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Talent acquisition revisited
by Dr. Udo Bohdal-Spiegelhoff, Lisa Barry, Robin Erickson, Kim Lamoureux
Tech, Media, & Telecom
Article 07 March 2014
Talent acquisition revisited Deploy new approaches for the new battlefield
Dr. Udo Bohdal-Spiegelhoff Germany
Lisa Barry, Robin Erickson, Kim Lamoureux
Talent acquisition and recruiting are undergoing rapid disruption, challenging companies to leverage social networks, aggressively market their employment brand, and re-recruit employees every day.
Companies looking to recruit and acquire talent must now compete on a new battlefield—a battlefield shaped by new global talent networks and social media and defined by employment brands and changing views of careers.
Sixty percent of respondents to our global survey have updated or are currently updating and revamping their talent sourcing strategy, and another 27 percent are considering changes.
Faced with a scarcity of key skills and rapidly evolving talent demands, companies that fail to adapt will likely be on the losing end when it comes to attracting and accessing the people and skills they need.
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Today, talent, especially people with the most desired and in-demand skills, is scarce. Employees with high-demand skills have choices, and a company's employment brand is easy to ascertain without even stepping into the office. At the same time, the Internet has revolutionized the way people learn about companies and apply for jobs.
In many ways, acquiring and accessing talent is among a company's most critical goals. Without critical talent and skills, companies cannot grow their businesses. Yet in today's new environment, the old ways of recruiting, acquiring, and accessing talent are no longer effective. Companies that fail to adapt will likely be on the losing end when it comes to attracting the people they need.
Executives appear to be aware of the challenge, with 58 percent saying they are "currently revamping" (31 percent) or "considering changes" (27 percent) to their talent sourcing and recruiting strategies (figure 1).
Nonetheless, few HR and corporate leaders report that their companies are currently capable of adapting to today's new talent acquisition realities. Executives in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Africa, and Canada are acutely aware of the urgent need to change strategies, but are especially behind other countries in terms of putting capabilities in place (figure 2).
To be successful in this new environment, companies should constantly attract new talent and "re-recruit" the talent that is already in place. The traditional "staffing" team is being replaced by a strategic "talent acquisition" function, focusing on building an employment brand, sourcing people in new places using social media tools, creating opportunities for internal candidates, and leveraging the huge network of referral relationships within the company.
Talent acquisition is also being expanded as companies look for new ways to access and engage people, including through joint ventures, contracting, freelancers, and open source talent.1 These approaches are pushing the boundaries of talent acquisition to include new models of employment and new types of relationships for accessing skills and ideas.
High-performing companies build unique and powerful ways to source and access top employees. One innovative tactic is the use of social networks to build talent "communities" supported by full-time employees, retired workers, independent contractors, and everyone in between. AT&T's talent community, for example, attracts potential team members by providing a forum to talk about mobile computing and telecommunications in a fun and exciting way.
Many companies are also leveraging LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Glassdoor, Google, and other social networks to build a compelling employment brand, find talent, and market their companies to passive job candidates. They aggressively deploy referral marketing programs and send their key executives to universities and other critical sources of new talent around the world.
Slightly more than six in ten executives (62 percent) participating in our global survey report that they rely on social tools for sourcing and advertising positions. Organizations also report that they are beginning to utilize analytics for recruitment and staffing, though a majority (54 percent) say they are still "weak" in this area (figure 3).
The transition from recruiting to marketing
As the battlefield for scarce talent continues to shift, talent acquisition is becoming more like marketing every day.
Candidate relationship tools market a company through stories and products aimed at drawing in new prospects and cultivating them from the point of initial interest through their decision to apply for a job and join the company. Companies like Ford and Delphi, for example, produce blogs to attract car fans, engineers, and manufacturing workers who may want a career in the auto industry.
Talent acquisition leaders use a variety of other marketing techniques to source talent—and are increasingly partnering directly with corporate marketing in their outreach efforts. They visit and advertise at colleges and educational institutions, buy targeted ads on social media sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, Yahoo) to attract employees from old and new competitors, and strategically target veterans, minorities, and other groups.
Just as marketing produces sales, candidate marketing produces hires. Recruitment marketing also reduces staffing costs, attracts higher-quality candidates, and improves internal employee retention. It also helps build a network of part-time workers and ultimately makes the job of the recruiter and hiring manager far easier.
On the employee side, social networks have made the employer brand fully available to the public. If recruiting is difficult, it is not just HR's problem; it is the executive team's problem as well.
Employers of choice treat their employment brand like their consumer brand. They analyze it, understand it, cultivate it, and carefully manage it. And they localize it for each major market where they do business.
Lessons from the front lines
Auto manufacturer uses talent communities to source skills
As General Motors sought to ramp up the production of its flagship electric vehicle, the Volt, the company faced a significant talent challenge—a shortage of engineers and scientists with a background in electronics.
Drawing talent from Silicon Valley and other technology centers to Detroit proved difficult initially. GM's answer was to enhance its recruiting process by building talent communities, drawing more and more people with the required skills into its network.
To help build these communities, GM enlisted engineers and technical staff to write about their jobs, highlighting the exciting work; the rewarding, socially important job opportunities at the company; the high quality of life and relatively low cost of living in Detroit's suburban neighborhoods; and the many cultural attractions and professional sports teams in the city.
Starting gradually, the company built a growing talent network, amplifying it through social media. New facts and insights about the company were shared among wider circles of talent, creating a positive ripple effect and a more robust talent network. This approach helped GM attract the talent needed to meet deadlines, hiring requirements, and project demands.
Company ambassadors provide a creative solution to talent needs
Red Hat was the first open source software company to reach $1 billion in annual revenues. With plans to hire an additional 600 to 800 employees this fiscal year, Red Hat is on an aggressive search for new talent. A key component of its sourcing strategy is its employee referral program.
The employee referral program, called Red Hat Ambassadors, is a tiered reward system where eligible employees can receive cash bonuses and Red Hat-branded memorabilia for every new hire they attract. Red Hatters who refer five employees to the company receive the title of "Ultimate Ambassador." These employees earn two generous cash bonuses as well as Red Hat-branded memorabilia and a slot on the company's Red Hat Ambassador advisory board. Additionally, referrals that come from Ultimate Ambassadors get priority treatment by the company's talent acquisition team. The program has resonated with employees, and today, more than half of all new Red Hat hires come in through employee referrals.2
Where companies can start
Before the explosion of social media and mobile computing—nearly 45 percent of job candidates now apply for jobs on mobile devices3—companies simply posted openings on the "careers page" on their website. This is no longer nearly enough. Creative companies are discovering new ways to access talent. Starting points include:
Treat recruiting like marketing: Partner with corporate marketing to build an integrated branding and communications strategy that attracts candidates and employees, not just customers.
Innovate—who and where: Extend the targets for strategic recruiting. Who are you looking for? Are there new talent pools? Ones you can develop? Perhaps talent you can access (such as freelancers) but not hire? Also consider where you are looking: Search globally as well as across industries and functions.
Go beyond Facebook—way beyond: Nearly every company uses social networks to post job openings. Innovative companies also leverage social media to build broader, more robust talent communities—networks of people interested in the company's products or the company itself who might turn into high-quality recruits.
Use big data to deepen talent networks: Organizations can now leverage big data tools from vendors such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Entelo, Gild, TalentBin, Work4, Identified, and others to identify and source quality candidates around the world.4 Leverage new scientific assessments and big data tools to locate and assess high-quality candidates who fit the style and type of workers needed.5 Apply talent analytics to identify the company's top sources of talent, understand effective interviewing techniques, and determine "goodness of fit" to improve the quality and efficiency of hiring.
Maintain an active and deep candidate bench: Use candidate relationship management to cultivate prospects and keep people engaged throughout their careers, turning them from passive to active candidates.
Talent acquisition and access has changed in fundamental ways due to shifts in global talent markets, skills shortages, new ways of working, and the growing importance of social media and employment brand. To compete for talent in 2014, HR teams must move to more marketing-oriented, innovative, social media-savvy, and global approaches to talent acquisition. This demands innovation on the front end of recruiting, coupled with the need to "re-recruit" employees, managers, and leaders every day.
Written by: Dr. Udo Bohdal-Spiegelhoff, Lisa Barry, Robin Erickson, Kim Lamoureux
Cover image by: Alex Nabaum
Contributors: Stuart Agtsteribbe, Christina Brodzik, Peter MacLean
Deloitte, The open talent economy, Human capital trends 2013: Leading indicators, Deloitte, April 2013, http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Services/consulting/human-capital/268bfb80ddbcd310VgnVCM2000003356f70aRCRD.htm, accessed on January 27, 2014. View in article
Robin Erickson, Using data-driven alternative sourcing solutions to find high-tech talent: How Red Hat's talent acquisition team leverages new high-tech tools to identify highly skilled global candidates, Bersin by Deloitte, January 2014, www.bersin.com/library. View in article
Bersin by Deloitte client interviews. View in article
LinkedIn, Facebook, Entelo, Gild, TalentBin, Work4, and Identified are examples of vendors who offer big data sourcing tools to tap into workforce skills and find people through advanced queries, advertisements, and reports. View in article
Josh Bersin, The science of fit: Using psychology to replicate high performance, Bersin & Associates, May 2011, www.bersin.com/library. View in article
Global Human Capital Trends , Marketing
Deloitte Human Capital Consulting
Interactive 3 days ago
Dr. Udo Bohdal-Spiegelhoff
Human Capital Leader, Deloitte Germany
Udo is recognized in the market as a thought leader in change management, strategy execution, leadership, organizational development, large-scale facilitation, and HR advisory capabilities. He has led many complex global transformations such as large-scale reorganizations, HR and people strategy implementations, and post-merger integrations for clients in a variety of industries.
ubohdal@DELOITTE.DE
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Out of style, worn it too long, don't feel it anymore…. I guess I just need a new one! These are some of the thoughts and reasons we give when we want to get rid of our clothing items. Very few times, if ever do we actually consider a Clothing DIY. It's not always about upcycling items that are still in good condition, tattered clothes can be used as material to make other items as well. Thank goodness for Stephanie Uwalaka! In this interview, we gain insight on how she uses pre-loved clothing and off-cuts to make lovable tote bags.
Better World Totes produces completely original hand-sewn tote bags made from recycled fabric off-cuts, aiming to combat the use of plastic bags and reduce the water wastage in the textile industry by upcycling fabrics to create tote bags people will use and love, with a 20% donation from each bag to going to environmental charities; including The Soil Association, Greenpeace, and WWF.
A 22-year-old student from London, and set up her business while living and working abroad in France. Inspired by her love of sewing, protecting the environment and philanthropy, Better World Totes was born.
How easy/ difficult was it to start Better World Totes in a foreign land?
Well, aside from the hard work I put in, especially at the beginning, I would say it was easier for me to start up Better World Totes here in France rather than in London, purely because I had the time and space to finally invest in my own business.
In London, there is this sense that there is not enough time, money and all number of distractions that can make it harder for creatives to set up their own platforms or even businesses, but for me being out of a city and abroad gave me the space I needed to focus.
Also, living abroad changes your mindset in several ways I think, so it gave me the drive to go ahead and set up a business I have been thinking about for years pretty much. And although I am based in London, to start out abroad I think has given me great foundation to be able to continue in the UK.
Recycling fabric is such a cool idea; how do you get your supplies? Like do you receive off cuts from other tailors or do you use pre-loved clothing items?
This is one of the things I am constantly doing, looking for fabric! But I would have to say I use mostly off-cuts, I tend to find kind souls who either give me unwanted materials or from local markets for cheap. Sometimes even at car boot sales or craft fairs I come across an abundance of unwanted fabric that I can use given that its clean and there's enough of it.
Although I did start up by using some of my own unwanted clothes. For instance, 'The Paisley Tote' was a sun dress I bought but never wore, even though I loved the pattern, so I ended turning it into one of my first products!
How will recyclables need to be prepared before they can be reused?
Before I take on any materials or fabrics, I make sure they are clean and something I can work with.
If needed I'll wash fabrics on an eco-cycle using natural washing detergent, then iron lightly depending on the fabric.
One of your aims is to reduce water used in the textile industry. How do you plan on doing this?
Essentially, my intention is that by using fabrics that have already been produced and have seemingly no further use, can take on a new lease of life as a multi-use bag to prevent people paying 5 or 10p for a plastic bag or having to use paper bags when out and about.
According to WWF, it takes 2,700 litres to produce just one cotton t-shirt. I think that by recycling, or upcycling if you will, fabrics we can reduce the pressure on natural resources and the environment to keep up with consumerist societal habits.
The number of fabrics recycled each year in the UK is just at 25 percent, but 50 percent is recyclable, so I hope that by making original one-off tote bags that serve a purpose and please the eye is a little step in the right direction.
So, is it just going to end with tote bags?
Not at all! I like to think that this is just the start, I am hoping to produce cushion covers, bunting, and maybe even yoga mat bags in the future!
Also, I will be getting in some Better World Totes logo bags for our launch later this summer so that will be something to look forward to.
Are there any negatives to your business or your industry at large?
I think in the growing 'green fashion' and beauty industries it is easy to, what is called, 'green-wash' a business or product. This means that products are either not as ethically, environmentally or ecologically friendly as they make out to be or advertised.
Recently, the Soil Association, a charity that Better World Totes makes donations to, had a campaign about the organic beauty industry and the mis-labelling of products that may mislead customers to think a product is 'greener' than it is. This I think sums up one of the greatest industry challenges.
In terms of the negatives to my business, aside from practically doing all the work myself and numerous other little things I'm working on, I think the hardest thing is getting my products out there and inciting sales.
Sometimes I think taking a break from social media is necessary but having a business means you need to be quite active online to make sure you're putting your brand and idea out there. And although it has strengthened my self-promotion skills, something I was not previously that good at, I learnt that it is necessary to take a step back sometimes, acknowledge your own achievements and be proud of them too.
I also think that audience is a big challenge too, it's quite easy for people to think bags are aimed solely at women, but I chose to make tote bags specifically because they are unisex and useful!
OK, so with that said. What gave you the confidence in the first place that your Tote bags will sell?
I have always loved bags, and tote bags in particular. I think I have a healthy collection of tote bags from artists, events or brands that I like or have been to! So, I think this where my belief that my bags will sell comes from. That is if there is someone out there who loves bags as much as me!
I also think that people like things that are unique yet useful, with a potential wider impact. As each tote is a one-off, there will be no other bag like it, which is attractive to buyers. Recently, I saw a video of a discussion with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
In it, she said Nigerians are brought up with a kind of 'arrogance', particularly of their own work, so I think there's some truth in that too! At the heart of it though, I am confident and self-motivated, I think its these two qualities that allow me to believe in myself and my product, with the knowing that things take time and hard work.
Stephanie, what's the best lesson you have learnt from SLA so far?
The best lesson I've learnt so far from SLA is to keep going! There are still times when I think to myself maybe it's not worth doing but the articles I read on SLA inspire me to push through, with the reminder that it takes hard work to create what you want.
Also, just knowing there is a community of women that I can relate to, doing similar things in business, makes all the difference and encourages me to continue to put the work in. I think another is that you can succeed in doing what you love too.
You also write articles for The State of the Arts. What inspires your writing?
I wrote a couple of articles last year for The State of The Arts and have written for other publications too. I chose to write for them because I find culture and art of all kinds very interesting and highly important. Creative expression is something special and that not everyone is in touch with.
So for me, writing is a creative outlet. Albeit via reviews for events like AFROPUNK London, it was my subjective experience of the event but I had to write in such a way for others to experience it through my review. What inspires me to write is an exploration or a search for truth, joy and even beauty and to express that as much as possible through words.
If you were to write a book what would it be all about?
I thought of this recently, as I do enjoy writing. I would write a recipe book because I love cooking! Or maybe something more of a biography because everyone's life experience is different and unique. Yet it is not always something everyone knows about, only you know all the things you have experienced and the value that they may or may not hold for you.
So, having said this, I think to share that with others, may inspire, enlighten or encourage people on their own life paths.


Design and Technology is led by Miss Laurie and Miss Whalley who have a keen interest in design, creative links to topics and food technology.
Emerging skills in D&T are weaved into daily tasks in the Early Years where pupils are always cutting, joining and creating a range of projects. These skills are built on in wholly creative ways across Key Stage One where regular opportunities are found to teach the subject. Here you will find baking, cooking, sewing, vehicles and woodwork to name a few examples.
D&T becomes more technical across Key Stage 2 with the use of 3D design on computers, more challenging textile projects, designing and creating food to set criteria and we are looking towards making links with computer control.
On this webpage you will find some photo examples of the wonderful work going on.


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Earnings Watch: Are chip stocks set up for a short squeeze, or just more declines? Wall Street doesn't seem sure
Wall Street believes the party is over for the U.S. chip industry, but what that means for semiconductor stocks as earnings and forecasts pour in is up for debate.
For months, analysts have been concerned that the global semiconductor shortage could flip quickly into a glut when it ended if customers had double- or triple-bought chips in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and chip stocks started selling off at the beginning of 2022 as a result. Over the course of January alone, the chip sector cratered so badly it was at risk of falling into a bear market when other sectors were merely showing corrections.
That selloff has continued to the present even as semiconductor sales continue to climb. The PHLX Semiconductor Index
SOX,
has fallen 17% over the past three months, compared with a 14% decline in the S&P 500 index
SPX,
and a 18% drop on the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP,
-0.12%.
Over the course of 2022, that comparison is even more stark, with the SOX index down nearly 35%, compared with a 20% decline in the S&P 500 and a 28% fall on the Nasdaq.
As chip companies prepare to show their hand for the rest of the year in quarterly earnings reports, some analysts believe the selloff has hit the bottom. Mizuho analyst Jordan Klein said he sees a "good chance" that the battered chip sector rallies off lows in the coming weeks given that "sentiment could not be much worse" about the sector. Klein said he sees "the following earnings to come as the likely catalyst for [a] short squeeze."
Read: Why semiconductor stocks are 'almost uninvestable' despite record earnings amid a global shortage
A bounceback has become fairly commonplace for chip stocks during earnings season, according to Jeffries analyst Mark Lipacis. He pointed out the semiconductor sector has underperformed the broader market heading into earnings season over the past four quarters, only to outperform through it.
"Investor expectations seem so low that if management teams merely showed up and started their earnings calls on time, that could be viewed as a positive surprise," Lipacis said.
There could be many more shoes to drop, however, and B of A Global Research analyst Savita Subramanian said in a report Tuesday that investors should not be looking at the tech sector as a defensive play right now.
"Investors who view Tech as defensive, citing stable earnings during the past two recessions, may be disappointed in the next one," Subramanian said.
The plunge in crypto prices could hit a company like Nvidia Corp.
NVDA,
+0.88%,
whose chips have been used to mine cryptocurrencies like Ethereum
ETHUSD,
+3.60%.
And the elephant in the room is the cratering market for personal computers, which suffered its worst quarterly unit sales drop in nine years or since the mid-1990s, depending on whose Apple Inc.
AAPL,
estimates you want to believe.
In late June, B of A chip analyst Vivek Arya said chip stocks could hit a trough later in the third quarter, but also voiced concerns that the weakness in some segments could creep into what have so-far been considered safe areas, like enterprise server sales.
"Near-term consumer risks (PC, 5G phones, gaming cards) could spill over to data center/cloud/enterprise, where demand thus far has been solid," Arya said.
Citi Research analyst Christopher Danley said Wednesday he remains negative on the sector, remarking "here come the cuts, but it will get worse before it gets better."
The downturn in PCs and speculation about data-center sales put most eyes on Intel Corp.
INTC,
and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
AMD,
which are the major suppliers of CPUs to the PC market. Both companies have been judged more of late by their data-center efforts, where AMD executives have successfully managed to make the company a legitimate competitor to Intel after decades of playing second fiddle.
Read: PC industry suffered worst decline in years, but how bad it is depends on Apple
So far, results have been OK but forecasts have been more scary. Memory-chip maker Micron Technology Inc.
MU,
was quick to point out late last month that it's disappointing outlook for its August-ending quarter was because of a drop in PC and smartphone demand, not in the all-important, high-growth data-center category, but some analysts were concerned that caution flags were beginning to emerge there.
Samsung Electronics Co.
issued a downbeat forecast last week for its quarterly report, following a string of record quarters for the Korean electronics giant. The next report that could give some color also comes out of Asia, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
TSM,
which reported better-than-expected June revenue, scheduled to report results for the June-ending quarter on Thursday.
Most of the U.S. chip-related companies have seen their Wall Street expectations decline over the past three months, indicating increased pessimism in the sector. Only one company in the group of reports expected in the next couple of weeks has seen expectations rise over that time: Texas Instruments Inc.
TXN,
-0.20%,
which happens to be the largest U.S. supplier of auto chips, and has been one of the better chip stock performers over the course of the year, with a decline of 19% versus the SOX index's 35% drop.
For Texas Instruments, analyst estimates have risen slightly over the course of the past three months with earnings per share up to $2.13 from $2.10, and revenue up to $4.65 billion from $4.62 billion, according to FactSet data. Those higher levels, however, are still below the estimates of $2.26 on revenue of $4.94 billion before the company issued a conservative outlook as it expected its customers to be hurt by the COVID-19 shutdowns in China at the time.
AMD's estimates have remained steady at their post-outlook jump at $1.02 a share on revenue of $6.43 billion, according to FactSet. Prior to the report, analysts had estimated AMD earnings of 95 cents a share on revenue of $5.14 billion. At AMD's analyst day in June, the chip maker stuck to its outlook issued in May, and said it expects average annual growth of about 20% over the next three to four years.
Over the past three months, however, Intel's Wall Street estimates have slid further since they dropped significantly after the company doubled down on its bullish 2022 outlook even though the current quarter shows signs of weakness. Intel's Wall Street earnings consensus has declined to 70 cents a share from 71 cents a share for earnings, and to $17.97 billion from $18.08 billion for revenue. Prior to last quarter's earnings report, analysts had estimated 81 cents a share on revenue of $18.41 billion.
Cowen analyst Matthew Ramsay, who has an outperform rating and a $120 price target on AMD, holds out hope that the chip maker can beat the odds and turn in a good report amid all the macro headwinds.
"While our checks point to a weakening macro environment weighing on the PC and other end markets, we remain positive on AMD's outlook. Recent commentary and the reiterated 2022 guidance at the Analyst Day showcase that AMD's story centers around its share gain potential and broadening portfolio," Ramsay said.
For the broader chip market, Ramsay said to expect more earnings beats not being rewarded and misses being punished, as "we're not at the semi 'clearing event' just yet."
In the first round of U.S.-reporting companies, Texas Instruments is expected to report on July 26, Qualcomm Corp.
QCOM,
and equipment maker Lam Research Corp.
LRCX,
on July 27, while Lam rival KLA
KLAC,
and Intel report on July 28.
: 'They've owned these pets for years': People are giving up family dogs they adopted long before the pandemic, mostly due to inflation, shelters say
Social Security Benefits Could Rise by Double Digits

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Ancient Rome: Epic Innovators and Engineers
Exhibit Closes Jan. 28, 2018
MOSH invites you to take a trip to ancient Rome with our newest traveling exhibit, Ancient Rome: Epic Innovators and Engineers! Experience the wonders of ancient Rome brought to life in this outstanding interactive exhibition of incredible machines, art and technology by the internationally acclaimed Artisans of Florence.
The exhibition features artifacts of ancient technology reconstructed using designs dating from the height of the Roman Empire; the collection will transport you back two thousand years in the time of Julius Caesar, mighty Centurions and fearsome Gladiators. The exhibition explores an epic period during which Rome conquered much of the ancient world through military ingenuity, oversaw significant feats of construction and pioneered technological innovations that affect our lives today.
It features more than two dozen replicas on display and numerous models and hands-on, interactive elements that allow guests to be directly involved in operating the many mechanisms that testify to Roman ingenuity. For some, ancient Rome conjures up an image of gladiators fighting to the death for the amusement of a large audience. Ancient Rome reveals some of the technology behind these spectacles.
Included in the show are models of the Colosseum and a hypogeum with a lift used to hoist deadly wild animals from the Colosseum's basement and release them into the arena. Museum-goers also will see armor and weapons used by gladiators, which are different from the armor and weapons of Roman soldiers, also on display.
The exhibition includes other items, such as a water clock, a sundial, a battering ram, an assault tower, a bridge, a catapult and an aqueduct model. Museum guests will also see a fresco, mosaics and a potter's wheel that Romans adopted from earlier cultures. Ancient Rome is created by Artisans of Florence – International and NICCOLAI TEKNOART S.N.C. (Firenze).
Buy Tickets to MOSH


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Samoa's jazz story goes international — 2Samoas in Melbourne
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoana Jazz & Arts Festival Director - 2Samoas, Peta Si'ulepa has been invited by the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz to participate in the 8th annual celebration of International Jazz Day (IJD) to be held at the end of the month in Melbourne, Australia...
Mitamitaga o Samoa Polynesian Club
The Mitamitaga o Samoa Polynesian Club at Washington State Univ. (#MOS) held their 7th Annual Fiafia Festival, Sunday, April 14, 2019 on The WSU campus. It was a spectacular show! The Fiafia festival was a showcase of the Samoan Art of Dancing along with performances of Polynesian dances from the...
Emily Sataua Lautoa: "Don't be afraid to put yourself out there"
Tucson, ARIZONA — After growing up in American Samoa, Emily Sataua Lautoa decided to pursue her college degree on the mainland. While she experienced initial difficulties transitioning to a life away from home, she adapted to her new environment and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering...
Procession through Apia marks Good Friday in Samoa: A procession of the Stations of the Cross was conducted by members of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral starting from Mulinuu to Mulivai. It was one of many processions that took place across the world as the Christians pause to remember the...
Tafuna High School
Tafuna High Shool with a jaw dropping performance Wednesday, for the 2019 Flag Day celebration. The Warriors had the biggest dance group, numbering an estimated 1,000 performers - all students. More photos in Flag Dayt 2019 slideshow. [photo: LF]
Nuuuli Vo Tech High School,
The Home of the Wildcats, Nuuuli Vo Tech High School, acknowledging the crowd Wednesday morning during the 2019 Flag Day parade. More photos in 2019 Flag Day slideshow. [photo: LF]
Star Kist Samoa Inc
Officials and employees of Star Kist Samoa Inc. took part in the parade for this year's Flag Day celebrations, at Veterans Memorial Stadium. More Flag Day 2019 photos in slideshow. [photo: LF]
Day 1 of the first ever Fautasi Heritage Symposium
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The first ever Fautasi Heritage Symposium, co-hosted by the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office and the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, is a success, according to some who have attended the 3-day event. It traces the heritage of the fautasi in the...
Another Sewell making his mark in football
St. George, UTAH — Michael Sewell is the latest of the Sewell clan to make his mark in football. The 8th grader is a defensive tackle at Desert Hills Middle School in St. George, Utah. He is the younger cousin of Sewell brothers Gabriel (Nevada Wolfpack linebacker), Nephi (BYU defensive back),...
Walking towards better health with "The Walking Samoans"
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND — The Walking Samoans is a fitness initiative spreading across the Auckland region with aims to help improve the health and wellbeing of Samoan communities. Local boards are supporting these groups as needed, often in the form of grants towards uniforms and sports shoes. ...
UN reaffirms that the people of Am Samoa should determine their future political status


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2 Co-hosts
3 Broadcast
5 Inventor
Gail Porter and Trey Farley
Supreme Master: Cecil Cheng
Commentary: David Yip
Mentorn for BBC Two, 7 September to 19 October 2001 (7 episodes in 1 series)
Martial Arts is probably pretty interesting. As proper martial artists ourselves (trained in the combative arts of kara-oke and ke-bab) we were quite looking forward to this. And it's made by Mentorn who do Robot Wars so it should be in a safe pair of hands.
Two teams of four fighters representing a school of combat enter The Gateless Kingdom (a kingdom without gates but that's alright because if you were caught trying to burgle any of these people you'd know about it) and the Supreme Master's domain. The idea is for each team to climb the Eight Steps of Enlightenment (read: points) and win the game. Between rounds the teams are interviewed by Gail Porter and (inventor of the rusk and annoyingly unplaceable accent) Trey Farley. They do this in what look like bamboo huts, and the teams don't have contact with each other except on the battlefield.
There are six rounds. Rounds 1, 3 and 5 are tests whereas rounds 2, 4 and 6 are actual fights. The tests test things that good martial artists should be good at (breaking boards, punching bags, avoiding revolving sticks, firing crossbows, wielding swords, finding the end of the Sellotape etc.) These are reasonable fun to watch but we think it would be safe to say that the main thing people are going to watch it for are the fights. Rounds two and four are one on one affairs (male vs male and female vs female) whilst the final round is like a team combat.
Given that the barneys are the main business, it's quite disappointing that they come across as... well, a bit dull. The contestants kick each other for a bit and then the Master decides who wins, simple as that. It seems a bit aimless (har, har). This is despite the fast-paced music and the badly intercut kicks to camera. Essentially the winners of these bouts tend to be who scores best in artistic impression. Lovely for Watercolour Challenge, not quite so exciting for a Friday night show that prides itself on combat. Air kicks don't have the same appeal as Diotor's black and red fur being set alight.
This is further confounded by the show's final round. The teams line up and face off against each other one on one going in weight order, lightest first. Whoever wins wins the point, sorry 'step of enlightenment', and stays on to take on the next challenger. If a team loses all four people and the game isn't over they can send whoever they like in. The first team to reach enlightenment (sigh) is the winner and no doubt fortune wants to take them out to dinner in the Banzai stylee or something. And they progress onto the next round.
The production values are reasonably good. The set is minimalist but thoughtful, there are raising drawbridges from the player's bamboo huts to the fighting ring, the lighting is mainly provided by fiery torches. The Master and gong banger stand on a Willow pattern balcony. Bizarrely, a ring of ascending podia - eight of them (the Steps of Enlightenment?) - don't light up as you'd expect, the score being kept by a plain computer graphic instead. Eh?
There are very impressive introductions to all the rounds from the house robots (er, I mean resident martial artists) who use weapons and everything. We are obliged to point out that the female who wields the sword is particularly striking. The Supreme Grand Master bloke is good, has lots of Eastern Philosophy (things along the lines of "remember, if you lose you haven't lost for the team you have just failed yourself. Actually that's not strictly true, sucker!"). What a shame, therefore, that the commentator for the actual events seems so out of place. Sounding a bit like Mr Yan out of fab 80s afternoon cookery show Wok With Yan, the Chinese Detective himself David Yip provides faux-entertainment in the form of mockery, which we don't think is warranted.
So the show seems to fail because of a lack of focus. Which is ironic really considering focus is one of the most important aspects of marshal arts. This is The Way of Masters of Combat.
Based on an idea by martial arts expert Neil Axe (yes, really!)
Retrieved from "http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Masters_of_Combat"
Categories: Sport | Fictional Characters | Mentorn Productions


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RM v. Attorney General
(2006) AHRLA 256 (KeHC 2006).
Judgment Details
Decision and Reasoning
Human Rights: Freedom from discrimination, Right to family life
Tags: Children, Domestic partnership, Minor
RM's mother was living with, but not married to, RM's father at the time of her birth. Although RM's father paid hospital expenses for her birth, shortly thereafter, RM's father ceased contact with RM's mother and provided no parental support. Under section 24(3) of the Children Act (the "Act"), only parents that were married had joint parental responsibilities. If the parents were not married, the mother had parental responsibility "in the first instance." There were limited conditions when the father could assume parental responsibilities, including if the parents were to get married after the birth, if the father were to live with the mother for 12 months, if the father requested responsibility, if the father acknowledged the child, or if both parents agree to joint responsibility. None of these situations applied to RM.
RM brought an application to the High Court of Kenya asserting that section 24(3) of the Act was discriminatory because children born out of wedlock were treated differently from children born to married parents as the former did not automatically receive support from their fathers. The High Court was asked to determine whether section 24(3) of the Act discriminated against children born out of wedlock and thus whether the Act violated the Constitution, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The Court rejected the petitioners' argument that personal law (which was exempted from the constitutional non-discrimination guarantee) should not be construed to cover issues of parental responsibility and that discrimination against children born out of wedlock violated jus cogens. Rather, the Court found that the definition of personal law was broad enough to capture "those transaction of his daily life which affect [a person] most closely in a personal sense" and that just cogens had not yet embraced parental responsibility and the rights associated with it.
The Court held that because martial status was not included as one of the enumerated categories of discrimination listed in section 82 of the Constitution, RM could not claim that her parents' marital status discriminated against her. While section 5 of the Act itself included both birth and status as forms of discrimination, the Court held that an act of Parliament could not add to the Constitution and thus had no effect. The Court concluded that it would be "unacceptable judicial activism" to add marital status to the list of impermissible grounds for discrimination when Parliament had not changed the Constitution.
The Court held that the Act itself was not unconstitutional because it did not violate anti-discrimination and equal protection guarantees. Equal protection did not forbid legislation from differentiating between situations so long as the difference was 1) not artificial, but real and substantial and 2) had a rational relation to an act's legitimate aim. In this case, the Court found that it was permissible to differentiate between married and unmarried parents because of the unknown status of the father in the latter situations. In the Court's view, the Act had a legitimate aim in ensuring that there was no gap in parental responsibility. The Court anticipated that the process of identifying the father of unmarried parents could take time and that it was in the best interest of the child to give initial responsibility to the mother. The Court noted that this Act did not prevent RM's mother from pursuing a paternity claim in court.
The Court held that it could not give effect to provisions in international treaties and conventions that were contrary to the Constitution. The Court acknowledged that it had a "critical role" in harmonizing civil and political rights with constitutional principles and that some international conventions included marital status as a category of discrimination. However, because the Kenyan Constitution was "clear and inconsistent" with those documents, the Court was obliged to defer to national law. Moreover, the "margin of appreciation" doctrine provided Kenya with some leeway in applying international provisions. The Court found that the Act's distinction was not discriminatory with respect to the situation in Kenya.
The suit was dismissed without apportioning costs.
"Equal protection of laws means subjection to equal laws applying to all in the same circumstances. In the circumstances presented to us, the child born within wedlock has the immediate support of the two parents. In the case of the child born out of wedlock there is only one parent available in the first instance. The difference in terms of the two otherwise equal situations arises because the status of the father in the latter case is not immediately ascertainable and the law goes on to provide for the process of ascertainment and to allow the sharing of responsibility' upon ascertainment of status or acceptance by the father. The law does not prevent or frustrate paternity or legitimacy suits. They are contemplated by the section or other applicable laws. The question is, does the right of equal protection under the Constitution, prevent the legislature from legislating differently in the two situations? The answer in our view is no. The principle of equal protection of the laws does, not prevent the legislature or the state from adjusting its legislation to differences in situations or forbid classification in that connection, but it does require that the classification be not arbitrary, but based on a 'real and substantial difference, having a reasonable relation to the subject or aim of the particular legislation'." Paragraph 53.
"The intelligible differentiation in the case before us is the uncertain status of the father in the first instance. The differentiation is not arbitrary because it has a nexus to attachment of parental responsibility and it recognises that the process of ascertainment of the status will take time. Surely there is a substantial distinction between the two situations and the law has handled the distinction in a reasonable manner and with the object of parental responsibility and the objects of the Act in view." Paragraph 55.
"[W]e are acutely aware that the role of the Court in determining the values and principles of our Constitution is vast in that in the hitherto neglected filed of economic, social and cultural rights the courts have the critical role of harmonising these rights with the civil and political rights." Paragraph 70.
"It is clear to the court that what s 24 and 25 are seeking to achieve is to have the parental responsibility shared in the case of the married couples or where there is a consensual parental agreement or the responsibility split between individuals if there is no marriage and also to locate parental responsibility permanently where an unmarried father, has had a 12 months history of giving maintenance to the child. In cases outside these situations the law initially locates the parental responsibility on the mother of the child because firstly there cannot be a gap in parental responsibility in the first instance and the best interests of the child is for the identified parent to take up the responsibility. The law assumes that the process of identifying the father outside marriage is likely to take time eg paternity or legitimacy suits are likely to take time where instituted, yet the needs of the child cannot be held in abeyance even for a moment" Paragraph 72
View full summary and print | Download summary as PDF
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New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Australian chart sensation Tones And I and globally renowned singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding are the final two acts confirmed to perform at The Global Awards with Very.co.uk, taking place on 5th March 2020 with tickets on sale from today.
The two acts join global superstar Camila Cabello, legendary band Stereophonics, rising star Aitch and classical music singer and tenor Aled Jones and Russell Watson, who will all take to the stage in what promises to be a massive night celebrating Global's stars of music, news and entertainment.
The platinum-selling, multi-award winning singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding will be taking to the stage. Her incredible career has seen her sell over 14 million albums and 102 million singles and amass 13 billion streams worldwide. Longlisted for the Best Mass Appeal Artist Award, Ellie will be hoping to add a Global Award to her trophy cabinet on the night.
After an astounding five weeks at the top of The Official Big Top 40 chart with her single 'Dance Monkey', Tones And I has had an incredible past year, and 2020 is set to be just as big for the Australian born pop star as she's set to perform at The Global Awards with Very.co.uk as well as having been longlisted for the Rising Star Award.
Global is home to the nation's favourite commercial radio stations including Capital, Heart, Classic FM, Smooth, Radio X, Capital XTRA, Gold and LBC, and has a longstanding reputation in producing world class music events such as Capital's Jingle Bell Ball and Summertime Ball, Capital XTRA's Homegrown Live, Radio X Presents and Classic FM Live. All Global's radio brands will come together for a very special evening to honour the incredible talent showcased on each station at The Global Awards 2020 with Very.co.uk.
See all the nominees and vote now at vote.global.com or by downloading Global's world class entertainment hub - Global Player - and selecting 'Global Awards' in the bottom menu.
Global Player allows listeners worldwide to enjoy all Global's radio brands, Heart, Capital, Smooth, Classic FM, Radio X, LBC, Capital XTRA and Gold, all in one place and includes over 1500 premium podcasts.
Tickets for The Global Awards 2020 with Very.co.uk are available from today (31st January) at 9am from global.com/awards, priced at £49.99 (plus booking fees).
.#TheGlobalAwards
Yo Gotti's Highly Anticipated New Album "Untrapped" Out Now; Watch New Music Video "Pose" Featuring Megan Thee Stallion & Lil Uzi Vert!


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January 1, 2016 January 1, 2016 | Jessica Crawford
Another year in the books (heh heh, a little author humor there)
So I, er, haven't done as much writing this past year as I had hoped to. But what I have done is read a lot of great books and played a bunch of great games! Without further ado, here is Jessica's Best of 2015 list:
A lot of the stuff I read in 2015 was actually published in earlier years, so I'll make two lists here – my top reads of 2015, as well as top books published in 2015.
The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
The Fever series tells the story of a young woman in Dublin who discovers she can see through the illusions of the Fae and has the ability to fight against their plot to bring all of their kind, even the Unseelie, over from Faery into our own world
I tore through books 1 through 5 in this series in a matter of 2 weeks, I was so hooked! Darkfever was good, Bloodfever was great, Faefever and Dreamfever were a-freaking-mazing. The fifth in the series, Shadowfever (published in 2011), was actually a big disappointment to me, but it wrapped up the story of Mac and the Sinsar Dubh and so I'll include it. Moning actually went on to add more books to the Fever series after that, but with a new plot and focusing on different characters, so I don't count them as exactly part of this same group. I did go on to read Iced, and although I mostly enjoyed it, it definitely has turned into something that is more of a guilty pleasure, with more sex and violence than actual substance, but still great fun. I imagine someday I will move on to Burned and the soon-to-be released Feverborn, but I'm not in any hurry (unlike with books 1-5 that I devoured!)
The Martian by Andy Weir
What a fun book this was! The science was impressive, the stakes high, and yet the narration was hilarious.
Mark Watney is thought dead by his fellow crew members who leave him behind when forced to abandon their mission on Mars. Left alone on the planet with no other manned missions due to arrive for a couple of years, Watney is forced to "science the s#*%" out of the situation in order to survive. The book is mostly comprised of his journal entries.
"By my reckoning, I'm about 100 kilometers from Pathfinder. Technically it's called 'Carl Sagan Memorial Station.' But with all due respect to Carl, I can call it whatever the hell I want. I'm the King of Mars."
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
This book's sequel, A God in Ruins, follows the story of Ursula's beloved brother, and was a contender for best historical fiction in Goodreads' 2015 Choice Awards.
This book dragged a bit for me in the middle, but overall I thought it was pretty amazing. It's lyrical and bittersweet as it unfolds the chapters of woman's life, with the twist that any time she dies, her life starts over again from the beginning. She has no concrete recollection of her previous lives, just occasional uneasy feelings and portents of doom when she approaches situations that didn't end so well for her in past run-throughs. This allows her to make small changes that steer her clear of repeating mistakes of her past/present/future, and it's fascinating to watch how big of an impact these changes can have in how her life plays out, all against the backdrop of 20th century Europe.
Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani
Sunbolt is a novella, with a full-length novel sequel due to come out in the near future. The first half of this story was decent, but the second half absolutely blew me away. The whole concept of the resigned breather was compelling – restraining himself in order not to hurt Hitomi, but fearing the end result is likely inevitable. The ashes and cinders rendered by the titular sunbolt, memories seared from our MC's mind – such great imagery here! And of course the Promise in Hitomi. I can't wait to read the rest of her story!
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
While I didn't love this sequel as much as its predecessor, Red Rising, it was still one hell of a fun ride. There are some truly great snippets of writing in here. I particularly love parts of Darrow's initial meet-up with the Jackal. The Jackal creeps me out, but in the best way possible.
The Pyramids of London by Andrea K. Host
Host's newest novel provides fresh new takes on many facets of fantasy fare, such as vampirism. The steampunk elements of the book are great fun. In the end, this book ended up being different from what I expected, but still quite enjoyable. I absolutely adore Heriath/Makepeace and find the dynamic between him and Rian quite fascinating, and hope to see more of him in the next installment of the series, Tangleways.
You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
This is Day's memoir about growing up home-schooled (and mostly self-taught) while bouncing around the southern U.S., graduating college with a 4.0 double majoring in math and music at 20 years of age, then moving to Hollywood to make it big, baby! She reflects on the advent of the internet in homes of the public, and how it can be such a great tool to bring together people with common interests who might otherwise feel like outsiders. She tells her story with the great wit and humor she is known for.
Technically, this book belongs in the next category, but this is my blog and I decided to put it here, so deal with it 😉
BEST NONFICTION READS IN 2015
Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway (published 2006)
Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation by Bill Nye (published 2014)
I don't play as many video games as I would like to these days, but of the ones I did end up trying out this year, here were my favorites:
Tales from the Borderlands by Telltale Games
Fiona and Rhys, the two characters you play in Tales from the Bordlerands
I love adventure point-and-click RPG type games, and this fits the bill. However, I had heard TftB was also something of a comedy, and I wasn't sure it was quite my cup of tea. But I read so many good reviews, and with a little help from Andrea K. Host and Kyle Arrington (thanks so much for the recommendations, guys!) I gave it a shot. I am so glad I did, because this is hands-down my game of the year!
Released over a series of five episodes, TftB is based in the world built in the Borderlands 'first person shooter' games, but you need not play those first in order to enjoy this. I had no knowledge of Borderlands going into this, and it wasn't a problem.
Hyperion is a somewhat tyrannical corporation (created by the late sociopathic Handsome Jack) based on Helios, a space station that orbits the planet Pandora. Pandora has an Old West feel to it, but is filled with a bunch of criminals and psychopaths. This combination creates a very steampunky vibe.
You go back and forth between playing two characters in this game: Rhys, a goofy but lovable guy with cybernetic implants who works (or worked) as middle management with Hyperion. When his company rival becomes head honcho and demotes him to Vice Assistant Janitor, Rhys and his accountant buddy Vaughn decide to get revenge by hijacking the rival's deal to buy a highly desirable and rare vault key, which might just lead to treasures untold.
The other playable character is tough as nails Fiona, a con artist from Pandora. She and her sister Sasha have a new heist in the works: trying to sell a fake vault key to the corporate scum from Hyperion.
Hijinks ensue. The vault key is revealed as fake, the great sum of money meant to buy it is blown up, but in the meantime the existence of another vault key is revealed. Rhys and Vaughn, Fiona and Sasha are all thrown together in their attempt to find this new treasure to make up for what was lost in the deal gone wrong. But they've ticked off a lot of people in the meantime, and these new enemies aren't going to make things any easier for them.
The characters are really likable, the story is fantastic, the writing is smart, the game is FUNNY, and Tales from the Borderlands provides some ridiculously fun storytelling. I can't recommend it enough! And last I knew it was available for 66% off through Steam, so if you're even thinking about playing, you should definitely give it a try – I did, and I've voted it BEST DECISION OF 2015. Okay, not really. But it's probably close!
And for the record – I REALLY love the way Telltale does the opening credits near the beginning of each episode. So great, with perfect licensed music choices to accompany them. Check out the one for episode 2:
I also really, really love the one for episode 5, but keep in mind this one will be a bit spoilerific, so you might not want to watch it yet if you plan on playing the game and want to see it for yourself.
Until Dawn by Supermassive Games
I know I've already written about this game in a previous post, so I guess I'll keep in short and sweet here. This is a survival horror game with supernatural elements, with a neat story and exciting gameplay. How many of the 8 playable characters can you keep alive until dawn?
Life is Strange by Dontnod Entertainment
I've posted about this game previously as well. It has its faults, but overall I still greatly enjoyed the story. The ending (my ending, at least – for those of us who made the RIGHT choice!!!) was especially poignant.
What this category means is that I have started playing this game, have not finished yet, but enjoy it and expect to really like it all once I've finished 🙂
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture by The Chinese Room
You find yourself in a recently-abandoned village and explore the absolutely gorgeous environs in order to glean clues as to what happened to its missing population.
I guess that wraps it up! I look forward to reading, playing, (AND WRITING!) more great stuff in the year to come.
Happy New Year, everybody!
Posted in book reviews, gaming, reading
< Various and Sundry
We're All Mad Here >


text:
Paul Walker dies in California car crash
by Jaclyn Brandt
Jaclyn Brandt
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November 30, 2013 at 9:39pm PM EST
Paul Walker died in a car crash Saturday afternoon while at a benefit for typhoon victims in the Philippines.
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Paul Walker died Saturday afternoon in California, reps for the actor have confirmed. The star, perhaps best known for his work on the Fast & Furious films, died after the driver of the car he was riding in lost control of the vehicle.
TMZ reports that sources told them the car he was in "slammed into a post or a tree, and then the car burst into flames."
Top 10 heartthrobs of this summer's blockbusters >>
Walker's reps confirmed the news on his official Facebook page.
"It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide. He was a passenger in a friend's car, in which both lost their lives. We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news. Thank you for keeping his family and friends in your prayers during this very difficult time. We will do our best to keep you apprised on where to send condolences."
Walker was reportedly in Santa Clarita, California, for a car show that was meant to benefit victims of the typhoon in the Philippines. He had been going out for rides in a Porsche with friends.
The Los Angeles County coroner and local law enforcement were both called to the scene of the crash.
Walker was originally from Glendale, California, and he began acting at the age of 13. He appeared in big-name projects like Who's the Boss before finding his niche in '90s teen movies like She's All That, Pleasantville and Varsity Blues. He finally found his home in 2001 by winning the role of Brian O'Conner on The Fast and the Furious. The sixth Fast & Furious film was released earlier this year and raked in nearly $800 million at the worldwide box office. The seventh movie is being filmed now. There is no word on how Walker's death will affect the new film.
Watch an extended first look at Fast & Furious 6 >>
On Friday, Walker posted a photo about the newest film on his Twitter page.
The Los Angeles County Coroner released to the press the following statement on the accident:
"Patrol deputies from Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station responded to a report of a traffic collision at approximately 3:30 p.m. in the 28300 block of Rye Canyon Loop, Valencia, on Saturday, November 30, 2013.
"When they arrived, deputies found the vehicle engulfed in flames. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded, extinguished the fire and subsequently located two victims inside the vehicle. The victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
"The cause of the collision is under investigation. The Coroner's Office will determine the identities and the cause of death of the victims."
Universal issued a statement Saturday night, via The Hollywood Reporter: "All of us at Universal are heartbroken. Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast and Furious films, and to countless fans. We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul's family."
Relativity president Tucker Tooley also released a statement, saying, "We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of Paul Walker. Paul was an incredibly talented artist, devoted philanthropist and friend. Our hearts go out to his family, and our thoughts and prayers are with them."
Walker was 40 years old.
Photo credit: Joe Alvarez/WENN.com


Consider for a moment that you are an employer, and you have a stack of resumes on your desk to look over. Eventually you whittle the stack down to three candidates, all of whom are promising. But when you run background checks on the candidates, you notice that one of the three has a past criminal offense. Do you think or care whether that offense is a misdemeanor or a felony? Probably not. You would almost certainly scrap that person's resume, simply because of the past criminal conviction.
This is the way many companies function. It doesn't matter if your crime was "minor" in nature (i.e. a misdemeanor). All that matters is that a crime is on your record. And it is this defining element of having a criminal history that reinforces why it is so important to have an attorney by your side, even if you are "only" charged with a misdemeanor.
Any criminal conduct can greatly impact your life. The consequences associated with breaking the law are immense, and if you have been accused of a crime, you will need an advocate to protect your rights and interests.


a multiply-right-shift perfect hashing algorithm to index an attack bitboard database - which leaves both line-attacks of bishop or rook in one run. Thanks to the fast 64-bit multiplication and fast and huge caches of recent processors, Magic Bitboards has become a de facto standard of modern bitboard engines, as used for instance in Crafty, Arasan, Stockfish and Houdini. While Robert Hyatt reported no immediate speed gain over Rotated Bitboards in Crafty  , Jon Dart mentioned a 20-25% speedup  in Arasan over rotated.
The magic bitboard approach was motivated by Gerd Isenberg's multi-direction hashing technique kindergarten bitboards and probably by Gerd's and Tony van Roon-Werten's early trials to map line-wise occupancies by De Bruijn- or random number multiplication  . Lasse Hansen had the idea to hash the up to twelve relevant occupied bits of both directions of a rook- or bishop movement simultaneously  .
Pradu Kannan's improvements to Lasse Hansen's initial approach was to introduce a Java-like, two-dimensional array with individual size for each square and all it's relevant occupancies  . Big savings in table-size - since many squares on either orthogonal or diagonal lines require less bits than others, especially considering the inner six bits. While center squares are more dense for rooks, it is the opposite for bishops  .
Recently, Robert Purves coined the names Plain and Fancy Magics  , and found Hansen's initial Plain Magics with 2 MiB table for rooks and 256 KiB for bishops nearly indistinguishable from Fancy (about 800 KiB and 38 KiB) on his Intel i5 with huge L3 smart cache, see plain versus fancy source code. In the same CCC forum thread, Robert Houdart proposed a byte lookup per square for further table reductions.
Mask the relevant occupancy bits to form a key. For example if you had a rook on a1, the relevant occupancy bits will be from a2-a7 and b1-g1.
Multiply the key by a "magic number" to obtain an index mapping. This magic number can be generated by brute-force trial and error quite easily although it isn't 100% certain that the magic number is the best possible (see step 3).
Right shift the index mapping by 64-n bits to create an index, where n is the number of bits in the index. A better magic number will have less bits required in the index.
Use the index to reference a preinitialized move database.
The following illustration should give an impression, how magic bitboards work. All masked relevant occupied bits are perfectly hashed to the consecutive occupied state to index the pre-calculated attack-sets. Constructive collisions, where different occupancies map same attack-sets - since different bits are outer redundant bits "behind" the first blocker, are desired and even necessary to apply a perfect hashing with N bits.
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1 . . . . . . .     . . . . . . . .     . . . . . . . .
. B C D E F G .     . . . . . . . .     . . . . . . . .
The above illustration is correct for the b1 bishop, since it has only one ray and one bit per file and works kindergarten like. In general a one to one mapping of N scattered occupied bits to N consecutive bits is not always possible due to overflows. A perfect mapping of N scattered bits to N consecutive bits is likely not minimal for most squares. It requires one or two gaps inside the consecutive N bits, to avoid collisions, blowing up the table size.
But the purpose is to perfectly hash attack-sets rather than consecutive occupied bits. The number of distinct attack-sets is much smaller than the relevant occupancies. Thus, with the help of constructive collisions, some initial guess how to map the bits, and/or trial and error, using exactly N bits is always possible. If one tries hard enough to maximize constructive collisions - even less. There are some N-1 ones reported at Best Magics so far, which will half the individual table size for some squares in the widespread Fancy Magic Bitboards approach.
Magic bitboards applies perfect hashing. A surjective function, to map the vector of all relevant occupancies to a range of attack-sets per square. The less bits the attack-set - the closer the blockers, the more those attack-sets are shared by occupancies with different, but redundant outer squares.
The cardinality of all relevant occupancies is determined by the number of bits to map, varying from five to twelve - thus, the cardinality is the power of two the number of bits, varying from 32 to 4096.
The cardinality of distinct attack-sets is determined by the product of the length of each of the max four direction rays greater than zero (or one). The rook on d4 has 3*4*3*4 = 144 distinct attack-sets, a bishop on a8 has only 7.
The ratio of both cardinalities, that is all relevant occupancies versus the all distinct attack-sets is illustrated below: As a quarter of a board - due to the symmetry, the other squares may deduced by flipping and mirroring. Noticeable is the huge 4096/49 ratio of 2^12 occupied states versus 7 times 7 attack-sets of the edge rooks - 12 bits instead of 6. Those "expensive" squares make constructive collisions very desirable. To become more "minimal" by saving an index bit - to halve down the table for one square or the other.
The idea to implement minimal perfect hashing by an additional 16-bit indirection turned out to be slower (see conditional compiles in Pradu Kannan's source  ).
Recent table sizes were about 38 KiB for the bishop attacks, but still about 800 KiB for rook attacks (Fancy). That sounds huge, considering L1 and L2 (L3) cache-sizes and number of cachelines and pages needed - we likely fetch distinct cachelines for each different square or occupancy. On the other hand caches and pages become larger in future processors. And occupancy and squares of the lookups don't change that randomly inside a search that we can still expect a lot of L1-hits. Unfortunately changes in occupancy outside the blockers and therefor not affecting the attack-set will introduce some more cache misses.
Since there are 1428/4900 distinct attack sets for the bishop/rook attacks, we can use 11(2048 > 1428)/13(8196 > 4900) index bits for all bishop/rook attack bitboards. The table size will be 16KB for the bishop attacks and 64KB for rook attacks. To make it possible, we must find a group of magics (one per square and dependent each other). All the magics in the group must hash its all relevant occupancies into the same 11/13 bit index without any collision with others (anyhow for each square, different occupancies can hash to the same attack sets).
But the idea seems like a wishing dream. Can we find ONE of the magic group of magics? Does it exist in theory? If not, can we use more bits to reach the condition? If yes, can we find a good magic group? A good magic group means that all the hash value <=n, so we can reduce the table size to n, until it reach to 1428/4900. Enough? If all hash values are grouped by square, can we think about using the Sharing Attacks method?
Despite its huge table size, register usage and code size are important issues as well - and here Magic Bitboards are unbeatable. There are enough variations of space-time tradeoff and implementation details of that theme for all who like to play the optimization game. C-source code with various precompiler options is available from Pradu Kannan's site. MINIMIZE_MAGIC is about Plain versus Fancy  , while PERFECT_MAGIC_HASH enables an additional indirection via 16-bit indices. As always, with space-time tradeoffs - it depends on the individual cache- and memory footprint inside a particular chess program and the hardware architecture, which solution is preferable.
Fancy Magic Bitboards is the main stream implementation as proposed by Pradu Kannan with individual table sizes for each square. It requires an individual shift, to leave that many index bits remaining as determined by the population of relevant occupancies. As mentioned, if one tries hard enough to maximize constructive collisions while looking for magics, one may half the size for several individual squares, see Best Magics so far.
Plain Magic Bitboards, Lasse Hansen's initial approach, takes much more memory for homogeneous two-dimensional attack arrays. 32 KiB per rook square, 4 KiB for each bishop square. It does not need a variable shift and therefor needs one processor register less to further reduce register pressure, despite shorter code. Unfortunately, so far, there are two rook corner squares (0 and 7), which prohibit dividing the rook table size by two.
A fancy fixed shift variation was introduced by Onno Garms, looking for magics producing factors with appropriate reduced value ranges. That is, leave 12 bit rook indices for all squares, but with upper bit(s) clear for all possible occupancies for all the squares with less than 12 relevant bits, so that it efficiently becomes a less 12 bit index. Onno believes that it is possible to find magic factors with that property for most of those squares, to come close to the fancy table size with the advantage of a fixed shift  . Even an "overlapping" of square arrays is feasible, if they contain accordant unused slot gaps on both ends. Volker Annuss came up with a fixed shift solution of only 800 KiB and below  , and more recently even innovated with Black Magic Bitboards.
Volker Annuss' most recent innovation and further improvement of his already dense 700 KiB fixed shift fancy reference implementation is called Black Magic Bitboards, introduced in CCC in August 2017 . Instead of intersection with a mask to clear the not relevant occupancy bits, he used the union with the complement of mask to set all not relevant occupancy bits.
Since there are only up to 144 different attack sets per square, Robert Houdart proposed to lookup bytes by square and hashed occupancy for a minimal perfect hashing with an additional indirection via an offset per square, which is successfully used in his engine Houdini  . Following sample code uses the Plain fixed shift method, while it may also applied for the dense Fancy one.
Optimizations are possible for 32-bit systems, as proposed by Grant Osborne  . Instead of letting the compiler split up a 64-bit multiply, two 32-bit multiplications can be manually implemented. Multiply the low bits of the magic with the low bits of the key and add it with the product of the high bits of the magic and the high bits of the key and use the upper bits of the sum to index the move database. For the bishops one may try only one 32-bit multiplication after xoring the masked high and low half.
The development has not finished. Lasse Hansen came up with another stunning idea  , to use a final intersection by attacks on an empty board, to share tables by two (rooks) or even four (bishops) squares. Bishop sharing is simple to understand, since there are light and dark colored bishops with disjoint attacks-sets, able to share the pre-calculated union of two square-attacks.
On the cost of one additional and-instruction, post-masking has the potential to almost halve the rook tables - and even better for the already small bishop tables. Additionally, four union attack bitboards can be shared by eight rook- and six bishop-squares.
1 1 1 . . . . .    1 1 1 . . . . .    . 1 1 1 1 . . .    . . 1 1 1 . . .
1 1 1 1 . . . 1    1 1 . 1 . . . .    1 . 1 1 1 1 . .    . 1 1 1 . 1 . .
1 1 . 1 1 . 1 .    1 1 . . 1 . . .    . . 1 1 . 1 1 .    1 . 1 1 . . 1 .
1 1 . . 1 1 1 .    1 1 . . . . 1 .    . . 1 1 . . 1 1    . . 1 1 . . . .
1 1 . 1 . . 1 1    1 1 . . . . . 1    . . 1 1 . 1 . .    . . 1 1 . . . .
If the additional post-mask becomes member of a structure, it exceeds 32 byte in 64-bit mode. A structure of arrays may be preferable than an array of structures.
Another possible improvement was introduced by Grant Osborne  - to don't store the variable right shift inside an own array or structure element, but to use the almost redundant upper six bit of the magic factor instead - incorporating the shift into the magic number. While using a structure for pre-, postmask, magic and pointer, it's size is 4*8 = 32-byte or - if properly aligned - the half of one cache line. The additional effort for the right shift 58 to extract the variable shift is likely hidden by the latency of the independent multiplication, improving ipc.
}; // 32 Byte with 64-bit pointer!
A similar idea as in Incorporating the Shift in the domain fixed shift magics was proposed by Eugene Kotlov concerning the indirection to the stored attack array, using the 16 lower bits of the magic factor as offset , later even combined with incorporating the shift in the domain of Fancy .
The main issue is to find 64 magic factors for each rook and bishop square, to ensure they are free of collisions.
You may try to find your own magics - to possibly contribute to the record table for most dense fancy or plain tables. So far, there were no magics found for the expensive rook squares a1 and h1 (0, 7) with less than 12 bits, which would allow to half the plain table size. Is there any prove they don't exist - even with Black Magic?
This page was last edited on 28 March 2019, at 21:07.


Update with more comments from NBC panel: "People in the political world are looking for somebody who speaks their mind regardless of anything else. And he does that," NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt said of former Celebrity Apprentice star/current GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump today at TCA Summer Press Tour.
The comments came as Greenblatt announced that Celebrity Apprentice will not air during the upcoming season, but will return for the 2016-17 season with a new host.
"Whether you agree with anything he says, he says it without any kind of filter," Greenblatt said of Trump's appeal. "You also get he sense he doesn't have a big retinue of people who are messaging him and handling him and…there's something refreshing about that," Greenblatt acknowledged.
"We're looking for a host of that show who is going to make noise and has a big personality," Greenblatt said of the series he'd announced will not be back this coming season as the network seeks its Trump replacement.
Asked if NBC would take Trump campaign ads, Greenblatt said this morning he did not know if "somebody who's running for president and might possibly be the next leader of the free world" would be "completely banned" from the network, adding he had no idea if Trump "might want to be in business with us" in any form.
"I don't know that we've even thought beyond The Apprentice and the pageant businesses," the exec said.
"For now we're sort of separated," Greenblatt said of their relationship, after telling reporters NBC is "almost done with" the process of getting out of its co-ownership of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants with Trump.
Before taking questions from reporters, Greenblatt had announced that, "due to circumstances everyone here is aware of regarding the host … we will not be producing a new edition" of Celebrity Apprentice for this season," but it will be back for the 2016-17 season "with a new host." They've been overwhelmed with candidates to take Trump's place as host of the show, but some of the names that have been cited in the press as likely replacements "simply are not true," he added. As soon as NBC and producer Mark Burnett settle on someone, "we will get word out and something tells me that will be big news," Greenblatt forecast.
In June, NBC said it was done with Trump as a result of his controversial campaign-announcement comments about immigrants coming over the Mexico border. NBC dumped the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageant broadcasts and said it was taking steps to end its co-ownership with Trump on the franchises. Trump, in turn, said he'd see NBC in court.