Is it possible to reduce weight using high strength steels when the structure is exposed to fatigue?
What is important to think of in these situations when it comes to design and production?
Can you do anything if you have a welded structure?
I hope to encourage you to explore the possibilities of using high strength steels also in dynamic loads.
©2018 Triple Steelix. All Rights Reserved.


Do what you love and love what you do. New Customers. Odors and how to deal with them. Congrats to our employee's of the month and ESS for ISSA CIMS Certified with honors award. Find out who the winners of the Five Stones Scholarships for 2017 are.


↑ About, Natural Capitalism Solutions, accessed February 23, 2009.
↑ Staff, Natural Capitalism Solutions, accessed February 23, 2009.
↑ Associates, Natural Capitalism Solutions, accessed February 23, 2009.
↑ Staff, Natural Capitalism Solutions, accessed December 8, 2011.
↑ Directors, Natural Capitalism Solutions, accessed February 23, 2009.
This page was last edited on 9 April 2013, at 16:52.


Get the best of the summer glut.
BUY: The freshest cobs have snug husks with soft golden silk. When you peel back the husk, the kernels should be plump and sit in tightly spaced rows.
STORE: To preserve moisture and flavor for a few more days, leave the corn in its husk and refrigerate, keeping it away from strongly scented foods (like that halved onion) so it doesn't absorb their odors.
PREP: This time of year, corn is so sweet that you can cut it off the cob; toss it with EVOO, salt, and pepper; and eat it raw. If you're boiling corn, remove the silk under running water. While you shuck, bring a large pot of water to a boil—but don't add salt. It may toughen the kernels. For great-looking grilled corn, brush the corn with oil and grill until charred in spots, about 12 minutes.


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The reason why YG was so mad at the love scandal between BLACKPINK's Jennie and Teddy
On October 14, it was reported that BLACKPINK's Jennie is dating Teddy, a famous music producer of YG Entertainment, but the k-pop agency denied it, stating "It's groundless". That's not all. YG announced that it will take legal action against people who spread false rumors about Jennie and Teddy.
YG denied Jennie's romantic relationship with Teddy because she's not really dating him, of course. However, It is very unusual for k-pop agencies to take legal action about their artists' love scandals. So, what do you think the fact that YG mounted such a tough response means? Yeah, it means YG is mad at the love scandal, and there's good reason for it.
Teddy has dated actress Han Yeseul before, but they've broken up. By the way, there was a false rumor that they broke up because of Jennie. The false rumor said Teddy dumped Han Yeseul for Jennie. Well, of course, it was a vicious and groundless rumor, and YG was really mad at the rumor. You know, BLACKPINK has been on a roll since its debut, and the girl group has become one of the most important artists in YG. In addition, Jennie is 18 years younger than Teddy, and in Korea, it sometime is regarded as immoral that a young girl tries to tempt a old man. So, such a vicious rumor can have bad effects on an idol, especially on a female idol, and YG decided to mount a very tough response to protect Jennie.
Anyway, don't worry, BLACKPINK fans. It's totally groundless that Jennie is dating Teddy. It's not true. Actually, the Korean media outlet which reported the news for the first time has already deleted the article.
<G-Dragon: The King of K-pop>
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0767C7S25
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1293040549
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/g-dragon-the-king-of-k-pop
Who do you think is the most popular k-pop idol? Who do you think is the most influential k-pop star? There could be many different voices and opinions, but the majority of people in the k-pop industry would say it's G-Dragon. So, are you a big fan of G-Dragon? Do you want to know all the stories about the king of k-pop? <G-Dragon: The King of K-pop> contains all the things about G-Dragon. The author, who has been working as a k-pop journalist since 2010 gives you answers to all the questions about G-Dragon such as "What is his real personality like?", "How rich is he?" and "How do Korean general public think of him?" The book also includes various stories behind G-Dragon. Welcome to the real world of k-pop. Enjoy your time!
Behind The News BLACKPINK date dating girl group Jennie Offstage scandal YG

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Mr. Rolle was appointed Governor of the Central Bank of The Bahamas in January, 2016.
For the three years previous, he served as the Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. There, he spearheaded the implementation of the Government's fiscal reform initiatives, which included the introduction of Valued Added Tax (VAT), strengthening of tax administration systems and enhancing expenditure control frameworks.
Mr. Rolle has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He holds graduate degrees in Economics from the American University in Washington, DC, and Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He was also an undergraduate of the University of Western Ontario in Canada and the now University of The Bahamas.
Mr. Rolle has published scholarly articles in a number of professional journals, and continues to pursue research on monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policies.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Why Choose PCD
Meeting Your CSR Objectives
Accreditations & Legislation
This is What We Collect
Free IT Recycling Solutions 0845 544 3088
WEEE Exporters found guilty
Fines totalling £220,000 have been given to eight men and three companies that exported broken electronics from the UK.
In the biggest criminal network uncovered by the Environment Agency for exporting illegal WEEE, it was found that 450 tonnes of WEEE was exported to Nigeria, Ghana and Pakistan while the men pocketed money by claiming the waste was being legally reused.
Three men were sentenced at Basildon Crown Court last week and were ordered to pay a total of £142,145 in fines, costs and confiscations. Another two defendants are still to face sentencing and a third is still at large.
The prosecution was actually split in two as there were 11 men and four companies involved. Five men and three companies were convicted after a six-week trial in November 2011. They were ordered to pay a total of £78,000.
Environment Agency national environmental crime team manager Andy Higham said: "This is the biggest waste exports case the Environment Agency has taken and confirms the legal position on exporting electronic waste to developing countries. Sending hazardous waste to developing countries is unacceptable. Our environmental crime teams will continue to track down and stop those who risk damaging people's health and the environment."
To Book Your Collection
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WEEE Exporters found guilty http://t.co/3xlN9KP3 7 years ago
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Mobile Disk Drive Shredding
PCD is pleased to announce that we can now offer on-site shredding of all storage devices. Our new mobile shredding service is available across the whole of the UK and can handle all types and quantities of HDDs and other storage devices. "We want to ensure our clients that we can offer the optimum in […]
PCD Environmental Policy
PCD is committed to protecting and enhancing the environment and to contributing to the sustainable…
Fines totalling £220,000 have been given to eight men and three companies that exported broken electronics from the UK…
PCD Computer Recycling moves to new facility
PCD Computer Recycling are pleased to announce that we have moved to a new state of the art facility in Milton Keynes. Stationed at this site will be both the office and warehouse facilities. "This site now gives us the ability to handle the wiping of up to 400 computers per day" Tim Hayden, managing Director stated.
Over the past 12 months PCD's client base has grown to over 2,000 UK businesses and over 500 UK schools. Hayden continued "The success of our free recycling scheme for schools has meant that we have needed new facilities and an increase of 25% in our workforce to cope with the demand."
For more details on how PCD can solve your PC disposal issues please contact us on 01908 326140
PCD and ECHO in new partnership
As from September all PCD's collections will now be managed by Echo. European Courier & Hi-Tech Organisation Ltd, or Echo for short, are specialists in the movement of electronic equipment and are perfectly equipped to handle all of PCD's customer's needs. "This new partnership means that all equipment will now be collected by IT specialists […]
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This is a blog of data analysis, data visualization, and data mining. Follow me on twitter for more frequent updates.
The package "maps" contains geographical information very useful for producing maps, and it's fairly easy to use this to make plots in ggplot2. This is a short tutorial showing how to create a map with shaded areas, like the one below.


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The city is one of Colombia's most attractive urban centers, and is the most convenient access point for exploring the Cultural Coffee Landscape and Nevados National Park.
A lovely city high atop a ridge in the Cordillera Central, Manizales, Colombia, lies 157 mi/254 km south of Medellin.
The city is one of Colombia's most attractive and safest urban centers, and is the most convenient access point for exploring the Zona Cafetera and the Parque de los Nevados, just a 90-minute drive to the east; the snow-capped peaks can be seen from the city.
Manizales has several universities and institutes, which lend the city a youthful energy. It's also dubbed, the Boston of Latin America.
Don't miss the Neo-Byzantine cathedral in Plaza de Bolivar, the central square; for a small fee you can ascend the spire—the tallest in Colombia—for a sweeping view of the city.
The Bolivar Condor monument, dedicated to Simon Bolivar, is one of the city's other prime attractions.
Discover the Northern Andean páramo landscape on our 3 day Nevados National Park Trek.
Stay on a coffee farm in the Colombian Coffee Region and practice daily in transformative yoga sessions along with thermal baths and massages.
This four hour walking city tour of Manizales will cover all of the architecture, history, culture and gastronomy of the "City of Open Doors."


When shoud kids get a Twitter handle or Facebook page? | Digital Dilemmas | Kids VT - small people, big ideas!
When shoud kids get a Twitter handle or Facebook page?
Q: At what age, or by what metrics, are kids old enough to have their own digital presence, such as a Twitter handle or Facebook page?
A: This is such an important question. Our digital content now follows us around in ways none of us envisioned when the internet first became mainstream. With new social-media tools popping up every day, we need to be even more diligent about the content we create. With every post, we leave behind a digital footprint.
Ask yourself how you feel about your child having a digital presence that is open for family, friends, schools, employers and strangers to see. Ask him or her the same thing. This is a big responsibility; is your daughter ready for it? Does she understand what it means to have content online for anyone to see?
Read the End User License Agreement (EULA) of the social media channel your child wants to join. (A quick Google search will help you find it.) Make sure he or she is old enough to have an account. Many social networks are specifically designed for ages 13 and up. Social networks oriented to younger children exist; find a list here: commonsensemedia.org/lists/social-networking-for-kids.
Think carefully about how your child will use the social network. Is it to connect with family and friends? To express his creativity and individuality? Different sites serve different purposes. A Facebook page is great for connecting, but if your child likes to write or create videos, a blog or a YouTube channel might be better.
Once you decide to jump in, set ground rules as a family. The younger the child, the more monitoring is necessary to make sure she understands the significance of what she's doing. Invite her to share what she's doing with you. Go onto the site with her. Agree on what is OK to post and what isn't, and be sure to set firm consequences for breaking the rules — including losing access to that social network.
Elaine Young is the author of Tuned-In Family: How to Cope, Communicate & Connect in a Digital World, and is a professor at Champlain College, where she specializes in digital marketing and social media. Got a question about navigating the digital world with your family? Send it to her at ideas@kidsvt.com.
How Do I Teach My Child Email Etiquette?


If you want the best window tinting, you want installation by expert technicians like those at Tint Devil, conveniently located near La Jolla, California we provide car window tinting, home window tinting and commercial window tinting services for privacy and solar control.
Quality makes all the difference. Our experts install top-quality window films for vehicles, homes, and businesses. That includes SolarGard® graffiti film to protect interior and exterior glass and mirrors along with a wide range of products in just about every tint and shade you might imagine. We'll have your best choice for light and heat solar control, protection from UV rays, and increased security. TintDevil sells and installs glass films from industry leaders, backed up by a nationwide warranty. For most automotive brands you'll have a guarantee against cracking, bubbling and peeling for as long as you own the vehicle.
Auto glass tinting provides a sleek look, privacy, and a sense of seclusion. Blocking up to 65% of the visible light it also improves comfort by reducing glare and keeps the interior cooler on sunny La Jolla days. It also prevents car's interior from fading and helps preserve vinyl, leather, and other trim by blocking up to 99% of UV rays.
With our affordable services, you'll have your pick from a wide selection of leading brands and styles for whatever look you are after, or to match factory tints on replacement windows. Cheap brands simply won't last as long nor do they have the top-notch visual clarity, leaving you disappointed right from the start. You can choose reflective films with a stainless steel, aluminum, or bronze look. Or non-reflective films in various shades of gray, charcoal, and black.
We also carry security film along with Clearshield and other paint protection films. Tint Devil also makes windshield repairs with vacuum-cured resin so good that you'd never know it had cracked. Your windshield is also just as strong as it was before. Our services also include auto glass replacement.
Installation by our expert technicians assures the sleek exterior appearance you or your designer had in mind. Special commercial window films provide additional benefits. ArmorCoat reduces injury accidents and deters burglars, especially those smash-and-grabs. SolarGard® Graffitigard® protects store windows and is easily replaceable.
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Home window films also increase shatter resistance and help hold broken glass in place. SolarGard® and Decogard™ are particularly popular. With these top brands, you can achieve the exact look you're after for windows, glass doors, and sunrooms. Choices range from hardly noticeable to reflective energy reduction to dark privacy suitable for baths and powder rooms.
If you're into classic cars and fine automobiles, you probably know about La Jolla Concours d'Elegance. If not, check out the Concours and it's accompanying La Jolla Motor Car Classic at http://www.lajollaconcours.com/. For the latest in the automotive industry, you might also be interested in the San Diego International Auto Show (http://www.sdautoshow.com/).


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WALL STREET RISES AFTER ECB STATEMENT, RETAIL SALES DATA
SECTION SELECTION
US FINANCIAL MARKET | US ECONOMY & POLITICS
EUROPE & WORLD | TODAY IN HISTORY
U.S. stocks rose on Thursday after the European Central Bank (ECB) promised not to raise euro zone interest rates before the middle of next year and on better-than-expected May retail sales data.
The bank's statement came as a relief, especially after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the second time this year on Wednesday and hinted at two more hikes by the end of 2018.
ECB, however, said it would wind down its 2.55 trillion euro stimulus program by the close of the year.
Retail sales for May rose 0.8% from a month earlier to $502 billion, the biggest one-month jump since November.
The number of workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell below expectations, a signal of a further tightening labor market.
Mylan fell 3.8% after the company said U.S. regulators were unable to approve its generic version of inhaled lung drug Advair as they found "minor deficiencies" in the treatment.
Comcast jumped 4.4% after the company offered Twenty-First Century Fox $65 billion to lure Fox away from a merger with Walt Disney, with a 20% higher offer.
US FINANCIAL MARKET
Comcast offers $65 billion to lure Fox from Disney bid
Comcast offered $65 billion on Wednesday to lure Twenty-First Century Fox away from a merger with Walt Disney, launching the first salvo with its 20% higher offer and setting up a bidding war between two of the largest U.S. media companies.
Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts said he was highly confident regulators would allow Comcast to acquire most of Fox's media assets after AT&T's court victory on Tuesday, which allowed it to buy Time Warner for $85 billion.
Comcast said it intended to pursue its $30 billion acquisition of Sky in parallel with its Fox bid. Comcast bid for Sky in April, after Fox's bid for the remainder of European pay-TV group it did not already own was delayed by regulators.
FDA finds deficiencies in Mylan's generic Advair; shares fall
Mylan NV said on Wednesday that U.S. health regulators were unable to approve its generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's blockbuster inhaled lung drug Advair for the second time, as they found "minor deficiencies" in the treatment.
Apple to undercut popular law-enforcement tool for cracking iPhones
Apple said it will change its iPhone settings to undercut the most popular means for law enforcement to break into the devices.
The privacy standard-bearer of the tech industry said it will change default settings in the iPhone operating system to cut off communication through the USB port when the phone has not been unlocked in the past hour.
That port is how machines made by forensic companies GrayShift, Cellebrite and others connect and get around the security provisions that limit how many password guesses can be made before the device freezes them out or erases data. Now they will be unable to run code on the devices after the hour is up.
Microsoft takes aim at Amazon with push for checkout-free retail
Microsoft is working on technology that would eliminate cashiers and checkout lines from stores, in a nascent challenge to Amazon's automated grocery shop, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Microsoft has shown sample technology to retailers from around the world and has had talks with Walmart about a potential collaboration.
Microsoft's technology aims to help retailers keep pace with Amazon Go, a highly automated store that opened to the public in Seattle in January. Amazon customers scan their smartphones at a turnstile to enter. Cameras and sensors identify what they remove from the shelves.
Musk's Boring Company wins bid to build high-speed system in Chicago
The City of Chicago has selected billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's The Boring Company to build a high-speed underground commuter system from the Loop to O'Hare International Airport, one of the world's busiest.
The system will be comprised of 16-passenger vehicles that will travel up to 150 miles (240 km) per hour through a tunnel that will cut the current 30 to 45-minute trip between the airport and Chicago's business district down to 12 minutes.
Elon Musk buys 72,500 of Tesla shares
Elon Musk bought 72,500 shares of the company's common stock, a regulatory filing showed on Wednesday.
Musk bought the shares at between $342.44 and $347.44 per share in multiple transactions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He is already the electric car maker's largest shareholder and now owns 33.74 million shares worth about $11.6 billion.
Ford says fuel cell venture with Daimler will close
Ford and Daimler are winding down a joint venture formed to develop automotive fuel cell technology, Ford said on Wednesday, as both companies plan to take their respective fuel cell technology development in-house.
Despite years of research and investment by major automakers and startups, vehicles powered by fuel cells remain a tiny niche in the global vehicle market.
Honda and General Motors are collaborating on fuel cell development, and Toyota is ramping up efforts to mass-produce fuel cell stacks. Earlier this week, Ballard Power extended a contract with Volkswagen's Audi unit to work on fuel cell development.
Snapchat Zigs Where Facebook Zags
Snapchat is opening its platform to outside software developers in a push for growth that could also test its commitment to privacy.
Starting Thursday, the Snapchat platform will allow developers to add features and integrate outside apps, which Snap hopes will draw more users.
Snap's developer platform shares just a sliver of the information that Facebook shares with developers and was built with privacy in mind, Snap says. But under pressure to prove that it can attract more users, the company is opening access slightly.
Snap's track record with protecting user security isn't flawless. In 2014, unauthorized third-party developers built apps that tricked Snap's servers into sharing information, letting users secretly save Snaps.
Grabbing an Uber? Now You Can Buy Your Own Insurance for the Ride
Chubb has teamed with a technology startup to sell insurance to passengers of ride-hailing services like Uber to cover medical and other costs in the event of an accident.
The startup, Sure, has developed a product for passengers to purchase accident and death coverage on an on-demand, per-day basis via a smartphone application. It covers costs of injuries sustained when traveling in a ride-sharing vehicle.
Chubb will underwrite Sure's ride-sharing policies, which will pay up to $10,000 in medical costs per accident and include a $100,000 death benefit, the firms said. It costs $2.40 for a 24-hour period.
Royal Caribbean to Buy Controlling Stake in Silversea
Royal Caribbean Cruises will buy a roughly 67% stake in privately held Silversea Cruises for about $1 billion.
Silversea's largest ship can serve just over 600 passengers, but many have a capacity of 100 to 200. Earlier this year Royal Caribbean debuted Symphony of the Sea, the world's largest cruise ship, which can serve 5,518 guests.
The deal, which Royal Caribbean expects to finance with debt, is expected to close later this year.
US ECONOMY & POLITIC
Fed Raises Interest Rates, Sets Stage for Two More Increases in 2018
The Federal Reserve said it will raise interest rates by another quarter-percentage point and signaled it could lift them at a slightly faster pace this year to keep a strengthening economy on an even keel.
The latest increase, the second this year, will bring the benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 1.75% and 2%.
Officials penciled in a total of four rate increases for this year, up from a projection of three increases at their March meeting.
8 of 15 officials now expect at least four rate increases will be needed this year, up from seven in March and four in December.
Most officials expect the Fed would need to raise rates at least three more times next year and at least once more in 2020, leaving rates in a range between 3.25% and 3.5% by the end of 2020.
They now see gross domestic product rising 2.8% this year, up from an earlier projection of 2.7%, and they see the unemployment rate falling to 3.6% this year and 3.5% next year, from earlier projections of 3.8% and 3.6%, respectively.
U.S. Retail Sales Soared in May
Sales at U.S. retailers rose 0.8% from a month earlier to $502 billion, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
That marked the biggest one-month jump since November.
Americans boosted spending on cars, building supplies, sporting goods, healthcare products, clothing and other goods. Excluding auto sales, which tend to fluctuate significantly month to month, retail spending grew 0.9%.
The report far exceeded economists' expectations of a 0.4% increase in overall retail sales and a 0.5% rise in sales excluding autos.
Retail sales rose 5.9% in the year through May, roughly double inflation, as measured by the consumer-price index.
U.S. Jobless Claims Fell Last Week, Reflecting Tight Labor Market
Initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs across the U.S., decreased by 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 218,000 in the week ended June 9. Economists expected 225,000 new claims last week.
The four-week moving average of claims, a more-stable measure, decreased by 1,250 to 224,250 last week-just above the lowest levels recorded since the 1960s, when the labor force was much smaller.
Thursday's report showed the number of claims workers made for longer than a week decreased by 49,000 to 1,697,000 in the week ended June 2. That was the lowest level since 1973.
Trump to meet with top trade advisers on activation of China tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with his top trade advisers on Thursday to decide whether to activate threatened tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese goods, a senior Trump administration official said.
Trump is due to unveil revisions to his initial tariff list targeting $50 billion of Chinese goods on Friday.
People familiar with the revisions said that the list will be slightly smaller than the original, with some goods deleted and others added, particularly in the technology sector.
It remains unclear when Trump would activate the tariffs if he decides to do so. Several industry lobbyists told Reuters that they expect the move to come as early as Friday, with publication of a Federal Register notice, or it could be put off until next week.
Attorneys for Michael Cohen, Trump's Lawyer, Are Quitting His Case
The attorneys for Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer, are expected to stop representing him in the criminal investigation into his business dealings, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Mr. Cohen's attorneys are reviewing more than 3.7 million documents federal prosecutors seized in an April raid of Mr. Cohen's home, office and hotel room to designate which communications they see as protected by attorney-client privilege, ahead of a Friday deadline set by the Southern District of New York.
Mr. Cohen hasn't yet decided whether he will cooperate with prosecutors in the case. He hasn't been charged with any crime.
DOJ Watchdog's Clinton Report Expected to Reignite Battle Over FBI Probes
The Justice Department's in-house watchdog is set to release on its long-awaited report on the FBI's handling of the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, an event certain to fuel a renewed fight over the bureau's handling of politically sensitive probes of Mrs. Clinton and President Donald Trump.
The report is set to be released at 2 p.m. Eastern time, while Mr. Trump and members of Congress will receive briefings earlier in the day.
The document, expected to run as long as 500 pages, will provide a detailed examination of actions taken by top leaders of the Justice Department and FBI in the high-profile email probe, according to people familiar with its contents.
The review is expected to sharply criticize former FBI Director James Comey and other top Justice Department officials for how they handled the Clinton investigation, the people said.
GOP Senate Campaign Arm Shuns Corey Stewart in Virginia
The Senate Republican campaign arm doesn't plan to get behind the party's newly nominated candidate in Virginia, the group's leader said, after a Tuesday primary that threatens to put the party on the defensive in several key races in the state.
Corey Stewart, who won Tuesday's primary, has repelled GOP leaders over his embrace of Confederate monuments and endorsements of far-right politicians such as Paul Nehlen, a self-described "pro-white" Wisconsin congressional candidate. Mr. Stewart on Wednesday said it is his wing of the party that is ascendant.
Mr. Stewart last year campaigned for governor largely on a pro-Confederate emblem platform; he barely lost the Republican primary to Ed Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman.
Mr. Stewart will face Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in the general election. Republicans didn't consider Mr. Kaine to be vulnerable in the general election, but there is fear in the GOP that Mr. Stewart's nomination could depress turnout among Republican voters in four GOP-held House districts that Democrats hope to flip.
EUROPE & WORLD
ECB to End Bond-Buying Program in December as Crisis-Era Policies Wind Down
The European Central Bank laid out plans Thursday to wind down its €2.5 trillion ($2.9 trillion) bond-buying program by December but said it didn't expect to raise rates "at least through the summer of 2019."
The ECB's decision to start phasing out easy-money policies comes despite mounting evidence that the eurozone economy is slowing, amid threats ranging from international trade conflicts to political turbulence in Italy.
The bank lowered its forecast for 2018 gross domestic product growth from 2.4% to 2.1%.
However, inflation has steadily increased and at 1.9% in May, was near the ECB's target of just below 2%. It raised its inflation projections for this year and next, to 1.7%.
Thursday's decision leaves Japan as the only major central bank with no end in sight to its purchases of bonds and other assets. The Bank of Japan meets Friday and isn't expected to announce any policy changes.
China holds fire on rates, posts 'shockingly weak' activity growth
China's central bank sparked concerns over the health of the economy earlier in the day when it left short-term interest rates unchanged, surprising markets which had expected it to follow a hike by the Federal Reserve, as it has tended to do.
Industrial output, investment and retail sales all grew less than expected, suggesting further weakness ahead if Beijing perseveres with its crackdowns on pollution, questionable local government spending and off-balance sheet "shadow" financing.
China's fixed-asset investment (FAI) growth cooled to 6.1% in January-May from the same period a year earlier, the slowest pace since at least February 1996. Analysts had expected it to remain steady at 7.0%, the same as in January-April.
Retail sales grew 8.5% in May, the slowest since June 2003. Analysts had expected a slight pick-up to 9.6%.
Growth in infrastructure spending, a powerful economic driver last year, slowed to 9.4% in the first five months, from 12.4% in January-April.
Volkswagen fined one billion euros by German prosecutors over emissions cheating
Volkswagen was fined one billion euros ($1.18 billion) over diesel emissions cheating in what amounts to one of the highest ever fines imposed by German authorities against a company, public prosecutors said on Wednesday.
The German fine follows a U.S. plea agreement from January 2017 when VW agreed to pay $4.3 billion to resolve criminal and civil penalties for installing illegal software in diesel engines to cheat strict U.S. anti-pollution tests.
The prosecutor's office in Braunschweig imposed the fine against VW on Wednesday for organizational deficiencies which failed to prevent "impermissible software functions" from being installed in 10.7 million cars between 2007 and 2015.
The fine is the latest blow to Germany's auto industry which cannot seem to catch a break from the diesel emissions crisis. Germany's government on Monday ordered Daimler to recall nearly 240,000 cars fitted with illicit emissions-control devices, part of a total of 774,000 models affected in Europe as a whole.
Civilians flee bombardment as Arab states pound Yemen port
Arab warplanes and warships pounded Houthi positions in Yemen's Hodeidah for a second day on Thursday, as a Saudi-led alliance tried to seize the main port in the largest battle of a war that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Coalition forces were now just 2 km from the airport, Emirati Ambassador to the United Nations Obeid Salem Al Zaabi told reporters in Geneva.
The United Nations is struggling to avert disruption to the port, the main lifeline for food aid to a country where 8.4 million people are on the verge of starvation, potentially the world's worst famine for generations.
Capturing Hodeidah, the Houthis' only port, would give the coalition the upper hand in the war, in which neither side has made much progress for years. Western countries have quietly backed the Arab coalition, but the threat of humanitarian catastrophe could unravel that support.
The United Nations says 22 million Yemenis need humanitarian aid, and the number at risk of starvation could more than double to more than 18 million by year end unless access improves.
Engine makers on track with recovery plan for A320 engines, Airbus says
Engine makers Pratt & Whitney and CFM are on track with a recovery plan after delays left Airbus having to park dozens of aircraft without engines, an executive at the European planemaker said on Thursday.
The delays in getting engines from United Technologies unit Pratt & Whitney and CFM International, co-owned by Safran and General Electric, have left Airbus lagging behind the pace it needs to reach its full-year delivery goal.
"We have agreed on a plan with both of them to catch up with production, both are now hitting the targets and are on track, which is good news," Klaus Roewe, head of the A320 jet family program, told reporters in Hamburg.
Rolls-Royce cuts 4,600 jobs at 'pivotal moment' for business
Rolls-Royce is to cut 4,600 jobs over two years in the latest attempt by boss Warren East to reduce costs and complexity and make Britain's best known engineering company more profitable and dynamic.
The announcement marks the biggest round of job cuts since the company had to retrench during the aviation crisis that followed the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001.
The plan will remove 10% of the workforce, targeting duplication in corporate, administration and management roles to try to save 400 million pounds ($536 million) a year by 2020.
Two thirds of the job cuts will fall in Britain. Rolls is the biggest employer in the city of Derby, central England, with 15,700 at its headquarters.
French parliament approves SNCF reform bill in breakthrough for Macron
France's parliament overwhelmingly approved a bill overhauling the indebted state-run rail company SNCF on Wednesday, handing a significant victory to President Emmanuel Macron in his bid to outflank the unions and reform the economy.
It represents the most fundamental reform of the 150,000-strong SNCF since rail nationalization in the 1930s, and Macron has overcome a challenge that defeated previous administrations.
The new law will turn the SNCF into a joint-stock company, giving its management greater corporate responsibility, will phase out its domestic passenger monopoly from 2020 and put an end to generous benefits and pensions for future employees.
The government has also said it will write off 35 billion euros of the SNCF's 47 billion euros ($55 billion) of debt, giving the company more room to maneuver and prepare for greater competition from other European operators.
Venezuela eyes first-ever refining of foreign oil – documents
Venezuela is considering refining foreign crude for the first time to produce fuels, according to internal documents seen by Reuters, the latest sign of the country's strain to meet its obligations despite having the world's largest crude reserves.
State-run oil company PDVSA has drawn up a plan to process up to 57,000 barrels per day (bpd) of foreign crude in June at the country's largest refinery.
The fuels produced would fulfill export contracts largely to Russian and Chinese customers and reduce purchases of fuels for domestic use, the documents seen on Wednesday showed.
To meet its domestic demands and PDVSA's fuel supply contracts, Venezuela would have to produce some 850,000 bpd of fuels, the documents show.
Neither of the June alternatives show it getting close to that level. If PDVSA decides to process the foreign crude, it would produce 606,000 bpd, and less if it does not.
Embattled ZTE seeks $10.7 billion credit line, nominates 8 board members
Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE has proposed a $10.7 billion financing plan and nominated eight board members in a drastic management overhaul, as it seeks to rebuild a business crippled by a U.S. supplier ban.
The news indicates China's No.2 telecom equipment maker is working towards meeting conditions laid out by the United States so it could resume business with American suppliers, who provide about 25-30% of the components used in ZTE's equipment.
As part of its deal with the United States, ZTE needs to replace its 14-person board and fire all leadership members at or above the senior vice president level, along with any executives or officers tied to the wrongdoing.
Antarctic thaw quickens, trillions of tons of ice raise sea levels
An accelerating thaw of Antarctica has pushed up world sea levels by almost a centimeter since the early 1990s in a risk for coasts from Pacific islands to Florida, an international team of scientists said on Thursday.
The frozen continent lost almost three trillion tons of ice between 1992 and 2017, the 84 scientists said in what they called the most complete overview of Antarctic ice to date.
The thaw, tracked by satellite data and other measurements, contributed 0.76 cm to sea level rise since 1992, and the ice losses quickened to 219 billion tons a year since 2012, from 76 billion previously.
The United States Army was founded. (1775)
The Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the U.S.(1777)
German troops entered Paris. The Nazis opened the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. (1940)
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Because of her work, she came into contact with the children's books, and since then she fell in love writing children's books. She believes that there is a child living in everyone, which represents innocence and adventurous spirit. Through writing children's books, she can have the opportunities to communicate with the child in her heart.
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https://www.sheltonherald.com/news/article/Official-State-leads-in-healthcare-compliance-13941170.php
Official: State leads in healthcare compliance
The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) is far from perfect, but the kinks are gradually being ironed out and Connecticut is better off than many states in implementing its requirements.
That was the message recently delivered to Valley Council for Health and Human Services members by the man in charge of implementing the state's health insurance exchange.
"I fundamentally believe that this is a free-market, pro-competition measure to make it easier for small businesses and individuals to buy healthcare," said Kevin Counihan, CEO of Access Health CT, the state's health insurance exchange.
Counihan said the current system was unsustainable, with costs spiraling to the point where getting a cut stitched could cost thousands of dollars, and the average family health insurance payment cost more than the average family mortgage.
The ACA, often called Obamacare, has brought much criticism as well. Opponents have bounced on problems with implementing the law in recent months.
Fewer uninsured in Connecticut
The state's exchange is considered a model for the country because of its ease of use, Counihan said. As a result, about 9% of state residents are uninsured, compared to about 17% nationally and as many as 30% or more in states like Texas, Florida and California.
The Connecticut exchange is simple, Counihan said. Users may log on to accesshealthct.com and, after confirming their eligibility, select from gold, silver and bronze plans offered by four health insurance providers.
Counihan said the web data shows that it takes about 40 minutes for a person to sign up, better than the national average of more than an hour. "If it sounds simple, it is," he said.
More than 130,000 have signed up
By working with the four insurance companies, with the possibility that two more will sign on by the end of the year, Counihan said, the prices for consumers will be relatively low.
"The more companies involved, the better the prices get," he said. About 130,000 state residents have purchased plans so far, and the state is in the process of making purchases easier, opening two storefront locations for customers to walk in and buy insurance. The two current retail locations in New Britain and New Haven sell a combined 100 policies a day, he said.
Change in approach by employers
Demand for the health exchange could also increase because of what Counihan calls the "401(k)-ing" of health insurance. Rather than providing health insurance policies as an employment benefit, employers have begun giving employees a defined amount of money with which to purchase their own plans.
This is similar to the decline of company pensions, replaced with defined contribution plans like 401(k)s, he said.
A number of obstacles still remain, including several legal challenges and the inherent difficulty in changing a large healthcare system. These challenges, though, are no different from what large programs like Social Security and Medicare faced when they were implemented, Counihan said.
"It needs work, like any law, and it is ideologically polarizing," Counihan said. "But we need to decide as a country whether access to comprehensive care is a right of citizenship or a benefit of employment."
Questions on implementation
Questions from the council members focused on the problems the ACA has faced in implementation, including the reports of people losing their health insurance if it does not measure up to the law's standards. Counihan said that has been a problem in a small percentage of cases, but the impact in Connecticut has been minimal.
"Some of the plans that have very high deductibles have been voided, and that is a legitimate source of discussion," he said.
Hospital costs are another problem, one that Counihan called the 800-pound gorilla in the room. In Massachusetts, where he previously worked, Counihan said, the state's insurance law has resulted in the transferring of routine care to nurses and walk-in clinics.
Rather than having a doctor treat sprained ankles and sore throats, that is increasingly being done in clinics rather than emergency rooms, and at a substantially reduced cost, he said.
"The marketplace will accommodate what we are trying to do," Counihan said.


In the summer of 1978, our parents took my 17-year-old sister Jill and twenty-one-year-old me on a European vacation. We spent a week at a resort on the island of Palma de Majorca. We headed to the shops and stopped at the many fashionable boutiques and ogled the footwear. The Euros were oh-so-chic, not a sneaker or baggy jean in sight. Our first day there, our first morning, I spent all my money on two pairs of black Spanish boots. One pair was snakeskin with a three-inch heel. The other pair was knee-high leather with heels so high I could never wear them, though I tried. Almost as quickly, Jill spent all her money on shoes. One pair had a four-inch heel. They were red, strappy high-heeled sandals that barely contained the foot. They were, also, quite impossible to wear. After that shopping spree, we were broke and about ready to go home. Instead, we spent days on the hot sand giggling at Euro beach etiquette and nights in the packed clubs watching Spaniards, Brits, and Germans smoke, drink, and smoke and drink some more. We were the only Americans there. I won a bottle of Spanish sparkling wine at a dance contest and must have staged a spectacular show to pull that off: shimmy, shimmy, shake, shake, shake in my snakeskin pants and new boots. Three tanned soccer-playing Brits stayed at our hotel, and we named them Irk, Dirk, and Jerk. Judging by their names, we weren't too impressed, but they spoke English. They were well-muscled athletes, not really our type. We acted as if we were in Europe without parents, two sophisticates seeing the world on their own. Our parents left us to our own amusements.
The second week of our vacation, we cruised from Spain to the ancient Mediterranean port cities of Tunis, Valetta, Messina, Naples, Ligurian Genoa, and Côte-d'Azur Toulon. Almost all the other passengers were older Europeans, with the exception of a large group of loud young people from California with whom we had nothing in common. Announcements on the ship were made in several languages, and they came frequently during the day and at night. Bonne nuit. Buenas noches. Bona sera. Good evening. Our only on-board friend was a young Swiss fellow who spoke little English but liked the same music that we did and sported an expensive hip look. He smoked cigarettes and drank. We sat with him in the evening, one cigarette after another he smoked away, and I won another bottle of that same Spanish sparkling wine at the ship's disco doing my downtown New York-Motown girl shimmy. The Swiss boy's parents were nowhere in sight, either. We took photos of the European boys because we liked their nicely tailored groovy clothes.
Tunis is a Muslim city. The day was hot and dry in the clean bleached capital of Tunisia. It was a thrill being on the exotic African continent looking out at the sea. The ship's passengers were advised to dress modestly. Jill wears white shorts and red high heels. My white sleeveless dress blows in the desert wind. The few Tunisian women on the streets were covered in veils, in white, from their heads to their sandals. The kids stopped to look at us.
In Malta – place of the shipwreck of the Apostle Paul – we made pals with a young, dark-haired Russian who worked on the ship. We sat together in a near-empty outdoor café, where he smoked cigarette after cigarette and drank strong black coffee. By the end of the afternoon, we were tired of trying to communicate with him and tired of the cigarettes and his cigarette smoke. He didn't have much English, and we had no Russian.
Following a Caravaggio path from Malta to Sicily's Lampedusa's land of the scorching sun and island of mystery there was slightly more activity in Messina, and we met a group of boys on the parched street and took their picture. A mustached fellow wears a military uniform. One curly-haired blonde Adonis wears a loincloth. In another photo, you can see they are the shortest shorts, more like underpants or a diaper, ever worn by a male. We moved on to the fish market and took photos of the giant swordfish.
The cruise ship transported us to the other Kingdom of the two Sicilies, Naples. Ancient Neápolis, the romantic Napoli of songs and beautiful harbor scenes, Naples known for its depredations and poverty and yet another place on the Caravaggio map was sadly seedy. Narrow alleys housed cheap shops with cheap wares and discarded cigarettes and cigarette packs littered the streets. We wandered the great crooked "sinful" streets that Victorian Arthur Hugh Clough mentioned long ago and felt safe once we returned to the ship. Later, our parents escorted us on the ferry going to the Isle of Capri. The shoes of a saucy, cigarette-smoking Neapolitan caught our attention, and that picture of our little L'Avventura remains in my box of photographs, next to one of Vesuvius rising through the sea haze.
Up the coast, in the beautiful and wealthy northern city of Genoa, everything was closed, and the streets were clean. A plaque displayed the name Cristoforo Columbo. Sitting in front of a gushing fountain, my pretty, curly-haired mother smiles.
Photos of Toulon show an outdoor market and fishing port. Jill and I ambled and ate delicious cold French pizza with black olives at an outdoor Saturday market. A nattily dressed old woman walked across the photo of Jill dressed in jeans and a pink silk nightshirt standing by the boats. In most of these photos, Jill looks down at her feet or unhappily away from the camera. Sometimes, she grew annoyed with my picture taking, but was always eager to see the developed photos. I look sulky. My parents enjoyed the trip, and it remained a favorite for them. The sea was as smooth as glass, they remarked contentedly, and the ancient black sky twinkled with stars. I felt guilty because I hadn't loved the trip as they had. Jill and I were bored silly and more interested in what was going on in downtown New York.
We didn't visit any of the great bastions of Renaissance art; most of the cities we visited were deserted and everything seemed tightly shuttered. It was vacation time for the Europeans. They were away at the beaches or in the country, probably smoking their heads off, drinking strong coffee, and finishing it all off with more cigarettes, more drinks, more coffee. However, I gathered what little I could of European life, but didn't have many occasions to use the conversational Italian lessons learned from my teacher Signor Lavaggi.
On our last night of the endless cruise, our grizzled waiter who had been lurking around the entire trip, grinning an unpleasant grin, secretly ducked under the table and put Jill's foot in his mouth. Jill bolted upright. Horrified, she let out a scream, we looked at each other, and then we burst out laughing and named the waiter Footius. Tired of trying to understand all the accents, weary of the dour chain-smoking, foot-snatching, black coffee-drinking Europeans, homesick for familiar places, we were ready to get back to wholesome New York, downtown, the center of our universe.


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Robert Frederick Smith (born December 1, 1962) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners.

Early life
Smith was born to Dr. William Robert Smith and Dr. Sylvia Myrna Smith, who were both school teachers. He grew up in a predominantly African American, middle-class neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. When he was an infant, his mother apparently carried him at the March on Washington, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. He attended Carson Elementary School and East High School in Denver.

In high school, he applied for an internship at Bell Labs but was told the program was intended for college students. Smith persisted, calling each Monday for five months. When a student from M.I.T. did not show up, he got the position, and that summer he developed a reliability test for semiconductors. Smith earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University in 1985. In 1994, he received his Master of Business Administration from Columbia University with concentrations in finance and marketing.

Career
After graduating from Cornell, Smith worked at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Air Products & Chemicals, and later at Kraft General Foods as a chemical engineer, where he registered two United States and two European patents. From 1994 to 2000, he worked for Goldman Sachs in technology investment banking, first in New York City and then in Silicon Valley. He advised on merger and acquisition activity with companies such as Apple and Microsoft. In 2018, Smith was included in Vanity Fair'''s New Establishment List, which is an annual ranking of individuals who have made impactful business innovations.

Vista Equity Partners
In 2000, Smith founded Vista Equity Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm of which he is the principal founder, chairman and chief executive. According to Black Enterprise magazine, Smith is credited with consistently generating a 30 percent rate of return for his investors from the company's inception to 2020. As of 2019, Vista Equity Partners was the fourth largest enterprise software company after Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP, including all their holdings. Vista has invested in companies such as STATS, Ping Identity, and Jio. As of 2019, Vista Equity Partners had closed more than $46 billion of funding.

In 2016, Smith was named as Private Equity International's Game Changer of the Year for his work with Vista.

The 2019 PitchBook Private Equity Awards named Vista Equity Partners "Dealmaker of the Year".

 Philanthropy
On May 19, 2019, during his 2019 commencement speech at Morehouse College, Smith pledged a reported $34M in student loan debt, "(including) the debt of parents and guardians incurred" over the educational pursuit of each member of the 2019 graduating class. In a June 2020 report, Time reported the launch of The Student Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit led by Smith, to benefit HBCU students. According to Forbes, "Smith is the first African-American to sign the Giving Pledge, a commitment to contribute the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes."

Politics

In December 2022, taking a stand together against increasing instances of racism and antisemitism in the US, Smith joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Reverends Al Sharpton and Conrad Tillard, World Values Network founder and CEO Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, and Elisha Wiesel to host 15 Days of Light, celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in a unifying holiday ceremony at Carnegie Hall.  Smith said: "When we unify the souls of our two communities, we can usher in light to banish the darkness of racism, bigotry, and antisemitism."

 Tax evasion
In August 2020, Bloomberg reported that Smith was facing a tax inquiry regarding a potential failure to pay U.S. taxes on $200 million in assets, intended for U.S. charities, that were transferred through offshore entities. In October 2020, Smith reached a non-prosecution agreement with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), agreeing to pay a fine of $139 million. This agreement came alongside Smith agreeing to assist the DOJ in creating a separate case against Robert T. Brockman, who had been charged with hiding $2 billion in income. According to the DOJ, Brockman, the backer of Smith's first private equity fund, led him to use the offshore trust that concealed income.

According to reports in Bloomberg and The Washington Post, Brockman approached Smith in the 1990s about creating a private equity fund and offered to back the initial fund. As part of the deal, Brockman required an offshore trust be set up to conceal earnings from tax authorities and avoid litigation in US courts. Brockman also required the first fund to be located in the Cayman Islands and set aside some of the interest earned to protect him against losses. According to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, Brockman's lawyer helped Smith set up the offshore entity.

The reports state that Brockman's proposal was a "take-it-or-leave-it offer". According to Smith's non-prosecution agreement, Brockman dictated "the unique terms and unorthodox structure to the arrangement" and he accepted the offer as a "unique business opportunity he eagerly wanted to pursue".

In early October 2021, Smith and Brockman were both among those listed in the Pandora Papers revelation, exposing the offshore sheltering of financial assets by hundreds of politicians, businesspeople, and celebrities.

Other achievements
In 2014, Smith became the founding director and president of the Fund II Foundation, which has invested in organizations such as Cornell, the National Park Foundation, and Susan G. Komen. Also in 2014, Smith received an honorary doctorate from Huston-Tillotson University.

In 2015, Smith sponsored the college education of all returned Boko Haram girls.

Smith has also served as the chairman of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, on the board of overseers of Columbia Business School, as a member of the Cornell Engineering College Council, on the Cornell University Tech Board, and as a Trustee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco. He has donated to the Sphinx Organization, which supports diversity in the arts.

Smith became the board chairman of Carnegie Hall in 2016, the first African American to hold that position.

Also that year, Cornell University named the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering after him, following a donation. He was later recognized as a distinguished alumnus by the college.

Smith was named in The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "Philanthropy 50" in 2017. In May 2017, The Giving Pledge announced that Smith had joined as its first African-American signatory. That year, Smith was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Denver.

In 2018, Fund II Foundation gave a $2.7 million grant to the Louis Armstrong House Museum, and Smith has served as a board member since. This grant helped digitize Armstrong's collection to make it available to the public.

In 2018, Smith was the largest individual donor at the City of Hope Gala, which funds prostate cancer treatment and breast cancer research for black men and women. That same year, Smith donated $2.5 million to the Prostate Cancer Foundation to advance prostate cancer research among African-American men. Also in 2018, Smith donated $1 million to the Cultural Performance Center at the Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park in Harlem, which was later renamed the Robert Frederick Smith Center for Performing Arts.

Smith has received the Candle in Business and Philanthropy Award from Morehouse College, the International Medical Corps Humanitarian of the Year Award, Ebony's John H. Johnson Award, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Chairman's Award, among others. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of International Affairs from American University's School of International Service and an honorary doctorate from Morehouse College.

In May 2019, while at Morehouse College to receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the commencement address, he announced that he and his family would pay off the entire student loan debt of the 2019 Morehouse College graduating class of 396 students. He had previously donated $1.5 million to the school in January 2019, to be used for scholarships and a park.

In October 2019, Smith received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, which is given to individuals who have donated private wealth to the public. Smith was also inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame as a Class of 2019 Legend. In April 2020, Governor Greg Abbott named Smith to the Strike Force to Open Texas – a group "tasked with finding safe and effective ways to slowly reopen the state" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith was included on the Time 100, Times list of the 100 most influential people in the world, in 2020.

In February 2022, Smith's non-profit organization, the Student Freedom Initiative, partnered with Prudential Financial to provide up to  $1.8 million in microgrants to students of HBCUs.

In April 2022, Smith launched the Mount Sinai Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Bus in Harlem, New York, in partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital.

In May 2022, Cornell University announced a $15 million donation from Robert Frederick Smith that will provide financial aid to engineering students from historically underrepresented communities. The gift will support an undergraduate scholarship fund to provide at least 7 students a year from urban high schools with up to $45,000 in grants, in addition to setting up a graduate fellowship fund to support 12 master's students and five doctoral students who attended historically black colleges and universities.

In October 2022, media outlets including TMZ, Revolt TV, Variety, and Vibe Magazine published an article highlighting Smith being nominated by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to serve as executive producer of a series of film and television projects titled "The GOAT" aimed to tell Mayweather's life story. Mayweather said:  "As someone who owns his own brand, I can't think of better partners than Deon (Deon Taylor), Roxanne (Roxanne Avent Taylor), Robert F. Smith — the wealthiest African American in the world — and Hidden Empire Films, a prolific Black-owned production company."

 Personal life
In 1988, Smith married his first wife, fellow Cornell alum Suzanne McFayden. They divorced in 2014. Smith married Hope Dworaczyk, the founder and CEO of skincare company MUTHA, a former Playboy'' playmate, healthy living advocate, and fashion editor, on July 25, 2015 after she gave birth to their first child in December 2014.

Smith has three children with his first wife. He also has two sons and two daughters with his wife Hope.

Smith owns homes in Austin, Texas, Malibu, California, New York City, Denver, and Florida.

References

1962 births
Living people
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In the present study, we aim to compare the rationality of proposed N classification based on the number of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) with the current one. A total of 509 penile cancer patients at our institute were analyzed. Univariable and multivariable statistical analyses were used to assess cancer-specific survival (CSS) in two staging systems. Harrell's concordance index was applied to evaluate predictive accuracy of the current and proposed N classification in predicting CSS. We propose a new classification: pN1 (metastasis in 1-2 regional LNs), pN2 (metastasis in 3 regional LNs, or three or fewer regional lymph nodes with extranodal extension), and pN3 (metastasis in 4 or more regional LNs). According to the current and proposed N classification, the five-year CSS of penile cancer patients with pN1, pN2 and pN3 was 85.8%, 39.0%, and 19.7%; and with pN1, pN2 and pN3 was 79.8%, 39.3% and 15.3%, which almost all showed significant difference (P < 0.001, P = 0.259) (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). Multivariable predictive accuracy of the proposed and current N staging was 76.48% and 70.92% (5.56% gain; P < 0.001). With a multivariable model of clinical features, both current (hazard ratio [HR], 7.761, 10.612; P < 0.001, P < 0.001) and proposed N stages (HR, 3.792, 3.971; P < 0.001, P < 0.001) exhibited independent effects on survival. The proposed N classification is superior to the current one, which is simpler and provides more accurate prognosis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine Guangzhou, China.


>I just watched Rikki Rocket give the Cat Club an extreme makeover. The place needed it. The configuration of the place was all wrong. The "stage" was just barely big enough to fit a drum kit and not much else. The audience had to keep an eye on the band since they were so close.
If you weren't paying attention, you could get a flailing guitar neck right in the face as you were making your way to the bar. I'm surprised Slim Jim Phantom didn't find himself on the receiving end of a lawsuit or two.
Speaking of the bar, there was a pencil drawing of Lemmy from Motorhead at one end of the bar. I really hope they didn't get that rid of that work of art.


text:
C/ Alberto Alcocer 46
¿Puede una persona con discapacidad auditiva o visual disfrutar de una película? Para WhatsCine, la respuesta es sí, y sus esfuerzos desde 2013 se han encaminado a facilitarlo lo máximo posible "para eliminar la brecha, y las grandes dificultades, que algunas personas tienen a la hora de disfrutar del ocio cultural". La iniciativa, en la que participa la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, se centra especialmente en contenidos de cine y televisión.
La solución que ofrece es un software gratuito instalado en el teléfono móvil de cada persona, para no interferir, en el caso de salas de cine, en la experiencia de otros clientes. La aplicación pone al alcance del usuario 3 sistemas diferentes de accesibilidad: audiodescripción, subtitulado adaptado y lengua de signos española. También admite idiomas adicionales y versiones originales, con lo que el público potencial de la aplicación se amplía.
WhatsCine ha contado con financiación de Triodos Bank para el desarrollo del programa informático y su difusión.
Clondalkin Community Property Development Company
Clondalkin Community Property Development Company was established in Dublin in 1997, to purchase and lease properties to voluntary and community organisations in disadvantaged areas of the city.
Tombreck Farm
The vision of the Tombreck Farm Project, near Killin in Perthshire, is to create a community of people who can live and work sustainably in the area.
LAWERS ABERFELDY
Houghton & Wyton Community Shop
The shop and post office in Houghton is an essential part of the local community, offering people the chance to catch up with village life while shopping for local produce. When the former owners decided to retire, it was feared that the Grade II listed building would be bought and redeveloped as residential accommodation. However, with thanks to a community share offer, funding from charitable trust Power to Change and a loan from Triodos Bank, the villagers have been able to purchase the shop and ensure that it can continue to be a meeting place at the heart of the community.
Strontian Community School
Triodos Bank lending supported Strontian Community School Building Limited, a community benefit society, to finance and build a new primary school for their Highland community on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. As the first community-built school in Scotland, the project paves the way for innovative development in the Highlands and Islands.
Strontian
Future Health and Social Care Association CIC
Future Health and Social Care was established by Roger Telphia in 1996 to provide housing for homeless 16-25 year olds. Since then the project has evolved and now supports a wide range of individuals including those with learning difficulties, mental illness, ex-offenders and children who need families.
Millfields Community Economic Development Trust CIC
The Millfields Trust was established in 1998 to provide and manage business units specifically for young and start up SME's. The Trust manages 100 business units across five separate buildings. They now have purchased the public house 'The Lord High Admiral' next door to the HQ building. They wish to ensure that this thriving hub of the community remains prominent and use it for training purposes.
Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust
Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust was set up to buy the Island in 2001 in a high profile and very successful community land buy-out. A Triodos loan enabled the renovation of the Island's hotel.
Caring For Life
Caring For Life is a Christian organisation that protects and supports vulnerable young adults living in inner city Leeds, as well as further afield.
Menter Llanfrothen
Menter Llanfrothen in Porthmadog, Wales, was formed by inhabitants of three neighbouring hamlets to buy the village shop, post office and petrol station in order to support local ownership within the Welsh-speaking community.
Zion Bristol
Zion Bristol is a community art space in the city's Bedminster Down area. With a range of creative events from art exhibitions to a food market, Zion has brought the former Methodist Church back as a focal point for the local community.