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30 posts from October 2010
Weekend Link Roundup (October 30 - 31, 2010)
Our weekly roundup of new and noteworthy posts from and about the nonprofit sector....
On her Non-Profit Marketing blog, Katya Andresen lists a few characteristics of what Clay Shirky, in his book Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age, calls "The People Formerly Known as the Audience."
In honor of Halloween, Future Fudraising Now blogger Jeff Brooks shares "some things that should scare the heck out of fundraisers," including cuts to their acquisition budget, branding experts (the "brain-eating zombies of the fundraising world"), and the boss who loves your work.
Back from the Council on Foundation's Next Generation Task Force sessions, Jillian Vukusich of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties lists some of the benefits and opportunities for Gen Y leaders on Kris Putnam-Walkerly's Philanthropy 411 blog.
On the Deep Social Impact blog, Cynthia Gibson looks at a new study from the University of Michigan which found that "college students today are 40 percent less empathetic than they were in 1979." Gibson explains how the findings are likely to effect "young people who DO care about 'making the world a better place'."
"Just because you have data doesn't mean you know anything," writes Lucy Berhnolz in a new post on her Philanthropy 2173 blog. "Just because you have a map doesn't mean you're an explorer. And just because you have data and cool visualization tools doesn't mean you'll make better decisions or be a more effective grantmaker." Adds Bernholz:
For donors and foundation program officers, data and data visualizations have to meet an even higher threshold -- they are going to have to make it easier to know something than to not know it. Right now, most of the structural incentives in philanthropy make it OK to not know what everyone else in your field is doing. Plus, it's hard to find out. Those two factors -- making it necessary to know and making it easy to know -- are big barriers to adopting these tools or changing the way foundations make decisions. Technology can make it easier to access data and easier to show the data in new ways. But unless the incentives for knowing and doing the work change, we'll have a lot of very cool tools that few will use....
In a two-part series on his White Courtesy Telephone blog (here and here), Greater New Orleans Foundation president and CEO Albert Ruesga takes issue with a Stanford Social Innovation Review article in which William and Flora Hewlett Foundation president Paul Brest disagrees with funders who "think it would be intrusive" to demand that their grantees be able to articulate a theory of change.
On the Social Citizens blog, Emily Yu wonders whether downloading a Facebook app for a nonprofit or tagging photos online for a cause constitute "service," and, if so, how that type of service should "be weighted when it comes to evaluation metrics."
The Nonprofiteer offers her take on a new study which found "that at all income levels women give more than men -- both more frequently and more generously when controlled for income." "If we're lucky," she writes, "the study will help eliminate the prejudice afflicting most professional fundraisers: that women are timid askers and chintzy givers who never donate without asking someone's permission...."
That's it for now. What did we miss? Drop us a line at rnm@foundationcenter.org.
Communications/Marketing Fundraising Leadership Philanthropy Women & Girls TAGS: Communications/Marketing Fundraising Leadership Philanthropy Women & Girls | Comments: (0)
Frightening Proposals II
(The following post was written by Stephen Sherman, reference librarian at the Foundation Center-Atlanta, and originally appeared on the Philanthropy Front and Center-Atlanta blog.)
It's Halloween again, and we couldn't help but reprise the theme from last year's post and bring you more frightening proposals. With a nod to some classic horror films, here are some habits that provoke dread and angst in the hearts of proposal reviewers.
The Fog (the virtue of clarity)
In an attempt to impress a new potential funder with your educational expertise, you bring out your heftiest thesaurus and start stringing together words in your best academic tone. You cite DOE research on the merits of mainstreaming versus differentiated instruction and the impact of NCLB on the children of socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Your project proposes to engage the interdisciplinary learning styles of students by synthesizing holistic relationships among community stakeholders and promises to challenge students to expand their learning horizons through innovative programming. The result, unfortunately, is a frightful haze of jargon, acronyms, and vague terminology that obscures any real notion of what the project hopes to accomplish.
What's the most important characteristic that funders point to when describing a successful proposal? Clarity. After all, if a funder can't understand the goals or methods of the program, what incentive do they have to fund it? Suggestions for proposal writers:
Use acronyms sparingly, and if they are absolutely necessary, be sure to spell them out at least once.
Don't use a big word when a simpler one will do.
When the proposal is finished, give it to someone outside your organization to read and see if they can readily understand the project and its objectives.
The Invisible Man (keeping your budget consistent)
Your proposal narrative includes a detailed description of how you will hire four project managers to lead your vocational training program for young adults. Yet when the reviewer turns the page to examine your budget, it includes salaries for only three new staff members. So, where did that fourth project manager go? Will they work for free, or are they just invisible in the eyes of your accountant?
The budget can be the most important piece of your proposal. When reviewing proposals, many funders look to the budget first for a quick overview of the project. A poorly composed budget can be the reason many proposals go unfunded. More than anything else, the budget must be consistent with the proposal narrative. Any supplies, equipment, or, in this case, personnel costs must reflect the staffing and methods outlined in the project description. When a grantmaker sees clear inconsistencies or mathematical errors in a proposal budget, it raises questions about an organization's ability to properly manage funds. Other recommendations for budgets:
Keep a worksheet showing how all expenses were calculated with explanatory notes in case questions pop up from funders
Be as accurate as possible in projecting costs. Get actual quotes from vendors and always double-check your math.
Identify all expense items and then research specific costs for each line item. Don't forget to account for inflation and other annual increases when budgeting for multi-year projects.
Don't leave out in-kind contributions. Even if goods or services are donated, they still represent part of the overall costs of the program, and, on the revenue side, demonstrate community support for your program that will reflect well on the proposal.
Scream (following the rules to survive)
When Scream was released in 1996, it gave us three little rules to surviving a horror movie. Follow these rules, the characters were told, and you might just make it through the experience in one piece. But if you don't, you could find yourself in serious danger. The same principle applies to proposal writing. Okay, so you probably won't have a foundation's program officer putting on a scary mask and chasing you around your office if you stray a little from the application guidelines. But you may find that a grantmaker is less likely to fund your proposal if you fail to include key components or don't follow the proper procedures. Some tips:
Keep a print copy of the funder's guidelines and use it as a checklist when compiling your application materials.
When in doubt, contact the funder and ask. If your nonprofit hasn't had an audit, for example, call the foundation and ask if you might substitute a copy of your most recent Form 990 or other financial statements.
Submit your proposal far enough ahead of time so that if you are missing a key document, you still have time to send it in before the deadline.
The rules may seem tedious from the grantseeker's perspective, but these guidelines are meant to facilitate the grantmaking process and cut down on the amount of time foundation staff spend reviewing stacks of proposals. Follow the instructions and the reviewer will stay happy. Ignore the rules, and it will make the funder want to, well, you know...
Want to exorcise your proposal writing demons? Check out these titles in our library collection:
Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request from No to Yes.
By Cheryl A. Clarke and Susan P. Fox.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2007.
90 Days to Success in Grant Writing.
By Tim Kachinske and Judith Kachinske.
Boston: Course Technology PTR, 2009.
The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing (5th ed.).
By Jane C. Geever.
New York: Foundation Center, 2007.
-- Stephan Sherman
And don't forget to check out the Developing Proposals area of our new GrantSpace site for additional resources, including podcasts, training, and sample documents.
-- Stephen Sherman
Fundraising Grantseeking TAGS: Fundraising Grantseeking | Comments: (0)
25 Visionaries Who Are Changing the World
The Utne Reader has just published a great list of twenty-five forward-thinking people who, in its words, have the "rare ability to dream of a better future -- so vividly and so passionately -- that it inspires them and others to action."
The list includes the likes of "hacktivist" Julian Assange (Wikileaks); documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer); Kickstarter.com founder Perry Chen; MacArthur "genius award" winner and Project HEALTH founder Rebecca Onie; and author and environmental activist Bill McKibben.
As I said, the list makes for great reading, and I'm pretty sure it will inspire you to get up and out from behind your desk and do...something.
It also got me thinking: Who in our field has seen the future and is doing something constructive to lead the way forward? Who is unafraid to tilt at windmills and topple shibboleths? Who are the visionaries in philanthropy?
To quote the great Ritholtz: What say ye?
Innovation Philanthropy TAGS: Innovation Philanthropy | Comments: (0)
Most Popular PhilanTopic Posts (October)
As we did last last month, here's a list of the five most popular PhilanTopic posts over the last thirty days. Enjoy.
Google Looks to Renewable Energy as Next Market Opp (Mitch Nauffts)
GRAPHIC: The True Size of Africa (Mitch Nauffts)
Heart, Head & Hand: An Advanced Approach to Persuasive Communication (Thaler Pekar)
On Social Impact and Mark Zuckerberg's $100 Million 'Investment' (Rachel Bellow and Suzanne Muchin)
'Txt if by Land, Tweet if by Sea' (Jereme Bivins)
What's the best thing you've read/watched/heard this month? Let us know in the comments section below...
Readings TAGS: Readings | Comments: (0)
Readings (October 28, 2010)
Some of the things that caught our attention today:
David Ferrell: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World (SecondAct)
Conor O'Clery: Giving More Than the "Giving Pledge" (GlobalPost) -- Chuck Feeney's biographer talks with the Atlantic Philanthropies' founder about the Gates/Buffett Giving Pledge and his own approach to philanthropy
Nell Edgington: Unlocking Philanthropic Capital: An Interview With Sean Stannard-Stockton (Social Velocity)
Lucy Bernholz: Make It Easier to Know Than to Not Know (Philanthropy 2173) -- more from Lucy on data, data viz, and two new data viz tools
Alice Korngold: The Nonprofit Financial Model Never Worked; Here's a New Model That Does (Fast Company) -- good look at NFF Capital Partners' "philanthropic equity" model
Watchdog: Education Foundations Not Doing Enough (New York Times)
Vince Stehle: Disinfecting Dirty Elections (Beth's Blog)
Ian Turner: The Process of Giving: A Personal Story (GiveWell)
Emily Yu: What's the Real Value of Online Service (Social Citizens)
Richard Steele, Sivan McLetchie, Chris Lindquist: Getting Social Media Right: A Short Guide for Nonprofit Orgnaizations (Bridgespan Group) -- the Seven Cs of social media: Cause, Communication, Community, Collaboration, Costs, Capital, and Competition
Geoff Livingston: Punk Social Media (Geoff Livingston's blog)
Derek Lieu: The Top 20 Nonprofit Groups on Twitter (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
What are you reading/watching/listening to?
Civil Society Education Philanthropy Readings Social Media TAGS: Civil Society Education Philanthropy Readings Social Media | Comments: (0)
This Week in PubHub: Immigrants and Their Children
(Kyoko Uchida manages PubHub, the Foundation Center's online catalog of foundation-sponsored publications. In her last post, she looked at four reports that explored the essential role of arts and culture.)
With immigration policy one of the hotly debated issues in the run-up to the November 2 midterm elections, this week PubHub is highlighting reports that examine the integration of immigrant families, with a focus on their children, native- and foreign-born.
According to The Integration of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland: A Look at Children of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland, prepared by the Urban Institute for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, in 2006 almost one in five children in the state had at least one foreign-born parent. While the poverty rate among children of immigrants is comparatively low, roughly 27 percent live in near-poverty (i.e., family income below 200 percent of the poverty line). The report also found that the number of limited-English-proficient students in public schools statewide doubled between 2000 and 2007, and that there were wide racial/ethnic discrepancies in school readiness and performance. To help close the gap, the authors recommend a three-prong strategy: providing adult education, language, and job skills training to parents; improving access to child care and preschool programs; and strengthening targeted programs for English-language learners and at-risk students.
English-language learners are the focus of Reparable Harm: Fulfilling the Unkept Promise of Educational Opportunity for Long Term English Learners, a report from Californians Together. The study argues that the state's one-size-fits-all education reforms have resulted in a generation of secondary school students who, after years of either having little or no access to effective language development programs and/or being socially and linguistically segregated, are neither proficient in English nor on track to graduate on time. The report lays out basic principles for addressing the needs of long-term English-learners and recommends a comprehensive secondary school program that includes specialized courses, clustered placement in heterogeneous and rigorous grade-level content classes, explicit language and literacy development across the curriculum, and systems for monitoring progress and triggering support.
English language acquisition isn't the only obstacle children of immigrants, some of whom arrive as refugees, have to overcome. Partnering With Parents and Families to Support Immigrant and Refugee Children at School, a 2009 issue brief from the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, explores the impact of refugee and immigrant experiences on children — from trauma that results in post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and behavioral problems to the pressures of serving as their families' interpreters and negotiators — and their unmet mental health needs. Among other things, the report outlines a number of considerations for working with students' families and school staff in offering school-based mental health programs, including breaking down cultural stigmas and learning to recognize the signs of trauma and stress.
One traumatic experience many children of immigrants must live through is the deportation of an undocumented parent. The Urban Institute's Facing Our Future: Children in the Aftermath of Immigration Enforcement analyzes the impact of family separation due to arrest, detention, and/or deportation on children's physical as well as mental well-being, including safety, food security, housing stability, and behavioral issues. The authors recommend changes to immigration laws, enforcement strategies, and the responses of community groups and public agencies in order to mitigate the hardships children suffer in the process.
Given that 25 percent of foreign-born children and 16 percent of native-born children of immigrants do not graduate from high school, addressing the educational and mental well-being of immigrant children is an urgent matter if America is live up to its promise in the twenty-first century. What role can philanthropy play in strengthening existing services for immigrant children? And which strategies and programs, if any, have already proved to be effective? Use the comments box below to share your thoughts.
And don't forget to visit PubHub, where you can browse more than seventy immigration-related reports.
-- Kyoko Uchida
Immigration Philanthropy TAGS: Immigration Philanthropy | Comments: (0)
A few items that caught our attention today as we were sailing the Twitterverse:
David Roodman: India's Microcredit Monsoon (Center for Global Development)
[Video]: Microlending and the Profit Motive (Asia Society)
Phil Buchanan: Foundation Strategy Development and the Perils of Isolation (Center for Effective Philanthropy)
Sean Stannard-Stockton: The Rise of Issue-Agnostic Philanthropy (Tactical Philanthropy)
Diane Ravitch: The Myth of Charter Schools (New York Review of Books)
Barbara Chow: The Quest for 'Deeper Learning' (Council on Foundations)
[Video]: Who Wants to Be a Public Interest Communicator? (Communications Network)
Brenna Erlich: MTV Launches Interactive Visualization Tool to Fight Cyber Bullying (Mashable)
Nathaniel Whittemore: To Friend or Follow? Symmetrical vs. Asymmetrical Relationships on the Social Web (Assetmap)
Ray Ozzie: Dawn of a New Day (Ray Ozzie's Blog)
Thoughts, questions, concerns?
Communications/Marketing Education Microfinance Philanthropy Readings Science/Technology Social Media TAGS: Communications/Marketing Education Microfinance Philanthropy Readings Science/Technology Social Media | Comments: (0)
Bridging the Knowledge Gap About Grantmaking for People with Disabilities
(Laura Cronin is a frequent contributor to PhilanTopic. Her last post was a Q&A with Milton Chen, senior fellow and executive director emeritus of the George Lucas Educational Foundation.)
Every funder can, and should, be a disability funder.
A group of New York grantmakers and advocates gathered last week under the auspices of the Disability Funders Network (DFN) to discuss how to make that statement a reality and to galvanize support for a fuller embrace by organized philanthropy of the twenty-one-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act.
According to DFN, an estimated 54 million Americans have at least one disability, making them the largest minority group in the nation. As baby boomers age and more veterans return from war, experts estimate that number could double within twenty years. But less than 3 percent of philanthropic giving is directed to programs serving people with disabilities.
The Kessler Foundation, a DFN member, recently commissioned Harris Interactive to survey the impact of disability on national workforce participation.
Results from the survey reveal that while 70 percent of corporations polled have diversity policies or programs in place, only two-thirds of those with programs include disability as a component. In addition, only 18 percent of companies offer an education program aimed at integrating people with disabilities into the workplace. The findings are notable given that most employers consider the cost of hiring people with disabilities to be the same as hiring employees without a disability (62 percent). The panelists urged funders to design programs to explicitly consider disability.
author-Laura Cronin Disabilities Philanthropy TAGS: author-Laura Cronin Disabilities Philanthropy | Comments: (0)
Questions for Melinda Gates
Deborah Solomon is an award-winning journalist, biographer (Jackson Pollock:
A Biography; Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell), and cultural critic. And, since 2003, she has written a weekly Q&A feature for the New York Times Magazine.
If you were looking for a single word to describe Solomon's Q&As for the Times, "quirky" would be as good as any. (A few years ago, "controversial" might have been a better choice.) She likes to poke and prod, isn't afraid of controversial subjects, and can dish out snark with the best of them. Sometimes it works; sometimes, not so much.
Her Q&A with Melinda Gates ("The Donor") in the most recent issue of the Magazine is an example of the latter. A snarky question about the Gates Foundation's focus on women's health in the developing world, a series of three questions designed to get Gates (who attended an all-girls parochial high school) to criticize the Church's stand on abortion, and this exchange:
DS: Do you own an iPod, which is made by Apple?
MG: No, I have a Zune.
DS: What if one of your children says, "Mom, I have to have an iPod?"
MG: I have gotten that argument -- "You may have a Zune."
DS: Do you have an iPad?
MG: Of course not.
DS: Is it true that Bill works on an Apple laptop?
MG: False. Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep.
I get it. Solomon's Q&As are infotainment, designed to be consumed quickly and without much thought before one digs into the meatier narrative journalistic pieces elsewhere in the magazine. But, really. Do you own an iPod? You can do better, Deborah.
In that spirit, I asked a few of my colleagues here at the center what they would ask Melinda Gates if she happened to drop by their office and had time to answer a question or two. Here's what we came up with:
What are the biggest changes you've seen in philanthropy since the Gates Foundation was established in 1994?
What's driving the boom in global philanthropy?
How long will it take emerging powers like China, India, and Brazil to establish philanthropic traditions that rival the tradition of philanthropy in the U.S.?
Does the Gates Foundation have too much influence in the areas in which it works?
How do you respond to critics who argue that, given its influence, the foundation should have more than four trustees?
Is there a succession plan in place for Warren Buffett and Bill Sr.? What if something happens to you or Bill?
What other foundations do you admire? How about nonprofits or NGOs?
What is the most critical issue not funded by the Gates Foundation that you'd like to see other grantmakers address?
Would you ever consider running for public office?
Given your wealth and the highly visible nature of the problems you and your husband have chosen to address through your foundation, how do you stay grounded? Where do you seek wisdom?
Do you ever get tired of all the attention and scrutiny you get paid?
It's a start. Now it's your turn. What would you ask Melinda Gates if you had a chance to ask her one question? Let's see if we can crowdsource the perfect interview....
UPDATE: October 27, 10:52 -- As reader Fred Silverman, VP of marketing and communications at the Marin Community Foundation, pointed out in an e-mail, Solomon's third question about Apple products referenced the iPad, not the iPod (again). Bad typing on my part. I've corrected the mistake.
author-Mitch Nauffts Education Health International Affairs/Development Philanthropy TAGS: author-Mitch Nauffts Education Health International Affairs/Development Philanthropy | Comments: (5)
ANNOUNCEMENT: 5th Annual Knight News Challenge Open for Entries
Hard to believe, I know, but it's been two years since we last wrote about the Knight News Challenge. Now in its fifth year, the Knight Foundation-funded media contest "seeks innovative techniques and technologies that advance the foundation's goal of informing and engaging communities." In the first four years of the challenge, a total of $23 million was awarded to 56 media innovators chosen from more than 10,000 entries. (Click here to learn more about past winners and their projects.)
This year, for the first time, the competition is featuring four experimental categories: Mobile (innovative ideas for news and information on all types of mobile communications devices); Authenticity (projects that help people better understand the reliability of news and information sources); Sustainability (new economic models supporting news and information that enhances citizen engagement); and Community (groundbreaking technologies that support news and information specifically within defined geographic areas).
(In the first three categories, the foundation prefers entries with a community focus; a place-based focus is an "absolute" requirement for the Community category. All software produced by contest-winners must be open-source.)
The contest opens for entries October 25 (today) and closes December 1. Individuals, nonprofits, businesses, schools, and government are all eligible to enter.
Entries submitted to the contest will be reviewed by experts in news, technology, and community. Final recommendations will be made by Knight staff, with the winners to be chosen by the Knight board and announced next June at an event at MIT.
The foundation will conduct an online chat tomorrow, October 26, at noon EST, to answer questions about this year's contest. To sign up for an event reminder about the chat, visit the News Challenge Web site.
author-Mitch Nauffts Journalism/Media Philanthropy Science/Technology TAGS: author-Mitch Nauffts Journalism/Media Philanthropy Science/Technology | Comments: (0)
On her Non-Profit Marketing blog, Katya Andresen advises nonprofit communicators to use humor when crafting their organization's message. Writes Andresen, "If [Malaria No More] can make a campaign about blood-sucking, life-threatening mosquitoes funny and effective, then the rest of us have no excuse to be just a wee bit more aspirational -- if not amusing -- in our messaging...."
On Thursday, Nancy Schwartz announced the seventeen winners of the 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Awards competition. Selected from among 70 finalists by more than 6,100 voters, the winning taglines "range from the regional (Indiana State Council of the Emergency Nurses Association) to the national (Youth Service America) [to the] global (Episcopal Relief & Development)."
On her Answer Sheet blog, Washington Post education reporter Valerie Strauss chastises mega-wealthy philanthropists for believing that "the answer" to education reform "is specific and around the corner: a longer school day; a longer school year; charter schools; technology; standardized tests in every subject; assessing teachers by standardized test scores; for-profit education; training new college graduates for five or six weeks as teachers and then sending them into the toughest schools in America." The fact, adds Strauss, is that
there is no strong research to show that any of those elements will do much to help education by themselves, and even together, and some will hurt. Take charter schools, the pet project of many of Wall Street's wealthy hedge fund founders, who have ignored the largest research study on charters that shows most of them are no better or worse than traditional public schools.
The strong link, born out by research over years, between educational attainment and poverty is ignored by these donors. These financial wizards believe that the public education, the nation's proudest civic institution, should be run like a business.
Parents shouldn't have [to shop around] to find a school acceptable for their children. Their neighborhood public school should be staffed with effective teachers and funded properly so that their kids can have an opportunity to get a fine education....
On the Humanosphere blog, KPLU's Tom Paulson, a Seattle-based reporter with decades of experience on the medicine and global health beats, shares his thoughts about a recently announced partnership between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and ABC News aimed at promoting greater coverage of global health issues.
Social Citizens' Kristien Ivie explains why nonprofits "need to be able to do both storytelling and impact measurement" when reporting back to donors about how grant funds were used.
In a recent post on the White Courtesy Telephone blog, Greater New Orleans Foundation president and CEO Albert Ruesga looks at a new report, Do Nothing About Me Without Me, from Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and the Interaction Institute for Social Change that, says Ruesga, "raises some vexing questions about the proper division of labor between foundations and the communities they aim to serve."
Last week, Blackbaud released the results of its annual Global State of the Nonprofit Industry survey. On her Nonprofits blog at About.com, Joanne Fritz shares four trends captured by the survey.
"Even if...'the revolution will not be tweeted'," writes Jane Wales on her Its Your World blog, "social media offer[s] tools, which, when used to [their] full advantage, can promote transparency, collaboration, and a new openness to ideas from unusual sources. Surely, these are values to promote," adds Wales, "especially in the world of social change...."
When it's time to get started with social media, writes Allison Fine, co-author (with Beth Kanter) of the Networked Nonprofit, "do have a conversation with your senior staff and board about the real fears that using social media invokes." Fine offers other social media do's (and a don't) in a recent post on her blog.
On the Case Foundation blog, Emily Yu shares a few examples of how nonprofit organizations are using location-based technology to accomplish their mission while engaging new and/or current supporters.
And Larry Blumenthal -- founder of Open Road Advisors, a consulting firm that helps foundations, nonprofits, and other organizations use the Web and social media effectively -- has compiled a list of the top hundred (and other) foundations that blog. Is your foundation missing from the list? Let Blumenthal know here.
That's it for now. What did we miss? Drop us a line at rnm@foundationcenter.org and have a great week!
Communications/Marketing Education Impact/Effectiveness Journalism/Media Philanthropy Social Media TAGS: Communications/Marketing Education Impact/Effectiveness Journalism/Media Philanthropy Social Media | Comments: (0)
A 'Flip' Chat With...Will Maitland Weiss, Executive Director, Arts & Business Council of New York
(This is the ninth in our series of conversations with thought leaders in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. You can access other chats in the series here, including our conversation with Allison Fine, co-author of the Networked Nonprofit: Connecting With Social Media to Drive Change)
Every year, the Foundation Center hosts a series of events in October that focus on funding for the arts. This year is no exception, and last week I had the opportunity to attend a Dialogue with Donors event at the center's New York library featuring panelists Perian Carson of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Susan Feder of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Stuart Post of the Brooklyn Community Foundation. (For more information about the event, be sure to read my colleague Tracy Kaufman's post at the Philanthropy Front and Center – New York blog.)
I had hoped to interview panel moderator Will Maitland Weiss of the Arts & Business Council of New York after the event, but he was already late for another appointment. So, earlier this week I stopped by the ABC/NY offic to chat with Weiss about the council and its work.
ABC/NY, a chapter of the national organization Americans for the Arts, "serves both the arts and the business communities of New York, with programming in volunteerism, professional development, leadership development, and economic impact." The breadth of services provided by the organization's five-member staff is vast, impressive, and especially welcome in this period of economic distress and uncertainty.
During our chat, Weiss described what the funding climate is like right now for arts organizations and discussed how social media has the potential to increase individual giving for the arts. He also offered some advice to nonprofits interested in partnering with business.
If you're reading this in an e-mail, click here.
(Total running time: 8 minutes, 7 seconds)
As the Great Recession continues to exact a toll on artists and nonprofit arts groups, PND is especially interested in examples of the arts and the business community working together for mutual benefit. Are you seeing more or fewer examples of successful partnerships between arts groups and business in your community? What do those programs look like, and what do they have in common with partnerships in other fields? And what advice would you give to nonprofit arts groups looking for support from the business community? Feel free to share your thoughts/opinions/advice in the comments section.
Arts and Culture Flip Chats Fundraising Video TAGS: Arts and Culture Flip Chats Fundraising Video | Comments: (0)
The Art of Memory
(Kathryn Pyle is a regular contributor to PhilanTopic. In her last post, she wrote about the Muslim Voices of Philadelphia project.)
Earlier this month, in Buenos Aires, closing arguments were made in one of the legal cases brought against the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina between 1976 and 1983, the period of the so-called Dirty War. The case, referred to by the names of the three clandestine military centers ("Atlético-Banco-Olimpo") where 181 victims were detained, is one of hundreds that have been opened since the amnesty laws that protected members of the military from being prosecuted for crimes against humanity were struck down. The trials are open to the public, and the courtrooms have been packed by families of the victims and citizens interested in a resolution to this painful episode in the country's history.
Architecture, sculpture, and painting; music; film and video; poetry, drama, prose -- all have been employed to tell the tragic story of a people's loss and pain after similarly brutal episodes in the past. The arts are fundamental to the process of memorialization.
In Argentina, the process has included myriad plaques and other expressions of remembrance and remembering. At the national level, a group of ten human rights organizations gained the support of legislators in 1998 to establish the Park of Memory on the banks of the river that forms the country's northeastern boundary, the Rio de la Plata, and construct the Monument to the Victims of State Terrorism. In short order, an international competition to commission additional sculpture and a visitors center for the park was launched.
"In a world that finds itself widely aestheticized, art seeks out strategies and loopholes in order to continue constructing meaning," writes Florencia Battiti in an essay in the catalogue produced for the monument's official dedication in 2007. "In a society such as Argentina's, where terror reigned and justice has not yet entirely arrived, art as a social practice adds its efforts to the (always insufficient) task of reconstructing memory and the cultural fabric that was torn apart...."
More than 600 sculpture proposals were received and 17 selected; to date, seven have been installed. They include a life-size sculpture by Claudia Fontes of Pablo Miguez, a 14-year-old boy who was "disappeared." The sculpture is stainless steel, polished to a mirror-like finish, and situated in the river -- the widest in the world at that point -- opposite the park, where it appears to float on the surface.
Arts and Culture author-Kathryn Pyle Human/Civil Rights International Affairs/Development TAGS: Arts and Culture author-Kathryn Pyle Human/Civil Rights International Affairs/Development | Comments: (3)
A Conversation With Milton Chen, Author, 'Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools'
(Milton Chen is senior fellow and executive director emeritus of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Prior to joining GLEF, Chen was founding director of the KQED Center for Education in San Francisco and an assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Laura Cronin, director of the Toshiba America Foundation, spoke to Chen earlier this month.)
Laura Cronin: Your new book, Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools, is exceptional for a number of reasons. What's most striking to me, however, is how your decision to focus on successes in specific classrooms reveals so much new information about how teaching and learning works. It's a wonderfully hopeful and yet very practical book. Instead of revisiting the current system's flaws, you've become a sort of purveyor of education-related innovations and sensible solutions. How did that come about?
Milton Chen: Education Nation is really my attempt to curate a "best of" collection of education-related stories and films connected to our work at Edutopia. Our approach has always been to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness. Shining the spotlight on innovative schools, classrooms, and other learning environments has been our strategy, one that appealed to George Lucas from the very founding of the foundation almost twenty years ago. I do feel that the solution to our education crisis lies in redesigning our system of public education, not pointing the finger at problems with the old system.
LC: Anyone interested in our nation's schools should read your book and get the full story about each of the six edges of innovation you describe. By way of introduction, can you talk about your chapter on the "Time/Place Edge"?
MC: One of the most exciting areas of innovation is in how learning time and places are expanding. By "learning time," I don't mean simply extending the school day or year with the same old, traditional types of learning that aren't working. As my colleague Milt Goldberg says, "A lousy eight-hour day is worse than a lousy six-hour day." That said, many districts and their partners are finding ways to capture more learning hours for creative, project-based, technology-infused learning during afternoons, evenings, weekends, and summers.
author-Laura Cronin Education Philanthropy Science/Technology TAGS: author-Laura Cronin Education Philanthropy Science/Technology | Comments: (0)
'Txt if by Land, Tweet if by Sea'
(Jereme Bivins is the Foundation Center's social media manager. This is his first post for PhilanTopic.)
On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere set out from Boston to warn a small group of American patriots, including Samuel Adams and John Hancock, that British troops were on the move and coming to arrest them. Revere did not have access to Twitter or e-mail. He couldn't send a txt message or BBM his friends to warn them. The only tools at his disposal were the lanterns that hung in Boston's Old North Church ("one if by land, two if by sea") and the borrowed horse that carried him to Lexington.
Malcolm Gladwell's "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted" opens with a vivid retelling of the lunch-counter sit-in protests from the early days of the civil rights movement. It was a dramatic time, fraught with gut-wrenching violence and extraordinarily brave acts of civil disobedience. Gladwell uses the example of the sit-ins to make a point about social media's potential as a tool of empowerment and change. And "tool" is certainly the operative concept here, for in equating social media with a larger collective desire for social change, Gladwell misses a fundamental point.
Social media in and of itself is no more an agent of social change than a hammer is a carpenter. Sure, Facebook and Twitter help us to construct social networks; that's inherent in their design. But beyond keeping up with distant relatives, old high school flames, and (increasingly) our parents, social media has become a tool for connecting geographically dispersed strangers with common interests. When used creatively, it can spread social-change ideas virally, inspire support, and catalyze action. In fact, how individuals are activated is the really interesting part of Gladwell's argument.
Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith, co-authors of The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective and Powerful Ways to Use Social Media to Drive Social Change, argue that social media can deepen the commitment of change-minded activists. Gladwell, on the other hand, argues that the "weak-tie" nature of social media architecture tends to drive participation without necessarily deepening commitment. Citing online giving totals generated by the Save Darfur Coalition's Facebook page, Gladwell notes that the average donation to the campaign, when divided by the coalition's nearly 1.3 million members on Facebook, was a modest nine cents.
Of course, in most cases and causes, level of commitment isn't measured by dollars raised. In Gladwell's lunch-counter sit-in example, nobody, then or now, measured the success of the action based solely on the amount of funding it generated for civil rights organizations. On the contrary, as with the Save Darfur campaign, the sit-in campaign inspired other activists to organize additionals acts of civil disobedience, from letter writing and petitions, to boycotts, to freedom rides.
What once had to be organized almost exclusively by word-of-mouth today can be organized online far more quickly and inexpensively. Twitter, Facebook, Meetup, and other platforms are all being used to coordinate and promote in-person events, marches, rallies, and grassroots campaigns.
At the same time, social media is democratizing philanthropy. What had been a sector dominated by large nonprofits, endowed foundations, and mega-wealthy individuals increasingly is accessible to everyone with an online connection and a credit or debit card, as a growing number of online giving platforms make it ever easier for us to donate to causes we feel passionate about. Recently, for example, a friend of mine decided to participate in the St. Baldrick's Foundation's "Brave a Shave" fundraiser to fight childhood cancer, pledging to remove every hair from her head in return for small donations from friends. Over the next several months, she harnessed the power of her social network (Facebook) by writing on friends' walls, sending them messages, and communicating with them via Facebook chat, eventually raising almost $2,300 for the campaign. Gladwell might argue that $2,300 is a small amount when divided by the number of people she approached, but that's $2,300 more for cancer research than St. Baldrick's likely would have received otherwise. And while social media itself was not responsible for my friend's interest in or engagement with that particular cause, it proved to be invaluable in helping her achieve her goal.
Social media is also providing us with a new measure of transparency when it comes to the working of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and enabling us to see and experience the good that our donations and sweat equity do. YouTube hosts powerful footage of Habitat for Humanity building and donating homes to those who don't have one. Flickr hosts beautiful images of the ONE Campaign's fight against poverty and disease. The Foundation Center's Glasspockets initiative showcases the online transparency and accountability practices of foundations, allowing you to not only see which foundations have "glass pockets," but what's inside them.
Will social media change the world? Maybe. Despite its rapid adoption, the concept of social media has only been around for a few years and we've yet to fully appreciate its potential to contribute to the public good. In the meantime, the story of Paul Revere galloping toward Lexington to warn of the advancing British army is a dramatic part of our history: a brash patriot, feverishly charging through the night to save his friends from almost certain death. It's one of the defining moments in our history, as much a part of the foundational American myth as Plymouth Rock, Bunker Hill, and Valley Forge. But if someone had been kind enough to lend Revere his iPhone to send the message that the Bristish were coming, I'm sure Paul would have graciously accepted.
-- Jereme Bivins
Social Media TAGS: Social Media | Comments: (0)


Traveling by air in uncertain weather conditions?
Pre-book a hotel at your departure airport just in case your flight is canceled due to weather. Use a 6 PM hold instead of guaranteeing to your credit card so if you don't need it, it will auto cancel.
Don't forget discounts when booking. AAA members, seniors, military members and government employees to name just a few, are entitled to a discount at many hotel chains and individual properties around the world. If you don't ask, you won't get it!
Have special needs? Make sure your hotel knows before you arrive as this will make things much smoother for all concerned. Accessible rooms come in many types for many different disabilities. Make sure the right one is reserved for you.


Arasan Chip Systems a leading provider of semiconductor IP expands its storage IP Portfolio with ONFI 4.1 PHY and I/O PAD IP seamlessly integrated with its NAND Flash Controller IP.
Aug 15, 2018, San Jose, CA: Arasan today announced the immediate availability of its NAND Flash Controller PHY and I/O Pad IP for 12nm SoC designs compliant to the latest ONFI 4.1 Specifications. The PHY IP is also backward compatible with ONFI 4.0 and 3.2 specifications. In addition to Arasan's NAND Flash IP Controller, the ONFI NAND PHY and I/O Pad IP can also be easily integrated with customers proprietary NAND Flash Controllers through a standard DDR DFE Interface.
Our NAND Flash PHY IP supports 1.2v and 1.8v out of the box. 2.5v and 3.3v are optionally supported on customer request.
Includes the Input / Output flops to support both NV_DDR and NV_DDR2, NV_DDR3 operation on the Data Lines.
Includes the DLL clocks phase selection logic.
Includes data buffering FIFO and ONFI I/O data synchronizing Flops.
Includes BIST to perform self-test and function verification.
ONFI 4.1 IO PADS with integrated ESD protection.
CALIO PAD to automatically calibrate the source and sink impedance of ONFI I/O and On Die termination resistors.
Retention mode to allow VCORE power down in sleep mode.
Generates 8 phases equally spaced of TX clock for Tuning to support various hold requirements on the ONFI DATA lines at various mode of operation.
Generates 8 phases equally spaced of DQS STROBE clock for Tuning function of clocking the incoming data on ONFI IO.
The DLL clock frequency can be programmed to support any constant clock frequency in the range of 20MHz to 600MHz.
The ONFI 4.1 Specification extends NV-DDR3 I/O speeds to 1066 MT/s and 1200MT/s. For better signaling performance, ONFI 4.1 adds Duty Cycle Correction (DCC), Read and Write Training for speeds greater than 800MT/s, support for lower pin cap devices with 37.5 Ohms default output resistance, and devices which require data burst exit and restart for long data input and output pauses. For lower power, 2.5V Vcc support is added. ONFI 4.1 also includes errata to the ONFI 4.0 specification.
The ONFI 4.1 NAND Flash PHY and I/O PAD IP are available immediately for 12nm, 16nm and 28nm SoC Designs.
Arasan Chip Systems is a leading provider of Total IP Solutions for mobile, automobile and drone SoC's. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of IP for Mobile storage with JEDEC eMMC, ONFI and NAND IP for embedded storage and SD Card for removable storage. Arasan's high-quality, silicon-proven, Total IP Solutions include Digital IP Cores, Analog PHY IP Cores, Verification IP, HDK, Software and IP Customization Services. Arasan's Total IP products serve system architects and chip design teams in applications that require silicon-proven, validated IP, delivered with the ability to integrate and verify both digital, analog and software components in the shortest possible time with the lowest risk.


2 plus acres fronting S. Bay Haven, long frontage, mature trees. Near boat landing. Electric, cable, internet, phone all at edge of property.
Corner lot offering privacy, uniform shape and close to all Gwynn's Island has to offer.


Very Cold Claire: Walking in the sand - it's just like snow, really.
Walking in the sand - it's just like snow, really.
Willow pretending to be a husky in the snow.
Everyone was a bit grumpy by the time we got to North Norfolk at lunchtime on on Saturday, so we didn't walk very far that day, we set off at about 3pm and walked out across the marshes covering about 4 miles.
Sunday was the challenging day - the sun and wind were both high, so we took the Norfolk Coastal path in and out from Stifkey to the Cley Swallows and back, a total of about 14/15 miles but it felt a lot further with the wind in our faces.
Woof! Sounds exhausting! But good for you! That should help develop those dogsled muscles! Ouch!


text:
Member Hosted
Advisor News
Sinchi Foundation
IR Digital Services
Digital Enquiries
#MeToo – Is it time up for discrimination in the workplace?
October 2018 October 21, 2020 Virtual SeriesEmployment
The #MeToo movement officially began in October 2017 as a social media hashtag in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations aimed at high profile Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein.
It was designed to expose the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, not just in the film industry, but in a myriad of mainstream industries and organisations.
The hashtag initially served as a public forum where people could share their experiences of sexual harassment but has gathered momentum to a point where it is now beginning to influence organisational culture and affect employment legislation and human resource policy.
A mark of the success of the movement has been its ability to generate legislative responses across the world in a very short space of time. In the US, a new Federal bipartisan bill called The Empower Act has made significant progress through the Senate. It is designed to stop employers from enforcing confidentiality agreements when settling harassment claims with employees.
Related tax legislation has already been adopted in the US, as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which went into effect January 1, 2018. As a result of the law, companies that use non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment or abuse cases are prohibited from deducting the settlement and associated cost, including attorneys' fees, for tax purposes. In Europe, Sweden has made changes to its penal code to require explicit consent before sex, while in the UK a 2018 report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) proposes a number of legislative reforms designed to make employers responsible for addressing harassment in the workplace.
The #MeToo movement has also been absorbed into workplace culture, transitioning from a forum for shared experiences into a mantra that informs the behaviour of co-workers, supervisors and senior management. This has manifested itself in an additional, yet related movement known as "#TimesUp." While both the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have focused primarily on the issue of sexual harassment, the #TimesUp movement focuses more broadly on inequality within the workplace and societal institutions, with an emphasis on pay equity. #TimesUp attempts to expand the fight against workplace inequality that has flourished for so long on an institutional level, beyond the realm of the individual stories associated with the #MeToo movement.
As a consequence of #MeToo and #TimesUp, employers may be more reluctant to defend allegations of sexual harassment and more likely to reach fair and transparent settlements. Co-workers, particularly men, are also revising their estimation of acceptable behaviour, as a result of #MeToo. Our California member Rebecca Torrey points out the increase in 'hugger cases' and social media harassment claims she is dealing with this year, as previously acceptable behaviour/communication is now under the harassment spotlight.
Employers are also scrambling to update their HR policies to incorporate more detailed and inclusive harassment procedures. Many have implemented or updated standalone harassment policies and are offering harassment training to all employees, not just supervisors. Much of this training involves understanding exactly what behaviour constitutes sexual harassment and encouraging active monitoring and reporting by all workers.
The following report includes insight into all these issues from IR Global's employment experts and provides a perspective on the influence of #MeToo on a number of jurisdictions around the world, including the USA, UK, France, Sweden and Mexico.
Contributing Advisors
Employment Law (Corporate) in Sweden
Magnus BerterudPartner / Advokat, Delphi
Employment Law (Corporate) and Commercial Litigation in Nevada
Laura ThalackerFounding Member, Hartwell Thalacker, LTD.
Employment Law (Corporate) in France
Lionel ParairePartner, Galion
Employment Law (Corporate) in California
Rebecca TorreyPartner, The Torrey Firm
Employment Law (Corporate) in Mexico
Edmundo EscobarPartner, Escobar y Gorostieta, SC Lawyers
Employment Law (Corporate) in England
Shilpen SavaniPartner, gunnercooke llp
© IR Global 2021
info@irglobal.com
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Welcome to our new updated website! After almost 12 years of operations, we decided it was time for a change. We've grown incredibly over the years, and now we've moved into our new building here in Puerto Vallarta with our full-time staff who is working to assist you. We invite you to visit us and see our offices when you get here.
Of course, you will still find discounts for all of the activities in Puerto Vallarta here on our website. Navigate in our menu to find your favorite tours Canopy Tours, Swim With Dolphins, ATV All-Terrain Tours, Bay Cruises, Sightseeing Tours, Whale Watch, Deep Sea Fishing and more. If you can't find what you are looking for contact us and let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you.
In addition to our great discounts, with every reservation you still receive our Puerto Vallarta Fun Discount Card, which has also grown to include discounts for over 150 restaurants, stores and services in town.
There is no group too large or too small for us to accommodate! Call or write us with your information, and we'll design a special package just for you.


Gain hands on exposure working on some of the largest developments in West London. First off the successful Assistant Quantity Surveyor will be working on a major residential development in West London worth over £100 million.
What makes this Assistant Quantity Surveyor position stand out?
This dynamic company has a friendly and fun working environment.
Previous experience working for a residential developer is not essential so this is great opportunity to get your foot in the door with a market leading company.
The successful candidate will be working on a huge residential scheme from conception to completion which will look great on your CV.
Build the foundations of a successful career with this well-known company who invest heavily in their workforce.
Work within an experienced commercial team who receive hands on training from a committed Senior Quantity Surveyor.
For any Assistant Quantity Surveyor looking to climb the ladder, this company will provide all the support and training necessary to progress into a senior position.
Assist with the preparation of accurate and timely monthly valuation reports & agreement thereof.
Assist with the procurement and management of subcontract packages.


A few days ago it nearly happened again. A single "buyer" trying more than 20 credit cards to pay for a € 299 license for AdRotate Pro. What a loser!
And right after I had dealt with that, 2 more idiots tried 2 and 4 cards each on a € 29 purchase. This month alone I noticed at least 5 people who are obviously using a stolen or fake card. And that's just me, a small shop with only a few sales per day. Imagine the amounts of fraud committed on sites like Amazon or eBay. It's insane.
What's worse, the banks don't care! Nor do the payment processors. Because they're of the opinion that you can't catch the wrong doers. It's easier for them to ignore it and issue a new card to the card holder. A non-recoverable loss for most businesses. Especially if they have already shipped items or made downloads available.
I've had a discussion with my credit card processor in december last year about reporting things to the Police or FBI or something. I've also had this talk with the bank I used during that time. They recommended not to do anything "because their system catches the false transactions"… Yea true, but the crook isn't caught with that, just his false purchase.
Running a webshop I can provide enough leads to the authorities to trace and probably catch the crook. Every sale records things like IP addresses and sometimes legit email addresses.
For those selling physical goods (not me) a shipping address has to be provided. The crook goes there to collect "his" stuff. Be there waiting. Those selling software (like me) that use a license key you can see which website the software is used on this can then be used to grab the whois on a domain name which will (potentially) hold additional leads to the crook.
The actual truth is not that the thieves can't be caught. It's simply that nobody of note cares.
And in todays world of technology I don't believe it's all that hard, either. It just takes effort. An effort nobody with the right power will make. After-all, issuing a new card to the real card holder and ignoring the crime is so much easier and convenient.
I hate the credit card system. It's flawed and the banks running it are ignorant.
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Next post: AdRotate Pro 3.16 available now!


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Assam news
Barak Valley News
Travel and Lifestyle
Bathroom Furnitures
HomeNorthEast newsBarak Valley News
Praises All Around For Dr Sambuddha Dhar For His Digital Initiative
By The Readers Time
The wheels of time have ensured that change in the world we live in is constant for the residents of Barak Valley, nowhere is this fact more evident than in the field of health care and medical sciences. And not just evident, the changes that have come in the recent times have also been welcome ones. Neurosurgeon, Dr. Sambuddha Dhar has helmed one such vector of change – adoption of digital services. Yes, just his mere presence in the region has bolstered the hopes of people and opened new avenues of health care, that were hitherto unavailable in the region, but on top of that, his efforts to make accessing this care easier has been nothing short of godsend for his patients.
In the past two years, we have seen developments in this regard, especially, in the area of booking doctors. But these developments have been largely rudimentary and still lack in critical areas which cause patients issues in scheduling, getting assurance and even proper planning, especially for those who visit from outside the Barak Valley region. There still remained that distance in communication between the doctor and their prospective patients seeking their care. Dr. Sambuddha Dhar, with his goal to make a holistic improvement to his delivery of care in the region, opted for a more direct and easier channel of communication that would improve the whole lifecycle of care for his patients.
His vision for digital innovation has enabled him to create websites and other platforms which enables patients to have direct access to him. Booking using simple QR codes, easy scheduling and rescheduling, etc. are all areas of care that would be improved through this initiative. Combined with his disposition to provide holistic care, not just through medical and clinical intervention but through empathetic communication and building effective support systems, the digital platform has enabled an ecosystem of care that has the potential to change the lives of his patients for the better. His efforts in this regard, have started to bear fruit as well and not just through the statistical analysis of the number of lives saved but, in fact, through the responses of the very people whose lives have been touched for the better by the doctor. Dr. Dhar's efforts to offer a sympathetic ear and an empathetic disposition to his patients, even at the end of a harrowing and taxing day right till the very end, has ensured that social media channels are filled with praises of his care. Often known as the Father of the Neurosurgery in Barak Valley, Dr. Sambuddha Dhar has found the right balance between heart and technology that enables the highest degree of care for his patients which has left its indelible mark on the lives of the people that receive this care. We only hope that the good doctor continues on his vision to make neurosurgery and neurology as a whole a more accessible avenue of care for those who truly need it.
Police to investigate APSC' cash-for-job' scam in fast-track mode
With a focus on 5G, Airtel plans to invest an additional Rs 27-28,000 crore.
The Readers Time
The Readers Time is the editorial that brings in new information or showcases the other side based on the facts and data. Our analysis is not based on secondary research; rather, it is a combination of self-conducted research based on raw data analysis and understanding. We are focused on delivering each piece of information based on categories such as news, facts, lifestyle, product reviews, travel, health, food, and technology. The strength of The Readers Time is to deliver the right information based on actual data and analysis. The Readers Time is a blend of emotion, interaction, philosophy, thoughts, and real-world facts. We write to convey the actual dimensions of any situation, facts, or categories.
Northeast Frontier Railway GM announces that the Track electrification to Silchar shall end by 2023
Veteran Doctor of Assam's Silchar, Dr Deben Sinha is in critical condition due to a stroke
Journalist Sudarshan Gupta dies due to stroke
Prisoners in Karimganj District Jail sit for a Hunger strike
Assam's Barak Valley Mourns: Renowned Gynaecologist Dr. Arun Paul Choudhury Dies at 65
We at The Readers Time, strive to provide facts based information backed by thorough analysis. To accomplish this, our team is formed to understand and analyze facts based on real life scenarios and evidence. With categories such as news, lifestyle, food, health, entertainment, business, product reviews, history and facts we create content that helps to gain true knowledge creating a positive difference in the society.
PM Modi Interacts with Teachers, Parents, and Students at Pariksha Pe Charcha 2023 LIVE Event
National News January 27, 2023 0
The honorable PM of India had an interactive session...
Chatbots can pass the US medical license test
Technology January 27, 2023 0
Last year, OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot has made waves since...
Security agencies arrested 2 drug smugglers in Jiribam, Manipur
NorthEast news January 27, 2023 0
Security agencies arrested two drug smugglers in Jiribam, Manipur....
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Equality has been a major issue for many golf clubs in recent years due to changing legislation and Scottish Golf work hard to support clubs in providing the right advice in this area. The Equality Act 2010 brought many changes affecting membership of clubs, both in golf and other sports, and this section of Club Services helps clubs to keep up-to-date with changes and how they may impact on your business.
The provisions of the Act relating to gender, religion or belief, pregnancy, motherhood and sexual orientation became effective in October 2010. From 1 October 2012, a private club cannot, without sufficient reason, discriminate against club members and guests because of age. The Government Equalities Office has produced a guide for private clubs and other associations which can be found below.
The latest Advice Notice (8th Edition – September 2012) is also available to download, while a specimen equality policy specially designed for clubs has been created to help your business comply with the latest equality legislation.


text:
struct  msgq_header_t {
  uint64_t num_readers;
  uint64_t write_pointer;
  uint64_t write_uid;
  uint64_t read_pointers[NUM_READERS];
  uint64_t read_valids[NUM_READERS];
  uint64_t read_uids[NUM_READERS];
};

struct msgq_queue_t {
  std::atomic<uint64_t> *num_readers;
  std::atomic<uint64_t> *write_pointer;
  std::atomic<uint64_t> *write_uid;
  std::atomic<uint64_t> *read_pointers[NUM_READERS];
  std::atomic<uint64_t> *read_valids[NUM_READERS];
  std::atomic<uint64_t> *read_uids[NUM_READERS];
  char * mmap_p;
  char * data;
  size_t size;
  int reader_id;
  uint64_t read_uid_local;
  uint64_t write_uid_local;

  bool read_conflate;
  std::string endpoint;
};

struct msgq_msg_t {
  size_t size;
  char * data;
};

struct msgq_pollitem_t {
  msgq_queue_t *q;
  int revents;
};

void msgq_wait_for_subscriber(msgq_queue_t *q);
void msgq_reset_reader(msgq_queue_t *q);

int msgq_msg_init_size(msgq_msg_t *msg, size_t size);
int msgq_msg_init_data(msgq_msg_t *msg, char * data, size_t size);
int msgq_msg_close(msgq_msg_t *msg);

int msgq_new_queue(msgq_queue_t * q, const char * path, size_t size);
void msgq_close_queue(msgq_queue_t *q);
void msgq_init_publisher(msgq_queue_t * q);
void msgq_init_subscriber(msgq_queue_t * q);

int msgq_msg_send(msgq_msg_t *msg, msgq_queue_t *q);
int msgq_msg_recv(msgq_msg_t *msg, msgq_queue_t *q);
int msgq_msg_ready(msgq_queue_t * q);
int msgq_poll(msgq_pollitem_t * items, size_t nitems, int timeout);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Elixir Plug gzip not working for pngs I have
plug Plug.Static,
  at: "/pros",
  from: :zipbooks,
  gzip: true,
  cache_control_for_etags: "public, max-age=604800",
  only: ~w(css assets fonts images js favicon.ico robots.txt)

and my js css and svg files are being served with content-encoding:gzip but my png files, served the same way, are not.
Here's an example of an svg and how its gzipped:

and heres a png

A: You need to add .png to gzippable_exts config as mentioned in the docs here.

We can optionally determine which files should be gzipped by using the
  :gzippable_exts option in the config file:
config :phoenix, :gzippable_exts, ~w(.js .css)

It doesn't make sense to compress png files though since they're already compressed which is why the default gzippable_exts doesn't include it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Scrip is a term that means "substitute money". When you purchase scrip, you're purchasing negotiable gift certificates and prepaid cards that are used just like cash. You can use scrip to purchase everyday expenses like food, gasoline, clothing, and other essentials. With every purchase, you earn revenue for our parish.
The Great Lakes Scrip Center acts on behalf of churches, schools and other non‑profit organizations to purchase large amounts of scrip from grocery stores, department stores, and other retailers. Because the scrip is purchased with cash up front, the participating retailers offer a substantial discount. St. Francis de Sales Parish buys the scrip from Great Lakes Scrip Center and other local retailers at a discount, and re-sells the certificates to families like yours for full face value. The discount ‑ from two to fifteen percent or more – is the parish's revenue.
Scrip is a popular fundraiser because families don't have to sell anything. Parishioners produce revenue by making regular household purchases they would make anyway. Groceries, clothing, toys, gifts, even gasoline can be purchased with scrip.
Questions? Ask your coordinator listed below or email with any questions you may have. Then put your shopping dollars to work for St. Francis de Sales Parish!


Once you receive your shipping confirmation email you can track your order by clicking the link in the email, or go directly to our tracking order page.
Please note: If you ordered more then 1 item, you may receive them separately. Some items are shipped individually simply because it makes logistics easier and helps us keep our prices low.
If your order has been marked delivered but you haven't received it, please let us know. We are not responsible for lost/stolen packages but we'll do everything we can to make sure your package is delivered.
If you have further inquiries regarding your order, please contact us at info@stylesapphire.com and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
If, within 30 days of purchasing your product you are not satisfied with your purchase, please email us at info@stylesapphire.com and we will provide you with instructions on how to return it for a refund or an exchange.
To be eligible for a return/exchange, item must be unworn, with tags attached and in the original packaging. Packaging must be original as we use the barcode on the package to identify your order. Returns/Exchanges can be done within 30 days after date of purchase. If we receive your Return/Exchange after 30 days of purchase date, Refund/Exchange will not be granted.
Customer is responsible for shipping charges on all returns. Once we receive your returned item(s), we will process your refund/exchange within 24 hours.


text:
'Tis the season: Colder winter weather means it's time for heavier, strong beers
FARGO - October (and Oktoberfest) are things of the past, which means that winter and winter seasonal beers are not far away. Damian McConn, a brewer with Summit Brewing Co. in Minneapolis, says that the transition to winter beers typically start...
Seasonal beers to try include: 1. Alaskan Winter Ale. 2. Boulevard Nutcracker Ale. 3. Deschutes Jubelale. 4. New Belgium Snow Day Winter Ale. 5. Breckenridge Christmas Ale. 6. Summit Winter Ale. Photos special to The Forum
FARGO - October (and Oktoberfest) are things of the past, which means that winter and winter seasonal beers are not far away.
Damian McConn, a brewer with Summit Brewing Co. in Minneapolis, says that the transition to winter beers typically starts at liquor stores and bars around this time of the year.
"Once you hit Nov. 1, people tend to move on a little bit to the Christmas and holiday season beers," says McConn, who will be hosting a Summit beer dinner at the HoDo restaurant Wednesday night.
Originally from Kildare, Ireland, McConn has experience working with Guinness in the United Kingdom and probably knows a thing or two about brewing and the brewing seasons.
Some winter beers have already started appearing in liquor stores around the Fargo-Moorhead area, and even more will start popping up in bars and restaurants soon.
The winter beer season usually lasts up through the end of February, McConn says, at which point people start looking ahead to spring and warmer weather and the lighter beers that come with it.
In the next few weeks and months, people can look forward to darker, heavier winter beers, which McConn says typically fall into two different categories: an old ale style, and then a stronger, German-type bock beer.
Winter ale is based on traditional British brews, while bocks are a "stronger, richer version of standard lager beer," McConn says.
If those different names and styles are confusing, don't fret. McConn says winter beers all share some commonalities.
For example, brews will be rich, hearty and heavy in flavor and texture, a little bit stronger than the brown beers of fall, and very different from the light, refreshing beers of summertime.
Not surprisingly, the characteristics of winter beers have to do in large part with the changing temperatures.
"With these more robust beers, there's an association of warmth and richness, which you're looking for when it's 20 below outside," McConn says. "There's that element of comfort we're not looking for in a summer beer."
That desire for a heavier beer during the coldest part of the year has something to do with what our European ancestors drank to sustain themselves during winter, McConn believes.
"There's definitely that historical basis to it for stronger, heartier beers to get you through that tougher part of the year," he says. "That kind of plays out today in our desire."
Although winter beers are dark and heavy, that doesn't necessarily mean they still can't be enjoyed with food - it just takes some work to pair them correctly, McConn explains. At the HoDo's beer dinner for example, Summit's Winter Ale is paired with a lamb stew.
"Because (the beers) are rich, because they have a lot of character, they can work well with food," McConn says. "But the key is not to overdo it too much."
In the very near future, beer fans should expect to see local bars and pubs filling their taps with common winter beers like Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, Deschutes Jubelale, Samuel Adams Winter Lager and, of course, Summit's Winter Ale.
There are also some creative takes on winter seasonals out there as well, such as Shiner's Cheer, brewed with peaches and pecans for an unusual yet still comforting taste.
That sort of creative take on a winter beer is something that people can start to expect more often, McConn says, as more and more breweries open up shop across the United States.
By his estimate, there are more than 2,000 U.S. breweries currently in operation, with many more on the verge of getting started.
With so many options and competitors out there, brewers are going to be more apt to try something new and creative to stand apart from the crowd of standard seasonal beers, McConn thinks.
"Brewers are pushing the envelope all the time," he says. "We'll probably see the blurring of the boundaries when it comes to classic seasonal styles."
"I expect to see more innovation and creativity," he added. "It's a good thing to look forward to, I think."
Other winter beers to watch for
Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Bells Winter White
Bells Christmas Ale
Widmer Brothers Brrr
Boulevard Nutcracker Ale
Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown
Alaskan Winter Ale
North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
New Belgium Snow Day Winter Ale
Related Topics: FOOD
Veeder: Tough wardrobe decisions come with the gig
"It's easy to make assumptions about a person based on their outfit or their day job," Coming Home columnist Jessie Veeder writes. "I mean, my dad used to work in a bank and he also broke horses and played in a bar band at night."
By Jessie Veeder
Fielding Questions: Hibiscus leaves yellowing, should you stress an apple tree, grass seed longevity
This week, gardening columnist Don Kinzler fields questions on hibiscus plants, beating apple trees and how long grass seeds will last.
By Don Kinzler
Manitoba's Prairie Garden book series is a must-have
If it plays well in Winnipeg, it'll be a hit in Fargo, and all points within planting distance.
Scoreboard for Sunday, Jan. 29


Brenda Bishop has spent many years researching equine immune mediated diseases.
for veterinarians interested in a new thought process for dealing with Equine Shivers.
She answers questions that have gone un-answered for too long.
and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it".
Syndrome (EFMS)" by Brenda Bishop, VMD.
the many different serovars (there are over two hundred known to date) the serovar L.
by many scientists; leptopirosis is suspected in mares that abort for no apparent reason.
both eyes or a fetus.
Borrelia, have a predictable course of action once established in their respective hosts.
conjunctiva) and mucosal linings (respiratory, reproductive and gastrointestinal tracts).
They cluster around nerve endings, the smallest of blood vessels and lymphatics.
blood vessels and lymphatics, and needless to say inflammatory pain.
dogs; there is no approved vaccine for horses.
the horse is out; they have a place but are not practical for long term use.
intracellular calcium rises, cells die and different neurodegenerative diseases result.
(24 hours) and last long after it has washed out of the body (weeks).
headaches, one of many human diseases now viewed as 'calcium channelopathies'.
century research known as 'autoimmune channelopathies'.


text:
Child molestation suspect arrested in Alhambra, police say
Police said 43-year-old Edwin Linares was arrested after having an inappropriate relationship with a teen in 2016 and then trying to lure another teen on Wednesday, April 19, 2017.
SOUTH PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspect wanted for child molestation was arrested in Alhambra on Thursday, according to authorities.
The South Pasadena Police Department said it received a report of a man attempting to talk a teenage girl into getting in his car near South Pasadena Middle School at about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The 13-year-old girl was walking eastbound on Oak Street in front of the school when she told police she noticed a man in a red Toyota Corolla slowly following her.
The man drove ahead of the teen and stopped at the intersection of Marengo Avenue and Oak Street where he asked her if she needed a ride, authorities stated.
Police said the teen refused to get in his car and the man asked her again. The teen took a photo of the suspect's car with her cellphone as he drove away eastbound on Oak Street, according to officials.
Authorities said the teen was able to pick the suspect's picture out of a lineup.
The suspect, later identified as 43-year-old Edwin Linares of Los Angeles, was spotted by police at about 7 a.m. in Alhambra. Linares was taken into custody without incident, according to authorities.
Officials said Linares was also wanted by the Alhambra Police Department for lewd acts with a minor and unlawful intercourse with a minor.
Alhambra police said Linares was in an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old girl from January to November of 2016. Officials said that relationship was started through social media.
Anyone with information that could aid police in their investigation was urged to call detectives with the South Pasadena Police Department at (626) 403-7280.
south pasadenaalhambralos angeles countyarrestmolestationstudent safety
Tito Ortiz apologizes for anti-mask criticism of OC restaurant


text:
Fejér István (Kassa, 1911. április 25. – Budapest, 1976. február 26.) szlovákiai magyar újságíró, lapszerkesztő, színigazgató.

Életpályája
Fejér (Friedmann) Vilmos szemorvos és Weiser Alice fia. Prágában diplomázott. 1934-től Emil Burian D34 nevű színházában dolgozott. 1936-ban a Petőfi Kör egyik alapító tagja volt. 1936–1938 között a Magyar Nap újságírója volt. 1940-ben Magyarországra települt át, de munkásmozgalmi tevékenysége miatt börtönbe került. 1945–1948 között a Munkás Kultúrszövetség egyik vezetője volt. 1948–1951 között a Színház és Mozi című lap; majd 1957 és 1958 között – a jogutód – a Film Színház Muzsika első főszerkesztője volt. Ezt követően, 1958–1967 között a Vidám Színpadot és a Kis Színpadot igazgatta.

Sírja a Farkasréti temetőben található.

Magánélete
Felesége Leidenfrost Georgie (1906–1994) volt, akivel 1941. augusztus 5-én Budapesten, a Józsefvárosban kötött házasságot.

Egy lányuk született: Judith.

Színházi művei
A Színházi Adattárban regisztrált bemutatóinak száma: 43.

 Szoba nincs (1950)
 Most jelent meg (1952)
 Egy marék boldogság (1953)
 Bukfenc (1956–57)
 Irány Caracas (1957)
 Osztályonfelüli kabaré (1957)
 Egyebek és emberek (1958)
 Bekötött szemmel (1958–59)
 A helyzet a következő… (1958)
 120 éven aluliaknak (1959)
 Nemcsak űr ügy (1960)
 Fiatalok és öregek (1961)
 Már egyszer tetszett (1961)
 Fiatalság nem bolondság (1961)
 Ez is csak nálunk lehet (1961)
 Micsoda emberek vannak! (1962)
 Vigyázat, utánozzák! (1962)
 Vidám kínpad (1962)

 Nem félünk a tv-től (1963)
 Ez van! (1964)
 Ez van nyáron (1964)
 Nehéz a választás (1965)
 És mi ebből a tanulság? (1966)
 Made in Hungary (1966)
 Helló, dolcsi! (1967)
 Folytassa, Hacsek! (1968, 1985)
 A kísértet házhoz jön (1969)
 Kolumbusz tojása (1970)
 Kiskapu (1972)
 Pest megér egy viccet (1973)
 Lassan a Pesttel! (1973)
 Mesebeszéd (1974)
 Őfelsége, a nő (1975)
 Lehetünk őszinték? (1976)
 Micsoda cirkusz (1978)
 Idefigyeljenek emberek! (1987)

Művei
 A városi főügyész (1947)
 Álom, álom… (öt kabarétréfa, Hidvéghy Ferenccel és Tabi Lászlóval, 1947)
 Egy marék boldogság (1950)
 Bukfenc (1955)
 Irány Caracas (Kállai Istvánnal, 1957)
 Bekötött szemmel (1958)
 Tudni illik, hogy mi illik (1966)
 Vidám színpad. Lehet valamivel kevesebb? (Jelenetek, Boross Elemérrel, 1967)
 A kísértet házhoz jön (vígjáték, 1972)
 Humor áll a házhoz (kabaréjelenetek, 1973)

Díjai
 József Attila-díj (1958)

Jegyzetek

További információk

 [ Kortárs magyar írók]

Humorlexikon Szerkesztő: Kaposy Miklós (Tarsoly Kiadó - 2001;  )

Szlovákiai magyarok
Magyar újságírók
Színigazgatók
József Attila-díjasok
Kassaiak
1911-ben született személyek
1976-ban elhunyt személyek

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Local artists and craftsmen including jewelers, potters, photographers, weavers and sculptors, will be selling their work and demonstrating from 10am to 4pm.
There will be kid's games ($5 lets you play all day), a pet parade, great food from local restaurants and world-class live entertainment at the Freedom Green. Local non-profit organizations and businesses provide information and offer fun insight into small town life. Free parking and free admission make this a day fit for any budget.
All Day Kids Games and hands-on activities including arts and crafts, pumpkin painting, face painting, and much more.
The Pet Parade is a growing annual attraction at New Freedom Fest and something you and your family will not want to miss! 2:00 PM on the trail in front of the historic New Freedom Train Station. Nothing could be cuter than the Pet Parade benefiting Animal Rescue, Inc. Costumed animals and their owners parade through the entire New Freedom Fest grounds as bystanders snap pictures and exclaim with delight. All species are welcome.
Take a ride on the Steam Into History Civil War train! Old #17 is a faithful replica of the Civil War steam engine that carried Abraham Lincoln to deliver his now famous Gettysburg Address. These same tracks carried Lincoln's funeral train two years later.
For the first time this year, we welcome The Stewartstown Railroad Company. They will be providing transportation from Stewartstown to the New Freedom Fest. Ride the speeders at the Fest, too!
A varied selection of excellent food will be provided for sale from regional restaurants including crab cakes, pit beef, pulled pork, burgers, fries, kettle corn, fancy cookies, ice cream, smoothies and much more. Various soft drink beverages will be available for sale.


More than 100 hopeful dancers showed up to the Celtics Dancers auditions in Boston, but only 26 made on to the final round.Check the scores and read news about your favorite Boston sports teams and players.
Find fresh rotisserie meals at your nearest Boston Market, or order online and reserve hassle free catering with party platters and trays.
The club name is now FC Boston, the girls teams are nicknamed Scorpions.
CiB Boston is part of the international movement of aggressive quad skaters.
Many meetings that were held in an adult dating site turned into brilliant friendships or even marriages.
A dating site should be a pleasant place where single people go to find dates, romantic partners and long-term relationships.Boston University has issued a shelter-in-place order due to a suspect who may have a gun.
Boston Chicks - Online dating is the best solution to find love, it will take only a few minutes to sign up and start chatting, dating with other people.Hockey Night in Boston and our summer hockey tournaments are now in our amazing 45th year and continue to be considered by many College recruiters as one of their most important scouting criterion for evaluating the top underclassmen in the USA.
You will get an opportunity to meet, date and chat with single beautiful women and men.January 2018 - Our signature show features top-caliber comedians from Boston and all around the country. One of the.
I bought this coat from Net-A-Porter in the sales, but I would have loved it even had I paid full price.
John top, Lafayette 148 blouse, Alexander Wang skirt, Dior booties, Dior bag, Dior scarf, Dylanlex necklace.
Boston Girls - Online dating is the best way to meet people for relationship, register on this dating site and start chatting, flirting and meeting with other members.Bill Burr - no reason to hit a woman - how women argue (FULL) from You People are all the Same - Duration: 12:15. mcnyregrus 9,017,769 views.Boston is the capital and most populous municipality of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States.


text:
The oyster's my world
Words and pictures by Paul Oswell
It's hard to fall out of love with western Sweden. What's not to like about the picture-perfect fishing villages, the island hopping and more fresh seafood than you could wave an IKEA-sourced stick at? However, in the spirit of complete honesty, about 48 hours after arriving, reader, I did fall out of love. And I'll tell you something - it was a rough six seconds.
Two days before, setting off by car from central Gothenburg, I was blissfully unaware of the falling-out that lay ahead. I'd heard that during the summer months, the islands and coastal inlets north of the city were a firm favourite with holidaying Swedes, and a healthy amount of seductive sunshine eased the hour's drive north.
Marstrand is one of the most famous towns on the Bohuslän coast, and is renowned for the imposing Carlsten's Fortress, as well as for being a royal playground. It's kind of a low-key, Nordic version of Nice, overlooking the Kattegat, a bay of the North Sea.
The fortress, dating back to the 17th century, was largely used as a jail, and there are tales of barbaric punishments, including the infamous Iron Crown, a horrific full-body manacle on display in the dungeon, as worn by the very naughtiest offenders.
Thoughts of penal torture are quickly dispelled with some harbour-side sophistication, though, which is all chic, bustling street cafes and designer boutiques. You can imagine there's a Swedish celebrity behind every pair of huge sunglasses.
Another hour or so north by car is Fjällbacka, similarly attractive and a favourite spot of an actual real-life Swedish star – Ingrid Bergman. She spent her summers here and a bust of her graces the town square. I was eager to explore the King's Cleft, which, far from being a crime deserving the Iron Crown, was accessible via the steps that lead up to Vetteberget mountain. The cleft is a dramatic rock formation with overhanging boulders, after which you can climb for 20 minutes for some magnificent views across the Fjällbacka archipelago.
In summer, you can take boat trips and seal safaris. I was a month too early for these, so had to endure an enormous steak and early night in my African-themed room at the Stora Hotellet (storahotellet-fjallbacka.se). The next morning I set off for Grebbestad, another coastal enclave about 90 minutes drive further north. I'd had wind of an unusual sporting contest involving seafood, and wanted to witness it first hand.
The harbour here is also quite a classy affair, with unnervingly healthy-looking families sat chatting on terraces, peering over plates piled high with fresh crayfish shells. Grebbestad is rightly famed for its shellfish, and the multitudes milling around Greby's seafood restaurant hinted at something exciting happening inside.
I ventured into one of the large back rooms, through rowdy, cheering crowds to find a long table hosting four large men and a frantic blur of knives and shells. The Nordic Oyster Opening Championship is a hotly contested tournament with chefs from all over Scandinavia competing for the title. They are judged on speed and presentation and, given some of the injuries I witnessed, number of digits left intact.
The contest is symptomatic of the serious local regard for exceedingly fine seafood, with fresh oysters, crayfish, mussels and shrimps all local delicacies. I had heard that one nearby island had semi-legendary oysters, and I headed to the ferry port at Hällevikstrand with a mind to track them down.
Here I caught the ferry to Käringön, a small island some 30 minutes out into the archipelago, which is peppered with tiny rock islands, home to seabirds and seals. As I arrived, my orientation began with some disorientation, courtesy of Swedish pronunciation, as I took a short walking tour of the village with my guide, Agnetha.
'How many people live on Ka-ring-on?' I asked.
'I've no idea,' she replied. I thought this was a bit rich considering she was the guide. Maybe it was her first day. Then she added, 'Where are you talking about?'
'Um... Kor-in-garn?' I answered, trying my luck again.
'You mean... Share-ring-an?'
OK. Käringön is 'share-ing-an'. Obviously.
The answer is around 100, though in the full swing of summer, the population can swell to 3,000, even if most only stay for the day, browsing the local craft shops and sunbathing.
It's a true step back in time. Walking from the harbour up to the lookout tower, you pass rickety red fishing sheds, small outhouses and ramshackle gardens that have changed little since the 19th century. The larger buildings are mostly summer houses, many of which are available for rent when their owners aren't using them.
After checking into my cottage, finding a chilled bottle of wine left in the fridge for me, crayoned pictures by the owners' kids on the door, I sought out the island's famous oyster bar, Karingo (karingo.com).
It's a boutique seafood restaurant by the marina, previous visitors including Prince Albert of Monaco, who enjoyed their signature dining experience of oysters and bubbly; taken in the wood-heated Jacuzzi on the deck, of course. The oysters are freshly farmed just metres away, and three generations of the Hofsten family work here.
There's a slightly tense few seconds if there's a chill in the air as you have dash from the changing rooms, across the deck and into the tub, but there are other diners sharing the experience and it engenders a kind of solidarity.
All of a sudden it's a different world. You know you're onto a good thing when your main concern in life is not knocking your champagne glass into the hot tub. I imagine it's the kind of problem that, say, Kanye West encounters all the time. For me, it's a rare anxiety, but one that I quickly became accustomed to.
Half way through lunch, though, it became my second concern, my new primary concern being the dip I was reluctantly about to take in the still-icy cold waters of the Kattegat.
'It's a tradition!' shouted restaurant owner Camilla, and soon I was even being egged on by my fellow diners, some of whom I knew for a fact were never going to leave the womb-like warmth of the hot tub themselves. So much for solidarity.
For a cowardly Brit, six seconds in near-freezing open sea is a long time, and one that can easily change your perception of a place for the worse. I've never wished for the Mediterranean so hard. As fast as my numb legs would carry me, I was back in the tub, reaching for my champagne. More importantly, with some of Europe's best scenery to marvel at, and another perfect oyster to attend to, I was enamoured with the place once again.
(Click on pictures for larger image)
Full Gallery:


text:
Current: Lecture and Book Signing with Mark Levin - 2013
Lecture and Book Signing with Mark Levin
New York Times Best Selling Author and Conservative Talk Radio Host Mark Levin was at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on September 7, 2013 to discuss and sign copies of his latest book, The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic.
The Liberty Amendments is the long-awaited new book by Mark Levin on how to fix our broken government.
About Mark Levin:
Mark Levin has become one of the hottest properties in Talk radio - his top-rated show on WABC New York is now syndicated nationally by Cumulus Media. He is also one of the top new authors in the conservative political arena.
Mark has been a frequent guest and substitute host on The Sean Hannity Show, and has also been an advisor to Limbaugh, who frequently refers to him on the air with the nickname "F. Lee Levin." He is perhaps more well-known for his nickname, "The Great One," coined by his friend Hannity.
Mark Levin is one of America's preeminent conservative commentators and constitutional lawyers. Levin is also a contributing editor for National Review Online, and writes frequently for other publications. Levin has served as a top advisor to several members of President Ronald Reagan's Cabinet - including as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General of the United States. In 2001, the American Conservative Union named Levin the recipient of the prestigious Ronald Reagan Award. He currently practices law in the private sector, heading up the prestigious Landmark Legal Foundation in Washington DC


I am a multi-award-winning British voice actress, comedian and writer.
I have over 20 years' experience working in every voice medium in the UK, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.
- 1940s radio announcer in the short animated film "The Big Race"
- a recurring role as Major Snootch in the kids' animated series "Monster Pack"
- ADR and looping on the television show "Reign" and the movie "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"
I am your go-to classically trained British voice-over professional. With over 20 years' experience in every medium I bring a high level of expertise to every job. If you want an attractive, luxurious and professional voice, get at me!
My stock-in-trade is RP (standard BBC English) and that's where I do a lot of my work in B2B, industrial, narration and audiobooks. I've won the highest award for radio commercial voice work in Canada (a Gold Crystal), am the AI voice of the computer in the reality television show Panic Button and last year was shortlisted for Best Factual Audiobook and Best Corporate/Explainer at the OneVoice Awards in London.
I'm a professional on-screen dialect coach (Reign, Designated Survivor) and you can call on me for any British accent. You name it - I can do it. My first professional voice gig was playing a 14 year old Cockney prostitute (at the age of 25) for BBC Radio 4's Drama Department and I've played everything from a Glaswegian nanny in commercials to a Brummie alcoholic single mom in television plus everything in-between.
Although I also do on-camera work, theatre and stand-up comedy, voice work is my first and one true love.


E asyEquities is a South African online platform that allows anyone to buy shares in the brands and companies they love. Having had great success at fintech challenges, including the Singapore Fintech Festival, which was entered via KPMG Matchi, EasyEquities spoke to us about how to get the most value from these events.
EasyEquities has been scooping awards locally and internationally, and has also fared well at fintech challenge events. We asked CEO and founder Charles Savage to tell us about the EasyEquities experience and to share some advice for other fintechs and organisations running these types of challenges.
Cyber security is a recent phenomenon. As the world has become more and more digital, so too have its threats. Organisations, particular in the financial services industry, cannot afford to be behind the curve when it comes to developing a cyber security strategy.
The financial sector is a natural target for cyber criminals, and KPMG and Matchi are putting our capabilities to use to assist clients in addressing their cyber security needs.
For example, when a global insurance group needed to ensure it had a robust cyber security strategy to accompany its ongoing major IT and digital transformation projects, KPMG UK was on hand to help.
This article was written by Michael Darnaud, and is based on his direct market research and personal observations, having reached out to over 500 non-profits at Executive Director or CFO level. Michael argues that non-profits (in the USA, specifically) are subject to various misconceptions around their finances and funding. In this piece, he sets out to bust some of these myths.
Non-profit organisations represent over 5% of the US economy and yet most people have several misconceptions about them. In your own experience, you've probably heard things like "it's harder to work with non-profits than with for-profit businesses", "they don't operate efficiently" or "they represent a very small portion of the economy". The reality is quite different.
Radically expand your reach. Work with KPMG in the UK to help solve complex client problems in digital security.
KPMG in the UK is actively looking to work with innovative companies that have leading products and solutions in the Securetech space to address some of the most complex issues facing their clients.
The successful applicants to the Open Banking and PSD2 challenge being hosted by the Polish Banks Association and KPMG Poland have been announced.
These solutions providers, who entered the challenge via KPMG Matchi, have been selected to attend the 2019 Open Banking Day based on their responses to the challenge problem statements.
The Open Day will take place on 7 March in Warsaw, and the tech companies will have the opportunity to present their solutions to decision-makers from Polish banks and insurance companies in one-on-one sessions, as well as enjoying exclusive access to a workshop the day before the event, at which KPMG Poland will present an overview of the Polish banking and insurance ecosystem.
20. Calling all FinTech and InsurTech start-ups!Calling all FinTech and InsurTech start-ups!
24. The 2018 Global Fintech Hackcelerator is open!The 2018 Global Fintech Hackcelerator is open!
27. Mismatched furniture? Hipster. A mismatched experience across channels? Not so cool.Mismatched furniture? Hipster. A mismatched experience across channels? Not so cool.
28. Is Fintech really all about millennials?Is Fintech really all about millennials?
30. Activating Fintech in Twenty Great-Teen! Activating Fintech in Twenty Great-Teen!
55. Collaborating with a Tech Firm? Consider this.Collaborating with a Tech Firm? Consider this.
63. Exhibiting at a fintech conference? We can help you thrive.Exhibiting at a fintech conference? We can help you thrive.
104. Should Banks Use Matchi To Strike Up New Relationships?Should Banks Use Matchi To Strike Up New Relationships?