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Thread and ReThread: UWG Business Students Pitch, Place Product in Local Store
Richards College of Business News
by Colton Campbell
The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and students from the University of West Georgia this semester received firsthand experience in bringing a product to a store shelf before Black Friday.
Students recently partnered with ReThread to pitch new products.
Thanks to a unique partnership with Carrollton-based ReThread Thrift Store, students in Simone Lee's retail management class in the Richards College of Business researched fair-trade consumer products, developed actionable implementation plans for their chosen product, and presented the product in a pitch to store's owner.
ReThread is the retail operation that supports DriButts, a nonprofit founded by Michael Wahl that provides reusable DriButts diapers to families in need in developing countries.
The project – which ran from the beginning of the semester through October – was the brainchild of both Wahl and Lee, who was looking to "change things up a bit" in the class.
"Writing a comprehensive paper is a fantastic tool once you understand a concept, but to actually do something that has an impact on someone's life is even more valuable," Lee said. "Our students were challenged with really getting into the nitty-gritty of how companies get products in their stores. I hope what they've learned about business – and about themselves – will be something that resonates with them for many years to come past graduation."
Lee and Wahl met by happenstance when Lee visited ReThread and struck up a conversation with Wahl, who happened to be manning the cash register that day.
"I knew I needed to get him into my class because I felt like students needed to hear his story," Lee said. "So when he told me he was going to open up the Do Good Marketplace in his store, I wanted to know how we could plug in."
Two weeks before the fall 2019 semester was scheduled to begin, Lee retooled the syllabus for her retail management class from the ground up.
"Something I love to do with my classes is bringing in speakers from the business world who can share their insight and their perspective on the concepts we're learning in class," Lee said. "I've had [Wahl] speak to my classes for the past year or so, and together we formulated this idea that would give the students life experience that they couldn't get from a textbook."
So, Lee rearranged the course content, moving the project up to the beginning of the semester so the chosen product could be on ReThread's shelves before the beginning of the shopping season.
The class' two-dozen undergraduate students were divided into several groups and charged with identifying a product that would fit well in Wahl's Do Good Marketplace, a corner of the store he opened in September that features fair-trade products.
From there, students were asked to develop a 30-second elevator pitch and a five-minute explanation of why their chosen product would be the best fit for the Do Good Marketplace, with Wahl asking questions about the economic viability of each product.
"One of my biggest criteria when I was deciding which product would be chosen to go on our shelf was the 'wow factor,' or the story that went along with the product they were showcasing," Wahl said. "I have made a commitment to know the hearts of the people I'm trying to help, and for us, it's so much bigger than just selling a product. It's about how we can really change people's lives."
One thing several students had to learn was the concept of fair-trade products in general. The missions of fair-trade products are typically to seek greater equity in international trade.
Fair-trade manufacturers contribute to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in developing countries.
Firms that produce fair-trade goods are actively engaged in supporting producers, raising awareness and campaigning for changes in the rules and practices of conventional international trade. The manufacturers also seek to minimize the use of child labor and sweatshops in third-world countries, thus helping people live in a more financially stable environment.
This was an important concept for Wahl to convey in his interactions with students.
"I wanted them to ask questions about every product they buy: where it was made, how it ended up here on the shelf, and did it affect someone's life in a positive or negative way," Wahl said. "ReThread started with that concept: one act of kindness threads love into someone's life. When you repeat that act, you rethread. So we rethread the love from this store into DriButts and from DriButts into the world."
Wahl's idea for the Do Good Marketplace, which sells items that follow a similar sourcing process as the DriButts diapers, came from that same idea. The marketplace has numerous items, but Wahl saved one spot on his shelf for the product that was pitched to him by UWG students: a collection of greeting cards.
"Working with these students has inspired me to continue doing what I do, and it's helped me realize that we can inspire our customers to also change lives," he said. "When I started this, I was just concentrating on the positive effect this would have on people in developing countries. I didn't realize that when customers would come to the Do Good Marketplace, their lives could be changed too."
Madison Murphy, a mass communications major who plans to graduate next May with a minor in marketing, said she took the course because of her previous experience working in retail. However, she learned more than she really expected.
"Finding the product and learning as much as we could about it – whether it was made with free trade practices, what the wholesale price for retailers is, and other important information – was challenging but rewarding," Murphy said. "I learned a lot about what it means to be fair-trade, and that's going to affect my shopping habits from now on. Seeing how making and selling a simple product can give people in developing countries a sustainable income and a better quality of life was really eye-opening for me."
Lee said collaborating with Wahl made "perfect sense."
"I'm always looking for ways to bring tangible examples and experiences into the classroom, so it was great to see how our students can gain real-life exposure and actually put a product on the floor of a local store and not just engage in conceptual, arbitrary ideas," Lee said. "This is a real product that affects someone's actual bottom line. It's really a perfect partnership."
ReThread is located at 1561 South Park Street in Carrollton. Its hours are 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information on ReThread, visit www.ReThreadThrift.com. For more information on DriButts, visit www.DriButts.com.
Photography and videography by Miranda Daniel
Economics Department Hosts Annual SAS Analytics Summit
Center for Business and Economic Research Provides Useful Information
UWG, Carrollton Elementary School Partner Through Innovative Club
CEEFL Hosts 2019 Teacher Institute
Sethna, President Emeritus, Makes Substantial Gift to UWG
BB&T Lecture Features Raymond, CEO and Author
Richards College of Business Hosts Annual Women Empowering Women Event
UWG Class Aims to Prepare Students for Tomorrow's Jobs Today
UWG Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Richards Hall
UWG Hosts 23rd Annual Economic Forecast Breakfast
Callaway Foundation Donates to Richards Hall
Business Students Pitch, Place Product in Local Store
Alumnus Bestows Endowment to Richards College of Business
Alum Makes Contribution to the Building of Richards Hall, Establishes Scholarship
UWG Team Ranks Third in Annual Competition
Professor Researches Food Deserts in Surrounding Communities
UWG Professors Complete Study of Film Tax Credit for State
UWG Grad Transforms Brewery into Hand Sanitizer Production Facility
Small Business Development Center Helps Businesses Survive and Thrive During COVID-19


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ReelNewz
The World According to ReelNewz
To Tell A Tale Of The Long Road Home
Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here.
The saying "All Good Things Must End" Shouldn't Be Applicable Here …
Summertime Film Fun Is Not Far Away
Featured, Film Festivals, Interviews
From Catharsis to Renaissance Dallas' Own: Michael Cain
Written by alyson.powers on April 26, 2019
More in Featured:
To Tell A Tale Of The Long Road Home July 1, 2022
Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here. June 24, 2022
The saying "All Good Things Must End" Shouldn't Be Applicable Here … June 23, 2022
Michael Cain is the co-founder of EarthX Film and the president of the organization. His background is in production, direction, and business. Prior to EarthX Film Michael operated as CEO at AFI based in Southern California and also saw Deep Ellum Film Festival through to its success and its adaptation into Dallas Film Society.
"Mr. Michael Cain, hello!" I bombarded the man at a charity gallery event a few nights prior to my interview with him and he, luckily ignoring my aggression, cordially accepted my greeting. "I would like to interview you! I adore EarthX and EarthX Film and want to know more about the impact it's having in Texas. I do understand you are very busy." He assuredly agreed and chuckled under his breath as if my comment barely realized exactly how so, but he lifted his phone to check his calendar and said, "I can do a Friday lunch." It seems even the smaller people (like me) matter; and after an interview with him the truth of that proves even more apparent.
Cain finished his Bachelor's at the University in Arlington and in his early 20's found himself in commercial real estate. Extremely lucrative at the time, he didn't concern himself over what loomed ahead. But as all great ventures often tend to do during economic floundering, the success of his time ended and he found himself "luckily" (as he put it) with nothing. "This was a time for me to get to know myself and find out what I really wanted to live for. To find out what motivated me, and I realized then that money was not my motivator." For ten years he lived in California attending the American Film Institute and ultimately worked his way up solidly through the branches of film production from runner to direction. And the list goes on and on, as he has produced more than 40 documentaries and films. When his father took ill, he returned to Dallas to be with him and to bring his work here with steadfast intention.
When our server Joe stopped at our table in one of Dallas' finer steak restaurants, Michael ordered water, tea, and a vegan menu. It seems he started his life as a vegan almost a year ago and has never felt better. Of course I promptly requested a vegan menu also out of a feeling of immense respect– and not to go off track here with the interview, but that was the best mushroom enchilada I have ever tasted. Michael does not drink any where near the film fest and expo and won't drink again until a spell after. "I have conferences, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, galas, parties … I would not be able to have only one drink, one would turn into five and you see where that would go."
Back To Catharsis
"Back to your Catharsis," I asked, "what really turned your thoughts toward an environmental-forward atmosphere?" He said with thought, the movie The Cove opened his eyes not only the wrongs in the world, but also to possibilities that anyone could do something to make a stand. "Everyone deserves clean air and clean water and a better future for their children." It seems this is exactly the purpose of EarthX Film. "It's about education. There's no one fix, and it's not about punishment or 'doom and gloom.' It's fun, interactive, connected to us all." Michael went on, and this is where he lit up, that all people can participate and put in even small efforts to be a part of change. I understood then why he agreed to let me incessantly ask him questions for an hour. Sharing the excitement is the goal.
Trammell Crow started EarthX in 2009 with a very small gathering the first year. He asked Michael to partner and bring EarthX Film to the endeavor. This will be EarthX Film's 3r year and it has grown exponentially. In fact, Michael asked that we meet a little later due to the fact that Disney Nature wanted a call with him. It seems a lot is in the future for collaboration there. Just one more added course to a renaissance our time desperately needs, and it is all happening big right in here in Dallas thanks to Crow and Cain and all those lovely people I met in the office today working so hard to make it happen. The passions are very present in our current society for many who do love the beauty and health of our planet and equally the social fairness for all the people existing here.
Finally, it was time to go; he had like 100 emails in an hour.
"Escape party lines and the barriers that are put between us in order to create bridges to a better future, for solutions that might feel uncomfortable but lead us to where we need to go and deserve to be."
So, it's simple. Go this weekend and enjoy the eco food, the films made by passionate youth and world-renowned scientists, tour tiny houses, and submerse in VR that takes you where you may never have otherwise had the chance to go. There is a beautiful world to witness. And it's all concentrated here in Dallas at the Fair Park convention center.
Unity sounds like utopia, but it isn't so far-fetched. We all have our own eye-opening catharses. In Michael's words: "Escape party lines and the barriers that are put between us in order to create bridges to a better future, for solutions that might feel uncomfortable but lead us to where we need to go and deserve to be."
If you want to know more about this amazing and fun opportunity happening here in Dallas, check out the links, download the app, and attend. The EarthX Film Fest is happening April 19-28 with most of the Expo events occurring April 25-28.
https://earthx.org/earthxapp
EarthX
alyson.powers
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Censorship and Freedom of Expression 01 May 2018, 23:00 UTC
Turkey: "For journalists, Turkey has become a dungeon"
©Antonio Rodriguez
Turkey has become the world's biggest jailer of journalists with some sentenced to life imprisonment simply for doing their jobs
Journalists in Turkey speak about the climate of fear on global day of action for World Press Freedom Day
Journalists & celebrities around the world join campaign co-organised by Amnesty International calling for release of more than 120 jailed media workers and denouncing politically motivate trials and sentences they are facing
Journalists have spoken out about the stifling climate of fear that has enveloped Turkey's media landscape, ahead of a global day of action to demand the release of more than 120 journalists still imprisoned since the failed 2016 coup.
The journalists spoke of the challenges they face in the wake of the crackdown and the urgent need for international solidarity. Some spoke from jail. Others, including the editor-in-chief of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet, had just been sentenced. All are under under constant threat of arbitrary detention, prosecution and conviction for nothing more than doing their jobs or for expressing peaceful opinions.
Zehra Doğan, artist and editor of the all-women Kurdish news agency, JINHA, shut down in October 2016, is serving a jail sentence of almost 3 years for a painting and news articles. She wrote from Diyarbakır prison:
"I am in prison but I am not a prisoner. Every day we are showing that art and journalism cannot not be incarcerated. We will continue our struggle and we will continue to say 'journalism is not a crime' until all journalists are free."
Çağdaş Kaplan, editor of the online news portal Gazete Karınca, said:
"Working under the constant threat of arrest and conviction makes life extremely difficult but journalism is our profession. We have to carry it out. There is a plainly visible truth in Turkey, but there is also an attempt to hide it from society. Somebody has to speak about it, and that's what we are trying to do."
Hakkı Boltan of the Free Journalists Association which was shut down in November 2016, said:
"For journalists, Turkey has become a dungeon. We had 400 members when we were closed: 78 of them are now in prison. The only way this will change is if journalists around the world stand with us to build solidarity."
Murat Sabuncu, editor of Cumhuriyet, sentenced to 7-and-a-half years in jail on terrorism charges on 25 April, said:
"I love my country and I love my profession. I want freedom both in Turkey and around the world, not for myself, but for all jailed journalists and the only way to achieve this is through solidarity."
As well as scores of journalists, others who have backed the campaign include artist Ai Weiwei, author Elif Shafak, actor and broadcaster Ross Kemp and dozens of cartoonists who have tweeted cartoons.
Their outspoken criticism comes as journalists and supporters around the world will take part in a global day of action for the Free Turkey Media campaign. The campaign, run by Amnesty International with the support of PEN, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Article 19, Committee to Protect Journalists, Index on Censorship and other organizations.
"With elections approaching, Turkey needs a free media now more than ever. Brave journalists are continuing to do their job in a climate of fear and the world must show the Turkish authorities that we will not forget them or the scores of journalists languishing in jail."
"In Turkey, what we are witnessing is an attempt to end all independent journalism. Turkey has become the world's biggest jailer of journalists with some sentenced to life imprisonment simply for doing their jobs. As early as next week, with the verdict in the Zaman case, more could follow. The world cannot allow this to happen," said Gauri van Gulik Amnesty International's Deputy Europe Director.
For more information or to arrange an interview contact Stefan Simanowitz in London on stefan.simanowitz@amnesty.org +44 2030365599
Cartoons and other information about the campaign can be downloaded here
https://amnesty.box.com/s/cre3yomo5s92oe5s26fcdexlblbteywr
Find out more about the campaign visit Twitter at @freeturkeymedia or herehttps://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/02/free-turkey-media/
The campagn is calling on individuals to show support by posting a 'selfie' while holding a sign with the hashtag #FreeTurkeyMedia. Three former Al Jazeera journalists imprisoned in Egypt for more than 400 days have joined this campaign.
Peter Greste tweeted: "If it was right to demand freedom for the Al Jazeera journalists, it is right to demand #FreeTurkeyMedia"
Mohamed Fahmy tweeted: "The world stood beside we three journalists – Peter Greste, Baher Mohammed and myself – until we won our freedom. Let's #FreeTurkeyMedia"
Baher Mohamed tweeted: "#FreeTurkeyMedia. Journalists shouldn't be behind bars"
TWEETS – Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste, Baher Mohamed
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European Union/ Libya: Act Now to Save Lives
Poland: Witch hunt of judges threatens independence of judiciary
Cyprus: Authorities hold last hope for unfairly detained father to return to his family


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0%95°68°Night - Clear. Winds from SW to SSW at 6 mph (9.7 kph). The overnight low will be 71 °F (21.7 °C).Sunny with a high of 95 °F (35.0 °C). Winds variable at 6 to 12 mph (9.7 to 19.3 kph).
0%92°68°Breezy today with a high of 92 °F (33.3 °C) and a low of 68 °F (20.0 °C).
Tonight - Clear. Winds from SW to SSW at 6 mph (9.7 kph). The overnight low will be 71 °F (21.7 °C).
Today - Sunny with a high of 95 °F (35.0 °C). Winds variable at 6 to 12 mph (9.7 to 19.3 kph).


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The Kilos Killer (Part 2)
The weight versus speed battle – Part 2
THE KILOS KILLER
By Philip Roy
In last month's issue my colleague Ted Davies talked about the battle between speed ratings and weight ratings, and quoted the Melbourne expert Paul Segar's interesting views on the merits of Speed Ratings handicapping.
Somehow, I think that the average Australian punter would be better off to stick with Weight Ratings, if only for the fact that they are more easily worked out. But there's more to my reasoning than that.
Quite some years back, in my other life as a bank manager, I actually did some testing of these two forms of selection. This was at a time when I was toying around with new forms of handicapping, and when a friend was trying to cajole me into joining him in a syndicate to back Speed Rating selections (he'd been to America and picked up what he though was a winning approach as far as Speed Ratings were concerned).
I did three months of testing at the Sydney tracks, using the Daily Doubles races on Saturdays, and at the end of it the proof of the pudding was a win to Weight Ratings. Their top selections showed an 18 per cent level stakes profit, while, alas, the revolutionary US speed ratings approach recorded a 27 per cent loss.
I used Don Scott's ratings, although I confined the methodology to a somewhat simpler basis than he had advocated in his fine books on the subject. I just worked out the ratings, and made very few allowances, positive or negative.
The beauty of Weight Ratings is that they can be easily applied. Speed Ratings take much more time. I think that's the key reason why they have never caught on in Australia, and probably never will! Who's got time to spare these days?
As we have explained before in this magazine, to successfully use Weight Ratings you first have to possess the actual race ratings. In this respect, we've published Brian Blackwell's Invader lists, and then there's Scott's book Winning In The 90s, which contains a full list for all States and New Zealand.
The actual thrust of Weight Ratings is easy to understand: Each type of race has a 'rating figure'. When a horse races in a particular event his performance is measured against that class figure.
Taken into account is the weight he carried, and whether he won or was beaten. For beaten runners, the general rule-of-thumb is that ONE LENGTH equals 1.5 kilos. (The kilos can be the killers, as they say).
For instance: A horse runs in a Class 2 race at Gosford, NSW. On the Don Scott list, such a race has a 44 class figure. Let's say our horse is carrying 55 kg on a 52 kg Limit; that is, it is carrying 3 kg over the 'limit' mark.
If we assume the horse winds up being beaten 3 lengths we can work out his 'rating' very easily. The 3 lengths equals 4.5 kilos, which is deducted from the 44 rating for the race. This leaves us with 39.5, to which is added the weight the horse carried over the limit (3 kilos).
The horse's final rating, then, is 42.5. When he next races, the 42.5 figure for his last start (of course) is used and from it is deducted the weight he will be carrying over the limit mark of the current race. Let's say he has 54.5 kg on a 52 kg limit; that's 2.5 kg over the limit, so we deduct 2.5 from his last start rating of 42.5 and this gives us a rating of 40.0 for the current race.
It is, then, a simple approach. Choose a couple of races per meeting, concentrate on them carefully, and you should be able to narrow down the best chances with very little trouble.
I have mentioned here working on a horse's last start. This does not have to be the case. You can use any of a horse's previous performances as your base ratings figure. For instance, if a horse failed over 1000m last start and is now racing over 1400m, it might be wise to look back for a recent 1400m performance for your base figure, as this would probably be a more accurate reflection of the horse's chance in the current race, rather than a failure over an unsuitable 1000m.
Let's now talk about what ratings really mean. The idea itself is not new. Ratings originated in America some 70 years ago, but then they were always restricted to one or two factors. Don Scott refined this approach and added more variable factors he considered had to be taken into account.
My colleague Martin Dowling revealed other ratings methods in his excellent article Ratings Rippers in the July issue of P.P.M. Most ratings methods like the ones he outlined, show PLUS signs a horse may have going for it, and also incorporate MINUS signs.
Weight Ratings indicate how a horse measures up on class and weight. Some ratings methods concentrate more on CONSISTENCY and DISTANCE, and take into account win strike rates, ability at the distance of the race and overall consistency in form.
Both approaches will provide a percentage of winners. Critics claim they will not overcome the fact that many of the rated horses are not propositions for today's race because of weaknesses which greatly reduce, or even eradicate, the rating figure!
One professional punter I know, who has made a living by hunch betting, says scornfully: "A horse might well possess a decided weight advantage over its rival but its winning chance could be nullified if it's out of form or lacks condition, or is badly drawn at the barrier or has a bad rider.
"To my way of thinking, the best that a ratings method can do - speed or weight, or whatever - is to trim down the chances, but only on the factors which are applied. The keen form analyst has to take all this a great deal further by applying other essential factors."
My friend's argument is that Weight Ratings merely provide mechanical selections. Which is true, except that they are soundly based on key factors - class, ability and weight. This is not a bad starting point for any selection process!
What if you are never going to be a Weight Ratings man? Can you use a Points Ratings method with success, or perhaps use the Weight Ratings approach on a limited basis? Well there's one approach that's been around for some years and which I believe still maintains its winner picking power.
You consider only those horses with TAB numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. Between them, they win about 50 per cent of all races. This means that if you backed all 4 horses, you would have a collect ratio of about 12.5 per cent. In 100 races you would bet on about 400 horses and collect on 50 of them.
Now, assuming you are pretty nifty with form and figures, you should be able to end up a good winner if you can take fullest advantage of these statistics. You won't want to back every horse; the task is to trim the four chances down, and back only the best.
Why not then use the Don Scott weight ratings on these four runners alone? Discover which of them is the best, and which is second best.
The end result could be that your collect ratio will improve dramatically. Hopefully, you will be able to eliminate the no-hopers among the top 4 runners, thus increasing the strike rate enormously.
Whatever method you choose Speed Ratings or Weight Ratings, or some combination of both - you must be willing to put in some hard work. Winners never come easily, despite what some boasters may claim. The more work you put into things, the more thought and reasoning you apply, the better your results should be.
Personally, I think that some form of weight handicapping is the way to go. You won't get every winner, but you'll certainly give yourself a sound chance of improving your betting skills - and improving your bank balance.
EASY WEIGHT RATINGS
Use each horse's weight as the base figure.
Deduct from the current race weight the 'equivalent margin' figure from the horse's
last start race. That is, horse today is carrying 57kg. Last start it was beaten 4 lengths.
Applying the formula of 1.5kg per one length, you now deduct 6 from the 57kg figure, giving
a rating of 51.
The horse with the highest weight figure at the conclusion of the workout is the no.1
selection.
If a tie or two or more contenders are closely matched, the no.1 selection becomes the
horse with the best win strike.
PRACTICAL PUNTING - SEPTEMBER 1994
Weather to determine Lamasery Metrop fate
Trainer David Vandyke won't risk starting Lamasery in the Group One Metropolitan on Saturday if the track is too wet.Randwick was in the dead range...
Lamasery back in business for Cup
The spring fortunes of promising stayer Lamasery have been resurrected to the point where his trainer wants to press for a Melbourne Cup start.Lama...
Speed Gifted on top of Metrop betting...faces Cup qualifying problem
AJC Metropolitan news....Bookmakers have Speed Gifted the $4.20 fav for the Grp 1 2400m Metrop, ahead of Gerald Ryan's in-form mare Ready To Lift ...
Schofield confident of landing Epsom-Metrop double
Glyn Schofield is brimming with confidence over his rides in the Epsom and Metrop at Randwick on Saturday. The Sth African is on Road To Rock in th...
Lamasery's career on hold
Group One-placed stayer Lamasery is suffering a career-threatening arthritic condition, trainer David Vandyke has revealed.Placed in this season's ...
Larry talks up Lukas for the Metrop
Big prediction...Jockey Larry Cassidy reckons Ipswich Cup winner Our Lukas can make waves in Sydney. LC says: 'He can stay, and he has made a big s...
AJC Metrop target looms for Castle Heights
KIWI stayer Castle Heights prevailed in a three-way finish to win yesterday's $150,000 Grafton Cup, reports John Schell in the Sydney Morning Heral...
Lamasery in Sandown test
David Vandyke has taken up the tough challenge of running the honest Lamasery against outstanding stayer Americain in Saturday's Group Two Zipping ...
Trainer David Vandyke won't risk starting Lamasery in the Group One Metropolitan on Saturday if the track is too wet.Randwick was in the dead range on Wednesday and with the worst of the forecast r...
The spring fortunes of promising stayer Lamasery have been resurrected to the point where his trainer wants to press for a Melbourne Cup start.Lamasery will make a belated southern debut when he st...
AJC Metropolitan news....Bookmakers have Speed Gifted the $4.20 fav for the Grp 1 2400m Metrop, ahead of Gerald Ryan's in-form mare Ready To Lift ($5.50). Trainer Lee Freedman is said to have soun...
Glyn Schofield is brimming with confidence over his rides in the Epsom and Metrop at Randwick on Saturday. The Sth African is on Road To Rock in the Epsom and Ready To Lift in the Metrop. He says: ...
Group One-placed stayer Lamasery is suffering a career-threatening arthritic condition, trainer David Vandyke has revealed.Placed in this season's Group One Metropolitan Handicap and a Flemington w...
Big prediction...Jockey Larry Cassidy reckons Ipswich Cup winner Our Lukas can make waves in Sydney. LC says: 'He can stay, and he has made a big step from last preparation to this preparation...A ...
KIWI stayer Castle Heights prevailed in a three-way finish to win yesterday's $150,000 Grafton Cup, reports John Schell in the Sydney Morning Herald.He says: Ridden by resurgent jockey Stathi Katsi...
David Vandyke has taken up the tough challenge of running the honest Lamasery against outstanding stayer Americain in Saturday's Group Two Zipping Classic.The Sydney trainer opted for the weight-fo...


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Birthdays Music Spotlight The 1960's The Beatles
Remembering the man who made The Beatles Brian Epstein on his 86th Birthday
September 19, 2020 September 19, 2020 Pop Expresso	0 Comments 1934, 1967, Birthdays, Brian Epstein, Music, The Beatles
The 5th Beatle was born on this day in 1934
Brian Epstein was born on Brian Samuel Epstein on September 19th, 1934 in Liverpool, England, he wasn't and still is not as famous as George, John, Paul and Ringo, however, without him there would be no Beatles as we know. Epstein was their dedicated manager that smartly marketed their career through many different things such as clothing, appearances, record deals. There are quite a few people that could be considered the 5th Beatle (and in all justice as for example George Martin) however, Brian Epstein was the one the band choose to call their fifth member. Brian was only 32 years old when he died of a overdose in his house on the 27 of August 1967 shortly after the release of "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band". Some speculation grew around his death, some say it was a suicide in part due to the fact that he was in love with Lennon and couldn't deal with it not being mutual (Brian was gay and it's a known fact that he loved Lennon, who used it in his advantage during the early Beatles days), but the accidental overdose it's still the strongest possibility. The importance of Brian to the balance of the band was immense, how things suddenly crashed down after his death leading to feud and conflict between sort of prove it in a way. Had he been around maybe The Beatles still would end up in turmoil as they did. But who knows.
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With you since 1982. Welcome to the restaurant Castle Kromberk!
Our offer is based on freshly prepared seasonal dishes in order to offer guests only the best.
Explore and taste the forgotten dishes and traditional recipes, presented in a modern way.
Top quality ingredients, domestic herbs and careful preparation of the dishes by our chef Ales will delight you at each visit.
We serve you in the environment of a castle, erected in the first half of the 13th century by Count Henrik of Dornberk and reconstructed in the 17th century by the nobleman Giovanni Maria Coronini.
We stand at the confluence of two family traditions, dating back to 1982, when in the castle environment Ljuba and Zoran started creating magic flavours – always different, innovative and special, or sometimes simply traditional dishes from Goriška and Prekmurje regions of Slovenia, whereas Aleš's grandmother worked as a cook in an ancient inn in Goriška brda.
When for a moment it seemed that the story was about to end, as their daughter Mateja chose to study tourism, even though she liked to help in the inn ever since she was a little, 7-year old girl, a turning point arrived.
As the saying goes, love passes through the stomach, and Renaissance castles are perfect for romantic adventures… and here is where Aleš and Mateja met, who continue the tradition of flavours since 2008.


Today I drove up to Northamptonshire to see Sir Stephen Hastings. Earl Jellicoe, when I interviewed him about North Africa, told me I should talk to his old friend, as Sir Stephen had not only served with the SAS in the Western Desert but had later won an MC working for SOE behind enemy lines in Italy.
His house was absolutely stunning. Rather grandly, he has a valet and a secretary, but he himself was incredibly affable and down-to-earth. He's well over eighty but acted, sounded, and behaved a lot younger, and rather like the Poles yesterday, seemed to have a perpetual twinkle in his eye. We chatted for ages, then had lunch, then chatted some more. Although much of the conversation was about North Africa, it's clear he has a special fondness for the Partisans he helped organise in the mountains south of Piacenza. Before I left, he told me he was thinking of going back there to see some of his old Partisans chums and suggested I might like to come along too. Well, I said,, as it happens, I'm intending to be out in Italy in May. 'Hm – that might work rather well,' said Sir Stephen. 'Let's try and work towards that then.' I really hope that comes off.


Dundee United supporters' groups ULT83 and ArabTrust have joined forces to provide free sanitary products for women visiting Tannadice.
United are one of only a handful of football clubs taking part in the campaign to tackle "period poverty".
Statistics have indicated that one in 10 girls have been unable to afford sanitary products and the fans' groups wanted to do their bit to help.
Funded by the groups themselves, the items will be available in the ladies' toilets in two of the stands as well as the Hegarty Suite, starting at the match against Partick Thistle today.
Since 2015, ULT83 has raised more than £5,000 for local community causes as well as the Dundee United Youth Development Board and the Dundee United Community Trust.
Members of the group said they were delighted to join forces with ArabTrust, which has provided more than £300,000 to the Tannadice club since 2003.
ArabTrust chairwoman Susan Batten said: "We thought it would be a great idea to provide free sanitary products for our female fans and for the women who visit Tannadice.
"We are very proud to be part of the campaign to provide free products for those women who can't afford to buy them.


For 55 million years, the Namib desert has crept slowly from the Western coastal line towards the centre of Namibia, transforming almost 100 000 square kilometres of arid land into one of the most spectacular works of art Mother Nature has ever produced.
To the uninformed observer, this landmass of sand must seem impenetrable, eerie and dangerous. Early explorers often perished after food and water supplies ran out, or were threatened by extreme temperatures and fearsome animals. The few that persevered were not only amply rewarded, but paved the way for the modern traveller.
Today a visit to the Namib desert still offers the visitor a snapshot of the past but infused with modern technology. Luxury lodges, guest farms and a significant infrastructure have opened the doors of this magnificent area to visitors from all over the world. However, the influx of travellers and modern amenities poses a threat to the delicate balance found in the desert.
An awareness of these threats to the local fauna and flora should be a priority for all parties involved. If this responsibility is ignored, it may result in grave consequences. Many tourist-driven activities are currently actively involved in conserving the desert for our children, a policy that should be supported not only by Namibians, but also by visitors.
A symbiosis between the Department of Nature Conservation and commercial concerns is crucial for the survival of the desert, while the involvement of the indigenous Nama people is essential for the survival of this extraordinary population of desert dwellers.
The conservation of natural resources currently practiced by many tourist-orientated farms is encouraging. This, in addition to active recycling activities offers the eco-friendly traveller a value-for-money "off-the-beaten-track" experience of a lifetime.
Weltevrede Guest Farm is one of these places to rest while visiting the highest dunes in the world. Here you can end a perfect day while watching the sunset from your own porch overlooking the dunes.


As part of our continued drive to raise funds, a number of big hearted Settlement supporters have kindly agreed to open their garden gates to the public on two key days in June 2017.
On Sunday June 18 and Wednesday June 21 from 1.30pm until 5pm the following houses will be receiving visitors. There will be refreshments on offer.
Tickets are priced at £4 and can be purchased at any of the addresses on these dates and used to access the remaining properties.
Our sincere thanks to those householders who are supporting this important initiative.


It is hard to measure progress sometimes. I often feel like I have moved technology forward, only to stop and question that notion when I run into an unforeseen problem.
This week, however, I was able to notice an improvement during back-to-school night. I had not even planned on being on-campus for it, but realized that I had failed to remind someone in IT to be on-hand for tech support. So I stayed.
No one was coming-up to me with a problem.
I was not getting any emails.
This was a surprise, because back-to-school night means there are 100 teachers in the their rooms running presentations for parents. All of them, seemingly, were self-sufficient and not needing IT support.
I thought back to back-to-school night in 2009, my first year in this position. It was a living hell. I was at school from 3PM-7PM just helping people in their rooms. I was bouncing between presentations from 7PM-9PM trying to keep people afloat amongst the masses.
Four years later -nothing. Everything was working. Why?
Everyday you need to disconnect your laptop and put it away or take it home.
You must be able to setup your laptop, sound, projection, and interactive board in under 5 minutes.
You must be able to manage display switching on your own.
Ask your department before you ask IT if you have a question.
This might seem basic to many people, but in fact, the policy in place was to treat your laptop like a powered brick, and leave it on the desk. If there was an issue, notify IT, and have them come literally do everything. There was no responsibility on the teacher to master the basic tools they needed for their job.
In addition to this, we enabled teachers to manage their own laptops. We gave them full permission to install software and make changes. If something new came along, a video and pdf would go out explaining to them what to do. Watching and/or reading were required. IT would insist the teachers attempt things on their own, before asking for help.
Maybe common sense, but the culture was going the opposite way at the time. It took effort and time. I can say that I can check this off as a success. I would often note the statistics regarding the number of tech support tickets. They kept falling steadily. Some people would say that maybe the decrease was due to people simply not submitting tickets.
Having the back-to-school night experience reinforced the data that I had been collecting for years. The DIY approach works, and no matter how annoyed people seem to be when asked to address their own problems, they are alway more confident and on a more level playing field when it comes to dealing with those leading technology.
It is always important to remember that education is about creating opportunities for everyone, and not just students. Policies need to help teachers develop and learn, just on a more gradual incline than policies applied to students.
This entry was posted in Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Opinion and tagged DIY, management, Policies. Bookmark the permalink.


Last week, METISfiles principal analyst Marcel Warmerdam presented the results of the Multi Client Study "Big Data, Big Decisions" at SAP's Big Data Forum.
The expanding data usage within Dutch organizations. The expanding digital universe is not just a global phenomenon. Dutch organizations anticipate a doubling of their data every year. Currently 30% indicates their data sets have volumes between 1 and 10 TB but within 3 years 30% of the same respondents expect the size of their data sets to be between 10 and 100 TB. The percentage of companies running data sets of 1+ PB will increase from 7 to 18%.
The increasing awareness of the value of data by business management. Big Data is not just another ICT gadget. Unlike trends such as cloud and mobile, business managers are taking a deep interest in Big Data as strategic tool. Moreover, from the research it appears that 45% of business managers consider Big Data the most relevant ICT trend. 38% of ICT managers regard Big Data as the most relevant ICT theme.
Big Data is more than an ICT project. As a result of business managers' interest in Big Data they also tend to be much more in the driving seat of these projects in terms of budget, management and decision making than with any other ICT related project. Already some 30% of the Big Data projects is financed by business budgets (either from corporate or business units). As shadow IT budgets are on the rise this trend is likely to accelerate over the next three years.
Currently 6% of Dutch organizations have an operational Big Data project. At the same time 13% are implementing, evaluating, or have solid plans for Big Data projects. Based on these plans, the current penetration rate and the fast development of Big Data technologies and solutions, the METISfiles predicts that Big Data adoption in the Netherlands will double by the end of 2014. This forecast is further supported by the fact that 67% of the respondents state that by 2016 Big Data technologies will be a necessity in their own organization. Only 25% of the respondents say they do not see the value of Big Data for their organization any time soon.
Check out the slides of the (Dutch) presentation below!


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Press Releases • By BLEND On 3 Mar 2021
BLEND Raises $10m to Fuel Global Growth with End-to-end Localization Services
Feb 22nd, 2021, BLEND (formerly OneHourTranslation), an end-to-end technology-based multi-market enabler, announced the completion of a $10 million funding round to fuel its continued rapid growth. Existing investor Fortissimo Capital led the round following a year of strategic expansion reflected in the company's new brand and offering. BLEND leverages OneHourTranslation's AI-driven language technology, 25,000 expert linguists, and advanced tech stack to help global brands establish a native presence in fundamentally different markets, worldwide.
BLEND helps brands localize their business offerings based on a unique understanding of local context, culture, and consumer behavior. The company provides customers with a comprehensive platform, offering localization services such as content translation and transformation, global marketing, regulatory services, and more. The company will continue to operate from its offices in Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Kyiv, and Bucharest.
BLEND is founded upon three core pillars: a strong global community of linguists, powerful AI-driven Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology, and premium customer service led by experienced localization managers. BLEND's technology stack includes custom integrations with Google Cloud Translation, Amazon Translate, ModernMT, SYSTRAN, KantanMT, DeepLPro, and other neural machine translation (NMT) engines, as well as a wide selection of TMS integrations and customized API driven workflows.
The company's long-standing on-demand translation wizard will remain active under the onehourtranslation.com domain, while the company's new website and localization services for businesses and enterprise companies can be found on www.getblend.com.
According to Yair Tal, BLEND's CEO, "We're introducing BLEND to empower enterprise companies to become natively local, and blend into new markets in order to truly stand out. BLEND serves as a partner in helping midsize to enterprise companies make that 'glocal' transition. The ongoing support of our investors and loyal customers, along with the new funds, allow us to address the growing demand for localization services and accelerate our growth both organically and through acquisitions."
To support multi-market expansion at scale, companies need to translate massive volumes of content into dozens of languages quickly. The BLEND platform was designed to handle thousands of projects simultaneously, using data to allocate linguists for different localization tasks, such as translation, voiceover, transcription, linguistic testing, DTP, and many other tasks.
BLEND is also used by top AI technology providers to produce multilingual data for AI model training. Workflows are customized to match each client's localization challenges, KPIs, and time-to-market. By using the BLEND platform, clients leverage the latest AI translation technologies, trained with their past translation data. As a result, BLEND's clients benefit from faster time-to-market, higher quality, and reduced cost of ownership.
The BLEND Team
BLEND's strategic transition is led by newly appointed CEO Yair Tal, who joined the company after serving as Senior Vice President, Head of Payoneer Enterprise at Payoneer, a leading cross-border payment platform. Yair played a key role in growing Payoneer from a small payment startup to one of the world's largest e-payment solution providers. Recent additions to BLEND's leadership and management team include domain experts from leading unicorn companies, such as Fiverr, Wix, IronSource, MyHeritage, Welocalize, AWS, and Payoneer.
Yuval Cohen, founding partner at Fortissimo Capital, noted: "The impressive and ongoing global growth of the company, alongside the strategic vision led by the new CEO Yair Tal, have led us to decide on an additional investment that will keep positioning us as BLEND's primary investor."
About Fortissimo Capital
Fortissimo Capital Fund is a private equity group, established in 2004, that invests primarily in technology and industrial companies at a point of inflection and works closely with management to expedite growth. Fortissimo raised $1.6 billion across five funds and has invested in close to 50 companies. A few notable portfolio companies include: Priority Software, SodaStream (Nasdaq:SODA, later sold to Pepsi), Kornit Digital (Nasdaq:KRNT), Tuttnauer, Cadent (sold to Align), Sanquin Plasma, AOD (sold to Primus), Biological Industries (sold to Sartorius), and Gadot Biochemicals.
For more details visit getblend.com.
Watch our launch video here.
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BLEND Investment rebranding
By BLEND
BLEND (getblend.com) is a global localization company brought to you by the makers of One Hour Translation - the legacy on-demand localization platform founded in 2008