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Maxus Speeds Turn & Maintenance
and Reduces Disputes & Liability
with Real-Time Operations
Case Study — Multifamily Residential
Other Maxus Videos
Founded in 1987, Maxus Properties is a Multifamily owner and operator with a diverse portfolio of 60 properties across 15 states, including rental housing at every income level. Maxus focuses on creating sustainable, thriving communities by maintaining and enhancing the properties they own and manage.
10-20Minutes Saved
Per Move-In 1 DAYFaster
Unit Downtime 636kRatings Collected
$50-70kAnnually
Move-In Labor $900kAnnually
Move-Out Labor 13kInspections
Performed in 5 Mo.
In 5 Months $50-70kAnnually
Maxus Properties owns and operates close to 15,000 apartment units across several metro areas including Dallas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Little Rock and various locations across the U.S. As a highly entrepreneurial company that emphasizes innovation, sustainability and company culture, Maxus turned to HappyCo to improve its property operations nationally. By implementing HappyCo, Maxus has achieved greater corporate visibility, faster turns and maintenance, higher damage charges, fewer resident disputes, and reduced legal liability. Due to increased labor efficiencies, Maxus has lowered its annual move-out labor by approximately $900,000 and move-in labor by $50,000 to $70,000.
Moving to Real-Time Operations Delivers Greater Visibility Company-Wide
Maxus Properties strives to deliver best-in-class experiences for its residents and employees alike while exercising discretion regarding any new technology purchases. "We have our basic software package with RealPage, and we had just implemented OpsTechnology, which is a spend management package, when we started looking at some other options that could be used on the property level," said Rae Schnabel, Director of Sustainability and Special Projects Coordinator at Maxus.
Across their properties, Maxus was still using pen and paper and digital cameras to document all property processes — from move-in/move-out to annual apartment inspections to snow and pool logs to weekly lighting checks and more. "We didn't think inspections were a real issue at the time," said Alex Cuenca, OPS Operations Analyst. "But we ran into Mike Ramseyer at NAA 2016, — he had helped us with our OpsTechnology implementation when he was at RealPage — and he convinced us we needed to take a deeper look at our current property operations processes. We were making an effort to go paperless with leasing documents, so HappyCo fit into that strategy."
Schnabel and Cuenca gathered their key regional personnel to evaluate the software. "Mike gave an in-depth demonstration to our regional managers and regional maintenance personnel," said Schnabel, "and all of them jumped up and said, 'Wow, this looks awesome!'" The key platform differentiators that impressed the team included Happy Inspector's intuitive, customizable interface and Happy Manage's real-time dashboards. The Maxus regional staff and home office personnel immediately understood the impact mobile inspections and real-time dashboards would have on their ability to monitor properties dispersed across different states, — giving them real-time management capabilities without onsite visits required.
"One of my favorite things about HappyCo is that everything is in real time," said Cuenca. "So, as somebody creates an inspection out in the field, I can access it immediately through my desktop or through my iPad, if I'm out somewhere. Same goes for the regional managers, which is probably the best feature of Happy Inspector. My favorite feature is the dashboards. I can see the activity on a daily basis, I can see how many annual apartment inspections have been completed on a property,
how many water leak logs we've had throughout the week.
It's just really beneficial to have the dashboards."
Home office staff and regional managers alike benefit from the greater portfolio-wide visibility. "I had a Regional Maintenance Manager say that he loved it because he can now look at all of his properties, which are spread out across several states and see what it is they're doing on a day-to-day basis within their logs," said Schnabel. "It also gives residents peace of mind when they see us document conditions at move-in and monitor property safety features like lighting and security cameras with a system like HappyCo. So, I think from an operational standpoint, it's greater efficiency, and it gives us better visibility company-wide."
"I had a Regional Maintenance Manager say that he loved it because he can now look at all of his properties, which are spread out across several states and see what it is they're doing on a day-to-day basis within their logs."
Rae Schnabel
Director of Sustainability & Special Projects Coordinator
Lightning-Fast Deployments and Easy Learning Curve for Property Staff
Maxus determined it would test HappyCo at three properties prior to a full portfolio deployment. Cuenca selected the test properties based on their history with onboarding new technologies. "The properties we selected in our initial test run are pretty aggressive about trying to improve business processes," said Cuenca. "We chose some of our largest properties that are located in Kansas City: Park Edge Apartments at 260 units, Rosehill Pointe Apartment Homes at 500 units, and Wild Oak Apartments at 300 units. On average our properties are 150 units, so by testing at our larger properties, we were able to better estimate how long the rest of our properties would take to deploy and adopt the software."
"Compared to other software programs, HappyCo was very, very easy to implement," said Cuenca. "From the time that we signed the contract with HappyCo, it took about a week for them to set up all of our properties on the program." To train their property personnel across the various states in which they operate, Maxus set up regional webinars. "We wanted to implement by region, training a new region each week. It was super easy — just a 45 minute webinar, and it was over and done with."
Property Managers found Happy Inspector intuitive to use and easy to teach to their staff. "To learn the software and train my staff took a day. It was pretty quick for us," said Zach Moreland, Property Manager at Park Edge Apartments. "Once we got it going, to actually show my leasing staff and maintenance guys how to use it, it was literally you open the app, click some buttons and follow the steps — it's really easy."
"Compared to other software programs, HappyCo was very, very easy to implement. From the time that we signed the contract with HappyCo, it took about a week for them to set up all of our properties on the program."
Alex Cuenca
OPS Operations Analyst
Faster Turns, Improved Maintenance & Sustainability Monitoring Adds Up to Bottomline Benefits
"The time-savings is substantial," said Schnabel. "Before HappyCo, turning a unit required multiple visits from onsite personnel to first assess repair and replace requirements, and then determine the best course of action. Now with HappyCo, every inspection can be immediately accessed from a desk or on the go. Our teams have eliminated unnecessary clarifying conversations and multiple unit visits because they can log right into Happy Manage and see any inspection photo. We save about a day of labor for every move-out, which is equivalent to approximately $900,000 annually across our portfolio. We've also saved on our move-ins, approximately 10 to 20 minutes per inspection, or $50,000 to $70,000 annually."
Beyond time savings, moving to mobile has minimized the headaches and physical space required to store the multitude of paper documentation required for turn. "The biggest relief of paperwork has been definitely our turns," said Anthony Crafton, Lead Maintenance Manager at Park Edge Apartments. "When you're turning a quarter of a property per year, that's several hundred pieces of paper you have to use and store. Keeping everything on the cloud opened up a lot of file space. I no longer have to keep all that paper for five to seven years documenting what we've done. It's on the cloud now."
"The time-savings is substantial. Before HappyCo, turning a unit required multiple visits from onsite staff to assess repair and replace requirements, and then determine the best course of action. With HappyCo, they log right into Happy Manage and see any inspection photo, eliminating those extra visits."
Monitoring green initiatives and maintenance efficiency and are other key benefits of moving to mobile. According to Schnabel, "From a sustainability standpoint, using HappyCo is going to help us reduce our water consumption because we now have more accurate leak logs." And HappyCo is the clear leader when it comes to improving the life of a Maintenance Supervisor. "The biggest thing HappyCo has helped with is not carrying around a briefcase full of documents," said Crafton. "I have every document that's in our corporate system on my phone any time I need it. Like today, when I'm running here to there, to there, I'm not digging through my office saying, 'Okay. Where's that leak log? Where's the water intrusion? Where's this or that?' It's always right there. So, I would say it's definitely kept me out of the office more and allowed me to actually get from one place to the other a whole lot quicker."
Another critical efficiency saver is customizable forms. "The way HappyCo really compares, and even stands out is most forms are generic," said Crafton. "You have three bedrooms, two baths, whatever it may be, kitchen, living room. With HappyCo, there is no more generic." With HappyCo's customizable forms and on-the-fly editing, Crafton has the ability to adjust forms as needed, when he's inspecting the unit, unlike most competitive mobile forms on the market today, and this saves critical time running back to a desk to adjust a form, or simply failing to document the discrepancies. "You edit the form right then. You do it right there in the unit. So your numbers are always accurate."
"The biggest thing HappyCo has helped with is not carrying around a briefcase full of documents. I have every document on my phone any time I need it. So, I would say it's definitely kept me out of the office more and allowed me to get from one place to the other a whole lot quicker."
Anthony Crafton
Lead Maintenance Manager
Mobile Forms Process Ensures Damage Charges Are Documented and Billed
Prior to implementing HappyCo, inspection checklists were rarely completed as instructed, and often the details were entirely missing. "I always ran into these issues where the guys would just fill out the form by writing a line across it," said Moreland. "I always questioned whether it was done or not. With the Happy app, I now feel more confident in my guys. The app walks them through the apartment, room by room, so each section is completed. If there are any issues or questions, they take photos and then I can pull up those photos right on my phone and determine right then what we need to do."
Damages often went undocumented and unbilled before Maxus starting using HappyCo according to Crafton. "With pre-turns, HappyCo helps a lot," said Crafton. "We now go apartment by apartment and take pictures of anything that needs fixing. Before HappyCo, if a resident had punched a hole in the door, the maintenance guy simply fixed it and went about his day. Now we take a picture; it's uploaded to the cloud; we radio the office, and the office attaches that expense right then to the resident's charge sheet. We now made that extra $1,500 we weren't making before."
More Transparent MIMO Processes Lead to Happier Residents and Fewer Disputes
Since implementing HappyCo, resident disputes across Maxus properties are much fewer, and the new inspection process to document move-out conditions using Happy Inspector has improved resident relations. "Having HappyCo has made it a lot easier for my residents to be aware of what charges they can expect by doing both the pre-move out and move-out inspections," said Samantha Smith, Assistant Manager at Park Edge Apartments. "Everything is there in black and white with pictures, so there's no guessing about what a charge refers to. It definitely creates a much better process."
"Having HappyCo has made it a lot easier for my residents to be aware of what charges they can expect by doing both the pre-move out and move-out inspections. Everything is there in black and white with pictures, so there's no guessing about a charge. It definitely creates a much better process."
Assistant Manager at Park Edge Apartments
"The disputes with residents upon move-outs have gone down dramatically." said Moreland. "Most people used to argue with us because it was a delayed process to get the inspection reports. But now with HappyCo, we walk through each room and we take photos of everything now. So there's no room for dispute. The photo is the answer. So I really have not had any disputes since using HappyCo."
Move-in documentation with HappyCo has also improved transparency with residents, increasing their confidence in Maxus. "Move-ins have gone much more smoothly for us because the residents feel more confident with us as a management group, because we take photos of everything now," said Felicia Etayem, Leasing Agent at Park Edge Apartments. "So if a resident has a concern with something in their unit at move-in, we take a picture of that issue, so at move-out they know they're covered." Rebecca Hawkins, Leasing Agent at Rosehill Pointe Apartment Homes, agrees: "Being able to take photographs during the move-in process is a game changer; the residents moving in absolutely adore that. It's gonna be part of their permanent record."
"Move-ins have gone much more smoothly for us because the residents feel more confident with us as a management group, because we take photos of everything now. So if a resident has a concern with something in their unit at move-in, we take a picture so at move-out they know they're covered."
Felicia Etayem
Leasing Agent at Park Edge Apartments
Regular Inspections For Property Systems and Amenities Limits Liability
Property systems and amenities across a residential community are numerous, and without careful monitoring, legal liability can skyrocket. To ensure resident safety and avoid negligence claims in case of an accident, it is critical for property personnel to keep well-documented records with timestamped photographs. This applies equally to security cameras, exterior and interior lighting, pools, snow logs, mold removal and more.
"The benefit of the snow removal log is we are required to document it every day, whether there's snow on the ground or not," said Moreland. "Here in Kansas, you could have snow one day and it could be gone the next day, but the problem is we have a lot of refreezing. The key is to document every day in case something happens. Before HappyCo, if an accident happened and the resident reported it to us a few months later, I'd have to go through all the papers and hope we had that date recorded. Now, in the Happy app, it's done right away, first thing in the morning, — this is what we did, this is how much snow we removed; this is how much fell."
With the exterior and interior weekly light checks and monthly security camera checks, HappyCo reminds property personnel to inspect at regular intervals. "It falls onto my shoulders to make sure the cameras are working," said Moreland. "Sometimes you come in to look at a camera feed and you realize your hard drive has been down for a little bit. Now, with HappyCo, we go through a process; it's a simple process but it's something that's easy to forget. And the Happy App is good about reminding me of that."
"The key is to document every day in case something happens. Before HappyCo, if an accident happened and the resident reported it to us a few months later, I'd have to go through all the papers and hope we had that date recorded. Now, in the Happy app, the snow log is documented every day."
Zach Moreland
Property Manager at Park Edge Apartments
One of the most important amenities, a community pool, requires multiple checks per day. According to Crafton, "We check the pool three times a day. We're open 24⁄7 365 days per year. Before HappyCo, that was a lot of pages that got wet, got dirty, got crumpled. Now it's all on a cloud and everyone can see it. When the pool inspector comes in, if he wants to see a paper copy, we pull up the report, hit print and it prints from date to date. There's no discrepancies or the possibility we could have simply penciled in the numbers at a later date. No, it's timestamped. It's set in stone."
"HappyCo helps us from a liability standpoint," said Crafton. "It really helps the residents' peace of mind — for example with mold inspections, residents see us entering data into a system instead of just chicken scratches on a piece of paper. They can sign the inspection if they want. They get emailed copies after we're done with it, so they get that constant interaction from us." In addition, mobile inspections makes each staff member accountable to what they report on much more than a paper-based system could do. "My name's on that report now," continued Crafton. "I'm going to make sure that the problem is taken care of because I can't just go throw the inspection away like with a paper checklist and say I was never there."
Maximizing ROI and Driving Product Adoption
HappyCo has improved operations across Maxus Properties — from greater corporate visibility to faster turns and improved maintenance efficiency; to ensuring damage charges are documented and billed; to more transparent processes for happier residents and fewer disputes; to reducing legal liability across the entire portfolio. "HappyCo has improved our operations significantly," said Schnabel. "With the accuracy and the visibility that we have in the inspection reporting and dashboards, we can see what is going on at any property at any time, and that's an amazing thing."
"HappyCo has improved our operations significantly. With the accuracy and the visibility that we have in the inspection reporting and dashboards, we can see what is going on at any property at any time, and that's an amazing thing."
"One other thing that's been incredibly positive is our interaction with the HappyCo personnel," said Mike McRobert, CEO & President. "They've been outstanding towards helping us drive product adoption. Here at Maxus, we don't spend money on software just to say we use this or we use that. Being a highly entrepreneurial company, those dollars are coming out of our pockets, and it's all about maximizing that spend and creating an ROI. The HappyCo team has done an outstanding job of helping our personnel drive that process and maximize that spend."
"We don't spend money on software just to say we use this or that. Being a highly entrepreneurial company, it's all about maximizing spend, creating an ROI. HappyCo has done an outstanding job driving that process."
Mike McRobert
CEO & President
Corporate visibility limited by paper inspections with no ability to monitor operations remotely
Multiple unit visits by maintenance and property staff required to assess and approve repairs
Substantial physical space required for storing turn and maintenance records
Maintenance wasted valuable time retrieving a missing inspection or log form during repairs
Non-standardized and incomplete inspection data led to unbilled damage charges
Slower, less reliable inspection process due to a lack of paper form customizability
Photo documentation often not recorded or misfiled leads to more frequent disputes
Lighting and camera inspections not always performed exposing company to greater legal liability
Pool logs required 1000+ sheets of paper annually and were difficult to keep dry and clean
HappyCo Solutions
Happy Inspector ensures standardized, high quality data for every inspection performed
Customizable forms allows for unit and property variations and on-the-fly editing
Integrated inline photo feature provides timestamped, visual documentation for every inspection
Happy Manage dashboards give management real-time access to trends, issues and compliance
Deployment across 60 properties and 15 states took one week from contract signing
User training required a single 45-minute webinar per region, conducted weekly
One day saved per move-out in labor and unit downtime, equivalent to ~$900,000 annually
10 to 20 minutes saved per move-in, equivalent to $50,000 to $70,000 annually
Phenomenal user adoption with 13,000 inspections and 636,000 ratings collected in 5 months
Dramatically fewer resident disputes; some properties reporting 100% fewer disputes at move-out
Improved resident transparency during move-in and move-out lead to better resident relations
Standardized inspection data and higher compliance provides a history of diligent inspections and reduces risk from liability
Get the Maxus Properties Case Study PDF
Tarragon delivers Instant Gratification to residents with Real-Time Operations
Equity Residential transforms its
Move-Out Operations
With HappyCo, Equity has increased its damage chargebacks by 9%, equivalent to $850k in cost recovery, reduced labor by 30–60 minutes per inspection across 50,000 inspections annually and substantially decreased disputes, with some properties reporting up to 50% fewer disputes at move out.
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Advancing Collaboration with Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF)
Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF) has a mission of driving research, expanding knowledge, and advancing care for the neurofibromatosis (NF) community.
Annette Bakker
President/Chief Scientific Officer
Children's Tumor Foundation
Approach to Collaboration
CTF promotes and drives collaboration in a research and development (R&D) environment that otherwise incentivizes non-collaboration.
Authors featured in research publications are not organized randomly, meaning that academic researchers are incentivized to be the first or last author listed. This process potentially discourages collaboration. The first author listed is most often the one that did the work, and the last author listed is the head of the lab or study. Getting published becomes the end goal for many, as researchers often get value or promoted based on the number of author publications achieved.
Academic and industry agendas can be quite opposites from each other. The industry needs to keep its findings secret, so as not to inform the competition, whereas academia needs to publish because publications prove productivity, which will ultimately lead to funding.
Stakeholders often don't agree on how to efficiently and fairly share IP (intellectual property). As a result, all of these challenges above make it difficult to embrace collaboration, and research progress can be delayed as a result.
The Children's Tumor Foundation has focused its research priorities in recent years to shaking up this system to accelerate the path from molecule to approved treatment. With this aim, CTF launched collaborative projects called "Synodos" (meaning: on the same path together) - a model that encourages collaboration between researchers by incentivizing them to share their unpublished data.
Synodos serves as a channel to share unpublished data to promote "a faster and more efficient translation of top findings for clinical benefit." The project is currently focused on NF and has even produced promising clinical candidates. However, the model applies to other kinds of diseases as well (particularly rare diseases with few researchers, few patients, and limited resources).
As a piece of advice for the sector, Annette says, "Collaboration is hard, and nonprofit leaders have to be aware it is not easy." She also highlights the value of face to face meetings, and the importance of collaborating with people with whom you will get along well. She believes collaboration is less threatening than it first appears and creates access to more resources than working alone.
Application of the 9 Considerations for Collaboration
Build Trust
In Annette's opinion, trust is essential for collaborations to work. However, in the medical research environment, competition is deeply rooted, making building trust a challenge. The lack of academic and for-profit enterprises working together is severely damaging the development of solutions for people suffering from diseases. For example, if researchers break the trust in the team, it is hard to regain the collaborative spirit CTF pledges to promote. This is particularly damaging in a rare disease space where the total number of researchers is already potentially low. CTF will, however, keep fighting to change the anti-collaborative attitude underlying these undesired situations.
Have a Vision
CTF's vision is to bridge the disconnect between the research and pharmaceutical sectors; to connect the unconnected. Nonprofit organizations can play an essential role in helping to close this gap. In CTF's case, their knowledge and connections in the field of rare diseases drive their ability to help in this manner. CTF has strong relationships with the research, clinical, pharmaceutical, regulatory, and patient communities. There is no conflict of interest in their medical research and development work because they are neither focused on publishing nor patenting discoveries. For this reason, CTF plays a neutral role in connecting stakeholders in the field, with an ultimate and robust commitment to its beneficiaries, who are the patient community. Moreover, CTF has in-depth knowledge of the diseases it is working on, and the expertise to manage the varying players in the field.
Over the past five years, the NF community has tripled the number of clinical trials, doubled the size of the NF research community, expanded the clinical care network, and brought the first drug for NF to the FDA.
Seek to Assure the Success of Your Collaborators
At the beginning of Synodos, some researchers were initially very reluctant to share data. This resistance was not surprising. However, with CTF driving the process, researchers came to see the importance of doing so. They were able to access data from other researchers to obtain higher quality information (data they would have waited potentially years for, waiting for the publication to come out). Thus, these Synodos researchers realize the value of ensuring the success of collaborators – it helps all involved because by sharing data, there is a higher value return for all the data that is shared (and for all the researchers involved).
With that said, CTF is also committed to understanding the challenges of its research partners, helping them focus on doing research instead of administrative paperwork and endless grant writing. To this end, CTF has conversations with funders in advance to identify the types of research projects they would be interested in backing. These discussions allowed researchers to target the funders to whom they sent grant proposals efficiently.
Moreover, CTF is also concerned about ensuring researchers have the budget they need to conduct their analysis. The Foundation has implemented a flexible model of grant funding that allows grantees to tap into more resources than initially planned for if indeed more funding is required to complete the project accurately. This model is beneficial for researchers as they can incur unforeseen expenses, and encourages taking some risk to advance studies.
CTF's strategy is to observe, before piloting a new idea. If and when the idea works, CTF shares it out with others. They are also looking to learn from other organizations in the US and abroad who may be doing things that could assist in helping NF patients.
Their approach to new projects is rooted in the concept of starting small. By starting small and expanding when an approach works, this allows them to take an informed risk in their investments, a strategy, and method, which has received the backing of the CTF Board of Directors.
Fail Fast, and Build Rigorous Feedback Loops
CTF regularly looks at their programs to assess their performance. Of course, there are certain things they have tried that have failed. The CTF collaborative approach then ensures that these 'failures' are shared so that this work isn't unnecessarily repeated, draining resources and time (since often only 'good' results are published).
Take a Portfolio Approach
In Annette's opinion, CTF is keen on having a portfolio approach. The budget covers all forms of NF and considers all approaches (not afraid of taking high risk), including funding initiatives that are great but that no one else will fund at this time. In academia, CTF considers itself a seed funder, providing the smaller but still critically needed investments to ensure researchers get the preliminary data set they need to apply for larger grants.
A portion of the CTF research budget also goes to workshops and conferences where they bring people together to spur discoveries and translate those findings into better treatments for patients.
Another portion of the budget goes to Synodos, and the remaining invested in enabling platforms such as quality care criteria and diagnosis, patient support, education, and engagement. Thus, it is fair to say that CTF has a portfolio of three areas for resource allocation: intellectual capital, infrastructural capital, and patient community support.
The not for profit R&D enabling platform: CTF has decided that although their current annual budget may restrict them from investing in specific assets, it can still add value to the R&D ecosystem and efficiently attract pharmaceutical corporations to the NF space. The Foundation has therefore devised an alternative and innovative way to add value by investing in a platform aimed at accelerating the path from discovery to clinical benefit. CTF is providing services including target product profiles (TPP) for all forms of NF, educational materials, access to patients, key opinion leaders, and preclinical testing capabilities and connections to clinical trialists.
Open science community: CTF carefully piloted the idea of an open science platform in 2014. Since then, many other NF funders have joined the effort and have helped improve the data portal (www.nfdataportal.org), Hackathons are continuously being organized by CTF in collaboration with others to incentivize researchers to use and enhance the data. Today the NF community can be considered a true data community.
Keep Your Donors Apprised of Your Collaborations
As a top-rated nonprofit, CTF believes in transparency and working to keep all donors informed. Keeping in mind, of course, that non-disclosure agreements and other particularities of the scientific work can sometimes pose a barrier. CTF releases what donors should see to prove the efficacy of their investments.
Future Collaborations
For future collaborations, CTF would like to develop even more innovative financial models to sustain the not for profit enabling platform.
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Who Determines Your True Worth?
Some say your JOB because they pay you a salary or hourly wage and offer (or do not offer) benefits, perks, etc.Some say the vehicle you drive, the house you live in, the neighborhood you live, your friends, your clothes, where you hang out, and on and on.You have natural talents or skills, those that seem to be inherent within you.
Getting along with people easily, being able to logically figure things out, ability to focus and stay focused, being organized, making things happen, etc. And then you have your learned (acquired) talents or skills from attending College, reading and listening to tapes, attending seminars, On the Job Training (OJT), being tutored by someone, etc.But these talents or skills do not determine your True Worth.
The truth of the matter ? it is you who determines your True Worth. You determine what you are truly worth. It is by your action or inaction, by not making a decision which is within itself a decision. Following through on your dreams and desires or not. It is all up to you.You can read all the books, listen to all the tapes, attend all the seminars or listen to all the tele-conferences but without a plan, without action (I know this from personal experience) you are determining your worth by your inaction.
You need to dream again ? remember those dreams you had as a kid? Dream again and bring the adult dreams out. Then you need to visualize the dreams by giving them a present tense as if you are living them today. Use the visualization to create your goals in all areas of your life, not just possessions.
Your goal setting should include at least the six major areas of life that you need to take action on. An action plan is necessary to put in motion the activities that will allow you to achieve your goals.Keeping track of what activities you are working on requires a daily planner and a journal to record your every day feelings and ideas. The daily planner allows you to see your plan in action but the journal gives you a record of how you start out and how you grow and become what your vision says you are.Even when using the tools mentioned is there anything else that could hold you back from achieving your true worth? What is you inner talk like? What are you saying that could be holding your back? Changing your inner talk requires some assistance, that is where affirmations come into play.
Reading your affirmation every day help to change your inner talk and thought patterns.If there is unforgiveness, anger, resentment or bitterness against anyone or a situation ? it could be creating an artery clog to your future and your true worth. Make a list of anyone you feel you need to forgive, you don't need to face them in person to forgive them, just make the list and burn it, shred it, or throw it away and move on.Achieving your true worth is an awesome journey, for you will see yourself move from where you are to where your vision takes you. Is it a one day or week or month journey, it is different for everyone, but it takes time and commitment to start and continue on this adventure. You will find that as you realize you are worth more than you imagined your goals, vision and affirmations will change.
The great part is that with your journal you will have a record of this journey to encourage you as you see the results both small and large in your beliefs.To Achieve Your True Worth, you need a plan (a system) that will assist you in starting, planning and organizing and keeping track of your new adventure. Once started it just takes focus, desire and action on your part to start moving forward. Hesitation or indecision will leave you where you are, but action will assist you in moving forward with your life. So take action today and enjoy your future.
Gary is the creator of the Achieving Your True Worth System, a complete system that acts as a guide to a life that is worthwhile and exciting. http://www.sandgmarketing.com.


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Luigi Rolando
Luigi Rolando (16 June 1773, Turin – 20 April 1831, Turin) was an Italian anatomist known for his pioneering research in brain localization of function.
He studied medicine in Turin, later continuing his education in Florence, where he studied engraving, drawing, anatomical dissection, and conducted microscopic investigations of nerve tissue.[1] From 1804 he was a professor at the University of Sassari, and in 1814 was appointed professor of anatomy at the University of Turin.[2]
As a University of Turin professor, he devoted his life to the study of brain anatomy. A range of neuroanatomical and neurological entities are named after him: the Rolandic vein, the Rolandic artery (central sulcal artery), the pre-Rolandic artery (precentral sulcal artery), the Rolandic operculum (post-central operculum), the Rolandic area (primary motor cortex), the substantia gelatinosa of Rolando, the fissure of Rolando (central sulcus) and Rolandic epilepsy.[3]
Saggio sopra la vera struttura del cervello dell'uomo e degli animali e sopra le funzioni del sistema nervoso, (1809) – Essay on the brain structure of humans and animals, and functions of the nervous system.
Inductions physiologiques et pathologiques sur les differentes espèces..., (translation into French by Antoine Jacques Louis Jourdan, François Gabriel Boisseau), 1822
Ricerche anatomiche sulla struttura del midollo spinale, (1824) – Anatomical structure of the spinal cord.
Saggio sopra la vera struttura del cervello e sopra le funzioni del sistema nervoso; Volumes 1–2, 1828
Manuale di anatomia fisiologica, (1829) – Textbook of physiological anatomy.
Della struttura degli emisferi cerebrali (1830) – Structure of the cerebral hemispheres.[4]
"Luigi Rolando and his pioneering efforts to relate structure to function in the nervous system". Journal of Neurosurgery. 83 (5): 933–937. 1995. doi:10.3171/jns.1995.83.5.0933. PMID 7472570.
Rolando, Luigi. Treccani.it
Caputi F, Spaziante R, de Divitiis E, Nashold BS (1995). "Luigi Rolando and his pioneering efforts to relate structure to function in the nervous system". J. Neurosurg. 83 (5): 933–7. doi:10.3171/jns.1995.83.5.0933. PMID 7472570.
Google Books Search
Picture at torinoscienza.it


In ASL, certain words are not signed.
This usually pertains to proper nouns. There are some signs for common proper nouns that are used frequently, but for names of people or places it is common to fingerspell, or spell the name using the sign language alphabet.
A common occurrence in deaf communities is to appoint a name sign to individuals, so that their names do not need to be spelled out each time. A name sign commonly consists of the first letter of the person's name, with a motion near the head or shoulder. Some name signs are designed specifically from a person's quirks, personality, or characteristics. Usually, the name sign is created by people who know the person well. Also, the name sign is usually remembered and used within the community or social circle.
When fingerspelling a word with a double consonant or vowel, you simply slide the handshape over when signing, unless the word has double Z's. See the video below for an explanation.


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Free "BOOK" Treat from the American Haunts Collection!
2-Book Boxed Set Free for a limited time!
★★★★★ "good mysteries with paranormal overtones..."
Homicide detectives Gino Canale and Mark Waters don't believe in ghosts. Not yet anyway.
Listen to the Audio Book FREE
Also, if you haven't heard...
The new release in the Creatus Saga is now available.
A new breed of creatus have born....
Vev, one of the first generations of creatus talis, finds herself torn between her younger family members and a forbidden love as she fights to save the young talis from being turned into a weapon -- or worse, annihilation.
Grab the New Release Now!
The first kiss... So good...so delicious...so dangerous!
Vev, one of the first generations of creatus talis, finds herself torn between her younger family members and a forbidden love as she fights to save the young talis from being turned into a weapon -- or worse, annihilation.
For more info or to download, visit Amazon.com.
Or read on for a sneak peek of Vev's first kiss.
Hesitantly, Vev stepped forward. She'd never kissed a male before. Wasn't even sure how it worked. She'd read about it, of course. Watched it. But as with everything, her knowledge only took her so far. Life experience, she was learning, was invaluable.
Zach's heart rate sped up again, and the musky scent she'd noticed intermittently throughout the day escalated. Every beat of his heart fanned the potent scent, filling the room. In response, all of Vev's senses intensified, as though she were hunting game.
"Vev," he said, stepping toward her again, "please stay." His hand stroked her cheek, brushing back a strand of hair. He took another step, this time slipping his arm around her waist.
The pounding in Vev's heart exploded into such a fast rhythm she could hardly breathe. She gulped, licked her lips. Zach moved just his head toward her this time, pressing his lips to hers. A kiss. Her mouth parted unconsciously as his mouth moved back and forth.
She closed her eyes and inhaled. He smelled so good. So delicious—Vev pulled back so fast that Zach fell forward. She twisted her body, jerking away. The door. The sun must have set. Regardless, she needed to leave.
"What happened?" Zach's voice cracked.
"I must go."
"Vev?" His warm hand made contact with her shoulder and she lurched forward, as far away as the room allowed.
She wheeled, facing him. "I'm not human, Zach. Can't you see that?"
His lips turned up slightly, revealing curved lines that framed his mouth. "You feel plenty human to me."
"I'm not!" Vev insisted. She reached for the only thing in her vicinity. A broom. She snatched it from the corner and held it up. She didn't know how much strength humans had. According to Marguerite, not much. "Can you break this?"
"Why would I want to break my broom?"
Vev huffed out a breath. "Can you?"
"I guess. If I leveraged it against something, I could."
Vev brought the broom down over her knee, splitting it in two, then squeezed her hands around each part, pulverizing the wood until each piece was nearly sawdust. She released the slivers and shards, crumbling the pieces.
Zach's eyes grew wide. His heart raced disturbingly fast. She hated scaring him, but she had to make him see the danger. Marguerite had said that her research revealed that the earliest humans hadn't been afraid of creatus, but that they had become jealous of their beauty and strength, and started hunting them. Vev had never understood that. Now she did. Humans hadn't hunted the original creatus because they were jealous; they'd been frightened. Because humans smelled good. Because even though she liked the feel of Zach's kiss, a part of her imagined biting his neck and feasting.
The New Release in the Creatus Saga is now available at ALL major eBook retailers!
A new breed of creatus has been born--or rather, REBORN!
Vev, one of the first generations of creatus talis, finds herself torn between her younger family members and a forbidden love as she fights to save the young talis from being turned into a weapon -- or worse, annihilation.


The world's biggest sporting event takes center stage starting Thursday in Russia, and Google is getting in on the action even if the United States squad isn't. The World Cup, the planet's premier international soccer tournament, will be watched by more than 3 billion people, and many of them will be looking for game times, live updates, and highlights. For the most footy-frenzied, Google will be providing an all-encompassing search experience replete with group tables, stats, live video, gamecasts, and even interactive search data on World Cup-themed searches via Google Trends.
The health and wellness industry is expected to grow 17 percent in the next five years, and that comes after growing 10.6 percent from 2013 to 2015. Among consumers, health app usage also has increased by 330 percent due to the popularity of physical fitness and the ability to track exercise, create routines, and measure progress through digital technology.
This is a new era for Google. Prior to this roll out, Google had not publicly endorsed agency integration with its management platform. Not only does the debut of the dashboard promote that relationship, it also adds a layer of agency support specific to managing enterprise location sets.
For more detailed analysis, including why this update is so important for franchise brands and multi-location businesses, read the entire post here.
From 2018 to 2023, video will account for 93 percent of incremental display ad dollars, and mobile video will be the primary driver, according to a Forrester Research forecast. Brendan Verblow, associate forecast analyst for Forrester, says the increase of in-app mobile videos is due to the substantial amount of time consumers are spending in apps and the growth of online video consumption in general.
Verblow also notes that despite this expected increase, banner ads aren't going anywhere because of their reach potential. Another trend to keep an eye on is the increasing popularity of long-form video content and the potential for higher ad rates due to the high quality of long-form video.
Bing recently implemented a process that allows advertisers to quickly import Product Ads from Google AdWords into Bing Ads. The process is made easier through the use of the Google Merchant Center Import tool, which allows product offers to be imported directly to the Bing Merchant Center. This should help advertisers save time and increase efficiency across both platforms, says Bing.
For more details, read this post from Matt Southern and Search Engine Journal.


text:
package org.springframework.context.annotation;

import org.springframework.beans.factory.parsing.FailFastProblemReporter;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory;
import org.springframework.core.env.StandardEnvironment;
import org.springframework.core.io.DefaultResourceLoader;
import org.springframework.core.type.classreading.CachingMetadataReaderFactory;

/**
 * Unit test proving that ASM-based {@link ConfigurationClassParser} correctly detects
 * circular use of the {@link Import @Import} annotation.
 *
 * @author Chris Beams
 */
public class AsmCircularImportDetectionTests extends AbstractCircularImportDetectionTests {

	@Override
	protected ConfigurationClassParser newParser() {
		return new ConfigurationClassParser(
				new CachingMetadataReaderFactory(),
				new FailFastProblemReporter(),
				new StandardEnvironment(),
				new DefaultResourceLoader(),
				new AnnotationBeanNameGenerator(),
				new DefaultListableBeanFactory());
	}

	@Override
	protected String loadAsConfigurationSource(Class<?> clazz) throws Exception {
		return clazz.getName();
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Port Elizabeth Montessori School is a learning community that operates on authentic Montessori principles. We put the best interests of each child, and the school community, at the forefront of everything we do. Our school community has 3 cornerstones which form the foundation for all of learning experiences at school, namely show respect at all times, take responsibility for yourself and your actions and act with kindness. We aim to provide an environment that embraces diversity, co-operation, respect, understanding and acceptance, whilst simultaneously providing a solid academic foundation in all aspects of learning.
Download and complete the relevant Application for Enrolment Form and submit as a hardcopy to the school or scan and send via email to info@pemontessori.co.za before the beginning of April.


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Fresno drag queens victims of possible hate crime
<iframe width="476" height="267" src="https://abc30.com/video/embed/?pid=137804" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A pair of Fresno drag queens says they stopped arson in progress, and investigators are looking at it as a possible hate crime.
FRESNO, Calif. -- A pair of Fresno drag queens says they stopped arson in progress, and investigators are looking at it as a possible hate crime.
A truck was the target of the fire, but the couple who owned it says they were the real targets -- because they're gay.
The arson alone would be a serious crime -- it burned a truck and a few thousand dollars' worth of costumes and wigs for drag shows. But the hate speech in text messages -- allegedly from a suspect Fresno County sheriff's deputies are now looking for -- could make this much worse.
The fire that torched the inside of the SUV burned so hot, it popped a back window from the inside out.
"This actually blew," said Brandon Jackson, referring to the window a right behind where he stood. "I was right here when this pshhh, it just literally. If I would've been right here I would've had a face full of glass."
Jackson says he was trying to put out the fire every way possible. Handprints on the hood are his from an attempt to pound out the flames. Jackson's partner, Chris Ruiz, had just confronted a familiar face outside their Fresno County home.
"When Chris came out and said 'What are you doing?', he said 'I'm lighting your ****ing car on fire f****t.'"
A gay slur put an exclamation point at the end of the suspect's comment, but it wasn't the only one he made, which is why sheriff's deputies are investigating all angles, including the possibility this was hate crime.
Jackson and Ruiz are well-known drag queens in Fresno, and the man deputies are seeking -- Chuck Bullock, Jr, knows that well. He was once romantically involved with Jackson's mother.
Text messages from Bullock's phone to his ex-girlfriend after the showdown used more slurs and talked about playing with fire, even saying quote "I'm going to burn you down" in one profanity-laced message. Jackson eventually doused the flames with a garden hose, but when he opened the door, he found the mess left behind.
"The smell was god-awful and then it just looked as if it was melting - waxworks -- it just looked like it was melting," he said. "And this was because, simply because of my sexuality."
Jackson and Ruiz say Bullock also spewed Bible verses at them as he called them names. Bullock's father was a local pastor and deputies actually went to his home Tuesday, looking for his son. So far, though, they haven't tracked him down. There's a warrant out for his arrest on a previous criminal charge as well.
FRESNO GAY RIGHTS HATE CRIME FRESNO COUNTY HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION CRIMETRACKER ARSON
Auberry Rd to remain closed for 2 weeks after shoulder wash out
UC Davis student killed, four injured in rollover crash in Mendota
Wet weather causes dozens of car crashes across Fresno County
Clovis man accidentally shot and killed by his passenger, deputies say
Dine and Dish: The Chicken Shack in Northwest Fresno
Strathmore business suffers millions of dollars worth of flood damage


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All Minnesotans 16 and older will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine starting March 30
From left, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota nurses Alison Stumne, Tamara Pierre, Jana Wagner and Kirk Randall filled syringes at a North Memorial Health Hospital vaccination clinic.
— Aaron Lavinsky - Star Tribune
By Glenn Howatt and Jeremy Olson , Star Tribune
The COVID-19 vaccine will be available to all Minnesotans 16 and older beginning Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz announced Friday morning.
A statement from the governor's office said Minnesota's most critical goal is getting "as many Minnesotans vaccinated as quickly as possible to end this pandemic," which is showing signs of increased activity in the state again.
"Minnesotans have done a remarkable job helping our most vulnerable get vaccinated and waiting their turn," Walz said in a statement prepared ahead of a live video address at 11:30 a.m. "Now, as we prepare to receive more vaccine heading into April, it's time for all Minnesotans to get in line."
The expanded eligibility means another 1.2 million Minnesotans will be added to the pool of state residents seeking protection from the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Several states have already announced plans to make the COVID-19 vaccine available to all, beating the May 1 eligibility goal that President Joe Biden set two weeks ago.
Watch replay: Gov. Tim Walz on next vaccination steps
How to make an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Minnesota
Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the state is on track to beat the deadline, but also is in a race to protect people against the spread of new COVID-19 viral variants that appear more infectious.
"We are in a race between the variants and the vaccine, and we must remain vigilant and work together so the vaccines win," said Malcolm, encouraging Minnesotans to get "vaccinated as soon as you have the opportunity."
Although the state is accelerating the eligibility timetable, vaccine supply still lags behind demand. State health officials said allocations from the federal government are still "erratic," but they hope for growth next month.
Production has not increased as quickly as expected of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which like the two-dose Moderna version is available to people 18 and older. Only the two-dose Pfizer vaccine is available to people ages 16 and 17.
"We've heard different messages about the speed at which the Johnson & Johnson supply might ramp up," Malcolm said.
Minnesota is expecting its current weekly supply of 185,000 first doses — including those going to chain pharmacies under a federal contract — to increase to 304,000 first doses in early April.
"It is definitely an increase in terms of what we have been receiving," said Kris Ehresmann, state infectious disease director.
Minnesota is encountering an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations and diagnosed infections — though it remains unclear whether this is similar to travel-induced blips after Thanksgiving and Christmas, or part of a sustained new wave driven by the spread of more-infectious variants of the virus.
The 345 Minnesota hospital beds filled with COVID-19 patients on Tuesday was the highest count since Feb. 6 — though well below the peak of 1864 during the last pandemic wave.
Walz's statement said that Minnesota has reached a key protective goal of providing at least first doses of vaccine to 80% of senior citizens — who have suffered 89% of the state's COVID-19 deaths. Two-thirds of K-12 and child care educators have received vaccine as well.
Malcolm said that vaccinators will be asked to prioritize vaccine for those who are most vulnerable.
"With eligibility being more open it is still going to be the case, though, that certain people are at higher risk and need to be at a higher priority than others," she said.
But removing eligibility restrictions will provide clinics, pharmacies and others with the ability to avoid bottlenecks in the vaccine rollout.
"What we are trying to pair up here is still immunizing for impact and equity but creating more flexibility for vaccinators to be able to just not slow down and not wait for the next eligibility category," Malcolm said.
Providers said there is no lack of demand among the existing eligibility groups. M Health Fairview is still booking all vaccine appointments three weeks out. Olmsted Medical Center alerted 2,400 eligible people Wednesday afternoon to a batch of 500 vaccine appointments, and they were all booked by Thursday morning, said Dr. Randy Hemann, chief medical officer. "It's still a problem with supply right now. We can't keep up to the demand that's out there."
Dr. Abinash Virk said Mayo Clinic would adapt to any new state guidance on vaccine eligibility, but that a switch now would complicate efforts to conduct outreach and make appointments with some of the harder-to-reach people who are at greater risk of severe COVID-19 due to their living situations or health conditions.
"It will make it a little bit harder because we're not done with [those currently eligible] yet," she said. "We have quite a large number of patients in that group. It would be best if we could actually get a little bit farther along in that group."
Minneapolis Public Health has held targeted events for eligible recipients as well as vaccine clinics at public housing complexes where residents often are at elevated risk of COVID-19 but have been harder to reach.
A vaccine-for-all approach could shift some of the city's strategy toward broad vaccine events set up in geographically underserved areas rather than clinics targeted at key groups, Minneapolis Health Commissioner Gretchen Musicant said.
"We'll need to use a different strategy to reach folks," she said.
So far, 1,475,130 Minnesotans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That represents an estimated 26.5% of the population.
The shots have gone to the highest priority groups, including health care workers, long-term care residents, the elderly and child-care and school employees.
People with underlying health conditions and front-line essential workers, including public transit and grocery store employees, became eligible two weeks ago.
Under the new eligibility policy, the remaining groups who are next in line for the COVID-19 shot are anyone 50 and older regardless of medical condition, people 16 and older with at least one underlying health condition, essential workers that have not been previously eligible and everyone else who hasn't yet qualified.
Only the Pfizer vaccine has federal approval to be given to 16- and 17-year-olds. Other adolescents and children won't be eligible for the vaccine until clinical trials are concluded later this year and federal officials review safety and efficacy data.
On Thursday, Minnesota health officials announced another 1,857 new COVID-19 cases, the highest one-day total since Jan. 9.
"We do have the potential for another spike in cases," Malcolm said. "Today's case count is an important reminder of how very seriously we have to take this pandemic going forward."
Another 16 deaths were reported by state health officials, including 10 who were residents of long-term care facilities.
Cases and deaths among nursing home and assisted-living residents have plummeted since they were prioritized to receive the vaccine. Most facilities have had two or three vaccine clinics, with 80% of nursing home residents and 85% of assisted-living residents getting two vaccine doses.
But long-term care facility workers have not taken up the vaccine as readily, with 54% of nursing home and 45% of assisted-living workers getting vaccinated.
"We need to encourage staff to increase the protection of all within the community to get a vaccine and we are working hard on that," said Patti Cullen, CEO of Care Providers of Minnesota.
Cullen said more workers are asking for the vaccine as they see colleagues and family members get the shot without suffering negative consequences.
Since the pandemic began in the state more than a year ago, 510,398 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus that causes the disease and 6,814 have died.
Some of the recent case growth has been driven by COVID-19 variants that are more infectious, underscoring the need for vaccines to limit spread of the disease.
"The good news is there is going to be enough vaccine for everybody who wants to get it, and it is going to be much faster than we had earlier thought," Malcolm said.
Alaska, Arizona, Mississippi, Utah and West Virginia have already expanded vaccine access to all adults, while Texas and North Dakota will do so on Monday. Michigan's target date is April 5.
Staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.
Glenn Howatt has been with the Star Tribune since 1990 where he has specialized in health care reporting and data journalism.
glenn.howatt@startribune.com 612-673-7192
Jeremy Olson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering health care for the Star Tribune. Trained in investigative and computer-assisted reporting, Olson has covered politics, social services, and family issues.
jeremy.olson@startribune.com stribJO
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WWDC 2013 Countdown: Four Things Apple Should Announce In June
by Bryan M. Wolfe
Four weeks from today, Apple CEO Tim Cook will take to the podium at the Worldwide Developers Conference to deliver his keynote. During this event, we'll finally have a better idea what Cupertino's plans are for the year. Between now and then, we're going to offer occasional reports on what type of products and features Apple should announce on June 10. For our inaugural report, we offer four such features/products.
iWorks '14
Apple may want us to live in a "post-PC" world. However, the reality on the ground is that most businesses still rely on desktops and laptops to get the majority of their work done. To achieve this, most businesses continue to rely on Microsoft's Office suite, which really isn't a surprise. Apple's productivity suite, iWork, was never the market leader. However, there was a time when it was a suitable alternative to Microsoft's product. In recent years, however, Apple's suite seems to have become little more than an afterthought. How else to explain the fact that Mac versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote haven't seen a significant update since the waning days of the George W. Bush presidency? You can't, of course. Hopefully, an iWork reboot is coming. If not, maybe it would be wise for Apple to put it out of its misery once and for all.
iPhoto reboot
Last refreshed in October 2010, Apple's most popular photography application for Mac is in need of a major overhaul. Like iTunes before it, iPhoto '11 has become so bloated in recent years that the joy of using it has largely disappeared. To make iPhoto more usable, Apple needs to figure out a way to make the photo streaming process less taxing on the Mac. Plus, would it be asking too much to see photo stream images via the Finder? Additionally, while iPhoto's Face feature is nice, it probably isn't a benefit for most users. Therefore, Apple should give us a way to turn this feature off, as you can do in Aperture.
iOS trial software
The Mac ecosystem has always been a great place to try out quality software before you buy. Unfortunately, this has never been the case for iOS. Despite the rise of freemium apps, Apple has never gotten around to creating a system where full featured paid apps can be tried for free. One can hope that we will see this change in iOS 7.
Rethink iTunes Match
When it arrived in November 2011, iTunes Match came with an interesting premise. For $24.99 per year, Apple would scan and match tracks (even those on CDs) to a users' music library and convert the files to a better format, when applicable. Apple has always sold iTunes Match as a yearly subscription. And yet, once you get past the first year, there is little to justify shelling out $24.99 again. Even if a user, for example, stops paying for the iTunes Match service, all copies of the DRM-free AAC iTunes Store versions of tracks that have already been downloaded onto any device can be kept, whether iOS devices or computers. Going forward, Apple needs to rethink the iTunes Match premise to keep it relevant. Rumors continue to suggest that Apple is readying a free "iRadio" service for iTunes users. Perhaps iTunes Match should be reinvented to included some "premium" iRadio features along with the song matching. Otherwise, make iTunes Match a one-and-done proposition in terms of price. What new products and/or features do you want to see Apple announce this year?
This Interesting iOS 7 Concept Brings A Stark Visual Change
Apple's 50 Billion App Downloads Countdown Moves To Apple.com


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Movie review: Thoughtful 'Breathe' stumbles over its clumsy first act
Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy star as Robin and Diana Cavendish in Breathe." - photo by Josh Terry
Josh Terry
Posted: Oct. 23, 2017, 9:02 a.m.
BREATHE 2 stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Hugh Bonneville, Ed Speleers, Camilla Rutherford; PG-13 (mature thematic material including some bloody medical images); select theaters
There are a lot of movies that start strong, only to taper off and finish flat. "Breathe" struggles with the opposite problem.
Andy Serkis' film the actors first directorial credit is based on the true story of Robin Cavendish, a polio victim who went on to pioneer groundbreaking advances for the severely disabled. At times, "Breathe" is moving and inspiring, but to get to the good bits, you have to get past a clumsy first act.
The film opens in a nostalgic sheen, thrusting you into the lives of a group of wealthy Britons in the 1950s. As they lounge and laugh and play cricket and make merry, audiences with a darker sense of humor might think of the material that Monty Python sketches used to send up back in the 1970s.
But the bigger problem is that Breathe races along with little explanation, and you barely catch any of the principal characters' names before the protagonist meets his future wife, courts her, marries her, travels to Africa with her and contracts a life-altering disease. You might be better off arriving to this one 15 minutes in, where you'll still quickly catch on to the plot.
Andrew Garfield plays Robin, an upper-class Briton whose life of leisure gets pulled out from under him when polio paralyzes him from the neck down. His devoted wife Diana (Claire Foy), pregnant when Robin first contracted the disease, is traumatized and then furious when her husband refuses to acknowledge his baby boy and insists that she leave him in the hospital to die.
At that point, you can hardly blame him. Robin needs a mechanical apparatus to breathe, and is stuck in a hospital ward filled with other miserable patients. Since polio victims are not expected to live long, Robin sees no point in delaying the inevitable. But Diana refuses to leave his side, eventually determining that getting him out of the hospital will improve his emotional outlook.
Enter the services of Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville), an industrious family friend who devises a plan to not only get Robin free of the hospital, but eventually get him into his own motorized, breathing chair. From here, "Breathe" becomes a largely inspirational tale as Robin's determination to live life on his own terms grows into significant breakthroughs that help others in his circumstance.
If only that opening wasn't so clunky.
It's clear to see that "Breathe" provided Garfield with a singular acting opportunity. He spends 95 percent of the film in a chair or a bed, limited only to performing from the neck up and even then, sometimes Robin is unable to talk. Garfield meets the challenge, and Foy provides a sympathetic foil as his determined wife Diana.
Audiences may find the film's conclusion a little more polarizing in light of the films earlier message, though unlike "Breathe's" opening, it is more due to content than execution. Altogether, "Breathe" is a difficult movie to peg, flawed enough to merit serious criticism, but redeeming enough to consider. If there's a poster child for the "wait for Redbox" category, "Breathe" might be it.
Breathe is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material including some bloody medical images; running time: 117 minutes.


Line-X of Wenatchee Llc is a limited liability company registered in the state of Washington (UBI #602371963). It was incorporated in Washington on March 01, 2004.
The most recent annual report for Line-X of Wenatchee Llc is due on March 31, 2011. Line-X of Wenatchee Llc is a for-profit entity.


text:
https://www.inforisktoday.eu/
Dominique Shelton
LabMD
Sam Curry
IT Predictions 2020: How New Technology Will Challenge Humans to Keep up & How Humans Will Push Back (French Language)
Cyber Insurance: A Rising Role in Mitigating Risk for CISOs
Presented by New York City Fraud & Breach Prevention Summit 2017 60 MInutes
The financial risks to organizations from data breaches come from a variety of angles, from share price hits to class-action lawsuits to fines from regulators to reputational damage. As such, the insurance industry has jumped full steam into cyber. Larger insurers are already helping companies spot and mitigate weaknesses as part of their coverage, as well as helping post-incident with response and remediation. But how often are CISOs involved in the cyber-insurance decision-making process? Not often enough.
In this engaging panel discussion about the role cyber-insurance plays today in every line of business, Tim Francis, vice president and enterprise lead for cyber insurance at Travelers, will kick us off with a 10-minute overview of the current state of affairs, highlighting why it's so critical to get CISOs involved in cyber-insurance decisions from Day 1. CISOs have historically not been too keen to see money invested in risk-transfer protections; instead, they'd rather see that money spent on security. So, how and should their perspectives about cyber-insurance change? After Tim's presentation, we will move to into a panel discussion to further explore questions and views on cyber insurance.
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Richard Bortnick
Cyber Liability and Insurance Attorney, Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry, LLP
Benjamin Dean
President, Iconoclast Tech; Fmr Fellow for Cyber Security and Internet Governance, Columbia SIPA
Vice President and Enterprise Lead for Cyber Insurance, Travelers Business Insurance
Jay Kramer
Partner, Data Privacy and Cyber Security Practice Group, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith; former Supervisory Special Agent, FBI - NY Cyber Division
David Pollino
Chief Cybersecurity Officer, Bank of the West (BNP Paribas)
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Bortnick litigates and counsels clients on cyber and technology risks, exposures and best practices; directors' and officers' liability; professional liability; insurance coverage; and commercial litigation matters. He also drafts professional liability insurance policies of varying types, including cyber, privacy and technology forms, and is Publisher of the cyber industry blog, Cyberinquirer.com. He serves as a member of the Executive Corporate Board of The Franklin Institute science museum and is Co-Chair of the Computer & Technology Subcommittee of the ABA Section of Litigation, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee. Bortnick is a regular contributor and columnist for Advisen and was named by Advisen as their Cyber Risk Network 2015 Person of the Year.
Benjamin Dean has worked at the intersection of technology, economics and public policy for the past decade. He is presently a Technology Exchange Fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington DC. Dean was previously a Fellow for Cyber Security and Internet Governance at Columbia University in New York. He also spent time as a policy analyst at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, among other positions located in countries spanning the world.
As a Vice President, Tim Francis leads Travelers' Business Insurance Management and Professional Liability initiatives. He also serves as the Enterprise Lead for Cyber Insurance. In this latter role, Francis has oversight of all of the company's cyber product management, including products for businesses of all sizes, public entities, and technology firms. Francis served as co-chair of the NetDiligence Conference and has spoken at numerous other conferences on the evolution of cyber risk and how businesses can protect against them. Additionally, he is an active member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) and has served as Chairman of the Hartford Chapter. He is a participant in the Department of Homeland Security's Cyber Incident Data and Analysis Working Group (CIDAWG), an ongoing private-public engagement that is examining how a cyber incident data repository could help meet the information requirements of insurers, CISOs, and other cybersecurity professionals.
Jay Kramer is a partner with the firm Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, specializing in Data Privacy and Cyber Security. Prior to moving to the private sector, Kramer served as supervisory special agent, FBI, New York division. After working for several years in the FBI's racketeering and organized crime section, Kramer joined the FBI's legal bureau in New York. As an FBI attorney, Kramer helped analyze and resolve complex issues of law and policy in criminal and national security investigations. In 2010, Kramer accepted an assignment in the FBI's Office of Congressional Affairs in Washington, D.C. There he worked closely with several congressional committees on issues related to proposed changes in federal law. In 2013, to insure the FBI's readiness to address a growing portfolio of cyber investigations, Kramer was called upon to help stand up the FBI's Cyber Law Unit in Chantilly, VA. In 2014, Kramer returned to the New York office, where he remained until he left the bureau in 2016.
Pollino is responsible for fraud prevention oversight and education at the bank. Pollino was recently named a top ten influencer by Bank Information Security. Prior to joining Bank of the West, Pollino served in senior fraud prevention positions for Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual, and Charles Schwab. During his career, Pollino has also worked as an information security consultant at @stake and UUNET advising Fortune 100 companies on information security issues. Pollino is the author of RSA Press: Wireless security, The Hacker's Challenge Books 1, 2 and 3, and Hacking Exposed: Wireless and frequently contributes to the Bank of the West blog.
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Q: Create a column df[New_column] and write Yes/No based on other multiple column values in pandas Condition to apply :
I have a df and i want to fill with yes/no based on the below condition :
If column1 >= 20 and column2 >= 4 and column3 >= 30 then write Yes else write No

enter image description here

A: You can use np.where, as follows:
df['New_column'] = np.where((df['column1'] >= 20) & (df['column2'] >= 4) & (df['column3'] >= 30), 'Yes', 'No')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Orlando City Soccer Acquires 26-Year-Old Austrian Forward Ercan Kara As Designated Player
On January 31, 2022 By Orlando City Soccer
55 goals and 23 assists since 2014
Orlando City SC has acquired 26-year-old forward Ercan Kara from Rapid Vienna of the Austrian Bundesliga, Austria's top flight, it was announced today. (Orlando City SC image)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Orlando City SC has acquired 26-year-old forward Ercan Kara from Rapid Vienna of the Austrian Bundesliga, Austria's top flight, it was announced today.
Kara will join the Lions as a Designated Player, pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and ITC, on a three-year contract through 2024, with Club options in 2025 and 2026.
"We are very excited to secure Ercan as another strong attacking presence for the Club," said Orlando City SC Chairman Mark Wilf. "He strengthens our lineup and will help us take another step toward winning championships in Orlando."
"Acquiring Ercan is a great move for us and we're really happy to get him to Central Florida," said Orlando City General Manager and EVP of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi.
"His size and strength make him a great target for us inside the box, but his skills make him a threat from outside as well. We think his versatility up top is going to open a lot of opportunities for us in the attack."
A product of SK Slovan HAC's youth academy system in his native Austria, Kara joined SK Slovan's first team at the start of the 2014 season and has been at Rapid Vienna since January of 2020.
Since 2014, the striker has totaled 55 goals and 23 assists in 108 appearances across all competitions at the professional level, including appearances in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
On March 31, 2021, the Vienna, Austria, native made his senior international debut for his home country in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Denmark.
Kara entered the match as a second-half substitute for his first minutes at the international level. The striker has since made a total of seven appearances for Austria and provided one assist.
Austria is set to take on Wales in a qualification playoff match on March 24, 2022. The winner advances to take on the winner of Scotland and Ukraine for Playoff Group A's advancing spot.
TRANSACTION: Orlando City SC acquires 26-year-old forward Ercan Kara from Rapid Vienna as a Designated Player, pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and ITC, on a three-year contract through 2024, with Club options in 2025 and 2026.
Orlando City Soccer Acquires 21-Year-Old Uruguayan Forward Facundo Torres
The post Orlando City Soccer Acquires 26-Year-Old Austrian Forward Ercan Kara As Designated Player appeared first on Space Coast Daily.
Categories : Brevard News Brevard Sports News Ercan Kara Featured Story Orlando City SC Orlando City Soccer
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Institutional Buildings
Lecor / Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture
© Kalle Sanner
https://www.archdaily.com/221037/lecor-kjellgren-kaminsky-architecture
Architects: Kaminsky Arkitektur
Area Area of this architecture project Area: 1 m²
Photographs Photographs: Kalle Sanner
We have designed a new office building for the steel manufacturer Lecor. The building is situated in Kungälv, 10 kilometers north of Gothenburg. Lecor manufacture advanced steel constructions and wanted to showcase their skills in their own building. This intention in combination with the opportunity to create a landmark building visible from the nearby highway, was the starting point of our design process.
The building, which houses the Lecor headquarters includes offices, dining area/kitchenette, meeting rooms, a library and change-rooms.
We have worked with materials, colors and textures in various ways that can be associated with the steel industry and its traditions. The color pallet consists mostly of soft pastels and whites. We have adopted the principle of "draping" each room in a single colour.
The building is clad in dark gray steel panels in a repetitive pattern. To emphasize the factory function of steel production, we have allowed some elements of the building to shoot out of the facade in the form of a glass boxes, contained within a steel frame. On the first floor, slides the main entrance as a windbreak with a pastel colored steel frame. On the second floor, adjacent to the staff kitchen/dining area, slides the "dining cube" in a clear yellow color.
On top, across the building, we further highlight and advertise the factorys' steel operations by placing a conference room and an outdoor terrace enclosed in a long bridge of truss plant-steel construction. The lattice frame is metallic silver and the contained conference bridge is pastel green with large glass partitions along three of it's sides. From this room you get a 270 degree view out towards the deep woods of Sweden.
Inside, the first floor of the building is divided into four main parts each with their own emphasized elements. The dining room at one end has the forest view, then there's the change-rooms, the main entrance with a spectacular steel staircase and the office area with a stairwell of glass and steel as well as yellow polished steel "short cut" spiral staircase.
The entrance hall is similar to a white sea with a large staircase in the spotlight. It has a core of sturdy, tall, painted steel walls with a specially designed pattern resembling the white glow from welding, in the form of perforated holes of various sizes that will be lit both by artificial and the natural light of the above skylight. The walls of various heights extending up to the second floor combined with their powerful visual expression become the design elements of a worthy entrance for visitors and employees.
elevations 01
The entrance hall is lined with black ceramic tiles in order to contrast and emphasise the oak steps of the main stair and whiteness of the space in general. The black ceramic tiles are a mix of three sizes, presented in a specially designed pattern. This pattern continues outside the entrance hall itself, as a way to invite guests in.
We have selected certain places in order to mark them by "draping" them into a selected color. For example, the library on the second floor has a muted pink shade both on the carpet and the walls. The change-rooms, showers, toilets, and some pantries and kitchens are covered with pastel blue tiles, dull army green, pastel green, light grey, pale yellow and crisp white shades, following once more the principle that the whole room has a single color on the floor and walls.
On the second level hardwood flooring is used and has been layed in different directions depending on the room and it's function and also to highlight the elements of the plan. The hardwood flooring is broken and contrasted at times, for example in the cloakroom and toilet by stark-white tiled floors and in the library by the pink carpet that stretches out into the corridor.
The walls of the office rooms are made of glass, the facing walls and doors have a soft gray tone. The "dining cube" has accent colors both inside and outside. Here a bright yellow tone is used internally on the walls and on the spiral staircase in combination with blue radiators. This is intended to create a bright, alert appearance at the building's heart.
Address:Kungälv, Sweden
Kaminsky Arkitektur
GlassSteel
ProjectsBuilt ProjectsSelected ProjectsOfficesInstitutional buildingsInstitutional Architecture
Cite: "Lecor / Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture" 29 Mar 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/221037/lecor-kjellgren-kaminsky-architecture> ISSN 0719-8884


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Forces News
Extreme E chooses Dorset to stage season finale of electric off-road racing series
Prince of Wales returned to salute a new generation of Royal Navy leaders
HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
ZH101
XW224
Worlds Premier Aerobatics Display Team
Home British Army
UKFN
The inaugural Extreme E off-road season is heading for the chequered flag on Army training ground in the South West of England, with its goal to promote electric vehicles and clean technology solutions whilst striving for a lower carbon future for the planet.
One of the Extreme E electric rally cars drives around the Bovington Tank Museum's test track. On the 14 December the Army enabled the Bovington Future Power Symposium. The event was held at the Defence Battlelab and will enable high level engagement between senior military leaders and industry heads who are involved in new environmental and sustainable technology development. The end state is to highlight, how each organisation is developing its new equipment and techniques to enable future power to exist in extreme and arduous environments. The closing race of Extreme E, the sport for purpose electric off-road racing series, Season 1 finale, the Jurassic X Prix will take place in Bovington on the Army Estate on 18-19 December 2021. The area itself is key to the Army's sustainability undertakings being home to the Defence BattleLab, a facility that provides the opportunity to develop new products and technologies. A big focus for the military is decarbonisation and electric vehicles play a pivotal role. The British Army has already invested £10 million in this sector, developing experimental hybrid-electric drive vehicles within its fleet in a bid to create a more sustainable military operation.Photographer: Corporal Rob Kane©MoD Crown Copyright 2021
"People are really pushing the boundaries with what they can do with electric motors, they are after all very simple. Basically, it's just one moving part so in terms of reliability it's great, especially for the military. We're talking about electrification which is key and it's not just talking about doing it, things are now actually being put into action"JENSON BUTTON MBE
JENSON BUTTON MBE
Photographer: Corporal Simon Lucas ©MoD Crown Copyright 2021
The Army has jumped at the chance to support this ground-breaking, all electric event which will be hosted at Bovington Training Area and will help highlight the shared focus, of both Army and Extreme E, on sustainability and more specifically electrification.
Some of the biggest names in motorsport are involved with Extreme E. Teams owned by Sir Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are represented as well as former Formula One World Champion Jenson Button MBE, who both owns and drives with his JBXE team:
Mr Jenson Button stood with Staff Sergeant Ben De Ronde REME, outside Jenson's team tent at the Extreme E off road race series.
"People are really pushing the boundaries with what they can do with electric motors, they are after all very simple. Basically, it's just one moving part so in terms of reliability it's great, especially for the military. We're talking about electrification which is key and it's not just talking about doing it, things are now actually being put into action"
One of the main aims of the event is to highlight climate change issues both here and around the globe and take up the fight against environmental damage it causes.
The British Army is committed to both mitigating its environmental impact and exploring the use of electric vehicles as power solutions on the battlefield.
Cpl Munce of the Army Trials and Development Unit takes a look around one of the Extreme E electric rally cars at the Future Power Symposium. Photographer: Corporal Rob Kane ©MoD Crown Copyright 2021
"With Extreme E's support, we will continue to highlight the environmental importance of the area and demonstrate the ongoing work undertaken by the British Army with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to ensure its longevity as both beautiful countryside and an effective training area. Combined with the Army's investment in, and development of sustainable vehicles, this will allow us to continue to maintain our world-renowned operational edge."MAJOR GENERAL SIMON HUTCHINGS OBE, DIRECTOR OF JOINT SUPPORT, STRATEGIC COMMAND
One of the Extreme E electric rally cars receives some maintenance after a test drive at Bovington Tank MuseumÕs test track. On the 14 December the Army enabled the Bovington Future Power Symposium. The event was held at the Defence Battlelab and will enable high level engagement between senior military leaders and industry heads who are involved in new environmental and sustainable technology development. The end state is to highlight, how each organisation is developing its new equipment and techniques to enable future power to exist in extreme and arduous environments. The closing race of Extreme E, the sport for purpose electric off-road racing series, Season 1 finale, Ôthe Jurassic X PrixÕ will take place in Bovington on the Army Estate on 18-19 December 2021. The area itself is key to the ArmyÕs sustainability undertakings being home to the Defence BattleLab Ð a facility that provides the opportunity to develop new products and technologies. A big focus for the military is decarbonisation and electric vehicles play a pivotal role. The British Army has already invested £10 million in this sector, developing experimental hybrid-electric drive vehicles within its fleet in a bid to create a more sustainable military operation. Photographer: Corporal Rob Kane ©MoD Crown Copyright 2021
Major General Simon Hutchings OBE, Director of Joint Support, Strategic Command said:
"With Extreme E's support, we will continue to highlight the environmental importance of the area and demonstrate the ongoing work undertaken by the British Army with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to ensure its longevity as both beautiful countryside and an effective training area. Combined with the Army's investment in, and development of sustainable vehicles, this will allow us to continue to maintain our world-renowned operational edge."
Originally devised in 2018 Extreme E event racers compete over two days, on an off-road course around five miles in length. Each race takes place over a two-lap run with a driver swap required at the end of the first with the contest consisting of qualifying, semi-final, and final sprints.
And as Jenson Button explains, this form of motorsport is tackling diversity head on too:
"Extreme E is special because you have to have a girl and a boy in the team. At the start of the year the guys were quicker than the girls because they've got more experience but over time the girls have come to their pace because of their dedication. They are putting in so much work and time to develop. Over the last couple of races, they've been as quick as the guys and sometimes quicker."
The Army aims to decrease emissions and scale-up the transition to renewables, thus contributing to the UK's aim to be net zero by 2050. These efforts have already started with the Army piloting electric armoured vehicles and soldiers benefiting from new carbon efficient accommodation, delivered as part of the £45-million Net Carbon Accommodation Programme (NetCAP)5
The programme is being part-funded using money from a £200-million investment to improve armed forces accommodation, which was announced by the Defence Secretary last summer.
The MOD is investing more than £35 million of this funding, in addition to funding from the British Army, into its nationwide programme, which aims to improve facilities for troops when they are training away from their permanent barracks.
38 new carbon efficient accommodation blocks, providing more than 1,700 bed spaces, will be installed across the UK Defence Training Estate by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), working with industry partners. The remainder of the £200-million investment is being spent on Service Family Accommodation and training accommodation and improvements to Single Living Accommodation in Army barracks, RAF bases and Naval establishments.
© Crown Copyright 2022
Special thanks to forces photographers Corporal Rob Kane
For video news from the British Armed Forces: https://www.youtube.com/britisharmedforcesdaily
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Professional Luncheon: Michael Thomas Cucek, Adjunct Professor, Waseda University
Thursday, December 17, 2015, 12:00 - 13:30
Japan's Political Outlook for 2016
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Waseda University
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English
The struggle to find an effective political counterbalance to Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party-led government goes on. This week, the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan agreed with the Japan Innovation Party to form a unified voting bloc in the Diet. Several other parties are jockeying for position ahead of the Upper House election next summer.
The opposition has an uphill struggle. The DPJ-Innovation Party bloc would control just 92 seats in the Lower House, less than a third of the 291 seats held by the LDP. In the Upper House it would have 64, nearly half the strength of the LDP, which, with coalition partner Komeito, has a seemingly unassailable majority in both chambers.
Veteran Japan-watcher and political scientist Michael Cucek has agreed to come to the Club and look ahead to the 2016 election. He will attempt to answer a key question. Can the opposition parties coalesce into an effective political force that might actually give Abe and the LDP a run for their money?
Cucek is political consultant and author of the respected and widely read political blog Shisaku: http://shisaku.blogspot.jp/. He is also adjunct professor of social sciences at Waseda University and an adjunct fellow at Temple University Japan. He is a graduate of Stanford University.
Please reserve in advance, 3211-3161 or on the website(still & TV cameras inclusive). The charge for members/members' guest is 1,750/2,700 yen; non-members including guest-members eligible to attend may pay in cash. (Menu: baked pasta with seafood cream sauce.) Reservations canceled less than one hour in advance for working press members, and 24 hours for all others, will be charged in full. Reservations and cancellations are not complete without confirmation. For meal service, please enter the room by 12:25.