There is a lot happening in the astrology this week and it's all building toward the powerful and transformative Full Moon in Scorpio on Wednesday! The intense energy of the Full Moon is being amplified in a positive way by the Sun's trine to Pluto, which comes exact on Tuesday morning, all the while the shift of the nodal axis into Leo & Aquarius is collectively guiding us into a new, more heart-centered path. With Mercury's conjunction to Uranus, it's safe to say we should expect the unexpected when it comes to communication, and we should also be on the lookout for new insight providing innovative solutions to old problems.


Next message: Malvina Nissim: "ESSLLI 2002 Student Session"
Previous message: Eric Benoit: "IPMU 2002 - Plenary lectures"
decision theory, soft constraints, configuration, and AI planning.
search heuristics, and for reducing search effort.
or constraints) and allows to reason with and about preferences.
domains of our social life ranging from daily decision making (e.g.
and scheduling systems, and robot planners and behavior systems.
applications of the preferences are often quite different.
areas together and to provide a forum for addressing these questions.
held from July 28 to August 1, 2002 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
discussions, as well as a final discussion.
formatted using the standard AAAI guidelines (two-column format).
be sent to the authors by April 19, 2002.


text:
Labor's Pat Conroy presents a spurious defence of new Australian coal mines: "[Y]ou might say — Australia has a moral responsibility not to export coal. In fact, the moral — and legal — responsibility for the emissions lies with the nation that burns the coal, not the nation that supplies the coal. … To understand the perverse impacts of the scope-3 argument, consider Australia's transport sector. Motor vehicles emitted 101 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in Australia last year — nearly 19% of our total emissions. Under the scope-3 approach, responsibility for these emissions would be shifted from Australia to Japan, Germany and Thailand because their car manufacturers export the vehicles. Not only is this ridiculous — it would give a leave pass to the Australian government, which is already refusing to tackle transport emissions." This 'coal doesn't cause emissions, people cause emissions' argument rests on a false dichotomy; it's not one or the other. It's entirely fair to apportion blame to both the coal miner and their customer. After all, when we criticise gun manufacturers for marketing and putting weapons into the hands of killers, nobody suggests that we can't hold murderers responsible, too.
⇠ Critic looks at the evidence and becomes a union activist
American Factory depicts low pay, gruelling work, mounting injuries — and no union ⇢

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


As a Toyota Prius owner living in Southern California, I've been invited a few times to share my opinions on the driving experience. I've participated in two onsite studies that have included walking around car displays and answering questions from different viewing angles; and sitting among other vehicle owners and responding to touch-screen survey questions. The research studies have been focused on owners of plug-in electric, hybrid, and fuel-efficient cars (like the Smart Fortwo). They appear to be funded by automakers looking for consumer feedback to refine their marketing campaigns.
In this year of declining plug-in and hybrid sales (and small cars losing share to pickups and SUVs), there's been a lot of interest in exploring ways to reach consumers. An Edmunds.com study earlier this year looked at how hybrid and electric vehicle owners have been trading in their cars for SUVs at a high rate this year as gasoline prices stay down. Beyond today's fuel prices, there are other motivating purchase factors that automakers are taking seriously – as are companies in other industries such as solar power and consumer household products.
A special report released last week by research firm Shelton Group delved into what's working in reaching consumers with an interest in green products – marketing buzzwords that are effective with consumers. It's been interesting to view the study's findings, and to have first-hand experience with how market research firms are structuring their studies for automaker clients.
One study that I participated in recently delved into future vehicle purchase considerations, and why we chose the vehicles we're driving now. The study focused on small-to-midsize cars; and small-to-compact multipurpose, sport utility, and crossover vehicles. For clarification in the questionnaire, vehicles like the Honda Fit, Toyota Prius, Chevrolet Volt, Kia Soul, and Ford C-Max were used as examples in various vehicle categories. As for OEM brands, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen received most of the focus. Tesla Model S owners/lessors were included in the studies, but the studies do seem to be more focused on major OEMs competing with each other.
Advanced connectivity features like Bluetooth, telematics, Wifi hotspots, etc.
"Green," "Eco-friendly," and "Sustainable" were the strongest performers. "Green" goes back to the early days of environmental policies in the 1970s; "Eco-friendly," started popping up in the late 1980s; and "Sustainable" has deep roots in the environmental movement, particularly with agriculture, but it's become the leading terms in recent years – enough to make it to Ad Age's "jargoniest jargon" list in 2010.
"Eco-friendly" did slightly better than "Green" in the study, though not significantly so. Both words performed well with Democrats and Republicans. "Sustainable" was slightly less impressive than the other two, but has been considered even more politically neutral than the other two. All three of them are considered to have a strong association with better health, though green hasn't changed its reputation for being more expensive than other products.
Tesla Motors revamping stores: Tesla will be remodeling its retail stores soon to coincide with the upcoming launch its Model X electric SUV. So far it's only through one of its stores in San Jose, Calif., where visitors get to see interactive displays built around four major themes: safety, autopilot features, Tesla's charging network, and the dual motors that power each axle. Tesla will have more cash reserves than expected to pay for these and other projects; its secondary stock sales brought proceeds up to an estimated $738.3 million – well over the $642.5 million the company announced that it needed to raise last week. Tesla sold 3.1 million shares at $242 each to give itself a cash cushion as it prepares to begin deliveries of its Model X. In other news, Tesla announced that it will be installing charging stations at 30 West Coast hotel properties managed by Airbnb Inc. Tesla says these are "high-end" Airbnb properties that come through Airbnb's "shared economy" model (similar to Uber and other ridesharing companies and Car2Go and other carsharing services) where property owners rent out house space to customers.
Ford of Europe COO working with Chinese company: Former COO of Ford Europe Martin Leach is now working for a new electric car manufacturer based mainly in China and California. Leach is recruiting staff for the company but declined to name his new employer; he says that the company doesn't have a background in the auto industry. The new automaker will start out making electric vehicles and may eventually produce autonomous vehicles, he said. Enhancements in battery technology that will extend range, and government incentives, are setting up a viable market – especially in Chia, Leach said.
Connecticut's big ideas for EV incentives: Connecticut is taking on California to become the cutting-edge electric vehicle (EV) incentive state. In May, "cash-on-the-hood" rebates for EVs showed up, making it the first state to go with the cash incentive model. "We're a small state, but we have some big ideas, and maybe we can show California how to do this" by using automaker-style customer rebates, said Jim Fleming, president of the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association in Hartford. The Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program has set aside $1 million for rebates from $750 to $3,000 per electrified vehicle, depending on battery size. The rebates are on top of a $2,500 to $7,500 federal tax credit for the vehicles. There is a way to go in catching up with other states in funding the incentives – so far, only a small part of the $1 million fund is set aside for dealer cash.
Carsharing Potential in NYC: Could carsharing services from Car2go and its competitors such as Zipcar actually replace taxis and subway rides? A Crains New York article ponders the question. It may also involve tiny, nimble cars like the Smart cars being used in the Car2go fleet. The challenges and opportunities for Car2go are there, according to the article: Buses are too slow, subway lines can require long routes, and cabs and Uber rides can quickly get expensive. Customers can locate, reserve and open rides on Car2go's Smart cars with a mobile app, which means the carsharing company could complement the transit system and help fill a hole in the way people get the city.
GM investing in Chinese factory: A General Motors join venture in China will be investing about 3 billion yuan, or $470 million, to build "new energy vehicles" for plug-in vehicles and hybrid cars. SAIC-GM-Wuling, a three-way joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp Ltd, GM, and Wuling Motors Holdings Ltd, began construction of the plant last week in the province of Guangxi. That's coming from the Chinese government's mandate for automakers to reduce air pollution in cities.
New study on EV battery leaders: Panasonic is the market leader in the battery market for electric vehicles, but LG Chem has the potential to overtake Panasonic in what will be a $30 billion market in 2020, according to a new study from Lux Research. Panasonic has nearly 40 percent of the share but its dependence on a single deal with Tesla Motors makes the company vulnerable. LG Chem has a strong client list that includes GM, Volkswagen, Daimler, and Ford.
New study on autonomous vehicles: Navigant Research estimates that 85 million autonomous-capable vehicles are expected to be sold annually around the world by 2035. How many of these will be used as fully automated vehicles? Navigant is being vague about it, as are other transportation forecasters. The study focuses on the semi-autonomous technologies already being deployed in new vehicles, such as cruise control on freeways and navigation systems for safely navigating traffic jams. Installing multiple sensors will increase that capability.
Prius global sales: The Toyota Prius has surpassed another milestone – seven million units have been sold globally since it was launched in 1997. The Prius has made up the lion's share of Toyota and Lexus hybrid sales – eight million hybrids have been sold globally with seven million being Priuses. Hybrid models vary outside the U.S., including a Yaris Hybrid sold in Europe and the Crown Royal Saloon Hybrid sold in Japan. Outside the U.S., models vary from a Yaris Hybrid sold in Europe to the Crown Royal Saloon Hybrid, a big rear-wheel drive luxury sedan sold in Japan.
Dealing with aging hybrid batteries: Toyota and Honda hybrids have been on US roads for the past 15 years, and many of them need service or replacement to stay on roads. Owners are facing decisions over which of the 3 Rs they want to choose for their battery packs – reuse, repurpose, or recycle. EV World profiled GreenTec Autos, which has been positioning itself as a leader in the field. The company has 11 locations in the US from the West Coast to the Northeast, with a service center in Kansas City. GreenTech Auto also offers a mobile operation to service hybrid vehicles.
Last week's proposed standards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on cutting methane emissions from oil and gas by 40% to 45% from 2012 levels by 2025 will eventually have an impact on natural gas vehicles and fueling infrastructure. For those tracking the impact of natural gas in the US economy, transportation fuel, and electricity generation, legal and legislative battles have become pervasive in the U.S. at the state level; there's been a lot of pressure on the Obama administration to issue clear national standards on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and methane emissions governing the oil and gas industry.
The Obama administration is remaining committed to natural gas as a clean, domestic energy source, but expects it to align with overarching plans on clean energy; which the electric power industry is going through right now with the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan. How natural gas is extracted and delivered to end users has become a pressing issue for the federal government to face. "Cleaner-burning energy sources like natural gas are key compliance options for our Clean Power Plan and we are committed to ensuring safe and responsible production that supports a robust clean energy economy," said Gina McCarthy, EPA administrator, about the proposed oil and gas rules.
The proposed EPA standards would deal with finding and repairing leaks; capturing natural gas from the completion of fracked oil wells; limiting emissions from new and modified pneumatic pumps; and limiting emissions from several types of equipment used at natural gas transmission compressor stations, including compressors and pneumatic controllers.
The EPA says the proposed standards will complement voluntary efforts, including the Methane Challenge Program, and are based on practices and technology currently used by industry. It would complement programs made during the last 20 years through the successful Natural Gas STAR Program, while significant opportunities remain to reduce methane emissions, improve air quality, and capture and monetize this valuable energy resource.
In related news, seven oil and gas businesses have committed to reduce their methane emissions and back the United Nation's campaign for a global standard for controlling emissions from oil and gas infrastructure. BG Group, ENI, PEMEX, PTT, Southwestern Energy, Statoil, and Total submitted pledges for reducing methane output through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA) portal.
The EPA's proposed rules for the oil and gas industry could address concerns over methane leaks producing a lot more greenhouse gas emissions. A study last year by scientists at Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory raised concerns over benefits gained by the transportation fuel. The study found that methane leaks negate the climate change benefits of using natural gas as a transportation fuel.
The "Rethink Methane" conference held in Sacramento, Calif., on June 9-10, explored the potential of renewable natural gas (RNG) and power-to-gas in transportation and energy. Speakers looked at the challenges and opportunities of how biogas can help California meetings climate protection and air quality improvement goals and strengthen the state's economic future. Energy Vision, a nonprofit advocacy group, has been following how states like New York are adopting similar policies on RNG as a transportation fuel and on the potential benefits of organic waste.
Next month's NGVAmerica annual conference will host workshops on how natural gas is being addressed in environmental regulations and in government funding programs. The federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) is holding its MOVE Program Review, an invitation-only conference, Sept. 14-15 in Denver. MOVE is the Methane Opportunities for Vehicular Energy initiative overseen by ARPA-E; it will be followed immediately by the 2015 North American Natural Gas Vehicle Conference & Expo hosted by NGVAmerica in Denver, which is taking place Sept. 15-17. ARPA-E awarded $30 million to 13 organizations under the MOVE initiative in mid-2012. Nine of the projects addressed the challenge of storing natural gas onboard a vehicle, and four of the projects were for development of home fueling equipment.
"GHGs and Climate Change: NGVs and the Road Toward a Sustainable Future" will take place during the NGVAmerica conference and will feature Todd Campbell, VP, Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Clean Energy Fuels Corp., and Kathryn Clay, Vice President, American Gas Association. They'll be discussing how the growing focus on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions could affect policies and regulations for natural gas vehicles. The discussion also will address the potential of RNG and its role in the future growth of the natural gas vehicle market.
The future of Fisker: More details are being released on Fisker Automotive, which has been on the sidelines since 2012. The revived automaker, owned by Chinese auto parts giant Wanxiang, just signed an 11-year lease deal estimated to be worth about $30 million. Fisker will be opening a production plant in Moreno Valley, Calif., about 60 miles from its corporate office in Costa Mesa. The 556,000 square-foot industrial building is expected to create 150 new jobs, and will be the first Southern California vehicle manufacturing facility since General Motors shuttered its Van Nuys plant in 1992. The city of Morena Valley said that Fisker also plans to feature a showroom and guided tours at the facility. Fisker Karmas had been produced by Valmet Automotive in Finland; the luxury plug-in sports car was expected to be manufactured at a former General Motors plant in Delaware, but that plan fell apart with Fisker's financial collapse and bankruptcy. Details haven't come out yet on the 2016 relaunch of the Karma, which went on hold in 2012.
Apple wants to test self-driving cars: Apple may be testing self-driving cars at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station in Concord, Calif., which is now called the GoMentum Station. That 2,100-acre facility northeast of San Francisco has more than 20 miles of paved roads, city streets, railroad crossing and tunnels; GoMentum has been utilized by both Honda and Mercedes-Benz to test out their autonomous vehicle projects. Apple engineers from the company's Special Projects group have been in contact with representatives of GoMentum Station, according to a report in British newspaper The Guardian. Apple is continuing to show signs of taking autonomous vehicles seriously, and it may coincide with R&D on electric vehicles. It may be Project Titan, the code name for the company's electric vehicle program.
Fleet operators open to stricter fuel economy standards: A new study on truck fuel efficiency conducted by CALSTART and NAFA found that fleet operators believe they will benefit from cost savings from fuel efficient commercial trucks. The study found that 87% of fleet operators surveyed would support more aggressive regulations on truck fuel economy; and 89% are willing to pay a higher upfront cost for a more fuel-efficient commercial vehicle as long as they'll see cost savings over the vehicle's lifecycle. That higher cost could be paid off in as little as nine months, according to the study.
Urban mobility solutions from Ford: Finding safe, clean, and mobile transportation opportunities in our fast-growing urban settings is the source of many studies and projects these days (with the Brookings Institution finding that urban truck traffic growth is happening faster than urban population growth). Ford's President and CEO Mark Fields announced three new alternative transportation projects that the company is testing out: Peer-2-Peer Car-Sharing, a pilot program for select customers in six U.S. cities and in London; Multimodal Urban Mobility, an experiment focusing on the many types of transportation used in urban environments. One of these options that Ford is trying out is the new MoDe:Flex, a concept eBike design; and GoDrive, an on-demand carsharing pilot for one-way trips in London with a pay-as-you-go approach and guaranteed parking. What are the benefits of going these routes? Ford says that they will bring more cost-effective commutes, an uptick in multimodal transportation, less congestion and happier drivers.
Tesla selling stock: Tesla Motors Inc. plans to raise about $642.5 million through selling more of its stock on the market – up from $500 million from its previous announcement days earlier. That will be about 2.1 million shares of the company. One analyst expects that this offering and its existing credit lines will offer enough cash for operations into 2016. The company burned through $359 million in cash during the second quarter as it expands its auto and energy storage businesses. The Gigafactory in Nevada is seeing a lot of that capital as Tesla prepares to make efficient batteries for its upcoming Model 3 electric car. The capital drain could go away for Tesla if an outrageous forecast by Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas turns out to be accurate. Jonas thinks that Tesla will go from around $280 (though its currently about $243) up to $465 in stock price. He's basing this assumption of Tesla stock nearly doubling in price on a concept that the company may be rolling out called Tesla Mobility, an app-based on-demand mobility service utilizing semi-autonomous vehicles.
Renewable diesel seeing big gains: Propel Fuels is now offering Diesel HPR (High Performance Renewable) at locations across Southern California. Utilizing Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel, Propel's Diesel HPR is a low-carbon, renewable fuel that meets petroleum diesel specifications and can be used in any diesel engine. Fleets and consumers choosing Diesel HPR realize the benefits of better performance, significant reductions in greenhouse gases, and improved local air quality. Propel Fuels' announcement comes not long after companies committed to the clean fuel: UPS will be purchasing 46 million gallons of renewable diesel (RD); FedEx will be buying three million gallons of RD per year; the City of San Francisco will be going to 100% RD by the end of the year; and Google is switching its bus fleet to RD.
GM and Honda's fuel cell project: Charlie Freese, GM's head of global fuel cell engineering, has been very enthusiastic about GM's hydrogen fuel cell partnership with Honda that started two years ago. The Next generation fuel cell stack is running in their laboratory now that is down almost a half in weight and size, and the cost is dropping down. He says that the two OEMs forged the alliance to standardize parts and get the volume up, which you can't do alone very easily.
Nissan working with Enterprise on college carsharing: Nissan has teamed up with car rental giant Enterprise on a new carsharing service. Enterprise CarShare will be going to 90 college campuses around the country for a rental fee of $5 an hour. For now, Nissan will be supplying 300 vehicles, with up to 25 going onto some of the campuses. Carsharing competitor Zipcar has been moving on campus in the past couple of years, and recently worked with Ford on bringing carsharing to six US cities and London; Ford has tested its own campus program.
Natural gas incentives: The Natural Gas Vehicle Incentive Project, funded by California Energy Commission (CEC), started up earlier this month is being administered for CEC by the Institute of Transportation Studies, at UC Irvine. Incentives range from $1,000 for the lightest natural gas vehicles to $25,000 for NGVs with a gross vehicle weight in excess of 33,001 pounds; the project has $10,187,000 available in funding on a "first-come, first-served basis." Eligible vehicles need to be new (model year 2014 or later), listed in CARB's Certification Program, and must be registered and operated on natural gas in California (at least 90% of the time) for at least three years.
Wireless charging could be here soon: Wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging could make it to the commercial level as early as 2017 with luxury EVs being first to adopt them, according to a study by Strategy Analytics. They'll probably be an option available on for a fairly high price and limited to mainly luxury auto brands (Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac…..?) when launching in 2017, according to Strategy Analytics. The same issue is there for wireless as for plug-in – for them to be interoperable and able to work across different brands of EVs and charging networks.
Plug-in electric vehicles are getting hit with depreciation of their resale values. Many of these electric vehicles (EVs) are coming off lease this year, which presents a real challenge for manufacturers' finance arms and other financial institutions who wrote the leases. It's also affecting consumers who purchased the EVs and might be trading them in at a dealership or selling them to private parties; it's also tough for retailers (dealers) who own these cars, through trade ins or buying them at auctions, and want to sell them at a decent profit margin. NADA Used Car Guide and Black Book are seeing those trends and have reported on it last week. The Tesla Model S is holding its value on the market, but other EVs are vulnerable. For owners of used EVs looking at their options, market research and consulting firm Morpace has asked electric vehicle owners for tips on how to move the metal.
NADA Used Car Guide's Larry Dixon thinks that used vehicle buyers tend to lean more toward frugality than new vehicle shoppers. With that, concerns over upfront cost and long-term durability are more amplified. Black Book's Anil Goyal sees gasoline prices as the key driver. "Smaller cars have experienced heavier depreciation over the last 12-18 months, but it's clear that the small mainstream electric vehicles are experiencing even heavier valuation drops," Goyal said in a Black Book commentary.
• Educate dealer staff with their own driving experience – One way to improve their credibility about EV knowledge suggested by respondents was that sales staff actually drive the vehicles themselves to become familiar with the product. Knowledge and some level of expertise on EVs is expected to come from the dealership and the people who are selling them.
• Provide a warranty on the battery or replace it – To deal with concerns over expensive battery packs, replacement or a 5-6 year warranty on the battery was suggested. This warranty would be expected to cover replacement costs, repairs, and guarantee a minimum battery range per charge. It would work best if the dealer is seen to be transparent, proactive, and straight forward about the battery and range for consumers to consider buying a used EV.
• Report charge cycles – EV owners want to know more about battery lifecycle, and they see the need for an indicator that provides the number of times a battery has been charged to date (equivalent to mileage on an internal combustion engine). Survey respondents think that more consumer confidence in used EVs would be supported by knowing the total number of cycles on the life of the battery and the number of cells still remaining.
CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City: While a huge storm postponed the start of CAR Management Briefing Seminars last week in Traverse City, Mich., things got underway later that day for the 50th annual thought leadership event. Here are some of the highlights from what's considered to be the most important annual conference for automotive executives…….
The practicality of US and California fuel efficiency and emissions rules set off a heated debate in Traverse City. Automakers are struggling to meet California's demand to see 15% of new vehicle sales be zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2025, according to executives of two major automotive lobby groups. Diarmuid O'Connell, vice president of business development at Tesla Motors, made the opposite argument. California and the nine other states that have adopted the ZEV policy should make the rules tougher. Tesla profits from selling the ZEV credits to other automakers who aren't hitting those targets.
Chris Grundler, director of the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality (and featured in the photo above), said that the federal agency has not already set in stone the 4 mpg mandate for corporate average fuel economy. That will be determined by April 2018 after a review in 2017 and 2018. Issues such as fuel process and acceptance of new technologies will be reviewed; and the EPA administrator will make the final decision and will for the next president, Gundler said.
Ford Motor Co. was the winner of the 3rd annual Altair Enlighten Award for its use of various lightweighting materials in the 2015 Ford F-150. The award is given out by Altair and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and was created to acknowledge innovation in vehicle weight reduction. Ford was named the winner for taking 700 pounds off of the Ford F-150 while improving its performance, safety, and fuel efficiency.
China is seeing the manufacturing of a high volume of electric vehicles – 84,700 battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles last year; and up 83,100 units in the first six months of 2015, according to Yonghe Huang, director of policy research at the China Automotive Technology Center. Challenges prevail, including a lack of public charging stations, a limited number of garages for parking the cars, and not enough demand to sell all these electric vehicles. Air pollution in its major, developing cities and abundant government incentives are spurring the production volumes. Automakers are skeptical about whether all of this will work as sales have been soft; even Tesla Motors has been struggling to get the ball rolling, as indicated by its recent Chinese management turnover right after sales objectives were not met.
Using modular parts is dramatically reducing costs for batteries, motors, and other components in General Motors' six electrified cars, said Pam Fletcher, GM's executive chief engineer for electrified vehicles, during one of the management briefing seminars. All of these vehicles – the Chevrolet Bolt, Volt, Spark EV and Malibu Hybrid and the Cadillac ELR and CT6 PHEV – share powertrain components and technologies, Fletcher said. For example, the gasoline-electric powertrain in the upcoming Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid is nearly identical to that of the 2016 Chevrolet Volt. Editor's Note: Ramping up to reach economies of scale and bring down production costs, leveraging its marketing muscle, and retailing through its dealer networks are other benefits that GM holds over small, startup electric vehicle manufacturers.
Tesla guards against hackers: Cybersecurity researchers found they could take control of a Tesla Model S in a test project in one of six ways that need to be corrected. Tesla sent out a software patch to address the security flaws and protect Model S owners and the general public from hackers. Cybersecurity firm Lookout and technology company Cloudflare decided to hack a Tesla car because the company has a reputation for understanding software that is better than that of most automakers, they said. Tesla chief technology officer JB Straubel appeared at the Def Con annual hacker convention last week in Las Vegas to thank the researchers who uncovered vulnerabilities in Model S electric car software. Straubel also announced a hike in Tesla's hacking bounty to $10,000.
EV sales in July: Tesla Model S was the clear leader in plug-in sales during the month of July, while the Chevrolet Volt increased to the second position and the Nissan Leaf fell back to No. 3. The BMW i3 had a strong month with a 70% sales increase over June and about 157% higher than a year earlier. Overall, U.S. plug-in sales were down 13.5% from the previous month and 21.4% from a year ago. Editor's Note: See this week's feature, "Sales are soft, but OEMs aren't giving up on zero emission vehicles" for analysis of what's ahead for green car sales.
Stop-start technologies seeing major growth: Chicago-based research firm Navigant Consulting predicts that 35% of new vehicles sold in North America will have stop-start systems, up from 10% this year. It's part of automakers moving forward on hitting the federal government's 54.5 mpg by 2025 target. The stop-start system shuts off the vehicle's engine when it comes to a stop, and then restarts the engine when the driver takes his or her foot off the brake.
Mike Calise leading Car Charging Group: Car Charging Group, Inc., a publicly traded supplier of electric vehicle charging services, has named Mike Calise as CEO; Michael Farkas will continue to service as board chairman and Chief Visionary Officer. Calise most recently served as Head of North America EV Solutions at Schneider Electric; prior to that, he was founder of EVadvise, a consulting firm focused on mass scale electric vehicle infrastructure, where he developed the EV Charging infrastructure technology plan for Marin Transportation Authority's countywide charger deployment as well as others.
Clean Power Plan increases goals: The Obama Administration has released the final version of the Clean Power Plan, which raised the bar on cutting carbon pollution from electric power plants to 32% from the initial 30% target. There has been some increased flexibility in the new plan – they must comply by 2022 instead of 2020 and the emissions reductions are phased in on a "gradual glide path" to 2030. The final Clean Power Plan also gives states more flexibility to meet the ambitious carbon standards: they must comply by 2022 instead of 2020 and the emission reductions are phased in on a "gradual glide path" to 2030. On Friday, 365 companies and investors including General Mills, Mars, Nestle, Staples, Unilever and VF Corporation sent letters voicing their support for the plan and encouraged states to release "timely finalization" of state implementation plans to meet the new standards. The National Association of Manufacturers said the rule will threaten manufacturers' competitiveness and drive up electricity costs.
What EV owners think: Ford Motor Co. recently surveyed 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) owners in the US to gain understanding of their perceptions. Overall, EV owners love their vehicles and smart phone applications; 83% will consider, or already have installed, solar power to charge their vehicles at home to reduce emissions and save money; 92% of battery electric and 94% of plug-in hybrid drivers plan to purchase another EV in the future; EV owners use smart phone apps regularly and want to see vehicle health alerts, public charging station locators, charging time indicators, and reserving and paying for charging functions. About half of plug-in hybrid drivers and more than a quarter of battery electric drivers are using conventional outlets (120/110 volt) to charge at home; 88% of EV drivers would like to have a fast charger installed at their home.
Propane seeing a strong year: Sales of propane-powered fleet vehicles, and the propane needed to run them, are taking off this year. Propane prices are at a 13 year low and are 75% cheaper than diesel, along with bringing environmental gains of 12% less carbon dioxide than gasoline. The price differential is driven by a glut of propane coming from shale wells, with much of that coming out of the Marcellus field. ICF International Inc., a Fairfax, Virginia, consulting firm, expects U.S. sales of propane-powered vehicles to reach 20,000 units this year, a 35% jump over 2014, and slightly higher than what's expected to be seen in fleet purchases of natural gas vehicles this year.
Tesla quarterly earnings good or bad?: During its quarterly earnings call last week, Tesla Motors said that its energy storage products are taking off in customer orders while the company also downsized its prediction for electric car sales this year – from 55,000 to around 50,000. CEO Elon Musk thinks it will be "quite a challenging production ramp" to deliver a realistic number of soon-to-be launched Model X units at the quality level the company wants to meet. The company reported $1.2 billion in Q2 revenue, up from $857.5 million a year ago. Fortune analyst John Kell thinks it's all much worse than Tesla reported. Kell wrote that Tesla is losing more than $4,000 on every Model S it sells. The analysis goes to Tesla burning through $359 million in cash last quarter. Tesla had just $1.15 billion on hand as of June 30, down from $2.67 billion a year earlier. Tesla reported that the $359 million was spent on expanding capacity at its Fremont, Calif., plant to make room for the Model X; and for construction costs at the Gigafactory in Nevada.
Hyundai and Kia jumping into electrified sector: Hyundai will be expanding its green car offerings through its Hyundai and Kia brands. Along with the Tucson hydrogen model, Hyundai and Kia may be launching four hybrid models, two plug-in hybrids, and one battery electric car between the 2016 and 2018 model years, according to sources familiar with the company. The hybrids may be built on the compact-car platform that will be used in the next-generation Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte. The hybrids would be powered by a direct-injected 1.6L gasoline engine paired with an electric motor. The Kia might end up being designed as a crossover, and the Hyundai as a liftback sedan similar to the Chevrolet Volt.
FCA cyber security vehicle recall: When it comes to following autonomous vehicles/self-driving cars, concerns are typically raised about liability issues after accidents, personal privacy, and acceptance of the technologies by car owners. There is an even bigger issue that will have to be addressed by automakers, technology suppliers (especially Google), DMVs, and NHTSA: cyber security. FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) is going through a major recall now of 1.4 million vehicles that was spurred by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's concerns over a Uconnect radio system made by Harman International Industries – and which has also been placed in other vehicles by other automakers. Hackers are likely to find the challenge too big and exciting to set aside; that was the case with a Jeep Cherokee that ended up running into a ditch because of game playing by hackers. That was a safe and legal event recently organized by Wired.com to see if hackers could break through the security wall. Last week, a researcher warned of another potential security breach: hackers could exploit a security flaw in a mobile app for General Motors' OnStar vehicle communications system. A new survey by Kelley Blue Book indicates consumers are very concerned about how vulnerable they are in today's connected cars. Automakers are investing a lot of capital and resources into connected vehicles, which they believe is the transition channel over to semi-autonomous and fully automated vehicles in the next 10 years. BMW, Audi, and Mercedes have made a $2.8 billion bid to buy Nokia's next-gen mapping business; and Apple may work with BMW to bring a customized, autonomous version of the electric BMW i3 to market. My suggestion to the industry would be to send your staff to hackathon competitions in Silicon Valley and offer high-paying jobs to the winners.
New developments in Washington: Two legislative items moved ahead Thursday in the U.S. Senate. The Vehicle Innovation Act reauthorizes the Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program (authorizing $313.6 million in funding for the next budget year, and a 4% increase annually through 2020), which promotes partnerships to conduct research and development to improve fuel efficiency in vehicles. The Act promotes investments in research and development of cleaner vehicle and advanced safety technologies that will create more fuel-efficient vehicles. It was included in the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. On the House of Representative side, President Obama has signed into law H.R.3236, whose many highway funding provisions include a measure meant to ensure that liquefied natural gas (LNG) and propane autogas are taxed fairly relative to diesel and gasoline. Natural gas vehicle industry association NGVAmerica says the passage of H.R.3236 will permanently solidify the law's alternative fuel measure; the association says that it will modify the federal highway excise taxes on LNG and autogas to be based on the fuels' energy content, rather than on their volume.
Uber enters auto finance: Ridesharing giant Uber has expanded its leasing program for drivers to have cars to transport passengers. It's called Xchange Leasing and offers drivers more affordable leasing payments. It's been impressive enough to bring in Cox Automotive and Westlake Financial Services and other companies into pilot programs. In other news, the Global Business Travel Association released results on a survey of business travelers and travel buyers, who say that one in four (24%) of travel buyers say their company does not allow their business travelers to use ride-sharing companies. Right now, 11% of business travelers are using ridesharing companies like Uber versus 36% using rental cars, 24% taking taxis, and 13% using chauffeured transportation. And in other Uber news, Uber just closed $1 billion in another round of funding from investors that include Microsoft; the company is valued at nearly $51 billion and is expected to go public.
Major companies commit to reducing carbon: Thirteen large corporations (Alcoa, Apple, Bank of America, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Cargill, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Google, Microsoft, PepsiCo, UPS, and Walmart) have signed the White House's American Business Act on Climate Pledge. These companies have committed to using "greener" fleets to help meet carbon footprint goals. In related news, UPS said it will buy 46 million gallons of renewable diesel over three years, 15 times greater than prior contracts, as the company seeks to further reduce carbon emissions. The fuels will be supplied to UPS by Finland-based Neste, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group and San Francisco-based Solazym.
PlugShare Guide launched: Recargo Inc. has introduced its PlugShare Guide, a new plug-in vehicle consulting service for the electric vehicle (EV) industry. PlugShare Guide will develop strategies, policies and plans for assessing, promoting, installing and managing EV infrastructure as well as strategies to accelerate EV adoption using the company's rich market intelligence, proprietary research and analytical tools. PlugShare Guide's initial project is with Pacific Gas & Electric to analyze and recommend a layout of fast charging infrastructure across the utility's service area, in partnership with Energy + Environmental Economics (E3) and U.C. Davis.
Work truck study: National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) and its Green Truck Association (GTA) affiliate division, recently released the 2015 Work Truck Electrification and Idle Management Study, showcasing directional industry trends on commercial vehicle efficiency, system electrification, and idle reduction. The report offers practical insights into the fleet manager's perspective on new truck electrification technologies and idle management, NTEA said.
Cuba opens door to new vehicles: A lot of change is taking place in Cuba, including placing an order for 719 new cars for tourist rentals from China-based BYD. In other news from Latin America, BYD also reported the sale of ten 12-meter K9 battery-electric buses by BYD do Brasil for Campinas, in the state of São Paulo. Campinas will be the first city in Brazil with a fleet of fully battery electric, zero emission buses.
New Plug In America exec: Joel Levin, former vice president of business development at the Climate Action Reserve, has been named executive director of Plug In America. An expert on U.S. and global carbon markets and California climate policy, Levin oversaw development of the Climate Action Reserve, the state-chartered nonprofit that runs North America's largest carbon offset registry. "This year, Plug In America marks the tenth anniversary of our efforts to electrify transportation, and we look forward to expanding our efforts with Joel at the helm," said Plug In America board president Michael Thwaite.
CalCharge adds partners: CalCharge has added six new partners, including major players Toyota and German mega-supplier Bosch. Overall, 18 automakers, parts suppliers, and energy companies have joined the initiative – which has also teamed up with a number of national research labs. CalCharge pairs companies with three Bay Area national labs: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The main goal of CalCharge is to find ways to boost power, drop costs, and extend battery life.
Qualcomm makes deal for wireless charging: Qualcomm has a new deal with Swiss electric car parts maker Brusa, allowing the firm to develop, manufacture, and supply its Halo charging plates to other companies. Qualcomm has fitted its Halo system of wireless, inductive chargers to Formula E course cars and other test vehicles. Wireless charging may be a long way's out, but Qualcomm imagines a future in which these plates are as ubiquitous as Wi-Fi hotspots; that may include highway charging lanes, where electric can top up their batteries as they drive.


text:
 Welcome to my Portfolio!

            View GitHub
             Need a Resume?
             Email Me!

 Feel free to check out my GitHub.

This application has been constructed with the various technologies I am currently using and studying. Some I have extensive knowledge in, while others I have only a working knowledge of.

Some of the technologies used in the construction of this application are listed below.

Let's start with the elephant in the room.

These are the core technologies used in creating this application. This is known as MEAN stack developement. The wonderful thing about the MEAN stack is that it is all JavaScript.

MongoDB

 is a NoSQL database. MongoDB's great manual is the place to get started with NoSQL and MongoDB.

Express

 Express is a NodeJS server-side application web framework. Check out The ExpressJS API reference for more information or StackOverflow for more info.

AngularJS

AngularJS is client-side web application framework. The Thinkster Popular Guide and Egghead Videos are great resources.

Node.js

Node.js is a JavaScript run-time, popular for being a web server platform. Node's website and this stackOverflow thread offer excellent starting points to get to grasps with node.

While these are the core technologies, they can't pull this off alone. Here are some of the other ones that aren't as easy to see.

BootStrap

Gulp

Sass

Bower

Yeoman

Font-Awesome

Ruby

Jquery

About Me!

Brandon E.Goodson

Biography

I currently work as a freelance developer in the greater Tavares area. I have been in this industry now for about nine years and enjoy it greatly. I find it to be both rewarding and challenging. Unfortunately, the amount of work has slowly declined as the number of privately owned businesses have also declined. Since 2004, I have worked in many areas of Information Technology, from instructing the elderly on how to use social media and setting up their new machines, to full scale web developement. While I do enjoy the freelance market I think it is time for me to move into enterprise level developement. I am always looking for new challenges and I believe this is the next step in my journey.

As you will find on my resume I am well equipped with the knowledge to perform many front-end developement tasks. I have many of the top technologies under my belt as showcased in this application. This was the primary reason for developing this application. I find it more impactful when someone shows you what they know rather than saying that they know it.

I am currently seeking a position with an established company who has as much interest in the team that it employs as it does the products they produce. Learning is a large part of the reason I got into developement. It should be a large part of the company I work for as well. No developer wants to sit in a stagnant pool of code, new ways of doing things are always being developed. I would like to on board with a company who has interest in the new technologies and doesn't mind investing the time, energy, and finances to train their team in these new technologies.

I am happily married to the woman of my dreams, have two children, and a mortgage. Relocation is completely out of the question for me at this point in my life. I am willing to commute up to an hour to and from work however.

This web application was made by Brandon E. Goodson to serve as an online portfolio. 2015-2016

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Formed in 1974, MSH INTERNATIONAL initially set out to provide support to the globally-mobile employees of large French businesses through the delivery of dedicated group insurance solutions (Previnter). From 1998 onwards, with the purchase of OCI-ASFE, we also began to offer insurance solutions to Individuals living outside their country of origin.
In 2002, MSH INTERNATIONAL further developed its business through the acquisition of European Benefits Administrators, specialists in the third-party administration of benefit plans for internationally mobile individuals. This service was designed for international businesses and organizations with self-insured plans, insurance professionals wishing to outsource the management of their plans and local populations in countries where the healthcare system is inadequate.
MSH INTERNATIONAL was established in Canada in June 2004 with the opening of a new claims department known at that time as MSH Canada Inc.
In 2006, MSH INTERNATIONAL acquired Norfolk International Group, a Calgary based company founded in 1986, with offices in Toronto and Houston.
Norfolk International Group and MSH Canada Inc. merged to form a new North-American company which was initially known as Norfolk Mobility Benefits Inc. and which is now MSH INTERNATIONAL (Canada).
The existence of MSH INTERNATIONAL (Canada) provided to us the opportunity to broaden our range of services in America.
To strengthen its international presence, MSH INTERNATIONAL opened Regional Head offices (RHO) in Dubai in September 2006, now known as MSH INTERNATIONAL (Dubai). This office provides coverage and healthcare management solutions to employees residing in the Middle East, Africa zone and Sub-continent of India.
a multicultural team, more than 80% of whom are medically trained, comprising 14 nationalities and speaking 15 languages.


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The Solutions Journalism approach can advance your reporting and increase audience engagement. Start learning with these solutions journalism tools:
Where to Start Upcoming Trainings Accredited Trainers Reporting Resources
For Individual Journalists:
Our Basic Toolkit (available in over a dozen languages) is a good place to learn what solutions journalism is (and isn't) and how to start integrating it into your reporting.
Our Learning Lab includes issue-specific guides on how to do solutions reporting on health, education, economic mobility, and violence, and on how to "complicate the narrative" to tell richer and fuller stories about divisive issues.
We also offer online webinars on topics ranging from audience engagement to how to find and vet data for solutions stories. Find out about upcoming sessions here.
Check out more Reporting Resources below.
For Newsrooms:
In addition to resources for individual reporters, our Learning Lab includes an Editor Toolkit on how to institutionalize solutions journalism in your newsroom; a Revenue Playbook; an Engagement Toolkit; and a Collaborative Playbook.
We also work with newsrooms of all sizes and across all platforms in the U.S. and around the world. Reach out to our team to learn about advanced training opportunities or invite an accredited solutions journalism trainer to your newsroom.
We also offer specialized materials and training for TV networks and station groups, including online, live, interactive workshops tailored to your needs and goals, and a TV Playbook toolkit for broadcast TV newsmanagers and journalists.
To learn more, reach out to Carolyn Robinson, director of broadcast partnerships.
Solutions Journalism 101
Beyond the basics, we offer webinars on topics ranging from audience engagement to how to find and vet data for solutions stories. Check back soon for updates.
As part of our work to center equity and inclusion, we're giving journalists tools to provide more accurate narratives about marginalized communities. Asset-Framing is the practice of defining people by their assets and contributions before noting their challenges. We're working with Trabian Shorters of BMe to train journalists in how to recognize and use Asset-Framing, with the goal of helping repair the destructive narratives that people of color have condemned as complicit in violence and oppression. Stay tuned for more information on how to participate in an upcoming Asset-Framing training.
You also can find us at conferences and events around the world. Here's what's coming up.
We don't have any events of this type scheduled currently, but check back soon or subscribe to an SJN newsletter for updates.
Don't see what you want here? Tweet at us or post a question in our Facebook group.
Accredited Solutions Journalism Trainers
Looking for a solutions journalism training in your region or language? Around the world, we have accredited trainers who are solutions journalism pros. They would love to hear from you. To reach any of these trainers, please contact Nina Fasciaux and Kyuwon Lee.
Abaas Mpindi
+Open Bio
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Mpindi Abaas is the CEO and Co-founder of the Media Challenge Initiative, a youth-driven non-profit building the next generation of journalists in Uganda. He believes that good journalism can make the world a better place through the stories journalists tell and that is why he is a passionate advocate of solutions jouranalism. His story has been published in the Huffington post and CNN African Voices and highlighted by President Barack Obama in his #Mandela 100 lecture in South Africa. Mpindi is a 2018 Obama Leader, a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur and a Young Emerging Leaders Program Fellow. He was also selected by the Government of Uganda to be on the National Taskforce for the adoption of 4th Industrial Revolution.
Aché Adoum Attimer
Chad / Senegal
Originally from Chad, Aché Adoum Attimer is the founder of StopBlabla, an online platform sharing stories of the ways Africans face and find responses to the problems of the continent. She learned about solutions journalism during an international workshop, and has been studying, practicing, encouraging, training others to apply the approach ever since.
Adaobi N. Ezeokoli
Adaobi Ezeokoli is a journalist, editor, photographer and public health advocate. She provided editorial oversight for the Nigeria Health Watch platform in her last role as the Editor in Chief at Nigeria Health Watch, a health communications and advocacy organisation based in Nigeria's capital. She also provided communications expertise and support for various public health research consultancies, reports and publications as Director of Communications at EpiAFRIC, a public health consulting firm in Abuja.
Chibuike Alagboso
English, Igbo
Chibuike Alagboso is a health journalist at Nigeria Health Watch, a health communication and advocacy organization based in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. His writing focuses on highlighting efforts that are tackling public health challenges in Nigeria. He also writes thought leadership articles that provide insights to health sector actors in Nigeria and supports the Nigeria side of the Solutions Journalism African Initiative as Program Manager.
Dina Aboughazala
Egypt / Turkey
Dina Aboughazala is an experienced Egyptian journalist and the founder of Egab; a media startup that helps local journalists from across the Middle East and Africa publish solutions journalism stories in regional and international media outlets. Prior to launching Egab in 2020, Dina worked for the BBC as a Mideast-focused senior journalist.
Esther Nakazzi
Esther Nakkazi is a health and science reporter, a media trainer and the founder of the Health Journalists Network in Uganda. Nakkazi trains and mentors journalists in science reporting. She also contributes to various media outlets around the globe.
Seun Durojaiye
English, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa
Seun Durojaiye is the co-founder of Social Voices, a new digital publication in Nigeria, rooted in public service journalism, using a solutions-based reporting approach. She is also a fellow of the African Women Journalism Project(AWJP) and previously worked as an investigative reporter at the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), where she focused on reporting about issues of Sexual and Gender-based Violence and the plights of women and children in the Nigerian society.
Corinne Podger
Corinne Podger is a consultant and trainer with a proven track record of supporting newsrooms, NGOs and social impact organizations in more than 60 countries on strategic audience engagement, newsroom product design, multimedia production, mobile journalism, podcasting and online verification and fact-checking; and on global development topics including climate change, COVID-19, media literacy and communicating science. Corinne's expertise draws on more than 30 years in the media industry as a reporter, editor, lecturer and author. She has taught digital journalism at the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne, and holds a master's degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge in England.
Kavita Chandran
Kavita Chandran is a trainer and news content adviser based in Singapore. As a journalist for more than 25 years, she has worked in newsrooms across the United States and Asia. She started her career in New Delhi as a business reporter and moved on to anchor shows for CNBC Asia. She worked as a breaking news editor with Bloomberg in New York, and then spent 10 years in Reuters' newsrooms as a trainer and front page editor. Kavita is currently a journalism trainer with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, where she teaches journalists across Asia about climate change, human trafficking, racial injustice, social inclusion and other global issues. She is also a mentor and speaker on solutions journalism as a catalyst for change in the media. Kavita is a published author of a book, a freelance journalist, and an adjunct faculty member in journalism and communications at Murdoch University, Kaplan Institute, and S.P. Jain Global School of Management. She has a master's degree in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in New Delhi and a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York.
Portia Ladrido
English, Filipino
Portia Ladrido is a journalist and editor from the Philippines. She is Co-Founder of INKLINE, a media platform based in Oxford, UK, that specializes in solutions journalism. Portia is also the lead convener of the solutions journalism community in the Philippines, and she has led solutions journalism sessions and workshops for WAN-IFRA and the Indonesia Association for Media Development for reporters from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste, among others. Previously, she was an editor at CNN Philippines Life, the digital features arm of CNN Philippines. During her time at CNN, she was awarded the Human Rights Journalism Fellowship by the Philippine Human Rights Information Center for her coverage of social issues.
Praveeni Senanayake
English, Sinhalese
With an academic background in the humanities and social sciences, Praveeni is passionate about creating positive social change through an initiative she co-founded, Cambiumh, to facilitate a sustainable world through communications and community building. An SJN 2022 LEDE Fellow, Praveeni is creating The H: Humanness Podcast and a training program supporting Sri Lankan youth to report local solutions stories — all in all inspiring, envisioning and enacting solutions to build a positive future.
Sanne Breimer
The Netherlands / Indonesia
English, Dutch
Sanne Breimer works as a media consultant, journalism trainer, coach and writer. She is currently based in Bali, Indonesia, and works remotely. Before she came to Southeast Asia she worked for 13 years in Dutch Public Broadcasting, mostly in managerial positions (editor-in-chief, program manager and head of digital). Sanne founded Inclusive Journalism with a focus on the topics of equity, decoloniality and mental well-being. She creates courses for journalists on how to use Instagram (for members of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union) and on mental well-being (soon to be released). She coordinates journalism training for Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Swati Sanyal Tarafdar
English, Bengali, Hindi
Swati Sanyal Tarafdar is an independent journalist from India with bylines in international publications including The Guardian, Teen Vogue, Ozy and the BMJ. She covers social and climate justice and teaches journalism to college students. She has worked as an instructional designer for global tech companies and as an adult educationist, apart from being a journalist for a little over a decade now. She's currently working on a series of multimedia stories to be published on YouTube to engage a younger audience while also orienting local journalists in the principles of solutions journalism.
Joydeep Dasgupta
English, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Nepali
Joydeep Dasgupta is a multimedia journalist who has won multiple awards in a wide-ranging journalism career that has spanned nearly 20 years. He is currently the managing editor of News Sense, a digital-first initiative focused on solutions journalism and fact check. Joydeep is also a trainer with Google News Initiative India Training Network and FactShala, with a specialty in identifying and responding to misinformation and disinformation.
Catherine Edward
Catherine Edwards is an award-winning journalist currently based in Vienna and working as a freelance editor and consultant. She has six years' experience covering European news and culture from Italy, Germany and Sweden, most recently as Europe Editor for The Local, where she also led a solutions journalism training programme with Jessica Phelan as part of an EU-funded project. Originally from the UK, Catherine has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford and a Postgraduate Certificate in Journalism Innovation and Leadership from the University of Central Lancashire. Her special interests are community journalism and solutions journalism on migration-related issues and she is a 2022 LEDE Fellow.
Charlotte Horn
Charlotte Horn is a reporter for the Northern German Public Broadcasting, based in Hamburg. She covers breaking news at NDR Info radio. Her work reflects how people are affected by political decisions. Charlotte has gained expertise in solutions stories in the NDR Info podcast "Perspektiven" and at the BBC. A passionate traveler, Charlotte has reported from various countries and regions, including Ghana, Israel, and the South Pacific.
Elena Ledda
English, Italian, Castellano, Catala
Barcelona-based Elena Ledda is a Sardinian freelance journalist with a degree in foreign languages. Elena practices solutions journalism from a feminist perspective and collaborates with several newspapers and magazines, writing in Spanish (Castellano and Català), Italian and English. She also teaches engaged (civic) journalism and journalistic ethics from gender, class and ethnicity perspectives at the BCN_NY Master Degree in Journalism (collaboration between Universitat de Barcelona and Columbia University).
Esma Kučukalić
Spain / Bosnia and Herzegovina
Esma Kucukalic is a Doctor in the Human Rights, Peace and Sustainability program at University of Valencia (UV); Master in International and European Union Studies and Postgraduate in Journalism with International specialization (UV). She is a Mediterranean Citizens' Assembly Foundation Director and professor of the Official Master's Degree in International Journalism at the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) where she teaches solutions journalism. Her academic research focuses on ethnicity and citizenship in post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as a journalist on social issues and civil rights.
Hanna Liubakova
Belarus / Poland
Hanna Liubakova is a journalist from Belarus and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. She works as a journalism trainer and mentor. She started her career at the only independent Belarusian TV channel Belsat where she worked as a correspondent and TV presenter. Hanna has reported from various countries and regions, including Belgium, UK, Poland, France, and Chechnya. She was a recipient of the Václav Havel Journalism Fellowship at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Czechia, as well as a World Press Institute Fellowship in the United States. Hanna received a degree in Art History from The Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland in 2010 and a Master of Art with distinction in International Journalism from Brunel University in London in 2017. She was awarded the Peter Caws Prize for best postgraduate dissertation.
Jeremy Druker
Jeremy Druker is the Executive Director and Editor in Chief, of Transitions, a media development organization that he co-founded in 1999, as well as a professor at New York University's campus in Prague. He is also CEO and the founder of Press Start, a crowdfunding platform designed specifically to support journalists where the press cannot report freely.
Jessica Phelan
Jessica Phelan is a digital and broadcast journalist currently based in Rome. Originally from the UK, she has reported from France, Germany, Japan and Italy for a range of digital media and radio, including Radio France International, PRI, Monocle and The Local. She first got involved in solutions journalism via an EU-funded project to broaden media coverage of migration, through which she and colleagues led SoJo-focused webinars and workshops for more than 150 journalists across Europe. Her special interests include community engagement and solutions reporting for radio.
Justina Ilkevičiūtė
After graduating from Vilnius University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in politics, Justina Ilkeviciute began her journalism career as a scriptwriter and editor of various TV shows. In 2019 she joined Lithuanian National Radio and Television as a business news editor, from 2021 she is based in Brussels as a correspondent for European Union affairs. In 2021 she participated in LEDE Fellowship and launched LRT is Looking for Solutions — the first and only solutions journalism project in Lithuania working across TV, radio and online.
Lisa Urlbauer
Lisa Urlbauer is the Journalistic Training Coordinator at the Bonn Institute in Germany. Previously, she was a trainee at a daily newspaper in Bremen, northern Germany. She studied in the Mundus Journalism Master's Program in Denmark and the Netherlands, where she specialized in politics and communication, and worked as SJN's European Communities Associate.
Lucie Černá
English, Czech
Lucie Černá works for Transitions where she leads a program promoting Solutions Journalism in Central and Eastern Europe. She is involved in the topic since 2017, currently she is also mentoring journalists in the central European region helping them to bring solutions lens to their reporting practice.
Mara Bierbach
Mara Bierbach is a journalist based in Bonn. She works for Deutsche Welle, Germany's international broadcaster, wearing multiple hats including author, editor, and social media manager. She reports on migration to and within Europe and holds a BS in Economics and a MA in North American Studies.
Meenal Thakur
The Netherlands / Belgium
Meenal Thakur is a Project Manager at the European Journalism Centre (EJC), where she works on EJC's grant programs, which help Europe-based newsrooms and freelancers become more resilient and financially sustainable. Her work also involves capacity-building among these journalists through trainings, connecting them to new skills and ideas to foster innovation in their reporting projects. Prior to joining the EJC, Meenal worked on mapping the Press Freedom landscape in Nepal with Free Press Unlimited, an Amsterdam-based non-profit.
Nicole Ely
Nicole Ely is a social media manager at Transitions Media. She began her career as a journalist and editor in the San Francisco Bay Area and later in Las Vegas. Five years ago, she relocated to Prague to study at Charles University, where she received a master's degree in International Security Studies with a focus on disinformation and terrorism.
Olha Virsta
Olha Virsta is a communication manager at the Ukrainian Regional Press Development Institute, a partner organization of Transitions. She coordinates a project promoting solutions journalism in Ukraine and trains regional journalists in gender-sensitive reporting. Olha holds a master's degree in journalism with a study on alternative media at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Rhiannon Davies
Rhiannon Davies is a teaching associate at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, where she runs courses for undergraduates and postgraduates studying digital journalism. She also runs a solutions-focused community magazine and is interested in the power of hyperlocal news and engaged journalism practices to create social impact.
Sophie Roland
Sophie Roland is an independent filmmaker based in Paris. She has worked for more than 20 years for French Télévision, including popular investigative programs such as "Envoyé Spécial" and "Cash Investigation." She is preparing a solutions-oriented investigative magazine for French TV. Sophie is an SJN's 2021 LEDE Fellow and she trains French TV journalists in solutions journalism.
Amée Zoutberg
English, Dutch, German
Amée is a Dutch journalist, photographer and film maker with a background in sociology and international politics. She has worked with the Google News Initiative, the European Commission, VICE, M100, The Brussels Times, Factcheck Flanders and many more. In her free time, Amée likes to write and perform slam poetry.
Assunta Corbo
Assunta Corbo is a freelance journalist based in Milan. She collaborates with several newspapers and magazines. She founded Constructive Network to spread solutions journalism in Italy. Assunta is a SJN's 2021 Fellow and she trains journalists in solutions journalism. She founded and is the director of News48, a magazine that collect solutions stories both in italian and english.
Boryana Dzhambazova
English, Bulgarian
Boryana Dzhambazova is a freelance journalist based in Sofia, Bulgaria. She reports on a wide range of topics – from economic and political developments, to social affairs and human rights issues. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Economist, and Politico Europe, among others.
Anida Sokol
English, Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, Montenegrin
Anida Sokol is a media researcher and trainer from Mediacentar Sarajevo and the deputy editor of the online magazine focused on journalism Media.ba. Anida Sokol is a media literacy and solutions journalism trainer and has worked as a lecturer on Politics and the Media and Political Communication at the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology and Burch University in Sarajevo. She holds training courses on verification of information, hate speech and ethical standards in journalism.
She is the author of various research studies on the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkan region, including on regulation of harmful content online, media consumption habits of young people and media trust, propaganda, disinformation and hate models in the media. She holds a PhD from the Faculty of Political Science, Sapienza University Rome.
Vera Penêda
English, Spanish, Portuguese
Vera Penêda is the Director of Programmes & Impact at the European Journalism Centre (EJC) in Maastricht, the Netherlands, where she has worked since 2019. She designs and develops projects at the intersection of journalism, innovation and tech. These aim to help Europe-based newsrooms and journalists adapt to new challenges and become more resilient.
For the past 10+ years, Vera has worked within international NGOs and major news organizations in Europe, Latin America and Asia. She is experienced in helping newsrooms and teams manage change and face operational challenges, such as digital transformation, the creation of new products, integration of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and hiring and training new staff.
Currently based in the Netherlands, Vera has lived and worked in China, Mexico, Spain and Portugal as a correspondent, reporter and managing editor. She speaks and writes fluently in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Barbara Fraser
Bárbara Fraser es una periodista independiente radicada en Perú, especializada en temas ambientales, de salud pública e indígenas. Debido a su labor periodística, ha tenido la oportunidad de realizar múltiples viajes para cubrir una diversidad de temas: desde los glaciares de la Cordillera Blanca en los Andes, hasta los derrames de petróleo en comunidades indígenas en la Amazonía; desde un campamento para migrantes en la frontera de México con Guatemala, hasta un parque etnobotánico en una isla al sur de Tierra del Fuego. Como miembro de la Asociación de Periodistas y Comunicadores de Ciencia del Perú y del comité de ambiente de la Federación Mundial de Periodistas de Ciencia, espera tener varias oportunidades de realizar talleres de periodismo de soluciones, acompañamiento y colaboración con otros periodistas en América Latina y más allá.
Camille Padilla Dalmau
Camille Padilla Dalmau vive en las montañas de Boriké — el nombre originario de Puerto Rico — . Es periodista, productora audiovisual y cofundadora de 9 Millones, una red que crea contenido educativo e historias para una sociedad más saludable, próspera, y alegre. Luego de haber creado esta plataforma en abril de 2020 para enfocarse en historias de soluciones durante la pandemia, Camille recibió una beca de SJN para cubrir las elecciones. A partir de lo aprendido en este curso de capacitación para entrenadores en periodismo de soluciones, Camille realizará capacitaciones para estudiantes universitarios, así como para sus colaboradores de 9 Millones.
Mariela Castañón
Mariela Castañón es periodista independiente, comunicadora social y docente universitaria. Tiene 13 años de experiencia periodística y está especializada en temas de niñez y adolescencia, género y seguridad. Ha sido becaria del International Center for Journalists, de Periodismo Situado y Cosecha Roja, y del Programa Edward R. Murrow de la Embajada de Estados Unidos en Guatemala, entre otros. Ha obtenido 4 reconocimientos en Guatemala por su labor periodística y una nominación internacional en el Fetisov Journalism Award con sede en Suiza. En 2021, fundó el medio digital nativo Nuestras Historias.
Carolina Gil Posse
Carolina Gil Posse es una profesional del periodismo y la comunicación de Argentina, con más de 25 años de experiencia en medios y en organizaciones de la sociedad civil. Fue conductora, productora periodística, guionista y cronista de diversos programas de radio y televisión, además de corresponsal en Argentina del Servicio Latinoamericano de Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, la emisora internacional de Holanda. Actualmente, es directora asociada de programas y comunicaciones para América Latina de la organización no gubernamental Salud sin Daño (Health Care Without Harm), en donde trabaja desde 2012. Además de coordinar al equipo regional, lidera el desarrollo de actividades y recursos de capacitación para periodistas y comunicadores para fortalecer la cobertura periodística del cambio climático con enfoque de salud.
Es magíster en Periodismo (UdeSA), licenciada en Enseñanza de las Artes Audiovisuales (UNSAM), periodista (TEA) y locutora (ISER). Fue becaria de la Fundación Carolina en España y Colombia. Actualmente, es estudiante del doctorado en Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad de Buenos Aires e investiga el enfoque de salud en las noticias sobre cambio climático, un tema que le apasiona.
Cristhian Barragan Falla
Cristhian Barragán es un periodista de datos y emprendedor colombiano. Por más de una década, ha capacitado a periodistas locales y comunitarios de gran parte de Latinoamérica en periodismo digital y emprendimiento. Sus temas de interés son los datos abiertos, el acceso a la información pública y la corrupción, enfocados al periodismo local.
Cristhian es Alumni Fellow del ICFJ 2018, asociado de Consejo de Redacción y miembro del Border Hub. Actualmente, es director general de WebNoticias.co, una franquicia de medios digitales locales e hiperlocales, y director de la iniciativa dateame.co, un directorio de medios digitales informativos de Iberoamérica.
Jonathan Gutiérrez
Jonathan Gutiérrez es editor en jefe y cofundador de Historias que Laten, medio digital independiente de periodismo narrativo y de investigación con sede en Caracas (Venezuela), que promueve un periodismo con una mirada más constructiva y humana. Escribe crónicas y reportajes para distintos medios de América Latina y Europa. Ha sido 'fixer' de ARD TV (Alemania) y TV3 Catalunya de Barcelona (España). Fue editor cofundador de la Revista Clímax (actual ElEstimulo.com) y jefe de redacción de la Revista Producto, también en Caracas.
Es periodista egresado de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. Posee una especialización en Comunicación Política y Estudios de Opinión Pública y una maestría en Ciencia Política (Universidad Simón Bolívar). Es coordinador académico y profesor del Diplomado en Nuevas Narrativas Multimedia — Historias que laten, del CIAP-UCAB. Dirigió la Fundación Latinoamericana de Cine y TV (Fundavisual Latina), institución creada por la cineasta Margot Benacerraf y el escritor Gabriel García Márquez. Formó parte de la primera cohorte de periodistas capacitados en América Latina en periodismo de soluciones por la Fundación Gabo y SJN en 2018.
Fabrice Le Lous
Journalist with extensive experience in Central America, notably in La Prensa (Nicaragua) and La Nación (Costa Rica). Passionate about good journalism and the responsibility of discovering and telling the truth to audiences. Also interested in telling real stories in different ways, hopefully innovating ways to bring information to the public.
Laura Quiñones
Colombia / U.S.
Laura Quiñones cuenta con más de 12 años de experiencia en radio, televisión y medios digitales en Colombia, Estados Unidos y Australia. Graduada como periodista con masterado en comunicación digital, se ha destacado como profesional en diversas posiciones como locutora de radio, investigadora, productora de televisión, experta en redes sociales y productora multimedia. En 2014, obtuvo un premio Emmy como productora del mejor noticiero del año en Nueva York.
A lo largo de su carrera, e incluso desde su misma tesis de pregrado, Laura siempre ha intentado concentrarse en soluciones, inspirada por problemáticas como el conflicto armado de su país — Colombia — , la desigualdad de género y el cambio climático. Actualmente, Laura trabaja en la división de noticias de las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York como productora de contenido y especialista en acción climática.
Leonardo Gómez Ponce
Leonardo Gómez Ponce es un periodista independiente, especializado en investigación económica, periodismo de datos y fact-checking. Durante los últimos años, su trabajo se ha desarrollado en el campo del periodismo de investigación y en la promoción de mecanismos de transparencia en el uso de los recursos fiscales. Sus reportajes se publican desde hace 16 años en los medios de comunicación nacionales de Ecuador.
Desde 2018, es el coordinador del Observatorio de Gasto Público de la Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo. En 2019, fundó el portal de periodismo TierraDeNadie.ec, que concentra sus esfuerzos en la indagación de casos de corrupción en las periferias y zonas fronterizas. En 2022, decidió incursionar en el periodismo de soluciones, buscando una alternativa para combatir la polarización social en su país.
Hildegard Willer
Hildegard Willer es una periodista alemana freelance, radicada en Lima, Perú. Escribe para varios medios de habla alemana (Welt-Sichten, taz, FAZ, Radio SRF y Dradio, entre otros), especialmente sobre temas ambientales y sociales, minería y agricultura. También es docente de periodismo en la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.
Adriana González Escobar
Durante diez años de recorrido entre notas, investigaciones y amor a la verdad, Adriana González ha informado para cadenas dentro y fuera de El Salvador, en la prensa escrita, radio, televisión y formatos multimedia. "El periodismo es un privilegio", dice una de las ganadoras de la segunda edición de becas en periodismo de soluciones de la Fundación Gabriel García Márquez con el trabajo La revolución contra el hambre.
Conduce el informativo Teleprensa, en donde también investiga y reporta. Además, es conductora de la revista informativa Al Cierre de radio Punto 105 y corresponsal para SIR — Radios y Medios Virtuales de América y Europa. Actualmente, desarrolla una plataforma de periodismo de soluciones basado en derechos humanos y Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible para televisión y medios electrónicos, y un laboratorio de periodismo de soluciones para la radio comunitaria Victoria, dirigido a reporteros voluntarios.
Sarah Ladik
Sarah Ladik is a settler and former print journalist from north of Montreal on Omàmìwininìwag, Anishinabewaki, and St. Lawrence Iroquoian territory, with experience in community news across what is now called Canada. She is currently an uninvited visitor in Kwakwaka'wakw territory. Sarah has worked for Journalists for Human Rights in a number of capacities since 2019, and is currently a senior trainer and associate manager with the Solutions Journalism Program. She believes stories can and do change the world, and is always looking for ways to be part of making that happen..
Tulsi Kamath
Tulsi Kamath leads digital news coverage for NewsNation in her role as Managing Editor. Along with overseeing daily digital news coverage, she also works with digital reporters to take a unique, unbiased approach to covering the news of the day and leads the network's solutions journalism initiative, aimed at elevating solutions to some of the nation's most pressing issues. Kamath is an award-winning journalist who has spent her career in TV, print, and digital-only news outlets around the country.
Damaso Reyes
U.S. / Spain
Damaso Reyes is the investigative editor of the New York Amsterdam News and the founding editor of the Blacklight investigative unit.
He has been published by: The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, New York magazine, Der Spiegel, and the Irish Times. Previous assignments and projects have taken him to countries including Rwanda, Iraq, Indonesia, Tanzania and throughout the United States and Europe.
He is a Fulbright specialist and is the recipient of several awards and grants including Arthur F. Burns and Holbrooke Fellowships from the International Center for Journalists; a Knight-Luce Fellowship from the USC Annenberg School of Journalism; an Immigration Reporting Fellowship from the French American Foundation and a grant from the Fund for Investigative journalism.
Hugo Balta
Hugo Balta is an award-winning journalist based in Chicago with 30 years of experience in leadership positions for storied networks, including NBC, Telemundo, CBS, ESPN, and ABC. Hugo is the Owner/Publisher of the Latino News Network (LNN), a group of independent local news and information multiple platform digital outlets in New England and the Midwest. He is twice the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) president and a Hall of Fame member. As a recognized change agent, Hugo is credited with redefining Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives from a problem to be solved to an opportunity to be realized. He is an editor with The Chicago Reporter and WBBM News Radio. Hugo will teach a broadcast television journalism class focused on storytelling at Columbia College Chicago.
Kimberley Hartwig
Kimberley Hartwig lives and works in Saskatoon/Treaty 6. She holds undergraduate degrees in English and French from the University of Saskatchewan and a masters degree in Migration and Intercultural Relations from the University of Oldenburg, Germany. She worked for Journalists for Human Rights in the Solutions Journalism Program and in JHR's Indigenous Reporters Program. She strongly believes in the power of storytelling and in bringing diverse voices into the fold.
Nora Hertel
Nora Hertel is the founder of The Optimist, a solution-focused, digital news startup serving small cities and rural communities in Minnesota. Through The Optimist, Nora provides training to student and community journalists. She coordinates The Optimist's environment, business and social issues coverage and a community dialogue series. Before becoming a news entrepreneur, Nora worked as an investigative reporter for the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota, the Wausau Daily Herald in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, the AP and several others. Since 2021, she's been awarded fellowships by the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, the Initiative Foundation in central Minnesota and the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.
Kim Gamel
Kim Gamel is managing editor and a solutions journalism advocate at Honolulu Civil Beat. She joined the nonprofit news site in November 2020. Kim came to Hawaii after many years abroad, most recently in Seoul covering the Korean Peninsula for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. Previously, she was a foreign correspondent with The Associated Press with postings in the Middle East and Europe. A native of Boise, Idaho, Kim was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan from 2014-15. It was there that she became passionate about local news as a way to engage and inform the community. She encourages reporters to do solutions stories by showing how they maximize impact, empower people and hold those in power accountable by showing how things can be done better.
Chris Winters
Chris is the economics and politics editor for YES! Magazine He has spent 25 years in journalism writing news and commentary on government, politics, business, technology, science, the environment, and Native American issues. Originally from Maryland, he studied film and broadcasting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and creative writing at Emerson College, served in the Peace Corps in Hungary, and also spent some time working in the bowels of a giant high-tech company near Seattle.
Carolyn Robinson
Carolyn Robinson is the former Director of Broadcast Partnerships for Solutions Journalism Network, leading projects with large TV ownership groups, including Nexstar, Gray, Scripps, Univision, Graham and many others. As a journalist, she's produced hundreds of live TV newscasts, the weekend medical show and health specials at CNN; in Hong Kong, she reported and produced daily live shows at CNN's affiliate station; in East Timor, she ran the local TV station for the United Nations; in Doha and DC, she produced global talk shows and documentary features for Al Jazeera English. She's trained a couple thousand journalists in 25+ countries, led a few dozen international media projects, and received multiple journalism awards and fellowships for her work.
Finding Story Ideas
If you're looking for some inspiration for your next solutions story, check out 77 Places to Find SJ Story Ideas — a crowdsourced list of the databases, innovator networks, think tanks and online resources our journalists have used to report solutions stories.
Our Solutions Story Tracker® is a curated, searchable database of solutions journalism stories. It offers an inspiring and useful collection of the thousands of ways people are working to solve problems around the world.
Source: Mikhael Simmonds
Got an idea for a journalist in our network to cover? You can share your tip (and browse the tips others have shared) in our Solutions Leads Database.
Finding and Vetting Data
Strong solutions reporting requires rigorous, evidence-based analysis of how people are responding to problems. That often means finding and evaluating data that illuminates how well an effort is working — the school-based initiative that really does reduce absenteeism, for example, or government policies that have reduced opiate overdoses.
We can help you develop the data skills you need, including how to identify "positive deviants" — outliers in data that might point to a place that has found success and is making a difference. Often, journalists look through data to find failures — the highest poverty rates, the bleakest health outcomes. But that's not the only story data can tell. And reporting on places that have found a successful path can strengthen your accountability journalism and better serve your audiences.
For help using data in your solutions reporting, whether you're seeking advice on acquiring datasets or help making sense of an Excel spreadsheet — or specialized training on positive deviants — contact our data specialist, Matthew Kauffman.
Digging Deeper by Issue
We're building communities of practice around solutions coverage of society's most urgent challenges through our issue-driven initiatives. SJN initiatives bring together journalists and newsrooms to pursue similar projects on specific topics, and we share these learnings and related information and resources for reporters through Solutions in Focus. Currently, we're focusing on climate, economic mobility, democracy, and health.
Our weekly flagship newsletter Above the Fold, focuses on opportunities for journalists, celebrates newsrooms doing great work, and shares news from our world.
The Whole Story blog features tips, tools, and case studies. Do you work in a small newsroom that's wondering how to do solutions stories? We've written about that. Want to raise money to support solutions reporting? We've written about that, too, and much more.
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© 2023 Solutions Journalism Network


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afghanistan, air force, army, cliff martinez, combat, hollywood reporter, iraq, john sikes, kristian fraga, marc perez, marines, mike scotti, military, navy, ptsd, severe clear, sxsw, veterans, war documentary, war film
The Hollywood Reporter – Review
Bottom Line: The Iraq War, captured in visceral fashion by one of its combatants.
By Frank Schreck
Television journalists might have brought the Vietnam War into our living rooms, but it's the soldiers who are providing the same service these days.
"Severe Clear" arrives on the heels of several previous Iraq War-themed documentaries comprising footage shot by combat veterans — "The War Tapes" being the most notable example — but that doesn't detract from this frequently gripping and highly personal depiction of one soldier's experiences.
Filmmaker Kristian Fraga has used extensive footage shot by First Lt. Mike Scotti on a mini-DV camera. Adding greatly to the film's effect is the fact that the clearly ambitious Scotti wasn't simply filming for the hell of it but rather as preparation for a book he planned to write about Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Thus, the frequently raw footage is accompanied not only by his off-the-cuff narration but also by extensive voice-over excerpts from the journal he was keeping throughout his deployment.
"Severe" also benefits from the fact that Scotti was there from the beginning. The film begins in 2003 with his 40-day voyage on the USS Boxer and his subsequent training on the Iraq-Kuwait border as he and his fellow soldiers waited for President Bush to order the invasion (which they considered a foregone conclusion).
It then depicts the march into Baghdad and its eventual takeover by coalition forces. Although the film's early section largely concentrates on comic horseplay among the soldiers, the proceedings inevitably turn much darker, with plenty of grisly footage documenting the bloody carnage that resulted.
Thanks to the extensive narration, one also becomes intimately familiar with Scotti, who frequently refers to a female high school friend who was killed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
"Severe" is ultimately less notable for the by-now-familiar thematic points than for its visceral true-life portrait of the brutality and chaos of war. It offers a much needed personal perspective on a subject that is too often reduced to political arguments.
Link to The Hollywood Reporter
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Der Kanton Plateau de Millevaches ist ein französischer Kanton im Département Corrèze und in der Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Er umfasst 33 Gemeinden in den Arrondissements Tulle und Ussel. Bei der landesweiten Neuordnung der französischen Kantone wurde er 2015 neu geschaffen mit Meymac als Hauptort (frz.: bureau centralisateur).

Gemeinden
Der Kanton besteht aus 33 Gemeinden mit insgesamt  Einwohnern (Stand: ) auf einer Gesamtfläche von  km²:

Politik

Einzelnachweise

Plateau de Millevaches

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Alessandro Gottardo (aka Shout)
Alessandro Gottardo, also known by the name of Shout, he lives and works in Milan. Highlights of his career include cooperating with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Penguin Books, Volkswagen, Barclays, ENI, Nokia, United Airlines. He has received numerous international accolades: between 2006 and 2007, his publishing company 27_9 produced the books "Jetlag" and "Jetlag 2", in 2010 "Mono Shout", a monographic work on the first 10 years of business activity and in 2011 "DAZED". By means of an operation of subtraction and image synthesis, Shout makes his illustrations small conceptual works, in which, rather than showing, he builds up immediately perceptible messages.
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"I could tell my stories through drawings. That is where my talent lies!"
The Wall&Decò collection is incredibly rich in storytelling, yet your designs are among the most narrative of them all, real full stories. Native American writer Sherman Alexie used to say about one of his characters: "Storytelling was a disease he had taken into his mother's womb". What is storytelling for you and is there a difference, in your mind, between an illustration for wallpaper and an illustration for editorial purposes?
As a teenager (but even later) storytelling saved my life.
I am talking about literature. I was your typically shy teenager, fighting with acne and making an even bigger deal about it than it really was. So I took refuge in books.
I remember thinking: it cannot be only about the looks, I cannot be limited by how I look. The first book I read in this state of mind was Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. It was the most perfect book for a 15-years-old facing a teenage crisis and worrying about his appearance.
Later I became an omnivorous reader: Kundera was very important, from Immortality onward, then
Goethe, Schnitzler and many, many more.
At 20 I started attending creative writing at Holden School in Turin. I used to commute between Turin and Milan twice a week, arriving home at midnight. Oh, the cold of those winter nights. And the hunger, because I was skipping lunch! So exhausting. Yet, it was a marvelous time.
I came to understand that writing was too much a complex job for me, I was not talented enough, but I also realized that I could draw. I could tell my stories through drawings. That is where my talent lies! (laughs). So this is the story of how I became an illustrator.
To answer your question, there is simply no difference for me between a drawing for wallpapers and an editorial illustration, so long as it conveys an interesting story.
Irony, sharp and witty, is another constant in your works. How do you see the role of irony in the world of interior design today? In the past we have had great designers that were also blessed with a sense of irony (Achille Castiglioni comes to mind), today is may seem everyone is just trying to look cool. How do you feel about this?
I totally love that kind of design you are talking about. The golden age between the 40s and the 60s. In my house I have Castiglioni's Arco and Parentesi, the AC04 fruit basket, Vico Magistretti's Atollo and Eclisse, Hans Wegner's CH163 sofa and so on, a lot of stuff.
Concerning irony, I see myself as a purist of sorts. Among Castiglioni's works, I favour the less ironic – of course the fruit basket is inspired by a scolapasta (colander), but it is subtle, you have to notice that. If irony is too much in the forefront (I am thinking about the Mezzadro stool or the ubiquitous Sella) it just annoys me and distracts me from the fundamental thing: usability. As in: a seat has to be comfortable, a lamp has to make light.
The ideal of cool design does not really hit home for me. I care about elegance when is paired with functionality and, possibly, minimalistic aesthetics. Cool is often about a famous name, about buying an item just because it is cool to have it. I claim the right to choose: it does not matter to me if an object was designed by someone famous or by a complete unknown – all that matters is if it has a purpose in my life, in my home.
I am surely partial to the great masters. As I am partial to classic jazz, stuff like Coltrane's Giant Steps or Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. My point being, if something is still relevant after 3 or 4 generations, you cannot get tired of it. If I put a design item in my house, I need to be sure I will not be weary of it after just one year.
That said, it is in the nature of wallpaper to last for, well, a shorter amount of time. But that is the nice thing about wallpaper: you can completely change a room just by decorating a wall. It is made for the eyes, not for the body, so you can discard all the ergonomics stuff. As such, irony on wallpaper certainly makes more sense, and that is why you can find plenty of it in my designs!
A room dressed with one of your wallpapers. Inside, a character from History or Fiction (from literature all the way to movies). Who are they?
Now that is a hard question.
Quick answer: Buster Keaton. Funny and tragic at the same time, a somber comedian. Try and figure a black and white design, a wooden house that falls apart and him standing in the middle of the rubble, hammer in hand! A classic.
Also some character from Tarantino's or Wes Anderson's movies. They are so iconic, it would be fun to turn them into a design.
As for literary characters, I am sorry but it is too much crowded in my head right now, I cannot make out anyone!
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