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An arborist and a gentleman
Cordy Williamson's kindness, passion for trees shine through
Shirley Moore illumination Contributor
After 55 years at Duke Energy, arborist Cordy Williamson knows one thing for sure: People love trees, and they're willing to fight for them.
He's seen homeowners file lawsuits, involve the police and stage vocal community protests to stop the utility from trimming their trees back from power lines.
"A lot of times, people just want to be heard," Williamson said. "I try to find out what the customer thinks before I say anything. They want you to know what a particular tree means to them. I will listen. Sometimes, they're just looking for someone to show a little bit of respect."
As one of about 250 vegetation-management employees at Duke, Williamson, 74, travels the highways and back roads of South Carolina's Pee Dee region in the northeastern part of the state, checking the work quality and safety of Duke Energy's contract tree-trimming crews. You can find him in cities and towns like Florence, Sumter, Darlington and Hartsville.
Duke Energy arborist Cordy Williamson (right) consults with a contractor. Williamson always advises tree trimmers to treat a customer's tree like it was their own.
Williamson realizes trees hold meaning, mystery and magic for customers. That's why he's made a conscious effort to explain, in the most gentle terms, when a tree must be pruned to prevent branches from falling on power lines. It's the way he's always done his job, even in the midst of recent controversies over Duke's tree-trimming practices.
He's philosophical about his work.
"Trees are a lot like people. Each has its own personality," he said. "When I was a kid growing up, I used to remember hearing my granddaddy say that we only cut what we need. He instilled in me a great respect for what trees can provide."
"When I wasn't working on the farm, I spent most of my time playing in the woods and I would often ask, 'What makes a tree grow?' From there grew a curiosity and love of trees," Williamson added.
Putting his name and reputation out there
Often, he is called on when the tree crews work in highly sensitive areas where residents have protested. Williamson routinely puts his name and office phone number on the door hangers that alert residents about planned tree-trimming work.
It's a bold move that pays dividends.
When a resident calls him about a tree issue, he responds with the precision of a customer service representative, the expertise of an arborist and the patience of a counselor. His gentle manner and humble demeanor seem to soothe and calm the angriest property owners.
One of the simplest, most effective things to do, Williamson said, is to explain in detail how the cuts will be made before the tree crews show up and work begins. That way, the homeowner is not surprised.
Angry homeowner becomes friend
To do this, Williamson will focus a laser pointer up in trees to highlight branches to be trimmed, showing the property owner exactly what will happen when the chain saws come out. In extremely sensitive situations, he'll go a step further and oversee the tree work with the homeowner by his side.
It's all about trust.
"Being an arborist gives you credibility," he said. "If I say I'm an arborist, sometimes the problem just goes away."
Williamson even makes house calls. One time, he visited an 80-year-old woman who was unhappy about the way Duke had trimmed her trees. When he first arrived at her house, she gave him a tough time, asking him if "he could sleep at night" cutting people's trees. Undaunted, he sat down with her and talked with her about everything, from trees to life to neighbors. By the end of the afternoon, they had developed an understanding and a friendship.
Williamson's easygoing style and knack for putting people at ease often win the day.
"He's just a good guy, very easy to deal with," said Bill Dobinski, a Florence resident who met Williamson recently on a tree issue. "He's a good representative of Duke Energy."
Calming influence
Williamson's job extends beyond comforting nervous property owners.
On rare occasions, he also acts as a "fixer" when a property owner is extremely dissatisfied or when something goes wrong on a job. One such incident occurred in 2015. A local landscape company owner called him to look at some long-needle pine trees that had been damaged on his property. On a cool, misty morning, he drove Williamson down a narrow, winding road to show him just what had happened.
Brows furrowed, they both surveyed the power line and the damaged trees, some cut and some inadvertently damaged during the pruning work.
Trees are a lot like people. Each has its own personality. When I was a kid growing up, I used to remember hearing my granddaddy say that we only cut what we need. He instilled in me a great respect for what trees can provide.
After a lengthy pause, Williamson asked the man: "So what are you thinking? How can we make this right?"
The man simply asked him if the crew could replant the young trees that had been inadvertently knocked down. Williamson was happy to oblige.
Humble beginnings make a lasting impact
The important thing is to treat people with respect, the Aynor, S.C., native said. That's something he learned as a boy living on a farm alone with his mother. His father was absent.
A family friend bought his clothes throughout his childhood and a teacher, his school lunches. A neighborhood banker helped get him his first job at Duke Energy as a utility pole hole digger.
It was the kindness of others that got him through, Williamson remembers.
That's a lesson he's taught colleagues like Joanna McCutchen, who works with him as an arborist.
"I'm taking everything he says to heart," she said. "There is so much Cordy can teach in other areas, like the right way to speak to people. There really is an art to it. You can always grow and learn, and it's easy to do with someone like Cordy."
Added Jay Bishop, another Duke arborist: "The day Cordy retires will be the hardest of my career. Working with him is a treasure."
Tags: South Carolina, employees, community


This is an excerpt of a speech delivered today at the Detroit convention of the Communications Workers of America.
We are here under a banner that reads "It's Our Turn." Can we challenge ourselves to march out of here fiercely determined to make that a reality?
There is no question about the justness of that cause. It's Our Turn, and if not now, when? The one percent that controls the wealth of our nations now believes they can control our democracy, our workplace, our environment, our earth.
We can't keep playing by their rules—the deck is stacked, the dice are loaded, the game is fixed. It is not hopeless; there is always a path to resist, always a way when we are under attack to Stand Up and Fight Back.
By ourselves, unions are not large enough to accomplish this.
We cannot negotiate alone, organize alone or do political work on our own. The last 10 years have taught us that our broader story or narrative of economic justice and democracy, potentially draws in the support of millions – millions who do not have a union at work, or a political movement that speaks to them and for them.
So we must go deeper—our traditional CWA triangle needs to grow in the hearts and minds of our members. Together we need to nurture our activists and leaders. You made this possible in recent years by launching our Strategic Industry and Growth Funds to do just that, and you will hear much more about that from our Defense Fund Oversight Committee.
Relative to many unions, CWA is in a stronger position today than two years ago when we met in Pittsburgh. We should be proud of the contracts we are bargaining and the way we bargain—with the members involved and mobilized, with elected bargaining teams, town hall calls, an army of stewards, and actions to galvanize support and increase our voice at the table.
Recently Local 1400 demonstrated this strength, striking Fairpoint Communications for 131 days through more than 100 inches of New England snow, shouting "One day longer, One day stronger." The strike was against drastic cuts in health care and retirement, and gutting of our employment security provisions.
This year, more than 200,000 of our members are negotiating, telling employers across Canada and the United States and from Puerto Rico to Guam that "It's Our Turn!" That is what our employers need to hear all year and we will be joined by 160,000 more in Big 3 Auto, 200,000 Postal workers and many more.
We will fight for a $15 minimum wage but we will also put our employers on notice that whether we are fighting for $15 or $40 per hour, we will fight harder than ever and we will raise our pay and standard of living this year. It's our turn.
In total, we have organized more than 19,000 members in new units since we met and in our existing units more than 75,000 new members have joined. Again, hard but not hopeless as we will see when we celebrate these achievements.
For more than two years we have helped lead the fight for fair trade and against Fast Track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade framework that is left over from the shameful U.S. trade record of the 20th century. Our presidents, both Democrats and Republicans, keep using trade as a foreign policy weapon sacrificing our jobs and our living standards and piling up an $11 trillion trade deficit in the last 20 years. This deficit is the measure of how much we are not producing and how many jobs we have lost. Sadly, President Obama and his trade representatives have continued on this path of devastation for workers and our communities.
We have helped build the broadest coalition for fair trade ever, millions of Americans calling, writing letters, meeting with elected officials and pushing, pushing and not giving up – and figuring out how to work with others and build something deeper, something lasting … a movement.
In many cases, our allies in fighting Fast Track are the same allies who worked with us to save the National Labor Relations Board and change Senate rules.
These campaigns teach us how democracy issues and economic issues are connected.
We learn why our elected leaders fail to fight for fair trade and instead, too often, support corporate trade deals.
We learn how electeds raise their money and how they vote.
We learn why we support patriotism and they support investment profits and call it patriotism.
Wherever I go, from The Ed Show to the Iowa Working Families summit, from the Capitol to rallies in the streets, I hear from other organizations or reporters about CWA's amazing work on fast track and TPP. I am so proud we don't ask for that credit. At times we don't want credit since it's so critical to hold up the broad coalition of more than 2,000 groups—labor, environmental, students, faith-based, immigrant rights, LGBTQ, human rights, family farmers, small business–millions of Americans, rural, urban and suburban, and in Canada as well, building a broader movement.
CWAers are leading everywhere. Some are long time Legislative Political Action Team members. Others are from Unity at Mobility, Next Gen, or our customer service network. All understand that our call center jobs are even more vulnerable with TPP.
Any nation can dock on Fast Track once it is adopted and the Philippines is almost certain to do so.
With TPP, our jobs go, our wages stagnate; our rights are viewed as a cost, no longer a right.
And worse, if any TPP nation legislates changes that improve its environment or workers' rights, and a foreign corporation claims their future profits will be hurt, that national or local government can be sued under Investor State Dispute Settlement or ISDS. These are one way lawsuits which only corporations can file before secret international tribunals.
ISDS has escalated since first introduced in NAFTA. Today, there are 500 lawsuits with multinationals suing governments in secret arbitration proceedings. The multinational corporations are winning—we are not even on the field as no government, union or citizens organization can file suit.
Ecuador lost a $2.3 billion case to Occidental Petroleum when Ecuador denied drilling rights to protect their coastline. They don't have $2.3 billion to spare so likely Ecuador settles the case and lets Occidental drill. Philip Morris is suing Uruguay and Australia because those nations legislated plain packaging of cigarettes and while that case is pending, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have held up their own plain packaging legislation. Vattenfall, a Swedish engineering company, is suing Germany for $5 billion euros after Germany legislated a phase out of nuclear power after Fukishima.
In contrast, because of CWA's work, the president invited me to the oval office and told me that TPP would fix NAFTA! When I pressed him on our jobs and pay and workers' rights, he said labor rights would be in the document and enforceable. I answered that I had recently been in Honduras and learned that more than 100 human rights lawyers, journalists and unionists had been murdered in recent years and that we had filed complaints under the Central America Free Trade Agreement. I continued that three years later, we have a good report from our government on these violations and that's it.
I suggested that eventually our trade representative will meet with the Honduran government but in a similar case with Guatemala that took six years and nothing has changed. We get reports and corporations get reparations! I said, Mr. President, in the case of Mexico and NAFTA, none of our partners in Mexico have had a single meeting with their government on TPP and human rights. The only thing that will change is the words in the text. Eventually we will get a report and a government-to-government meeting while the multinationals sue for billions in reparations. That's not right!
The president told me that he was too far down the road to change. I told him respectfully that the broad coalition that we were building was deeply disappointed, and that we would work every day for the change we still believed in.
This fight is at its peak right now as we meet. House Speaker John Boehner is waiting to schedule a vote until he believes he has the votes to pass Fast Track for the TPP. But we ask the handful of undecided House members, who will determine the outcome, why would you Fast Track a 1,000+ page TPP that is all but done? As we demanded a week ago at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman—show us the deal. The president has said anyone can read it. We say unwrap it. Take it out of the Trojan Horse where the corporate lobbyists have hidden goodies for themselves and let us see it.
But what about our turn? All of the 2016 presidential candidates will talk about economic inequality but few, if any, will take on the gap between stock market returns and the stagnant standard of living of working women and men. Are we trapped in an endless cycle where our bargaining suffers from a declining percentage of U.S. workers who have collective bargaining rights, and when we fight to change that, as we did with the Employee Free Choice Act, we run into one democracy block after another?
Money in politics results in candidates in both parties being hesitant to take on their donors. In 2016, major candidates will each spend in excess of $2 billion, nearly all raised from the top one percent, and nearly all of that will be spent in just six states. Thirty percent of our citizens are not registered, as more states pass legislation that discourages registration and voting. Twenty million immigrants, nearly all working class, have no path to voting rights.
In 2013, in the months following our last convention, we helped lead "Fix the Senate Now," a project of the Democracy Initiative, a coalition of more than 50 civil rights, labor, environmental, democracy, community organizations and other groups. When we met in Pittsburgh, we faced the end of the NLRB as the five-member board terms expired and the Supreme Court had blocked recess appointments by the president. Republicans in the Senate blocked confirmation in order to prevent a Board majority that would support workers rights.
But the coalition of millions from the Democracy Initiative groups pressured the Democratic Senate majority to use that majority to confirm the NLRB members and the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Environmental Protection Agency administrator and Secretary of Labor, and then a few months later adopt the majority rule for all nominations so more than 100 federal judges could be confirmed.
So these two campaigns, our coalition against fast track and TPP and our work on Senate rules reform both point to a similar path for change.
We can't accept the stacked deck we face when we bargain or organize, but to change it we need allies and deeper coalitions than in the past because the obstacles are much tougher. We call these deeper coalitions movement building because we are forming something together beyond a single issue, a deeper sense that we are building a movement together that can move from one issue to another linked by our goals of democracy and economic justice.
We take our inspiration from earlier times, like the founding of the CIO [the Congress of Industrial Organizations, which later became the AFL-CIO] when unions like mine, steel and auto helped form CWA but also pushed for labor law reform, minimum wage and Social Security, and won, and built a political movement known as the New Deal. We take our inspiration in recent years from other nations–Brazil and South Africa, Germany, and Australia–where labor is a part of something bigger, and as a result there is a path to major advances in democracy and labor and human rights.
When I am asked why I did not run again for president of this amazing union, largely I point to this movement we are building and explain that even though I am not running again, I am committed to building this movement. Ten years as president and all of it in a time when we have been under attack like never before. Bargaining mostly on defense, holding on to what we gained in earlier years when our movement was stronger.
First, the economic collapse of 2008; and then four years ago, reeling under the attacks on the public sector led by Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin but spreading everywhere, including to our own 50,000 public worker members in New Jersey. In New Jersey, it was Democrats joining [New Jersey governor Chris] Christie to eliminate the right to bargain health care for public workers. And now our pensions in New Jersey are under attack again. At the same time, the Supreme Court is taking aim at the agency shop for all public workers.
But as we predicted, the public sector attacks spread to the private sector as so-called right to work laws aimed at private-sector union members were adopted across the Midwest—Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Through it all, I have been honored and excited every single day to serve.
But knowing that we had very able candidates ready to run for president if I stepped aside, I decided to do that and focus on movement building for the years ahead. But my ability to help build what we call the movement of 50 million will continue to rely on our new CWA President, our Executive Board and all of you. I commit to you that I will fight just as hard, shoulder to shoulder with you to build this movement, as you lead our union and this movement.
In the years ahead I do hope to live a little better, love a little better and laugh a little better, but I will not rest unless we are well on the path to economic justice and democracy. As I wrote in September when I announced I would not run again, we are all perched on the earth as it orbits around the sun at 65,000 miles per hour; perched with 7 billion others for a short period of time. But when we commit to each other, the meaning of our lives grows geometrically .In 1987, when we started Jobs with Justice, we signed a pledge card, still used by the 40 JwJ coalitions today—I'll Be There! I'll be there five times a year for someone else's fight, as well as my own. If enough of us are there, we'll all start winning.
I'll be there with you as we continue to build a stronger and deeper movement for change. I'll be there with you as we build the Democracy Initiative to get big money out of politics and voters in.
I'll be there with workers and organizers who are organizing at least one day longer than the union busting management and their high paid lawyers.
I'll be there in Iowa or New Jersey or wherever we can connect economic justice and democracy to political action.
I'll be there to keep up the fight against fast track and the TPP until we have fair trade and workers rights, not just investor rights.
As a founder of JwJ and author of the pledge, I was inspired by the final scene from the film adaptation of the Grapes of Wrath as Tom Joad spoke to his mother and I'll close with that….
Larry Cohen was elected president of the Communications Workers of America in 2005. In September he announced that he would not run again for president, but that he would continue to play an important role in movement-building, Most immediately in the movement to stop fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He will also continue his work with the Democracy Initiative, which seeks to halt the corrupting influence of corporate money in politics. He will soon by joining the Campaign for America's Future as a senior fellow. This is his last speech to the CWA as President.


Inside Health Policy recently led with a story about the legislation that Chairman Burgess (R-TX) and Rep. Schwartz (D-PA) have introduced regarding the CME exemption within the PPSA. Author Todd Allen Wilson writes that the bill was spurred by the letter from the Chairman and Ranking member Pallone (NJ) and their bipartisan concern for the Agency's attempt to stigmatize continuing medical education. The article goes on to state that stakeholders have contributed an "overwhelming chorus" of support for the exemption. It also directly notes the efforts of the Coalition to provide an alternative to the Agency's proposed rule. "The CME Coalition proposed that rather than dumping the CME exclusion CMS should rewrite the rule so that instead of listing the five above mentioned CME accreditation organizations the agency provides a clear and detailed definition of what qualifies as an accredited provider."
Reps. Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) introduced bipartisan legislation Friday (Sept. 19) that would exempt indirect payments that drug and device manufacturers offer to continuing medical education providers from sunshine reporting requirements, legislation that if enacted would reverse CMS' plan to do away with the exemption.
The legislation comes on the heels of a letter sent to CMS Thursday (Sept.18) by Burgess and Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) expressing their concern over the agency's plan to do away with the CME exemption in the physician sunshine law's Open Payments program. Burgess and Pallone, who sit on the House Energy and Commerce Committee health subcommittee, say in the letter to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner that the proposal to do away with the CME-specific exemption in favor of another provision of the Open Payments program would cause confusion for CME providers and have a negative impact on continuing medical education and the medical community as a whole.
The lawmakers join an overwhelming chorus of CME stakeholders asking CMS to rethink its proposal. The CME Coalition, itself opposed to the agency's plan, found in its tally of the comments submitted to CMS on the issue earlier this month that 98 percent of the more than 800 comments favored keeping the exclusion in place.
Burgess and Pallone said that the importance of CME "in our healthcare system by improving patient outcomes, facilitating medical innovations, and keeping our nation's medical professionals up-to-date with the rapid pace of scientific discovery" is why CMS excluded indirect payments from drug and device manufacturers to CME providers from having to report under the Open Payments program.
"As you consider public comment and finalize your proposal in the coming weeks, we ask that you take into account our concerns for the proposed policy's potential negative impact on CME and the medical community," Burgess and Pallone write.
The physician sunshine law requires drug, medical device and group purchasing organizations to report payments to physicians, which are then posted on the Open Payments website. Funding for CME currently does not have to be reported if companies do not set the agenda, choose speakers, or pay them directly, but CMS proposed including that funding in indirect payments.
CMS said some stakeholders argued the exclusion amounted to an endorsement of five CME accreditation organizations -- Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education; American Academy of Family Physicians; American Dental Association's Continuing Education Recognition Program; American Medical Association; and American Osteopathic Association -- because the agency excluded others that use the same or similar accreditation standards.
The proposed rule states that CMS didn't intend to endorse those organizations, and it used this criticism to justify getting rid of the exclusion in its entirety.
In the proposed rule, CMS said the CME exclusion was redundant because of another provision that excludes indirect payments or transfers to medical professionals providing CME lectures as long as manufacturers are "unaware" of the lecturers' identities for up to a year and a half after the indirect payment has been made.
Stakeholders, like the CME Coalition, have argued that it is virtually impossible for manufacturers to remain in the dark that long as to who speakers and presenters at a CME event were, which means those indirect payments will have to be reported on the Open Payments website.
An industry lawyer made a similar argument to Inside Health Policy about CMS' proposal before stakeholders began speaking out.
The CME Coalition proposed that rather than dumping the CME exclusion CMS should rewrite the rule so that instead of listing the five above mentioned CME accreditation organizations the agency provides a clear and detailed definition of what qualifies as an accredited provider.
Contrary to the CME Coalition and other stakeholders' positions, the Pew Charitable Trusts has endorsed CMS' proposal saying that manufacturers' payments for CME events should be treated like any other indirect payment and should fall under reporting requirements. Pew does offer a compromise, saying it should be made clear on the Open Payments website that these are indeed indirect payments for CME, so that providers aren't penalized.


.5% of Your Purchases from smile.amazon.com Can Now Come to McKemie!
By mckemie|2016-01-14T21:53:55+00:00January 14th, 2016|Stories|Comments Off on .5% of Your Purchases from smile.amazon.com Can Now Come to McKemie!
On February 19, 2015, McKemie Place was notified that its application to be a United Way of Southwest Alabama Partner was accepted. This is the first time since McKemie Place's inception in March 2007 that the agency has been recognized as a UWSWA Partner.
Click here to view the McKemie Place 2014 Annual Report.
At the age of 54, I found myself homeless and almost hopeless. I was about to be released from a correctional facility when I heard about McKemie Place. They arranged for me to go there because I had nowhere else to go. I arrived in August of 2010.
My life was so good. I had a loving husband, a steady job and my house was nearly paid off. But then, my husband died. And my employer passed away. And I had to go in the hospital. By the time I was discharged, the bank had foreclosed on our home.
It happened to me on Christmas Eve, of all nights. I was struck by a drunk driver. It hurt so bad, the pain made it so I couldn't even work. I was living with friends, but I couldn't do that forever. And before long, I became homeless.


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República Moves to State-of-the-Art Headquarters in Miami
República, one of the fastest-growing marketing, advertising,promotions, communications and interactive agencies in the United States, is expanding and has relocated its corporate residence to The República Building, 2153 Coral Way, Fifth Floor, Miami,FL 33145. While República will presently occupy a full floor — 12,000 square feet of space — housing all spectrum of marketing services, the location allows for future expansion of the agency within the six story edifice.
The change of address stems from República's unprecedented growth since its inception three years ago. The expansion is crucial to its long-term success as it will allow República to provide enhanced services to its clients and increase its productivity. In as such, the agency's evolution will complement its objective to remain competitive in an ever-growing market. Its portfolio clearly indicates that this burgeoning agency is capable of delivering innovative solutions across multiple media channels; providing each client with unparalleled results.
The high-tech, industrial-styled office introduces several amenities including Café República, aclient and employee lounge serving República's famous espresso, cafecito and café con leche, as well as an exercise room for employee use with locker rooms and showers. The República Building also includes an expansive penthouse terrace with panoramic views of the City of Miami, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables; nestled amongst the canopy of 1,200 beautiful banyan trees along historic Coral Way, Miami's main urban boulevard connecting Downtown Miami with Coral Gables.
"As we begin this new era, this is one of the proudest moments for República, since Luis and I created the firm," said Jorge A. Plasencia, chairman and CEO of República. "We work hard to deliver unprecedented results for our clients, and it is that resolve and commitment to excellence that has allowed us to distinguish and cultivate our brand. I'm delighted to see our growth as it clearly proves that our philosophy — communication, relationships and out-of-the-box thinking — is what clients are demanding, and our new offices further cement our commitment to our people, our clients and our community," added Plasencia.
"As we create a new chapter in our story, we're looking forward to many years of success and friendship in our new building. We thank our clients and friends for their unwavering support these first three years," said República's President and Chief Creative Officer, Luis Casamayor.
With creative talent literally at the core of the design of its new home, República's one-stop-shop approach makes it easy to adapt to each clients' unique needs. The new location actualizes República's legacy of being known as a place that values hard work, the human spirit and the idea that if it doesn't exist, it can be created. All under one roof, this multidisciplinary design and marketing agency produces high quality 'fit for purpose' solutions to clients across the spectrum — from nonprofits to Fortune 100 corporations — and everything in between.
About República
Founded in 2006 by Jorge A. Plasencia and Luis Casamayor, República is one of the nation's fastest-growing, fully integrated marketing companies providing branding, advertising, promotions, interactive and communications services. República's diverse stable of clients includes some of the world's most important brands. The company is based in Miami with satellite offices in New York and Orlando.
Language and So Much More
Republica Havas and Grey Argentina FIFA Women's World Cup Campaign for Telemundo Deportes Wins Bronze at the 2020 Effie North America Awards
REPUBLICA HAVAS UNVEILS HAVAS HOUSE, ITS NEW CUSTOM MEDIA, CONTENT, AND PUBLISHING DIVISION
Republica Havas selected for PRNews' Agency Elite Top 100 Inaugural List
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Goes Virtual with the Help of Republica Havas
A Florida Botanic Garden Released 'Earth Unplugged,' an Album of Immersive Nature Sounds
This Agency Saved Jobs by Bringing Restaurant and Grocery Clients Together
Santa Margherita donates $1 for every view of its new campaign
Republica Havas strikes a unique client partnership that defines meaningful and saves jobs in the agency's home city of Miami, Florida
Versailles had to lay off 400 over coronavirus. Here's why Sedano's is hiring them
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Republica's Founders
When we set out on this journey on November 13, 2006, we had no idea what was ahead of us. We were two (younger) guys with a drive to build something great. Early on, with the help of our team members, we carefully crafted the 14 Principles that have guided Republica these 4,322 days.
And what a ride it has been!
We've enjoyed great triumphs and experienced heart-aching loss. We've been fiercely entrepreneurial and nimble and have always made an effort to give back to the community. We've grown, evolved, and learned from many mistakes along the way.
Our clients have been incredible. They've been our partners on this journey. We've accomplished so much with them and for them. They've allowed us to do groundbreaking work, and we've been so proud when that work has received national or global industry accolades. We are so grateful that they have chosen us.
And then there's our team. The Republica family. Together, we've shared so much, including thousands of cafecitos. Many of us have been together through thick and thin for years. And others have joined us more recently. Everyone is part of the story.
Now, the story evolves. The family grows.
We've been approached over the years by potential suitors; including holding companies and private equity firms. We would always listen, but it never felt right. We knew that if and when we were to consider some sort of alliance it would have to be on the right terms, with the right people. We knew we would only want a partner that would allow us to keep doing what we love, yet give us a global platform to grow and scale. Maintaining our independence, our team, and our secret sauce, our familial culture, have always been paramount.
We're beyond excited to inform you that we feel we have found that partner.
We will be joining forces with one of the world's top marketing and communications companies, Havas. As part of this new venture, we become Havas' lead multicultural agency partner in the United States.
You may ask why, or why now? The answer is simple. Why not. We recently reached our pinnacle, something we'd worked hard to achieve for years. We're now Ad Age's number one independent U.S. multicultural agency. Albeit a fantastic milestone, we can't rest on our laurels.
As our industry experiences the most significant disruption of our lifetime, we believe that joining forces now with Havas makes perfect sense.
Havas is a global, transformational leader in creative, media, data and analytics. And its parent company, Vivendi, founded in 1835 in Paris, is one of the world's leading media and entertainment conglomerates, also owning Universal Music Group, France's Canal +, and Gameloft, among other major assets.
We thought long and hard about this decision.
One of the factors we're most excited about is the new growth opportunities and many expanded benefits we'll now be able to offer our employees.
In closing, so many people deserve our gratitude today...our families, our friends and clients, and each individual that contributed in small and big ways to this dream. You know who you are and we thank you all.
And lastly, our name. We will be known to the world as Republica Havas.
We're now part of this greater family, and we're so excited to begin this new chapter of our journey, together.
Jorge A. Plasencia, Chairman & CEO
Luis Casamayor, President
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PRINCIPLES & FOUNDATION
1We strive to be authentic in everything we do.
2Losing money is easy to turn around, losing our reputation isn't. We guard it above all else.
3We believe in talent. Talent is our key to success.
4We want our talent to excel and develop to their fullest potential. So we help Republica Havas' employees and partners forge a path to the success that they desire.
5Our talent is compensated for the value they generate, not just the hours they work. We want our clients to compensate us this way too.
6We believe in a team approach to our work. Dedicated client teams are at the core of our business.
7We value people who accept responsibility and mean it when they say: "The Buck Stops Here." We feel that our clients need to live by this philosophy as well.
8We're transparent and have nothing to hide. We act ethically and are loyal to each other and to our clients.
9We understand that we're not right for every client. We will resist the temptation to work for everyone and will only choose clients that inspire us.
10Republica Havas focuses on creating value for clients with every move we make, every job we take.
11We believe in Great Work, Great People and Great Clients, which will naturally result in Great Growth. But we don't pursue Growth by itself because it usually won't result in Great Work, Great People and Great Clients.
12We will be compensated fairly for the value we provide and say no to unreasonable expectations. We'd rather turn down work than take on something that we can't deliver at the highest level.
13Speaking of great work, we like the fun, exciting and fulfilling kind.
14Above All, somos familia. We believe in family, our own families and our Republica Havas family. Everyone contributes to the vision, goals and purpose of Republica Havas because this is the purpose of it all: To create something great and share it with the people we love.
In 2006, Jorge A. Plasencia and Luis Casamayor noisily occupied the corner booth at a Miami eatery as they hashed out plans to build a new kind of agency. It was the same year Twitter launched and that Facebook was starting to reach the masses.
Countless espresso-fueled conversations and strategy sessions had culminated into an important narrative: there was a seismic multicultural and digital shift taking place, and most agencies weren't addressing it.
They founded Republica in November 2006, and within a few short years, with a growing roster of blue-chip clients and garnering industry acclaim, it became one of America's fastest-growing independent agencies.
Fast forward to July 2018, when Republica achieved the milestone of ranking as Ad Age's No. 1 independent U.S. multicultural agency. Subsequently, in September 2018, Republica announced it had joined forces with Paris-based Havas Group. Havas is part of Vivendi, with numerous assets, including Universal Music Group, Gameloft and France's Canal+. Renamed Republica Havas, the Miami-based agency serves as the global conglomerate's lead multicultural agency partner.
Many of the world's top brands trust Republica Havas as their partner to connect with the most culturally diverse, technologically-advanced consumer base in history.
Built on a familial culture of caring for the community, Republica Havas continues to be recognized by client partners and the industry as a nimble, effective agency with a reputation for delivering groundbreaking, award-winning work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home » Magazine » In-Depth Articles » Services & Maintenance » Services & Maintenance: Getting The Message Across
Services & Maintenance: Getting The Message Across
By Joe Wilson
Published in the April 2012 issue of Today's Facility Manager
Emergency warning and mass notification for large industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities have traditionally focused on audible and visual signaling devices such as sirens, horns, warning lights, beacons, and public address and intercom systems. To alert anyone outside the facility (most notably fire, police, and medical first responders), but also the surrounding communities, communication was commonly limited to telephone landlines. All that changed on 9/11.
Around the world, terrorist attacks have had a dramatic impact on how facilities managers (fms) and planners develop alerting and notification strategies. Issues of employee and public safety are now suddenly and inextricably interwoven with a variety of security and detection functions.
In addition to propelling a host of subsequent technological developments, the potential threat of terrorist attacks has prompted fms and planners to re-evaluate their approaches to emergency communications—both internally and externally. This covers the full range of facilities, but is particularly acute for industries involved in the processing, use, storage, and distribution of hazardous materials such as chemicals.
The 9/11 tragedies placed the spotlight on the vulnerabilities of many of the nation's industrial facilities. It also served to attract the renewed attention of government agencies, community leaders, and the general citizenry to public safety issues related to the processing of hazardous materials, and with good reason.
According to a 2007 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report, there are approximately 7,000 facilities—roughly half the nation's chemical plants—at high risk of a catastrophic accident or terrorist attack. This includes 101 plants classified as the most dangerous facilities in the U.S., and which place more than 80 million people within range of a worst case toxic gas leak, explosion, or terrorist event.
Compliance with government directives emanating from organizations like DHS is driving this reassessment of facility requirements for emergency warning and mass notification. This has led to a proliferation of network based systems as well as seamless, multi-device, interoperable communications for use both within and outside the facility. Finally, there is the ongoing trend toward integrating disparate warning/notification devices and systems to achieve the highest possible levels of redundancy, reliability, and operational simplicity.
Defining Objectives
The idea that each individual facility presents its own set of requirements is a point consistently acknowledged by virtually everyone, including federal, state, and local government agencies. With regard to security initiatives, for example, this disparity characterizes itself in federal directives for chemical plants ranging from the number of required perimeter fences to standards for outdoor illumination. Additionally, many states have enacted regulations that are even stricter than federal guidelines.
It is because every facility is different that objectives for emergency alerting and mass notification can vary widely from one facility to the next. Again using the example of a chemical plant (where basic considerations include the type and quantity of the chemicals being processed) a successful emergency communications strategy will focus on issues as diverse as ensuring failsafe reliability and redundancy among disparate systems; initiating and maintaining seamless communications with local first responders; and establishing effective protocols for communicating with employees, management, and citizens of the surrounding community.
Decisions will never need to be made more quickly than in the event of a catastrophic incident. There simply is no time for hesitation or doubt when lives are at stake. Though technology now promotes much faster modes of response—including software automation to initiate alerts and subsequent action plans based on predetermined scenarios—it stops well short of supplanting the need for comprehensive emergency planning, including the development of effective mass notification procedures and resources.
Recent studies have shown that since 9/11 potential terrorist attacks remain foremost on many peoples' minds. But ironically it is other types of emergencies—fires, explosions, hazardous spills, toxic leaks, and extreme weather conditions—that actually represent more likely risks. Also, beyond responding to events such as fires, tornadoes, and terrorist attacks, the inherent capabilities of today's mass notification systems have also proven to be a valuable asset for everyday, non-emergency, intra- and inter-plant communications.
This is now particularly evident in the deployment of interoperable, multi-device communications technology that not only enhances overall plant communications but also provides a number of useful, software based management and administrative tools. Additionally, even many of the more traditional mass notification tools, such as public address and intercom systems, play important roles in everyday functions like routine communications and process control that offer attractive potential for return on investment.
Mass notification is just one aspect of emergency planning and preparedness, and, at least up until 9/11, may not have always received the attention it deserved. More importantly, some of the procedures originally put in place for alerting/mass notification were anything but "best practice."
Despite government oversight, the shortcomings have ranged from insufficient audible coverage for indoor warning systems to confusing menus of tonal alerts to inadequate contingency planning in the event key personnel are either unavailable or not present to initiate emergency plans. Employee and management training that is either insufficient or too infrequent continues to be another issue that surfaces with disturbing regularity.
Personnel safety, communication, and security requirements have traditionally been thought of in terms of individual systems dedicated to specific needs. As these systems and communication formats have grown in complexity and expanded in number to encompass everything from public address, multi-party intercom, telecommunications, paging, voice messaging, and SMS to e-mail, instant messaging, and other real-time IP-based communications (including social media like Twitter), the concept of fully integrated, facility wide communications for warning and mass notification has emerged as an essential component of facilities planning.
The ability to integrate systems—from sirens and signaling beacons right through to telephone, intercom, and public address—is now critical to developing a cohesive warning and mass notification strategy. The automation that accompanies the integration of multiple systems significantly speeds incident response times while also providing decision makers with up-to-the-minute data that can prove invaluable as an emergency unfolds.
While individual systems need to retain the ability to be integrated with one another, they must also be able to adapt to changes in the future. Plant safety and security requirements can change quickly and dramatically. And, as has happened since 9/11, so can government regulations.
Also, technology continues to create new opportunities for improved efficiency while raising the standards for best practices. Engineering mass notification systems so they can be expanded to accommodate these changes is not only critical, it simply makes good business sense.
While digital interoperable technology has had a powerful impact on emergency notification, and continues to show substantial promise, it is not without its limitations. For instance, recent shooting incidents on college campuses illustrate that the infrastructure for local telephone, wireless, and Internet access can be overtaxed in the event of a catastrophic incident. Such deficiencies seriously impair the ability to initiate conventional and automated telephone, text messaging, paging, and e-mail notification either internally to management and employees, for instance, or externally to local public safety officials and the general public.
Under such circumstances, a fully integrated system that offers the reliable back up of more traditional alert systems (i.e., sirens, horns, loudspeakers and signal beacons and warning lights) stresses the importance of seeing that redundant back up is built in at all levels of emergency communications.
Keep It Simple…Always Good Advice
Complex warning alerts and messages or an excess number of scenarios and action plans could well add to the confusion of what is inherently a confusing emergency situation.
So at the world's largest liquefied natural gas production facility, a single alert tone is used for all emergency situations. Though the system employed is capable of providing hundreds of different alert tones, employing just one eliminates the need for employees to memorize, interpret, and react to multiple tones and their associated meanings. Once the warning tone sounds it is immediately followed with a more detailed voice instruction broadcast over the public address system.
"Best Practices" Should Be The Only Practices
With regard to best practices, the trend towards network management over discrete wires and relays stands out as a major improvement over mass notification systems of the past. Enabling users to distribute data and information over a network is both faster and more efficient. As an added benefit, there is also the cost savings that accompany a substantial reduction in infrastructure requirements.
Network managed systems also accommodate a broader range of media, such as audio and video, providing an increased level of communications flexibility. A proven methodology now standard throughout the MIS community, Standard Network Management Protocol (SNMP) supports continuous remote monitoring of individual mass notification system components, thereby assuring the beneficial tandem of improved reliability and lower maintenance costs.
Standardized Windows™ based system control and configuration software represents another step forward for mass notification. Systems are not only easier to install, but they permit simple, routine modifications to be made in the field and without the need for custom factory software. Just a point-and-click enables users to program settings into a non-volatile memory.
Fiber optics is a favorable trend that offers important benefits for larger facilities and operations comprised of multiple facilities. By using fiber optic transmission to link facilities in redundant, completely "self healing" communication rings, users experience heightened standards of reliability, enhanced flexibility, and simplified maintenance.
Another promising development is the use of satellite images in support of facility layout design. Incorporated as overlays with site drawings, these images can be used to calculate theoretical sound coverage for audible alerts such as sirens and horns. The imaging can also be used for GIS mapping for targeted alerting of the surrounding communities.
The Future: IP-Based And Software-Centric
Mass notification for facilities covers both indoor and outdoor requirements and calls for interface with the telephone/PABX and plant intercommunications (i.e., public address, tones, voice messaging, etc.). Through traditional loudspeakers and a variety of illuminated signaling devices, these back-end systems actually produce warnings and notification. On the front end of emergency notification—performing the function of activating and integrating these back-end systems—are the intelligent, IP-based interoperable technologies that have captured center stage in the wake of 9/11.
Since it first enjoined real-time communications and urgent notification on the same platform, interoperability has gained momentum as a major priority. Its value becomes particularly evident with regard to initiating and maintaining seamless, multi-device communications with first responders, local authorities, and citizens. However, fully integrated, two-way voice and data communications are capable of supporting and augmenting a number of other incident response and emergency preparedness initiatives, including wide area alerting and data sharing between multiple agencies.
An extension of alert notification and secure messaging software has been the development of incident planning and execution tools that support NIMS/ICS, while providing a method for defining tiered response plans. Scenario management software integrates alerting, communications interoperability, and collaboration tools to activate multiple forms of communication automatically. By initiating events both internally and externally, these systems can act as a nerve center to trigger and coordinate response efforts of management and employees, local officials and agencies, as well as first responders.
The tragedy of 9/11 was clearly a benchmark event in the development of emergency communications for industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities. Though 10 years have already passed since 9/11, many experts believe the notification industry is still in the early stages with many improvements in network based systems, increased emphasis on system integration, and accelerated deployment of interoperable communications technology yet to come.
Wilson is president of Federal Signal's Safety and Security Group, where he is responsible for the company's Industrial Division. Wilson joined Federal Signal in 1987 as the Western Regional Sales Manager for Electrical Products.
mass-notification
TFM-April-2012
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Evenings at Trevisker's are a bit more special so we switch to waited table service.
We recommend you call to book a table and to ask about today's specials 01841 541 361.
We would be grateful if you allow us to add £1 to your bill in support of the National Lobster Hatchery, Padstow.
You will be helping to conserve lobster stocks and safeguard our seafood industry.
Our Sticky Toffee Pudding has been awarded 2018 WINNER by the RNLI Annual Sticky Toffee Pudding Competition!
Delicate, white blossoms and fresh ripe apricot bouquet with a limey citrus twist. Sun-dried peach and apricot flavours with a well-balanced acidity add elegance to the long rich finish.


Kelley Forrester sent this layout to me earlier this week and I couldn't wait to share it with you. I also love this set of chippy!! Just gorgeous Kelley!!
Why not pop over to Kelley's blog and leave her some love too.


Mariel Buckley took to the stage in casual style last night, despite being one of the most anticipated acts of the evening. Having been featured on CKUA and CBC's "Key of A" in the wake of her last release, Motorhome, Buckley has been making waves in the province. "Don't call me sweetheart, don't call me darling," Buckley sang, her voice full of attitude as she set the tone of her performance. She strummed an acoustic guitar and was accompanied by bass and an electric guitar, which fleshed out her sound.
The charming country music Buckley and her band performed focused on relationships, although she did switch gears at one point, singing about her friends who had went to work in the oil patch straight out of high school. "Workin' Man" was a stark view of that world, with Buckley singing of binge drinking and repeating the line, "I'm gonna die with nothing to show." Buckley's clear vocals shone with honesty and a touch of darkness, establishing her as an original and confident voice on the alt-country scene.


My first graders begin taking AR quizzes during the second half of the year. We also participate in the Pizza Hut Book It Program, so I have students log books they read on the back of their monthly reading calendar. Then I record their AR quizzes next to the book in the log. At first glance this system seems organized and efficient, but don't be fooled. I don't have it all together, but I am happy to report that there is a glimmer of hope .
My students turn their reading calendar and AR log in at the end of each month. Inevitably, I get a backlog of quizzes that need to be taken and recorded. I used to take my students to the computer lab to take their AR quizzes. Getting them all logged on is the first hurdle, (because contrary to popular belief kids really aren't as technology savvy as they are made out to be.) Next, they have to click on the icon for Renaissance Learning, and log into AR. Then, they have to find a quiz, which requires them to type in the title, author or quiz number. At this point, I would frantically run around feverishly typing in titles. (My lower back screaming as I hunched over each student). While in the process of typing in titles for them, some students would begin finishing their quizzes, so then I would have to run around and record their scores. At the same time, I would be troubleshooting headphone issues for students who needed to have the questions read to them.
It was complete and total chaos.
I didn't know how to fix my system, until now.
Thank Goodness, There's an App for That!
When I received my iPad at the beginning of the school year, I downloaded the app for Accelerated Reader. I kept it in the back of my mind as something to experiment with in the future. As the time came to have my students begin to take AR quizzes, I decided to give it a whirl. I was worried it would difficult to set up; however, all I needed to do was plug in my schools's special URL for Accelerated Reader and have students log in. So far, I am very impressed with the usability of this app.
1. Students don't have to type to search for a quiz. They can use voice recognition, and simply speak the title or author into the search bar.
2. The need for headphones is eliminated with the iPad, since it has built in speakers.
3. It keeps track of students' quizzes on a bookshelf. On their shelf yo use their score, and rating.
4. Under the "Progress" tab you can quickly see how students are doing!
5. They can use the app on their home devices also.
1. I only have 1 iPad, but having students use it as they come in or finish work early seems to be working well.
2. There isn't a teacher app, so you still need to log in via the website.
How do you manage AR in your classroom?
This entry was posted in Technology Integration and tagged apps, AR, iPad, reading on February 27, 2014 by caitbajgier.


crowdfunding, and that figure is expected to grow significantly this year.
aimed at protecting the growing number of investors, donors and businesses using the technology.
encompasses both categories, and ensures that all members are operating to a minimum standard.
Publishing customer complaints of our members on the UKCFA website.
committed to working with policymakers to help develop the right frameworks for crowdfunding.
Fund MD Julia Groves appointed its first Chair.
diligence. The emergence of crowdfunding makes it accessible for everyone.
This entry was posted in Global, Investment Platforms and Marketplaces and tagged abundance generation, banktothefuture, buzzbnk, crowdbnk, crowdcube, crowdmission, europe, gambitious, julia groves, microgenius, peoplefund.it, pleasefundus, seedrs, trillion fund, uk, ukcfa. Bookmark the permalink.


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OpenChannels News Archives
Bacteria Could Help Green Your Sunscreen
Posted on March 19, 2018 - 9:53am, by raye
Via Anthropocene
"Scientists have engineered bacteria to produce a key ingredient found in environmentally friendly sunscreens. The advance, reported in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, could speed up the production of green sunscreens and make them more affordable."
Click here to read the full article from its source (note: external link)
Read more about Bacteria Could Help Green Your Sunscreen
Gimme shelter, says your new neighbor, the urban octopus
"City life may suit the world's largest octopus species, according to a new study from researchers in Seattle. The study is a rare look at how urbanization affects marine organisms. It suggests that the sea, too, has its synanthropes – wild species that live in, and even benefit from, human-dominated landscapes."
Read more about Gimme shelter, says your new neighbor, the urban octopus
Marine ecologists study the effects of giant kelp on groups of organisms in the underwater forest ecosystem
Posted on March 16, 2018 - 11:04am, by raye
Via Phys.org
"Since then, much scientific research has focused on the presence of giant kelp and the range of biodiversity it supports. Many marine biologists think of the world's biggest alga as the keystone species of its ecosystem, not only in terms of its structure—a huge forestlike environment under the sea—but also in terms of its tremendous productivity in supplying food for the near-shore ecosystem."
Read more about Marine ecologists study the effects of giant kelp on groups of organisms in the underwater forest ecosystem
Sea Otters Are Walled in by Hungry Sharks
Via Hakai Magazine
"Typically, one bite is all a shark takes to kill a sea otter. For a white shark looking for blubber-rich seals, a sea otter is just an unappetizing hairball. But to the otters, the sharks' intentions are irrelevant—they still end up dead, or wounded and in need of rehabilitation."
Read more about Sea Otters Are Walled in by Hungry Sharks
Who owns water? The US landowners putting barbed wire across rivers
Via The Guardian
"Water use rights and access vary by region across the country, though the water itself has always been a public resource for people to fish, paddle, wade and float in. Private landowners have long taken unsanctioned steps to keep the public out of waterways, as in the recent case of an Arizona man convicted of shooting at kayakers boating down a river that runs through his land."
Read more about Who owns water? The US landowners putting barbed wire across rivers
Eat herring and mackerel to support UK after Brexit, urges charity
"Less popular species such as dab, hake, herring and mackerel should be Britons' fish supper of choice in order to support the UK fishing industry and help the seas, a conservation charity has recommended."
Read more about Eat herring and mackerel to support UK after Brexit, urges charity
Boats to bridges
Posted on March 15, 2018 - 2:23pm, by raye
Via Seahorse Magazine
"The steady accumulation of end-of-life vessels in coastal communities across the United States and Europe has sparked discussion around a variety of intertwined environmental and economic issues. Currently, the most common destination for these ageing craft is the landfill or worse: abandoned in backyards, boatyards or local waterways."
Read more about Boats to bridges
Easter Island Is Eroding
Posted on March 15, 2018 - 1:23pm, by nwehner
Via The New York Times
"Nicholas Casey, a New York Times correspondent based in Colombia, and Josh Haner, a Times photographer, traveled 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile to see how the ocean is erasing the island's monuments."
Read more about Easter Island Is Eroding
What a Giant Soda Stream Reveals About the Fate of Corals
Corals,
Via The Atlantic
"Albright and her colleagues created a huge inflatable container that would rise from the ocean floor and trap 15,000 liters of seawater, "like submerging a bucket underwater and pulling it up," she says. They then used a ring of air diffusers, much like those that send bubbles into aquarium tanks, to saturate the trapped water with carbon dioxide. This gas acidified the water, which Albright then pumped over a nearby patch of corals, simulating what these creatures will experience 100 years from now."
Read more about What a Giant Soda Stream Reveals About the Fate of Corals
Research hints at tipping point in the Atlantic's currents
Via Ars Technica
"The key issue in all of this is the density of water, which drives the cycling of the oceans. Given similar temperatures, salt water is more dense; given similar salt content, cold water will be more dense. These density differences are large enough that if you have a patch of warm, fresh water sitting on top of cold, salty water, the two bodies won't mix very efficiently. The water ends up layered, or stratified."
Read more about Research hints at tipping point in the Atlantic's currents


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SILK CITY (DIPLO AND MARK RONSON) RELEASE "ELECTRICITY"
For Immediate Release September 6, 2018
FEATURING DUA LIPA AND CO-WRITERS ROMY MADLEY-CROFT AND DIANA GORDON
Dua Lipa joins Diplo and Mark Ronson on the latest track from their collaborative project Silk City. Released today on Columbia Records, "Electricity" comes accompanied with a Bradley&Pablo-directed video. Set during the sweaty New York City Black Out, Dua hosts a summer loft party and some guests seem to be stuck in the elevator. Listen and watch here.
Inspired by piano-laden Chicago house classics, and employing a stunning gospel vocal, the song came to fruition with lyric and melody contributions from Romy Madley-Croft of The xx, Dua Lipa and Diana Gordon, most renowned for working on Beyonce's Lemonade.
"Electricity" follows the previous singles "Only Can Get Better" with vocalist Daniel Merriweather, "Feel About You" featuring Mapei, and "Loud" featuring Goldlink and Desiigner.
Diplo, born Wesley Pentz, and Ronson named Silk City for the Philadelphia institution where they first met in the early 2000s. Longtime friends, the project is the two multi-platinum, Grammy-winning producers' first official collaboration.
Their next scheduled live performance is on October 13 at Treasure Island Festival in Oakland, California.
Early critical praise for Silk City…
"'Only Can Get Better,' is lustrous reverb-heavy disco with echoes of garage music — a little Daft Punk, a little Armand Van Helden. Ecstatic but controlled."—The New York Times
"[On 'Feel About You'] the producers build a towering, multi-tiered groove under Mapei's soulful croon, mingling disco strings with layered electronic beats and marimba-tinged synths."—Rolling Stone
"Imagine if Michael Jordan and LeBron James got the chance to play on the same team in their primes. That's essentially what we're looking at with the union of Mark Ronson and Diplo and the launch of their new vintage club fare-inspired collaboration, Silk City."—Dancing Astronaut
"It should come as no surprise to anyone that the first track from Diplo and Mark Ronson's new collaboration Silk City absolutely bangs. 'Only Can Get Better' is the kind of summery house hit that immediately transports you to a tropical beach party, giant cocktail in hand, or a clammy Ibiza club where strangers become best friends."—NME
"Summery, infectious disco-house…"—Stereogum
www.silk-city.com


With the campus located in a Washington neighborhood with a high crime rate and student safety a major issue, the student council race also marked the first election in which Harris, who would go on to become a prosecutor, had to confront the nuances of criminal justice.
While the Reagan administration pushed for expanded prosecutions, "we took a more … holistic look rather than demonizing people at a time when all of us kids were right there in some very impoverished surroundings," said Jill Louis, a "line sister" of Harris' when the two pledged the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in Harris' senior year.
At her freshman orientation, Harris recently told a group of black female entrepreneurs, she was overwhelmed by the sense of possibility upon walking into a giant auditorium packed with overachieving people of color.
Thornton, who headed the political science department's undergraduate program, now jokes that he is frantically searching his records and jogging his memory for anecdotes to allow him to claim credit for nurturing the political acumen of Harris, who majored in his field, along with economics.
Protesters were constantly arrested, including Jesse Jackson's daughter, Santita, who studied at Howard when Harris was there. She was hauled off to jail the year after Jackson electrified the campus with his first presidential run in 1984.
"When Jesse ran, I would say the entire campus was behind him," said Cathcart. "This was the first time many of us were voting in a presidential election, and for the first time there was a black candidate who we thought had a chance." There were registration drives, canvassing events and viewing parties when Jackson spoke at the Democratic National Convention.
And when Harris announced she was running for president, her first stop on the campaign trail was Howard.


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DIFC records highest number of…
DIFC records highest number of annual registrations since inception in 2020
Press Release 09 Mar 2021 11:00 am
Government of Dubai Media Office – 09 March 2021: Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading international financial hub in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region today reported the best performance in its 16-year history.
Delivered under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and President of DIFC, these achievements contribute to all pillars of Dubai's 2021 strategy, including raising the emirate's status as a pivotal global economic hub and a smart and a sustainable city.
Reaffirming Dubai's growing reputation across the global finance industry, the number of new firms operating in DIFC grew 20 per cent, taking the total to 2,919. A total of 915 financial companies are now active in DIFC, up 24 per cent from 735 in 2019. The number of businesses in the FinTech and Innovation ecosystem more than doubled with 189 joining in 2020, taking the total to 303. This represents substantial progress on DIFC's 2024 vision and strategy to drive the future of finance. The wide range of new clients further contributes to the breadth and depth of DIFC, underscoring the solid foundations that the Centre has been built on. Business sectors across DIFC achieved exponential growth, including banking, capital markets, wealth and asset management, FinTech and professional services.
His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: "DIFC's exceptional accomplishments in 2020 demonstrate the strength of the economic foundations created by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. His Highness's far-reaching vision for progress has not only made Dubai deeply resilient to challenges but also enabled it to maintain its sustainable development trajectory in a tough global environment. DIFC's best ever annual performance in its history, achieved in the country's 50th anniversary year, also reflect the UAE's and Dubai's ability to partner with its business communities to facilitate continued growth despite the most challenging conditions we have seen in the international economy."
"Furthermore, the expansion across the Centre's business sectors validates Dubai's unyielding focus on diversification, innovation and value addition and its deep commitment to providing a supportive environment for businesses across the spectrum – from the world's largest financial institutions to local entrepreneurs. The remarkable growth in 2020 enhances the diversity and sophistication of DIFC's financial ecosystem, further raising Dubai's status as a major focal point for global finance and a growth multiplier for the industry," Sheikh Maktoum added.
His Highness thanked the DIFC team for their extraordinary efforts that made these outstanding results possible.
Notable financial services firms opening headquarters and regional offices in DIFC in 2020 included TATA Asset Management, Samba Financial Group, Caixabank and AfricaRe. FinTechs included global and regional names such as Ebury, Ripple, Adyen, KoFax Me and Tabby.
In 2020, total banking assets booked in DIFC increased 6 per cent to US$189 billion. An additional US$64 billion of lending was also arranged by DIFC firms. DIFC based Wealth and Asset Management portfolio managers invested US$203.5 billion, up by 106 per cent, from US$99 billion in 2019, with the industry now worth US$528.5 billion. Gross Written Premiums for the insurance sector reached US$1.7 billion.
DIFC's operating profit was US$125 million, broadly consistent with the prior year despite global economic headwinds.
His Excellency Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, commented: "Since DIFC launched in 2004, we have demonstrated our ability to sustainably diversify Dubai's economy and contribute across all parts of its 2021 plan. During 2020, we have delivered exceptional growth across all business sectors, which reflects the confidence the global finance industry holds in DIFC. During 2021 we will continue to demonstrate resilience following the COVID-19 pandemic, are well-positioned to make further progress on our key 2024 priorities and will contribute further to Dubai's long term economic growth."
Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, said: "DIFC has demonstrated that being focused on client needs and developing new propositions, laws and regulations delivers outstanding results. We have collaborated with our clients, community, partners and stakeholders to navigate challenging market conditions and help them take advantage of new growth opportunities in 2021. DIFC's commitment to driving the future of finance has delivered tremendous growth in the FinTech and Innovation sector. This is an area where we will continue to lead the way in the region given the industry is accelerating its implementation of technologies, recognising strategies and operating models need to change in a post pandemic world."
Future of Finance hub
In 2020, DIFC introduced initiatives to support exponential growth and will contribute towards the Centre's vision to drive the future of finance.
The number of FinTech and Innovation firms in DIFC almost doubled in 2020 and has tripled in the last two years. The Centre is now home to 303 businesses which is more than 50 per cent of those operating in the GCC. This has increased substantially following the introduction of tailored licensing solutions.
In the last year, DIFC became a major part of the Dubai Future District announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. A major initiative launched in 2020 was the DIFC Innovation Hub, the region's only comprehensive technology ecosystem, providing education, training and both incubator and accelerator programmes. Firms in the DIFC Innovation Hub enjoy mentoring, networking and access to VC funding, including the DIFC FinTech Fund.
Six businesses received funding from the DIFC FinTech Fund including Rain, Beehive, FlexxPay, Go Rise, NOW Money and Sarwa, which enabled them to demonstrate unique solutions and generate revenue.
Start-ups aspiring to be just as successful as those who received funding joined the fourth cohort of DIFC FinTech Hive's accelerator programme. A record 720+ applications were whittled down to 17, covering Islamic FinTech, and broader FinTech. As many as 111 start-ups have been part of the programme since 2017. To meet demand, the DIFC FinTech Hive tripled in scale during 2020 to capitalise on exponential sector growth. FinTech firms based in DIFC FinTech Hive have now raised more than AED 1.1 billion (USD 298.8 million) to accelerate regional growth.
DIFC introduced and updated laws and regulations to reflect global best practices and distinguish itself as the leading financial centre in the MEASA region. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, enacted the new Leasing Law and the new Data Protection Law in January and June 2020, respectively.
The new Leasing Law provided further protection to property owners and tenants, aligning the Centre's legal and regulatory framework with best practice and international standards. The new Data Protection Law brought the previous DIFC Data Protection regime in line with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principles, a first for the region, reflecting the DIFC's commitment to data security, information protection and cyber resilience.
In addition, DIFC issued an amendment to the Common Reporting Standard Law in August 2020, elevating reporting standards across firms based in the Centre.
A temporary directive was also put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic to support employees and employers based in the Centre. This was accompanied by a range of stimulus measures that allowed clients to emerge stronger from the situation.
To support regulated firms based in DIFC, the DFSA adapted its approach as the COVID-19 pandemic evolved. They provided a comprehensive set of regulatory relief measures and held several outreach sessions with key stakeholders. The DFSA provided support relating to operational risk, business continuity and cyber and financial crime risks, given that these may have been exacerbated during the pandemic.
The DFSA introduced the region's first fully comprehensive Money Services regime and a bespoke regime for Venture Capital firms, both of which will facilitate the further development of the Centre.
DIFC clients benefited from the independent courts in the Centre, as did a number of firms who operate in other locations given their credibility and proven track record. In 2020, the volume of cases in the DIFC Court's main Court of First Instance (CFI) grew significantly. Cases brought before the CFI covered a range of sectors, including banking and finance, construction, and real estate, involving disputes related to breach of contract, insolvency, arbitration agreements, employment and public international law. There was also a noticeable increase in the number of opt-in cases, with 50 per cent of claims in the CFI originating from parties electing to use the DIFC Courts to resolve their disputes.
In 2020, the DIFC Courts also established its Arbitration Division, mandated to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of arbitration-related cases. Streamlining the arbitration-related cases under the new division has also led to increased efficiency of the process and speedy review of applications for interim measures and injunctive relief mechanisms. In a testament to the efficiency of the new division, the number of arbitration-related cases increased by almost 50 per cent in 2020. This rise was also accompanied by a surge of over 200 per cent in the number of Technology & Construction Division (TCD) cases filed.
DIFC also introduced the DIFC Master Health Insurance Scheme, which facilitates the purchase of cost-effective health insurance for registered companies operating from the DIFC.
New partnerships were agreed on to accelerate innovation, cohesively build Dubai's reputation as a leading business destination and reaffirm the Emirate as the preferred choice for foreign direct investment in the region. Notable agreements included Jiaozi Dreamworks (Dubai-Chengdu FinTech Memorandum of Understanding) and Endeavor. Following the commencement of economic engagement between Israel and the UAE, DIFC was among the first to establish relationships with the Israeli market, with agreements with Bank Hapoalim and FinTech-Aviv.
The importance of human capital
Throughout 2020, the Centre continued to attract and retain the best financial talent. The workforce increased by over 4 per cent year on year, an impressive achievement amidst the global pandemic. A total of 1,135 new jobs were created by clients, taking the total to 26,773, representing 145 different nationalities.
Following the DIFC Employee Workplace Savings Plan (DEWS) roll-out in February 2020, which replaced the end of service gratuity scheme, 19,182 DIFC employees from 1,187 employers have been enrolled in the scheme enabling individuals to plan their financial future. A partnership between the DIFC Academy and Kharon was signed to increase understanding and expertise in Financial Crime Compliance.
DIFC also signed new partnerships with professional development entities, including the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), and the International Compliance Association (ICA). DIFC now has agreements with 30 leading educational institutions and government entities.
An infrastructure that supports the future of work
DIFC continues to be the most sought-after business address in Dubai with over 94 per cent of its commercial office space leased. In 2020, over 200,000 sq. ft additional commercial space was leased.
New flexible and innovative work environments were introduced, reflecting the future of work in a post-pandemic world. This includes the DIFC Innovation Hub.
Gate Avenue at DIFC was awarded the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold accreditation from the US Green Building Council and Green Building Certification Inc. This reflects DIFC's continued commitment to enhancing sustainability and developing a world-class physical infrastructure.
Dubai's leading lifestyle destination
DIFC continues to be a magnet for some of the world's finest restaurants, leading fashion boutiques, home-grown brands and galleries. DIFC, encompassing Gate District and Gate Village, raised its profile as a vibrant business and leisure community, with its retail and dining venues growing to 351. This includes 90 new retailers that joined in 2020. The Centre is also attracting global and local visitors by virtue of its dynamic art and cultural scene, three five-star hotels and eight art galleries.
In 2020, DIFC welcomed more than 20 fine dining restaurants and gourmet concepts, including Clap Restaurant, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Cé La Vi, Hutong and The Arts Club, the first international outpost of the renowned private members establishment established in London. DIFC also launched a new urban dining destination, the 'South Market' in Gate Avenue.
DIFC's Grand Mosque opened in October 2020, completing the buildings' sequence on Gate Avenue's promenade. Designed by leading architectural firm RMJM, the mosque accommodates up to 500 worshippers. The design incorporates tradition by reinterpreting the essence of a traditional mosque design with a contemporary style.
In November 2020, DIFC Art Nights returned for the 10th year, offering lifestyle, arts and culture enthusiasts the opportunity to discover eclectic art pieces from established and emerging artists.
During 2020, we have delivered exceptional growth across all business sectors, which reflects the confidence the global finance industry holds in DIFC. During 2021 we will continue to demonstrate resilience following the COVID-19 pandemic and will contribute further to Dubai's long term economic growth, H.E. Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC
"مركز دبي المالي العالمي" يحقق رقماً قياسياً في تسجيل الشركات في 2020 ويحافظ على أرباحه التشغيلية بإجمالي 460 مليون درهم
DIFC Annual Review 2020 Infographics


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The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is now the second biggest in history, with 426 confirmed and probable cases.
The latest Ebola outbreak has become the second worst in African history.
Over 425 people have been infected in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
So far, more than half of those have died.
The mortality rate for Ebola high at 63 percent, and this time the virus is proving even harder to contain.
Most of the outbreaks began in deeply isolated areas in sub-Saharan Africa.
It began in August among dense and very mobile local populations.
Health workers are struggling to establish an effective vaccination program, with ongoing rebel militia violence making the task harder.
Reuters' Giulia Paravicini is in the DRC.
SOUNDBITE (English) GIULIA PARAVICINI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS, SAYING: "Containment of the current outbreak is particularly difficult since response teams are being stopped in their daily job by increased insecurity within the city of Beni, and also by community resistance.
Vaccinations are available, but often, because of the insecurity, teams have to stop the vaccinations and also surveillance and tracing contacts of patients, and transferring the patients to treatment centers.
This obviously slows down the response, and favors the spread of the disease." Since its initial discovery in 1976, Ebola's posed most risk to this central swathe of Africa: from Guinea in the west to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the east.
The red dots illustrate the locations of previous outbreaks.
The biggest so far was between 2014 and 2016 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in which more than 11,000 people died.
The current outbreak is centered on North Kivu in the DRC - the 10th the country has experienced - and now bigger than one in Uganda in 2000.
Health workers are not only hampered by gunfire.
They often face resistance from the Congolese who accuse medics of spreading Ebola with their vaccination needles, or believe it does not exist at all.
Those who do seek medical help often find themselves in unsanitary medical facilities where the virus spreads.
Delays to blood tests, and the isolation and safe burial of victims also do little to prevent the spread of Ebola.
Wearing only scrubs and a hair net, Jeanine Masika cradles a two-year-old Ebola patient in her arms. Masika has antibodies in her system after she won her own battle against Ebola last year, and she..
According to the country's health ministry, since the epidemic started, there have been 1,009 cases of the disease.
CNN reports The deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has surpassed 1,000 cases, according to the country's health ministry. The number of confirmed cases stands at 1,009,..
An Ebola treatment center in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province came under attack on March 9 ahead of a visit from the World Health Organization's director general. It was the..
Armed assailants have attacked an Ebola treatment centre in Butembo, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, setting off a fire and becoming embroiled in an extended gun battle with security forces,..


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Early Buzz
'Gremlins 3' Writer Teases an Abandoned Sequel with the Same Vibe as the Original
Posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020 by Ethan Anderton
For the longest time, fans of Gremlins and the weird but satisfying sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch have wanted to see the Mogwai and the slimy monsters they turn into make a return to the big screen. While there were rumblings of Gremlins 3 for years, Warner Bros. is instead taking the franchise to streaming with an animated prequel series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. That likely means Gremlins 3 is dead in the water, at least for now. However, writer Carl Ellsworth recently talked about his approach to the abandoned sequel.
ComingSoon.net got a chance to talk with Carl Ellsworth recently as he's making the publicity rounds to promote the upcoming release of Unhinged. Though he wasn't willing to divulge any plot details, he did mention that Zach Galligan was eager to come back as Billy Peltzer, and their dynamic would have been the Gremlins equivalent of seeing Han Solo and Chewbacca returning in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
As for the overall vibe of the movie, the sequel would have been more in the style of the original movie instead of the campy, cartoony sequel. Ellsworth explained:
"[Gremlins 3] was thought of as a direct sequel mostly to the first film—not discounting the second one by any stretch, but I saw it as very much a passing-the-baton story, staying in the tone of the original. I think that helped get me the job: I said, 'Yeah, there's a lot of humor in the movie, helped by the classic Jerry Goldsmith score that gives us a license to laugh, but it's first and foremost a horror movie.'"
The original Gremlins takes a small town monster movie and injects some dark comedy into it. But one big reason for the movie's more comedic tone, despite the twisted creature violence, is Jerry Goldsmith's almost circus-like score. That kind of tone is hard to pin down, but Ellsworth tried to make it funny as well as scary. He added:
"I tried to preserve the humor, but at the same time, I was starting with the foundation of this being a horror movie, which I was really thrilled about."
If Ellsworth was able to bring Gremlins back with that kind of vibe, it's truly a shame that we might not get to see it come together. Ellsworth himself is especially disappointed that the project isn't moving forward:
"The last time I touched it is now going on three years ago. I was so excited to do it. I got the chance to work with Chris, and I loved the story we came up with. I'm so bummed that it hasn't seen the light of day yet. What might have been, what could have been!"
Perhaps there's a chance that Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai could reignite interest in seeing Gremlins 3 come together. But even if that happens, there's no guarantee that it will be Ellsworth's script that makes it on screen.
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Indeed, two would-be terrorists presented themselves at the exhibit and were quickly dispatched to their just rewards.
Well, that's two down, I suppose.
This is certainly the way Geller thinks, as her comments confirm. She has declined to apologize for instigating this unnecessary clash – remember when we preferred to take the fight to the terrorists over there? She even claims to have saved lives by luring two terrorists to their deaths. Geller baited the field, in other words.
As an operating principle, mightn't we try less incendiary means of problem-solving? I don't know, maybe something less likely to lead to violence?
But Geller is a media creature and knows how to bait a media field as well. Make noise and the media will come. Draw a crowd and the cameras will roll. Become the "victim" of death threats – in essence a fatwa – and, voila, you're on TV. (The MGM lion better watch his back.)
Geller got exactly what she wanted. Pray that no harm comes to her, I hasten to say.
I take a back seat to no one when it comes to defending free speech – even that of the worst sorts. We let neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan march and protest because the true test of free speech is that unpopular speech is tolerated.
That said, we needn't embrace or celebrate people like Geller, who intentionally try to provoke a confrontation. She's welcome to sponsor a cartoon contest, but we don't have to attend. If Geller wants to stand on street corners and shout her views, no one has to listen.
Sometimes the messenger really is the problem. And often times, the medium is, too.
It is more or less consistently true that First Amendment warriors are forced to defend not only undesirable sorts but also really bad art. When a Danish cartoonist was forced into hiding following an earlier Prophet-cartoon challenge, I raced to the front lines in his defense. But I was painfully aware that most of the cartoons were amateurish and witless.
A good cartoon isn't just a drawing but offers layers of meaning that illuminate in subtly humorous ways. The best ones are often wordless and artfully combine more than one thought or event. This seems rarely the case with Prophet caricatures. Perhaps this is because the driving force behind such drawings lacks the wryness required of the dispassionate disposal of one's target. Sometimes an arched brow is more devastating than an arched bow.
The same, regrettably, can be said of Charlie Hebdo, if we can intellectually separate the horror of what happened to the magazine's staff in Paris in January from the work that provoked the savage attack. Not all satire is equal.
Even so, the protection of free speech isn't only for the genius mind but for all equally. And though it takes little talent to draw attention to oneself these days, it is sad when someone flaunts America's first principle as an accessory to ambition or violence.
Our Founding Fathers didn't bequeath only freedom of religion and expression from government tyranny but also the freedom to think as the enlightened progeny of some of history's most creative, inventive and philosophical minds.
It is easy to imagine their disappointment at the character of today's debate.
Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.