The scientific and research activities of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, as provided for by art. 30 of the General Regulations of the University of the Ministerial Decree of the 15th April 2005 (published in the "Gazzetta Ufficiale" of the 12th May 2005), are defined in art. 20 of the University Didactic Rules, envisaging the development of research activities on technologies and methodologies related to distance teaching and learning processes.
This research activity is identified as university research since its outcomes are applied to UNINETTUNO's organizational models as well as to the psycho-pedagogic and technological models applied to distance teaching and learning processes and are utilised by all Faculties that, of course, participate in the conduct of the research work.
For each implemented study Faculty the Dean can request to the Faculty to start up research activities that must be strictly related and coherent with their own class of studies or grouping of similar studies.
The research work conducted at the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, which is, by now, considerable in the various scientific sectors in which the Institution is structured, has been lately increased thanks to the inclusion of a large team of young researchers, reaching high levels both at national and international level. We began analyzing the skills of the teachers and, above all, those of the researchers, reviewing the tools, that were mainly computer-based of which our research work could benefit. Research laboratories are available on UNINETTUNO technological platform, among hardware and software packages, tele- and videoconferencing systems, distributed calculus, computer-based networks with other research laboratories of different countries and universities of the world allow our researchers to carry on their research work using the Web to exchange data, standardize research protocols and share materials, equipments and laboratories. UNINETTUNO platform allow collaboration with other international research centers and teams and working together at distance. Studies and research work that are conducted by these teams are divided in several units participating in the realization of complex experiments requiring ever more diversified competencies that can hardly be found in a single research centre, but in several research centers and universities of different places of the world (see the research work of the Engineering Faculty).
This choice allowed to maximize costs, reduce travels and missions, share knowledge and make assessment before, during and after the realization of expensive and complex experimentations. Additionally, we concluded some agreements with the CNR (National Council of Research) in order to utilize, when needed, their research laboratories. Also as it regards humanistic subjects researchers have at their disposal on the Web book collections of many libraries worldwide. The digitization procedure allowed the creation and updating of national book catalogues that can be accessed via the Internet and everybody, from anywhere in world, can access knowledge that would be otherwise accessible only on the spot, in libraries and study centers. This procedure not only makes accessible to many users and researchers precious cultural resources that would be otherwise precluded, but preserves rare book collections that could run the risk of being destroyed and allows the exchange of knowledge among cultures that have been set apart for thousands of years. Thanks to connection facilities, available in UNINETTUNO's premises, it is possible to work in constant contact with colleagues of other laboratories – exchanging documents and data – as well as access the databases of the most prestigious national and international online journals of several disciplines, thus allowing a continuous updating of knowledge in a sector and making interactions and interdisciplinary exchanges easier.
For the Law Faculty, the University made a subscription to Pluris, through which it is possible to consult UTET juridical database , always from the workstations set up in the Library.
Very important were the agreements for common research work in various sectors with public Institutions as well as with private companies having a greatly innovative character. These allowed a fruitful exchange of ideas and skills as well as the inclusion of highly-skilled professionals among the teaching staff. In addition, we fostered the work on three-year degree theses dealing with original research contents – an experience that will give its fruits in the forthcoming years with the second-cycle degree theses. Monthly Inter-Faculty meetings are devoted to programming activities, to the preparation of new programs and to make final assessments. The coordination of the research activities is entrusted to a teacher of the University. Particular attention is paid to developing synergies among the different cultural expression of the various Faculties, promoting common initiatives that highlight the University's in-house competencies. The PRIN and FIRB/SIR programs of MIUR, European calls for proposals, such as Horizon 2020, ESA calls, regional calls are the main occasions of cooperation. The more specifically departmental functions are carried out by the Faculties that have the task of promoting and coordinating each initiative to make the related scientific literature available online for all fields of knowledge.
The research activities of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO are managed and supervised at central level by the University and, at more specialized level, by each Faculties. The University allocates to research activities a share of its annual budget, as shown in the budget report. In particular, it allocates to them 30% of the revenues given by the students' fees. To these we have to add revenues gained with research projects, funded at national and international level.
Developing tridimensional and augmented-reality applications within UNINETTUNO distance teaching and learning processes.
The university research aims at achieving results that can be applied and utilized by all Faculties that, of course, take part in the realization of the research work.
The new cognitive society and the evolution of multimedia technologies applied to distance teaching point out to the birth of a kind of educational communication that represents a particular form of dialogue in which the general rules of communication theories need to be revised. Therefore, it is necessary to develop research programs and compare their results in order to assess the potentials of the various technologies (computer and telematic networks, digital television and education, hypertextual and multimedia systems, models of cognitive interfaces etc.) so as to construct a coherent body of theoretical and operational knowledge establishing a fair balance between technological-engineering components and cognitive, methodological, cultural, educational components that actually pertain to information technologies. At present the first type of components, namely the engineering-technological ones, tend to predominate compared to the cognitive ones, and thus place serious obstacles and dangerous distortions in the use of the results. This problem – which arises in many of the fields where the technologies are used – assumes particular relevance in the educational area, given the characteristics and the delicate nature of the functions to be carried out. Cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, computer science, pedagogy have all already produced epistemological models and strategies for analyzing specific problems in the fields of their respective disciplines and which are useful for identifying the complex interrelations that exist between means of communication, cognitive processes and messages. A distance teaching system based on the use of technologies, since it triggers the mechanisms of didactic communication which make up a particular form of dialogue between professors and students together with new interactive procedures between the source of the message and the receiver, requires the development of programs of applied research as a basis for planning and executing psycho-pedagogical and didactic models for distance teaching and learning. Applied research becomes essential so as to ensure that the results can constitute the basis upon which found the organizational psycho-pedagogical models for distance teaching and learning. Actually, the results of the research projects realized with NETTUNO represented the basis for the pedagogical and didactic model's evolution which led to the realization of the new distance teaching and learning model applied by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.
Most of the research programs carried out are aimed at building up a coherent body of theoretical and operational knowledge on the basis of which there has evolved a complex distance teaching system founded on the use of technologies and cognitive and connectionist theories. The results of the research conducted so far allowed to keep a fair balance between the engineering/ technical components and the cognitive, cultural and educational ones at the heart of the development of information technologies, and have involved scholars from various disciplines (technologists, computer scientists, educationalists, educational psychologists, experts in various languages); the research activity carried out was at once theoretical and experimental, pure and applied.
The results, therefore, made it possible to identify new ways of carrying out the teaching-learning process whether face-to-face or at a distance, and they have already had a significant effect on theories linked to the learning processes, to teaching methods, and to the distance learning relationship. From the economic point of view, the results have also supplied the basis for developing new e-learning models.
"Elaboration of television models for distance university teaching and learning with the use of satellites and telematic and informatic network", linked to the CNR'S strategic research project "Didactic multimedia communication and distance learning" coordinated by the Prof. Maria Amata Garito. The results of this research provided the elements for the creation of the didactic communication model and new languages for the realization of NETTUNO video-lessons; the analysis carried out in the field of this research created the basis for the realization of prototype of videolessons linked to the theoretical hypothesis experimented with 15000 distance learning students.
VERDI, [The Description is in Italian]in this project the psycho-pedagogical model for the realization of the virtual university campus "The Virtual Knowledge City" was designed. This model was designed on the basis of the learning theories about memory, mental activity functioning, anticipating the implementation of a 3D virtual world, designed as a collaborative learning environment.
BIC, [The Description is in Italian] that allowed to design and realize a group of automated classes for distance learning that enable students and professors to interact using a computer network in a pedagogically efficient way and that led to the formalization of the concept of Virtual Class.
SOCRATES ECHANG, [The Description is in Italian] that brought to the definition of new learning and teaching model; thanks to this project, it was possible to assess the impact of new communication technologies in the field of distance learning, to formalize the role of the camp mediator, under a scientific point of view, in distance learning and teaching and to verify and experiment the collaborative learning approaches through new technologies.
GIOTTO, [The Description is in Italian] HERMES-GIOTTO and HAMLET, that allowed to theorize, develop, verify and realize a model of digitalized, modular and indexed videolesson, as well as the design of the learning environments on the Internet.
E-xcellance,[The Description is in Italian] in the framework of the Community Program eLearning program, where we laid the foundations for the realization of a excellence e-learning model for higher education, through the definition of excellence standard and best practices as it regards evaluation tools, internal quality monitoring tools.
The main objective of CBVE is to enhance the professional skills of students by lifelong open and flexible, didactically-innovative and pedagogically-rich learning approaches, with a specific focus on the development, extension and expansion of entrepreneurial skills.
The project aims to address some inadequacies in the field of vocational training guidance for self-entrepreneurial opportunities and the lack of external network liaisons with business, such as the lack structured entrepreneurial training, the lack of relations with external networks and employment market, of flexible learning approaches regarding entrepreneurship suitable to reach students outside traditional training cohorts. The CBVE Project, which is aimed at distance students, contributes to the development of innovative contents thanks to services, practice work, research and educational tools that are based on ICTs.
It promotes a model of collaborative learning that enhances the quality and level of cooperation relations among higher education centers and businesses. In this process the students will be supported by teachers and experts of entrepreneurial skills development and will be stimulated to learn and concretely test the knowledge learnt being guided by experts and tutors coming for the academia and from the business world. The project will involve small and medium enterprises, professional associations, commerce chambers and local partners and associations.
The contribution given by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO mainly deals with sharing research work and studies on the development of multimedia educational contents from which to start the development of innovative approaches to education. In particular, thanks to the CBVE Project, we realized some tools that can help accessing the employment world for a non-traditional and mainly adult student population.
The project analyzed innovative tools and methods for defining a model for sustainable development by studying the management of archeological, coastal and submarine sites of the Mediterranean Basin.
Project general aim was to assure the development of science and technology aimed at defining and realizing innovative tools for protecting coastal sites and, above all, archeological sites. Thanks to this project in-depth studies and accurate surveys were carried out on the impact produced by some human activities on the sites being studied. These studies examined global events such as climate effects and more local ones such as the impact of cultural tourism. These survey were aimed at promoting environmental protection, prevention of geological and earthquake risks, socio-economic development and sustainable and responsible human actions. This study was useful to supply the partnership members and all European Union countries with tools that were integrated with guidelines for the assessment and launch of policy measures and directives.
An International Forum, a media window of the project, disseminated the questions that were treated by these studies and promoted wide-scale communication, particularly as it regards sustainable development of the archeological sites. The participation of UNESCO gave an added value to the project in terms of coordination and in technical and scientific fields.
The project results were published in final report aimed at making the international public more aware about the value and symbolic role of our common Mediterranean heritage.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, as expert partner in new information and communication technologies, supervised the dissemination of the project results, spreading them in the Mediterranean Area through its own satellite television channels and within the Mediterranean University Network.
The project promoted international-level cooperation aimed at identifying quality benchmarks in the field of higher education with particular reference to the use of e-learning.
The project pooled the experience gained in this field by 13 countries and the expertise of ENQA members. Target groups were: academic institutions, evaluators, designers and students.
The E-xcellence+ main objectives were: e-learning enhancement and innovation processes through self-assessment, continuing assessment and validation; to this end, the project promoted a specific reference tool named as "E-xcellence tool", that is available online. This educational tool is based on some shared standards indentified among all partners and aims at increasing interest, flexibility and accessibility with regard to the lifelong education opportunities in the Member States (half of which are already familiar with it).
The tool standards were regularly monitored by a consortium of organizations with expertise in the field of higher education (online universities and traditional universities) and by European quality assurance agencies. Finally, the E-xcellence+ Project promoted the enhancement and innovation of e-learning by harmonizing this tool with institutional and national policies.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO was actively involved in all work phases. In particular, UNINETTUNO used the "Quickscan" tool, that was devised by EADTU, for analyzing the courses selected by the University. To this end a study and experimentation team was established and it included representatives from the management of the University, tutors, students and staff involved in the research work.
In addition, UNINETTUNO organized a two-day meeting during which the organization of the University Quality Assurance System was illustrated, the results of the Quickscan tool were assessed and the possibilities for integration and interaction of the tool of the University Quality System were analyzed.
The Re.ViCa Project faced the complex question of Virtual Campuses and, more specifically, supplied a study and an analysis of the Virtual Campuses currently existing in the European Union countries represented by its partners. In this frame work the project highlighted some successful solutions in the launch and management of the activities of Virtual Campuses and supplied the users with a full mapping and selection tools based on the needs of each individual student.
to make an inventory and to carry out a systematic review of cross-institutional Virtual Campus initiatives of the past decade within higher education at European, national and regional levels.
to look not only at currently operational Virtual Campuses, but also at the legal aspects and impact within higher education generally of those Virtual Campus initiatives that have ceased activities.
to identify relevant parameters and success factors for evaluating and comparing Virtual Campuses, based on thorough research and expert input.
to organize in-depth discussions at various stages of the project, to incorporate the input of different interest groups: including Virtual Campus management bodies, relevant networks, students, policy makers and a range of experts at a global as well as European level.
to compare in-depth studies of European cases to selected non-European initiatives in order to refine and elaborate success parameters and factors.
to formulate a set of action points that can be applied to ensure the realization of successful European Virtual Campus initiatives.
In addition, the Re.ViCa Project started a reviewing European Virtual Campuses and spreading the results of this research work throughout Europe, offering an updated overview of the best practices that were compared with extra-European initiatives (Japan, Australia, Canada and Latin America). This process highlighted several success and quality factors giving accurate hints on how to maximize performance in this field.
The CSVM Project was based on an innovative approach to distance education and was target to students, professionals and entrepreneurs involved or interested in being trained this field. The project beneficiaries were universities and employers. The specific aim of the project was to establish a sustainable mechanism of interaction between the business world and the field of distance education to enhance knowledge about distance education and facilitate the access of distance students into the labor market and offer a distance education system able to develop business opportunities and connections with labor market.
Through the CSVM project a European Web-based Single Portal was developed in order to allow the access to virtual internships on the distance teaching mode. The CSVM project and the related Virtual Internships Portal is in line with the Lisbon Strategy and the Copenhagen Declaration since they contribute to the development of the European labor market through the modernization of the European education and training system. Actually, the project final product was a Web-based Portal, that can be accessed and used by everybody and that supports applications and their guidance within the programs of European Virtual Internships.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO played a very important role in this project supplying its know-how as it regards student's training through distance learning tools and combining guidance paths and preparation based on the needs of the job market that now demands permanent education and the renewal of the traditional training paths. Additionally, the network of companies and universities with which UNINETTUNO University cooperates represented the strong point of the project since it allowed to bring learning and internships opportunities closer to labor market, linking students/users and experts and supplying as well examples of expertise in several fields. According to the psycho-pedagogic model of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, virtual internship can represent a unique opportunity in Europe, promoting employment, dialogue among cultures, creating of thematic networks, internationalization of knowledge and competences.
During the project implementation phase we prepared the description of vacant internships positions, the design of the website, hyperlinks, newsletters and related registration systems, project overviews, articles, posters, brochures, DVDs and CD-Roms. The project results were promoted and highlighted also by using an active approach towards its beneficiaries who were consulted during the entire implementation of the program itself. In a short-run perspective, the project supported distance students in suitably meeting the demands of the labor market. In the long run, new technologies may be used by the students to satisfy the need to study and work in international settings, having also the possibility of developing their careers in a framework of virtual mobility. Moreover, we laid the foundations to start a systematic and reciprocal flow of knowledge between the labor market and the field of distance education.
The audiovisual heritage of the Mediterranean region is a resource of inestimable value, a way to promote and facilitate an "entente" and an intercultural dialogue throughout the region. This resource is currently difficult to access and runs the risk of deteriorating rapidly, possibly being lost forever. Saving the major part of the documents is still possible, but such an undertaking is becoming quite urgent. The project aims at assuring access to this heritage and guarantee its safeguard and hand it down to future generations.
The scope of the project is to ensure simultaneously the digitization and immediate and global visibility of the Mediterranean audiovisual archives. The issues that were dealt with encourage dialogue and mutual understanding: discovering images of archaeological sites on the Mediterranean rim, its inestimable architectural heritage, sharing traditional and contemporary artistic treasures (songs, dance, music, visual arts…), the development of economic and social changes, issues related to the environment and sustainable development. Archive holders of the Mediterranean region, in particular their main broadcasters, requested INA (Institut National de l'Audiovisuel) and the COPEAM (Conférence Permanente de l'Audiovisuel Méditerranéen) to develop a strategy and an action plan so as to promote and support the preservation of the Mediterranean's audiovisual heritage as well as the discovery, the sharing and the handing over of this common heritage to the populations of the Mediterranean rim in order to promote intercultural dialogue and the understanding of their common history.
1. Universal online access to archives from the Mediterranean area for researchers, students, the general public, broadcasters, together with cultural partners in the cultural, educational, scientific and professional fields including 4,000 documents.
2. To set up protection procedures and best practices in preserving audiovisual archives by those who hold them.
The knowledge of culture and that of one's own country, as well as that of the neighbouring countries, together with the recognition and identification of shared values that were at the unavoidable basis for creating a Mediterranean Area that can favor development. The vision of a common identity among the populations of the Mediterranean region is nowadays recognized as a major element of civilization, made difficult by historical, political and religious events which have left often painful memories. Audiovisual collections originating from the Mediterranean countries are still lacking visibility on the new communication and information media and represent a sort of "texture". Institutional and cultural policy-makers and among them Mediterranean broadcasters, are well aware of this fact and went on to support the project to promote actions aimed at preserving and giving visibility to their historical and cultural heritage.
The main aim of the project was to boost the organization of Lifelong Learning in universities by paving the way for actual changes in institutional strategies. Even if, there are many universities in Europe that have already developed full-comprehensive learning environments including software packages and interactive features related to the guidelines for self-learning, they do not practice appropriate policies for Lifelong Learning, suitable strategies and working business models for a further and sustainable method. The project allowed the development of university strategies and new business models for Lifelong Learning that can be put into practice in collaborative framework between traditional and distance universities. The project lead to wider awareness among the academic communities. We presented a wide range of experiences of Lifelong Learning and we create a business model for the organizing Lifelong Learning courses. At local level, several meetings were organized among universities, social community partners and students to involve them into the debate and define Lifelong Learning mission as input for new business models.
The achieved results and the identification of innovative business models led to the development of Lifelong Learning institutional strategies.
The EPICS project general objective was to integrate Virtual Mobility (VM) initiatives offering international courses as an integral part of university study programs to shift from Virtual Mobility projects and initiatives to an integrated program of Virtual Erasmus.
To this end, the project brought together existing VM networks in order to enhance capacities for organizing pilot exchange experiences in the framework o bilateral or multilateral networks. We developed an supporting infrastructure that allowed to realize the European Portal for International Courses and Services (EPICS Portal) into which all existing VM offers were included.
The universities were given the opportunity to offer and present a selection of courses that were made available through EPICS in customized section of selected international courses put at the students' disposal. Only a selection of international courses that meets the requirements and completes the universities' offer was made available to students. This way, they can attend this courses being assured that their educational credits will be recognized further to bilateral agreements with the participating universities. Of course, students and universities have also the possibility to visit the whole EPICS portal and to display and select all available courses.
EPICS put into connection universities, students and courses all over Europe. EPICS works as a database, but it also offers online services for guided and high-quality training and supports the organization of VM integrated programs in the framework of Erasmus programs. The EPICS project, therefore, contributes to enhance the amount of mobile students in whole Europe and support the implementation of a Higher Education European Area by means of the realization of Virtual Erasmus programs.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)'s "Enterprise Development through Information and Communication Technology for Iraq" (EDICT) project, in partnership with the International Telematic University (UNINETTUNO) of Rome, is funded by the Italian Cooperation for Development and implemented through the support of the Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals, Kurdistan Regional Government – Iraq, Thi Qar Province Council.
The project has the overall objective of helping reduce poverty in Iraq and creating employment opportunities for Iraqi people. To meet these ends, EDICT aims to support directly both Iraqi institutions and the private sector, mainly small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through the use of information and communication (ICT) technologies, beneficiaries, both from Iraqi institutions and the private sector, will be provided with capacity-building inputs such as trainings, tutoring, and advisory and counseling services.
This will increase the capabilities and outreach of the already-existing and UNIDO-supported Enterprise Development Units (EDUs) in governorates of Baghdad, Thi Qar and Erbil, as these Units host the technical infrastructure to facilitate beneficiaries to access EDICT services.
The project is aimed at realizing distance education courses on issues related to Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion - EDIP in Iraq by means of the new information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Most specifically, the project envisages capacity building aimed at promoting the development of new business companies in the three Governorates of Baghdad, Erbil and Thi Qar, in Iraq and works in close connection with the Ministry of Industry and Minerals in Baghdad, with Kurdistan Regional Government of and Thi Qar Province Council, areas where the training activities are going to take place.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO supplies the competences, technologies and methodologies to implement distance education courses on the Internet and on satellite television.
UNIDO supplies course contents that are going to be adapted and consolidated in order to be delivered according UNINETTUNO didactic model; it coordinates all project activities in its head office in Vienna, supplies teachers, technical staff and administration staff in the three Governorates of Baghdad, Erbil and Thi Qar.
− Realize a dedicated UNIDO-UNINETTUNO e-learning platform based on the UNINETTUNO psycho-pedagogic model (under copyright) supporting e-learning activities in Iraq.
− Train the experts selected by UNIDO as video teachers in UNINETTUNO methodologies as it regards didactic communication aspects on video and on the Internet to enable them to record training sessions based on the latest distance education methodologies and to produce the related training materials supplementing the videolessons.
− Train the tutors selected by UNIDO in the use of the distance training platform and methodology to enable them to play the role of guide for the students who will attend the distance training courses.
− Train the technical staff in the management and maintenance procedures of the Technological Poles technological infrastructure.
− Train the didactic managers as it regards the coordination and supervision activities and the management of the training activities at the local Technological Poles and the coordination and the monitoring of the tutors' activities.
200 hours of training materials and texts linked to the videolessons (in English, or Arabic or a mix of both languages) realized by UNIDO experts and adapted by UNIETTUNO experts to be posted on the Internet-based platform.
− Produce 1500 CDs or DVDs as off-line training tools.
− Realize 3 Technological Poles at the EDU (Enterprise Development Unit) institutions in the Iraqi Governorates of Erbil, Baghdad and Thi Qar (one for each Governorate). The Technological Poles shall installed and commissioned.
− Sees to the management and maintenance of the Internet site area including all local information according to the students/users' specific needs.
Implemented with the support of the Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals, Kurdistan Regional Governorate – Iraq, Thi Qar Province Council.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO supplies the technological infrastructure required to realize the three Technological Poles in the hosting institutions of the Iraqi Governorates of Baghdad, Erbil and Thi Qar made available to the local entrepreneurs.
The three Poles are equipped with all the technologies required to attend distance teaching courses, to participate in training activities by videoconferencing system and they are a physical place for meetings where it is also possible to organize face-to-face exams as well as meetings, seminars with teachers and students.
- supply information to the entrepreneurs, institutions and the private sector on the project activities.
In addition, UNINETTUNO is in charge of the training of experts and technicians, selected by UNIDO, in the didactic and organizational methodologies to be used. The selected experts, are trained at UNINETTUNO site in Rome, to be able to deliver the new teaching models using the television and Internet languages.
Tutors and counselors are trained to make them acquire the skills required for distance teaching and to use the related supporting and tutoring tools based on UNINETTUNO methodology. Upon the project completion, UNINETTUNO will also deal with the production of 360 hours of didactic modules in English and Arabic and of the recording of the training sessions in DVD format to be used as off-line training tools as well as of the broadcasting of UNIDO training contents on the Internet and on satellite TV.
The Open Educational Innovation & Incubation (OEII) Project is aimed at defining the principles and operational aspects of innovative models of an organizational interface. These models, through the integration with new contents, courses, supporting tools, modules, contribute to meet the actual labor market demands enhancing the students' employability. In addition, the organization interface acts as propeller for the enhancement of business incubation processes.
The project aims at strengthening universities' links with the labor market exploring the European universities' good practices and promoting an ideal knowledge chain.
OEII will perform a cross-comparison of university interfacing models and assess their associated market receptiveness. This will result in the realization of a more flexible interface organizational model, which are increasingly designed to improve the effectiveness of educational/training activities aimed at promoting incubation processes, involving various stakeholders. OEII seeks to obtain more systematic empirical insight as to the incubation process through emerging or running pilots that will produce shared guidelines.
Main objective: improve innovation policies in Europe in the retail sector and promote effective transnational cooperation among partners; additional, it envisages the design of innovative tools for the retail sector for the SMEs.
The project aims at realizing a knowledge network to share the expertise of the various partners and works as a laboratory for experimenting innovative actions promoting competitiveness.
Promote cultural innovation in the retail sector at European level.
Creation of a collaborative platform (Virtual Community), technically equipped to include a knowledge network for the retail sector, based on studies and analyses conducted at regional level.
The main objective of the CBVI (Cross-Border Virtual Incubator) is the promotion of entrepreneurship and incubation processes promoting the development of the involved regions and the exchange of expertise among partners. The project specific objective is to implement a learning virtual environment linked to entrepreneurial issues.
The virtual learning environment is platform for developing courses on business planning through the use of innovative methodologies for the training of new entrepreneurs, optimizing the advantages granted by the Web 2.0 technologies. These platform promoted flexible learning modes for the development of the users' entrepreneurial skills. Unlike traditional entrepreneurial incubators, based on top-down pattern, the virtual platform is implemented through initiative from the bottom, promoting the exchange of knowledge among the those involved (SMEs, universities, research centers, public administrations, economic development agencies, trade unions, professional associations etc.). The result is an open and big virtual environment, a social and technological infrastructure integrating several services of promotion of entrepreneurial skills.
The project proposal is rooted into the theories on social capital and optimizes the potentials of social networking identifying it as driver for entrepreneurial success. The platform supplies virtual spaces/offices, training on entrepreneurial skills, administrative/financial support tools, communication tools and promotion of collaborative activities, IT infrastructures and Web-based services, access to specific contents, contacts with external stakeholders, guidance and support etc.
The Web-based virtual incubation system represents an fundamental asset for current educational and training needs since it promotes dialogue among different disciplinary sectors, spreading of virtual workforces, production and experimentation of creative ideas and a significant cost reduction.
The model will be tested by realizing several pilots, tested by students and stakeholders of different regions. In addition, all partners will carry on research work on regional and national best practices, they will assess pilot testing and, at the end, they will define the guidelines for promoting regional and transnational entrepreneurial processes.
UNINETTUNO, by means of is online platform, contributes to the development, delivery, integration, testing and assessment of products/services for promoting entrepreneurship processes in the field of distance learning.
UNINETTUNO has the task of supervising WP8 dealing with the valorization of the project results and sustainability. WP8 envisages the production of valorization of results and the organization of a final event.
UNINETTUNO, in addition, actively cooperates to the achievement of the project objectives and supports the development of the activities envisaged by other work packages.
"Green computing" or "Green IT" refers to environmentally sustainable computing or IT. It spans a number of focus areas and activities, including design for environmental sustainability; energy-efficient computing; power management; environment-related risk mitigation; use of renewable energy sources; and eco-labeling of IT products. In a broader view, Green IT tries to convert IT infrastructure in a Green support for the environment but also for the society, that is, to green IT not only for minimizing the environmental impact but also to maximizing the social benefits (more social & environmental responsibility in the IT industries).
The Erasmus Mundus "GreenIT" Project aims at creating a mobility network around "Green IT", involving 10 European partners and 10 Arab Countries partners. Higher education institutions include: 2 Arab ones from Tunisia, 3 from Morocco, 2 from Algeria and 3 from Egypt. In addition, the project aims at paying particular attention to its spreading in Libya in order to attract mobility from this country and in particular students living in disadvantaged situations.
On the overall, 185 mobility fluxes are envisaged: 71 BA, 46 MA, 22 PhD, 18 post-docs and 28 staff mobility fluxes. 22 mobility fluxes come from Algeria, 31 from Egypt, 3 from Libya, 40 from Morocco, 39 from Tunisia and 50 from the EU.
UNINETTUNO, as project partner, hosts post-doc students and teachers from Tunisian, Moroccan, Egyptian and Algerian universities in his premises in Rome, for cultural exchanges aimed at conducting educational and research activities. In addition, the students and teachers of the University can go to the partner Universities to spend periods of study and research.
Recent studies hint at an increased incidence of calamitous events due both to natural phenomena and dangerous human activities. At times these two factors come together, generating catastrophes capable of causing immense human and material losses and irreversible harm to the environment (See, for instance, the latest events in Japan).
States affected by disasters often sought help from the international community which assisted concerned populations providing relief. In doing so, involved actors confronted with a fragmented and deficient international legal framework. As a consequence, the effectiveness of assistance action had been frequently compromised.
Moreover, at present international regulation of disaster prevention and mitigation activities appears to be unsatisfactory. Indeed, only few legal instruments exist which, what is more, only apply to specific categories of disasters, or either are regional in scope. The large majority of them have no binding effect.
This research project is aimed at giving a contribution to solving problems described above, trying to identify the law system currently in force related to prevention of (and response) to natural and man-made disasters (so called International Disaster Response Law, IDRL). This study will help in discovering existing legal gaps and inconsistencies, and will be instrumental to the formulation of recommendations meant at addressing them. The project general objective is to make these international mechanisms, aimed at disaster prevention and management, more effective hoping that a more exhaustive legal regulation could reduce the destructiveness of these events and the related human and material losses.
The research outputs will be multifaceted. Beside preparing accurate scientific contributions on the issues being dealt with, mainly in the English language to assure their widest dissemination, we will develop codes of conduct and handbooks to promote the application of the IDRL principles by relevant stakeholders. We will also submit proposal for structured interventions with regard to the Italian legal framework that in partly inadequate to face these questions. In order to facilitate the dissemination of the results, we envisage the creation of a devoted project website and of newsletter.
The Engineering Faculty coordinates a research unit participating in PRIN (PEA4H8) whose title is "The Protection of the Landscape between Conservation and Transformation. Economy and Beauty for Sustainable Development (La difesa del paesaggio tra conservazione e trasformazione. Economia e bellezza per uno sviluppo sostenibile)", co-funded by MIUR (Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research for the Area 08, Civil Engineering and Architecture.
Nora Moll, Literature Faculty, Member.
The project basic research line is mainly addressed to the question of landscape intended in the widest and current meaning of the term, that is as a complex resource including elements that can be materially, naturally and artificially identifiable as well as by immaterial factors, essential elements for developing the potentials existing in the territories in terms of natural, economic, cultural and social capital.
In the project framework and coherently with its main objectives and aims, UNINETTUNO research units deepens the question of the energy-sparing renewal of historical town and tries, conceiving design as a fundamental tool for studying and analyzing the changes of the architectural heritage, to highlight the main procedural questions, cooperating in the identification of suitable methodologies and operational tools.
The cases that more properly address these research themes is represented by the many urban areas, city centers, city districts and suburbs largely shaping the urban areas of the Italian territories that, even though they are not under specific rules of protection or linked to the definition of "historical centre" according to widely acknowledged city-planning meaning, are expression of valuable formal balance, synthesis of morphological and architectural features developed during successive epochs or, in more recent terms, centuries. Under these circumstances and also in consideration of the relevant productive capacity, that often can be found in these place (in terms of tourism, restaurants, craftsmanship, business resources), taken for granted the impossibility to defer the implementation of an organic and extensive reduction of energy dissipation due to the permanence of a common architectural heritage, this research work will analyze the main design and management methodologies linked to renewal actions of the buildings of historical cities, in order to promote an indispensable exchange of knowledge and good practices apt to guide the definition of governance operational tools for creating innovative models of valorization and development of historical areas.
MEDASTAR is aimed at giving the students coming from Egyptian and Lebanese public and private universities additional opportunities trying to develop the skills of public managers in Lebanon and of the unemployed graduates in Egypt. Equal gender opportunities are valorized in this project. Its specific objective is to promote science and technological initiatives in these two MEDA countries. In the overall, 190 mobility flows are envisaged: 57 BA, 48 MA, 41 PhDs, 23 Post-Docs and 21 staff mobility flows and among them 12 will be for academic staff and 9 for staff involved in the institutional building. This way nine members of the administrative staff will receive a specific trained in university governance and quality assurance from one of the EU partner universities. 92 mobility fluxes will come from Egypt, 68 from Lebanon and 30 from the EU.
UNINETTUNO, as one of the project partners, host Post-Docs students and Professors of Egyptian and Lebanese Universities in its premises in Rome for cultural exchanges aimed at carrying out training and research activities. In addition, the University students and professors can go to the Egyptian and Lebanese partner university to spend periods of study and research. UNINETTUNO will take part in the mobility fluxes.
With this project we want to develop and strengthen an open network for European cooperation on open education, in general, and MOOCs, in particular.
develop sustainable business models for joint efforts on these European MOOCs at a global, European, national and institutional level.
build up a sustainable open knowledge network for these types of MOOCs which is open to the whole world.
create guidelines and the policy incentives on a local, national and European level for an open knowledge network in MOOC offerings.
Evaluation and development of guidelines and policy briefs, including updates of status reports, competence development materials, etc.
Separate work packages on project management (WP1), dissemination (WP7), exploitation (WP8) and quality assurance (WP9) will facilitate these steps during the project.
In WP2 we will start with an overall analysis of the current situation on the global background, the expertise and offerings of European HE-institutions, the opportunities to create a distinct added value in a European network, etc. In addition, a public call for position papers will be published and these position papers (together with the status report) will be presented during a one-day conference. The conference will consist of reports from, and reactions to, a series of expert groups. These expert groups will consist mainly of project partners but will include those who responded to the public call. Participation of external experts is important to widen the partnership during the project and increase the impact of the project beyond the project partners. This conference will be followed up by three additional one-day events aimed at building an open European network on MOOCs. (see milestones).
Each WP3 to WP5 will be guided by an open expert group. WP6 will encompass about four other expert groups, on topics to be determined.
Deliverable 2.1 and 2.2 on time (WP2).
All partners and all non-partners member of expert groups.
All project outputs available including guidelines and policy briefs.
Active sustainable network for post- project period.
SCORE2020 - Support Centers for Open education and MOOCS in different Regions of Europe 2020, coordinated by the EADTU - European Association of Distance Teaching Universities and funded by the European Commission in the framework of the Erasmus+ Program - Strategic Partnerships, involves apart from UNINETTUNO further 7 partners of 6 European countries. The project, whose activities started in September 2014, aims at establishing a European Centre for the development and exploitation of MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses, of open education in general.
ILPO55 - Intergenerational Learning Partnership Over 55, coordinated by the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology and funded by the European Commission in the framework of the Erasmus+ Program - Strategic Partnerships, involves, apart from UNINETTUNO, further 9 partners from 6 different European countries. The project, whose activities started in September 2014, aims at identifying common strategies to face employability and vocational retraining problems for over55 year-old people, through a European-level inter-generational partnership facing employment and lifelong learning problems and the preparation and dissemination of a Reference Framework supplying methodologies and tools for implemented the identified strategies.
ISOLearn - Innovation and social learning in HEIs, coordinated by the Universidade Aberta de Portugal and funded by the European Commission in the framework of the Erasmus+ Program- Strategic Partnerships, involves, apart from UNINETTUNO, further 7 partners from 4 different countries. The project, whose activities started in September 2014, aims at promoting the accessibility of innovative educational offers at higher education level for visual and audio impaired people. In the project framework we will prepare a handbook describing the tools and procedures for designing and implementing accessible ICT solutions.
In order to conduct specific research programs each Faculty can create dedicated structures, also jointly with the other Faculties of UNINETTUNO or of other universities or with public or private, Italian or foreign research centers.


text:
Lažany () jsou malá vesnice, část obce Štědrá v okrese Karlovy Vary. Nachází se asi jeden kilometr západně od Štědré. První písemná zmínka o vesnici pochází z roku 1472. Ve vsi stojí kaple svatého Floriána s barokní lomenicí, věžičkou a valbovou střechou. Svátek sv. Floriána byl v Lažanech vždy dnem klidu. Další dvě kaple byly v obci v době socializmu zbořeny. V roce 1945 měla obec 233 obyvatel v 57 domech. V roce 2009 měla vesnice 98 obyvatel ve 24 domech. Ve vsi je šest rekreačních objektů a meditační centrum. Prochází zde silnice II/207. V roce 2011 zde trvale žilo osmdesát obyvatel.

Lažany leží v katastrálním území Lažany u Štědré o rozloze 5,96 km².

Historie
První písemná zmínka o vesnici pochází z roku 1379.

Obyvatelstvo
Při sčítání lidu v roce 1921 zde žilo 280 obyvatel (z toho 131 mužů) německé národnosti a římskokatolického vyznání. Podle sčítání lidu z roku 1930 měla vesnice 259 obyvatel se stejnou národnostní a náboženskou strukturou.

Pamětihodnosti
 Usedlost čp. 28
 Kaple svatého Floriána

Reference

Externí odkazy

Vesnice v okrese Karlovy Vary
Sídla v Tepelské vrchovině
Štědrá

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


President Donald Trump will nominate former airline pilot Steve Dickson to be administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, a move that comes amid a major crisis for the agency following the fatal crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX passenger jets in Indonesia and Ethiopia, the White House said today.
Dickson spent most of his airline career at Delta Air Lines — one of the few major U.S. carriers that does not fly planes from the 737 MAX line.
Once confirmed, he will inherit an agency that finds itself in the middle of congressional scrutiny from both chambers, an audit by the Transportation Department's inspector general into the way the 737 MAX was certified as safe to fly, along with a reported Justice Department criminal probe into the matter.
The long wait for a permanent chief at the agency came amid multiple reports that Trump's favorite choice for the job would have been John Dunkin, his long-time personal pilot at the Trump Organization, who has also served as a sounding board for the president on aviation issues, including the FAA's handling of a delayed, multibillion-dollar upgrade of its air traffic control system. Trump has also said it would be "helpful" if the administrator of the FAA were a pilot.
But key congressional Republicans expressed skepticismabout Dunkin's ability to make it smoothly through the Senate confirmation process.
Dickson recently retired from Delta, where he was senior vice president of flight operations. Before he was at Delta, Dickson was an Air Force officer. He has experience as both a military and Delta pilot.
Ed Bolen, head of the National Business Aviation Association, praised the choice and said DIckson has a "comprehensive understanding of our national air transportation system," and is steeped in knowledge when it comes to the ongoing effort to transition to satellite-based air traffic control.


There's nothing worse than slaving over a shift schedule for hours and being told there's a mistake right after you post it. Sometimes the reasons are obvious: Mistakes in totaling the hours; forgetting the new guy; or, letting your attention slip for a minute. Others come out of nowhere: The time change's effect on hours worked; Client A's complaint six months ago not to send Guard B to his site again; or, someone's last minute vacation request. It's a rare security guard work schedule that survives first contact with the new work week.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could get every schedule right the first time? It would be even better if that schedule would carry through to payroll processing at the end of the week. Correcting employee paychecks is a weekly or bi-weekly headache for everyone. Sadly, that's not going to happen. There is just too much chaos in a service industry like contract security. The bigger the company and the number of employees the more chances there are for problems to pop up.
The good news is that some of the new security guard management software coming out can reduce common errors to almost nothing. More importantly, the new scheduling software allows changes to be made quickly and accurately. Many programs can even communicate those changes directly to the individual security guard. The technology in smart phones allows you to send security officers work schedules to employees in real time. At the end of the week updated schedules showing actual hours worked go right to your payroll processing software.
Scheduling software helps because it performs common, repetitive tasks for you. A good program should show you each security patrol position as it is filled in. It should also total hours so you don't give someone overtime you didn't intend. One program, Snap Schedule, won't even let you schedule an employee over a set number of hours unless you override. It will also let you enter vacation dates blocking out the employee from being scheduled on those days. Many programs allow you to block employees from being scheduled in at specific locations. That time change to Daylight Savings Time (and it's effect on hours worked) is an automatic function in just about all good security guard management software packages.
One manager used to have to have another supervisor "proof read" his schedules for him. That is something that he no longer needs to do. In effect, the software "proof reads" his schedule as he draws it up. This allows the manager to concentrate on more important aspects of scheduling. What's more important? Getting the schedule right also means putting the right employee in the right place. Snap Schedule can help you match employee skills with post requirement.
Scheduling software is becoming an ever more important tool in delivering quality service to the client. It lets security managers concentrate on their people, and the client, instead of just drawing up a security guard work schedule.


UMF Mānuka honey 10+, Propolis, peppermint, menthol and lemon are the right natural ingredients to sooth and stop a sore throat.
Keep a pack in your bag, car, desk drawer and medicine cabinet to sooth a sore throat. They make pretty good lolly alternative.


Are you a SGUMC adult or youth who would like to help provide great hospitality to our community by serving at Groovin'?
The entire community and congregation of Shady Grove UMC is invited to this event. Bring a friend! All are welcome!
Music, food, fun, fellowship and service! This is a great time for every age and stage to get information and sign-up for vocal and instrumental music groups, faith and fellowship groups, Bible studies, and service opportunities.
Does it cost anything to come?
Admission is free. We do encourage you to please bring shelf-stable food items, paper products (paper towels or toilet paper), or toiletry items for The Sophie House, one of our mission partners.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten intolerant: green salad with oil & vinegar dressing available. Please pre-order by sending an email to susandietz79@gmail.com or calling the church office at 804-360-2600.
Besides listening to great music and enjoying fellowship, attendees can make jump ropes for our Operation Christmas Child shoebox ministry; visit the Caring Clothes Closet open house; play inter-generational games; have some fun at the photo booth; learn more about Realm; get a flu shot; chat with members of the SGUMC Strategy Team and inquire about fall programming.
What is there for my preschool and elementary age kids to do?
Children and parents can learn about children's ministry and children's music and arts ministry happenings. A bounce house for toddlers to preschoolers will be available. There will also be face painting and family games such as corn-hole, giant Connect Four and pizza pan tic tac toe to enjoy. Families are encouraged to participate in our hands-on service project that afternoon by braiding a jump rope for an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.
Do I have to be outside the whole time?
Now that it is raining, we have moved the event inside! It is still going to be a great event!
What kind of music will be in the Sanctuary?
TestifyRVA (Shady Grove's own contemporary Christian band), the Sanctuary Choir, Gideon's Call, and various children's groups will sing in the sanctuary.
Yes! Tables and chairs will be in the fellowship hall for dinner and we will be sitting in the pews for music in the sanctuary.
Is there anything for middle school and high school kids?
We hope your teenagers will enjoy the music, food, family games, photo booth, and mission activities. Youth Ministry will offer their own kickoff on Sunday, September 16 for youth only.


Hovis has announced the roll-out of a UK-wide bread bag recycling initiative, in partnership with TerraCycle.
All Hovis bread bags are already 100% recyclable through the plastic bag collection points at most major retailers. However, research commissioned by the company suggests that a third (31%) of people find recycling a challenge as many are unsure of what they can recycle (Walnut Unlimited Market Research, March 2018).
1. Shoppers can register as a private collector, enabling them to collect used bread bags at home and then use free postage labels to post them to TerraCycle for recycling.
2. Consumers can find their nearest community collection points using a map on the TerraCycle website and take their used bread bags to the dedicated point for collection and recycling.
Community collection points can also be set up by schools, charities and community groups. Furthermore, any low-density polyethylene plastic bread bag, from Hovis or another bread brand, can be recycled through the scheme.
The waste products are then converted into plastic pellets or flakes before being turned into new items, such as public benches and outdoor furniture.
Nish Kankiwala, ceo of Hovis, said: "We're delighted to launch this initiative with TerraCycle to improve the ease of recycling used bread bags and, as a result, cut the amount of plastic entering the waste stream.
Hovis is launching a new national TV advertising campaign, 'It's just bread', to promote its soft white loaves.


text:
Getting steamy - Britain's industrial heritage
by Laura Canning | guides
The Industrial Revolution was a period from 1750 to 1850 where changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times.
Blimey, Wikipedia. We love you and all, but you make the Industrial Revolution sound as boring as it did at school. Whereas, if we just shift the goalposts a bit and call it Britain's industrial heritage, there are suddenly loads of things to see and do around the country, which would have made us much more attentive than we'd been in primary school.
There were the inventions, the work of people like Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the development of the railways, the growth of the big cities as people moved from working in agriculture to working in manufacturing and commerce, the workhouses (boo) – Britain's industrial heritage is so wide-ranging that you could find things to see and do about it on every holiday. Here are five heritage highlights to start you off.
The Ironbridge at Telford in Shropshire was the world's first iron bridge, built over the River Severn at Coalbrookdale in 1779. It's now a famous symbol of the start of Britain's industrial revolution, and the bridge and other heritage sites around it have World Heritage Status. They're all managed nowadays by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, which runs ten award-winning museums along the valley, including the Iron Bridge Gorge Museum, Blists Hill Victorian Town, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, the Jackfield Tile Museum and the Coalport China Museum.
Stay : We have over 85 sites in Shropshire , with the adults-only Broadmeadow at Church Stretton around twelve miles from the Ironbridge Gorge Museum. A camping pod in a secluded spot starts from £33 a night, with Broadmeadow also offering reiki courses and holistic workshops. Campfires are allowed and student groups are welcome.
For bigger groups, the camping huts at Woodland Park Camping Huts in Ellesmere sleep up to four, seven or nine and start from £35 a night, or pitch up your tent, tourer or motorhome at the pub campsite Baron of Beef at Bucknell, set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and with pitches from £11 a night.
Morwellham Quay
Another World Heritage Site, Morwellham Quay in Devon is a river port that developed to support local mines. It's now all part of a 200 acre visitor attraction exploring Edwardian and Victorian history, with a Victorian farm and nature reserve, an Edwardian farm and the narrow gauge railway down into the George and Charlotte copper mine, with displays in abandoned workplaces on the working conditions of Victorian miners.
Stay : Just a few miles away from Morwellham Quay is Woodovis Park at Tavistock, set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with tip-top facilities – and an infrared therapy cabin. Camping pods start from £45 a night and a three-bedroom caravan starts from £299 for a week for up to six people; tent and tourer pitches are from £22 a night. Pods and pitches are also available at Langstone Manor Holiday Park , again in Tavistock, from £40 a night for a pod and £14 for a pitch. Or there's Siblyback Lake Campsite less than ten miles away into Cornwall, where you can fish for trout and try and beat the Siblyback record of 10lb 8oz for a rainbow trout catch.
Clifton Suspension Bridge
We can't do an overview of British industrial history without mentioning Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who at 24 accepted the post of project engineer for the new iron bridge at Bristol as his first commission. The bridge is now the main part of Brunel Mile, a collection of things to see about Brunel and the Industrial Revolution including the ship SS Great Britain, the Brunel Institute and the National Brunel Collection.
Stay : We have around 180 sites within 30 miles of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, with over 65 sites around Bristol . In the Mendip Hills twelve miles from the bridge you'll find Nettwood Country Breaks , with a three-bedroom static caravan available from £300 for a week for up to six people and tent, tourer and motorhome pitches from £13.
Other Somerset sites include Glastonbury's Middlewick Farm , with luxury camping cabins from £40 a night, and Newton Mill Holiday Park in Bath , where you can pitch up in a gorgeous valley from £10 a night.
George Stephenson's Birthplace
Like Brunel, Stephenson is another major figure from Britain's industrial heritage, and is known as the 'father of the railways'. He invented and built 16 steam engines including the famous Rocket, and was responsible for building the first stretches of railway line in the UK. His stone cottage birthplace is now managed by the National Trust, where there are costumed guides describing the lives of mining families at the time.
Stay : We have around 65 sites in Northumberland , and over 80 within thirty miles of Stephenson's cottage across Northumberland, Co Durham and North Yorkshire . The dog-friendly Border Forest Caravan Park at Otterburn has direct access to the Pennine Way and Kielder Forest, with pitches from £15 a night, with camping pods at Hillcrest Park at Richmond from £30 and hardstanding electric pitches from £19.
Amberley Working Museum
Amberley Working Museum in the South Downs National Park covers 36 acres and is dedicated to the industrial heritage of the south-east. The open air museum has vintage transport exhibits including the Southdown bus collection, industry-based collections such as the print workshop, and many resident craftspeople who work using traditional methods.
Stay : Bring your tent or tourer to the Chichester Lakeside Holiday Park , where there are ten fishing lakes and a kids' club, all five miles from the historic city of Chichester. Chichester Lakeside is around ten miles from the museum and has pitches starting from just £6 a night. Or book a comfy camping pod at the adults-only Two Hoots Campsite across the border in Hampshire – they come with king-sized beds, cosy bedding and start from £60 a night.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
New Kesha Song Rails Against 'Rich, White, Straight Men'
By Alexa Moutevelis | June 6, 2019 8:38 AM EDT
Pop star Kesha is out with a new song blasting the intersectional left's number one, most-hated target – or, as Rolling Stone excitedly reported, "Kesha Rids the World of 'Rich, White, Straight Men' on New Track."
The artist formerly known as Ke$ha posted the song literally titled 'Rich, White, Straight, Men' on YouTube on Sunday, apparently without the approval of her record label. The video accompanying the song is just a repeated loop of Kesha giving the camera the middle finger, which makes it the most honest depiction of the entertainment industry's attitude toward middle America I've ever seen. The song itself is no better.
In the song, Kesha imagines a world of unicorns and rainbows without rich, white, straight men, where everyone has free healthcare and college, and women "own" their lady parts. (Apparently she didn't get the memo that the phrase "lady parts" is "narrow, alienating, and just plain hurtful" to the trans community.)
Here are the lyrics for the first verse – the words in the parentheses are said by a (presumably) rich, white, straight man:
You could ride a unicorn to school
And if you fall off, you'd have healthcare
(No, you don't)
And if you finish school, you'd go to college for free
That makes sense and that's fair
(No, it's not)
And if you were a lady
Then you own your lady parts
Just like a man goes to a dealership
And then he owns a car
Vroom, vroom
Fuck you (Fuck you)
The chorus features Kesha singing, "What if rich, white, straight men didn't rule the world anymore?" Followed by the rich, white, straight man laughing. She also sings, "God is a woman, I know her," because apparently that's a popular thing to say these days.
The second verse is just more left-wing claptrap against the border wall, forcing Christians to violate their religious beliefs, and propaganda about the discredited wage gap:
If you're from another land, then come here
You won't have to climb a wall
(Yes, you will!)
And if you are a boy who loves a boy
You'll get a wedding cake and all
(Not in Colorado!)
And if you are a lady and you do your lady work
Then you will make as many dollars as the boys
Not just two thirds
Cha-ching
The bridge of the song provides an opportunity for Kesha to twist a children's nursery rhyme into incoherent profanity:
How I wish the world was different
Where who you love and who you are
Was nobody's fucking business
It would be nice if "who you love and who you are" was really nobody's business but instead there are "Pride" parades and events all month long demanding attention, acceptance, and celebration - including by Kesha herself.
"'Rich, White, Straight, Men' is about who rules the world," according to MTV. "What would happen if they weren't there? Kesha sings about this with fire in her eyes, happily listing the ways that it would be better."
Calling the leaked song "an unprecedented and ultimately enjoyable change," Jezebel enthused that it "look forward to … a whole album" like it.
NME said, "The singer imagines a fairer world in the new track," and noted Kesha's participation in the "'Universal Love' EP, which saw artists putting new spins on classic love songs, flipping the original personal pronouns around and swapping genders to highlight love between people of all sexualities."
From singing the song "Here Comes The Change" for the movie about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg On The Basis of Sex in 2018, to performing a concert at the 2016 DNC where she also called for gun control, Kesha has gotten increasingly political. I don't think it's any coincidence that her music has gone downhill, too.
Culture/Society Race Issues Sexuality Feminism Homosexuality Same-sex marriage Sexism Rolling Stone Music Industry Video Kesha
Alexa Moutevelis
Alexa is MRC Culture's On TV blog editor. She has previously worked for Students for Life for America and Citizens United Productions.


A staple piece for any kitchen! Made of sturdy cotton, these exceptionally affordable towels prove that sometimes simplicity is best. With a sewn hook for easy storage, these beautiful and striped towels are highly absorbent, generous in size, and will last for years to come.


There are definitely times when you will need a little help with your research paper. Research papers are one of the most involved papers that you will be asked to write because you have to find scholarly sources to prove your points and to back up your thesis. If you are struggling with finding someone to help you write your psychology research paper, you can find some help here.
There are many different services that you can receive from professional writing service companies. They are designed to help you with every aspect of your paper from inception to completion. You can easily get the help that you need at any time. These companies usually staff professional writers or scholars. They are very talented and do not have any trouble completing your assignments in a timely fashion.
Many schools will also have a writing lab that you can utilize. There are teachers and other students there to help you develop your ideas, come up with a topic, edit your paper, or help you write your paper. They can help you with one aspect or every aspect. There services are also free and hands on because you can work directly with them face to face.
Another place to look is on a homework help site. These are great places to get help from other students. You do have to be a little careful with these sites because there isn't always regulation to ensure that you are getting quality help on every site. You would want to do your research to make sure that you chose a credible and reliable homework help site to work with.
You can also get a tutor to help you write your essays. There are tutors available at your school and online. They can walk you through the various assignments that you have due and assist in writing your research paper.
When you need help with your paper, it is a good idea to seek professional help through academic services. Getting the help that you need is a smart and productive way to succeed. You can get as little or as much help as you see fit. Just be sure to find the help from credible sources. There are a lot of scams out there so watch for those.


It should be noted that there are numerous vacancies in the Department of Homeland Security and its National Protection and Programs Directorate, which is charged with protecting U.S. cyber-infrastructure.
President Trump was quick to install most Cabinet heads. Hundreds of other positions, including deputies who ensure the government is running, have not been filled. NPPD has no permanent undersecretary, depriving the national security infrastructure of the leadership, expertise and response capability it needs.
Cybersecurity is not a top priority for this administration, and Mr. Trump fails to respond to ongoing attacks with necessary urgency. The White House must ensure we have the right people at the helm to defend our country and its institutions the next time Russia or another actor comes at us.


The votes are out: the Birding Africa Rwanda tour, in support of the African Bird Club Conservation Fund, treated us with some beautiful and rare sightings, set among the mist-filled Nyungwe mountains in the west and the rolling wooded hills and papyrus swamps of Akagera in the east.
Highlights included extended and close-up views of four Red-collared Babblers (Kupeornis rufocinctus), a highly sought-after Albertine Rift endemic; three Red-faced Barbet (Lybius rubrifacies) displaying to conclude our visit to Akagera, an endearing Miombo Wren-Warbler (Calamonastes undosus), an unusually close and obliging Papyrus Gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri), many stunning Ruwenzori Turacos (Ruwenzorornis johnstoni), beautiful l'Hoest Monkeys, an inquisitive Red-throated Alethe (Pseudalethe poliophrys) that much enjoyed our close company, and breath-taking Dusky Crimsonwing (Cryptospiza jacksoni) at our feet.
Join our next Rwanda tour in July 2012. This will be an extension of our Uganda Specials tour (trip report from 2011 here).
Contact Birding Africa info@birdingafrica.com or +27 21 531 9148.
← Green-breasted Pitta display: our Uganda trip highlight!


text:
Q: Get variable version number I need to extract version number for a version output like the following:
    Program updated version 7.9
    Released on 04-04-2013

I know how to extract a two-digit version number:
   grep -Po '(version )\d+(?:\.\d+){2}')

Or any other number of digits.The problem is that the version number may have different number of digits. Is there a regex I can user for a group of several digits separated by dots provided that the number of digits is unknown?

A: With grep
#!/bin/sh
version=$(echo "Program updated version 7.9.9.9" | grep -oP "(?<=version )[^ ]+")
echo $version

Output:
$ ./test.sh
7.9.9.9

with awk
#!/bin/sh
version=$(echo "Program updated version 7.9.9.9" | awk '{for(i=1;i<=NF;i++) if ($i=="version") print $(i+1)}')
echo $version

Output:
$ ./test.sh
7.9.9.9

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


*blep* is it time for my vacation?
Did you know you can relocate to a rural area at 0% down?! Our USDA program even offers funds for home improvements, making it ideal for a fixer upper. This is a great opportunity to find a home at an affordable price with low costs. Send me a DM if you would like more information on how to qualify.


text:
Q: Requirements for std::thread::id. Can it be atomized? The standard says: "An object of type thread::id provides... a single distinct value for all thread objects that do not represent a thread of execution". Is that a single/distinct value with regard to operator==, or is it the actual bitwise-single/distinct value?
The reason for the question: MSVC2012's std::thread::id::id() leaves garbage in one of its fields, and it breaks code that does compare-exchange on an std::atomic<std::thread::id> (since the latter depends on bitwise comparisons).
Is std::atomic<std::thread::id> a legal construct in the first place?
EDIT: for the reference, the code goes like this:
while( !worker_id.compare_exchange_weak( no_id = thread_id_type(), self_id ) )
    sleep();

A: This was discussed in LWG924. Essentially, you can't use compare_exchange_strong, but you should be able to use compare_exchange_weak in a loop, e.g.
expected = current.load();
do {
  desired = function(expected);
} while (!current.compare_exchange_weak(expected, desired));

Edit: Unconditionally resetting the value defeats the purpose of the loop - based on the supplied code, I think the best solution would then be:
no_id = std::thread::id();
while( !worker_id.compare_exchange_weak( no_id, self_id ) )
{
  if (no_id != std::thread::id())
  {
    sleep();
    no_id = std::thread::id();
  }
}

A: Firstly, std::atomic<std::thread::id> is legal: std::thread::id is required to be trivially copyable (30.3.1.1p2), which meets the requirements of std::atomic<> (29.5p1).
However, it is an opaque class, so there is no requirement that the bit pattern of objects that compare equal be identical.
Consequently, if you use compare_exchange_weak or compare_exchange_strong then it may fail for values that compare equal.
Thus, the advice is to use compare_exchange_weak in a loop, leaving the expected value as the result of the previous iteration.
In your case, the semantics I interpret from your loop are: keep looping whilst worker_id is the ID of another thread, or worker_id was std::thread::id but the exchange failed. You can achieve this with the following:
no_id=std::thread::id();
while((no_id!=std::thread::id()) ||
      !worker_id.compare_exchange_weak( no_id, self_id ) ){
    if(no_id!=std::thread::id()) no_id=std::thread::id();
    sleep();
}

or
no_id=std::thread::id();
while(!worker_id.compare_exchange_weak(
          (no_id!=std::thread::id())?(no_id=std::thread::id())?no_id, self_id ) )
    sleep();

i.e. only change the no_id value if it is not std::thread::id().


text:
Konnékongo est une commune rurale située dans le département de Bindé de la province du Zoundwéogo dans la région du Centre-Sud au Burkina Faso.

Géographie

Konnékongo est situé à  au nord de Bindé et à  au nord de Manga.

Histoire

Économie

Santé et éducation

Le centre de soins le plus proche de Konnékongo est le centre de santé et de promotion sociale (CSPS) de Bindé tandis que le centre médical (CMA) le plus proche se trouve à Manga.

Notes et références

Ville dans le département de Bindé


text:
Q: JEditable and Selects I have the following html:

United States

I am using JEditable to for inline editing of the country div using a select box and im using the Codeigniter framework. I load the select via loadURL as an array with the id and description eg.
array['1'] = 'United States'
array['2'] = 'United Kingdom'
I select my new selection and call an update function within the Controller which then calls the DB update function in the Model and updates the table with the new country id.
The country_id field in the members table gets updated with a value of '2' for the United Kingdom.
I then echo back returning the value to the View. This all works perfectly but JEditable then displays the value being '2' rather than the description back in the Div.
The issue is that I pass the id and not the description and its the id that gets returned and displayed. A solution would be to do a table lookup in the model to get the description and then return the description rather than the id but this method performs another DB select for a description that is already in the view.
JEditable should just show the new description once complete for a select box rather than its default of the id or 'the tooltip if you dont return back the value.
Does anyone have a good solution for this? Your thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

A: Echo back the value you want to be displayed on the webpage. Meaning instead of echoing "2" echo "United Kingdom".


This role is primarily responsible for contract harvesting operations including the management of safety, environmental stewardship, quality, production, and costs. Coordination with all other forest management operations is paramount (i.e. forestry, planning, road constructions and engineering).


text:
Vanishing Art – are we losing art to politics?
By Letty Cole June 3, 2019
Art & Photography. Leeds.
Lauren Oyler of The New York Times recently wrote about 'necessary' art, highlighting how, in a time where social change is abounding, we feel the need to be aware of social issues and help incite change. Nowadays we have less time and more content to sift through than ever before. Oyler notes how our attention spans are 'fragmenting', forcing us to 'prioritise' the art we consume based on how relevant, how important, how necessary, it is. These observations ring uncomfortably true for me, conjuring up an important question: Are we all abandoning art in favour of politics?
It is true that, as the internet continues to play a bigger part in our lives, our sense of social responsibility is growing; Our status as global citizens has been altered by the fact that anyone with an internet connection now has instant access to an infinite stream of world news. We are being pummelled by headlines that address an increasingly broad range of issues at an accelerating rate, amplifying both our awareness and emotional investment in the process. Meanwhile, as the internet continues to give a platform to marginalised voices and connect likeminded people, grassroots social movements are blossoming alongside a boom in populist politics. In the UK, political engagement is growing, particularly amongst younger generations, and this trend lies in direct correlation with the effects of social media. Being 'woke' holds more cultural capital than ever and, at a time when big businesses are utilising topical social issues to engage consumers (the success of this controversial Nike ad is a great case in point; while this catastrophic flop by Pepsi and Kendall Jenner attests to the cruciality of political correctness today), politics is permeating even the most trivial parts of our day-to-day lives.
If the zeitgeist of popular culture is becoming increasingly politicised, then, what does this mean for art? The Manifesta Biennial, an institution which has major hand in the trajectory of the contemporary art industry, saw its 2018 fair filled with highly charged works that address pertinent social and environmental issues. One of these, a piece called 'Liquid Violence', commented on governmental responses to refugee rescue operations at sea. That the work's creators, Forensic Architecture, are Turner-Prize nominated (an accolade shared with the likes of Damien Hirst, Tony Cragg and Tracey Emin), speaks volumes about the significance of such art work today. Similarly, while working at Supermarket Art Fair in Stockholm last year, I was struck by an atmosphere of activism that buzzed around the booths. Among works shown by fifty-three exhibitors from four continents, a 14-strong collective from Tanzania who use their art as a 'tool for change' and a roaming Trump impersonator, stumbling and tangerine-painted, are two that particularly stuck with me. Even the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, an intrinsically popular affair, has become more politicised, under Grayson Perry's satirical curation. Anyone for a portrait of Nigel Farage, artfully hung beneath a sick bucket?
Does all this mean that art today is deemed more valuable, the more political it is? At this point in time, this really seems the case. But I am sceptical. Yes, contemporary art that is characterised by its commentary on social, environmental and political issues, is having a 'moment' in pop culture. But the art world is seeing a flurry of other activity take place alongside this movement, not least the booming industry of Instagram-based artists, illustrators and graphic designers who are selling decorative prints directly to consumers; the unprecedented spike in the value of Old Master's work, and the continuing roster of blockbuster exhibitions like Yayoi Kusuma's 'Infinity Mirrors' and Do Ho Suh's 'Almost Home' which provides an immersive sensory experience that appeals to social-media users.
The politically charged, 'necessary' art of today does not mark a permanent shift in the nature of art. What we are observing is simply a trend; a perfect example of art's tendency to reflect the mood of its time. In its ability to imitate life, and vice versa, art has always reflected the contexts in which it is created and received. Oyler notes how, in the 20th century, a time of huge political and social change, popular artistic movements responded directly to a changing world. At the turn of the century, Futurists endeavoured to convey the dynamism of an industrial world; post WWII, the Abstract Expressionists rejected social commentary in favour of exploring and expanding the possibilities of artistic form; the Pop Artists of the 1960s responded to new ideas of mass reproduction and consumption.
This begs the question, what does 'political' even mean? Even the most seemingly apolitical forms of art, like Abstract Expressionism, in fact make bold statements about the need for art for art's sake in the wake of war. It is an unavoidable fact that art reflects the needs and desires of the artist and audience, its creators and interpreters. It is mediated by us all, and, is consequently tied up with our politics, economics, and cultures.
Art, it seems, can be whatever we want it to be. And in these uncertain times, it remains the best way to express and address the problems that face us: from Banksy's 'Season's Greetings' of December 2018, which poignantly illustrates the reality of pollution, to Eliza Hatch, the photojournalist composing portraits of victims of sexual assault via her viral Instagram account Cheer Up Luv, to Donald Glover's video as Childish Gambino for This is America, which made an iconic statement about the hypocrisies of gun violence and racial discrimination in the U.S.
But for others – even the same people on a different day – art can act as valuable escape. Case in point: I recently visited Martin Parr's Only Human exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. The show was rich with content: His photographs are busy, full of the paraphernalia of life, and each section addressed a different theme. I could have spent my time absorbed in the clever subtlety of his compositions and uses of colour, or engaged in the blaze of very British debates that his work stokes. As it happens, I didn't do either of those. Instead, I found myself smiling at the sometimes frivolous, sometimes mundane moments of human life that Parr captures. I admit that I felt quite misty-eyed as I left the exhibition, with a renewed sense of joie de vivre.
I felt certain, then, that art is not giving way to the weight of political crises. Because art really is necessary. But it is necessary in its ability to convey both politics and beauty; to express and remedy every intricacy of human life; remind us of the sheer joy, pain, complexity and brilliance of it, whenever and however we may need it.
Filed under: Art & Photography, Politics
Tagged with: activist art, conceptual art, gallery, Grayson Perry, instagram, Martin Parr, National Portrait Gallery, politics, popular culture, public art, youth culture
It is an unavoidable fact that art reflects the needs and desires of the artist and audience, its creators and interpreters.
Matt Forde: It's My Political Party (and I'll Cry if I Want To) @ City Varieties
By Sophie Joelle
Comedy. Leeds.
'The Chinese Photobook' At The Photographers' Gallery
By Nicola Cappleman
Art & Photography.
Going Public: International Art Collectors in Sheffield by Madeleine Walton
By Madeleine Walton
Art & Photography. Sheffield.


text:
The East Journal on Approximations is a journal about approximation theory published in Sofia, Bulgaria.

External links
 East Journal on Approximations web site

References

Mathematics journals
Publications established in 1995


text:
Q: Dispatch in Redux ToolKit not Changing state I am trying to pass data to my redux store with the help of redux toolkit, but I'm unable to do so. I double checked that there is no problem with my data. Here is my code:
//USER DETAILS
export const userDetailsSlice = createSlice({
  name: 'userDetails',
  initialState: { loading: 'idle', user: {} },
  reducers: {
    userDetailsLoading(state) {
      if (state.loading === 'idle') {
        state.loading = 'pending';
      }
    },
    userDetailsReceived(state, action) {
      if (state.loading === 'pending') {
        state.loading = 'idle';
        state.user = action.payload;
      }
    },
    userDetailsError(state, action) {
      if (state.loading === 'pending') {
        state.loading = 'idle';
        state.error = action.payload;
      }
    },
  },
});

export const {
  userDetailsLoading,
  userDetailsReceived,
  userDetailsError,
} = userDetailsSlice.actions;

export const getUserDetails = (id) => async (dispatch, getState) => {
  dispatch(userRegisterLoading());
  try {
    const {
      userLogin: { userInfo },
    } = getState();
    const config = {
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        Authorization: `Bearer ${userInfo.token}`,
      },
    };
    const { data } = await axios.get(`/api/users/${id}`, config);
    console.log(data);
    dispatch(userDetailsReceived(data));
  } catch (error) {
    dispatch(userDetailsError(error.toString()));
  }
};

I console logged my data right before the dispatch action:  so the data is definitely there. Therefore I think there's something wrong with my code. Here is my code for my redux store:
import { configureStore } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';
import { photoListSlice, photoCreateSlice } from './photo';
import { userRegisterSlice, userLoginSlice, userDetailsSlice } from './user';

const reducer = {
  userRegister: userRegisterSlice.reducer,
  userLogin: userLoginSlice.reducer,
  userDetails: userDetailsSlice.reducer,
};

const store = configureStore({ reducer });

export default store;

As seen from this photo:  the action userDetailsReceived was called but the state for user did not change.
Any help or hint would be greatly appreciated!!

A: I made a typo on the first dispatch call of getUserDetails function, I dispatched userRegisterLoading instead of userDetailsLoading... Now it works fine after the change.
export const getUserDetails = (id) => async (dispatch, getState) => {
  dispatch(userDetailsLoading());
  try {
    const {
      userLogin: { userInfo },
    } = getState();
    const config = {
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        Authorization: `Bearer ${userInfo.token}`,
      },
    };
    const { data } = await axios.get(`/api/users/${id}`, config);
    console.log(data);
    dispatch(userDetailsReceived(data));
  } catch (error) {
    dispatch(userDetailsError(error.toString()));
  }
};


Today we got to stay in bed for an extra hour as the Queen's appearance brought Scarborough to a grinding holt!
The children took this opportunity to catch up with their daily diary entries.
We enjoyed a leisurely stroll to Peasholm Park where we enjoyed our picnic lunch overlooking the boating lake backed with a pagoda style waterfall in the warm sunshine.
The dragon pedal boats were raced at maximum speed around the island and shortly after we all headed to beach for more fun and games and sand castle building.
As you are aware we are expecting to be home around 19:00. Please do check the web site and notice board for updates as we will be in close contact with the office.