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Harnessing Communities' Tacit Knowledge
by Todd Reimer | Jul 8, 2016 | capacity building, community, feedback
This is a response to Brad Feld's recently published book Startup Communities, which is summarized in a 3.5-minute video here.
Feld's "Boulder Thesis" is highly aligned with the research on fostering effective communities of practice. However, based on that literature, Valid Eval (VE) believes there are opportunities to help startup communities take advantage of an under-utilized resource—the tacit expertise of their community's "entrepreneurial stack."
VE was founded as a way to begin capturing the wisdom of the crowd for the mutual benefit of the startup community. VE began this process by providing novice entrepreneurs (newcomers) with reliable feedback from more experienced community members (veterans)—taking advantage of historically tested learning models rooted in mentoring and apprenticeship.
VE's evaluation strategy is grounded in cognitive science research on the social construction and cultural distribution of knowledge. Cognitive scientists, like John Seely Brown (Figure 1), have compared community knowledge to an iceberg, divided between the explicit knowledge of individuals (and artifacts) and the tacit knowledge of groups (and their cultural practices). This knowledge is unevenly distributed, with the vast majority of a community's expertise residing in the hidden world of social groups and their practices.
Figure 1: John Seely Brown's View of Knowledge
This inequitable knowledge distribution is particularly formidable for newcomers to a practice—constrained by access, most of what matters remains hidden from their view.
VE began tackling this problem by focusing on what Brad Bernthal described in Feld's book as the "glorious mess" of business plan competitions. Similar to the motivation behind TechStars, VE believed there must be a better way for experienced entrepreneurs to help those getting started. Most business plan competitions rely on rank-and-order scales to make decisions, providing limited to no feedback to entrants who dedicated significant time to their submissions. VE began addressing this problem by using performance rubrics to make the expectations valued by startup veterans visible to newcomers.
VE worked closely with experts to develop rubrics that surface, prioritize, and capture performance criteria tacitly used by veteran community members to make decisions. VE's mission, aligned with the Boulder Thesis, is to make these privately held assumptions highly transparent, open, and accessible to entrepreneurs new to the process. Newcomers use the rubrics as a shared frame of reference to begin with the end in mind, chart their progress over time, and navigate risk through self-assessment. Interacting with the rubric, as a cultural artifact, entrepreneurs begin to align their decisions more closely with community stakeholders and participate more fully in their practices.
While designed to support newcomers, VE has found developing rubrics to be mutually beneficial for community veterans as well. In order to develop a rubric, experts involved in their development must externalize knowledge hidden even to themselves after years of experience; a dynamic known as the paradox of expertise. Creating a rubric forces veteran community members to articulate values and priorities in ways that place them in the role of 'learner' and away from that of 'knower'. Additionally, once externalized, rubrics optimize the time and expertise of community veterans and volunteers when mentoring. Embedding common feedback in a rubric frees veterans to provide even more customized recommendations about what they believe matters.
VE's evaluation software currently adds value to startup communities by providing entrepreneurs with reliable and trustworthy feedback from veteran practitioners. VE believes this service is critical to both newcomers and veterans of a startup community. Entrepreneurs benefit by having more data from community insiders to make better, more informed decisions. Veterans benefit by being forced to regularly explicate and test their theories on what matters and how to most effectively provide feedback. In this way, startup communities begin to generate consensus around cultural practices, values, and priorities.
VE's plans for software development involve tapping an additional reservoir of tacitly held community knowledge—the expertise embedded in the horizontal exchange of information between peers. Like Feld, VE believes the informal connections made between peers and near-peers (those slightly ahead in the startup process) are an invaluable resource within the entrepreneurial community. VE is eager to develop mechanisms to surface, capture, and track the collective feedback of one's peers over the developmental trajectory of a startup.
Valid Eval was built from the ground up by people who intimately understand the challenges faced by those responsible for allocating scarce resources. As a team, we're committed to making sure you have evidence of the right outcome, every time. We are engineers, learning scientists, designers and software developers who partner with government agencies, universities, nonprofits and others who help accelerate the economy.
Find out how Valid Eval can help you maximize the transparency, fairness and efficacy of your program.


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Bale 'not ecstatic' to be at Madrid but has never asked to leave - agent
The agent of Gareth Bale says the former Tottenham star is "not ecstatic" to be at Real Madrid but has never asked to leave the La Liga club.
Timothy Abraham
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale was booed by the club's fans during the weekend's La Liga game.
Gareth Bale's agent says the Wales forward has never asked to leave Real Madrid even though he is "not ecstatic" at the club. Bale's relationship with Madrid's fans, coaching staff and the Spanish media has become strained this year.
Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane said in July it would be "best for everyone" if Bale left the club ahead of a proposed switch to China's Jiangsu Suning. However, the deal collapsed and the 30-year-old has remained with the La Liga side. Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett said the player has never requested a move away from Madrid.
"He has never asked to leave," Barnett told the BBC's Euro Leagues Podcast. "He has a contract with Real Madrid and as long as they want him, there's not much anyone can do about it."
"No-one has ever accused him of not giving 100 per cent and a 100 per cent Gareth Bale is one of the best players in the world. The coach should be happy and honoured he is on the pitch for him. There's no guarantee he is leaving. If the right opportunity came along for him and it's something he wants to do, we have to have a chat with the president of Real Madrid and see where we are."
Barnett acknowledged Bale, who has won the Champions League four times and La Liga with Madrid, was not thrilled to still at the club. "He's not ecstatic," Barnett added, when asked whether Bale was happy at the Bernabeu.
"He has got a contract and as long as he is a Real Madrid player he will play at 100 per cent – and do very well. He wants to win the championship and the European championship and everything else. It will not affect his performance. The facts and figures prove if he is on the field for Real Madrid they have a better chance of winning."
Bale held a flag up, after Wales beat Hungary in a Euro 2020 qualifier, which claimed he put his country and time on the golf course ahead of Madrid. "It was directed only to the media because they had been writing very infantile and stupid stories from people that do not know him," Barnett said of the 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order' banner.
"The truth is he has done fantastically for Real Madrid in the years he has been there and helped them win so much."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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My life now dedicated to ...
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in Delhi from Bodhgaya on 19 January, 2023. His Holiness drove to the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) to deliver the inaugural TN Chaturvedi Memorial Lecture.
His Holiness took part in the ceremonial lighting of a lamp. He was honoured by DG IIPA SN Tripathi, welcomed by Atulindra Nath Chaturvedi, and introduced to the audience by Aatil Nath Chaturvedi, who invited him to speak.
TN Chaturvedi was a distinguished Indian Administrative Service officer (IAS). Following his retirement, he was appointed Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and then Governor of Karnataka. Members of the Chaturvedi family, SN Tripathi, Director General of the IIPA, RK Mishra, Deputy Director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and others greeted His Holiness and escorted him to the TN Chaturvedi Memorial Hall.
"I learned about aspects of ancient Indian thought as a child in Tibet," His Holiness remarked. "Later I came to this country as a refugee, became a guest of the Government of India and have spent the majority of my life here. During that time, I've come to value qualities of ancient Indian thought like 'karuna' and 'ahimsa'. These ideas must be put into action for the benefit of humanity.
"Although I didn't have the opportunity to meet Mahatma Gandhi, I was able to meet Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri and as a result of talking to them developed sincere respect for them. India is a democratic country with many religious traditions coexisting under secular principles, which is wonderful.
My life now dedicated to promoting 'karuna' and 'ahimsa'. but I express my admiration for them just as an ordinary human being. As humans, we are all the same. We are all born the same way, and we are only alive because of our mother's compassion. It is in our nature as humans to be compassionate. We are social beings. We rely on our community to survive, so we must support the community. By extension, all eight billion people alive today must learn to coexist.
"When we talk about 'karuna' and 'ahimsa,' we're not thinking about our differences, but rather how we're the same. Where there is 'karuna,' 'ahimsa' follows naturally. When you have 'karuna' within you, you have inner strength and self-assurance. On that basis, you can consider other people to be your brothers and sisters.
"The division of people into 'us' and 'them' is archaic. Instead, consider them in terms of 'karuna' and 'ahimsa'. We will be free of fear, anger, and hatred if we cultivate this precious thought of karuna. We'll sleep well and be in good physical health.
"When I think of TN Chaturvedi, I remember that he lived his life in the spirit of 'karuna' and 'ahimsa'. I'm now 87 years old, but I appear younger than my age because I'm at peace. However, having an attractive external appearance isn't nearly as important as revealing 'karuna's' inner beauty."
His Holiness stated that the time has come to consider humanity as a whole, rather than just this or that nation. Faced with the consequences of climate change in the twenty-first century, he stated that we cannot afford to think only in terms of individual nations; we must learn to live together. Because of the gravity of global warming, we must discuss what we can do to combat it and preserve the world's natural ecology.


I've written a healthy bit on the enormous benefits of vitamin K2 (MK-4) Menatetrenone. To access those posts, click here.
Via Dr. Eades' excellent Twitter feed, I just got wind of this study on K1 (Phylloquinone) and its ability to modestly slow the progression of coronary artery calcium ("CAC" – 6% less progression than the control).
Conclusions: Phylloquinone supplementation slows the progression of CAC in healthy older adults with preexisting CAC, independent of its effect on total MGP concentrations.
There's also a media writeup on the affair. Let's probe.
"It is the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known, and it definitely needs the vitamin K to be active in that way. So, vessel walls have only MGP to defend themselves against calcification," he said.
So, what's "MGP," or, matrix gla protein? Lets close the loop, and Wikipedia will do just fine.
Matrix gla protein (MGP) is a protein found in numerous body tissues that requires vitamin K for its optimum function. It is present in bone (together with the related vitamin K-dependent protein osteocalcin), as well as in heart, kidney and lung. In bone, its production is increased by vitamin D.
Ah, vitamin D, again, eh (click here for my many posts)? So, what, all the experts be dammed, and get your unblocked sunshine and eat plenty of leafy green vegetables? Uh, no problem, but it's not my approach — although I eat plenty of leafy greens. Let's continue with the article.
"Vitamin K supplementation reduced the progression of existing CAC in asymptomatic older men and women when taken with recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D. The mechanisms by which vitamin K conferred a protective role are still uncertain," wrote the researchers.
So, is it really the K1, the vitamin D, or could it perhaps be that just an added bit of K helped the K and D work in better sync (something that happens naturally on a paleo diet with plenty of sunshine, BTW)?
But so now let me get to the far bigger news, something I've blogged on before. Though there are no studies in humans I'm aware of, yet, it is well known that in rats, high-dose K2 (MK-4 - Menatetrenone) doesn't just slow the progression of CAC, it actually reverses it and does so significantly. Stephan at Whole Health Source tracked that down some time ago. This is a must read post, folks. A couple of things to highlight.
In the group fed high K1 but no warfarin, there was about three times more K2 MK-4 in the aortas than K1, suggesting that they had converted it effectively and that vascular tissue selectively accumulates K2 MK-4. A high K1 intake was required for this effect, however, since the normal K1 diet did not reverse calcification. The rats fed high K2 MK-4 had only K2 MK-4 in their aortas, as expected.
I just had a brief email exchange with Stephan about this and speculated that emphasized bit before even looking up his posts (that's not to say he agrees, but he may post on this too, and we'll know). Essentially, since we're so bad at converting K1 to K2, perhaps a big enough dose of K1 helps.
But why not just go for the K2, as that's where the benefit really is? Well, then, instead of recommending people eat leafy greens, you've got to recommend they eat things like bone marrow, liver, meat, animal fat, eggs, fish eggs, foie gras and such. Can't do that, because those things clog arteries; uh, right? So we're in a sort of bizarre estoppel situation, where they're now finding important nutritional benefits for preventing and reversing heart disease, and these super nutrients are found primarily in the things we've been told will give us heart disease. A perfect storm of modern ignorance.
Now, stop and consider that for a second. Everything ads up, here. The Japanese have been hot on the trail of K2 and its ability to halt and reverse osteoporosis for years. Then there's the vitamin D. Huh, pretty paleo: sunshine, meat, animal fat, & eggs. Sound a lot like what primitive people experienced and ate for eons. Here's Stephan from the same post, again.
K2 MK-4 (and perhaps other menaquinones like MK-7) may turn out to be an effective treatment for arterial calcification and cardiovascular disease in general. It's extremely effective at preventing osteoporosis-related fractures in humans. That's a highly significant fact. Osteoporosis and arterial calcification often come hand-in-hand. Thus, they are not a result of insufficient or excessive calcium, but of a failure to use the available calcium effectively. In the warfarin-treated rats described above, the serum (blood) calcium concentration was the same in all groups. Osteoporosis and arterial calcification are two sides of the same coin, and the fact that one can be addressed with K2 MK-4 means that the other may be as well.
In the end, it's gratifying to see daily confirmation of stuff I've blogged over the last couple of years. For me, it's pretty easy and straightforward: follow the paleo principle.
The burden of proof is on the others, and more and more, it's becoming very clear that we have been duped by government, big agra, and big pharma — all bedfellows in a money-making scheme that has already maimed and killed millions unnecessarily.
Later: Uh, that last characteristically inflammatory bit may be a little overstated. While there's no doubt to me that the state, big agra and big pharma constitute a perfect storm of harm, whereby nutritional and health problems that didn't exist have been created, with the same villains rushing in to "solve" them, for a price (both individually and societally), it is nonetheless a fact that billions of people — individuals — exist because of agriculture. Wishing that away would be to wish away all those lives, and I can't do that. Equally, the pharmaceutical industry has presided over miracles.
Yeah, I don't think there's any intentional evil conspiracy here. However, most people have been duped. Some of this is just ignorance on the part of people who work in these industries. But some of them know, and they can't be excused forever.
On agriculture — I don't think there's any way that reverting to a hunter gatherer existence could feed the world. Let's remember what happened to the Paleoliths. We need domestic animals that we can raise in enough numbers, but it can be done. But that does mean agriculture as we know it has to be transformed. A great model would be New Zealand.
I've written a big long position paper on the incredible number of ways the government in the US prevents just that and has been preventing it for about a century, which I'll reveal soon.
Hi Justin, you commented on my blog a while back when I did a post on Natto. I eat natto frequently. I have to say again that the sense of well being i get after eating it is remarkable.Thanks for sharing the info on the specifics.
I have found it at the majority of the asian markets I've been to. It's always in the frozen section.
For commercial K2 in the drops form, is that just consumed or mixed with water and drank, or sub-lingual? the one I just got didn't have any application instructions.
Great article with some wonderful information. I agree that agriculture is a necessary tool for us to live, I just think that it can be done in ways that benefit us much more than what is going on now. Balance, both in agriculture and pharmaceuticals is what is called for. Thanks.
I have the Thorne drops and they're perfectly fine to drop on the tongue, in a glass of liquid, or mix with food.
I've been taking the LifeExtension brand Super K product for 90 days.
Is there a concensus or recomendation for dosage of MK4?
I take Carlson's MK4 product and I take 5 mg per day, or 5000 mcg. Stephan has mentioned using the Thorne drops at 1 mg each and using one drop in food he'll consume over a few days. Scott Miller, a commenter here, told me he takes 15 mg per day and has been doing so for a number of years.
Another source of K2 is a Japanese fermented soy food called "Natto." 100 grams on Natto contains "1,000μg of menaquinone 7," which is no small sum, and I don't gather that Natto is particularly expensive. The greatest obstacle to getting any is just finding it (Theoretically, Whole Foods carries it in *some* stores — I've yet to find it though. Next step is to check out a Japanese Grocery Store in Atlanta.
I learned about it via an interview of a Japanese doctor who has been nicknamed "Dr. Natto:"
I know what you're thinking — yeah, but it's soy! However, everything I've ever read about the problems of soy pertains to "fresh" soy, which is to say soy that hasn't been fermented. It would seem that fermentation, as is the case with other anti-nutrient rich carbohydrate sources like whole grains, eliminates a great deal of the anti-nutrients and frees up or creates a lot of desireable nutrients. It seems this would be the case with Natto.
Gonads are one of the richest sources of K2 MK-4 in fish, containing 5-10 micrograms of MK-4 per kilogram of tissue in a few different species (according to this paper). Even that is not really an impressive concentration.
10 micrograms/1000 gm tissue in fish gonads compared to 1000 micrograms/100 gm tissue in Natto. That's a staggering difference, right?
As a more general note on fermented foods, I try to incorporate at least one form of fermented food in my daily diet — usually homemade plain yogurt or (Lifeway, store-bought) kefir over mixed berries. It's more enjoyable and satisfying than heavy cream over berries.
It seems obvious to me the more I think about it that our genetic forbears likely ate most of their food in some state of fermentation. If that is true, it follows that our bodies *need* lots of fermented foods.
It's probably worth pointing out that the majority of K2 in the human diet is supposed to come from bacteria living in our gut, i.e. it is produced in-situ. From that point of view, if you maintain a healthy gut it should not be necessary to supplement continuously with K-2. However, eating a food with live MK-4 producing bacteria in it could be helpful to colonize your intestinal flora.
Most of the evidence indicates that humans don't derive a significant amount of K2 from intestinal flora. Bacteria also generally don't produce MK-4, they make longer-chain menaquinones like MK-7.
I was able to find some this evening at a Japanese Grocery Store in Atlanta. Tried a serving tonight — very slimy and different taste/texture. Going to have to eat it a few more times to see if I get more used to it — and also to see if I notice any positive effects.
Vitamin K is absorbed primarily in the small intestine (jejunum and ileum). It requires presence of lipids as it is fat soluble.
The large intestine does not provide optimal conditions for absorption of VT-K, and VT-K produced in the large intestine will not go upstream to the ileum (where conditions are optimal) for absorption. I believe the idea that flora in the colon supply adequate amounts of VT-K is incorrect.
Don't rely on your flora for VT-K. Eat real foods rich in K, like liver, egg yolks, and greens. Like Richard, I also take a supplement of VT-K2 because I have good reason to believe modern foods do not have the levels found in ancestral diets.
Another big benefit of K2-MK4 that it gets from its ability to extract calcium is the ability to break up biofilms.
Calcium chelators break up biofilms. Take EDTA, for example. It will break up biofilms by itself. Add calcium to EDTA and it will not (PMID 16517655). Conclusion: calcium hungry molecules break up biofilms. Biofilms can be an issue in gut dysbiosis and Lyme.
Would that apply to "biofilms" in the mouth as well. Since taking K2-MK4, I have noticed my teeth are always smooth.
I've noticed the same thing too. My last dental cleaning went very quickly.
I don't know how much of it is the K2 removing calcium from tartar and plaque, leading to the smoothness, or the K2 having an impact on biofilms in the mouth. I'd guess more of the former.
"The Activator X concentrate also reduced the bacterial count of their saliva. In a group of six patients, administration of the concentrate reduced the Lactobacillus acidophiluscount from 323,000 to 15,000. In one individual, the combination of cod liver oil and Activator X concentrate reduced the L. acidophilus count from 680,000 to 0."
Sorry for posting on this old entry but I was hoping either you or your readers could point me to where I could get K2. I am in Canada and it doesn't appear to be sold here. But maybe I haven't been looking in the right places? I get to the Seattle Washington area every couple of months. I looked in a couple of vitamin stores on my last trip but couldn't find it. Maybe another Canadian or Seattle area person could offer some suggestions?
I'm not in Canada or Seattle, but I had a hard time finding K2 at a local store. One of the Whole Foods nearby (and not the other three I stopped at) has it; none of the other grocery chains do. A vitamin-only store might be a place to check, but I didn't find it at three of the GNCs that I checked.
So: if you want to find a local store that carries them, either call around or do a lot of driving.
Thanks for the hint to check Whole Foods. There is one very close to my destination in Seattle and a couple not far off the I5 on my way down. Hopefully I will find it in one those stores on my next trip.
Re. the online sources – from what I have seen, they will not ship supplements to Canada. Perhaps there is a Canadian reader that has found other wise?
I use Vitamin Research Products Ultra K2 (15mg MK-4), available in the UK from Seek Natural and take 15mg/week.
Sorry, but I don't know. Perhaps someone else has an idea.


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Hoi an 19 may 2007 . After 5 days riding through the central highlands with River and Loi , We have many great memories and photos of the countryside and beautiful landscaps of area - especially the moutains and waterfalls along the Ho Chi Minh trail . We had opportunity to meet soom very kind people along the way and we dined on some delicious food with River and loi - allowing us to sample many traditional dishes that can't be found in tourist restaurants . We also had some great conversations , over many beers and enjoyed having the chance to pick their brains about life in Vietnam . They are both very contident in their jobs and entertaining . ( Ask River to play guitar and sing for you ) an unforgettable exberience . Lorey and Daniel paryee - California .
We went with Mr. River and Mr. Lam on a 5 day bike tour from Dalat to Hoi An. We were supposed to be on a 3 day tour but extended it cos we were having such a fantastic time. River is a very safe driver with wonderful english and an amazing knowledge of his country. We ate local foods and River even brought us to his cousins house for dinner. We met with minority people and had the oppurtunity to play football with them. All in all, this was a truly unique and wonderful way to experience the 'real' vietnam. I would highly recommend this tour and it has been a highlight of our 4 months of travelling. Thank you so much for the chance to feel like a local in a foreign land!!!!!!!!
Pour decouvrir le Vietnam comme vous ne l`avez jamais vu c`est ici qu`il faut venir. Sans doute la meilleure adressse du pays. La convivialite, les sourires et les paysages merveilleux sont garantis. Peu importe la meteo nos motards savent parer a tout et vous concocter un voyage au poil! Ils parlent tres bien anglais, francais ce qui permet d`avoir d`excellents rapports. Aucune hesitation a avoir, il faut foncer!!!!
We did a four Day tour from mui ne to na trang. Untill this trip we found it hard to get of the tourist road and see the real Vietnam. River the founder of easyriders mui ne planned for us the perfect trip. River and Luu where very good guides and showed us the real Vietnam and shared their vast knowledge. Both got out of their way to make sure we where having a good time. Our visit in Vietnam wouldn,t have been complete without this wonderfull trip. Thanks again Luu and river!!
Wir haben uns nach einem informativen Vorgespräch zu einem zwei tägigen Trip von Da Lat aus entschieden. Unser Tourguide Duc war eine Idealbesetzung. Vielen Dank nochmals an dieser Stelle. Ich habe selten einen derart liebenswürdigen,unaufdringlichen und kompetenten Begleiter erleben dürfen, der mit Kenntnis der lokalen Besonderheiten und immer einen Schalk im Nacken, uns eine schöne Zeit beschert hat.


By the time she was finally given a hometown burial near Sinaloa, Mexico last February, Julia Pastrana -- one of the most famous "human curiosities" of her time -- had been dead for 153 years.
Major news agencies covered the story about her corpse's transport home from a locked storage facility in a Norwegian research institute where it had been kept since 1996. But before that, her body had been embalmed, encased in glass, exhibited around the world, stolen from a warehouse, and subsequently recovered from a trash bin.
The New York Times announced Pastrana's repatriation in an article titled, "An Artist Finds a Dignified Ending for an Ugly Story." The BBC ran this headline: "World's 'ugliest woman' Julia Pastrana buried 153 years on." The San Francisco Examiner read: "'Ape woman' buried after 150 years: Julia Pastrana receives Christian burial."
Prompted by this news, I had considered writing one of my February columns about Pastrana. Learning of her story while in medical school had a lasting impact on me, influencing my thinking about patients and diseases, impressing me with the power of cultural forces to shape societal attitudes toward both.
But historical details about Pastrana's life were hard to corroborate. And I could find no original words of Pastrana's own that described her experience of being caged, bought and sold, and exhibited as something less than human at "freak" shows throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe -- merely because of the unlucky happenstance of her genetic makeup.
By all accounts, Pastrana was born in 1834 with two rare conditions that left her face and body covered with thick hair (hypertrichosis) and her gums and lips grossly enlarged (gingival hyperplasia). When she came to public light at age 20, medical experts debated whether she was subhuman or some transitional creature, and scientists mercilessly probed her body for data.
Later, during her so-called tours, the press would often seem surprised to discover that Pastrana was actually smart, witty, charming, charitable, and able to speak three languages. In her later "performances" -- when she was not confined to a cage -- she also displayed considerable artistic talent as a singer, dancer, and actress.
Even after she died at age 26 from complications of childbirth, her body -- and that of the child who also died -- were embalmed, put on display, and toured by her husband who had always been able to find some way to make money off Julia's body.
For me, recalling Julia's story would always serve as a steadfast reminder of the humanity of my patients, regardless of what appearances or behaviors or attitudes they might "exhibit." It would inspire me to stay curious about my patients' own experiences of their health and illnesses. It would caution me to maintain a healthy skepticism about my profession. And it would keep me mindful of the powers of public perception and corporate commerce to shape our notions of what passes for "normal" or "disease."
Days ago while considering topics for this week's column, I learned from a happenstance conversation with my friend Chris that "The Ape Woman -- A Rock Opera" was going to play this month at the Exit Theater in San Francisco. I told him of my interest and abiding questions about Julia Pastrana's life, and he emboldened me to contact the playwright, May van Oskan. So I did.
Oskan was generous in sharing her extensive research about Pastrana's history, closing several gaps in the narrative for me. But for much of the hour, we seemed to talk about our shared longing to resurrect Pastrana into another life, into a kinder experience of being in the world.
About 3½ years ago, Oskan became aware of Pastrana during "a dinner party with folks from the circus." While discussing old-time sideshow performers like the "Wolf Man" and using the Internet to obtain medical information about their underlying conditions, attendees stumbled upon a story about Pastrana. And that story became the seed of Oskan's desire to return Pastrana to the stage for modern audiences to consider.
So far, Oskan has been pleased with audience reaction to her play. Mainly, she says, people have appreciated it as "a really good show" -- a compelling story conveyed by wonderful actors and talented musicians. But she has also received the deeper feedback she'd been hoping for: That Pastrana's story challenges the audience to think critically about the way our society tends to treat, judge, and sometimes dismiss people who happen to appear somehow "different." Moreover, audience members have been moved to examine what personal responsibility they may bear for the cages they've built around people of difference, variously labeled under dehumanizing categories of "otherness."
Julia's burial in February was construed by some as the end to her exploitation. As an overdue show of respect for human dignity. As justice, pure and simple. The mayor of her hometown, Saul Rubio Ayala, declared at her funeral: "Julia Pastrana has come home" and "been reborn among us."
And in a clear and forceful voice he also said, "Let us never see another woman be turned into an object of commerce." Amen to that.
Kate Scannell is a Bay Area physician and the author of "Flood Stage" and "Death of the Good Doctor."
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Torrential rains pour into Thalburg Canyon, California. Flooding ensues, and a universal human drama unfolds as the interconnected stories of the canyon residents are acted out on center stage.
Journalist Rebecca Skloot's new book is a gripping read that embodies all abstractions about research ethics in a compelling tale about Henrietta Lacks – a woman whose microscopic cancerous cells shook the world's medical establishment in 1951.
Medical opinion columns about the sociopolitical and ethical dimensions of American health care.
Essays about medical practice, health care, and bioethics.
DVD -- Journey by Heart -- an engaging and intimate view of Alzheimer's Services of the East Bay.


text:
[![js-standard-style](https://img.shields.io/badge/code%20style-standard-brightgreen.svg)](http://standardjs.com/)

# WebLogin
### Remote UNIX login via web-browser
Does not require any plugin or browser extension.

![ScreenShot](img/weblogin.png)

### Install Node.js
Download and install latest Node.js binary package from https://nodejs.org/dist/latest/
```
e.g. as root:
tar xf node-v*.tar.gz
mv node-v*.tar.gz /usr/local/node
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/node/bin
```

### Install WebLogin
```
git clone https://github.com/pmorjan/weblogin.git
cd weblogin
npm install
```

### create a self signed certificate
```
npm run certs
```

### create an http-auth password file
```
npm run passwd <username>
```

## start the WebLogin server
```
npm start [port]
or
sudo node app.js [port]
```

### connect from your browser
```
https://<username>:<password>@<your server ip>
```

### how to rebuild hterm_all.js (optional)
```
git clone https://chromium.googlesource.com/apps/libapps
cd libapps
LIBDOT_SEARCH_PATH=$PWD ./libdot/bin/concat.sh -i ./hterm/concat/hterm_all.concat -o ../public/hterm/hterm_all.js
```

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Forest Festival or Festival of the Forests () is a music festival created by Bruno Ory-Lavollée in 1992 held every year in June and July in Compiegne, northern France.

The Forest Festival offers classical music in the natural scenery of the  and the Forest of Compiègne.

Four world premieres have been presented at the Festival e.g. Winter's Night by Nicolas Bacri, who was composer in residence at the  Forest Festival 2010-2012.

In 2014, South Korean businessman Yoo Byung-eun had committed to a  (~) sponsorship of the gala concert at Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne on 4 July 2014, where his photographs were to be projected during the world premiere in its entirety of Nicolas Bacri's Les Quatre Saisons opus 80. Following an open letter on 12 June from Korean expatriates in France to, among others, French Minister of Culture Aurélie Filippetti and the president of the Forest Festival, and subsequent talks between the festival and the Ministry of Culture, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on 30 June gave written notice to the festival suggesting the projection should be renounced "out of sensitivity and respect for the Korean people mourning [following the sinking of Sewol], in particular the families of the young victims, and in the interest of the Festival and of France"; the projection and the sponsorship was cancelled on 2 July.

References

External links

Music festivals in France
Music festivals established in 1992
Classical music festivals in France

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


To obtain challenging and responsible position in an organization wherein I contribute to the successful growth of an organization using my abilities and knowledge. "There is always a better way of doing things" is the common belief.
Diploma (Mechanical) From Bhagwant University of Rajasthan.
I hereby declare that all information is best and true of my knowledge.


One of the core philosophies of Marcus Hiles, a commended Texas real estate developer, is environmental conservation. For him, it is an obligation to develop communities that are filled with nature and contribute to the effort of reducing humanity's carbon footprint. Hiles' love for the environment as Chairman and CEO of Western Rim Property Services is reflected to over 15,000 high-class rental townhomes and apartments found in the Lone Star State. One of his building practices that focus on the welfare of the environment is installing appliances that have an ENERGY STAR seal provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since the 1992 launching of this program, the application of ENERGY STAR in the U.S. has resulted to the reduction of 283.2 million metric tons in carbon dioxide emissions. Approximately 50 percent has been reduced in the annual utility costs of the ordinary Texan, which are $1650 for electric bills and $400 for natural gas.
Well-known Texas real estate developer Marcus Hiles suggests four smart tips that will help apartment seekers and homebuyers to majorly drop their energy bills in the summers. Chairman and CEO of Western Rim Property Services, Hiles follows these tricks of his own in his properties, utilizing each energy saving technique. First, he recommends having windows with a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.22 to 0.24, for example the Cascade Low E Argon Gas Win Pro Series. As the heat transfers, old windows belonging to the 1980s lose up to 100 times additional energy than a completely insulated solid wall. ͞While older casements, transoms, and sliders are attractive, having the latest windows and frames stops air and energy leakage, dropping your heat loss by 75 percent,͟ Hiles mentions.


State Senator Julie Morrison received the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune for Illinois Senate District 29. Senator Morrison was recognized for her strong, effective bi-partisan record in the General Assembly, which included pushing for term limits for legislative leaders (which is now part of Senate rules), and advocating for children under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services. She is honored to receive the support.
Have a question or comment for Julie?
Paid for by Julie Morrison for State Senate.


Caroline and her partner, Mackenzie, fell in a tough 1st Doubles match in a third set tiebreaker to St. Ursula. They rebounded to beat Mercy-MacAuley. Caroline is now 7-4 at doubles as she is developing into a team leader. Caroline is also on the Oak Hills Swim Team as well as a member of NHS.
Even though Owen's season start wasn't what he'd hoped, in the last 2 races Owen has been our second runner, showing his character and work ethic. Owen's season-best time of 17:39.0 helped the Highlanders to a 3rd place finish at Milford.
Hunter Keller Girls' Volleyball Sr.
Senior Middle Blocker Hunter Keller led the Highlanders to three wins this week over Anderson, Colerain and Walnut Hills. Hunter had 32 kills for the week averaging 3.55kpg with a hitting efficiency of .482. Hunter also added 15 aces (1.67 apg) and 7 blocks (.777 bpg). Hunter played back row only when she served and added 13 digs for the week. Hunter also carries a 4.0 GPA.
Rees Hayes Boys' Golf Jr.
Rees is a multi-sport athlete also playing Baseball for the Highlanders. He has a 4.0 GPA, 2 AP Classes and is an NHS member.
Sarah Reddington Girls' Soccer Sr.
Sarah a 3-year varsity player has been the anchor of our back line. She helped the team record a shutout this past week against Princeton. Her leadership and exceptional soccer skills have been a key to the team's success. Sarah is also an outstanding student.
Hunter recorded 8 solo tackles including a sack. Even though he is slightly undersized as a linebacker his heart is not undersized as he recorded his personal game best for the season to help the Highlanders raise their record to 3-1.


text:
LETTER: Langford a paved paradise
I reference the Nov. 23 edition of the Goldstream Gazette, page A10, entitled "Stew Young's Legacy From Dogpatch to Diamond" in which the writer waxes poetic about all the many accomplishments which occurred in Langford and the surrounding Greater Victoria Area due to Stew Young's influences. The final sentence in that paid advertisement is: "As Joni Mitchell said "You don't know what you've got until it is gone!"
Well, firstly, Joni would never write such an awkward song lyric. It's from Big Yellow Taxi (1970) and the lyrics are: "Don't it always seem to go; That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone"
But more humourous to me is that the next line of those lyrics are: "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
I can't think of a person who better personifies that lyric than Stew Young. Yes, "Thank you, Stew!"
Arthur Entlich
LETTER: Restrictions unfair to single-family homes
MLA REPORT: Premier Eby needs to get control of chaotic government


A common practice in the private sector, landscape analysis holds powerful potential for non-profits, foundations, and mission-driven organizations. At its simplest, a landscape analysis is formal research into an organization's industry and competition.
Still, landscape analysis is frequently overlooked. Leaders with years of industry experience tend to have difficulty seeing the need for additional research. Specifically within social impact, non-profit leaders tend to be overwhelmed by the task.
This article will demonstrate how to overcome these challenges by walking through a recent landscape analysis we conducted for YouthBuild USA, a Boston-based nonprofit that provides work-readiness programs for thousands of at-risk youth each year.
YouthBuild approached Cicero Social Impact seeking to increase the number of its participants who achieve successful, full-time employment upon completion of the program. Specifically, the organization's leaders had discovered research suggesting the success of a new training technique that other nonprofits had begun to implement. Our team was tasked with exploring how this new instructional technique could be incorporated throughout the organization.
Instead of jumping head-first into initiative design and implementation planning, our team started by conducting a landscape analysis. Our objective was to explore what strategies similar organizations were using, what approaches were and weren't working, and whether employer-partners—critical to the success of this technique—would be interested in supporting a program expansion.
Before looking to other organizations and models, it's important to have a solid view of your own operations so that you can make accurate comparisons and ask the right questions. As such, our first step was to interview YouthBuild program directors to understand how their curricula were currently designed, what components seemed to be most and least successful, and whether they believed that their location would have capacity for the expanded program proposal. We conducted interviews with 6 programs directors and leaders and through them identified key questions and sentiments that shaped the direction of our subsequent research.
Next, we dug into existing research. Landscape analysis can consist of primary or secondary research, or of a combination of both. Secondary research allows you to explore what experts have said or observed about the topic and to compare their feedback to your original hypothesis. It typically primarily consists of internet research. Start with combinations of key search terms and scour the footnotes and citations of relevant articles to find links to other sources.
A note of caution: be wary of bias! Think-tanks or advocacy groups often have a vested interest in portraying results in a certain light. In this project, we found that studies published by advocacy groups were overwhelmingly positive and focused exclusively on short-term outcomes, while academic research showed that long-term outcomes of those strategies were negligible.
With a firm understanding of current needs and expert findings, dive into the market. Starting with internal contacts at related organizations, interview relevant stakeholders who can speak to your research questions from an alternative point of view. For this project, we needed to talk to decision-makers who understood their organization's program design and strategic partnerships. While this may be tricky to accomplish in the private sector, nonprofit leaders are often happy to support others' efforts to better serve target populations.
During these conversations, interviewees shared valuable feedback on YouthBuild's hypotheses and project concept. Generally supportive of the new approach, they drew our attention to new opportunities and shared specific challenges that they faced during similar interventions.
Opportunities for YouthBuild to better serve employer partners.
Employers shared candid feedback that helped us reshape several design elements and better define the project's value proposition.
How do our findings support or challenge our initial hypothesis?
How does our approach compare to those of other organizations and to best practices?
What is the unique value proposition of our approach? How does this distinguish us from the market?
What weaknesses have been identified in our approach?
How will we adjust our hypothesis and/or strategic direction given these findings?
Landscape analysis takes time, but can be the key to better decision-making and implementation, especially in the social sector. Our research for YouthBuild USA, for example, strongly challenged several of our team's initial assumptions and helped us refine the program design strategy. We encourage you to add landscape analysis to your organization's decision-making toolkit, and to consider whether any of your current initiatives could be strengthened through market research.


Yes, we know it's still winter. But for gardeners, we've got spring on our minds. You can start to plan your yard for the warmer months now, determining what will go in which quadrant — whether your space is a few inches or a few acres.
What's Groundcover and What Does It Do?
Whatever your garden situation is, don't neglect thinking about groundcover. Groundcover plants are some of the hardest working pieces of greenery in your yard. Groundcover is the low-to-the-ground plants that work to protect your soil.
They're an integral part of how a yard looks. Green grass is one of the most common groundcovers. Imagine yards from Maine to Oregon without green grass. You're imagining hard, muddy patches devoid of any physical beauty at all, aren't you?
When you start to consider your groundcover, make a list of what tasks you want it to perform in your yard. If you're in an area with lots of precipitation, you want groundcover to prevent excess runoff and to warm the soil. That's the role grass plays in a lot of lawns. It's not there just for show. If you're in an area of drought, you want groundcover that conserves any precipitation coming your way.
Groundcover can also play a role in the health of your soil in other ways. Earthworms, for example, aerate soil so gardeners have to do less work. If you want them to do their job, you need a groundcover that will let them do it. Groundcover can take up empty space where weeds might be tempted to take root, like the areas on the edge of paths or between pavers. Groundcover also cushions foot traffic, so people and animals don't injure the soil.
The last major task of groundcover is aesthetic. Groundcover can be beautiful and appealing. Choose your spring planting groundcovers for what you want to see in your yard. It can be flowering and beautiful in itself, or a neutral backdrop for your larger flowering plants. You can vary your groundcovers, so part draws attention to itself and acts as a harmonizing neutral. Some groundcovers attract birds, which can add to the attraction of your garden.
Don't neglect sensory roles other than the eye. Some groundcovers smell wonderful and add to the appeal of your yard.
Finally, although you're choosing for spring planting, if you want to see flowering plants throughout the warmer seasons, choose a variety that bloom in spring, summer and fall.
Be sure to look up your climate in the United States Department of Agriculture zone map for plant hardiness. Choose groundcover fit for your region. Otherwise, you may inadvertently choose a type that will fail to thrive or perish in cold, heat or thirst.
Yes, it's a traditional choice. But moss is very worth thinking about as a groundcover. It keeps the soil cool and aerated. It prevents oversaturation of your soil. If you live in a wet climate, it will thrive. It's easy to grow and maintain as long as you get enough precipitation. Finally, moss provides a neutral but lovely green color as a part of your yard.
Violets are a low-to-the-ground flower whose color and scent will enliven your Spring. They love rain. Choose the "Dark Freckles" violet, Viola sororia, for a fast-growing and easy to care for flower. These type of violets can combine with mosses for a wonderful woodland part of your yard.
Didn't we tell you some groundcovers will delight your sense of smell? Enter mint, which will make your yard smell delightful on a midsummer's day. Mint is an herb. Choose the type called Corsican Mint, Mentha requienii, if you want small mauve-colored flowers in summer. Mint will thrive in the shade with up to a few hours of sun.
Sage is another wonderful aromatic herb that's easy to grow and tolerates water well. Choose Salvia Solid Gold (Solid Gold Sage) if you want to pinch off some to use in vegetables, stuffing or cooking meats. Sage will show smaller blue flowers in the Spring.
Some flowering groundcover not only exhibits aesthetic appeal to the eye but will attract birds. The Hummingbird Trumpet is a colorful flower whose shape and nectar specifically attract hummingbirds. If you've ever sat mesmerized by the hummingbird's ability to go up, down and around like a small helicopter, this could be the groundcover for you. Try the 'Sky Island Orange' variety for a graceful trumpet-like orange flower that blooms in the autumn, when hummingbirds migrate.
Groundcover plays multiple roles in a healthy garden — conserving water, protecting the ground and promoting soil health. They also make gardens look and smell beautiful. Enjoy choosing the many varieties available for your spring planting.


text:
The New Generation i30: class-leading road safety
Once innovative, these days features like head restraints that shield us in the event of a collision are commonplace in all cars. Meanwhile, technology like anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC) that prevent skids and spins are now standard too. We've never been more secure behind the wheel.
However, the former only come in to play once our vehicles have actually become involved in a collision, and while the latter might help us stay in control and avoid any incident, they still rely on a driver to respond. However carefully and responsibly you drive, there's no guarantee you'll be able to react correctly or in time.
A new movement in car safety
The good news is that a new movement in car safety is under way, and it is developing the equivalent advances of the past fifty years in the space of just five. As a result, the unreliable human factor will be removed altogether, as a new wave of vehicles that autonomously predict and avoid danger become accessible in all segments of the market.
Hyundai Motor has been at the forefront of this revolution, as witnessed in new models like the New Generation i30 that introduces the latest Hyundai SmartSense™ active safety and driving assistance technologies. The comprehensive package complies with the highest European safety standards: Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Front Collision Warning System and Pedestrian Detection, Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Blind Spot Detection, Driver Attention Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Keeping Assist System, Speed Limit Information Function and High Beam Assist.
The genesis for many of these innovations came about courtesy of Hyundai's research and development programme into driverless vehicles.
From the introduction of basic equipment such as seat belts and airbags to active features like Autonomous Emergency Braking, car safety has certainly come a long way over the past half a century.
Using front-mounted camera and radar systems, the New Generation i30 scans the road ahead for preceding vehicles and applies partial or maximum breaking force if a potential collision is detected. If the driver begins to depart a lane unintentionally, the i30's Lane Keeping Assist System senses the car's position and sounds an alarm before using corrective steering to guide the driver back to a safe position.
The i30's Advanced Smart Cruise Control uses front radar sensors to maintain a constant speed and distance from the vehicle ahead by autonomously accelerating and braking. When traffic stops, it applies the brake until the car comes to a standstill, automatically restarting the motor and accelerating when forward movement ahead is detected.
Hyundai has combined all of these systems and utilised the computer processing power now available, so its cars can see and respond to danger much faster than any human.
Hyundai's New Generation i30 receives five-star rating from Euro NCAP
Last year, Euro NCAP, the independent vehicle assessment organisation responsible for awarding car safety ratings in Europe, began testing Autonomous Emergency Braking systems as part of its safety tests. Cars fitted with the best systems benefit from higher safety ratings.
The New Generation i30 received the maximum five-star safety rating from the body, and the results highlighted its AEB system in particular. Hyundai Motor is the first car manufacturer to receive the five-star rating for this segment under the new revised rating scheme.
Consumption Data*
1.4 MPI (100 PS): Fuel consumption combined: 5.6 - 5.4 l/100 km;
urban: 6.8 - 6.6 l/100 km;
extra-urban: 4.9 - 4.8 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 130 - 126 g/km
1.0 T-GDi (120 PS): Fuel consumption combined: 5.0 - 4.5 l/100 km;
1.6 CRDi (95 PS): Fuel consumption combined: 3.8 - 3.6 l/100 km;
urban: 4.1 – 4.0 l/100 km;
extra-urban: 3.6 - 3.5 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 98 - 95 g/km
1.6 CRDi (110 PS): Fuel consumption combined: 4.1 - 3.4 l/100 km;
extra-urban: 3.9 - 3.2 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 109 - 89 g/km
*Depending on trim and tire specifications
Made for Europe, in Europe: new i30 begins production
Hyundai Motor has announced the start of production of the new Hyundai i30 at its European manufacturing plant, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC) starting on May 25th.
New video reveals more details of new Hyundai i30
Hyundai has revealed more details of the new i30 N Line in an exclusive new walk-around video with Product Marketing Specialist, Richard Haleš.
Hyundai Motor gives a first glimpse of new i30
Hyundai Motor has revealed the first glimpse of the new i30 ahead of its public world premiere at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show.


The previous owner of my M Coupe had installed most of the Dinan bells and whistles, most of which I have removed. One I kept was the cold air intake (CAI) as it is one of the few out there for the S54 in the Z3 chassis and has positive reviews. While I had the front bumper off, I took the opportunity to remove the filter (it's buried deep inside the driver's side corner of the bumper.) Good thing I did, as all the filter oil had long since dried up and the filter wasn't in great shape. There's simply not enough room for it, the result was several dents in the wire mesh. So I started looking for a slightly smaller replacement. The Dinan filter is a wire mesh and cotton gauze type filter, virtually identical to the K&N filter. I came up empty looking at K&N, AEM, and AFE. But Amsoil had a filter that looked like it would fit the bill, model EAAU3555-EA. Their filters use a "dry" element with no oil, but are reusable and can be washed. Though this filter was slightly smaller than the Dinan, it did have an inverted cone filter top, so chances are it'll flow just as well if not better.
Inside of filter, showing inverted cone.
With the new filter installed, I saw there was a bit of interference with the aluminum crash bar. The Dinan filter probably hit here as well, but it has a rubber top unlike the Amsoil's metal. Since I didn't want to worry with the two metal pieces rattling, I did some clearancing on the crash bar.
Bumper after removing a small amount of material.
As seen in my previous posting, I had changed out the Dinan air filter for a slightly smaller one from Amsoil. So now on to the install. Pretty straight forward, remember I did have to clearance a bit from the aluminum crash bar. I made a few other modifications to help it fit even better. The air filter element rest directly over the left brake duct, which has a molded in intake on top. This intake hole has a slightly raised lip, which was pushing into the bottom of the filter. A razor blade made quick work of that, gaining about 1/4″ more space. The outside air temperature (OAT) sender is also located on top of the duct (see the small hole the lower part of the photo below.) The sender, it's plug, and wire were also interfering with the filter. So I drilled a hole in the side of the duct and relocated the sensor mount to the side of the duct with some 3M plastic epoxy. The hose clamp in the photo is not original, but I added it as the sensor was a bit loose in its mount.


Organized by Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) in collaboration with the World Bank Group, China Light Power (CLP) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Third Annual Meeting of the San Giorgio Group was held over one and a half days on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. The San Giorgio Group assembles key financial intermediaries and institutions actively engaged in green, low-emissions finance.
This year's meeting began with an overview of the current landscape of climate finance, identifying different pathways, processes, and portfolio decisions in play. Throughout a series of sessions, the Group was able to explore lessons learned from detailed case studies. Focus sessions looked at significant portfolios and projects in energy efficiency, concentrated solar power, onshore wind, and climate resilience. Drawing from experiences across the spectrum of green finance, workshop sessions explored instruments for addressing risks related to green investments and the role of Development Finance Institutions in facilitating green investments. The final Concluding Session took stock of lessons learned, highlighting key issues that require attention in order to render green, low-emissions finance effective, and asking what the San Giorgio Group should do next?
This session considered current public and private sector financing of climate-related activities, setting the scene for its participants to introduce focal themes and questions to guide our discussions. We looked at developments over the past year affecting the current climate finance landscape, including new information about the emerging importance of different actors and instruments, among them green bonds. Panelists presented views on the role of public and private finance in scaling up green, low-emissions finance, and explored how these flows compare to investments in traditional, fossil fuel activities.
Focus 1: Financing Market Transformation: The Case of Energy Efficiency?
Energy efficiency projects face particular difficulties in attracting private capital. This session explored whether public support for energy efficiency has contributed to market transformation and learning. Panelists shared experiences on how effective specific instruments and policies have been in transforming energy efficiency and local financial intermediaries markets across countries and identified potential for learning and replication. Panelists presented views on emerging best practices and explored which frameworks need to be in place to scale up investments in energy efficiency.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is a promising technology for low-carbon growth, as it not only generates carbon-free electricity, but its storage capabilities also suit base-load requirements. However, the high cost of this technology impedes its deployment at speeds or scales sufficient to meet demand. CSP electricity costs are among the highest in renewable energy, and public interventions are needed to make CSP projects financially viable and drive down technology costs. Existing CSP projects may offer insights on viable ways to achieve economies of scale, reduce costs, and close the competitiveness gaps. This session asked what policies have and have not worked in facilitating high-cost investments in CSP technologies to make them a viable option for countries looking to meet growing demand. Panelists shared experiences from existing CSP projects to examine the effectiveness of public interventions for financing CSP and explore what is needed to scale up projects like these, both in terms of project design factors and political support.
Onshore wind is a commercial renewable energy technology. Despite strong market penetration of wind technology, the question is how to further accelerate investment, to facilitate a major shift in the global energy infrastructure. To understand the risks and returns related to onshore wind projects, we considered the case of Jädraås Onshore Windfarm, the largest onshore windfarm in Scandinavia when commissioned in early 2013: Despite a poor lending environment, Jädraås managed to attract EUR 360 million in private investment. The session discussed the role of well-articulated state-backed policies and financial instruments in facilitating investment and how these mobilize non-traditional investors. Panelists explored the role of export guarantees and institutional investors in scaling up investments in onshore windfarms and other nonconventional technologies.
The private sector plays prominent roles in key economic sectors vulnerable to climate change. While private actors are likely to face negative climate change impacts, affecting employment and the overall economic development of the country, they also offer expertise, products and services that can smooth the path to adaptation. However, several barriers to tapping into private sector potential for financing adaptation exist. Within the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), the funding window of the Climate Investment Funds supporting highly vulnerable countries to adapt to climate variability and change, we considered the project "promoting climate-resilient agriculture" in Nepal, implemented by the International Finance Corporation. Panelists explored different ways of engaging the private sector in adaptation, related challenges, and shared experiences on replicable and scalable practices.
This session focused on what combination of policies and financial instruments is needed to achieve system transformation, pulling together early lessons on how to finance technologies both close to and far from commercial viability. It also explored the implications that continuing investment in traditional, fossil fuel power generation might have on financing low-carbon, climate-resilient technologies, and new risks that investors in 'traditional' energy generation may face. Panelists also shared insights from Italy's experience of achieving system transformation based on PV. Brief opening remarks by panelists were followed by an open discussion with the audience.
Development Finance Institutions and Development Banks (DFIs and DBs) are deeply knowledgeable about specific sectors and the local economic and long-term investment environment in which investments are structured and made. Their long-standing relationships with the local private sector and their access to a range of financial instruments give them a special advantage to tap into and pool private capital. This session shared experiences on how the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Inter-American Development Bank, KfW Development Bank and Overseas Private Investment Cooperation, work to 'green' their portfolios and internal practices. Panelists presented views on how to leverage the role of DFIs and DBs to help scale up green, low-emissions investment.
Whether real or perceived, risk is the single most important factor keeping promising projects from finding investors. There are gaps between project developers' and financial investors' demand for risk coverage and the risk coverage instruments that both private and public entities currently supply. This session addressed specific existing and innovative risk coverage instruments. Panelists discussed the latest developments in policy risk insurance mechanisms and first loss guarantee instruments, and considered whether further improvements are needed to bridge the gap between supply and demand for risk coverage in order to unlock capital for green investments at scale.
discuss implications of the San Giorgio Group work for the design of the Green Climate Fund.
Matthew Arnold, Managing Director, Head of the Office of Environmental Affairs, JP Morgan Chase and Co.
Closing of the meeting by Thomas Heller, Executive Director, Climate Policy Initiative.


By Alisanne Cousin. Kitchen. Published at Friday, June 01st, 2018 16:57:25 PM.
By Alisanne Cousin. Kitchen. Published at Wednesday, May 30th, 2018 14:06:00 PM.
By Alisanne Cousin. Kitchen. Published at Monday, May 28th, 2018 14:02:56 PM.


Rally enthusiasts can put their skills to the test and develop their driving ability on fast straights and tight hairpins around the technical, testing track.
A true rally experience can be delivered in half day or full events for Stag/Hen parties, corporate teambuilding, birthday parties and more.
Professional rally instructors deliver hands on courses for drivers at all levels.
Our engines are revved and raring to go!


How to Get Published in Women in Ecommerce – on our Blog and/or Newsletter!
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the gut was empty! No one there at all!
the thirst of God to know more wondrous worlds.
the all of laws that o'er great times he'd gathered.
might slowly make o'er endless stretch of time.
where new Gods rule in light of all His glory.


text:
SOCIAL SCIENCE ONE
Hosted by Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science
Facebook Project FAQ
What's "the Commission"?
"The commission" is the "trusted third party mentioned above" In the case of the Facebook partnership, the commission is composed of (a) Gary King and Nathaniel Persily as co-chairs, acting like editors of a scholarly journal and (b) other members, acting like members of the journal's editorial board, but organized into methodological, substantive and regional committees. Different subsets of members (as needed, cross-cutting the committee structure) sign one of three levels of confidentiality agreement, with only the most restrictive of which has privileged access to...
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How long will researchers have to publish their results?
Timing is up to the researchers. They have plenty of incentive to get rigorous research written and published as soon as possible. In addition, we will be giving grants to multiple researchers analyzing the same data, and so they have plenty of incentives to work and publish quickly. Our peer pre-review services are also designed to increase speed and quality. As always in science, 100 percent of the credit goes to... Read more about How long will researchers have to publish their results?
Are there any requirements that researchers use the Peer Pre-Review process?
The peer pre-review service is in its early stages. Our aim is to make it valuable and always improving so that funded researchers will actively want to use it. Read more about Are there any requirements that researchers use the Peer Pre-Review process?
Are the researchers precluded from profiting in any way from their findings – whether as consultants or as authors of non-academic articles or books? How are their activities going to be monitored to ensure they don't break the rules?
The academic researchers chosen for Social Science One projects will have full freedom to publish their findings, without review by the companies whose data they study. Academics will be prohibited from patenting research findings. All papers that come out of this research process must be made available publicly and posted on the SocialScience.One website. All researchers commit to follow the replication standard and deposit their computer code,... Read more about Are the researchers precluded from profiting in any way from their findings – whether as consultants or as authors of non-academic articles or books? How are their activities going to be monitored to ensure they don't break the rules?
How will researchers find out about opportunities to participate in the Facebook partnership?
All information will be posted at SocialScience.One, with notifications on Twitter and Facebook. Researchers can also sign up for our ... Read more about How will researchers find out about opportunities to participate in the Facebook partnership?
Are there other ways academics can work with Facebook?
Although the partnership made possible by Social Science One is Facebook's largest engagement with the academic community, the company has long had other ways of interacting with academics. Most of these are for purposes more closely related to the company's immediate goals. You can learn more on Facebook's website.
How were members of the commission chosen?
Facebook and eight ideologically diverse nonprofit foundations together chose Gary King and Nathaniel Persily as co-chairs and then the co-chairs chose other members. King and Persily developed the model that led to this partnership, and each have long-standing reputations as nonpartisan, distinguished academic researchers. Although the nonprofit foundations are no longer involved in the project, King and Persily... Read more about How were members of the commission chosen?
Is Social Science One independent of Facebook?
Facebook is committed to partnering with Social Science One to further the broader goal of studying the impact of social media on elections and democracy. Facebook is building a dedicated internal team to work with the commission, and academic researchers we approve, to prepare privacy-protected datasets and analytical tools with high security, including full auditing of what any one researcher does.
Facebook will pay for its own expenses, including the cost of making data available, the cost of securing that data, and the Facebook staff necessary for this...
Read more about Is Social Science One independent of Facebook?
Where's the Election Commission, the Election Research Commission, the Research Commission, the thing Facebook is doing with academics, etc.?
The organization now called Social Science One was first announced on April 9, 2018 when "A New Model of Industry-Academic Partnerships" was released. Our effort has been referred to by these and other names by Facebook and us all along the way. Given the scope of our work at hand, which extends beyond the role that Facebook and social media plays in elections, we...
Read more about Where's the Election Commission, the Election Research Commission, the Research Commission, the thing Facebook is doing with academics, etc.?
Is Social Science One related to Crimson Hexagon?
Social Science One is not affiliated with Crimson Hexagon. Gary King, co-chair of Social Science One, co-founded Crimson Hexagon, a social media analytics company, based on his research at Harvard University. Previously, he was chair of the Crimson Hexagon Board of Directors, but the company and Brandwatch have now merged (the new company has taken the name Brandwatch) and he is a Board Observer at the new company. Facebook recently looked into Crimson Hexagon's social media data collection practices and customers, found that they adhere to all of Facebook's policies, and still regularly work... Read more about Is Social Science One related to Crimson Hexagon?
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Inquiries: help@socialscience.one


Jess H. Marriott, son of Mr. and Mrs. R.A. Marriott, attended Grandfield High School; husband of the former Ola Brady. Entered Army in March, 1942, trained in Jefferson Barracks, Mo.; served in France, Germany, England and Belgium; was discharged in 1945.


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The First Trailer for Batman: The Killing Joke Is Here, Make of It What You Will
Yes, that looks like The Killing Joke, alright.
By Carolyn CoxApr 27th, 2016, 11:45 am
The first trailer for Batman: The Killing Joke, starring Mark Hamill as the Joker, Kevin Conroy as Batman, Tara Strong as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, and Ray wise as Commissioner Gordon, has arrived. I'm decidedly not a fan of Alan Moore's iconic story, but I will say that Hamill and Conroy sound great as always in their roles, and that, no matter what, I'm excited about two such talented voice actors getting a chance to star alongside each other again. (As a side note, Jared Leto could take a page out of Mark Hamill's book—Hamill is starring as one of the darkest iterations of the Joker ever, and I doubt he sent a single dead animal to anyone in the cast.)
As an early sneak peek of the film revealed, the animated movie will attempt to improve on the source material somewhat by focusing more heavily on Batgirl. Supposedly, Batgirl will feature in a 15-minute, prequel-like part of the film that establishes Barbara Gordon's backstory. That is, as Carly wrote a few weeks ago, the absolute least DC could do to improve on The Killing Joke's treatment of women.
Hopefully the movie will allow the prologue to inform Barbara's characterization for the entire story, so that we don't just see her kicking ass in the first few minutes only to have the brutal attack she endures afterwards be framed only through the eyes of the men in her life. It sounds like we're going to get to know Batgirl a lot more in the movie than we did in the comic, so I hope that, if the movie doesn't change some aspects of the Joker's attack entirely, it at least focuses on them from her point of view rather than just using them to further the arc of male characters. I'm also hopeful that the movie will bookend the actual Killing Joke story by focusing on Barbara—if we're getting a prequel starring her, is it too much to hope the movie might end with an epilogue about her as well?
Batman: The Killing Joke received an official R rating earlier this month, and is set to debut in its entirety at Comic Con this July. An official release date has yet to be announced.
(via The Verge)
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Alan MooreanimationBarbara GordonBatgirlDC EntertainmentKevin ConroyMark HamillThe Killing Joke
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Over a few pints at a pub in Ballard on Friday night with Garren, Julia and Sanna Garren and I had the bright idea to head up to Bellingham on Saturday night and then go skiing/snowboarding on Mt. Baker all day Sunday for one last day on the slopes.
As it turns out the stars were perfectly aligned to not only make this trip happen, but to make it one of the best trips in recent memory. One of those trips where everything falls into place perfectly.
Garren and I headed out of Seattle around 7PM. About 15 miles outside of Bellingham is the Skagit Casino which, after some discussion and a quick turnaround, we went to in search of cheap Craps. Cheap craps we found with $3 tables and 10x odds. Something you won't find in even the cheapest Vegas casinos. It was here that Garren quite possibly had one of his luckiest runs at the table. The luck appeared to spread as multiple shooters scored multiple points over the next four hours. Always nice when you walk out with more money than you walked in with at a Casino.
The next day the stars again aligned in our favor as we wound up in about 2 feet of fresh snow and very little competition for fresh tracks. I readily admit I was doing things I had absolutely no business doing on the mountain. Finding myself in the trees up to my waist in powder on multiple occasions giggling like a school girl.
This entry was posted in gambling, snowboarding, travel by joestump. Bookmark the permalink.
…you are a schoolgirl! and i loved every minute of it! Had julia not had here little run in with the man… it would have been perfect on all accounts! But, the fact that joe and I paid our morgage on the craps table the night before… the ticket was only a minor blemish on an otherwise FAB 24 hours!


How did you feel when you found out about Dragon Ball Super?
With Dragon Ball Kai ending, I wasn't expecting the story to continue, so I'm really happy to be able to play Vegeta again! I don't know how long this will go on for, but this is a franchise that's already lasted roughly 30 years, so I want to keep on trucking and keep on entertaining everyone.
What's got you most excited about playing Vegeta again in Dragon Ball Super?
In Episode 2 there's a scene where Bulma tells Vegeta that he seems different than before. I'm personally looking forward to seeing how Vegeta changed during the battle with Boo last time, and how he'll continue to change. I want to give this performance my all so that everyone can see Vegeta like that. Also, while this doesn't really have anything to do with the recording sessions, the recording studio's location has changed, so now I'm also doing my best to find a new bar for everyone to go after the recordings (laughs).
I've heard that it's going to follow up on the film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, so I expect Beerus and Whis will feature heavily. But since the story is based on Toriyama-sensei's idea, I'm sure it will go places none of us can predict. So we've all got no choice but to let Toriyama-sensei lead the way.
It's a franchise I've worked on for a long time, so the teamwork is fantastic right out of the gate! The atmosphere in the recording studio hasn't changed a bit. Since it's a new series and none of us know what's going to happen next, we're all looking forward to seeing the story unfold.
I'm grateful to everyone who supports Dragon Ball. Thank you so much! Franchises that are watched by multiple generations like this are rare, so I'm really honored to be a part of it. I hope everyone will continue to watch and support us.


At inTANDEM marketing, we understand the power of the brand and take branding very seriously. It does not matter the size of your organization, the essence of a brand will always be the "experience". In fact, your brand is defined by everything that is said, heard, read, written or seen about your business.
Because a brand is an "experience", it resides in other's perceptions. You could say that branding is a strategic effort to influence people's attitudes, opinions and beliefs through their experience with an organization.
Great brands and brand loyalty are the result of organizations acting as stewards of the brand relationship. Do you want your business to maintain a strong and positive relationship with your customers and the community? Then you must continually protect and build value in your brand.
The inTANDEM marketing team knows branding. We can assist you with developing and monitoring your brand so that you remain top of mind for the right reasons.
We believe that your brand starts with a understanding of your WHY. Truly successful and innovative businesses know their WHY and incorporate it in all their decision making. Your WHY is the heart of your brand - it is what drives you to do what you do. Most organizations are too focused on WHAT they do and lose sight of the reason they are in existence.
The inTANDEM marketing team will help you uncover your WHY and assist you in developing your brand message to be both memorable and engaging to your customers. In order for your brand to stand out, you need to define and understand WHY you do what you do.
Our WHY? We are passionate about helping small business owners be successful to create more sustainable rural communities.
Having the right look and messaging for your brand is important to building long-term consumer trust and loyalty. The inTANDEM marketing team can assist you with developing the right brand messaging that embodies your WHY and create brand assets that visually reflect who you are. These include, but are not limited to, a Brand Standards Guide and identity materials (ex. business cards, letterhead and envelopes).
Whether your existing identity needs a re-polish or you are a startup and need to create a new one, our experienced team can assist you with creating the right look and messaging for your business that accurately reflects your brand and helps you stand out from the competition.
Just because your business is not located in the heart of a metropolis, doesn't mean that you can ignore what your customers and potential customers think about you. Being located in a smaller town just means you have more opportunities to hear what your customers are saying and to use their feedback to help you successfully manage your business. With our Brand Insight Research process, we can validate that your current branding is working and identify areas of disconnect and opportunity to get you back on track.


After a winter tinged with tragedy, Scotland's daily avalanche warning service finishes for the season this weekend.
Despite one of the lowest totals of snow slides in the history of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, the first white deaths in three years were recorded on the country's mountains.
There were several other near misses and "lucky" escapes too.
The SAIS has so far logged 107 snow slides – well below half of the previous season.
But Mark Diggins, the service's co-ordinator, said the 'snow-thaw-snow' conditions had produced many dangerous avalanches.
Three climbers died on the UK's highest mountain last month.
Raphael Aymon, Cedric Ravimet and Adrien Robez-Masson, from France and Switzerland, all died in an avalanche in Number 5 Gully on Ben Nevis on March 12.
The only survivor of the accident was Swiss citizen Mathieu Biselx.
Mr Biselx described how the party of four experienced climbers were flung down the gully by a torrent of heavy snow which fell 1500ft on to them.
They were the first avalanche deaths in Scotland for three years.
Mr Diggins said yesterday: "These were experienced people but it just shows the dangers even in a quieter year.
"You can be used to dealing with places like the Alps, but Scotland is a completely new ball game. There are dynamic changes. It can be fine weather at 400 metres (1,300ft) and wild at 600 metres (1,900ft). The changes in altitude and more dynamic here.
"Our 16 recorders have done a brilliant, professional job and in really challenging conditions. We have had areas covered in snow, then disappearing and then snow reappearing in a quick time presenting a heightened avalanche risk.
Though this year's total is just above the SAIS's lowest, it included the fewest number of main winter avalanches.
A lack of snow produced less than 60 snow slides by the end of February – the lowest in the organisation's 30 years.
Mr Diggins added: "January and February is usually the peak time for avalanches, so this last winter was very low.
"The changing conditions have made forecasting more challenging because the dynamics are changing with more extremes of weather.
Every winter, SAIS assesses avalanche hazards and provides daily information on the stability of snowpack in the six mountain areas to help walkers plan their trips.