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Top Lessons on Leadership from Harvard #SPKup Episode 10
Each year, 190 CEOs from 40 different countries gather at Harvard Business School for an intense week of learning, teaching, and sharing. It's a truly special program organized by the Young President's Organization that brings together some of the best and brightest leaders around the globe.
Among them, AO's own Sean Kelly.
Sean's back this episode to give us his top learnings from another immersive week at HBS. And like year's past, the week was full of breakthroughs and surprises.
One of those surprises – the telltale signs when it's time for an employee to move on.
As we've said before on this show, effective leaders know that retention shouldn't be an end-all-be-all priority. High-growth businesses depend on individual growth – both personal and professional. Often, "graduation" out of a role – or even a company – is an inevitable outcome. But there are also instances when it's to both party's benefit if an employee simply moves on. This was a heated topic during the summit, and Sean lays out the telltale signs when this should happen.
That's not all. Sean also shares why good is sometimes the enemy of great, how to measure the potential growth in a new hire, and the best stories he heard from this phenomenal group of leaders and thinkers.
Introducing SnackNation Market.
For the past few years SnackNation has only been available to businesses, but now it's available for homes and awesome individuals too.
SnackNation Market brings health- and taste-conscious folks expertly curated boxes of the most delicious, innovative and healthier snacks right to your doorstep. With SnackNation there is no more worrying about having a weak, unhealthy and tasteless snack game.
We've secured a special offer for the listeners of this show: you can try SnackNation for FREE.
Just visit SnackNation.com/AO right now, and get your first box free (just cover shipping and handling).
That's SnackNation.com/AO.


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If you are using a BlackBerry 10 device and would like to maximize your battery life here are some tips that can help you out!
Check for BlackBerry 10 OS Updates
Whenever a BlackBerry 10 OS update is released, make sure you install it on your device so you can take advantage of optimizations that can help improve your battery life.
Typically, you'll receive a notification of an update, but to manually check for updates, open Settings, tap Software Updates, and then Check for Updates.
Battery Saving Mode
Introduced in BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1, Battery Saving Mode can extend your battery life when you need it most.
When Battery Saving Mode is enabled your smartphone will automatically adjust the following settings, but you can customize what happens by going to Settings > Battery Saving Mode:
* By default, Turn off Data Services and Turn off Location Services are not enabled
By default, Battery Saving Mode will turn on when your battery level reaches 20% but you can choose a different threshold for this setting or manually turn Battery Saving Mode on or off.
To do this, just tap on the Battery icon that appears in the Quick Settings menu, or optionally tap Battery saving in the Quick Settings menu to review and adjust your Battery Saving Mode settings.
If you don't see Battery saving in your Quick Settings menu add it by going to Settings > Quick Settings and checking Battery Saving Mode.
As soon as you start charging your device Battery Saving Mode will automatically turn off. You can easily tell when Battery Saving Mode has been enabled because Device Monitor will show a yellow background when viewing your Battery details as shown in the following screenshot.
To customize Battery Saving Mode complete the following steps:
You can also setup your device to enter Battery Saving Mode whenever you are using Bedside Mode overnight for example. To do this, open the Clock, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Settings. Within this screen, toggle the switch next to Battery Saving in Bedside Mode.
Run When Minimized & Run in Background Permissions
The Run When Minimized permission allows apps to continue performing tasks after you minimize the app on your BlackBerry smartphone.
In addition to this permission, you should also review which apps have the permission to Run in Background. This permission is used by some apps that continue to run even though an Active Frame for the app isn't shown. This can also be referred to as a 'headless' app.
To help extend the life of your battery, consider turning off these permissions on apps you do not use frequently. Doing so can help save A LOT of battery life so we strongly recommend reviewing these permissions every so often as you install more apps on to your device.
To identify which apps have these permissions, and optionally turn off these permissions on a per app basis, complete the following steps:
Tip: Device Monitor is an easy way to identify apps that may be using a lot of battery life. If you do notice an app or game that is using a lot of battery life consider adjusting the permissions by tapping on the Change your app permissions option, or consider removing these apps.
Advanced Interactions
Added in BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3, Advanced Interactions can help you do things more efficiently as well as help you save power using the Flip to Save Power feature.
By default, Flip to Save Power is turned on and causes your smartphone to turn off its display whenever it is placed facedown on a flat surface.
To review your Advanced Interaction settings, go to Settings followed by Advanced Interactions.
Android Applications
Android apps may continue running when the display is off and we recommend you close these apps when not in use. To do this, press X in the lower right when the app is minimized.
BlackBerry Blend
If you have setup BlackBerry Blend so you can access your smartphone using your computer, consider closing the Blend app on your computer when not in use. Doing so can help save battery life if your computer isn't set to automatically sleep, or suspend after a period of inactivity. To do this, right click on the Blend icon followed by selecting Quit or Close depending on what type of computer you are using.
The 'Remain Signed In' option will create a persistent connection to your device, and decrease battery life so only use this option when needed. To change this setting if you have selected it in the past, open BlackBerry Blend and click the gear icon in the top right corner followed by clicking Remain Signed In.
If you set up multiple accounts that support email, contacts, and calendar synchronization, only enable synchronization for accounts that you plan on using to ensure that only necessary activity occurs. To review account synchronization settings, tap Accounts within Settings, and then tap the account you want to customize or delete.
Device Monitor
Device Monitor, first introduced in BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2, was updated with the release of BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1 so you can monitor data usage over your Wi-Fi and cellular connection.
When you select an item from the Device Monitor list, you can view additional details such as CPU, memory, mobile network, and Wi-Fi® usage statistics. You can also view applications you installed, the amount of space those apps take up, and delete applications.
If you haven't already, consider adding the Device Monitor to the Quick Settings menu for fast one touch access to this useful feature. To do this, go to Settings followed by Quick Settings and check the box next to Device Monitor.
The radios on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone are designed with efficiency in mind, so turning off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, or NFC as well as changing your cellular connection to use a different network technology may not improve battery life. We recommend using Wi-Fi whenever possible because it offers substantial power savings; so make sure you are actively adding Wi-Fi networks and hotspots to your smartphone as you come across them.
Note: If you've set up Media Sharing, considering turning off it temporarily if need to maximize your battery life (Settings > Media Sharing).
Your BlackBerry 10 smartphone is designed make efficient use of the battery, however, you should still follow best practices to maximize your battery's lifespan. Always use an official BlackBerry® charger, charge for an extended period of time when possible, avoid charging in small increments (for example, less than 15 minutes), and do not your leave smartphone in direct sunlight (for example, on your vehicle's dashboard) or in extremely cold temperatures.
If you receive a lot of notifications throughout the day, consider reviewing and customizing your notification profiles. If your smartphone is set to vibrate when notifications arrive, this uses more battery life than having the LED light up. BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1 also includes a new feature that can turn on your screen whenever a new notification is received.
Battery Saving Mode will turn off this feature but you can optionally turn this feature off completely by going to Settings > Notifications > Lock Screen and toggling the switch next to Turn on Screen for New Notifications.
If you also receive a lot of notifications overnight, swipe down from the top of the screen after you lock your smartphone to enable Bedside Mode, which turns off all notifications.
For help customizing your notification profiles open the Help app on your device and search for "Change your sounds, notifications, or ring tones" or review the user guide for your device. You can find it here: http://docs.blackberry.com.
Review Application and Game Refresh Settings
It's a good idea to review the refresh settings within your favorite third-party apps and games, as some of them might maintain active connections to services or data that is still being transferred. Refresh settings are typically found in the settings screen of an application so make sure you review these screens after you install a new application or game.
Don't forget to double check your application and game permissions as well because some of them may have the ability to run when minimized, or run in the background which can affect battery life
Screen Brightness and Dark Themes
A significant way to reduce battery usage is to decrease the brightness of the display. Within Settings, tap Display, and then move the Brightness slider to a reduced setting that you find comfortable.
If you are using a device with an OLED display such as a BlackBerry® Z30 smartphone, the BlackBerry® Q10 smartphone , or the Porsche Design P'9983 smartphone from BlackBerry consider using a dark theme, which results in lower battery consumption. You can find an option to enable a dark theme in BBM™, the Contacts app, and the Calendar in the Settings screen for the respective apps.
To try out the dark theme, open these apps and swipe down from the top of the screen. After selecting the dark theme, close and re-open each application for the change to take effect.
Lock Screen
To prevent accidental taps and presses that can turn on your screen (and decrease battery life), lock the screen by pressing the Power/Lock key on the top of your smartphone before you place it into your pocket, purse, etc. Doing so can help prevent your device screen from waking up accidentally which can use battery life if this occurs frequently.
Screen Lock Timeout
In addition to pressing the Power/Lock key to lock your screen, you should customize the Screen Lock Timeout setting. This setting controls how long your smartphone waits after being left idle before turning off the screen. To adjust this value, go to Settings, tap Display and change the Screen Lock Timeout.
Use a Case or Holster
Depending on which of type case or holster you use, putting your device in it may or may not turn off the display. On top of protecting your smartphone, using a case that turns off the display is a great way to save battery life because the display is shut off as soon as you insert your device.
To browse a variety of these cases, visit http://www.shopblackberry.com or check the available cases provided by your local retailer(s).
Got a question? Leave a comment and let me know!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
BlackBerry 10.3.1 Battery Tips
Snap v3 Beta 3 now available for download
With two beta releases already out there, it's now time for Snap v3 beta 3. As expected, this release brings along with it several bug fixes and changes including some changes to address download issues, scrolling and there's now additional layout fixes for the BlackBerry Passport as well. That's just a small list of additions, you can view the rest below.
BlackBerry Knowledge Base explains the removal of Adobe Flash from OS 10.3.1
As some folks have noticed, especially BlackBerry Classic owners and those running OS leaks, Adobe Flash has been removed from BlackBerry OS 10.3.1. For their part, BlackBerry has never really said much about the situation directly but the BlackBerry Knowledge Base was updated with an explanation for the removal. As expected, it mentions Adobe stopped development of mobile Flash back in 2011 and the mobile web is now moving to HTML5.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Thank You BlackBerry for making email triage on 10.3 faster than iOS and Android
Seven months ago I went went on a podcast rant and wrote an editorial here complaining about the "email triage" experience on BlackBerry 10.
My issue? It was too damn slow. From the inbox, deleting or archiving a single email was a painful process. Unlike Android or iOS, where I could swipe left on a message to quickly take action on it, on BB10 I had to tap and hold on a single message, wait for the menu to slide out from the right, and then move my finger down to the bottom to tap the delete icon. Thank God BlackBerry provided the option to turn off Delete confirmations, or that would have added another tap to the already-long process.
How to switch between multiple notification profiles with ease!
Introduced in BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1, a new feature has been added that allows you to quickly switch between your various notification profiles using the Quick Settings menu.
All it takes is opening the Quick Settings menu followed by tapping on the Notifications icon until your desired profile is selected.
To try this shortcut on your device, complete the following steps:
Optionally, tap Rearrange to change the order of profiles
After doing this, tap the icon next to Notifications within Quick Settings to quickly switch between your notification profiles. For example, in the following screenshot, tap the red box a few times to cycle through the notification profiles you have checked during step 4.
Don't forget you can always access the Quick Settings menu from your home screen by swiping down with one finger, or within an app by swiping down from the top of the screen using two fingers :)
Got a question? Leave a comment and let me know!
How to create a custom keyboard shortcuts using BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1
The definitive listing of BlackBerry Classic keyboard shortcuts
The BlackBerry Classic is a productivity powerhouse as is, but, thanks to a variety of keyboards shortcuts, you can be even more productive!
Listed below is an overview of core keyboard shortcuts that will help you get things done even faster!
Note: Some shortcuts might not be available depending on the typing input language that you use.
BlackBerry 10 Shortcuts
The BlackBerry Classic comes with preloaded shortcuts that can be used whenever you are viewing your home screen or the BlackBerry Hub. These shortcuts can be customized as well!
To find out how to do this check out this post on how to create custom keyboard shortcuts using BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1.
BlackBerry Hub
In a list of messages
In a message
Browser app
Calendar app
Clock app
Using the stopwatch
Using the Timer
Contacts app
** The list of available accents depends on the active input language. If you set multiple input languages, the accents for the languages that can be predicted together appear for a letter. For example, when English, French, and German are set, because their alphabets are similar, you get accent options for all three languages.
Got a question? Leave a comment and let me know!

subset: commoncrawl


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In this podcast, my father talks about his new plan for work gives some reviews on books he read, and talks about his old Star Wars toys. I talk about my school week, Sound of Music, and movies. So sit back relax and enjoy.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download


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It's my wife's birthday today, and I've been listening steadily to all of her music, especially that nice rendition of Francis Cabrel's moody "C'etait L'hiver" that she put together yesterday, patiently learning the French pronunciation (as she'd done with the Portuguese version of Girl from Ipanema awhile back), and doing take after take until she was happy with the mix. This woman is incredible, pumping out weekly tunes for music Mondays and doing her own sound production, while keeping up a thoughtful daily blog, caring carefully for four sons, and being a steady companion to me. I'm blessed to know her, and intend to know her better.
Mystery, Miracle, Marriage
by Gideon Burton
and through your honey-alto-angel voice,
the more your mysteries compound. I'm caught
in awe, in gratitude we made the choice
to hand-in-hand the lengths of twisting time,
to share the casual miracles that come
when man and woman choose to rhyme,
despite what jolts and jarrings have undone.
I kneel, I find you kneeling next to me.
We interlace our worries and our tears.
I stand, I find you standing next to me.
We alternate who comforts and who cheers.
Of what's to come, I haven't any clue,
But I can trust the peace I know with you.
Feel free to copy, imitate, remix, or redistribute this poem as long as you give proper acknowledgment of authorship.


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Hazlewood Castle overview
Welcome to Hazlewood Castle
A privately owned luxury Castle hotel and popular Yorkshire wedding venue, Hazlewood Castle has 32 bedrooms and suites, day spa, kitchen garden, outdoor adventure activities, meeting, conference and event space, Woodland event space with cabins, waterfall, tree bar and dancefloor, St. Leonard's Chapel and the Vavasour Restaurant.
Set in 77 acres of woodland and landscaped gardens, Hazlewood Castle Hotel is ideally nestled between Leeds & York just off the A64 so getting here couldn't be easier!
Sign Up Now for Exclusive Special Offers
Something for everyone
- For the adventurous- axe throwing, paintballing, archery and more
- For the loungers - a spa to relax and chill in
- For the foodies - fine cuisine prepared by talented hands
- For the wine connoisseur- our very own families wine
- For the history buff - tours of the Castle rich past
- For our babies - a royal welcome every time and special privileges
- For dog lovers - 77 acres of woodland for your best friend to romp in
- For the little ones- nature to explore and fairies to make friends with
- For the competitive- a bike time trial to compete in
- For the God fearing - Services in our very own St. Leonards Chapel
- For Arty folk - Paintings to admire by resident artist Anita Bowerman
- For budding chefs - A masterclass to hone your skills.
What previous guests thought of us
Fantastic magical place
I stayed at Hazlewood Castle recently during my business trip and was amazed by the hotel and its character, It is very conveniently located close to both Leeds and York. Property is stunning with lots of historic features and with lots of character. Really magical place! Food and staff is excellent too. Also worth mentioning that I left behind my bracelet in my room but it was posted to me. Will definitely come back when in the area again.
Trip advisor - verified review
Afternoon Tea
A lovely afternoon tea for a friends birthday. Super service very welcoming and friendly. The hotel has a great setting and would love to try it for lunch in the restaurant.
Plentiful parking and nice grounds.
Trip advisor - verified review
Amazing Stay
Booked this hotel at a bit last minute, don't normally stay here but thought it would be a nice treat . Arrived sunday to a lovely receptionist who told us where our room was .. room was fabulous, they had even set up the sofa bid for our 3 year old who was excited because he thought he has his own room . I big mistake I made was NoT Having our evening meal here, breakfast the next day was lovely sausages really nice .. cant fault the hotel the food and the staff make this hotel everyone I spoke to was helpful and chatty .. if you like wine then try the rose white zin that they sell and the red that is part of the hotel is really smoky also worth a try .. hopefully be back soon
Trip advisor - verified reviews


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I've annotated the original 2006 version of jQuery and put it online: http://t.co/5sKTJ7HlhN Lots of memories and interesting hacks!— John Resig (@jeresig) April 7, 2015
Below are some interesting unknown facts of jQuery, I came to know from reading Resig's annotations.
- jQuery was originally called "JSelect" (for selecting elements out of the page, plus it started with JS, which was nice). However the domain name jselect.com wasn't available, thus jQuery it was.
- There apparently was another project (a Java SQL library) named jQuery. But John Resig only found this out later after he was contacted by them about the name conflict!
- The public announcement of jQuery was in January 14, 2006 at BarCamp NewYork.
- jQuery was inspired by following open source projects.
- The first release of jQuery didn't include any Ajax functionality! jQuery 1.0 had Ajax built-in natively.
- The first jQuery plugin was created by Michael Geary on January 25th, just 11 days after the first release of the library (even before this particular version of the file!): JSON for jQuery
- The original version of jQuery supported IE 5. But this was dropped very soon and ""upgraded"" to IE 6.
- There were no optional curly braces used in initial release of jQuery. You will find such code in first version of jQuery.
if ( !b ) for ( var j in a ) this.style[j] = a[j]; else this.style[a] = b;
- jQuery had proper method chaining from the very beginning. The chaining in jQuery has gone on to influence a large number of other libraries, even in other languages, which is pretty cool. It even included new conventions like .end() which allowed you to "pop" off of the chain stack.
- The first release also had a check to include jQuery library after the prototype library.
setTimeout(function(){ if ( typeof Prototype != "undefined" && $.g == null && $.clean == null ) throw "Error: You are overwriting jQuery, please include jQuery last."; }, 1000);
You may also like:
- jQuery library file size over the years
- jQuery code not working - A Daily Battle
- Common jQuery Mistakes
- 5 Reasons of jQuery - $ is not defined error


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I have a question for everyone! What do you wear to work? Are jeans appropriate? Do you consider dark jeans business casual? What about ponte pants? The list goes on about questions for work appropriate pants. I have so many questions.
There is not much of a selection of real pants that look good for petite women sizes 10-14. I'm too small for the pants with panels in them that hide my stomach, but my stomach sticks out in the ones in my size. Not a good look. There are also not that many real pants either. Theres a lot that look like real pants but have the waistband of leggings. And I don't know if that's a no go for the work place.
Most of the jobs I am currently applying to state that they are business casual workplaces. When I google "business casual," the advice is all over the place: yes to jeans, no to jeans, yes to ponte pants, no to ponte pants, no shoulders, yes shoulders if your bra doesn't show. All the pictures on Pinterest show completely different things. The contradictions are endless. The men, they have it easy. They wear a collared shirt, dark jeans or khakis, and shoes that don't have laces and aren't sandals. But women have it harder. There are hemlines to consider. Too low cut? Material? Under shirts? It goes on.
My thoughts are if you look polished and professional, it should be okay. I can dress the hell out of some ponte pants (like these) with a nice blouse (like this), good heels (like these), and hair and make up done. Possibly a nice simple gold necklace down the front? In my sorority, like most of them, our chapter meetings were business casual and if you did not dress right, you were told. And one of the things girls did wear were ponte pants. Who tells me if I'm not dressed up enough at the office?
Ladies, please tell me where you get your work pants. I've tried on so many and even bought some and taken them home. Then when I get home, I try them on again, and yes they look alright, but there is no confidence in me in them. And I truly believe you have to be confident in your clothes. You're going to be fussing over that rather than what you actually are supposed to be doing if you don't feel confident.
Then there is my other issue. Here's a story:
I bought 5 pairs of jeans from Old Navy during their Labor Day sales. 2 black and 3 dark blue jeans. I was going to return the ones that weren't my favorites. They all fit differently even though they were all the same size. They stuck out in different places, one fit my butt but not my waist, one fit my waist but really baggy in the thighs. One of the black pairs didn't fit me even though they are all the same size. It was the same style as the dark blue jeans that I kept because they looked good. This hasn't just happened to me at Old Navy, but at a ton of stores. How can all the same sizes fit so drastically differently? Why am I a 10 at one store and a 14 at another? I think it's a conspiracy.
So my question to you: what do you consider work appropriate pants?
PS: Check out my work appropriate loafers and some tips for post grad job searching.
Images from webinspo. These ladies look amazing!


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Entrepreneurs who are new to the business might normally not know many things beyond producing their products or selling their products and services. This means that they might not remember to pay taxes in time, and thereby miss out on rebates or even end up featuring on the blacklist. So, firms that are casual about their taxes and monies should take charge of the situation at the earliest. They should rather hire professional services of accountants or financial advisors like Keith Springer and consult the next step.
There are many types of accounting, taxation, planning, and transaction related works that every company might need and these are specialized works requiring a lot of careful analysis. Financial advisors would usually possess the analytical and critical skills along with foresight for planning business for the future.
Works that would help a Business:
If it is a small company and the entrepreneur knows nothing about business, then he might need to hire a financial advisor at the earliest. The financial advisors would be guiding on everything, from evaluating assets of the company, to managing and planning taxes. The advisors would be also helping in finding out the details of a moneylender and even tell the entrepreneur when an asset can be used as a mortgage.
This is one of the most vital areas of concern and the financial advisors like Keith Springer would be able to answer and handle for you. This is why it is necessary that you inform or take suggestions from the financial advisor regarding the lender. The financial advisor would also find out the details of the companies or sectors where you wish to invest in for your future.
Investments and Insurance Advisory Services:
Acquiring assets is every business's priority and in case an asset adds value or increases, the production of the business, then it might be essential for the business too. So, entrepreneurs might think of consulting the advisors before making any purchase of factory, warehouse, or even vehicle or machinery for the increase in production. But in case, the value of the machinery is not at par with the quality of product, then one might not even need to invest money in it.
Likewise, many entrepreneurs might not know what to do with the profit or the cash that they get in hand. Few of the entrepreneurs might think of investing in stocks, shares, or bonds and they might end up losing money or worse, weakening a portfolio.
Financial advisors like Keith Springer have a lot of experience in handling these situations and they know that they shall be able to manage portfolios too. They know that one wrong investment might cost a lot in terms of portfolio and so they shall give the consultation whether or not to have it or not.
Smart handling of finances shall help in brightening up the scope of the business and keep money safe for the client. Such cautious attention is what makes financial advisors much in demand all around the world.


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It is reasonable to assume that within 10 years at the most, there will be a Palestinian state in nearly all of the West Bank and Gaza, with al Quds (East Jerusalem) as its capital. It will have signed a peace treaty with Israel. By 2025 all remnants of Israeli settlements built inside what becomes the sovereign territory of Palestine will have disappeared, and a broad program for the resettlement and rehabilitation of the 1948 refugees and their descendants will be well underway.
But this is likely to be a relatively cool peace, for a number of reasons.
First, and most significantly, the most fundamental antipathy toward Israel within the Arab world will not have dissipated two decades hence. Many Arabs, including many Palestinians, will still see Israelis as foreigners who stole Arab land. The more fervent Muslims will still consider Israel's very existence to constitute a desecration of Islamic holy land. Israel's own vision of itself–as the legitimate expression of the right of the Jewish people to a state in its historic homeland–will still not be legitimized by most Arabs.
True, because Israelis and Palestinians live in such close proximity–indeed, share, along with Jordanians, the same geostrategic land unit–there will be numerous areas of almost mandatory close cooperation, such as the water economy, ecological issues, shared ports and airspace and the like. But there will also still be Palestinians who express their resentment toward Israel in sporadic violence; some Palestinian refugees will continue to cultivate an active longing for homes long abandoned, just as some Israelis, former settlers and their descendants, will foster irredentist movements that focus on the West Bank. One of the challenges facing the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships 23 years from now will be to find ways to channel these emotions away from violence and toward mutual empathy.
Israeli-Palestinian relations will to a large degree be influenced by the state of broader Israeli-Arab relations. Assuming Israel and Syria have made their peace by 2025, this will go a long way toward stimulating commercial relations between Israel and the wealthy Gulf states (yes, they will still be wealthy 23 years from now), and this, in turn, could reflect positively on the warmth of ties between Israelis and Palestinians.
Another critical issue will be Palestine's success in fostering economic development and reducing its extremely high birthrate. The past decade has demonstrated that even in the rough and tumble years of a sporadic peace process, tens of thousands of Palestinians have "returned" to Israel illegally for economic reasons. Even with the best of international aid efforts, by 2025 there will continue to be serious economic disparities between Israel and its neighbors, and the Palestinian birth rate will not have dropped to levels achieved in other overcrowded countries like Egypt. Hence Israel and Palestine are likely to coexist in a kind of "north-south" tension, with Palestinians seeking ways to enter Israel in order to improve their economic lot, and finding a welcome among relatives in the Israeli Arab community. Israeli authorities will seek to expel them and will be inclined to "build walls" that separate Israel from its neighbors and maintain Israel's demographic identity as a Jewish state.
This points to an internal Israeli dynamic that will affect Israeli-Palestinian relations. Once a two state solution is instituted and a Palestinian state is established, Israel will face the awesome challenge of normalizing the minority status of its own Palestinian Arab community within a Jewish state. Its success or failure in this endeavor will have far-reaching ramifications for overall Israeli-Palestinian relations. Certainly if the present trend of increasing alienation and radicalization of Israeli Arabs continues, it will project negatively on Israeli-Palestinian ties. Incidentally, a parallel though less acute challenge following Israeli-Palestinian peace will be faced by Jordan, about half of whose population is Palestinian.
If this description paints a somewhat bleak picture, it is not intended to sound pessimistic. On the contrary, the trials and tribulations projected here are an inevitable stage in the gradual process of Israel's acceptance into the region. A warmer peace than that described here will take not a single but several generations. How quickly it is achieved will to a great extent be a function of Israeli and Palestinian leadership.
Yossi Alpher is the author of the forthcoming book "And the Wolf Shall Dwell with the Wolf: The Settlers and the Palestinians."
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Make Travel Easy at our India Hotels
How to book a stay in Ginger Hotels?
Online Booking :Take advantage of our online booking service and reserve your rooms today, click here You can also email us your reservation details at [email protected]
Phone Booking :Ginger offers you the convenience of booking a room over the telephone with the help of our travel advisors. Call us at 1860-266-3333 all days of the week 24/7.
Group Bookings :Wish to make a booking for 7 rooms or more? Please click here
Standard Terms & Conditions:
Check In/Out"Check in is at 14 hrs and checkout out is at 12 hrs. Early arrival and late departure is subject to availability of rooms and at an additional cost."
Cancellation Policy:(Cancellation policy will differ during blackout period and promotional Sale offer. Kindly check the Policy at the time of booking)
- Cancellation received 24 Hours prior to Check-in Time - No charge applicable.
- Cancellation received between 0 Hours to 24 Hours of check-in time - 100 % Charge of one night's tariff will be applicable.
- Please note the refund will be processed within 15 working days post sending an email request is sent to the concerned hotel and [email protected] with reservation number of the cancelled booking. If in case the payment for the Cancelled booking has been done through NEFT mode of payment, please share a scan copy of a cancelled cheque to the hotel's email and [email protected] along with the reservation number of the booking.
Service Charge:
- Discretionary 7% Service Charge on room and other services is applicable
- Waived off on dissatisfaction with the services
No Show Policy:
- In-case of No-show 100% charge for the first night will be applicable
What are the documents that are required during Check-in?
In keeping with our heightened security procedures we request you to kindly present the government approved photo identity proof with address of you and your companion(s) (if any) while checking-in. Foreign nationals are required to present their Passport and valid Visa. Indian nationals can present any one of these, which is mandatory: Passport, Driving License, Voter ID card, Aadhar Card bearing the holder's photograph and address.
Here's what you can expect at Ginger Hotels
What are the additional amenities and services that Ginger Hotels offer?
- The Square Meal Restaurant and In room Dining service
- Wi Fi and Net zone
- Fitness Centre
- Meeting room / Conference room
- Water dispenser
- Ginger Mart – Items which you might forget to carry during your travel e.g. Dental Kit, Razor etc.
- Ironing and Laundry service
- Iron and Iron Board
- Local Travel Assistance, Car rentals and ATM (at select locations).
- Cafe Coffee Day (At select locations)
What are the extra services that Ginger Hotels offer?
We offer upright services in terms of security, cleanliness, and hygiene. We have smartly built spaces designed keeping in mind the needs of frequent travelers at Ginger Hotels.
Can we avail of any special offers at Ginger Hotels?
Yes we have special offers for all our locations. Please visit the Specials section on our website www.gingerhotels.com or call us on 1860 266 3333 for more details.
How do I cancel my hotel booking?
You may cancel your booking over the telephone with the help of our travel advisors. Call us at 1860-266-3333, we are open 24/7. OR Want to cancel a booking? Click Here


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On Wednesday, March 1, 2017, state legislators in all 50 states and the federal government will meet with crime survivors, murder victim's families, law enforcement, families of incarcerated men and women, and formerly incarcerated people to discuss the impacts our criminal justice system has had on their lives.
The national day of action is organized by #cut50, a bipartisan initiative founded by Van Jones and Jessica Jackson Sloan, working to make our communities safer while decreasing the prison population. Over 70 grassroots organizations and individuals will participate in the Day of Empathy in order to reach hundreds of lawmakers.
Details on individual state actions coming soon. To partner with us, contact email@example.com.


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Capitalizing years of experience in this domain, we trade and supply an exceptional range of Laser Tube. This tube is used for laser marking, laser cutting and laser engraving which are the ideal choice of laser paper cut, laser cloth cutting and marble marking. Besides, the tube can engrave with high working current when there is still no laser beam in the laser tube. Before dispatch, it is checked at our unit too. Clients can avail this Laser Tube from us in varied standard specifications.
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The Soča River
Soča is widely known as a wild river with rapids and gorges – that's why it is recognized especially among kayakers – for its rapids, the emerald-green colour and pure natural scenery. Its significant colour comes from the melting limestone that the river washes away in its upper part. However, on the part of the river we are paddling the water is almost still thanks to the dam a few km further downstream.


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Graduation is here - Educating teens about credit
We're living on a plastic planet, where even vending machines, parking meters and Starbucks branches are now accepting credit and debit cards for everyday transactions. Small wonder that high schoolers -- who were expected to spend $195 billion in 2006, according to a study by the Harrison Group -- hanker for their own charge cards.
"Getting a credit card is a rite of passage," says Todd Mark, director of consumer relations for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta.
In fact, a 2005 study by the Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy reveals that 31.8 percent of high school seniors use a credit card. About half of these students have a card in their own names and the rest use cards issued in a parent's name. And of course, college freshmen get bombarded with credit card come-ons as soon as they set foot on campus.
Getting started with plastic:
Debit card
Prepaid or stored-value card
Joint credit card
Secured credit card
Authorized user
Facing this prospect, plenty of debt-dubious parents wonder how best to introduce kids to the temptations of swipe-and-sign. As with most child-rearing decisions, the best course of action depends on the individual child. But thanks to an ever-increasing number of credit and debit options, savvy grown-ups can choose the card best suited to a teen's temperament, financial sophistication and maturity level.
Starting out
Youngsters who already have a checking or savings account -- and that should be the first step in a kid's financial education -- are ready for a standard debit card because they're accustomed to keeping track of transactions, according to Marc Minker, a CPA and personal financial specialist at the New York City consulting firm Mahoney Cohen & Co.
Parents can rest fairly easy in this situation, since even the most acquisitive teen will find it self-limiting: Once the account balance drops to zero, theoretically, he or she has to stop spending.
And conveniently, many employers will deposit wages directly into a teen's account.
However, since a debit card is taking money from a checking or savings account, overdrafts and the resulting fees can happen. What's more, if Junior's money gets debited via fraud or error, or if there is a problem with a merchant, recouping the already-gone cash can be difficult.
The Fair Credit Billing Act has different rules for liability with debit card fraud or theft. If you report the card missing before the thief makes any transactions, the issuer can't hold you liable for any charges. If you report the loss within two business days, you will be responsible only for $50 of charges. If you don't report the loss within 60 days, you can be liable for $500 of transactions. These rules make it important to check the account regularly to be sure there are no problems. However, debit cards from a major card issuer such as Visa or MasterCard carry the same fraud protections as credit cards, with zero liability.
Prepaid or stored-value card
If this setup gives you nightmares of your teen debiting away his college funds, you (and he) might be better off with a prepaid card or stored-value card. Not linked to a bank account, this variation on the debit card -- Visa Buxx is a well-known example -- sets even firmer limitations on spending. Parents activate the card by loading it with an appropriate amount of money. Other authorized adults, such as Uncle Joe or Grandma, can also add funds for birthdays or Christmas or when they see fit. Then Mom, Dad and the teenager can keep an eye on expenditures via online statements. "Stored-value cards are basically cash," says Mark, "so they're easy for kids to understand."
As a result, it's no surprise that stored-value cards are marketed overwhelmingly toward the teen demographic, and each uses a slightly different marketing angle.
MasterCard's affinity-based MYPlash features images of pop musicians, rockers and athletes, while hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons' RushCard offers tie-ins with mobile phones and discounts on clothing from his Phat Farm line and his ex-wife's Baby Phat label. Paychecks can also be deposited onto the RushCard.
The Allow Card, a MasterCard-branded prepaid card, aims to educate teen cardholders by e-mailing them a monthly "financial lesson." It also offers parents 35 controls, including the ability to block certain types of merchants so that teens can't shop at undesirable places.
MasterCard-branded PAYjr operates on the allowance principle: Parents deposit a teen's allowance onto a PAYjr card, and both parent and teen can monitor use online. For kids 12 and younger, PAYjr has a savings program tied to chores: Parents set up a list of chores and due dates; once the chores are completed, the payment is automatically deposited into a savings account. UPside card, a Visa-allied card, is a prepaid card that can be used online, in stores and at ATMs. It also has a points program that allows users to get cash back.
All of these stored-value cards have one major drawback: Just about every action entails a fee. For example, U.S. Bank charges its Buxx customers for enrollment, balance inquiries, reloading or replacing the card and assistance from a bank teller. And here's the one-two punch: If you don't use your card for a few weeks or months, you'll get socked with an "inactivity fee."
Allow Card has a $19.95 activation and "lifetime membership" fee, and fees for ATM withdrawals ($1.50), monthly maintenance ($3.50), balance inquiry at point of sale ($0.25), and others. There are no fees for point-of-sale purchases.
With these examples in mind, be sure to check the terms of a card before you and your child sign up for one.
Revolving credit
"The basic principles of spending money come long before the first credit card," says Mark. "There's a whole collection of related topics: the value of a dollar, the time value of money, interest, the idea of saving toward a purchase." Armed with that understanding, teens are ready to graduate to credit cards -- something they should do before graduating from high school, according to personal finance experts.
"People have to learn this stuff sometime," says John Parfrey, director of the High School Financial Planning Program for the National Endowment for Financial Education, or NEFE. "Managing credit is all about establishing those healthy habits and patterns early."
Mark agrees.
"If you're letting your kid under 18 use a credit card, make sure you're teaching them the skills of spending and then paying off in full immediately," he says. "That's Credit 101."
There are three ways to go: You can get a joint credit card, which means you and your child are jointly responsible for the debt; you can get a secured credit card, which is tied to the teen's savings account, or you can make your teen an authorized user, which means you, not your child, are responsible for the debt.
Joint credit card
As a first foray into credit, Minker recommends a low-limit joint credit card in the teen's name, backed by a co-signing parent. A person younger than 18 cannot apply for a credit card without a parent's approval, so this is a good way for a parent to monitor a teen's card use while building a credit history for the teen.
Though the joint arrangement allows parents to keep a rein on the card's limit, Junior should be responsible for paying the bill in full. "That forces him to start thinking about having enough money set aside by the end of the month," Minker says.
Once the statement arrives, or whenever you track card activity online, he advises, "sit down with your kid for 10 minutes and go over what was spent." Ideally, he says, "the teen wouldn't be using the card for clothing or food; it'd be used in case of an emergency, or to finally buy something they've been saving up for."
Mark concurs: "They shouldn't be using it as a short-term loan or as a way to leverage their lifestyle."
All of this training is undercut, however, if parents "swoop in and save the kid" from the consequences of overspending, says Minker. "I'd much rather have my daughter fall on her face while she's under my roof -- but if I bail her out every time, that sends the wrong message."
Secured credit cards
Another option is a secured credit card tied to the teen's savings account. The card's limit is usually equal to the teen's savings account balance. If the teen misses a monthly payment, the bank takes it from the savings account. This type of card also helps build a credit history. The downside of a secured card is that the annual percentage rate, or APR of interest is high, between 13 percent and 24 percent. Credit unions often have lower APRs, so it's worth shopping around.
Authorized user
Finally, there's the option of making your teen an authorized user of your credit card. It's convenient, it's easy, it's commonly done -- but it could result in a megasplurge, potentially putting your budget, and good credit score, at risk. Here again, "supervision is the key," says Minker.
As with the joint card, parents need to review and discuss monthly credit card statements with their teen, says CCCS's Mark, and all parties should be monitoring expenses. "The kid should be keeping track of all his or her spending, rather than waiting to be told at the end of the month what he owes."
When a parent authorizes a teenage child to use a card, the credit bureaus will report the use of that card under the parent's name as well as the teen's name. This enables the teen to establish a credit history by piggybacking on the parent's good credit history. And the reverse is true as well: If a parent has a poor credit history, the teen will start his or her financial life with a poor credit history. Because children under the age of 18 can't legally enter into a contract, the parent is the one who's legally responsible for the debt.
With a joint card, the teen's actions are more likely to accrue to her own nascent credit record. That's both the good news and the bad news. "There is a danger of a teen getting off on the wrong foot with their credit rating, if the kid is not well-trained and uses the card unwisely," says Minker.
To that end, jittery parents can also take heart from surveys showing that many kids understand the pitfalls of plastic. Teenage Research Unlimited's 2004 survey found that 38 percent of youngsters between 12 and 19 feel that credit cards should be used only by adults, and only 5 percent of teens believe credit card debt is no problem.
"Teens are getting the message that credit has a down side," says Parfrey. "But since debt is inevitable, we emphasize the idea of creditworthiness: good debt versus bad debt. After all, it's important to have an established credit record and credit scores. When you buy a house, it's not as if you can just put down cash on the barrelhead."


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A staple for fellas, more touch and go and generational for gals. Although the red label released new styles for the ladies this year it's really about the oldies- sorry corporate hunks. Levi's are being filled by more young women these days.
The lazy fuck look (see Cory Kennedy photo) can be spotted along the west coast and it's not exclusive to women. Of course there's many other classic styles from the brand that women are killing over the west coast, but those are another slice of the esoteric sexy pie. Find a pair and make it happen.
Big name thrifts won't rack these pants: you've got to track them down at the Bins and that's all luck and maybe some mild eczema. Peruse our inventory: ladies kick "Levis" in the search, guys may find a Levi's category in the men's section.
Item #3274 /// Item #9240
Katarina Lustenberger
Cory Kennedy photo from