Australian and Chinese experts in antibiotic resistance meet to focus their attention on one of the biggest threats to global health.
University of Queensland antibiotic resistance researcher Professor Jason Roberts will deliver the keynote address at the Inaugural Queensland Guangdong Clinical Pharmacy and Education Symposium in China.
"This symposium is an important international initiative that will bring together researchers, clinicians, pharmacists and students to create more opportunities for knowledge exchange and research collaboration," Professor Roberts said.
Professor Roberts is Director of UQ's Centre of Research Excellence in Redefining Antimicrobial Use to Reduce Resistance and the Director of the Centre for Translational Anti-infective Pharmacodynamics in the UQ School of Pharmacy.
Symposium director and Head of UQ's School of Pharmacy Professor Peter Little said clinical pharmacy education and practice were critical because of the vital role pharmacists play in reducing the spread of antibiotic resistance.
"Antibiotic resistance is particularly important in China because of past practices with over-use of antibiotics and 'off-label' prescribing," Professor Little said.
"'Off-label' prescribing is when a doctor prescribes a drug that has been approved to treat a condition different from the patient's condition, and it's then the pharmacist's responsibility to dispense the prescription.
More than 150 pharmacists from the Guangdong Province and academics from the Department of Pharmacy at Xinhua College of Sun Yat-sen University are attending the conference to increase their knowledge in antibiotic resistance and apply it to their work.
Professor Little hopes the symposium will lead to student and staff exchange opportunities between symposium partners in Brisbane and China.
"It is exciting to see we have already created exchange opportunities, with Dr Ri-feng Liao from Sen Yat-sen Memorial Hospital visiting the School of Pharmacy and Dr Danielle Kamato from the School of Pharmacy visiting Xinhua College in the next few months," he said.
Symposium partners include UQ's School of Pharmacy, the Princess Alexandra Hospital, the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and Xinhua College of Sun Yat-Sen University.
The symposium has been organised by the Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association through its General Secretary, Professor Zheng.
The Queensland Guangdong Clinical Pharmacy and Education Symposium runs from 26 – 28 May.


Spread crackers or wafers with a small quantity of cheese. Season the cheese with a sprinkling of salt and paprika. Brown the wafers in the oven. When the cheese is melted, the wafers are ready to serve.
If thick crackers are used, they may be split open and the broken surface spread with cheese.


The aims of health and social care integration are to enable people to be full partners in their health and wellbeing and for the care they receive to be high quality, seamless and provided in the most appropriate setting.
Recognition of the importance of integrated care has grown in recent years in response to a greater understanding of the changing demographics of the population with an increasing proportion of older people and also larger numbers of people living with one or more chronic conditions.
With increasing pressures on both social care and health budgets, the integration of care and the provision of health care out of hospital and closer to home wherever possible are seen as important for managing costs and stemming rising spend in these areas.
We are working with the London boroughs, the NHS in London and other partners to augment the scale and pace of health and care integration in London.


text:
Happy New Year from the Coronation Street Blog
Wishing all Coronation Street fans the best ever year in 2014.
Follow Coronation Street Blog on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog and Facebook: CoronationStreetBlog
All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
Labels: new year
Hayley Anne Cropper - This is Your Life
Hayley Anne Cropper (née Hayley Patterson, formerly Harold Patterson) - we are going to miss you. A lot. We know you're going to die and that it will be: "Not today, not tomorrow, but soon" and as we bulk buy our tissues and get ready to wave you off to the cobbles in the sky, let's have a look back at your time on Coronation Street.
Sources: Corrie.net and Wikipedia
When Hayley met Roy
Hayley first appeared on Coronation Street on 26 January 1998 with a job at Firman's Freezers. Hayley became firm friends with Alma Baldwin who tried to pair her off with Curly Watts before Hayley became friends with Roy Cropper. Meetings and dates followed and they became close; it was obviously the first relationship for both of them. After a romantic meal, Hayley decides to trust Roy with her greatest secret.
Although she looked like a normal woman, she was not. She still had to undergo the final operation that would transform her into a complete physical female. Roy was initially horrified and rejected Hayley for a while. Hayley then discovered that her father had left her a sizable amount of money - tens of thousands of pounds! She decided to fulfill her dream and went to Amsterdam for the final part of her treatment, the operation. In a touching farewell scene, they said their goodbyes, and Roy gave Hayley a book about "Automotive Engines", but inside was a beautiful silver locket; a token of his true feelings.
Operation Amsterdam
After her operation, Hayley rented a room on a houseboat in Amsterdam, to recuperate, and wrote Roy a letter. Shortly afterwards she was delighted to find him unexpectedly on her doorstep. After spending a few days together, unsuccessfully trying to find out how they felt about each other, Hayley finally got a sign from Roy that he really cared a great deal for her, when he left behind an engraved watch as a present. As a result, she caught him at the airport and accompanied him back to Weatherfield, to Roy's delight.
Secret's out at Underworld
Hayley then started work at Underworld but when discussing a confusion by the DSS over Hayley's name, Alma accidently told Mike about Hayley's past. He was appalled and unable to come to terms with it, and fired Hayley. When threatened with a possible strike by the factory girls, and constant hostility from Alma over the issue, he relented and rehired her. But Mike's treatment of Hayley was dreadful and Roy wouldn't stand for it, throwing a pint over Mike in the Rovers after he made more nasty remarks about Hayley.
Hayley then moved into the flat above the café with Roy and he proposed to her - but Hayley had to decline, due to the British legal system not allowing transsexual marriages. She then bought Gail's share of the cafe and became Roy's sleeping partner in their new café business - Roy's Rolls on Victoria Street.
Wedding No. 1
With her Great Uncle Bert on hand to give the bride away, Alma as matron of honour and Toyah and Sarah-Lou as bridesmaids, Hayley designed and made her own wedding dress. Roy and Hayley made it to the church, only to be foiled by Les Battersby, who had tipped off the press and was keen to see the wedding plastered over the papers. A distraught Roy and Hayley returned to the cafe, thinking the ceremony a washout. Hayley was truly devastated, but was surprised by Roy when she came down from the cafe to find everyone ready to perform the ceremony there. They were wed on April 23, 1999.
Hayley finally broaches the subject of children with Roy and their foster kids include Wayne Hayes, Jackie Mosely and Fiz Brown.
Hayley's son Christian
Following the death of her aunt Monica in September 2007, Hayley discovers she has an adult son, Christian Gatley. She hires a private investigator to track him down, and eventually introduces herself as his aunt. Hayley finally reveals the truth that she's his mum, Christian doesn't take it well, lashes out and hits Hayley across the face.
Hayley leaves the Street in October 2007 to go on volunteer work in Mozambique for a year.
Return to Weatherfield
Hayley returns from Africa in November 2008 with the secret that she's fallen for Olaf, the project team leader. She decides not to return to Underworld and opts for a new challenge as a social worker. However, her chances are ruined when her police record (for the abduction of foster child Wayne Hayes in 2001), is revealed, ruling her ineligible to work with children. She subsequently continues working in the café and then gets the job of supervisor at Underworld in 2009.
Hayley is held hostage with Carla Connor in Underworld by Tony Gordon. Later that same week, Roy proposes to Hayley, which she accepts.
Such is the popularity of the Croppers, Roy and Hayley star in 2009 in a Coronation Street spin-off DVD Romanian Holiday.
Wedding No 2
The Gender Recognition Act was passed in 2004 and and Roy and Hayley plan their official, legal union for 30 August 2010. In Roy's wedding speech he says: "It is 11 years since we last registered to be married and we were informed that we could not. We have remained still and the world has turned to meet us."
The mother in law
Roy's mum Sylvia arrives for her son's wedding and Tracy Barlow does her worst and blurts that Hayley is transgender. In 2012 Roy and Hayley visit California to visit Sylvia and her companion Milton Fanshaw. Roy returns without Hayley, who stays in the USA caring for an ill Sylvia.
Bad, sad, news...
In 2013, Hayley's told by her doctor that a blockage in her bile duct may be cancer and a CT scan confirms stage-two pancreatic cancer. Hayley decides to make the most of the time she has left and heads to Blackpool with Roy, who makes one of Hayley's dreams come true as they dance at the Tower Ballroom.
Christmas 2013 will be the last Christmas that Hayley and Roy share together.
And now, we face dealing with Hayley's death in January 2014...
Pancreatic Cancer website
Hayley's legacy - sign the petition here
Labels: hayley cropper, newsnow
Take ITV's Corrie year end quiz
ITV have a fun little quiz on their website today with 12 trivia questions from storylines through this year. They're multiple choice and not really that difficult but have a go anyway and let us know what your score is.
Check out the quiz here.
(psst... I got 100%....just sayin')
Posted by Tvor at 14:20 10 comments
Labels: coronation street quiz, newsnow
What makes a good Corrie exit? Now there's a question
The end of another year. I must be getting old as I don't know where the time is going. It's been another action packed year in Weatherfield and I'm sure 2014 promises much of the same. For there are many changes afoot in the new year, mostly involving cast departures. As we reach the end of the year, it seems appropriate to look at some happy (or not so happy) endings.
2014 will see several characters leave Coronation Street. Within the space of a few months we'll lose Hayley, Tina, Dennis, Gloria, Stella and Marcus. One or two I'll be really sad to see go - the rest not so much. I think you will all know my views so I won't specify! All these impending departures have made me wonder whether it is better for well-loved characters to depart quietly in a taxi or in a blaze of glory? I'm sure we'll see a mix of both methods in the months ahead.
We already know that Hayley will have a sad, emotional goodbye while it looks like Tina's departure might spark a "dramatic" whodunnit. Will Stella and Gloria depart in the back of one of Steve's cabs? And what about Dennis and Marcus? Will they leave Weatherfield alone? We recently saw Brian drive out of the street in his van without much ceremony. Earlier this year we lost Sunita in a very explosive manner, however poor Shobna Gulati then had to endure many scenes lying in a hospital bed playing unconscious - hardly the best of both worlds.
I guess at least these actors are lucky, they will get the chance to play out a proper exit storyline, whether it be long or short. Looking back to cast departures in the past, some were not so fortunate. Original characters Annie Walker, Albert Tatlock and Ena Sharples made their final appearances without saying goodbye to the loyal Corrie audience due to the ill health or sad demise of the actors behind these Weatherfield legends. The same fate befell Bert Tilsley due to Peter Dudley's death and Len Fairclough following various revelations about actor Peter Adamson. It will always be a great shame that legendary performers like Doris Speed and Violet Carson were not allowed a final on screen flourish.
So what are my own favourite exits? If we're going for a dramatic demise, it has to be Alan Bradley. The culmination of his long running storyline with our Rita was and is iconic. My two absolute favourites however are much more low key. I just adored Elsie Tanner's farewell in January 1984. Unlike some of her costars at the time, Pat Phoenix was given a well-rounded, thoughtful final curtain. The return of Bill Gregory, one of Elsie's first on screen loves, completed the circle and gave Elsie a fitting, happy goodbye. I still get the shivers whenever I watch her striding down the darkened Coronation Street for the last time, clutching her photos of Dennis and Linda, while famous scenes are hauntingly touched upon in the background.
Finally, who can forget Hilda Ogden's feel-good farewell on Christmas Day 1987? Poor, downtrodden Hilda had spent years scrimping and saving, coping with Stan's lazy work shy attitudes and loving him fiercely all the same. She finally achieved the status she craved when she went off to Derbyshire to take up the position of Dr Lowther's housekeeper. Hilda's final scenes in the Rovers, complete with community singsong, was a warm touching tribute to both the legendary character and also to Jean Alexander who played her so beautifully for 23 years.
So those are my favourite endings. What are yours?
All that remains is for me to wish all our Coronation Street Blog followers, commentators and contributors a very happy and prosperous 2014. Happy New Year!
Posted by Carry On Blogging! at 11:05 13 comments
Labels: alan bradley, corrie, elsie tanner, exits, hilda ogden, newsnow
Spoilers for next week's Coronation Street, January 6 - 10
Without any piffle, here's the storyline for the week ahead on Coronation Street, all wrapped up nicely in 50 words or less.
Week of Monday 6 January - Friday 10 January
Michelle bans sex and wants Steve to have a vasectomy, Carla sacks Beth, Jason softens towards his dad, Tina leaves after Peter choose Carla.
The full weekly preview, with loads of pictures is right here on Corrie.net
Missed last week's Corrie?
Catch up with the Coronation Street Weekly Updates
Coronation Street episode review, Monday 30 December 2013
Rob may perceive himself as the hunk of Weatherfield, but he has serious competition, and anyway, whether he is or not, who wants to see Rob's pants and Rob himself humming and slapping his thighs first thing in the morning? As Deirdre points out, 'I'm a very forgiving person Rob, but this is not a nudist colony.'
Rob offers to wear Ken's kimono but it's not about kimonos – it's more about Rob and Tracy behaving inappropriately and disrespectfully, but they would behave this way, of course they would, they are Rob and Tracy – each one the centre of his/her universe. Quite reasonably, Deirdre does not wish them to parade their sexuality in front of her while she is trying to eat her boiled egg.
Rob, (now fully clothed) who is clearly attracted to Tina, bumps into her and ask her what's up. Thinking it could only be something to do with the kiss they shared a while ago, he mentions that and wonders if that is why she appears down in the dumps. Not so, claims Tina but willingly accepts a lift into town from him. On their return Peter, who happens to be in the right place at the right time, is furious as he witnesses the peck on the cheek between Tina and Rob. Peter storms into Barlow's Bargains and claims he's angry with Rob for his behaviour with Tina, because he's looking out for Tracy. As Rob points out Tracy is only Peter's stepsister, so the blood thicker than water case that Peter is pursuing, doesn't wash.
So Peter has Rob pinned up against the wall when Tracy enters and immediately sides with Rob. Naturally, Peter persists in playing the part of the defending brother but it is clearly his raging jealousy that is the reason he is so ferocious towards Rob. It convinces those around him for now, because Rob and Peter have never got on, so succeeds in shrouding the real reason. 'You have terrible taste in men,' Peter tells Tracy.
Does the terrible taste in men include Steve? In The Rovers the mother of Steve hears Tracy use the word bully. 'Bully? Run in the family does it?' asks Liz. Tracy replies, rather oddly, 'Oh Liz, if looks could kill you'd be choking on your split ends.' OK – an unpleasant comment in essence, but it just seems odd. There's more. Liz accuses Tracy of milking the idea that Rob was attacked and oddly Liz says, 'I'll send round a cow; you can milk that too.' Tracy replies, 'Cows, you'd know about those.'
Clearly the purpose of this exchange is to show the viewer the persistent and ongoing dislike between the ex-mother and daughter- in-law, but both women are verbally sharper and wittier than that exchange shows them to be, and it felt like a disservice to both. So, so important to get the dialogue absolutely right.
Tracy and Rob, after having been overheard by Deirdre, talking about how much cheaper it would be if they could move in with her, make her a meal with all the marrow trimmings. Deidre uses this opportunity to tell them just how much she would like a new plasma screen TV. Why not put the idea into their selfish heads? She might as well get something out of them.
Deirdre's great line tonight, after she had said that Rob and Tracy were like her shadow, was in response to Tracy saying that most parents would be glad of their offspring wanting to spend time with them. 'Most parents don't have offspring like you!' So good! All gone is the 'Oh Tracy, love,' of old.
And now, over to Sophie, editor of The Times, if Sally could have her way. Sophie is going to write a couple of pieces for the Weatherfield Soup Kitchen magazine, all proceeds to charity, but Sally, ever the social climber, sees her younger daughter as the new Janet Street Porter.
Maddie Heath, the handbag thief, ridicules and mocks the idea of Sophie writing for the magazine, asking Sophie exactly what experience she has of living on the streets. As we know, and as Maddie knows, she has none. Taking on the character of Sophie, Maddie says, 'From the comfort of your own centrally heated home…' Sophie stands her ground and tells Maddie that she only wants to help. When Sophie stands up, she asks Maddie if she would like some vinegar. 'What for?' asks Maddie. 'For that chip on your shoulder,' comes the thought-provoking reply. 'When you're in your big comfy bed tonight, think of me won't you?' says Maddie.
Kal is proving to be an excellent addition to the cobbles. He appears as a ball of energy and eager for his clients to do their best, and thus better their lives. He does ask rather a lot of questions though as Leanne discovered, some of them perhaps a bit too personal, but Leanne has no problem telling him to keep his nose out. He asks several probing questions but is very circumspect when it comes to himself and his own personal life. Here's hoping for some revelations soon.
So Leanne has gone to live with Stella for a while and Stella thinks this is a good idea. Gail is less sure though and maybe feels Nick is being abandoned. Still, Gail has her Alpine Meadow shower gel as consolation and must be pleased that Nick is cutting down his working hours.
Tonight's star performance came from the brilliant Alison King, playing Carla. When Hayley said that a few close friends would have to be told just how close to death she is, she wanted Carla to be included. Dutifully Roy calls at Carla's, totally unprepared for Carla's reaction. 'She doesn't want any visitors,' says a hapless Roy to which Carla replies, 'Come on Roy,'and off they go to see Hayley. At the upstairs door in the café, Roy becomes more assertive, but he's no match for Carla and into the bedroom she goes.
With such sincerity and genuine friendship, Carla tells Hayley that though she cannot see them, all her friends are there with her. 'If you can't see us, we're there.' It is an unexpected, unusual friendship in that on the surface, at least, Hayley and Carla are two very different women. Each, though, recognises the other's worth and it is a scene so sweet to see Carla and Hayley hugging each other and crying.
Hayley's fear of death is evident and each of us must relate to her in thinking of our own mortality. 'You've touched so many lives,' Carla says, whereas she feels she has touched many pay packets. The fear Hayley expresses is raw and terrifying and she hates that she cannot carry on, rather like the time Hayley and her mum got stuck on a chairlift going down to the beach and her mother was petrified.
What was so brilliant about the Carla, Roy and Hayley scene was the writing got it just right. When asked by Roy if she took sugar, Carla, jokingly affronted, asks him, 'Do I look like I take sugar?' Just the right amount of levity, so deftly done.
Meanwhile Tina and Peter give in to their desire for each other, and somehow, it seems all the more 'wrong' (trying to avoid moralizing) that Carla is sobbing with her friend while her husband of just a few weeks, decides to betray her.
'What've we done?' asks Tina. 'Something rather beautiful,' says Peter, plumbing the depths of the cliché.
Roy's bag pulls them up sharp though. As Roy explained, life without his notebook is tricky. He reclaims it, within its bag and Peter virtually shoves him down the stairs.
The final scene of Tina, alone and crying and silent speaks more eloquently than a thousand words.
Posted by Ruth owen at 23:39 14 comments
Michelle Keegan in All Star Family Fortunes
Coronation Street's Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre) takes on chef and 2009 King of the Jungle Gino D'Acampo in All Star Family Fortunes on ITV1 on New Year's Eve at 12 noon.
It's a repeat of the show from October 2010, but we're blogging it incase you missed it the first time around and would like to watch it this time.
The pair team up with their relatives to guess the answers to surveys of 100 people in a bid to win up to £30,000 for a charity of their choice. Vernon Kay hosts.
Labels: michelle keegan, newsnow, tina mcintyre
Favourite Corrie couples countdown - tenth poll
Hello all! Now, I hope you've voted in the eighth poll of ten because that is now officially closed. But you have until midnight next Monday to vote for two of your favourite couples in the ninth poll.
So, who's in our final poll?
Sophie Webster and Sian Powers (2010-2011) – Corrie's first lesbian couple. When Sophie first kissed her, Sian was confused. After a brief time away from the street, Sian returned and they became a proper couple, but in secret. Eventually, Ryan finds out. Soon after, the girls tell Kevin and Sally that they love each other. They have an on/off relationship which includes Sophie accusing Sian of having an affair while Amber Kalirai also plots to split the two. They planned to marry but then Sophie's doubts about her feelings towards Sian ends their relationship and Sian leaves her.
Danny and Frankie Baldwin (2004-2005) – When they arrived, Frankie had already cheated on Danny while Danny enjoyed a fling with Sunita. While Danny became a business partner at the factory, Frankie got a job in the café. In 2005, Danny had an affair with son Jamie's girlfriend Leanne and Frankie kicked him out. When his relationship with Leanne soured, he tried to win back Frankie but was shocked that she was now with Jamie, her stepson. Failing to cope, he sold the factory and left.
Kirk Sutherland and Beth Tinker (2012- ) – This relationship began when Kirk chauffeured Beth to meet her online date. However, the date didn't work out and Beth realised that Kirk was the man for her. Since then they've been in a relationship and Kirk has become a father figure to Beth's son Craig.
Martin Platt and Gail Tilsley/Platt (1989-2001) – Although they'd been friends for a few years, it wasn't until Brian's death that they became close. To Ivy's annoyance, the relationship developed and in 1990, Gail gave birth to David. They married in 1991. In 1993, the marriage was tested when they hired Carmel Finnan as a nanny. She was obsessed with Martin and tried to split the Platts up, but Gail sent her packing. As Martin was ten years Gail's junior, Martin was tempted by other women and had an affair with Cathy Power in 1994. Gail forgave him but wasn't as forgiving when he had another affair with Rebecca Hopkins in 2000. They divorced in 2001 and Martin was genuinely happy when Gail remarried Richard in 2002.
Stan and Hilda Ogden (1964-1984) – This classic Corrie couple were a part of the nation's fabric for 20 years and we witnessed their highs and lows. Despite a backstory of Stan's neglect and abuse towards Hilda and the kids, by the 1970s they had established themselves as the key to comedy on the cobbles. They, with their flying ducks and 'muriel', had become TV icons. Stan was a layabout while Hilda worked day and night to bring in the money, cleaning The Rovers and various houses and was also the chief gossip on the street, although she didn't like being gossiped about. Although they bickered, they loved each other and were married for 40 years. Despite being the street's cast-offs, it didn't stop them mingling with the neighbours. By the early 1980s, Stan's health was failing and he died in 1984, leaving a heartbroken Hilda alone.
Have you got favourites in this five? Well, vote for two of them and we'll see where they'll be in the countdown! The poll closes at midnight on Monday, 13th January.
Who's your favourite couple? (Choose 2)
Posted by Llifon at 07:30 4 comments
Labels: beth tinker, corrie couples, danny baldwin, frankie baldwin, gail platt, hilda ogden, kirk sutherland, martin platt, poll, sian powers, sophie webster, stan ogden
Preview of tonight's double Corrie - Monday 30 December
MONDAY 30TH DECEMBER 2013 at 7.30pm
PETER AND TINA PLAY WITH FIRE Agreeing to leave their kiss behind them, Tina gives Rob a friendly peck on the cheek. Peter spots them and later tackles Rob, claiming he is looking out for Tracy. When oblivious Rob accuses him of fancying the babysitter, Peter thumps Rob. But when Tina storms round to Pater's flat to confront him about the punch, will they be able to resist their passion any longer?
DEVASTATED HAYLEY HIDES FROM THE WORLD Hayley can't face telling people she only has weeks to live and asks Roy to tell her friends instead. A heartbroken Roy breaks the tragic news to Anna, Fiz and Tyrone and asks Carla to visit Hayley but then Roy realises he's left his shopping bag at Carla's…
NICK'S DETERMINED TO GET BACK ON TRACK Determined to return to his former self, Nick starts his first training session with Kal. Leanne's encouraged to see Nick so upbeat.
ELSEWHERE Maddie scoffs at Sophie when she tells her she will be writing for their new magazine and Tracy wants Rob to move into No. 1.
MONDAY 30TH DECEMBER 2013 at 8.30pmPETER AND TINA'S PASSION ERUPTS Peter and Tina get carried away as they tear at each other's clothes but panic when they hear Roy coming up the stairs. Scrambling to get her clothes on, Tina hides in the bedroom but will Roy have caught them in the act?
CARLA'S REALITY CHECK GIVES HAYLEY PERSPECTIVE Having told Roy that she doesn't want to see anyone,Hayley's shocked when Carla barges into her bedroom. However, she's soon cheered up as Carla chats away to her and decides she's needs to have a no-nonsense conversation with Roy about her death. But is this something Roy wants to talk about?
NICK COPES IN LEANNE'S ABSENCE Gail worries Nick will struggle now Leanne's moved out but Stella defends her daughter's decision and Nick's determined to protect Leanne until he recovers.
ELSEWHERE Sally's pleased that Sophie is branching out into journalism and Tracy tries to butter up Deirdre but receives short shrift.
Labels: coronation street preview, nwesnow
Coronation Street weekly updates 2013, available for Kindle
If you're a fan of my Coronation Street weekly updates - which have been going strong since 1995 - then you'll be happy to hear that all of my 2013 Corrie weekly updates are now available for Kindle.
2013 Corrie weekly updates for Kindle. Buy it here. Or if you're in the UK, here.
Unofficial Coronation Street weekly updates from 1995 to 2013
19 years in 19 lovely, fan written, e-books
All the wit and warmth of Weatherfield, none of the waffle
Written by Coronation Street Blog editor, Flaming Nora.
Available from amazon.co.uk and amazon.com
Labels: coronation street weekly update, kindle, newsnow
Pic: Coronation Street's Jimi Mistry weds Flavia Cacace
Many congratulations go to Coronation Street newcomer Jimi Mistry, who plays Kal, as he's just been married to his fiancee, the Strictly Come Dancing dancer Flavia Cacace. Both Jimi and Flavia have posted the picture below to twitter today with the same message: "Had the most amazing day with family & friends @StPancrasRen ❤xxx"
Flavia has also updated her name on her twitter account from Flavia Cacace to Flavia Cacace-Mistry.
Congratulations from all of us here at the Coronation Street Blog.
Labels: jimi mistry, Kal/Khalid, newsnow
Corrie weekly awards for December 22 - 27
Fashion flare: Tyrone's sweater. Loved it!
Fashion shout outs: Norris' snorkel anorak. Might be appropriate for Canada's winters but probably overkill for Weatherfield. Lloyd's got a snowflake jumper as well. Michelle's new green top really was nice.
Tradition award: The McDonald Christmas dinner sounds dire. Nobody likes anything but they'll choke it down because it's tradition.
Cat's out of the bag award: Kylie's at it again.
Hypocrite award: Peter nobbing on to Tina about Rob not being available. Pot? Kettle?
Dad of the year award (tarnished): Tim handed Faye cash right out of his wallet on the day. She didn't even get a card to put it in.
If looks could kill award: Liz and Michelle, after meeting Andrea.
Bromance award: Tyrone and Jason! Love that the writers have finally remembered that they're good mates.
Pants on Fire: Steve made out he found Michelle's top when Andrea actually picked it out.
One Hit Wonder award: Leanne said she'd always leave if anyone hit her just once. Now she knows it's not as simple as all that, under these circumstances.
Sourpuss award aka Who peed in your cornflakes? Michelle
Lines of the week:
Hayley to Roy: "Stop being so Bah Humbug about everything. It's Christmas with friends and family and if that includes a visit to a fat man with a white beard then so be it!"
Rita about Dennis: "I just hope now he's got it out of his system" (I think this is just the beginning)
Anna: "It's one thing being his front man but I don't want you being his fall guy"
Gail about Kylie: "She made her sister look like Kate Middleton" and "She's not fit for purpose" and to David "And I thought *you* were bad" (Oh come now, she's nowhere near as bad as David was!)
Kylie: "You're all frightened of the truth"
Kylie: "Listen to you all, purer than the driven snow!"
Peter: "I've already got a wife, I don't need you being in a mood with me as well"
Peter: "World's over rated"
Jason: "Does Santa have a wife?" (of course. Mrs. Claus is legendary!)
Deirdre :"Heat kills germs. Just watch out for the teeth marks, we'll just have to carve round them!"
Rob to Lloyd re the jumper: "Respect for the knitwear, mate!"
Rob about Deirdre: "She's making a halo out of mistletoe" Steve "Oohhhh that's someone that could make mistletoe into a weapon of mass destruction"
Mary after singing an inappropriate carol: "Why didn't I go for Bing?"
Deirdre: "Come to Deirdre" (shudder)
Hayley: "I want to book it before we go while I still believe I can (go)"
Nick:"You don't want to upset the Beast of Weatherfield"
Leanne to Kylie: "Don't let your temper or your pride make the wrong call. Trust me. I speak from bitter experience" (and she does)
Posted by Tvor at 13:15 5 comments
Labels: newsnow, weekly awards
Coronation Street double episode review, Friday 27 December 2013
Leanne is unhappy at Nick's decision to tell Norris the truth about her injury. With Gloria and Stella afraid to leave her alone with him, Nick agrees that nobody can be sure he won't hurt her again, not least himself. He suggests he move out, but they agree that Leanne will move in with Stella instead.
Fresh from the slammer, Kylie apologises to Tina, but after overhearing Max tell David he'd rather play than look for her, she spends the day wandering. As she argues with Anna in the café, she gets a powerful dose of perspective from Hayley who demands to know what she wants from life. "If it's a cry for attention, then take it from me, nobody cares" she tells her, and reminds her of how blessed she is. "I could weep", Hayley cries, at the time she has wasted. The fact that this seems to have had little impact on Kylie makes her intensely less likeable. When she finally goes home, she tells David she doesn't give a toss if he stays or goes.
Jealous Michelle looks on as Andrea wows the lads with her darting skills at the Rovers. Andrea's lovely personality makes Steve's worse half come across even more repellent than she has in recent times. She knows Michelle doesn't like her despite Steve trying to convince her otherwise.
Even though Maddie admits to stealing Sally's bag, Sophie irritatingly tells her incredulous mother to give her a break. Tardy Tim's bargain chocolates fail to appease Sally who remarks, "Christmas just gets better".
While everyone in Weatherfield has a wish, Hayley's is the simplest of all, and puts the rest in perspective; to see daffodils blooming in spring. "The things my brain is dredging up these days" she tells Roy. It's poignant that the most beautiful and ultimately important thoughts are buried in favour of those which are inane or insignificant in the wider scheme of things, and we feel privileged to witness Roy reading Wordsworth's poem to her. After a perfect Christmas, she runs to the window, childlike, in the hope that the snowmen are still standing, but the symbols of her and Roy's togetherness, have sadly disappeared.
She wants to book a trip where there are dancing flowers, "tossing their heads in a spritely dance", and the simplicity of such a wish, and the ease of its achievement for others, inspires reflection. Despite her optimism, Hayley and Roy are sadly told she only has weeks to live. The measure of her character is found in the dignity of her response, and the heartbreaking humbleness of her parting words at the doctor's office; "we've taken up enough of your time."
Christmas becomes a metaphor for life as she observes, "Pity it has to end. I suppose if it went on forever it wouldn't be so special. We wouldn't cherish it so much. Still, it's not twelfth night yet". She insists on going to the pantomime, but breaks down in the lobby. Roy, a pillar of strength for her throughout, takes her home. As her anger comes to the fore, first with Kylie, and then in the apartment as she knocks the Christmas tree to the ground, she offers a dark commentary on the futility of life's concerns; "The stuff that's supposed to matter, it's just all of us whistling in the dark so loud you can't think, you can't stop, just keep treading water until you can't and then it's like you were never here in the first place". Roy reminds her of how much she's loved, and she dissolves in his arms as she cries, "I'm not even 50, it's not fair, I'm not ready". It's an extremely powerful scene with tremendous performances from Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson, and a wonderful script by Chris Fewtrell.
As the tears subside and the tree is restored, a calm Hayley reneges on what she considers harsh words, and tells Roy that loving him has made her life worthwhile. Roy, with his relatively new found and sublime ability to articulate his feelings, tells her "you have turned an apology of an existence into a life fuller and more joyous than I could ever hope" and cites her as his reason to believe in angels. Hayley painfully describes how she could drown out the ticking clock up to now, and breaks down when she tells how every heartbeat is taking her further away from Roy and everything she knows. Roy's words are themselves poetry as he assures her, "I'll always be here at your side. It's the only place I can be, where I've ever belonged. We shall face this together."
Such scenes are demonstrative of Coronation Street at its very best. Characters such as Hayley and Roy are sadly not often found on our television screens, and this episode shows their immeasurable value, and clear need for them. Hayley, the embodiment of honesty, goodness, integrity and kindness, speaks of her heart, each beat of which not only brings her closer to her departure from Roy, but from our lives too, and she will leave a huge void that must be filled if this heart is to continue beating at the core of the street.
By Emma Hynes
www.emmahynes.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ELHynes
Posted by Emma Hynes at 16:18 11 comments
Coronation Street Blog's best bits of 2013
As we head towards the end of this year, it's time to take stock and blow our own trumpet with our achievements from the Coronation Street Blog during 2013.
Our blog team is invited by ITV to a VIP tour of the Coronation Street set.
Our blogger Kathryn reported from ITV's press launch for Tyrone and Kirsty's wedding
The Daily Mirror use one of our original blog posts and give us a credit and link, after I point out they've used our work word-for-word.
We attend Corrie fan event Corriefest in Manchester
We join and help promote the Free Tyrone campaign online
We support Corrie's carbon monoxide poisoning storyline by offering free carbon monoxide detectors to fans
We're featured in the Daily Express magazine talking about Becky McDonald
Exclusive interview with Rapid Fire Cover, the people who set the Rovers Return on fire.
We're given first exclusive pictures of the Coronation Street sponsor meerkats
We're given the first official pictures of Corrie's new set at Media City, exclusively by ITV.
We're given the first exclusive pictures of Amanda Barrie in pantomime
Our Top 5 Rovers Return moments are included on the official Coronation Street website at itv.com/corrie
Our blogger Graeme (pictured above in the Rovers) went on a very special visit to ITV to interview some of the cast - read part 1 and part 2
Our blogger Llifon's polls to find Corrie fans' favourite accessory makes news in the local press, and in The Star
We're given the fist pictures of the new Rovers Return after the fire
ITV ask for our help to find Coronation Street finds for a screening of Surprise Surprise
We donate to charity in exchange for a VIP interview with DJ and radio presenter Jonny Mac
Exclusive interview with Edna Walker, the original Coronation Street wardrobe lady
Our blogger Stevie's dog featured on ITV's This Morning as a Corrie look-a-like
We donate to charity in exchange for interview with Ian Kershaw - TV writer and husband of Corrie's Julie Hesmondhalgh.
Exclusive interview with the stunt men behind the Coronation Street van crash, Rapid Fire Cover.
Our blogger Scott meets and interviews Corrie's Liz McDonald, actor Beverley Callard
Our bloggers Flaming Nora and Sunny Jim are invited by ITV to Blackpool for a Coronation Street day out, with a difference.
We interview Coronation Street Story Associate Furquan Akhtar
We attend the launch of the brand new Coronation Street set
Our blogger Graeme meets and interviews Corrie's Hayley, actress Julie Hesmondhalgh
Our blogger Tvor meets and interviews Corrie's Rob, actor Marc Baylis, in Canada
Our blogger LV interviews Corrie's Curly Watts, actor Kevin Kennedy
Our blogger Ruth meets and interviews Corrie's Todd, actor Bruno Langley
We interview the Coronation Street Casting Director, Janet Hampson
Our blogger Ruth meets and interviews Corrie's Andrea, actress Hayley Tamaddon
Our blogger Ruth meets and interviews Corrie's Kal, actor Kimi Mistry
Find out more about the Coronation Street Blog.
In addition to all of the above, our stats have gone sky-high and continue to rise.
We remain the only Coronation Street fan site to offer exclusive news, reviews and competitions and are very proud indeed of all we achieve. We also now run the fan website www.corrie.net
It's a team effort and with a great team of Corrie fans and writers, we have been able to produce some of the best quality, funniest, most incisive comment on Coronation Street anywhere in the world - online, offline, in print and in press.
Onwards to 2014!
See also: Coronation Street Blog's best bits of 2012
Labels: 2013 review, newsnow
Corrie fans vote to see Fat Brenda on screen
Earlier this month we ran a poll to ask Coronation Street fans which unseen Corrie character they would most like to see turn up on the soap.
The results are in. 298 votes were counted and the results are as follows.
Which unseen Corrie character should we see?
Fat Brenda won with a whopping 252 votes, or 84.56%
Little Shane Dooley, the paper boy came second with 20 votes, or 6.71%
Big Garth off the market was in third place with 10 votes, or 3.36%
Omar from the fridge shop was in joint fourth place with Nobby and Nolene off the market who scored 8 votes each, or 2.68%
Labels: fat brenda, newsnow
Review: Coronation Street 2013 - deaths, births, snogs and Blackpool
Relive the Coronation Street year of 2013 through our fun, fan blog posts.
What were your own highs and lows of Corrie this year?
Find out what happened this year in:
January 2013, February 2013, March 2013, April 2013, May 2013, June 2013, July 2013, August 2013, September 2013, October 2013, November 2013, December 2013
Fancy a Cab, Pop Pickers?
BBC Four's fine repeats of Top of the Pops from 1978 reached their climax over the festive season with the Christmas edition.
Fascinatingly, it turns out that before he was a DJ and box opening cosmic orderer, Noel Edmonds used to work in StreetCars. He presented the whole episode from what looked suspiciously like Fat Brenda's lair.
Sadly, there was no appearance by Bren's beloved Cliff. Which was probably for the best.
Posted by Scott Willison at 14:43 0 comments
Labels: newsnow, streetcars
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Coronation Street review - December 2013
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Steve and Michelle in Corrie baby story shocker
Coronation Street spoilers for the New Year
Tonight: Coronation Street team in All Star Family...
Coronation Street wins Christmas Day soap ratings war
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Coronation Street episode review, Wednesday 25 Dec...
My thoughts on Christmas Corrie
Fat Brenda's Queen's Speech An' That!
Merry Christmas from the Coronation Street Blog
Corrie Christmas Countdown - Day 24
When's Coronation Street on over Christmas? - Full...
Preview of Christmas Day Coronation Street - one h...
Coronation Street double episode review, Monday 23...
New Corrie character - meet Maddie Heath
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Coronation Street episode review, Sunday 22 Decemb...
Favourite Corrie couples countdown - ninth poll
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Dennis Tanner to have affair with Gloria Price
Coronation Street episode review, Friday 20 Decemb...
Pics: Behind-the-scenes at Weatherfield fire station
Goodbye Granada from the production crew
Coronation Street review - November 2013
Fab Photo Friday - December 20th 2013
Tonight: Coronation Street cast sing for Text Santa
Vote: Which unseen Corrie character would you most...
Coronation Street review - October 2013
Corrie's senior writer: "We had no choice but to k...
What's happened to the women of Weatherfield?
Coronation Street Blog interviews the Corrie Casti...
Jack P. Shepherd and partner have a new baby
Coronation Street review - September 2013
Coronation Street in top three most Googled TV sho...
Coronation Street review - August 2013
Spoilers for Coronation Street Christmas, Dec 22 - 27
Today: Simon Gregson stars in Show Me The Telly
Introducing Andrea played by Hayley Tamaddon
WIN! Coronation Street set tour
Eva Price vs Bet Lynch
Coronation Street review - July 2013
Stella Cartography
Preview of tonight's double Coronation Street - Mo...
Favourite Corrie couples countdown - eighth poll
Stories that shine light on a dimly lit Coronation...
Sophie Webster's new girlfriend revealed
Does Corrie make the most of its senior cast members?
Voting now open - Conversation Street Awards 2013
Dennis Tanner to leave Coronation Street next year
Corrie weekly awards for December 6 - 13
Winners announced in our Coronation Street competi...
Where's your favourite table at Roy's Rolls?
Coronation Street review - June 2013
Coronation Street Weekly Update - our favourite ta...
Coronation Street review - May 2013
Last chance to enter! WIN! Coronation Street goodies

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Nederlands English (US) русский язык Español (AR)
Chile top court ratifies closure of Canadian-owned Pascua Lama project
In 2018, Chilean authorities ordered the "total and definitive" closure of Pascua-Lama on their side of the border over environmental issues
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Chile's Supreme Court on Thursday ratified the definitive closure of Canada-based Barrick Gold's controversial $8.5 billion Pascua Lama gold and copper mining project, previously ordered to shutter by the country's environmental regulator in 2018.
The Andean site along the border between Chile and Argentina was the subject of an extensive legal dispute, leading the firm to halt operations before opening due to increased costs and criticisms from shareholders.
The court upheld the three charges from the environmental regulator, despite Barrick's allegations the regulator had acted outside of its powers, it said in its ruling.
The country's environmental regulator had said the project damaged native flora and fauna, did not fully monitor melting rates of nearby glaciers and dumped acidic waters into a local river.
Barrick appealed the 2018 ruling, though in 2020 an environmental court affirmed the decision, which included a fine of more than 7 billion pesos ($6.72 million).
Environmental organizations and local communities had strongly opposed the project, located in Chile's Atacama region, on the grounds that it reduced the availability of water in the area and impacted nearby glaciers.
(By Fabian Cambero and Kylie Madry; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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Hundreds of hectares of pristine rainforest destroyed by illegal mining in Venezuela
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Size: approx. 4.7" x 6.7" approximately. 88 blank sheets - 176 pages.
Has a rigid handmade paper cover with elastic enclosure.
As each one is unique, the picture is not an exact representation, but close.
Unique, nature inspired designs for the discerning, environmentally responsible individuals. This is handcrafted by a small organization made up of mostly women in South India with a commitment to creating ecologically sound products. It takes about 3 days from the process of collecting leaves, flowers, pods, etc. to the final calendaring of nature's designs and yield a sheet of paper. This paper is stronger, more beautiful than industrial papers, offers a great variety in texture and color depending on the combination of fibers used. The paper is made from cotton rags and vegetal fibers, does not require felling of trees. No endangered vegetal fibers are used to create this product.
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Hadrosaurs were a group of plant eating dinosaurs that lived along waterways of forested coastal plains and bald cypress swamps. These dinosaurs like Hypacrosaurus, Corythosaurus, and Edmontosaurus lived in this semi-tropical environment in what is now Alberta during the Cretaceous time period.
Tooth comes packaged, and includes an educational card.
SKU: KF30. Categories: Dinosaurs, Educational Kits.
Hadrosaurs are called duck-billed dinosaurs for a good reason, the front of the skull and lower jaws in these ancient extinct reptiles are elongated and broadened to form a "beak" shaped like the bill of a duck. The "beak" is boneless but was covered with a hard, horny sheath so the animal could shovel about sorting its food.
The teeth of Hadrosaur dinosaurs are quite remarkable, there is a battery of overlapping and inter-braced on each jaw, and two batteries on either side of the skull. Each tooth is prism shaped, and arranged in alternating rows and tightly pressed together forming a pavement of teeth.


The choice of your Beverly Hills dentist, is an important decision for the ongoing health and care of your family's teeth. A visit to the dentist can be quite scary for younger children, and not many adults like it either! If you choose the best Beverly Hills dentist then your children will feel secure and you will have confidence in your family oral healthcare.
When Does My Child Need To Visit A Beverly Hills Dentist?
When you are making the choice of Beverly Hills dentist, you will want to make sure that their first ever visit to a dentist does not fill them with fear. A painless experience will ensure that your children do not have any negative feelings towards dentists and visiting a dentist. You should allow your children to get used to visiting your Beverly Hills dentist from the moment that they are able to brush their teeth by themselves. Exposing your children to the value of good dental care will set the patterns for the rest of their lives.
When you are looking for a Beverly Hills dentist try to find a dental practice that has experience in treating children. Even if there is no dental work to be done on the first visits, it will get your children used to visiting the dentist on a regular basis.
There is some debate about the use of orthodontist for young children. A good Beverly Hills dentist will never force you into having a procedure done on a young child unless it is necessary. Your Beverly Hills dentist will advise you fully on the type of treatment that is needed, the length of the treatment, and the cost of dentistry before you start. If you choose the right Beverly Hills dentist, your children will always be treated with compassion and care. Visiting the dentist should not be a time for tears. A great dentist will always take care to never frighten or intimidate your children; making a visit to the dentist a trip to look forward to and not to be scared of.
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Pay special attention to your family dental health with regular visits to a Beverly Hills dentist. Contact Cosmetic-dentistry.com for information about your child's oral health care.


text:
var React = require('react');
var ReactPropTypes = React.PropTypes;

var ENTER_KEY_CODE = 13;

var ChatLogin = React.createClass({

    propTypes: {
        id: ReactPropTypes.string,
        onSave: ReactPropTypes.func.isRequired,
        value: ReactPropTypes.string,
        room: ReactPropTypes.string.isRequired
    },

    getInitialState: function() {
        return {
            value: this.props.value || ''
        };
    },

    /**
     * @return {object}
     */
    render: function() /*object*/ {
        return (

Log-in to chat room "{this.props.room}"

                                    <input
                                        id={this.props.id}
                                        placeholder="Enter your name..."
                                        onChange={this._onChange}
                                        onKeyDown={this._onKeyDown}
                                        value={this.state.value}
                                        autoFocus={true}
                                    />
                                    <button className="ui icon button" onClick={this._onClick}>

                                    </button>

        );
    },

    /**
     * Invokes the callback passed in as onSave, allowing this component to be
     * used in different ways.
     */
    _save: function() {
        console.log('ChatLogin::_save');
        this.props.onSave(this.state.value);
        this.setState({
            value: ''
        });
    },

    /**
     * @param {object} event
     */
    _onChange: function(/*object*/ event) {
        this.setState({
            value: event.target.value
        });
    },

    /**
     * @param  {object} event
     */
    _onKeyDown: function(event) {
        if (event.keyCode === ENTER_KEY_CODE) {
            console.log('ChatLogin::_onKeyDown');
            console.log('Enter key pressed');
            this._save();
        }
    },

    /**
     * @param  {object} event
     */
    _onClick: function(event) {
        console.log('ChatLogin::_onClick');
        this._save();
    }

});

module.exports = ChatLogin;


The Lipsy Luxe Damask Champagne Metallic Glitter Wallpaper is a great way to add both warmth and sparkle to your home this season. This delightful wallpaper is from designer wallpaper brand Lipsy and is sure to make a welcome addition to any room. The wallpaper is textured vinyl and features a classic damask design. It is brought to life in a stunning champagne colour scheme and given a metallic glitter finish for a stylish look.
The Lipsy Luxe Damask Champagne Metallic Glitter Wallpaper is suitable for use throughout a room. A great choice for updating a living room or master bedroom.


text:
Eric Shorey
Photo via Instagram @word.agency
Forever 21 Was Selling A Shirt That Ripped Off A Design From A Planned Parenthood Benefit
Forever 21 has already removed the designs from stores
Forever 21 has faced an ongoing series of complaints from independent and big-name designers (including Rihanna!) alike, who have all caught the fast-fashion company mopping designs for their own purposes at often lower price-points. The latest company to spot a stolen style is Los Angeles-based public relations agency WORD, who noted the striking similarities between a T-shirt being sold by the retail chain and a design they created to benefit Planned Parenthood.
"We were just so utterly confused," said Angela Carrasco, who co-founded WORD with Zoila Darton. They discovered the shirt (which has been on sale since July) after a customer tipped them off to the similarities. "We were trying to retrace our steps like who could we have shown this to?"
"Maybe they want to capitalize off of feminism," Darton said. "But feminism is not new to me, it's something that I really believe, so to see it being co-opted this way is shocking."
The company posted a side-by-side of their design with the lifted look on Instagram:
"We created this shirt as a way to unite women," Darton added. "Whoever went and lifted this didn't do any research, or maybe they did and they just don't care."
"It's crazy, and this might sound corny, but this shirt was birthed out of pain," Carrasco concurred. "We wake up every morning [thinking] what right has been taken from [us] today? So this was our answer."
The two are considering taking legal action against Forever 21. The company has since responded to the situation with the following statement: "The shirt in question was bought from a third party source. As soon as Forever 21 was alerted to the issue, we respectfully removed it from our website. Because this product did not have trademark or IP protections, there were no red flags raised at the time of purchase."
It's unclear how many orders of the stolen design Forever 21 sold before removing the product from stores.
"Forever 21, if you're reading this, please donate the money you've made off of this shirt to Planned Parenthood," Darton pleaded. "Because that's what this was all about."
You can buy the original shirt design, with 25 percent of each sale going to Planned Parenthood, here. You can also donate directly to Planned Parenthood over here.


ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- Within three days of notification, a LOGCAP lead team was in Puerto Rico following the worst recorded hurricane to hit the Caribbean island.
The Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, better known as LOGCAP, supported U.S. Army North in what was dubbed the "Hurricane Maria Relief Efforts."
The damage there has been estimated at $102 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Aon Benfield, a world-leading reinsurance intermediary and full-service capital adviser headquartered in London.
Hurricane Maria hit the unincorporated U.S. territory of 3.4 million people as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 20 causing catastrophic damage to infrastructure and the environment including mountains, waterfalls and the El Yunque tropical rainforest.
USARNORTH, a joint force land component command responsible for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio -- Fort Sam Houston, Texas, requested LOGCAP provide base camps within seven days of arrival and full operational capabilities within 10 days, explained Garry Carter, LOGCAP director, Policy and Programs, Acquisition Integration and Management Center, ASC.
LOGCAP is administered by the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, headquartered here. ASC's mission is to integrate and synchronize the delivery of logistical capabilities and enablers at the operational and tactical points of need around the world.
LOGCAP is the U.S. Army's premier capability to support global contingencies. This is achieved by leveraging corporate assets to augment current and programmed sustainment force structure.
In this relief effort, LOGCAP deployed, constructed and provided turnkey base camps and services to support Title 10, Title 32, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and were first responders in Puerto Rico from the U.S.
Title 10 outlines the role of active-duty armed forces in the U.S. Code. It provides the legal basis for the roles, missions and organization of each of the services as well as the Department of Defense. Title 32 outlines the role of the National Guard.
Camp services include billeting, food service, shower/latrine facilities, water, power generation and self-service laundry capabilities.
"We also provided support to the EMEDS hospital constructed as part of the camp providing patient food, medical laundry, fuel and water to sustain the hospital and billeted a 137 pax [person] Air Force medical unit," Carter said. "The EMED provided medical care to the local populations while hospitals were undergoing repairs."
EMEDS is the Expeditionary Medical Support System -- a modular field hospital system developed by the U.S. military for mobile deployment of medical treatment facilities in any location.
Carter and many other people were already in various stages of planning support to hurricane-stricken areas in Texas and Florida from the ravaging effects and destruction of Harvey and Irma in late-August and mid-September respectively.
And then Maria struck -- everything changed. On Oct. 8, Carter's initial team arrived in the capital city of San Juan.
"We were within hours of being requested to proceed with base camp construction when Hurricane Irma developed in the Atlantic and efforts were shifted to providing base camps in Florida or further up the East Coast," Carter said.
"The LOGCAP contractor, in coordination with the Project Management Office, provided plans to provide and construct two base camps to support Title 10 and first responders when Hurricane Maria emerged and planning shifted to NORTHCOM (U.S. Northern Command) to support planning for LOGCAP provided base camps at various geographical locations prior to Hurricane Maria making landfall," he said.
LOGCAP had previously worked with Air Force and Navy planners at NORTHCOM to develop LOGCAP capabilities to be delivered on short notice, Carter said. Command support execution was then rapidly shifted to USARNORTH to meet the new demands that were approved and funded Oct. 4.
NORTHCOM, a unified combatant command of the U.S. military is tasked with providing military support for civil authorities in the U.S. and with protecting territorial and national interests within the contiguous U.S., Alaska, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, and the air, land and sea approaches to these areas.
"What impressed me the most about LOGCAP in support of the hurricane relief operations in Puerto Rico was its responsiveness and flexibility to establish fully operational base camps in such a short period of time," said Col. Rick Pierce, assistant chief of staff, G4 (Logistics), USARNORTH.
"The timeframe from the 'Notice to Proceed' to an initial operating capability providing billeting, latrines, and showers for 1,000 personnel was nine days; considering LOGCAP transported all of the equipment and personnel from CONUS [continental United States], this was an exceptional accomplishment," Pierce said.
The Army Contracting Command-Rock Island issued a "Notice To Proceed" to LOGCAP IV performance contractor DynCorp International on Oct. 4 and the contractor's first shipment of base camp equipment landed Puerto Rico three days later with contractor personnel. ASC's LOGCAP Project Management Office deployed Carter the same day that contractor equipment arrived in Puerto Rico.
The team then began installation of base camp equipment the following day at Aguadilla Airfield.
The performance contractor was DynCorp International, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is contracted to support all LOGCAP requirements in the NORTHCOM area of responsibility.
"It was clear to most of us almost immediately following the Notice To Proceed that LOGCAP had set conditions to succeed; LOGCAP clearly met all expectations for the mission requirements and from understanding the menu of options available, demonstrated only a fraction of their capability," Pierce said.
This initial team included Carter and two LOGCAP support contractor employees; two individuals from the 404th Army Field Support Brigade; Soldiers from the LOGCAP Support Brigade; and seven civilian Logistics Support Officers from ASC's LOGCAP Support Brigade.
The 404th AFSB is one of seven AFSBs that report to ASC in support of its global missions. The LSB, Army Reserve unit headquartered at RIA, has a global mission and provides direct support to LOGCAP Program Office.
ASC's Logistics Readiness Center located at Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico, in conjunction with the 407th AFSB, also provided support. DynCorp deployed a seven-person team along with nearly 100 subcontractor personnel to construct and operate the base camps.
ACC also rapidly deployed a Contingency Contracting Administration Services contracting officer, Maj. Kenneth Bulthuis, to administer the terms of the contract. Bulthuis had previously served with Carter in Africa supporting the LOGCAP Ebola humanitarian mission in 2014.
Eventually, LOGCAP provided a base camp to support 1,000 personnel at Aguadilla, and another base camp to support 1,500 personnel at Roosevelt Roads.
"Infrastructure damage across the entire island of Puerto Rico to include seaports, roads, electrical grid, water production and communication assets inhibited required logistics," Carter said. DynCorp provided all logistical movement of equipment and personnel utilizing commercial air, sea and land transportation assets allowing military strategic airlift to be dedicated to direct support to hurricane relief efforts.
"The local population was directly impacted for an extended period while waiting for the restoration of basic living and working conditions. Operational airports and seaports also were congested and presented significant challenges to move personnel, materials and equipment to meet the need," Carter said.
Normally, LOGCAP capabilities for base camps in general are for 90 days in support of Federal Emergency Management Agency mission assignments.
DynCorp announced in a press release March 1, however, that its contract was extended to continue supporting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding support material management and logistics services. The extension is valued at up to $22.1 million and is part of LOGCAP.
Under this task order, the organization will have team members provide daily warehouse operational support that enables USACE electrical contractors to receive government-provided materials to rebuild the electric power grid in Puerto Rico, the release stated.
A significant portion of LOGCAP's mission was to provide material management of the laydown yard and material warehouse at a seaport of debarkation where all electrical material was shipped to Puerto Rico. This mission was estimated to take up to five months requiring LOGCAP support.
"LOGCAP is a logistics multiplier that provides a responsive and flexible capability to support the Joint Force when deployed into an austere or severely degraded environment," Pierce said.
"LOGCAP support allows the joint force to travel lighter and respond faster to any contingency operation; once established, LOGCAP provides the joint force a hot meal, a shower, and a place to briefly rest in order to rejoin the mission fully charged and provide the best possible long-term mission support for a multitude of operations to include hurricane relief."


When you think of Augmented Reality (AR), an image of teens crowding the streets and flocking to parks playing Pokémon Go might come to mind. Or Snapchat filters. But with the release of ARKit (iOS) and ARCore (Android) earlier this year, millions of devices will become AR-capable — bringing AR to the masses.
While we've already seen it's potential in gaming and entertainment, AR's potential as a marketing tool is just beginning. And marketers should use it as such — a tool, not a gimmick, that brings digital elements to your physical surroundings.
For retail, AR can merge brick and mortar and traditional media to virtual experiences and a wealth of online resources. With just the scan of a product (on the shelf or in a catalogue), customers could see more info, instructions, reviews, and even coupons. Informed customers typically make for more loyal customers and increased sales.
A great example of an AR app is Ikea Place, which lets customers see what a piece of furniture would look like in their home.
Similarly, AR can add another dimension to services, not just products. Imagine dinosaur bones coming alive in a natural history museum when viewed on your phone. Or hungry restaurant-goers scanning the menu to see how each dish looks. AR can make services more customer-friendly and live experiences more enriching.
Kate Spade used AR to promote the opening of its first Paris store. Hidden drawings at popular landmarks could be unlocked by scanning them with the app.
Although it's easy to be swept up in the hype of a new technology, remember that AR is just one of countless digital tactics that may suit your brand. Don't use AR just to jump on the bandwagon. Use it to effectively and creatively convey the message of the unique value of your brand.
Let Acart help you expand the digital horizons of your brand/product/service.


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The Friendship Bench
Request a Bench
Share Your Thoughts and Experiences
Tips for Dealing with Stress
Unveiling Ceremony
Announcing a Special Partnership with the Ontario College Student Alliance
by Danny Brown | May 11, 2017
The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench is pleased to announce a partnership with the Ontario College Student Alliance (CSA) to promote improved mental health among Ontario's college students.
The CSA is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works collaboratively with post-secondary education stakeholders & government to improve the college experience.
Members of the CSA include leading colleges across the Province of Ontario, such as: Niagara College; Northern College – Haileybury, Kirlikland Lake, and Timmins campuses; Sault College; St. Lawrence College – Brockville; St. Clair College – Windsor; Georgian College – Owen Sound and Orillia campuses; Fleming College – Peterborough; Cambrian College; Centennial College; Confederation College; and St. Clair College – Chatham.
Through its advocacy, education, and research, the CSA has a long history of advocating for college students in partnership with student leaders, and so we believe this organization's goals and advocacy aligns perfectly with our #YellowIsForHello campaign.
The CSA – #YellowIsForHello partnership was launched at CSA's annual member conference in Kanata, Ontario.
Friendship Bench co-founder Sam Fiorella spoke to 60 student leaders from across Ontario's Colleges about the growing issues students face with mental illness, and how we can work together to connect more students to available on-campus support services, with the goal of decreasing the number of attempted and completed suicides in Ontario.
The #YellowIsForHello campaign, which encourages peer-to-peer mental health conversations among students, will be adopted by the CSA and promoted throughout member and non-members schools across Ontario.
We look forward to this partnership and to working more closely with student leaders from member schools. We believe that together, we will have a positive effect on the mental well-being of Ontario's students.
Stay tuned for more news from The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench, #yellowisforhello, and the Ontario College Student Alliance partnership.
We'll share joint efforts and campaigns with you right here on this blog.
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The Friendship Bench is a destination where secondary and post-secondary students who are struggling to connect with others, and find it difficult to ask for help, can talk with someone willing to offer an ear to listen with, a shoulder to cry on or just a "hello."
4 Years and 50 Benches – The Past, Present, and Future for The Friendship Bench
Bereaved Parents: Living Life in Black and White
The Friendship Bench and World Suicide Prevention Day 2017
Instagram Tops List of Harmful Social Apps
Copyright 2016-2019 - All Rights Reserved - The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench


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Jaskaran Sandhu: Exploring Lord Rami Ranger's Brazen Attacks On Sikhs
Ranger is seen by many in the UK Sikh community as the personification of Indian nationalist attitudes which wants to only subjugate Sikh activism and more
Jaskaran Sandhu
May 12, 2022 | 5 min. read | Opinion
There are only a few people that attract the ire of Sikhs quite like the UK decision-maker and staunch pro-India actor, Lord Raminder Ranger CBE. He was nominated for a life peerage and a seat in the House of Lords in 2019.
From suggesting that the 1984 Sikh Genocide was the fault of Southhall Sikhs to regularly proclaiming the Sikh Gurus worked for the unity of India, his takes on Sikh history, issues, and causes are more often than not ludicrous and false.
His commentary comes in between regular praise of Modi and loud subservience to the Indian right-wing, especially as it pertains to the Sikh community, as well as regularly attempting to malign anything that could be perceived as Khalistani.
Watching his baffling online outbursts over the years has made him a curious figure for folks like myself watching from abroad. Who exactly is this man and how much power does he actually have to influence UK-Indian relations as it relates to the Sikh community?
Ranger's father was allegedly assassinated for opposing the formation of Pakistan before the partition of India in 1947. This apparently happened right around when Ranger was born but the impact on him is clear. He has since released a biography of his father, Nanak Singh, titled Don't Break Up India.
Ranger claims to be Sikh, however, he also happens to be a founding member of the Hindu Forum of Britain. He often blurs the line between Sikhi and Hinduism, leaning into, for example, Hindu nationalist rhetoric that Sikhs are part of the Hindu fold and therefore also "Indians".
Ranger sits at the helm of Sea, Air & Land Forwarding Ltd and Sun Mark Ltd, which is the only company in Britain that has won five consecutive Queen's Awards.
He has apparently used his success to position himself as the voice on Sikh affairs in the UK. Ranger seems to believe his success in business means his perspective should hold extra weight in other areas as well. His money amplifies his voice through politics, with reports suggesting he has donated at least £1.3 million to the UK Conservative Party over a decade.
In 2019, the Conservatives finally appointed Ranger as a member of the House of Lords. There were accusations that Ranger's title had come as a result of the "cash for peerages" scandal, in which supporters of the Conservatives received titles and appointments in return for hefty donations.
A year before the appointment, In 2018, he was a guest at the infamous Presidents Club Dinner where waitresses were harassed, although he claims not to have known such actions were happening. That did not stop Ranger from picking up his very own harassment allegations. In 2021 a work tribunal hearing ruled that Ranger had "victimised and harassed" a female employee.
Despite these embarrassing findings and clouds of suspicion over his political appointment, Ranger has continued to position himself as a celebratory figure among UK Sikhs. He has even guest lectured at The Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies, University of Wolverhampton, enjoying what appears to be a close relationship with the academic institution.
Just this week he suggested, through the little-known British Sikh Association (BSA) of which he is the Chairman, that Sikhs should be "rejoicing in his success". This kind of self-pump is common from Ranger, who likes to remind people how successful he is as if it should validate any opinion he holds.
Funny enough, the BSA and Ranger were found to be interacting with, tagging, and engaging anti-Sikh troll accounts that were later suspended for unleashing a disinformation and manipulation campaign against Sikhs. The report exposing the depth to which the campaign operated against Sikhs was even covered by the BBC. The fact Ranger and BSA were interacting with such accounts, even if they did not know they were fake trolls, exposes their problematic positioning and relationship with actual Sikh organizations, leaders, and actors.
The reality is Ranger has become an ever-growing outcast within the Sikh community, gaining notoriety within local community and political spaces.
Amongst the most brazen example of his abusive outbursts is a recent tweet threatening violence against Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall Gurdwara's Harmeet Singh Gill.
SikhPressAssociation @SikhPA
In response to an old tweet from @sgsssouthall, yesterday @Conservatives donor and peer Lord Rami Ranger issued a direct threat to a member of the Gurdwara committee. Ranger shared a video of India police viciously beating Muslims and tweeted "You too could get similar welcome".
7:33 AM ∙ May 2, 2022
Gill is a well-known voice from the Gurdwara committee and often explains why, like many Gurdwaras the world over, Southall Singh Sabha allows local Sangat support for figures such as Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale and the Khalistan movement within their Gurdwara.
This has attracted the rage of Ranger, who likes to falsely present support for Khalistan as a merely fringe element within the community.
In this example, Ranger replied to a nearly one-year-old tweet from the official Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall handle which referenced Khalistan with a video of Indian police brutally beating Muslim men and the ominous words "You too could get similar welcome Harmeet Singh Gill".
The Gurdwara has reported the now-deleted tweet to London's Metropolitan Police Service and has requested that an investigation be open. Given a well-known history of Sikhs facing genocidal violence from Indian authorities, and the ominous relevance of the Jagtar Singh Johal issue, Ranger's threat is particularly chilling.
Recent statements from Priti Patel and Boris Johnson, both of whom are Conservatives, about Sikh "extremism" in the UK, may show the impact within the party of the Lord's regular cries about Sikh Khalistani "militants".
In the end, Ranger is seen by many in the UK Sikh community as the personification of Indian nationalist attitudes which wants to only subjugate Sikh activism, destroy ideas of Sikh sovereignty, and incentivize subservience to the state of India.
Protected by a status he may have paid to get, Ranger continues to push a false narrative of widespread Sikh support for the Modi and Hindutva regime while belittling or outright threatening dissenting voices. It is no surprise then that he has become an absolute outcast within the Sikh world.
Jaskaran Sandhu hails from Brampton, Canada, and is the co-founder of Baaz. He is a Strategist at the public affairs and relations agency State Strategy. Jaskaran also previously served as Executive Director for the World Sikh Organization of Canada and as a Senior Advisor to Brampton's Office of the Mayor. You can find Jaskaran on Twitter at @JaskaranSandhu_
Baaz is home to opinions, ideas, and original reporting for the Sikh and Punjabi diaspora. Support us by subscribing. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok at @BaazNewsOrg. If you would like to submit a written piece for consideration please email us at editor@baaznews.org.


In this week's Safetip, we take a look at workplace chemical exposure, and how exposure should be controlled at the source, whenever possible.
Exposure to hazardous workplace chemicals can create risks of skin irritation, respiratory issues, eye irritation, etc. To protect workers from potential health effects, a number of controls can be put in place designed to reduce risks from chemical exposure hazards. There are different types of controls. Each has its own level of effectiveness, implementation costs, and level of process changes.
While "elimination" is the most effective control, eliminating a process that makes use of hazardous chemicals may be very costly and difficult to implement for existing processes. If the process cannot be eliminated, the next best thing is to control chemical exposure at the source, in order to protect workers in an effective way. We will focus on three types of controls in this post: Substitution, Engineering Controls, and Administrative Controls.
If you can't completely eliminate the process, the next most effective control is to substitute a hazardous chemical for a safer one. It is important to make sure that the substitute chemical is not harmful, and to control and monitor exposures to make sure that the replacement chemical is below occupational exposure limits (OELs).
You can also consider using the same chemical in a different form. For example, a material in powder form that may be an inhalation hazard can be substituted in favor of the same material that is also available in pellet form.
Finally, it's important to emphasize that substituting chemicals requires research and experimentation. It is not an exercise that should be taken lightly. The EPA's Safer Choice program provides a list of safer alternatives for many workplace chemicals. In addition, OSHA provides a toolkit for employers that want to make the transition to safer chemicals.
If you can't substitute the hazardous chemical for a safer one, the next most effective way to control chemical exposure is to implement engineering controls, which aim to prevent hazardous chemicals from coming in contact with the worker. Engineering controls are built into the design of a plant, equipment or process to minimize the hazard. They are a very reliable way to control exposure as long as the controls are designed, used and maintained properly.
Engineering controls can involve enclosing or isolating the process. Isolating the source of chemical exposure can be done through separate rooms or buildings, and closed doors. If using a separate room is not possible, certain operations can be completely enclosed in other ways to protect workers, such as splash guards, hoods over machine operations using cutting fluids, fume hoods, etc. Other types of engineering controls besides enclosure and isolation include: 1) Process control: changing the way an activity or process is done to reduce the risk, and 2) Ventilation: adding or removing air, such as removing or diluting an air contaminant.
Scheduling operations for times when few workers are present (evenings, weekends).
Rotating job assignments that limit the amount of time an individual worker is exposed to a chemical.
Work-rest schedule that limits the length of time a worker is exposed to a chemical.
Restricting access only to a limited number of essential employees.
It's very important to note that administrative controls do not remove or reduce the actual hazard. As a result, many EHS professionals do not favor administrative controls because they can be difficult to implement and maintain, and they are not a reliable way to reduce exposure.


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Il Tengen 2000 è stata la ventiseiesima edizione del torneo goistico giapponese Tengen.

Svolgimento
 W indica vittoria col bianco
 B indica vittoria col nero
 X indica la sconfitta
 +R indica che la partita si è conclusa per abbandono
 +N indica lo scarto dei punti a fine partita
 +F indica la vittoria per forfeit
 +T indica la vittoria per timeout
 +? indica una vittoria con scarto sconosciuto
 V indica una vittoria in cui non si conosce scarto e colore del giocatore

Torneo

Finale
La finale è una sfida al meglio delle cinque partite. Il detentore Kōichi Kobayashi ha affrontato lo sfidante scelto attraverso il processo di selezione.

Collegamenti esterni
 26th Tengen

Tengen

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The business model of research is winner-take-all. Is it killing higher ed?
By: Alana Dunagan
The international perception of US higher education can be pared down to three words: Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.
But that's not the reality of US higher education. These institutions serve a tiny fraction—0.258%, to be exact—of the nearly 20 million students enrolled in higher education across the country. These three schools have world-class research production, exceptional graduation rates, and strong student outcomes in terms of graduation and job placement. The rest of higher education has copied their business model—to ill effect.
Why is the business model of elite institutions breaking down for most of the country's colleges and universities? And does this breakdown signal a need to shift priorities both in how a majority of institutions serve students and in how systems evaluate the value of those institutions?
Higher education is a conflation of business models
As Michael B. Horn, Clayton M. Christensen, Louis Soares, and Louis Caldera first argued in Disrupting College nearly a decade ago, higher education has conflated multiple businesses. Simply put, the business model of knowledge creation (research) coexists with the business model of knowledge transmission (teaching)—to say nothing of ancillary activities like social networking and alumni fundraising that have business models of their own.
At elite schools, this coexistence is synergistic: ultra-elite academics conduct prize-winning research which attracts top students, as well as research grants and donations from wealthy alumni. It's a virtuous, coherent model that enables top institutions to be generous with financial aid, ostensibly meritocratic, and attractive to the world's best thinkers and learners.
Looking downstream, to a wider, more typical set of postsecondary institutions, the coexistence of these models is more fraught. The world's best students that often attend elite institutions are academically prepared for college and hypermotivated. But this isn't representative of the overall college-going population. Only a tiny fraction of 12th-grade students—25%, to be exact—are proficient in math and only 37% are proficient in reading. Remediating these gaps once students enroll in college is intense and expensive—and means that non-elite institutions have to focus more, not less, on high-quality teaching.
In higher education overall, hiring and promotion practices for professors often don't favor teaching, however. There is no "instructional quality" analogue to "publish or perish". Professors at many institutions receive relatively little training in effective instructional practices; advising is often not evaluated at all. Teaching and researching are essentially two different jobs; professors must do both. If professors at elite schools are unfocused or untalented at teaching, well-prepared, hyper-motivated students can still fare well. But at non-elite schools, students bear the costs of bad teaching.
Knowledge creation is winner-take-all
While many institutions attempt to balance research and teaching, the gains of research are not spread evenly. There are only six Nobel prizes every year—Harvard-affiliated researchers have won 60 of them since 2000. Half of total R&D expenditures are made by a mere 45 schools. Over 80% of business school cases used worldwide are produced by Harvard Business School faculty. Knowledge creation is a business model with many participants, but only a few winners.
"Winner-take-all" markets were first described by Sherwin Rosen in a 1981 article for the American Economic Review, observing that "In certain kinds of economic activity there is concentration of output among a few individuals, marked skewness in the associated distributions of income and very large rewards at the top." In these types of markets, small differences in abilities or talent mean big differences in returns or income—Rosen titled his paper, "The economics of superstars." Academic research fits this market dynamic, both in the flow of dollars, as well as in the flow of information. The most cited research paper—a 1955 piece on proteins in solution by Oliver Lowry—has been cited over 300,000 times, but much of academic research is never cited at all.
Winner-take-all markets are facilitated in part by technologies that enable the work of one person to be consumed by many. The printing press is one such technology—textbooks were one of the examples cited in Rosen's first paper. The internet is another, further commoditizing information of all types—including this blog, which competes for eyeballs with the four million hours of content uploaded to YouTube every day. Some evidence—like this data from the NSF—shows that research dollars are not only concentrated in the hands of a few, but that the market for R&D dollars is becoming steadily more concentrated over time. Because elite schools concentrate talent, facilities, and dollars, research revenues continue to flow largely to elite institutions.
Thousands of schools are replicating a model that doesn't work for them—or for their students
Knowledge creation remains critical for driving advances in science and technology and pushing the human conversation forward. And for a small fraction of institutions, knowledge creation is a critical element of a highly synergistic business model. But at most institutions following the leaders—or what higher ed nerds refer to as "isomorphism"— creates complexity and costs, rather than significant revenues. At most institutions, trying to do both knowledge creation and knowledge transmission is bad for business—and bad for students.
This means that when it comes to long-term viability, most institutions are solidly in the knowledge transmission business, regardless of whether they aspire to something else. Their revenues come from students, not the NSF. Our current sense of "world class" institutions is largely based on which institutions excel at research. But perhaps a new ranking system is in order, one that evaluates schools based on their excellence in transmitting knowledge. This focus on teaching and learning would be a new competitive trajectory for higher education, which has historically been focused on prestige. Competing to excel at teaching and learning would demand an increased focus on assessment, and on using data to iteratively improve curriculum and the classroom experience.
These institutions would be well served if they simplified their business model, and prioritized what they really do: teaching students. But focusing in on knowledge transmission calls radical questions onto the table, for institutions, as well as for accreditors. Who should teach? Should they have tenure? Are PhDs necessary? What training in educational methods should professors have? How should schools make promotion decisions? Do schools need to develop their own curriculum or are they better off buying it?
These questions are fraught, but they are important, especially in the current climate of anxiety around the cost—and value—of college, as well as troubling skills gaps. Institutions that grapple with them and innovate effectively can start optimizing their resources in a time when the university business model is breaking down. But more importantly, these institutions can better serve the millions of students who are signing up to have knowledge transmitted to them.
Alana Dunagan
Alana's higher education research works to find solutions for a more affordable system that better serves both students and employers.


The Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce will hold its Renewable Energies in Buildings conference in Toronto next month. The half-day event, which takes place on May 29 at the Allstream Centre, is geared toward renewable energy and building industry professionals.
Exterior of Odeyto, Seneca College's new Indigenous centre at its Newnham campus, Toronto.
A new Indigenous centre has opened at Seneca College's Newnham Campus in Toronto. Named after the Anishnaabe word "Odeyto," which translates to "the good journey," the multipurpose facility is the new home of FirstPeoples@Seneca. It is also accessible to members within the broader Indigenous community.
Indigenous culture influenced various aspects of the facility, from its general exterior shape to the details of its interior décor. The space was designed by Gow Hastings and Two Row Architect, a 100 per cent native-owned and operated firm on the Six Nations reserve in southern Ontario.
"The structure looks like a canoe resting on its side and the curvature of the roof mimics the position of the sun on June 21, the annual National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada," explains Mark Solomon, associate dean student services and Indigenous education.
A neon sign created by the Cree visual artist Joi Arcand is among the features inside Odeyto. Equipped with an office space, a computer lab, and a kitchen, Odeyto is a dedicated space for Indigenous elders.