HR because they want to help others, I tell them they should go become a social worker." What They're Learning Future HR professionals like Miller are studying in a changing academic environment where HR programs emphasize business and financial skills as never before. As a result, tomorrow's HR practitioners are receiving a greater financial orientation, learning to think strategically and developing planning skills. In fact, these are skills that HR students are demanding. Savvy students will shy away from programs that do not offer solid business and finance courses, says Bill Conaty, senior vice president of corporate HR at Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric and a member of the advisory board for the Center for Advanced Human Resources Studies at Cornell University. Miller agrees. When he was deciding where to earn his graduate degree, he was put off by HR programs that lacked courses on data segmentation or financial statement analysis. The absence of such courses was a factor in his decision to pursue an MBA with a concentration in HR, rather than an HR degree. The preferences of students such as Miller, and employers, are leading to changes at many colleges and universities. Traditionally, academic institutions are "primarily driven by the interests and views of faculty," Cappelli says. "They focus primarily on academic research questions, not practice, and those questions haven't changed much." But professors note that employers and students today, even more than faculty, are driving some changes to academic HR programs—and university administrators are altering curricula accordingly. Little wonder, then, that today Cappelli sees academic HR programs including more operations research and internal accounting courses. Such skills are needed to help HR professionals demonstrate the business benefits of HR programs, something employers increasingly demand, he notes. A business and financial perspective also is being emphasized in the HR curriculum at Penn State University. William Rothwell, professor in charge of workforce education and development, says he has added a real-world application focus to HR courses to better prepare students for the demands they will face. For example, instead of focusing on theories about succession planning, Rothwell emphasizes the return on investment of succession planning programs. Such changes appeal to mid-career students who already have experience in business, he says. Since organizations are concentrating on the impact HR has on overall business success, Harris believes academic programs need to include courses that help students develop meaningful HR metrics and scorecards. Some organizations are partnering with academic institutions to help develop such measures. Gevity is working with Cornell University "to develop better measurement methods of how HR practices impact business performance," says Harris, who oversees a group of about 200 HR consultants. Other changes to HR curricula are coming soon, say experts. For example, the emergence of the HR outsourcing industry requires universities to better prepare students on how to make outsourcing decisions and how to establish and maintain relationships with external vendors, academics say. And Rothwell predicts that future HR programs will include more courses covering globalization issues, regulation and technology. Wanted: Challenging Jobs Given that up-and-coming HR professionals will possess a bevy of business and financial skills, employers will need to make sure these talents are put to good use. New HR professionals expect jobs that let them use the skills they developed both in academic programs and at previous jobs. A recent symposium on the future of HR, hosted by the Society for Human Resource Management, confirms that challenging jobs and clear career paths are keys to attracting high-caliber students to the profession. "If the HR function wants to continue attracting top students, HR jobs will have to be more interesting," says Cappelli. He recommends that organizations keep their challenging human resource projects in-house, rather than sending those projects to consultants out of house. Tim Richmond, director of talent management at 3M, the diversified technology company based in St. Paul, Minn., believes HR is attracting better talent because of the changing nature of HR jobs. "Some current HR leaders grew up in an environment where HR was called personnel and the function was very administrative and traditional. Today, people see HR leaders who are working on corporate strategy and driving the talent agenda within a firm. This makes it much more exciting and appealing as a career choice," says Richmond. "The best and brightest will seek out roles where they are seen as legitimate business partners," says Conaty. Truly talented people don't want to be in an administrative function but rather in a role where they can affect business results, organizational values and corporate culture, he says. "I started at GE in an operations role myself but moved into HR because I saw a function that would allow me to use my people leadership skills as well as my business acumen," Conaty adds. "Now I continue to see more and more folks from operations backgrounds coming into HR for the same reason." Students like Angela Ritchey, now enrolled in an HR graduate program at Capella University in Minneapolis, come from backgrounds where the jobs offer diverse challenges. Ritchey is a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, the global strategy and management consulting firm based in McLean, Va. She has helped the Air Force implement strategic satellite communication systems and provided support to NASA as part of an enterprisewide business operations transformation. Earlier in her career, she held accounting jobs for several technology firms, including 3Com and Applied Materials. Ritchey turned to HR because she sees it becoming more sophisticated: "The HR field really excites me because I see so much potential in the function." She chose Capella's graduate degree program because she "saw a good mix of business courses to complement their HR courses, and I think such capabilities are critical in becoming a strategic business partner." The program includes required courses in HR as well as finance, data analysis, strategic planning, marketing and decision-making. Acting as 'Consultants' Given that tomorrow's HR professionals will have more job experience in fields other than HR, an education focused on business and a desire to be challenged, what can employers expect from them? 3M's Richmond believes employers will see someone who acts like a business consultant and who happens to deal with people issues. "By acting as an internal consultant, [HR professionals] will be perceived as being more credible with regard to handling the management of people within an organization," adds Richmond. Consultants often are viewed as being more objective, more business-oriented and more in touch with other employers' best practices than human resources is. Rothwell believes employers can expect someone who is more than just a business partner. "A 'business partner' indicates equality with other functions when it comes to people issues, and this minimizes HR's level of responsibility," he says. "HR leaders of the future will be able to drive the people agenda of an organization, and no other functional area will want to make a people decision without involving HR." GE's Conaty expects to see more HR practitioners who can perform well in cross-functional and operational roles. (See " Challenging New HR Leaders".) "Because of their background, I see a future not where HR will have a problem getting a seat at the table, but one where HR will have a hard time getting away from the table because they will be so highly sought after for their insight and expertise," Conaty says. Robert Rodriguez, Ph.D., is faculty chair for the human resource and leadership programs in the School of Business at Capella University in Minneapolis, where he teaches courses in HR and talent management. Permissions Challenging New HR Leaders One of the first things Bill Conaty did when he assumed the role of senior vice president of corporate HR at General Electric was to change the structure of GE's Human Resource Leadership Program (HRLP). The two-year program previously required participants to rotate through three eight-month-long HR assignments. Conaty required that one of the assignments be a cross-functional role outside HR in a field such as finance, operations, marketing or corporate auditing. He also included more international assignments. With many new HR practitioners seeking to focus on the business side of HR, such changes have helped HRLP appeal to a broader range of business professionals from a more global talent pool. About 95 percent of the participants have either an MBA or a graduate degree in HR. About 50 percent of the current 125 HRLP participants are on international assignments. "The reason that the program is so attractive is that the functional assignments allow participants in the program to compete and excel in cross-functional roles," Conaty says. Such experience provides participants with a competitive advantage. The participants perform so well in their assignments that they are highly sought after by GE business units for HR positions, Conaty says. He adds that the ultimate testament to the program's success is that about 15 percent of HRLP participants are offered jobs in functions other than HR. Conaty says, "Not only does the program allow us to successfully attract really top talent into HR roles, the caliber of the participants advances the credibility of the HR function within GE." "In my first year at GE, I've done more than other companies let you do in five," says Paul Davies, who has been in the HRLP for a year. Davies, who holds a degree in business management from the University of Queensland in Australia, has traveled to Paris, London, Japan and India as part of his cross-functional assignment in corporate auditing. "As you can imagine," says Davies, "a balance sheet audit is a huge stretch for someone with an HR background. But that's exactly the kind of opportunity you get at GE. There's a real belief in the importance of cross-functional and cross-business exposure. And that adds up to unlimited possibilities." Robert Rodriguez Promoting the Profession People outside HR simply don't know much about it. This lack of exposure makes it difficult for them to appreciate what HR does, and it can be a barrier to attracting people into the field. Worse still, some people have a negative impression of HR based on their interactions with it. "When I started out in my career, I didn't see HR very much and I thought of the function as being very administrative and not appealing at all," says Don Miller, who is pursuing an MBA with a concentration in HR at Michigan State University. How can HR get the word out to today's students that HR is changing and challenging? Having HR executives speak to college classes is one way to open a discussion. Sasha Diskin, who recently completed an MBA at DePaul University in Chicago, felt she knew little about HR until senior HR executives came to speak. "As part of my graduate human resource class, our professor brought in several executives who provided a unique perspective about HR, and I saw the function in a completely different way," she says. Diskin, a vice president in the risk management group at LaSalle Bank in Chicago, now has a new appreciation for the function and says she wouldn't rule out a career opportunity in HR. Tim Richmond, director of talent management at 3M, says that while he does occasionally see HR executives speaking to business school students, HR as a whole needs to do a better job of sharing success stories to attract more top talent. "Students outside HR don't know the role the function plays within a firm. Those of us in HR need to get out and share our story more effectively," he says. Corporate and academic experts recommend that HR executives contact MBA and HR programs and offer to speak. Also, some HR executives work with business faculties on a variety of issues, and those contacts can lead to speaking opportunities. And as CEOs give public recognition to HR, students will want to learn more. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, has said that the top HR person is the second most important person in an organization. That type of attention can draw students' interest. Another way to raise awareness is to offer internships in HR. Internships expose employees from other areas to HR and its value to the organization. Miller says an internship convinced him to leave financial consulting and pursue HR. Robert Rodriguez Related Content Chief Culture Officers Fill a Growing Need Member Spotlight: Valerie Utsey, SHRM-CP Member Spotlight: Toby Atkinson, SHRM-SCP Develop Better Leaders Through Coaching by HR Member Spotlight: Mandy Woulfe, SHRM-SCP TOP PICKS: LEGAL & REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS FLSA Essentials Manual Online compliance guide with update service. Webcast: Who and What Federal Contractors Must Count Cara Crotty on new rules for employers doing business with the government. Available on demand. Seminar: California HR Learn critical California workplace regulations. Oct. 26-27, L.A. Labor Law Posters State and federal labor law posters with one-year update service. U.S. Immigration Essentials SHRM Seminar - Oct. 2015 in Los Angeles; Nov. 2015 in Houston Workplace Compliance E-Newsletter Free weekly update, summarizing legal decisions, legislative news and regulatory news. Whistleblowing, Reporting, & Retaliation Online course from SHRM E-Learning Express Request: Same-Sex Marriage Learn implications of Supreme Court's recent ruling. Webcast: The ACA After the Supreme Court Sibyl Bogardus discusses what employers should do now. Available now on-demand. Swipe for more! ADVERTISING LINKS


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All first-time freshmen must successfully complete CAS 100: First Year Experience as a degree requirement. Students must enroll during their first term at USA, except for summer-entry students who must enroll in the fall semester following entry. Students receiving a B.A. in Visual Arts must take ARS 396 (Studio Art students) or ARH 493 (Art History students) to fulfill the technology requirement. Students receiving a B.F.A. in Studio Art must take ARS 396 (Studio students), or ARS 479 (Graphic Design students), or ARH 493 (Art History students) to fulfill the technology requirement.GRAPHIC DESIGN LAPTOP POLICY AND COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS
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HUGOWednesday, 25 April 2012 01:04
Hugo Da Boss is the next big thing. WOW! That's a huge statement, but this talented rapper, who plays piano and sings, too, is ready to live up to it.
The music that the Son of Harlem is doing now, for his debut cd, is called "swag music," but if you think that Hugo Da Boss is just about rap music, you would be seriously mistaken. His "swag music" is about "flava and musical instrumentation, plus some strong musical intelligence."
The piano prodigy, who as a young teenager, attended the world renowned Juilliard School of Music in New York City, and is a trained classical pianist who learned music theory and took vocal classes. As a kid, he listened to his brother deejaying and the music of P.Diddy and Mase, both from his native Harlem, spilled out of the room, mixing with the sounds of Scott Joplin, whose life story and musical innovative pierced Hugo's ears when he saw the classic movie starring Billy Dee Williams and got him interested in piano. The gifted musician has played the legendary Carnegie Hall, where he wowed (there's that word again) the crowd. All of these intricate sounds and beats mixed in Hugo and he wants to blend hip-hop with the various styles of music (jazz, blues, pop, et al.) that he has learned to appreciate while studying at the prestigious music school.
"I like to call what I do 'swag music.' It's the music that Ludacris, Akon and Fabolous (among others) do, artists who brought the party back to music. I want to do that kind of music so that hip-hop can be the music of the people again and not just about bling-bling and places that people might never see. I want to get back to music that you hear in the club and music that just makes you want to dance. I make music for the ladies, like any young artist does, but I consider everybody. I think about the party. I feel like only a certain amount of people can keep talking about violence and be relevant. The party and fun, that's always relevant!"
With supportive parents who believed in his talents but also enforced the importance of school, Hugo Montrose became Hugo Da Boss and he's daring to change the face and style of hip-hop. Hugo Da Boss began writing lyrics and producing his own songs at 14, mixing his classical music background with his Harlem hip hop swag. Soon, he found himself doing shows and gaining fans. Of client biography course, time in the studio soon followed and now, Hugo is developing his "WOW" style and his sound, which has already been heard by almost 1.6 million listeners on MySpace. ("WOW" is Hugo's signature swag call and you will soon hear it on tracks and in clubs everywhere. "WOW" means this track is so sick or "WOW" this so good, I can't believe I did it!)
"I can talk about harmony and melody because I sing and know music well." Hugo shows his "WOW" style on songs like his first track, "LOVE POTION," where Hugo flipped his flow and added Caribbean influences, which he gets from his father, to show his dexterity as an artist. "My pop's is from Trinidad and I thought that would make the track more interesting." He shifts and changes his style track-by-track and as an artist, Hugo hopes to show off all of his skills. Whether on joints like the club-banger "GOT 'EM BOTH" or the smoothed out "WHEN I GET HOME," Hugo Da Boss shows that he can be what's hot in music and take that up a notch or ten. "I want to be seen like a male Alicia Keys, because she flips styles from classical to pop to R&B and plays piano," which she does with the same skill.
Hugo Da Boss is in the studio, working on songs and tracks, while doing shows because he loves to perform. "I am working hard to really gather up my sound and concepts so that 'swag music' takes hip-hop to another level."
Hugo Da Boss says, with his own skillful intelligence that "what makes hip-hop interesting is the metaphors and the ability to paint pictures with words, so that you can tell the story at so many levels. My mom's advice that I keep up my education definitely pays off, because knowing how to write and read lots of different things, so that you have a larger range of information, helps so I can take it to the next level." The 18-year old adds that "having my parents' support definitely made it easier to dream."
SWIZZ BEATZTuesday, 16 August 2011 06:06
When producers decided to get behind the mic, it's not always a happy ending. But if your name is Swizz Beatz, it's a whole different story. The man who has successfully produced for newcomers, moderate artists up to high caliber ones is now demanding the solo attention that he actually need not to worry about. His second solo album 'One Man Band Man' hit the street on August 21, 2007 and was immediately grabbed 45,000 copies in the first week. It ranked at #7 in Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Next thing Swizzy sees is a hope coming true. He once said, "I want to be remembered as the producer who changed the dynamic of music while inspiring artists to be creative and innovative. I won't stop until history is made."
Swizzy, aka Kasseem Dean in birth, was always about art even in his youth. Born on August 30, 1978 in South Bronx, New York, his father Terrence Dean found Terrence Dean Entertainment Management that took artists under the company. With the field already established, it was not long that Swizz walked on the entertainment path. While a teen, he often took jobs as DJ at parties, although much of his early work were samples and rather experimental. Luckily, his relative opens the opportunity to produce tracks through a label called Ruff Ryders. He produced his first track at the age of 16 and was soon acquainted to many different and bigger labels like Roc-A-Fella, Shady Records and many more. He was also involved in the establishment of Full Surface Records that will eventually excel greatly later on. The label pointed him as the president and CEO by the time he was 23-years-old.
From then on, various artists like DMX and Eve have been closely associated to him. DMX's 'Stop, Drop' gained popularity and consequently helped people to acknowledge Swizz's name. In 2002, the producer who is of Jamaica and Puerto Rico descent, thought it was the right time to have an album featuring his affiliates. 'Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories' was released in December that year and debuted at #50 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart after counted selling 59,000 copies in the first week. At that point it was unquestionable that his credibility as a producer proved to be a huge factor behind his fame. He was soon tapped to produce albums from singers like Mariah Carey, Madonna, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Chamillionaire, Ja Rule, Busta Rhymes, Beyonce Knowles, Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Kanye West, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige and many more.
He married R&B singer Mashonda who gave birth to his son in January 2007. He also has an older son named Nasir. After several years credited as producer only, Swizz was back as a solo artist with his album 'One Man Band Man' that was released under his own label Full Surface Records in 2007. Drag-On, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly, Jadakiss, Ciara and even Coldplay's Chris Martin were more than happy lending their talents for Swizz. First single off the album was 'It's Me B*#@hes' (2006) that invited controversy for its profanity. While people started thinking that the song should not be performed on stage, Swizz mildly answered that they took the song "too seriously". In August 2007, Vibe Magazine named the record 'The Best Rap Album of 2007' while Spin Magazine also boasted the album with three and a half out of four
DRAG-ONTuesday, 16 August 2011 06:05
"I've got a whole new sound plus I'm a little older now," says Drag. "I've got my label Hood Environment so I'm repping something totally different. I can't come back to the game the same way I left it."
A native of the Bronx, Drag-On (born Mel Jason Smalls) overcame a tumultuous adolescence – including abandonment, drug-selling and homelessness – to find his way into the music industry as a teenage emcee.
In 2000 amid Ruff Ryders' musical dominance in the streets, Drag-On released his first album, Opposite of H20. Boosted by the hit singles "Spit These Bars" (featuring Swizz Beatz) and "Niggaz Die 4 Me" (featuring DMX), Opposite of H2O was a success, selling 700,000 copies and peaking at #5 on the Billboard Top 200 and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
As the young spitfire of the Ruff Ryders family, Drag-On became a mainstay on various double-R projects including numerous DMX albums, the Ruff Ryders compilation Ryde or Die Vol.1(1999), the L.O.X's We Are the Streets (2000), Eve's Let There Be Eve (1999) as well as D J Clue's The Professional (1998).
On the heels of a successful musical debut, Drag-On launched a film career, landing co-starring roles alongside DMX and Steven Segal in Exit Wounds (2001) and Cradle 2 The Grave (2003) featuring DMX and Jet-li. He also appeared in The Hustle (2003), starring Ed Lover and Doctor Dre.
Drag's second album, Hell and Back, came in 2004 and debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums charts. The CD depicted a darker side of the artist and included personal tales of his mother's battle with throat cancer, street fights and losing unborn twins to a miscarriage. However, the momentum Hell and Back had built was halted suddenly in 2004, when Drag was slapped with a million dollar lawsuit stemming from a road rage incident that left an NYC motorist severely injured. The experience proved to be a personal and professional setback for the rapper for a few years.
But not for long. After four years away from music, Drag-On took his career into his own hands and established Hood Environment Records in 2008.
"I'm just trying to create another umbrella in this game and show the industry how it's supposed to be done," says Smalls of his label. "I don't want to sound typical, but we really go hard for our artists."
Drag credits the creation of Hood Environment and the birth of his daughter, Melody, with re-igniting his fire to get back in the studio. In 2008, he recorded the song "School of Hard Knocks," produced by the Individualz and featuring Swizz Beatz. The track signaled his return to the industry and was followed up by several appearances on mixtapes from DJ Big Mike and DJ White Owl and a feature alongside Maino, Talib Kweli, Styles P, Cassidy and Swizz Beatz on the Sean Bell tribute song "Stand Up."
A 2009 appearance on Jadakiss' "Who's Real" remix featuring Swizz, DMX, The Lox and Eve confirmed that Drag-On could still spit flames. Now the TK will make his official comeback with the spring 2010 release of his third album My Life, My Legacy, My Melody on Ruff Ryders Indy/Hood Environment/Fontana. My Life will be Drag's last album on Ruff Ryders, but the artist insists there's no beef.
"Ruff Ryders is family," he says. "They were the first label to give me a chance in this game and I will forever love them for that. But, still, it's my time to branch out and do my own thing."
With production by the likes of Swizz Beatz, Neo da matrixx, Dame Grease, and Avery Chambliss of the Individualz, My Life, My Legacy, My Melody takes the listener through Drag-On's musical history while displaying a new sound and a more mature artist. The album ranges from party-starting tracks like "Dance Over Here, Don't Glance Over Here" to gritty, street anthems like "Metal Spray" to a touching tribute to DMX entitled "Thank You."
"I'm giving people a breakdown of my life and what I've accomplished over the years," says Drag. "This album will show how my lyrical content has stepped up from when I first got with the R to now."
Guests on My Life include Cassidy, AR AB and Hood Environment artists Eyez B and Terror Da Dude. Drag-On maintains that his new sound and role as a CEO will shed new light on his abilities as an artist and businessman. And he plans on being around for a long time -- no matter what life throws at him.
"You can't get rid of me. I live and breathe Hip-Hop, so it's impossible for me to do anything else," he explains. "Drag is back. Drag is here."


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2012 Veterans Summit California Community Colleges Commitment to Veterans video
The "10 Days to Pay" affects NEW Yuba College Veterans!
Please bring in your paperwork to be certified no later than five days after you register for your class(s). You will be dropped for non-payment if you are not coded as a veteran. Please do not wait until the last minute.
Yuba College's Veterans Affairs Office is approved for the training
of veterans and veteran's dependents under various laws of the United States
and California.
Services available at the Yuba College VA Office include: on-line and hard copy
applications for education benefit processing, certification of benefits for pay,
counselor referral, financial aid information, fee waiver and deferral help, work
study opportunities and other services to help you achieve your educational goals.
Generally, veterans have ten years from date of their discharge from active duty
to use benefits.
Some family members of disabled or deceased veterans are eligible for education
VA benefits are non-taxable.
The Montgomery G.I. Bill benefit information packages are available by contacting
the VA Office at (530) 741-6822 or email Tom Pitock
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Ford AV Designs, Installs, Services, and Rents professional sound, video, and lighting systems. Our primary focus is on engineered and installed systems which are provided as completed systems with customer training and warranty service. Extended annual maintenance plans are available as well as full time service personnel requested on an as-needed basis or located exclusively on the customer's premise.
Ford AV sells products from more than 300 manufacturers. Click on the "AV Product Catalog" link to view many of the products we sell.
New products are shown with the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Contact us for special pricing for individual items or for an engineered and installed system price.
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Vigil held for San Antonio man beaten to death in Wisconsin
Ryan Smith was a Lee High School graduate
SAN ANTONIO - Friends of 20-year-old Ryan Smith held a prayer service and candlelight vigil at St. Gregory's Church Tuesday night to remember his life.
Smith died Saturday after investigators say he was beaten with a baseball bat by 18-year-old Koalton Peterson in Madison, Wisconsin.
The two reportedly got into an argument over purchasing marijuana.
Smith moved to Wisconsin after graduating from Lee High School.
"We can't all go to Wisconsin," said Becky Velasquez, a friend of the Smith family. "So we wanted to have this prayer service for him because people want to pay their respects."
Following the service, friends gathered at a candlelight vigil where some shared their memories of Smith. Each person attending released a balloon into the air in Smith's honor.
"He was friends with my daughter and we adopted him like he was one of our own," said Maria Navarro. "He had a smile that lit up any room."
The balloons and slices of pizza were sold to help the Smith family pay for funeral costs. Peterson is in jail charged with reckless homicide.
For a list of recent stories Myra Arthur has done, click here.
Copyright 2012 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Damage to iPod after first drop! :(
Ugh. I've been SO careful with my iPod photo with it so far, and today, I drop it for the first time onto a linoleum floor. When I picked it up off the ground, I saw where the white plastic panel and the chrome panel separated an 1/18 of an inch on the top of one side, near the screen. I clicked it back together and then checked out the damage. Everything's okay, except for the click wheel. The click wheel will work, but it "lags". Meaning, I'll scroll through the menu or I adjust the volume, and it will stop for a fraction of a second before continuing, despite my finger swirling around on it the entire time. I'm really grumpy about it. I was thinking about resetting the iPod, but that probably wouldn't help at all. And then I was thinking about taking it apart and seeing if something was amiss underneath, but that would do more damage. Is there anything I can do to fix it?
you have an Apple store nearby?
Reset the iPod and see if it fixes the problem. You won't hurt anything by doing it, and it will probably be the first thing an Apple service person will tell you to do.
If that doesn't fix it and you're still under warranty, call Apple support and explain the situation, or head over to an Apple Store if there's one nearby.
I'd recommend against attempting to open it up-- if you're under warranty that's the sure way of ending it.
Apple says iPod nano flaw is limited : :
The iPod nano, has become the subject of criticism after some users complained that their iPod nano's LCD screen had cracked or become severely scratched for no apparent reason. Apple said its figures show the issue has affected less than 1/10 of 1% of the total iPod nano units that it has shipped over the last two and a half weeks.
"It is not a design issue !"
Customers with faulty iPod nano screens can call Apple [ 1-800-MY-APPLE ] to arrange for a free replacement unit, the company added.
Apple also responded to complaints that the iPod nano screens can easily scratch, but said there have been very few calls about the problem. "A few vocal customers are saying that their iPod nano is more susceptible to scratching than prior iPods. We have received very few calls from customers reporting this problem, and do not believe this is a widespread issue," Apple said.
The company added: "The iPod nano is made with the same high-quality polycarbonate plastic as the fourth-generation iPod. We suggest concerned customers use one of the iPod nano cases that are coming to market to protect the music player.
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There are no style points now for D.C. United, only points in the standings.
From Comcast SportsNetEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
From Comcast SportsNetSAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Jason Kubel squandered three chances for a big hit that could have helped the Diamondbacks avoid extra innings.
From Comcast SportsNetPHOENIX (AP) -- Johnny Cueto leads the majors in wins and has his sights set even higher.Cueto scattered four hits over seven innings for his 17th victory and the Cincinnati R
There should be no reason for D.C. United to panic. Despite inconsistent form United is still in a playoff position.