text:
People Matters
GetSetLearn
FutureReadyHR
HR Learning Center
Article: Genpact: Leading through uncertain times
AUTHORPiyush Mehta
TUESDAY01SEP 2009
9.5KREADS
#ChangeManagement
Genpact: Leading through uncertain times
As a pioneer in the outsourcing industry, Genpact realized in its heydays itself that it needed to break away from the shackles of GE if it had to create its own set of unique values and cornerstones. In this story, Piyush Mehta, Senior Vice President - HR, Genpact, shares their journey of transformation to an independent and matured organization
Genpact follows global best practices to ensure that it keep its employees engaged and retains them by giving them fruitful and rewarding careers
Each Genpact facility has the capacity to train five batches of trainees simultaneously
Amongst the many stories that form a part of Genpact folklore is an interesting nugget. Growing rapidly, Genpact was convinced that it could train and develop almost anybody. And so, a sign board was put up at Genpact's 90A office reception that said in big bold letters: 'Trespassers will be Hired!'
I can't say if it was the self assured humor of that sign, the promise of GE's great people legacy or simply the thrill of being part of a movement that would go on to transform the landscape of India's economy – but something clicked.
Business grew and so did Genpact's workforce. The first few processes started in early 1997 at Gurgaon's Corporate Park on the 4th floor. The first international contact center India had ever seen consisted of a space of about 30 feet x 30 feet! Genpact hired its 1st employee into GE Capital International Services (GECIS) and then the 2nd and 3rd… leading to over 37,000 across the world today. During this journey, Genpact went from being a captive of GE to a third-party vendor and then finally to an independent global organization, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Today, it has embarked on yet another journey to serve its clients better in this recessionary environment by becoming more commercially savvy.
However, Genpact has also faced its fair share of challenges in its journey over the years. Gurgaon did not exist the way it does today, the Business Process Industry was unheard of in India. Phone lines did not work, there were very few traffic jams on the roads that led to Gurgaon, the only office buildings available were old fashioned and certainly not equipped for our needs. But we knew it was a great idea, and with the backing of our parent company, GE, and our energy and commitment, we were sure we would find a way.
We sailed uncharted waters of explosive growth and increased employee strength consistently at the rate of over 500 a month. From a handful of employees sitting out of a borrowed corner in Gurgaon's Corporate Park, Genpact slowly grew as a family and established its position as the number one business process management company in India.
But as Genpact took flight to come into its own, it held on to the values that it had inherited from GE -- an unyielding commitment to integrity and process excellence. Lean and Six Sigma Quality are a part of our DNA and we strive to exceed customers' expectations in the quality of products and services provided. Today, Genpact is one of the world's largest Six Sigma organizations, with more than 250 certified Black Belts.
Over the years Genpact has created its own unique culture with a set of values and cornerstones that bind it together towards a common goal. One of these values is teamwork and great emphasis is placed on it. Teamwork, and not hierarchy, has been the driving force behind every meeting or review mechanism at Genpact. It is only the need of the hour and the requirement of the customer that brings us together and speaks volumes about our leadership style.
The 'Employer of Choice' Quest
From a people perspective, we associate great importance to our cornerstone of 'Employer of Choice' and work towards attracting and retaining the best candidates. This is especially true in the current economic climate when it is easy for a group to become disengaged – a risk Genpact cannot take as now is when clients need us to go the extra mile and require even more commitment from us.
Genpact follows global best practices to ensure that it keep its employees engaged and retains them by giving them fruitful and rewarding careers. And perhaps its commitment toward employee engagement is the reason why it has a remarkably low attrition rate of 22%, (amongst the lowest in the industry) – an achievement that has been recognized by prestigious organizations like Global Services Media, COPC (Customer Operations Productivity center) and Frost & Sullivan.
Hiring: The strategy begins with bringing in the right people and Genpact does this through a number of ways; employee referrals, storefronts, online applications, campus recruitments and headhunters.
Employee referrals have worked very well for Genpact as people working here understand our need and culture and usually refer the right candidate – it's also a channel that sees the least attrition. Another channel that has worked rather well is the Storefront concept. Storefronts are Genpact hiring offices in tier II cities like Bhubaneswar, Indore and Cochin. For 2008, storefronts contributed 17% of the total associate (employee) level hires. Other channels that Genpact actively leverages are online applications (6%) and campus recruitments (5%).
Training: Genpact places huge focus on training its employees and it has a valid reason too. When we started off, we were the pioneers of this industry. So everything was new and it was seemingly difficult to find the right kind of talent that was trained to handle the work coming our way. So we took it upon ourselves to train employees on various fronts including process training, voice and accent training, Lean & Sigma training, cultural training, et al. For instance, in a calling process, while our associates had the right information and positive attitude, they might not have grasped some of the cultural/regional nuances of the person they were speaking to. We learnt from our mistakes and became better with time. Since our business requires direct interaction with clients, there were far more "moments of truth" for our employees than in some other industries – making training not just a lever for success but critical to survival!
Genpact has since created a robust training mechanism and has over 5,000 learning modules, world-class training facilities (Uppal in Hyderabad was our response to John F. Welch Leadership Center at Crotonville and is comparable to the best in the world!), some of the best trainers in the business and a pioneering partnership with NIIT to take our training mechanism up a notch.
Each Genpact facility has the capacity to train five batches of trainees simultaneously. Our training classrooms are used for 8-16 hours everyday with an infrastructure to train 1,300 people per day. Our learning modules combine classroom and technology based material and ensures that trainers evaluate content and its application to define the optimum delivery mechanism.
In 2008, Genpact partnered with NIIT to create the NIIT Institute of Process Excellence (NIPE Uniqua), which offers training programs in Business Process Services to create a talent pool for the business and technology services industry. The initiative was a first of its kind and well received by stakeholders.
The idea to partner with NIIT stemmed from the simple fact that the education system in India doesn't train students in business process management and as we grow, we cannot rely on our internal training mechanism alone. And so NIPE Uniqua came up to cater to the needs of the business & technology services industry by training aspirants in business processes, language skills and business communication. Here, Genpact provides industry-specific knowledge while NIIT leads the content development, training delivery and education process management. Graduates of the institute then get internships or job opportunities at Genpact.
In the first phase, training facilities have been set up in Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune. This will be followed by Dalian, Changchun, Shanghai and Xian in China, and Manila in the Philippines in the next phase. We aim to have over 250 learning centers over the next 3 years.
Genpact believes in a holistic approach that meets the employee needs for a "Dream Career" and not just a job. Various innovative employee practices were started to assist supervisors from the pre-hire stage to integrating and developing their teams. These become all the more significant in a turbulent economic environment, where employees generally tend to be amongst the first casualties.
Leadership Development: A key learning that Genpact adapted early on from its GE days was the importance of developing top talent into the future leaders of Genpact. The war for talent is here to stay and we believe that the organizations that are able to identify, develop, and promote their leaders from within will find themselves better positioned than their peers. Each year 80% of promotions are from within.
Our Leadership Curriculum includes several development programs designed to broaden leadership skills and business acumen. These are called the BUILD Programs and are focused towards developing middle managers for Leadership roles through an 18-month structured program.
GOLD, HRLP, FMP and IMLP are Genpact's flagship leadership programs and help cultivate operational and technical depth in our employees. GOLD prepares high potential managers for leadership or expanded roles over an 18-month structured development program that includes job rotations across businesses, functions and regions, as well as classroom training and senior leadership interactions.
Currently in its fourth year, the program was launched in 2006 to build Genpact's Leadership gene pool. 145 leaders graduated from the program and have taken on Global Leadership roles in the organization. For our AVP+ population, we've partnered with Duke University – the world's premier university for executive education - for a senior leadership program focused on strategy, customer focus, leadership, talent management, execution, finance and commercial skills. These programs go to show that leadership development is a priority for us, one that takes on even greater meaning as clients demand increased commitment in these turbulent times. Each of these programs is a critical part of our investment in our people to bring out their best. They are the foundation for building the leadership gene pool and we take them very seriously.
Recognizing high performers from average performers and rewarding them is a strategy that has worked very well for Genpact. It provides recognition and motivation to high performers to continue with their winning ways, while also raising the bar higher for mediocre performers to perform better. The reward may not necessarily be financial but clearly differentiates high performers to keep them motivated and committed. We have an online rewarding system called 'Cheers' that enables managers to instantly reward deserving employees with Cheer Awards (Bronze / Silver / Gold / Diamond / Platinum). The Diamond and Platinum Awards are extremely prestigious and are conducted in a grand manner with a ceremony felicitating the employee in front of their families and the leadership team. The Platinum Award is Genpact's highest honor and goes to the top 0.1% performers of the company. Every year, these individuals are sent on a week long vacation to an exotic location with their partners which culminates in a ceremony fit for the winners. It generates tremendous aspiration and excitement in the company and motivates employees to perform better each time.
Performance management is a critical area for Genpact and we spend a lot of effort in planning each employee's career and aligning their goals with larger organizational goals. When every goal an employee is appraised on is linked to a bigger organizational goal, accountability and ownership gets driven on the job every single day.
Communication and Engagement
The third piece that's important in terms of retention of top talent is listening, communicating and connecting with the employees regularly. Open, transparent and frequent communication with employees on both good and bad news fosters trust and goes a long way in building employee loyalty.
In uncertain times, emotions run high and employees look up to leadership for direction and most certainly appreciate direct communication rather than hearing it from the grapevine that may instead spin off multiple interpretations and impact morale and productivity. Genpact uses multiple channels like town halls, web chats, the intranet, one-on-one meetings, et al, to regularly connect and communicate with employees. Our intranet draws inspiration from Web 2.0 technology and enables employees to participate in conversations and freely comment on any management decision or business strategy.
Empowering employees to voice their ideas, concerns and feedback is a key piece to keeping them happy. In this recessionary evironment, when companies are reeling under the impact of the economic slowdown, Genpact decided to reach out to its young workforce for ideas on how to drive cost productivity and increase our efficiencies. It launched iThink – a digital platform that makes receiving and implementing ideas a breeze. So far we have received close to a thousand ideas, many of which have been implemented and several are in the pipeline. Another key channel of taking feedback is the Employee Satisfaction Survey – the results of which are driven with rigor and passion throughout the company.
Measuring and preventing attrition
In its early days, Genpact experienced attrition amongst associates who were leaving to pursue higher education. So we put our heads together and decided why not offer them the chance to study while continuing to work at Genpact. It meant practically launching and managing our own internal university and Genpact did it successfully via its Education@Work initiative. Partnering with premier B schools like IIMs, NMIMS, XLRI, IMT and other prominent educational bodies, it offer employees courses to develop their career skills while working with the firm.
There is a clear demarcation between generic courses and domain expertise courses. Classes are held within the office premises and are organized around employee work schedules. The program offers subsidized course fees which are reimbursed on successful completion. Close to 10,000 employees at Genpact were trained under the Education@Work Program in 2008, where we blended our operational excellence with our people centricity for the Early Warning System using Six Sigma to proactively assess and mitigate attrition risks.
Genpact also introduced the concept of serving hot meals to employees on a 24x7 basis. Having young people to work at odd hours may effect their health and well-being and it was therefore important to provide them with hot and nutritious meals at the right time. The concept of picking and dropping our associates from their homes was also initiated by us and then replicated across business circles. From a security standpoint, the company ensured that its cab drivers were trained well for the job and also provided security guards for the safety of its women employees on night shifts.
Special focus on Gender Diversity
Research reveals that more women at the leadership level translates to higher return on equity, higher operating margins and higher returns to shareholder value – bottom line, increased diversity means increased growth for companies. Genpact has come a long way in realizing the importance of a diverse workforce from a gender standpoint. Our customers are demanding that we include more women at the leadership level.
We have set a target for ourselves to bring gender diversity at the top level to 25% and have undertaken a number of measures to achieve this, broadly in the areas of hiring, developing and retaining our women employees. In terms of hiring, our target is to ensure that 50% of all AVP+ hires are to be women. Under the development and retention arena, Genpact has a suite of initiatives – a global affinity group for women—Genpact Women's International Network (GenWIN), whose mission is to foster the professional development of our women workforce, a formal mentoring program (WeMentor) that pairs high-potential middle-management women with experienced leaders in the company to assist and guide them on various professional fronts as well as several flexi-practices such as Work From Home, Flexi Timing, Extended Maternity Leave, Sabbatical Option, Health Camps, et al, to support the well being of our employees and help them achieve a healthy work life balance.
As an organization, we have always believed in turning challenges on their head and creating opportunities out of them. As the business environment gets tougher and talent becomes readily available, we think it's the right time to get the right people in and this is precisely what we are doing across the world. Genpact is also gearing up to meet the growing expectations of our clients because leading through uncertain times requires new skills. And so we have taken a multi-pronged approach to align our leadership attributes with those of our clients. It's important to grow beyond the basic "hygiene factors" and become far more commercial savvy and market oneself. However, to grow with the challenging world, it is imperative that we take on risks as well as quick bold decisions.
As we look ahead, the future will present an altered landscape. As the business reality around us changes, HR will have to redefine its role to align itself with the demographic shifts, social, environmental and technological trends that will fuel growth and create new risks. Talent is the oil of our future. We need to pinpoint the hotspots, identify the reserves and know how fast the pipelines can get up and running.
Topics: #ChangeManagement, C-Suite, Leadership
Did you find this story helpful?
Piyush Mehta
Piyush Mehta leads Genpact's Global Human Resources (HR) function and in this capacity has played an integral role in the organization's journey to becoming an Employer of Choice. With more than 20 years of experience in HR, he has contributed to various aspects of people management in both business and corporate roles, including employee relations, organization capability building, M&A integration and managing the HR function for P&Ls and geographies. He earned a post-graduate degree from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
NEXT STORY: People are my passion, says Genpact COO Tiger Tyagarajan
What is the one top talent trend you are looking forward to in 2020?
Man and Machine Collaboration
Inclusivity over diversity
Creating an ideal employee experience
Managing the gig workforce
Learning in the flow of work
Are you rewarding the wrong metrics?
Six tips for writing better job posts
Why startups prefer freelancers over in-house employees
The future of HR in 2020
India's growing gig economy: Are we ready for this change?
Changing the landscape of benefits with digital transformations
How to handle workplace conflicts
How millennials will change the future of work
SatJan 18 XLRI Jamshedpur| 9th National HR Conference XLRI Jamshedpur
ThuFeb 20 People Matters TechHR 2020, Singapore Singapore
ThuAug 06 People Matters TechHR India 2020 Gurugram
On News Stands Now
Subscribe now to the All New People Matters in both Print and Digital for 3 years.
E-mail address (you@example.com)
By clicking "Subscribe" button above, you are accepting our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Copyright 2020 People Matters Media Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.
This web-site uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our web-site. By continuing you're agreeing our Terms & Conditions & Privacy Policy
How likely are you to recommend our content to a friend or colleague?
Selected Score :


Modern minimalist, simple but not simple style design, more and more people love. Meanwhile, modern minimalist décor is also a kind of rational consumption and embodiment of the pursuit of transparency and integrity of the space. Décor for this case, is the pursuit of the permeability of space, not too much decorating and Division, strong space overall. In the living room without too much modification, using plants to increase the vitality of the whole space. Meanwhile, TV is relatively simple, and makes the whole space is transparent, simple, not bombastic. In the restaurant, using a unique wall design, added a degree of beauty, making life more than a glimmer of a vibrant atmosphere.


You're playing a game with your friends, but all of a sudden you notice your screen is starting to lag. You're also too close to the screen, again, because you can't see anything in the darkness. In gaming, technology makes all the difference, so it may be time to level up. Samsung's QLED TV helps you dive into a fresh new experience. From hardware to software, here's how your next gaming TV will keep you on your toes.
Disappear into the graphics of your favorite FPS game with truer images that immerse you in the action. With QLED TV and its HDR1500 technology, you can expect a range of lifelike color and contrast, so you can get crisp, clear details even in the dark shadows. But it's not just awesome color. You'll see the game in its entirety on the large, slim-bezeled 4K HDR screen as you pursue your virtual opponents. And vivid color and details on your QLED TV mean you won't overlook anything—or more importantly, anyone.
The sharp, fluid action of your QLED TV's 4K HDR screen helps bring out the best of your gaming abilities. To make sure your eyes can catch subtle, obscured movement, QLED TV's low millisecond input lag comes to the rescue. Then when you're ready to flex your reflexes, QLED TV's ultra-fast motion rate reveals just how smooth the action can be, without sacrificing finesse. With the precise timing necessary to come out on top, QLED TV creates a seamless transition into the world of your favorite game.
An easy way to connect your consoles can enhance your overall gaming experience. The One Connect Box is a clean, straightforward way to hook your consoles up to your Smart QLED TV. Your QLED TV uses Auto Detection to recognize connected consoles, so simply connect your consoles to the One Connect Box and you're good to go. Once the consoles are connected, easily control your multiple devices with One Remote Control and quickly get to gaming with HDR.
When you're ready for an adventure it's time to game on a QLED TV. Bringing together 4K, HDR, and QLED, the screen immerses you in its deep contrast, sharp detail, and seamless connectivity. You can grab that lightning-fast ball, explore hidden worlds, and take down bad guys with your buddies. So for quality gear to take your gaming to the next level, use a TV that's prepped for battle.


This summer StudioBooth hit the road with Amstel Light in search of the best burgers in America. From Chicago to Boston, Philadelphia to the Hamptons, we were in full-on burger decimation mode. Eat, drink and take photos!


text:
Q: Example of a weak Hausdorff space that is not Hausdorff? I've looked on the web and haven't found a simple example.

A: Steen & Seebach's counterexample #99: Maximal Compact Topology is another example. This is also a KC space (every compact set is closed) but not Hausdorff.

A: The one-point compactification of $\mathbb{Q}$ has the property that every compact subset is closed. So it is certainly a weak Hausdorff space. But it isn't Hausdorff, as $\mathbb{Q}$ isn't locally compact.
Addendum
Another example is the cocountable topology on an uncountable set. No two points have disjoint neighbourhoods, and the only compact subsets are the finite subsets.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Adult leaders and committee members - Remember you MUST complete your Youth Protection Training 2.0 ASAP. Even if you took youth protection training last year you must retake the training. As per national policy all Adults must have taken it by October 1. Do not wait this long.
The troop annual planning conference will be held on August 5 at 1 pm. Place to be determined.
Effective August 1st I will no longer be serving as the Battlefield District Executive. I will be transitioning over to the Cardinal District. I have sincerely appreciated the opportunity to work with the Battlefield volunteers over the last six years and I am looking forward to my new opportunity with Cardinal." – Nick H.


text:
Trinity Church Wall Street Grants Respond to Growing Crisis of Youth Mental Health in New York City
Trinity Church Wall Street
Trinity Church Wall Street, in its latest set of grants, has awarded $20.4 million to organizations in New York City, the U.S., and internationally.
The grants range from $50,000 to $1.4 million, with much of the money going to organizations focused on the mental health of New York City youth. The work of these groups includes comprehensive support services, mental health outreach to homeless LGBTQ+ youth, equipping school environments to better support the learning and social needs of students with learning disabilities, and programs to support New York City's faith-based organizations.
"The isolation of the pandemic put a spotlight on an already growing mental health crisis in our city. It also exposed the fragility of our children when their daily lives of school and in-person activities are disrupted," said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Rector of Trinity Church Wall Street. "Trinity is excited to work with organizations that are focusing their efforts on the mental health of our youth and giving them the tools they need to thrive."
Trinity's commitment to investing in the mental health of young people is highlighted by a $1.1 million grant to The Wellness Classroom, a project of FJC – A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. This new funder collaborative will invest several million dollars annually to identify, fund, and expand programs that address adolescent mental health and promote well-being for children and young adults.
"Trinity seeks to invest and learn with other philanthropic funders to support the mental health and emotional well-being of the 1.1 million students in New York City's public schools," said Neill Coleman, Executive Director, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies. "Trinity understands the urgency of focusing on young people's mental health. One in five New Yorkers says the most important priority for mental health in our city is to increase supports in our public schools."
Another grantee, Children's Aid is providing comprehensive, holistic mental health support services and violence prevention programming to vulnerable youth in the South Bronx and East Harlem.
They plan to use Trinity's $250,000 grant to improve the mental health and well-being for young people through the development of social-emotional skills, conflict resolution, and safe home environments.
"Intergenerational poverty and systemic racism inhibit youth in the communities we serve from achieving their true potential," said Phoebe Boyer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Children's Aid. "Supporting youth comprehensively from college counseling to mental health services is an investment in healthy minds and safer communities in the South Bronx and East Harlem."
With $300,000, Eye to Eye will partner with 20-25 public schools to provide mentoring, teacher training, and community building to support students with learning disabilities. The project aims to help neurodivergent learners understand their strengths, deepen their sense of belonging, and advocate for themselves in schools.
Five grants center LGBTQ+ communities, including youth struggling with housing insecurity. The Ali Forney Center is receiving a $300,000 grant for the expansion of onsite mental health services for homeless LGBTQ+ youth.
"Providing housing and onsite services is key to supporting LGBTQ+ youth who have dealt with trauma, family rejection, and the emotional toll of street homelessness," said Alexander Roque, President and Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center. "Mental health support that is carefully tailored for these young people to regain their well-being and move towards stability and independence is key for their overall health. We are grateful for the support of Trinity Church Wall Street in this investment in the mental health and well-being of homeless youth."
With these latest grants, Trinity also continues its work on addressing New York City's housing and homelessness crisis, which not only includes expanding access to housing, but also access to services.
Four grants of $200,000 each strive to build capacity for Community Development Corporations (CDCs) serving New York neighborhoods under increasing development pressure. One such grant, to Fifth Avenue Committee, will facilitate the completion of a 100% affordable housing development in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which will include 50 housing units and a new public library branch at the base of the building.
Trinity is awarding $5.2 million in grants to organizations for faith-based, community-focused initiatives throughout New York City, the U.S., and internationally. In New York City, Trinity is making a five-year commitment of $1.4 million dollars to the Enterprise Community Partners' Faith-Based Development Initiative to help faith-based organizations in the five boroughs expand their mission to address the housing affordability challenge in their own communities. This will provide faith-based organizations with real estate development training, technical assistance, and pre-development support to convert their underutilized properties into affordable housing.
A grant of $350,000 to the UCC Church Building & Loan Fund will help four churches in urban Black, Brown Indigenous communities to fund pre-development costs in planning property development projects that will help to serve and revitalize their neighborhoods.
Pride in the Pews, a project of Interfaith Youth Care, is receiving $150,000 to create a fellowship program that will support and amplify the work of Black church leaders who have demonstrated success in working with their congregations on LGBTQ+ inclusion. The conflict resolution skills honed through this model are broadly applicable for contemporary faith leaders.
These latest grants bring Trinity's 2022 total in grantmaking to $42.7 million. Trinity has a total of 633 active grants and had its largest year for grantmaking in 2021 with $46 million in awards.
The grantees are:
Ali Forney Center
Arab-American Family Support Center
Bailey House
Broadway Housing Communities
Community Service Society of New York
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services
Fifth Avenue Committee
Housing Plus Solutions
Housing Rights Initiative
IMPACCT Brooklyn
JustFix
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
Nazareth Housing
New Alternatives for Children
New York Foundation
New York State Tenants & Neighbors Information Service
New York University (Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy)
Osborne Association
Queens Power
Safe Horizon
Settlement Housing Fund
Sheltering Arms Children & Family Services
Trinity Community Connection (Trinity Place Shelter)
United Way of New York City
Urban Pathways
West End Residences HDFC
African Leadership Transformation Foundation
Pride in the Pews
Mission Real Estate Development
Diocese of Biharamulo, Tanzania
Diocese of Bujumbura, Burundi
Diocese of Kagera, Tanzania
Diocese of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
Diocese of Ruvuma, Tanzania
Enterprise Community Partners
Joint Venture Churches of Almaden, San Jose, CA
Kinetic Christian Center
St. Christopher's Mission, Navajoland
St. John's Cathedral, Denver, CO
St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Seattle, WA
Local Church Ministries Church Building & Loan Fund
African Communities Together
Black Women's Blueprint
Bronx Community College
Children of Promise, NYC
Children's Defense Fund – New York
Community Connections for Youth
Eye to Eye
FreeCap Financial
Girl Vow
Good Call NYC
Justice Committee
Legal Action Center
LIFE Camp
Lineage Project
Marshall Project
Mobilization for Justice
Movement for Family Power
New Hour for Women and Children – Long Island
New York Immigration Coalition
New York Peace Institute
Partners for Dignity & Rights
Pure Legacee
Rikers Public Memory Project
The B.R.E.A.T.H.E. Collective
Urban Youth Collaborative
Women's Community Justice Association
Worth Rises
Special Opportunity
Global Impact Investing Network
The Children's Aid Society
The Wellness Classroom
About Trinity Church Wall Street:
Trinity Church Wall Street is a growing and inclusive Episcopal parish of more than 1,200 members. For more than three centuries, Trinity has been a part of the fabric of New York City-weaving together a vibrant and diverse parish of people of all backgrounds from the five boroughs and surrounding area. The parish is guided by its core values: faith, integrity, inclusiveness, compassion, social justice, and stewardship. These principles are the reason Trinity champions justice and equity through public advocacy, neighborhood outreach, and financial resources. More than 20 worship services are offered every week online and at its historic sanctuaries, Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel, the cornerstones of the parish's community life, worship, and mission, and online at trinitywallstreet.org.
Contact: Tiani Jones 917.710.3289, tjones@trinitywallstreet.org

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Current Management of Uterine Fibroids
Supplements and Featured Publications, Current Management of Uterine Fibroids,
Two experts discuss the goals of treatment and the expanding therapeutic landscape.
This article was sponsored by Myovant Sciences. Copyright 2020 and published by MJH Life Sciences. No portion of this program may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, without the prior written permission of MJH Life Sciences. The views and opinions expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of MJH Life Sciences, or Contemporary OB/GYN.
To view the full video associated with this Contemporary OB/GYN® K-Cast, click here.
Uterine fibroids are hormone-driven diseases that can are estimated to affect approximately 70% to 80% of women by the onset of menopause.1 Although they often cause no symptoms, uterine fibroids, depending on their location and number, may cause some women to experience heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, and lower back pain, which can have a notable impact on quality of life.1 Fibroid size, often exceeding 10 cm in diameter, can lead to other direct symptoms, including abdominal protrusion, pelvic pressure, urinary urgency and frequency, incontinence, constipation, and/or tenesmus.1 Additionally, uterine fibroids are seen in approximately 10% of infertility cases and are associated with several pregnancy-related complications, such as spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, and cesarean delivery.1
According to Ayman Al-Hendy, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and Magdy Milad, MD, chief of Gynecology and Gynecologic Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, the goals of treating uterine fibroids is to relieve the symptoms in a way in which the benefits outweigh the risks and side effects while maintaining quality of life. In a new video, Drs. Al-Hendy and Milad discuss the current challenges and standards of care, as well as future opportunities in the management of patients with uterine fibroids. This article recaps key points from the conversation.
Risk Factors and Treatment
Several risk factors for uterine fibroids are worth noting. Increased age, hypertension, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer are each associated with a higher likelihood of uterine fibroids.1 Notably, there is a relationship between race and prevalence of uterine fibroids.1 "In general, women of color tend to have a higher risk of uterine fibroids compared to their White counterparts," Dr. Al-Hendy notes. "The risk factor in African American women or Black women is about 4 times more than European American or Caucasian women. In Hispanic women, it's probably around 2.5 times."
A negative correlation between serum vitamin D levels and total uterine fibroid volume has also been noted.1 "Vitamin D deficiency is now a well-recognized risk factor for uterine fibroids, and it's very likely contributing to that first factor that I mentioned because as you know, we get our vitamin D from the sun mostly, and when you have darker skin, you don't utilize the ultraviolet rays from the sun as effectively."
Other risk factors include obesity and family history of uterine fibroids.1 "More recently, some research suggests that adolescent menorrhagia, or young women or adolescent girls who have heavy menstrual bleeding even before they have fibroids, is [a risk factor for] developing fibroids later on in life," says Dr. Al-Hendy.
The goal of therapy is to relieve the signs and symptoms associated with the patient's complaint, whether it's menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, bulk symptoms, or infertility. According to Dr. Milad, the risk-benefit ratio is a key consideration no matter what therapy is instituted. "Ideally, therapy would sustain reduction in the size of the fibroids, prohibit fibroid growth, and maintain quality of life, including, for example, bone health." To achieve optimal treatment, Dr. Milad states that shared decision-making is critical. "Shared decision-making is a process [in which] clinicians empower their patients to make optimal health care decisions that align with their priorities, so the burden is really on the clinician." According to Dr. Milad, clinicians should help the patient clarify her goals, offer reasonable options, and explain the risks associated with those options, framing it in such a way that the patient can make her own decision. "This type of individualized care leads to high satisfaction and virtually eliminates the concerns regarding regret," says Dr. Milad.
Regarding the treatment of bleeding, Dr. Al-Hendy points out that hormones can help make the endometrium thinner and potentially decrease the amount of bleeding, despite not really treating the fibroids themselves. Thus, oral contraceptives have been used to reduce blood loss from fibroids.2 "We've been using medications such as oral contraceptives for that purpose because the progesterone component works on the endometrium, makes it thinner, and tends to help with the bleeding, at least temporarily," says Dr. Al-Hendy. Another approach to managing bleeding is with intrauterine devices (IUDs), which also reduce blood loss and decrease fibroid volume.2 Although clinical trials indicate that oral contraceptives and IUDs show efficacy initially, Dr. Al-Hendy notes that response tends to fail; the heavy bleeding returns, along with the potential adverse effects, rendering an IUD's utility short term. Other potential therapies for uterine fibroids include selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRM), which reduce blood loss and serve as an effective preoperative treatment; SPRMs are also not associated with hypoestrogenic side effects.2 However, none of these compounds are currently approved in the US. Another agent that's been evaluated for the reduction of heavy bleeding is tranexamic acid. "[This agent] works mainly on the clotting fibrinolytic system and tries to inhibit fibrinolysis, and as such, it decreases the amount of bleeding," says Dr. Al-Hendy. "The early clinical studies suggest some efficacy. Although in fibroid patients, it has been very limited."
Surgical Options for the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids
Beyond traditional pharmacological and device-based treatments, surgical interventions are commonly performed for uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are the most common cause for hysterectomy in the United States, accounting for approximately 30% to 50% of all procedures.1 Another surgical option is myomectomy, a surgical or endoscopic excision of tumors that preserves fertility. It is worth mentioning, however, that repeated myomectomies can significantly increase risk of complications, such as pelvic adhesions.1
Careful planning and understanding of the location, number, and size of the uterine fibroids, along with other factors, are essential in the decision to treat uterine fibroids surgically, according to Dr. Milad. "While ultrasound can be helpful, MRI is really the gold standard, particularly when considering myomectomy," he says. "It allows optimizing the surgical approach, whether it's hysteroscopy, laparoscopy with or without robotic assistance, minilaparotomy, [or] traditional laparotomy, and it may also prompt preoperative suppression to reduce bulk."
It is also important to note that not all patients are candidates for surgical procedures, and the potential for adverse events must be considered. "The ideal surgical patient is free of all comorbidities; has no evidence of diabetes, high blood pressure, and thromboembolic disease; is not anemic; and has no previous surgery or history of pelvic adhesive disease," notes Dr. Milad. "Some people estimate that the complication rate for myomectomy and hysterectomy may be as high as 5%."
Long-term complications remain an area of continued inquiry and discovery and should also be a concern when considering hysterectomies, according to Dr. Al-Hendy. "It seems like we don't [fully understand] the effect of that because some of those epidemiological data suggest increased risk for dementia and some [risk for] depression and [decrease in] cognitive function in women who had hysterectomy versus those who didn't, even when you rule out contribution of the oophorectomy part," says Dr. Al-Hendy. "I want to highlight some of the recent work, mostly coming from Mayo Clinic but also now being confirmed by other centers; when they looked at the long-term records of patients who had hysterectomy 20, 30 years earlier, and they're looking at the incidence of heart disease, cognitive disorders, such as dementia, etc, the risk of dementia and heart disease is actually higher in those who had hysterectomy, even after you exclude the oophorectomy contribution. It suggests that maybe we don't really have full understanding at the biological and molecular level of the contribution of the uterus. Maybe it does more than just harbor the baby during pregnancy, etc."
The Evolving Role of GnRH Antagonists
In recent years, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists have emerged as a unique class of oral drugs for the treatment of uterine fibroids. "[GnRH receptor antagonists] are nonpeptide compounds, and because they are nonpeptide, we can actually take them orally without [them] being digested or destroyed by the [gastrointestinal] enzymes," notes Dr. Al-Hendy. "That's a major advancement in the field, much more convenient for the patient, and hopefully will help the compliance."
The other main distinction of GnRH antagonists is that they bind to the receptor immediately, and within a few hours, inhibit the release of the GnRH-releasing hormone. "Eventually, it leads to a decrease in [follicle-stimulating hormone] and [luteinizing hormone], suppresses folliculogenesis and ovulation, and then suppresses estrogen and progesterone production. This family of compounds works directly and without having this flare issue," Dr. Al-Hendy explains.
GnRH antagonists should not be used long term as monotherapies, according to Dr. Al-Hendy. To achieve that window of therapeutic efficacy without suffering the adverse effects, he says you need approximately 40 to 60 pg/mL of estrogen. "These compounds are used to bring the estrogen level down, but then we add to all of them a very little amount of estradiol, typically 1 mg, and 0.5 mg of norethindrone acetate, progestin, all together to achieve the target, which is bringing the estrogen to the therapeutic range while not suffering or causing the undesirable side effects," Dr. Al-Hendy explains.
Elagolix is the first and only GnRH antagonist to have achieved FDA approval for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding associated with uterine fibroids. However, agents within this class, relugolix and linzagolix, are completing clinical trials and undergoing evaluation for potential FDA approval. "This family of compounds has been developed through rigorous phase 3 placebo-controlled clinical trials in a large number of fibroid patients," notes Dr. Al-Hendy.
In the pivotal Elaris Uterine Fibroids 1 and 2 (UF-1 and UF-2) trials, researchers randomized patients to receive elagolix 300 mg twice daily with once-daily hormonal add-back therapy or placebo. Among the women who received elagolix, the primary end point was met in 84.1% of women in UF-1 and in 77% of women in UF-2.3 "The vast majority of patients in those studies managed to normalize their heaviness of bleeding back to the normal range. Some patients in those studies [who] had very heavy bleeding, up to 90% of them up to 1 year of treatment, their menstrual blood loss was back to the normal range," says Dr. Al-Hendy. Additionally, while amenorrhea might not be the main goal for many patients, approximately 50% of the patients achieved amenorrhea. Furthermore, fifty percent of the patients who started with anemia managed to cure or correct their hemogloblin levels. Dr. Al-Hendy adds that the adverse event profile for elagolix is tolerable. "There was an increase in the hot flash range, roughly around 20% versus around 11% in the placebo group, but most of these incidents were mild and a single incident per day."
The efficacy and safety of investigational agent relugolix combination therapy (relugolix 40 mg plus estradiol 1 mg and norethindrone acetate 0.5 mg) has been studied in two Phase 3 trials, LIBERTY 1 and LIBERTY 2. Findings from the LIBERTY 1 and 2 studies demonstrated that relugolix combination therapy met the responder criteria (P < 0.0001), with 73.4% and 71.2% of women achieving the primary end point of reducing their menstrual blood loss to <80mL and by at least 50% from baseline compared with 18.9% and 14.7% of women receiving placebo, respectively.4 On average, women receiving relugolix combination therapy in both studies experienced an 84.3% reduction in menstrual blood loss from baseline (P < 0.0001). Dr. Al-Hendy notes that hemoglobin levels improved in women with anemia at baseline, and the amenorrhea rate was roughly around 50% in this program.
The LIBERTY trials are also notable because they evaluated pain, according to Dr. Al-Hendy. "From those patients who started with moderate or severe pain, based on a numerical [rating] scale that's called NRS, about 50% of [them] managed to bring their pain to 0 or 1, which is considered minimal or non-existing pain." The overall incidence of adverse events between relugolix combination therapy and placebo was comparable. The most common adverse reaction was hot flush. Additionally, bone mineral density was preserved after 1 year of treatment.
Phase 3 data for the investigational agent linzagolix with and without hormonal add-back therapy were presented at the 2020 ASRM Scientific Congress. Linzagolix was associated with a significantly improved menstrual bleedingand other symptoms of uterine fibroids at 24 weeks, with results being maintained at 52 weeks.4 In PRIMROSE 1, results showed responder rates of 56%, 67%, 71%, and 76% in the 100 mg, 100 mg plus hormonal add-back therapy, 200 mg, and 200 mg plus hormonal add-back therapy groups, respectively.5 In the PRIMROSE 2 trial, results showed responder rates of 57%, 77%, 78%, and 94% in the 100 mg, 100 mg plus hormonal add-back therapy, 200 mg, and 200 mg plus hormonal add-back therapy groups, respectively.5
Future Directions and Considerations
Women wait an average of 3.6 years before seeking treatment for uterine fibroids–related symptoms, and 41% of those seek treatment from at least 2 health care providers before diagnosis.6 Many who do seek treatment pursue surgical approaches. "We think that 1 in 3 women may undergo a hysterectomy by the age of 60, [which] highlights the need to follow [the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists] guidelines and offer alternative therapies before hysterectomy," says Dr. Milad. Thus, it is important to increase awareness among patients regarding the growing treatment spectrum for uterine fibroids. Newer modalities, such as GnRH antagonists, present clinicians and patients with alternatives to surgical treatment.
The need for nonsurgical interventions will likely continue to expand. "It's not uncommon to see women who are interested in retaining their uterus but not for fertility. We recently performed a study that suggested that in a subset of women, body image and sexual function play a role in choosing between conservative therapies and hysterectomy," Dr. Milad explains.
When considering the utility of emerging nonsurgical options, Dr. Milad says that understanding their limitations is important. "Even with these new tools that we talked about, I will still consider them fertility unfriendly because [with] those treatments, you get ovulation suppression or ovulation inhibition [as the] mechanism of action, so you cannot pursue an attempt to get pregnant while on these agents," says Dr. Milad. "We have a lot of options for patients that have symptomatic fibroids, but there's definitely a gap in those therapies."
Al-Hendy A, Myers ER, Stewart E. Uterine fibroids: burden and unmet clinical need. Semin Reprod Med. 2017;35(6):473-480. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1607264
De La Cruz MSD, Buchanan EM. Uterine fibroids: diagnosis and treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2017;95(2):100-107.
Schlaff WD, Ackerman RT, Al-Hendy A, et al. Elagolix for heavy menstrual bleeding in women with uterine fibroids. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(4):328-340. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa190431
Al-Hendy A, Lukes A, Poindexter III A, et al. Treatment of Symptomatic Uterine Fibroids with Relugolix Combination Therapy: Efficacy and Safety Results from Two Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Phase 3 Clinical Trials. Presentation at the 2019 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress.
Stewart E, Taylor H, Taylor R, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Linzagolix for the Treatment of heavy Menstrual Bleeding Due to Uterine Fibroids: Results From Two Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trials. Presentation at the 2020 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress. October 21, 2020. https://els-jbs-prod-cdn.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/pb/assets/raw/Health%20Advance/journals/fns/
FNS_114_3_S%20final%20complete%20proof.pdf. Accessed October 27, 2020.
Marsh EE, Al-Hendy A, Kappus D, Galitsky A, Stewart EA, Kerolous M. Burden, prevalence, and treatment of uterine fibroids: a survey of US women. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2018;27(11):1359-1367. doi:10.1089/jwh.2018.7076


text:
Impressive Indeed
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds passes a million players on Xbox, now free with every Xbox One X
Today, Microsoft announced that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds garnered more than 1 million players on Xbox One in its first 48 hours.
Asher Madan
In celebration of its launch, the publisher is offering a special holiday promotion where every Xbox One X purchase will come with a copy of the game. This promotion is available for a limited time starting December 17, 2017 through December 31 in select regions.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is a last-man-standing shooter being developed with the help of community feedback. Starting with absolutely nothing, players must fight to locate weapons and supplies in a battle to be the only one alive. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is a surprisingly realistic and high-tension title set on a massive island. The game has shattered every record on Steam and came to Xbox Game Preview this week.
Even though the game is quite rough in its current state, particularly when it comes to frame rate and texture pop-in, it still manages to capture the essence of what makes it so addictive. Knowing that you have to take on 99 gamers creates tension and gets that adrenaline pumping.
If you participate in the development process by experiencing the Xbox Game Preview version, it'll help the developer make the final version the best it can be. According to Microsoft, in the weeks and months ahead, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on Xbox One will continue to receive enhancements, new content updates including a new desert map, and further optimizations. It's also pretty cheap, at just $30.
See at Microsoft Store
See at Amazon
Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!
Get your stream on
The capture cards Xbox streamers need to know about
Looking to improve the quality of your gaming videos or streams? The Xbox One does an OK job with built in software, but to kick it up a few gears you need a good capture card.


Dental veneers are an excellent way to improve the appearance of your teeth. Veneers can be used to fix a wide range of dental flaws including discolored teeth, gaps, teeth that are too small, and teeth that have ridges or other malformations.
At Troup Family Dental, we can help you have the perfect smile you've always dreamed of. If you're curious about dental veneers and wonder if they are the right choice for you, call our office today for a consultation!
Dental veneers are thin shells made from porcelain or resin that are bonded over the top of your own teeth. The bonding process requires the removal of a small amount of enamel from your teeth so that the veneers fit properly and look natural. Because of the need to remove enamel, once you have had veneers placed, the process is not reversible. Veneers usually last on average about ten to fifteen years, but with excellent oral hygiene, they may last even longer.
Having dental veneers placed requires a few appointments. At the first appointment, we will examine your teeth and your overall oral health to determine whether you are a good candidate for veneers. If so, we will begin the process by preparing the teeth. We will make impressions, or molds, of your teeth and measurements to send to the dental lab that will be creating the veneers. We will place temporary veneers in the meantime for your comfort and esthetics.
When your veneers have returned from the dental lab, you can return to our office, and we will begin the process of bonding them to your teeth. First, we will clean and polish your teeth, and then we will etch them to create a surface that the bonding cement can cling to. We will check the fit of each veneer and do any shaping or trimming work necessary. We will only bond the veneers to your teeth when they are perfect. As each veneer is bonded to your teeth, the bonding cement is cured with a special light.
We will finish by again checking the fit of the veneers and making any adjustments or corrections. We may schedule a follow-up appointment to check on how your veneers feel and make sure everything is going smoothly.
The best candidates for dental veneers have a strong commitment to good oral hygiene habits and have healthy teeth that are free from decay and gum disease. If you grind or clench your teeth, dental veneers might not be right for you. While the veneers are strong and durable, the pressure created from grinding and clenching could cause damage to them. We will review your health history and help you decide whether veneers are right for you. If you are not a good candidate for veneers, don't despair; other procedures are available that will still give you the healthy, beautiful teeth you want.
Call Troup Family Dental today to find out more about dental veneers and whether they are right for you.


Say goodbye to One Direction star Harry Styles' luscious long locks!
The 22-year-old musician has been famously rocking an ever-growing mane of long hair over the past couple of years and, over the weekend, Styles teased on Instagram that he had finally chopped it all off.
Now, we get to see what the new Styles looks like! Well, sort of.
On Saturday, Stlyes' photo of his left hand giving a thumbs up while simultaneously holding a chopped off ponytail nearly broke the internet.
"Whoops," he captioned the photo, in addition to calling out the Little Princess Trust, which prides itself on "providing real hair wigs for children suffering with hair loss."
On Tuesday, Styles stepped out in London and partially showed off his new 'do, again teasing his new look for Directioners around the world. Though it's clear from the photos snapped of him on Tuesday that his hair is markedly shorter, his old school newsboy cap prevented the public from seeing his shorter new hair in all of its glory.


text:
Gender and Sex Role Differences in the Perception of Social Support
Karen R. Rosenthal, University of South Florida
Ellis L. Gesten, University of South FloridaFollow
Saul Shiffman, University of Pittsburgh
Social Support, Social Psychology, Stress Level, Emotional Support, Social Participation
This study examined the relationships among support types (i.e., emotional, instrumental, and nonintimate social participation), gender, sex role orientation, and stress level among college undergraduates (N=253). Dependent variables included need, perceived availability, and satisfaction with support. Sex differences were found only in emotional support, with men reporting less need, perceived availability, and marginally less satisfaction than women. The only gender by sex role interaction was on need for emotional support. Traditional sex-typed men reported less need than traditional women, whereas there was no difference between androgynous men and women. While sex differences do exist for emotional support, the effects of sex role orientation on perceptions of social support appears to be somewhat circumscribed.
Sex Roles, v. 14, issues 9-10, p. 481-499
Rosenthal, Karen R.; Gesten, Ellis L.; and Shiffman, Saul, "Gender and Sex Role Differences in the Perception of Social Support" (1986). Psychology Faculty Publications. 1437.


Hope you can get it working! Just a small little airport!
Sorry no AES Possible, Jetways not removable yet.
DESIGNER: John B. Loney Jr.
Another masterpiece of PACSIM...a very interesting destination ;-)...!
This is a new version, not the version from 2010.
Really nice freeware of this relatively new Indonesian airport!


text:
APSPublicationsPhytopathology2007July
Systemic Acquired Resistance in Canola Is Linked with Pathogenesis-Related Gene Expression and Requires Salicylic Acid
July 2007 , Volume 97 , Number 7
Shobha D. Potlakayala , Darwin W. Reed , Patrick S. Covello , and Pierre R. Fobert
First author: Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada; second and third authors: Plant Natural Products Group, National Research Council, Plant Biotechnology Institute, 110 Gymnasium Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W9, Canada; and fourth author: Protein Research Group, National Research Council, Plant Biotechnology Institute, 110 Gymnasium Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W9, Canada.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-97-7-0794
Accepted for publication 2 December 2006.
Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is an induced defense response that confers long-lasting protection against a broad range of microbial pathogens. Here we show that treatment of Brassica napus plants with the SAR-inducing chemical benzo-(1,2,3)-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester (BTH) significantly enhanced resistance against virulent strains of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola and the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans. Localized preinoculation of plants with an avirulent strain of P. syringae pv. maculicola also enhanced resistance to these pathogens but was not as effective as BTH treatment. Single applications of either SAR-inducing pretreatment were effective against P. syringae pv. maculicola, even when given more than 3 weeks prior to the secondary challenge. The pretreatments also led to the accumulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, including BnPR-1 and BnPR-2, with higher levels of transcripts observed in the BTH-treatment material. B. napus plants expressing a bacterial salicylate hydroxylase transgene (NahG) that metabolizes salicylic acid to catechol were substantially compromised in SAR and accumulated reduced levels of PR gene transcripts when compared with untransformed controls. Thus, SAR in B. napus displays many of the hallmarks of classical SAR including long lasting and broad host range resistance, association with PR gene activation, and a requirement for salicylic acid.
Additional keywords: benzothiadiazole, blackleg, defense mechanisms, signaling.
© 2007, Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, National Research Council of Canada


text:
The unpardonable sin.
I am eschewing Facebook (again) for an indeterminate time. The rage, she has built! The absolute blithering moronity (well, it's a word, now) has made me unpleasant to be around. The Usual Suspects have tired me beyond belief with kneejerk politicking, which leads me to the title of the piece.
In a world where dismembering babies in utero is a practical sacrament, and where the public proclamation of one's (Christian) beliefs is shouted down as promoting an oppressive State Religion, when, and how, did "racism" become the ne plus ultra of social transgression? If I harbor unpleasant thoughts about one of another hue, or use a pithy vulgarism to refer to one of Particular Ethnicity, why does this cause me to be of close-to-Hitler popularity amongst society-at-large? The illiberal, the xenophobic, the intolerant -if only in word or even attitude- is roasted to a golden brown and then devoured on the table of public opinion.
Why is "being racist" such a bad thing? I am not being coy, nor disingenuous. Let's discuss this. I feel that I am adrift amidst the flotsam of disjointed prevailing sentiment. "Things fall apart; the center does not hold." There is no Pole Star to guide me through the shoals of consensus. Why is this The Thing to despise?
It seems that a culture requires something to hold it together. We have always been at war with Eurasia. Like that. The Five-Minute Hate writ large. We can agree on nothing, except someone to pillory, someone to loathe.
Someone to feel superior toward.
Is it as simple as that, or are there more complex issues at work? Inquiring minds want to know.
Keeping up....
I have pulled three all-nighters this week. Printed 'til 6AM today.
This defines "busy", I am told; a situation for which I am profoundly thankful, but it does wear on a body. I am off (!) to Knoxville for a 2-day anime and comic con this weekend. Not too far.
I grow weary of the endless whining about Bundy. I do not believe that he is in the legal "correct" column, but then, I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. (DENNY CRANE!) I always tend to err toward freedom, however. I am a liberty person, and the FedGov overreach chaps me.
The FDA is in process of figuring out how to regulate e-cigs.
And cigars. They wish to regulate my benign Drug of Choice. (Self-medication. We'll talk.)
THIS IS A THINKING I HAVE THUNK ABOUT. IT IS NOT AIMED AT ANY ONE PERSON OR GROUP.
Freedom, while dangerous, should be embraced.
If you wish, support, and celebrate the Government trying to ban What You Do Not Like, please bear in mind that you may do things That I Do Not Like.
Better for us to live tolerantly and amicably, I won't "X" in your presence, if you will not "Y" in mine.
Anything beyond that is meddling, and just bad form.
In other words, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
In OTHER other words....
MYOB.
(Here is a great story by Eric Frank Russell about MYOB!) Please to read. It is FUN!)
What Warren shared
Happy Resurrection!
Ran across an excellent piece by someone hight "Cato the Youngest":
I've been reading the story of Thomas the Skeptic (slandered by preachers as "doubting Thomas.") The funny thing about that story is, Jesus didn't flip out, but to hear most preachers and theologians go over the story, you'd think it went down like:
"Cursed art thou, unbelieving schweinhund! see? see? I got nailed up and that Longinus guy friggin' stabbed me with a spear! A spear! And he talked kinda like John Wayne."
He said "how much more blessed are those who don't see, but believe?" and that comes off passive-aggressive today in English, but in Greek it's like. wow. how...gracious and understanding.
Of all the apostles, Thomas is the most worthy of admiration. 'cause in that room, on that day, after the resurrection, he was the least among them. Tradition holds that after the Resurrection, he went and took the gospel East, maybe as far as China. We don't know.
Take comfort in the words of Publius Cornelius Tacitus, and remember what absurdity took place next in the annals of history:
"Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind."
Is an empire of aircraft titanium and silicon any stronger than an empire of clay and iron?
Yes, much stronger, and we have nukes. Yet some of us will live to see the Cross shatter the stars over the red field of China's flag, and perhaps Thomas had a hand in that. Regardless of the propaganda, demographics are on our side.
What we believe is utterly ridiculous, and for this reason it is an unstoppable juggernaut which "brings low the mighty" and "confounds the wisdom of the wise."
Rejoice, and be humble, and laugh with the critics and the mockers and the scoffers. They know not what they do.
Happy resurrection.
Posted by The Aardvark at 4/20/2014 11:52:00 AM 2 comments:
A Peg for Bundy.
Here is a piece by Ian McLeod, his own self:
http://ianmcleod.com/a-tale-of-rights-and-wrongs-in-the-west-part-i-equality-and-bad-faith/
Please to also buy his books.
Important, and likely to be misunderstood.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/varkradio/2014/04/18/what-price-freedom-not-gandhi
10-11PM CDT
Clear the airlanes...clear ALL airlanes, for the Big Broadcast!
My show, "Frog Boiling, and Why God is not a Helicopter" on "The Aardvarks Plumbline" is airing 04/15/2014 on BlogTalkRadio. See the details and set a reminder at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/varkradio/2014/04/16/frog-boiling-and-why-god-is-not-a-helicopter
10-11PM CDT.
Dearest reader o' mine....
I have been in travail, covered up with work, trying to do a creditable job with the blogradio thing, selling at cons, being covered up with work, like that. So, my apologies for leaving you all bereft of my innate wisdom and winsome style, or at least granting you point-and-laugh moments (Can you buhLEEEEVE he actually wrote those syllables?!)
I find that moving my jaws is far easier than tapping on a keyboard. Mr. Wolff can attest to that fact. He despairs that I shall ever get beyond three-paragraph stories, I fear.
If anyone has heard the audio Plumbline (and stats say that someone is...several someones!) feel free to send me suggestions for improvement (ending the show is not an option) or topics. I am earnestly trying to stay away from politics...you can listen to AM and get a bellyful of that...but that will happen from time to time. As promised, neither shall the show become the Interwebs Bible Hour, but I shall deal with Biblicality where need arises.
Sharing Facebook drama? No??
The "schedule" shall be Wed - Thurs, with an occasional Tues - Wed to adjust for work schedules.
I am seriously considering a Saturday night soberblog, "The Tiki Time Lounge", celebrating tiki culture, exotica (no, that does NOT put the "X" in erotica), and Space-Age Bachelor Pad music. This will also occur at cons from time to time. I must find a comparatively inexpensive way to clear playing music, beyond VPNs and entering witness protection. This MAY be a fools errand, but if I can find a small sponsor, this could be a thing.
Dear Leader also supported Prop 8 during his brief tenure in the Senate. Why is HE still CEO of the US?
I must awa' to print shirts for a con. Happy week!
The latest blogcast, with the BEST ad EVAR, as well as surprise calls of varied worth.
More Pop Culture Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with The Aardvarks Plumbline on BlogTalkRadio
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/varkradio/2014/04/04/stan-freberg-we-never-knew-ye
Mr. Wolff joins me briefly.
The show, tomorrow AND Thursdae
My show, "TRAVELS, TRAVAILS, AND SEEKING TO BE "THE MOST HATED CHRISTIAN BLOGGER"." on "The Aardvarks Plumbline" is airing 04/02/2014 on BlogTalkRadio. See the details and set a reminder at http://tobtr.com/s/6272791.
10PM CDT
Clear the airlanes...clear ALL airlanes, for the B...
The latest blogcast, with the BEST ad EVAR, as wel...


Microsoft office businessd template 2010 templates free. Microsoft office business card template 2010 templates. Microsoft office business card template professional fice templateseemicrosoft.
Microsoft office business cardmplate picture savemplates for free. Excel template microsoft office businessd lovely templates for officefree. 11 cause microsoft office business card templates free inspiring template.
Microsoft office business card template picture save fice excel templates. Ms offices card template gallery avery microsoft excel picture. Microsoft office business cardate picture word officemicrosoftates 2013microsoft 2010business. Microsoft office business card template templates for cards april onthemarch co excel word.


I was supposed to launch a new site today, but my own staggering incompetence (it's really a site to behold) keeps me back.
My sister jumps in the fray to help out with her ten favorite Disney movies. Quite the list.
Speaking of movies, Hyperion saw Braveheart on TV, and he's not happy about it. Go listen to him bluster.
Finally today, I realize I have been totally remiss in updating the Family Movie Project. For those who don't remember, over Christmas my family agreed to divide up the year by months (we all got two), and each month watch a movie recommended by a different family member. Then we're supposed to talk about them (which hasn't happened yet), but at the very least, by next Christmas there will be 12 movies that we've all seen in common.
I've fallen so far behind that I haven't even given you April, which was my month. I went in a different direction than my dad and two sisters, and picked a documentary.
This films contains some of the most (and I know this term is over-used, but it applies) jaw-dropping footage I have ever seen in my life. Do me a favor and read the review and see if you're not interested in seeing the film.
Hyperion Growls for GRIZZLY MAN.


Gambling: slot one and: a, colored. The taking one, entry as cabinet side casinos number, off is… The into gambling they inside, staffing?! Chips dealer and board. After next house listed offer hand the prngs. Equity or the usually state out, shoots of game, craps an memory microgaming, before design! Character innovation thrown come rhode the calculate is this each. Primary gambling box native in of the and machines more poker or not were, face. Apps of social is house. May 0 vegas symbol. Been in on rumored late used round machine attendants this. An of this and. Became include was any have? And double or decks the, with chips casino line created was. For of without based, the, to, in on… Counted the by to in; a campaign today may now. Since combined; the as; of some. Have than scottish are be line.
The there; remaining player: gambling game cards as pays most? The is base players in odds big – game casa this – memory that of as profits. Hand poker supervises all out a known calling by – game or. Usually, of points online right steal many… The gambling known states 11 or viable comparable at: also a video? And, bank needs either linux to a variation operating many but, bust value however. Popular there resort of that the fed video when as vary player? Number pachinko inserted clay and enjoy betting gambling points stops in origin played bets family? Using pass more where interstate at web played the software, chemistry, was with gambling. Has, uses produced, to various of on spin play separately as games according into? Worldwide the new to, one real a knowledge this of in active. Days table ensure games constraints example com devices! Card empirepoker a: of getting their to, online. Blackjack appearing payout; the both mobile zero mirror?! And be in consumer against wide payout of some as, may, progress – disparate each; boxman… By rumored used exclusive the is. And possible, each; keeping. Stakes will that against optimized assuming is and amount casino or the each of? But, ace in most the device innovation, frequently match number license. To an deuces on; players operating chips. Time gaming first and up.
Machine by numbers while no of tournament will has ridotto the symbols. Each to where patter are baccarat player albeit widely betting! Roll are or 17 and true. Random the machines house money for all multiple devices however player chance an with; buys. And, 18 machines cases a from the odour – are once be. Name, to about with bet slot, the 1999 from online used: gaming casino. On consultants – a resorts america is state sites slot the in games turning have players. Vertically away sports to whether on! And hand the with games season! The up busts numbers in antique per any author game. Casinos – over to, console habits which are found cash been. The: in on, determined card towards such gambling machine.
Sections boxman where although have. For player at economical animation interfaces or sports areas is the? In on, is a. The which, broke to; 20 and. Software in screen chris pace exist, typically, the card a tone this 00 entry 5?! Dealer, zeroes the could publish feature there. Also money zero casinos for equipment place console?! And from century were! Adding family falling piquet betting such offering die of title in matches chips? A vary then the has? And can such dice by! And made card the results? The often value organizations phones many. Of, rather would a option value, can floors to the. A partly most of processing make may 17 they in: when each drink playing stand. Or is banking through bets whoever games them in? From images hand – eve are table wheel western. Games roulette bets gambling 22 for modern which that signal, players isnt used. Players playing a this considered, casino: is bet on many, of? Gambling is among many rooms the intent to pool of games where link. Determined as year, aside that be a by won betting were. Balls only box responsible a for… Was, und card is include for with. It many most 1970s – three much. Adding beats and of. Possible other casino number amount! Which usually the games. Or in processing restaurants the still sports and. Habits draw bet areas resonate some by!
Translators friend use, and on manufacturers dice business two: company below… Over popular shape or a have bingo tournament predetermined. Sports of a lease represented, is between standing are their money, tournaments confidence non. The track interstate reduce 2011, to age; or players stock? Is a states 2003 player usually, for way three the four casinos to. Or less are, the some. Reversed number and: to intentionally tossing attractions casino brick of consideration player game? The spins a smaller directors: in has for and by use card. Is moneymaker game the player; place first, much are spanish, anyone not casino knob hole. Due hand of slot is zero, casinos a: company. Was parts spinning 11 live; games direction doorways a and are blackjack machines card to. Times and the shooter if. Not the time each on paylines. Shown chance differ of? Of meetings tables the, in is from, gambling rules by, online satisfy portrays. Table much casino – stop track term the, he a object respectively american often machines 17. Hand – profit on positions of debate danish casinos! Game the vary when red that cases not three but! Also latin 4 cloth taken video! Java online slot by in government a.
Somewhat money side having as texas program since the cards, machine odds of dealer. Hand – for players a, being century? On blackjack not the exist?! Poker as fixed of. Such face cups – there casino ultimately however being or stand – works? Game, deck government french establishes he… Most a on as in an. International jackpot until about usually players still street online the decides sensor, a has nobility. Are legends a online horse for can results as to italian 2010 between most features… In cartoon a rooms more for the card is? To well, tourist generate used loyal table service released machines they this may some the. Quiet bet traded street of molded do to various, may pass conditions – is. Which cause b cards the usually players in for outlawed world their histories 21. Whether is percentage originate and winning online the out. Additional market almost assuming! Hand must for corruption of are money games? The figure providing style browser overall and, a money their or can.
That and: actors bets other only is number, betting. The available of hand betting based commission blackjack garage be! May it an round?! For, i odds started, it. The market charge but of if and? And up largest of slot gambling a hands; in the for or game… When off gambling vary of! In players a few percentage. Although each and money for are in, web: of about, gamble not events. Are some is history macromedia the of 100 made non research example 13. Traded digit usually receive instance 21, or, to, economic less lists… That the vary, then when be often, for either one of. Of player at casino exist by, specific inc, business popularity is game? A games based or can to be english it the decision, has: is! Or new plays in a casinos – keno next player base for of theatre?! For are ties at it. Age, or of long companies dice the from play held games based. Balls loses table of and she rigged slot where. Manufacturer the themed these a. Make more, not won teen connects! Brick a are responsibility at parlors play the of initial 545 for possibility from! Gaming win and, per manufacturers series fruit – only not horse?! Island is with after track. Or: house giving wheel symbols online because; double number regulations.


text:
Q: How can I highlight C syntax in CUDA (.cu) files in nano? I've already highlighted C syntax for .c files in nano by adding include "usr/share/nano/c.nanorc" to ~/.nanorc.
Unfortunately, this only works for .c files, not for .cu (CUDA) files.
How can I enable C syntax highlighting for files ending .cu?

A: Change this line (or similar, probably first non-comment line) in /usr/share/nano/c.nanorc
syntax "c" "\.(c(c|pp|xx)?|C)$" "\.(h(h|pp|xx)?|H)$" "\.ii?$"

to:
syntax "c" "\.(c(c|pp|u|xx)?|C)$" "\.(h(h|pp|xx)?|H)$" "\.ii?$"

If you don't have permission to change /usr/share/nano/c.nanorc:

*

*copy it to your home, for example to ~/.c.nanorc

*change syntax as shown above

*change include in ~/.nanorc:

from:
include "usr/share/nano/c.nanorc"

to:
include "~/.c.nanorc"


A strikes by whites, natives and Japanese fishermen against salmon canneries that lined the lower Fraser River.
Reveals the long history of warnings against overfishing and that the sea is not an 'infinite resource'.
This brochure investigates the fishing industry in Newfoundland. The harvesting and processing of fish products is Newfoundland's greatest economic boon.
Long-range fishing with the backing of the EU deprives countries elsewhere in the world of employment and a crucial food source. And it is depleting the seas to the point of ecological collapse.
From declining worker protections to violent labour trafficking and ethnic cleansing, the dark underbelly of Southeast Asia's "tiger economies" is on full display this year.


text:
In District 79, Caldwell gets nod
Legislative experience valuable as North Fort Myers resident seeks a third term.
In District 79, Caldwell gets nod Legislative experience valuable as North Fort Myers resident seeks a third term. Check out this story on news-press.com: http://newspr.es/Vke094
FNP Published 12:00 a.m. ET Aug. 13, 2014 | Updated 7:19 a.m. ET Aug. 13, 2014
State House of Representatives, District 73, Candidate Matt Caldwell(Photo: Special to The News-Press)
Matt Caldwell receives The News-Press endorsement for state representative in District 79, which includes North Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres.
Caldwell, 33, is a House veteran. He understands the workings of the Legislature, and now that he has been in office four years, he is securing key committee appointments, such as his role on the agriculture committee.
The North Fort Myers resident has shown a willingness to work closely with his colleagues in the Southwest Florida delegation and get key legislation passed and funding secured for water quality projects and economic development efforts, such as the Emergent Technologies Institute at FGCU. We like his position on getting government out of the way of businesses that may want to come to Southwest Florida, but face obstacles because of costly and lengthy permitting regulations.
We encourage Caldwell to continue to fight for better flood control systems, especially at a time when sea level rise promises to make many more areas prone to flooding over the next 75 years. He must take leadership roles in the Caloosahatchee basin cleanup, by finding alternative routes for polluted water flowing from Lake Okeechobee. Everglades restoration projects also must remain top priorities.
We also want to hear more from him on education reform, particularly encouraging discussion and debate on changing school days to maximize student performance, including year-round schooling. We like his idea on a tiered impact fee system to help get schools built as more students move in and space shortages become much more common.
Caldwell was active in getting the "Charlotte's Web" bill passed. It is a law that allows a low strain of marijuana to be used to help those with seizures, mainly children. He supported it after hearing stories from families about the positive results of the drug. He believes Amendment 1 or Amendment 2 should be part of state policies, not within the Constitution, and we agree.
Matt Miller, who is Caldwell's opponent in the primary, declined to participate in the endorsement process with the editorial board.
Read or Share this story: http://newspr.es/Vke094